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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On College Student Brain Health, Asia Alegre Jan 2023

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On College Student Brain Health, Asia Alegre

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being and subjective cognition in college students. The purpose of this study as well was to investigate if those who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the past had lower levels of subjective cognitive health and if students who were affected more during the pandemic experienced more disruptions to their wellbeing. Participants (N = 105) were recruited online via the Prolific platform and took part in an online survey administered on Qualtrics. A correlational analysis was performed to examine the effects of the pandemic, …


The Roles Of Media Multitasking And Technology Use In Selective Attention And Task Switching, Katina Chris Jan 2023

The Roles Of Media Multitasking And Technology Use In Selective Attention And Task Switching, Katina Chris

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A number of studies have explored the impact of multitasking on specific cognitive skills, primarily with regard to non-media multitasking activities. While briefly addressing technology, its use in the modern era regarding media multitasking and its associated cognitive declines has not been extensively examined. Forty-nine participants were required to complete a series of cognitive tasks including the Stroop Color and Word Test and the Trail Making Test. Data were also collected for how often participants media multitask, the amount of technology they use, as well as other demographic variables. The goal of this study was to empirically examine the role …


The Effects Of Virtual Reality-Based Mindfulness Meditation On Cognition, Rafael Leite Jan 2023

The Effects Of Virtual Reality-Based Mindfulness Meditation On Cognition, Rafael Leite

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Due to relatively recent strides made in the field of virtual reality, the technology's potential use in a clinical setting has been the focus of a growing body of research. Multiple studies focus on benefits of its combination with meditation interventions; however, few explore its impact following a short-term period of utilizing both. This investigation aims to explore that gap in the literature by determining whether an improvement on mindfulness and working memory test scores would be seen following a single session of virtual reality meditation. That was done by randomly assigning participants to one of two conditions. One group …


The Effect Of Microdosing Classical Psychedelics On Cognitive Performance, Michael Harris Jan 2021

The Effect Of Microdosing Classical Psychedelics On Cognitive Performance, Michael Harris

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Public interest and scientific inquiry are currently bringing psychedelic research back into the spotlight after a decades-long respite from clinical human trials. A majority of the research during this recent renaissance has surrounded applications of psychedelics in the fields of mental health. Less attention is being focused to other research areas where psychedelics may also prove informative, such as cognition and information processing. A common trend taking place is the act of administering very small doses of psychedelics as a potential cognitive enhancer, called microdosing. With less research being focused on these areas however, it is not well documented whether …


Effects Of Death Anxiety On Learning Performance, Umaima Haseeb Jan 2020

Effects Of Death Anxiety On Learning Performance, Umaima Haseeb

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The present study examines whether or not a person's anxiety level might be linked to their learning performance. Many studies in the past have examined math and test anxiety, but the present study will examine the effects of death anxiety on learning performance. Individual's anxiety will attempt to be induced through fear of death. Participants were presented a set of four symptoms, similar to Gluck and Bower's 1988 category learning study. The participants were asked whether or not they think the symptoms of the patient are positive for COVID-19 or positive for the flu. The hypothesis was that there would …


Role Of Spatial Ability In Musical Instrument Choice: Implications For Music Education, Tevis L. Tucker Jan 2019

Role Of Spatial Ability In Musical Instrument Choice: Implications For Music Education, Tevis L. Tucker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore the relationship between spatial ability and the wide range of musical instruments musicians play. Existing literature has established a link between musicianship and improved spatial ability, but researchers have yet to look at how the spatial makeup of different musical instruments may, in turn, reveal unique levels of spatial proficiency from one instrumentalist to the next. This study was formatted as an online survey that included a music experience scale, a demographics scale, and two measures of spatial ability: the Card Rotations Test (CRT) and the Paper Folding Test (PFT). Participants who …


Relationship Between Executive Function And Postural Control, Lara V. Suarez Jan 2019

Relationship Between Executive Function And Postural Control, Lara V. Suarez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

While it has been established that postural control is affected by executive function, research is lacking in identifying if specific executive function components are most responsible or if certain aspects of postural control are more affected than others (e.g., proprioception, vestibular, visual). The current study examined the role of inhibition, processing speed, and visuospatial ability in postural control under conditions affecting visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular sensory input. Cognitive assessments consisted of the Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Clock Drawing Test, Trail Making Test – Part B, and simple reaction time. Standing Balance was used to …


Memory Of Words: A Categorization Task, Paulina Maxim Jan 2018

Memory Of Words: A Categorization Task, Paulina Maxim

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Through the years, the Deese-Roediger-McDermott Paradigm has demonstrated to be a useful method of observing false memories from semantically related word lists. The present study was conducted fully online and measured memory performance dependent on categorization of words by using groups, as well as dragging words across the page as a form of interaction. In a 2 (Categorized, Non-Categorized) x 2 (Interactive, Non-Interactive) between-subject factorial experiment, 56 undergraduate students were shown 18 different lists of 15 associative words to be studied, one list at a time. Participants were given a free recall test immediately after studying each individual list. Participants …


The Effect Of Social Media On Sexual Cognitions And Behaviors, Joshua Duarte Jan 2016

The Effect Of Social Media On Sexual Cognitions And Behaviors, Joshua Duarte

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Pop culture and social media have become a prime source of entertainment and communication. The current study focuses on the potential effects of consuming this form of media and how it affects our sexual cognitions and behaviors. A sample of nine hundred and two university students were given self-reporting questionnaires concerning demographics, sexual cognitions, and exposure to sexual content in music. An analysis of music artist’s posts on social media was also performed. It was hypothesized that artists who have sexual content published in their work will also have the same amount of sexual content on social media. However, there …


Physiological Reactions To Uncanny Stimuli: Substantiation Of Self-Assessment And Individual Perception, Tatiana Ballion Jan 2012

Physiological Reactions To Uncanny Stimuli: Substantiation Of Self-Assessment And Individual Perception, Tatiana Ballion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is abundant anecdotal evidence substantiating Mori’s initial observation of the "uncanny valley", a point at which human response to non-human entities drops sharply with respect to comfort (Mori, 1970), and the construct itself has a long-standing history in both Robotics and Psychology. Currently, many fields such as design, training, entertainment, and education make use of heuristic approaches to accommodate the anticipated needs of the user/consumer/audience in certain important aspects. This is due to the lack of empirical substantiation or, in some cases, the impossibility of rigorous quantification; one such area is with respect to the user’s experience of uncanniness, …


Trait Arousability And Its Impact On Adaptive Multimedia Training, Sae Schatz Jan 2008

Trait Arousability And Its Impact On Adaptive Multimedia Training, Sae Schatz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today's best intelligent, adaptive, multimedia trainers have shown excellent performance; however, their results still fall far-short of what good human tutors can achieve. The overarching thesis of this paper is that future intelligent, adaptive systems will be improved by taking into account relevant, consistent, and meaningful individual differences. Specifically, responding to individual differences among trainees will (a) form more accurate individual baselines within a training system, and (b) better inform system responses (so that they interpret and respond to observable data more appropriately). One variable to consider is trait arousability, which describes individual differences in sensitivity to stimuli. Individuals' arousability …