Committee Chair
Shelton, Jill T.
Committee Member
Walker, Ruth; Frazier, Leslie D.
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
To challenge the medical model view of disability, this study will be focused on positive characteristics of individuals with disability that enable optimal human functioning, specifically how the need for cognition and attitudes towards technology relate to resilience in individuals with disability. Participants (n = 361) were recruited via Cloud Research/Amazon MTurk, taking an anonymous online survey including the Need for Cognition Scale, Conor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Computer Technology Use Scale. I hypothesized that attitudes towards technology would moderate the relationship between the need for cognition and resilience. Results indicated a small to moderate positive relationship (r = .318) between the need for cognition and resilience, however there was no relationship between attitudes towards technology and need for cognition (r = .04) or resilience (r = -.05). Moderation analysis resulted in a significant model (F (3, 345) = 14.17, p < .001), but the interaction effect was insignificant (b = -.002, 95% CI [-.01, .01], p = .63), suggesting no moderating relationship.
Acknowledgments
First, I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Jill Shelton. Her advice and leadership made this all possible for me. Without her seeing something in me and taking me under her wing I do not know where I would be today. I must also acknowledge the Medical Research Institute which funded the broader project from which this thesis was derived. I would also like to thank the rest of my thesis committee, including Dr. Leslie Frazier and Dr. Ruth Walker, for dedicating time out of their busy schedules to help me improve this document. I would also like to thank all my peers and fellow graduate students who helped work on data cleaning or provided me with feedback or literature recommendations. Additionally, I would like to thank my family, especially my mother Teresa Carpenter and my uncle Wayne Nichols who supported me through this journey. Finally, I would like to thank my beautiful fiancé Haley Hilliard for always being there for me and encouraging me during the times when I doubted myself.
Degree
M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.
Date
5-2025
Subject
Assistive computer technology; People with disabilities--Psychology; Resilience (Personality trait)--Psychological aspects; Self-help devices for people with disabilities; Technology and people with disabilities
Document Type
Masters theses
DCMI Type
Text
Extent
xi, 48 leaves
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Recommended Citation
Carpenter, Daniel Joseph, "Exploring factors that contribute to resilience in individuals with disability" (2025). Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations.
https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1002
Department
Dept. of Psychology