Digital Commons Network^™

Does Monitor Peptide Produce Anorexia Through The Release Of Endogenous Cholecystokinin?, Cory A. Talbot, Dr. Gregory N. Ervin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a gut hormone released following the ingestion of a meal. It was first shown in 1973 by Gibbs et al. that administration of exogenous CCK-8 (CCK-8 is the smallest part of the CCK molecule that possesses its biological activity) before a meal leads to a decrease in food intake and the onset of satiety-like behaviors in rats.1 Extensive evidence now exists demonstrating that exogenous CCK-8 can produce a selective decrease in food intakes in humans, as well. By using CCK receptor antagonists to block endogenous CCK or trypsin inhibitors to elevate released endogenous CCK, some evidence is …

The Spanish Adaptation Of The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2: Translation And Psychometric Analysis, Linda Sue Jackson, Steven Little, Angeleque Akin-Little

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Autism is an increasingly prevalent developmental neurological condition that manifests in pervasive impairments in social interaction, communication, and stereotypic behavior and interests. Early identification leads to positive long-term outcomes. At present, all standardized rating instruments are written in English; therefore, the purpose of the present study was to adapt the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2 from English into Spanish using the state-of-the-art procedures described in the literature. The English instrument was translated into Spanish, back-translated into English, and then revised using an iterative process. The adapted instrument's psychometric qualities were substantiated. An alpha coefficient of .96 verified the adapted instrument's internal …

Temperament In Early Childhood And Peer Interactions In Third Grade: The Role Of Teacher–Child Relationships In Early Elementary Grades, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Kate Niehaus, Eric S. Buhs, Jamie M. White

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Children’s interactions with peers in early childhood have been consistently linked to their academic and social outcomes. Although both child and classroom characteristics have been implicated as contributors to children’s success, there has been scant research linking child temperament, teacher–child relationship quality, and peer interactions in the same study. The purpose of this study is to examine children’s early temperament, rated at preschool age, as a predictor of interactions with peers (i.e., aggression, relational aggression, victimization, and prosociality) in third grade while considering teacher–child relationship quality in kindergarten through second grades as a moderator and mediator of this association. The …

Unconscious Priming Requires Early Visual Cortex At Specific Temporal Phases Of Processing, Marjan Persuh, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Although examples of unconscious shape priming have been well documented, whether such priming requires early visual cortex (V1/V2) has not been established. In the current study, we used TMS of V1/V2 at varying temporal intervals to suppress the visibility of preceding shape primes while the interval between primes and targets was kept constant. Our results show that, although conscious perception requires V1/V2, unconscious priming can occur without V1/V2 at an intermediate temporal interval but not at early (5–25 msec) or later (65–125 msec) stages of processing. Because the later time window of unconscious priming suppression has been proposed to interfere …

Visual Attention And The Neuroimage Bias, Denise A. Baker, N. J. Schweitzer, Evan F. Risko, Jillian M. Ware

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Several highly-cited experiments have presented evidence suggesting that neuroimages may unduly bias laypeople’s judgments of scientific research. This finding has been especially worrisome to the legal community in which neuroimage techniques may be used to produce evidence of a person’s mental state. However, a more recent body of work that has looked directly at the independent impact of neuroimages on layperson decision-making (both in legal and more general arenas), and has failed to find evidence of bias. To help resolve these conflicting findings, this research uses eye tracking technology to provide a measure of attention to different visual representations of …

Treating Family Members: The Effectiveness Of A Family-Oriented Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program, Melissa Lynn Miller

Dissertations (1934 -)

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe emotion regulation disorder that, according to the biosocial theory, is developed and maintained through transactions that occur between biologically vulnerable persons and their environment. The family members of persons with BPD may experience many deleterious consequences as a result of their relative's illness, including both objective and subjective forms of burden. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was originally developed as a comprehensive treatment for persons with BPD, and new programs designed specifically to treat family members are emerging. These programs aim to help family members cope with their own stressors, as well as help …

An Examination Of The Role Of Neurocognitive Functioning In Illness Management Among Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Christopher James Fitzgerald

Dissertations (1934 -)

Children and adolescents living with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) face many challenges in their daily lives due to the extensive care tasks that the illness requires. Adolescence is a period of development in which treatment adherence and metabolic control has been found to greatly decline. Research examining correlates of this decline in self-management has tended to focus on familial and psychosocial variables such as parental involvement and T1DM-related conflict. The period of adolescence is also marked by several changes in the development of the frontal lobes and prefrontal cortex, which are areas of the brain that are central to …

Neuropsychological Correlates Of Anosognosia In Mci And Dementia, Krystle Dina Barrera

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Anosognosia is a general term used to describe a lack of awareness of a disability and is well documented in various disorders associated with neurological compromise. While anosognosia is well documented as part and parcel to Alzheimer's dementia, less research has focused on determining the presence of anosognosia in what has come to be viewed as the subclinical precursor to dementia, mild cognitive impairment. In addition, a number of different methodologies and instruments are employed in quantifying and assessing anosognosia in various populations, which make comparison across studies and diagnoses difficult. Research commonly employs a paradigm that uses the discrepancy …

Implications Of Tailoring Emotional Expression Within An Expressive Writing Paradigm, Eric R. Hanson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This dissertation uses the theoretical perspective that both emotion and emotional processing theories could greatly enhance feedback messages given in a linguistic writing paradigm. The measurement of emotional expression is briefly reviewed along with the basic expressive writing paradigm, outcome of this expressive writing paradigm, and the tailoring literature. Reference is made to the single study (Owen, et al., 2011), which has utilized tailoring in an expressive writing paradigm; the present study is a modification of this original study. This dissertation used clinically minded feedback which utilized both emotion and emotional processing theory. For the experimental design, three tailoring conditions …

Screening Adherence And Emotional Adjustment Of Daughters Of Breast Cancer Patients, Sarah R. Ormseth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Women at high risk for breast cancer oftentimes also experience psychological vulnerably related to experiences of cancer in their family, high bereavement rates and their own uncertainties regarding if and when they may develop the disease. This research sought to evaluate psychological adjustment and examine reattendance among a sample of women adhering to regular breast cancer surveillance, with a specific focus on daughters of breast cancer patients. The study described in Chapter 2 longitudinally profiled anxiety and depressive symptoms among these high-risk daughters across three consecutive surveillance appointments, and also evaluated the effects of a set of hypothesized predictors on …

Motivational Interviewing Group To Address Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors, Salma A. Salem

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this doctoral project was to create a group treatment manual for adults diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, who were displaying adverse health behaviors that were modifiable by lifestyle change. In order to create the manual, an extensive literature review was conducted in the areas of the prevalence of chronic illness in the United States, cardiovascular disease and associated health risk factors, motivational interviewing, health behavior change, and group therapy with adults. The result is a manual consisting of 10 detailed weekly sessions, including pre/post outcome measures, complete with handouts and facilitator guidelines for working with this population.

Online Psychosocial Support For Oncology Patients: A Group Facilitation Manual, Kristen Mallory Richards

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A significant portion of the oncology population is seeking, yet not receiving, adequate psychological treatment. Therefore, the Internet has become an important resource for delivering services to those that may be limited by barriers that accompany traditional oncology support groups. While research has shown that online therapy is effective, the quality and efficacy of therapy is often unknown and/or sub-optimal and essential psychological care cancer patients deserve is compromised. The purpose of this project was to provide therapists and other mental health professionals with a structured, evidence-based guide to providing quality mental health care for cancer patients. First, a review …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Acute Coronary Syndrome In Adulthood, Kanchana D. Wijesekera

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research studies demonstrate that exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) lead to physical and mental health consequences in adulthood, including cardiovascular disease (Dong, Giles, Felitti et al, 2004; Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, et al, 1998). One potential mechanism linking ACEs to cardiovascular disease is impaired social competence necessary for successful relationships and adequate social support. In the current study, the impact of ACEs on social support and subsequent incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was examined in a cohort of 6,596 older Seventh-day Adventists. After controlling for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and psychological factors, ACE exposure predicted increased risk of ACS by 31% …

Freesurfer Vs. Manual Tracing: Detecting Future Cognitive Decline In Healthy Older Adults At-Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Alissa Butts

Dissertations (1934 -)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative pathological process that is thought to begin years prior to observable symptom onset. The hippocampus appears to be particularly vulnerable to the underlying brain pathology of AD. Hippocampal volume is a sensitive measure in predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment to AD, but less is known regarding the use of hippocampal volume in asymptomatic individuals at risk for AD who eventually decline. The inconsistent findings may, in part, be due to the chosen method of hippocampal segmentation. FreeSurfer (FS) and manual tracings (MT) are two common segmentation techniques that have unique costs and benefits. …

Sensory-Specific Appetition: Postingestive Detection Of Glucose Rapidly Promotes Continued Consumption Of A Recently Encountered Flavor, Kevin P. Myers, Marisa S. Taddeo, Emily K. Richards

Faculty Journal Articles

It is generally thought that macronutrients stimulate intake when sensed in the mouth (e.g., sweet taste) but as food enters the GI tract its effects become inhibitory, triggering satiation processes leading to meal termination. Here we report experiments extending recent work (see [1]) showing that under some circumstances nutrients sensed in the gut produce a positive feedback effect, immediately promoting continued intake. In one experiment, rats with intragastric (IG) catheters were accustomed to consuming novel flavors in saccharin daily while receiving water infused IG (5 ml/15 min). The very first time glucose (16% w/w) was infused IG instead of water, …

What A Girl Wants: Female Mate Selection In Terms Of Monetary Resources And Number Of Children, Stefanit Tucker

Modern Psychological Studies

Several evolutionary theories provide the framework for assessing modern mate selection. Previous research in female mate selection has left a gap in whether and how number of children a male has can impact the perception of monetary resources he possesses and subsequently his desirability as a mate. The present investigation thus set out to examine resource-related differences among males with average ($50,001-75,000) and above average incomes (>$150,000) by analyzing data available through the online dating website, match.com. Furthermore, the geographic locations of New York, New York and Louisville, Kentucky were used to both refine results but also maintain genera …

An Introspective Analysis Of The Etiological Relationships Of Psychopathy In Serial Killers And Successful Business Men, Krystina L. Quow

Modern Psychological Studies

Ted Bundy. Jeffrey Dahmer. Charles Manson. Decades following their acts of violence, their names continue to incite fear as well as perplexity into the motivations that brought about their heinous crimes. As individuals possessing psychopathic personalities, they used their charm and quick wit to both manipulate and gain the trust of their victims. While their names do not elicit the same emotional response as Bundy or Manson, Bernie Madoff and Steve Jobs may also express the symptomology characteristic of psychopathy. But rather than committing violent crimes, they channeled their talents to the advancement of their careers and toward financial gain. …

Personality As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Stress And Academic Deviance, Aaron Williams

Modern Psychological Studies

Academic deviance poses a continual threat to the education system from its persistence through generations and its presence in almost every form of institutionalized education (Davis et al., 1992). The aim of the present study was to integrate both situational and individual components of stress to examine their influence on academic deviance while testing the moderating role of trait impulsiveness on the degree of academic deviance displayed. Participants were 125 (98 women, 27 men) college students at a private university in the southern region of the United States. The Academic Dishonesty Inventory (Lucas, 2005) was used to measure academic deviance, …

Do Candidate Reactions Relate To Job Performance Or Affect Criterion-Related Validity? A Multistudy Investigation Of Relations Among Reactions, Selection Test Scores, And Job Performance, Julie Mccarthy, Chad H. Van Iddekinge, Filip Lievens, Mavis Mei-Chuan Kung, Evan F. Sinar, Michael A. Campion

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Considerable evidence suggests that how candidates react to selection procedures can affect their test performance and their attitudes toward the hiring organization (e.g., recommending the firm to others). However, very few studies of candidate reactions have examined one of the outcomes organizations care most about: job performance. We attempt to address this gap by developing and testing a conceptual framework that delineates whether and how candidate reactions might influence job performance. We accomplish this objective using data from 4 studies (total N = 6,480), 6 selection procedures (personality tests, job knowledge tests, cognitive ability tests, work samples, situational judgment tests, …

Body Objectification, Ethnic Identity And Cosmetic Surgery In African-American Women, Allycin Powell-Hicks

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the role of ethnic identity in African-American women's relationship with their bodies and their decisions for cosmetic procedures. The research hypotheses are: (1) The odds of receiving a cosmetic procedure increase with lower endorsements of ethnic identity. (2) Ethnic identity has an effect on surveillance, shame, and body control in African-American Women. Ethnic identity will be measured with the Multiethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), which measures subjects' self-assessed membership in their ethnic group. Body Objectification is measured by the Objectified Body Consciousness scale, which measures a woman's endorsements of surveillance, shame, and control. The sample consisted of 175 …

Playing Hard-To-Get: Manipulating One's Perceived Availability As A Mate, Peter K. Jonason, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

‘Playing hard-to-get’ is a mating tactic in which people give the impression that they are ostensibly uninterested to get others to desire them more. This topic has received little attention because of theoretical and methodological limitations of prior work. We present four studies drawn from four different American universities that examined playing hard-to-get as part of a supply-side economics model of dating. In Studies 1a (N = 100) and 1b (N = 491), we identified the tactics that characterize playing hard-to-get and how often men and women enact them. In Study 2 (N = 290), we assessed reasons why men …

Cognitive Conflict Adaptation In Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Scott A. Baldwin, Michael J. Larson, Ann Clawson, Peter E. Clayson

Faculty Publications

ndividuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) display poor emotional conflict adaptation, a cogni- tive control process requiring the adjustment of performance based on previous-trial conflict. It is unclear whether GAD-related conflict adaptation difficulties are present during tasks without emotionally-salient stimuli. We examined conflict adaptation using the N2 component of the event-related potential (ERP) and behavioral responses on a Flanker task from 35 individuals with GAD and 35 controls. Groups did not differ on conflict adaptation accuracy; individuals with GAD also displayed intact RT conflict adaptation. In contrast, individuals with GAD showed decreased amplitude N2 principal component for conflict adap- tation. …

Childhood Externalizing Behavior Problems, Maternal Depression, And Father Involvement In Low-Income African American Families, Sara Johns

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Data indicate that up to 25% of preschoolers are exhibiting clinical levels of externalizing behaviors. Among children in at-risk populations, such as those attending Head Start preschools, estimates of clinical levels of externalizing behavior problems are as high as 30%. Studies of early childhood externalizing behavior problems indicate the potential for stability of elevated externalizing behaviors over time and the association of these behaviors with a variety of negative outcomes. Maternal depression and father involvement may be important predictors of externalizing behavior. The current study investigated the nature of the relationship between maternal depression, father involvement, and child externalizing behaviors …

The Effects Of Offender Age And Offender-Victim Relationship On Modus Operandi Strategies To Lure The Victim, Hayley Lauren Tews

Dissertations and Theses

Research on the modus operandi (“method of operation”) of child sexual abuse (CSA) offenders has been useful in informing successful prevention programs (LeClerc, 2009). However, a gap in the literature regarding the strategies offenders use to lure potential CSA victims still remains. The present study seeks to examine the effects of offender-victim relationship and offender age on the use of strategies to lure victims for the purpose of committing CSA. Data for this study is taken from a larger investigation which included 854 identified adolescent and adult CSA offenders from nine different states. A 2 X 2 MANCOVA analysis revealed …

Different Developmental Outcomes Following Lab Rearing By Biological Or Adoptive Mothers: Maternal Influence On Behavioral And Physiological Responses To Separation Stress In Rhesus Macaques (Macacamulatta), Andrea Sorenson, Dr. James D. Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Initially this project was looking at the effects that multiple short term separations of a mother rhesus macaque from their infant would have on their relationship. More specifically, looking at adoption pairs (an infant raised by a non biological mother) to see if the relationship between the mother and the infant changed differently than the relationship of a mother and their biological infant. The focus of this analysis was looking at the mother/infant pair’s cortisol levels, which are a measure of the body’s physiological response to stress. The hope was to determine whether mother infant pairs with similar cortisol levels, …

Different Developmental Outcomes Following Lab Rearing By Biological Or Adoptive Mothers: Maternal Influence On Behavioral And Physiological Responses To Separation Stress In Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Whitney Maxwell, Dr. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Under stressful conditions the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis increases in both humans and animals leading to an increase in production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Maternal separation in nonhuman primates during infancy elicits behaviors characteristic of anxiety, such as withdrawal and nervous behavior and a substantial increase in ACTH (Higley and Linnoila 1997; Barr, Newman et al. 2004). Individual differences in anxiety in turn influence ACTH output, similar to what is seen in human children (Gunnar and Quevedo 2007). Infants response to separation physiologically and behaviorally is substantial and represents a significant stressor in the life of a young …

Individual And Community Factors Associated With Thriving Among African American Adolescents In The Context Of Stressors, Adia Shani Gooden

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation used the transactional-ecological framework along with principles from positive youth development literature to examine naturally occurring individual and contextual factors

that promote thriving among African American adolescents. Specifically, this study examined how religiosity, religious support, racial identity, and communalism relate to thriving. This study

also assessed the negative influence of stressors on thriving in order to understand how thriving manifests in the context of risk factors. This cross-sectional study included 152 youth

participants who were surveyed at five Black churches on the south side of Chicago. Structural equation modeling was used to assess whether the proposed model fit …

Strengthening The Pathway To Stem Research Leadership At Hope College, Catherine Mader

Faculty Presentations

Over the past 20 years, awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have supported Hope's efforts to conduct STEM research and to prepare students to pursue careers as STEM researchers. The current program is building upon prior successes to create a deliberate pathway for students as they enter Hope as novices, build STEM Researcher skills through coursework and summer research and eventually become student leaders in STEM Research groups.

Age Differences In Women’S Anger Experience And Expression, A. Antonio González-Prendes, Nancy Praill, Poco Kernsmith

Social Work Faculty Publications

Research on women’s anger is relative scarce. In this study the authors examined differences in anger experience and expression in women across three distinct age groups: 18-30, 31-49, and 50 and above. The authors used the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) to survey a sample of 239 women in the United States and Canada. The groups were established according to hypothesized transitional life stages of changing responsibilities and expectations. A MANCOVA was used to test the effect of age and covariates of education, employment, relationship status, and country of residence on participants’ experience and expression of anger. The authors discuss …

An Emergent Approach To Analogical Inference, Paul Thibodeau, Stephen J. Flusberg, Jeremy J. Glick, Daniel A. Sternberg

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In recent years, a growing number of researchers have proposed that analogy is a core component of human cognition. According to the dominant theoretical viewpoint, analogical reasoning requires a specific suite of cognitive machinery, including explicitly coded symbolic representations and a mapping or binding mechanism that operates over these representations. Here we offer an alternative approach: we find that analogical inference can emerge naturally and spontaneously from a relatively simple, error-driven learning mechanism without the need to posit any additional analogy-specific machinery. The results also parallel findings from the developmental literature on analogy, demonstrating a shift from an initial reliance …