This study evaluated the effect of decentration training on egocentrism and observable antisocial behavior in a group of severely emotionally traumatized adolescent females. Twenty three subjects were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. One group participated in a six week multimodal training program which included one week each of perceptual, cognitive, and affective decentration training followed by three weeks of video dramatic decentration training. The second group participated in three weeks of placebo treatment followed by three weeks of video dramatic decentration training. Pre - post intervention, and follow up measures of self reported egocentrism and antisocial behavior for each treatment group were compared through a 2 x 4 (treatment group x time of measurement) analysis of variance with repeated measures, yielding significant main treatment effects over time, significant differences between groups, and a significant interaction between treatments. Each of these analyses were presented and discussed separately, along with follow up analyses of mean differences between treatments as needed. The outcome of the data analyses demonstrated a significant reduction of antisocial behavior and egocentric thought in both groups, and significant between group differences on the variables of antisocial behavior and egocentrism, all of which supported a stronger treatment outcome for the multimodal decentration training program. Subsequent to these findings the data for both treatment groups was combined in order to explore the nature of the relationship between egocentrism and antisocial behavior. A series of Pearson R correlational coefficients were computed between the two variables across the four repeated measures. A positive increase in the degree of correlation between the two variables was observed during the concurrent decline in egocentrism and antisocial behavior. Alternative explanations for the increase in the positive degree of correlation were discussed. Finally, some findings not accessible through the methods of quantitative data analysis were explored. Given the efficacy of the multimodal treatment program in reducing egocentrism some examination of the qualitative aspects of the subjects' idiographic material was considered to be appropriate. Based upon a discussion of the study's outcome implications for treatment and directions for future research were suggested.

This study explores the role of bulimia in a woman's relationship with her siblings. While there is a growing body of literature on siblings and on bulimia, there is little written about the overlap between these two topics. This study is an attempt to fill that gap. Thirty-two women who had participated in an Intensive Treatment Program (ITP) for bulimia were the subjects. There were four groups of eight women each. Their comments about their sibling relationships were tracked through five components of the program: group therapy, multi-family therapy, family seminar, genograms, one year follow-up. All of their comments related to their siblings were transcribed from the video recordings of the therapies and the seminar. Each of the sibling comments was sorted into categories of common messages. The study reports on all four ITP groups, and gives details about the women from one ITP group and their sibling relationships are given. Transcripts from their group therapy and multi-family therapy, and their comments from the seminar on family roles are reported. Comments from a one year multi-family therapy follow-up questionnaire from women in several ITP groups are also reported. Comments about siblings were categorized into seven types of communication messages: equalizing, dirty fighting, connecting, flagging, deflecting, separating, and peacemaking. Selection of the messages into the categories were checked by independent raters. There was a high consistency in the categorization. All but one woman had at least one message, and over half of them had either two or three types of messages for one or more siblings. Three themes for understanding the use of bulimia in the sibling relationship are highlighted: bulimia as an indirect expression of affect to a sibling; as a means of getting out of a complementary role with a sibling, and as an expression of an immobilizing ambivalence in the sibling relationship. Although a descriptive study, the results suggest that sibling relationships are one important factor in the onset or maintenance of a woman's bulimia.

This research explored the role of hope as an emotional component of outcome anticipation. It is assumed that people often face situations that require to predict and to construe what will happen the next moment. Sometimes the events have a reasonable degree of certainty, and people may predict the probabilities of attaining goals with some precision. In such situations people may formulate fairly rational expectations about the future events. On other occasions people face future events with a higher degree of uncertainty, and rational expectations may not be possible. Thus, people make emotional anticipations through hope. It is also assumed that in different cultures people follow different rules to anticipate future events. In the present study USA and Venezuelan college students were compared in the way they anticipated outcomes. The research examined: (a) The effects of dispositional hope, country, and perceived control on grade anticipation in a midterm exam; (b) the realism of anticipations made through hope and expectancy; and (c) the distinction between hoped-for and expected outcomes in the two cultures. Three studies are reported: the first one deals with the construction and development of two dispositional hope scales; the second one deals with the exploration of the effects of dispositional hope upon outcome anticipation in a experimental task; and the third one evaluates the same effects in a real life situation. Results showed that there are two different types of hope (passive and active). The two hopes are multifactorial constructs, and have implications for outcome anticipation. A difference was found in the way hope affects anticipations in the two cultures. Also cultural differences were found in the anticipations made as 'hopes' and as 'expectations.' The results are interpreted as initial evidence of hope as an emotional component of outcome anticipation. Also discussed are the implications of using dispositional hope to predict anticipatory behaviors in uncertain situations such as illness, adversity, or achievement. The culturally different results may have some importance for the conceptualization of emotions as systems of social rules.

No description available.

This study explored the sexting behaviour of a female adolescent in Cape Town, South Africa. Sexting has rapidly increased in recent years and concerns regarding the risks associated with the behaviour have prompted an increase in research on the topic. The rationale for the study included an acknowledgement of risks and the prevalence of the behaviour, and thus a need to fully understand sexting to prevent negative outcomes for adolescents. Few qualitative studies exist, meaning that the depth of an individual’s experiences has not been fully explored and nuances of the behaviour may have been missed. Furthermore, few studies have been grounded in specific theories. The purpose of the study was thus to explore a female adolescent’s subjective sexting experiences and perspectives through qualitative means grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Research questions aimed to explore the existing empirical and theoretical perspectives of sexting, motivations for sexting and consequences of sexting.   An interpretivist research paradigm was employed with a qualitative approach. The research design was a single, descriptive case study and data was gathered through a semi-structured interview, observations and a reflective researcher journal. Selection criteria for sampling the participant included being between the ages of 18 and 19, female and having exposure to the topic. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted on the transcribed interview data to establish themes and subthemes.  The resulting four themes are, firstly, the participant’s definition, conceptualisation and categorisation of sexting; secondly, the participant’s perceptions of motivations for engaging in sexting; thirdly, the participant’s beliefs concerning the consequences of sexting; and lastly, the participant’s ideas on the protection of adolescents from negative consequences of sexting. To summarise each theme: theme 1 established that the participant defined sexting as being both text-based and image-based and that each has differing purposes with a variety of technological influences. Theme 2 showed that the participant perceived the motivations for sexting to be associated with physical pleasure, emotional pleasure, intimacy, getting attention, seeking a relationship, coercion, a long-distance relationship, and for sexual communication. In theme 3 the participant described the consequences of sexting as being emotional and social and as punishment from adults. Theme 4 presented the participant’s ideas on how adolescents might be protected from the consequences of sexting on an individual level and through interventions by adults. When compared to the literature, the study confirmed many existing themes, while new data was identified along with gaps in the literature. This prompted recommendations for further research and assisted in informing recommendations for future intervention. The study’s findings added to the qualitative literature on the sexting experiences of a female adolescent. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour means that the study added to understanding of how the theory may be utilised when qualitatively exploring sexting. Further, a South African case study was added to the body of knowledge on sexting.   Keywords: sexting behaviour, sexuality, adolescents, theory of planned behaviour, qualitative research, educational psychology / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

This archival study sought to investigate the construct validity of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) when used with an inpatient clinical population. The TAS-20 is a self-report instrument that measures alexithymia, a psychological construct that encompasses 4 main cognitive traits: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings to others, externally oriented thinking, and a limited imaginal capacity. Seven separate studies were employed: Study 1 explored internal consistency; Study 2 explored factor structure; Study 3 explored criterion-based predictive validity; Study 4 explored convergent validity; Study 5 explored discriminant validity; and Studies 6 and 7 explored the relationship between TAS-20 scores and Axis I and Axis II diagnoses. The participants were 169 inpatients at a state mental hospital in the Southeast. Participants were administered the TAS-20 while participating in the hospital's Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program between 2002 and 2011. Study results revealed a reliability coefficient of .793 and a two factor solution. However, subsequent analyses revealed that removal of the reverse score items increased internal consistency and that the best solution was a 1 factor solution with the TAS-20 reverse scored items removed. TAS-20 scores were found to be weakly predictive of both self-harm and acting-out behavioral incidents. A significant, but weak, positive correlation was found between TAS-20 scores and a measure of trauma. There was no significant relationship found between TAS-20 scores and a measure of verbal IQ. No relationship was found between TAS-20 scores and either Axis I or II diagnoses. Overall, the research findings provided weak support for the construct validity of the TAS-20 when used with a severely mentally ill inpatient population. Due to its questionable construct validity, the TAS-20 should be used with inpatient clinical populations in conjunction with other alexithymia measures, clinical interviews and behavioral observations. Because of the TAS-20's cost effectiveness and ease of use, further refinement of the items of the TAS-20 is recommended along with further research on the construct validity of a modified instrument. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / March 15, 2012. / alexithymia, "construct validity", "inpatient clinical population", reliability, TAS-20 / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Ebener, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeanette Taylor, University Representative; Gary Peterson, Committee Member; Jim Sampson, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of students' mapping and discourse behaviors while constructing causal maps to articulate their understanding of a complex, ill-structured problem. In this study, six graduate-level students were assigned to one of three pair groups, and each pair used the causal mapping software program, jMAP, to collaboratively construct causal maps as they discussed and worked hand-in-hand with a student peer to diagnose an instructional design problem. Sequential analysis was used to analyze video recordings of each pair's computer desktop to identify typical processes and patterns of mapping and discourse behaviors used by the students. Most of all, sequential analysis was used to compare and identify differences in the sequential patterns and processes of mapping and discourse behaviors between student pairs - differences that might help to explain observed differences in the accuracy of the maps produced by the student pairs. Overall, the findings in this study revealed different behavioral patterns in the map construction process between the groups - differences that provided plausible explanations as to why some groups produced more accurate maps than others. Group 1 followed a four-step linear process of executing the major map drawing behaviors of node positioning, inserting causal links, changing link attributes, and inserting comments on a link. The pattern exhibited by Group 1's discourse revealed how one dominant student's explanations presented just prior to positioning a node and inserting links were intended to simply to announce (as opposed to initiate discussion) the next mapping action the student was about to perform on the group's causal map. As a result, Group 1 produced the least accurate map among the three groups. In contrast, Group 2 used a three-step linear but iterative process of positioning nodes, adding links, and specifying link attributes while working progressively backwards from nodes that had the most direct and/or immediate effect on the outcome variable to those that had the least direct/immediate effect. Group 2 engaged in collaborative discussions (primarily initiated by explanations presented by the more knowledgeable student) to decide where to place and link the next node, a process which produced the most accurate map among the three groups. Group 3, which produced the second most accurate map among the three groups, followed a stepwise process in which the students shared equal responsibility in positioning all or most of the nodes first (with each node positioning preceded and/or followed immediately with collaborative discourse) before placing links between the nodes. Group 3 also exhibited a pattern which suggests that nodes and links were placed to create a shared visual artifact that could then be used to explain and re-evaluate the most recent action performed on the map. The behavioral patterns and their association with map accuracy suggest two procedures to incorporate into existing causal mapping guidelines. First, encourage students to use an iterative and systematic mapping approach while working progressively backwards from the final outcome to the mediating and root causes. Second, prompt students to engage in collaborative and interrogative exchanges to share ideas and make meaningful contributions to the causal reasoning and map construction process. The main implication of this study is that these and other established causal mapping processes can now be operationally measured and tested, and most all, formalized, standardized, and built into the causal mapping software/interface to reduce individual differences in causal mapping skills. In doing so, causal mapping software may one day be used as a tool for conducting large-scale formative and summative assessments of students' understanding of complex systems. Furthermore, the methods and findings presented in this study provide ideas for future research on how to improve the process-oriented approach to studying the instructional uses of causal maps. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / February 16, 2012. / Case Diagnosis, Causal Map, Causal Reasoning, Problem Solving / Includes bibliographical references. / Allan Jeong, Professor Directing Dissertation; Paul Marty, University Representative; Valerie Shute, Committee Member; Vanessa Dennen, Committee Member.

The present study aimed to translate the Academic Success Inventory for College Students (ASICS; Prevatt et al., 2011), which was originally developed in an English speaking Western culture in the United States, into the Korean language and to test the cross-cultural validation of the Korean version of the ASICS with a sample of Korean college students. This translation and adaptation of the Korean language version of the ASICS is intended to be used to in cross-cultural research to enhance our understanding of academic success in Korean college student and to improve cross-cultural measurement generalizability in the area of academic success in college students. The present study strictly followed prescribed and validated translation procedures suggested by researchers to translate the original ASICS into Korean language (Brislin, 1970; Chapman & Carter, 1979; Geisinger, 1994; Hambleton, 2001). Given both the current lack of effective measurements of academic success in college students and the limited existing information regarding these measurements in non-Western cultures, the present study makes a significant contribution to research in the area of cross-cultural measurement of academic success in college students. Data analyses of the present study were conducted in order to find empirical evidence for the reliability and four validities such as criterion, convergent, discriminant, and factorial validities of the Korean translated version of the ASICS with a South Korean sample. The Korean ASICS's reliability was calculated by internal consistency (e.g., a coefficient alpha value) and compared to the Cronbach's alpha reliability from a U.S. sample. The criterion validity of the Korean ASICS was conducted by a normal test of correlations between students' subscale scores of the ASICS and their overall grade point averages. The convergent validity was conducted by a normal test of correlations between students' subscale scores on the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ; Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991). The discriminant validity was examined by using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for comparison between high performing students and low performing students among Korean college students. Finally, the factorial validity was tested by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the consistency of the factor structure of the Korean ASICS with that of the original English version of the ASICS. In result, the ten Korean ASICS subscales were found to possess an excellent overall internal consistency of.91. Correlational analysis between the ten scale scores of the Korean ASICS and cumulative GPA of the Korean sample were conducted and eight subscales were positive and showed statistically significant correlations with GPA at a level of .01, thus supporting criterion validity in predicting GPA with a Korean sample. As hypothesized, there appears to be strong evidence that ASICS and MSLQ questionnaires converge to measure constructs of academic success and motivation. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to investigate differences in the ten mean scale scores between the high performing and the low performing groups showed statistically significant on seven out of the ten Korean ASICS subscales. In terms of factor structure of the ASICS with a Korean sample, the results of the confirmatory factor analysis of the ten-factor model of the Korean ASICS fit best. The findings of the present study may provide a preliminary reference for the first use of a translated version of the ASICS as a potential prescreening tool for at-risk college students in South Korea. Findings need to be carefully interpreted when gathered from local populations in Korea. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2012. / April 23, 2012. / Academic Success, College Students, Cross-Cultural Validation, Korean, Translation / Includes bibliographical references. / Frances Prevatt, Professor Directing Dissertation; Georgios Lampropoulos, Committee Member; Deborah Ebener, Committee Member.

The study explored instructional benefits of a storyline gaming characteristic (GC) on learning effectiveness, efficiency, and engagement with the use of an online instructional simulation for graduate students in an introductory statistics course. In addition, the study focused on examining the effects of a storyline GC on specific learning outcomes, i.e., factual, conceptual, and application knowledge. In order to study the interactions between the storyline GC and human performance, a storyline was embedded in an instructional simulation. The goal of the simulation was to engage students in problem solving and data analysis in the context of basic statistics and allow students to practice the newly acquired skills for analyzing real-world examples. The author developed two different versions of the instructional simulation: (1) Simulation+No GC and (2) Simulation+Storyline GC. All versions had the same instructional content but differed in presence or absence of a storyline GC. Sixty-four graduate students with basic statistical knowledge participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to two intervention conditions: (1) Simulation+No GC, and (2) Simulation+Storyline GC. Each of the intervention groups completed an online instructional module that required approximately two hours for a learner without a substantial background in the subject matter. During the instructional module, participants were engaged in: (1) an online instruction presenting statistics concepts to-be-learned, (2) a pretest assessing students' prerequisite and prior knowledge of the subject matter, (3) a simulation-based practice, (4) a posttest assessing the taught skills and concepts, and (5) demographic and engagement surveys. The results indicated that adding a storyline to a learning simulation did not result in significant improvements in learning effectiveness or efficiency. The analysis of students' performance scores for factual, conceptual and application knowledge did not reveal any significant differences between the interventions as well. However, students' performance from both interventions combined significantly improved from pre- to posttest. Both interventions (simulation and simulation with a storyline) showed significant learning gains related to application knowledge, thus supporting previous research showing a positive effect of simulations and games on developing higher cognitive skills. With regard to engagement, significantly higher engagement levels were observed among the students from the Simulation+No GC than the Simulation+Storyline GC group. The findings of this study suggest that adding a storyline may distract students from an instructional task and pose a higher level of extraneous cognitive load that might be detrimental to learning outcomes. Moreover, students' preferences as well as the nature of the storyline and the storytelling system can affect students' engagement in the learning process. Designing games with adaptive instructional gaming characteristics that reflect students' preferences may improve students' performance and engagement. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / November 14, 2011. / games, gaming characteristics, simulations, statistics education, storyline / Includes bibliographical references. / Tristan E. Johnson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Patrice Iatarola, University Representative; Valerie Shute, Committee Member; Gershon Tenenbaum, Committee Member.

A nomological network on team dynamics in sports consisting of a multi-framework perspective is introduced. The aim was to explore the interrelationship among cohesion team mental models (TMM), collective-efficacy (CE) and perceived performance potential (PPP). A secondary aim was to assess intra and inter team variability among these team level properties. Three hundred and forty college soccer players of both genders (178 female, 52.4%; and 162 male 47.6%) and representing 17 different teams (n = 8 female and 9 male) affiliated to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) agreed to participate in the study. The participants were 20.38 years old on average (SD = 2.12) and had 14.66 years (SD = 3.92) of experience in the sport. They responded to surveys on team cohesion (i.e., The Group Environment Questionnaire), TMM (i.e., Team Assessment Diagnostic Measure), CE (i.e., Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports) and PPP (i.e., Team Outcome Questionnaire). Descriptive and structural equation modeling analyses indicated that cohesion, TMM and CE are conceptually and statistically interrelated constructs. Specifically, cohesion was found to be an exogenous variable predicting both TMM and CE beliefs. These former team attributes were found to predict PPP which in turn accounted for approximately 60% of the variance of objective performance scores as measured by teams' season record. Altogether, findings of this study are congruent with the theoretical feasibility and statistical validity of an integrated view of team dynamics in sports. Applied implications involve the development of evidence-based protocols to enhance team PPP as related to cohesion, TMM and CE beliefs. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2012. / June 20, 2012. / cohesion, collective efficacy, nomological network, shared mental models, sport psychology, team dynamics / Includes bibliographical references. / Gershon Tenenbaum, Professor Directing Dissertation; Tom Welsh, University Representative; David W. Eccles, Committee Member; Tristan E. Johnson, Committee Member; Yanyun Yang, Committee Member.