Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences - Theses
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ItemRelationship of neuropathological and environmental factors with temperament in very preterm infants at 12 months of age(University of Melbourne, 2005)
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ItemChecklist of offence pathways for rapists: a clinician's guide to informed intervention( 2005-12)The violent sexual assault of women and the rehabilitation of its perpetrators is an area of crime that has been scarcely researched. The problem of sexual aggression is multi-dimensional and accordingly a comprehensive assessment needs to address a wide range of psychological vulnerabilities and offence process characteristics to enhance treatment customisation. The purpose of this study was to create a clinician rated measure for the treatment classification of rapists – Checklist of Offence Pathways – Rapist Version - and to assess the measure’s reliability and validity. The 15-item measure was created using the framework of the pathways model (Ward & Hudson, 1998; Ward, Hudson, & Keenan, 1998). The measure was divided into two subscales measuring approach vs. avoidant goals and active vs. passive strategies. Both subscales demonstrated significant interrater reliability (r = .53 and r = .46, respectively) as well as internal consistency (a = .50 and a = .60, respectively). The majority (80%) of the inter-item correlations were uncorrelated or weak indicating that the test items were measuring separate constructs. Validity analysis indicated that a number of test items displayed convergent and discriminant validity with established psychometric scales. Overall these results suggest that this measure provides a useful framework for understanding sexual aggression and selecting treatment strategies for rapists, while avoiding some of the pitfalls associated with dissimulation in self-report measures.
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ItemThe creative process: A phenomenological and psychometric investigation of artistic creativity( 2005-08)Although a variety of approaches have been adopted to researching creativity, the phenomenology of creativity has not been well-represented in the literature. This constitutes a significant obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, satisfactory model of the creative process. The current thesis aimed to provide a systematic analysis of the phenomenology of artistic creativity. The thesis also attempted to integrate the analysis of phenomenological aspects of artistic creativity with the more established approaches of creativity-personality and creativity-psychopathology research. Specifically, the research investigated whether the phenomenology of artistic creativity varies in relation to features of personality and psychopathology.
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ItemA prospective study of the relationship between stress, coping and the onset of psychosis in a high risk group( 2005-06)The experience of stress and associated coping responses are often described as playing an important role in the onset of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Despite widespread acceptance of this model, there is little empirical evidence to support such a relationship. This is partly due to a lack of well-designed prospective studies of the onset of psychotic disorders that incorporate different aspects of the stress and coping process. The relatively recent development of validated and reliable criteria for identifying young people at high-risk (UHR) of developing psychosis has enabled the process of onset of psychotic illnesses to be studied more closely than was previously possible. It has also opened the way to the development and evaluation of preventive interventions. This longitudinal study aimed to compare the experiences of stress and coping between a UHR cohort (N = 143) and a group of young people without mental health concerns (HC group, N = 32). In addition, the contribution of stress and coping in the development of acute psychosis in a subgroup of the UHR cohort (UHR-P, n = 18) was also investigated.
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ItemSelf-ambivalence in obsessive-compulsive disorder( 2005-01)According to the cognitive model, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is maintained by various belief factors such as an inflated sense of responsibility, perfectionism and an overestimation about the importance of thoughts. Despite much support for this hypothesis, there is a lack of understanding about the role of self-concept in the maintenance or treatment of OCD. Guidano and Liotti (1983) suggest that individuals who are ambivalent about their self-worth, personal morality and lovability use perfectionistic and obsessive compulsive behaviours to continuously restore self-esteem. This thesis develops a model of OCD that integrates self-ambivalence in the cognitive model of OCD. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemWilliams Syndrome: links between brain, cognition, and behaviour( 2005-10)The interrelationships between brain, cognition, and behaviour are complex but can be more clearly characterised by studying disorders with an underlying genetic basis. This thesis examined these interrelationships in the context of Williams syndrome (WS), a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder that affects aspects of cognition, behaviour, and brain structure. The principal aims of this thesis were to evaluate the cognitive, behavioural, and neuroanatomical profile of WS individuals and to explore the relationships between aspects of the cognitive and behavioural profile and the neuroanatomical changes that are evident in WS. Three general hypotheses, and 10 specific hypotheses, were postulated as a means of exploring these aims. The first general hypothesis predicted that WS individuals would demonstrate distinct features within their cognitive and behavioural profile. Specifically, it was predicted that WS individuals would show relative strengths on verbal tasks and significant deficits on visuospatial and mathematical tasks, in contrast to control participants who were predicted to show a more even profile. It was also predicted that WS individuals would show evidence of heightened affect in response to music and demonstrate hypersociability as compared to control participants
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ItemPeople and networks: psychology, structure, and motivations( 2005)This thesis argues that the anticategorical imperative (Emirbayer & Goodwin, 1994) limits our understanding of social networks. We suggest that the assumption that social network processes play out solely in terms of "self-organising" processes may not capture the complexity of network phenomenon, because similar types of network structures may arise under different actor motivations, with implications for how these structures are utilised and how the network continues to evolve. In a series of four studies, we examine how actors' psychological attributes, identity, values, and psychological strain enhance our understanding of network phenomena. In the first three studies, we examine the propensity of actors with specific psychological predispositions to structure their network in certain ways. In the Study 4, we examine how network structures affect the individuals occupying them. In Study 1 we develop a measurement instrument that we argue is better suited than the available network metrics to examine egocentric networks. We find using this instrument that psychological characteristics are related to the way 125 University of Melbourne students structure their local network. In Studies 2 and 3 we expand the notion of structural holes. Following Simmel (1955), we differentiate between two types of structural holes. Using two small case-studies conducted in Israel, we identify two network orientations (peace-building and entrepreneurial) that relate to individuals who seek and occupy structural holes. In study 4 we examine the psychological distress arising from occupying different triadic configurations of signed (and missing) ties. Using a community sample of 332 people, our results suggest that balance theory may be flawed. In the Discussion, we integrate the findings from the four Studies. We propose a classification of individuals who occupy structural holes based on characteristics of their alters and the network orientation of the broker. We examine the implications of this classification to the evolution of network structures, to identity formation and to leadership.
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ItemEmotional intelligence: conceptual and methodological issues, and its role in coping and well-being( 2005)This research investigates the convergent, divergent, predictive, and incremental validity of emotional intelligence. It addresses five issues. These are: (1) the conceptual and psychometric adequacy of self- and observer-judgements of emotional intelligence; (2) the impact of demographic factors on performance-assessed emotional intelligence; (3) the convergent and divergent validity of performance-assessed emotional intelligence; (4) the role of performance-assessed emotional intelligence in coping and psychological health; and (5) the incremental validity of performance-assessed emotional intelligence in predicting coping and psychological health. A demographically heterogeneous sample (N = 342) completed a performance measure of emotional intelligence, the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002b) and a self-judged measure of emotional intelligence, the Schutte Assessing Emotions Scale (Schutte AES; Schutte et al., 1998). Participants also completed measures of cognitive intelligence, personality, dispositional coping, psychological morbidity, and well-being. Six months later, a subsample (N = 138) was readministered the Schutte AES and completed a measure of ruminative coping. Observers (N = 121) who were well-acquainted with the target respondents (M acquaintance = 13.96 years) completed observer-judgements of emotional intelligence. A principal axis factoring model-fitting procedure with an oblique (promax) rotation recovered a four-factor solution of the Schutte AES. These factors did not converge with the MSCEIT. In addition, the Schutte AES showed a lack of convergence with cognitive intelligence and lack of divergence from personality. The data suggested that some traits indexed by self-judged emotional intelligence measures have low visibility and may not be amenable to observer assessments. Performance-assessed emotional intelligence showed theoretically coherent convergent and divergent validity. Weak relational effects were found for performance-assessed emotional intelligence and age. These were independent of cognitive intelligence and language proficiency. The direction of these was not uniform across the emotional intelligence abilities suggesting that some abilities evidence age-related increments, while others evidence age-related decrements. Although there was a tendency for women to have higher MSCEIT scores, the difference was not significant. There were greater magnitudes of correlations between the MSCEIT and criteria for males compared with females. Low performance-assessed emotional intelligence (MSCEIT Total EIQ) was significantly associated with an avoidant coping style, the severity and psychosocial impact of depressive symptoms, and the breadth and intensity of current psychiatric symptoms. Individuals diagnosed with depression using DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria had significantly lower MSCEIT Total EIQ scores. Those with a past self-reported history of psychiatric difficulties had lower Understanding Emotion but not MSCEIT Total EIQ scores. In addition, low Managing Emotion at Time 1 was associated with a greater self-reported propensity to ruminate at Time 2 (N = 138), approximately 6 months later. MSCEIT TotaI EIQ was also associated with a range of psychological well-being criteria: perceived control over mood experience, recent quality of life, and global assessments of life satisfaction. Performance-assessed emotional intelligence showed incremental predictive efficacy. With the combined explanatory power of the Big Five personality factors and cognitive intelligence statistically accounted for in hierarchical regression analyses, MSCEIT EIQ significantly predicted an avoidant coping style, the severity and psychosocial impact of depressive symptoms, the breadth and intensity of current psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life.
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ItemPhysical exercise activity in individuals with schizophrenia( 2005)Sedentary lifestyle, a common problem in individuals with schizophrenia, presents a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other physical and mental health problems. While attempts have been made to implement exercise interventions in this group, controlled experimental designs are lacking. Furthermore, no study of the determinants of physical exercise in this population has been reported. Therefore, this thesis was designed to investigate the applicability of the transtheoretical model (Di Clemente & Prochaska, 1982), incorporating stages of change, self-efficacy, processes (cognitive and behavioural), and decisional balance, to the prediction of exercise in individuals with schizophrenia. In addition, the role of clinical symptomatology (positive and negative psychotic symptoms and depression) and physical health, both in determining exercise activity and in moderating the transtheoretical model predictors, was examined. Finally, the potential relationship between exercise stage and each of: demographic characteristics, other health risk behaviours, side effects of medication and other psychiatric illness-related characteristics, was explored. Forty-nine individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and receiving treatment in the community participated in this study. The key measures, all administered in the form of an interview, included the Exercise Stages of Change Measure, the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale, the Exercise Processes of Change Scale, the Exercise Decisional Balance Measure, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The physical health variables included Self-Rated Health, blood pressure and body mass index. Overall, there was support for the applicability of the transtheoretical model to exercise behaviour in individuals with schizophrenia. Additionally, increased severity of negative psychotic symptoms and depression and poorer (self-rated) physical health were predictive of lower stages of exercise, with self-rated health having a significant independent contribution. As expected, the transtheoretical model mediating constructs improved the variance in exercise stage explained by clinical symptoms and self-rated health, respectively, though this did not reach statistical significance. As predicted, self-rated health significantly improved the variance in exercise stage explained by the transtheoretical model mediators, with self-rated health making a significant unique contribution to the prediction of exercise stage. However, contrary to expectations, clinical symptomatology did not reliably improve the prediction of exercise stage made by the transtheoretical model mediators. Contrary to expectations, clinical symptomatology and self-rated health did not moderate the relationship between the transtheoretical model mediators and exercise stage. Finally, apart from the health risk behaviour of caffeine consumption, inconsistent with predictions, a relationship between exercise stage and each of demographic characteristics, health risk behaviours, side effects of medication and other psychiatric illness-rated characteristics, was not found. These findings represent a preliminary attempt to understand the determinants of naturally occurring exercise behaviour in a sample of individuals with schizophrenia, which to date, has been largely overlooked in research. It is concluded that while the transtheoretical model may be efficacious in explaining exercise in behaviour in individuals with schizophrenia, the role of self-rated health and the symptoms of schizophrenia in this area of research cannot be underestimated. The implications of these findings for the design of targeted interventions and routine mental health care provision are discussed.
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ItemKnowledge sharing and team performance: the role of leadership and trust( 2005)Previous research on knowledge sharing in teams has identified many factors associated with knowledge sharing such as leadership and trust. However there has been little analysis of the inter-relationships between predictors of knowledge sharing. This thesis examined the role of leadership and trust on fostering knowledge sharing in teams, and its impact on team performance. This thesis also tests whether trust mediates the relation between leadership and knowledge sharing. Data for this study was collected from 34 engineering project teams (n = 27 team leaders, 18 senior managers, 169 team members) from a large automotive organisation. The thesis describes a roles-based approach to team leadership that analyses leadership's relationship with knowledge sharing in two principal roles: Knowledge Builder and Knowledge Sharer. This approach is also used to examine how the performance of team leaders in the two roles influences the performance of their teams on the project. It was found that both the Knowledge Builder and Knowledge Sharer role are highly predictive of knowledge sharing in teams. Leadership performance in the roles discriminated between the highest and lowest performing teams. As expected, the Knowledge Sharer role was more strongly related to knowledge sharing than the Knowledge Builder role. It was found that the two related leadership roles have an indirect effect on knowledge sharing mediated through team trust. This indicates that both the Knowledge Builder and Knowledge Sharer influences team trust, which in turn translates into knowledge sharing. Comparison of two high-knowledge sharing teams and two low-knowledge sharing teams reinforced the findings that leadership and trust are important for team knowledge sharing. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the implications of the results for the scholarly literature on team knowledge sharing and for the management of teams involved in knowledge work.