Psychology Commons^™

The Association Of Insecure Attachment On Physical And Psychological Dating Abuse: A Longitudinal Study On Young Adult Romantic Relationships During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Marissa S. Dongarra

ETD Archive

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the population’s health and well-being. Specifically, young adults are vulnerable because they are susceptible to mental health disorders (Arnett et al., 2014). One area in particular that may affect mental health is romantic relationships. Previous literature has shown increased difficulties and conflict (Luetke et al., 2020), and increased withdrawal and hostility (Pietromonaco & Overall, 2022) in romantic relationships during the pandemic. These findings suggest that relationship functioning, such as attachment and dating abuse, may be impacted from COVID-19. Although literature has linked attachment and dating abuse, it is unclear how these are associated during …

Job Posting, Megan Paul, Nina Williams-Mbengue, Courtney Harrison

QIC-Tips

A job posting must be informative, clear, transparent, and appealing to potential child welfare job candidates. It should also be candidate-centric and answer questions candidates often ask, especially any key information that has turned out to be a dealbreaker for people later in the process. This QIC-Tip is designed to highlight actionable strategies to create a good job posting. Please note that the information presented is not meant to override or supersede local, state, or federal legal civil service or human resources guidance.

Think of the job posting as a marketing opportunity for your agency and highlight the positive aspects …

A Discourse Analysis Of Parents' And Teachers' Social Constructions Of School Readiness And Transition To Kindergarten For Children With Disabilities, Ronica Senores Toyota

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This study examined parents’ and teachers’ social constructions of disability, school readiness, and the transition to kindergarten process for children with disabilities who participated in a self-contained preschool special education (SPED) class, called a special day class (SDC). The 12 participants included parents of children with disabilities (i.e., three with autism and one with Down syndrome), four preschool SDC teachers, two kindergarten SDC teachers, and two general education kindergarten teachers. They were recruited from a large urban school district in Southern California. Semistructured interviews were conducted to invite participants to share their experiences working with students with disabilities and their …

The Mediation Of Mental Health Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Risky Sexual Behavior, Kayla Marie Mandrigues, Julia Claire Dodd, Stacey Lynne Williams

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Risky sexual behaviors (RSB) have the potential to negatively impact individuals by increasing the risk of mental health issues, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unwanted pregnancies. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health disorders, such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression, have been known to increase RSB. The purpose of this study was to see if these mental health disorders mediate the relationship between ACEs and RSB. Participants (n = 342, mean age = 32) were recruited through social media to complete an online questionnaire. While history of ACEs significantly predicted engagement in RSB as well as all three of the …

Examining The Relationship Between Anxiety And Depression Symptoms, Protective Behavioral Strategies And Opioid Use Outcomes, Melissa Rose Hatch

Psychology ETDs

Protective behavioral strategies (PBS), behaviors individuals use to reduce negative consequences of substance use, have been shown to mediate and moderate the relationship between mental health and substance use outcomes. The present study aimed to examine the relationships between anxiety and depression symptoms and opioid PBS on risky opioid use and opioid-related consequences. Participants in this secondary data analysis were non-treatment seeking individuals who reported past-month opioid use (n=257). Structural equation modeling was used to examine 1) PBS as a mediator of the relationship between anxiety/depression symptoms and opioid use outcomes, and 2) anxiety/depression symptoms as a moderator …

Smells Like Team Spirit: How To Foster Psychological Safety And Enhance Team Creativity, Shannon S. Burrows

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Creativity is one of the most sought-after skills of the 21^st century, yet team members may be reticent to contribute to creative problem-solving out of fear of ridicule, retribution, or because of rigid hierarchical team structures. However, psychological safety is the underpinning of creativity; without it a culture of silence prevails, mistakes go unreported, and team creativity languishes. But how do leaders cultivate psychological safety in their teams? This project seeks to answer that question. Although the term “psychological safety” has become common in the corporate lexicon, misconceptions abound. Through the creation of a short, animated video, this project …

The Utility Of Deep Divergence In Applied Creativity, Kevin Molesworth

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

If applied creativity seeks the generation of novel and useful ideas for a real-world goal, wish, or challenge, then my concept of theoretical creativity can best be described as the generation of ideas that are novel and not yet useful. I assert that the employment of deep divergence is the best tool for producing ideas within a theoretical creativity framework. Deep divergence is defined as divergent thinking to its most extreme levels, far beyond what is probable, beyond what is possible, and into an unplumbed realm of what is currently impossible and unknowable. However, for this project, my aim was …

The Emotions Behind The Screen, Eli Gray Nations '23

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis revolves around the narrative form of Dungeons and Dragons, that the players have true free will, which allows for the highest level of storytelling. By reaching this level, the players are able to freely tackle issues in their life and surrounding them, like testing out negative parts of their personality and finding community during events like the COVID pandemic. This, combined with the recent scandal from DnD’s publisher Wizards of the Coast poses this question: what exactly is DnD, therapy, art, community, or just a game? This thesis hopes to lead the reader to answer this question in …

Adolescents With Family History Of Alcohol-Use Disorders Have Reduced Structural Coherence Of Anterior Insula To Nucleus Accumbens Tract, Grace Wood

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Genetics play a significant role in predisposition towards alcohol use disorders. Analyzing the neural phenotypes related to alcohol use disorder development could allow researchers to predict one’s predisposition. The anterior insula (AIns) contributes to binge drinking tendencies while exhibiting downstream signaling towards the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Recent research has examined this relationship simultaneously with alcohol consumption, but the genetic effect of the AIns and NAcc functional relationship prior to alcohol consumption has yet to be examined. In this study, we used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to analyze the structural coherence of the AIns to NAcc …

The Connections Among Worry, Sleep Hygiene, And Sleep Quality, Anna Quesada

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sleep disturbances commonly plague undergraduate students (Buboltz et al., 2001). In fact, being an undergraduate student is a risk factor for developing a sleep disturbance (Medic et. al., 2017). Understanding the impact of worry on the relationship between sleep hygiene and sleep disturbances could inform strategies for improving sleep quality in undergraduate populations. Given the fact that sleep issues affect health and academic performance negatively (Buboltz, et al., 2001), improving sleep patterns may boost academic performance, physical health, and mental health. This study investigated relationships between sleep hygiene and worry in an undergraduate sample by using a longitudinal design. Participants …

Examining Fear Of Negative Evaluation In Oral Contraceptive Users And Naturally Cycling Women, Emily Furlow

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Oral contraceptive use has gained popularity over recent decades and is currently the most used form of contraception. However, women who take oral contraceptives may experience significant side effects that impact their bodies, moods, and emotions. The current study examined fear of negative evaluation in women taking oral contraceptives and women who were naturally cycling following a social stress test. I hypothesized oral contraceptive users would have a higher fear of negative evaluation in comparison to naturally cycling women following the Trier Social Stress Test. Results did not support this hypothesis. There was marginal support for the opposite effect. Following …

Lost In Your Halo: The Influence Of Group Attractiveness And Diversity On Perceived Group Performance Ratings, Jade C. Chacon

Psychology Theses - Archive

Research on attractiveness suggests that more attractive individuals are assumed to have superiority on several traits, such as happiness and extraversion. This is termed the halo effect. Additionally, within the diversity literature, although inconsistent, there is evidence supporting the importance of diversity within a team to promote better group performance and to foster creativity and innovation. This study examined, for the first time, whether the physical attractiveness halo effect applies to groups. Particularly, overall group attractiveness, group diversity, and their interactive influence on perceived group creative performance were examined. This experiment manipulated both the attractiveness and the diversity of the …

Effects Of Parental Alcoholism On Adolescent Development, Diana Michel-Gonzales

Whittier Scholars Program

Studies assessed the magnitude and specificity of parental alcoholism as a risk factor for internalizing symptomatology, externalizing symptomatology, and alcohol and drug use in adolescence. The results show that alcoholism is a moderate risk factor. The outcome measure has a different risk specificity. The risk of alcoholism is caused by parental psychopathology and environmental stress. The father's alcoholism was a risk for alcohol use that was beyond the effects of stress and family turmoil. The children of problem drinkers are affected by externalities. When designing and financing addiction treatment programs, long-term consequences of alcohol misuse should be taken into account. …

Meta-Analysis Of Therapeutic Interventions For The Treatment Of Test Anxiety., Thomas Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to be a practitioner-focused review of the current research into interventions for the treatment of test anxiety. As testing continues to be a large part of students’ academic experiences and the stakes of that testing grow for students, teachers, and schools, there is a need for a synthesis of the literature to provide teachers and schools with some guidance on how best to help their students succeed. In this review, I describe the phenomenon of test anxiety and the current theoretical questions concerning the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. I also …

Children's Beliefs About Hierarchical Structures And Relationships., Megan Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children are surrounded by social structures such as families, schools, and workplaces which are often arranged hierarchically with some people holding more power than others. This dissertation explores how children think about hierarchical relationships and more complex hierarchical structures. In Chapter 2, children were asked to evaluate the traits of people who hold hierarchically dominant and subordinate social roles. With age, 4- to 6-year-olds increasingly inferred that dominant individuals have social power and they deferred to their instructions (Chapter 2, Study 1). Furthermore, 5- and 6-year-olds attributed knowledgeability to individuals with dominant social roles but overall children did not prefer …

Accent Discrimination Across Different Language Families, Jee Mei Yeoh

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The present study examined native English listeners sensitivity to foreign-accented speech. The study assessed four different non-native accents (French, Spanish, Korean and Mandarin), examining the effect of stimulus length (sentence and word) and speaker gender (female and male). Each subject was presented with the four non-native accents and different item length while randomly assigned to speaker gender. Two speakers of respective foreign-accented speech were included. The results indicated that listeners were more sensitive to sentence condition than word condition and were consistent across the different accents. The main effect of speaker gender was not significant, however, the interaction between gender …

The Association Of Mindfulness, Passive Social Media Use, Social Comparisons, Fomo And Depression In College Students, Cody Weeks

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

There is mounting concern that social media use among young adults has contributed to the increase in depression in this population, particularly college students. Passive social media use (i.e., browsing or following behavior) has been linked to higher rates of depression and other mental health symptoms among college students. However, scant research has focused on factors that may be used to alter passive social media use and decrease depression, such as mindfulness. Thus, the current study aimed to examine 1) the association between passive social media use and mindfulness, 2) to assess the mechanisms by which mindfulness may influence passive …

Using Path Modeling To Investigate The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Post-Traumatic Growth Through Meaning-Making, Resilience, And Ptsd Symptoms, Sowmya Kshtriya

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Background: Research has revealed an important relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) through direct and indirect processes, involving three probable mediators, meaning-making, resilience, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, little is known about how these processes work together to shape PTG.

Aim: The current study examines the relationship between cumulative ACEs and PTG through meaning-making, resilience, and PTSD symptoms, in a comprehensive dynamic framework model using path modeling.

Method: A sample of 759 undergraduate psychology students (ages 18+) completed self- report measures through a 30-minute online survey that assessed their levels of ACEs, PTG, meaning-making, …

Ethnic Group Political Efficacy: Scale Development And Latino Political Participation, Norma Elizabeth Garza Reyes

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Latinos have grown to be the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. since the 2000 U.S. Census count but have historically voted at lower numbers compared to White Americans. Two studies examined a new construct, ethnic group political efficacy (GPE), to understand better marginalized groups voting participation. Study 1 developed a group political efficacy scale (GPE). Using exploratory factor and item response theory analysis, results revealed that the scale has three factors: internal, external, and power GPE. More importantly, minorities’ voting intent was partially explained by ethnic GPE. Next, a focal second short-term longitudinal study with an online national …

Faculty In Education: Perception Of Control And Alternative Disciplinary Methods, Samantha Freville

Honors College Theses

Schools have the unique and important opportunity to teach students useful life and coping skills as well as positive behavior in their community. One way in which they may impact their students is through their choice of disciplinary methods. Research suggests that alternative disciplinary methods may be more beneficial to students than are traditional exclusionary policies. For part one of this study, undergraduate students reported their experiences with traditional and alternative discipline in elementary, middle, and high school as well as their engagement in school (school involvement and attitudes of school faculty). Results showed that having alternative methods at a …

Minority Stress Through Time: Sexual Minority Stress & Suicidality Across Generations, Jenessa Canen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research suggests that sexual minority populations are at a much higher risk for suicide than their heterosexual peers. The primary explanation for this disparity is minority stress theory. The theory of minority stress proposes that in addition to everyday stressors experienced by most people, sexual minorities experience additional unique stressors related to their sexual minority identity. Since minority stress theory was proposed in 2003, much has changed about how the United States understands and views sexual minorities. Theoretically, this should impact the way minority stress is being experienced, which may be seen by examining minority stress across sexual minorities of …

Adolescent Acceptability Of Mental Health Interventions: A Systematic Review, Norah Bufford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many children and adolescents experience a mental health problem, and of those that do, a significant percentage will only receive interventions in the schools. One important part of intervention research is measuring stakeholder acceptability. Research demonstrates that collecting data on student acceptability for mental health interventions in schools helps to understand student satisfaction, level of understanding, and if they would recommend the interventions to peers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to determine measures used in assessing student acceptability when receiving mental health interventions in schools. Results suggest that most studies that …

Hand-Written Versus Typed Student Responses: A Study On We-Cbm & Alternate-Form Reliability, Joseph Mulaski

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Writing is an important skill for school, work, and life. However, many students fail to demonstrate proficiency in writing by the time they graduate high school. While schools have some systems in place to identify struggling writers, many fail to use written-expression curriculum-based measures because they are not viewed as user friendly. Many state writing assessments are now typed on computers. This project examined the utility of typed WE-CBM by finding the alternate form reliability for two administration forms of WE-CBM (hand-written and typed). Results suggest that reliability is variable across time, grade, and WE-CBM score type, and very few …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Nonprobability Sampling & Post Hoc Corrections, Julia Hong

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nonprobability samples are often used in place of probability samples because the former are less trouble and less expensive. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine how well a sample represents population parameters when using nonprobability samples. Researchers attempt to mitigate the disadvantages of nonprobability sampling by performing post hoc corrections, but this adjustment may not successfully undo the effects of nonprobability sampling. To examine these effects, a Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to create a pseudo-population from which samples were drawn. Forty-one conditions were replicated 10,000 times each, with each sample consisting of 100 observations. A post-stratification adjustment was made …

School Climate Research In Elementary Schools: A Systematic Review, Jessica Lafleur

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research demonstrates that schools that cultivate a positive school climate see growth in student’s academic performance and improvements in behavior. However, a majority of the research focuses on either solely middle and high school or a district-wide view of school climate including K-12. There is a lack of research dedicated to school climate of elementary schools. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature surrounding school climate in elementary schools. A systematic search of the literature yielded thirteen studies that focused on the elementary setting. Most studies examined the teaching and learning or institutional …

Great Expectations: Anticipating A Reminder Influences Prospective Memory Encoding And Unaided Retrieval, Philip Peper

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Reminders are effective ways to improve prospective memory (PM) – our ability to remember to complete a future action – but reminder use may have unintended consequences. Recent work in retrospective memory has shown that expecting a reminder reduces unaided memory retrieval by reducing encoding effort (i.e., encoding effort hypothesis). However, previous research in PM varies as to whether encoding effort influences PM retrieval. We measured study duration (Experiment 1) and pupil size (Experiment 2), and manipulated depth of processing (Experiment 3) at encoding to examine whether encoding effort influences PM retrieval (i.e., encoding effort hypothesis). Across all experiments, we …

Self-Compassion And Online Student Connectedness As Protective Factors Against Stress And Loneliness In Emerging Adulthood, Abigail Caroline Heller

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

The current state of US youth and emerging adult mental health is described as a crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated (US Office of the Surgeon General, 2021). This dissertation examined whether daily hassles and COVID-19 pandemic-related stress were related to negative psychological and physical health outcomes in emerging adulthood. Additionally, the current study aimed to examine loneliness as a mediator of the relationship between stressors and physical and psychological outcomes in adolescents. More importantly, this study examined the protective roles of self-compassion (i.e., how emerging adults treat themselves during hard times; Neff, 2003) and online student connectedness …

The Influence Of Organizational Tightness-Looseness, Self-Monitoring, And Performance Standards On Creativity, Sampoorna Nandi

Psychology Theses - Archive

My research study seeks to experimentally investigate the main effect of cultural tightness-looseness within organizations on employees’ creative performance in terms of the criteria of the specific creative process (idea generation versus evaluation). Specifically, I hypothesized that employees in tight (versus loose) organizational cultures will be better at generating more useful (versus original) ideas. Furthermore, employees in tight (versus loose) organizational cultures were hypothesized to be stronger at idea evaluation (marked by number, depth, specificity, and usefulness) and employees in loose (versus tight) organizational cultures are expected to be stronger at idea generation (marked by fluency, originality, and quality). Furthermore, …

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy Through A Trust In Science Training Intervention, Nathan Dumessa

All Dissertations

Vaccine hesitancy is an ongoing public health issue that has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic and has implications for future pandemics and other vaccines. This research aimed to understand and address the factors associated with hesitancy. Study 1 was a correlational study that measured several factors that could predict vaccine hesitancy among Black and White participants recruited online (n = 364). Findings suggest that trust in science was the strongest predictor of attitudes towards the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, which in turn strongly predicted vaccine hesitancy. Study 1 established the direct and indirect relationships between several predictors of …

The Contribution Of Self-Compassion To Anxiety And Mood In Daily Life, Yamini Pant

Honors Scholar Theses

Self-compassion, the act of being kind and understanding towards oneself, has been shown to have positive impacts on mental health. Depression and anxiety are both common mental health disorders that can interfere with an individual’s ability to function in daily life. Several studies have shown that self-compassion correlates with depression and anxiety at a cross-sectional level and across longer periods of time (e.g., several months). In the present study, we examined the fluctuations and the directionality of self-compassion, depression, and anxiety on a day-to-day basis over the span of a week. We also examined the ways that worry and rumination …