Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Sense Of Agency And Perceived Stigma In Those With Cognitive Disabilities, Scarlet S. Pardue

Honors Theses

The focus population of this study is those with cognitive disabilities, which limit in some way a person’s ability to complete mental tasks, such as communication, planning, or remembering. The primary purpose is to focus on the participants' sense of agency and perceived stigma. The Sense of Agency Scale (SoA) measures a participant’s consciously perceived control over their mind, body, and the immediate environment. The Perceived Disability Social Stigma Scale (PDSS) measures to what degree participants believe that people with disabilities are stigmatized in their respective communities. Confirmatory research into these two variables offers an interesting insight into how the …

A Brief Social Skills Intervention And Its Effect On Elementary Students’ Social Behaviors, Elizabeth A. Kleitz, Namuna Sunar, Darson Rhodes, Carol Cox

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

Student social skill improvement interventions are primarily conducted at the school site. Students also need social skills to navigate out-of-school time, and more focus on the elementary level is advised. Successful interventions are developmentally appropriate for the age group and focus on skill building. In this study, puppetry was the developmentally appropriate strategy used to teach a social skills-building curriculum. Trained volunteers presented four short, weekly lessons on positive social skill development to elementary students attending their district’s afterschool program. Pre-post intervention, student social skill knowledge scores significantly improved, and afterschool teachers reported significant decreases in student emotional problems and …

Firefighters' Perceived Effectiveness Of Peer Support For Job-Related Stressors, Camryn M. Travis

Senior Honors Projects

Firefighters experience immense job-related stress. Firefighters can respond to hundreds of traumatic calls or critical incidents throughout their careers. Witnessing a critical incident can be highly stressful and mentally taxing. Therefore, some fire departments offer mental health resources such as Critical Incident Stress Management/Debriefing (CISM/D) and Peer-group support to help firefighters cope with stressful incidents. Additionally, firefighters may seek professional mental health treatment. To investigate firefighters’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness of these resources, an anonymous survey of Rhode Island firefighters was conducted. The sample included 51 firefighters (n = 51), was mostly male (90.2%), and self-identified as predominantly white (94.1%) …

Do Readers Keep Track Of Protagonist Identity In Narratives?, Sophia Skrivanos

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to further investigate conflicting findings in the literature regarding the processes readers use to maintain and update their mental representation of contextual information in text. Previous research suggests that the relevance of information to a protagonist’s goals in a story influences whether that information will later be validated (Levine & Kim, 2019; Levine & Klin, 2001; Lutz & Radvansky, 1997). Studies showing that readers overlook inconsistencies in contextual information (Albrecht & Myers, 1995; Smith et al., 2020; Smith & O’Brien, 2012) often involve materials where the inconsistent details are irrelevant to the protagonist’s goals. …

Filipino American Cultural Beliefs, Perceptions Of Autism, And Help-Seeking Behaviors, Swathi Menon

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Filipinos carry a unique culture that is deeply rooted in ideas of family, community, religion, and honor. When Filipinos immigrated to the United States, these values followed and have organically passed down through generations. Studies have explored how Filipino Americans feel about the healthcare system and how Southeast Asians perceive mental health conditions, such as autism. Current research lacks how Filipino culture has impacted Filipino Americans’ perceptions of autism and their help-seeking behaviors if their child were to receive an autism diagnosis. Methods: Participants were asked questions about their cultural values, presented with a vignette depicting an autistic child …

Calming Music As An Emotion Regulation Technique In Response To A Traumatic Sexual Assault Narrative, Mia A. Iandolo

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Experiencing a sexual assault often results in lasting psychological trauma that inhibits the person’s ability to function, so coping strategies are needed to reduce those symptoms. This study was done to understand the effect of listening to calming music (vs silence) on both anxiety levels and memory recall following the description of a sexual assault. It was hypothesized that listening to calming music would decrease both anxiety and memory levels in a manner that the association between music and memory would be at least partially mediated by anxiety levels. Participants (N=99; 68% female; 84% White; 87% heterosexual) came …

Posttrauma Risky Behaviors, Perceived Ability To Cope With Trauma, And Student Life Satisfaction Mediate The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) And College Student Adjustment, Katherine G. Viebrooks

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study investigated the mediating role of posttrauma risky behavior engagement, perceived ability to utilize adaptive posttraumatic coping strategies, and levels of student life satisfaction on the relationship between the retrospective report of encountering four or more types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and levels of college student adjustment. College students participating in the data collection website Prolific (n = 470) completed online questionnaires. Results revealed that ACEs were highly prevalent, with 99.8% of participants reporting at least one ACE and 78.9% reporting four or more. Retrospective reports of encountering four or more types of childhood adversities were significantly …

The Association Of Fear Of Being Single And Willingness To Tolerate Relationship Baggage In Single People, Rachel K. Wilbourn

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

When evaluating their romantic relationships, people may choose to remain in their relationships or leave their relationships for a variety of reasons. One major factor in relationship evaluation is learning about the costs (i.e. negative characteristics or attachments) a partner brings to the relationship. Although research has examined relationship costs and how they may affect relationship evaluation, little research has explored what individual differences may predispose a person to remain in a relationship where a partner may bring costs. This study examined how people’s fear of being single may be associated with their willingness to tolerate relationship “baggage” (i.e. enduring …

Self-Compassion Mediates The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity In The Prediction Of Later Health Outcomes Among U.S. Adults, Emily Bunch

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, that occur before 18 years old. ACEs are strong predictors of negative health outcomes, such as poor physical health and risky health behaviors (Felitti et al., 1998; Merrick et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 2017). Previous research has proposed self- compassion may serve as a robust protective factor against childhood adversity (Hazzard et al., 2021) and may help explain the negative consequences of ACEs. The present study investigated the relationship between retrospectively reported ACEs and health outcomes in the context of self-compassion. 458 U.S. adults …

The Effect Of Self-Esteem And Social Ostracism On Conspiratorial Thinking, Kayla G. Blevins

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the rise of misinformation in America today, conspiracy theories and the conditions that influence them have increasingly become a topic of focus for researchers. This study investigated whether social exclusion increases belief in conspiracy theories, and how this relationship is impact by self-esteem among other individual factors. Participants (N = 309) were randomly assigned to recall either a personal experience of social exclusion or their last trip to the grocery store. They then completed randomized measures assessing conspiratorial beliefs, self-esteem, loneliness, and need for uniqueness. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found between the exclusion and control groups …

Using Eeg To Measure Attentional Spreading Across Objects, Dawson L. Green, Michael Pratte

Honors Theses

Abstract: Attention may not solely be restricted to a spatial area or a feature of an object, but rather can “spread” across all parts of an object in space, enhancing the processing of its features collectively (Duncan, 1984). This phenomenon suggests that attention operates at the level of whole objects, enhancing the representation of all features associated with the attended object while suppressing competing stimuli. Building on this object-based framework, the present thesis examines the functional and neural dissociation between attention and awareness using steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) as a frequency-tagging method in EEG. Leveraging the high temporal resolution …

A Systematic Review Of Weight Loss Interventions Among Black Postpartum Women, Jhelma Velveder Perez

Honors Scholar Theses

Cardiovascular disease is a leading contributor to maternal mortality, which remains disproportionately high among Black women. Obesity and postpartum weight retention exacerbate cardiovascular disease risk and increase the likelihood of complications in future pregnancies. Weight loss during the postpartum period may reduce long-term chronic health risks and mortality for Black women. This systematic review aimed to understand the weight-related health needs of Black postpartum women by evaluating behavioral weight loss interventions within the first year after childbirth. A comprehensive search of the PubMed database identified 3 randomized controlled trials that met inclusion criteria. These studies evaluated home-based programs, mobile health …

The Relationship Between Dyslexia And Resilience, Hannah R. Linder, Martina Villa, Daniel Kleinman, Nicole Landi

Honors Scholar Theses

Studies of students with dyslexia have focused on reading and cognitive skills development and their relationship to academic outcomes. Yet, non-cognitive skills, such as resilience or grit, have been shown to positively contribute to life satisfaction, mental health, and academic success (e.g., Aro et al., 2023; Casali et al., 2023; Hossain et al., 2021; Kortteinen et al., 2020). However, this literature is small and inconclusive, with inconsistent definitions and measures of grit and resilience. Furthermore, prior studies have led to mixed results when investigating levels of resilience amongst people with and without dyslexia (Armfield et al., 2021; Kalka & Lockiewicz, …

Art Of Returning: Supporting Students After Psychiatric Hospitalization, Kaly Mariano

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Reintegrating into campus life after a psychiatric hospitalization can be deeply challenging for college students. Research shows that in the two weeks following discharge from inpatient care, individuals are 200 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population—making this a critical period of vulnerability (Chung et al., 2017). Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among college-aged adults (Centers for Disease Control, 2023). In response to these risks, this capstone project utilized a mixed-methods approach, through community-based participatory research to explore how CSUMB’s CARE Team and Dean of Students’ Office can best support students before, during, …

Global Nomads: Identity And Belonging In Third Culture Kids And Adult Third Culture Kids, Vallon Bucayu-Lee

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone examines the subculture of Third Culture Kids and Adult Third Culture Kids who have experienced living abroad as children. There were two main objectives in this study. First, to understand the perceptions of Adult Third Culture Kids on how their global childhoods have impacted their self-identity and sense of belonging as adults. Secondly, to understand the opinions of Adult Third Culture Kids on transitional programs through their personal experiences with them. The methodology of this capstone included a twelve-question survey distributed to seventeen Adult Third Culture Kids born in six different countries around the world. The questions in …

Does An Impaired Sense Of Smell Make It Harder To Think About Things Like Garlic?, Ishrat N. Khan

Honors Scholar Theses

According to sensorimotor-based (also called "embodied" or "grounded") theories of semantic memory, accessing conceptual knowledge about things involves reactivating—or “simulating”—the sensory and motor experiences that we have had with them. For instance, thinking about things for which olfactory experience is dominant (e.g., garlic or a rose) would involve simulating their smell. However, evidence for olfactory simulation when thinking about "smelly” things is sparse and mixed. We tested smell-impaired (“anosmic”) and control participants (N=130 in the anosmic group and N=190 in the control group) on three tasks (1) Picture-Word Verification, (2) Semantic Property Verification, and (3) Free Recall. We predicted that …

Redefining Children’S Experience In Social Services Offices, Julia K. Bryant

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The effects of childhood trauma are far-reaching and diverse, influencing physical, emotional, and mental health across a child’s entire lifetime. Research indicates that children who experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse or neglect are at an increased risk for various consequences and that the environments they encounter post-trauma play a significant role in shaping their experiences. Social services offices, where many traumatized children are taken for interviews or assessments after being removed from their homes, can often become places of additional distress. This project seeks to address this issue by proposing redesigns for social services offices to create …

Unbridled Healing: Identifying The Barriers Of Equine-Assisted Therapy, Sally A. Hamm

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite the documented benefits of equine-assisted therapy (EAT) for mental health conditions, this complementary approach remains underutilized. This qualitative study investigated barriers preventing wider EAT implementation by examining challenges faced by clients, facilities, and volunteers. Data collected through open-ended surveys from 33 participants and the researcher's autoethnographic observations revealed eight common barriers: Accessibility (48 mentions), Money (43), Time (30), Awareness (23), Physical Factors (13), Relationships (13), Risk (13), and Weather (7). Clients identified financial constraints as their primary barrier, particularly insurance limitations. Facilitators struggled most with accessibility challenges, including lack of resources, trained staff, suitable horses, and appropriate facilities. Volunteers …

Strengthening The Bonds Between Us: An Empirical Investigation Of Morale In Human-Ai Teams And The Socially Supportive Ai Teammates Who Empower It, Rohit Mallick

All Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) can be designed to improve the collective emotion within a team. A team's collective emotion, or morale, describes how motivated, optimistic, and enthusiastic the group is in accomplishing its goals. We conducted four studies that compared different social support strategies that AI teammates can provide to the team. Study 1A found that AI teammates who communicate with emotions can better motivate human team members and promote awareness of team dynamics and environmental changes. Study 1B found that human teammates become more motivated and happier when their AI teammates express joy and are close …

Improving Home Security Through User Centered Device Positioning, Lalith Nadipalli

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s world, where technology is advancing rapidly and security threats are becoming more complex, the need for effective home safety measures is more critical than ever. Homeowners are increasingly turning to a variety of smart devices, such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and security cameras, to protect their living spaces against potential dangers like burglary, fire, and environmental hazards. These devices offer essential protection, acting as both early warning systems and visual surveillance tools. However, their effectiveness largely hinges on how well they are placed within the home. Proper placement of these safety devices ensures that they provide …

The Associations Of Mental Health With Academic And Exercise Procrastination, Casey L. Dang

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the relationship between exercise procrastination and academic procrastination with symptoms of depression and anxiety among college students. Procrastination is commonly studied in academic settings, but limited research has looked at how various types of procrastination can impact mental health. In this study we specifically look at exercise and academic procrastination. A total of 109 undergraduate students participated by completing surveys measuring their levels of academic and exercise procrastination, as well as their symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results showed that higher levels of both academic and exercise procrastination were significantly associated with higher levels of depression …

Bridging The Gap: Management Vs. Leadership And The Path To Mastering Both, Wesley A. Key

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Management and leadership, though often conflated, represent distinct but complementary skills that are critical for organizational success. This thesis aims to explore the fundamental differences between management and leadership, highlighting how these roles interact and the necessity for individuals to master both to excel in today’s dynamic business environment. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from psychology, organizational behavior, and case studies, this research synthesizes academic literature to address key questions: What core competencies distinguish leaders from managers? How do these competencies align or conflict with one another in real-world settings? And what practical steps can individuals take to develop proficiency in …

Cognitive Advantages Of Dual Language: Bilingualism And Its Relationship With Working Memory And Controlled Attention, Ellison Alexander

Honors College Theses

This study investigates language familiarity and executive function within individuals who are fluent in or actively learning a second language, demonstrating whether bilingualism influences working memory performance and controlled attention. The study population consisted of undergraduate students attending Murray State University. Three groups were evaluated: students with a low-experience level in a second language (100 level classes), a high-experience group (200 level classes and beyond), and a separate control group of monolingual students without college-level language experience. All groups completed assessments of working memory performance and controlled attention by engaging in the Symmetry Span task and the Simon task. In …

The Relationship Between Oxidative Stress And Partner Opposition In Conflict Resolution, Jenna Thomas

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Given the inevitability of conflict in romantic relationships, understanding its biological impact is crucial for developing conflict resolution strategies that promote physical health. While many studies highlight relationship conflict’s negative effects on bodily systems, few examine how specific facets of conflict, such as opposition, impact the body. Partner opposition may contribute to oxidative stress, a biological marker associated with poor physical health, by activating the amygdala. This study investigated the association between partner opposition and oxidative stress in 126 couples expecting their first child. Participants attended a lab session where problem-solving discussions were recorded to assess oppositional behavior and urine …

Predicting Steroid Concern Through Tiktok Use And Self-Esteem, Adam Lorio, Brandon C. Bouchillon, Sisi Hu, Jennifer Mortensen

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examined student perceptions of steroid use through a survey of 154 participants. While self-esteem did not directly predict steroid concerns, specific TikTok engagement patterns revealed complex relationships. Using TikTok to pass time correlated with viewing steroids as a public health issue, whereas surveillance-based use was associated with lower self-esteem. Using the platform to interact was positively related to self-esteem, highlighting how different modes of engagement can shape perceptions about individual and collective health.

Influence Of Smartphone Notifications On Behavior And Eye Movement Parameters Of Emotional Attention, Joshua Daniel Upshaw

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how smartphone notifications interact with emotional facial expressions to influence behavioral and physiological eye movement parameters of attentional orientation. Using a dot-probe paradigm, participants viewed mixed emotional face pairs (angry, happy, or neutral) following an auditory stimulus (smartphone notifications, control tones, or silence). Angry faces elicited greater behavioral accuracy and delayed initial fixations, consistent with heightened threat-related attentional engagement. Notifications disrupted attentional stability, reflected in increased fixations and pupil size variability. The combined effect of smartphone notifications preceding angry faces intensified attentional modulation—evidenced by slower responses, increased blinking, greater pupil constriction, less pupil variability, and faster initial …

Effects Of Food Insufficiency And Family Structure On Parental Aggravation And Child Outcomes, Angel Juarez

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Food insufficiency is a detrimental crisis that impacts families facing financial hardships across the United States (Nam et al., 2015). Research finds that economic difficulties and child maladaptive development are positively associated because parental stress is exacerbated by financial hardships affecting parental sensitivity to their children (Hill et al., 2013; Simons et al., 2016). The current study uses the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) data from the 2021-2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). It builds on these findings, investigating the relationship between food insufficiency and parental aggravation on child behavioral outcomes across different family structures in the …

Atypical Morphometry And Connectivity Of The Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit In Children And Adolescents With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Population At Ultra-High Risk For Developing Obsessive-Compulsive And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Amanda I. Rowan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder associated with serious medical, cognitive, and psychiatric conditions, including significantly elevated risk for obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and/or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ). The cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) neural circuit is critical for cognitive and emotional processing. Dysfunction of the CSTC circuit is implicated in the etiopathology of both OCD and SCZ but has not been specifically examined in individuals with 22q11.2DS. This study used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), along with standardized psychological and cognitive measures, to investigate atypical morphometry and white matter connectivity within CSTC-related brain regions in …

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Development Of The Integrated-Cultural Well-Being Index (Icwi): A Content Validity & Inter-Rater Reliability Study With Experts In Clinical Mental-Health Counseling, Brandon L. Selby

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation study developed and validated the Integrated-Cultural Well-Being Index (ICWI), a psychological measurement that assessed well-being across both Individualist-Cultural (IC) and Collectivist-Cultural (CC) dimensions. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model, the ICWI was conceptualized to reflect the multidimensional nature of well-being in modern integrated societies, where cultural boundaries are increasingly fluid. The ICWI consists of ten latent dimensions of well-being: self-determination, social relationships, self-enhancement, self-contentment, cultural identity, cultural coping skills, communalism, cultural spirituality, life satisfaction, and mental health.

A three-phase expert validation process was conducted, employing both content validity and inter-rater reliability methodologies. Content validity was assessed using …