Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Brian Saltsman
An Analysis of the Ice Bucket Challenge, and its Effect on Charitability
The Ice Bucket Challenge, which took place during the summer of 2014 sought to raise awareness about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, as well as monetary donations to the ALS Association to support research and treatment of the disease. This project sought to determine if the Ice Bucket Challenge facilitated the creation of a brand community based upon qualitative analysis. Quantitative data was then used to examine the relationship between participation in the Ice Bucket Challenge, and a person’s willingness to donate money again in the future, as well as the influence of information and emotional advertisements upon donation. It was argued that the Ice Bucket Challenge did not facilitate a brand community. It was hypothesized that participation in the Ice Bucket Challenge would positively influence a person’s willingness to donate again in the future, and that emotional advertisements would have a larger impact upon donation. Based upon data collected, results show that participation in the Ice Bucket Challenge did positively influence a person’s willingness to donate again in the future, as well as that both informational and emotional videos positively influenced a donation. However, there was no significant difference between the emotional or informational condition.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
The Relationship Between Black Racial Identity and Perfectionism
Perfectionism has been studied in many areas of psychology but very few have looked at the implications of black racial identity and its relationship with one’s need to be overly critical. In this study, the relationship between black racial identity and perfectionism is studied using the Multidimensional Inventory for Black Identity(MIBI) and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale developed by Hewitt and Flett in 1991. Evidence from previous studies led to the hypothesis that particular views scores on certain dimensions of racial identity would correlate with perfectionism subscales that share some of those traits as well.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Patricia Rutledge
The Effect of Competitiveness on Student-Athletes’ and Non-Athletes’ Drinking Behaviors
This study assesses competitiveness and its relationship to drinking behaviors among college varsity athletes and non-athletes. Personality differences among groups contribute to rates of three measures of competitiveness were used, the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ), the revised Competitiveness Index (CI – R), and the competitiveness subscale of the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire (WOFO). These were combined into one composite competitiveness score and analyzed in relation to four alcohol consumption variables: total drinks per week, total hours spent drinking per week, maximum number of drinks consumed on one occasion over the past 30 days, and the number of binge drinking episodes in the past 2 weeks. The anticipated results were that varsity athlete status and competitiveness would be predictors of higher alcohol consumption behavior. The competitiveness composite was significantly correlated with all of the other variables. Multiple regression analysis produced significant models for ‘total drinks consumed per week’ and ‘total hours spent drinking per week’. Limitations and future research directives are discussed.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Aimee Knupsky
Creating An Effective Argument in PowerPoint:Evaluating the Assertion Evidence Approach
Research concerning instructor methods of PowerPoint design for classroom lectures has produced mixed results in their effects on student learning. The present study compared common practice design with assertion evidence design and whether an instructor engages in passive or active instructions in their effect on immediate and delayed recall of material. Participants were 27 undergraduate students with from a variety of academic lecture disciplines. Participants were presented either a common practice or assertion evidence lecture and received either passive or active instructions. One week after the lecture, they were administered a second recall task. Results demonstrated that receiving passive instructions with common practice presentation or receiving active instructions with assertion evidence presentations yielded the highest recall of information. This suggests that how a professor uses the lecture to engage students impacts memory consolidation.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Jackson
Product Reliability and Race: The Effects of Person Perception on Product Perception
Implicit Racial Bias is continuing as a topic of much research and discussion. This is a prejudice that is reinforced through media portrayals, in advertising specifically (Shabbir, Hyman, Reast, & Palihawadana, 2013). For example, Black individuals are stereotypically seen as lazy, irresponsible and lacking in intelligence, while individuals of East Asian appearance are seen as lacking in feeling and friendliness, while portrayed as hardworking and obedient to authority (Berdahl & Min, 2012; Coltrane & Messineo, 2000; Gilbert, Carr-Ruffino, Ivancevich, & Lownes-Jackson, 2003). The current study explored whether the race of models in a printed ad affected perceptions of the product that was advertised. One hundred ninety-nine participants (102 males, 96 females, 1 other) were exposed to fictitious advertisements featuring White, Black, or East Asian models on MTurk. All participants saw an ad for a tablet and a camera, in counterbalanced order, and always using models of the same race. After exposure to the ads, participants’ perceptions of the products were assessed. Mixed-model ANOVAs suggested that participants rated products significantly lower in terms of its design and willingness to pay when Black models were shown over Asian models. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Jeff Cross
Behavioral and Cellular Effects of a Short-Term High-Fat Diet on a Unilateral 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disorder characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Recent studies in human patients have shown many neurodegenerative disorders often display a coexisting metabolic dysfunction which may exacerbate neurological symptoms. Increasing epidemiological evidence suggests that obesity may contribute to the pathogenesis of PD, either contributing to mechanisms of oxidative stress or excitotoxic damage. The current study examined the behavioral and cellular effects of a short-term high-fat diet on a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of PD. Hemispheric preference, spontaneous forelimb use, and general ambulatory locomotion were measured to determine behavioral deficits after lesion surgery. Alternating brain sections were stained to label cell bodies with buffered Thionin Blue Nissl stain and degenerating neurons with Fluoro-Jade C stain. The lesioned hemisphere of each animal was compared to the non-lesioned hemisphere as an intra-animal control to compare cellular density and degeneration. Histological examination and qualitative analysis assessed whether animals fed the high-fat diet had different cellular density and degeneration than animals fed the control diet. Understanding how dysfunction of metabolism can contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease is critical in evaluating animal models of disease and effective long-term treatments.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA, BODY DISSATISFACTION AND EXERCISE BEHAVIOR OF MALES
Body dissatisfaction research has placed large emphasis on the female body but recent studies have discovered evidence of male body dissatisfaction as well. The current study examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction, social media usage related to fitness and exercise behavior. Past research found that males who experienced exposure to the ideal male body image also showed higher body dissatisfaction compared to individuals who were not exposed, providing a plausible link between fitness related social media and body dissatisfaction. Those two measures were represented by the Revised Male Body Attitudes Scale and self-reported average number of hours per week spent using social media to view fitness related material, respectively. The dependent variable of the study was exercise behavior and measured by the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire. Although past research has shown relationships between exposure to the ideal male body image and exercise and body dissatisfaction among participants, multiple regression analysis did not indicate any significant results. However, a main effect between social media usage and body dissatisfaction was present among the participants.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Patricia Rutledge
Acetaminophen Intake as a Detached Coping Mechanism in College Students
Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, has been found to reduce both physical and social pain by acting on the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the anterior insula, two areas of the brain previously associated with distress. Acetaminophen also reduces compensatory affirmation following threats, evaluation sensitivity and discomfort from decision-making. In order to reduce distress people will engage in a variety of coping styles to lower their discomfort. The purpose of the present study is to investigate if people who engage more in coping also take more acetaminophen. Participants completed a coping styles questionnaire, a pain inventory and a modified version of the Core drug and alcohol survey to determine acetaminophen intake. Detached coping skills were found to be significantly correlated to acetaminophen intake (r=.26, p<.05). It was concluded that people who tend to engage in detached coping also tend to take more acetaminophen.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Jackson
The Effect of Frustration on Unethical Behavior
Links between frustration and aggression have been drawn from previous research and have formed theories still widely accepted in psychology today (Dollard et al., 1939). The effects of personality and dispositional factors such as aggression and lack of self-control on criminal behavior have also been researched (Agnew, 1997). However, there is no research exploring the effects of situational frustration directly on unethical or immoral behavior. 36 undergraduates were recruited to participate in the current study, measuring the effects of a frustrating situation on unethical behavior, specifically cheating behaviors. Frustration was manipulated and defined through a dice-rolling game paradigm first implemented by Paul Piff (Piff, 2014). The paradigm was carried out through the design of a computer program, which played an ostensibly random dice game for each participant. The participants played three rounds, as they were informed that the third and final round only would count towards their rewards for participation. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions; in the frustrating condition, participants rolled two rounds exactly the same as the non-frustrating control condition, but in the third and final round, the frustrating group rolled almost half what the non-frustrating group rolled. This “bad” round of rolls, which counted for compensation, was defined as the frustrating factor. The measure of cheating was defined as reporting in the computer program as scoring a higher total in the third round than the participant actually rolled. Results indicate contradictory conclusions. Cheating occurred equal amounts of times between conditions, and the manipulation of frustration was not successful. The understanding of the motivators and influences that impact an individual’s behaviors is imperative for the sustainment of our society. Immoral and unethical choices and behaviors affect society as a whole. Reducing the unethical or criminal behaviors of society will depend on our understanding of the effects of certain emotions, such as frustration.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark
The Role of Estrogen in the Neurodegenerative Disorder Alzheimer’s in the Female Rat.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder that affects many people worldwide. There are many reported causes of this disease such as, genetic or environmental. Women are disproportionately affected by AD than men, indicating that the absence of estradiol might play a role in this disease. Recent studies have found that the primary sex steroid hormones, especially estradiol, play a larger role than initially believed in the etiology and progression of AD. This study examines the possibility of estradiol as a potential treatment for AD in female rats. A total of 7 female Sprague Dawley rats age ranging from 12-18 months were used. Subjects were food deprived for 10 hours; latency and errors to completion of the maze were recorded. Five trials per day per subject were performed to collect data for both baseline and treatment doses of estradiol. Two doses of estradiol were used, a low dose 28.0 and a high dose 56.0(mg/kg).The major finding of this study is that following 4 days of estradiol administration performance of the subjects in the Triple T-Maze most closely resembled those before the Alzheimer’s like state was induced. Kainic acid 25.0(ng/ml) was injected into the dorsal hippocampus to induce a condition similar to Alzheimer’s.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Jackson
Intercultural Friendship Formation: The Effect of the Interpersonal Closeness Paradigm on Enhancing Interpersonal Closeness
The purpose of this study was to induce closeness between domestic and international students via high intimate conversations using the Interpersonal Closeness Paradigm (Aron et al., 1997). Since acculturative stress is an obstacle that many international students in the U.S. face (Sandhu & Asrabadi, 1994), the study sought to reduce the issue by providing the potential of friendship formation based on the fifth tenet, friendship potential, in the contact hypothesis (Pettigrew, 1998). The study was a 2 (Intimacy: High vs. Low) x 2 (Background: Domestic vs. International) between-subjects, factorial design. Twenty-three female undergraduate students were asked to have a conversation with another student (an experimental confederate). Besides closeness, other factors such as future contact interest, inclusion of other in self and talking-partner attributions were measured immediately after the interaction and two weeks later. Results indicated that participants who discussed closeness-generating topics felt closer to their talking partner than those who had small talks. The present study has implications in expanding the understanding of contact hypothesis on an intercultural level and promoting domestic-international intervention programs and relations. Suggestions such as enlarging sample size, having control over domestic identity, stereotype focus were discussed as possibilities for further studies.
Keywords: closeness, friendship potential, contact hypothesis, interpersonal closeness paradigm, intercultural relations
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Aimee Knupsky
Situated theory of mind: The importance of situational context when mind reading
Research on theory of mind (ToM), also known as mind reading, often focuses on how people infer others’ mental states through behavior, self-knowledge, or generic information, such as stereotypes and social groups. Nevertheless, one key source of information, situational context, has been under researched in connection with mental state inference. In response to this lack of research, we assessed how important people found situational context in comparison to the previously researched information types of nonverbal behavior and social group information. Specifically, we assessed whether the importance of situational context in comparison to nonverbal behavior and social group information varied across six different scenarios (Experiment 1), as well as when the context of the scenario remained constant but the target variables of status and sex (Experiment 2) varied. Both experiments provided converging evidence that people rate situational context as the most important information type available when mind reading. Specifically, Experiment 1 demonstrated that situational context was considered the most important information type across five of six different scenarios. In addition, Experiment 2 revealed that situational context remained the most important information type even when the sex, race, and workplace status of the target varied.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Branding Effect on Athletic Performance
I will be looking at in my experiment about how the brand could have an effect on athletic performance. I will be looking at big name brands like Nike and the other brand will be foreign or not as well known. The next I will measure the self esteem of that athlete before and after the experiment to see if the brand had effect on their performance.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Allison Connell
Does Studying Abroad Affect Cultural Empathy and Environmental Attitudes Among Allegheny College Students?
Over the past decade, the number of U.S. college students studying abroad has been growing. This trend has been seen at Allegheny College, however, there has been no research exploring how study abroad experience affects college students’ beliefs and values. The purpose of this study was to explore possible differences in levels of cultural empathy and pro-environmentalism Allegheny College students with study abroad experience may have compared to Allegheny College students with no study abroad experience. We found that students with study abroad experience scored significantly higher on measures of empathy (Multicultural Personality Questionnaire) and of pro-environmental beliefs (Revised New Ecological Paradigm). These results indicate that study abroad programs are positively associated with students’ cultural empathy and pro-environmental beliefs perhaps because students with study abroad experience are more likely to have exposure to different cultures, different environments and different beliefs. More research is needed to understand the causal relationship on these measures.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Juvia Heuchert
Parental Risky Behavior, Childhood Family Environment and College Students’ Optimism
Optimism was examined in relation to childhood family environment and parental risky behavior. It was hypothesized that optimism would be positively correlated with childhood family environment and negatively correlated with parental risky behavior. Additionally, it was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between childhood family environment and parental risky behavior. Participants completed the Revised Life Orientation Test, the Childhood Family Environment Scale and the Childhood Abuse and Trauma Scale. Pearson correlations, a multiple regression and a hierarchical regression were used to test the hypotheses. The hypothesis for childhood family environment as a predictor of optimism was supported. The second hypothesis for parental risky behavior as a predictor of optimism was confirmed as well. The final hypothesis, that there would be an interaction between childhood family environment and parental risky behavior, was not supported due to strong correlation and high collinearity. The results suggest that students who had more positive home environments as children will be more optimistic later in life while those who had more negative home environments will be less optimistic.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
One 650-mg Dose of Acetaminophen Does Not Reduce Social Pain in Young Adults: Results from a Randomized and Placebo Controlled Trial
Physical pain and social pain are neuroanatomically linked. Acetaminophen, a widely used over-the-counter analgesic, has been shown to decrease social pain when consumed for 21 days; a 1000-mg dose yielded decreased scores on a hurt feelings scale and a 2000-mg dose showed decreased activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula through fMRI imaging. The current study examined if a single 650-mg dose of acetaminophen reduced social pain. Participants were randomly assigned to receive acetaminophen or a matched placebo and then completed a Cyberball ostracism manipulation followed by a measure of social pain. It was determined that a 650-mg dose of acetaminophen was not associated with less social pain compared to an inactive placebo.
Major: Psychology/Other
Comp Advisor: Jeff Hollerman
The Effects of Estrogen on an AF64A Rat Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects over five million Americans (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include misplacing items, short-term memory loss, sleep problems, confusion, extreme anxiety and paranoia. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, estrogen has been demonstrated to possess neuroprotective capabilities. The current study examined the cholinergic hypothesis as a possible etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. AF64A, a neurotoxin that attacks the cholinergic system, was used to create an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease in female Sprague-Dawley rats (n=18). Three groups were utilized, a treatment group (Estrogen+AF64A), a toxin group (AF64A only), and a control group (only ovariectomized). Labyrinth water maze and elevated plus maze were used as behavioral tests to determine spatial memory and anxiety levels. A significant interaction between treatment group and trial day was found for the time it took to finish the water maze (p=0.047), showing that AF64A did impair the memory of the toxin group. Histological results utilized Nissl stain to show that AF64A treated subjects had enlarged ventricles presumably resulting from death of the cholinergic neurons in the medial septum. I concluded that estrogen has the potential to be neuroprotective against Alzheimer’s disease. Further research is needed to discover the inner workings of estrogen and its role in neurodegenerative diseases.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Aimee Knupsky
THE BIAS OF GENDERED LANGUAGE: THE GENERIC MASCULINE’S EFFECT ON THE COGNITIVE EXCLUSION OF WOMEN IN SECOND LANGUAGE GERMAN SPEAKERS
Are subtle, seemingly arbitrary grammatical structures capable of influencing thought processes and biasing cognition? The present study investigated this question by delving into the quirk of grammatical gender and how it contributes to the bias of the generic masculine in a language with formal grammatical gender (German) and a language without (English). In English, the generic masculine is when a masculine pronoun such as “he” is used to describe a subject of unknown or undetermined sex. In formally gendered German, the generic masculine has a broader influence because role name nouns (e.g. musician) are inherently gendered (Musiker for male musician and Musikerin for female musician). Previous research has shown native speakers of both languages to be biased when interpreting the generic masculine; revealing that in comparison to alternative gender-neutral structures, usage of the generic masculine facilitates the cognitive representation of male subjects, thus inhibiting cognitive accessibility to female representation. The present study sought to extend upon past research by investigating a novel question: whether second language German speakers are biased by the generic masculine in their interpretation of role name nouns, and whether this bias functions according to German proficiency. Participants (N=90) were asked to name their favorite exemplars from various role name categories (e.g. musician). Each participant received a survey phrased using either the generic masculine, a gender-neutral alternative, or English. Participants were then asked to complete a survey about their experience with German as a second language. Results confimed the predicted hypothesis that second language speakers named significantly fewer women in the generic masculine condition than in either the English or splitform conditions, but only those of higher proficiency. Investigating how and whether the bias of the generic masculine influences nonnative speakers offers an innovative perspective to consider the principle of linguistic relativity in terms of why and when arbitrary grammatical structures can result in meaningful biases.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
A Randomized-controlled and Placebo-controlled Trial: Does the Acute use of Probiotic Supplements Influence Mood on those with Mild to Severe Depression?
The current study examined the psychological effects of acute probiotic supplementation on young adults with depressive symptoms. Participants (N=47, M(SD)=20.30(1.37), 63.80% female), with a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Inventory (CES-d) score of greater than 10, were randomly assigned to a placebo (corn starch) or probiotic (112.5 billion lyophilized lactic acid bacteria) and were instructed to consume the assigned capsules daily for 14-days. CES-d was completed prior to supplementation and at day 14. Group differences in depression status on day 14 were analyzed using chi-square tests. After 14-days of supplementation, there was not a significant difference in depression status between groups. A mixed between and within subjects ANOVA did not reveal a significant group x time interaction for CES-d scores. Further research is suggested to examine the effects of probiotics beyond a two-week interval. With an increased sample size of individuals with clinically severe depression, above 29 on the CES-d, research should be repeated using a probiotic or placebo intervention for a 2-week period.
Keywords: acute probiotic intervention, brain-gut axis, gastrointestinal tract, depression, CES-d, stress, mental health
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Elizabeth Ozorak
Theatre of the Oppressed: A Resource for Middle School Aged Children
Early adolescence is marked by change and growth and with it brings of variety of struggles. Few tools are available to help deal with these struggles, and instead students expect authority figures fix the problems or they wish them away. The current study investigates the potential for Theatre of the Oppressed(TO) to be used as a resource for middle school aged students. TO has a variety of applications all across the world, but few studies have looked at the effects using quantitative measures. This study explores the effects Theatre of the Oppressed has on middle school aged students by measuring empathy, readiness-to-change, and confidence to stand up in difficult situations before and after an acting workshop. Twelve students participated in the work shop that consisted of improv games, Image Theatre, and Forum Theatre. The increase in confidence among the participants was statistically significant. The responses and scenarios developed through TO techniques show implications for future benefits of TO with this age group.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Patricia Rutledge
The Effects of Music Tempo on Selective Attention
Previous research has shown that different music tempos can have different effects on cognitive task performance. Specifically, participants exposed to fast-tempo music have completed tasks faster and with fewer errors than those not exposed to music. Due to the fact that brain regions that are activated during selective attention heavily overlap with regions also involved in music processing, the current study sought to see if previous findings held true in selective attention tasks. College students (N = 35) were randomly assigned to slow-tempo condition, fast-tempo condition, or a silent control group and then asked to complete an online version of the Stroop task. Results did not support the main hypothesis that participants in the fast-tempo condition would make the fewest errors and complete the task the fastest. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the fast-tempo group made significantly more errors than the control group and a second one-way ANOVA showed that the slow-tempo group completed the task significantly slower compared to the control group. These results suggest that music tempo may impact selective attention tasks differently than other cognitive tasks, potentially due to the overlapping brain areas involved.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Elizabeth Ozorak
The Effect of Background Music on Task Performance in College Students
This study aims to test if background music has a positive effect on task performance in college students. Participants in this study had two minutes to answer a practice set of anagrams and then ten minutes to solve as many anagrams as they could. Participants were randomly assigned to either a music listening condition or a silent control group. The number of anagrams solved correctly was recorded. The findings of this study indicate that participants who listened to music performed worse on average (mean = 23.07) than the control group (mean = 28.25), but the difference was not statistically significant (t(29) =1.068). This suggests that future research be done to find out if different kinds of music can have a different effect on task performance. It is also suggested that different types of problem solving be tested.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Brian Saltsman
Stemming the Achievement Gap: A STEM Pipeline for Underrepresented Minorities
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
#BodyGoals: The Impact of Instagram on Collegiate Women’s Body Image
The use of social media is pervasive and growing rapidly, yet there are no solid implications as to how this form of media will affect the lives of users in the future. In the current study, the effect of social media on body image in women was specifically researched through the lens of feminist and psychological theories. One of the most popular social media applications is Instagram, a space where users share photographs. Very few studies have been completed on how Instagram affects its users. The current study sought to fill this gap, specifically in the realm of how body-centric Instagram posts affect body image in collegiate women. Participants (N=29) viewed either a body-centric Instagram feed or a neutral feed with no images of bodies and then completed the Body Image State Scale (BISS) to find a mean score representing their body image in that moment. After completing an independent sample t-test, results showed that participants who viewed the body-centric Instagram feed reported significantly more negative body image states than participants who viewed the neutral feed. These results predict that with the rapid growth of social media, especially body-centric photographs being shared on Instagram, more women will suffer from body dissatisfaction.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark
The Effects of Phencyclidine and Haloperidol on Schizophrenic-like Symptoms and Behavior in Sprague Dawley Rats
Schizophrenia is a disorder that has been around for a long time but is still not well understood. The exact causes of schizophrenia are still not known, but one hypothesis is that an altered level of glutamate in the brain causes the disorder. Phencyclidine (PCP) induced psychosis has been studied in both humans and animal models. In the present study, six female rats were trained under an interresponse time schedule in a conditioning chamber. They were given three different doses of PCP to see how it affected the average rate of lever pressing. The highest dose of PCP used in this study was paired with the antipsychotic haloperidol to see if the behavior went back to baseline. The results of this study indicated that two of the three doses of PCP significantly reduced the average rate of lever pressing. There was no significant difference between the third dose of PCP and when that dose was paired with haloperidol, indicating that haloperidol did not cause the average rate of lever pressing to return to baseline. These results add support to the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
Depression, Perceived Stress, and Cardiovascular Stress Reactivity: The Effect of Early Life Pathogen Exposure
The hygiene hypothesis states that a lack of early childhood exposure to viruses, healthy bacteria, and pathogens increases the risk of developing allergic diseases by shunting the healthy development of the immune system. Recent research has made claims that the gut microbiota has effects on mood, cardiovascular stress reactivity, and a healthy development of the immune system. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between early life pathogen exposure with CES-d depression scores, perceived stress scores, and cardiovascular stress reactivity in healthy young adults. Participants (N=124) were undergraduate men and women, 18-23. In the laboratory a demographic form was given to split the sample into either a low or high early life pathogen exposure group. Each participant completed a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and Perceived Stress Scale to measure depression and stress levels in daily life. Cardiovascular measures were obtained for rest, stress, and recovery phases during the PASAT. T-tests revealed that early life pathogen exposure did not significantly affect depression scores, perceived stress scores, or cardiovascular reactivity. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend present of lower cardiovascular reactivity means in the high pathogen exposure group compared to the low pathogen exposure group. Despite claims that early life pathogen exposure can significantly affect mood and stress reactivity, this study did not find evidence supporting these claims. Future research is needed on the effects of early life pathogen exposure on adult mood and stress reactivity in healthy adults without preexisting psychological disorders.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Aimee Knupsky
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Scene Complexity on Change Detection Performance
The main goal of this study was to assess the effects of sleep deprivation and scene complexity on change detection performance. This included how sleep deprivation and scene complexity affected reaction time in finding a change, number of fixations in an area of interest, time until first fixation in area of interest, percent correct in change detection task, and difficulty rating of scenes. A 2×2 mixed model design was used with sleep deprivation (less sleep deprived vs. more sleep deprived) as the between subjects variable and scene complexity (urban vs. nature) as the within subjects variable. Using a gap-contingent change detection task, participants were asked to view 20 pairs of images that had an object changed in the scene, find the change, and rate the difficulty of finding the change. Participants were recorded on their accuracy of finding the correct change and were also calibrated to an Eye Track 7 eye tracker to record fixations. Results showed that participants took longer to register a change in urban scenes, had a higher accuracy in finding the change in nature scenes, and reported urban scenes to be more difficult. As for the eye tracker data, there were malfunctions with the unit so only eight participants had usable data. However, this data suggested that participants viewing urban scenes had more fixations in the area of interest than when viewing nature scenes. There were no significant results involving sleep deprivation. These results suggest that nature scenes have restorative effects on selective attention and that scene complexity and content is vital to the amount of selective attention used.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Juvia Heuchert
Studying Abroad and Creativity
This paper explores the theorized relationship between studying abroad and creativity as a replication of “On the cognitive benefits of cultural experience: Exploring the relationship between studying abroad and creative thinking” (Lee, Therriault, & Linderholm, 2012). Research has shown that multicultural experiences enhance creativity, and studying abroad is included in the construct of a multicultural experience. Therefore, it was hypothesized that participants who had studied abroad would be significantly more creative, generally and culturally, than participants who had never studied abroad. Scores on two measures of creativity, the Abbreviated Torrance test for Adults (ATTA) and the Cultural Creativity Task (CCT), were analyzed between the two groups of students. There was no significant difference in the general creativity scores between the two groups, but participants who had never studied abroad scored significantly higher on the cultural creativity measure than participants who had studied abroad. The findings of the present study were inconsistent with the findings of the original study, and it was speculated that differences in demographic characteristics between the two groups, difficult instructions for participants to follow on the general creativity measure (ATTA), and/or complications with the cultural creativity measure (CCT) were all possible explanations for the unexpected results.
Keywords: creativity, study abroad, multicultural, ATTA, CCT, replication
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Allison Connell
Investigating the N170 Adaptation Effect of Perceived and Imagined Famous Faces: A Partial Replication
This study aimed to replicate Ganis and Schendan (2008) using an EEG adaptation paradigm for faces. This paradigm was a within-subjects design in which participants imagined (imagery) or perceived (perception) an adaptor stimulus of a face and viewed a test stimulus of a face that was either the same as the adaptor or different from the adaptor. This study aimed to replicate the face specificity N170 event-related potential in both conditions. The study also aimed to replicate the adaptation of both imagined and perceived stimuli, which would result in a lower N170 amplitude for the test face if initial exposure to the adaptor face was purely mental (imagery) or physically present (perception). Individual differences in visual imagery ability were measured to correlate differences in imagery strength with the adaptation effect.
This study aimed to replicate that perceived and imagined adaptors will differently affect the N170 adaptation. That is, the perceived adaptors will show typical adaptation and imagined adaptors will show increased N170 amplitude to test faces. This result was not supported, as adaptation was not shown for N170 and the adaptation effect did not differ by condition. However, N170 amplitudes were significantly larger (more negative) in the left hemisphere, contradicting results from past research. It was also hypothesized that strengths in individual visual imagery (VVIQ score) would correlate with response times and adaptation effects. There were no correlations between response times in the imagery condition and visual imagery strength or between the adaptation effect in the imagery condition and visual imagery strength. There was a significant correlation between response times in the perception condition and visual imagery strength. Response times were significantly faster in the perception condition as well, as was also shown in Ganis and Schendan (2008). Similar adaptation responses were found for P1 as well.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Jackson
An Analysis of Hook-Up Culture and Young People’s Attitudes Towards Long-Term Commitment
This research project examined contemporary “hook-up culture”. In modern Western culture hooking-up, meaning engaging in sexual behaviors with no emotional commitment, has become the norm not only on college campuses but also for the young adult population as a whole. Young adolescent culture has strayed away from the traditional steps and ideology of dating monogamously and has arrived at a more casual form of intimacy, lacking commitment (Fortunato, Young, Boyd & Fons, 2010; Heldman & Wade, 2010). This new trend increases the chances of STDs, unplanned pregnancy, and physical and psychological distress (Fielder, Walsh, Carey & Carey, 2014; Paul & Hayes, 2002). This research included an online survey taken by 210 participants that asked questions about the individuals’ attitudes towards marriage and their engagement in hook-up culture. This research aimed to fill the population gap from previous research by surveying individuals in undergraduate school, graduate school, and those not enrolled in any schooling. Results did not support the hypothesis that engagement in hook-up culture and attitudes towards marriages would be related. Additionally, results showed no significant difference between individuals’ engagement in hook-up culture amongst young people enrolled in different levels of schooling. Still, the results may help to alert future researchers and sexual health educators to the fact that young people out of college are engaging in hook-up culture in a similar manner to those individuals enrolled in college. Further research is necessary to examine the correlates to the contemporary marital delay.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
Acute Probiotic use Does Not Reduce Cardiovascular Reactivity to a Mental Stress Task or Improve Gastrointestinal Health in Young Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blinded and Placebo-Controlled Trial
Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Further, exaggerated cardiovascular responses to stress are known to be non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. There is a bidirectional pathway between the gut microbiome and the brain known as the gut-brain axis. Animal models have shown that germ-free rats that are given fecal matter transplants from normal mice show fewer anxious behaviors. Probiotic administration to anxious animals has reduced anxious behaviors. Thus, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of a two-week multispecies probiotic administration on generally healthy young adults to evaluate possible reductions in cardiovascular reactivity and improvements in gastrointestinal health. Methods: A sample of college students (N = 105) were administered a cognitive stress task, a gastrointestinal health survey, and a food frequency questionnaire, at the first laboratory session and the second session two-weeks later. Participants were provided a daily dose of probiotics consisting of 112.5 colony forming units of strains: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus. Cardiovascular reactivity to the stress task, gastrointestinal health scores, food frequency, and perceptions of the stress task were measured at both laboratory sessions. Results: The probiotic intervention did not reduce cardiovascular reactivity to the stress task or improve gastrointestinal health as compared to a placebo control. Discussion: The length of the intervention could be the main cause of null results. Similar studies had intervention periods that were longer than 4 weeks. Future research should aim to lengthen intervention period and evaluate dose dependent responses.
Keywords: probiotics, gut-brain axis, cardiovascular reactivity, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal health
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Relationship Between Athlete Personality Traits and Preferred Coaching Behaviors at the NCAA Division III Level
The present study related the Big Five personality traits of athletes to their preferred coaching behaviors in Division III team sports at Allegheny College. The Mini-International Personality Item Pool (Mini-IPIP) was distributed to assess athlete personality traits and the Revised Leadership Scale for Sports (RLSS) was given to record coaching behavior preferences. The primary analysis involved correlating three of the five Big Five personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism and openness) to each of the six RLSS preferred coaching behavior dimensions (autocratic, democratic, positive feedback, situational consideration, social support, and teaching and instruction behaviors). Results showed a significant relationship between openness and positive feedback coaching behaviors. A secondary analysis tested differences in gender to the six subscales of coaching behaviors, as well as correlating conscientiousness and agreeableness to the six coaching behaviors. Agreeableness was significantly related to democratic and situational consideration preferred coaching behaviors and a significant gender difference was found.
Keywords: athlete, coach, Big Five personality traits, preferred coaching behaviors
Major: Psychology/Other
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
Does Early Life Pathogen Exposure Reduce Cardiovascular Reactivity to Mental Stress?
Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD; Carroll et al., 2012; Chida and Steptoe, 2010; Lovallo, 2005). Early life pathogen exposure resulting in diverse gut microbiota have been shown to reduce CVR to mental stress as well as impacts the development of diseases later in life (Arrieta, Stiemsma, Amenyogbe, Brown, & Finlay, 2014; Claesson, et al., 2012, Dobbs et al., 2015). The effects of early pathogen exposure on cardiovascular reactivity were examined in healthy college students. Participants were stratified into two groups, high exposure or low exposure, based off of their answers to questions on an early life exposure inventory. Upon completing this questionnaire, participants participated in the PASAT mental stress task. CVR measurements of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure (SBP,DBP,MAP) as well as heart rate (HR), were measured during the baseline, stress and recovery phases. It was hypothesized that young adults with greater exposure to early-life pathogens would exhibit less cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress than those with less microbiota diversity. Participants in the high exposure group had a higher average heart rate between periods of induced stress and baseline than the low exposure group. There were no significant differences between SBP, DBP, or MAP. These findings conflict with other studies and suggest more research needs to be conducted on gut microbiota’s effect on cardiovascular reactivity.
Key words: Cardiovascular Reactivity (CVR), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), gut microbiota, PASAT mental stress task, healthy individuals
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Deb Dickey
The Effects of Gender and Vignette Priming on Attitudes Toward Rape Victims
The underreporting of rape is a prominent and current social issue. Rape often goes unreported because of the victim’s fear of social backlash, specifically being blamed for the rape. Rape myth acceptance (RMA) causes victim blaming and negative attitudes toward rape victims (Ward 1988). Rape myths are false stereotypical beliefs about the rapist, rape, or rape victim (Burt, 1980). Endorsement of rape myths has been linked to certain salient personal characteristics and belief systems (Hockett, Saucier, Hoffman, Smith, & Craig, 2009). The present study explores the effects of gender and vignette priming on attitudes toward rape victims. It was hypothesized that men would view victims of rape more negatively and have higher acceptance of rape myths than women and that participants exposed to vignettes that promote rape myths would view victims of rape more negatively and have higher acceptance of rape myths than participants exposed to neutral vignettes. Attitudes toward rape victims are analyzed through Burt’s (1980) Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and Ward’s (1988) Attitudes Toward Rape Victims scores. The hypotheses were not supported by the data. Future directions and limitations are discussed.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Jackson
The Influence of Exposure to Organic Product on Immoral Behavior
There is a lack of research directly linking the influence of exposure to organic product on immorality in college students. 41 undergraduates were recruited to participate in the current study, which examined the relationship between exposure to organic product and immoral behavior. The exposure to organic product was measured using a self-made manipulation check, which was administered after exposure to organic or store brand product grocery store scenarios. This scale was compared to the number of matrices solved or over-reported by participants in a number-search paradigm frequently used to assess immoral behavior (Gino, Ayal, & Ariely, 2009). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions, conventional store brand or organic product. In the conventional store brand condition, participants were asked to read a short scenario that put the participant into the situation of a grocery shopper shopping for store brand products, which were explained as products that were unhealthy, affordable, and faulty for the environment. Participants in the organic product condition read a short scenario that put them into the situation of a grocery shopper shopping for organic products, which were molded as being the healthiest for individuals and the well-being of the environment Results indicate limited support for the hypotheses that exposure to organic product is associated with increased cheating. Participants in the organic product condition (M=7.39) solved more matrices than the participants in the store brand condition (M=5.87), but there was a lack of immoral behavior. More research is needed to fully explore the effects of exposure to organic product on immoral behavior.
Keywords: Organic product and immoral behavior
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Jeff Cross
The Behavioral Effects of Bumetanide on the Valproic Acid Animal Model of Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder, characterized by pervasive social communication deficits and repetitive, stereotypic behaviors, affects one in 68 children each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). A possible etiology of autism, the GABA excitatory-inhibitory imbalance theory, outlines that atypical development (in this case, autism) results from a malfunction along the pathway of shifting from excitatory GABA to inhibitory GABA, and the shift fails to occur, causing excitatory GABA signaling to continue post-birth and into early post-natal development (Zimmerman et al., 2014). The current study aimed to ameliorate the symptoms of the GABA excitatory-inhibitory imbalance by using bumetanide, a NKCC1 chloride importer antagonist. Open Field test showed that there was a significant difference in the average amount of time spent in tubes between the VPA group and the PreND20BUM+VPA group, the PreND10BUM +VPA group, and the PosND9BUM+noVPA group, p<0.05. There was also a significant difference in time spent in the tubes between the control group and the PosND9BUM+noVPA group, p<0.05.In the social preference test, there is a significant difference in time spent in the non-social chamber between the PreND20BUM+VPA group and the PreND10BUM+VPA group, p < 0.05. There was also a significant difference in time spent in the social chamber between the PreND20BUM+VPA group and the PreND10BUM+VPA group, p < 0.05. Conclusions: Bumetanide can ameliorate symptoms of autism spectrum disorder if given within a certain latency surrounding birth. More research needs to be done focusing on how small that latency period is and how long the effects of bumetanide last post-treatment.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Exploring the experience of heroin and opioid users in a rural area
Heroin and opioid pain reliever use within the United States has continued to become more prevalent over the past several years. In recent years, opiate abuse has shifted from urban to rural communities, which is exemplified throughout the country. The danger of opiates lies in their extremely addictive qualities, in that opiate use changes the physiology of the brain with lasting effects. From 2001 to 2014, there was a 3.4-fold increase in the total number of deaths involving opioid pain relievers and from 2001 to 2014 there was a 6-fold increase in the total number of deaths involving heroin (National Institutes of Health, 2014). The goal of this study is to explore both the factors that contribute to opiate use, and the factors that helped the addicts stop using opiates. Potentially, when the findings are further explored, prevention programs can be put in place that target their efforts towards those specific factors instead of less relevant factors. Seven participants, both male and female were interviewed and completed the Adverse Childhood Questionnaire (ACE). The mean ACE score was 4.68 and the median ACE score was 5. It was found that abuse, exposure to illicit substances and the relationship that the participant had with their parents were all identified as contributing to opiate use, and internal motivation was found to aid in addicts abstaining from use. Therefore, it is important to encourage the addict to be involved in their treatment process as this will increase autonomy.
Keywords: opiates, heroin, addiction, in-depth interview, trauma, rural, treatment
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark
The Effect of Positive Reinforcement on Free Throw Shot Accuracy in Basketball
Positive reinforcement has been used as a behavior intervention in sports such as, swimming, football, dance, and basketball. Previous studies have assessed positive reinforcement with long term and short term sports performance. The present study aims to compare three different types of positive reinforcement and their effects on free throw shot accuracy. In this study 60 participants shot two rounds of five free throw shots. Participants were randomly assigned to three different conditions, receiving verbal positive reinforcement, consumable positive reinforcement, or tangible positive reinforcement in their second round of free throw shooting. It was predicted that that a) consumable reinforcement, in the form of candy, will produce higher accuracy in free throw shots than verbal or tangible reinforcement and b) participants will be more motivated to perform better when they have the chance to receive a consumable after each free throw shot that is made. Although results were insignificant it was indicated that, on average participants receiving consumable positive reinforcement and tangible positive reinforcement had an increase in accuracy in round two of shooting compared to those who received verbal positive reinforcement. Results also indicated that those involved in collegiate varsity sports had higher accuracy in both rounds of shooting compared to those who do not participate in varsity level sports.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
The Relationship between Perfectionism, Alcohol Consumption, and Academic Motivation in Undergraduate Students
Research looking into the combined influences of perfectionism, alcohol consumption and academic motivation as they relate to undergraduate students is relatively scarce; this study examines the combined and individual influences of these three variables in an effort to expand on the current research in this area. Seventy-five undergraduate students were administered three self-reported questionnaires: the Academic Motivation Scale, the short form of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and a quantity-frequency measure of alcohol consumption. The option to supply the previous semester’s cumulative grade-point average (GPA) was also given. After multiple regression and correlational analyses, results revealed that self-oriented perfectionism was the strongest predictor of academic motivation compared to socially-prescribed perfectionism and alcohol consumption. It was also found that socially-prescribed perfectionism, self-oriented perfectionism and amotivation negatively correlated with alcohol consumption, while extrinsic and intrinsic motivation positively correlated with alcohol consumption. Implications of these findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Otolithic Vestibular Stimulation During a Daytime Sleep Period on Cognitive Performance in Young Adults
This study investigated the effects of rocking during a daytime sleep episode would have on the memory performance in young adults. Rocking while sleeping has been associated with increased time spent in stage two sleep as well as increase sleep spindle and K complex densities, which are both theorized to benefit the memory consolidation process. This study recruited 115 participants who were screened using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index as well as a demographic questionnaire. 17 participants who met all of the criteria for inclusion were randomly assigned to either a control group where they were given the chance to sleep in a stationary recliner, or an experimental group where they were given the chance to sleep in a hammock. All participants were given 60 minutes to sleep, and an object pair spatial memory test followed by a word pair memory test were administered both prior to and immediately following the sleep period. Electroencephalography recordings were taken during the sleep episodes using the international 10/20 system of electrode placement, and AASM standards were followed to score polysomnographic activity. A strong trend was discovered among the relationship between average sleep spindle densities between groups, although it was not statistically significant. There were no findings to indicate that the experimental condition significantly improved memory performance compared to the control condition in terms of time spent in stage two sleep, latency to onset of sleep, K complex density, or memory test scores or speed.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction and Mate Value
It is important to understand how body dissatisfaction affects an individual, as it has many serious and detrimental mental and physical consequences. The ideal body for females has become thinner and thinner over many decades, and this thin ideal is constantly reinforced by various sociocultural influences. The ideal body for males has become more muscular over recent decades, this physique also being reinforced by sociocultural influences. The inability to reach these ideals often leads to body dissatisfaction. Though many relationships between body dissatisfaction and other variables have been studied, mate value is a variable that has not yet been studied in relation to body dissatisfaction. 50 Allegheny College students were studied to observe the relationship between body dissatisfaction and mate value. A significant relationship was found between the two variables, with high rates of body dissatisfaction resulting in lower rates of mate value. The strong relationship found between body dissatisfaction and mate value is an important one that adds to the previous research found on the abundance of negative effects body dissatisfaction has on different areas of life. The important implications of this study, as well as the various limitations that were come across, are discussed as well.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Jeff Cross
The Relationship Between the Effects of Prenatal Valproic Acid Exposure and Bilateral Amygdala Lesions to the Medial, Central, and Basolateral Nuclei in Sprague Dawley Rats
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by delayed communication skills and language, social deficits, and stereotyped, repetitive behaviors. Symptoms of autism can be induced in Sprague Dawley rats when they are prenatally exposed to valproic acid (VPA), a drug commonly used to treat epilepsy, between day eleven and twelve of gestation. An amygdala theory of autism suggests that some of the symptoms of the disorder stem from abnormalities in the amygdala. The goal of this study was to determine whether lesions to the amygdala would induce behaviors similar to the VPA rat model of autism. Bilateral electrolytic lesions to the amygdala were completed, and the medial, central, and basolateral amygdala nuclear groups were targeted in separate treatment groups. Behavioral tests including open field, olfactory preference, sociability and preference for social novelty, social recognition, and passive avoidance were completed. The behaviors of the lesioned rats were compared to a non-lesioned control group and to a VPA group to determine whether the amygdala lesions induced behaviors similar to the VPA- induced autism phenotype. Histological analysis with a Buffered Thionin Nissl stain was completed to determine the location of the lesions, whether the damage was bilateral, and if subjects needed to be assigned to different treatment groups based on histologically verified damage location. Lesioned animals were indeed rearranged into two groups with lesions that were either medial or ventral, and a third group of animals was eliminated due to extensive damage of unintended areas other than the amygdala or unilateral damage. There was no significant effect of treatment or trial in the open field test. The olfactory test determined that the amount of time spent in the home bedding was significantly higher for the VPA control group than the medial and ventral lesion groups for trial 1. The VPA control group also spent significantly more time in the chamber with the home bedding than the medial group for trial 0, 1, and 2. In the sociability and preference for social novelty test, there was a significant effect of treatment group in trial 2 as the VPA control group spent less time in familiar and novel chambers than the control group. The social recognition resulted in numerous significant differences in trials for the amount of time investigating, the number of investigations, the amount of time in the empty chamber, and the number of times switched sides. For the passive avoidance test, the latency to step-down was significantly longer for trial 2 than for trial 1; however, there were no significant differences between treatment groups. The behavioral tests determined that the lesioned animals were not significantly different than the control animals and were not similar to the VPA animals. This suggests that the amygdala lesions did not create an animal model of autism.
Major: Neuroscience/Other
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
There is no relationship of perceived pain and cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress
Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in America. A large number of risk factors increase the likelihood for the development of this disease including a more recent risk factor, stress. Chronic pain is a distinct phenomenon in comparison with acute pain and can elicit a stress response.
Objective: The objective of this study was to examine how physical pain experienced in young adults is related to perceived stress as well as its affects on cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress.
Methods: 125 participants (43 males, 82 females) were screened using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). Participants were categorized based on SF-MPQ responses to pain exposure: No Pain (n=69), Low Pain (n=28) and High Pain (n=28). Cardiovascular reactivity by means of the participant’s heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured during baseline, during a mental stress task, the PASAT, and during resting state.
Results: There were no significant differences between type of pain and PSS score or CVR. An increase in pain descriptor, from no pain to excruciating pain, did not have significant differences in regards to PSS or CVR. Duration of pain proved to not have significant differences in regards to PSS or CVR. A significant main effect of sensory and affective pain scores can be seen for each pain group, no pain, low pain and high pain. Sensory pain in the whole sample proved to be statistically significant.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
The Effects of Media Portrayals on Female Viewers: The Superwoman Ideal
The endorsement of the Superwoman Ideal in response to specific written media exposure was examined. Twenty-two undergraduate college women were randomly assigned to one of two groups; the Superwoman written media group or the Housewife written media group. After exposure to one of the two groups, participants were then asked to take the Superwoman Ideal Scale established by Murnen, Smolak, & Levine in 1994. It was hypothesized that participants exposed to the Superwoman written media group will endorse the Superwoman Ideal significantly more than the participants in the Housewife written media group. However, the data that was collected suggested that there is no significant difference across groups. The limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research will be discussed. This study expands on the current research concerning media and endorsement of the Superwoman Ideal.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Ryan Pickering
Interpersonal Trust Amongst Urban and Rural Individuals
This study aimed to examine the differences in interpersonal trust amongst those from rural and urban areas. Only Allegheny College students were examined, and were categorized as “Rural” or “Urban” based on their home zip code and population. Rotter’s Interpersonal Trust Scale and Stephan & Stephan’s Intergroup Anxiety Scale were used to measure interpersonal trust. While no significant difference was found amongst the two groups in terms of general interpersonal trust, it was found that participants from rural areas were significantly less trusting of urban people.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark
Exploring the Relationship between Undergraduate Literacy Tutors and Their Elementary Age Students as Depicted by Intended College Major
The relationship between Educators and the students they teach is one that is being extensively examined lately as more alternative teaching certification programs arise. Programs such as Teach for America and Urban Teaching Center are taking a closer look into what characteristics make an effective teacher who will have the ability to not only present material, but also work productively with the multitudes of different children they will be asked to teach. As the supervisor of a tutoring program responsible for hiring tutors who work directly with children, as well as someone who has gone through the process of being accepted into an alternative teaching certification program, I have seen data collection on both sides. In response, I conducted an observational field study to determine potential relationship between the undergraduate major of college age tutors and the elementary age students that they directly instruct. The present study followed 10 Allegheny College students working as Computer Literacy tutors over the course of 3 consecutive weeks of tutoring as they worked directly with approximately 24 elementary age students age 5-12. The intended majors of the undergraduate students were separated using the major divisions provided by Allegheny College. The study found that undergraduate students whose major fell in the Humanities division spent 66% more uninterrupted time (minutes) working with the child they tutored than the undergraduate students who claimed a major in the Natural Science Department.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin
An Acute 1-Week Trial of Mindfulness Training in Division III College Athletes: Influences on Perceived Stress and Athletic Performance
Chronic exposure to stressors has been linked to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and a variety of cancers. Athletes have been found to report higher levels of stress than their non-athlete counterparts due to an excess load of responsibility. Mindfulness interventions have shown positive effects in reducing stress. The current investigation was aimed at examining whether mindfulness training could aid in reducing stress in athletes and increasing athletic performance. Participants included student-athletes (N=40); half received mindfulness training for a week. Perceived stress was measured in each group at the end of the week and athletic performance was measured at the start and finish of the study. Data showed mindfulness training to have a positive effect on reducing stress, as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), with the treatment group reporting lower stress scores (M = 14.47, SD = 6.28) than the control group (M = 20.12, SD = 5.72), t(30) = -2.66, p < .05. Mindfulness effects on athletic performance were not significant in regard to improvement. Since high scores on the PSS (<20) positively correlate with a variety of negative health effects, it is valuable to know that this mindfulness training intervention is a valid method of reducing stress. Future directions should involve expanding this training to other populations where excessive stress is observed.
Keywords: mindfulness, athletes, perceived stress, athletic performance