Other Psychology Commons^™

Investigating The Psychological Determinants Of Rural Volunteer Firefighters’ Health, Occupational Performance, And Resilience, Candice Jaye Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Volunteer firefighters (VFFs) are essential to rural emergency response, and their ability to perform effectively depends on their mental and physical readiness. Given the high prevalence of mental and physical health challenges among VFFs, there is a critical need for research to better understand how these factors interact to develop targeted interventions that can systematically improve VFF functioning. This study addressed gaps in the literature by examining the intersections and mechanisms shaping rural VFFs’ coping functions, physical health, occupational performance, resilience, and social support. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed, beginning with a quantitative survey of 180 West …

Navigating Online Dating: Exploring The Intersection Of Attachment Styles, Parental Attachments, And Sociosexuality In Online Dating Among College Students, Jensley Velez-Lozada

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this thesis is to explore the connection between attachment styles, parental attachment, and sociosexuality as predictors of online dating attitudes among college students. As society navigates this new digital era of online dating, how does it continue to transform young adults as they form romantic and sexual connections? It becomes increasingly important to understand the psychological mechanisms that influence these behaviors. This study examined how anxious and avoidant attachment styles, parental attachment, and sociosexuality may have contributed to online hookup attempts and outcomes behaviors. It also examined how these variables interacted and influenced both the likelihood of …

An Analysis Of Usopc National Governing Body Policies Related To Body Pressures, Body Image Concerns, And Eating Pathology, Sarah Margaret Sadler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Athletes are often exposed to body pressures in sport environments (Voelker & Reel, 2020), which can contribute to body image concerns and eating pathology (Petrie & Greenleaf, 2007, 2012) with lasting consequences for performance and well-being. Although research has highlighted the harmful impacts of these concerns, and has called for a broader investigation into the sources of athletes’ experiences of these concerns (Voelker et al., 2022), little is known about the role of sport organizations in influencing athletes’ body pressures, body image concerns, and eating pathology. Using a descriptive qualitative research design within a post-positivist paradigmatic approach, the current study …

Trauma-Informed Yoga As An Adjunct To Treatment As Usual Within Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Feasibility Trial., Suzanne Vogler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Yoga interventions have been used more frequently in recent years within health and wellness settings to address both clinical and non-clinical issues. More specifically, yoga interventions and trauma-informed yoga (TIY) interventions are being explored within the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD). Initial research suggests that yoga interventions could be beneficial to the treatment of SUDs as an adjunct to treatment or a stand-alone intervention as part of continued recovery (post-clinical treatment) (Fitzgerald et al., 2021; Mallik et al., 2019). Although initial research is promising, the current quantity and quality of studies specifically exploring the feasibility and potential benefit of …

Hireability Of Female Hispanic Applicants By Accent/Career Type And Participant First Language, Lauren R. Logue

Honors Program Theses

There has been an influx of Hispanic immigrants in the United States, and negative attitudes toward these individuals have been increasingly expressed in the current political climate. There is discrimination toward the Hispanic community, and this includes in the workplace. One factor that may impact discrimination is accents. This study examined perceptions of women with Hispanic accents in an organizational context. Most previous research in this area has examined the perceptions of male job candidates with other types of accents. 314 participants evaluated a female job candidate who either had a Hispanic accent, did not have an accent (but had …

Master Of Disguise: Humor, Disguise, And Performance Anxiety, Jordan Pearsall

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study examined humorous facial disguise in relation to social anxiety during a speech task. Social anxiety is characterized by a strong desire to present a positive image of oneself to others, while simultaneously doubting one’s ability to do so (Clark & Wells, 1995). Performance anxiety is a subtype of social anxiety that affects individuals in various performative contexts, to include public speaking. Previous research has examined the relationship between social anxiety and facial concealment through face-masking (Karimi 2024; Saint & Moscovitch, 2021), concluding that facial concealment can serve as a safety behavior intended to reduce social anxiety. Further, humor …

Utilizing The Spatial Evaluation Of Language And Flexibility For Youth (Self-Y) In Clinical Case Conceptualization, Katelyn Frahm

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience challenges with restricted and repetitive behaviors, relating directly to challenges with psychological flexibility (Hyman et al., 2020; Hayes et al., 2006). Unfortunately, the history of applied behavior analysis has extended harmful implications of treatment that have focused on compliance training and punishment, often worsening psychological flexibility (Sandoval-Norton et al., 2019). Research is calling behavior analysis to combine flexible approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, with technologies exploring the intricacies of individual relational networks (Hayes et al., 1999; Hayes et al., 2022; Hayes & King, 2024). The present study introduced the …

Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Personal Metaphors About Foreign Language Teaching, Juan Luis De La Montaña Conchiña, Guadalupe De La Maya Retamar, Magdalena López-Pérez

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study analyses the characterisation and evolution of the personal metaphors of a sample of 34 trainee foreign language teachers, through a questionnaire of open-ended questions that included asking the participants to make drawings representing the roles of the teacher. Four categories of metaphors were considered for the analysis: behaviourist/transmissive, cognitivist/constructivist, situated, and self-referential. The results indicate that most participants were able to conceptualise their image of the teacher in the form of metaphors. The pre-service teachers’ metaphors represented are mainly cognitivist/constructivist and behaviourist/transmissive. When comparing them before and after the internship in the primary schools, most of them did …

“Take Eight Bits And Call Me In The Morning” Video Games, Well-Being, And The Psychology Of Nostalgia, Nicholas Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

For nearly 60 years, video games have arrested the attention of players, inviting us to interact and interface with on-screen content. More than just short-term entertainment experiences, video games are part of a broader cultural milieu—they are the most profitable media entertainment sector (global revenues nearly $400 billion USD in 2023) with more than 3.5 billion players globally (Clement, 2023). Similar to other entertainment media, some video game intellectual properties have transcended generations and, in many cases, grown beyond the medium itself: common cultural touchstones include Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, along with seemingly endless subcultures of devoted …

A New Theater For Age-Old Social Patterns: An Exploratory Study Of Interpersonal Dynamics And The Overlay Of Gender Within Ai Companionship, Miriam Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) companions fundamentally shifts the landscape of interpersonal communication, introducing artificial entities as relational partners rather than mere facilitators of human-to-human interaction. This exploratory study examines the interplay of machine gendering, self-disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness (PPR), and interpersonal satisfaction within human-AI interactions. Participants engaged in conversations with gendered AI companions through the program Replika, completed structured surveys, and participated in qualitative interviews. Findings indicate that users' willingness to self-disclose was influenced by their perceptions of AI responsiveness, while gendered characteristics of AI significantly shaped user expectations and communication patterns. Specifically, users often attributed distinct personality …

Mindfulness & Mental Health: Balanced Time Perspective As A Mediator, Eddie Trueblood

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is a practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. Being more mindful can decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, among other mental and physical health improvements. (Donald et al., 2016; Hofmann et al., 2010; Kabat-Zinn et al.,1992). This study examined if balanced time perspective (BTP) is one of the mechanisms of action of mindfulness in its relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress. BTP refers to a person’s ability to flexibly adapt their time perspective (attention to the past, present, or future, and positive or negative attitudes toward each) to suit the current …

Parenting Support Groups Outcomes, Christina Howell

Graduate Research Papers

According to the American Psychological Association 48% of parents find their stress to be completely overwhelming as compared to 26% of other adults. Sixty percent of parents struggle to focus, and 41% of parents report feeling so stressed that they cannot function (American Psychological Association (APA), 2024). In this study three questions are addressed 1) Are Online parenting support groups successful at supporting caregivers and children? 2) What are the outcomes for caregivers and their children when their caregivers participate in parenting support groups? 3) Are parenting support groups successful at supporting caregivers who have experienced trauma? The findings of …

A Comparative Analysis Of Perineuronal Nets In Trout And Zebrafish Models, Adnan Alyan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized extracellular matrix structures that surround certain types of neurons in the central nervous system. Research from the past few decades has cemented PNNs as an integral player in the closure and onset of critical periods, memory modulation, and neural plasticity. These effects are thought to occur when PNNs form around a neuron and structurally stabilize its synaptic connections. PNNs have been directly linked to behavioral changes, making them of interest to psychologists as well as neuroscientists. Several PNN components, such as Hapln1 and aggrecan such as have been found in zebrafish, a teleost fish (Kang …

Psychological Impacts In Exercise Riders And Professional Jockeys Following Injury, Kelley M. Renner

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

One of the most well-known equestrian sports, horse racing, is not only a cornerstone of Kentucky’s economy, but also a vital part of its culture, with professional jockeys playing an essential role in the local communities and traditions that define the state. Despite its popularity and financial impact, mental health challenges within the sport have continually been shrouded in silence and ignored in research (Ball et al., 2007). Equally concerning is the high injury prevalence, and psychological impact of these injuries (e.g., psychological distress, depression, anxiety, loss of identity, and self-esteem (King et al., 2022; Losty et al., 2019; McConn-Palfreyman …

Measuring Personality And Animal Treatment Attitudes With The Pet Scale, Zackery J. Hilton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Previous research has looked at the association between personality traits and the proclivity, or history, of committing acts that are characterized as animal abuse or animal cruelty. Much research has also found that individuals who exhibit this type of behavior towards animals also tend to exhibit similar behavior towards other individuals, mainly in the form of domestic or child abuse. Previous studies have measured animal abuse using very explicit and extreme criteria, using acts that are without question blatant abuse or torture; however, there is some grey area where many may argue whether certain acts should be considered abuse, which …

Leadership Perceptions Of Employee Identity: How Leaders Facilitate An Inclusive Environment, Arian Sullivan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Workers spend one-third of their lives at work. Therefore, they deserve to work for organizations that focus on equity and inclusion. Despite laws that aim to protect employees, workers still experience discrimination. This thesis explores how leaders perceive their role in fostering an inclusive culture that encourages employees to bring forward workplace concerns. Through qualitative interviews with locally recognized leaders, this study examines how inclusion is understood and enacted in leadership practices. While participants largely demonstrated inclusive leadership values such as shared perspectives, worker empowerment, and collaboration, I found that participants spoke of their employees in terms of personality traits …

Emotional Balance, Health, And Resilience At The Start Of Covid-19 Pandemic, David Pincus, Bernard P. Ricca, Brooke Jenkins, Julia K. Boehm, Vincent Berardi, Amy C. Moors, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Self-organizing systems can shift between stability and flexibility in response to perturbation, a potential adaptive mechanism for understanding biopsychosocial resilience. Inverse Power-Law (IPL) structure, a frequency distribution that describes fractal patterns commonly produced by self-organization, produce measurements of stability and flexibility. This study applies these measures to emotional resilience at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ratings of frequency over the past week (1-5 Likert scale) across 12 emotions (six positive and six negative) gathered in mid-April 2020 as part of a survey of adults’ (N = 4,094) pandemic experiences and health in the USA. The distributions of everyone’s emotion …

Systematic Reexamination Of Early Verb Dominance: Verbal And Nonverbal Characteristics Of Caregiver Input And Their Contribution To Long-Term Language Outcomes, Minju Kim, Jeonghee Mun, Gayoung Kim, Solyeon Jeon, Youngon Choi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Early language input to infants varies in lexical composition across languages and contexts. For instance, American-English input emphasizes nouns more than verbs, while Mandarin Chinese and Korean inputs provide more verbs than nouns, the difference of which is considered an influential factor in the child’s early vocabulary acquisition. Furthermore, a possibility was raised that nonverbal input accompanying child-directed language provides additional support for verb meanings in verb-dominant caregiver input. However, these early verb dominance and support patterns have been derived from a handful of studies that examined very small samples. Thus, we aimed to systematically reexamine the verb dominance pattern …

A Phenomenological Look At Mental Blocks In Artistic Gymnastics, Lauren M. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Mental blocks are a poorly understood but pervasive and challenging phenomenon in artistic gymnastics that are characterized by a disconnect between the mind and body and an interference with athletes’ ability to physically perform previously automatic skills. This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experiences of female D-I collegiate gymnasts in the United States who have struggled with mental blocks, examining the characteristics, causes, and management strategies through semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that mental blocks are best understood on a spectrum and are difficult to attribute to a single cause as they often stem from a combination …

Contrasting Trajectories In Adolescent Pro-Environmentalism: Qualitative Differences Between “Engagers” And “Disengagers”, Jaida Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative study extends Krettenauer and colleagues' (2024) longitudinal research by examining how different developmental contexts shape divergent trajectories in adolescents' environmental engagement. We conducted semi-structured interviews with nineteen adolescents, focusing on two distinct groups: "Engagers" who showed remarkable increases in pro-environmental behavior from ages 13 to 17, and "Disengagers" who exhibited substantial decreases inengagement during the same period. While all participants reported meaningful childhood nature experiences, supportive family sustainability practices and access to environmental information through media, their developmental paths diverged significantly. Disengagers gradually deprioritized environmental concerns as other life goals took precedence, while Engagers actively expanded their environmental …

Effects Of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation On Impulse Control Disorders In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease On Dopamine Replacement Therapy, Katherine Muksuris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that causes motor deficits, cognitive impairment, and depression. The mainstay treatment for motor symptoms is dopamine replacement therapy (DRT). DRT takes the form of levodopa or dopamine receptor agonists (DAs) and can be associated with impulse control disorders (ICDs). Currently, the approach to mitigating these side effects is to decrease or stop DRT, which may cause motor symptoms to return, making the management of the disorder more difficult. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation treatment for multiple disorders, including its approved use for smoking cessation. It has also shown …

Love As A Commitment Device: Evidence From A Cross-Cultural Study Across 90 Countries, Marta Kowal, Adam Bode, Karolina Koszałkowska, Biljana Gjoneska, David Frederick, Anna Studzinska, Dmitril Dubrov, Dmitry Grigoryev, Tolvo Aavik, Pavol Prokop, Caterina Grano, Hakan Çetinkaya, Derya Atamtürk Duyar, Roberto Balocco, Carlota Batres, Yakhlef Belkacem, Merve Boğa, Nana Burduli, Ali R. Can, Razleh Chegeni, William J. Chopik, Yahya Don, Seda Dural, Izzet Duyar, Edgardo Etchezahar, Feten Fekih‑Romdhane, Tomasz Frackowiak, Felipe E. García, Talia Gomez Yepes, Farida Guemaz, Brahim B. Hamadoul, Mehmet Koyuncu, Miguel Landa-Blanco, Samuel Lins, Tiago Tiago, Marlon Mayorga‑Lascano, Moises Mebarak, Mara Morelli, Izuchukwu L. G. Ndukaihe, Mohd Sofian Omar Fauzee, Ma. Criselda Tengco Pacquing, Miriam Parise, Farid Pazhoohl, Ekaterine Pirtskhalava, Koen Ponnet, Ulf‑Dietrich Relps, Marc Eric Santos Reyes, Ayşegül Şahin, Fatima Zahra Sahli, Oksana Senyk, Ognen Spasovski, Singha Tulyakul, Joaquín Ungaretti, Mona Vintila, Tatiana Volkodav, Anna Wlodarczyk, Gyesook Yoo, Benjamin Gelbart, Piotr Sorokowski

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Given the ubiquitous nature of love, numerous theories have been proposed to explain its existence. One such theory refers to love as a commitment device, suggesting that romantic love evolved to foster commitment between partners and enhance their reproductive success. In the present study, we investigated this hypothesis using a large-scale sample of 86,310 individual responses collected across 90 countries. If romantic love is universally perceived as a force that fosters commitment between long-term partners, we expected that individuals likely to suffer greater losses from the termination of their relationships—including people of lower socioeconomic status, those with many children, and …

Neuropunk: A Discursive Ethnographic Study Of The Do-It-Yourself Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Community, Erick Guzman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to understand the sociocultural contexts surrounding the do-it-yourself (DIY) use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) devices. TDCS is a non-invasive method of brain stimulation which has a history of use in (1) human brain mapping for basic neuroscience studies, (2) neuropsychological rehabilitation and the treatment of psychological disorders in clinical populations, and (3) cognitive enhancement in healthy people. However, its validity and effectiveness across these uses remain open to debate. Since the early 2010’s, tDCS has attracted a number of lay individuals interested in using it outside of formal scientific and medical contexts. These DIY tDCS …

Excessive Before It Begins: A Critical Analysis Of Racialized Encounters Between Police And African American Men, Lucas Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last decade, the racial violence that plagues relations between African Americans and the police has been brought to the attention of the American public by means of cell phone video footage of police use of excessive, and at times lethal, force in encounters with African American men. The images of police brutality that have emerged in this time have outraged millions of Americans, sparking nationwide protests, as well as various social and political movements. While perspectives may abound regarding the causes and significance of such brutality, the data is clear on one thing: Police violence disproportionately harms African …

Learning To Be An Autistic Therapist: Personal Steps Towards An Autism-Affirming Psychotherapy, Sasha D. Strong

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

How can Autistic therapists understand and support themselves, and how can this help them support their clients? In this paper, I recount my personal journey of healing and growth as an Autistic psychotherapist, 16 months after self-identification. Here is an overview of conceptual frameworks from #actuallyautistic authors, critical theory, queer theory, and social justice that I have found helpful. I also share some of the therapeutic and wellness approaches that have been important to me, including mindfulness and bodyfulness. Organic knowing has been pivotal for me in discerning between masking and aliveness, and regaining a choice around masking behaviors. This …

Assessing Risks Of Atypical Sexually Violent Offenders, Lesli Mattheus

Master of Arts in Human Services

Forensic behavioral health research over the past few decades has revealed the complexities of assessing sexually violent offenders (SVOs). Risk assessments play a critical role in determining penalties and treatment, evaluating recidivism risk, and guiding interventions. However, most research has focused on adult male offenders, leaving a significant gap in understanding less common offender types, such as women, juveniles, and pedophiles or child sexual abusers. Gender biases and underreporting limit the understanding of women offenders, while juveniles face challenges like substance use disorders and mental health issues. Structured clinical judgment is a key method for assessing SVO risk, but forensic …

Understanding The Transitional Needs Of Servicemembers To Veterans: A Focus On Mental, Social, And Behavioral Health, Marieann C. Raguso

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to fill the gaps on the transitional American veterans’ lived experience using their own voice. The reconstruction of an American Veteran’s identity after transitioning back into civilian life is a process with many challenges. Transitional practices often fail to help veterans to acculturate back into the civilian world. This includes the formulation of identities and associations. There is a lack of consistency in military transitional practices leading to identity loss and the formulation of mental and behavioral disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the lived experiences of veterans who have transitioned back …

Leadership Awakening: Shifting Towards Eco-Consciousness Through Psychedelics, Ladana Edwards

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Corporate leaders, wielding influence and decision-making power over world resources and capital, are key drivers of systemic change to address current social, economic, and ecological crises. To address the myriad complex and interdependent crises, a transformative shift in consciousness is required in leaders and leadership teams, from ego-consciousness towards eco-consciousness, which can be supported through psychedelic experiences. Shifting towards eco-consciousness can facilitate holistic decision making and an expanded sense of leadership responsibility to the planet and all its inhabitants—ultimately supporting the creation of healthier eco-nomics in our Earth community.

Shifts towards leadership eco-consciousness have the potential to open up space …

The Relationship Between Religious Coping Styles And Eating Disorder Risk In Christians In A University Setting, Meghan E. Aubuchon

Honors Theses

Existing research on eating disorders and religion is beginning to gain momentum in the present day, but research is lacking on the topic of religious coping and eating disorder risk. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between two known styles of religious coping—positive and negative—and eating disorder risk in University of Mississippi students, faculty, and staff who identify as Christian. A survey consisting of basic demographic questions, the EAT-26, and the Brief RCOPE was distributed via emails sent by the office of IREP to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Mississippi. A total of 330 participants were …

Parasocial Relationships In Children And Teens, Bradley J. Bond, Karen E. Dill-Shackleford, Jayson L. Dibble, Tracy R. Gleason, Nancy Jennings, Sara Rosaen, Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster

Communication Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Young people have easy access to an array of fictional characters and celebrities, many of whom exist across platforms (e.g., protagonists from the graphic novel Heartstopper now appear in live-action on Netflix) and are manifested in toys and other merchandise. Children and adolescents often create powerful, socioemotional connections with fictional characters and celebrities called parasocial relationships (PSRs). Preschoolers clutching Elmo dolls, tweens fantasizing about interactions with TikTok influencers, and queer teens finding affirmation in a gay couple on Schitt’s Creek all hint at possible PSRs. These one-sided, imagined social ties might raise concerns for parents and other stakeholders; however, PSRs …