Psychology Commons^™

A Role For Vasopressin And Oxytocin In Parental Behavior Of The Male Sprague-Dawley Rat, Ekaterina V. Karelina

Master's Theses

Paternal behavior, though infrequent in many mammalian species, can be induced under laboratory conditions through manipulation of either hormonal or environmental states. Rodent studies of parental behavior have implicated similarities for males and females in not only the actual behavioral repertoire, but also the brain mechanisms governing the set of behaviors in both sexes. The current project investigated changes in oxytocin and vasopressin in the hypothalamus of paternal male rats. We found that paternal behavior, which was readily induced through sensitization (chronic pup exposure), was significantly correlated with increasing oxytocin and vasopressin immunoreactivity within the paraventricular nucleus. Further, corticosterone levels …

Learned Fear And Reaction To Novel Stimuli: Behavioral And Hormonal Stress Responses In The Maternal Rat, Brandi Nicole Rima

Master's Theses

The present thesis examines the relationship between reproductive experience and the behavioral, neural, and hormonal processes of learned fear in the female rat. Multiple research models indicate that reproductive experience functions to decrease the female's stress response in potentially harmful environments, thus providing her with numerous survival benefits, including decreased fearfulness, increased aggression, and refined hunting skills. Based on existing understandings of maternal experience and unconditioned fear, this study was designed to determine how nulliparous (no reproductive experience, NP), primiparous (one reproductive experience, PP) and multiparous (more than one reproductive experience, MP) rats comparatively respond to a Pavlovian paradigm of …

The Cinematic Effect Of Love Addiction On Metaphorical Preferences, Taylor Ann Daniel

Honors Theses

The cinematic effects of Fatal Attraction, a negative depiction of love addiction, and Wuthering Heights, a positive depiction of love addiction, were used to test their effect on students' metaphorical love preferences. Eight of Robert Sternberg's love metaphors were selected and, based on participants' metaphorical choices, an unhealthy and healthy group were created. It was hypothesized that both the unhealthy and healthy group would be unaffected after watching Fatal Attraction, but that Wuthering Heights would affect a change in the healthy group towards more unhealthy, addictive metaphors, while not affecting a change in the unhealthy group. The …

Stress And Health Behavior Among College Students, Lindsey Dorflinger

Honors Theses

The effect of stress and gender on health behavior, as well as the association amongst health behaviors, was examined. Past research has shown that stress can lead to higher levels of abnormal eating behaviors and attitudes, lower levels of exercise participation, and increased risk of smoking; studies have shown some gender differences as well. Seventy-eight college students completed questionnaires about stress, disordered eating, physical activity, and smoking status. Results showed that higher levels of stress were associated with higher levels of disordered eating, and that females have more abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors than males. Higher levels of exercise are …

Conditional Love : A Study Of Situational Differences In Rooting For An Underdog, Sheila Margaret Hindle

Master's Theses

While people tend to root unabashedly for underdogs in the domain of athletics, underdogs do not generally receive the same tremendous support in matters of business. This may occur for a variety of reasons, but of particular interest is the fact that an individual's perception of a situation as both self-relevant and of high consequences may prove detrimental to his or her willingness to support an underdog. Two studies were conducted to explore these hypotheses. Study 1 (N=48) required participants to read a brief scenario depicting a situation of varied self-relevance and consequences, and then select a company to complete …

Predictors Of Breast And Cervical Cancer Screening Among Vietnamese Immigrant Women, Anh B. Nguyen

Master's Theses

Predictors of breast and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese immigrant women. Anh B. Nguyen, Master of Arts in Psychology, University of Richmond, 2006. Thesis director: Barbara K. Sholley, Ph.D Although practicing preventative healthcare is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, some high-risk populations do not engage in preventative screenings for cancer. Vietnamese American women constitute a high-risk group in gynecological cancers, and it was hypothesized that tenure, acculturation, health insurance, a regular source of care, education, employment status, and marital status would affect rates of cancer screening. It was also hypothesized that the Vietnamese population would have different trends …

Exploring Group Behavior, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

When I migrated from the world of constructions and took a position as a college professor and social psychologist, I found myself on the right side of the "good work if you can get it" divide. Granted, professoring is still work. There are politics of the office, bosses who make demands, and duties that must be fulfilled. Nor is it a glamorous occupation, as Hollywood's depictions of Indiana Jones-like professorial types would suggest. But depending on one's goals and perspectives, it is a personally fulfilling pursuit. It is an elite profession that requires special training and skill, and for much …

Co-Rumination And Depression In College Students, Maurita M. Burns

Honors Theses

Studies concerning depression consistently reveal higher levels in women than men. One explanation for this is that women and men cope with depressive emotions differently. While women tend to focus on their negative emotions and the causes and consequences of these feelings, men are more likely to engage in distracting, active behavior. The persistent self focus on negative emotions, rumination, has been found to prolong and exacerbate feelings of depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). At the same time, women tend to have more intimate and close friendships characterized by self-disclosure than men. While such intimate relationships theoretically provide social support that can …

The Missing Person In The Conversation: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., And The Dialogical Self, David E. Leary

Psychology Faculty Publications

Wiley (2006) has argued for a relationship between pragmatism and the dialogical self, noting that both are rooted in the thought of William James and Charles S. Peirce. This commentary delves into the possible connection between James’s and Peirce’s ideas as well as the probable influence of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., on the development of dialogical conceptions of the self.

Psychology, David E. Leary

Psychology Faculty Publications

Psychology, in a general sense, is age-old, extending back across all cultures to the beginnings of recorded time. The healing arts of ancient doctors and the conceptual musings of ancient sages often pointed toward factors that would be considered psychological today. Nevertheless, psychology in its specifically modern sense dates from the second half of the nineteenth century, when a self-consciously scientific, academic, professional discipline took shape in Europe and North America. This multiplex discipline grew and flourished in particular in the United States, where more than forty experimental laboratories, associated programs of research and study, and institutionalized means of communication, …

Self-Efficacy And Adult Development, Daniel Cervone, Daniele Artistico, Jane M. Berry

Psychology Faculty Publications

A major theme in the contemporary study of human development across the life span is that people have the capacity for personal agency. Innumerable writers emphasize that individuals can exert intentional influence over their experiences and actions, the circumstances they encounter, the skills they acquire, and thus ultimately the course of their development.

Predictors Of Sexual Attitudes In College Students, Andrew Davisson

Honors Theses

History, especially within the last century, has been host to steadily evolving attitudes toward human sexuality. In conjunction with these evolving attitudes have come changes in beliefs about sexual gender roles, the acceptance of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle, and connections between self-esteem and sexual well-being. This study examined the relationships of four predictor variables (gender, attitudes toward women's issues, attitudes toward homosexuality, and self-esteem) with general sexual attitudes. An ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference between males and females in their sexual attitudes. Attitudes toward women and attitudes toward homosexuals were both significantly correlated with general sexual …

Effective Group Meetings And Decision Making, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Single individuals do much to advance the cause of peace, but much of the work - the decisions, advocacy, planning, and organizing - is handled by groups. In groups we pool our knowledge and abilities, give each other feedback, and tackle problems too overwhelming to face alone. Group members give us emotional and social support and can stimulate us to become more creative, insightful, and committed to our goals. When we work with others who share our values and goals, we often come to understand ourselves, and our objectives, more clearly.

Not every group, however, realizes these positive consequences. Often …