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Site Fidelity And Association Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus In The Mississippi Sound, Angela D. Mackey

Master's Theses

The current study examined the site fidelity and association patterns of a community of 678 wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound (Sound) over a three-year period (May 2004 - April 2007). Using photoidentification techniques, 74% (n = 498) of the identified dolphins were classified as transients, while 10% (n = 71) were classified as year-round residents, and 16% (n = 109) were classified as seasonal residents based on their sighting histories. Thirty-nine "select" dolphins (n = 17 seasonal residents, n = 22 yearround residents) that were sighted five or more times over the study period were used …

Memories For Sexual Encounters: Sexual Attitudes, Personality, Gender, And Evidence For Personal Flashbulb Effects, Nicholas Ryan Comotto

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Recollections of first and most recent sex experiences were examined as personal flashbulb memories (FBM) using "open" narrative and probed recall estimates over the course of two studies. Furthermore, dimensions of gender, personality, and sexual attitudes were analyzed for their effects on sexual memory. Although both experiences were rated as equally arousing, the first sexual experience occurred with a longer delay to test and was talked about more than three times as much as the most recent experience. However, memories for most recent sexual experiences were rated as more vivid in study II. Yet, first sexual memories contained more narrative …

Stress Levels And Development: A Phenomenology Of Autistic Children And Their Parents, Tiffany R. Wiggs

Senior Honors Theses

Being a parent means taking on both the joys and struggles that come with it. When a parent discovers that his or her child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the level of stress changes. It could be helpful to discover the severity of change that the stresses involved in parenting a child with ASD brings to the parent/child relationship and what effect this has on a child’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual development. To attempt to answer these questions, six parents were interviewed. Findings suggested that structure in daily living improves the quality of the child/parent relationship …

De-Mystifying The Magic: Meaningful Moments In Music Therapy When Working With Children That Have Severe Special Needs, Kayla C. Daly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of my study is to explore the “magic” that occurs in these music therapy sessions, and to discover what this word means for those who use it. For the purpose of this study we will define “magic” as having the occurrence of meaningful outcomes or moments in music therapy sessions. This study will attempt to reveal methods and techniques that are being used by music therapists to further facilitate the therapeutic process for children with severe special needs in their lives and everyday experiences. This study included naturalistic inquiry and phenomenological inquiry.

The Construction Of An Elementary Music Curriculum Utilizing Backward Design And Bloom’S Taxonomy, Jessica P. Warner

Senior Honors Theses

Based on the philosophy that the development of curriculum should provide a framework for the assessment of student learning, backward design was utilized to develop a curriculum review for an elementary music program. This design worked directly with three levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (knowledge, application, and synthesis) in order to demonstrate the level of learning for three grades in a small, private mid-Atlantic elementary school. Fifteen students were assessed using the rubrics both before and after curriculum implementation, and analyses were conducted to determine what changes resulted from the focused, short-term curriculum. A plan of improvement was then developed for …

Faith-Based Sexual Education: A Comparison Of Comprehensive And Abstinence-Only Programs, Leanna Fortunato

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to evaluate the effects of faith-based sexual education programs. Participants (ages 13-18, N = 128) were surveyed regarding their religious and sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors prior to completing a sexual education program at their church, synagogue, or religious institution and again after completing the program. The sexual education programs were divided into three groups based on program content and duration: abstinence-only-short, comprehensive-short, and comprehensive-long. The first goal was to assess the within-group effects of attending an abstinence-only or comprehensive sexual education program. Participants from all three groups showed an increase in the degree to which they …

Behavioral Patterns Of Mustelus Canis (Smooth Dogfish Shark) In A Captive Population, Megan Christine Vaupel

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Mustelus canis, or the smooth dogfish shark, is the second most common species of shark inhabiting the coastal waters of the Western Atlantic. However little is known about the behavior of this species in the wild and in captivity. In an attempt to establish some data on the behaviors of these animals, I observed a captive population of dogfish at the Indianapolis zoo. I quantified the activity level and distribution of the dogfish in various areas of the exhibit, as well as the frequency and durations of stationary ("resting'') behavior. I analyzed these results in the context of several factors, …

Effects Of Explanatory Autism Disclosure On Coworker Attitudes, Kathleen M. Henegan

Honors Projects

People with autism tend to have difficulties with the social relationships in the workplace, which are a crucial aspect to maintaining employment. In this study, we investigated whether disclosure of an autism spectrum disorder would improve adults’ attitudes toward a potential coworker with autism. Participants (93 college students, 93 working adults) were randomly assigned to read one of three vignettes describing the same interaction with a potential coworker with moderately severe ASD, but different levels of disclosure. As hypothesized, disclosure, as compared to no disclosure, led significantly more positive attitudes toward and higher willingness to work with the coworker. Disclosure …

With Or Without You: The Impact Of Partner Presence And Attachment On Exploration, Anthony Coy

Theses and Dissertations

Expanding upon past research demonstrating that attachment orientation influences adult exploration, this thesis examined the impact of both actor and partner attachment anxiety and avoidance as well as real or imagined partner presence on outcomes of exploratory behavior (study 1a) and the desire to explore (study 1b). Eighty six couples were randomly assigned to explore (i.e., a meditation activity) with or without their partner in the lab, and to imagine exploring with or without their partner when rating their desire to complete potential exploratory behaviors. The effects of actor anxiety and avoidance on exploration were moderated by partner presence for …

Jumping To Conclusions Bias And Attitudes Towards Body Image And Food, Heather Anne Sperry

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Poor body image and eating disorders are highly prevalent in Western cultures. In the United States alone, 10 million women and 1 million men struggle with an eating disorder (National Eating Disorders Association, 2008). In addition to these individuals with DSM classified disorders, evidence has been found that over 80% of American women are unhappy with their appearance (National Eating Disorders Association, 2008). There is evidence to suggest that negative body image is one of the key factors in determining whether or not an individual has or will develop dysfunctional eating habits (Cash & Deagle, 1996). The other key factor …

To Think Nuclear, To Go Nuclear, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article discusses three of the many psychological problematics about nuclear weapons, weapons employment, and war underlying the language of policies, programs, plans, treaties, and one’s support or rejection of them.

If These Men Could Still Talk, Rebecca Damphousse

Academic Symposium of Undergraduate Scholarship

For this assignment, two theorists in psychology were selected to engage in conversation. Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget were chosen and their theories of human development were researched. Erikson was asked how his experiences as a child impacted the formation of his theories. The question for Piaget was directed at the permanence, relevancy and universality of his theory into the 21st century. While a large amount of research was conducted, the questions and answers were pure conjecture.

Living On Autopilot: How Your Brain Thinks For You, Andrea Stathopoulos '10

Honor Scholar Theses

One way in which humans are set apart from other animals is by our impressive intellectual capacities. Humans are commonly considered to be true masters of rational, conscious control over our actions. However, that feeling of control may be mostly illusory. Accumulating evidence suggests that unconscious cognitive processes can account for much of human behavior. Homeostasis is a clear example of the evolutionary benefit of automation, allowing valuable energy and limited attention to be diverted elsewhere. I instead want to focus on the automaticity of more complicated behaviors, ones that are typically thought to require a large amount of cognitive …

College Students Who Self-Injure: A Study Of Knowledge And Perceptions Of Self-Injury, Stacey Edwards Clinard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Archived data was utilized for the present study which examined self-injurious behaviors in a college population. College students, who engage in non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI, were expected to evidence a higher knowledge base for the behavior than those who do not. The demographic variables of gender and sexual orientation were predicted to be over represented in the NSSI group. Further, this study examines the perceived riskiness of the behavior in individuals who self-injure, as well as their perceptions of others who engage in NSSI. The survey consisted of four sections: demographics, knowledge ofNSSI, experience with NSSI, and perceptions ofNSSI. Individuals …

The Effects Of Handedness And Bilateral Saccadic Eye Movements On False Alarms In Recognition Memory, Lisa Weinberg

Psychology Honors Projects

Handedness can be used as a marker for interhemispheric interaction, which can produce memory benefits. Bilateral saccadic eye movements can be used to manipulate levels of interhemispheric interaction. This study measured the effects of handedness and bilateral saccadic eye movement on memory using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm. This study predicted a memory advantage for left-handers and mixed-handers without eye movements and an advantage for right-handers with the eye movements. The results do not support these predictions but do suggest that handedness is a factor in episodic memory performance. The analyses for this study were run using A’ to compare false alarm …

Performance-Monitoring And Evaluative Control In High Functioning Autism, Erin Krauskopf, A. Clawson, O. Johnston, M. J. Crowley

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

1. Understanding the neurobiology of how children with ASD make mistakes has implications for understanding biological causes and informing intervention strategies 2. This study aimed to determine how response monitoring (i.e., learning from mistakes) differs between those with ASD and controls

Temperamental Behaviors Measured During The First Months Of Life Are Predictive Of Aggression In Group Housed Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Andrew C. Chaffin, Christina S. Barr, James D. Higley

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Temperament is thought to be the foundation for personality and subsequent behaviors later in life. To assess early temperamental variables that place individuals at risk for aggression later in life, this laboratory-based study examined infant behavior in group housed infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The subjects were 52 mother-reared subjects. Behavior was assessed from the first through the eighth months of life using objective behavioral measures. Two 5-minute sessions were recorded for subjects each week over 8 months and the average rate of each of the 25 behaviors measured was the dependent measure. A test of the same subjects 2-4 …

Flourishing: Human Nature, Happiness And Positive Psychology, Chad A. Houchin, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Selected Demographic Characteristics And Social Interest As Predictors Of Teacher Stress, Barry J. Morales

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to study stress in teachers in Louisiana by utilizing a descriptive/comparative research design. Hypotheses were tested concerning relationships between each of seven independent variables and the dependent variable (teacher stress). The independent variables were (a) years of teaching experience, (b) educational levels of teachers (college degrees), (c) age, (d) gender, (e) social interest, (f) geographical location (North and South Louisiana), and (g) educational levels of students taught by teachers (elementary, middle, high school). The procedure for choosing the participants involved a sample of convenience whereby superintendents provided access/permission to specific schools. Nine schools (three …

Trpv1 Modulation Of Plasticity In The Hippocampus, Curtis Walther, M. Mors, J. Blickenstaff, B. Nelson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Learning and memory are phenomena made possible via physical changes at neuronal synapses in the brain, a process known as synaptic plasticity. Dysfunctions in synaptic plasticity contribute to such diseases and disorders as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and retrograde amnesia (Brunetal., 2001). Recently, TRPV1 activation was shown to mediate synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus (Gibsonetal., 2008). TRPV1 is a presynaptic ligand-gated calcium (Ca2+) channel located throughout the CNS, including in the hippocampus. TRPV1 channels are activated by the binding of capsaicin, which is responsible for producing the “heat” of red peppers. Several studies implicate a role for TRPV1 in contextual …

Benefits And Applications Of Journaling: Exploring The Lower Boundary For Effective Dosage In Non-Clinical Populations, Ryan Hunsaker, Patrick Steffen

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Written expressions of emotion have been shown to produce favorable outcomes in both spheres of physicalhealth and mentalhealth (Murray, 2009; Pennebaker, 2000). Although scientists have identified to some degree what the effects of journaling are, much less is known regarding exactly whenthis impact is most likely to occur (Pennebaker, 2000). Several studies have shown clinically significant benefits for brief journaling interventions (e.g., Greenberg, Wortman, & Stone, 1996; Burton and King, 2008), but the long-term benefits and the lowest dosages necessary for these benefits are debatable. The current study provides an opportunity to assay the therapeutic effects of a brief journaling …

Consistency Of Temperament Of In Group-Housed Infant Rhesus Monkeys (Macacamulatta) During The First Months Of Life, Joshua W. Kirton, Daniel Blocker, Kfir Orgad, James D. Higley

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

While a wide number of studies have assessed temperament as a predictor of future personality or behavior, few studies have assessed its interindividual stability over the first few months of life in nonhuman primates. This laboratory study examined temperament in group-housed infant rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) assessing interindividual consistency from the second through fifth months of life using objective behavioral measures. Stability of temperament was measured by correlating (Pearson Product-Moment tests) individual differences in the frequency of 25 behaviors over months 2-5 of life in 88 mother-reared subjects. Two 5-minute sessions were recorded for subjects each week and the mean …

Group Ii Metabolic Glutamate Receptors In The Basal Amygdala Regulate Sleep And Fear-Induced Alterations In Sleep, Enheng Dong

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and it has been recognized as playing an essential role in activating and maintaining arousal. Group II metabotropic glutamate (mGlu II) receptors are expressed in the amygdala, a brain structure important in the regulation of stress and anxiety as well as in the regulation of sleep and arousal. Our lab has found that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) is involved in the emotional modulation of sleep. The basal amygdala (BA), which has direct connections with the CNA, is involved in conditioned fear and fear extinction. However, the potential role …

Parental Bonding In Father-Son Relationships, Lauren B. Childers

Senior Honors Theses

The father-son relationship is an influential part of any boy’s development. It is hypothesized that there is a generational difference in this relationship between the older and younger generation. The Father Form of the Parental Bonding Instrument was used to assess this hypothesis. This questionnaire utilized 25 items, separated into the care and protection scales, to categorize parenting into four quadrants: affectionate constraint, optimal parenting, affectionless control and neglectful parenting. The results were compared between two groups, one of which consisted of males ages 25 to 45, representing the older generation, and the other consisted of males ages 18 to …

Cognitive And Psychiatric Predictors To Psychosis In Velocardiofacial Syndrome: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study, Kevin M. Antshel, Robert J. Shprintzen, Wanda Fremont, Anne Marie Higgins, Stephen V. Faraone, Wendy R. Kates

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Objective: To predict prodromal psychosis in adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS). Method: 70 youth with VCFS, 27 siblings of youth with VCFS and 25 community controls were followed from childhood (Mean age = 11.8 years) into mid-adolescence (mean age 15.0 years). Psychological tests measuring intelligence, academic achievement, learning/memory, attention and executive functioning as well as measures of parent and clinician ratings of child psychiatric functioning were completed at both time point. Results: Major depressive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder diagnoses increased in the VCFS sample. With very low false positive rates, the best predictor of adolescent prodromal …

Neuropsychological Functioning And Attrition Rates In Outpatient Substance Dependence Treatment, Sandra M. Adams

Dissertations (1934 -)

Numerous neuropsychological factors have been associated with substance dependence, however, very few studies have evaluated the relationship of the neuropsychological functioning and attrition rates in substance dependence treatment. This study examined the relationship of neuropsychological functioning and attrition rates in 68 homeless, substance dependent men participating in outpatient treatment at the 7C's Community Counseling Clinic located in the Guesthouse of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A neuropsychological battery including the Delis Kaplan Executive Functioning System, the Conners' Continuous Performance Test II, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading was given to all participants to evaluate neuropsychological …

Neural Dedifferentiation In Relation To Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Nathan C. Hantke

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research indicates that as an individual's age increases, the task-related spatial extent of neural activation increases. This decrease in neural specificity, or dedifferentiation, is often demonstrated by older adults during challenging cognitive tasks. Cognitively intact individuals at-risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), as deemed by having an apolipoprotein-E ε4 allele or a family history of AD, demonstrate increased fMRI activation as compared to individuals at lower risk. Using a low effort, high accuracy event-related semantic memory task involving the presentation of famous and non-famous names, we examined spatial neural specificity through a measure of dedifferentiation using …

Volume 03, Cheryl Peck, Charles Hoever, Longwood Theater Department, Brittany Anderson, J. Ervin Sheldon, Richard Hayden, Yuri Calustro, Candice Fleming, Rebecca Franklin, Ashley Yocum, Danielle M. Jagoda, Cristina M. Valdivieso, Jameka Jones, Amy Ellis, Ashley Maser, Erikk Shupp, Jamie Yurasits, Joshua Davis, Alexander Leonhart, Kenny Wolfe, Sally Meadows, J. Haley, Amy Jackson, Morgan Howard, Adrienne Heinbaugh, Melissa Dorton, Ciarra Stalker

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Little Shop of Horrors by Longwood Theater Department

Who Has the Hottest Hotsauce in Farmville: A Quantitative Comparison of Sauces from Local Restaurants by Cheryl Peck and Charles Hoever

Precipitation Effects on the Growth of White Oaks and Virginia Pines on the Mt. Vernon Plantation by Brittany Anderson

Design and Synthesis of Novel Ion Binding Molecules for Self-Assembly and Sensing Applications by J. Ervin Sheldon

A Statistical Analysis of Algorithms for Playing SameGame by Richard Hayden

Intersecting Cylinders at Arbitrary Angles by Yuri Calustro

Putting a Foot in the Revolving Door: Strategies for Reducing …

Attitudes Towards Megan's Law And Juvenile Sex Offenders, Debra Lee Cochrane

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sex offender registration laws are very controversial. All fifty states require adult sex offenders to register. Twenty-eight states have extended registration and community notification requirements to juveniles (Hiller, 1998). These states seem to have failed to look at the uniqueness of juvenile sex offending. Juveniles have a very low recidivism rate and complex issues of culpability from age-of-consent laws. Applying Megan's Law to juveniles could have considerable negative consequences for juveniles' social development, particularly because one of the main stipulations of the law requires the juvenile to notify their school. Rehabilitation is a key factor of the juvenile justice system …

The Influence Of Family Factors On Neuropsychological Outcome In A Clinical Sample Of Preschool Children, Kara Leiser

Dissertations (1934 -)

Children impacted by neurological insult or disorder are at risk for impaired neuropsychological functioning; however, there is substantial variation in outcome, with many affected children doing very well. The factors that explain the variation in outcome in children with compromised neurological functioning are poorly understood. The present study examined the nature of relationships among family factors, including primary caregivers' appraisals of stress (i.e., primary caregivers' injury/medical condition-related stress, parenting stress, psychological distress, and relationship quality) and the primary caregiver-child relationship, and neuropsychological outcomes (i.e., intellectual functioning; language skills; adaptive, socio-emotional, and behavioral functioning). A clinical sample of 72 preschool children …