Psychology Commons^™

Culturally Responsive Mental Health: Providing For Midwestern Hispanic/Latinx Communities, Sara Leila Zare

Dissertations and Theses

Hispanic/Latinx communities face a troubling number of barriers in accessing mental health services. Many difficulties associated with access have been studied within urban communities across the southern and western regions of the United States. However, over the past two decades, the Midwest has become a geographical location where this ethnic group has and will continue to see exponential growth. Unfortunately, adequate mental health services for the growing population within this geographic region are scarce. Additionally, more rural areas of the Midwest are heavily impacted by a lack of adequate mental health care services. The barriers that exist to access mental …

Utilizing The Alternative Model Of Personality Disorders (Ampd) To Identify Sexual Aggression In Men, Ryan Van Fossen

Dissertations and Theses

The current study examined the validity of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) in predicting sexually aggressive cognitions in men. Specifically, this study examined the role of maladaptive personality traits and personality functioning’s relationship with sexually aggressive beliefs in comparison to the Five-Factor Model (FFM). This study recruited 300 male participants, aged 18 and older, who identified as male for both sex and gender, and identified as heterosexual. Participants completed measures of personality functioning, several personality traits, views about sexual entitlement, gender roles, rape myths, and token resistance to sex. Multiple regression and semipartial correlation analyses were used to …

De-Identified Raw Data For Prasada & Leus, Sandeep Prasada, Olga A. Leus

Publications and Research

De-identified raw data for Experiments reported in Prasada & Leus (under review)

Ducks lay eggs. Lions have manes: The conceptual basis for minority characteristic generics

Evaluating The Impact Of Examiner Variability On The Verbal Comprehension Index Of The Wisc-V, Brooke A. Butcher

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to: a) explore rater variability on the VCI, b) explore rater tendencies, and c) compare rater tendencies between graduate students and licensed and/or certified school psychologists. Considering the results of prior literature that has investigated scoring errors and inter-rater agreement on the WISC, it was hypothesized that examiners would be significantly different from one another (overall and between groups) in terms of their tendencies towards severity/leniency on the Vocabulary and Similarities subtests. Raters (N = 10) were comprised of two groups: a) graduate students in training to become school psychologists (n = 5) …

The Ambiguous Loss Of Alcohol Use Disorders For Affected Family Members: Can Al-Anon Involvement And Psychological Flexibility Make A Difference?, Giselle Hernandez Navarro

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) destroy the health of many afflicted people, as well as their affected family members (AFMs). The purpose of this quantitative dissertation was to explore relevant variables for AFMs based on ambiguous loss theory and relational frame theory. In this study, 310 AFMs completed online surveys through MTurk. Differences in AFMs’ Al-Anon involvement (i.e., no involvement, newcomer, member) were investigated relative to psychological flexibility, psychological inflexibility, boundary ambiguity, distress, and ambiguous loss resilience (i.e., ambiguity tolerance). Results indicated Al-Anon involvement was not a significant variable in relation to AFMs’ distress or ambiguity tolerance outcomes. Psychological flexibility, psychological …

Family Routines And Parental Warmth As Potential Protective Factors On The Relation Between Housing Instability And Child Outcomes, Joanna Keane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Housing instability is associated with numerous poor child outcomes in domains such as behavioral problems, emotional problems, and academic achievement. The impacts of housing instability on child outcomes are typically investigated in the context of sociodemographic risk; however, exploring the role of protective factors (e.g., family routines, parental warmth) in these contexts allows for a more thorough understanding of the effect of housing instability and how potential negative outcomes might be mitigated. The present study further explored the relation between early housing instability and child behavioral, emotional, and academic outcomes in middle-childhood in addition to the potential moderating role of …

The Registration Continuum In Personality Disorder Studies: Theory, Rationale, And Template, Stephen D. Benning, Edward A. Smith

Psychology Faculty Research

Registration is a tool to increase the rigor of personality disorder research and its ability to reduce human suffering through improving people's lives. This article details the problems that exist without registrations, which revolve around a study's outcomes' dependence on the data rather than on the theory being tested. Registrations exist on a continuum underpinned by bipolar timing and unipolar disclosure dimensions, the latter of which poses myriad points of decisions for researchers to register. The registration process provides memory aids and guideposts for researchers through the course of a study, transparently maintains public trust in the scientific enterprise, and …

Children's Evaluations Of Observable Vs. Unobservable Properties During Scientific Reasoning, Taneisha Vilma

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Science inquiry involves reasoning and drawing conclusions about properties or constructs that may not be directly observed and are not immediately verifiable. Prior scientific reasoning investigations have examined children’s reasoning about observable items and immediately verifiable conclusions. The current investigation examined children’s evaluations of the certainty of conclusions drawn from evidence when reasoning about both immediately observable properties and unobservable properties with the same task. Kindergarten, first grade, third grade, and adult participants (N = 70) were presented with an online experimental procedure. The procedure included two conditions (Observable vs. Unobservable) each involved reasoning about three levels of evidence (conclusive …

Parent Involvement And Student Teacher Relationships In Predicting Student Outcomes, Riley Laffoon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As key players in what Bronfenbrenner describes as the mesosystem, parents and teachers interact to play an important and immediate role in child development. While the role of parent involvement and the impact of student teacher relationships are well established in the literature on student outcomes, less is known about how the two function together to impact the student. To expand the literature on this topic, the current study sought to examine how levels of different types of parent involvement (home-based, home-school conferencing, and trust) predict student teacher relationship quality, how parent involvement and student teacher relationships predict student outcomes …

Social Media: Are You Addicted? Examining The Role Of Social Media Platforms On Life Satisfaction, Personality And Generation, Alexzander Ponce

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The rise of social media has led to an increase in social media use and social media addiction. Research has found that social media addiction is influenced by various factors, and this study looks to examine the relation between social media addiction and users' life satisfaction, personality type and age group; and whether the type of social media platform moderates this relationship. This study dispersed survey questionnaires and conducted an ANCOVA to analyze the results. Results found that life satisfaction and social media addiction are negatively related, but the negative relation is larger for Twitter users. Results also found a …

Inclusive Practices In Catholic Education: A Restorative Realignment, Carla Vellutini

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools need to examine the barriers to, benefits of, and interventions needed when implementing inclusive practices into their institutions. Catholic schools are experiencing an increase in enrolled students identified with learning and behavioral needs; however, they frequently lack resources and expertise to provide the necessary support for these students and their families to succeed. Research studies identify teacher attitudes and perceptions regarding inclusive practices as vital factors to create successful culture change.

A single group pretest-posttest design, incorporated into this action research study, measured the attitudes and stress of teachers before and after a 14-week long intervention for eight …

Evaluating The Effects Of Feedback On College Students' Self-Reports Of Alcohol Consumption And Standard Drink Free-Pours, Alondra Del Real

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Excessive alcohol consumption is a widespread concern among many college campuses. Most of the data on the prevalence and adverse consequences associated with college drinking are gathered from self-report surveys, which require respondents to have a knowledge of standard drink sizes. Unfortunately, the reliability and validity of these data are questionable because college students are typically unable to define or pour standard drinks. Efforts to improve college students’ self-reported alcohol consumption are warranted. Some researchers suggest that we can improve self-reports of alcohol consumption by providing college students with feedback on the accuracy of their standard drink free-pours (White et …

Effects Of Brief-Signal Number And Location On Responding Maintained By Delay Of Reinforcement, Firdavs Khaydarov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the present series of experiments was to examine the effects of the number, type, and location of brief signal(s) occurring during, but not throughout, a delay period, on responding maintained by the delay of reinforcement. In each experiment, a tandem variable time (VT) 60-s fixed interval (FI) 9-s schedule was used as a baseline condition of an immediate reinforcement against which delay conditions were examined. For the delay conditions, a chained variable interval (VI) 60-s fixed time (FT) 9-s (delay period) schedule was used, and the imposition of the brief signal (blackout) during the delay period was …

You've Got A Friend: Social Factors And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adults, Erika A. Fenstermacher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Depression in late life has been associated with disability, lower quality of life, increased mortality, and increased risk of suicide (Fiske et al., 2009; Rodda et al., 2011). Research suggests that functional disability, which is often brought about by a medical condition, may precede depressive symptoms and may be a major factor for older adults developing depression (Ormel et al., 2002). Social support can be beneficial for both emotional and physical health (Fiori & Jager, 2021). Numerous studies found evidence that social networks, perceived and subjective social support, and satisfaction with support received moderated the relation between health problems and …

On The Role Of Task Preference And Work Removal For Identifying Escape Functions, Brian Patrick Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

On the Role of Task Preference and Work Removal for Identifying Escape Functions

Brian P. Long

Students within the public school system may exhibit severe challenging behavior to escape from academic demands. Procedures to identify the reinforcers that maintain challenging behavior, such as functional analysis, may improve the probability of treatment success. Functional analysis involves manipulating contingencies to determine if positive (e.g., attention following challenging behavior) or negative (e.g., escape from aversive events such as task demands) reinforcers may maintain challenging behavior (Iwata et al., 1982). The absence of evocative tasks could produce inaccurate results when testing for effects …

Evaluation Of Renewal During Differential Reinforcement With Asymmetrical Choices And A Context Fading Mitigation Technique, Kacey R. Finch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Successful clinical behavior analytic treatment often results in decreases in challenging behavior and increases in appropriate behavior. These reductions in challenging behavior are often achieved by implementing differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA; Petscher et al., 2009). One variation of DRA to decrease challenging behavior is differential reinforcement with asymmetrical choices, which are two or more concurrently available response options associated with differential outcomes (Fisher & Mazur, 1997; Kestner et al., 2023). However, responding that was previously reduced sometimes reemerges. Specifically, renewal is the reemergence of a previously reduced response following a context change. The first two experiments evaluated renewal …

Personality And Academic Performance In College, Jacob E. Alderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite mounting evidence for the role of personality in predicting college level academic performance, there are aspects of this association that are still unexplained. With a sample of U.S. undergraduates at a large Appalachian university, this study sought to further establish what is already known about the association between personality and grade point average, credits earned, and retention rates by testing for both linear and quadratic effects. Results showed linear positive effects of conscientiousness, negative linear effects of openness and nonlinear effects of neuroticism for GPA. However, personality traits were not associated with either retention or credits earned. These findings …

Utility Of An Emotion Coding System For Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With Toddlers, Christopher Kyle Owen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerous efficacious early interventions target and alter caregiver-child interactions to promote optimal social-emotional outcomes for young children (Bagner et al., 2014). However, research has primarily relied on the use of caregiver report to assess caregiver-child emotion-focused practices, revealing the need for a behavioral observation assessment (Zinsser et al., 2021). Preliminary evidence suggests that Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers (PCIT-T) is a well-received and efficacious intervention for reducing disruptive behaviors, improving child internalizing and externalizing behavior, reducing parental stress, and increasing parental sensitivity (Kohlhoff et al., 2021; Kohlhoff, Cibralic, & Morgan, 2020). PCIT-T strives to train caregivers to interact with their …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Pcit-Toddler, Circle Of Security, And Waitlist Controls To Improve Child And Caregiver Emotion Regulation, Robin Choi Han

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Emotion regulation is an important developmental task during toddlerhood that is associated with positive psychosocial outcomes (Zeman et al., 2006). The development of adaptive emotion regulation during early childhood occurs largely within the context of a supportive caregiver-child relationship (Morris et al., 2007). Thus, parent-mediated interventions are a promising medium through which emotion regulation problems in toddlers can be treated. However, few interventions specifically designed to treat behavioral and emotion regulation difficulties are available for children in the toddler age range, and these interventions have yet to establish a solid evidence base supporting their efficacy. To fill this gap in …

Profiles Of Positive And Negative Risk-Taking Among Asian And Non-Asian American Emerging Adults, Yea Won Park

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Emerging adults can engage in both positive and negative risk-taking. Based on recent previous research that identified various risk-taking profiles (Duell et al., 2022), the current project extends the literature in several ways. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify profiles of risk-taking behavior among US college students, (2) examine how correlates of cognitive values and interpersonal factors relate to risk-taking groups, and (3) investigate the role of cultural values in risk-taking profiles among Asian and non-Asian American college students. The sample was 401 participants recruited from universities in the US. Latent Profile Analyses indicated that 4-profile solution …

Health Behaviors As Mediators Of Caregiver Physical Health, Michaela Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Informal caregivers provide the bulk of care to older adults in the United States (Ali et al., 2021). Informal caregivers include family, friends, and neighbors, many of whom do not have any formal training for this role. There are costs associated with taking on a caregiving responsibility, such as scheduling appointments, helping with medications, household tasks, and even financial support (Rha et al., 2015). Many of these informal caregivers lack the coping skills necessary to manage the challenges associated with caregiving (Xu et al., 2021). Many also take on this role despite the personal costs on one’s own health, time, …

Effects Of Combined Ethanol And Nicotine Administration On Delay Discounting In Male And Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, Rebecca Lillian Chalme

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine (NIC) are among the most commonly used and co-used drugs in the world. Co-use occurs in people who use one or both drugs chronically, but also in people who only consume one or both drugs acutely, often in a “bingeing and chipping” pattern. Given that each drug on its own has previously been shown to affect impulsive choice in delay-discounting procedures, with some indication that drug effects could vary by sex, the purpose of the present experiments was to investigate effects of combined EtOH and NIC at a range of dose combinations on delay discounting in …

Evaluation Of Commission And Omission Errors During Differential Reinforcement Of Other Behavior, Lindsey M. Hronek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a reinforcement schedule that commonly includes the delivery of a reinforcer following an interval during which a target behavior did not occur and extinction (i.e., the reinforcer is withheld following any instances of the target behavior). Although interventions using DRO schedules can decrease target behavior when implemented as designed, little is known about the efficacy of DRO interventions when they include fidelity errors. A growing field of literature has demonstrated different ways fidelity errors can affect the outcomes of other interventions (e.g., DRA, response cost, and skill acquisition). One study by Foreman et …

The Mental Health Outcomes Of First-Generation Collegiate Clients Compared To Their Non-First-Generation Peers, Cassandra Rose Homick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerous research studies have investigated the mental health concerns and needs of college students. However, there is a need for additional research to understand the unique presenting mental health concerns of first-generation college students at university counseling centers in the US. The current study was a non-experimental exploratory research study that utilized secondary data analysis to examine and compare the sociodemographic profiles, mental health needs, and presenting problems of first-generation students compared to their non-first-generation peers at university counseling centers (UCCs) in the US. In Part One of the study, comparisons were drawn between first-generation and non-first-generation collegiate clients on …

Effects Of Oxycodone And Methylphenidate On Self-Control With Aversive Outcomes, Jeremy Saul Langford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the context of choice, one is said to show self-control under numerous conditions in which consideration is given to the delayed outcomes of each option. This can be difficult: both reinforcing and aversive outcomes become less effective as they are increasingly delayed. Several socially significant issues arise from a failure of delayed, aversive outcomes to impact choice, especially when immediate, reinforcing outcomes are available. Identifying the conditions under which choice is sensitive to delayed outcomes is critical to shifting choices toward alternatives in which contact with delayed, aversive outcomes is minimized. Two experiments were conducted with the aim of …

Cue Reactivity In Non-Smoking Electronic Cigarette Users, Ashley E. Douglas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are among the most popular nicotine products in the United States, particularly among youth and young adults. Many individuals who use ECIGs report an interest in quitting or unsuccessful quit attempts. In addition to nicotine dependence, one factor that may contribute to continued ECIG use is an individual’s response to ECIG-related environmental stimuli, or cues. Existing research demonstrates that exposure to ECIG cues increases craving for ECIGs among cigarette smokers, including those without previous ECIG experience. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of ECIG cue exposure in experienced ECIG users with minimal smoking history, …

Impacts Of Error Rate And Therapist Appearance On The Accuracy Of Fidelity Data Collection, Marisela A. Aguilar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Procedural fidelity is the extent to which a procedure is implemented as designed. Analyzing procedural-fidelity data can improve treatment outcomes. Fidelity data are generally collected by a supervisor or trained data collector using a checklist that operationalizes each component of the procedure and accounts for errors in implementation of the components. However, little is known about variables that may affect the accuracy of supervisor-collected data generally, and even less is known about variables that may affect the accuracy of procedural-fidelity data. Therefore, the current studies explored the extent to which Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) accurately detected programmed fidelity errors …

The Effect Of Sequential Stimuli On Variable-Interval Schedule Performance And Resurgence, Amanda K. Miles

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Resurgence, or the recurrence of a previously established but not currently occurring response given a worsening of current conditions, is a systematic phenomenon with clinical implications; thus, understanding the variables that impact resurgence is important. Investigations into the impact of discriminative stimuli on resurgence have yielded mixed results about whether the stimuli associated with extinction mitigate or prevent resurgence. The current experiments were conducted with sequential stimuli, that is, two or more stimuli occurring in a fixed sequence, that allowed determination of the effect of discriminative stimuli across a continuum of reinforcement conditions (from most temporally distal to most proximal …

Toward A Holistic Understanding Of Conduct Disorder Across The Lifespan, Bobby R. J. W. Mchardy, Pamela M. Seeds

Modern Psychological Studies

Conduct Disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by clinically significant and culturally unexpected aggressive and antisocial behaviors. While much work has focused on the numerous predisposing genetic, neurobiological, psychological, and environmental risk factors for Conduct Disorder, its causal mechanisms, several developmental trajectories, and interacting risks have still yet to be properly elucidated within the context of these factors. With the aim of integrating the literature’s current understanding of Conduct Disorder, we searched APA PsycNet and Google Scholar using a scoping review to select peer-reviewed articles relating to age of onset, presentation, trajectory, persistence, and outcomes of Conduct Disorder. Of the …

The Effects Of Outdoor Therapy On Depression And Anxiety: A Quantitative Review, Lindsey N. Wheeler, Steven R. Wininger

Modern Psychological Studies

The goal of this research was to assess the effectiveness of outdoor therapy on depression and anxiety across different moderators via a quantitative review. While there are studies that look at the effectiveness of outdoor therapy on psychological outcomes, there is a lack of synthesis of the research investigating moderators. A literature review was conducted and six studies were included in the analysis. Cohen’s d was calculated for each study. We examined the following moderators: intervention type, intervention duration, age, and outcome measurement. The effects of outdoor therapy were greater for anxiety (d=0.65, n=1215) than depression (d=0.43, n=115). Within the …