Clinical Psychology Commons^™

An Experimental Analysis Of Couple Aggression Using A Response Choice Paradigm, Claudia R. Viggiano

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research suggests that a majority of the violence reported by couples involves mutual, low-level acts of aggression; however, there is a dearth of research examining this "common couple violence" using a true experimental paradigm. The current study was designed to more closely approximate a naturalistic situation involving common couple violence by allowing participants to choose whether to retaliate in the face of provocation by their partner. Couples were randomly assigned to four conditions representing different patterns of provocation. Based on the assigned condition, participants received varying amounts of bad tasting juice allegedly poured for them by their partners across 5 …

Effectiveness Of The Combat Operational Stress Control Training Program: Expectations Of The U.S. Marine Corps, Marek M. Sipko

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. Marine Corps combat operational stress preventive training program to determine whether the program meets the training effectiveness criteria of the Marine Corps. This evaluation entailed both qualitative and quantitative inquiries to answer the subject matter research questions.

The participants consisted of active duty and reserve Marines on active duty. For the purposes of the quantitative analysis, the researcher obtained a random sample of 480 Marines. Additionally, the researcher obtained a purposefully stratified qualitative sample of 12 active duty Marines consisting of four junior non-commissioned Marines, four staff non-commissioned officers, and four commissioned …

Narratives From Non-Profit Workers: The Journey Of Helping Women Leave Prostitution, Rachel D. Collins

Senior Honors Theses

Prostitution is connected with several factors–abuse, low self-esteem, drugs, and homelessness. Many negative emotions are experienced while prostituting. The emotional and physical effects of prostitution can remain years after the woman has left prostitution. The process of leaving prostitution can be strenuous, and necessitates a strong support group. The narratives of service providers from organizations reaching out to prostitutes are examined. Through interviews, the journey of helping prostitutes were studied to find themes associated with supporting the prostitute’s exit from her previous life to the acclamation of a new lifestyle.

Parental Bonding In Father-Son Relationships, Lauren B. Childers

Senior Honors Theses

The father-son relationship is an influential part of any boy’s development. It is hypothesized that there is a generational difference in this relationship between the older and younger generation. The Father Form of the Parental Bonding Instrument was used to assess this hypothesis. This questionnaire utilized 25 items, separated into the care and protection scales, to categorize parenting into four quadrants: affectionate constraint, optimal parenting, affectionless control and neglectful parenting. The results were compared between two groups, one of which consisted of males ages 25 to 45, representing the older generation, and the other consisted of males ages 18 to …

College Students Who Self-Injure: A Study Of Knowledge And Perceptions Of Self-Injury, Stacey Edwards Clinard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Archived data was utilized for the present study which examined self-injurious behaviors in a college population. College students, who engage in non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI, were expected to evidence a higher knowledge base for the behavior than those who do not. The demographic variables of gender and sexual orientation were predicted to be over represented in the NSSI group. Further, this study examines the perceived riskiness of the behavior in individuals who self-injure, as well as their perceptions of others who engage in NSSI. The survey consisted of four sections: demographics, knowledge ofNSSI, experience with NSSI, and perceptions ofNSSI. Individuals …

Effects Of Perceived Fitness Level Of Exercise Partner On Intensity Of Exertion, Thomas G. Plante, Meghan Madden, Sonia Mann, Grace Lee

Psychology

Problem statement: Social comparison theory was used to examine if exercising with a research confederate posing as either high fit or low fit would increase the exertion in exercising. Approach: 91 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Biking alone, biking with a high fit confederate, or biking with a low fit confederate. All participants were instructed to complete 20 min of exercise at 60-70% of their maximum target heart rate. Results: Results indicated that participants in the high fit condition exercised harder than those in the low fit condition. However, no mood differences emerged between conditions. …

Customer Satisfaction With College Choice: Something To Scream About When Addressing Cognitive Dissonance, Buyer's Remorse, And The Experience Of Regret, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Aaron Mcknight, Heidi Parker

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

A modified Thematic Apperception Test [TAT] was administered to undergraduate students to assess dissonance, remorse and regret with their college choice. Results indicate a “roller coaster” affect associated with overall customer satisfaction. The SCREAM model is provided to assist marketing and enrollment managers in their retention efforts.

Marketing To Entrepreneurs, Site Selectors And Relocation Professionals: An Action Plan For Community Economic Development, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Aaron Mcknight, Megan Polak

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

Community officials offer an array of incentives to stimulate local business growth, unaware of the salient criteria that determine location decisions. An analysis of proprietary research reports and site selector feasibility studies indicates specific criteria that are universally evaluated, nine of which undermine economic development initiatives. An ‘ACTION’ plan is provided to assist city planners’ efforts in appealing to site selection professionals.

The New Millennium And Online Counseling: Ecological Practice, Concerns And Discussion, Oscar T. Mcknight

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

For counselors, the ecosystem is vast and encompassing; and professionals must understand the client in both context and time. This in and of itself is a daunting task; now, enter the New Millennium and on-line counseling. The Web is the poster child of interconnectivedness and interdependence of systems; however, is the Web bringing us closer or further apart? The Web is transforming society and potentially the ecological context of counseling. A review is necessary.

Utility Of The Mmpi–2-Rf (Restructured Form) Validity Scales In Detecting Malingering In A Criminal Forensic Setting: A Known-Groups Design, Martin Sellbom, Joseph A. Toomey, Dustin B. Wygant, L. Thomas Kucharski, Scott Duncan

Psychology Faculty and Staff Research

The current study examined the utility of the recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 Restructured Form (MMPI–2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) validity scales to detect feigned psychopathology in a criminal forensic setting. We used a known-groups design with the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; Rogers, Bagby, & Dickens, 1992) as the external criterion to determine groups of probable malingering versus nonmalingering. A final sample of 125 criminal defendants, who were administered both the SIRS and the MMPI–2-RF during their evaluations, was examined. The results indicated that the two MMPI–2-RF validity scales specifically designed to detect overreported psychopathology, F-r and …

Incremental Validity Of The Mmpi-2-Rf Over-Reporting Scales And Rbs In Assessing The Veracity Of Memory Complaints, Roger O. Gervais, Yossef S. Ben-Porath, Dustin Wygant, Martin Sellbom

Dustin B. Wygant

The Response Bias Scale (RBS) has been found to be a better predictor of over-reported memory complaints than Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) F, Back Infrequency (Fb), Infrequency-Psychopathology (Fp), and FBS scales. The MMPI-2-Restructured Form (RF) validity scales were designed to meet or exceed the sensitivity of their MMPI-2 counterparts to symptom over-reporting. This study examined the incremental validity of MMPI-2-RF validity scales and RBS in assessing memory complaints. The MMPI-2-RF over-reporting validity scales were more strongly associated with mean Memory Complaints Inventory scores than their MMPI-2 counterparts

(d ¼ 0.22 to 0.49). RBS showed the strongest relationship with memory …

Utility Of The Mmpi–2-Rf (Restructured Form) Validity Scales In Detecting Malingering In A Criminal Forensic Setting: A Known-Groups Design, Martin Sellbom, Joseph A. Toomey, Dustin B. Wygant, L. Thomas Kucharski, Scott Duncan

Dustin B. Wygant

The current study examined the utility of the recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 Restructured Form (MMPI–2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) validity scales to detect feigned psychopathology in a criminal forensic setting. We used a known-groups design with the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; Rogers, Bagby, & Dickens, 1992) as the external

criterion to determine groups of probable malingering versus nonmalingering. A final sample of 125 criminal defendants, who were administered both the SIRS and the MMPI–2-RF during their evaluations, was examined. The results indicated that the two MMPI–2-RF validity scales specifically designed to detect overreported psychopathology, F-r and …

14. Investigative Interviewing Of The Child., Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

21. Children’S Reasoning About Disclosing Adult Transgressions: Effects Of Maltreatment, Child Age, And Adult Identity., Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth C. Ahern, Lindsay A. Malloy, Jodi A. Quas

Thomas D. Lyon

Countertransference Behavior And Alliance Quality As A Function Of Therapist Self-Insight, Mamta B. Dadlani

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The current study investigated preliminarily therapists’ countertransference (CT) behavior and alliance quality as a function of therapist self-insight, a central CT management factor. Eight therapist-trainees were rated by a clinical supervisor on their degree of self-insight and then assigned to a high or low self-insight group. The groups were compared on therapist CT behavior, from both therapist and supervisor perspectives, and on patient-perceived alliance quality. Effect size estimates suggested that high self-insight therapists displayed more CT behaviors than low self-insight therapists (with small to medium effects), and that patients of high self-insight therapists reported higher alliance scores (with a medium …

What Went Wrong? Therapists' Reflections On Their Role In Premature Termination, Alessandro T. Piselli

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Consensual Qualitative Research methodology was used to explore how experienced therapists understood and learned from cases of premature termination. Eleven board certified therapists participated in semi-structured interviews concerning a case of a former client who had left treatment prematurely. They offered their reflections on the client’s presentation, the structure of the treatment, successful aspects of the therapy, problems in the treatment, the process of termination, and the impact on their own professional development. Core ideas were identified in each interview, and were cross-referenced to highlight the most common experiences described by the therapists. Premature terminations resulted from multiple, concurrent problems …

Family Predictors Of Negative Instability In Adopted Emerging Adults, Danila S. Musante

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This study evaluated the associations between filial relationships and young adults’ adjustment to the period of emerging adulthood in adoptive families. Adopted individuals’ attachment to their adoptive parents and affect about adoption were assessed at adolescence and young adulthood and compared with their feelings of negative instability about the period of emerging adulthood. Findings demonstrate that affect about adoption and attachment to each parent during adolescence and emerging adulthood are associated with negative instability in emerging adulthood. Specifically, individuals whose attachment to each parent and affect about their adoption remained high from adolescence to emerging adulthood had the lowest ratings …

Non-Erotic Cognitive Distractions During Sexual Activity In Heterosexual And Gay College Students, Katharine Lacefield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined 100 gay and lesbian (LG) college students and 100 heterosexual students to determine whether group differences existed in frequency of and anxiety related to non-erotic cognitive distractions during sexual activity. Non-erotic cognitive distractions is a descriptive term to include both self-evaluative behaviors related to physical performance and body image concerns, as well as additional cognitive distractions (e.g., contracting an STI or emotional concerns) during sexual activity. Participants, matched on gender (96 males and 104 females), age, and ethnicity, completed questionnaires assessing frequency and associated anxiety related to non-erotic cognitive distractions during sexual activity, as well as …

Evaluation Of An Expectancy Challenge Presentation In Reducing High-Risk Alcohol Use Among Greek Affiliated College Students, Abigail Fried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol consumption and on college campuses has long been a significant problem. The severity of the situation and lack of effective alcohol programming on college campuses warranted the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to commission a Task Force on College Drinking in 2002, which has been vital in revealing drinking patterns and negative consequences which are specific to the college environment. The Task Force proposed three strategies that were empirically validated for prevention and intervention in the college setting. Of the three recommendations, implementing cognitive behavioral skills training and offering motivational enhancement interventions, while proven effective are costly …

Sexually-Related Internet Activities: Cross-National Comparison Between United States And Peruvian Young Adults, Rodrigo Velezmoro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current generation of college students commonly use the Internet for sexual purposes (Boies, 2002; Boies, Cooper, & Osborne, 2004), including finding sexual partners, searching for sex-related information, and viewing sexually explicit materials (SEM) (Boies, 2002). Yet, some authors have suggested that the use of the Internet for sexual purposes might lead to psychological problems (Cooper et al., 2001). However, it is unclear if the problems that are commonly reported (i.e., Internet dependency, isolation, and psychological distress) are caused by using the Internet for sexual purposes. Hence, it is important to examine how college students use the Internet for sexual …