Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons^™

The Association Between Coping-Motivated Drinking And Alcohol-Related Consequences., Jacob D. Salser, Ian A. Mcnamara, Ryan W. Carpenter

Undergraduate Research Symposium

ABSTRACT. Background: College students’ alcohol use is an important topic of research. Past research indicates that people who drink to cope are at a higher risk for alcohol-related consequences compared to other drinking motives (i.e., enhancement, social, or conformity motives). This project aims to analyze drinking motives, specifically the subscales of coping-anxiety motives and coping-depressive motives, and their association with alcohol-related consequences in a unique population. In addition, the moderating effects of stress will be tested.

Methods: The data for this project was collected through a survey that was given to students (N=176) at the University of Missouri …

In Covid-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety With Little-To-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence From 84 Countries, Charles A. Dorison, Et. Al., Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message …

Buprenorphine Effects On Anxiety-Like Behavior In B6 Mice, Megan K. Thibert

Select or Award-Winning Individual Scholarship

Buprenorphine, a semi-synthetic opioid prescribed for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), has been suggested as a potential pharmacological treatment for anxiety. Some preclinical and clinical studies provide support for the anxiolytic effects of buprenorphine, but research in this area is scarce, and findings to date have been mixed. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that buprenorphine alters anxiety-like behavior in C57BL/IJ (B6) mice measured using the elevated zero maze (EZM). Adult, male mice (n=10) were given subcutaneous injections of saline (control) and three doses of buprenorphine (0.3, 1, and 10 mg/kg). One hour following injection, …

A Critical Review On The Moderating Role Of Contextual Factors In The Associations Between Video Gaming And Well-Being, Andree Hartanto, Verity Yu Qing Lua, Frosch Yi Xuan Quek, Jose C. Yong, Matthew H. S. Ng

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The appeal of video gaming has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. In view of its increasing popularity, lay people and researchers alike have taken an interest in the psychological consequences of video gaming. However, there seems to be a paradox associated with the effect of video gaming on gamers' well-being—namely, while most video game players cite “fun” as their motivation to play video games, video games continue to hold a notorious reputation among some researchers for being detrimental to mental health and emotional well-being as measured by indicators such as happiness, perceived stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. We suggest …

Hidden Links: Trait Anxiety And The Hostile Attribution Bias, Sarah Gracia

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The hostile attribution bias (HAB) is a tendency to interpret malevolent intentions when confronted by ambiguous actions of others. Much research has been conducted to examine the relationship between HAB and aggression, but little on HAB and other personality traits; further, comparatively little research has examined whether strategies like metacognition can reduce HAB. This project examines the relationship between HAB and trait anxiety and whether a metacognitive manipulation reduces HAB. In Study 1, participants filled out a survey questionnaire containing the Beck Anxiety Inventory to measure trait anxiety and both the W-SAP and the hostility section of the Aggression Questionnaire …

Bisphenol-A Exposure During Adolescence Leads To Enduring Alterations In Cognition And Dendritic Spine Density In Adult Male And Female Rats, Rachel E. Bowman, Victoria N. Luine, Samantha Diaz Weinstein, Hameda Khandaker, Sarah Dewolf, Maya Frankfurt

Psychology Faculty Publications

We have previously demonstrated that adolescent exposure of rats to bisphenol-A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disrupter, increases anxiety, impairs spatial memory, and decreases dendritic spine density in the CA1 region of the hippocampus (CA1) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) when measured in adolescence in both sexes. The present study examined whether the behavioral and morphological alterations following BPA exposure during adolescent development are maintained into adulthood. Male and female, adolescent rats received BPA, 40 μg/kg/bodyweight, or control treatments for one week. In adulthood, subjects were tested for anxiety and locomotor activity, spatial memory, non-spatial visual memory, and sucrose preference. Additionally, …

Co-Worry In Friendship Dyads, Michelle H. Goldstein

Honors Scholar Theses

Anxiety disorders increase in prevalence from childhood into adulthood. Although cognitive theories are prominent in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety, peer relationships are emerging as salient interpersonal risk factors. This study investigates the effects of specific interpersonal interchanges on anxiety symptoms in college students. 60 undergraduates attended the experiment with a same-sex best friend, and were randomly assigned to the co-worry or neutral conversation condition. Each person completed self-report measures of state anxiety, negative affect and positive affect prior to and following an 8-minute conversation about self-generated worry topics such as exams or neutral topics such as the weather. …