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Non-Response To Sad Mood Induction: Implications For Emotion Research, Johnathan Rottenberg, Maria Kovacs, Ilya Yaroslavsky

Psychology Faculty Publications

Experimental induction of sad mood states is a mainstay of laboratory research on affect and cognition, mood regulation, and mood disorders. Typically, the success of such mood manipulations is reported as a statistically significant pre- to post-induction change in the self-rated intensity of the target affect. The present commentary was motivated by an unexpected finding in one of our studies concerning the response rate to a well-validated sad mood induction. Using the customary statistical approach, we found a significant mean increase in self-rated sadness intensity with a moderate effect size, verifying the “success” of the mood induction. However, that “success” …

Using Differing Levels Of Physical Activity As A Context Cue For Memory, Jami Swan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The current study aimed to investigate the use of physical activity as a context cue for object location memory. The study included 49 undergraduate students who were asked to encode and recall a grid of 14 objects under three different physical activity conditions: rest, rolling a ping-pong ball, and pedaling on an exercise bike. It was expected that participants engaging in matching physical activity contexts at encoding and recall would have significantly higher rates of recall for object locations when compared to participants in the non-matching physical activity contexts. Results did not support my hypothesis as there was no evidence …

Examining The Cross-Cultural Differences In Affect Valuation: Whites, East Asians, And Third Culture Kids, Joey Yamada

CMC Senior Theses

This paper explores the cross-cultural differences in affect valuation, emotion regulation, and the relationship between affect valuation, emotion regulation and subjective well-being across White Americans, Asians, and Third Culture Kids (TCKs). Emotional experiences shape every facet of our lives, yet understanding the extent to which emotional experiences are universal is still poorly understood. This is particularly the case among individuals with diverse cultural experiences. In the current study, we look at TCK individuals, a group composed of White-identifying individuals who spent a significant time of their childhood in East Asian countries. Through a questionnaire that was distributed via email and …

An Exploration Of The Adaptive Functions Of Dreams And Empirically-Based Methods Of Dream Interpretation, Isaac Roberts

CMC Senior Theses

This paper presents a meta-analysis of dream theory within psychology and neuroscience. The questions it attempts to answer are: what is the neuroscientific basis of dreaming? Why do dreams exist (do they have an adaptive function)? Could dreams possibly have no function? And, what is the best way to interpret a dream? The current analysis presents various theories relevant to each of these questions and compares their viability. It also briefly examines the origins of psychological thought on dreams and, towards the end, outlines the steps and empirical support for a well-regarded method of dream interpretation known as the cognitive …

Stressed Out And Fed Up: The Effect Of Stress On Maternal Feeding Behaviors And The Moderating Role Of Executive Functioning, Isabel Mendiola

CMC Senior Theses

Stress is associated with a range of unhealthy eating habits. However, no previous studies have used experimental design to take an intergenerational perspective in the examination of how stress may influence parental feeding behavior, nor have they examined potential protective factors. The current study tests the effects of stress on maternal feeding behaviors and explores the potential protective role of maternal executive functioning (EF). We manipulated maternal stress with the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST) in a community sample mothers (N = 61, Mage = 33.45 years). We measured maternal EF with a series of computerized tasks. Maternal …

Empathy: A Tool To Unite?, Patrick Wildman

CMC Senior Theses

I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Professor Bowman, for providing valuable input as I pursued this important topic. I would also like to thank Professor Krauss, my unofficial Psychology advisor.

I would like to thank my parents who raised me to value empathy. Our family-dinner conversations weren’t always pretty, but they served me well as I made the trek from Cincinnati, Ohio to Claremont, California. As we were encouraged to speak, we were required to listen and to try to understand different viewpoints. We didn’t always agree, but the confinements of our home forced us to understand not …

Do The Lifetime Prevalence And Prognosis Of Schizophrenia Differ Among World Regions?, Cheryl Lynn Smith

CMC Senior Theses

Much cross-cultural research has been done on the topic of schizophrenia, but few studies thus far have focused on lifetime prevalence and prognosis together, grouped by world region. Additionally, there has been severe bias in which countries and regions have been studied both historically and currently. Any study that had statistics on lifetime prevalence per 1000 people and/or DALYs, from a specified country or region, was included in this thesis. Results showed that lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia does not differ among WHO regions, but DALYs and thus prognosis do differ. Several major conclusions can be drawn from these results. One …

Understanding Self-Reported Sexual Violence Perpetration: Correlates And Prevention Participation, Jacqueline F. Klatt

Honors Theses and Capstones

Bystander prevention programs seek to educate individuals on the nature of sexual violence and increase bystander efficacy. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the Bringing in the Bystander (BITB) prevention program through self-reports of perpetration behaviors as well as risk factors associated with perpetration. The bystander prevention program was implemented on a rural mid-sized public university and first-year students were surveyed three times at separate time points (2 weeks, 5 months, and 12 months) after the program conclusion. Results from a correlational and logistic regression analysis show that endorsement of violent peer norms, rape myth acceptance, and rape …

Score One For Jazz: Working Memory In Jazz And Classical Musicians, Bryan E. Nichols, Clemens Wöllner, Andrea R. Halpern

Faculty Journal Articles

Jazz musicians rely on different skills than do classical musicians for successful performances. We investigated the working memory span of classical and jazz student musicians on musical and nonmusical working memory tasks. College-aged musicians completed the Bucknell Auditory Imagery Scale, followed by verbal working memory tests and musical working memory tests that included visual and auditory presentation modes and written or played recall. Participants were asked to recall the last word (or pitch) from each task after a distraction task, by writing, speaking, or playing the pitch on the piano. Jazz musicians recalled more pitches that were presented in auditory …

The Imprint Of Childhood Abuse On Trauma-Related Shame In Adulthood, Joan A. Reid

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Research has consistently linked residual trauma-related shame among child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors to sexual revictimization, health risk behaviors, and poorer response to mental health treatment. However, questions remain regarding the imprint of childhood maltreatment on trauma-related shame including which CSA characteristics or types of childhood maltreatment contribute to residual shame in adulthood. Using data drawn from a prospective study of 174 primarily African American women with histories of CSA and a matched comparison group, this study explores whether specific characteristics of CSA (familial CSA, CSA with penetration, force used by CSA perpetrator), repeat sexual victimization in adolescence, childhood physical …

Graduate Bulletin, 2018-2019, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Predicting Sexual Revictimization In Childhood And Adolescence: A Longitudinal Examination Using Ecological Systems Theory, Samantha L. Pittenger, Jessica Pogue, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A substantial proportion of sexual abuse victims report repeat sexual victimization within childhood or adolescence; however, there is limited understanding of factors contributing to revictimization for youth. Thus, the present study examined predictors of sexual revictimization prior to adulthood using ecological systems theory. Records of 1,915 youth presenting to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) were reviewed to identify individual, familial, and community factors as well as initial abuse characteristics associated with risk for revictimization. Results showed that 11.1% of youth re-presented to the CAC for sexual revictimization. At the individual level, younger children, girls, ethnoracial minority youth, and those with …

Through The Eyes Of The Beholder: Simulated Eye-Movement Experience (“See”) Modulates Valence Bias In Response To Emotional Ambiguity, Maital Neta, Michael D. Dodd

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although some facial expressions provide clear information about people’s emotions and intentions (happy, angry), others (surprise) are ambiguous because they can signal both positive (e.g., surprise party) and negative outcomes (e.g., witnessing an accident). Without a clarifying context, surprise is interpreted as positive by some and negative by others, and this valence bias is stable across time. When compared to fearful expressions, which are consistently rated as negative, surprise and fear share similar morphological features (e.g., widened eyes) primarily in the upper part of the face. Recently, we demonstrated that the valence bias was associated with a specific pattern of …

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beer Holder: An Initial Investigation Of The Effects Of Alcohol, Attractiveness, Warmth, And Competence On The Objectifying Gaze In Men, Abigail R. Riemer, Michelle Haikalis, Molly R. Franz, Michael Dodd, David Dilillo, Sarah Gervais

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite literature revealing the adverse consequences of objectifying gazes for women, little work has empirically examined origins of objectifying gazes by perceivers. Integrating alcohol myopia and objectification theories, we examined the effects of alcohol as well as perceived female attractiveness, warmth, and competence on objectifying gazes. Specifically, male undergraduates (n = 49) from a large U.S. Midwestern university were administered either an alcoholic or placebo beverage. After consumption, participants were asked to focus on the appearance or personality (counterbalanced) of pictured women who were previously rated as high, average, or low in attractiveness, warmth, and competence. Replicating previous work, appearance …

Microrna Cluster Mir199a/214 Are Differentially Expressed In Female And Male Rats Following Nicotine Self-Administration, Steven T. Pittenger, Victoria L. Schaal, Dalia Moore, Rahul S. Guda, Sneh Koul, Sowmya V. Yelamanchili, Rick A. Bevins, Gurudutt Pendyala

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous research has established sex differences associated with nicotine intake, however a significant gap in knowledge remains regarding the molecular mechanisms that govern these differences at the transcriptional level. One critical regulator of transcription are microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are a family of non-coding RNAs that regulate an array of important biological functions altered in several disease states, including neuroadaptive changes within the brain associated with drug dependence. We examined the prefrontal cortex (PFC) from male and female Sprague-Dawley rats following self-administration (22 days) of nicotine or yoked saline controls using next generation RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology and found an array of …

Individual Differences In Valence Bias: Fmri Evidence Of The Initial Negativity Hypothesis, Nathan M. Petro, Tien T. Tong, Daniel J. Henley, Maital Neta

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Facial expressions offer an ecologically valid model for examining individual differences in affective decision-making. They convey an emotional signal from a social agent and provide important predictive information about one’s environment (presence of potential rewards or threats). Although some expressions provide clear predictive information (angry, happy), others (surprised) are ambiguous in that they predict both positive and negative outcomes. Thus, surprised faces can delineate an individual’s valence bias, or the tendency to interpret ambiguity as positive or negative. Our initial negativity hypothesis suggests that the initial response to ambiguity is negative, and that positivity relies on emotion regulation. We tested …

Measuring And Understanding Socialemotional Behaviors In Preschoolers From Rural Pakistan, Jenna E. Finch, Aisha K. Yousafzai, Muneera Rasheed, Jelena Obradovic

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely-used to measure symptoms of common childhood behavioral problems that may lead to mental health difficulties. In a sample of 1,302 highly-disadvantaged mothers and their preschoolers, we evaluated the factor structure and reliability of the parent-report version of the SDQ in rural Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the original structure of the SDQ was not appropriate for our data. We created conceptually- and empirically-coherent measures of children’s externalizing behavior problems and prosocial skills. Child and family correlates of social-emotional behaviors were similar to those found in other countries, supporting the validity of …

Addicted To Cellphones: Exploring The Psychometric Properties Between The Nomophobia Questionnaire And Obsessiveness In College Students, Seungyeon Lee, Minsung Kim, Jessica S. Mendoza, Ian M. Mcdonough

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A potential new clinical disorder is arising due to the addiction to cellphones called nomophobiador feelings of discomfort or anxiety experienced by individuals when they are unable to use their mobile phones or utilize the conveniences these devices provide. However, before being able to officially classify this disorder as clinically relevant, more research needs to be conducted to determine how nomophobia relates to existing disorders. In a sample of 397 undergraduate students, the present study examined the relationship between the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and the Obsessiveness Content Scale (OBS) of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (the MMPI-2). Confirmatory factor analysis …

Alcohol Intoxication Moderates The Association Between A Polygenic Risk Score And Unprovoked Intimate Partner Aggression, Christa C. Christ, Laura E. Watkins, David Dilillo, Scott F. Stoltenberg

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite evidence that genetic variation contributes to aggression, few studies have examined how genetic variation contributes to IPA specifically. In the current study, 69 couples from a Midwestern university completed self-report measures of IPA, childhood trauma exposure, and hazardous alcohol use, and were randomly assigned to consume either a placebo or alcohol beverage before participating in an analogue aggression task against their partner. Genetic risk (i.e., association with lower transcriptional efficiency) for aggression was measured with a polygenic risk score (PRS) created from four polymorphisms (HTR1B rs13212041, HTR2B rs6437000, 5-HTTLPR, and MAOA uVNTR). Among individuals with a low PRS, …

Leadership Development Among Youth In Latino Congregations: The Relationship Of Religious Participation To Social Service Involvement And Engagement In Leadership Tasks, Elizabeth Tamez Mendez

Dissertations

Problem

Personal observations and anecdotal accounts attest that some of the young people in U.S. Latino churches are developing as leaders within their congregations. This seems to come as a result of the organic or less-formalized leadership development dynamics and practices present within Latino congregations, where leaders often develop by being actively involved in leadership actions without necessarily first following a curriculum of study, completing a training program, or fulfilling a set of theological education requirements. In this way, many are acquiring roles and responsibilities by which they actively contribute towards local congregational and community life, and by which they …

Biological Bases, Suzanne I. Sollars

Psychology Faculty Publications

Lab Title: Structure/Function Relationships within Sensory Systems

Main Idea/Concept Demonstrated or Taught by Lab: Students will examine the way in which individual differences in anatomical structures can influence how the system functions. Perception of a sensory stimulus can vary between individuals. Such structure/function relations in physiological systems can change the way an individual behaves. In this lab, students will test taste intensity of salt and sugar solutions, quantify fungiform papillae (an indirect measure of the number of taste buds), and determine the correlation between the number of fungiform papillae and taste intensity ratings.

Lab Title: Modification of …

Voice Pitch Influences On Teaching Evaluations And Student Learning, Thomas Augustin

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Prior research in the realm of marketing and voting behaviors have indicated how voice pitch can have an impact on consumers’ and voters’ perception of personality characteristics. With the rise of online lectures, this study examined the impact of voice pitch, gender of a professor, and the subject taught on professor evaluation and student learning. The study simulated an online lecture where participants listened to a prerecorded lesson of Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Standard Deviation. This study looked to see if different voice pitch (high pitch, low pitch) of opposing genders (male, female) would have an effect on a student’s …

The Psychopath's Worldview: How Psychopathy Affects Attitudes Towards Others, Arianne Fisher

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Psychopathy has been related to overall negative perceptions of others in past research, but the reason for these negative attitudes is unclear. The current study investigated the relationship between psychopathy and attitudes toward others and attempted to explain these negative attitudes by testing empathy and early maladaptive schemas as mediators and social dominance orientation as a moderator for this relationship. There were 191 participants in the current study; participants first read a short story and took a scale assessing attitudes toward the characters; then, they completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the SDO7, the Young Schema Questionnaire-SF, and the Levenson Self-Report …

Effects Of Fixed And Malleable Views Of Intelligence And Attribution Of Controllability On Teacher Affects, Gary Beard

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The classroom is a dynamic social setting where teachers respond affectively to student failure. Divergent affective reactions toward learning and achievement occur in teachers with fixed and malleable views of intelligence, which impact students’ self-esteem and expectations for future success. The present study explored teacher and student variables related to emotive classroom expression toward test failures of boys. View of intelligence as fixed or malleable, attribution of controllability (effort & ability) and student condition were measured and examined in relation to the affects frustration, sympathy, positive or negative feedback and expectations for future failure. Attributions of controllability (effort & ability) …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy As A Supplemental Treatment For Adolescents With Learning Disabilities, Peter John Arsenault

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explores cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a supplemental treatment with a sample of adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). Research overwhelming reflects the theory that children and adolescents with LD are more likely to manifest anxious and depressive symptomology. CBT is an evidence based intervention for anxiety and depression. However, there is a gap in the knowledge of treating LD with CBT. The study hypothesizes the theory that maladaptive metacognitive interpretation of the LD diminishes the effects of the evidence based academic intervention. The study sought to explore whether or not adolescents with LD would experience enhanced academic and …

Attitudes And Knowledge Of Healthcare Providers Regarding Patients With Intellectual Disability And The Impact On Analogue Clinical Decision-Making, Alexandra Freed Santoro

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Throughout their careers, physicians, particularly those in primary care settings, can expect to treat patients with intellectual disability (ID) across the lifespan. Nevertheless, little attention is given to preparing medical students to effectively treat patients with ID through education and clinical training opportunities. The purpose of this study was to examine how knowledge and attitudes toward patients with ID may impact analogue clinical decision-making at different stages of physician education and career. Included in the review of the current literature is research relating to physician attitudes, education, and clinical decision-making; the biological, psychological, and social considerations in treating patients with …

Gender Differences Among Professional Football Fans: Serious Leisure, Emotional Expressivity, And Cognitive Distortions, Megan E. Wolensky

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Increasingly, people report that leisure activity gives their lives meaning and significantly contributes to the formation of their personal identities. In fact, many individuals rank leisure activities as essential as work, family, and religion. (Gillespie, Leffler, & Lerner, 2010; Stebbins, 1992). Recent research has demonstrated that leisure involvement provides psychological benefits that contribute to wellbeing for both men and women (Caltabiano, 1995; Kim, Heo, Lee, & Kim, 2015). National Football League (NFL) fandom in the U.S. has been identified as a leisure activity that supersedes traditional gender norms and provides opportunities for family and group involvement. Although fandom has been …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Physician Characteristics And Opioid Knowledge And Use Of Opioid And Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Management Strategies, Erin Hopkins Stern

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a mental health condition that has high personal, societal, and emotional costs. Opioid use disorder, misuse, and abuse is a national epidemic. Many factors have contributed to the increased use of opioids and OUD. One such factor is the heightened emphasis on pain management in the medical community, one that that began nearly two decades ago. This has led to increased prescribing of opioid-based medication for chronic pain patients. This contributed in part to the development of OUD in many individuals who became addicted to opioids. For this reason, current guidelines discourage the use of …

Log Kya Kahenge: Psychological Well-Being And Perceived Stigma In The South Asian American Community, Khushboo Jain

Pomona Senior Theses

Current research has independently studied depression, stigma, and coping mechanisms in relation to culture, yet the effects of perceived stigma on the relationship between depression and control coping are heavily understudied. Typically, studies have broadly focused on comparing eastern and western cultures, but have not analyzed how populations with mixed cultural influences experience depression and stigma and further engage in control coping mechanisms. This study thus explores how perceived stigma moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and control coping mechanisms for South Asian Americans. The study hypothesizes that the level of perceived stigma will moderate the relationship between depression and …

Promoting Preschoolers’ Emotional Competence Through Prosocial Tv And Mobile App Use, Eric Rasmussen, Gabrielle Strouse, Malinda Colwell, Collen Russo Johnson, Steven Holiday, Kristen Brady, Israel Flores, Georgene Troseth, Holly Wright, Rebecca Densley, Mary Norman

School of Education Faculty Publications

This study explored the relationship between preschoolers’ exposure to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood television programming and its accompanying mobile app and preschoolers’ emotion knowledge and use of emotion regulation strategies. An experiment involving 121 parent-child dyads from 3 US metro areas found that children who played with the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood app, and those who both played with the app and watched episodes of the program, employed the emotion regulation strategies taught by Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood media more frequently 1 month later than children in a control condition. Preschoolers (3- and 4-year-olds) also exhibited higher levels of emotion knowledge 1 month …