Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons^™

Patterns Of Early Lexical And Gestural Development In Children With Williams Syndrome., Angela M. Becerra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addressed the early gestural and lexical development of very young children with Williams syndrome (WS), as measured by the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI, Fenson et al., 2007). Receptive vocabulary (RV), expressive vocabulary (EV), early gesture (EG), late gesture (LG), and total gesture (TG) abilities were considered. Findings from cross-sectional samples of 49 18-month-olds, 56 24-month-olds, and 55 30-month-olds indicated considerable variability within each age group, with almost all children evidencing significant delay as measured by the CDI norms. Strong concurrent correlations were found among RV, EV, EG, LG, and TG for each age group. Longitudinal analyses indicated …

Eyes Wide Open: Pupil Size As A Proxy For Inhibition In The Masked-Priming Paradigm, Jason Geller, Mary L. Still, Alison L. Morris

Psychology Faculty Publications

A core assumption underlying competitive-network models of word recognition is that in order for a word to be recognized, the representations of competing orthographically similar words must be inhibited. This inhibitory mechanism is revealed in the masked-priming lexical-decision task (LDT) when responses to orthographically similar word prime-target pairs are slower than orthographically different word prime-target pairs (i.e., inhibitory priming). In English, however, behavioral evidence for inhibitory priming has been mixed. In the present study, we utilized a physiological correlate of cognitive effort never before used in the masked-priming LDT, pupil size, to replicate and extend behavioral demonstrations of inhibitory …

Inner Experience And Self-Ratings Of Inner Speaking, Jason Michael Kelsey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Questionnaires are often used as measures of inner experience. This study questions the adequacy of such measures, using inner speech as an example. We compared two questionnaire measures of inner speaking to each other and to inner experience as apprehended by Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES, a naturalistic, high fidelity method of exploring inner experience). Undergraduate volunteers (N = 260) took two questionnaires designed to measure inner speaking: the Self-Talk Scale (STS) and the Nevada Inner Experience Questionnaire (NIEQ). A subset of these (N = 16) participated in DES to investigate their inner speaking with fidelity. Scores on the NIEQ and …

Problem Analysis In Community Violence Assessments: Reavealing Early Childhood Trauma As A Driver Of Youth And Gang Violence, Laurie Ross Phd, Samantha Arsenault, Sergeant Miguel Lopez

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Problem analysis conducted by a university-based research partner can provide communities with data-driven options to address the local drivers of serious youth and gang violence. Situated in Worcester, Massachusetts, this article describes how after early childhood trauma was identified as a potential driver of adolescent and young adult violence, problem analysis using local data confirmed that being the victim or witness of a traumatic incident before the age of 12 was significantly correlated with involvement in violence in adolescence or young adulthood. While there is a robust literature on the relationship between early childhood trauma and later delinquency, local decision-makers …

The Peacock Effect: The Influence Of The Opposite Sex On Aggressive Behavior, Kira J. Mason

Celebration

Most widely-accepted models for aggression do not explicitly address an important variable that roots in evolutionary psychology: the presence of a potential mate. The current research investigates whether the presence of an attractive or unattractive member of the opposite sex influences hypothetical aggression. Participants (N = 1035) imagined themselves in front of an attractive or non-attractive member of the opposite sex (accompanied by pictures of corresponding attractiveness levels), and indicate their aggressive intentions after a provocation, or not. Results from the 2(sex) x 2(attractiveness) ANOVA showed that males viewing an image of an attractive female aggressed more when provoked than …

Sensor-Enabled Reduction Of Stereotypy, Aaron Brzezinski

Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to create and implement an intervention to reduce stereotypic behavior in a child with Autism. The participant was chosen based on a high occurrence of target behavior and was recruited through his treatment center. The target behaviors were selected based on the subjective evaluation of his treatment provider and parents. The dependent variable in this study was hand-flapping. The independent variable was DRO training that included a buzzer and a chime noise contingent on the presence or absence of stereotypy respectively. A Microsoft Kinect© 2.0 was used to track occurrence of target behavior and …

Increasing Vocalizations In Children With Autism, Nicholette Christodoulou

Honors Theses

This study focuses on increasing vocalizations for students with Autism spectrum disorder. A three-part intervention was used to attempt to establish an echoic repertoire in students who had little to no vocalizations. Both students attended an early intervention classroom with a special education school. Students were selected from their classroom if they showed little to no vocalization or echoic skills. The goal during the first phase was to collect all sounds being made by the student to increase the overall number of vocalizations being made. This was done by continuous reinforcement using edible reinforcers. In phase two, the student’s dominant …

Transitioning Children With Autism From A Discrete Trial Classroom To A Group Classroom, Alexandra Ennis

Honors Theses

The goal of this project was to prepare children diagnosed with autism for the transition to group learning environments by teaching them to sit in their chair and attend while the teacher is at least five feet away. This is a skill that will help kids succeed when they make the transition from an early intervention program to a group learner environment because it allows the teacher to focus more on learning important skills. A proximity procedure was put in place for two children that focused on gradually increasing the distance between the tutor and the student with use of …

A Mturk Facial Inference Study, Janine Swiney, Anthony Stahelski, Mary Radeke

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This survey is one in a series of studies utilizing Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to investigate the facial inference process. Participants in this study were asked to infer the emotions and personality traits shown in three facial expressions (angry, sad, happy) of young white females and males in six photographs. Each picture was presented for 10 seconds followed by four questions about the individual in the picture. The first question asked participants to identify the emotion shown, from a list of six emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise). The next three questions consist of condensed sets of the Big …

A Mturk Facial Inference Study, Janine Swiney, Anthony Stahelski, Mary Radeke

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

This survey is one in a series of studies utilizing Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to investigate the facial inference process. Participants in this study were asked to infer the emotions and personality traits shown in three facial expressions (angry, sad, happy) of young white females and males in six photographs. Each picture was presented for 10 seconds followed by four questions about the individual in the picture. The first question asked participants to identify the emotion shown, from a list of six emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise). The next three questions consist of condensed sets of the Big …

The Influence Of Appearance In Hri Selection, Dani Somerville, William Volante, Tracy Sanders, Peter Hancock

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

No abstract provided.

Do You Know If You Trust A Robot? Influences That Mediate Implicit And Explicit Trust, William G. Volante, Tracy Sanders, Ashley Reardon, Peter Hancock

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

With the widespread expansion in fields of technology, the use of robotics in the average person’s everyday life continues to increase. This fast paced shift has brought about issues related to user trust. Here we investigate the effects of robot appearance and reliability on a user’s level of trust. Traditionally trust in the field of robotics has measured explicit trust, primarily through the use of self-report questionnaires. While we maintain this paradigm in our current work, we also expand on it by including a measure of implicit trust. This was achieved through the use of the Implicit Associations Test (IAT), …

Evaluation Of The Discriminable Stimulus Effects Of 0.3 Mg/Kg 3, 4‑Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (Mdpv) And 1.0 Mg/Kg 4-Methylmethcathinone (4-Mmc) Using A Drug Discrimination Procedure In Male Sprague-Dawley Rats, Michael Berquist

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Experimental investigations into the behavioral and neurochemical effects of illicit β-ketophenethylamines (synthetic cathinones, “bath salts”) has increased in recent years. Two cathinone derivatives in particular, MDPV and mephedrone (4-MMC), have received a considerable amount of research attention given their relative popularity among users at the turn of the 21st century. Researchers investigating MDPV and 4-MMC have devoted much of their attention toward evaluating the drugs’ reinforcing efficacy, rewarding effects, receptor binding profiles, and effects on ambulatory responses.

There exist few published studies that have evaluated the discriminable stimulus effects of MDPV and 4-MMC using rodent drug discrimination procedures. To date, …

Previous Exposure To Lsd Fails To Enhance The Psychomotor Stimulant Effects Of D-Amphetamine In Male Sprague-Dawley Rats, Keli Herr

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

• The hallucinogenic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have been largely attributed to its high affinity for 5-HT2A receptors. However, LSD also has a high affinity at several other monoamine receptors (Nichols, 2004; Passie et al., 2008).
• The contribution of dopaminergic mechanisms to LSD’s behavioral effects have not been investigated to the same extent that serotonergic mechanism have been studied. Some authors have hypothesized that chronic treatment of rats with LSD may produce a persistent behavioral state characterized by sensitivity to dopamine agonists (Marona-Lewicka and Nichols, 2007).
• Repeated exposure to psychostimulant drugs is known to produce progressive increases in locomotor …

The Role Of Social Dominance Orientation And Patriotism In The Evaluation Of Minority And Female Leaders, Crystal L. Hoyt, Stefanie Simon

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

This research broadens our understanding of racial and gender bias in leader evaluations by merging implicit leadership theory and social dominance perspectives. Across two experimental studies (291 participants), we tested the prediction that bias in leader evaluations stemming from White and masculine leader standards depends on the extent to which people favor hierarchical group relationships (social dominance orientation) and their level of patriotism. Employing the Goldberg paradigm, participants read identical leadership speeches attributed to either a woman or a man described as either a minority (Black or Latino/a) or a majority (White) group member. Results show social dominance orientation negatively …

The Effects Of Chronic Partial Sleep Deprivation On Alcohol Consumption And Delta Fos B Accumulation, Kristian Ponder

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

The present study explores the relation between sleep restriction and alcohol use and the neural substrates that result from chronic behaviors, such as transcription factors. Transcription factor activity is suggested as a possible outcome of chronic behaviors, such as addiction. Sleep is discussed as possible mediating factor in the relationship between specific transcription factors and alcohol. Analysis will focus on brain areas related to both sleep and reward.

Impact Of Auditory Affect On Urgent Behaviors On A Car Simulator, Cintya N. Larios, Mustapha Mouloua, Marc D. Gentzler

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

Emotional content abounds the driver in different forms from billboard signs to in-vehicle devices to roadside situations. Such emotional scenes can result in unsafe driving behaviors and lead to collisions due to their ability to attract attentional resources and change driving goals to irrelevant ones (Megías et al. 2011b; Briggs et al, 2011). Recent studies have looked at the way auditory and visual emotional stimuli can impact individual’s decision under Evaluative and Urgent road environment behaviors. Evaluative behaviors are known as a categorization in which people judge a scene as risky or not, whereas Urgent behaviors are time sensitive, requiring …

Effects Of Various Texting Engagement Levels On Recall, Katlin Anglin, Rachel M. Cunningham, Fawaaz Diljohn, Jayde King, Youngjun Kim

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

Text messaging is a popular mode of communication for current college students, which is a concern due to its association with decreasing academic performance in a classroom environment. This study examined the effects of texting engagement level on learning. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students (n=74) were shown four, one-minute lecture videos and given a quiz after each video regarding the content, which tested recall accuracy. The participants were randomly assigned to three testing engagement conditions: No texting, Low Engagement texting, and High Engagement texting. By varying the type of responses to be generated and texted, we evaluated whether the higher engagement …

Optimal Motivation And Cognitive Load For Enhanced Math Performance, Manooch S. Saeedi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Educational research has a long history of investigating factors that are linked to improved academic performance. Here I examined research on three factors that impact academic performance—working memory (WM), cognitive load, and motivation. Although each of these factors were known to impact academic performance, there were no studies that examined the combined effect of these three factors on performance. The current study attempted to examine the potential connections between these factors, and their collective impact on strategies for learning in the context of math performance. Experiment 1 tested the impact of WM, cognitive load, and motivation for a math task …

The Consistency Of Ratings On The Cab-T Executive Functioning Scale As Compared To The Brief, Briese C. Chapman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Executive functioning is an umbrella term used to describe abilities that include self-monitoring, goal-setting, planning, organization, attention, and working memory. Broadband behavior rating scales are commonly used by school psychologists and the instruments often now include an executive functioning scale. It is unknown, however, how these scales, based on a few items, compare to more extensive rating scales that solely measure executive functioning. The current study examined the overall consistency between the executive functioning scale on one broadband instrument to another instrument that assesses multiple areas of executive functioning by having teachers complete both instruments at the same point in …