Psychology Commons^™

Social Emotional Learning For Students In Schools And Communities, Gisselle Villar

Senior Capstone Papers

The goal of the educational approach known as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is to integrate these skills regarding SEL to be implemented in the school curriculum. In addition to emphasizing students’ abilities, education helps students build the kind of brains needed to acquire everyday tasks. The goal of this proposal is to help students develop a feeling of self-worth and awareness so they can connect and communicate honestly with one another. Schools will witness a significant shift in the lives of their students and the way teachers instruct once this learning is implemented. When this knowledge is successfully applied …

Biopsychosocial Management Of Long Covid Fibromyalgia: Lessons From The Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Fibromyalgia Program, Joseph Harrison, Dennis Given Psy.D.

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of chronic health concerns worldwide, leading to a new population of patients suffering from Long Covid. Patients with Long Covid often experience persistent symptoms impacting multiple organ systems, including neuroimmune and neurological manifestations. Recently, attention has grown toward Long Covid patients developing chronic widespread pain similar to fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a nociplastic pain disorder characterized by widespread pain and central sensitization with fatigue, sleep disturbances, and impairments in cognitive functioning. Given the nascent and limited research exploring new treatment options, patients need support now from biopsychosocial multi-modal pain management strategies. The Fibromyalgia Program …

An Exploration Of Self-Reported Training Needs For Anxiety Interventions Among Primary Care Behavioral Health Consultants, Katherine Buckheit, Ryan Willard, Kyle Possemato, Robyn Shepardson, Abigail Lashinsky, Jen Funderburk

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

Introduction: Despite the need for greater training in evidence-based interventions for the treatment of anxiety in primary care behavioral health (PCBH), there are limited data on which interventions are desired by behavioral healthcare consultants (BHCs). The objective of this study was to identify which interventions BHCs desired more training in when treating anxiety in PCBH practice, and to examine if this preference was associated with theoretical orientation. Method: We conducted an online survey of PCBH providers regarding their training preferences for treatment of anxiety symptoms. The final sample comprised 291 BHCs recruited from e-mail listservs of national professional organizations. Providers …

The Experience Of Well-Being In Educators Who Transitioned From In-Person To Online Teaching, La Toya S. Glenn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic created substantive stress and uncertainty for secondary educators, including responding to the shifts in delivering education from the traditional to the online classroom and back to the classroom. Improper training, increased work demands, increased responsibilities, and decreased autonomy took a toll on teachers’ work and home life. To better understand how teachers deal with transitions in online, hybrid, and in-person education, this study explored secondary educators' experiences of psychological well-being during the transitions from in-person to online teaching. An interpretative phenomenological approach guided the research design. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional theory of stress and coping was used …

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

Psy-7 Peer Effects Of Seeking Mental Health Help From A Professional, Devanshi Patel, Susan Ruppel

SC Upstate Research Symposium

How does peer support effect the ability of students to seek out mental health help from a professional? In this study, the experimenter investigates the type of support the students receive from their peers and how that affects their ability to seek out help from a professional. Accurate intention-seeking of students was recorded for both the behavioral concerns and their support types. A Mental Help Seeking Intention Scale was used to measure the data collected in this study. It was found that the behavioral concern (mental, physical) of a student does not matter in this study, nor did the type …

Humbly Facing The Facts Of Life: Humility And Existential Concerns, Carmen Casper, Chloe Swanson, Isabella Brady, Claire Van Duinen

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Death, isolation, meaning, identity, and freedom–the five existential concerns–give rise to anxiety and reveal natural human limitations (Koole et al., 2006). People construct and defend worldviews that answer existential questions, reduce anxiety, and provide security, yet little research investigates how holding on to beliefs affects one’s flourishing. We argue that humility serves as a belief process that leads to flourishing and decreased defensiveness. We tested two competing predictions: does intellectual humility around one’s worldviews mitigate defensive responses and lead to more positive reactions, or does it undermine the confidence with which people hold their views and erode the anxiety-mitigating function …

An Examination Of The Big Five, Mental Illness Stigma, And Crisis Intervention Training, Trista Wolfgram

Theses and Graduate Projects

The number of individuals incarcerated with mental illness continues to grow, and correctional officers may play a critical role in rehabilitation. A correlation analysis was conducted between Big Five personality traits and mental illness stigma to determine whether there is a significant relationship in a sample of state correctional officers who participated in Crisis Intervention Training. A mixed model ANOVA was also conducted to assess whether personality traits impacted levels of mental illness stigma following completion of the training. A moderate negative correlation was found between agreeableness and mental illness stigma. All other findings were not clinically significant, potentially due …

Profiling Cybercriminals: Behavioral Analysis And Motivations Behind Cybercrime Activities, A'Shya Latrice Reynolds

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The study of cybercriminal behavior and motivations is crucial for understanding and combating the evolving landscape of digital crime. This paper delves into the intricate realm of cybercrime profiling, employing a multidisciplinary approach to dissect the behavioral patterns and underlying motivations of cybercriminals. Drawing from psychology, sociology, and criminology, the research examines the intricate interplay of individual traits, social dynamics, and technological factors that shape cybercriminal activities.

Through analysis of case studies and research, this paper uncovers the diverse range of motivations driving individuals towards engaging in cybercrime. From financial gain and ideological extremism to thrill-seeking and revenge, cybercriminals exhibit …

The Effect Of Visual Dominance On Word Learning In Infants And Adults, Lauren Tocco, Abby Vonk, Grace Sarafa, Calista Burke, Chloe Swanson

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Learning new words is critical in infancy, and continues to play a role in learning throughout the lifespan. In infancy, it often involves discerning the link between an object and its name. However, when an object's name is heard, many objects could be present, making it difficult to determine which object goes with the name. Yu and Smith (2012) documented one factor that may aid early word learning: infants hold objects close to their faces, making those objects appear larger ("visual dominance"). They found correlational evidence that successful name learning was associated with visual dominance. We adapted a method used …

Pessimism And Virtuous Hope: Can They Coexist?, Allie Prindle, Alexa Burgess, Katherine Yakes

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

The purpose of this study is to conduct an exploratory analysis to understand if high pessimism and high virtuous Ithemba hope (see table below) can coexist as individual differences. The virtue of Ithemba hope is operationally defined as a purposeful vision in adversity, encouraging others for the common good (Thomas et al. under review). A qualitative study has suggested that the virtue of hope can coexist with pessimism especially in the context of high adversity, showing that anticipating bad events with a hopeful mindset can result in positive outcomes of flourishing (Thomas et al., 2022). This study builds on the …

Longitudinal Effects Of Meaning-Making Expressive Writing On Mental Health, Chloe Swanson, Carmen Casper, Isabella Brady, Claire Van Duinen

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Research suggests that repeated expressive writing is beneficial for one's health and can help individuals psychologically process adversity (Sexton & Pennebaker, 2009). Because research has demonstrated that expressive writing improves one's outlook on life, it is valuable to determine the most effective method of expressive writing for the best outcomes on mental health. One valuable mechanism by which a journal may improve mental health is through enhancing meaning (Edwards & Van Tongeren, 2020). Accordingly, we examined the longitudinal effects of journaling mental health over time. We hypothesized that participants who journal over a series of weeks with the intention of …

What Makes A Host Unique? A Prototype Analysis, Tyler Kennedy, Tasia Parsons, Lauren Zago

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

The concept of hospitality has been in human culture for thousands of years. However, despite its historical significance, hosting has mostly been overlooked in scientific studies. Although a scale for measuring hospitality was recently developed (Meagher et. a, 2022), it draws from philosophical and theological accounts of hospitality. The current study instead investigates the associations held by the general population regarding the concept of a good host, relative to a good visitor and a good person. Following the procedure used by Samuelson et. al (2014), two studies investigate what attributes are most prototypical of a good host.

In Study 1, …

Memorable Messages Regarding Adoption And Religion: Perspectives Of Adult Adoptees, Kendall Maes, Katherine Martin

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Adoptive parents commonly report religious motivations as a driver in their decision to adopt (Helder & Marr, 2020) and a small literature examines ways that adoptive parents use religious meaning-making to frame their experience as adoptive parents (Firmin, 2017). However, little research has examined the perspective of adult adoptees regarding memorable messages linking religion and adoption that they heard while growing up and the impact of these messages. Adoptees encounter microaggressions, when individuals make assumptions based on the adoptee's race, ethnicity, or background. This has a negative effect on the mental health of adoptees. The current study sought to identify …

Examining Regression Assumption Violations In Machine Learning Models Using The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Dataset, Grace Mooney Anderson, Melia Brewer

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

A growing practice within the psychological sciences is a reliance on machine learning models for data analysis. Machine learning models may have profound implications for improving human well-being and health (e.g., Walsh et al., 2017). However, like any statistical model, machine learning requires that the assumptions of linear regression are met, though the implications of violating these assumptions in machine learning models are unknown. Our study investigates these potentially stark consequences by testing machine learning models in simulated data with built-in assumption violations, as well as a publicly available dataset. We hypothesize that when regression assumptions are violated, we will …

The Effect Of Different Timing Schedules On Learning In Individuals With And Without Adhd, Carmen Casper, Chloe Swanson, Ethan De Koker, Lauren Tocco, Emily Mccloskey, Isabelle Vanantwerpen

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Background. Learning involves encoding and retaining information. Previous studies have investigated different methods that lead to the greatest learning. Two common methods are massing—studying one topic during one time period and spacing—interleaving topics and studying across multiple sessions. Massing may facilitate encoding (Carvalho & Goldstone, 2014, 2015), whereas spacing is the best route to retention (Cepeda et al., 2008). However, which of these methods is best for individuals with symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is untested.

Approach. We tested individuals with and without ADHD symptoms. We also included a novel timing schedule called "clustering" that combines aspects of spacing …

What’S My Social Distance? Measuring Individual Differences In Personal Space, Tasia Parsons, Tyler Kennedy, Erica Williams, Marella Piazza, Lauren Zago

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Personal space is a concept that was brought into public awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic, when safety precautions were put in place to inhibit natural tendencies to stand particular distances apart. Although a number of variables influence preferred distances (Hayduk, 1983), researchers have yet to evaluate the extent to which people naturally vary in their preferences. This study was designed to investigate preferred personal space during social interactions employing the social relations model (Kenny, 1994). This model proposes that social behavior is explained by three sources of variance: the actor (the tendency to act the same way to all people), …

How Do Just Beliefs Develop? A Systematic Review Of The Research, Allison Bartels, Alexa Burgess, Laniah Dennis, Nhi Hoang, Jae'la Leavy, Erin Moran, Katherine Yakes, Allie Prindle

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Psychological research on the perception of justice has developed the concept of belief in a just world (BJW; Dalbert, 2009). This model includes the General BJW (G-BJW)—people's justice perception of the world in general and Personal BJW (P BJW)—a perception of how fair their personal life is (Likpus et al., 1996; Dalbert, 1999). Adolescence is a crucial time for legal socialization and justice beliefs, yet there is little consensus about the development of these beliefs. The current study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on adolescents' BJW to clarify the existing data on their normative developmental trajectories in youth. …

Adult Dysphagia: Interprofessional Support Groups And Holistic Approaches, Natalie Bekmetjev, Abigail Mosher

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

This research project investigates Adult Dysphagia, a condition characterized by difficulties in swallowing, and its various impacts on daily life. Common causes of adult dysphagia include radiation treatment, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Parkinson’s disease. Beyond its physical manifestations, dysphagia has significant psychosocial implications given the role of food and eating in our daily lives, affecting relationships and evoking emotions such as shame and fear of choking. Recognizing the limitations in traditional approaches to treatment, our study emphasizes the importance of an interprofessional support group. Traditional interventions often have limited time to address the many different aspects of dysphagia and …

The Home-Concept: A Descriptive Analysis Of Schemas For The Home, Tasia Parsons, Tyler Kennedy, Lauren Zago

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Throughout history, one's home has had great significance, typically viewed as "the prototypical place" (Lewicka, 2010a, p. 211). Homes help fulfill many needs in the lives of their occupants, including self-expression (Gosling et al., 2002), feelings of safety and control (Smith, 1994), among others. Even so, psychological research on the topic of home is relatively minimal (Graham et al., 2015; Meagher, 2020).

To evaluate what concepts people most associate with their home, we employed an adapted version of the Twenty-Statements Test (Kuhn & McPartland, 1954; Rees & Nicholson, 2004) that asked participants to respond to the statement "My Home is…." …

Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Navigating A New Normal In Middle Tennessee, Karli M. Beaumont

OTD Capstone Projects

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers REACH for Cancer Survivorship, a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. REACH provides a full range of follow-up care designed to meet the physical, emotional, and practical needs of survivors and continuous surveillance of deleterious effects of cancer and its treatments. The purpose of this project was to meet population and agency needs through research of long- and late-term sequela while advocating for occupational therapy’s role in the oncology population through the proactive therapy and prospective surveillance models. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, …

Serum Neuroactive Metabolites Of The Tryptophan Pathway In Patients With Acute Phase Of Affective Disorders, Yanli Li, Leilei Wang, Junchao Huang, Ping Zhang, Yanfang Zhou, Jinghui Tong, Wenjin Chen, Mengzhuang Gou, Baopeng Tian, Wei Li, Xingguang Luo, Li Tian, L Elliot Hong, Chiang-Shan R Li, Yunlong Tan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Many studies showed disrupted tryptophan metabolism in patients with affective disorders. The aims of this study were to explore the differences in the metabolites of tryptophan pathway (TP) and the relationships between TP metabolites and clinical symptoms, therapeutic effect in patients with bipolar disorder with acute manic episode (BD-M), depressive episode (BD-D) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS: Patients with BD-M (n=52) and BD-D (n=39), MDD (n=48) and healthy controls (HCs, n=49) were enrolled. The serum neuroactive metabolites levels of the TP were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item (HAMD-17) and Young Mania Rating Scale …

Latent Classification Of Multi-Model Non-Homogeneous Continuous-Time Markov Chains, Joonha Chang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC) model and latent clustering models are commonly used to study longitudinal measures of categorical outcomes. Because of its simple but powerful Markovian property, CTMC models have been widely used in medical and public health researches. Due to limitations in the standard CTMC model, there have been some studies on non-homogeneous continuous-time Markov chain (NH-CTMC) that utilized time-dependent rates, but the progresses have been limited. NH-CTMC can be more powerful than CTMC by its default nature of time-dependent rate that can be fitted to a wider range of applications in medical studies. In this study, we …

The Effects Of Therapy Dogs On Students, Chloe Romack

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the effects therapy dogs have on students. It begins with a literature review of 17 articles that involve animal-assisted interventions with students and children. The main topics covered include the definition of a therapy animal and how dogs can influence learning, socialization, emotional well-being, anxiety, and depression. It also discusses how dogs can be used in therapy and special education classrooms as well as the major concerns of dogs in schools. Drawing upon the previous research, a survey was sent to school staff in the Paw Paw Public School District. The participants of this study consisted of …

Cmv And Brain Volume, Scott Maclean, Ashley Catchpole, Ethan Coulter, Elijah Davis, Bethany Richmond, Thomas Farrer, Dawson Hedges, Shawn Gale, Lance Erickson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

In a sample of UK adults aged 40-69, we conducted multivariable regression analysis on the relationship between cytomegalovirus (CMV) and brain volume accounting for several health covariates. Although no main effects emerged, we found that socioeconomic status moderated the relationship, such that in low socioeconomic groups, CMV predicted lower thalamic and hippocampal volumes.

Intrinsic Vs. Extrinsic Religiosity: Implications For The Parasympathetic Nervous System, Sydnee Bond, Hannah Hornberger, Parker Mckasson, Patrick Steffen Phd

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Background

Intrinsic religiosity is a deeply rooted connection to one's faith. Individuals with high intrinsic religiosity find purpose and meaning through their spiritual connections. Extrinsic religiosity is primarily driven by social or other superficial factors. Intrinsic religiosity has demonstrated associations with lower self-reported stress, however, associations between intrinsic/extrinsic religiosity and baseline heart rate variability (HRV), a proxy measure of the parasympathetic nervous system, have not been studied. We hypothesize that higher self-reported stress will be associated with a lower baseline HRV, higher intrinsic religiosity will be correlated with higher baseline HRV, and intrinsic religiosity will serve as a buffer, such …

Neurodiversity And Openness In Responses To Al In Writing, Joely Grace Hall

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Neurodivergent individuals encompass a broad spectrum of cognitive profiles, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, depression, anxiety and other neurological differences and learning disabilities. Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (Al) technologies have rapidly evolved, permeating various aspects of society, from healthcare to education and employment. Al often makes mistakes when analyzing papers written by neurodivergent students and flags them for plagiarism, when there is no plagiarism in the paper. We want to investigate why this happens and ways to work around this. We have put together a Prolific survey to get general opinions on Al, neurodiversity types and writing classes. With …

Modality's Effect On Aesthetic Ratings Of Poetry, Jessica Frame

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Previous research has shown that vividness of evoked imagery is the strongest contributor to aesthetic pleasure for poetry. However, it is 114 unknown whether modality of the poem has an effect on the relationship between vividness and aesthetic appeal, as past work has only used written poems. In this study we want to evaluate rating of vividness, valence, arousal, and aesthetic appeal based on the modality in which poems are presented (listening only, reading only, or combined). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three modalities: text-only (N=81 ), audio-only (N=74), or combined audio/text (N=78). Our results showed that …

The Influence Of Sensory Modality On Aesthetic Judgments Of Poetry, Jessica Frame, Kendra Mehl

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Previous research has shown that vividness of evoked imagery is the strongest contributor to aesthetic pleasure for poetry. However, it is 19 unknown whether modality of the poem has an effect on the relationship between vividness and aesthetic appeal, as past work has only used written poems. In this study we want to evaluate rating of vividness, valence, arousal, and aesthetic appeal based on the modality in which poems are presented (listening only, reading only, or combined). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three modalities: text-only (N=81 ), audio-only (N=74), or combined audio/text (N=78). Our results showed that …

Comparing Autobiographical Memories Evoked By Different Sensory Cues For Younger And Older Adults, Akira Durbin

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

Music has the power to take us back in time. Previous research indicates that music is a potent autobiographical memory cue, and that recall often happens with no effort on the part of the listener. Our research is also informed by the reminiscence bump phenomenon, which describes the tendency of older adults to recall autobiographical memories formed from the ages of 18-35. Informed by this phenomenon, we presented older participants with stimuli that were relevant during their youth. We displayed different stimuli to younger and older adult participants on a desktop computer. The stimuli we presented were popular music clips, …