Psychology Commons^™

Social Contact In Shelter Dogs: Literature Review And Recommendations, Christina Walthers, Lauren Faulkner, Allison Martin

Psychological Science Undergraduate Scholarly Works

Given the large number of dogs housed in animal shelters each year, it is important to consider how the shelter environment impacts a dog’s welfare. Providing shelter-housed dogs social contact with conspecifics can increase the welfare of the dogs and benefit the shelter by increasing adoption rates. Mostly Mutts Pet Rescue and Adoption Center in Kennesaw, Georgia was investigating ways to increase social contact for the dogs in their facility. To assist with this goal, we conducted a literature review that examined the impact of social housing, playgroups, and visual social contact on dog behavior. Social housing and playgroups can …

Sexual Activity And Attitudes As Predictors Of Sexual Satisfaction During Pregnancy: A Multi-Level Model Describing The Sexuality Of Couples In The First 12 Weeks, Sofia Jawed-Wessel, Jonathan Santo, Jay A. Irwin

Psychology Faculty Publications

The sexual satisfaction of couples during pregnancy is an under-researched area of study. Several limitations exist within the current literature, including a lack of inquiry into attitudes about sex during pregnancy, analysis of the relationship between sexual satisfaction and sexual behaviors, and analysis of dyadic interactions within the couple. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationships between attitudes toward having sex during pregnancy, various sexual behaviors, and sexual satisfaction among expectant couples via multilevel structural equation modeling. Recruitment focused on mixed-gender monogamous couples where the pregnant individual was between 8 and 12 weeks of gestation, and …

Beyond The Campus: Heroism As A Case Study For Extending Researchers' Influence Through K-12 Lesson Plans, Ari Kohen, Andre Solo

Heroism Science

As a result of their training, college professors are subject matter experts who have the task of conveying ideas to students and to the public at large. They accomplish this, in large measure, through their research and their teaching. In this article, we consider an important alternative way in which professors can broaden their reach by creating lesson plans for students beyond their own classrooms—at very little time investment. We use as a case study our own lesson plan on heroism, which draws on expertise in political theory and psychology, in order to demonstrate the way in which such a …

The Holistic Power Of Young Adult Books, Donna Lynn Miller

The Montana English Journal

Young adult books like The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller carry a healing power when readers experience their pause and ponder moments. Because they impose reflection time, Pause and Ponder Moments reinforce reading as a deliberate and patient process. Imposing time to pause and think through points and concepts enables readers to truly grapple with content in meaningful ways. Pause and Ponder Moments also inspire attributional retraining and option awareness, an alternative to simply accepting the status quo. These moments carry promise for enriching how we read the world, how we respond to others, and how we live …

Individual Differences In Sensitivity To Visuomotor Discrepancies, John Dewey, Shane Mueller

Department of Psychology and Human Factors Publications

This study explored whether sensitivity to visuomotor discrepancies, specifically the ability to detect and respond to loss of control over a moving object, is associated with other psychological traits and abilities. College-aged adults performed a computerized tracking task which involved keeping a cursor centered on a moving target using keyboard controls. On some trials, the cursor became unresponsive to participants’ keypresses. Participants were instructed to immediately press the space bar if they noticed a loss of control. Response times (RTs) were measured. Additionally, participants completed a battery of behavioral and questionnaire-based tests with hypothesized relationships to the phenomenology of control, …

Pub Trivia, Pivot Nw Research

Blog

No abstract provided.

Psychologies Of Going Nuclear, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies multiple psychologies affecting joining and withdrawing from nuclear weapons agreements.

Project Palmms (Physical Activity Levels And Family Medical Histories): An Undergraduate Sample, Pierre Alexander Leon

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Physical inactivity has garnered significant attention as it is considered an emerging worldwide young adult problem. There is empirical evidence on predictors of low levels of physical activity (PA), such as an individual’s sex and/or socio-economic status. There are also other possible reasons for the decline in PA, such as an individual’s motivations and/or barriers for participation in physical activity and an individual’s understanding of their predisposition to chronic illnesses. This study seeks to identify perceptions of benefits/barriers to PA and motivating factors needed to increase physical activity in college populations. Methods: A survey gathering information on demographics, PA, …

Therapist-Guided Practical Skills In The Treatment Of Complex Dissociation, Amy E. Ellis, Steven N. Gold, Michael A. Quinones

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

The Contextual Trauma Therapy (CTT) model includes a collaborative relationship, client-guided conceptualization, and therapist-guided practical skills. This workshop will discuss the application of therapist-guided skills for complex dissociation: 1) promoting a safe and stabile therapeutic setting, 2) improving emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and experiential presence, 3) therapist modeling of skills in session, and 4) collaborating with clients to foster utilization of skills beyond sessions. Presenters will provide examples of applications of this CTT component, benefits when clients incorporate consistent practice of these skills, and challenges associated with encouraging clients to extend the use of these skills in their personal lives.

Trauma-Informed Dialectical Behavior Therapy For Dissociative Identity Disorder, Amy E. Ellis, Steven N. Gold, Sowmya Yeturo, Nathan R. Daly, Talia Soto

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

Dissociative symptoms are regarded as forms of disconnection from external stimuli, internal experiences, and interpersonal relationships. The Contextual Trauma Treatment (CTT) model for survivors of prolonged childhood abuse integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) treatment. DBT enhances capacities for skillful interactions with others, and identifying and tolerating emotional experiences through the use of didactically-taught skill-based groups that balance encouraging acceptance of difficulties with the recognition of the need for change. This presentation will provide an overview of CTT for conceptualizing dissociation in the context of family of origin environment and development, and describe how TRIP integrates trauma-informed and DBT-informed treatment.

Crush On You, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

When you are having a crush on someone, you may find yourself starting to like drinking double espresso instead of your usual flat white, develop a taste for spicy Sichuan food or prefer louder music. Findings from a new research study by Prof. Zhang Meng at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School suggest that a romantic crush may change one’s consumption preference.

Latinos In Action: The Effect Of A Cultural Enrichment Program On Students’ Scholastic Performance, Weylin Sternglanz, Rebecca Mendelson, Richard A. Mendelson

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

No abstract provided.

Perceptual Lateralization Of Vocal Stimuli In Goats, Luigi Baciadonna, Christian Nawroth, Elodie F. Briefer, Alan G. Mcelligott

Communication Skills Collection

Functional asymmetries, for example, the preferential involvement of 1 brain hemisphere to process stimuli, may increase brain efficiency and the capacity to carry out tasks simultaneously. We investigated which hemisphere was primarily involved in processing acoustic stimuli in goats using a head-orienting paradigm. Three playbacks using goat vocalizations recorded in different contexts: food anticipation (positive), isolation (negative), food frustration (negative), as well as 1 playback involving dog barks (negative) were presented on the left and right sides of the test subjects simultaneously. The head-orienting response (left or right) and latency to resume feeding were recorded. The direction of the head-orienting …

Perceptual Lateralization Of Vocal Stimuli In Goats, Luigi Baciadonna, Christian Nawroth, Elodie F. Briefer, Alan G. Mcelligott

Social Cognition Collection

Functional asymmetries, for example, the preferential involvement of 1 brain hemisphere to process stimuli, may increase brain efficiency and the capacity to carry out tasks simultaneously. We investigated which hemisphere was primarily involved in processing acoustic stimuli in goats using a head-orienting paradigm. Three playbacks using goat vocalizations recorded in different contexts: food anticipation (positive), isolation (negative), food frustration (negative), as well as 1 playback involving dog barks (negative) were presented on the left and right sides of the test subjects simultaneously. The head-orienting response (left or right) and latency to resume feeding were recorded. The direction of the head-orienting …

The History And Future Of Digital Health In The Field Of Behavioral Medicine., Danielle Arigo, Danielle E Jake-Schoffman, Kathleen Wolin, Ellen Beckjord, Eric B Hekler, Sherry L Pagoto

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Since its earliest days, the field of behavioral medicine has leveraged technology to increase the reach and effectiveness of its interventions. Here, we highlight key areas of opportunity and recommend next steps to further advance intervention development, evaluation, and commercialization with a focus on three technologies: mobile applications (apps), social media, and wearable devices. Ultimately, we argue that future of digital health behavioral science research lies in finding ways to advance more robust academic-industry partnerships. These include academics consciously working towards preparing and training the work force of the twenty first century for digital health, actively working towards advancing methods …

Obtaining And Maintaining Cortical Hand Representation As Evidenced From Acquired And Congenital Handlessness, Daan B. Wesselink, Fiona Mz Van Den Heiligenberg, Naveed Ejaz, Harriet Dempsey-Jones, Lucilla Cardinali, Aurelie Tarall-Jozwiak, Jörn Diedrichsen, Tamar R. Makin

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

© Lukinova et al. A key question in neuroscience is how cortical organisation relates to experience. Previously we showed that amputees experiencing highly vivid phantom sensations maintain cortical representation of their missing hand (Kikkert et al., 2016). Here, we examined the role of sensory hand experience on persistent hand representation by studying individuals with acquired and congenital hand loss. We used representational similarity analysis in primary somatosensory and motor cortex during missing and intact hand movements. We found that key aspects of acquired amputees’ missing hand representation persisted, despite varying vividness of phantom sensations. In contrast, missing hand representation of …

Unmet Need For Mental Health Services Among People Screened But Not Admitted To An Early Psychosis Intervention Program, Jordan Edwards, Ross Norman, Paul Kurdyak, Arlene G. Macdougall, Lena Palaniyappan, Cindy Lau, Kelly K. Anderson

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Information is lacking on people screened for early psychosis intervention (EPI) but not admitted to the program. Using health administrative data, we constructed a retrospective cohort of incident cases of psychosis in the catchment of an EPI program. Use of mental health services was compared between people screened and not admitted with an EPI-admitted group. The non-admitted group had higher rates of subsequent emergency department visits, psychiatric hospitalizations, and involuntary admissions. These patterns are indicative of unmet need, and people screened but not admitted to EPI may benefit from protocols to improve transitions of care with other service providers.

A Physiologically Based Approach To Prescribing Exercise Following A Sport‑Related Concussion, Phillip R. Worts, Scott O. Burkhart, Jeong-Su Kim

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Clinical management of concussion has evolved over the last 20 years, and complete cognitive and physical rest remains a common clinical recommendation. The duration of rest may vary widely, from 24–48 h to several weeks or until the patient’s symptoms have resolved or returned to near baseline levels. Following a period of rest, a stepwise progression of exercise is used for gradual return to play or to work. Previous research in healthy people suggested that prolonged periods of physical inactivity consistently induced deleterious physiological and psychological efects. A growing body of evidence indicates that initiating exercise earlier in the recovery …

Estradiol And Daily Affective Experiences In Trauma-Exposed Women, Jenna Rieder

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

People who experience trauma can develop enduring trauma-related symptoms. In daily life, post-trauma symptoms (e.g., elevated physiological arousal) can be triggered by affectively salient cues in the environment, especially by cues that act as trauma reminders. Trauma exposure is associated with enduring changes in two biological stress systems: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In women, activity in both systems is additionally modulated by fluctuations in levels of sex hormones (e.g., estradiol), which could influence physiological responses to trauma reminders. Additionally, previous work has linked the sex hormone estradiol with affect, suggesting that menstrual cycle might …

Rural Adolescent Education Reframed: Can Social Justice, Lewin’S Topology, And Aesthetics Aid Reform Efforts?, Judith F. Upjohn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The aim of this thesis is to describe and analyze how changes in classroom-level conditions can help underperforming students thrive despite established school structures that discriminate against and exclude those students from learning opportunities.

Every year, millions of US public school students fail to graduate high school (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2018), despite numerous ongoing education reform efforts (Berkshire & Schneider, n.d.; Strauss, 2017). A large percentage of these students attend rural schools (Arnold, Newman, Gaddy, & Dean, 2005; Status of Rural Education, 2018). The rural conditions of adolescent students adversely affect their educational performance and achievement (Howley …

A Defense Of Pure Connectionism, Alex B. Kiefer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Connectionism is an approach to neural-networks-based cognitive modeling that encompasses the recent deep learning movement in artificial intelligence. It came of age in the 1980s, with its roots in cybernetics and earlier attempts to model the brain as a system of simple parallel processors. Connectionist models center on statistical inference within neural networks with empirically learnable parameters, which can be represented as graphical models. More recent approaches focus on learning and inference within hierarchical generative models. Contra influential and ongoing critiques, I argue in this dissertation that the connectionist approach to cognitive science possesses in principle (and, as is becoming …

Visual Supports To Improve Outcomes For Culturally Diverse Students With Asd, Valeria Yllades, J. B. Ganz, Ching-Yi Liao

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Gilberto is a young immigrant child with autism spectrum disorder who is growing up in a Mexican household. He often has trouble understanding his peers and teachers who speak English. With the help of the school, he is adjusting to a new culture, learning a new language, and working on educational outcomes. The example stated above illustrate issues related to conflicting language and culture between school and home contexts. Practical supports and interventions to address language and cultural barriers, for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) whose families are English Language Learners (ELLs), will be discussed in this article.The purpose …

Gratitude Reception And Physical Health: Examining The Mediating Role Of Satisfaction With Patient Care In A Sample Of Acute Care Nurses, Alicia R. Starkey, Cynthia D. Mohr, David M. Cadiz, Robert R. Sinclair

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Literature examining well-being benefits of gratitude experiences is currently thriving in psychological science. However, evidence of the physical health benefits of gratitude remains limited. Research and theory in affective science suggests an indirect relationship between gratitude and physical health. This study examines how receiving expressions of gratitude predicts physical health outcomes in a sample of acute care nurses over time. Registered nurses (N = 146) practicing in Oregon completed weekly surveys over 12 consecutive weeks describing their positive and negative events, health, and work-related experiences. Multilevel mediation models revealed that being thanked more often at work was positively related to …

9/11 Exposure And Parental Monitoring, Heather Zemeck

Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the effects of 9/11/01 exposure on parental monitoring, and how depression and anxiety are associated with these effects. This research utilizes data collected from Evacuees, First Responders, and non-exposed Controls. Results revealed moderate 9/11 exposure is associated with increased parental monitoring; while, depression is associated with decreased parental monitoring.

Contextually Modulated Avoidance Behavior In Rats Post-Pavlovian Extinction, Lauren Branigan

Theses and Dissertations

The following study sought to examine the psychological substrates of renewal (e.g.., context dependent extinction processes) for conditioned avoidance behaviors in rats. Using signaled active avoidance conditioning, rats acquired two-way shuttle responding, to two different auditory stimuli. These behaviors were then extinguished through exposure to the auditory stimuli where shuttling behavior was now without consequence. Subjects were then tested for renewal of avoidance in three distinct renewal sequences (e.g., ABA vs ABB, AAB vs AAA, and ABC vs ABB) in three separate groups of rats. It was found that subjects showed more responding to a stimulus presented outside of its …

The Impact Of Working Memory Load And Anxiety On Attention Bias Modification Training, David Lloyd Yap

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of attention bias modification training (ABMT) on anxiety-related attention bias (AB) in a large (N=204) non-clinical sample was sensitive to working memory load (WML). ABMT produced expected changes in AB in the low-WML, low-anxiety group only. High WML and high anxiety alone and in interaction disrupted ABMT.

Object Permanence In Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus), Dalia Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated object permanence in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) using visible and invisible test paradigms with single and multiple object displacements. Elephants were predicted to succeed, demonstrating a capacity for object permanence and for using vision in a cognitive task. Study outcomes supported these predictions.

Dolphins In Space: Quantifying The Relative Positions Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Megan S. Mcgrath

Theses and Dissertations

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are socially sophisticated mammals with high fission-fusion dynamics and complex communication. The relative positioning of individual dolphins as they swim within their social group may aid in the expression of social roles. This study sought to quantify relative positioning in a small social group of female bottlenose dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore that included two mother-daughter pairs, maternal and paternal half-sisters, a half-aunt and niece, and one unrelated female. We devised a method for scoring relative positioning in three dimensions. We found that the two mothers and their juvenile and adult daughters …

The Relationship Between Workplace Environment, Teacher Well-Being, And Young Children’S Behavioral Outcomes, Sarah G. Elbaum

Theses and Dissertations

When teachers are not provided with adequate workplace support, this may influence their ability to provide high-quality learning environments, resulting in negative developmental outcomes for children. Using the 2014 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), this study investigated the relationship between workplace environment, teachers’ psychological well-being, and children’s behavioral outcomes.

The Effects Of Tactile And Visual Deterrents On Honey Badger Predation Of Beehives, Abigail S. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

As human and elephant populations grow in Kenya so does human-elephant conflict. One of the most substantial contributors to this conflict, the crop-raiding behavior of elephants (Loxodonta africana), is alleviated through the use of Elephants and Bee Project's beehive fences. A threat to these beehives are the honey badgers (Mellivora capensis) who try to obtain honey, causing damage to the hive and the hive to abscond. The objective of this study was to improve the effectiveness of these beehive fences through identifying and testing novel honey badger deterrent methods. On-farm experiments in Taita Taveta County, Kenya …