Psychological 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.
Items in MOspace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Recent Submissions
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A culturally appropriate mindfulness intervention to reduce health disparities among African Americans : feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of mantram repetition
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] Mindfulness interventions improve psychological and physiological health outcomes because they interrupt the link between stress and disease processes. Despite the promise of these interventions ... -
Examining the time course under which specific and gist episodic memory representation are established at encoding among young and older adults
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] One of the most pervasive adult age-related declines in episodic memory is in the ability to remember associations between components of an episode, such as between a person and a location where ... -
The downstream well-being effect of encounters with the criminal justice system
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)This dissertation explores the relationship between encounters with the criminal justice system and well-being in a large nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Previous literature has documented several negative ... -
A diffusion model analysis of transitivity and lexicographic semiorder
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)The primary aim of the present dissertation is to examine the underlying cognitive processes of transitivity and lexicographic semiorders. To this end, I apply the diffusion model to preferential choice data, where ... -
Associations between friends' responses during problem talk and emotional adjustment
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/1/2023] The present study examined how friends' responses to each other during problem talk predicted depressive symptoms overtime. Early and mid-adolescents (N = 314 friend dyads) were observed discussing ... -
Purpose maintained : adverse childhood experiences and meaning in life
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/1/2023] Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor functioning in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Six studies examined the relationship between ACEs and meaning in life, focusing ... -
Sleep intraindividual variability and fatigue in parents of children on the autism spectrum
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/1/2023] Fatigue is associated with numerous harmful physical and mental health outcomes. Despite the established relationship between sleep and fatigue, research on the association between the variability ... -
Hopeful feelings : inducing the feelings of hope and examining its social and cognitive effects
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/1/2023] The experience of hope predicts a host of positive outcomes. However, to date, the psychology of hope has paid little attention to hope as an emotion, focusing instead on hope as a sense of ... -
Examining measures of schizotypy for racial and gender bias using item response theory and differentiral item functioning
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Schizotypy, a latent personality organization reflecting liability for schizophrenia, includes abnormalities and deficits in functioning and traits which cluster into positive, negative, and disorganized dimensions ... -
Pre-bedtime light, physical activity, and sleep in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Introduction: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suffer from insomnia at much higher rates than typically developing (TD) peers. Research indicates that sleep problems in ASD may be due to hypersensitivities to ... -
Pilot evaluation of the CBT tracker : a hybrid measurement feedback system for monitoring treatment integrity and client progress
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Routine outcomes monitoring (ROM) and the use of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) are two research-supported practices that have potential to improve client outcomes in mental healthcare, including youth psychotherapy, but ... -
The significance of mothers' attachment for vagal responding during interactions with infants
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2020)Little is known about the significance of mothers' attachment for neurobiological responding during interactions with infants, as research has primarily examined neurobiological responding to unfamiliar infant stimuli. To ... -
Using ecological momentary assessment to identify risk factors for simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2023] Using alcohol and cannabis simultaneously, such that their effects overlap, is prevalent among individuals who drink alcohol and is associated with greater negative consequences than use of either ... -
What is the evidence base supporting best practice supervision guidelines? A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis of the association between supervision and therapist performance
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2023] Clinical supervision is widely considered to be integral to effective clinical training, with best practice guidelines of each mental health discipline proposing common supervision elements for ... -
Multivariate analyses of polygenic risk for impulsivity and alcohol use: a study of longitudinal trajectories of binge drinking in emerging adulthood
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2023] This dissertation aimed to extend previous genetic and neurobiological studies of the shared etiology of impulsive personality traits (IPTs), alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD). ... -
Hedonic processing and associations with depression and emotion regulation: a joint ERP and behavioral study
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2023] Major Depressive Disorder is widely believed to be a disorder of impaired hedonic processing, and research on the development and maintenance of depression indicates that a blunted neural and ... -
The role of anxiety in the relationship between Phenylketonuria and working memory
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2023] Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic condition associated with disruption in the synthesis of tyrosine, a precursor for dopamine. Although early diagnosis and treatment largely prevent the ... -
BIPoC perspectives of behavioral sleep treatment: a mixed-methods examination of ways to better address sleep health disparities
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2023] Growing evidence suggests that there are sleep health disparities in the United States that disadvantage Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color (BIPoC), and other socioeconomically marginalized ... -
Examining the association between extreme drinking and prefrontal cortex functioning in young adults
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The aim of this thesis is to examine whether a single extreme drinking episode in young adults is associated with harmful effects on prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning as assessed with task-based functional magnetic ... -
Parental psychological factors of mother-child and father-child reminiscing about negative and positive emotional past experiences
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Little is known about the significance of parent factors, including attachment representations, depressive symptoms, and personality, in shaping parental elaborative reminiscing, as research has primarily examined child ...