Psychology Commons^™

Timing Is Stressful: Do Listeners Combine Meaning And Rhythm To Predict Speech?, Molly Mcleod

Honors Theses

English and other languages such as German are stress-timed languages: the timing of the speech is determined by stressed and unstressed syllables, providing structure for sentences. While natural speech is not generally metrically regular, like in Shakespearean poetry, it still conveys timing cues through stress. Prior research has found that metric regularity enhances the processing of words (Rothermich et al, 2012), potentially because it attunes listeners’ attention to the predictability of stressed, and therefore important, syllables. Other work (e.g., Rogers, 2017) has suggested that predictability in the form of semantic associations (e.g., hearing “barn” facilitates understanding of “hay”) is a …

Migraine And Anxiety In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emma Gray

Honors Theses

Migraine and anxiety are common health conditions that are highly comorbid. In this study, I examined the relationship between migraine and anxiety in the context of migraine triggers and the COVID-19 pandemic. 188 participants (mean age = 34.18 years; 10.63% male, 85.63% female, 3.72% other) who were recruited online completed two measures of state-level anxiety and two measures of migraine disability. The first two measures prompted participants to report the anxiety and migraine disability they experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic. The second two measures prompted participants to report the anxiety and migraine disability they experienced during what they personally believed …

Young Parents' Stress And How Society Responds, Jillian Goldaber

Honors Theses

Studies have found that young parents can experience domestic violence, lack of stable housing, and lower financial resources and that social support to improve these issues has been lacking. My double thesis in Sociology and Psychology is an in-depth case study of Young Parents United in Schenectady, NY, with the purpose of examining the social and psychological stresses that young parents face and the societal response to these problems from this organization. In doing so, this thesis identified the needs of young parents in society, gained more information about what contributes to parenting stress, and investigated how Young Parents United …

The Role Of The Sibling Relationship During Stressful Life Events, Brianna Weissel

Honors Theses

Siblings play a major role in each other’s lives. If a child has a sibling, they experience life together often going through similar struggles, events, or joys. As siblings grow up, they often disclose information to each other and why or how they disclose life events to one another can depend on many factors. The disclosure levels will likely shift as siblings grow older and move through life. The current study focused on levels of disclosure between siblings and how disclosure is related to the gender of the siblings and the degree of warmth and emotional support in their relationships. …

Sexual Objectification Of Women: What Can Ancient Rome And Modern Psychology Teach Us?, Noa Raskin

Honors Theses

Sexual objectification (SO) is an omnipresent experience for women that decreases their quality of life. Researching why SO occurs and is perpetuated can help us understand how to decrease the interpersonal, mental health, and safety consequences women face from being sexually objectified. This presentation looks at sexual objectification through the lenses of two different disciplines: psychology and classics. The psychology component involved an empirical study aimed at better comprehending women’s perceptions of their own SO and the connection SO has to Greek life. Nineteen men from Union College completed two scales to assess their direct and indirect SO of women, …

Context-Dependent Memory Effects For Those With Adhd Symptomatology, Kira Kascha

Honors Theses

Research has revealed a context-dependent memory effect in which stimuli tested in the same context that they were encoded in tend to be remembered better than stimuli tested in a different context. The impairments of those with ADHD suggest that the restoration of context may be less beneficial for these individuals. The present study examined context-dependent memory effects among individuals with high and low ADHD symptomatology. It was expected that those with higher ADHD symptomatology would benefit less from the restoration of context compared to those with lower ADHD symptomatology. Participants were presented with a series of words on colored …

Finance And Fear: Sentiment, Media, And Financial Markets During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alison N. Sommers

Honors Theses

This thesis aims to build on existing research of market psychology and the effect of sentiment on financial markets. The main objective of this study is to determine the ability of investors to make rational decisions during the most recent period of high sentiment. The anomalies that have occurred in the stock market can be better understood by market psychology which focuses on the biases and social factors that influence investors. The media is a newly relevant factor impacting the volume of sentiment present in the market. A review of literature reveals that many studies of sentiment and financial market’s …

Investigating The Effects Of Covid-19 Blame And Racist Language On Asian Americans, Adenike Hickson

Honors Theses

We conducted a study to test our hypothesis that racist language and blame related to the COVID-19 pandemic might have a negative impact on Asian Americans’ sense of belonging in the United States. We presented Asian American participants (total N = 271) with a non-racist or racist language flier, paired with a low blame or high blame passage of text with fabricated statistics about how much the average White American blames Asian Americans for the COVID-19 pandemic. We predicted that participants in the racist language and high blame condition would report greater perceived increases in prejudice since the start of …

The Association Among Executive Functioning, Self-Efficacy And Adhd With Attitudes Towards Online Learning, Alice Sperry

Honors Theses

Prior research has shown that worse executive function and lower self-efficacy are associated with learning differences such as ADHD and associated with psychiatric diagnoses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction among executive function, self-efficacy, attitudes towards online learning and learning differences. Fifty-one participants completed a survey which assessed executive function, self-efficacy, attitudes towards online learning and also asked demographic questions. The results indicated that students with learning differences and students with a psychiatric diagnosis had significantly worse executive function than students without a diagnosis. Students with a learning difference were also found to have significantly lower …

The Effect Of Gender Roles And Priming On Mental Health Self-Stigma And Attitudes, Sarah Competiello

Honors Theses

Prior research suggests that gender roles and gender are both related to mental health self-stigma and attitudes toward help seeking. In the present study, I explored whether espousal of gender roles and priming people with mental health stigma would interact to predict levels of mental health self-stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking. I also tested whether gender moderated this relationship. Some participants were primed with fake Twitter posts that promoted mental health stigma, while others were exposed to neutral Tweets. All participants then responded to questionnaires assessing espousal of gender roles, levels of mental health self-stigma, attitudes toward help-seeking, and gender …

Mental Health Interveners, Stress And Response To Covid-19 In Elementary Schools, Johanna Sosa

Honors Theses

This study investigated symptoms of anxiety and depression among school-based mental health providers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty-six school psychologists, counselors, and social workers completed an online questionnaire to assess anxiety, depression, occupational duties, and involvement in planning services. Eight participants were interviewed to explore methods and challenges of providing care. Results suggested that the pandemic led to increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants’ scores, in the survey, indicated that anxiety and depression were related to age and lack of involvement in planning services. Interviews revealed difficulties faced with uncertainty in day-to-day tasks, new responsibilities, Covid-19 protocols, …

Twinks, Jocks, And Bears, Oh My! Differing Body Ideals Among Gay Male Subcommunities, Samuel Fogarty

Honors Theses

Recent studies have focused on disordered eating psychopathology among gay men, particularly when oriented towards thinness or muscularity. Gay men are at increased risk of eating disorder symptoms when compared to heterosexual men and exhibit similar rates to women (Feldmen & Meyer, 2007; Frederick & Essayli, 2016; Siconolfi, Halkitis, Allomong, & Burton, 2009). However, the results remain muddled surrounding the topic of thinness- or muscularity-oriented eating psychopathology; the current study provides a potential response in subcultural gay appearance ideals. The present study examined the relationship between three gay subcultural appearance identities (twinks, jocks, and bears) and disordered eating attitudes and …

Power For The Powerless: How Donald Trump Used Voters’ Anxieties To Win In 2016, Nathaniel Stekler

Honors Theses

Previous research has attempted to explain the results of the 2016 presidential election, and has concluded that a jaded and anxious electorate propelled Trump to the White House. The current research examines what psychological processes might have been at play. When people feel powerless in their day-to-day lives but are made to feel powerful it leads to behavior that goes against standard moral beliefs (e.g., supporting a presidential candidate who makes offensive comments that one might not explicitly endorse). I hypothesize that a feeling of powerfulness among a subset of the population used to feeling powerless will increase their support …

Neurosexism: The Extent To Which Sex And Gender Differences In Mental Illness Are Neurologically Explained Versus Socially Constructed, Christie Dionisos

Honors Theses

In the growing age of neuroscience, we are rapidly churning out answers to questions about the mind and mental illness that have always evaded us. While increased neurological understanding is valuable to mental illness, our current understanding of mental illness comes with historical baggage that has negatively shaped society’s beliefs connecting females to illness. Our definitions of mental illness and its association with women came out of a history of stigmatization against women, disease, and Otherness. This has manifested into the pathologization of female experience as mental illness. The onset of new brain science had a similar agenda to make …

Barriers: An Exploration Of Architectural Structures As An Indication Of Wealth And Socioeconomic Status, Lisa Demoranville

Honors Theses

I decided to explore the barriers and limitations of wealth through an investigation of architectural structures, focusing on popular industries and institutions on which our society commonly depends. I have noticed that places such as hospitals, schools, grocery stores, and restaurants differ dramatically depending on the neighborhoods in which they were located. This topic sparked my interest after living in Lima, Peru for a month, as I was able to observe the developing economy and dramatic division of wealth among the population. Certain questions about the divides and differences within a society and its culture started crossing my mind; not …

Have Scripts For Initiation Of Adult Sexual Behavior Changed In 80 Years? Evidence From Top Box-Office Films, Georgia Gardner

Honors Theses

The majority of research regarding sexual scripts in the media has examined television, however films are also an interesting avenue for study. The current study attempted to look the particular script of initiation of sexual interactions through the medium of film. The study looked at 50 top grossing films from 1940-2018 including drama, comedy and action films. Initiation of sexual interaction was defined as moving from a state of no sexual intimacy to sexual intimacy. For example, a passionate kiss on the lips between lovers is initiation of sexual interaction, but a kiss on the cheek between family members is …

What Do Women Want? The Feminist Pursuit Of Happiness, Hannah Ruth Ellen

Honors Theses

“What do Women Want?” My thesis asks whether women can genuinely seek freedom while also hoping for happiness. I look closely at how male theorists define happiness and liberty for themselves and for others, and in particular for feminized others. My two central chapters focus on theories of individual happiness, happiness sought through another or others, and the ways feminist thinkers reimagine happiness in relationship to women’s freedom. I apply feminist critiques to the concept of psychodynamic therapy as an anti-revolutionary tool designed to isolate and silence women into believing that coping with oppression is equivalent to genuine happiness. I …

The Relationship Between Religiosity And Implicit Vs. Explicit Death Anxiety, Samantha Marin

Honors Theses

While there is ample reason to expect a relationship between religiosity and death anxiety, conflicting results across studies indicate a need to separately measure the unconscious and conscious aspects of death anxiety in order to further the research and refine theory. The current study tests the hypothesis that those who are more religious will demonstrate greater implicit death anxiety (IDA) and lower explicit death anxiety (EDA) than those who are lower in religiosity. Due to a lack of adequate measures for IDA, a self-report measure was created for the purpose of this study in order to assess death anxiety below …

Neuro-Exergaming For Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment (Mci): A Single Bout Of Interactive Physical And Cognitive Exercise (Ipaces V2.5), Alexa Puleio

Honors Theses

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) poses a serious risk to the older population. This disease may be a precursor to a more debilitating dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and it affects the cognitive abilities as well as overall quality of life of those who suffer from it (Alzheimer’s Association, 2014). Finding preventative ways to combat these neurodegenerative illnesses is imperative for our increasing older population at risk. Prior research has shown benefits to cognition from physical exercise (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003); however, only a fraction of older adults actually achieve recommended levels (Chodzko-Zajko et al., 2009). Some researchers have explored …

Cognitive And Emotional Correlates Of Improved Gait Distance During The Course Of Physical Therapy Treatment For An Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury, Danielle Miller

Honors Theses

Objective

The focus of spinal cord injury rehabilitation over the past four decades has shifted from medical management to issuses that affect quality of life and community participation (Gómara- Toldrà, Sliwinski, & Dijkers, 2014). However, the care team for spinal cord injury patients still need to collaberate in order to design and implement interventions that result in maximum participation to provide an individual with a spinal cord injury an effective rehabilitation program. In order to create such a rehablitation program, the care team must know how certain psychological and cognitive aspects, such as depression and implict memory, are related to …

Rural, Urban, And Suburban School Communities And Their Impact On School Psychologists, Claire Crosier

Honors Theses

School psychologists play an important role today in the education of students by helping those with and without diagnosed disabilities. Their role as a school psychologist entails assessing students, providing interventions, consulting with teachers and more. This study looks to see if school psychologists have a different role depending on their community location, specifically rural, urban and suburban locations. Past research is outdated and finds varying results with some finding that the role differs depending on the setting, while others find more similarities than differences. This study found both similarities and differences in characteristics of school psychologists, the population of …

Jane, Judith, And Gender Performance: A Butlerian Approach To Feminine Identity In Mansfield Park, Hallie Stone

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I take two complex works, Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble and Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, and read them together to gain a deeper understanding of both. My cutting-edge psychoanalytic approach to understanding Jane Austen provides a profound insight into the impact of socially-constructed expectations on performances of femininity. Butler’s work exposes interesting insights into the psychology and feminine identity of both Fanny Price and Mary Crawford while Austen’s work exposes limits in Butler’s theory of gender performativity. Although Butler claims that gender is a body’s constant performance, I add that there is a relationship between gender performance …

Mental Disorders As Brain Disorders: The Impact On Stigma Of Neuroscience-Based Mental Health Education, Katherine Tighe

Honors Theses

Stigmatization of mental illness is undoubtedly detrimental to those with mental health concerns as it limits employment, self-esteem and social support (Markowitz, 1998). In effort to combat the issue of stigma, previous research has evaluated the effectiveness of education as a method to reduce stigma in a college sample; finding that peer-led presentations are effective in reducing stigma (Kosyluk et al., 2016). The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of neuroscience-oriented presentation for reducing the stigma of mental illness among college students. Researchers asked 53 Union College students to complete seven-item Social Distance Scale (SDS; Penn et al., 1994) …

An Examination Of School Shootings And Mental Health: A Comparative Case Study, Emily Kaufman

Honors Theses

School shootings have become more relevant in our society over the past few decades, yet the debate over the cause of these shootings never seems to reach a conclusion. The current study looks at the connection between mental illness and school shootings, as well as the roles that media, gun control, violence, and masculinity play in the common phenomena. Prior literature has debated over the main causes of school shootings, but many researchers state differing opinions regarding the motivations for perpetrators. This study found that severe mental illness is the main cause of school shootings, and while mental illness may …

The Effectiveness Of Narrative Transportation Varies By Product Type And Gender, Junwen Su

Honors Theses

Previous studies had explored that narrative transportation increases affectivity and decreases cognitive responses. Specifically in the context of advertisement narrative transportation was found to increase product and brand evaluation and therefore was considered as an effective promotional strategy for marketers. In the current study we examined the direct impacts of narrative advertisement on people's positive affectivity critical thinking ability and brand evaluation and how the impacts differed between females and males and also between people assigned to read ad of spontaneous product and deliberative product. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of four types of radio transcript: narrative spontaneous …

Psychiatric Disorders Memory And The Future: The Effect Of Anxiety And Depression On Self- Defining Memory And Self-Defining Future Projections, Sarah Irvine

Honors Theses

Prior research has found that depression affects how individuals recall self-defining memories by preventing individuals from properly encoding and retrieving memories, resulting in a suspected inability to recall specific events and information (Conway, 1990). The current study aimed to replicate this finding and to examine whether this phenomenon exists within those with higher levels of anxiety, a concept not previously studied. Fifty-three participants were asked to recall two self-defining memories (Singer & Blagov, 2000) and forty- seven participants described where they saw themselves two years from now in order to determine whether depression and anxiety affect future projections as well …

The Road To Recovery: Predicting Improvement In Physical Therapy Programs, Noemie Bechu

Honors Theses

The three variables of autonomous motivation self-efficacy and autonomy support have positively predicted improvement in and adherence to various health rehabilitation programs. There have also been positive correlations between these variables such that those with high autonomous motivation also have high self-efficacy. In the current study we examined if these relationships would be replicated in the physical therapy context. Participants were adult community members recruited from their physical therapy practice through flyers. Participants were asked to complete a first survey regarding their autonomous motivation self-efficacy and current health status and a second survey four weeks later asking about their current …

Attachment Theory In Chinese Culture, Julia Brooks

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Love Thy Attachment Figures As Thyself: Self-Esteem Predicts Deviations In Adult Attachment Security, Molly Rosenthal Graether

Honors Theses

As we expand our close relationship (attachment) bonds from parents and caregivers to friends and romantic partners, some of us become more secure, while others become more insecure. What determines the direction in which our security deviates? The present study looks at whether self-esteem and worldview systems can account for deviations in security across partners, in both a college sample and a (more generalizable) online sample. Participants who were more secure in their friendships and romantic relationships than in their relationship with their parents/caregivers had higher self-esteem. The impact of worldviews, measured by the extent to which participants used several …

Fitness And Exercise As Linked To Overall Stress And Physiological Stress Responses, Justine Monthony

Honors Theses

Exercise negatively correlates with physiological stress responses, but there is less research on short-term stress hormones for this response. For this thesis, I hypothesized that exercise and fitness levels would be negatively correlated with perceived stress and with physiological stress from a standard stressor. Undergraduate college participants reported their chronic stress, current mood, past week’s physical activity (amount and intensity), perceived physical fitness, and demographic characteristics. Participants also engaged in a social stress task, on which they had limited time to prepare a speech with no notice or resources that was given in front of peers who were ostensibly analyzing …