<p> Current research indicates that college students report a significant degree of unhealthy eating behavior. Research has increasingly focused on emotional models as predictors of eating disorder symptoms. These studies have specifically focused on whether undergraduate students with binge eating behavior have fewer strategies to regulate their emotional experience. Research has not, however, examined whether these findings might be due to general deficits in coping apart from difficulties in managing emotions. The purpose of this project is to replicate and expand on prior work by examining the unique and overlapping nature of emotion regulation strategies and general coping strategies as predicting of binge-eating behavior in a non-clinical, college sample. Results suggest that the number of self-reported episodes of binge-eating behavior is significantly correlated to difficulties regulating emotions and use of positive and negative coping strategies.</p>

<p> This research project used a causal comparative design to examine differences between intact groups of graduate art therapy students using art as a response to emotions and sharing the art during group supervision. There is scant research on group art therapy supervision thus in this study the variables of curiosity and psychological mindedness were analyzed. Utilizing art making as a tool to understand emotions in response to working with clients therapeutically provides both an implicit, internal focus on the self in relation to others that is then evaluated in an explicit, external context of group supervision, where these emotions are shared. Forty participants completed response art as well as pre- and post-test inventories of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II, subscales of stretching and embracing, and the Balanced Inventory of Psychological Mindedness, subscales of interest and insight. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum test and Spearmen&rsquo;s rho correlations. While findings were limited due to the small sample size, nonparametric measures, and confounding variables, findings confirmed that stretching and interest showed significant increases. Students later in their practicum showed an increase in embracing while group size of four or less had greater increases in insight. Insight increased early in the research study and decreased significantly at the end of this present study, suggesting that as students learn they develop a more humble stance of not knowing. Future research would benefit from a qualitative inquiry to identify and understand aspects of creating art in response to clients and sharing it in supervision.</p>

<p> This psychoanalytically-oriented qualitative research project explores the impact of a father&rsquo;s death on the development of his son&rsquo;s ego-ideal through and beyond adolescence. Following Freud, Chasseguet-Smirgel, and others, the ego-ideal is understood to be a psychic agency initially founded on the fantasied image of primary narcissistic bliss and power enjoyed at the outset of life in fusion with the maternal object. As an infant psychologically differentiates himself from this object, he develops an ego-ideal meant to regain his parents&rsquo; love and the primary narcissism he previously enjoyed. As he passes through the Oedipus complex and into adolescence, his ego-ideal transforms into an internalized image of psychological independence and autonomy based on the fantasied image of the Oedipal father, separate from the engulfing preoedipal mother. The main research question for this project centered on how a boy&rsquo;s navigation of this process changes if his father dies early in his life. Using the Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) protocol, I interviewed three men who lost their fathers between ages five and nine about the social behavior, affective patterns, family relations, and self-image they maintained through and beyond adolescence. The findings suggest that the death of a father influences the self-image that a boy feels internally and externally pressured to fulfill. The mother-son relationship appears to be a central modulating component in this process, as a mother&rsquo;s reinforcement or counteraction of particular ego-ideal qualities can accentuate or mitigate the burdensome aspects of the ego-ideal towards which her son aspires.</p>

Thesis advisor: Zhijie Xiao / This dissertation covers three essays in the realm of investor heterogeneity. Traditional financial economics theories assume that agents are identical. However, daily practice of finance exhibits phenomena that cannot be explained in the context of homogeneous agents. Thus behavioral economists relax the agent homogeneity assumption and allow different types of agents to interplay, which can explain a series of phenomena, including bubbles (Scheinkman and Xiong, 2003,etc), among others. The first chapter of this dissertation answers the question: what kind of investors flock to an IPO--mostly sophisticated or mostly naive? The answer to this question points to explaining the puzzlingly extreme trading volume on the first day after an IPO. Existing explanations rely on institutions such as day trading, short selling and inter-dealer trades, yet IPO frenzies are common even when these are entirely absent. Recent evidence points to the possible importance of sentiment from retail investors, but it is not yet clear what kind of retail investors might be harboring these emotions. I access a unique data set for Chinese IPOs that measures investor experience and trading records. I find that inexperienced investors are initially drawn to the IPO while established investors remain on the sidelines. Over time, investor composition shifts in favor of experienced investors. More importantly, I identify market timing of purchase (together with the timing of selling, the purchase price, etc, which I define as the decision bundle) as the predominant channel for determining heterogeneity in returns for experienced versus for inexperienced investors. Furthermore, I find that investors do learn to be more patient and get better investment performance thereof. Also, I am able to depict the learning curve by documenting that the marginal effect of learning varies across the level of stock of experience, and across heterogeneous investor type. The second chapter examines the effect of short selling via the unique setting in the Hong Kong stock market and find that, when a stock becomes shortable, its trading activities decrease, liquidities worsen, and information asymmetries increase. This finding contradicts both the existing theoretical models, and recent empirical studies using global financial crisis data. We extend the sequential trading model with short-sales constraints of one asset by Diamond and Verrecchia (1987) to the case of multiple assets. The model predicts that our empirical results are due to uninformed traders switching their tradings to non-shortable securities. Chapter 3 uses a unique short selling setting in Hong Kong stock market, and tests the Chen and Singal (2003) hypothesis that speculative short sellers add to the selling pressure on Mondays and hence add to the weekend effect. We document that, first, the weekend effect exists in Hong Kong stock market, regardless of the existence of short sale constraints; second, after introducing short selling, the individual stocks face more significant weekend effect. The reported result is robust over different estimation models, and over different choices of control groups. Our findings strongly support the Chen and Singal (2003) hypothesis. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Fifty adolescent females were randomly placed in praise, encouragement, and control conditions and instructed to solve difficult anagrams as they listened to a tape recorded female voice giving praise or encouragement feedback over headphones. The praise statements were focused more on evaluation and competition, whereas the encouragement statements focused more on effort. The research hypothesis of increased persistence for the encouragement condition was not supported by the results. The praise group rated the voice significantly higher on activity in comparison with controls. The expected association between self-efficacy expectations and persistence was supported, but the hypothesized relationship between locus of control and persistence was not supported. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive evaluation and behavioral theories. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: B, page: 3841. / Major Professor: F. Donald Kelly. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

To better understand the communication apprehension (CA) of students in classroom situations, this research investigated the trait and state anxiety of students enrolled in 10 sections of a public speaking course taught at a large Southeastern University. Each of the 195 students (81 males and 114 females) was asked to complete a trait-measure (PRCA-24) one week before and again one week after delivering three required speeches. To measure the state-anxiety, each student was asked to complete the Speaker Anxiety Scale (SA Scale) immediately after delivering each of the three informative speeches. / Five minutes before Speech 2, randomly selected students participated in one of the following treatments: (1) exit the room (E), (2) physical activity (PA), (3) visualization/deep breathing activity (VA), and (4) remain in the room (R), which was considered a control treatment. The treatments were chosen based on suggestions found in various public speaking textbooks to help reduce speaker anxiety. / A comparison of scores reported by the student on the SA Scale for the four treatment groups suggests the following: (1) both the PA and VA treatments were effective in reducing anxiety, (2) the effects of the treatments were considered temporary, and (3) students in the VA and R groups reported the greatest reduction in levels of anxiety from Speech 1 to Speech 3. A comparison of the difference in the posttest and pretest scores of the low, moderate, and high CA students suggests the largest reduction in CA was reported by the high CAs who participated in the PA treatment prior to Speech 2. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2386. / Major Professor: Theodore Clevenger, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The topic of corporal punishment brings with it a long and controversial history. Although assumptions regarding corporal punishment are rampant in the scientific and popular literature, there appear to be no empirical studies specifically addressing its effects on academic achievement or classroom behavior. Nevertheless, in 1989, 31 states still sanctioned the use of corporal punishment. / The purpose of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of utilizing a behavioral diagnostic procedure to reduce disruptive and maladaptive behaviors in elementary school settings, thereby reducing the likelihood of corporal punishment. A diagnostic approach differs from the general application of behavioral procedures in a classroom. It allows the researcher to determine the functions that targeted behaviors serve for an individual child so that appropriate interventions may be implemented. / The results of the study clearly show that a diagnostic approach is an effective way to diagnose and treat recurrent school behavior problems. Subjects demonstrated substantial reductions in disruptive and maladaptive behaviors while increasing on-task behavior. In addition, frequency of corporal punishment was reduced. These findings offer a foundation for a future approach to a more effective and humane method of discipline in school settings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: B, page: 5964. / Major Professor: Jon S. Bailey. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine whether contextual interference (CI) is viable for acquisition and retention when blocked practice is implemented within a random order, and (b) to determine what amount of repetition needs to be utilized in blocked practice within a random format in order to promote enough interference in acquisition to aid retention. / Eighty-four male volunteer students enrolled in Florida State University during the 1992 summer session served as subjects for this study. They were randomly assigned to six groups. The blocked practice (BP) group practiced the circle target series in blocked order for 150 trials; the random group (RP) practiced the tasks randomly. The blocked practice within a random order groups (BPWRO3, BPWRO4, BPWRO5, and BPWRO6) differed in number of repetitions as indicated by the number for each group (3, 4, 5, and 6 repetitions), with a total of 150 trials for each subject in each group. After 10-minute intervals subjects performed 24 trials in the retention phase in random format in the circle target series. Eight dependent measures were utilized: reaction time (RT), movement time one (MT$\sb1$), movement time two (MT$\sb2$), total movement time (TMT), total performance response time (TP), accuracy for the first movement (AC$\sb1$), accuracy for the second movement (AC$\sb2$), and total accuracy (TAC). / The results of this study provide minimal support for contextual interference. According to the theory, the random practice should help the subjects to recall more than the other groups (the blocked and combined practice), since a deeper level of processing is required when the task is varied from trial to trial. The combined practice groups shared interference effects during acquisition for groups having both random and blocked features. These groups (BPWRO) also produced retention benefits in speeded movements and reactions but not in accuracy. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: B, page: 5961. / Major Professor: Tonya Toole. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

While reciprocity has often been cited as an important aspect of conversational and social skills training with chronic mental patients, it has never been exclusively examined in any investigation. The purpose of this study was to use a group multiple baseline-simultaneous replications treatment design across social network functions to evaluate the effectiveness of a reciprocal skills training package to enhance the reciprocal ability of eight chronically mentally ill patients. Videotaped role play situations with a standard confederate were evaluated for the quality of receiving, processing, sending, and molar abilities across three broad categories of social network functions. Generalization probe interactions, "parties", with novel partners were also obtained. Training effects were noted for the subjects across all three social network functions. Mixed results were obtained for generalization. Implications for further investigations and for the utility of reciprocal skills training with chronically institutionalized adults are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-12, Section: B, page: 6458. / Major Professor: Mark Licht. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate response to challenge in young children and to determine its concurrent and predictive relationship to children's goal orientation and mother's verbalizations. Participants included 72 four to six year old children. These children were selected from an initial pool of 239 white middle- and upper-middle class children attending private day-care centers and public kindergartens in the Tallahassee area. Data was collected during six individual sessions over the course of one year. The children attempted challenging tasks individually and while interacting with their mothers. Moderate stability was found on the challenge preference measure over the one-year interval lending support to the notion that individual differences in motivational patterns emerge by this young age. The two-week stability was also found to be in the moderate range and less than expected given the moderate one-year stability. The measure of goal orientation was found to have moderate stability over a six-month interval and was related concurrently to challenge preference. Goal orientation, however, was not found to be predictive of future challenge preference. Five mother verbalizations were coded from mother-child interactions and the only negative comments about the child were found to predict future challenge preference in children. This finding was particularly notable given that the item was based on the mere presence or absence of the negative comment and only 24% of the mothers made such a comment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-06, Section: B, page: 3479. / Major Professor: Janet A. Kistner. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.