Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Psychology Copyright (c) 2013 University of Nebraska - Lincoln All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss Recent documents in Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Psychology en-us Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:41:30 PDT 3600 The Role of Emotion in Environmental Decision Making http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/55 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/55 Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:50:46 PDT Given the environmental concerns of our planet, it is imperative to consider issues of environmental sustainability. Researchers argue that the most serious environmental problems are not merely issues of science, but that of individual behavior. Solutions, therefore, must consider the role of the individual—how one can change his/her behaviors to be more environmentally conscious. The experience of negative or positive emotions, may impact not only people’s experiences with the environment, but also their tendency to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The present study sought to experimentally investigate the role of emotion and information on pro-environmental behavior change. Results indicate that neither emotion nor information was found to influence pro-environmental behavior change. The study confirms, however, the importance of pro-environmental attitudes on predicting behavioral intentions, and current pro-environmental behaviors as a necessary predictor of pro-environmental behavior change. Just as old behavior patterns are identified as barriers to pro-environmental behaviors, the opposite is also true: individuals who already engage in a number of pro-environmental behaviors are most likely to adopt new behaviors to reduce their ecological footprint and increase their sustainability efforts.

Adviser: Brian H. Bornstein

]]> Hannah Dietrich Feedback-Related Negativity, Decision-Making, and College Binge Drinking http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/54 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/54 Tue, 21 May 2013 07:35:48 PDT Despite increased prevention efforts, binge drinking remains a prevalent issue among college students. Myriad negative consequences are associated with binge drinking (e.g., academic impairment, injury, legal trouble); however, it appears a subset of individuals do not alter future drinking to reduce their risk. This suggests that some binge drinkers are less sensitive to alcohol-related negative outcomes, which may stem from individual differences in neurocognitive functioning. The present study draws from a reinforcement learning theory framework to explain disparities in learning from negative outcomes. Specifically, an electrophysiological measure associated with diminished responsiveness to negative consequences (i.e., feedback-related negativity; FRN) and a decision-making task (Iowa Gambling Task; IGT) were used to index reinforcement learning. The study enrolled thirty college students age 18 to 23 across three categories of drinkers (non-binge, binge, and heavy drinkers) to test study aims. The first aim was to examine FRN differences among non-binge, binge, and heavy drinkers. A dose-response effect was expected with heavy drinkers showing the smallest FRN amplitude (an index of diminished response to consequences) and non-binge drinkers showing the largest FRN amplitude. The second aim was to examine the relationship between FRN and decision-making on the IGT among college binge drinkers. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive linear relationship between FRN amplitude and number of advantageous decisions on the IGT. The third aim was to examine the relationship between FRN and age of drinking onset, and it was hypothesized that there would be a positive linear relationship between FRN amplitude and age of drinking onset. Study methodology, results, and implications are discussed.

Adviser: Dennis E. McChargue

]]> Laura C. Wahlstrom Pathways to Social Functioning via Emotion Regulation in People with Serious Mental Illness http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/53 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/53 Mon, 06 May 2013 08:55:42 PDT Recent research on social cognitive deficits associated with serious mental illness (SMI) has demonstrated a range of emotion processing difficulties, from emotion perception to emotion regulation. Whereas emotion perception deficits are well documented in this population, little is understood about emotion regulation and the relationship of emotion regulation to other abilities and impairments.

Method. Participants included 41 individuals with SMI recruited from a day rehabilitation program. Assessments included a range of functional domains, including symptom severity, neurocognition, social cognition, emotion regulation, and social functioning.

Results. Emotion dysregulation was hypothesized to be associated with more severe positive symptoms, poorer neurocognitive functioning, and poorer social and community functioning. Results were mixed across the various assessments. There was some evidence of a relationship between psychiatric symptom severity and emotion dysregulation. However, global neurocognition explained very little of the variance in emotion regulation. Individuals with poorer emotion regulation tended to have poorer self-reported social functioning, and positive symptom severity accounted for some of the variance in this relationship. Path analysis modeling summarized these relationships.

Conclusions. This study demonstrates that emotion regulation explains variance in social functioning, but much remains to be understood about how emotion regulation relates to other biosystemic domains in this population. Limitations in valid assessment in the SMI population hinder ongoing progress, and this should be a key focus of future research, as orthogonal functional domains require individual attention in clinical assessment and research. Assessing segregated processes and investigating interactions among those processes reveal important relationships among subgroups of this population that would otherwise be missed. Though symptom severity and neurocognitive impairments have historically been the focus of treatment development for SMI, this work clearly demonstrates that individuals with SMI also have impaired emotion regulation abilities. Furthermore, that these abilities share an interactive relationship with social functioning and symptom severity reinforces their importance as potential treatment targets. Integrating emotion regulation skills training into the psychiatric rehabilitation toolkit is therefore a worthwhile future endeavor.

Adviser: William D. Spaulding

]]> Hayden C. Bottoms Sex Ratios and Gender Role Perceptions http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/52 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/52 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:10:49 PDT This research investigated whether altering perceived sex ratios, defined as the number of men per 100 women, influenced gender role perceptions among college students. The specific area of interest within sex ratios was the effect of high versus low sex ratios. Existing work on the topic of sex ratios focused on demographic data.

The focus of these studies was the impact of changing sex ratios on the individual, specifically participants’ perceptions of romance, dating and women’s gender roles. I hypothesized that for high sex ratios, participants would endorse statements of traditional dating and romance schemes, traditional women’s roles, and socially conservative statements in general. For low sex ratios, I hypothesized that participants would report relaxed notions of dating and romance, egalitarian women’s gender roles, and less social conservatism.

In the pilot study, participants were exposed to a written manipulation presenting a fictional environment with an imbalanced sex ratio. Participants were asked about traditional romantic gestures, women’s roles, and family structure. Results indicated that participants were responsive to the manipulation as hypothesized, although the effect was weak. Subsequent studies used a strengthened audio presentation of the information about sex ratios.

For studies two and three a fictional island society was created that had either an excess of men or women. In study two, the manipulation focused on a fictional female character’s choices regarding marriage, motherhood and career. In the third study, the manipulation focused on romance, dating, and careers without a central character.

The outcome of these studies was as hypothesized; participants in the high sex ratio condition reported greater support for traditional romance and more constrained women’s gender roles while low sex ratio condition participants reported less valuing of romance and formal dating behavior and less restricted gender roles.

The overall results supported a theory of how unbalanced sex ratios affect society that was developed by Guttentag and Secord, but that has never previously been subjected to an experimental test. Implications of the outcome were discussed at the individual, local and global level.

Advisor: Richard Dienstbier

]]> Elizabeth A. Boger Toughness Predicts Performance In College Football http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/51 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/51 Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:45:54 PDT A premium college football player is estimated to generate over $1 million for his program, so optimal player assessment and selection are paramount. Lean body mass, back squat, and vertical jump have been the most predictive physical test scores, but such metrics typically account for less than 10% of variance in football performance. NFL scouts have tended to rely on vertical jump, 40-yard dash, and 20-yard shuttle scores, but interestingly, reliance on none of the physical tests conducted at the NFL Combine was predictive of team success; in fact, teams that relied on fewer total physical test scores tended to win more games. Dr. Tom Osborne suggested the Performance Index for interpreting physical performance metrics, but also insisted that psychological attributes such as toughness were equally important to his evaluation process since players deal with immense adversity during the course of a season. Toughness can be characterized as the ability to cope with stressors more effectively, and is measured in this study by examining cortisol reactivity. When physical test scores (i.e., lean body mass, hang clean, back squat, bench press, 10-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, and vertical jump) were converted into Performance Index scores among 47 Division 1 freshman football players, players who contributed on the field differed from players who did not contribute only in vertical jump and 10-yard dash scores. A multiple regression model that included only physical test scores accounted for 28% of variance in football performance, whereas a model that included cortisol reactivity measured during a physical testing session, in addition to traditional physical performance prediction metrics, accounted for 39% of variance. Results from this investigation suggest that cortisol reactivity may capture a distinctive attribute of players and predict on-field performance better than many individual physical performance variables. If cortisol reactivity, as a measure of toughness, can be effectively used to predict performance on the football field, then the metric should be included in performance prediction models that have traditionally included only physical attributes of players.

Advisor: Daniel W. Leger

]]> Joseph B. Rigoni The Reminiscence Effect in Autobiographical Memory and Tests of its Prominent Accounts http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/50 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/50 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:15:41 PST The reminiscence effect, in which people aged 40 and over remember more autobiographical memories from between ages 10 to 30 than from adjacent periods, producing a “bump” in lifespan distributions, is a highly robust effect. When it was discovered to occur for highly positive emotional memories, but not negative ones, the cultural life script account of reminiscence was proposed. The cultural life script account asserts that individuals possess scripts for important events in the normative life that structure autobiographical recall. The reminiscence effect is explained by the fact that in life scripts, positive events have highly prescribed timings and cluster between ages 10 and 30, while negative events, which do not have prescribed timings, are more evenly distributed across the lifespan. The life story account outlines additional properties of bump memories. The life story account attributes reminiscence to the differential recall of life story events, i.e., events that provide coherence to one’s life story. Four studies are reported testing these accounts. Chapter 2 reports a test of the life script with African Americans. Research suggests that life scripts are highly stable, varying little across cultures. The findings indicate that, overall, the properties of the life script were replicated. However, minor cross-cultural differences similar to those observed in prior research were exacerbated with a minority sample. In Chapter 3, the effect of minority status on the recall of emotionally negative memories is examined. Contrary to expectations, the findings failed to contradict the predictions of either account of reminiscence. In Chapter 4, the typicality effect is tested with life scripts in an attempt to present an additional class of evidence for their existence. Finally, in Chapter 5, the life story account is tested. The findings support the life story account by showing that the bump occurs for life story, but not non-life story, events. These studies add to our understanding of the cultural life script and life story accounts and the reminiscence effect in autobiographical memory.

Adviser: Robert F. Belli

]]> Justin T. Coleman MAKING A LARGE CLASS FEEL SMALL USING SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: INTRODUCING TEAMS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING IN A LARGE-ENROLLMENT COURSE http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/49 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/49 Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:46:49 PDT Large-enrollment lecture-based classes are increasingly common in higher education. As an alternative approach, active learning methods are meant to develop academic skills and improve understanding of course content. Group work is an effective form of active learning, but students typically despise it. Social psychological small group theory can inform teachers about the characteristics of small groups that influence their capability to improve learning, so that teachers can design more effectual group work for their classes. This study examined what effect introducing permanent teams into a large enrollment class had on students’ sense of classroom community and their learning outcomes, using both exam performance and writing scores as objective measurements. This study employed a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design, and used the first of four sequential semesters of the same course as a baseline comparison group. I hypothesized that students would report a stronger sense of community in the semesters including teams, and that learning outcomes, as reflected in exam scores and grades on the writing assignment, would improve as well. The teaching innovation did not produce the desired and predicted outcomes, but the results still constitute progress toward developing a successful intervention. Limitations to the present study are described in terms of recommendations for future research on the strategic integration of the scholarship of teaching and learning and social psychology. With this approach in place, teachers can begin to establish best practices for group work in large-enrollment classes.

]]> Bethany Johnson A Test of a Conceptual Model of Sexual Self-Concept and its Relation to Other Dimensions of Sexuality http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/48 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/48 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:37:24 PDT One theoretical concept that has received modest attention in contemporary sexuality research is the sexual self, particularly focusing on sexual self-concept (SSC). While research on the sexual self has expanded over the past 20 years, there is a lack of cohesion within this research that has culminated in a collection of SSC models that, while sharing certain factors, are dissimilar from each other. Therefore a unified conceptual model of SSC needs to be empirically established. Additionally, little research has examined potential differences between genders in how SSC is expressed, as most SSC research focuses exclusively on women. Finally, understanding of human sexuality can be expanded by examining SSC models in a broader sexual context via its relationship with other aspects of sexuality, such as sexual behavior, intentions, and socialization. Using Buzwell and Rosenthal’s 1996 sexual selves model as a theoretical basis, a six-factor higher-order latent SSC model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Lower-order factors for this model included sexual self-esteem, sexual self-efficacy, arousal, anxiety, exploration, and commitment. A five-factor latent model, after removing commitment and one sexual self-efficacy factors, was the best-fitting model, such that a higher-order SSC latent factor accounted for the correlations between these lower-order factors. This model was then tested for measurement and structural invariance between genders. Results indicated that SSC was similar on a measurement level for both men and women. Finally, a structural equation model was estimated examining the relationship between the five-factor SSC model and previous sexual behavior, intended sexual behavior, and sexual socialization. When the three sexual dimensions were examined separately, all three sexual dimensions related to the latent SSC factor for both men and women. However, when all three sexual dimensions were entered together in the model, only intended sexual behavior was significantly related to a more positive SSC for both genders. Previous sexual behavior was only significantly related to SSC in women, and sexual socialization had no relationship for either gender. These findings have important implications for both sexual self-concept research, as well as contributing to better understanding human sexuality.

Adviser: Brian Wilcox

]]> Arielle R. Deutsch LATINO ADOLESCENT ADJUSTMENT: AN EXAMINATION OF CULTURAL VALUES http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/47 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/47 Fri, 27 Jul 2012 08:15:51 PDT In the U.S., 22% of children under the age of 18 are Latino and 52% of Latino children have at least one parent who is foreign-born (Fry & Passel, 2009). Latinos are likely to experience acculturative strains associated with a range of negative outcomes such as academic underachievement. A mixed method sequential explanatory design was used to examine the protective effects of cultural factors that may ameliorate the negative effects of acculturative strains on psychological and academic adjustment.

The quantitative phase of the study examined whether biculturalism and ethnic identity would reduce the negative influence of acculturation strains on adjustment and if age-related differences existed between models such that moderation effects would be greater for older adolescents than younger adolescents would. Moderation was found for biculturalism and ethnic identity, however only for three of the four types of adjustment. Comparisons of moderation effects by age found biculturalism was a moderator for the acculturation-depression model for older adolescents but not for younger adolescents.

In the qualitative phase of the study the adolescents who participated in the group interviews showed an understanding of what culture is, what it meant to them personally, and how it is directly or indirectly associated to their adjustment. From the themes that emerged it was inferred that family is essential to the understanding and prosperity of the Latino culture. Results have implications for theory, research and practice.

Advisor: Brian Wilcox

]]> Maria I. Iturbide Psychotherapy Clients’ Online Behavior and Opinions Regarding Internet Searches Conducted by Therapists http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/45 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/45 Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:27:04 PDT The Internet has become possibly the most popular medium to find information and communicate in our society. For the field of psychology, the Internet offers a new way to collect data and communicate with both study participants and, for practicing psychologists, possibly clients. Little is known, however, about the implications of interacting with clients online. The existing empirical studies in this area (DiLillo & Gale, 2011; Lehavot, Barnett, & Powers, 2010; Taylor et al., 2010) have focused on psychology graduate students’ actions online. These studies highlight the importance and paucity of research regarding the online behaviors of psychotherapy clients and interactions initiated by clients with therapists online. The purpose of this dissertation, therefore, is to address this gap in the literature by surveying clients regarding their online behaviors, any interaction clients have with therapists online, and how clients feel about contact with their therapists online. In order to address this gap, clients who are currently receiving psychotherapy services at a campus counseling center were surveyed regarding their online behaviors, opinions about searching, and opinions regarding therapists’ searches for client information. Overall Internet use was found to be very high among the sample, with most reporting using the Internet on a daily basis. Additionally, few reported any online contact with their therapist, and clients indicated that it would be mostly unacceptable for therapists to search for clients online. This study has several important implications for therapy including contribute to a growing literature addressing the role of the Internet in clinical practice in an increasingly electronic world.

Adviser: David DiLillo

]]> Emily B. Gale The Role of Engagement Across Conceptually Distinct Treatment Elements for Social Anxiety Disorder http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/44 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/44 Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:16:08 PDT There are currently several efficacious treatments for social anxiety disorder (e.g. exposure therapy and cognitive therapy). Each of these treatments is thought to reduce symptoms of social anxiety by disrupting maintenance mechanisms of the disorder, yet mechanism of change research has not supported this view. The current study compared components from each therapy modality in order to better understand why symptoms reduce similarly between conceptually distinct treatments. Participants with high social anxiety were randomly assigned to give a speech with cognitive restructuring and engagement-enhancing procedures, cognitive preparation and video feedback, or a speech alone. Self-ratings of speech performance, confidence in public speaking, and cost and probability biases were measured at three time points (baseline, post-speech, and post-intervention). Self- and observer-ratings of engagement, peak anxiety, and speech quality were also gathered post-speech. Results indicated instructions designed to boost engagement were not successful, though self-rated engagement across all conditions was strongly related to symptoms improvement. All interventions, despite having distinct procedural elements, were not significantly different from each other in terms of the pattern of change or strength of symptom reduction. Self-ratings did not come into line with third-party observers, despite improvements in cognitive biases. Results regarding the role of engagement across treatments and the hypothesis that both behavioral and cognitive therapies for social anxiety function for similar reasons are discussed. Treatment implications, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Adviser: Debra A. Hope

]]> Timothy M. Emge Dimensions of Individuals' Judgements about Sexual Attraction, Romantic Attachment, and Sexual Orientation http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/43 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/43 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:23:04 PDT Despite 150 years of scientific interest in sexual orientation, contemporary investigators grapple with a number of serious difficulties. A precise, unified definition of sexual orientation appropriate for scientific use continues to elude researchers, most likely because there is still no single coherent theory of sexual orientation. This lack impedes research into the measurement of sexual orientation. Existing measurements of sexual orientation rely on partial or incompletely empirical research. The present study identified promising avenues for development of credible definitions, theories, and measurements of sexual orientation: (a) mate-selection tasks; (b) the idea that bisexually-identified individuals place a lower priority on partner gender in mate-selection decisions; (c) using “gender diagnosticity”—i.e., measures that differentiate between men and women, using an empirical criterion—to investigate the connections between gender-role orientation, sexual orientation, and mate selection; (d) distinguishing between sexual desire and pair bonding; (e) a cross-category theory of sexual orientation identity.

The present study was conducted via an Internet survey. Participants were 726 participants with varying gender and sexual orientation identities. A large number of participants espoused nontraditional gender and sexual orientation identities. Results indicated strong support for distinguishing between sexual desire and pair bonding, in that different decision rules for mate selection obtained in each, and for understanding bisexuality as involving lower prioritization of partner gender. The utility of mate-selection tasks was also supported. The use of gender diagnosticity was partly supported, in that a relationship between adult gender typicality and sexual orientation was found, but further investigation is needed to determine appropriate measures as vehicles for this approach. Conceptualizations of sexual orientation were observed to vary with gender and sexual orientation identity categories, though there was also substantial agreement across categories. The cross-category theory of sexual orientation was partially supported in that heterosexually-identified participants who endorsed some same-sex sexuality appeared to be actively exploring their sexual orientation identity. The results highlighted the fractal and dynamic complexity and interrelationship of gender and sexual orientation, and the need to understand nontraditional gender and sexual orientation identities.

Advisor: Debra A. Hope

]]> Luis F. Morales Knight Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry, But What About Malpractice? A Look at Verbal and Nonverbal Factors Affecting Perceptions of Apologies in a Medical Malpractice Case http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/42 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/42 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:49:51 PDT Apologies are part of daily life and occur in a variety of contexts. A large body of literature on the effects of apologies indicated that apologies have a positive effect – those receiving apologies have more positive views of the transgressor (e.g., Bornstein, Rung, & Miller, 2002; Goei, Roberty, Meyer, & Carlyle, 1997; Robbennolt, 2003; Sitkin & Beis, 1993; Takaku, 2000). An area of emerging research in the realm of apologies is in the area of medical malpractice. The research presented here sought to expand on the field of apologies, specifically by examining the effects of an apology in a medical malpractice case. After reading the facts of a medical malpractice case, participants watched a videotaped statement of the defendant, which contained either an apology or an excuse. Other manipulated variables included the familiarity between the plaintiff and defendant, how steadily the defendant maintained eye contact during his statement, and how quickly the defendant spoke while making his statement. Analyses revealed marginal main effects for statement type, eye contact and speech rate on ratings of sincerity. Main effects emerged for perceptions of the defendant – participants viewed him more favorably when he apologized. Implications and areas of future research are then discussed.

Adviser: Brian H. Bornstein

]]> Sarah Thimsen Adolescent Decision Making and Risk Behavior: A Neurobiological Approach http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/41 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/41 Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:09:14 PDT In this study, the neurobiological theory of adolescent decision making and risk taking and the dual-process decision making theory were tested in a sample of college students. Participants responded to questions in a survey about decision making style, socio-emotional processes, cognitive control processes, and deviant peers. The goals of the research were to test the relation between decision making processes (intuitive and deliberative) and risk behaviors, to test the potential overlap between intuitive and deliberative decision making as described in the more traditional dual-process models and the socio-emotional and cognitive control systems of the neurobiological model, and to extend the neurobiological model by examining the role of individual and social contextual factors in risk behavior. This research is intended to strengthen, expand, and improve our existing knowledge of youth decision making and risk behavior. Results showed that cognitive control processes and deliberative decision making were related to each other whereas socio-emotional processes and intuitive decision making were not. Deliberative decision making was related to risk behaviors whereas intuitive decision making was not. Finally, self-regulation and deviant peers moderated the relations between some of the socio-emotional or cognitive control constructs and risk behavior. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications as well as future directions for research.

Adviser: Lisa J. Crockett

]]> Jennifer M. Wolff Motivation & Loss Aversion in the Health Savings Account Paradigm http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/40 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/40 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:08:28 PDT This investigation examined the role of “loss aversion” and consumers’ motivational orientations in the context of healthcare purchasing under the individual account paradigm and the defined benefit (insurance) paradigm. Specifically, this dissertation investigated (1) whether Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) encourage more prudent health care spending compared to traditional health insurance plans and (2) the impact of individuals' motivational preferences (either towards “gains” or towards “losses”) between decision tasks under each type of health plan.

Three experiments varied the type of healthcare plan that consumers had and the manner in which they received information (either as a “gain” or “loss”). The experiments examined (a) intentions to obtain skin cancer screening and willingness to pay for cancer screening, (b) intentions to obtain an immunization injection and willingness to pay for it, and (c) preferred treatment option in the face of an imagined lung cancer and willingness to pay for each of the two possible treatments.

The results reveal several interesting findings. Individuals’ knowledge about their healthcare plans was consistently a significant factor. Individuals with a high degree of knowledge would spend less money on healthcare services than would individuals with less knowledge.

Individuals’ motivational orientations were also consistently influential. A persistent motivational tendency towards “promotion” concerns increased the likelihood that individuals would obtain certain healthcare services and enhanced the amount of money participants would spend on other services. Conversely, a persistent motivational tendency towards “prevention” concerns decreased the likelihood that individuals would obtain certain healthcare services and decreased the amount of money individuals would spend on other services.

Moreover, the experiments yielded some evidence of loss aversion, albeit inconsistently. The findings support the conclusion that the framing of healthcare information can impact the choice-behaviors of healthcare consumers.

As a whole, this investigation helps advance our understanding of how the individual account paradigm interfaces with decision making errors and how “loss aversion” may impact healthcare choices. The results have implications for both psychological theories of decision making and healthcare policy.

Adviser: Richard Wiener

]]> Michael Holtje Interpersonal Aggression Perpetration: Static and Emotion Regulation Risk Factors http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/39 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/39 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:07:53 PDT Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is a serious public health problem for both men and women in the United States. With aspirations of alleviating the significant negative effects of IPA, a substantial body of literature has been devoted to uncovering risk factors for IPA perpetration. Much of this research has focused on static, or relatively stable, factors that may influence IPA, such as life stress, distress tolerance, rumination, and jealousy. However, considering situational variables that influence individuals more proximally to aggressive acts, in conjunction with these static factors, may provide more precise prediction of partner aggression. Current theoretical and empirical work suggests that emotion regulation strategies, particularly expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal, may be key situational processes in IPA perpetration. In light of this research, this study proposes the following hypotheses: each static risk factor (life stress, distress tolerance, rumination, jealousy) will be related to interpersonal aggression perpetration, expressive suppression will be related to greater aggression perpetration than will cognitive reappraisal, and emotion regulation strategy usage will moderate the association between the static risk factors and aggression. To examine these questions, the present investigation employed an experimental designed in which participants were assigned to use specific strategies to regulate negative emotions induced by a frustrating computer task. Participants then took part in an analogue aggression task involving the allocation of hot sauce to a purported other participant, followed by a self-report assessment of propensity to perpetrate IPA. Findings showed that reduced distress tolerance and increased jealousy were associated with increased IPA propensity for both men and women. Greater rumination was also related to higher past-year IPA perpetration and increased IPA propensity for men. Participants allocated marginally significantly more hot sauce if they were assigned to suppress their emotions in response to the frustrating computer task than if they were assigned to reappraise their emotions. Emotion regulation strategy use generally did not moderate relationships between static factors and forms of IPA perpetration. The implications of these findings as well as future directions for research are discussed; clinical implications with regard to IPA perpetration intervention are highlighted.

]]> Jill Panuzio Adapting an Evidence-Based Intervention to Improve Social and Behavioral Competence in Head Start Children: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Teacher-Child Interaction Training http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/37 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/37 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:35:49 PDT Empirical studies indicate that as many as 35% of Head Start children meet the diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder (Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1998). Without early intervention, these problematic behaviors may become stable across childhood and adolescence (Campbell, 1995), increasing the likelihood of academic problems, school drop-out, substance abuse, delinquency, and violence (Snyder, 2001). Head Start children are also more likely to enter school with significant deficits in social-emotional readiness, with a many as 40% demonstrating delays in social competencies and communication abilities (Kaiser et al., 2000). Longitudinal research indicates that early gaps in social competence for socioeconomically challenged children persist and even widen as children progress in school (Huffman, Mehlinger, & Kerivan, 2001), and conduct problems become increasingly resistant to change over time (Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001). Thus, intervention efforts to ensure children’s competence across social and behavioral domains must begin as early as possible; ideally within the preschool years (Mashburn & Pianta, 2006).

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an empirically-based and short-term teacher intervention - Teacher-Child Interaction Training Preschool Program (TCIT-PRE). The TCIT-PRE program was designed to improve social and behavioral competence for preschool children, and increase efficacy and satisfaction for preschool teachers. Participants were six teachers and 101 children (and their caregivers) from three Head Start Centers. Overall, research findings indicated that: (a) Head Start teachers were able to acquire and master the TCIT-PRE skills with individual and small groups of children during training sessions; (b) TCIT-PRE skills acquired in the training room generalized to the classroom environment; (c) the utilization of TCIT-PRE skills by Head Start teachers was associated with improved social and behavioral competence for Head Children, both in the classroom and at home; and (d) the TCIT-PRE program was well received by Head Start teachers, many of whom reported increased efficacy and satisfaction after completing the program. Implications for early childhood intervention programs and future directions for the TCIT-PRE program are discussed.

Advisor: David J. Hansen

]]> Christopher Campbell When knowing just isn't enough: Examining the role of moral emotions in health decision making using the Theory of Planned Behavior http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/36 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/36 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:51:14 PDT A proposed integrated Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model aimed to examine the role of moral emotions and two health outcomes: prosocial behaviors and smoking outcomes. Based on Tangney’s work with shame and guilt-proneness, it was expected that those more prone to guilt would engage in more prosocial behaviors and those more prone to shame would engage in more smoking behaviors. Prosocial behaviors were found to be negatively associated with smoking outcomes. However, results suggested that guilt and shame-proneness seem to function similarly in predicting behavioral outcomes. Components within the TPB were generally positively correlated with each health outcome, however findings indicated that only parts of the TPB predicted certain health behaviors. For example, when examined with moral emotions, the TPB was associated with public and anonymous behaviors for specific gender groups. In contrast, when parts of the TPB were examined without moral emotions in a mediation analysis, intention was associated with smoking outcomes. It could be speculated that engaging in prosocial behaviors may require both cognitive and emotional evaluations of the behavior rather than acting on a need to fulfill an addiction as with smoking. Thus, the integrated model may better predict prosocial behaviors. Furthermore, the TPB failed to mediate between moral emotions and health behaviors. Rather, intentions emerged as the mediating variable between guilt-proneness and smoking indices such that higher levels guilt-proneness was associated with fewer intentions to engage in smoking. Shame- proneness was not associated with smoking outcomes as expected. Future experimental and longitudinal studies are needed to examine the role of guilt and shame-proneness taking into account cultural differences and age.

Advisor: Gustavo Carlo

]]> Kate Duangdao Why Confronting Sexism Works: Applying Persuasion Theories to Confronting Sexism http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/35 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/35 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:13:55 PDT Speaking up about or confronting prejudice creates more positive attitudes, but the mechanism underlying confrontation’s prejudice reducing effect remains unclear. Based on an integration of the confronting prejudice and persuasion literatures, I expected that observing a confrontation (vs. no confrontation) reduces prejudice and discrimination; that elaborating on confrontation messages reduces prejudice and discrimination more than confrontation alone; and that elaborating on confrontation messages causes attitude change that lasts longer than confrontation alone. Participants were recruited to complete measures of sexism and feelings toward subtypes of women across three time points (i.e., pre-test, lab manipulation, and post-test). During the lab manipulation, participants imagined observing sexist jokes that were either confronted or not confronted and then wrote a either a control essay or an essay elaborating on the confrontation. Across these manipulations, there were three conditions to which 361 participants were randomly assigned: no confrontation control, confrontation-only, or confrontation+elaboration. 1-14 days after the lab manipulation, 161 participants completed the post-test, which included a measure of discrimination, ostensibly as part of an unrelated study. Results indicated that observing a confrontation (vs. no confrontation) resulted in more positive feelings toward women and less discrimination in the short- and longer-term. Contrary to predictions, elaboration of confrontation messages did not reduce prejudice or discrimination more than confrontation alone or cause attitude change to last longer over time. Overall, this study suggests that confronting prejudice reduces prejudice and discrimination in observers in the longer-term but that this effect is not enhanced by elaborating on confrontation messages.

Advisers: Sarah J. Gervais and Carey S. Ryan

]]> Amy Hillard Exploratory Analyses Of A Developmental Conceptualization of Insight And Treatment Outcomes Of Individuals With Serious Mental Illness in Psychiatric Rehabilitation http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/34 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/psychdiss/34 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:18:42 PDT The purpose of the present study was to further examine the relationship between adolescent psychiatric pathology and SMI by assessing the relationship between prior mental health services before the age of 18 and time of assessment on people’s insight into their illnesses. A secondary relationship between adolescent psychiatric pathology and functioning in a variety of domains before, during, and after treatment was assessed. Overall, there was an inconsistent pattern of results and partial support of hypotheses. The current study was a retrospective longitudinal study in which assessments were given to 308 participants in an inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation unit every 6 months. Results indicated that those with service use during adolescence were younger at admission to CTP, have slightly lower levels of education, had an earlier age of onset, and significantly more previous hospitalizations. A relationship between Axis I and II diagnoses and service use was also identified. Improvements in neurocognitive, sociocognitive, insight, and behavioral functioning measures are evident over the course of treatment, however are not consistent for all groups and all measures used within this study. Contrary to the hypothesis, those adults with service usage in adolescence did not endorse differing overall insight or ability to relabel symptoms scores over the course of treatment. However, as hypothesized, there were no differences between those with and without service usage in adolescence on any measure of insight after one year of psychiatric rehabilitation. In general, the CTP participants endorsed lower insight into need for treatment scores across treatment. Also, analyses revealed no significant relationship between whether or not someone used services in adolescence or APP severity level and rate of rehospitalization or discharge location restrictiveness.

In summary, this study was exploratory in nature and inconsistent results and mixed support of hypotheses was found. This field of research has numerous implications for increasing insight and bettering outcomes for persons with SMI.

Adviser: William D. Spaulding

]]> Ashley R. Wynne