Digital Commons Network^™

Caution Fatigue: Group Identification And Disgust Provide Protection In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Logan F. Ashworth

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The current Coronavirus pandemic has yielded an abundance of concerns regarding the psychological effects of isolating a highly social species through widespread lockdowns and enhanced social distancing. Research show that many are suffering from mental health crises, while also refusing to isolate (Brooks et al., 2020; Czeiler, et al., 2020). These behaviors combine to increase risk of viral infection. An emerging term to explain this paradox is “Caution Fatigue”. Yet, there is no research that outlines its specific underlying mechanisms. The goal of this paper is to propose a series of models that delineate caution fatigue through the effects a) …

What Is Your Status Portfolio? Higher Status Variance Across Groups Increases Interpersonal Helping But Decreases Intrapersonal Well-Being, Catarina R. Fernandes, Siyu Yu, Taeya M. Howell, Alison Wood Brooks, Gavin J. Kilduff, Nathan C. Pettit

Faculty Publications

Individuals belong to multiple groups across various domains of life, which in aggregate constitute a portfolio of potentially distinct levels of experienced status. We propose a two-factor model for assessing the effects of an individual’s status portfolio, based on status average (mean status level across groups) and status variance (degree to which status varies across those groups). Five studies using samples in general-life and work-specific contexts reveal the importance of both status average and status variance, the latter of which has been largely unexplored by status researchers to date. Individuals experiencing higher status variance show greater perspective taking, which in …

Team Building Through Team Video Games: Randomized Controlled Trial, Mark J. Keith, Douglas L. Dean, James Gaskin, Greg Anderson

Faculty Publications

Background: Organizations of all types require the use of teams. Poor team member engagement costs billions of US dollars annually.

Objective: This study aimed to explain how team building can be accomplished with team video gaming based on a team cohesion model enhanced by team flow theory.

Methods: In this controlled experiment, teams were randomly assigned to a team video gaming treatment or a control treatment. Team productivity was measured during both pretreatment and posttreatment team tasks. After the pretest, teams who were involved in the team video gaming treatment competed against other teams by playing the Halo or Rock …

Task Adherence: An Agentic Perspective On Task-Focused Dedication In An Interrupting Work Environment, Tanner Skousen, Justin Ames, James Gaskin

Faculty Publications

Purpose – Knowledge workers live and work in a technology-enabled, push-notification world full of interruptions that create information overload, often requiring these workers to utilize task switching as a mechanism to meet multiple competing tasks’ demands. Previous research has examined both the positive and, more often, negative effects from interruptions and task switching on knowledge workers’ performance. However, this paper aims to examine knowledge workers’ agentic approach to managing interruption signals and consequent task switching to remain dedicated to the task at hand.

Design/methodology/approach – Using an inductive grounded theory approach, we analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with knowledge workers …

To Awaken A Sleeping Giant: The Case For A More United Africa And Its Diaspora, Jayden Jasper-Lee Martin

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The idea of Pan-Africanism has long percolated amongst those of African descent, given the agglomeration of external exploitative forces that impact the continent and its people. This thesis aims to explore the history and tenability of a Pan-African Union within the modern context and state of the continent. Utilizing examples from other successful regional organizations and theories of regional integration, the thesis seeks to prescribe some possible means by which the ideal of an effective and stable Pan-African Union can approach realization, particularly amongst the nation-states of sub-Saharan Africa.

Ethical Issues Concerning “Savior Offspring.”, Jemima Dorcin

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Tissue transplantation is a procedure used to treat a wide range of medical disorders. Suitable tissue for transplant, however, is often in short supply. Thus, some people conceive offspring for the sole purpose of harvesting compatible tissue, e.g., for transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells in a sibling or parent. A 2004 survey found that most Americans approve of using genetic testing of in vitro fertilized embryos to allow for the selective implantation of an embryo with compatible tissue for use in a sick older sibling. However, while using stem cells from the umbilicus of a newborn for medical treatments …

The Vexed Application Of The Social Contract Theory On Black People, Aaron Chichester

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The Social Contract details the liberties of members in society; those willing and able to consent to the contract were afforded the luxuries of protection and assistance through the government. I draw on the theory of Charles Mills in The Racial Contract, which argues that the black life was never intended to fit into the Social Contract. During the early stages of it’s inception, black people weren’t regarded as valid members who enter the contract. Disagreement about the validity of frustration felt by the Black community as a result of this exclusion has created a social and political divide. I …

Elisabeth Scrivener And The Great Library: Translating A Literary Work Into A Digital Game, Erin Farmer

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

This thesis has two components: a practical part and a written part. The practical part is a 2D side-scrolling game titled Elisabeth Scrivener and the Great Library. It is an adaptation of the bestselling novel Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. Like the novel, the game is set in the Great Library of Summershall. This is a place where magical grimoires of varying strength and benevolence or alignance are managed and contained. The player character is Elisabeth, an apprentice librarian and the player follows her as she progresses through the library taking advice from benevolent grimoires and defeating and containing …

Preventative Treatments Of Diabetes And Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Nikita Bansal

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a long-term metabolic disease that is currently ranked as the seventh leading cause of mortality in the United States and ninth leading cause worldwide. Recognized as a global health problem, diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition that involves multiple organ systems and can often lead to irreversible damage. Long term complications include neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, cardiovascular disease, and hepatopathy. Diabetes is associated with a wide spectrum of liver diseases; the most common is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to liver failure. Sedentary lifestyles in industrialized countries are often seen as the inadvertent cause …

Batman Can Be Anybody: Self-Transcendence And Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, Alec Borislow

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Trilogy examines the origin and evolution of Bruce Wayne, and his hero vigilante alter ego, Batman. The trilogy consists of Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Bruce's post-traumatic journey for physical and mental excellence results in transformative and personal discovery, leading to self-transcendence. The personality trait of self-transcendence is the apex of psychologist Abraham Maslow's lesser-known and amended hierarchy of needs. It is the highest level of human consciousness and development. Bruce's unwavering morality, intrinsic motivation, and spirituality are characteristic of both humanistic and …

Unequal Justice In Applying The United States Death Penalty, Camilla Andrade

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Several studies reveal a connection between a victim’s skin color and the probability that their aggressor will receive the death penalty. Other studies conclude that a defendant’s race will be a factor in determining whether or not they are sentenced to capital punishment. Despite the evident racial discrimination that plagues capital cases, Ernest van den Haag contends that “unequal justice is still justice” and that if someone is guilty of a capital offense, they don’t deserve any less punishment simply because the death penalty is applied disproportionately based on race. I argue, against van den Haag, that unequal justice violates …

Assessing The Impacts Of Amphetamine Exposure Following Selective Ablation Of Dopaminergic Neurons Via The Fluorescent Protein, Killerred, Gabrielle Dakota Byrd

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Killer Red (KRed) is a fluorescent protein which is capable of the selective ablation of targeted cells via the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to the appropriate wavelengths of visible light. By expressing KRed in the dopaminergic neurons via the dopamine transporter (dat-1) promoter, these neurons may then be ablated with minimal to no damage to other limitrophe cells. Utilizing this cell-targeted ablation in the model organism C. elegans, this study aims to ascertain the impacts of amphetamine exposure in the absence of proteins exclusively expressed in dopaminergic neurons. These impacts will be investigated via the comparison …

A Literature Review Of The Impacts Of College Major On Student Moral Development, Jack Elm

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Researchers in moral psychology have established relatively strong evidence of moral development during students’ time in undergraduate university education. Intuition would suggest that one’s major of choice has an impact on this development, but the existing research appears mixed. Conducting a review of the existing literature pertaining to the subject, I establish a firm understanding of broad trends in the data. Correlative effects of major choice do exist in some specific areas, but it is currently unclear whether such effects exist as a product of student self-selection or from direct impacts of the curricula.

Eating Elephants, Hailey George

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The following novella is a fictional case study of Jethro Jones, a young male who suffers from three pathologies including Binge Eating Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Panic Disorder. It traces the development of his suffering from infancy through childhood trauma into adolescent manifestations such as severe panic attacks, a suicide attempt, and weekly episodes of binge eating. The creative nature of the piece was inspired by works such as The Bell Jar (Plath) and Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (Hornbacher). The character and story were informed by peer-reviewed studies about the aforementioned pathologies including risk factors, manifestation …

The Impact Of A Traumatic Brain Injury, Sarah Hemmen

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis is devastating for any family. This devastation is often increased and emphasized by the evident lack of resources for these families and caregivers, to maneuver through the steps of recovery. TBI's have been given the nicknae of "the silent epidemic,” and there is increasing, though still minimal, recognition or discussion of this injury. This thesis looks at the causes, types, and frequencies of traumatic brain injuries, as well as the psychological, financial, and burden experienced by the parents, siblings, and caregivers in addition to the patient themselves. We can conclude that more resources need …

From Treatment To Trauma: First-Line Cancer Treatment And Cancer-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, An Ly

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The epidemiology of cancer-related PTSD is well-documented, but the effect of first-line cancer treatments on the prevalence and severity of PTSD has yet to be consolidated. Unlike many other traumatic events preceding the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the cancer experience has ongoing stages of diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship that each present their own stressors. Due to the multifaceted nature of cancer-related trauma, it is important to understand how each component of the experience plays a role in the onset of mental illness. Thus, I review the existing literature to elucidate how the biochemical changes induced by chemotherapy, radiation, …

The Merits Of Neurofeedback Integration Into The Treatment Of Opioid Use Disorder, Shelley Machado

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is of significant concern and continues to pose a challenge to many. It is well established that despite the standard treatment options currently utilized, many are still dying from opioid overdose each year. This research aimed to create a plan integrating neurofeedback training into the treatment for opioid use disorder and evaluate the merits of doing so. Neurofeedback is an operant conditioning-based approach that uses EEG or fMRI to measure brain wave activation and alter brain wave patterns. Research articles currently testing samples of individuals with opioid addiction and co-occurring conditions were reviewed and favored in …

Funding The Fundamental Right To A Legal Defense, Raven Mello

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

The Sixth Amendment of the Constitution guarantees all United States citizens the right to a fair trial. However, that right has not been made equally accessible to all defendants in the criminal justice system due to the underfunding of Public Defender’s offices nationwide. This thesis examines the impact of this underfunding on indigent criminal defendants and analyzes social psychology research to understand the psychological biases that help explain this underfunding, and how they might be overcome. Evidence suggests that the disproportionate government expenditure on the State Attorney and underfunding of the Public Defender has led to a skewed legal system …

Neurofeedback Training Therapy: The Future Of Treatment Options For Alzheimer’S Disease, Alyssa Maria Payne

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

This exploratory investigation seeks to evaluate the efficacy of Neurofeedback (NFB) Training Therapy, a type of biofeedback that works with the brain’s natural capacity for plasticity, as a viable treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Strengthening connections among remaining neurons despite neurogenesis may benefit patients. However, the vast array of methodologies utilizing different technologies and focusing on varying brain waves makes it challenging to determine the true efficacy of the treatment methods, especially when compounded with the number of disorders each method is claimed to treat. Therefore, this investigation aims to address 1) technology that will best target specific …

Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates For University Students, Dorit Rubenstein Reiss, John Dipaolo

Faculty Scholarship

Universities and colleges (“universities”) reopening after COVID-19 understandably seek to increase safety on campus and reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. One approach universities and colleges are considering is requiring vaccines from students. This Article addresses the legal framework behind university vaccine mandates for students. It sets out the general constitutional framework and explains why universities are constitutionally permitted to impose reasonable vaccine mandates. It addresses whether universities need to offer a religious exemption, explaining that under current Supreme Court jurisprudence, universities are likely not required to offer a religious exemption, but that may change, and public universities in …

Inter-Organisational Relationships For Social Impact: A Systematic Literature Review, Dariusz Siemieniako, Krzysztof Kubacki, Maciej Mitręga

Plymouth Business School

No abstract provided.

Children And Crime: In The Moment, K Haines, S Case, R Smith, Laidler K Joe, N Hughes, C Webster, T Goddard, J Deakin, D Johns, K Richards, P Gray

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Traditional approaches to understanding and responding to children and crime are fundamentally based on ‘miniaturised’ adult models. The assumption appears to be that children are adults in the making, essentially just smaller, developing versions of grown-ups. This view of children is increasingly being challenged. Children are not simply putative adults, they are different, distinct and developing. This article sets out to explore the notion that children essentially think and behave ‘in the moment’. The implications of this for our understanding of children and crime are also explored.

Neuro Life Online®, Andrea Merriam

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Neuro Life Online® is an online platform delivering live-stream social and educational programs to the movement disorder community via Zoom video conferencing.

In 2016, PMDAlliance began testing Neuro Life Online® (NLO) as a pilot initiative to expand Parkinson’s disease education services in rural/underserved areas. NLO offers live-stream physician-based education, wellness coaching, social opportunities, and assistance in setting up telemedicine services for unserved and underserved populations across the US and internationally.

The need for more services is obvious. 19% of people in the US (60 million people) and 45% worldwide live in rural areas, based on a 2007 UN report. A …

Alcohol Use, Psychological Stress, And Mental Health In U.S. Spanish - And English-Speaking Pregnant Women, L Enriquez-Marquez, D Rodriguez, X Ma, M H. Roberts, S Ruyak, S W. Jacobson, L N. Bakhireva

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Purpose: The “Latina paradox” and mitigating cultural/social-support factors have been extensively studied. However, further investigation is warranted comparing the complex interplay among substance use, psychosocial stress, mental health, and socioeconomic factors between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking pregnant women.

Methods: Data were collected from 311 pregnant women (275 English-speaking, 36 Spanish- speaking), screened for eligibility into the ENRICH-2 prospective cohort study, and 98 enrolled. Screening questionnaires included questions about demographics, AUDIT-C, and binge (≥4 drinks/occasion) and heavy drinking (≥14 drinks) around last menstrual period (LMP).

Following enrollment, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale, PSS), symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7) and depression …

Live Imaging Of Brain Network Dynamics In An Acute Threat Response By Memri: Effects Of Early Life Adversity On Noradrenergic System Anatomy, Taylor W. Uselman, Russell E. Jacobs, Elaine L. Bearer

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Monoaminergic signaling in cortical-limbic circuits regulate both normal physiology and responses to stress. Indeed, monoaminergic reuptake transporters, located on the pre-synaptic terminals of distal projections, are common pharmacological targets for mental disorders, like anxiety and depression. Early life adversity (ELA), which has an interaction with monoaminergic systems, increases vulnerability to mental disorders later in life. Despite this, we are yet to understand how ELA alters brain-wide patterns of neural activity. Here, we combine Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) with behavioral tracking and immunohistochemistry to investigate the effects of ELA on the modular neuroarchitecture and behavioral response to acute threat. ELA was administered …

Center For Brain Recovery And Repair-Clinical Core, Rick Campbell, Michel Torbey, Darbi Gill, Davin Quinn, Jessica Richardson, Jeremy Hogeveen, Cndrew Carlson, Kevin Wilson, Nick Mertens, Marcus Sterling, Saul Fernandez

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Survivors of brain injuries such as stroke and trauma often endure life-long disabilities, which span a spectrum of deficits and are associated with enormous individual and societal costs. There is an urgent need to develop effective interventions that can improve cognitive and motor outcomes, especially individualized approaches that target specific disruptions of brain physiology or circuits. The Center for Brain Recovery and Repair (CBRR) is a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (NIH/NIGMS P20 GM109089; PI: Shuttleworth) established as an interdisciplinary community of clinical and preclinical investigators to address these issues. The Clinical Core is an ideally-situated brain injury research hub, …

The Reward Positivity Is Enhanced In Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder, Garima Singh, Ethan Campbell, Jeremy Hogeveen, Katie Witkiewitz, Eric Claus, James Cavanagh

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

The EEG feature known as the Reward Positivity (RewP) is known to reflect a combination of the surprise and affective value of reward feedback. Here we investigated if individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder had an enhanced RewP to alcohol stimuli used as rewarding feedback, suggesting a mechanism for linking biased attention with reward integration for addiction-specific stimuli. Community participants aged 18-55 years are being recruited and demographically matched across the two groups: AUD (AUDIT>5) and Control (AUDIT<3). Participants completed a reinforcement learning task with affective stimuli as feedback while EEG was recorded. A 2*2 ANOVA was conducted to examine how affective image (puppies vs. alcohol) and group (AUD, CTL) influenced RewP amplitude. Preliminary results suggest that a main effect of group (p=.104) although there was no effect of affective imagery (p=.157) nor an interaction (p=.637). Overall, the findings suggest that AUD have larger reward positivity, but it does not appear to be modulated by alcohol conditions.

Reversal Of Prenatal Alcohol-Induced Deficits In Long-Term Potentiation By The Histamine H3 Inverse Agonist Sar153954, Monica Goncalves-Garcia, Suzy Davies, Daniel D. Savage, Derek A. Hamilton

Brain & Behavioral Health Research Day

Cognitive impairments are common consequences of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The hippocampus is susceptible to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) which persist throughout an individual’s life. Previous studies have identified deficits in long-term potentiation (LTP) in perforant pathway to dentate gyrus synapses as an adverse consequence of PAE. Although there have been numerous investigations, PAE-induced deficits in synaptic plasticity remain poorly understood. Currently, there are no known, clinically effective pharmacotherapeutic interventions for these deficits. This study investigated the effects of PAE on LTP in the dentate gyrus and the H3 receptor inverse agonist, SAR152954, as a candidate …

More Than Idle Talk: Examining The Effects Of Positive And Negative Team Gossip, Trevor Spoelma, Andrea Hetrick

Faculty and Staff Publications

Gossip is a behavior that has been traditionally viewed as harmful in organizations. However, a more balanced perspective has emerged in recent years that suggests gossip can have important benefits. We propose that one way to uncover potential benefits of gossip in teams is to focus on the valence (positive or negative nature) of the gossip. Drawing on expectancy theory, we propose team gossip indirectly influences team performance through social loafing because it plays a key role in shaping beliefs about effort in team contexts; effects determined by team gossip valence. We hypothesize that positive team gossip decreases social loafing, …

The Role Of Information Literacy On Family Life Education Curriculum Among Youths Of Ikwo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Chimeziem Chimdiadi Gabriela Udeze Phd, Joseph Oluchukwu Wogu Prof, Oluebube Amarauche Chukwu Phd

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study determine the essentiality of information literacy in family life education among youths of the Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi State. The major purpose of the study was to ascertain the vital role of information literacy in upholding/transmitting family life curriculum from one generation to another among the inhabitants of the study area. Though the scholarly review, the study reviewed that family-life education is innate and therefore could be strengthened if adequate information is given and that youths of the area and beyond can also only uphold their family-life education if information literacy is properly inculcated. The study …