Psychology Commons^™

Characterizing Young Adult Exposure And Engagement With Social Media Tobacco And Nicotine Product Marketing And Messaging, Stephanie L. Clendennen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Tobacco use remains a critical public health issue in the United States. Young adults are disproportionately affected by high rates of tobacco use and heavily targeted by tobacco marketing. Social media has become an important source of exposure to tobacco and nicotine product marketing and messaging for young adults. This dissertation examined the prevalence and socio-environmental characteristics associated with young adults’ exposure to and engagement with tobacco-related social media (paper 1); the prospective associations between young adults’ exposure and engagement and tobacco and nicotine product use (paper 2); and young adults’ experiences with tobacco and nicotine product messaging on social …

Smartphone And Social Media Use And Its Health Associations, Cory Newell

Psychology Theses - Archive

While mobile phones offer users communication, information, and entertainment almost instantaneously, there is a growing concern about the impact smartphone and social media use has on mental and physical health. This study addressed gaps in the literature by simultaneously measuring objective and subjective smartphone use rather than relying on subjective reports alone, and then assessed how they were differentially related to health. Generally, it was predicted that measures of smartphone use would be reliable and valid, and that higher use would predict worse health. Overall, a diverse sample (39% White, 22.1% Asian, and 16.9% African American) of 136 young adults …

Race, Social Class, And Child Abuse: Content And Strength Of Medical Professionals’ Stereotypes, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Kimberly M. Bernstein

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Black and poor children are overrepresented at every stage of the child welfare system, from suspicion of abuse to substantiation. Focusing on stereotypes as a source of bias that leads to these disparities, the current study examines the content and strength of stereotypes relating race and social class to child abuse as viewed by medical professionals. Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals (Study 1: N = 53; Study 2: N = 40) were recruited in local hospitals and online through snowball sampling. Study 1 identified stereotype content by asking participants to list words associated with the stereotype that …

Identifying Risk Factors Associated With Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Lesbians, Sofia S. Velazquez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of female deaths in the United States (1). While women, in general, are at risk for CVD, current research indicates that sexual minority women (i.e. lesbians and bisexual women [SMW]) may be at greater risk for CVD than heterosexual women. This heightened risk potentially stems from an increased prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors in SMW, creating health disparities between SMW and their heterosexual counterparts (2). Further research into this high-risk population is needed, in order to minimize these disparities.

The purpose of this study was to establish differences in the prevalence of …

Hemoglobin A1c Improvements And Better Diabetes-Specific Quality Of Life Among Participants Completing Diabetes Self-Management Programs: A Nested Cohort Study, Abhinav Khanna

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Numerous primary care innovations emphasize patient-centered processes of care. Within the context of these innovations, greater understanding is needed of the relationship between improvements in clinical endpoints and patient-centered outcomes. To address this gap, we evaluated the association between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and diabetes-specific quality of life among patients completing diabetes self-management programs.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study nested within a randomized comparative effectiveness trial of diabetes self-management interventions in 75 diabetic patients. Multiple linear regression models were developed to examine the relationship between change in HbA1c from baseline to one-year follow-up and Diabetes-39 (a diabetes-specific quality …

Relationship Between Nursing Safety Culture And Patient Perception Of Safety In Inpatient Units Of An Academic Specialty Hospital, Miguel Angel Lozano Garcia

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between nursing safety work culture in inpatient nursing units of a specialty academic hospital and their patients’ perception of safety using quantitative and qualitative methods. The aim of the quantitative study was to quantitatively evaluate whether nursing safety culture, as measured on the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) safety questions of the institutional employee opinion survey, was associated with patients’ perception of safety during their inpatient care, as measured by responses on the inpatient Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. The aim of the …

Behavioral And Local Field Potential Changes In The Thalamus And Anterior Cingulate Cortex Of Behaving Rats Experiencing Post Herpetic Neuralgia, Jennifer Strand

Psychology Theses - Archive

Post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is experienced as burning pain in the facial region, caused by nerve damage from the herpes zoster virus. The pain often becomes chronic and debilitating. Investigations into the pain pathway become vital. Pain itself is multidimensional, consisting of both the sensory and affective experiences. One of the primary brain substrates for transmitting sensory signals in the facial muscles is through ventral posterior medial thalamus (VPM). Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been shown to be vital in the affective experience of pain, so investigating both of these areas in freely behaving animals can provide important information. Local …

Evaluating The Impact Of Age And Time On Sensory And Affective Levels Of Pain Processing, Maxine Kaylen Geltmeier

Psychology Theses - Archive

The relationship between pain and age has been studied for decades. However, research has produced conflicting results for pain thresholds and pain affect in clinical assessments. Likewise, pre-clinical research is conflicting and sparse, limiting the extent of any overarching conclusions. Despite conflicting results on directionality (higher thresholds verses lower thresholds), pain sensitivity and pain affect seem to change with age. Two major arguments have surfaced to explain these differences. The first is, the aging process can lead to changes in peripheral pain signals of pain pathways. The second is, higher order processes that evaluate pain information change with age. For …

The Relationship Of Gender-Based Microaggressions And Internalized Sexism On Mental Health Outcomes: A Mother-Daughter Study, Nicole D. Feigt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Subtle occurrences of discrimination, insults, and slights against gender can impact woman of all ages, although little research has been done on the mental health impacts of these events on adolescents or middle-aged women. Additionally, a person’s own views on sex roles and sexism may impact how these events affect them. The following study examined the relationship between mothers and daughters on variables related to ambivalent sexism, gender-based microaggressions, and anxiety and depression. One hundred two mothers and their adolescent daughters completed various online surveys through the use of a Qualtrics panel. The sample was fairly representative, with respondents varying …

Using Ecological Momentary Assessment To Clarify The Function Of Hoarding, Jennifer Krafft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Experts have argued that hoarding disorder occurs in part because hoarding behaviors help individuals avoid distress and feel positive emotions in the moment. For example, when people who hoard choose to save something rather than discard it, they may avoid feelings of anxiety, and when people who hoard acquire something new, they may feel excited. However, no previous studies have examined whether or not these changes actually occur in the moment. These processes could also potentially be altered by how individuals respond to their emotions in the moment. For example, individuals who hoard may have stronger emotional reactions, distinguish less …

Immortal Melancholia: A Psychoanalytical Study Of Byronic Heroes, Kathryn Frazell

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This culminating project examines Byronic heroes using psychoanalytic theory across four case studies in media, including classic literature, theater, film, and television. The Byronic hero is a literary archetype inspired by the poet George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824). Typical characteristics include angst, arrogance, cunning intelligence, criminality, desire, passion, dominance, and otherness. The characters I have chosen to study include Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre (1847), the Phantom from the 2004 film The Phantom of the Opera, James Bond from the 2012 film Skyfall, and Damon Salvatore from the hit television series The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017). Through examining the …

Evaluating Recommendations Versus Utilization Of Essential Components Of A Functional Analysis Procedure, Alissa Conway

Dissertations

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) has been identified as an essential process for behavior analytic practitioners to identify the variables maintaining challenging behaviors (BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (PECC), 3.01ab, 2014). FBAs include a range of strategies, including indirect measures (e.g., interviews and questionnaires) and direct measures of behavior (descriptive and experimental strategies). Functional analysis (FA) is typically considered the most sophisticated of the options subsumed under FBAs in that it involves both direct measures of behavior and experimental manipulation of hypothesized controlling variables to identify controlling variables for challenging behaviors. The results of FAs allow practitioners …

Color-Blind Racial Ideology, Social Justice Attitudes, And Cultural Competency In U.S. Medical Students And Resident Physicians, Jennifer G. Hahm

Dissertations

Health disparities disproportionately affect the lives of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2015; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services NHQR, 2013). Social conditions, social determinants, and structural inequities have been acknowledged as influential forces on minority health (Link & Phelan, 1995; World Health Organization, 2011). Focusing on eliminating environmental and social conditions affecting the health status of racial and ethnic minorities should be a prerogative for healthcare professionals in reducing health disparities. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between color-blind racial ideology and social justice attitudes …

Strongly Bonded Supervisory Relationships: Demystifying The Bond Aspect Of The Supervisory Working Alliance, Melissa Heinrich

Dissertations

The current study explores the bond aspect of the supervisory working alliance through the lens of relational-cultural theory (RCT). Previous research posits a quality supervisory relationship is important for effective supervision and clinical outcomes. The Supervisory Working Alliance (SWA; Bordin, 1983) is a pan-theoretical model for the growth process in supervision including (a) mutual agreement on goals for supervision, (b) mutual agreement on associated tasks for accomplishing the goals, and (c) the emotional bond in the supervisory relationship. The process for mutual agreement of goals and tasks seems clear, the bond aspect of the SWA seems less clear. Research concerning …

Behavioral Inhibition And Activation As A Modifier Process In Autism Spectrum Disorder: Examination Of Self‐Reported Bis/Bas And Alpha Eeg Asymmetry, Hillary K. Schiltz, Alana J. Mcvey, Alexander Barrington, Angela D. Haendel, Bridget Dolan, Kirsten S. Willar, Sheryl Pleiss, Jeffrey S. Karst, Elisabeth M. Vogt, Christina C. Murphy, Kelsey Gonring, Amy V. Van Hecke

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The Modifier Model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that phenotypic variability within ASD is rooted in modifier processes, such as the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS). Among a sample of 53 adolescents with ASD, this study examined associations between (a) self-reported BIS/BAS and frontal and parietal alpha electroencephalogram asymmetry and whether these indices related to (b) ASD severity (via the Autism Quotient), and/or (c) co-occurring anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (via Youth Self Report and Child Behavior Checklist). Findings showed that alpha asymmetry was associated with self-reported BAS scores, such that greater BAS was related …

Preventing Sexual Victimization: An Assertiveness Training Program For Female Adolescents, Emily Morgan

Dissertations

Unwanted sexual experiences occur too frequently in the United States and result in myriad deleterious consequences. The first instances of unwanted sexual experiences for females most frequently occur during adolescence (ages 12 to 17). Despite this, the majority of literature on sexual victimization and victimization prevention programs focus on college-aged females, thus leaving a need for research on prevention programs for adolescent females. The present study examined the effects of an assertiveness training program on the risk for sexual coercion among adolescent females. A behavioral skills training model (i.e. instruction, model, rehearsal, and feedback) was used to teach seven adolescent …

Brain Activity In College Students With The Broad Autism Phenotype, Amy Gaylord Beaver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when …

The Passive Effects Of Full-Gateway, In-Street Signs On Vehicular Speed, De'lon Dixon

Masters Theses

Reducing motorist’s speed when approaching crosswalks is an important goal in reducing the number of collision between motorist and pedestrian in crosswalks. The current study addresses this goal. The effect of gateway installation of in-street signs (one in-street sign installed between the two travel lanes in each direction and one on both edges of the roadway in each direction) on vehicle speed was evaluated on nine roads. The results demonstrated that the Gateway in-street sign treatment produced large speed reductions as vehicles approached the crosswalk and at the crosswalk. The average speed reduction was 3.8 mph at the crosswalk and …

The False Hope Of Deliberate Forgetting: A Critical Response To Proponents Of Limited-Use Memory Manipulation, Peter A. Depergola Ii

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

The emergence of manipulation techniques that dampen, disassociate, erase, and replace unsavory episodic memories have given pause to even the most ardent proponents of the practice. Supporters of memory manipulation have since clarified that the interventions should be made available exclusively in extreme and limited-use cases. In light of the narrowing of this approach, the present essay examines the arguments in favor of limited-use memory manipulation (LUMM) for the two most commonly-cited circumstances in which the practice is claimed to be justified: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance addiction. After examining the neuroscience of PTSD and substance addition, the critical …

Recommended Practices For Academics To Initiate And Manage Research Partnerships With Organizations, Laurent M. Lapierre, Russell A. Matthews, Lillian T. Eby, Donald M. Truxillo, Russell E. Johnson, Debra A. Major

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although academics can receive considerable training in selecting appropriate research designs, types of data to collect, and methods for analyzing data, as well as guidance on preparing scholarly manuscripts, there is a dearth of information on how to initiate and manage partnerships with organizations in order to conduct high-quality applied research, particularly when the research is quantitative in nature. In this article, we provide our own experience-based insights and recommendations to help academics more easily (a) initiate a research relationship with senior organizational leadership, (b) decide early whether to pursue or end a research collaboration with an organization, (c) keep …

The Influence Of Depressive Symptoms On Frn Amplitude: An Eeg Study, Jonathan Burton

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Background: Individuals diagnosed with depression demonstrate differences in neural activation patterns detectable using electroencephalogram (EEG). One of these differences has been specifically linked with the event-related potential (ERP) component called feedback-related negativity (FRN). In participants diagnosed with depression, the FRN has been shown to have larger amplitudes in response to negative feedback. However, previous research has only specifically looked at the difference of this amplitude between groups, specifically those with and those without a diagnosis of depression. Objective: The goal of the current study was to examine whether a continuous range of depressive symptoms in participants can predict FRN amplitudes, …

Trauma Therapy And The Need For Cross Cultural Competence, Marijke Sommer

Honors Projects

This project addresses the relevance of cross cultural competence for work in trauma therapy. I begin with a review of the literature on approaches to trauma therapy, identifying similarities and differences in key approaches, and comparing outcomes where that information is available. I then review a variety of cross cultural variations in mental health conditions and symptoms, attempting to roughly position each within the ethnic group or groups in which the variation is mostly likely to be found. Finally, I review the very small existing literature examining the impact of culturally sensitive approaches to trauma therapy in several non-Western ethnic …

Acculturation And Internalizing Problems Among Latino Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Some studies have found acculturation to be a positive predictor of internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety and depression) in Latino youth (Gonzales et al., 2002), whereas other studies have revealed no relation or a negative relation between acculturation and internalizing problems (Smokowski, Buchanan, & Bacallao, 2009). Narrative reviews of this literature exist (Gonzales et al., 2002; Gonzales et al., 2009) but a quantitative synthesis of the literature has not been conducted. After a systematic literature search that identified 38 studies meeting inclusionary criteria, a meta-analysis was performed to estimate the size and direction of the relation between acculturation and internalizing problems. …

Augmenting Buried In Treasures With In-Home Uncluttering Practice: Pilot Study In Hoarding Disorder, Omer Linkovski, Jordana Zwerling, Elisabeth Cordell, Danae Sonnenfeld, Henry Willis, Christopher N. La Lima, Colleen Baker, Rassil Ghazzaoui, Robyn Girson, Catherine Sanchez, Brianna Wright, Mason Alford, Andrea Varias, Maria Filippou-Frye, Hanyang Shen, Booil Jo, Lee Shuer, Randy O. Frost, Carolyn I. Rodriguez

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Hoarding disorder is characterized by difficulty parting with possessions and by clutter that impairs the functionality of living spaces. Cognitive behavioral therapy conducted by a therapist (individual or in a group) for hoarding symptoms has shown promise. For those who cannot afford or access the services of a therapist, one alternative is an evidence-based, highly structured, short-term, skills-based group using CBT principles but led by non-professional facilitators (the Buried in Treasures [BIT] Workshop). BIT has achieved improvement rates similar to those of psychologist-led CBT. Regardless of modality, however, clinically relevant symptoms remain after treatment, and new approaches to augment existing …

The Impact Of Stereotype Threat On Object Location Memory, Samantha A. Boomgarden

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gender differences have been identified in many tasks, and the male advantage in spatial skills has been well studied and is thought to be robust, especially on mental rotation and spatial perception tasks (e.g., Doyle & Voyer, 2016; Linn & Petersen, 2016; Pansu et al., 2016; Thompson & Voyer, 2014). However, women have been found to do better on tasks that require memorization of where objects are located in the environment (i.e., object location memory tasks; Voyer, Postma, Brake, & lmperato-McGinley, 2007). The purpose of this study was to examine how stereotype threat, elicited in women, would affect their performance …

Perfection: The Fatality Of Down Syndrome, Mallory Baucom

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Down syndrome is a condition that carries with it a negative stigma and many negative assumptions. The advancement of the medical community has begun to allow expectant parents to anticipate whether their child will have Down syndrome. However, in recent years mothers are using the results of prenatal tests as a deciding factor to decide if they will continue the pregnancy. The negative stigma associated with Down syndrome has transformed into a discrimination against people with Down syndrome. There are many influencing factors that affect the decision-making process of expectant mothers. The decision to terminate one’s pregnancy is not made …

Maternal Immune Activation (Mia) In Mice: A Study To Phenotype Asd-Related Communication Behaviors And Analyze Maternal Health Outcomes In The Us, Komalpreet Gulati

Honors Scholar Theses

Core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) include deficits in social/communicative behaviors, and repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. Mouse models are a highly established paradigm used to study the phenotypic deficits that result from various inducible genotypic or environmental risk factors for ASD. Previous studies have demonstrated a link between maternal immune activation (MIA) and ASD-like behaviors in mouse models. In this model, the maternal immune system is activated during pregnancy by injecting the viral mimic poly(I:C). The resulting offspring are phenotyped and analyzed with regards to their communicative behaviors.

Previous studies have demonstrated that male pups born to dams with immune activation …

The Effects Of Musical Training On The Well-Being Of Older Adults., Brianna Nicole Berry

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Objective. The current study sought to examine the effects of early musical training on the quality of life of older adults. Method. 58 older adults, at least 65 years old, were divided into three groups based on their levels of musicianship: non-musicians, low-activity musicians (less than ten years of lessons), and high-activity musicians (more than ten years of lessons). Self-report questionnaires were given to determine musical training and other factors such as physical activities. Quality of life was measured by the Quality of Life-AD, a 13-item survey. Results. The differences between level of musicianship and quality of life were statistically …

The Effects Of Priming Patriotism On Attitudes Toward Immigrants: Do All Americans Respond To Patriotic Images The Same Way?, Norma Elizabeth Garza Reyes

Psychology Theses - Archive

Although immigrants enrich the US culture and provide intellectual and economic stimulation, there has been a rise of anti-immigration movements, making the acculturation process more difficult for the immigrant. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how patriotism influenced negative attitudes toward immigrants, especially among individuals who were higher on right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), national identity, and/or group narcissism. This thesis study addressed these issues by priming patriotism with unpatriotic and patriotic pictures and then examining attitudes toward immigrants/immigration. This data (N = 192) linked self-reported individual difference measures (e.g., right-wing authoritarianism (RWA)) of college students that was collected prior …

Peer Relationships, Gut Microbiota, And Health In Emerging Adulthood, Erin Quinn Austin

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Research has consistently shown that chronic stress has negative effects on overall physical and psychological wellbeing across the lifespan. The biological mechanisms through which stress exerts its effects on the body and the mind includes the recently discovered microbiome-gut-brain axis, the bidirectional communication between the brain and the enteric nervous system that is modulated by the microorganisms residing within the gastrointestinal tract. This dissertation examined the impact chronic psychosocial stress (e.g., peer victimization, daily hassles) had on gut diversity and the relative abundance specific bacterial groups in a diverse sample of emerging adults (N = 126, Mean age = 20.07). …