RSS 1.0Psychological Sciences electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Psychological Sciences. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Recent Submissions
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Examining the associations between respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the lab and craving and drinking alcohol in daily life
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Alcohol use and abuse is highly prevalent and is related to several serious negative outcomes. Craving, a criterion for alcohol use disorder, is defined as a preoccupation and strong desire to consume alcohol. Craving ... -
The progression of white matter abnormalities in individuals with early-treated phenylketonuria (PKU)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a disruption in the ability to metabolize phenylalanine (phe) into tyrosine, ... -
The precision of retrieving temporal information : behavioral and electrophysiological studies
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)The knowledge of when an event took place provides benefits to episodic memory, such as distinguishing among multiple traces and learning event sequences. As a tool for understanding memory, time is appealing given its ... -
Investigating dyadic interactions within the family as an interdependent system : associations between mothers and adolescent siblings
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Adolescence is a developmental time period of self-exploration and self-discovery for that brings about change to family processes and interactions. Conflict during this time can be interpreted as a mechanism that ... -
Does early androgen exposure moderate developmental plasticity?
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Little is known about what mechanisms allow some individuals more than others to flexibly develop cognitive competencies and behavioral biases while growing up to better meet the demands of their ecology, a phenomenon known ... -
Effects of musical collaboration on intergroup attitudes
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Music is an important presence in our world, thought to be universal in human societies. The ubiquity of music has led some to postulate that it might have an important evolutionary purpose. One theory about the purpose ... -
The effects of blast-induced traumatic brain injury on two transgenic models of Alzheimer's Disease
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is well known to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, the mechanism by which TBI increases the risk ... -
Examining bidirectional associations between momentary impulsivity, alcohol consumption, and daily life contexts
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI--COLUMBIA AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Longitudinal, cross sectional, and laboratory studies have examined the relationships between impulsivity and alcohol use. However, most ... -
Food 'four' thought : examining sigma-1 receptor antagonist PD144418 on food reinforced behaviors
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] A large number of individuals consume a poor diet, including food and beverages that are high in fat, salts, and/or sugar, often in conjunction with ... -
Reducing prejudice through self-affirmation
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Research suggests that self-affirmation can reduce threat in a multitude of domains (e.g., stereotype threat). Given the capacity for self-affirmation to reduce threats to the self of various types, the current work examined ... -
Transformative technology : examining the capacity of virtual reality induced awe to change self-transcendent values and improve hedonic and eudaimonic well-being
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Awe is an emotion that tends to shift focus away from individual concerns of the self towards collective interests that transcend the self. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine whether an experimentally ... -
Considering cultural factors in the links between disclosure and relatinship quality in U.S. Latinx families
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)As the population of Latinx youth and families continues to grow within the United States, the more necessary it is to understand the dynamics of these families, especially given the positive impact that family support has ... -
Low sensitivity to, and craving for, alcohol in naturalistic and laboratory settings
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Low sensitivity to alcohol is a well-established risk factor for the development of an alcohol use disorder. This risk is transmitted along several ... -
A specificity principle of memory : evidence from aging and associate memory
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The ability to remember associations among components of an event lies at the core of episodic memory (Tulving, 1983), and this ability declines with ... -
Development of a scale for evaluating screening tests for cancer : attributes patients emphasize (escape)
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The public's overenthusiasm for cancer screening tests has the potential to subject many individuals to harms such as overdetection and false positives. ... -
The use of metaheuristics for feature selection and the derivation of diagnostic rules
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation includes four chapters that discuss 1) the history of metaheuristics, 2) the development of a genetic algorithm for feature selection, ... -
Hybrid logistic and confined exponential growth models : estimation using SEM software
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)The logistic and confined exponential curves represent growth over time in various contexts such as learning and technology transfer. Logistic growth operates as a contagion process in a population of interest, while the ... -
Cultural cognition : the epistemic function of worldviews
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)Cultural worldviews -- shared, symbolic systems of meaning that render life interpretable -- provide a great deal of knowledge about the world. Thus, the validity of one's worldview may affect the need to think. The present ... -
Maternal care and environmental enrichment influences on serotonin knockout mice with implications for a gene x stress model of autism
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2019)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Previous research has shown a genetic variant in the serotonin transporter gene (Slc6a4) can increase the severity of a person's reaction to stress. ... -
An experimental investigation of drunk personality using self and observer reports
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2016)[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Research has shown that drinkers' “typical drunk personalities” are different from their “typical sober personalities” on each factor of the Five-Factor ...