Psychology Commons^™

Interdependent Self-Construal: A Link To Psychological Resilience, Tyler West

CMC Senior Theses

In the course of figuring out one’s identity, the proactive manner in which an individual defines one’s self or builds one’s character is an important aspect of the venture. Markus and Kitayama (1991) described and contrasted interdependent self-construal and independent self-construal, two forms of self-construction. This paper presents the theoretical link between interdependent self-construal and psychological resilience. Identity development is viewed through the interdependent self-construal perspective and it is explained how interdependence provides an individual with more and better opportunities for identity development. Through a conceptual tie to self-compassion, interdependent self-construal may be a key component to experiencing psychological resilience.

The Role Of Disruptive Innovation, Personality Characteristics, And Business Models On Entrepreneurial Success, Will Shannon

CMC Senior Theses

Disruptive Innovation, according to the term’s founder Clayton Christensen, is defined as a specific type of innovation that is able to capture the lower-end of the market through quality, feature, or cost differences and leverage this position to achieve higher market share. Entrepreneurs who utilize disruptive innovation strategies have been historically able to create products and services that achieve massive financial and cultural success. Theories of personality characteristics have been previously applied to entrepreneurial activities, but not used to bridge the gap between developmental experiences and market success. Cross-industry analysis of ten top entrepreneurial business leaders from retail, food services, …

The Role Of Adult Attachment In International Students’ Acculturation Process, Miao Li

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

International students face a variety of challenges in their acculturation process. The acculturation process is a highly variable process that is influenced by the mediating and moderating effects of individual factors that exist prior to, or arise during, acculturation (Berry, 1997). Among the moderating personal factors existing prior to acculturation, adult attachment has received heightened attention as an important variable impacting the acculturation process and adaptation outcomes. Wang and Mallinckrodt (2006a) suggested that successful adaptation involves exploration of unfamiliar social situations that resemble the infants’ exploration of their physical surroundings. The acculturation process can be challenging and stressful because individuals …

Relationships Between Parental Self-Efficacy And Posttraumatic Growth In Mothers Of Children With Down Syndrome, Amanda A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationships between maternal variables (mother status (biological or adoptive), birth order of the child with Down syndrome, timing of diagnosis (in utero or at birth), mother’s age at time of birth or adoption, time elapsed since diagnosis and maternal psychological variables (parenting self-efficacy, and Posttraumatic growth). The current study hypothesizes that maternal variables will be positively related to parenting self-efficacy and that parenting self-efficacy will explain a significant portion of the variance in maternal Posttraumatic growth. Results indicated that maternal self-efficacy as measured by the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale was …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Continuous Client Feedback System For Parolees Referred To Treatment: Benchmarking Treatment Outcomes, Alyssa B. Grossl

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a group substance abuse program that incorporated continuous client feedback into treatment for parolees who had been referred to attend by the criminal justice system.

Method: The pre-post treatment outcomes, as measured by the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS; Miller & Duncan, 2000), of 1,112 diverse parolees participating in treatment from October 2014 to January 2015 were analyzed. The most up-to-date benchmarking methodology was utilized to compare treatment outcomes observed in the naturalistic setting with those observed in rigorous randomized controlled trials evaluating the Partners for Change Outcome …

An Examination Of A Yoga Intervention And Elementary Students’ Selective Attention And Executive Function In The School Setting, M. Jill Rogers

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of yoga on children’s executive function and selective attention. There were three primary aims of this study. The first aim was to examine whether yoga would have a positive effect on children’s selective attention in a school setting. Another aim was to explore if teachers will report an improved change in children’s executive function in the classroom. The final aim was to determine if yoga would be a socially acceptable intervention to teachers and students. Participants included three fifth grade students and two teachers. Mixed methods were used to visually …

The Mediating Role Of Cognitive Flexibility On The Relationship Between Cross-Race Interactions And Psychological Well-Being, Robert D. Cardom

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Counseling psychologists are tasked with understanding optimal psychological and cognitive functioning. Recent theoretical predictions (Crisp & Turner, 2011) and growing evidence suggest that cross-race interactions are important ways individuals might improve their cognitive and psychosocial functioning. However, the theoretical predictions from Crisp and Turner have not yet been tested in one model. Further, much of the empirical support for the theoretical predictions has been from studies using 1) undergraduate samples and 2) weak theory-measurement fit.

The present study used an online, community survey (N = 270) to test Crisp and Turner’s (2011) predictions that cognitive flexibility would mediate the …

What’S With All The “Hype?”: Racial Discrimination, Racial Identity, Racial Socialization, And Hypermasculinity Among African American Adolescent Males, Christina M.B. Jordan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Experiences tied to individual and institutional racism have a long and persistent history of impacting the livelihood of African American people. Some theorists and researchers have argued that African American males have adopted masculine identities that emerged as coping responses to their experiences with racism and oppression (Cunningham, Swanson, & Hayes, 2013; Franklin, 2004; Majors & Bilson, 1992; Spencer, 1995). Younger males, are increasingly demonstrating an exaggerated form of masculinity (hypermasculinity) in response to their environments, particularly those in urban communities, as a coping response (Spencer, Fegley, Harpalani, & Seaton, 2004). The degree to which racial discrimination is related to …

Self-Efficacy And Coping In Transition Of Care After Remission Of Cancer In Adolescents, Leah M. Mcdonnell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The improvement in cancer remission rates in children and adolescents due to advances in cancer treatment and therapy has led to the development of guidelines that address long-term follow up for survivors of childhood cancers. Adolescents often experience negative emotions related to the fear of uncertainty about long-term survival after cancer remission, yet often report feelings of hope and optimism for the future more than adult cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of self-efficacy and coping in adolescents after remission of cancer. A secondary purpose was to analyze which coping strategies supported long-term survival …

The Green Classroom Initiative: Developing A Non-Formal Educational Resource To Promote Positive Youth Development In An Elementary School In The Central Valley Region Of Costa Rica., Marlee Cea

Capstone Collection

While Costa Rica is not the most under-developed country in Central America, it still experiences poverty and school drop outs on par with neighboring countries and some exceptional regions of the United States. The primary focus of this thesis is to discuss how the “Green Classroom” initiative, a Peace Corps Volunteer’s attempt to create sustainable change, is rooted in modern educational theories; and how they have influenced the organizations and practical methodologies used to engineer this project. A secondary focus is on the process the volunteer and vital project partners experienced to create a sustainable educational resource for a primary …

The Influence Of Normative Feedback And Expectancy Violation On Attitudes Related To Sexual Assault, Stephanie Chastang

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Sexual assault is a complex problem, and there is no set of best practices for sexual assault prevention and education programs. Social norms marketing and expectancy violations, however, have been proposed to be influential factors that may aid in increasing prosocial attitudes related to sexual assault. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential effect of social norm feedback and expectancy violations on attitudes related to sexual assault and bystander intervention. Participants in the study included 244 undergraduate and graduate students who completed an experiment embedded in an online survey. Results indicated that there were no significant …

The Moderating Effects Of Positive And Negative Automatic Thoughts On The Relationship Between Positive Emotions And Resilience, Michael W. Judd

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Resilience is generally characterized as the ability to recover and grow following adversity (Connor & Davidson, 2003) and is considered an integral factor in the promotion of overall physical and psychological health (Masten & Reed, 2002). One factor thought to be associated with resilience is more frequent positive emotions, but the relationship between positive emotions and resilience varies (Tugade, Fredrickson, & Feldman-Barrett, 2004), suggesting moderating factors may be involved. Cognitive factors may be involved in determining the parameters that define when and to what degree this relationship occurs (Troy & Mauss, 2011). The current study was designed to further elucidate …

The Influence Of Emotion On Memory For A Crime, Taylor Langley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Researchers have reported errors in recall or recognition of witnessed events, accounting for the most common cause of false convictions of innocent people. Tiwari (2010) indicated that 25% of suspects who were identified in a line-up were actually innocent. Jurors are strongly influenced by eyewitness testimony and this can lead to false convictions. The validity of eyewitness identification is critical in cases in which it is used as evidence. In the current study we examined specific emotion states by inducing fear, surprise, and neutral moods. We hypothesized that participants in the Fear group would be least susceptible to the effects …

Further Exploring Processing Differences Between Geometric Shapes And Shape Words, Chelsea V. Scordas

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The current study sought to expand upon the research of geometric shape processing in relation to theories of domain specificity and modularity. Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) presented results for possible processing differences between geometric shapes and geometric shape words. The authors found that when processing a bi-dimensional sample (i.e., a shape word transposed inside either the same or a different picture of a shape), there was asymmetric interference. Shape words would interfere with identifying the correct shape in a delayed match-to-sample (DMTS) task but there was no such interference from geometric shapes when identifying shape words. It was concluded …

Leadership Styles In Military Settings And Their Influences On Program Satisfaction, Jilian Gonzales

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to investigate the presence and prominence of transactional and transformational leadership styles among US Army ROTC cadets in authority positions. The second purpose was to see whether these leadership styles had a significant influence on the program satisfaction of US Army ROTC cadets who are not in leadership positions. Those in leadership positions were predicted to rate themselves as being more transformational than those in subordinate positions would rate them. Transformational leadership was expected to be more positively associated with program satisfaction, while transactional leadership was expected to be …

A Feasibility Study Of A Lqts-Specific Workshop: Childrens' Problem-Solving Skills, Coping, Self-Efficacy, And Locus Of Control, Katherine L. Corvi

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Living with a chronic medical condition in childhood and adolescence requires many critical lifestyle changes and restrictions, which may compromise psychosocial development. Social problem-solving skills have been shown to enhance the ability to cope with both minor and major daily stressors and to minimize psychological problems associated with physical health problems. The research is part of a larger study with children with long QT syndrome (LQTS) and their parents; the present study focuses on the children. This study was developed to examine the feasibility and efficacy of a problem-solving workshop to increase problem solving, self-efficacy, coping, and locus of control …

Getting An Early Start: Promoting The Growth Mindset In Kindergarten Children, Gina M. Cancelliere

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Expanding the current mindset research focus from the adolescent population to kindergarten-age children and examining the variables that impact mindsets in young children were the prominent goals of this study. The first research question sought to uncover information regarding the relationship between parents’ mindsets (growth or fixed) and observable behavioral markers associated with the mindsets that present in young children. Four behaviors were of primary interest: level of engagement, type of self -verbalizations, anxiety-related behavior and guessing behavior. Also examined was the relationship between parents’ mindsets and children’s mindsets. The second research question explored the association between these aforementioned behavioral …

The Relationship Between Parental Rearing, Self-Efficacy And Resilience In The Development Of A Coping Style, Hillary Koskinen Vescio

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study investigated the relationship between self-efficacy, resilience, perceived parental rearing and the use of adaptive or maladaptive coping strategies. The Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE; Carver, 1997) was used to assess participant's coping styles. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES; Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995) was utilized to assess a participant’s self-efficacy. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS, Smith et al., 2008) was used to measure resilience, and the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ; Buri (1991) was used to assess perceived parental rearing. A between-subjects design with two multiple regressions was used to evaluate the relationship between these …

Medical Interns', Residents' And Attending Physicians' Attitudes Towards Integrative Medicine And Recommended Treatments For Patients With Psoriasis, Jennifer L. Pacyon

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Background: Psoriasis is a multifactorial disease that effect approximately 7.5 million Americans. There are a variety of traditional treatments for psoriasis (e.g. topical medications, biologics) that for many, are effective in combating the disease. However, traditional treatments often have aversive side effects and may not be appropriate for every patient (e.g. pregnant women). Additionally, the efficacy of these medications are variable leaving some looking for adjunctive treatment options. There is increasing evidence to support the use of adjunctive treatments for psoriatic patients (e.g. psychotherapy, mindfulness). However, research is variable in regards to medical professionals’ attitudes towards integrative medicine (IM) as …

Use Of A Neuropsychologically Based Performance Model To Account For Adult Variation In Cognitive Test-Retest Performance, Ryan M. Murphy

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study was designed to examine the appropriateness and effectiveness of a neuropsychologically based performance consistency model in comparison to traditional psychometric conceptualizations of reliability when examining test-retest performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Third Edition (WAIS–III). Regardless of whether the sample was grouped by total sample or in reference to subject performance to the mean, an overall progression effect rather than regression to the mean was noted. When grouping subjects in terms of their relation to the mean, a poor goodness of fit obtained via chi-square analysis was found between traditional psychometric reliability estimates and actual …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Distortions And Adhd After Accounting For Depression, Anxiety, And Personality Pathology, Amelia Serine

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from numerous difficulties in daily functioning and, unfortunately, the medications that are typically the first-line of treatment do not ameliorate many of these issues. Psychosocial treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, are increasingly demonstrating effectiveness both in conjunction with medication and as stand-alone treatments for ADHD. It is theorized that some of the problems associated with adult ADHD result from cognitive distortions. Previous studies have identified a preliminary relationship between cognitive distortions and ADHD, but these studies did not measure personality pathology, which might explain part of the findings, given that personality disorders are …

Conflict Resolution Behaviors And The Affect Of Identity Standards And Empowerment Needs On Individuals Using External Augmentative And Alternative Communication Devices, Amy R. Parker

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with communication impairments (CI) are at a distinct disadvantage when attempting to interact through more traditional conversational means. Although their intentions may be similar to peers, physical limitations make verbal articulation of thoughts and feelings a more laborious undertaking. For some, the use of external augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has offered an otherwise unavailable communicative opportunity. However, this type of communication requires more of the non-AAC using conversation partner and, unlike traditional forms of communication, may increase the likelihood of miscommunication. Although there is agreement as to the importance of understanding the experience of individuals using external AAC, …

The Attitude-Engagement Model Within-Persons: An Experience Sampling Study Of Job Attitudes And Behavioral Engagement, David Glerum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although a large body of research has attempted to answer the question, "Is a happy worker a more productive worker?" by examining the relationship between job attitudes and behaviors, results are often inconsistent. Drawing upon Fishbein and Ajzen's (1974) compatibility principle as well as theory on job attitude change and dynamic performance, the current study sought to answer this question by examining the attitudes-performance relationship at the within-persons level of analysis. Specifically, an Attitude-Engagement Model that specifies a broad conceptualization of job attitudes and behavioral engagement should exhibit the strongest relationship between job attitudes and job behaviors (Harrison, Newman, & …

Attentional Flexibility And Memory Capacity In Conductors And Pianists, Andrea R. Halpern, Clemens Wöllner

Faculty Journal Articles

Individuals with high working memory (WM) capacity also tend to have better selective and divided attention. Although both capacities are essential for skilled performance in many areas, evidence for potential training and expertise effects is scarce. We investigated the attentional flexibility of musical conductors by comparing them to equivalently trained pianists. Conductors must focus their attention both on individual instruments and on larger sections of different instruments. We studied students and professionals in both domains to assess the contributions of age and training to these skills. Participants completed WM span tests for auditory and visual (notated) pitches and timing durations, …

Does Skin Color, Facial Shape, And Facial Width To Height Ratio (Fwhr) Play A Role In Black Male Facial Evaluation, T. Joel Wade

Faculty Journal Articles

The present research sought to determine how skin color, facial shape, and facial width to height ratio (fWHR) affect ratings of 10 Black male facial shapes. Based on evolutionary theory and prior research, the rectangular, quadratic, inverted trapezium, and pentagonal faces were hypothesized to receive the highest attractiveness, dominance, maturity, masculinity, strength, and social competence ratings. Additionally, faces with higher fWHRs were expected to receive higher dominance, strength, and masculinity ratings. Smaller, round or oval faces were hypothesized to receive highest warmth ratings. The results were partially consistent with these hypotheses. The examination of the effect of skin color was …

Sex And The Perceived Effectiveness Of Flirtation Techniques, T. Joel Wade, Andrea Feldman

Faculty Journal Articles

Three studies were implemented in order to ascertain how men and women flirt with potential partners, and whether or not there are sex differences in which flirtatious actions are considered most effective. Study 1 (n = 40) and Study 2 (n = 60) sought to discover the actions that men and women, respectively, engage in to indicate romantic interest to a partner. Study 3 (n = 126) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from women and men are perceived as most effective. Men were expected to rate women’s flirtations that suggest sexual access as most effective and women were expected …

The Impact Of Writing Intensive Courses On Writing Apprehension And Academic Motivation, Jacqueline Suzanne Byrket

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Current research in writing apprehension lacks evaluation of psychology course effectiveness in reducing this trepidation. The present study focused on three psychology courses and utilized Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2002) and student instructor rapport to assess changes in writing apprehension. Participants (N = 78) from three upperclass level courses completed the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS), Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), Daly-Miller Writing Apprehension Test-Revised (WAT-R), and Student Instructor Rapport Scale (SIRS-9) at the beginning and end of the semester. Even though pre-/post-test differences were non-significant for all three courses, the Experimental Psychology class exhibited the greatest decrease …

Do Family Relationships Affect Team Performance?, Erick P. Briggs

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Nepotism refers to the practice of giving preferential treatment to family members and is prohibited in some work organizations. Common anti-nepotism policies are often based on the unsubstantiated assumption that family relationships negatively affect performance. This study challenges this assumption with the hypothesis that family relationships improve team performance. The theoretical basis for this hypothesis is grounded in the literature examining team processes. Research suggests that coordination is an important team process, and that family members coordinate more effectively than non-family members. Thus, it is reasonable to suspect that familial relationships in teams will lead to better – rather than …

Conflict Resolution In Children And The Association Between Parenting Style And The Children’S Own Social Skills, Afroza Parvin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations among parenting styles, social skills and conflict resolution strategies of children with their peers. Twenty children aged 5 to 10 years and twenty parents participated in the study. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire and an adapted questionnaire from The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) were used to measure parental styles and social skills of children respectively. Children were interviewed to assess their conflict resolution strategies by using six hypothetical stories taken from two different studies. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for data analyses. …

Black And Blue, Savana Butler

A with Honors Projects

This student honors project is a case study focusing on the psychological effects of emotional and physical abuse in childhood and how it affects the victim physically, cognitively, and social-emotionally into adulthood.