Department of Psychology

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    Department of Psychology 1999-2000 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2000-06)
    This annual report details academic accomplishments and statistics for the Department of Psychology in 1999-2000.
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    Department of Psychology 2001-2002 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2002)
    This annual report details academic accomplishments and statistics for the Department of Psychology in 2001-2002.
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    Department of Psychology 2002-2003 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2003)
    This annual report details academic accomplishments and statistics for the Department of Psychology in 2002-2003.
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    Department of Psychology 2003-2004 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2004)
    This annual report details academic accomplishments and statistics for the Department of Psychology in 2003-2004.
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    Department of Psychology 2004-2005 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2005)
    This annual report details academic accomplishments and statistics for the Department of Psychology in 2004-2005.
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    Department of Psychology 2005-2006 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2006)
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    Department of Psychology 2006-2007 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2007)
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    The check-up: in-person, computerized, and telephone adaptations of motivational enhancement treatment to elicit voluntary participation by the contemplator
    Walker, Denise D.; Roffman, Roger A.; Picciano, Joseph F.; Stephens, Robert S. (2007-01-08)
    Countless barriers come between people who are struggling with substance abuse and those charged with providing substance abuse treatment. The check-up, a form of motivational enhancement therapy, is a harm reduction intervention that offers a manner of supporting individuals by lowering specific barriers to reaching those who are untreated. The check-up was originally developed to reach problem drinkers who were neither seeking treatment nor self-initiating change. The intervention, marketed as an opportunity to take stock of one's experiences, involves an assessment and personalized feedback delivered with a counseling style termed motivational interviewing. Check-ups can be offered in care settings to individuals who, as a result of screening, manifest risk factors for specific disorders such as alcoholism. They can also be free-standing and publicized widely to the general public. This paper will discuss illustrations of in-person, computerized, in-school, and telephone applications of the free-standing type of check-up with reference to alcohol consumers, adult and adolescent marijuana smokers, and gay/bisexual males at risk for sexual transmission of HIV. The paper's major focus is to highlight how unique features of each application have the potential of reducing barriers to reaching specific at-risk populations. Also considered are key policy issues such as how check-up services can be funded, which venues are appropriate for the delivery of check-up interventions, pertinent competency criteria in evaluating staff who deliver this intervention, how marketing can be designed to reach contemplators in untreated at-risk populations, and how a check-up's success ought to be defined.
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    Processing of emotional faces in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders
    Benoit, K. E.; McNally, R. J.; Rapee, R. M.; Gamble, A. L.; Wiseman, A. L. (Cambridge University Press, 2007-11)
    The purpose of this study was to test whether children and adolescents with anxiety disorders exhibit selective processing of threatening facial expressions in a pictorial version of the emotional Stroop paradigm. Participants named the colours of filters covering images of adults and children displaying either a neutral facial expression or one displaying the emotions of anger, disgust, or happiness. A delay in naming the colour of a filter implies attentional capture by the facial expression. Anxious participants, relative to control participants, exhibited slower colour naming overall, implying greater proneness to distraction by social cues. Children exhibited longer colour-naming latencies as compared to adolescents, perhaps because young children have a limited ability to inhibit attention to distracting stimuli. Adult faces were associated with slower colour naming than were child faces, irrespective of facial expressions in both groups, possibly because adults provide especially salient cues for children and adolescents. Inconsistent with prediction, participants with anxiety disorders were not slower than healthy controls at naming the colours of filters covering threatening expressions (i.e., anger and disgust) relative to filters covering faces depicting happy or neutral expressions.
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    The importance of physician knowledge of autism spectrum disorder: results of a parent survey
    Rhoades, Rachel A.; Scarpa, Angela; Salley, Brenda (2007-11-20)
    Background Early diagnosis and referral to treatment prior to age 3-5 years improves the prognosis of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, ASD is often not diagnosed until age 3-4 years, and medical providers may lack training to offer caregivers evidence-based treatment recommendations. This study tested hypotheses that 1) children with ASD would be diagnosed between ages 3-4 years (replicating prior work), 2) caregivers would receive little information beyond the diagnosis from their medical providers, and 3) caregivers would turn to other sources, outside of their local health care professionals, to learn more about ASD. Methods 146 ASD caregivers responded to an online survey that consisted of questions about demographics, the diagnostic process, sources of information/support, and the need and availability of local services for ASDs. Hypotheses were tested using descriptives, regression analyses, analyses of variance, and chi-squared. Results The average age of diagnosis was 4 years, 10 months and the mode was 3 years. While approximately 40% of professionals gave additional information about ASD after diagnosis and 15-34% gave advice on medical/educational programs, only 6% referred to an autism specialist and 18% gave no further information. The diagnosis of Autism was made at earlier ages than Asperger's Disorder or PDD-NOS. Developmental pediatricians (relative to psychiatrists/primary care physicians, neurologists, and psychologists) were associated with the lowest age of diagnosis and were most likely to distribute additional information. Caregivers most often reported turning to the media (i.e., internet, books, videos), conferences, and other parents to learn more about ASD. Conclusion The average age of ASD diagnosis (4 years, 10 months) was later than optimal if children are to receive the most benefit from early intervention. Most professionals gave caregivers further information about ASDs, especially developmental pediatricians, but a sizeable minority did not. This may reflect a lack of training in the wide range of behaviors that occur across the autism spectrum. Parents turned to outside sources to learn more about ASD. We recommend that all physicians receive specialized training about ASDs to improve upon early screening and diagnosis, and then advise caregivers about empirically-supported services.
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    Department of Psychology 2007-2008 Annual Report
    (Department of Psychology, 2008)
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    Parent-Rated Anxiety Symptoms in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Frequency and Association with Core Autism Symptoms and Cognitive Functioning
    Sukhodolsky, D. G.; Scahill, L.; Gadow, K. D.; Arnold, L. E.; Aman, M. G.; McDougle, C. J.; McCracken, J. T.; Tierney, E.; Williams White, S.; Lecavalier, L.; Vitiello, B. (2008-01)
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    The Natural Statistics of Audiovisual Speech
    Chandrasekaran, Chandramouli; Trubanova, Andrea; Stillitano, Sébastien; Caplier, Alice; Ghazanfar, Asif A. (PLOS, 2009-07-17)
    Humans, like other animals, are exposed to a continuous stream of signals, which are dynamic, multimodal, extended, and time varying in nature. This complex input space must be transduced and sampled by our sensory systems and transmitted to the brain where it can guide the selection of appropriate actions. To simplify this process, it’s been suggested that the brain exploits statistical regularities in the stimulus space. Tests of this idea have largely been confined to unimodal signals and natural scenes. One important class of multisensory signals for which a quantitative input space characterization is unavailable is human speech. We do not understand what signals our brain has to actively piece together from an audiovisual speech stream to arrive at a percept versus what is already embedded in the signal structure of the stream itself. In essence, we do not have a clear understanding of the natural statistics of audiovisual speech. In the present study, we identified the following major statistical features of audiovisual speech. First, we observed robust correlations and close temporal correspondence between the area of the mouth opening and the acoustic envelope. Second, we found the strongest correlation between the area of the mouth opening and vocal tract resonances. Third, we observed that both area of the mouth opening and the voice envelope are temporally modulated in the 2–7 Hz frequency range. Finally, we show that the timing of mouth movements relative to the onset of the voice is consistently between 100 and 300 ms. We interpret these data in the context of recent neural theories of speech which suggest that speech communication is a reciprocally coupled, multisensory event, whereby the outputs of the signaler are matched to the neural processes of the receiver.
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    Corporal Punishment of Children in Nine Countries as a Function of Child Gender and Parent Gender
    Lansford, Jennifer E.; Alampay, Liane Peña; Al-Hassan, Suha M.; Bacchini, Dario; Bombi, Anna Silvia; Bornstein, Marc H.; Chang, Lei; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Di Giunta, Laura; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Oburu, Paul; Pastorelli, Concetta; Runyan, Desmond K.; Skinner, Ann T.; Sorbring, Emma; Tapanya, Sombat; Tirado, Liliana Maria Uribe; Zelli, Arnaldo (Hindawi, 2010-09-23)
    Background. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a global perspective on corporal punishment by examining differences between mothers' and fathers' use of corporal punishment with daughters and sons in nine countries. Methods. Interviews were conducted with 1398 mothers, 1146 fathers, and 1417 children (age range to 10 years) in China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. Results. Across the entire sample, 54% of girls and 58% of boys had experienced mild corporal punishment, and 13% of girls and 14% of boys had experienced severe corporal punishment by their parents or someone in their household in the last month. Seventeen percent of parents believed that the use of corporal punishment was necessary to rear the target child. Overall, boys were more frequently punished corporally than were girls, and mothers used corporal punishment more frequently than did fathers. There were significant differences across countries, with reports of corporal punishment use lowest in Sweden and highest in Kenya. Conclusion. This work establishes that the use of corporal punishment is widespread, and efforts to prevent corporal punishment from escalating into physical abuse should be commensurately widespread.
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    Psych Access, Fall 2011, Issue 2
    (Virginia Tech, 2011)
    The mission of Psych Access is to create a venue to share information related to the field of psychology. Our specific goal is to provide information about the developments and advances in the field of psychology and address issues that relate to you!
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    Psych Access, Fall 2011, Issue 1
    (Virginia Tech, 2011)
    The mission of Psych Access is to create a venue to share information related to the field of psychology. Our specific goal is to provide information about the developments and advances in the field of psychology and address issues that relate to you!
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    Web-Based Guide to Health: Relationship of Theoretical Variables to Change in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Weight at 16-Months
    Anderson-Bill, Eileen Smith; Winett, Richard A.; Wojcik, Janet R.; Winett, Sheila G. (2011-01)
    Background: Evaluation of online health interventions should investigate the function of theoretical mechanisms of behavior change in this new milieu. Objectives: To expand our understanding of how Web-based interventions influence behavior, we examined how changes at 6 months in participants' psychosocial characteristics contributed to improvements at 16 months in nutrition, physical activity (PA), and weight management as a result of the online, social cognitive theory (SCT)-based Guide to Health intervention (WB-GTH). Methods: We conducted recruitment, enrollment, and assessments online with 272 of 655 (41.5%) participants enrolling in WB-GTH who also completed 6- and 16-month follow-up assessments. Participants' mean age was 43.68 years, 86% were female, 92% were white, mean education was 17.45 years, median income was US $85,000, 84% were overweight or obese, and 73% were inactive. Participants received one of two equally effective versions of WB-GTH. Structural equation analysis of theoretical models evaluated whether psychosocial constructs targeted by WB-GTH contributed to observed health behavior changes. Results: The longitudinal model provided good fit to the data (root mean square error of approximation < .05). Participants' weight loss at 16 months was predicted by improvements in their PA (beta(total) = -.34, P = .01), consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) (beta(total) = -.20, P = .03) and calorie intake (beta(total) = .15, P = .04). Improvements at 6 months in PA self-efficacy (beta(total) = -.10, P = .03), PA self-regulation (beta(total) = -.15, P = .01), nutrition social support (beta(total) = -.08, P = .03), and nutrition outcome expectations (beta(total) = .08, P =.03) also contributed to weight loss. WB-GTH users with increased social support (beta(total) =.26, P =.04), self-efficacy (beta(total) = .30, P = .01), and self-regulation (beta(total) = .45, P = .004) also exhibited improved PA levels. Decreased fat and sugar consumption followed improved social support (beta(total) = -.10, P = .02), outcome expectations (beta(total) = .15, P = .007), and self-regulation (beta(total) = -.14, P = .008). Decreased calorie intake followed increased social support (beta(total) = -.30, P < .001). Increased F& V intake followed improved self-efficacy (beta(total) = .20, P = .01), outcome expectations (beta(total) = -.29, P = .002), and self-regulation (beta(total) = .27, P = .009). Theorized indirect effects within SCT variables were also supported. Conclusions: The WB-GTH influenced behavior and weight loss in a manner largely consistent with SCT. Improving social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation, in varying combinations, led to healthier diet and exercise habits and concomitant weight loss. High initial levels of self-efficacy may be characteristic of Web-health users interested in online interventions and may alter the function of SCT in these programs. Researchers may find that, although increased self-efficacy enhances program outcomes, participants whose self-efficacy is tempered by online interventions may still benefit. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00128570; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00128570 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5vgcygBII)
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    Social Cognitive Determinants of Nutrition and Physical Activity Among Web-Health Users Enrolling in an Online Intervention: The Influence of Social Support, Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectations, and Self-Regulation
    Anderson-Bill, Eileen Smith; Winett, Richard A.; Wojcik, Janet R. (2011-01)
    Background: The Internet is a trusted source of health information for growing majorities of Web users. The promise of online health interventions will be realized with the development of purely online theory-based programs for Web users that are evaluated for program effectiveness and the application of behavior change theory within the online environment. Little is known, however, about the demographic, behavioral, or psychosocial characteristics of Web-health users who represent potential participants in online health promotion research. Nor do we understand how Web users' psychosocial characteristics relate to their health behavior-information essential to the development of effective, theory-based online behavior change interventions. Objective: This study examines the demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics of Web-health users recruited for an online social cognitive theory (SCT)-based nutrition, physical activity, and weight gain prevention intervention, the Web-based Guide to Health (WB-GTH). Methods: Directed to the WB-GTH site by advertisements through online social and professional networks and through print and online media, participants were screened, consented, and assessed with demographic, physical activity, psychosocial, and food frequency questionnaires online (taking a total of about 1.25 hours); they also kept a 7-day log of daily steps and minutes walked. Results: From 4700 visits to the site, 963 Web users consented to enroll in the study: 83% (803) were female, participants' mean age was 44.4 years (SD 11.03 years), 91% (873) were white, and 61% (589) were college graduates; participants' median annual household income was approximately US $85,000. Participants' daily step counts were in the low-active range (mean 6485.78, SD 2352.54) and overall dietary levels were poor (total fat g/day, mean 77.79, SD 41.96; percent kcal from fat, mean 36.51, SD 5.92; fiber g/day, mean 17.74, SD 7.35; and fruit and vegetable servings/day, mean 4.03, SD 2.33). The Web-health users had good self-efficacy and outcome expectations for health behavior change; however, they perceived little social support for making these changes and engaged in few self-regulatory behaviors. Consistent with SCT, theoretical models provided good fit to Web-users' data (root mean square error of the approximation [RMSEA] < .05). Perceived social support and use of self-regulatory behaviors were strong predictors of physical activity and nutrition behavior. Web users' self-efficacy was also a good predictor of healthier levels of physical activity and dietary fat but not of fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Social support and self-efficacy indirectly predicted behavior through self-regulation, and social support had indirect effects through self-efficacy. Conclusions: Results suggest Web-health users visiting and ultimately participating in online health interventions may likely be middle-aged, well-educated, upper middle class women whose detrimental health behaviors put them at risk of obesity, heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes. The success of Internet physical activity and nutrition interventions may depend on the extent to which they lead users to develop self-efficacy for behavior change, but perhaps as important, the extent to which these interventions help them garner social-support for making changes. Success of these interventions may also depend on the extent to which they provide a platform for setting goals, planning, tracking, and providing feedback on targeted behaviors.