Psychology Commons^™

Clinical Essentials For Obesity, Ryan Garry Montanari

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In order for health psychologists to be prepared to address obesity, foundational information on obesity is required. Psychologists have the potential to assist with lifestyle and behavioral modifications, especially when weight problems are tied to mental health conditions. Furthermore, clinicians can focus on triggers for unhealthy choices, in addition to unhealthy beliefs about eating and weight. The purpose of this research project is to provide health psychologists with essential information on the scope, associated risks, and evidence-based interventions for obesity so that they will be better prepared to deliver effective treatments.

Program Evaluation And Guideline Development For Psychological Treatment Of The Adolescent And Young Adult Population With Cancer, Kayla R. Kraich

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer population suffers from many unique medical and mental health challenges. Both medical, psychological and support services play an important role in the lack of improvement in survival rates of this population. The purpose of this project was to identify the unique mental health challenges and treatment needs of the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology population and to evaluate current oncology programs available to this population at Loma Linda University. The project provides guideline recommendations for implementing a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate AYA oncology program at Loma Linda University.

Music Listening As Therapy, David M. Rosenblatt

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Music is a universal phenomenon and is a real, physical thing. It is processed in neural circuits that overlap with language circuits, and it exerts cognitive, emotional, and physiological effects on humans. Many of those effects are therapeutic, such as reduced symptoms of physical and mental ailments. Music is the result of the elements rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics, and form. Rhythm is the focus of pop music, and melody is the focus of classical music. The mind perceives and organizes music in learned, consistent ways in order to generate predictions and extract meaning. There are perceptual laws and information …

Predictors Of Placement Satisfaction For Foster Youth, Shereen Mcfarlane

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Youth in the foster care system are often removed from their biological families because of challenges to their safety and wellbeing and are often at risk for further placement disruption and poor socio-emotional development. Placement stability is a crucial component to establishing permanency and placement satisfaction might be a contributing factor. This study uses an ecological framework to explore the impact of the foster youth’s ecosystem, such as the foster child, foster parent, child welfare worker, and the placement environment on placement satisfaction. This quantitative study uses secondary data to determine the predictability of these factors on placement satisfaction of …

Modeling Trust Dynamics In Strategic Interaction, Ion Juvina, Christian Lebiere, Cleotilde Gonzalez

Psychology Faculty Publications

We present a computational cognitive model that explains transfer of learning across two games of strategic interaction – Prisoner's Dilemma and Chicken. We summarize prior research showing that, when these games are played in sequence, the experience acquired in the first game influences the players’ behavior in the second game. The same model accounts for human data in both games. The model explains transfer effects with the aid of a trust mechanism that determines how rewards change depending on the dynamics of the interaction between players. We conclude that factors pertaining to the game or the individual are insufficient to …

Anticipatory Coarticulation Facilitates Word Recognition In Toddlers, Tristan Mahr, Brianna T.M. Mcmillan, Jenny R. Saffran, Susan Ellis Weismer, Jan Edwards

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Children learn from their environments and their caregivers. To capitalize on learning opportunities, young children have to recognize familiar words efficiently by integrating contextual cues across word boundaries. Previous research has shown that adults can use phonetic cues from anticipatory coarticulation during word recognition. We asked whether 18-24. month-olds (n= 29) used coarticulatory cues on the word "the" when recognizing the following noun. We performed a looking-while-listening eyetracking experiment to examine word recognition in neutral vs. facilitating coarticulatory conditions. Participants looked to the target image significantly sooner when the determiner contained facilitating coarticulatory cues. These results provide the first evidence …

Modeling Sources Of Teaching Self-Efficacy For Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants, Sue Ellen Dechenne, Natalie A. Koziol, Mark Needham, Larry Enochs

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs …

Understanding The Building Blocks Of Selection Procedures: Effects Of Response Fidelity On Performance And Validity, Filip Lievens, Wilfried De Corte, Lena Westerveld

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study aims to advance our conceptual understanding of selection procedures by exploring the effect of response fidelity (i.e., written constructed response vs. behavioral constructed response) on test performance, validity, and applicant perceptions. Stimulus fidelity (multimedia stimulus) was kept constant. In a field experiment, 208 applicants for entry-level police officer jobs completed a multimedia situational judgment test with written constructed responses and behavioral responses. We hypothesized the behavioral response mode (a) to be a better predictor of police trainee performance one year later, (b) to be less cognitively saturated, (c) to exhibit higher personality (extraversion) saturation, and (d) to be …

Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of bibliotherapy as an intervention for aggressive elementary children at a residential treatment center in the western United States. Bibliotherapy was provided for six children, three boys and three girls, ages 9 to 11, Caucasian and Hispanic, who took part in one of two groups. The study involved a multi-baseline design, beginning with a baseline phase, followed by two separate intervention phases comprised of eight sessions of bibliotherapy. Data gathered from almost daily observations along with pre- and post-intervention ratings of aggressive behaviors indicated that four of the six students demonstrated notable decreases in observed …

Social Anxiety And Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy Moderate The Relationship Between Drinking Game Participation And Alcohol-Related Consequences, Joseph W. Labrie, Lucy Napper, Shannon R. Kenney

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Background

Participation in drinking games is associated with excessive drinking and alcohol risks. Despite the growing literature documenting the ubiquity and consequences of drinking games, limited research has examined the influence of psychosocial factors on the experience of negative consequences as the result of drinking game participation.

Objectives

The current event-level study examined the relationships among drinking game participation, social anxiety, drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) and alcohol-related consequences in a sample of college students.

Methods

Participants (n =976) reported on their most recent drinking occasion in the past month in which they did not preparty.

Results

After controlling for sex, …

Locke, Judgment, And Figure: A Consistent Answer To The Molyneux Problem, Jamale Nagi

Anthós

John Locke has been famously credited with resurrecting the distinction between common and proper sensibles, better known in the Essay as primary and secondary qualities. Although some argue that Locke’s adherence to the doctrine of the common sensibles is in conflict with his empiricist sensibilities, I will show this is not likely to be the case. In order to achieve this I will argue that Locke held there to be cross-modal connections in the mind for the representational content of ideas of primary quality, through the relation of resemblance, but that these representations need to be empirically verified to …

Examining Work-Family Conflict And Parenting Stress For Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through The Lens Of Boundary And Conservations Of Resources Theories, Alyssa A. Pettey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Understanding the challenges parents of children with disabilities face when seeking to balance work and family is a real concern; however, these challenges have not been well studied. Parents of children with disabilities experience excess challenges in the home domain as a result of their caregiving demands that can lead to challenges in balancing family and work. This is particularly problematic for parents raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study examined the relationship between inter-domain transitions and work-family conflict in order to identify personal and situational factors that were associated with reduced conflict and parenting stress in …

Work Family Outcomes: Examining Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors And Flexibility In The Context Of Low Wage Work, Amanda R. Pettey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Low wage workers are faced with unique challenges such as shift work, scheduling conflicts, and increased job demands, all of which have the capacity to prevent work and family balance. Recently, supportive supervisors and flexible work arrangements have been suggested as essential to mitigating negative work family outcomes. Due to the underrepresentation of low wage workers in the literature, however, the nature of these relationships in the context of low wage work remains unclear. The present study examined the relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) and work family conflict and enrichment as mediated by flexibility characteristics. The sample consisted of …

Medulla: A 2d Sidescrolling Platformer Game That Teaches Basic Brain Structure And Function, Joey R. Fanfarelli, Stephanie Vie

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This article explores the design and instructional effectiveness of Medulla, an educational game meant to teach brain structure and function to undergraduate psychology students. Developed in the retro-style platformer genre, Medulla uses two-dimensional gameplay with pixel-based graphics to engage students in learning content related to the brain, information which is often pre-requisite to more rigorous psychological study. A pretest posttest design was used in an experiment assessing Medulla’s ability to teach psychology content. Results indicated content knowledge was significantly higher on the posttest than the pretest, with a large effect size. Medulla appears to be an effective learning tool. These …

Distance Effects In Similarity Based Free Categorization, Benjamin Alan Miller

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This experiment investigated the processes underlying similarity-based free categorization. Of particular interest was how temporal distance between similar objects affects the likelihood that people will put them into the same novel category. Participants engaged in a free categorization task referred to as binomial labeling. This task required participants to generate a two-part label (A1, B1, C1, etc.) indicating family (superordinate) and species (subordinate) levels of categorization for each object in a visual display. Participants were shown the objects one at a time in a sequential presentation; after labeling each object, they were asked to describe the similarity between that …

Training "In A Good Way": Evaluating The Effect Of A Culturally Responsive Pre-Training Intervention On Learning And Motivation, Adam Thomas Murry

Dissertations and Theses

Employee Training and Development (T&D) is a crucial component to an organization’s success and its ability to remain competitive. Although researchers in the field have discovered ways to enhance the effectiveness of training programs through the design, delivery, and evaluation process, research has not provided empirically-based recommendations for how to best train individuals whose cultural backgrounds may influence receptiveness of training curriculum. This is particularly relevant for employees whose cultural groups have been historically discriminated against, where cultural norms implicit in the training design may be met with resistance on behalf of the trainees. In the field of multicultural education, …

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

Assessing And Predicting The Financial Capacity And Financial Literacy Of College Students, Cody Solesbee

Modern Psychological Studies

This experiment evaluated the relationship between financial capacity, financial literacy, and their supposed predictors. The purpose of this study was to find the best overall predictor of financial capacity and financial literacy, while examining relationships among multiple variables. A neuropsychological battery consisting of eight measures was administered to a sample of 22 males and 28 females, all undergraduates at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Additionally, all participants were Psychology majors. Poor performance by the sample was noted on financial based measures. Estimated IQ, established by the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading, was found in positive correlation with scores …

Love Is A Battlefield: Experience Of Love In Relation To Depression, Laura Hill, Cherisse Flanagan

Modern Psychological Studies

Depression is a debilitating mental illness that entails much more than just sadness. In an attempt to discover if there is a relationship between experience of love and depression, a survey was created to assess these variables. The survey included the Experience of Love Questionnaire (ELQ), an author-developed scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (Radloffi 1977). The ELQ consisted of three subscales measuring experience of love in family, friends, and romantic relationships. The hypothesis of this study was that there would be a negative correlation between experience of love and depression. The survey was completed by 103 …

Perpetration Experience And Gender Predicting Empathy With A Stranger Or Acquaintance Rapist, Ruby L. Orth, Suzanne L. Osman

Modern Psychological Studies

This study examined empathy with a hypothetical rapist based on experimentally varied type of rape (stranger; acquaintance), participant perpetration experience, and gender. Undergraduate students (115 male, 206 female) completed the Rape Perpetrator Empathy-During Subscale and Sexual Experiences Survey. Hypotheses were partially supported. Sexual perpetrators (of acquaintances) reported greater empathy than nonperpetrators, and men reported greater empathy than women. Type of rape was not significant. Findings support past research, but more data from rapists is needed.

Fitting The Mold: Alcohol Use And Body Image Disturbances In Athletes And Greek-Affiliated Undergraduates, Britany Miley, Holly Mccartney Chalk

Modern Psychological Studies

The present study examined alcohol consumption and body image satisfaction in relation to student affiliation with varsity athletics and Greek organizations. Binge drinking, defined as the consumption of six or more drinks on one occasion, was also assessed. Results indicated that varsity athletes and Greek-affiliated students consumed alcohol more frequently and reported more binge drinking episodes compared to non-affiliated students. Additionally, students identifying with both at-risk groups (Greek-Athletes) were associated with the highest reported rates of binge drinking episodes. Greek-Athletes also yielded significantly lower body image satisfaction compared to all other participants. Findings suggest that counselors should aim prevention efforts …

Microexpression Detection In Undergraduate Students, Cameron R. Howell, Rebecca E. Hughes

Modern Psychological Studies

Microexpressions, facial expressions lasting for less than half a second, are a common but unnoticed occurrence. The accuracy of microexpression detection, and college major choice, have both been linked with personality. This led to the hypothesis that different majors should have different levels of accuracy in detection. A convenience sample of 121 undergraduate students, of different majors, was given a short survey about microexpression detection. 10 frontal headshots, portraying examples of 7 different microexpressions, were shown on a screen. Participants were asked to identO, the expressions by choosing from a provided list on the survey. There was no statistical significance …

Auditory Startle Response Predicts Introversion: An Individual Analysis, Kirby M. Jaeger, Austin H. Cox, David Philip Arthur Craig, James W. Grice

Modern Psychological Studies

We assessed a possible link between the Introversion/Extraversion spectrum and sensori-motor gating and predicted self-reported introverts would have more sensitive sensori-motor gating pathways than extraverts at the individual subject level. 28 subjects self-identified as introverts or extraverts; individuals that self-identified as both introverted and extraverted were classified as "ambiverts". Participants'orbicularis oculus muscles were electromyographically measured while abrupt auditory stimuli ranging from 50 to 100 decibels were played over headphones. As predicted, introverts exhibited greater electromyographical frequencies and magnitudes of response to stimuli at almost all levels of stimulus intensity. These results indicate introverts tend to be more sensitive, on a …

The Effect Of Cause-Related Marketing And Motivation On Consumer Perceptions, Gina Mccoy, Randall A. Renstrom

Modern Psychological Studies

The present experiment investigated the relationship between motivational style (intrinsic and extrinsic) and cause-related marketing (CRM) on product perceptions. CRM pairs the sale of products with a donation to a specific charitable cause. It was predicted that consumers will have more positive perceptions of products sold through CRM campaigns, be more likely to buy such products paired with CRM, and express more positive attitudes toward companies using CRM. Furthermore, it was predicted that motivational style may impact those attitudes, with intrinsically-motivated individuals showing a greater affinity toward a product when it is paired with a CRM campaign. Overall, results largely …

Spatial Estimation: A Non-Bayesian Alternative, Hilary Barth, Ellen Lesser, Jessica Taggart, Emily Slusser

Faculty Publications

A large collection of estimation phenomena (e.g. biases arising when adults or children estimate remembered locations of objects in bounded spaces; Huttenlocher, Newcombe & Sandberg, 1994) are commonly explained in terms of complex Bayesian models. We provide evidence that some of these phenomena may be modeled instead by a simpler non-Bayesian alternative. Undergraduates and 9- to 10-year-olds completed a speeded linear position estimation task. Bias in both groups’ estimates could be explained in terms of a simple psychophysical model of proportion estimation. Moreover, some individual data were not compatible with the requirements of the more complex Bayesian model.

Do Parents Favor Their Adoptive Or Biological Children? Predictions From Kin Selection And Compensatory Models, Nancy L. Segal, Norman P. Li, Jamie L. Graham, Steven A. Miller

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Evolutionary reasoning (Kin Selection Theory) predicts less favorable behaviors directed by parents toward their unrelated children, relative to their biologically related children. By extension, it may be argued that parents should also have less favorable perceptions of the intellectual, personality and other behavioral traits of unrelated children, compared with biologically related children. However, recent work has modified this expectation, given the distinction between unrelated adopted children (who are acquired intentionally) and unrelated stepchildren (who are acquired via mating effort). The compensatory model takes into account evolved desires for parenting and the evolutionarily novel availability of unrelated children. It predicts that …

Being Environmentally Responsible: Cosmopolitan Orientation Predicts Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Angela K. Y. Leung, Kelly Koh, Kim-Pong Tam

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Much research has examined individuals' values and beliefs as antecedents or correlates of pro-environmental behaviors (PEB). We approach this question from the novel perspective of individuals' cosmopolitan orientation (CO). We define CO as made up of three essential qualities. First, cultural openness captures individuals' receptiveness to immerse in and learn from other cultures. Second, global prosociality denotes a sense of collective moral obligation to universally respect and promote basic human rights. Third, respect for cultural diversity concerns high tolerance of and appreciation for cultural differences. Across two studies, we validated the Cosmopolitan Orientation Scale (COS) with theoretically related criterion measures …

Partner's Understanding Of Affective-Cognitive Meta-Bases Predicts Relationship Quality, Kenneth Tan, Ya Hui Michelle See, Christopher R. Agnew

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Knowledge that partners have about each other's attitudes are consequential for relationship quality. This article extends prior research and examines whether knowledge regarding a partner's meta-attitudinal bases, or subjective perceptions of how one's attitudes are driven, can influence relationship quality. Given how meta-bases are reflective of information-processing goals, we hypothesized that partner understanding of meta-attitudinal bases would positively predict relationship quality. Self and partner ratings of how relationally relevant attitudes were driven, as well as perceptions of relationship quality, were assessed. Results revealed that a partner's knowledge of one's meta-bases positively predicts one's own reported relationship quality. Results remained significant …

Nondysphoric Depressive Symptoms And Cognitive Abilities In Healthy Older Adults, Clint H. Norseth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research has shown that depression is associated with poorer cognitive performance and cognitive decline. Cognitive functions such as processing speed, language ability, memory, and executive functions have been found to be affected in older adults with depression. However, there is limited research focused on the effects of minimal or mild depressive symptoms in older adults who do not meet criteria for a depressive disorder. Older adults are more likely than any other population to endorse depressive symptoms in the absence of typical dysphoric symptoms that would qualify an individual for a depressive disorder. Understanding the effects of nondysphoric depressive symptoms …

Prostate Cancer Screening Intention Among Black Men: A Multivariate Analysis, Crystal Renee Clarke

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death among Black men, and widespread lack of screening contributes to the mortality burden. The purpose of this present study was to evaluate the effect of relationship intimacy with individual intent to screen using the digital rectal examination (DRE) among Black men. The human ecological theory of human development was a good fit for this present study, as individual health status and population health disparities are embedded in larger historical, geographic, socio-cultural, economic, and political contexts. The ecological framework allows researchers to attempt to identify the influences of all these factors. …