Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons^™

Thrust Joint Manipulation Education: Student Perceptions Of Learning And Practical Experiences In Spinal Manipulation Within Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education Programs, Joshua Thomas Marks, Lisa Basl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Spinal thrust joint manipulation (TJM) education is mandatory in all professional entry-level physical therapy programs, yet TJM is under-utilized in daily practice. This descriptive study expands on previous data about how TJM is taught and includes data for the perceived confidence students have when performing TJM.

Methods: A 39-question descriptive survey inquiring about TJM education and selfperceived confidence in performing TJM was distributed via email to 213 accredited physical therapy programs.

Subjects: Respondents ranged in age from 22-45 (mean age=25.61 years). Respondents included 435 professional physical therapy students (84 male, 285 female) who have completed their …

Response To An Abnormal Ovarian Cancer-Screening Test Result: Test Of The Social Cognitive Processing And Cognitive Social Health Information Processing Models, Michael A. Andrykowski, Edward J. Pavlik

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

All cancer screening tests produce a proportion of abnormal results requiring follow up. Consequently, the cancer-screening setting is a natural laboratory for examining psychological and behavioural response to a threatening health-related event. This study tested hypotheses derived from the social cognitive processing and cognitive-social health information processing models in trying to understand response to an abnormal ovarian cancer (OC) screening test result. Women (n = 278) receiving an abnormal screening test result a mean of 7 weeks earlier were assessed prior to a repeat screening test intended to clarify their previous abnormal result. Measures of disposition (optimism, informational coping style), …

Neuromagnetic Measures Of Word Processing In Bilinguals And Monolinguals, Yingying Wang, Jing Xiang, Jennifer Vannest, Tom Holroyd, Daria Narmoneva, Paul Horn, Yinhong Liu, Douglas Rose, Ton Degrauw, Scott Holland

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study aimed to use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine the question of whether Mandarin-English bilingual speakers recruit the same cortical areas or develop distinct language-specific networks without overlaps for word processing.

Methods: Eight healthy Mandarin-English bilingual adults and eight healthy English monolingual adults were scanned while single-word paradigms were audio-visually presented.

Results: Our results showed significantly stronger beta-band power suppression in the right inferior parietal lobe (IPL) covering the supramarginal gyrus (BA 40) and angular gyrus (BA 39) for bilinguals when processing Mandarin versus English. Moreover, there were no significant differences between bilinguals and monolinguals in the left inferior …

Sleep Assessments In Healthy School-Aged Children Using Actigraphy: Concordance With Polysomnography, Karen Spruyt, David Gozal, Ehab Dayyat, Adrienne Roman, Dennis L. Molfese

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Actigraphic recordings (ACT) are widely used in school children as a less intrusive and more extended approach to evaluation of sleep problems. However, critical assessment of the validity and reliability of ACT against overnight polysomnography (NPSG) are unavailable. Thus, we explored the degree of concordance between NPSG and ACT in school-aged children to delineate potential ACT boundaries when interpreting pediatric sleep. Non-dominant wrist ACT was simultaneously recorded with NPSG in 149 healthy school-aged children (4.1 to 8.8 years old, 41.7% boys and 80.4% Caucasian) recruited from the community. Analyses were limited to the Actiware (MiniMitter-64) calculated parameters originating from 1-min …

Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, And Metabolic Homeostasis In School-Aged Children, Karen Spruyt, Dennis L. Molfese, David Gozal

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to explore the effects of duration and regularity of sleep schedules on BMI and the impact on metabolic regulation in children.

METHODS: Sleep patterns of 308 community-recruited children 4 to 10 years of age were assessed with wrist actigraphs for 1 week in a cross-sectional study, along with BMI assessment. Fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein also were measured for a subsample.

RESULTS: Children slept 8 hours per night, on average, regardless of their weight categorization. A nonlinear trend between sleep and weight emerged. For obese children, …

Sleep Estimates In Children: Parental Versus Actigraphic Assessments, Ehab A. Dayyat, Karen Spruyt, Dennis L. Molfese, David Gozal

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

Background: In the context of increasing awareness about the need for assessment of sleep duration in community and clinical settings, the use of questionnaire-based tools may be fraught with reporter bias. Conversely, actigraphy provides objective assessments of sleep patterns. In this study, we aimed to determine the potential discrepancies between parentally-based sleep logs and concurrent actigraphic recordings in children over a one-week period.

Methods: We studied 327 children aged 3–10 years, and included otherwise healthy, nonsnoring children from the community who were reported by their parents to be nonsnorers and had normal polysomnography, habitually-snoring children from the community …

Minimal Information For Neural Electromagnetic Ontologies (Minemo): A Standards-Compliant Method For Analysis And Integration Of Event-Related Potentials (Erp) Data, Gwen Frishkoff, Jason Sydes, Kurt Mueller, Tim Curran, John F. Connolly, Kerry Kilborn, Dennis L. Molfese, Charles Perfetti, Allen D. Malony

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty Publications

We present MINEMO (Minimal Information for Neural ElectroMagnetic Ontologies), a checklist for the description of event-related potentials (ERP) studies. MINEMO extends MINI (Minimal Information for Neuroscience Investigations)to the ERP domain. Checklist terms are explicated in NEMO, a formal ontology that is designed to support ERP data sharing and integration. MINEMO is also linked to an ERP database and web application (the NEMO portal). Users upload their data and enter MINEMO information through the portal. The database then stores these entries in RDF (Resource Description Framework), along with summary metrics, i.e., spatial and temporal metadata. Together these spatial, temporal, and functional …

Middle School Teachers' Perceptions Of Barriers Of Managing Student Behavior, Winifred Nicole Whitlock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite training and support, many middle school teachers struggle to create, implement, and enforce research-based strategies to manage students' behaviors. The purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' perceptions about the barriers of managing student behavior. The research questions investigated 9 teachers' perceived barriers of managing student behavior at one middle school and the observed actions of these teachers' reactions to student behavior. Each participant was asked to participate in a 45-minute semistructured interview to examine their perceived barriers of managing student behavior and the strategies they use to manage student behavior relative to McGregor's theories X and …

Roles Of Internal Locus Of Control And Self-Efficacy On Managing Job Stressors And Ryff's Six Scales Of Psychological Well-Being, William A. Howatt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles internal locus of control and self-efficacy play in moderating how employees manage their perceived work stress and positively engage in the behaviors that facilitate autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, self-acceptance, positive relations with others, and purpose in life. Investigators have documented the relationship between perceived workplace stress and strain and showed that how employees cope with perceived stress influences their psychological and physical health. However, there is less information available about the relationship between how employees cope with perceived workplace stress and engage in behaviors that facilitate their psychological well-being. …

Self-Hypnosis And Volitional Control Of Finger Temperature Among Adults, Joseph Swope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Raynaud's disease is a condition in which circulation to the hands becomes restricted, causing an uncomfortable sense of cold and occasionally injury. The cause of Raynaud's disease is unknown. Earlier studies have shown that hetero-hypnosis is effective in the treatment of Raynaud's disease. Cost and access to providers limit such a treatment's availability. Theories of hypnosis suggest that self-hypnosis underlies all hypnotic processes. This study examined the utility of self-hypnosis and focused attention on the volitional control of hand temperature. Forty-three adult participants ranging in age from 19 to 77 years with no hypnosis experience were randomly divided into 2 …

The Relationship Between Depression And Cognitive Deterioration In Older Adults, Rakesh Chand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The population structure of the United States is changing; the older age group is increasing in size relative to the younger generation. The trend is expected to continue, especially starting in 2020, when the baby boomer population---estimated at 80 million---will be reaching their 65 th birthday, a time associated with increasing health complications, including depression and dementia. The study employed a holistic paradigm as the conceptual framework to examine the association between depression and dementia in older adults, and generated a grounded theory to illuminate the relationship between depression and dementia. This theory was then used to assess the efficacy …

Attachment, Parentally Bereaved Adolescents, And High School Outcomes In A Large Inner-City High School, Silvana Amar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. and world communities face the challenges of understanding how children grieve and of giving them sufficient social and educational support. Inner-city minority adolescents have not been represented well in the bereavement and attachment literature. The purpose of the quantitative study was to use the attachment theory to understand the impact of parental bereavement on these adolescents. Data were collected using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the Piers-Harris Children's Self- Concept Scale (2nd ed.), and school records. MANOVAs were used to analyze the influence of attachment organization, bereavement status, and gender on self-concept and academic and behavioral functioning in school. …

Implementing Core Values In The High-Tech Industry, Arthur J. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has indicated that the path-goal theory is an effective way to study leadership behavior; however, a gap exists in the literature with respect to its achievement-oriented and participative leadership dimensions in high-tech organizations. In this quantitative study, the effects of a core values intervention on the four leadership dimensions of House's path-goal theory were evaluated at a semiconductor manufacturer with a focus on the differences between supervisors and non-supervisory personnel. Data were gathered from the validated, company-developed Corporate Culture Survey that was administered pre and post intervention. Data were also gathered from a categorization task that sorted the …

Knowledge Sharing And Competitiveness Of Professional Service Firms: A Case Study, Albert P. Cruz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study is that little action is taken to create the social aspects and social value of knowledge-sharing culture within organizations. There is a need for increased understanding of the behavioral side of knowledge management. The purpose of this study was to focus on knowledge sharing from a behavioral perspective. Knowledge management is defined as the accumulation, protection, and leverage of knowledge. This research study investigated the relationship between knowledge sharing and competitiveness and approached the field of knowledge management from the organizational, cultural, and behavioral perspectives. The research questions examined how knowledge workers described the …

Spirituality And Depression In Parents With Children In Oncology Or Hematology Treatment, Kurt D. Soell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The psychological burden of cancer treatment affects not only child patients but also their parents. There is extensive literature on the positive influence of spirituality on the cancer patient. But there is a gap in the literature on the potential healing influence of spirituality on the parent of the cancer or hematology patient. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spirituality and parents' levels of depression and anxiety during their child's hematological or oncology treatment. Using the transtheoretical model of change, a purposive sample of 48 parents of children undergoing cancer or hematology treatment completed a …

Introduction: For Love Or Money? Defining Relationships In Law And Life, Kimberly D. Krawiec, Marion Crain

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Literacy Achievement Of Secondary Students, David P. Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Proficiency in language arts and communication skills is essential to success in the global workforce. Most states assess students in language arts literacy (LAL) through standardized tests that assess a student's ability to read, interpret literature, and write expressively. Although educational reformers strive to improve the foundations that prepare students in literacy, reforms have not fully incorporated the theory of emotional intelligence (EI), which explains a student's ability to use, understand, perceive, and manage their emotions in order to think critically, make decisions, and solve problems. Although it is not known whether EI directly correlates to literacy, emotional skills are …

Evaluation Of Bureau Practice For Illegal Drugs Use Among Teens, Sharon D. Heard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Bureau of Substance Abuse Treatment Recovery and Prevention, which oversees drug intervention services for Detroit residents, has found the city's illegal drug use among teens to mirror national rates. Illegal drug use is associated with addiction, major health problems, and stigma. Incorporating evidence-based screening during all teen health care visits would decrease missed opportunities to identify at-risk behaviors, the number of teens that do not receive intervention, and the stigma associated with screening. The purpose of this project was to develop evidence-based policy and practice guidelines for teen screening services for illegal drug use. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was …

Orbitofrontal Cortex Provides Cross-Modal Valuation Of Self-Generated Stimuli, William A. Cunningham, Ingrid J. Haas, Ashley S. Waggoner

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Prior research has shown that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays an important role in the representation of the evaluation of stimuli, regardless of stimulus modality. Based on these findings, researchers have proposed that the OFC serves a common currency function, allowing for the direct comparison of different types of perceptual stimuli (e.g. food, drink, money). The present study was designed to extend this research and investigate whether these same regions of OFC that have been identified in previous research are involved in evaluating imagined stimuli. Specifically, we asked participants to draw on prior attitudinal knowledge to generate internal representations of …

The Role Of Taste And Calories In Access-Induced Excessive Sweets Consumption By The Rat, Adam Celejewski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

For individuals diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN) eating is often manifested in intermittent bouts of gorging, a behaviour that is similar to excessive consumption of rewarding drugs in addiction (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Corwin & Grigson, 2009; Epstein & Shaham, 2010). Our laboratory has found that sucrose solution intake by rats escalates markedly when provided on Discontinuous Access (DisA; 24h once every 3 or 4 days) schedules but is maintained at lower, stable levels with Continuous Access (ConA; ad lib) schedules (Hewitt & Eikelboom, 2008). Once DisA/ConA consumption differences are established, they persist even …