Psychology Commons^™

The Roots Of Love: Maternal Behaviour Related To Attachment Security, David R. Pederson, Greg Moran

Psychology Presentations

No abstract provided.

Memory & Cognition: What Difference Does Gender Make?, Donna J. Bridge

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Small but significant gender differences, typically favoring women, have previously been observed in experiments measuring human episodic memory performance. In three studies measuring episodic memory, we compared performance levels for men and women. Secondary analysis from a pairedassociate learning task revealed a superior ability for women to learn single function pairs (i.e. words that are represented in only one pair), but performance levels for double function pairs (i.e. pairs that contain words that are also used in one other pair) were similar for men and women. We also reanalyzed data from a recognition experiment that used pictures as stimuli, and …

A Systematic Review Of The Methodology Of Expressive Writing Intervention Studies: Examining Location, Vanessa Juth

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Expressive writing interventions pertain to emotional disclosure through structured writing. Despite the encouraging results of controlled expressive writing studies, efforts to expand it into applied settings have been less successful and results have been more inconsistent. One varying factor among pertinent studies is the investigators’ alteration of the location of writing (both within and between studies). The purpose of this study is to systematically review the methodology and parameters of expressive writing intervention studies. A computer literature search was conducted using the PsycINFO and MedLine databases to identify peer reviewed articles of randomized controlled trials of the expressive writing intervention …

Assessing Reliability Of Expert Ratings Among Judges Responding To A Survey Instrument Developed To Study The Long Term Efficacy Of The Abet Engineering Criteria, Ec2000, Tracy L. Litzinger

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

In today’s assessment processes, especially those evaluations that rely on humans to make subjective judgements, it is necessary to analyze the quality of their ratings. The psychometric issues associated with assessment provide the lens through which researchers interpret results and important decisions are made. Therefore, inter-rater agreement (IRA) and inter-rater reliability (IRR) are pre-requisites for rater-dependent data analysis. A survey instrument cannot provide “good” information if it is not reliable; in other words, reliability is central to the validation of an instrument. When judges cannot be shown to reliably rate a performance, item, or target, the question becomes why the …

When And Where I Enter: Social Determinants Of Mental Health Services Use Among African American Women, Shonreh Doss

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

African Americans utilize mental health services significantly less frequently than do White-Americans. This study examined the social factors that work to influence the decision to seek services outside of the social circle. Using the National Survey of Black Americans, 4th wave, factors were examined using logistic regression analysis to test the likelihood of accessing the sick role. In addition to the sick role, regression analysis was used to determine the sick role's effect on the decision to seek outside care. Controlling for education, perceived racism, religiosity and employment problems, the findings suggest that life control and socioeconomic status factors influence …

An Assessment Of School Adjustment In Head Start Children, Rachel Waford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the current study was to pilot test measures of cognitive-linguistic achievement and socioemotional competence to create an all encompassing model of school adjustment in a sample of Head Start children (N = 36). Past research examining school adjustment in low-income children has failed to address all of the components of school adjustment while often employing the same reporter (the teacher) for both predictor and outcome measures. Cognitive-linguistic measures included four subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement and two assessments of phonological awareness (rhyming and alliteration). Emotion regulation measures included teacherreported emotionality and emotion regulation, parent-reported emotionality …

Student Discipline: Analyses And Comparisons Of Behaviors Which Incur Suspension Or Expulsion For Minority And Non-Minority Students In The State Of Indiana, A. Sue Girvin Ward

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study was undertaken on the premise that the public had concerns regarding a11egations that minority-students were suspended or expelled more frequently than non-minority students. The implication of excessive disciplinary action on minority students emerged when the Zero-Tolerance Act was adopted in l 994. The Act was an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Critics state disciplinary action under zero-tolerance policies has unduly affected all students but has primarily affected children from families oflowcr socioeconomic status and ethnic minority groups. This study, using the chi-square goodness of fit test, examined the 2002-2003 disciplinary statistics of …

Therapeutic Processes In A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Depressed Adolescents With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Meredith Brent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have higher rates of depression than healthy youth. A cognitive-behavioral treatment, primary and secondary control enhancement training-physical illness (PASCET-PI), for depressed adolescents with IBD was associated with reductions in depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the salience of nonspecific processes (factors inherent in any human relationship) and specific processes (factors related to therapy content) during PASCET-PI sessions and their association with improvements in psychological functioning.

Participants included 10 adolescent patients with IBD with mean illness duration of 31.9 months. At intake, eight participants qualified for a diagnosis of major depressive …

New Perspectives On The Relationship Between Emotion Decoding And Social Acceptance In School-Age Children, Eri Suzuki

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between children's emotion decoding ability and their social acceptance was examined, with a major focus on potential nonlinear components. Based on the display rules literature, the prediction was tested that social acceptance and emotion decoding skills can be best described as an inverted U-shaped function. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade (113 girls and 123 boys) completed measures of postural and facial decoding accuracy (FACES and TALK) and their social acceptance was assessed using child and teacher reports (SPPC or PSPC). The results showed only a statistically significant quadratic relationship for girls and a statistically significant linear relationship …

Effects Of The Diagnostic Label "Adhd " On Peer Judgment, Jared Toone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Diagnostic labels are frequently used with children exhibiting symptoms of learning and behavioral disorders. The effect that such labels have on the labeled children as well as their peers is not completely understood. In the present study, the effects of the label "ADHD" on peer acceptance were examined. Fourth- and fifth-grade boys and girls viewed a video of a peer listening to teacher instruction and working on a worksheet. For half of the participants, the child in the video was labeled as having ADHD, while the other participants were told nothing about the child. After viewing the video, the children …

Social Interactions And Bullying In Withdrawn Children: An Evaluation Of Generalization Strategies Within A Social Skills Training Intervention, Kyle Max Hancock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Socially withdrawn children are at increased risk for various maladaptive outcomes. One intervention suggested to mediate these outcomes is the use of peermediated social skills training. However, little research supports its use with socially withdrawn children; even less research has investigated the role of peer mediators in the generalization of treatment effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a generalization training package on the generalization of socially withdrawn students and their peer mediators' interactions. This study compared the effectiveness of various procedures in a peer-mediated intervention on the generalization of prosocial interactions with socially withdrawn students and examined …

Language Acquisition And Cognitive Development, Veronica Regueiro

Whittier Scholars Program

Language is one of the attributes which set human beings apart from all other creatures. Although it can be argued that some animals , such as apes, exhibit a kind of language, the “language” used by animals and the thought of animals stem from different roots and also develop along different lines. The way animals think is in no way related to their language. Animal language functions apart from animal intellect. His project focuses on the relationship between language acquisition and cognitive development. It analyzes and cohesively explains the research done in the field, and any progress made in determining …

Conditional Love : A Study Of Situational Differences In Rooting For An Underdog, Sheila Margaret Hindle

Master's Theses

While people tend to root unabashedly for underdogs in the domain of athletics, underdogs do not generally receive the same tremendous support in matters of business. This may occur for a variety of reasons, but of particular interest is the fact that an individual's perception of a situation as both self-relevant and of high consequences may prove detrimental to his or her willingness to support an underdog. Two studies were conducted to explore these hypotheses. Study 1 (N=48) required participants to read a brief scenario depicting a situation of varied self-relevance and consequences, and then select a company to complete …

Predictors Of Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Among Vietnamese Immigrant Women, Anh B. Nguyen

Master's Theses

Predictors of breast and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese immigrant women. Anh B. Nguyen, Master of Arts in Psychology, University of Richmond, 2006. Thesis director: Barbara K. Sholley, Ph.D Although practicing preventative healthcare is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, some high-risk populations do not engage in preventative screenings for cancer. Vietnamese American women constitute a high-risk group in gynecological cancers, and it was hypothesized that tenure, acculturation, health insurance, a regular source of care, education, employment status, and marital status would affect rates of cancer screening. It was also hypothesized that the Vietnamese population would have different trends …

Explorations Of Self: A Philosophical Inquiry, Meredith Rathbun

Senior Honors Projects

Asking “Who am I?” seems to be something that everybody ponders. This concept of “I”—what is it? We all have an individual and unique “I”—something that has been with each of us since birth, something that has changed and grown, but also stayed the same in many ways. My question “What is The Self?” is imperative. What is it that experiences life, if not The Self? When a 99-year-old man watches his last sunset, reflecting on his life, what inside of him is doing that reflecting? As you read my ideas on this page, what inside of you is processing …

Examination Of The Issues And Scientific Evidence For The Identification Process Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Individuals With Learning Disabilities To Enhance Academic Outcomes, Scot Ferre

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Although the identification of learning disabilities (LD) is a viable means to provide appropriate

instructional and support services for students with academic difficulties, there is a limited

knowledge base about the identification, assessment, and intervention of and for LD in deaf and

hard of hearing (D/HH) students. Given the potential consequences of test results, this review

examined current and recent developments in the field of learning disabilities concerning the

conceptualization of learning disability and the validity and empirical support of earlier

identification methods and various assessment identification options with D/HH students.

Challenges to the process and the need for additional …

Risk Factors And Their Effects On The Comorbidity Of Asthma And Anxiety Disorders In School Aged Children, Stephanie P. Seigel

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease, characterized by attacks that make a child or adult feel like they are unable to breathe (Shohat, Graif, & Garty, 2005). Currently, nearly 6.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are afflicted with asthma (EPA, 2006)

Children with asthma are also more prone to developing other disorders especially, anxiety. The prevalence of child patients with asthma suffering from anxiety disorders is found to be as high as 4.7% (Katon, Richardson, Lozano & McCauley, 2004). The current study aims to examine the risk factors that contribute to the comorbidity of …

A Comparison Of Oral Reading Fluency Interventions: Group-Based Fluency Trials Versus Individualized Repeated Readings, Lynne Gertz

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Reading is a critical skill needed to achieve success in nearly every aspect of life. Students who have difficulty reading in the early grades have a greater chance of high school dropout, a negative attitude toward reading, and even a decreased likelihood of adequate employment. Unfortunately, well over half of all elementary school students read at or below a basic level. Although many factors are involved in becoming a proficient reader, research shows that fluency is one of the most important factors for reading at a mastery level. Oral reading fluency, the speed and accuracy with which a student reads …

Menstrual Cycle Phase And Gender Effects On Hippocampally Modulated Sensorimotor Processes: Classical Eyeblink Conditioning And Ppi Of The Acoustic Startle Response, Jacqueline L. Holloway

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Experimental animal research studies have demonstrated that hormones affect neurological physiology and morphology in areas such as the striatum, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. How the specific effects of estrogen and progesterone are manifested behaviorally in humans, however, is not yet understood. The current study tested sensorimotor responding and simple motor learning in three groups of women - follicular/low hormone, luteal/high hormone, oral contraceptive - and men. Using PPI as an operational measure, this study was designed to expand limited findings which report menstrual cycle phase effects on pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR), a direct measure of sensorimotor …

Utilizing The Brief Symptom Inventory As A Prediction Tool For Treatment Response In Patients With Serious Mental Illness, Ryan Curtis Dix

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Current data suggest that the cost of caring for people with serious mental illness in the United States was 2.64 billion dollars in the years between 1997 and 2004. The proper utilization of these funds is an important consideration if we are to successfully address the needs of this population. To maximize the use of mental health funds, the provider must quickly identify effective and efficient treatments. Assessment can facilitate the screening process and subsequent treatment decisions. For that reason, my research question addresses the issue of effective screening measures notably the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in predicting movement through …

Assessing Cognitive Abilities In A Sample Of Sioux Children Utilizing Traditional And Nonverbal Measures Of Intelligence, Norman C. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The disproportionate number of American Indian students receiving special education services indicates an ongoing need for research leading to improved assessment and placement practices with this population. Standardized tests are most often used to screen and select students for special education services. However, not all intelligence tests have been normed for use with all populations, especially where minority groups have been concerned.

While the merits of traditional intelligence tests must not be discounted, the emergence of new tests and assessment measures is encouraging, particularly for the assessment of American Indian students. A natural next step is to consider a traditional …

Ventilator Induced Lung Injury, John A. Johnson Jr.

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Severe physical-trauma can lead to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Currently, the only known treatment for ARDS is mechanical ventilation. However, if mechanical ventilation is applied inappropriately further injury and malfunction of the lungs may occur, and thus, causing a ventilator induced lung injury (VILI). VILI has several manifestations including volutrauma, atelectrauma, and biotrauma. These mechanisms often exacerbate one another adding further insult to the injury. The goal of this current study is to establish a stable control pig model of ARDS as a comparison for ventilatory strategies that will act in a more protective manner than …

Memory Task: Gender Differences In Verbal And Spatial Memory Ability, Miranda Richardson, Anna Zeik

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Memory can be broken down into two components: verbal and spatial memories. Verbal memory involves reading, writing, vocabulary and comprehension of texts. Spatial memory, on the other hand, involves the ability to read maps, rotate geometric figures in space, and understand diagrams. Women are thought to have better verbal memories than men, whereas men seem to have better spatial abilities than women. We recruited 28 participants from the Human Subject Pool in order to test this hypothesis. We found that this is not true when we gave the participants memory tasks; there are more differences within a certain gender than …

Media & Self Perception, Shera Kulow, Candice Menne

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

There has been previous controversial research pertaining to self perception and the media. This study is an investigation which implies the relationship of the amount of television watched on people’s negative self-image. Data was collected from 46 participants (23 men, 23 women) from Lindenwood University, who completed a self-image survey and reported the amount of television hours watched per week. Disproving the presented hypothesis, there was no relation between the amounts of television a subject watched on his/her positive or negative self-image. However, there are many factors that may explain the findings and the need for further research is highlighted.

Home Court Advantage And Quality Of Team, Anthony Clarkston

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Home court advantage was examined using archival data taken from the onset of NCAA Division I basketball record keeping. The effect of team quality on home court advantage was analyzed by examining games where number one ranked teams faced number two ranked teams. The purpose of only examining games between number one and number two ranked teams is an attempt to equalize team quality (team quality in this study is defined by national rank) to better examine home court advantage. My hypothesis is that if team quality is evenly matched then a home court advantage will not play a role …

Training Program To Improve Estimation Of Patients' Periodontal Pain Experience, Yoon Jeong Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if periodontal residents could enhance their ability to appraise the pain levels experienced by their patients from probing, using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to record pain. We hypothesized that with increasing experience by repeated comparisons of the patients' VAS pain ratings with independent ratings by the residents, they would improve their ability to appraise their patients' pain experiences.

Methods: For each of three periodontal residents, 40 consecutive periodontitis patients were asked to express the degree of pain they experienced during the probing. Independently, the residents rated the pain level they perceived …

Mugshot Exposure Effects: Retroactive Interference, Mugshot Commitment, Source Confusion, And Unconscious Transference, Kenneth A. Deffenbacher, Brian H. Bornstein, Steven D. Penrod

Psychology Faculty Publications

More than 25 years of research has accumulated concerning the possible biasing effects of mugshot exposure to eyewitnesses. Two separate metaanalyses were conducted on 32 independent tests of the hypothesis that prior mugshot exposure decreases witness accuracy at a subsequent lineup. Mugshot exposure both significantly decreased proportion correct and increased the false alarm rate, the effect being greater on false alarms. A mugshot commitment effect, arising from the identification of someone in a mugshot, was a substantial moderator of both these effects. Simple retroactive interference, where the target person is not included among mugshots and no one in a mugshot …

Effects Of Gender And Ethnicity On Adolescent Experiences In Same-Race And Interracial Romantic Relationships, Angela Marie Enno

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In recent years, the field of psychology has seen considerable growth in the body of literature on adolescent romantic relationships (e.g., Florsheim, 2003; Furman, Brown, & Feiring, 1999). As this trend continues, the need for a more thorough understanding of the processes that underlie normal relationship development becomes increasingly apparent; particularly in the case of adolescent members of ethnic minority groups, for whom literature on normal development is sparse. The present study sought to gain insight into some of the forces that shape adolescents' experiences of romantic relationships: namely, race/ethnicity and gender. We hypothesized that, like their adult counterparts, adolescent …

A Construct-Driven Investigation Of Gender Differences In A Leadership-Role Assessment Center, Neil Anderson, Filip Lievens, Karen Van Dam, Marise Born

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined gender differences in a large-scale assessment center for officer entry in the British Army. Subgroup differences were investigated for a sample of 1,857 candidates: 1,594 men and 263 women. A construct-driven approach was chosen (a) by examining gender differences at the construct level, (b) by formulating a priori hypotheses about which constructs would be susceptible to gender effects, and (c) by using both effect size statistics and latent mean analyses to investigate gender differences in assessment center ratings. Results showed that female candidates were rated notably higher on constructs reflecting an interpersonally oriented leadership style (i.e., oral …

Risky Decision Making Assessed With The Gambling Task In Adults With Hiv, David J. Hardy, Charles H. Hinkin, Steven A. Castellon, Andrew J. Levine, Mona N. Lam

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Decision making was assessed using a laboratory gambling task in 67 adults with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV+) and in 19 HIV-seronegative (HIV−) control participants. Neurocognitive test performance across several domains was also analyzed to examine potential cognitive mechanisms of gambling task performance. As predicted, the HIV+ group performed worse on the gambling task, indicating greater risky decision making. Specifically, the HIV+ group selected more cards from the “risky” or disadvantageous deck that included relatively large payoffs but infrequent large penalties. The control group also selected such risky cards but quickly learned to avoid them. Exploratory analyses also indicated that …