Psychology Commons^™

The Behavioral Analysis Of Gambling, Benjamin Witts, Anne Macaskill, Mack Costello

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A behavioral analysis of gambling is unique among the psychologies. A behavioral analysis seeks answers to questions pertaining to the prediction and influence of gambling in terms of the individual gambler, and thus emphasis is placed on well-controlled small-n studies in which findings are generalized to other individuals. Further, the behavioral analysis of gambling is concerned with environmental and historical relations in accounting for current gambling behavior, and less of a reliance is placed on internal and hypothetical causal factors. This symposium explores two data-driven analyses of gambling behavior from a behavioral account of gambling while a third conceptual and …

Technology-Based Brief Interventions For At-Risk Young Adult Gamblers, Matthew P. Martens

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The purpose of this presentation to discuss my work developing and evaluating the efficacy of brief interventions designed to reduce at-risk gambling and related negative consequences among young adults. Research has established that young adults, especially college students, are more likely to meet classification for “disordered” gambling than the general adult population (Blinn et al., 2007). Brief interventions that incorporate personalized feedback have been shown to be efficacious at motivating behavior change among young adults (Cronce & Larimer, 2011). The purpose of this presentation will be to discuss my efforts at extending this work to the area of at-risk gambling. …

How Modifiable Is Behavior? Factors Of Influence For Adherence To Provisions To Protect Minors In The Sale Of Gambling Products., Doris Malischnig

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A major challenge for lottery operators worldwide lies in motivating sales partners to check whether customers meet the minimum age requirement for the purchase of lottery products and thus use this control measure to prevent their sale to minors. Measures used by Austrian Lotteries to raise awareness of this topic range from responsible gaming (RG) training for sales partners and the provision of information materials for staff and customers to restrictive procedures like warnings and contract termination when a sales partner is caught repeatedly selling lottery products to minors.

A recent study based on 1,421 mystery shopping tests and on …

Responsible Gaming Certification Standards, Dietmar Hoscher

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The European Casino Association (ECA) is representing the licensed European Casino industry in Brussels. It represents some 900 casinos form 24 European countires which employ around 70.000 staff.

In 2013 the ECA launched a project among its members concerning Responsible Gaming. A Working Group headed by Prof. Hoscher a Board Mamber of Casinos Austria AG was formed. The members where Resposnible Gaming Experts fom the different companies and associations within the ECA network.

The working group established a Responsible Gaming Framework that represents a collection of measures to presevent gambling addictions and identify vulonerable persons. The collection of measures are …

Gambling Education Programs For Adolescents: A Systematic Review, Brittany Keen, Alex Blaszczynski, Fadi Anjoul

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Around two thirds of Australian adolescents aged 10-14 years old have gambled in the last year, and rates of problem gambling are up to four times higher among adolescents than in the adult population. Schools provide a unique opportunity to intervene in cognitive and behavioural development, and while several gambling education programs exist in schools across Australia and internationally, few have been empirically evaluated. The purpose of this review was to provide a systematic appraisal of the published research on gambling education programs for adolescents. The review aimed to identify the number and quality of studies that have evaluated gambling …

The Economics Of Lotto, Ian Walker, Robert E. Pryce, Rhys Wheeler, Nick Powdathvee

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

Narcissism, Sensation Seeking, Depression, Anxiety, And Cognitive Distortions: Comparative Analysis Between Poker And Video Lottery Terminal Players, David Levesque B.A., Serge Sevigny Ph.D., Christian Jacques M.Ps., Isabelle Giroux Ph.D.

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

According to the psycho-structural interaction model, the interaction between structural characteristics of a gambling game and player’s characteristics could foster the development of gambling problems. Those interactions may vary according to the types of game played. This study aims to compare poker and video lottery terminals players (VLTs) on six psychological characteristics (narcissism, sensation seeking, depression, anxiety, cognitive distortions and problem gambling severity) and to examine cognitive distortions as a mediator between personality/mood disturbance and problem gambling severity. The sample consisted of 191 poker players and 81 VLT players. Standard assessments were completed online and by phone within a cross-sectional …

The Cost Of Getting Lost: Measuring The Slot Machine ‘Zone’ With Attentional Dual Tasks, W. Spencer Murch

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

A contemporary stance on regular and problematic electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers argues that these individuals use machine gambling as a means of escaping aversive feelings rather than as a means of seeking out excitement. Often called “The Slot Machine Zone,” this hypothesis currently rests on qualitative and anecdotal data suggesting that machine gamblers are somehow lost in the game (Schüll, 2012). Conceptually similar to work on flow and dissociation, the zone hypothesis predicts that problematic EGM play is associated with 1) increased self-reported dissociation / immersion, 2) attenuated peripheral attention, and 3) a positive physiological state as a result. …

The Effects Of Cognitive Training Among Individuals With Neurodegenerative Diseases, Elise Gabriela Valdes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the growing older adult population, neurodegenerative diseases common in old age such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Parkinson’s disease (PD) are becoming increasingly germane areas of research. Pharmacological treatments have thus far been unsuccessful in treating cognitive decline associated with these neurodegenerative disorders. Alternative interventions, such as cognitive training programs, have shown promise. The current dissertation contains three papers examining cognitive interventions in neurodegenerative diseases. The first paper examined the longitudinal effects of cognitive speed of processing training (SPT) among those with PD. Results showed that training gains seen at initial post-test were maintained three months later. The …

Genes, Dopamine Pathways, And Sociality In Primates, Jeffrey French

Psychology Faculty Publications

Unraveling the complex sequence of molecular, biochemical, and neuronal cascades that transpire between gene action and behavioral phenotypes has been an exceptionally tough scientific nut to crack. The difficulties in connecting the links between genes and behavior have been especially problematic for social phenotypes, including species-typical social structure, in which multiple individuals are involved in interactions, and hence the appropriate behavioral responses are conditional on actions of a partner. Forty years ago, Robert Hinde (1) provided a critical insight into the dissection and analysis of social behavior, in which he argued that the social structure of a particular species is …

Ecosystemic Effects Of Military Sexual Trauma In Male Service Members And Veterans, Jessica A. Carlile

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Military sexual trauma (MST) represents a significant, endemic concern in the United States Armed Forces. Although approximately 50% of individuals who experience MST are male, few studies have been published examining the overall experience of males who survived MST, and no known project has recruited a sample unaffiliated with Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Therefore, this study investigated the immediate and enduring ecosystemic effects of MST on male service members and veterans recruited entirely outside the VHA system. To evaluate the depth and richness of human experience, 12 participants—10 veterans and two active duty service members (50% Euro-American, 58% partnered, 75% …

The Effect Of A Computerized Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management Intervention On Psychological Factors And Diabetes Management, Cathy A. Bykowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is associated with increased psychological distress which, in turn, is associated with poorer diabetes outcomes. This study examined the impact of a nine-week Internet based cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention that targeted stress and mood in people with diabetes. It was hypothesized that the intervention would decrease psychological distress and improve diabetes outcomes and adherence to diabetes treatment regimens. Participants with type 1 and type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 103) or a waiting-list control group (n = 74). ANCOVAs demonstrated significant group effects for the reduction of perceived generalized stress (F (1, 105) = …

Investigating Parameter Recovery And Item Information For Triplet Multidimensional Forced Choice Measure: An Application Of The Ggum-Rank Model, Philseok Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To control various response biases and rater errors in noncognitive assessment, multidimensional forced choice (MFC) measures have been proposed as an alternative to single-statement Likert-type scales. Historically, MFC measures have been criticized because conventional scoring methods can lead to ipsativity problems that render scores unsuitable for inter-individual comparisons. However, with the recent advent of classical test theory and item response theory scoring methods that yield normative information, MFC measures are surging in popularity and becoming important components of personnel and educational assessment systems. This dissertation presents developments concerning a GGUM-based MFC model henceforth referred to as the GGUM-RANK. Markov Chain …

A Psychometric Evaluation Of A Measure For Evaluating Youth’S And Their Parent’S Worries About Psychosocial Treatment, Robert Rein Selles

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Initial examination of treatment worries suggest they may represent an important construct; however, previously used measures were limited by their specificity, scale format, and lack of parent report. Therefore the present study sought to examine the initial outcomes and psychometrics of newly developed corresponding measures of treatment worries in youth (Treatment Worries Questionnaire – Child; TWQ-C) and their parents (Treatment Worries Questionnaire – Parent; TWQ-P).

METHODS: Participants were 94 youth (7-17-years old) and parent dyads presenting for psychosocial treatment of an anxiety disorder. Prior to initiation of treatment, dyads completed the TWQ-C and TWQ-P along with a host of …

Self Discovery And Backpackers: A Conceptual Paper About Liminal Experience, Amanda Evangeline Ting, Christian Kahl

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Little is known about ‘liminoid’, the state of ‘suspension’. However, every backpacker definitely passes through it, to journey from one transitional state of mind, to arrive at the next level of social status; Crossing the threshold between childhood to maturity, peace to war, singlehood to marriage and from being spiritually lost to found. Inspired by Victor Turner’s (1969) significance of the ‘betwixt and between’ level which he named liminal, this paper aims to explore the process of backpackers’ self-discovery by seeking the means of travel through states of cultural rituals, transcendental meditation, adventure and recreational activities. Findings in the literature …

The Role Of Threat-Based Beliefs In Mental Health Help-Seeking Processes For Depression, Jason I. Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness among college students is a significant public health concern. Among mental health issues, one of the most prevalent and impairing is depression. Although many students experience depression, the majority do not seek help. Past research has shown that stigma beliefs are associated with help-seeking, but interventions targeting stigma have been unsuccessful at increasing help-seeking prompting the need to explore alternative models. Currently, there has been little research evaluating the role of threat-based beliefs related to help-seeking processes. As well, it remains unclear how different threat-based beliefs may interact and be related to help-seeking intentions.

The purpose of these …

A Recursive Frame Analysis Of Satir Through The Biopsychosocial Lens, Daniel Pelak

The Qualitative Report

This study attempts to add to the understanding and metatheory of the therapeutic process through the analysis of a therapeutic session through the lens of the biopsychosocial model. The study examines which interventions were utilized, in what system, and during which stage of therapy. In order to accomplish this goal, a recursive frame analysis was utilized to track the different frames and interventions of Virginia Satir’s “Of Rocks and Flowers” training session. Results indicated that Satir operated at all three levels of the biopsychosocial system and utilized exploratory questions to assess the vicious cycle in Act I, in Act II …

Ensemble Coding Of Semantic Information: Are Numerical Averages Generated In Parallel?, Kassandra R. Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown evidence for the activation of ensemble coding mechanisms at multiple levels of processing complexity (Ariely, 2001; Haberman & Whitney, 2009). Here we investigated the use of ensemble mechanisms for semantic information, as well as the role of serial and parallel processing and automaticity in generating semantic ensemble representations. Twenty-seven undergraduate students completed tasks in which they reported the average value of an entire digit display or only a subset of digits, or searched for individual digits within the display. Results show that participants could average sets of numbers following only a short presentation, and that reaction …

Decisions At The Brink: Locomotor Experience Affects Infants’ Use Of Social Information On An Adjustable Drop-Off, Lana B. Karasik, Catherine S. Tamis-Lemonda, Karen E. Adolph

Publications and Research

How do infants decide what to do at the brink of a precipice? Infants could use two sources of information to guide their actions: perceptual information generated by their own exploratory activity and social information offered by their caregivers. The current study investigated the role of locomotor experience in using social information—both encouragement and discouragement—for descending drop-offs. Mothers of 30 infants (experienced 12-month-old crawlers, novice 12-month-old walkers, and experienced 18-month-old walkers) encouraged and discouraged descent on a gradation of dropoffs (safe “steps” and risky “cliffs”). Novice walkers descended more frequently than experienced crawlers and walkers and fell while attempting to …

Restoring Ubuntu: Ecosystemic, Biopsychosocial, Afrocentric Networks For The Trauma-Healing Of Sexual Violence Survivors In Eastern Congo, Summer D. Downs

Honors Projects

The purpose of this paper is to propose that trauma healing in the Congo should be directed by the agency of Africans, characterized by an ubuntu-based systems epistemology, and facilitated throughcreative, multi-modal networks.

Attention Deficits And Perception Of Emotion In Groups, Agnes Renee Strojewska

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationship between attention deficits and the recognition of emotions of either individuals or groups (ensembles). Previous research has suggested that individuals with ADHD may have deficits in social cognition, specifically in recognizing the internal (emotional) states of others, though it remains unclear whether these deficits are a discrete component of ADHD or merely the byproduct of the inattention characteristic of the disorder. Perception of ensemble characteristics, or ensemble coding, has recently been the target of increased interest in perception research, and appears to represent a powerful mechanism for processing sensory information, particularly in situations when …

Open-Minded Religiosity: Investigating The Link Between Religious Commitment And Thinking Style, Carl W. Sallee

Honors Projects

This study examined the relationship between religious commitment and thinking styles. Participants (n = 195) completed self-report measures of religious commitment, contextualism, Authoritarianism-Conservatism-Traditionalism (ACT - conceptualized as social attitudes/beliefs), and Open-Minded Cognition (OMC - conceptualized as a cognitive style). A marginally significant direct link was observed. Furthermore, when controlling for Contextualism, the strength of the negative link between SRF and OMC increased non-significantly. When controlling for ACT, mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between SRF and OMC was more indirect (via shared variance with ACT) than direct. Moderation analyses did not reveal significant results. Results tentatively suggest a negative …

Risk Factors Of Eating Disorders And The Modern Orthodox Jewish Family, Susan D. Schmool

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Eating Disorders (EDs) are characterized by maladaptive attitudes, beliefs, and/or behaviors related to eating. Maladaptive behaviors can include restrictive eating, bingeing, purging, excessive exercising, and use of diuretics. Research has identified several characteristics within individuals that can be considered risk factors for the development of EDs including perfectionism, low self-esteem, elevated BMIs, affluence, and stressful life events. Several of these characteristics are very common in the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. Modern Orthodox Jewish female adolescents are a very unique and at-risk population in society. This population has a prevalence of EDs that is 50% higher than the general population (Baruchin, …

Maternal History Of Neglect, Mind-Mindedness, And The Cycle Of Neglect, Karin N. Belser

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Although links between history of maltreatment, attachment security, and maltreatment perpetration have been established, support for the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment remains weak due to definitional and methodological issues. In addition, less severe forms of child neglect that do not result in Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement have not been extensively studied. In order to expand our understanding of the cycle of neglect, the present study examined a model linking maternal mind-mindedness, maternal history of neglect, subthreshold neglect and child outcomes (physical, socioemotional, and intellectual).

Methods. The study participants were 96 mother-child dyads assessed at child ages of 4, 8, …

Boundaries And Belonging: Asian America, Psychology, And Psychoanalysis, Natalie C. Hung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation addresses a vexing problem. In psychology and psychoanalysis, Asian Americans are more often understood as a collective Other than as individual Selves, more frequently an object of study than a subject. Through two overarching aims, my dissertation sheds light on neglected aspects of Asian American selves, the meanings of the invisibility surrounding them, and implications for clinical practice.

First, the project challenges extant psychological perspectives on Asian Americans, which often implicitly assume a wide gulf of difference between Asian American cultural values and the Western epistemologies of psychology and psychoanalysis. Through the examination of academic research, clinical literature, …

Does Intergroup Threat Cause Distinct Contact Orientations For High And Low Status Groups?, Brian M. Johnston

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A variety of groups, such as White and Latino Americans, predominantly live in segregated clusters. This is evident by looking at demographic data in the U.S., and often occurs in the absence of legal mandates. To explain why segregation occurs, this dissertation developed a theoretical model with hypotheses on how perceiving a threat to ingroup resources could cause segregation behaviors, but with unique behaviors for high and low status groups. Whites (high status) could view Latinos as a threat to jobs, for example, and be motivated to avoid Latinos. Latinos (low status) could similarly view Whites as a threat to …

The Relationship Between Fragile Self-Esteem, Mindfulness, And Hostile Attribution Style, Robyn L. Haertel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study aimed to expand upon existing literature pertaining to self-perception, awareness towards the environment, and related attributions. Specifically, mindfulness and self-esteem, as well as the subset of fragile self-esteem, were examined as predictors of a hostile attribution style (HAS). Additionally, self-esteem and fragile self-esteem were investigated as correlates of mindfulness. Undergraduate students from across the country were invited via social media to participate in this online study. A total of 190 students completed four surveys used for data analyses: the Mindful-Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES; Rosenberg 1965), Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale (CSWS; …

(Dis)Entangling Gender Expression And Race In Antigay Discrimination: An Intersectional Approach, Steph M. Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Current psychological definitions and operationalizations of antigay discrimination conceptualize negative treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ) individuals as a response to their same-gender sexual orientations and not other factors. Because an individual’s sexual orientation is always understood through racialized hegemonic gender ideologies, however, attention to gender expression – how one “does” gender – and dynamics of race within antigay encounters is essential. Comprised of two mixed-method studies, this dissertation examines the role of gender expression and race in antigay discriminatory encounters from two perspectives: those who are targets of discrimination (i.e., cisgender and transgender LGBQ individuals) and those …

On The Screen, In The Mind: An Erp Investigation Into The Interaction Between Visuo-Spatial Information And Spatial Language During On-Line Processing, Emily Zane

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project used Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to explore neurophysiological brain responses to prepositional phrases involving concrete and abstract reference nouns (e.g., "plate" and "moment", respectively) after the presentation of objects with varying spatial features. Prepositional phrases were headed by in or on and were either matching (e.g., "in the plate/moment") or mismatching (e.g., "on the plate/moment"). Conjunction phrase matches and fillers were also presented. Before half of the concrete-phrase items, a photographic depiction of the reference noun was presented. In these photographs, objects were displayed in a way that was either more appropriate for in or for on. Similarly, before …

The Words And Worlds Of Disability: Discourses On Disablement Within The Situated Practices Of Service Providers, Enitza C. Carril

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

From a traditional perspective, disability stood outside the normal bounds of development, belonging within the realm of pathology and the disabled person was defined as deficient. Disability may also be characterized as an instance of human diversity and disabled as a designated identity that is socially constructed in an ongoing process—an interaction between individuals and social contexts. The process of disablement is linked to discourses used to define and act upon people ascribed with a disabled identity. This study assumes that disability is an instance of human diversity, a valid developmental trajectory, which is enacted and embedded in sociocultural, political, …