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Psychology Theses & Dissertations

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Full-Text Articles in Health Psychology

Downward Comparison As An Intervention To Lower Self-Reported Risk-Taking Behaviors, John P. Barile Apr 2005

Downward Comparison As An Intervention To Lower Self-Reported Risk-Taking Behaviors, John P. Barile

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research investigated the utility of using first-person editorial-style stories as a means to lower the occurrence of self-reported risk-taking behaviors such as drunk driving and red-light running in undergraduate college students. This study assessed the frequency of risk-taking behaviors of college students before and after a three-week online intervention. Students were randomized into one of three conditions. Two risk taking treatment groups read and rated stories about a college student that had suffered a severe consequence from either drunk driving or red-light running. A third group received non-driving college stories that involved no health risk. The stories were presented …


A Family Systems Approach To Substance Misuse: An Examination Of Risk And Protective Factors, Jennifer Anne Cutchin Apr 2005

A Family Systems Approach To Substance Misuse: An Examination Of Risk And Protective Factors, Jennifer Anne Cutchin

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This purpose of this project was to investigate the interrelationships between family structure, classroom stress, sense of belonging, and substance misuse in college students. Some outcomes of the study were an increased knowledge of substance misuse in college students and the impact of risk and protective factors on substance misuse. One model of family structure is the Circumplex Model of Family Systems. This model consists of three components: family cohesion, adaptability and communication fOIson, Russell, & Sprenkle, 1989). This research was conducted at Old Dominion University using 391 undergraduate college students, aged 18 - 25. It was hypothesized that students …


The Effect Of Pfiesteria Toxin On General Activity And Performance On The Elevated Plus Maze In Rats, Sarah Ann Schultz Apr 2004

The Effect Of Pfiesteria Toxin On General Activity And Performance On The Elevated Plus Maze In Rats, Sarah Ann Schultz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Marine toxins that cause fish kills also threaten human health. Pfiesreria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae are marine microorganisms responsible for periods of massive fish death and are implicated as causative agents in the neurocognitive decline of humans exposed to the aerosols of the Pfiesteria toxin. Past research with animals has demonstrated that exposure to Pfiesteria does result in impaired learning and memory performance. The present study aimed to investigate whether Pfiesreria-exposed animals behaviorally indicate greater anxiety or differing levels of activity compared to control animals; both anxiety and activity might affect learning and memory performance. The behavior of twelve …


The Prediction Of Intra-Individual Variability In The Daily Body-Image Experiences Among College Women, Susan E. Melnyk Jul 2003

The Prediction Of Intra-Individual Variability In The Daily Body-Image Experiences Among College Women, Susan E. Melnyk

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This investigation examined body-image states in the context of daily life. There were 108 women who completed all three phases of this study. First, a battery of body image trait measures and an eating attitudes measure were completed. Second, participants called an automated telephonic response system twice daily for six days and recorded their current body-image states, from the questions on the Body Image States Scale. Finally, a Post-Study Questionnaire was completed. Pearson correlations examined the extent to which the pretest measures predicted the level and variability of body-image states. Consistent with hypotheses, greater satisfaction with one' appearance, less dysfunctional …


The Effect Of Ethanol And Hypoglycemia On Rat Performance In The Radial Arm Maze, Monica Ann Gaffney Jul 1998

The Effect Of Ethanol And Hypoglycemia On Rat Performance In The Radial Arm Maze, Monica Ann Gaffney

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Both hypoglycemia (HG) and ethanol (ETH) intoxication can cause serious impairment in physiological and psychological functioning. Their combination could cause more severe cognitive impairment than either condition alone. This experiment investigated the effects of hypoglycemia, ethanol intoxication, and their combination on rat radial arm maze performance. Eleven male rats were trained to a stable, low error rate performance in achieving food rewards in an eight arm radial arm-maze. Rats were then given either insulin (2 units/kg) or saline in combination with ETH doses of 250, 500, 1000, or 1500 mg/kg 20 minutes prior to the maze run. Treatment order was …


The Effects Of Simultaneous And Successive Tasks And Knowledge Of Results On Add And Non-Add Children, Pamela J. Bishop Oct 1995

The Effects Of Simultaneous And Successive Tasks And Knowledge Of Results On Add And Non-Add Children, Pamela J. Bishop

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Computerized continuous performance tasks (CPT) are often used to diagnose attention deficit disorders (ADD) The purpose of the present study was to continue the evaluation of a CPT developed from a psychophysical perspective. Specifically, two versions of a monitoring task (simultaneous and successive) were examined in the context of three conditions of knowledge of results (KR); KR to correct detections, false alarms, and irrelevant KR. Thirty children diagnosed with ADD and 30 without ADD performed two 9-minute monitoring tasks. Parents of the children were also interviewed with an adaptive behavior scale to investigate whether ADD children exhibit social functioning at …


Maternal Perceptions Of The Social Development And Behavior Of Asthmatic Children, Chelley A. Merrell Oct 1993

Maternal Perceptions Of The Social Development And Behavior Of Asthmatic Children, Chelley A. Merrell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

To assess the effects of asthma on the social development and behavior of asthmatic children, 60 mothers of 6- to 13-year-old children (30 mothers of asthmatics, 30 mothers of non-asthmatics) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1986) and were administered the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Vineland: Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984). It was hypothesized that asthmatic children would lag behind non-asthmatic peers in social development, defined as the development of age-appropriate behaviors (i.e., communication, daily living skills, and socialization). In addition, it was hypothesized that asthmatic children would exhibit more internalizing behaviors than non-asthmatic children. There were …


The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectancy, And Metabolic Control In People With Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, Edwina Rudisill Giddens Jul 1993

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectancy, And Metabolic Control In People With Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, Edwina Rudisill Giddens

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationships between self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and metabolic control in people who have insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Thirty-seven adults with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus completed questionnaires assessing diabetic-related self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. Their level of metabolic control was determined using glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) and blood glucose. The subjects were statistically divided into groups of metabolic control--good and poor--based on the results of their GHb. The relationships between self-efficacy and outcome expectancy were analyzed for both groups. Results of Pearson Product Moment correlations did not reveal significant correlations between GHb and self-efficacy …


Disidentification And Volitional Activation: New Approaches To The Treatment Of Cigarette Smoking, Paul Donley Lidstrom Oct 1980

Disidentification And Volitional Activation: New Approaches To The Treatment Of Cigarette Smoking, Paul Donley Lidstrom

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two previously untested humanistic treatment strategies adopted from Assagioli's psychosynthesis were evaluated for effectiveness in reducing cigarette smoking. Forty subjects were assigned to four treatment conditions arranged in a 0 X 3 (Treatment X Time) repeated measures factorial design. The four treatment groups consisted of a disidentification group, a volitional activation group, a combined treatment group, and a maximally effective placebo controls Smokers were seen in small groups for five 30 minute treatment sessions in the course of a week. All groups showed significant reductions from baseline smoking rates at 1-week and 6-week followups. At 1-week followup, the disidentification group …


The Role Of Serotonin Depletion On The Behavioral Effects Of Ethyl Alcohol, Linda J. Ward Jul 1976

The Role Of Serotonin Depletion On The Behavioral Effects Of Ethyl Alcohol, Linda J. Ward

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In the first experiment of this study p-Chloroamphetamine (PCA), a serotonin depletor, was given to experimental rats at least two days prior to aversive Pavlovian conditioning. Rats were subjected to aversive conditioning while drugged with ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and were tested for memory of the aversive stimuli later in the non-drugged state. Utilizing the auditory conditioned stimulus, ethanol-treated rats - PCA treated and nontreated combined - exhibited significantly less conditioned suppression of drinking than did saline controls. A priori comparisons demonstrated that PCA treated rats• ethanol-produced dissociation was greater than nontreated controls. Experiment two compared PCA treated and nontreated rats' …