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| 2007 Poster Session Entries |
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The 2007 OPA
Poster Session took place at the OPA Annual Convention on Friday, October
26, 2007.
Download a
printable copy of the 2007 Poster Entries FACULTY: This poster presents two studies that investigated the
utility of textbook boxes. In the first study, 230 participants completed a
perception questionnaire. The major finding was that professors and students
rarely studied boxed text. In the second study, 177 participants read
identical text with an insert that instructed them to stop reading and
record the time. The insert appeared as boxed text for some and as regular
text for others. There were no significant differences in hit rates or
latency among the boxed and regular text groups. Applied implication to
educators and publishers are discussed. 2) Weight Loss, Exercise and Satisfaction with Outcome
in a Community Behavioral Weight Loss Program Behavioral weight loss programs conducted in academic research settings achieve weight losses of approximately 9% of body weight. This amount is frequently disappointing to patients and may increase risk for abandoning diet and exercise behaviors. Less is known about results obtained in community samples, where patient characteristics may differ. The current study investigated changes in weight and exercise behavior and satisfaction with outcomes following behavioral weight loss treatment in a community sample. Particular emphasis was placed on reasonable weight loss expectations. Of 41 participants, 76% completed the treatment. Results revealed a mean weight loss of 7 pounds, representing 3.3% loss of body weight. The percentage of participants walking at least 3 times per week increased from 56% to 100%. High percentages of participants reported satisfaction with weight loss (67%), exercise behavior (75%) and eating behavior (88%). Implications of these results for maintenance of weight loss will be discussed. GRADUATE STUDENT-EMPIRICAL: Ohio Family and Children First Council (OFCFC) is a partnership of agencies and community organizations committed to improving the well-being of children and families. To document local community priorities regarding children's well-being, 134 adults and adolescents attending Hocking County Fair in 2006 responded to anonymous surveys. Qualitative analyses were conducted and percentages of responses falling into each theme were calculated. In general, parents emphasized the need for more activities in the community (32%), the importance of education for children's future success (21%), and the desire for improved safety in the community (9%). Results will help OFCFC better design community interventions. 2) Program Evaluation of a Therapeutic Day Camp for
Children and Adolescents from High Risk Environments The present study is a program evaluation of a therapeutic summer camp for high risk (those with multiple risk factors such as poverty, academic failure/ learning problems, neglect/ abuse, mental health diagnosis(es), etc.) youth (N = 61, age 6 - 17). Demographic data regarding the breakdown of risk factors associated with the campers is presented. Therapeutic change was assessed utilizing a pre/post administration of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children- Second Edition (BASC-2) as well as a Satisfaction Survey completed by the campers and their parents upon conclusion of the camp. 3) Speaking LOUDLY When We Are More Confident and
Quietly When We Are Less Confident In the current study, listeners were presented with spoken words and instructed to repeat each word as quickly and accurately as possible. Then, using a 1 (low)-to-7 (high) scale, participants rated how confident they were in the accuracy of their response. We included a number of manipulations intended to make the task more or less difficult. We predicted a significant positive correlation between the mean amplitude of participants’ responses and their corresponding confidence ratings. In other words, we hypothesized that participants would speak relatively loudly when they were more confident, and relatively quietly when they were less confident. 4) Validation of the PNS-Q-SELF and the PNS-Q-INFORMANT
for the Assessment of Insight in Schizophrenic Patients The Positive and Negative Symptoms Questionnaire (PNS-Q, Poreh 2003; Iancu et al., 2005) is a self report measure for the assessment of schizophrenia symptoms. The present study extended this measure by assessing an informant version of this scale, the PNS-Q-I (Poreh 2005). This was achieved by administering the PNS-Q and PNS-Q-I together with the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (Amador 1993) and McEvoy vignettes (McEvoy 1993). The results of this preliminary study suggest that both scales are reliable and their combined use might be promising in objectively assessing insight into symptoms of schizophrenic patients in an economic manner. 5) Psychological Needs and Attitudes Toward Counseling
Services in Asian Indian Students Some of the shortcomings in Asian-Indians’ seeking counseling services result from lack of accessibility and language/cultural barriers. Participants included Asian-Indian graduate students from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. They were assessed for global functioning, depression, and acculturation levels before attending focus group discussions. Negative correlations were found among depression, global functioning and acculturation. Analyses of variance indicated higher global functioning and life functioning among non-depressed males when compared with depressed males. In contrast, life functioning for females did not differ between depressed and non-depressed groups. Qualitative analyses indicated that they did not rely on counseling; rather sought medical help for their concerns. Participants’ suggestions included increased cultural competency of therapists and awareness of confidentiality in sharing information. 6) The Influence of a Media Literacy Intervention on
Adolescent Girls at Low and High-Risk for Eating Disorders Media literacy has been established as an effective method of reducing the impact of the media on women’s body dissatisfaction by focusing on the critical evaluation of media messages. To evaluate the whether a media literacy program was effective in reducing body dissatisfaction and increasing media skepticism among adolescent girls, 74 high school sophomores were assigned to a media literacy or control condition. In addition, the present study evaluated the differential impact of this intervention on participants at low- and high-risk for an eating disorder. Results indicated that the intervention was successful in increasing media skepticism among participants. 7) Executive Functions of Older Adults: Strategy vs.
Production Aging induces various detrimental effects in healthy older adults. Commonly, these effects cause slowed psychomotor speed and cognitive functioning. In this ongoing study, frontal lobe functioning of independently-living adults aged 60 and older is assessed via the following neuropsychological tests: the Trail-Making test (TMT), the Five Point test (FPT), the Verbal Fluency test (VFT), and the Poreh Complex Figure test (PCFT). Strategy types employed in the FPT, specifically rotation of figure, addition of element, and deletion of element, are predicted to each correlate with different rates of production. These strategy types will also be correlated with the scores of the other given tests. Thus, these strategy types are predicted to represent poor, fair and good strategy types employed by individuals with regard to production rate. If this is found, the strategy types of nonhealthy older adults may be examined in order to predict premorbid intellectual ability and production rate. 8) Relation Between Symptom and Functional Change in
ADHD Children Within School-Based Mental Health Program The present study examined relation between reliable changes in symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and functional domains in 91 children who received evidence-based treatment in schools. Results indicated significant differences between children classified on their symptom change as improvers, no-changers, and deteriorators and their levels of functioning after a year in treatment. Implications of these findings for the definition of clinically significant change in treatment and treatment outcome assessment are discussed. 9) Long-Term Representational Status of an Ambiguous
T/D Sound in American English McLennan et al. (2003) previously demonstrated that words spoken with an ambiguous “t/d” sound (“petal/pedal”) subsequently primed both ambiguous (“petal/pedal”) and unambiguous (“petal”) versions. Sumner and Samuel (2005) suggested these results could be due to the short time frame over which priming was examined. Consequently, investigating priming over a longer time scale may provide more compelling evidence for the long-term representational status of the ambiguous sound. In the current study, participants responded to two blocks of spoken words, which, crucially, were separated by at least one night. Our results provide a better understanding of how listeners represent spoken language. 10) College Women’s Perceptions of Sexual Assault and
Domestic Violence Victimization Risk Physical and sexual violence continue to be pervasive problems in society, of which women are the most frequent targets (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). The ability to recognize a threatening situation that could lead to an experience of a physical or sexual assault could aid in decreasing a woman’s likelihood of being victimized. As a part of a larger study, 428 college women’s perceptions of sexual assault and domestic violence risk were assessed. Two hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted with results suggesting that past victimization experiences may impact the perception of experiencing future victimization. Implications for programming will be discussed. GRADUATE STUDENT-NON-EMPIRICAL Substance abuse and intimate partner violence frequently occur together. Substance abuse has also been linked to re-offense and incompletion by perpetrators in batterer intervention programs. However, few programs address substance abuse as a means for power and control. This poster includes strategies to address substance abuse n batterer intervention programs. 12) Applying the Transtheoretical Stages of Change
Model to Interventions for Dementia Caregivers Little research to date has explored the application of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM; Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983) to interventions for dementia caregivers, though the TTM can be useful in understanding behavior change and intervention efficacy among dementia caregivers. The TTM posits that treatment interventions may not be effective for all individuals because interventions are designed only for individuals who are prepared to change. This poster highlights the development of two measurement tools to examine readiness to change among dementia caregivers. The importance of assessing readiness to change in administering interventions to dementia caregivers is highlighted via two case examples. 13) Physical Health Effects of Sexual Assault and
Implications for Mindfulness Based Treatment Research demonstrates high prevalence rates of sexual assault and its physical effects ranging from bruising and lacerations to long-term gynecological or somatic symptoms. This presentation will review the literature on physical health symptoms following a sexual assault and the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions for this population. Specifically, mindfulness, the practice of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, shows promising effects for treatment of trauma survivors. Implications for future research and interventions will be discussed. 14) The Psychological Consequences of Sexual Assault on
Male Victims The sexual abuse of men has largely been "overlooked, dismissed or ignored" (Ratner et al., 2003; p. 73). It is estimated that approximately 3% to 8% of American and British men have experienced an adulthood incident of sexual assault in their lifetime (e.g., Coxell, King, Mezey, & Gordon, 1999; Elliott, Mok, & Briere, 2004; U.S. Department of Justice, 2000). Although research has demonstrated that men can suffer adverse effects after a sexual assault, very little empirical research has examined the psychological effects of assault experiences of men. A review of the current literature on this topic will be explored. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT-NON-EMPIRICAL We present a non-empirical overview of Students Against Stigma (SAS), a mental health peer advocate program at Ohio University,. Members of SAS aim to decrease stigma surrounding psychological distress and increase referral to psychological services. Members also advocate on behalf of students’ regarding mental health issues within the university community. 2) The Causes, Manifestations and Consequences of Elder
Abuse: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Interventions and
Future Research The average age of individuals in the United States is growing every year. With this increase, there is also an increase in elder abuse, especially domestic elder abuse. This is an issue, which deserves attention. This literature review will examine the predictors (both in abusers and victims) of domestic elder abuse. The implications of this are far reaching; this information could be used by social workers, clinicians and by the many other professionals who interact with the elderly population everyday. 3) Correlates of College Men’s Sexual Experiences
The current poster examines college men’s perceptions of other men’s sexual experiences as well as correlates of their own beliefs about sexual behavior and sexual activity. More specifically, the current study addresses such as: do college men feel it is important to engage in sexual activity, and do college men perceive it to be important that their friends are aware that they are sexually active? Correlates of college men’s perceptions of sexual activity and their own engagement in sexual activity are also reported. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT-EMPIRICAL How do college students conceptualize sexual assault situations as a function of victim and perpetrator alcohol use? This poster presents a literature review on the role of alcohol use and conceptualization of unwanted sexual experiences. This poster also proposes a study to examine how college men and women label and respond to sexual assault scenarios when the victim, the perpetrator or both individuals are engaged in alcohol use at the time of the assault. 5) Developing an Assessment Tool for Child Victims of
Domestic Violence The purpose of this study is to develop an effective assessment tool for child victims of domestic violence. Past studies have demonstrated greater risks of emotional, educational, and behavior struggles among children who witness or experience domestic violence. Working directly with a domestic violence shelter in southwest Ohio, this study seeks to empirically develop a survey for assessing children who experience domestic violence. By creating a valid and reliable tool specifically for child domestic violence victims, those who work with these children will be more effective in the treatment of this population. 6) Stress Management and Coping Skill of College
Students in China The purpose of this study was to identify the coping strategies of the Chinese college students. College freshmen and junior students in Beijing and Shanghai were given the revised Chinese version of Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Results showed no significant differences between only and sibling children, males and females, and between freshmen and junior in most of the coping strategies. The most commonly used strategies identified were Positive Problem Solving, Accepting Responsibility and Seeking Social Support. The stereotype of only children being disadvantaged was not supported by the data. However, freshmen demonstrated a more positive self-image than juniors. 7) The Correlates and Predictors of Disordered Eating
Patterns in College Women: A Retrospective and Prospective Analysis Eating disorders are a serious problem that college women face today. Research has demonstrated that disordered eating patterns are related to a variety of experience, behaviors and emotions. The purpose of the current study is to determine which of these factors are the most predictive of disordered eating patterns. The sample used in this study was comprised of college women from a medium-sized university that filled out surveys for course credit. The study could offer implications for researchers and clinicians. 8) The Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and
Subsequent Sexual Perpetration: A Study of College Men Sexual assault is a serious problem in American society, particularly on college campuses. Research suggests that childhood sexual abuse is related to sexual perpetration in adolescence or adulthood. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate how different types of childhood sexual abuse experiences are related to subsequent sexual perpetration experience. The sample used in this study was comprised of college men from a medium sized university that filled out surveys for course credit. This data could have important implications for future research and prevention and intervention efforts. 9) The Relative Effects of Sexual, Physical and Verbal
Dating Violence on Trauma Symptomatolgy, Alcohol Abuse and Disordered Eating
Patterns Dating violence is a serious problem, which affects the majority of women on college campuses. Research suggests that there are many negative consequences to sexual, physical and verbal abuse. Little attention has been given to the specific effects of various types of dating violence on women’s responses. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to explore the relative affects of sexual, physical and verbal dating violence on trauma symptomatolgy, alcohol abuse and disordered eating patterns. The current study collected survey data from college women currently in a heterosexual dating relationship. The implications from this study will be discussed. 10) Child Abuse and Its Effect on Adolescent Substance
Abuse Treatment Outcomes The present study focused on past child abuse and its relation to treatment engagement and outcome among youth who had been admitted to an adolescent impatient substance abuse treatment facility in rural southeastern Ohio. Descriptive and demographic characteristics collected from chart revision of participants who had been past victims of child abuse will be examined. Further, the study will investigate implications for functioning in therapy, including suicide risk, status at discharge and behavioral indicators of treatment effectiveness in relation to past abuse history. Future research suggestions and implications will be provided. 11) College Women’s Risk for Sexual Victimization: An
Analysis of Alcohol and Drug Abuse The current poster examines college women’s alcohol and drug use as it relates to risk factors for sexual victimization. A sample of 300 undergraduate women completed measures of daily alcohol use, negative consequences of alcohol use, drug use and activities relating to alcohol use patterns. Participants also completed measures assessing risk for sexual victimization, and history of sexual victimization in childhood and adolescence. Correlation analyses between alcohol use patterns and risk for sexual victimization will be presented. 12) Using Eye-Tracking to Examine Talker Effects in the
Perception of Spoken Languages In the current study, participants were presented with two blocks of trials. On each trial, participants were presented with a spoken word and four pictures. Their task was to move the picture that corresponded to the spoken word. Words in the second block matched (same word and talker), mismatched (same word, different talker), or were unrelated (new word) to the words presented in the first block. We predicted that participants would look at the target picture more quickly in the match and mismatch conditions relative to the control condition. Our results will lead to improved theories of spoken word recognition. 13) The Effects of Attractiveness and Gender
Perceptions on Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is a growing problem on college campuses. This study tests the effect attractiveness and gender of the harasser have on perceptions of sexual harassment. Sixty-five undergraduate students rated 20 scenarios on their level of sexual harassment with conditions varying in the actor’s attractiveness and gender. There was no significant main effect for the actor’s gender or level of attractiveness. There was no significant interaction between gender and attractiveness. Limitations of this study and the prevalence of the problem of sexual harassment demonstrate reason to continue the study of perceptions of sexual harassment on college campuses and beyond. 14) Geriatric Depression and Depressive Symptomology:
Physical, Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes Studies have found high prevalence rates of depression/depressive symptomology for older adults and if left untreated can have devastating consequences (i.e., increased mortality, decreased physical health and functioning, decreased cognitive and psychosocial functioning, and increased health care costs and utilization). Diagnosing and treating geriatric depression/depressive symptomolgy is difficult due to stigma, access to health care, lack of physician education, and lack of assessment protocols. This poster will discuss the main issues and barriers surrounding older adults and depression/depressive symptomolgy and will outline a current study investigating the relationship between older adults’ depression/depressive symptomology and physical, cognitive and psychosocial functioning. 15) Examining Talker Variability Effects in
Foreign-Accented Speech Previous research demonstrates that talker effects (slowed recognition of spoken words due to talker changes) are more likely when processing is relatively slow (hard lexical decision) compared to when processing is relatively fast (easy lexical decision). We extended this work by conducting two experiments designed to investigate talker variability in the perception of foreign-accented speech. We hypothesized that foreign-accented speech would slow processing, thus resulting in robust talker effects in both easy (Experiment 1) and hard (Experiment 2) lexical decision tasks. Our results add to current knowledge regarding the circumstances under which variability affects the perception of spoken words. 16) Does Attitudes Toward Statistics Predict
Performance? The purpose of this study was to examine if attitudes toward statistics predict performance in an introductory statistics course. Students completed the Survey of Attitude Toward Statistics (SATS). No significant correlation was found between any measure on the SATS and performance in the course as based upon four exam scores. Instead, statistics grades correlated significantly with the student's cumulative GPA. Seemingly, performance in introductory statistics is related to the general academic achievement rather than specific attitudes or skills. 17) Predicting Sexual Infidelity: The Role of the Big
Five Personality Traits Two-thirds of young adults in serious dating relationships have committed infidelity or been betrayed by a partner (Sheppard, Nelson, & Andreoli-Mathis, 1995). The current study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and infidelity in both current and past dating relationships. The results indicated that gender is not related to a person's likelihood of reporting infidelity. The results also revealed that people with higher extraversion and lower agreeableness are more likely to report a history of cheating, while lower agreeableness and lower conscientiousness are related to cheating on one's current partner. Implications of these results will be discussed. 18) College students and their fathers’ perspectives on
marriage to a person in a wheelchair One million people in the United States use a wheelchair. However, individuals in wheelchairs are less likely to get married. The purpose of this study is to investigate how able-bodied college students’ and their fathers’ opinions compare and contrast on the issue of marrying someone in a wheelchair. We surveyed 49 college students and their fathers. We hypothesize that the students will be more open to this kind of marriage than their fathers, and that fathers will have more reservations about this kind of marriage when dealing with their daughters. This study reveals misconceptions people hold about individuals in wheelchairs. 19) Honduran Adolescents’ Perceptions of Depression and
Perceived Efficacy of Religious Coping Rates of depression in children are increasing while the age of initial onset is decreasing. While it is important for research to address the causes and correlates of depression, it is also important to understand adolescents’ perceptions of depression and sources of help. Recent research suggests that members of minority groups have a stronger intrinsic religious identity from cultural beliefs and practices, but higher rates of depression. Studying these factors in a country of origin may shed light on their relationship. The current study investigates 13- to 18-year-old Hondurans’ views of depression and their perceived efficacy of religious coping mechanisms. 20) The Role of Working Memory and Experience in Second
Language Reading Comprehension Second language reading comprehension (in Spanish) involves knowledge of vocabulary and grammar as well as working memory capacity (WMC) for updating/maintenance of information. The purpose was to examine potential interactions of WMC and classroom learning (i.e., domain experience) on Spanish reading comprehension. Three theories of the relationship between WMC and experience were examined. The compensation model predicts that with enough experience, WMC differences are eliminated. The independent influences model predicts that experience and ability separately influence reading comprehension. The final model predicts that high WMC individuals benefit more from experience. Results provide evidence consistent with the independent influences hypothesis. 21) An Analysis of the National College Health Risk
Behavior Survey and Women’s Risk for Sexual Victimization The National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (NCHRBS) was developed following the structure of the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey and consists of 96 multiple-choice questions identifying a range of behaviors that contribute to unintentional and intentional injury among college students. The current study examines the relationship between the health risk behaviors on the NCHRBS and risk for sexual victimization among a sample of 540 undergraduate women. 22) Most Difficult Stressors for Patients with Cancer
by Depression Status and Phase of Illness Cancer patients face many difficulties that can increase their level of stress. This descriptive study examines whether the types of stressors cancer patients face differs by depressive status (depressed vs. non-depressed) or phase of illness (early vs. advanced cancer). Specifically, we used chi-square analyses to examine whether cancer patients with depression would report more or different stressors than non-depressed cancer patients and whether advanced versus early stage cancer patients would report more or different types of stressors. One-hundred and fifty nine cancer patients were asked the question “What is most stressful for you right now?” at their initial visit to the outpatient Pain and Palliative Medicine Clinic. These stressors were coded using the open coding techniques of Strauss & Corbin (1990) resulting in interrater reliability of .81. DSM IV criteria for depression were used to diagnose depression. Patients in remission or with localized disease were considered “early phase.” Patients with cancer recurrence or metastatic disease were considered “advanced.” The average number of stressors reported by each patient was M = 2.5. The most common types of stress reported by our outpatients were pain (35.7%), uncertainty (26.1%), and financial difficulties (insurance, loss of income) (21.6%). In addition, patients identified work limitations, limitations in physical functioning, other stressors not related to cancer, treatments, worries about their children, thoughts of dying, other symptoms related to cancer, and family/friend conflicts. The number and type of stressors were not significantly different between depressed versus non-depressed patients or between advanced versus early phase cancer patients. Cancer causes multiple stressors at all phases. The stressors described in this open-ended assessment did not appear to differ by diagnosis of depression. Future research will utilize a standardized stress questionnaire developed based on the stressors identified in this study. This will enable us to more objectively evaluate our hypothesis regarding the type and degree of stressors experienced by cancer patients based on depression status, phase of illness, and other demographic and medical factors. 23) Negative Affect and Cognitive Failures The purpose of this study was to understand the connection between affect and cognitive impairment, in particular executive processes. Evidence from previous research indicates that individuals with affect disorders, such as major depression, experience cognitive deficits in memory and attention related to everyday activities. However, little attention has been given to the link between cognitive failures and negative affect in non-clinical samples. Our findings indicate that negative affective experiences such as fear, hostility, sadness and guilt significantly correlated with failures of memory and attention. Conversely, positive affect was associated with fewer cognitive failures. Additional affective states (fatigue, shyness) were also related to cognition. 24) The Effect of Irrelevant Speech on the Serial
Recall of Letters This study investigates the effect of irrelevant speech on the serial recall of letters. It is predicted that recall scores in which the irrelevant speech is present will be lower than when the irrelevant speech is absent and the use of mnemonic devices will better aid memorization than rehearsing the letters aloud. Participants used a rehearsal technique to aid their memory. After seeing all eight letters, participants were asked to serially recall all letters. This was done for 30 trials, 15 with irrelevant speech. Results indicated that participants were able to serially recall more letters when the irrelevant speech was absent, supporting past research. Results did not indicate that memorization techniques aided in the memorization and serial recall of letters, which does not support past research. 25) Self-perceptions of healthy weight and eating habits in Male and Female College-Age Students Presenters: Kelly Ramsey, Tiffany Erspamer, Cedarville University Obesity is rapidly becoming a major health hazard in developed countries. It is linked directly to heart disease and diabetes mellitus, and indirectly to health hazards such as cancer and arthritis. Despite an overwhelming amount of information about the hazards of obesity, Americans continue to consume more calories and exercise less. This study explores the differences in the perception of one’s bodyweight, calories consumed, and exercise in a sample college students (n=67). Food Logs were maintained for three consecutive days, but the data analysis is still in progress. The award winners will be announced during Friday’s lunch during the Convention, and the lead author will be entitled to the following:
Posters will be judged on the following: professionalism, conceptualization, methodology, conclusions and overall value. For specific criteria, please download the judges’ criteria document below. |
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