Psychology Commons^™

Comparisons Of Emotional Reactivity In Two Variations Of Schedules Of Reinforcement, Mayra A. Aguillon

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which the frequency of behavior is affected by its consequences (Powell, Symbaluk & Honey 2009).The main focus of the study was to compare two different schedules of reinforcement: gradual group versus the abrupt group (FI-20 sec).Both groups were used to observe emotional reactivity in 8 Sprague Dawley female rats from the Behavioral Neuroscience lab at UTPA. The hypothesis presented was that animals will reveal less emotional reactivity in the gradual than in the abrupt. According to Skinner, behavior is affected more by the consequence that is followed. Results suggested that the abrupt …

Mental Health Factors That May Contribute To Sexual Functioning, Monique Tenay Cano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study investigated the relationship between mental health factors— depression, dysfunctional eating habits, and sexual abuse trauma—and sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction was measured with The Sexual History Form (Nowinski & LoPiccolo, 1979 as cited in Davis, Yarber, Bauserman, Schreer, & Davis, 1998), a self report questionnaire. Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D Scale) (Radloff, 1977). Dysfunctional eating habits were measured by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q 6.0) (Fairburn & Beglin, 2008). Sexual abuse trauma was measured by a subtest—the Sexual Experiences Short Form Version Victimization—of the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss et al., …

The Effects Of Reinforcer-Paired Stimuli On Operant Behavior: Review, Demonstration, And Conceptual Analysis, Timothy Lowell Edwards

Masters Theses

The presentation of stimuli that have been paired with reinforcers may function as a motivating operation in that the efficacy of the reinforcers appears to increase and the class of responses that have been historically followed by those reinforcers increases in strength. This phenomenon has important implications for a number of behavioral concerns including drug addiction and eating disorders. A review of the existing literature examining this phenomenon presented herein suggests that the phenomenon is reliable and robust but that it is reinforcer-specific. In the animal study that is subsequently described, rats show a higher proportion of responding on average …

The Modern Sex Doll-Owner: A Descriptive Analysis, Sarah Hatheway Valverde

Master's Theses

Over the last fifteen years, the sex doll industry has grown from producing inexpensive novelty items to creating a multimillion-dollar global industry featuring high- quality, realistic love dolls. These dolls are designed and advertised for sexual stimulation, companionship, artistic representations of human fantasy, and other creative pursuits, such as photography. Made of flesh-like silicone, modern sex dolls sell from $3,500-$10,000.

The use of human simulacra for sexual stimulation is an enduring practice. However, the psychological community has said little on the subject. Early sexologists briefly reference Agalmatophilia or Statuphilia, a rare sexual attachment to statues. Today, the sex doll …

Gifted Hispanic Identity: Exploring Relationships Among Resilience, Goals And Academic Orientation, Matthew Forrester

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological analysis was to explore the identity development of gifted Hispanic male students in the middle school setting. The study used a survey, multiple interviews and observations, along with focus group data to acquire data in four principle areas: academic orientation, ethnic identity, resilience and goals. Results indicate the importance of resilience as an interactive element in the process of identity development, as well as the importance of ethnic identity exploration and long-term goal setting in formulating a high achieving academic orientation. Other emergent themes such as language use and discrimination are also discussed in light …

A Study Of Social Injustice And Forgiveness In The Case Of North Korean Refugees, Jin Uk Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study evaluated the psychometric utility of Decisional Forgiveness Scale and Emotional Forgiveness Scale for the North Korean refugee population and explored the relationship among social adaptation, religious commitment, unforgiveness, forgiveness style and mental health variables (trauma symptoms and depression) among North Korean refugees. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to investigate the North Korean version of DFS and EFS with collected data from 269 North Korean refugees. The forgiveness instruments, when modified with appropriate item deletions, could be considered as useful for North Korean refugees. In the Multiple Regression Analysis, four of five predictors (social adaptation, hurt characteristics, forgiveness …

Effects Of Interaction With An Immersive Virtual Environment On Near-Field Distance Estimates, Bliss Altenhoff

All Theses

Distances are regularly underestimated in immersive virtual environments (IVEs) (Witmer & Kline, 1998; Loomis & Knapp, 2003). Few experiments, however, have examined the ability of calibration to overcome distortions of depth perception in IVEs. This experiment is designed to examine the effect of calibration via haptic and visual feedback on distance estimates in an IVE. Participants provided verbal and reaching distance estimates during three sessions; a baseline measure without feedback, a calibration session with visual and haptic feedback, and finally a post-calibration session without feedback. Feedback was shown to calibrate distance estimates within an IVE. Discussion focused on the possibility …

Ovulation Leads Women To Perceive Sexy Cads As Good Dads, Kristina M. Durante, Vladas Griskevicius, Jeffry A. Simpson, Stephanie M. Canfu, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Why do some women pursue relationships with men who are attractive, dominant, and charming but who do not want to be in relationships—the prototypical sexy cad? Previous research shows that women have an increased desire for such men when they are ovulating, but it is unclear why ovulating women would think it is wise to pursue men who may be unfaithful and could desert them. Using both college-age and community-based samples, in 3 studies we show that ovulating women perceive charismatic and physically attractive men, but not reliable and nice men, as more committed partners and more devoted future fathers. …

The Better-Than-Average Effect In Hong Kong And The United States: The Role Of Personal Trait Importance And Cultural Trait Importance, Kim-Pong Tam, Angela K. Y. Leung, Young-Hoon Kim, Chi-Yue Chiu, Ivy Yee-Man Lau, Al K. C. Au

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

People tend to make self-aggrandizing social comparisons on traits that are important to the self. However, existing research on the better-than-average effect (BTAE) and trait importance does not distinguish between personal trait importance (participants’ ratings of the importance of certain traits to themselves) and cultural trait importance (participants’ perceptions of the importance of the traits to the cultural group to which they belong). We demonstrated the utility of this distinction by examining the joint effects of personal importance and cultural importance on the BTAE among Hong Kong Chinese and American participants. Results showed that the BTAE was more pronounced for …

Effects Of Oxygen Deprivation On Pilot Performance And Cognitive Processing Skills: A Pilot Study, David Francis Shideler

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, pilots flying above 14,000 ft. are required to use supplemental oxygen. The purpose of this study was to examine how oxygen deprivation below 14,000 ft. affects pilot performance using the Frasca Mentor Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD), and cognitive processing skills using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM(TM)) cognitive test. The study was conducted in a Normobaric High Altitude Laboratory at simulated altitudes of 5,000 ft. and 14,000 ft. In this pilot study, only five participants were tested; non-significant results of the analysis were anticipated; however, as oxygen levels decreased and time of …

Narcissism And Intimate Partner Violence: An Establishment Of The Link And Investigation Of Multiple Potential Mediators, Samantha K. Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) involves physical, psychological, and/or emotional violence within intimate (e.g., dating) relationships. In this thesis, I examined narcissism as a predictor of IPV. I used an offensive- and defensive-trait framework to come up with 10 potential mediator variables that often typify narcissism and underlie IPV. Correlation analyses confirmed the expected link between narcissism and IPV. Subsequent bootstrapping mediation analysis of IPV-frequency revealed significant indirect effects for 2 mediators - social dominance orientation and the hostile attribution bias-based tendency to retaliate in the face of ambiguous but potentially malevolent social interactions. Bootstrapping analysis of IPV-prevalence also revealed an …

Effectiveness Of Ceo Blogs As A Recruiting Tool: Impact Of Message Congruence With Applicant Personality And Implicit Leadership Theories, Rebekkah Beeco

All Dissertations

Organizational recruitment websites have become an important tool for both recruiters and job seekers. The structural characteristics of such websites (e.g., aesthetics, usability) have received some attention but less research has examined the content of these websites. A weblog (or blog), specifically a leader or CEO blog, is one novel way that organizations can impact recruitment through their website. Although research is limited, anecdotal evidence suggests that blogs may be a powerful recruiting tool.
In line with research that suggests followers prefer leaders who are similar to themselves (e.g., Keller, 1999), the effectiveness of leader blog messages for recruitment purposes …

Does Practice Make Perfect? Effects Of Practice And Coaching On Interview Performance, Katherine Williams

All Dissertations

This study examined the incremental effectiveness of interview practice and feedback on candidates' interview performance. In addition, interviewee anxiety, impression management behaviors, and core self-evaluation were considered as intervening variables between the training manipulations and interview performance. In this experimental design, participants were assigned to one of three groups: the control group, the interview practice group, and the coaching group that received practice plus feedback from a counselor. Employer representatives evaluated subsequent interview performance within a final mock interview.
Hypotheses predicting differential effects of interview training on interview performance ratings were partially supported and relationships were discovered among additional variables. …

Relationship Competence: Can Trainee Interpersonal Skills Be Measured Reliably And Do They Predict Clinical Effectiveness?, Jacqueline Camp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditional evaluation and assessment procedures in professional psychology programs have long been criticized for inadequately attending to the set of interpersonal skills that are important to professional functioning in the field of psychology. The present study was exploratory and focused on examining the reliability and validity of an evaluation tool designed to capture a set of interpersonal skills that are clinically relevant and grounded in the empirical literature on psychotherapy outcome. Toward this end, the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills (FIS) task (Anderson, Patterson, & Weiss, 2006) was administered to a sample of trainees (n = 19) enrolled in a clinical psychology …

Affect Identification And Interpersonal Skills: An In-Depth Evaluation Of Social Cognition In Schizophrenia, Griffin Pollock Sutton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The presence of deficits in various sub-domains of social cognition has been investigated to a degree in individuals with schizophrenia. Some of the most commonly researched and documented deficits have included impairments in the identification of affect portrayed in faces. Research has indicated that the performance of individuals with schizophrenia on such tasks is generally impaired as compared to normal controls. However, some have questioned the generalizability of such findings to real-world situations, as day-to-day interactions generally necessitate a constant, fluid assessment of the thoughts and feelings of others and are rarely, if ever, limited to still images of others. …

Motivational Inequality: Prevention Goals Induce More Effort Than Promotion Goals, Jennifer Marie Pattershall-Geide

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Regulatory focus theory describes two motivational strategies--promotion and prevention focus--that may be employed during goal directed action. Although a theory of motivation, there is no research examining differences in effort between promotion and prevention focus. Two studies are presented which test the hypothesis that goals pursued with a prevention focus, with its emphasis on duties, responsibilities, and avoidance of negative outcomes, will induce more effort than goals pursued with a promotion focus, which emphasizes hopes, ideals, and achieving positive outcomes. In addition, several potential mediators and moderators of this effect were examined. In Study 1, students who completed an essay …

Strength In Adversity: The Influence Of Psychological Capital On Job Search, Don J. Q. Chen, Vivien K. G. Lim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined the influence of psychological capital on job search among displaced employees. On the basis of a sample of 179 retrenched professionals, managers, executives, and technicians, we found that psychological capital (self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) was positively related with displaced employees' level of perceived employability, a coping resource. Perceived employability was positively related with problem-focused and symptom-focused coping strategies. Whereas problem-focused coping was positively related with preparatory and active job search, symptom-focused coping strategy was not. The relationship between psychological capital and preparatory and active job search was mediated by perceived employability and problem-focused coping. Implications of …

Development And Implementation Of It-Enabled Business Processes: A Knowledge Structure View, Rick Brattin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As competitive pressures mount, organizations must continue to evolve their business processes in order to survive. Increasingly, firms are developing new IT-enabled business processes in response to rising competition, greater customer expectations, and challenging economic conditions. The success rate of these projects remains low despite much industry experience and extensive academic study. Managerial and organizational cognition represents a potentially fruitful lens for studying the design and implementation of IT-enabled business processes. This view assumes that individuals are information workers who spend their days absorbing, processing, and disseminating information as they pursue their goals and objectives. Individuals develop cognitive representations, called …

Marital Quality, Acculturation, And Communication In Mexican American Couples, Audrey Lyn Schwartz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Marital quality is a broad measurement of perceptions of satisfaction, happiness, and stability by partners in an established relationship. Marital quality has been relatively understudied among Mexican Americans, a population that warrants the inclusion of cultural constructs in any model concerning relationship outcomes. Therefore, acculturation differences between Mexican American couples were conceptualized as a distal context for understanding marital quality. Traditional gender role values and communication style (warmth and hostility) were included as proximal contexts. Data from Conger’s California Families Project were utilized; results indicated that while most measures of acculturation did not impact marital quality, language use interacted with …

An Exploration Of The Relationships Among Connectedness To Nature, Quality Of Life, And Mental Health, Peter G. Tauber

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent decades, a new branch of psychology has emerged—ecopsychology. This field looks at the complex relationship between human beings and the natural world. Previous research has shown the importance of direct experiences in nature for the promotion of human health and well-being. However, it is still not understood why these experiences in nature carry so much importance.

It is possible that the concept of connectedness to nature (CTN) plays a role in this relationship between nature and wellness. CTN is defined as feelings of close affiliation with the natural world in a physical, cognitive, and emotional manner. Previous research …

Reinforcer Magnitude And Resistance To Change Of Forgetting Functions And Response Rates, Meredith Steele Berry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Enhanced memory that is less susceptible to disruption has been demonstrated previously, by presenting more reinforcement for correct responses (e.g., a higher probability of reinforcement) in a conditional discrimination task. The purpose of the present experiment was to extend our current understanding of this phenomenon to a different dimension of reinforcement (i.e., magnitude). This would offer additional techniques for delivery of reinforcement within applied settings (e.g., a classroom) that could promote accurate and persistent memory. The present experiment, therefore, was conducted to investigate the effects of reinforcer magnitude on resistance to disruption of remembering and response rates. Pigeons were exposed …

Agreement Of Peer Comparison Data Between Direct Behavior Rating Scales And Systematic Direct Observation Methods, Elizabeth Ashley Popescue

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Elizabeth Popescue, M.A. and Donna Gilbertson, Ph.D. at Utah State University (USU) propose to evaluate how a new type of tool to measure classwide behavior in a
school classroom compares to the current gold-standard tool. They will coordinate with undergraduate professors teaching psychology classes to be able to videotape classrooms of students to use as subjects to observe behavior with the different types of tools. The advantage of the new tool is the reduced amount of effort and time it takes to collect the behaviors observed. This could lead to a more efficient way for school personnel to collect data …

Training Manual For Providers Of Psychoeducational Services To Fms Patients, George E. Vasquez Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome that is typically characterized by chronic and widespread pain; tenderness; sleep problems, fatigue, and muscle stiffness. Additional symptoms are many and can include cognitive impairment, numbness, and psychological distress such as anxiety and depression. FMS is typically diagnosed using criteria that were established by the American College of Rheumatology in 2010 and is currently experienced by approximately 5 million adults in the United States. A biopsychosocial conceptualization of the etiology of FMS currently exists, wherein the development of FMS is attributed to the interplay of particular predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors. The …

Qualitative Study Of Psychosocial Needs For Individuals With Lung Cancer, Kevin R. Criswell

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Lung cancer affects many people in the United States, accounting for 14.5% of cancer cases in 2010. Additionally, it is responsible for more cancer-related deaths than any other cancer type. Those living with lung cancer also experience a higher prevalence of psychological distress and mood problems relative to most other cancer types. Despite the high physical and mental health burden borne by those living with lung cancer, psychosocial research on lung cancer generally lags far behind comparable studies in other cancer populations. Evidence from the few interventions developed specifically for lung cancer patients demonstrate an underutilization of those services, which …

Ethical Issues In Religious And Spiritual Diversity Training., Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

International Trauma: Gender And Trauma In India, Kristie Knows-His-Gun, Rodger K. Bufford, Tahney Gaige, Tajuana Wade, George F. Rhoades

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Training In Supervision, Rodger K. Bufford, Winston Seegobin, Serita Backstrand, David Gleave, Jessica Lee, Carlos Taloyo

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Depression As A Risk Factor For Breast Cancer : Investigating Methodological Limitations In The Literature., Patrick Pössel, Erica Adams, Jeffrey C. Valentine

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Purpose: A relationship between depression and the development of breast cancer has not been convincingly shown in the research conducted over the past three decades. Methods: In an effort to better understand the conflicting results, a review was conducted focusing on the methodological problems associated with this literature, including time frame between the assessment of depression and the diagnosis of breast cancer and the use of somatic items in measuring depression. Fifteen breast cancer prospective studies were reviewed. Results: While twelve of the studies found positive associations between depression and breast cancer development, three studies found negative associations. With regards …

Establishing The Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of The Atypical Antipsychotic Amisulpride In C57bl/6 Mice, Timothy J. Donahue

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract ESTABLISHING THE DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULUS PROPERTIES OF THE ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTIC AMISULPRIDE IN C57BL/6 MICE Antipsychotic medications are used to treat schizophrenia. The present study used the drug discrimination paradigm to measure the subjective effects of the atypical antipsychotic amisulpride and to examine the underlying neuropharmacological mechanisms responsible for the discriminative stimulus property of the drug. Male C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate 10 mg/kg (-)S amisulpride from vehicle in a two-lever drug discrimination task. A dose effect curve for (-)S amisulpride yielded an ED50 = 1.77 mg/kg 95% CI [1.28, 2.45 mg/kg]. Substitution testing was conducted for the isomer (+)R …

A Comparison Of Attitudes Towards Time Management, Usage Of Time, And Self-Expression By High-Performing And Low-Perfoming Students At Brigham Young University, Jessica Mae Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Time log data (time-spent and adjective evaluations), a six question survey about time management attitudes, and the Adult Self Expression Scale (behavioral and situational subscales), were examined regarding how well each predict GPA. This paper contains two studies. The first study uses canonical correlations to examine the natural relationships between GPA and the five sets of predictor variables. The second study is hypothesis testing with regard to four groups: males and females on academic probation, and males and females with high GPAs. The effects of academic probation and gender on the same four sets of variables are examined: time spent …