Psychology Commons^™

Adaptive Effects Of Ventral Tegmental Area Gaba Neurons To Alcohol, Jeffrey Sparenborg, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I set out to discover the substrates of the brain that are involved with chronic use of alcohol. My mentor Scott Steffensen had previously found that the GABA neurons in the midbrain, more specifically, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain were susceptible to ethanol administration. This information is only a piece, however, of the puzzle that will eventually show the full picture of how ethanol disrupts our brain’s function. The next piece that my ORCA aimed to delineate was to see what mechanisms in the VTA were changing when the brain became addicted to alcohol i.e., what …

Visual Perspective And The Characteristics Of Mind Wandering, Brittany M. Christian, Lynden K. Miles, Carolyn Parkinson, C. Neil Macrae

Dartmouth Scholarship

When the mind wanders away from the here-and-now toward imaginary events, it typically does so from one of two visual vantage points—a first-person perspective (i.e., the world is seen as it is in everyday life) or a third-person perspective (i.e., the world is seen from the viewpoint of an outside observer). While extant evidence has detailed consequences that ensue from the utilization of these distinct points of view, less is known about their more basic properties. Here, we investigated the prevalence, demographics and qualities associated with the visual perspective that people spontaneously adopt when the mind wanders. The results from …

The Neurophysiological Effects Of Carbon Monoxide On The Basal Ganglia Over Time, Dalin Pulsipher, Dr. Ramona O. Hopkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the most common causes of death due to poisoning in the United States [1]. CO poisoning often results in neurological changes and motor and cognitive impairments due to anoxia and other related biomechanical mechanisms [2]. A major set of subcortical nuclei affected by CO poisoning are the basal ganglia, which play a key role in the regulation and coordination of movement, as well as some cognitive functions.

Orca Progress Report, Lara Schwicht, Dr. Jeffrey Lee

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study focuses on assessment procedures used to evaluate the treatments offered to severely and persistently mentally ill patients (SPMI). By way of definition, SPMI individuals: (1) number between one and five million (NAMHC, 1995; Arns, & Linney, 1993), (2) use a significant percentage of mental health care inpatient and community services ($148 billion annually in the United States), and (3) are diagnosed with mental disorders such as “schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, autism, and obsessive compulsive disorder” (Carey, & Carey, 1999). The size of this patient population coupled with its financial impact on health care in North …

The Effect Of Media On Anxiety, Depression And Self-Esteem In Persons With Different Body Mass Indices (Bmi), Angel Saavedra Cisneros, Dr. Matthew Spackman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Body image is only one of different aspects that make up what is known as “self-image.” That is, the way we view ourselves as a whole by ourselves and in reference to others. Having a healthy self-image is important to overall wellbeing in many individuals. Having a healthy body-image is a very important part of self-image healthiness; the comparisons we subject our body-image to are also important to our self image.

Dopamine Pharmacology Of Vta Gaba Neurons, Brian C. Bingham, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol addiction has destroyed lives and communities for centuries. By understanding the mechanism of how our brain becomes addicted to alcohol we can better solve the problems this addiction creates. The current theory states that dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain help produce feelings of reward associated with alcohol use. These dopamine neurons are modulated by GABA neurons that form a feedback loop that can be stimulated via a brain structure called the internal capsule. The purpose of this project was to clarify the effect of dopamine (DA) on GABA neuron firing rate and electrical …

Sucrose Self Administration, Adam Bevan, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcoholism is a problem that affects almost the whole world. The purpose of our proposed study was to record neuronal activity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of male Wistar rats during self-administration of sucrose, which is a natural reward for rats. Although sucrose administration seems far from alcoholism, our goal was to see how these neurons act in during a behavior known to be pleasurable since past literature suggested that rats would not self-administer ethanol to dependence. Our research did take a turn, however, and we developed a system where we saw rats self-administer ethanol intravenously. We decided to …

Academic Self-Efficacy, Coping, And Academic Performance In College, Mehjabeen Khan

Student Published Works

This study serves as a pilot study for a possible future study including the same variables. The purpose of the pilot study was to find a relationship in the college academic setting between academic self-efficacy, stress coping skills, and academic performance. Sixty-six undergraduate students, 17 male and 49 female, from a university in northwestern United States participated in the study. Stress was measured using the COPE Inventory (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989). Self-efficacy was measured using the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (Chemers, Hu, & Garcia, 2001). Academic performance was measured using the participants’ college GPA. Academic Self-Efficacy and the Planning subscale …

Attractive Advertising, Michael Westover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The world is inundated with images of highly attractive and underweight models (e.g. Joseph 1982). These models are commonly seen in many types of advertising, endorsing every product imaginable. Thin models create a standard of beauty that many females strive to emulate (e.g. Hebl & Heatherton, 1998). Although the practice of using underweight models is very common, there has been little research to validate its use. Advertising research during recent years has focused on the effectiveness of endorsers (e.g. Ohanian, 1991), but little research has been done to evaluate the relationship between endorser weight and purchase intent. These thoughts lead …

On The Importance Of Concerns (Vs. Problems) In Hypnosis And Psychotherapy, Rubin Battino

Human Services Faculty Publications

The development of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) by Steve de Shazer and coworkers was a paradigmatic 180 degree shift from the problem-focused therapy that was based initially on the medical model. Yet, even with SFBT the work is still about the “problems” that the clients present.

Depth Compression Based On Mis-Scaling Of Binocular Disparity May Contribute To Angular Expansion In Perceived Optical Slant, Z. Li, Frank H. Durgin

Psychology Faculty Works

Three studies, involving a total of 145 observers examined quantitative theories of the overestimation of perceived optical slant. The first two studies investigated the depth/width anisotropies on positive and negative slant in both pitch and yaw at 2 and 8 m using calibrated immersive virtual environments. Observers made judgments of the relative lengths of extents that were frontal with those that were in depth. The physical aspect ratio that was perceived as 1:1 was determined for each slant. The observed anisotropies can be modeled by assuming overestimation in perceived slant. Three one-parameter slant perception models (angular expansion, affine depth compression …

Inception And Ibn 'Arabi, Oludamini Ogunnaike

Journal of Religion & Film

Many philosophers, playwrights, artists, sages, and scholars throughout the ages have entertained and developed the concept of life being a "but a dream." Few works, however, have explored this topic with as much depth and subtlety as the 13thC Andalusian Muslim mystic, Ibn 'Arabi. Similarly, few works of art explore this theme as thoroughly and engagingly as Chistopher Nolan's 2010 film Inception. This paper presents the writings of Ibn 'Arabi and Nolan's film as a pair of mirrors, in which one can contemplate the other. As such, the present work is equally a commentary on the film based on …

Christian Devotional Meditation For Anxiety, Fernando L. Garzon

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Preliminary research suggests Christian devotional meditation is efficacious with conservative Christian clients. This chapter describes three Christian devotional meditation strategies that may be useful in psychotherapy for anxiety: Scriptural Truth Meditation, Scriptural Drama Meditation, and Christ-Centered Present Moment Awareness. A clinical case study highlights their application. Handouts for clients are provided.

Integral Counseling Psychology Newsletter, Ciis

Integral Counseling Psychology Newsletter

This is the Fall 2013 issue of ICP Newsletter

An Overview Of The Dsm-5, Naveen Jonathan

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Presentations

An overview of the DSM-5, including the change in numeral, updates from the DSM-IV, new additions, reclassifications, and more.

Ciis Today, Fall 2013 Issue, California Institute Of Integral Studies

CIIS Today

This volume is the Fall 2013 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Perceptions Of Parental Awareness Of Emotional Responses To Stressful Life Events, Lisa Jobe-Shields, Gilbert R. Parra, Kelly E. Buckholdt

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

There is a need to better understand family processes related to recovery from past stressful life events. The present study aimed to investigate links between perceptions of parental awareness regarding stressful life events, continued event-related rumination, and current symptoms of depression. Students at a diverse, urban university completed a life events checklist and a semistructured interview regarding family processing of stressful life events, as well as self-report measures of event-related rumination and depression. Results indicated that perceptions of mothers’ and fathers’ awareness of sadness regarding stressful life events as well as mothers’ and fathers’ verbal event processing predicted symptoms of …

The Cognitive Processes Underlying Affective Decision-Making Predicting Adolescent Smoking Behaviors In A Longitudinal Study, C. Anderson Johnson, Lin Xiao, Gilly Koritzky, Antoine Bechara

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This study investigates the relationship between three different cognitive processes underlying the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and adolescent smoking behaviors in a longitudinal study. We conducted a longitudinal study of 181 Chinese adolescents in Chengdu City, China. The participants were followed from 10th to 11th grade. When they were in the 10th grade (Time 1), we tested these adolescents’ decision-making using the IGT and working memory capacity using the Self-ordered Pointing Test (SOPT). Self-report questionnaires were used to assess school academic performance and smoking behaviors. The same questionnaires were completed again at the 1-year follow-up (Time 2). The Expectancy-Valence (EV) …

Maternal Sensitivity, Maternal Mind-Mindedness, And Infant Socioemotional Functioning: An Examination Of Concurrent Associations, Nancy Ignacia Longoria

Open Access Dissertations

Associations between maternal sensitivity, maternal mind-mindedness, and infant socioemotional (SE) functioning were examined in a sample of 40 mother-infant dyads. Semi-structured home observations were conducted to assess maternal sensitivity and collect maternal ratings of maternal depression and infant SE functioning. Mind-mindedness was assessed during free play and teaching interactions during the home visit. Sensitivity at home was positively associated with mind-mindedness during a free play interaction, but not during a teaching interaction. Neither sensitivity nor mind-mindedness was significantly associated with total infant SE scores, or scores on 3 SE subscales (adaptive functioning, self-regulation, and interaction with people). A trend between …

Making A Stronger Case For Comparative Research To Investigate The Behavioral And Neurological Bases Of Three-Dimensional Navigation, Daniele Nardi, Verner P. Bingman

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The rich diversity of avian natural history provides exciting possibilities for comparative research aimed at understanding three-dimensional navigation. We propose some hypotheses relating differences in natural history to potential behavioral and neurological adaptations possessed by contrasting bird species. This comparative approach may offer unique insights into some of the important questions raised by Jeffery et al.

Graduate Students’ Geropsychology Training Opportunities And Perceived Competence In Working With Older Adults, Erin Woodhead, Erin Emery, Nancy Pachana, Theresa Scott, Candace Konnert, Barry Edelstein

Faculty Publications

The current study surveyed clinical and counseling graduate students in the United States (n = 380), Canada (n = 211), Australia (n = 117), and New Zealand (n = 20) to assess geropsychology training opportunities and perceived competency in working with older adults. More geropsychology opportunities were available to participants from the United States and Australia/New Zealand than from Canada. Participants not enrolled in programs with specialty geropsychology tracks reported a lower proportion of faculty doing research, F(1, 537) = 182.13, p < .001 and clinical work, F(1, 452) = 36.13, p < .001 with older adults, lower perceived level of interest among faculty in increasing aging content, F(1, 584) = 59.98, p < .001, fewer aging courses taken, F(1, 582) = 46.91, p < .001, and fewer total practicum hours with older adult clients, F(1, 313) = 10.88, p = .001. For participants enrolled in a program with a specialty track, higher levels of perceived competency were associated with higher levels of perceived interest among faculty in increasing aging content (β = 0.29, p = .045) and more courses that included geropsychology topics (β = 0.42, p = .020). Significant associations were similar for participants not enrolled in a program with a specialty track, except that more practicum sites with older adults (β = 0.19, p = .002) and more total practicum hours with older adults (β = 0.31, p < .001) were also associated with ratings of perceived competency. Participants anticipated working with older adults in their future careers via seeing a wide age range of clients in independent practice, working in a specialty that includes older adults (neuropsychology), or including older family members in services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)

Early Exposure To Traumatic Stressors Impairs Emotional Brain Circuitry, Robert H. Paul, Mayuresh S. Korgaonkar, Cassandra Antees, Leanne M. Williams

Psychology Faculty Works

Exposure to early life trauma (ELT) is known to have a profound impact on mental development, leading to a higher risk for depression and anxiety. Our aim was to use multiple structural imaging methods to systematically investigate how traumatic stressors early in life impact the emotional brain circuits, typically found impaired with clinical diagnosis of depression and anxiety, across the lifespan in an otherwise healthy cohort. MRI data and self-reported histories of ELT from 352 healthy individuals screened for no psychiatric disorders were analyzed in this study. The volume and cortical thickness of the limbic and cingulate regions were assessed …

Randomized Clinical Trial Examining Duration Of Voucher-Based Reinforcement Therapy For Cocaine Abstinence., Kimberly C Kirby, Carolyn M Carpenedo, Karen L Dugosh, Beth J Rosenwasser, Lois A Benishek, Alicia Janik, Rachel Keashen, Elena Bresani, Kenneth Silverman

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: This is the first study to systematically manipulate duration of voucher-based reinforcement therapy (VBRT) to see if extending the duration increases abstinence during and following VBRT.

METHODS: We randomized cocaine-dependent methadone-maintained adults to Standard (12 weeks; n=62) or Extended (36 weeks; n=68) VBRT and provided escalating voucher amounts contingent upon urinalysis verification of cocaine abstinence. Urinalysis was scheduled at least every 2 weeks during the 48-week study and more frequently during VBRT (3/week) and 12 weeks of Aftercare (2/week).

RESULTS: Extended VBRT produced longer durations of continuous cocaine abstinence during weeks 1-24 (5.7 vs 2.7 weeks; p=0.003) and proportionally …

The Touchscreen Operant Platform For Testing Learning And Memory In Rats And Mice., Alexa E Horner, Christopher J Heath, Martha Hvoslef-Eide, Brianne A Kent, Chi Hun Kim, Simon R O Nilsson, Johan Alsiö, Charlotte A Oomen, Andrew Holmes, Lisa M Saksida, Timothy J Bussey

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

An increasingly popular method of assessing cognitive functions in rodents is the automated touchscreen platform, on which a number of different cognitive tests can be run in a manner very similar to touchscreen methods currently used to test human subjects. This methodology is low stress (using appetitive rather than aversive reinforcement), has high translational potential and lends itself to a high degree of standardization and throughput. Applications include the study of cognition in rodent models of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, Huntington's disease, frontotemporal dementia), as well as the characterization of the role of select brain regions, …

The Touchscreen Operant Platform For Testing Working Memory And Pattern Separation In Rats And Mice., Charlotte A Oomen, Martha Hvoslef-Eide, Christopher J Heath, Adam C Mar, Alexa E Horner, Timothy J Bussey, Lisa M Saksida

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The automated touchscreen operant chamber for rats and mice allows for the assessment of multiple cognitive domains within the same testing environment. This protocol presents the location discrimination (LD) task and the trial-unique delayed nonmatching-to-location (TUNL) task, which both assess memory for location. During these tasks, animals are trained to a predefined criterion during ∼20-40 daily sessions. In LD sessions, touching the same location on the screen is rewarded on consecutive trials, followed by a reversal of location-reward contingencies. TUNL, a working memory task, requires animals to 'nonmatch' to a sample location after a delay. In both the LD and …

The Touchscreen Operant Platform For Assessing Executive Function In Rats And Mice., Adam C Mar, Alexa E Horner, Simon R O Nilsson, Johan Alsiö, Brianne A Kent, Chi Hun Kim, Andrew Holmes, Lisa M Saksida, Timothy J Bussey

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

This protocol details a subset of assays developed within the touchscreen platform to measure various aspects of executive function in rodents. Three main procedures are included: extinction, measuring the rate and extent of curtailing a response that was previously, but is no longer, associated with reward; reversal learning, measuring the rate and extent of switching a response toward a visual stimulus that was previously not, but has become, associated with reward (and away from a visual stimulus that was previously, but is no longer, rewarded); and the 5-choice serial reaction time (5-CSRT) task, gauging the ability to selectively detect and …

Risk Factors For Overweight/Obesity In Preschool Children: An Ecological Approach, Dipti A. Dev, Brent A. Mcbride, Barbnara H. Fiese, Blake Jones, Hyunkeun Cho, Strong Kids Research Team

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

Background—Identification of risk factors is critical to preventing the childhood obesity epidemic. Risk factors that contribute to obesity are multifactorial. However, limited research has focused on identifying obesity risk factors using an ecological approach.

Methods—Baseline self-report survey data from the STRONG Kids program were used. The sample consisted of 329 parent-child dyads recruited from childcare programs in east-central Illinois. Child height and weight were measured and converted to age- and sex-specific z-scores using standard growth charts. An ecological model provided the theoretical framework for the selection of 22 previously reported childhood obesity risk factors. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used …

An Eriksonian Approach To Consumer Identity, Sandra Rathod

Open Access Dissertations

Rathod, Sandra R. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2013. An Eriksonian Approach to Consumer Identity. Major Professor: Richard A. Feinberg.

Ego development is the fifth stage in Erikson's Lifecycle Development theory (1959) and is a major psychosocial stage beginning in adolescence and lasting into emerging adulthood. Past research based upon Marcia's Ego Identity Status Paradigm (1996) has investigated a number of ideological and interpersonal domains relevant to one's ego identity, however in today's consumer societies, where what you have is at least as important is who you are or what you do, an Eriksonian approach to consumer ego identity (CEI) has …

Diabetes And Prostate Cancer Screening In Black And White Men, Maureen Sanderson, Jay H. Fowke, Loren Lipworth, Xijing Han, Flora Ukoli, Ann L. Coker, William J. Blot, Margaret K. Hargreaves

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

PURPOSE: Prior studies conducted primarily among white men find a reduced risk of prostate cancer associated with time since developing diabetes. While biologic explanations are plausible, the association may in part arise from more frequent prostate cancer screening among those with a diabetes diagnosis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between diabetes and prostate cancer screening.

METHODS: We examined differences in prostate cancer screening (prostate-specific antigen and/or digital rectal examination) testing practices after a diabetes diagnosis among lower-income persons living in the southeastern United States and enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study between 2002 …

Sexual Coercion And Sexual Violence At First Intercourse Associated With Sexually Transmitted Infections, Corrine M. Williams, Emily R. Clear, Ann L. Coker

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Violence against women has been associated with subsequent risky sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We explored whether sexual coercion or violence at first intercourse was associated with self-reported STIs.

METHODS: Using nationally representative data from the 2006 to 2010 National Survey of Family Growth, we analyzed female respondents aged 18 to 44 (n = 9466) who answered questions on coercion at first intercourse (wantedness, voluntariness, and types of force used) and STIs using logistic regression analyses. We explored degrees of coercion, which we label as neither, sexual coercion (unwanted or nonphysical force), or sexual violence (involuntary or …