2018-2019 Senior Comp Abstracts

Baneen Al-Akashi

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein Jackson

How does identity confusion female Arab-Americans correlate with their level of self-esteem?

Previous studies have shown, specifically in Asian American men, that self-esteem is significantly negatively related to how they view themselves and their identity (Shek & McEwen, 2012). However, there is no research directly linking the level of identity confusion of female Arab-Americans to their level of self-esteem. The current study recruited 271 participants who self-identified as Arab-Americans on MTurk to examine the correlation between identity conflict and self-esteem. Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) while identity conflict was measured using the Ethno-Cultural Identity Conflict scale (Ward, Stuart, & Kus, 2011). Results indicated support for the hypothesis that identity confusion correlates with a person’s level of self-esteem. More research is needed to fully explore the correlation between a person’s identity and their level of self-esteem. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Keywords: Arab-Americans, self-esteem, identity conflict, third culture individuals (TCI), Females

Delaney Arbore

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark

Effectiveness of Behavioral vs. Cognitive Sources of Sport-Confidence in Athletes

Sport-confidence is defined as “the belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their ability to be successful in sport” (Vealey, 1986 p.222).  The factors that influence sport-confidence, as well as the strategies used to improve it, can essentially be viewed through two psychological lenses, behavioral and cognitive.  Despite this, there are many factors that affect sport-confidence and strategies to improve it that are a combination of both of these approaches.  In the present study, 51 varsity athletes at Allegheny College took two surveys.  The first was the Trait Sport Confidence Inventory developed by Vealey (1986), which measured how confident an athlete is in their sport.  The second was a sources of sport-confidence survey which measured whether an athlete prefers more cognitive or behavioral sources of sport-confidence.  The purpose of these surveys was to determine whether the type of strategy used to gain sport-confidence has any effect on how confident an athlete is, as well as whether different types of sport-confidence are used more by individual or team sport athletes.  The results of this study showed no effect between types of confidence preferred and level of confidence or type of sport an athlete plays.  These results suggest that individual differences are the most influential factor for sport-confidence.

Brianna Ashley

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Patricia Rutledge

Resilience as a Mediator of Hopelessness and Heavy Drinking

Prior research has found that Hopelessness and Heavy Drinking have a significant positive relationship, Hopelessness and Resilience have a significant negative relationship, and that Resilience can work as a protective factor against Heavy Drinking. Even though the prior research explores Resilience as a moderating factor, it does not explore the role of Resilience as a mediating factor of Hopelessness and Heavy Drinking. Based on the prior research, the current study hypothesized that Resilience would work as a mediating factor for the relationship of Hopelessness and Heavy Drinking. The current study examined this role of Resilience as a mediator in a sample of N=38 college students attending a small, private, liberal arts college in the Northeastern United States. Participants completed questionnaires measuring levels of Resilience, levels of Hopelessness, and Heavy Drinking tendencies. Then correlations, regression analyses that modeled Hopelessness and Resilience, and Hopelessness, Resilience and Heavy Drinking, and a mediation analysis that modelled the mediation of Resilience on Hopelessness and Heavy Drinking were conducted to analyze the data. In the present study, the relationship between Hopelessness and Resilience was the only significant finding. The hypothesized relationship of Resilience acting as a mediator for the relationship of Hopelessness and Heavy Drinking was insignificant. Differences between previous literature and the present study are discussed.

Lauren Canose

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

The Stress Burden of Single-Parenting Associated with Low-Quality Sleep in School-Aged Children

Abstract

As children of single-parent families experience poorer health outcomes due to the burden of stress associated with single-parenting, the present study aimed to examine the sleep quality of school-aged children living in single-parent households in order to uncover the relationship between child health and family structure. Low-quality sleep is a common problem among children and adolescents, posing health implications including behavioral, (Sadeh, A., Gruber, R., & Raviv, A., 2002) developmental, and social difficulties (Owens, J.A., Spirito, A., McGuinn, M., & Nobile, C., 2000). In the present study, the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire was utilized in order to measure quality of sleep in children as an appropriate measure of child health. Parental stress was measured utilizing the Parental Burnout Inventory. Marital status was collected from participants in order to explore the relationship between family structure and quality of sleep in children of single-parent families. Despite previous research and contrary to expectations, bivariate correlations resulted in a lack of support for the hypothesis. Hypotheses were not supported by the data. The result of a Pearson r correlation indicated a significant positive correlation between scores on the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire and scores on the Parental Burnout Inventory.

Keywords: sleep, family structure, marital status, single-parent, school-aged child, parental burnout

Rohan Doherty

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

Nomophobia and Smartphone Separation in Young Adults

Recent studies have suggested that smartphones act as security blankets for people in stressful situations, and that separation from these devices induces heightened anxiety (Cheever, Rosen, Carrier & Chavez, 2014; Hunter, Hooker, Rohleder & Pressman, 2018). This study attempted to further examine the relationship between nomophobia and young adults by building upon past studies (Cheever et al., 2014; Hartano & Yang, 2016). Participants (​N ​= 20, ​Mage =​ 20.10 (1.02), 75% female, and 65% white) were randomly assigned into control or ringing conditions and were tested individually, without their smartphones. Participants in both conditions filled out demographic information, a nomophobia questionnaire, and pretest and post-test of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Between the pretest and post-test of the STAI, participants sat in a testing room for five minutes, and at the halfway point, a familiar iPhone ringtone was played for the ringing condition but not for the control condition. Results suggested that, contrary to past studies and the hypothesis that separation from smartphones would lead to increased anxiety, separation from smartphones decreased anxiety for the whole sample from pretest (​M =​ 82.55, ​SD =​ 17.70) to post-test (​M​ = 79.05, ​SD =​ 16.44). Results of a two-way mixed model ANOVA indicated that there was no main effect for time (​p =​ 0.09) or condition (​p​ = 0.10), and there was no interaction between time and condition (​p​ =0.76). These findings suggest a complex relationship between young adults and smartphones and warrant the need for further research into anxiety and smartphone separation.

Gabrielle Griffin-Maya

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Allison Connell

Do they all “look alike” to you? The relationship between implicit associations and own-race bias.

Research into implicit association and own-race bias could be crucial in helping deconstruct racial prejudices that are proving divisive in this country and around the world. Own-race bias, also called cross-race bias or the cross-race effect, is the phenomenon where individuals are more accurate at recognizing the faces of people of their own race and less accurate at recognizing faces of people of other races (Meissner & Brigham, 2001). In the present study, 41 undergraduate college students participated in an experiment to investigate the relationship between own-race bias and implicit associations. Participants completed a facial introduction task where they were exposed to a set of Caucasian and African American faces. After this, they completed an Implicit Association Task (IAT) (Project Implicit). And finally, their recognition memory for the studied faces was tested in an old-new paradigm. I hypothesized that higher levels of preference for an own-race group (as defined by IAT score) would positively correlate with greater own-race bias (as defined by the greater difference between own and other-race accuracy and d’ scores) on the facial recognition task. Though both accuracy and d’ correlations were positive (r = .223 and r = .158 respectively), the correlations did not reach significance (p = .162 and p = .324), thus my hypothesis was not supported. Interestingly, no evidence of own-race bias was found in the overall sample, though evidence of own-race bias was found in those with the highest implicit association own-race preference score.

Barak Levin

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

Handgrip Strength Disparity (HGD) Is Not Correlated with Higher Sleep Quality

Handgrip Strength (HGS) is a commonly used metric for physical fitness. It is also documented that physical fitness and activity correlates with a higher quality sleep. Not much literature exists that examines the relevance of handgrip disparity, or the difference in handgrip strength between the dominant and non-dominant hands, to sleep quality. The present study looks to see if Hand Grip Disparity (HGD) correlated with activity level, if HGD correlated with sleep quality, and if activity level correlated with sleep quality. Participants who took part in the study (N=30) were college students at a private liberal arts college. Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires on both activity level and sleep quality. A handgrip dynamometer measured the HGS of their dominant and non-dominant hands. HGD was then determined by subtracting the two scores.  As expected, HGD was negatively correlated with activity level indicating that as HGD score went down, the activity level of the participant rose. This research which looks at the correlational relationship between fitness and sleep may serve to benefit people by expanding their understanding of what factors can lead to better sleep.

Kala Mahen

Major: Psychology/Neuroscience

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

A Hot Topic: The Effects of a Peripheral Heat Source on Sleep Satisfaction in Healthy Young Adults

Increased sleep latency is a common problem for college students due to stress. The effects of a peripheral heat source (a heating pad) on the sleep behavior of 48 healthy college student participants were studied with use of actigraphy bracelets. Participants were randomly assigned to sleep with a heating pad on one night of a two-night study. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and recorded ambient temperature each night before bed. Actigraphy bracelets were used to measure sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and wake after sleep onset while the participants slept in their own beds. Upon wake, participants rated their sleep satisfaction. Contrary to prediction, the peripheral heat did not cause a significant change in any of the actigraphic sleep measures but did increase sleep satisfaction. STAI score was negatively related with sleep satisfaction, while PSQI score and STAI score were positively correlated. Ambient temperature had no relationship with actigraphic sleep measures or sleep satisfaction. These results suggest that participants rated their sleep as more satisfying with the peripheral heat than when they slept without it even though actigraphic data did not vary by night. Since anxiety and depression have been shown to influence perception of sleep quality, further work should further examine the utility of heat for those who report poor sleep.

Liam McKersie

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury

The Effect of Perceived Coaching Styles on the Sense of Team Cohesion

In sports psychology literature, researchers have evaluated the relationship between perceived coaching styles and group cohesion in sports teams.  Evidence suggests a positive relationship between Task Cohesion (level to which an athlete works to achieve a specific goal) and coaching styles of Training and Instruction and Democratic behaviors (Gardener et al., 1996;  Westre & Weiss, 1991). To add to these findings, the current study evaluated the relationship between 6 different perceived coaching styles (Autocratic, Democratic, Training and Instruction, Social Support, Positive Feedback, and Situational Consideration) and two types of team cohesion (Task Cohesion and Social Cohesion), in four male collegiate team sports. Team cohesion was evaluated using the Group Environment Questionnaire (Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley et al., 1985) and perceived coaching styles were assessed using the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (Chelladurai & Selah et al., 1980). A total of N=94 college athletes participated with a mean age of 19.95 years. Results suggested that in support of the first hypothesis, Task Cohesion was correlated to the perceived coaching styles of both Democratic (r=0.301), and Training and Instruction (r=0.491). The second hypothesis that Task Cohesion would be inversely related to Autocratic coaching was not supported. In support of the third hypothesis, there was a correlation between Situational Consideration and Social Cohesion (r=0.212). In support of the fourth hypothesis, it was found that Task Cohesion, rather than Social Cohesion, had stronger correlation to perceived team success and performance (r=0.435). These findings are important to understand coach-athlete dynamics as they relate to team cohesion and performance.

Michelle Mota Paulino

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury

The Effects of Coloring on Sad Mood

Adult coloring books are a popular phenomenon that are heavily advertised as offering the same benefits as art therapy causing them to become a popular coping mechanism with easy accessibility (Cascone, 2015). Although most certified art therapists can agree that these coloring books are not a valid art therapy intervention because they lack the communication with a mental health professional, it is possible that adult coloring books could provide a self-therapeutic activity similar to art therapy interventions (Howe, 2018; Kaimal, 2017). To add some empirical evidence to this proposition, the goal of this study was to measure the effectiveness of coloring on improving sad mood. Based on past findings (Nolen-Hoeskema, 1991; Nolen-Hoeskema et al, 2008), we hypothesized that participants involved in a coloring activity will show lower scores on sad mood measurements than participants who completed a control task of word search puzzles. The final sample consisted of N= 46 undergraduate students who signed up for the study through the psychology department’s research participation website. Participants were randomly assigned to either the coloring group or control group. The Profile of Mood States (McNair et al, 1971) was used to assess sad mood three times: once at baseline, once after participants were shown a sad mood inducing media clip, and the final time after they had participated in the experimental or control task. Results from a multivariate analysis did not show any significant differences in mood scores for the experimental and control group, F (2, 43) = 0.908, p = 0.411; Wilk’s lambda = 0.959. It is possible that both coloring and puzzle activities provided distraction, and one was not more beneficial over the other in impacting mood. Future research is needed to examine if there is empirical evidence showing the benefits of coloring on mood.

Faith Riegel

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Aimee Knupsky

Pero que son la “Memoria, verdad y justicia?”: Narratives and Ideology in the Memorialization of the Argentine “Dirty War”

This paper describes an interdisciplinary investigation of the post-dictatorial memorialization of the Argentine “Dirty War”. The Spanish portion of the paper reviewed the distinct narratives about the “Dirty War” that have been formed in Argentine society post-dictatorship. Moreover, the chapter in Spanish analyzed the representation of the “Dirty War” in the movies The Official Story and Clandestine Childhood. The film analysis revealed complex moral portrayals of the “Dirty War” that simultaneously reflect and challenge the narratives dominant in their respective time periods. The experimental part of the study exposed American college students to brief accounts of the “Dirty War”. By keeping factual information constant but altering the valence of the language, the researcher created two distinct ideological narratives (Haidt, Graham & Joseph, 2009), a “two demons” narrative and a “genocide” narrative. The effect of the participants’ political ideology and the narrative to which participants were exposed on the participants’ moral judgments and emotional reactions was measured. Although liberals had significantly higher negative emotional reactions to the Argentine dictatorship than a “nonliberal” group comprised mostly of moderates, the results mostly did not support the hypotheses that political ideology and valenced language would influence moral judgments and emotional reactions. Significant results were limited, but the interdisciplinary method used holds promise for future study of attitudes about the “Dirty War” as well as attitudes about other polarizing issues.

Sydney Scandale

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

SART Difficulty has no Effect on Intentional Mind Wandering or Autobiographical Planning

Mind wandering (MW) has become a topic of increasing interest because people spend about fifty percent of their time off task. In previous research, dispositional mindfulness has been noted to decrease MW frequency through yoga and meditation. The current study used the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to measure dispositional mindfulness and examine whether increased mindfulness was associated with better accuracy and faster reaction time. In addition, MW has been associated with automatic, unintentional thoughts, but has not been associated with intentional thoughts. MW is often believed to only have negative consequences, but intentional thoughts, such as autobiographical planning, can actually be a benefit of MW. Given this, the present study assessed task performance on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in order to quantify time spent in different types of MW. Contrary to the study hypotheses, results showed that task difficulty did not have a significant effect on intentional or autobiographical MW. Results also concluded that higher mindfulness scores were not associated with better accuracy and faster reaction time, thus contradicting expectations. Future MW research can be used to help further understand, increase, and enhance attention spans.

Keywords: mind wandering, autobiographical planning, mindfulness, MAAS, SART

Michael Siegel

Major: Neuroscience

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

Acute intake of B. longum probiotic does not significantly reduce perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and GI activity

Previous literature demonstrates that the gut microbiome communicates bidirectionally with the brain, thus linking the gut to psychological phenomena such as stress, depression and anxiety. As a result of such findings, probiotics, or ingestible supplements containing billions of mutualistic bacteria, are hypothesized to alleviate psychological mood deficits. In the present study, the efficacy of a one-week period of orally administered B. longum was tested using longitudinal questionnaire responses. Results indicate no significant symptom alleviations between groups over this period. These findings suggest that either the duration, dosage, or administration method utilized is not optimal for perceived psychological health benefits.

Kristopher Smeal

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein Jackson

The Effects of the Color Red on the Initial Perception of a Person’s Overall Trustworthiness

Based on existing work on the effects of shirt color on person perception, the goal of the present study was to test if the color red would lead to higher initial ratings of trustworthiness than the color black when examining a female in a professional setting. Because of its association with physical attractiveness (Elliot, Kayser, Greitemeyer, Lichtenfeld, Gramzow, Maier & Liu, 2010),  and the results of studies on the halo effect (Thorndike, 1920) it was predicted that women wearing red would be perceived as more attractive and trustworthy than women dressed in black, which has been associated with professional attire since the 1700s (Harvey, Harvey & Harvey, 1995). In this between-subjects experiment, 52 participants were randomly assigned to view the image of a professional woman wearing either red or black, and to subsequently rate her on characteristics of attractiveness, trustworthiness, aggression, and a number of other traits. Contrary to predictions, a woman wearing red was seen as aggressive and intimidating, but only by male participants. In addition, the color black was seen as attractive, but not professional. This is relevant to professions that rely on trust because it is difficult to build a working relationship when an individual is seen as aggressive or intimidating (Wampold, 2011). Attempts to replicate Elliot’s original study yielded no results. In addition, the present study examined perceptions of only a white women in a professional setting, and did not address other races. It is suggested that future research take into account colors of clothing other than red and black, as well as including images of people outside of the professional setting and of other races and genders. This research supports the idea that a better understanding of color psychology is beneficial to most interpersonal interactions, and the subsequent relationships that form.

Keywords: Color, Halo Effect, Color Context Theory, Hostile Sexism, Professional Setting

Jocelyn Steffan

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury

Reasons for Exercise and Body Satisfaction in College Students

Research has suggested that exercise is associated with a higher sense of body satisfaction (Appleton, 2013; Hausenblas & Fallon, 2006). Other studies highlight the importance of reasons for exercise in influencing whether a person will obtain such psychological benefits of exercise (Fuller et. al 2013; Homan & Tylka, 2014; LePage & Crowther, 2010). This study sought to add to current knowledge by exploring the relationship between reasons for exercise and body satisfaction in a sample of undergraduate college students. Exercise habits (frequency and intensity) were assessed using the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shephard, 1985), reasons for exercise assessed using the Exercise Motivations Inventory- 2 (Markland & Ingledew, 1997), and lastly body satisfaction was assessed using the Body Satisfaction Measure (Veldhuis et. al, 2017). The current sample comprised of N = 51 college students with a mean age of 19.1 years (SD = 1.21). The vast majority of participants were female (68.2%) and caucasian (72.7%) with a social science major (52.3%). Results suggested, contrary to the hypothesis, that body satisfaction did not differ based on participant’s sex and exercise habits. However, as predicted, reasons for exercise did influence body satisfaction. There was a significant negative correlation between weight-control reasons and body satisfaction (r= – 0.38, p=.006). Also, a negative correlation existed between appearance reasons and body satisfaction (r= -0.40, p=.004). Interestingly, no association existed for enjoyment based reasons. These preliminary findings warrant the need for further research exploring the role of reason for exercise as a moderator-mediator variable affecting the relationship between exercise habits and body satisfaction.

Keywords: body satisfaction, exercise habits, exercise motivation

Spencer Subega

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark

Big Five Personality Traits in Relationship to Identity

Correlations were measured between Big Five personality traits of Extroversion, Openness, and Neuroticism, and dependent variables from a student-designed self-representation task that did not have coherence with prior-established validity or reliability measurements. Participants were asked to represent their “inner self” and “outer self” in two separate spaces on a sheet of paper of unequal sizes; one taking up 2/7 of the paper, the other, 5/7. It was predicted that more Extroverted individuals would use the larger side to represent their “outer self,” that more Neurotic individuals would use the larger side to represent their “inner self,” and that more Open individuals would express themselves with a richer variety of techniques, operationally defined quantitatively as the presence of (+1) drawings, (+1) words, characters, and/or numbers, (+1) color, (+1) pens, and (+1) pencils. Using the rough scores of a Pearson correlation coefficient, Extroversion was not found to significantly correlate with self-representation. Neuroticism was found to have a weak correlation with self-representation. Openness was found to have a moderate correlation with richness in self representation techniques.

Keywords: Big Five, Extroversion, identity, Openness, personality, Neuroticism, self-representation

Baylee Tarnowski

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury

An Assessment of General Resilience and Academic Resilience in College Student Athletes vs. Non-Athletes

Previous research has found that athletes share a set of psychological traits that protect them from the negative effects of stress and allow them to better adapt in stressful situations (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012). Compared to other extracurricular activities, adolescent athletics promotes the development of skills involving goal-setting, persistence, problem-solving, teamwork, emotional and time management (Larson et al., 2006). Considering how resilience can be built through the process of regulatory flexibility (Southwick et al., 2014), this study sought to examine the relationship between general resilience and athletic participation in undergraduate college students. The fluidity of resilience allows for people to be more resilient in some situations compared to others. This study also explored whether students on athletic teams haver higher academic resilience than other students and if a correlation exists between general resilience and academic resilience. General resilience was assessed using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Campbell-Sills & Stein, 2007) and academic resilience was assessed using the Academic Resilience Scale-30 (Cassidy, 2016). The current sample comprised of N=47 college students, 20 of which indicated they are on an athletic team roster. In accordance with the primary hypothesis, results displayed that athletes scored higher in general resilience than non-athletes (F= 8.513, p= .005). In terms of academic resilience there were no significant findings concerning the variable of athletic participation. However, a significant correlation existed between general resilience and academic resilience (r=.612, p=.000). These findings provide the basis for further research regarding the role of athletic participation in the development of resilience.

Vanessa Thomas

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury

Emoji as Compound Discriminative Stimuli for Text Messaging Behavior

In the present study, an investigation of the presence of a facial emoji in a text message as a potential compound discriminative stimulus (SD) in text messaging behavior was undertaken. Prior research has indicated such characters as powerful modulators of perceived affective content in text messaging (Lo, 2008; Riordan, 2017a; Riordan, 2017b; Walther & D’Addario, 2001); however, minimal research has been conducted on emoji within a behavior analytic framework. Using an electronic survey which invited participants, college students, to assess a series of text messages containing different emoji, the functional role of the facial emoji in the interpretation of a text message and the reader’s subsequent confidence in that interpretation were assessed to determine the emoji’s salience as an SD. The presence of an emoji was shown to significantly alter the confidence with which participants reported their interpretations (t = -6.847, p < .001), and the emoji’s morphology was shown to significantly alter the interpretation of the text messages (F = 359.534, p < .001), strongly suggesting that the emoji does function as a compound discriminative stimulus for the response behavior. The findings of this study can be applied to better understand the role of emoji in digital communication using a behavior analytic framework.

Meghan Uht

Major: Neuroscience/Other

Comp Advisor: Sarah Conlkin

Adverse Childhood Experiences Do Not Predict Risky Decision Making in Young Adults

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have long term effects on both the structure and function of the brain. These effects, such as changes to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), substance abuse, and alcoholism can impact decision making. This current study investigated whether or not adverse experiences during childhood are associated with risky decision making made in young adulthood. Participants (N=86, M=19) completed the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire to measure the number of stressful or traumatic childhood experiences. Following the ACE questionnaire, participants completed the Game of Dice Task (GDT) to measure participants’ decision making under risk. Contrary to the prediction, a multiple regression analysis indicated no association between ACEs and risky decision making on the GDT in young adults. Future studies should include a larger, more diverse sample, while also accounting for the emotional state of the participant.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, decision making, game of dice task, prospect theory, risk

Jessica Valerino

Major: Neuroscience

Comp Advisor: Jeff Hollerman

The effects of poly IC and adolescent stress on reversal learning and acquisition of place preference in Sprague Dawley rats

One idea about the cause of schizophrenia is the two-hit hypothesis in which a prenatal disruption causes a predisposition for the illness, but symptom onset only occurs after an environmental stressor later in life. Those with schizophrenia have shown deficits in executive functioning, specifically reversal learning (behavioral flexibility) and it has a high comorbidity with substance abuse. To better understand the relationship with schizophrenia, executive functioning and susceptibility to substance abuse along with the validity of the two-hit hypothesis in an animal model, I used a prenatal immune activation model of schizophrenia using intraperitoneal injection of polyriboinosinic- polyribocytidilic acid (poly IC) on gestational day 14 to the rat dams. Pups were put through a 5-day stress paradigm in adolescence (PD 33-37) to simulate the environmental stressor later in life. The attentional set shifting task in which the animal must learn to associate a scent with a food reward was used to assess reversal learning and the conditioned place preference paradigm for food was used to assess the susceptibility for substance abuse. Results indicated that animals that went through the stress paradigm were protected against reversal learning deficits seen in animals that did not go through the stress paradigm. In addition, animals that went through the stress paradigm spent significantly more time in the food conditioned end chamber compared to animals that did not go through the stress paradigm. These findings pose interesting questions about the effects of adolescent stress on executive functioning and susceptibility to substance abuse in psychiatric and non- psychiatric populations.

Katherine  Way

Major: Psychology/Neuroscience

Comp Advisor: Jeff Hollerman

The Effects of Prenatal Bumetanide and Oxytocin Administration on the Sociability and Perseveration Behaviors Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder

During labor, maternal oxytocin release induces a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) “hyperpolarization switch” in the fetus which helps to protect the fetal neurons during birth.  If there is not adequate oxytocin release, the switch may not occur, leaving the baby more susceptible to brain damage and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  The purpose of this study was to determine whether prenatal administration of bumetanide or oxytocin right before birth could potentially rescue the GABA “hyperpolarization switch” by influencing intracellular chloride levels.  It was hypothesized that if these treatments were given prenatally, they may help to reduce behavioral deficits seen in ASD throughout adolescence and young adulthood.  I examined the sociability and perseveration behaviors in an ASD rat model through prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) as well as prenatal treatments of bumetanide or oxytocin.  Results indicated reduced sociability in the VPA groups, but there were no significant differences in behavior in the groups who had also received the prenatal bumetanide or oxytocin treatments.  Previous research indicates that oxytocin most likely plays a crucial role in early neurodevelopment, although based on my findings, further research is necessary to learn more about the cellular mechanisms involved in ASD in order to potentially find effective prenatal treatments in the future.

Cody Wendt

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Other

Impact of Extended Time on Test Performance in College Students

Students with learning disabilities are increasingly persisting in their educational pursuits and taking on the challenge of enrolling in a college or university setting. Many of these students do not receive any accommodations when going to college and the effectiveness of these accommodations has not been well understood. One common accommodation for postsecondary students with learning disabilities is receiving extended time (frequently 150% to 200% of the typical testing time) for taking assessments. This study examined the impact of extended testing time on reading comprehension and affective outcomes for students with and without documented learning disabilities. I hypothesized that extended testing time would increase reading comprehension accuracy and decrease stress for students both with and without learning disabilities. I also predicted an interaction effect for reading comprehension in which students with learning disabilities given extended time would score higher than students without learning disabilities, while students with learning disabilities would score lower than students without learning disabilities when not given extended time. Two factor ANOVA results showed a significant main effect of extended time on reading comprehension accuracy but a lack of effect on stress levels. The hypothesized interaction between extended testing time and learning disability status was not supported by this study’s results.

Stephanie Wilczynski

Major: Psychology

Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein Jackson

A Double-Blind Study on The Effect of Dextrose on Ego Depletion and Unethical Behavior

Ego depletion is the loss of an individual’s will to perform tasks and the loss of an individual’s self-control (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998). Many researchers have been trying to find a manipulation that can reverse or completely prevent the effects of ego depletion (e.g., Gailliot, Baumeister, DeWall, Maner, Plant, Tice & Schmeichel, 2007). However, there is a lack of consensus among researchers as to whether ego depletion is a measurable phenomenon and if it can be prevented or reversed. Thirty-six undergraduate students were recruited to participate in this between- subjects double blind study to measure if dextrose can prevent ego depletion, and therefore prevent unethical behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (dextrose vs stevia) x 2 (ego depleted vs not depleted) design.  Cheating was defined as participants’ self-reporting having solved unsolvable anagrams (Wiltermuth, 2011) and taking more than their fair share of  raffle tickets to be entered into a raffle for a gift card. Results showed limited support for the hypotheses that dextrose would prevent ego depletion and unethical behavior, however, participants who were in the dextrose groups did score significantly lower in ego depletion. More research is needed to explore the effect of dextrose on ego depletion and unethical behavior. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Keywords: glucose, dextrose, ego depletion, unethical behavior, cheating