Psychology Commons^™

Exploration Of Specific Learning Disability Subtypes Differentiated Across Cognitive, Achievement, And Emotional/Behavioral Variables, Lisa A. Hain

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The emphasis on the ability-achievement discrepancy approach for SLD identification diminished the importance of robust examination into patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses as related to achievement deficits. This approach directed attention away from related psychosocial deficits previously reported in this population by concentrating on the quantitative differences between standard scores. The cognitive and academic deficits of children with SLD have been well studied, but little is known about the emotionaVbehavioral functioning of children with SLD, and even less about the interconnections between the neurocognitive and emotional/behavioral systems. Children with disparate types of neurocognitive assets and deficits may experience learning …

Examining Cultural Competence Among Osteopathic Medical Students , Sooni Lee

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

With the growing number of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, there also has been a rise in health disparities. Ethnic minorities have been experiencing an overabundance of medical issues, particularly chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Although these chronic diseases are preventable, ethnic minorities are at greater risk for death from them. Possible contributing factors to the increase in health disparities include limited medical attention and follow-up appointments with physicians and the physician-patient relationship. The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine cultural competence among osteopathic medical students and to examine their attitudes toward …

A Feasibility Study Of An Intervention Designed To Create Cooperative Communication For Couples: A Sociolinguistic Approach To Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy , Lee Wood Morand

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Researchers and clinicians recognize relationship distress as one of the most frequently presented problems in psychotherapy. Relationships themselves depend on language and sociolinguistic skills. However, despite the passionate interest and relevance imparted to success in relationships, little attention is paid to sociolinguistic skills. This study is an evaluation of a feasibility study designed as a couple’s communication program. Overcoming communication problems and improving marital satisfaction is the intent of this program. The design of this program is to overcome communication problems and improve marital satisfaction. Cooperative communication is the framework for the communication skills training. One voluntary couple participated in …

Perception Of Control And Awareness Of Deficit In Individuals With Neurological Impairment In A Clinical Sample , Donna Marie Struck

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Acquired brain injury is considered to be one of the most important public health concerns in the United States, with approximately 1.2 million adults that meet the criteria for chronic brain disease, brain disorder, or injury each year. Medical costs directly related to injury, in addition to the indirect costs related to job loss, totaled an estimated 60 billion dollars in the year 2000. Subsequent impairment following brain injury yields a complicated neurobehavioral sequelae of deficits. Anosognosia, specifically, the deficit of the patient's inability to acknowledge, or even recognize impairments, is common following brain injury. In a review of the …

Exploratory Factor Analysis Of A Relational Aggression Self-Report, Kimberly S. Carlson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Relational aggression (RA) represents a distinct form of bullying and refers to behaviors that harm others through damaging their friendships, their inclusion in social groups, and their feelings of acceptance. RA has been recognized as a significant problem, which has psychosocial and academic consequences for perpetrators, victims and bystanders. This study evaluated a self-report inventory that examined RA in 219 females ages 10 through 18 from Central Pennsylvania. Inter-item correlations revealed that none of the scale’s items were highly correlated and therefore repetitive. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with an oblique rotation was used to identify the factors within the …

Program Evaluation : The Clinical Programming Of An Adolescent Psychiatric Residential Program And Adherence To Clinical Best Practice Guidelines, Michael K. Colbert

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The structure and delivery of clinical services at an adolescent psychiatric community residential program (PCR), located in New Jersey, was evaluated and compared to national clinical guidelines in order to determine the effectiveness of the services being delivered. A multitude of demographic and clinical variables were examined through the review of 70 closed medical records over a 5-year period. An exploration of the history, rationale, and effectiveness of residential treatment services for adolescents is also presented, along with recommendations for the delivery of more effective clinical services.

Everyday Magic : A Depressed Mother's Guide, Diana Coulson-Brown

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation project was threefold: to develop a cognitive-behavioral manual for therapists, a self-help manual for depressed mothers, and a guide to assist children, aged 6 to 11, through the risks of depression was paramount in the design of this project. Given a paradigm shift in the field of psychotherapy towards resilience, this manual is timely in that it is a valuable resource for promoting resilience outcomes in both mothers and their children. This manual includes a variety of social, emotional, and behavioral activities for mothers and children, allowing mothers to be at the forefront of establishing …

Relationship Between Social Problem-Solving Skills, Quality Of Life, And Family Adjustment In Caregivers Of Children With Developmental Disability, Bonita Ellen Fisher

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study focused on the relationship between a caregiver's problem solving skills, their perceived quality of life, their family's adjustment to their child's disability, and the potential for mediation of those relationships by the child's behavior. A total of 111 parents completed the Social Problem Solving Skills Inventory-Revised, short form (SPSI-R:S), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment, brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), the Family Impact of Childhood Disability Scale (FlCD), the Nisonger Child Behavior rating Form (NCBRF) and a demographics questionnaire. Analyses of the data by Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient identified significant correlations between scores on the problem orientation components …

Use Of Kindergarten Screening Assessments For The Identification Of At-Risk Readers, Kathryn S. Gipe

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Early identification of students at-risk for reading problems has become a national priority. At the present time, the most commonly used kindergarten screening methods are self-made by local districts and are not considered effective methods of early detection for at-risk readers. This retrospective study involved third, fourth and fifth grade students enrolled in a suburban elementary school during the 2007-2008 school year. The first research question examined the relationship between at-risk status determined with the Kindergarten Screening measure prior to entry into kindergarten and at-risk status determined by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills measures administered in the fall …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Student Performance On The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test With Other Clinical Measures, Lisa A. Perkins

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is widely used for neuropsychological assessment of executive functions. Although the literature notes that the WCST is a measure of abstract reasoning and cognitive flexibility, there has been little data relative to the constructs that are assessed when the test is used with children or to the relationship between WCST performance and performance on other child assessment tools. This study of 94 children and adolescents referred for psychological evaluations investigated the relationship between scores obtained on the WCST and scores from child and adult versions of the Wechsler intelligence scales and the Delis-Kaplan Executive …

The Power Of The Mind : The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Quality Of Life And Anxiety For Older Adults With Chronic Illness , Tracy Elizabeth Ransom

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between mindfulness training and older adults with chronic illness and a documented clinical anxiety diagnosis. Six subjects (mean age = 69 years) who met criteria for a DSM-IV-TR anxiety condition and who endorsed one or more chronic illnesses participated in an 8-week customized mindfulness training program. The research evaluated the impact of mindfulness training and practice on depression, quality of life, health satisfaction and anxiety. This dissertation's findings suggest that of these variables, state and trait anxiety were significantly reduced at the conclusion of the program. Given these findings, this research proposes that anxiety in …

Caregiver Religiosity, Spirituality, And Positive Emotion As Predictors Of Psychological Well-Being In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients, Andrea Beth Weller

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results in degeneration of motor neurons of the cerebral cortex, the brainstem, and the spinal cord. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS has no conclusive etiology and no known cure. The disease is ultimately fatal within approximately 3 to 5 years and robs individuals of all physical functions while leaving their intellectual capacity and personalities intact. Therefore, patients’ quality of life (QOL) becomes increasingly important in their lives and in the lives of their caregivers. Patients with ALS and their caregivers face a number of psychological, psychosocial, and existential …

Effects Of Mindfulness And Meditation Experience On Cognitive And Emotional Functioning And Ego Depletion, Emily Lauren Brown Lykins

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Mindfulness is increasingly recognized as an important phenomenon both clinically and empirically, with mindfulness-based interventions demonstrated to be efficacious across a wide variety of patient populations and disorders (i.e., Baer, 2003). Though debate regarding the exact definition of mindfulness continues, generally accepted definitions involve the common elements of intentionally directing attention toward the present moment and adopting an accepting, nonjudgmental, and/or nonreactive orientation, intent, or attitude (i.e., Baer et al., 2006; Bishop et al., 2004). Several testable predictions in the cognitive and emotional domains were derived from the operational definition of mindfulness provided by Bishop et al. (2004). Recent empirical …

What Do We Know About Interpersonal Skills? A Meta-Analytic Examination Of Antecedents, Outcomes, And The Efficacy Of Training, Cameron Klein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite extensive statements about the importance of possessing good interpersonal skills, little quantitative evidence has been brought forth to investigate these claims. At the same time, training in soft, or interpersonal, skills continues for organizational managers, customer service representatives, and members of formal work teams. Based on these considerations, the current research was guided by five broad questions. First, are gender and the Big Five personality variables important predictors in the use and effectiveness of interpersonal skills? Second, what is the relationship between various interpersonal skills and important personal and workplace outcomes? Third, given that training in interpersonal skills is …

Community College Online Course Retention And Final Grade: Predictability Of Social Presence, Simon Y. Liu, Joel Gomez, Cherng-Jyh Yen

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study employed a quantitative research design to examine the predictive relationships between social presence and course retention as well as final grade in community college online courses. Social presence is defined as the degree of one's feeling, perception and reaction to another intellectual entity in the online environment. Course final grades included A, B. C, D, F, I, or W. Course retention was defined as successfully completed a course with an A to C grade. The results of the binary and ordinal logistic regression analyses suggest that social presence is a significant predictor of course retention and final grade …

The Effects Of Performance Feedback Plus Graphing On The Treatment Integrity Of A Parent Implemented Reading Intervention Program, Lacey Leblanc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Repeated reading is an effective intervention that has been demonstrated to remediate reading problems in children. The parent tutoring literature has shown that this intervention is effective in the home environment as well as the school environment. One primary difference between home-based and school-based interventions is that a consultant is often available to work with teachers, whereas parents are not always offered this resource. However, research has demonstrated that behavioral consultation in the home environment, in which a parent serves the role of the consultee, is an effective method for addressing academic concerns. In order to make sound conclusions regarding …

Agreement Answer Scale Design For Multilingual Surveys: Effects Of Translation-Related Changes In Verbal Labels On Response Styles And Response Distributions, Ana Villar

Survey Research and Methodology Program: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Answer scales in survey instruments are widely used, but little is known about how to choose verbal descriptors as labels. In multilingual research, this matter is further complicated because answer scales must be appropriate for all languages and function comparatively. Comparing source questionnaires to translations of multinational projects (e.g., the World Values Survey, the European Social Survey), it was observed that certain verbal features differed across languages, countries, and modules. This dissertation empirically investigates the effect of such changes on response distributions. The verbal feature examined is the presence or absence of an intensity modifier in the second and fourth …

Nonlinear Dynamics Of Infant Sitting Postural Control, Joan E. Deffeyes

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sitting is one of the first developmental milestones that an infant achieves. Thus measurements of sitting posture present an opportunity to assess sensorimotor development at a young age, in order to identify infants who might benefit from therapeutic intervention, and to monitor the efficacy of the intervention. Sitting postural sway data was collected using a force plate from infants with typical development, and from infants with delayed development, where the delay in development was due to cerebral palsy in most of the infants in the study. The center of pressure time series from the infant sitting was subjected to a …

The Importance Of Exercise And Dimension Factors In Assessment Centers: Simultaneous Examinations Of Construct-Related And Criterion-Related Validity, Filip Lievens, Stephan Dilchert, Deniz S. Ones

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study presents a simultaneous examination of multiple evidential bases of the validity of assessment center (AC) ratings. In particular, we combine both construct-related and criterion-related validation strategies in the same sample to determine the relative importance of exercises and dimensions. We examine the underlying structure of ACs in terms of exercise and dimension factors while directly linking these factors to a work-related criterion (salary). Results from an AC (N = 753) showed that exercise factors not only explained more variance in AC ratings than dimension factors but also were more important in predicting salary. Dimension factors explained a smaller …

The More You Know: Reviewing Concepts Using Student-Created Public Service Announcements, Pamela L. Bacon

Psychology Faculty Publications

In past course evaluations, my social psychology students consistently reported that they started offering their roommates unsolicited social psychological interpretations of their behaviors and beliefs. I began to wonder if my students’ desire to educate others could be harnessed to help them review course material. I reasoned that elaborating on the material covered in the class would help them learn (Loyens, Rikers, & Schmidt, 2007) and finding a creative outlet for their desire to teach others might preserve some roommate relationships.

In an attempt to encourage students to build on past material, I turned to one of the most well-known …

Best Practices For Increasing Pro-Social Behavior In Adolescents With Mental Health And Behavioral Disorders, Danielle Armbrust-Malone

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Approximately 2 to 16 percent of the general population has a disruptive behavior disorder such as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) (Corcoran & Walsh, 2006). In a school setting, youth with these disorders may engage in acts such as disrespecting teachers, swearing at others, threatening others, assaulting staff or students, stealing, or vandalizing property and may benefit from a day treatment program which provides mental health services in a school setting. (Whitfield, 1999). Micro intervention strategies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management and mezzo interventions such as family therapy have been used to treat disruptive …

Effective Truancy Prevention Models, Nicole K. Hachfeld

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In the United States, truancy has been identified as one of today’s top ten educational problems (Zhang, Katsiyannis, Barret& Wilson, 2007). Across the country, every day there are hundreds of thousands truant students (U.S. Department of Education, 1996). Attendance can be influenced by mental health issues, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, student employment, family responsibilities, teacher attitudes, size of school, and inconsistent application of truancy policies and lack of meaningful consequences for truancy. Family factors that influence attendance include: domestic violence, poverty, lack of supervision, substance abuse, parental attitudes toward school and education (Kim & Streeter, 2006). The purpose of this …

Characteristics Of Evidence-Based Parent-Training Programs, Peggy Sorensen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Purpose: To identify key characteristics in evidence-based parent-training programs that ensure effectiveness and efficiency for agencies serving families with children aged 5–9 with emotional and behavioral disorders. My research strategy will be to do a literature review of evidence-based parent-training programs that strengthen parent competencies, foster parent’s involvement in school, decrease children’s behavioral problems and strengthen children’s social and academic competencies.

Problem to be addressed: When children receive inconsistent or ineffective discipline from parents, they are at risk of developing childhood behavioral disorders. By adolescence, these problems can develop into Conduct Disorders as demonstrated by violence, substance abuse and criminal …

Reanalysis Of Some Effects Of The Mutual Exclusivity Constraint And Their Operation In Bilingual Children, Marina Kalashnikova

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the operation of the Mutual Exclusivity constraint in two groups of three-year-old children: monolingual Spanish speakers and bilingual Spanish-English speakers. Previous research has yielded controversial findings regarding the differences in the intra-lingual level operation of the constraint in monolingual and bilingual children. This investigation sheds light on the conflicting outcomes of previous studies by proposing that non-linguistic cognitive and processing abilities may account for the effects attributed to the constraint and that there may be observable differences in monolingual and bilingual children in the development of some--but not all--of these abilities. Although, this study yielded no significant …

Attention Allocation And The Variability Of The Stereotype Priming Effect, Katherine R. White

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The stereotype priming effect is assumed to be a rather uniform and robust effect. However, a closer look at the existing literature suggests that the `standard' stereotype priming effect may be more susceptible to variability than originally believed. In the present study, we sought to demonstrate that the stereotype priming effect displays significant variability in strength depending upon the level of attention allocated to the stereotype feature of interest. Participants were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: a lexical decision task (LDT) condition, a pre-primed LDT condition, and a gender categorization condition. It was predicted that the stereotype priming effect …

Is Alexithymia A Predictor Of College Student Alcohol Abuse?, Diane Arms

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Alexithymia, as defined by Sifneos (1973), literally means "no words for emotions." It is characterized by the following three domains: 1) the incapacity to identify feelings, 2) inability to describe feelings and 3) the tendency to think in externally oriented ways (Salminen, Saarijarvi, & Aarela, 1995; Sifneos, 2000). Although alexithymia is not a diagnosable disorder, it has been shown to be related to a wide variety of other constructs (e.g. alcohol use, depression and parenting styles). This study examined the interrelationships between alexithymia and student alcohol use, while controlling for sex, perceived parental alcohol use, perceived parenting styles and student …

Getting To Know You: The Effects Of Familiarity And Time On Social Perception, Clarissa Arms Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A new direction in social perception research is developed. The present research explored the impact of familiarity and time on social perception processes based on cognitive neuroscience models, social categorization models, and memory consolidation constructs. Familiarity was manipulated within an exposure task and time was manipulated by testing participants both 2-6 hr and 48 hr after the exposure task. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of familiarity and time on the argument of the automaticity of social categorization and associated stereotypes by testing the argument with two separate tasks. Experiment 1a tested the influence of familiarity and time on associated stereotypes …

Does Type Of Stimulus Influence Task-Irrelevant Evaluative Categorization Processes?, Guadalupe Corral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The effect of stimulus type on task-irrelevant evaluative categorization was examined in two separate studies by using the P3 component from event-related brain potentials. The first study presented idiosyncratic stimuli consisting of individuals that were rated by participants as either positive or negative within sequences of pictorial and verbal stimuli. The second study presented sequences of novel and familiar stimuli consisting of previously normed unattractive and neutral individuals. It was hypothesized that pictures would elicit task-irrelevant evaluative categorization processes and so would novel stimuli (relative to words and familiar stimuli, respectively). Task-irrelevance was examined by assessing P3 peak amplitude to …

Modeling The Impact Of Test Anxiety And Test Familiarity On The Criterion-Related Validity Of Cognitive Ability Tests, Charlie L. Reeve, Eric D. Heggestad, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The assessment of cognitive abilities, whether it is for purposes of basic research or applied decision making. is potentially susceptible to both facilitating and debilitating influences. However, relatively little research has examined the degree to which these factors might moderate the criterion-related validity of cognitive ability tests. To address this gap, we use Classical Test Theory formulas to articulate how test anxiety and test familiarity can influence observed scores, observed score variance, and most importantly, the criterion-related validity of observed scores. The resulting equations reveal that understanding the influence of test anxiety and test familiarity on criterion-related validity coefficients requires …

Examining Compressed Speech Listening Measure With College Students Who Are Visually Impaired Or Blind, William J. Marks

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Psychological assessments are a way of gaining some understanding of an individual in order to help make informed decisions (Sattler, 2001). These assessments offer potentially important and valuable information that can assist individuals with impaired vision in learning additional skills, improving deficient abilities, and in providing diagnostic information for future research. In addition, psychological assessments are frequently used to diagnosis a variety of psychological and learning disorders. Assessing individuals with impaired vision presents a variety of challenges from those encountered with the general population.

The current study provided an investigation into the relationship of the results of the compressed speech …