Psychology Commons^™

Handicraft Art Leisure Activities And Cognitive Reserve, Genna Mashinchi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

With increasing age, older individuals face a higher likelihood of developing dementia. The rate of cognitive decline resulting from dementia is not equivalent for all, as some patients with dementia are able to function independently longer than others, despite having similar disease burden. The cognitive reserve (CR) theory provides one explanation for the differing rate of decline. CR suggests that there are factors — most notably, educational and occupational attainment — that can protect against the cognitive decline that is a hallmark of dementia. Although the beneficial effects of these notable CR factors are clear, they may not be modifiable. …

Developing The Label Avoidance Measure Of Stigma: A Preliminary Psychometric Review, Julia J. Cameron

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Stigma acts as a barrier to treatment for mental health concerns. Label avoidance, one of several different aspects that compose the overarching concept of stigma, captures the stigma involved when individuals avoid social institutions that might confer a psychiatric diagnostic label and would mark them as an individual with a mental health problem. Label avoidance has been described as a key stigma construct in the literature but has been sparsely studied. Answering a call in the field for new, psychometrically sound stigma measures, we created a new measure of label avoidance and acquired initial validity and reliability evidence supporting its …

A Qualitative Study Of College Athletes’ Experiences Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carra Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic took a toll on collegiate athletics, as all in-person sport activity was shut down temporarily, and competition schedules were heavily altered. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to develop an understanding of how Division I collegiate athletes experienced the pause in college sports that resulted from the COVID-19 crisis, during the first seven to nine months of the pandemic (depending on the time of interview). Between October and December 2020, eleven participants (six females, five males) engaged in individual, semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to describe how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their …

Jurors' Perceptions Of False Confessions, Madison G. Gallimore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the effect of mock jurors’ perceptions of a defendant’s false confession vs. no confession (false confession presence), coercive interrogation techniques vs. panic-escape (false confession reason), and expert witness testimony vs. defendant explanation vs. expert witness testimony plus defendant explanation for his false confession (source). The four hypotheses and one research question pertained to main effects and interaction effects of false confession presence, false confession reason, and source (separately) and expert witness conditions combined on five outcome variables. Outcome variables were defendant’s guilt, trustworthiness, suggestibility, susceptibility to external influences, and juror’s likelihood of changing their verdict. Using Amazon …

After The Protests: A Campus Racial Climate Case Study Of The Perception And Curricular Responses For Institutional Reforms, Following The Black Students’ Demands For Interventions At The University Of Missouri-Columbia, Bruce E. Mitchell Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative method single case study explores the phenomenon of a racially tense campus climate at the University of Missouri Columbia, a Predominantly White Midwestern Institution. At the forefront of the media regarding student and athlete protests, leading to the resignation of senior level administrators, African American students put forth eight demands to their administrators. Included, was the creation and implementation of a required racial awareness and inclusion curriculum. The study explores the perceptions of the institutional response to an exceptional campus racial climate issue and the process of formulating and participating in a diversity training course and a semester …

Five In 20: An Exploratory Study To Develop And Pilot An Observation Tool Used To Assess The Five Features Critical To Effective Classroom Management, Alexandria Cardot

Masters Theses

The present study aimed to develop and pilot a standardized classroom observation tool intended to assess teachers’ current use of the five features critical to effective classroom management. Thirty-nine observers who regularly conducted classroom observations (e.g., school psychologists) were recruited to complete 39, 20-min observations in kindergarten through twelfth grade classrooms. Due to COVID-19, observers could either complete a live observation or think of a previously completed observation. Of the 39 observations, 13 were live and 26 were recalled. To complete the observation, observers indicated whether the teacher was observed to use each of the 21 evidence-based strategies and if …

Teacher Perceptions And Use Of Evidence-Based Discipline Practices, Taylor Robinson

Masters Theses

School discipline has been linked to significant positive and negative outcomes for both students and teachers. The current study examined the predictive power of Illinois, public school teacher variables on the use of specific discipline strategies in the classroom. One hundred eleven teachers completed a survey with vignette developed by the primary researcher which was used to assess teachers’ confidence in implementing discipline strategies, perceived effectiveness of discipline strategies, and perceptions of peer use and peer beliefs about discipline strategies. The study used descriptive statistics to identify patterns of reporting and multiple linear regressions to determine the predictive power of …

Cyberbullying: A Resource For Parents Of Elementary School-Aged Children, Lauren Broussard

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the digital revolution, and, in particular, the widespread use of devices with internet access, has enabled a new form of bullying to emerge. The typical age at which youth begin using internet-enabled technology and social media continues to trend downward. Consequently, elementary school-aged children are increasingly subjected to cyberbullying. Therefore, this clinical resource is a text-based pamphlet for parents with elementary-aged children that will serve as an educational tool regarding cyberbullying prevention strategies. The development of the pamphlet included an initial literature review of the literature, gathered through searches from online academic databases, including Psychinfo, PsychArticles, and …

Bullying Prevention And Social Justice: Recommendations For Teachers, Anna Grigorian-Routon

Theses and Dissertations

Though bullying was once considered a "rite of passage," in recent years experts have begun to re-conceptualize bullying as an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim and to recognize the deleterious mental health outcomes that are often the result of having experienced or having participated in bullying. This phenomenon is also coming to be viewed more broadly as a human rights violation as it creates and perpetuates barriers for specific student populations to equal access to education. Historically, teachers have been among the most outspoken advocates of social justice issues and are on the front lines of …

Development Of A Resource Manual For Working With Latino Parolees, Abner Flores

Theses and Dissertations

The standard psychological treatment available for Latino men who are newly released from prison has remained unchanged for over thirty years and focuses on decreasing recidivism through cognitive-behavioral interventions by managing and decreasing law-breaking behaviors. However, clinical experience with inmates suggests that personal experiences, cultural values, and intergenerational trauma along with the long-term impact of poverty, gang ties, and repeated incarceration will all influence post-release behavior. Understanding these areas could help draw out protective factors and innate resiliency, therefore informing treatment and helping newly released inmates from becoming repeat offenders. In this dissertation, I developed a resource manual for service …

A Function-Based Intervention For College Student Tech Use In Class, Steffen Wilson, Brianna Williamson

Pedagogicon Conference Proceedings

The purpose of the intervention described in this paper is to provide guidance and support to help college students develop a personal tech-management strategy, so that they can reap the benefits and minimize the pitfalls of their personal technology use in class. Results presented suggested that this intervention can help students begin to develop a self-management strategy for their off-task tech use.

Detachment And Antagonism As Moderators Of Effects Of Psychosocial Stressors On Emotional Distress In Daily Life, Christina My Quach

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Psychological distress encompasses transdiagnostic symptoms of anxiety, depression, and anger, which all feature of emotional dysregulation and are often associated with interpersonal stressors. To understand these forms of distress as they occur in daily life, examination of both personality vulnerabilities and social situational context is needed. Interpersonal circumplex research and theory suggests human needs for agency and communion, and therefore others’ cold-dominant behavior is highly aversive and likely to cause psychosocial distress, but degree and type of distress (e.g., anxiety versus anger) may depend upon personality. Detachment and antagonism are the most interpersonal of the pathological personality traits (Southard et …

Effect Of Short-Storage Hrgcs On Driver Decision Behavior And Safety Concerns: Real-World Analysis And Experimental Evidence, Anne Linja

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs) continue to be a safety concern, and despite improvements in warnings, many of these incidents are attributed to human error. In some cases, distractions other than railroad traffic, such as HRGCs with limited space between the railroad tracks and the highway intersection, may create additional cognitive burdens for drivers. We investigated the effect of HRGC type (short-storage vs. non-short storage) on driver attention and decision-making in two studies. In Study 1, we systematically analyzed 996 incidents from 2017-2019 from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Safety database. Driver decision making and outcomes were different depending …

The Student Experience Of Psychoeducational Assessment: A Phenomenological Study, Teresa Hoffman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Emerging adults with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are interviewed to understand the student experience of the psychoeducational assessment process that is codified by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA). The assessment practice is well established to qualify students for special education and related services (SERS) to ensure every child in the United States has the opportunity for free and appropriate education. An overview of the general psychoeducational assessment practice and specific assessment for SLD is supplemented by the literature regarding best-practices for psychological assessment with children/adolescents to set the context for a process that is encountered triennially …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Older Adults And Subjective Well-Being, Averie A. Zdon

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Older adults are rapidly aging. It is estimated that by 2030, 1 in every 5 adults will be 65 years old or older (Administration on Aging, 2018). With this increase will undoubtedly come an increase in older people seeking mental health services. It is paramount the field of psychology attempt to prepare for this increase by better understanding older persons. Subjective well-being (SWB) is a popular construct with a vast body of literature as it pertains to a variety of diverse people. However, there has been little research on SWB as it pertains to older adults. This study examined the …

“They Let Me Loose, Will You Hold Me Tight?” Adult Adoptees And Their Romantic Partners' Experience Of Attachment After Participating In The Hmt Program, Bethany Baker

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adult adoptees may be blocked from feeling securely attached to their romantic partners and they may not even know it or what to do about it. The literature shows adult adoptees being overrepresented in insecure attachment styles, and not enough attention has been paid to the effect this has had on adoptees in their romantic relationships. In fact, no known study, to date, has provided an attachment-based psychoeducational approach for this marginalized population. The purpose of this introductory qualitative study was to explore the experiences and meaning-making of attachment, specifically related to adoption, for the adult adoptee and their romantic …

A Survey To Assess Adhd Symptoms And Detect Feigning In Adult Adhd: Initial Scale Development, Michelle Babcock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adult attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have significantly increased over the last 20 years, and in some cases, adults seek an ADHD diagnosis to procure stimulant medication and academic accommodations. With the ease of access to the internet, adults can acquire the knowledge to misrepresent symptoms for secondary gain. The falsification of symptoms or feigning is problematic for the individual seeking the diagnosis, the psychological profession, and society at large. This study aimed to develop a multipurpose self-report scale comprised of the DSM-5 ADHD criteria, executive functioning, and embedded symptom validity indexes to assess ADHD and detect feigned responses. …

The Strategically Broken System: A Grounded Theory Study Of The Clinical Implications Of Immigration Law, Policy, And Practice, Kelle Agassiz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The majority of clinicians do not receive education pertaining to the legal aspects of immigration in their curriculum, training, or continuing education. In addition, the process of navigating the immigration system has been exacerbated in recent years due to rapid policy changes under the Trump administration, which has contributed to a hostile political climate, particularly for immigrants from Central America and Mexico. Using a classic grounded theory research approach, this study explored the relationship between the psychological implications of immigration and the legal challenges that immigrants face today, with a specific focus on immigration from Central America and Mexico. Through …

I’M So Satisfied: A Qualitative Approach To Understanding The Process Of Marriage Satisfaction Among African American Couples, Rashida Spence

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The current study uses a strengths-based framework to identify the process of marriage satisfaction among 1 same-sex African American married couple and 5 heterosexual African American married couples. Six themes emerged through qualitative analysis demonstrating that marriage satisfaction is a co-constructed experience created between couples through a series of interactions cultivating healthy conditions that strengthen relationship functioning and promote well-being. Based on the results the experience of marriage satisfaction is formed by the organizing concepts of connection, intentionality, purpose, sentiments of peace, authentic communication, and well-being. Results are discussed in association with existing research, as well as, Self-Determination, and Relationship …

Differential Mechanisms Linking Early Childhood Violence Exposure And Social/Environmental Deprivation To Adolescent Conduct Problems: Exploration Of A Gene-By-Environment Interaction, Samantha R. Awada

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The dimensional model of adversity and psychopathology (DMAP) posits dimensions of childhood adversity (i.e., deprivation, violence exposure) differentially predict child neurobiological outcomes and behavioral correlates of these neurobiological outcomes. Both deprivation and violence exposure are associated with higher child conduct problems. Genetic and environmental vulnerability factors often interact to increase or decrease risk for developing adolescent conduct problems. One gene of particular interest is COMT, which is implicated in the dopaminergic system. The present study explored whether dimensions of childhood adversity during the child’s first five years of life interacted with COMT genotype to differentially confer cognitive (i.e., executive dysfunction) …

The Effect Of Priming Metacognition And Critical Thinking On Dispelling Psychological Misconceptions, Marissa Renee Bamberger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examined to what extent the supraliminal, semantic priming of undergraduate introductory psychology students’ metacognitive and critical thinking skills predicts their ability to dispel common psychological myths and misconceptions. This thesis also investigated to what extent undergraduate introductory psychology students’ personality traits predict their ability to dispel common psychological myths and misconceptions. Fitting standard and hierarchical regression models, this study found that, although gender, age, year in school, and college-generation status were not significant covariates, persons of color typically exemplified greater endorsement of psychological misconceptions than their White / Caucasian peers. Also, compassion (an aspect of the agreeableness trait …

Bidirectional Associations Between Parenting Practices And Child Conduct Problems: The Moderating Role Of Callous-Unemotional Behavior, Elizabeth R. Corning

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A growing body of research has evidenced bidirectional associations between parenting practices and the development of conduct problems in children. However, studies examining the effect of child callous-unemotional (CU) behavior in the context of these reciprocal associations have produced mixed findings. This study used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N= 4,898) to investigate bidirectional associations between parenting practices (i.e., positive and harsh) and child conduct problems across ages 3, 5, and 9 and determine if these associations are moderated by child CU behavior. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed that higher positive parenting at age 5 was associated …

Development Of Adolescent Romantic Competencies: Interaction Of Parental Management, Adolescent Perceptions Of Marriage, And Attachment, Lauren Elizabeth Hauck

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Adolescent dating behaviors are associated with romantic behaviors in adulthood. The Development of Early Adolescent Romantic Relationships model proposes that indirect parenting behaviors are associated with the development of adolescent romantic competencies. Other evidence has started to accumulate suggesting that direct parenting practices also influence the development of adolescent romantic competencies. The current study used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship between adolescents’ attachment orientations, parents’ romantic behaviors, and direct parenting practices and adolescents’ romantic competence (i.e., love, conflict, and poor problem solving). Additionally, adolescents’ ethnic group identity (i.e., Latino or non-Latino) was considered as a moderator of these …

Medical Cannabis And Counselor Education: Examining The Relationship Between Counselor Education Curriculum And The Incorporation Of Medical Cannabis, Anne Catherine Adrian

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this study was to examine the status of medical cannabis instruction in counselor education curriculum programs. There is evidence to indicate that medical cannabis use may be beneficial in mental health care. However, there is limited research on medical cannabis in counselor education. The following research questions provided a framework of investigation for this study: What is the status of the inclusion of medical cannabis content in counselor education curriculum programs and what are the plans to incorporate this content in the future?

In this study, a non-experimental design was used to describe or examine associations between …

Understanding Prosocial Teasing In Early Adolescence, Kristina Wiemer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Prosocial teasing is not well known or understood by educators. Prosocial teasing is intentional but playful verbal and non-verbal provocation meant to be taken non-literally by the target of the tease (Keltner et al., 2001) and is not an uncommon experience for students to have (Barnett et al., 2004). While much research has been conducted on social and emotional skills (Nix et al., 2013; Smith & Low, 2013), there is still a gap in the literature looking at how these skills relate to prosocial teasing. The current study examined and described middle school students’ use of prosocial teasing and their …

The Role Of Affect In The Relationship Between Social Stress And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology, Alyssa S. Mielock

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder that may develop following a traumatic event. Many factors have been shown to contribute to maintaining the distressing and impairing symptoms in response to the event. Internal factors, such as increased negative affect (NA), is positively associated with PTSD symptom severity (PTSS). External factors like social support have a negative relationship with PTSS; increased levels of social support are associated with decreased PTSS. Another external factor that may contribute to PTSS is increased stress. There are mixed findings as to how a psychosocial stressor impacts trauma-exposed samples physiologically. The current study addressed …

Left To Their Own Devices: Parents’ Mediation Of Children’S Technology, Rike Neubert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the link between digital device use and learning among 3rd through 8th graders. Specifically, it examined whether parenting strategies aimed at enabling or restricting device use can mediate the link between children’s time on device and learning outcomes. Moreover, this study examined whether certain vulnerability factors within a child’s ecological system, such as ADHD Symptoms, parents’ own digital literacy, and parents’ relationship with the school, might weaken or strengthen the success of parental mediation strategies in the association between time on devices and learning. Findings aimed to inform growing equity questions around varying levels of digital …

Longitudinal And Concurrent Contributions Of Verbal And Physical Scaffolding To Toddlers’ Inhibitory Control, Anton Petrenko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Executive function (EF) is crucial to lifespan development and environmental factors have been found to impact its development. Previous research has shown that parenting can make meaningful impacts on children’s EF, with scaffolding receiving broad support. Scaffolding refers to an adult’s ability to guide a child through a challenging task without providing too much or too little support. However, many of the studies which have examined scaffolding have been done in preschool- and school-aged samples, with limited research conducted in younger samples. Very few studies have separately examined verbal and physical components of scaffolding, which may differentially contribute to children’s …

Examining The Relationship Between Acculturative Stress And Religion/Spirituality Among International Students, Ly'jerrick Ward

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between acculturative stress and religion/spirituality of international students. This study utilized Sandhu and Asrabadi’s (1994) Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS) as well as the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORF) created by Plante and Boccaccini (1997). Much research exists on how international students adapt and acculturate to a host country. This research will add to the body of literature that exists regarding how international students use their religion/spirituality to deal with acculturative stress. Students in this study were asked a number of questions from the ASSIS …

The Effect Of Mortality Salience On Compromising Mate Selection Standards In Homosexual And Heterosexual Individuals, Sydney Rohmann

Masters Theses

Terror management theory (TMT), proposed by Greenberg, Pyszcynski, and Solomon (1986), suggests that humans cope with terror resulting from the knowledge of their own mortality. The need for coping mechanisms arises when individuals are reminded of their own inevitable death; that is, when they experience mortality salience (MS). Hirschberger, Florian, and Mikulincer (2002) found that when primed with death reminders, heterosexual individuals tend to compromise their ideal mate selection to form close relationships. There has also been extensive research on the differences between homosexual and heterosexual mating preferences. This study examined the effect mortality salience has on an individuals’ mate …