The model of psychological flexibility and inflexibility presented within an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework is one that is multifaceted and complex. Until recent years, however, measurement of the construct of psychological flexibility has largely been conducted in a unidimensional manner across research and clinical contexts. The emergence of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI; Rolffs et al., 2016) has remedied this situation by providing the first assessment of its kind to simultaneously capture each dimension of the full psychological flexibility model in a theoretically consistent manner. The current study intends to provide independent validation of the MPFI’s psychometric properties and to further solidify the measure’s utility in more comprehensively measuring ACT constructs for research and clinical contexts. The study will examine the MPFI’s convergence with related measures, its predictive validity with pertinent outcomes, and its utility in relation to the current standard of psychological flexibility measurement.

During the last decade, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology has grown in  popularity as a viable alternative to conventional financial institutions and centralized  markets. In 2021, the crypto industry's total market capitalization increased by nearly  10000 percent since its creation, reaching a total market capitalization at around 2  trillion, and culminating in all-time high record peaks that stunned the entire financial  world. The study of this current subject was conducted in order to determine the key  factors that contributed to the sudden increase in the use of this emerging technology,  which is still perceived to be in its infancy at least. Since the study is targeted for only in  Colombian citizens, a general analysis of prior research on technological disruption of  the relationship between global investors and technology acceptance was conducted  to ensure an effective overview of this phenomena. Furthermore, a variety of  technological adoption models were analyzed in order to determine the most suitable  one for this study. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was  explicitly adapted for the purposes of this thesis, since it was found to be the most  important and productive model for evaluating cryptocurrency adoption among  Colombian citizens. The study approach explores people's technology interaction habits,  which are then re-tested by a survey. Over the course of 4 days, were gathered 106  responses from crypto users and non-users using an online survey plus 154 using an  snowball data gathering method for a total of 260. Furthermore, ten Colombians users  who own cryptocurrencies were approached, and open-ended interviews were performed  again using the modified UTAUT model, which aimed to reach a better  understanding of the driving factors behind technological acceptance. Finally, additional  methods are suggested as the blockchain technology grows gaining great levels of  mainstream acceptance as the time passes. The final motivation of this research is to  provide a scientific analysis in order to help regulators in Colombia to assess the  projected forthcoming Crypto-Technology revolution

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an empirically supported cognitive behavioral therapy. The ACT model is designed around a set of six core processes utilized to increase psychological flexibility. Engagement with values, one of the six core processes, is associated with several indicators of well-being. However, recent reviews of ACT values measures from experts in the field raised concerns that current instruments do not adequately assess the values process. The current study examined the structure and psychometric properties of a new values measure, titled the Valued Living Questionnaire—Online version (VLQ-O), that was developed from considerations raised in these reviews. The results of an EFA indicated that the VLQ-O produced a three-factor structure comprised of Values Flexibility, Values Inflexibility, and Values Obligations. The Activity and Preferred Activity scores did not load consistently onto any discernable factor. The subscales of the VLQ-O produced poor internal consistency. The scores for Activity and Values Flexibility subscales correlated positively with measures of well-being and negatively with measures of psychological distress. Additionally, these subscales were significantly positively related to MPFI Flexibility and VQ Progress and well as negatively related to MPFI Inflexibility and VQ Obstruction. Values Inflexibility and Values Obligation correlated positively with measures of psychological distress and negatively with measures of well-being. The Values Obligation subscale did not correlate with social desirability. Multiple subscales of the VLQ-O demonstrated significant correlations with multiple subscales of the BFI. Additionally, the VLQ-O established predictive validity for measures of psychological distress and well-being. Further, it established improvements in predictive validity for flourishing and psychological distress when compared to the Valuing Questionnaire (VQ). Overall, the findings from this study provide some supportive preliminary evidence for the validity of the VLQ-O.

This research study examined the acceptance of the intranet in restaurant franchise systems. The widely accepted Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1986, 1989) was the basis for this study. TAM is an excellent model to predict information technology (IT) usage and is based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Therefore, TAM was adopted in this study of intranet acceptance. Furthermore, this study attempted to see if the earlier results of TAM are still valid. The original model was modified to include one external variable, franchise support. Data were collected from franchise restaurant systems throughout the United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Of 3,500 questionnaires distributed to individual users of intranet, 161 contained usable responses. The results of regression analysis confirm that TAM is valid for additional applications such as evaluating the intranet in restaurant franchise systems. / Ph. D.

Cloud computing can be used as a way to access services and resources for many organizations; however, hackers have created security concerns for users that incorporate cloud computing in their everyday functions. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies used by cloud security managers to implement secure access methods to protect data on the cloud infrastructure. The population for this study was cloud security managers employed by 2 medium size businesses in the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area and that have strategies to implement secure access methods to protect data on the cloud infrastructure. The technology acceptance model was used as the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews of 7 security managers and review of 21 archived documents that reflected security strategies from past security issues that occurred. Data analysis was performed using methodological triangulation and resulted in the identification of three major themes: implementing security policies, implementing strong authentication methods, and implementing strong access control methods. The findings from this research may contribute to positive social by decreasing customers' concerns regarding personal information that is stored on the cloud being compromised.

This research project was a study to determine the relationship of two characteristics--dogmatism and educational philosophy--to teachers' acceptance and understanding of the New Social Studies (NSS). The sample consisted of 222 secondary social studies teachers from three counties in tho San Francisco Bay Area. Questionnaires were mailed to schools selected at random and were administered by an agent, in most cases, the department chairman, to all social studies teachers in the school, during a single administration period. The questionnaire utilized four measurement scales. Trolldahl and Powell's Short Form Dogmatism Scale and Curran's Short Test of One's Educational Philosophy, published and used in previous studies, were employed. A two-part social studies test, designated the S Scale, was developed for this study. Part I, the Acceptance Scale, consisted of 16 statements constructed using a Likert-type scale to test teacher acceptance of the NSS. Part 2, the Understanding Scale, was designed to test teacher understanding of the rationales of the NSS. Respondents were asked to rate 18 statements about the social studies along a three position continuum from traditional to "new". Results indicated that both degree of dogmatism and educational philosophy were significantly related (P Neither sex, age, nor years of teaching experience were significantly related to a teacher's degree of dogmatism or educational philosophy, nor were those variables significantly related to acceptance or understanding of the NSS. The only significant difference among undergraduate group mean scores on any of the tests was for the Dogmatism Scale, significant at the .05 level. The area in which respondents received the master's degree against those who had not was on the Dogmatism Scale, where the difference was significant at the .01 level. Whether teachers had attended one or more social studies institutes or had never attended an institute had no significant relationship to their mean dogmatism or educational philosophy scores. Also, there were no significant differences on any of the tests between respondents who had applied for and those who had never applied for a summer social studies institute fellowship. When grouped by membership in professional organizations, the respondents were not significantly different in their mean acceptance, understanding, dogmatism, or philosophy scores. It was found that, for this sample, teachers's degree of dogmatism and educational philosophical orientation are significantly related to the extent to which they accept and/or understand the rationales and strategies of the New Social Studies.

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship of the self-concepts of a sample of 248 children with developmental disabilities with demographic variables and measures of child functioning and family situational variables. In addition, responses on a measure of self-concept were compared with those of a normative sample provided by Harter. Results indicated that, using this measure and these populations, there were no differences in the self-concept of children with disabilities and those without disabilities. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that children's cognitive achievement and independent functioning skills were moderately related to their self-concepts, but demographic variables and family functioning explained very little of the variance of the self-concept constructs as measured here .

Teaching styles used by educators throughout the world are diverse and complex, resisting simple comparisons between large groups, such as countries. To allow easier comparisons, data from the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS 2013) were applied to construct a picture of an “ideal educator” in each of eight countries: Australia, The Czech Republic, France, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Singapore, and The United States. Principles of social acceptance and teacher self-efficacy were applied to teachers in each country in order to construct this ideal educator paradigm: first testing for (and finding) correlation between social acceptance and teacher self-efficacy, and then finding educators who were above average in both social acceptance scores and teacher self-efficacy scores in order to separate out a group of elite teachers from the general sample. Both linear regression and comparisons of median scores were employed to examine differences between countries. Scores revealed that each country displayed a distinct mix of Grasha’s Teaching Styles allowing for a simple comparison of teaching styles between countries.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Mindfulness-based interventions targeting psychological and physical symptoms in cancer survivors have been shown to be efficacious. However, little is known about theory-based psychological processes through which mindfulness-based interventions may decrease symptoms. The present study is a secondary analysis of data from a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) pilot trial targeting cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in cancer survivors. Thirty-five persistently fatigued cancer survivors were recruited from a university hospital and various community clinics in Indianapolis, Indiana. Participants were randomized to either a 7-week MBSR intervention for CRF or a waitlist control (WC) condition. Measures were administered at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up and included levels of mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion as well as the symptom outcomes of fatigue interference, sleep disturbance, and distress. I hypothesized that MBSR would lead to increased levels of five facets of mindfulness (i.e., observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience), self-compassion, and acceptance as compared to the WC condition. Using a linear mixed modeling approach, significant group by time interactions were only found for observing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and self-compassion, such that the MBSR group showed steady increases in these processes over time, whereas the WC group’s scores remained relatively stable. In addition, I examined whether positive changes in the five facets of mindfulness were associated with reductions in the three symptoms using multiple linear regression. This hypothesis was partially supported; acting with awareness was the only facet of mindfulness to show a modest association with a decrease in fatigue, but this result fell short of statistical significance. In addition, decreased sleep disturbance was predicted by increases in acting with awareness and nonjudging, while decreased distress was predicted by increases in observing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity. Results point to specific psychological processes that may be targeted to maximize the efficacy of future MBSR interventions for cancer survivors.

Hearing loss and tinnitus are the two most common service-connected disabilities in Veterans. Patients with a chief complaint of hearing loss and/or tinnitus typically undergo a hearing evaluation to determine the severity and type of hearing loss. The standard treatment for sensorineural hearing loss is the fitting of personal amplification.Up to 95% of tinnitus patients have an underlying hearing loss and could benefit from hearing aids for both improved communication and as an effective treatment to reduce the impact of tinnitus, ((Shargorodsky, Curhan, & Farwell, 2010). It is not uncommon, however, for some of these patients to decline hearing aids although they elect to undergo tinnitus counseling. The observation that some of these patients elected to obtain hearing aids following tinnitus counseling compelled an investigation of tinnitus counseling’s role in the patient’s revised decision to accept hearing aid fitting. An electronic medical records review (2015- 2020) identified Veterans meeting the following criteria: (1) diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, (2) declined hearing aids at the time of the hearing evaluation, (3) received tinnitus counseling, (4) elected to obtain hearing aids following tinnitus counseling, and (5) affirmed regular use of the hearing aids for more than one year. 30 qualified veterans provided informed consent to participate. Enrolled participants were interviewed using a brief survey that allowed patients to report a variety of tinnitus and hearing-related challenges. Participants also completed a validated tinnitus intake form, the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), which reports a patient’s self-assessed tinnitus handicap. A total of six Veterans (white males, average age of 60 years, with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and bothersome tinnitus) participated. The number of hours of daily hearing aid use was related to the self-perceived benefit of hearing aids for the management of tinnitus, as the 5 participants who wore their hearing aids >5 hours/day reported benefit in contrast to the single participant who wore their hearing aids /day. The reported benefit of tinnitus counseling, however, was not reflected as a significant improvement in the post-counseling THI score. All participants reported the counseling was useful and recommended that other veterans experiencing tinnitus and hearing loss undergo a trial with hearing aids . A narrative analysis of additional information provided by participants was made to identify counseling elements that supported the use of hearing aids for tinnitus management. In general, the analysis indicated that when patients were provided accurate information regarding tinnitus management strategy options, then they might be more likely than uninformed patients to accept and act upon hearing aid recommendations in a timely manner. All participants suggested that the provision of more information regarding tinnitus and management options at the time of the hearing evaluation would have likely expedited hearing aid acceptance. The preliminary findings of this survey suggest that patients with a diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus might benefit from some form of tinnitus management counseling at the time of the initial hearing evaluation, and that the counseling might facilitate uptake of hearing aids.