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Title: PERSONALITY SCALE CONSTRUCTION USING LATENT SEMANTIC ANALYSIS AS AN ITEM ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY
Creator: Pollak, Pamela Elizabeth
Date: 2012-05-07, 2012-05
Description: Linguistics has played an integral role throughout the history of personality scale development. The lexical hypothesis, which implies that by...
Show moreLinguistics has played an integral role throughout the history of personality scale development. The lexical hypothesis, which implies that by analyzing natural language personality will be understood because all personality is described in language, is the basis for personality scale construction. Despite the important role that language plays in describing personality, psychometric practice has traditionally focused on data analysis, rather than quantitative linguistic analysis when constructing personality scales. This study used a relatively new quantitative linguistics technique, Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), to construct personality scales. Using an archival sample of N=501 with over n>1000 items, personality scales were constructed to measure aspects of the 16PF Questionnaire and the Big Five model. Scales created using traditional approaches were compared to scales created using LSA in terms of internal consistency reliability, construct validity and convergent validity, predicting five behavioral clusters of self-reported behaviors (e.g., drug-use, undependability, friendliness, creativity and erudition). Results from this study revealed that compared to scales created using a traditional approach, scales constructed using LSA had lower reliabilities, but mostly similar patterns of convergent validity and evidence of substantial construct validity.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2012
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Title: WORKPLACE MISTREATMENT, AFFECT, AND THE SEXUAL MINORITY EXPERIENCE
Creator: Discont, Steve
Date: 2017, 2017-07
Description: This study investigates the impact of low-intensity workplace mistreatment on affective outcomes for sexual minority workers. The study was...
Show moreThis study investigates the impact of low-intensity workplace mistreatment on affective outcomes for sexual minority workers. The study was grounded in affective events theory and minority stress theory. Data was composed of survey responses from a convenience sample of 380 U.S. adults who work full-time and identify as sexual minorities. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed workplace incivility and heterosexist microaggressions significantly predicted negative discrete emotional reactions (i.e., anger, disgust, fear, guilt and sadness). Internalized heterosexism moderated the predictor-outcome relationship between incivility and affective disgust, and between heterosexist microaggressions and affective anger, disgust, and sadness, such that individuals with low internalized heterosexism had greater negative outcomes when forms of mistreatment were high. Results are discussed in terms of both their theoretical implications, and practical implications for organizational research and practice.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2017
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Title: EARLY CHILDHOOD RISK FACTORS FOR EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION IN A SAMPLE OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN
Creator: Grahovec, Morgan Carey
Date: 2014, 2014-12
Description: The purpose of the present study was to explore whether early childhood factors influence executive function scores, as determined by...
Show moreThe purpose of the present study was to explore whether early childhood factors influence executive function scores, as determined by objective neuropsychological tests and subjective parent and teacher ratings, in a diverse sample of school age children. Data was collected longitudinally over four different visits that corresponded to childhood development (7.76 months, 20 months, 38 months, and 7 years of age). The independent variables examined in the present study included environmental, sociodemographic, and neuropsychological data from the first three time points. At Time 1, the independent variables were SES at Time 1, infant birth weight, maternal body mass index, parental stress at Time 1, and the psychomotor development score at Time 1. At Time 2 and Time 3, the independent variables were SES, parental stress, the sleep problems composite, the DSM-IV ADHD composite, and the psychomotor development index score. Results indicated that overall, maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, the psychomotor development index score, and family socioeconomic status were the only significant predictors from the first three time points of variance in the Time 4 executive functions as measured by the neuropsychological assessments. The findings showed an inverse relationship between maternal BMI and neuropsychological executive functions, indicating that as BMI increased, executive functioning decreased. A positive relationship between family SES and neuropsychological EF was found, indicating that children from higher SES families performed better on measures of executive functions, as expected. Similarly, a positive relationship was found between psychomotor functions at Time 3 and executive functions at Time 4, which was also in the expected direction. In contrast, subjective parent stress and the DSM-IV ADHD scores were the only significant predictors of the Time 4 executive functions as measured by the parent and teacher ratings. An inverse relationship between parent stress and executive functions was found at all three initial time points, revealing that parents who experience more subjective stress also have children with lower executive functions per parent and teacher report at age 7. A positive relationship was shown between the DSM-IV ADHD composite at Time 3 and the parent/teacher composite score of executive functions at Time 4. This means that children with low executive functions per the parent/teacher composite at Time 4 also had parents and teachers who endorsed greater ADHD symptomatology at Time 3. Subjective parent stress was particularly notable because it was the only independent variable for either of the two dependent variables that was significant across all three of the initial time points. The longitudinal design of this study allowed for the confirmation of the hypothesis that there are significant variables in early childhood that are associated with executive functions later in life. This knowledge has important implications because the more that is understood about executive functioning in children, the more it will be possible to provide meaningful interventions that can maximize a child’s development of this critical skill set.
Ph.D. in Psychology, December 2014
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Title: IMPACT OF INSTRUCTION ON A PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE
Creator: Fleischer, Michael
Date: 2011-07, 2011-07
Description: Instructions are an integral part of any exam. The present study examines the effects of instructions to avoid the middle answer on a...
Show moreInstructions are an integral part of any exam. The present study examines the effects of instructions to avoid the middle answer on a personality questionnaire. We obtained IRT parameters from participants responding to the 16PF Questionnaire with and without this instruction and used a Monte Carlo simulation based on these parameters. Results indicated that when participants were instructed to avoid the middle response, we observed lower item-total correlations and increased difficulty in setting percentiles. Previous research, implications and limitations of this study are discussed as well.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2011
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Title: MISMATCH NEGATIVITY IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS: A META-ANALYSIS
Creator: Cothran, Thomas Patrick
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Abnormalities in the mismatch negativity (MMN) component appear to be specific to schizophrenia. MMN is thought to indicate the occurrence of...
Show moreAbnormalities in the mismatch negativity (MMN) component appear to be specific to schizophrenia. MMN is thought to indicate the occurrence of an automatic initial step in a cognitive process whereby the individual is alerted to changes in the auditory environment. In schizophrenia, a meta-analytic review has suggested that the MMN component is significantly reduced compared to controls. However, the findings related to the MMN component and early psychosis (EP) have been inconsistent. A literature search was conducted for data comparing persons experiencing EP and healthy controls. EP was operationalized as including persons putatively at risk (AR) for developing psychosis and those experiencing first episode psychoses (FEP). Fifteen studies were identified (N = 1076: EP = 628, Controls = 448) that met inclusion criteria. A fixed effect model was used to calculate the overall mean weighted effect size of the total sample (g = -0.380). A planned categorical moderator analysis included 37 effects sizes. A method of moments, random effects model was used to compare group means of categorical variables and assess between-group heterogeneity in reported effect sizes based on clinical group, MMN measurement type, and MMN deviant type. The MMN mean weighted effect sizes for the AR and FEP groups measured in amplitude in the duration deviant condition is g = -.251 and -.801, respectively. The difference in these means is statistically significant (QBetween = 17.77, df = 1, p < .0001). Diagnostic implications and the role of electroencephalography in cognitive rehabilitation are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2014
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Title: SELECTION TEST SECURITY: ARE SIMULATIONS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO TEST SECURITY CONCERNS THAN TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENTS?
Creator: Daisley, Rebecca Roller
Date: 2015, 2015-12
Description: The current study examined whether information about the job simulation portion of a selection assessment battery is more susceptible to a...
Show moreThe current study examined whether information about the job simulation portion of a selection assessment battery is more susceptible to a test security threat than more traditional assessments, where test security is threatened when assessment content is shared. Participants were asked to play the role of a job candidate for a customer service representative. They were given three assessments: a cognitive ability test, a personality inventory, and a job simulation. After completing the assessments, participants were asked to write an e-mail to a hypothetical friend who will also be applying for the job, and include any information that would help their friend in the application process. It was hypothesized that the most information and the most useful information shared by participants would be about the job simulation portion of the assessment battery. The findings supported the hypotheses, suggesting that job simulations are more susceptible to information sharing by applicants than the other assessments, and therefore are exposed to a greater test security threat. The discussion includes implications for practice.
Ph.D. in Psychology, December 2015
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Title: THE EFFECT OF NON-NATIVE ACCENTS ON THE EVALUATION OF APPLICANTS DURING AN EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PATH MODEL
Creator: Deprez-sims, Anne-sophie
Date: 2012-04-23, 2012-05
Description: As the workplace becomes increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ persons from other countries whose accents clearly...
Show moreAs the workplace becomes increasingly global, organizations are more likely to employ persons from other countries whose accents clearly identify them as different from the local workforce. Understanding the impact of accents in the workplace is important because accents can be salient in the same way as ethnicity, age, gender, and skin color and may be a source of employment discrimination. The present study looked at the influence of accents on the evaluation of job applicants during an interview for a human resource manager position. In addition, a path model was developed to understand the accent condition-hiring recommendation relationship. Participants were asked to evaluate an applicant with one of three accents (Midwestern, French, Mexican) at two understandability levels (low and high) by listening to an audiofile. The results showed that the applicant with the Midwestern accent was seen as more hireable than the applicant with the French-low understandability accent but contrary to expectations the applicant with the Mexican accent (low or high level of understandability) was not perceived as significantly less hireable than the French applicant. The path model indicated that the accent condition-hiring recommendation relationship was mediated by similarity, interpersonal attraction and understandability.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2012
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Title: SOCIAL SKILLS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AFRICAN AMERICAN, CAUCASIAN, AND LATINO STUDENTS
Creator: Filerman, Stacey
Date: 2011-08, 2011-07
Description: Previous studies have demonstrated a significant relationship between social skills and academic achievement (McClelland, Morrison, & Holmes,...
Show morePrevious studies have demonstrated a significant relationship between social skills and academic achievement (McClelland, Morrison, & Holmes, 2000; Payton et al., 2008; Wentzel 1993). This relationship may be due to Vygotsky‟s and Bandura‟s social learning theories, in which learning occurs through observation, imitation, and interaction with one‟s environment (Bandura, 1997; Vygotsky, 1978). Large differences in academic achievement among minority and non-minority students in the United States have been documented for over three decades (Coleman, 1968; National Center, 1978- 1998). Current research examining differences in social skills and academic achievement by race/ethnicity is limited in that dichotomous comparisons have been made between Caucasian and African American, or minority students (Malecki & Elliot, 2002). Social skills measures have also been questioned for their construct validity among minorities (Van Horn, Atkins-Burnett, Karlin, Landesman Ramey, & Snyder, 2007). The current study attempts to expand the understanding of the relationship between social skills and academic achievement in African American, Caucasian, and Latino third, fourth, and fifth grade students. In particular, this study examined teacherand self-rated social skills, reading and mathematics achievement, English proficiency, an estimate of intelligence, and socio-economic status. The results of the current study revealed significant differences in teacher-rated social skills by Race/Ethnicity and no differences in self-ratings. Significant group differences were found also found in reading and not math. Regression analyses revealed teacher-rated social skills did not mediate the relationship between race/ethnicity and academic achievement.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2011
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Title: CERTIFIED REHABILITATION COUNSELORS’ WILLINGNESS TO ADDRESS SEXUALITY-RELATED CONCERNS WITH CLIENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
Creator: Easton, Amanda B.
Date: 2015, 2015-05
Description: Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs) are professionals who are responsible for supporting the rights and independence of people with...
Show moreCertified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs) are professionals who are responsible for supporting the rights and independence of people with disabilities. CRCs provide a number of services to those with a number of disabilities including, but not limited to, mental health counseling, vocational counseling, advocacy, and psychoeducation. Given the plethora of complexities associated with the wide range of disabilities people experience, CRCs are professionals who need to have a variety of skills, knowledge, and competencies. In recent years, the rates of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have increased drastically and issues related to the disorder have become more widely known than ever before. It is likely, given the rates of ASD diagnoses and the fact that CRCs work with individuals with disorders like ASD, that CRCs will interact with someone who has ASD at some juncture in their professional tenure. ASD is characterized by impaired social functioning, verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior. In some circumstances ASD is coupled with cognitive deficits, speech and language delays and deficits, and behavioral challenges. Still, those with ASD experience the same hormonal changes as anyone else during puberty and maturation and are impacted by sexuality. For CRCs sexuality is typically considered a part of culture and having a strong multicultural competency is expected by the governing agencies that dictate CRC ethical practice. Furthermore, few studies that explore CRCs attitudes and intentions have used the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior. This study attempted to explore the factors that contribute to CRCs willingness to address sexuality-related concerns for clients with ASD. This study used a sample of 99 CRCs throughout the United States. The predictors included familiarity, attitudes towards sexuality for people with ASD, subjective normative beliefs, and control beliefs, while controlling for participants’ age, gender, training around sexuality, and spirituality. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze whether these factors were predictive of CRCs willingness to address sexuality-related issues for clients with ASD. Results demonstrated that gender and familiarity were initially significant predictors; however, when controlling for the TPB variables, the variance in willingness was better accounted for by subjective normative beliefs and control beliefs. Additionally, the CRCs in this study were asked to rate 11 areas of sexuality that they were most and least comfortable with. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA along with follow-up contrasts was completed. The CRCs in this study reported feeling the highest level of comfort with addressing sexual harassment and sexuality in the workplace and were least comfortable addressing masturbation and sexual behaviors and preferences. Further, based on a Spearman’s rank analysis, the vignette case example showed that CRCs thought that social skills development was the most important intervention, followed by emotional support, sexual identity, self-esteem, and job training, though scores on social skills did not differ significantly from the other interventions.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2015
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Title: EXAMINING GROUP DIFFERENCES IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH MTBI AND ADHD
Creator: Bodzy, Mary Elizabeth
Date: 2011-05, 2011-07
Description: Executive Functions (EF) are described as behaviors associated with the frontal cortex of the brain that are responsible for higher order...
Show moreExecutive Functions (EF) are described as behaviors associated with the frontal cortex of the brain that are responsible for higher order thinking (Kolb & Whishaw, 1996), and aid in goal directed behavior (Gioia, Isquith, & Guy, 2001). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two conditions that render the frontal systems vulnerable to dysfunction (Fletcher, et al., 1990; Singer & Walkup, 1991). Previous literature found EF deficits in children with ADHD (Barkley, 1997; Barkley, Edwards et al., 2007; Brocki, & Bohlin, 2006; Nigg et al., 2002; Solanto et al., 2001), and children with a TBI (Anderson et al., 2005; Catroppa, & Anderson, 2005; Catroppa et al., 2007; Mangeot et al., 2002; Nolin, 2006; Dennis et al., 1996; Ponsford et al., 1999; Yeates et al., 1999). The current study sought to examine the relationship between a performancebased measure and parent-report measure of EF domains, including working memory, inhibition/impulse control, attention, and processing speed. This study also explored group differences in EF domains between children with ADHD and mild TBI (mTBI), compared to controls in a sample of 180 participants 5-18 years old. Measures included a performance-based measure of EF (ImPACT) and parent-rated measure of executive functioning (BRIEF). Results indicated that parent-report and performance-based measures of executive functioning are related on some tasks (inhibition, emotional control, and monitoring were related to visual and working memory, and processing speed) and unrelated on others (organization, planning, and shifting unrelated to visual and working memory, processing speed, and impulse control). Females performed better than males on performance-based viii inhibition and working memory tasks and on parent-reported monitoring of behavior. After controlling for gender, effects for age, group, and age x group interaction were found on performance-based and parent-report of EF functioning. Specifically, effects for age (5-8, 9-12. 13-18) indicated differences between children of different ages on performance-based working memory and processing speed, and parent-reported working memory, inhibition, emotional control, and monitoring. Effects for group indicated differences between groups (ADHD, mTBI, controls) on performance-based working memory, and impulse control/inhibition, and parent-reported working memory, inhibition, initiation, planning/organization, organization of materials, and monitoring. The effect of the age x group interaction indicated differences on performance-based impulse control/inhibition and processing speed, and parent-reported working memory. In summary, the results of this study suggest there are developmental differences in executive functioning domains.
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, July 2011
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Title: APPROPRIATENESS OF AGGREGATION IN ADVERSE IMPACT ANALYSIS: A MONTE CARLO SIMULATION
Creator: Kwon, Zeenatroohi
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Courts use different tests to evaluate adverse impact. In many cases it is beneficial to aggregate smaller samples into larger ones in order...
Show moreCourts use different tests to evaluate adverse impact. In many cases it is beneficial to aggregate smaller samples into larger ones in order to avoid situations of low power. Aggregation through multiple events test can avoid the issue of low power and avoid statistical anomalies such as Simpson's Paradox. However, it is not always appropriate to aggregate samples because they may be too dissimilar, either through practical or statistical mean. Homogeneity of variance tests, such as the Breslow-Day test or the Modified Breslow-Day test can help the courts decide whether it is appropriate to aggregate the data or not. The present study used a Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the performance of both tests under specific conditions similar to adverse impact analysis, while also examining under which conditions their use may be appropriate. Results showed poor power under most conditions for both tests and that the Breslow- Day test had slightly better control than the Modified Breslow-Day test under certain conditions. The tests are recommended for use when both the individual sample size and number of samples are large.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2014
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Title: THE EFFECT OF ITEM AND SCALE CHARACTERISTICS ON THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF CONSCIENTIOUSNESS SCALES
Creator: Miller, Aaron Ronald
Date: 2013, 2013-07
Description: A contemporary debate by Morgeson, Campion, Dipboye, Hollenbeck, Murphy, and Schmitt (2007) highlighted the fact that personality validity...
Show moreA contemporary debate by Morgeson, Campion, Dipboye, Hollenbeck, Murphy, and Schmitt (2007) highlighted the fact that personality validity when predicting job performance has not changed since the influential review of Guion and Gottier (1965), who originally determined that utilizing personality validites were too modest to be useful as a personnel selection tool. The goal of this thesis was to test several propositions regarding the low validity of personality to predict job performance. The three issues proposed herein all focus on different aspects of the personality validation issue, and although all three are inter-related they also uniquely focus on a different aspect of the validation methodology that is used in modern psychology. Two of the issues also utilize general mental ability as a comparative tool, due to general mental ability’s continual use as a predictive tool. The first issue addressed whether personality, as defined narrowly as conscientiousness, exhibited a nonlinear relationship with job performance after controlling for general mental ability. The second issue hypothesized that the length of the latent construct in comparison to the latent construct of general mental ability might simply be a shorter metric and this was tested using a three-part criterion taxonomy that was developed for this study. The third issue asked if the creation of personality scales using ideal-point methods instead of the more typical classical construction method would result in higher criterion related validity. The results generally found linearity between the personality – job performance relationship. The personality scale also separated between the tail ends of the criteria better than the measure of general mental ability. The newly constructed alternative scales, on average, ix did not outpeform the classically constructed measure of personality, although in a few instances the alternatives did better.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2013
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Title: ATTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS RETURNING OEF/OIF VETERANS WITH A DISABILITY: TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY VS. POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND DISABILITY CONTEXT
Creator: Ellefson, Sarah Elisabeth
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans are acquiring disabilities during deployment with the two most...
Show moreOperation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans are acquiring disabilities during deployment with the two most common disabilities being Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Past research has shown that persons with disabilities are stigmatized and often held personally responsible for their disabilities. The present study utilized Bernard Weiner’s theory of attribution to investigate whether (1) type of disability, (2) disability context, (3) level of familiarity, or (4) political ideology influences whether or not the returning OIF/OEF veterans with disabilities population are blamed for their disabilities. One hundred and seventy-seven undergraduate students read a short vignette of a veteran who sustained a disability, and completed measures of stigmatizing attributions, political ideology, and familiarity with persons with disabilities. Results showed a significant relationship to disability context and stigmatizing attributions of blame. Specifically, veterans who sustained their injuries as a result of not following their commander’s orders were seen as more personally responsible for their disability than veterans who sustained their injuries while following their commander’s orders. No significant relationships between disability type, political ideology, or level of familiarity were found. Recommendations for reducing stigmatizing societal barriers when veterans with disabilities reintegrate back into civilian life and future research studies are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2014
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Title: LEADING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES: WHAT DRIVES FOLLOWERS' PERFORMANCE?
Creator: Arena, Fernando Lobo
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: Using a sample of 109 managers and 307 direct reports from a global financial services firm headquartered in the United States, we examined...
Show moreUsing a sample of 109 managers and 307 direct reports from a global financial services firm headquartered in the United States, we examined how trustworthiness affected the relationship between authentic leadership and performance in followers. Additionally, we examined how trustworthiness drives performance in an environment of strategic and structural uncertainty. Our findings indicate that authentic leadership drives follower performance and that this relationship may be mediated by benevolence. However, in a post hoc analysis we did show that benevolence mediated the relationship between relational transparency and performance. While not conclusive, there is also evidence to suggest that structural uncertainty moderates the relationship between benevolence and performance. In an environment of high structural uncertainty, followers that perceive their leaders as benevolent tend to outperform other followers.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2016
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Title: Patterns of Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Multi-Informant Approach
Creator: Gretencord, Ashley
Date: 2011-05-25, 2011-05
Description: The presence of externalizing symptoms in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) is a common occurrence. Additionally, recent research...
Show moreThe presence of externalizing symptoms in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) is a common occurrence. Additionally, recent research has established high rates of internalizing symptoms within this population. This study examined the frequencies of internalizing and externalizing symptoms according to parent, teacher, and self-report of children and adolescents with an ASD. The agreement between sources on both types of symptoms was examined, as well as the relationship between agreement rates and type of symptom, age, and diagnosis (Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified). Participants included 77 children and adolescents (8-18 years) who had been diagnosed with an ASD, their parents, and teachers. Parent, teacher, and self-report were measured using the internalizing and externalizing composites of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004). Results indicated high rates of both types of symptoms endorsed by all three sources. However, parents reported significantly more symptoms than their children, with symptom endorsement by teachers in between these. Although agreement rates were low across all sources, there was higher agreement for externalizing symptoms compared to internalizing symptoms. Additionally, age was found to impact agreement rates: adolescents’ selfreport of symptoms significantly correlated with parents for both types of symptoms and with teachers for externalizing symptoms, while children’s self-report of symptoms did not significantly correlate with the other sources for either type of symptom. Contrary to hypotheses, age and diagnosis were not related to the rate of self-report. Implications of the findings are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2011
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Title: AUDITORY PROCESSING AND THE EXTRACTION OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CUES IN AUTISM
Creator: Demopoulos, Carly
Date: 2013, 2013-07
Description: There is increasing evidence that there are deficits in vocal affect recognition abilities in some individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum...
Show moreThere is increasing evidence that there are deficits in vocal affect recognition abilities in some individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and that sensory deficits are also common in these individuals. Little research, however, has focused on the relation between atypical auditory processing and vocal affect recognition abilities. The aim of this study was to examine if there was an association between cortical auditory processing and vocal affect recognition ability, and, in turn, to determine if vocal affect recognition ability was related to parent report of social and leadership skills. First, peripheral auditory processing was examined in a sample of 28 5-18 yearold (mean = 11.48) children and adolescents with an ASD. Vocal affect recognition was assessed by the paralanguage subtests of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy (DANVA), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to evaluate cortical electrophysiological processing in relation to auditory stimuli. Parent-report was used to assess social skills and leadership with these subtests on the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children-2. Correlational analyses indicated that there were no significant relations between peripheral auditory processing and DANVA scores. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for age, language ability, and IQ, the measures of cortical auditory processing contributed a significant additional 19% of the variance in DANVA-2 scores. Specifically, left hemisphere response latency and right hemisphere rapid auditory processing were related to vocal affect recognition. They also indicated that DANVA-2 scores contributed a significant additional 30% of the variance in parent-rated social skills after controlling for language ability and IQ. However, DANVA-2 scores did not contribute significantly to leadership skills. xi This was the first study to use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess auditory evoked fields in relation to vocal affect recognition and to show that there is an association between specific features of cortical auditory processing and vocal affect recognition. These results suggest that the ability to respond to and efficiently process rapidly presented auditory information may be important in extracting affective cues from speech, and for individuals on the autism spectrum, impairment in these abilities may contribute to difficulty in vocal affect recognition.
PH.D in Psychology, July 2013
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Title: FACTORS PREDICTING SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A COUNTY DRUG COURT PROGRAM
Creator: Haak, Christopher
Date: 2013, 2013-12
Description: Drug treatment courts have become a vital part of the trend towards rehabilitative criminal justice and spawned numerous other rehabilitative...
Show moreDrug treatment courts have become a vital part of the trend towards rehabilitative criminal justice and spawned numerous other rehabilitative courts since starting in Dade County, Florida over 23 years ago. The growth and increased use came out of a strong research foundation that looked at the factors that led to the ability to complete the program and avoid rearrest. This study used archival data on 183 individuals who had previously completed the drug court program either successfully or unsuccessfully and examined factors that predicted successful graduation, focusing on those that could be modified. Predictors included age, gender, employment at entry, drug of choice, level of risk, depression, anxiety, and defensiveness. The predictors were grouped into three different areas: demographics, level of risk, and mental preparedness to enter treatment. Logistic regression was used to examine whether the predictor variables were predictive of completion status. Findings show that individuals with alcohol as drug of choice and individuals with higher anxiety scores were significantly more likely to successfully complete the drug treatment court program. Individuals with higher level of risk, depression, and defensiveness scores were found to be significantly more likely to unsuccessfully complete the drug treatment court program. These findings support previous research on individual factors and drug treatment court program outcome, and the results show that further exploration is necessary to understand why these variables are predictive and whether changes to treatment can address the needs they highlight.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2013
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Title: THE EFFECTS OF RUMINATION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT ON STUDENT ADJUSTMENT TO UNIVERSITY
Creator: Gabelman, Rachel B.
Date: 2012-12-18, 2012-12
Description: This study examined perceived social support as moderator between of the relationship between rumination (brooding) and students’ adjustment...
Show moreThis study examined perceived social support as moderator between of the relationship between rumination (brooding) and students’ adjustment to university, it also explored rumination (brooding) as a mediator between the relationship of gender and student adjustment to university. Participants included 71 first year undergraduate, graduate, and transfer students. The interaction between perceived social support and brooding was not significant.. Likewise, brooding as a mediator between gender and student adjustment was not significant. Thus, neither the amount of social support students perceived nor whether students were male or female added to the understanding of the relationship between brooding and adjustment to university.
M.S. in Psychology, December 2012
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Title: ASSESSING IMPAIRMENT IN FUNCTIONING USING A CONFIGURAL MEASURE
Creator: Fuller, Jordan S.
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: Assessing impairment in daily functioning is an important part of a mental health evaluation and of monitoring progress in treatment. The...
Show moreAssessing impairment in daily functioning is an important part of a mental health evaluation and of monitoring progress in treatment. The Seasonality Assessment Form (SAF; Young, et al., 2014) included a measure to assess the degree of impairment in daily functioning associated with these symptoms. The 5 yes/no impairment items were written to reflect the ways that patients intuitively describe their levels of impairment. However, the items are not mutually exclusive and are not summative so that impairment severity is represented by the configural pattern of responses. This paper examined the nature of response patterns and how to use them to generate an impairment severity score.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2016
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Title: THE ASSOCIATIONS AMONG EMOTIONAL EATING, GENDER, BMI, AND RUMINATION
Creator: Gabelman, Rachel Beth
Date: 2017, 2017-07
Description: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the roles of gender, body mass index (BMI), and rumination in the relation of...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the roles of gender, body mass index (BMI), and rumination in the relation of negative affect (NA) and emotional eating (EE). The following associations were proposed: (1) NA is positively associated with EE, (2) rumination both moderates and (3) mediates the association between NA and EE, (4) gender moderates the association between NA and emotional eating, and (5) EE mediates the association between NA and BMI. Participants consisted of average, overweight, and obese, males (n = 140) and females (n = 152) from both community and university settings. Participants completed self-report questionnaires, including the Binge Eating Questionnaire, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and Ruminative Response Questionnaire. Results agreed with previous findings that NA positively correlated NA was positively associated with EE. Results indicated that rumination moderated the association between NA and EE; however rather than greater rumination strengthening this association, it led to a weaker association between NA and EE. Rumination mediated the association between NA and EE, and EE mediated the association between NA and BMI. Lastly, gender did not moderate the association between NA and EE. Results indicate the importance of rumination in those with a tendency to emotionally eat. They also point to the impact of EE on BMI, and suggest further studies should examine whether an association exists between EE and weight gain. In addition, results indicate similarities between men and women in regard to emotionally eating in response to NA.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2017
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