Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Focality Of Processing And Delay On Event-Based Prospective Memory, Samantha Nicole Petrella

Theses and Dissertations

The current experiment proposes an examination of the effects of focality of processing and delays on event-based prospective memory tasks. Several perspectives regarding the process of remembering to perform an intended action in the future have been proposed by researchers in this area. Smith (2007) proposed the Preparatory Attentional and Memory (PAM) process theory regarding PM. According to the PAM theory, the retrieval of a prospective memory continuously requires resource-demanding preparatory attentional processes, or effortful and deliberate focus. Further, it suggests that successful PM retrieval is never automatic and that attention to the PM task interferes with and compromises ongoing …

The Effects Of A Picture Acitivty Schedule And Functional Communication Training, Sarah J. Lett

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects a package treatment containing a picture activity schedule and functional communication training on the reduction of problem behaviors on a child with developmental delays. The study was conducted by first establishing discrimination between pictures, to be used in the picture activity schedule. Then the tutors progressively advanced through the six phases of the picture activity schedule. Each phase taught fundamental rules such as “first this, then that”, and built the schedule to more complex structure. In this way, the student could anticipate upcoming tasks, and preferred activities. The predictor strategy …

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (Tbri) For Adopted Children Receiving Therapy In An Outpatient Setting, Lauren Nielsen, Robert Lusk, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

This study explored the relationship between Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) and treatment outcomes for adopted children participating in treatment services through The Baby Fold’s Adoption Preservation Program. Adopted children who have trauma histories may have their adoptions disrupted if they do not receive the proper therapy to improve their overall functioning (Purvis, Cross, & Pennings, 2009; Davis, 1999). This study investigates a new intervention, TBRI, and its impact on children with trauma histories who are receiving outpatient therapy at a local child welfare center. Specifically, this study examines whether family functioning and child functioning are improved after receiving the intervention …

Simple Visual Discrimination Training For A Child With Autism And Exceptional Learning Difficulties, Rachel Burroughs

Honors Theses

One of the most basic pre-requisite skills for learning is simple visual discrimination. Unfortunately, the literature is lacking in how to teach simple visual discrimination to children with difficulty learning. To address this problem, the current study set out to teach a child with autism, and exceptional learning difficulty, simple visual discrimination. To do this, the researchers used a simple reversal design using a prompt fading strategy. To shape the independent behavior of selecting the correct stimulus in the presence of two other stimuli, the researchers started by reinforcing touching the stimuli when there were no other distractor stimuli present, …

The Combined Effects Of Picture Activity Schedules And Extinction Plus Differential Reinforcement On Problem Behavior During Transitions, Jessica Hurdelbrink

Honors Theses

To decrease problem behaviors and increase compliance during transitions, a treatment package consisting of a picture activity schedule combined with extinction and differential reinforcement of other behavior was implemented. The study consisted of baseline and the intervention. Based on previous studies involving picture activity schedules, Gina Cross wrote the protocol for the teaching of the activity schedule and the transition protocol. The teaching protocol was made up of four stages of most-to-least prompting, and involved teaching the child to move the picture icon to the bottom of the schedule independently. The transition protocol gave instructions on how the tutor and …

Gradual Guidance And Independent Activity Schedules For Children With Autism, Amanda Driscoll

Honors Theses

The goal of this intervention was to increase on-task and on-schedule behavior in a child with autism through the use of gradual guidance and an independent activity schedule. The participant was a three year-old boy who exhibited noncompliant problem behavior. He was at mastery level for the tasks that were included in the independent activity schedule and had no prior learning experience with an independent activity schedule. Gradual guidance was used to decrease the time it took for him to learn the complex behavior that is involved with an independent activity schedule and to keep the participant on-task and on-schedule …

Impact Of Working Memory Load On Cognitive Control In Trait Anxiety: An Erp Study, Senqing Qi, Qinghong Zeng, Yangmei Luo, Haijun Duan, Cody Ding, Weiping Hu, Hong Li

Education Sciences and Professional Programs Faculty Works

Whether trait anxiety is associated with a general impairment of cognitive control is a matter of debate. This study investigated whether and how experimentally manipulated working memory (WM) load modulates the relation between trait anxiety and cognitive control. This question was investigated using a dual-task design in combination with eventrelated potentials. Participants were required to remember either one (low WM load) or six letters (high WM load) while performing a flanker task. Our results showed that a high WM load disrupted participants’ ability to overcome distractor interference and this effect was exacerbated for the high trait-anxious (HTA) group. This exacerbation …

Behavioral Sensitization Following Concurrent Exposure To Mephedrone And D-Amphetamine In Female Mice, Michael D. Berquist Ii, M. Melissa Peet, Lisa Baker

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Introduction

• Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) is an active constituent of the illicit designer drugs commonly known as “bath salts”. In recent years, the recreational use and abuse of mephedrone and related synthetic methcathinones have dramatically increased in popularity in the U.S. and U. K. (e.g., Dybdal-Hargreaves et al., 2013; Winstock et al., 2010).

• Mephedrone consumption is associated with a number of adverse side effects such as palpitations, bruxism, agitation (Winstock et al., 2011; Wood et al., 2010; Dargan et al., 2010), paranoia, hallucinations, aggressive/violent behavior, excited delirium, and psychosis (Ross et al., 2012).

• Mephedrone may facilitate deleterious effects of other drugs of …

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Monitoring, Parental Acceptance, And Externalizing Behaviors Among Urban African American Adolescents, Rachel Garthe

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of aggression and delinquency increase during adolescence and are associated with psychosocial adjustment difficulties. It is important to identify aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship that may protect adolescents from these externalizing behaviors. The current study examined longitudinal relations between parental monitoring behaviors, child disclosure, and externalizing behaviors. Participants included 326 African American adolescents and their primary maternal caregivers, recruited from urban neighborhoods characterized by high rates of violence and low socioeconomic status. Participants provided data annually (three waves across two-year timeframe) through face-to-face interviews. Results of longitudinal path models showed that child disclosure predicted parental knowledge, and parental …

Why Are Scandinavians So Happy?, John Hasselberg

Forum Lectures

Perhaps somewhat surprising to many in central Minnesota, Scandinavian societies are ranked as having the happiest people in the world. Long-term longitudinal studies such as "Development, Freedom, and Rising Happiness: A Global Perspective (1981-2007)" by Inglehart, Foa, Peterson and Welzel of the University of Leicester, and recent research reported by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in its "World Happiness Report 2013", edited by Helliwell, Layard & Sachs, consistently come to the conclusion that Scandinavians are the happiest people in the world. Why? How is this possible? What can we learn from them?

Are Therapists Using Outcome Measures And Does It Matter?A Naturalistic Usage Study, Jared S. Klundt

Theses and Dissertations

Outcome measurement has been demonstrated to be beneficial when used as a routine part of psychological practice (Lambert et al., 2002), improving both treatment time and outcome of patients, and helping therapists determine which of their patients are not responding to their current treatments (Hannan et al., 2005; Whipple et al., 2003). Despite these proven benefits, many therapists are reluctant to implement and use outcome measures in their routine practice (Hatfield & Ogles, 2007). In addition, the research demonstrating the benefits of these outcome measures has used randomized experimental design to examine the effects of outcome feedback to therapists. The …

Everything Is Permitted? People Intuitively Judge Immorality As Representative Of Atheists, Will M. Gervais

Psychology Faculty Publications

Scientific research yields inconsistent and contradictory evidence relating religion to moral judgments and outcomes, yet most people on earth nonetheless view belief in God (or gods) as central to morality, and many view atheists with suspicion and scorn. To evaluate intuitions regarding a causal link between religion and morality, this paper tested intuitive moral judgments of atheists and other groups. Across five experiments (N = 1,152), American participants intuitively judged a wide variety of immoral acts (e.g., serial murder, consensual incest, necrobestiality, cannibalism) as representative of atheists, but not of eleven other religious, ethnic, and cultural groups. Even atheist …

Electrophysiological Evidence Of The Time Course Of Attentional Bias In Non-Patients Reporting Symptoms Of Depression With And Without Co-Occurring Anxiety, Sarah M. Sass, Wendy Heller, Joscelyn E. Fisher, Rebecca L. Silton, Jennifer L. Stewart, Laura D. Crocker, J. Christopher Edgar, Katherine J. Mimnaugh, Gregory A. Miller

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Anxiety is characterized by attentional biases to threat, but findings are inconsistent for depression. To address this inconsistency, the present study systematically assessed the role of co-occurring anxiety in attentional bias in depression. In addition, the role of emotional valence, arousal, and gender was explored. Ninety-two non-patients completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (Meyer et al., 1990; Molina and Borkovec, 1994) and portions of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (Watson et al., 1995a,b). Individuals reporting high levels of depression and low levels of anxiety (depression only), high levels of depression and anxiety (combined), or low levels of both (control) …

Electrophysiological Evidence Of The Time Course Of Attentional Bias In Nonpatients Reporting Symptoms Of Depression With And Without Co-Occurring Anxiety, Sarah M. Sass, Wendy Heller, Joscelyn Fisher, Rebecca L. Silton

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Anxiety is characterized by attentional biases to threat, but findings are inconsistent for depression. To address this inconsistency, the present study systematically assessed the role of co-occurring anxiety in attentional bias in depression. In addition, the role of emotional valence, arousal, and gender was explored. Ninety-two non-patients completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (Meyer et al., 1990; Molina and Borkovec, 1994) and portions of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (Watson et al., 1995a,b). Individuals reporting high levels of depression and low levels of anxiety (depression only), high levels of depression and anxiety …

Normal Acquisition Of Expertise With Greebles In Two Cases Of Acquired Prosopagnosia, Constantin Rezlescu, Jason J. S. Barton, David Pitcher, Bradley Duchaine

Dartmouth Scholarship

Face recognition is generally thought to rely on different neurocognitive mechanisms than most types of objects, but the specificity of these mechanisms is debated. One account suggests the mechanisms are specific to upright faces, whereas the expertise view proposes the mechanisms operate on objects of high within-class similarity with which an observer has become proficient at rapid individuation. Much of the evidence cited in support of the expertise view comes from laboratory-based training experiments involving computer-generated objects called greebles that are designed to place face-like demands on recognition mechanisms. A fundamental prediction of the expertise hypothesis is that recognition deficits …

Best Integrated Writing 2014 - Complete Edition

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University. The journal is published annually by the Wright State University Department of English Language and Literatures.

Perspective Taking In Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analysis Of Neural Correlates And The Role Of Empathy, Whitney Worsham, Dr. Michael Larson, Dr. Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this research project was to test the hypothesis that, when seeing individuals in distress, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) displayed decreased neural activity and empathy towards others relative to typically developing children when seeing individuals in distress. In order to test this hypothesis, we utilized electroencephalogram (EEG) and eventrelated potentials (ERP) to measure the electrical activity of the brain while showing pictures of individuals in distress to children diagnosed with ASD and a sample of healthy children.

The Predictive Capabilities Of Ketamine Sensitivity For Future Alcohol Consumption, Andrea Sorenson, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol is one of the most abused drugs in the United States; with a large number of adolescents having used alcohol. A substantive portion of those adolescents (15%, about 7% females and 20% of males) will go on to become addicted to alcohol. Because alcoholism is such a large issue it is imperative that research is done to find a predictive measure for alcoholism (Kessler et al, 1994). This study proposed looking at the relationship alcohol drinking patterns and responses to the anesthetic ketamine in adolescent rhesus macaque monkeys. If there is a relationship between ketamine and alcohol consumption this …

Electroencephalography Analysis Of Cognition In Multiple Sclerosis, James Price, Dr. Ramona Hopkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is believed to be caused by an abnormal autoimmune response to cells in the brain responsible for insulating and supporting neuronal cells. The initial focal site of injury is the myelin sheath surrounding neuronal axons, which can lead to neuron damage through axonal dysfunction and destruction (Lassmann 2008). This damage presents a variety of symptoms. Common symptoms contain components of cognitive, motor, and emotional impairments. Studies indicate that 40-70% of individuals with MS have cognitive impairments including deficits in memory, processing speed, attention, and executive functioning (Rogers …

Association Between Heavy-Metal Exposure And The Digit-Symbol Substitution Test In Us Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Parker Woody, Dawson Hedges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Heavy metals in the environment are a serious concern. One of the most widely known and studied neurotoxins is lead. For many years it was put into gasoline and paint in the US until it was discovered that it lead to developmental defects and affected cognitive functioning. There is a concern that other heavy metals could have adverse effects as well. Much research has focused on exposure to heavy metals in those exposed to abnormally high levels, such as those found in occupational exposures. Very little has been done examining heavy metal levels in the body such as those that …

Word Quality And Memory, Marshall Roedel, Dr. C. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Current memory theory suggests that two separate processes contribute to recognition memory. Recollection is when recognition is accompanied by contextual information regarding the encoding event. Familiarity is when recognition is only a companied by a vague sense of having encountered something previously.

A Meta-Analytic Evaluation Of The Ern As A Biological Marker Of Depression And Anxiety, David Rackham, Dr. Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Anxiety and depression disorders have a high rate of prevalence in the adult U.S. population (anxiety 18.1%; depression 9.5%; “Mental Disorders,” 2010). Indeed, it is estimated that by the year 2020 depression will be the second most prevalent health concern worldwide for all ages and both sexes (“Depression,” n.d., para. 2). Many disciplines are seeking effective treatment options, as well as exploring potential preventative solutions for these disorders. One such preventative possibility is the elucidation of endophenotypes, which are unobservable characteristics that are linked with a behavior known to be a phenotype of the disorder. Research on the etiology of …

The Effects Of Moderate-Intensity Acute Aerobic Exercise On Self-Disclosure, Brittany K. Woods

Honors College Theses

This study sought to determine whether a relationship exists between acute aerobic exercise, at moderate intensity, and self-disclosure due to a positive change in affect. Participants took a pre-test measure of mood, and the Exercise Group exercised for 25 minutes afterwards. The remaining participants, the Non-exercise Group, sat in the same room while the others exercised. The Non-exercise Group was told that they would exercise next, when really they would not. After the Experimental Group finished exercising, all participants took a post-test measure of mood as well as a measure of self-disclosure. Results showed that overall mood improved for those …

Effects Of Perceptual Fluency On Reasoning And Pupil Dilation, Juan Diego Guevara Pinto

Honors College Theses

Research on perceptual disfluency has examined the effects of perceptually demanding stimuli on information processing and reasoning, suggesting that disfluent stimuli elicit slower and more effortful processing. Recent criticism of perceptual disfluency, however, suggests that the effects disfluent stimuli have on processing are marginal, and that they are mediated by individual differences. Participants completed a computerized reasoning task presented in either a fluent (i.e., easy-to-read font) or disfluent format (i.e., hard-to-read font) while pupil diameter was measured by an eye-tracker system. Pupillometry is an established reliable measure of mental activity that reflects differences in cognitive load. Results showed no performance …

A Cultural Examination Of Hardiness: Associations With Self-Esteem, Wisdom, Hope, And Coping-Efficacy, Asea L. Gilmore

Honors College Theses

It is imperative that college students cultivate and exhibit traits associated with resilience to successfully complete their course of study and to protect themselves against the onset of mental health issues. This study aimed to examine positive psychology variables in relation to resilience in order to find variables that promote resilience in college students. Wisdom, hope, and coping self-efficacy were examined amongst 436 undergraduate students. Ethnicity amongst the sample consisted with 136 self-reporting as African American (31.9%), 264 self-reporting as European American (60.6%), 3 self-reporting as Asian (0.7%), 2 self-reporting as Native American (0.5%), and 28 self-reporting as biracial (6.4%). …

Cultural Competence And Trauma: Applying Ethical Codes In Culturally Sensitive Ways, Rodger K. Bufford, Winston Seegobin

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

School And Community-Based Childhood Obesity: Implications For Policy And Practice, Suzette Fromm Reed, Judah J. Viola, Karen Lynch

Faculty Publications

This introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community on the topic of childhood obesity prevention lays some of the basis for the state of affairs of the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States as of 2012 and the need for and types of existing prevention and intervention efforts underway. At the intersection of public health and community psychology, each of the five articles presents some insights into how prevention and intervention efforts currently underway are fairing and offers some implications for program developers and policy makers to start to turn around …

Worldview Foundations For A Christian Psychology, Rodger K. Bufford, Timothy A. Sisemore

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Toward Monsters, Jonathan R. Gaber, Suma Mallavarapu, Beth Randi Kirsner

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The concept of monsters is ubiquitous across cultures, but there has been little research on monsters themselves and what factors shape people’s attitudes toward them. Kennesaw State University undergraduate psychology students (N = 450) read unbiased, positively biased, or negatively biased reports of one of 15 fictional monsters before all participants read identical stories about an encounter with the monster. Questionnaire responses indicated that reading a negatively biased report results in significantly more negative attitudes toward a monster than reading an unbiased report, that attitudes toward animals positively correlate with attitudes toward monsters, and that attitudes toward monsters differ depending …

Selective Effects Of Selective Attention, Katherine Camille Moen

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Selective Attention is the process by which an individual attends to one stimulus while ignoring other distracting stimuli. Selective attention at encoding has been found to consistently impair memory performance. However, little research has found conclusive evidence as to the impact of selective attention during initial retrieval, and how that impacts retrieval on later tests, or the influence of the types of stimuli that participants are ignoring. The following series of experiments outline how selective attention impairs memory immediately and after a delay, during encoding and retrieval. Experiments 1-3 manipulated attention during retrieval. Experiment 1 found that selective attention during …