Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Language As The Medium: A Literature Review. Harnessing The Prolific Power Of Dramatic Language As A Therapeutic Tool In Drama Therapy, Edward Freeman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Language in and of the theatre, with its palate of variegated writing styles and playwrights from throughout time, has the potential to be harnessed, focused, and systematized for use as a therapeutic tool within drama therapy – the field’s artistic medium. Drama therapy could benefit from having a specific medium germane to its artform which has the potential to provide practitioners with a common resource and means of communication, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning, as well as align the field with other creative arts therapies. Language encompasses all forms of human communication – speaking, writing, signing, gesturing, expressing facially – …

Tests Of Sample-Recovery Models Of Cued Recall, Jack Harvey Wilson

Dissertations - ALL

Sample-recovery models are a predominant class of episodic memory models that seek to explain why sometimes the representation of an experienced event is not retrieved or retrieved incorrectly. In these models, a correct retrieval occurs if the correct target item was sampled among the alternative studied item, then recovered correctly. In cued recall, participants output the representation of a single experienced event, a target, given a presented test stimulus and some defined relationship between the stimulus and the target. This relationship depends on the kind of cued recall and can rely on either studied or pre-experimental relationships. Sample-recovery models of …

Are Only The Unskilled Overconfident? Deconstructing The Dunning-Kruger Effect Through An Individual Differences Approach, Danielle N. Sanchez

Psychology ETDs

This study sought to determine whether individuals suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect are prone to misassessing their performance due to underlying personality and cognitive characteristics. To test this hypothesis, we first collected theory-informed measures of cognitive and personality traits. Next, we used three different performance estimate measures to assess the degree to which participants misestimated their abilities across two performance tasks (e.g., English grammar and logical reasoning). We found that some individuals are more prone to misassessing their performance and self-reported general Metacognitive Ability, Openness to Experience from the Big-Five personality Inventory, and an External Locus of Control orientation can …

Exploring Adolescents’ Critical Thinking Aptitudes When Reading About Science In The News, Marianne Bissonnette, Pierre Chastenay, Chantal Francoeur

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research studies the critical thinking skills of six teenagers in their final years of high school. It looks at the way those students use a set of cognitive skills in order to analyze scientific and pseudoscientific information available in online news articles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six students chosen according to their results in a questionnaire about interest in science topics. Results show a large gap between participants’ use of critical thinking skills. Most of these skills were mainly used for text comprehension, evoking general knowledge, numeracy, arguments assessment and production, and life skills (open-mindedness and metacognition). The …

Inter-Relationships Among Several Person-Related Attributes In Reading And Metacomprehension: Complexity And Educational Implications, Lin-Miao L. Agler, Larisa K. Alfsen

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Reading is one of the most basic academic skills. An accurate monitor of one’s text comprehension (i.e., metacomprehension) is essential for effective reading as it guides learning and choices of appropriate strategy used to maximize overall understanding. The processes of reading comprehension and metacomprehension are affected by text-related, task-related, and reader- /person-related factors. One of the two purposes of this report is to provide a brief review of consistent research findings on the interrelationships among several person-related variables and the complexity of those associations in reading and metacomprehension. The person variables discussed include personality, motivation, goal orientations, self-regulation, reading strategy …

Mental Imagery In The Regulation Of Differential Fear Conditioning: A Multimodal Investigation Involving Self-Report, Psychophysiology, And Brain Imaging, Tyler Daniel Robinson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental imagery is a common component in a range of emotion regulation techniques. However, the effectiveness and neural mechanisms of regulation via mental imagery are underexplored due to a lack of studies targeting mental imagery specifically. This discrepancy results in uncertainty regarding the mechanism of regulation in existing paradigms. Biased competition for attentional resources presents a plausible model by which a mental imagery-based distracter can downregulate response to an emotional stimulus. If visualizing an imagined distracter effectively regulates emotional response, the inclusion of mental imagery components in other techniques represents a potential confound. To address this discrepancy, this dissertation investigates …

The Medial Temporal Memory System In Down Syndrome: Translating Animal Models Of Hippocampal Compromise, Caron A.C. Clark, Fabian Fernandez, Stella Sakhon, Goffredina Spano, Jamie O. Edgin

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Recent studies have highlighted the dentate gyrus as a region of increased vulnerability in mouse models of Down syndrome (DS). It is unclear to what extent these findings are reflected in the memory profile of people with the condition. We developed a series of novel tasks to probe distinct medial temporal functions in children and young adults with DS, including object, spatial, and temporal order memory. Relative to mental age-matched controls (n=45), individuals with DS (n=28) were unimpaired on subtests involving short-term object or configural recall that was divorced from spatial or temporal contexts. By contrast, …

Painting A Pretty Picture: The Role Of Social Desirability In The Memory Self-Efficacy Of Young And Older Adults, Keegan G. Sawin, Rachel Henderson

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Memory For A Familiar And Unfamiliar University Logo, Alicia M. Fels

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Prior research found that memory is fallible and that memory for common objects is poorly encoded (Brady et al., 2008; Nickerson & Adams, 1979). Participants studied one of the logos and recalled both the familiar and unfamiliar logos. Confidence judgments were collected at pre- and post-recall for both logos. Results suggest that recall changed by study condition and logo type, studying before recall, for both the familiar and the unfamiliar logo, improved recall scores. The results also suggest that confidence judgments changed depending on the logo familiarity and time. Confidence decreased from pre- to post-recall for the familiar logo in …

Antidepressants, Circadian Rhythms, And Cognition: The Effects Of Ssris And Snris On Circadian Rhythms And Cognitive Performance, Gabriel Gilmore

Masters Theses, 2020-current

It has been well documented that individuals with depression commonly experience sleep disturbances. Decreased sleep quality, diminished sleep efficiency, and increased nighttime awakenings are all typical ailments. Deficits in cognitive functioning often co-occur, including impairments in working memory, learning, inhibition, and set shifting. Many studies have found that upon taking antidepressants (i.e. serotonin agonists), individuals with depression experience normalized sleep and cognitive performance. The impact of antidepressants, especially SSRIs and SNRIs, on sleep stages, particularly REM and slow wave sleep, has been the subject of numerous studies. However, there is currently very limited literature that examines their impact on sleep …

The Effect Of Temporal Discounting And Loss Aversion On Mock Plea Bargain Decision-Making, Anisha Patel

Masters Theses, 2020-current

An overwhelming majority of criminal cases in the United States utilize plea bargaining (90-95%). A plea bargain is an agreement between a criminal defendant and a prosecuting attorney where the defendant agrees to plead guilty, or nolo contendre (no contest), to one or more charges to reduce or drop other charges. The decision to accept a plea bargain must be made by the defendant, so a defendant’s ability to make or communicate competent choices regarding a plea bargain is important. However, defendant decision-making in plea bargaining is not sufficiently prevalent in plea bargaining or decision-making literature. While factors such as …

The Effect Of Headline Manipulation On Memory And Reasoning, Kathryn R. Hogan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Decades of research have examined misinformation and memory. Recently, studies have demonstrated that misleading headlines can influence the reader’s memory and inferential reasoning. The current study examines how accurate and misleading headlines differentially affect readers’ memory and inferential reasoning for news articles. College students (N = 138) read three articles on various topics (e.g., solitary confinement, stem cell research, and wildfires) and then took a test to assess memory and inferences related to the article. Contrary to previous studies, there was not a difference in memory between accurate and misleading headline conditions across article types. The effect of a …

The Effects Of At-Home Remote Work Environments On Human Cognitive Performance And Work Task Performance Based On Current Societal Conditions, Angela Arias

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Home-based remote work systems present a unique set of cognitive performance and work task performance challenges to employees without remote work experience. The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies into transforming their work system structures, and their employee roles, without the preparation or education of the dynamics that surround home-based remote work systems. This thesis benefits the Human Factors community by investigating the effects of at-home remote-based work environments on cognitive performance, and work task performance, of employees who currently work remotely from home. A multimethod approach was employed to carry out this research. A survey was administered to home-based remote employees, …

A Study On The Positive And Negative Emotional Response Of Frequent And Non- Frequent Video Game Players, Heidi Francis

Psychology | Senior Theses

Video games are a fun and popular outlet for many. They boost enthusiasm and can provide a form of entertainment, challenges, and confidence in players (Ceranoglu, 2010). Video games are an activity that bring a variety of feelings as players interact in a variety of ways. Many researchers study the negative effects of competitive and violent video games which often have been correlated with aggression (Dowsett & Jackson, 2019). There is less focus on the positive emotional responses but positive effects of videogames have been supported but consider other factors of influence such as well-being, motivation, social interaction, and violence …

Applying Human Factors Heuristic Evaluation Tools To Improve Aviation Weather Displays: A Mismatch, John Kleber, Paige Lawton, Beth Blickensderfer

General Aviation Weather Display Interpretation

The evaluation of current Heuristic Evaluation Tools for use in assessing Aviation Weather Displays.

The Effect Of Parent Interaction On Pre-Reaching Infants’ Visual Attention During An Object Manipulation Task., Jalena N. Slaton

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Infants do not begin intentionally reaching for and grasping objects until around 5 months of age. The sticky mittens paradigm (SM) provides infants the opportunity to manipulate and explore objects on their own. Active SM experience has been shown to lead to positive cognitive outcomes (Libertus & Needham, 2010), including facilitating causal perception (Rakison & Krogh, 2012). While some aspects of SM that contribute to positive outcomes are well understood (e.g., active vs. passive experience), the role of parent interactions has received little attention. In this study, SM training was used to investigate the role that parents play in their …

The Effects Of Interactivity On Memory Relating To Presence In Virtual Environments, Jenny Wong

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The overall effectiveness of virtual environments is often linked to and measured by degrees of presence, commonly defined as the psychological sensation of “being there” (Schubert et al., 1999). Psychologists agree that attention and involvement through interactivity play a role in presence (Hartmann et al., 2015; Schubert et al., 1999; Witmer and Singer, 1998). Because attention is critical in encoding information into memory storage, looking at how memory relates to presence is another topic of interest. In this study, participants (N = 30) played through a 3D virtual reconstruction of a Pompeian house under one of two conditions: free-roam …

An Eeg Source-Space Analysis Of The Neural Correlates Underlying Self-Regulation, Stephanie M. Long

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-regulation is the cognitive process of controlling our thoughts and behaviors to be aligned with our goals. This process is used in many different contexts and has been associated with contributions from several brain regions. This research aimed to investigate differences in four prefrontal areas of the brain while participants applied four different self-regulation strategies. We recorded EEG while participants (N = 132) performed three tasks which engaged each of the four self-regulation strategies: the AX-CPT task engaged proactive and reactive control, the Go/Nogo task engaged inhibitory control, and the hybrid Flanker Global/Local task engaged the resolution of response conflict. …

Distress Tolerance As A Potential Target For Change: The Relationship Between Distress Tolerance, Craving, And Alcohol Consumption In A Lab-Based Experiment, Isabel F. Augur

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distress tolerance (DT) has recently been studied as a potential catalyst for the development ofalcohol use disorder (AUD). Research exploring the relationship between DT and craving is limited and has primarily focused on nicotine craving. Furthermore, there are no current studies examining the relationship between DT and alcohol consumption. This study was designed to fill this gap in the literature, which may shed light on a potentially important target for alcohol use treatment. Additionally, the role of mindfulness was explored in the context of the relationship between DT and alcohol craving and consumption, with the intention of expanding on the …

Metacognitive Function In Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Grace Amadon

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by a bump, blow, jolt to the head. Individuals with TBI demonstrate decreased awareness of their own potential deficits and functional abilities. These deficits have critical implications for recovery as self-awareness is important for those recovering from TBI in the implementation and engagement of rehabilitative processes after TBI. The following study analyzed 18 individuals with TBI approximately 11 years post injury to document metacognitive functioning after injury. Participants completed a metacognitive working-memory paradigm where they made judgements of their future and past performance on identifying a target shape and …

Acoustic And Semantic Processing Of Speech And Non-Speech Sounds In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Breanne D. Yerkes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The processing of semantically meaningful non-speech and speech sounds requires the use of acoustic and higher-order information, such as categorical knowledge and semantic context. Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been theorized to show enhanced processing of acoustic features and impaired processing of contextual information. The current study investigated how children with and without ASD use acoustic and semantic information during an auditory change detection task and semantic context during a speech-in-noise task. Furthermore, relationships among IQ, the presence of ASD symptoms and the use of acoustic and semantic information across the two tasks were examined among typically …

Creating Appropriate Clinical Guidelines For The Bilingual Population With Acquired Brain Injuries, Sophia L. Pena

Dissertations

While there is a growing bilingual demographic in the United States, relatively little is known about treating this population should they experience a brain injury. This is a growing area of interest, as research has demonstrated that the acquisition of a second language promotes neuroplastic changes that then impact brain functioning pre- and post-brain-injury. Given bilingualism’s cognitive complexity, clinicians are left with challenges on how best to tailor treatment for brain-injured bilingual populations. Therefore, the focus of this review was to provide clinical recommendations to clinicians performing assessments with bilingual individuals with acquired brain injuries. The goal was for the …

Prospective Predictors Of Receiving Disclosures Of Intimate Partner Violence And Sexual Assault Among College Students, Christina M. Dardis, Katie R. Davin, Lindsey M. Rodriguez, Emily R. Dworkin, Katie M. Edwards, Sarah E. Ullman, Emily A. Waterman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Previous research has indicated that many undergraduates receive disclosures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV) from their peers; however, much of this research has been cross-sectional. The present study assessed the extent to which demographic characteristics and victimization history predicted whether participants received disclosures over the subsequent 6 months. Directional hypotheses assessed whether psychological symptoms and attitudes predicted, or were consequences of, disclosures at follow-up.

Method: College students (n = 867) from a broader treatment intervention study completed pretest (Time 1) and 6-month follow-up surveys (Time 2).

Results: Individuals who reported new disclosures at follow-up (56%) were …

Influence Of Cultural Similarities And Differences On Coworker Relationships And Perceived Levels Of Workplace Psychological Stress, Natalie Hidaka

Psychology | Senior Theses

In growing diversity, social interactions between cultures can build psychological strain. Although, people value familiarity in situations such as in the workplace. The more we seek identity economy in the workplace, the more cross-cultural collaboration becomes essential, yet challenging. To evaluate how cultural similarities and differences influence relationships at work, a voluntary survey was conducted including three sets of measurements; Coworker Relationship Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Self-Construal Scale. From 126 self-report, quantitative data showed that relationships between coworkers of different cultural backgrounds (DCB) had greater difficulties than those who share similar cultural backgrounds (SCB). Regardless of one’s psychological stress …

Remote Neuropsychological Assessment: Does Mode Of Administration Matter?, Renee Dematteis

Dissertations

Neuropsychology relies heavily on standardization of administration to increase the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of an assessment instrument. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly increased the need to be able to provide neuropsychological assessments remotely. Teleneuropsychology can be conducted through various avenues, including telephone, computerized, and televideo modalities. Given neuropsychology's reliance on standardization for proper use of normative data that accompanies individual assessments, the question arises how mode of administration impacts the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of an assessment instrument. The literature review summarizes the research conducted regarding the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of telephone neuropsychological assessments, computerized …

Does Anodal Tdcs Over The Left Prefrontal Cortex Using The F3-Rso Montage Improve Cognitive Control?, Sydney Darling

Honors Scholar Theses

Cognitive control is the ability to focus on relevant stimuli while disregarding irrelevant stimuli and is thought to be supported by the prefrontal cortex (see Miller & Cohen, 2001). Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that modulates the activity of underlying cortex regions through an electric current provided by two or more electrodes on the scalp. This study looks to determine whether anodal tDCS over the left prefrontal cortex can be used to increase cognitive control in healthy participants. Using an F3-RSO montage in a mixed between and within subjects design (with sham vs. anodal …

Treatment Access For Dual Diagnosis Substance Use And Mental Health Disorders, Pedro Banuelos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In 2018, of 1.3 million Latinx adults in the United States facing concurrent issues with substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders (MHD) 93% remained untreated for either diagnosis. This is concerning since Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data reveals that this population is at greater risk for suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. They also face structural barriers such as employment, housing, legal involvement, and insurability that further impede access to treatment.

This study’s purpose was to examine barriers to accessing treatment for Latinx populations confronting co-occurring SUDs and MHDs. This study used a qualitative design …

It’S Not All Aces: The Role Of Negative Parental Influences And Criminal Thinking In Juvenile Offending Behaviors, Branna Humphrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and criminal thinking in causing criminal behavior has been explored extensively in criminal justice research. Based on the concepts of ACEs and the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Scale, the negative parental influences and criminal thinking styles of 1,354 juvenile offenders were examined to establish that negative parental influences and criminal thinking are separately associated with juvenile problem and offending behavior, and that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between negative parental influences and juvenile problem and offending behavior. Analyses showed support for criminal thinking as a pathway from negative parental influences to juvenile …

Black Imposterism: Naming & Combating Imposter Syndrome In Student Government Associations Across The South, Joshua Mannery

Honors Theses

Beginning in 1978 with its coining by Clance and Imes, imposter syndrome (IP) has been used to describe feelings of unfounded fraudulence, low self-esteem, and low self-efficacy in women, minority groups, and underrepresented populations. The phenomenon of imposterism persists not only in academic spaces, but in professional, medical, and any other areas where a feeling of competition can exist. Many empirical studies have observed the factors that contribute to university students and their development of the physiological effect, but one concentration that has received little to no application is how it develops within a student government, and methods in which …

Facts From Fiction: Packaging Misinformation, Angel Ray Houts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research established that readers learn both accurate and inaccurate information from fictional stories. The current study explored factors that might moderate the impact of misinformation. Participants read fictional stories that contain three assertions; the first two were labeled as set-up assertions, and the last were labeled as the critical assertion. First, there was a manipulation of plausibility of information within the stories by presenting either assertions with truthful information, assertions with small lies (plausible misinformation), or assertions with big lies (implausible misinformation). Second, there was manipulation of reliability of the fictional stories by presenting big lies or truthful information …