Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Statin And Bisphosphonate Treatment In A 3np Model Of Huntington’S Disease, Leslie K. Kelley

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Formal Aspects Of Non-Rigid-Shape-From-Motion Perception, Vicky Froyen, Qasim Zaidi

MODVIS Workshop

Our world is full of objects that deform over time, for example animals, trees and clouds. Yet, the human visual system seems to readily disentangle object motions from non-rigid deformations, in order to categorize objects, recognize the nature of actions such as running or jumping, and even to infer intentions. A large body of experimental work has been devoted to extracting rigid structure from motion, but there is little experimental work on the perception of non-rigid 3-D shapes from motion (e.g. Jain, 2011). Similarly, until recently, almost all formal work had concentrated on the rigid case. In the last fifteen …

Can Computational Models Of Shape Explain Object Perception?, Sp Arun, Rt Pramod

MODVIS Workshop

Despite advances in computation and machine learning, computers are still far behind humans in vision. This is most likely because humans use a sophisticated object representation which is very different from that used in computers today. Another challenge is that object representations in computer vision and human vision have not been systematically compared on the same objects. To address this issue, we measured perceptual dissimilarity between objects in humans in a visual search (taking search difficulty as an index of target-distracter similarity). We then compared these observed dissimilarities against the dissimilarity predicted by a large number of state-of-the-art computational models …

The Short And Long-Term Effects Of Chronic Ketamine During Adolescence On Object Recognition Memory In Rats, William Hardin

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Prior research has demonstrated that ketamine causes deficits in object recognition and location memory following both acute and chronic administration (Pitsikas & Boultadakis, 2009; Venãncio et al., 2011). Although it is well established that abuse of many different kinds of drugs during the critical developmental period of adolescence can lead to impairments in cognition later in adulthood (Gilpin et al., 2012; Wagner et al., 2010), no research has investigated the effects of chronic ketamine administration during adolescence and its effects on behavior in adulthood. With recent research establishing that chronic ketamine during adolescence produces late-onset alterations in electrophysiology during adulthood …

Retention Across Pedagogies, Rachel Larkin

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

When teaching, many professors try to increase their students’ retention of the information that is taught. Instructors can incorporate active learning, repeated testing, collaborative testing, and/or corrective feedback into traditional forms of teaching (e.g., lecture), or they can combine all of these components and transform their entire course, such as with Team-Based Learning (TBL). The current study compares retention of course material in TBL, lecture, reading, and control conditions in a lab setting. In the first session, students received one teaching method and learned about an article on whether having pets led to lowered blood pressure. During the second session, …

The Effect Of Auditory Stimuli On Visual Time-To-Contact Perception, Chelsea L. Rugel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Previous research has demonstrated that auditory and visual stimuli have individual effects on the accuracy of a person’s estimation of time-to-contact (TTC), the time at which two objects collide. Prior findings also suggest that there is cross-modal interference between vision and audition; however, this phenomenon has never been studied in a TTC situation. (Driver & Spence, 1998; Ichikawa & Masskura, 2006; Roseboom, Kawabe, & Nishida, 2013) In this study we attempted to fill in this research gap by examining the effect of auditory speed cues over visual speed cues in a two-dimensional TTC scenario, and by determining if an object’s …

Can Small Details Bring Big Success? Construal Levels As Academic Goal Strategies, Christopher R. Deitrick

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

One avenue to help students reach educational goals is implementation intentions, a tool encouraging

planning the “when, where, and how” of goal-oriented actions (Gollwitzer, 1999). However,

implementation intentions need validating outside of the laboratory (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). To

help do so, they can be viewed through Construal-Level Theory (CLT), which explains why we may have

trouble setting intentions before we can fulfill them (Trope & Liberman 2010). A study was conducted

wherein 56 participants from a section of PSYC 330 either wrote about their college study habits or

completed implementation intentions preparing them to study for an upcoming exam. …

The Relation Of Service Activity To Change In Empathy, Nancy L.C. Windsor

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between empathy, service, and other variables that have been seen in the past to be possible predictors of empathy and service. Undergraduate and graduate students took a survey measuring their emotional empathy, strength of religious faith, intent to engage in civic action, other predictor variables, and the amount of service each participant engaged in. Pearson’s correlations and independent t tests were run to analyze the relationships between the variables. The intent to engage in civic action measure was highly correlated with both the emotional empathy scale and strength of religious …

The Impact Of “Fearful” And “Serene” Mood On Mortality Salience, Kathryn A. Howard

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to receive either a serene, neutral, or fearful mood induction, followed by either a neutral salience or mortality salience induction. After these manipulations, participants read a political essay that opposed their world view. Participants then completed several measures examining how much they liked/did not like the author of the essay, along with a measure assessing their opinion on an ethnic out-group. It was hypothesized that participants who received the serene mood induction would derogate the author of the opposing essay and ethnic out-group members significantly less than those who received the fearful or neutral mood …

Judging Laura, Rebecca E. Richardson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Laura Audax is a sixteen-year-old girl who has an interesting set of characteristics. She is a dynamic mixture of compassion, stubbornness, brilliance, recklessness, imagination, and arrogance. The way the world understands these personality traits has transformed and evolved over time. If a girl like Laura lived in four different time periods, society would react differently to her in each era, but the overall question is how different these reactions really are. Does the definition of what makes certain personality traits “good” or “bad” change over time?

The following four stories take place in 1850, 1920, 2015, and 2100 respectively, and …

Intuitive Thought And Consumer Decision Making, Morgan M. Moore

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Anytime the human mind makes a decision, intuitive thought has played a hidden role. There is more to consumer decision making than just logical, slow cognition. Exploring the intuitive mind through the works of Johnathan Haidt and Daniel Kahneman helps researchers understand the roles and origins of intuition. Proof of the presence and power of intuitive thought in cognitive processes is offered. A subset of the intuitive mind, termed the righteous mind by Haidt, is shown to be responsible for moral intuition. As the role of intuitive thought in consumer decision making is considered, numerous marketing applications are applied. Whether …

An Examination Of Personal Humor Style And Humor Appreciation In Others, Steven Lacorte

Senior Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between individuals’ humor styles and their appreciation of various humor styles as presented by others. Eighty-five undergraduate John Carroll University students completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire and rated the funniness of six stand-up comedy routines, representing either aggressive, self-defeating, or affiliative humor styles with one male and one female comedian for each humor style. A mixed model Analysis of Variance revealed no relationship between humor style and humor appreciation. However, an examination of the effect of gender showed that men were more likely than women to endorse and appreciate aggressive …

Hiv-1 And Cocaine: Motivation And Synaptic Function, Sarah J. Bertrand

Theses and Dissertations

Molecular and behavioral assays were used to examine the effects of HIV-1 on synaptodendritic integrity, motivated behavior and the therapeutic potential of natural isoflavones in ameliorating both synaptodendritic injury in vitro and changes in motivation in vivo. The overarching hypothesis of the present dissertation is twofold: 1. HIV-1 causes a decrease in motivation for sucrose and cocaine and the change in motivational state is driven by compromised synaptic integrity as evaluated by F-actin and DAT function and, 2. Treatment with phytoestrogens will prevent synaptodendritic damage, normalize the internal motivational state of the HIV-1 Tg rat for sucrose and cocaine, and …

Variability In Bimanual Coordination Across The Continuum Of Handedness., Kaitlin Oswald

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Bimanual coordination is an essential human function requiring efficient interhemispheric communication to produce coordinated movements. Motor deficits affect a variety of clinical populations, yet a complete understanding of bimanual coordination has yet to be achieved. Previous research suggests performance variability depends on the phase demands of the coordinated task and completing bimanual tasks may result in less variability than unimanual tasks, or a bimanual advantage. Also, handedness and musical/athletic experience have also been shown to influence coordinated performance. The present study examined the existence of a bimanual advantage and potential factors influencing coordination in a tapping paradigm. Results indicated that …

Predicting Bystander Attitudes Using Rape Myth Acceptance And Adherence To The Commodity Model Of Sex, Kimberly J. Johnson

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The high rate of sexual assault on college campuses has become a growing concern among college administrators. To combat the prevalence of sexual assault, colleges and universities have begun implementing mandatory bystander intervention training programs, which teach students to look for warning signs indicative of sexual assault and intervene before an assault occurs. Previous research has indicated that an individual’s endorsement of rape myths may play a role in whether or not that individual will intervene in a situation that may lead to sexual assault; however, little research has investigated from where beliefs in rape myths might stem. Sex educators …

International Distance Coaching Of Therapists To Improve Verbal Behavior By Children With Autism, Ana Barkaia

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This study examined the effects of distance coaching on the mastery of therapists’ skills and the development of verbal behavior of children with autism. Three therapists and three children receiving early intervention services in the NGO Children of Georgia in the developing country of Georgia-Sakartvelo in Eastern Europe participated in this research. The therapists received distance coaching about the implementation of ABA therapy from Virginia. The intervention was recorded and coded by observers in Georgia-Sakartvelo and in Harrisonburg/Virginia,USA. The effects of distance coaching was investigated within a multiple baseline across participant.

The Development Of Character Adaptation System (Cast) Intervention, Lauren Mays

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The primary objective of this dissertation was to explore the feasibility and utility of an individualized intervention derived from a group therapy manual grounded in Henriques’ (2011) Unified Theory of Psychology. This framework serves to translate terminology from different theoretical perspectives and map their overlap and distinctive qualities onto human functioning. This project provides a more directive educational approach to explore whether and how clients can be directed to understand these systems and benefit from them. The second goal was to explore the appropriateness and impact of this manual on a client presentation typically seen in college outpatient treatment. These …

The Nature And Etiology Of Religious Certitude: Implications Of The Ei Framework And Beliefs, Events, And Values Inventory, Timothy W. Brearly

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Religious certitude is often associated with conflict between individuals and groups, though the nature of this relationship is still not clear. To further clarify these dynamics, the historical psychology of religion is reviewed and contrasted with current perspectives from social psychology and neuroscience, with an eye towards better understanding the variance within religious expressions and their associated relationships with intergroup conflict. It is hypothesized that religious certainty is related to a difficulty in engaging with contradictory religious perspectives, and that the pull towards certainty is tied to an individual’s unique psychological structure, much of which is developed through the interaction …

Digital Natives: The Nature Of Technology On College Student Mental Health, Nicole Crump

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Anxiety and depression are consistent issues experienced amongst college student populations in the United States (American College Health Association, 2013). However, there is limited research on what contributes to the cause of increased student reports of anxiety and depression. While there are many contributing factors to a student’s experience of anxiety and depression, little to no research has looked at the effect of social media and nature on college student anxiety and depression. The researcher has provided a literature review on the benefits and barriers of nature and technology use on college student’s health. The researcher conducted a multivariate correlational …

The Effects Of Mindfulness Techniques On Empathy And Emotional Control, Courtney M. Dameron

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Schools’ reaction to bullying is often just that; reactive, rather than proactive. Bullying is reported and then the school takes action in one of two ways. The perpetrator is punished or the victim is supported. Sometimes schools do both. What schools are frequently missing from this equation is that no one supports the student who engaged in the bullying behavior. Research tells us that there are negative effects for all students involved in bullying. Yet few work to support the students who engage in bullying behavior. Not only would this help prevent negative effects for the individual student, it may …

The Evolution Of Disney Princesses And Their Effect On Body Image, Gender Roles, And The Portrayal Of Love, Rachael Michelle Johnson

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The media plays an essential role in determining people’s schemas of the real world, assumptions about cultural ideals, and perceptions surrounding body image, gender roles, and the idealization of love (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2008; Herbozo, Tantleff-Dunn, Gokee-Larose, & Thompson, 2004). Children in particular are vulnerable to these messages due to their high consumption of media and their cognitive development (Agarwal & Dhanasekaran, 2012; Herbozo et al., 2004). Disney is one the most powerful aspects in children’s media and their princess phenomenon plays an essential role in perpetuating stereotypes by having their heroines embody submissiveness, being young and thin, and attracting …

Mass Shootings And Mental Illness Perception, Sierra M. Korb

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study focused on the relationship between mass shootings and mental illness stigma. Specifically, this study looks at how learning about mass shootings affects the extent to which people with mental illness are stigmatized. Participants were asked to read a short story and then answer survey questions about their opinions of the mentally ill. The main finding of this study was that participant’s preferred greater social distance from people with mental illness after learning about mass shootings, even when it was not explicitly mentioned that the shooter was a person with mental illness.

Illusory Correlations In Mental Illness Stigma, Katrina Aberizk

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The purpose of this research is to examine people’s readiness to form an association between those diagnosed with a mental health condition and negative behavior in the absence of objective evidence for that association. The research expands on a traditional illusory correlation paradigm to include social group information and two types of negative behavioral statements. The traditional paradigm exposes research participants to a series of statements describing the behaviors of members of two different social groups, including desirable and undesirable behaviors, and participants are then required to recall behavioral information and rank members of both groups on a series of …

Mental Illness Stigma In The Media, Brian Smith

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

The aim of this paper is to explore mental illness stigma and one of its primary causes, the media. Essentially the paper looks at various forms of media (e.g., prime time television, children’s programming, news media) and how they create negative perceptions of both mentally ill individuals, and those who help treat them. Previous research has shown that those with a mental illness are often depicted as violent and socially undesirable by the media. Other previous research has shown that those who treat mental illness are often depicted as unprofessional and untrustworthy by the media, creating a strong negative stigma …

The Relationship Between Motivation And Volunteer Satisfaction In Conservation Programs 2015., Raena Blumenthal

Master's Theses

Conservation leisure service organizations are relying more heavily on volunteers to sustain their services and protect natural resources (Strigas, 2006). However, research focusing on volunteer vacationers, those who spend money to volunteer, is still in its infancy. Drawing on functional theorizing (Bruyer & Rappe, 2007; Clary, Snyder, Ridge, Copeland, Stukas, Haugen, & Miene, 1998; Houle, Sagarin, & Kaplan, 2005; Katz, 1960; Smith, Bruner, & White, 1956), this study explored volunteer vacationers’ motivations and the relationships between motivations to volunteer, satisfaction with the volunteer vacation experience, and inclinations to volunteer in the future (in both local and nonlocal settings). The study …

The Effects Of A Visual Cue On Reaction Time, Madison Vander Wielen

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

This between-subjects design study focuses on the effects of a visual cue on reaction time. Participants started the study by completing an online reaction time test and their performance was recorded. Then, they were exposed to a visual cue in the form of a 2-min video clip of a man dancing. Each participant was assigned to one of two conditions. Participants in one condition watched the video at a decreased speed (i.e., slower), whereas participants in the other watched the video at an increased speed (i.e., faster). Then, the participants were asked to complete a second online reaction time test. …

2014-2015, Full Issue

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Prescribed Vs. Choice Organization On Information Recognition, Carlee M. Deyoung

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Previous research has suggested that categorical organization of information increases the likelihood of it being remembered on a later memory task (Calfee & Peterson, 1968). Additionally, Slamecka and Graf (1978) found that if participants were forced to generate portions of words they were more likely to remember the words on a later test. The main point of interest for this experiment was whether providing participants with an organizational strategy, (Prescribed Organization-PO), in comparison to allowing them to freely choose how they want to organize information, (Choice Organization-CO), affects the participants’ scores on short-term recognition tests of that information. This study …

How The Phoenix Took Wing: An Examination Of The Humanities Canon As It Relates To The Psychology Of Posttraumatic Growth, Stephen Dalton

Senior Theses

The investigation of posttraumatic growth as a psychological principle is giving researchers new ways to understand how it is that some people seem to thrive following events that are normally perceived as tragic and wholly negative. These survivors do not just bounce back from their tragedies; the researchers describe these people as “bouncing forward” – that is, the survivors report that their lives now are profoundly better than they were before the trauma. While the psychological research into posttraumatic growth is relatively new, the field of Humanities has conducted this same inquiry for several thousand years. For example, Friedrich Nietzsche …

Examining Quality Of Hire As A Function Of Person-Organization And Person-Job Fit At "Pharmco", Leah L. Palmer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In response to the millennial job-hopping fad and increasingly low retention rates organizations are facing, it is more important than ever that the best-fit candidate is chosen for the position and the organization. There are two common ways fit is typically defined: person-organization (P-O) fit is the congruence between an employee and the characteristics of a company; person-job (P-J) fit is the match between an employee’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and the requirements of the job in the organization (Edwards, 1991; Kristof, 1996). A large pharmaceutical company developed a quality of new hire criterion measure as a function of …