The problem of this study is to interview some personnel managers that use psychological testing in personnel selection and compare their responses to the recommended use of effective testing as presented by some professional psychologists.

Heroin abuse is devastating to both the individual abusers and society. Owing to its ability to elicit rapid feelings of euphoria and transcendent relaxation, coupled with adverse withdrawal effects, it is one of the most addictive illicit drugs of abuse. The severe and persistent socio-economic detriment caused by heroin abuse signifies an urgent need for understanding how this substance affects abusers. Currently, scientific research into the biopsychosocial functioning of heroin abusers is limited. This thesis presents a series of three studies that sought to contribute to our understanding of how biopsychosocial functioning may be influenced by the abuse of heroin. This thesis contains three studies that drew on a large-scale data collection process, involving the collection of neurobiological, psychosocial, molecular, and neurocognitive measures in both abstinent heroin abusers and matched healthy controls. Study One aimed to identify the neurobiological deficits in relation to heroin abuse. It was revealed that heroin abuse was associated with widespread brain structural atrophy, and such atrophy was more profound with a more severe heroin abuse profile. Study Two aimed to identify the neurobiological substrates of the heroin abusers’ personality traits. It was revealed that the heroin abusers’ pathological sensation seeking trait was underpinned by structural integrity of the midbrain and the functional connectivity between the midbrain and the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, the dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortices were connected in differential ways with the midbrain in relation to heroin abusers’ sensation seeking tendency. Finally, Study Three aimed to examine an untested hypothesis that the abuse of heroin accelerates the aging process. It was revealed that heroin abusers had a significantly low telomerase activity level, which reflected acceleration of cellular aging. Moreover, heroin use and telomerase activity interacted to impact on brain structures and functional networks that are closely linked with aging. These brain functional networks were found to correlate with behavioural performance in the respective cognitive domains, further supporting the behavioural relevance of these abnormal brain networks. Altogether, these findings have yielded a convergence of understanding of the detrimental effects of heroin use on its abusers. Theoretically, the current findings support the neurobiological models that assign the prefrontal cortex as the core neuropathology of drug addiction, and also recognize the importance of investigating into brain regions that have incidentally but frequently been found to be influenced by the abuse of heroin. Clinically, the current findings suggest new directions for the assessment, conceptualization and interventions for people affected by drug addiction. These implications pave the way for studies that seek to further understand and remediate the biopsychosocial sabotage caused by substance abuse. / published_or_final_version / Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

Prospective memory is remembering to perform an action in the future, such as attending a meeting (a time-based task) or picking up milk at the gas station (an eventbased task), and is crucial to achieving goal-directed activities in everyday life. Children who fail to develop prospective memory abilities are likely to experience difficulties interacting with parents, teachers, and peers. To date, research on prospective memory development has been primarily descriptive or focused on underlying executive functioning. This dissertation investigated the developmental relationship between metacognitive representation and prospective memory in preschool and elementary school children and adults. Findings from Study 1 indicated that individual differences in representational ability independently predicted individual differences in 3-year-olds' performance on event-based tasks that are of low-interest. Qualitative changes are important to consider when modeling prospective memory develop ment, as with episodic memory. Study 2 presents findings based on a study using the CyberCruiser 2.0, an Xbox-style racing game designed to assess time-based prospective memory. This study confirmed that kindergarten children are capable of completing this time-based prospective memory task but revealed that performance improved with age. Between kindergarten and 2nd grade, children become better aware of their own mental processes and abilities, allowing them to adjust their strategies and perform more comparable to adults. As a result, in this study, younger children tended to overestimate their prospective memory abilities and were less likely to monitor passing time, causing them to fail more time-based task trials than older children and adults. / Similarly, participants who underestimated the costs of prospective memory failed more time-based tasks relative to those who more accurately assessed these costs. Although this latter relationship was limited to adults, it suggests that a poor metacognitive understanding of the costs of prospective memory may result in missed opportunities to carry out a delayed intention if individuals fail to allocate attentional resources appropriately. These findings have theoretical implications for models of prospective memory and development. Practical implications for educating children are also discussed. / by Kayla B. Causey. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychological and social consequences experienced by homosexual men who learn that they have positive results on the HTLV-III antibody test, but who have not yet developed AIDS or ARC. Employing a census survey of the membership of three California homophile organizations (n=l905), 30 HTLV-III positives and 55 negatives completed a biographical questionnaire, the IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire, the IPAT Depression Scale, and the Coping Strategies Inventory. Results indicate that HTLV-III positives show considerable disorganization after hearing test results, have clinically high levels of anxiety (n=lO), and clinically high levels of depression (n=l4). Positives were also quite guarded about sharing the results of their testing, and experienced negative effects in social (n=l5) and occupational functioning (n=lO), and reported pervasive changes in their sexual activity (n=30). Twelve subjects reported suicidal ideation after they heard the results of their testing, but only one subject reported a suicide attempt. The methodological limitations of the study were examined, with an emphasis on the limitations of the survey method and difficulties with the follow-up procedures. Speculations to account for the reported behaviors, implications for counseling HTLV-111 positives, and suggestions for future research with this population were also discussed.

Understanding safety factors in construction is critical to reducing accident frequency and severity. Grounded in the safety performance model, this study was conducted to examine the impact of psychological capital (PsyCap), which consists of the shared variance of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, and Past, Present, and Future thinking perspectives, on safety climate and performance. A nonexperimental quantitative design was used to determine whether PsyCap and thinking perspectives of construction project employees predicted safety performance and/or moderated the relationship between safety climate and performance across construction sites in different countries. 411 construction employees were recruited via a multistage and clustering strategy and took part in the study. The PsyCap Questionnaire, MindTime Profile Inventory, Group-Level Safety Climate Scale, and Safety Performance Measure were used to assess PsyCap, thinking perspectives, safety climate, and safety performance. Multiple regression was used to determine the effects of PsyCap and thinking perspectives on safety climate and safety performance. Results showed that Future and Present thinking predicted PsyCap as well as safety climate and safety performance in the construction industry. Further, safety performance accounted for variations in hope and efficacy, two PsyCap components. Findings might be used to influence thinking perspectives of team leaders in designing training, developing employees' efficacy levels, and preventing accidents and fatalities on construction sites.

The modern world is rapidly advancing towards a technological age where every aspect of people’s lives revolves around scientific innovations and consumerism. These advancements have allowed architects to traverse many boundaries and the design of buildings almost seems limitless. However, this has also caused a shift in architecture to focus on the visual aspects of buildings. Most human beings are born with the use of all of their senses and it is through this that we use, understand and appreciate the built environment. However, if a building fails to entice one’s sense of touch or even smell, then architecture has lost its true meaning; that of designing for people and not solely for consumerism. More often than not, children are also avid users of buildings and architecture, which has lost its essence of appealing to all of our senses, also loses its fascination to children as well. Early childhood is the stage in life where people use their senses to the fullest capacity and it is through the perception of our surroundings that we learn, form meanings and identities. This dissertation thus aims to understand how the built environment psychologically affects children and how also, children perceive their surroundings. With that in mind, the purpose of this dissertation is twofold. Firstly, it sets out to investigate aspects of architectural psychology/perception and its relation to children and secondly, it will seek to understand how physical disabilities such as blindness and mobility impairments impact upon the design of buildings. This will set the brief for the design of an Educational Facility for Physically Disabled children, where all of these characteristics will be considered. Through this study, specific characteristics of architectural psychology will be investigated. These include the following: understanding the human senses, sensory emotions and experiences, the effects of colour and light, legibility, wayfinding, place identity related to personal identity and thus critical regionalism and phenomenology. Lastly, the importance of creating sustainable environments and the importance of nature to children will also be looked into, as well as creating safety for children in any type of environment. This research will study the multi – faceted aspects that comprise architecture for the disabled. Therefore, the research will encompass both primary and secondary sources, including relevant precedent and case studies. This research will ultimately provide a design brief, which will inform the eventual outcome for the design of an Educational Facility for Physically Disabled Children. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Dealing with the issue of buildings showing characteristics of sick building syndrome, could result in occupants suffering negative side effects. Healthy living is a primary need for society. Everyday pollution in society has led to these negative outcomes of physical and psychological well-being of space users. When investigating factors such as natural light, colour, fresh air, visual contact with water and nature or noise pollution, it is found that exposure to such natural elements positively influences human behaviour, health and productivity in a live, work and play environment. This dissertation is aimed at developing an understanding conducted under the hypothesis of how architectural environments, through the theory of environmental psychology: a study of the relationship between natural environments, affect human behaviour and well-being. A healthy environment requires regular contact with nature promoting physical and psychological benefits, crucial to an individual’s health and happiness. By reducing sick building syndrome, it could increase performance and improve overall health and well-being. Occupants of the chosen case studies completed questionnaires through distribution and structured interviews personally conducted, focusing on a qualitative method. Assessing and evaluating the aims, objectives and key questions and understanding of how Biophilic Architecture influences human behaviour and well-being was obtained. Case (Alexander Forbes and Nedbank Ridgeview) and precedents studies (Prisma Nürnberg and Khoo Teck Paut Hospital) were investigated through Edward, O. Wilsons’ Biophilia hypothesis theory of mans affiliation with nature and incorporating it into building forms, showing how architectural design can evoke human behaviour through natural design elements. Architectural design is about humanity’s ‘sense of place’ (concept of Genius Loci) in nature and where the natural environment fits into the physical environment. Biophilic designs’ sensory rich world affects human health, productivity, emotional, intellectual and spiritual well-being, as well as reducing stress levels and eases pain. Biophilic Architecture could be the solution through a link of natural and physical environments, positively influencing human behaviour and well-being. Futuristic sustainability should have the combination of biophilic design and low environmental impact, resulting in a restorative nature based design: a true result of a positive psychological environment, a ‘sense of place,’ people want to experience, that is healthy, nurturing, and delightful to its occupants, improving the experiential quality of architectural space. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Relationships among demographic, socioeconomic and person factors and Opioid Use Disorder diagnosis, treatment, and recidivism were explored. Data from a sample of 4,860 adults with substance use difficulties were analyzed. A program evaluation was conducted on Gateway Community Services to explore the use of Medication Assisted Treatments (MATs) and Psychosocial (PS) treatments to address Opioid Use Disorder. Using archival data, a chi-square analysis and independent sample t-test was performed. The results expressed that a relationship among race, type of substance use diagnosis, and treatment type and recidivism rate was found. While White/Non-Hispanics adults were more likely to use heroin than any other racial/ethnic backgrounds, gender differences were also found. Finally, frequency and duration of a combined treatment (PS + MAT) were negatively related to recidivism with no determination of previous prescription opioid use to be examined at this time. Keywords: medication assisted treatment, recidivism, psychosocial, opioid