Psychology Commons^™

Bupropion Attenuates Methamphetamine Self-Administration In Adult Male Rats, Carmela M. Reichel, Jennifer E. Murray, Kathleen M. Grant, Rick A. Bevins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Bupropion is a promising candidate medication for methamphetamine use disorder. As such, we used a preclinical model of drug-taking to determine the effects of bupropion on the reinforcing effects of methamphetamine (0.025, 0.05 or 0.1 mg/kg/infusion). Specificity was determined by investigating the effects of bupropion on responding maintained by sucrose. In the selfadministration study, rats were surgically prepared with indwelling jugular catheters and trained to self-administer methamphetamine under an FR5 schedule. A separate group of rats was trained to press a lever for sucrose. Once responding stabilized, rats were pretreated with bupropion (0, 10, 30 and 60 mg/kg IP) 5 …

Nicotine, Tobacco Use, And The 55th Nebraska Symposium On Motivation, Rick A. Bevins, Anthony R. Caggiula

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Tobacco use is a worldwide health problem. As so well stated by Mackay and Ericksen (2002), “No other consumer product is as dangerous, or kills as many people. Tobacco kills more than AIDS, legal drugs, illegal drugs, road accidents, murder, and suicide combined” (p. 36). Imagine the lives saved, and the amount of pain, emotional suffering, and fiscal burden alleviated, if we could devise approaches that helped current tobacco users quit and remain abstinent, and prevented new smokers from emerging. Although these idealistic goals are worth pursuing, improving cessation rates by only a small fraction, or making small gains in …

Changing The Latitudes And Attitudes About Content Analysis Research, Eve M. Brank, Kathleen A. Fox, Tasha J. Youstin, Lee C. Boeppler

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current research employs the use of content analysis to teach research methods concepts among students enrolled in an upper-division research methods course. Students coded and analyzed Jimmy Buffett song lyrics rather than using a downloadable database or collecting survey data. Students’ knowledge of content analysis concepts increased after a lecture on the topic of content analysis, but it further improved after participating in the song coding, data cleaning, and writing of results. Additionally, students reported high satisfaction with the project and believed it was an interesting and enjoyable technique for learning about research methods. We provide suggestions for incorporating …

Viewing Preschool Disruptive Behavior Disorders And Adhd Through A Developmental Lens: What We Know & What We Need To Know, Anil Chacko, Lauren Wakschlag, Carri Hill, Barbara Danis, Kimberly A. Espy

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

There is now little doubt that DSM-IV behavior disorders are present and identifiable during the preschool years (1,2). With only minor modifications to DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nosology, multiple, independent studies have shown similar prevalence rates and correlates as in older children (1). In the preschool age range, these disorders also have modest stability (3-6). It is clear that the behaviors that comprise DBDs and ADHD (e.g., noncompliance, rule-breaking, aggression, destruction of property, hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity) impair children’s functioning and that caregivers of young children often experience considerable difficulty in managing those who exhibit …

“It’S A Choice, Simple As That”: Youth Reasoning For Sexual Abstinence Or Activity, Rochelle L. Dalla

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

This investigation was designed to fill gaps in the extant literature by examining reasons give by youth for refraining from or engaging in sexual intercourse, in addition to their perceptions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of premarital intercourse. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 103 graduating seniors; 60 self-identified as sexually abstinent and 43 as sexually active. Survey indices were used to assess parent-youth relationships, and parent and peer attitudes toward premarital sex, religiosity, and dating patterns; open-ended questions were used to assess reasons for either engaging in or refraining from sexual intercourse, and to identify benefits and problems …

Supracutaneous Vibrotactile Perception Threshold At Various Non-Glabrous Body Loci, Miriam Bikah, M. Susan Hallbeck, John H. Flowers

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are currently designing a wearable/portable neutron detector. As an alerting mechanism, the device will transmit vibration to the wearer’s skin in the presence of hazardous levels of neutron radiation. The present study was designed to help in the ergonomically correct body placement of the neutron detection device while providing numerical values for vibratory thresholds at the surface of various non-glabrous body loci. The aim of the study was to investigate the underlying effects of locus stimulated, amount of subcutaneous fat around a specific body site and gender on low frequency vibration thresholds. Thirty-six participants, …

Effects Of Gregariousness, Conspicuousness, And Novelty On Blue Jay (Cyanocitta Cristata) Learned Avoidance And Stimulus Generalization Of Unpalatable Prey, Joyce M. Dykema

Avian Cognition Papers

I examined a variety of factors hypothesized to be important in the evolution and maintenance of aposematism. Aposematism occurs when prey individuals advertise their toxic or otherwise aversive nature to potential predators via evolved conspicuous signals. I conducted three experiments in which blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) were allowed to search a printed grayscale pixilated background for grayscale pixilated moths in an open room. I manipulated moth appearance and food reward, and recorded jay predation on the varying moth stimuli. In my first experiment, I repeated Alatalo & Mappes’ (1996) study examining the effects of prey gregariousness, or grouping, …

Measuring Work Preferences: A Multidimensional Tool To Enhance Career Self Management, G. Ronald Gilbert, Ravipreet S. Sohi, Adriana G. Mceachern

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce a multidimensional work preference research instrument, and to relate scores on these dimensions with subjects' real world work choices.

Design/methodology/approach: Repeated samples of 1,002 and 975 adult subjects were used to identify 17 empirically derived constructs, using both EFA and CFA statistical applications. The CFA revealed measurement invariance among the predicted and measured constructs. The 17 validated constructs were culled from career development-related psychology that has variously been identified with learning styles, work interests, work values, and temperament. Using a third sample of 590 subjects, MANOVA analyses of work preference scores …

Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide For Nursing Homes, Lisa M. Brown, Kathryn Hyer

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed1 modular approach to help elderly persons and persons with disabilities in nursing homes, other adults, families, adolescents and children in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism. Psychological First Aid is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. Principles and techniques of Psychological First Aid meet four basic standards. They are: 1. Consistent with research on risk and resilience following trauma 2. Applicable and practical in field settings 3. Appropriate for developmental levels across the lifespan 4. Culturally informed and delivered …

Occasion-Setting By Drug States: Functional Equivalence Following Similar Training History, Matthew I. Palmatier, Rick A. Bevins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Three experiments examined whether a drug state serving as a positive feature for pairings between a discrete conditional stimulus (CS, 15-s light or 15-s noise) and sucrose could transfer facilitative control to a CS with which it had never been presented. To do so, a CS was paired with a sucrose reward in the nicotine (0.4 mg/kg), amphetamine (AMP, 1 mg/kg), or chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 5 mg/ kg) drug state; in separate saline sessions the CS was presented but was not followed by any reward. All three drug states facilitated responding to a discrete CS; previous studies found that this facilitation …

Juries And Eyewitnesses, Cindy Laub, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The role of an eyewitness can be extremely important in the legal system, as eyewitness testimony and eyewitness identifications play a major role in the prosecution of a criminal defendant. Often the courts are left to rely solely on an eyewitness because there is no other physical evidence. This leaves the jury to rely on a witness’s testimony. Jurors are asked to determine the credibility of an eyewitness at trial when rendering a verdict, and jurors have been found to place more emphasis on eyewitness testimony than on any other kind of evidence. However, there are numerous documented cases of …

The Pattern Of Subjective Anxiety During In-Session Exposures Across Therapy For Clients With Social Anxiety Disorder, Sarah A. Hayes, Debra A. Hope, Richard G. Heimberg

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Exposure-based therapies have been considered the most efficacious treatments for social anxiety disorder (i.e., Gould et al., 1997). The majority of the theory behind exposure-based treatments rely on Foa and colleagues’s (Foa, Huppert, & Cahill, 2005; Foa & Kozak, 1986) emotional processing theory. However, there has been less research examining the way that emotional processing occurs across actual treatment sessions for clients with social anxiety disorder. This study utilized longitudinal data analytic methods to examine the changes in subjective anxiety during the first three exposure sessions in group and individual cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder. The results of this …

Stress And Eyewitness Memory, Ani A. Aharonian, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Stress exerts complex effects on eyewitness memory. On the whole, it has a negative effect, but this can be quite variable depending on the level of stress and the aspect of the witnessed event that one is trying to remember. Stress operates similarly in affecting person recognition (i.e., lineup performance) and recall of event details.

Group Treatment In A Community Setting For A Sexually Abused Child And A Non-Offending Caregiver: Case Study And Discussion, Grace S. Hubel, Rosalita C. Maldonado, Poonam Tavkar, David J. Hansen, Mary F. Flood

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study presents the case of an 11-year-old fifth grade female (Amanda) and her mother (Mrs. J) who both completed the Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education) Group Intervention. Project SAFE is a manualized group treatment for sexually abused children ages 7-16 and their non-offending caregivers developed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Hansen, Hecht, & Futa, 1998), and delivered at a local Child Advocacy Center. Amanda experienced contact sexual abuse by her 39-year-old stepfather on multiple occasions over a 4-year period. Amanda reported symptoms of anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and fear related to the victimization. Mrs. J also reported clinically significant …

Assessing Client Progress Session By Session In The Treatment Of Social Anxiety Disorder: The Social Anxiety Session Change Index, Sarah A. Hayes, Nathan A. Miller, Debra A. Hope, Richard G. Heimberg, Harlan R. Juster

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Frequent assessment during therapy can improve treatments and provide accountability. However, clinicians often do not monitor progress because of the time it takes to administer and score assessments. In response, the Social Anxiety Session Change Index (SASCI) was developed. The SASCI is a short, easily administered rating of subjective improvement that asks clients with social anxiety disorder how much they have changed since the beginning of therapy. Change on the SASCI was related to change in fear of negative evaluation, a core aspect of social anxiety, and to clinician-rated improvement, but not to ratings of anxiety sensitivity or depression. Because …

Affective Flexibility: Evaluative Processing Goals Shape Amygdala Activity, William A. Cunningham, Jay J. Van Bavel, Ingrid Johnsen Haas

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Although early research implicated the amygdala in automatic processing of negative information, more recent research suggests that it plays a more general role in processing the motivational relevance of various stimuli, suggesting that the relation between valence and amygdala activation may depend on contextual goals. This study provides experimental evidence that the relation between valence and amygdala activity is dynamically modulated by evaluative goals. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants evaluated the positive, negative, or overall (positive plus negative) aspects of famous people. When participants were providing overall evaluations, both positive and negative names were associated with amygdala activation. When …

Vaccines To Combat Smoking, Rick A. Bevins, Jamie L. Wilkinson, Sam D. Sanderson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Background—Current U.S. FDA approved biological therapies for treating smoking target central nervous system processes. Although these therapies have had some success, relapse within a year is still high. Clearly additional strategies are needed to aid individuals in maintaining abstinence.

Objective & Methods—We briefly discuss promising research using vaccines to combat smoking and then identify some potentially important directions for future research.

Results & Conclusions—Immunization with a nicotine vaccine generates drug-specific antibodies that sequester some of the nicotine in peripheral circulation preventing it from entering the brain thus decreasing its addictive effects. Albeit promising, much more research is necessary to identify …

Bupropion Differentially Impacts Acquisition Of Methamphetamine Self-Administration And Sucrose-Maintained Behavior, Carmela M. Reichel, Jessica D. Linkugel, Rick A. Bevins

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Bupropion reduces the subjective effects and cue-induced craving for methamphetamine in humans. Given these effects of bupropion on methamphetamine in humans and its widespread clinical use, a preclinical model of drug-taking was used to determine if pretreatment with bupropion would alter the acquisition of methamphetamine self-administration. During acquisition, rats were given saline or bupropion (30 or 60 mg/kg, IP) 5 min before a 60-min session. For the first 8 days, each response on the active lever produced an infusion of methamphetamine (0.025 mg/kg). Responding on the inactive lever had no programmed consequence. This FR1 schedule was then increased to an …

Likelihood Of Using Drug Courts: Predictions Using Procedural Justice And The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Evelyn M. Maeder, Richard L. Weiner

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current research compares two theoretical models borrowed from social psychology (theory of planned behavior and procedural justice) to predict intentions to make use of a drug court. Medicaid-eligible substance users answered a number of questions regarding their intentions to use a drug court in the future, including items from planned behavior and procedural justice scales. When procedural justice was considered alone, only trustworthiness predicted intention to use drug courts. When planned behavior was considered alone, only deliberative attitudes predicted the intention. After combining the two models, deliberative attitudes from the theory of planned behavior were the only significant predictor …

Frequency Of Heavy Drinking And Perceived Peer Alcohol Involvement: Comparison Of Influence And Selection Mechanisms From A Developmental Perspective, Gilbert R. Parra, Jennifer L. Krull, Kenneth J. Sher, Kristina M. Jackson

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

The present study investigated social influence and selection explanations for the association between frequency of heavy drinking and perceived peer alcohol involvement in emerging and early adulthood. Participants were 489 young adults recruited from a university setting who were taking part in an 11-year longitudinal study, which includes 6 waves of data. Piecewise latent growth curve analyses indicated that patterns of change from ages 18 to 30 for both frequency of heavy drinking and perceived peer alcohol involvement are best represented by two distinct developmental periods (i.e., college and post-college years). Several models were compared to identify a framework that …

Ask The Field, Denise Bulling

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

How can disaster behavioral health responders at the State and local levels use the techniques and tools of the Incident Command System (ICS) to target their response to and preparedness for disaster to work within the overall disaster response structure?

Denise Bulling: Disaster behavioral health is more than a set of clinical interventions or the delivery of psychological first aid. The behavioral health response has to be organized and deployed in a way that fits with the greater response to disaster or our ability to reach those who could benefit from education or intervention will be limited. ICS principles provide …

Mediating Social Anxiety And Disordered Eating: The Role Of Expressive Suppression, Carmen P. Mclean, Nathan A. Miller, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Social anxiety and disordered eating frequently overlap, and evidence suggests that emotional suppression may be an important mediating factor. The present study examines the relationships among social anxiety, emotional suppression, and disordered eating in a nonclinical sample of 160 undergraduate women. Participants completed self-report measures for social anxiety, disordered eating, expressive suppression, depression, and negative affect. Results from mediation analyses indicate that the relationship between social anxiety and disordered eating is fully mediated by expressive suppression. Findings are consistent with a displacement theory in which unexpressed negative affect is shifted toward the body, thereby promoting symptoms of disordered eating.

Working Alliance For Clients With Social Anxiety Disorder: Relationship With Session Helpfulness And Within-Session Habituation, Sarah A. Hayes, Debra A. Hope, Melanie M. Vandyke, Richard G. Heimberg

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

It has been suggested that a strong working alliance encourages clients to take risks during therapy (Raue, Castonguay, & Goldfried, 1993). This encouragement may be important for clients who fear negative evaluations as they engage in risk-taking elements of therapy. This study examined the relationship between working alliance, session helpfulness, and measures of emotional processing in 18 clients undergoing cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder. Results indicate a positive correlation between client-rated, but not observer-rated, working alliance and session helpfulness. Moderate levels of working alliance were associated with higher initial anxiety and deeper within-session habituation. Overall, a strong …

Book Review: A Half-Century Of Thinking About Prejudice, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Fifty years after Gordon Allport’s classic The Nature of Prejudice (1954), what do we know about the nature of prejudice? Quite a bit, actually, much of which Allport already knew, but some of which represents genuine progress in scientific understanding. That’s the message of On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years after Allport, in which forty-four authors, guided by three editors, successfully manage what Allport did alone a half-century ago: to present in one volume the state of the art in the psychological study of prejudice. The volume has been carefully conceived and structured to provide comprehensive and systematic …

Child Sexual Abuse, David J. Hansen, Kathryn R. Wilson

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although definitions can vary across legal, clinical, and research contexts, sexual abuse is commonly defined as sexual acts between a youth and an older person (e.g., by 5 years or more) in which the dominance of the older person is used to exploit or coerce the youth. Behaviors may include noncontact (e.g., exposure) and contact (e.g., intercourse) offenses.

The Role Of Drinking Motives In Social Anxiety And Alcohol Use, Lindsay S. Ham, Michel Bonin, Debra A. Hope

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Although social anxiety and problem drinking commonly co-occur, the relationship between social anxiety and drinking among college students is not well understood. The current study examined the relationship between drinking motives, or reasons for drinking, and social anxiety in 239 volunteers. Contrary to hypotheses, high (n = 83), moderate (n = 90), and low (n = 66) social anxiety groups did not differ in endorsement of coping and conformity drinking motives. Further, social anxiety was negatively related to weekly alcohol use and unrelated to alcohol-related problems. Post hoc hierarchical multiple regression analyses conducted for each social anxiety …

Understanding Farmers’ Forecast Use From Their Beliefs, Values, Social Norms, And Perceived Obstacles, Qi Hu, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Gary Lynne, Alan Tomkins, William J. Waltman, Michael Hayes, Kenneth Hubbard, Ikrom Artikov, Stacey Hoffman, Donald A. Wilhite

Lisa PytlikZillig Publications

Although the accuracy of weather and climate forecasts is continuously improving and new information retrieved from climate data is adding to the understanding of climate variation, use of the forecasts and climate information by farmers in farming decisions has changed little. This lack of change may result from knowledge barriers and psychological, social, and economic factors that undermine farmer motivation to use forecasts and climate information. According to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the motivation to use forecasts may arise from personal attitudes, social norms, and perceived control or ability to use forecasts in specific decisions. These attributes are …

Understanding The Influence Of Climate Forecasts On Farmer Decisions As Planned Behavior, Ikrom Artikov, Stacey Hoffman, Gary Lynne, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Q. Steven Hu, Alan Tomkins, Kenneth Hubbard, Michael Hayes, William J. Waltman

Lisa PytlikZillig Publications

Results of a set of four regression models applied to recent survey data of farmers in eastern Nebraska suggest the causes that drive farmer intentions of using weather and climate information and forecasts in farming decisions. The model results quantify the relative importance of attitude, social norm, perceived behavioral control, and financial capability in explaining the influence of climate-conditions information and short-term and long-term forecasts on agronomic, crop insurance, and crop marketing decisions. Attitude, serving as a proxy for the utility gained from the use of such information, had the most profound positive influence on the outcome of all the …

Discriminating Between Cognitive And Supportive Group Therapies For Chronic Mental Illness, Sarah A. Hayes, Debra A. Hope, Lori S. Terryberry-Spohr, William D. Spaulding, Melanie Vandyke, Dirk T. Elting, Jeffrey Poland, Somaia Mohamed, Calvin P. Garbin, Dorie Reed, Mary Sullivan

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This descriptive and comparative study employed a Q-sort process to describe common factors of therapy in two group therapies for inpatients with chronic mental illness. While pharmacological treatments for chronic mental illness are prominent, there is growing evidence that cognitive therapy is also efficacious. Groups examined were part of a larger study comparing the added benefits of cognitive versus supportive group therapy to the treatment milieu. In general, items described the therapist’s attitudes and behaviors, the participants’ attitudes and behaviors, or the group interactions. Results present items that were most and least characteristic of each therapy and items that discriminate …

Psychotherapy For Schizophrenia In The Year 2030: Prognosis And Prognostication, William D. Spaulding, Ben C. Nolting

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A number of psychotherapy techniques have been developed that, to varying degrees, have empirical support demonstrating favorable effects in the treatment of schizophrenia (or serious mental illness [SMI]). These techniques, and the research, vary with respect to theoretical origins, format, treatment targets, and expected outcome. A historical perspective informs understanding of this proliferation. One landmark in psychotherapy research was the recognition of common factors: different therapies embody common therapeutic factors not central to any one school. Importantly, insights about common factors reflected a better theoretical understanding of the psychotherapy process and led to the translation of learning and conditioning theories …