Psychology Commons^™

Social Cognitive Functioning And Social Competence In Children And Adolescents With Spina Bifida And Hydrocephalus: Social Cognitive Neuroscience As A Model, Caitlin Reid Roache

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine social cognition in children with spina bifida and congenital hydrocephalus (SBH) and to determine whether deficits in these domains are associated with poor social competence, utilizing concepts from social cognitive neuroscience. To build upon extant literature, multi-method assessments, multi-informant data, and a developmental, biopsychosocial perspective were utilized. Distinct aspects of social competence, as defined by social performance, social skills, and social adjustment, were considered.

The current study was designed to investigate: (1) differences in social cognition between children and adolescents with SBH and the general population, (2) potential neuroanatomical predictors of …

How Drunk Am I? Misperceiving One’S Level Of Intoxication In The College Drinking Environment, Sean Grant, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Andrew Lac

Heads Up!

Objective

One effective event-level index that can assist in identifying risky intoxication levels among college students is blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Despite widespread exposure to BAC information, doubt exists as to whether American college students can accurately estimate their own BAC level or drinking behaviors while intoxicated. This study assessed whether students can accurately guesstimate their BAC level (gBAC) and drinking behaviors used to estimate BAC (eBAC) while drinking in social college settings

Method

Participants (N = 225; 56.4% male) consisted of emerging adults attending either a two- or four-year college who had at least one alcoholic drink within …

Fragmented Ethnopolitical Social Representations Of A Territorial Peace Agreement: The Mindanao Peace Talks, Cristina Jayme Montiel, Ma. Elizabeth J. Macapagal, Judith M. De Guzman

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This article examines fractures in the social representations of a contested peace agreement in the longstanding territorial conflict of Mindanao. We compared representational structures and discourses about the peace talks among Muslims and Christians. Study One used an open-ended survey of 420 Christians and Muslims from two Mindanao cities identified with different Islamised tribes, and employed the hierarchical evocation method to provide representational structures of the peace agreement. Study Two contrasted discourses about the Memorandum of Agreement between two Muslim liberation fronts identified with separate Islamised tribes in Mindanao. Findings show unified Christians’ social representations about the peace agreement. However, …

Social Representations Of Foreign Aid: Exploring Meaning-Making In Aid Practice In Sulu, Southern Philippines, Judith M. De Guzman, Cristina Jayme Montiel

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Conceptualising foreign aid as a controversial social object, this study utilised Social Representations Theory as a social constructionist framework to understand the meanings that arise from people's social interactions in relation to foreign aid practice in a particular historical, political and social context such as the province of Sulu in Southern Philippines. Key informant interviews and group discussions with representatives of various social groups involved in the practice of foreign aid in Sulu were conducted. Research data were examined using thematic analysis. Results showed two interrelated representational systems about foreign aid in the province. First, foreign aid was understood as …

Parental Efficacy, Experience Of Stressful Life Events, And Child Externalizing Behavior As Predictors Of Filipino Mothers' And Fathers' Parental Hostility And Aggression., Aileen S. Garcia, Liane Peña Alampay

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

This study assessed relations of parental efficacy, experience of stressful life events, and child externalizing behavior to Filipino mothers and fathers’ parental hostility and aggression. Orally-administered surveys were conducted with 117 mothers and 98 fathers for the first year of data collection, and again a year later with 107 mothers and 83 fathers. Path analyses showed that mothers’ report of child externalizing behavior predicted subsequent parental hostility and aggression. For fathers, child externalizing behavior and experience of stressful life events predicted parental hostility and aggression. Additionally, fathers’ parental efficacy was found to moderate the relationship between experience of stressful life …

Attentional Bias And Alcohol Abuse, Jessica Jane Weafer

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Selective attention towards alcohol-related cues (i.e., “attentional bias”) is thought to reflect increased incentive motivational value of alcohol and alcohol cues acquired through a history of heavy alcohol use, and as such attentional bias is considered to be a clinically relevant factor contributing to alcohol use disorders. This dissertation consists of two studies that investigated specific mechanisms through which attentional bias might serve to promote alcohol abuse. Study 1 compared magnitude of attentional bias in heavy (n = 20) and light (n = 20) drinkers following placebo and two doses of alcohol (0.45 g/kg and 0.65 g/kg). Heavy drinkers displayed …

Focused Brief Group Therapy Treatment Manual, Jennifer Elaine Lotz

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Focused Brief Group Therapy (FBGT) was developed in a college counseling center in order to meet the mental health needs of the student population effectively within an 8 session limit. The model was developed to address pragmatic concerns by integrating best practice (AGPA, ASGW) and the local scientist model (practice based evidence). The goal of FBGT is measurable change in a focused area of interpersonal distress. The interpersonal circumplex, an empirically derived and scientifically validated model of interpersonal functioning, is used. Assessment is used to inform and guide treatment as well as to measure change. The model has been honed …

Development And Evaluation Of An Ecological Display For The Detection, Evaluation, And Treatment Of Cardiovascular Risk, Timothy Ryan Mcewen

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Ecological interface design (EID; Vicente & Rasmussen, 1992) is a discipline that emphasizes the necessity of understanding the laws and constraints of a domain in order to make meaningful design decisions. We applied EID principles to create an ecological interface aimed at helping physicians with the detection, evaluation, and treatment of cardiovascular disease risk (specifically for hypertension and hyperlipidemia) and then evaluated it in two exploratory studies. In the first study, twenty-three internal medical residents participated viewed data from twelve patients (in six blocks) in a repeated measures study that measured which risk factors participant felt required follow-up and if …

Health Risk Behaviors In Insured And Uninsured Community Health Center Patients In The Rural Us South, K. Bryant Smalley, Jacob C. Warren, Jeff J. Klibert

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: The impact of health behaviors on the leading causes of death across the USA has been well demonstrated. However, limited focus has been placed on the leading health risk behaviors of rural Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) patients, a particularly underserved group. The current study was undertaken to examine the most common risk-taking behaviors of rural FQHC patients and to examine if risk-taking behaviors vary between insured and uninsured patients.

Methods: A convenience sample of 199 patients was recruited at an FQHC in the rural US South. Participants completed a battery of demographic and health risk behavior assessments. …

Impression Management Across Applicant And Incumbent Contexts: The Effect On Job Performance, Jenna Noelle Filipkowski

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Social desirability (impression management) scales often accompany personality measures in selection to detect those who might be engaging in response distortion. Applicants' personality scores may be corrected or eliminated based on scores from the impression management scale. My studies test the effectiveness and usefulness of having social desirability measures in personnel selection. Study One examined whether social desirability (impression management) scales are able to detect faking behavior. The hypotheses were tested on an archival dataset of participants who took personality measures on two separate occasions as incumbents or applicants. Those identified by the faking indicator, who raised their scores beyond …

An Ecological Investigation Into The Effects Of Interface On Asynchronous Group Conversations, Peter Venero

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Asynchronous group communication refers to the activity of multiple people communicating when they are separated by both time and space. Online groups (OG) and email are two settings that facilitate these interactions. While both of these settings accomplish this task, they do so in slightly different ways. Email organizes all of the posts by putting the new posts on the top of the display and the older posts towards the bottom. The OG interface uses a tree structure; putting the new posts in a subordinate post relationship to a previous post. How these two technologies present the posts to the …

An Examination Of Ceo Emotion's Relationship With Organization-Level Performance, Elizabeth J. Peyton

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My study examined the relationship between CEO emotions and organization-level performance. I also tested the feasibility of using FACS in a business setting. Lastly, I explored the nature of CEOs' expressive styles. I found support for a relationship between CEOs' positive emotion displays and organization-level performance, but not a relationship between CEOs' negative emotion displays and organization-level performance. My results also supported the idea that CEOs have a unique and consistent expressive style that remains independent of displayed emotion and that researchers can use FACS to measure this expressive style.

The Concurrent Validity Of The Shipley-2 And The Wais-Iv, John K. Lodge

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The recently developed Shipley-2 was compared to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 4th edition (WAIS-IV) in order to determine the former's level of concurrent validity as a test of intellectual ability. A convenience sample of 25 clinical subjects were administered both measures at two participating outpatient clinics, and the sum results of this testing were tabulated and then correlated through the use of a statistical software package. Results showed very strong levels of correlation between the five Shipley-2 scores (Vocabulary, Abstraction, Block Patterns, Composite A, and Composite B) and the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) of the WAIS-IV (r = .549 …

Exploring Infidelity: Developing The Gem Rim (Gemmer's Risk Of Infidelity Measure), Stephanie J. Gemmer

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Divorce rates in America have soared with many divorces in the United States caused by infidelity; it is the number one reason cited for divorce. Due to the severe consequences of infidelity, researchers have attempted to determine its causes. For example, researchers from evolutionary theory, socialization theory, attachment theory, and investment theory have attempted to explain infidelity from a theoretical perspective. Conversely, based on a literature review Blow and Hartnett (2005) provided numerous categorical findings for infidelity including attachment and infidelity, attitudes towards infidelity, types of infidelity, and numerous demographic variables related to infidelity. Given the vast amount of research …

Juror Decision Making: The Impact Of Attractiveness And Socioeconomic Status On Criminal Sentencing And An Examination Of Motivated Reasoning In Mock Jurors, Jennifer M. Kutys

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Individuals are bombarded with stereotypes every day in the United States. It is impossible to eliminate the effect of these stereotypes in any situation; however, the criminal justice system strives to find ways to minimize the impact of these stereotypes in the courtroom. In this study, the effects of socioeconomic status and attractiveness of a female defendant on sentencing severity, perceived recidivism, and deservedness of punishment in a murder trial were examined. The study was also designed to investigate how jurors may engage in cognitive processes such as motivated reasoning when biases are pointed out to them. Attractiveness and socioeconomic …

Examining Outcomes Following Batterer's Intervention: A Follow-Up Study Of The Path Program, Jessica B. Virzi

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This study will attempt to determine the effectiveness of the Preventing Abuse in the Home (PATH) batterer's intervention program through the collection of qualitative data from interviews completed by men who had previously had contact with the program. Interview questions were created based upon several variables that researchers were interested in gathering information on. Results highlighted differences based on how individuals who had completed the program and those who had not participated in the program spoke regarding their abusive behavior and behavior changes they had made. Results also indicated the importance of working with clients based on which stage in …

An Investigation Of Therapist Gender In The Intake Evaluation Of Male And Female Clients At College Counseling Centers, Harry Pitsikalis

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The current study examined gender as a potential contributing factor in the increase in psychopathology at college counseling centers. As university and college counseling centers are moving away from a developmental model and toward the medical model, the effect of gender and the increased use of the DSM-IVTR could influence the perception in an increase of psychopathology by mirroring DSM-IVTR base rates. This study attempted to discover if gender influenced therapists to diagnosed depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and adjustment disorders differently amongst the male and female clients. Results indicated that neither male therapists nor female therapists diagnosed depression, substance abuse …

The Impact Of Minority Faith On The Experience Of Mental Health Services: The Perspectives Of Devotees Of Earth Religions, Alison Niblick

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In response to an identified need in the psychological literature for research on minority religion, especially earth-centered religion, this dissertation was developed to 1) present an overview of the three main branches of contemporary earth religion, 2) illuminate the realities of minority religious identity in the United States of America, 3) collect data regarding the demographic and identity variables of devotees of earth centered religion, and 4) solicit feedback from the earth religious community regarding its understanding of psychological distress, preferred ways of coping with distress, and perceptions and experiences of professional mental health services. A total of 64 self-identified …

The Impact Of Film On The Construction And Deconstruction Of Mental Illness Stigmatization In Young Adults, Michael Perciful

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The current study examined the impact of film on participants' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards people with schizophrenia. Films viewed in the current study included a fear-based inaccurate, likeable-inaccurate, and an educational-accurate depiction of schizophrenia. A control group was included. A total of 106 participants were recruited. Participants completed pre and post questionnaires separated by a 45-minute excerpt of a film. A 2 x 4 mixed design ANOVA was implemented to determine the effects of the films on measures of knowledge and attitudes. A Chi-square analysis was used to determine whether or not the films would impact potential behavior. Manipulation …

Dating And Relationship Experiences Of Gay And Lesbian College Students, Aubrey D. Morrison

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In response to an identified need in the psychological literature for current research on topics related to same-sex dating and relationships, this Professional Dissertation was developed to gain a better understanding of contemporary gay and lesbian dating and intimate relationships within the college/university student population. A total of 159 self-identified gay and lesbian college/university students in the United States and Canada completed an online survey about their dating and relationship experiences. The survey was developed by the researcher based on a review of the literature and was designed to collect broad-based quantitative and qualitative data on the topic of study. …

The Role Of Relationships In Completed Suicide: A Gendered Analysis Of Suicide Notes, Kolina J. Delgado

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Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. As such, it has been described as a major health problem. In the United States the male to female suicide ratio is approximately 4:1. Comparative analyses of suicide between men and women are needed to provide a more complete understanding of the suicide phenomenon. The current study built upon the literature related to gender and the role of relationships in suicidality. Through the analysis of suicide notes written by individuals who completed suicide, this study provides new insight into the role of gender and interpersonal dynamics in suicide …

Cultural Competence And Clergy Unite: The Need For Multicultural Considerations For Seminarian Applicants, Monica Sue Richards

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The evaluation of candidates to Catholic seminaries prior to their admission is not an uncommon practice. However, in the past 40-50 years psychologists have played a vital role by adding psychological measures and their clinical perspectives to this evaluative process. Although these psychological evaluations have gathered insightful information that has better informed individuals in making a choice about a candidate, recent research suggests that many of the psychologists conducting these evaluations have not taken measures to ensure cultural competencies within these evaluations. This project outlined the ethical obligation psychologists have in providing culturally competent evaluations to these applicants and seminaries. …

A Psychoeducational Approach To Improving College Student Mental Health, Harlan Keith Higginbotham

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Mental health problems among the college population continue to increase in terms of frequency and severity. At the same time, the number of high school graduates who enroll in institutes of higher learning is also increasing making the college years an ideal opportunity to address existing and emerging mental and psychological challenges. Traditional counseling center services--while shown to be effective--are not appropriate for all students and are too resource intensive to meet the full need of the college population. Creative strategies are necessary to address the growing need for mental health services among college and university students that are resource …

Executive Dysfunction In Autism And Asperger's Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Cognitive Planning, Ashley Jones Reno

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One of the most prominent theories of autism and Asperger's Disorder suggests that their symptoms arise from a primary deficit in executive functions (EF). While many researchers have argued that the executive dysfunction profile may be used as diagnostic support, there have been studies to suggest that autism and Asperger's Disorder may not be clearly differentiated from other clinical disorders on the basis of their executive functioning profiles (e.g., Booth, et al., 2003). Therefore, it is important to examine specific aspects of executive functioning (e.g., cognitive planning, etc.) among children diagnosed with autism and Asperger's Disorder in order to determine …

In Or Out? Ambiguous Loss And Boundary Ambiguity In Families During The Coming Out Process, Tarryn R. Moor

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This study investigated the family dynamics that occur following a child's disclosure of his/her same-sex sexual orientation. In particular, this study aimed to gain information regarding the possible presence of boundary ambiguity and subsequent ambiguous loss within families after their child/children comes out. Participants included individuals who identified as caregivers (i.e. parents, guardians) of a gay, lesbian, or bisexual child. Participants were given a survey in which many items were adapted from previous boundary ambiguity scales, in addition to qualitative items to fully capture the participants' experiences. Findings suggested that a majority of participants did not experience ambiguous loss or …

Examining The Social Distance Between Africans And African Americans: The Role Of Internalized Racism, Adaobi C. Iheduru

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African immigrants are continuously migrating to the United States and comprise a major part of the immigrant population. In a recent U.S. Bureau of Census report on foreign-born residents in the United States, African immigrants numbered 364,000 out of 1.6 million foreign-born people of African origin living in the United States (Rong & Brown, 2002). Much of the psychological literature about immigration is framed in terms of issues of adjustment. (Ward & Kennedy, 2001). Despite the growing number of African immigrants and the awareness of incidents of acculturative stress and adjustment difficulties among various immigrant groups, there are limited studies …

Camp For Childhood Cancer Survivors And Their Families: A Program Conceptualization, Caprice S. Parkinson

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The intent of this program conceptualization is to create a theory-driven residential camp program for child cancer survivors and their families. Although the majority of families appear to adjust to the stressors of the cancer experience, it has been identified that there is a significant portion of the cancer population and their families that are experiencing psychosocial issues and are in need of support (Kazak, Boeving, Alderfer, Hwang, & Reilly, 2005; Levin Newby, Brown, Pawletko, Gold, & Whitt, 2000; Zeltzer et al., 2009). Some typical symptoms noted in this group of pediatric cancer patients and families are depression/anxiety; decreased sense …

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Childhood Obesity, Erinn J. Wright

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In the past two decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has risen throughout the world. Factors that put children at risk for childhood obesity include genetics, parental weight and lifestyle, gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Various disciplines address treatment of childhood obesity differently. For example, the medical community focuses on potential consequences of childhood obesity; the mental health field conceptualizes the issue behaviorally, and social work research highlights the sociopolitical factors of the issue. Results of a needs assessment performed in the Dayton, Ohio and Montgomery County region from 2009-2010 revealed a lack of collaboration between various disciplines involved in …

The Sexual Behaviors And Practices Of People With Obesity: A Pilot Study, Akers D. Adam

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The study was designed as a pilot of an online survey intended to assess the amount and type of sexual behaviors in which members of the obese community engage. Further, the study examined how this population may differ from individuals of typical weight with regard to sexual behaviors and practices, including risky sexual practices and self-esteem. As a pilot study, feedback from members of the population of interest was elicited in a fashion consistent with the principles of Participatory Action Research. The feedback provided by the participants was used to make improvements to the survey for the purpose of future …

Suicide As An Escape From Pain: An Analysis Of Suicide Notes And Case Files, Dustin R. Hamilton

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Schneidman (1957) wrote that acts of suicide were attempts to escape from unbearable and intense psychological pain, or "psychache." In this study, we analyzed suicides wherein we determined that the primary motivation for the suicidal act was escape from physical or psychological pain. The analysis incorporated information regarding the content of suicide notes, investigators' reports, and databases from an urban Midwestern metropolitan area coroner's office. The analysis contained demographics, expressed life problems of the decedents, characteristics of the suicide, suicide note contents and suicide note themes. We found that the samples in which escape was determined as the primary motivation …