Psychology Commons^™

Re/Negotiating Race And Racialization For International Students Of Color In The Us, Christina W. Yao, Evangela Q. Oates, Kaleb L. Briscoe, Kathleen J. Buell, Jennifer N. Rutt

UNL Office of Research and Innovation, Social/Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium

Race in the US is shaped by a history rooted in settler colonialism, colorism, and nativism. Yet, international students are typically excluded from most conversations about race and racialization. Using Fries-Britt, George Mwangi, and Peralta’s (2014) emergent framework on learning race in US contexts, we examined international students of Color’s racialized experiences at a predominantly White institution, including how their racialized experiences were often shaped simultaneously by issues of race and racism in the US as well as preconceived notions of what their US collegiate experiences would be. Findings indicated that most students did not expect to experience racism in …

The Value Of Mentoring In Living Out Your Calling, Megan Benzing

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way people think about the role that their job plays in their life. There is a greater desire for purposeful work and engaging in a role that positively impacts society, or more simply, to perceive and live a calling. One perceives a calling when they know the occupation that they were destined for or that fits with their values, where their strengths and passions are leveraged, and the job is prosocial in nature. However, perceiving this calling is only a piece of it, as one needs to work in a role where they actively …

Assessment Of Founders In Venture Capital Investment Decisions, Gregory Gerald Hennessy

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This manuscript documents a research project that employs grounded theory to determine what criteria contemporary investors in early-stage startups use to assess founders. One of the first questions posed by entrepreneurship researchers - even before entrepreneurship had formalized as a field - was, what criteria do investors consider when making investments in startups? Initially, the central concern was whether it was the founder(s) or the business model, often characterized as the “jockey” or the “horse.” From the start, it was generally accepted that the founder was the primary consideration, especially in early-stage ventures. Nonetheless, while business model considerations were parsed …

Moral Outrage Moderates The Relationships Between System Perception, System Justification, And Intergroup Helping Behavior: A Multigroup Approach, Michael Edward Knapp

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Helping behavior is proposed to be a universal experience where a wide range of behaviors are used to benefit another person or group (Aknin et al., 2013; Nadler, 2002). Often these behaviors are motivated by positive values or emotions (Dovidio et al., 2012). However, when social status is salient, the members of a group may shift their motivation to help others from recipient benefit to retaining power and status for themselves instead (Nadler & Chernyak-Hai, 2014). The intergroup helping as status relations (IHSR) model proposes that higher status group members are motivated to retain their groups’ higher status through specific …

The Structure Of Working Memory: A Review And New View Of Psychometric Models, Kevin Pablo Rosales

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Beginning in the 1970s, a great deal of research in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, psychometrics, and cognitive neuroscience has investigated the structure and function of working memory (WM), defined as the ability to actively maintain and manipulate information in the service of complex cognition (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). It is well established that WM is a limited capacity system and individual differences in WM capacity are strongly associated with important cognitive abilities and outcomes, such as general intelligence (Engle et al., 1999) and academic achievement (Swanson & Berninger, 1996; Ramirez et al., 2013). For this reason, WM is a central …

Lived Experiences Of African American Women Encountering Barriers In Executive Level Advancement In The Business Services Industry, Sheriley Yvonne Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is unknown how African American Women (AAW) perceived experiences involving the experience of the barriers faced when attempting to advance to executive levels in their corporate jobs. Existing literature showed that AAWs experienced several forms of discrimination, including racism, oppression, and limitations which were critical to examining their work experience and progressing up the corporate ladder. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to develop an understanding of lived experiences of AAWs when they apply for and fail to reach executive positions in the business services industry. The glass ceiling theory (GCT) and intersectionality theory (IT) were used …

The Relationship Between Acculturation And Depression With Burmese Refugees, Gunnar Greg Newman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Acculturation and acculturative stress have been linked to depression among immigrants and refugee populations. Asian Americans and Asian American subgroups are underrepresented and have been neglected in research. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the relationship between acculturation and depression with length of time in the United States and acculturative stress as mediating variables among the understudied Asian American subgroup, Burmese refugees resettled in the United States. Unidimensional and bidimensional models of acculturation form the theoretical framework for this study. Three instruments, the Suinn-Lew Asian Self Identity Acculturation scale, the Riverside Acculturation Stress Inventory, and the Beck …

Adolescent Bereavement After Sudden Loss Of A Close Friend, Alora Elizabeth Zulliger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the prevalence of sudden death in adolescence, there is a deficiency of resources and support for adolescents who have lost a close friend to premature death. These resources are vital, as the sudden and unexpected death of a close friend is often traumatizing and can contribute to a sense of instability in young people. Although a great deal of academic research has been conducted on sibling or parental grief during adolescence, there existed a need for further research on peer loss during adolescence. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to describe the essence and meaning of the lived …

Childhood Experiences Of Black Americans Growing Up With A Suicidal Sibling, Barbara Maulding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Through this retrospective interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) qualitative research project, the childhood experience of growing up with a sibling who experienced a non-fatal suicide attempt was explored. The researcher used IPA as the conceptual foundation. This qualitative phenomenological study included interviewing eight siblings to retrospectively explore the childhood experience of growing up with a suicidal sibling (who had at least one incident of nonfatal suicidal behavior). The interview with each participant consisted of one interview and one follow-up review per Seidman’s semi-structured interviewing guide for phenomenological research. The results were analyzed using hand coding to explore the thematic elements. The …

Individual Behavioral And Neurobiological Markers Associated With Vulnerable To Ethanol Use Phenotype, Hannah Elizabeth Manning

Honors Theses and Capstones

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing brain condition that affects 29.5 million Americans. The disease is characterized by loss of control over drinking, continued use of alcohol in the face of negative consequences, and the experience of withdrawal symptoms. While there are several forms of treatment available for alcohol use disorder, 95% of patients experience at least one relapse during recovery. Currently, the high tendency to relapse remains the major challenge standing in the way of successful treatment for alcohol use disorder. Research is continuing to be conducted into the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying relapse into alcohol use, …

Individual Behavioral And Neurobiological Markers Associated With A Vulnerable To Ethanol Use Phenotype, Kelsey M. Alimandi

Honors Theses and Capstones

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain condition that is characterized by excessive alcohol consumption, continued use when faced with negative consequences, and a negative emotional state associated with withdrawals (anxiety, irritability, depression). The main challenge to treating AUD is preventing relapse. The purpose of this study was to use a prolonged-exposure model to allow rats to self-administer ethanol to determine the brain regions active during relapse events. The rats performed multiple behavioral tests such as economic demand, negative consequences, and an elevated plus maze. These tests determined how hard rats were willing to work for an ethanol …

Understanding The Personality Of A Coworker, Alyssa S. Hall

Honors Theses and Capstones

The concept of personal intelligence (PI) refers to an individual's capacity to accurately reason about personality and personality-related information in themselves and others (Mayer, 2008). Understanding personal intelligence has various practical applications, including the workplace, where it has been shown that individuals with higher PI exhibit lower levels of counterproductive work behavior and perceive their work environments as more supportive (Mayer et al., 2018). In a recent study by Peters and colleagues (2021), participants were asked to describe their interactions with difficult coworkers, and their sophistication in the narratives was evaluated by judges. The study found that there was a …

Understanding Castration Anxiety Through Contemporary Art And Feminism, Ember J. Nevins

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Perfectionism And Psychological Well-Being In Sport And Performance Psychology Professionals, Kaytlyn M. Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Sport and performance psychology (SPP) professionals working in performance-enhancement training, counseling/clinical psychology, academia, and the military, face various work demands that can lead to chronic stress and impaired well-being (McCormack, 2019). Perfectionism is a multi-dimensional personality trait in which an individual sets excessively high personal standards of performance (Burns, 1980; Frost et al., 1990; Hamachek, 1978; Hewitt & Flett, 1990). While striving for high standards is not necessarily a negative trait, perfectionism is not considered a healthy pursuit of excellence, rather a “compulsive drive to achieve flawlessness” (Burns, 1980, p. 38). Given that SPP professionals’ responsibilities are to help athletes …

The Role Of Diversity Management Policies And Practices In Advancing Inclusive Culture, Christopher Emeka Babundo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Roles of Diversity Management Policies and Practices in Advancing Inclusive Culture by Christopher Emeka Babundo

MBA, Azusa Pacific University, 2014MA, Azusa Pacific University, 2013 BS, University of Benin, Nigeria, 2002

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Walden UniversityAugust 2023

An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Individuals Living With Hiv/Aids In Rural Uganda, Godfrey Ddungu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV/AIDS is the most stigmatized health condition globally, yet there are limited studies that have examined the needs of rural Ugandans diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. At a time when Ugandan voices could assist in the development and implementation of prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the spread of the virus, these voices remain unheard and silenced. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of HIV-positive men and women in rural Uganda. A transcendental phenomenological approach provided the framework and design. This research used eight participants who were attending an AIDS health care center in Uganda. In-depth …

The Experiences Of Latina Police Officers In Patrol, Jasmine Ivonne Reilly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this research was to describe the experiences of Latina police officers working in a patrol function. Latina officers working in law enforcement agencies must contend with an agency that is traditionally male and White, leaving these officers with the need to navigate territory that has, historically, not taken their needs into account. In an age where police agencies are attempting to better serve the public, the need for officers that fit minority demographic characteristics is necessary if police agencies are to continue legitimizing their space in modern American society. This research addressed some of the issues that …

Improving Disease Management Among People With Type 2 Diabetes Through Mobile Persuasion: Development And Test Of The Construal Model Of Health-Related Communicative Control, Fatima Barakji

Wayne State University Dissertations

Many chronic illnesses can be managed by adhering to recommended medical regimens and through the avoidance of unhealthy behaviors, which foregrounds the importance of social control, a construct concerned with restricting/ regulating an existing unhealthy behavior or warning of a future unhealthy behavior (Craddock et al., 2015; Sarason & Sarason, 2001). This dissertation study investigated social control from a communication perspective by developing the concept of health-related communicative control (HRCC), which refers to the reduction, restriction, regulation, or elimination of undesirable health behaviors through persuasive verbal messages. Using this concept along with construal level theory (Trope & Liberman, 2010) from …

Evaluation Of Tele-Diagnostic Practice In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emily Graham Lerose

Wayne State University Dissertations

EVALUATION OF TELE-DIAGNOSTIC PRACTICES IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER By Emily Graham LeRose Advisor: Dr. Shelly Jo Kraft, PhD, CCC-SLP Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Following the social-distancing mandates of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder pivoted from an in-person method of evaluation, utilizing empirically supported “gold-standard” methods, to novel tele-diagnostic methods. This research investigated the efficacy and accessibility of autism diagnostic services using the tele-diagnostic platform of autism assessment by comparing retrospective patient data from periods of in-person assessment to tele-diagnostic assessment at one, large, urban hospital.

Diagnostic outcomes for these two …

The Effects Of Self-Affirmation On Covid-19 Safe Behaviors, Matt Betashour

Modern Psychological Studies

This paper aims to seek if self-affirming activities can be used to increase compliance with group-protective public health policy such as the mandate to wear face masks for the COVID-19 pandemic. Completing a self-affirmation has been shown to increase compliance to health advice when it is beneficial for the self (Sherman & Cohen, 2020). To determine if self-affirming activities, as described by Self-Affirmation theory, increases compliance to health advice that is beneficial for others, the present experiment (N = 106) asked university students to complete a self-affirmation or a control task, read a relevant article, and rate how often they …

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (Asmr) Use In College Students, Pratibha Gautam, Gina Mariano, Frank Hammonds

Modern Psychological Studies

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is the experience of tingling sensations in the crown and back of the head as a response to a range of audio-visual triggers such as whispering, tapping, and hand movements (Hostler, 2020). The number of people who produce and utilize ASMR inducing media has increased in the last few years, but little research has been done investigating its use among college students. This experimental study sought to investigate if viewing ASMR videos could reduce heart rate and perceived stress in college students. Twenty participants were shown either an ASMR video or a control video. Before …

Mobile Phone Mindfulness: Effects Of App-Based Meditation Intervention On Stress And Hrv Of Undergraduate Students, Samuel M. Degenhard

Modern Psychological Studies

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, stress has increased exponentially in undergraduate populations. The current study sought to determine the efficacy of an eight-week relaxation intervention, using a free meditation app to reduce perceived stress and increase baseline heart rate variability (HRV) of undergraduate students, compared to using a traditional relaxation intervention across the same period. Participants (N = 14) were randomized into either a meditation app group or self-directed diaphragmatic breathing group and were instructed to engage in their respective relaxation technique ten minutes daily for eight weeks. Pre- and post-intervention differences in perceived stress and HRV were examined, along with …

Examining The Role Of High School Spiritual Practice And Ways Of Coping In Levels Of Anxiety Among College-Aged Women, Madison Harris, Oyenike Balogun-Mwangi

Modern Psychological Studies

Utilizing an online survey, this study aimed to examine the extent to which the encouragement of spiritual practice in high school, current endorsement of daily spiritual experience, and ways of coping, predict anxiety levels among college-aged women (N = 140). Participants were recruited through the use of snowball sampling via email and flyers posted around campus. Data was collected via a demographic questionnaire and self-report measures assessing ways of coping, religiosity, and levels of anxiety among the sample. Results of a multiple regression analysis showed that focusing on and venting of emotions, behavioral disengagement, mental disengagement, and the encouragement of …

Questioning The Legitimacy Of The Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Construct, Isabelle J. Weigel-Mohamed

Modern Psychological Studies

This literature review examines 45 journal articles from a variety of disciplines, including genetics, neuropsychology, child and school psychology, evolutionary psychology, clinical psychology, and psychopharmacology. The review features a popular article published in the New York Times; though not a peer-reviewed journal article, it provides evidence of the pervasive social impact of the Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) debate. This review covers articles published between the years 1971 to 2021, with a greater emphasis on articles published after 2013 (over 50% of the review, given that the ADHD construct was reconceptualized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition …

The Impact Of School Closures And Isolation On Parents In The Us, Kathryn Stulpin, William Turner, Nicholas Fasciano, Amanda Peirano, Kedai Cheng, Caitlin Brez

Modern Psychological Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global event. Research demonstrates the impact the pandemic had on both parents and children regarding their mental health and learning abilities. The current study examined parents’ experiences during the pandemic. This study had a particular focus on how changes to schooling impacted school experiences and social emotional experiences. The sample was comprised of parents whose children were in K-12 schooling and data was collected during Fall of 2020. The findings suggest that while there were several challenges, parents also reported some positive outcomes. This study serves as a foundation for future research to be …

The Innocent Bystander: A Scenario Based Study On The Impact Of Leadership Gossip, Samantha Lobins, Amanda Cruz Lesswing, Julia Anglin, Katrina Johnson, Kristen Black

Modern Psychological Studies

The purpose of this study was to understand how witnessing workplace gossip between a supervisor and an employee in a hypothetical scenario impacts ratings of acceptability of gossip behavior, leader quality ratings, relationship quality, and future comfort with the leader. Data were gathered from 207 college students who read a scenario involving gossip, which varied in the target (about oneself or another) and the domain (about work or personal matters) and then responded to a series of questions about the scenario. Across all four scenarios, leaders received fairly unfavorable ratings for participating in gossip behavior. However, we did not find …

Examining Belonging And The Fear Of Missing Out In Relation To Social Media Use: A Two-Part Study, Timothy Buckles, Meira Vaid, Mary Pritchard (Mentor), Heather Schoenherr (Mentor), Mercades Nelson, Kylee Malouf

Modern Psychological Studies

We conducted two survey studies to better understand how using social media relates to differing outcomes in perceptions of social support and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) in college students (N = 251, N = 529, respectively). Correlation analyses revealed higher levels of FoMO were most strongly related to scrolling behaviors on social media, whereas posting behaviors were correlated with increased feelings of belonging and lower levels of FoMO. No significant correlation was found between perceived online social support and FoMO. Finally, no significant gender differences in FoMO were found. These behavior-based relationships are likely linked to people's innate …

Relationship With Adult Adhd Symptoms: Stimulant Medication And Caffeine, Makensie A. Smith, Emily Pica

Modern Psychological Studies

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) perceive stimulant medication and explore the differences in their relationship with caffeine. Participants with more ADHD-related symptoms were expected to have a greater motivation to consume caffeine, anticipate experiencing more of caffeine’s stimulant effects, and have a more positive regard toward the effectiveness of their stimulant medication than those with fewer symptoms. Additionally, those with more inattentive symptoms were predicted to have more of a positive regard toward the effectiveness of their stimulant medication, have a greater motivation to consume caffeine, and anticipate experiencing more …

To Read Or To Listen: The Effect Of Text-To-Speech Software And Accents On Comprehension Of Digital Media, Lily Kiamanesh, Dillon Murphy, Alan Castel

Modern Psychological Studies

Text-to-speech software is a popular tool for consuming information for school, work, and recreation. This study examined two aspects of text-to-speech information exposure: the effect of audio/text modality and type of accent. In Experiment one, participants received material presented in a text-only, audio-only, or dual format. Those who received the material as text-only had significantly higher scores on a comprehension test and higher score predictions than those in the audio-only condition. In Experiment two, participants were presented with audio material in a text-to-speech-generated U.S. English, Mandarin Chinese, or Italian accent. Results revealed that accent did not significantly impact retention or …

Exploring The Impact Of Religious Upbringings On Sexual And Gender Minority Youth, Jack K. Connors, Carolyn Mcnamara Barry

Modern Psychological Studies

Sexual and Gender Minority Youth (SGMY) growing up in religious households that are not affirming of their sexual identity experience unique stressors pertaining to the strained relationship between organized religion and the LGBTQ+ community. This review aims to define the impacts from those upbringings, examine protective factors, and provide a basis for solutions to a nationwide crisis. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and real-world implications are then discussed, especially pertaining to prevention and intervention programs to support those who identify as SGMY.