Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Adult Coping With Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Theoretical And Empirical Review, Kate Walsh, Michelle A. Fortier, David Dilillo

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Coping has been suggested as an important element in understanding the long-term functioning of individuals with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). The present review synthesizes the literature on coping with CSA, first by examining theories of coping with trauma, and, second by examining how these theories have been applied to studies of coping in samples of CSA victims. Thirty-nine studies were reviewed, including eleven descriptive studies of the coping strategies employed by individuals with a history of CSA, eighteen correlational studies of the relationship between coping strategies and long-term functioning of CSA victims, and ten investigations in which …

C-Fos Identification Of Neuroanatomical Sites Associated With Haloperidol And Clozapine Disruption Of Maternal Behavior In The Rat, Changjiu Zhao, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Rat maternal behavior is a complex social behavior. Most antipsychotic drugs disrupt active maternal responses (e.g., pup retrieval, pup licking and nest building). Our previous work shows that typical antipsychotic haloperidol disrupts maternal behavior by blocking dopamine D₂ receptors, whereas atypical clozapine works by blocking 5-HT_2A/2C receptors. The present study used c-Fos immunohistochemistry technique, together with pharmacological tools and behavioral observations, and delineated the neuroanatomical bases of the disruptive effects of haloperidol and clozapine. Postpartum female rats were treated with haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg sc) or clozapine (10.0 mg/kg sc), with or without pretreatment of quinpirole (a selective dopamine …

The Relationship Between The Perception Of Axes Of Symmetry And Spatial Memory During Early Childhood, Margaret R. Ortmann, Anne R. Schutte

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Early in development, there is a transition in spatial working memory (SWM). When remembering a location in a homogeneous space (e.g., in a sandbox), young children are biased toward the midline symmetry axis of the space. Over development, a transition occurs that leads to older children being biased away from midline. The dynamic field theory (DFT) explains this transition in biases as being caused by a change in the precision of neural interaction in SWM and improvements in the perception of midline. According to the DFT, young children perceive midline, but there is a quantitative improvement in the perception of …

Prenatal Tobacco Exposure: Developmental Outcomes In The Neonatal Period, Kimberly Andrews Espy, Hua Fang, Craig Johnson, Christian Stopp, Sandra A. Wiebe, Jennifer Respass

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Smoking during pregnancy is a persistent public health problem that has been linked to later adverse outcomes. The neonatal period— the first month of life—carries substantial developmental change in regulatory skills and is the period when tobacco metabolites are cleared physiologically. Studies to date mostly have used cross-sectional designs that limit characterizing potential impacts of prenatal tobacco exposure on the development of key self-regulatory processes and cannot disentangle short-term withdrawal effects from residual exposure-related impacts. In this study, pregnant participants (N = 304) were recruited prospectively during pregnancy, and smoking was measured at multiple time points, with both self-report and …

Investigation Of Working Memory Across Behavioral And Executive Function Variables In Adolescents With Emotional Disturbance, Eleazar Cruz Eusebio

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Newer insights into working memory may have important implications for understanding varying cognitive abilities in adolescents and their corresponding degrees of success and efforts to accomplish real-world goals. It is important to investigate the construct of working memory in relation to academic, behavioral, and emotional success at school for students classified with an Emotionally Disturbance (ED). In the educational system, students are classified as ED, based upon IDEA regulations present within a multiplicity of these cognitive, behavioral, socio-emotional, and academic difficulties. The associated cognitive deficits often involve poor working memory skills thought to be related to frontal lobe processes. Considering …

Multiple Determinants Of Sexualized Behavior In Middle Childhood: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective, Natasha Elkovitch

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In order to adequately and appropriately intervene with children exhibiting problematic sexual behaviors, a comprehensive understanding of etiology is imperative. Although sexually abused children are observed engaging in more problematic sexual behaviors than their normative or psychiatric counterparts, it is clear that such behaviors may be the result of factors other than, or in addition to, sexual abuse. The goal of the present study was utilize a developmental psychopathology perspective in broadening our understanding of mechanisms associated with the development of problematic sexual behaviors in childhood. Participants for the study include 1, 149 children (51.8% female) drawn from the Longitudinal …

Social Cognition And Interaction Training (Scit) For Individuals With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders In Outpatient Treatment Settings, Petra Kleinlein

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The role of social cognition in severe mental illness (SMI) has gained much attention, especially over the last decade. The impact of deficits in socio-cognitive functioning has been found to have detrimental effects on key areas of day-to-day functioning in individuals with SMI, such as gaining and maintaining employment and overall experienced quality of life. Treatment of individuals with SMI is challenging, as the presentation of individual signs and symptoms is rather heterogeneous. There are several treatment approaches addressing deficits ranging from broader social and interpersonal functioning to neurocognitive and more intrapersonal functioning. As research in the domain of social …

Evidence Based Practices For Sensory Stimulation Seeking Impulsive Diagnosis, Sheena Gasner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to identify evidence based practices that can be used in the treatment of Sensory Stimulation Seeking Impulsive Disorder (430.0). Identification of these practices will more effectively meet the therapeutic needs of the children diagnosed with this disorder.

Effects Of The Novel Endocannabinoid Uptake Inhibitor, Ly2183240, On Fear-Potentiated Startle And Alcohol-Seeking Behaviors In Mice Selectively Bred For High Alcohol Preference, Matthew S. Powers, G. D. Barrenha, N. S. Mlinac, Eric L. Barker, Julia Chester

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Rationale Alcohol-use disorders often occur together with anxiety disorders in humans which may be partly due to common inherited genetic factors. Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of individuals with anxiety and/or alcohol-use disorders. Objectives The present study assessed the effects of a novel endocannabinoid uptake inhibitor, LY2183240, on anxiety- and alcohol-seeking behaviors in a unique animal model that may represent increased genetic risk to develop co-morbid anxiety and alcohol-use disorders in humans. Mice selectively bred for high alcohol preference (HAP) show greater fear-potentiated startle (FPS) than mice selectively bred for …

Pentylenetetrazol Produces A State-Dependent Conditioned Place Aversion To Alcohol Withdrawal In Mice, Julia Chester, Laran E. Coon

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if aversive effects of alcohol withdrawal could be detected in mice using the place conditioning procedure and whether the GABAA receptor antagonist, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), would increase the aversive effects of alcohol withdrawal and increase the probability of detecting conditioned place aversion. Subjects were alcohol-naïve mice from a specific line selectively bred for low alcohol preference (LAP1; n=91) and were assigned to three groups: alcohol withdrawal, PTZ alone, and PTZ + alcohol withdrawal. On four trials, mice received either a 4.0 g/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of alcohol (alcohol withdrawal, PTZ + alcohol withdrawal …

Using A Structured Decision Making Protocol To Stratify Caseloads In The Child Support Program, Steven J. Golightly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although structured decision making and risk assessment protocols have successfully been used in human service programs, little research has been done on their applicability in the child support program. In this study, problems identified with child support case management were examined, along with positive and negative attributes of various risk assessment tools utilized in other arenas. The overall research problem asserted that there are no structured decision making protocols in the child support program to support case assignment by enforcement difficulty. The primary research question asked whether or not a process stratified by risk and level of enforcement difficulty could …

Gender, Sexuality, And The Authoritarian Personality, Bill E. Peterson, Eileen L. Zurbriggen

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The political correlates of the authoritarian personality have been well established by researchers, but important linkages to other major constructs in psychology need fuller elaboration. We present new data and review old data from our laboratories that show the myriad ways in which authoritarianism is implicated in the important domain of gender roles. We show that women and men high in authoritarianism live in rigidly gendered worlds where male and female roles are narrowly defined, attractiveness is based on traditional conceptions of masculinity and femininity, and conventional sexual mores are prescribed. As a construct, authoritarianism is not just relevant for …

"Because I'M Neither Gringa Nor Latina, Because I Am Not Any One Thing": Children Of Colombian And Dominican Immigrants Negotiating Identities Within (Trans)National Social Fields, Debora Upegui-Hernandez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores how Colombian and Dominican children of immigrants living in New York City negotiate multiple identities, selves, cultures, and histories within transnational social fields. In other words, children of immigrants grow up in the midst of multiple cultures and juggle multiple sets of cultural norms, values, and expectations, their parents' and those of mainstream `American' culture, while they maintain transnational ties to the home country of their parents. This study contributes to the social psychological literature about Dominican and Colombian children of immigrants by introducing a transnational framework to understand their experiences growing up in-between cultures and borders. …

Iptakalim: A Potential Antipsychotic Drug With Novel Mechanisms?, Tao Sun, Changjiu Zhao, Gang Hu, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Iptakalim is a novel putative adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (K_ATP) channel opener. In the brain, iptakalim is thought to act on the neuronal and astrocytic plasma membrane and/or mitochondrial K_ATP channels. Because iptakalim demonstrates an action on the regulation of dopamine and glutamate release in the forebrain regions, we examined its potential antipsychotic efficacy in several preclinical tests. First, we show that iptakalim is effective in reducing amphetamine- and phencyclidine-induced hyperlocomotion as well as selectively disrupting conditioned avoidance responding. Next, we show that combined iptakalim and amphetamine treatment produces a reduction on prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle …

Punished, Dead Or Alive: Empirical Perspectives On Awarding Punitive Damages Against Deceased Defendants, Timothy R. Robicheaux, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Punitive damages are a tool for punishing defendants who engage in reckless and wanton behaviors that cause injury to others. As with criminal punishment, goals of punitive damages include retribution, specific deterrence, and general deterrence. Unlike criminal punishment, however, some courts allow punitive damages to follow the death of defendants. To explore this issue, we first conducted a legal analysis of appellate court decisions concerning punitive damages against deceased defendants. While the majority of courts suggest that punitive damages against deceased individuals are not appropriate, some argue that favorable policy implications of allowing punitive damages to follow the defendant’s death …

Aging And The Vulnerability Of Speech To Dual Task Demands, Susan Kemper, Ralynn Schmalzried, Lesa Hoffman, Ruth Herman

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Tracking a digital pursuit rotor task was used to measure dual task costs of language production by young and older adults. Tracking performance by both groups was affected by dual task demands: time on target declined and tracking error increased as dual task demands increased from the baseline condition to a moderately demanding dual task condition to a more demanding dual task condition. When dual task demands were moderate, older adults’ speech rate declined but their fluency, grammatical complexity, and content were unaffected. When the dual task was more demanding, older adults’ speech, like young adults’ speech, became highly fragmented, …

Donor Payoffs And Other-Regarding Preferences In Cotton-Top Tamarins (Saguinus Oedipus), Jeffrey R. Stevens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Helping others at no cost to oneself is a simple way to demonstrate other-regarding preferences. Yet, primates exhibit mixed results for other-regarding preferences: chimpanzees and tamarins do not show these effects, whereas capuchin monkeys and marmosets preferentially give food to others. One factor of relevance to this no-cost food donation is the payoff to the donor. Though donors always receive the same payoffs regardless of their choice, previous work varies in whether they receive either a food reward or no food reward. Here, I tested cotton-top tamarins in a preferential giving task. Subjects could choose from two tools, one of …

The Adaptive Nature Of Impulsivity, Jeffrey R. Stevens, David W. Stephens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

An old joke circulates among animal behavior instructors. One can, the joke goes, divide the topics of animal behavior into four Fs: fighting, fleeing, feeding, and reproduction. This somewhat tired joke carries considerable truth. Animals behaving in nature surely must make decisions about conflicts, predator avoidance, feeding, and mating. Male crickets, for example, are notoriously combative. Studies have shown, however, that they escalate fights in some situations and retreat to fight another day in others (Beaugrand, 1997; Parker, 1974; Parker & Rubenstein, 1981). Squirrels, like many small animals, respond to the presence or absence of protective cover; for example, they …

Intertemporal Choice, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

A Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) flies to the top of a pine tree and selects one of the many cones. She twists and pecks at the stem until the cone breaks free from the branch and, with one foot, holds the cone in the crotch of a branch. She then repeatedly hammers her long bill in between the scales of the cone. After forcing out one of the seeds, she tips her head back a bit, clicks the seed in her bill a few times, and closes her bill. A few minutes later, the shredded cone drops to …

Rational Decision Making In Primates: The Bounded And The Ecological, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Primates constantly face decisions that influence their survival and reproduction. Continue foraging in this tree or move on to another? Expose oneself to a hidden predator by straying from the group or enjoy the safety of having other potential victims nearby? Defend one’s territory from invaders or abandon it and seek a new home? In all of these cases, primates must trade off the costs and benefits associated with uncertain and delayed decision outcomes. The outcomes of these choices influence survival and reproduction, and natural selection should favor those individuals whose choices lead to the propagation of their genes.

The …