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The Face Of Humanity: Configural Face Processing Influences Ascriptions Of Humanness, Kurt Hugenberg, Steven Young, Robert J. Rydell, Steven Almaraz, Kathleen A. Stanko, Pirita E. See, John Paul Wilson

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Across three studies, we test the hypothesis that the perceived “humanness” of a human face can have its roots, in part, in low-level, feature-integration processes typical of normal face perception—configural face processing. We provide novel evidence that perceptions of humanness/dehumanization can have perceptual roots. Relying on the well-established face inversion paradigm, we demonstrate that disruptions of configural face processing also disrupt the ability of human faces to activate concepts related to humanness (Experiment 1), disrupt categorization of human faces as human (but not animal faces as animals; Experiment 2), and reduce the levels of humanlike traits and characteristics ascribed to …

Situational Judgment Tests: From Measures Of Situational Judgment To Measures Of General Domain Knowledge, Filip Lievens, Stephan J. Motowidlo

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are typically conceptualized as contextualized selection procedures that capture candidate responses to a set of relevant job situations as a basis for prediction. SJTs share their sample-based and contextualized approach with work samples and assessment center exercises, although they differ from these other simulations by presenting the situations in a low-fidelity (e.g., written) format. In addition, SJTs do not require candidates to respond through actual behavior because they capture candidates' situational judgment via a multiple-choice response format. Accordingly, SJTs have also been labeled low-fidelity simulations. This SJT paradigm has been very successful: In the last 2 …

Fear Conditioning And Extinction In Youth With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Joseph F. Mcguire, Scott P. Orr, Monica S. Wu, Adam B. Lewin, Brent J. Small, Vicky Phares, Tanya K. Murphy, Sabine Wilhelm, Daniel S. Pine, Daniel Geller, Eric A. Storch

Psychology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Fear acquisition and extinction are central constructs in the cognitive-behavioral model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which underlies exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Youth with OCD may have impairments in fear acquisition and extinction that carry treatment implications. We examined these processes using a differential conditioning procedure.

METHODS: Forty-one youth (19 OCD, 22 community comparisons) completed a battery of clinical interviews, rating scales, and a differential conditioning task that included habituation, acquisition, and extinction phases. Skin conductance response (SCR) served as the primary dependent measure.

RESULTS: During habituation, no difference between groups was observed. During acquisition, differential fear conditioning was observed …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of A Bedtime Behavioral Intervention For Military Children With A Deployed Parent, Jessica Crawford, Jeremy Jewell, Stephen Hupp, Greg Everett, Lacey Hall

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

While there are advantages and disadvantages to the lifestyle of a military family, challenges often include frequent moves, stressful military work environments, and deployments of the active duty member to dangerous war zones. Military children often display an array of internalizing and externalizing problems, with one common problem being disrupted sleep. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the use of current technology to minimize problematic sleep behaviors affecting young children with a recently deployed parent. The intervention required parents to show their child a previously recorded DVD of the deployed parent reading a children’s book prior to …

The Effect Of Technology On Therapy Alliance, Ryan F. Birch

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The therapeutic alliance is considered a demonstrably effective variable for therapy outcomes independent of treatment type, yet the extent to which it may be affected by technology is vague. Similarly, studies examining how technology alters the therapeutic relationship in a traditional face-to-face context are sparse and inconclusive. The robust association between psychotherapy alliance and therapy outcomes combined with the lack of conclusive evidence concerning how technology influences this calls for more research on the relationship between alliance and technology. The current study examines how clients’ perceptions of therapy alliance over the course of 10 sessions change with the administration of …

Evaluating The Effects Of Strong Teens On High School Student Levels Of Internalizing Symptoms And Resilience, Austin J. Millet

Theses and Dissertations

Many adults suffering from mental health problems often report that the onset of these concerns began in adolescence, highlighting the importance of identifying and treating mental health concerns from an early age. In high schools, some students are identified as having externalizing or internalizing disorders. The majority of these students, especially those with internalizing symptoms, go untreated. One potential reason may be that limited school resources are used to correct behavior problems, leaving those with internalizing disorders to silently suffer, which often exacerbates the issues. Recent research suggests many individuals have high levels of resilience which can be taught, and …

The Third Voice: Do Enhanced E-Books Enhance The Benefits Of Shared Story Reading With Preschoolers?, Katie Ciffone, Andrew Weaver, Kirsten Read

Psychology

This study from which this paper draws examined the benefits of reading plain e-books (with parental instruction) compared to enhanced e-books (with limited parental direction) with 3- to 5-year-old children. Interaction was measured through parent-child verbal communication and eye contact. Engagement was measured through time spent visually focused on the story, and retention was measured through open-ended story event recall questions and multiple-choice story vocabulary questions. There were no differences between the enhanced and plain e-book conditions in children’s qualitative engagement with the story, or in the amounts of vocabulary or story events they retained. While enhanced e-books resulted in …

Grin And Bear It: An Examination Of Volunteers’ Fit With Their Organization, Burnout And Spirituality, Lisa L. Scherer, Joseph A. Allen, Elizabeth R. Harp

Psychology Faculty Publications

Volunteers are an essential asset to the success of nonprofits, government, business and philanthropic organizations. About 64.5 million people, or 26.5% of the U.S. population, volunteered at least once between September 2011 and September 2012, donating a median of 50 hours (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013). Despite these encouraging statistics, volunteer turnover presents a significant problem for nonprofits. Though considerable evidence has been amassed on antecedents and mechanisms predicting employees’ intentions to quit, surprisingly few studies have examined volunteer intentions to quit. Based on both Conservation of Resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989, 2001, 2011) and person–organization (PO) fit theory (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, …

Chronic Drinking During Adolescence Predisposes The Adult Rat For Continued Heavy Drinking: Neurotrophin And Behavioral Adaptation After Long-Term, Continuous Ethanol Exposure, Gina M. Fernandez, William N. Stewart, Lisa M. Savage

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

Previous research has found that adolescent ethanol (EtOH) exposure alters drug seeking behaviors, cognition and neuroplasticity. Using male Sprague Dawley rats, differences in spatial working memory, non-spatial discrimination learning and behavioral flexibility were explored as a function of age at the onset (mid-adolescent vs. adult) of chronic EtOH exposure (CET). Concentrations of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) and betanerve growth factor (beta-NGF) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were also assessed at different time-points: during CET, following acute abstinence (48-hrs), and after protracted abstinence (6-8 wks). Our results revealed that an adolescent onset of CET leads to increased EtOH consumption …

An Animal Victim's Best Chance: Veterinary Legal Duty To Report Cruelty In The U.S., Lora Dunn

Animal Sentience

Legislation throughout the U.S. recognizes animal sentience and the importance of veterinary reporting to combat the ongoing suffering of these animal victims: All 50 states have felony penalties available for animal cruelty crimes, and veterinary reporting is permitted or required in the majority of states. The remaining minority of U.S. states should take action to require veterinarians to report animal cruelty and render veterinarians immune for good faith reporting.

Veterinary Medical Associations Need To Educate Veterinarians For Mandatory Reporting Of Suspected Animal Abuse, Melinda V. Merck

Animal Sentience

When animals are suffering, we have a duty to take action. With appropriate incentive and educational support mandatory veterinary reporting can be a great legal avenue to help ensure their safety and welfare.

Fish Pain's Burden Of Proof, Carl Safina

Animal Sentience

A hypothesis like Key’s, that fish cannot feel pain, should really be stated as a null hypothesis — an assumption that there is no difference in the things being compared. Then evidence — including anecdotal evidence — for and against rejecting the null hypothesis can be examined and weighed. Key (2016a) has proven only that fish lack mammalian brains.

What Does The Child Protection Movement Teach Us About The Role Of The Mandated Reporter Of Abuse?, Bill C. Henry

Animal Sentience

Requiring veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse faces many of the same issues, concerns and hurdles once faced by the child protection movement. The history of child protection may hence provide a strategic model for progress in animal protection. Being able to anticipate the hurdles will help prepare us to overcome them.

Burden Of Proof Lies With Proposer Of Celestial Teapot Hypothesis, Brian Key

Animal Sentience

Bertrand Russell famously imagined the existence of a celestial teapot to highlight that the burden of proof of a hypothesis lay with its proposer and it was not the responsibility of others to refute it. Those who propose that fish feel pain must bear the burden of proof for their hypothesis. There are several common arguments adopted by those defending the position that fish feel pain. For instance, proponents envisage that pain is so important for human survival that they can’t imagine fish could exist without it. Out of this argument from incredulity emerges the idea that pain must have …

Neurogenesis-Mediated Forgetting Minimizes Proactive Interference., Jonathan R Epp, Rudy Silva Mera, Stefan Köhler, Sheena A Josselyn, Paul W Frankland

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Established memories may interfere with the encoding of new memories, particularly when existing and new memories overlap in content. By manipulating levels of hippocampal neurogenesis, here we show that neurogenesis regulates this form of proactive interference. Increasing hippocampal neurogenesis weakens existing memories and, in doing so, facilitates the encoding of new, conflicting (but not non-conflicting) information in mice. Conversely, decreasing neurogenesis stabilizes existing memories, and impedes the encoding of new, conflicting information. These results suggest that reduced proactive interference is an adaptive benefit of neurogenesis-induced forgetting.

Animal Suffering In China, Peter J. Li

Animal Sentience

Chinese policy has been aimed at maximizing GDP; it is time to focus also on minimizing animal suffering.

Science And Sensibility, Bernard E. Rollin

Animal Sentience

The sentience and suffering of animals is obvious to common sense, even if science and industry claim to be agnostic. Economic incentives to reduce the suffering of animals are welcome, but it is not clear whether animals can turn to science for help.

The Contribution Of Equitation Science To Minimising Horse-Related Risks To Humans, Melissa Starling, Andrew Mclean, Paul Mcgreevy

Animal Training and Obedience Collection

Equitation science is an evidence-based approach to horse training and riding that focuses on a thorough understanding of both equine ethology and learning theory. This combination leads to more effective horse training, but also plays a role in keeping horse riders and trainers safe around horses. Equitation science underpins ethical equitation, and recognises the limits of the horse’s cognitive and physical abilities. Equitation is an ancient practice that has benefited from a rich tradition that sees it flourishing in contemporary sporting pursuits. Despite its history, horse-riding is an activity for which neither horses nor humans evolved, and it brings with …

When The Client Is Not The Abuser, But One Of The Abused, Tania Signal

Animal Sentience

The question of client confidentiality and reporting animal abuse is complicated when the client is not the abuser, and when the abuse (of both people and animals) may escalate precisely because it has been (or may be) reported.

Visual Search Of Mooney Faces, Jessica E. Goold, Ming Meng

Dartmouth Scholarship

Faces spontaneously capture attention. However, which special attributes of a face underlie this effect is unclear. To address this question, we investigate how gist information, specific visual properties and differing amounts of experience with faces affect the time required to detect a face. Three visual search experiments were conducted investigating the rapidness of human observers to detect Mooney face images. Mooney images are two-toned, ambiguous images. They were used in order to have stimuli that maintain gist information but limit low-level image properties. Results from the experiments show: (1) Although upright Mooney faces were searched inefficiently, they were detected more …

A Mendelian Randomization Study Of Testosterone And Cognition In Men, Jie Zhao, Tai Hing Lam, Chaoqiang Jiang, Stacey S. Cherny, Bin Liu, Kar Keung Cheng, Weisen Zhang, Gabriel M. Leung, C Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Testosterone replacement for older men is increasingly common, with some observations suggesting a protective effect on cognitive function. We examined the association of endogenous testosterone with cognitive function among older men in a Mendelian randomization study using a separate-sample instrumental variable (SSIV) analysis estimator to minimize confounding and reverse causality. A genetic score predicting testosterone was developed in 289 young Chinese men from Hong Kong, based on selected testosterone-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs10046, rs1008805 and rs1256031). The association of genetically predicted testosterone with delayed 10-word recall score and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was assessed at baseline and follow-up using …

Off The Lip Conference - Transdisciplinary Approaches To Cognitive Innovation. Conference Proceedings, Sue Denham, Michael Punt, Edith Doove, Martha Blassnigg, Raluca Briazu, Kathryn Francis, Agi Haynes, Guy Edmonds, Adam Benjamin, Matthew Emmett, Iris Garrelfs, Christopher B. Germann, Joanna Griffin, Diane Humphrey, Bryanna Lucyk, Christie Purchase, Rachel Sansone, Emily Baxter, Amy Ione, Frank Loesche, Abigail Jackson, Alexis Kirke, Eduardo Miranda, Luke Rendell, Simon Ingram, Yutaka Nakamura, Gi Taek Ryoo, Eugenia Stamboliev, Michael Straeubig, Chun-Wei Hsu, Pinar Oztop, Mihaela Taranu, Sundar Sarukkai, James Sweeting, Minami Hirayama

Off the Lip Conference - Transdisciplinary Approaches to Cognitive Innovation

The promise of cognitive innovation as a collaborative project in the sciences, arts and humanities is that we can approach creativity as a bootstrapping cognitive process in which the energies that shape the poem are necessarily indistinguishable from those that shape the poet. For the purposes of this conference the exploration of the idea of cognitive innovation concerns an understanding of creativity that is not exclusively concerned with conscious human thought and action but also as intrinsic to our cognitive development. As a consequence, we see the possibility for cognitive innovation to provide a theoretical and practical platform from which …

Gene X Environment Interactions In Rhesus Macaques: A Test Of The Orchid-¬‐Dandelion Hypothesis, S. Andrew Aston, J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Aston, S. Andrew Gene x Environment Interactions in Rhesus Macaques: A test of the Orchid-­‐Dandelion Hypothesis Faculty Mentor: J. Dee Higley, Department of Psychology Numerous studies have shown that certain gene variants produce distinct phenotypes based on the environment in which an individual develops. Many of these so called gene-­‐by-­‐environment (GxE) interactions lead to an increased risk of developing psychopathology. The Orchid-­‐ Dandelion Hypothesis posits that risk alleles have been conserved to the present day, suggesting that although risk alleles may prove deleterious in many environments, under the right conditions, such variants may bestow an evolutionary advantage. For my ORCA …

Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species On Chronic Methamphetamine- Induced Dopamine Transmission In The Nucleus Accumbens, Devin Bradshaw, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive substance with many negative effects on the user. These effects include detriments to physical health such as “…extreme weight loss, severe dental problems (“meth mouth”), and skin sores caused by scratching. Methamphetamine use also raises the risk of contracting infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis B and C.” (“DrugFacts: Methamphetamine”, 2014). Negative health effects like this come from long term abuse of methamphetamine due to addiction to the substance. Reducing the cause of the addictive behavior (dopamine (DA) overstimulation causing neuronal damage) can help to prevent these negative effects of METH abuse. As the effects …

Effect Of Methamphetamine On Basal And Phasic Dopamine Release In The Striatum, Krisana Finlay, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the action mechanism of the psychostimulant methamphetamine (METH) on basal and phasic dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens. We investigated METH and its method of action. This was done to better understand the detailed mechanism behind METH and to provide better addiction-solving tools. Previous METH research provided a great starting point, showing a reduction in DA transmission and tyrosine hydroxylase, and increased DA axon and terminal damage, apoptosis (cell death) and axon degeneration.

The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol In Δ Knockout Mice, Zachary Gardner, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Substance abuse is a prolific problem with serious consequences. Specifically, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the world (Mokdad et al., 2004). Each year the far-reaching effects of alcohol abuse cost the United States several hundred billion dollars annually (Office of National Policy, 2004). Treatment for individuals who suffer from this crippling disease is limited. In order to develop effective treatments we need to know more about the mechanisms of addiction and the changes that occur in the brain as a person becomes addicted.

The Effects Of Chronic Ethanol In Δ Knockout Mice, Zachary Gardner, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Substance abuse is a prolific problem with serious consequences. Specifically, alcohol abuse is the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the world (Mokdad et al., 2004). Each year the far-reaching effects of alcohol abuse cost the United States several hundred billion dollars annually (Office of National Policy, 2004). Treatment for individuals who suffer from this crippling disease is limited. In order to develop effective treatments we need to know more about the mechanisms of addiction and the changes that occur in the brain as a person becomes addicted.

Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species In Methamphetamine Modulation Of Dopamine Release In The Nucleus Accumbens, Tyler Ekins, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a problem that continues to cause much harm across the United States. The cost of METH use in 2005 alone was estimated to be 23.4 billion dollars (Nicosia et al., 2009). Other societal costs of METH abuse include suicide attempts, premature death, increased health care expenses, loss of workplace productivity, incarceration, child maltreatment, foster care, violent crime, and theft (Nicosia et al., 2009). Understanding the mechanism by which METH acts on the brain is the first step in being able to synthesize a pharmacotherapeutic method to treat METH addiction.

Sensory Plasticity In Human Motor Learning., David J Ostry, Paul L Gribble

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

There is accumulating evidence from behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging studies that the acquisition of motor skills involves both perceptual and motor learning. Perceptual learning alters movements, motor learning, and motor networks of the brain. Motor learning changes perceptual function and the sensory circuits of the brain. Here, we review studies of both human limb movement and speech that indicate that plasticity in sensory and motor systems is reciprocally linked. Taken together, this points to an approach to motor learning in which perceptual learning and sensory plasticity have a fundamental role.

Wandering In Contemporary Literature: A Narrative Theory Of Cognition, Hillel E. Broder

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study offers a theory of wandering cognition as an animating feature of western literature, in general, and of contemporary literature, in particular. Unlike existing theories of peripatetic bodies and minds in fiction that focus primarily on political critiques, cultural practices, or pleasures of digression, this theory of wandering offers an aesthetic philosophy and ethical critique of representing cognition, memory, and narrative identity that finds affinities in the political, phenomenological, and ethical thought of Walter Benjamin, Emmanuel Levinas, and Giorgio Agamben.

Unlike existing cognitive theories of literature that apply cognitive theory to literary study (or vice versa), this study develops …