<p> The current investigation examined the nature of the activation-competition process that is the hallmark of spoken word recognition (Luce &amp; Pisoni, 1998). The present experiments focused on acquisition of new nonword forms that are carefully designed to compete with existing lexical items (e.g., "cathedruke" &rarr; "cathedral"; "shum" &rarr; "shun"). The specific aim of the research was to examine the processing costs for recognition of established neighboring words following exposure to new items. Experiments 1a and b examined processing for both mono- and multisyllabic words for which listeners have learned a new competitor in an attempt to contrast claims about the nature of lexical competition made by two prominent models of spoken word recognition, Cohort Theory and the Neighborhood Activation Model. Experiments 2a and b delved further into an examination of the nature of the competitive environment by manipulating the number and exposure frequency of novel items in an attempt to directly assess the costs of multiple activation. In both Experiments 2a and b, effects of more training (additional novel neighbors or increased exposure frequency, respectively) were facilitative, not competitive. The results are discussed within the context of Vitevitch and Luce's (1999) two-stage model of spoken word recognition.</p>

<p> Given the current amount of cheating in our society and more specifically in our schools, the focus of this dissertation was to examine the impact of religiosity on cheating behavior in an academic arena. Additionally social norms and the individual difference variable of self-monitoring were also investigated to determine their impact on cheating behavior. Furthermore, self-regulation was examined to determine if non-cheating high self-monitors deplete more self-regulatory resources than those non-cheating low self-monitors in a cheating situation. </p><p> Participants completed a religiosity and self-monitoring measure prior to coming into the laboratory. At a date of their choosing, participants completed the laboratory portion of the study. In the laboratory, participants were given a job-competency measure to complete, at which time they were given an opportunity to cheat. The participants completed the job-competency measure alone or in the presence of a confederate. Four different conditions were formed: a control condition, a cheating condition, a passive condition, and an active noncheating condition. It was also in the laboratory that their grip strength was measured. </p><p> Contrary to expectations, religiosity was not a significant predictor of cheating behavior. However, norms did impact cheating behavior; there was more cheating when the confederate cheated and less cheating when the confederate discouraged cheating behavior. Additionally, there was an impact of self-monitoring in response to the created norms, such that high self-monitors tended to follow the behaviors of the confederates more so than low self-monitors. Contrary to expectations, self-regulatory resources were not significantly impacted for noncheating high self-monitors in a confederate-induced cheating condition.</p>

<p> This study was an initial investigation of the relationship between self-presentational concern and chronic injury. An experiment with two manipulations was conducted to determine how situational self-presentational concerns affected expressions of toughness that may be linked to health-damaging behaviors that cause chronic injury. Covariates of self-presentational concerns and mental toughness were measured and determined to be equivalent across groups so that effects could be attributed to the manipulations. For a manipulation of situational self-presentational concerns, collegiate middle-distance and distance runners assigned to experimental groups read a passage. The passage was based on the components of a self-presentation model, impression motivation and impression construction. It indicated the need for runners to score high on toughness questionnaires to be evaluated favorably by coaches and governing bodies of the sport in order to achieve goals. All participants completed two questionnaires pertaining to mental toughness and tough attitude toward training through pain and injury. Expressions of mental toughness related to confidence and control were higher for participants exposed to heightened levels of situational self-presentational concerns than participants lacking the exposure. For a second manipulation, participants in one of the experimental groups were additionally exposed to a prototype describing the performance of the most successful runners on the mental toughness questionnaire. Expression of mental toughness of these participants did not differ significantly from other participants, failing to provide evidence of the prototype-matching process. Participants' expression of tough attitude toward training through pain and injury did not differ in relation to exposure to either manipulation. The results support the integration of self-presentational concerns related to mental toughness as a psychological antecedent in a model linking stressful, athletic situations and chronic injury.</p>

<p> Bullying is becoming a salient issue in schools in the Southern United States. School bullying, the most common type of school violence, comprises a spectrum of aggressive behaviors that involve both perpetrators and victims. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to obtain an understanding of the experiences of adolescents who have been bullied. Data collection consisted of 1-on-1, semi-structured interviews with 8 participants from 12 and 13 years of age. There were no restrictions relative to the participants in terms of gender, race, or ethnicity. The researcher conducted guided interviews and analyzed the interviews for themes that established the adolescents&rsquo; perception of bullying. Findings of the study indicate that adolescents experience psychological and emotional traumatic problems, including depression during and after a bullying occurrence. Recommendations to encourage further study in elementary- and middle-school children as well as more qualitative research are indicated.</p>

<p> Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is a pathological preoccupation with muscularity, more common in men than in women. MD is estimated to affect several hundreds of thousands of individuals. There has been little research related to MD in the male adolescent population and the prevalence is unknown. The mean age of onset of MD is estimated to be 19 years, and sports participation increases the risk for developing MD as well as other psychological difficulties. The pilot study revealed a potential relationship between MD symptoms and athletic and academic performance, low levels of self-esteem, high levels of perfectionist qualities, and use of performance-enhancing drugs. This study was conducted to substantiate previous findings and to understand MD symptomatology among male adolescent student athletes and its relation to athletic and academic performance as well as media influence, low levels of self-esteem, high levels of perfectionist qualities, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Participants included 67 male student athletes ages 14 through 18 who completed a four-page questionnaire. Results showed that MD symptomatology is prevalent among male high school athletes and is positively correlated with perfectionism and media influence. Current findings indicate the need for school programs and treatments to address MD symptoms. Further, the results offer important implications for school psychologists to make meaningful contributions in the school system through professional development to staff, counseling for students, and collaboration with parents.</p>

<p> Disruptive classroom behavior is frequently cited as a critical component in teacher job dissatisfaction and burnout. As corporal punishment is eliminated in many classrooms worldwide, teachers report a perception of increased disruptive classroom behavior that many feel ill equipped to address. Teachers also often report a lack of training in evidence-based behavior management tools that have been studied with international populations and culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. The Good Behavior Game offers teachers a classroom-wide behavior management tool that has been studied both in the United States and abroad with students from diverse backgrounds, primarily in developed countries or large cities within developing countries. This intervention is based on basic and well-tested principles of behavior theory and has a long and defensible history indicating its efficacy across cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic traditions. However, use of this tool in developing countries with few resources and diverse student populations has not been fully investigated. This research investigates the use of the Good Behavior Game in classrooms within a small, Central American town, where corporal punishment has been recently banned, educational resources are limited, and the population is both international and diverse. Results from the current study indicate that the GBG is effective in reducing out of seat, talking out, and tattling across three elementary classrooms in Belize, Central America and represents the first research to do so. Evidence further indicates that teachers were able to implement this intervention with fidelity, and that both teachers and students report high treatment acceptability.</p>

<p> Many studies have investigated problems with the ability achievement discrepancy (AAD) method of diagnosing specific learning disabilities (SLDs). The definition of an SLD includes the presence of a deficit in one or more cognitive processing systems. Researchers in other studies found that the AAD method overdiagnoses English language learners and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and underdiagnoses students with cognitive processing deficits. Although SLD diagnostic methods have been widely researched, much less information is available regarding SLD diagnostic methods that predict important student outcomes, such as high school completion. The General Abilities Index (GAI) is an SLD diagnostic method that can identify cognitive processing deficits. This study examined the relationships between cognitive processing deficits and the GAI method, high school completion status, performance on state standards assessments, and SLD eligibility. Using a multivariate, nonexperimental design, this study analyzed 149 datasets from records of students tested for an SLD between 1996 to 2013. A GLM analysis found that several types of cognitive processing deficits predicted math and writing performance on the state standards assessment and predicted not being diagnosed with an SLD, while the GAI method failed to predict any relationship with the dependent variables. Positive social changes from this study may include improved SLD diagnostic practices and improved educational interventions that target the cognitive processing deficits. Improved educational outcomes for SLD persons may reduce the high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, and incarceration experienced by the adult SLD population.</p>

<p> Previous research conducted with currently enrolled college students has suggested a relationship between secure attachment style, greater stress coping abilities, and academic success. However, there is an absence of research examining these variables as predictors of college graduation. Attachment theory was used as a theoretical framework to address this gap. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between adult attachment style, stress coping skills, and college graduation. This logistic regression study included 81 individuals who either withdrew or graduated from college within the last 4 years. Participants provided demographic information, completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) to measure attachment anxiety and avoidance, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to measure level of perceived stress. A significant Wald statistic between attachment anxiety and college graduation indicated that as attachment anxiety increased, participants were less likely to graduate. However, there was not a significant relationship between attachment avoidance and college graduation. A significant Wald statistic between stress coping skills and graduation indicated that as the level of perceived stress increased, participants were less likely to graduate. When the predictor variables of attachment anxiety and stress coping skills were paired together, neither variable added uniquely to the prediction of graduation. Social change implications could include the development of educational, counseling, and stress reduction programs for students who are at risk of withdrawing from college, which may help increase college retention.</p>

<p> Drawing on research in the fields of neuroscience, reading cognition, and the history of writing, the author explores the condition of reading today. Rather than accepting the apocalyptic pronouncements that the Internet is "dumbing down" current readers, the author argues for a more nuanced understanding of the effects of digital media. He argues that the literacies needed for the new digital realm are not new, but are literacies developed over thousands of years. The author argues for the need of more education and instruction in the use of digital media, and that the digital realm requires new proprioceptive (spatial awareness) abilities to navigate.</p>

In this thesis, I explore the construction of lesbian and gay parenting in psychology (Part 1), in the media (Part 2), and in lesbian and gay parents' talk (Part 3). My research brings together a diverse range of influences and ideas from lesbian and gay psychology, feminist psychology, and constructionist and discursive research. I draw on varied data sources: the psychological and lesbian feminist literature on lesbian (and gay) parenting, television talk shows, documentaries and newspaper articles, and research interviews with lesbian and gay parents. These data are analysed within a feminist constructionist framework, using discourse analysis. The thesis is divided into three parts. In Part 1.1 present my analysis of the psychological and lesbian feminist literature on lesbian (and gay) parenting. In this part of the thesis, I treat the literature as data and explore what it reveals about the social construction of lesbian and gay parenting. First, I provide a historical overview of the literature on lesbians and parenting over the last one hundred years. Then, I focus in detail on how discourses of sameness and difference and discourses of science inform the construction of lesbian (and gay) parenting in the literature. In Part 2, I analyse media constructions of lesbian and gay parenting. First, I identify arguments against lesbian and gay parenting in talk shows and in newspaper articles. Second, I focus specifically on talk show debates and analyse how these debates are constructed and identify the key themes informing pro-lesbian/gay parenting discourse on talk shows. In Part 3, I focus in detail on lesbian and gay parents' talk about two issues that significantly inform psychological and media debates about their fitness to parent: homophobic bullying and male role models. I explore how lesbian and gay parents engage with anti-lesbian/gay claims about homophobic bullying and male role models, and the ways in which they construct bullying and role models in the process of discursively managing their identity as 'bad' parents. In the final chapter, I discuss the contributions and implications of my research, and indicate some future developments for research on lesbian and gay parenting and for lesbian and gay psychology.