Psychology Commons^™

The Effect Of Peer Presence On Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity, Nancy Thao

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The CDC estimated that rates of children’s physical activity are extremely low which could lead to various health problems (e.g., hypertension, lipid disorders). Fortunately, previous research has demonstrated that peers, specifically peers identified as preferred, might influence children’s levels of physical activity. However, this variable has not been experimentally manipulated. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of peer presence on the MVPA exhibited by kindergarten children, by exposing participants to peers identified as preferred. Results indicated that the presence of a peer identified as preferred increased the levels of MVPA for one participant but failed …

Who's That Knocking At My Door? Neural Bases Of Sound Source Identification, Guillaume Lemaitre, John A. Pyles, Andrea R. Halpern, Nicole Navolio, Matthew Lehet, Laurie M. Heller

Faculty Journal Articles

When hearing knocking on a door, a listener typically identifies both the action (forceful and repeated impacts) and the object (a thick wooden board) causing the sound. The current work studied the neural bases of sound source identification by switching listeners' attention toward these different aspects of a set of simple sounds during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning: participants either discriminated the action or the material that caused the sounds, or they simply discriminated meaningless scrambled versions of them. Overall, discriminating action and material elicited neural activity in a left-lateralized frontoparietal network found in other studies of sound identification, wherein …

From Invisible To Visible: Exploring Invisibility Syndrome And Coping Among African American Men, Jesha Jones, Stacey Lawson

Graduate Research Posters

INTRODUCTION: African American men may experience feelings of invisibility when maneuvering throughout the public education system. Encounters with alienation, discrimination, and prejudice play a major role in influencing one’s decision to remain in school or dropout. Examining the extent to which the invisibility syndrome manifests in African American men during their K-12 experiences can expand knowledge in understanding their feelings of worthlessness and insignificance in the classroom. METHOD: This research investigated the degree to which invisibility syndrome manifested in retrospective accounts in the K-12 experiences of African American collegiate men. Analysis aim to identify how coping mechanisms can …

Effects Of Delay And Signals On Choice Between Delayed Food Alone And Immediate Food With Delayed Shock, Forrest James Toegel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Much of the research in the area of self-control has examined choice between small immediate reinforcers and large delayed reinforcers, but many problems result from situations in which a single choice produces consequences of conflicting valence: Those in which the immediate outcome is reinforcing and the delayed outcome is aversive. Recent research has evaluated how preference for a large reinforcer which is followed by a delayed shock changes as a function of the delay to shock and how the intensity and duration of delayed shock affects the value of a large reinforcer. The present set of experiments investigated how the …

Subliminal Messaging: How Effective Is It?, Sophia Frazier

A with Honors Projects

For this A with Honors paper, the student questions whether the controversial advertising method of subliminal messaging, which has been shown to provide limited results, needs to be regulated by the FCC and FTC. Concludes that the invasive nature and rights of the consumer validate regulation, despite the ineffecivenss of the technique.

Is Viewing A Painting Really Like Reading? An Investigation Of Trans-Symbolic Comprehension Processes, Christian C. Steciuch

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Humans form mental models of the world around them. A large body of research has outlined these mental processes for comprehending texts, yet less work has been conducted in the world of comprehending artworks. The recent Trans-Symbolic Comprehension (TSC) Framework has posited that there are shared comprehension processes between the domains of text and artwork. The current study tested this claim by having individuals think-aloud while viewing paintings and reading texts. Think-aloud protocols were then parsed and coded for six distinct mental processes that the TSC framework claims are required for comprehension across symbol systems. It was hypothesized that individuals …

Well-Being Correlates Of Perceived Positivity Resonance: Evidence From Trait And Episode-Level Assessments, Brett C. Major, Khoa D. Le Nguyen, Kristjen B. Lundberg, Barbara L. Fredrickson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Positivity resonance is a type of interpersonal connection characterized by shared positivity, mutual care and concern, and behavioral and biological synchrony. Perceived positivity resonance is hypothesized to be associated with well-being. In three studies (N = 175; N = 120; N = 173), perceived positivity resonance was assessed at the trait level (Study 1) or the episode level, using the Day Reconstruction Method (Studies 2 and 3). Primary analyses reveal that perceived positivity resonance is associated with flourishing mental health, depressive symptoms, loneliness, and illness symptoms. These associations largely remain statistically significant when controlling for daily pleasant emotions or social …

The Role Of "Because" In Mechanistic And Teleological Explanations In Science, Lillian K.E. Asiala

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In science, mechanistic and teleological explanations differ in their account for why a phenomenon occurs. A mechanistic explanation presents events within the phenomenon’s causal history, while a teleological explanation presents the function or benefit of the phenomenon. These explanation types present two different types of causal coherence relations; a cause- consequence relation for mechanistic explanations, and an enabling relationship for teleological explanations. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the causal connective “because” in inference generation for the relations present in each explanation type. Two first experiments show that readers accept “because” as an appropriate causal …

Effects Of Emotion And Construal Level On Obesity Stigma, Peyton D. Curtis

Honors Theses

We conducted the present study to determine how emotion and construal level contribute to obesity bias. Specifically, we examined if different emotions, such as disgust, sadness, and happiness, played a role in several different judgments of an obese versus thin individual: 1) general impressions, 2) supporting a friend, and 3) endorsing personal versus biological/environmental causes for weight. We also investigated whether a self me construal or collective we construal influenced these judgments. We additionally considered whether emotion and these construal levels would interact to influence such judgments. The current work found that emotion and construal level did not interact to …

Eating Disorder Quality Of Life Scale (Edqls) In Ethnically Diverse College Women: An Exploratory Factor Analysis, Liya M. Akoury, Vincent Rozalski, Kimberly A. Barchard, Cortney S. Warren

Psychology Faculty Research

Background: Extant research suggests that disordered eating is common in college women and is associated with decreased quality of life. The Eating Disorder Quality of Life Scale (EDQLS) examines impairment to disordered eating-related quality of life, but has not been validated in college women. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the EDQLS in a diverse sample of 971 college women. Method: Students from a large United States university completed questionnaires examining disordered eating and the EDQLS online. Results: The EDQLS demonstrated excellent internal consistency and good convergent validity with the …

Racial Minority Immigrant Acculturation: Examining Filipino Settlement Experiences In Canada Utilizing A Community-Focused Acculturation Framework, Renato M. Liboro

Psychology Faculty Research

By incorporating perspectives from Community Psychology into Berry’s (1997) acculturation framework from Cross-cultural Psychology, a more community-focused acculturation framework was developed and proposed in this essay. Elements from Community Psychology that focus on group-specific settings, community-level analysis, sociocultural resources, sociopolitical forces, and roles of grassroots organizations and host societies in challenging institutional power were consolidated into Berry’s acculturation framework to establish a new framework with a stronger community focus. In a theoretical application utilizing the new community-focused framework, socio-historical accounts of and discourse on Filipino experiences prior to the beginnings of the Filipino diaspora to Canada in the mid-1990s and …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Classism And Career Agency, Lucy Charlene Parker

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Classism is a recently studied, but historically existent form of oppression. Classism may involve students feeling that they cannot pursue a degree or career due to discrimination related to their social class status. This study explored the relationship between classism, gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, and career agency through survey design research. Career agency is the primary dependent variable in this study. Career agency includes career choice, career forethought, and career related actions related. Psychometrically established instruments including The Experiences With Perceived Classism Scale-Short Form and The Career Futures Inventory-Revised were used to assess classism and career agency. Using this …

The Effect Of Infant Directed Lullaby On Maternal Attachment And Parenting Stress, Casie Esposito

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In this modified single-subject design study, the researcher sought to find whether eight parents who were taught to use lullaby evidenced a change in attachment and parenting stress regarding their infant’s hospitalization and into transition to home. Using repeated measures over a period of approximately two months, each parent was asked to use infant directed lullaby with their infants and keep track of its use with a calendar. The Maternal Attachment Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index provided measurement of self-reported attachment and stress. An adapted intervention rating profile was used to determine the parent’s perceived acceptance of infant directed …

Understanding Transgender Prejudice Through The Lens Of Emotion, Holly N. Fitzgerald

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transgender individuals report facing incidents of discrimination often in all aspects of their lives (James et al., 2016). A potential way to combat the discrimination transgender people face is through reducing transgender prejudice. However, it is not yet known what comprises transgender prejudice. Some research has found that emotions may be the more predominant determinant of prejudice, as opposed to stereotypes (Dasgupta, Desteno, Williams, & Hunsinger, 2009; Haddock, Zanna, & Esses, 1993a; Smith, 1993). Thus, the present research sought to identify the specific emotions associated with transgender prejudice. In Study 1, participants completed explicit and implicit measures of prejudice and …

Cultivating Perspective: A Qualitative Inquiry Examining School History Textbooks For Microaggressions Against Native Americans, Olivia G. Holter

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Native American youth face a number of challenges that affect their academic success and mental health (Center for Native American Youth, 2016). One way in which Native American youth currently face prejudice within the school system is through curriculum (Yosso, 2002). More specifically, Native American youth are often presented with textbooks that include stereotyped and distorted information about their peoples’ history (Loewen, 1995; Sanchez, 2007). However, there is currently a gap in the literature showing whether or not these textbooks also contain microaggressive statements towards Native Americans. The current study looked at 5 Eighth Grade level Montana history texts from …

Psychometric Properties Of The Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale With Young And Older Adults, Emma Katz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trust is an essential component of any interpersonal relationship, but it is particularly integral to the patient-physician relationship. Patient-physician trust increases willingness to seek treatment, disclose sensitive information, adhere to medical recommendations, and share decision-making authority. While there have been developments in current research on the psychosocial variables associated with patient-physician trust, there continues to be the need for a psychometrically sound measure of trust, as well as a further need for psychometric evaluation of already developed measures. The purpose of the study was to reexamine a measure of patient-physician trust, the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS), using more …

When Memory Falls Short: The Effect Of Suggestibility And Repeated Questioning On 3- To 5-Year-Old Children’S Recognition Of Event Details, Hunter K. Riehle, Haley T. Driscoll, Briana A. Collins-Lee, Adam J. Balaban, Martha E. Arterberry

Modern Psychological Studies

The present study investigated children’s event recognition as a function of feedback, suggestible question type, and repeated questioning. Forty-three 3- to 5-year-old children read a book and were asked twelve positive-leaning, negative-leaning, and additive-misinformation questions. After six and twelve questions, children were presented with positive or negative feedback and asked the same questions again. Feedback did not affect response accuracy; however, children’s likelihood of changing their answer when questioned a second time varied as a function of question type. Children answered negative-leaning questions more accurately the second time, additive-misinformation questions less accurately the second time, and showed no change with …

The Bystander Effect In Non-Emergency Situations: Influence Of Gender And Group Size, Amanda Cox, Aimee Adam

Modern Psychological Studies

Although research on the bystander effect spans 50 years, the influence of some variables on prosocial behavior are still unclear. In a field experiment, I tried to replicate the basic bystander effect in three non-emergency situations, and studied the impact of bystander and “victim” gender on helping behavior. I successfully replicated the basic bystander effect; bystanders who were alone were significantly more likely to help than bystanders with one or more than one companion. In addition, when people noticed the need for help, a male and a female confederate were helped equally as often. Finally, women were more likely to …

The Examination Of Inhibition In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Stephanie J. Glover, Christopher A. Moyer

Modern Psychological Studies

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive, anxiety provoking obsessions and irresistible compulsions that are performed to relieve anxiety. It is theorized that a deficit in inhibition may play a role in obsessive-compulsive symptomology. Areas of cognitive functioning that are affected by inhibition deficits may lead to obsessions and intrusive thoughts, while behavioral inhibition deficits may lead to compulsions. In the current paper, inhibition is examined in individuals with OCD, how such a deficit affects attention, recall, and response control, and how this relates to the disorder’s symptoms. A better understanding of these relationships would help conceptualize core deficits …

Rates Of Executive Dysfunction In Undergraduate Research Participants, Sara K. Pardej, Morgan E. Nitta, James B. Hoelzle

Modern Psychological Studies

It is infrequently recognized that healthy individuals occasionally obtain impaired scores on neuropsychological measures. This research was conducted to determine how often healthy undergraduate research participants obtain impaired scores on popular measures of executive functioning. Specifically, performance on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Trail Making and Color-Word Interference subtests was investigated in a sample of 335 undergraduate research participants. Rates of impaired performance varied across subtests and ranged from 11% (Color-Word Interference Word Reading) to 3% (Trail Making Test Motor Speed). In general, individuals with greater intellectual functioning had higher scores and fewer impaired scores. Findings are consistent with …

Black Males, Trauma, And Mental Health Service Use: A Systematic Review., Robert Motley, Andrae Banks

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: To systematically review the evidence of and synthesize results from relevant studies that have examined barriers and facilitators to professional mental health service use for Black male trauma survivors ages 18 and older.

Methods: A thorough search of selected databases that included EBSCO, ProQuest, and Web of Science Core Collection and careful consideration of inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a final six studies for detailed review.

Results: Black male trauma survivors were significantly less likely to be utilizing mental health services than other sex-ethnic groups. High levels of daily crises, a lack of knowledge of steps to …

The Effect Of Value Similarity On Mentoring Relationships And Outcomes, Marcy Young Illies, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

One hundred and forty-six protégés with a mentor in their profession responded to a survey exploring how value similarity affects mentoring success (career support, psychosocial support, and satisfaction with the mentor) and organizational outcomes (organizational commitment, career success, and job satisfaction). Results revealed that protégés who perceived their values to be similar to those of their mentor had more mentoring success. Mentoring success correlated with more positive organizational outcomes. Finally, it was found that mentoring success mediated between perceived value similarity and important organizational outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment).

An Analysis Of Extended Strings Of Hits And Misses In A Mental Telepathy Task, Gregory R. Peck

Masters Theses

The current study was designed to reanalyze archival data from the Eastern Illinois University parapsychology lab to determine the frequency of strings of hits and misses. Four datasets were included in the analyses, comprising a total of 348 participants. It was hypothesized that there would be more strings of hits and/or misses than expected by chance; there would be a difference between the number of strings of hits and the number of strings of misses; and participant scores on a 7-point belief in psi scale would be related to the frequency of hits and misses. Results indicated that no significant …

Insulting Words: "They Are Animals!", Carolyn A. Ristau

Animal Sentience

As Chapman & Huffman state, creating divisive human categories has rationalized atrocities committed against the “other.” Labeling neighboring warring villagers as “animals” is considered a despicable insult. Yet contemporary scientific views of many animals grant them thinking and conscious faculties, and the capacity for impressive achievements, many unattainable by humans. Robots, too, can accomplish many similar feats. But the essential reason we must protect animals is not because of their admirable abilities, but their capacity for consciousness, for suffering. Robots are not conscious. Participants in the human-animal debate should not complain about changing criteria for determining human uniqueness. New and …

Subjective-Objective Discrepancies Among Patients With Sleep Complaints In The Patient-Centered Medical Home, Keri Bayley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sleep misperception – the discrepancy between objective and subjective measures of sleep – has been shown to be prevalent among patients with insomnia and may be a promising target for sleep intervention. This study examined sleep misperception in a diverse outpatient medical sample using consumer-grade wearable actigraphs (i.e., Fitbit Charge HR™). Forty-four self-identified problem sleepers aged 20 to 79 participated in the study. Participants completed sleep diaries for one week while also tracking their sleep using the Fitbit Charge HR™. After receiving a personalized sleep report based on these data, participants repeated another week of sleep assessment. Sleep misperception was …

Understanding Human Performance And Social Presence: An Analysis Of Vigilance And Social Facilitation, Victoria Claypoole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social facilitation is characterized by improved performance on simple, or well-known, tasks and impaired performance on complex, or unfamiliar, tasks. Previous research has demonstrated that the use of social presence may improve performance on cognitive-based tasks that are relevant to many organizational contexts, such as vigilance. However, to date, there has not been consolidation of the research regarding the different implementations of social facilitation, or any analysis indicating which types of social presence are best under varying conditions. The present dissertation describes three experiments that seek to contribute to a taxonomic framework of social facilitation. Experiment One statistically established a …

Alcohol Pathology And The Triarchic Model Of Psychopathy: The Role Of Protective Behavioral Strategies And Impulsivity, Matthew Kramer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

OVERVIEW: Psychopathy has been an area of growing interest in psychology for the last half century. Currently, the most common conceptualization of psychopathy breaks it down into two factors: primary and secondary psychopathy. More recently, psychopathy has been viewed through a more nuanced model, the Triarchic Model of Psychopathy. The present study examines the relationship between the three facets of the Triarchic Model and alcohol pathology via aspects of impulsivity and Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS). METHOD: A college student sample of n = 967 individuals who endorsed consuming alcohol completed surveys regarding the Triarchic Model, impulsivity, PBS use, and alcohol …

How Much Is Enough? Trauma Recall And The Exposure Therapy Process, Krystal Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prevailing theoretical models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as exposure therapy (EXP) methodology suggest that recall of a trauma is crucial to altering the conditioned fear response associated with PTSD (Benito & Walther, 2015; Craske et al., 2008; Foa & Kozak, 1986). However, it is unclear whether limited recall of the event impacts the EXP process and treatment outcomes. This study examined whether incomplete trauma recall affected pre-treatment PTSD severity, Initial Fear Activation (IFA), Overall Fear Activation (OFA), Within-Session Habituation (WSH), Between-Session Habituation (BSH; overall extinction), average length of EXP sessions, number of EXP sessions, and post-treatment PTSD …

Dissecting The Components Of Neuropathic Pain, Dale George

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a public health issue affecting the lives of nearly 116 million adults in the US, annually. Understanding the physiological and phenotypic changes that occur in response to painful stimuli is of tremendous clinical interest, but, the complexity of pain and the lack of a representative in vitro model hinders the development of new therapeutics. Pain stimuli are first perceived and transmitted by the neurons within the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) which become hyperexcitable under these conditions. It has now been established that satellite glial cells (SGCs) that ensheathe the DRG cell body actively contribute to this neuronal dysregulation. …

Re-Evaluating Captive Chimpanzee “Dominance”: Dominance Hierarchy And Chimpanzee-Caregiver Relationships At Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, Jake Funkhouser

All Master's Theses

This thesis is composed of two journal-ready articles and an accompanying appendix with additional data and interpretation. Overall, this thesis describes and statistically analyzes dominance relationships in two nonhuman primate groups with novel methods, possible correlations between dominance and testosterone, and uncovers the prominent connection of caregivers to captive chimpanzee social networks. Chapter I addresses current and past variability in behavioral measures and statistical methods to derive dominance rankings. I propose a novel approach to using existing statistical techniques to analyze dominance ranks, context-dependent dominant structures (agonistic competitions, lack of agonism, privileged role, priority access to resources), the reliability of …