Psychology Commons^™

Out In Appalachia: Leaving The Closet In The Mountains, Jeffrey C. Cawood

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Jeffrey C. Cawood, Jr. on April 28, 2018.

Understanding The Relationship Between Sexual Identity, Life Satisfaction, Psychological Well-Being, And Online Community Use, Aaliyah L. Gray, Erin W. Moore

Modern Psychological Studies

Identity-based frameworks allow for a diverse look at sexuality because they consider non-binary groups that are typically excluded. This study sought to address gaps in LGBQ research by utilizing a diverse sample of sexual identities. It was hypothesized that asexual, demisexual, polysexual, and pansexual individuals would report lower levels of life satisfaction and psychological well-being, more frequent support-seeking internet use, and lower sense of community compared to gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. A total of 284 individuals completed an online survey. Results suggest that experiences of life satisfaction, well-being, and sense of community are more nuanced than considered in past …

Female Risk Aversion: Experimental Evidence In Myanmar, Okkar Mandalay

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

While literature shows that female risk tolerance is generally lower than males, it can also be the same as male's under different contexts and types of rewards. We conducted an experiment in Myanmar using a lottery selection method to measure risk over five consecutively paid rounds. We find 1) teenage females are more responsive than adult females to the type of incentive. 2) female risk tolerance matches that of males under cash and school supplies, but fall behind under department store gift card. 3) over five rounds, adult female behavior is most distinct from other groups.

A Pathway To Psychological Difficulty: Perceived Chronic Social Adversity And Its Symptomatic Reactions, Cody Ding, Jingqiu Zhang, Dong Yang

Education Sciences and Professional Programs Faculty Works

In this paper, we attempt to predict and explain psychological maladjustment or difficulty. Specifically, we discuss the concept of perceived chronic social adversity, and we expect that such perceived chronic social adversity may potentially lead to chronic stress responses. Accordingly, we propose the symptomatic reactions of perceived chronic social adversity. We put forward a set of hypotheses regarding the relationships between perceived chronic social adversity and those chronic stress responses, and we further hypothesize a mediating role of individualized negative essentialism brought by perceived chronical social adversity. Resilience and individual differences in the ability to cope with perceived adversity are …

The Relationships Among Moral Judgement, Social Identification, And Stigmitization, Rebecca Isaacs

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Stigma has had a perceived link with the concept of morality since the Grecian era (Goffman, 1963). The purpose of this study was to see if there was a correlation between moral judgement (using the Defining Issues Test 2; DIT2), social identification (using the Identification with all Humanity Scale; IWAHS) and stigma attributions toward those with mental illness. Specifically, whether those with a heightened sense of identification with all humanity and more developed moral judgement schemas are less likely to make negative stigma attributions toward persons with mental illness. The results this study supported correlations between those variables and the …

Drama Therapy And Transgender Adolescents, Ryan Lisman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Transgender adolescents in the United States are currently a vulnerable population that often regularly face discrimination and are at a high risk for hate crimes (Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, 2016). Developing and implementing therapeutic interventions and models for working with transgender adolescents is essential at this time. In American society, there has recently been a cultural shift towards a greater sense of acceptance for the LGBTQ community (Benson, 2013), but within that, the transgender community has been consistently left behind in many aspects of progress that LGB (Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual) people have benefited from (Benson, 2013). There …

Flow, Creativity And Autism Spectrum Disorder: Creatively Supporting Development And Pro-Social Behavior In Children With Asd, Mehdi Raoufi

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review is an analysis of the literature exploring the use of expressive arts modalities with children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with a focus on emotional regulation and behavior modification. Historically, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been the standard in terms of behavior modification for this population, but current research and qualitative inquiries suggested that members of this population need more support in emotional regulation and communication than ABA is able to provide. Using an intermodal arts-based method developmentally promotes social and communication abilities in children with ASD. Further, channeling stereotypic behaviors into creative flow can regulate, …

Let’S Take A Walk, Jasmin Tahmaseb-Mcconatha

Psychology Faculty Publications

Are you feeling lonely and isolated? Are you worried about your neighbors? Reach out and ask them to take a walk. Boost well-being and build friendships by walking and talking.

Performance Anxiety And The Benefits Of Proper Breathing For Singing, Kate Zecher

Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to help those with Music Performance Anxiety, or anxiety in general, better understand their anxiety and its causes. They can then use this knowledge to reduce or control their symptoms in order to improve their performance, whether on a stage or in a classroom. One of the main symptoms of Music Performance Anxiety is constriction of the chest. It is one of the most debilitating symptoms to singers as it causes shortness of breath. Therefore, focusing on anxiety in relation to breathing will most benefit those with Music Performance Anxiety. In addition, learning about …

The Effect Of Smartphones On Anxiety: An Attachment Issue Or Fear Of Missing Out?, Kelly Mannion

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Previous research shows that college students tend to experience increased anxiety when they are separated from their smartphone. This anxiety has been suggested to be due to attachment, where college students have formed an attachment to their smartphone. Another explanation for this anxiety is the fear of missing out (FoMO), where college students experience worry when they cannot check in with their friends. No existing study to my knowledge has simultaneously examined the separate impact of attachment to phones and FoMO on anxiety levels, particularly during a stressful situation. The current study examines the separate and combined impacts of FoMO …

Do Calories Count? Examining The Impact Of Calorie Awareness On Food Selection, April V. Rose

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study examined whether purchasing behavior of patrons in a college campus café changed when calorie information was provided. It compared weekly sales on food items before and after calorie information was posted for a group of target items (n = 6) that had calorie counts posted in fall 2017 and two groups of comparison items. Archival sales data were collected using the existing point-of-sale system. Sales of target items, which had calories displayed next to them, dropped significantly when compared with sales of the same items during the previous year. Sales of target items also dropped significantly when compared …

Do Calories Count? Examining The Impact Of Calorie Awareness On Food Selection, April V. Rose

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study examined whether purchasing behavior of patrons in a college campus cafe changed when calorie information was provided. It compared weekly sales on food items before and after calorie information was posted for a group of target items (n = 6) that had calorie counts posted in fall 2017 and two groups of comparison items. Archival sales data were collected using the existing point-of-sale system. Sales of target items, which had calories displayed next to them, dropped significantly when compared with sales of the same items during the previous year. Sales of target items also dropped significantly when compared …

Thinking Outside The Checkbox: Examining The Benefits Of Depression In The Workplace, Tyler Jensen

Student Works

It is illegal for equal-opportunity employers to ask potential hires about history and status of mental health. To allow employers to provide reasonable accommodation for mental and emotional health concerns, voluntary self-disclosure is permitted by the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), so long as it does not affect the decision to hire. However, as it is in the employer’s best interest to hire strong candidates, the erroneous connection between emotional suffering and inherent weakness has greatly contributed to the stigma against those who experience depressive symptoms. Individuals who experience depressive symptoms are colloquially understood to be incapable of …

Moral Obligation And Evaluating Group Disloyalty Among Children, Valentin Gulyas, Lily L. Samiee, Angelica Bueno, Jacquelyn Gildden

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Research on children’s moral obligation has shown that children ages 8 to 13 years believe it is a moral obligation to help the out-group in high need conditions (Sierksma, Thijs, Verkuyten, 2014). In these high need situations, children feel morally expected to offer help independent of group membership. Less is known about children’s’ moral obligation to the out-group in varying contexts and in situations of varying threat to the in-group (Nesdale, Maass, Durken, & Griffiths, 2005). The current study investigates moral obligation to the in-group and out-group in three contexts (disloyalty via psychological harm to the in-group, disloyalty via physical …

Detecting Suicide Risk From Wristworn Activity Tracker Data Using Machine Learning Approaches, Pallavi Atluri

Electrical Engineering Theses

Suicide is a prevalent cause of death worldwide and depression is a primary concern of many suicidal acts. It is possible that an individual during depression never has any suicidal thoughts at all. On the other hand, some individuals in stable condition with no apparent symptoms of depression feel urges to commit suicide (suicidal ideation). Many such individuals never let anyone know what they are feeling or planning. Suicidal ideation considered an important precursor to suicidal acts.

Detecting the suicide risk in individuals with mood disorders is a major challenge. The current clinical practice to assess suicide risk in these …

Does The Power Pose Influence Confidence And Competitiveness?, Hannah Cummons, Mahsa Ashabi, Madison Levine, Ashwini Shridhar

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Amy Cuddy's paper on the Power Pose rocked the academic world with its results and controversial fallout. We replicate her experiment with undergraduate students and examine whether performing a Power Pose has an effect on an individual's confidence and competitive spirit. Randomly selected students perform the Power Pose and following that the entire class is invited to participate in a game that can measure their competitiveness. In doing so, we can look at how confidence and competitiveness is affected by physical expressions of power.

Children Weigh Need And Level Of Disloyalty When Evaluating Disloyal In-Group Members, Lily Samiee, Valentin Gulyas, Jacquelyn Glidden, Angelica Buneno

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The current study extends existing literature about children's views regarding the moral obligation of group loyalty. Findings indicate that children think loyalty to one’s group is not obligatory, and helping one’s out-group is sometimes a moral necessity, however not when it comes at a high cost to one’s in-group.

The Use Of Participant-Confederates In Examining Behavior Among The Falsely Accused: A Pilot Study

Symposium of Student Scholars

False confessions, which are admissions of guilt of a criminal act by an innocent individual, are a leading cause of wrongful convictions (Drizin & Leo, 2004). Researchers have primarily focused on identifying coercive elements of interrogations and confessor characteristics that increase the likelihood of false confessions, rather than examining potential relationship factors between the perpetrator and the false confessor. This pilot study examined whether Russano et al.’s (2005) cheating paradigm could be modified to include a participant-confederate who is either a stranger or a friend. Participant-confederates engage in a staged cheating incident and then send a plea to innocent-participants asking …

Disseminating Open Scientific Communication In Psychology: An Overview Of Platforms And Policies, Kristen Hoffman

SPU Works

In August 2017, APA announced a collaboration with the Center for Open Science to host data and preprints on PsyArXiv. APA journals and those of many other publishers allow posting prepublication manuscripts on the internet. More and more, scholars are pushing against the closed systems of publishing in favor of opening access, narrowly in regards to scholarly publications and more broadly in terms of the entire life cycle of research. When I talk with faculty at my institution, the two general responses I receive to the question, “What does open access look like in your discipline?” is either that it …

Definition Of Intercultural Competence (Ic) In Undergraduate Students At A Private University In The Usa: A Mixed-Methods Study., Lioba Gierke, Nadine Binder, Mark Heckmann, Özen Odağ, Anne Leiser, Karina K. Kedzior

Touro University Berlin

Introduction

Intercultural competence (IC) is an important skill to be gained from higher education. However, it remains unclear what IC means to students and what factors might influence their definitions of IC. The aim of the current study was to qualitatively assess how students at one higher education institution in the USA define IC and to quantitatively test for relationships among IC components and various demographic characteristics, including intercultural experience and study context. A further aim was to descriptively compare the IC definitions from the US sample with the definitions obtained from another sample of university students in Germany.

Materials …

Heart Rate Variability: The Effects Of Self-Compassion, John Beckius

Psychology Student Work

Psychologists are interested in self-compassion and its effects on our biopsychological well-being. A common method found throughout much research in assessing this is through heart rate variability. In the present study, we attempt to see whether or not self-compassion has an impact on one’s heart rate variability as a higher HRV indicates one is better able to adapt to stress. Self-compassion was measured through a self-compassion survey and we hypothesized that heart rate variability would then be prone to change across three 5-minute test intervals. We unfortunately found no significant change in HRV predicted by our hypothesis. Given the results …

Heart Rate Variability: Impact Of Neuroticism And Social Isolation, John Beckius

Psychology Student Work

Psychologists are interested in self-compassion and its effects on our biopsychological well-being. A common method found throughout much research in assessing this is through heart rate variability. In the present study, we attempt to see whether or not self-compassion has an impact on one’s heart rate variability as a higher HRV indicates one is better able to adapt to stress. Self-compassion was measured beforehand through an online self-compassion survey that contained subscales measuring neuroticism. We also tested to see if social isolation would have an impact on HRV. Social isolation was implemented through a computer program game titled CyberBall, …

Investigating The Effects And Mechanisms Of A Brief Savoring-Based Intervention In Partnered Individuals, Binghuang A. Wang

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Due to numerous barriers to mental health care access, there exists an extensive need for brief cost-effective interventions for couples. Savoring, which invites individuals to prolong and extend the positive aspect of their experiences, is a promising intervention candidate. Research on savoring has established savoring-based interventions to be efficacious at producing positive intra and interpersonal outcomes. The current investigation expands upon existing savoring research by examining the effects of savoring on an adult population in committed romantic relationships. We expect savoring to be better than control at improving intra and interpersonal outcomes. Furthermore, we aim to investigate intrapersonal factors as …

The Impact Of Music On Studying Ability In College Students, Nathaniel T. Lutmer

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study investigates the relationship between listening to music and studying ability in college students. This study was conducted by utilizing a convenience sampling technique to have participants partake in the study. Each participant was randomly assigned to either a control or one of two experimental groups based on block-random assignment. The individuals in the first research group listened to a brief segment of a hit song while studying a list of uncommon words and definitions before being tested on their ability to recall this information. The individuals in the second research group listened to a brief segment of the …

Short Term Memory And Color, Juan J. Perez

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study tried to see if there was any difference in memory retention whether the individual was exposed to color or black ink. We looked at how students from College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (N=20) were able to memorize a list of words. Participants were given list of words in either black ink or a mix of colors. They were then asked to repeat back what they remembered from those lists. We found that the students who had the list of words averaged a higher number of words memorized (10.33) vs those students who had the words …

Memory: The Use Of Technology Versus Reading, Suntina Spehar

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study examined the comparison in retention of information between watching a movie scene and reading a movie script from that scene. There have been controversies on how technology has impacted retention of information among students. The use of technologies can create distractions among those who use it, which may lead to a lower rate of remembered information. We looked at a sample of 20 students who either read a movie script or watched a movie scene. After the experiment, each participant was asked to complete a 5-question quiz assessing their knowledge on the scene. The relationship between retention of …

Testing The Production Effect In Memory For Words, Jack Her, Kristie Vang, Xia Vang

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Previous research on the production effect shows that reading words aloud improves people’s memory for those words compared to words read silently. The purpose of our study was to extend this research to see if reading words aloud would improve people’s memory compared to hearing someone else say the words aloud. We also wanted to see if the production effect depends on the type of words (abstract or concrete words) and the type of memory test (recall or recognition). Participants were shown 30 words, one at a time, with each word presented for 4 seconds on a PowerPoint slide. Half …

Creativity And Performance: The Effects Of Working In Groups Versus Working Individually, John Beckius

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

I-O Psychologists are interested in factors that can affect work productivity and performance among an organization’s employees. Some professionals argue that two heads are better than one when it comes to being innovative and coming up with creative solutions, however, others state the opposite given that group settings tend to result in many hindering factors such as conformity and production blocking. In the present study, we attempted to determine whether or not there is a differential impact of working groups and working individuals on creativity and performance. This was measured through a divergent thinking task based on Guilford’s Alternative Uses …

Effects Of Social Isolation On Heart Rate Variabilty, Hailey Tanner, Jason Omann, Nathaniel T. Lutmer, John Beckius

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The present study looked at the interaction and effects of social isolation on
heart rate variability (HRV). Participants in this study included
undergraduate (N=20) students from St. Johns University and the College
of Saint Benedict. This study included an online survey that measured
neuroticism as well as an online program participants played called
CyberBall. After participants took the neuroticism survey they were
attached to a BioPac machine using electrodes that monitored their heart
rate variability while they played two rounds CyberBall. Heart rate
variability was collected for a total of twenty minutes. We hypothesized that
social isolation would decrease heart …

The Psychology Of Baseball: How The Mental Game Impacts The Physical Game, Kiera Dalmass

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this study was to find whether or not sports psychology can be effective. Baseball was chosen as the sport for the study because baseball can be analyzed for nearly every single factor of the game, with the exception of the mental readiness or state of the player when he steps onto the field. It therefore provides the optimal atmosphere to provide clinical and statistical support to the field of sports psychology. Despite the various, numerous pieces of literature that praise and show support for sports psychology, there hasn’t been clinical research to support it. Additionally, multiple sports …