Psychology Commons^™

Eating Your Feelings: The Relationship Between Core Affect And Food Choices, Kana V. Rolett

Honors Theses

The psychology of eating behavior is increasingly important given that more than one- third of Americans are obese, with 74% of men considered overweight or obese (Overweight and Obesity Statistics, 2012). This study examines the relationship between core affect and healthy food choices. Though previous research has examined relationships between specific emotions and eating behavior, little is known about core affect or about these relationships in more naturalistic settings (outside the lab). To evaluate the role of core affect in healthy food choices, a field study was conducted in the University of Richmond (UR) dining hall to measure UR students’ …

Perceptions Of Headache Trigger Potency, Katelyn Sharpe

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Little Philosophers: Assessing And Prompting Philosophical Reasoning With Children, Makensey Sanders

Honors Theses

There is a debate in academic philosophy and psychology of whether or not children can or should do philosophy. Robert Kitchener asserts that due to cognitive limitations, children under the age of 10 cannot think philosophically (Kitchener, 1990). Murris (2000) challenges Kitchener's arguments and concludes that more research is needed. Further, this is a period during which children show individual differences and development in cognitive capacity, specifically within executive function relating to conscious control that may influence abstract thought (Zelazo et al., 1997). The present study assessed 7- to 9-year-olds' and adults' ability to answer philosophical questions in relation to …

College Students' Opinions On Parenting, Anne Overton Waller

Honors Theses

There are many potential negative effects of corporal punishment when used to discipline a child (Bell & Romano, 2012; Deater-Deckard, Landsford, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 2003; Straus, 2001) and tendencies to use corporal punishment are passed down through generations (Ben-Arieh & Haj-Yahia, 2008; Ember & Ember, 1994; Muller, 1996). The present study compared changes in beliefs about the appropriateness of corporal punishment in college students who received information on corporal punishment and parenting strategies in a parenting psychology class to students enrolled in non-parenting psychology classes. 116 students from the University of Mississippi participated in the present study, including 96 …

Modeling Migraine Chronification And Its Relief; The Effects Of Thc On Recurrent Ntg-Induced Migraine Endpoints In Rats, Blake Sowers

Honors Theses

This study investigated the analgesic effects of a THC pro-drug in a rodent model of recurrent migraine. Rats received 4 nitroglycerin-induced (NTG: 10mg/kg/2ml) migraine episodes every third day for 12 days; saline, cremaphor-vehicle, propranolol (10mg/kg/ml), or THC-VAL-HS (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg/ml) were given IP 30 minutes before NTG. Behavioral endpoints of photosensitivity, activity, orbital tightening, and tactile allodynia were assessed 110 m after NTG. Migraine severity increased over the course of the four episodes, pointing toward chronification and an important step in model validation. However, neither propranolol nor THC-VAL-HS significantly attenuated any of the migraine-related endpoints. These data are …

Barriers To The Provision Of High-Quality Early Childhood Education In The Mississippi Delta, Mackenzie Poole

Honors Theses

High-quality early childhood education has been shown to enhance the development of social, emotional, cognitive, language, and literacy skills in young children (Burchinal, Peisner-Feinberg, Bryant, & Clifford, 2000; Loeb, Fuller, Kagan, & Carrol, 2004; Peisner-Feinberg et al., 2001). Barriers encountered when attempting to provide high-quality early childhood education in the Mississippi Delta were investigated by analyzing the opinions and perceptions of early childhood educators. Requests for participation in the study were mailed to 92 child care facilities, and individuals from three licensed child care centers in the region participated. Opinions were gathered using questionnaires (n = 20) and interviews (n …

Let's Discuss: Group Size, Course Performance, And Enjoyability In An Interteaching Class, Alexandria Emily Leidt

Honors Theses

In 2013, Saville and colleagues examined whether group size affected course performance in an interteaching based classroom, and found there was no significant difference in course performance between the different sizes of groups. In this replication and extension, we increased the larger interteaching group size from four to six, maintained the small group size at two, and included additional measures of social validity. The students rated their groups each class as a group and individually. Additionally, teaching assistants rated their perception of group effectiveness based on responses to end-of-class questions by individual students. The current study used an alternating treatments …

Memory Retention Rates Of Gossip-Related Information, Hannah R. Rogers

Honors Theses

The aim of this study is to determine if gossip-related information produces higher memory retention rates than scientific information. Participants completed a two-part survey. During the first part of the survey, participants read nine paragraphs, separated into three categories. Three were scientific, three were non-celebrity gossip, and three were celebrity gossip. After reading each article, participants rated each on a scale of 1-10 based on both personal relevance and how interesting they found each article. After a week delay, participants completed a multiple-choice memory test about the articles read the week before. The study found that while scientific articles were …

Loneliness, Meaning In Life, And Depressive Symptomology In College Students, Abigail Oehler

Honors Theses

The present study aimed to better understand the relationship between loneliness, meaning in life, and depressive symptoms in college students. Two-hundred and forty-seven participants, ages 18-37, completed self-report measures about their experience with depressive symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale- Version 3), and meaning in life (Meaning in Life Questionnaire). The following was hypothesized: 1) symptoms of depression, loneliness, and meaning in life will be significantly related; 2) meaning in life will mediate the relation between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated all constructs were associated as expected (ps<.001). Contrary to hypothesis, meaning in life did not mediate the relation between loneliness and depressive symptomatology. However, post hoc regression analysis illustrated that loneliness was the only unique predictor of depressive symptoms. This study suggests more research is warranted on understanding specific mechanisms relating loneliness to depressive symptoms in college students.

Fixed And Growth Mindset In Undergraduate Students: Impacts On Academic Achievement And Resilient Behaviors, Ann Louise Seabrook

Honors Theses

The study of mindset is relevant to various outcomes that occur across the span of a college student's career. There are two different mindsets that all students view themselves through the lens of, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The fixed mindset implies that traits are unchangeable, whereas the growth mindset implies that traits are malleable (Dweck 2015). The current study sets out to examine the relationship between mindset and academic achievement, mindset and resilient behaviors, and the potential meditational variables between mindset and academic achievement, in an undergraduate population. Participants completed a Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act …

Taking Things At Face Value: Typeface And Its Influence On Reading, Memory, Judgment And Time Perception, Danielle Hollingsworth

Honors Theses

Differing typefaces, such as serif, sans serif, or script, offer varying physical characteristics and can aid or inhibit legibility. These distinctions between typefaces lead to fonts being deemed as either perceptually fluent or disfluent. As fluency of a text is altered, the notion is offered that processing changes occur, which can influence factors of reading a text. Altering fonts have previously been shown to influence reading speeds, memory, and time estimation judgment. This thesis tests the relationship of font type with these aspects, with the addition of another judgment portion regarding perception of text quality. Determining the aspects which can …

Close Relationships, The Self-Concept, And Health Behaviors In College Students, Erin Davis Fowler

Honors Theses

This study investigated whether romantic, parental, and peer relationship satisfaction influence eating behaviors and alcohol consumption through the self-concept. To test this hypothesis, 251 undergraduate students from the University of Mississippi completed an online survey in return for class credit. Participants first answered questions regarding their relationships with their parents, romantic partners, and close friends. These questions were adapted from the Couple's Satisfaction Index (Funk & Rogge, 2007). Next, to assess the self-concept, self-esteem, and objectification participants completed the Robson Self Concept Questionnaire (Robson, 1989), The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg,1965), and The Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (McKinley, & Hyde, …

Cannabidiol Mitigates Opioid Reward On Conditioned Place Preference In Mice, James Roland Markos

Honors Theses

This study sought to determine whether the cannabis constituent, cannabidiol (CBD), is able to attenuate morphine reward in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Mice received IP injections of either saline or morphine and increasing doses of CBD that were paired with a distinct environment in the CPP apparatus. Morphine-produced place preference was dose-dependently blocked by CBD. Furthermore, none of the tested doses of CBD exhibited reward or aversion. The finding that CBD blocks opioid reward suggests CBD may be useful as an abuse deterrent, particularly in the setting of opioid use for pain management.

A Weight Intervention Dismantling Study: The Effect Of Social Support And Self-Monitoring On Weight Management In College Students, Kathryn Prendergast

Honors Theses

Evidence shows that psychological intervention with obese individuals facilitates improved diet, increased physical activity, weight loss, and maintenance of stable body weight over time. These interventions use techniques derived from broader theory and empirical work related to the health belief model (HBM), theory of planned behavior (TPB), and social cognitive theory (SCT) to target general health behaviors in terms of diet, patterns of eating, sleep, stress, and level of physical activity. These behaviors have been effectively targeted by multi-component evidence-based practices utilizing self-monitoring and social support: two common components that facilitate implementation, requiring few resources. While evidence suggests that interventions …

Socio-Emotional Development In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christiana K. Whitley

Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine which lesson from a social skills program would result in the greatest improvement in duration of social interaction for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between the ages of five and fifteen. The Superheroes Social Skills Program (Jensen et al., 2011) includes lesson plans that focus directly on helping children with ASD develop communication skills in group settings. The data indicate that one specific lesson, Participation and Joining In, was responsible for the largest mean increase in duration of social interactions of participants. Social skills lessons were introduced …

Cognitive Functioning As A Moderator In The Relation Between Externalizing Behavior Problems In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Stress Among Their Parents, Robyn M. Riley

Honors Theses

It is known that externalizing behavior problems among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are related to parental stress among parents. This study examined how cognitive functioning levels of children with ASD may moderate this relation in a group of 27 children (ages 7 to 16 years) with a diagnosis of ASD. Children were tested on a brief measure of intelligence to estimate their cognitive functioning. Parents completed measures of the children’s ASD symptom severity and externalizing behaviors as well as a measure of their own levels of parental stress. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that ASD symptoms and cognitive functioning …

The Relation Of Adolescent Narcissism And Prosocial Behavior With Cooperative And Competitive Attitudes, Erin V. Moran

Honors Theses

Narcissism has been correlated with prosocial behavior in adolescents (Kauten & Barry, 2014, 2016). However, whether adolescents with high levels of narcissism use more egoistic (i.e., self-serving) or altruistic (i.e., helping others with no direct personal benefit) prosocial behaviors has not been investigated. This issue was addressed in the present study, and attitudes of cooperation and competition were also examined as moderators in these relations. The current study involved 147 at-risk adolescents, ages 16 to 18 (113 males, 34 females) who were enrolled in a residential program. The data were collected through self-report questionnaires which assessed narcissism (i.e., non-pathological, grandiose, …

Human Psychological Response To And Benefits Of Interior Water Features, Alissa M. Clouse

Honors Theses

Water features such as water fountains, water walls, fish tanks, and fish ponds are being installed more commonly in interior spaces, but limited research on how these interior water features psychologically affect individuals has been conducted. The hypothesis assumes that individuals have an overall positive reaction to interior water features.

Water features have been used in a variety of places such as healthcare facilities, childcare centers, adult centers, and commercial spaces to create a calming environment. Sounds of softly trickling water have replaced background music in some facilities in order to promote a healing atmosphere. Because water features are installed …

The Lipstick Effect Operates At The Level Of Automatic Visual Attention, Aaron M. Bermond

Honors Theses

Although general consumer spending usually decreases during economic recessions, Hill and colleagues (2012) found evidence that women concerned with economic recession demonstrated an increased preference towards purchasing products capable of enhancing physical beauty, thereby allowing them to appear more attractive to mates with resources. Referring to this phenomenon as the lipstick effect, these researchers suggested such purchasing preferences demonstrate evidence for an evolved female mating strategy. The current study was designed to more directly test whether the lipstick effect represents an evolved female mating adaptation by determining if it operates at the level of automaticity, specifically automatic visual attention (Fodor, …

College Student Development And Emerging Adulthood, Gina Cavanaugh

Honors Theses

College student development theories focus on the experiences and growth that individuals and groups encounter throughout their time attending colleges and universities. During this time, many traditionally aged college students are in the period of emerging adulthood. In industrialized societies, this age range is characterized by a prolonged period of adolescence and a lack of taking on adult responsibilities. This exploration highlights the emerging adult college student population in the United States and the development these individuals may undergo.

The Effects Of Picture Prompts On The Acquisition Of Receptive Language In Children With Autism, Hanna Simons

Honors Theses

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of picture prompts in the acquisition of receptive language. Receptive language training is the ability to listen to and understand what is being communicated (Miller, Carp, Petursdottir, 2009). Receptive language training requires the acquisition of auditory-visual conditional discriminations. In receptive language training the child must attend to the auditory and comparison stimuli. This is sometimes an issue for children with autism. Previous research has shown that receptive language training can be facilitated through the use of picture prompts (Fisher, Kodak, & Moore, 2007). The participant for the study was 3 years old. He was …

Sensor-Enabled Reduction Of Stereotypy, Aaron Brzezinski

Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to create and implement an intervention to reduce stereotypic behavior in a child with Autism. The participant was chosen based on a high occurrence of target behavior and was recruited through his treatment center. The target behaviors were selected based on the subjective evaluation of his treatment provider and parents. The dependent variable in this study was hand-flapping. The independent variable was DRO training that included a buzzer and a chime noise contingent on the presence or absence of stereotypy respectively. A Microsoft Kinect© 2.0 was used to track occurrence of target behavior and …

Increasing Vocalizations In Children With Autism, Nicholette Christodoulou

Honors Theses

This study focuses on increasing vocalizations for students with Autism spectrum disorder. A three-part intervention was used to attempt to establish an echoic repertoire in students who had little to no vocalizations. Both students attended an early intervention classroom with a special education school. Students were selected from their classroom if they showed little to no vocalization or echoic skills. The goal during the first phase was to collect all sounds being made by the student to increase the overall number of vocalizations being made. This was done by continuous reinforcement using edible reinforcers. In phase two, the student’s dominant …

Transitioning Children With Autism From A Discrete Trial Classroom To A Group Classroom, Alexandra Ennis

Honors Theses

The goal of this project was to prepare children diagnosed with autism for the transition to group learning environments by teaching them to sit in their chair and attend while the teacher is at least five feet away. This is a skill that will help kids succeed when they make the transition from an early intervention program to a group learner environment because it allows the teacher to focus more on learning important skills. A proximity procedure was put in place for two children that focused on gradually increasing the distance between the tutor and the student with use of …

Effects Of Multiple Exemplar Instruction On Reading Comprehension For Secondary Students With Reading Delays, Reilly Chabie

Honors Theses

This study tested the effects of multiple exemplar instruction on reading comprehension for a middle school student with a reading delay. A multiple probe design was used to evaluate and observe the changes in the number of questions the student answered correctly. Probes consisted of: (1) pre-experimental, (2) single exemplar instruction (SEI), (3) post-SEI, (4) MEI, and (5) post-MEI. The independent variable was a multiple exemplar intervention that required the student to read a passage across three topographies (silently, listening, and aloud).

Multiple exemplar instruction was shown to be effective in increasing the number of questions answered correctly during single …

Behavioral Sensitization Following Concurrent Exposure To 4-Methylmethcathinone (4-Mmc) And 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma) In Male Sprague-Dawley Rats, Trent Bullock

Honors Theses

Recreational use of a new class of stimulant drugs known as synthetic cathinones is a recent public health concern. Although the Drug Enforcement Administration placed several of the most common of these substances permanently on schedule 1, their use is still prevalent as they remain low cost, accessible, and potent. Concomitant use of cathinone derivatives with other psychostimulant drugs is commonly reported by recreational users. Despite the prevalence of synthetic cathinone abuse, there is currently a paucity of scientific research regarding the behavioral and neurochemical effects of these drugs in mixtures with other drugs of abuse. The behavioral sensitization paradigm …

The Effect Of Bedside Handoffs On Patients’ Perceived Fears, Maija Paldan

Honors Theses

Background and Significance: Fear, anxiety, and apprehension can have a profound effect upon patient outcomes, possibly leading to a worsened health condition or delay in recovery. Current literature finds that communication and social support by the nursing staff may foster patients’ understanding of their care and their experiences of feeling safe. The bedside handoff is one way of enhancing communication and providing support within nurse patient interactions. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of bedside handoffs on patients’ perceived fear, anxiety, and apprehension.

Methods: A secondary analysis was performed upon a larger quantitative data set from …

Effects Of Acute Stress And Ethanol Consumption On Il-1Β In Female Long Evans Rats: A Pilot Study, Kristin R. Creel

Honors Theses

Background: Acute stress elicits many physiological, behavioral, and neurological responses, and many studies have aimed to better our understanding of these responses and their effects. However, a majority of preclinical studies have used male test subjects, despite growing evidence that males and females have different responses to acute and chronic stressors. This study thus aims to evaluate the ability of three different acute stressors to cause a physiological stress response in adult and adolescent female subjects.

Methods: In this preliminary investigation, Female Long Evans rats (N=12) underwent three acute stressors over the course of three consecutive days. In order, these …

The Effectiveness Of Active Interaction In Interactive Visual Imagery As Created By The Keyword Method, Morgan Pair

Honors Theses

A proven mnemonic method called the Keyword Method can be used to learn concrete word pairs, such as when learning a foreign language. In the Keyword Method, an English word that sounds or looks similar to the foreign word (the “keyword”) is used to relate the foreign word and its English equivalent (Raugh & Atkinson, 1975). There are two steps to the keyword method. The first is to learn the foreign word, English translation and English keyword. The second step is to then create an interactive visual image using the English word and keyword (Raugh & Atkinson, 1975). This second …

Examining The Protective Effects Of Self-Positivity On Information Avoidance, Amanda C. Ferrante

Honors Theses

Although information could provide insight, comfort, or opportunity, people are motivated to avoid information that challenges preexisting belief or cause unpleasant emotion. Previous research shows that affirming one’s self-worth can reduce information avoidance. The present study measures whether selfenhancement, or exaggerating qualities to maintain a positive sense of self, can also reduce information avoidance. Self-enhancement is associated with positive mental health and reducing physiological stress symptoms if the exaggeration is within the same domain as threatening information. Participants in the selfenhancement category were asked to give examples of how they are better at maintaining social relationships than the average college …