Search Results

open access

Penile plethysmography: Validation with a juvenile sex offending population.

Description: Traditionally, juvenile sex offenders have been ignored in the literature. More recently the research has expanded particularly in the area of assessment and treatment. This study focused on the assessment of sexual arousal to deviant stimuli using the penile plethysmography (PPG) since it likely plays a significant role in juvenile sex offending behaviors. The goal of this study assessed its validity and reliability using Becker et al.'s set of PPG scenarios with a population of juvenile sex o… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Martinez, Tonantzin Dionisia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Examining an eating disorder model with African American women.

Description: In the current study, I examined the general sociocultural model of eating disorders that suggests that sociocultural pressures leads to internalization, which in turn leads to body dissatisfaction and ultimately disordered eating. Because I am testing this model with a sample of African American women, I also am including acculturation as a variable of interest. Specifically, I hypothesized that (a) the experience of more societal pressure to be thin will be related to greater internalization,… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Wood, Nikel Ayanna Rogers
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Stories: A Revision of the Willingness & Action Measure for Children and Adolescents (WAM-C/A)

Description: In its earliest stages, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) with youths appears to be a promising therapeutic approach. Experiential willingness and committed action are two foci of ACT, making their assessment an integral part of therapy. Field tests have found validity problems with the Willingness and Action Measure for Children and Adolescents (WAM-C/A). The current study utilized the Story Version of the Willingness and Action Measure for Children and A… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Larson, Christina Mary
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Neurocognitive implications of diabetes on dementia as measured by an extensive neuropsychological battery.

Description: Diabetes is a disease with a deleterious pathology that currently impacts 4.5 million individuals within the United States. This study examined the ability of a specific neuropsychological battery to identify and classify dementia type, investigated the impact of diabetes on cognition and analyzed the ability of the memory measures of the 7 Minute Screen (7MS) and the Rey-Osterrieth Recall to correctly categorize dementia type when not used in combination with a full battery. The battery in add… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Harris, Rebekah Lynn
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An item response theory analysis of the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Task.

Description: The Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Task (ROCFT) has been a standard in neuropsychological assessment for six decades. Many researchers have contributed administration procedures, additional scoring systems and normative data to improve its utility. Despite the abundance of research, the original 36-point scoring system still reigns among clinicians despite documented problems with ceiling and floor effects and poor discrimination between levels of impairment. This study is an attempt to provide … more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Everitt, Alaina
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Exploration of the Relationship between Worry and Other Verbal Phenomena

Description: This study hypothesized a direct relationship among three verbal phenomena: derived relational responding, verbal intelligence, and worry. It also hypothesized that experiential avoidance would mediate the relationship between derived relational responding and worry. Overall, results from this study failed to support a relationship between worry and the other two verbal phenomena, however, results did support a relationship between derived relational responding and verbal intelligence. Addition… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: O'Brien, Karen M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An exercise in story repair: A guided written disclosure protocol for fostering narrative completeness of traumatic memories.

Description: The present study sought to build on the large body of past research into written disclosure of traumatic memories. This research has consistently found that participants who write about their traumatic experiences realize long-term physiological and psychological health benefits. More recently, it has been found that those participants who realize the most benefits are those who progressively include more elements of a good narrative, or story, in their writing about a traumatic experience ove… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Tomczyk, Daniel A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Women's career success: The contributions of human capital, individual, organizational, and power variables.

Description: Women are a significant presence in today's workforce; however, few rise to the top management ranks. Therefore, there is a critical need to better understand the factors that facilitate their success. This study examined several variables that may contribute to women's objective (income, span of control, promotions) and subjective (self-reported satisfaction) success. Predictive variables include human capital (training, experience), individual (perception of promotability, motivation for trai… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Blansett, Karen D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Interpersonal Decentering and Psychopathology in a University Clinic Sample

Description: This study examined the relationship between interpersonal decentering and symptoms of psychopathology among 48 clients from the Psychology Clinic at the University of North Texas. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R®) instrument were administered to clients along with demographic packets. Interpersonal decentering was assessed using Melvin Feffer's Interpersonal Decentering Scoring System for the TAT. It was hypothesized that higher scores of … more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Burkman, Summer D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An empirical investigation of the influence of age, gender, and occupational level on stress perceptions, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover.

Description: This study investigated relationships of age, gender, and supervisor level with job satisfaction, organizational commitment, stress perception, and turnover intention. The demographics were hypothesized to moderate the stress-satisfaction and commitment-turnover relationships. Hypotheses were tested using both parametric and non-parametric bootstrap methods. Subjects were taken from a national survey of 2,663 public sector IT workers. Missing data were imputed using NORM software. Ordinary leas… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Cordas, Jon D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Longitudinal Study of Loneliness and Depression as Predictors of Health in Mid- to Later Life

Description: The longitudinal relationship between loneliness and depression as predictors of chronic health conditions in middle-aged to older adults was investigated utilizing data collected by the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a national representative longitudinal study of health, retirement, and aging, conducted by the Institute for Social Research (ISR) Survey Research Center (SRC) at the University of Michigan, funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration. The… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Chlipala, M. Linda
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The impact of training and learning on three employee retention factors: Job satisfaction, commitment and turnover intent in technical professionals.

Description: The purpose of this study is to explore the benefits of providing employee training and learning beyond the specific content covered in such interventions, and how personality constructs might moderate those benefits. Training refers to the imparting of specific knowledge and tasks. Learning involves processes and skills that support on the job learning experiences. This study builds on previous research linking training and development to increased job satisfaction, and reduced turnover intent… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Barcus, Sydney Anne
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Team-based support systems: Generating a testable support systems model and accompanying hypotheses.

Description: Scant research exists to illuminates the nature of organizational efforts, or support systems, designed to provide work teams with what is needed to be successful. The sample (N = 20) consists of experienced researchers and practitioners discussing work team implementations and the ongoing support needed for sustainability. The following seventeen team-based support systems were examined: (a) rewards and recognition, (b) team goal setting, (c) performance measurement, (d) performance appraisal,… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Turner, Jon T.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Functions of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors within adolescent inpatients.

Description: The primary interest of this investigation concerned the self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) of inpatient adolescents. Previous researchers have provided descriptive information regarding either automatic (or intrinsic) and social components using the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI). However, the presence and trends of these components have not firmly been established, suggesting the need to explore this area further. Eighty-two adolescent inpatients were selec… more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Thomas, Peter F.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Adult Attachment and Posttraumatic Growth in Sexual Assault Survivors.

Description: Posttraumatic growth, defined as positive psychological changes in the aftermath of adversity and suffering, is a relatively recent focus in psychological research. The addition of this concept to the literature has provided a new, more resiliency-based framework through which to view survivors of various forms of trauma. Despite estimates that over half of all sexual assaults are not reported to the authorities, current crime statistics indicate that 1 in 4 women are sexually assaulted in thei… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Gwynn, Stacy Roddy
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Individual attachment styles and the correspondence/compensation hypotheses in relation to depression and depressive experiences.

Description: Two hundred twenty individuals participated in the present study from a university population. The study examined the relationship among attachment styles to caregivers, relationship with God, depressive symptomology, and depressive experiences. Attachment theorists have suggested a connection between childhood attachment to caregivers and current attachment to God through the idea that individuals have "working models" that form how they interpret present relationships. For the most part, the… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Hill, Mary Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Psychological characteristics contributing to performance on neuropsychological tests and effort testing.

Description: The issue of effortful patient performance has been an area of clinical interest in individuals with minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Clinical attention to this area has increased largely because of an increase in the number of worker's compensation claims, injury-related lawsuits and/or insanity defense pleas. As patients are presented with the opportunity for secondary gain, the issue of optimum performance on neuropsychological measures becomes salient. In addition to neurocognitive defi… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Hilborn, Robert Scott
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Readiness for change as a predictor of treatment effectiveness: An application of the transtheoretical model.

Description: Clinical research suggests that adolescent offenders often do not view their criminal behaviors as problematic and, therefore, are not motivated for treatment. Although customarily defined as a static characteristic, the transtheoretical model (TTM) proposes treatment amenability is dynamic and can be achieved through tailored interventions that motivate individuals for treatment. The current study examines the predictive validity of TTM measures for adolescent offenders at a maximum security c… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Jordan, Mandy J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Late adolescents' parental, peer, and romantic attachments as they relate to affect regulation and risky behaviors.

Description: The current study examined the relationships among attachment styles to parent, peer, and romantic partner, ability to regulate emotion, as well as engagement in sexual behaviors and substance use. Attachment theory and previous research suggests that an individual learns how to manage emotions through the modeling of appropriate techniques and a stable sense of self-worth. These two aspects develop through a secure attachment bond with an important figure. When an individual does not have a se… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Ingle, Sarah J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Efficacy of neurofeedback for children with histories of abuse and neglect: Pilot study and meta-analytic comparison to other treatments.

Description: This two-part study investigates the effectiveness of neurofeedback training for reducing behavioral problems commonly observed in abused/neglected children, and compares its efficacy to other treatment interventions with this population. Neuro-developmental sequelae of early relationship trauma are explored as an etiological framework for understanding disturbed affect-regulation, which appears central to the behavioral and emotional difficulties commonly experienced by this pediatric populati… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Huang-Storms, Lark
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Adolescent Self-Mutilating Behaviors: Experiential Avoidance Coupled with Imitation?

Description: Repetitive self-mutilation (RSM) has become increasingly prevalent among adolescents. Empirical research has pinpointed several correlates of this behavior, but the initiation and maintenance of RSM among adolescents are not well understood. The experiential avoidance model (EAM) proposes that self-mutilation is a behavior that allows for the avoidance or alteration of unwanted internal experiences, and that it is negatively reinforced with repetition. The current study explored the usefulness … more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Howe-Martin, Laura S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Negative affect, introversion and physiological markers of cardiovascular disease.

Description: Cardiovascular risk factors have expanded to include personality and other psychological characteristics. Negative affect (NA) has a longstanding history in cardiovascular health, but the path by which NA leads to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is yet to be defined. The following study examined the relationship of high NA and low extroversion (EX) with physiological cardiovascular markers in a sample of non-medical, professional adults. Our results indicated that individuals high in NA and low in… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Martin, Luci A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The relationship between interpersonal dependency and therapeutic alliance: Perspectives of clients and therapists.

Description: Both interpersonal dependency and the importance of the therapeutic alliance to successful psychotherapy outcomes have been widely studied. However, these two areas of study rarely have been viewed conjointly despite the reportedly large number of clients with dependency who present for treatment. This study elucidated the relationship between interpersonal dependency and the therapeutic alliance. Additional hypotheses explored client-therapist agreement on alliance strength in relation to c… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Mitchell, Jessica L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Health message framing : motivating cardiovascular risk factor screening in young adults.

Description: As the leading cause of death in the United States, coronary heart disease (CHD) is a growing public health problem, despite the fact that many risk factors for the disease are preventable, especially if addressed early in life. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of loss-framed versus gain-framed versus information-only health messages on both intention to attend and actual attendance at an appointment to get screened for CHD risk factors (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, … more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Link-Malcolm, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries
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