Other Psychology Commons^™

Pickleball And Well-Being, Marina Erickson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This capstone project focused on community members who attended pickleball drop-in times at a neighborhood community center. This case study was done by survey data collection, observation, analysis, and connecting the ways pickleball impacts well-being. Participation in pickleball positively contributes to the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of well-being.

The Personality Profile Of Libya’S Muammar Gaddafi, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This research report, prepared for the France 5 television documentary “Le Monde en face: Kadhafi, la folie d’un dictateur,” presents the results of an indirect personality assessment of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Harnessing The Power Of Peer Collaboration: Effects Of Cooperative Mock Exams On Statistics Anxiety And Self-Efficacy, Kristof Csaba

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of collaborative mock exams on test anxiety and self-efficacy in undergraduate statistics courses. Students completed a mock exam individually or in pairs and provided pre- and post-activity measures of test anxiety and self-efficacy. Results showed that the collaborative condition exhibited lower statistics anxiety and exam-specific anxiety compared to the individual condition, but no significant difference in post-activity self-efficacy was found. Within-group analyses revealed a decrease in exam-specific anxiety and an increase in self-efficacy across both conditions. Condition by time interactions were not significant, although the pattern of results trended in the expected direction for exam-specific …

Cultural Memory And The Search For Identity In Victorian Fantasy Fiction, Sadie Boggs

Honors College Theses

Fantasy literature's origins can be traced through myths and folktales, medieval romances, enlightenment fairy tale fantasy, and Romanticism, before finally taking firmer root in the Victorian period and blooming into its own genre in 20th century modern fantasy. Victorian thinkers reacted to the Enlightenment’s realism and technological innovation by “rediscovering” the Middle Ages as a time of beauty, simplicity, and moral virtue. Simultaneously, Psychology developed as a recognized field of study, and theories emerged about the psychological process of memory formation and retrieval, as well as its reliability and relation to identity.

Considering these psychological theories, Victorian fantasy's cultural memory …

The Ensemble Code As A Constructed Working Memory, Jacob Zepp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation formalizes and refines a new theory of ensemble coding: the Non-Selective Transfer Model. Within this theory, ensemble codes and subsequent summary judgments are the result of representations constructed over a subset of information that is encoded into working memory. The work begins with a brief review of current ideas present within the ensemble coding literature, followed by a set of formalized descriptions of ensemble coding theories that have been proposed. A discussion of relevant theories present in the working memory literature is also provided to motivate the structure of the subsequent model. The Non-Selective Transfer Model 2 is …

Moving From Traits To The Dynamic Process: The Next Steps In Research On Human Resilience, Yannick Hill, Michael L. Dolezal, Patric C. Nordbeck, Ruud J. R. Den Hartigh, David Pincus, Adam W. Kiefer, Bernard P. Ricca

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The current literature on resilience shows a trend toward a dynamic process conceptualization, moving away from the previous trait-approach. However, the term “dynamic” is increasingly treated as a buzzword and is thereby oversimplified in the literature. The aim of this article is to develop a unified language pertaining to resilience as a dynamic process, so as to ensure progress in this field. First, we briefly introduce the traditional trait approach alongside the implicit assumption on which it is built. Next, we contrast this approach by discussing what dynamics entail and how this approach differs from mainstream psychological approaches. Specifically, dynamics …

Psychology In Vietnam, Michael Hass, Hoang-Minh Dang

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

The development of psychology in Vietnam is closely tied to its colonial history and the 30-year division of the country into two states. In the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, psychology was intricately connected with education, pedagogy, and teacher training. This emphasis continued throughout the country post-unification. As Vietnam reformed its economy in the late 1980s and 1990s, the social stresses associated with these changes led to a greater need for mental health services, especially for children and youth. This has led to the development of specialized graduate programs in clinical and school psychology. Currently, 28 universities offer bachelor’s degrees in …

Ncaa Di Athletic Trainers’ Perception And Use Of Psychological Techniques During Sport Injury Rehabilitation, Rebecca Zakrajsek, Alexander Bianco, Mary Estepp, Johannes Raabe, Scott B. Martin

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Psychological challenges can influence injured athletes’ speed of recovery and readiness to return to sport. In this study, 485 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) athletic trainers (ATs) self-reported their use and perceptions of confidence, effectiveness, familiarity, and qualification toward seven psychological techniques (i.e., effective communication, goal setting, time management, attentional control, self-talk, relaxation, and imagery) during injury rehabilitation on rating scales ranging from 1 (never or not at all) to 7 (always or very). Descriptive statistics and a one-way repeated MANOVA indicated that ATs used effective communication, goal setting, and …

The Personality Profile And Leadership Style Of U.S. Vice President And 2024 Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris, Aubrey Immelman, Anne Marie Griebie, Elise Vomacka

Psychology Faculty Publications

The paper presents the results of an indirect personality assessment of U.S. vice president Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data about Harris were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5-TR.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed in accordance with interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality …

Community Crime And Safety: An Investigation Of Gender Differences In The Daily Stress Process, Jennifer W. Robinette, Jennifer R. Piazza, Robert S. Stawski

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Few studies have investigated the associations between community crime rates and affective well-being, and how that relationship may differ according to gender. Using data from the National Study of Daily Experiences and the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the current study examined gender differences between daily affective experiences, crime rates, and perceptions of neighborhood safety. Although feeling unsafe in one's neighborhood was related to worse affective well-being (i.e., higher negative affect/lower positive affect) and larger affective responses to daily stressors, crime rates were not. Women's negative affect was more strongly tied to daily stressors, whereas men's was more strongly tied to …

Development Of A Facility-Level Second Victim Syndrome Peer-Mentor Program: Program Design And Future Directions, Jacqueline Trammell, Noah Zanville, Caryn Alper

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Despite efforts to prevent errors, studies show that iatrogenic, or health care-related, errors continue to occur. Understandably, these errors, which can range in severity from near-misses to serious harm, can be devastating for the health care professionals involved, creating a potential second set of victims, in addition to the patient(s) that were harmed directly. Studies show that individuals struggling with second-victim syndrome (SVS) can be at increased risk for depression, burnout, and poor work performance. However, programs designed to develop peer mentors to support individuals struggling with SVS are poorly described.

Methods

Following a review of the literature, our …

The Pulse Of Connection: Trust And Confidentiality In Internal Coaching Dynamics, Mehdi Ebrahimi

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Internal coaching is growing in popularity across various industries and sectors, either as a standalone resource or in conjunction with external coaching and other relevant programs and initiatives. Despite the growing popularity and reported benefits, there is a substantial dearth of research on the dynamics of “internal coaching” relationships, making it one of the least explored areas in organizational coaching literature. This paper contributes to addressing the research gap by presenting the outcomes of a study that explores the coach–client relationship and captures perspectives from internal coaches, external coaches, managers, and, notably, coachees, also known as coaching clients. Employing a …

Subjective Well-Being Across The Life Course Among Non-Industrialized Populations, Michael Gurven, Yoann Buoro, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Katherine Sayre, Benjamin Trumble, Aili Pyhälä, Hillard Kaplan, Arild Angelsen, Jonathan Stieglitz, Victoria Reyes-Garcia

ESI Publications

Subjective well-being (SWB) is often described as being U-shaped over adulthood, declining to a midlife slump and then improving thereafter. Improved SWB in later adulthood has been considered a paradox given age-related declines in health and social losses. While SWB has mostly been studied in high-income countries, it remains largely unexplored in rural subsistence populations lacking formal institutions that reliably promote social welfare. Here, we evaluate the age profile of SWB among three small-scale subsistence societies (n = 468; study 1), forest users from 23 low-income countries (n = 6987; study 2), and Tsimane’ horticulturalists (n = …

A Trans-Theoretical Systematization Of Clinical Interventions Based On Dynamical Systems Research (Dsr), Giulio De Felice, David Pincus

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The scientific literature focused on the categorization of therapists’ interventions in clinical sessions, and their effects on patients, is not very extensive and often autoreferential. The most relevant findings clearly show the eclecticism of clinicians, grounding only 10–14% of their interventions on the specific theoretical approach to which they belong. Despite that, a trans-theoretical systematization of clinical interventions is lacking. The present work aims to verify the feasibility of a trans-theoretical categorization of clinical interventions based on Dynamical Systems Research in psychotherapy (DSR). For this purpose, the authors present the results of three literature reviews. The first sections of this …

It’S Worse If Superman Does It: Perceptions Of Moral Transgressions Committed By Superheroes And Supervillains, Justin F. Martin, Hansika Kapoor

Heroism Science

Superheroes are distinguished from supervillains due to their morally relevant behavior. However, what happens when they both engage in immoral behavior? This study examined how individuals perceive moral transgressions by their favorite superhero/villain in a quasi-experimental design. In line with Social Cognitive Domain Theory and Moral Foundations Theory, transgressions related to harm and justice were assessed. Specifically, participants (N = 363, predominantly White/Caucasian and South Asian) assessed characters’ likability, character traits, and moral evaluations. In line with hypotheses, results suggested that (a) superheroes were liked more than supervillains; (b) transgressions by superheroes were more morally impermissible than those by supervillains, …

Young Children’S Mental Well-Being In Low-Income South African Settings: A Qualitative Study, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jazette Johnson, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

This qualitative study aimed to capture community perspectives of the risks and protective factors for social emotional development and mental health of young children in low-income South Africa settings, and was conducted as one component of a larger study with the ultimate aim of co-designing the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool. Twenty focus group discussions (n = 154, 97% female) were held with staff of community-based organisations (CBOs) and community health worker (CHW) programmes in urban and rural sites from four geographical regions. Data were analysed thematically, and grouped according to components of nurturing care (responsive caregiving, safety …

Local Crime And Substance Use Disorders: A Comparison Of Midlife Adults In The 1990s And 2000s, Jennifer W. Robinette, Jason D. Boardman, Kathleen Mullan Harris

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This study investigated how sociopolitical changes in the United States between the 1990s and 2000s may explain the increase in substance use disorders and reduced longevity in more recent cohorts of US midlife adults. The 2008 recession which drastically increased unemployment rates across the country may have had negative implications for downstream contextual and individual processes, including both local crime rates and substance use disorders. The Midlife in the United States Survey cohort (1995; n = 6148; 20–75 years) and the MIDUS Refresher cohort (2011; n = 3543; 23–76 years) reported on substance use disorders. These data were linked to …

Emotional Display Rules Of Deaf Culture, Nicholas M. Gala, Lawrence Pick

JADARA

Emotional display rules refer to the expression of culturally prescribed and socially acceptable emotions across different people and situations (Wu & Schulz, 2020). The display rules among hearing adults across several cultures are well defined and depend on the type of emotion, the individuals involved in the exchange, and the situation. Regarding Deaf culture in the United States, this minoritized group may follow unique display rules (Hosie et al., 2000), but there has been almost no research conducted with this population and the existing studies have focused on youth. The present study explores perceived emotional expressions among a sample of …

Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Trinidad: An Analysis Of Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Among Essential Workers, Bernadette Marson, Gerard A. Hutchinson

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Research shows that some essential workers, such as healthcare workers, social workers, and first responders (including police officers, paramedics, and firefighters), are at greater risk for developing both short- and long-term mental health problems (Berger et al., 2012; Canady, 2022; Grey et al., 2020; Haugen et al., 2012; Mohamed et al., 2022; Petrie et al., 2018). The most prevalent of these include anxiety, depression, and stress, as well as other social and cognitive problems—with stress causing harmful effects on mental health and potentially resulting in anxiety and depression, which may then disrupt an individual’s social relationships, family life, and work. …

The Presence Of A Pet Dog Is Associated With A More Balanced Response To A Social Stressor, Jaci Gandenberger, Aurélie Ledreux, Ashley Taeckens, Kerry Murphy, Jenni Forkin, Anah Gilmore, Kevin N. Morris

Institute for Human-Animal Connection: Faculty Scholarship

Acute and chronic stress each have physical manifestations in the human body that can lead to many negative health impacts. Today, reported stress levels worldwide are at an all-time high, spurring the search for non-pharmaceutical interventions to maintain healthy stress levels. In this study, we examined whether a pet dog’s presence influences healthy adults’ acute stress responses as assessed through self-reports, heart rate, plasma cortisol, and salivary alpha-amylase. Participating pet dog owners were randomly assigned to undergo the Trier Social Stress Test either with their pet dog or alone. While there was no group difference in perceived anxiety levels, participants …

Gsep Research Symposium Proceedings - 2024

GSEP Research Symposium

The 8th Annual GSEP Research Symposium, was themed "Dismantling Barriers between Research and Practice: Shining a Light on Global Interdisciplinary Solutions," took place on July 18-19, 2024, at the picturesque Château d'Hauteville in Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, Switzerland.

The annual symposium is hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP). The symposium served as a dynamic platform for students, faculty, alums, and staff to come together and explore innovative ideas across multiple disciplines. Featuring 69 selected presentations under five distinct tracks, the proceedings showcase groundbreaking research, foster meaningful discussions, and promote professional development.

The symposium aimed to bridge …

Advancing Consensual Non-Monogamy In Psychological Research, Practice, And Policy: A Guide For Psychologists, Amy C. Moors, Michelle Denise Vaughan, Sharon M. Flicker, Kaiponanea T. Matsumura, Heath A. Schechinger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In this article, we present a brief overview of the topic of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) as a scientific inquiry, including reviews related to stigma, relationship functioning, and health and well-being. Next, we discuss how psychologists can be more responsive to people who engage in CNM, by (1) conducting research that is inclusive of CNM, including challenging mononormativity in theory and measurement; (2) training clinicians to be more knowledgeable about CNM, including expanding diversity requirements and evidence-based clinical practice; (3) working in advocacy to help shape law and policy, including future directions for research to inform marital/family and antidiscrimination law. Our …

Exposure And Connectedness To Natural Environments: An Examination Of The Measurement Invariance Of The Nature Exposure Scale (Nes) And Connectedness To Nature Scale (Cns) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, And Age Groups, Viren Swami, Mathew P. White, Martin Voracek, Ulrich S. Tran, Toivo Aavik, Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Sulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo, Reza Afhami, Oli Ahmed, David A. Frederick

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Detachment from nature is contributing to the environmental crisis and reversing this trend requires detailed monitoring and targeted interventions to reconnect people to nature. Most tools measuring nature exposure and attachment were developed in high-income countries and little is known about their robustness across national and linguistic groups. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey to assess measurement invariance of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES) and the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). While multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) of the NES supported …

A Laboratory Evaluation Of The Effects Of Empathy Training On Racial Bias, Victoria D. Suarez, Adel C. Najdowski, Angela Persicke, Jonathan Tarbox

Psychology Division Scholarship

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efects of behavioral procedures, including relational training and multiple exemplar training on empathic responding of individuals who display racial bias. In particular, this study used a multielement design with fve adult participants to evaluate whether the presentation of relational frames of coordination and distinction between the participants’ values and the values of a person belonging to a group for which a bias existed altered empathic responses toward people belonging to such groups. The results showed empathic responding was higher when relational frames of coordination were presented and lower when relational …

Approach-Avoidance Action Patterns As Indicators Of Empathic ‘Care Drive’ Strength, Stephanie R. Hruza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Empathy, care, and prosocial behavior are essential to social group cohesion, and antisocial and violent criminal behavior, on the other pole, can cause serious disruptions in group cohesion and negatively impact society as a whole. Different psychopathological conditions tend to present with impairments in affective empathy/caring and prosocial behavior, as is observed in psychopathic traits, which are tied to antisocial behavior and outcomes. It is essential to understand how empathy and care function, both in psychopathology and normal prosocial functioning, in order to inform interventions for empathy/care deficits and avoid the potential harm that such deficits can cause for others …

Interoception In Pregnancy: Implications For Peripartum Depression, Paul W. Savoca, Laura M. Glynn, Molly M. Fox, Misty C. Richards, Bridget L. Callaghan

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

"In this perspective piece, we propose a novel mechanistic framework for peripartum depression in which improved interoceptive functioning in pregnancy and postpartum typically protects against depressive symptoms, but when there is a failure to improve interoception, the result is an inability to maintain metabolic efficiency, which ultimately poses risk for depression. First, we will review an emerging theory that links the modeling and predictive regulation of metabolic resources as central to the expression of many depressive symptoms. Then, focusing on the period of pregnancy to articulate the framework, we will discuss the physiological changes induced by pregnancy that place an …

Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy

Dissertations

This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …

Helpful Intentions? Impact Of Intentionality On Children's Memory For Forensically-Relevant Information, Ella P. Merriwether

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Rationale: When a child is a witness or victim of a crime, they are often asked a barrage of questions regarding when the crime took place, how many times it occurred, and how the abuse unfolded (Cross & Whitcomb, 2017; Sullivan et al., 2022). These questions can be problematic because they rely on concepts for which children may lack memory or linguistic ability to answer (Fenson et al., 2000; Friedman, 1993). One fundamental element missing from the copious research (e.g., Brubacher et al., 2012; Stolzenberg et al., 2017a; Wylie et al., 2021) on children’s ability to recount forensically-relevant information is …

Building Networks, Producing Spaces For Play: Local Geographies And National Organizing In The History Of Adventure Playgrounds In The United States, 1949-1999, Reilly B. Wilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation provides an historical analysis of repurposed material adventure playgrounds in the United States between 1949 and 1999. Three microhistories of adventure playgrounds (The Yard, in Minneapolis, M.N., and several playgrounds in New York City, N.Y., and Houston, T.X.) are framed against the wider socio-economic changes that shaped more than thirty-five adventure playgrounds in the United States over the period of study. By focusing on the relationships mobilized by adventure playground advocates at different scales and across different points of view, and how these networks shaped the local production of spaces for play, this dissertation's method underlines the importance …

Measuring Intersectional Strength And Stigma Among Racially Minoritized Gender Diverse Young Adults, Joseph Carter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Racially minoritized transgender and gender expansive young adults (RMTGEYA; aged 18-26) experience mental health inequities due to intersectional, multilevel stigma. RMTGEYA communities embody intersectional strength and resilience that can mitigate the impact of stigma. Understanding and capturing strength and stigma factors to address these inequities has significant implications for clinical science research and practice. There is, however, a complete absence of instruments that are validated to do so. Objective: The goal of this study is to conduct a three-phase, mixed methods study that centers intersectional and community engaged methods of psychometric development for a measure that captures daily experiences …