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Articles 1201 - 1230 of 1681

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Multiple Sclerosis And Brain Waves: Degree Of Impact, Tyler Nickle, Dr. Ramona Hopkins Jun 2013

Multiple Sclerosis And Brain Waves: Degree Of Impact, Tyler Nickle, Dr. Ramona Hopkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Studies show that 40-70% of individuals with MS have cognitive impairments in memory, executive functioning, attention, and processing speed (Rogers and Panegyres, 2007). Quantitative Electroencephalographic peak alpha frequency (PAF) is used to measure physiological markers of cognitive performance between healthy and clinical individuals. High peak alpha frequency is a measurement of spectral density within 8-12 Hz and has been associated with cognitive preparedness and may be an indicator of cognitive functioning (Angelakis and Lubar, 2004). This project attempts to describe the relationship between Quantitative Electroencephalographic (qEEG) peak alpha, …

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Predicting Alcoholism Through Individual Temperament, Bobbi Padro, Dr. James Higley Jun 2013

Predicting Alcoholism Through Individual Temperament, Bobbi Padro, Dr. James Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to determine a correlation between the temperament of rhesus macaques and the amount of alcohol they consume. This project looked specifically at 16 juvenile rhesus macaques. Each juvenile had been tested to determine its temperament through the Biobehavioral Assessment (BBA) at the University of California Davis collected by Dr. John Captianio. The BBA data is collected while subjects are infants. Half of the monkeys tested were determined to have high anxiety and the other half low anxiety. Determining whether a correlation exists between temperament and alcohol consumption can help intervention programs and preventative programs …

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A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Treatment Experience Of Adolescent Females In A Relationally Based Therapeutic Boarding School, Douglas S. Marchant Jun 2013

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Treatment Experience Of Adolescent Females In A Relationally Based Therapeutic Boarding School, Douglas S. Marchant

Theses and Dissertations

Individualism, the assumption that persons are self-contained and primarily act for the sake of the self, is prevalent in American culture and has arguably perpetuated numerous psychological and societal ills. Relationality, the assumption that persons are always and inextricably constituted by relationships, has been posited as a philosophical and practical alternative to individualist culture. Several scholars, both inside and outside of psychology, have developed relational concepts and practices, including some who have elucidated a relational approach to psychotherapy (e.g., Slife and Wiggins, 2009). This study examines the implications and effects of this therapeutic approach, particularly exploring relationality's therapeutic success in …

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Behavioral Analysis Of Anxiety In Autism, Megan Christensen, Dr. Mikle South Jun 2013

Behavioral Analysis Of Anxiety In Autism, Megan Christensen, Dr. Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication. Anxiety is also an extremely common feature with approximately 81% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder also qualified for at least one other anxiety disorder (Amaral et al., 2003). Amaral et al. (2003) have shown that monkeys with bilateral amygdala damage lack of fear in typically threatening social situations. Blanchard et al. (2001) have shown that humans react to hypothetical fearful scenarios in much the same way that rats do in actual threatening situations, i.e. “freezing” or run away depending on the level of danger.

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Does Marriage Therapy Improve Health?, David Marsh, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad Jun 2013

Does Marriage Therapy Improve Health?, David Marsh, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of marital quality on certain cardiovascular health risks, including diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Relationships, including that of marriage, have long since been known to correlate with these physiological markers (Wickrama, 1997). Our study, however, is different, as it is the first study to include a marriage therapy intervention. This type of study carries with it more weight than just a correlation study, but obviously brings with it more difficulty. We are in the final stages of gathering data. We have studied more than 210 participants and anticipate being …

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Concepts Of Divine Action For A Theistic Approach To Psychology, Brent S. Melling Jun 2013

Concepts Of Divine Action For A Theistic Approach To Psychology, Brent S. Melling

Theses and Dissertations

Recent years have seen increased interest in using theism (the perspective that assumes that God is currently actively in the world) as a conceptual framework for scientific inquiry. This interest has built particular momentum in psychology where several scholars have expressed that traditional naturalistic approaches limit understanding and investigation of psychology's subject matter and thus are insufficient to fully account for human phenomena. Others have previously made the case for the consideration of theism as a legitimate alternative basis for psychological theory, research, and practice. This dissertation begins with that consideration and examines what would be required to move a …

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Genetic And Neurophysiology Correlates In Autism, Nathan Jamison, Dr. Mikle South Jun 2013

Genetic And Neurophysiology Correlates In Autism, Nathan Jamison, Dr. Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My ORCA research project was presented as a poster at the annual International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR) in San Diego on May, 2011, under the name, “Candidate Gene Associations with Performance Monitoring of Others in Autism.” I am currently working with my mentor, Mikle South, to determine the feasibility of publishing this work in a scientific journal. The remainder of this report is taken largely from the poster presented at IMFAR.

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Effects Of Vta Gaba Lesions On Intracranial Self-Stimulation, David Hedges, Dr. Scott Steffensen Jun 2013

Effects Of Vta Gaba Lesions On Intracranial Self-Stimulation, David Hedges, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my ORCA research was to better understand the neural circuitry behind addiction. It is well known that the mesocorticolimbic pathway in the brain is involved with addictions. This pathway consists of dopaminergic neurons originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) through the median forebrain bundle (MFB) and the internal capsule (IC). The firing of these dopamine neurons is in part regulated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in the VTA. It was on this specific GABA population that my research was focused. It was my hypothesis that animals treated with Dermorphin saporin …

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Dentate Gyrus Volume And Memory Strength In Older Adults, J. Andrew Hartshorn, Dr. Brock Kirwan Jun 2013

Dentate Gyrus Volume And Memory Strength In Older Adults, J. Andrew Hartshorn, Dr. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I began work in the BYU Memory and Cognition Lab in the fall of 2009. Under the direction of Dr. Kirwan I was fortunate enough to be involved in a variety of projects using different testing methodologies. My first project examined the ability of people to distinguish between similar memories (pattern separation). A subsequent study utilized EEG tests to determine subjects’ abilities to rate the confidence of their memories of presented words.

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Effects Of Acute And Chronic Ethanol On Gaba Inhibition Of Vta Gaba Neurons, Brett Larsen, Dr. Scott Steffensen Jun 2013

Effects Of Acute And Chronic Ethanol On Gaba Inhibition Of Vta Gaba Neurons, Brett Larsen, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol addiction is becoming increasingly prevalent in our world today, but the mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction are unknown. We do know; however, that the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) of the brain are specifically involved in addiction. These GABA neurons have a constant inhibition from other cells in the brain, and it is this inhibition that I am specifically studying. The term used to represent the inhibition from other cells is spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs). By looking at the sIPSCs on a VTA GABA neuron in response to alcohol administration, I was able discover …

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The Effects Of Apathy And Psychomotor Slowing On Performance Monitoring In Depression, Ann Clawson, Dr. Michael Larson Jun 2013

The Effects Of Apathy And Psychomotor Slowing On Performance Monitoring In Depression, Ann Clawson, Dr. Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a complex mood disorder characterized by negative affect, psychomotor slowing, heightened levels of apathy, and a variety of cognitive deficits (Austin, Mitchell, & Goodwin, 2001). These characteristic symptoms putatively reflect underlying neurological irregularities, such as aberrant connectivity and decreased blood flow to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and prefrontal cortex—areas involved in cognitive control. Specifically, these areas regulate performance monitoring, part of the cognitive control process used to detect errors and adjust performance (Taylor, Stern, & Gehring, 2007; Videbech, 2000). Psychomotor retardation and increased levels of apathy may alter motivation to monitor and correct errors, …

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Effects Of Ethanol On Gaba Neuron Activity In The Ventral Tegmental Area Of Mice: Role Of Gaba(A) Receptor, Robert Cohoon, Dr. Scott Steffensen Jun 2013

Effects Of Ethanol On Gaba Neuron Activity In The Ventral Tegmental Area Of Mice: Role Of Gaba(A) Receptor, Robert Cohoon, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The rationale for this study was predicated on the belief that advancement in the understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying the recreational use and abuse potential of drugs will pave the way for more effective treatment strategies that would save lives and resources throughout the world.

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Biological Markers Of Cognition And Error-Detection, Nicholas Edwards, Dawson Hedges Jun 2013

Biological Markers Of Cognition And Error-Detection, Nicholas Edwards, Dawson Hedges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my project was to find factors that might be predictive of cognitive deficits in a college age group of people. After discussing the topic with my mentor, Dawson Hedges, we chose a few broad categories, including family health history, demographics, education, and psychological history. Once we had decided upon these topics, I began looking through the literature to see what questions people had already asked.

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Client Experiencing In Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Eating Disorders, James William Vandyke Jun 2013

Client Experiencing In Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Eating Disorders, James William Vandyke

Theses and Dissertations

Depth of client experiencing has been associated with positive therapeutic outcomes across theoretical orientations. Experiencing describes a particular mode of cognitive-affective processing in which clients use internal felt experience as the basis for self-examination and the resolution of personally significant issues. Given evidence that eating disorders are associated with particular disruptions of cognitive-affective processing, it is likely that experiencing plays a role in the successful treatment of eating pathology. However, no study to date has examined the relationship between experiencing and outcome in eating disorder treatment. The purposes of the current study were to examine depth of client experiencing during …

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Brain Structures Associated With Temperament And Social Behavior In Rhesus Monkeys: An Mri Study, Andrew C. Chaffin Jun 2013

Brain Structures Associated With Temperament And Social Behavior In Rhesus Monkeys: An Mri Study, Andrew C. Chaffin

Theses and Dissertations

Temperament is thought to be the foundation for normative personality and subsequent behaviors later in life. To assess the relationship of early temperament with variation in structural brain development, this study examined rhesus macaque mother-infant behavior, and then three years later, used MRI to assess neurostructural differences. Individual differences in mother-infant interactions and emotionality were then linked to brain differences. Extensive behavioral data obtained over the first year of life under both resting and stressful conditions was used to assess the quality of mother-infant interactions and emotionality. The MRI focused on brain volume in areas thought to be related to …

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Role Of Gap Junctions In Seizures, Samuel Shin, Dr. Scott Steffensen Jun 2013

Role Of Gap Junctions In Seizures, Samuel Shin, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Seizures are a disease that inflict millions with no reliable treatment or cure. One of the main difficulties behind treating seizures is the uncertainty behind the cause. In previous studies we performed we found that connexin-36 (Cx36) knockout (KO) mice may respond differently to stimuli that illicit seizures. From this we hoped to find evidence that gap junctions, specifically Cx36 in the hippocampus, played a role in seizures.

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Understanding The Nature Of Anxiety In Autism, Sarah White, Dr. Mickle South Jun 2013

Understanding The Nature Of Anxiety In Autism, Sarah White, Dr. Mickle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Anxiety is extremely prevalent in autism, with estimates of the co-occurrence ranging up to 84%. Surprisingly, even though anxiety in autism is implicated in behavioral symptoms ranging from avoiding eye contact with others to always insisting on the same menu for lunch, the majority of research has ignored anxiety as a major contributor to the core symptoms associated with autism. Most research has focused on symptoms of social impairment, but it is now realized that anxiety may be a critical factor in the development of such symptoms.

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Adolescents’ And Parents’ Perceptions Of Religious Pre- And Proscriptions, Ryan Woodbury, Dr. Sam Hardy Jun 2013

Adolescents’ And Parents’ Perceptions Of Religious Pre- And Proscriptions, Ryan Woodbury, Dr. Sam Hardy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As mentioned in my proposal, we sought to understand adolescents’ and parents’ perceptions of religious norms and how those norms predicted adolescents’ positive and negative behaviors. We asked six questions to help guide our research:

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Memory Processes In Pregnant Women, Quentin Smith, Dr. Brock Kirwan Jun 2013

Memory Processes In Pregnant Women, Quentin Smith, Dr. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Pregnancy is a complicated biological process that is often accompanied by reported cognitive changes among pregnant women. Pregnant women commonly report diminished cognitive functioning during pregnancy, with “forgetfulness” and “a poor memory” as the most common complaints (Brett & Baxendale, 2001; Crawley, 2002). However, despite these anecdotally reported deficits, the evidence suggesting memory impairments in pregnancy are equivocal. In a recent meta-analysis of 14 studies of memory in pregnancy, it was concluded that pregnancy disrupts some, but not all, memory processes (J. D. Henry & Rendell, 2007). In particular, memory tasks that place high demands on executive cognitive control seem …

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Detection Of Social Threat In Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd), Whitney Worsham, Dr. Michael Larson Jun 2013

Detection Of Social Threat In Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd), Whitney Worsham, Dr. Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this research project was to investigate underlying difficulties with social interaction in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous research has demonstrated that children with ASD are inhibited in processing social cues, including social threat (Krysko & Rutherford, 2009). We hypothesized that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) would demonstrate decreased reaction times and error rates relative to typically-developing children when viewing social threat-related stimuli. We also hypothesized that, when viewing non-social threat-related stimuli with no social context, children with ASD would display intact performance relative to typically developing children. We tested these hypotheses through comparing the …

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Dissociating The Influence Of Associations From That Of Interference In The Human Hippocampus, Rick Stone, Dr. Brock Kirwan Jun 2013

Dissociating The Influence Of Associations From That Of Interference In The Human Hippocampus, Rick Stone, Dr. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project has been worked on for nearly a year and a half. It began because research done by others indicated that there was greater hippocampal activity for an associative memory task than for a non-associative memory task. We believe that the greater hippocampal activity they observed may have been a result of higher interference, rather than higher associativity, so we tried to design an experiment to distinguish between the two.

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Effects Of The Integrated Symple Readers Curriculum On Expressive Vocabulary Acquisition In Elementary Students With Developmental Disabilities, Loralene Edvalson Jun 2013

Effects Of The Integrated Symple Readers Curriculum On Expressive Vocabulary Acquisition In Elementary Students With Developmental Disabilities, Loralene Edvalson

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the emphasis society places on literacy, most students with developmental disabilities remain illiterate. One cause for this illiteracy may be that these students lack foundational language skills that contribute to being able to read. Research has shown that, among other contributions, multiple exposures across time increase students' abilities to acquire knowledge. The Symple Readers integrated curriculum plans for multiple exposures to novel picture vocabulary words by building them into all activities across the students' day and week. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Symple Readers integrated curriculum on expressive vocabulary development. During the …

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Evaluating A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum, Strong Kids, Implemented School-Wide, Thomas Jonathan Kramer Jun 2013

Evaluating A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum, Strong Kids, Implemented School-Wide, Thomas Jonathan Kramer

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to explore whether Strong Kids could result in improved social and emotional competence when implemented as a school-wide universal intervention. No prior studies have examined this question. This study also evaluated whether teachers could implement Strong Kids as it was designed and whether they viewed it as socially valid. It used a non-equivalent control group design. The treatment school in the study involved 348 students and 17 teachers from a Title I school. School demographics indicated that 61% of students were Hispanic, 37% White, and 2% of other ethnicities. Approximately 82% of the students …

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Psychotherapy Outcome For Eating Disorders: A Meta-Analysis, Julia Bryn Hubbard Jun 2013

Psychotherapy Outcome For Eating Disorders: A Meta-Analysis, Julia Bryn Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to summarize psychotherapy outcomes for eating disorders using meta-analysis. Psychotherapy was defined as any psychosocial treatment including face-to-face therapy, self-help, and Internet approaches. All primary studies, meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria from 1980 to 2010, were included. Results suggested that individuals treated with active treatments demonstrate better outcomes than those in control conditions (d= 0.33, p <.01, 95% CI [0.19-0.46]). CBT was the most often occurring treatment in the primary studies and a small effect, favoring CBT, was found when the treatment was compared to all other active treatments (d = 0.16, p = .02, 95% CI [0.03-0.28]). Internet and self-help approaches continue to show promise with Internet treatments demonstrating superior outcomes to control conditions (d = 0.54, p <.01, 95% CI [0.19-0.90]). More research is needed to determine whether these approaches can suffice as stand-alone treatments or if they are best used in addition to already well-established approaches (i.e., individual CBT). The meta-analysis also explored whether treatment type, outcome measure, diagnosis, attrition, and diagnostic severity moderate treatment effect. Finally, the meta-analysis updated and improved upon previous meta-analyses by focusing on randomized controlled trials, including all diagnoses of eating disorder, only combining effect sizes from similar conditions, including all possible studies that meet inclusion criteria, computing and comparing effect sizes for outcome measures beyond those considered primary to eating disorder treatment, and also addressing outcomes for all brands of psychotherapy including traditional talk therapy, self-help, and Internet approaches.

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Adaptation To The U.S. And Religion/Spirituality: Experiences Of Indian International Students, Kirti Potkar Jun 2013

Adaptation To The U.S. And Religion/Spirituality: Experiences Of Indian International Students, Kirti Potkar

Theses and Dissertations

Religion and spirituality are deemed an important aspect of human diversity, found to be important to people, and have significant impact on different aspects of functioning. Given the rising numbers of international students on U.S. campuses, it becomes important to examine how religion/spirituality impacts their sojourn in the U.S. This study explored the religious/spiritual experiences of Indian international students here in the U.S. using a qualitative approach. Thirteen Indian international students pursuing graduate degrees in the U.S. were interviewed. The interviews were then transcribed and analyzed using a synthesis of hermeneutic methods informed by Kvale (1996). The following themes emerged …

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Qeeg Correlates Of Cognitive Deficits In Multiple Sclerosis During Targeted Cognitive Tasks, Robert B. Frost Jun 2013

Qeeg Correlates Of Cognitive Deficits In Multiple Sclerosis During Targeted Cognitive Tasks, Robert B. Frost

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disorder of young adulthood and is often associated with cognitive impairment and emotional dysfunction. Due to the nature of the disease, the cognitive deficits in MS are often variable in their presentation, and consist of deficits in processing speed, attention, working memory, and executive functioning. The purpose of the present study was to explore common methods of documenting MS-related cognitive deficits, to elucidate the relationship between the cognitive deficits seen in MS and physiological markers of cognitive functioning (i.e., quantitative EEG), and to analyze the relationship between cognitive deficits and mood dysfunction …

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Educational Services For Tibetan Students With Disabilities In India: A Case Study, Britany Anne Barnes May 2013

Educational Services For Tibetan Students With Disabilities In India: A Case Study, Britany Anne Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

This case study describes services for students with disabilities at Karuna Home in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India. Karuna Home is a residential rehabilitation center for students with cognitive or physical disabilities whose parents are Tibetan refugees. The study triangulated data from interviews, observations, and school documents to describe educational policies and procedures, and cultural attitudes toward disability. Results show that the Karuna Home program is undergirded by Buddhist thought and theology regarding care and concern for those in difficult circumstances. The school serves students with a range of mild to severe disabilities and is fully staffed, but teachers and other service …

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Error Processing And Naturalistic Actions Following Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel A. Good May 2013

Error Processing And Naturalistic Actions Following Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel A. Good

Theses and Dissertations

Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (M/S TBI) can affect an individual's ability to perform daily tasks. For example, individuals with M/S TBI are more likely to commit errors on tasks such as making a meal or wrapping a present. The neural processes involved in such errors are poorly understood. Studies suggest that neurophysiologic markers of cognitive control and error processing may be helpful in gaining additional insight into errors on naturalistic action tasks. Unfortunately, previous experimental methods left a methodological gap which limited the use of neurophysiological markers in the study of naturalistic action. Several recent studies in healthy adults have …

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Scheduled Healing: The Relationship Between Session Frequency And Psychotherapy Outcome In A Naturalistic Setting, David Mcconkie Erekson May 2013

Scheduled Healing: The Relationship Between Session Frequency And Psychotherapy Outcome In A Naturalistic Setting, David Mcconkie Erekson

Theses and Dissertations

The dose-effect relationship in psychotherapy has been examined extensively, but few studies have included session frequency as a component of psychotherapy "dose." Those studies that have examined the effects of session frequency have indicated that it may affect both the total amount of recovery and the speed of recovery. No studies were found examining the clinical significance of this construct in a naturalistic setting. The change trajectories of 16,003 clients were examined using multi-level modeling and including session frequency as a fixed effect. Of these clients, subgroups were identified that were scheduled approximately once a week or approximately once every …

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The State Of The Research: Meta-Analysis And Conceptual Critique Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Ryan Lance Nelson May 2013

The State Of The Research: Meta-Analysis And Conceptual Critique Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Ryan Lance Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers studying the long-term cognitive sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) have produced disparate results. Some studies have shown little to no long-term cognitive effects while others have shown that persistent cognitive sequelae continue to affect a subgroup of patients. Meta-analysis has been used to try to integrate these contrasting results to foster a coherent understanding of the cognitive outcomes following mTBI. However, previous meta-analyses of long-term cognitive sequelae have used studies from a period of mTBI research where methodological rigor has been called into question (Carroll, Cassidy, Holm, Kraus, & Coronado, 2004). Using studies from this period, meta-analysts …

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