Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Nonhuman Primate Model Of Anxiety-Induced Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism, J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the final report for the MEG Grant titled: A nonhuman primate model of anxiety-induced alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The formal phase of the project ran from June 1 through August 23, 2016, with the students learning how to safely work with their research subjects, joining a research team, and collecting their data. Following the formal phase, the students returned to BYU where they used the data they and the other students collected to write scientific manuscripts and posters to present their data. Eight students took part: Elizabeth Wood, Alexander Baxter, Natalie Lange, Travis Norseth, Esther Page, Spencer …

Multimodal Neuroimaging Of Insomnia During Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (Mni_Nrem), Daniel Kay

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The impact of insomnia on brain regions/networks during sleep may represent mechanisms through which insomnia contributes to the risk for mood disorders. As a first step toward understanding the risk relationship linking insomnia to mood disorders, this study will utilize functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with multimodal techniques to investigate alterations in brain regions and networks during wake and NREM sleep in patients with insomnia relative to good sleeper controls. We also intend to investigate the pathophysiology of insomnia across 8 units of analysis by combining these data with Dr. Kay’s larger study, the MNI_RDoC (IRB #16377). The units of …

Do Support Groups For Medical Patients Reduce Risk For Mortality? A Meta-Analytic Review, Connor Workman, Dakota Jake, Daniel Rallison, Timothy Smith, Phd, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Phd

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recent scientific findings show that loneliness is found among the highest predictors of mortality. This information could prove to be a major influence on future interventions for medical patients. However, the literature is inconclusive on how best to implement these findings in the real world. Given that research is limited, a meta-analysis of all appropriate scientific articles was performed to find how social support affected mortality in a medical setting.

Evaluation Of An Eeg Task For Detecting Latent Infections, Ryan Weels, Savanah Bishun, Bruce Brown

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ultimately our goal is to develop methods for diagnosing neuropsychiatric illnesses through measurement and analysis of the electrophysiological stream of consciousness. In this project we test how well EEG adaptations of the Sternberg (1966) memory search task and the n-back cognitive task can discriminate between individuals who are positive for Herpes-simplex-1 and healthy controls.

The Effects Of Caffeine On Visual Attention In Caffeine-Naïve Participants, Eva Tveten, Steven Luke

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Controversy exists concerning the effects of caffeine on cognitive function. One of the greatest challenges in resolving this controversy stems from the fact that caffeine is the most widely used drug in the United States, consumed daily by a majority of the population. The frequent and widespread use of caffeine means that most research participants are already using it regularly. When this is the case, effects attributed to caffeine in studies can just as easily be explained by relief from withdrawals. What seems to be an improvement in cognitive function in participants who are given caffeine may simply be a …

Role Of Electrical Synapses In Dopamine Transmission In The Brain, Josh Nelson, Seth Stapley, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Drug addiction has long been a major detriment to society. Its pervasive effects can tear apart the lives of addicted individuals. Many of these individuals go without seeking professional help. In 2015, 22.7 million Americans (8.6 percent) needed treatment for a problem related to drugs or alcohol, but only about 2.5 million people (0.9 percent) received treatment at a specialty facility. This may be due to inadequate treatment methods and therapies in use by professionals. The goal of this project is to better understand the mechanism of dopamine (DA) transmission in the brain in order to develop more effective treatment …

Sex Differences In Ethanol Modulation Of Dopamine Release In The Mesolimbic Reward System, Mandy Parsons, Justin Bowman, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol abuse disorder is a ubiquitous problem affecting 15.1 million people in the United States, almost 10 million men and more than 15 million women (SAMHSA, 2015). The prevailing view of addiction, including alcohol addiction, is that an increase of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens within the brain has powerful rewarding effects. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effects of alcohol on dopamine release in female rats during the three phases of the estrus cycle in order to determine if alcohol is more rewarding at different points in the female hormone cycle.

Acute Ethanol Decreases Infiltration Of Macrophages Across The Blood-Brain Barrier, James Brundage, Jake Lattin, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol addiction affects the lives of millions of people worldwide. In the US alone, an estimated 28 million are currently undergoing treatment to recover from the effects of alcohol abuse at the cost of over 249 billion dollars. The disease has dire consequences for those affected, as well as their families and communities. Despite this, the mechanism of alcohol addiction formation remains a question. One prominent theory relies on the mesolimbic circuitry of the brain, commonly referred to as the reward circuit. This region is made up of two key brain regions, the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) and the Ventral Tegmental …

Oxytocin And Social Affiliation: A Study Of The Genetic Underpinnings Behind Social Behavior In Rhesus Macaques, Ryno Kruger, J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Studies suggest that social relationships play a critical role in physical and mental health1, with effect sizes similar to that seen for smoking and alcohol abuse. Those experiencing real or perceived social isolation show higher rates of mortality3, while those with stronger social relationships show decreased rates of mortality4. Also, genetic variation has been associated with the degree of individual sociability2. The serotonin (5-HT) and oxytocin (OT) systems are believed to influence social behavior6,2. The serotonin transporter (SERT) gene codes for efficiency of the serotonin system, with the long (L) allele associated with greater efficiency, when compared to the short …

The Impact Of Perceived Support On Multi-Cultural And International College Students In Utah, Erin Kaseda, Wendy Birmingham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

College is a time in which young adults face a large number of stressors, including academic adjustment, education and career planning, evolving family relationships, struggles with financial independence, dating and marriage, and exposure to new cultures and ideas.1 Previous studies have suggested that college students face high levels of stress, with 75% of college students reporting themselves as moderately stressed and 12% as highly stressed.2 Prolonged stress can have serious effects on both mental and physical health, including an increased likelihood of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety, decreased immune function, sleep disruption, poor cardiovascular health, increased body mass, and …

The Effects Of Helicobacter Pylori On Cognition: A Report, Kenric Gordon, Thomas Petersen, Dawson Hedges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Last year we applied for an ORCA grant for our study of the effects of Helicobacter Pylori on Cognition. Helicobacter Pylori is a bacterium that causes ulcers in the stomach. It has also been implied to cause decreased cognitive functioning. (Berrett, Erickson, Brown, Hedges, 2016) Due to this, it is necessary to discover how Helicobacter Pylori effects cognition and how we can tell through EEG whether someone has Helicobacter Pylori.

A Comparison Of Gender Ratio, Military Culture, And Organizational Climate As Determinants Of The Sexual Harassment Of Women And Of Men In Eight Government Organizations, Alex Calder, Bruce Brown, Robert Ridge

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The United States government spends millions of dollars each year in relation to incidences of sexual harassment. Far more important, however, is the psychological toll on individuals who experiences sexual harassment. Organizations function most effectively when people of all levels of the organization feel physically and emotionally safe. Unfortunately, sexual harassment occurs more frequently in the military as compared to other government agencies. Previous research has left clues about why this may be. Some have suggested that the military necessarily breeds an aggressive culture, which in turn could lead to more aggressive misdeeds. Elsewhere, researchers have demonstrated that organizational climate …

Testing The Psychometric Properties Of Positive Psychology Measures, Olivia Hansen, Jared Warren

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Positive psychology is the rigorous and empirical study of well-being, human strengths, and human flourishing, and the experiences, traits, and institutions that lead to those aims. It began as a rigorous subdomain of psychology in the late 1990’s. Up until this point, the field of psychology had focused largely on pathology and on the weaknesses of the psyche, and positive psychology has shifted to emphasize that psychology has much more it can offer if it looks past just the very worst of human experiences. Positive psychology is rapidly expanding and gaining popularity, and a huge volume of research is being …

Psychosocial Empowerment Group Creation And Implementation Among Malawi Women, Libby Evans, Benjamin Ogles

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Research has shown that most women in Malawi will experience some form of trauma or adversity in their lifetime, and that such adversity can increase rates of mental illness and instability by as much as 15-20% (Saxena, 2017). Simple psychosocial groups and trainings have been shown to increase psychological resilience and prevent and/or heal mental instability. The term psychological resilience is defined as the way a person adapts well in the face of hard times, adversity, trauma, tragedy, or stress. Resilience can be taught through a few simple skills. The goal of this project was to get a better understanding …

Seeing The World Through Humility-Tinted Glasses: Exploring Social Cognitive Explanations For Outcomes Of Humility, Chayce Baldwin, Dr. Robert Ridge

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent years, psychological research on humility has burgeoned, highlighting the influence of humility in prominent aspects of life such as well-being (Toussaint & Webb, 2017), interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behaviors (Hilbig, Zettler, & Heydasch, 2012), as well as self-control (De Vries et al., 2013). Particularly, studies have connected humility to traits and behaviors such as agreeableness and conscientiousness (Lee & Ashton, 2004), cooperation (Hilbig et al., 2012), and helpfulness (Exline & Hill, 2012), painting a picture of humility as predominantly prosocial and characterized by low self-focus. Indeed, many researchers highlight low self-focus as a defining attribute of humility, with …

University And College Counseling Centers: Collegiate Athletes Shifting Changes In Mental Health Risk, Lilly Bautista, Rachelle Clayson, Jared Klundt, Davey Erekson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Within the college population, student athletes are often considered a unique population for mental health concerns. There are more student athletes than ever before, with over 460,000 students participating in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, 2016). Student athletes have access to more resources than the typical student, but the amount of utilization and extent of these resources can vary greatly. Specifically, the utilization of university and college counseling centers.

Destined To Dominate? Exploring The Link Between Prenatal Androgens And Dominance Rank In Rhesus Monkeys, Alexander Baxter, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prenatally, androgens are responsible for masculinizing the developing male fetus. Prenatal androgen exposure (PAE) also shapes male brain functioning and organization, and is the main underlying influence underlying sexually dimorphism, to a certain extent even in adulthood. Through its effect on the brain, PAE can influence personality and behavior, likely contributing to gross sex differences in these traits, as well as within-sex variation (see Manning, 2011). One of the most commonly used biomarkers used to study PAE is the second-to-fourth-finger length ratio (2D:4D ratio). In humans, males tend to have a longer ring finger and shorter pointer finger (i.e., a …

The Neurobiological Basis Of Memory Specificity: The Influence Of Context And Re-Encoding, Dr. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

At a general level, we know that the information that is successfully encoded in and retrieved from long-term memory is influenced by the context during encoding and retrieval. However, we do not yet know how context affects mnemonic discrimination of similar or overlapping items or events. Further, we do not yet know what the effect is of retrieving the wrong information (or false recognition) on the original memory representation. Here, I propose to lead a group of students in an investigation using functional MRI (fMRI) on the effects of context on a neural process called pattern separation that is thought …

Project Final Evaluation: Parent Training In Southeast Europe: Strengthening Families Of Children With Autism In Macedonia, Blake D. Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to evaluate program to education parents of children with autism in the Republic of Macedonia, located in Southeastern Europe. Macedonia has many factors that made it an important research site. Poverty rates, ethnic conflict, and access to professional resources make parenting a child with autism very difficult in Macedonia. This project sought to alleviate some of these burdens by providing a training model where parents trained each other on simple interventions to help their children.

Ianimate: Exploring The Use Of Animation And Virtual Environments In Educational Settings, Ryan O. Kellems

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of the proposal were met

The academic objectives of the grant were met. During the course of the study there were four independent research sites where the intervention was delivered and data was collected. The results form several of theses studies has been published and the conceptual ideals from the project have also been published. This funding has also provided the foundation for the current work I am doing. There is currently one other data set from the grant under review and another manuscript in the final stages of preparation.

The Effects Of Media On Ambivalent Sexism, Career Aspiration, And Help-Seeking Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services, Niwako Yamawaki

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of the proposal were met I proposed some academic objectives that students must achieve through the research project, entitled above. First, students were expected to create three 15-minutes video clips. Through this activity, they have learned about ambivalent sexism, identified examples of ambivalent sexism, learned how to run focus groups, and improved technical skills dealing with media. Second, Students must submit an IRB application for this project. Their application was successfully approved, and they have learned research processes, conducted literature reviews, improved writing and hypothesis building skills, and received training in ethical issues …

Investigating The Processes And Outcomes Of Theistic Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapies, Dr. Scott Richards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The MEG grant I was awarded for the academic years 2015 and 2016 funded two projects:

(1) Review of the research literature about the state of the evidence based on spiritually integrated psychotherapies.

Completed Academic Objectives:

a. completed literature search b. wrote manuscript summarizing and discussing findings c. presented findings at APA and AMCAP conventions (American Psychological Association, Denver, Colorado, August 2016, and Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists, Salt Lake City, October 2016, and American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, August 2017) d. submitted manuscript for publication consideration

(2) Data analysis and reporting the findings of two practice-based evidence studies …

Transformations: Lessons On Moral Agency For Families, Katelyn Suneson, Dennis Packard

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to complete and publish an LDS family relations text, which is now in its second year of development. The text draws on some of the best resources developed in and outside of BYU in the last three decades¹²³ and applies them to some of the most serious family problems now facing members of the Church, including failure to marry, divorce, addictions, and pornography.

Development And Evaluation Of An Eeg-Based Symbol-Digit Substitution Task, Christopher Beckett, Dr. Bruce Brown

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The event-related potential (ERP) method has led to major advances in the experimental exploration of the neurological correlates of human cognition (Luck, 2005). The usual process is to take EEG (electroencephalographic) recordings during a cognitive task. The recording is timelocked to a stimulus so that multiple trials can be averaged to amplify the signal of the resulting cognitive process. In past research studies, faculty and students in our Quantitative EEG Lab (qEEG) have discovered a way to isolate individual cognitive “bands” within a set of ERP waves. These cognitive bands have diagnostic utility. They can be used to identify personal …

Shame As A Moderator In Grace And Forgiveness Correlation Renamed “Grace, Forgiveness, And Shame In Latter-Day Saint Young Adults”, Taylor Mefford, Dr. Scott Richards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The subject of grace in psychological research has been relatively untouched, with only a few studies having been conducted in this area, mostly with a focus on creating measures for attitudes on grace. However, despite the existence of these validated measures, almost no published studies utilize them. Allen, Wang, & Stokes (2015) present one of those few cases where such measures are used, in which they address mental health outcomes related to grace and perfectionism. They also utilize the term legalism, which was used by Bufford, Sisemore, and Blackburn (2014) in their development of a holistic measure of grace. …

Prenatal Androgens And The Stability Of Temperament And Anxiety: A Study Of Testosterone-Mediated Digit Ratios In Rhesus Macaques, Alexander Baxter, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prenatal androgen exposure (PAE) is the organizational force that masculinizes the brain. It has impact on other parts of the body as well. For example, PAE induces growth in the ring finger. Consequently, the pointer-to-ring-finger digit ratio (2D:4D ratio) is frequently used to assess PAE.¹ Though this phenotype is sexually dimorphic, research indicates that PAE’s effect on digit ratio may be in the opposite direction when comparing humans and nonhuman primates.²² Very few studies have investigated 2D:4D ratio in rhesus macaques (Macacca mulatta), and to our knowledge, none have reported a sex difference in digit ratio. The purpose …

Ketamine As A Predictor Of Excessive Alcohol Intake: A Rhesus Monkey Nonhuman Primate Model, Ryno Kruger, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2014, 8.7 million teenagers in the United States reported drinking alcohol, with the vast majority engaging in binge drinking¹. Due to the rise of underage drinking and alcohol abuse, it is of increasing importance to study variables that influence risk for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. To study these factors, I spent 10 weeks at the California National Primate Research facility (CNPRC).

Exploring Ideocentrism: Ideology-Conflict And Out-Group Discrimination, Ryan Hemsley, Dr. Robert Ridge

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Conflict has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences. There is considerable research that has examined conflict through bias, prejudice, out-group discrimination, and in-group preferential treatment. (see Burne et al, 1975; Hewstone et al, 2002; Kilduff et al 2016) However, the literature focuses disproportionately on conflict between cultural or biological groups. Relatively little research focuses on ideological groups. Such a balance may be counterproductive, as there is evidence that ideological conflict may be superordinate to racial conflict. Chambers et al. (2013) found that prejudice towards an ideological out-group was greater than prejudice towards a racial out-group. The …

Hpv Vaccinations In College Students: Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, And Intention With Religious Attitudes And Behavior, Christian Kindt, Dr. Wendy Birmingham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Most religions promote abstinence of sexual intimacy prior to marriage. This ideology may discount the use of vaccinations that religious individuals consider only applicable to those who are sexually active. These individuals may not take the time to investigate the benefits of such vaccinations and indeed may not even be aware of the risks associated with the infections these vaccinations protect against. Specifically, this study examined how religious beliefs impact knowledge about, and attitudes and intention towards human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccination adherence. HPV vaccination is recommended for youth between ages 9 and 13 but not to be administered …

Teacher Training Films: Helping Sunday School Teachers Better Teach Individuals With Disabilities, Mary Woodruff, Katie Steed

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Sunday schools are primarily taught by devoted lay volunteers. Often times these individuals are willing to help, but can have feelings of self-doubt and anxiety. These feelings can be felt at a greater magnitude when a volunteer has a class that includes a student with a disability. In order for the teacher and student to be edified during Sunday School, training videos on utilizing specific teaching skills and accommodations were created. Shade (2001) and Sampson (2004) have shown that even after 45 minutes of instruction on teaching individuals with disabilities, a teacher’s confidence in their ability to instruct is often …