Psychology Commons^™

Interactive Effect Of Maternal Activation And Disc-1 Knockout On Pup Preference Of Postpartum Rats, Barbara Bueno

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The main purpose of the study was to find a three-way interaction between genotype, treatment and interacted subjects. Interestingly, and not expected, the KO*MIA rats spent more time with the pups compared to time spent with the male rat. This unexpected results from this study are evidence that there is a complex spectrum of behavioral symptoms due to genetics, environment and their interactive effect (Schwartzer et aI., 2013). For that reason, the interaction between genetics (DISCI) and environment (MIA) might be more complex than what is believed.

No Association Between An Oxytocin Receptor Genetic Variant And Depressive Symptoms, Rachel Sisley, Grace Sullivan, Scott Stoltenberg Ph. D.

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• Depression has the greatest impact on daily functioning capability of all diseases and adversely effects individuals globally (Flint & Kendler, 2014). • Human capital value of these losses has been about $40 billion dollars annually (Kessler, 2012). • Analysis of the genetic and biological systems associated with depressive symptoms, such as the oxytocin system, could lead to identifying risk variants and possible treatment development. • Genetic Variation in OXTR is associated with a variation in depressive symptoms including low selfesteem, pessimism, and low self-efficacy, etc. (Conner et al., 2018). • The A allele of the SNP rs53576 is considered …

How Moral Foundations And Traditional Sex Ideologies Influence Attitudes On Bystander Intervention Among College Students, Bailey Lytle, Kyle Bizal, Haley Hansmeier, Taylor Brumbaugh, Joshua Magee, Julia Sullivan, Shaina Kumar, Sarah Gervais, David Dilillo

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Many researchers highlight the need for bystander prevention programs on college campuses to mitigate the risk of sexual assault among college students (Caver, 2013).

However, Hoxmeier, O’Connor, and McMahon (2020) found that college students often hold different attitudes towards bystander intervention based on adherence to traditional gender roles.

Other researchers have found that those who do intervene tend to be higher in moral values such as altruism and social responsibility (Moisuc, Brauer, Fonseca, Chaurand, & Greitemeyer, 2018).

To date, there is little known about the specific link between traditional sex roles and moral values as they relate to bystander attitudes, …

Individual Attitudes And Perceived Efficacy Toward Bystander Intervention Among Childhood Trauma Survivors, Haley Hansmeier, Taylor Brumbaugh, Bailey Lytle, Kyle Bizal, Adisson Ams, Daniel Stephens, Shaina Kumar, Sarah Gervais, David Dilillo

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◉ Childhood abuse and neglect are related to a number of negative outcomes in adulthood, including increased risk for mental health disorders and additional traumatic experiences, poor self-efficacy, and difficulties with interpersonal relationships (Brietzke et al., 2012; Dube et al., 2003; Sachs-Ericsson, Medley, Kendall-Tackett, & Taylor, 2011).

◉ Women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse in particular are at greater risk for lower levels of self-efficacy in adulthood (Diehl & Prout, 2002).

◉ Because sexual abuse survivors experience low self-efficacy, they might feel less confident with regard to engaging in bystander intervention, even though they want to prevent another victim …

Hypergender Ideology And Social Norms Influence Attitudes Towards Bystander Intervention, Taylor Brumbaugh, Haley Hansmeier, Kyle Bizal, Bailey Lytle, Anna Bartholet, Mia Lambertsen, Shaina Kumar, David Dilillo, Sarah Gervais

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• Bystander intervention can help prevent future cases of sexual assault that might otherwise go unreported without help to the victim and without justice against the perpetrator.

• However, according to Burn (2009) and Planty (2002), a bystander witnesses a third of all sexual assaults yet only intervenes a third of the time.

• Little is known about factors that may ultimately influence attitudes toward bystander intervention, but emerging evidence indicates that hypergender ideology and strong adherence to social norms may lead to a lesser likelihood of bystander intervention.

• For example, hypermasculinity has been linked to approval of sexual …

Interactions Between Need For Cognition And Ambivalent Sexism In Jurors’ Perceptions Of Expert Credibility, Trina Iyamuremye Uwineza, Morgan Hurtz, Laurel Westerman, Erika Boohar, Kaela Meyer, Halleigh Kelchen, Sarah Eagan, Sarah Gervais

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The current study examined interactions between Need for Cognition scores (NCS) and Ambivalent Sexism scores (ASI; Hostile (HS) and Benevolent sexism (BS)) on perceptions of expert witness credibility. Participants (N = 467) with ages that ranged from 19–70 years (M=26.35, SD=9.20) completed the Need for Cognition Scale (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982), Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 1996), and Witness Credibility Scale (Brodsky, Griffin, & Cramer, 2010), and viewed a female expert witness providing scientific testimony in a civil trial. We hypothesized that 1) men who were low on need for cognition and high on benevolent …

Examining The Influence Of Childhood Trauma On College Alcohol Use And Mental Health: A Comparison Between United States And Philippines, Irenea Soetjoadi, Jessie Tibbs, Antover Tuliao, Dennis Mcchargue

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College students who have experienced trauma might use alcohol as a way to escape from their problems as drinking is a common way to forget the problems and create feelings of relaxation. Though the existing research has found that childhood trauma negatively impacts future alcohol use in many individuals, the specific patterns of these relationships across different cultures are not well understood. In this study, we investigate how these relationships vary across United States and Philippines. We hypothesized that college students who experience childhood trauma will report more mental health symptoms and greater alcohol consumption. Furthermore, we tested the ability …

Barriers To Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention: Predicting Bystander Behavior, Attitudes, And Efficacy Across Sex, Kyle Bizal, Lytle Bailey, Taylor Brumbaugh, Haley Hansmeier, Hannah Carlson, Elizabeth Otto, Shaina Kumar, Sarah Gervais, David Dilillo

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• In a survey of college students, over 90% reported having witnessed a risky sexual event, while only 50% said they intervened (Witte et al., 2017).

• The classic bystander intervention model describes five steps to successful intervention: notice the event, interpret the event as an emergency that requires assistance, accept responsibility for intervening, know how to intervene, and implement the intervention (Jenkins & Nickerson, 2017).

• In contrast to successful intervention, little research has been done to examine the extent in which certain barriers prevent bystander intervention (Burn, 2009).

• In addition, previous research has shown that gender is …

The Effect Of Self-Construal And Relationship On Psychological Motivations Of Dispute Resolution, Jared Syed Noetzel, Abigail Herzfeld, Ashley Votruba

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Culture acts as a lens that can influence many aspects of an individual’s life, such as their health perceptions, cognition, and even their preferred style of conflict resolution. We predict that an individual’s self-construal and the relationship to the conflicting party affects their psychological motivations for choosing a conflict style. Previous research suggests that the aforementioned goals can drive dispute resolution preferences. We hypothesized that participants with high interdependent self-construal would rate goals of animosity reduction and relationship restoration higher than participants low in interdependent self-constural, while participants with high independent self-construal would rate the goal of process control higher …

The Impact Of Social Support And The Number Of Searchers On Perceptions Of Consent Searches, Kaitlyn Wilson, Emma W. Marshall, Jennifer L. Groscup, Eve M. Brank

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Consent searches require voluntariness of consent for validity under the 4th Amendment. Social situational factors may affect perceptions of voluntariness, but their importance is minimized in court decisions about searches. Participants (N = 328) rated perceptions of a consent request in a consent search situation in which social power dynamics (i.e., number of searchers and the amount of social support) were manipulated. Social support affected perceptions of pressure to say yes to the search. Significant differences in perceptions between the third-person and first-person perspective were observed, indicating that judges may overestimate consent voluntariness. There was also a significant three-way interaction …

Scientific Testimony In A Civil Trial: An Examination Of Juror Gender And Expert Witness Credibility Factors, Erika Boohar, Kaela Meyer, Halleigh Kelchen, Trina Uwineza, Laurel Westerman, Morgan Hurtz, Sarah Eagan, Sarah Gervais

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Jurors’ perceptions of expert witness credibility are vital to the expert’s overall effectiveness as juror credibility ratings are related to sentencing recommendations (Larson, 2010). There are many factors that jurors use to evaluate expert witness credibility and some studies suggest that expert gender may be peripherally related (Sculler & Cripps, 1998); however, these results are inconsistent. The present study explored the relationship between jurors’ gender and how credible they perceive a female expert witness. It was hypothesized that the female expert witness will not be perceived as highly credible, and this effect will be larger for men. Additionally, it was …

Understanding Scientific Evidence In Court: The Moderating Role Of Gender Stereotype Threat In Verdict Decisions, Kaela Meyer, Erika Boohar, Laurel Westerman, Morgan Hurtz, Trina Uwineza, Halleigh Kelchen, Sarah Eagan, Sarah Gervais

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Scientific evidence is becoming a more prominent presence in court cases, so it is vital that jurors are able to effectively understand and interpret the scientific data. Although understanding scientific evidence is often important in a jury’s final verdict, there are a plethora of pitfalls that could undermine justice from being properly served (O'Brien et al., 2015). One example that could negatively impact a jury’s final verdict is stereotype threat, especially in women when analyzing scientific evidence. The current study examined the relationship between stereotype threat across men and women, and how it impacted understanding scientific evidence while choosing a …

Exploring Alcohol Use, Cannabis Use, And Desire To Dissociate In College Female Victims Of Sexual Violence, Gabrielle Krause, Jessie Tibbs, Antover Tuliao, Dennis Mcchargue

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Almost 20% of undergraduate women experience some type of completed sexual assault before graduating college. Experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, has been shown to increase difficulties with emotion regulation, and both PTSD symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties have been associated with marijuana-use coping motives (Bonn-Miller et al., 2011). Additionally, prior research has found that emotion dysregulation predicts alcohol involved sexual assault (AISA) in the short term, and alcohol problems increases the risk for AISA in the long term (Messman-Moore et al., 2014). This suggests a cyclical relationship in coping drinking motives. This study seeks to further examine …

The Foundations Of A Mexican American Bias Scale, Kendra Quiroz, Cynthia Willis-Esqueda

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Mexican Americans are the largest group of Latino/a/x in the US. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the current stereotypes concerning Mexican American males and females with a university student sample. A total of four hundred and four students volunteered from a large midwestern university. Participants spontaneously provided their notions of unfair advantages, unfair disadvantages, and stereotypes for Mexican American males and females. All data was collected through an online survey. The responses were provided with randomized introduction of the group to be described. In addition, items to measure essentialism were included. Results indicated that there …

Eeg Reinvestigations Of Visual Statistical Learning For Faces, Scenes, And Objects, Mei Grace Behrendt, P. Cheng Lim, Aaron T. Halvorsen, Karl Kuntzelman, Matthew R. Johnson

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The objective of this ongoing, replication study is to understand temporal and spatial patterns in our environment by using the technique of electroencephalography (EEG). Visual statistical learning (VSL) helps us to understand conditional probabilities from our environments. This concept is why we know that chairs are located under tables, not above. The goal of this study is to understand whether participants can unconsciously associate pairs of items (faces, scenes, and objects) from their short-term memory. Strong pairs become more similar to each other, as compared to weak pairs, which become less similar. In the main task, participants saw items appear …

Symptom Presentation Of Sexually Abused Youth At A Child Advocacy Center: An Examination Of Parental Factors, Erika Boohar, Chelsey Wisehart, Kelsey Mccoy, David J. Hansen

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Parental involvement and support are crucial factors in child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors’ outcomes (Kilroy et al., 2014); however, non-offending parents often report increased psychosocial distress or traumatization following CSA disclosure (Plummer, 2006). The present study explored the relationship between parental factors and child symptomology following CSA. It was hypothesized that parents who report greater difficulties in their parental role will report greater internalizing and externalizing problems for sexually abused youth presenting to a treatment program at a Child Advocacy Center. Participants were 273 parents of sexually abused youth presenting to Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education) and were 23-72 …

The Mascs We Wear: Masculinity Contingency And Sexual Bystander Attitudes, Cody L. Meyer, Sarah Eagan, David Dilillo, Sarah J. Gervais

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• This study found that men whose masculinity is central to their self-worth are less likely to engage in bystander behaviors • Further suggests that gender socialization might predict bystander behaviors in men Future Research: • If this effect is a function of gender, does it still occur within queer, trans, and/or genderqueer populations? • Is there a more ecologically valid way to test these questions? (Virtual Reality Technology?)

Generational Change In Parenting Styles Among Vietnamese In Nebraska, Paulina Nguyen

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This study is part of a larger research project that examines the experiences and beliefs of parents from five Asian population in Nebraska, namely, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian. There is a need for research on Vietnamese American families, more so because of its increasing population in the state. The goal of the study is to describe the ways in which Vietnamese American parents differ across generations in terms of their child-rearing practices. Parents are either authoritarian or authoritative. Nguyen and Cheung (2009) stated that research specifically on Vietnamese parents is limited. Thus, past literature has generalized all Asian …

Does Alcohol Mediate The Relationship Between Sexual Victimization And Risk Perception In A Date Rape Vignette, Kaylee N. Flower, Antover P. Tuliao, Dennis E. Mcchargue

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The present study used a date-rape vignette to examine the relationship between prior victimization, drinking habits (AUDIT score), risk perception. This was part of a larger study that analyzed sexual victimization and aggression. The present study looked at the 913 college-aged women that self-identified as heterosexual and bisexual at 2 mid-western colleges. They completed a battery of surveys that identified relevant history and behaviors. Findings suggest that the problematic drinking variable (AUDIT) mediates the relationship between prior victimization and risk perception.

Infant Language Assessment Predicts Later Math Disabilities, Aaron T. Halvorsen, Dennis Molfese

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Prevention of cognitive disabilities currently remains out of reach. Yet, interventions are crucial to maximizing developmental outcomes later in life. To be effective, interventions must occur at the earliest age possible to mitigate potential developmental problems. This study is an attempt to identify newborn infants at risk for developing math disabilities later in life. Several studies used assessment tests at relatively late ages in order to predict future cognitive abilities (Aarnoudse-Moens et al., 2013; Kiechl-Kohlendorfer et al., 2013). More recent research used MRI scans of neonate brains to investigate the relationships between academic abilities and preterm births (Ullman et al., …

Masculinity And Body Shame: A Comparative Path Analysis, Amanda Dale

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A series of regression analyses were conducted to determine the direct and indirect relationships among individual difference variables to predict body shame at four levels. Tables 1 and 2 report which variables were significantly predictive at each level for men and women, respectively, while Figures 1 and 2 depict the structures of each trimmed model showing only the significant pathways to highlight the structural differences between the models.

The overall fit of the models for men and women were 51.11% and 44.16%, respectively. At the first level, predicting self-objectification, BMI, sexual victimization, and body evaluation were significant predictors for men, …

Mediators Of The Relationship Between Depression And Alcohol-Related Harm: The Role Of Alexithymia, Impulsivity And Negative Reinforcement Outcome Expectancies, Andrew Brauer Mcgrath, Dennis E. Mcchargue Ph.D.

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Background and Objectives: The prevalence of alcohol misuse on college campuses is a considerable problem. Depression is commonly found to be related to increases in alcohol related harm; however, not frequently found to be directly related to increases in alcohol use. This pattern suggests that there are factors related to depression that exaggerate alcohol problems other than the association between depression and the amount of alcohol used. This study examined the relationship between depression and alcohol related harm in college binge drinkers, focusing on emotional, behavioral, and cognitive variables believed to mediate the association. The roles of alexithymia, impulsivity, and …

The Influence Of Emotional And Situated Social Cognition Factors On Consents To Search, Sarah A. Moody

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The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution holds that the government cannot conduct an unreasonable search or seizure without probable cause or consent. A surprising majority of people acquiesce to search requests and research is lacking in determining what factors play a role in these decisions. Findings from the current research on the roles of emotions and situated social cognition in consents to search may help police officers and other legal authority figures ensure against coercive or unfair consents. Based upon regression models constructed from the data, authority figures can alter their search requests to help prevent coercion. The current …

Emotion Regulation And Valance Bias, Drue Marr, Catherine Brown, Maital Neta

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In this study we wanted to look at the affects of emotion regulation on individual differences in valance bias. The ability to regulate emotions brings into question how difficult/easy it is for individuals that have a more natural positive bias/disposition to them, or have a more natural negative bias/disposition to them. We would expect someone with a negative disposition to have a more difficult time regulating his or her emotions, as evidenced by the elevated EMG levels and EDA readings that we acquired. The purpose of this study was to better understand the way one perceives surprised expressions, as surprised …

Chinese Students’ Perceptions Of Level Of Stress, Qinwei Veronica Zhang

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With a hope of providing more contextual effective and culturally appropriate services for Chinese and international students in the future, this descriptive study aims at finding out current Chinese students' perceptions of their experiences and stress in US colleges along with a variety of coping strategies they utilize to combat the stress during their process of adaptation and adjustment to the new environment.

The Relationship Between Executive Attention And Spatial Working Memory In Adults, Erica Ness, Emily Franzen, James Thomas, Haily Sain, Lalah Mclaughlin, Lindsey Spohr, Greg Degirolamo, Anne R. Schutte

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The study examined the effects of executive attention on spatial working memory in adults using a location recall task. Attention is suggested to play a crucial role in maintenance of a remembered location in spatial working memory. Awh and Jonides (2001) found that reaction times to a presented stimulus were faster when the stimulus was held in spatial working memory. A subsequent study found that when holding a location in spatial working memory, tasks which shift attention cause memory performance to be worse for the remembered location. An ERP study by Awh and Jonides (2001) found similar response amplitudes between …

Parents' Perceptions Of Their Role In Early Childhood Health, Alejandra Ayotitla Cortez, Michelle Huesca, Mackenzie Sommerhalder, Brandy Clarke, Lorey Wheeler, Susan M. Sheridan

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The purpose of this study was to conduct exploratory analyses regarding parents’ perceptions of their role in the health of young children. This study also sought to understand the differences in parents’ perceived roles and their levels of concern for their children’s health status. Understanding such differences is critical to identifying specific areas that might require further intervention.

Inferring Task Based On Eye Movements: The Living Classifier, Jordan E. Marshall, Mallory Richert, Mark Mills, Michael D. Dodd

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Several studies, including Yarbus (1967), have found that various task instructions for viewing images influence visual behavior. This holds true for both experimenter driven and participant driven tasks. Research has also shown that classifier technology is capable of determining the task that was being performed based on the individual’s eye movements. Typically classifier technology is designed to perform tasks humans are known to be cable of performing. However, little research has been done on the human ability, or lack thereof, to determine task based on eye movements.

Purpose: To determine to what extent humans are able to classify task performed …

Nature As A Buffer: The Physiological Effects Of Exposure To Nature On Stress, Tyler J. Stading, Jeffrey R. Stevens

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Exposure to images of nature following a stressful event can reduce physiological measures associated with stress. The objectives of this study was to determine whether exposure to nature before the stressor can buffer the stress response. We varied whether nature or urban images were viewed before or after a stressor and measured galvanic skin response in our participants. We describe how order of presenting the stressor influences nature’s calming effect on physiology.

Oprm1 Rs1799971 Genotype Predicts Drinking Behavior In Males, But Not Females, Sarah Hughes Berheim, Carmen Ochoa, Grace Sullivan, Scott F. Stoltenberg

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• The prevalence of alcohol disorders costs Americans $223.5 billion yearly due mostly from losses in workplace productivity, as well as health care and criminal justice expenses (CDC, 2016).

• Maximum number of drinks consumed in a 24 hour period is a valid indicator of dangerous drinking behavior and may reflect an increased tolerance for high levels of alcohol (Edenberg, 2016).

• Awareness of factors related to such heavy drinking is important for targeting interventions for dangerous alcohol use.

• Men drink significantly more than women, with about 4.5% of men and 2.5% of women meeting the diagnostic criteria for …