Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Youth Involvement And The Transition To University: An Examination Of The Mediating Factors, Thanh-Thanh Tieu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research shows that involvement in activities outside of schoolwork and paid employment predicts better adjustment to university. The purpose of this study was to determine why involvement predicts better adjustment. Literature indicates that in addition to involvement, adjustment to university may be influenced by self-esteem, stress, social support and social skills. It was hypothesized that these factors mediate the relationship between involvement and adjustment. Two studies examined this hypothesis. In study 1, two new scales (the Quality of Involvement Scale, and the Social Skills Scale) were developed and pilot tested for use in study 2. In study 2 undergraduate students …

Investing The Wealth: Intentional Strategies For Psychology Training In Developing Countries, Mark R. Mcminn, Vitaliy L. Voytenko

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The knowledge and skills of psychology can be useful in developing countries where indigenous mental health resources are sometimes scarce. Although it may be useful for psychologists to provide short-term training in developing countries, the potential for long-term change is best accomplished by investing in training students from developing countries, especially those committed to returning to their homeland after completing their training. Three “investment strategies” are suggested for training students from developing countries: faculty awareness, intentional mentoring, and facilitated launching. Challenges and implications for professional psychologists are discussed.

Satisfaction With Research Training In Christian Psychology Doctoral Programs: Survey Findings And Implications, Mark R. Mcminn, Peter C. Hill, Justin W. Griffin

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Perceptions of research training at seven explicitly Christian doctoral programs in clinical psychology were assessed with a satisfaction survey. A total of 283 students, 98 alumni, and 51 faculty completed the online questionnaire. Perceived strengths include faculty-student collaboration, encouraging students to present at national meetings, respect for faculty, and effective curricula. Areas for future growth include enhanced research funding, making research mentoring available to all students, and decreasing the perceived dichotomy between clinical and research competence. Self-reported faculty and student publication and presentation rates are also presented and discussed.

Publication Frequency Among Faculty In Explicitly Christian Doctoral Programs, Mark R. Mcminn, W. Brad Johnson, Jeremy S. Haskell

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Explicitly Ch1istian doctoral programs in professional psychology have proliferated in recent years as part of the larger trend toward professional school training. The current study is an investigation of publication rates among faculty in these programs. Based on an analysis of publication data from 1996 to 2001, faculty in explicitly Christian programs are publishing in psychology journals at rates similar to faculty in other professional schools and programs. No differences were observed between faculty in PhD and PsyD programs. Implications for students selecting doctoral programs are discussed.

Olanzapine Attenuates Cue-Elicited Craving For Tobacco, Kent E. Hutchinson, Marie-Christine Rutter Goodworth, Raymond Niaura, Robert Swift, Wallace B. Pickworth, Laura Sobik

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Rationale: Recent biological conceptualizations of craving and addiction have implicated mesolimbic dopamine activity as a central feature of the process of addiction. Imaging, and pharmacological studies have supported a role for dopaminergic structures in cue-elicited craving for tobacco.

Objective: If mesolimbic dopamine activity is associated with cue-elicited craving for tobacco, a dopamine antagonist should attenuate cueelicited craving for tobacco. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether an atypical antipsychotic (olanzapine, 5 mg) decreased cue-elicited craving for tobacco.

Method: Participants were randomly assigned to 5 days of pretreatment with olanzapine (5 mg; n=31) or were randomly assigned …

Optimism In Parents Of 8-Year-Olds And Adolescents: Relations With Parental Efficacy, Age Of The Child, And Gender, Shannon E. Werner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parental optimism may be an important parenting characteristic that influences the parenting process, along with other parent, child and social characteristics. Optimism has generated a great deal of research in social psychology, but has remained relatively unstudied in the context of parenting. Parental optimism is distinguished from personal optimism in the sense that it is the specific tendency for parents to be positive about their child’s future development. In the present study, 35 families completed a series of questionnaires concerning their 8-year-old, first-born child (17 males and 18 females). Measures included the Parent Expectations Index (the measure of parental optimism), …

Investigating Age Factors In Cross-Language Transfer Of Phonological Processing Across English And Chinese Languages, Yan Gu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current study compared the reading and phonological performance of younger and older Chinese-speaking children who learned to read English as a second language in Canada. Parallel measures of reading, phonological processing, orthographic processing, and oral language proficiency were administered in English and Chinese to 25 younger children (Grades 1 and 2) and 26 older children (Grades 5 and 6). Phonological processing skill in English and Chinese were intercorrelated and correlated with English reading performance in both age groups. For the younger children, English phonological processing skill was a unique predictor of English reading performance. Conversely, for the older children, …

Parents' Perceptions Of Children With Learning Disabilities: Asian Indian And Caucasian Cultural Perspectives, Henareet Singh

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Past literature on parents' identification of children with learning disabilities is very limited. Within the existing literature, the possibility of differences between cultures in parents' perceptions of children with learning disabilities has scarcely been examined. Two cultural groups were examined in the present study: Asian Indian (Sikh, collectivist culture) and Caucasian 1 (individualistic culture). Parents with children without learning disabilities (and some with children with learning disabilities) were examined. Both groups were given a survey to explore how they would identify children with learning disabilities. Population proportions were calculated on how the entire sample (i.e., Caucasian and Asian Indian participants …

Effect Of Ondansetron And Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol On The Establishment Of Lithium-Induced Conditioned Taste Avoidance In The House Musk Shrew (Suncus Murinus), Magdalena Kwiatkowska

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Recent evidence suggests that toxin-induced taste avoidance in the non-emetic rat is not mediated by conditioned sickness. In contrast, it appears that toxin-induced taste avoidance in an emetic species is mediated by conditioned sickness. The present experiments evaluated the potential of the anti-emetic agents, ondansetron [OND; a serotonin receptor (5-HT3) antagonist] and Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC; a cannabinoid (CB 1) agonist] to interfere with lithium chloride (LiCl)-induced taste avoidance in the house musk shrew (Suncus murinus). In Experiment 1, shrews were pretreated with OND (1.5 mg/kg) or saline 30 min prior to drinking 0.1% saccharin solution then they were injected with LiCl …

Cultural Differences In Holism, Focalism And Affective Forecasting, Kent C.H. Lam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The "impact bias" in affective forecasting - a tendency to overestimate the emotional consequences of a particular future event - might not be a universal phenomenon. This prediction bias occurs in part because of a cognitive process known as focalism, whereby predictors focus attention narrowly on the target event and neglect other mitigating events and circumstances. It was hypothesized that East Asians, because of their holistic tendencies, would be less susceptible to focalism and consequently to the impact bias. These hypotheses were partially supported. In Study 1, participants predicted on a cold day how happy they would be when outdoor …

Story Telling: A Narrative Based Evaluation Of Supported Housing For Consumers At Waterloo Regional Homes For Mental Health, Inc., Sarah L. Peddle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A qualitative, narrative approach was used to evaluate a supported housing program for formerly homeless people with serious mental health problems. The housing organization hosting the research is currently providing supported-living, single-occupancy apartments funded under the Phase II Mental Health Homelessness Initiative by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The study was designed to gather the stories of those who have been recently homeless or at risk for homelessness, have a serious mental illness, and have been housed within the past year in this housing, as well as to provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of supported housing …

Social Interaction And Attitudes Towards Computers In Seniors, Melanie Jennifer Webb

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sixty-eight participants were introduced to computers through 5 workshops. Seniors worked in dyads with either one shared computer or a computer for each participant. Social interactions while working on the computers between partners were examined. In addition, participants completed a total of five surveys across the sessions to determine whether the introduction of the computers had any impact on their attitudes towards computers and technology. Differences were found for the types of social interaction engaged between the one computer and two computer conditions. Specifically, participants in the one computer condition engaged in a significantly greater amount of problem-solving, as well …

Fathers' Physiological Reactions To Child-Related Stimuli And Observed Fathering Behaviors, Brian D. Hunter

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Child abuse studies have measured physiological reactivity of parents in response to several child- and nonchild-related stimuli. Abusive parents have responded to aversive stimuli, including that which is child-related, with atypical physiological reactivity, suggesting a trait of hyperreactivity. The current study tested the hypothesis that variation in observed parenting behaviors is associated with physiological reactivity to childrelated stimuli. To explore this association, researchers measured fathers' skin conductance level, heart rate and respiration rate in reaction to video segments of a quiet, crying and happy infant, then scored observed father-child interactions for the use of parenting warmth and control across four …

Relationships Among Belief In Divine Intervention, Belief In Good Luck, Paranormal Beliefs, Locus Of Control, Academic Ability, Cognitive Ability, And Gender, Jenni Rebecca Durham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among superstitious concepts, academic abilities, cognitive abilities, locus of control, and gender. This study explored the hypotheses that adherence to superstitious concepts is associated with a greater external locus of control and lower cognitive abilities. Consequently, little or no adherence to superstitious concepts results in an internal locus of control and higher cognitive abilities. This study also investigated hypotheses that an internal locus of control is associated with higher academic abilities, that females have higher superstitious belief than males, and that higher cumulative GP A is associated with higher …

Children’S Perceptions Of Peers’ Intentions In Ambiguous And Aggressive Situations, Tara Jo Finch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the study was to examine high aggressive and low aggressive children's perceptions of their peers' intentions in ambiguous and aggressive situations. Teacher ratings of aggression were assessed for 25 first grade children. Measures were taken to evaluate children's judgments about aggressors' intentions in ambiguous and aggressive acts. In the first part of the assessment, children were read three stories about an ambiguously aggressive situation, asked whether or not it was okay for the provoker to perform the action, and asked why they believed the provoker carried out the aggressive act. In the second part, children were read …

Protecting Us From Pictures: Gender And Support For Legal Restrictions On Pornography, Elizabeth Lynne Chivers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research and debate concerning pornography has been controversial, primarily focusing on the perceived harmful effects. The current study addresses support for legal restrictions and the effect of gender on this support. Based on the internalization of gender roles, perspectives, and identities through socialization, gender is constructed differently for men and women. Because this socialization is constructed around an oppositional male-female dichotomy, men and women experience the world differently. While there have been previous research addressing gender differences, the gendered nature of attitudes merits further study. The current study is based on data collected for 451 undergraduate students at the University …

Übersetzungs- Und Validierung Der Deutschen Version Des "Teenage Inventory Of Social Skills" (Tiss-D) [Translation And Validation Of The German "Teenage Inventory Of Social Skills" (Tiss-G)]., Patrick Pössel, Bettina Häußer

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Fragestellung: Eine Reihe von Studien konnte die enge Verbindung zwischen geringer sozialen Kompetenz und psychischen Störungen bei Jugendlichen aufzeigen (z. B. Rudolph & Clark, 2001). Methode: Um das soziale Verhalten von Jugendlichen untereinander erfassen zu können, wurde das „Teenage Inventory of Social Skills“ (TISS) von Inderbitzen & Foster (1992) übersetzt und validiert. Ergebnisse: Die faktorenanalytisch ermittelten Skalen „positives Verhalten“ und „negatives Verhalten“ haben eine Interne Konsistenz von  = .86 und .85. Die Retest-Reliabilität über 13 – 18 Tage beträgt für beide Skalen r = .89. Während sich kein Zusammenhang der Skala „positives Verhalten“ mit den Syndromskalen des „Youth Self-Report“ …

Perception Of Empty And Filled Time Intervals In Pigeons: An Attentional Allocation Explanation Of The Empty Interval Illusion, Stephanie Hornyak

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Studies with humans and non-human animals have established how stimulus properties play an important role in the subjective duration of time. A phenomenon referred to as the Filled Interval Illusion has been found with humans, which demonstrates that filled intervals are perceived to be longer than empty intervals of equivalent duration. Recently, it has been demonstrated that pigeons judge empty time intervals bounded by two 500-ms light markers to be longer than an equivalent filled interval of light. Experiment 1 was able to replicate the Empty Interval Illusion with pigeons. Experiment 2 attempted to determine whether the Empty Interval Illusion …

A Media Literacy Intervention: Using Self-Objectification As A Tool For Identifying Changes In Well-Being And Internalization, Becky L. Choma

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

According to objectification theory, females are socialised to internalize a third person perspective of their own physical appearance (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), which in turn serves to decrease well-being (Sands & Wardle, 2003). In our culture, one of the biggest culprits for portraying a negative perspective of women's bodies is media (Thompson & Heinberg, 1999). In an effort to combat the harmful effects of media, researchers have suggested that being able to critically evaluate (i.e., media literacy) such messages may be helpful (Tiggeman, Gardiner, & Slater, 2000). Past research has failed to measure trait self-objectification (TSO: high, low) and its …

Improving Preschoolers' Memories For The Sources Of Events: A Comparison Of Two Source-Monitoring Training Techniques, Francine M. Pilon

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Preschoolers have a tendency to confuse the sources of events when recalling information. Two source-monitoring training (SMT) techniques were compared to see whether source confusions can be reduced in 3- to 4-year-old children (N = 37). After watching a puppet-show and story, children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: two SMT conditions (explicit and implicit) and one control condition (memory training) where they were trained on non-target puppet-show and story events. The explicit method consisted of a clear mention of both sources (story, puppet show) and their modality (hearing and seeing, respectively) during training, specific instruction to utilize …

Novelty And The Running-Induced Feeding Suppression, Elham Satvat

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In adult rats, wheel introduction induces a temporary feeding suppression, which may be the result of either a conditioned taste avoidance induced by wheel running (Left & Grant, 1996), or an anorectic effect produced by running (Mueller, Loft, & Eikelboom, 1997). The first experiment investigated the effect of alternate-day wheel access on consumption of novel 32% sucrose solution in 36 adult male rats. The first group of rats had no wheel access, the second continuous wheel access, and the third alternate-day wheel access. Rats without wheel access consumed large amounts of sucrose from the first day. Both groups with wheel …

Competition And Success In Secondary School Drama Programs: A Comparative Study, Lisa Lenstra-Norman

Graduate Research Papers

Among the participants in secondary school drama programs, indirect competition, with its emphasis on mastery and personal achievement, may promote the development of successful behaviors such as having the ability to perform tasks skillfully, revealing a commitment to setting and reaching high expectations, showing responsibility, possessing self-esteem and caring for others. Therefore the purpose of this study is to determine an answer to the following question: does indirect competition enhance the success of participants in a secondary school drama program? Because one of the two schools studied does not take part in large group or individual speech contests, this study …

Acknowledgement Response And Interference Timing During The Processing Of Voice And Datalink Atc Commands, Matthew R. Risser

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In aviation, effective communication between air traffic control (ATC) and pilots is critical to pilot performance and safety. Problems and limitations of current radio communications initiated the development of datalink technology. Datalink is a text system used to send messages between ATC and pilots. Although datalink was intended to reduce errors associated with radio communication, there are new concerns related to changes in information processing demands associated with executing speech and text ATC commands. In addition, the nature of responses differs between voice and datalink systems. In a voice environment, responses are immediate. However, time delays exist with datalink. These …

Intrusive Thoughts And Stress During The Evacuation Phase Of A Technological Disaster, Alisa Mastin Aston

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigates the quantity and quality of intrusive thoughts (IT) experienced during the evacuation following a technological disaster. This study is aimed at evaluating which aspects of IT are related to increased frequency and disturbance of intrusive thoughts, as well as stress and coping outcomes.