Much research has focused on the age at which young children are able to use 2- and 3-dimensional stimuli to represent the environment. At 2½ years of age, children do not pass scale-model tasks (using scale models to find a hidden toy in a full-scale room), possibly because they lack dual representation (the ability to understand that model furnishings can simultaneously be both concrete toys and symbols). Experiment 1a of this dissertation tested whether failure on model-tasks by 2½-year-old children is due to an inability to match model furnishings to their full-scale referents. Experiment 1b tested whether children's experience with objects as toys interferes with their ability to use those objects as symbols. Children aged 2½ watched an experimenter hide a small toy in an unfamiliar model and were allowed to search the full-scale apparatus for the large toy hidden in the corresponding location. Children were unable to use the unfamiliar model, indicating that failure on model tasks is due to an inability to use dual representation. Little is known about the ability of monkeys to solve similar symbolic representation tasks. This dissertation tested rhesus monkeys on three types of task. Monkeys were required to use photographs (Experiment 2) or video images (Experiment 3) to guide their search for a hidden object (a rubber ball or food reward) on a familiar apparatus. In Experiment 4, monkeys were shown the location of a ball on a familiar 4-door apparatus and were allowed to search for a replica ball hidden in the corresponding location on an identical board (1:1 ratio scale model). In Experiments 2 and 3 some monkeys were able to use 2-dimensional stimuli to solve spatial problems (i.e., finding the hidden ball or food on the apparatus). In Experiment 4, rhesus monkeys as a group successfully used a full-sized replica of a familiar apparatus to search in the correct location for a rubber ball. These data provide important insight into the ability of rhesus monkeys to represent their environments using 2- and 3-dimensional stimuli, and may allow for the better formation of animal models of human cognitive development.

Memory is a salient area of functioning in adulthood known to be influenced by beliefs about performance. Past socio-cognitive research has shown considerable support for the effect of positive feedback and/or self-efficacy on memory performance. The present study used hierarchical linear regressions and path analysis to examine whether self-efficacy would mediate the relationship between identity processes (i.e., individual differences in self-concept) and memory performance. The present study also investigated whether the proposed mediated relationship between identity processes, self-efficacy, and memory performance was moderated by feedback condition. 98 community-dwelling adults (M=70.05, 60-90) were randomly assigned to the three feedback conditions: Positive Feedback (N=33), No Feedback (N=32), Neutral Feedback (N=33). Contrary to expectation, identity processes were not related to memory performance. Path analyses results showed that positive feedback strengthened the relationship between self-efficacy and memory performance when compared to the neutral and no feedback group. The findings support the utility of using positive feedback as a means to enhance the positive effect of self-efficacy on memory performance with older adults.

<p> The current study investigated whether hypocrisy-induction &ndash; a burgeoning method of cognitive dissonance therapy &ndash; acts to increase physical exercise habits and reduce stress, as well as how physical exercise mediates the relationship between hypocrisy-induction and perceived stress, and whether self-esteem moderates the relationship between hypocrisy-induction and physical exercise. Using questionnaires and manipulations, this study measured participants&rsquo; (both work and non-work) stress, self-esteem, physical exercise habits, and physical exercise intentions. Fifty-four undergraduate students enrolled in Psychology 111 at a small Midwest university were randomly assigned to a control or treatment condition and surveyed on several constructs before being put through manipulations, and were then surveyed online four weeks following the experiment. Results supported some hypotheses, revealing that: as individuals exercise more, they perceive less stress; individuals who had their hypocrisy induced perceived less stress than those who hadn&rsquo;t; hypocrisy-induction did not affect physical exercise habits or intentions; and those with higher self-esteem are more affected by hypocrisy-induction than those with lower self-esteem. Ultimately, these results highlight the potential efficacy and versatility for hypocrisy-induction to generalize onto improving prosocial behavior.</p>

<p> Repeated exposure to stress has been associated with negative health outcomes. The present study investigated how different emotion regulation strategies&mdash;cognitive reappraisal and suppression&mdash;are associated with stress and how executive function may influence these relationships. Thirty two women, all mothers with young children, were assessed using the emotion regulation questionnaire, the affective go/no go task, and salivary cortisol collection. Cognitive reappraisal was not significantly related to stress. Greater endorsement of suppression was significantly associated with two measures of stress&mdash;increased output of daily cortisol and increased cortisol awakening response. Executive function was not a significant moderator. This is the first study to date to examine these questions and to assess them in a naturalistic setting with a sample of mothers with young children. Given that mothers regularly experience emotion-eliciting situations, these results have several implications for how emotion regulation strategies may impact stress (cortisol levels) in this population.</p>

Previous empirical research demonstrated that major depressive disorder (MDD) had a profound impact on adults. What remained unaddressed in the research was the ability of those with MDD to form positive responses during challenging life events. The purpose of this exploratory quantitative study was to examine the cognitive ability of MDD patients to form positive responses on a standardized psychological assessment. This study, guided by Beck's cognitive theory of depression, was designed to determine whether depressed individuals were prone to negativity and had decreased ability to form positive responses to challenging situations. A 2x2 ANOVA was used to analyze 116 participants who voluntarily completed the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ). Results indicated that the group diagnosed with MDD scored significantly lower than a control group on the positive response scale of the CiOQ and that men diagnosed with MDD scored significantly lower than women diagnosed with MDD on the positive response scale of the CiOQ. This research has positive social change implications in that practitioners may use the findings in developing more effective treatments to help those with MDD to learn to form positive responses in the midst of challenging life events. Practitioners may also develop their ability to recognize when men with MDD are depressed by using the CiOQ to obtain written responses from individuals who do not verbalize depression. This research may also be useful for future research and application within the field.

This study expanded on the existing empirical research on forgiveness and specifically ho'oponopono, a traditional Hawaiian forgiveness process. An extensive literature review revealed that while forgiveness has gained in popularity among researchers and clinicians, few therapeutic process-based models have been researched. Furthermore, ho'oponopono has not been studied as a process-based approach to forgiveness. Therefore, the purpose of the present between-groups, within-groups, repeated measures study was to assess the effects of the application of ho'oponopono (focused on a specific transgressor) on levels of unforgiveness, as measured by the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory (TRIM). The participants (N = 79) were randomly divided into a test group and a control group. Both groups completed the TRIM twice and the test group engaged in the process of ho'oponopono between the pre- and post-test assessments. Two separate paired-sample t tests were used to examine the control group (n = 39) and the test group (n = 40), and a 1-way ANOVA was conducted between groups to examine the effectiveness of ho'oponopono with the test group in comparison to the control group. The results demonstrated that those who engaged in the ho'oponopono process subsequently experienced a statistically significant reduction in unforgiveness, whereas those in the control group showed no statistically significant change in negative affect over the course of the study. Based on these findings and by validating ho'oponopono as an effective therapeutic forgiveness method, this study lays the groundwork for future research of this specific forgiveness process. Strong implications for positive social change through the application of ho'oponopono include improved health, and improved interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

<p> Although gratitude may seem straightforward, it is a complex construct comprised of cognitive, emotional and behavioral elements. Gratitude has been presented as a positive psychological character trait, coping response, attitude, moral virtue, emotion, and habit (Emmons, McCullough, &amp; Tsang, 2003), and significant overlap exists among these definitional presentations (Lambert, Graham, &amp; Fincham, 2009). Despite definitional limitations, promising evidence indicates that gratitude can help survivors positively process and cope with trauma and contribute to the post-trauma recovery experience (Kashdan, Uswatte, &amp; Julian, 2006; Vernon, Dillon, &amp; Steiner, 2009). Yet, there is a lack of research examining how gratitude is expressed in psychotherapy with those who have experienced trauma. </p><p> The purpose of the current study was to qualitatively explore expressions of gratitude by psychotherapy clients who were trauma survivors. A deductive coding system was used, based on existing gratitude literature that allows researchers to comprehensively examine different types of gratitude. This study also compared gratitude expressions that took place during trauma and non-trauma discussions, which is an area of research that had not been examined. </p><p> In contrast to existing assessment and research, the findings from this study revealed that clients tended to express gratitude infrequently, in a <i> Narrow</i> manner or in a manner that was <i>Not Otherwise Specified </i>. Findings revealed that client expressions of gratitude were captured by four of the nine proposed coding categories: personal gratitude, gratitude for specific benefits received from a higher power, gratitude expressions that are not otherwise specified, and generalized gratitude as an attitude, in order of frequency. </p><p> It is hoped that the current study will contribute to the definition, understanding and measurement of gratitude in therapy. By demonstrating the extent that gratitude is utilized in psychotherapy with clients who have experienced trauma, the results of this study can be used as a baseline from which to compare results of future studies that evaluate the effects of training therapists in gratitude interventions. This study may also help therapists develop a deeper understanding of a gratitude that emerges as a result of trauma, which can potentially inform their use of gratitude in future assessment and treatment. </p>

<p> Emerging adulthood is recognized as a growing developmental stage that varies within and across cultures. Existing research generally characterizes this period as one of identity exploration, instability, self-reflection, and optimism. For many in this cohort, life events that were once organized into a stable sequence such as entering the workforce, marriage, and having children are increasingly a highly individualized and somewhat unstructured trajectory. This lack of structure provides opportunities and potential challenges to those transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. To this end, experiential acceptance may be an important target skill for intervention in guiding emerging adults through this tumultuous period. </p><p> Experiential acceptance is multiply defined in the literature, but is generally understood to be a present-focused approach that encourages a willingness to engage with one&rsquo;s moment-to-moment experience, nonjudgment of moment-to-moment experiencing, and nonattachment to thoughts or feelings. This focus may be useful for both therapists to use as an intervention tool in helping clients to form an integrated sense of self; a developmental task that is predictive of mental health in young adults. Despite the apparent fit between experiential acceptance and the emerging adult age range, no studies to date have explored experiential acceptance as an intervention with this population. </p><p> Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to qualitatively explore how therapists facilitate experiential acceptance with emerging adult clients. A sample of 5 client-therapist pairs from community counseling centers was selected, and two videotaped therapy sessions for each participant pair were analyzed. Inductive content analysis was employed, using open coding and abstraction methodology to create a hierarchy of themes. Results indicated that experiential acceptance, overall, was rarely employed by trainee therapists in psychotherapy sessions with emerging adults. The one parent theme that emerged across participants was termed Increasing Awareness. Comments aimed at increasing flexibility in thinking were also observed, but not across participants. It is hoped that this study will provide foundational information on experiential acceptance use in psychotherapy with emerging adults, which could be used to promote more attention to skill and theory integration in clinical training and spur future research on experiential acceptance use in therapy-as-usual.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1997. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 58-02, Section: B, page: 0998.