Department of Psychology

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The Role of Mental Imagery in the Free Recall of Deaf, Blind, and Normal Subjects
(University of Alabama Libraries, 1971) Craig, Ellis M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In recent years there has been increased concern with the functional significance of "mental imagery" in learning and memory. Prior to the advent of Behaviorism, mental imagery played a major role in the interpretation of such phenomena. However, the revolution in psychology which accompanied the acceptance of Behaviorism resulted in the banishment of imagery, attention, states of consciousness, and other "mentalistic" concepts. Although many factors were probably responsible for the recent reexamination of many of these areas, an altered philosophical climate was certainly important.
The Interaction of Locus of Control of Reinforcement and Frustration Effect
(University of Alabama Libraries, 1972) Serum, Camelia Sue; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
According to Amsel's theory of frustrative nonreward (Amsel, 1958), the frustration effect (FE) is manifested in more highly motivated behavior immediately subsequent to nonreward of a previously rewarded response. Moreover, an expectancy for reward must be established before the occurrence of nonreward will result in FE. Within the typical frustration research paradigm, expectancy is defined operationally and data on the relationship between FE and expectancy indicates that FE is a positive function of expectancy (Amsel & Hancock, 1957).
A Study of the Effects of an Affective Curriculum Program on the Awareness, Self-Concept, and Social Interaction of First Grade Students
(The University of Alabama, 1973) Sweaney, David R.
The past decade has witnessed an increasing interest in elementary school counseling programs. Although the geneses of this movement have come from many sources, the rationales and justifications for child counseling can be broken down into two major functions: (1) the prevention of maladjustment and (2) the development of human potential (Dimick & Huff, 1970). The need for a preventive approach is· painfully obvious. Everyday, newspapers report some antisocial act/ committed by a young person. It is not necessary to document the increase in crime, drug usage, violence, and general anomie among high school and college students~ The evidence is there for all to see. Mental disturbances incapacitate more people than all other health problems combined, and mental patients occupy more than half the country's hospital beds. What is even more frightening is the estimate that for each of those currently hospitalized for mental illness, at least twenty more are in need of psychiatric or psychological help (Coleman, 1964). For these people, most of whom were ones elementary school students, it is too late for preventive measures. Prevention must precede the symptom.
Reinforcer effectiveness of adult social approval of preschoolers as a function of the amount of previous disapproval
(1977) Nolan, William T.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The effectiveness of a reinforcer's control over an individual's behavior typically depends upon the contextual features of stimulus provision. The manipulation of these features may enhance or attenuate the effectiveness of the reinforcer being presented. The reinforcer which is being studied as a function of the manipulation of contextual features is referred to as the focal stimulus (Gewirtz,1972). Contextual qualifiers may operate concurrently or prior to the presentation of such a focal stimulus. Some contextual qualifiers of reinforcer efficacy may readily be interpretable as outcomes of learning, while others may have nothing to do with learning. Both sources of qualifiers may exist simultaneously and interact, the effect of the interaction possibly depending upon some other contextual condition. In general, stimulus functioning may also be affected by the presentation of contextual stimuli during a preliminary condition whether or not the stimuli presented and the focal stimulus are the same. Examples of preceding qualifiers include the conditioned value of a particular focal stimulus source, stimulus deprivation-satiation operations, and the delay between the preliminary condition and the criterion task. This dissertation sought to add relevant data about the effect of two contextual conditions on the effectiveness of an adult's approval in maintaining marble dropping behavior by preschoolers: (a) the frequency of preceding disapproving statements and (b) the delay-interval between the preliminary condition and the criterion task.
Partial helplessness conditioning as a possible etiological factor in psychopathy
(University of Alabama Libraries, 1989) Johnson, Tucker Dunlap; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The clinical syndrome characterized by chronic antisocial behavior is variously known as psychopathy, sociopathy, and antisocial personality disorder. The entrenched behavior patterns that hallmark this disorder result in numerous costs to society, not the least of which is criminal activity. Prevalence estimates of psychopathy within the prison population range as high as 75 percent (Mawson & Mawson, 1977); yet some investigators (e.g., Cleckley, 1976) maintain that many psychopaths are ingenious enough to avoid penal confinement. Thus these psychopaths continue unhindered in their unlawful exploits, while their incarcerated counterparts occupy expensive prisons.
Fair Tests of Clinical Trials: A Treatment Implementation Model
(1994) Lichstein, Kenneth; Riedel, Brant W.; Grieve, Rick; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
We propose a psychotherapy treatment implementation model whereby adequate levels of independent treatment components: delivery, receipt, and enactment, are prerequisite to asserting a valid clinical trial had been conducted. The delivery component refers to the accuracy of treatment presentation, receipt refers to the accuracy of the client's comprehension of treatment, and enactment refers to the extent of out of session application initiated by the client. Clinical scientists regularly address one or two of these components, but rarely all three, according to a survey we report. Sources and effects of model deficits, i. e., inadequate levels of treatment components, as well as methods of component assessment and induction are discussed. We conclude that faults in any one of the components drain validity proportional to the degree of deficit, and that clinical trials have often incorrectly been considered fair tests resulting in biased efficacy judgments.
Contextual Factors in Risk and Prevention Research
(2004-07) Lochman, John; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This paper reviews how cascading levels of contextual influences, starting with family factors and extending to neighborhood and school factors, can affect children’s behavioral and emotional development. The ability of contextual factors to trigger or to attenuate children’s underlying temperament and biological risk factors is emphasized. Recognition of the powerful effects of an array of contextual factors on children’s development has clear implications for preventive interventions as well. Intervention research can explore the effects of multicomponent interventions directed at children’s family and peer contextual influences, can examine how contextual factors predict children’s responsivity to interventions, and can examine how contextual factors have effects on how, and how well, interventions are delivered in the real worlds of schools and community agencies.
Early temperamental and psychophysiological precursors of adult psychopathic personality
(American Psychological Association, 2007) Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; Venables, Peter H.; Mednick, Sarnoff A.; University of Southern California; University of York - UK; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Emerging research on psychopathy in children and adolescents raises the question of whether indicators, such as temperament or psychophysiology, exist very early in life in those with a psychopathic-like personality in adulthood. This study tests the hypothesis that individuals who are more psychopathic in adulthood would be less fearful and inhibited and more stimulation seeking/sociable at age 3 and that they would also show reduced age 3 skin-conductance (SC) responsivity. In a community sample of 335 3-year-olds, behavioral measures of temperament were taken and electrodermal activity was recorded in response to both orienting and aversive tones. R. D. Hare's (1985) Self-Report Psychopathy scale (SRP-II) was administered at follow-up at age 28. Individuals scoring higher on the measure were significantly less fearful and inhibited, were more sociable, and displayed longer SC half-recovery times to aversive stimuli compared with controls at age 3. Contrary to predictions, they also showed increased autonomic arousal and SC orienting. Findings appear to be the first to suggest that a prospective link may exist between temperament and psychophysiology in very young children and psychopathic personality in adulthood.
Girl talk - Gossip, friendship, and sociometric status
(Wayne State University Press, 2007) McDonald, Kristina L.; Putallaz, Martha; Grimes, Christina L.; Kupersmidt, Janis B.; Coie, John D.; Duke University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study examined the characteristics of gossip among fourth-grade girls and their close friends. Sixty friendship dyads were videotaped as they engaged in conversation, and their gossip was coded. Analyses revealed gossip to be a dominant feature of their interaction and that it was primarily neutral in valence. Sociometrically popular girls and their friends were observed to gossip more about peers, and their gossip was more evaluative than that between rejected girls and their friends. Gossip frequency and valence related to observed friendship closeness and friendship quality. Race differences in the characteristics of gossip were also explored. The study results are important in our efforts to develop a fuller understanding of the important interpersonal process of gossip and the functions that it serves in the context of close friendships.
Vitamins and sleep: An exploratory study
(Elsevier, 2007-12) Lichstein, Kenneth L.; Payne, Kristen L.; Soeffing, James P.; Durrence, H. Heith; Taylor, Daniel J.; Riedel, Brant W.; Bush, Andrew J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Study objective: We analyzed archival data from an epidemiology study to test the association between vitamin use and sleep. Design: Random digit dialing was used to recruit 772 people ranging in age from 20 to 98 for a study of people's sleep experience. These individuals completed a set of questionnaires about their sleep, health, and daytime functioning. Five hundred and nineteen of these participants had available vitamin use data. Setting: Home. Participants: Five hundred and nineteen people participated. Recruitment applied minimal screening criteria and no attempt was made to favor people with or without sleep disturbance. Interventions: This survey included no intervention. Participants completed 2 weeks of sleep diaries and a set of questionnaires. Of particular salience to the present study, participants reported their vitamin use in listing all medications and nutritional supplements being used currently. Measurements and results: For those individuals taking a multivitamin or multiple single vitamins, sleep diaries revealed poorer sleep compared to non-vitamin users in the number and duration of awakenings during the night. After controlling for age, ethnicity, and sex the difference in number of awakenings was still marginally significant. The rate of insomnia, conservatively defined, and consumption of sleep medication were also marginally significantly higher among individuals taking multi-/multiple vitamins compared to those not taking vitamins. Conclusions: Disturbed sleep maintenance was associated with multi-/multiple vitamin use. Five equally plausible explanations were advanced to explain this association including vitamins cause poor sleep, poor sleepers seek vitamins, and unidentified factors promote both poor sleep and vitamin use. These data are considered preliminary. Methodological characteristics of future studies were described that hold the promise of more clearly illuminating the association between vitamins and sleep. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The neurobiology of psychopathy
(Saunders, 2008) Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Numerous studies have tackled the complex challenge of understanding the neural Substrates of psychopathy, revealing that brain abnormalities exist on several levels and in several structures. As we discover more about complex neural networks, it becomes increasingly difficult to clarify how these systems interact with each other to produce the distinct pattern of behavioral and personality characteristics observed in psychopathy. The authors review the recent research on the neurobiology of psychopathy, beginning with molecular neuroscience work and progressing to the level of brain structures and their connectivity. Potential factors that may affect the development of brain impairments, as well as how some systems may be targeted for potential treatment, are discussed.
Brain abnormalities in antisocial individuals: Implications for the law
(Wiley, 2008) Yang, Yaling; Glenn, Andrea L.; Raine, Adrian; University of Southern California; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
With the increasing popularity in the use of brain imaging on antisocial individuals, an increasing number of brain imaging studies have revealed structural and functional impairments in antisocial, psychopathic, and violent individuals. This review summarizes key findings from brain imaging studies on antisocial/aggressive behavior. Key regions commonly found to be impaired in antisocial populations include the prefrontal cortex (particularly orbitofrontal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), superior temporal gyrus, amygdala-hippocampal complex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Key functions of these regions are reviewed to provide a better understanding on how deficits in these regions may predispose to antisocial behavior. Objections to the use of imaging findings in a legal context are outlined, and alternative perspectives raised. It is argued that brain dysfunction is a risk factor for antisocial behavior and that it is likely that imaging will play an increasing (albeit limited) role in legal decision-making. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychological treatment of insomnia in hypnotic-dependant older adults
(Elsevier, 2008-01) Soeffing, James P.; Lichstein, Kenneth L.; Nau, Sidney D.; McCrae, Christina S.; Wilson, Nancy M.; Aguillard, R. Neal; Lester, Kristin W.; Bush, Andrew J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; University of Memphis; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Background: The existing literature does not address the question of whether cognitive-behavioral therapy would have an impact on insomnia in older adults who are chronic users of sleep medication and have current insomnia, but are also stable in their quantity of medication usage during treatment. The present report seeks to answer this question. Methods: Hypnotic-dependant older adults, who were stable in their amount of medication usage and still met the criteria for chronic insomnia put forth by American Academy of Sleep Medicine, were treated using a cognitive-behavioral intervention for insomnia. The three-component treatment included relaxation training, stimulus control, and sleep hygiene instructions. Participants were randomly assigned to either the active treatment group or a comparably credible placebo control group, and were instructed not to alter their pattern of hypnotic consumption during treatment. Results: The active treatment group had significantly better self-report measures of sleep at post-treatment. Statistically significant improvement was paralleled by clinically meaningful improvement for key sleep variables. As planned, there was no significant change in sleep medication usage from pre- to post-treatment. Conclusions: The findings support the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in hypnotic-dependant older adults. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Peer contextual influences on the growth of authority-acceptance problems in early elementary school
(Wayne State University Press, 2008-04) Stearns, Elizabeth; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Nicholson, Melba; Conduct Problems Prevention Res Gr; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Charlotte; Duke University; Northwestern University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study investigated the effects of the peer social context and child characteristics on the growth of authority-acceptance behavior problems across first, second, and third grades, using data from the normative sample of the Fast Track Project. Three hundred sixty-eight European American and African American boys and girls (51% male; 46% African American) and their classmates were assessed in each grade by teacher ratings on the the Teacher Observation of Child Adaptation-Revised. Children's growth in authority-acceptance behavior problems across time was partially attributable to the level of disruptive behavior in the classroom peer context into which they were placed. Peer-context influences, however, were strongest among some-gender peers. Findings held for both boys and girls, both European Americans and African Americans, and nondeviant, marginally deviant, and highly deviant children. Findings suggest that children learn and follow behavioral norms from their same-gender peers within the classroom.
The Neurobiology of Psychopathy: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective
(Sage, 2009) Gao, Yu; Glenn, Andrea L.; Schug, Robert A.; Yang, Yaling; Raine, Adrian; University of Pennsylvania; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
We provide an overview of the neurobiological underpinnings of psychopathy. Cognitive and affective-emotional processing deficits are associated with abnormal brain structure and function, particularly the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex. There is limited evidence of lower cortisol levels being associated with psychopathic personality. Initial developmental research is beginning to Suggest that these neurobiological processes may have their origins early in life. Findings suggest that psychopathic personality may, in part, have a neurodevelopmental basis. Future longitudinal studies delineating neurobiological correlates of the analogues of interpersonal-affective and antisocial features of psychopathy in children are needed to further substantiate a neurodevelopmental hypothesis of psychopathy.
Does nodding cause contagious agreement?: the influence of juror nodding on perceptions of expert witness testimony
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Simpson, Jolene Elizabeth; Brodsky, Stanley L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The act of head nodding is thought to convey a signal of agreement and approval of a message (Helweg-Larson, Cunningham, Carrico, & Pergram, 2004; Stivers, 2008). Head nodding has also been shown to affect attitude change within an individual when the nodding was continuous at the rate of one nod per second (Wells & Petty, 1980; Brinol & Petty, 2003). Nodding may be particularly important in the courtroom environment where jury members can only communicate nonverbally. There are a number of anecdotal accounts of attorneys (Aron, Fast, & Klein, 1996) and expert witnesses looking to the head nodding of jurors as a signal of agreement with their position in a case; and it is often perceived as being an indicator that the juror who nodded will vote in a manner consistent with this position. Although the importance of nodding and the influence that nodding can have on attitude change has been established in the literature, what had not been investigated was the influence of juror nodding on the jurors around them. The present study examined the influence of varied amounts of head nodding by mock jurors on agreement with expert witness testimony and perceptions of expert credibility. The number of individuals instructed to nod was varied (i.e. 15 or 50 percent of individuals), and the jurors were instructed to only nod while the expert was speaking (N = 303). Results showed there were significant effects of nodding on ratings of expert credibility, and marked effects on ratings of agreement with the testimony of the expert, when the nodding was consistently performed. There was no effect of the number of individuals instructed to nod within a condition on the non-nodding participants, but there was an effect on those who had been instructed to nod that was consistent with correcting for perceived bias (Petty & Wegner, 1993). Need for cognition and locus of control variables were also measured. Implications of the study, including a discussion of the effect of changes to previous nodding paradigms, are included.
Language development in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders: investigating fast-mapping abilities and utilization of word learning constraints
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Williams, Amie M.; Klinger, Laura G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Children with typical development utilize social-cognitive skills (e.g., joint attention, imitation) and word learning constraints to quickly learn new words (i.e., fast-map). However, few studies have investigated fast-mapping in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the effects that social-cognitive skills have on word learning. The objectives of the current study were to examine the following questions: (1) Do preschoolers with ASD and preschoolers with typical development fast-map at similar rates?; (2) Do preschoolers with ASD utilize word learning constraints?; and (3) What is the relationship between joint attention, imitation, and fast-mapping in preschoolers with ASD? Preschoolers with ASD and typical development completed a basic fast-mapping condition (i.e., the ability to link a novel label with a novel object) and 3 conditions measuring the uses of word learning constraints; (1) Mutual Exclusivity - examined the ability to assume that a novel label applies to a novel object; (2) Taxonomic - examined the ability to assume that novel labels extend to objects that are similar in shape; and (3) Whole-Object - examined the ability to assume that novel labels refer to whole objects. Various assessments measured language, joint attention, and imitation skills. Results revealed that children with ASD showed equivalent word learning to children with typical development in the basic fast-mapping condition. This intact word learning occurred despite significantly lower joint attention and imitation skills. However, children with ASD were less effective at using word learning constraints, showing significantly less word learning in these conditions than children with typical development. Further, while increased joint attention was related to performance in the mutual exclusivity and taxonomic constraints for both diagnostic groups, joint attention was only related to performance in the basic fast-mapping condition for children with typical development. Overall, preschoolers with ASD fast-mapped and learned new words in a similar manner to children with typical development, despite impairments in joint attention and imitation. However, children with ASD were less accurate at utilizing word learning constraints. Although research has emphasized the link between social-cognitive skills and language, the current study suggests that children with ASD may be utilizing alternative strategies or skills to increase their vocabulary.
Repetitive behaviors and anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) DeRamus, Michelle; Klinger, Laura G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
There has been limited research on repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with little information about how repetitive behaviors in ASD differ from repetitive behaviors in other disorders, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Further, there has been little research examining how repetitive behaviors are related to the social impairments characterizing ASD. This study examined the relation between repetitive behaviors, anxiety, and social problems in ASD, as well as symptoms that differentiate ASD and OCD. Parents of 49 children with ASD and 12 children with OCD completed interviews and surveys regarding their children's repetitive behaviors (Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale; Repetitive Behaviors Scale - Revised), anxiety (Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for Parents), and social impairment (Social Responsiveness Scale). Within the ASD group, approximately half of participants were reported to have clinically significant levels of anxiety. Mediation analyses provided some support for Baron-Cohen's (1989) model suggesting that social difficulties lead to anxiety, producing repetitive behaviors in individuals with ASD. However, there was more support for an alternate mediation model suggesting that anxiety leads to repetitive behaviors, creating social problems. Both models support theories suggesting that anxiety leads to repetitive behaviors in children with ASD. The current study provides converging evidence that anxiety is a significant clinical issue for many children with ASD and is related to core social symptoms. Multivariate analysis of variance and qualitative descriptions were used to compare children with ASD and children with OCD. Results indicated that the severity and frequency of most types of repetitive behaviors are comparable in children with ASD and children with OCD. However, differences were evident between groups on the number of obsessions (more in OCD) and on stereotyped and restricted behavior (greater frequency and severity in ASD). The distinction between groups on these symptoms suggests that they may be useful in differentiating ASD from other disorders. A significant number (74%) of children with ASD met criteria for OCD, suggesting that it may be appropriate to use both diagnoses in the same individual. This research has implications for our conceptualization of repetitive behaviors in ASD and our assessment and treatment of children with this disorder.
The use of social and temporal comparison to explore the process of quality of life evaluation in older adults
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Chandler, Joseph Francis; Snow, Andrea Lynn; DeCoster, Jamie; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
QOL measurement is an enormous field that spans multiple disciplines (Felce & Perry, 1995; Phillips, 2006). Calls for its unification, clarification, or abandonment have been common for nearly four decades (Abeles, Gift, & Ory, 1994; Rapley, 2003). Improving QOL conceptualization and measurement is an important endeavor because of the many ways in which QOL measures are used, and the significant effects of these QOL applications, including influencing decisions about drug efficacy and cost effectiveness, and subsequent health policy decisions. Amidst the hundreds of definitions and scales and thousands of published papers, QOL scientists agree that an individual's personal evaluative process is of utmost importance in the formulation of QOL. Yet, there have been few attempts to measure this process, and no attempts to manipulate it. This dissertation sought to examine, quantify, and manipulate a portion of the personal evaluative process in self-reporting an individual's QOL by examining it through the lens of social and temporal comparisons within the bounds of the WHOQOL-BREF. Using a mixed-methods approach, the results of this dissertation demonstrated that social and temporal comparisons play a significant role in the personal evaluative process of self-reporting QOL, and that manipulating what type of comparison an individual uses can significantly impact the numerical outcome of the WHOQOL-BREF. Results are discussed in terms of impact on the use of QOL as an outcome measure in research, policy, and practice.
Pre-treatment analysis of the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of rural Alabama patients with chronic pain
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Day, Melissa Anne; Thorn, Beverly E.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Rural residency and low socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with increased likelihood of chronic pain. Previous literature suggests numerous pain-related variables vary with age and sex, and research on pain and race indicates that African-Americans (AA) report greater pain in a variety of chronic pain conditions. SES, rurality, and race are correlated, and their impact on the experience of chronic pain is compounded by widespread treatment disparities. This study reports on the pre-treatment demographic and psychosocial characteristics of a virtually unstudied population of rural patients with chronic pain. One-hundred-and-six rural Alabama patients completed validated measures of pain, interference, perceived disability, depression, quality of life, and catastrophizing. Descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression analyses, and exploratory mediation analyses of their psychosocial measures and demographics are presented. Calculated means and standard deviations are reported in reference to published norms. Average age of study participants was 52-years, 78% were female, 77% were AA, 72% reported annual income between 00,000-12,999, and 60% were unemployed. Although average years of education were 12.40, average reading level percentile was 17.35. Results indicate that when the demographic variables are controlled for: 1)Depression significantly predicted quality of life; 2) Both pain intensity and depression predicted pain interference, and depression partially mediated the relation between pain intensity and pain interference; and 3) Pain intensity significantly predicted perceived disability. Surprisingly, none of the demographic variables nor catastrophizing significantly predicted the outcome variables. These preliminary analyses provide insight into demographic and psychosocial factors associated with chronic pain in a low-literacy, low-SES rural population.

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