Psychology Commons^™

Linguistic Predictors Of Peer Responsiveness In An Online Cancer Support Group, Andrea Lewallen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Introduction: Little is known about how group cohesion develops in online support group communities. Previous research suggests that message content, selfdisclosure, and emotional expression may be central to this process. The purpose of this study was to identify linguistic and qualitative characteristics of participants.' Messages that predict how other participants respond in an asynchronous discussion board for cancer-related distress. Method: 525 discussion board messages posted by 116 participants in the healthspace.net trial were collected. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (2001) was used to identify linguistic markers of emotional expression and pronoun use. Message topics were identified using qualitative analysis. Logistic …

Unconscious Processing Of Unattended Features In Human Visual Cortex, Tatiana Aloi Emmanouil, Philip Burton, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Unconscious processing has been convincingly demonstrated for task-relevant feature dimensions. However, it is possible that the visual system is capable of more complex unconscious operations, extracting visual features even when they are unattended and task irrelevant. In the current study, we addressed this question by measuring unconscious priming using a task in which human participants attended to a target object's shape while ignoring its color. We measured both behavioral priming effects and priming-related fMRI activations from primes that were unconsciously presented using metacontrast masking. The results showed faster RTs and decreases in fMRI activation only when the primes were identical …

An Examination Of Summer Bridge Programs For First-Generation College Students, Emily Christine Otewalt

Psychology and Child Development

During the last fifty years, nearly half of all students who entered a two- or four-year university withdrew without obtaining a degree. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnic minority students, and students who were the first in their family to attend college were particularly vulnerable to this attrition. The following senior project examines current research on the backgrounds and attrition rates of first-generation college students, how "Summer Bridge Programs" aim to assist these students, and where shortcoming exist in current "Summer Bridge Program" assessments.

Marital Status And Religious Commitment Predict Prenatal Tobacco, Alcohol, And Illicit Substance Use In Southern Appalachia, Andrea D. Clements, Tifani R. Fletcher, Lana Mcgrady, Beth A. Bailey

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract available through the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Religious Commitment And Depression During Pregnancy, Tifani R. Fletcher, Andrea D. Clements, Lana Mcgrady, Beth A. Bailey

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract available through the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Event-Specific Risk And Ecological Factors Associated With Prepartying Among Heavier Drinking College Students, Justin F. Hummer, Lucy Napper, Phillip E. Ehret, Joseph W. Labrie

Heads Up!

Using event-specific data, the present study sought to identify relevant risk factors and risky drinking patterns associated with prepartying. Analyses focused on drinking outcomes as a function of drinking game playing and the social context on occasions where prepartying did and did not occur. This research utilized a representative two-site sample of prepartiers who also reported a heavy episodic drinking event in the past month (n = 988). Results revealed that during a preparty event, participants drank significantly more, reached higher blood alcohol levels (BALs), and experienced significantly more negative consequences compared to the last occasion that they drank but …

Is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor A Possible Mechanism Underlying Risperidone Sensitization In Adolescent Rats?, Qing Shu, Gang Hu, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Risperidone is one of the most widely used atypical antipsychotic drugs and is approved for the treatment of mental disorders (eg. schizophrenia, autism) in children and adolescents. The present study investigated the repeated treatment effect of risperidone and associated neurotropic mechanism in the phencyclidine (PCP)-induced hyperlocomotion model in adolescent rats. We examined whether repeated risperidone treatment would cause a sensitized inhibition of PCP-induced hyperlocomotion in adolescent rats, and whether such a sensitization effect was mediated by risperidone-induced alterations in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), an important biomarker which plays a role in neuropathology of schizophrenia and action of antipsychotic medications. Male …

Reducing Self-Objectification: Are Dissonance-Based Methods A Possible Approach?, Carolyn Becker, Kaitlin Hill, Rebecca Greif, H. Han, Tiffany Stewart

Psychology Faculty Research

Background: Previous research has documented that self-objectification is associated with numerous negative outcomes including body shame, eating disorder (ED) pathology, and negative affect. This exploratory open study investigated whether or not an evidence-based body image improvement program that targets thin-ideal internalization in university women also reduces self-objectification. A second aim of the study was to determine if previous findings showing that body shame mediated the relationship between self-objectification and eating disorder pathology at a single time point (consistent with self-objectification theory) but did not mediate longitudinally (inconsistent with self-objectification theory) would be replicated in a new sample under novel conditions. …

Enhancing Motor Skills Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Potential Of An Interactive Metronome Approach, Jennifer Song

Psychology and Child Development

No abstract provided.

Serving God In The Midst Of Multiple Sclerosis: A Holistic And Spiritual Model For Physical Sustainment, Timothy Harville

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Multiple Sclerosis is a devastating disease that affects not only the one who suffers with MS, but also their family and relationships leaving the patient feeling depressed and without hope. If the disease is disclosed, many churches and the International Mission Board will reject the person's application because of the potential cost and medical care needed. This author was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis in 2008. This writer has experienced the obstacles described above. This model will serve as a motivational tool to help all of us who suffer with MS to use the disability for …

Examining Coping Strategies Of Young Girls Victimized By Relational Aggression: A Phenomenological Study, Dana Simmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the coping strategies developed by young girls victimized by the phenomenon of relational aggression.This study examined the experiences and coping strategies developed by kindergarten, first, and second grade girls who attend a rural Georgia primary school. The co-researchers were selected from a pool of 294 female students who were identified by teachers as having experienced relational aggression. I used semi-structured interviews with co-researchers, document analysis, and art activities to gather data. I collected, analyzed, and interpreted data conforming to Moustakas' (1994) transcendental model. Roth and Cohen's (1986) theory on stress and …

The Revolving Door: A Closer Look At Major Factors In Volunteers’ Intention To Quit, Joseph A. Allen, Stephanie L. Meuller

Psychology Faculty Publications

In nonprofit organizations, volunteer coordinators deal with high rates of volunteer turnover due, in part, to increased levels of volunteer burnout. This study sought to identify how burnout can help explain volunteers’ intention to quit and identify two potential antecedents of burnout: voice and role ambiguity. Specifically, it is hypothesized that volunteer voice and role ambiguity affects volunteers’ intention to quit through their relationship with volunteer burnout. Data were obtained from volunteers working in an animal welfare organization in the western United States (N = 151). An online survey was administered to volunteers who responded to a variety of questions …

Social Relations, Health Behaviors, And Health Outcomes: A Survey And Synthesis, Louis Tay, Kenneth Tan, Ed Diener, Elizabeth Gonzalez

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The primary goal of this paper is to summarise current evidence on social relations and health, specifically how social integration and social support are related to health behaviors and health outcomes, using results from published reviews. Our analysis revealed that social relations are beneficial for health behaviors such as chronic illness self-management and decreased suicidal tendency. The salutary effects of general measures of social relations (e.g. being validated, being cared for, etc.) on health behaviors (e.g. healthy diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol abuse) are weaker, but specific measures of social relations targeting corresponding health behaviors are more predictive. There is …

Pre-Exposure Training As A Means To Reduce Vection Induced Symptoms Of Motion Sickness, Nicholas James Stapleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The focus of this study was designed to empirically examine the effect of inducing mild motion sickness as an ameliorative to a more severe motion sickness exposure. Twenty-seven participants were selected for this study based upon their susceptibility to motion sickness, that is, only people who were determined to be motion susceptible were tested. All participants were exposed to a motion sickness-inducing environment. Eighteen participants were trained to adapt to motion sickness by exposure to a milder motion sickness-inducing environment, ending either 6 hours or 24 hours prior to the more severe motion test environment.

Participants during the pre-exposure experimental …

Situation Assessment As An Ignored Factor In The Behavioral Consistency Paradigm Underlying The Validity Of Personnel Selection Procedures, Anne Jansen, Klaus G. Melchers, Filip Lievens, Martin Kleinmann, Michael Brandli, Laura Fraefel, Cornelius J. Konig

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study contributes to the literature on why selection procedures that are based on the behavioral consistency logic (e. g., structured interviews and assessment centers) are valid predictors of job performance. We rely on interactionist theories to propose that individual differences in assessing situational demands explain true variance in performance in selection procedures and on the job. Results from 124 individuals in a simulated selection process showed that the assessment of situational demands was related to both selection and job performance. Individual differences in assessing situational demands also contributed to the criterion-related validity of assessment center and structured interview ratings, …

A Tutorial On Count Regression And Zero-Altered Count Models For Longitudinal Substance Use Data, Scott A. Baldwin, David C. Atkins, Cheng Zheng, Robert J. Gallop, Clayton Neighbors

Faculty Publications

Critical research questions in the study of addictive behaviors concern how these behaviors change over time - either as the result of intervention or in naturalistic settings. The combination of count outcomes that are often strongly skewed with many zeroes (e.g., days using, number of total drinks, number of drinking consequences) with repeated assessments (e.g., longitudinal follow-up after intervention or daily diary data) present challenges for data analyses. The current article provides a tutorial on methods for analyzing longitudinal substance use data, focusing on Poisson, zero-inflated, and hurdle mixed models, which are types of hierarchical or multilevel models. Two example …

Physical Activity And Brain Function In Older Adults At Increased Risk For Alzheimer’S Disease, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Stephen M. Rao

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Leisure-time physical activity (PA) and exercise training are known to help maintain cognitive function in healthy older adults. However, relatively little is known about the effects of PA on cognitive function or brain function in those at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease through the presence of the apolipoproteinE epsilon4 (APOE-ε4) allele, diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or the presence of metabolic disease. Here, we examine the question of whether PA and exercise interventions may differentially impact cognitive trajectory, clinical outcomes, and brain structure and function among individuals at the greatest risk for AD. The literature suggests that the protective …

Factorial Invariance Of The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (Bsi-18) For Adults Of Mexican Descent Across Nativity Status, Language Format, And Gender, Lucas Torres, Matthew J. Miller, Kelly M. Moore

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The cultural equivalence of psychological outcome measures remains a major area of investigation. The current study sought to test the factor structure and factorial invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) with a sample of adult individuals of Mexican descent (N = 923) across nativity status (U.S.- vs. foreign-born), language format (English vs. Spanish), and gender. The results show that 1-factor and 3-factor measurement models provided a good fit to the data; however, a single-factor model was deemed more appropriate and parsimonious. Tests of measurement invariance and invariance of factor variances (i.e., structural invariance) indicated at least partial measurement invariance …

Students’ Test Anxiety And Its Correlation With Their Academic Performance, Nur Ainani Fitria

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This study aimed to identify the levels of test anxiety experienced by EFL students, the factors contributing to their test anxiety, and the correlation between test anxiety and academic performance. The study employed a descriptive analytical method using an ex post facto research design. The findings revealed that students experienced varying levels of test anxiety, namely low, moderate, and high; however, overall, the students demonstrated a very low level of anxiety. Factors influencing test anxiety related to test-taker characteristics included self-image, perceptions of others, preparation, future security, testing situations, motivation to achieve high scores, personal problems, and situational as well …

Pengembangan Bahan Ajar Untuk Meningatkan Perilaku Sosial Anak Prasekolah Melalui Kreativitas Bahasa, Nurchasanah Nurchasanah

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This research aims to develop teaching materials for kindergarten teachers, PGTK lecturers, and students majoring in PGTK to improve preschoolers’ social behavior through a language creativity approach. Specifically, the objectives of the study were formulated as follows. In the first year, the study aimed (1) to describe (a) the kindergarten curriculum related to the development of children’s social behavior and (b) previous studies on social behavior and its development, and (2) to develop a prototype of the teaching materials. In the second year, the study focused on conducting expert validation and try-out activities. This research employed a Research and Development …

Examining The Mechanisms Of The Work-Nonwork Boundary Fit And Health Relationship, Jenna Risa Lecomte-Hinely

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the construct of work-nonwork boundary fit, or the congruence between an individual's work-nonwork boundary management preferences and the work-nonwork boundary management policies and practices supplied by their employer. The present study used boundary theory and person-environment (P-E) fit theory to propose that high levels of work-nonwork boundary fit would be beneficial to mental and physical health, both directly and indirectly via the dual mechanisms of conflict and enhancement. Survey methods and latent congruence modeling (LCM) were used to test these hypotheses, which were then supplemented by polynomial regression response surface mapping and qualitative analysis. Results showed that …

Why States Should Ban Adolescent Driving (Cont'd), Vivian E. Hamilton

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

Resiliency And Attachment As Factors In Return And Completion Of High School: A Study Of Inner-City African American Males, Myla M. Giles

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Don't Worry; Be Happy: Alice Domar Tells Women How To Escape "The Perfectionist Trap", Barbara A. Walsh

Colby Magazine

Psychologist Alice Domar ’80 has studied women’s health for 20 years. Her new book, Be Happy Without Being Perfect: How to Break Free of the Perfection Deception, tells women it isn’t healthy to always aspire to perfection. Domar gives advice on how to avoid that trap.

Toward A Greater Understanding Of The Impact Of Anger On Attitudes Toward War: A Consideration Of Three Hypotheses, John Paul Schott

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Previous research indicates that emotion is an important factor in shaping attitudes towards war. Specifically, studies have shown that the experience of anger leads to increased support for war. However, little is known about the mechanisms and boundary conditions of the anger-war attitudes effect. In this dissertation, I propose three potential mechanisms: time perspective, changes in risk perception and preference, and cognitive control. Results indicated risk perception and preference and cognitive control were not related to either anger or war attitudes. The consideration of future consequences: CFC) scale, used to measure time perspective, revealed only weak effects as a mediator. …

Engaging Indigenous Content Within Teaching Of Qualitative Research In Psychology, Andrew Guilfoyle

eCULTURE

"Australian universities recognise cultural competency as an essential attribute for graduates. Within this context, The Australian Psychology Accreditation Committee (APAC) has enforced requirements for students within psychology programmes to have access to Indigenous content. Though Indigenous participation rates are low, the inclusion of Indigenous content or what is often labeled ‘Indigenous psychology’ acts at least as a symbolic gesture and important step forward in reconciling the massively disadvantaged position of Indigenous Australians. However there is little to date in the way of guides to help develop appropriate teaching methods to include such content more substantially in programmes. This paper reflects …

Why States Should Ban Adolescent Driving, Vivian E. Hamilton

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

Antisocial Behavior From Adolescence To Early Adulthood: Heritability, Stability, And Correlates Using A Longitudinal Twin Sample, Ashley Dibble

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the heritability, stability, and outcomes of antisocial behavior from adolescence into adulthood in a longitudinal twin sample. Specifically, the genetic and environmental influences on conduct disorder, adult antisocial behavior, and alcohol dependence were examined. The influence of genes and environment on the relationship between these disorders was also examined. The study utilized a subset of FinnTwin12, a population-based twin study that consists of five consecutive birth cohorts. The subsample consisted of 1035 twin pairs (N = 2070) and of that 2070, 1854 completed the intensive interview at age 14. At age 22, …

Preliminary Examination Of International Students' Adjustment And Loneliness Related To Electronic Communications., Timothy B. Smith, David A. Shwalb

Faculty Publications

Electronic communication (e.g., e-mail, internet) may facilitate international students’ adjustment through contacts maintained with their native country. In the present study, the scores of 45 international students on a measure of adjustment and the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale were significantly associated with their electronic communications involving their native country but not with general internet or e-mail use. International students’ scores on the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure were positively correlated with their amount of contact with people in their native country but were not correlated with scores on the measures of adjustment or loneliness.

Children And Happy Growing Up 2013, Lok Sang Ho

Hong Kong Children Happiness Index 香港兒童快樂指數調查

Hong Kong children from Primary 4 to Secondary 3 were happier in 2013 with their happiness index standing at 7.23, evidently higher than 6.91 in 2012, according to results of the latest survey conducted by the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) of Lingnan University announced today.

However, the encouraging result was tempered by declines in the Insight and Fortitude scores, two of the four key determinants of happiness, namely Love, Insight, Fortitude and Engagement (LIFE). In 2013, Hong Kong children’s Insight score fell to 6.19 from 6.37 in 2012, while Fortitude dropped to 6.64 from 7.10 during the same …