Psychology Commons^™

Does The Mere Presence Of A Cell Phone Impair Task Performance?, Sabrina Urick, Kaylee Egbers, Veronica Sinell

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The purpose of our study was to determine if the mere presence of a person’s cell phone serves as a distraction that impairs task performance, even if the person does not use it. In order to test this, we had two groups of participants complete several tasks that require attention and accurate memory in order to perform well. The tasks used were a card matching game (sometimes known as Concentration), a sequential memory game (Simon), and the n-back task. One group was instructed to put their cell phones away before they were presented with the tasks and the other group …

Multi-Tasking: The Relationship Between Watching A Video And Memory, Kori L. Friedges

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study investigates the relationship between media multitasking and memory among undergraduate students at a small, liberal arts college in Minnesota. The participants (N=20) were randomly assigned using block randomization to either the experimental group which was asked to study a list of 20 words while watching a video clip or the control group which only studied the set of 20 words. All of the participants were given 2 minutes to study the list of 20 words and then 2 minutes to write as many words as they could recall from their memory. The participants who watched the video clip …

“Body Goals”: Exposure To Idealized, Popular Media Images Can Affect Body Satisfaction Ratings, Elizabeth K. Riitters

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

College students are exposed to media many times throughout their day. Studies have shown that there are many negative correlations between students and their comparison of their bodies to others. In this study, it was tested to see if viewing mass media images for a while can affect the way people rate their body satisfaction and whether or not they would change their body. There were 20 people tested in this study. There were 10 people in the control group, and 10 people in the experimental group. The experimental group was required to watch a slideshow with 4 different pictures …

The Political Personality Of President Donald Trump In Office, Meghan Keaveny, Jamie L. Mccarthy, Thomas Baker, Emily Berg, Erin Titus, Cassidy Smith

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Psychodiagnostically relevant data regarding U.S. president Donald Trump were collected from media reports published since his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC). The poster summarizes the results of the at-a-distance psychological assessment.

Heart Rate Variability And Empathy, Suntina Spehar, Elizabeth Walter, Andrea Molus, Katarina Sulzle

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This study sought to determine if there is a correlation between an individual’s heart rate variability (HRV) and their score on the Empathy Quotient test. This experiment was designed as an ABAB model, where a baseline experiment is run, and then an experimental run follows. A baseline measurement was taken for each participant. Then participants were instructed to either read an emotionally triggering excerpt from Browning’s Reflection on a Massacre first or a neutral excerpt from The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich Hayek. The participants were then be instructed to stop reading the excerpt to have them return to baseline …

The Effects Of Exposure Of Political Affiliation And Race On Perceptions Of White Privilege And Anti-Black Discrimination, Hannah Knechel

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This thesis explored the effects of exposure to different political affiliations and races on participants’ perceptions of white privilege and anti-black discrimination. Recent research has studied the effects of race, framing, and guilt on the acknowledgement of white privilege, but none have explored how political affiliation can affect these perceptions. If simple exposure to these symbols of political affiliation can alter the perceptions of those exposed, perhaps the results of this study could be used to bring about awareness and ease political tensions. Participants were placed in one of six groups consisting of either a white or black experimenter wearing …

Who Is Really Pulling The Strings? Personality Profile And Threat Assessment Of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, Jacob J. W. Wankel

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The purpose of this study was to construct a personality profile as a basis for conducting a threat assessment of Kim Jong-un, supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The study was conducted from the conceptual perspective of Theodore Millon, as adapted by Aubrey Immelman for at-a-distance assessment of personality in politics. Psychodiagnostically relevant data regarding Kim were collected from a multitude of open-source media reports and expert analyses. These data were then compiled, categorized, and coded using Immelman’s Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications largely congruent with the …

Barriers And Facilitators To Family Participation In The Care Of Their Hospitalized Loved Ones, Lynda Bélanger, Marie Desmartis, Martin Coulombe

Patient Experience Journal

This study’s objective was to better understand family members’ experiences in order to identify how healthcare organizations can facilitate their participation in the care of a hospitalized loved one. Eighteen individuals at the bedside of a hospitalized loved one were interviewed individually. Roles at the bedside and factors that facilitated their participation or represented barriers were examined. A qualitative analysis using a mixed inductive/deductive approach was performed. Reassurance and emotional support, as well as sharing information with the healthcare team emerged as main roles. Quality and timeliness of the information received about the patient’s condition, prognosis and changes in medical …

How To Be The Perfect Asian Wife!, Sophia Hill

Art and Art History Honors Projects

“How to be the Perfect Asian Wife” critiques exploitative power systems that assault female bodies of color in intersectional ways. This work explores strategies of healing and resistance through inserting one’s own narrative of flourishing rather than surviving, while reflecting violent realities. Three large drawings mimic pervasive advertisement language and presentation reflecting the oppressive strategies used to contain women of color. Created with charcoal, watercolor, and ink, these 'advertisements' contrast with an interactive rice bag filled with comics of my everyday experiences. These documentations compel viewers to reflect on their own participation in systems of power.

Positive Organizational Leadership: Some Recent Findings In Positive Organizational Scholarship, Lawrence Chan

M.A. in Leadership Studies: Capstone Project Papers

The study of positivity is multifaceted, with roots across psychology, philosophy, and more recently organizational behavior (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; 2014). This review article highlights the framework from which the study of positivity originates, and then explores positive behaviors in the workplace that have correlated to increases in fulfillment, productivity, engagement, and leadership capacity (Cameron & Dutton, 2003). This essay reveals core components of positive organizational scholarship (POS), notably the interaction of positivity within job demands and job resources, positive employee engagement, and positive deviance, and uncovers some recent findings of these POS components in empirical research and application within human resource …

The Emergence Of Top-Down, Sensory Prediction During Learning In Infancy: A Comparison Of Full-Term And Preterm Infants, Alex M. Boldin, Romin Geiger, Lauren L. Emberson

Psychological Sciences and Counseling Student Research

Prematurity alters developmental trajectories in preterm infants even in the absence of medical complications. Here, we use fNIRS and learning tasks to probe the nature of the developmental differences between preterm and full-term born infants. Our recent work has found that prematurity disrupts the ability to engage in top-down sensory prediction after learning. We now examine the neural changes during the learning that precede prediction. In full-terms, we found modulation of all cortical regions examined during learning (temporal, frontal, and occipital). By contrast, preterm infants had no evidence of neural changes in the occipital lobe selectively. This is striking as …

Neuroscience Subject Guide For The University Of Miami, Maya Lubarsky

Library Research Scholars Program 2017-2018

The Neuroscience Subject Guide was developed in 2018 by Maya Lubarsky as part of her Library Research Scholars Program. The Subject Guide aims to aid Neuroscience students in guiding their research and improving their research skills. It also includes a comprehensive background on the development of the Neuroscience program at the University of Miami.

Parenting Behavior And Child Emotion Regulation During A Delay Task, Hannah Gillespie, Karina Cole, Rachel Mayhaus, Kristy Nine, Rebecca Ashley, Shari L. Kidwell

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Mindfulness As A Vigilance Intervention: Examining Its Impact On Stress And Mental Demand, Kelli Huber

Dissertations

Occupations involving vigilance performance (i.e., sustained attention in monitoring for rare environmental threats) are known to experience vigilance decrement, a decline in performance over time. These occupations are known to be cognitively and emotionally challenging, giving rise to harmful effects for employees in them and presenting safety implications for the welfare of others. The current study investigated mindfulness as a potentially viable intervention to alleviate outcomes of vigilance demands: stress and mental demand. A mindfulness induction was compared to an unfocused control condition in which both were administered during a break from a vigilance task, specifically, a baggage screening task. …

I-O Psychology Gives Back To Society!, William P. Jimenez, Mahima Saxena

Psychology Faculty Publications

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology—what a mouthful! The field originally focused on the prediction and improvement of job performance in industrial and military settings, but after World War II interests in broader organizational phenomena (e.g., leadership, groups, motivation, satisfaction) came into frame. Before APA Division 14 incorporated as the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) in 1982, it was called Division 14, Industrial and Business Psychology from 1945 to 1962. In 1962, “Business” was dropped from the name, and in 1973 “Organizational” was added to the name.

Considering the field’s historical focus and Division 14’s former names, it isn’t surprising …

Increasing Waiting And Turn-Taking Among Preschool Aged Children With A Verbal-Delay Diagnosis, Alexa Hill

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis was to create and implement an intervention that used errorless teaching and focused on increasing a sharing and waiting response for a student who had a verbal delay diagnosis. The two students involved in the project were both two-year-olds who attended an early childhood special education (ECSE) classroom with other preschool-aged children who had similar diagnoses. A single-subject simple baseline design was used and involved several phases designed with multiple responses to show the effectiveness of icons to facilitate sharing among two non-verbal students. Each response was prompted (when necessary) and they were all reinforced …

Critical Thinking Skills Across The Semester In Lecture- And Team-Based Learning Classes, Zachary Buchin

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Team-based learning (TBL) classes utilize techniques believed to foster increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills when compared to lecture classes. This study compares increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills in a TBL class and a lecture class covering identical subject matter and taught by the same professor during a single semester. Raw score changes on the the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment S2 (HCTA S2) were used to measure critical thinking skill changes and Bloom’s Taxonomy was used to differentiate higher-order questions on the final exam. No significant difference was found between the two classes when comparing raw score …

The Influence Of Religion On The Criminal Behavior Of Emerging Adults, Christopher Salvatore, Gabriel Rubin

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Recent generations of young adults are experiencing a new life course stage: emerging adulthood. During this ‘new’ stage of the life course, traditional social bonds and turning points may not be present, may be delayed, or may not operate in the same manner as they have for prior generations. One such bond, religion, is examined here. Focusing on the United States, emerging adulthood is investigated as a distinct stage of the life course. The criminality of emerging adults is presented, a theoretical examination of the relationship between religion and crime is provided, the role of religion in emerging adults’ lives …

Young Adults’ Gender Role Beliefs, Sexual Esteem And Need To Belong, Zelphair Grant, Kelli Murray, Imani Washington

Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

We examined gender role perceptions, sexual esteem, and need to belong. Participants were 85 adults with a mean age of 19.0 (SD = 2.1); 52% were Caucasian and 35% were African-American. Participants responded to measures that assessed their gender role beliefs, gender role attitudes, sexual esteem and depression, and need to belong. We also asked participants to rate a list of sexual behaviors for appropriateness. Each behavior was described as being conducted by a man, and then the behavior was described as if the actor were a woman. We found that having non-traditional gender beliefs did not lead to …

Summer Camp As A Force For 21st Century Learning: Exploring Divergent Thinking And Activity Selection In A Residential Camp Setting, Myles Lynch, Jonathan A. Plucker, C Boyd Hegarty, Nate Trauntvein

Education

This study investigated change in divergent thinking (DT), an indicator of creative potential, at two gender-specific residential summer camps. Additionally, this study examined whether the change in DT varied by gender and by the type of activities campers self-select. Quantitative methods, using a quasi-experimental design was used in order to understand differences in camper scores. A total of 189 youth, 100 girls, 89 boys, between the ages of 9 and 14 years participated in the current study. Participants were administered a modified version of Guilford's (1967) alternate uses task, a measure of DT, in which respondents were asked questions such …

Why Do You Go To College? Shaping Student Beliefs And Success. A Dissertation Summary., Mitchell Colver

Publications

Students enter the realm of higher education with a wide variety of beliefs about the purposes of attending university, which often relate to or reveal their various motivations for pursuing a post-secondary education. Research demonstrates that some student motivations align more fully with intrinsic factors, such as the love of learning or quest for excellence, while other student motivations align with extrinsic factors, such as vocational preparedness and monetary incentives (Vallerand et al., 1989). Using a Bourdieusienne lens, this study sought to place these student motivations in the larger sociocultural context and argue for greater opportunities for democratic equity in …

Disclosing An Eating Disorder: A Situational Analysis Of Online Accounts, Emily P. Williams, Shelly Russell-Mayhew, Alana Ireland

The Qualitative Report

Disclosing a mental illness can be difficult, especially for those affected by eating disorders. Individuals impacted by eating disorders often worry that disclosing their situation may lead to fear, judgment, and stigmatization. Online eating disorder communities have become increasingly popular, hosting thousands of users worldwide, and may be safe places for individuals with eating disorders to communicate and connect. In this postmodern study, we utilized situational analysis to examine online accounts on publically accessible websites where individuals discussed disclosing eating disorders. Situational Analysis utilizes illustrative mapping techniques to demonstrate the complexity of the situation of inquiry, allowing researchers to highlight …

How To Better Support Individuals Who Have A Special Needs Sibling, Lauren Mcdonell

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

The purpose of this study was to understand the emotions of a neurotypically developing sibling. This study also attempted to understand how caregivers can best support the neurotypical sibling in the areas of self-concept and overall wellbeing. The gap is knowledge is how to better support neurotypical developing siblings specifically in the areas of self-concept and overall well being. Three participants were interviewed to gain insight about their experiences with their special needs sibling. Participants who participated in a support group for neurotypical developing children with a SNS were surveyed to gain insight about their experiences with the support group. …

The Impact Of Prosthetics On Amputee Quality Of Life, Courtney Tabor

Liberal Arts Capstones

After someone has a limb amputated, their lifestyle must be rearranged to accommodate for the loss of the limb. This can include adjusting to an inability to do tasks that used to come easily and a drastic reduction in mobility. They may now require assistance with caring for themselves. As a side effect, amputees often experience a significant level of depression and anxiety related to their situation. A selection of literature was analyzed for the physiological, psychological, and sociological effects of losing a limb, and then for the ways in which a prosthetic limb would alleviate some of these issues. …

Quality Of Life And The Prevalence Of Depression In Cohabitants And Marrieds, Stacey Kayondo

Student Research Posters

Cohabitation has become part of romantic relationships in the United States; cohabitation has become a normal experience for both men and women. With the rapid increase in cohabitation this raises important concerns about its consequences for the institution of marriage and the lives of individuals involved in this family form, as research indicates that cohabiters hold lower levels of commitment, and cohabiters are more likely to be depressed than marrieds( Brown, S.L 2003). Some studies have been done to find out whether marriages are beneficial to one’s mental health, Pro marriage initiatives and policies like tax breaks for married people …

Coffee Consumption, Perceptions, And Patterns, Shannon Rodriguez

Student Research Posters

Coffee is a substance people consume daily, but there are inconclusive and conflicting results from studies about the positive and negative effects of coffee and caffeine. For example, evidence from one study links lower levels of stress with coffee consumption while another study concluded drinking coffee results in sleep disruption. Given this information, there are numerous factors that contribute to why people drink coffee and the effects it has on each individual. The purpose of this study is to see if there are patterns between demographics, coffee consumption, and perceptions to understand how students, staff, and faculty at Dominican University …

The Parallels Between Art Therapy And Christianity: Integrating Identities As A Christian And An Art Therapist, Kendal Hansen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Therapists knowledge of their personal beliefs is extremely beneficial to individual’s working in the field of art therapy. Therapists are better able to serve their clients when they have a clear understanding of themselves and their biases. The writer of this thesis identifies strongly as an art therapist and as a Christian. To better understand how the two strongest parts of her identity integrated, this thesis explored the parallels between Christianity and art therapy by reviewing the literature and facilitating an arts-based qualitative study. The literature suggested that art therapy can be effective with various populations within the Christian category. …

Have A Safe Trip: Ecstasy Exposure, Perceived Risk, And Harm-Reduction Practices Among College Students, Nicole Alexis Ladines

Student Research Posters

Ecstasy – also known as 3, 4-Methylene dioxymetham-phetamine, or MDMA - has become one of the most notorious “club” drugs (Havere et al., 2011). SAMHSA (2015) reported that 6.8% of the U.S. population over the age of 12 had reported lifetime use of ecstasy. It has become popular as a social activity due to its subjective effects, such as feelings of connectedness, empathy, and heightened sensuality and sexuality (Leslie et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2010). Because of this, ecstasy use is prevalent among musical events such as nightclubs, festivals, and raves (Leslie et al., 2015). Prior studies on ecstasy …

The Relation Of Seasonal Patterns To Mood Changes And Gender Differences In College-Aged Students, Mariah Meza

Student Research Posters

This study examined college students’ moods during different seasons patterns throughout the year. Previous research has indicated that many individuals feel more lethargic, lonely and moody during the winter months (Rohan & Sigmon, 2000). These mood and behavior patterns clearly depend on specific seasons of the year. However, many studies have produced inconsistent findings and current data on how weather impacts college aged students moods in California (Lucht & Kasper, 1999). There are many inconsistent studies in the United States that indicate whether there is a higher fluctuation in women’s moods during seasonal change than there is with men(Chotai, Smedh, …

Psychopathy To Altruism: Neurobiology Of The Selfish–Selfless Spectrum, James W. H. Sonne, Don M. Gash

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

The age-old philosophical, biological, and social debate over the basic nature of humans as being “universally selfish” or “universally good” continues today highlighting sharply divergent views of natural social order. Here we analyze advances in biology, genetics and neuroscience increasing our understanding of the evolution, features and neurocircuitry of the human brain underlying behavior in the selfish–selfless spectrum. First, we examine evolutionary pressures for selection of altruistic traits in species with protracted periods of dependence on parents and communities for subsistence and acquisition of learned behaviors. Evidence supporting the concept that altruistic potential is a common feature in human populations …