Digital Commons Network^™

Aggression In And Out Of The Surrounding Space, Marissa Incer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social isolation is a type of punishment used to address misbehavior in individuals, such as children with time-outs and prisoners in solitary confinement. It was thought to be an effective method for teaching good behavior or alleviating tense situations. However, this type of punishment may worsen the punished individual’s aggression depending on the environment of isolation. The current study was divided into two experiments. In the first experiment, participants were isolated in a small (2x2 feet) or large (6x6 feet) space to observe if the space alone affected their aggression. In the second experiment, a frustration-inducing task was given to …

Associations Among Self-Regulation, Life Stress, And Suicidal Ideation In Adolescents: A Developmental Psychopathology Approach, Yifan Yuan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Suicide is a major public health concern among adolescents. Although research has made progress in identifying risk factors for youth suicidality, there has been less focus on early developmental antecedents of youth suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Taking a developmental psychopathology perspective, we examined longitudinal associations among multiple aspects of self-regulation (i.e., emotion regulation, emotion reactivity, parasympathetic regulation, inhibitory control), life stress, and suicidal ideation. We hypothesized that deficits in self-regulation during middle childhood and early adolescence and greater life stress during early and middle childhood would predict higher lifetime suicidal ideation reported in adolescence.

Method: Participants were adolescents ( …

Examining Measures Of Eeg As Biomarkers For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shuhan Liang

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A central aim of this study was to determine whether there are consistent differences in a variety of ERPs and/or resting state measures of EEG between children diagnosed with ASD and psychiatric controls. Additionally, we aimed to determine whether any of those differences would generalize to the neural correlates of continuous measures of autistic tendencies in the general population. We classified EEG data into three categories: basic sensory responses, cognitive/perceptual ERPs, and resting state measures. Our study indicated that basic sensory responses and cognitive/perceptual event-related potentials (ERPs) did not differentiate autistic individuals from controls. For resting-state measures, the high gamma …

Sleep And Early Childhood Stressors In College Students: Examining Alcohol Use As A Moderator, Sylvain N. Chassagneux

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Early childhood stressors (ECS) consist of certain emotional, physical, or sexual experiences that may have long term consequences including sleep problems. Previous research has also found that alcohol use can negatively affect sleep; however, few studies have investigated alcohol use as a moderator of the relationship between sleep and other variables. In the current study, we examined whether the relationship between a general measure of ECS and sleep in college students may be moderated by alcohol use, a common psychoactive substance among this age group. Additionally, we examined this model with emotional abuse and neglect as a measure of ECS. …

Cognitive Decline And Contact Sports: The Relationship Between P3 Amplitude And Sub-Concussive Head Impact, Elizabeth Kerman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study sought to explore the effect of repetitive sub-concussive head impacts on the P3 event-related potential (ERP) amplitude and measures of movement kinematics. University students participating in collision, contact, and non-contact sports at the club and varsity level completed a cued visuomotor adaptation task. Results indicated that participants who estimated experiencing four or more sub-concussive head impacts per week display a significantly reduced P3 amplitude across both normal and adaptive trials. Additionally, participants who estimated experiencing less than four sub-concussive head impacts per week displayed no significant changes in P300 amplitude between “switch” and “stay” trials. This research …

The Superpower Of Sleep: Poor Sleep Quality Predicts Worse Executive Control Under Conditions Of Stress, Lilly M. Mcclendon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Over 60% of college students do not obtain the minimum recommended amount of sleep daily and over 54% experience above average levels of stress. Exposure to stress and poor sleep are each related to executive control, which is a set of cognitive abilities that are essential for daily functioning. Despite the prevalence of poor sleep and high stress, studies have rarely examined the joint impact of sleep and stress on executive control in students.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the impairing effect of stress on executive control is stronger in individuals who obtain poor …

Investigating The Relationship Between N2pc And Rapid Saccadic Eye Movements, Kezhen Qi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this study, we investigated the impact of temporal variability on the N2pc component during overt and covert visual search tasks, with a focus on potential differences in the efficiency of search strategies. Employing an eye tracker and a modified algorithm for saccade detection, our analysis considered the potential influence of eye tracker performance and data cleaning methods on the interpretation of results. Additionally, we adopted ERPimage analysis to enhance the rigor of our statistical examination. Our findings confirmed the temporal relationship between the N2pc and first saccade onset, with the N2pc occurring after the saccade. Furthermore, we identified a …

Mindfulness And Avoidant Coping: Examining The Behavioral Correlates Of Suicidal Ideation Among Sexual Minority College Students, Matt Siroty

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are at higher risk for mental health problems including suicidal ideation (SI). Previous research has indicated that coping strategies and mindfulness may explain disparities in SI among LGB individuals. The aim of the present study was to examine how coping strategies (self-sufficient, avoidant, socially-supported) and trait mindfulness facets (observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, non-reactivity) contribute to these differences. The sample consisted of 927 college students, 124 of whom identified as LGB. Within the analytic sample, a majority identified as women (n = 639, 68.9%), 18 or 19 years of age (n …

Psychological Peacebuilding: When The Time Is Ripe For An Election, Kaiming Chen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Elections play a key role in post-conflict peace-building operations since the end of Cold War. Its conflictual nature and conflicting purposes may lead to another war. This thesis proposes three psychological factors that may predict peace after an election: parity of esteem, integrative complexity, and vocal rejection of violence. Drawing on the successful transition to peace in Mozambique 1994 and the failure of the 1992 Angolan election, this thesis argues that a high respect for the opponents, a complex thinking process, and a vocal rejection of violence would lead to peace after elections in post-conflict settings.

Do You Salt Your Soup: Investigating The Effect Of Interference Control On The Cognitive Reflection Test, Matthew Lowrie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study seeks to examine the role of interference control in solving the Cognitive Reflection Test (Frederick, 2005). Participants were given the CRT, CRT-2, and completed a novel adaptation of the Stop-Signal Task called the Change-Signal Task. The Change-Signal Task is similar to a stop-signal paradigm except that the participant must switch their response when a change-signal is present in the Change-Signal Task instead of withholding a response. This study found that interference control as assessed by the Change-Signal Task was important for determining performance on the CRT-2 but not for the CRT. Implications of these findings and interpretations …

Communism And The Politics Of Cultural Labeling: Patriotism And Piety In American Life, Mark Smith

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this paper is to analyze the history of Marxism and its emergent opponents in American political, religious, and cultural spheres. Examining Karl Marx and his influences reveals that, contrary to popular belief, Marxist thought has deep roots in ancient philosophy and literature. Marx drew upon these influences to highlight industrial and economic problems and propose a dialectically-based prescription for these ailments that sought to eradicate class divides and abolish private property. Marx’s reception in the United States came long after his death and was coupled with the rise of the Soviet Union and the end of World …

The Cognitive & Educational Implications Of Color Use In Drawing To Learn, Juliana F.M. Cantarutti

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Drawing to Learn (D2L) is a learning aid that encourages STEM students to interact with abstract concepts in STEM by sketching. D2L is not an intuitive skill, and researchers strive to provide students with guidelines on how to master this method. One potential way to enhance the D2L method for students is by incorporation of visual cues, specifically color. While many students choose to incorporate color into their models without explicit instruction to do so, we have found no research on: a) why students use color in sketching, b) its effects on D2L. This study used interviews, surveys, and course …

Connecting Moral Injury And Ptsd Among Military Veterans: The Role Of Problem-Focused Thought Rumination & Social Support, Emma Ackerman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study seeks to expound upon previous research indicating a connection between moral injury (MI), problem-focused thought rumination, PTSD, and social support among military veterans. Specifically, we examined the effect of MI factors (Atrocities of War, Psychological Consequences of War, and Leadership Failure/Betrayal) on PTSD via problem-focused thought rumination and whether social support would moderate these associations. The sample was composed of 282 current or former military veterans who had been deployed at least once for 90 days or more. Most participants were White (n = 199, 70.6%), male (n = 169, 59.9%), Christian (n = …

Attentional Dysfunction In Schizophrenia: The Effects Of Dual Orexin Receptor Blockade On An Nmda Receptor Hypofunction Model, Paige Little

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hypofunctionality at the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) is a commonly used model of the neurodevelopmental disorder schizophrenia due to the complex circuitry changes that follow NMDAR blockade. While these animal models are very popular for modeling the cognitive deficits seen in schizophrenia, actual treatments for this disorder remain sparse. Orexins (hypocretins) are neuropeptides that are capable of modulating activity along pathways relevant to attention, but are rarely tested for their efficacy in attenuating attentional dysfunction. This study was conducted to determine if systemic administration of the dual orexin receptor antagonist filorexant (MK-6096) was able to attenuate sustained attentional dysfunction induced …

Memory Suppression: The Importance Of Baseline Learning For The Think/No-Think Task, Curtis Rogers

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studies using the think/no-think task have never addressed the baselines they use throughout the experiment. This study's primary goal was to investigate the effect differing baselines for word-pair learning (50% vs. 75%) would have on the think/no-think task. A replication of Anderson and Greene’s 2001 study using the Think/No-Think task was performed using either a 50% or 75% baseline as a threshold for participants moving to the think/no-think phase of the experiment. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study implemented the think/no-think task online. Recall was evaluated using same and independent-probe memory tests.

Firstly, this study replicated the think/no-think effect …

Understanding Ideal Social Networking Strategies Based On Relational Mobility And Environmental Stability, Angela Vasishta

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The two studies within this paper look to determine the optimal social networking strategy across a combination of the social and ecological variables of Relational Mobility and Environmental Stability. Researchers Oishi and Kesebir (2012) hypothesize that societies characterized by low Relational Mobility and low Environmental Stability would choose to form narrow networks consisting of deep ties while societies characterized by high Relational Mobility and high Environmental Stability would choose to form broad networks consisting of weak ties. The Strength of Weak Ties Hypothesis argues that across all combinations of social and economic variables, social networks with broad, weak ties would …

Message Reframing & Covid-19 Safety Precautions, Elise Coberly

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Past research found that the personality aspect Orderliness was more strongly associated with conservatism, while Compassion was more strongly associated with liberalism. The present research aimed to examine whether framing COVID-19 safety precautions (about mask wearing, social distancing, and vaccination) with an Orderliness or Compassion focus would make the message more receptive to liberals and conservatives. We hypothesized that reframing the messages to match with the participants’ personality and ideological leanings would lead to greater support for the message. In our study (N = 679), participants read a COVID-19 safety precaution message with either an Orderliness or Compassion frame …

“Garden-Magic”: Conceptions Of Nature In Edith Wharton’S Fiction, Jonathan Malks

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I situate Edith Wharton’s guiding idea of “garden-magic” at the center of my thesis because Wharton’s fiction shows how a garden space could naturalize otherwise inadmissible behaviors within upper-class society while helping a character tie such behavior to a greater possibility for escape. To this end, Wharton situates gardens as idealized touchstones within the built environment of New York City, spaces where characters believe they can reach self-actualization within a version of nature that is man-made. Actualization, in this sense, stems from a character’s imaginative escape that is enabled by a perception of the garden as a kind of natural …