Psychology Commons^™

Evaluation Of Student Reactions To Consumer Products, Bryce K. Lesher

Honors College Theses

Based on gender role congruence theory, this research sought to understand how consumer perceptions differ for masculinized and feminized products when they are presented by the opposing gender. Additionally, our research sought to understand what role—if any—political affiliation played in the consumer’s perception of the products presented. The results of this study were inconclusive due to a data collection error, however, the study itself serves as a good framework for answering the question of interest and should be rerun to draw meaningful conclusions.

Exploring The Experience Of Psychological Distress For Young Adults With Cancer: Implications For A New Diagnosis Of Medical Traumatic Stress, Audrey Ryan

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how a serious medical diagnosis, such as cancer, can act as an acute or prolonged trauma. This was explored through the lived experiences of psychological distress of young cancer survivors. Participants were 12 men and women who had been diagnosed with cancer within the past seven years when they were between the ages of 18 and 39. From these interviews several themes emerged that describe the phenomenon of what I have termed medical traumatic stress.

Trauma from a medical event does not currently meet criteria for PTSD in the DSM-5 …

‘Awe’Some Choice: An Expansion Of The Broaden And Build Theory, Mary Tang

Honors Program Theses and Projects

According to Broaden and Build Theory, positive emotions expand the scope of attention, cognition, and actions, as evidenced by more creative and elaborate responses to problems. While some research suggests that awe, defined as the emotion that arises when one encounters something strikingly vast, may be an extension of positivity, it has not been tested within the context of Broaden and Build Theory. The current study was modeled after and utilized methods from previous research on how positive emotions affect decision-making and expanded on them to include materials demonstrated to inspire awe. Participants viewed emotion-eliciting videos, responded to writing prompts, …

The Modern Man: A Transgender Perspective, Alan Stamper

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Gender identity has often been assumed to be a simple dichotomous mechanism where an individual is labeled as either a man or a woman. However, this simple mechanism has been shown to be more complex within the transgender population. The purpose of this project was to understand how transindividuals navigate masculine norms through their gender identity development. Nine transgender (2 transwomen, 3 transmen, 2 gender fluid, 1 nonbinary male-aligned, 1 nonbinary female-aligned) college students aged 18 to 28 (M = 20.89, SD = 3.33) were recruited for a one-hour life-story interview focused on their gender development. These interviews were …

A Quantitative Approach And A Qualitative Approach Towards Intersectionality Among Individuals With Lgbtq+ Identities, Viet (Mason) Trinh

Honors Projects

This is a two-parted project that integrates a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach toward the concept of intersectionality. Research about intersectionality has shown the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches. Therefore, I decided to explore the concept using both approaches. The quantitative section of this project investigates the relationship between victimization experiences due to race/ ethnicity and/ or LGBTQ+ identities and emotional well-being. The sample for this section consisted of college students from all states in the United States who identified as LGBTQ+ and were between 18 and 24 years old. The qualitative section examines salient identities, identity gaps, …

Does Extrinsic Motivation Affect Creativity Within Diverse Teams?, Gitanjali K. Viswanathan

Honors Theses

This study analyzes the relationship between extrinsic motivation and creativity in teams. The moderation effect of functionality, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and diversity within a team is also considered. A survey was constructed and distributed to students within Sections 1 and 6 of the course Principles of Management at The University of Mississippi. Survey data were collected from 77 respondents and used for hierarchical regression and moderation analysis. The results of this study do not support extrinsic motivation as a significant predictor of creativity. Functionality, agreeableness, and conscientiousness each demonstrate a separate, significant interaction effect with extrinsic motivation. However, …

Integrating Psychological Theory Into The Legal Doctrine Of Deterrence, Alexander G. Parseghian

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The deterrence principle within the field of criminology is essential in preventing deviant behavior before its commission and defines the relationship individuals have with an institution’s system of punishment. Deterrence was originally studied solely among criminal populations, but modern deterrence theory broadens the definition of crime to actions relevant to the general population through any act societal values would proscribe. The addition of psychological principles to deviance research and the usage of university student populations has highlighted academic dishonesty as a prolific deviant behavior outcome variable. Criminological researchers have identified factors that complement or mirror psychological and educational theory, yet …

The Misogyny Of Psychology: A Tribute To Women Often Overlooked, Gabrielle Miller

Honors Projects

Although the remarkable achievements of these twelve women may seem of concern to only a small group of feminist scholars, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about equal representation of diverse identities, especially within the branches of science which historically refused to give due credit to individuals other than straight, white men. For this reason, we must be able to recognize and react quickly to social issues, otherwise we run the risk of perpetuating oppression of certain minority groups for the remote future. Under those circumstances, we must work toward positive change by doing away with such inequities …

Cognitive Reappraisal Of Negative Emotional Images In Borderline Personality Disorder: Content Analysis, Perceived Effectiveness, And Diagnostic Specificity, Alexander R. Daros, Achala H. Rodrigo, Nikoo Norouzian, Bri S. Darboh, Kateri Mcrae, Anthony C. Ruocco

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) report using cognitive reappraisal less often than healthy individuals despite the long-term benefits of the emotion regulation strategy on emotional stability. Individuals with BPD, mixed anxiety and/or depressive disorders (MAD), and healthy controls (HC) completed an experimental task to investigate the tactics contained in cognitive reappraisal statements vocalized for high and low emotional intensity photographs. Self-reported effectiveness after using cognitive reappraisal to decrease negative emotions was also evaluated. Although BPD and MAD used a similar number of cognitive reappraisal tactics, they perceived themselves as less effective at reducing their negative emotions compared to HC. …

A Retrospective Study: Investigating The Role Of Childhood Experience And Parenting Style In The Development Of Narcissism, Haleigh Ewing

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Levels of narcissism among college students have increased steadily across generations over the past few decades (Twenge & Foster, 2010). The subtypes of narcissism, grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, both take root in self-centeredness and entitlement. However, an overconfidence and inflated sense of self characterize grandiose narcissists, who often use their charm as a source of agency and control over others, while vulnerable narcissists are insecure, defensive and suspicious yet dependent on others due to their perceived lack of control (Hansen-Brown & Crocker, 2017). Research is needed to explore the inciting influential factors in narcissism development, as well as what influences …

How Positive And Negative Affect Relate To Postoperative Pain In Children Undergoing Surgery, Stephanie Munduruca, Ryan Johnson

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Positive affect has been shown to be associated with lower levels of postoperative pain, while negative affect is associated with higher levels of pain. More recent research asks if subscales of positive affect such as calm, well-being, and vigor could be related to pain experiences. Studies of postoperative pain in children relating to positive and negative affect are limited, with none examining the connection between positive affect subscales and negative affect subscales (anger, anxiety, and depression) and children’s pain. This study addresses that gap by uncovering the relationships between the aforementioned subscales to postoperative pain in children. This study was …

Demographic Predictors Of Adult Behaviors In The Pediatric Postoperative Environment, Natasha H. Hikita, Amber Osorno, Carlie Taurosa, Michelle A. Fortier, Zeev N. Kain, Brooke N. Jenkins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Over 85% of children experience postoperative pain. If poorly treated, pediatric postoperative pain may lead to various negative health outcomes. Adult behaviors may be associated with child experiences in the postoperative environment. For example, adult behaviors such as distraction, humor, and coping advice divert a child’s attention away from their pain and thus, may significantly reduce child postoperative distress. In contrast, adult behaviors such as empathy, reassurance, and apology direct a child’s attention towards their pain which may increase a child’s overall postoperative distress. Moreover, patient demographic factors, like child ethnicity, may significantly alter the frequency of use of these …

Honors Senior Capstone Portfolio, Karen Hildebrand

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Honors Senior Capstone Portfolio submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Psych H428 Seminar Capstone Course in Psychology.

Importance Of Mental Health Awareness In Schools, Alexandra Elliott

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

We all have different experiences and beliefs that shape our perspectives and impact our mental health. The concept of mental health exists in Western civilization but is absent in others, so it is important to be sensitive when discussing the terminology of mental health by itself. There is ample evidence of a disproportionate amount of mental health issues among people living in low-income areas due to lack of resources in these communities. In fact, mental health resources are disproportionately accessible to white, affluent individuals in Western civilization. This senior capstone research project is intended to find ways to reach new …

Achieving Positive Mental Health And Academic Achievement For Students With Behavioral And Emotional Issues In Elementary School, Reynalda Fuentes

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Elementary students, their peers, and teachers today are being affected by emotional and behavioral issues that some students struggle with at school. In order to understand why it is affecting their academic achievement and mental health, this report answers the following research questions to investigate how these problems affect schools, classrooms, and teachers, as well as what appears to be contributing factors to this problem, and what are some of the solutions. In review of the literature on preventions and interventions placed at elementary schools the research shows that frameworks such as The Multi-tiered System of Supports, and the incorporation …

Dark Tetrad Responses To Moral Dilemmas, Kayli Wrenn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Dark Tetrad consists of four socially malevolent personality traits: psychopathy, sadism, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. The current study assessed the relationships among each dimension of the Dark Tetrad and moral decision making using sacrificial moral dilemma vignettes. Participants (n = 212 undergraduates) completed two measures of each of the four Dark Tetrad constructs then read a series of 16 sacrificial moral dilemma vignettes. These dilemmas manipulated whether the participant would personally perform the sacrifice and described either the disgusting or sad emotional consequences of the sacrifice. After each vignette, participants rated the moral rightness/wrongness, moral permissibility, and behavioral intention to …

Argumentative Synthesis Essay On Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, Gwendolyn D. Wheatley

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

This essay discusses enhanced interrogation techniques. For reference, enhanced interrogation techniques are interrogation techniques that involve “physically coercive interventions” (Duke & Puyvelde, 2017). The U.S. government supported these techniques after the attacks on September 11, 2001. This essay argues that enhanced interrogation techniques should not be used in interrogations because they are unethical, ineffective, and negatively impact the mental health of the interrogators using these techniques. Additionally, the essay references articles on the varied viewpoints as well as explains information on these interrogation techniques. Also, the essay argues that enhanced interrogation techniques encourage people to be cruel and inhumane. Moreover, …

The Links Between Locus Of Control, Trauma History, And Death Anxiety In Cancer Patients, Joanna Mallary

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis project used cross-sectional survey data from a larger longitudinal study of cancer patients' psychological adjustment to analyze correlations between a history of traumatic life experiences, personal control beliefs, and death anxiety in cancer patients who had been diagnosed between 1 and 3 years prior. Contrary to hypotheses, lifetime trauma history was not found to predict an external locus of control in patients but, in fact, was related to greater feelings of control over the course of their illness. However, results did confirm the hypothesis that control beliefs would be related in specific ways to anxiety about cancer-related death. …

Creating A Community: Stories Of Resilience At Providence College, Patrick Fuller, Nicholas Crenshaw

Psychology Student Scholarship

Patrick Fuller ’21
Major: Psychology

Nicholas Crenshaw ’20
Major: History

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mary O’Keeffe, Psychology

Creating a Community: Stories of Resilience is inspired by both the work of MIT Professor Daniel Jackson, in Portraits of Resilience, and the concept of StoryCorps, an audio catalogue of “humanity’s stories.” We recorded tales of resilience from students, faculty, and staff at Providence College using the video chat program Zoom and the audio recording platform Zencastr. In doing so, we emphasized the “ordinary” nature of resilience and how basic protections like a healthy brain, close relationships, committed families, and effective communities have all …

College Students’ Attachments To Mothers And Fathers: Comparing Social And Developmental Questionnaires, Elise W. Rogers, Brooke D. Vitulli, Samantha R. Leavey, Angelina M. Decapua

Psychology Student Scholarship

Angelina M. DeCapua ’20
Major: Psychology and Mathematics

Samantha R. Leavey ’22
Major: Psychology

Brooke D. Vitulli ’22
Major: Psychology

Elise W. Rogers ’20
Major: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Kelly A. Warmuth, Psychology

This study explored the relationship between social and developmental measures of attachment, which tend to tap distinct but correlated dimensions of attachment (Crowell, Shaver, & Fraley, 2008). Participants (N = 161) completed the ECR-RS and the IPPA through Qualtrics. Results showed significant negative correlations between attachment-related avoidance and anxiety to attachment security, degree of mutual trust, and quality of communication, and significant positive correlations between attachment-related avoidance and …

Young Children And Parents Do Not Prefer Magical Solutions To Magical Problems, Julia Culhane

Psychology Student Scholarship

Julia Culhane ’20
Major: Psychology, Neuroscience Certificate

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, Psychology

There are many anecdotal reports of both children and parents using magical solutions to solve everyday magical problems (e. g., make monster repellent to keep monsters from living under the bed). But, how accurate is this? Using experimental and survey methods, this study found that both preschoolers and parents actually choose real solutions to both real and magical problems.

Undergraduates’ Interparental Conflict Mediation Based On Conflict Valence, Intensity, And Resolution, Angelina M. Decapua, Samantha R. Leavey, Brooke D. Vitulli, Elise W. Rogers

Psychology Student Scholarship

Angelina M. DeCapua ’20
Major: Psychology and Mathematics

Samantha R. Leavey ’22
Major: Psychology

Brooke D. Vitulli ’22
Major: Psychology Elise W. Rogers ’20 Major: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Kelly A. Warmuth, Psychology

Undergraduates may be more likely to mediate interparental conflict when perceived as destructive, rather than constructive. Participants were 161 undergraduates who listened to six audio clips of disagreements and reported their perceptions as if those disagreements occurred in their families. Key findings suggest that undergraduates were more likely to mediate conflicts as perceived intensity and negativity increased, but not as resolution decreased. These findings emphasize the effects of …

Mothers’ Social Contact As A Coping Strategy For Post-Disagreement Anger And Sadness, Abigail M. Fielding, Elizabeth R. Perrone

Psychology Student Scholarship

Elizabeth Perrone ’20
Major: Psychology, Neuroscience Certificate Program

Abigail Fielding ’20
Major: Psychology and Biology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kelly A. Warmuth, Psychology

The purpose of this study was to observe social contact as a coping mechanism for parents’ post-disagreement anger and sadness. Twenty-seven mother–father pairs completed a laboratory discussion followed by a short questionnaire. Consistent with the pattern of seeking emotional support, mothers who expressed higher levels of anger and sadness were more likely to use social contact as a coping strategy, while the same relationship was not found for fathers.

Creating Permanent And Temporary Inactivations In The Rat Posterior Parietal Cortex, Robert Vera, Carina Alessandro, Colin Call

Psychology Student Scholarship

Robert Vera ’20
Major: Psychology

Carina Alessandro ’21
Major: Biology and Psychology

Colin Call ’22
Major: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Templer, Psychology

Previous studies have examined the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) as a multimodal hub using permanent lesioning techniques. However, when attempting to lesion the PPC as a whole, researchers have generally only managed to lesion the dorsal portion of the PPC (dPPC) without lesioning the caudal portion (cPPC). This study aimed to refine and improve the methods for successful targeting and lesioning the entire PPC. In two pilot lesions, we successfully created permanent excitotoxic lesions to the entire …

Perceptions Of Disability, Alexandria Powers

Psychology Student Scholarship

Alexandria Powers ’20
Major: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mary O’Keeffe, Psychology

Negative perceptions, discrimination, and bias contribute to compromised self-esteem among disabled individuals. Evidence suggests that those who reject ableism have higher self-esteem. The purpose of this research is to determine if exposure to individuals who reject ableism positively influences disability perceptions. We hypothesize that participants will have more positive perceptions of disability after viewing an individual who embraced theirs. To test this, Two Ted Talk videos and two short story depicting cognitive and physical disability are presented at random. Congruent disability portrayals (being exposed to both a cognitive impairment …

Examining The Relationship Between Child Temperament, Parental Acceptance/Rejection, And Divergent Thinking In Toddlers And Preschool-Age Children, Elise W. Rogers

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kelly A Warmuth, Psychology

Research on divergent thinking, the ability to use many different solutions to solve a problem, has shown significant relationships with child temperament and parenting behaviors; however, few studies have examined the existence of these relationships in the toddler and preschool-age years. The current, on-going, study aims to explore the relationship between child temperament, maternal acceptance/rejection, and divergent thinking in children 19 months to 6 years of age. Mothers will be asked to complete the CBQ-VSF and PARQ to assess child temperament and accepting/rejecting parenting behaviors, respectively, while children are asked to …

Psychology 2e, Rose M. Spielman, William Jenkins, Marilyn Lovett

Open Access Textbooks

Psychology 2e is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.

The second edition contains detailed updates to address comments and suggestions from users. Significant improvements and additions were made in the areas of research currency, diversity and representation, and …

The Effect Of Parental Interaction On Emotional Learning With Interactive Devices In Children Ages Three To Five, Kathleen Rosneck

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

As the popularity of child-friendly tablet-based apps and games has grown, the need to evaluate the effects of tablet play has also developed. The current study used an app designed for children ages two to five years called “Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings” to examine whether prosocial interactive media can be beneficial for emotional development. The present study was modeled after a study by Rasmussen et al. (2018), wherein children ages three and four years spent two weeks with an experimenter- adapted version of the same app. This experimenter adaptation consisted of limiting children’s access to a subset of the available …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Thorndike's Indirect Range Restriction Correction Equations, Michael Thomas Pelayo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Employee selection is an important process for organizations. Organizations seek to select the best employees for their available positions. Testing is key to many selection efforts. The results of studies assessing the criterion-related validity of a selection test are affected by a number of statistical artifacts, one of which is range restriction. Range restriction has the effect of attenuating the correlation coefficient. Statistical equations exist to correct for the effects of range restriction, and they enable researchers to obtain a more accurate estimate of the validity coefficient. Thorndike (1949) developed the best known and most frequently used of these correction …

Symptom Presentation Of Sexually Abused Youth At A Child Advocacy Center: An Examination Of Parental Factors, Erika Boohar, Chelsey Wisehart, Kelsey Mccoy, David J. Hansen

UCARE: Research Products

Parental involvement and support are crucial factors in child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors’ outcomes (Kilroy et al., 2014); however, non-offending parents often report increased psychosocial distress or traumatization following CSA disclosure (Plummer, 2006). The present study explored the relationship between parental factors and child symptomology following CSA. It was hypothesized that parents who report greater difficulties in their parental role will report greater internalizing and externalizing problems for sexually abused youth presenting to a treatment program at a Child Advocacy Center. Participants were 273 parents of sexually abused youth presenting to Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education) and were 23-72 …