Psychology Commons^™

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

Student Research Posters

Cell phones and texting are generally distracting and detrimental to attention (driving, school, work, etc.). Researchers have shown that cellphones affect attention (O’Connor, Whitehill, King, Kernic, Bresnahan & Ebel, 2013; Schwebel, Stavrinos, Byington, Davis, O'Neal, Jong, 2012; Thornton, Faires, Robbins, & Rollins, 2014). It is therefore important to examine all situations in which using cell phones are potentially harmful to one’s social or occupational life. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than nine people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in motor vehicle crashes per day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). …

Masculinities, Gendered Expression, And The Social, Emotional, And Academic Well-Being Of High School Boys, Cynthia Bazinet

Educational Studies Dissertations

There has been longstanding concern over the seemingly intractable problem of boys’ academic achievement. Despite extensive research, there is little consensus among researchers and educators regarding best practices and approaches in mitigating and remediating the problem. This mixed-methods study sought to illuminate the issue further by focusing on the meaningful lived experiences of six young men aged 18 to 24 who attended and graduated from a central Massachusetts public high school. The study asked participants to reflect through prompted writing upon the stresses and pressures as well as the factors and conditions that affected their abilities to manage their performativities …

Barriers And Motivations In Mental Health Legislative Advocacy In Oregon, Bethany Webb

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Compared to other allied health fields, psychology continuously lags behind in representation on the state, national, and local level. The percentage of advocacy involvement by psychologists is very low compared with other professions. There is a great need for all psychologists to become advocates. Unfortunately, there has been limited research into the reasons why few psychologists actually engage in this process. The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in state psychological membership and primary place of practice among Oregon psychologists and students with regard to participation in mental health legislation and to identify barriers and motivations to …

Examination Of The Effects Of Mild Hearing Loss On Memory Using The Wide-Range Assessment Of Learning And Memory – Second Edition (Wraml2), Heather Paige-Deming

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The current study examined whether young adults with mild hearing loss around 1000 Hz would differ from normal hearing participants in their performance on a standardized memory and learning instrument used in the field of psychology (i.e., WRAML2; Sheslow & Adams, 2003). Participants were 46 normal hearing individuals and 23 individuals with mild hearing loss. Hearing participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (hearing control, 23 decibel loss, and 37 decibel loss). All 4 groups completed the WRAML2 under standardized conditions. Based on the effortful hypothesis, it was anticipated that individuals with hearing impairment would show deficits on …

Factors Associated With Youth Athletes Discontinuing Vs. Staying In A Sport, Jessica R. Shibko

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

This study investigated the factors that go into youth athletes deciding to drop out of a sport versus staying in the sport. To test this, current Otterbein University athletes and non-athletes took an online questionnaire that asked specific questions pertaining to their experience in sport participation. We tested the hypotheses that (1) those who began specializing in sports at a younger age will be less likely to continue participation, (2) parental pressure would be a reason for dropout and parental support would influence the athletes to stay in, and (3) those who continued participation in sports would perceive a healthy …

Self-Objectification, Self-Valuation, And Bodily Self-Concept: An Examination Of Women's Experiences In A Post-Feminist Society, Madeleine Holmes

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Objectification is a central concept in feminist theories surrounding the oppression of women. When objectification occurs, a woman is perceived and treated as a body or a collection of body parts for others to evaluate or utilize for their own pleasure (Bartky, 1990; Fredrickson & Roberts, 1998). Research has shown that women socialized in patriarchal cultures internalize their objectification with negative psychological consequences (Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001; Noll & Fredrickson, 1998; Fredrickson, et al., 1998). This study explored the subjective experiences of women in the context of a culture that generally perpetuates a post-feminist sensibility. Six women participated in semi-structured …

The Influence Of Preferred Music On Vigilance And Mental Workload, Michelle H. Wang

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Music is found in various aspects of daily life. Many individuals listen to music while completing mentally demanding tasks. The current study aims to explore the relations between music on attention performance and perceived mental workload. Participants completed two identical vigilance tasks under two different conditions, preferred music and silence. Following each vigilance task, participants rated their experience according to the six subscales of the workload index, NASA-TLX, for each condition. Even though we did not observe a main effect of music, there are many robust interactions. Overall, participants performed better (more correct detection, fewer false alarm and faster response …

Towards A Deeper Understanding Of The Post-Traumatic Growth Factors Leading To An Improved Quality Of Life For Military Combat Veterans, Domonicque Tatum

All Capstone Projects

The issue of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following combat deployment among American military veterans has created significant barriers to successful reintegration. However, positive outcomes also exist in the form of posttraumatic growth. The purpose of this study was to examine Posttraumatic Growth in U.S. military combat veterans by identifying significant relationships among variables leading to successful reintegration of military personnel within the community following combat deployment. Participants in this correlational study included a total of 50 military combat veterans from various eras of conflict. Participants completed a survey battery containing the PTSD Checklist (PCLM), Combat Exposure Scale (CES), Post Deployment …

Examining The Role Of Self-Esteem In The Association Between Emotional Vulnerability And Psychological Well-Being, Kathryn Schilling

Honors Theses

The purpose of the proposed study was to examine the association between emotional vulnerability and psychological well-being, and test whether the association varies based on level of self-esteem. Researchers define psychological well-being as an appraisal of one’s life where a person gives conscious evaluative judgments about one’s satisfaction with life as a whole (Grossi et al., 2013). Emotional vulnerability is defined as the degree to which a person renders himself or herself exposed to the emotional pain of rejection. Experiencing social rejection has a negative effect on self-esteem, however, having high self-esteem may buffer the self against the pain of …

The Effects Of Music On Employee Affect, Nolan J. Mcnulty

Honors Theses

This thesis is concerned with the effect of music on mood in the workplace. Mood, or affect, is an important attribute in the working environment. For Example, positive affect is directly proportional to employee satisfaction, which can lead to more productivity and more efficiency. The mood of employees at a student café at the University of Dayton was assessed with and without background music while they worked. Data were collected over a two-week period from 20 student employees. Data included background questionnaires asking for demographic information such as music preference, music experience, and hours spent listening to music. The Positive …

Genre Controversy: Human Universality Or Plagiarism In The Dystopian Genre?, Taylor V. Kingston

Honors Theses

In a fusion of behavioral psychology, evolutionary psychology, and literary analysis, this thesis considers the possibility that human nature dictates the types of rhetoric utilized in any given genre. Operant conditioning emerged as the governing device in a case study of the dystopian genre since readers must be made to associate fear or hope with particular government structures. Implicitly then, literature is molded into its genres by the human desires addressed by that genre’s reigning themes. This “mold” seems to have created a strain of novels within the dystopian genre that are so similar there have been accusations of plagiarism. …

Oprm1 Rs1799971 Genotype Predicts Drinking Behavior In Males, But Not Females, Sarah Hughes Berheim, Carmen Ochoa, Grace Sullivan, Scott F. Stoltenberg

UCARE: Research Products

• The prevalence of alcohol disorders costs Americans $223.5 billion yearly due mostly from losses in workplace productivity, as well as health care and criminal justice expenses (CDC, 2016).

• Maximum number of drinks consumed in a 24 hour period is a valid indicator of dangerous drinking behavior and may reflect an increased tolerance for high levels of alcohol (Edenberg, 2016).

• Awareness of factors related to such heavy drinking is important for targeting interventions for dangerous alcohol use.

• Men drink significantly more than women, with about 4.5% of men and 2.5% of women meeting the diagnostic criteria for …

Predicting Prenatal Care Utilization: Pregnancy Intention, Marital Status, Education, And Religiosity, Andrea D. Clements, Beth A. Bailey

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract available through the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

"Identifying As Religious" And "Strength Of Religious Commitment" Predict Substance Use Rates, But "Type Of Religion" Does Not, Andrea D. Clements, Natalie Cyphers

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract available through the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

The Association Between Preschool Type And Children's Concentration Abilities, Jessica Jarvis

Honors Projects

The author of the study compared concentration abilities in 4-5 year-olds attending Montessori and traditional preschools in Bowling Green, Ohio. Number of errors and processing times on the Marburg concentration test were used to measure children's concentration abilities. No significant differences in concentration abilities were found for preschoolers attending Montessori and traditional schools.

Undergraduate Student Change In Colorblind Racial Attitudes: Impact Of A Multicultural Psychology Course, Christina Patterson, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Double Dissociation Of The Anterior And Posterior Dorsomedial Caudate–Putamen In The Acquisition And Expression Of Associative Learning With The Nicotine Stimulus, Sergios Charntikov

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. This habit is not only debilitating to individual users but also to those around them (second-hand smoking). Nicotine is the main addictive component of tobacco products and is a moderate stimulant and a mild reinforcer. Importantly, besides its unconditional effects, nicotine also has conditioned stimulus effects that may contribute to the tenacity of the smoking habit. Because the neurobiological substrates underlying these processes are virtually unexplored, the present study investigated functional involvement of dorsomedial caudate putamen (dmCPu) in the conditioning processes with nicotine as a conditioned stimulus. Rats were trained …

The Effects Of Emotional Arousal On False Recognition In Alexithymia, Anthony N. Correro

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and an externally oriented thinking style (EOT). Further, individuals with alexithymia experience chronic physiological arousal. Prior research has shown that non-clinical participants with alexithymic traits cannot subjectively recognize increased arousal in response to viewing an arousing video. Yet, these individuals will still experience physiological arousal and will still have arousal-induced memory modulation. No studies to date have examined arousal effects on false memory in alexithymia. The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm examines false memory by introducing words associated with a non-presented `theme' word (i.e., critical lure) as memoranda, which …

Reading Between The Lines: Cultural Sexual Scripts And Collegiate Sexual Behaviors, Lauren Yadlosky

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cultural sexual scripts provide individuals with a general understanding of how to respond in sexual situations given their environment. College students navigate the college culture keeping various elements of these sexual scripts in mind. Utilizing 1,007 undergraduates, the researcher investigated the current relevance of traditional sexual scripts and the relationships between various levels of cultural sexual scripts (i.e., the collective versus individual perceptions of them) and their relation to reported sexual engagement. Researchers also explored factors that predict these relationships. Results suggested current sexual scripts still largely reflect traditional ones, depending on the sexual behavior being assessed. Individual perceptions of …

Mechanisms Of Regulation: Profiling The Impact Of Emotion Regulation On Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Samantha Ann Chesney

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Trauma survivors are at a high risk for developing symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and often experience difficulties with emotion regulation. However, there is no clear understanding of how multiple strategies may be used to effectively regulate PTS. The current study evaluates participants' use of six different strategies and investigates whether a specific profile of emotion regulation (i.e., the individual's default pattern of regulation, determined by the frequency with which s/he uses different strategies from a regulation inventory) is related to PTS. Results of a hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that four profiles of emotion regulation were present in the current …

Global Self-Worth And Perceptions Of Competence In Latino Youth: The Role Of Acculturation And Acculturation Risk Factors, Theresa Lauer Kapke

Master's Theses (2009 -)

To develop a better understanding of mental health disparities for Latino adolescents, the goal of the current study was to examine the sociocultural influences on Latino adolescents' self-esteem. Specifically, the current study investigated the effects of acculturation and acculturation risk factors on adolescents' global self-worth and self-perceptions of competence. Eighty-three Latino adolescents completed a series of questionnaires regarding behavioral and cognitive aspects of acculturation, acculturation risk factors (i.e., acculturation stress, acculturation conflict, and perceived ethnic discrimination), and perceptions of global self-worth and competence across various domains (i.e., behavioral conduct, physical appearance, and social acceptance). Results indicated that Latino orientation and …

Invariant Two Component Structure Of The Rbans, Elisabeth M. Vogt

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS: Randolph, 1998, 2012) is a brief neurocognitive instrument used to evaluate cognitive functioning in clinical settings. While this test is used regularly, investigation of the factor structure has resulted in inconsistent findings across samples. It was hypothesized that inconsistent RBANS dimensional structures are the result of methodological differences and not solely due to unique sample characteristics. The present study utilized empirically supported extraction criteria (Parallel Analysis; Minimum Average Partial Procedure) and uniformly investigated five samples. RBANS data from four samples were previously published (Carlozzi, Horner, Yang, & Tilley, 2008; Duff, …

Slim Truth: A Textual And Autoethnographic Analysis Of Celebrity Eating Disorder Coverage In People Magazine, Angela Michel

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This thesis employs textual analysis and autoethnography to examine portrayals of celebrity eating disorders in People magazine. In it I seek to accomplish two goals: first, to reveal the story told by the entertainment news outlet about anorexia and bulimia, and second, to relate that story to the lived experience of illness and recovery. I discover that the magazine's narrative is reductive and simplistic, laced with half-truths and widely held myths about eating disorders. It depicts these disorders not as complex psychological conditions, but rather as behavioral and physical "battles" triggered by celebrity activities. The illness experience is portrayed as …

Student Perceptions Of Book In A Bag As An Integrated Social Skills Instruction Program, Hans Ryckaert Gaul

Theses and Dissertations

Positive behavioral support and social emotional learning (SEL) are important ingredients in fostering student success and mitigating the incidence of aggressive and harmful behaviors. Although schools provide the ideal environment in which to implement these interventions, there are obstacles to doing so. These obstacles include the amount of time and resources an intervention takes, as well as the social validity of the intervention. To determine social validity, those who implement interventions must consider stakeholder groups’ perceptions and buy in towards the intervention. Because students are typically the primary target population, their perceptions of proposed interventions are particularly important. Each month …

Utah Elementary School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Students’ Problematic Behaviors And Critical Social Skills, Kimberly Weed

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are faced with the dual task of teaching academic skills and managing students’ problematic behaviors. Randomly selected kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers (N=295 of 1,144; 26% return rate) in rural, urban, and suburban Utah were asked to identify students’ five most problematic behaviors, as well as students’ five most desired social skills which supported social-emotional wellbeing and academic achievement. Teachers’ responses were summarized and information will be used to enhance universal Tier 1 social skills interventions, part of school-wide positive behavior support in Utah’s elementary schools. The top five problematic behaviors identified by participating teachers included (a) defiant and refuses …

Categorizing Fetal Heart Rate Variability With And Without Visual Aids, Amanda Jane Ashdown

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This present study examined the ability of clinicians and novices to correctly categorize fetal heart rate (FHR) variability with and without the use of exemplars. Clinicians and undergraduate students were asked to inspect FHR images and determine into which of four categories they belonged. Each participant took part in three conditions: one in which they were provided exemplars of prototypical FHR variability to use during their categorization task, another in which they were provided exemplars of nonprototypical FHR variability to use in their task, and a control condition in which no exemplars were available. The results showed that experts were …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of An Interval Estimation And A Visual-Spatial Secondary Task As Measures Of Mental Workload During Laparoscopy, Levi Parker Warvel

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The goal of the present study was to compare two secondary workload tasks, specifically a time interval estimation and visual-spatial task, to determine which of these is most appropriate for the assessment of laparoscopic mental workload. Participants performed a peg transfer task in two conditions: a normal camera angle and a 90° camera angle intended to increase mental workload. Based on multiple resource theory, it was predicted the visual-spatial task would be more sensitive to the workload manipulation than the time estimation task because it draws upon the specific, as opposed to more general, attentional resources required by laparoscopy. Primary …

Motivation, Marital Quality, Maternal Gatekeeping, Breadwinning, And Father Identity: Models Of Biological Fathers’ And Stepfathers’ Involvement In Childcare, Jessica E. Ladage

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Compared to biological fathers, there is far less knowledge about stepfathers in reference to their involvement in childcare. As stepfathers continue to increase in number in the United States, it is important to understand the factors that influence a stepfather to be more or less involved in the care of their stepchildren. Few studies have examined both biological fathers and stepfathers together on multiple sets of parenting variables. Thus, the current study aims to compare biological fathers and stepfathers on a model of paternal involvement.

Participants were 306 biological fathers and 69 stepfathers. In order to participate, fathers had to …

The Role Of Attention In Retrieval Practice, Joshua W. Whiffen

Open Access Theses

Dividing attention during encoding is detrimental to learning. In contrast, dividing attention during retrieval appears to have very little effect on recall. However, very few studies have investigated whether dividing attention during initial recall has an impact on subsequent retrieval attempts. ^ Research on retrieval practice has clearly shown that retrieval is an active process that leads to important changes in memory that ultimately enhance long term retention. However, it has yet to be established exactly how retrieval practice derives its benefits. One possibility is that retrieval involves the reinstatement of temporal context, which leads to the updating or encoding …

Volume 07, Rachel C. Lombardi, Ben Osterhout, Lindsay Graybill, Rebecca E. Dey, Skyler T. Carpenter, Emma Beckett, Jason Ware, Mollie Andrews, James Bates, Landon Cooper, Tiffani Jeffries, Maria Wheaton, Dallas Price, Laura Kahler, Sarah Charlton, Anna Bultrowicz, Emily Spittle, Erin Godwin, Eamon Brokenbrough

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Interim Dean Dr. Jennifer Apperson

Spatial Analysis of Potential Risk Factors Associated with Addition of Atlantic Coast Pipeline Through Virginia by Rachel C. Lombardi

"Delicate Matters with No Speaking," "Hope and Nothing," "Mono Duality" by Ben Osterhout

"Connect" Graphic Design Senior Project by Lindsay Graybill

Phenolic Acids in Brassicaceae Plants: Ovipositional Stimulants or Deterrents for Cabbage White Butterfly, Pieris Rapae? by Rebecca E. Dey And Skyler T. Carpenter

"Abecedarian Cards" by Emma Beckett, Jason Ware, And Mollie Andrews

Helvetica: A Type Specimen Book by James Bates, Landon Cooper, Tiffani Jeffries, And Maria Wheaton

“Things Left Behind” by Dallas …