Psychology Commons^™

Anxiety Symptoms, Parent Anxiety And Functional Impairment In Pediatric Cardiology Patients With Noncardiac Chest Pain And Benign Cardiac Complaints, Cassandra Jo Mcdonnell

Dissertations

Chest pain is regularly encountered in pediatric medical settings. Because of the popular association of chest pain with coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction adults, it is often frightening for both patients and parents. However, up to 88% of pediatric chest pain patients receive no medical explanation for their pain. Chest discomfort in the absence of medical explanation that is characterized by no more than one typical angina symptom is classified as non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). This study examined parent anxiety, child anxiety and chest pain related functional impairment in a sample of pediatric patients with NCCP in comparison to …

Risk Factors For High School Dropouts: Do Perceptions Of Bullying Play A Role?, Alison Hunt

Theses and Dissertations

The current study compared perceptions of bullying experiences among students in a public in-house alternative high school education program for at-risk students with those of the students in the general education population of the same high school. Eleven students enrolled in the alternative high school education program between the ages of 16 and 19 were asked to report their experiences with bullying through a school-created survey that is administered annually to the entire high school population. The results of the 2010 survey of 816 high school students were compared to the results of the 11 students enrolled in the alternative …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Effect Of At Birth Adoptions On Anxiety, Stress Hormones And Adolescent Alcohol Intake: A Nonhuman Primate Model, Whitney Faith Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations

Adopted individuals have an increased risk for a variety of psychopathological disorders. Studies of the effects adoption in humans are difficult to perform because of the difficulty separating genetic risk and treatment effects. This is a developmental study investigating the effects of at birth adoption using a nonhuman primate model. Three experimental paradigms were used to assess maternal treatment, stress-related behavior, and physiology late in infancy and again later in life. Rhesus monkeys were reared for their first six months of life by either their biological mother or an unrelated, lactating adult female. Adoptions occurred immediately following birth. At six …

Medication Monitoring In The Schools: An Investigation Of Current Practices Of Florida School Psychologists, Jason Hangauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prevalence rates of youth prescribed psychotropic medications have risen dramatically over the past decade. Many of these medications are prescribed to treat symptoms of a disorder that occur in the school setting. Some medications have negative side effects that can inhibit academic and social performance. School psychologists have been identified as professionals who are equipped to assist in monitoring both the beneficial and negative effects of medications for youth attending school. This study investigated the practices, training, types of disorders for which medication monitoring occurs, facilitators, and barriers to school psychologists engaging in medication monitoring in the schools. Survey data …

Bullying Amongst Eighth Grade Students: A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of Bullying Between Students And Teachers, Kristen Litwinczuk

Theses and Dissertations

Bullying is a serious problem in today's world. It is not limited by age, gender or education level. The purpose of this study is to examine the differences of teachers' and students' perceptions of bullying, including the comparison of gender throughout the research. The Swearer Bullying Survey was used in this study to assess the students' and teachers' perceptions of bullying. Due to the new Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying Law that was recently passed in New Jersey, results are expected to show similar perceptions of bullying among students and teachers. Both results and implications of this study will be further discussed.

Do "Suicide Bombers" Really Commit Suicide?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

By Israel Oron (Ostre), Ph.D., Psychologist, National Program for Suicide Prevention, Ministry of Health, Israel, and The Department for Psychology, Health and Ethics/ University of Haifa, Israel.

[Dr. Oron (Ostre) was formerly Psychologist, Behavior Section/The Department of Criminal Investigations & Intelligence, Israel Police HQ].

This article applies a psychological approach to explore and to explain the behavior of Palestinian terrorists who blow themselves up in the light of their own words. It is shown that terrorists have no suicidal intent; hence, their behavior is not an act of suicide. Psychological analysis point to a behavioral reaction to stress situations that …

Bayesian Analyses Of The Survivor Interaction Contrast, Joseph W. Houpt, Andrew Heathcote, Ami Eidels, James T. Townsend

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Homology In Developmental Psychology, David S. Moore

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Examination Of Inter-Rater Reliability And The Reliability Of Attachment Measures, Nicole Bayles

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of measuring attachment through subjective measures, as well as the inter-rater reliability of those using the subjective measures. Participants were volunteers who had worked with the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). They included social workers, lawyers, psychologists, etc. Participants were asked to answer questionnaires regarding the DYFS children they had worked with, as well as demographics about themselves. The questionnaires also included an alternative informed consent. The surveys were mailed to participants and included return envelopes to ensure ease of mailing them back. It was hypothesized that measuring …

Positive Behavior Support: A Comparison Between Student Body, Academic Achievement, And Discipline Referrals, Meredith Greenfield

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this current study was to (a) evaluate the effectiveness of a school-wide positive behavior support program in an elementary school based on the decrease of discipline referrals earned by the students in grades 3-4 (n=43) and (b) find a relationship between discipline referrals earned by each student in the pre-intervention year and the total amount of discipline referrals earned by each student in the post-intervention year were the discipline variables. The scale math and language scores attained by each student for the pre-intervention year and the post-intervention year were the academic variables explored. A Pearson Correlation test …

The Frequency Of Harassment, Intimidation, And Bullying By General Education Students Compared To Special Education Students, And The Implications Of Early Intervention For At Risk Students; Are Special Education Students More Likely To Be Involved In Hib Incidents Than Regular Unclassified Students?, Peter Spezzano

Theses and Dissertations

This study intended to determine the pervasiveness of bullying among middle school students, and the relationship with special education classification. The sample population investigated was composed of 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade middle school students. Archival data collected from four years of office disciplinary referrals provided the statistics to evaluate student classification and frequency of bullying. A two-way analysis of variance was conducted in order to examine the data. As hypothesized results revealed that there was a correlation between student special education classification and the rate of involvement in a bullying event. The research suggests that students classified as …

Academic Enablers And Dance: A Correlation Study, Kacey Burke

Theses and Dissertations

This study surveyed 24 teenagers who took part in extracurricular dancing to determine if there is a relationship between the number of hours they spent dancing and their levels of academic enablers. Academic enablers are qualities that have been identified to predict student academic success in school (DiPerna, 2006). This study addressed an ongoing debate among many parents: Does children's time-consuming involvement in extracurricular activities take away from their academic success, and how much is too much? The participants were asked to complete the Academic Competency Evaluation Scales (ACES) to determine their levels of academic enabling behaviors. They also were …

The Bitter Truth About Morality: Virtue, Not Vice, Makes A Bland Beverage Taste Nice, Kendall J. Eskine, Natalie A. Kacinik, Gregory D. Webster

Publications and Research

To demonstrate that sensory and emotional states play an important role in moral processing, previous research has induced physical disgust in various sensory modalities (visual, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory modalities, among others) and measured its effects on moral judgment. To further assess the strength of the connection between embodied states and morality, we investigated whether the directionality of the effect could be reversed by exposing participants to different types of moral events prior to rating the same neutral tasting beverage. As expected, reading about moral transgressions, moral virtues, or control events resulted in inducing gustatory disgust, delight, or neutral taste …

The Prevalence And Perceptions Of Bullying In The Autistic Population: The Functionality Of Social Skills Training, Jessica Krambeck

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the self-report of bullying experiences and perceptions of high functioning autistic students, as well as the relationship between social functioning and these variables. A sample of 44 children between the ages of 9 and 14 were asked to report their experiences with bullying across educational settings using a revised version of Susan Swearer's The Bully Survey-Student Edition (2001). The students also completed part D of the survey in order to examine their acceptance of bullying behaviors. The social functioning of the children; in particular, their behavioral level and acquisition of particular social skills (conflict resolution, emotional …

Mind's Eye - Being A Woman, Renee Gearhart Levy

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Student Perceptions Of School Uniforms: A Comparative Study Of Students Participated In School Uniforms And Those Who Did Not, Jonathan Mimmo

Theses and Dissertations

The institution of mandatory school uniforms into public schools has been met with resistance despite research suggesting that a uniform policy can be a useful tool in improving a school's behavioral climate. The attitudes and perceptions held by students who may or may not have participated in a school uniform policy were examined to determine what effect experience might have on perception and attitude. Surveys were administered to college students to examine their held perceptions and attitudes about school uniforms. The subjects were grouped according to their uniform participation history (with or without experience), and the scores were compared across …

Pupil Size As A Physiological Correlate For Facilitatory And Inhibitory Effects In Masked Priming, Jason Geller

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Two studies examined the effects of word (study 1) and nonword (study 2) primes in word recognition, utilizing a masked priming procedure (Forster & Davis, 1984). The primary objective of both studies was to replicate the results obtained by Davis and Lupker (2006)—that is, inhibition from related word primes and facilitation for nonword primes—using a common dependent measure, reaction time, and a measure not yet utilized in the word recognition literature—pupil dilation. Study 1 found nominal evidence corroborating the inhibitory nature of word primes. In the RTs analysis, only word frequency effects arose. Further, pupil dilation analysis did not show …

Social Status Differences In Hostile Attribution Biases And Reactive Aggression, James Davis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

A person's standing within a social hierarchy can have a pervasive influence on patterns of attribution,especially when presented with an ambiguous social provocation. Those with low social status are devalued by society and this sense of threatened social worth motivates social vigilance and influences patterns of social cognition and behavior. Integrating Attribution Theory (e.g., Heider 1958; Weiner, 1986} with predictions of Social Information Processing Theory (SIP;Crick & Dodge, 1994; Dodge & Pettit, 2003) and Stigma Compensation Theory (STC; Henry, 2009; 2011), this research suggests the possibility that status-based differences in hostile attributions and reactive aggression are mediated by threatened social …

Exploring Genealogical Roots And Family History And Their Influence On College Student Development: A Qualitative Study, Matthew L. Reiser

Theses and Dissertations

Family genealogy research has grown exponentially over the past decade, making it an area worthy of scholarly inquiry (Smith, 2010). Genealogy is now one of the world's most popular hobbies, with hundreds of millions of people worldwide actively engaged in some form of family research (Veale, 2004). In the United States, there has recently been a significant increase in the interest of searching out one's genealogical roots (Triseliotis, 1998). For most young people, the years from late teens to early twenties represent a period of profound change (Arnett, 2000). Many young adults search for and solidify their identity during the …

Research Brief: "Protective Factors And Risk Modification Of Violence In Iraq And Afghanistan War Veterans", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research studies non-combat related aggressive behavior in service members and the influence of protective factors. Veterans with protective factors, such as having positive social support, are less likely to engage in violence, and therefore expanding social support programs are beneficial. Future research should consider exploring various components of work life in relation to potential aggression.

A Qualitative Analysis Of High School Students' Experiences In The Latinos In Action Program, Johann Paul Simonds

Theses and Dissertations

This research was a qualitative program evaluation of students' perceptions of Latinos in Action (LIA), a peer-mentoring program that seeks to improve high school Latino graduation rates and college admittance. The study was conducted with college students who participated in the program in high school. LIA graduates were interviewed to determine what major factors influenced and supported them in their academic decisions. Additional data included an interview with the program director, results from the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE), and a video of one of the interviewees. The researcher explored students' experiences in the LIA program with the …

Behavioral Phenotyping Of The Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of The Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Clozapine In 129s2/Hsv Mice, Kevin Webster

Theses and Dissertations

The 129S2 inbred mouse strain is often used as a background strain in the production of genetically altered mice (i.e. knockout and transgenic mice). It is important to establish the behavioral phenotype of wild-type mice before making comparisons to genetically altered mice. Also, those comparisons can assist in the evaluation and interpretation of the in vivo effects of drugs. The drug discrimination assay measures the subjective effects of drugs and provides a measure of underlying neuropharmacological mechanisms responsible for the discriminative stimulus properties of drugs. The present study established the atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine as a discriminative stimulus in male …

Repetitive And Stereotyped Behaviors From Age 2 To Age 4: A Look At The Development Of High- And Low-Level Repetitive Behaviors In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Kelley Knoch

Master's Theses

Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are core features in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous literature has subdivided RRBs into low and high levels. Low-level behavior is characterized by a repetition of movement, such as stereotyped movements, whereas high-level behavior includes insistence on sameness and rigid adherence to a routine. There is conflicting evidence frequency and severity of RRBs in early development in children with ASD. In the current study, we examined developmental differences in the frequency and severity of RRBs in children with ASD (n = 109) compared to children with developmental delays (DD) (n= 34). Participants were evaluated at …

Bullying: A Qualitative Study Of Siblings Of Young Children With Disabilities, Lindsay M. Proctor

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that, in some instances, siblings can be a first line of defense when a child experiences bullying. Research also shows that children with disabilities are often prime targets of bullying. However, no research was located that specifically explored the relationship between siblings of children with disabilities, their perceptions of bullying and the roles that they play when bullying occurs. This study investigated siblings' perceptions of bullying through a qualitative interview. Twelve participants ranged in age from 7 to 13. Few participants described witnessing siblings with special needs being bullied; however, many of these children described themselves at bystanders …

Comparative Psychotherapy Outcomes Of Sexual Minority Clients And Controls, Sasha A. Mondragon

Theses and Dissertations

Research examining the psychotherapy outcomes of sexual minority clients seen in routine clinical care is lacking. No studies could be identified in which sexual minority client outcomes were examined with a standardized measure. The pre-treatment mental health functioning of 600 sexual minority clients was compared with that of a randomly selected group matched to the minority group on male/female ratio. The post-treatment mental health functioning of 596 sexual minority clients was also examined and compared to a control group matched on female/male ratio, initial levels of mental health functioning, age, and marital status. Results indicated that sexual minority clients who …

The Differential Impact Of School Absences On General And Special Education High School Students, Carly Stranges

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of absenteeism on students in general education and students in special education. Archival data from a group of 249 students who completed 9th grade in June 2011 were analyzed in order to examine the relationship between attendance rates and grade point averages. Research questions included: Is there a significant correlation between school attendance and academic achievement? Is there a significant difference in the correlations between attendance and academic achievement for students in special education and for those in general education? Is there a difference in the attendance rates of students …

Efficacy Of Act Components To Increase Effectiveness Of Behavioral Parent Training, Corey Cohrs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has demonstrated both the efficacy of behavioral parent training in effectively teaching parent skill implementation; and of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based training program in improving perceived parenting abilities. The purpose of the present study was to assess the efficacy of an ACT based training component, following a behavioral parent training, in increasing participant integrity of skill implementation. Targeted dependent measures included: (1) participant integrity of skill implementation (analog & in vivo), (2) score on Parental Locus of Control Scale (PLOCS), (3) frequency of participant child problem behavior, and (4) frequency of coercive caregiver interactions. Although …

The Effectiveness Of Looping In Self-Contained Special Education Classrooms, Gena Orazi

Theses and Dissertations

The practice of looping, a single teacher remaining with a core group of students for two or more years, is one that is used in some self-contained special education settings. The purpose of this study was to show that this practice is beneficial to both teacher and students in this type of environment. The goal of this investigation was to demonstrate that looping in a self-contained classroom resulted in significant academic achievement gains and also decreased behavior infractions of the students in this type of classroom. Also, it was hypothesized that the students who have been looped in a self-contained …

The Relationship Between Cyberloafing And Task Performance And An Examination Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior As A Model Of Cyberloafing, Kevin Landon Askew

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Counterproductive work behaviors have been studied extensively, but much less work has been done on cyberloafing - the personal use of the internet at work. The purpose of this investigation was threefold: a) replicate a previous finding and test the Theory of Planned Behavior as a model of the antecedents of cyberloafing, b) investigate the influence of cyberloafing on task performance in actual organizations, and c) examine the relationship between cyberloafing and job satisfaction in actual organizations. Four hundred forty seven subordinates and 147 supervisors from various organizations participated in the current investigation. Results suggest that a) the Theory of …

The Rewarding Effects Of Nicotine Are Enhanced In Diabetic Rats Given Extended Access To Intravenous Self-Administration Procedures, Julio C. Chaparro, Jesse A. Jurado, Nicole M. Kimura, Laura E. O'Dell

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

Diabetic patients who use tobacco display higher mortality rates as compared to healthy individuals who also use tobacco. Despite the magnitude of the problem, it is unclear whether diabetic subjects display enhanced rewarding effects that may lead to greater vulnerability to abuse tobacco as compared to healthy controls. To address this question, a rat model was used whereby diabetes is induced via administration of streptozotocin (STZ), a drug that is toxic to insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Following diabetes induction, control or diabetic rats were given access to intravenous self-administration (IVSA) of nicotine in extended 23-hour or limited 1-hour …