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Psychosocial Student Adaptions To Covid-19 In Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Approach To Covid-19 Through The Theoretical Framework Of Anomie, Grace Erika Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted individuals and social institutions due to an abrupt and expansive change to norms and values, which are key characteristics of an anomic state. The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study was to understand how students enrolled at residential university perceived educational and societal pressures associated with COVID-19. This research applied a mixed methods approach and relied upon three phrases of research: (1) Pilot questionnaire (n=54); (2) Qualitative interviews (n=14); and (3) Quantitative questionnaire (n=253). Findings suggested similarities in how university students responded to COVID-19 and how communities responded previously to other forms of natural disasters. …

Effects Of Intermittent Alcohol And Nicotine Cc-Consumption In C57bl/6j Mice, Presley Elizabeth Fletcher

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Two of the world’s leading causes of preventable deaths include the use of alcohol and tobacco. While independently these substances have negative consequences, they are often used in combination. For instance, those who are dependent on nicotine are more likely to engage in hazardous drinking and/or have a dependence on alcohol and vice versa. As different methods of consuming nicotine become more normalized, there is a concern of associated harmful alcohol consumption being that both substances are widely available and rewarding. The goal of the current study was to understand the relationship between nicotine and alcohol and the behavioral effects …

Increasing Social Awareness Skills In Kindergarten Students, Chloe Dennis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Social awareness is a key component of social-emotional learning and is often underrepresented in kindergarten curriculum. Students who struggle with social awareness are at a greater risk for antisocial behaviors, low academic performance, diminished self-efficacy, low motivation, and low adaptability. Jean Piagets’ cognitive-developmental theory places kindergarten-age students in the preoperational stage of development. At this stage, children are egocentric, exhibit centrated thought, and struggle to use perspective and empathic skills. Kindness, problem-solving, and maintaining positive relationships are all rooted in social awareness and require students to move away from egocentric thinking. I designed a three-part lesson on acts of kindness …

Case Study: Effects Of Ultrasonic Vocalizations On Rat Behavior And Place Cell Remapping In The Hippocampus, Qingli Hu

Honors Scholar Theses

Spatial information is known to be encoded in the hippocampus, and small changes in the environment can alter the way that it is represented by our hippocampal place cells in a process called remapping. Hearing is an important sense that can be used to orient ourselves and react to the environment accordingly. In this case study, a rat model is used to test the effects of emotional auditory stimuli, behaviorally significant ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) (50 kHz, emitted during play; 22 kHz, emitted during danger), on rat behavior on a linear track and place cell remapping in the hippocampus. Behaviorally, it …

Behavioral Effects And Neurobiological Mechanisms Of 3-Aminobenzimide In A Rodent Model Of Chronic Psychological Stress, Liza Wills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with a lifetime prevalence rate of approximately 20%. Inadequate pharmacological treatment methods for MDD are a significant debilitating factor. Patient estimates suggest that the treatment resistance rate for pharmacological interventions is over 30%. Postmortem analyses of human tissue of individuals diagnosed with MDD have shown an increase in Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) mRNA gene expression in prefrontal cortical white matter when compared to psychiatrically normal brain tissue. In order to further investigate this issue, the present study used the social defeat stress/chronic unpredictable stress (SDS + CUS) rodent …

Digital Manipulation Of Human Faces: Effects On Emotional Perception And Brain Activity, Martin Knoll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of human face-processing has granted insight into key adaptions across various social and biological functions. However, there is an overall lack of consistency regarding digital alteration styles of human-face stimuli. In order to investigate this, two independent studies were conducted examining unique effects of image construction and presentation. In the first study, three primary forms of stimuli presentation styles (color, black and white, cutout) were used across iterations of non-thatcherized/thatcherized and non-inverted/inverted presentations. Outcome measures included subjective reactions measured via ratings of perceived “grotesqueness,” and objective outcomes of N170 event-related potentials (ERPs) measured via encephalography. Results of subjective …

Biological Sex Differences In The Monodelphis Domestica: Investigating Behavioral Responses In Environmental Enrichment And Conditioned Place Preference Paradigms, Katelynn M. Renteria

Theses and Dissertations

The Monodelphis domestica, commonly known as the grey short-tailed opossum, has become an increasingly frequented animal model for areas of psychological study, including comparative psychology. Despite the growing interest in utilizing the Monodelphis as an animal model, several areas of research remain limited in what has been studied. This includes associative learning and the effects of environmental enrichment on the Monodelphis. This study novelly incorporates the two using environmental enrichment with the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to both diversify associative learning literature and expand existing knowledge on the Monodelphis domestica. The CPP paradigm included interactive objects as environmental …

Implications For Global And Local Visual Processing In Individuals With Learning Disabilities, Riya Mody

Psychology Student Papers and Posters

Visual processing in humans is done by integrating and updating multiple streams of global and local sensory input. When this is not done smoothly, it becomes difficult to see the “big picture”, which has been found to have implications on emotion recognition, social skills, and conversation skills in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other learning disabilities. Previous research in this field has aimed to direct ASD patients toward normative processing of the global features by developing and evaluating a filter which is intended to decrease local interference, or the prioritization of local details. This work attempts to utilize …

The Comparative Effects Of Three Virtual Nature Exposure Methods On State Social Motivation: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Samantha A. Castelblanco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well established in the research literature that exposure to nature positively affects physical and mental health. However, research regarding the effects of nature exposure on social health is less developed. Prior research found that watching a video of nature improved state social motivation. Building on this research, the current study compared the effects of three methods of virtual nature exposure on state social motivation in a randomized controlled trial. In this 3X3 between-subjects experiment, participants (N = 426) 18 to 73 (M_Age = 27.69, SD = 12.19) were randomly assigned to experience 3-minutes of nature …

The Role Of Emotion Dysregulation In The Relationship Between Anhedonia And Opioid Craving, Rachelle Kromash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on factors that predict opioid cravings is lacking. Anhedonia may be a predictor of cravings and particularly relevant to cravings when people struggle to regulate emotions but has yet to be examined among justice-involved populations. This study aimed to examine the relationship between anhedonia, opioid cravings, and emotion dysregulation (ED) in this population. Participants completed several measures. The results showed that anhedonia and opioid cravings were significantly related at the bivariate level, but not in moderation models. The DERS-36 total score and ‘DERS Impulse’ subscale had a significant, positive effect on cravings in moderation models. In a higher severity …

A Study Of Social Engineering Concepts Within A Deceptive Defense, Jacob Glenn Oedekerk

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Organizations fall victim to costly attacks every year. This has created a need for more successful layers of defense. To aid in this need for additional defense, this study researches a way to bolster an underused defense style called deceptive defense. Researchers agree that deceptive defense could be the future of cybersecurity, and they call for more research in the deceptive category. The unresolved question from these researchers is what attack style could be used with a deception-based defense against an attacker. From this unresolved question, it was also determined that social engineering should be used in this culminating experience …

Long-Term Effects Of Juvenile Fluoxetine Exposure On Autophagy Induction And Phosphorylated Tau In The Hippocampus And Prefrontal Cortex Of Male Mice, Minerva Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fluoxetine (FLX) represents the antidepressant of choice for the management of pediatric mood-related illnesses. Accumulating preclinical evidence suggests that ontogenic FLX exposure leads to deregulated affect-related phenotypes in adulthood. Mood-related symptomatology constitutes a risk-factor for various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), making it possible for juvenile FLX history to exacerbate the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Because AD is characterized by the pathological accumulation of hyperphosphorylated Tau - which can result from impaired function of protein degradation pathways, such as autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), this thesis evaluated the potential long-term effects of adolescent FLX exposure on these pathways, …

Sex And Age Differences In Approach Behavior Toward A Port That Delivers Nicotine Vapor, Veronika Evangelina Espinoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The goal of our laboratory is to study the mechanisms that promote nicotine use, particularly in vulnerable populations such as adolescents and females. Thus, the purpose of this thesis was to characterize age and sex differences in the motivational/rewarding effects of nicotine (Aim 1) and withdrawal behavior (Aim 2). To more closely model human use patterns, the present study employed nicotine vapor methods involving passive exposure for 14 days in adolescent and adult female and male rats. Age and sex differences in approach behavior (nosepokes) were assessed in a port that delivered nicotine plumes on Day 1 and 14. Controls …

The Protective Influence Of Mindfulness Facets On The Relationship Between Negative Core Beliefs And Social Media Addiction Among Latinx College Students, Mariany Gainza Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Social media use has continued to rise over the last decade. This behavioral addiction shares essential components with substance addictions (e.g., mood modification, withdrawal). Dysfunctional core beliefs have recently been investigated in relation to Internet addiction and problematic Facebook use, but not with social media addiction specifically. Similarly, mindfulness-based interventions have been developed for various types of technology-related behavioral addictions, yet the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and social media addiction remains unexplored. This study investigated the relationships between these constructs among Latinx undergraduates within the context of social cognitive theory. Participants (n=386; 80.3% female) completed an online survey that assessed …

Voces: Experiences Of Undocumented Latines, José Manuel González Vera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to learn about the challenges that this community faced before the pandemic and how they coped through those challenges. To answer this question, I examined transcripts from group interviews collected in the state of Texas. In total, there were 67 participants, many of whom were undocumented (n = 49) while the others had a relative or friend who was undocumented. Data were analyzed by looking for common patterns and themes in the transcripts, and guided by Critical Race Theory, Latine Critical Theory, and Undocumented Critical Theory. Results suggest that psychological distress is common …

Punishment And Choice, Rafaela M. Fontes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Punishment is defined as a consequence that decreases the frequency of behavior that produces it and is an important behavior regulation mechanism for learning to stop engaging in maladaptive behavior. Punishment has implications for behavioral disorders and treatments and plays an important role in both programmed and natural contingencies. Despite the clear relevance of punishment for behavioral regulation, little is known about how punishment works. Furthermore, punishment research has been in evident decline, leaving important empirical and theoretical gaps in the literature. Therefore, the overall goal of the present set of studies is to fill in some of these gaps. …

Comparing Training Effects Of Virtual Reality Flight Simulation To Conventional Pc-Based Flight Simulation, Tianxin Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of the current project was to investigate the effect of utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for flight training by comparing the training results when using conventional desktop flight simulation versus VR flight simulation. Additionally, this project examined the user experience of VR flight simulation and how users’ motivation and satisfaction with VR simulations. This research employed a quasi-transfer of training experiment including 48 participants. Analyses indicated that VR group participants performed better in the post-training maneuver performance on an FTD than in the conventional desktop simulation group. Findings also supported that VR flight simulation could provide a better …

Concurrent Load And Construal On Planning, Maximilian Fey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Planning for the future is a necessary activity which spans across all aspects of an individual’s life. Concurrent cognitive load has been shown to hinder future planning, whereas concrete construal of events has been shown to increase planning efficacy. Interestingly, a limited literature speaks towards cognitive load inducing concrete construal. However, the two constructs predict differing outcomes on future planning therefore the interaction of cognitive load inducing a concrete construal is particularly interesting. The research study tested whether differing levels of concurrent cognitive load increase or decrease planning efficacy. The intention of the research was to elucidate whether cognitive load …

Covid-19’S Effects On Mortality Salience, Death Anxiety, And Worldview Defense, Sahvannah K. Shavers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since late-2019, the world has been trying to overcome an invisible killer: COVID-19. With near constant reminders of the virus the knowledge that a tiny viral particle has potential to harm or even kill has become overwhelming for many. Terror Management Theory (TMT) suggests that when individuals are reminded of their own death people take part in culturally appropriate activities and defend their own culture as ways to alleviate this increased death anxiety. The current study aims to identify whether 1) reminders of COVID-19 prime death thoughts, 2) reminders of COVID-19 increase death anxiety, and 3) increased death anxiety from …

Guilty As Not (Re)Charged: Calling, Work-Recovery Guilt, And Their Effects On Recovery Experiences, Jeffrey Drake Terry

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Public and scholarly interest in the concept of work as a calling has grown considerably over the past few decades (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). Much of this research has focused on the positive outcomes of calling, including increased work engagement (e.g., Dobrow Riza et al., 2019) and job performance (e.g., Park et al., 2016). However, a few studies have focused on the negative outcomes of calling, such as limited psychological detachment from work (Clinton et al., 2017). According to Work as Calling Theory (WCT; Duffy et al., 2018), psychological climate and individual differences may help to explain why some individuals …

Reducing A Dog’S Problem Behavior Using Functional Communication Training: A Case Study, Audrey Blunt, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Many dogs are relinquished to animal shelters and subsequently euthanized each year due to problem behaviors, such as excessive barking (ASPCA, n.d.). Unfortunately, punishment-based procedures (e.g., bark collars) have been commonly used to reduce these behaviors, despite negative side-effects such as escape and aggression. Functional communication training (FCT) involves teaching a replacement behavior that is functionally equivalent to the problem behavior and is a documented strategy to reduce problem behaviors in humans (e.g., Carr & Durand, 1985). In the current study, one 11-month old dog who had a history of whining, mouthing, and pawing was taught to mand (request) for …

The Effects Of A Narrative Intervention On Gender Attitudes In Students At A Christian University: A Study On Narrative Persuasion, Katelyn Hawkins

Honors Theses

This study analyzes how identification, empathy, and perspective-taking influence prejudiced attitudes towards women. Through utilizing a narrative intervention alongside measures of prejudiced attitudes, empathetic capacity, and narrative identification, this study documents how students at a Christian university in the southern United States (n = 100) responded to narrative persuasion. While analyses revealed that the narrative intervention was ineffective in significantly affecting prejudiced attitudes towards women, participants’ empathy levels were positively correlated with character identification, further elucidating the process of perspective-taking. Despite some non-significant results, this study sheds light on the role of narrative persuasion on students at a Christian university …

Falling For Moses: The Role Of Stroop Inhibition And Language Expertise, Isabella Holmgren

Honors Theses

When presented with the question, “How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark?”, people often respond “2”, despite knowing that Noah is the Biblical figure who is said to have taken animals on the ark. This phenomenon where people fail to detect inaccuracies in text has come to be known as the Moses Illusion (Erickson & Mattson, 1981). The current study was designed to investigate Moses illusion rates in a multiple-choice format. Further, participants were assessed on two cognitive constructs: language experience and cognitive inhibition. Results showed robust rates of the Moses illusion using the multiple-choice …

Naked Mole-Rat Social Phenotypes Vary In Investigative And Aggressive Behavior In A Laboratory Partner Preference Paradigm, Ilapreet Toor, Rashoun Maynard, Xinye Peng, Annaliese K. Beery, Melissa M. Holmes

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Here we employed the partner preference test (PPT) to examine how naked mole-rat non-breeding individuals of different behavioral phenotypes make social decisions. Naked mole-rats from six colonies were classified into three behavioral phenotypes (soldiers, dispersers, and workers) using a battery of behavioral tests. They then participated in a 3 h long PPT, where they could freely interact with a tethered familiar or tethered unfamiliar conspecific. By comparing the three behavioral phenotypes, we tested the hypothesis that the PPT can be used to interrogate social decision-making in this species, revealing individual differences in behavior that are consistent with discrete social phenotypes. …

Anti-Immigration Policy And Mental Health: Risk Of Distress And Trauma Among Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals Recipients In The United States, Luz M. Garcini, Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez, Alfonso Mercado, Michelle Silva, German Cadenas, Thania Galvan, Manuel Paris

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined the association between immigration legal status and distress from the announcement of the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program among individuals affected by this potentially traumatic event (PTE), along with identifying relevant risk factors.

Method: Participants (N = 233) affected by the termination announcement provided cross-sectional self-reports on distress from the announcement that was measured using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised.

Results: Of the participants, 40.7% met the clinical cutoff for distress from the PTE indicative of posttraumatic stress disorder. DACA recipients had significantly higher levels of distress from the PTE …

Does Chronic Risperidone Administration Affect Food Reinforcement In Adulthood In Mice?, Francis Torres, Paul Soto

LSU Master's Theses

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) increase weight gain and food consumption in humans and non-human animals. It has been speculated that SGAs increase the reinforcing effects of food, which increases food consumption and drives weight gain. The current study evaluated the effects of risperidone on sucrose reinforcement in male and female C57BL/6J mice using economic demand assessments. Demand for sucrose was measured by varying the fixed ratio (FR) value required to produce sucrose delivery across experimental sessions using five FR values: 1, 5, 15, 30, and 45. The effects of acute risperidone administration on demand for sucrose were first assessed by orally …

Is Title Ix Enough?: Analyzing Feelings Of Institutional Betrayal Among College Students Who Experienced Sexual Assault, Zoe N. Kross

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Honors Projects

Institutional Betrayal reflects the failures of an institution to accurately prevent or respond to students after sexual violence has occurred. Previous literature shows that survivors of sexual assault are at an increased risk of PTSD and anxiety. The goal of this study was to understand what supportive services Macalester survivors want/need and to analyze if students feel supported by their institution. Grounded in analyses of the domestic violence movement, hookup and rape culture, the neuroscience of trauma, the history of Title IX, and commonly used survivor support services, the goal of this study was to understand what survivors of sexual …

Classical Conditioning Of Cognitive States, Arthur Burns

Neuroscience Honors Papers

Classical conditioning has been a fundamental concept and practice throughout the history of psychology. While classical conditioning traditionally seeks to elicit target behaviors in correlation to specific stimuli, we sought to do the same with cognitive states in place of behaviors. Specifically, we wanted to determine the effectiveness of conditioning states of cognitive arousal in human participants in conjunction with cues presented in a designed learning task. We designed a cognitive task specifically for this research, referred to as “the Tone Pitching Task”, which utilized a combination of working memory and mental processing in order to elicit cognitive arousal and …

Psilocybin Psychotherapy With Acceptance And Commitment Therapy: A Potential Treatment For Social Anxiety Disorder, Elliot Sandberg

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Individuals diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) require effective therapeutic interventions. Due to the nature of SAD, individuals tend to not seek care for their treatment, leading to the continuation of avoidance behaviors that significantly impact their daily existence. Psilocybin psychotherapy has the potential to lead to significant changes in the personality structure of individuals as well as reducing anxious responses to their environment in a relatively short period of time. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can serve as the ideal therapeutic backing to psilocybin as it emphasizes mindfulness and psychological flexibility, both of which aid in the therapeutic mechanisms …

Mosaic: A Lifetime Of Poems, Emma F. Bowen

Honors Projects

In hopes of providing a clearer picture of the aging process and its effects on our personalities, follow this collection of poems through diary-like entries of individuals navigating their lives from daycare, heartbreak, and loneliness. The impact that development can have on our psychological well-being and brains is fascinating and feels familiar. Why do we see the world so differently when we are young? As we grow older, what is so important that makes us shift how we view ourselves and our environment multiple times? It is often seen that each generation shares like-mindedness throughout their lives – why?