Psychology Commons^™

Social Work Trauma Interventions: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Kassie Baumann

Senior Honors Theses

According to Lynne Weilart (2013), in her article on the reasons why people seek out therapy, trauma is the number one reason people attend counseling. Many different trauma-informed approaches are designed specifically to address the consequences of trauma and to facilitate healing. Some of these approaches are as follows: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT);Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT); Trauma Systems Therapy (TST); Trauma Assessment Pathway (TAP); and Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) (de Arellano, Danielson, Ko, & Sprauge, 2008). The effectiveness of each trauma intervention will be examined. DBT is one of these trauma interventions that is growing …

Using Response Card Technology To Reduce Disruptive Behavior In The College Classroom, Meera Aggarwal

Thesis Projects

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if response-card technology would decrease disruptive behavior (e.g., texting, surfing the Internet, sleeping) in the college classroom. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, a graduate classroom of 14 students from a small liberal arts college in the southeast participated. An alternating-treatments design was implemented comparing baseline (standard lecture) to Nearpod™ (an online question-feedback platform) and response cards. Results indicated neither intervention had a meaningful effect on disruptive behavior; however, the majority of students indicated a preference for Nearpod™. In Experiment 2, three participants were selected from an undergraduate class for observation. …

Treating Adhd With Suggestion: Neurofeedback And Placebo Therapeutics, Robert T. Thibault, Samuel Vassière, Jay A. Olson, Amir Raz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: We propose that clinicians can use suggestion to help treat conditions such as ADHD. Methods: We use EEG neurofeedback as a case study, alongside evidence from a recent pilot experiment utilizing a sham MRI scanner to highlight the therapeutic potential of suggestion-based treatments. Results: The medical literature demonstrates that many practitioners already prescribe treatments that hardly outperform placebo comparators. Moreover, the sham MRI experiment showed that, even with full disclosure of the procedure, suggestion alone can reduce the symptomatology of ADHD. Conclusion: Non-deceptive suggestion-based treatments, especially those drawing on accessories from neuroscience, may offer a safe complement and potential …

Time Course Of Brain Network Reconfiguration Supporting Inhibitory Control, Tzvetan Popov, Britta U. Westner, Rebecca L. Silton, Sarah M. Sass, Jeffrey M. Speilberg, Brigitte Rockstroh, Wendy Heller, Gregory A. Miller

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Hemodynamic research has recently clarified key nodes and links in brain networks implementing inhibitory control. Although fMRI methods are optimized for identifying the structure of brain networks, the relatively slow temporal course of fMRI limits the ability to characterize network operation. The latter is crucial for developing a mechanistic understanding of how brain networks shift dynamically to support inhibitory control. To address this critical gap, we applied spectrally resolved Granger causality (GC) and random forest machine learning tools to human EEG data in two large samples of adults (test sample n = 96, replication sample n = 237, total N …

Disconnected: Are Flexible Work Arrangements Bad For Your Health?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

You need to feel supported but most of all you need to be calling the shots

Eleanor Malbon is a researcher and a poet – and she doesn't see the need to choose between her two disparate careers.

Malbon, who has an arts/science degree in interdisciplinary research and English literature, works four days a week at UNSW Canberra, and spends the rest of her working hours writing poetry.

Spontaneous Thought And Goal Pursuit: From Functions Such As Planning To Dysfunctions Such As Rumination, Eric Klinger, Ernest H.W. Koster, Igor Marchetti

Psychology Publications

Spontaneous thoughts occur by default in the interstices between directed, task-oriented thoughts or moments of perceptual scrutiny. Their contents are overwhelmingly related to thinkers’ current goals, either directly or indirectly via associative networks, including past and future goals. Their evocation is accompanied by emotional responses that vary widely in type, valence, and intensity. Given these properties of thought flow, spontaneous thoughts are highly adaptive as (1) reminders of the individual’s larger agenda of goals while occupied with pursuing any one of them, (2) promotion of planning for future goal pursuits, (3) deeper understanding of past goal-related experiences, and (4) development …

Ai-Human Collaboration Via Eeg, Adam Noack

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

As AI becomes ever more competent and integrated into our lives, the issue of AI-human goal misalignment looms larger. This is partially because there is often a rift between what humans explicitly command and what they actually mean. Most contemporary AI systems cannot bridge this gap. In this study we attempted to reconcile the goals of human and machine by using EEG signals from a human to help a simulated agent complete a task.

Transgender Identity And Dress Behavior, Lauryn Devine

Senior Honors Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how transgender individuals experience their bodies (e.g. body dissatisfaction) and how their body experience affects their shopping and clothing experiences. Clothing is often used as a way to define and express oneself. Therefore, if transgender individuals have a negative shopping experience and a negative outlook on clothing, it could make it more difficult to express their true identity. Society places extremely high expectations on individuals regarding appearance, which can be psychologically and emotionally difficult for cisgender individuals, but even more egregious for those individuals who do not fit society’s conventional gender …

Online Fitness Social Networking Communities, Caitlyn Martinez

Senior Honors Projects

The high numbers of adults who do not engage in enough physical activity or who are completely sedentary, are at higher risk than others for health illnesses and complications. However, many individuals are taking initiative and control of their health and well-being as a result of the copious amount of information available on the internet and major technological advancements. Individuals are self-tracking their health with wearable technology such as Fitbit, Nike, Garmin, and Jawbone among many others which can track steps/distance, steps climbed, heart rate, caloric burn, and sleep. In the last decade, these technologies have become very popular and …

Internalizing Symptoms Associated With Emotional Abuse: An Examination Of Religious Social Support As A Moderating Variable, Jessica Chambers, Diana Morelen, Jason Steadman, Michelle Hurley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Emotional abuse in childhood is linked to an increased risk for internalizing symptoms such as depression and anxiety in adulthood. Religious social support offers a promising defense in maintaining mental well-being in the face of trauma. This study aims to investigate if religious social support in childhood will moderate the impact of negative outcomes associated with emotional abuse. Further, this study will examine whether and how gender and ethnicity impact this relationship. The sample includes undergraduate students attending East Tennessee State University, located in the southeastern United States (n = 471, 73% female, 11% African American, M age = 20.37, …

The Role Of Instructional Gesture In Learning Science Concepts In Undergraduate Students, Andrea J. Fogarty

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Recent research has shown that hand gestures produced by both teachers and learners make underlying mechanisms and abstract symbols more concrete for learning (Goldin-Meadow, Levine, Zinchenko, Yip, Hemani, & Factor, 2012; Vallotton, Fusaro, Hayden, Decker, & Gutowski, 2015). The current study examined the effects of instructional gesture on undergraduates’ learning of plate tectonics by manipulating gesture in several instructional conditions. There were three videotaped conditions in the study: representational gesture, beat gesture, and no gesture. It was hypothesized that instructional gesture condition would enhance the understanding of plate tectonics in undergraduate students. Results showed that while all conditions …

Facebook: Friend Or Foe? Exploring The Relationship Between Social Media Use, Social Comparison, Self-Esteem And Affect, Elizabeth F. Gallinari

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Festinger’s social comparison theory suggests humans have a drive to gain accurate self-evaluations through comparison to others. As social media continues to expand, different platforms for social comparison are continuously being created allowing for individuals to compare themselves to millions of people worldwide. Social media provides the perfect platform for meticulous self-presentation. Frequent social media users may believe that others are happier and more successful than themselves, which could lead to lower self-esteem. Research also suggests that participants high in social comparison orientation seek out social comparisons on social media. Thus, an individual’s tendency to compare oneself to others may …

Speak Up, Reach Out: A Suicide Education And Prevention Plan, Jessica Parker

Senior Honors Projects

Suicide is a caliginous topic that can be found in the headline of a magazine or in a passionate scene in a movie, but rarely is it discussed head-on due to a general discomfort and lack of knowledge. It is not a glamourous act of revenge or a testament of devotion, it is a final decision made by an individual that will, without a shadow of a doubt, intimately impact the lives of those around them as they long for answers to the questions that begin with “what if…”. The idea behind Speak Up, Reach Out is to provide members …

Neural And Behavioral Correlates Of Negative Self‐Focused Thought Associated With Depression, Carissa Philippi, M. Cornejo, Carlton Frost, Erin Walsh, Roxanne Hoks, Rasmus Birn, Heather Abercrombie

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Traditional And Cyberbullying Victimization In Predicting Emotional Difficulties In Elementary Schools, Sarah Bleam

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bullying victimization is a pressing concern in schools across the United States. Victimization to bullying has been associated with various negative outcomes in a child’s life. Of concern, victims can experience emotional difficulties, such as anxiety and depression, that can have lifelong implications for a child. For this reason, identifying victimization as a contributing factor is imperative for successful intervention in schools. We measured traditional and cyberbullying victimization experiences and emotional difficulties in 214 fourth and fifth grade students in the Southeastern United States. A multiple linear regression and sequential regression analysis identified that traditional and cyber victimization contributed to …

Improving Interview Skills In College Students Using Behavioral Skills And In Situ Training, Laura-Katherine Barker

Master's Theses

Successful interviewing skills help maximize the probability that a job candidate will make a positive impression upon a prospective employer. An area of continued concern related to potential employee readiness involves performance in interviews. Questions remain regarding the effectiveness of higher educational systems to develop the variety of efficient skills necessary for students to showcase the full array of their qualifications within an interview. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is a behavior analytic training package that has been shown to increase appropriate interview skills. In situ training (IST), also known as in-the-moment-training, has been offered as a method to improve the …

Determining The Physical And Social Barriers That Prevent Food-Insecure Students At The University Of Arkansas From Using The Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, Sarah Elizabeth Yanniello

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the reasons why 38% of the students at the University of Arkansas experience food insecurity, yet only 1% of students have used the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, in hopes to provide a guide to the Center for Community Engagement in their endeavors to reduce food insecurity on campus (Lisnic, 2016). An online survey was created using Qualtrics software, was submitted to and approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Review Board, and was distributed to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Arkansas. The sample size …

Sex Differences In Aripiprazole Sensitization From Adolescence To Adulthood, Elizabeth Freeman, Joanne Lin, Shinnyi Chow, Collin Davis, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The present study investigated the potential sex differences in repeated aripiprazole (ARI) treatment-induced behavioral sensitization from adolescence to adulthood, and to determine whether ARI sensitization can be transferred to olanzapine (OLZ) and/or clozapine (CLZ) using the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) and phencyclidine-induced (PCP) hyperlocomotion tests of antipsychotic activity. Male and female Sprague-Dawley adolescence rats (P46) were first treated with ARI (10 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days (P46–50) and tested for avoidance response and ARI-induced inhibition of PCP-induced hyperlocomotion. After they became adults (>P68), rats were challenged with ARI (1.5 mg/kg, sc) (P70), OLZ (0.5 mg/kg, sc; P73), CLZ (5 …

Differences In The Type And Sequence Order Of Self-Defense Behaviors During A High-Risk Victimization Scenario: Impact Of Prior Sexual Victimization, Raeann E. Anderson, Shawn P. Cahill, Douglas L. Delahanty

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: During a potential sexual assault experience, an active, assertive behavioral response to threat (BRTT) can be protective while a non-assertive BRTT may increase risk. However, little is known about how the sequence of behaviors that a woman engages in during a threatening situation may be related to sexual victimization. The present study investigated the style and sequence of behaviors in college women’s behavioral response to threat using a lab-based date rape self-defense scenario.

Method: 135 college women (113 with a history of sexual victimization) completed a lab-based self-defense scenario in which the threat stimuli and situational context were standardized. …

An Overview Of Suicide And The Impact Of Interacting Factors On Current Suicide Trends, Shawna Burrow

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 44,965 people committed suicide in 2016 in the United States, and the rate has been rising for a decade and a half. Suicide has far-reaching consequences which affect not only the victim, but those close to the person as well. For every suicide, an estimated six people are futher traumatized, bringing the current loss survivor estimate to over 5 million. Additionally, suicide costs tax payers about 70 billion dollars annually. Despite outranking homicide as a leading cause of death, the long-standing stigma associated with suicide creates a barrier for open and effective communication about the issue. This paper investigates …

Surprisingly Open Or Openly Surprised? That Is The Question; Using Surprise Experiences To Increase Openness To Experience And Tolerance Of Ambiguity, Anneke Veenendaal-De Kort

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Using Surprise Experiences to Increase Openness to Experience and Tolerance of Ambiguity

In the fast-changing world in which we are currently living, we constantly come across situations and problems that we have not encountered before. An open mind and the ability to tolerate ambiguity are important skills in uncertain times. People who embrace the unpredictable can develop their resilience and flexibility. Surprisologists Luna and Renninger (2015) have discovered that a great way of dipping into unpredictability is through surprise. For my Master’s Project, I designed experiences that transform people’s openness and tolerance for ambiguity through surprise. This paper begins with …

The Psychology Of Consumer Resistance To Advertising, Chi-Ching Lam

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Advertising has been used for a long time to support the large amount of content that people consume every day. However, the negative stigma associated with advertising has lead to increasing amounts of consumer resistance towards advertising, such as the problem of ad avoidance. Through a literature review, this paper answers the following question: how can understanding consumer resistance inspire more effective advertising? First reviewing the psychology literature, this paper explores the the origin and manifestation of consumer skepticism in response to attempts at persuasion. Cialdini’s weapons of influence provide a basis for the persuasive techniques commonly used. Counterarguing, attitude …

Instagram Use And Its Effect On Well-Being And Self-Esteem, Briana Trifiro

Master of Arts in Communication

Over the last ten years, social media has become an integral facet of modern society. In particular, image-based social networking sites such as Instagram have become increasingly popular among adolescents and young adults. However, despite this proliferation of use, the literature remains divided regarding the potential impacts of social media, particularly in regards to image-based platforms. The present study sought to analyze the relationship between social media usage patterns and its subsequent effects on user self-esteem and well-being. However, the study’s results show that, despite the existing literature, intensity of Instagram use serves as a mediating variable in this relationship. …

Differential Impact Of Psychological And Physiological Health Outcomes On Long-Term Associative Recognition, James D. Schaeffer

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Evidence suggests that lifestyle and environmental factors may contribute to later life cognitive decline and dementia. Although there is a large amount of evidence linking psychological and physiological factors to general memory performance, little focus has been given to specific memory systems. The present study was designed to investigate relationships between psychophysiological health predictors and recollection and familiarity processes of recognition memory. We hypothesized that these recognition processes may be differentially impacted by the included health variables. The present study involved 96 relatively healthy young adults between 17 and 25 years old. Health measures included visceral obesity (waist-to-hip ratio), heart …

Mdma-Assisted Psychotherapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review Of The Literature, Erin Solomon

Student Works

A growing number of people suffer chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Amoroso & Workman, 2016; Buoso, Doblin, Farré, Alcázar, & Gómez-Jarabo, 2008; Mithoefer, Wagner, Mithoefer, Jerome, & Doblin, 2011; Oehen, Traber, Widmer, & Schnyder, 2013). The most popular treatments, including exposure therapy, may not be effective for some people (Amoroso & Workman, 2016; Mithoefer et al., 2011). Treatment dropout and suicidality are high among people for whom therapy is minimally effective (Amoroso, 2015; Amoroso & Workman, 2016; Mithoefer et al., 2011; Oehen et al., 2013). Researchers have begun to investigate 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy as a possible treatment for PTSD …

The Role Of Emotion Regulation In The Relationship Between Trait Anger And Relational Aggression, Skylar Hicks

Master's Theses

Relational aggression (RA) has been linked to a number of serious problems for all age ranges, especially in young children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Elevated trait anger appears to be positively related to both peer and romantic RA, and there is some evidence that difficulties with emotion regulation are positively associated with RA as well. The present study investigated the role of emotion regulation as a potential moderator of the relationship between trait anger and RA in a college student sample (N = 307) while taking general negative affect into account. As expected, trait anger was a positive predictor …

Utilization Of Telehealth Technology In Addiction Treatment In Colorado, J. Michael Faragher, Ying Shan Doris Zhang, Virginia Low, Demi Folds, Mita Johnson

Counseling Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

The growing presence of electronic technology in the health service professions is redefining the boundaries of counseling services. Commonly referred to as telehealth, utilization of electronic communication strategies to expand connectedness has opened new frontiers in behavioral health through applications ranging from digital phones, interactive video sessions, to virtual supervision. Substantial research suggests that telehealth is generally equal in effectiveness to traditional forms of treatment, especially for those individuals struggling with substance abuse problems. Unfortunately, research also suggests that telehealth is often underutilized when it comes to providing addiction treatment services. Telehealth trends in Colorado were examined using a Telehealth …

Chronic Pain Profiles And Past Bullying Experiences, Stephen Ratliff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The biopsychosocial model of chronic pain posits that chronic pain is influenced by factors such as depression, somatization, and psychological trauma (Gatchel, Peng, Peters, Fuchs, & Turk, 2007). Being bullied in childhood is one such factor that has been shown to be associated with chronic pain (Sigurdson, Wallander, & Sund, 2014; Voerman et al. 2015). Furthermore, those with chronic pain fit into one of three distinct psychological profiles (Williams, Urban, Keefe, Shutty, & France, 1995). The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between chronic pain profiles and reports of past bullying experiences. It was hypothesized that …

Four Decades Of The Journal Law And Human Behavior: A Content Analysis, Lindsey E. Wylie, Katherine P. Hazen, Lori A. Hoetger, Joshua A. Haby, Eve M. Brank

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although still relatively young, the journal Law and Human Behavior (LHB) has amassed a publication history of more than 1300 full-length articles over four decades. Yet, no systematic analysis of the journal has been done until now. The current research coded all full-length articles to examine trends over time, predictors of the number of Google Scholar citations, and predictors of whether an article was cited by a court case. The predictors of interest included article organization, research topics, areas of law, areas of psychology, first-author gender, first-author country of institutional affiliation, and samples employed. Results revealed a vast …

Color Between The Lines: Navigating Mixed Race Identity, Kelly O'Halloran

College Honors Program

Through the qualitative work of narrative psychology, this thesis explores experiences of mixed race individuals who have one white parent, one minority parent, and who grew up in a predominantly white community. The data were drawn from the author’s own first-hand experiences as well as in-depth interviews from three Holy Cross students about their mixed race identities. On the basis of these data, three forms of self-identity were found to be especially salient: the unaware self, the unique self, and the liminal self. The unaware self can be understood as not knowing how one appears to others. The unique self …