Emily Bullock-Yowell

Relational Aggression in College Students' Dating Relationships

This study focused on romantic relational aggression, a variable that appears to predict intimate partner violence but remains understudied in the college population. College student participants (Nu2009=u2009260) between the ages of 18 and 25 who reported that they had been in a romantic relationship during the past year completed measures of romantic relational aggression, sex role attitudes, acceptance of couple violence, and trait anger. Although respondent gender and sex role attitudes predicted romantic relational aggression as expected, gender did not moderate the relationship between sex role attitudes and relational aggression. Acceptance of violence predicted the perpetration of romantic relational aggression above and beyond the effects of trait anger and sex role attitudes. Trait anger also predicted romantic relational aggression.

Decided and Undecided Students: Career Self-efficacy, Negative Thinking, and Decision-Making Difficulties

The career concern differences between undecided and decided college students (N = 223) are examined. Undecided college students (n = 83) reported lower career decision-making self-efficacy, higher incidences of negative career thoughts, and more career decision-making difficulties than their decided peers (n = 143). Results reveal that undecided students are as ready to make a career-related decision as their decided counterparts but may lack or be receiving inconsistent career information. Academic advising implications include ways to more effectively serve these populations. Practical suggestions from social-cognitive career theory and the cognitive information-processing approach are provided.

Attitudes Toward Anger Management Scale Development and Initial Validation

This article describes the development and preliminary validation of the Attitudes Toward Anger Management Scale (ATAMS), a self-report measure of attitudes toward anger management services. Undergraduate volunteers (N = 415) completed an initial version of the instrument. Principal components analysis yielded a two-factor solution. Convergent and incremental validities were supported.

Understanding Commitment: Relations between Major Commitment, Satisfaction, Involvement, Fit, University Commitment, and Intention to Quit.

Various factors have shown to relate to different forms of career commitment (i.e., affective, continuance, and normative commitment). Commitment has been associated with intent to remain within a profession or organization, suggesting that commitment is an important component of career retention. Correspondingly, commitment to one’s academic major may also provide information about university retention. The current study examined fit (e.g., objective and subjective), attitudes (e.g., organizational commitment, satisfaction, involvement, and intention to quit), and demographic (e.g., semesters in major) factors that have been previously related to career commitment to investigate the construct of major commitment of undergraduate students (N = 303). Using canonical correlation analysis, several significant relationships were found with approximately 69% and 67% of the shared variance between the three forms of major commitment and other variables for Black and White students, respectively, being explained.

Self-Directed Search Response Project

Many of the Holland-based interest assessments differ in the number of answer options they present to clients, with some providing clients more sensitivity with which they can indicate their level of interest. Following anecdotal client comments, a study was developed to determine whether significant changes in inventory results occurred based on the number of answer options presented, while test items remain consistent. Two versions of the Self-Directed Search (SDS)–Fifth Edition were presented to 553 participants across two subsamples (312 Mechanical Turk and 241 college students). The published version of the SDS that presents clients with two response options was used as well as an altered version presenting clients with five-answer options. The internal consistency and profile stability across versions were explored. Statistically significant differences in internal consistency were found. Moderate-to-high profile stability for individuals and across test versions was detected. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Student congruence with academic major: Do hours worked and attitude affect satisfaction and success?

The current study sought to determine if student employment was a significant moderator of the relationship between congruence with college major, academic major satisfaction, and academic major success. Correlation results suggested that student employment has a negative relationship with academic success as measured by grade point average. No study hypotheses were supported but regression analyses showed significant impact of cognitive influences on academic major satisfaction and academic major success. Clinicians are encouraged to aid students in planning the relationship between required work and educational responsibilities, as well as consider implications of negative career thinking on academic satisfaction and success.

The integration of science and practice in one training program: Outcomes of a manualized career counseling group

An example of training Counseling Psychology graduate students in integrating science and practice is detailed through the presentation of the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Cognitive Information Processing approach-based career counseling group. Pilot data on initial group outcomes is presented and involves a sample of 59 undergraduate students that participated in the five-session intervention developed by faculty and students. Following the intervention, participants reported significant decreases in negative thinking and significant increases in career decision-making self-efficacy. The continued development of this collaboration and benefits of involving students in their training as scientist-practitioners is discussed.