Browsing by Author "Fritz, Matthew S."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    The Effects of Exercise-Induced Heart Rate Arousal on Stimulation Seeking and Aggression in College Students
    Wilson, Laura Catherine (Virginia Tech, 2012-03-30)
    The current study aimed to test sensation seeking as a mediator in the relationship between arousal and aggression. In addition, an experimental design was used to test whether arousal can be manipulated to alter levels of sensation seeking and aggression, both measured behaviorally. A sample of 128 undergraduate students completed state and trait measures of sensation seeking and aggression, and baseline measures of physiology. It was hypothesized that trait sensation seeking would mediate the relationship between baseline physiology and trait aggression. Also, state sensation seeking would mediate the relationship between an arousal manipulation and state aggression. The results failed to support the proposed mediation models. Furthermore, the arousal manipulation was insufficient to result in sustained heart rate differences, and therefore the malleability of state sensation seeking and aggression could not truly be tested. Exploratory analyses supported an interaction between arousal and sensation seeking, such that in individuals low on experience seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility, low heart rate was associated with greater aggression. These findings suggest that arousal and sensation seeking may conjointly predict aggression through moderation rather than mediation, though future studies with improved experimental designs are needed.
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    Health beliefs as a key determinant of intent to use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among high-school football players: implications for prevention
    Halliburton, Amanda E.; Fritz, Matthew S. (Taylor & Francis, 2017-07-05)
    The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is problematic for youth because of negative effects such as reduced fertility, increased aggression and exposure to toxic chemicals. An effective programme for addressing this problem is Adolescents Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS). This secondary analysis expands prior research by identifying prominent mechanisms of change and highlighting key longitudinal processes that contributed to the success of ATLAS. The current sample consists of highschool football players (N = 1.068; M age = 15.25) who began ATLAS in grades nine through eleven and participated in booster sessions for two years postbaseline. Knowledge of AAS effects, belief in media ads, reasons not to use AAS, perceived severity of and susceptibility to AAS effects and ability to resist drug offers were critical mediators of the relations between ATLAS and outcomes. Modern applications of the ATLAS programme are also discussed.
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    Manual Development and Pilot Testing of a Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Intervention for Increasing Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Sedentary Adults
    Martin, Emily Cecile (Virginia Tech, 2012-02-21)
    The aim of this research project was to conduct a manual development study and an open clinical trial in order to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of a mindfulness and acceptance based intervention for increasing cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in sedentary adults through adherence to a fitness walking program. Development of the treatment manual followed a 3-phase process (literature review and initial draft preparation, expert review, draft revision) based on expert systems analysis, and organizational structure was derived from Carroll and Nuro's Stage Model for Psychotherapy Manual Development. Field experts (N=3) were provided with the manual draft, as well as a semi-structured interview form for revision data. The manual included treatment introduction sections for the therapist and the participant, as well as 8 topic modules. In the10-week open trial, sedentary adults (N=24) engaged in a fitness walking program, while attending regular group therapy sessions whose content was based primarily on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Results indicated a large significant decrease in total walk test time [t(18) = 4.61, p = .0002, d = 0.64], with a mean decrease of 64.69 seconds. A moderate significant increase in estimated V0₂max [t(18) = -4.05, p = .0007, d = -0.43] was also evidenced, with a mean increase of 2.9 ml/kg/min. Analyses indicate a moderate non-significant increase in general experiential acceptance as measured by the AAQ-II [t(18) = 1.18, p = .26, d = 0.37], and a large significant increase in experiential acceptance of exercise-related internal experiences [t(18) = -9.19, p < .0001, d = -2.09] as measured by the PA-AAQ. Finally, feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were demonstrated through high levels of adherence to the walking program, group attendance, and measures of comprehension. This study demonstrated the usefulness of ACT in the field of behavioral medicine, particularly with health behavior change.
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    Psychological Outcomes in Asian and Asian American Survivors of the April 16th Shooting at Virginia Tech: Roles of Acculturation and Parental Overprotection
    Amatya, Kaushalendra (Virginia Tech, 2011-05-02)
    The negative impacts of mass shootings on mental health have been documented within the general trauma literature. Substantial research has also shown the Asian population to be a minority group especially vulnerable to negative psychological outcomes following trauma and stress. Acculturation has been studied extensively as a predictor of psychological outcomes in several minority groups. Furthermore, parental overprotection has also been found to have a negative impact on mental health. The relationship between acculturation and parental overprotection and psychological outcomes following mass shootings in the Asian population, however, has not been studied adequately. The purpose of this study was to examine exposure, acculturation, and parental overprotection as predictors of negative mental health outcomes, and as moderators of the relationship between exposure to trauma and negative outcomes. Results indicate that overprotection predicted higher levels of both posttraumatic stress and anxiety-mood symptoms. Exposure predicted posttraumatic stress but not anxiety-mood symptoms. Acculturation was not found to significantly predict either outcome. Overprotection was found to moderate the relationship between exposure and anxiety-mood symptoms. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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    Shared Leadership: Experimental Evidence On Its Antecedents and Impact on Team Outcomes
    Huang, Shujing (Virginia Tech, 2010-02-18)
    Leadership has been traditionally conceptualized as individual-centered and top-down. However, the fast growing environment creates demands beyond the capabilities of an individual leader and requires flexible and adaptive leadership structures in response. The current study built upon research in leadership and teams and employed an iterative experimental design to investigate the emergence of shared leadership through its antecedents (i.e., power structure and role assignment) and examine its impact on team outcomes (i.e., productivity, adaptability and innovation). The relationship between shared leadership and other team properties (i.e., collective efficacy and team cohesiveness) were also scrutinized. Social network analysis (SNA) and growth modeling techniques were utilized. Support for hypotheses was not found. Methodological and analytical limitations and future research directions were discussed.