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2011

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Articles 511 - 540 of 1958

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Role Of Cortisol In Social And Memory Impairments In Individuals With Velocardiofacial Syndrome (Vcfs), Daniel Jacobson May 2011

Role Of Cortisol In Social And Memory Impairments In Individuals With Velocardiofacial Syndrome (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 and hormonal substrates and the social functioning in individuals with VCFS. There is some evidence to suggest that the stress hormone cortisol contributes to social, cognitive, and communication deficits in related populations (Corbett, Schupp, Levine, & Mendoza, 2009). This study investigated the role that cortisol has on the social and cognitive impairments observed in children with VCFS. To this end, 11 children with confirmed VCFS were assessed for baseline cortisol levels and received neuropsychological testing that assessed attention, memory, language, …


Transformation Process Of Criando Con Amor Promoviendo Armonía Y Superación (Capas) / Pmto Materials Into Capas Mexico, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad, S. Gaínza, F. García, M. A. Padriñán, G. Apipilhausco, D. Sánchez, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana A. L. Baumann May 2011

Transformation Process Of Criando Con Amor Promoviendo Armonía Y Superación (Capas) / Pmto Materials Into Capas Mexico, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad, S. Gaínza, F. García, M. A. Padriñán, G. Apipilhausco, D. Sánchez, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana A. L. Baumann

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Sexting And Sexual Relationships Among Teens And Young Adults, Lori Henderson May 2011

Sexting And Sexual Relationships Among Teens And Young Adults, Lori Henderson

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The present study examined young adult participation in sexting: a transmission of nude or semi-nude images or sexually suggestive text of themselves to others through cell phones. An online survey was conducted Spring 2010 at large northwest university. Results revealed that nearly two thirds of participants had sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves. Cell phones were reported as the primary medium in transmission of sext messages. Nearly half of those who have participated in sexting had sent them to a boyfriend or girlfriend, while 15% sent them to someone they only knew online. To be sexy or to initiate …


Cultural Adaptation Of Pmto For Ethnicity And Language, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad May 2011

Cultural Adaptation Of Pmto For Ethnicity And Language, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad

Psychology Faculty Publications

Criando con Amor: Promoviendo Armonía y Superación is a culturally adapted PMTO manual. It was developed in Logan, UT and then further refined for use in Mexico City. A recent meta-analysis of culturally adapted treatments for US-based ethnic minorities showed a significant improvement in outcomes for adapted versus non-adapted interventions. The authors will present the systematic and theory-based cultural adaptation process utilized to tailor the manual for use with Spanish-speaking Latinos in the U.S. and in Mexico. Examples of specific cultural adaptations made will be shown. Evidence of treatment acceptability on the part of participating families at both sites will …


Functional Analysis Of Replacement Behavior: Assessing Concurrent Behavioral Excesses And Academic Deficits, Kristi L. Hofstadter-Duke May 2011

Functional Analysis Of Replacement Behavior: Assessing Concurrent Behavioral Excesses And Academic Deficits, Kristi L. Hofstadter-Duke

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation involved the application of functional analysis methodology to replacement behaviors (i.e., academic responding).  Participants were exposed to the typical school-based functional analysis conditions –  (a) teacher attention, (b) peer attention, and (c) escape –  in addition to a control condition; yet, replacement behavior (i.e., academic responding) was reinforced across conditions instead of problem behaviors.  Two functional analyses were conducted using identical contingencies while measuring condition impact on disruptive behavior, academic engagement, and academic performance (i.e., problems completed, digits correct).  Unknown math problems were used during the first functional analysis, and a second functional analysis incorporated antecedent instructional sessions, …


Optimizing High Volume Traffic Surges Using Discrete Event Simulation, Claire L. Johnson May 2011

Optimizing High Volume Traffic Surges Using Discrete Event Simulation, Claire L. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this applied research study is to determine the fidelity of a discrete event simulation tool called the Evacuation Simulation Prediction Tool (ESP) in predicting transit times during a high volume surge in traffic flow. The ESP tool was developed for the purpose of predicting and optimizing large-scale evacuations of counties or regions as an aide in emergency and disaster preparedness planning. The goal of the ESP model is to ascertain the balance of traffic flow capacity by managing the human factor events that impinge upon orderly highway travel without immobilizing the travel route. The objective of this …


The Cyber Pornography Use Inventory: Comparing A Religious And Secular Sample, John Sessoms May 2011

The Cyber Pornography Use Inventory: Comparing A Religious And Secular Sample, John Sessoms

Senior Honors Theses

While Internet pornography use is becoming increasingly common in today’s society, until recently no instrument existed to measure compulsive use. Consequently, the Cyber Pornography Use Inventory (CPUI) was developed in order to assess Internet pornography addiction. While demonstrating promise as an assessment tool, the CPUI was only tested on a religious population. In addition to being strongly opposed to pornography, religious males experience extreme distress from their usage and often perceive their behavior as addictive, despite no supporting clinical evidence. Therefore, it seemed necessary to explore the psychometric capabilities of the CPUI further by administering it to a secular population. …


Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard May 2011

Problem Solving And Functional Fixedness: A Comparison Between Eco-Reps And Non Eco-Reps, Keith G. Richard

Honors Theses

A quasi experiment was conducted to examine functional fixedness and creative problem solving. The purpose of this research was to attempt to identify differences in cognitive ability between recyclers and non recyclers. This researcher investigated whether recycling group affiliation or priming for functional fixedness would affect task performance among college students. A tower building activity was developed for this study to determine if members of a college recycling group, the Eco-Reps, would complete a problem solving activity faster than non Eco-Reps. Some participants in each group were primed for functional fixedness. This researcher hypothesized that Eco-Reps would complete the task …


What Do You Expect? : An Investigation Of How Caffeine Expectancies Affect College Students' Cognitive Performances, Katie Alyse Berg May 2011

What Do You Expect? : An Investigation Of How Caffeine Expectancies Affect College Students' Cognitive Performances, Katie Alyse Berg

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Caffeine use is common, but few studies have examined how the expectancies that people hold about caffeine relate to the effects they experience after consuming it. My study examined how typical caffeine consumption and students' expectancies about how caffeine generally affects them influence their decisions about caffeine use as well as their performance on memory and attention tests. I hypothesized that expectations about how caffeine affects students would interact with their beliefs about how much caffeine they had consumed to impact performance on tests of attention and memory. Undergraduate students were divided into four groups: high consumption and high expectancy, …


Keys To Unlocking Creative Potential: The Expressive Path To Personal Growth, Marta D. Ockuly May 2011

Keys To Unlocking Creative Potential: The Expressive Path To Personal Growth, Marta D. Ockuly

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

An experiential journey into personal growth and creative expression is, by nature, transformational.  Undertaken in a public platform using social media (Twitter and blogging) it reveals powerful potential as a teaching and mentoring tool for inspiring creative action around the world.  This project was designed to blend my joys and passions for tweeting positive inspiration and encouragement, sharing my readings and research related to creativity, exploring expressive art, activating creative potential with joy, collecting and sharing quotes, coaching positive change and creative action, and raising awareness of everyday creativity into a learning pathway which could be accessed by anyone using …


How Sweet Is It, Really? The Anomalous Effects Of Glucose At Retrieval, Sarah A. Gillott May 2011

How Sweet Is It, Really? The Anomalous Effects Of Glucose At Retrieval, Sarah A. Gillott

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

151 participants gave free recall and probed response memories for best kisses and The Lion King. Blood-glucose levels were manipulated at retrieval with glucose (50g) or saccharin (35mg) in the form of a lemonade drink. Memories for best kisses were more elaborate than memories for The Lion King. This may be due to the fact that best kiss memories were rated as more arousing than film memories. Regardless, high blood-glucose levels as a result of glucose consumption significantly impaired autobiographical kiss memory, yet enhanced semantic memory for The …


Positive Affect During Goal Adoption : Why Happiness Breeds Success, Katherine Wainwright May 2011

Positive Affect During Goal Adoption : Why Happiness Breeds Success, Katherine Wainwright

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Prior research has shown that positive affect helps individuals to achieve their goals. typically by energizing individuals' performance during goal pursuit. However, questions remain as to whether other mechanisms might exist by which positive affect could facilitate success. Specifically, researchers have yet to address the role that positive affect might play during the process of goal adoption. In the current study, I examined whether positive affect experienced at the time of goal adoption facilitates goal achievement. Participants were induced into either a positive or neutral affective state by watching a video clip. They were also asked to adopt the goal …


Insincerity And Depravity Get Noticed, Alexandria M. Boswell May 2011

Insincerity And Depravity Get Noticed, Alexandria M. Boswell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Previous studies have shown that people use environmental cues to identify the intentions of others with whom they interact. This study sought to examine how an observer’s incidental memory for strangers was influenced by the emotional expression displayed by the stranger as well as the type of action in which the stranger was involved. Incidental memory was assessed using a memory task that first asked observers to view a series of faces (“targets”) that were each paired with an action. Later, observers were asked if they recognized previously viewed targets amongst novel targets. Incidental memory tasks are used to investigate …


The Protective Role Of Psychological Empowerment On Tobacco Use Behaviors, Brittany Berry May 2011

The Protective Role Of Psychological Empowerment On Tobacco Use Behaviors, Brittany Berry

Theses and Dissertations

THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT ON TOBACCO USE BEHAVIORS By: Brittany M. Berry, B.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Major Director: Aashir Nasim Associate Professor Department of Psychology The primary aim of this study was to determine the protective effects of psychological empowerment (i.e., the belief that one has the knowledge, capabilities, and authority to be an active agent in their own life and in the surrounding community) on the tobacco use behaviors of young adults. A secondary aim was …


The Effects Of A Brief Mindfulness Intervention On Impulsivity In College Students, Myles Elgin Trapp May 2011

The Effects Of A Brief Mindfulness Intervention On Impulsivity In College Students, Myles Elgin Trapp

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study investigated the impact of a brief, introductory mindfulness intervention on attention, executive control, and impulsivity. I randomly assigned forty-seven undergraduate students to a treatment group (TG) receiving mindfulness training and a waiting list control group (WLG). Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and standardized neuropsychological tests before and after the intervention. Participants high in trait mindfulness suffered less interference on a Stroop task, were less impulsive on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, but also evidenced less cognitive flexibility on a dual fluency test at baseline. The TG demonstrated greater improvement than the WLG from baseline to re-test …


Community-Based Applied Research With Latino Immigrant Families: Informing Practice And Research According To Ethical And Social Justice Principles, Ana A. L. Baumann, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, José Rubén Parra-Cardona May 2011

Community-Based Applied Research With Latino Immigrant Families: Informing Practice And Research According To Ethical And Social Justice Principles, Ana A. L. Baumann, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, José Rubén Parra-Cardona

Psychology Faculty Publications

This manuscript describes the implementation of two community-based programs of research with Latino immigrant populations exposed to intense contextual challenges. We provide background on our program of research and specific implementation of an evidence-based parenting intervention. We also describe how our research efforts were seriously affected by immigration-related events such as the ICE raids in Utah and a history of discrimination and exclusion affecting Latino immigrants in Michigan. These external political and social challenges have affected the very core principles of our efforts to implement community-based approaches. The current manuscript describes key lessons that we have learned in this process. …


The Organizational Creativity Actualization Model: A Book Proposal, Russell Schneck May 2011

The Organizational Creativity Actualization Model: A Book Proposal, Russell Schneck

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project consists of a book proposal, including two sample chapters, that provides a vision for how organizations can effectively use creativity and creative thinking to address the rapid escalation of complexity. The working title for the book is: The Creativity Organization: Responding to the Challenges and Opportunities of Complexity. The book will explore the organizational development requirements and programs necessary to transform an organizational culture so that it will consistently and sustainably develop and support creativity. At the foundation of this discussion is the Organizational Creativity Actualization Model (OCAM). This model considers organizational creativity as a system of …


Parent-Child Communication About Substance Use: Experiences Of Latino Emerging Adults, Kathryn Reid-Quiñones May 2011

Parent-Child Communication About Substance Use: Experiences Of Latino Emerging Adults, Kathryn Reid-Quiñones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current studies was to identify messages that Latino parents communicate to their offspring about the use of legal and illegal drugs and to determine associations between parental messages and substance use outcomes. Previous research has identified parent-child communication as protective against tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. However, most of these studies have failed to examine the specific messages communicated and those that have focused almost exclusively on non-Hispanic Caucasians. Study 1 identified messages that Latino parents communicate to their offspring regarding legal and illegal drugs through two focus groups with Latino college students (N = …


Social Support Received Online And Offline By Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer, Jessye Cohen May 2011

Social Support Received Online And Offline By Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer, Jessye Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

Life after treatment for cancer has become a primary focus for health service provider communities as the number of individuals living longer grows. The medical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors have been prominent in the popular and scientific literature. A major focus for psychologists has been the relationships and social support networks of individuals diagnosed with cancer. The current study explored a recent phenomenon within this realm, the use of Internet resources for online support. The purpose of this study was to compare social support received online and social support received offline among people diagnosed with cancer who use …


Language-Specific Tuning Of Audiovisual Integration In Early Development, Juliana Flynn May 2011

Language-Specific Tuning Of Audiovisual Integration In Early Development, Juliana Flynn

Honors Scholar Theses

According to the perceptual narrowing hypothesis, older infants look longer towards speech in a native language than towards a non-native language. We presented speech in English, Spanish, and mis-matched English and Spanish speech, and recorded looking-time towards the speech. Results suggest that the synchrony of speech plays a strong role in infants' attention to speech, whereas nativeness of language does not.


Work-School Conflict And Work School Enrichment: A Student's Perspective On Taking On Multiple Roles Through On-Campus And Off-Campus Employment, Flora Dakas May 2011

Work-School Conflict And Work School Enrichment: A Student's Perspective On Taking On Multiple Roles Through On-Campus And Off-Campus Employment, Flora Dakas

Honors Scholar Theses

This study investigated how the location of employment, on or off-campus, may affect student experiences of negative and positive spillover from the work role to the academic role. It was hypothesized that work-to-school conflict (WSC) would be positively associated with the number of hours devoted to the employment role. Beyond that, it was hypothesized that both WSC and work-to-school enrichment (WSE) would be greater for students who are employed in off-campus jobs as opposed to students who work in on-campus positions. In addition, it was hypothesized that negative and positive spillover from work roles to school roles will contribute to …


Diel Periodicity In Activity And Location In The Web Of The Common House Spider (Achaearanea Tepidariorum)., Elise Wolf May 2011

Diel Periodicity In Activity And Location In The Web Of The Common House Spider (Achaearanea Tepidariorum)., Elise Wolf

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Circadian rhythm is a type of endogenous clock that controls daily behavioral patterns in most organisms. Spiders have been shown to exhibit both circadian and non-circadian rhythms in their behaviors. This rhythmicity may allow spiders to cope with diel changes in environmental conditions. Both diurnal and nocturnal behavior have different sets of costs and benefits to a species’ survival. Achaearanea tepidariorum is one species in which potential circadian rhythmicity has never been studied. Due to its foraging behavior, it was predicted that its daily activity would be arrhythmic. We recorded the positions within the web of forty individuals throughout the …


Effects Of Imagined Social Rejection And Acceptance Across Varying Relationships., Candace L. Hawkes May 2011

Effects Of Imagined Social Rejection And Acceptance Across Varying Relationships., Candace L. Hawkes

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Previous research (Tesser, Millar, & Moore, 1988) has shown that being close to one’s rejecter intensifies negative outcomes associated with rejection. Other research, however, has shown that people’s fundamental needs are threatened equally when they are ostracized by in-group members or despised groups (i.e., KKK members; Gonsalkorale & Williams, 2007), suggesting that perhaps acceptance by close others may not differ from acceptance by strangers. In this study, we examined the effects of imagined rejection and acceptance across varying degrees of relationship intensity (close other, acquaintance, or stranger). Participants who imagined being rejected by a close other reported higher depressed mood …


Training Pediatric Residents To Manage Treatment For Adhd: A Feasibility Study., Jonathan Calloway May 2011

Training Pediatric Residents To Manage Treatment For Adhd: A Feasibility Study., Jonathan Calloway

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study evaluates the utility of an evidence-based protocol for the assessment of ADHD in the primary care setting as set forth in a previous study by Polaha et al. (2005). Specifically, this study will examine the viability of this protocol in the context of a pediatric resident training clinic. This study will examine the methods of ADHD diagnosis and assessment in a clinic before and after the protocol training of pediatric residents. We hypothesize that primary care pediatric residents participating in ADHD training protocol, will demonstrate improved capacity to assess, diagnose, and treat ADHD in accordance with the AAP …


Relationships Among Multicultural Educational Practices, Student Self-Efficacy, And Student Cultural Identity In The High School Setting., Kimberly Coalson May 2011

Relationships Among Multicultural Educational Practices, Student Self-Efficacy, And Student Cultural Identity In The High School Setting., Kimberly Coalson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between multicultural educational (ME) practices, student self-efficacy, and student cultural identity in the high school English setting. Surveys were administered to first-semester college freshmen which assessed their perceptions of their high school English/literature ME experiences, self-efficacy, and current ethnic identity status, with predictions that ME would positively predict self-efficacy and identity.


Religious Commitment As A Predictor Of Lower Blood Pressure In High-Risk Pregnancies Of Southern Appalachia., Anna Vadimovna Ermakova May 2011

Religious Commitment As A Predictor Of Lower Blood Pressure In High-Risk Pregnancies Of Southern Appalachia., Anna Vadimovna Ermakova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extensive literature review inspired a mediational model of the relationship between Religiosity/Spirituality (R/S) and Blood Pressure (BP) tested through secondary analyses of data from the TIPS program. Participants included 205 (92.1% Caucasian; age M=23.72, SD=5.33) pregnant Southern Appalachian women drawn from the region's at-risk pregnancy population. The only variables correlated with BP were women's weight (r=.430, r=.467, p<.01, for diastolic and systolic BP, respectively) and prenatal care use (r=.138, p<.05, with diastolic BP), but not R/S. Multiple regression analyses confirmed participant weight as the only significant independent predictor of BP. Previous findings of health benefits of R/S cannot be assumed to generalize to pregnant women without further study. Limitations of this study and possible explanations for the findings are discussed.


Temperament-Language Relationships During The First Formal Year Of School., Natasha Benfield Gouge May 2011

Temperament-Language Relationships During The First Formal Year Of School., Natasha Benfield Gouge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate temperament-language relationships among school-age children and across a wider variety of SES. Head Start, Pre-K, and Kindergarten classes of 10 elementary schools located in rural Appalachia were sent information about the study and 35 children were consented to participate. Parents completed a short demographic survey and the Child Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form (CBQ-VSF). Children were administered the Preschool Language Scale-4 (PLS-4). Participants were split into low and high SES groups so associations between the CBQ and PLS-4 scores could be compared at each SES strata. Both reactivity and self-regulation were …


Community Perceptions Of Prescription Drug Abuse In Eastern Kentucky., Ashley Marie Browning May 2011

Community Perceptions Of Prescription Drug Abuse In Eastern Kentucky., Ashley Marie Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personal interviews exploring attitudes toward prescription drug abuse were completed by 17 residents over 18 years of age from Kentucky's Pike and Letcher counties. In respect to prescription drug abuse research nationwide, much research has been conducted in eastern Kentucky; however, there are seemingly few studies measuring the thoughts and feelings of community members toward the issue. Data gathered during these interviews were coded and themed for emergent content that revealed the prevalence of drug abuse in communities, the role of medical professionals in prescription drug abuse, and a lack of preventative measures to control the cyclic pattern of prescription …


A Relational Perspective On Sex Stereotyping, Jessica Kang May 2011

A Relational Perspective On Sex Stereotyping, Jessica Kang

Master's Theses

The current study adopts a relational perspective of sex stereotyping by taking into account the perceiver’s group membership, the target group, and the content of the stereotype. We asked women and men to report their personal beliefs about men and women on three characteristics: competence, warmth and morality. The results showed that participants were engaging in three different patterns of sex stereotyping: traditional sex stereotyping (both sexes rated similarly by both male and female participants on traditional stereotypes), traditional in-group favoring sex stereotyping (participants favor his/her own group on a stereotype traditionally associated with his/her group), and counter-traditional sex stereotyping …


Distance Judgments For Joint Action: The Perceptual Consequences Of Anticipated Coordination, Benjamin R. Meagher May 2011

Distance Judgments For Joint Action: The Perceptual Consequences Of Anticipated Coordination, Benjamin R. Meagher

Master's Theses

Recent perception research has revealed that judgments of distance are influenced by the energetic cost required to perform particular actions, such as walking, across these distances (Proffitt, 2006b). However, this prior research has focused almost exclusively on the perceptual consequences of solo action, despite the fact that individuals regularly become embedded within social units for the purpose of joint action (Richardson, Marsh, & Schmidt, 2005). In two experiments, the current work sought to test the hypothesis that forming a social unit creates a new perception-action system with distinct perceptual attunement of the environment scaled to the unit’s action-potential. Participants, accompanied …