Psychology Commons^™

Does The Theory Of Planned Behavior Predict Intentions To Seek Help For Suicidality?, Jennifer Lynn Mills

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the current project is to relate disparate lines of research on suicide prevention and help-seeking using Azjen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB). Two studies examined college students’ beliefs about help-seeking for emotional problems. In Study 1, 37 undergraduates responded to open-ended questions about a variety of help-seeking behaviors. These responses were categorized. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for each category. In Study 2, 143 undergraduates completed two mental health inventories and a TpB survey constructed by the experimenter. A model containing the three TpB predictor variables—attitudes (M = 15.29, SD = 3.57), perceived social norms (M …

Mothers’ Trauma Histories And Their Infants’ Social-Emotional Development, Sarah Ahlfs-Dunn

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Difficulties with emotion and physiological regulation (i.e., the ability to modulate or regulate arousal and physiological experiences) in infancy have been linked to significant social-emotional problems in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Mothers play a critical role in helping their infants regulate. Often mothers’ experiences of childhood maltreatment and/or domestic violence leave them with limited emotional availability and caregiving ability. Subsequently, their infants may have difficulty learning self-regulation, which may compromise future social-emotional development. This study examined the relationships among mothers’ experiences of childhood maltreatment and adult domestic violence and their infants’ crying, feeding, and sleeping difficulties at 3 months of …

Substrates Of Social Functioning In Individuals With Vcfs, Daniel Jacobson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Velocardiofacial Syndrome (VCFS) is a genetic disorder characterized by numerous physiological and psychological symptoms. Little is known regarding the neuropsychological substrates of social functioning in individuals with VCFS. This study was a secondary data analysis investigating the relationship between various brain structure volumes and social deficits in individuals with VCFS. Volumetric measures of brain regions based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were compared between 6 VCFS individuals and 6 controls. Controls were identically matched according to age and gender. It was hypothesized that after covarying for total brain volume, VCFS patients would exhibit larger amygdala and insula volumes and smaller …

Traumatic Brain Injury And The Effects Of Diazepam, Diltiazem, And Mk-801 On Gaba-A Receptor Subunit Expression In Rat Hippocampus, Cynthia J. Gibson, Rebecca C. Meyer, Robert J. Hamm

Psychology Publications

Background

Excitatory amino acid release and subsequent biochemical cascades following traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been well documented, especially glutamate-related excitotoxicity. The effects of TBI on the essential functions of inhibitory GABA-A receptors, however, are poorly understood.

Methods

We used Western blot procedures to test whether in vivo TBI in rat altered the protein expression of hippocampal GABA-A receptor subunits α1, α2, α3, α5, β3, and γ2 at 3 h, 6 h, 24 h, and 7 days post-injuy. We then used pre-injury injections of MK-801 to block calcium influx through the NMDA receptor, diltiazem to block L-type voltage-gated calcium influx, …

Virtual Instruction: A Qualitative Research Laboratory Course, Lee Stadtlander, Martha J. Giles

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Online graduate programs in psychology are becoming common; however, a concern has been whether instructors in the programs provide adequate research mentoring. One issue surrounding research mentoring is the absence of research laboratories in the virtual university. Students attending online universities often do research without peer or lab support and without previous experience in supervised research projects. This paper describes a virtual qualitative research lab course at an online university that both mentored students and collected data through a virtual qualitative lab on a national scale. The authors also address logistics, problems and issues that arose, as well as suggestions …

Implications Of A Behavioral Weight Loss Program For Obese, Sedentary Women: A Focus On Mood Enhancement And Exercise Enjoyment, Bonnie G. Berger, Lynn A. Darby, David R. Owen, Robert Albert Carels

Psychology Faculty Publications

The benefits of a 6-month behavioral weight loss program were investigated by examining mood changes after a graded exercise test (GXT), changes in exercise enjoyment, and the relation of mood and enjoyment to program success. Obese, sedentary, postmenopausal women completed a demographic questionnaire, and physical and psychological measures. Women who completed the program (n = 25) significantly decreased their body weight and body mass index and reported significantly less tension and confusion post-GXT when measured both at the beginning and end of the program. Although their exercise enjoyment increased, their exercise-related mood changes appeared to be independent of enjoyment. Finally, …

Long Distance Managerial Intervention In Overseas Conflicts: Helping Missionaries Reframe Conflict Along Multiple Dimensions, David R. Dunaetz

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Effective ways of conflict management must be found for missionaries when no trusted mediator in the region is available. Home office management or leaders in other regions can intervene through context rich media, such as the telephone and video conferencing, to provide help. Intervention through context poor media, such as email, is much less likely to succeed. Effective managerial intervention involving interaction with each party can lead to reframing the conflict into an opportunity to cooperate and find mutually beneficial solutions. The manager can present information, ask questions, and help the parties see that resolution is possible by addressing key …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Among Self-Construal, Emotional Intelligence, And Well-Being, Constance A. Mara, Teresa L. Decicco, Mirella L. Stroink

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This study aims to further investigate the convergent validity of the recently-proposed

metapersonal model and measure of self-construal, and to emphasize the discriminant

validity of the metapersonal self-construal as a distinct construct, capturing a unique aspect

of self-construal separate from either interdependent or independent aspects. The study

looked at two questions: (1) Does the metapersonal self-construal predict higher emotional

intelligence? (2) Do those who have higher metapersonal self-construal scores also report

greater well-being? A group of 212 undergraduate students was assessed using a self-construal

scale that includes the new measure of metapersonal self-construal, along with scales

measuring emotional intelligence and …

Relational Spirituality And Developmental Spirituality: Introduction To Special Topic Section, Glenn Hartelius, Maureen Harrahy

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Relational Spirituality, Part 1 Paradise Unbound: Cosmic Hybridity And Spiritual Narcissism In The “One Truth” Of New Age Transpersonalism, Gregg Lahood

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Cosmological hybridization, a process in which spiritual paradises are bound together, is

highly active in American religious culture. Beginning with an early Christianized version of

the Buddha, this religious Creolization gathered speed after WWII and peaked during the

Vietnam War, leading to a complex spiritual revolution in which transcendence became an

all important orientation. This revolution set the scene for the emergence of a non-relational

transpersonal psychology in which Americanized nondualism gained ascendency. It is argued

here that popular New Age transpersonalism traps the spirit, breeding a self-serving, Selfas-

everything form of spiritual narcissism. Given that some are calling the …

Transpersonal And Other Models Of Spiritual Development, Harris Friedman, Stanley Krippner, Linda Riebel, Chad Johnson

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This chapter focuses on exploring various models of spiritual development. It first addresses

philosophical dilemmas underpinning the concept of spiritual development by questioning

whether these can be addressed without metaphysical assumptions embedded in religious

worldviews and thus understood in any consensual way across different historical and

cultural contexts. Traditional models of spiritual development are then reviewed, drawing

from indigenous, Eastern, and Western cultures. Integrative-philosophical and scientific

models, including those from the psychology of religion, transpersonal psychology, and

neurobiology, are then presented. The chapter concludes by noting the complexities involved

in understanding spiritual development accompanied by suggestions on future directions

for …

The Self And The Great Chain Of Being: Interview With Robert Bolton, Samuel B. Sotillos

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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The Gift Of Life: Death As Teacher In The Aghori Sect, Rochelle Suri, Daniel B. Pitchford

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This article utilizes the example of the Aghori, with their radical and unique perspective on death,

as a challenge to the Western world to live an authentic, present life by maintaining awareness of

mortality. Specifically, three main themes are explored: first, a theoretical engagement of the concept

of death based on the (Western) philosophy of existentialism, second, a review of the historical

origins and philosophy of the Aghori sect, and third, a depiction of the Aghoris as a living example

of vigorously accepting death as an inevitability of life. On this basis a brief comparison of Western

and Eastern attitudes …

Short-Term Memory And Auditory Processing Disorders: Concurrent Validity And Clinical Diagnostic Markers, Arthur Maerlender

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Auditory processing disorders (APDs) are of interest to educators and clinicians, as they impact school functioning. Little work has been completed to demonstrate how children with APDs perform on clinical tests. In a series of studies, standard clinical (psychometric) tests from the Wechsler Intel-ligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) were used to establish concurrent validity be-tween tests of short-term auditory memory and two frequently used tests of auditory processing (Dichotic Digits and Frequency Patterns). The diagnostic utility of the short-term memory tests was also explored. In a matched sample, Digit Span forward predicted diagnosis of APD (sensitivity = .81, …

The Grofs’ Model Of Spiritual Emergency In Retrospect: Has It Stood The Test Of Time?, Darlene B. Viggiano, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The purpose of this essay is to review the Grofs’ model of spiritual emergencies. The authors

ask: Has the model been useful for identifying and treating psycho-spiritual distress? Should

it be amended? Spiritual emergency can be defined as a crisis involving religious, transpersonal,

and/or spiritual issues that provides opportunities for growth. Spiritual emergence, meanwhile,

lends itself to gentler transformation. The research methods include an archival literature

review triangulated with an authoritative interview. The findings are that the Grofs’ model

of spiritual emergencies was ahead of its time and that the medical establishment needs to

catch up. Adaptations and revisions that …

Relational Spirituality, Part 2 The Belief In Others As A Hindrance To Enlightenment: Narcissism And The Denigration Of Relationship Within Transpersonal Psychology And The New Age, Gregg Lahood

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The aim of this paper is to tease out from the New Age religion and religious transpersonal psychology a more relational spirituality. Humanistic and transpersonal psychologies were important forces in the emergence of the social phenomenon of the New Age. New Age transpersonalism leans toward a restrictive non-relational spirituality because of its historical affirmation of individualism and transcendence. Relational spirituality, which is central to the emerging participatory paradigm, swims against strong and popular currents in New Age transpersonal thinking which tend to see spirituality as an individual, personal, inner pursuit, often into Eastern/Oriental nondualism. Whatever the merits of impersonal Advaita …

Jacob Wrestles The Angel: A Study In Psychoanalytic Midrash, Michael Abramsky

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This essay is a study in psychoanalytic Midrash: a literary and psychological meditation on the

Biblical story of Jacob. The Hebrew verbal root from which the term Midrash derives means to

investigate or explore. It is a genre of Biblical scholarship used to interpret the Bible in symbolic

and inspirational terms. This essay examines Jacob as he moves from a character dominated by

self-defeating neurosis through his transformation into a spiritual being and exemplar of principled

leadership. Insights from Freudian and Jungian psychologies, mythology, and literary traditions are

used to describe and explain Jacob’s character metamorphosis.

Foreign Language Comprehension: Understanding The Centrality Deficit, Amanda C. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to determine how reading in a foreign language (L2) affects one's mental representation of the text and the ability to recognize and recall the text's important information. Using a within-participants design, the proportion of central and peripheral ideas recalled by participants reading in their L2 was compared to that when reading in their native language (L1). Readers recalled a greater proportion of central than peripheral ideas when reading in both their L2 and L1, but when their L2 and L1 recalls were directly compared, a very interesting, yet counterintuitive, result emerged. The greatest deficit …

Editors’ Introduction, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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The Power Of Family Literacy. G1985, Janet S. Hanna, Kayla M. Hinrichs, Carla J. Mahar, John Defrain, Tonia Renee Durden

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

StoryQUEST’s Vision: High-quality early relationships and experiences throughout their daily routines provide each infant and toddler with the tools and skills to build a strong foundation for future school readiness. Families, caregivers, and communities as a whole collaborate to enable all children to become highly competent in language and literacy. This series was developed as part of a national research project — StoryQUEST — through the California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University.

Children exposed to reading and storytelling at home have greater success in school. Second in a series of nine, this NebGuide suggests language- and literacy-related activities. …

Family Involvement For Children With Disruptive Behaviors: The Role Of Parenting Stress And Motivational Beliefs, Carrie A. Semke, S. Andrew Garbacz, Kyongboon Kwon, Susan M. Sheridan, Kathryn Woods

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Children with disruptive behaviors are at risk for adverse outcomes. Family involvement is a significant predictor of positive child behavior outcomes; however, little research has investigated parent psychological variables that influence family involvement for children with disruptive behaviors. This study investigated the role of parental motivational beliefs (i.e., role construction and efficacy) as a potential mechanism by which parenting stress impacts family involvement for families of children with disruptive behaviors. Results indicated that parent role construction mediated the relation between parenting stress and all aspects of family involvement examined (i.e., home-based involvement, school-based involvement, and home–school communication). Parent efficacy mediated …

Parenting Self-Efficacy And Parenting Practices Over Time In Mexican American Families, Larry E. Dumka, Nancy A. Gonzales, Lorey A. Wheeler, Roger E. Millsap

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study used a longitudinal cross-lagged panel design and a structural equation modeling approach to evaluate parenting self-efficacy's reciprocal and causal associations with parents' positive control practices over time to predict adolescents' conduct problems. Data were obtained from teachers, mothers, and adolescents in 189 Mexican American families living in the southwest U.S. After accounting for contemporaneous reciprocal relationships between parenting self-efficacy (PSE) and positive control, results indicated that parenting self-efficacy predicted future positive control practices rather than the reverse. PSE also showed direct effects on decreased adolescent conduct problems. PSE functioned in an antecedent causal …

An Erp Investigation Of Hand-Based Bias On Visual Attention, John Philip Garza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent behavioral studies have investigated the importance of hand and arm position in visual attentional processes. Reed et al. (2006) found facilitated (faster) detection for targets that appear in the space near the hand, relative to targets appearing on the opposite side of a monitor display. The current study aimed to explore the potential bottom-up and top-down neural sources underlying this hand-bias effect on attention with ERP. Using a standard, non-predictive visual cuing paradigm, we examined early (N1, P1) and later (P3) ERP components in response target presentations in three conditions: with the non-responding hand resting on the table (Resting), …

Gifted Voices: A Study Of High School Students' Proficiency In Persuasive Writing And Their Perceptions Of Personal Agency, Susan Carol Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Development of the talents and abilities of gifted children is not ordinarily provided by regular public school programs. Their need for accelerated, complex, and challenging curriculum and processes is often overlooked by educators focused on helping underperforming students to reach grade-level standards. Gifted high school students who are proficient in persuasive writing are able to clearly state a claim, support that claim with evidence and backing, recognize and rebut counterclaims, and draw a conclusion leading to action. If gifted students are proficient at writing persuasively, perhaps they are also able to advocate for learning experiences that are challenging, complex, and …

Exploration Of The Meaning Of Depression Among Psychologists: A Quantitative And Qualitative Approach, Akira Murata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While depression is considered the most common mental illness regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, compared to research on the general population, depression among psychologists has received little attention. However, as they are one of the major mental health care professionals, psychologists' mental health could greatly affect their clients' mental health, which raises competency and ethical concerns regarding their work as clinicians. In order to learn more about depression in this group, questionnaires were mailed to 800 randomly selected psychologists in the state of Colorado to examine the prevalence of depression among psychologists, how they dealt with their …

The Effects Of Stereotype Threat On Job Anxiety, Job Satisfaction, Work Specific Self-Efficacy, And Turnover Intent, Ciara Cascharelle Paige

Theses Digitization Project

While an abundance of literature on stereotypes exists with regards to the workplace, less research exists that assesses how stereotypes could affect an employee and motivate him or her to leave the organization. The present study addressed the relationship among job identification, gender identification, stereotype threat perception at work, anxiety, work specific efficacy, job satisfaction, and turnover intent. A hypothesized model that connected the possible relations among stereotype threat, gender identification, job identification, job anxiety, work specific self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and turnover intent was tested using data from 267 working women.

Parenting Styles And Emotional Intelligence Of Parents Of Grade School Children, Mariah Marguerite Bussey Adams

Theses Digitization Project

The family is the fundamental unit of society and it is important to understand possible causes for children's positive outcomes. Many of children's outcomes are related to the parenting styles that they experience. This study seeks to show how parenting styles and emotional intelligence are associated with one another.

Evaluation Of A Health Environment Training For Childcare Providers, Brianna Nicole Uhlhorn

Theses Digitization Project

This qualitative study sought to identify barriers for supporting preschoolers' healthy eating habits and physical activity levels. Almost 800 childcare providers throughout Riverside County were trained on Healthy Habits for Life from July 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. Centers were for-profit commercial chains, state-funded preschools, or private centers, but they were not affiliated with a school district or a Head Start program. This preschool training is designed to make preschool providers aware of their role in preventing childhood obesity, and to instill good nutrition and physical activity related to the values in young children. This study is a short-term …

Peers As A Social-Contextual Factor On Adolescents' Academic And Career Motivation, Danyel Arlyssa Vargas

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to add literature by examining the influences of peers on adolescents' academic and caeer motivation using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical foundation. Ninety juniors and seniors with a mean age of 16.48 from a southern California public high-school participated in the study. Participants completed a self-report questionaire which assessed background information, academic motivation, career motivation, and peer support.

Engaging An Older Workforce: The Relationship Between Employee Engagement, Intrinsic Motivation, And Meaningfulness, Negin Kordbacheh

Theses Digitization Project

The aim of this study was to better understand employee engagement levels in light of the recent downsizing and restructuring practices. The relationship between intrinsic motivation, meaningfulness and employee engagement were examined.