Psychology Commons^™

A Survey Of Registered Behavior Technicians: Initial And Ongoing Training And Support, Gabriela Mcwhorter Zapatero

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) benefit from early intervention, specifically applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA is often implemented by paraprofessionals who are known as registered behavior technicians (RBTs). For many years, educators have known the value of corrective feedback in relation to skill acquisition. In this case, emphasis was placed on the proclivities of the staff in regard to feedback. This mixed methodology study examined the various strategies currently utilized to instruct RBTs, as well as their preferences for initial and continued training. Results indicated the majority of RBTs who responded to the online survey were being trained …

Sacrifice And Redemption: A New Approach From Mimetic Theory, Nicholas Gregory Roumas

Dissertations (1934 -)

What is the meaning of theories of redemption, and what use do they have? This dissertation answers these questions from the vantage point of two ideas from Girardian Mimetic Theory: the hypothesis that human relationality is rooted in triangular structures of desire, and the hypothesis that the sacrificial death of Christ is what Girard calls a scapegoating event.For Girard, ritual sacrifice is a repetition of an original scapegoating event on which social cohesion depends. With the death of Christ, scapegoating has been denuded and sacrifice rendered inoperable, bringing humanity into a novel historical situation. Using Girard’s early seminal texts alongside …

Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Anxiety, Daily Stress, And Daily Glycemic Control In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Natalie Benjamin

Dissertations (1934 -)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an increasingly common chronic illness in children and adolescents that can result in short- and long-term health complications. Adolescents with T1D represent a uniquely vulnerable population, as both physical and psychological disease outcomes tend to deteriorate during this period of development. Thus, among adolescents it is crucial to gain further understanding of what psychological and contextual factors promote optimal disease management. While traditional methods of assessment in this population involve one-time, long-term measurements of psychosocial factors and glycemic control, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), including daily diaries, are increasingly used to capture change processes both between …

A Commentary On The Interpretation Of Dreams, Kayla J. Baur

Publications and Research

Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams explains the role of the theory of psychoanalysis as it pertains to dreams. Freud then leads into the idea of how psychoanalysis as a theory applies to literature. Along with Oedipus Rex, Freud uses William Shakespeare’s Hamlet to exemplify the way in which literary texts express the desires, emotions, and/or memories of the unconscious mind, just as dreams-thoughts (unconscious desire) display themselves in dreams. Hamlet experiences troubling emotions upon the death of his father as he finds himself referring back to his childhood feelings about him, and thus finds it difficult to exact …

Assessing The Efficacy Of Training Parents Via Telehealth To Administer Natural Environment Training, Olivia Laforest

All NMU Master's Theses

Telehealth has recently emerged as a not only a potentially effective means of preparing parents and educators as interventionists for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but for many in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the only way of safely delivering behaviorally analytic services to clients during this time. Due to these recent changes in Behavior analysis service providing, the transition to Telehealth was considered essential for many clinicians to continue providing services to their clients. With little research supporting the use of telehealth for providing Behavior Analysis services to clients, expansion on literature in this area …

Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics And Cognitive Function Among Older Adults: Examining The Role Of Depression, Allison Sullivan, Mph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: African American older adults have a greater risk of cognitive impairment compared to White older adults. While some research has established that neighborhoods are an important determinant of health, relatively little research has examined the relationship between perceived neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning among older adults. Moreover, little is known about how depression is implicated in the relationship between perceived neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning, and if racial differences exist. Thus, this thesis aims to determine the mediating and moderating role of depression in the association between perceived neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning in older African American and White …

Enhancing Recruitment Efforts In School Mental Health: Pilot Assessment Of A Certificate Training Program, Samantha Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of school mental health (SMH) has been critical for children and adolescents to access needed mental health services. Though SMH is needed to support children and adolescents, there have been challenges with recruitment and mental health professional retention. Individuals within the field indicate burnout as a primary predictor for retention issues, but little research has been done on intentional strategies to increase recruitment and retention. The South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH), a leader in SMH services, developed a strategic plan to address recruitment and retention concerns of clinicians working in schools within the state. The purpose …

Escitalopram Treatment To The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat: Spine Dynamics, Telomere Quantification And Neurogenesis, Adam Ray Denton

Theses and Dissertations

HIV is a serious viral infection that persists in the brain despite treatment. Approximately half of all seropositive patients will experience some degree of comorbid depression, as well as HIV associated neurocognitive disorders. The present research sought to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in ameliorating neuroanatomical and biochemical markers associated with HIV infection. The central purpose of this research is to characterize the effects of escitalopram treatment upon dendritic spine proliferation in the nucleus accumbens. Previous research has consistently demonstrated impaired synaptodendritic integrity in this region, with underlying mechanisms remaining unclear. A secondary focus …

Anything He Can Do, She Can Do Better: Children’S Attitudes About Gender And Occupations, Ryan Brown, Nanci Weinberger

Applied Psychology Department Faculty Journal Articles

Children’s career aspirations are affected by cultural stereotypes about gender. We investigated rudimentary implicit associations and explicit gender attitudes about occupations with a diverse sample of fifty-eight (29 girls, 29 boys) 10-year-old children. We tested implicit gender associations using an adapted auditory Stroop task and tested explicit gender attitudes using the Gender-Stereotyped Attitude Scale for Children (GASC). We also modified a version of the GASC to assess children’s attitudes about a female and a male firefighter-paramedic seen in a brief video. Children also judged the firefighter-paramedics’ job skills. Children did not display implicit associations between occupations and one’s gender based …

Observing The Transformation Of Sketches When Rendered In Different Scenarios, Cade Fallaw

Senior Theses

The purpose of the project was to see how a single image of my house transformed when I drew multiple iterations of it under different conditions. Each condition was applied to the artist (me); either by limiting my physical state or by creating a specific mental frame that I drew from. This project consists of 31 sketches of my house: 24 of them were drawn with applied conditions and 7 were drawn from memory. As expected, the greatest differences between the drawings occurred when a greater constraint was placed on the artist, such as when I drew using three different …

The Psychology Of Dance Medicine: Self-Perception Of Dancers, Karina Desai

Senior Theses

Derived from sports medicine, dance medicine is a subcategory that focuses on the health and well-being of dancers on a scientific and medical level. Dancers are considered “elite” athletes and artists, which requires this specific niche of medicine to study the injuries and other health-related issues that develop as a result of dancers’ unique movement. Studies show that in addition to physical injuries, dancers are also susceptible to mental health issues. There are many factors of the dance environment, such as the instructor, peers, and mirrors, that alter the self-perception of dancers. Due to dancers being required to train in …

Effect Of Mood On Humor, Virginia Randall

Senior Honors Theses

Humor is a social tool that has been documented for hundreds of years with a plethora of studies being produced to attempt to piece together a comprehensive definition of the concept. Among these studies, there have been several analyses regarding the psychological, cognitive, psychobiological, and neural effects of humor, and how they are outwardly manifested. Additionally, several social contexts have been considered. In analyses of humor, several theories have been produced, many based off of figurehead concepts within the field of psychology.

Primary interest of this research study was in whether these studies and theories can support whether there is …

Criminal Mental Health, Tabitha Oliver

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to assess and address the prevalence of mental health issues among incarcerated individuals in America. There are multiple internal and external contributing factors to the disproportionately high numbers of mentally ill inmates. Comparing the United States prison system with other countries such as Norway allows for possible paths to improving the mental health crisis that we are currently experiencing. This thesis looks at the principles and practices used in Norway's prisons as well as how they affect inmate's mental health. By comparing Norway's prison policies and design, this thesis will suggest changes in staff …

The Effects Of Ptsd Counseling On Military Chaplains, Bruce S. Kumor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States military has been involved in some level of active combat since 2001. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are no longer as active as they were in previous years, yet the hidden wounds of war are still carried by those that have gone forward. The psychological wounds of war, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder, have been highlighted by increased direct combat experiences of service members. To alleviate these symptoms, the military has a mental health provider network to assist those in need. Within this network, military chaplains are often called to provide immediate emotional and psychological support for …

Can Telling A Shame-Evoking Story In An Online Format Reduce Shame Experienced?, Ann Michele Gregory

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Shame is a common experience for all humans. When shame is high for an individual, it can be debilitating and even paralyzing for that person. Shame can have a negative effect on how a person feels about oneself, destroy relationships, and lead to mental health disorders. In the counseling office, shame can delay or interfere with mental health care and create a barrier in the therapeutic alliance. Shame is often about being seen and tied to a distressing secret one holds. With the increase of online communication, people have become more comfortable sharing in a digital format. The purpose of …

Asian American Perspectives On Immigration Policy, Van C. Tran, Natasha K. Warikoo

Publications and Research

Despite the rapid growth in both documented and undocumented Asian Americans, their attitudes toward immigration policy are not well understood. Drawing on data from the 2016 National Asian American Survey, this article examines both interracial and intra-Asian differences in views toward immigration. Relative to other racial groups, Asians are as likely to support legal migration, but less likely to support undocumented migration. We document significant diversity among Asians. As labor migrants, Filipinos support a congressional increase in annual work visas. As economic migrants, Chinese and Indians support an increase in annual family visas. As refugees, Vietnamese are least supportive of …

Improving Access To Teacher Mentors For Black Students: The Mediating Role Of School Safety, Anna Flitner

Theses and Dissertations

Having a teacher mentor is associated with several positive outcomes, yet teacher mentors are not distributed evenly among youth, and children who are Black are substantially less likely to form mentoring relationships with teachers. In this study I tested a putative explanatory hypothesis for differences between Black and White children’s access to teacher mentors. Data from Waves I and III from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used. Linear regression models were used to predict the access to teacher mentors and a mediational analysis was conducted to determine the effect of school safety on the relationship between race …

Dreadds Modulation Of Operant Behavior In Male And Female Hiv-1 Transgenic And F344/N Rats, Jessica Illenberger

Theses and Dissertations

The neurobiological processes which determine the choice between 2 (or more) reinforcers are unidentified despite the remarkable benefits which could result from better understanding or control of such processes. Most prominently, reducing choices to pursue drug over non-drug reinforcers could curtail the development or continuation of drug dependence. Likewise, increasing goal-directed behavior in single-schedule and choice settings may alleviate some of the consequences of apathy, a reduction in goal-directed behavior which can occur with neuropathologies including HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Dysregulation of the mesolimbic circuit, connecting the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens, has been implicated in both drug dependence …

Buffering Effects Of Support Resources On Perceived Stress And Socioeconomic Status In Predicting Longitudinal Physical Activity Among African American Women, Asia Mae Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Physical activity (PA) plays an integral role in reducing risk for the leading causes of death, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers, and type two diabetes. Lower rates of physical activity (PA) among African American women continue to perpetuate health inequities. Both perceived stress and low socioeconomic status (SES) negatively impact PA, but the presence of support resources may moderate these effects. Secondary data analyses of female African American caregivers (n = 143) were conducted using data from the Families Improving Together (FIT) for Weight Loss trial (R01DK067615; PI Wilson DK) to examine the moderating effects of supports (self-efficacy, perceived social …

Treatment Of Hiv-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders Through Mechanisms Of Neurogenesis With 11-Hour Voluntary Running Wheel Exposure, Alex Steiner

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with HIV-1 taking combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) live longer with less morbidity associated with the infection. The increase in lifespan has created a critical need for the deterrence of HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) reported in the aging population. Previous reports indicate that the HIV-1 infection may cause impairment in neurogenesis, leading to many of the cognitive deficits seen. The current paper proposes that exercise, as defined by voluntary wheel running, would be a potent inducer of neurogenesis that results in the neuro-restoration of CNS properties and cognitive functioning. Each animal had free access to 11-hour nocturnal wheel-running seven …

The Association Between Type-2 Diabetes Pathophysiology & Exercise Adherence, Sydney Raymond

Senior Honors Projects

According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 in 3 Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes. While some of these individuals will be prescribed medications as part of their treatment, most will also be advised to begin an exercise program to assist with blood glucose control. Additionally, while regular exercise is associated with lower HbA1C and decreased insulin/medication dependence, it is estimated that only about half of those diagnosed with diabetes will adhere to their exercise plans. Social, psychological, and physiological factors all play roles in affecting ones ability to adhere to an exercise regiment, and individuals with Type 2 Diabetes …

Measuring College Students’ Dependency On E-Cigarettes And Perceptions Using A Behavioral Economics Model, Margaret Duplantier

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Parent-Child Relationships And Student Outcomes In Children: A Comparison Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Angela Kladias

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The current study investigated the connection between parent-child relationships, academic achievement, and child attitudes in school-aged children both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, I examined relationships among parent- and child-perceived emotional closeness, attitudes toward school, and child achievement in elementary and middle school aged children. The current study examined associations between parent-child relationship factors and academic student outcomes, comparing these associations both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Differences in student outcomes were examined based off of COVID-19 circumstances as well as what level of emotional closeness and interaction the parents and child have. Attitudes and achievement of …

Hidden Framings And Hidden Asymmetries In The Measurement Of Personality: A Combined Lens-Model And Frame-Of-Reference Perspective, Julian Schulze, Stephen G. West, Jan-Philipp Freudenstein, Philipp Schaepers, Patrick Mussel, Michael Eid, Stefan Krumm

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Objective: The symmetry principle and the frame-of-reference perspective have each made contributions to improving the measurement of personality. Although each perspective is valuable in its own right, we argue that even greater improvement can be achieved through the combination of both. Therefore, the goal of the current article was to show the value of a combined lens-model and frame-of-reference perspective. Method We conducted a literature review to summarize relevant research findings that shed light on the interplay of both perspectives and developed an integrative model. Results: Based on the literature review and on theoretical grounds, we argue that a basic …

A Pilot Study For The Effectiveness Of A Forgiveness Discussion Program Among College-Age Couples, Mary Jo Oliver

Masters Theses

A forgiveness discussion guide- a self-guided intervention for affective, behavioral, and cognitive forgiveness- is a tool with preliminary evidence showing its robust effects on prosocial orientation. Here, using an 8-week forgiveness discussion intervention for college-age couples at a Christian university, this study demonstrates statistically insignificant yet meaningful attenuations in levels of forgiveness and compassionate love. Eight heterosexual couples from the Liberty University undergraduate population consented to be randomly placed in a no-contact control group or experimental group. Before random assignment, the couples completed a pretest measurement consisting of demographic questions, The Enright Forgiveness Inventory, Compassionate Love for Humanity Scale, The …

Burnout, Self-Efficacy, And Coping Strategies Among College Faculty, Jordan M. Ball

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Due to the changing college environment, university faculty are faced with a serious burden to support their university. University faculty are expected to satisfy numerous job demands, and these demands in turn lead to burnout, a chronic response to job stressors. Burnout is an essential component of occupational research as it relates to other negative outcomes, such as turnover and decreased performance. Because of this, it behooves both faculty and universities to employ methods that decrease burnout. Research concerning other populations indicates that certain personal resources can decrease burnout. Therefore, the current study seeks to determine if coping strategies and …

Authentication Schemes' Impact On Working Memory, Janine D. Mator

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Authentication is the process by which a computing system validates a user’s identity. Although this process is necessary for system security, users view authentication as a frequent disruption to their primary tasks. During this disruption, primary task information must be actively maintained in working memory. As a result, primary task information stored in working memory is at risk of being lost or corrupted while users authenticate. For over two decades, researchers have focused on developing more memorable passwords by replacing alphanumeric text with visual graphics (Biddle et al., 2012). However, very little attention has been given to the impact authentication …

A Leader, A Follower, And Some Humor Walk Into A Meta-Analysis: A Review Of Positive And Negative Leader Humor, Richard Hayes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although leader humor is a growing research topic, there are still unaddressed issues surrounding this topic. In particular, there is disagreement surrounding the conceptualizations of positive and negative leader humor, conflicting theoretical predictions and empirical findings on the effects of leader humor, a dearth of research on the antecedents and correlates of leader humor, as well as a lack of research on the boundary conditions of these relationships. This qualitative and quantitative review of the nomological networks of positive and negative leader humor addressed these issues based on a meta-analysis of 67 empirical studies (N = 21,121). Results indicate that …

The Impact Of Short Sleep On Food Reward Processes In Adolescents, Kara Mcrae Duraccio, K. N. Krietsch, N. Zhang, C. Whitacre, T. Howarth, M. Pfeiffer, D. W. Beebe

Faculty Publications

Short sleep has been linked to adolescent obesity risk, but questions remain regarding the dietary mechanisms by which this occurs. We tested whether mildly shortening sleep influences how rewarding and appealing healthy adolescents find several kinds of foods. Eighty-eight healthy adolescents completed a within-subjects crossover sleep experiment comparing 5 days of Short Sleep (6.5 hour sleep opportunity) vs. 5 days of Healthy Sleep (9.5 hour sleep opportunity). Following each condition, adolescents completed measures of food appeal and reinforcing value of food across five food types: sweets/desserts, fruits/vegetables, lean meats/eggs, fast food entrees, and processed snacks. Adolescents averaged 2.2 hours/night longer …

The Effect Of Body Region On Hair Cortisol Concentration In Common Marmosets (Callithrix Jacchus), Evelyn Elizabeth Bartling-John, Kimberley A. Phillips

Psychology Faculty Research

Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are a valuable research model for the study of neuroscience and the biologic impact of aging due to their adaptivity, physiologic characteristics, and ease of handling for experimental manipulations. Quantification of cortisol in hair provides a noninvasive, retrospective biomarker of hypothalamics-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and information on animal wellbeing, including responses to environmental and social stimuli. To obtain valid and reliable measurements of long-term HPA activity, we investigated the variability of cortisol concentration in the hair depending on the body region of marmosets. Hair was collected from the back and tail of 9 adult …