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- Creator:
- Purvis, Tyler Chase
- Description:
- In recent decades, zebrafish have become a popular organism in neuroscience research. This is primarily because of the homogenous nature of what are known as reticulospinal neurons. These neurons, located in the hindbrain, control locomotive (e.g., swimming) and escape behaviors via descending axonal connections to lateral musculature. Dominating the reticulospinal neuron group are the Mauthner neurons. This pair of morphologically distinctive neurons is referred to as “command neurons” in the reticulospinal group. Recent studies involving antibody labeling reveal a distinctive clustering of serotonin (5-HT) associated proteins in the Mauthner dendritic regions. This would imply that 5-HT plays a direct role in the modulation of Mauthner neuron activity. In this study, we attempt to experimentally demonstrate a functional relationship between 5-HT and the Mauthner neuron through the administration of the SSRI fluoxetine and Ca²+ imaging techniques. Results indicate no significant change Ca²+ and latency of response. Interestingly, these data indicate a difference in responsiveness (i.e., firing or no firing) with the fluoxetine group showing an 8% increase. These data shed light upon the Mauthner neuron and 5-HT, as well as the possible considerations of future research
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Snyder, Kelsey A.
- Description:
- The collection of work products demonstrates my skills acquired through formal training and professional experience over the course of my school psychology internship across the 10 domains of school psychology practice put forth by the National Association of School Psychologists. This portfolio documents my comprehensive service delivery to students with ranging needs and disabilities who are predominately from economically disadvantaged households within a public school district in the state of Oregon. This body of work illustrates my efforts in collaborating with school staff and parents to meet students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs within a multitiered systems framework. Applied practices explored include a Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Support Plan, a Functional Behavior Assessment and Psychoeducational Evaluation for an Emotional Disability, a Multidisciplinary Psychoeducational Report, and a Social Skills Intervention Report. Although these products document competency across all 10 domains of school psychology practice, themes of collaboration and data based decision making are presented as the foundation for all applied practices as a competent school psychologist.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Alcazar, Esperanza L.
- Description:
- The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) organization has indicated that one of its largest problems is CASA retention. Participants were CASAs who self-assigned to two groups: Continue (n = 188) and Quit (n = 208). It was hypothesized that greater secondary stress and less social support would increase the likelihood of quitting CASA and higher burnout scores and the propensity to practice passive coping strategies, as opposed to active coping strategies, would increase the likelihood of quitting CASA. Greater levels of two components of secondary stress, avoidance and arousal, were significantly predictive of quitting. Social support alone was not predictive of quitting. However, interactions were found which showed that those with low arousal and high avoidance were more likely to quit if social support was low. Higher burnout significantly predicted higher likelihood of quitting; however, coping did not add significant prediction. A post hoc analysis examined passive coping and social support. Greater passive coping significantly increased the likelihood of quitting. Social support variables alone were not significant predictors of quitting; however, an interaction was found between passive coping and coworker social support, as well as passive coping and top management social support. Those with high passive coping scores were more likely to quit if coworker social support was low and if top management social support was high. CASA should implement changes to training that will help CASAs gain professional efficacy and lower cynicism. CASA should also make attempts to increase social support among CASAs, and between CASAs and their supervisors.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Arnold, Julia de Vos
- Description:
- The organic food industry is in a period of rapid growth and product diversification (Organic Trade Association, 2006). Because of this expansion, the market for organic food should be studied in detail. Differences in labeling strategies for organic foods may influence a consumer’s decision to purchase a specific product. Longstanding theories within consumer behavior such as prospect theory and perceived risk can help in understanding consumer reaction to label framing effects. Research by Gifford and Bernard (2006) indicates that positive framing is more effective than negative framing in affecting consumers’ intent to purchase more organic products. The research reported here examined how the framing of information contained specifically on labels influenced consumer purchase decisions. Different fictional brands and their corresponding labels were evaluated through an online survey looking at consumer willingness to buy. It was hypothesized that labels using positive framing would be more desirable (examining purchase intention) than labels using negatively framed information. The findings indicated that there was no difference between positively and negatively framed information on willingness to buy across all three product labels. There was, however, an interaction between survey group and framing condition which indicated a framing effect for milk product labels. Participants showed preference for the negatively-framed milk labels, this finding is in contrast to previous research supporting positive framing as a more effective tool for influencing consumer behavior. Both framing conditions across all three products differed from a control condition suggesting that consumers respond favorably to more information on the label regardless of how it is framed. The current research also expanded on Gifford and Bernard’s (2006) findings on framing and organic foods. The conclusions provided some insight on consumer attitudes and behavior toward organic and conventional foods. The unexpected discovery of milk framing effects strongly suggests that future research should be conducted on the potential framing influences with different categories of food (basic vs. luxury). Future research should also focus on strengthening framing manipulation strategies and possibly explore the relationship between amount of product knowledge and willingness to buy.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Bisel, Brooke R.
- Description:
- This body of work demonstrates competency in skills and services in the ten domains of best practice put forth by the National Association of School Psychologists and is made up of representative professional products from the applied practice of school psychology. These portfolio products include documentation of and reflection upon data-based decision-making and thoughtful provision of individualized services for a population of elementary school students in two culturally distinctive communities. While this portfolio documents evidence of competency across all ten domains of practice, themes of diversity, mental health and collaboration will be presented throughout, as areas of particular personal interest in the applied professional practice of school psychology. Applied practices explored include psychoeducational assessment, planning and provision of positive behavior intervention and supports, mental health counseling services for students who would benefit from help developing social and emotional skills, and collaborative contribution to the field of school psychology in the form of shared research and advocacy efforts with the professional community. Conclusions from my training experience value the importance of practice of school psychology that comprehensively cover all areas of practice, beyond a typical “test and place” model; the diversification of academic and social-emotional services into multiple tiers to ensure meeting all students’ needs; and a positive behavioral approach to discipline and support, especially with populations impacted by historical and ongoing trauma, such as Native American youth.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Nasser Anastas, Jane Mary
- Description:
- For the past decade the counseling field in the United States has been changing in order to satisfy the needs of a growing culturally diverse population. Professionals in this field are finding it necessary to understand the different processes culturally diverse individuals experience when anticipating help regarding a mental health issue. As both local and global systems change it is important for clinicians to understand individuals’ attitudes toward seeking help from a mental health practitioner (Atkinson, 2007). Professionals in this field are finding it necessary to understand the different processes culturally diverse individuals experience when anticipating help regarding a mental health issue. The study investigated some of the differences in attitudes toward seeking psychological help in American and Venezuelan college students residing in the United States and Venezuela, respectively. Furthermore, this study was aimed at understanding some of the cultural and gender differences between the groups. This project examined 184 college students from the United States and Venezuela using the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS), (Mackenzie, Knox, Gekoski, & Macaulay, 2004, pp. 2434). Main effects for gender groups and nationalities and interactions were examined. We found a significant difference between the two nationalities for the overall IASMHS measure and two of the IASMHS sub-scales, help seeking propensity and psychological openness. We also found a significant gender difference on the psychological openness sub-scale of the IASMHS with females scoring significantly higher than men. Implications of the results of the present study are discussed as well as recommendations for future research.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Wall, Kellie
- Description:
- The body of work presented in my portfolio is reflective of my competence in the roles and responsibilities of a school psychologist as defined by the ten domains of school psychology set forth by the Humboldt State University (HSU) School Psychology program. The products contained in this portfolio show comprehensive knowledge in the areas of consultation, data-based decision making, community collaboration, mental health service provision, psychological foundations, educational foundations, human diversity, and legal and ethical foundations. Considering the young population of my internship placement, preventative services and early intervention services were the focus of much of my time and efforts. A multi-tiered system of support in the form of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) was being built and strengthened at the school site during my internship. I was able to implement many preventative interventions in order to support groups of students in building skills, as opposed to waiting until they exhibited a need for intensive individualized services. By intervening early and teaching important skills at a young age, my work has helped students to build strong foundations on which to build the rest of their future education. The HSU School Psychology program has prepared me well for entering the professional work force as a highly skilled and competent school psychologist, and I am looking forward to taking the knowledge, skills, and experience I have gained into a new setting to collaborate, work toward building better systems, and continue my own growth process.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Thayer, Shawnee Olivette
- Description:
- Obesity’s impact on psychological health and well-being has been the subject of a growing body of literature. Body image dissatisfaction is a psychological variable that is influenced by overweight status and has been linked with negative psychosocial outcomes. Women have reported higher body image dissatisfaction scores than men, but both groups show similar trends. Research into body image dissatisfaction has investigated adults and children who are currently overweight, and adults who have experienced weight-loss interventions. The relationship between frequency and perceived effect of weight-based teasing and body image dissatisfaction in overweight and obese children has been explored. Very little research has looked at weight loss’s impact on normal-weight adults who were formerly overweight as children. The role of frequency and effect of weight-based teasing on body image dissatisfaction for this population has also been seldom considered. This study assessed, in normal-weight adults, if being overweight and experiencing weight-based teasing in childhood negatively impacted body image. Hypothesis one predicted body image dissatisfaction would be higher for the adults who were overweight in childhood, versus adults who had never been overweight. Hypothesis two predicted that adults who were overweight as children, and who experienced a higher frequency and perceived effect of weight-based teasing would have higher body image dissatisfaction scores than formerly overweight adults who experienced a lesser frequency and perceived effect of weight-based teasing. For both hypotheses, women were predicted to show a greater overall effect than men. A stepwise linear regression analysis was used for both hypotheses. Hypothesis one was confirmed in that having experienced former overweight status before age 18 resulted in higher BID scores. For hypothesis two, higher frequency of weight-based teasing in former overweight adults resulted in significant increases in BID. Perceived effect of teasing did not have a significant effect on BID. Gender was also was also found to be a significant predictor of BID, with being a woman resulting in higher body image dissatisfaction than men. Overall, the results of the analysis suggest that in currently “normal” weight adults, having been previously overweight before age 18, and having experienced higher frequency of weight-based teasing, and being female contributes to higher BID scores as an adult. Future work should address refining assessments and outreach for body image studies to more diverse populations, such as men, individuals across different ethnicities, age ranges, orientations and gender identifications to better evaluate the applicability of this studies findings.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Holloway, Tara J.
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to establish a reliable and valid short form of the Parent Reaction to Autism Diagnosis Scale (PRADS), as well as provide a generalized short form of parent resolution called the Parent Reaction to Diagnosis Scale (PRDS). This was accomplished by using archival data which Brewer (2013) collected and analyzed to validate the original PRADS scale. The PRADS is comprised of 98 items, and this project involved creating and validating a shortened form to aid in ease of use. Resolution requires a cognitive and emotional reorganization following a large, unexpected life event. Pianta and Marvin (1992) created a qualitative measurement tool, the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview (RDI) to ask parents about their reactions to receiving a serious diagnosis about their child, and their coding placed each parent into resolved or unresolved categories and subcategories based on their responses to the questions. Brewer (2013) created and validated a quantitative measurement tool, in which 137 parents rated the degree to which they experienced each of a large set of parent statements. These statements were balanced in representing the content of each of the RDI categories and subcategories, and resulted in separate quantitative scales for each domain. Brewer also related each of the scales to the additional data she collected, including demographics, adult relationships, child-parent relationships, parenting self-efficacy, and emotion measures. Statistical analyses in the current study confirmed that the short-form scales performed similarly to the long-form scales, in showing high internal reliability, high correlations between corresponding short-form and long-form scale scores, similar patterns of differences in means across the scales, and similar patterns of significant and non-significant correlations between the scales and each of the other measured variables. The resulting short form consists of 15 domain scales, with seven Resolved domains, seven Unresolved domains, and one independent positive distortions domain. The short form has 60 items for parents to rate, with four items in each of the 15 domain scales. These scales provide a valuable measurement tool for objectively and quickly assessing parents’ areas of resolved strengths and areas of unresolved difficulties. It can be used as a measure by future researchers, and it can be used by service providers to identify specific supports of benefit to individual parents as they raise a child with autism.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology
- Creator:
- Somohano, Vanessa Caridad
- Description:
- Effective regulation of conflict requires a couple to talk openly about issues (Gottman, 1999). One of the ways these skills can be enhanced is through mindful awareness of what is happening in the present moment with the qualities of acceptance, openness and non-judgment (Brotto & Heimin, 2007). However, differing attachment styles rooted in patterns learned in childhood may interfere with effective communication between couples. This study explored the differences in mindfulness qualities between various conflict regulation styles and attachment styles. Differences in relationship satisfaction were also examined in various conflict regulation styles. Seventy-nine individuals who have been in a monogamous relationship for at least one year and are co-habiting completed an online survey comprised of the Freiberg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II), Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory-Revised (ECR-R) and Multidimensional Relationship Questionnaire (MRQ). Results revealed significant differences in mindfulness and relationship satisfaction between conflict regulation styles. These results suggest that mindfulness qualities of openness, acceptance and non-judgment can be enhanced in clinical settings to improve conflict regulation outcomes and relationship satisfaction regardless of an individual’s adult attachment orientation.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Humboldt
- Department:
- Psychology