Psychology Commons^™

The Development Of Narcissism Among Lawyers And Farmers: A Quantitative Study, Steve Murdock Murdock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Narcissism has been identified as a threat to society and the individual. Individuals with high levels of narcissism (narcissistic personality disorder) struggle to maintain jobs, stable relationships, and healthy life perspectives. Without knowledge about the origins of narcissism, mental health professionals may only be treating the symptoms of narcissism and not the factors that perpetuate its development. The purpose of this study was to measure narcissism in farming and law careers and to determine whether career is a factor in the development of narcissism. It was predicted that career would be an important developmental event and process that would have …

Examining Differences Between Foster Parents Who Continue To Foster Children And Those Who Do Not, Jacqueline L. Farris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Foster parents are often not equipped to address the difficulties and challenges they face with their foster children. Research has identified the importance of providing foster children with a safe and secure environment. Guided by the theory of adoption and attachment, the purpose of this study was to identify the differences between foster parents who continue with foster child placements and those who do not by examining their perceptions of foster parenting behaviors and their foster parent/child relationships. Participants were recruited using online foster parent forums and foster care agencies. A total of 31 foster parents participated: 13 licensed and …

How Women Experience And Respond To Singlism: Stereotyping And Discrimination Of Singles, Lisa Lynn Hancock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Society views and treats women who are single differently than women who are not single. This practice of stereotyping and discrimination towards singles is called singlism. The purpose of this qualitative study was to use grounded theory methodology to explore and explain how women experience singlism and what explains how women experience singlism. Social constructionism, cognitive dissonance theory, and social identity theory were used as conceptual foundations in explaining how society constructs the status of single women, how single women are viewed and treated, and how single women manage their single social identity. The participants of the study included women …

Pk11195 Increases Anxiety Like Behaviors In The Open Field, Audrey Donald, Dustin Hines

AANAPISI Poster Presentations

Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses in the US. Signaling between regions of the brain can be corrupted causing stress related behaviors. Medications that help treat these behaviors target GABA receptors in an inhibitory manner. However, these medications only work for a period of time. The likelihood of being free of these medications becomes uncertain. Another approach is a protein called translocator protein. TSPO, once known as peripheral benzodiazepine receptor is known to mediate anxiety related behaviors through the synthesis of neurosteriods. While TSPO may mediate these behaviors, its mechanism is not well known. Ligand PK11195 was …

Foster Parents' Attachment Style As A Moderator Of Children's Negative Behaviors And Placement Disruption, Alicia Araiza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a demonstrated association between children's negative behaviors, placement disruption, and foster parents' attachment style in early childhood; however, there is an absence of research examining this relation among foster children in middle childhood. Researchers have found that in early childhood, children respond more favorably to foster parents with a secure attachment style, while greater placement disruption is associated with foster parents having an insecure attachment style. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between foster children's negative behaviors, placement disruption in foster children during middle childhood, and foster parents' attachment style. Bowlby's and Ainsworth's attachment …

Identifying Stressors Experienced By Single Fathers Who Are Parenting In New York City, Stacey Theresa Melhado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fathers face difficulties when taking on the single parent role, including having to prove their ability to care for their children alone. Existing research does not address issues concerning single fathers and the stressors they experience in raising their children. This study addresses these issues and helps researchers understand single fathers by using a qualitative approach to understand their perception of parenting. Fourteen participants from New York City participated in semi-structured interviews to elicit information about this phenomenon. This study focused on experiences the men have while being a single parent, the impact of living in New York City on …

The Sound Of Politics: An Examination Of Political Orientations And Musical Preferences Among College Aged Adults, Omari Stringer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Music fits in a larger media culture that can influence the thoughts and beliefs of many people. Specifically, there is an interest in the relationship between music and any influences it may have on political views or orientations. Based on the existing literature, it is hypothesized that there will be a significant correlation between political orientations and involvement in music and political orientations with music genre preferences. It is also hypothesized that there will be a relationship between socioeconomic status and music preferences. Furthermore, it is expected that participants will report a high level of music involvement, considering how accessible …

Domestic Parent-Child Interaction Problems And Working Memory: The Mediating Role Of Inattentive Adhd Symptoms, Svetha Mohan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore the mediating effects of ADHD Inattentive symptoms on domestic parent-child interaction problems and working memory. Inattentive symptoms in children with ADHD are known to cause forgetfulness, slow processing speed, and negative parent-child interactions. Working memory deficits in phonological short term memory and the central executive are also well-established in children with ADHD. However, it is currently unknown to what extent inattentive symptoms are responsible for home behavior problems in conjunction with phonological working memory deficits. The aims are tested using two validated, common clinical questionnaires: The Teacher Report Form and the Home …

A Measurement Of Campus Presence: The Cognitive Link Between Campus Engagement And Positive Outcomes In College Students, Daniel M. Kleiman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Prior research has shown that positive psychological states and attitudes are known outcomes in students who are engaged on their college campus. Although many studies prove this to be evident, literature lacks examination between these two variables. The purpose of the current study was to find a cognitive link between student engagement and the measured outcomes of self-esteem, college self-efficacy, college affiliation, and levels of optimism/pessimism. The study proposed that there is a process of developing an internal sense of presence on campus, which occurs in those students that are actively engaged in activities outside of the classroom. Individual personality …

How Disgust, Physiological Activity And Moral Foundations May Predict Political Attitudes And Religious Beliefs: A Systematic Review, Kayla M. Mannion

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The goal of this research synthesis is to obtain evidence about a new and upcoming idea of how political ideology and religious beliefs may be predicted by disgust, moral codes and physiological activity. Previously, it was believed by some that politics and religion were a product of an individual's environment and influences of an individual's family and friend's beliefs. Current research is trying to explain how much a person's biology influences their beliefs. This thesis will aim to explain how it is possible to obtain these types of data and why this research is important.

Real Loneliness And Artificial Companionship: Looking For Social Connections In Technology, Fernando L. Montalvo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Loneliness among older adults is a problem with severe consequences to individual health, quality of life, cognitive capacity, and life-expectancy. Although approaches towards improving the quality and quantity of social relationships are the prevailing model of therapy, older adults may not always be able to form these relationships due to either personality factors, decreased mobility, or isolation. Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), virtual agents, and social robotics offer an opportunity for the development of technology that could potentially serve as social companions to older adults. The present study explored whether an IPA could potentially be used as a social companion to …

Do Different Personality Types Differ In Level Of Confirmation Bias?, Allison J. Long

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this research study was to determine if there is a correlation between personality type and level of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the idea that people are more likely to agree with opinions already similar to their own and they will actively seek out that opinion. The NEO Five Factor Inventory was administered to determine the subjects’ levels in openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The Confirmation Inventory was administered to determine the level of confirmation bias. It was predicted that people high in openness will score low in confirmation bias; people who score high …

The Relationship Between Sleep, Working Memory, And Decision Making In Young And Old Adult Populations, Melissa G. Merz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sleep is known to influence basic tasks concerning working memory, reaction time and executive functioning (Silva, Wang, Ronda, Wyatt, & Duffy, 2010; Nebes, Buysse, Halligan, Houck, & Monk, 2009). However, the amount that sleep influences these functions varies from study to study possibly due to differences in age and task design. Aim 1A of this study is to determine if sleep quality affects working memory. Aim 1B of this study is to determine if age affects sleep quality and working memory in comparison of young and old adult populations. Finally, Aim 2 of this study is to determine if there …

From Tunnel Vision To Bird's-Eye View: The Development Of A Broad Harassment Construct, Lindsay Dhanani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on workplace harassment has increased in recent years, resulting in a large body of evidence suggesting that perceiving harassment at work leads to a host of negative outcomes (Jones, Peddie, Gilrane, King, & Gray, 2016; Pascoe & Richman, 2009; Triana, Jayasinghe, & Pieper, 2015; Willness, Steel, & Lee, 2007). However, despite calls to broaden the conceptualization of workplace harassment, the dominant approach in the literature has been to study a single, discrete form of harassment in isolation. The current paper addresses this limitation by simultaneously assessing multiple forms of harassment (i.e., ethnic harassment, sexual harassment, age harassment, heterosexist harassment, …

Getting The Work Out Of Workouts: Evaluating The Effectiveness And Outcomes Of A Physical Exercise Motivational Intervention For Older Workers, Brandon Sholar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To mitigate their estimated $300 billion in annual health-related losses, many companies have instituted workplace wellness initiatives designed to promote physical activity among their employees, improving the overall health of their workforce. Though middle-aged and older workers may potentially enjoy the greatest physical, stress and cognitive benefits from regular exercise, workplace wellness programs have been less successful in attracting such employees. This study developed and tested a 6-week exercise motivation intervention designed to meet the needs of sedentary, older working adults and to determine what non-physical benefits might result from increased levels of physical exercise. The intervention, based primarily on …

Not Woman Enough Harassment: Scale Development And An Integrated Model From Antecedent To Outcome, Amanda Wolcott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rise of research on workplace mistreatment in the past twenty years can be attributed to the realization that workplace mistreatment is associated with a host of deleterious outcomes for both the individual targets of the mistreatment and the organizations in which they work. However, the extant literature is failing to capture the full range of sex-based mistreatment that people may experience through a tendency to focus solely on sexual harassment and sex discrimination, which are very specific types of behavior based on one's sex and gender stereotypes. In this dissertation, I introduce the construct of Not Woman Enough Harassment, …

Intimate Partner Violence And Women's Cancer Quality Of Life, Ann L. Coker, Diane R. Follingstad, Lisandra S. Garcia, Heather M. Bush

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Purpose

Because intimate partner violence (IPV) may disproportionately impact women’s quality of life (QOL) when undergoing cancer treatment, women experiencing IPV were hypothesized to have (a) more symptoms of depression or stress and (b) lower QOL as measured with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-B) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-SP) Scales relative to those never experiencing IPV.

Methods

Women, aged 18–79, who were included in one of two state cancer registries from 2009 to 2015 with a recent incident, primary, invasive biopsy-confirmed cancer diagnosis were recruited and asked to complete a phone interview, within 12 …

Memes: The Interaction Between Imagery And Subculture: An Analysis Of Situation, Race, And Gender On The Pi Kappa Delta Social Media App, Veronica Scott, Timothy Bill

Oswald Research and Creativity Competition

Collegiate speech and debate participants are committed to performance excellence and organizational unity. Pi Kappa Delta, a central organization for this subculture, annually hosts a national competition, during which competitors can create and post memes via the tournament phone app. While it is well-known that memes are a function of participatory culture, no analysis has yet examined memes exclusively consumed by the same subculture which created them. In this study, we examine the implicit messaging of this memetic imagery, and by doing so, gain insight into both the collegiate forensics subculture, and the function of memes in a small group.

Consumers, Clergy, And Clinicians In Collaboration: Ongoing Implementation And Evaluation Of A Mental Wellness Program, Glen Milstein, Dennis Middel, Adriana Espinosa

Publications and Research

As a foundation of most cultures, with roots in persons’ early development, religion can be a source of hope as well as denigration. Some religious institutions have made attempts to help persons with mental health problems, and some mental health professionals have sought to engage religion resources. These programs have rarely been sustained. In 2008, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) developed a program to assess the utility of religion resources within mental health care. In response to positive feedback, MHCD appointed a director of Faith and Spiritual Wellness who facilitates community outreach to faith communities and spiritual integration …

Language Complexity, Belief-Consistency And The Evaluation Of Policies, Matthew H. Goldberg, Cheryl L. Carmichael

Publications and Research

Policy proposals often contain complex legal, technical, or scientific jargon, making it difficult for people to evaluate their favorability toward the policy. We proposed one experiment testing the effect of language complexity on people’s evaluation of a policy proposal as moderated by their initial policy beliefs. We hypothesized that when a policy was consistent with one’s beliefs or if participants had no policy preference, they would evaluate it more favorably when it was simple than when it was complex; when a policy was inconsistent with one’s beliefs, they would evaluate it less unfavorably when it was complex than when it …

Longitudinal Effects Of Adolescent Dating Violence Victimization: Social, Psychological, And Physical Health Consequences In Adulthood, Jennifer Marie Pierce

Wayne State University Dissertations

Romantic relationships are important developmental milestones for adolescents; yet negative experiences within them, including adolescent dating violence victimization (ADV), can contribute to poor health. The present study explores the impact of ADV on psychological and physical health as mediated through physical intimate partner violence victimization, perceived relationship quality, and submissive behavior in romantic relationships in adulthood using a subsample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Participants were assessed across three timepoints (n = 591; 61.1% female). Participants were required to have reported at least one romantic relationship during adolescence, and to have been in …

Assessing Parent Invovlment In Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment For Children With Autism, Krista Marie Clancy

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare two groups of parents whose children participated in ABA on their levels of stress, self-efficacy, treatment acceptability, and parents’ level of involvement in their children’s treatment, and to assess variables that may explain variance in parent involvement. Parents in the treatment group participated in a voluntary parent training (n=18) and the comparison group were parents who elected not to participate in the voluntary training (n=22). This was a quasi-experimental design study where parents and their therapists completed a survey regarding parents’ involvement in their children’s treatment programs. Additional parent measures collected as …

Happiness Index Methodology, Laura Musikanski, Scott Cloutier, Erica Bejarano, Davi Briggs, Julia Colbert, Gracie Strasser, Steven Russell

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The Happiness Index is a comprehensive survey instrument that assesses happiness, well-being, and aspects of sustainability and resilience. The Happiness Alliance developed the Happiness Index to provide a survey instrument to community organizers, researchers, and others seeking to use a subjective well-being index and data. It is the only instrument of its kind freely available worldwide and translated into over ten languages. This instrument can be used to measure satisfaction with life and the conditions of life. It can also be used to define income inequality, trust in government, sense of community and other aspects of well-being within specific demographics …

Happiness In Communities: How Neighborhoods, Cities And States Use Subjective Well-Being Metrics, Laura Musikanski, Carl Polley, Scott Cloutier, Erica Berejnoi, Julia Colbert

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

This essay, the fourth and last of a series published by the Journal of Social Change, is intended as a tool for community organizers, local policy makers, researchers, students and others to incorporate subjective well-being indicators into their measurements and management of happiness and well-being in their communities, for policy purposes, for research and for other purposes. It provides case studies of community-based efforts in five different regions (São Paulo, Brazil; Bristol, United Kingdom; Melbourne, Australia; Creston, British Columbia, Canada; and Vermont, United States) that either developed their own subjective well-being index or used the Happiness Alliance’s survey instrument …

Development And Application Of Self-Awareness In Project Leadership: A Multiple Case Study Of Department Of Defense Project Managers, Jeffrey Brian Hart

Dissertations

Problem

This study explored how Project Managers (PMs) in the Department of Defense (DoD) come to understand, develop, and apply self-awareness in leading their projects. The DoD invests heavily in developing their project leaders by providing training, experiences, developmental assignments, and other tools such as self-assessments presumably to help them lead more authentically and become more self-aware as a way to improve project management. Despite this investment, it is unclear how self-awareness is actually developed in PMs and integrated into their leadership practice. In view of the importance of self-awareness in leadership, more understanding is needed on how self-awareness is …

The Effects Of Chinese Calligraphy On Reducing Anxiety And Comorbid Depression Levels Among Breast Cancer Patients In Hong Kong, Anna Liu

Dissertations

Problem

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Anxiety is a prevalent psychological concern in breast cancer patients and has negative impact on the course of their disease, treatment and recovery. This study was to investigate the effects of Chinese calligraphy on reducing the anxiety and comorbid depression levels among Hong Kong breast cancer patients with an intention to support the needs of breast cancer patients by providing alternative therapy that is culturally receptive. The primary objective of the study was to examine to what extent Chinese calligraphy intervention can reduce the anxiety and comorbid depression levels …

The Relation Between Quantitative Eeg Coherence And Self-Report Adhd Behavior Scale Responses, Tayllor Vetter

Theses and Dissertations

Differences in brain wave activity during resting states between adults with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been detected with electroencephalography (EEG). However, the relation between these patterns of brain wave activity and a dimensional, self-report measure of ADHD symptoms in male and female college students has never been investigated. The present study aimed to determine whether coherence, a measure of brain wave activity, can predict self-report symptoms of inattentiveness and hyperactivity in male and female college students. The analyses consisted of 14 male and 28 female adults between 18 and 27 years of age. Regression analyses were utilized to …

Adolescence Versus Politics: Metaphors In Late Colonial Uganda, Carol Summers

History Faculty Publications

This article discusses the British deployment of metaphors of adolescence in late colonial Uganda. Topics include the psychological, physiological, sociological and anthropological implications of a modern stage of adolescent life, the presence and persistence of ideas of adolescence in the country, and British engagement in developmental politics and institutions.

Creative And Novel Approaches To Empathy, Edward Neukrug

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Near the end of Carl Rogers' life, he wrote a scathing article noting that his conceptualization of empathy had little to do with the popularized notion of empathy that had become known as "reflection of feelings." He may have been particularly angry because there were some apocryphal stories circulating about Rogers' work with clients. One of them goes something like this:

Rogers is seeing a client in his office on the 10th floor of a building. The client tells Rogers that he is really depressed, and Rogers says, "Sounds like you're really depressed." The client goes on to say …

Examining Parent Information Needs In Pediatric Cancer, Katherine Inman

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Parents of children with cancer receive information about how to care for their child's health during diagnosis, treatment, and post treatment inflation is critical to this care; however, parents are often left with information needs when their child is done with treatment. Many parents lack enough information about neurocognitive late effects (NCLE) and how to handle the psychological functioning of their child post treatment. The purpose of this study was to analyze parents' information needs post treatment using qualitative data collected from a survey. Qualitative content analysis was utilized to examine 45 parent responses. Four themes were constructed: (a} the …