Psychology Commons^™

The Impact Of Exposure To The Thin Ideal On Chocolate Cravings In U.S. -Born Women, Kathryn M. Helm

Psychology

Food cravings are experienced by a large proportion of the population and have a variety of negative implications- including overweight/ obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Prior research has shown a lack of support for biological causes of craving. As such, we look to other factors such as culture, cognition, and sex, to explore why such factors have an influence on craving. The purpose of this study is to look at the impact of viewing thin ideal images on chocolate cravings in United States born women-including (but not restricted to) their reports of ambivalence towards chocolate. Participants were randomized …

Emotion Processing In The Survival Paradigm, Destiny Valentine

Psychology

The literature shows that words processed according to their survival relevance typically produce a memory advantage. Similarly, words containing an emotional connotation tend to lead to better memory. The current study examined whether combining both the survival processing effect and the emotion processing advantage would cause an interaction that amplified the effects on memory. Using a modified version of the traditional survival processing paradigm, participants rated emotion words (positive, negative, or neutral) on their relevance to a survival context or home-moving control context. They were later given a surprise recall task for the rated words. The results did not show …

Social Connectedness And Eating Disorder Symptomatology, Nicole Nunez

Psychology

Eating disorders are a well-known and well-documented issue with known deleterious effects on one’s health. Because of this fact, it is important to identify protective factors against the development and/or maintenance of eating disorders. Social support has been identified as a factor that can play a role in recovery from eating disorders. While the importance of social support has been broadly examined in research, social connectedness specifically has been explored less explicitly. Social connectedness involves feelings of belonging, identification with others, and healthy social interaction. This study sought to assess the role of social connectedness in eating disorder symptomatology. We …

Examining Emotional Pain Among Individuals With Chronic Physical Pain: Nomothetic And Idiographic Approaches, Madelyn Frumkin

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Pain is often conceptualized as an experience that is both physical and emotional. These two components are often difficult to distinguish, which may contribute to the experience of chronic physical pain without an apparent physical cause. In the current two studies, I sought to examine whether emotional pain is associated with physical pain severity for individuals with chronic pain. Emotional pain and the more specific experiences of psychological and social pain have been defined as the experience of pain affect in response to non-physical stimuli (i.e., thwarted belongingness, loss, social rejection). In Study 1, I found that emotional and psychological …

Individual Differences In Verbal And Visuospatial Learning Efficiency, Thomas Spaventa

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

There is a great deal of variability in how quickly people learn and how long they remember information. Zerr and colleagues (2018) found a robust and stable relationship between an individual’s rate of learning and the durability of their memory, with faster learners tending to retain more after a delay. The relationship between the rapidity and longevity of learning was characterized as learning efficiency. The present study extends these findings by testing whether learning efficiency generalizes across divergent verbal and visuospatial tasks. An ancillary aim was to assess learning efficiency using a continuous measure that can capture fine-grained individual differences …

Learning From Past Conflict: Investigating The Time Scale Of Conflict Learning For Cognitive Control Processes, Abhishek Dey

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Conflict-modulated cognitive control accounts posit that control processes adjust attention based on the probability of conflict associated with a given context (e.g., list of items, a particular item within a list, etc.). However, within these accounts, it is not yet fully understood how the control system learns about the probability of conflict. A specific question I address in the present research is how far back does the control system look to learn about the probability of conflict? In other words, what is the time scale of conflict learning for the control system? I use a statistical model recently developed by …

Selection Or Socialization? A Propensity Score Matched Study Of Personality And Life Events, Emorie Beck

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Across the lifespan, personality changes in normative ways, but the source of such change remains ambiguous. Life events may be one impetus of such change, but strong selection effects into such events makes it unclear whether such change is driven by already existing differences (selection) between people or socialization following life events. In a preregistered study, we test socialization and selection effects of the Big 5 and life events using a large (N = 19,627) representative sample of Germans and 12 life events (e.g. marriage, retirement) from the GSOEP. Using propensity score matching and Bayesian multilevel growth curve models, we …

Comprehensive Systematic Review Summary: Treatment Of Tics In People With Tourette Syndrome And Chronic Tic Disorders, Tamara Pringsheim, Michael S. Okun, Joseph Jankovic, John Piacentini, Andrea E. Cavanna, Davide Martino, Kirsten Muller-Vahl, Douglas W. Woods, Michael Robinson, Elizabeth Jarvie, Veit Roessner, Maryam Oskoui

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To systematically evaluate the efficacy of treatments for tics and the risks associated with their use.

Methods

This project followed the methodologies outlined in the 2011 edition of the American Academy of Neurology's guideline development process manual. We included systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials on the treatment of tics that included at least 20 participants (10 participants if a crossover trial), except for neurostimulation trials, for which no minimum sample size was required. To obtain additional information on drug safety, we included cohort studies or case series that specifically evaluated adverse drug effects in individuals with tics.

Results …

The Role Of Neurocognitive Tests In The Assessment Of Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Molly A. Nikolas, Paul S. Marshall, James B. Hoelzle

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Despite widespread recognition that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder, optimal methods of diagnosis among adults remain elusive. Substantial overlap between ADHD symptoms and cognitive symptoms of other mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, and concerns about validity in symptom reporting have made the use of neuropsychological tests in ADHD diagnostic assessment appealing. However, past work exploring the potential diagnostic utility of neuropsychological tests among adults has often relied on a relatively small subset of tests, has failed to include symptom and performance validity measures, and often does not include comparison groups of participants with commonly …

Practice Guideline Recommendations Summary: Treatment Of Tics In People With Tourette Syndrome And Chronic Tic Disorders, Tamara Pringsheim, Michael S. Okun, Kirsten Muller-Vahl, Davide Martino, Joseph Jankovic, Andrea E. Cavanna, Douglas W. Woods, Michael Robinson, Elizabeth Jarvie, Veit Roessner, Maryam Oskoui, Yolanda Holler-Managan, John Piacentini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To make recommendations on the assessment and management of tics in people with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders.

Methods

A multidisciplinary panel consisting of 9 physicians, 2 psychologists, and 2 patient representatives developed practice recommendations, integrating findings from a systematic review and following an Institute of Medicine–compliant process to ensure transparency and patient engagement. Recommendations were supported by structured rationales, integrating evidence from the systematic review, related evidence, principles of care, and inferences from evidence.

Results

Forty-six recommendations were made regarding the assessment and management of tics in individuals with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders. These include …

Determining A Transitional Scoring Link Between Promis® Pediatric And Adult Physical Health Measures, David S. Tulsky, Pamela A. Kisala, Aaron J. Boulton, Alan M. Jette, David M. Thissen, Pengsheng Ni, Darren A. Dewalt, I-Chan Huang, Yang Liu, M. J. Mulcahey, Mary Slavin, Brooke E. Magnus, Holly Crump, Robin Hanks, Susan Charlifue, Bryce B. Reeve

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Having independent versions of the PROMIS® scales (for Pediatric and Adults) is problematic as scores cannot be evaluated longitudinally as individuals move from childhood into adulthood. The primary aim of this research project is to use item response theory (IRT) to develop a transitional scoring link (or “crosswalk”) between the PROMIS adult and pediatric physical health measures.

Setting

Sample 1 was collected at 6 rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S., and participants in Sample 2 were recruited from public health insurance programs and an online research panel.

Methods

PROMIS pediatric and adult physical function, mobility, upper extremity, fatigue, and pain …

Establishment And Replication Of Emotion Regulation Profiles: Implications For Psychological Health, Samantha Chesney, Sydney Clare Timmer-Murillo, Nakia S. Gordon

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background and Objectives: A promising method of capturing the complex nature of emotion regulation is to assess composite profiles of regulation (i.e., default pattern of regulation across multiple strategies). However, it remains unclear whether regulatory profiles demonstrate consistency across samples and in relation to mental health. Design: Two studies are presented here. Both utilized a cross-sectional design, and the second study presents a replication of the first. Method: Both studies utilized self-report data from independent undergraduate samples to perform latent profile analyses of emotion regulation use. Results: Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated evidence for four replicable regulatory profiles: Adaptive, Accepting …

Factors Associated With Decision‐Making Preferences Among Parents Of Infants In Neonatal Intensive Care, Elliott Mark Weiss, Brooke E. Magnus, Katherine Coughlin

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Disordered Eating And Body Dysmorphic Concerns In Asian American Women: Sociocultural And Culture-Specific Predictors, Liya Akoury

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The sociocultural idealization of thinness and Eurocentric features (e.g., lighter skin) is ubiquitous in Westernized cultures, yet only some women internalize these ideals and/or perceive heightened pressures to conform to such ideals. Elevated internalization and perceived pressures to obtain thinness and Eurocentric features may contribute to disordered eating and unique types of body dysmorphic concerns (e.g., dissatisfaction with skin color, eye size/ shape), respectively. Such difficulties may be particularly relevant for ethnic minority women; however, little research exists examining such effects. Further, few studies have comprehensively examined the intersection between sociocultural and culture-specific (e.g., ethnic identity; biculturalism) predictors on disordered …

Face Affect Perception In Schizophrenia And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Lisa Beckman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Schizophrenia (SZ) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are often comorbid psychological disorders. Separately, research has previously demonstrated deficits in social cognition, including affect recognition impairment in both disorders; however, less is reliably known about the specific deficits unique to a comorbid diagnosis of SZ and PTSD. This study examined the ability to correctly identify facial expressions in individuals diagnosed with SZ (n = 38) and PTSD alone (n = 20), comorbid SZ and PTSD (n = 26), and healthy controls (n = 28). Participants were administered a test battery to establish diagnoses of of schizophrenia and PTSD, and to evaluate …

Identifying Risk Factors For Youth Hospitalization In Crisis Settings: A Classification And Regression Tree Analysis, Yen-Ling Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditionally, treatment option for psychiatric crises was limited to psychiatric hospitalization. However, psychiatric hospitals are expensive and little evidence supports their utility. Youth returning from psychiatric hospitalizations often have difficulties readjusting to everyday life which can increase risk for negative outcomes. Alternative treatment options such as mobile crisis services might be useful for stabilizing youth in the community and garnering better long-term outcomes. For alternative treatment options to work, clinicians must be able to efficiently and accurately distinguish youth in need of psychiatric hospitalization and youth who could be served via an alternative service. Therefore, the purpose of the present …

Reconsolidation: Unique Cognitive Process Or State Dependent Learning?, Chris Kiley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Accessing a previously consolidated memory trace brings it back into a labile state where it must then undergo a re-stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process memories are susceptible to interference and may be updated with new information. Reconsolidation has been demonstrated in animals as well as in the procedural and episodic human memory systems. However, it is still unclear when the effect will occur. Some studies suggest that reconsolidation is only necessary when new information is presented in the same spatial context or when prediction error occurs. More recent work has provided evidence that reconsolidation could be due …

Exploring The Pristine Inner Experience Of Individuals In Psychotherapy, Alek Emily Krumm

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Inner experience is a frequent topic in psychotherapy and in psychology more broadly, yet very little research has carefully and systematically observed the naturally-occurring experience of psychotherapy clients. The current study begins to fill that gap by using descriptive experience sampling (DES) to survey the inner experience of a small sample of individuals seeking psychotherapy. DES is a method that uses a random-interval beeper to signal participants to pay attention to their pristine inner experiences—the thoughts, feelings, sensations, and so on that are directly apprehendable ‘before the footlights of consciousness’—and describe them in high fidelity. We used about eight days …

Assessing Factors Of Physical Risk-Taking In A Novel Behavioral Measure, Edward A. Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Risk taking is a complex heterogeneous construct that has proven difficult to assess, especially when using behavioral tasks. A new measure, the Assessment of Physical Risk Taking (APRT) is presented as a comprehensive assessment of several factors of risk. Specifically, the measure seeks to examine the effects of several decision-making elements (e.g., probability of success and failure, magnitude of reward and punishment) of different types of physically risky behaviors and produce a variety of different outcome scores. Participants (N = 256) completed APRT in a laboratory setting, with half being assigned to an enforced Delay condition. Main effects, two-way interactions …

Work-Family Centrality Profile And Its Moderating Role On The Effects Of Work-Family Conflict, Anqi Li

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation employs latent profile analysis to explore potential work-family centrality profiles and its associated antecedents, distal outcomes, as well as its interaction effect with work-family conflict in shaping match-domain outcomes. Stemmed from the identity theory (Stryker, 1968, 1980), work centrality and family centrality describe how central an individual places identities associated with work roles and family roles relatively to one’s overall identity, respectively. A person’s work-family centrality profiles is configured by one’s standings on work centrality and family centrality simultaneously. Two studies were conducted in this dissertation. Study 1 followed the three-step approach to latent profile analysis (Asparouhov & …

Teaching Children To Tact Their Emotions As A Replacement For Problem Behavior, Regina Nastri

Theses and Dissertations

Private events are stimuli and behaviors that occur within one's own skin and are only observable to the person experiencing them. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty describing their private events, which can lead to difficulty in communicating and bouts of problem behavior. It is important for children diagnosed with ASD to learn to tact private events, such as emotions, to effectively communicate how they are feeling. A popular parenting practice is to teach children to tact their emotions during naturally occurring, teachable moments when they are demonstrating those emotional responses. This study looked to examine the …

Gender Differences In The Prevalence Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Problems Among Detained Juveniles In Idaho, Jessica Marshall

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

For the past 11 years, the Boise State University’s Center for Health Policy has partnered with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections to analyze data on juveniles entering detention at 13 Juvenile Detention Centers in Idaho. The Alaska Screening Tool (AST) is used to screen juveniles who may or may not meet the criteria for having a mental health problem, substance abuse problem, or both types of problems. The current study explores prevalence rates and gender differences as indicated by the AST for fiscal years 2008-2017. Across nine years of data (fiscal years 2008-2017), on average, 61% of all detained …

The Effects Of Sex Role Stereotype Endorsement And Work-Family Conflict On Emerging Adult Aspirations, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Workplace and household inequality remain prevalent in the United States and sex role (e.g. breadwinner and caregiver) stereotypes affect the roles that individuals seek out. This research used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the effects of sex role stereotypes and expected work-family conflict on the work and family aspirations of emerging adults. A racially diverse sample wrote freely about their future selves for ten minutes then completed measures to evaluate their sex-role stereotype endorsement, expected work-family conflict, and personal preferences for career and family roles. Results indicate that endorsement of stereotypes predicts increased expectations of work-family conflict, for both men …

College Student Depression: An Examination Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Gender And Sexual Orientation Diversity, And Help-Seeking Willingness, Sharon Jalene

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Depression is a serious illness characterized by persistent low mood, reduced cognitive capacity, and fatigue. Although treatable, depression is the leading cause of disability and ill-health worldwide and a significant contributor to suicide, the second leading cause of death for young Americans. In any given two-week period, 8.1% of adults in the United States had moderate to severe depression (2013-2016). The rate of depression for females was twice that of males and compared to the majority, sexual and gender minorities (SGM) were at a threefold risk. Furthermore, evidence suggests that depression incidence is three times higher in college students than …

Trends In The Rate Of Inpatient Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis Between 1996 And 2015, Samantha Sherwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The rate of PBD in the U.S. increased dramatically between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s resulting in concern regarding the potential for misdiagnosis of PBD. However, given that the rate of PBD diagnosis had not been examined in the U.S. since 2004, the longitudinal trajectory of PBD diagnosis subsequent to the mid-2000s was unclear. Therefore, the present study utilized two datasets of administrative billing claims to assess whether longitudinal changes in the rate of inpatient PBD diagnosis continued to occur subsequent to 2004. Study 1 utilized a nationally representative dataset of inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations between 1996 and 2010. De-identified data were …

Emerging Adults’ Identities, Attitudes, And Orientations Concerning Consensual Non-Monogamy, Amber Kory Stephens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study considered the connection among aspects of emerging adults’ identities and their relational and sociosexual orientations as well as their attitudes toward consensual nonmonogamy (CNM). Results indicated significant relationships among individuals’ collective and social identity aspects, as dictated in the AIQ-IV, and how emerging adults label their relational orientations (e.g., strictly monogamous, monogamish, open, and polyamorous). Additionally, findings demonstrated that the salience/importance of social categories, roles, and reputations in one's identity influences how they choose to label their relational orientation, their attitudes toward non-monogamy, and their orientation toward uncommitted sex (sociosexual orientation). Discussion, implications and future directions follow.

Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd): Relationship Between Parental Symptomatology, Child Behaviors, And Parenting Behaviors, Robyn Jeppson-Frandsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience impairment in cognitive, scholastic/vocational and interpersonal domains. The goal of this study was to gain more information how adult ADHD symptomatology impacts parenting behaviors, specifically, overreactivity and laxness. This study found that parental ADHD symptoms were associated with greater overreactive parenting behavior. Differences between mothers and fathers were assessed and no significant difference in ADHD symptomatology or parenting behaviors were found. The combination of adult ADHD symptoms and child behavior, above and beyond parental depression, was found to be a statistically significant predictor of parental overreactive behavior, while this was not the case for …

Narrative Identities Of Early-Return Missionaries From The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Jillian Ferrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Leaving home to become a missionary is important for many young adults in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (CJC). Some missionaries return home from their missions before their anticipated return date and struggle to make sense of who they are while facing judgment from members within the church communities and families. Little is known about the experience of identity development for early return missionaries (ERMs). There have not been many chances for ERMs to share what it means to them to have come home early from their mission. This study investigated the process of how ERMs make …

Religiosity, Perfectionism, And Parenting Practices In A Latter-Day Saint (Lds) Sample, Trisha Chase

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parenting practices greatly influence child behavior. It is important to study the relationship between parenting practices and child behavior in specific religious contexts. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) have not been extensively studied in the psychological literature despite there being a relatively large number of LDS individuals in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of religiosity on parenting practices and child behavior outcomes in an LDS sample. The influence of perfectionism on religiosity and parenting practices was also studied. The relationship between parents’ interpretation of the bible and …

Relationships Between Goal-Setting, Motivational Traits, And Job Performance, Charissa Samaniego

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Ensuring employees are and remain motivated is an important issue for organizations. One problem regarding employee motivation is not everyone is motivated in the same way, thus affecting performance. Goal setting has shown to increase performance when specific and difficult goals are set. Moreover, newer research concerning motivational traits has sought to explain individual differences in motivation. This trait framework shows potential, but research on the relationship between job performance, goal-setting and motivational traits has not been clearly established. The goals of this correlational study were to (1) determine if a relationship exists between motivational traits and job performance, (2) …