Behavioral Disciplines and Activities Commons^™

Searching For A Sense Of Place: The Process Of How Adolescent Girls Overcome Suicidality, Tamara Keefner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide and self-harming behaviors are significant public health problems among children and adolescents globally and in the United States. Despite significant advances in recent decades to understand, prevent, and treat childhood and adolescent self-harming and suicide, suicide rates remain high. Since the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention set a goal to reduce suicide deaths and attempts by 40% by 2020, there has been a paradigm shift in the study of suicide yielding significant advances in the understanding of suicide and other forms of self-inflicted injury. This dissertation highlights some of the new developments in the study of suicide. First, …

Effects Of A Group-Deposit Prize Draw On The Step Counts Of Adults, Alex J. Mccurdy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) reports that 3.2 million deaths per year are attributable to physical inactivity, making it the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Physical inactivity is also a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes (WHO, 2018). Globally, 1 in 4 adults is not active enough and, therefore, foregoes a myriad of health benefits associated with Physical Activity (PA; WHO, 2018). In the United States, only about 1 in 5 (21%) adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). …

Processing Youth Adventure Wellness Experiences: Poetic Representations Of Youth’S Peace Bus Experiences, Ty Th Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This narrative inquiry explored how youth are processing their Peace Bus program experiences two and a half years after program completion. The purpose was to gain an understanding of (1) what program components the participants reflect on, (2) how they conceptualize their program experiences, and (3) what factors contribute to their reflection processes. This research sought to address the gap in literature where little is understood about the ongoing experiences of program participants of adventure wellness programs and the processes that lead to positive changes. As the researcher, I conducted a qualitative study using narrative inquiry and poetic representation methods. …

Songbook And Activities: Popular Black Music Popular Songs From The 70’S To Present Day, Akeira Hill

Music Therapy Theses

Songbook and Activities: Popular Black music Popular Songs from the 70’s to present day

Training Non-Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Bcba) Behavior Specialists To Conduct Trial-Based Functional Analyses In Residential Settings, Devon S. Millington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated a process for identifying the reasons why a person with an intellectual disability has problem behaviors. This process is called a trial-based functional analysis (TBFA). The researchers wanted to know if a person who was not an expert behavior analyst could be trained to perform the TBFA and if the results obtained from the TBFA could be used to create a program to reduce the problem behavior of a person with an intellectual disability living in a community-based group home for persons with disabilities. The results of this study show that a person who is not an …

Effects Of Interspersing Recall Versus Recognition Questions With Response Cards During Lectures On Students' Academic And Participation Behaviors In A College Classroom, Leslie S. Singer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Instructional design and delivery may be one tool available to teachers to increase the academic and social behaviors of all students in the classroom. Effective instruction is an evidence-based teaching strategy that can be used to efficiently educate our youth across all learning environments. One effective instructional strategy includes increasing students’ opportunities to respond to instructor-posed questions during lectures. Students may respond to questions using a response card system as a way to promote active engagement. This study examined the most common form of instructor-posed questions presented during lecture, recall and recognition questions, to determine the differential effects on students’ …

Emotion Recognition Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network With Large Scale Physiological Data, Astha Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Classification of emotions plays a very important role in affective computing and has real-world applications in fields as diverse as entertainment, medical, defense, retail, and education. These applications include video games, virtual reality, pain recognition, lie detection, classification of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), analysis of stress levels, and determining attention levels. This vast range of applications motivated us to study automatic emotion recognition which can be done by using facial expression, speech, and physiological data.

A person’s physiological signals such are heart rate, and blood pressure are deeply linked with their emotional states and can be used to identify a …

Teacher Perceptions Of Students With Conduct Problems With And Without Callous Unemotional Traits, Casie L. Peet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Conduct problems describe behaviors that violate either age-appropriate societal norms or the rights of others. They include: physical or verbal aggression, theft, lying, arguing with authority, defiance, violation of rules, property destruction, fire setting, and truancy. Among youth with conduct problems, a subset display features known as callous-unemotional (CU) traits. CU traits, or interpersonal callousness, are exemplified in behaviors such as: (a) absence of remorse or guilt, (b) lack of empathy and, (c) callous use of others for personal gain (Frick & White, 2008). This study aims to fill the gap of examining these students in schools and which practices …

How Can Developmental Transformations Address Culture Shock To Those Moving From Collectivist Societies Into Individualistic Ones, Such As, Chinese Immigrants Into The United States?, Fabiola Valdivia

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Immigration has always existed, and lately with the heyday of social networks and media, we have witnessed high rates of immigration due to different social and political contexts that have forced people to leave their homes looking for a better situation. Many of these individuals have emigrated and continue to emigrate to the United States of America, in search of, what in some cases they believe will be, the American dream.

This document explores the implementation of developmental transformations (DvT), originally a drama therapy approach, with an immigrant population coming from a collective society such as the Asian into an …

Prompts To Increase Physical Activity At Points-Of-Choice Between Stairs And Escalators: What About Escalator Climbers?, John Belletierre, Ben Nguyen, Sandy Liles, Vincent Berardi, Marc A. Adams, Paddy Dempsey, Yael Benporat, Jacqueline Kerr, Andrea Z. Lacroix, Melbourne Hovell

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Since 1980, many studies have evaluated whether stair-use prompts increased physical activity by quantifying changes in stair use. To more completely evaluate changes in physical activity, this study addressed the often-overlooked assessment of climbing up escalators by evaluating the degree to which stair-use sign prompts increased active ascent—defined as stair use or escalator climbing. Over 5 months, at an airport stairs/escalator point of choice, we video-recorded passersby (N = 13,544) who ascended either stairs or escalators, on 10 days with signs and 10 days without signs. Ascenders using the stairs, standing on the escalator, and climbing the escalator were …

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: A Tool For Veteran Reassimilation, Gino L. Collura

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates veteran participation in the martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) as a tool of reassimilation for veterans suffering from anxiety, stress and/or combat PTSD associated with military deployment. From the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn, challenges associated with U.S. Veteran assimilation and reintegration have been increasing. Coping with long term displacement, trauma, loss, and making sense of identity shifts between being an active duty service member and civilian can often present challenges when navigating back into civilian life.

By utilizing a neuroanthropological lens, ethnographic inquiry, surveys, semi-structured interviews, and …

Reduce Challenging Behaviors And Enhance Functioning In Youth With An Intellectual Disability: A Meta-Analysis Of Behavioral Interventions Using Single Case Design, Brett A. Stone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 1.8% of students in the public school system have an intellectual disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder. These disabilities cause impairment in multiple domains of functioning. If these students also have challenging behaviors, such as noncompliance, aggression, and stereotypies, these behaviors have been found to cause impairment over and beyond those of the core symptoms associated with the disability. Challenging behaviors in youth with developmental disabilities do not typically subside on their own and need intervention. Thankfully, there are evidence-based behavioral interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities to reduce challenging behaviors and increase more functional behaviors including Applied Behavioral Analysis, …

Development And Validation Of The Waiting Assessment Interview Tool (Wait) And Evaluation Of Individualized Waiting Durations In Signaled Reinforcement, Claudia Campos Fleitas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Indirect assessments are widely used to identify environmental factors that may be manipulated or integrated in the development of direct assessments and behavior interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities. To date, there are no indirect assessments that can be used to evaluate the extent to which children who engage in problem behavior wait to receive reinforcement. However, there are effective behavior interventions to increase waiting. A treatment package consisting of functional communication training (FCT) and schedule thinning (i.e., multiple schedules) has been identified as an effective intervention to increase waiting in children who engage in problem behavior maintained by social …

Effects Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury On Ethanol Consumption And The Combined Effects On Neuroinflammation, Cognition, And Behavior In Mice, Jessica L. Hoffman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between alcohol consumption and traumatic brain injury (TBI) often focuses on alcohol consumption increasing the likelihood of incurring a TBI, rather than alcohol use outcomes after TBI. This focus is in part due to the large numbers of TBI patients visiting emergency rooms notable levels of alcohol in their blood. Additionally, increases in alcohol use disorders following TBI can be predicted by previous history of alcohol use. However, studies have also shown patients without a history of an alcohol use disorder can experience increases in problem drinking after single or multiple TBIs. Due to the diffuse impact of …

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Analysis Of Behavioral Patterns And Treatment Barriers, Kimberly A. Knap

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with social communication and restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped behavior patterns that place them at an increased risk for developing challenging behaviors that warrant early intervention (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These problems are unlikely to decrease without intervention. Research indicates that parents’ involvement in behaviorally based interventions improves the functioning of children with ASD (Horner, Carr, Strain, Todd, & Reid, 2002). . Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (Eyberg & Funderburk, 2011) is an empirically supported intervention for young children with disruptive behaviors. PCIT shares similarities with numerous proven ASD treatments including caregiver involvement, structure …

Evaluating Video Modeling To Teach Job Seeking Skills: Composing A Professional Email, Scott A. Fontechia Ii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the disabilities community, individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis consistently have some of the most detrimental employment related statistics. To address this issue, this study evaluated video modeling, an evidence-based procedure, in teaching professional emailing skills to individuals diagnosed with ASD when applying for a job. Results of the study support video modeling research as an effective teaching tool. Significant skill acquisition, in composing a professional email, occurred across all participants. Seventy-five percent of participants concluded the study at mastery level. Implications of this study are immediately impactful on the ASD community as a new evidence-based transition …

Egos Gone Wild: Threat Detection And The Domains Indicative Of Toxic Leadership, Matthew S. Arbogast

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Toxic leaders are a serious problem, but shockingly, there is no standard detection tool that is both efficient and accurate. Compounding the problem are the various definitions and descriptions used to operationalize toxic leadership. This research sought to align the literature, offer a concise definition, and assess the domains indicative of toxic leadership through two conceptually compatible studies. Study 1 involved development of a toxic leader threat detection scale. Results using a variable-centered approach indicated that follower perceptions (n = 357) of leader empathy (4-item scale; α = .93) and the need for achievement recognition (4-item scale; α = .83) …

Treating Adhd With Suggestion: Neurofeedback And Placebo Therapeutics, Robert T. Thibault, Samuel Vassière, Jay A. Olson, Amir Raz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: We propose that clinicians can use suggestion to help treat conditions such as ADHD. Methods: We use EEG neurofeedback as a case study, alongside evidence from a recent pilot experiment utilizing a sham MRI scanner to highlight the therapeutic potential of suggestion-based treatments. Results: The medical literature demonstrates that many practitioners already prescribe treatments that hardly outperform placebo comparators. Moreover, the sham MRI experiment showed that, even with full disclosure of the procedure, suggestion alone can reduce the symptomatology of ADHD. Conclusion: Non-deceptive suggestion-based treatments, especially those drawing on accessories from neuroscience, may offer a safe complement and potential …

Political Affiliation And White Privilege: The Effect Of Exposure To Symbols Of Political Affiliation And Race On Perceptions Of White Privilege And Anti-Black Discrimination, Hannah Knechel

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This thesis explored the effects of exposure to different political affiliations and races on participants’ perceptions of white privilege and anti-black discrimination. Current research has studied the effects of race, framing, and guilt on the acknowledgement of white privilege, but none have explored how political affiliation can affect these perceptions. If simple exposure to these symbols of political affiliation can alter the perceptions of those exposed, perhaps the results of this study could be used to bring about awareness and ease political tensions. Participants were placed in one of six groups consisting of either a white or black experimenter wearing …

Yoga And Its Influence On Children's Behavior, Paige Sellen

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study looked at the impact ten minutes of daily yoga had on the behavior of elementary school children. Yoga was led by classroom teachers once daily for ten minutes over a sixteen-week period. At weeks one, eight, and sixteen, classroom teachers evaluated student behavior in six categories: personal awareness, attention, rapport with friends, rapport with teacher, following rules and transition between activities. The teachers rated the behaviors on a never, sometimes, mostly or always scale. The data was then analyzed and interpreted. Results revealed a significant difference in the attention, ability to follow rules, transition between activities, and personal …