Digital Commons Network^™

Referential Transparency In Young Children’S Picture Books: A Pilot Study, Brianna Kinnie

Honors Scholar Theses

A wealth of research has shown that reading picture books supports several aspects of young children’s learning and development. In this thesis, we explore the hypothesis that the power of picture books is in part due to their referentially transparent nature. To test this possibility, we designed a picture-book version of the Human Simulation Paradigm (HSP), an experimental paradigm previously used to quantify the referential transparency of child-directed speech in parent-child interactions. Adult participants (N = 18) were presented with pages from children’s picture books (with text blocked out) and asked to identify either the nouns or the verbs …

Trauma And Life-Satisfaction From A Dual-Factor Model Approach, David P. Engel

Psychology and Counseling Theses

The traditional approach in the mental health field is to view psychopathology and indicators of well-being as constructs at opposite ends of the same continuum. Recent evidence suggests that these might be separate, but related, constructs. Participants were 357 undergraduate psychology students who completed online questionnaires measuring trauma symptoms, life satisfaction, and four positive psychological constructs associated with well-being: gratitude, grit, hope, and savoring. Participants were organized into four groups based on life satisfaction level and trauma symptoms. Groups differed significantly on measures of gratitude, grit, hope, and savoring. Results support evidence that psychopathology and indicators of well-being are separate, …

The Modern Man: A Transgender Perspective, Alan Stamper

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Gender identity has often been assumed to be a simple dichotomous mechanism where an individual is labeled as either a man or a woman. However, this simple mechanism has been shown to be more complex within the transgender population. The purpose of this project was to understand how transindividuals navigate masculine norms through their gender identity development. Nine transgender (2 transwomen, 3 transmen, 2 gender fluid, 1 nonbinary male-aligned, 1 nonbinary female-aligned) college students aged 18 to 28 (M = 20.89, SD = 3.33) were recruited for a one-hour life-story interview focused on their gender development. These interviews were …

Sources Of Anxiety In Emerging Adult Relationships: A Qualitative Analysis, Kayla Gay

Honors Projects

Anxiety is a fairly common experience for individuals, but when this anxiety is extreme or prolonged, it can have detrimental effects both emotionally and physically. Previous research has shown that romantic relationships can have both positive and negative impacts on the mental health and levels of anxiety for individuals and that a number of stressors can create anxiety between romantic partners. The aim of this study was to examine the causes and sources of anxiety experienced by emerging adults specifically within their romantic relationships. A sample of six respondents from the Toledo Adolescent Relationship Study (TARS) who had the highest …

Remapping Of Place Cells In The Dorsal And Ventral Hippocampus In Response To Environmental Change, Aditi Anam

Honors Scholar Theses

The hippocampus is an important brain structure involved in memory and navigation of both rats and humans. Neurons in the hippocampus can be “spatially” tuned, meaning they fire in specific physical locations. These spatially tuned cells are referred to as place cells. Collectively, they are thought to provide a map-like representation of the environment around us. If the environment is changed, some place cells can adjust by “remapping”, or altering their firing patterns. There are multiple sub-regions within the hippocampus. During experiments, cells were recorded simultaneously from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus of rats running on a track for food …

Redefining Gender & Gender Expression Through Self-Perceptions & Self-Reflections, Deborah O. Ade

Publications and Research

As societies evolve policies are developed to recognize and formalize these changes. One current context for change is New York City and the concept that has undergone significant change is gender. Many individuals no longer identify with the traditional binary distinction of male or female. Subsequently, new gender categories have emerged (e.g., bi-gender, pan gender, androgynous). Indeed, a total of 31 gender categories have been recognized by the NYC Commission of Human Rights. The goal behind this acknowledgement is to encourage equitable treatment and respect of all individuals within the workplace. NYC businesses that do not accommodate individuals identifying with …

A Quantitative Approach And A Qualitative Approach Towards Intersectionality Among Individuals With Lgbtq+ Identities, Viet (Mason) Trinh

Honors Projects

This is a two-parted project that integrates a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach toward the concept of intersectionality. Research about intersectionality has shown the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches. Therefore, I decided to explore the concept using both approaches. The quantitative section of this project investigates the relationship between victimization experiences due to race/ ethnicity and/ or LGBTQ+ identities and emotional well-being. The sample for this section consisted of college students from all states in the United States who identified as LGBTQ+ and were between 18 and 24 years old. The qualitative section examines salient identities, identity gaps, …

An Evaluation Of A Renewal-Mitigation Procedure For Inappropriate Mealtime Behavior, Sarah D. Haney

Theses & Dissertations

Renewal, the increase in problem behavior during extinction following a context change (e.g., transfer of intervention from clinic to home), may be particularly concerning during interventions for feeding disorders because multiple context changes are often necessary for intervention generality and maintenance (Podlesnik et al., 2017). In the current study, we tested for renewal and evaluated a renewal-mitigation procedure when we transferred the intervention from a therapist to a caregiver, from clinic to the home, and introduced Context A foods. We used an ABA arrangement to evaluate the generality of the renewal effect with 7 children with feeding disorders. Context A …

Effect Of The Establishment Of A 2-Week Brief Mindfulness Practice On Positive Nutritional Choices And Perceived Stress In College Undergraduates, Emily M. Larson

Honors Thesis

College students often experience weight gain, which appears to be associated with elevated levels of stress. This stress can be due to exposure to a new environment, increased responsibility, and newfound independence that comes with living away from home. As such, identification of interventions that increase healthy eating behaviors and reduce perceived stress may promote good physical and mental health for college students. Mindfulness meditation, which is associated with lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and subjective anxiety, may be one such strategy. However, no research has examined the effect of the establishment of a mindfulness meditation practice on nutritional choices. …

Examination Of Sleep Disturbance, Anxiety Sensitivity, And Depression In An Undergraduate Sample, Dasha Grace

Honors Theses

Sleep contributes to overall well-being, mental health, and daily functioning. Sleep disturbances negatively affect psychological, physiological, and biological processing, and the quality of sleep is similarly affected by these processes. The effects of sleep disturbance call for a greater understanding of depression and anxiety sensitivity among college students. Studies have found that sleep disturbance affects nearly 90% of the college student population. The aims of the current study were to examine: 1) types and rates of sleep disturbance among a sample of college students, 2) associations between sleep disturbance, AS, and depression symptoms, and 3) AS and depression symptoms by …

A Validation Of The Claremont Purpose Scale (Cps) Within An Emerging Adult Population, Lillie Grace Veazey

Honors Theses

Having a strong sense of purpose in life leads individuals to have a better overall sense of well-being. Better physical, mental, and emotional outcomes are seen when purpose in life is acknowledged, sought after, and achieved. The Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) was developed to measure three dimensions of purpose with adolescents. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of the CPS for use with emerging adults, a population that has not been included in the previous study validating the CPS. It was hypothesized that (1) the CPS will have a three-factor structure, (2) all three factors …

The Effects Of Activity-Based Anorexia On The Rewarding Properties Of Methamphetamine And Wheel Running, Rachael M. Langa

Theses and Dissertations

An activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm in adolescent female mice was used to explore whether anorexia affects circuits underlying reward. The ABA paradigm significantly enhanced methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), but not wheel-induced CPP. These results indicate that the ABA paradigm enhances the rewarding properties of methamphetamine, but not wheel running.

Using Object-Choice Tasks To Investigate Sensory Perception In Sunda Pangolins (Manis Javanica), Joshua Dipaola

Theses and Dissertations

Pangolins are one of the most heavily poached, yet least understood mammals in the world. In this study, we used an object-choice task to assess the ecological relevance and use of sensory information in Sunda pangolin foraging behavior. This is the first controlled experiment on pangolin behavior to our knowledge.

Student Beliefs About What Factors Influence Their Gpa, Emma R. Denelsbeck

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

There are many different factors that contribute to grade point averages (GPAs) in college. Students may attribute their academic performance and GPAs to any number of different variables such as stress levels, sleep quality and alcohol use. The current study investigated what students believed had an effect on their GPA, and if these differed based on concussion history. This study examined if students thought that concussions affected their GPA. Participants were University students who completed an online survey consisting of the Texas Evaluation of Concussion History (TECH), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The results of a Mann-Whitney …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise And Psychological Stress On Episodic Memory, Lauren Koehler

Honors Theses

Research has suggested that exercise has an effect on memory function. Studies have also shown that exercise mitigates the effects of stress. The relationship between exercise and stress in regard to memory function is noteworthy. There has been little research on this relationship in young adults. This thesis discusses the effects of acute exercise on the episodic memory of young adults when they are exposed to a psychosocial stressor. The results of the research study show that acute aerobic exercise before memory encoding or consolidation was not associated with memory function after exposure to a stressor. Future research in this …

The Misogyny Of Psychology: A Tribute To Women Often Overlooked, Gabrielle Miller

Honors Projects

Although the remarkable achievements of these twelve women may seem of concern to only a small group of feminist scholars, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about equal representation of diverse identities, especially within the branches of science which historically refused to give due credit to individuals other than straight, white men. For this reason, we must be able to recognize and react quickly to social issues, otherwise we run the risk of perpetuating oppression of certain minority groups for the remote future. Under those circumstances, we must work toward positive change by doing away with such inequities …

The Watson Room: Mitigating Compassion Fatigue In Oncology Nurses, Patricia A. Viscardi

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Aim: The aim of this project was to plan, develop, and implement “The Watson Room” or “Quiet Room” in an inpatient oncology nursing population and evaluate changes in Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL).

Background: Oncology Nurses are at high risk for compassion fatigue (CF), burn-out (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) related to the effects of living the traumas of oncology patients and their families through their cancer journey and the innate stress in a complex and intense workplace. High levels of compassion fatigue, burn-out, and secondary traumatic stress that are poorly managed reduces the nurse’s ability to self-regulate their …

Counseling Needs Of First Responders, Donna V. Garber

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Abstract

This paper examines the counseling and psychological needs of first responders, as a special population with special needs. It also proposes how counselors can address these needs. Included is a review of relevant literature and concludes with strategies counselors could implement to respond effectively to direct and vicarious trauma experienced by first responders. There is also information related to pre-incident and post-incident care and addresses issues that impact this population’s response to care, ability to seek care, and the overall understanding of what mental health care really means to this group.

Navigating "Technoference" In The Family System, Kathlynn Sergent

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This integrative literature review explores the increase of technology use in families, with a focus on how technology is disrupting in-person social interactions within the family system. Many studies have been conducted on how technology impacts a couple’s romantic relationship, and only a few have examined the relationship between the parent and child. This review is one of the first to examine how technology may affect the entire family unit from before children to raising adolescents. Each section of the family unit is examined, beginning with before children, followed by the early bonding and attachment associated with infant/childhood, and then …

Older, Wiser, And Fiercer: Perspectives Of Middle-Aged And Older Men Who Have Sex With Men On Their Resilience To The Risk And Impacts Of Hiv/Aids, Renato M. Liboro, Charles Fehr, George Da Silva, Lori E. Ross, Paul A. Shuper, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Andrew D. Eaton, Daniel Pugh

Psychology Faculty Research

Roughly forty years since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be the population most at risk of, and most affected by, HIV/AIDS in Canada, the United States, and innumerable low to high income countries worldwide. Despite this, many MSM remain HIV-negative today, and among MSM living with HIV, many have not only survived the clinical and social impacts of HIV/AIDS, but have also thrived, lived full lives, and fiercely advocated for their health care and social service needs.

The Effects Of Antibiotics And Probiotics On Memory And Depression Across Age Groups, Amanda Powell

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional pathway that acts as a connection between the gut and the brain. Bacterial changes in the gut alter this pathway, affecting organism’s health, cognition, and behavior. Commensal bacteria in the gut can reduce inflammation and increase longevity while pathogenic bacteria can have opposite effects. Reduced commensal gut bacteria can result in an increase in stress activation, depression, and anxiety in both human and animal models. Increases in commensal bacteria and decreases in pathobiontic bacteria can decrease hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) system activation, anxious behavior, and depressive behavior. Alternatively, increases in pathobionts can lead to …

The Maze Of Personality: Latency And Electric Organ Discharge In A Mormyrid Fish, Gnathonemus Petersii Gunther 1862 (Mormyridae, Teleostei), Abbey C. Lipe

Theses and Dissertations

Personality is individual differences in behavior, consistent across contexts. Among Gnathonemus petersii we investigated, we hypothesized that fish could be grouped by: (1) slow/fast maze performance, (2) low/high electric frequencies, (3) correlated latency and frequency. Our first two hypothesis were not supported. Our third hypothesis was partially supported.

Examining Configural, Metric, And Scalar Invariance Of The Pain Catastrophizing Scale In Native American And Non-Hispanic White Adults In The Oklahoma Study Of Native American Pain Risk (Ok-Snap), Jamie L. Rhudy, Randolph D. Arnau, Felicitas A. Huber, Edward W. Lannon, Bethany L. Kuhn, Shreela Palit, Michael F. Payne, Cassandra A. Sturycz, Natalie Hellman, Yvette M. Gureca, Tyler A. Toledo, Joanna O. Shadlow

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Native Americans (NAs) have a higher prevalence of chronic pain than other US racial/ethnic groups, but the mechanisms contributing to this pain disparity are under-researched. Pain catastrophizing is one of the most important psychosocial predictors of negative pain outcomes, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) has been established as a reliable and valid measure of the pain catastrophizing construct. However, before the PCS can be used to study pain risk in NAs, it is prudent to first determine whether the established 3-factor structure of the PCS also holds true for NAs.

Methods: The current study examined the measurement (configural, …

Cognitive Reappraisal Of Negative Emotional Images In Borderline Personality Disorder: Content Analysis, Perceived Effectiveness, And Diagnostic Specificity, Alexander R. Daros, Achala H. Rodrigo, Nikoo Norouzian, Bri S. Darboh, Kateri Mcrae, Anthony C. Ruocco

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) report using cognitive reappraisal less often than healthy individuals despite the long-term benefits of the emotion regulation strategy on emotional stability. Individuals with BPD, mixed anxiety and/or depressive disorders (MAD), and healthy controls (HC) completed an experimental task to investigate the tactics contained in cognitive reappraisal statements vocalized for high and low emotional intensity photographs. Self-reported effectiveness after using cognitive reappraisal to decrease negative emotions was also evaluated. Although BPD and MAD used a similar number of cognitive reappraisal tactics, they perceived themselves as less effective at reducing their negative emotions compared to HC. …

The Hidden Cost Of Free Dating Apps, Sarah W. Worthington

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Dating applications (“apps”) have changed how people meet, interact, and form relationships with others. Location-based Real-time Dating Applications (LBRTDAs) are immensely popular among the rising generations (March, Grieve, Marrington, & Jonason, 2017; Sevi, Aral, & Eskenazi, 2018; Smith, 2018). However, the popularity of LBRTDAs masks a more sinister side; their frequent use may negatively impact users (James, 2015; Shapiro et al., 2017). LBRTDAs have essentially designed a virtual world that allows users to “shop” for their next partner (James, 2015). With this mindset, users often prefer engaging in casual sex rather than long-term relationships (James, 2015; Naff, 2017). As users …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, And Associated Sleep Disturbances, Aubretia D. Snyder

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

With an increasing number of veterans returning from combat with significant head injuries, research interests have begun to turn to the neuropsychological relationship between traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder. Research has found that these dysfunctions often occur together and that both disorders may cause an exacerbation of symptoms in one another. This relationship may be negatively affected further by the presence of sleep disturbances. The complexity of this relationship requires extra consideration in regards to treatment, and cognitive behavioral therapy may be effective in treating this comorbid condition. This paper discusses the functional relationship of posttraumatic stress disorder …

The Spectral Nature Of Anxiety Disorders: Examining Similarities In Clinical And Subclinical Populations, Alexandra M. Muir

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the leading mental illnesses in the United States today (Alvarez et al., 2012). However, a large number of individuals have their lives disrupted by the symptoms of anxiety, but their symptoms are not severe enough to be diagnosed with GAD. These individuals, much like individuals with GAD, have high trait anxiety, differential brain structure and function, and hypervigilant performance monitoring. Further understanding the neural correlates related to subclinical generalized anxiety disorder and how the neural mechanisms involved relate to daily functioning is of utmost importance. Since there are individuals suffering from subclinical anxiety …

Drawing Out Trauma: Visual Art Therapy For Child Sexual Abuse Victims, Katelynn K. Mckinnon

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global problem that can have lasting effects cognitively, physiologically, and emotionally for the victim. If the psychological damage from CSA goes untreated, it can lead to unstable conditions within one’s self, and in relationships. When children are affected by sexual abuse, it can be difficult for them to verbalize the traumatic incident. This inability to express can lead to problems in viewing and experiencing the self, and may lead to dissociation. Many aspects of trauma symptoms are difficult for individuals and especially children to express verbally. Visual arts therapy offers an alternative to verbal-based …

Humanizing The Model Minority: A Literature Review Of Current Research Concerning Counseling Asian American College Students, Austin M. Lynn

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

A detailed examination of the past 10 years of literature regarding the counseling of college-age Asian Americans is undertaken, with an emphasis on counselor and client perspective. The applicability of Western counseling to individuals steeped in Asian culture is examined, and suggestions aimed towards increasing counselor competency provided. Counselors’ self-perceived competency and Asian American client experience are reviewed. The effects of acculturation and enculturation are discussed; with a special focus on the impact of Asian cultural values and their potential negative relationships with help-seeking attitudes. The nature, implementation, and efficacy of multicultural counseling is explored. Data comparing college-age Asian Americans …

Understanding Early Childhood Engineering Interest Development As A Family-Level Systems Phenomenon: Findings From The Head Start On Engineering Project, Scott Pattison, Gina Svarovsky, Smirla Ramos-MontañEz, Ivel Gontan, Shannon Weiss, VeróNika NúÑEz, Pam Corrie, Cynthia Smith, Marcie Benne

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

There is growing recognition that interest is critical for engaging and supporting learners from diverse communities in engineering and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. Although interest research has historically focused on older children, studies demonstrate that preschool-age and younger children also develop persistent, individualized interests in different objects, activities, and topics and that these early interests have important implications for ongoing learning and development. Unfortunately, there is relatively little research on engineering learning in early childhood and almost no work specific to the concept of interest. To begin to address this need, we conducted in-depth case study …