Other Psychology Commons^™

The Contribution Of Nmda Receptors Within The Central Nucleus Of The Amygdala To The Suppression Of Pain Affect, Catherine Ann Spuz

Wayne State University Dissertations

The amygdala processes stimuli that threaten an individual and organizes the execution of affective behaviors designed to cope with the threat. The prototypical threat to an individual is exposure to a noxious stimulus. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) receives nociceptive afferents and exhibits neuronal activation in response to noxious peripheral stimulation. NMDA receptors within CeA mediate this noxious-evoked neural excitation, and previous studies in the laboratory have shown that blockade of CeA NMDA receptors via the antagonist APV elevates the threshold for noxious tail-shock-induced vocalization afterdischarges (VADs), a validated measure of pain affect in the rat. The present …

Examination Of The Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Evaluative And Semantic Priming Effects By Varying Task Instructions: An Erp Study, Jennifer Hilda Taylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the cognitive processes that underlie stimulus identification and the activation of attitudes by investigating behavioral and psychophysiological effects in a priming paradigm. Cognitive mechanisms were investigated by examining evaluative and semantic priming effects on behavioral response times, the N400, and LPP event-related potential (ERP) components by varying tasks between-subjects. Participants either completed an evaluative task, a semantic task, or a feature-detection task. It was hypothesized that the behavioral evaluative priming effect would occur in the evaluative task and that the behavioral semantic priming effect would occur in the semantic and feature-detection tasks. The N400 was hypothesized to …

An Experimental Study Of The Impact Of Psychological Capital On Performance, Engagement, And The Contagion Effect, Timothy Daniel Hodges

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Psychological Capital, or PsyCap, is a core construct consisting of the positive psychological resources of efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience. Previous research has consistently linked PsyCap to workplace outcomes including employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance. Further research has explored the ways in which PsyCap can be developed through relatively brief workplace interventions. The present study focuses on PsyCap development and the relationship to employee engagement and performance. In an experimental design with random assignment of subjects to control group (n = 52 managers and 152 associates) and treatment group (n = 58 managers and 239 employees), a field sample of …

Smoking Cessation, Reduction And Motivation Change In A Predominantly Hispanic Sample, Jose Alonso Cabriales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

To date, few studies have focused on smoking cessation specifically for light and intermittent smokers (fewer than 10 cigarettes per day). Light and intermittent smoking have been on the rise for the past years, and multiple studies have documented the detrimental health effects of low-level smoking. This study assessed the efficacy of a brief smoking cessation intervention for light smokers in a predominantly Hispanic community sample. Additionally, predictors of quitting were also assessed. Two hundred and fifty light and intermittent smokers were recruited primarily from a family health clinic and the UTEP campus. Participants completed baseline measures assessing demographics, tobacco …

Social Understanding And The Effect Of Social Pressure On Children's Suggestibility, Catherine Camilletti

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated the effect of varying levels of social pressure in a suggestive interview on children's recall for a witnessed event as well as the relationship between children's social understanding and their suggestibility. Children were randomly assigned to take part in one of four suggestive interviews about a confederate's visit to their classroom. Children also completed several tasks to assess their knowledge and understanding of social situations. Children receiving high levels of social pressure in an interview had higher rates of suggestibility than children receiving lower levels of social pressure in an interview. Children's overall comprehension of a …

The Role Of Generation And Monitoring Processes In Governing The Paradoxical Effects Of Retrieval On Memory For Faces, Kyle Joseph Susa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Verbal descriptions of faces can at times impair and at other times facilitate subsequent face identification accuracy. Three experiments were conducted from a retrieval-based theoretical perspective to determine the underlying cognitive processes that can account for these paradoxical findings. Results demonstrated that the verbal description-identification relationship is analogous to other domains of memory where an initial retrieval of memory can have both positive and negative effects on subsequent retrieval attempts. Results of Experiment 1 showed that verbal facilitation is a product of self-generated descriptions that enrich the semantic encoding of the original memory trace. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that …

The Relationships Among School Counselors' Multicultural Competence, Demographic Data And Ethical Decision-Making, Laura Ann Strong

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships, if any, among school counselors' multicultural competence, demographic data and ethical decision-making ability. The participants (N=160) for this study were members of the American Counseling Association (ACA) who designated their area of practice as school counseling. Participant's multicultural competence level was measured by the use of the MCCTS-R© (Revised by Holcomb-McCoy, 2004). Participant's ethical decision-making ability was measured through the use of the EDMS-R© (Revised by Paritzky and Dufrene, 2000; Adapted from James Rest's Defining Issues Test©, 1979, All Rights Reserved). The participants' demographic data was collected through the use …

Sex And Setting: A Look At Operational And Organizational Stress In Policing, Laura Anne Lundell

Honors Program Theses

Several studies have looked at how the sex of an officer may or may not influence stress levels within the setting of municipal departments but very little research regarding gender and stress can be found for officers on university or college campuses (Burke, Richardsen & Martinussen, 2006; He, Zhao & Archbold, 2002; Lilly, Pole, Best, Metzler & Marmar 2009; Morash, Haarr & Kwak, 2006; Norvell, Hills & Murrin 1993). Similarly, when sex is looked at as it relates to stress, research is lacking in whether men and women officers experience or are affected differently from operational and organizational stress.

For …

The Nature And Significance Of Groups, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

An understanding of group counseling requires an understanding of groups themselves, their basic nature and processes. Given that human beings are a social species and spend their lives in groups rather than alone, an individual-level analysis of adjustment, well-being, and treatment, with its focus on internal, psychological processes, should be supplemented by a group-level analysis. The defining features of a group are relationships linking a substantial number of members, boundaries, interdependence, structure, cohesion, and entitativity (perceived groupness): and groups with more of these features are more Influential than other forms of association, such as social networks. The chapter reviews a …

Group Processes And Group Psychotherapy: Social Psychological Foundations Of Change In Therapeutic Groups, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Social psychology and clinical psychology share an interest in change. Rather than assuming that people are static and that psychological systems are immutable, social psychologists track the shifts in social attitudes, actions, values, and beliefs that result from individuals' everyday interactions in their social worlds. Similarly, clinical psychologists examine changes in adjustment, well-being, and dysfunction that are evidenced as people develop psychologically and physically, confront new life circumstances, or react effectively or less adaptively to daily life events.

Machinima And Video-Based Soft Skills Training, Curtis Conkey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multimedia training methods have traditionally relied heavily on video based technologies and significant research has shown these to be very effective training tools. However production of video is time and resource intensive. Machinima (pronounced 'muh-sheen-eh-mah') technologies are based on video gaming technology. Machinima technology allows video game technology to be manipulated into unique scenarios based on entertainment or training and practice applications. Machinima is the converting of these unique scenarios into video vignettes that tell a story. These vignettes can be interconnected with branching points in much the same way that education videos are interconnected as vignettes between decision points. …

Functionality, Parsimony, Discovery, Avoiding Hamartia: How Evolutionary Perspectives Are Changing Psychology, Brooke N. Jenkins, Aaron T. Goetz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary psychology offers an important perspective to scientific psychology. Evolutionary psychology, in its short existence, has added an abundance of knowledge to the social sciences, let alone psychology. The study of human cognition and behavior remains incomplete without an evolutionary perspective. Here, we argue that evolutionary psychology uniquely provides a complete understanding of scientific psychology because it explains the functions of our psychological traits, provides us with the most parsimonious explanation of many psychological phenomena, predicts undocumented phenomena, and possibly allows us to avoid the downfalls of some of our contemptible evolved psychological mechanisms.

A Preliminary Study: Body Dysmorphic Disorder In Division I Women’S Collegiate Soccer Players, Tammy D. Jones

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) among collegiate athletes has not been clearly determined. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder found in Division I women’s soccer players. The researcher hypothesized that there would be some symptoms found within the participants of sport and that there was a need to research this area further.

The study consisted of four participants who participated in semi-structured interviews. The subjects were asked a series of questions from the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS) to determine if they indicated …

Expanding Leader Capability: An Exploratory Study Of The Effect Of Daily Practices For Leader Development, Simon Rakoff

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Leadership is, at its essence, an influence relationship between people. Leaders are often thought of as those who are able to influence people to take actions oriented toward achieving specific goals and objectives. While many books have been written, and myriad scholarly research studies conducted enumerating countless personal characteristics, qualities, and skills of the exemplary leader, little has been done to understand and convey the ways in which an individual might go about cultivating these virtues; which are often said to include charisma, empathy, communication skills, and others. Through a multiple single-subject design, this research examines the individual-level effect of …

Edge Leadership: Using Senior Leadership Perceptions To Explore Organizational Turnarounds, Lynn William Olsen

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The researcher developed the concept of an edge leader—that is, one who can mindfully turn around a troubled business to sustain it for the future. In an increasingly turbulent and competitive climate, more edge leaders must be developed to sustain their organizations for the benefit of shareholders, employees, communities, and society. The researcher's review of the classic and contemporary leadership and change literatures suggested that four elements are necessary to develop leaders capable of leading even basic beneficial change. They include: having broad, successful experience; being emotionally and socially aware; having the ability to think differently about priorities and paradoxes …

“All The Men Here Have The Peter Pan Syndrome— They Don’T Want To Grow Up”: Navajo Adolescent Mothers’ Intimate Partner Relationships—A 15-Year Perspective, Rochelle L. Dalla, Alexandria M. Marchetti, Elizabeth (Beth) A. Sechrest, Jennifer L. White

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

In 1992 and 1995, data were collected from 29 Navajo Native American adolescent mothers. In 2007 and 2008, data were collected from 21 of the original 29 (72%). Guided by feminist family theory, this investigation sought to (a) examine Navajo adolescent mothers’ intimate partner relationships during the transition to parenthood, (b) identify themes in the young mothers’ intimate partnerships across time, and (c) assess participants’ psychosocial well-being in adulthood. Four themes emerged in the women’s long-term intimate relationships: limited support, substance abuse, infidelity, and intimate partner violence. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Trajectories Of Ptsd And Substance Use Disorders In A Longitudinal Study Of Personality Disorders, Meghan E. Mcdevitt-Murphy, Gilbert R. Parra, Carlos M. Grilo, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Andrew E. Skodol, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Charles A. Sanislow, John G. Gunderson, John C. Markowitz

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) in a sample (N = 668) recruited for personality disorders and followed longitudinally as part of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The study both examined rates of co-occurring disorders at baseline and temporal relationships between PTSD and substance use disorders over 4 years. Subjects with a lifetime history of PTSD at baseline had significantly higher rates of SUDs (both alcohol and drug) than subjects without PTSD. Latent class growth analysis, a relatively novel approach used to analyze trajectories and identify homogeneous subgroups of participant …

Reactivity And Distortions In The Self: Narcissism, Types Of Aggression, And The Functioning Of The Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis During Early Adolescence, William M. Bukowski, Alex Schwartzman, Jonathan Bruce Santo, Catherine Bagwell, Ryan Adams

Psychology Faculty Publications

A multisample, multistudy project aimed at understanding how individual differences in narcissism during early adolescence are related to distortions in the aggression, and the reactivity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis to negative and positive experiences. The findings indicate that individual differences in narcissism are a remarkably stable aspect of personality during early adolescence. It is predictably related to an inflated view of the self that is not warranted by objective indices of social functioning. Further evidence shows that it promotes the continuity of aggressive behavior and is more strongly related to reactive aggression than to proactive aggression and more strongly related …

Ciis Today, Fall 2009 Issue, Ciis

CIIS Today

This volume is the Fall 2009 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Attachment: The Antidote To Trauma, Joshua Straub

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Trauma and loss in life are inevitable. And all too often the traumatic experience itself can be enough to paralyze the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of any given person. Unable to interpret the traumatic experience, many instead are left defined by it. Helping clients discern the objective experience and their subjective reactions to it will help free them from the emotions and beliefs that subsequently control their lives. Based on the most relevant attachment theory research and clinical techniques, this workshop teaches the attentional strategies necessary to helping clients overcome trauma.

What's Good About Feeling Bad Handout For Aacc World Conference 2009, John C. Thomas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Based upon the book "What's good about feeling bad: Finding purpose and a path through pain" by Drs. John C. Thomas and Gary Habermas. The presentation covers the benefits that God can bring from suffering

Rules For Becoming A Graceful Woman: Rhetorical Analysis Of The Japanese Self-Help Book Grace Of Women, Kaori Yamada

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

People buy and read books to gain something they lack in their lives. One might read a novel to have fun, one might read a philosophy book to rethink his/her worldview, or one might read a how-to book to learn an easy process for self-improvement. Self-help books, in particular, are explicit instruction manuals for achieving personal and relational well being (Zimmerman, Holm, and Haddock 122). By analyzing popular self-help books, one can discover what people believe they might be lacking.

A Pilot Study Of Bibliotherapy To Reduce Alcohol Problems Among Patients In A Hospital Trauma Center, Paul Amrhein, Timothy Apodaca, William R. Miller, Carol R. Schermer

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Because alcohol use plays a major role in many injuries that require hospital care, there is increasing interest in developing interventions to address alcohol problems among emergency department and trauma center patients. The aim of the current study was to extend past research on brief interventions by investigating the use of a self-help manual to treat problem drinkers in a hospital trauma center. Forty injured patients who were either intoxicated at the time of injury or screened positive for harmful drinking were randomly assigned to receive either a brief assessment and a self-help booklet with no more than 5 minutes …

Do Physical Self-Efficacy And Physical Self-Concept Mediate The Relationship Between Past Sports Participation, Past Gym Grades And Physical Activity Across The Life-Span?, Christopher Frederick Ketcham

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Retrospective studies have shown that the formation of habits, both health and activity related, during childhood is vital to carrying those habits into adulthood (Azevedo, Araujo & Hallal, 2007; Barnekow-Bergkvist et al. 1996; Nelson, Gordon-Larsen, Adair, & Popkin, 2005; Telama et al. 1997; Telama, Yang, Viikari, Valimaki, Wanne & Raitakari, 2005). These studies demonstrate that passive participation in an activity is not sufficient; rather organized participation, such as being part of a team, is necessary for continuation of a physical activity later in life. In addition, researchers have found that sound physical and strong academic educations are also important in …

History Of Maltreatment And Psychiatric Impairment In Children In Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment, Kerry Gagnon

Honors Scholar Theses

There is increasing evidence that childhood victimization and attachment disruptions impact a child’s development. In this study, children and adolescents from an outpatient psychiatric clinic were assessed, measuring history of trauma, history of out-of-home placement, initial diagnoses, and CBCL internalizing and externalizing problem scores. Multiple regression analyses showed that both violent abuse trauma (physical/sexual abuse) and victim trauma (physical abuse/sexual abuse/witnessing domestic violence/witnessing community violence) are prevalent among patients with externalizing severity problems; concluding that diagnosis alone may not account for a history of victimization, but externalizing problem severity does. Overall, the study is consistent with past literature that it …

Diagnosing The Prodromal State Of Alzheimer's Disease, Jennifer Bartkowiak

Honors Scholar Theses

Mild Cognitive Impairment- Amnestic Subtype (MCIa) is a putative prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) characterized by focal deficits in episodic verbal memory. Less is known about relative deficits in visuospatial learning, although there is ample evidence indicating involvement of the hippocampus in visuospatial learning, as well as hippocampal degeneration in early AD. The aim of this study was to better characterize the components of working memory dysfunction in people with MCIa to increase the ability to reliably diagnose this disease. Fifty-six elderly adults diagnosed with MCIa and 94 healthy elderly completed a hidden maze learning task. Results indicated similar …

Drinking Motives And Self-Other Differences Of College Norms Of Alcohol-Related Consequences And Protective Behavioral Strategies, Kristyn Lao

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Heavy alcohol use and related consequences among college students have prompted an increase in research on determinants of excessive drinking, including perceived drinking norms. A distinction can be made between descriptive norms (what others do) and injunctive norms (what others approve of). Research reveals consistent self-other differences (SOD) for both descriptive and injunctive norms (Borsari & Carey, 2003), such that students tend to endorse more conservative behaviors and attitudes for themselves than they ascribe to their peers. The purpose of this study is to extend understanding of injunctive norms by evaluating SOD on (a) global comfort with drinking of students …

Evolutionary Mating Traits: When Costly Signals Emerge, David Taube

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study investigated whether different romantic contexts would influence one’s willingness to engage in blatant benevolence or conspicuous consumption. Participants – 341 college-age students – were recruited to read written stimulus materials about interpersonal encounters with a person of the opposite sex. Each participant was then asked to respond to questionnaires, which led to atypical results in how men and women interpret ambiguous cues. Contrary to previous findings, evidence suggested women more readily wish to use costly signals in response to ambiguous romantic cues in evolving relationships as compared to men, who showed no distinction between non-romantic and ambiguously romantic …

Parental Involvement In Students’ Safe Use Of The Internet, Stacey L. Kite, Robert K. Gable, Lawrence P. Filippelli

Cyberbullying

The purpose of this study was to investigate if parental involvement in digital activities relates to middle school students’ knowledge of appropriate use of the Internet and social networking sites. Parental involvement, measured using a three-item dimension on the 40 item instrument, asked students to report on their knowledge of their parent’s involvement with their internet activity. The aggregate score on this dimension was used to measure the relationship among several dimensions. Furthermore, demographic items, such as grade level, having an older sibling, and getting in trouble at school, were also investigated.

Over 71% of adults in the United States …

Integration Of Computer-Based Virtual Check Ride System - Pre-Trip Inspection In Commercial Driver License Training Program, Alpesh Makwana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pre-Trip Inspection of the truck and trailer is one of the components of the current Commercial Driver's License (CDL) test. This part of the CDL test checks the ability of the student to identify the important parts of the commercial vehicle and their potential defects. The Virtual Check Ride System (VCRS), a computer-based application, is an assessment and feedback tool that mirrors the inspection component of the actual CDL. The VCRS has provided an after action review (AAR) via a feedback session that helps in identifying and correcting drivers' skill in inspecting parts and for overall safety. The purpose of …