The present study was designed in an effort to address two general questions: (1) the primacy of social dysfunction in bulimia nervosa, and its potential as a risk factor in disease onset; and (2) the proximal antecedents of the binge eating episode in bulimic patients. Given the substantial clinical and empirical evidence of social impairment in this psychiatric group, as well as findings documenting the treatment effectiveness of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (a therapeutic program designed to exclusively address social disturbances) with bulimic patients, it has been speculated that difficulty with interpersonal relationships may be a predisposing factor in the development of bulimia. The present study sought to determine whether social problems could present as potential markers for later disturbances of eating in weight-preoccupied women. A comparison of bulimic patients with a group of restrained eaters and a group of unrestrained eaters on such features as social adjustment across domains of functioning, specific deficits in interpersonal transactions, and qualitative aspects of everyday social experiences was undertaken to determine whether deficits in the social sphere parallel the continuum of eating pathology. In support of previous research and consistent with predictions, bulimic subjects were found to display greater social maladjustment and interpersonal deficits, and to report more negative social interaction experiences than control subjects. Few dimensions of social dysfunction were found to differentiate restrained eaters from unrestrained eaters, thereby suggesting that bulimia nervosa and restrained eating are not continuous with regard to social problems. / Studies examining the proximal antecedents of binge eating episodes have suggested that negative affect reliably precedes binge eating, and as such, has been considered a precipitant to bulimic episodes. However, no previous empirical work has addressed the precursors of this negative mood state. The present study postulated an "interpersonal stress" model of the binge/purge episode which incorporates disturbances in social relatedness and negative interpersonal interaction as precipitants of the negative affect that characterizes the pre-binge state. The model was evaluated in a naturalistic investigation of social interaction experiences and eating behavior in a sample of clinical eating disorder patients. The interpersonal distress/negative affect/binging linkages postulated in the present study were supported, thus highlighting the significance of negative social interaction experiences in the elicitation of binge eating. The clinical implications of the present findings are substantial as they underscore the effectiveness of eating disorder treatment programs which consider interpersonal disturbances in their therapeutic interventions.

Note: / The aim of this dissertation was 10 investigate if and how emotional arousalinfluences odor memory. I conducted three studies , one of which invo lved pat ients withresect ion from the medial tcmporal lobc including the amygd ala (MTLR). In the first experiment of Study 1, participants showed better memory for odo rs rated as being more emotionally arousing than tor odors rated as less arousing. / Cette dissertation avail pour objectif d'etudier si, de quelle maniere. L'eveil emotionnel influence la memoire olfactive. J'ai effectue trois etudes, dont une impliquant des patients ayant subi une resection du lobe temporal median inc1uant l'amygdalc (MTLR). Dans la premiere experience de l'etude 1, la reconnaissance des odeurs plus emotionnellement eveillantes a ete superieure a celle des odeurs moins eveillantes.

Twenty-seven swimmers, twenty-three aerobic runners, and twenty-two distance runners were tested on measures of affect and four creative thinking tests before and after an exercise session which approximated their normal work-out. Twenty-two sedentary control subjects watched a National Geographic videotape instead of exercising. Pre-test findings indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between groups. There was no evidence of post-exercise enhancement of demonstrated creative thinking following a 30 minute post-exercise pause, nor did exercisers perform better than controls on the creativity tests. The obtained results conflict with popular notions and previous research. However, exercisers did perceive themselves as significantly more exercise. The results suggest that exercisers believe their workouts enhance creative thinking when in fact they do not. / Department of Psychological Science

This study examined the effects of Cognitive-Affective Stress Management Training in reducing cognitive and somatic anxiety, while increasing self-confidence and athletic performance in a sample of male (n=10) and female (n=23) high school and college athletes. Only participants scoring moderate to high for trait anxiety on the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (Martens, 1977) were involved in the program. Cognitive-Affective Stress Management Training (CASMT) was a three week, six session program conducted during the preseason. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups (i.e., no treatment control group, treatment group, and one treatment group that met for one hour at mid-season to review the program, answer any questions, and refine any deficient skills). The athletes were administered the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2) (Martens, Vealey, Burton, 1990) at preseason, at mid-season, and at the end of the season and their athletic performance times were recorded similarly. A multivariate approach to repeated measures was used to analyze the Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory -2 and athletic performance data. Participants receiving CASMT did not significantly reduce their cognitive and somatic anxiety nor increase self-confidence. A significant main effect was found for athletic performance between the two treatment groups. More specifically, the treatment group receiving a "tune-up" session at midseason had significantly lower (i.e., faster times) than the treatment group that did not have a "tune-up". However, this difference represents a randomization problem since this difference existed prior to any treatment. No statistical differences were found between the treatment groups and the control group. Limitations of the present study include sample size, under-representation of males in the sample, time of CSAI-2 administration, and the variable length of seasons among the four teams. It is recommended that future research in this area extend the use of "tune-ups" during the season, assess the direction of perceived competitive anxiety, compare multiple performance variables, and utilize psychological interventions that can be extended beyond the athletic environment. / Department of Educational Studies

This study addresses the problem of assessment of chronic pain patients, a population with special needs which have only begun to be recognized by the medical community. While this paper promotes a comprehensive approach to assessment and treatment of chronic pain patients, the research questions in this study specifically address assessment of personality and its relationship to other biopsychosocial variables.The purpose of the study was to replicate cluster analyses done with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in chronic pain patient populations using the revised and re-nonmed Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), and. secondly, to identify other variables which are associated with particular personality profile patterns in chronic pain patients.This study examines the archival records of approximately 300 male and female, chronic pain patients who were seen at a hospital-based, multidisciplinary, outpatient pain management clinic from 1989 to 1992. Information analyzed includes The (MMPI), and the Patient Assessment Inventory and Narrative (PAIN), an instrument used at the pain clinic, designed to collect demographic, social, and vocational information, medical history, and cognitive, emotional, and sensory-perceptual characteristics of the patient's pain experience.The data from the MM PI-2 scales was cluster analyzed, yielding three homogeneous profile subgroups for both male and female samples, as well as the full sample. These groups corresponded closely to those found in earlier MMPI research with chronic pain patients. A discriminant analysis was used to examine which combinations of other biopsychosocial variables best explained the differences between each of the groups of patients derived in the cluster analysis. Results indicate that a combination of "negative life-impact" variables most significantly distinguished between the derived groups. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Tukey's HSD procedure revealed how each group differed-on the "negative life-impact" spectrum, with more elevated MMPI-2 profiles showing greater negative life-impact and less elevated profiles showing less negative life-impact. Implications and limitations of the study, as well as recommendations for future research are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Prior research shows a wealth of investigation into the variables contributing to psychosocial adjustment to cancer. However, the literature consistently calls for more complex investigation of the contributing factors. This investigation attempted to clarify and expand the adjustment literature in two primary areas. First, the study investigated the relationships between the variables suspected of predicting adjustment to cancer, such as socidemographic, social support, and gender-related personality variables. Second, the study determined the differential influence that the traits of agency, communion, and the unmitigated constructs had on adjustment to cancer, compared to sex. The investigator used two statistical approaches to identify the differential importance: hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). Using SEM, the investigator tested three models to determine which variables had direct and indirect effects on adjustment.The study used a sample of 417 (238 used in final analyses) early stage (0, I, and II) male and female cancer patients diagnosed between 1998 and 2000. The patients completed mail surveys assessing their social support, gender-related personality characteristics, and adjustment to cancer. Results from bivariate correaltional analyses found that being male, having less functional social support, experiencing more problematic support encounters, and possessing unmitigated agentic traits contributed to more maladjustment. In contrast, the results revealed that possessing communion traits related to less maladjustment.Results from the regression analysis also supported that the unmitigated agentic and communal traits contributed significantly to the variance in maladjustment. When determining strength of associations, less social support from family, more informationfrom friends, and being male more strongly predicted the likelihood of maladjustment. However, findings also suggested that being on medical leave and possessing either traits of unmitigated agency or communion contributed to maladjustment to cancer.Finally, while structural models exhibited less than adequate fit, the significant paths within the models supported many of the proposed relationships. Overall, the findings supported the multifactorial nature of maladjustment, such that sex, social support, and personality traits all emerged as significant predictors. The study concluded with a discussion on improving model fit and directions for future research. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Prior research involving self-efficacy, hardiness, and the stages of exercise behavior change has been limited. This study attempted to determine if differences existed in self-efficacy for exercise, hardiness, and the components of hardiness (control, commitment, and challenge) in individuals at the preparation, action, and maintenance stages of exercise behavior change. Stages of Exercise Behavior Change, Exercise Self-Efficacy, and the Personal Views Survey were used to assess the individuals' stage of exercise behavior, self-efficacy for exercise, hardiness and the components of hardiness levels. The researcher found significant differences in self-efficacy across the three stages of exercise behavior. Specifically, individuals in the preparation, or third stage of change, had significantly lower levels of self-efficacy than those in the action and maintenance stages. The researcher found no significant differences in hardiness, or the components of hardiness, across the preparation, action, and maintenance stages of exercise behavior change. / School of Physical Education

Counterfactual thought is thinking about what might have been. It is remembering the past, not as it actually happened, but how we wish it happened. Research has shown that counterfactual thought affects a wide range of psychological processes including emotion and decision making. This research examined the counterfactual thoughts of individuals engaged in a gambling task. A 2 (outcome groups) X 2 (counterfactual direction) X 4 (gambling type) Analysis of Variance did not find significant differences in the number of counterfactuals generated between gambling groups. It was found, however, that individuals who lost the task generated more counterfactuals than individuals who won the task. The discussion section explains how future researchers could use this unique task along with a more sophisticated method of assessing counterfactual thought to understand more fully how counterfactual thought affects gambling behavior. / Department of Psychological Science

This study investigated relationships between literacy level and global self concept. employment status. income level, age. and gender among students enrolled at a vocational technical college. The contribution of a subset of job-related reading self concepts to the multiple correlation was also examined. The study sample consisted of 100 students in Related Education Courses at Indiana Vocational Technical College, Region VI. Muncie. Indiana. Subjects responded to three instruments and a demographic questionnaire. The Literacy Assessment Battery (Sticht. 1982) provided literacy levels, the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (Fitts. 1964) yielded global self concept, and the Hays Job-Related Reading Survey (Hays, 1986) indicated job-related reading self concepts. Piloting of Hays Job-Related Reading Survey Reliability and construct validity were sought using responses from a sample (N = 230) closely comparable to one selected for the study. An analysis revealed four interpretable factors:(a) Positive Employee Self, (b) Perceived Limitations of Self, (c) Perceived Importance of Occupational Literacy, and (d) Perceived Value of Company Notices. Further analysis yielded coefficient alpha reliabilities of r = .69 to r = .86.Results Significant relationships were found between literacy level and the following: (a) Global Self Concept (r .20, p<.04`; (b) Global Self Concept when combined with Perceived Limitations of Self, a factor from the Hays JobRelated Reading Survey (r = .56. p<.000+); and (c) Perceived Limitations of Self alone (r = .56, p<.000+).Conclusions Both Global Self Concept and Perceived Limitations of Self were significantly related to Literacy, both singly and in combination. The "best" (most efficient) predictor of Literacy Level could be gained by Perceived Limitations of Self alone. Additional research with adults is needed to confirm the findings and expand established research at younger ages. Educational suggestions focus on strengthening self concepts and occupational literacy of adults pursuing vocational training. Business should foster occupational literacy self concepts and employer-employee relationships in the workplace. Economic implications involved public and private sector support for long-term occupational literacy and job-related reading self concept programs which may yield more effective, productive employees.

Changes in mood, behavior, and physiology, beginning in the post-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle and ending with the onset of menstruation, have been called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, and have been the focus of much investigation. Research to date has demonstrated greater emotional arousal and distress experienced by women during the luteal phase of the cycle as opposed to the follicular phase. This study collected descriptive profiles of current mood states, physiological symptoms, and menstrual cycle information from 62 women on the day on which they presented to a university counseling center for psychological services. It was hypothesized that a larger proportion of individuals would present on a walk-in basis for intake during the luteal phase of the cycle as opposed to the follicular phase. This hypothesis was tested with Chi-Square analysis of differences in frequency of subjects in each of the two phase groups. The second hypothesis was that individuals in the luteal phase would display higher levels of mood disturbance (as measured by the Profile of Mood States and the Beck Depression Inventory) and somatic symptomatology (as measured by the Menstrual Cycle Symptom Scale),than individuals in the follicular phase. This hypothesis was tested using multiple regression analysis, using affective and somatic variables as predictors of cycle day. Post hoc analyses for differences between menstrual phase groups on the affective variables were performed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).The results of this study indicated no relationship between menstrual cycle phase and self-presentation for counseling services. They also indicated no relationship between menstrual cycle day and either subjective distress or somatic symptomatology. Finally, with minor exceptions, no differences were found between menstrual cycle phase groups in their self-perceived distress or emotional states.Discrepancies between the results of this study and previous research were discussed. In particular, methodological differences (e.g., use of state vs trait measures of mood variables) highlight the poor design and generalizability of previous research. Suggestions for future studies were presented as well as limiting factors in this study. These include the need for a larger number of participants and the use of hematologic cross-checks to more precisely determine cycle phase. Investigations into the way in which menstrual cycle affects mood are warranted. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services