Psychology Commons^™

Central And Peripheral Contributions To Dynamic Changes In Nucleus Accumbens Glucose Induced By Intravenous Cocaine, Ken Wakabayashi, Eugene A. Kiyatkin

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The pattern of neural, physiological and behavioral effects induced by cocaine is consistent with metabolic neural activation, yet direct attempts to evaluate central metabolic effects of this drug have produced controversial results. Here, we used enzyme-based glucose sensors coupled with high-speed amperometry in freely moving rats to examine how intravenous cocaine at a behaviorally active dose affects extracellular glucose levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a critical structure within the motivation-reinforcement circuit. In drug-naive rats, cocaine induced a bimodal increase in glucose, with the first, ultra-fast phasic rise appearing during the injection (latency 6–8s; ∼50μM or ∼5% of baseline) followed …

Early Contexts Of Learning: Family And Community Socialization During Infancy And Toddlerhood, Carolyn P. Edwards, Lixin Ren, Jill Brown

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The contexts of early learning and socialization are diverse and complex but not without some predictability. The tension between predictability and variation fascinates researchers interested in childhood and culture and motivates careful exploration of different developmental niches to better understand socialization during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Contexts of early socialization vary in the people and activities present, and the beliefs and norms of caregivers and daily companions. The chapter utilizes anthropological constructs (household structure and composition, settlement patterns and subsistence level, mothers’ workload, gender division of labor, intimacy levels between husbands and wives, and cultural roles and norms pertaining …

Expanding Mental Health Consultation In Early Head Start: Recommendations For Supporting Home Visitors In Increasing Parental Engagement, Samantha L. Pittenger, Tori R. Van Dyk, Alayna Schreier, Michelle Haikalis, Mary F. Flood, David J. Hansen

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Early Head Start strongly emphasizes the importance of intervening with the entire family to promote healthy child development. Parents, in particular, are recognized as their child’s most important teacher. While Early Head Start performance standards currently mandate mental health consultation to identify and intervene with child mental health problems, there is little direct focus on the role of consultation in managing parental mental health concerns. This is problematic given that a wide body of literature outlines the impact of parental mental health on engagement in home-based programs such as Early Head Start. Investigations within the home visiting field have also …

The Effects Of Social Anxiety And State Anxiety On Visual Attention: Testing The Vigilance–Avoidance Hypothesis, J. Suzanne Singh, Michelle C. Capozzoli, Michael Dodd, Debra Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A growing theoretical and research literature suggests that trait and state social anxiety can predict attentional patterns in the presence of emotional stimuli. The current study adds to this literature by examining the effects of state anxiety on visual attention and testing the vigilance– avoidance hypothesis, using a method of continuous visual attentional assessment. Participants were 91 undergraduate college students with high or low trait fear of negative evaluation (FNE), a core aspect of social anxiety, who were randomly assigned to either a high or low state anxiety condition. Participants engaged in a free view task in which pairs of …

The Impact Of Ethnicity, Immigration Status, And Socioeconomic Status On Juror Decision Making, Russ K.E. Espinoza, Cynthia Willis-Esqueda, Suzette Toascano, Jennifer Coons

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research was to examine how ethnicity, immigration status, and socioeconomic status (SES) may contribute to juror bias. A total of 320 Euro-American venire persons were as- signed to 1 of 8 criminal court trial transcript conditions that varied defendant ethnicity (Mexican or Canadian), immigrant status (undocumented or documented), and SES (low or high). Dependent measures were verdict, sentencing, culpability, and trait attributions. Results indicated that the low-SES undocumented Mexican defendant was found guilty more often, given a more severe sentence, thought to be more culpable, and rated lower on a number of trait measures compared with …

Examining The Reinforcement-Enhancement Effects Of Phencyclidine And Its Interactions With Nicotine On Lever-Pressing For A Visual Stimulus, Natashia Swalve, Scott T. Barrett, Rick A. Bevins, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Nicotine is a widely-abused drug, yet its primary reinforcing effect does not seem potent as other stimulants such as cocaine. Recent research on the contributing factors toward chronic use of nicotine-containing products has implicated the role of reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine. The present study investigates whether phencyclidine (PCP) may also possess a reinforcement-enhancement effect and how this may interact with the reinforcement-enhancement effect of nicotine. PCP was tested for two reasons: 1) it produces discrepant results on overall reward, similar to that seen with nicotine and 2) it may elucidate how other compounds may interact with the reinforcement-enhancement of nicotine. …

Adolescent Olanzapine Sensitization Is Correlated With Hippocampal Stem Cell Proliferation In A Maternal Immune Activation Rat Model Of Schizophrenia, Shinnyi Chou, Sean Jones, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous work established that repeated olanzapine (OLZ) administration in normal adolescent rats induces a sensitization effect (i.e. increased behavioral responsiveness to drug re-exposure) in the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) model. However, it is unclear whether the same phenomenon can be detected in animal models of schizophrenia. The present study explored the generalizability of OLZ sensitization from healthy animals to a preclinical neuroinflammatory model of schizophrenia in the CAR. Maternal immune activation (MIA) was induced via polyinosinic:polycytidilic acid (PolyI:C) administration into pregnant dams. Behavioral assessments of offspring first identified decreased maternal separation-induced pup ultrasonic vocalizations and increased amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion in animals …

The Educational Potential Of Alcohol-Related Flushing Among Chinese Young People, Ian M. Newman, Duane F. Shell, Zhaoqing Huang, Ling Qian

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Aim: This paper describes Chinese university students’ understanding of the meaning of the alcohol-related flushing response and how they reacted to their own and someone else’s flushing in a group drinking situation. Method: The researcher surveyed 530 Chinese university students about their understanding of flushing and their perception of how people respond to a person who visibly flushes while drinking alcohol. Findings: Most students did not know about the physiological cause of flushing. There were significant gender differences in both reactions to and perception of responses to a person who flushes. There was no direct relationship between flushing and drinking …

Teachers Matter: An Examination Of Student-Teacher Relationships, Attitudes Toward Bullying, And Bullying Behavior, Cixin Wang, Susan M. Swearer, Paige T. Lembeck, Adam Collins, Brandi Berry

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study investigated the influence of student-teacher relationships and attitudes toward bullying on middle school students’ bullying behaviors. Gender and grade differences were also examined. Data were collected from 435 middle school students. Results indicated that students’ attitudes toward bullying mediated the relationship between student-teacher relationships and physical and verbal/relational bullying. There was a significant group difference on student-teacher relationships and attitudes toward bullying between bully, bully-victim, victim, and bystander groups and students not involved in bullying. In addition, sixth graders reported significantly more positive student-teacher relationships than seventh and eighth graders. Implications for the role of both cognitive and …

Descriptions Of Sampling Practices Within Five Approaches To Qualitative Research In Education And The Health Sciences, Tim Guetterman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although recommendations exist for determining qualitative sample sizes, the literature appears to contain few instances of research on the topic. Practical guidance is needed for determining sample sizes to conduct rigorous qualitative research, to develop proposals, and to budget resources. The purpose of this article is to describe qualitative sample size and sampling practices within published studies in education and the health sciences by research design: case study, ethnography, grounded theory methodology, narrative inquiry, and phenomenology. I analyzed the 51 most highly cited studies using predetermined content categories and noteworthy sampling characteristics that emerged. In brief, the findings revealed a …

“I Want To Leave—Go Far Away—I Don’T Want To Get Stuck On The Res[Ervation]”: Developmental Outcomes Of Adolescent-Aged Children Of Navajo Native American Teen Mothers, Rochelle L. Dalla, Heather R. Kennedy

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

In 1992 and 1995, data were collected from 29 Navajo Reservation teenage mothers. In 2007, 71% (n = 21) of the original sample participated in a follow-up investigation. Then in 2008, data were collected from their children. Here, we present results of the 2008 investigation by describing the developmental outcomes of 14 “at risk” youth—those born to Navajo Native American adolescent mothers. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory, our primary goal was to identify risk and protective factors across social and physical contexts (e.g., family, peer, school, and reservation community). A supplemental goal was to examine associations among indices of psycho-social …

Violence Against Women Through The Lens Of Objectification Theory, M. Meghan Davidson, Sarah Gervais

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of violence on body image variables for college women. Undergraduate women participated in an online study assessing sexual violence (SV), intimate partner violence (IPV), self-objectification, body surveillance, and body shame experiences. Findings suggest that both SV and IPV contribute to women’s body shame. In addition, the associations between IPV and body shame appear to be explained through self-objectification processes, but not the associations between SV and body shame. Thus, important differences between IPV and SV regarding self-objectification processes emerged. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research, …

The Ripple Effects Of Stranger Harassment On Objectification Of Self And Others, Meghan Davidson, Sarah Gervais, Lindsey W. Sherd

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite the frequency and negative consequences of stranger harassment, only a scant number of studies have explicitly examined stranger harassment and its consequences through the lens of objectification theory. The current study introduced and tested a mediation model in which women’s experiences of stranger harassment may lead to self-objectification, which in turn may lead to objectification of other people. To examine this model, undergraduate women (N = 501) completed measures of stranger harassment (including the verbal harassment and sexual pressure subscales of the Stranger Harassment Index), body surveillance, and objectification of other women and men. Consistent with hypotheses, significant positive …

A Dream Best Forgotten: The Phenomenology Of Karen Refugees’ Pre-Resettlement Stressors, Theodore T. Bartholomew, Brittany E. Gundel, Neeta Kantamneni

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Refugees are often forced into states of imposed vulnerability in which loss is common and migration is normative. Karen refugees from Myanmar have endured a long civil war with the Burmese government, followed by their forced relocation to refugee camps and subsequent global resettlement. This phenomenological study aimed to understand the meanings ascribed to pre-resettlement stress among resettled Karen refugees. We interviewed six participants who were identified through purposeful sampling in a Karen refugee community. Using phenomenological analysis, we identified and interpreted 286 meaning units. The meaning units were then grouped into four themes: (a) Loss From Oppression, (b) Resignation …

The Role Of Anger Rumination And Autism Spectrum Disorder– Linked Perseveration In The Experience Of Aggression In The General Population, Cara E. Pugliese, Matthew S. Fritz, Susan W. White

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study (a) examined the role of anger rumination as a mediator of the relation between social anxiety and the experience of anger, hostility, and aggression, in the general population, and (b) evaluated the degree to which the presence of autism spectrum disorder characteristics moderates the indirect influence of anger rumination. We then explored whether social cognition and perseveration characteristic of autism spectrum disorder uniquely accounted for the predicted moderation. In this survey study of young adults (n = 948), anger rumination mediated the relation between social anxiety and hostility, as well as verbal and physical aggression, as predicted. Greater …

Relations Between Intimate Partner Violence And Forgiveness Among College Women, M. Meghan Davidson, Nicole M Lozano, Brian P. Cole, Sarah Gervais

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine forgiveness and intimate partner violence (IPV) among college women. Undergraduate women (N = 502) participated in an online study in which overall experiences of IPV, as well as experiences of psychological and physical IPV, were investigated with respect to transgression-specific and dispositional forgiveness. Simultaneous multivariate regressions revealed that (a) the experience of IPV was associated with higher levels of avoidance and revenge, and lower levels of benevolence, forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others, and forgiveness of uncontrollable situations; (b) types of IPV demonstrated differing impacts on forgiveness; and (c) the mere …

Social Withdrawal In Russian Youth: Using The Extended Class Play To Examine Socio-Emotional And Academic Adjustment, Irina Kalutskaya, Eric S. Buhs

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study explored the socio-emotional characteristics and school adjustment of shy/socially withdrawn youth and examined the properties of the Extended Class Play (ECP), a common peer measure of shyness/withdrawal and other social behavior with Russian early adolescents (n =106; mean age 12.5). Associations between the ECP scores and teacher- and self-reports of adjustment (e.g. internalizing problems) provided evidence-supporting use of the ECP with Russian adolescents. Similar to North American studies, results also indicated that shy/socially withdrawn Russian youth tended to be more excluded, report greater internalizing problems and were also more asocial than a comparison group. No differences were found …

Shyness And Engagement: Contributions Of Peer Rejection And Teacher Sensitivity, Eric S. Buhs, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Irina Kalutskaya, Emily R. Griese

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study tested a longitudinal model of mediated moderation for the role of temperament and shyness in the development of young children’s (n = 960, aged 54 mos. to 1st grade [SD = 1.08 at 54 mos.]) peer relationships at school and linkages to subsequent academic engagement. Teacher sensitivity was examined as a parallel predictor of peer relationship effects and subsequent engagement, and we examined whether or not adverse effects of shyness on peer relationships and adjustment were stronger in classrooms where teachers displayed lower sensitivity. Findings indicated that peer rejection mediated the association between children’s shyness at preschool age …

Shy Children In The Classroom: From Research To Educational Practice, Irina Kalutskaya, Kristen A. Archbell, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Robert J. Coplan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Shyness is a temperamental trait characterized by wariness, fear, and self-consciousness in social situations. In elementary school, child shyness is associated with a wide range of socioemotional difficulties, including poor peer relationships (e.g., exclusion, victimization), internalizing problems (e.g., low self-esteem, anxiety, depression), and academic adjustment problems (e.g., lack of engagement, poor academic performance). In the current article we particularly review recent research examining the implication of shyness in educational contexts. Topics covered include the development of shyness, why shy students might perceive the classroom as a potential threat, and the unique challenges faced by shy children at school. Further, we …

Driver Education And Teen Crashes And Traffic Violations In The First Two Years Of Driving In A Graduated Licensing System, Duane F. Shell, Ian Newman, Ana Lucía Córdova Cazar, Jill M. Heese

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Our primary research question was whether teens obtaining their intermediate-level provisional operators permit (POP) in a graduated driver licensing (GDL) environment through driver education differed in crashes and traffic violations from teens who obtained their POP by completing a supervised driving certification log without taking driver education. A descriptive epidemiological study examining a census of all teen drivers in Nebraska (151,880 teens, 48.6% girls, 51.4% boys) during an eight year period from 2003 to 2010 was conducted. The driver education cohort had significantly fewer crashes, injury or fatal crashes, violations, and alcohol-related violations than the certification log cohort in both …

Identity, History, And Education In Rwanda: Reflections On The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

On December 10, 2014, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in Oslo, Norway, to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education” (Nobel Media AB, 2014). Satyarthi, who lives in New Delhi, India, has a long record as an international activist for the rights of children and youth. Yousafzai was already known to the world as Malala, the Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for her support of education for girls (Yousafzai, 2013).

Then, life went on. Within …

Racial/Ethnic Disparities In Consistent Reporting Of Smoking-Related Behaviors, Julia N. Soulakova, Huang Huang, Lisa J. Crockett

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study assessed the effect of race/ethnicity on the prevalence of inconsistent reports regarding ever smoking, time since smoking cessation, and age of initiating regular smoking. We used the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey data, which came from a test-retest reliability study, and considered three racial/ethnic subpopulations, Hispanics, Non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks and NH Whites. Initial exploration of highly disagreeing reports of time since smoking cessation and age of onset of regular smoking initiation indicated that the majority of these reports corresponded to NH Whites. However, the proportion of the extremely discrepant reports was very small (less than …

Exploring The Use Of Online Sexually Explicit Material: What Is The Relationship To Sexual Coercion?, Valerie M. Gonsalves, Heath Hodges, Mario Scalora

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

With the popularity of the Internet, it is easy to access online sexually explicit material (OSEM). However, little is known about the possible relationship that viewing OSEM may have to sexually coercive behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the viewing habits of OSEM related to self-reported sexual aggression. Results indicated that individuals who identified as having engaged in sexually aggressive behavior endorsed more online sexually compulsive behaviors. Analyses revealed that the amount, as opposed to the type, of OSEM viewed appears to be more related to adverse outcomes. Additionally, sexually aggressive individuals reported viewing a greater …

Effects Of Task And Task-Switching On Temporal Inhibition Of Return, Facilitation Of Return, And Saccadic Momentum During Scene Viewing, Mark S. Mills, Edwin S. Dalmaijer, Stefan Van Der Stigchel, Michael D. Dodd

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

During scene viewing, saccades directed toward a recently fixated location tend to be delayed relative to saccades in other directions (“delay effect”), an effect attributable to inhibition-of-return (IOR) and/or saccadic momentum (SM). Previous work indicates this effect may be task-specific, suggesting that gaze control parameters are task-relevant and potentially affected by task-switching. Accordingly, the present study investigated task-set control of gaze behavior using the delay effect as a measure of task performance. The delay effect was measured as the effect of relative saccade direction on preceding fixation duration. Participants were cued on each trial to perform either a search, memory, …

Obama Cares About Visuo-Spatial Attention: Perception Of Political Figures Moves Attention And Determines Gaze Direction, Mark S. Mills, Kevin B. Smith, John R. Hibbing, Michael D. Dodd

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Processing an abstract concept such as political ideology by itself is difficult but becomes easier when a background situation contextualizes it. Political ideology within American politics, for example, is commonly processed using space metaphorically, i.e., the political “left” and “right” (referring to Democrat and Republican views, respectively), presumably to provide a common metric to which abstract features of ideology can be grounded and understood. Commonplace use of space as metaphor raises the question of whether an inherently non-spatial stimulus (e.g., picture of the political “left” leader, Barack Obama) can trigger a spatially-specific response (e.g., attentional bias toward “left” regions of …

Disagreeing On Whether Agreement Is Persuasive: Perceptions Of Expert Group Decisions, Ashley M. Votruba, Virginia S. W. Kwan

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

While expert groups often make recommendations on a range of non-controversial as well as controversial issues, little is known about how the level of expert consensus—the level of expert agreement—influences perceptions of the recommendations. This research illustrates that for non-controversial issues expert groups that exhibit high levels of agreement are more persuasive than expert groups that exhibit low levels of agreement. This effect is mediated by the perceived entitativity—the perceived cohesiveness or unification of the group—of the expert group. But for controversial issues, this effect is moderated by the perceivers’ implicit assumptions about the group composition. When perceivers are provided …

Planning Versus Action: Different Decision-Making Processes Predict Plans To Change One’S Diet Versus Actual Dietary Behavior, Marc T. Kiviniemi, Carolyn R. Brown-Kramer

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Most health decision-making models posit that deciding to engage in a health behavior involves forming a behavioral intention which then leads to actual behavior. However, behavioral intentions and actual behavior may not be functionally equivalent. Two studies examined whether decision-making factors predicting dietary behaviors were the same as or distinct from those predicting intentions. Actual dietary behavior was proximally predicted by affective associations with the behavior. By contrast, behavioral intentions were predicted by cognitive beliefs about behaviors, with no contribution of affective associations. This dissociation has implications for understanding individual regulation of health behaviors and for behavior change interventions.

Negative Urgency And Emotion Regulation Strategy Use: Associations With Displaced Aggression, Jillian Panuzio Scott, David Dilillo, Rosalita C. Maldonado, Laura E. Watkins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The numerous public health consequences of interpersonal aggression highlight the necessity of a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing its perpetration. This study examined direct and interactive associations between negative urgency and emotion regulation strategy use in predicting displaced aggression under conditions of negative mood. Participants were 197 male and female undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to employ either cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression in response to a negative mood induction. Immediately afterward, participants engaged in an analog displaced aggression task. Results revealed direct, positive associations between negative urgency and aggression. In addition, the use of suppression was associated with …

A Prospective Investigation Of Emotion Dysregulation As A Moderator Of The Relation Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Substance Use Severity, Matthew T. Tull, Joseph R. Bardeen, David Dilillo, Terri Messman-Moore

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Despite strong evidence for an association between the experience of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and substance use, little is known about the particular individuals most at risk for prob-lematic substance use in response to PTS symptoms. Consequently, the goal of this study was to conduct a prospective investigation of the moderating role of emotion dysregulation (assessed through self-report and behavioral measures) in the relation between PTS symptoms and substance use 8 months later within a sample of 106 young adult women. No main effect of PTS symptoms on substance use was found. Instead, PTS symptoms were associated only with later …

Repeat Baseline Assessment In College-Age Athletes, Arthur C. Maerlender, Dennis L. Molfese

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Repeat baseline testing scores from one collegiate Division I NCAA school were analyzed to determine the necessity of this practice. ImPACT tests were taken between 13 and 40 months apart (median 24 months; final N = 67). No significant difference in any test composite score was obtained; the number of tests exceeding chance levels of change was insignificant. The results do not support the recommendation for repeating baseline testing in college athletes; replication is recommended.