Psychology Commons^™

Constructing The Search Template: Episodic And Semantic Influences On Categorical Template Formation, Juan D. Guevara Pinto

LSU Master's Theses

Search efficiency is usually improved by presenting observers with highly detailed target cues (e.g., pictures). However, in the absence of accurate target cues, observers must rely only on categorical information to find targets. Models of visual search suggest that guidance in a categorical search results from matching categorically-diagnostic target features in the search display to a top-down attentional set (i.e., the search template), but the mechanisms by which such attentional set is constructed have not been specified. The present investigation examined the influences of both semantic and episodic memory on search template formation. More precisely, the present study tested whether …

The Attentional Mechanisms Of Active Forgetting, Laura Lee Heisick

LSU Master's Theses

Recent work has shown that intentional forgetting of distracting, erroneous, or irrelevant information aids memory, and relies on active, effortful processes. Two experiments investigated the underlying attentional mechanisms that are active during directed forgetting (DF). Across both experiments, participants completed a modified item-method DF task, in which they received memory instructions to remember or forget individual images for a subsequent memory test. Participants studied items associated with remember or forget instructions before they were shown a subliminal presentation of target items. Finally, participants responded to probes by identifying briefly shown letters to assess how attention and item identity information are …

Examining Teacher Multicultural Competence In The Classroom: Further Validation Of The Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale, Melissa Jo Hamilton

LSU Master's Theses

The focus of this study is to strengthen the technical adequacy of the Multicultural Teacher Competency Scale (MTCS; Spanierman et al., 2011) self-assessment measure for teacher multicultural competence. This study will also examine the relationship between it and the teacher-student relationship and teacher self-efficacy. Results show that the MTCS shows similar internal consistency reliability with a new demographic of in-service teachers. The MTCS also has predictive significance for teacher self-efficacy and student-teacher relationship scores. Implications of the study include the importance for teachers to be taught and practice this competency, as well as, validation that this construct is related to …

Control, Care, And Stress: Parenting's Effect On Child Internalizing Symptoms, Maysa Kaskas

LSU Master's Theses

Theoretical models of childhood psychopathology suggest that the parent-child relationship serves an influential role in the development and maintenance of internalizing disorders such as anxiety and depression. However, there is a great deal of inconsistency in the research literature on the predictive power of parenting variables such as parental control and parental care. Furthermore, these parenting variables are often poorly defined and inconsistently operationalized across studies, hampering interpretation of results and limiting conclusions on the strength of the effect. Additionally, few studies have examined the role of parenting with careful attention to moderators. In order to investigate these problems, 189 …

The Impact Of A Transdiagnostic Risk Factor On Willingness To Seek Treatment Among Black Students, Kimberlye Elise Dean

LSU Master's Theses

Anxiety and depressive disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorders, yet they remain under-treated in the U.S. Further, Black adults are significantly less likely that non-Hispanic White adults to seek or receive mental health services. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a risk factor for developing and maintaining anxiety and depressive symptoms, may be negatively related to the decision to seek treatment and sociocultural variables related to treatment-seeking behaviors may impact this relation. The decision to seek treatment is composed of several subcomponents, including readiness to change (RTC) and willingness to seek treatment. Thus, the current study examined the relations …

Presenting Image/Presenting Symptoms : Clinicians' Diagnoses Of Black Women In The Therapeutic Space, Kim Teresa Dubose

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This was a mixed methods study that used both random and non-random purposive snowball convenience sampling. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether clinicians issue more severe psychotic DSM diagnoses (schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders) to Black female clients than to White female clients when implicitly primed with cultural archetypes unique to Black women. The research questions were, “Do clinicians issue more severe and stereotype-consistent diagnoses to Black female clients than they do to White female clients;” and “Is there a difference in reaction time in clinician diagnosis of severe psychotic disorders between a clinically-identical Black female vignette and …

The Effect Of More And Less Relevant Details And Teacher Voice On Student Retention And Problem-Solving Transfer In Teacher-Created Multimedia, Colette Roche

Doctoral Dissertations

Many teachers create multimedia resources for their students, but most are uncertain as to what factors to consider regarding the design of multimedia instructional materials. Prior research identified instructional design principles for multimedia including the coherence principle and voice principle.

The purpose of this study was to test the coherence principle in a realistic setting using a heterogeneous group of ninth grade students in a humanities course to determine the effect of seductive details on retention and problem-solving transfer. To extend understanding of the voice principle, this study examined the effect of the teacher’s voice on student learning as measured …

Meaning-Making In Student Conduct Administration: A Developmental Perspective, Sean Robert Horrigan

Dissertations

The field of student conduct administration (SCA) in higher education has grown more complex. Researchers and practitioners have noted the tension for conduct officers between managing legal and policy compliance focused on the adjudication of cases and serving as restorative justice minded educators oriented towards student growth and learning. As a result, the knowledge required and the skills practiced by conduct officers are broad and varied. An overlooked dimension of SCA is how conduct officer development, especially as it relates to meaning-making, influences their experiences, knowledge, and skills. This study, utilizing a developmental theory known as “action logics,” explores how …

Urban Congolese Refugees In Kenya: The Contingencies Of Coping And Resilience In A Context Marked By Structural Vulnerability, Julie A. Tippens

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

The global increase in refugee migration to urban areas creates challenges pertaining to the promotion of refugee health, broadly conceived. Despite considerable attention to trauma and forced migration, there is relatively little focus on how refugees cope with stressful situations, and on the determinants that facilitate and undermine resilience. This article examines how urban Congolese refugees in Kenya promote psychosocial well-being in the context of structural vulnerability. This article is based on interviews (N = 55) and ethnographic participant observation with Congolese refugees over a period of 8 months in Nairobi in 2014. Primary stressors related to scarcity of material …

Mind The Gap: The Importance Of Pluralistic Discourse In Computing For Mental Health, R. Jordan Crouser, Morganne Ray Crouser

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

A large amount of HCI research leverages studies from psychology to try to understand how humans work. Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect between the tightly- controlled laboratory studies being referenced and the application of this knowledge in practice. At the same time, many mental health practitioners are beginning to turn toward computational tools to help stretch limited resources and support equitable access to mental healthcare. These efforts could be dramatically enhanced by leveraging what the HCI community has learned about promoting active engagement and designing unobtrusive interfaces. By facilitating collaboration between HCI researchers and practitioners in the field of …

Hermes In The Anthropocene: A Dogologue, Karen Malpede

Animal Sentience

In this dogologue, a writer and the dog who sits near her desk as she works speak. The dog is concerned about the fate of the world in the hands of humans. His urgent questions send the writer into the world of her own memories when she was a child alone with a horse in nature.

Correlation Analysis With Excel Handout, Kelly A. Rodgers

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

The Object Of Grief, Clark Glymour

Animal Sentience

King’s new book is a wonderful collection of diverse anecdotes illustrating the variety of animal practices that are convincing illustrations of grief. Those who want scientific arguments for that conclusion should, however, read elsewhere.

Promoting Prosocial Responsiveness Across Racial Divides Through Mindfulness, Chris J. Wall, Paul E. Plonski, Daniel R. Berry, Kirk W. Brown

Undergraduate Research Posters

In interracial and other intergroup interactions, prosocial emotions and actions are often undermined (Cikara & van Bavel, 2014). Perceiving psychological separateness between “us” and “them” – which is often an automatic, unintentional process – is psychological kindling for lower prosocial responsiveness that leads to prejudice, discrimination, aggressive conflict (Cikara, 2015). Recent research has shown that mindfulness, an open and unconditional attention to one’s present experiences, is associated with decreased automaticity and racial bias (Kang, Gruber, & Gray, 2013; Lueke & Gibson, 2014), barriers that hinder prosocial responsiveness (Trautwien, Schmidt, & Naranjo, 2014). Two experiments investigated whether brief mindfulness training promoted …

"Black People Don't Tip": Racism In The Restaurant Industry, Hortance E. Houngbeke

Undergraduate Research Posters

Due to discrimination, waiters are less likely to provide good customer service to their black dinners solely based on the assumption that they are poor tippers. The theory of discrimination is the foundation of this observational study where attentiveness is measured to reflect waiters’ avoidance of African American diners. Assuming waiters start with their preconceived notions about Black customers, this research will use the critical race theory to determine if waiters are less attentive to African American diners. To further understand the subtle discriminatory behavior of waiters toward African Americans, this study analyzes observational data from a sample of waiters …

Abating Prejudice With Presence: Dispositional Mindfulness Increases Interracial Helping Behavior, Justin Tubbs, Daniel R. Berry, Kirk Warren Brown

Undergraduate Research Posters

Helping behavior is less frequently shown toward members of social out-groups (Cikra, Bruneau, & Saxe, 2011). Race defines a common source of social division in America and other countries, and although most condemn racial discrimination, helping is undermined in interracial interactions (Saucier, Miller, & Doucet, 2005). Recent theory suggests that mindfulness, a receptive attention to one’s present experience, can attenuate the conceptual boundaries that typically separate and distance oneself from others (Trautwein, Schmidt, & Naranjo, 2014). We designed an experiment to examine whether dispositional mindfulness would be associated with increased helping behavior in interracial contexts. Self-identifying White participants ( …

Perceptions Of Harm And Addiction Among Dual Users Of Cigarettes And E-Cigarettes, Julia S. Rozman

Undergraduate Research Posters

Background: Tobacco harm perceptions are important factors in why individuals may initiate, substitute, and/or engage in dual or poly-tobacco use patterns. Identifying correlates of these perceptions is important for understanding why these cognitions may exist and help provide intervention targets. The purpose of the current study was to examine perceptions of harm and addiction among a sample of cigarette and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users and examine whether these perceptions differ by demographics, other substance use, and tobacco use history.

Methods: The current sample consisted of 29 individuals who consented to participate in a clinical laboratory study of dual cigarette and …

The Effects Of Pet Ownership On Anxiety And Depression Among Trauma-Exposed College Students, Dung N. Nguyentran, Marlene A. Michniak, James J. Jung, Christine Q. Do

Undergraduate Research Posters

Rates of anxiety and depression are prevalent in college students and can be attributed in part to stress and trauma-related events. However, studies suggest that pet ownership has the possibility of alleviating symptoms of anxiety, depression, negative emotions, and suicide. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between pet ownership and levels of anxiety and depression among those who have experienced a traumatic event. The sample was comprised of five hundred and forty-seven VCU students who completed an online survey from Spit for Science during their junior year. Linear regressions were performed to determine the nature and …

The Netflix Effect And Defining Binge-Watching, Brenna C. Davis

Undergraduate Research Posters

With the accessibility of television programs provided by popular streaming platforms, like Netflix, consumers can watch episodes or seasons of their favorite programming in just one sitting. This new practice of watching television has been referred to as binge-watching, and is defined by Netflix as watching two to six episodes of the same show in one sitting. Netflix’s definition is the most widely used definition of binge-watching, but does not account for the varying lengths of episodes for the different types of programming. There is a lack of standardization in what constitutes a television binge, like the standards that exist …

Metaphor And Memory: How Metaphors Instantiate Schemas In And Influence Memory Of Narrative, Sarah Elizabeth Cox

Honors Papers

Metaphoric frames are prominently featured in public discourse. They highlight certain aspects of the target issues they are used to describe, thereby encouraging specific patterns of inference. Our goal was to test whether they would influence memory as well. Building off prior work, we contrasted two metaphors for crime: virus and beast. In a pilot study, we identified specific causes, examples, and solutions to crime that were congruent with each frame (one but not the other; e.g., people thought “drug use” better exemplified a crime virus, whereas “murder” better exemplified a crime beast). Participants (n = 469) read or listened …

Power Dynamics In Conversation: The Role Of Gender, Caitlyn Grubb

Honors Papers

Previous studies have found that men exhibit more “dominance behaviors” (talking longer, interrupting more often) in conversation (Mast, 2002). Much of this work, however, has been conducted with conversation partners who are unfamiliar to each other. Our goal was to test whether the same pattern would emerge in conversations between friends. One possibility is that males are more dominant in conversation in general – both when talking to friends and strangers. A second possibility is that males are only more dominant in conversation when talking with strangers, which is what we predicted. Support for the second possibility would suggest that …

Biophilic Architecture, Connectedness To Nature, And The Importance Of Environmental Issues, Sarah Michelle Kahl

Honors Papers

In today’s world where climate change consequences are apparent, we need to be searching for ways to encourage more pro-environmental behaviors. Connectedness to nature, which is the sense of kinship and sense of community with the natural world, is one factor that has been shown to promote pro-environmental behavior. While architecture types have been tested with states of well-being, they have never been assessed to examine the effects on one’s connectedness to nature. This study used Seeley G. Mudd Center (Mudd) and the Adam Joseph Lewis Center (AJLC) at Oberlin College to determine whether biophilic types of architecture versus architecture …

Perceived Essentialism, Group Relative Deprivation, And Collective Action, Barbara Toizer

Honors Papers

Group relative deprivation occurs when an individual believes that a group with which they identify has fewer resources than another group. The experience of group relative deprivation often includes feelings of injustice, anger, and resentment. Group relative deprivation may result in inter-group attitude changes, such as increased prejudice, and a willingness to engage in collective action to change the distribution of resources. Despite findings that relative deprivation is a subjective perception of resource distribution, few, if any, studies have investigated if the perceived essentialism of the groups involved in the perceived inequality impact the intensity of group relative deprivation. When …

Perceived Azimuth Direction Is Exaggerated: Converging Evidence From Explicit And Implicit Measures, Z. Li, Frank H. Durgin

Psychology Faculty Works

Recent observations suggest that perceived visual direction in the sagittal plane (angular direction in elevation, both upward and downward from eye level) is exaggerated. Foley, Ribeiro-Filho, and Da Silva's (2004) study of perceived size of exocentric ground extent implies that perceived angular direction in azimuth may also be exaggerated. In the present study, we directly examined whether perceived azimuth direction is overestimated. In Experiment 1, numeric estimates of azimuth direction (−48° to 48° relative to straight ahead) were obtained. The results showed a linear exaggeration in perceived azimuth direction with a gain of about 1.26. In Experiment 2, a perceptual …

An Exploration Of Attachment, Trauma, And Treatment Outcome In A Cognative Behaviorable Therapy-Based Group Anger Management Program: A Multiple Case Study, Cynthia K. Swope

Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between trauma, attachment styles, and treatment outcomes among violent offenders attending a group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based anger management program. Using a mixed method, multiple case study design, the researcher examined the individual experiences of seven individuals court-mandated to attend a community-based anger management program. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to develop the participant narratives used in the qualitative analyses. Participant scores on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire, the Experience in Close Relationships (ECR-R) Questionnaire, and the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS) provided quantitative measures of trauma history, attachment style, and anger disposition. The results of …

Urban Stressors And Child Asthma: An Examination Of Child And Caregiver Models, Gillian G. Leibach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine how low-income, racial and ethnic minority, urban families experience and manage their child’s asthma. The rationale for this study stems from existing literature on asthma disparities and documented predictors of increased asthma morbidity and mortality. In particular, this study considered how specific types of stress may disproportionately impact low-income, racial and ethnic minority, urban families that have a child with asthma. This study aimed to determine associations between urban stressors (stressful life events, perceived discrimination, subjective socioeconomic status) and child asthma outcomes (emergency department visits, school days missed, asthma control), and …

Contributing Factors To Attitudes And Beliefs About Diversity, Rachael M. Duda Ms.

Honors Theses and Capstones

Diversity is a major issue in the world today. This project studied the attitudes and beliefs about diversity in order to understand where they originate. It focused on family beliefs and educational experiences and whether they each play a role in one’s perspective of other races/ethnicities. The sample consisted of 100 University of New Hampshire undergraduate students recruited through Facebook as well as in-class presentations on campus. Students were asked to complete a survey online. Quantitative results revealed that neither family nor education, as measured with forced-choice questions, were predictive of acceptance of other races. Overall, students reported themselves and …

African-American Women On Predominantly White College Campuses: In The Shadows Of Eating Disorders, Charlynn Small

University Staff Publications

Existing literature on Black women and body image often addresses the misconception that these groups are well-protected from eating disorders (EDs). The misconception can be attributed to sociocultural models of eating pathology, clinical approaches to classification, conflicting research results, and the extant measures for assessing ED symptoms and risk factors.

Judgment And Choice: Moral Judgment, Enjoyment And Meaningfulness In Interactive And Non-Interactive Narratives, Daniel M. Shafer, Sophie Janicke, Jonmichael Seibert

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study extends Affective Disposition Theory (ADT) and the Integrated Theory of Enjoyment (ITE) to interactive television/film narratives. In the study, 168 participants were randomly assigned to experience one of two originally-produced films; one with interactive components, the other without. Participants in the interactive condition made choices for the protagonist throughout the films. Path analysis was used to examine hypotheses based on the ITE (using the recent perspective of enjoyment and meaningfulness as outcomes). Results indicate that the principles of ADT and ITE can be applied to interactive narrative forms. Suggestions for future research are offered.

Perceptions In Predicting Actor And Partner Sexual And Relational Satisfaction In Couple Relationships, Lucia Novakova

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The present exploration of perceptual accuracy and bias in romantic relationships bridges a gap in the literature on the ability of partners to estimate one another’s level of relational and sexual satisfaction, and its impact on their own and their partner’s level of satisfaction. A sample of 50 couples, recruited internationally, in continuously monogamous relationships of at least six-months in length completed online assessments of their relationship. The degree of accuracy and bias of their perception was established by comparing actor’s estimates of their partner’s satisfaction with the partner’s actual, self-reported satisfaction scores. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM; Kenny, Kashy, …