Psychology Commons^™

Effects Of Early-Life Stress On 5-Ht1a Receptors In Juvenile Rhesus Monkeys Measured By Pet, Simona Spinelli, Svetlana Chefer, Richard E. Carson, Elaine Jagoda, Lixin Lang, Markus Heilig, Christina S. Barr, Stephen J. Suomi, J. Dee Higley, Elliot A. Stein

Faculty Publications

Background—Traumatic experiences in early childhood are associated with increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders later in life. Low serotonin1A receptor (5-HT1AR) density during development has been proposed as a trait-like characteristic leading to increased vulnerability of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.

Methods—To assess the relationship between early-life stress and alterations in the serotonin system during development, we used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure in vivo 5- HT1AR density and apparent dissociation constant (KD app) in the brain of juvenile rhesus monkeys exposed to the early-life stress of peer-rearing.

Results—In general, 5-HT1AR density and KD app were decreased in peer-reared …

Alcohol Response And Consumption In Adolescent Rhesus Macaques: Life History And Genetic Influences, Melanie L. Schwandt, Stephen G. Lindell, Scott Chen, James Dee Higley, Stephen J. Suomi, Markus Heilig, Christina S. Barr

Faculty Publications

The use of alcohol by adolescents is a growing problem and has become an important research topic in the etiology of the alcohol use disorders. A key component of this research has been the development of animal models of adolescent alcohol consumption and alcohol response. Due to their extended period of adolescence, rhesus macaques are especially well-suited for modeling alcoholrelated phenotypes that contribute to the adolescent propensity for alcohol consumption. In this review, we discuss studies from our laboratory that have investigated both the initial response to acute alcohol administration and the consumption of alcohol in voluntary self-administration paradigms in …

Self-Regulation As A Mediator Between Sibling Relationship Quality And Early Adolescents’ Positive And Negative Outcomes, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, James M. Harper, Alexander C. Jensen Phd

Faculty Publications

The current study examined the role of adolescents’ self-regulation as a mediator between sibling relationship quality and adolescent outcomes, after controlling for the quality of the parent-child relationship. Participants were 395 families (282 two parent; 113 single parent) with an adolescent child (M age of child at Time 1 = 11.15, SD = .96, 49% female) who took part in [project name masked for blind review] at both Time 1 and Time 2. Path analysis via structural equation modeling suggested that sibling affection was longitudinally and positively related to self-regulation and prosocial behaviors, and negatively related to externalizing behaviors; while …

Treatment Of Late-Life Insomnia, Christina S. Mccrae Phd, Joseph M. Dzierzewski Ms, Daniel Kay

Faculty Publications

Insomnia, defined as difficulty initiating and/or maintaining sleep at least 3 nights/week that is accompanied by complaints of sleep-related daytime impairment 1, 2, is the most common sleep disturbance in later life. Although insomnia can occur as an acute disorder (7 days or less), older adults are often afflicted with chronic insomnia (12 months or more3 ). Additionally, insomnia in older individuals is most frequently co-morbid in nature, occurring in the context of age-related medical/psychiatric conditions, increased medication usage, and/or polypharmacy. This chapter will focus on the conceptualization, assessment and treatment of late-life insomnia from a behavioral sleep medicine perspective. …

47-Channel Burst-Mode Recording Hydrophone System Enabling Measurements Of The Dynamic Echolocation Behavior Of Free-Swimming Dolphins, Josefin Starkhammar, Mats Amundin, Johan Nilsson, Stan A. Kuczaj, Monica Almqvist, Hans W. Persson

Faculty Publications

Detailed echolocation behavior studies on free-swimming dolphins require a measurement system that incorporates multiple hydrophones (often > 16). However, the high data flow rate of previous systems has limited their usefulness since only minute long recordings have been manageable. To address this problem, this report describes a 47-channel burst-mode recording hydrophone system that enables highly resolved full beamwidth measurements on multiple free-swimming dolphins during prolonged recording periods. The system facilitates a wide range of biosonar studies since it eliminates the need to restrict the movement of animals in order to study the fine details of their sonar beams. (C) 2009 Acoustical …

From Thought To Action In School Mental Health Promotion, Mark D. Weist

Faculty Publications

In the global mental health movement, school mental health (SMH) promotion is an increasingly prominent approach and emerging field. Here, we chronicle the development of three innovations in SMH in the United States, from the early idea stage through development, current status and future directions. The innovations are The Ohio Mental Health Network for School Success, a prominent state initiative that is attempting to build a cogent shared school-family-community system agenda for SMH in one state, Expanded School Mental Health in Baltimore City, a prominent local initiative that has grown from involvement in four to 105 schools in 20 years, …

Paranoid Personality Has A Dimensional Latent Structure: Taxometric Analyses Of Community And Clinical Samples, John F. Edens, David K. Marcus, Leslie C. Morey

Faculty Publications

Although paranoid personality is one of the most commonly diagnosed personality disorders and is associated with numerous negative life consequences, relatively little is known about the structural properties of this condition. This study examines whether paranoid personality traits represent a latent dimension or a discrete class (i.e., taxon). In Study 1, the authors conducted taxometric analyses of paranoid personality disorder criteria in a sample of 731 patients participating in the Collaborative Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders project (Gunderson et al., 2000) who had been administered a semistructured diagnostic interview for personality disorders according to criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical …

Developmental Emergence Of Power-Law Wake Behavior Depends Upon The Functional Integrity Of The Locus Coeruleus, Andrew J. Gall, Badal Joshi, Janet Best, Virginia R. Florang, Jonathan A. Doorn, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

STUDY OBJECTIVES:

Daily amounts of sleep and wakefulness are accumulated in discrete bouts that exhibit distinct statistical properties. In adult mammals, sleep bout durations follow an exponential distribution whereas wake bout durations follow a power-law distribution. In infant Norway rats, however, wake bouts initially follow an exponential distribution and only transition to a power-law distribution beginning around postnatal day 15 (P15). Here we test the hypothesis that the locus coeruleus (LC), one of several wake-active nuclei in the brainstem, contributes to this developmental transition.

DESIGN:

At P7, rats were injected subcutaneously with saline or DSP-4, a neurotoxin that targets noradrenergic …

Hostility And Anger In: Cardiovascular Reactivity And Recovery To Mental Arithmetic Stress., Elizabeth J. Vella, Bruce H. Friedman

Faculty Publications

Hostility and anger have been attributed as psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease. Heightened cardiovascular reactivity (CVR), and poor recovery, to provocative stressors are thought to hasten this risk. Purpose: To examine the relationship between hostility and anger inhibition (AI), and the moderating situational influences of harassment and evaluation, in predicting CVR and recovery to mental arithmetic (MA) stress using a multiple regression approach.

Language Characteristics Of Individuals With Down Syndrome, Gary E. Martin, Jessica Klusek, Bruno Estigarribia, Joanne E. Roberts

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Violating Design Affordances And Conventions., Jeremiah Still, Veronica Dark

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Linking Indoor Environment Conditions To Job Satisfaction: A Field Study, Jay Brand

Faculty Publications

Physical and questionnaire data were collected from 95 workstations at an open-plan office building in Michigan, US. The physical measurements encompassed thermal, lighting, and acoustic variables, furniture dimensions, and an assessment of potential exterior view. Occupants answered a detailed questionnaire concerning their environmental and job satisfaction, and aspects of well-being. These data were used to test, via mediated regression, a model linking the physical environment, through environmental satisfaction, to job satisfaction and other related measures. In particular, a significant link was demonstrated between overall environmental satisfaction and job satisfaction, mediated by satisfaction with management and with compensation. Analysis of physical …

Longitudinal Changes In Global Brain Volume Between 79 And 409 Days After Traumatic Brain Injury: Relationship With Duration Of Coma, Mehul A. Trivedi, Michael A. Ward, Timothy M. Hess, Shawn D. Gale, Robert J. Dempsey, Howard A. Rowley, Sterling C. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Neuropathological and experimental animal studies indicate that traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in long-term, neurodegenerative changes. Structural image evaluation using normalization of atrophy (SIENA) offers an automated analysis of the subtle changes in percent brain volume change (%BVC) associated with TBI. In the present study, SIENA was used to evaluate %BVC in individuals who had sustained a mild to severe TBI. We obtained 3D-T1 weighted anatomical MRI scans approximately 79 days and again 409 days post-injury. TBI patients (n= 37) displayed significantly greater decline in %BVC (-1.43%) relative to a normal comparison group (+ 0.1%, n=30). Greater %BVC was associated …

Does A Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Program Work In A School Setting? Evaluating Training Outcome And Moderators Of Effectiveness, Tanya L. Tompkins, Jody Witt, Nadia Abraibesh

Faculty Publications

The current study sought to evaluate the suicide prevention gatekeeper training program QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) among school personnel using a non-equivalent control group design. Substantial gains were demonstrated from pre- to post-test for attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs regarding suicide and suicide prevention. Exploratory analyses revealed the possible moderating effects of age, professional role, prior training, and recent contact with suicidal youth on QPR participants’ general knowledge, questioning, attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention, QPR quiz scores, and self-efficacy. The need for replication using a more rigorous experimental design in the context of strong community collaboration is discussed.

Assuring Your Child Receives Support For Positive Behavior In The Classroom, Mark D. Weist

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Multiple Pathways To Functional Impairment In Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder, Scott A. Baldwin, Yeraz Markarian, Michale J. Larson, Mirela A. Aldea, Daniel Good, Arjan Berkeljon, Tanya K. Murphy, Eric A. Storch, Dean Mckay

Faculty Publications

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and debilitating condition that is relatively common in both children and adults, and it is associated with a wide range of functional impairments. Mental health researchers and practitioners have placed considerable attention on OCD over the past two decades, with the goal of advancing treatment and understanding its etiology. Until recently, it was unknown to what extent this disorder was associated with functional impairment. However, recent research shows that the condition has significant social and occupational liabilities. This article discusses etiology, common symptom presentations (including comorbid and ancillary symptoms), basic OCD subtypes, neuropsychological functioning, …

Do Emotions Have Distinct Vocal Profiles? A Study Of Idiographic Patterns Of Expression, Bruce L. Brown, Matthew M. Spackman, Sean Otto

Faculty Publications

Research on vocal expressions of emotion indicates that persons can identify emotions from voice with relatively high accuracy rates. In addition, fairly consistent vocal profiles for specific emotions have been identified. However, important methodological issues remain to be addressed. In this paper, we address the issue of whether there are individual differences in the manner in which particular emotions may be expressed vocally and whether trained speakers’ portrayals of emotion are in some sense superior to untrained speakers’ portrayals. Consistent support was found for differences across speakers in the manner in which they expressed the same emotions. No accompanying relationship …

On The Contribution Of Perceptual Fluency And Priming To Recognition Memory, M. A. Conroy, Ramona O. Hopkins, L. R. Squire

Faculty Publications

Repetition priming has been shown to be independent of recognition memory. Thus, the severely amnesic patient E.P. has demonstrated intact stem completion priming and perceptual identification priming, despite at-chance performance on recognition memory tasks. It has also been shown that perceptual fluency can influence feelings of familiarity, in the sense that items perceived more quickly tend to be identified as familiar. If studied items are identified more fluently, due to perceptual priming, and fluency leads to familiarity, why do severely amnesic patients perform no better than chance on recognition memory tasks? One possibility is that severely amnesic patients do not …

Social Ties And Cardiovascular Function: An Examination Of Relationship Positivity And Negativity During Stress, Wendy C. Birmingham, Bert N. Uchino, Timothy W. Smith, Kathy C. Light, David M. Sanbonmatsu

Faculty Publications

The quality and quantity of one’s relationships have been reliably linked to morbidity and mortality. More recently, studies have focused on links between relationships and cardiovascular reactivity as a physiological mechanism via the stress-buffering hypothesis. However, not all social relationships are consistently positive which points to the importance of a more comprehensive examination of relationship that includes negative qualities. In this study, we manipulated relationship positivity and negativity with an experimenter and examined its influence on cardiovascular reactivity. Results revealed that relationship positivity was associated with lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity for men and women. Relationship negativity, on the …

Autism Fast Start Checklist, Tina Taylor, Leeann Whiffen

Faculty Publications

This Fast Start Checklist was created to help parents in Utah who are concerned that their child is exhibiting signs of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It serves as a general guideline for obtaining support through the evaluation and initial treatment process and is not intended to be all-inclusive. Early Intervention and school personnel can guide parents to these resources as they collaborate to determine the best route for serving children who exhibit signs of ASD. Parents should be encouraged to not try to do everything on this list, as they are provided as points to consider. This checklist is …

Forgiveness And Consideration Of Future Consequences In Aggressive Driving, Michael Moore, Eric R. Dahlen

Faculty Publications

Most research on aggressive driving has focused on identifying aspects of driver personality which will exacerbate it (e.g., sensation seeking, impulsiveness, driving anger, etc.). The present study was designed to examine two theoretically relevant but previously unexplored personality factors predicted to reduce the risk of aggressive driving: trait forgiveness and consideration of future consequences. The utility of these variables in predicting aggressive driving and driving anger expression was evaluated among 316 college student volunteers. Hierarchical multiple regressions permitted an analysis of the incremental validity of these constructs beyond respondent gender, age, miles driven per week, and driving anger. Both forgiveness …

Activity In Both Hippocampus And Perirhinal Cortex Predicts The Memory Strength Of Subsequently Remembered Information, Y. Schrager, C. Brock Kirwan, L. R. Squire

Faculty Publications

An influential idea about memory and medial temporal lobe function suggests that hippocampal activity predicts subsequent recognition success only when decisions are based on recollection, whereas perirhinal activity predicts subsequent recognition success when decisions are based on familiarity. An alternative idea is that hippocampal and perirhinal activity are both sensitive to the level of overall memory strength. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we have tested the relationship between brain activity during learning and subsequent memory strength. Activity in a number of cortical regions (including regions within what has been termed the default network) was negatively correlated with subsequent memory strength, …

Tnfα Sirna Reduces Brain Tnf And Eeg Delta Wave Activity In Rats, Ping Taishi, Lynn Churchill, Mingxiang Wang, Daniel Kay, Christopher J. Davis, Xin Guan, Alok De, Tadanobu Yasuda, Fan Liao, James M. Krueger

Faculty Publications

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is a pleiotropic cytokine with several CNS physiological and pathophysiological actions including sleep, memory, thermal and appetite regulation. Short interfering RNAs (siRNA) targeting TNFα were incubated with cortical cell cultures and microinjected into the primary somatosensory cortex (SSctx) of rats. The TNFα siRNA treatment specifically reduced TNFα mRNA by 45% in vitro without affecting interleukin-6 or gluR1-4 mRNA levels. In vivo the TNFα siRNAα reduced TNFα mRNA, interleukin-6 mRNA and gluR1 mRNA levels compared to treatment with a scrambled control siRNA. After in vivo microinjection, the density of TNFα-immunoreactive cells in layer V of the …

The Development Of Day-Night Differences In Sleep And Wakefulness In Norway Rats And The Effect Of Bilateral Enucleation, Andrew J. Gall, William D. Todd, Baisali Ray, Cassandra M. Coleman, Mark S. Blumberg

Faculty Publications

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) exhibits circadian rhythmicity in fetal and infant rats, but little is known about the consequences of this rhythmicity for infant behavior. Here, in Experiment 1, we measured sleep and wakefulness in rats during the day and night in postnatal day (P)2, P8, P15 and P21 subjects. As early as P2, day-night differences in sleep-wake activity were detected. Nocturnal wakefulness began to emerge around P15 and was reliably expressed by P21. We hypothesized that the process of photic entrainment over the first postnatal week, which depends upon the development of connectivity between the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) and …

Usability Of Image Generation Platforms To Produce Oblique World Views, Michael T. Curtis, David Schuster, Florian Jentsch, R. Swanson, Michelle Harper-Sciarini

Faculty Publications

The interpretation of oblique aerial views in UAV operations is an important task, yet one that provides unique challenges. The human visual system is mal-adapted to visual perception from the air, especially when oblique views are involved. Hence, UAV operators have to be given training in the interpretation of oblique aerial visual stimuli. A novel way to train operators on how to accurately inspect and perceive oblique aerial images is to administer multiple trials of discrimination tasks for paired oblique images. In discrimination training, trainees view pairs of oblique aerial views and determine whether the images are taken from comparable …

Sexual Harassment Experiences And Harmful Alcohol Use In A Military Sample: Differences In Gender And The Mediating Role Of Depression, Jaimie L. Gradus, Amy E. Street, Kacie Kelly, Jane Stafford

Faculty Publications

The current investigation identified the genderspecific prevalence of sexual harassment and assault experienced during U.S. military service and the negative mental and physical health correlates of these experiences in a sample of former reservists. We surveyed a stratified random sample of 3,946 former reservists about their experiences during military service and their current health, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatic symptoms, and medical conditions. Prevalence estimates and confidence intervals of sexual harassment and assault were calculated. A series of logistic regressions identified associations with health symptoms and conditions. Both men and women had a substantial prevalence of military sexual harassment …

Yes/No Recognition, Forced-Choice Recognition, And The Human Hippocampus, P. J. Bayley, J. T. Wixted, Ramona O. Hopkins, L. R. Squire

Faculty Publications

Two recent studies reported that yes/no recognition can be more impaired by hippocampal lesions than forced-choice recognition when the targets and foils are highly similar. This finding has been taken in support of two fundamental proposals: (1) yes/no recognition tests depend more on recollection than do forced-choice tests; and (2) the hippocampus selectively supports the recollection process. Using the same stimulus materials as in the earlier studies, we tested five memory-impaired patients with circumscribed hippocampal lesions and 15 controls. As in the earlier studies, participants studied 12 pictures of objects and then took either a 12-item forced-choice test with four …

When "Arbitrary" Decisions Aren't Arbitrary: Conventions And Design, Jeremiah Still, Veronica Dark

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hostility & Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Elizabeth J. Vella, Thomas W. Karmarck, Saul Shiffman

Faculty Publications

This study sought to determine the role of hostility in moderating the effects of positive social interactions on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). Design: Participants (341 adults) completed the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale and underwent ABP monitoring, assessed every 45 min during waking hours across 6 days. An electronic diary measuring mood and social interactions was completed at each ABP assessment. Main Outcome Measures: The dependent variables from the ABP monitor included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate.

Evaluating Your Educational Program For Students With Autism, Tina Taylor

Faculty Publications

How do you decide what critical educational features need to be included in your service to students with autism? In the November issue of The Utah Special Educator, Cathy Longstroth (p. 75-76) outlined several characteristics of effective educational programs for students with autism. These recommendations are based upon substantial research evidence from the professional literature. You may wonder why you should design your educational programs with research in mind, when you already know "what works" for your students. On the other hand, many students with autism are hard to figure out and you may not be sure "what works" for …