UCO - Graduate Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/11244/324596

Established in 1954, the Jackson College of Graduate Studies provides access to graduate education for culturally-diverse students locally, nationally, and internationally, while supporting UCO’s mission of transformative learning through processes which maintain and enhance quality. Masters' theses are a culmination of these studies. Print copies of all masters' theses produced by UCO students are available in UCO's Archives and Special Collections.

Chambers Library is committed to accurately and respectfully describing materials relating to historically overlooked communities. Users encountering offensive or outdated terminology found on the library’s website, Central Search, SHAREOK, or elsewhere in the collection may submit a report to our metadata team. To learn more, visit the library’s Inclusive Metadata Initiative page.

Availability of Digitized Theses
Theses completed before December 2007 will gradually be made available in this collection. Chambers Library takes pride in its efforts to preserve the intellectual output of the university and has started a theses digitization project for any theses created before December 2007. UCO alumni interested in receiving a digital copy of their thesis created before 2008 may send an email to diwg@uco.edu. Please include the author name, year graduated, and degree information.

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Now showing 1 - 17 of 17

Open Access
A replication, evaluation, and criticism of unconscious thought theory.
(2014) Atkinson, Keia James; Mather, Robert; Buchanan, Merry; Rupp, Gabriel; Vanhoy, Mickie
Modern social psychology has incorporated into the literature a number of theories and effects that were highly counter-intuitive at the time they were introduced, yet have formed a body of literature claiming to demonstrate these effects. Unconscious Thought Theory (UTT) was developed as a novel take on complex decision-making that aligned with folk wisdom advising people to sleep on it when tasked with an important choice (Dijksterhuis & Nordgren, 2006). After being exposed to better or worse attributions regarding a number of stimulus items, participants either immediately made a choice, waited 3 minutes, or performed a distraction task. Participants in the last condition performed significantly better, providing a basis for UTT. Following the publication of the original work, a number of replications and nonreplications have been published attempting to pin down the phenomena, with varying degrees of success. To correct methodological shortcomings in other work, 57 participants rated the importance of a number of attributes that were then attached to a number of choice alternatives, then engaged in one of the three thought conditions. When correcting for participant weights, those in the conscious thought condition performed most in alignment with their stated preferences, but the relationship was insignificant. Without correcting for participant weights the effect of the condition was marginally significant, identical to the original results (Dijksterhuis, 2004). This demonstrates that the UTT is not a good basis to go about understanding human cognition.
Open Access
Blink modulation during positive and negative picture stimuli.
(2017) Jarrett, Sadie Lynn; Rupp, Gabriel; Gayzur, Nora; Mabry, John
In this study, emotional response to negative and positive visual stimuli is examined using blink modulation as a behaviorally based dependent variable. The researcher exposed 58 participants to an array of predetermined emotionally valent and arousing pictures, and were measured by establishing the number of blinks during presentation of stimuli. Results revealed a significant difference in positive low arousal stimuli compared to negative low arousal stimuli. Implications of this research include both a demonstration of visual stimuli activating measurable different responses and blink modulation as a rigorous behavioral measure to investigate responses to emotionally charged stimuli.
Open Access
Cardiac vagal tone in complex PTSD : a polyvagal perspective.
(2015) Huskey, Alisa; Lack, Caleb; Jeyaraj-Powell, Tephillah; Burr, Brandon
Differences in functionality, impairment, and symptoms provide support for a nosological distinction between Complex PTSD and PTSD. Based on this information, the next step is to examine biological characteristics between the populations, thus bolstering the evidence supporting the uniqueness of these symptom expressions and associated etiologies. The proposed study is the first of its kind to do this, by examining theoretically derived potential differences between these populations. This investigation proposes the polyvagal theory as a comprehensive model through which one can examine psychological and physiological differences to demonstrate a systemic perspective of Complex PTSD. The primary distinguishing characteristic of Complex PTSD is the global symptom expression, disrupting multiple domains of functionality - relationships, emotions, and self-perception. From a polyvagal perspective, interpersonal problems and affect dysregulation are described by the same affective system -faulty neuroception, causing dysregulation in the hierarchical behavioral strategies. Physiologically, this dysregulation removes the neural inhibitory mechanism (cardiac vagal tone or vagal brake), while promoting one of the primal defensive strategies as autonomic regulator. Observations of the cardiopulmonary oscillator was expected to reveal differences between Complex PTSD, PTSD, and control samples. Hypotheses were confirmed, indicating that vagal brake does not reengage in the post-task resting period in the clinical groups, Complex PTSD and PTSD. Moreover, average RSA is lowest in the Complex PTSD group, as anticipated, given the severe affect dysregulation and social dysfunction evident in the symptomology.
Open Access
Developing a methodology for manipulating spontaneous blinks.
(2017) Shirali, Yasmin; Lack, Caleb; Jeyaraj-Powell, Tephillah; Hancock, Thomas; Webster, Kirk
While blinking is necessary for ocular protection and lubrication, people blink much more than is necessary for routine ocular maintenance. These extra, spontaneous blinks are extremely difficult to manipulate and thus, have remained somewhat of a mystery. In order to determine the effects of spontaneous blinks, a methodology to manipulate them naturally must be created. The aim of this study was to develop such methodology using videos of animated speakers displaying high and low blink rates, and determine whether this influenced participant blink rates. It was expected that watching videos of a speaker's face would manipulate blink rate. It was also expected that participants would imitate the speaker's blink timing and blink immediately after the speaker blinks, called blink entrainment. Participants watched four videos, two featuring an animated speaker with a high blink rate, and two featuring the same animated speaker with a low blink rate. In between the speaker videos, participants completed ten trials of several variations of a lexical decision task. The speaker videos provided instructions on how to complete each of these tasks. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that the differences between participant blink rates across the high blink rate and the low blink rate were significant (Z = -3.16, p = .002). Participants blinked more frequently while watching the high blink rate videos than when watching the low blink rate videos. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test also showed a significant difference between entrainment blinks and non-entrainment blinks in the high blink rate condition (Z = -3.65, p = .001), and the low blink rate condition (Z = -2.21, p = .027). These results indicate that a standardized methodology for manipulating spontaneous blinks is possible. With the use of the animated speaker videos, spontaneous blinks can be manipulated.
Open Access
Distance in relationships as a moderator of relationship characteristics on relationship outcomes.
(2017) Bratcher, Tristan; Limke, Alicia, 1979-; Mather, Robert; Burr, Brandon
Distance in dating relationships has become more prevalent now than ever before as people begin relationships while geographically close, but at times are forced to move for myriad reasons (e.g., school, employment, personal reasons, etc.); (Jiang & Hancock, 2013). However, little research has been conducted to address how distance may be a unique stressor in relationships and could lead to certain relationship tactics being preferred regarding how people interact in these relationships. The goals of the current research were to investigate distance as a stressor in relationships and to determine whether distance in relationships impacts conflict resolution style preferences and with relationship maintenance strategy preferences. 69 participants involved in dating relationships answered questions regarding their attachment styles, conflict resolution preferences in hypothetical situations, relationship contingent self-esteem, and other relationship-focused questions. Of the 69 participants involved, 17 were in long-distance dating relationships. Distance was not found to have any significant effect on any of the measured relationship variables. However, both attachment style and relationship contingent self-esteem impacted conflict resolution style preference and relationship strategy maintenance style preference.
Open Access
Effects of gender norms & heterosexism on adoptions & disgust.
(2015) Stratmoen, Evelyn; Hancock, Thomas,; Mather, Robert; Cassel, Darlinda
Heterosexism affects both individual and societal prejudices, leading to discrimination based on one's sexual orientation. In the following studies, it was shown that level of heterosexism predicted homosexual discrimination in adoptions. Along with heterosexism, gender norms also play a role in prejudice and discrimination. The emotion of disgust has been shown to overgeneralize into perceptions of outgroups and moral decisions, including negative attitudes towards homosexuals. The following three studies examined the influence of heterosexism on adoption decisions. Studies Two and Three also examined the influence of gender norms on adoption decisions, and Study Three included a behavioral measure that examined the influence of gender norms and heterosexism on implicit disgust levels. Results indicated that heterosexism and gender norms affected homosexual discrimination but not implicit disgust levels. Additional analyses indicated that a stereotype suppression/rebound effect occurred in Studies Two and Three.
Open Access
Interest and motivation in learning with application for college education
(2018) Olmstead, Cassandra; Hancock, Thomas; Maass, Jaclyn; Limke, Alicia, 1979-
This study examined the role that interest plays in the motivation to learn. The study consisted of three phases. In the first phase participants completed an online survey to determine their interest in either sports or superheroes. Next participants were randomly assigned to view either a PowerPoint presentation with a sports theme or a heroes theme. Based on the match or mismatch of their indicated interest and the PowerPoint they viewed, participants were considered to be in the congruent group, incongruent group, or neutral group (those who rated a theme neither high or low). Results showed that interest increased motivation to study. The neutral group scored higher than the incongruent group on application questions, indicating deeper understanding of the material. However, these unexpected results indicated that further research into the possible role of seductive details, and interest as a whole, in motivation and retention is needed.
Open Access
Interpersonal perceptions of American culture
(2008) Ware, Molly; Mather, Robert; Limke, Alicia
A small study of international student perception of American culture was conducted. One of two counterbalanced videos was presented to each participant followed by questionnaires regarding attitude and attitude certainty, attribution, interaction, and character dimensions with Likert-type scale responses and presented first, in random order to the participants.
Open Access
Motivating Morality: Linking Moral Foundations and Fundamental Motives
(2021) Wedde, Breanna; Randell, J. Adam; Mather, Robert; Limke-McLean, Alicia
What motivates moral judgments? The fundamental motives model proposes that people have a set of psychological mechanisms that motivate behavior (Kenrick et al, 2011). The self protection motive functions to protect one from threats from others or from pathogens. Moral Foundations Theory proposes that people rely on a set of moral intuitions when making moral judgments (Graham et al., 2011). The sanctity/degradation foundation is one of these moral intuitions. However, an initial examination of a relationship between the self-protection motive and sanctity/degradation moral foundation revealed no relationship. Alternatively, trends were found among other foundations associated with group cohesion: the loyalty/betrayal and authority/subversion foundations. Such a relationship seems reasonable given activation of the self-protection motive is associated with ingroup preferential phenomena such as ingroup biases and outgroup prejudice (Becker et al., 2010; Kenrick, 2011), just as are the loyalty/betrayal and authority/subversion foundations (Graham et al., 2013). Lack of an effect on the sanctity foundation may also support the idea that the self-protection motive serves two separate functions: self-protection from physical harm and self-protection from pathogen exposure (Neuberg, Kenrick, & Schaller, 2011). Therefore, it was explored how concerns with self protection from pathogen cues and concerns with self-protection from physical threat are related to moral judgments. Expected interactions were not found. However, exploratory analyses were conducted and discussed further.
Open Access
Primary motor cortex stimulation facilitates visual guidance.
(2015) Taylor, Thomas C.; Vanhoy, Mickie; Rupp, Gabriel; Lord, Wayn
The choices for analyzing cognitive load performance data are often problematic as they are task-dependent and do not generalize well. This makes research into task independent variables necessary. Complexity is one such measure that one can retrieve from normal cognitive load measurements. Using time series analysis techniques provides an efficient, less altered route to measurements that can account for multiple task dependent measures without being attached to the specific task. In this experiment, we present stimuli to participants based on occluded hand location to determine object recognition effectiveness. Maintaining a 65%- 75%-correct identification rate using a staircase procedure allowed for object recognition time and accuracy profile creation. Over the 18-inch hand movement, we observed a bi-modal distribution in reaction times with a "far hand effect" decreasing times at around 18-15 inches from the stimulus, increasing to a peak at 15-12 inches, and decreasing again as a participant moves his/her hand closer to the stimulus. Nonlinear time series analysis was performed on the data; more specifically I used wavelet transform modulus maxima to analyze a continuous wavelet transform created from the time series based off the effect hand location has on object perception.
Open Access
Psychologist-historians: historying women and benevolent sexism
(2008) Vaughn-Blount, Kelli M.; Rupp, Gabriel; Hawkins, Kent; Knight, Michael
Analysis of the cultural influences on psychologist-historian authors regarding general trends of benevolent and hostile sexism through the lens of women's perceived place in society at the time of a text's publication. The present study analyzed 55 American History of Psychology textbooks published between 1900 and 2007. Significant trends in feministic cultural periods were found to coincide with the decrease of the inclusion of women in texts (hostile sexism). The per decade analysis shows that while inclusion has increased across time it has only increased from 2.87% in 1900 to 7.95% in 2007. Additionally, in a second analysis, passages were sampled from all 11 decades to assess reader's perceptions of linguistic implications of gender difference when gender identifiers had been removed. A discernable difference was detected that increased during the aforementioned feministic cultural periods (benevolent sexism).
Open Access
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in posttraumatic growth and PTSD.
(2017) Haws, James Kyle; Lack, Caleb; Jeyaraj-Powell, Tephillah; Burr, Brandon
Most the human population will experience a traumatic event during their lifespan and will then cope with such trauma in a wide variety of ways. It is well documented that traumatic events are associated with both short and long-term psychological distress and that a small number of those trauma-exposed individuals will even develop a mental health disorder such as PTSD. In more recent empirical studies, some trauma-exposed individuals have been found to experience what has been labeled posttraumatic growth (PTG), or positive personal and psychological changes after experiencing trauma. However, there is significant controversy regarding PTG and its relationship with posttraumatic stress. This project attempts to provide clarity to one area of research about posttraumatic growth: how the physiological response of cardiac vagal regulation differs between those with PTSD and those with reported PTG. It was expected that individuals with PTG will not statistically differ from healthy controls on mean RSA. The findings confirm the proposed relationship between cardiac vagal tone, measured through RSA, and PTG. This study exemplifies that PTG is not an adaptive response to traumatic experiences, but instead a predictor of cardiac vagal rigidity. In each phase, RSA and heart period are lower in the PTG group, signifying less parasympathetic control over respiration and heart activity. More importantly, absence of cardiac vagal regulation post-aversive image task accompanied by lower RSA in PTG during this period strongly suggests that this construct is characterized by extreme affect dysregulation. A limitation in this study is that the sample was homogenous and only females participated in the laboratory portion of the study, which hinders the generalizability. Future research should investigate cardiac vagal activity with a stronger experimental manipulation, which can be done by using specific trauma centered memories or cues to examine the autonomic activity between those with reported PTG and PTSD.
Open Access
Revising impressions with the authority moral foundation
(2021) Erskine, Arlann; Randell, J. Adam; Limke-McLean, Alicia; McMillan, Sean
Past research argues that judgments of morality supersede warmth or competence when forming impressions, and that some people will revise an impression based on highly diagnostic moral information. Moral Foundations Theory proposes that people will differ in the endorsement of five moral domains (Care, Fairness, Loyalty, Authority, and Sanctity). Impression research has been mostly focused on moral situations that would categorically fall into the endorsement of Care and Fairness (Individualizing Foundations). This would be the first experiment to isolate a Binding Foundation in impression research. I hypothesize participants would update their impressions to a greater degree when given new authority-violation information as their endorsement of the Authority Foundation (a Binding Foundation) grows. In this experiment, I used qualitative analysis through a Qualtrics survey to gather data. I used Individuating Foundations information to guide participants to create a positive moral first impression of a target. Then, I attempted to provoke participants to update their impressions by presenting some with new information concerning a violation of the Authority Foundation (vs. neutral information). A hierarchical regression revealed my hypothesis was partially supported as there was a significant main effect between the Negative Authority Condition and the participants’ final impression. However, regardless of their measured Authority endorsement, participants rated the target more negatively after reading the target’s authority-violating acts. It’s possible the results imply the use of the Authority Foundation could cause a negative impression from authority-violation information. In future studies, implicit measures should be added to determine moral impressions. The current experiment is a first step towards understanding how specific moral considerations affect and change impressions and further research could expand current arguments about Moral Foundations Theory and impression research.
Open Access
Temperatures of envy : associations between temperature perceptions and experiences of envy.
(2014) Thompson, Kristofer; Mather, Robert; Buchanan, Merry; Rupp, Gabriel
Envy is generally thought of as a negative emotional response involving a contrast between oneself and another. In its proper form, it can have detrimental effects upon relational interactions and attentional resources, but recent evidence indicates that two forms of envy exist. While malicious envy is characteristically hostile, benign envy is related to admiration and involves a motivational component. In light of research demonstrating associations between temperature and affect, the present research examines associations between temperature perception and envy. In study 1, participants primed with sentence-unscrambling tasks involving heat-associated words reported greater maliciousness in subsequent recalls of envy. In study 2, participants who recalled an experience of benign envy perceived ambient temperature as warmer than those who recalled an experience of malicious envy. In study 3, an admiration condition was added in order to better understand the influence of positive, upward evaluations of others on temperature perceptions in experiences of envy. Participants recalling benign envy again perceived warmer temperatures than in the malicious condition, and estimates in the admiration condition fell in between those of the benign and malicious conditions. Consistent with previous research, benign envy was found to involve more interpersonal overlap than admiration or malicious envy, and was demonstrated to be the least comfortable of the emotions to recall. Malicious envy, on the other hand, was seen to be a cooler, more comfortable experience. The differences between the benign and admiration conditions in particular highlight the frustrating, often motivational aspect of benign envy absent in experiences of admiration.
Open Access
Testing for Automatic Bias to Shoot People of Color.
(2018) Durham, Justin D.; Mather, Robert D.; Limke-McLean, Alicia; Steward, Gary
Previous research of the shooter bias effect has focused on Black versus White male targets, with participants mistakenly shooting unarmed Black targets more often than White targets. In the current study, it was hypothesized that if shooter bias is driven by threat perception, a pattern of bias should be present when using images of other ethnic minorities with negative cultural stereotypes. Data from 40 participants was collected using computer simulation methodology adapted from previous research in which participants made rapid repeated decisions to shoot or not shoot. Repeated measures ANOVA conducted on mean response times and error rates indicated participants significantly shot unarmed Black targets more quickly, more frequently, and at higher percentages compared to Hispanic/Latino and White targets. Signal detection analyses found that participants were significantly more accurate at discriminating firearms and non-firearms when primed with a Hispanic/Latino target than other ethnic targets. Participants adopted the expected generous criterion for Black targets and cautious criterion for White targets in decisions to shoot. Future research should investigate cultural factors and behavioral interventions to reduce shooter bias and racial bias.
Open Access
The comparative similarities of the psychocultural roots of genocide and war.
(2007) Collins, Kimberly; Frederickson, William; Rupp, Gabriel
This study investigated the comparative similarities between war and genocide, the hypothesis being that there are similarities. The participants included 138 students from the University [of] Central Oklahoma general psychology pool. These were both male and female, with an average age of 21. A 2 x 3 between-within subjects design was used with a test-retest order. Two questionnaires were given to each of the 3 groups on random orders. Each questionnaire had 25 questions, answered on an 8-point Likert Scale. A paired samples t-test was administered to find significance between parallel questions. Of the 25, 10 were found to support the hypothesis that there will be differences in rating for a number of items on questionnaires when statements with the only difference being the two terms war and genocide; the remaining 15 questions were found to have significant differences--Abstract, leaf 4.
Open Access
Validation of a social self-efficacy scale (SSE-1)
(2021) Pinion, Vincent; Hamlin, Mark E.; Maass, Jaclyn; Wickham, Anastasia
A new self report scale was developed to measure individuals' social self-efficacy, which we named the SSE-1. Social self-efficacy could be thought of one's sense of personal mastery pertaining to the act of socializing. A proposed 20-item scale pool was created by semantically adjusting a general self-efficacy scale and was validated using statistical methods of principle components analysis and Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency reliability analysis. The scale was trimmed down to a 8-item scale fulfilling a desired criteria of sufficiently low noise, unidimensional measurement, high internal consistency, and conciseness. A convergent and discriminate validity regression analysis confirmed expected positive relationships between the SSE-1 and with the need to belong, behavioral activation, and general self-efficacy, as well as negative relationships with social anxiety and behavioral inhibition. Further dimensionality reduction was performed on the aforementioned scales to explore if there were underlying social constructs unifying these measures. Two dimensions we named "arousal" and "social appetitiveness" were found.