Psychology Commons^™

The Adult Public’S Perception Of The Utility Of Play Therapy, Margaret L. Hindman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children communicate through symbolism and play as toys are children's words and play is their language (Landreth, 2012; Oaklander, 1988; Piaget, 1951; Ray, 2016). Play therapists facilitate developmentally appropriate support for children (Landreth, 2012). Often parents are unaware of the importance of play in children’s counseling (Brumfield & Christensen, 2011; Landreth, Bratton, Kellam, & Blackard, 2006).

Since adults often make decisions for children, it is important to know adults’ perceptions of play therapy utility. There is little research on parents’ knowledge of mental health services especially research specific to play therapy (Gallo, Comer, & Barlow, 2013; O’Connor & Langer, 2018). …

Children's Use Of Accent As A Cue For Cooperative Potential, Rachel Stevens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, several studies have shown that 5- and 6-year-old children make social judgments based on accent, consistently displaying a social preference for individuals who speak with a native accent. One theory hypothesizes that this preference to favor individuals who speak like us stems from our evolutionary history, during which accent and other language variations would have been strong, salient cues to group membership, and thus, cues to ones likelihood of cooperative behavior. The current study aimed to test this theory by determining if 5- and 6-year-old children use accent to make judgments about an individual’s cooperative potential. Participants …

Within-Person Variability Of Internal And External Sexual Consent, Malachi Willis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Sexual consent is often conceptualized as an internal willingness to engage in sexual activity, which can be communicated externally to a sexual partner. Preliminary evidence indicates that people’s sexual consent varies from day to day. Study designs that assess sexual consent at multiple time points (e.g., experience sampling methodology [ESM]) are needed to better understand the within-person variability of sexual consent; however, extant validated measures of sexual consent are not appropriate for ESM studies, which require shorter assessments due to the increased burden this methodology has on participants. As such, the goal of this dissertation was to develop valid …

Psychological Determinants Of Financial Planning For Retirement Among University Employees, Siew Ming Choo

Student Works (2020-2029)

Retirement refers to the post-work period of a person’s life. During this period, individuals cease working, thus affecting their regular source of income. Hence, it is important that individuals plan to cater for the financial requirements during retirement. However, planning is not an easy task as individuals are besieged by a variety of psychological, environmental, financial and life challenges. Current research in this field had been inconclusive and fragmented on the determinants influencing planning behaviours. This research aims to draw on the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to investigate this behaviour, in particular planning financially for retirement. …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Counter-Violent Extremism Measures In The Malaysian Armed Forces, Mohamed Nizlan

Student Works (2020-2029)

This research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of counter-violent extremism (CVE) measures in the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF). The issue of violent extremism and terrorism has implications on the MAF in terms of the involvement of some of its personnel in such activities. The MAF has introduced CVE measures to curb this phenomenon from escalating. This research was carried out to examine measures undertaken involving two groups of participants from the MAF. The first group comprised military personnel who had undergone PERISAI SATRIA, a de-radicalization program while the second group was military personnel exposed to Task Force PERISAI WIRA, …

Learning Music Composers' Styles: To Block Or To Interleave?, Sarah Shi Hui Wong, Amanda Chern Min Low, Sean H. K. Kang, Stephen Wee Hun Lim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The ability to recognize and distinguish among varying musical styles is essential to developing aural skills and musicianship. Yet, this task can be difficult for music learners, particularly nonexperts. To address this challenge and guide music education practice, this study drew on cognitive psychological principles to investigate the effect of interleaved presentation of music pieces by various classical music composers on learning to identify these composers’ styles. Participants with 4 or fewer years of musical experience were presented with music pieces from six composers in an interleaved manner (alternating between listening to different composers’ works) and music pieces from another …

The Effect Of State Gratitude On Cognitive Flexibility: A Within-Subject Experimental Approach, Andree Hartanto, Nadia C. H. Ong, Wee Qin Ng, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Considerable research has examined the relationship between positive emotion and cognitive flexibility. Less is known, however, about the causal relationship between discrete positive emotions, specifically gratitude, and cognitive flexibility. Given that different positive emotions may dissimilarly affect cognitive functioning, we sought to examine the effect of state gratitude on cognitive flexibility. A pilot study with ninety-five participants was employed to ensure the effectiveness of our gratitude manipulation. One hundred and thirteen participants were recruited for the main study, which utilized a within-subject experimental approach. After the manipulation, participants completed a well-established task-switching paradigm, which was used to measure cognitive flexibility. …

How To Make Critical Decisions Amid Covid-19 Pressures, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Time pressure and ambivalence are common when people make decisions in a crisis. Understanding the psychological dynamics helps us slow down to make better decisions.

Executive Function And Subjective Well-Being In Middle And Late Adulthood, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objectives: A growing body of research has investigated psychosocial predictors of subjective well-being (SWB), a key component of healthy ageing, which comprises life satisfaction and affective well-being. However, few studies have examined how executive function (EF)-a collection of adaptive, goal-directed control processes-could affect SWB in middle and late adulthood. Methods: By analyzing a nationally representative adult cohort ranging from early 30s to early 80s from the Midlife Development in the United States 2 study, we examined two potential mediators (i.e., sense of control versus positive reappraisal) that could underlie the relation between EF and SWB. Further, we assessed how these …

The Personality Profile And Leadership Style Of U.S. President Donald J. Trump In Office, Aubrey Immelman, Anne Marie Griebie

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon, of the personality of Donald J. Trump, 45th president of the United States, based solely on personality dynamics revealed by his political behavior in office.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data were collected from biographical sources and media reports of Trump’s postinaugural political behavior from January 20, 2017 until July 2020 and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5.

The personality profile yielded …

Bollen-Stine Bootstrapping Of The Chi-Square Statistic In Structural Equation Models: The Effect Of Model Size, Raul Corrêa Ferraz

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on the accuracy of p-values for the chi-square test of model fit has been limited to small models (around 10 variables), revealing that they are accurate provided sample size is not too small. At small sample sizes (N < 100), the usual p-values, obtained using asymptotic methods, are more accurate. However, asymptotic p-values incorrectly suggest that models fit poorly when the number of variables is large. We investigate whether Bollen-Stine (1992) bootstrap p-values are accurate in large models (up to 30 variables) for continuous outcomes using both normal and non-normal data. We found that as model size increases …

I-O Can Has Meme? Using Memes To Engage Others With I-O Psychology Content, William P. Jimenez, Lisa M. Kath, Sayeedul Islam, Gordon B. Schmidt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Memes are ubiquitous, and they have become a major part of online interactions (Kitchener, 2018). Memes may be an accessible medium that organizations can use to connect with potential employees, customers, and the general public. Not only have memes been used by companies for marketing (e.g., Murray et al., 2014), but they also have been used for outreach by organizations as diverse as academic libraries (e.g., Woodworth, 2018), government influence campaigns (e.g., Zakem et al., 2018), and political campaigns (e.g., Graham, 2020). In this paper, we discuss the current state of Internet memes in the I-O psychology community as well …

Effects Of Inter-Male Status Challenge And Psychopathic Traits On Sexual Aggression, Amy M. Hoffmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sexual aggression (SA) is a serious social problem that has been linked to a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes for survivors and produces significant monetary costs to society. In the past five decades, a wealth of research has improved our understanding of the individual and sociocultural factors that contribute to SA perpetration; however, epistemological differences in theoretical approaches to the subject (i.e., evolutionary, feminist) have resulted in gaps in the empirical literature. Informed by both feminist and evolutionary perspectives, this study attempts to examine the ways in which same-gender interpersonal interactions and individual psychopathology interact to produce …

The Impact Of Cues On Autobiographical Memory Recall In Depression, Ena Begovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies have consistently found autobiographical memory (AM) impairments in persons with depression. However, these studies have largely utilized generic word cues to elicit AM, yet word cues do not reflect how AMs are typically represented in the mind nor how AMs are usually cued in daily life. The current two-part study employed improved methodology to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of cues on AM recall and emotional functioning in depression. In part one, a set of word and image cues were developed and validated. In part two, twenty-one currently depressed and 31 never-depressed participants were instructed to …

Promoting Critical Consciousness: The Role Of Positive Youth Development Programming, Mackenzie Jaclyn Hart

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of positive youth development programming and individual-level characteristics in promoting critical reflection (CR) in youth and adolescent participants. CR refers to the analytical component of critical consciousness (CC), or the exercise of challenging institutional practices that systemically marginalize or oppress certain subgroups. Survey and interview data were analyzed from at-risk high school students (N=250) participating in an after-school program across six sites in urban areas in the United States. Multiple regression models were used to predict the development of CR, and interviews were examined to look for themes related to quantitative findings. Results support that …

Adhd Symptoms And Alcohol Expectancies: The Moderating Roles Of Parenting And School Climate, Melanie Morse

Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood behavioral disorder that often extends into adulthood and is associated with negative health outcomes, including alcohol use. Alcohol expectancies are a widely studied predictor of alcohol use, and have been shown to predict alcohol use among individuals with ADHD. Positive alcohol expectancies appear to be particularly related to alcohol use as well as ADHD. However, a number of broad social factors including parent, peer, and school/environmental influence likely impact the relation between ADHD and alcohol expectancies. The current study examined positive parenting, parental monitoring, parental involvement, and school climate as moderators of the …

Testing For Differential Attention To Features In Evaluative Conditioning, Christine E. Weber

Theses and Dissertations

One eye tracking and one behavioral experiment examined the possible roles of contingency awareness and attention to stimulus features in evaluative conditioning. These experiments tested whether evaluative conditioning altered the saliency of positive and negative features in consumer products (Study 1) and attitudinal responses to ambivalent pictures (Study 2). Based on the conceptual categorization model, pairing of ambivalent conditioned stimuli with liked or disliked unconditioned stimuli was predicted to result in enhanced attention to affectively congruent features. Study 1 tested this prediction by recording eye movements to determine how attention to features and responses to ambivalent stimuli were altered as …

Mindfulness, Culture, And Clinical Practice: Clinician Experiences Utilizing Mindfulness And Acceptance With Hispanics/Latinos, Rebeca Castellanos

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that culturally adapted interventions are superior to unadapted interventions when used with diverse ethnic groups (Hall et al., 2016). There also exists a growing interest psychological interventions that utilize in mindfulness and psychological acceptance (Masuda, 2014). Moreover, there is a significant need to address health inequities among Hispanics/Latinos given that they comprise the fastest growing ethnically diverse population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). A recent comprehensive review of the literature on cultural adaptations of MBIs for Hispanics/Latinos indicated several critical gaps in the study of culturally adapted MBIs which included a need to systematically assess …

Is All Dating Violence Equal? Gender And Severity Differences In Predictors Of Perpetration, Gabriela Ontiveros, Arturo L. Cantos, Po-Yi Chen, Ruby Charak, K. Daniel O'Leary

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The present study assesses the extent of perpetration of physical violence in predominately Hispanic high school students in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. The relationship between adverse childhood experiences, exposure to interparental violence, attachment, emotion regulation, and impulsivity on two distinct, mutually exclusive, categories of severity of physical teen dating violence (TDV) perpetration is further explored. Participants completed self-report measures as part of a larger, anonymous web-based questionnaire. Two categories (i.e., minor/moderate and severe) were created to discern the contextual variables associated with different levels of severity of physical violence perpetration by males and females. Eight-hundred and twenty-nine 14- to …

Evaluating Incentive Strategies On Parental Engagement Of The Pace Parenting Program, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, Cristina Lopez, Angela Moreland

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

This study evaluated whether various incentive strategies were associated with parental engagement in an 8-week parenting program offered through daycare centers. Parents were randomly assigned to four conditions. The conditions differed in their strategy to recruit and retain parents. The conditions were: (1) program-as-usual, (2) monetary incentive, (3) mindfulness training, and (4) monetary incentive and mindfulness. The sample included 610 parent–child dyads. Results showed no differences between conditions on intentions to enroll, but they did differ on attendance and quality of participation. Specifically, parents in the program-as-usual condition, compared to all other conditions, were more likely to attend at least …

Supporting Intersex People: Effective Academic And Career Counseling, Jack D. Simons, Jose-Michael Gonzales, Melissa Ramdas

Psychology Faculty Publications

This phenomenological study explored the academic and career experiences of 10 intersex people. Researchers conducted the study to share knowledge with counselors and other helping professionals about the importance of validating intersex personhood during the school-age years and in work settings. Five findings were uncovered: (a) coping as intersex, (b) range of feelings, (c) gender identity development, (d) bullying at school and work, and (e) body problems. This article reports on specific needs and recommendations of this self-identified sample and includes implications for education and counseling practice, along with limitations and recommendations for future research.

A Transdiagnostic Perspective Of Constructs Underlying Obsessive-Compulsive And Related Disorders: An International Delphi Consensus Study, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Erin Oldenhof, Maria Eduarda Moreira-De-Oliveira, Jonathan S. Abramowitz, Martin M. Antony, Danielle Cath, Adrian Carter, Darin D. Dougherty, Ygor A. Ferrao, Martijn Figee, Ben J. Harrison, Marcelo Hoexter, Jun Soo Kwon, Anne Küelz, Luisa Lazaro, Christine Lochner, Donatella Marazziti, David Mataix-Cols, Dean Mckay, Euripedes C. Miguel, Sharon Morein-Zamir, Steffen Mortiz, Gerald Nestadt, Kieron O'Connor, Stefano Pallanti, Christine Purdon, Scott Rauch, Peggy Richter, Jean-Yves Rotge, Roseli G. Shavitt, Carles Soriano-Mas, Vladan Starcevic, Dan J. Stein, Gail Steketee, Eric A. Storch, Steven Taylor, Odile A. Van Den Heuvel, David Veale, Douglas W. Woods, Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, Murat Yucel

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

The Research Domain Criteria seeks to bridge knowledge from neuroscience with clinical practice by promoting research into valid neurocognitive phenotypes and dimensions, irrespective of symptoms and diagnoses as currently conceptualized. While the Research Domain Criteria offers a vision of future research and practice, its 39 functional constructs need refinement to better target new phenotyping efforts. This study aimed to determine which Research Domain Criteria constructs are most relevant to understanding obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, based on a consensus between experts in the field of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.

Methods:

Based on a modified Delphi method, 46 experts were recruited …

Anxiety In Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Common And Autism-Related Anxiety Experiences And Their Associations With Individual Characteristics, Boon Yen Lau, Ruth Leong, Mirko Uljarevic, Jian Wei Lerh, Jacqui Rodgers, Matthew J. Hollocks, Mikle South, Helen Mcconachie, Ann Ozsivadjian, Amy V. Van Hecke, Robin Libove, Antonio Hardan, Susan Leekam, Emily Simonoff, Iliana Magiati

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Anxiety is common in autism spectrum disorder. Many anxiety symptoms in autism spectrum disorder are consistent with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) anxiety disorders (termed “common” anxieties), but others may be qualitatively different, likely relating to autism spectrum disorder traits (herein termed “autism-related” anxieties). To date, few studies have examined both “common” and “autism-related” anxiety experiences in autism spectrum disorder. We explored caregiver-reported Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale-Parent version data from a multi-site (United Kingdom, Singapore, and United States) pooled database of 870 6- to 18-year-old participants with autism spectrum disorder, of whom 287 provided at least …

Religious Doubt As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Religious Identity And Well-Being, Jedd P. Alejandro

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The successful development of an identity is related to greater well-being (Beyers & Luyckx, 2016; Crocetti, 2017; Kroger & Marcia, 2011; Luyckx et al., 2013; Ritchie et al., 2013). Identity development is likely influenced by religious doubt associated with conflicts or contradictions between religion and other domains, such as science (Cook, Kimball, Leonard, & Boyatzis, 2014; Puffer et al., 2008; Ritchie et al., 2013). The aim of the current study was to examine religious doubt as a mediator of the relationship between identity and well-being among emerging adults. Participants (N = 122) included undergraduate students who identified as Christian. Participants …

Reducing Risky Behavior With Habit Reversal: A Review Of Behavioral Strategies To Reduce Habitual Hand-To-Head Behavior, Megan R. Hienicke, Jordan T. Stiede, Raymond G. Miltenberger, Douglas W. Woods

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Habit reversal training (HRT) has been a mainstay of behavior analysts' repertoire for nearly the last 50 years. HRT has been effective in treating a host of repetitive behavior problems. In the face of the current coronavirus pandemic, HRT has practical public health importance as a possible intervention for reducing hand-to-head behaviors that increase the risk of viral infection. The current paper provides a brief review of HRT for hand-to-head habits that is designed for a broad audience and concludes with practical suggestions, based on HRT, for reducing face-touching behaviors.

Development And Open Trial Of A Psychosocial Intervention For Young Children With Chronic Tics: The Cbit-Jr Study, Shannon M. Bennett, Matthew R. Capriotti, Christopher C. Bauer, Susanna W. Chang, Alex E. Keller, John T. Walkup, Douglas W. Woods, John Piacentini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tic Disorders (CBIT) has demonstrated efficacy in large randomized controlled trials for children (≥9 yrs), adolescents and adults with Tourette Syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorders. Given the early age of onset for tic disorders, a large portion of affected individuals with chronic tic disorders are less than 9 years of age and appropriate developmental adaptations of behavioral treatment have not yet been tested. The goal of this study was to adapt and evaluate the acceptability and utility of a family-based adaptation of CBIT for children under 9 years of age. Children 5–8 years of age …

Parent And Child Emotion And Distress Responses Associated With Parental Accommodation Of Child Anxiety Symptoms, Erin E. O'Connor, Lindsay E. Holly, Lydia L. Chevalier, Donna B. Pincus, David A. Langer

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

Parental accommodation contributes to the maintenance of child anxiety and related symptoms. The current study examines the contributions of parent and child factors to parental accommodation in a sample of anxious youth.

Methods

Sixty-four treatment-seeking youth (6–16 years) and their mothers, as well as a subset of fathers (N = 41) reported on parental accommodation, parental distress and emotion regulation, child psychopathology, child externalizing behaviors, and child intolerance of uncertainty.

Results

Parental accommodation was not related to parental distress or emotion regulation. Parents who viewed their child as being more symptomatic (e.g., anxious, externalizing, and intolerant of uncertainty) …

Is It Just Me, Or Was That Sexist? The Role Of Sexism Type And Perpetrator Race In Identifying Sexism, Mackenzie S. Kirkman, Debra L. Oswald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Despite sexism occurring frequently, people often do not identify it as such. Using a vignette design, the current project explored whether sexism was identified at a different rate and intensity depending on the specific form of sexism enacted (hostile or benevolently sexist behavior) and race (Black or White) of the man perpetrating sexist behaviors. When a Black man engaged in a benevolently (paternalistic) sexist behavior he was perceived as more sexist than a White man. However, White and Black men were perceived similarly when they engaged in a hostile (overtly negative and derogatory) sexist behavior. Overall, female participants identified sexism …

Medical Noncompliance In A Pediatric Patient Living In A Single-Parent Household, Lucy Obianuju Norrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Noncompliance is a patient’s inability to comply with the recommended treatment for their complete recovery from an ailment, while compliance is the extent to which a patient adheres to the provider’s directive, such as medication and orders given. The purpose of this study was to determine if motivational interviewing when applied to noncompliant pediatric patients from single-parent households, would improve global medical compliance in this population as compared to the standard of care at the end of three months. Thirty-two participants were recruited using the homogeneous purposeful sampling. The project employed a mixed-method approach. Fred Kleinsinger’s noncompliant behavior tool …

Does Mathematics Training Lead To Better Logical Thinking And Reasoning? A Cross-Sectional Assessment From Students To Professors, Clio Cresswell, Craig P. Speelman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Cresswell, Speelman. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Mathematics is often promoted as endowing those who study it with transferable skills such as an ability to think logically and critically or to have improved investigative skills, resourcefulness and creativity in problem solving. However, there is scant evidence to back up such claims. This project tested participants with increasing levels of mathematics training on 11 well-studied rational and logical reasoning tasks …