Psychology Commons^™

Males’ Expectations Of Counseling, Sheryl Kelly

Dissertations

In today’s society, a man upholding masculinity alone is not enough. There is a constant need to “prove” their masculinity. Men’s inability to recognize when they are experiencing stress, strain, and sickness is noted as being due to them being socialized to ignore their feelings (Wilson, n.d.). Although research that addresses the concept of help-seeking has expanded, it continues to be limited in its focus on men. In addition, not much attention has been given to counseling expectations. The purpose of the present study is to expand the current knowledge base on men and their counseling expectations. This study examined …

The Counselor Experience In Counseling Clients Who Have Been Sexually Assaulted, Carrie J. Tremble

Dissertations

Despite sexual assault being the second highest reported violent crime in the United States, the literature regarding the experience of counselors who counsel clients who have been sexually assaulted is limited. This qualitative study explored and described the lived experiences of 9 counselors who, in the last five years, have provided counseling services to at least five clients who had been sexually assaulted when they were at least 18 years of age. The phenomenological data analysis approach of Moustakas (1994) was utilized to guide the data collection and analysis. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, the participants were able to share their …

Bilingualism And Age Of Onset Of Alzheimer's Disease And Vascular Dementia In Hispanic Americans, Deborah M. Lawton

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Studies have linked bilingualism to later age of onset of Alzheimer’s disease in comparison to monolinguals. It has been theorized that in bilinguals inhibitory control is consistently used to suppress one language, leading to enhanced executive functioning and an increase in cognitive reserve. The effect of bilingualism on age of diagnosis was investigated retrospectively using data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging. This involved a longitudinal cohort of 1,789 Hispanic Americans > 65 years of age. Within the cohort there were 128 cases of dementia: 85 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 43 diagnosed with vascular dementia. Analysis of variance …

Functional Analysis Of Ear Plugging And Treatment Analysis Of Noise Dampening Headphones, Erin M. Beardsley Psyd

All Student Scholarship

This current study presents a single case comprehensive functional behavioral assessment of ear plugging behavior that began with the application of traditional functional analysis technology and followed the function based treatment recommendations through a systematic treatment analysis. Results of the functional analysis indicated that the behavior was maintained by automatic positive reinforcement (i.e. ear plugging behaviors produced a reinforcing sensory consequence). These data were in contrast to prior clinical impressions that the individual’s ear plugging behaviors were maintained by automatic negative reinforcement (i.e. ear plugging served to block aversive auditory stimuli). To test hypothesis that headphones were functionally equivalent with …

Putting The Person First : An Examination Of Thought Disorder And Personality Heterogeneity In Schizophrenia., Catherine Rose Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Recovery Model of mental illness, emerging as the new zeitgeist in regards to treatment, emphasizes the optimization of functioning for each individual, using personal strengths and preferences to drive the recovery process. Thought disorder has long been considered a core symptom of schizophrenia and has been implicated in multiple domains of functional outcome. In spite of its relationship to functioning and substantial heterogeneity of the phenomenon, little to no research has examined potential factors which may be related to these differences in thought disorder and its related domains of functioning. The current study proposes that “normal” personality traits, such …

Dispositional Mindfulness And Working Memory In The Context Of Acute Stress., Lauren M. Vines

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The neuropsychological domain of working memory and the nearly 3000 year-old Buddhist construct of mindfulness appear to be disparate concepts. However, the measurable decline of working memory capacity (WMC) under stress, in combination with the stress-reducing and attention-focusing effects of mindfulness suggest potential augmentation of working memory through the engagement of mindful practice. A theoretical process through which dispositional mindfulness exerts a moderating effect on WMC reduction following an acute stressor is proposed. To investigate processes within this theoretical framework, a sample of undergraduate college students (N = 67) were assessed across various measures, including level of dispositional mindfulness, affective …

A Meta-Analytic Review Of The Relationships Between The Therapeutic Alliance, Empathy, And Genuineness In Individual Adult Psychotherapy., Jacob B. Nienhuis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and perceptions of therapist empathy and genuineness through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Alliance, empathy, and genuineness are each integral parts of the therapeutic relationship. Prior meta-analyses demonstrated that alliance, empathy, and genuineness each had a moderate relationship to therapy outcome. No previous analysis has explored how therapist empathy and genuineness contribute to the therapeutic alliance. Studies for this analysis were obtained through a multi-part search strategy. Out of 2,141 obtained abstracts, 46 studies contained enough data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Thirty-six studies reported alliance/empathy relationships, six studies reported alliance/genuineness …

Measuring Mindful Interoception : Development Of The Mindful Interoception Sampling Task (Mist)., Samuel J. Dreeben

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sustained, non-evaluative, present moment interoception or ? "mindful interoception" (MI) is a central feature of many widely practiced clinical interventions, including mindfulness-based therapies, cognitive-behavioral therapies, focusing-oriented psychotherapy, and Gestalt therapy. However, to date, no valid measures of MI have been developed. The lack of such a measure has precluded attempts to discern A) to what extent MI ability changes as a function of MI-based therapies, B) if change in MI mediates symptom reduction, and C) if individual differences in MI ability are associated with anxiety, mindfulness, and other hypothetically related constructs. The purpose of the current study was to develop …

Ageism And Experience Bias In Employment Interviews, Dustin Grant Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored the effects of employment interviewee's age and work experience on hiring manager's recommendations to hire. It was hypothesized that interviewees who were older and therefore had more work experience would receive significantly fewer recommendations to be hired than interviewees with less experience and therefore younger. Furthermore, it was proposed that hiring managers with higher ageist attitudes, as measured by the Fraboni Scale of Ageism, would be less likely to recommend older interviewees with extensive years of work experience be hired than younger interviewees with less work experience. The population was comprised of employment hiring manager from …

Automatically Measuring Individual Consumption Events During Natural Eating Using A Table Embedded Scale, Ryan Mattfeld

All Theses

This thesis is motivated to improve the tools available for tracking energy intake. The goal of this work is to develop a table-embedded scale capable of measuring the weight of individual consumption events during unrestricted eating. The method was tested on a data set gathered from 276 subjects eating 518 courses consisting of 22,383 marked individual consumption events in a cafeteria environment. Approximately 30% of the consumption events can be detected and weighed. The remaining 70% of the events occur without participants interacting with the scale or when noisy interactions with the scale prevent weight measurement. The relationship between bite …

The Effect Of 0.2 Hz And 1.0 Hz Frequency And 100 Ms And 20 - 100 Ms Amplitude Of Latency On Simulatory Sickness In A Head Mounted Display, Amelia Kinsella

All Theses

The purpose of the current experiment was to contribute to the existing literature on the relationship between frequency of latency and amplitude of latency and simulator sickness experienced in a head mounted display (HMD). Motion sickness has been studied for decades in a variety of vehicles including ships, planes, trains and automobiles. More recently virtual environments, including those utilizing an HMD have been shown to generate significant sickness, often termed simulator sickness. Many studies have linked system latency to simulator sickness and recent research has found that with current technology latency is not a constant; but rather it varies systematically …

Integrating Visual Mnemonics And Input Feedback With Passphrases To Improve The Usability And Security Of Digital Authentication, Kevin Juang

All Dissertations

The need for both usable and secure authentication is more pronounced than ever before. Security researchers and professionals will need to have a deep understanding of human factors to address these issues. Due to their ubiquity, recoverability, and low barrier of entry, passwords remain the most common means of digital authentication. However, fundamental human nature dictates that it is exceedingly difficult for people to generate secure passwords on their own. System-generated random passwords can be secure but are often unusable, which is why most passwords are still created by humans. We developed a simple system for automatically generating mnemonic phrases …

Encouraging The Appropriate Use Of High Beam Headlamps: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Stephanie Whetsel Borzendowski

All Dissertations

Drivers typically underuse their high beam headlamps at night even under ideal conditions (i.e., no leading, following, or oncoming vehicles). One explanation for this is a lack of knowledge regarding both the magnitude of visibility problems at night and the benefits that high beams provide. The purpose of the present study was to design and evaluate an educational intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) that targeted a more appropriate reliance on high beams. The results of Study 1 indicated that attitudes toward high beams best predicted intentions to use high beams. This information informed the design of …

Parent Management Training In Primary Care: Feasibility, Acceptability, And Preliminary Results, Debbie Gomez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the notion that brief interventions delivered in primary care can lead to positive outcomes in children with externalizing behavior problems. Study aims explored behavioral problem prevalence, whether caregivers found it acceptable to receive brief behavioral interventions following routine pediatric visits for identified behavioral problems, and whether it was feasible to deliver same-day services in a primary care setting. Additionally, preliminary data were provided regarding a small N randomized control trial conducted in a primary care setting. The trial utilized either a one-session intervention comprised of evidence-based Parent Management Training components or a supportive therapy intervention for children …

Explaining Combat Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Integrated Mental Illness And Military Process Model, Mandi F. Deitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine a process model of combat-related and mental-illness related processes that explain increased likelihood of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This dissertation proposed the development of PTSD may occur due to cultural, social, and self-related pathways associated with veterans’ dual encounters with combat (i.e., severity) and mental illness symptoms. Participants were 195 military veterans recruited from multiple sites and strategies to maximize sample size and representation. Participants were asked to complete several self-administered assessment inventories, including: the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military, the Trauma Symptom Checklist, the Combat Experiences scale, the Self-Stigma of Mental …

An Examination Of Risk And Protective Factors For Suicidal Behavior In A Low-Income, Underserved Primary Care Sample, Kristin L. Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicidal behavior, including ideation and attempts, is a significant public health problem. Due to the complexity of suicidal behavior, it is necessary to consider an array of factors that could serve as risk and protective factors. Previous research has shown that deficits in social problemsolving ability are associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation and attempts; conversely, problem solving strengths are associated with reduced risk. This dissertation project, consisting of 3 individual manuscripts, was designed to explore the relationship between social problemsolving ability and suicidal behavior in low-income primary care patients. Furthermore, additional constructs including health related quality of life, …

The Effects Of Working Memory On Brain-Computer Interface Performance, Samantha A. Sprague

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders can cause individuals to lose control of their muscles until they are unable to move or communicate. The development of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has provided these individuals with an alternative method of communication that does not require muscle movement. Recent research has shown the impact psychological factors have on BCI performance and has highlighted the need for further research. Working memory is one psychological factor that could influence BCI performance. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between working memory and brain-computer interface performance. The results indicate that …

Addressing Self-Reported Depression, Anxiety, And Stress In College Students Via Web-Based Self-Compassionate Journaling, Jessica Rose Williamson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression, anxiety, and stress in the college undergraduate population have been steadily rising over the past decade. Trait self-compassion has been shown to be significantly and negatively related to perceptions of stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Research has indicated that self-compassion inductions are effective in increasing state self-compassion. In general, selfcompassion inductions are designed to be easily self-administered. Current research on Internetbased interventions indicates that self-administered therapeutic techniques are effective in reducing self-reported depression, anxiety, and stress. The goal of the current study was to compare the effects of self-compassionate journaling, narrative journaling, and a true control group …

Health-Related Quality Of Life And Suicidal Behaviors In Primary Care Patients: Conditional Indirect Effects Via Interpersonal Needs And Depressive Symptoms, Catherine Rowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a public health problem and complex relationships exist between intrapersonal suicide risk factors and interpersonal risk factors. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) may interact with difficulties with interpersonal relationships and psychopathology. We examined thwarted interpersonal needs and depressive symptoms as potential mediators on the association between HRQL and suicidal behaviors. It was hypothesized that thwarted interpersonal needs would mediate the association between HRQL and suicidal behavior, and that this mediating effect would be dependent on the moderating effect of depressive symptoms. It was hypothesized that thwarted interpersonal needs and then depressive symptoms would sequentially mediate the association between …

Attitudes Toward Suicide, Mental Health, And Help-Seeking Behavior Among African Immigrants: An Ecological Perspective, Sheri A. Nsamenang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The population of Africans in the United States is growing, yet little is known about the impact of migration on the attitudes of African immigrants toward suicide, mental health, and helpseeking behavior. Migration entails movement from one cultural environment to another, and the process requires adaptation to the host country. According to Ecological Theory, interactions between the societal structures, values, and beliefs of the host country, cultural values from the country of origin, and individual-level characteristics may affect mental health-related attitudes and behaviors. As such, the current study used mixed methods, administered via online survey, to investigate socio-cultural predictors of …

A Comparison Of Descriptive And Injunctive Norms Brief Interventions For College Drinkers, Mark A. Prince

Dissertations - ALL

College drinking remains a major public health concern. One contributing factor is the overestimation by college students of their peers' alcohol use (DN: descriptive norm) and their peers' acceptability of excessive drinking (IN: injunctive norm). Normative re-education interventions have traditionally focused on changing descriptive norms even though the Theory of Normative Conduct identifies both DN and IN as beliefs that motivate behavior. The current study developed a brief, manualized, personalized, IN intervention, delivered face-to-face, in a Motivational Interviewing style that can be used as a stand alone treatment or added to existing descriptive norms interventions. This randomized controlled trial compared …

An Efficient Standardized Method Of Maintaining Quality Assurance In Therapeutic Treatment Record Keeping, Kelsey Michael Bradshaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Quality assurance (QA) within the field of mental health is the practice of monitoring and reviewing services to ensure adherence to specified standards of care. Agents within State governments and various organizations influence record keeping procedures through ethical guidelines and law. For instance, client records must be maintained for all clients receiving mental health services, including informed consent, releases of information, treatment plans, and progress notes. Accurate and timely record keeping procedures assure quality mental health services. However, professionals sometimes err in the maintenance of client records, which can have a negative impact on services, clients, and practitioners. To assist …

The Effect Of Acute Lps-Induced Immune Activation And Brain Insulin Signaling Disruption In A Diabetic Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Andrew Scott Murtishaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive cognitive impairments and pathological hallmarks that include amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. Several well-known mutations exist that lead to early-onset familial AD (fAD). However, these cases only account for a small percentage of total AD cases. The vast majority of AD cases are sporadic in origin (sAD) and are less clearly influenced by a single mutation but rather some combination of genetic and environmental risk.

The etiology of sAD remains unclear but numerous risk factors have been identified that increase the chance of developing AD. Among these risk …

Implicit Theories Of Intelligence And Learning A Novel Mathematics Task, Nathan Oehme Rudig

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The social-cognitive model of motivation states that students adopt a theory of the nature of intelligence that guides their goals in academia and their responses to academic setbacks. Students who believe intelligence is an unchanging entity within them are more likely to adopt goals to display high ability, hide low ability, and respond helplessly to failed schoolwork. Conversely, a student who believes intelligence is a measure of effort and persistence will be motivated to gather knowledge and acquire new skills. The current study investigated the role theories of intelligence play in the field of mathematics understanding. In two experiments, participants …

Auditory Processing Deficits In Bipolar Disorder With And Without A History Of Psychotic Features, Ryanna Verbiest

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Auditory perception deficits have been identified in schizophrenia and linked to dysfunction in primary auditory cortex. There is also evidence that primary auditory cortex abnormalities are associated with positive symptoms, particularly auditory hallucinations. Given the evidence that individuals with bipolar disorder frequently experience auditory hallucinations, it may be that individuals with bipolar disorder who also exhibit psychotic symptoms demonstrate similar impairment in auditory perception tasks. Additionally, these deficits may contribute to impaired social interactions, as they are likely to interfere with accurate perception of emotion from spoken words. The current study examined this matter by comparing performance of 50 individuals …

Reducing Court-Related Stress Through Court Education: Examining Child Witnesses, Attorneys And Parents, Brittnie Turquoise Watkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Court education presents a useful approach to addressing children's stress, anxiety or fear related to testifying. The current study uses a pretest-posttest design to evaluate whether Kids' Court School (KCS), a court education program in Clark County, Nevada, reduces court-related stress in child witnesses. In addition, attorneys' and parents' concerns related to various elements of the child's impending testimony, are evaluated. The measure used to assess stress was the Court-Related Stress Scale (CRSS), a 10-item Likert scale adapted from the Stressfulness of Life Scale. In addition, open-ended questions were posed at the time of posttest. The CRSS was administered to …

Effects Of Internalizing Behaviors On Processing Speed And Academic Fluency, Kristen Bjork

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explored the relationships between internalizing behavior problems, processing speed and academic fluency. Internalizing behaviors are behaviors typically associated with depression and anxiety, such as withdrawal, somatization, and excessive worry. This study focused on the impact of these behaviors on an individual's ability to efficiently process information, as well as perform simple academic tasks quickly. The following measures were used: WISC-IV Coding and Symbol Search scores as a measure of processing speed, WJ-III Tests of Achievement Math Fluency and Reading Fluency scores as measures of academic fluency, and BASC-2 Parent Rating Scale scores for internalizing behaviors. Data gathered from …

Impaired Theory Of Mind In Psychotic And Affective Disorders, Erik Nelson Ringdahl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Psychotic symptoms in bipolar I disorder during mood episodes has been associated with several negative outcomes raising the question as to whether psychosis is a risk factor for a more severe form of this chronic and debilitating condition. However, relatively little research has been directed at understanding the relationships among social cognitive functioning in bipolar I disorder with and without a history of psychosis. Impaired social cognition has been identified as a putative endophenotypic markers in schizophrenia and the evidence is mounting as to whether similar impairments also exist in bipolar I disorder. Given the plethora of research supporting the …

Weight-Based Microaggressions Experienced By Obese Women In Psychotherapy, Kerri Jo Schafer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A large body of research demonstrates the existence of weight bias in healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and dietitians (Budd, Mariotti, Graff, & Falkenstein, 2011). Very few published studies examine mental health providers' attitudes toward obese clients, but a small body of existing data suggests that mental health providers attribute more negative personal attributes to fictional obese clients and rate them as having more severe symptoms than their average weight counterparts (Agell & Rothblum, 1991; Hassel, Amici, Thurston, & Gorsuch, 2001; Young & Powell, 1985). Given these findings, it is important to understand whether obese clients experience mental health professionals …

Explaining Implicit And Explicit Affective Linkages In It Teams: Facial Recognition, Emotional Intelligence, And Affective Tone, Mary M. Dunaway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over 80 percent of task work in organizations is performed by teams. Most teams operate in a more fluid, dynamic, and complex environment than in the past. As a result, a growing body of research is beginning to focus on how teams’ emotional well-being can benefit the effectiveness of workplace team efforts. These teams are required to be adaptive, to operate in ill-structured environments, and to rely on technology more than ever before. However, teams have become so ubiquitous that many organizations and managers take them for granted and assume they will be effective and productive. Because of the increased …