Psychology Commons^™

Infant Responding To Joint Attention, Executive Processes, And Self-Regulation In Preschool Children, Amy V. Van Hecke, Peter Mundy, Jessica J. Block, Christine E.F. Delgado, Meaghan Venezia Parlade, Yuly B. Pomares, Jessica A. Hobson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Infant joint attention is related to behavioral and social outcomes, as well as language in childhood. Recent research and theory suggests that the relations between joint attention and social–behavioral outcomes may reflect the role of executive self-regulatory processes in the development of joint attention. To test this hypothesis two studies were conducted. The first, cross-sectional study examined the development of responding to joint attention (RJA) skill in terms of increasing executive efficiency of responding between 9 and 18 months of age. The results indicated that development of RJA was characterized by a decreased latency to shift attention in following another …

"I Like That We Have Special Brains": A Longitudinal Study Of Self-Perception In Youth With Asperger's Syndrome And High-Functioning Autism At A Summer Camp Exclusively For Children With Social Difficulties, Gabriela E. Moats , '12

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

The literature on youth with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and high-functioning autism (HFA) suggests that they have limitations in how they see themselves, but that many are aware of how they are different from the norm. This has been found to contribute to the development of low self-esteem and high rates of depression and anxiety that are so prevalent in this population. Little research has been dedicated to examining ways in which youth with HFA and AS can be encouraged to feel more positively about themselves. Exposure to peers with similar diagnoses has been found to be helpful in other special …

Violence In Youth Sport: Potential Preventative Measures And Solutions, Cheryl Danilewicz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Youth sport events are part of a growing industry to which event venues are tailoring their policies, procedures, and designs. The competitive nature of the events and their participants have caused these venues to examine their existing policies and adjust them to increase security and safety measures for the athletes, coaches, spectators, game officials, and venue staff. Tempers at these events will flare, and in recent years violence is becoming increasingly more common. Parents and athletes have attacked each other, coaches, and game officials due to the intense nature of these events. The result of these acts could range from …

Enhancing Off-Season Motivation In Collegiate Athletes, Daniel Ryan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the optimal off-season motivational strategies to be utilized by collegiate coaches to maximize the motivation, sport performance, and sport satisfaction of collegiate athletes.

Objectives: By identifying the determinants of athlete motivation, this paper will serve as a resource for coaches as they seek to raise the overall motivation and commitment of their athletes during the off-season.

Justification: Developing the ideal off-season motivational strategy for collegiate athletes is important on a number of levels. Due to the heightened level of competition in college sports, coaches must ensure that the structuring of their …

In Their Own Words: The Lived Experiences Of Unemployed African American Men, Kenlana R. Ferguson

Dissertations

Due to staggering unemployment rates, African American men's experience with work in the U.S. has historically received widespread attention in the media and social science literature. Terms such as black male unemployment crisis, puzzle, epidemic and catastrophe have been used to describe the unemployment woes of black. Attempts at explaining why African American men are experiencing such difficulty in the world of work has been undertaken across the disciplines, however much of this work has amounted to nothing more than acknowledgement that isolating independent factors as causes does not suffice and that a more interdisciplinary framework is needed if we …

A Health Needs Assessment Of Arab-Americans In The Washington, Dc Area, Reem N. Ghoneim, Amita N. Vyas

GW Research Days 2012 and Earlier

Although Arab-Americans often face various health challenges due to the stress associated with immigration, cultural conflict in the U.S., and limited knowledge of the complex U.S. health system, there is a paucity of research examining health risks and behaviors among this ethnic group. This cross-sectional study assessed the health needs among Arabs living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Participants were recruited to take the survey online, reporting on health care access and utilization, risk behaviors, and health status. It also measured for associations between reported depression, discrimination, acculturation, and health. Quantitative analysis showed correlations between age and current tobacco …

Unfakeable Facial Configurations Affect Strategic Choices In Trust Games With Or Without Information About Past Behavior, Constantin Rezlescu, Brad Duchaine, Christopher Y. Olivola, Nick Chater

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Many human interactions are built on trust, so widespread confidence in first impressions generally favors individuals with trustworthy-looking appearances. However, few studies have explicitly examined: 1) the contribution of unfakeable facial features to trust-based decisions, and 2) how these cues are integrated with information about past behavior.

Methodology/Principal Findings:

Using highly controlled stimuli and an improved experimental procedure, we show that unfakeable facial features associated with the appearance of trustworthiness attract higher investments in trust games. The facial trustworthiness premium is large for decisions based solely on faces, with trustworthy identities attracting 42% more money (Study 1), and remains …

Choice, Management, & Modification: Situational Context In Risky Choice, Nathaniel K. Decker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We sought to examine the potential differences between different types of risky decisions. While some decisions are easily represented as choices between future alternatives, other decisions may be better represented as the management of a personally owned situation. Schneider (2003) created the risk management task, which manifested these situated improvement decisions, and identified a unique pattern of risk preferences when compared to the standard gambling paradigm. To determine what cognitive processes might be differentially activated for each type of decisions so as to yield these risk preference differences, we incrementally manipulated the gambling paradigm to parse potentially influential elements of …

Father-Daughter Incest: Data From An Anonymous Computerized Survey, Sandra S. Stroebel, Stephen L. O’Keefe

Psychology Faculty Research

Retrospective data were entered anonymously by 1,521 adult women using computer-assisted self-interview. Nineteen were classified as victims of father–daughter incest, and 241 were classified as victims of sexual abuse by an adult other than their father before reaching 18 years of age. The remaining 1,261 served as controls. Incest victims were more likely than controls to endorse feeling damaged, psychologically injured, estranged from one or both parents, and shamed by others when they tried to open up about their experience. They had been eroticized early on by the incest experience, and it interfered with their adult sexuality. Incest victims experienced …

The Effect Of Mainstream Media On Body Image And Stress Reactivity In Latina Females, Madison L. Noble

Pitzer Senior Theses

The role of mainstream media in women’s views of female beauty and body image has been well documented. However, few published studies have observed ethnic differences in physiological stress reactivity that may occur from pressures to comply with a particular image of beauty. This study examined whether the exposure to the mainstream ideal body image would negatively affect Latina women’s physiological and psychological functioning, and how their responses differed in comparison to their White counterparts. Participants included college-aged female students from Pitzer College who self-identified as Latina or Caucasian. Participants completed questionnaires assessing, body esteem (MSBRQ-AS; SATAQ; CDFRS), ethnic identity …

General Motivation Domains & Behavioral Specificity Across Motivations, Justin B. Christensen, David C. Dollahite, Sam A. Hardy

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The present study used Self-Determination Theory to explore adolescents' motivations to engage in prosocial behaviors (donating and volunteering) and abstain from health-risk behaviors (marijuana use and sexual intercourse). Pearson's r correlations evidenced general motivation schemes (prosocial and abstinence), suggesting that general prosocial motivation will prompt many prosocial behaviors while a general abstinence motivation will discourage many health risk behaviors. Multiple regression analysis, however, indicated that motivation is also behavior specific, meaning that specific behaviors are prompted by specific motivation. These findings help to broaden our understanding of adolescents by revealing two levels of motivation; behavioral and domain.

An Alternative To Hedonism: Eudaimonic Well-Being, Brigham Breton, Nathan Billings-Smith, Jason Lefrandt, Patrick R. Steffen

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Research has repeatedly shown that individuals who rate highly on eudaimonic personality measures have a more positive perception of their well-being (physical and psychological) than individuals who rate highly on hedonic personality measures. We hypothesized that individuals who rate highly only the eudaimonic questions in the survey will have lower blood pressure and heart rate in response to stress, and also will return to normal stress levels more quickly than hedonic individuals. These results valid a number of other research studies that have demonstrated that eudaimonic thought is consistently related to better health outcomes. Similarly, individuals who rated highly on …

The Impact Of Continuous And Discontinuous Cycle Exercise On Affect: An Examination Of The Dual-Mode Model, Sam Greeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-volume, high-intensity interval training has been garnering attention in the exercise physiology literature recently due to its proposed time-efficiency. Also, recent work comparing continuous exercise to high-intensity interval training demonstrated superior ratings of perceived enjoyment following interval training. However, the dual-mode model suggests that exercise above ventilatory threshold (VT) done continuously will result in an almost homogenous decline in affect, which may reduce adherence.

Numerous studies confirm the dual-mode model's prediction of reduced affect when exercising above VT, but no research to date has applied the model's predictions to interval training. The purpose of this study was to examine the …

Handling Language: The Gestures Of Future Foreign Language Teachers, Gale Stam, Marion Tellier, Brigitte Bigi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

On The Child's Need To Be One's Self, Ya'ir Ronen

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Public Perception Of Hoarding, Alex Dresden, Stephanie Svanevik, Kristen Hoopes, Brian Appel

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Hoarding is defined as (1) the acquisition of, and failure to, discard a large number of possessions that appear to be of limited value, (2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which these spaces were designed, (3) significant impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding, and (4) reluctance to return borrowed items. The average age of onset for hoarders is 11-15 years of age, with most hoarders reporting symptoms before age 20. Our research sought to find correlations regarding public perceptions of hoarding, including demographic, personal, and socioeconomic factors. Using a 55-question online survey and taking …

Forecasting Effects Of Influence Operations: A Generative Social Science Methodology, Christopher W. Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

Simulation enables analysis of social systems that would be difficult or unethical to experiment upon directly. Agent-based models have been used successfully in the field of generative social science to discover parsimonious sets of factors that generate social behavior. This methodology provides an avenue to explore the spread of anti-government sentiment in populations and to compare the effects of potential Military Information Support Operations (MISO) actions. This research develops an agent-based model to investigate factors that affect the growth of rebel uprisings in a notional population. It adds to the civil violence model developed by Epstein (2006) by enabling communication …

The Relationship Between Key Supply Chain Process Implementation, Competitive Advantage, & Organizational Performance, Anthonelli White Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

In spite of an ever-accumulating body of research on the topic of supply chain management (SCM), an agreed upon definition or framework regarding its essential constructs or practices does not exist. There are, however, a few leading academic perspectives on SCM that have been bolstered by the acceptance of industry leaders. One such perspective is that presented by the Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF). This study applies established survey methods to expand the body of knowledge pertaining to SCM by empirically validating the relationships conceptualized by the GSCF framework through an analysis of the perception of mid-level managers and senior-level …

Predictors And Predictive Effects Of Attitudinal Inconsistency Towards Organizational Change, Scott T. Drylie

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have largely portrayed individual resistance as a pervasive, irrational, and problematic response to organizational change initiatives. The current study confronts this interpretation with a model of attitudinal inconsistency that provides a more holistic perspective of the individual during times of change. Inconsistency reveals the degree to which the mental evaluations of a change initiative may conflict and produce weak attitudinal foundations to govern behavior. Measuring affective-cognitive consistency, the tests in this study demonstrate that employees may form inconsistent attitudes towards a change initiative. Inconsistency relates negatively to the perceived quality of management transition techniques such as participation, communication, structured …

Analysis Of Social Network Measures With Respect To Structural Properties Of Networks, Joshua D. Guzman

Theses and Dissertations

Social Network Analysis (SNA), the study of social interactions within a group, spans many different fields of study, ranging from psychology to biology to information sciences. Over the past half century, many analysts outside of the social science field have taken SNA concepts and theories and have applied them to an array of networks in the hope of formulating mathematical descriptions of the relations within the network of interest. More than 50 measures of networks have been identified across these fields; however, little research has examined the findings of these measures for possible relationships. This thesis tests a set of …

Overcoming Adversity: Resilience Of Low-Income, Nonresidential, Black Fathers, Erica Elizabeth Coates

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. This study examined the factors associated with higher levels of paternal involvement among low-income, nonresidential, Black fathers. Method. Participants were 110 fathers of children up to the age of 10. Participants completed psychometrically sound measures of social support, spirituality, family of origin relationships, coparenting relationship quality, psychological well-being, motivation, conviction history, resilience, and father involvement. Results. A simultaneous multiple regression indicated that better psychological well-being and coparenting relationship quality and lower conviction rates since the birth of the child were significant predictors of higher levels of paternal involvement. Mediational analysis revealed that coparenting relationship quality partially mediated the relationship …

Goal Attainment As A Function Of Depressive Status In Women: The Role Of Problem-Solving, Lindsay Brauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the theoretical importance of goal-related deficits in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), relatively empirical research has examined goal generation and perceived goal attainment in depression vulnerable individuals. The

current project sought to examine the impact of depressive status on perceived goal attainment in currently depressed, remitted depressed, and never-depressed women. In addition, perceived problem-solving skills, a construct thought to be critical for goal

striving and in goal attainment was also examined. Unexpectedly, no effects of depressive status on perceived goal attainment or overall perceived problem-solving skills were observed. Results did however reveal group differences in perceived control in …

Library Impact Statement For Psy 6 (Number Not Yet Assigned), Margaret J. Keefe

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement for PSY6 new course proposal. No new resources are required to support this course. Responding faculty member: Margaret J. Keefe. Requesting faculty member: Jasmine Mena

An Examination Of Self-Directed Learning Readiness In Executive-Level Fire Officers, Steven G. Knight

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-directed learning readiness in executive fire officers in relation to the independent variables of personality type, educational attainment, and professional designation. This research utilized a quantitative design.

This study utilized the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) with a sample of 250 professional firefighters. The total sample was divided equally between executive-level fire officers and firefighters at 125 each from professional departments in the Southeastern United States. Results were that the mean SDLRS score for the executive-level fire officers was 233.7 and significantly higher than the …

The Relationship Between Religious Orientation, Age, And Eating Disorder Symptoms, Sara L. Susov

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders are public health problems that are becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States. Research has shown that the etiology of eating disorders is multifaceted, and includes physical, socioemotional, and generic risk factors. One area that predicts eating disorder behaviors is religious orientation; however, the literature on the relationship between eating disorder symptomology and religious orientation has been mixed. Religious orientation is defined as reason for engaging in religious practice. People who have an intrinsic religious orientation live their religion instead of using their religion, and people with an extrinsic religious orientation use their religion to help them achieve …

42th Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council, Western Kentucky University

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Examining The Moderating Role Of Organizational Commitment In The Relationship Between Shocks And Workplace Outcomes, Kyle Groff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Little attention has been given to the role organizational commitment plays within broader models of turnover and withdrawal behavior. Understanding and integrating organizational commitment into such models is an important step to fully appreciating the role that commitment plays in the workplace. The purpose of the current study was twofold. First, this study aimed to examine the moderating role that organizational commitment plays in the unfolding model of voluntary turnover. Second, this study set out to examine the role that the various forms of commitment play in the relationship between shocks and withdrawal-related variables. By utilizing a multidimensional model of …

Diverse Teacher Candidates' Perceptions Of A University's Special Education Preparation Program, Ashleigh Jay Cramer

Theses and Dissertations

As part of a four year professional development program centered on increasing cultural responsiveness at Brigham Young University, special education faculty members conducted interviews with teacher candidates who had completed the special education program. The interviews primarily focused on the candidates' experiences during their time in the program. The interviews were audio and/or videotaped and transcribed verbatim. The transcriptions were then analyzed using the inductive analysis design for qualitative research (Hatch, 2002). The candidates expressed what types of learning activities as well as what professors did or did not do that helped them to be successful. Also emerging from the …

A Christian Perspective On Human Emotions, Clark D. Campbell, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Do Paraeducators Use Best Practices With Students Who Exhibit Aggressive Behaviors?, Michelle Weiss

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers question the growing use of paraeducators in public school special education classrooms, complaining that the professionals with the least education are being asked to assist the students requiring the most intervention (Blalock, 1991; Giangreco, Broer, & Edelman, 1999). How well are paraprofessional educators prepared to use best practices for behavior management in special education settings? The eight special education paraprofessionals surveyed in this study demonstrated varying levels of knowledge regarding how to respond to the aggressive behaviors often displayed by students with emotional disturbance (ED). Paraeducators who reported receiving the most district- or teacher-led training (4 to 16+ hours) …