Psychology Commons^™

Maternal Depression And Infant’S Bias Towards Faces, Annie Ray, Hannah B. White

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between maternal depression and infant bias toward faces. Three-month-old infants were shown faces and objects and their looking times were recorded. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between maternal depression and infant face preference. Specifically, infants who had mothers with higher depression symptomology showed longer looking times to the faces versus the objects. This finding suggests that maternal depression may shape the development of social information processing skills very early in life.

Breath Counting As A Measure Of Sustained Attention In Mindfulness Meditation And Its Effect On Mood, John Clapper, Stephen Ware, Fitria Jong Martinez, Kevin Benitez, Hideya Koshino

Psychology Faculty Publications

A great deal of research is currently being carried out on mindfulness meditation, but most of this research suffers from obvious problems and shortcomings. Particularly lacking are objective, observable measures of mindfulness performance that would make it possible to track long-term improvement while at the same time assuring experimental control during individual sessions. One promising method is the so-called breath counting task (BCT) devised by Levinson et al. (2014), which pairs a button-pressing response with each breath during a meditation-like cognitive task. This study involves two experiments investigating the effects of individual-difference variables such as depression, anxiety, personality (Big 5), …

Conversational Style In Training, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is conversational style?

Conversational style refers to a combination of stylistic strategies to personalize instructional text (oral or written) for learners. These include “the use of first and second rather than third person, directly addressing the reader, revealing [the author’s] personal beliefs, and/or using polite forms of address” (Ginns et al., 2013, p. 452). The following excerpts illustrate such styles:

“During inhaling, the [your] diaphragm moves down creating more space for the [your] lungs” (Mayer et al., 2004)

“Let me tell you what happens when lightning forms” (vs. just the scientific description; Moreno & Mayer, 2000)

“You are about …

Addressing Work-Related Traumatic Stress Nebraska - Implementation Overview, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Implementation Team

The QIC-WD worked with Nebraska Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to establish an implementation team to lead the development and implementation of their intervention to address secondary traumatic stress. The implementation team was called the Nebraska Workforce Project Team. It included a representative from each of the five geographic regions of the state (known as a Service Areas), a representative from each staff level (worker, supervisor, administrator), the Site Implementation Manager (SIM), the Data Coordinator, sponsors (the DCFS director and Human Resources [HR] director), and three members of the QIC-WD (representing expertise in workforce, implementation, …

Organizational Change Process Milwaukee - Evaluation Overview, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The QIC-WD evaluation was conducted with the support of the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) to determine if an Organizational Change Process intervention (Availability Responsiveness Continuity or ARC) was effective in improving workforce and child welfare outcomes.

Research Questions

Process Evaluation

1. Did the ARC purveyor follow the training curriculum with fidelity and quality delivery?
2. Did the ARC Team Leaders follow the ARC implementation model with fidelity and quality?
3. Were participants satisfied with the quality of leadership, training, and group dynamics?
4. Did participants learn the required concepts and skills?
5. What were the mediators of fidelity and training outcomes?
6. Did …

Parapsychology And Transpersonal Psychology In Dialogue: Could These Two Movements Be Brought Into Better Alignment?, Harris L. Friedman, Dean Radin, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Parapsychology and transpersonal psychology were founded independently and have evolved separately as two distinct movements, although there is considerable overlap in both their content and in the interests of a number of scholars who are active in both areas. Harris Friedman, Co-President of the Association of Transpersonal Psychology, and Dean Radin, President of the Parapsychological Association, engaged in an informal discussion on the salient commonalities and differences between the two movements, focusing on exploring ways that the two could be brought into better alignment, such as including more transpersonal approaches within parapsychological studies and vice versa. Stanley Krippner, whose seminal …

Positive Psychological Transformation: A Mixed Methods Investigation Into Catalysts And Processes Of Meaningful Change, Nick Fortino, Paul Dommert Jr., Nadia Santiago, Jen Smith

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This mixed methods study investigated the experience of positive psychological transformation, including its catalysts, dynamics, supportive factors, and outcomes. The first phase of the study was a 13-item survey (N=130) that revealed trends and associations in participants’ experiences of transformation. The most significant correlation was between “expressing myself” and change stabilization (p < .01). Forty-four percent of participants reported trauma or emotional distress as the main catalyst of their transformation. Each of the other three main catalysts (dissonance, adaptation, and inspiration) drew approximately 18% of responses. Connecting with nature (71%), introspection (65%), solitude (63%) and empathy (61%) were commonly reported supportive factors. Common changes related to participants’ way of interacting with others (77%), perception (75%), and emotional patterns (70%). The process of transformation differed substantially depending on multiple factors including the catalyst and demographic categories. Additionally, the survey revealed a trend of moving away from organized religion toward a sense of being spiritual but not religious. The second phase of the study consisted of interviews with a portion of the participants who reported trauma as the main catalyst of their transformation (n = 26) and was focused on the experience of posttraumatic growth. Thematic analysis revealed that transformation is typically initiated by a series of traumatic events and that the process of transformation can involve impaired well-being/functioning before elevated well-being/functioning. The results of thematic analysis were consistent with existing data on posttraumatic growth.

Implication Of Stigmatization On Investors Financial Risk Tolerance: The Case Of Gay Men, Francisca M. Beer, Joseph D. Wellman

Faculty and Student Publications

This study evaluates whether the salience of discrimination and perceived stigmatization influence gay men's financial risk tolerance (FRT). This evaluation is conducted using the FRT measure of Grable and Lytton (1999), a “two-study ruse” approach and a hierarchical linear regression model. The findings show that individuals with anticipated stigmatization, after being exposed to information about bias against their community, exhibited greater FRT. These results support the hypothesis that risk-taking behavior by members of stigmatized populations increases when they experience discrimination.

An Approach To Transpersonal Psychology As A Science, Harris L. Friedman

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Meditation-Induced After Death Communication: A Contemporary Modality For Grief Therapy, Neda Wassie

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Meditation-induced after death communication (MI-ADC) was introduced as a potential modality for grief therapy. Traditional and contemporary approaches were compared in order to evaluate effective paradigms and theories of bereavement. The Continuing Bonds theory of attachment emerged as an adaptive framework for grief therapy, especially with attention to meaning-making and the strength of continued bonds. Considerations were implemented from research in psychomanteum, mediumship, and induced after death communication. Specifically, visual stimuli and timing of after death communications were emphasized. The discussion was encouraging for the conceptualization of MI-ADC as an effective construct and as an inquiry for empirical research.

Locating The Embodied Sense Of Self And Examining Its Relationship With Psychological Well-Being, Adam Wesley Hanley, Natalie Lecy, Robert Hanley

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Westerners tend to localize their sense of self in the head, and, to a lesser degree, in the chest. However, single-point, localization studies of the self omit direct exploration of the size and shape of the embodied self. This study explored a) beliefs about the location and spatial distribution of the embodied sense of self, and b) whether individual differences in how the embodied self was represented were associated with psychological and subjective well-being. Results from a sample of 206 American adults confirm extant reports, indicating that the embodied sense of self is most often located in the head and …

Book Review: The Divine Feminine Tao Te Ching: A New Translation And Commentary, By Rosemarie Anderson, Sheri D. Kling

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Table Of Contents—Masthead

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Harris Friedman: Pioneer Of Transpersonal Psychology As A Science, Harris L. Friedman, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

N/A

Intimations Of A Spiritual New Age: V. Socio-Cultural Bases Of A Globalizing Neo-Shamanism And Its Relation To Climate Crisis: Possibilities, Inevitabilities, Barriers, Harry T. Hunt

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Extending this series of papers on a futural spirituality, and considering the numinous as an inherent human capacity for an awe that confers a sense of all-inclusive meaning, communality, and humility, the question arises whether, in the face of a secularization of traditional world religions, globalization of a techno/capitalist economy of perpetual commodification of planet and person, and a widening sense of loss of meaning and higher purpose, some collective re-newal of the sense of the sacred might be possible —or not. While Jung, Toynbee, and Sorokin regarded such a movement as inevitable, bringing forward to the degree possible the …

Transpersonal Psychology: Trends In Empirical Research And Diversity During The First Five Decades Of The Field (Corrected), Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Prior research on the role of empirical research in transpersonal psychology is updated, along with trends in gender diversity and geographical distribution of authorships. Data was compiled from a review of articles published in the two main journals of the field, The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology and the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, over the first five decades of the field. Based on these records of the field's published work, it appears that empirical research has played a small though gradually growing role in the literature, and that there has been substantive correction from early skews toward male authorship in …

Brain Activity During Paired And Individual Mindfulness Meditation: A Controlled Eeg Study, Hessel Engelbregt, Hugo F. Alderse Bass, Sietske De Grauw, Jan Berend Deijen

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Objective: In this study, we evaluated brain electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in healthy participants during the performance of paired and individual mindfulness meditation (MM). We hypothesized that EEG activity is differentially affected by meditation in pairs compared to individual meditation. Methods: A total of 20 healthy female university students (mean age 19.54 years, SD =1.53) with no prior experience in MM participated in this study. All participants had to perform a 5-minute MM task together and individually while the other participant was in rest or performing a concentration task (control condition). To exclude social interaction as main factor, participants were separated …

The Varieties Of Spiritual States Triggered By Sex: A Systematic Review Of The Empirical Literature, Jenny Wade

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This systematic review integrates the empirical evidence of spiritual experiences triggered by sexual activity, including studies by 10 authors. Despite venerable sexual meditative traditions of embodied spiritual practices, such as Hindu Tantra, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Taoism, empirical studies of sexual spiritual experiences are in their infancy. This review presents the range of sexual altered states experiences identified to date and how they qualify as spiritual experiences phenomenologically and in terms of their lifechanging effects. Seventeen distinct sexual-spiritual states have been identified across authors, with 4 others identified at significant levels in qualitative studies by individual authors. As an emergent area …

Sustained Neural Activity Correlates With Rapid Perceptual Learning Of Auditory Patterns, Björn Herrmann, Kurdo Araz, Ingrid S. Johnsrude

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Repeating structures forming regular patterns are common in sounds. Learning such patterns may enable accurate perceptual organization. In five experiments, we investigated the behavioral and neural signatures of rapid perceptual learning of regular sound patterns. We show that recurring (compared to novel) patterns are detected more quickly and increase sensitivity to pattern deviations and to the temporal order of pattern onset relative to a visual stimulus. Sustained neural activity reflected perceptual learning in two ways. Firstly, sustained activity increased earlier for recurring than novel patterns when participants attended to sounds, but not when they ignored them; this earlier increase mirrored …

How Long Do Mood Induction Procedure (Mip) Primes Really Last? Implications For Cognitive Vulnerability Research., Jennifer C P Gillies, David J A Dozois

Psychology Publications

BACKGROUND: Mood Induction Procedures (MIPs) are used widely in research on cognitive vulnerability to depression. Although empirical evidence supports certain MIPs as effective, little research has evaluated whether MIP-induced sad moods are sufficiently persistent. This study aimed to determine (1) how long an MIP-induced mood lasts according to commonly used operational definitions and (2) whether these findings vary according to the type of MIP used.

METHODS: Four-hundred-and-one undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three commonly used sad MIPs (music, memory, music+memory) or to one of three matched neutral MIPs. Mood was repeatedly measured immediately prior to and following …

Data Segmentation (Video), Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Workforce Analytics Resources

Data segmentation is the process of breaking down “big” data into smaller, more meaningful groups, called segments. In the case of workforce data, each segment represents a group of people with similar characteristics, either that pertain to them as an individual (e.g., gender, race, educational background) or to their connection to the organization (e.g., their job title, supervisor, or work schedule).

There are a variety of ways to “slice and dice” your data into meaningful groups. Some possibilities are listed below. The squares represent the unit of categorization (e.g., agency structure), and dashed green squares represent the data segments (e.g., …

Dimension- And Context-Specific Expression Of Preschoolers’ Disruptive Behaviors Associated With Prenatal Tobacco Exposure, Suena H. Massey, Caron A.C. Clark, Michael Y. Sun, James L. Burns, Daniel K. Mroczek, Kimberly A. Espy, Lauren S. Wakschlag

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective—Precise phenotypic characterization of prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) −related disruptive behavior (DB) that integrates nuanced measures of both exposures and outcomes is optimal for elucidating underlying mechanisms. Using this approach, our goals were to identify dimensions of DB most sensitive to PTE prior to school entry and assess contextual variation in these dimensions.

Methods—A community obstetric sample of N=369 women (79.2% lifetime smokers; 70.2% pregnancy smokers) from two Midwestern cities were assessed for PTE using cotinine-calibrated interview-based reports at 16, 28, and 40 weeks of gestation. A subset of n=244 who completed observational assessments with their …

Evidence Of Impact Underpinning Life Education Programs, Katherine Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This rapid evaluation of core Life Education programs conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in June 2021 is an independent investigation that demonstrates the evidence base underpinning Life Education programs in primary schools Australia-wide. It presents a national snapshot by drawing upon existing Life Education-specific evaluation data, existing ACER student wellbeing data, and accepted best practice in the field of student health and wellbeing education. The project addressed the key evaluation questions: How are core Life Education programs underpinned by evidence-based best practice, and how are core Life Education programs impacting primary-aged student wellbeing outcomes that align …

Stories Of Survival. Book Review: Stripped, 2nd Edition: Inside The Lives Of Exotic Dancers By Bernadette Barton, Tk Logan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Examining Associations Between Knowledge And Vaccine Uptake Using The Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Questionnaire (Hpv-Kq), Sayward Harrison, Valerie Yelverton, Yunfei Wang, Jan Ostermann, Laura J. Fish, Charnetta L. Williams, Lavanya Vasudevan, Emmanuel B. Walter

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Understanding the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) knowledge and vaccination behavior is important to inform public health interventions, yet few validated HPV knowledge scales exist. This study describes development of the Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Questionnaire (HPV-KQ) and its validation with parents residing in the southern United States (US). Methods: Drawing on previously published measures, we developed the 13-item HPV-KQ and administered the scale via Web-based survey to parents (N=1105) of adolescents ages 9 to 17 years. Dimensionality, internal consistency, model fit, and predictive validity were assessed. Results: The scale was bidimensional. One factor captured general HPV knowledge, and the …

Mothers' Perceptions Of Ability In Children With Intellectual Disability And Mother-Child Connectedness, Nikhita Moolayil

Dissertations

The mother-child relationship is important in the development of children, especially for children with intellectual disabilities who may have specific needs. Understanding the nuances, such as the closeness of the mother-child relationship for children with intellectual disabilities, is often overlooked even though more than 3 million children under 18 were reported to have an intellectual disability in 2019. Still, very few studies have focused on the relationship between mothers with children with an intellectual disability. With the rise in services provided due to developmental disabilities in children, there was a need to examine mothers’ perceptions of the ability level in …

Generations Of Pain: A Transgenerational Examination Of Trauma, Parenting Styles, And Attachment Of Black Women, Latoya Hampton

Dissertations

Historically, Black women have experienced horrendous acts of violence throughout the centuries and generations. The transmission of transgenerational trauma has impacted this community’s mental health, physical well-being, educational performance, and interpersonal interactions. Prior research has focused on general trauma and its effect on Black women; however, this review sought to explore transgenerational trauma and the implications of attachment and parenting styles of Black women. Previous studies have examined the majority population’s attachment, trauma, and parenting styles consecutively, though not simultaneously. With limitations found in the research of diverse populations, it is imperative that clinicians are culturally competent to implement effective …

Mental Health Professionals Serving The Military: Who Has Access?, Nicole Marie Arcuri-Sanders, Kellie Forziat-Pytel

Educational Sciences and Organizations

Licensed counselors are underrepresented as mental health professionals (MHPs) servicing military-connected clients (service member/Veterans and their families). Mixed-methods research, conducted by the authors, highlights key viewpoints of MHPs (counselor, psychologist, and social worker) interested in working with the military and on their level of confidence in working with this population. MHPs' experiences, perspectives of their profession's responsibilities to military clients, and their role in comparison to other MHPs is explored. Findings aid in advocacy efforts for the military population to receive counseling from qualified providers and support counseling program development to increase counselor employability among this group.

Differentiating Risk Pathways To Violence: A Comparison Of The Incremental Contributions Of Masculine Gender Discrepancy Stress And Trait Agreeableness, John M. Shepherd

Theses and Dissertations

The existing literature on risk profiles leading to the perpetration of violent acts has suggested personality and gender role socializations to be relevant predictors. Research has consistently found personality factors, particularly trait agreeableness, to predict several types of violence (e.g., sexual violence, violence against intimate partners, aggressive behaviors across relationships). Recent research suggests that although both adherence to masculine social norms and individual differences in experiences of stress while enacting these norms have been shown to be reliably associated with violence, masculine gender discrepancy stress (i.e., stress experienced by men when perceiving themselves to be inadequately masculine) may be uniquely …

Racial And Gender Discrimination Predict Mental Health Outcomes Among Healthcare Workers Beyond Pandemic-Related Stressors: Findings From A Cross-Sectional Survey, Rachel Hennein, Jessica Bonumwezi, Max Jordan Nguemeni Tiako, Petty Tineo, Sarah R. Lowe

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Racial and gender discrimination are risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes in the general population; however, the effects of discrimination on the mental health of healthcare workers needs to be further explored, especially in relation to competing stressors. Thus, we administered a survey to healthcare workers to investigate the associations between perceived racial and gender discrimination and symptoms of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and burnout during a period of substantial stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and a national racial reckoning. We used multivariable linear regression models, which controlled for demographics and pandemic-related stressors. Of the 997 participants (Mean …