Psychology Commons^™

Mediators Between Adversity And Well-Being Of College Students, Maria Kalpidou, Adam M. Volungis, Cassandra Bates

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Although the concurrent link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and both physical and mental health is established, little is known about the mechanisms that explain it. We investigated the relationship between ACEs and well-being and the mediating roles of coping, executive function (EF), and cognitive failure in a non-clinical sample of college students. Participants (N = 194) completed behavioral measures and self-reports. More than half of the sample had at least one ACE. Correlational and mediational analyses examined the relationships between ACEs, college adaptation, psychopathology, substance use, coping, and cognitive failure. ACEs did not correlate with indices of EF …

Psychological Factors And Consumer Behavior During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Adolfo Di Crosta, Irene Ceccato, Daniela Marchetti, Pasquale La Malva, Roberta Maiella, Loreta Cannito, Mario Cipi, Nicola Mammarella, Riccardo Palumbo, Maria Cristina Verrocchio, Rocco Palumbo, Alberto Di Domenico

Management, Marketing, and Organizational Communication Department Student Works

The COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis: it has unpredictably changed our whole way of life. As suggested by the analysis of economic data on sales, this dramatic scenario has also heavily impacted individuals’ spending levels. To better understand these changes, the present study focused on consumer behavior and its psychological antecedents. Previous studies found that crises differently affect people’s willingness to buy necessities products (i.e., utilitarian shopping) and non-necessities products (i.e., hedonic shopping). Therefore, in examining whether changes in spending levels were associated with changes in consumer behavior, we adopted a fine-grained approach disentangling between necessities …

Practical Considerations For Researchers At Teaching-Focused Colleges, Cody Morris, Karen M. Lionello-Denolf

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Growth in the discipline of behavior analysis depends on research production in basic, translational, and applied areas from a variety of perspectives and research groups. Although doctoral programs in behavior analysis prepare students to become productive researchers, leading behavior-analytic journals tend to publish articles from a more circumscribed set of researchers than might be expected given the recent growth in the field. One reason may be that as new researchers graduate from their training programs, they take positions in very different environments from those of their training, such as teaching-focused colleges or clinical settings. Establishing and maintaining research production in …

Expansion Of Sidman's Theory: The Inclusion Of Prompt Stimuli In Equivalence Classes, Simone K. Palmer, R. W. Maguire, Karen M. Lionello-Denolf, Paula Braga-Kenyon

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Stimulus equivalence is defined as the ability to relate stimuli in novel ways after training in which not all of the stimuli had been directly linked to one another. Sidman (2000) suggested all elements of conditional discrimination training contingencies that result in equivalence potentially become class members. Research has demonstrated the inclusion of samples, comparisons, responses, and reinforcers in equivalence classes. Given the evidence that all elements of a conditional discrimination become part of the class, the purpose of this study was to determine if class-specific prompts would also enter into their relevant equivalence classes. Experiment 1 investigated the inclusion …

Social Desirability And The Celebrity Attitude Scale, Robert T. Hitlan, Lynn E. Mccutcheon, Adam M. Volungis, Anupama Joshi, C. Brendan Clark, Marta Pena

Psychology Department Faculty Works

The possibility of social desirability bias has often been neglected in the construction and evaluation of attitudinal scales and personality inventories in psychology and related disciplines. The present study aimed to explore the potential influence of such biases on respondents’ self-reported celebrity worship. Specifically, we had a student sample (n = 187) complete a) measures of two different forms of social desirability bias (externally-oriented “Impression management” vs. internally-oriented “self-deceptive positivity”) and b) the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS). Results showed that neither measure correlated significantly with the CAS. Furthermore, neither gender nor delivery mode (online vs. paper-and-pencil) mediated the non-significant …

An Update On The Search For Symmetry In Nonhumans, Karen M. Lionello-Denolf

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Sidman et al.'s (1982) failure to find evidence for symmetry (bidirectional associations between stimuli) in monkeys and baboons set the stage for decades of work on emergent relations in nonhumans. They attributed the failure to the use of procedures that did not (1) promote stimulus control based on the relation between the sample and correct comparison and (2) reduce control by irrelevant stimulus features. Previous reviews of symmetry in nonhumans indicated that multiple exemplar training and successive matching might encourage appropriate stimulus control. This review examined 16 studies that investigated symmetry in 94 subjects, including pigeons, rats, capuchin monkeys, and …

Reciprocity With Unequal Payoffs: Cooperative And Uncooperative Interactions Affect Disadvantageous Inequity Aversion, Carla Jordão Suarez, Marcelo Frota Benvenuti, Kalliu Carvalho Couto, José Oliveira Siqueira, Josele Abreu-Rodrigues, Karen M. Lionello-Denolf, Ingunn Sandaker

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Cooperation among unrelated individuals can evolve through reciprocity. Reciprocal cooperation is the process in which lasting social interactions provide the opportunity to learn about others' behavior, and to further predict the outcome of future encounters. Lasting social interactions may also decrease aversion to unequal distribution of gains – when individuals accept inequity payoffs knowing about the possibility of future encounters. Thus, reciprocal cooperation and aversion to inequity can be complementary phenomena. The present study investigated the effects of cooperative and uncooperative interactions on participants' aversion to disadvantageous inequity. Participants played an experimental task in the presence of a confederate who …

The Establishment Of Auditory-Visual Equivalence Classes With A Go/No-Go Successive Matching-To-Sample Procedure, Karina N. Zhelezoglo, Robbie J. Hanson, Caio F. Miguel, Karen M. Lionello-Denolf

Psychology Department Faculty Works

The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a go/no-go successive matching-to-sample procedure (S-MTS) to establish auditory–visual equivalence classes with college students. A sample and a comparison were presented, one at a time, in the same location. During training, after an auditory stimulus was presented, a green box appeared in the center of the screen for participants to touch to produce the comparison. Touching the visual comparison that was related to the auditory sample (e.g., A1B1) produced points, while touching or refraining from touching an unrelated comparison (e.g., A1B2) produced no consequences. Following AB/AC training, participants were tested on untrained relations …

Individual Differences, Economic Stability, And Fear Of Contagion As Risk Factors For Ptsd Symptoms In The Covid-19 Emergency, Adolfo Di Crosta, Rocco Palumbo, Daniela Marchetti, Irene Ceccato, Pasquale La Malva, Roberta Maiella, Mario Cipi, Paolo Roma, Nicola Mammarella, Maria Cristina Verrocchio, Alberto Di Domenico

Management, Marketing, and Organizational Communication Department Student Works

On January 30th 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Italy has been one of the most affected countries in the world. To contain further spread of the virus, the Italian government has imposed an unprecedented long-period lockdown for the entire country. This dramatic scenario may have caused a strong psychological distress, with potential negative long-term mental health consequences. The aim of the present study is to report the prevalence of high psychological distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population, especially considering that this aspect is …

A Preliminary Two-Phase Test Of How Inequity Aversion Is Modulated By Previous Dyadic Interactions, Marcelo Benvenuti, José De Oliveira Siqueira, Carla Jordão Suarez, Cesar Augusto Villela Silva Do Nascimento, Karen M. Lionello-Denolf, Josele Abreu-Rodrigues

Psychology Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Signs Of Suicide (Sos) Prevention Program Pilot Study: High School Implementation Recommendations, Adam M. Volungis

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for high school aged youth. There are many suicide prevention programs available, but few are evidence-based. The Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program is one of the few youth suicide prevention programs that have shown improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression, including a reduction in self-reported suicide attempts. With this being the high school’s first formal attempt at implementing a psychoeducation prevention program, they wanted to use an evidence-based program targeting a primary mental health concern – depression and suicide. One goal of the initial implementation …

How Prior Testing Impacts Misinformation Processing: A Dual-Task Approach, Leamarie Gordon, Vivek K. Bilolikar, Taylor Hodhod, Ayanna K. Thomas

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Research suggests that testing prior to the presentation of misinformation influences how that misinformation is processed. The present study examined the relationship between testing, the demands of misinformation narrative processing, and memory for original and post-event information. Using response latencies to a secondary task, we tested whether prior testing influenced the available resources for secondary task processing. Additionally, we investigated whether changes in narrative processing were specific to critical details tested earlier. Participants engaged in an eyewitness memory paradigm in which half were tested prior to receiving the post-event narrative. Participants responded to the secondary task at specified time points …

Alpha Band Signatures Of Social Synchrony, Paula Fitzpatrick, Teresa Mitchell, R. C. Schmidt, David Kennedy, Jean A. Frazier

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Previous research has reported changes in mu rhythm, the central rhythm of the alpha frequency band, in both intentional and spontaneous interpersonal coordination. The current study was designed to extend existing findings on social synchrony to the pendulum swinging task and simultaneously measured time unfolding behavioral synchrony and EEG estimation of mu activity during spontaneous, intentional in-phase and intentional anti-phase interpersonal coordination. As expected, the behavioral measures of synchrony demonstrated the expected pattern of weak synchronization for spontaneous coordination, moderate synchronization for intentional anti-phase coordination, and strong synchronization for in-phase coordination. With respect to the EEG measures, we found evidence …

An Investigation Into The Impact Of Acute Stress On Encoding In Older Adults, Amy M. Smith, Katinka Dijkstra, Leamarie Gordon, L. Michael Romero, Ayanna K. Thomas

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Acute psychological stress commonly occurs in young and older adults’ lives. Though several studies have examined the influence of stress on how young adults learn new information, the present study is the first to directly examine these effects in older adults. Fifty older adults (M age = 71.9) were subjected to either stress induction or a control task before learning two types of information: a short video and a series of pictures. Twenty-four hours later, they were exposed to misleading information about the video and then completed memory tests for the video and pictures. Heart rate and cortisol measures …

Developmental Changes In Imitation During Mother-Infant Interactions, Maria Markodimitraki, Maria Kalpidou

Psychology Department Faculty Works

We investigated the continuity and stability of imitative episodes (IMEs) to shed light on the nature of early infant imitative ability. We observed and analyzed interactions of 27 mother-infant pairs as they played in their homes at one and 10 months. We coded the initiator, frequency, duration, kind, structure, and affect of IMEs. At 10 months, dyads engaged in more frequent and longer IMEs that tended to be vocal, turn-takings, and positive in affect. Significant stability was observed. Mothers who initiated more IMEs and expressed more positive affect had infants who did the same. Findings suggest that dyads set stable …

Smartphone Addiction And Its Relationship With Indices Of Social-Emotional Distress And Personality, Adam M. Volungis, Maria Kalpidou, Colleen Popores, Mark Joyce

Psychology Department Faculty Works

We examined the relationships among smartphone addiction, social-emotional distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and loneliness), and personality traits among 150 undergraduate college students. Participants completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale, the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the UCLA Loneliness Scale-3, and the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five-Factor Inventory-3. Results showed that the more students were addicted to their smartphone, the higher their reported social-emotional distress was. Additionally, logistic analyses supported the predictive nature of smartphone addiction on specific domains of social-emotional distress. Personality did not moderate the relationship between smartphone addiction and social-emotional distress. However, neuroticism had a positive relationship with …

Attachment, Conflict Resolution, Marital Satisfaction, And Culture In Women, Ione Bretaña, Itziar Alonso-Arbiol, Shiri Lavy, Fang Zhang

Psychology Department Faculty Works

The aim of this study was to compare levels of attachment, conflict resolution strategies and marital satisfaction in women from Israel, United States, Turkey, and Spain (N = 343). A sample of individuals involved in a romantic relationship at ages 18-68 (M = 35.4, SD = 11.83) completed measures of attachment dimensions, conflict resolution strategies, and marital satisfaction. Tucker Phi coefficients revealed the same structure of the scales across all countries. Mean comparisons were used. Differences were observed among women from Israel, Turkey, USA, and Spain in attachment (avoidant and anxiety), as well as in own conflict resolution strategies and …

Relationship Between Theory Of Mind, Emotion Recognition, And Social Synchrony In Adolescents With And Without Autism, Paula Fitzpatrick, Jean A. Frazier, David Cochran, Teresa Mitchell, Caitlin Coleman, R. C. Schmidt

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Difficulty in social communication and interaction is a primary diagnostic feature of ASD. Research has found that adolescents with ASD display various impairments in social behavior such as theory of mind (ToM), emotion recognition, and social synchrony. However, not much is known about the relationships among these dimensions of social behavior. Adolescents with and without ASD participated in the study. ToM ability was measured by viewing social animations of geometric shapes, recognition of facial emotions was measured by viewing pictures of faces, and synchrony ability was measured with a spontaneously arising interpersonal movement task completed with a caregiver and an …

Evidence Of Embodied Social Competence During Conversation In High Functioning Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Veronica Romero, Paula Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Roulier, Amie Duncan, Michael J. Richardson, R. C. Schmidt

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Even high functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit impairments that affect their ability to carry out and maintain effective social interactions in multiple contexts. One aspect of subtle nonverbal communication that might play a role in this impairment is the whole-body motor coordination that naturally arises between people during conversation. The current study aimed to measure the time-dependent, coordinated whole-body movements between children with ASD and a clinician during a conversational exchange using tools of nonlinear dynamics. Given the influence that subtle interpersonal coordination has on social interaction feelings, we expected there to be important associations between the …

School Violence Prevention: Teachers Establishing Relationships With Students Using Counseling Strategies, Adam M. Volungis, Katie Goodman

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Although youth violence rates continue to decrease in the United States, it remains the second leading cause of death for adolescents. Furthermore, school violence remains a sociocultural concern, especially due to increasing media attention. Research consistently indicates that preventing school violence involves measures that go beyond formal protocols. One factor that has emerged from this research is that the quality of relationships between students and teachers, commonly referred to as school connectedness, may have a significant role in preventing school violence. However, there is very little literature that addresses how mental health professionals, such as school counselors, can assist teachers …

The Effect Of Testing Can Increase Or Decrease Misinformation Susceptibility Depending On The Retention Interval, Ayanna K. Thomas, Leamarie T. Gordon, Paul M. Cernasov, John B. Bulevich

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Research has consistently demonstrated that testing prior to the presentation of misleading post-event information, within the context of a standard eyewitness misinformation paradigm, results in an increase in the misinformation effect. The present study investigated whether changes in misinformation susceptibility in the context of interim testing are affected by retention interval differences between misinformation presentation and final testing. Further, this study tested possible divergences in original and post-event learning between conditions where elaboration in processing of critical details was encouraged either indirectly, via interim testing, or directly, by visually emphasizing critical details. In two experiments, we compared three groups of …

Clickers Can Promote Fact Retention But Impede Conceptual Understanding: The Effect Of The Interaction Between Clicker Use And Pedagogy On Learning, Amy M. Shapiro, Judith Sims-Knight, Grant V. O'Rielly, Paul Capaldo, Teal Pedlow, Leamarie Gordon, Kristina Monteiro

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Highlights

• Two experiments explored the role of clickers on factual and conceptual learning.
• One course emphasized fact retention and the other emphasized conceptual understanding.
• Factual and conceptual clicker questions enhanced only fact learning in the didactic course.
• Factual questions impaired conceptual learning in the problem-oriented course.
• Clicker effects are mediated by pedagogy, learning strategy, and prior knowledge.

Bridging The Gap Across The Transition To Coparenthood: Triadic Interactions And Coparenting Representations From Pregnancy Through 12 Months Postpartum, Regina Kuersten-Hogan

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Most family researchers agree that the coparenting relationship emerges some time during the transition to parenthood, though it is unclear whether it originates in pregnancy. Previous studies demonstrated that couples' positive representations of their future coparenting relationship and harmonious coparenting behaviors observed during prenatal triadic interactions predicted better postpartum functioning. However, previous studies did not simultaneously assess prenatal coparenting behaviors and representations as predictors of postpartum coparenting. If the coparenting relationship originates during pregnancy, these behavioral and cognitive aspects of prenatal coparenting should show associations with their postpartum counterparts. Based on family systems-, attachment-, and social-learning theory, the first aim …

School Size And Youth Violence: The Mediating Role Of School Connectedness, Adam M. Volungis

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Youth violence continues to be considered a public health concern in the United States. This study utilized longitudinal data to test the possible mediating and moderating effects of school connectedness between school size and youth violence. The participants were obtained from Waves I and II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative ongoing survey of 7th through 12th grade students in the United States. A series of multilevel models using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM6) procedures were compared. Results did not support school connectedness as a moderator; however, results did support school connectedness as a …

Impairments Of Social Motor Synchrony Evident In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paula Fitzpatrick, Jean A. Frazier, David M. Cochran, Teresa Mitchell, Caitlin Coleman, R. C. Schmidt

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Social interactions typically involve movements of the body that become synchronized over time and both intentional and spontaneous interactional synchrony have been found to be an essential part of successful human interaction. However, our understanding of the importance of temporal dimensions of social motor synchrony in social dysfunction is limited. Here, we used a pendulum coordination paradigm to assess dynamic, process-oriented measures of social motor synchrony in adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our data indicate that adolescents with ASD demonstrate less synchronization in both spontaneous and intentional interpersonal coordination. Coupled oscillator modeling suggests that ASD participants assembled …

Lost Or Fond? Effects Of Nostalgia On Sad Mood Recovery Vary By Attachment Insecurity, Sarah R. Cavanagh, Ryan J. Glode, Philipp C. Opitz

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Nostalgia involves a fond recollection of people and events lost to time. Growing evidence indicates that nostalgia may ameliorate negative affective states such as loneliness and boredom. However, the effect of nostalgia on sadness is unknown, and there is little research on how social connectedness might impact nostalgia's effects. Grounded in a theoretical framework whereby people with lower levels of attachment insecurity benefit more from nostalgia, we exposed participants to a mortality-related sad mood and then randomly assigned them to reflect on a nostalgic or an ordinary event memory. We examined changes in mood and electrodermal activity (EDA) and found …

Dynamical Methods For Evaluating The Time-Dependent Unfolding Of Social Coordination In Children With Autism, Paula Fitzpatrick, Rachel Diorio, Michael J. Richardson, R. C. Schmidt

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) suffer from numerous impairments in social interaction that affect both their mental and bodily coordination with others. We explored here whether interpersonal motor coordination may be an important key for understanding the profound social problems of children with ASD. We employed a set of experimental techniques to evaluate not only traditional cognitive measures of social competence but also the dynamical structure of social coordination by using dynamical measures of social motor coordination and analyzing the time series records of behavior. Preliminary findings suggest that children with ASD were equivalent to typically developing children on …