Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/100504

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Open Access
The role of occupational stressors in sleepiness: a quantitative review
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2004) DeArmond, Sarah, author
Krauss, Chen, DeArmond and Moorcroft (2003) called attention to the lack of research on workplace sleepiness. These authors also proposed a number of antecedents of workplace sleepiness, which included occupational stressors. The current study investigated the relationship between seven occupational stressors and workplace sleepiness/sleepiness surrogates via a meta-analytic approach. The results of the analyses showed that six of the occupational stressors (role ambiguity, role conflict, workload, interpersonal conflict, situational constraints, perceived control) had small to moderate relationships with workplace sleepiness/sleepiness surrogates (the relationship between traumatic/acute stressors and workplace sleepiness/sleepiness surrogates was not analyzed due to an insufficient number of relevant data points). Although moderators were suggested for the relationships between role ambiguity, workload, perceived control, and workplace sleepiness/sleepiness surrogates, only one potential moderator (type of workplace sleepiness/sleepiness surrogate scale) was investigated for the relationship between workload and workplace sleepiness/sleepiness surrogate because of practical constraints. The type of workplace sleepiness scale was not found to moderate the relationship. The meta-analyses suggest that this is an important area for future research.
Open Access
Predicting the paycheck: using machine learning to understand determinants of income
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Benson, Annika, author; Prasad, Josh, advisor; Gardner, Danielle, committee member; Prince, Mark, committee member; Conroy , Samantha, committee member
Income is a variable of interest in industrial/organizational psychology due to its relationship with outcomes like turnover, motivation, and psychological well-being. However, current research on income has generally assumed a linear relationship between predictors and income, not accounting for potential curvilinear effects or variable interactions. Further, studies on income indicate that large amounts of variance are unaccounted for, suggesting there are predictors yet to be identified. This study addresses those gaps in the research by using machine learning techniques and a large archival data set to investigate the strength and nature of how variables contribute to predicting income. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of machine learning techniques over traditional OLS regression and identifies variables not found currently in the literature. Findings from this research can be used both to create more effective organizational compensation systems as well as indicate targets for interventions to address income inequality.
Open Access
Assessing associations between empathy, attitudes towards animal welfare, and stress in dairy farm workers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Curcio, Hannah, author; Stallones, Lorann, advisor; Cramer, Catie, committee member; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Graham, Dan, committee member
Livestock farmers face job-specific stressors that increase their overall risk of stress-related diseases and deaths. While the literature suggests a relationship between farm workers' levels of empathy, their own well-being, and the welfare of their livestock animals, little research has adequately investigated these potential associations. Furthermore, empathy towards animals has been linked to attitudes about and indicators of animal welfare, but no previous research had assessed levels of empathy in dairy workers specifically towards their dairy cattle. The present study, thus, assessed the relationships between empathy towards dairy cattle, attitudes towards animal welfare, stress related to the welfare of cattle, and stress pileup in dairy farm workers. Specifically, I hypothesized that dairy workers' levels of empathy towards dairy cattle would be positively correlated with their attitudes towards animal welfare; dairy workers' levels of stress related to the welfare of cattle would be negatively correlated with their levels of empathy towards dairy cattle and their attitudes towards animal welfare; and, dairy workers' stress pileup (as measured by the number of stressors participants reported often caused them stress) would be negatively correlated with their levels of empathy towards dairy cattle and their attitudes towards animal welfare. As hypothesized, dairy workers' stress pileup was negatively correlated with levels of empathy towards dairy cattle. No evidence was found in support of the other hypotheses. However, additional exploratory analyses found relationships between empathy and the following variables: a positive relationship with years working in production livestock, a negative relationship with size of herd, primary language (such that participants with English as their primary language had significantly higher empathy for dairy cattle scores than those with Spanish as their primary language), and birth country (such participants born in the United States had significantly higher empathy for dairy cattle scores than participants born in Mexico). While limited, the results highlight the ways in which the well-being of farm workers and the welfare of their livestock are interconnected and posits that empathy may play a crucial role.
Open Access
Validation of the emotional availability self-report for use with children 0-5 years
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Scherbak, Veronica E., author; Dik, Bryan, advisor; Prince, Mark, committee member; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel, committee member; Merz, Emily, committee member
Emotional availability (EA) is a relationship construct that is used to assess the health and quality of the relationship between a caregiver and their child by examining the contribution of each member of the relationship. Empirical research has found a great deal of evidence that EA is an important factor to consider in parent-child relationship research and is linked with various parental and child outcomes, such as mental health issues, and various child development issues, such as depression and personality disorders in mothers and children's development of theory of mind. Most of the extant research measures EA using an observational EA System (Biringen et al., 2014). However, in 2002, an Emotional-Availability - Self-Report (EA-SR) instrument was introduced to assess parental perceptions of EA in their relationship with their child (Biringen et al., 2002). Evidence for the validity of EA-SR scores has been established for use with children 0-18 months, but has yet to be investigated with older children. This study aimed to establish the reliability and validity of scores on the EA-SR for use with children 0-5 years of age. Data analysis included an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to determine the factor structure of the EA-SR, as well as an examination of convergent and discriminant correlations between EA-SR scores and those on other measures. Initial evidence was found that a 13-item short form of the EA-SR may be a valid and reliable measure of EA for children ages 3-5.
Embargo
Promoting safety through diversity management: diversity climate, racial ethnicity, and safety voice
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Beckel, Julia Lynn Otero, author; Gardner, Danielle, advisor; Prasad, Joshua, committee member; Prince, Mark, committee member; Rosecrance, John, committee member
Given a sustained increase and undue burden of work-related injury and illness among racial-ethnic minorities in the United States, the current study aimed to provide a preliminary understanding into mechanisms which might lend to occupational health disparities. I utilized a two-wave survey approach via Prolific, a web-based survey platform, to gather perceptions from workers in high-risk industries (e.g., construction, manufacturing, healthcare, etc.) relating to their work groups' diversity climate, perceived organizational identification and psychological safety, worker safety voice, and occupational safety and health history. I considered four research questions: 1) How do employee perceptions of their organization's diversity climate relate to worker safety voice, 2) Do workers' perceptions of psychological safety and organizational commitment mediate the relationship between perceived diversity climate and worker safety voice, 3) What racial-ethnic differences exist in the indirect effects of diversity climate on worker safety voice via psychological safety and organizational identification?, and 4) If racial-ethnic difference in safety voice exist, are they also associated with differences in self-reported occurrences of accidents, injuries, or work-related illnesses across racial-ethnic groups? Results demonstrate the indirect effect of diversity climate on safety voice is significant via psychological safety, but not organizational identity. However, these effects did not influence occupational incident occurrence by race/ethnicity. I discuss relevant implications for theory and practice.
Open Access
The association between occupational complexity and white matter in the brain
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Diaz, Jazmin, author; Thomas, Michael, advisor; Burzynska, Agnieszka, committee member; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Fisher, Gwenith, committee member
Occupational complexity (OCC) refers to experiences that increase one's environmental stimulation in a job and provide greater opportunities for skill development. Understanding the association between OCC and brain white matter is critical in aging research as it can elucidate the potential protective effects of stimulating environments on brain health and shed light on strategies for preserving microstructural integrity as individuals age. The current study examines whether working a complex job is associated with white matter integrity, determined by fractional anisotropy (FA). Participants included 58 healthy adults aged 18-85 (M = 49.2, SD =21.7) who completed diffusion-weighted imaging scans and a subcategory of a validated work survey to assess OCC. A principal component analysis reduced the survey items to four meaningful constructs. Higher age was consistently associated with lower FA. Information processing was significantly associated with FA in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Additionally, a significant interaction between information processing and age in the forceps major suggests the effect of OCC on FA is dependent on age. These findings highlight that while OCC is associated with FA, its effects may vary by regions and age, pointing to a more nuanced relationship between work characteristics and brain health.
Open Access
At what point does a behavior become child abuse? A closer look at the chronicity of child maltreatment and culture
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Varavei, Hesam, author; Harman, Jennifer, advisor; Henry, Kimberly, committee member; Fisher, Gwen, committee member; Brown, Samantha, committee member
Child abuse/maltreatment is an issue that faces many families in the United States. One element of debate regarding the lack of unity in defining child abuse, is the chronicity of the abusive behaviors, or the duration/frequency of child abuse within the life of a child. A major factor that affects chronicity is the culture/ethnicity of a person, as child-rearing behaviors have been found to differ between various cultures. The current study aims to answer three main research questions: how often does a behavior have occur for someone to perceive it as abusive, do ethnic differences exist when looking at the perceptions of different types of abuse, and what demographic characteristics are most associated with the perceptions of each category of abuse. I will examine how often each behavior must occur before it is perceived as child abuse; using an original survey of three types of abusive behaviors: physical, sexual, and psychological. Results indicate that for physical and sexual abuse, all behaviors had a majority percentage for the choice "Once"; while for psychological abuse, all but two behaviors had majority percentage for the response "Once". Findings also showed that the group differences for ethnicity were not significant across any of the abuse types. Lastly, results of a multilevel model using all variables showed that the most significant demographic factors for physical abuse ratings were ethnicity, gender, and previous experience of physical and sexual abuse; for sexual abuse ratings was gender; and for psychological abuse ratings were gender, ethnicity, and age.
Open Access
Identifying risk and protective factors for cannabis hangovers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) McFarland, Naomi M., author; Karoly, Hollis, advisor; Prince, Mark, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Riggs, Nathaniel, committee member
Objective: An understudied topic in the cannabis field is the cannabis hangover. Cannabis hangovers are defined as unwanted consequences of cannabis use occurring either the next-day or same day after the acute effects have worn off. Cannabis hangovers have been described by people who use cannabis in self-report social media posts; however, there are inconsistent findings in the current literature. The inconsistency in the current literature may be largely due to low validity and the limited range of symptoms investigated. The present study sought to identify the prevalence and severity of cannabis hangover symptoms, explore facets of cannabis use (e.g., quantity, frequency, route of administration, tolerance) as predictors, and exploring the associations between protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and cannabis hangover occurrence and severity. Method: 1211 adult college students who reported using cannabis at least once in their lifetime were recruited from the psychology research pool at Colorado State University over 2 semesters. Participants completed a survey on their cannabis use patterns, cannabis hangover experiences, and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) for cannabis use, along with general information questionnaires (e.g., demographics). Results: Overall, the study results provide evidence for heterogeneity in both the endorsement of cannabis hangover symptoms and the severity ratings. 91.4% of the sample reported at least one cannabis hangover symptom with a mean total number of symptoms of 7.5 (SD=6.07). The average mean severity across symptoms was 4.73 (SD=1.69). Each predictor was significantly associated with the likelihood of at least one cannabis hangover symptom. Tolerance and average PBS frequency were the most robust predictors of cannabis hangover symptom occurrence such that tolerance significantly predicted a higher likelihood of endorsing 29 symptoms and average PBS frequency significantly predicted a greater likelihood of not endorsing 19 symptoms. Only flower use, tolerance and average PBS frequency significantly predicted the rate of total number of cannabis hangover symptoms, whereby flower use and tolerance predicted a higher rate of total number of cannabis hangover symptoms and average PBS frequency predicted a lower rate. None of the predictors were significantly associated with cannabis hangover severity ratings. Conclusion: This study describes a high prevalence rate and moderate severity of cannabis hangovers, with tolerance and protective behavioral strategies emerging as key predictors of symptom occurrence and total symptom count. The results suggest that interventions aimed at lowering tolerance and promoting PBS use may be more effective in reducing the occurrence of cannabis hangovers than simply focusing on changing patterns of use. Future research should use longitudinal designs to investigate causal relationships and explore potential confounding variables, such as contextual factors, to better understand cannabis hangover symptom occurrence and severity.
Open Access
American Indian adolescent methamphetamine use: an examination of region/identity variations and the impact of protective factors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Fredrickson, Gereon J., author; Prince, Mark, advisor; Emery, Noah, committee member; Swaim, Randall, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee member
Objective: Studies suggest that American Indians (AI) have high rates of methamphetamine use and indicate that AI youth have a significantly higher prevalence of past year methamphetamine use relative to non-Hispanic Whites. Methamphetamine use has been associated with an increased risk of morbidity and many adverse long-term effects. Minimal research explores region and identity differences with methamphetamine use and primarily focuses on risk-factors that lead to higher levels of use. The proposed study sought to identify protective factors that increase abstinence and reduce patterns of use among adolescent AIs by exploring the impact of parental monitoring, positive social/peer support, positive self-esteem, ethnic pride, and ethnic experience on age of initiation and past-year methamphetamine use. Method: This study is a secondary data analysis of survey data collected form an epidemiological research study with AI youth. The current study uses data collected from the Fall of 2015 through the Fall of 2019. Participants included 14,769 adolescents, grades 7-12th, from 103 different schools, across seven distinct regions of the contiguous United States. Analysis Plan: Since lifetime methamphetamine use was reported in only 3.7% of the data, past-year use was dichotomized to account for varying modeling effects and model convergence. Means, frequencies, and standard deviations were calculated for all variables as well as bivariate correlations. To model the protective factors, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used which included testing for model fit and psychometrics of the protective factor scales. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were completed to determine fit of the items for each protective factor, with invariance testing at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. Firth's Penalized Likelihood logistic regression and censored regressions were used to examine direct effects between the five protective factors (parental monitoring, positive peer/social influence, self-esteem, ethnic pride, and ethnic experience) and two methamphetamine use outcome variables (i.e., age of initiation and past-year use). Results: Key findings in this study were that males in middle school that identified as AI-multi-ethnic living in the Northeast region and males in high school that identified as AI-multi-ethnic living in the Southern Great Plains region endorsed significantly more methamphetamine use in the past year with an earlier age of initiation. Additionally, parental knowledge, positive peer/social influence, and internal self-esteem increased the likelihood for AI adolescents to have not initiated methamphetamine use. Lastly, parental knowledge, positive peer/social influence, internal and external self-esteem, and ethnic experience factors were significant in increasing the likelihood that AI adolescents did not engage in methamphetamine use in the past year. Conclusions: This study provides powerful recommendations for programs that target AI adolescent methamphetamine use to further prevent initiation and build resilience. It demonstrates the need to foster parental knowledge, positive peer/social influence, self-esteem, and ethnic experience as protective factors. Understanding these factors within the AI community that contribute to positive outcomes for adolescents can help further programs, schools, and communities as prevention strategies implore techniques to maximize effectiveness in reducing overall AI adolescent substance use. Further, these results have implications for future research on prevention of AI adolescent methamphetamine use.
Open Access
The effects of personality and social determinants of health on sports-related concussion risk: an examination of symptom reporting, concussion incidence, and return to play
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Weishaar, Megan Gardner, author; Conner, Bradley T., advisor; Prince, Mark A., committee member; Davalos, Deana B., committee member; Stephens, Jaclyn A., committee member
Sports-related concussion (SRC), a form of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs during sport participation or recreation, has emerged as a public health concern among adolescent athletes in the United States in recent decades due to increasing knowledge of high incidence rates. Important factors such as return to play (RTP) timeline and symptom reporting behaviors have been shown to contribute to SRC incidence. As a result, recent research has called for work that identifies a parsimonious group of variables that are salient in identifying athletes most at risk of outcomes such as early RTP, higher SRC incidence, and symptom nondisclosure. A small body of work has established that certain personality characteristics and social determinants of health are associated with these SRC outcomes. However, few specific personality and social determinants of health factors have been examined, few studies have investigated predictors of SRC incidence and RTP outcomes specifically, and a small number of these studies have investigated these research questions among adolescent athletes despite high rates of athletic participation and SRC incidence. The current study sought to expand previous work to further elucidate relations between a myriad of personality and social determinants of health predictors, and time to RTP, diagnosed SRC, and symptom reporting outcomes among adolescent athletes (N = 317, ages 14-19). The ultimate goal of the study was to identify personality and social determinants of health factors most salient in SRC outcomes to inform practical tailoring of prevention and intervention strategies. Participants were adolescents who were currently enrolled in high school or college or were enrolled in high school within the past calendar year, participated in a high school or club sport in the past year, and either denied sustaining a diagnosed SRC in the past year (N = 156) or endorsed sustaining a diagnosed SRC in the past year (N = 161). Data were collected through a one-time online survey that took participants 20-30 minutes to complete. Participants were compensated via an online gift card or course credit. Recruitment methods included outpatient medical clinics, high school athletic trainers, sports gyms and tournaments, Twitter, and university research pools. Analyses included a series of Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models investigating associations between personality and social determinants of health predictors and time to RTP, diagnosed SRC incidence, and symptom reporting outcomes (i.e., honesty and comfort in symptom reporting). Overall, study results bolstered the conclusion that 1. Personality and social determinants of health factors are important in predicting SRC outcomes and 2. The relations between personality and SRC outcomes are highly nuanced, depending upon specific personality facets, outcome, and sample characteristics. Study results inform athletes, peers and family of athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and other medical professionals about which personality and social determinants of health variables are most salient in SRC risk, thus informing prevention and intervention efforts for SRC such that they can be more personalized and tailored at the individual, environmental, and systems levels.
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Vocational Discernment Through Faith Scale: development and validation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Alayan, Alexandra J., author; Dik, Bryan J., advisor; Anderson, Sharon, committee member; Prince, Mark, committee member; Gibbons, Alyssa, committee member
People who identify as religious/spiritual may pray for direction and then wait until a clear response is received, however, theologians have argued that God has historically guided career paths indirectly through one's utilization of resources aiding in self-reflection and career discernment. Practical career development recommendations have encouraged students who may identify as religious or spiritual to take active discernment approaches instead of passive discernment approaches within the career decision-making process. There is a paucity of research quantitatively exploring the role of religion/spirituality in one's career decision-making process. The current project involved two studies designed to comprehensively explore and investigate the validity and reliability of the Vocational Discernment Through Faith Scale, which quantitatively measured the constructs of passive discernment and active discernment approaches to the career decision-making process. Participants were undergraduate students at Colorado State University, a large Western (U.S.) public university, recruited from the population of students enrolled in introductory psychology courses. Results indicated initial evidence of psychometrically sound qualities of a condensed two-factor scale that showed adequate to good fit across factor analysis processes using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (Study One) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (Study Two). Results also suggested strong internal consistency reliability for the two dimensions of the scale, and promising test-retest reliability results. These results are promising, and point to the need for future research that continues to investigate the factor structure of the Vocational Discernment through Faith Scale.
Open Access
The role of coping in depression and anxiety outcomes of US Latinx cancer patients
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Vigodnier, Eva Victoria, author; Chavez, Ernest, advisor; Borrayo, Evelinn, advisor; Prince, Mark, committee member; Gonzalez-Voller, Jessica, committee member
Cancer diagnosis and treatment are related to adverse mental health outcomes, including increased depression and anxiety symptoms. Literature shows that lung cancer (LC) and head and neck cancer (HNC) patients report among the highest rates of depression and anxiety. These outcomes have been shown to be worse among medically underserved cancer patients, including the US Latinx population. However, no research exists that investigates rates of depression and anxiety among US Latinx LC and HNC patients nor potential protective factors. Further, research shows that the ways in which people cope with stressors has both positive and negative impact on mental health factors. The present study analyzed coping, depression, and anxiety outcomes among medically underserved US Latinx cancer patients. Results indicate that 29.51% of medically underserved US Latinx people newly diagnosed with LC or HNC report clinically relevant depression symptoms and 59.02% report clinically relevant anxiety symptoms. Self-efficacy in several forms of adaptive coping were also found to serve as protective factors toward depression and/or anxiety symptomatology and differences in coping self-efficacy were observed between individuals that met the clinical cut-offs for depression and/or anxiety across various coping strategies. Self-efficacy in coping strategies that were problem-focused and aimed at stopping unpleasant thoughts and emotions, were found to be most predictive of reduced depressive and anxious symptomatology. The present study is the first to explicate mental health outcomes among US Latinx people newly diagnosed with LC or HNC and to identify salient coping factors that buffer depression and anxiety symptoms. Implications for mental health intervention in oncological treatment settings are discussed.
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Multi-dimensional aspects of mindfulness: psychometric evaluation, neurobiological underpinnings, and experiential insights
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Duffy, John R., author; Thomas, Michael L., advisor; Davalos, Deana, committee member; Graham, Dan, committee member; Stephans, Jaclyn, committee member
Objective: This dissertation aimed to deepen our understanding of mindfulness by exploring a psychometric evaluation of self-report scales, neurobiological underpinnings, and experiential insights in a multidimensional approach. The objective encompassed three specific aims: firstly, to evaluate the psychometric effectiveness of two self-report scales; the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) within populations diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ensuring these tools' validity and reliability while addressing the complexity of mindfulness. Secondly, the research intended to synthesize existing literature on brain networks related to mindfulness through an umbrella review (a review of reviews / metanalyses), aimed to clarify the neural mechanisms of mindfulness. Thirdly, the study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare brain activity between a control group performing a visualization task (control) and a group engaged in a guided compassion meditation (experimental). This comprehensive framework sought to advance the field of mindfulness research by integrating psychometric analysis, brain network review synthesis, and experimental neuroimaging to enhance theoretical understanding of mindfulness. Method: We employed a three-pronged methodological approach. Firstly, a psychometric evaluation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) to assess their reliability and validity in a PTSD-affected veteran population. Secondly, we conducted an umbrella review to synthesize existing research on brain networks and connectivity related to mindfulness to map out neural correlates and their implications. Thirdly, an experimental study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) compared neural activation patterns between participants engaged in a visualization task and those practicing guided compassion meditation, aimed to identify distinct neural activities associated with this mindfulness practices. Results: The psychometric evaluation of the MAAS and FFMQ confirmed their validity and reliability in assessing mindfulness in PTSD populations, highlighting mindfulness as a complex, multifaceted construct. An umbrella review of existing literature demonstrated the significant impact of mindfulness on brain connectivity, particularly in the DMN, CEN, and SN networks. The experimental fMRI study revealed distinct neural activation patterns between compassion mindfulness and a visualization task, with compassion mindfulness showing decreased activity in regions involved in emotional regulation and cognitive functions, such as the medial superior prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. Conclusions: These findings affirm the utility of MAAS and FFMQ reliability and validity, but demand more nuanced research based on a more multifaceted concept of mindfulness. The impact of mindfulness on large-scale brain networks underscores its potential to enhance cognitive and emotional regulation through neuroplasticity. However, significant methodological variability across studies calls for standardized research protocols to ensure consistency and reliability. Future research should address these limitations, explore the long-term effects of mindfulness, and include diverse populations to improve the generalizability of mindfulness-based interventions. Finally, significant differences in neural activation patterns between visualization tasks and compassion mindfulness meditation, indicate that such mindfulness practices may uniquely influence brain regions associated with emotional regulation and cognitive processes. These findings highlight the potential of compassion mindfulness to modulate brain activity in these areas, offering insights into its mechanisms and benefits.
Open Access
Enhancing visual search performance: investigating cue effectiveness, dual cueing, automation bias, and attentional tunneling in complex search scenes with head-mounted displays
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Warden, Amelia C., author; Cleary, Anne, advisor; Wickens, Christopher D., advisor; Graham, Dan, committee member; Arefin, Mohammad, committee member
In large complex environments, such as urban driving or flying a plane, human attention may be overloaded, leading to negative consequences when encountering expected and unexpected hazards, like pedestrians crossing the street or a cart on the runway. In such situations, the searcher may benefit from attention cues presented with an HMD. The current experiments address gaps in HMD attention cueing by investigating the effectiveness of different cue properties: cue precision, dual-cueing, cue frame-of-reference, and the impact of imperfectly reliable automation. In all three experiments, participants searched for a routine target (cued or uncued) and an uncued, less expected high priority target. Search efficiency was examined across three different platforms with increasing search field sizes and realism: a static search with a 2D wide-angle desktop display (Experiment 1), a static search presented with an augmented-reality head-mounted display (AR-HMD; Experiment 2), and dynamic search in a 3D virtual reality environment (Experiment 3). Search performance benefited from cueing compared to an unaided search in all experiments. Dual-cueing provided the greatest benefit with the AR-HMD when the searcher's field-of-view (FOV) was constrained by the device's FOV because the searcher benefited from a global cue that indicated which direction they could find the locally cued target. While cueing improved search efficiency, cues showed an overall automation bias, with searchers blindly following incorrect automation. This bias was slightly amplified by the dual cue compared to the single cue. Lastly, there was a trend suggesting automation-based attentional tunneling, where the uncued, less expected high priority target was missed. Overall, attention cueing significantly enhances search performance, particularly with dual cues when targets appear outside of the searcher's FOV. But cueing also introduces an automation bias. These findings have design implications for optimizing automated cueing systems for various platforms to enhance hazard detection in real-world large scenes.
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Examining science/knowledge gaps within occupational health psychology, organizational training, and performance feedback
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Kunz, James, author; Fisher, Gwenith, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Brazile, William, committee member
Identifying and minimizing knowledge gaps between science and practice within Industrial-Organizational (I-O) is essential to improve workers' health and wellbeing as well as their broader experiences at work by ensuring that organizations use empirically supported practices. Though the science/practice gap has been recognized and studied in some areas of I-O psychology, such as selection, the purpose of this study was to investigate the science/knowledge gap in new subfields such as occupational health psychology (OHP) and performance feedback. The current study also attempted to assess the science/knowledge gap in organizational training, which has been examined in previous research. However, our study not only examined the science/knowledge gap among practitioners, as previous research has, but also among academics for all three subtopics of OHP, performance feedback, and organizational training. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between 218 participants' demographic variables (e.g., occupation, self-perceived expertise) and their knowledge of I-O psychology research measured by true/false items summarizing published findings. Results indicated academics answered more true/false items correctly compared to practitioners. However, findings regarding relationships between correct responding and participants' coursework on relevant topics were mixed. Implications from these findings are discussed in light of empirical and applied contributions to the literature.
Open Access
Development of a behavioral measurement of sensation seeking personality trait and its association with negative health outcomes
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) DiCecco, Samuel M., author; Seger, Carol, advisor; Conner, Brad, advisor; Davies, Patti, committee member; Karoly, Hollis, committee member
Sensation seeking, a personality trait in which an individual has the tendency to pursue novel and highly stimulating experiences and often engages in risky behaviors to do so, is associated with several negative health outcomes when paired with low cognitive control. These outcomes include higher rates of substance misuse, self-harm, problem gambling, risky sexual behavior, engaging in dangerous sports, and criminal activities. It would be beneficial to have valid ways of measuring the trait to address or prevent these negative health outcomes from occurring. The sensation seeking personality trait is typically only measured using self-report surveys, even though it manifests itself behaviorally. Creation of behavioral measurements of sensation seeking may aid in the understanding of the trait and its behavioral effects, as well as aid in prevention of negative health outcomes. Previous attempts to measure sensation seeking behaviorally have not been successful, potentially due to the inherent nature of the trait being difficult to elicit in standard laboratory tasks and environments, and use of extrinsic rather than intrinsic motivators. I developed two novel emergent behavioral tasks to measure observed changes in participant-driven behavior and related these task variables to each individual's measured sensation seeking personality trait. I also assessed whether these new task measures correlated with reported negative health behaviors that have been associated with sensation seeking. This dissertation consists of three studies utilizing these novel emergent behavioral tasks. The first compared task measures to self-report measures of sensation seeking and personality traits, the second served as a replication and looked at relations between task measures and risky behaviors, and the third developed a virtual reality variant of the tasks. Several of the behavioral measurements within the emergent behavior tasks showed significant relations with sensation seeking personality trait, in particular measures of risky or "dangerous" decisions made in Studies 1 and 2 that correlated with the risk seeking subtype of sensation seeking personality trait. Study 3 found that implementing the behavioral tasks in virtual reality resulted in weaker, rather than stronger, relationships between the behavioral measures and self-report measures. Together, these studies found that the emergent tasks implemented using standard computer interfaces, but not virtual reality, show promise as valid behavioral measurements of sensation seeking personality trait.
Open Access
Validating a points-based effort expenditure for rewards task
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Sturm, Emily T., author; Thomas, Michael L., advisor; Seger, Carol, committee member; Stephens, Jaclyn, committee member; Tompkins, Sara Anne, committee member
Invalid performance on neurocognitive tests due to lack of effort expenditure is a concern for researchers and clinicians. Performance validity tests determine when adequate effort has been expended, but they fail to differentiate between subcomponents of effort that may be responsible for poor performance. The Effort Expenditure for Reward Task (EEfRT) is a task that provides separate measurements of reward processing and valuation constructs which could be informative as performance validity indicators. However, previous versions of the EEfRT use monetary performance-based rewards to investigate the expected value of effort, which can be problematic due to the influence of socio-economic factors and potential to systematically disadvantage participants with neurocognitive disorders. This study first aimed to examine the construct validity, specifically, the construct representation of a points-based version of the EEfRT online and in-person. The second aim of this study, which is exploratory, is to characterize patterns in embedded performance validity test performance obtained for separate neurocognitive measures as well as the EEfRT, thereby informing nomothetic span, or patterns of significant relations across measures of effort. This aim assessed whether the scores from the EEfRT indicate performance validity in other domains. Online participants (n = 342) from Prolific.com for the online sample and in-person participants (n = 27) were recruited via advertisements. Participants completed a battery including the EEfRT along with three working memory tasks, two executive functioning tasks, and one reward learning task. Results of regression analyses showed that, as hypothesized, both online and in-person participants chose hard tasks significantly more often at higher reward levels and at higher probability levels. However, contrary to expectations, a significant interaction between reward and group showed that points were more motivating in the online setting compared to in-person. Exploratory latent profile analysis revealed no clear pattern in embedded performance validity tests within the EEfRT or across other tasks. The results of this study suggest that a points-based version of the EEfRT is potentially valid for measuring effort-based decision making, but more research is needed before it can be called an objective measure of effort in the context of validating performance on cognitive tests.
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Going with the flow: employee flow experiences across the creative profession spectrum
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Lizerbram, Ryan S., author; Fisher, Gwen, advisor; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Rhodes, Matthew, committee member; Beer, Laura, committee member
Ties between the psychological state of flow and creativity, as well as flow and occupational health, have been documented relatively well within the organizational psychological literature, but fewer studies attempt to bridge these relationships together in a single study, especially when considering the lens of work design. In this study, I sought to test a model comprising work design, creative processes, flow experiences, and occupational health variables to empirically examine whether creative problem-solving and work-related flow mediate the relationship between job characteristics and worker well-being. I conducted an online self-report survey among a convenience sample of 326 workers employed in a variety of occupations. In general, the results provided support for the hypothesized model. Results indicated that job characteristics relate to creative problem-solving, flow, and worker well-being, which can inform ways to possibly increase flow at work. This research contributes to the broader literature that has previously identified numerous benefits of work-related flow, such as positive mood, overall well-being, in-role job performance, organizational citizenship behaviors, work recovery, and depleted burnout.
Open Access
Veterinary school instructor knowledge and use of study strategies
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Osborn, Rebecca M., author; Rhodes, Matthew, advisor; Cleary, Anne, committee member; Tompkins, Sara Anne, committee member; Balgopal, Meena, committee member
Empirically supported study strategies have been investigated for years and there has been a growing body of research on what strategies undergraduate students know of and utilize while studying. However, there is less research on instructor knowledge and endorsement of study strategies as they can serve as a guide to students in how to study. Professional schools (e.g., medical, pharmacy, or veterinary schools) have little to no research evaluating what strategies instructors encourage to students while the population of students are meant to be lifelong learners. In the current study, instructors in veterinary medicine were surveyed on their knowledge and endorsement of study strategies including learning scenarios where participants rated strategy effectiveness. The endorsement of study strategies was also correlated with the ranking and acceptance rate of the veterinary school the instructor teaches at to determine if there is a relationship of empirically supported study strategies and the ranking of school quality. The survey found that instructors endorsed both beneficial and nonbeneficial study strategies and learning scenarios but were more likely to encourage empirically supported strategies to students. The ranking and acceptance rate of the school showed no correlation with more endorsement of those beneficial strategies. The results of this survey demonstrate veterinary instructors have a slight preference for empirically supported learning strategies but continue to hold some misconceptions on learning. Further research is needed to determine how best to reach and inform this instructor population, but veterinary instructors are highly motivated to learn more about how best to teach veterinary students.
Open Access
Identifying and evaluating factors that enhance former offenders' hiring-related outcomes
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Anderson, Kemol J., author; Cleveland, Jeanette, advisor; Gibbons, Alyssa, advisor; Dik, Bryan, committee member; Henle, Chris, committee member; Kraiger, Kurt, committee member
Former offenders face several barriers to re-entry into society and the workplace. One such barrier includes employers' negative and unfounded attitudes of former offenders, which may lead to unfair bias in hiring. Crandall and Eshleman's (2003) justification-suppression model (JSM) posits that such prejudicial attitudes can be suppressed. Guided by the JSM theoretical framework, the current two-study project was designed to (1) identify prejudice suppression factors that might increase employers' willingness to hire former offenders – more specifically former minor drug offenders (FMDOs) and (2) test the efficacy of two suppression factors in a hypothetical hiring setting. Study 1 was an interview study of 13 employers, across several industries, on what factors made them more likely to consider hiring FMDOs. Thematic analysis results yielded 30 factors that were classified as situation-related, employer-related, and applicant-related suppression factors. The two most frequently endorsed prejudice suppression factors were: (1) evidence of the applicant's desistance & positive change, and (2) evidence of the applicant's honest disclosure of their background. In Study 2, the efficacy of these two suppression factors (desistance and disclosure) was tested to assess whether FMDOs' hiring-related outcomes were improved by manipulating suppressor evidence (desistance, disclosure, or no suppressor) and the offense type of the applicant (traffic offense, minor drug offense, and serious drug-related offense) in a hypothetical hiring context, for a retail sales associate position. Using a sample of 230 hiring managers in a retail setting, a significant main effect of offense type was found. No significant main effect was found for suppressor evidence on hiring recommendations. Neither offense type nor suppressor evidence was related to participants' concerns about hiring the applicants, or their proposed starting salary for applicants. Implications of these findings, alternative theoretical explanations, limitations, and future directions are discussed.