Male gender role norms were considered from a self-discrepancy perspective. The male gender role was divided into 4 perspective domain combinations based on the participant's perceptions: self-ideal/ought, other-ideal/ought, self-actual, other-actual. These categories were assessed using an adapted form of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Revised (Levant et al., 2007). It was hypothesized that large discrepancies between the perspective domains in a male's gender role concept would be significantly related to depression, anxiety, and lower general health quality, and this relationship would be moderated by the centrality of the perspective domains to the participant's gender role concept and by the centrality of the male gender role to the person's identity. High self-ideal vs. low self-actual discrepancy was related to increased depression and anxiety when moderated by perspective domain centralities. High other-ideal vs. low other or self-actual discrepancies were related to lower reported health quality.

In order to evaluate the cognitive appraisal and meaning-making components of the Transactional Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and Meaning-making Model (Park & Folkman, 1997) of coping, several specific forms of appraisal and coping strategies were analyzed in the present study. It has been proposed that religiousness and time influence the meaning-making process (Park, 2005); therefore, an interaction of intrinsic religiousness and time were key variables in the study as well. A survey designed to address relationships among locus of control, type of situation, intrinsic religious orientation, specific coping styles, and maladaptive psychological symptoms was administered to 240 students of a regional university. Evidence was found for the importance of primary cognitive appraisal, but no evidence was found for the interaction of intrinsic religious orientation and time on meaning-making coping or psychological symptoms.

The study of personality and its many facets is one of several significant areas in the field of psychology, which is being studied in detail. Personality, as a construct, is not often well defined and less often well understood, since it is a composite of such varied factors as perception, motivation, learning, culture and so on. Because of this present lack of clarity it must and will be discussed, written about, and experimented with until a clear, operant definition, acceptable to psychology, has been devised.

Underachievement in postsecondary education has been a growing concern for educators and researchers. Higher education institutions have implemented early alert systems to identify students performing below standards. This early warning system has major limitations that confine it to an identification only approach. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Student Attitude Assessment Survey-R (SAAS-R) in a postsecondary sample. First, a confirmatory factor analysis validated the SAAS-R in a postsecondary sample. Predictive validity was then investigated by identifying students as underachieving or achieving based on responses to the SAAS-R and via a regression-based discrepancy model (ability vs. achievement). Then, the SAAS-R was compared to the discrepancy model to see whether the SAAS-R is an accurate assessment for identification of achievement. Tests of convergent validity included comparison of the SAAS-R subscales to well established similar constructs. Discriminant validity was checked by comparing the SAAS-R to a Social Desirability Scale. Finally, measurement invariance was explored to see if the SAAS-R would measure across groups. The SAAS-R demonstrated strong evidence of structural, convergent, and discriminant validity, yet limited evidence of predictive validity. Assessment of measurement invariance across self-identified traditional and non-traditional students yielded no evidence of measurement invariance. Initial psychometric properties support extension of the structural model of the SAAS-R to postsecondary students and the convergent validity utility of the SAAS-R subscales. However, more research is needed before the SAAS-R can be applied as an assessment of underachievement in postsecondary education.

Sammanfattning: Examensarbete belyser om det är möjligt att kategorisera studie- och yrkesvägledares upplevda arbetssituation i KASAM. För att kunna kategorisera utifrån KASAM vill vi veta hur studie- och yrkesvägledare upplever sin arbetssituation och hur deras kompetens tillvaratas inom deras arbetsorganisation. Dessutom har vi valt att ställa frågor om hur arbetsgivaren ser på deras profession och vilka möjligheter de har till kompetensutveckling. Examensarbetet är en kvalitativ studie med sex olika studie- och yrkesvägledare yrkesverksamma inom statlig, kommunal och privat arbetsorganisation i västra Sverige. Vi kontaktade studie- och yrkesvägledare för att höra om det fanns intresse att delta i en intervju. Därefter genomförde vi kvalitativa undersökningar på respondenternas arbetsplatser. För att förstå KASAM har vi fördjupat oss hur Antonovsky beskriver modellen. Den förklarar känslan av sammanhang och beskriver meningsfullhet, begriplighet och hanterbarhet. Grunden till KASAM modellen är hans teori om det salutogena arbetssättet som bl.a. har uppmärksammats inom vården. De sex olika vägledarna har samtliga genomfört den treåriga högskoleutbildningen och de har varit yrkesverksamma i minst två år. Vi bedömde att efter två år kan man känna om arbetsorganisationen ger den meningsfullhet, begriplighet och hanterbarhet som är viktig för den upplevda arbetssituationen. Vi hoppas att det här examensarbetet ska generera till fler arbeten och uppsatser om upplevd arbetssituation. / Summary/Abstract Diploma work elucidates if it is possible to categorize study - and trade road worse experienced working situation in KASAM. For can to categorize on the basis of KASAM wants to we to know how study - and trade road conductors experience their working situation and how their competence to be safeguarded within their work organisation. Moreover, we have select to rearrange questions how the employer sees on theirs profession and which possibilities they have to skill development. The diploma work is a qualitative study with six different study - and trade road conductors professionally active within State, municipal and private work organisation in west Sweden. We contacted study - and trade road worse in order to consult if there were interests to attend an interview. Then , we implemented qualitative surveys on respondenternas workplaces. For understanding KASAM has we deepened us how Antonovsky describes the mock-up. It explains the feeling of contexts and describes meningsfullhet, begriplighet and hanterbarhet. The basis to KASAM the mock-up is his theory about it salutogena the approach that bl.a. has been noticed within the care. The the six different road conductors have all implemented it treåriga the college education and they have been professionally active in least two years. We assessed that after two years can one to know if the work organisation gives it meningsfullhet, begriplighet and hanterbarhet that is important for it the experienced working situation. We hope that this the diploma work will generate to more works and essays about experienced working situation.

A reinforcement-learning technique for enhancing human behavior models in a context-based learning architecture is presented. Prior to the introduction of this technique, human models built and developed in a Context-Based reasoning framework lacked learning capabilities. As such, their performance and quality of behavior was always limited by what the subject matter expert whose knowledge is modeled was able to articulate or demonstrate. Results from experiments performed show that subject matter experts are prone to making errors and at times they lack information on situations that are inherently necessary for the human models to behave appropriately and optimally in those situations. The benefits of the technique presented is two fold; 1) It shows how human models built in a context-based framework can be modified to correctly reflect the knowledge learnt in a simulator; and 2) It presents a way for subject matter experts to verify and validate the knowledge they share. The results obtained from this research show that behavior models built in a context-based framework can be enhanced by learning and reflecting the constraints in the environment. From the results obtained, it was shown that after the models are enhanced, the agents performed better based on the metrics evaluated. Furthermore, after learning, the agent was shown to recognize unknown situations and behave appropriately in previously unknown situations. The overall performance and quality of behavior of the agent improved significantly.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research has proliferated in the last twenty years with significant research demonstrating the detrimental effects of early childhood adversity. While many measures purport to measure ACEs, very few capture the intensity of ACEs while still calculating the traditional “ACEs tally.” Thus, it is the goal of this dissertation to collect evidence for an expanded ACES measure. The Variability in Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (VACE) measure builds upon the original ACEs and captures interval level data. Two survey-based studies were conducted in which convergent and criterion related validity and test-retest reliability evidence were collected. In Study 1, the traditional ACE tally was not significantly related, through a multiple regression analysis, to depressive symptoms, stress, or substance use F(3, 81) = 1.72, p = .169. VACE scores were only significantly related to depressive symptoms with the entire regression model accounting for only 1% of the total variance in the sample who received the VACE measure F (3,81) = 5.024, p = .003. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) scores were related to depressive symptoms and substance use accounting for 2% of the variance in the sample, F (3, 85) = 8.751, p F (3, 357) = 19.33, VACE score was significantly related to depressive symptoms and substance use with the model accounting for 1.8% of the total variance in the sample F (3,359) = 28.844, p CTQ-SF model accounted for 1.9% of the variance in the sample F (3, 359) = 29.37, p VACE was calculated using a Pearson’s r correlation (r = .854, p r = .664, p VACE (n = 38). The test-retest reliability suggests sufficient temporal stability of the measure across time. The primary goals of modifying an existing ACE measurement to capture greater variability and accumulate validity and reliability evidence for this new measure were achieved.

Excerpt: This collection of recent generative, mainly minimalist, studies on the acquisition of functional categories in French focuses on data from first language (L1), second language (L2), and bilingual acquisition and from specific language impairment (SLI).

Previous research has indicated that exposure to pornography, or sexually explicit media (SEM), can lead married men to express a stronger desire for sexual intimacy (Staley & Prause, 2013). However, SEM exposure has also resulted in decreased physical attractiveness ratings among men evaluating their spouses (Kenrick, et al., 1989). Only a small amount of research has investigated the effects of SEM on attraction among unmarried males. The current study examined the effects of SEM in a sample of 108 heterosexual, undergraduate males. Participants evaluated pictures of 15 unknown women’s faces for physical attractiveness. They were then exposed to five minutes of SEM, after which they re-evaluated the same 15 faces for attractiveness. This study also examined the association between Big Five personality traits and self-reported sexual attitudes. The relations between sexual attitudes and the effects of SEM exposure were also explored. Counter to the expected hypothesis, results indicated an increase in attractiveness ratings after SEM exposure, demonstrating a sensitization rather than a desensitization effect on attraction. The Big Five Extraversion trait significantly predicted increases in attractiveness ratings after SEM exposure. Personality was also a significant predictor of sexual attitudes in relation to the socio-sexual orientation facets of behavior and attitude, which constitute the number of casual and changing sex partners and attitudes towards uncommitted sex, respectively. Additional research is necessary to replicate and confirm novel findings in this study.

The ways in which sexuality is perceived among members of society has substantial effects in regards to overall health and well-being. The current study investigates not only the nature of sexual cognition but also the differences in cognition in regards to participant genders. More specifically, this study seeks to investigate the differences in sexual attitudes and thoughts among different genders that may lead to different forms of sexual risk. In order to identify these differences, societal influences such as social roles, parenting styles, and sexual education are all examined in regards to gender. Factors such as age and demographics were also considered. Participants consisted of university students who answered online questionnaires regarding sexuality. Results indicate that there exists a mediational relationship between participant gender, sexual cognition, and sexual risk.