Digital Commons Network^™

Risky Business: Rhesus Monkeys Exhibit Persistent Preferences For Risky Options, Eric R. Xu, Jerald D. Kralik

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rhesus monkeys have been shown to prefer risky over safe options in experiential decision-making tasks. These findings might be due, however, to specific contextual factors, such as small amounts of fluid reward and minimal costs for risk-taking. To better understand the factors affecting decision-making under risk in rhesus monkeys, we tested multiple factors designed to increase the stakes including larger reward amounts, distinct food items rather than fluid reward, a smaller number of trials per session, and risky options with greater variation that also included non-rewarded outcomes. We found a consistent preference for risky options, except when the expected value …

Iwu Researchers Hope Apps Teach Dogs New Tricks, Kim Hill

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Feedforward And Feedback Projections Of Caudal Belt And Parabelt Areas Of Auditory Cortex: Refining The Hierarchical Model, Troy A. Hackett, Lisa A. De La Mothe, Corrie R. Camalier, Arnaud Falchier, Peter Lakatos, Yoshinao Kajikawa, Charles E. Schroeder

Psychological Sciences and Counseling Faculty Research

Our working model of the primate auditory cortex recognizes three major regions (core, belt, parabelt), subdivided into thirteen areas. The connections between areas are topographically ordered in a manner consistent with information flow along two major anatomical axes: core-belt-parabelt and caudal-rostral. Remarkably, most of the connections supporting this model were revealed using retrograde tracing techniques. Little is known about laminar circuitry, as anterograde tracing of axon terminations has rarely been used. The purpose of the present study was to examine the laminar projections of three areas of auditory cortex, pursuant to analysis of all areas. The selected areas were: middle …

Physical Activity Reduces Hippocampal Atrophy In Elders At Genetic Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, J. Carson Smith, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Michael Seidenberg, Sally Durgerian, Kathleen Hazlett, Christina Marie Figueroa, Cassandra Kandah, Christina D. Kay, Monica Matthews, Stephen M. Rao

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

We examined the impact of physical activity (PA) on longitudinal change in hippocampal volume in cognitively intact older adults at varying genetic risk for the sporadic form of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hippocampal volume was measured from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans administered at baseline and at an 18-month follow-up in 97 healthy, cognitively intact older adults. Participants were classified as High or Low PA based on a self-report questionnaire of frequency and intensity of exercise. Risk status was defined by the presence or absence of the apolipoprotein E-epsilon 4 (APOE-ε4) allele. Four subgroups were studied: Low Risk/High PA ( …

The Benefits Of Exposure To Animals For Persons With Dementia: A Literature Review, Stephanie Bennett

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This literature review was performed to assess the current standing of the use of animals as a therapeutic agent for individuals suffering from dementia. This area of study is currently broad; therefore the intent of reviewing the current literature was to establish what has been studied at this point in time and to recommend future research directions in the field. The literature search was performed on three academic search sites (PsycINFO, PubMed, and AgeLine) using four search terms (“Pet therapy Alzheimer’s,” “Pet therapy dementia,” “Animal therapy Alzheimer’s,” “Animal therapy dementia”); search results were verified by having a second researcher independently …

Do Gaba(A) Receptors Switch For All Drug Dependence?: Examining The Dopamine-Dependent Pathways Of Alcohol Addiction, Catie Nielson, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The prevailing model for addiction proposes that neurotransmission of dopamine (DA) in the brain reward system is dysregulated, with enhanced levels during acute drug exposure and reduced levels during drug dependence and withdrawal. One emerging view is that during drug addiction, GABA(A) receptors switch the effect of GABA neurons on DA neurons from inhibitory to excitatory. This has been demonstrated for opiate addiction (Vargas-Perez et al., 2009). Our lab has previously demonstrated that GABA neurons become tolerant to acute ethanol and hyperexcitable during chronic ethanol (Gallegos et al., 1999), which may explain why dopamine neurotransmission is reduced during withdrawal. The …

Temperament In Social Dominance, Jason Lefrandt, Dr. James Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the internship at the University of California, Davis Primate Center this summer 2013, I have had the privilege of learning in various capacities as a research assistant. My main project that I was involved with was under Erna Tarara, a trained primatologist that did her field studies in Africa working on baboons. Together, we collect behavioral data that would help John Capitatio’s BioBehavioral Assessment (BBA) research on rhesus macaques.

A Study Of Stress Levels Of Students, Rebekah Currie

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Analyzing The Power Of Individual Genes: Maternal Gene Influence On The Serotonin Transporter Gene, Patrick O'Connell, Dr. James Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The present analysis considers a mother gene-by-infant gene interaction of the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (hereafter 5-HTTLPR). This is to our knowledge the first study to analyze this type of interaction. Two principle variants of this gene, a short allele (related to decreased 5-HTT expression), and a long allele, have been identified in both human and nonhuman primates. This provides 3 distinct genotypes: the homozygous short allele (ss), the heterozygotes (Ls), and the homozygous long allele genotype (LL); which have been shown to influence a variety of behaviors, principally those related to impulsive aggression (Higley & Barr, 2008) and anxiety …

Adaptation Of Dopamine Release With Chronic Ethanol Exposure And Withdrawal, Ronald Lopez, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder that has enormous impact on society. Alcohol is one of the most abused drugs. Advancement in the understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying the abuse of alcohol will pave the way for more effective treatment strategies that could reverse dependence on this drug and save lives and resources throughout the world.

Inheritance Of Social Dominance In Rhesus Macaques, Mason Bennett, Dr. James Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many species of primates have complex social systems and hierarchies. These social structures help in forming an identity and establishing a place in the world. Depending on one’s ranking in the social hierarchy there may be physiological, psychological, and emotional consequences. A primate with low rank may suffer greater stress, have less access to resources or social support, and have a higher chance of mortality (Sapolsky, 2004).

The Effects Of Focality Of Processing And Delay On Event-Based Prospective Memory, Samantha Nicole Petrella

Theses and Dissertations

The current experiment proposes an examination of the effects of focality of processing and delays on event-based prospective memory tasks. Several perspectives regarding the process of remembering to perform an intended action in the future have been proposed by researchers in this area. Smith (2007) proposed the Preparatory Attentional and Memory (PAM) process theory regarding PM. According to the PAM theory, the retrieval of a prospective memory continuously requires resource-demanding preparatory attentional processes, or effortful and deliberate focus. Further, it suggests that successful PM retrieval is never automatic and that attention to the PM task interferes with and compromises ongoing …

Behavioral Sensitization Following Concurrent Exposure To Mephedrone And D-Amphetamine In Female Mice, Michael D. Berquist Ii, M. Melissa Peet, Lisa Baker

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Introduction

• Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) is an active constituent of the illicit designer drugs commonly known as “bath salts”. In recent years, the recreational use and abuse of mephedrone and related synthetic methcathinones have dramatically increased in popularity in the U.S. and U. K. (e.g., Dybdal-Hargreaves et al., 2013; Winstock et al., 2010).

• Mephedrone consumption is associated with a number of adverse side effects such as palpitations, bruxism, agitation (Winstock et al., 2011; Wood et al., 2010; Dargan et al., 2010), paranoia, hallucinations, aggressive/violent behavior, excited delirium, and psychosis (Ross et al., 2012).

• Mephedrone may facilitate deleterious effects of other drugs of …

Everything Is Permitted? People Intuitively Judge Immorality As Representative Of Atheists, Will M. Gervais

Psychology Faculty Publications

Scientific research yields inconsistent and contradictory evidence relating religion to moral judgments and outcomes, yet most people on earth nonetheless view belief in God (or gods) as central to morality, and many view atheists with suspicion and scorn. To evaluate intuitions regarding a causal link between religion and morality, this paper tested intuitive moral judgments of atheists and other groups. Across five experiments (N = 1,152), American participants intuitively judged a wide variety of immoral acts (e.g., serial murder, consensual incest, necrobestiality, cannibalism) as representative of atheists, but not of eleven other religious, ethnic, and cultural groups. Even atheist …

Normal Acquisition Of Expertise With Greebles In Two Cases Of Acquired Prosopagnosia, Constantin Rezlescu, Jason J. S. Barton, David Pitcher, Bradley Duchaine

Dartmouth Scholarship

Face recognition is generally thought to rely on different neurocognitive mechanisms than most types of objects, but the specificity of these mechanisms is debated. One account suggests the mechanisms are specific to upright faces, whereas the expertise view proposes the mechanisms operate on objects of high within-class similarity with which an observer has become proficient at rapid individuation. Much of the evidence cited in support of the expertise view comes from laboratory-based training experiments involving computer-generated objects called greebles that are designed to place face-like demands on recognition mechanisms. A fundamental prediction of the expertise hypothesis is that recognition deficits …

Association Between Heavy-Metal Exposure And The Digit-Symbol Substitution Test In Us Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Parker Woody, Dawson Hedges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Heavy metals in the environment are a serious concern. One of the most widely known and studied neurotoxins is lead. For many years it was put into gasoline and paint in the US until it was discovered that it lead to developmental defects and affected cognitive functioning. There is a concern that other heavy metals could have adverse effects as well. Much research has focused on exposure to heavy metals in those exposed to abnormally high levels, such as those found in occupational exposures. Very little has been done examining heavy metal levels in the body such as those that …

Effects Of Perceptual Fluency On Reasoning And Pupil Dilation, Juan Diego Guevara Pinto

Honors College Theses

Research on perceptual disfluency has examined the effects of perceptually demanding stimuli on information processing and reasoning, suggesting that disfluent stimuli elicit slower and more effortful processing. Recent criticism of perceptual disfluency, however, suggests that the effects disfluent stimuli have on processing are marginal, and that they are mediated by individual differences. Participants completed a computerized reasoning task presented in either a fluent (i.e., easy-to-read font) or disfluent format (i.e., hard-to-read font) while pupil diameter was measured by an eye-tracker system. Pupillometry is an established reliable measure of mental activity that reflects differences in cognitive load. Results showed no performance …

Worldview Foundations For A Christian Psychology, Rodger K. Bufford, Timothy A. Sisemore

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Toward Monsters, Jonathan R. Gaber, Suma Mallavarapu, Beth Randi Kirsner

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The concept of monsters is ubiquitous across cultures, but there has been little research on monsters themselves and what factors shape people’s attitudes toward them. Kennesaw State University undergraduate psychology students (N = 450) read unbiased, positively biased, or negatively biased reports of one of 15 fictional monsters before all participants read identical stories about an encounter with the monster. Questionnaire responses indicated that reading a negatively biased report results in significantly more negative attitudes toward a monster than reading an unbiased report, that attitudes toward animals positively correlate with attitudes toward monsters, and that attitudes toward monsters differ depending …

Selective Effects Of Selective Attention, Katherine Camille Moen

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Selective Attention is the process by which an individual attends to one stimulus while ignoring other distracting stimuli. Selective attention at encoding has been found to consistently impair memory performance. However, little research has found conclusive evidence as to the impact of selective attention during initial retrieval, and how that impacts retrieval on later tests, or the influence of the types of stimuli that participants are ignoring. The following series of experiments outline how selective attention impairs memory immediately and after a delay, during encoding and retrieval. Experiments 1-3 manipulated attention during retrieval. Experiment 1 found that selective attention during …

Exclusion Performance In Dwarf Goats (Capra Aegagrus Hircus) And Sheep (Ovis Orientalis Aries), Christian Nawroth, Eberhard Von Borell, Jan Langbein

Learning Ability Collection

Using a comparative approach, we investigated the ability of dwarf goats and sheep to use direct and indirect information about the location of a food reward in an object-choice task. Subjects had to choose between two cups with only one covering a reward. Before making a choice, subjects received information about the baited (direct information) or nonbaited cup (indirect information). Both goats and sheep were able to use direct information (presence of food) in the object choice task. After controlling for local enhancement, we found that goats rather than sheep were able to use indirect information (i.e., the absence of …

Integral Counseling Psychology Newsletter, Ciis

Integral Counseling Psychology Newsletter

This is the Spring 2014 issue of ICP Newsletter

Attachment Representations And Mother-Child Dialogue, Baiba Barene

Open Access Theses

With the emerging linguistic competencies of the child, dialogue becomes a regular part of mother-child everyday interactions, and may serve as one of the mechanisms of transmission of attachment in early and middle childhood. The goal of this study was to investigate the hypothesis about the co-constructive nature of children's knowledge of secure base script. Formation of the secure base script is a result of child-caregiver interactions that have been consolidated into a unit of knowledge available for use in attachment related situations. Individual attachment narratives and mother-child co-constructed narratives were collected from 86 mother-child dyads when children were 3.7 …

Anticipatory And Reactive Responses To Chocolate Restriction In Frequent Chocolate Consumers, Chelsey L. Keeler

Open Access Theses

Many individuals have difficulty adhering to a weight loss diet. One possible explanation could be that dietary restriction paradoxically contributes to overconsumption. The objective of this study was to examine ingestive behavior under a forced chocolate restriction, with a focus on the anticipatory restriction period and the post-restriction period in frequent chocolate consumers. Fifty-six male (N=18) and female (N=38) high chocolate consumers with high or low cognitive disinhibition aged 27.70 ± 11.09 years with a mean BMI of 25.68± 5.92 kg/m2 participated. Chocolate snacks were provided for the first, second, and sixth week of the study to establish baseline, pre-restriction …

Repeated Aripiprazole Treatment Causes Dopamine D2 Receptor Up-Regulation And Dopamine Supersensitivity In Young Rats, Fausto A. Varela, Taleen Der-Ghazarian, Ryan J. Lee, Sergios Charntikov, Cynthia A. Crawford, Sanders A. Mcdougall

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Aripiprazole is a second-generation antipsychotic that is increasingly being prescribed to children and adolescents. Despite this trend, little preclinical research has been done on the neural and behavioral actions of aripiprazole during early development. In the present study, young male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with vehicle, haloperidol (1 mg/kg), or aripiprazole (10 mg/kg) once daily on postnatal days (PD) 10–20. After one, four, or eight days (i.e., on PD 21, PD 24, or PD 28), amphetamine-induced locomotor activity and stereotypy, as well as dorsal striatal D2 receptor levels, were measured in separate groups of rats. Pretreating young rats …

College Students' Lingering Negative Emotional Reponses To Movies Viewed During College, Brianna M. Kuck

Selected Honors Theses

Although much research has been conducted on children’s negative emotional responses to movies, and even negative emotional responses to the media in general, limited research has been conducted on college students’ lingering negative emotional responses to movies they have viewed during their college years. Through a qualitative analysis using a focus group at a Florida Christian college, this thesis will examine what kinds of disturbing movie content and elements cause these lingering negative emotional responses in college students. The lingering negative emotional responses these students have will also be discussed in detail, as well as what triggers the reemergence of …

Section Abstracts: Psychology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Psychology Section for the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 13-15, 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Visual Search And Attention In Blue Jays (Cyanocitta Cristata): Associative Cuing And Sequential Priming, Kazuhiro Goto, Alan B. Bond, Marianna Burks, Alan C. Kamil

Alan Bond Publications

Visual search for complex natural targets requires focal attention, either cued by predictive stimulus associations or primed by a representation of the most recently detected target. Because both processes can focus visual attention, cuing and priming were compared in an operant search task to evaluate their relative impacts on performance and to determine the nature of their interaction in combined treatments. Blue jays were trained to search for pairs of alternative targets among distractors. Informative or ambiguous color cues were provided before each trial, and targets were presented either in homogeneous blocked sequences or in constrained random order. Initial task …

Availability Of Sexualized Clothing Among Diverse Stores And Its Possible Effect On Self-Objectification, Melisa Estrada

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

The clothes people choose to wear can be the first thing that other people notice. Today, young girls can become susceptible to the images presented by the media, which may lead to self-objectification and the desire to use clothing to appeal to society's standards. The purpose of this study was to expand a previous research study conducted to evaluate the extent to which sexualizing clothing is available for young girls. This study focused on fall clothing and was later expanded to spring clothing, as opposed to summer clothing as was evaluated previously. A sample of 435 tops available for girls …

Volume 06, Kristen Gains, Amanda Willis, Holly Backer, Monika Gutierrez, Cara O'Neal, Sara Nelson, Sasha Silberman, Jessica Beardsley, Jamie Gardner, Edward Peeples, Matthew Sakach, Tess Lione, Emily Wilkins, Kelsey Holt, Jessica Page, Jamie Clift, Charles Vancampen, Gilbert Hall, Jenny Nehrt, Kasey Dye, Amanda Tharp, Jamie Leeuwrik, Ashley Mcgee, Emily Poulin, Michael Kropf, Nick Pastore, Austin Polasky, Morgan Glasco, Laura L. Kahler, Melinda L. Edwards, Brandon C. Smith, Mariah Asbell, Cabell Edmunds, Amelia D. Perry, Alyssa Hayes, Irina Boothe, Perry Bason, James Early

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Caught Between Folklore and the Cold War: The Americanization of Russian Children's Literature by Kristen Gains

Graphic Design by Amanda Willis

Graphic Design by Holly Backer

Prejudices in Swiss German Accents by Monika Gutierrez

Photography by Cara O'Neal

Photography by Sara Nelson

Edmund Tyrone's Long Journey through Night by Sasha Silberman

Photography by Jessica Beardsley

Photography by Jamie Gardner and Edward Peeples

The Republican Razor: The Guillotine as a Symbol of Equality by Jamie Clift

Graphic Design by Matthew Sakach

Genocide: The Lasting Effects of Gender Stratification in Rwanda By Tess Lione and Emily …