Psychology Commons^™

The Implications Of Social Skills On The Formation Of Relationships Between Indonesian Muslims And Japanese, Sachiko Nakano, Tomoko Tanaka

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

This study aims to investigate social skills adopted by Japanese people in Indonesia relevant to developing satisfactory interpersonal relationships with Indonesian Muslims. Twenty-seven Japanese people living in Indonesia were questioned on coping strategies used to overcome interpersonal difficulties (Nakano & Tanaka, 2016, July) and behaviors used to form satisfactory relationships. The results indicated that the subjects used two coping strategies: (1) cognitive, which involves understanding and tolerating cultural and religious characteristics or differences; and (2) behavioral, which involves accommodating one’s behavior to characteristics and differences, observation, and mimicry. It was also revealed that three specific skills are needed: …

Psychometric Properties Of A Working Memory Span Task, Juan M. Alzate Vanegas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine the psychometric properties of a complex span task (CST) developed to measure working memory capacity (WMC) using measurements obtained from a sample of 68 undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida. The Grocery List Task (GLT) promises several design improvements over traditional CSTs in a prior study about individual differences in WMC and distraction effects on driving performance, and it offers potential benefits for studying WMC as well as the serial-position effect. Currently, the working memory system is composed of domain-general memorial storage processes and information-processing, which involves the use of …

Gender Differences In Development Center Performance In A Healthcare Organization, Samuel Lawson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Over the past 50 years, the assessment center has evolved into a tool used for making selection and job placement decisions, as well as for identifying development areas among incumbents to promote skill and competency development where gaps exist. The present study examined the latter, that of development centers, to address potential gender differences in performance on a variety of exercise and competency areas within a development center context. Research efforts were also directed toward the exercises and competencies themselves and the relationships between them. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to investigate exercise-competency relationships, while t-tests were conducted to investigate …

Differences In The Perceptions Of Gerotranscendence Between Certified Nursing Assistants And Older Adults, Amanda Perera

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Many theories of aging have been proposed within the field of gerontology to explain both psychological and social changes that occur during the aging process. One of the theories is the theory of gerotranscendence, which explains that as individuals age they develop a new perspective on life that allows the aging individual to shift their conceptualization of the world, from a materialistic and rational view to a more transcendent and universal view. Previous research suggests that some behaviors associated with gerotranscendence have been misinterpreted as pathological. The purpose of this current study was to examine whether there are significant differences …

Transgender Individuals Among An Online Adult Baby Diaper Lover Community Sample: An Exploratory Study, Elizabeth Gibson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There is a lack of literature on the transgender community and individuals with atypical sexual interest which can lead to multiple aspects of stigma based on an individual's gender identity and sexual preferences. The current study used archival data that was collected by researchers at the University of Minnesota in the Program of Human sexuality in 2011. Data was collected using an online survey which sought to survey online communities of individuals who identify as Adult Baby Diaper Lovers (ABDL). In this study, 83 transgender and gender variant individuals were analyzed with five main research questions. We were interested in …

Bullying In Senior Living Facilities: Resident Perspectives, Kathryn Ira

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Research associated with resident-to-resident bullying in senior living facilities (i.e., senior bullying), has been growing in recent years due to anecdotal stories in the popular press. Few studies, however, have assessed resident-to-resident bullying from the perspective of residents. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to better understand the phenomenon of senior bullying as observed by residents in senior living facilities. Nineteen individuals residing in senior living facilities were interviewed about their observations and opinions related to senior bullying at their facility. Results indicated that 52.9% of residents had observed senior bullying at least once. Verbal and social bullying …

Motivations, Expectations And Experiences Of Genital Piercings In The Transgender Community: An Exploratory Study, Haley Peterson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Purpose. Motivations and experiences of people who have body modifications has been studied over the past several decades. However, the majority of these studies may include, but do not exclusively, study the motivations and experiences of genital piercings in the transgender community. This study uses a qualitative design to explore the motivations, expectations, and experiences of getting a genital piercing within the transgender community, as well as how genital piercings relate to transgender identities. Methods. Participants were required to be at least 18, have a genital piercing, and identify as transgender. Recruitment was conducted through Facebook and a professional piercer. …

Ethical Issues And Consequences As Portrayed By Medical Dramas: An Analysis Of The Effect Of Cultivation Theory, Molly Johnson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Television medical dramas, like American Broadcasting Company’s Grey’s Anatomy, strive to make the program as accurate as possible while creating a dramatic and entertaining program. Grey’s Anatomy, since the first episode in 2005, has employed medical consultants to help write episodes in order to make the television program as realistic as possible (Otto, 2014). Although there are some realistic aspects of Grey’s Anatomy, as a whole it is a fictional medical drama with plotlines and characters used for entertainment purposes only. However, previous research shows that fictional programs can still have an effect on its viewers. Cultivation Theory states that …

Influence Of Selected Factors On A Counselor's Attention Level To And Counseling Performance With A Virtual Human In A Virtual Counseling Session, John Hart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Virtual humans serve as role-players in social skills training environments simulating situational face-to-face conversations. Previous research indicates that virtual humans in instructional roles can increase a learner's engagement and motivation towards the training. Left unaddressed is if the learner is looking at the virtual human as one would in a human-to-human, face-to-face interaction. Using a modified version of the Emergent Leader Immersive Training Environment (ELITE-Lite), this study tracks visual attention and other behavior of 120 counselor trainees counseling a virtual human role-playing counselee. Specific study elements include: (1) the counselor's level of visual attention toward the virtual counselee; (2) how …

Rumination And Executive Dysfunction: Risk Factors For Vascular Depression, David Brush

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The widely-supported vascular depression hypothesis is underspecified with respect to cognitive mechanisms by which high cerebrovascular burden (CVB) and neuropathology relate to depressive symptoms. Integration of the vascular depression hypothesis with the CaR-FA-X model, a framework of affect regulation mechanisms, suggest that Rumination (R) and executive dysfunction (X) may increase due to altered recruitment of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex resulting from high CVB and underlying neuropathology. This process would contribute to depressive symptomatology among older adults with high CVB. The progression of examined hypotheses included mediation models examining mechanistic relationships between predictors (CVB, DLPFC activation), cognitive correlates (rumination, executive …

Adaptation And Resilience Of Extreme Teams: A Qualitative Study Using Historiometric Analysis, Lauren Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The business and academic worlds agree that team resilience and team adaptation are in increasing need of study. This study explores the behavioral processes of team adaptation—specifically, those action phase and interpersonal processes mapped by Marks, Mathieu, and Zaccaro (2001) and overlapping with the team adaptation model by Burke, Stagl, Salas, Pierce, and Kendall (2006) and expanded by Rosen et al. (2011). Additionally, the impact of trigger type on adaptive behaviors is explored as suggested by Maynard and Kennedy (2016). These explorations are conducted within the context of extreme teams, and the primary method used is Crayne and Hunter's (2018) …

High School Peer Counseling: Understanding The Impact Of A Systemic Training Incorporating Bowen Concepts, Christina Elizabeth Berdebes

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Peer counseling programs benefit peer-to-peer relationships in schools through students providing active support for one another. Literature shows that peer counseling programs are effective with adolescents, especially in school-based settings. Bowen family systems theory is a model that focuses on the importance of emotional and relationship systems. Differentiation of self, a key concept in Bowen systems theory, is described as the balance between emotional and intellectual functioning; the higher the level of differentiation, the less likely one is to experience emotional and social difficulties. This dissertation I explored the potential for training high school senior counselors from a Bowenian perspective. …

Evaluation Of The Relationally Based “Calm-Driven” Service Training For The Automotive Industry, Based On The New World Kirkpatrick Model, Katia Tikhonravova

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the relationally based “Calm-Driven” Service (CDS) training program from the New World Kirkpatrick model perspective. The CDS training program is designed to help automotive professionals in sales and service to relate to their customers by (a) thinking in a different way about human relationships, and (b) realizing their own role in relationships and behavior. The CDS training program is based on the relational systems theory concepts of relational triangles, chronic anxiety, and differentiation of self from the Bowen Family Systems Theory.

The results suggest that the participants had a positive reaction to the training …

Anti-Muslim Prejudice When Exposed To News About Terrorism: The Roles Of Negative Affect And Psychological Inflexibility, Arthur T. Hatton Sr.

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, some proposed law enforcement policies intended to prevent terrorism may violate the civil rights of American minorities. These policies include random searches by law enforcement, banning Muslims from entering the country, and refusing to grant asylum to Syrian refugees. Additionally, the rise of ISIS has heightened the salience of terrorism across the world and in the United States. The goal of the high-production videos produced by ISIS may be partially intended to create inter-religious conflict in the West. My study examines the effect of news about ISIS propaganda videos on Americans’ opinions about policies that limit …

Does Observational Learning Influence Spatial Pattern Learning?, Matthew Bruster

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies have indicated both human and non-human animals come under control of a hidden spatial pattern when engaged in an open field search task, and rats appear to exhibit social learning in such tasks through the influence of a conspecific on their search behavior. Although human participants appear to perform similarly in both real-world and virtual environment versions of a spatial pattern search task, evidence from human participants for social learning in such a task remains lacking. The current experiments tested the influence of social learning (observational learning) on human performance in a spatial pattern learning task within a …

The Real Winner Of The Second World War: Patriotic Consumption And The Formation Of A Society Of Spin, Jordan T. Thomas

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The unique circumstances in the United States during the Second World War allowed for business to continue as usual on the home front. Advertisers, public relations experts, and big business all worked for the government to promote the war effort. For a period of time major companies in the United States were producing advertisements that persuaded citizens to support rationing, buy war bonds, hate the enemy, and keep their brand names in mind in the post-war years. Companies who supported the war effort had their brands connected with ideas of patriotism and enjoyed the success of brand loyal consumers in …

Functional Analysis Of Tattoos From An Evolutionary Perspective, Elise V. Neville

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Recently, rates of tattooing in the U.S. have surged despite evidence of negative perceptions of individuals with tattoos. Additionally, perceptions appear to vary by target gender, with tattooed women being perceived more negatively than their male counterparts. The purpose of the current research was to examine (a) if perceptions of those with tattoos indeed vary by gender, (b) if tattoos conceivably serve an evolutionary function and (c) if so, do tattoos serve different functions for women and men. An evolutionary approach takes into consideration the purpose an observed behavior may serve for the individual in terms of how it solves …

Stigma And Self-Disclosure: Mental Health Professionals’ And Nonprofessionals’ Perceptions Of Therapist Self-Disclosure Of Past Mental Illness, Riley Benko

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Research indicates the general public stigmatizes individuals across a number of circumstances, including people with a mental illness. Individuals with a mental illness are more likely to be perceived by members of the general public as responsible for their illness, dangerous, or helpless compared to those with physical illnesses, and such stigma appears higher in rural areas. Compared to members of the general public, mental health professionals and trainees hold more positive perceptions of those with mental illness, viewing them as less dangerous, untrustworthy, and unpredictable. In working with clients, mental health professionals may choose to use self-disclosure as a …

Self-Efficacy, Implicit Theories Of Ability, And 2 X 2 Achievement Goal Orientation: A Mediation Analysis In Collegiate Athletics, Cory Cottrell

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Achievement goal theory encompasses the adaptive and maladaptive responses to achievement situations and has a strong background in sport research. (Dweck, 1986; Nicholls, 1984; Senko, Hulleman, & Harackiewicz, 2011). A 2007 meta-analysis established self-efficacy and implicit theories of ability as antecedents of achievement goal orientation (Payne, Youngcourt, Beaubien, 2007). Using the 2 x 2 achievement goal paradigm the purpose of the study looks to evaluate antecedents of self-efficacy and implicit theories of ability on achievement goal endorsement in collegiate student athletes. The current study examined implicit theories of ability as a mediator between self-efficacy and each of the 2 x …

The Role Of Psychosocial Factors In The Non-Medical Use Of Prescription Stimulants Among Undergraduate Greek-Life Members, Kathleen May

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) is a growing concern across U.S. college campuses. Amphetamine misuse increased from 7.7% to 11.1% among undergraduate students over the past decade. Research has identified Greek-life members are twice as likely to report NMUPS in comparison to non-Greek-life members; however, little is known about social and psychological factors contributing to this discrepancy. While researchers have identified specific personality characteristics significantly correlated with higher levels of reported NMUPS, including sensation seeking and internal restlessness, currently little is known about social factors related to NMUPS. It is important to examine psychosocial variables motivating NMUPS in …

The Effects Of Alcohol Priming On Age Perception And Attractiveness Ratings, Brooks B. Kolberg

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Sexual assault and alcohol have often been linked together (Abbey et.al, 2004; Collins & Messerschmidt, 1993). Also, 29% of rape victims are between the ages of 12 and 17 (Greenfield, 1997). Research suggests people who are more impulsive are more likely to be sexually aggressive (Mouilso, Calhoun, & Rosenbloom, 2013); however, less is known regarding the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between alcohol and sexual assault of minors. This study addressed this knowledge gap by (1) examining the effects of alcohol priming on attractiveness ratings and age perception of individuals who could be perceived as adolescent, and (2) investigating the …

Effects Of Electronic Cigarette Liquid Solvents Propylene Glycol And Vegetable Glycerin On User Nicotine Delivery, Heart Rate, Subjective Effects, And Puff Topography, Tory Spindle

Theses and Dissertations

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are a class of tobacco products that use a heating element to aerosolize a liquid, typically containing nicotine, allowing for user inhalation. Despite their rapid growth in popularity, little is known about ECIGs including how certain device and liquid factors influence nicotine delivery, user physiological and subjective responses, and puffing behavior (puff topography). Limited pre-clinical research has demonstrated that the ratio of two solvents commonly found in ECIG liquids, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), may have an influence on the nicotine content of ECIG aerosols. However, the extent to which PG:VG ratio in ECIG liquids …

An Experimental Assessment Of Empathy Compared To Perspective Taking On Minority Group Members In Intergroup Exchanges With Majority Group Members, Rain Marie Carroll

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to replicate and extend Vorauer and Quesnel’s (2016) research on the malleability of ingroup status perceptions. With a sample of White majority and Indigenous minority Canadians, Vorauer and Quesnel tested the impact of being the target of two common intergroup relation strategies (i.e., empathy and perspective taking) on perceptions of status in society. They concluded that when minority group members were the targets of empathy rather than perspective taking, the targets experienced a significant decrease in perceptions of ingroup societal status. In the present experiment, White participants were randomly assigned the role of actor or target, and …

"Burned Out" At Work But Satisfied With One's Job: Anatomy Of A False Paradox, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi

Publications and Research

In a recent study of 346 US neurosurgery residents Attenello et al reported that 67% of their participants suffered from burnout. The authors also found that 81% of surveyed residents were satisfied with their career. Attenello et al described their results as paradoxical. We criticize their methodology.

Testing Performance As It Relates To Academic Self-Concept And Test Anxiety In Students With And Without Adhd, Kyrstin Sutton-Davis

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Students who are diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) comprise 25% of students with disabilities who receive educational accommodations in post-secondary settings, and represent roughly 2 - 4% of college students (Weyandt et al., 2013). However, there are mixed results regarding the efficacy of testing accommodations, specifically extended time, and whether these accommodations may offer an advantage to students with ADHD (Gregg & Nelson, 2012). In addition to extended test time, students with ADHD commonly use minimal disturbance rooms. However, there is little research regarding the efficacy of the accommodation. The relationship among academic self-concept, test anxiety, test performance, and testing …

Creativity, Psychopathology, And Psychological Flexibility, Lee Carpenter

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between creativity and impairment in quality of life due to psychological disorder has an unclear relationship. Some studies indicate creativity and psychopathology have a significant relationship (Andreasen, 1987) while other studies indicate the two having no connection at all (Karlsson, 1970). The current study examined (1) what direct correlations exist between creative achievement and quality of life impairment, psychological inflexibility and quality of life impairment, and symptoms of psychoticism and quality of life impairment, and (2) how the indirect relationship between creative achievement and quality of life impairment in the context of symptoms of psychoticism changes at varying …

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety And Conforming Behavior In A Computerized Task, Jeremy Vargas

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and conforming behavior in both ambiguous and unambiguous computerized context. The majority of the participants for the sample consisted of Caucasian (78%) females (71%) who completed the task entirely (N = 94). Measures of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) were used to assess social anxiety, while a computer mediated problem-solving task was used to assess conforming behavior. It was hypothesized that conforming behavior would be greater in the ambiguous context compared to the unambiguous context; and that social anxiety scores would be correlated with higher conforming behavior. While a Wilcoxon …

The Influence Of Race And Gender On The Choice Of A Mental Health Provider, Meghan Rackers

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Although the current mental health treatment model provides little opportunity for consumers of services to exert control of their mental health experiences (specifically when choosing a provider), the ability to select a service provider may aid in the formation of the therapeutic alliance. The abundance of research regarding the topic of racial and gender matching of clinicians and clients has focused on treatment outcomes and client retention, and less on client preference and how it relates to likelihood that they will seek out services. Previous studies have used face-valid surveys asking whether clients would prefer a clinician who is a …

The Concurrent Validity Of The Learning Component Of The Missouri Ability Scale, Nicholas Johnson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The present study was designed to determine the concurrent validity of the Missouri Ability Scale (MAS), a new measure of independent functioning and learning currently in development. The MAS consists of 10 subtests and is designed to be administered to the examinee and an informant. Fifty individuals (M = 13.1 years; SD = 5.8 years) were administered the MAS and a cognitive abilities test (i.e. WISC-V, KABC-II, WJ-IV). Overall, the Spearman correlations between the MAS learning component and the measures of intellectual ability were moderate-to-strong, indicating good validity. Consistent with the hypotheses, the MAS learning component and the Cattel-Horn-Carroll …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Behavioral Functioning: Measuring Perceptions Of One's Own Behavior, Aaron Hale

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

As bullying type behaviors have increased in recent years, many school districts have responded by implementing rigid zero-tolerance policies that punish students with no regard toward situational or social contexts. These policies have been shown to have many negative social, psychological, and academic consequences. Numerous social and developmental factors involved in bullying-type situations make it necessary to gather information on both the frequency and the social contexts in which they occur: exhibiting these behaviors toward close friends versus exhibiting these behaviors toward individuals who are not close friends. Of particular interest is if students exhibit bullying-type behaviors more often in …