Psychology Commons^™

An Assessment Of The Effects Of Spiritual And Relational Teaching On Student Learning, Matthew Alan Hiatt

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that students are more interested than faculty in addressing spirituality in the classroom. This study tested the extent to which professors could meet student demand for greater attention to spirituality in their classes without sacrificing rigor and student learning. Previous research done at Brigham Young University (BYU) identified three areas of focus that are important to implementing spirituality into the classroom: 1) Professor Self-Disclosure, 2) Intellectual Connections, and 3) Interpersonal Connections. Research on the integration of faith and learning also supports these focus areas. Two BYU professors from different colleges were recruited for participation in this study. After …

A Qualitative Study Of Women’S Attitudes And Experiences Regarding Body Image And Disordered Eating Behaviors, Natalie Ann Kirtley

Theses and Dissertations

The current research study is responding to recent findings wherein, Fischer et al. (2013) report a risk rate based on EAT-26 scores in the range of 9.2% to 10.8% at BYU in comparison to the 15% they found reported in the literature using samples from other college campuses. Risk rates based on BSQ scores were reported in the 27.2% to 31.1% range, which was on par with a risk rate of 28.7% reported at a comparable university (Fischer et al., 2013). Fischer et al. (2013) conclude that while body shape concerns were estimated to be equal to or lower than …

Towards Dimensionality In Psychosis: A Conceptual Analysis Of The Dimensions Of Psychosis Symptom Severity, Jessica Abigail Carmona

Theses and Dissertations

Given the heterogeneity of symptoms allowed in the diagnosis of psychotic disorders, as well as other challenges of categorical diagnosis (e.g., First et al., 2002; Krueger, 1999), the increased specificity brought by dimensional ratings of underlying features is often important. Models using the factorial structure of psychotic symptoms perform as good as or better than traditional categorical models (Allardyce, Suppes, & Van Os, 2007). DSM-5 has provided such a system of ratings to aid clinicians, the Clinician Rated Dimensions of Psychosis Symptom Severity Scale (PSS; APA, 2013). In this approach, the clinician rates symptom severity in eight domains which emphasize …

Association Between Polymorphisms Associated With Major Depression, Cognitive Function, And Stress Regulation And Telomere Length In Older Community-Dwelling Adults And In Older Competitive Athletes, Cynthia Elizabeth Perry

Theses and Dissertations

Many factors detrimental to healthy aging have been proposed including depression, stress, cognitive decline, and telomere shortening. Of specific interest are the genetic factors that may contribute to these factors and subsequently lead to accelerated telomere shortening and aging, namely the Bcl1, 5-HT, DRD2, and ApoE polymorphisms. We sought to: 1) further clarify the role of depression, stress tolerance, and cognitive decline in aging by examining the effect of associated polymorphisms (Bcl1, 5-HT, DRD2, and ApoE) on telomere length in two samples of older adults and 2) determine the difference in absolute telomere length between the two groups. We examined …

Hostage At The Table By George Kohlrieser: A Critical Book Review, Bimal Dahal, Muhammad Ilyas, Erika Krajcovicova, Myriam Marcuello-Lopez, Abdulah Saleh, Shadi Sheikh Saraf

Journal of Interdisciplinary Conflict Science

Being a hostage impedes. One must strive to get out of the hostage mindset and situation to realize peace. This review analyzes George Kohlrieser's approaches from peacebuilding perspective.

George Kohlrieser is a professor of leadership and organizational behavior, psychologist, and veteran hostage negotiator. In his book Hostage at the Table, he contends that conflict resolution is not difficult if we understand how human self-esteem operates. He believes that deep within humans reside slumbering powers that most of us do not even activate. These latent powers can revolutionize our lives if aroused and put into action.

In the following pages, …

Classification Accuracy Of Mixed Format Tests: A Bi-Factor Item Response Theory Approach, Wei Wang, Fritz Drasgow, Liwen Liu

Publications and Research

Mixed format tests (e.g., a test consisting of multiple-choice [MC] items and constructed response [CR] items) have become increasingly popular. However, the latent structure of item pools consisting of the two formats is still equivocal. Moreover, the implications of this latent structure are unclear: For example, do constructed response items tap reasoning skills that cannot be assessed with multiple choice items? This study explored the dimensionality of mixed format tests by applying bi-factor models to 10 tests of various subjects from the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Program and compared the accuracy of scores based on the bi-factor analysis with …

Using Focus Group In The Development Of Unipa Emotional Autonomy Inventory, Maria Grazia Lo Cricchio, Alida Lo Coco, Sonia Ingoglia, Francesca Liga, Rodan Di Maria, Cristiano Inguglia, Pasquale Musso

The Qualitative Report

Focus groups were used in order to develop a new measure of adolescents' emotional autonomy from parents. The procedure started from an in depth analysis of the literature concerning the construct and a definition of the dimensions which characterize it. Following our idea of the construct, we developed a list of 60 items, getting some of them from existing instruments. Twenty-four adolescents participated in the focus group discussions about the adequacy of the items to measure emotional autonomy. Following their feedbacks a second version of the list with 59 items was presented in a focus group with experts in the …

An Animal Victim's Best Chance: Veterinary Legal Duty To Report Cruelty In The U.S., Lora Dunn

Animal Sentience

Legislation throughout the U.S. recognizes animal sentience and the importance of veterinary reporting to combat the ongoing suffering of these animal victims: All 50 states have felony penalties available for animal cruelty crimes, and veterinary reporting is permitted or required in the majority of states. The remaining minority of U.S. states should take action to require veterinarians to report animal cruelty and render veterinarians immune for good faith reporting.

Veterinary Medical Associations Need To Educate Veterinarians For Mandatory Reporting Of Suspected Animal Abuse, Melinda V. Merck

Animal Sentience

When animals are suffering, we have a duty to take action. With appropriate incentive and educational support mandatory veterinary reporting can be a great legal avenue to help ensure their safety and welfare.

Fish Pain's Burden Of Proof, Carl Safina

Animal Sentience

A hypothesis like Key’s, that fish cannot feel pain, should really be stated as a null hypothesis — an assumption that there is no difference in the things being compared. Then evidence — including anecdotal evidence — for and against rejecting the null hypothesis can be examined and weighed. Key (2016a) has proven only that fish lack mammalian brains.

What Does The Child Protection Movement Teach Us About The Role Of The Mandated Reporter Of Abuse?, Bill C. Henry

Animal Sentience

Requiring veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse faces many of the same issues, concerns and hurdles once faced by the child protection movement. The history of child protection may hence provide a strategic model for progress in animal protection. Being able to anticipate the hurdles will help prepare us to overcome them.

Burden Of Proof Lies With Proposer Of Celestial Teapot Hypothesis, Brian Key

Animal Sentience

Bertrand Russell famously imagined the existence of a celestial teapot to highlight that the burden of proof of a hypothesis lay with its proposer and it was not the responsibility of others to refute it. Those who propose that fish feel pain must bear the burden of proof for their hypothesis. There are several common arguments adopted by those defending the position that fish feel pain. For instance, proponents envisage that pain is so important for human survival that they can’t imagine fish could exist without it. Out of this argument from incredulity emerges the idea that pain must have …

Pre- And Perinatal Ischemia-Hypoxia, The Ischemia-Hypoxia Response Pathway, And Adhd Risk, Taylor F. Smith, Rainald Schmidt-Kastner, John E. Mcgeary, Jessica A. Kaczorowski, Valerie S. Knopik

Psychology and Child Development

This review focuses on how measured pre- and perinatal environmental and (epi)genetic risk factors are interrelated and potentially influence one, of many, common developmental pathway towards ADHD. Consistent with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis, lower birth weight is associated with increased ADHD risk. Prenatal ischemia-hypoxia (insufficient blood and oxygen supply in utero) is a primary pathway to lower birth weight and produces neurodevelopmental risk for ADHD. To promote tissue survival in the context of ischemia-hypoxia, ischemia-hypoxia response (IHR) pathway gene expression is altered in the developing brain and peripheral tissues. Although altered IHR gene expression is adaptive …

Optimizing The Distribution Of Leg Muscles For Vertical Jumping., Jeremy D Wong, Maarten F Bobbert, Arthur J Van Soest, Paul L Gribble, Dinant A Kistemaker

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

A goal of biomechanics and motor control is to understand the design of the human musculoskeletal system. Here we investigated human functional morphology by making predictions about the muscle volume distribution that is optimal for a specific motor task. We examined a well-studied and relatively simple human movement, vertical jumping. We investigated how high a human could jump if muscle volume were optimized for jumping, and determined how the optimal parameters improve performance. We used a four-link inverted pendulum model of human vertical jumping actuated by Hill-type muscles, that well-approximates skilled human performance. We optimized muscle volume by allowing the …

Neurogenesis-Mediated Forgetting Minimizes Proactive Interference., Jonathan R Epp, Rudy Silva Mera, Stefan Köhler, Sheena A Josselyn, Paul W Frankland

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Established memories may interfere with the encoding of new memories, particularly when existing and new memories overlap in content. By manipulating levels of hippocampal neurogenesis, here we show that neurogenesis regulates this form of proactive interference. Increasing hippocampal neurogenesis weakens existing memories and, in doing so, facilitates the encoding of new, conflicting (but not non-conflicting) information in mice. Conversely, decreasing neurogenesis stabilizes existing memories, and impedes the encoding of new, conflicting information. These results suggest that reduced proactive interference is an adaptive benefit of neurogenesis-induced forgetting.

Extending The Benefits Of Ebis To Marginalized Populations: Technology As A Powerful Ally, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Intersection Of Culture And Ethics: Updates From The Ethnic Minority Psychological Groups, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Gayle S. Morse, Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury, Helen H. Hsu, Kevin Washington

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Animal Suffering In China, Peter J. Li

Animal Sentience

Chinese policy has been aimed at maximizing GDP; it is time to focus also on minimizing animal suffering.

Science And Sensibility, Bernard E. Rollin

Animal Sentience

The sentience and suffering of animals is obvious to common sense, even if science and industry claim to be agnostic. Economic incentives to reduce the suffering of animals are welcome, but it is not clear whether animals can turn to science for help.

The Contribution Of Equitation Science To Minimising Horse-Related Risks To Humans, Melissa Starling, Andrew Mclean, Paul Mcgreevy

Animal Training and Obedience Collection

Equitation science is an evidence-based approach to horse training and riding that focuses on a thorough understanding of both equine ethology and learning theory. This combination leads to more effective horse training, but also plays a role in keeping horse riders and trainers safe around horses. Equitation science underpins ethical equitation, and recognises the limits of the horse’s cognitive and physical abilities. Equitation is an ancient practice that has benefited from a rich tradition that sees it flourishing in contemporary sporting pursuits. Despite its history, horse-riding is an activity for which neither horses nor humans evolved, and it brings with …

When The Client Is Not The Abuser, But One Of The Abused, Tania Signal

Animal Sentience

The question of client confidentiality and reporting animal abuse is complicated when the client is not the abuser, and when the abuse (of both people and animals) may escalate precisely because it has been (or may be) reported.

Naïve Physics And Quantum Mechanics: The Cognitive Bias Of Everett’S Many-Worlds Interpretation, Andrew Lang

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

We discuss the role that intuitive theories of physics play in the interpretation of quantum mechanics. We compare and contrast naïve physics with quantum mechanics and argue that quantum mechanics is not just hard to understand but that it is difficult to believe, often appearing magical in nature. Quantum mechanics is often discussed in the context of "quantum weirdness" and quantum entanglement is known as "spooky action at a distance." This spookiness is more than just because quantum mechanics doesn't match everyday experience; it ruffles the feathers of our naïve physics cognitive module. In Everett's many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, …

An Interdisciplinary Study Of Perceived Benefits, Barriers And Cues To Action Among College Students For Moderate To Vigorous Physical Activity, Daniel Orellano Jr

Theses and Dissertations

This interdisciplinary study examines the perceived benefits, barriers, and cues to action for physical activity, in a sample of 385 men and women college students. Though no significant differences were identified between the genders in their physical activity levels or perceived benefits, barriers, and cues, significant differences were found in the numbers of these different variables as well as types of physical activity among the student participants as a whole. Improving health was found to be the primary perceived benefit for engaging in physical activity whereas school workload and wanting to look physically fit were the primary barrier and cue …

What Keeps Passion Alive? Sexual Satisfaction Is Associated With Sexual Communication, Mood Setting, Sexual Variety, Oral Sex, Orgasm, And Sex Frequency In A National U.S. Study, David Frederick, Janet Lever, Brian Joseph Gillespie, Justin R. Garcia

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Passion and sexual satisfaction typically diminish in longer-term relationships, but this decline is not inevitable. We identified the attitudes and behaviors that most strongly differentiated sexually satisfied from dissatisfied men and women who had been together for at least three years (N = 38,747). Data were collected in 2006 from cohabiting and married men and women via an online survey on a major national U.S. news website. The vast majority of these participants reported being satisfied with their sex life during their first six months together (83% W; 83% M). Satisfaction with their current sex life was more variable, with …

Introduction To The Special Issue Of New Methods In Work And Organizational Health, Liu-Qin Yang, Chu-Hsiang (Daisy) Chang, Vivien K.G. Lim

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Collectively, the eight articles included in this special issue examine some of the important methodological issues that affect the future progress and developments of WOHP research. Two papers review methods on research design (Ilies, Aw & Lim; O’Shea, O’Connell, & Gallagher), three advance methods in data collection including measurement (Eatough, Shockley, & Yu; McGonagle, Huang, & Walsh; Sonnentag & Pundt), and three describe important data analytical methods (Ilies et al.; Liu, Mo, Song, & Wang; Wang, Hernandez, Newman, He, & Bian). The last paper by Spector and Pindek discusses the common research methodologies used in WOHP and provided some ideas …

What Dimensions Of Empathy Predict Prosocial Helping Behavior In Emerging Adulthood? The Relationships Between Volunteering To Help And Perspective-Taking Ability, Experience Of Empathic Concern, And Self-Report Empathic Inclinations, Wyntre Stout

Journal of Interdisciplinary Graduate Research

Empathy, defined as the ability to experience the world from the other’s point of view, is believed to play an important role in motivating acts to meet the needs of others, as in prosocial behavior (Batson, Eklund, Chermok, Hoyt, & Ortiz, 2007). The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend past work that highlights empathy’s role in prosocial behavior by examining the relative importance of specific components of empathy in relationship to prosocial helping behavior. The role of perspective-taking ability, experience of empathic concern responses, and self-report empathic inclinations were examined in a model predicting prosocial helping behavior. …

Rumination And Rebound From Failure As A Function Of Gender And Time On Task, Ronald C. Whiteman, Jennifer A. Mangels

Publications and Research

Rumination is a trait response to blocked goals that can have positive or negative outcomes for goal resolution depending on where attention is focused. Whereas “moody brooding” on affective states may be maladaptive, especially for females, “reflective pondering” on concrete strategies for problem solving may be more adaptive. In the context of a challenging general knowledge test, we examined how Brooding and Reflection rumination styles predicted students’ subjective and event-related responses (ERPs) to negative feedback, as well as use of this feedback to rebound from failure on a later surprise retest. For females only, Brooding predicted unpleasant feelings after failure …

Commercial Aircraft Electronic Checklists: Benefits And Challenges (Literature Review), Paul L. Myers Iii

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Procedural omissions and errors have been an inherent problem in aviation since 1935 when a B-17 crashed shortly after takeoff to the era of today’s advanced aircraft. Paper, then electronic, checklists were developed to address those omissions and errors. Electronic checklists attempt to further reduce paper checklist errors and results indicate some improvements have occurred. However, new error modes and unique challenges surfaced with electronic checklists that must be recognized and addressed.

Note: This is a non-peer refereed literature review paper.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Augmentation Of Ssri Reduces Cortisol Levels In Older Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Christopher B. Rosnick, Julie L. Wetherell, Kamila S. White, Carmen Andreescu, David Dixon, Eric J. Lenze

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Objectives: Elevated cortisol in stress and aging, such as has been seen in late-life anxiety disorders, is postulated to accelerate cognitive and physiological decline in this large and increasing population. Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) are both effective treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in older adults. On the other hand, there is very little research examining the effect of combining these therapies on peak cortisol levels. For the current analyses, we examined the effectiveness of CBT augmentation on peak cortisol levels in older adults diagnosed with GAD.

Methods: The sample consisted of 42 individuals with …

A Methodological Study Of The Use Of “Aha!” Ratings In Research On Insight Problem Solving And Creativity, Alonzo Anderson, Aekta Javia, Joseph Abijaoudi, Holly Fizgerald, Won Valerius, Chelsea Dilks

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Creativity is often associated with people experiencing sudden flashes of inspiration and understanding. These type of experiences have been called insights or “Aha!” moments. “Aha!” moments or insightful solutions are often described as answers that suddenly appear in the mind, with little effort, and extreme confidence that the answer is correct. This can be contrasted with incremental or analytically solved problems where solutions are reached through effortful, deliberate, and strategically application of prior knowledge. Researchers have often used subjective ratings of participants’ own “Aha!” experiences to differentiate between insightful and incrementally solved problems. In the current study we investigated the …