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You Say You're Happy, But You Look So Sad: A Study Of Incongruent Emotional Expressions, Jennifer K. Brogan

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Since the 1930s, various versions of the Stroop interference task have been used to illuminate how the mind processes information. Over the past 10 years it has been applied to emotion recognition processing in increasingly complex, competing expressions. Koch (2006) used competing emotion words and faces and found the words produced interference in identifying the facial emotion, particularly when they were incongruent and the eyes were removed. Continuing the research studying how emotions are processed toward more natural situations, an emotion recognition Stroop test of simultaneous emotional facial pictures and spoken emotional words was presented in 600 randomized congruent, incongruent, …

Sociological And Psychological Predispositions To Serial Murder, Katie Marie Krueger

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This paper looks specifically at the true definition of a serial killer, attempting to clarify the misleading depiction that has come from the media influence. Twenty-one people, including infamous murderers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as more obscure killers, such as Carl Panzram, were studied in depth. Data was gathered from a variety of published sources on each convicted serial killer focusing on his/her life prior to the beginning of the killing spree. Unlike previous research on the topic, this investigation looked at a larger sample of serial killers, as well as a more complete set …

A Comparison Of The Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of The Atypical Antipsychotic Clozapine And The Glutamate Agonist N-Methyl D-Aspartate In C57bl/6 Mice., Sarah A. Vunck

Theses and Dissertations

The glutamate system dysfunctions present in schizophrenia raise new questions about possible glutamatergic actions of the atypical antipsychotic clozapine. While clozapine has been shown to partially substitute for the discriminative stimulus of the glutamate agonist N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) in rats, NMDA discrimination has not previously been established in mice. The present study was designed to explore the possible role of NMDA activity in clozapine’s discriminative stimulus. Two groups of C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate either 2.5 mg/kg CLZ from vehicle or 30 mg/kg NMDA from vehicle in a standard two-lever drug discrimination task. NMDA drug discrimination was successfully established …

Examination Of The Discriminative Stimulus And Cross-Tolerance Inducing Properties Of N-Desmethylclozapine In C57bl/6 Mice., Jason Wiebelhaus

Theses and Dissertations

Due to its unique receptor binding profile and its relationship to clozapine, N-desmethylclozapine (NDMC) has been examined as a possible antipsychotic drug (APD). Clozapine has been trained as discriminative stimulus in our lab, but NDMC has not yet been established as a discriminative stimulus. In experiment 1, 12 C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate 10.0 mg/kg NDMC from VEH using a standard-two lever operant procedure to assess antipsychotic substitution. The typical APD clozapine fully substituted for NDMC at 2 doses tested (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg), while typical APD haloperidol failed to substitute for NDMC. In Experiment 2, 11 mice were …

Perceptions Of Spirituality And Perceptions Of God Image: A Qualitative Study, Christopher Elson Peck

Theses and Dissertations

The vast majority of people living in the U.S. report that spirituality is an important part of their life. Ironically, the field of psychology has largely ignored the spiritual beliefs and experiences that so many people see as central to their well-being. Empirical study of spirituality, along with people's differing perceptions of their relationship to God, is a viable area of study for psychologists. This dissertation examines both spirituality and God image and the relationship between these two constructs using qualitative hermeneutic analysis. Findings showed a difficulty defining spirituality among other themes. Findings also showed that individuals' experiences with God …

Efficacy Of A Brief Intervention For Insomnia Among Psychiatric Outpatients, James Nile Wagley

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric patients are particularly affected by symptoms of insomnia. Because insomnia is often secondary to other conditions and was once thought to be less treatable, this condition has received little attention in terms of treatment and research. Additionally, psychiatric patients have typically fewer resources to seek treatment. Generally, insomnia is treated with medications that may have biological side effects and offer little restorative sleep. Behavioral or cognitive interventions have often been overlooked. This experiment uses profile analysis to test the hypothesis that psychiatric outpatients randomized to a treatment group would have decreased levels of sleep difficulties (measured by PSQI) when …

Same-Sex Social Behavior In Meadow Voles: Multiple And Rapid Formation Of Attachments, Annaliese K. Beery, David M. Routman, Irving Zucker

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Adult meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) are solitary in the spring–summer reproductive season, but during winter months, females and males are socially tolerant and aggregate in groups. This behavioral difference is triggered by day length: female meadow voles housed in short, winterlike day lengths form same-sex partner preferences, whereas those housed in long, summer-like day lengths are less social. The present study demonstrates that same-sex social attachments in short day lengths are not exclusive; females formed concurrent attachments with more than one individual, and with non-kin as well as siblings. Partner preferences between females were established within one day of cohousing …

Microsaccade Rate Varies With Subjective Visibility During Motion-Induced Blindness, Po-Jang Hsieh, Peter U. Tse

Dartmouth Scholarship

Motion-induced blindness (MIB) occurs when a dot embedded in a motion field subjectively vanishes. Here we report the first psychophysical data concerning effects of microsaccade/eyeblink rate upon perceptual switches during MIB. We find that the rate of microsaccades/eyeblink rises before and after perceptual transitions from not seeing to seeing the dot, and decreases before perceptual transitions from seeing it to not seeing it. In addition, event-related fMRI data reveal that, when a dot subjectively reappears during MIB, the blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal increases in V1v and V2v and decreases in contralateral hMT+. These BOLD signal changes observed upon perceptual …

Identity: Theory And Clinical Implications, Kolina J. Delgado

Psychology Student Publications

The term identity refers to how one defines the self. As can probably be inferred based on the previous statement, the concept of identity formation is complex. Scholars from several schools of thought have hypothesized about identity for centuries, yet the concept of identity development remains an elusive one to say the least. The lack of consensus regarding what the term 'identity' encompasses has made research endeavors rather difficult. Nevertheless, there is an extensive literature base on identity and selfhood, making it all but impossible to provide an exhaustive review within the confines of one paper. Therefore, the current paper …

Wild Justice - Honor And Fairness Among Beasts At Play, Marc Bekoff, Jessica Pierce

Social Cognition Collection

This essay challenges science’s traditional taboo against anthropomorphizing animals or considering their behavior as indicative of feelings similar to human emotions. In their new book Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, the authors argue that anthropomorphism is alive and well, as it should be. Here they describe some activities of animals, particularly animals at play, as clear signs that they have recognizable emotions and moral intelligence. Based on years of behavioral and cognitive research, the authors discuss in their book that animals exhibit a broad repertoire of moral behaviors, including empathy and cooperation, but here they concentrate on the …

The Effects Of Parental Upbringing On Collegiate Sexual Activity, Courtney Watson

XULAneXUS

The present research examined the effects of parental openness and support on the sexual activity of college students. The effects of parental reaction to collegiate sexual activity were also examined. It was hypothesized that students with supportive and open parents would engage in sexually responsible behavior. On the other hand, students with parents who were not open and unsupportive were expected to describe a negative parental reaction to their sexual histories. Although the study found no significant effects in relation to sexual activity, results indicated significant effects of parental openness on parental reaction. Further research is needed to examine a …

Barack Obama, Implicit Bias, And The 2008 Election, Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, Gregory S. Parks

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The election of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth president of the United States suggests that the United States has made great strides with regard to race. The blogs and the pundits may laud Obama’s win as evidence that we now live in a “post-racial America.” But is it accurate to suggest that race no longer significantly influences how Americans evaluate each other? Does Obama’s victory suggest that affirmative action and antidiscrimination protections are no longer necessary? We think not. Ironically, rather than marking the dawn of a post-racial America, Obama’s candidacy reveals how deeply race affects judgment.

The Effects Of Salvinorin A On The Novel Object Recognition Task In Male Rats, Larissa A. Haliw

Masters Theses

A recent increase in the recreational use of the plant Salvia divinorum and its derivative salvinorin A, an atypical naturally occurring kappa opioid receptor ag onist with hallucinogenic properties, by teens and young adults has contributed to a growing concern regarding the psychological effects of this drug. Salvia divinorum is presently a legal alternative to illegal hallucinogens and it is widely available over the Internet and in stores for a nominal cost making it a potential candidate as a drug of abuse. To date, no investigations have ex plored the effects of salvinorin A in memory assays. The novel object …

Visual Discrimination Training For Rats : Developing A New Methodology To Explore Laterality Differences, Tiffany R. Brunelli

Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to examine right hemisphere specialization for faces at the neuronal level. Research has shown that facial recognition relies on the right anterior temporal lobe and involves integrating multiple features (Bukach, Gauthier, & Tarr, 2006). Evidence from rat studies confirms that the anterior temporal lobe is involved in integrating multiple object features (Eacott, Machin, & Gaffan, 2001). However, these studies did not examine differences between the brain’s right and left hemispheres. It was hypothesized that the right anterior temporal lobe is more important for feature integration. The current study aimed to develop a methodology for …

It's All Happening At The Zoo: Children's Environmental Learning After School, Jason A. Douglas, Cindi Katz

Publications and Research

Pairing dynamic out-of-school-time (OST) programs with zoos can encourage young people's relationships with and sense of responsibility for animals and the environment. The project presented in this article, Animal Rescuers, gave the authors the opportunity to examine how such a pairing can work. OST programs enable learning in settings that are generally unavailable during school time (Honig & McDonald, 2005). They provide space for collaboration among students, teachers, and others such as program visitors or outside educators. Taking advantage of the flexibility, location, and educational playfulness of an OST setting, the authors worked intensively with a small number of 10-12-year-old …

Volume 02, Joseph A. Mann, Kathryn J. Greenly, Scott E. Jenkins, Andrew E. Puckette, Daniel M. Honey, Jeffery P. Ravenhorst, Jamie Elizabeth Mesrobian, Thomas Scott, Jay Crowell, Sarah Spangenberg, Amy S. Eason, Kenny Wolfe, Liz Hale, Rachel Bouchard, Will Semonco, Carley York, Ryan Higgenbothom, Adrienne Heinbaugh, Melissa Dorton, Madeline Hunter, June Ashmore, Clark Barkley, Jay Haley

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Mike's Nite: New Jazz for an Old Instrument by Joseph A. Mann

Investigation of the use of Cucumis Sativus for Remediation Of Chromium from Contaminated Environmental Matrices: An Interdisciplinary Instrumental Analysis Project by Kathryn J. Greenly, Scott E. Jenkins, and Andrew E. Puckette

Development of GC-MS and Chemometric Methods for the Analysis of Accelerants in Arson Cases by Scott Jenkins

Building and Measuring Scalable Computing Systems by Daniel M. Honey and Jeffery P. Ravenhorst

Nomini Hall: A Case Study in the Use of Archival Resources as Guides for Excavation at An Archaeological Site by …

Adult-Young Ratio, A Major Factor Regulating Social Behaviour Of Young: A Horse Study, Alice De Boyer Des Roches, Martine Hausberger

Social Behavior Collection

Background: Adults play an important role in regulating the social behaviour of young individuals. However, a few pioneer studies suggest that, more than the mere presence of adults, their proportions in social groups affect the social development of young. Here, we hypothesized that aggression rates and social cohesion were correlated to adult-young ratios. Our biological model was naturally-formed groups of Przewalski horses, Equus f. przewalskii, varying in composition.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We investigated the social interactions and spatial relationships of 12 one- and two-yearold Przewalski horses belonging to five families with adult-young ratios (AYR) ranging from 0.67 to 1.33. We found …

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Theory Of An Efficacious Treatment Plan., Valerie Jeanette Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous commonalities and similarities in the symptoms presented in those individuals suffering from Korsakoff's Syndrome, Vascular Dementia, B vitamin deficiencies and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. These similarities include physiological, neurological and psychological findings. B vitamin supplementation is being used effectively to treat several of these disorders. Because of these similarities and commonalities in both symptomology and physiology, it is my hypothesis that PTSD may be partially or totally a consequence of a B vitamin deficiency. Narrative re-exposure therapy is already in use to treat those with PTSD. Using the Biopsychosocial Model of health psychology, I propose an empirical study …

Imaginary Stories In School: First Steps Toward Literacy, Gillian Dowley Mcnamee

Occasional Paper Series

This essay holds that to forgo opportunities for children's pretend play and conversation around storytelling in school is to distort the very nature of language development and literacy.

39th Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council, Western Kentucky University

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Spatial Representation Across Species: Geometry, Language, And Maps, Barbara Landau, Laura Lakusta

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We review growing evidence that the reorientation system - shared by both humans and nonhuman species - privileges geometric representations of space and exhibits many of the characteristic features of modular systems. We also review evidence showing that humans can move beyond the limits of nonhuman species by using two cultural constructions, language and explicit maps. We argue that, although both of these constructions are uniquely human means of enriching the spatial system we share with other species, their representational formats, functions, and developmental trajectories are quite different, yielding distinctly different tools for empowering human spatial cognition.The capacity to reorient …

Prospective Prediction Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Using Fear Potentiated Auditory Startle Responses, Nnamdi Pole, Thomas C. Neylan, Christian Otte, Clare Henn-Hasse, Thomas J. Metzler, Charles R. Marmar

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been most consistently associated with exaggerated physiologic reactivity to startling sounds when such sounds occur in threatening contexts. There is conflicting evidence about whether startle hyperreactivity is a preexisting vulnerability factor for PTSD or an acquired result of posttrauma neural sensitization. Until now, there have been no prospective studies of physiologic reactivity to startling sounds in threatening contexts as predictors of PTSD symptoms. Methods: One hundred and thirty-eight police academy cadets without current psychopathology were exposed to repeated 106-dB startling sounds under increasing (low, medium, or high) threat of mild electric shock while their …

Gender Specific Disruptions In Emotion Processing In Younger Adults With Depression, Sara L. Wright, Scott Aaron Langenecker, Patricia J. Deldin, Lisa J. Rapport, Kristy A. Nielson, Allison M. Kade, Lawrence S. Own, Huda Akil, Elizabeth A. Young, Jon-Kar Zubieta

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background: One of the principal theories regarding the biological basis of major depressive disorder (MDD) implicates a dysregulation of emotion-processing circuitry. Gender differences in how emotions are processed and relative experience with emotion processing might help to explain some of the disparities in the prevalence of MDD between women and men. This study sought to explore how gender and depression status relate to emotion processing. Methods: This study employed a 2 (MDD status) × 2 (gender) factorial design to explore differences in classifications of posed facial emotional expressions (N=151). Results: For errors, there was an …

The Dark Triad: Facilitating A Short-Term Mating Strategy In Men, Peter K. Jonason, Norman P. Li, Gregory D. Webster, David P. Schmitt

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This survey (N=224) found that characteristics collectively known as the Dark Triad (i.e. narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) were correlated with various dimensions of short-term mating but not long-term mating. The link between the Dark Triad and short-term mating was stronger for men than for women. The Dark Triad partially mediated the sex difference in short-term mating behaviour. Findings are consistent with a view that the Dark Triad facilitates an exploitative, short-term mating strategy in men. Possible implications, including that Dark Triad traits represent a bundle of individual differences that promote a reproductively adaptive strategy are discussed. Findings are discussed in …

Semantic Knowledge For Famous Names In Mild Cognitive Impairment, Michael Seidenberg, Leslie Guidotti, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, Sally Durgerian, Qi Zhang, Amelia Gander, Piero Antuono, Stephen M. Rao

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Person identification represents a unique category of semantic knowledge that is commonly impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but has received relatively little investigation in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The current study examined the retrieval of semantic knowledge for famous names from three time epochs (recent, remote, and enduring) in two participant groups: 23 amnestic MCI (aMCI) patients and 23 healthy elderly controls. The aMCI group was less accurate and produced less semantic knowledge than controls for famous names. Names from the enduring period were recognized faster than both recent and remote names in both groups, and remote names …

Longitudinal Changes In Global Brain Volume Between 79 And 409 Days After Traumatic Brain Injury: Relationship With Duration Of Coma, Mehul A. Trivedi, Michael A. Ward, Timothy M. Hess, Shawn D. Gale, Robert J. Dempsey, Howard A. Rowley, Sterling C. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Neuropathological and experimental animal studies indicate that traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in long-term, neurodegenerative changes. Structural image evaluation using normalization of atrophy (SIENA) offers an automated analysis of the subtle changes in percent brain volume change (%BVC) associated with TBI. In the present study, SIENA was used to evaluate %BVC in individuals who had sustained a mild to severe TBI. We obtained 3D-T1 weighted anatomical MRI scans approximately 79 days and again 409 days post-injury. TBI patients (n= 37) displayed significantly greater decline in %BVC (-1.43%) relative to a normal comparison group (+ 0.1%, n=30). Greater %BVC was associated …

Quantitative And Qualitative Assessment Of The Response Of Foals To The Presence Of An Unfamiliar Human, Michela Minero, Maria Vittoria Tosi, Elisabetta Canali, Françoise Wemelsfelder

Sentience Collection

This work aimed to apply a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to the interpretation of an on-farm behaviour test for horses, and to examine whether 1 month of handling would affect the response of yearlings to an unfamiliar stationary human in their home environment. Throughout a 1-month period, 14 Thoroughbred Yearlings (16 ± 0.22 months old) that had formerly experienced minimal contact with humans, were handled daily for about 45 min. The yearlings were tested twice, just before and just after the handling period. The behaviour of the horses during the tests was both video-recorded and directly recorded by the …

Integration Of Computer-Based Virtual Check Ride System - Pre-Trip Inspection In Commercial Driver License Training Program, Alpesh Makwana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pre-Trip Inspection of the truck and trailer is one of the components of the current Commercial Driver's License (CDL) test. This part of the CDL test checks the ability of the student to identify the important parts of the commercial vehicle and their potential defects. The Virtual Check Ride System (VCRS), a computer-based application, is an assessment and feedback tool that mirrors the inspection component of the actual CDL. The VCRS has provided an after action review (AAR) via a feedback session that helps in identifying and correcting drivers' skill in inspecting parts and for overall safety. The purpose of …

Measuring Non-Verbal Communication Of Emotion In Personal Relationships: The Procedure For Assessing Affect Communication Accuracy, Konstantinos Kafetsios, Kelly Campbell

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study describes a new method for the assessment of accuracy in non-verbal communication of emotion in close relationships and presents results from a study that examined the validity of the method. The paper initially argues for the need of a new method on the basis of critical review of most the existing methods of accuracy of non-verbal communication of emotion, specifically: a) that they assess more symbolic rather than affective dimensions of non-verbal communication, b) that they involve inconsistencies with regards to the elicitation of emotion and c) that they involve methodological problems in the procedure of assessing …

Genetic And Environmental Contributions To Body Mass Index: Comparative Analysis Of Monozygotic Twins, Dizygotic Twins And Same-Age Unrelated Siblings, Nancy Segal, R. Feng, Shirley Mcguire, D. Allison, S. Miller

Psychology

Background—Earlier studies have established that a substantial percentage of variance in obesity-related phenotypes is explained by genetic components. However, only one study has used both virtual twins (VTs) and biological twins and was able to simultaneously estimate additive genetic, non-additive genetic, shared environmental and unshared environmental components in body mass index (BMI). Our current goal was to re-estimate four components of variance in BMI, applying a more rigorous model to biological and virtual multiples with additional data. Virtual multiples share the same family environment, offering unique opportunities to estimate common environmental influence on phenotypes that cannot be separated from …