Other Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Self-Esteem And Motivation On Cognitive Control, Andrea Benavides

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cognitive control describes a set of mechanisms that guide behavior towards a goal (Cohen, 2017). The successful execution of cognitive control is essential for effective learning, information processing, problem solving, and academic achievement (Visu-Petra et al., 2011). The Expected Value of Control framework (EVC; Shenhav et al., 2013) suggests that control carries an inherent cost, which is weighed against the potential benefits of expending it. This cost-benefit analysis determines the direction and intensity that a goal is pursued. Importantly, motivation plays a role in this cost-benefit analysis and may function as the factor that offsets the cost of control expenditure …

The Criminalized Victim: Can Knowledge Of Trauma And Coercion Influence Free Will Doubt And Perception Of Culpability For Sex Trafficked Individuals?, Megan Korovich

Student Theses

Individuals who have been sex trafficked are continuously being targeted for prostitution and other related offenses instead of being recognized for their victimization. This may occur due to a fundamental lack of understanding of the sex-trafficked experience, allowing for misperceptions to form unhindered. Individuals with these misperceptions then go on to form laws and services intended to aid victims, but instead leave them vulnerable and criminalized. This study assessed whether an educational intervention on the experience of a sex-trafficked individual could influence public perceptions of free will doubt and criminal culpability. This study used a nonequivalent groups posttest-only design to …

The Romanticization Of Violent Male Offenders: How Trauma And Internalized Sexism Can Explain Women's Fascination With Serial Killers, Ella R. Johnson

Student Theses

Past research has noted that women are interested in true crime more than men (Vicary & Fraley, 2014), and that some women romanticize violent male offenders (Isenberg, 1991). This study investigated women’s fascination with serial killers compared to other offenders and the psychological correlates of women who are fascinated with serial killers. I hypothesized women’s fascination was unique to serial killers and may be related to safe and culturally acceptable ways of coping with interpersonal trauma. Results largely support these hypotheses, indicating women were more fascinated with serial killers compared to other offenders, and with PTSD, child abuse, intimacy attitudes, …

Young Children's Play In High-Rise Housing: A Window Into The Changing Lives Of Urban Middle-Class Families In Pune Metropolitan Area, Sruthi Atmakur-Javdekar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation aims to identify the combinations of spatial arrangements and physical features that influence young children’s access to play and the quality of their play opportunities in a heterogeneous sample of high-rise housing in India. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Human Development as a framework, the study examines two large umbrellas that contribute to young children’s play opportunities in high-rise housing developments: (1) The play environment that is made available for children by developers and design professionals; and (2) Parents’ and caregivers’ ways of using the designated and undesignated spaces based on their own play values and beliefs. A …

An Investigation Of Athletic Buoyancy In Adult Recreational And Sport Club Athletes, Jackie Rae Victoriano Calhoun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Athletic buoyancy is the ability of an athlete to effectively handle the daily setbacks and challenges they face during training and competition. Although buoyancy has received ample research in the academic domain, a dearth of information exists regarding buoyancy in the athletic domain. Therefore, the overall purpose of this dissertation was to investigate athletic buoyancy’s independent contribution to sport psychology while also exploring antecedents and outcomes in adult athletes.

Study 1 compared athletic buoyancy to other cognate constructs, or similar constructs, to determine their conceptual boundaries. A one-time, online questionnaire was distributed to 294 recreational athletes (M age = …

Using Short Message Services (Sms) To Reduce No-Show Rates An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Matthew Rocklage

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Background: No-shows (NS) are correlated with reduced treatment efficacy, increased financial burden on medical institutions, and early treatment termination for therapy. NS occur for a variety of reasons and appointment compliance within outpatient mental health clinics has a wide variance with clinics reporting no-shows ranging from 15% to 50%. This section of the project is a continuation started by an earlier USD DNP student Fernando Serrano, in which the projects aims were expanded beyond the participation of nurse practitioners only to now include marriage family therapists (MFT), psychologists and medical residents, and to address the NS rates clinic-wide. One …

Barriers And Facilitators To Opioid Use Treatment And Recovery Services During Pregnancy, Loralie Woods

Dissertations

Purpose: To identify barriers and facilitators to opioid use treatment and recovery services among pregnant and nonpregnant women who misuse opioids.

Background: Over 130 Americans die daily after overdosing on opioids. Women have not been immune from opioid use disorders (OUDs), with a 4-fold increase from 1999-2010. The prevalence of opioid use among pregnant women increased from 1.5 per 1,000 hospital deliveries to 6.5. Although the annual National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has provided information on risk factors for OUD related to socioeconomic and demographic factors, no studies using this data have identified barriers to opioid use …

Substance Use, Neurocognitive Deficits, And Criminal Recidivism, Emily H. Kim

Student Theses

Many offenders demonstrate substance use and neurocognitive impairments. Substance use directly impacts executive functioning due to poor impulse control, leading to impaired decision- making. Substance use and neurocognitive deficits also contribute to recidivism. Incarcerated individuals with substance use disorder have higher rates of recidivism, and executive dysfunction has been shown to contribute to recidivism due to low behavioral inhibition skills and deficiency with cognitive flexibility. There is a discontinuity in literature, however, since many studies only investigate either substance use or neurocognitive deficits to predict recidivism. However, it is important to examine the interaction of these factors to predict future …

Kin(A)Esthetic Paper Play: A Community Engagement Project Offering A Therapeutic Experience By Exploring An Emergent Method Of Expressive Arts Therapy With Clinicians Who Studied Expressive Arts, Bed Hermin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

For this community engagement project, I explored an emergent practice of Kin(a)esthetic Paper Play with expressive arts therapists. This practice aligns with Buddhist philosophy and practice in the West and its benefits can be explained through the theory of Embodied Simulation. The literature on Buddhism and Embodied Simulation highlights the positive benefits of abstract meditative processes done in groups. My goal was to explore the therapeutic elements of K(a)P within a community group setting. When elements of Kin(a)esthetic Paper Play were introduced to a group of alumni from Lesley’s Expressive Arts Therapy graduate program it was received well. I learned …

Art Therapy In Public Education, Sophie Edelman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores the history of art therapy in education. By understanding the history it is clear that art therapy has always been a positive force for students. By learning from the successes and challenges in our history we are better able to plan for future programing and expansion of art therapy programs. Because art therapy was developed in part by educators, the history of art therapy itself is linked with the history of art therapy in schools. In today’s application of art therapy in education there are three models most typically used. The research discusses the strengths and …

Attachment Style: Connecting The Personality Traits Of Our Parents To How We See God, Kaitlyn C. Holcombe

Honors College Theses

This study was conducted to explore the connections between parental personality traits, adult attachment styles, and attachments to God. The personality traits of parents influence the level of care they are able to provide for their children; this impacts the child’s attachment style. Later in life, attachment styles influence friendships, romantic relationships, and even relationships with the divine through the correspondence pathway. How we view God is thus indirectly impacted by the personality traits of our parents. One-hundred forty-two undergraduate students participated in the study, answering various measures for perceived parent personality, attachment, and religiosity. All measurements were replicated from …

Connecting To The Self: Increasing Self-Awareness In Children With Asd, Development Of A Method, Madison Janke

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/movement therapy is a popular method utilized with the autism spectrum population due to its focus on increasing social skills, developing relationships, improving function, increasing positive body image, and expanding movement repertoire. The literature indicated that mirroring is the most common and most utilized DMT intervention for this population, but it provided minimal alternative dance/movement therapy interventions. The dance/movement therapy method implemented through this research attempted to provide an alternative to mirroring through the creation of a body outline. This method was developed through the theoretical framework of relational-cultural theory, emphasizing the impact that relationships can have on the shaping …

Student Wellbeing And Open Studio Process In The School Curriculum, Maria Kim

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study aimed to explore whether Open Studio Process (OSP) increased wellbeing of middle and high school students when facilitated by teachers as a part of the regular art curriculum. It was hypothesized that OSP might increase the sense of wellbeing among middle and high school students as well as facilitating teachers. The research was conducted as a mixed methods study in South Korea where students need preventative interventions for their wellbeing. The researcher trained eight teachers to facilitate OSP and five of them implemented it with their classes for seven sessions. Quantitative data (K-YSR; pre- and posttest) were collected …

Presence And Degree Of Contrafreeloading In African Grey Parrots (Psittacus Erithacus), Gabriella E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined contrafreeloading—choosing a physical task to access food over free food—in two Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). Both birds contrafreeloaded for food of equal or higher value, but differed in which contrafreeloading task they preferred. Differences between the parrots are considered as individual preferences for self-reinforcing tasks.

Choices: An Evaluation Of A Program Aimed At Reducing Criminogenic Thinking Among Incarcerated Women, Alexa Carbajal

Doctoral Dissertations

It is widely understood that incarceration rates in the United States is staggering and that little is understood about the effectiveness of treatment modalities used in jails to curb rates of recidivism. It was the goal of this program evaluation to utilize qualitative and quantitative research methods to determine what the strengths and weaknesses are of the Women's Choices Program (a substance use treatment program in a Bay Area jail). The results obtained from the study informed suggestions for program development.

Zentangles For Mental Health Awareness, Rachel Immel

Honors Projects

The world is starting to see the rise of a stress related epidemic. Finding time to balance the struggles of everyday life, like academics, finances, careers and relationships, while also maintaining personal mental health is becoming increasingly difficult. This is what prompted me to use my project as an opportunity to help people relieve stress and create a community through the use of art, especially during a time where social interaction has been severely limited due to COVID-19.

My project is a series of live-streamed Zentangle art classes I hosted personally that were open to the public through Zoom. Zentangle …

A Validation Of The Claremont Purpose Scale (Cps) Within An Emerging Adult Population, Lillie Grace Veazey

Honors Theses

Having a strong sense of purpose in life leads individuals to have a better overall sense of well-being. Better physical, mental, and emotional outcomes are seen when purpose in life is acknowledged, sought after, and achieved. The Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) was developed to measure three dimensions of purpose with adolescents. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of the CPS for use with emerging adults, a population that has not been included in the previous study validating the CPS. It was hypothesized that (1) the CPS will have a three-factor structure, (2) all three factors …

The Academic Success And Beyond-Academic Wellbeing Of High Functioning Autistic Boys: A Policy-Professional Care-School-Parent Ecological Perspective, Evelyn Sauceda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High Functioning Autistic (HFA) boys have significant social, emotional, and cognitive difficulties and unique cognitive abilities that require special support from stakeholders in their ecology (policy makers, care providers, schools, and parents). The quality of such support and its ecological integration are of poor quality. The purpose of this study was to report on the perceptions of parents of HFA boys about their children’s academic and beyond-academic experiences as understood within a policy-care provider-school-parent ecological framework. This study contributes to the limited ecological literature on the topic. This exploratory, qualitative, phenomenological, non-experimental, and cross-sectional research study used a non-probability, purposive, …

The Effects Of Activity-Based Anorexia On The Rewarding Properties Of Methamphetamine And Wheel Running, Rachael M. Langa

Theses and Dissertations

An activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm in adolescent female mice was used to explore whether anorexia affects circuits underlying reward. The ABA paradigm significantly enhanced methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), but not wheel-induced CPP. These results indicate that the ABA paradigm enhances the rewarding properties of methamphetamine, but not wheel running.

The Effects Of Caregiving Robots On Mortality Salience With The Elderly, Mira E. Gruber

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

As the world’s population of elderly persons rises (He, Goodkind, & Kowal, 2016), there is an increasing demand for people to care for the elderly. Caregiving robots are a potential solution to this problem. Research (i.e. MacDorman, 2005) suggests that uncanny, humanlike robots may elicit death anxiety, but it remains unclear whether non-humanlike caregiving robots also elicit death anxiety. This study expands on MacDorman’s study and investigates the effects of caregiving robots on death thought accessibility (DTA) and death anxiety in the institutionalized elderly. This research focuses on how caregiving robots affect the close relationship buffer against death anxiety, as …