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Articles 991 - 1020 of 1681

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Brainwaves Of Memory: A Study On Memory Discrimination And Memory Generalization, Emily White, Dr. Brock Kirwan Apr 2014

Brainwaves Of Memory: A Study On Memory Discrimination And Memory Generalization, Emily White, Dr. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Memory discrimination requires forming distinct, separate memories and depends on the process of pattern separation. Memory generalization allows you to retrieve previously-stored memories that may be grouped in memory among other, similar events and depends on the process of pattern completion. Interestingly, both of these complementary processes are mediated by the hippocampus. This means that the hippocampus must switch between pattern separation and pattern completion, a process which may be slow enough for us to measure experimentally.

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Comparative Temperament Assessment Between Mother And Infant: A Preliminary Look At Cross-Fostering, Jenna Jackson, Dr. James Dee Higley Apr 2014

Comparative Temperament Assessment Between Mother And Infant: A Preliminary Look At Cross-Fostering, Jenna Jackson, Dr. James Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Environment can shape temperament, although temperament is thought mainly to be biologically inherited. Thus, mothers’ temperament is often similar to the infants’ temperament. Previous studies in rhesus monkeys have shown that infants have a similar temperament to their mothers, and that there is a potential genetic influence.1 In fact, the rh5-HTTLPR (serotonin transporter gene) and the rh-MAOA-LPR gene have been linked to affecting temperament, interacting between the mothers and infants. However, only male infants exhibit this effect; female infants’ temperament was not correlated with their mothers’ temperament.

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Inheritance Of Social Dominance In Rhesus Macaques, Mason Bennett, Dr. James Dee Higley Apr 2014

Inheritance Of Social Dominance In Rhesus Macaques, Mason Bennett, Dr. James Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many species of primates have complex social systems and hierarchies. These social structures help in forming an identity and establishing a place in the world. Depending on one’s ranking in the social hierarchy there may be physiological, psychological, and emotional consequences. A primate with low rank may suffer greater stress, have less access to resources or social support, and have a higher chance of mortality (Sapolsky, 2004).

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“Take Heed With What Measure Ye Mete” Do Current Outcomes Of Religious Scholarship Reflect The Actual Impact Of Religion?, Justin Christensen, Dr. Sam Hardy Apr 2014

“Take Heed With What Measure Ye Mete” Do Current Outcomes Of Religious Scholarship Reflect The Actual Impact Of Religion?, Justin Christensen, Dr. Sam Hardy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Scholarly research on religion reports many outcomes of religious involvement such as better physical and mental health, fewer risk-taking behaviors, and greater involvement in moral or pro-social actions (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009; Cotton, McGrady, & Rosenthal, 2010). These outcomes represent a small fraction of the total possible outcomes of religious involvement, and while they do exist, little evidence has been given to show that religious adherents identify these outcomes as being the most salient outcomes for them. Therefore, our purpose in conducting this study was two-fold: 1) Allow religious adherents to report on the outcomes that they have noticed …

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Effects Of Locus Of Control On The Neural Mechanism Of Error Processing, Kaylie Carbine, Dr. Michael Larson Apr 2014

Effects Of Locus Of Control On The Neural Mechanism Of Error Processing, Kaylie Carbine, Dr. Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Performance monitoring is the ability to assess behavior and make necessary adjustments (Ullsperger & von Cramon, 2001). Performance monitoring can be examined through event-related potentials (ERPs), which are indicators of the brain’s electrical activity in response to a specific stimulus (Luck, 2005). One specific ERP is the error-related negativity (ERN), which is a negative peak that occurs 50 to 100 ms after an erroneous response (Dehaene, Posner, & Tucker, 1994; Gehring, Goss, Coles, Meyer, & Donchin, 1993). Although there are many theories regarding the functional significance of the ERN, it is believed to signal when there is an internal detection …

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The Effect Of Marital Quality On Mortality: A Meta-Analysis, Tyler Harris, Dr. Timothy Smith Apr 2014

The Effect Of Marital Quality On Mortality: A Meta-Analysis, Tyler Harris, Dr. Timothy Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent years divorce, abuse, neglect and other family issues have been on the rise. Many of these problems stem from a poor marital relationship. Elder Christofferson recently taught, “We have much to do to strengthen marriage in societies that increasingly trivialize its importance and purpose” (Christofferson 2012). This study seeks to illustrate the physical and psychological benefits of following this counsel. Studies have indicated that marital status can contribute to a decrease in mortality (Jaffe, 2007). Positive social support has been linked to lower mortality as well (Holt-Lunstad, 2010). It would logically follow that marital quality is also associated …

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A Meta-Analysis Of The Effect Of Marriage On Mortality, Chris Badger, David Stephenson, Dr. Tim Smith Apr 2014

A Meta-Analysis Of The Effect Of Marriage On Mortality, Chris Badger, David Stephenson, Dr. Tim Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Relationships have already been shown to have clear psychological benefits for those involved. (Meyers, 1999) Research has also shown an inverse relationships between the number and quality of relationships and health status. (House 1988, Knox 1998) In addition to health status, an incredible amount of research has examined the relationship between relationships and mortality. Other researchers have attempted to summarize this data in metaanalyses. (HoltLunstad, Smith & Layton 2010, Manzoli 2007) However, past metaanalyses of mortality research have either focused on relationships in general or on a specific subgroup of married people, like the elderly. The current project looked specifically …

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Lingering Effects Of The Apartheid Determining Factors That Mediate The Psychological Implications Of Perceived Racism, Alexandra Knell, Dr. Timothy B. Smith Apr 2014

Lingering Effects Of The Apartheid Determining Factors That Mediate The Psychological Implications Of Perceived Racism, Alexandra Knell, Dr. Timothy B. Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Experiences of racism adversely influence multiple aspects of psychological well-being, and individuals vary in their successful coping to mitigate those consequences. Recent research (van Dyk, 2008) has suggested religiosity and inter-racial forgiveness as two positive ways of coping, and my project will address the following question: “To what degree does forgiveness mediate spirituality and perceived racism separately as a buffer against the adverse effects on personal well-being?” It is my hypothesis that inter-racial forgiveness and spirituality will mediate the association of experiences of racism with psychological well-being of South Africans who report having experienced racism across their lives. Participants were …

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Are Therapists Using Outcome Measures And Does It Matter?A Naturalistic Usage Study, Jared S. Klundt Apr 2014

Are Therapists Using Outcome Measures And Does It Matter?A Naturalistic Usage Study, Jared S. Klundt

Theses and Dissertations

Outcome measurement has been demonstrated to be beneficial when used as a routine part of psychological practice (Lambert et al., 2002), improving both treatment time and outcome of patients, and helping therapists determine which of their patients are not responding to their current treatments (Hannan et al., 2005; Whipple et al., 2003). Despite these proven benefits, many therapists are reluctant to implement and use outcome measures in their routine practice (Hatfield & Ogles, 2007). In addition, the research demonstrating the benefits of these outcome measures has used randomized experimental design to examine the effects of outcome feedback to therapists. The …

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Perspective Taking In Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analysis Of Neural Correlates And The Role Of Empathy, Whitney Worsham, Dr. Michael Larson, Dr. Mikle South Apr 2014

Perspective Taking In Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analysis Of Neural Correlates And The Role Of Empathy, Whitney Worsham, Dr. Michael Larson, Dr. Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this research project was to test the hypothesis that, when seeing individuals in distress, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) displayed decreased neural activity and empathy towards others relative to typically developing children when seeing individuals in distress. In order to test this hypothesis, we utilized electroencephalogram (EEG) and eventrelated potentials (ERP) to measure the electrical activity of the brain while showing pictures of individuals in distress to children diagnosed with ASD and a sample of healthy children.

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The Predictive Capabilities Of Ketamine Sensitivity For Future Alcohol Consumption, Andrea Sorenson, Dr. J. Dee Higley Apr 2014

The Predictive Capabilities Of Ketamine Sensitivity For Future Alcohol Consumption, Andrea Sorenson, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol is one of the most abused drugs in the United States; with a large number of adolescents having used alcohol. A substantive portion of those adolescents (15%, about 7% females and 20% of males) will go on to become addicted to alcohol. Because alcoholism is such a large issue it is imperative that research is done to find a predictive measure for alcoholism (Kessler et al, 1994). This study proposed looking at the relationship alcohol drinking patterns and responses to the anesthetic ketamine in adolescent rhesus macaque monkeys. If there is a relationship between ketamine and alcohol consumption this …

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Electroencephalography Analysis Of Cognition In Multiple Sclerosis, James Price, Dr. Ramona Hopkins Apr 2014

Electroencephalography Analysis Of Cognition In Multiple Sclerosis, James Price, Dr. Ramona Hopkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is believed to be caused by an abnormal autoimmune response to cells in the brain responsible for insulating and supporting neuronal cells. The initial focal site of injury is the myelin sheath surrounding neuronal axons, which can lead to neuron damage through axonal dysfunction and destruction (Lassmann 2008). This damage presents a variety of symptoms. Common symptoms contain components of cognitive, motor, and emotional impairments. Studies indicate that 40-70% of individuals with MS have cognitive impairments including deficits in memory, processing speed, attention, and executive functioning (Rogers …

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Association Between Heavy-Metal Exposure And The Digit-Symbol Substitution Test In Us Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Parker Woody, Dawson Hedges Apr 2014

Association Between Heavy-Metal Exposure And The Digit-Symbol Substitution Test In Us Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Parker Woody, Dawson Hedges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Heavy metals in the environment are a serious concern. One of the most widely known and studied neurotoxins is lead. For many years it was put into gasoline and paint in the US until it was discovered that it lead to developmental defects and affected cognitive functioning. There is a concern that other heavy metals could have adverse effects as well. Much research has focused on exposure to heavy metals in those exposed to abnormally high levels, such as those found in occupational exposures. Very little has been done examining heavy metal levels in the body such as those that …

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Word Quality And Memory, Marshall Roedel, Dr. C. Brock Kirwan Apr 2014

Word Quality And Memory, Marshall Roedel, Dr. C. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Current memory theory suggests that two separate processes contribute to recognition memory. Recollection is when recognition is accompanied by contextual information regarding the encoding event. Familiarity is when recognition is only a companied by a vague sense of having encountered something previously.

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A Meta-Analytic Evaluation Of The Ern As A Biological Marker Of Depression And Anxiety, David Rackham, Dr. Michael Larson Apr 2014

A Meta-Analytic Evaluation Of The Ern As A Biological Marker Of Depression And Anxiety, David Rackham, Dr. Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Anxiety and depression disorders have a high rate of prevalence in the adult U.S. population (anxiety 18.1%; depression 9.5%; “Mental Disorders,” 2010). Indeed, it is estimated that by the year 2020 depression will be the second most prevalent health concern worldwide for all ages and both sexes (“Depression,” n.d., para. 2). Many disciplines are seeking effective treatment options, as well as exploring potential preventative solutions for these disorders. One such preventative possibility is the elucidation of endophenotypes, which are unobservable characteristics that are linked with a behavior known to be a phenotype of the disorder. Research on the etiology of …

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Melioration And The Behavioral Addiction Process, Joshua Kirton, Dr. Timothy Smith Mar 2014

Melioration And The Behavioral Addiction Process, Joshua Kirton, Dr. Timothy Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project was undertaken to evaluate how melioration explain behavior addiction more robustly than more conventional models such as maximization. Suboptimal behavior, including addiction, can be conceptualized as the consequence of a decision strategy called melioration that is utilized in choice situations in which the value of an alternative is affected by the rate of its availability (Hernstein & Vaughan 1980; Lowenstein & Elster, 1992). The higher the rate of availability of an alternative, the lower the overall value. Melioration can result in negative consequences that are not recognized by the individual until their cumulative negative effect becomes unavoidable (Bickel …

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Reporting Bullying In Middle Schools: Are Students Willing To Use A Website?, Erin Anderson, Dr. Betty Y. Ashbaker Mar 2014

Reporting Bullying In Middle Schools: Are Students Willing To Use A Website?, Erin Anderson, Dr. Betty Y. Ashbaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Negative incidents occur in schools every day, many of which go unnoticed by the schools administration and staff. While many teachers and administrators are oblivious to the negative incidents, such as bullying, students are very aware of the bullying and other negative incidents that occur at their school. This is SchoolTipline’s third year and the purpose of this study was to identify any changes in students responses to a questionnaire regarding their willingness to use a website to report negative school incidences, focusing on bullying. As well as to identify gender differences, or similarities that were expressed from the data.

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Advanced Learners Project: Strategies Professors Use To Read Their Academic Texts, Jordan Gilbert, Dr. Marné Isakson Mar 2014

Advanced Learners Project: Strategies Professors Use To Read Their Academic Texts, Jordan Gilbert, Dr. Marné Isakson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Transitioning from high school to college is a challenging task. The rigorous demands of college are far more than most students have met in K-12. College students often find themselves overwhelmed as shown by data from the BYU Counseling and Career Center indicating that among the top stressors are the heavy academic demands. To help students learn to read challenging academic texts well, a course has been created, Student Development 270. But what should students be learning in such a course? The purpose of this ORCA study is to research how accomplished learners study their texts so we can identify …

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The Relative Importance Of Parenthood On Parental Daytime Ambulatory Blood Pressure And Average Daily Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Wendy Birmingham, Adam Howard, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad Mar 2014

The Relative Importance Of Parenthood On Parental Daytime Ambulatory Blood Pressure And Average Daily Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Wendy Birmingham, Adam Howard, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Epidemiological research indicates that both the quality and quantity of social relationships significantly protects individuals from various causes of morbidity and mortality. For most adults, marriage and children play a central role in their social lives. Social relationships have been reliably associated with important long-term health outcomes including coronary heart disease (CHD). One pathway by which social relationships may influence health is via ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) during daily life. Research examining marriage alone has found that married individuals fare better psychologically and physiologically; additionally, research including children as a variable has shown that children have an impact on the …

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The Self-Report Version Of The Youth Outcome Questionnaire: Normative Data, Paul M. Rose, Dr. M. Gawwain Wells Mar 2014

The Self-Report Version Of The Youth Outcome Questionnaire: Normative Data, Paul M. Rose, Dr. M. Gawwain Wells

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction In the wake of increasing interest and demand from mental health care providers for sophisticated youth outcome measures, Burlingame, Wells and Lambert constructed the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ) in 1996 (1). To fill the need for an adolescent self-report version of the YOQ, Burlingame, Wells, and Lambert later developed the adolescent self-report version of the YOQ (YOQ2SR) (2). Before the YOQ2SR can be used in mental health practice, normative data must be collected from adolescents who are not in treatment. The present study provided this data.

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The Effects Of Peer Tutoring On Junior High General Education Students' Attitudes Toward Students With Severe Disabilities, Amanda Kim Hunsaker Mar 2014

The Effects Of Peer Tutoring On Junior High General Education Students' Attitudes Toward Students With Severe Disabilities, Amanda Kim Hunsaker

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if and how the perceptions of general education students toward their peers with severe disabilities changes when they participate in a peer tutoring program. The study was conducted in a suburban/rural district in Utah and included 102 participants in treatment and control groups over three junior high schools. The data found mixed results. One of the three schools had a significant difference in the attitudes of the treatment group after being part of a peer tutoring program. The study shows that being part of a peer tutoring program can have a …

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Physiological Stress Responsiveness And Outcome In Psychotherapy, Dr. Patrick Steffen Feb 2014

Physiological Stress Responsiveness And Outcome In Psychotherapy, Dr. Patrick Steffen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Research conducted by Michael Lambert et al. has found that a substantial minority of psychotherapy clients (about 10%) get worse over the course of therapy. They call these clients ‘red responders’ because they are of particular concern for the therapists and require additional focused treatment. Interestingly, at the other end of the spectrum, Lambert et al. note that there are ‘blue responders,’ clients that not only respond very well to therapy but also respond very quickly (within a few sessions) and also do very well over time. There are no studies to date that have determined what predicts who will …

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The Study Of Inflexibility In Autism: Training Students For Translational Neuroscience, Mikle South Feb 2014

The Study Of Inflexibility In Autism: Training Students For Translational Neuroscience, Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This grant was intended to train undergraduate students from psychology and life sciences in preparation for advanced study related to translational neuroscience, i.e. the application of basic research to clinically-­‐useful objectives. Specifically we conducted studies of anxiety in autism including studies of emotion influences on learning and decision making.

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Project Title: The Cognitive Neuroscience Of Long-Term Memory, C. Brock Kirwan Feb 2014

Project Title: The Cognitive Neuroscience Of Long-Term Memory, C. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Memory is an essential cognitive ability. It allows us to use past events to guide future actions. Research in my laboratory focuses on determining the mechanics of how the brain remembers what it does. We are interested in determining what will be remembered and what will be forgotten. Specifically, my research focuses on one aspect of memory encoding that allows us to form distinct memory representations for stimuli and events that are very similar. For example, the location where you parked your car this morning is probably very similar to the location where you parked your car many times before. …

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Attracting Female Students To Science: An Interdisciplinary Stress-Psychobiology Mentored Experience, Michael Larson Feb 2014

Attracting Female Students To Science: An Interdisciplinary Stress-Psychobiology Mentored Experience, Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Women have made considerable progress in education and the workplace; however, progress in science and technology fields continues to lag behind. Females remain underrepresented in science majors at the university level and, subsequently, represent less than a quarter of full professors in scientific fields. Increasing female representation in science is considered a national priority. Studies indicate women who receive a mentored scientific experience are more likely to choose careers in science and research than peers who are not exposed to scientific research in a mentored environment. Thus, our grant focused on attracting female students to the academic and scientific environment …

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Non-Invasive Treatment For Drug Addiction, Scott C. Steffensen Feb 2014

Non-Invasive Treatment For Drug Addiction, Scott C. Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The primary objective of this MEG project was to develop a non-invasive treatment for drug addiction. It was the first aim of this study to determine, in controlled experiments in rodents, the efficacy of brain electrical or light stimulation to produce long-term enhancement of dopamine (DA) release. Then, second, in a known human model of transient DA deficiency in drug-free subjects, which we already have recent experience, we will evaluate the effects of this stimulation to ameliorate the physiological and cognitive deficits that we have seen. When an addict refrains from their addictive behavior DA levels fall in the mesolimbic …

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The Patterns Of Feeding And Drinking Behavior After Intraventricular Administration Of Orexigenic Compounds To Rats, Lauro Alejandro De Santiago, Dr. Gregory N. Ervin Feb 2014

The Patterns Of Feeding And Drinking Behavior After Intraventricular Administration Of Orexigenic Compounds To Rats, Lauro Alejandro De Santiago, Dr. Gregory N. Ervin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The effects of injections of some compounds on feeding behavior have been studied thoroughly in rats. However, the simultaneous pattern of feeding and drinking after the injection of either anorexic (feeding suppressor) or orexigenic (feeding inducer) compounds have been observed only infrequently or not at all. Only the feeding effects of a few compounds, like Neuropeptide Y (an orexigenic compound), have been studied in conjunction with drinking behavior. Observing the patterns of drinking and feeding behavior is important because it can provide valuable neuropharmacological and psychobiological information about the mechanisms that mediate the anorexic and orexigenic effects of these compounds. …

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Educational Technology: Evaluation Of An Interactive Cd-Rom For Teaching And Learning Organic Reactions, Loranna K. Kitchen, Dr. Edward E. Green Feb 2014

Educational Technology: Evaluation Of An Interactive Cd-Rom For Teaching And Learning Organic Reactions, Loranna K. Kitchen, Dr. Edward E. Green

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Advances in computer technology have affected many parts of our lives. The field of education is no exception. Increasingly, technology is used in schools to enhance students’ learning. Computer based learning programs offer students an opportunity for self-directed study to complement the instruction they receive in class. Teachers may also use educational technology in the classroom to more effectively teach students who respond to a wide variety of learning styles. With so many products on the market, both teachers and students need to know how to decide which products can help them in their teaching and learning. They must then …

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Group Therapy Experience As A Factor In The Outcome Of Severely Mentally Ill Patients, Jennifer R. Ellsworth, Dr. Gary M. Burlingame Feb 2014

Group Therapy Experience As A Factor In The Outcome Of Severely Mentally Ill Patients, Jennifer R. Ellsworth, Dr. Gary M. Burlingame

Journal of Undergraduate Research

An interdisciplinary team of academicians from Brigham Young University’s Comprehensive Clinic initially developed a collaborative relationship with the Utah State Hospital for the purpose of improving the hospital’s group therapy program through staff group skills training and improving the hospital’s outcomes tracking system. They chose six instruments (three of which were currently in use at the hospital) to measure the impact of the staff skills enhancement program and to track patient outcome.

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Effectiveness Of Massage Therapy For Clients Who Are Receiving Psychotherapy For Distress, Collin R. Payne, Dr. Bruce Carpenter Feb 2014

Effectiveness Of Massage Therapy For Clients Who Are Receiving Psychotherapy For Distress, Collin R. Payne, Dr. Bruce Carpenter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Current research shows that touch stimulation can positively affect physiological, behavioral, and social development (1). Because of this research, health care professionals regard touch as vitally important in interactions and healing (2). In view of the benefits of touch on anxiety and recovery, therapeutic massage is gradually becoming a recognized health care profession (3).

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