Psychology Commons^™

What Does “Avoidance Mode” Feel Like? The Association Between Avoidance Awareness And Negative Affect In The Moment, Mamie Ziegler

Honors Theses

For students in an academic setting, task avoidance is a common behavioral strategy used to cope with the unpleasant emotions associated with schoolwork and completing assignments. However, when this form of behavioral avoidance becomes a pattern, it has the potential to lead to negative long-term consequences–such as worse academic outcomes and increased stress. To counteract maladaptive behaviors such as task avoidance, a certain level of self-awareness of such behaviors may be necessary–even if this awareness leads to more negative emotions at first. To analyze the relationship between student task avoidance and emotions, the following study utilizes ecological momentary assessment (EMA) …

Investigating The Mutual Effects Of Mobile Phone Use And Civic Culture: A Systems Approach, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Seyed Maziar Alavi, Ali Hosseini, Abolfazl Zare Mehrjardi

Psychological Research on Urban Society

The extensive use of mobile phones has created the potential for promoting the culture and lifestyle of society. This study was conducted in Tehran; it examines the relationship between mobile phone use and civic culture. Considering the effect of multiple factors and complex relationships between variables, the study employs a systems approach to investigate the mutual relationship between mobile phone use and civic culture. Analysis utilized causal loop diagrams to depict relationships among variables, where 10 key factors were identified using the decision making trial and evaluation technique. These factors have exerted the greatest impact on civic culture; therefore, focusing …

Anti-Immigration Policy And Mental Health: Risk Of Distress And Trauma Among Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals Recipients In The United States, Luz M. Garcini, Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez, Alfonso Mercado, Michelle Silva, German Cadenas, Thania Galvan, Manuel Paris

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined the association between immigration legal status and distress from the announcement of the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program among individuals affected by this potentially traumatic event (PTE), along with identifying relevant risk factors.

Method: Participants (N = 233) affected by the termination announcement provided cross-sectional self-reports on distress from the announcement that was measured using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised.

Results: Of the participants, 40.7% met the clinical cutoff for distress from the PTE indicative of posttraumatic stress disorder. DACA recipients had significantly higher levels of distress from the PTE …

Age As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Coping Strategies And Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hailey Owens

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with an increase in social isolation, which is correlated with a decrease in psychological well-being. Previous research has found that the coping strategies individuals use most frequently change with age. Previous research has also outlined the mental health benefits of positive coping strategies across age groups, but the appropriateness of various coping strategies for different age groups during pandemic conditions has not been explored. Using data collected in a 3-week period beginning in April of 2020, the current study explored the moderating effect of age on the relationship between coping strategies and psychological well-being. …

Numeric Forced Rank: A Lightweight Method For Comparison And Decision-Making, Erin Gannon, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

Comparing products, features, brands, or ideas relative to one another is a common goal in user experience (UX) and market research. While Likert-type scales and ordinal stack ranks are often employed as prioritization methods, they are subject to several psychometric shortcomings. We introduce the numeric forced rank, a lightweight approach that overcomes some of the limitations of standard methods and allows researchers to collect absolute ratings, relative preferences, and subjective comments using a single scale. The approach is optimal for UX and market research, but is also easily employed as a structured decision-making exercise outside of consumer research. We describe …

Organizational Commitment Profiles And Employee Well-Being: A Latent Profile Analysis, Hannah E. Perkins

LSU Master's Theses

The present study examined the influence that employees’ organizational commitment profile has on both work and non-work outcomes. While the nomological network of the three-component model of organizational commitment has been studied widely, the application of the latent profile analysis (LPA) has changed the way researchers explore organizational commitment. Specifically, while variable centered approaches (e.g., correlations, multiple regression) measure each type of commitment independently and ultimately assume the linear relationships detected are applicable to every employee, a person-centered approach (e.g., latent profile analysis) groups individuals according to patterns of the reported target variables, allowing researchers to explore the combined or …

Sleepless In College Town: Causes And Effects Of Poor Sleep In College Students, Isabella E. Pandolfo

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

This article is an examination of the various causes and effects of sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality in college students. Using various studies and articles as evidence, this review explores the causes of sleep deprivation in college students, and addresses the ways in which other parts of one's well-being may suffer as a result of sleep deprivation. The nature of life as a college student is not conducive to good quality sleep or sufficient amount of sleep, and the various detrimental factors to sleep quality, such as napping, technology, and social factors contribute to problems in other areas. According …

What About The ‘R’ In Riot? : A Comprehensive Examination Of School Psychologists’ Record Review Processes, Hannah Luken

Thinking Matters Symposium

This poster aimed to describe part of a doctoral dissertation research study that comprehensively investigated school psychologists’ record review practices. Record reviews are a crucial part of the psychoeducational evaluation process (i.e., RIOT method), and there is relatively little previous research literature on this topic. This poster describes the following results: when record reviews are conducted, the amount of time is spent on each part of the RIOT method for initial and reevaluations, and record review approaches. The survey was distributed to school psychologists across the United States via school psychology state associations and Facebook. Results were analyzed via measures …

The Women Of Owen Clinic And Their Impact On Rural Mental Health, Mallory Stanley

Manuscripts

The mid-1900s was a pivotal moment in reforming mental health treatment in American Psychiatry. This movement becomes particularly clear when examining the championing work of two women, Dr. Thelma V. Owen and Dr. M. G. Stemmermann, at a rural mental health facility located in Huntington, WV: Owen Clinic Institute. While mental health stigma was at an extreme high among the general population, many factors aligned to allow for a new era of mental health care, including deinstitutionalization, World War II, and the advocation of professionals in the field. In West Virginia, no two people were more outspoken and active in …

Invalidation And Emotion Regulation: How Does Emotional Invalidation Relate To The Efficacy And Endorsement Of Emotion Regulation Strategies?, Johanna N. Caskey

Psychology Honors Projects

Past research has reliably shown that emotional invalidation poses a threat to one's capacity for successful emotion regulation, though the relationship between the two is complex. The pair of studies presently discussed sought to understand how perceptions of emotional invalidation relate to the success (Study 1) and endorsement (Study 2) of emotion regulation strategies. Study 1 did not provide support for the prediction that perceptions of invalidation would undermine the success of the particular emotion regulation strategy of affect labeling, generating a new hypothesis: invalidation may be more related to how we conceive of the process of regulating our emotions, …

Black Women Students In The Ivory Tower: A Case Study Of The College Of The Holy Cross, Meah S. Austin

Psychology Department Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Race, Masculinity, And Personality Development: Understanding The Black Male Experience In America, Veronica High

Dissertations

Although men from all racial backgrounds have several poor health outcomes, most of the research suggests that Black men have even worse health outcomes compared to White men (Bowman, 1989; Watkins & Neighbors, 2007; Williams, 2003). The majority of published research on masculinity, however, has primarily focused on samples of White men. The issue of how racism intersects with masculinity and its impact on Black men remains understudied and is a current area of focus in the field. The present study examined relationships between Black men on the cultural measures of masculinity and self-esteem, Dark Triad (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism), …

Counseling Experiences In Physically Disabled Individuals, Leah Schulze

Honors Projects

This pilot study covers the effects that counseling has on the physically disabled community. 5 individuals were interviewed on a mid-sized college campus about their experiences.

The Effect Of A Toilet Training Seminar On Classroom Staff's Knowledge Of Evidence-Based Toileting Practices, Madeline Ritter

Honors Theses

Toileting is a critical life skill that may present challenges to individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD). Extensive research on toilet training has been conducted in clinical, residential, and home settings; however, limited research has been conducted on toilet training in educational settings. Educational settings present unique challenges that other settings may not, which makes research on toilet training in these settings critical (Cagliani et al., 2021). Additionally, research on toileting in educational settings have not evaluated classroom staff’s acceptance of evidence-based toileting strategies. The current study used a pre posttest design to examine the effect of a …

Discussion Of Hope In Children, Kelly Drogan

Psychology Student Scholarship

Kelly Drogan ’22
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, Psychology

This year, with the help of my faculty advisor, Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, and the Providence College Center for Engaged Learning, I conducted a study evaluating hopefulness in children and college students. I chose to study hope because of an internship experience I had at the Department of Children and Families. I was interested in discovering what variables may be able to increase hope in children, while also looking at the developmental progression of hopefulness over time.

Hope is both the belief that you can achieve your goals, …

Anxiety & Icebreakers, Sara Jurkiewicz

Honors Projects

Icebreakers are a common activity conducted at colleges and universities at various times during a student’s career. They may be performed at orientations, class meetings, in student organizations, and even in jobs. Anxiety can arise from participants in icebreakers for various reasons and as anxiety is a health concern, it is important to consider the impact icebreakers can have on students. Anxiety is related to shyness and sociability of a person as these traits can impact how a person participates in life.

Relationship Talk With Partners And Friends During Emerging Adulthood: The Role Of Relationship Satisfaction, Christine So, Katherine L. Fiori, Christina M. Marini, Blakely A. Murphy, James B. Stein

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Research indicates that discussing one’s romantic relationship with one’s partner benefits individual well-being and reduces uncertainty about the future of the relationship. Implications of relationship talk with friends remain less clear, though talking with friends may actually increase uncertainty about the relationship (e.g., by making one’s partner jealous of these friends), particularly for emerging adults. Relationship talk with friends may be especially likely to promote relational uncertainty for couples who are already unsatisfied in their relationships. In this study, we explored whether relationship talk with one’s partner and one’s friends would each be uniquely associated with depressive symptoms and uncertainty …

Outside The Box: Gender Roles, Gender Incongruence, And Psychological Wellbeing, Ashton Boffa

Honors Projects

My project explores the impacts of gender roles and gender identity on psychological wellbeing. Previous research has shown that gender roles are negatively associated with psychological wellbeing, and transgender individuals have lower psychological wellbeing than the cisgender population. Since transgender individuals have had unique experiences with gender roles, it leads to a question of how these individuals have been affected by gender roles. Participants responded to a confidential questionnaire about their experiences with gender roles as they were growing up, their gender incongruence, and their psychological wellbeing. The results were consistent with previous research. Furthermore, my results suggest that transgender …

How Children And Adults Make Judgments About Who To Trust, Rachel E. Dewald, Jennifer L. Rennels, Kindy Insouvanh

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

"Beauty is Good Stereotype": Higher attractive individuals are thought to be more intelligent, more successful, and happier overall. They also obtain more visual attention and are deemed more trustworthy.

Making a choice based on a person's appearance and attributes might lead to dangerous consequences and lead to being deceived.

We investigated how the appearance of male and female experts influence whether children and adults trust statements made by the expert, establish what that expert knows and determine that expert's attributes (warmth and competence). The results of this study will help us better determine what cues children and adults use when …

Infants' Intermodal Knowledge Of Gender Using Faces And Voices, Bijoux Cheun, Christina Saliba, Alexis Rice, Marian Espina

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Infants begin to use intermodal knowledge to match male and female faces to the corresponding voice, in their first year of life.

Infants have more experience with female faces which should lead to greater intermodal knowledge of female faces.

Previous studies have found inconsistent results. This could be due to the type of stimuli used.

This study uses several pairs of static and dynamic faces to investigate how methodological differences may impact infants' performance.

Does Chronic Risperidone Administration Affect Food Reinforcement In Adulthood In Mice?, Francis Torres, Paul Soto

LSU Master's Theses

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) increase weight gain and food consumption in humans and non-human animals. It has been speculated that SGAs increase the reinforcing effects of food, which increases food consumption and drives weight gain. The current study evaluated the effects of risperidone on sucrose reinforcement in male and female C57BL/6J mice using economic demand assessments. Demand for sucrose was measured by varying the fixed ratio (FR) value required to produce sucrose delivery across experimental sessions using five FR values: 1, 5, 15, 30, and 45. The effects of acute risperidone administration on demand for sucrose were first assessed by orally …

Is Title Ix Enough?: Analyzing Feelings Of Institutional Betrayal Among College Students Who Experienced Sexual Assault, Zoe N. Kross

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Honors Projects

Institutional Betrayal reflects the failures of an institution to accurately prevent or respond to students after sexual violence has occurred. Previous literature shows that survivors of sexual assault are at an increased risk of PTSD and anxiety. The goal of this study was to understand what supportive services Macalester survivors want/need and to analyze if students feel supported by their institution. Grounded in analyses of the domestic violence movement, hookup and rape culture, the neuroscience of trauma, the history of Title IX, and commonly used survivor support services, the goal of this study was to understand what survivors of sexual …

Trauma And Alcohol/Substance Use: The Role Of Self-Regulation Flexibility, Saankari Anusha Challa

Dissertations

Despite a high comorbidity rate between trauma/PTSD and problematic alcohol/substance use, there is only a small body of work investigating moderators and mediators in this relationship. Few studies have examined the role of self-regulation, composed of coping and emotion regulation, in the context of PTSD and problematic substance use. Prior work has generally measured self-regulation categorically, with strategies labeled as maladaptive or adaptive, and therefore failing to account for the adaptiveness of the strategy in particular contexts. The present study is the only one to date to examine self-regulation flexibility in the relationship between posttraumatic symptoms (PTSS) and problematic alcohol/substance …

Demographic Disparities In College Students’ Psychological Adjustment During Covid-19, Anna Marston

Honors Theses

The goal of the present study was to explore psychological adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic in undergraduate college students. Since March 2020, undergraduates have endured extended lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing efforts that may affect mental health, especially for historically marginalized groups such as women and people of color. Furthermore, research on coping styles suggests that those who cope with a stressor such as a pandemic in healthy, adaptive ways may be protected against psychological difficulty. In February/March 2021 (Time 1) and again in April/May 2021 (Time 2), college students (N = 277) from two residential liberal arts institutions were …

Intergroup Dialogue: Affecting Real Change, Lauryn Hulett

Honors Projects

Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is a course adapted from The University of Michigan. In this Honors Project, a systematic literature review is done from eleven sources in hopes to theorize best practices and areas of improvement amongst applications of Intergroup Dialogue.

Sorrow, Healing, And Hope: A Braided Narrative, Abigail Maggi

Honors Projects

This project is a creative nonfiction essay about sadness. In the form of a braided essay, I weave personal narrative with insight and guidance from therapists, psychologists, and friends. In this essay, I share my experience of sadness and how I have processed my emotions during challenging times. The essay is split into three sections – sadness, feeling a little better, and hope – to share my story, the skills I learned that helped me move through sadness, and my decision to choose hope despite and amidst the struggles.

A Comparison Of Models In Video Modeling To Teach Vocal Skills, Caroline Phan

Thesis Projects

Video modeling is a strategy used to teach learners new skills by viewing a video of a model engaging in a target behavior and then having the learner imitate the behavior (Cooper et al., 2019). Much research has been conducted on the effectiveness of video modeling when compared to in vivo modeling, but there are still various limitations to consider, including its effectiveness as a solo intervention, who are the most impactful models to include, and the effectiveness of the intervention for certain populations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of video modeling as a solo …

Pandemic Issues: Faculty Value Alignment And Burnout, Eu Gene Chin, Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Burnout among faculty members impacts physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning and has negative socioeconomic consequences downstream. Prior to the pandemic, faculty members were already reporting high levels of burnout, which is characterized by depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a lack of personal accomplishment. Previous research reported that value incongruence functions as one of the strongest predictors of depersonalization (and subsequently) turnover intention. This study provides a snapshot of the value alignment and burnout of faculty at a regional public university in the months following the pandemic-induced pivot to remote learning. Results from our survey of faculty members (N = 58) suggest …

A New Narrative: Freeing Pediatricians From A Single Story, Tanya Scott, Tanya Scott

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

An adolescent pediatric patient who presents with psychiatric and medical conditions is subject to a pediatrician's diagnostic acuity, experience with pediatric psych patients, and existing constraints on providing an appropriate course of care. Too often, the psychiatric DRG becomes the pediatrician's single story of the patient, accompanied by subtexts of aggressive behavior, and the pediatrician's own biases about psychiatric patients. The novelist Chimamanda Adichie warns of the dangers of a single story. As a child in Nigeria, Adiche devoured stories. The children were fair-skinned and blue-eyed in the books available to her. As Adiche began to write her own stories, …

Classical Conditioning Of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns

Neuroscience Honors Papers

Classical conditioning has been a fundamental concept and practice throughout the history of psychology. While classical conditioning traditionally seeks to elicit target behaviors in correlation to specific stimuli, we sought to do the same with cognitive states in place of behaviors. Specifically, we wanted to determine the effectiveness of conditioning states of cognitive arousal in human participants in conjunction with cues presented in a designed learning task. We designed a cognitive task specifically for this research, referred to as “the Tone Pitching Task”, which utilized a combination of working memory and mental processing in order to elicit cognitive arousal and …