Browsing Psychology Theses and Dissertations by Issue Date

Laurent, Sean Michael 2010-12-13T20:12:18Z 2010-12-13T20:12:18Z 2010-06 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10902 xvi, 191 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. A growing body of research has focused on how perspective taking leads people to perceive themselves as "merging" with the target of perspective taking, in terms of how they cognitively represent themselves and the target. In turn, this merging has been shown to facilitate social coordination between perceivers and targets and results in reduced stereotyping of the target's group. Using this past research as a starting point, this dissertation asks a related but new question: Does perspective taking lead perceivers to take on the attitudes of the target of perspective taking, even when these attitudes are socially reprehensible? Specifically, this dissertation tested whether taking the perspective of a racist target leads perspective takers to show greater racism and stereotyping. In Study I, 102 participants took the perspective of racist male target (or wrote about a day in his life without taking his perspective or about a day in their own lives), learning about his attitudes from visual information alone. No main effect for perspective taking was found. However, for perspective takers only, greater self-target merging predicted higher explicit racism scores. Also among perspective takers, greater internal motivation to respond without prejudice also ironically led to greater implicit stereotyping. In Study 2, 101 participants took the perspective of a female target who was generally likable but had subtly racist attitudes. Once again, no main effect of perspective taking was found, but for perspective takers, greater external motivation to respond without prejudice led to higher explicit racism scores. In Study 3, 101 participants took the perspective of the same target used in Study 1, but were given information about the genesis of the target's attitudes. The combination of perspective taking and information led to higher explicit racism scores, and this effect was mediated by self-target merging (and not by greater positive regard for the target). Under many circumstances, perspective takers appear to reject taking on a racist target's socially undesirable attitudes, adopting them only when they have been given some reason for why the target holds those attitudes. In addition, motivation to respond without prejudice may lead ironically to greater prejudiced responses. Committee in charge: Sara Hodges, Chairperson, Psychology; Bertram Malle, Member, Psychology; Ulrich Mayr, Member, Psychology; Mia Tuan, Outside Member, Education Studies en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2010; Perspective taking Stereotyping Empathy Attribution Prejudice Priming Social psychology Experimental psychology Perspective taking, stereotyping, prejudice, and behavioral explanations: When, why, and how perceivers take on the attitudes of a target When, why, and how perceivers take on the attitudes of a target Thesis

Oh, Sei-Hwan 2011-05-10T00:01:32Z 2011-05-10T00:01:32Z 2010-09 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11161 xii, 55 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. Selective attention refers to perceptual selection and working memory refers to the active maintenance of mental representations. Selective attention and working memory are believed to be two of the most important functions in human cognition and have been intensively investigated in cognitive psychology. However, it is quite recent that the link between attention and working memory has been systematically researched. One question that remains controversial is the effect of working memory on attentional control with inconsistent results reported in the human psychophysical literature, despite clear and strong evidence from physiological studies with nonhuman primates that working memory is the main source of top-down attentional control. The main goal of the current study is to provide a plausible solution to the puzzle of attentional control by introducing the concept of goal-specificity and competition between working memory representations. I hypothesized that the strength of the biasing effect of working memory on attention depends on the specificity of representations in working memory, and developed an experimental paradigm (the goal-specificity paradigm) to test this hypothesis using psychophysical and neuroimaging methods. One of the most important manipulations in the goal-specificity paradigm is how specifically targets in different tasks are defined. The results demonstrate that there is competition between items in working memory for attentional control that is influenced by the specificity of each representation as well as task relevancy. Also, it is shown that the effect of goal-specificity is present in both spatial and temporal domains as revealed by visual search and rapid serial visual presentation tasks. The results suggest the possibility that the negligible effect of working memory in some previous studies may be due to insufficient specificity of the objects in working memory or to the presence of other specifically-defined information in working memory. Furthermore, based on the implication from the current study that goal-specificity has a significant influence on attentional control, I expect that the experimental paradigm introduced in the current study can be utilized as an objective psychophysical measure of attentional control. Committee in charge: Margaret Sereno, Chairperson, Psychology; Scott Frey, Member, Psychology; Michael Wehr, Member, Psychology; Richard Taylor, Outside Member, Physics en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2010; Selective attention Biased competition model Working memory Specificity Visual perception Task relevancy Cognitive psychology Effects of attention and working memory on perception Thesis

Foynes, Melissa Ming, 1982- 2011-05-06T22:53:13Z 2011-05-06T22:53:13Z 2010-09 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11153 xvi, 159 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. This dissertation involves two studies investigating the disclosure of life experiences in the context of real relationships in real time. Study 1 included 126 university students and community members. Pairs of participants who had known each other for at least three months were eligible. After participants completed a set of self- report measures, one member of the pair was randomly selected to disclose an experience he/she had not previously disclosed to the other member of the pair. A final set of self- report measures was then completed by each participant. The interaction was videotaped for coding and analyses. Using the coders' and disclosers' ratings of listeners' behaviors, we examined the impact of both verbal and nonverbal responses to disclosure and identified two modifiable behaviors (interruptions and posture) that contributed to conveying support. Results indicated that leaning backward was associated with more negative responses to disclosure and moderate levels of interruption were associated with more supportive responses to disclosure. Study 2 involved similar recruitment procedures to Study 1 and included 220 university students and community members. Pairs of participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control condition and researchers were blind to condition. After completing a series of self-report questionnaires, the person randomly assigned to the discloser role was asked to describe an experience of mistreatment not previously disclosed to the other participant. This interaction was videotaped. Following this, participants completed post-disclosure questionnaires Then, psychoeducational materials regarding either healthy lifestyle improvements (control condition) or supportive listening techniques (experimental condition) were distributed, followed by a quiz on these materials. A second experience of mistreatment was disclosed and a final set of post-disclosure questionnaires was completed. Results indicated that the psychoeducational materials were effective in enhancing supportive responses to disclosure such that listeners in the experimental condition demonstrated significantly fewer unsupportive behaviors than listeners in the control condition. Listeners who started with high levels of unsupportive behaviors benefitted the most from the psychoeducational materials. Although there are several limitations of these studies and additional research with more diverse samples is needed, the findings represent an important preliminary step in research. Committee in charge: Jennifer Freyd, Chairperson, Psychology; Gordon Hall, Member, Psychology; Sara Hodges, Member, Psychology; Jeff Todahl, Outside Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2010; Disclosure Trauma Responses to disclosure Psychoeducation Stressful life experiences Social support Social psychology Psychology Clinical psychology An observational and experimental examination of responses to the disclosure of stressful life experiences in real time Thesis

Oppenheimer, Julia Erica, 1979- 2012-02-06T17:39:31Z 2012-02-06T17:39:31Z 2011-06 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11930 xix, 176 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. Self-efficacy, a proposed vulnerability for anxiety, is thought to be rooted in repeated experiences during children's early years. Few studies have directly examined how these beliefs and behavior patterns are manifested in early childhood despite the importance of infancy and toddlerhood as times of major cognitive, behavioral, and regulatory developments that may play a role in the etiology of psychopathology. Thus a primary goal of this dissertation was describing early self-efficacy, measured as a child's behavioral responses and coping capacity during an impossible task. Factor analyses identified a latent self-efficacy construct based on children's observed task persistence, strategies used during the task, and flexible use of strategies. Through a growth model analytic framework this construct was used to examine individual differences in toddler self-efficacy. A linear growth model demonstrated excellent fit and decreasing self-efficacy over time, as well as significant variability in toddlers' initial responses and behavioral trajectories across an impossible task. An additional aim of this dissertation was to identify important predictors and concomitants of toddler self-efficacy at 17 months. Using a structural equation model, paths between self-efficacy and maternal psychopathology, maternal behavior, infant temperament and social-emotional correlates were examined. Analysis of theorized predictors revealed greater maternal anxiety at 17 months was predictive of lower self-efficacy and increased social-emotional problems. Greater maternal acceptance, responsiveness, and non-intrusiveness during infancy were associated with greater self-efficacy and lower symptoms at 17 months, demonstrating a longitudinal impact of maternal behavior a year later. However, early self-efficacy demonstrated limited associations with toddlers, social-emotional problems. As such, maternal psychopathology and maternal sensitivity appeared to be important predictors of children's elevated symptoms and self-efficacy even at this early age despite nominal direct associations between children's self-efficacy and symptomatology. Results demonstrated a multi-faceted construct of self-efficacy in toddlers, encompassing both persistence and coping abilities. This early self-efficacy measurement expanded definitions of efficacy and measured self-efficacy in a younger population than has previously been studied. Early variations in self-efficacy linked to maternal sensitivity during infancy and maternal anxiety indicate the importance of longitudinal associations between risk factors and toddler outcomes for understanding self-efficacy. Clinical implications for assessment and prevention are considered. Committee in charge: Jeffrey Measelle, Chairperson, Psychology; Jennifer Ablow, Member, Psychology; Dare Baldwin, Member, Psychology; Jane Squires, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011; rights_reserved Developmental psychology Clinical psychology Psychology Self-efficacy Toddlers Anxiety in children Understanding Early Vulnerabilities for Anxiety: Predictors of Self-Efficacy in Toddlers Thesis

Hulette, Annmarie Cholankeril 2012-02-04T00:40:22Z 2012-02-04T00:40:22Z 2011-06 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11929 xvii, 103 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. The purpose of this study was to investigate intergenerational relationships between trauma, dissociation, and emotion. Short and long term consequences of betrayal trauma on cognitive and emotion coping strategies in a sample of 67 mother-child dyads were explored. Group comparison, correlation, and regression strategies were used to examine relationships between the following variables: maternal and child trauma histories, maternal and child dissociation, maternal alexithymia, and child emotion coping strategies in response to distressful events. Experiences of high betrayal trauma were found to be related to higher levels of dissociation in both children and mothers. Furthermore, mothers who experienced high betrayal trauma in childhood and were subsequently interpersonally revictimized in adulthood were shown to have higher levels of dissociation than a group of mothers who had experienced high betrayal trauma in childhood but were not revictimized in adulthood. This may indicate that dissociation from a history of childhood betrayal trauma involves a persistent unawareness of future threats in the environment. Additional evidence consistent with this hypothesis was found. Maternal revictimization status was related to child interpersonal trauma history, suggesting that a dissociative unawareness for threats may extend to children. More generally, an association was found between maternal interpersonal trauma history and child interpersonal trauma history. Maternal dissociation was also predictive of maternal alexithymia. This relationship was examined because mothers high in alexithymia were hypothesized to display deficits in emotion socialization that could put their children at greater risk for dissociation. Evidence consistent with a relationship between maternal alexithymia and child dissociation was found. Furthermore, a significant association between maternal alexithymia level and child emotion coping strategy was revealed. Children with highly alexithymic mothers displayed higher levels of passive emotion coping strategies on a task assessing their reactions to a distressful parent-child event. This study provides evidence that the experience of parental trauma has intergenerational effects on children. It is an important first step towards longitudinal studies that can provide additional clarification of the nature of the relationships between these variables, as well as parent-child intervention studies that may help to prevent child trauma exposure and reduce symptomatology. Committee in charge: Jennifer Freyd, Chairperson, Psychology; Jennifer Ablow, Member, Psychology; Philip Fisher, Member, Psychology; Debra Eisert, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011; rights_reserved Clinical psychology Psychology Trauma Emotion Alexithymia Psychic trauma Dissociation (Psychology) Intergenerational Relationships between Trauma, Dissociation, and Emotion Thesis

Conradt, Elisabeth de Neuf, 1980- 2012-02-03T02:10:46Z 2012-02-03T02:10:46Z 2011-06 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11926 xvi, 132 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. The Differential Susceptibility Hypothesis and the related Biological Sensitivity to Context theory contend that individuals with "susceptible" traits reap the benefits of positive rearing environments and exhibit better outcomes compared to their less susceptible peers. Studies have largely focused on physiological reactivity as an index of this susceptibility in children and adults, and most have measured physiology by grand mean changes from baseline to a stressor. The goal of this dissertation was to examine baseline Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA stress reactivity by taking advantage of analytical techniques modeling growth over time, as well as individual differences in this growth-using latent Growth Modeling (LGM) and Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM), respectively. Maternal sensitivity at 5 months and the quality of the attachment environment at 17 months were used as indicators of environmental conditions that might interact with infant susceptibility. Problem behavior and social competence were assessed at 17 months as measures of child well-being. Consistent with the theory of differential susceptibility, there were no significant differences in problem behavior or social competence among infants with low baseline RSA, but infants with high baseline RSA exhibited the lowest levels of problem behavior if reared in an environment that fostered security and more competence if their mothers exhibited greater sensitivity. Contrary to hypotheses, LGM analyses revealed that withdrawal of infant RSA appeared to buffer the impact of being reared in an environment that fostered disorganization, as infants with disorganized attachment histories exhibited the lowest number of problem behaviors. Two distinct groups of children were identified by GMM analyses: a class of infants with low RSA that decreased across the still-face episode, and a class of infants with high RSA that increased across this episode. Class by maternal sensitivity interactions were significantly predictive of social competence, with the high increasing class emerging as the group most susceptible to environmental influences, consistent with the differential susceptibility hypothesis. This dissertation adds importantly to both the sharpening and extension of theories of differential susceptibility. Committee in charge: Jennifer Ablow, Chairperson, Psychology; Philip Fisher, Member, Psychology; Jeffrey Measelle, Member, Psychology; Jane Squires, Outside Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, Ph. D., 2011; rights_reserved Developmental psychology Psychology Autonomic functioning Sinus arrhythmia Infants Differential Susceptibility to Rearing Influences: The Role of Infant Autonomic Functioning Role of Infant Autonomic Functioning Thesis

Schumacher, William Miller 2012-04-19T00:40:43Z 2012-04-19T00:40:43Z 2011-12 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12167 xi, 56 p. : ill. (some col.) To investigate resilience against combat stress, 175 interviews from the Veterans' History Project were coded using the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory and analyzed using the Linguistic Inventory and Word Count. Contrary to hypotheses, higher levels of social support did not predict psychological outcomes, nor did social support differ between wars. Low variance in the social support measure likely contributed to the null results. The amount of combat experiences the veteran discussed did significantly predict psychological outcomes, replicating previous findings. This indicates that the LIWC measures are good indicators of psychological outcome. Committee in charge: Holly Arrow, Chairperson; Jennifer Freyd, Member; Phil Fisher, Member en_US University of Oregon University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Psychology, M.S., 2011; rights_reserved Clinical psychology Psychology Combat stress Linguistic Inventory and Word Count Social support Veterans -- Mental health Resilience Among Veterans: An Archival Study Thesis

Fisher, Phillip Ng, Janet Ng, Janet 2012-12-07T23:09:57Z 2012-12-07T23:09:57Z 2012 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12500 The current study examined the relation of impulsivity and obesity in three neuroimaging studies using MRI techniques to test the hypothesis that deficits in brain regions responsible for inhibitory control are associated with obesity. The first study used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to explore volumetric differences in lean, overweight, and obese women (N=83) and found that BMI was negatively correlated with grey matter (GM) in the insula, frontal operculum, and inferior frontal gyrus. BMI was positively correlated with white matter (WM) in the fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, Rolandic operculum, and dorsal striatum. Genetic alleles for dopamine expression moderated these relations. Additionally, less GM in the superior frontal gyrus predicted future increases in BMI. The second study used VBM to examine differences between lean adolescents at risk versus not at risk for obesity (N=54). There were no regional GM or WM differences based on risk status. There were also no regional differences that predicted weight gain over 1-year follow-up. Additionally, genetic alleles for dopamine expression did not moderate any of these regions. These findings suggest that volumetric differences may emerge after excessive weight gain. Finally, the third study used a psychophysiological interaction analysis to test functional connectivity between prefrontal and limbic regions as a function of BMI in lean, overweight, and obese women (N=37) during a go/no-go task. There was no functional connectivity found in seed regions in relation to BMI. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed. en_US University of Oregon All Rights Reserved. fMRI morphology obesity The Relation of Impulsivity and Obesity: A Neuroimaging Analysis Electronic Thesis or Dissertation

Baldwin, Dare Sage, Kara Sage, Kara 2012-12-07T23:12:06Z 2012-12-07T23:12:06Z 2012 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12523 Past research has established that children typically learn better from live demonstrations than from 2-dimensional sources of information like video. The current dissertation investigated the efficacy of a new form of 2-dimensional learning medium, specifically the self-paced slideshow, where children advance through slides of an unfolding action sequence at their own pace. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to test whether the "video deficit effect" extends to the self-paced slideshow. In Experiment 1, children saw demonstrations of novel event sequences either live, via a video, or by advancing through a self-paced slideshow. They were then tested on their ability to perform the sequences, as well as their verbal memory for the action. Individual difference measures were also collected to provide some insight into how children's inhibitory control, theory of mind skills, and verbal ability related to their performance. Findings suggest that all children showed learning, in that children across the three learning media outperformed their peers in a no demonstration control group. In line with past work, children in the live condition outperformed those in the video and self-paced slideshow conditions at reproducing the target actions. However, children's memory did not differ across conditions. To further explore the self-paced slideshow, Experiment 2 directly compared learning from the self-paced slideshow to learning from a video. Two alterations were made to the slideshow: the method of extracting slides was altered to create a more natural flow of action, and the content of the slides was altered to help children focus more on the object than the person. Children's performance differed little between conditions, with the exception of children reproducing fewer actions in the slideshow condition on two (of four) toys. Ultimately, this dissertation documented that the video deficit effect extends to the self-paced slideshow: live demonstration produces superior learning for children. Future work should investigate at what age the self-paced slideshow might become a useful learning medium as well as how to enhance children's learning from 2D sources given the increasing role that they play in daily life. en_US University of Oregon All Rights Reserved. childhood learning media social Attending to Action at Your Own Pace: Benefits for Knowledge Acquisition? Electronic Thesis or Dissertation

Tucker, Don Nelson, Joseph Nelson, Joseph 2012-10-26T04:08:05Z 2012-10-26T04:08:05Z 2012 http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12464 Current language mapping protocols for neurosurgical planning are invasive, expensive, and not suitable for all surgical candidates. We investigated the potential of dense array EEG to determine hemispheric dominance for language and localize current sources of semantic and lower level language functions in the brain using a semantic decision task, a phonological decision task, and an acoustic decision task. Source estimates of N400-window ERPs (N365, N480) and the Late Positive Complex (LPC) localized strongly to medial temporal regions. Overall source estimates revealed a slight left lateralized network, with more posterior engagement for the semantic condition and more anterior engagement for the phonological condition. Source localization of the resulting t-test wave from the semantic - phonological highlighted a stronger left lateralized pattern of activation encompassing more of the semantic network. As a first pass these results are promising, but need to be investigated on individual subject ERPs. en_US University of Oregon All Rights Reserved. EEG Language Localization Mapping Neurosurgical Presurgical Language Mapping with Dense Array EEG Source Localization: Implications for Neurosurgical Planning Electronic Thesis or Dissertation