Psychology Commons^™

Intuitive Thought And Consumer Decision Making, Morgan M. Moore

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Anytime the human mind makes a decision, intuitive thought has played a hidden role. There is more to consumer decision making than just logical, slow cognition. Exploring the intuitive mind through the works of Johnathan Haidt and Daniel Kahneman helps researchers understand the roles and origins of intuition. Proof of the presence and power of intuitive thought in cognitive processes is offered. A subset of the intuitive mind, termed the righteous mind by Haidt, is shown to be responsible for moral intuition. As the role of intuitive thought in consumer decision making is considered, numerous marketing applications are applied. Whether …

Manifestation Determinations: An Interdisciplinary And User-Friendly Guide To Best Practices, Molly E. Knudsen

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Rates of suspensions and expulsions are increasing in public schools in the United States, despite research stating that such exclusions have negative effects on students and are generally ineffective in addressing misbehavior. There is an overrepresentation of students with disabilities in the population of excluded students, which poses a threat to their right to a free and appropriate education (FAPE). When a student with a disability faces an exclusion, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires a manifestation determination review (MDR) to be held by a committee of school personnel and the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to determine the cause of …

The Effects Of Tylenol On Non-Social Emotional Memory, Renato Puga

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The present study proposes utilizing a slide-show presentation analogous to the one employed in Puga, Spelman, and Bohannon (2014). However, a new series of precritical, critical, and post-critical slides will be utilized, counterbalancing perceptuallycentral/peripheral items across all ofthem as well as counterbalancing the pre-critical and post-critical slides. The ultimate goal of this manipulation is twofold: To provide a strong methodological scenario in which (1) the "preceding information effect" found in Puga, Atkinson, and Bohannon (2012) as well as (2) the acetaminophen-post critical effect found in Puga, Spelman and Bohannon (2014) can both be re-tested and solidified.

How Are Therapeutic Professionals Interpreting Ethics In Practice With Migrant Clients?, Madeline A. Brenner

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

The research study aimed to understand the praxis of mental health professionals working with immigrant and refugee populations in relation to ethical guidelines and agency protocols. Through practice-led inquiry, seven mental health professionals were interviewed from differing therapeutic backgrounds and orientations; including Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, Counseling, and Art Therapy. The researcher sought to identify how theory of therapeutic professionals differ, where professionals are engaging in culturally competent practice and what impact this has on the therapeutic relationship. Participants identified the key components of a positive therapeutic relationship include trust, cultural competency, approach, presence, as well as …

Revisiting A Common Measure Of Child Postoperative Recovery: Development Of The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire For Ambulatory Surgery (Phbq-As), Brooke N. Jenkins, Zeev N. Kain, Sherrie H. Kaplan, Robert S. Stevenson, Linda C. Mayes, Josue Guadarrama, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) was designed for assessing children's posthospitalization and postoperative new‐onset behavioral changes. However, the psychometric properties of the scale have not been re‐evaluated in the past five decades despite substantial changes in the practice of surgery and anesthesia. In this investigation, we examined the psychometric properties of the PHBQ to potentially increase the efficacy and relevance of the instrument in current perioperative settings.

Method

This study used principal components analysis, a panel of experts, Cronbach's alpha, and correlations to examine the current subscale structure of the PHBQ and eliminate items to create the Post …

An Examination Of Personal Humor Style And Humor Appreciation In Others, Steven Lacorte

Senior Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between individuals’ humor styles and their appreciation of various humor styles as presented by others. Eighty-five undergraduate John Carroll University students completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire and rated the funniness of six stand-up comedy routines, representing either aggressive, self-defeating, or affiliative humor styles with one male and one female comedian for each humor style. A mixed model Analysis of Variance revealed no relationship between humor style and humor appreciation. However, an examination of the effect of gender showed that men were more likely than women to endorse and appreciate aggressive …

Variability In Bimanual Coordination Across The Continuum Of Handedness., Kaitlin Oswald

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Bimanual coordination is an essential human function requiring efficient interhemispheric communication to produce coordinated movements. Motor deficits affect a variety of clinical populations, yet a complete understanding of bimanual coordination has yet to be achieved. Previous research suggests performance variability depends on the phase demands of the coordinated task and completing bimanual tasks may result in less variability than unimanual tasks, or a bimanual advantage. Also, handedness and musical/athletic experience have also been shown to influence coordinated performance. The present study examined the existence of a bimanual advantage and potential factors influencing coordination in a tapping paradigm. Results indicated that …

Human Factors In High-Altitude Mountaineering, Christopher D. Wickens, John W. Keller, Christopher Shaw

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

We describe the human performance and cognitive challenges of high altitude mountaineering. The physical (environmental) and internal (health) stresses are first described, followed by the motivational factors that lead people to climb. The statistics of mountaineering accidents in the Himalayas and Alaska are then described. We then present a detailed discussion of the role of decision-making biases in mountaineering mishaps. We conclude by discussing interpersonal factors, adaptation, and training issues.

Paradoxical Interaction Between Ocular Activity, Perception, And Decision Confidence At The Threshold Of Vision, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In humans and some other species perceptual decision-making is complemented by the ability to make confidence judgements about the certainty of sensory evidence. While both forms of decision process have been studied empirically, the precise relationship between them remains poorly understood. We performed an experiment that combined a perceptual decision-making task (identifying the category of a faint visual stimulus) with a confidence-judgement task (wagering on the accuracy of each perceptual decision). The visual stimulation paradigm required steady fixation, so we used eye-tracking to control for stray eye movements. Our data analyses revealed an unexpected and counterintuitive interaction between the steadiness …

Hiv-1 And Cocaine: Motivation And Synaptic Function, Sarah J. Bertrand

Theses and Dissertations

Molecular and behavioral assays were used to examine the effects of HIV-1 on synaptodendritic integrity, motivated behavior and the therapeutic potential of natural isoflavones in ameliorating both synaptodendritic injury in vitro and changes in motivation in vivo. The overarching hypothesis of the present dissertation is twofold: 1. HIV-1 causes a decrease in motivation for sucrose and cocaine and the change in motivational state is driven by compromised synaptic integrity as evaluated by F-actin and DAT function and, 2. Treatment with phytoestrogens will prevent synaptodendritic damage, normalize the internal motivational state of the HIV-1 Tg rat for sucrose and cocaine, and …

Biases In Race And Social Desirability Within Jury Simulations, Michelle Hallaran

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This study examined how the defendant’s race and the victim’s social desirability influence sentencing. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of four crime scenarios, featuring either a Black or White defendant or a socially desirable or undesirable victim. For each scenario the defendant’s race was manipulated and participants were shown a picture of either a Black or White male. Data were collected at two different time periods, because of potential influence of media coverage of racial bias in jury decisions. Therefore, the effects of defendant race, victim social desirability, and time period were tested through an experiment using a …

Enhancing Psychology Majors’ Meta-Cognitive Understanding Of Desirable Workplace Skills Using A Short Discussion-Based In-Class Activity, Alena S. Gordienko

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The skills psychology students possess that employers look for in job applicants include: reliability, integrity, work ethic, communication, technology, critical thinking, teamwork, and professionalism (Rodgers, 2012). I conducted a study to determine whether participating in a brief classroom activity would improve students’ ability to effectively describe their skills. Students were asked to write a cover letter before and after the activity. The activity included a discussion of four skills and student reflection on their experiences that demonstrated these skills. I hypothesized that overall letter-writing would improve, that students’ self-reported levels of preparedness to find a job would improve, that students …

Establishing Conditioned Reinforcers In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kristen Rollman

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often demonstrate restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities, often involving preoccupations with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest and an inability to adjust to changes in daily routines and schedules. Academic achievement and skill acquisition present a challenge in children with ASD, often times due to a lack of reinforcer options resulting from these deficits. The current study examines the use of free-operant stimulus preference assessments, progressive-ratio schedule reinforcer analyses, and a Pavlovian conditioning procedure in order to evaluate the establishment of new reinforcers that may be used to …

Delay Discounting: Are Magnitude Effects Moderated By Domain Effects?, David A. Williams Jr.

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Delay discounting is a phenomenon wherein a commodity loses its value as the delay to its receipt increases. It may be conceptualized as a measure of patience, or impatience. There are several aspects of a commodity that contribute to its loss in value, in addition to the delay to its receipt. Specifically, there are differential rates in delay discounting across commodity types (domain effects) and commodity amounts (magnitude effects). Interestingly, magnitude effects occur almost exclusively in relation to a particular commodity type: monetary rewards. The present study sought to isolate magnitude effects from a particular quality of monetary rewards: fungibility. …

The Effects Of Ordinal Data On Coefficient Alpha, Kathryn E. Pinder

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Given coefficient alpha’s wide prevalence as a measure of internal reliability, it is important to know the conditions under which it is an appropriate estimate of reliability. The present paper explores alpha’s assumption of uncorrelated errors when used with ordinal data. Alpha overestimates true reliability when correlated errors are present. In this paper, I use a simulation study to recreate three mechanisms proposed to create correlated errors in ordinal data. The first mechanism, misclassification error, occurs when there are correlated measurement errors present in the data. The second mechanism, grouping error, occurs when there are not enough categories to represent …

Traumatic Experiences And Cognition: How Do Static And Dynamic Variables Contribute To Current Functioning?, Cathryn Richmond

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Approximately 25% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before age 4, and individuals with a history of trauma, particularly traumatic events in childhood, have a much higher likelihood of developing psychopathology in adulthood. Prior research indicates that the vast majority of individuals with a serious mental illness, particularly those in community mental health centers and psychiatric inpatient settings, have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. These individuals require special consideration in treatment planning, and a large range of neurodevelopmental and environmental factors must be taken into account when interpreting results …

Predicting Bystander Attitudes Using Rape Myth Acceptance And Adherence To The Commodity Model Of Sex, Kimberly J. Johnson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The high rate of sexual assault on college campuses has become a growing concern among college administrators. To combat the prevalence of sexual assault, colleges and universities have begun implementing mandatory bystander intervention training programs, which teach students to look for warning signs indicative of sexual assault and intervene before an assault occurs. Previous research has indicated that an individual’s endorsement of rape myths may play a role in whether or not that individual will intervene in a situation that may lead to sexual assault; however, little research has investigated from where beliefs in rape myths might stem. Sex educators …

The Use Of Differential Reinforcement To Increase Participation/Engagement In Children With Autism In An Inclusion Setting, Kayla Gionti

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) would gain more from instructional material if they increased their participation and engagement in general education classrooms. However, these children often grow dependent on prompts from teachers and paraprofessionals to participate. This can impede the children from participating independently in other settings and from engaging with the instructional material presented to them. The purpose of this study was to increase independent participation, while decreasing the prompt dependency of 3 children with ASD in a general education classroom. The use of differential reinforcement and prompt fading increased the hand raising behavior of all three …

Propensity Score Matching In Higher Education Assessment, Heather D. Harris

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The applied nature of higher education assessment does not lend itself to rigorous experimental research designs. However, assessment practitioners would like to make claims about the influence of educational programs on student learning outcomes. Propensity score matching (PSM) methods are quasi-experimental techniques that allow researchers to control for known confounding variables. In the context of higher education, PSM techniques allow assessment practitioners to control for confounding variables related to students’ self-selected participation in university programs. Research and recommendations on how to apply PSM techniques are scattered throughout several disciplines. However, additional research is needed to evaluate how well PSM techniques …

Myside Bias In Probabilistic Ethical Decision Making, Richard E. Hohn

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This study examined the extent to which myside bias was observed in the context of ethical decision making. In judgment and decision making research the resistance of myside bias is described as a component of rational thinking. Thus, to some effect, this study aimed to examine the extent to which people act rationally when making ethical decisions. Measures of thinking dispositions (actively open-minded thinking and need for cognition) as well as measures of cognitive reflection and probabilistic knowledge were included in the study to examine their associations with myside bias in ethical decisions. Modest myside bias effects were observed between …

Persons Can Speak Louder Than Variables: Person-Centered Analyses And The Prediction Of Student Success, Elisabeth M. Pyburn

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In order to ensure that analyses are appropriate for one’s research question(s), it is important to consider whether a person-centered or variable-centered approach is needed. Person-centered approaches are often not considered in situations for which they would be appropriate. To that end, a description of the characteristics and procedures of two common person-centered analyses (cluster analysis and mixture modeling) are provided. Although both analyses accomplish the same general aim – to group persons based on their similarity on a series of variables, thus providing ease of interpretation – the methods employed for each analysis differ considerably. As illustration, both analyses …

International Distance Coaching Of Therapists To Improve Verbal Behavior By Children With Autism, Ana Barkaia

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This study examined the effects of distance coaching on the mastery of therapists’ skills and the development of verbal behavior of children with autism. Three therapists and three children receiving early intervention services in the NGO Children of Georgia in the developing country of Georgia-Sakartvelo in Eastern Europe participated in this research. The therapists received distance coaching about the implementation of ABA therapy from Virginia. The intervention was recorded and coded by observers in Georgia-Sakartvelo and in Harrisonburg/Virginia,USA. The effects of distance coaching was investigated within a multiple baseline across participant.

After-School Programming As Intervention For Students With Disabilities, Edward D. Tynan

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

After-school programs are increasing in popularity, with an estimated 6.5 million students attending organized after-school programs (Harvard Family Research Project, 2008). With the continuing rise in popularity of these programs, more students (including students with disabilities) have access to after-school programs. The purpose of the current research was to discover what current practitioners of school psychology recommend in regards to after-school programming for students with disabilities. All participants were school psychologists or staff members at after-school programs located within either the Richmond, VA region (including the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, and Henrico County) or the Harrisonburg,VA region (including the …

A Meta-Analytic Tutorial And A Narrative Review On Motivation Interventions In Education, Rory A. Lazowski

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Abstract (Paper 1)

Dating back to only the early 1970’s, the use of meta-analysis has recently grown steadily in the fields of psychology and education, after initially being used in the physical sciences. Meta-analysis is often lauded as an effective analytic tool to inform practice and policy, disentangle conflicting results among single studies, and identify areas that require additional information for a certain topic. However, because routine use of meta-analysis is relatively recent, there remain methodological issues that require clarity. In addition, as more advanced analytical and statistical techniques emerge, there is a need to examine how these techniques can …

Impacts Of Mindfulness On Disruptive Behaviors Associated With Characteristics Of Adhd, Joseph L. Sims

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The prevalence of ADHD has drastically increased over the last decade, and children with this disorder often receive attention from their teachers for their disruptive behaviors (Visser, Danielson, Bitsko, Holbrook, Kogan, Ghandour,... & Blumberg, 2014). Students with ADHD often struggle with controlling their impulses that lead to these disruptions in the classroom. If not addressed, the classroom learning environment is likely to be negatively impacted (Lambert, Cartledge, Heward, & Lo, 2006). Introducing students with ADHD to the practice of mindfulness may help to create a space, or a delay in responding, between thoughts and actions which may, in turn, reduce …

How Does Perfectionism Influence Anxiety In Gifted Middle School Students?, Kelsey Owens

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Research has demonstrated that gifted students tend to experience a higher level of perfectionism when compared to their regular education peers. While perfectionism may aid these students in their academics, it can also contribute to negative consequences in terms of the social and emotional needs of these students, such as anxiety. This research study sought to add to the literature by examining whether perfectionism does influence anxiety in gifted middle school students. Twenty-two middle school students enrolled in a center-based gifted program participated in this study by completing two measures: one examining levels of perfectionism and another examining levels of …

Teacher Child Interaction Training As A Universal Prevention Program In Preschool And Kindergarten Classrooms, Jessica Rossi

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The current study assessed the effectiveness of Teacher Child Interaction Training (TCIT), an adaptation of Eyberg’s Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), on teacher and child behaviors in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. The sample included four classrooms in urban, socioeconomically disadvantaged and culturally diverse settings. Two preschool classrooms were included in the first study and one preschool and one kindergarten classroom were included in the second study. Both studies used a concurrent multiple baseline design to evaluate the effects of training and coaching on teacher and child behaviors in the classroom. The intervention focused on the development of a friendly attachment …

Satisfaction Of Students With Visual Impairment Within Different School Settings, Jeremiah Jordan

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This is an investigation of the satisfaction of students with visual impairment attending school in different educational settings, including students attending school in a specialized educational setting, as well as students with visual impairment attending school in a mainstreamed educational setting. This paper explores research on the effectiveness and perceptions of inclusion for children with disabilities, particularly children with visual impairment. Specific research on this topic is sparse and the researcher proposed a new research study, in which the satisfaction of students with visual impairment was targeted and explored in both a specialized educational setting and mainstreamed educational setting. High …

The Effects Of A Planned Missingness Design On Examinee Motivation And Psychometric Quality, Matthew S. Swain

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Assessment practitioners in higher education face increasing demands to collect assessment and accountability data to make important inferences about student learning and institutional quality. The validity of these high-stakes decisions is jeopardized, particularly in low-stakes testing contexts, when examinees do not expend sufficient motivation to perform well on the test. This study introduced planned missingness as a potential solution. In planned missingness designs, data on all items are collected but each examinee only completes a subset of items, thus increasing data collection efficiency, reducing examinee burden, and potentially increasing data quality. The current scientific reasoning test served as the Long …

Extending An Irt Mixture Model To Detect Random Responders On Non-Cognitive Polytomously Scored Assessments, Mandalyn R. Swanson

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This study represents an attempt to distinguish two classes of examinees – random responders and valid responders – on non-cognitive assessments in low-stakes testing. The majority of existing literature regarding the detection of random responders in low-stakes settings exists in regard to cognitive tests that are dichotomously scored. However, evidence suggests that random responding occurs on non-cognitive assessments, and as with cognitive measures, the data derived from such measures are used to inform practice. Thus, a threat to test score validity exists if examinees’ response selections do not accurately reflect their underlying level on the construct being assessed. As with …