Psychology Commons^™

Socialising Piglets In Lactation Positively Affects Their Post-Weaning Behaviour, Talia Morgan, John Pluske, David Miller, Teresa Collins, Anne L. Barnes, Françoise Wemelsfelder, Patricia A. Fleming

Sentience Collection

Although commercial farrowing sheds keep individual litters separated, previous studies have suggested that housing systems that allow socialisation of piglets pre-weaning can reduce aggression after weaning. This study tested whether pigs socialised with non-littermates pre-weaning would show less aggression during mixing at weaning (when piglets are taken from their sows and mixed in group housing), and whether socialisation influenced the time budgets or behavioural expression of piglets at weaning. In total, 353 piglets were followed from birth through to one week after weaning. Piglets from 24 sows were allowed to socialise in groups of four litters (‘socialised’ treatment group) from …

Behaviour Of Horses In A Judgment Bias Test Associated With Positive Or Negative Reinforcement, Sabrina Briefer Freymond, Elodie F. Briefer, Anja Zollinger, Yveline Gindrat-Von Allmen, Christa Wyss, Iris Bachmann

Ethology Collection

Moods can influence our judgment of ambiguous stimuli as positive or negative. Measuring judgment bias in animals is a promising method to objectively assess their emotional states. Our study aimed to develop a cognitive bias test in horses, in order to assess the effect of training using positive reinforcement (PR) or negative reinforcement (NR) on their emotional states. We trained 12 mares to discriminate between a rewarded and a non-rewarded location situated on each side of a paddock. The mares were then trained during five days to perform several exercises using PR (n = 6) for one group, and NR …

Emotional Engagements Predict And Enhance Social Cognition In Young Chimpanzees, Kim A. Bard, Roger Bakeman, Sarah T. Boysen, David A. Leavens

Sentience Collection

Social cognition in infancy is evident in coordinated triadic engagements, that is, infants attending jointly with social partners and objects. Current evolutionary theories of primate social cognition tend to highlight species differences in cognition based on human-unique cooperative motives. We consider a developmental model in which engagement experiences produce differential outcomes. We conducted a 10-year-long study in which two groups of laboratory-raised chimpanzee infants were given quantifiably different engagement experiences. Joint attention, cooperativeness, affect, and different levels of cognition were measured in 5- to 12-month-old chimpanzees, and compared to outcomes derived from a normative human database. We found that joint …

Sharp Emergence Of Feature-Selective Sustained Activity Along The Dorsal Visual Pathway., Diego Mendoza-Halliday, Santiago Torres, Julio C Martinez-Trujillo

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Sustained activity encoding visual working memory representations has been observed in several cortical areas of primates. Where along the visual pathways this activity emerges remains unknown. Here we show in macaques that sustained spiking activity encoding memorized visual motion directions is absent in direction-selective neurons in early visual area middle temporal (MT). However, it is robustly present immediately downstream, in multimodal association area medial superior temporal (MST), as well as and in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC). This sharp emergence of sustained activity along the dorsal visual pathway suggests a functional boundary between early visual areas, which encode sensory inputs, …

The Relationship Between Language Proficiency And Attentional Control In Cantonese-English Bilingual Children: Evidence From Simon, Simon Switching, And Working Memory Tasks, Jeanette Altarriba, Chi-Shing Tse

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

By administering Simon, Simon switching, and operation-span working memory tasks to Cantonese-English bilingual children who varied in their first-language (L1, Cantonese) and second-language (L2, English) proficiencies, as quantified by standardized vocabulary test performance, the current study examined the effects of L1 and L2 proficiency on attentional control performance. Apart from mean performance, we conducted ex-Gaussian analyses to capture the modal and positive-tail components of participants' reaction time distributions in the Simon and Simon switching tasks. Bilinguals' L2 proficiency was associated with higher scores in the operation span task, and a shift of reaction time distributions in incongruent trials, relative to …

Public Management In Political Institutions: Explaining Perceptions Of White House Chief Of Staff Influence, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn, David Cohen

Departmental Papers (PS)

The notion that public managers influence organizational performance is common in public administration research. However, less is known about why some managers are better at influencing organizational performance than others. Furthermore, relatively few studies have systematically examined managerial influence and scholars have yet to investigate either quantitatively or systematically managerial influence in the White House. Utilizing original survey data collected from former White House officials who served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton administrations, this study applies empirical public management theory to examine for the first time the key determinants that shape perceptions of chief of staff managerial …

Collaborative Treatment Of Late-Life Depression In Primary Care (Germanimpact): Study Protocol Of A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial, Iris Wernher, Frederike Bjerregaard, Iris Tinsel, Christiane Bleich, Sigrid Boczor, Thomas Kloppe, Martin Scherer, Martin Härter, Wilhelm Niebling, Hans-Helmut König, Michael Hüll

Institute on Aging Publications

Background: Depression is not a normal side effect of aging, however it is one of the most prevalent mental health issues in later life, imposing a tremendous burden on patients, their families, and the healthcare system. We describe the experimental implementation of a collaborative, stepped-care model for the treatment of late-life depression (GermanIMPACT trial) in the German primary care context. GermanIMPACT was developed as an adaptation of a successful and widely used American model. The aim of the study is to evaluate the model’s applicability to the German primary care setting and its cost-effectiveness.

Methods/Design: The study will be conducted …

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

Oh, Behave! Behavior As An Interaction Between Genes & The Environment, Emily G. Weigel, Michael Denieu, Andrew J. Gall

Faculty Publications

This lesson is designed to teach students that behavior is a trait shaped by both genes and the environment. Students will read a scientific paper, discuss and generate predictions based on the ideas and data therein, and model the relationships between genes, the environment, and behavior. The lesson is targeted to meet the educational goals of undergraduate introductory biology, evolution, and animal behavior courses, but it is also suitable for advanced high school biology students. This lesson meets the criteria for the Next Generation Science Standard HS-LS4, Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (NGSS Lead States, 2013).

Female Mating Adaptations: Salient Features And The Influence Of Fertility Status, Katherine Melton

Modern Psychological Studies

Modern human beings share the adaptive mating strategies of their ancestral predecessors, even though the adaptive environment is a relic of the past. Due to the large parental investment mammalian females must contribute in order to reproduce, women face unique challenges in their quest for reproductive fitness. This review endeavors to address behavioral, strategic, and perceptual shifts in female mating adaptations within the context of the menstrual cycle in order to yield a greater understanding of modern women and the evolutionary basis for behavior.

Physiological Arousal Response To Differing Musical Genres, Ericka Kelley, Gabrielle Andrick, Fayelin Benzenbower, Marlene Devia

Modern Psychological Studies

Music is a complex medium that has social, psychological, and physiological implications. Music elicits early emotional responses (arousal) in the sympathetic nervous system, that later become consciously recognized emotions. We investigated how music genre effects physiological arousal by measuring participant skin conductance level (SCL). Physiological responses of 19 participants (3 male, mean age 23 years) were recorded by way of the iWorx 214 Psychophysiology Teaching Kit. The stimuli were four different genres of music: classical, Dubstep, Celtic, and big band (swing). Stimuli were presented to participants in one of four counterbalanced blocks. Participants' highest SCL matched their reported genre preference …

Recovery Is Developmental: An Exploration Of Eriksonian Psychosocial Theory Adapted To Eating Disorder Recovery, Ashley Fee

Modern Psychological Studies

This qualitative study investigated women's experiences of recovery from an eating disorder using an adaptation of Erikson's stage theory of recovery from mental illness. Five female participants, ages 20-40 years old and who identified as having an eating disorder and going through some form of treatment, were interviewed regarding their development, experience, and recovery from an eating disorder after completing the EAT-26 survey. Participants' responses were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Three influences within the recovery process emerged through the analysis: personal (self), transitional, and interpersonal (social). The analysis suggests that an adaptation of Erikson 's developmental theory …

Concussion Guidelines Step 1: Systematic Review Of Prevalent Indicators, Nancy Carney, Jamshid Ghajar, Andy Jagoda, Steven Bedrick, Cynthia Davis-O'Reilly, Hugo Du Coudray, Dallas Hack, Nora Helfand, Amy Huddleston, Tracie Nettleton, Riggio Silvana

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no evidence-based definition for concussion that is being uniformly applied in clinical and research settings.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the highest-quality literature about concussion and to assemble evidence about the prevalence and associations of key indicators of concussion. The goal was to establish an evidence-based foundation from which to derive, in future work, a definition, diagnostic criteria, and prognostic indicators for concussion.

METHODS: Key questions were developed, and an electronic literature search from 1980 to 2012 was conducted to acquire evidence about the prevalence of and associations among signs, symptoms, and neurologic and …

The Effects Of Childhood And Combat-Related Trauma On Psychological Outcomes In Veterans, Alyson C. Hermé

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The current study examined if childhood trauma, combat-related trauma, and their interaction predict negative psychiatric outcomes, distress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Participants include included 1,281 US military veterans from Loma Linda Veterans Affairs Hospital. Childhood trauma and combat trauma were significantly correlated with the amount of psychological symptoms and distress veterans face when returning from deployment. Multiple regression analysis showed that childhood trauma and combat trauma significantly predicted poor mental health outcomes, distress levels, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Their interaction predicted increased psychiatric symptoms in veterans such that high levels of one trauma resulted in increased symptoms no matter the …

Examination Of Psychopathic Traits And Attention Using The Image Based Parity Task, Veronica Claudia Llamas

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Psychopathy has been defined as including deficits in affective, cognitive, and behavioral functioning. Due to the severity of these deficits, several etiological theories have emerged in an attempt to better understand the personality construct. The response modulation hypothesis (RMH; Patterson & Newman, 1993) is a theory growing in popularity among researchers and posits that an inability to reallocate attentional resources to peripheral information moderates the affective and behavioral deficits commonly documented within individuals with psychopathy. Thus, the present study attempted to examine to test the validity of the RMH in a non-incarcerated population. The results somewhat support the theory that …

Predicting Cognitive Decline In Older Adults, Kimberly M. Baerresen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The investigator sought to determine which neuropsychological tests are more likely to predict an individual’s cognitive decline (i.e., normal to mild cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease) two years prior to conversion. A sample of non-decliners (N=109) compared to those who declined (N=24) in cognitive status (i.e., mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease) with a mean age of 61.44 (SD=11.29) was examined. Results indicate the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Retention Trial (RCFT Retention; OR=0.93, p=0.005) is a significant predictor of conversion to MCI and the Buschke Delay (OR=0.54, p=0.017) is a significant predictor of conversion to AD. Due …

Cognitive Function In The Alcohol Addiction Treatment Population, Suranee Abeyesinhe

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Chronic alcohol abuse has been linked to several cognitive deficits, such as problems with spatial processing, decreased executive functioning, impaired verbal fluency, poor working memory, response inhibition, and social problems such as aggression and social deviance. In order for patients to benefit from treatment, they must be able to utilize multiple cognitive functions. Research has shown that patients suffering from cognitive impairments are much more likely to drop out of treatment early, thereby lending them to higher relapse rates. This study aimed to identify cognitive deficits present in the alcohol addiction treatment population, demographic factors associated with higher levels of …

The Impact Of Physical Activity On Depressed Mood In Older Seventh-Day Adventists, Benjamin J. Silber

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Research has shown physical activity (PA) to result in a reduction in depressed mood. The effects have been examined for different age groups, however, it is unclear whether PA effects differ in older adults. A prospective cohort study (N = 6,463) examined duration and intensity of PA in relation to mood in the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study (BRHS). Depressed mood indices were expected to be predicted by lower levels of PA and individuals in younger age groups were expected to receive a greater reduction in depressed mood after PA than those in older age groups. Previous PA (minutes of …

Effects Of Cigarette Smoking On Neurocognitive Performance In Dementia Patients, Christina Mannino

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Dementia has become a serious problem worldwide due to the rapidly increasing incidence rate and the lack of effective treatments that cure or slow disease progression, and thus. prevention is crucial. Some studies suggests that cigarette smoking may increase the risk of developing dementia, but others suggest that smoking may have a neuroprotective effect. To clarify our understanding of the relationship between cigarette smoking and dementia, this study examined the effects of smoking on multiple cognitive domains via secondary data analysis of a sample consisting of 54% female subjects with an average age of 58±13 years. Measures of executive function, …

The Impact Of Trauma And Attachment On Eating Disorder Symptomology, Julie A. Hewett

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Previous research has shown both indirect and direct links between trauma and eating disorders. Those with eating disorder psychopathology have also demonstrated more insecure attachments. To explore relationship between trauma and eating disorder severity, female adults with Anorexia Nervosa (n = 36) and Bulimia Nervosa = 47) were compared on measures of attachment, trauma, body image disturbance, and eating disorder psychopathology. Eighty-six percent of participants reported at least one traumatic experience. Trauma, attachment, and body image disturbance independently predicted eating disorder severity. However, there were no mediating or moderating effects of attachment or body image disturbance on eating disorder psychopathology.

Fibromyalgia And Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Relationship Between Pain, Depression, And Family Health, Macey Wolfe

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Past research suggests that there is a positive relationship between pain and depression in those with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, and negative relationship between depression and family health. However, these relationships have not been examined together using hierarchical linear modeling. Participants were 90 patients with either a fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. A series of questionnaires were used to measure depression, pain, and family health. Using a path analysis it was determined that pain was significantly associated with depression, such that as pain increased by one standard deviation depression increased by .48 standard deviations (β = .48, p < .05). Depression was also significantly associated with family health as depression increased by one standard deviation, family health decreased by .23 standard deviations (β = -.23, p < .05). The relationship between all three of these variables, pain, depression and family health, suggests social support should be considered a target of therapy and services as soon as clients experiencing pain are seen by mental health or health professionals as a proactive attempt to stave off more negative consequences of the pain experienced in this patient group.

Changes In Emotion Drive Perceptual Level Shifts: Global Vs. Local Processing, Seda Terzyan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Different emotional states have been implicated in bringing about specific changes in attention, with positive emotions globalizing attention and negative emotions localizing attention (Fredrickson, 2004). Biases in attentional processes have been associated with the development and maintenance of emotional disorders, anxiety being the most common. Previous studies have shown that anxious individuals present with a bias toward negative information and more readily employ localized attentional processes (Macleod, 2002). This finding demonstrated a link between perceptual levels of attention with higher order conceptual attention, which in turn influences emotional states. Many researchers have explored this relationship, including Fredrickson (2004), who developed …

Minority Parents' Narratives Of Living With Their Child With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Monique Willis

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Previous studies addressing the impact of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the family focus largely on the Caucasian population (Cassidy, McConkey, Truesdale-Kennedy, & Slevin, 2008; Hebert & Koulouglioti, 2010; N. Johnson, Frenn, Feetham, & Simpson, 2011; Myers, Mackintosh, & Goin-Kochel, 2009; Rao & Beidel, 2009). There is a dearth of research examining the impact of ASD on family dynamics in marginal groups. This study attempts to add to the sparse literature and to increase understanding of the specific experiences of minority parents of children with ASD. Family systems theory, family systems-illness model, and social constructivism frameworks inform this study and …

The Effects Of Appearance-Based Reality Shows On Body Image, Amanda F. Suplee

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Media seems to play the largest role in transmitting messages regarding societal standards of attractiveness; especially in reinforcing the thin ideal for females. There is strong evidence indicating that females who are more likely to make appearance comparisons with thin images in the media often experience negative outcomes. Research has shown that increased exposure to thin images in the media is associated with higher body dissatisfaction and eating disorder features. A form of media that has been given little research attention is reality television, specifically appearance-based reality television. The current study examined the effects of viewership of appearance-based reality television …

Effects Of Proton Radiation On Behavior In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, John A. Bellone

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Astronauts venturing outside Earth’s magnetosphere risk exposure to charged particle radiation that has been shown to cause neurological deficits in rodents via oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, altered neurogenesis, and synaptic changes. Since these responses are similar to those observed in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, we hypothesized that individuals with a propensity toward developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) would be more adversely affected by such exposure. To test this hypothesis, we exposed young double transgenic APP/PSEN1 mice (a commercially available strain engineered to develop AD-like neuropathology) and their wild-type (non-transgenic) counterparts to low doses of 150 MeV proton particle radiation and assessed the effects …

The Invisible Eye? Electronic Performance Monitoring And Employee Job Performance, Devasheesh P Bhave

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

To enhance employee performance, many organizations are increasingly using electronic performance monitoring (EPM). The relationship between the frequency of EPM use and employee performance is examined in 2 field studies. In Study 1, which uses a unique longitudinal data set, results reveal that shorter time lags between 2 consecutive employee performance assessments are related to better task performance as indicated by call quality metrics. A second field study using matched supervisor–employee and EPM system data is conducted in 2 call centers to extend these results and to focus more directly on the supervisors’ use of EPM and its relationship with …

Not Just Fun And Games: A Review Of College Drinking Games Research From 2004 To 2013, Byron L. Zamboanga, Shannon R. Kenney, Kathryne Van Tyne, Janine V. Olthuis, Christopher J. Correia, Lindsay S. Ham, Brian Borsari

Heads Up!

Drinking games are a high-risk social drinking activity consisting of rules and guidelines that determine when and how much to drink (Polizzotto et al., 2007). Borsari's (2004) seminal review paper on drinking games in the college environment succinctly captured the published literature as of February 2004. However, research on college drinking games has grown exponentially during the last decade, necessitating an updated review of the literature. This review provides an in-depth summary and synthesis of current drinking games research (e.g., characteristics of drinking games, and behavioral, demographic, social, and psychological influences on participation) and suggests several promising areas for future …

Bullying: Bullies, Victims, And Witnesses, Loyd White, Frank Hammonds, Karena T. Valkyrie

Modern Psychological Studies

This study examines bullying by focusing on bullies, victims, and witnesses. In an effort to examine long-term correlates of bullying, we asked university students about their experiences with bullying in middle school. We administered a 65 question survey to 191 college students from several university campuses. The survey was made up of the Handling Bullying Questionnaire (Bauman, Rigby & Hoppa, 2008), the Bullying Prevalence Questionnaire (Rigby & Slee, 2003), the Revised Pro-Victim Scale (Rigby, 1997), and 13 researcher created questions which dealt with the participants' experiences with bullying. We hypothesized that rates of bullying would be high and that the …

Shared Neural Circuits: The Connection Between Social And Physical Pain, Laura A. Andrews, Theresa E. Didonato

Modern Psychological Studies

Interpersonal rejection, exclusion, and loss are known to produce painful feelings (Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Williams, 2003), but little is know about the neural network underlying this type of pain. Recent evidence suggests this social pain may have important neural connections with physical pain (Eisenberger et al., 2003). The current literature review explores the connection between social pain and physical pain in neural activity, individual differences (e.g., pain sensitivity), situation appraisal, social support, and pain reducers (e.g., acetaminophen). The review examines the overlapping pain system as an evolutionary adaptation necessary for survival (MacDonald & Leary, 2005). Authentic experiences of social rejection …

The Measurement Of Attitudes Toward Abortion, Michael G. Taylor, George I. Whitehead

Modern Psychological Studies

Attitudes towards abortion have been a focal point within politics and religion for many years. Many methods have been created to test these attitudes. For example, Hess and Rueb created a 13-item scale and demonstrated its validity. However, this scale has several potential shortcomings. The developers did not report the reliability of the scale and its factor structure. Further, this scale includes a neutral point and legal language. One of the purposes of the present study was to develop a 12-item scale to address these issues. The present study compares and contrasts these two scales. Psychology student's participated in this …