<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of depleted self-regulation on skillful task performance. Participants completed a baseline dart-tossing task (20 tosses), and were instructed to toss as quickly and as close to the bulls-eye as possible when a particular cue light flashed. Participants then underwent a self-regulatory depleting (experimental) or a non-depleting (control) manipulation before completing a second round of dart tossing. Measures of accuracy, reaction time, and myoelectrical activity of the biceps and triceps were collected along with self-report measures of psychological resilience and trait self-control.</p> <p>As hypothesized, participants in the experimental condition had poorer mean accuracy at round two than control condition participants, as well as a significant decline in accuracy from round one to round two. These effects were moderated by trait self-control; experimental group participants with higher trait self-control were more accurate in round two than experimental group participants with lower trait self-control. Experimental group participants also demonstrated poorer consistency in accuracy compared to control group participants at round two, and a significant deterioration in consistency from round one to round two. The only significant finding regarding reaction time was that consistency improved significantly for the control group but not for the experimental group.</p> <p>The results of this study provide evidence that ego depletion effects occur for skill-based physical task performance, especially in regards to accuracy. These findings provide further support for the utility of the limited strength model and suggest that self-regulatory depletion can impact performance on skill-based physical tasks.</p> / Master of Science in Kinesiology

<p>Previous research indicates that vocal and facial masculinity and femininity influence perceptions of attractiveness. Men generally perceive women with feminine traits as more attractive than less feminine women. This may be because women who possess more feminine traits are likely to be healthier and more fertile mates than are less feminine women. Masculine male traits also influence women’s perceptions of attractiveness. Although women do not always prefer masculine male traits, preferences for masculinity are observed under circumstances where women may gain the fitness benefits of heritable health and dominance. Masculine traits in men and feminine traits in women are further associated with the potential fitness risks of infidelity and reduced investment in mates. Here I address three previously unanswered questions concerning the influence of masculinity and femininity on social perceptions. First, how do male vocal and facial masculinity influence perceptions of attractiveness when these two traits are presented simultaneously? Second, does vocal masculinity influence perceptions of the potential fitness risks of infidelity and reduced relationship investment in mates? Third, do male masculinity and female femininity influence perceptions of potential same-sex rivals? In this dissertation I demonstrate that simultaneously presented male vocal and facial masculinity influence women’s perceptions of men’s attractiveness, that perceivers are somewhat aware of the potential fitness risks associated with preferring high quality mates, and that vocal and facial masculinity influence mate choice and intrasexual competition in similar ways. Overall, these studies demonstrate the pervasive influence of masculinity and femininity on mate-choice relevant social perceptions.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This investigation proposes to employ the use of the mood management theory to examine the role of emotions in the entertainment experience, and how the emotions an audience member experiences while watching a movie can influence their overall ratings of it. Researchers will separate the components of the mood management theory into two experiments: one to explore how the difference in the experience of positive and negative affect influences audience ratings and the other to explore how the degree to which an individual experiences positive emotion influences their ratings for a movie. Using two movies of differing quality, researchers will measure the experience of emotion in participants and examine how it influences their ratings of the movie they watched. Researchers should expect to find significantly higher results across the board from participants who watched the movie Argo, which would indicate that higher quality movies adhere to the mood management theory in that they elicit both more instances of positive affect than negative affect and stronger emotional experiences in audience members.

It is imperative to acknowledge the crisis state of African American adolescents as they transit into young adulthood. Professional literature has documented the usage of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other drugs during the transitional period. Chemical substance misusage among some adolescents resulting in critical incidents continues to gain increased interest for the counseling profession and others. Special emphasis is placed on drug prevention education program in schools. A selected group of adolescents were administered the PRIDE survey instrument for this research study. The instrument was designed to assess the student's history, pattern, attitude, prevalence and critical incidents involving cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other drug misusage. Descriptive research techniques were utilized for this study. Ninety-one respondents were randomly selected among the population of two hundred students. The research findings were overwhelming. Based on the findings, there is no significant difference in drug usage among adolescents in rural and metropolitan areas in the United States.

With suicide on the rise nationwide, it is important now more than ever to prioritize suicide as a public health issue. This means raising awareness and conducting research aimed at developing new suicide prevention tools and strategies, as well as reevaluating and challenging already existent ones. Media messaging can be a great suicide prevention tool. Suicide depictions and reporting in different forms of media—including newspapers, online publications, film, television, and more—have the power to influence behavior. When reporting in a safe and appropriate manner, the media can influence behavior in a positive way and encourage help-seeking. However, reports that sensationalize and glamorize suicide have the potential to spark suicide contagion. Thus, when reporting on suicide it is crucial to be aware of best practices and recommendations developed by experts. In recent years, media campaigns aimed at suicide prevention have gained traction. While there has been some evidence suggesting the success of such campaigns, more research is needed in this area. Further research is also needed to assess the effects of fictional depictions of suicide in film and television.

Social workers who choose to work in the field of child welfare will almost unavoidably be exposed to sexual trauma. This requires that social workers are prepared to understand and work with those who have been sexually abused, as well as the perpetrators of sex crimes. The purpose of this study was to explore social work students’ perceptions of sex offenders since it is anticipated that they will work with the sex offender population at some point in their careers. Exploring this topic could help future social workers gain valuable knowledge related to recognizing barriers that may exist when working with sex offenders. To study social work students’ perceptions of sex offenders, quantitative data were collected using a fifty item online survey instrument that was distributed via the Qualtrics website. In addition, t-tests, ANOVA, and Chi-square analysis were conducted using the SPSS analytical software program version 21. The findings of this study suggest that there were no significant differences between participants’ gender regarding their perceptions of sex offenders. Furthermore, the study found that overall, social work students’ perceptions are that there are more male sex offenders than female and juvenile sex offenders. The findings of this study suggest that further research is needed in order to explore social work practitioners’ perceptions of sex offenders since there is a likelihood that social works will work with this population at some point in their careers.

The overarching goal of the present thesis was to study women’s perceptions of sexual assault perpetrators and how those perceptions relate to fear of sexual assault. Previous researchers have developed a substantial literature on predictors and correlates of sexual assault perpetration. What is not known is how accurate women’s perceptions are of these predictors. Rationale from both evolutionary mismatch theory and social psychological stereotype theory suggests that women’s perceptions may be inaccurate. In the present thesis, I tested a set of hypotheses designed to examine individual differences in women’s perceptions of sexual assault perpetrators and how these perceptions relate to fear of rape. A total of 128 women completed a survey assessing their perceptions of characteristics of sexual assault perpetrators, their fears about sexual assault, their perceived risk of sexual assault, and their previous sexual assault related experiences. Results indicated that women’s perceptions of perpetrator characteristics were generally inaccurate. Furthermore, women’s overall level of accuracy was not predictive of their fear nor risk of stranger or acquaintance rape. However, women’s perceived risk of either stranger or acquaintance rape was predictive of their fear of each respective assault. These findings provide evidence for both evolutionary mismatch theory and social psychological stereotype theory. Implications regarding women’s sexual assault education and fear reduction are discussed.

There is a limited body of research that illuminates the various positive life-, health-, and work-related outcomes that an individual may experience through the pursuit of his or her occupational calling. An occupational calling is defined as an occupation that a person feels drawn to, finds intrinsically enjoyable and meaningful, and identifies as a central part of his or her identity. The extant literature on occupational callings, however, rarely considers the possible detrimental effects of having an occupational calling other than to explain unexpected study results. These unexpected study results hint at adverse psychological and job-related outcomes when an individual fails or does not have the ability to pursue an occupational calling, a concept this paper refers to as an "Unanswered Occupational Calling." An Unanswered Occupational Calling is specifically defined as an occupational calling that an individual perceives, but is not currently pursuing. Scholarly work is needed to explore the individual and organizational consequences of an individual's experience of an Unanswered Occupational Calling. Consequently, the purpose of this research was twofold: (1) to develop and generate preliminary construct validity evidence for a newly developed Unanswered Occupational Calling instrument; and (2) to explore the nomological network of the Unanswered Occupational Calling construct. To that end, I conducted two studies, the first of which was required for initial scale construction. The central purpose of the second was to explore the nomological network of Unanswered Occupational Callings. Overall, Study 1 and 2 supported the construct validity of the newly developed Unanswered Occupational Calling instrument. As expected, the Unanswered Occupational Calling instrument was shown to relate positively to intrinsic work motivation and negatively to work engagement, job involvement, career commitment, and answered occupational callings. Also as expected, those who more strongly endorsed an Unanswered Occupational Calling also tended to experience more physical symptoms, psychological distress, and withdrawal intentions and less job and life satisfaction. These results are consistent with previous research that suggested that there may be detrimental effects of perceiving, but not pursuing, an occupational calling.

Psychological Momentum (PM) is a commonly recognized phenomenon in sport, yet remains one of the least understood (Taylor & Demick, 1994). Previous research examined PM using archival data (Gayton & Very, 1993; Gilovich, Vallone, & Tversky, 1985; Koehler & Conley, 2003; Silva, Hardy, & Crace, 1988), hypothetical and contrived scenarios (Eisler & Spink, 1998; Miller & Weinberg, 1991; Perreault, Vallerand, Montgomery, & Provencher, 1998; Vallerand, Colavecchio, & Pelletier, 1988), and actual performance (Mack, et al., 2008). More recently, Jones and Harwood (2008) used semi-structured interviews to examine participants’ perceptions of PM. However, their research was focused on the specific components of existing conceptual models. The purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ experiences of PM without a priori assumptions. In-depth phenomenological interviews were conducted with seven NCAA D-I intercollegiate and professional soccer, volleyball, basketball, and tennis players. Co-participants were asked the following open-ended question: “Think of a time that you experienced momentum in your sport and describe as fully as you can what stands out for you about that experience.” Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts revealed a final thematic structure of five major dimensions that characterized these athletes’ experiences of psychological momentum: Instantaneous momentum, Created Momentum, Internal Indicators, External Indicators and Resistance. These major themes appeared against the contextual backgrounds of an Awareness of Momentum and Competitive Performance. Results were largely consistent with previous literature examining PM, but also included new findings not previously discussed in that research. For example, co-participants described experiencing Instantaneous Momentum from a single event. In addition, they also described a systematic approach to experiencing PM using strategies to alter performance leading to Created Momentum. Co-participants also described a critical level of Resistance required to experience PM. While perceptions of PM were described when this Resistance level was low, they were not described as having a significant impact on performance. Finally, co-participants described an Awareness of Momentum, suggesting they were aware of PM during competition but not directly focusing on it. Put simply, the strategies used during competition were directed towards performing more successfully, not towards the altering of PM.

Very little is known about red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) vocalizations and behavior. The focus of my research was to analyze the structure of red-legged seriema primary calls and to begin to test hypotheses related to their function. Captive red-legged seriema behavior, both vocal and non-vocal, was recorded at 7 institutions located in the United States from May 2007 through November 2008. To test whether calls serve a predator alarm function, seriemas were presented with a large stuffed dog, representing a predator stimulus, and 2 control stimuli, a large, stuffed penguin and a large, flowering potted plant. Baseline recordings with no manipulations were also made throughout the day, during the course of the study. All recordings of seriema vocalizations were assessed using sound analysis software to generate sound spectrograms for comparison. I identified three different note types within the seriema primary call: upsweep notes (U), ladder notes (L), and two-part notes (T). Each call begins with a set of U notes that increase in rate and lead into the main part of the call, which is made of L and T notes. Each note type was assessed for duration, frequency, energy, and entropy measurements. These measurements were reduced using factor analysis into two relevant factors. There were substantial differences across individuals for note type acoustic structure. Group differences in note types, including sex, location, and age, were not found. When presented with the dog model, vocal responses were given by only 3 individuals. Overall, it may be possible to identify individual seriemas by analyzing the structure of their primary call, which may allow researchers to identify individuals without physical markers.