Psychology Commons^™

Do Social Communication Skills Mediate The Relation Between Adhd Symptoms And Reltionship Satisfaction?, Erin Clarke Bell

Dissertations

Very few studies have examined adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and relationship satisfaction. The current study focused on ADHD symptoms, social communication skills, and relationship satisfaction. Based on previous research that provides evidence that individuals with ADHD tend to have more difficulty with both receptive and expressive social communication skills as well as the large amount of evidence that communication is a key component to relationship satisfaction, it was expected that higher ADHD symptoms in one partner of a romantic dyad would relate to less relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, because ADHD is associated with a positive illusory bias (PIB), it was also …

The Perception Of Distance On A Real Geographic Slope, David Alan Bunch

Dissertations

Ooi, Wu, and He (2001) have shown that for objects resting on flat, horizontal surfaces, those that appear in the lower sector of the visual field are perceived as close to the observer and objects located near the visual horizon are perceived as further from the observer. Researchers have hypothesized that observers utilize the angle subtended between the horizon and the line of sight to the target object as information for distance.In a previous investigation Hajnal, Bunch, and Kelty-Stephen (2014) showed that an object’s physical angle of declination below the horizon is not uniquely utilized when making distance estimates to …

Examining Potential Moderators Of Negative Parenting Practices And Children's Internalizing And Externalizing Behavior, Kristen Lee Coln

Dissertations

Direct relations have been found between marital conflict resolution and negative parenting and child maladjustment; however, no studies have analyzed whether marital conflict resolution moderates the relation between negative parenting practices and child behavior. Psychological control has been shown to be an important and unique type of parenting that requires further study as some research has suggested that certain demographic variables and family characteristics may influence the relation between psychological control and child behavior.

The Impact Of Sleep Restriction (Nap Deprivation) On Preschool Children's (Aged 3-5) Emotional Response, Hui-Ya Gail Han

Dissertations

This study examined the effect of nap restriction on 3- to 5-year-old habitually napping children’s emotional responding. It was predicted that the intensity of emotional stimuli would moderate the relationship between nap restriction and the magnitude of emotional responding. Specifically, following nap restriction, the emotional responses to stronger stimuli would be amplified, while the emotional responses to weaker stimuli would be reduced. Emotional stimuli, were classified into four categories: strong negative, weak negative, weak positive, and strong positive. Facial electromyography was measured to reflect preschoolers’ emotional responses. The results indicated emotional responses to both strong negative and positive stimuli were …

Normative Feedback, Levels Of Narcissism, And Student Evaluations Of A Lecture, Shirley Ann Hodges

Dissertations

Individuals who have narcissistic traits have a tendency to behave more aggressively in both indirect and direct ways, especially when confronted with negative feedback that threatens their self-esteem. Little is known about how trait-level individual differences affect aggression for people who have narcissistic tendencies. Among adults, where direct confrontation is generally discouraged, aggression may be difficult to detect. Rational-appearing aggression is used in the workplace, generally by supervisors toward employees. In some environments, however, including academic environments, 360o feedback is prevalent, with faculty grading student performance and students evaluating faculty in the form of course evaluations. Faculty are held accountable …

Effects Of Animal Management Changes On The Activity Budgets And Walking Rates Of Zoo Elephants, Angela Dawn Mackey

Dissertations

The current study aimed to assess the effects of two management strategies, weekly rototilling of the enclosure and the provision of unpredictable foraging opportunities, on the daily behavior of six elephants housed at the San Diego Zoo. Observations took place from January to June 2013 and were conducted throughout a 24- hour period. The study was divided into three phases, each two months in duration. During the first phase (baseline) no changes were made to the current management routine of the elephants. In Phase 2, rototilling of the elephant enclosures was increased from once monthly to once per week, while …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Good Behavior Game With General Education High School Students Utilizing A Changing Criterion Component, Rachel Ritter Mitchell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the interdependent group contingency procedure known as the Good Behavior Game (GBG) with upper-level (i.e., 10th, 11th, and 12th grade) general education high school students utilizing a changing criterion design. The effectiveness of the GBG has been investigated with a variety of behaviors across many developmental levels; however, limited research has been done at the high school level. To date, only a few studies have examined the effectiveness of the GBG with a general education high school population, one with a single 9th grade classroom (Kleinman & Saigh, 2011) …

The Relation Between Behavior Problems Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Adjustments In Their Typically-Developing Siblings: Role Of Parental Stress And Perceptions Of Social Support, Theodore Stephen Tomeny

Dissertations

Available literature examining outcomes of typically-developing siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains inconclusive and unclear. Studies have shown that some typically-developing children may experience maladjustment related to having a sibling with ASD, whereas others may show no differences or may actually experience developmental benefits. Increasing evidence suggests that genetic and environmental moderators and mediators likely influence the nature of the adjustment in typically-developing siblings. Therefore, the current study examined a double moderated mediation model involving problem areas in children with ASD and typically-developing siblings, parental stress, and perceptions of social support. Via an internet survey site, data …

The Effects Of Function-Based Antecedent And Consequent Interventions For Increasing Appropriate Behavior And Decreasing Disruptive Behavior Of Preschool Students In The School Setting, Jonna Halphen Von Schulz

Dissertations

The Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) literature suggests that functionbased interventions are effective at improving problem behavior for individuals in a variety of settings. However, the FBA literature is limited in the number of studies that examine the relative effectiveness of function-based antecedent and consequent interventions for reducing problem behavior and increasing appropriate replacement behaviors. Additionally, while there has been a recent increase in the number of studies conducted in the school setting, only a limited number of studies include children in the preschool setting. The purpose of the present study was to extend the literature by examining the relative effectiveness …

The Effect Of Naltrexone On Nicotine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference In Rats, Jonathan M. Adams

All NMU Master's Theses

Nicotine is the central active ingredient in tobacco. The reinforcing effects of nicotine can be studied in animals through self-administration, conditioned place preference, and other approaches that enable researchers to assess nicotine cessation strategies. One strategy involves the use of opioid receptor antagonists. For instance, naloxone has been shown to reduce place preference for nicotine in rats, and other experimental opioid antagonists have also been shown to affect place preference for nicotine. The present study sought to extend these findings to the opioid antagonist naltrexone, which has long been FDA-approved for the treatment of opioid and alcohol addiction in humans. …

Visual Cues Effects On Temperature Perception, Carrie Anne Balcer

All NMU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to measure reaction times (RTs) when a conflict arises between the visual feedback and the temperature of an object. This study focused on the quantifiable RTs along with the qualitative feedback of the participants. It was hypothesized that when the information of the visual and temperature stimuli are incongruent (blue-warm or red-cold), the RTs will be slower than when they are congruent (blue-cold or red-warm). We suggest that vision could convey temperature perception in an independent but complimentary manner. We utilized the Oculus Rift to create a virtual environment that allowed us to control …

Ebbinghaus Illusion In Touch As Evidence For The Two Stream Perception-Action Hypothesis, Erin R. Smith

All NMU Master's Theses

The Ebbinghaus Illusion (also known as Titchener's circles) is a classic visual illusion. The illusion consists of two inner circles of the same size, with one circle surrounded by a group of larger circles, and the other circle surrounded by a group of smaller circles. Due to the context of the surrounding circles, individuals perceive the inner circle surrounded by the smaller outer circles to be larger, when in fact, both inner circles are the same size. This thesis presents the first evidence of the existence of the Ebbinghaus illusion in the tactile modality. Participants underwent various tactile-tactile and tactile-visual …

Human Centered Design Applied To Perceptual Paradigms, Jonathan T. Fancher

All NMU Master's Theses

This thesis gives three examples of projects that apply knowledge from areas such as human centered design, computer science, and psychology to study sensation and perception. All three of these projects were created to gather information on how humans interact with their surrounding environment and the world. For instance the first area of discovery included the way humans interact within their perceptual and personal space through an interactive table. The second project looks at exploring the neural mechanisms that affect Haptic Hallucinations by creating a device that can give the feeling of bugs crawling on or below the surface of …

Multi-Sensory Emotion Recognition With Speech And Facial Expression, Qingmei Yao

Dissertations

Emotion plays an important role in human beings’ daily lives. Understanding emotions and recognizing how to react to others’ feelings are fundamental to engaging in successful social interactions. Currently, emotion recognition is not only significant in human beings’ daily lives, but also a hot topic in academic research, as new techniques such as emotion recognition from speech context inspires us as to how emotions are related to the content we are uttering.

The demand and importance of emotion recognition have highly increased in many applications in recent years, such as video games, human computer interaction, cognitive computing, and affective computing. …

The Effects Of Persuasive Communication On Knowledge And Attitudinal Outcomes Of A Sexual Harassment Training Program, Corinne Marjorie Anton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sexual harassment has been recognized as a prevalent issue leading to multiple negative consequences for victims and perpetrators. Efforts to reduce its occurrence and increase awareness are important. The majority of sexual harassment prevention programs evaluated have used knowledge-enhancing techniques in order to combat sexual harassment; however, results have not yielded a decrease in sexual harassment supportive attitudes. This study examined the effects of a sexual harassment training program that incorporated aspects of the elaboration likelihood model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) via manipulation of argument strength and source expertise. A pretest established participants' sexual harassment policy knowledge and attitudes. One …

The Effect Of Romantic Jealousy On Self-Control: An Examination Of Trait Constructs And Sex Differences Based On Survey And Experimental Data, Lyndsay A. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A large body of research has demonstrated that the experience of romantic jealousy is often associated with a variety of negative outcomes. However, evolutionary psychologists have provided evidence that jealousy is an adaptive emotion that can aid with mate retention. Together these lines of research suggest that jealousy may at times work to protect and enhance one’s relationship, whereas in other cases it could lead to harmful consequences. Considering the varying outcomes of jealousy, it is critical that research explore more specifically how this complex state operates and how it affects individuals’ functioning. In the present research I conducted 2 …

Mental Health Referral In Primary Care: Influence Of A Screening Instrument And A Brief Educational Intervention, Michael T. Miesner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although less than half of all patients with mental disorders seek mental health treatment per se, approximately 80% of all people will visit their primary care physician (PCPs) within a year (Strosahl, 1998). However, it is not well understood how to best handle patients presenting with mental health issues in primary care practices. The purpose of this project was to implement an intervention involving a screening measure for anxiety and mood disorders in a primary care setting to increase the volume of anxiety and mood disorder screening, to increase the accuracy of disorder detection, and to also enhance PCPs patterns …

The Mediating And Moderating Effects Of Coping Mechanisms Following High School Victimization, Kevin D. Hyatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Victimization from bullying has become a more serious issue as available avenues for bullying have increased and as the media has been alerted to the devastating effects of the phenomenon. Victimization has been linked to increased externalizing and internalizing disorders including depression, anxiety, stress, and at its worst suicide. Research has been focused on the negative outcomes following victimization, with some authors only recently examining the buffering or exacerbating effects of coping mechanisms. Participants (n=642) from a moderately sized southeastern university completed a survey to examine problem-focused and emotion-focused coping as potential moderators and maladaptive coping as a potential mediator …

Facial Features And The Effectiveness Of Apology, Michal Franc

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Apology is an important tool for the maintenance of positive and cooperative relationships in the workplace. This paper reviews the existing research in the field of apology, and identifies four main components of apology. It uses impression management theory and signaling theory to explain the effect of apology. In addition, it proposes moderating effect of the offender's facial dominance on the effectiveness of apology. Specifically, previous research (e.g., Perrett et al., 1998) found that people with high facial dominance are less trustworthy, which suggests that apology may act as an equalizer between people with high and low facial dominance. Through …

Evaluating The Effects Of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (Pals) In Mathematics Plus An Anxiety Treatment On Achievement And Anxiety Of Third Grade Students, Kelly Ann Hugger Psyd

All Student Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an adaptation of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) in mathematics on achievement and anxiety of third grade students. Four intact classrooms were randomly assigned to experimental or control condition groups. Experimental teachers implemented one of three interventions: PALS, a relaxation technique (RT), or PALS+RT twice weekly for 12 weeks. Outcome measures included AIMSweb’s curriculum based measure for math computation (MCOMP) and the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, Second Edition (RCMAS-2). Within the classrooms, baseline, pre-test, and post-test data were collected on 79 students. The study did not reveal statistically significant …

Effects Of Peer Tutoring On The Reading Fluency And Comprehension Of Seventh Grade Students, Meaghan Opuda Swan Psyd

All Student Scholarship

This study examined the efficacy of peer tutoring, specifically Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), as supplemental instruction for middle school students with reading difficulties. A multiple baseline across individuals design was used to demonstrate changes in oral reading fluency and reading comprehension. The results of this study suggest that students who participated in PALS did not substantially increase reading fluency or comprehension when analyzed on the basis of non-overlapping data points. Nonetheless, two of the three underperforming students improved their reading skills such that they were no longer in the at-risk range by the end of the study. The third …

Relationship Between Child Behavior Problems, Parental Stress, Child Abuse Potential, And Substance Use Among Mothers In The Child Welfare System, Kendra Tracy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Substance abuse, elevated levels of child behavior problems, and high stress are common among mothers who maltreat their children. However, there is a dearth of research that investigates variables associated with specific types of maltreatment, such as child neglect. Complicating matters, contradictory results between studies have been found among the available research. The present study extends research in this area by investigating the relationships between substance abuse, child behavior problems, parental stress, and child abuse potential in a sample of neglectful mothers with co-occurring substance use disorders. A model is proposed in which parental stress mediates the relationship between child …

Dual Task Interference In Low-Level Abilities: The Role Of Working Memory And Effects Of Mathematics Anxiety, Alex Michael Moore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mathematics anxiety is a negative affective reaction to situations involving mathematical thought and is commonly believed to reduce cognitive functioning by impairing the efficient use of working memory resources. The conventional theory describes that the processing disadvantage associated with high levels of math anxiety increasingly impairs performance as working memory demands increase in a math task. Despite this convention, recent reports demonstrate that the high math anxious disadvantage can be measured in tasks that are relatively free of working memory assistance (Maloney, Ansari, & Fugelang, 2011; Maloney, Risko, Ansari, & Fugelsang, 2010). The present study examines these relatively low level …

Unfinished Business In Bereavement: A Mixed Methods Study, Kara Lee Klingspon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Unfinished business(incomplete, unexpressed or unresolved relationship issues with the deceased) is frequently discussed as a risk factor for chronic and severe grief reactions. However, few empirical studies have examined this construct. The present study aimed to address this gap in the literature by examining the presence and severity of unfinished business as well as common themes of unfinished business reported in open-ended qualitative narratives among a sample of 256 bereaved individuals. In bivariate analyses, self-reported presence of unfinished business and the severity of distress due to unfinished business were both found to be associated with higher levels of distress and …

Development And Testing Of The Home Safety And Beautification Checklist With Mothers Referred For Child Neglect And Substance Abuse, Michelle Pitts

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children in the United States accounting for nearly 40 percent of deaths in this age group. Approximately 50 percent of nonfatal injuries, and 40 percent of fatalities, occur in and around the home. Elevated rates of child injury in the home environment are associated with parental substance abuse and neglectful behaviors. Childhood injuries are preventable, yet practical and cost-effective measures to identify child home safety risks are limited. This study involved a retrospective preliminary examination of the Home Safety and Beautification Checklist (HSBC) in a sample of drug-abusing mothers referred by …

Identifying Maltreated Youths At Heightened Risk For Posttraumatic Symptoms, Emma H. Ross

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Childhood maltreatment is associated with increased risk for lifetime and current PTSD (Davis & Siegel, 2000; Widom, 1999). This study examined a model of PTSD in which dissociation, depression, and posttraumatic cognitions related to heightened PTSD symptoms for maltreated youths. This study then evaluated the model's fit across variations in intelligence, gender, age, ethnicity, and maltreatment type. Participants (n=360) included youths from Department of Family Services-related sites in Las Vegas. The first hypothesis was that the model would display goodness-of-fit across various indices. The second hypothesis was that the model would better fit youths with below average intelligence (FSIQ = …

Prison, Perceptions, And Policy: Authoritarianism And Attitudes Toward Sexual Assault Victims In U.S. Correctional Facilities, Amy Michelle Magnus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Existing research on sexual victimization in correctional facilities has expanded since the enactment of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003. Previous literature suggests that the prevalence of sexual victimization in prisons is unknown, yet the known ramifications of reported sexual assaults are serious for both the individuals involved and the institution. Government policies such as the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 attempt to address the issue of sexual violence in U.S. correctional facilities. Limitations of PREA, however, derive from a lack of clear distinction between coerced and consensual behavior and how these ideas manifest and co-exist …

Efficacy Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With The Use Of In-Room Coaching, Cassie Shacklett Reeve

Dissertations

One significant consequence of oppositional and defiant behavior is an increase in negative interactions between caregivers and the child exhibiting those behaviors (Greene & Doyle, 1999). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically supported treatment that targets the development of a nurturing parent-child relationship along with teaching effective discipline strategies to decrease child noncompliance (Bodiford-McNeil & Hembree-Kigin, 2010). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of PCIT when modified by utilizing strictly in-room coaching. This type of research would allow for expanded use of this empirically supported treatment into community agencies and clinics which do not …

Urban School Counseling Impact: An Aba Reversal Single Subject Time-Series Analysis Of Academic, Suspension, And Attendance Data, Katherine L. N. Colles

Dissertations

While there is a dearth of longitudinal outcome research on comprehensive school counseling program impact (Carey & Dimmitt, 2006; Carey, Dimmitt, Hatch, Lapan, & Whiston, 2008; Gysbers, 2001; Whiston, 2002) on indicators of importance to school systems (Borders, 2002; Lapan, 2001), school counseling research primarily studies program components (Borders, 2002; Herr, 1979; Whiston, 2002; Whiston & Sexton, 1998) and component outcomes (Hughes & James, 2001; Schmidt, 1984, 2000; Sink, 2002). Grounded in a historical review of the school counseling field and pertinent related research, this research investigated the school counseling program impact of one kindergarten through eighth grade urban school …

Exploring Help-Seeking Intentions Among Black American Church-Goers, Krystelle Jean-Michel

Dissertations

The present study examined the strength of certain help-seeking barriers and predictor variables in predicting the help-seeking intentions of African American churchgoers. Research suggests numerous barriers impede mental health use among African Americans; however, the present study focused on help-seeking attitudes, cultural mistrust, psychological distress, self-stigma, public stigma, and perceived behavioral control (Hines-Martin, Malone, Kim, & Brown-Piper, 2003; Sullivan, Harris, Collado & Chen, 2006). The theory of planned behavior (TPB) served as a theoretical underpinning, guiding the integration of theory-based and culture-specific variables in one model. The present sample included 159 Black American churchgoers and attendees. The study‘s variables were …