Psychology Commons^™

Evaluating Differences In Drink Refusal Training And Posttreatment Outcomes In Women In Individual Alcohol Treatment, Rosa Munoz

Psychology ETDs

This study sought to establish the topography of drink refusal behaviors clients engage in while undergoing manual-guided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Prior research has demonstrated that clients who receive specific skills training on how to assertively refuse drinks are less likely to relapse. Behavioral coding has been used previously to explore in-session behaviors by both client and therapist. Using this methodology, a coding manual (Drink Refusal and Motivation-Alcohol; DRAM-A) was developed for the present study. We sought to explore the relationship between differential types of drink refusal behaviors uttered by clients receiving treatment for AUD …

Effort-Related Decision Making In Comt Variant Mice: Pharmacological Studies And Genetic Susceptibility To Motivational Dysfunction, Suzanne Cayer

Honors Scholar Theses

Effort-related decision making tasks in animals can model motivational symptoms in humans, which are a set of symptoms spanning a multitude of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder and the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The present studies aimed to evaluate the effort-related effects of the Val158Met polymorphism of human catechol-methyltransferase (COMT), by testing mice carrying either the human COMT Val (n=8) or Met allele (n=8) with Wild-Type control mice (n=15) by using concurrent FR2 and FR4/pellet choice tasks in a touchscreen operant conditioning apparatus. The Val158Met polymorphism has been repeatedly associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and the Val allele has …

Book Review - Drive: The Truth About What Motivates Us, Wyatt Pagano

Marriott Student Review

This is a book review of Drive: The Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink.

Factors Associated With Academic Stimulant Misuse In A College Setting, Gabrielle N. Pfund, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Steve V. Rouse

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The purpose of this study was to further understand and explore the motivations behind college students’ misuse of stimulants in an academic setting, in order to develop means to combat its growing popularity. We hypothesized that students would be more likely to misuse stimulants if 1) they perceive SM to be safe, 2) they perceive SM to be ethical, 3) they are more extrinsically motivated in an academic setting, 4) they perceive their academic environments to be competitive, and 5) they perceive SM to be normative.

Participants (n = 172) were undergraduate students at a small, Christian, liberal arts university …

The Relationship Between Gender Role Conflict And Academic Progress Comparing Division Ii Male Student-Athletes To Male Non-Student-Athletes, Andrew Schroeder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Data shows that there is a lack of progress in male graduation rates in recent decades in higher education (Diprete & Buchmann, 2013). This study examines the impact of gender role conflict and academic motivation on academic progress with first and second year Division II male student-athletes and male non-student-athletes at a Midwestern, Carnegie classified master’s college and university (larger program institution). Gender role conflict creates a narrow definition for masculinity in which males are expected to behave (O’Neil, 1981). Using general linear regression and binary logistic regression models, the researcher analyzed data of participants’ (N = 116; N …

The Convergence Of Psychology And Neurobiology In Flavor-Nutrient Learning, Kevin P. Myers

Faculty Journal Articles

Flavor evaluation is influenced by learning from experience with foods. One main influence is flavor-nutrient learning (FNL), a Pavlovian process whereby a flavor acts as a conditioned stimulus (CS) that becomes associated with the postingestive effects of ingested nutrients (the US). As a result that flavor becomes preferred and intake typically increases. This learning powerfully influences food choice and meal patterning. This paper summarizes how research elucidating the physiological and neural substrates of FNL has progressed in parallel with work characterizing how FNL affects perception, motivation, and behavior. The picture that emerges from this work is of a robust system …

A Multiple Motives Theory Of Church And Missionary Relationships, Kenneth Nehrbass, David R. Dunaetz

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This grounded theory study examines the motives for relationships between local churches and missionaries: What motivates churches to enter into a relationship with a missionary, to continue this relationship, and to end it? Similarly, what motivates missionaries to begin, continue, or end relationships with a local church? We used purposive stratified sampling to select 17 missionaries and church mission leaders to interview for this study. We performed semi-structured interviews with both groups to discover their understanding of why they form, maintain, and dissolve relationships with each other. Multiple motives influenced all participants. These motives can be broadly categorized as either …

Self-Efficacy - Performance Discrepancies: Examining How Over- And Underestimations Of Ability Progress Over Time, Kent Cooper Etherton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how over- and underestimations of ability progress with increasing experience completing a task. Prior research has demonstrated inconsistent effects when investigating the relationship between self-efficacy and performance at the within-person level of analysis, often theorizing distinct effects of over- versus underestimating one's ability level. Thus, the current study investigated the discrepancy between self-efficacy, one's belief in their capability to accomplish some task, and actual performance levels. The current study replicated findings that self-efficacy converges on performance over time and extended prior research by demonstrating the rate of convergence might be affected by the size of initial …

Play Like You Mean It: Motivational Predictors Of Female Student Athletes' Practice And Game Performance, Zipporah Rebekah Foster

Online Theses and Dissertations

The current study explores how motivational reasons for goals influence athletic performance on a women's basketball team. The purpose of the current study was to expand on past research associated with fluctuation of motivation in practice and game performance throughout a season. Participants (n = 15) in the current study were female student-athletes, who completed a motivational survey that measured Relationally-Autonomous Reasons (RARs), Personally-Autonomous Reasons (PARs), and Controlled Reasons (CRs). Athletic performance was measured by examining daily practice performance and game statistics for each athlete. The results of the current study showed that RARs were associated with game performance (p < .05), however PARs and CRs were not. RARs were positively associated with game performance whereas PARs were not. The association for RARs and game performance was stronger than RARs and practice performance. Overall, the findings confirm that RARs are associated with game performance in women's sports.

Effects Of Chemogenetic Inhibition Of Dopamine Transporter- Or A2a-Expressing Neurons On Spontaneous Activity And Motivation To Consume A Palatable Food Reward, James D. Wherry

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Dopamine (DA) transmission in the striatum influences the motivated pursuit of rewarding stimuli. Pharmacological and opto- and chemo-genetic studies have suggested that the release of DA onto D2+/A2A+-expressing striatopallidal neurons, plays a role in this process. To determine the potentially dissociable roles of DA-releasing ventral midbrain and striatopallidal neurons on motivational processes, we employed double transgenic mice that expressed inhibitory DREADDs—designer receptors that are activated only by otherwise inert ligands—only in dopamine transporter (DAT) or A2A adenosine receptor (A2A) expressing neurons, allowing us to transiently inhibit either DA-releasing neurons (DATcre/DREADD) or striatopallidal neurons (A2Acre/DREADD) during various tests. In the first …

Examining Types Of Motivation For Exercise In Relation To Pathological Exercise In Eating Disorders, Christina Scharmer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Exercise can serve adaptive and maladaptive functions among individuals with elevated eating disorder (ED) pathology; however, little is known about how best to distinguish healthy and problematic exercise within this population. The present study aimed to inform this distinction by examining associations between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for exercise, problematic exercise, and ED pathology in a sample of undergraduate students (N=347, 70% female) with threshold or sub-threshold EDs. All participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2), the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), and the Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS). Preliminary exploratory factor analysis of the EMI-2 …

Alumni And Named Structures : A Qualitative Analysis Of Major Gift Donors, Allison Cherkosly

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Reduced government support has caused higher education institutions to become more dependent on philanthropic contributions. Since the majority of funds come from a small number of donors (Longfield, 2014), it’s important to focus on the highest level of donors. However, there was a lack of research that specifically studied alumni major gift donors who name physical structures with their philanthropic gifts to their alma maters. My intent in developing this study was to fill this gap and help higher education institutions secure more funds.

Professional School Counselors And Motivational Interviewing With Student Clients, Robert Pincus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health counselors who counsel adolescents suffering from substance abuse and obesity issues have successfully used motivational interviewing with their clients; however there is little data that has explored motivational interviewing when it has been used to address academic concerns in schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of school counselors who have used motivational interviewing to improve student academic performance. This heuristic phenomenological qualitative study examined the perceptions and experiences of professional school counselors who had used motivational interviewing in their schools. Criterion sampling was used to recruit 9 middle and high schools counselors from …

Motivation And Limits To Physical Activity In Adults Over 80 In An Assisted Living, Christine Mary Childers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Thirty percent of older adults fall every year with devastating physical and economic consequences. Physical activity is the primary recommendation for fall prevention, but less than 30% of older adults meet the physical activity guidelines of the various professional organizations. Recent work demonstrated that psychological factors were more specific in identifying fall risk but work on psychological issues related to physical activity in the older adult is limited. This study explored motivation and limits to being physically active in 76 adults with a mean age of 88 living in the assisted living setting, using concurrent mixed method research. The theoretical …

The Role Of Sleep Deprivation And Fatigue In The Perception Of Task Difficulty And Use Of Heuristics, Mindy Engle-Friedman, Gina Marie Mathew, Anastasia Martinova, Forrest Armstrong, Viktoriya Konstantinov

Publications and Research

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on perception of task difficulty and use of heuristics (mental shortcuts) compared to naturally-experienced sleep at home. Methods: Undergraduate students were screened and assigned through block-random assignment to Naturally-Experienced Sleep (NES; n=19) or Total Sleep Deprivation (TSD; n=20). The next morning, reported fatigue, perception of task difficulty, and use of “what-is-beautiful-is-good,” “greedy algorithm,” and “speed-accuracy trade-off ” heuristics were assessed. Results: NES slept for an average of 354.74 minutes (SD=72.84), or 5.91 hours. TSD rated a reading task as significantly more difficult and requiring more time than NES. TSD was …

Saving Behaviour In The Australian Dream: Its Relationship With Aspiration And Motivation, Financial Literacy, And Materialism, Ming D’Iapico-Bien

Theses : Honours

In Australia, most people aspire to achieve the “Australian dream” of owning their homes. Australian house prices have risen dramatically in comparison to people’s incomes, but despite this, many Australians still strive to enter the property market. The aim of this correlational study was to investigate the relationships between saving behaviour (with the ultimate goal of spending accumulated savings on a house deposit) and various psychological variables over and above sex, age, education, employment status, and income. The investigated predictor variables were motivation, extrinsic aspiration, financial literacy, and materialism. Previous research grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) has shown that intrinsic …

Emotion In The Common Model Of Cognition, Othalia Larue, Robert West, Paul Rosenbloom, Christopher L. Dancy, Alexei V. Samsonovich, Dean Petters, Ion Juvina

Faculty Journal Articles

Emotions play an important role in human cognition and therefore need to be present in the Common Model of Cognition. In this paper, the emotion working group focuses on functional aspects of emotions and describes what we believe are the points of interactions with the Common Model of Cognition. The present paper should not be viewed as a consensus of the group but rather as a first attempt to extract common and divergent aspects of different models of emotions and how they relate to the Common Model of Cognition.

A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Tsrq) For Assessing Motivations For Responsible Drinking, Dylan Keith Richards

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Self-determination theory (SDT) may be useful for understanding alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences among college students. A version of the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ; Ryan & Connell, 1989) exists for assessing motivations proposed by SDT for responsible drinking, but no study has evaluated its psychometric properties. Thus, the purpose of the present studies was to provide a psychometric evaluation of this version of the TSRQ. In Study 1, among a convenience sample of college student drinkers (n = 308), a four-factor structure of the TSRQ that is theoretically consistent with SDT was supported; however, the amotivation subscale demonstrated unacceptable internal …

Monetary Incentives And Adolescent Males' Athletic Performance, Sean Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the use of monetary incentives as motivational tools has been studied by previous researchers, the mechanism of the relationship between monetary incentives and behavior/performance remains poorly understood. The purpose of this quasi-experimental investigation was to explore the relationship between 3 levels of monetary incentives ($0, $3, and $10) and the athletic performance of adolescent male soccer players. The moderating effect of perceived physical self-efficacy or intrinsic motivation on the relationship between athletic performance and monetary incentives was also investigated. The framework for the study was comprised of expectancy theory, the theory of planned behavior, and self-determination theory. Study participants …

The Relationship Between Personality Traits And The Income Of Small Business Owners, Staci Lashawn Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Researchers have found that the Big Five personality trait of conscientiousness correlated consistently with high performance across industries. However, previous research was limited to self-reported data collected based on the opinions of the participants and did not include the subtraits of conscientiousness (achievement and dependability). Previous studies also did not provide data specific to entrepreneurs operating as small business owners and did not compare them to their peers. Thus, the purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore whether or not there was a relationship between the personality traits of achievement and dependability and the income of U.S. …

Assessing English Language Learners' Motivation To Participate In Classroom Discussion, Holly Griskell

Master's Theses

This study assesses sixth-grade Spanish-speaking English Language Learners' (ELLs'; m age = 12.15 years old) participation and motivation to participate in classroom discussion through developing a 20-item measure, the Motivation for Classroom Discussion Questionnaire (MCD-Q) (Study 1 n = 258). We examined the relation between ELLs' bi-literacy and MCD-Q scores as well as amount of talk during discussion, measured by audio-recordings of their English Language Arts class (Study 2 n = 149). Study 1 findings indicated that the MCD-Q items cohered into five motivational constructs (value, language-efficacy, extrinsic motivation, social motivation, and interest). Study 2 findings showed the MCD-Q's predictive …

Why People Play Table-Top Role-Playing Games: A Grounded Theory Of Becoming As Motivation, Darrin F. Coe

The Qualitative Report

There is a paucity of research related to the motivation of people who play table-top role-playing games (TRPGs). Two questions drove this research: (1) What motivates people to play TRPGs and (2) Can a single supra-motivator be developed which envelopes a larger theory of why people participate in TRPGs? Grounded Theory methodology was used to investigate why people initiate and continue to participate in table-top role-playing games. Fourteen people who attended a 4-year college who played TRPGs and two people who did not play were interviewed regarding their participation in role-playing games. Open codes, emergent categories, conceptual categories, and a …

Student Engagement: An Assessment Of Motivation Processes During Late Elementary School, Christine A. Akagi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Based in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Effectance Theories, this correlational study of student engagement assessed the impacts of basic psychological need satisfaction upon engagement in the context of prior achievement during late elementary school. The purpose of the study is to offer another tool for educators to use as they continue personalizing interventions. Multiple regression analyses assessed the predictive value of prior achievement levels alongside present satisfaction levels of each basic psychological need – autonomy, competence, and relatedness – upon engagement. In post-hoc analyses, The Johnson-Neyman technique was also used for the purpose of determining regions of significance across the …

Cross-Lagged Relations Between Motives And Substance Use: Can Use Strengthen Your Motivation Over Time?, Christine A. Lee, Karen J Derefinko, Heather A. Davis, Richard S. Milich, Donald R. Lynam

Psychology Faculty Publications

Motives for substance use have garnered considerable attention due to the strong predictive utility of this construct, both in terms of use and problems associated with use. The current study examined the cross-lagged relations between alcohol use and motives, and marijuana use and motives over three yearly assessment periods in a large sample (N = 526, 48% male) of college students. The relations between substance use and motives were assessed at each time point, allowing for the examination of these inter-relations over time. Results indicated different trends based on the type of substance. For alcohol use, cross-lagged trends were …

Psychological Determinants Of Physical Activity Across The Life Course: A "Determinants Of Diet And Physical Activity" (Dedipac) Umbrella Systematic Literature Review, Cristina Cortis, Anna Puggina, Caterina Pesce, Katina Aleksovska, Christoph Buck, Con Burns, Greet Cardon, Angela Carlin, Chantal Simon, Donatella Ciarapica, Giancarlo Condello, Tara Coppinger, Sara D’Haese, Marieke De Craemer, Andrea Di Blasio, Sylvia Hansen, Licia Iacoviello, Johann Issartel, Pascal Izzicupo, Lina Jaeschke, Martina Kanning, Aileen Kennedy, Fiona Chun Man Ling, Agnes Luzak, Giorgio Napolitano, Julie Anne Nazare, Grainne O’Donoghue, Camille Perchoux, Tobias Pischon, Angela Polito, Alessandra Sannella, Holger Schulz

Publications

Low levels of physical activity (PA) are reported to contribute to the occurrence of non-communicable diseases over the life course. Although psychological factors have been identified as an important category concerning PA behavior, knowledge on psychological determinants of PA is still inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) was to summarize and synthesize the scientific evidence on psychological determinants of PA behavior across the life course. A systematic online search was conducted on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases. The search was limited to studies published in English from January 2004 to April …

Psychosocial Mechanisms Of Outcome In Pediatric Psychiatry, Alessandro S. De Nadai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly half of all youths experience a mental health disorder at some point during childhood (Merikangas et al., 2010). Pediatric psychopathology is associated with a substantial amount of impairment in the school, social, and home domains, and such symptoms can have adverse impacts on subsequent development (Beauchaine & Hinshaw, 2013; Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007). Fortunately, a number of medications have demonstrated efficacy in treating a number of mental health conditions (Martin, Scahill, & Kratochvil, 2010). Despite these demonstrated effects, treatment response is often incomplete, and the mechanisms by which pharmacotherapy lead to behavior change are not well understood. …

A Motivational Interviewing Intervention To Increase Utilization Of Smoking Cessation Services Among Veterans Undergoing Substance Use Treatment, Nicole S. Menzie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smoking remains the single most preventable cause of death worldwide and primary cause of several types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illness (USDHHS, 2014). Although the prevalence of smoking among the general population continues to decline, the prevalence of smoking among the veteran population remains high. In addition, the prevalence of smoking among veterans with substance and alcohol use disorders is 2 to 3 times higher than in the general population. Over the years, the VA has implemented empirically-based treatments for smoking cessation to address the cigarette smoking epidemic. These services, however, are greatly underutilized. Motivational interviewing (MI) has …

When Pursuing Multiple Goals, People Prioritize The Minimally Acceptable Level Over The Aspiration Level, Huey Woon Lee

Dissertations and Theses Collection

When pursuing multiple goals over time, the amount of time (i.e., resources) available affects which goal is pursued: people prioritize (i.e., spend time on) the goal furthest from the aspiration level when there is plenty of time available to attain the aspiration level on the multiple goals but switch to prioritize the goal closest to the aspiration level when the time available starts to run out (e.g., Schmidt, Dolis, & Tolli, 2009). Although the aspiration level is the most commonly examined goal level, other goal levels possessing different psychological meanings (e.g., minimally acceptable or status quo goal levels) also exist. …

Second-Language Acquisition And Motivation: A Literature Review, Pat Goodridge

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This literature review traces the development of motivation in second-language acquisition, a field that has evolved from basic associations between affective factors and second-language performance to nuanced approaches of how motivation is shaped by a learner’s subjective cognition. With this review, we see that motivation’s role has always been central to language learning, and the development of our understanding of this role has mirrored the development of our understanding of second-language acquisition’s psychological and cognitive aspects. Such understanding contributes to many areas of second-language pedagogy, developmental psychology, and applied linguistics, all of which are relevant to our practical research goals …

Motivational Effects Of Goal Orientation, Charles N. Elliott, Paul A. Story

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

According to achievement goal theory, individuals set mastery or performance goals to accomplish challenging tasks. In addition, they can either approach or avoid the goal they are achieving. Mastery goals show positive correlation to intrinsic motivation while performance goals are linked to extrinsic motivation. Goal setting also affects motivation for completing tasks and perception of self-efficacious behavior while performing tasks. Receiving feedback has been positively correlated with success in learning and intrinsic motivation. The present research manipulates goal orientation through the accomplishment of a word find in an online experimental setting to test the effect on feedback, intrinsic motivation, choice, …