Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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Benefits of high intelligence: Potential moderating effects of emotion regulation and friendship quality

Description
Depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts or actions are on the rise in adolescents (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015; Bridge, Asti, & Horowitz, 2015). Parents, school administrators, and therapists are searching for resiliency factors with in at-risk groups to aid students in need. In previous work, Luthar and Zigler (1992)…

Depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts or actions are on the rise in adolescents (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015; Bridge, Asti, & Horowitz, 2015). Parents, school administrators, and therapists are searching for resiliency factors with in at-risk groups to aid students in need. In previous work, Luthar and Zigler (1992) reported that intelligent youth are more resilient than less intelligent youth under low stress conditions but they lose their advantage under high stress conditions. This study examined whether intelligence (reflected in grade point average; GPA) and maladaptive (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) behaviors are negatively related in adolescents, and tested whether level of stress, reflected in emotion regulation and friendship quality, moderated that association. It also probed whether the relationships differ by gender. Sixth-graders (N=506) were recruited with active parental consent from three middle schools. Adolescents completed self-report questionnaires Regarding demo graphics, maladaptive behaviors, emotion regulation, and friendship quality, and GPA data were collected from the school. Regression analyses found that GPA was negatively related to externalizing symptoms. Girls with poor friendship communication report significantly higher maladaptive behaviors. This relation was more pronounced for girls with high GPAs, as predicted. Results support the theory that intelligent female adolescents are more reactive under adverse circumstances. Future efforts should follow students through middle school into high school to evaluate whether friendships remain important to adjustment, hold for boys as well as girls, and have implications for relationship interventions.
ContributorsGonzales, Ashlyn Carol (Author) / Luthar, Suniya (Thesis director) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Infurna, Frank (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
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Humor Based Coping: For Which Negative Emotions Do We Use Humor?

Description

People use a variety of emotion regulation strategies to cope with difficult situations. Although there is research supporting humor as an effective emotion regulation strategy, less is known about what circumstances lead people to use humor and what negative emotions humor seems to be the most helpful in mitigating. The…

People use a variety of emotion regulation strategies to cope with difficult situations. Although there is research supporting humor as an effective emotion regulation strategy, less is known about what circumstances lead people to use humor and what negative emotions humor seems to be the most helpful in mitigating. The current study aimed to determine to what extent specific negative emotions lead people to choose humor as an emotion regulation strategy. Participants wrote about a neutral situation and then selected from four card decks with different stimuli (funny, pleasant, awe-inspiring, or neutral). Participants were then randomly assigned to a negative emotion condition (sadness, embarrassment, anxiety, or anger) and wrote about a situation in which they have experienced that specific emotion. They then completed the card selection task again. We compared the number of funny cards chosen between the neutral vs negative emotion trials for each emotion. We found that card selection did not change significantly from the neutral-affect trial to the negative emotion trial across any of the negative emotions. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
ContributorsLigas, Kaitlyn (Author) / Shiota, Michelle (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Pages, Erika (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2021-12
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Too Stressed to Impress? Finding Links Between Stress-related Input Inaccuracy Across Fighting Game Competitors and Novices

Description
Previous evidence implicating fighting gameplay with markers for cardiovascular changes in response to stress appraisals emphasizes the plausibility of additional biopsychosocial factors varying between players and dictating gameplay changes (Porter & Goolkasian, 2019). The current study builds upon previous research using the Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat (Blascovich and…

Previous evidence implicating fighting gameplay with markers for cardiovascular changes in response to stress appraisals emphasizes the plausibility of additional biopsychosocial factors varying between players and dictating gameplay changes (Porter & Goolkasian, 2019). The current study builds upon previous research using the Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat (Blascovich and Tomaka, 1996) alongside the Mental Load Rating Scale (Hughes, 2023) to link perceptions of increased stress during gameplay with increases in gameplay errors. Participants were allotted a set time to acclimate to fighting game mechanics, then began combo trials. The game used in research (Street Fighter 6) requires precise movements in rapid succession completion the completion of a “combo”. Competitive fighting game players were compared to players lacking fighting game experience in post-participation response measuring stress salience or hindrance perception, as well as total input error comparison. Current findings suggest Competitive fighting game players report factors such as spectator viewing and time limits as hindrances capable of being overcome as opposed to Noncompetitor reports of factors and stressors during game acclimation. Findings between Competitor and Noncompetitor groups allude to cultural significance when navigating gameplay. Future research should continue measuring sociocultural perception of stress when navigating specific genres of video game play and avenues for stress reappraisal techniques.
ContributorsDavis, Nicholas (Author) / Holloway, Steven (Thesis director) / Flores, Valerie (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12