Psychology Commons^™

Face Value: A Computational Approach To Subjective Impressions Of Faces, Kevin Kpankou

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Various computational models of first impressions have been developed to uncover the mechanisms driving these judgments. However, the implicit notion of a singular ``human'' often overlooks meaningful individual differences in beliefs, attitudes, and associations, as well as culturally grounded group-level constructs. In this paper, we extend Cultural Consensus Theory (CCT) to estimate culturally shared beliefs about faces by incorporating latent constructs structured around interpretable facial features extracted via computer vision algorithms. We apply our model to a large-scale dataset of people’s first impressions of faces. Our approach reveals a robust mapping between facial features and culturally constructed impressions, allowing us …

Fixation Duration As Effective Biomarker For Cognitive Function: A Developing Systematic Review, Nicholas Kurtz

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Eye-tracking technology has transformed psychological research by providing a non-invasive, real-time window into attention, perception, and cognitive processing (Ahlstrom & Friedman-Berg, 2006). Fixation duration—defined as the length of time the gaze remains stable between saccades—has been continually utilized as a key biomarker of cognitive function, providing measurable insights into variant populations and their stage of cognitive development (Negi & Mitra, 2020). This ongoing systematic review synthesizes research examining fixation duration in relation to constructs such as attentional control, working memory, processing efficiency, and effortful or inhibitory control. The current review aims to answer whether longer fixation durations equate to better …

The Hidden World Of Evil: Documenting Serial Killers Through The Centuries, An Evolution., Semieca Wilson

Master of Arts in Human Services

The following is an analysis of the phenomenon of serial killers from their development over time, and why it mattered due to how they operated on society. Cases reported from the past to present century were read and analyzed in search of recurring psychological patterns, changes in methods of inspecting cases and the effects of cultural, technological transformation on both felons as well as those who trailed them. The site is a product of my professional interest in the area of criminal psychology and forensic analysis and reflects my objective to provide myself and other interested professionals, academics, law enforcement …

Effects Of Commission Errors During Prompting On Skill Acquisition And Maintenance, Molly K. Mutchler

Dissertations

Procedural fidelity refers to the extent to which procedures are implemented as intended. Engaging in procedural fidelity errors can lead to detrimental outcomes during skill acquisition and maintenance. The purpose of this study was to parametrically evaluate and compare two commission errors during prompting procedures using an arbitrary tacting task taught to college-aged students. Participants learned to tact four sets of arbitrary pictures and names. Prompting errors consisted of either providing the correct letters for a name in an incorrect order (i.e., an error within a component of the name) or providing the correct name for another picture (i.e., an …

Effects Of Response-Independent Food Delivery During Timeout On Timeout Punishment, Haillie Mcdonough

All NMU Master's Theses

Timeout is a signaled, response-dependent, and time limited period in which the prevailing schedule of reinforcement is suspended. Timeouts are one of the most frequently used punishment procedures in clinical and parental practices. Even though timeout is a common punishment practice, recent research suggests that implementation errors, fidelity failures, occur at high rates in practice. The present study evaluated how failures in procedural fidelity alter the efficacy of timeout as a punisher by exposing rats to conditions in which response-independent reinforcers were delivered during timeout. During baseline conditions, no timeouts were delivered and rats’ lever-pressing produced food reinforcers according to …

Physiological Response To Concealed Information In A Mock-Crime Paradigm​, Ezra Koenigsberg, Tamya Mchenry, Jasmine Manzana, Taylor Powell, Samantha Jackson

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

The Concealed Information Test (CIT), based on Lykken’s guilty knowledge framework, measures physiological responses when individuals recognize crime-related details compared to neutral alternatives. Previous studies show that variations in stimulus presentation enhance the CIT’s accuracy, especially through changes in electrodermal activity and heart rate. However, few studies have tested whether a Qualtrics-based mock-crime version of the CIT can replicate these physiological patterns. This study addresses that gap by adapting the CIT for a digital research environment. The goal is to determine whether participants show greater physiological arousal—measured through skin conductance, heart rate, and respiration—when exposed to crime-related “critical” stimuli compared …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Learning And Satisfaction, Ainsley Smith

Scholars Week

Learning and Satisfaction

Motivation, especially in the world of psychology, is quite the broad and overarching term that relates to various aspects of life. Whether it be motivation in the workplace, classroom, sports, or relationships, our intrinsic and extrinsic motivations drive us to do our best on what we set forth to accomplish. Although there is extensive research on methods of learning in correlation to motivation as well as levels of satisfaction impacting these levels, there has yet to be much exploration into the impact an emotional component or personal connection may have on these factors. The purpose of this …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosed In Adulthood And The Factors That Can Lead To A Late Diagnosis, Camila Velez De Jesus

College of Liberal Arts

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects an individual throughout their entire life. The condition is typically diagnosed in childhood, and the rate of children diagnosed with it has been increasing over the years. Cases of adults being diagnosed with autism have also been on the rise. A popular theory to explain this occurrence is the broadening definition of autism spectrum disorder; however, there are other factors that should be taken into account. The use of the Medical Model of Disability in autism diagnosis could have led to certain individuals not being diagnosed in adulthood, but with the …

Dissociation Of Subjective And Objective Measures Of Trust In Vehicle Automation: A Driving Simulator Study, Samuel Petkac, Tetsuya Sato, Kun Xie, Yusuke Yamani

Psychology Faculty Publications

Trust is a crucial factor that influences human-automation interaction in surface transportation. Previous research indicates that participants tend to display higher levels of subjective trust toward lower-level automated systems compared to high-level automated systems. However, administering subjective trust measures via questionnaires can interfere with primary task performance, limiting researchers' ability to measure trust continuously in a real-world manner. In the current driving simulator study, 25 drivers using an advanced driving system (ADS) were randomly assigned to either an active (L2) or passive (L3) automated driving condition. Participants experienced eight near-miss driving scenarios with or without obstructions in a distributed driving …

Catatan Managing Editor Memandang Diri Lewat Pandangan Orang Lain: Catatan Editorial Tentang Meta-Prasangka, Whinda Yustisia

Jurnal Psikologi Sosial

In October 2023, when I was still living in Chicago, United States, Idhamsyah Eka Putra, one of the leading social psychology researchers, contacted me with a rather long text message. Although it was sent via a short message, the content was as complete as a proposal; it consisted of an introduction, urgency, and a forward-looking plan. He began by explaining that the concept of meta-prejudice, which he first introduced in 2014, would soon be 10 years old. To strengthen the presence of this concept, he proposed that the Journal of Social Psychology publish a Special Issue on meta-prejudice and asked …

Unveiling The Precision Of Physiological Signals In Prediction Error During Fear Learning: Insights From Associative Strength And Generalized Uncertainty, Haja H. Jallo-Jamboria

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Prediction error (PE) is the discrepancy between expected and actual outcomes. It is a central mechanism in associative learning particularly within fear-conditioning paradigms. Identifying physiological markers of PE in aversive contexts has important implications for refining learning models and enhancing clinical interventions for anxiety-related disorders. This study examined skin conductance response (SCR) as a potential physiological index of PE by analyzing both anticipatory and omission-related responses across multiple learning phases. Participants completed a Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigm in which two conditioned stimuli (CS+) signaled threat at different reinforcement probabilities: CS+100 (certain threat) and CS+50 (uncertain threat), alongside a non-reinforced safety cue …

Wavelength And Luminance Interaction On Spatio-Temporal Contrast Sensitivity Function, Taylan S. Ergun

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Contrast sensitivity (CS) measures the ability to discriminate objects from their backgrounds under varying conditions(Campbell & Robson, 1968). Contrast sensitivity is important for navigating the real world and operating under different light conditions. The contrast sensitivity function (CSF) reflects how the visual system performs under different conditions. This measure is crucial in assessing the health of the visual system (Chen & Gardner, 2021). CSF contributes to a deeper understanding of how the visual system processes and integrates properties of light to create visual sensation and perception. Human contrast sensitivity depends on the viewing conditions such as field size, luminance, color, …

A Multifaceted Nudge-Based Intervention To Reduce Smartphone Use: Findings From A Randomized Cross-Over Trial, K. T. A. Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Yi Jing Chua, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The widespread use of smartphones has raised concerns about problematic usage behaviors, including excessive screentime and frequent phone checking, which can disrupt daily functioning. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted nudge-based intervention in reducing smartphone use through subtle changes to smartphone settings. The intervention incorporated adjustments such as disabling face/touch ID, setting longer passwords, switching to grayscale mode, and removing social media apps from the home screen. A randomized within-subject cross-over trial with counterbalancing was conducted over a two-week period using a daily diary approach paired with objective smartphone usage data to track the impact of …

Supervisee Barriers To Disclosure And The Supervisory Working Alliance, Rachel G. Hughitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated barriers influencing supervisees’ willingness to disclose clinical errors in mental health training contexts, with a focus on the supervisory working alliance (SWA) as a potential moderating factor. Participants read two vignettes – one describing a clinical error and the other a client concern – and were asked to indicate which case they would discuss with their supervisor. They also completed the Brief Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory–Trainee Form (BSWAI-T) and the Supervisee Disclosure in Supervision Scale (SDSS), which assessed the quality of the supervisory alliance and perceived barriers to disclosure, including fear of negative evaluation, lack of confidence, …

Understanding The Gaming Disorder–Depression Co-Occurrence: A Narrative Literature Review, An-Pyng Sun, Stephanie Diez

Social Work Faculty Research

Because gaming disorder (GD) often co-occurs with depression, understanding how both disorders work together enables clinicians to better treat individuals with GD–depression comorbidity. The extant literature on GD–depression comorbidity is unsystematic and contradictory, with some studies suggesting depression predicts GD but not vice versa, some claiming GD predicts depression but not vice versa, and some proposing a bidirectional relationship between the two. The goal of this narrative review is to explore and organize these findings to establish a holistic and coherent conceptual framework that explains how GD co-occurs with depression.

The PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Sciences databases were searched …

Exploring The Processing Of Objects, Settings, And Global Properties In Natural Auditory Scenes, Margaret A. Mcmullin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Our auditory system has a remarkable ability to make sense of complex environments, allowing us to identify what we are hearing and where sounds come from. This process of auditory scene analysis is essential for situational awareness, decision-making, and effective communication in daily life. While much is known about how listeners segregate and identify individual sound sources (e.g., voices), less is understood about how global properties of a scene (e.g., openness, naturalness) contribute to perception. This dissertation examined how object- and setting-level information in natural auditory scenes are processed, and whether they rely on distinct or overlapping mechanisms. In Experiment …

A Multi-Measurement Study Of The Relation Between Deliberation And Volition, Guillaume P. Pech, Emilie A. Caspar, Elisabeth Pacherie, Axel Cleeremans, Uri Maoz

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Historically, voluntary action and volition more generally have been investigated through the lens of meaningless decisions. Importantly, these findings have been used in the debate about key notions like free will and moral responsibility. However, more recent claims have challenged the possibility of generalizing findings from a meaningless context to a more meaningful one. The current study investigates the markers of volition, specifically comparing meaningful and meaningless decisions. In an effort to maximize their monetary gain, 50 participants repeatedly deliberated between two options, making either rewarded choices—hard-deliberation decisions (where the options differed along two dimensions) or easy-deliberation decisions (where the …

Demographic Characteristics And Selected Personality Traits Of Women In Competitive Bodybuilding, Chloe A. Zeeuw

Master's Theses

This study investigated demographic characteristics and measures of personality (dimensions of performance perfectionism and five-factor model characteristics) in women in competitive bodybuilding between 18-25 years old. A total of 24 women completed an online survey which included a demographic questionnaire, the Five Factor Model Rating Form (FFMRF), and the Performance Perfectionism Scale for Sport (PPSS) inventories. Descriptive results for the FFMRF were Openness (18.17±3.12), Conscientiousness (25.58±3.33), Extraversion (19.96±3.46), Agreeableness (19.88±4.58), and Neuroticism (15.67±4.94), and for the PPS-S were Self-oriented performance perfectionism (20.96±3.53), Socially prescribed performance perfectionism (13.96±4.26), and Other-oriented performance perfectionism (10.54±4.23). Pearson’s correlation coefficients and Shapiro-Wilk tests revealed that …

The Impact Of Feedback Timing On Work Performance When There Is A Long Duration Between Sessions, Priyanka B. Dave

Dissertations

Performance feedback is a powerful tool central to many functions at work, as it guides, motivates, and rewards employees’ behaviors. To better understand the function of feedback, previous research has examined the impact of feedback’s timing (proximal to the previous per-formance versus proximal to the next performance) on the effectiveness of feedback. However, the findings have been mixed across studies. Studies with less than 1-day between session dura-tions tend to find no difference between after-session versus before-session feedback. However, investigations with multiple-day between session durations tend to find improved performance with before-session feedback. This study used a counterbalanced across-subject design …

Clocking Out: Experiences Of Customer Sexual Harassment, Coping, And Psychological Well-Being Among Waitresses, Paola Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Workplace sexual harassment (WSH) is an ongoing issue which has been growing in literature especially when looking at the effects of WSH on employees. Yet, few studies have looked at workplace sexual harassment that occurs from customers towards employees known as customer sexual harassment (CSH). The current study investigates the role of coping strategies as a moderator when responding to CSH and the effects on employees' short- and long-term psychological well-being in terms of anxiety and depression.

Socioeconomic Status Shapes Dyadic Interactions: Examining Behavioral And Physiologic Responses, Jacinth J. X. Tan, Tessa V. West, Wendy B. Mendes

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

With more opportunities for diverse interactions, little is known about how social interactions involving people of different socioeconomic status (SES) may unfold. We investigated social attunement patterns in dyadic interactions involving SES. Unacquainted individuals recruited from the community interacted with similar-or-different-SES partners in the lab (Ndyads = 130). Attunement was assessed throughout the interaction by examining physiological linkage—how much a person’s physiological change is predicted by another’s physiological change, over time. Overall, low-SES participants showed stronger physiological linkage—indicating greater attunement—to partners across SES. Participants also appeared more comfortable when interacting with low-SES partners. There were no SES differences in dominance …

Evaluating Preference And Reinforcer Assessments For Distinct Social Interactions, Alecksandra Castaneda

Thesis Projects

The present study evaluated the efficacy of different assessments to assess reinforcer value and order of preference in regard to social interactions. A key component in this study was to expand on forms of social attention that have not typically been assessed, specifically non-physical. The lack of research in this area has led to an extension in understanding the effects of social attention in terms of reinforcement, as well as determining the optimal methods to do so. The researchers conducted a sequence of assessments across participants: concurrent operant reinforcer assessment, social interaction preference assessment, and multiple stimulus without replacement preference …

Evaluating Counseling Skills Through Language Style Matching: A Computer-Aided Text Analysis Of Suicide And General Counseling Transcripts, Chung-Fan Ni, Justin Jacques, Charles Silber, Cass Dykeman

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

This pilot study applies Computer-Aided Text Analysis (CATA) to examine Language Style Matching (LSM) in counseling transcripts, offering a novel metric for counselor education and supervision. Analyzing 50 suicide-focused and 100 general counseling sessions using LIWC-22 software, we found high LSM scores in both contexts (suicide-focused: M = 0.906; general: M = 0.903). Bayesian analysis provided moderate evidence (BF01 = 5.048) in support of the null hypothesis, indicating no significant difference between the two session types. The consistently high LSM suggests counselors effectively build strong alliances and align with client goals across topics. LSM analysis provides an objective measure of …

How Do People Discern Authenticity From Emotional Expressions, Sewon Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional authenticity is a crucial element in the development and progression of social relationships. However, limited research has comprehensively examined how emotional authenticity perception is shaped by different communication channels, visual attention, and individual differences. This thesis aimed to investigate the emotional authenticity perception from multiple perspectives, including the feasibility of authenticity manipulation, the influence of multimodal cues, and visual attention allocation in assessing authenticity from facial expressions. Findings demonstrated that authenticity could be successfully manipulated by both professional and non-professional actors. Participants differentiated both authenticity and emotion most accurately in audiovisual expressions. The audio channel played an important role …

Stimulation Of The Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Induces Long-Lasting Avoidance Behavior, Jacob Ryan Watson

Theses and Dissertations

The role of midbrain dopamine (DA) activity in reward seeking and reinforcement learning is well-documented, contrasting the lesser-understood impact of inhibitory signaling on DAergic activity, especially in the context of aversive learning and avoidance. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a GABAergic midbrain structure activated by aversive stimuli and exerts inhibitory influence over ventral tegmental area (VTA) DAergic activity in response to aversive consequences. Stimulation of the RMTg decreases the firing rate of VTA DA neurons and direct inhibition of the RMTg – VTA circuit enhances persistent reward seeking despite aversive consequences, a major criterion of substance use disorder (SUD). …

Exploring The Potential Of Large Language Models (Llms) To Simulate Social Group Dynamics: A Case Study Using The Board Game "Secret Hitler", Kaj Hansteen Izora, Christof Teuscher

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

This study explores the capacity of large language model-powered agents to simulate human-like behavior in multi-agent social systems. Using Secret Hitler — a hidden-role board game centered on trust, deception, and strategic communication — we evaluate how LLM agents navigate dynamic group interactions. Our findings show that agents exhibit human-like behaviors, including strategic temporal adaptation, contextual reasoning, and complex social cognition such as theory of mind and implicit coordination. Notably, 85% of agent decisions factored in at least two other players’ mental states, highlighting their capacity for multi-agent mental state inference. However, they struggled with key aspects of human gameplay, …

Emotional Eating Behaviors And Parental Feeding Practices In Three-Year-Old Children And Their Association With Body Composition One Year Later, Keely Wright, Kenia Rivera, Elysia Poggi Davis

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Emotional eating – eating in response to negative emotions regardless of hunger – is an obesogenic trait that often develops in childhood and remains a habit through adulthood. Greater emotional eating is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) in 7-12-year-old children (Webber et al., 2009). However, few studies have examined the relations between emotional eating and weight gain in preschool-aged children. Moreover, there is limited research on parental feeding practices and weight gain in preschool-aged children. The current work investigated the association of emotional eating behaviors during an emotional eating task in three-year-old children with change in …

An Evaluation Of The Role Of Conditional And Unconditional Probabilities In A Precursor Functional Analysis, Cassie Ross

Masters Theses

Functional analysis assessments are extremely useful tools in determining the function of challenging behavior and designing behavior intervention plans (Iwata et al. 1982/1994), but in the case of severe challenging behavior, can be dangerous to the individual or assessor. Precursor functional analyses place the contingencies onto a precursor to the severe challenging behavior and have been shown to be an effective assessment with high correspondence to a traditional functional analyses (Rahaman et al. 2024). This study utilized a probability analysis to identify precursor behaviors and assess the time required to identify precursors. We used a modified Functional Assessment Interview to …

Misinformation Mayhem: The Effects Of Tiktok Content On Adhd Knowledge, Stigma, And Treatment-Seeking Intentions, Ashley Schiros, Nicholas Bowman, Kevin Antshel

Media Studies - All Scholarship

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) content on TikTok is popular among college students, yet ADHD misinformation is prevalent on TikTok. This study aims to experimentally investigate the effects of TikTok ADHD misinformation content on ADHD knowledge, stigma, and treatment-seeking intentions. An experimental design assessed the impact of ADHD (mis)information among treatment-naïve college students. A pilot phase was completed to develop TikTok stimuli, using a systematic content analysis, and provide initial evidence of feasibility. In the main study, participants (N = 490) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (accurate ADHD information, ADHD misinformation, control) to view TikTok content. A …