2003-2004 Senior Comp Abstracts

CELIA BARTON

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: J. Alexander Dale 

 

Analysis of the Anxiety Reducing Effects of Exercise Including a Qualitative component to Explore Participant Worldviews. 

The purpose of the following study is to examine the effects of exercise on state anxiety and to incorporate into the study a qualitative component of happiness by measuring the participants’ perceptions of where they believe they will see themselves five years from now. It was hypothesized that by incorporating a regimen of aerobic exercise into the participant’s normal routine their anxiety levels will show a marked decrease. The participants whose initial anxiety scores are higher should show the greatest improvement. This assumption was being made because the participants with a more negative outlook will have a lower baseline score and therefore will have a greater margin for improvement.

CHELSEA BENSON

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

Gender Segregation in Children’s Literature: A Reflection of Reality?

This study investigated the phenomenon of gender segregation and gendered group dynamics in children’s series books. Three books were selected for examination. The books had a reading level of 3 (age 7-10), were published in the last five years and were reported to be best-sellers on www.amazon.com. The books also had different reading audiences. One book was intended for males, another was intended for females, and the last was read equally by both sexes. The researcher conducted a content analysis and coded gendered themes in the books. Gender segregation was discovered in the book intended for a male audience, while gender integration was discovered in the other two books. Gender boundaries were clearly defined in the book for a male audience and the book read by both sexes. The book intended for a female audience had greater gender role flexibility. The research concluded that the portrayal of gender and gender segregation in children’s literature was based on the sex of the target audience. When males are a part of the target audience, books were more traditional in their representations of gender.

SARAH CALIGIURI

Major: Psychology/Religious Studies

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

The way religiosity and spirituality are a part of the development of disordered eating was investigated. Disordered eating was examined historically, religiously, and psychologically. Disordered eating was viewed as a continuum of maladaptive attitudes about food instead of simply diagnosable eating disorders. The EAT 26, Rohrbaugh-Jessor Religiosity Scale, and The Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scales were used to determine the interactions between the three variables. Though none of the results were statistically significant, higher EAT 26 scores were congruent with higher religiosity and spirituality scores. Those having a Christian affiliation had higher EAT 26 scores that their counterparts who were atheist, agnostic, or did not have an affiliation. Catholics and other affiliations of Christianity had similar scores of disordered eating. A considerable amount of the sample fell into the diagnosable range for having an eating disorder. These results fell in line with previous cases studies and experimental research.

MEGAN CAWLEY

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

This study looked at the effects of anticipatory grief on the outcome of post-death bereavement for caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Extensive research was performed using Sanders’ (1989) work on grief which gave the introduction to anticipatory grief. Rando (1986) and various works of Walker were utilized to incorporate anticipatory grief into a look at the grief of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Case studies were performed with Alzheimer’s caregivers in order to incorporate analysis of anticipatory grief. The findings implicate that caregivers are capable of experiencing some beneficial forms of anticipatory grief unlike other long-term illnesses. This is due to the fact that the caregiver experiences various losses throughout the duration of the illness that make them more prepared for the actual death.

CHRISTIAN CHASEY

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Jennifer O’Donnell

This paper examined the psychological effects of the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11th 2001. It was hypothesized that there would be a general rise in the number of people who sought counseling in the United States following the attacks. The paper also examined the psychological effects that traumatic situations can have on people, and some of the new problems that the media coverage of the attacks created. The paper found that there had been few studies on whether there had been an increase in the numbers of people who sought out counseling following the attacks, which was seen as an indication that there was no substantial rise in the numbers. It was found, however, that there was a rise in the number of people who reported suffering psychological disturbances following the attacks, but did not seek out counseling.

LAUREN CONWAY

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

In this study, the effect of sex and sex role identity on verbal ability and alexithymia scores was explored. It was hypothesized that females would have higher verbal scores and lower alexithymia, while males would have lower verbal and higher alexithymia scores. Ninety-eight undergraduates (57 females and 41 males, ages 18-22) completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), and the Shipley Institute of Living IQ Scale vocabulary subtest. No relationship between sex and alexithymia scores was found. Trends were seen involving sex and verbal ability, but no significant relationship was found. Sex role identity was not significantly related to verbal ability but tended to produce better predictive rates for alexithymia. Significant differences in alexithymia scores were found between three pairs of sex role types. Undifferentiated individuals had significantly higher alexithymia scores than masculine and androgynous individuals. Feminine participants also scored significantly higher in alexithymia as compared with androgynous individuals.

DAVID DURST

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Joshua Searle-White

Previous research focusing on gender theory and gratitude conclude that specific gender classifications (androgyny) and higher levels of gratitude are correlated to measures of psychological well-being and positive affect. There has not yet been a study that produces empirical research based on the possible relationship between gender and gratitude. Therefore this study focuses on the potential link connecting androgyny and high levels of gratitude. Measurements used to correlate both gender (BSRI) and gratitude (GQ-6 and GRAT) were administered to 81 undergraduate college students. Significant results were obtained in support of the hypothesis, showing that androgynous individuals were the only gender classification associated with higher levels of gratitude.

THOMAS ESS

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Joshua Searle-White

This study endeavors to extend the working knowledge of transformative mediation by examining how transformative mediation can be applied to student run organizations in a small college campus. Six participants from a Greek organization who had gone through a mediation process were interviewed about their experience. The interviews were then analyzed using the phenomenological method for psychological research, which is a qualitative method. The results of the study are reported and then applied to how transformative mediation works for student run organizations. The effects of transformative mediation on the participants are explored, and in addition to, a suggestion for ways to better implement mediation between groups is offered.

AMY GRANDSTAFF

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Joshua Searle-White

Family functioning can be disrupted by many different factors. The relations that exist between each individual in the family are crucial to the family functioning as a whole (Gurman & Kniskern, 1981). When one individual in the family has a mental disability the whole family’s functioning can be affected. This case study examines three families in which one of the children in the family has been diagnosed with autism. The parents of the family were interviewed using questions that have been written using the structural family model as a basis. In each family the subsystems, boundaries of these subsystems and the hierarchical organization were examined. The findings of this case study showed that two out of the three families were very closely knit, or enmeshed and the third family was more disconnected or disengaged. In future research on this topic perhaps the researcher could spend more time observing the family as a whole to get a better grasp on the family’s functioning.

RACHEL GRAY

Major: Psychology/Neuroscience

Sr. Project Advisor: Rodney Clark

The present study was designed in an attempt to create a behavioral dependency model for oxycodone using rats as subjects. Oxycodone was interperitoneally injected into the subjects by a means of a saline solution four times a day for four consecutive days in a concentration of 1.0mg/kg of the subjects weight. The dependent variable of lever pressing was observed and data recorded. Following the four days of chronic administration the drug was withdrawn and the effects of abstinence and lever pressing behavior continued to be observed for five days. A placebo injection was given to three of the six rats to assure that any deviance from the baseline behavior was due to the drug rather than the act of being injected.

LESLIE KOLB

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

This study examined the relationship between Adult Children of Alcoholics and Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families and student adjustment to college. The participants consisted of 134 female and 69 male psychology students at Allegheny College. Data was collected through administration of The Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1986), The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (Jones, 1981), and The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (Baker & Siryk, 1989). Analysis of the data collected found that no significant relationship existed between the three groups (Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and Adult Children of Functional-Non Alcoholic Families) in regards to their scores on The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. Significant differences were found to exist between the three experimental groups on The Family Environment Scale subscales of cohesion, expressiveness, achievement-orientation, intellectual-cultural orientation, active-recreational orientation, moral-religious orientation, and organization.

SHANNON PALMER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Rodney Clark

This experiment explores the problem of an SSRI, fluvoxamine, and some effects it may have on learning acquisition. The participants in the study were 10 female Sprague Dawley rats aged 140 days at the start of the experiment and 198 at the end of the experiment and were experimentally naive. The rats were broken into a control (saline 5mg/kg/ip) and an experimental (fluvoxamine 5mg/kg/ip) group, with 5 rats in each group and 1 injection on the 5th day of the experiment. The subjects of this study were on food restraint during the experiment to maintain proper learning acquisition with the reinforcer. The apparatus used to test the rats’ learning acquisition was the T-maze. The T-maze was used to define the spatial memory of the participants before injections and after, and followed the protocol by Gary Wenk (Wiley 1998). The rats’ average rate of learning acquisition from both tasks, with the experimental group under the influence of a fluvoxamine injection and the control group under the influence of a saline injection were compared between each group. Data was taken for each rat involved in the study. The individual rat data was also analyzed based on group. Data contains the average of each groups’ correct responses from each testing session, including the standard errors. Data was placed into the computer program called SPSS, and from the program the one way between ANOVA statistical tests will be run to gain whether or not the results were significant. The results of this experiment show that the major hypothesis of this study was not confirmed by this particular experiment. The results of this experiment show that none of the components lead to significant differences

AMBER PRATT

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

This study investigated muscle dysmorphia in three different categories of men. These categories consisted of non-exercisers, weightlifters, and football players. It was theorized that the non-exercisers would express low self-esteem and body dysmorphic disorder. This is because they are not involved in physically activity and an attempt to change their body physically, which is a key characteristic of muscle dysmorphia. The weightlifters were anticipated to have low self-esteem and high body dysmorphic disorder. Weightlifters have predominately been known to be at high risk for muscle dysmorphia, which is generally associated with low self-esteem. Finally, the football players were projected to have high self-esteem and moderate body dysmorphic disorder. This is because of the costs and benefits of sports. Physically activity is one of the benefits and this leads to higher self-esteem. Since strength is such an important factor in football some body dysmorphic characteristics were likely. Twenty-four Allegheny men were asked to complete a survey. The results of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination- Self-Report and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale were both used. Analysis of the results showed there was no significant relationship between group category and body dysmorphic disorder. The same was true for self-esteem and group.

COURTNEY REICHUBER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: William DeLamarter

Utilizing the context of recent political history, the legitimacy of the Chilean legal system both before and after the Penal Process Code reforms of 2000 is explored. Legitimacy is defined and viewed through the procedural justice frames of Leventhal (1980), Folger (1977) and Blader and Tyler (2003), delineating specific criteria and levels of potential legitimacy. The problems of the pre-reform inquisitorial system are identified, with specific attention to those produced by the Pinochet dictatorship of 1973-1990. The Penal Process Reforms, which trade the inquisitorial system for one of an adversarial nature in an attempt to combat the legitimacy problems, are explained along with the areas of potential legitimacy to which they relate. An overview of the legitimizing versus nonlegitimizing aspects of the reforms is provided, along with a forecast for the possibility of success of the reforms in terms of increased legal legitimacy.

JENNINE REVILLA

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Joshua Searle-White

This study attempts to examine the benefits that can be found in the relationship that forms between humans and animals. It is divided into three sections. The first section gives background information on the human-animal bond and its importance. It also addresses the ways in which animals have been introduced into therapy. The second section looks at the pros and cons of using observation and self-report when studying this area. It examines some different studies (using observation or self-report in their methods) that have been done to assess the effectiveness of animal visits. The third section introduces a method that could be used to assess a specific situation: the effects that animal visits have on elderly people’s level of mood in long-term care settings. This study argues that movement is a valid way to measure level of mood.

TIMOTHY RHOADS

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Joshua Searle-White

This study aims to explore death anxiety, age, sex, general anxiety, and psychosocial development among first-year and fourth-year college students. A total of 58 undergraduate college students participated in this study. Each participant was placed into one of four groups: first-year males, first-year females, fourth-year males, or fourth-year females. Each participant completed a demographic sheet, the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Constantinople Inventory of Psychosocial Development. Results showed that females compared with males had higher levels of total death anxiety as well as higher anxiety over other’s death. It was also found that first-year females had higher levels of anxiety over other’s death than do first-year males, and that fourth-year females had higher levels of total death anxiety as well as higher anxiety over other’s death. No significant correlations were found between death anxiety and general anxiety, or death anxiety and psychosocial development. Discussion of implications for counseling of college students is also included.

JESSICA RUTTER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

This study investigated the possible relationship between music participation and verbal memory. An abridged form of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test was used to measure the verbal memory of musicians and non-musicians. One hundred and eighty-five students from Allegheny College participated in the study. An independent samples t-test found that there was a statistically significant difference in verbal memory between musicians and non-musicians. Verbal memory was defined as the mean number of words recalled and the rate of retention between trials. Results showed that musicians had a significantly greater verbal memory than non-musicians. However, there was no significant difference found between the verbal memories of vocalists and instrumentalists. There are however various limitations of this study and implications for future research.

TIFFANY SAAVEDRA

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

This study examined how males and females perceive college-aged women based on their eating behavior and body type. One hundred and seventy-one undergraduates were recruited through various Psychology courses at Allegheny College. Participants were given a packet containing the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), one of three different food diaries (low, average, or high daily caloric intake) with one of three body silhouettes (underweight, average weight, and overweight) hypothetically belonging to a twenty-year-old female college student, and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ). The EAT-26 was used to screen for participants with a potentially distorted view of eating. Participants scoring above 20 on the EAT-26 were not included in the statistical analysis of the data. Participants rated the attractiveness of the hypothetical college student using the PAQ. It was hypothesized that both male and female participants would judge the underweight and the average weight silhouettes with the high calorie diets as more attractive than overweight silhouettes regardless of their caloric intake. Also, it was predicted female participants would find women with the lowest daily caloric intake and underweight silhouette as most attractive. Male participants were expected to rate the silhouettes with the average body type as most attractive. Analyses of the results were performed by a two-way analysis of variance. An alpha level of .05 was used for all parametric tests. Results supported the first hypothesis; average weight and underweight silhouettes with high calorie diets were perceived as more attractive than overweight silhouettes regardless of their diet. Females actually found average weight figures with high calorie diets significantly most attractive. Men were not found to significantly favor any body type or diet.

GRETCHEN SANDY

Major: Psychology/Religious Studies

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

The purpose of this research was to investigate the dying process in terms of psychological and spiritual issues, and to determine the relationship between spirituality and healthy coping styles. Research has supported the idea of spirituality and faith having a positive effect on one’s dying experience. Interviews were conducted with hospice social workers and a current hospice consumer in order to ascertain firsthand accounts of this relationship. These interviews imply a positive influence of an individual’s spirituality on one’s fear of dying and coping methods, a result that supports available research. The findings may have implications for hospice programs, as they emphasize both healthy coping styles and spiritual exploration in their work.

EMILY SMITH

Major: Jeffrey Hollerman

Sr. Project Advisor: Jennifer O’Donnell

John Watson, considered by many to be the father of modern behaviorism, developed radical ideas for a new, objective psychology. While starting research and teaching in the new psychology department at Johns Hopkins University, he developed his ideas for a more scientific psychology based on quantifiable methods of observation. After a scandalous exile from the academic world, Watson went to work at a progressive advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. Since advertising is designed to persuade and influence consumer buying behavior, Watson’s new behaviorism theory fit in perfectly. By applying the principles of a more “scientific” psychology to advertising, Watson was able to become a huge success in the advertising world.

MARTIN SPIELER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Jennifer O’Donnell

For the past two centuries, the United States has been developing a separation of church and state. As a result, Americans may believe that their religious beliefs have no place in political decision-making. Religion, however, plays a major role in Americans’ lives and has explicit views on controversial political issues. Using a questionnaire consisting of Likert-scale statements, the present study examines the level of religiosity as well as adherence with religious authority in 286 college students on the issues of abortion, capital punishment, and homosexuality. Investigating the religions of Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestantism, it was found that only Catholics are more likely than non-Catholics to adhere to Catholic views, particularly on abortion. This can be attributed to the visibility of the Catholicism and the flexibility of Protestantism and Judaism.

SHEALYN STENGLEIN

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

The present study investigates the perceived sexual interest and interest in sexual activity of 24 American and 21 French males regarding women’s behavior. The participants were given a list of 40 behaviors, 20 of which were categorized as “meeting” and 20 of which as “dating” and were asked to rate the degree to which the behaviors indicated sexual interest. Through it was hypothesized that the French sample would rate behaviors to indicate higher amounts of sexual interest, it was found that the American sample rated eight behaviors higher for women they have just met and five behaviors higher for women with whom they are on a date. The behaviors rated significantly higher include “agrees to go to your apartment for a drink/coffee,” “kisses your cheek,” and “gives you her phone number” and there are several implications for further cross-cultural study.

KRISTY STRINER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

The present study examined the effects of social support on stress in college students. It also looked at sex differences, likelihood to seek support, and types of social support, namely instrumental support and emotional support. 58 undergraduate students constituted the participants of this study, and they were asked to complete a questionnaire made up of the Hassles Scale, the Perceived Social Support from Friends and Family Scale, and the Support Seeking Questionnaire. A significant positive correlation was found between perceived social support and likelihood to seek support, indicating those likely to seek support will receive support in return. The study produced no significant results indicating a relationship between stress levels and perceived social support. Both emotional support and instrumental support produced no significant effects on stress levels. Also, no sex differences were found in regards to likelihood to seek support, or types of social support.

JILL STUBENHOFER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

The usefulness of expert witness testimony in battered women cases is something that has been debated for several years. The present study attempts to address this issue by implementing a fictional scenario of a battered woman who has killed her abuser. Mock jurors first read this scenario, and then half of the sample was presented with testimony of battered woman syndrome. A total of 169 females and 91 males participated in this quantitative study that examined the effects of expert testimony and gender on verdicts and jurors’ perceptions. A scale from a previous study (Schuller & Hastings,1996)was used to determine how jurors perceive the battered woman’s claims. It was found that neither males nor females were more likely to render a different verdict after reading the battered woman description. Males, however, were more likely than females to render harsher verdicts. Such results suggest that the role of expert testimony and the way it is presented should be reconsidered.

KRISTEN TURI

Major: Psychology/Neuroscience

Sr. Project Advisor: J. Alexander Dale

Past research has indicated that epinephrine enhances memory processes (Gold & Zornetzer, 1983; Introini-Collison & McGaugh, 1991) and that glucose release has an important role in this effect (Gold, 1987; Gold, 1991; Parsons & Gold, 1992). Acetylcholine and glutamate play important roles in the memory model of long-term potentiation, and glucose may interact with these processes (Bear, Connors, & Paradiso, 2001; Jaffard & Micheau, 1994). This study examined the effects of postacquisition glucose administration on a recall task presented in two different modalities. Forty participants (29 females and 11 males) completed the study. Each participant served as his or her own baseline. Following either 45 g glucose or 24.6 mg saccharin ingestion, participants were assessed on recall of two word lists, one presented aurally and one presented visually. A mixed ANOVA did not reach statistical significance, but Mann-Whitney U tests and select t-tests found that participants who ingested glucose had enhanced recall compared to participants who ingested saccharin. Glucose affected the recall of the aurally presented task and the visually presented task in the same way.

JONATHAN TURNER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not an athlete’s perceived social status of his or her perceived role on his or her respective team would mediate an affect on the athlete’s level of self-esteem. Gender differences were also examined to assess whether or not men’s athletic teams would have higher levels of self-esteem among all three categories of perceived role on the team being, “star”, “role”, and “bench” players. Ninety-nine student-athletes participated in the current study (54 females and 45 males), who were members of either the women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, women’s tennis, men’s tennis, women’s softball, or the men’s baseball team. Past research has shown that one of the reasons male and female athletes participate in sports is due to an increased sense of social status ( Finkenberg & Moode, 1996). For mediating factors, such as an increased social status, male and female athletes attain psychological benefits from their participation in sports, such as an increased self-esteem (Bowker, Cornock, & Gadbois, 2003). The measures used in the present study were the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (Coopersmith, 1967), and the Self-Attributes Questionnaire (Pelham & Swann, 1989). The current study found positive relationships between the sex of the participants, perceived social status, and the three self-esteem scales. A negative correlation was found between perceived role on the team and the Social Self Peers portion of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Relevant trends were found between the high perceived social status group in comparison to the low perceived social status group along the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Additional results of interest, although insignificant, revealed that males had higher self-esteem levels among all three categories of perceived role on the team on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, where as females had higher levels of self-esteem among all three categories of the Social Self Peers portion of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and among the “star” and “bench” categories on the General Self-Esteem portion of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory.

KYLA VANDREE

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: David Anderson

This study examined the effect of person-organization fit on work-related attitudes, specifically on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. It also considered the impact of assessing the congruency of individual and organizational values in the hiring process on subsequent levels of organizational fit. Participants were recruited from various departments within a medical hospital. No significant difference was found in job satisfaction and organizational commitment as a function of organizational fit. Additionally, there was no difference in organizational fit between individuals hired using a value assessment and those hired without. It is important to note, however, that there are several distinct features of the sample and organization used in this study, which may have significant effects on the overall relationship between organizational fit and employee attitudes. Such differences may also influence the effectiveness of value-congruency assessments. Thus, while no significant findings are apparent in this particular sample, the study has important implications

BRIAN VITA

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Joshua Searle-White

This study examined the levels of stress present in 90 first-year (N=45) and fourth-year (N=45) undergraduate students. Also, the perception of potential stressful situations by the students was analyzed. It was found that that first-year and fourth-year students did not differ in their overall levels of stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale. Significant gender differences existed for the levels of stress measurement. It was found that females recorded higher levels of stress with an average of 21.17 while males averaged 16.23. No significant differences were observed for division of major. In regards to the students perceptions of potential stressful situations, first-year and fourth-year students differed significantly on 5 of the 51 items of the College Undergraduate Stress Scale. The situations they differed on include finals week, writing a major term paper, a class that you hate, registration, and starting a new semester. The 5 most and least stressful situations were ranked for each group. Of these items, only registration was found to be statistically significant.

COURTNEY WHITEHEAD

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality and clothing selection. Fifty-seven female participants completed a set of questionnaires. The questionnaires included items pertaining to previous work experience, a personality inventory (the NEO-PI-R form S (2002)), and a question asking participants to select an outfit from a series of three that they felt best represented them. The results suggested that, for college women, personality and professional clothing selection are not related. A wider variety of outfits for clothing selection may have yielded different results because other research has used similar procedures but with more variation in the clothing formality. Additionally, the sample was from an undergraduate population, where personalities are still developing. The sample may have also had a preconceived notion for what should be worn in order to make an acceptable first impression

VALERIE WOLENTER

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

This study evaluated the differences in envy and resentment in reaction to deserved and undeserved athletic achievement. Participants were 215 undergraduate students, and each was given a description of a stimulus person who was either a high achiever who put forth high effort, an average achiever with high effort, a high achiever with low effort or an average achiever with low effort. Participants than rated a series of emotions based on what they felt toward the stimulus person. As hypothesized, envy and resentment were found to be different, with envy varying more in relation to achievement level and resentment varying more in relation to effort level. The difference between athletes and non-athletes was also evaluated. It was hypothesized that athletes would experience more envy and resentment than non-athletes because the description of the stimulus person was more relevant to them. It was found that athletes and non-athletes did not differ in the amount of envy reported, but that athletes reported more resentment than non-athletes.

SUMMER YOST

Major: Psychology

Sr. Project Advisor: Deborah Dickey

The current study examined differences in ketchup preferences between college students and senior citizens. The colors of ketchup used were red and the new blue. The participants were 32 college students, 10 males, 22 females, and 10 senior citizens, 2 males, 8 females. The participants performed 3 tasks, rating the attractiveness of both colors on a 1-5 Likert-scale, tasting the samples blindfolded and rating the taste on a 1-5 scale, and tasting both samples while looking and rating them on a 1-5 scale. It was hypothesized that both students and senior citizens would prefer the red, but college students would be more likely to prefer blue than the senior citizens. The results showed the only significant age effect was in the attractiveness of the red sample; the senior citizens rated it much higher. There were significant findings between sexes, showing that women were given higher ratings on both of the taste tests.