Identifying Future Effective Foster Parent Characteristics: Using The Casey Foster Family Assessment,
2016
Walden University
Identifying Future Effective Foster Parent Characteristics: Using The Casey Foster Family Assessment, Jennifer Grimes-Vawters
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In 2014, Washoe County Department of Social Services in Nevada, licensed only 50 of 400 parents who applied to foster children. Lack of long-term effective foster parents creates instability within the system. Significant concern over increased numbers of children entering foster care and a decreased number of qualified foster care applicants continues. The Casey Foster Family Assessment (CFFA), a comprehensive assessment of key traits of effective foster parents may further enhance the fostering application process. The identified CFFA subscales most predictive of future foster parent effectiveness, may help WCDSS more effectively identify applicants likely to provide long-term stable homes for …
The Influence Of Normative Feedback And Expectancy Violation On Attitudes Related To Sexual Assault,
2016
Georgia Southern University
The Influence Of Normative Feedback And Expectancy Violation On Attitudes Related To Sexual Assault, Stephanie Chastang
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
Sexual assault is a complex problem, and there is no set of best practices for sexual assault prevention and education programs. Social norms marketing and expectancy violations, however, have been proposed to be influential factors that may aid in increasing prosocial attitudes related to sexual assault. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential effect of social norm feedback and expectancy violations on attitudes related to sexual assault and bystander intervention. Participants in the study included 244 undergraduate and graduate students who completed an experiment embedded in an online survey. Results indicated that there were no significant …
Exploring The Psychometric Properties Of The Acceptance Of Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (Ammsa) Scale,
2016
Georgia Southern University
Exploring The Psychometric Properties Of The Acceptance Of Modern Myths About Sexual Aggression (Ammsa) Scale, Lisa C. Watson
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
College-aged women are within the highest risk group of women (18 to 25 years old) to experience sexual assault. Nineteen percent of college women report experiencing attempted or completed sexual assault during their four years of college (Krebs, Linquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2009). It is estimated that 20 to 25% of college women will experience an attempted or completed sexual assault during college (American College Health Association, 2008). The primary sexual assault prevention method on college campuses has been in the form of education (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004) with an …
The Effects Of Construal Level On Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward An Individual With Mental Illness,
2016
Georgia Southern University
The Effects Of Construal Level On Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward An Individual With Mental Illness, Jeremy Glenn Gay
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
People with mental illness often face stigmatization by society. However, little research has examined cognitive factors that may activate or dissipate stigmatizing attitudes toward those with mental illness. Construal level, or the extent that people focus on abstract generalizations versus concrete details of events, may be one such cognitive factor. Two contradictory hypotheses emerged concerning how construal may affect stigmatizing attitudes. One hypothesis suggests that abstract construals will decrease stigmatization because abstract construals tend to increase the activation of similar goals, thus leading to a similarity focus. In contrast, another hypothesis suggests that abstract construals will increase stigmatization because abstract …
Daily Hassles Among College Students: The Role Of Spirituality On Risky Behaviors And Emotional Distress Indices,
2016
Georgia Southern University
Daily Hassles Among College Students: The Role Of Spirituality On Risky Behaviors And Emotional Distress Indices, Kristen N. Campbell
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
Stressful life events are correlated with a higher likelihood of engaging in maladaptive coping techniques (Boden et al., 2014; Kohn, Lafreniere, & Gurevich, 1990; Park, Armell, & Tennen, 2004). One type of maladaptive coping technique is engagement in risky behaviors (e.g., high-risk sports, risky sexual behaviors, illicit drug use; Fromme, Katz, & Rivet, 1997). College students are at an increased risk of engaging in these behaviors. Research demonstrates that stressful life events are also correlated with higher levels of depression and anxiety (Kohn, Lafreniere, & Gurevich, 1990). As college students are exposed to a more stressful environment, they are at …
The Impact Of Empathy Training On Perceptions Of Substance Use Disorders,
2016
Georgia Southern University
The Impact Of Empathy Training On Perceptions Of Substance Use Disorders, Kelsea Magel
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
Negative attitudes and stigma toward individuals with mental health disorders, particularly substance use disorders, undoubtedly exist in communities around the globe. Lund and Boggero (2014) propose that negative attitudes toward mental health disorders have existed throughout history and across cultures, and there is an ongoing concern of how individuals with mental illness are affected by these negative attitudes (Poreddi, Thimmaiah, Pashupu, Ramachandra, & Badamath, 2014). Increasing levels of empathy in individuals has shown to decrease overall magnitude of negative attitudes; most empathy training tasks, however, are extensive and last several months. The current study examined the possibility of reducing negative …
Rudeness And Ego Depletion,
2016
Georgia Southern University
Rudeness And Ego Depletion, Daniel A. Zuardo
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
The present study sought to examine the effect that rudeness would have on ego depletion by having participants engage in a task where they would build Legos with a confederate who would be rude or neutral to them. Ego depletion was measured using a typing task on a computer where participants would type A+E+I+O+U+ until they wanted to stop. The results suggest that rudeness can cause ego depletion.
Motivation, Athletic Identity, And Commitment To Sport In Division I Varsity Athletes And Collegiate Club Level Athletes: A Qualitative Analysis,
2016
Georgia Southern University
Motivation, Athletic Identity, And Commitment To Sport In Division I Varsity Athletes And Collegiate Club Level Athletes: A Qualitative Analysis, Emily C. Karoblis
College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations
Motivation, athletic identity, and commitment are constructs that have previously been addressed and researched in regards to their impact upon athletes. Each of these constructs has previously been addressed alongside one other construct but all three have not been addressed. In addition to this, research is lacking information regarding collegiate club sport athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the thoughts of club level athletes and Division I Varsity level athletes as they relate to motivation, athletic identity and commitment to sport. The participants included 12 athletes, 6 at the club level and 6 at the Varsity level. …
The Effects Of Alcohol-Related Stimuli Priming On The Expression Of Relational Aggression,
2016
Georgia Southern University
The Effects Of Alcohol-Related Stimuli Priming On The Expression Of Relational Aggression, Connor W. Ondriezek
Honors College Theses
The semantic network model of memory states that concepts closely related (e.g., pencil-paper) are stored together in memory (Posner & Snyder, 1975). When one concept is activated, other related concepts becoming more accessible, which increases the likelihood that related concepts will influence behavior. Past research has established a link between aggressive behaviors after exposure to alcohol-related words (Bartholow, Grosvenor, Pedersen, Truong, & Vasquez, 2014). Previous research has also shown that alcohol outcome expectancies contribute to problematic drinking behavior (Fromme, Stroot, & Kaplan, 1993). In the present study, alcohol outcome expectancies of each participant were assessed by the CEOA questionnaire. Then, …
Defining Moral Attitudes : An Examination Of The Structure And Consequences Of Moral Attitudes,
2016
University of Texas at El Paso
Defining Moral Attitudes : An Examination Of The Structure And Consequences Of Moral Attitudes, Ciara Katelyn Kidder
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The goals of this Dissertation were to contribute to the literature on the structure of moral attitudes and explore the consequences of moral attitudes on person perception. The goal of study 1 was to replicate and extend previous research examining the automatic nature of moral objectivity and moral universalism. In Study 1, there was no support for the relationship between morality and objectivity and morality and universality. Instead, the study demonstrated that sequential priming may be an ineffective methodology for measuring these relationships. The goal of study 2 was to examine the relationship between the similarity of participant attitude to …
Religious Priming And Moral Reasoning As A Manipulation For Supporting Violence,
2016
University of Texas at El Paso
Religious Priming And Moral Reasoning As A Manipulation For Supporting Violence, Brandt A. Smith
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The present research tests the effects of religious priming and cued moral reasoning on support for violence against others. Further, the present research examined the effects of two individual difference measures, Social Vigilantism and the degree to which people accept religion as a social force research demonstrates that religious priming elicits greater compliance by acting as a cognitive distraction. The data show that lower levels of moral reasoning and religious priming lead to higher activism, radicalism, and extremism scores as well as higher agreement with a recorded message. Implications and future directions are discussed.
The Development Of The Creative Synergy Scale,
2016
Antioch University
The Development Of The Creative Synergy Scale, Amy E. Climer
Antioch University Dissertations & Theses
This study developed a scale for teams to assess their behaviors related to creative synergy. Creative synergy is the interactions among team members where the collective creative results are greater than the sum of their individual efforts. When a team achieves creative synergy they have the potential to solve difficult problems with innovative solutions leading to positive impacts on our communities, societies, and even our world. This study looked at the internal-process variables of teams to determine what factors impact creative synergy. The research process involved two phases.In Phase 1, a survey was taken by 830 adults who were members …
Is Torture Ever Justified? The Influence Of Group Membership, Interrogation Approach, And Success On Attributions Of Interrogator Behavior And Perceived Acceptability Of Torture,
2016
University of Texas at El Paso
Is Torture Ever Justified? The Influence Of Group Membership, Interrogation Approach, And Success On Attributions Of Interrogator Behavior And Perceived Acceptability Of Torture, Julia Labianca
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of these three experiments was to determine what factors affect Americans' attitudes toward torture and the interrogators who engage in torture. Using theories of intergroup bias, fundamental attribution error, and cognitive dissonance, the three experiments investigated how people make behavioral attributions for an interrogator, as well as how people perceive the acceptability, ethicalness, effectiveness, and procedural justice of the technique used. Four variables were manipulated: group membership of the interrogator and detainee, outcome of the interrogation, and type of interrogation tactic used. It was expected that people would make attributional and attitudinal judgments in a manner that preserved …
Examining The Role Of Threat Processing In Memory Consolidation And Prejudice Formation,
2016
University of Texas at El Paso
Examining The Role Of Threat Processing In Memory Consolidation And Prejudice Formation, Stephanie Marie Reyes
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Memory is a flexible system that integrates new incoming information into existing memory representations (Stickgold & Walker, 2007). Through sleep and over time, memories become stable via consolidation processes (Payne, Stickgold, Swanberg & Kensinger, 2008). Prejudice formation can occur through the consolidation of stereotype schemas. In a previous study Latino participants learned positive and negative trait information about in-group and out-group members (Enge, Lupo & Zárate, 2015). At test, participants responded more quickly to out-group targets paired with negative traits than in-group pairings with these traits. Findings indicate that participants also responded more quickly to in-group targets paired with positive …
Experiences Of Neurotypical Siblings Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Exploration,
2016
Antioch University
Experiences Of Neurotypical Siblings Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Exploration, Stacie R. Keirsey
Antioch University Dissertations & Theses
In recent years, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been on the rise, prompting a simultaneous increase in scientific study regarding cause, impact, and intervention (Hughes, 2009; Ravindran & Myers, 2012). Research has proposed advances in the treatment of the individuals diagnosed and focused efforts on scholastic, parental, and professional intervention and supports. However, the siblings of ASD children have largely been neglected in this scientific investigation. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore neurotypical siblings’ experiences in living with a child diagnosed with ASD. Seven adolescents were selected using criterion, convenience, and snowball sampling. …
Empathy In Detained Male Juvenile Offenders,
2016
Walden University
Empathy In Detained Male Juvenile Offenders, Cloyce Joe Barton
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
In Texas and across the United States, minority male juvenile offenders are overrepresented in juvenile detention facilities. Researchers have demonstrated an inverse relationship between levels of empathy and antisocial beliefs and delinquent behaviors in juveniles. Understanding this relationship is an important step in designing and implementing rehabilitative interventions for juvenile detainees. Grounded in social learning theory and the social empathy model, the current study addressed whether significant differences in empathy existed between nonminority and minority male juvenile offenders with felony and nonfelony offenses within a juvenile detention facility in rural Texas. A de-identified data set of 357 Interpersonal Reactivity Index …
Social Comparison And Self-Presentation On Social Media As Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms,
2016
Scripps College
Social Comparison And Self-Presentation On Social Media As Predictors Of Depressive Symptoms, Janet L. Uhlir
Scripps Senior Theses
Social media, an online arena for social behaviors such as self-presentation and social comparison, may have effects on users’ mood and mental health. Favorably presenting oneself is linked to positive outcomes such as higher self-esteem, whereas social comparison, in general and specifically upward social comparison to higher-performing others, is related to feelings of inadequacy, envy, and depression. Social comparison may explain the “Facebook depression effect,” acting as a mediator between time spent on social media and depressive symptoms. A correlational study is proposed that will ask 200 participants to report their time spent on various social media sites, self-presentation of …
Stressful Scriptures: Gender Role Ideology, Gender Role Stress, And Christian Religiosity,
2016
Scripps College
Stressful Scriptures: Gender Role Ideology, Gender Role Stress, And Christian Religiosity, Tess A. Lommers-Johnson
Scripps Senior Theses
The Gender Role Stress paradigm asserts that individuals experience distress when they cannot or do not want to live up to the roles prescribed to their gender, and this stress is related to Gender Role Ideology. Within American Christian culture, gender roles are socialized and shaped according to tradition and the Bible. To investigate the intersection of these factors, Christian adults will respond to questionnaires about their Gender Role Ideology, Gender Role Stress, and religiosity. Significant positive correlational relationships between Gender Role Ideology and Gender Role Stress, between religiosity and Gender Role Ideology, and between religiosity and Gender Role Stress …
The Influence Of Advertisement Music On Gender Identity And Sex Stereotyping In Young Girls,
2016
Scripps College
The Influence Of Advertisement Music On Gender Identity And Sex Stereotyping In Young Girls, Ellen S. Pelos
Scripps Senior Theses
This paper proposes a study that investigates whether manipulating pitch and tempo in children’s toy advertisement music has an effect on gender identity and sex stereotyping in preschool-aged girls. This particular intersection between advertisement, persuasion, gender identity, and sex stereotyping scholarship has not yet been explored. However, past research does suggest that high pitch and fast tempo have a significant positive impact on mood and arousal, two factors associated with more susceptibility to persuasive messages. The 3- to 4-year-old female participants will be randomly assigned to one of the nine advertisement conditions. The music in the ads for each condition …
Labeling Of Religious Non-Believers: The Effect Of The "Atheist" Title On Moral Judgments About Non-Theists,
2016
University of Northern Iowa
Labeling Of Religious Non-Believers: The Effect Of The "Atheist" Title On Moral Judgments About Non-Theists, Brock C. Rozich
Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Prior research indicates that how concepts are described impacts our beliefs about the subject itself. For example, when the term “welfare” (instead of “help for the poor”) is used to ask people whether assistance should be increased in times of economic hardship, support is lower (Smith, 1987). My research question centers on whether or not this effect would carry over to the area of religion and the use of the terms “atheist” or “those with no religious beliefs.” Participants in the current studies were presented with a vignette about a student who was labeled as an atheist, as having no …
