Psychology Commons^™

Climbing The Taxonomy Ladder With Help From The Keyword Method, My Quoc Vu

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The keyword method is a mnemonic device used to improve memory. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the keyword method can facilitate higher-order learning and whether the interactive image component of the keyword method is necessary. Participants were asked to study 18 psychologists and their concepts. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: an own best method control group, and three variations of the keyword method. The variations in the keyword method were related to the "interactive image” aspect of that strategy. The dependent measures measured whether the keyword method can facilitate higher order-learning levels …

Barriers To Mental Healthcare Across Age And Education Level, Vanessa Lynn Jones

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between age and education and perceived barriers to mental health care as measured by the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE-III). Age ranged from 18-92 and ages were divided into three groups (25 and younger, 26-55, 56 and older). Education ranged from no high school diploma (or its equivalent) to doctoral degrees. A moderation analysis was conducted using each BACE-III factor as well as the BACE-III total. A qualitative analysis was also performed. The results indicated little or no relationship existed between age and education level and perceived barriers to mental health care. The …

Dark Side Personality Iats: Development Of Non-Bipolar Valence-Balanced Implicit Measures, Benjamin J. Thomas

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Predicting character failure is a challenging risk management problem in many organizations and, while self-report measures of attitudes, beliefs, and personality traits have proven useful, room for improvement remains. Measures using Implicit Association Test (IAT) procedures appear to have some promise in this regard because, unlike self-report measures, they are resistant to impression management artifacts and independent of introspective ability or self-knowledge. Adjectives related to maladaptive personality attributes were used to develop IATs that are balanced with respect to an evaluative dimension (good—bad) in order to not confound self-esteem with semantically distinct descriptors of behavioral tendencies. Although correlations with an …

Linguistic Changes In Foreign Policy Discourse, Kayla Nicole Jordan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In an ever-changing world of foreign relations, understanding how world leaders process and interpret events will be useful in predicting potential official reactions. The focus of the current study is on the U.S. Congress, who, despite the power they can exert on world politics, is an understudied population. Language, more specifically word frequency in congressional speeches, is one way to measure how people approach situations. Therefore, I examined speeches on foreign policy issues (Iraq, Iran, and North Korea) to elucidate Congressional thinking. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) developed by (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis, 2007), the linguistic constructs …

Posttraumatic Stress And Emotion Recognition, Rachel Woody

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

People with PTSD have problems with interpersonal relationships, but the maintaining mechanisms are not well studied. One potential mechanism relating PTSD and interpersonal difficulties is an inability for people with PTSD to recognize another’s emotion, preventing them from taking their perspective or reacting empathetically. This study aimed to experimentally test the effects of trauma cue exposure on participants with subthreshold PTSD’s accuracy in identifying emotions depicted by peoples’ eyes. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control (i.e., neutral script) or experimental condition (i.e., traumatic event script) prior to completing the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” task to measure …

Do Semantic Contextual Cues Facilitate Transfer Learning From Video In Toddlers?, Laura Zimmermann, Alecia Moser, Amanda Grenell, Kelly Dickerson, Qianwen Yao, Peter Gerhardstein, Rachel Barr

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Young children typically demonstrate a transfer deficit, learning less from video than live presentations. Semantically meaningful context has been demonstrated to enhance learning in young children. We examined the effect of a semantically meaningful context on toddlers' imitation performance. Two- and 2.5-year-olds participated in a puzzle imitation task to examine learning from either a live or televised model. The model demonstrated how to assemble a three-piece puzzle to make a fish or a boat, with the puzzle demonstration occurring against a semantically meaningful background context (ocean) or a yellow background (no context). Participants in the video condition performed significantly worse …

An Examination Of Psychoeducation And Its Potential Modifying Influence On Alcohol Use Patterns Among Adults Reporting Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Hazardous Alcohol Consumption, Sarah Jo Bujarski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that consumption of alcohol in the presence of elevated posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) may serve an avoidant function to cope with negative emotions. These coping-related motives for use are theorized to both maintain PTSS and relate to poorer prognoses in treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Treatments utilizing coping skills training, which typically also involves educating clients about the negative consequences of drinking alcohol to cope, suggest the utility of targeting coping behaviors to reduce alcohol use. These studies, however, have not attempted to isolate the effects of psychoeducation on alcohol-related factors. The current study investigated the …

Attention Deficits In Cognitive Abilities As Measured By The Mmpi-2-Rf And Nab, Ashley Nicole Mullins

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Attentional deficits, the inability to sustain attention and concentration, are a common symptom of many psychological disorders (i.e. AD/HD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, PTSD, GAD, etc.). Previous studies examined the relationship between Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Format (MMPI-2-RF) and measures of attention (Conner's CPT, WAIS III) specifically only with patients with AD/HD or traumatic brain injuries. This study set to explore the clinical utility of patterns on the MMPI-2-RF of people with attentional deficits, as measured by the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) Attention Module. The final sample consisted of sixty-one adults (37 women, M age = 20.8 years, age range: …

Can Dolphins Cooperate To Solve A Novel Task?, Kelley Ann Winship

Master's Theses

Bottlenose dolphins cooperate in a variety of contexts, including foraging,acquiring mates, playing, and assisting distressed conspecifics. To better understand the capacity for cooperative behaviors, animals are often given tasks that require pairs of animals to coordinate their actions in order to receive a reward. This paper reports the results of an aquatic version of one such task: cooperative rope-pulling. Three groups of captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were given an apparatus that could most easily be opened by the two animals working together. Two untrained adult males at one location were successful in opening the apparatus together, sharing …

Physical Disability And Suicidal Desire: An Examination Of The Constructs Of The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory Of Suicide, Lauren Rachel Khazem

Master's Theses

The primary aims of this study were to examine constructs of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) in an understudied population. Differences in levels of IPTS variables and suicidal ideation between university students with and without physical disabilities were examined. Participants were 184 students from two Southern universities who provided answers to online-based self-report questionnaires. It was hypothesized that students with physical disabilities would endorse higher levels of all IPTS constructs relative to students without physical disabilities. It was further hypothesized that disability status would exhibit an indirect effect on suicidal ideation through perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Results indicated …

Personality, Character Strengths, Empathy, Familiarity And The Stigmatization Of Mental Illness, Jessica Shanna James

Master's Theses

The stigma associated with mental illness is pervasive and detrimental. The aim of the current study was to assess individual characteristics that may be positively and negatively associated with the stigmatization of mental illness. Two-hundred fifty-nine undergraduate students from the University of Southern Mississippi completed measures of the Big Five personality traits (i.e., Agreeableness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience), Dark Triad personality traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy), selected character strengths (i.e., Open-mindedness, Perspective, Bravery, Integrity, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Fairness, Forgiveness and Mercy, and Hope), Empathy, and Familiarity with mental illness. Participants also completed measures of stigmatizing attitudes …

Reducing Disruptive Behavior In High School: The Good Behavior Game, William Blake Ford

Master's Theses

Disruptive behavior in the classroom setting negatively impacts the learning process in various ways, interfering with the educational process of individual students, the teacher, and/or the class as a whole. Class-wide levels of disruptive behaviors worsen these impacts and are often related to problems with a teacher’s classroom management techniques and abilities. Group contingency interventions, such as the Good Behavior Game (GBG), are often used to provide teachers with evidence based management strategies while improving student behavior in the class. Furthermore, group contingency interventions, such as the GBG, can be conceptualized as Tier I or Tier II interventions within a …

Age And Iq As Potential Moderators In The Relation Among Endopheonotypes And Expressed Behaviors In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elizabeth Clara Fair

Master's Theses

The current study examined how certain endophenotypes (i.e., local processing ability, mental flexibility, planning, and disinhibition /inhibition) are related to specific expressed behaviors (i.e., acting out behaviors, social insight deficits, social contact problems, anxious/rigid behaviors, and stereotypical behaviors) that are commonly found in children with ASD. In addition, this study examined whether these associations are modified by age or IQ. Participants consisted of 29 children (ages 7 to 16 years) with ASD and their parents. Parents completed the Children’s Social Behavior Questionnaire (CSBQ) to assess their child’s variety of expressed behaviors. The children were given the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test—Second …

Clarifying The Association Between The Subtypes Of Narcissism And Suicide Risk, Stephanie Michelle Pennings

Master's Theses

Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between narcissism and suicidality. Ambiguous results yielded by past studies may be attributed to the two distinct forms of narcissism (i.e., grandiose and vulnerable). The current study aimed to examine the association between the components of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior (IPTS; Joiner, 2005; i.e., thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and the acquired capability for suicide) and the two subtypes of narcissism. The potential explanatory effect of emotion dysregulation, a construct linked to the development of suicide risk, on the relationship between the forms of narcissism and the components of suicide risk …

Humor Types: Replication Using Latent Profile Analysis And Associations With Maladaptive Personality Traits, Joseph Robert Finn

Master's Theses

Martin’s (2003) Humor Styles Questionnaire measures four distinct styles of humor usage. However, examining these humor styles individually fails to account for the combination with which they are used as well as how these combinations may affect the relationship between humor and personality. The present study examined relationships of the humor styles, both individually and in combination, with a broad array of maladaptive personality traits. The incremental validity of accounting for the combinations with which the humor styles are used was examined through the use of hierarchical multiple regressions. Results demonstrated that the humor styles, both individually and in combination, …

The Relationship Of Cell Phone Usage To Personality And Attention, Victoria L. Grajeda

Senior Theses

Cell phones seem to create distraction and anxiety in student’s daily lives. The present study tests if distraction would occur just by the ring from a cell phone (i.e. they will score lower on the lecture quiz). The procedure will include 40 students enrolled in two sections of Introduction to Psychology. In one section, a backpack will be situated on an empty desk with a cell phone inside which is set to ring during a normal classroom lecture. Once the lecture ends (in both sections), a quiz will be issued about the PowerPoint including slides showing during the cell phone …

College Students’ Alcohol Use And Related Problems: What Makes Religiousness A Protective Factor?, Corey Todd Brawner

Master's Theses

Excessive alcohol use has been recognized as a critical health hazard for college students, particularly for members of social fraternities and sororities. Religiousness and Spirituality (R/S) has received substantial support as a protective factor for alcohol use across many populations. The current study utilized a series of hierarchical regression models to delineate the protective influences of six R/S dimensions on alcohol consumption, harmful drinking patterns, and alcohol-related problems, as well as their moderating effect on the association between Greek membership and alcohol outcomes in a sample of 709 undergraduates from one Christian-affiliated institution and one public university. Public religious participation …

Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Behaviors In The Presence Of Active And Non-Active Shrimp Trawlers In The Mississippi Sound, Crysta M. Lorenz

Honors Theses

Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, are reported to have close associations with shrimp trawlers worldwide. The goal of this study was to assess differences in the behavior for bottlenose dolphins between activity states of shrimp trawlers in the Mississippi Sound. During active trawling, nets are actively gathering the catch closely behind the trawler, which provide feeding opportunities for bottlenose dolphins. Non-active groups are not able to take advantage of feeding prospects and display fewer feeding behaviors and maintain a farther distance than active trawler groups. Video of trawlers were collected from the Mississippi Wild Dolphin Project and analyzed for feeding …

Narcissism And Late Adolescent Friendships: Perceived Closeness, Cooperation, Competitiveness, And Friendship Quality, Suzanne Chinyere Amadi

Honors Theses

Pathological and non-pathological dimensions of narcissism are correlated with indices of adolescent internalizing symptoms and externalizing behaviors, especially in the context of peer relationships. The current study examined 219 (181 females, 38 males) 18 year-olds’ perceptions of their friendships, including closeness, cooperation, competitiveness, and friendship quality in relation to pathological (i.e., grandiose, vulnerable) and non-pathological (i.e., normal) narcissism. Data were collected through online, self-report questionnaires. Grandiose narcissism was significantly correlated with perceived closeness, cooperation, and competitiveness but not with friendship quality. Vulnerable narcissism was significantly positively correlated with perceived competitiveness but unassociated with perceptions of closeness, cooperation, and friendship quality. …

Affect Recognition And Adhd Symptoms In Preschoolers: A Serial Mediation Model Of Social Cognition, Annalise M. Hays

Honors Theses

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been addressed in a few studies as it relates to social cognition deficiency. Throughout these studies, it seems as if affect recognition may be linked to ADHD through deficits in the development of social skills. The current study tests to see if this mediation may also involve the influence of adaptability in children. It was hypothesized that poorer affect recognition would relate to ADHD symptoms in preschoolers and that this effect would occur indirectly by influencing the children’s adaptability and social skills. A heterogeneous sample of 71 three to five year-old preschoolers participated. Children were …

Assess The Efficacy Of A 15-Week Psychological Skills Training Program For Collegiate Wrestlers, James Malechek

Theses

Psychological skills training is becoming increasingly popular among coaches and elite athletes. However, the research available in this area continues to be lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of using a self-guided psychological skills training program to improve wrestler mental skills during competitive season. The wrestler's mental strength was evaluated before and after the program using the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28.

The experimental group consisted of 27 male collegiate wrestlers. The control group had 21 male collegiate wrestlers. The experimental group was given a handout every week for 15- weeks. The handouts dealt with multiple …

Depression And Social Functioning : Examining Two Interpersonal Theories, Caroline B. Smith

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to test the specific predictions of two theories of depression and social functioning. One, the Social Navigation Hypothesis, is an adaptationist approach that predicts that depression functions to increase an individual’s ability to analyze and solve problems in their social system. The individual engages in behaviors such as feedback seeking in order to identify potential problems and develop solutions. In contrast, Interpersonal Theory predicts that depression is related to aversive social behaviors that can lead to rejection. Adult American participants (n=155) were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. They completed an online survey …

Direct Manipulation Of Perceived Angular Declination Affects Perceived Size And Distance: A Replication And Extension Of Wallach And O’Leary (1982), Morgan J. C. Williams , '14, Frank H. Durgin

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Receptacle Design, Normative Conduct, Environmental Concerns, And Recycling Behavior, Molly Arnold

Honors Theses

Conservation psychology is a growing field that explores how people interact with and interpret their roles in the environment. I conducted a three part study that incorporates conservation psychology principles to examine the effects of recycling bin design and normative conduct on recycling behavior as well as the ecological orientation of UTC students based on survey responses. Experiment 1 compared two recycling bin conditions (non-lidded bin vs. bin covered with a lid with two holes indicating the shape of recyclables) to determine which bin design was more effective in promoting recycling behavior. No difference was found between the two designs. …

Sport-Related Head Injury And Performance Anxiety, Haley V. Popp

Honors Theses

Head injury in sport is a highly individualized experience; the symptoms and persistence tend to differ widely between athletes. Neurocognitive deficits in head injury may be worsened by the emotional reaction of the athlete to the injury. Athletes that are removed from play due to musculoskeletal injuries tend to be anxious about becoming reinjured are more likely to be depressed and may have low attention and reaction time. Emotions that result from removal from play can have emotional, psychosocial, and career implications for the athletes. Despite this, there is a lack of literature directly examining the impact of head injury …

Teacher Narratives And Student Engagement Testing Narrative Engagement Theory In Drug Prevention Education, Michelle Miller-Day, Michael L. Hecht, Janice L. Krieger, Jonathan Pettigrew, Young Ju Shin, John L. Graham

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Testing narrative engagement theory, this study examines student engagement and teachers’ spontaneous narratives told in a narrative-based drug prevention curriculum. The study describes the extent to which teachers share their own narratives in a narrative-based curriculum, identifies dominant narrative elements, forms and functions, and assesses the relationships among teacher narratives, overall lesson narrative quality, and student engagement. One-hundred videotaped lessons of the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention curriculum were coded and the results supported the claim that increased narrative quality of a prevention lesson would be associated with increased student engagement. The quality of narrativity, however, varied widely. Implications of …

Lindenwood Students’ Cultural Domain Of Female Beauty, Courtney Cox

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

In this study, the shared cultural domain of female physical beauty on the Lindenwood campus was identified. A cultural domain is essentially, “things that somehow go together” (Bernard 2006, p. 299). The domain is established by systematic use of free lists, a method in which participants list all of the attributes that they can in response to a prompt. A written free list method was selected so that a large group of students could provide their data in a quick and anonymous manner. In this case, the domain of interest was “attributes that are physically beautiful in women.” After providing …

Relationship Between Social Category And Third-Party Perceptions Of Crime, Sara Roderick

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

How social category affects observer perceptions of crime is an interesting topic that can yield many interesting results. Previous research has shown that the social category of individual can hold some influence on how the individual is perceived. Some studies focused on the dispositional qualities attributed to individuals solely based on social category, while other were more concerned with third-party responses to individuals based on social category. Within that same line, this study hoped to replicate findings by Lieberman and Linke (2007) which indicated that the social category of a perpetrator of a crime did indeed have an effect on …

Implanting False Memories, Lynn Mundwiller

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Previous research suggests that we experience false memories, these are events that we believe happen, when they actually do not. There are many factors that can create false memories; however I will be looking specifically at how priming can affect memory. Priming is an effect where in order to retrieve a memory, a link to that memory must be activated with the use of subtle cues (Herbert, 2011). Two different lists were used to try to create the same false memory for participants. These two lists I created are a semantic list and a rhyming list, both associated with the …

Memory Patterns In A Dementia Patient, Darren Wilson

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the gradual loss of memory and personality traits. Cognitive function deteriorates over time and affects a person’s quality of life, as well as his or her ability to remember. More specifically, Alzheimer’s disease affects one’s ability to recall specific types of memory, including those of an implicit nature. Implicit memories are those that are subconsciously stored and later retrieved throughout the lifespan with relative ease. Examples include, but are not limited to: learning to ride a bike, or tying one’s shoes. These are abilities that may or may not require a great deal of learning, …