Psychology Commons^™

An Examination Of The Effects Of Item Grouping On Internal Consistency And Scale Intercorrelation, Julian Hunt

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Developers of multidimensional tests must decide whether to group items measuring the same construct together or list the items randomly. The effects of item grouping are not well established by the few existing studies. This study examined the effects of item grouping on the psychometric properties of a personality inventory measuring conscientiousness and extraversion. Two hundred and four undergraduate students were administered the test with the items listed in either a grouped or ungrouped format. Internal consistency reliability was estimated with coefficient alpha. Grouping test items failed to increase scale reliability (.80 for ungrouped versus .76 for grouped) or decrease …

Children's Use Of Race In Drawing Inferences Based On Their Understanding Of Race Constancy, Casey A. Dawson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Children’s understanding of race constancy and their subsequent use of race as a means of drawing inductive inferences were investigated. Race constancy was determined by children’s tendency to say that people could change category membership by changing their outside appearance. A second phase of the study measured how many race-based inferences children made relative to other social categories such as age or sex. The results indicated that children who had a better understanding of race constancy were also more likely to use race as a means of drawing inductive inferences. These findings support a developmental progression of race constancy and …

The Effects Of Attachment Relationships On The Development Of Effects Of Empathy Or Depersonalization In Adolescence, John Lamanna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research on attachment theory supports the notion that our early attachment relationships are integral to empathic development, and that early negative attachment relationships can promote depersonalization rather than empathy. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of separations from one’s primary caregiver(s) on the development of empathy or depersonalization in adolescence. Adolescents who have been separated from their biological parent(s) due to abuse and/or neglect were expected to differ on self-reported levels of empathy, dissociation, hostility, and depression when compared to adolescents who have not had such involuntary separations in their life. After performing descriptive, correlational, …

An Evaulation Of The Criterion Measures In A Leadership Assessment Center, Christine Ashburn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The development process for any performance appraisal system, including assessment centers, is critical to the validity and utility of the system. The current research consisted of two studies evaluating the criterion measures of a leadership assessment center at a southeastern university. The first study examined the rating scale development process and compared the shortcut method to the traditional method for developing Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS). The second study examined interrater agreement for criterion ratings in a leadership assessment center. Results from Study 1 demonstrated that the shortcut method for developing BARS resulted in scales with different properties from those …

Behavioral Approaches To Weight Control: A Review Of Current Research, Angela Marinilli Pinto, Jessica Gokee-Larose, Rena R. Wing

Publications and Research

Weight management is a salient issue for women. Studies of behavioral, pharmacological and surgical interventions indicate that women comprise the majority of patients presenting for weight-loss treatment. In this review we discuss the health impact of obesity for women, review behavioral treatments for adult overweight and obesity, and address topics of particular relevance for women, including concerns that weight-loss treatment may precipitate the development of eating pathology, as well as time periods of high risk for weight gain such as pregnancy and menopause.

Beliefs Of Violence-Sensitive And Violence-Tolerant People, Amethyst Brell

Senior Honors Projects

Every person views the world through a different lens, and one can never fully understand the motivations and opinions of someone else. However, experiments and statistics can shed some light onto people’s thought patterns and behaviors. When horrific acts of violence occur, many people strive to understand why they happen. Through my study I hope to help solve some of the mysteries behind the different ways people interpret violence. I want to see why some people tend to be more sensitive to violence and why some are more tolerant of violence. I am doing this by building on previous research …

Effects Of Age On Contextually Mediated Associations In Paired Associate Learning, Jennifer Patricia Provyn

Psychology - Theses

Older adults demonstrate an associative memory deficit that has been attributed to difficulty binding item information to contextual information (Naveh-Benjamin, 2000). Accounts of temporally-defined episodic associations that depend upon contextual retrieval (TCM Howard & Kahana, 2002) predict that a deficit in item-to-context binding will result in fewer backward (b-a) and transitive (a-c) associations. To measure group differences in backward and transitive associations, younger and older participants learned single function lists of paired associates with no contextual overlap (e.g., j-k, l-m) and double-function lists of paired associates consisting of chains of pairs (e.g., a-b, b-c). Although younger adults out-performed older adults …

An Experimental Evaluation Of Stereotype Lift, Jennifer Rubbelke

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

Stereotypes have been shown to have a detrimental effect on those with whom negative stereotypes are associated. However, very little research exists on the positive effects experienced by those who benefit from such discrimination, a condition known as stereotype lift. This condition, termed stereotype lift is an upward effect on performance, experienced among members in a non-discriminated group. The cause of this occurrence could be due to an increase in self.-esteem or mood experienced among members of the non-discriminated group. To this end, participants in this study served as a control group to be compared against an experimental group, wherein …

Sex Differences In Object Location Memory: Fixed Versus Moving Through Space, Jose Antonio Velarde

Psychology Theses - Archive

Previous studies suggest that females possess superior object location memory than males. The present study investigated object location memory using both static and dynamic tasks. Additionally, the correlation between object location memory and other variables such as spatial self-rating items, MRT, and 2D:4D was examined. Participants were 136 (70 female and 66 male) undergraduates. Results indicated no significant sex differences in the dynamic task, and only one significant main effect for sex in the static task. As predicted, males rated their sense of direction (SofD), and one-trial directional memory (OTDM) significantly superior to females. Navigation preference also showed significant sex …

Newcomer Adjustment During Organizational Socialization: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Antecedents, Outcomes, And Methods, Talya N. Bauer, Berrin Erdogan, Todd Bodner, Donald M. Truxillo, Jennifer S. Tucker

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The authors tested a model of antecedents and outcomes of newcomer adjustment using 70 unique samples of newcomers with meta-analytic and path modeling techniques. Specifically, they proposed and tested a model in which adjustment (role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance) mediated the effects of organizational socialization tactics and information seeking on socialization outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, intentions to remain, and turnover). The results generally supported this model. In addition, the authors examined the moderating effects of methodology on these relationships by coding for 3 methodological issues: data collection type (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional), sample characteristics (school-to-work vs. work-to-work …

Parental Attributions Concerning The Causes And Controllability Of Adolescent Depression, Joan E. Mcdowell

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between parental attributions concerning adolescent depression and levels of negative expressed emotion (EE) within the home by breaking down attributional beliefs into two dimensions: the etiology of the disorder and the controllability of the symptoms. This study included 154 parents of adolescents who filled out an online survey. Participants were predominantly female and identified themselves as White/non-Hispanic. Among the teens, each gender was relatively well-represented. Mean age of respondents was 44.7, and mean age of the adolescents was 16.0. Of the entire sample, 101 were identified as the clinical …

Sleep Problems In Young Children With And Without Behavior Problems, Penny L. Sneddon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are numernus social, emotional, and behavioral problems toddlers and preschool children can exhibit. Some of the more common problems reported by parents of young children are daytime behavior problems and sleep disturbances. This study investigated sleep difficulties in toddler and preschool-age children with (n = 31) and without (n = 59) significant behavior problems. Furthermore, the current study investigated the relationship between sleep difficulties and other psychological constructs (i.e., maternal general stress, maternal depression, and parenting stress), which might be related to sleep and behavior problems. Mothers of clinically referred children with behavior problems and nonclinically referred …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Supplemental Labels In Museum Exhibits, Clint B. Eliason

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study used an experimental design to investigate the efficacy of using short (12 words or less), prominently placed supplemental labels to increase the effectiveness of select extant labels in museum exhibits. The experimenter-developed supplemental labels were designed to leverage exogenous/bottom-up and endogenous/top-down sources of influence on selective attention. Measures of patron behavior, knowledge retention, and attitude found no significant differences between group means under control and treatment conditions. These outcomes were surprising and inconsistent with findings from similar research conducted by Hirschi and Screven. The supplemental labels in the present study might have failed to capture attention because …

Relationship Among Team Collective Efficacy, Cohesion, And Coaching Competency In Sports, Clayton T. Manning

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A team's performance in any sport can be predicted by many factors. Some of these factors include team collective efficacy, team cohesiveness, and coaching competency. Currently, there is little research investigating the relationships among teams' beliefs about their capabilities, their level of cohesion, and their perceptions of coaching competency on overall sport performance. The purpose of this study was to document the relationship among collective efficacy, cohesion, and coaching on sport performance in a sample of university athletes. The objectives of this study were to identify the level of cohesion, collective efficacy, and perceptions of coaching competency by each athletic …

Student Teachers' Explicit And Implicit Perceptions Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Hollie K. Berglof

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined student teachers' explicit and implicit perceptions of ADHD and the relationship between perceptions of ADHD and social desirability. In addition, the relationship between a current measure of implicit perceptions of ADHD and one that was adapted for this study was also investigated. Findings indicate that student teachers view a student portrayed as exhibiting symptoms consistent with ADHD more negatively than a "normal" child in terms of their self-reported first impressions of the child as well as their predictions for the child's future success. Participants' perceptions, as measured by two implicit measures, however, were mixed, with results from …

Vascular Conditions, Risk Factors And Depression Chronicity In Late-Onset Major Depression, Robert D. Lisota

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research examining a possible relationship between vascular factors and late-life depression in the elderly has produced both evidence for and against a "vascular depression" hypothesis, which posits that late-life depression may have a vascular or neurological etiology. It was hypothesized that a depressive disorder that is primarily the result of structural changes in the brain due to vascular conditions in late-life may be related to increased depression chronicity. We examined data from the Cache County Study on Memory, Health, and Aging to determine whether support for the concept of vascular risk for depression and increased chronicity were present in an …

The Effects Of Television, Music, And Silence Conditions On Performance On Reading Comprehension And Math Word Problem Tests: A Developmental Study, Kimberly Broussard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of A “Don’T Know” Option On Eyewitness Identification Accuracy In Lineups, Matthew Calamia

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Recruitment And Retention Of Childhood Bereavement Center Facilitators, Katherine A. Guilfoyle

Senior Honors Projects

When I first visited FRIENDS Way (the only childhood bereavement center in Rhode Island) to fulfill a class requirement for Honors 119- Loss in the Lives of Children and Adolescents, I realized that I had come across an incredible group of individuals. The facilitators at the center were volunteers; people who gave their time and talent to help grieving children. Many of the children had lost a parent, sibling or grandparent and I thought about how important and special the work of the facilitators is. A number of questions ran through my mind: what makes people want to do this …

Corticospinal Excitability During A Perspective-Taking Task : Implications For Self Vs. Other Processing, Elizabeth M. Murray

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Only by understanding the uniquely human ability to take a first- second- and third-person perspective, can we begin to elucidate the neural processes responsible for one’s inimitable conscious experience. The current study examined differences in hemispheric laterality during a first-person perspective (1PP) and third-person perspective (3PP) taking task, using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Subjects were asked to take either the 1PP or 3PP in identifying the number of spheres in a virtual scene. During this task, single- pulse TMS was delivered to the motor cortex of both the left and right hemispheres of 10 healthy volunteers. Measures of TMS-induced motor-evoked …

Lasser Voir: Experimental Film Revealing The Dichotomy Of The Mind, Valerie Kitchin

Senior Honors Projects

Lasser voir is a French term meaning to show; to allow to be seen. The film is meant to interpret the internal genesis from dual perspectives. Absolute Good and absolute Evil coexist fighting each other eternally. The challenge is to create a vision of the form of good and the form of evil, thus showing the interior and exterior struggle between the two. Good and Evil appear as the same individual: each opposing one another in ethereal battle through the channel of artistic interpretation. The concept originates from the writhing movement within the mind. It cannot live without Good, but …

Psychological Predictors Of Success In Bariatric Surgery Patients: A Meta-Analytic Review, Elizabeth C. Thompson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Background: Bariatric weight loss surgeries are an increasingly popular last resort option for obese individuals attempting to lose weight. Though these surgeries often produce substantial weight loss outcomes, especially in a short-term follow-up period, many individuals that undergo these procedures are unable to achieve long-term weight loss success. Within the bariatric surgery literature several psychological variables have been implicated in this long-term failure to maintain weight loss. Purpose: This study was designed to assess the effects of psychological variables on weight loss success after surgery through a meta-analytic review. Methods: The effect sizes from 10 studies were calculated and combined …

Moral Emotion Regulation: The Case Of Abortion Attitudes, Steven Nydick

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

With regard to moral judgments. Lawrence Kohlberg claimed that reason and logic lead to answers about right and wrong. By contrast, Jonathan Haidt proposed an “emotivist” theory of morality in which feelings take center stage. I tested Haidt’s theory of moral judgment by showing 59 college undergraduate participants an abortion video while instructing them to increase, decrease, or make no attempt to change their level of emotion during the video. I found that the video succeeded at both increasing negative emotions (particularly disgust) and changing abortion attitudes to a more pro-life stance. Furthermore, the moral views of participants asked to …

The Influence Of Hunger On Attitudes: Does It Go Beyond Foods?, Euiyoung Kate Min

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of hunger on attitudes (self-reports and corresponding reaction times) toward foods and non-foods (people). Participants rated their attitudes toward pictures of foods and pictures of people (older and younger males and females) along several evaluative scales (global attitudes and attitudinal bases) while reaction times were recorded. This was done twice (once when hungry, once not), in sessions separated by one week. Consistent with previous research, hunger differentially impacted ratings of the information underlying attitudes. For example, for foods, ratings of negative affect information changed more as a function of hunger …

Language And Literacy Acquisition And Maintenance Of Sudanese Refugee Learners, Laverne Kingsbury

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to more fully understand the language and literacy goals and values of a linguistically diverse Southern Sudanese refugee population residing in the Upper Midwest portion of the United States. The linguistic and cultural demographics of the area's major school district changed consistently and dramatically over a twenty-year time span. Five participants who were parents of young children were interviewed for this study from a metropolitan community with a population of approximately 200,000. Fourteen percent of the English Language Learners (ELL) in the public schools were Sudanese.

Qualitative research methods included an ethnographic approach in …

Risk Perception, Warning Systems And Evacuation Plans For Volcanic Hazards, Matt Davis, David Johnston, Julia Becker

Collected Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Student Attitudes And Shame Dynamics Before And After A Bullying Prevention Program, Anne M. Manees

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In light of school violence, bullying has been exposed as an important factor in student well-being and safety. This study investigated changes in shame dynamics and student attitudes related to bullying before and after students participated in a bullying prevention program offered at an elementary school. Students from four, third-grade classrooms (n = 118) participated in curriculum from Steps to Respect, a bullying prevention program. Students were administered questionnaires measuring perceptions and attitudes related to bullying at school and cards from the Thurston-Cradock Test of Shame (TCT) , a projective test designed to assess shame dynamics, and rated by teachers …

Concurrent Validity Bridging The Gap Between A Questionnaire Of Everyday Memory And A Formal Test Of Memory, Benjamin Kessler

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study is to examine how concurrently valid a questionnaire of everyday memory is with several formal tests of memory. Memory questionnaire development was at an all time high in the late 1970's and early 1980's. During the mid 1980's there was an absence of interest in memory questionnaires as is evidenced by an absence of the topic in the literature. The questionnaires developed in the late 1970's and early 1980's yielded such varying results that it calls into question the reliability of both the memory questionnaires and the results of the studies that utilized them. A …

La Double Vie De Baudelaire: Le Trouble Bipolaire Et La Dépendance À L’Opium, Kristen Murphy

Senior Honors Projects

Charles Baudelaire (April 9th, 1821- August 31st,1867) the nineteenth century French poet, was an eccentric and scandalous character who pushed the boundaries of decency and literature quotidianly. Today he is considered the father of the modernist literary movements and is well respected in literary circles. However, during Baudelaire’s lifetime, his great work Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil) was censored by the French government, he was constantly bankrupt, attempted suicide once, and was an opium addict. Charles Baudelaire did not lead a cheerful life and his works show this darkness. In Les Fleurs du Mal, Baudelaire constantly refers …

The Media’S Influence In Everyday Life On Women’S Perception Of Body Image, Sarah Christian

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Many women are not satisfied with their current body figures and frequently attempt to improve their figure. Body image discrepancies occur when a comparison between “actual” self to either “ought” or “ideal” selves don’t match up. If there is a difference between these two self-guides then a discrepancy exists. According to a national survey, half of women report negative evaluations of their appearance and worry about being or becoming overweight. One of the strongest socio-cultural pressures that women face with their body image is the media, such as magazines and television. Studies have shown that when exposed to thin body …