Psychology Commons^™

Differences In Hair Significance Among Black And White Women: An Exploratory Study On Black Hair, Yasmine S. Keen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In Western culture, standards of beauty are often based on European characteristics that Black women are inherently unable to meet. African American history and anecdotal accounts suggest that hair in particular can have a significant impact on the perception and body image of Black women, though whether that impact is positive or negative is not clear. The current study takes a quantitative approach to examining women’s relationship with their hair. Black women (n = 146) and White women (n = 1,116) participated in an anonymous online survey regarding time devoted to hair maintenance, money spent on hair upkeep, …

License To Ill: Slang And Uncertainty As Motivational Accounts For Group Identification, Benny Chu

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

People use verbal communication with other group members as unique social identity markers. Individual’s word choices adjust and change based on the group to which the individual belongs. For example, regional slang allows for people to view themselves as a distinct group represented in a particular geographic location (e.g., Northern Californians and the term “hella”). As a result, when individuals recognize the informal language (slang) of their fellow group members, they should feel confident and included in their group. However, when individuals hear their peers communicate norms by using slang with which they are unfamiliar, it should create …

Leadership And Identity Disruption, Lily Syfers

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Given that leaders have the ability to create, modify and reinforce group identity, it is important to understand the effect of leader prototype violation on the group identity, and subsequent leader preferences. An experiment (N = 191), examined the effect of leader prototype violation and self-conceptual uncertainty on evaluations of subsequent leadership. Although results did not support the primary hypotheses that the leader who was removed would be evaluated more harshly than the leader who completed term, and that under high uncertainty support for the non-prototypical candidate would increase the most when the previous leader was removed, exploratory analyses …

Physical Attractiveness As A Threat In Intragroup Dynamics, Olivia R. Kuljian

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This experiment focuses on an area not heavily touched on within social psychology—physical attractiveness and intragroup dynamics. When joining a group, a physically attractive individual may cause existing group members to feel unsure about their own attractiveness, prompting potentially negative perceptions and actions towards the new member. This work addresses physical attractiveness in the context of a small group with a 2 (self-prototypicality: prototypical vs. peripheral) x 2 (target status: newcomer vs. old-timer) x 2 (target attractiveness: attractive vs. non-attractive) experimental design. Participants (N = 147) played online game, “Speedy Ball”, which is designed to simulate a small group …

Test Of Bpa's Estrogenic Effects On Brain Aromatase Expression, Neural Activity, And Locomotive Behavior In Zebrafish Larvae, Ryan J. Mcauley

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disrupting chemical that mimics the effects of estrogens. Aromatase B (Cyp19a1b) is a brain-specific enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen and is highly upregulated in response to estrogen receptor activation localized to radial glial cells. During embryonic zebrafish development, there is a small window of time denoted by an increase in neurogenesis and estrogen receptor activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that a low dose BPA exposure (0.1µM) during this window causes hyperlocomotion in larval zebrafish, yet no further explanation for this behavior change has been described. The purpose of this study was to …

Attachment, Stress, And Self-Efficacy While Parenting Children On The Autism Spectrum, Angela Maire Galioto

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current study explored the relationship between parental perceptions of stress, self-efficacy, attachment, and child functioning level. Participants were parents of children with ASD enrolled in The Special Beginnings Program (SBP, N = 44) or receiving treatment as usual (TAU, N = 39). Hypotheses included that parental perceptions of child functioning level will be negatively correlated with stress and positively correlated with self-efficacy and attachment. In addition, that parental perceptions of stress will decrease and perceptions of attachment and self-efficacy would increase after Project ImPACT training and at follow-up more so for the parents in the SBP group compared to …

Does Developmental Task Disruption Mediate The Link Between Childhood Adversity And Psychopathy?, Kali C. Williams

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Research has linked adult psychopathy with abuse or neglect in childhood; however, less is known about how it relates to other adverse childhood experiences. The prevention of psychopathic traits may be possible if the issue is examined from a developmental psychopathology perspective, which attempts to understand how early experiences and disruptions in stage-salient tasks may contribute to pathological behavior. ACEs may disrupt the attachment bond between child and parent and continue to impact adult relational functioning, via cognitive templates of adult attachment styles and difficulties with emotion regulation.

This study examined whether ACEs were related to psychopathic trait scores in …

Differential Predictors Of Opposition To Same-Sex Marriage And Sexual Prejudice, Latishia E Y Jett-Dias

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study investigated attitudes toward same-sex marriage and its beneficiaries from the frameworks of social dominance orientation (SDO) and political conservatism. Unlike past research that focused mainly on sexual prejudice, the current paper explicitly examined both opposition to same-sex marriage and sexual prejudice. Additionally, the current study explored subcomponents of SDO (i.e., opposition to equality [OEQ] and group-based dominance [GBD]). Study One examined relationships and predictive difference between attitudes toward same-sex marriage and its beneficiaries before California legalized same-sex marriage. Study Two addressed attitudes before and recently after California legalized same-sex marriage. OEQ, GBD, and conservatism predicted opposition to same-sex …

Measuring Chocolate Craving In Adults, Haley M. Whitham

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Present research finds that the experience of chocolate craving is unique from other foods (Bruinsma & Taren, 1999). Only two measures on chocolate craving exist, the Attitudes to Chocolate Questionnaire (ACQ; Benton et al., 1998) and the Orientation to Chocolate Questionnaire (OCQ; Cartwright et al., 2007). Both measures theoretically vary and include subscales that measure other eating components, such as guilt-driven restrictive eating. A need for a measure that focuses on the characteristics of chocolate craving and consumption exists. Thus, the Chocolate Craving Inventory (CCI; Whitham & Reynolds, 2014) was created. The purpose of the present study was to examine …

Psychological Consequences Of Genetic Testing, Jack Allen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing describes genetic testing which is done using online or mail in services, without the direct supervision of a counselor or physician. Individuals can order information about their ancestry, trait information, and even disease risk information. Online testing services have previously been prevented from offering certain types of genetic self-knowledge to consumers due to government regulation, however, there is little information available about how genetic self-knowledge may affect consumers. The present study evaluated whether simply believing oneself to be genetically disadvantaged could cause an individual to perform poorly on a working memory task.

University students participated in a …

Cannabis Use Frequency And Mood On Creativity, Caitlin Clark

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study examines the relationship between cannabis use (infrequent, moderate, and heavy use) and one’s mood (neutral, positive, and negative) on creativity. Folk ideas of creativity and the relationships between cannabis use and mood may not reflect the real relationship between these factors (e.g. regarding cannabis use, it is perceived to be linked with higher rates of creativity; regarding mood, negative states [i.e. tortured artist] are thought to fuel creativity). Although both cannabis use and mood have been found to influence creativity independently, the current study is unique in its aims to identify whether cannabis use and mood interact to …

Multiple Maltreatment And Adverse Childhood Experiences: Exploring Cumulative Threats To Attachment Quality, James E. Barnett

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Child maltreatment is associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms across the lifespan. Maltreatment often co-occurs with other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as parental incarceration or substance use. Studies have examined child maltreatment and other ACEs mostly independently, and both variables have been linked to poor adult functioning, such as insecure attachments. However, research discerning the unique contributions of maltreatment versus ACEs in predicting developmental outcomes is limited. For example, it is unclear if these connections to adult functioning persist across both early and middle adulthood. Recent studies suggest that maltreatment and ACEs uniquely predicting socioemotional problems. However, other studies …

Are Caffeine’S Effects On Neuronal Calcium Levels Due To The Caffeine Metabolite, Paraxanthine?, Kendra Jean Hartsuyker

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Caffeine has diverse effects on neurons including, potentially, protection against Parkinson’s-related neurodegeneration. Caffeine may protect neurons from damage by limiting mitochondrial membrane permeability through a calcium-dependent mechanism. This study was a first step investigating calcium’s role in caffeine neuroprotection in vivo using zebrafish larvae. Elavl3:GCaMP6s zebrafish, which express a genetically encoded fluorescent calcium indicator protein in most CNS neurons, received caffeine (0, 50, 125, 250 µM, bath applied) in an ascending dose series during fluorescence calcium imaging of a central catecholaminergic nucleus (a proposed zebrafish homolog of the locus coeruleus, a structure affected in Parkinson’s disease). Parallel experiments tested effects …

Restoration Of Attentional Deficits After Concussion, Katharine B. Earle

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Difficulties with concentration and attention are among the most prevalent symptoms experienced after concussion. Rest has been the most common form of recovery from concussion; however, new research is suggesting mild mental exertion to be an effective aid in recovery. Drawing from Attention Restoration Theory, this study evaluated the idea that cognitive engagement with natural environments can mitigate post-concussion directed-attention deficits. A between subjects repeated measures design was used to test directed-attention after video exposure to restorative/nature and nonrestorative/city environments. Measures of mood, connectedness to environment, and symptomology scores were also collected. No meaningful difference between exposure type was found …

Academic Advising Support For Students On Academic Probation, Kaitlyn N. Stormes, Gregg J. Gold

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

No abstract provided.