Psychology Commons^™

Violent Radicalization In Support For Right-Wing Authoritarian Leaders, Collective Action For White Nationalism, And Voting Restrictions, Angel D. Armenta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Framing cultural and demographic change as abrupt or continuous is theorized to respectively worsen and reduce intergroup hostility (e.g., anti-immigrant policy endorsement, prejudice, discrimination). Psychological anchors and propellors are theorized to respectively exacerbate and lessen negative reactions toward cultural and demographic change. Two experiments applied the Cultural Inertia Model to 1) identify methods through which majority groups attempt to maintain the status quo as a function of demographic change (i.e., support toward right-wing authoritarian leaders, collective action for White nationalism, and voting restrictions), 2) identify who is more likely (i.e., high levels of national nostalgia) or less likely (i.e., high …

Trauma And Resilience Among Migrant Children From Mexico And The Northern Triangle Eroute To The United States, Georgina Sanchez-Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Children who experience the phenomenon of migration from the Northern Triangle region and Mexico en route to the United States face pressing problems with psychosocial consequences that ostensibly affect them and are reflected in the violation of their human rights. We studied trauma and resilience among migrant children from Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations â??Guatemala, El Salvador, and Hondurasâ?? who are uprooted from their communities to undertake the dangerous overland journey to the United States (Lusk & Sanchez-Garcia, 2021; Rodriguez, 2020; UNICEF, 2018). The experience of such migration for children can be fraught with hardship, and it may have …

Lifetime Racism And John Henryism On Cognition And Cardiovascular Health In Black Men, Roy Mitchell

Dissertations

Lifetime racism is a type of chronic stress that is often accompanied by depression. Racism is the experience of many Black men because of several psychosocial stressors such as reduced resources and institutional barriers, to name a few. Active coping is typically utilized by Black men as a consistent means to reduce the negative outcomes linked to racism, however, this up-tempo coping style can contribute to poor cardiovascular health and cognitive impairment over time. The present study aimed to provide data to support the effects of lifetime racism and active coping on cardiovascular health and cognition. There were three hypotheses …

Trauma-Informed Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Substance Abuse, Whitney Nasse

Dissertations

The high co-morbidity of trauma and substance use disorders has prompted the need for more trauma-informed care within the available substance abuse treatments. The purpose of this research was to dissect and identify the strengths of two empirically studied treatment approaches for trauma and substance abuse. Furthermore, a suggested protocol was defined, showing the integration of these two models as a proposed treatment modality for trauma and substance abuse populations. Implications and recommendations for further research on this topic are also highlighted.

Exploring Clinical Implications Of Consensual Non-Monogamy: A Proposed Intake Assessment Tool, Rebecca Tuttle

Dissertations

Relationships in the United States are often assumed to adhere to heteronormative and mononormative standards, which is problematic because a significant minority of individuals are neither heterosexual nor monogamous (approximately 4.5% and 4% of the United States population, respectively). As a result of mononormative biases in particular, alternatives to monogamy, such as consensually non-monogamous relationships, are often socially stigmatized and clinically pathologized. The existing research on consensually non-monogamous individuals indicates, despite negative assumptions, those who engage in consensually non-monogamous relationships demonstrate psychological well-being, physical health, and levels of relationship satisfaction comparable to their monogamous counterparts. While engaging in consensually non- …

Contextual Factors Of Harsh Parenting: Investigating The Role Of Impulsivity And Parent Attribution Bias Under Conditions Of Household Chaos, Kelsey T. Ellis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The use of harsh parenting strategies as a form of disciplining child misbehavior has been identified as an underlying factor for child abuse; thus, it is important to examine underlying causal factors for harsh parenting. While not originally formulated around harsh parenting, social information processing models of reactive aggression have highlighted internal attributions and impulsivity as key processes in social decision-making. Therefore, the current study integrated these theoretical models to explore how these processes are involved in harsh parenting behaviors and how these processes may interact in the context of environmental factors such as household chaos. Results revealed significant direct …

Racial Differences In Tobacco Use And Risk Factors Among Young Adults: Roles Of Expectancies And Emotion Regulation, Laurel Brockenberry

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

African Americans experience higher mortality from lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases than Caucasian Americans (Kochanek et al., 2016) despite engaging in cigarette and e-cigarette use significantly less or at comparable rates to other racial groups (CDC, 2015; Schoeborn, 2013). During adolescence, smoking prevalence is lower among African Americans than Caucasian Americans, but there is a “cross-over effect” whereby smoking rates become similar later in adulthood (Belgrave et al, 2010). The mechanisms driving this effect are poorly understood. Thus, examining motivating factors for tobacco use, such as outcome expectancies and emotion regulation, may be especially illuminating for young adult African …

An Investigation Of Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives On The Tasks Of Mental Health Counselors In Hospital Settings, Suelle Micallef Marmara

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

With the global mental health implications reported by the spread of COVID 19 (Javed et al., 2020) and the amplified mental health illnesses reported by the State of Mental Health in America (Reinert et al., 2021), there is an increased need to address psychological and emotional health along with physical health. Mental Health Counselors (MHCs) can be the next professional body to support the multidisciplinary teams within hospital settings to complement holistic care focusing on physical and emotional well-being. Researchers have demonstrated addressing the psychological needs of patients from their first admissions to the hospital has significant positive implications on …

Two Essays On The Role Of Empathy In Consumer Response To User-Generated Content, Mohammadali Koorank Beheshti

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Empathy is known to be the basis of all human interactions and an essential component of human psychology. Empathy includes a cognitive component (perspective-taking) and an affective component (e.g., emotional contagion). The two essays of my dissertation investigate how each of these components of empathy affect consumer responses to user-generated content.

Essay 1: Although both price and online review ratings are important cues in consumers’ product quality judgment, most previous studies have treated price and review ratings as separate inputs into consumer decision-making. The current research shows that the two cues are intertwined, such that consumers’ perception of the same …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Flexibility And Rumination: From Laboratory To Daily Life, Cassidy R. Girard

All NMU Master's Theses

Cognitive flexibility has been considered one of the risk factors for anxiety. People with high levels of anxiety tend to stick to more maladaptive strategies such as rumination. The interaction between cognitive flexibility and rumination may help explain the contribution of cognitive flexibility to the development of anxiety. This study investigated the relationship between cognitive flexibility and rumination. Each individual’s level of cognitive flexibility, anxiety, and rumination were measured through questionnaires and computer tasks. Daily changes in emotion and rumination were assessed using the experience sampling method. The results showed interesting relationship between rumination (both trait and momentary) and cognitive …

Teaching Perspective Taking Skills To Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mitchell Cox

All NMU Master's Theses

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often lack perspective taking skills as evidenced by deficits in social communication and social interaction. The PEAK-T program Deictic: Single-Reversal I and You has previously been utilized to teach and establish singular I-YOU perspective taking repertoires in children with ASD, however no such studies exist for teaching plural WE-THEY perspective taking repertoires. The present study replicated the methods from a previous study (Belisle et al., 2016) to establish simple and single-reversal I-YOU deictic relations, and extended the evaluation to establish simple and single-reversal WE-THEY deictic relations. Of the four participants in this study, …

Measuring Affective Responses To Different Types Of Nature Exposure, Abigail P. Moffett

All NMU Master's Theses

Natural environments provide many physical and physiological benefits for an individual. Examples may include decreased stress levels, increased intrinsic motivations and prosocial behavior, and more. Fueled by the curiosity of the extent to which nature provides these benefits, this study investigated whether pre-existing preference for either waterscape scenes or mountainous scenes, as well as self-reported affective and associative responses to those environmental exposures are possible explanations for the experience of wellbeing when one is exposed to nature. Measures included the Nature Relatedness Scale, State Vitality Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and a nature preference scale (mountainous vs. waterscape). Nature …

Crime Scene Behaviors Of Sexual Murderers With And Without A Criminal History Of Sexual Assault, Tirza Z. Ben Ari

Student Theses

This exploratory study is intended to serve as a gateway to future research about the differences between sexual murderers with (HSAO) and without (N-HSAO) a recorded criminal history of sexual assault, on which there is little to no comparative literature. This study aims to extend our understanding of these groups by comparing their crime scene (and crime-related) behaviors and exploring their underlying psychological functioning. The results suggest that N-HSAO have a significantly higher tendency to murder friends or strangers, initially attack or abduct their victims from the victim’s residence, use more than one killing method in the murder, attack their …

Who We Are In The World: An Investigation Into Psychology And Worldview, Zachary Swanson

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

At the heart of Psychology is the search for understanding — understanding ourselves, understanding others, and understanding our places in the world. At one point or another a person comes to ask themselves fundamental questions about human life, like “Who am I?”, “Why am I here?” and “What will happen to me?” Although these questions are not usually asked out loud, these attempts to make meaning of our lives serve as a reference for our worldviews. In part 1, I take a theory-driven approach to address the questions “What is a worldview?”, and “How is worldview studied psychologically?” In part …

Implementation Planning To Increase Treatment Integrity For Check-In/Check-Out With An Electronic Dbrc, Caitlyn Weaver

Dissertations

The present investigation assessed the effectiveness of Implementation Planning (IP) as a strategy for improving the treatment integrity of a commonly implemented behavioral intervention, Check-In/Check-Out (CICO). An electronic daily behavior report card (E-DBRC) was used to monitor intervention effectiveness for three students across a non-concurrent multiple-baseline design. IP was not associated with consistent improvements in treatment integrity for teachers who served as mentors within the CICO intervention. Teacher treatment integrity improved for one student’s teacher but had no sustained functional relation for the other two teachers. Student behavioral data were collected to determine if the implementation of CICO was associated …

A Small Wolf Eats A Large Apple: An Experimental Investigation Of The Temporal Processing Of Conceptual Magnitudes, Carolina Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations

When individuals are presented with two options and are asked to select the conceptually larger item, a size congruity effect is usually observed. A size congruity effect is present in comparison tasks when congruent stimuli, whose physical size and conceptual size match, are compared much faster than incongruent stimuli, whose physical size and conceptual size do not match. The current study used images and words as stimuli to investigate the two competing hypotheses for the size congruity effect using delta plots. Positive delta plots were observed when response time for incongruent items was compared to congruent items, providing evidence of …

Exploring The Divergent Social Dimensions Of Ceo Narcissism On Internal Firm Outcomes, Andrew Brandon Blake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I move away from the common clinical conception of narcissism in management to a novel two-dimensional concept and measurement of narcissism. Because these dimensions are shown to have divergent motives, goals, social strategies, and behaviors, I theorize that these differences in narcissism will have diverging effects on the firm. Then, I shift the conceptual focus of CEO narcissism research from the CEO as an agentic decision-maker seeking external praise for firm consequences to an implicit social strategist who prioritizes short-term interpersonal interactions in service of narcissistic supply. I examine four internal outcomes likely to be influenced by …

Social Comparison And Shifting In Quantitative Performance, Ashlee Pardo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has produced conflicting results in terms of whether positive stereotypes enhance or impair the performance of individuals who have both positively- and negatively-stereotyped identities. Shih, Pittinsky, and Ambady (1999) found that relative to a no identity control group, Asian women performed better on a mathematics test when their positively-stereotyped identity was salient (i.e., ethnicity) but worse when their negatively-stereotyped identity was salient (i.e., gender). In contrast, Cheryan and Bodenhausen (2000) found that both positive and negative identity salience in Asian women led to reduced performance relative to a no identity control group. In the current study, I aimed to …

The Influence Of Motivation, Role Identity, And Perceived Meaningfulness Of Work On The Relationship Between Volunteer Satisfaction And Volunteer Contribution, Tonia Christine Caraveo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Volunteering, the act of donating time and effort to contribute to society is a unique form of helping that includes deliberate non-obligated services given one time or long-term. Utilizing an integrated approach incorporating the functionalist perspective and role identity theory as framework, the present study re-examined factors that influence volunteer contribution. The sample consisted of 161 participants who have donated time volunteering. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the model. Results of the structural equation model indicated the hypothesized model was not a good fit. As such, no significance was found among the expected relationships between volunteer satisfaction, …

The Influence Of Work-Life Balance Directionality On Retirement Decisions, Joshua Craig

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The retirement landscape is ever shifting and has become a dual-decision process more so now than ever before. Employees consider retirement through a family lens and particularly so when there is conflict between life and work domains. Researchers have suggested that work-life directionality does influence work-related decisions (Wiktorowicz, 2018). The impact of work-life directionality, however, on retirement choices has not been substantially examined. Further, socioeconomic status (SES) has been found to influence retirement decisions to some degree (Dushi et al., 2017). Therefore, in the present study, data from a total of 17,146 participants were used from the 2018 wave of …

Look, But Don’T Touch: Impact Of Covid-19 On The Nicu Caregiver, Rebecca C. Otwell-Dove

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Admission of an infant into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an experience that has been associated with a variety of both positive and negative health outcomes for parent and child. While both the setting name and the admitted population alludes to a sole focus on the affected infant, what often remains underrecognized is the impact on the ones who care for the newborn long before and longer after their NICU stay. Given the recency and unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, very little research has examined the impact of COVID-19-specific stress on the experience of parents of infants …

The Front Lines Of Student Success: A Phenomenography Exploring The Background And Knowledge Of Primary Role Academic Advisors In Higher Education, Alicia N. Abney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenographic study was to understand the experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives of new, primary role academic advisors at four-year public institutions in the United States. Research on advising has provided insight into advising best practices and the student perceptions of academic advising; however, there is little research illustrating current primary role academic advisors and their experience, or perhaps lack thereof.

To receive highly coveted federal and state funding, higher education institutions must show growth in student success. Academic advisors are on the front lines of student success because they are tasked with the responsibility of retaining …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Quality Of Life: A Mediating Role Of Physical Activity And Executive Function, Loni Parrish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ACEs have been associated with heightened risk for a range of chronic health problems, substance use, and cognition in adulthood (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2019; Hinojosa et al., 2017). One potential protective factor is physical activity (McEwen, 2016; Wu et al., 2013). Physical activity is associated with sustaining overall health, improving mental health by reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety (Murri et al., 2019; Sharma et al., 2006; Tasci et al., 2019), and maintaining a healthy body weight and BMI (WHO, 2021). Therefore, this study examined whether barriers to physical activity, physical activity levels, and executive outcomes serve as …

An Intersectional Study Of Perceived Academic Climate And The Imposter Phenomenon In Psychology Students, Kelsey Braun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social exclusion in higher education can occur at multiple levels (e.g., systemic, institutional, interpersonal, individual), and individuals simultaneously hold multiple social identities that could influence their perceptions of academic climate. The current study utilized a mixed-methods convergent parallel design to explore the impact of multiple social identities, perceptions of academic climate, and the imposter phenomenon among psychology students. In the quantitative portion, participants (N = 142) completed an online survey related to gender centrality, academic climate, and imposter phenomenon. Gender group comparisons revealed that cisgender men indicated poorer perceptions of climate than cisgender women and gender minorities, but imposter …

Inconsistency Is The Consistency: The Title Ix Reporting Process For Sexual And Gender-Based Misconduct Within Maryland Public Universities, Aliya R. Webermann, Kathryn Holland

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Title IX is a primary federal legal approach to address campus sexual and gender-based misconduct, yet few students utilize Title IX reporting as a formal campus support, and those that do frequently report negative experiences. In this study, we interviewed 11 student survivors at four Maryland public universities who engaged with the Title IX reporting and response process. Our aims were to (a) examine how Title IX functions in a state public education system with a robust Title IX policy; (b) describe commonalities and differences in experiences; and (c) use theories of institutional betrayal and support to understand aspects of …

Valor: Cultural Considerations When Assessing Central American Immigrant Women In Behavioral Health Settings, Michelle Silva, Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez, Luz M. Garcini, Alfonso Mercado, German Cadenas, Amanda Venta, Manuel Paris

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The topic of immigration is timely yet polarizing. By definition, to be an immigrant implies being in a state of transition and transformation. The eventual outcome is likely to be influenced by a series of contextual factors starting in the country of origin, continuing during the migration journey, and culminating in receiving communities. The authors use a fictional case example of a Central American immigrant woman to illustrate VALOR, the Spanish word for courage, as an acronym that identifies five key areas for clinical consideration in behavioral health settings: Values, Arrival in the United States, Losses, O …

The Impact Of Racial And Ethnic Socialization On Young Black Women's Roles In Interpersonal And Romantic Relationships: A Quantitative Study, Jessica L. Elliott

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Children often receive their first understanding of the nuances of society and how to navigate their experiences from parents and family members. Parents and family members of children of color have the additional task of teaching their children how to navigate through society as a person of color. The present study used grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014) and operated from a constructivist–interpretivist and critical–ideological paradigm (Ponterotto, 2005) to specifically explore the racial and ethnic socialization messages young Black women received in childhood and adolescence regarding the expectations of their roles in these relationships and how these messages impacted them throughout their …

The Effect Of Typewriting Vs. Handwriting Lecture Notes On Learning: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., Timothy Schaun Lau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effect of note-taking modality during lecture, that is, taking notes by hand using pen and paper vs. taking notes using a keyboard and computer, on learning among secondary and postsecondary students. I begin with a review of the literature and theoretical introduction to the theories and terms used. From a theoretical standpoint, there are strong reasons to believe that taking notes by hand might offer recall benefits relative to taking notes using a computer and keyboard. At the same time, I point out that one problem, which I …

The Combined Benefits Of Dispositional Mindfulness And Trait Self-Compassion As Potential Buffers Of The Effects Of Perceived Stress On Sleep Quality In College-Aged Young Adults., Jackie Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a nonclinical sample of 108 undergraduates between the ages of 18 to 25 years old, this cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between dispositional mindfulness (as measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire; Baer et al., 2006) and sleep quality (as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Buysse et al., 1989). Second, it evaluated the association between trait self-compassion (as measured by the Self-Compassion Scale; Neff, 2003b) and sleep quality. Third, it aimed to test for an interaction effect between dispositional mindfulness and trait self-compassion as buffers against the adverse effects of perceived stress on sleep quality. Results showed …

Investigating The Shared And Unique Mechanisms Of The Development Of Comorbid Eating Disorder-Anxiety Symptoms During Adolescence., Leigh Cara Brosof

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Eating disorders are associated with significant morbidity, psychiatric comorbidity, and impairment. Despite the detrimental outcomes associated with eating disorders, effective treatments for eating disorders are lacking. One factor that has impeded the identification of targets for intervention in eating disorders is the high comorbidity rate with other psychiatric disorders. Comorbidity models can inform treatments by showing which mechanisms are shared in comorbidity and which mechanisms are unique to specific disorders. Anxiety disorders are the most frequently co-occurring disorders with eating disorders, as 85% of individuals with eating disorders have a comorbid anxiety disorder. One mechanistic process in both anxiety …