A Novel Use Of The Deese-Roediger-Mcdermott Paradigm: Distinguishing Between Differential Memory Mechanisms In Emotional Literature, Alan John Yablonski Jr.

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

To current knowledge, the emotional literature has not included the proposal to conceptualize experimental designs in terms of item vs. hippocampal-dependent relational memory representations. Through utilizing the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm the current study targets two memory mechanisms: item-specific memory (i.e., font color) and relational memory. In addition, relational-binding memory was also assessed. The current study consists of three hypotheses: (a) negatively-valenced critical lures will be correctly recalled by participants more than neutrally-valenced critical lures (increased relational memory for negatively-valenced words), (b) participants will more accurately recall studied negatively-valenced words with the correct color compared to neutrally-valenced studied words (increased item-specific …

Changing Peer’S Attitudes Towards Accommodations For Disabled Students, Dylan G. Kitley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Previous research on attitudes towards accommodations given to university students with disabilities has examined three groups: Faculty, disabled students, and their non-disabled peers. In general, faculty members have positive attitudes about implementing accommodations as long as they do not drastically change the curriculum. Both disabled and non-disabled students had similar positive attitudes for external disabilities such as visual impairment, cerebral palsy, and brain injury but less positive attitudes towards non-physical disabilities like depression. The purpose of this study was to see if an online educational intervention could change attitudes towards accommodations of disabilities. Participants (N = 122) were divided …

Initiating Conversation By A Kindergarten-Aged Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Eliana A. Segal

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have social skill deficits that are often manifested in a failure to achieve normal back-and-forth conversation. They rarely initiate social interactions and often show little responsiveness to others. This can extinguish the social initiations of their peers, leading to great difficulty making friends. The purpose of the present study was to teach a child with ASD at an inter-professional autism clinic how to initiate and reciprocate a social conversation. A prompt fading procedure was implemented during training sessions to build a set of social skills into the child’s repertoire. The intervention provided social attention …

Build-Up Effect Of Auditory Stream Segregation Using Amplitude-Modulated Narrowband Noise, Harley J. Wheeler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Recent psychoacoustic experiments (Böckmann-Barthel et al., 2014; Deike et al., 2012) have re-examined research regarding stream segregation and the build-up effect. Stream segregation is the ability to discern auditory objects within a stream of information, such as distinguishing one voice amongst background noise or an instrument within an orchestra. Initial works examining this topic proposed that auditory information is not immediately distinguished as various streams, but rather that differences accumulate over time, allowing listeners to segregate information following a period of build-up (i.e., the build-up effect); whereas more current findings indicate a build-up period is unnecessary for segregation. This experiment’s …

Refining Noncontingent Reinforcement Treatments Using Behavioral Momentum Theory, Valdeep Saini

Theses & Dissertations

One of the most effective and commonly prescribed treatments for children with autism and/or an intellectual disability who engage in severe destructive behavior is called noncontingent reinforcement (NCR). During NCR, the consequence that previously reinforced destructive behavior is delivered on a time-based schedule, independent of destructive behavior, and the contingency between destructive behavior and its reinforcer is discontinued (operant extinction; EXT). Conceptual and quantitative derivations of behavioral momentum theory (BMT) suggest that certain aspects of NCR may inadvertently promote persistence of destructive behavior, thereby prolonging the treatment process. Guided by Shahan and Sweeney’s (2011) model of resurgence based on BMT, …

Effects Of Modeling Varied Responses And Programming Lag Contingencies On Varied Responding During Discrete-Trial Instruction, Sean P. Peterson

Theses & Dissertations

Children with autism often require direct instruction to learn skills (e.g., discrete-trial instruction [DTI]). Despite its advantages, DTI has been criticized for producing rote responding (e.g., Cihon, 2007). Although there is little research supporting this claim, if true, this may be problematic given the propensity of children with autism to engage in restricted and repetitive behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In Experiment 1, we evaluated the effects of modeling rote versus varied target responses during DTI on producing varied responding and efficiency of skill acquisition in learning intraverbal categorizations. For all four children, all increases in varied responding were temporary, …

Religiosity And Internalized Homonegativity: The Effect Of Religious Conservatism On Depression In Sexual Minorities, Matthew Thaxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual minorities report higher rates of mental illnesses than the general population, most notably depression. This study focuses on the relationship between religious commitment in sexual minorities, internalized homonegativity, and depression. In order to do this, 265 participants answered a survey that consisted of inventories to test for sexual orientation, religious commitment, political and religious views, and internalized homonegativity. Participants came from Abilene Christian University and LGBT groups from the surrounding Abilene, Texas area. Of the 265 participants, 33 self-identified as a sexual minority. The data from those that identified as a sexual minority was analyzed to find correlations between …

Substance Use Among College Students: Correlations With Intent To Graduate, Academic Integration, And Social Integration, Cecilia M. Clowdus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use is one of the greatest concerns for adolescents and emerging adults. The consequences of prolonged substance use can lead to physical, psychological, and financial consequences for those suffering from use as well as their loved ones. One consequence that has not been researched thoroughly is the association between substance use and the decision to leave higher education, which is a decision that could have lasting effects on former students’ ability to obtain satisfactory employment in the future. This research looks at substance use and variables that are associated with the decision to leave college, which are derived from …

The Empathy Project: Using A Project-Based Learning Assignment To Increase First-Year College Students’ Comfort With Interdisciplinarity, Micol Hutchison

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

Empathy and interdisciplinarity are both concepts that are current and relevant—across professions, in research, and in academia. This paper describes a large, interdisciplinary, project-based assignment, the Empathy Project, which allows students to delve into and increase comfort and skill with interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative learning, while improving the core college skills of written and oral communication, ethical and quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking. As I revised the assignment based on student feedback and results, I found that group conferences and time in class to work collaboratively were beneficial. Additionally, building increased scaffolding into the assignment, including greater student and group …

College-Going Experiences Of Male Foster Youth Alumni Who Have Stopped-Out Of College, Felipe D. Longoria

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative research study examined how foster care experiences and masculinities influenced male foster youth alumni’s decision to go to college. The study also sought to understand the in-and-out-of-college factors that led participants to exit college prematurely. Five participants were each interviewed twice for data collection purposes. Findings from data analysis indicated that establishing and maintaining relationships in college were challenging and affected an already vulnerable population in their help-seeking behavior. Recommendations are offered for higher education professionals and areas for future research are noted.

Advisor: Corey Rumann

Work-Family Conflict And Wellbeing Among Mothers In Higher Education, Brittany S. Bilodeau

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Numerous studies and meta analyses have been published on work-family conflict, including its antecedents and outcomes. However, the current body of literature is dominated by research that focuses on the corporate context. As a result, there is an underrepresentation of women employed in the academy. An increasing number of scholars are addressing this gap in the literature by focusing on women employed in higher education. This research serves the purpose of supporting this growing area of research. Instructional faculty members at James Madison University, who self-identified as mothers, completed a survey to assess work-family conflict, its contributing factors, and outcomes. …

The Achievement Gap And Students Living In Poverty: The Role Of Core Self-Evaluation And Transformational Leadership In Teachers, India Harris

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Research has shown that the combination of locus of control, self-efficacy, self-confidence, and emotional stability is a good predictor of life success. Until now, this second order factor, called core self-evaluations (CSE) has only been studied in adults. Findings from this study, showed levels of CSE were significantly and positively connected with academic achievement for middle and elementary aged students. CSE appears to play to a similar role between students and academic achievement as it plays with adults and job performance. In this study, the dimensions of transformational leadership were applied to teacher behaviors and students were grouped based on …

Picture This! Objectification Versus Empowerment In Women's Photos On Social Media, Amber L. Horan

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine women’s motivations for posting sexualized photos of themselves on social media sites. In Western society, women are objectified through many forms of media, such as magazines and television. As a result, women have learned to view themselves as objects, through a process known as self-objectification (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Women experience a number of negative consequences from self-objectification, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders (Moradi & Huang, 2008). Despite all of the research indicating the negative effects of the objectification of women, other research has shown that some women enjoy feeling …

Using Systematic Instruction To Teach Science To Students With Severe Disabilities, Anna E. Greene

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Science content is still a commonly over-looked academic content area for students with severe disabilities despite recent research. The purpose of this study was to show that students with severe disabilities can learn science content in a whole group setting when taught using applied behavior analytic principles, such as prompting and fading techniques. Four elementary-aged students with severe disabilities between 1^st and 5^th grade were taught science content using group lessons and effects were measured by a multiple baseline design across units. Participants were taught content from three different units: Energy, weather, and plants; the science content selected …

The Effect Of Technology On Work-Life Balance: Women In Higher Education, Alexandra G. Hubbard

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This study aimed to contribute to the literature on women, technology, and work-life balance (WLB). By identifying both instructional and non-instructional female employees at an institution of higher education, the study facilitated a comparison between the perceived levels of WLB and technology’s impact on the balance. A mixed methods survey was sent to all female employees to identify potential commonalities or differences between the groups. Questions inquired about employees’ experiences with, and outlooks on, WLB and information and communication technologies (ICTs). For the purpose of the study, ICTs included technologies such as email, accessed through computers, cell-phones or tablets. The …

Ucf Forum: My Addiction To All Things Colorful, Crafty, Stationery And Office Supply, Yolanda Hood

UCF Forum

I have a coloring book and pretty pencils to color with. I know many of you do, as well. But the difference between you and me may be this: I have had an addiction to all things colorful, crafty, stationery, and office supply for my entire life.

Examining Latent Change Classes: An Application Of Factor Mixture Modeling To Change Scores, Thai Q. Ong

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Although change scores are used in a variety of statistical methods (e.g., analysis of variance and regression), there is a lack of application of latent variable modeling methods to change scores. This thesis provides a detailed description of two latent variable modeling methods applied to change scores: factor analysis of change scores and change score factor mixture modeling. To illustrate advantages of these methods, both were applied to change score data from undergraduates. Students responded to sense of identity items during a university-wide assessment day on two occasions, once as incoming freshmen and again as second-semester sophomores. Change scores were …

Context Effects Of False Remember Responses In Older And Younger Adults, Casey M. Williamson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Although different theories attempt to explain the underlying mechanism of false remembers, none have been able to adequately describe this process. The current study aims to determine if a specific contextual detail (i.e., font color) can be tied to false remembers (i.e., false memory that contains contextual or perceptual details), and if there are age differences in this ability. Using the Deese, Roediger, McDermott (DRM) paradigm (Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995) and the contextual detail of font color, this study investigated if older and younger adults can tie a specific color to studied items and critical lures (non-presented semantic …

The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation And Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Consumption On Δfos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The present study explores the relation between sleep restriction and alcohol use and the neural substrates that result from chronic behaviors. Accumulation of the transcription factors ΔFosB is suggested as a possible outcome of chronic behaviors, such as addiction. Sleep is discussed as possible mediating factor in the relationship between ΔFosB and chronic alcohol consumption. There were four experimental groups in this study: Control (C), Sleep Deprivation only (SD), Alcohol Exposure only (AO), and both sleep deprivation and alcohol exposure (B). Levels of ΔFosB accumulation in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) revealed a significant main effect of sleep deprivation, but no …

An Examination Of The Psychometric Properties Of And Validity Evidence For The Alliant Intercultural Competency Scale, Elizabeth L. Smith

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The alliant intercultural competency scale was developed by Henderson et al. (2015) to measure intercultural competence in students in higher education. Henderson et al. outlined five domains representative of an interculturally competent professional: knowledge, communication, attitudes, professional practice, and negotiated space. In the current study, the AICS was revised (AICS-R) and then evaluated using Benson’s (1998) framework for construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis results suggested a five-factor model strongly aligned with the five aforementioned domains; this provides support for the internal structure of the AICS-R. Scores from the AICS-R were correlated with external measures, and group differences in scores were …

Generalization Of Joint Attention: Using Parent Child Interaction Therapy To Program Social Skills In Children With Developmental Disorders, Thomas E. Rigg

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Generalization of social behaviors is a vital component of human behavior. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder often show symptomology that includes impairment in social behavior and failure to generalize behavior on the whole. Initiation of joint attention is a social behavior that can be understood as a behavior cusp and worthy of intervention to promote development. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy has been studied in recent years for its efficacy in treating some dimensions of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children and adolescence. The current study sought to explore the efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in promoting the generalization of initiation of joint …

Interteaching: Types Of Prep Guide Questions And Their Effect On Student Quiz Performance, Verena S. Bethke

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Although previous research indicates that interteaching is an effective alternative to more traditional teaching approaches, not many component analyses of the method exist. For example, although researchers have shown that the prep guide component contributes to the effectiveness of interteaching, no research has directly examined how the content of the prep guides affects learning. The current lab-based study investigated whether having prep guides consisting of lower-level or higher-level questions impacted students’ subsequent quiz performance. We found no significant differences in quiz performance between the two conditions, but several extraneous factors may have impacted the results.

Effect Of Distance Caregiver Coaching On Functional Skills Of A Child With Traumatic Brain Injury, Michelle R. Witt

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Brain injury is a major public health concern affecting nearly 5 million Americans annually with a cost exceeding $60 billion in the United States. Acquired and traumatic brain injuries cause physical, cognitive and social deficits resulting in behavioral, affective, cognitive, and physical changes. Though the biomechanical injury may be the initial source of the behavioral changes, environmental factors frequently contribute to maintaining maladaptive behaviors. Behavioral and affective changes in the person with a brain injury are frequently cited as the most distressing issues for caregivers, and their need for education and training is well documented. Interactions between caregivers and persons …

Inter-Professional Collaboration: The Impact Of Serial Versus Merged Treatment On The Behavior Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Robyn Starry

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Interdisciplinary collaboration is an innovative, resourceful approach to healthcare intended to positively affect patient outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the efficacy of the serial exposure to three treatments, Applied Behavior Analysis, Speech Language Pathology, and Occupational Therapy, in comparison with an exposure to a merge of these treatments on child outcomes. During the serial treatment phases of intervention, three licensed professionals implemented core techniques from their respective disciplines. During merged treatment phases, a graduate clinician combined and implemented techniques from all three fields: differential attention, request sequences, sensory exposure, verbal/tactile cueing for postural alignment/control and …

The Effect Of Anchoring Vignettes On Factor Structures: Student Effort As An Example, Carolyn A. Miesen

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Anchoring vignettes are used as a methodological technique for removing differential interpretation of response categories (DIRC) from scores on subjective self-report measures (King, Murray, Slomon, & Tandon, 2004). This technique requires participants to read one or more short scenarios, or vignettes, designed to represent various levels of a construct. Vignette ratings are used as an indication of DIRC, which is a source of differential item functioning (DIF). Prior research primarily used indirect methods for evaluating vignette quality. In response, the present set of studies proposes using invariance testing as a more direct evaluation of how the use of anchoring vignettes …

The Effects Of Virtual Coaching On Olympic Lift Performance, Julia M. Santos

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Coaching in many forms, the most prevalent being in vivo coaching, helps to improve the performance of athletes across sports and exercise. The most natural next step in coaching is coaching through technology as opposed to in person; also known as virtual coaching. The present study examined the relative utility of two forms of virtual coaching on improving Olympic lift performance; video modeling and video feedback. A multiple baseline design across participants was used where one group of participants received the video modeling intervention first, then video feedback, then both, while the second group received the video feedback intervention first, …

Are There Bad Wins And Good Losses? Outcome Effects In Sport, Richard Erik Inglis

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

Outcomes have been shown to distort feeling states, performance evaluations, and subsequent performances. This retrospective distortion represents an outcome bias, a phenomenon that has been studied extensively in a wide array of disciplines and domains. However, despite their importance, the effects of outcomes have received little attention in the sport corpus. In an attempt to remedy this oversight, 60 participants with basketball experience were recruited to take part in a free throw shooting competition. Participants completed two rounds of 20 free throws. Following their first round, participants were randomly assigned to either a negative outcome (lose by one shot) …

Cultivating Empathy In Middle School Students Through Narrative Fiction, Kane M. Hamilton

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether reading narrative fiction can potentiate empathy in middle school students. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: narrative fiction group and expository nonfiction group. Participants in the narrative fiction group were asked to read a passage from a novel selected from the 5^th grade Common Core reading curriculum. Participants in the expository nonfiction group were asked to read a passage from a science book from the 5^th grade Common Core science curriculum. Pretest and posttest data were collected using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Results of this study indicate …

A Dissonance Intervention To Reduce Implicit Prejudice Against Arab Muslims, Cheryl Alyssa Welch

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

With constant media coverage of hostility in the Middle East, and given recent acts of domestic terrorism such as the attacks of September 11, 2001, it is reasonable to assume that prejudice against the Arab-Muslim population has been increasing in the United States (Moore, 2002). There are many active campaigns advocating for both acceptance and the reduction of various types of prejudice and discrimination in our society. However, the question is if these campaigns are actually successful in their goals. The current study sought to fill this gap by assessing a social intervention on its effectiveness in reducing prejudice towards …

Protecting The Protectors: Enhancing Emotional Well-Being In Law Enforcement, Olivia Gillies

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Law enforcement officers face a myriad of stressors, both personally and professionally, and regularly suffer serious outcomes that affect their physical health and psychological well-being. Fortunately, counselors have important skills that can be used to assist officers in building resilience, coping with stress, and managing negative outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress syndrome and interpersonal troubles. This project outlines the various difficulties that law enforcement officers may experience, explores current practices to manage these concerns, and provides a discussion of useful approaches counselors and law enforcement agencies can take in supporting their most valuable assets.