Psychology Commons^™

2015 Year In Review, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The crisp air of fall is settling in nicely as Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research’s editorial team puts the last issue of the year “to bed.” Psi Chi Journal continues making important strides toward meeting its two-prong mission to educate, support, and promote professional development, and to disseminate psychological science. This editorial provides a year in review for our readers, focusing on these two areas of our mission.

The Impact Of Sexual Violence On Intimate Relationship Dynamics: A Grounded Theory Study, Nicole M. Lozano

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study intended to develop a theory that explains the relationship dynamics of opposite-sex couples in which the female partner has been sexually victimized as an adult outside of the couple relationship. Four couples participated in the study sharing their experiences of disclosing the assault, communicating about the assault, physical intimacy, and salience of the assault to the relationship. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach the model emerged from the data. Overall, the women decided to disclose because they felt secure in their current intimate relationship. Disclosure happened for one of two reasons: (a) either to test the relationship and …

Through A Glass Darkly: Facial Wrinkles Affect Our Processing Of Emotion In The Elderly, Maxi Freudenberg, Reginald B. Adams, Robert E. Kleck, Ursula Hess

Dartmouth Scholarship

The correct interpretation of emotional expressions is crucial for social life. However, emotions in old relative to young faces are recognized less well. One reason for this may be decreased signal clarity of older faces due to morphological changes, such as wrinkles and folds, obscuring facial displays of emotions. Across three experiments, the present research investigates how misattributions of emotions to elderly faces impair emotion discrimination. In a preliminary task, neutral expressions were perceived as more expressive in old than in young faces by human raters (Experiment 1A) and an automatic system for emotion recognition (Experiment 1B). Consequently, task difficulty …

Relationship Education And Marital Satisfaction In Newlywed Couples: A Propensity Score Analysis., Rebecca J. Cobb, Kieran T. Sullivan

Psychology

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether premarital relationship education and characteristics of relationship education in a community sample of newlywed couples predicted marital trajectories over 27 months. Newlywed couples (N = 191) completed measures of marital satisfaction 9 times over 27 months, and prior to marriage they provided information about relationship education and demographic, personal, and relationship risk factors for marital distress. Propensity scores (i.e., the probability of receiving relationship education) were estimated using the marital distress risk factors, and used to derive a matched sample of 72 couples who participated in relationship education and 86 couples …

“Respect The Way I Need To Communicate With You”: Healthcare Experiences Of Adults On The Autism Spectrum, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Amelia E.V. Baggs, Sebastian Dern, Steven K. Kapp, Michael Weiner, Cody Boisclair, Elesia Ashkenazy

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our objective was to obtain an in-depth understanding of autistic adults’ experiences with healthcare and their recommendations for improving care. Our academic-community partnership used a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach to conduct semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 39 autistic adults and 16 people who had experience supporting autistic adults in healthcare settings. Participants identified patient-level, autism-related factors that impact healthcare interactions, including verbal communication skills, sensory sensitivities, challenges with body awareness, slow processing speed, atypical non-verbal communication, and challenges with organization. However, the success of healthcare interactions largely depended on the interplay between patient- and provider-level factors, as well as …

Using The New Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: What Do Teachers And Principals Think?, Rachel E. Schachter, Tara M. Strang, Shayne B. Piasta

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This white paper presents the results of a survey completed by teachers and principals in central Ohio concerning their perceptions of Ohio’s new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) during its inaugural implementation year. All kindergarten teachers and principals in Franklin County public elementary schools were invited to complete the survey; 150 responded. Although teachers and principals generally reported using assessments, including the previous state-mandated KRA-L screening tool, to guide their instructional decisions, the majority of participants did not perceive that the KRA, in particular, was useful for guiding instruction. Moreover, teachers reported that administering the KRA took away valuable time needed …

Revising Siop’S Guidelines For Education And Training Graduate Program Director Survey Results, Stephanie C. Payne, Whitney Botsford Morgan, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

SIOP commissioned the Education and Training Committee to revise the Guidelines for Education and Training at the Master’s and Doctoral Levels in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. As a part of that effort, the committee sent a survey to all the directors of graduate programs in industrial and organizational psychology and related fields per SIOP records.

To identify who to send the survey to, the following three lists of e-mail addresses were compiled and cross-referenced resulting in 317 potential respondents: (a) points of contact within SIOP’s Graduate Training Program database, (b) respondents to the 2011 SIOP program benchmarking survey (Tett, et al., 2012), …

Marmosets Treated With Oxytocin Are More Socially Attractive To Their Long-Term Mate, Jon Cavanaugh, Michelle C. Huffman, April M. Harnisch, Jeffrey French

Psychology Faculty Publications

Adult male-female bonds are partly characterized by initiating and maintaining close proximity with a social partner, as well as engaging in high levels of affiliative and sociosexual behavior. Oxytocin (OXT), a neuromodulatory nonapeptide, plays a critical role in the facilitation of social bonding and prosocial behavior toward a social partner (Feldman, 2012). However, less attention has been given to whether augmentation of OXT levels in an individual alters others’ perceptions and behavior toward an OXT-treated social partner. We examined social dynamics in well-established male-female pairs of marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) in which one member of the pair was …

A Neurobiological Pathway That Mediates Stress-Induced Drug Use, Oliver Vranjkovic

Dissertations (1934 -)

Cocaine addiction represents a tremendous health and financial burden on our society and the high rate of relapse to cocaine use in abstinent addicts represents a major barrier to effective therapy. Thus, understanding the factors that contribute to relapse and the underlying neurobiological processes is important for guiding the development of treatment for addiction. Stressful life events often trigger drug use in recovering addicts. The contribution of stress to drug use is problematic due to the unpredictable and often uncontrollable nature of stress. A growing literature indicates that norepinephrine and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in the brain play key roles …

Can Authoritarianism Lead To Greater Liking Of Out-Groups? The Intriguing Case Of Singapore, Arne Roets, Evelyn W. M. Au, Alain Van Hiel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Authoritarianism refers to the individual’s willingness to submit to authorities that are perceived as established and legitimate and to conform to social norms and traditions endorsed by society at large, as well as a general aggressiveness toward groups that deviate from the modal norm (Altemeyer, 1981). Since the publication of The Authoritarian Personality, the seminal work by Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson, and Sanford (1950), numerous empirical studies have consistently demonstrated the seemingly inextricable link between authoritarianism and negative attitudes about out-groups (for a meta-analysis, see Sibley & Duckitt, 2008). Indeed, in the authoritarian mind, minorities are readily perceived as “bad, disruptive, …

Thinking About The Future Now, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Sense And Sensibility Of Ownership: Type Of Ownership Experience And Valuation Of Goods, Xiao-Tian Wang, Lay See Ong, Jolene Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study examined how the type of ownership experience affects the valuation of a good. We hypothesized that the sense of ownership is a psychological derivative of resource acquisition and allocation. We predicted a valuation order of stable ownership or no-ownership

Compliance: Film About A Real-Life Milgram Experiment, Christina J. Taylor, Ryan Bushman, Lori Gwilliam, Michael Novis, Johanna Tiarks

Psychology Faculty Publications

The film, Compliance, tells the story of a real-life Milgram experiment in which strip-search scams were perpetrated in USA fast-food restaurants. A pilot study was carried out to explore the appropriateness of the film for classroom instruction about the psychology of obedience to authority. Participants with more knowledge about Milgram's research were significantly more likely to endorse use of the film than the less knowledgeable participants. Results suggest that substantive instruction on obedience to authority is a prerequisite to using Compliance in the classroom.

Studying Human Relatedness Through A Shared Gaming Experience, Christina Frederick, Rachel Cunningham, Leo Alex, Christopher Via

Publications

The importance of relatedness in collocated multiplayer video games should not be underestimated. Interpersonal relationships which develop from social interactions that occur during gameplay contribute to player motivation and meaningful and memorable experiences for the players. In this study we examined how interpersonal touch within a gameplay experience impacted player motivation and inter-player impressions. Dyads played one of two iPad-based games in three different conditions, one of which required physical contact between the players. Results indicated those in the touch-based conditions scored higher on several measures of intrinsic motivation and impressions of their teammate.

Closeness And Control : Exploring The Relationship Between Prayer And Mental Health., Benjamin Jeppsen, Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Annie Bjerg, Don Wooldridge

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This study explores the relationship between prayer and mental health in the context of two factors of a perceived relationship with God: closeness to God, and an indirect locus of control through God. Three models were tested for mediation using structural equation modeling to assess the separate and combined effects in an online sample of 330 praying adults from predominantly Christian backgrounds. Closeness to God proved to be a superior mediator. Counselors should consider prayer behaviors when culturally relevant, and encourage meditative and colloquial prayer for clients where increased sources of perceived social support would be beneficial.

Examining The Factors Related To Bisexual Individuals' Preference For Future Parenting Partner, Laurin Beth Roberts

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although a notable amount of research has examined sexual minority parents and their families over the last decade, very little literature has focused on bisexual parents. Most of the research emphasis has been placed on parenting by lesbian women and gay men, with parenting by bisexual individuals often being subsumed by these categories. There is currently a lack of understanding of what factors contribute to bisexual individuals’ preference for gender of their future parenting partner. Because of this, the current study examined the factors related to parenting partner preferences of bisexual students. Forty-seven bisexual individuals completed a series of questionnaires …

An Evaluation Of Game Fiction-Enhanced Training: Using Narrative To Improve Trainee Reactions And Learning, Michael Beaumont Armstrong

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Gamification is growing in popularity in instructional contexts like education and workplace training, but it is unclear which game elements are specifically conducive to improve learning outcomes. Narratives, which represent one way the game element “game fiction” is commonly implemented, have been used to improve learning outcomes over expository texts in the context of psycholinguistics, whereas the Technology-Enhanced Training Effectiveness Model (TETEM) proposes that certain individual differences impact the relationships between technology-enhanced training and learning outcomes. From this theoretical basis, this study gamified a training session with game fiction in order to improve reactions to training and learning over the …

Support For Gestalt Versus Business-As-Usual Theories Of Insight Depends On Operational Definition Of Insight, Kimberly D. Lee

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Some theories propose that insight involves automatic processes that are responsible for restructuring. Other theories postulate that the mechanisms surrounding restructuring are controlled and effortful. The current study tested these theories by comparing different methodology and operational definitions that have been used in previous research to investigate the nature of “Aha!” experiences and impasse in insightful problem solving. One hundred two undergraduate psychology students from Old Dominion University completed working memory tasks, six classic insight problems, and gave initial problem representation ratings for the insight problems before solution attempt. Using a think-aloud protocol, we assessed the occurrence of impasse during …

Treatment Response In Couple Therapy: Relationship Adjustment And Individual Functioning Change Processes, Lynne M. Knobloch-Fedders, William M. Pinsof, Claudia M. Haase

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study, a naturalistic investigation of the process of change in relationship adjustment and individual functioning during conjoint therapy, examined the first 8 sessions of a multisystemic model of couple therapy, integrative problem-centered metaframeworks (Breunlin, Pinsof, Russell, & Lebow, 2011; Pinsof, Breunlin, Russell, & Lebow, 2011). The sample consisted of 125 heterosexual couples who reported on their relationship adjustment and individual functioning before every session using the Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change (Pinsof et al., 2009; Pinsof, Zinbarg, et al., in press). Data were analyzed using dyadic latent growth curve and cross-lagged models. For both men and women, relationship adjustment …

A Review Of Peer Relationships And Friendships In Youth With Adhd, Denise M. Gardner, Alyson C. Gerdes

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: The purpose of this essay is to examine peer relationships in youth with ADHD and to review current peer functioning interventions.

Method: The studies included in this review were identified using the following search terms: “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,” “ADHD,” “peer relationships,” “friendships,” “social skills,” “intervention,” and “treatment.” Other than a few seminal studies published prior to 2000, studies included were published between 2000 and 2012.

Results/Discussion: Background information regarding peer relationship difficulties and specific social skills deficits of youth with ADHD is reviewed and current social skills and friendship intervention programs are examined. Future directions also are provided.

Comparing Implicit And Explicit Measures Of Sex Guilt In Predicting Sexual Behavior, Delaram Asadzadeh Totonchi

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sex guilt is a generalized expectancy for self-mediated punishment for violating or anticipating violating standards of proper sexual conduct. Our current knowledge about sex guilt is primarily achieved through using explicit measures, particularly the widely used Mosher Sex Guilt Inventory. Research has shown that explicit sex guilt can predict many sexual behaviors such as sexual activity, number of sexual partners, and condom use. Responses on explicit measures, however, are influenced by dissimulation and social desirability, especially when assessing socially sensitive domains such as sexual attitudes. The present study hypothesized that adding implicit sex guilt as a second predictor to the …

Examining The Relationship Between Leadership Decision Making Styles And Personality Type Within The Department Of Defense, Antoine Lamont Prince Sr.

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Leadership is perhaps the single most important function within the Department of Defense. While the old cliché “everyone is a leader regardless of position” may hold moral meaning, personnel in leadership positions are key. Under the umbrella of leadership is decision making. What leadership is to an organization, decision making is to leadership. Yet, despite this knowledge, unsound decisions are readily conducted. There are various theories as to why this holds true, one of which is personality type. Research however, shows that there is a limited amount of relevant knowledge to determine if there is in fact a …

Employee Behavioral Intention And Technology Use: Mediating Processes And Individual Difference Moderators, Robert Conrad Brusso

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Considering the substantial amount of time and organizational resources that are involved in the development and implementation of end-user technology (e.g., communication software platforms, social networking sites) within organizations, it is imperative to understand the factors that best predict use of end-user software. Although technology acceptance models, grounded in broader theories of behavior, do exist, these models fall-short in determining the most proximal antecedents of actual behavior. Currently, the majority of the research in the information technology arena posits behavioral intention as the most proximal antecedent of technology use. Behavioral intention does explain variance in use, but this relationship has …

The 'In-Group Advantage' For Perceiving Emotion Across Demographic Groups And Communication Channels, Thomas Myers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The ability to perceive emotions in others is critical to successful social interaction. While much research has been conducted on some of the factors affecting emotion perception, other areas have received relatively little attention and, thus, are not well understood. There is growing evidence to suggest that various demographic factors, as well as their interactions, impact the accuracy of emotion perception. The impact of these factors seems to vary as a function of the particular channel (e.g., facial, prosodic, and lexical) through which emotions are perceived and may even be influenced by the presence of an 'in-group advantage' (IGA; Elfenbein …

Investigating The Effects Of Intervention Intensity On Skill Acquisition And Task Persistence In Children With Down Syndrome, Nicole Marie Neil

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Maximizing outcomes for learners with Down syndrome requires an approach which is both effective and efficient. Modifying the intensity of intervention has the potential to affect the rate of skill acquisition as well as other learner behavior, such as task persistence, which alters the efficiency of intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of varying intensity levels of a behavior-analytic on acquisition and task persistence for young children with Down syndrome. Three children with Down syndrome were taught expressive language targets using three manipulations of intervention intensity (dose): the number of opportunities, the spacing of opportunities, …

Roles Of Shifting Attention, Alternating Attention And Inhibition On Temporary Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution And Use Of Context In Younger And Older Adults, Youngmi Park

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Twenty-four younger adults (20-35 years, mean: 25.88) and thirty-four older adults (65-79 years, mean: 71.82) read sentences via a word-by-word self-paced reading paradigm. Study 1 examined how older and young adults resolve sentences containing Noun Phrase (NP) and Verb Phrase (VP)-attached Prepositional Phrases (PPs) yielding temporary syntactic ambiguity, and which cognitive factors (working memory capacity, inhibition, shifting attention, alternating attention, and cognitive processing speed) contribute to temporary syntactic ambiguity resolution.

Study 2 was designed to investigate how both age groups utilize contextual information while resolving PP-attachment, and which cognitive functions play a role in the use of referential context during …

The Role Of Posterior Parietal Cortex In Episodic Memory Retrieval: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Studies (Tdcs), Denise Pergolizzi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Neuroimaging studies of recognition memory have shown that greater activity in the lateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC) correlates with successful recognition in a variety of paradigms, but experimental techniques that manipulate brain activity are necessary to determine the specific contribution of the PPC in episodic memory retrieval. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to manipulate cortical excitability. The collection of experiments that comprise this dissertation use tDCS to determine: 1) whether or not the lateral PPC is causally involved in episodic retrieval, and 2) whether the lateral PPC has a direct role in …

Singing Motherhood: First Time Mothers' Experiences Singing To Their Infants, Margaret Mia Pixley

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Mothers have sung to their children for centuries. Because singing provides an opportunity for self-expression and connection with others, understanding how first time mothers experience this age old practice might help us understand how singing facilitates a woman's developing relationship with herself as a mother and with her new infant. To date, little research exists on this particular function and experience of first time maternal singing. In this qualitative phenomenological study, 16 first time mothers with infants one year and under were interviewed about their experiences singing to their babies and were also asked to write a one-time diary entry …

Interleukin-1 (Il-1) As A Potential Contributor To The Pathophysiology Of Alzheimer's Disease, Sara Nicole Resch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Elevations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) have been reported as part of the inflammatory response to injury and neurodegenerative disorders. The observation of increased IL-1 levels in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) triggered over two decades of research implicating IL-1 in the disease pathogenesis. IL-1 has been suggested to modulate a variety of actions related to AD pathology, including the processing of the Aβ precursor protein and deposition of amyloid plaques. IL-1 also activates glial cells and induces recruitment of leukocytes and peripheral macrophages to the CNS across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). When exposed to IL-1, …

Self-Esteem As A Predictor Of Posttraumatic Growth And Adaptation Among Maltreated Early Adolescents, Hadar Schwartz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Child maltreatment, including neglect and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, affects 12% of American children each year (Wildeman, Emanal, Leventhal, Putnam-Hornstein, Waldfogel, & Lee, 2014). Maltreatment can be devastating to an individual's development and is associated with considerable negative psychological sequelae, including high rates of depression and problem behaviors, impaired peer relationships, and low self-esteem (e.g., Bolger, Patterson, & Kupersmidt, 1998; Cicchetti & Carlson, 1989; Kim & Cicchetti, 2006; Swanston, Tebbutt, O'Toole, & Oates, 1997; Toth, Manly, & Cicchetti, 1992). However, despite a historic emphasis on the negative effects of trauma, not all children experience traumatic reactions (Cicchetti & Rogosch, …