Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing Comics And Illustrated Texts In Multimedia Learning, Jackson S. Pelzner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to examine how different forms of media, in particular science comics and illustrated texts, contribute to different patterns of learning. While the standard illustrated text seen in a textbook has been a useful tool for instruction, science comics appear to be an alternative that could be used in lieu of media that use the traditional illustrated text format. The comic format, known more for its visual appeal to readers, is consistent with the principles of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer, 2009), though comprehension may require different mechanisms (Cohn, 2013a). It was hypothesized …

The Influence Of Prediction Error Strength On Reconsolidation, Kevin D. Mohawk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It has been well established that consolidated memories can be reactivated and enter a labile state where they are once again vulnerable to modification. Reactivated memories, therefore, need to be restabilized or reconsolidated. Prediction error (PE) is one of the most common ways of reactivating consolidated memories, yet no studies have examined how varying the strength of PE influences reconsolidation. The present study aimed to determine if the strength of PE is an important factor for triggering reconsolidation and if so, how PE strength influences the reconsolidation process, whether through strengthening or weakening the memory. To vary PE strength, participants …

The Effect Of Sleep And Emotion On Pattern Separation, Alanna N. Osmanski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Prior work on the relationship between sleep and memory suggests that the sleep state is an optimal time for memory consolidation to occur. During slow wave sleep, newly encoded information in the hippocampus is repeatedly activated, driven by slow oscillations that originate in the neocortex. This process that occurs during slow wave sleep facilitates the long-term storage of memories. A widely accepted view of emotion and sleep is that emotional memories are preferentially consolidated during sleep so that they are easily accessible for retrieval, whereas neutral memories tend to be less accessible. However, recent meta-analyses of sleep, emotion, and memory …

Diabetes Mellitus Affects Working Memory, Dylone C. Braganza, Emmanuel Flores, Lauren A. Crew, Ryan A. Wirt, Andrew A. Ortiz, Adam M. Mcneela, Jefferson W. Kinney, James M. Hyman

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) degrades the brain’s ability to remember, think, and carry out tasks. The exact cause is not known, but several risk factors have been identified, including diabetes mellitus (DM). DM causes elevated blood sugar levels due to reduced insulin production in the pancreas. The linkage between elevated glucose levels and the behavioral impairments are not fully understood, which was the focus of this study. Rats were trained to alternate directions in a maze to receive a reward on consecutive trials. After training, five rats were injected with streptozotocin (STZ), which induces hyperglycemia by injuring pancreatic beta cells. Three …

Memory And Stereotypes For Lesbian/Gay Characters, Amber Rose Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stereotype-consistency bias refers to the idea that people tend to remember stereotypical information about others better than non-stereotypical information (Fyock & Stangor, 1994). Limited research has examined how people may use stereotype-consistency bias when recalling information about LGBT characters in narratives (Bellezza & Bower, 1981; Clark & Woll, 1981; McGann & Goodwin, 2007; Snyder & Uranowitz, 1978). This line of research suggests that, instead of genuinely remembering stereotypical information better, participants tended to guess stereotypical answers to questions they do not know. In contrast to those studies, the experiment I conducted for this thesis suggests that heterosexual young adults tend …

Intimate Nevada: Artists Respond, Lauren Paljusaj, Anne Savage

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Creative Works Winner

Most of us know Nevada beyond the Strip. It’s a place of houses, of shopping plazas, of movie theaters, and grocery stores. A place of hotels that are also places of work. A place of basins, ranges, vistas, and nature. A place of personal history. For Intimate Nevada: Artists Respond, curators Lauren Paljusaj (ENG BA ‘20) and Anne Savage (CFA BA ‘22), draw on photographs found in UNLV Special Collections to uncover the intimate visuality of a Nevada of past centuries. The exhibition focuses on how the imaged built landscape of early 20th century Southern Nevada …

Sex Differences In Cognitive Changes In De Novo Parkinson’S Disease, Ece Bayram, Sarah J. Banks, Guogen Shan, Nikki Kaplan, Jessica Z.K. Caldwell

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate the sex differences in cognitive course over 4 years in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared to controls. Methods: Four-year longitudinal cognitive scores of 257 cognitively intact PD, 167 PD-MCI, and 140 controls from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative were included. Longitudinal scores of men and women, and PD with and without MCI were compared. Results: Women had better verbal memory, men had better visuospatial function. There was no interaction between sex, diagnostic group, and/or time (4-year follow-up period). Conclusions: Sex differences in cognitive course in de novo PD are similar …

Sex Moderates Amyloid And Apolipoprotein Ε4 Effects On Default Mode Network Connectivity At Rest, Jessica Z.K. Caldwell, Xiaowei Zhuang, Mackenzie J. Leavitt, Sarah J. Banks, Jeffery Cummings, Dietmar Cordes

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Women are more likely to have Alzheimer's disease (AD) and decline more rapidly once diagnosed despite greater verbal memory early in the disease compared to men—an advantage that has been termed “memory reserve.” Resting state functional MRI (fMRI) investigations demonstrate interactions between sex and AD risk factors in default mode network (DMN) connectivity, a network of brain regions showing progressive dysfunction in AD. Separate work suggests connectivity of left prefrontal cortex (PFC) may correlate with more general cognitive reserve in healthy aging. It is unknown whether left prefrontal functional connectivity with anterior and posterior default mode network (aDMN, pDMN) might …

Reconsolidation: Unique Cognitive Process Or State Dependent Learning?, Chris Kiley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Accessing a previously consolidated memory trace brings it back into a labile state where it must then undergo a re-stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process memories are susceptible to interference and may be updated with new information. Reconsolidation has been demonstrated in animals as well as in the procedural and episodic human memory systems. However, it is still unclear when the effect will occur. Some studies suggest that reconsolidation is only necessary when new information is presented in the same spatial context or when prediction error occurs. More recent work has provided evidence that reconsolidation could be due …

Cinematic Amnesia As Remembering: Coming Home (2014) And Red Amnesia (2014), Ying Bao

Department of World Languages Faculty Research

This article examines the trope of amnesia—the crisis of memory—in two recent Chinese-language films dealing with traumatic memories of the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath: Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home (Guilai, 2014) and Wang Xiaoshuai’s Red Amnesia (Chuangru zhe, 2014). Cinematic representation of real and symbolic amnesia, I argue, can be an affective way to overcome historical amnesia, both institutionalized by the Party-state and privatized by individuals. By exploring the dynamics between forgetting and remembering at both collective and individual levels, we can reach a deeper understanding of the profound impact of the Cultural Revolution and its present-day repercussions.

Exercise, Learning And Emotional Health: Interdisciplinary Approaches To Translational Action, Tessa L. Koschel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Exercise positively effects physical, psychological and neurological wellbeing. Though the population at large is becoming increasingly aware of the multi-faceted benefits of exercise, the majority of people fail to meet daily exercise recommendations. Largely, demands of everyday life such as work, school and family take priority over fitness. The issue therefore becomes a matter of time. In a world of media multi-tasking and immediate gratification, the challenge to health professionals becomes incorporation and manipulation of these consistencies to improve exercise uptake and adherence. Focus must shift from the idea of making additional time for exercise, to adding exercise to time …

Reconsolidating: The Effect Of Spatial Context And Expectations, Chris R. Kiley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Consolidation is the process by which memories become stable over time. Accessing a previously consolidated memory trace brings it back into a labile state where it must then undergo a re-stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process memories are again susceptible to interference and may be updated with new information. Reconsolidation has been demonstrated in animals as well as in the procedural and episodic human memory systems. The exact boundary conditions for reconsolidation are not yet known. Some studies suggest that reconsolidation is only necessary when new information is presented in a spatial context that is indistinguishable from the …

An Integrative Neurological Model For Basic Observable Human Behavior, Ryan M. Francis

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

The scientific method uncovers information from the natural world in small increments. This spurs the design of models to explain how the pieces fit together and to identify future targets of research. This is especially the case in psychology, where visualizing concepts is an advantageous practice. One all too common criticism of cognitive and behavioral models in psychology is the lack of a biological basis. This paper aims to alleviate part of this issue by integrating currently understood biological and neurological mechanisms that drive psychological phenomena into a predictive and descriptive model for basic human behavior. To accomplish this task, …

Effects Of Instructor Attractiveness On Classroom Learning, Richard Shane Westfall

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although there have been multiple studies examining the effects of physical attractiveness on a variety of human interactions, one domain has been largely overlooked. The current thesis examined the effect of teacher attractiveness on a learning task. Specifically participants were exposed to a photograph that they believed was their instructor while listening to an audio lecture. Upon completion of the lecture participants then completed a forced choice recognition task covering material from the lecture. I hypothesized that participants would perform significantly better on the learning task when they perceived their instructor to be high in physical attractiveness. Neither the gender …

Performance Or Processing? Effects Of Levels Of Processing And Divided Attention On Memory-Related Eye Movements, Wei An

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Human memories are expressed either with or without consciousness, termed as explicit and implicit memories, respectively. Different encoding manipulations like levels of processing and divided attention have been shown to affect explicit memories but not implicit memories. These dissociations, however, were only found between explicit and implicit item memories. Whether explicit and implicit relational memories will exhibit similar dissociations is still unknown. In order to determine whether explicit and implicit relational memories dissociated in a similar way as explicit and implicit item memories, the levels of processing and divided attention were manipulated in the present study and participants' relational memories …

The Formation Of Situation Models In Multimedia, Kris Gunawan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

When people read traditional text-based stories, they construct mental representations of the described state of affairs, called situation models, to connect various details of events (e.g., time, space, entity) in memory (Zwaan & Radvansky, 1998). According to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2005; 2011), stories presented as pictures and text generate independent channels of mental representations that can work hand-in-hand or separately to acquire and remember the materials presented. This dissertation consisted of two experiments that were used to further explore how the two modalities affect what is being mentally represented in memory. In Experiment 1, participants were …

Construct And Criterion Validity Of The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test-Spanish Version In Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury, Cristobal Neblina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is among the most commonly used English-language neuropsychological tests of verbal learning and memory. Previous research supports the validity and clinical utility of adaptations of the RAVLT into many diverse languages. In the United States, Hispanics represent the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority group. As the Hispanic populace continues to grow, so does the need for empirically validated Spanish-language neuropsychological measures. In 2002, a Spanish adaptation of the RAVLT was developed in Puerto Rico (Acevedo-Vargas, 2002). However, validation studies have not been undertaken with clinical samples, and little is known regarding its psychometric …

Affect Identification And Interpersonal Skills: An In-Depth Evaluation Of Social Cognition In Schizophrenia, Griffin Pollock Sutton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The presence of deficits in various sub-domains of social cognition has been investigated to a degree in individuals with schizophrenia. Some of the most commonly researched and documented deficits have included impairments in the identification of affect portrayed in faces. Research has indicated that the performance of individuals with schizophrenia on such tasks is generally impaired as compared to normal controls. However, some have questioned the generalizability of such findings to real-world situations, as day-to-day interactions generally necessitate a constant, fluid assessment of the thoughts and feelings of others and are rarely, if ever, limited to still images of others. …

Interactive Effects Of Working Memory Self-Regulatory Ability And Relevance Instructions On Text Processing, Nancy Jo Hamilton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Reading is a process that requires the enactment of many cognitive processes. Each of these processes uses a certain amount of working memory resources, which are severely constrained by biology. More efficiency in the function of working memory may mediate the biological limits of same. Reading relevancy instructions may be one such method to assist readers in utilizing working memory resources more efficiently.

This study examines the relationship between perspective relevance instructions and participants' ability to regulate their working memory resources. In a 3 x 2 x 2 design the study extended the literature by utilizing a measure of fluid …

The Effect Of Goal Orientation Of Attention, Learning, And Metacognitive Awareness, Ordene V. Edwards

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An experimental study was conducted to examine whether achievement goals affect attention, comprehension, and metacognition. One hundred and twenty undergraduate students enrolled in introductory educational psychology classes participated. Students were randomly assigned to one of four goal groups (mastery, performance approach, performance avoidance, or control group) and one of three question groups (emotions, brain, and no questions). The study was conducted in two sessions. First, students were given a reading test, and questionnaires to measure their prior knowledge and personal goals. Second, students read the text on a computer. Then they completed an interest questionnaire, a manipulation check, a post …

The Effects Of Mushroom Body Lobe Disruption On Learning And Memory, Brian S Dunkelberger

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Animal models have been used for centuries to study learning and memory in simple systems with many applications to humans (Chapter 1). The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has added greatly to our current understanding of learning and memory and its underlying biology (Chapter 2). The research described here focuses on the relationship between learning and memory and the brain using three mutant strains of flies: mushroom body miniature B (mbmB), small mushroom bodies (smu), and mushroom bodies reduced (mbr). Mushroom bodies are paired neuronal structures found in most invertebrate brains involved in learning and memory consolidation. All three mutations studied …

The Neurocognitive Impairment Associated With Comorbid Schizophrenia And Ptsd, Lisa Duke

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Individuals with severe mental illness report a higher incidence of trauma and PTSD than the general population. A trauma history in individuals with schizophrenia has been associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms including positive symptoms, depression, suicidality, anxiety, somatization and dissociation (Beck & van der Kolk, 1987; Craine, Henson, Colliver & MacLean, 1988; Ross, Anderson & Clark, 1994; Darves-Bornoz, & Gaillard, 1995; Holowka, King, Saheb, Pukall & Brunett, 2003; Strauss et al., 2006); The current study is among the first to examine the influence of comorbid schizophrenia and PTSD by performing comprehensive diagnostic, symptom and neurocognitive evaluations on four groups: …

How Subjective And Objective Memory, Family History, And Knowledge Of Alzheimer's Disease Influence Older Adults' Fear Of Developing Alzheimer's Disease, Samantha Lyn French

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

It is projected that by the year 2050, the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease (AD) will rise to approximately 13.2 million. And, because AD is on the rise, apprehension about developing the degenerative disease (anticipatory dementia or fear of developing AD) has become a topic of study in the past few years. However, most studies focusing on anticipatory dementia have used a sample of individuals younger than age 65 and have used a single item questionnaire to explore their apprehension. The current study utilized 50 adults ages 65 and older to examine anticipatory dementia and its relationship with subjective …

Working Memory Deficits In Psychotic Bipolar Disorder: Trait Marker For Psychosis, Carol Randall

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

There is significant overlap in the symptom presentation and cognitive impairment found in individuals with bipolar disorder with psychotic features and in those with some subtypes of schizophrenia. Due to this overlap, debate regarding the existence and nature of a relationship between these disorders has been an ongoing and complicated one. Some continue to view these disorders as they are conceptualized in the current psychiatric diagnostic manual, as distinct and categorical in nature. Others have proposed an "affective-psychotic spectrum" with schizophrenia lying at one end of this spectrum, non-psychotic affective disorders lying at the opposite end of the spectrum, and …

Development And Validation Of The Facial Affect Learning And Memory Test (Falmt) And Facial Identification Of Affect Task (Fiat), Christina Marie Armstrong

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The neurocognitive assessment of visuospatial memory has begun to receive attention and has been recognized as being important in the understanding of overall memory processing. Additionally, there has been an increased emphasis on emotion processing, particularly affect discrimination and attention bias. However, little information is currently available on learning and memory for emotional information. Because emotion is expressed to a large extent through nonverbal means, a nonverbal test of emotion learning would be valuable, although no such test currently exists. The aim of the current study was to establish normative performance characteristics, convergent and divergent validity for two newly developed …

Physics Based Modeling Of The Charging Dynamics In Silicon Nanocrystal Non-Volatile Flash Memory Cell, Pavan Kumar Singaraju Venkata Sai

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Flash memory devices based on continuous floating gate are rapidly approaching their technological limitations due to excessive gate leakage currents, resulting from reduced tunnel oxide thickness. A new architecture based on Si-Nanocrystal floating gate has shown promise through realization of devices with reduced gate leakage current and lower programming and erase voltages. The dominant transport mechanisms in this device are tunneling of electrons from the (3-D) silicon into the (0-D) nanocrystals and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling of carriers from nanocrystals to the bulk Si. In order to accurately model the charging dynamics of such devices, size based quantum confinement effects should be …

The Effect Of Concomitant Ecstasy-Marijuana Use On Auditory Verbal Learning And Memory Performance, Kimberly M Cramer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Previous research indicates that ecstasy users exhibit deficits of verbal learning and memory. This research has not considered polydrug use in ecstasy users, especially marijuana. Marijuana is an important confound because 90 percent of ecstasy users also use marijuana. Several studies have suggested that marijuana use alters verbal memory functioning; consequently, it is difficult to ascertain whether the observed memory deficits in ecstasy users are attributable to ecstasy, marijuana, or other drug use. The present study examined the effects of marijuana and ecstasy on verbal memory function. Marijuana use was accounted for by recruiting concurrent ecstasy-marijuana users' and ecstasy-naive marijuana-only …

Binaural Beats Enhance Alpha Wave Activity, Memory, And *Attention In Healthy-Aging Seniors, Janice Colleen Mcmurray

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Human aging will be one of the biggest challenges we face during this century and optimizing health for the rapidly growing older population is imperative to avoid end of life suffering. Uncovering stimuli and methods that may enhance memory and attentional focus in the aging brain has become a priority. Current research demonstrates a connection between neurocognitive decline in seniors over 65 years and deficits in alpha frequency brainwave activity. Studies indicate that specific auditory tones have a significant effect on our brainwaves and provide a positive influence. These tones have been defined as alpha-harmonic sound patterns and they are …

The Influence Of Self-Efficacy And Working Memory Capacity On Problem Solving Efficiency, Bobby H Hoffman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The study investigated the influence of self-efficacy beliefs, working memory capacity and problem complexity on problem solving performance, response time, and problem solving efficiency. Previous research investigated these factors from an absolute performance perspective, but not from the perspective of efficiency, defined as the ratio of problem-solving accuracy over time; Students completed an operational span working memory task, rated their self-efficacy for solving multiplication problems without the use of paper or calculation aids, and then solved computer-based cognitive multiplication problems, under conditions of varying complexity. Two competing hypotheses were proposed, which state that the efficiency of problem solving is either …

The Impact Of Dynamic Changes In Talker Amplitude On Recognition Memory For Words, Kimberly M Cramer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated whether dynamic changes in the amplitude of speech were represented along with word information. An emotional manipulation was used to examine if listeners were sensitive to dynamic changes in amplitude. In Experiment 1, six talkers produced 200 phonetically balanced (PB) words with different intended emotions (e.g., joy versus sadness). Intensity measurements across time were recorded for each target word. Statistically distinct amplitude contours were obtained as a function of intended emotion. In Experiment 2, listeners judged whether each word in a list of spoken words was "new" (i.e., word was new to the list) or "old" (i.e., …