Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury
The relationship between the media’s representation of Black males and their mental health and life
In this present 2021 year, many would argue that society has made much progress in the realm of racial equality. Regardless of whether people agree or disagree with that, it is imperative and a must that the impact the media has had and is still having on people’s lives, but in particular, Black men’s, be acknowledged. American history contains a vast amount of traumatic experiences in regards to this specific community, dating as far back as the 1800’s (Taylor, 2019). A fair amount of these traumatic experiences are related to the media and its publicization of said experiences. These situations Black men were and still are forced to undergo, have impacted the way they interact with the world around them, the way they represent and view themselves and their mental health. There have been many studies conducted to determine exactly how these men are impacted by the media’s stereotyping and racist tendencies, and often these studies support the claim that the impact is negative. Future directions that examine how these media-driven stereotypes can be eliminated from society entirely should be pursued, as they are more detrimental than not.
Keywords: Black men, media representations, lifestyles, mental health
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Megan Bertholomey
THE GUT BRAIN AXIS: THE IMPACT OF DIET MANIPULATIONS ON ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIORS
There is growing evidence that diet has the potential to shift the composition of the gut microbiome and thus impact behavior through the recently characterized gut-brain axis. However, more research is needed to show the anxiety-producing effect of a high-fat diet (HFD), and the efficacy of probiotic supplementation to potentially serve as a therapeutic treatment. Furthermore, to current knowledge, research has not explored the potential probiotics have to alleviate the negative effects of a HFD. The aim of this present study was to examine whether a 60% HFD, probiotic supplementation, and the interaction between the two, changes anxiety-like behavior in male Sprague-Dawley rats. For 21 days either a HFD or a standard diet and a probiotic mixture or no probiotics was provided. The behavioral tests, Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Open Field Test (OFT), were performed and stress hormone (corticosterone) levels were assessed using fecal samples. Results revealed that a HFD and probiotic supplementation did not considerably alter anxiety-like behavior. However, significant effects were found on fluid intake, body weight, food intake, and fat calorie intake with probiotic rats drinking more fluid compared to no probiotic rats and HFD rats weighing more, consuming less food but more calories from fat compared to the standard diet rats. However, the degree to which these manipulations altered the gut microbiome are not known; future research should replicate the current study and use 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing to examine bacterial species present prior to assessing anxiety-like behavior.
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Jeff Hollerman
Dancing Toward Health with Dance/Movement Therapy: Utilizing the Mind-Body Connection in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders
Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) is a psychotherapy that is founded in the belief that the mind and body are interconnected. D/MT aims to integrate all facets of human experience including the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical aspects and adopts a holistic approach to health and wellness. By looking at the historical development of D/MT from its origins in dance, one can identify how movement is a core component of human experience and is therefore an integral factor in emotional expression and communication. These beliefs led the early pioneers of D/MT to integrate their knowledge of dance with psychological theory and begin work with a variety of pathologies. Clinical and observational research within the field has shown promising benefits for various populations, diagnoses, and symptoms, especially for anxiety and depression. However, D/MT theory is relatively underdeveloped and the active factors that contribute to its effectiveness as a psychotherapy are still being investigated. As a result, clinical research on D/MT is limited and the existing research seems to have methodological shortcomings. This paper aims to investigate the development of D/MT, describe the effects of D/MT on the level of the body and the mind, and speculate how we can further our understanding of the practice through better research techniques.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Ryan Pickering
Effects of music stimulus on creative performance
There have been many studies that have investigated how music can influence performance in many forms. This study will specifically analyze how music can impact convergent (typical) and divergent (atypical) creative solutions.
Major: Psychology/Other
Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein
Psychological Distance, Emotion Regulation, Affect, and Action Intentions in Response to Climate Change
Climate change is a threat to the planet as well as people’s physical and mental health. When confronted with the effects of climate change, people must emotionally regulate their feelings or face negative affect such as guilt for their own contributions, fear, and nervousness about the future. Emotional regulation strategies such as distancing, self-change, and repairing damage may be employed. Additionally, people may intend to participate in actions that aim to face the uncertainty of climate change. Psychological distance influences risk perception, which, in turn, is predicted to influence how emotional regulation is executed, and which feelings people experience in response. 140 participants residing in the United States were randomly assigned to either a distant or near condition. In the near condition, participants were asked to look at images of and read about the Minnesota Greenwood Fire and how forest fires are influenced by climate change. The distant condition read about the 2021 Greece wildfires. Participants then completed the Inclusion of Others in Self Scale, PANAS, Emotional Regulation Questions, and a survey about their action intentions. It was predicted that negative affect and action intentions would be greater in the near condition, and emotional regulation strategies would differ between the two conditions. The results did not support these hypotheses. Understanding the relationship between these variables may help us to understand climate inaction.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Guadalupe Gonzalez
The Utilization of Mental Health Counseling Centers by Black Women at Predominantly White Institutions.
Black women often experience many hardships in their life and in college that can lead them to need counseling services. Black people are often expected to navigate through White spaces and process traumatic events without the proper support and this can lead many Black people to suffer in silence. Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) can have a major toll on the mental health of Black students. The current study aims to examine to what extent Black women are utilizing the counseling center here at Allegheny College, a PWI. I hypothesized that Black women are not using the counseling centers at PWI’s because the resources provided do not meet their needs. Results indicated that 91.7% of participants feel that Allegheny has not made sufficient efforts to make its Black students feel more comfortable utilizing the counseling center nor does it provide adequate resources for Black students who do need these resources. For the purpose of this research, the term “adequate” will mean “barely sufficient or suitable.” This term will be used to describe the effectiveness of Allegheny’s resources for its students of color.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Christopher Normile
The social aspect of internet gaming disorder
As the development of internet and electronic hardwares progresses, gaming becomes a prevalent activity among teenagers and young adults. This led to a new mental disorder, internet gaming disorder (IGD). It is a disorder officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China, South Korea and the World Health Organization, and various treatments were developed. However, research regarding internet gaming is incomplete and the attempted treatments often yield undesirable repercussions. This paper would first review some general information of IGD, the diagnostic criteria of IGD, and describe the behavior known as internet gaming. Afterwards, the paper compares IGD with the other two addictive disorders, substance abuse disorder and gambling disorder. Then, the paper would analyze a few social factors and motivations for internet gaming that is not widely examined. After that, the paper proposes certain principles to bear while approaching IGD.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Ryan Pickering
Examining Terror Management Theory’s (TMT) Impact on Perceived Competency, Warmth, and, Purity of Individual Sex Motivation
According to prior research, individuals engaging in sex for specific purposes can be viewed with different perceptions depending on the context. When considering a new context to test the research in, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic fit the bill. Due to the fact that the virus was extremely contagious, death was prevalent during the pandemic. Individuals were often confronted with mortality salience or the conceptualization of one’s own death. As a result of this, the current research attempted to examine the interaction between death and perception for individuals engaging in specific sex behaviors. Two approaches were taken in order to analyze the question. The first approach used a Psychology experiment to determine the effect of mortality salience on perceptions of individuals having sex for differing reasons. The second approach examined Reddit posts during the beginning of the pandemic to see how individuals who were hooking up were being portrayed in regards to risk and responsibility.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Sarah Stanger
The Relationship Between Adolescent Substance Use and Parent Coping
Adolescent substance use does not occur within a vacuum and can impact the entire family system. Limited research has explored how parents cope with the stress associated with having a substance-using child. Prior qualitative research suggests that parents often experience difficulty with trust, feelings of humiliation and self-blame, and a lack of social support (Choate, 2015; Jackson et al., 2007). I conducted a correlational study to examine the relationship between the severity of adolescent substance use and parent well-being (i.e., anxiety, depression, and coping). I conceptualized coping through the Response to Stress framework, which categorizes coping as primary control, secondary control, and disengagement (Compas et al., 2001). A cross-sectional sample of parents (N = 57, M parent age = 43.3, 70.2% female, 73.7% White) of 13-18-year-old children (M child age = 15.8, 59.6% male, 66.7% White) living in the US were recruited online through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Inclusion criteria included parent-report of any adolescent substance use in the past three months. The Marijuana Adolescent Problem Inventory (MAPI; Knapp et al., 2018) was adapted to examine the severity of any adolescent substance use. The Responses to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ; Connor-Smith et al., 2001) was used to examine parent coping strategies in response to family stress. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) was used to examine parent depressive symptoms. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006) was used to examine parent anxiety symptoms. It was hypothesized that less severe substance use in adolescents would be associated with more primary and secondary control coping, less disengagement coping, and less internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depressive symptoms) in parents based on prior research examining coping mechanisms and well-being (Roberts et al., 2021; McDonald et al., 2020). Both parent depressive symptoms (r = 0.49, p < 0.001) and parent anxiety symptoms (r = 0.36, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with greater adolescent substance use severity. Greater parent-reported adolescent substance use severity was significantly associated with less parent secondary control coping (β = -0.28, p = 0.04) and marginally associated with greater parent primary control coping (β = 0.26, p = 0.06). In sum, greater parent-reported adolescent substance use severity was associated with greater parent depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms as well as less secondary control coping and greater primary control coping. Implications include the importance of offering support for families within the context of adolescent substance use treatment. Keywords: Parental Coping; Adolescent Substance Use; Responses to Stress
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein
Special Effects (SFX) Makeup & Hot Sauce: The Effects of Disgust on Aggression
There are a number of aversive stimuli that can predict aggression, such as, heat, loud noises, or bad smells. However, can seeing something disgusting, either in the physical world or in the digital world, real or fake, have a negative effect on one’s emotion causing someone to act aggressively? The present study sought to extend this work by testing if disgusting images presented either as real injuries or fake injuries (i.e., special-effects makeup) could induce aggression. Participants were asked to take a disgust sensitivity questionnaire and view a slide show of ‘real’ or ‘fake’ injuries. Subsequently, aggression was assessed by giving participants the opportunity to give a hot-sauce-covered cracker to the fictitious participant who made them watch said slideshow. It was hypothesized that participants who had a higher score on the disgust sensitivity questionnaire would add more hot sauce to the cracker and that participants who thought the images were real would also add more hot sauce. However, the results showed no correlation between disgust sensitivity and aggression, and contrary to predictions, aggression was higher in the fake condition.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
College Student-Athletes Mental Health Literacy and Perceptions of Help-Seeking
N/A
Major: Psychology/Other
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Representing Suicide in Young Adult Literature: A Review of Suicidal Theory and Its Applications to Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon
One of the first places that people, particularly those of a young age, begin to construct their understanding suicide is in works of fiction such as games, movies, and television. For this reason it is important that the messages about suicide shown in these forms of entertainment are representing the condition correctly, and that they don’t do harm by obscuring the realities of suicide. The aim of this paper is to analyze The Twilight Saga, one of the most salient examples of young adult literature, and compare its depiction of suicide to contemporary theories on the topic, as well as to review the current conversation around suicide in young adult novels.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein
Does Activating Religious Identity Affect Cheating?
The perceived feeling of being watched has been shown to influence a person by increasing prosocial behaviors and decreasing antisocial behaviors in humans. The same concept is applied when believers think about a watchful God. The purpose of this study was to determine if activating this religious (Christian) self-concept through the use of different scripture (as opposed to moral philosophy passages in the control group) would have an effect on cheating in Christian participants. In this study, a between-subject study was used, 8 undergraduate student participants were randomly assigned to (religious condition) or (non-religious control condition). No reliable differences in cheating across conditions were found. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Allison Connell
The Influence of Self-Talk Behaviors on Self-Efficacy in Collegiate Dancers
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of motivational self-talk behaviors on self-efficacy in collegiate dancers. Participants were 36 college students who met eligibility criteria of having danced any genre within the past five years, either through a class, club, or studio. The experiment lasted over two sessions two days apart. In the first session, participants were randomly assigned to one of three self-talk conditions: motivational first-person, motivational second-person, or nursery rhyme (control). Additionally, they began learning a dance task under the deception of being recorded for accuracy comparisons. In the second session, participants rehearsed the previous dance as well as learned a new section to create a complete dance. Both sessions were concluded with a dance-adapted version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSF) (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995). The following predictions were made: 1) Motivational self-talk groups will increase self-efficacy scores, 2) Having a second session of self-talk practice will increase self-efficacy scores. 3) An interaction using motivational self-talk over two sessions would increase self-efficacy with the largest increase of self-efficacy in the motivational second-person self-talk group. A mixed-model ANOVA found nonsignificant effects of time (p = .42) and self-talk (p = .22) on self-efficacy. Furthermore, there was a nonsignificant interaction of motivational self-talk over two sessions on self-efficacy (p = .26). The results of the study may suggest that self-talk behaviors may not play a crucial role in the confidence of dancers; however, we review a number of issues that could have led to a possible type II error in the present study. Future research should use the present experiment as a framework for conducting confidence-related experiments and/or exploring self-talk usage among dancers.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Guadalupe Gonzalez
The Other Side of Dark: Gendered-Colorism and Its Effects on Black and Latina Women at PWIs
This current study aims to examine the psychological experiences of Black and Latina women that encounter Gendered-Colorism while navigating a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). Gendered-Colorism is a caste system similar to race in two ways. The first, is how it is based upon phenotypic features such as skin tone and texture, privileging those who appear lighter due to their proximity of whiteness. Secondly, colorism is similar in how it affects every psycho-social domain. In this study, participants were instructed to complete survey materials requiring them to self-identify their skin tone and the size of their social network. In addition to these tasks, participants took a Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale and disclosed their GPA. As such, I hypothesized that women with darker skin tones would have a smaller social network, and lower academic performance but will have relatively equal self-esteem scores. The result shows that there are no statistically significant differences in either of these psycho-social domains.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Christopher Normile
Exploring Engagement as a Predictor of Willingness to Leave Allegheny College
The goal of this study was to determine whether or not there was a correlation between time spent engaging at Allegheny College and students willingness to transfer from the school. Previous research suggests that lack of time leads to more stress in average families. This lack of time was defined as time spent engaging at Allegheny and was used to measure other variables like stress, attention, and hopelessness. The results of this study indicated that stress and hopelessness correlated positively with willingness to transfer. The main variable, engagement, did not correlate with willingness to transfer and attention also did not correlate with willingness to transfer. The implications of this study can further help understand student attitude as well as their mental state on campus. This may help universities by spurring interest in further studies to help better understand student engagement and campus satisfaction. Retention rate issues need to be addressed when students are unsatisfied to better the college experience for all.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Attitudes Towards Mental Health and Mental Health Treatment in The Republic of Croatia
The current study explored attitudes towards mental health and mental health treatment in Croatian participants through a series of qualitative interviews and thematic analyses. The purpose of the research was to understand to what extent negative attitudes towards mental health and mental health treatment are present in the Republic of Croatia, in order to determine what steps can be taken towards eliminating or minimizing the perceived stigma. Ten participants were recruited through flyers and snowball sampling around the regions of Zagreb and Sisak, and data were collected over a period of seven weeks, using semi-structured interviews which were carried out over the Zoom platform, to ensure no participants came to possible harm from the COVID-19 virus. The study revealed four main themes from the data: (1) disconnect between private and public perceptions of mental health issues and professional treatment for mental health issues, (2) exposure to the topic of mental health via education, location, generational divide, and social media, (3) perception of physical health and how it is different to the perception of mental health, and (3) impacts of COVID-19 on mental health. It was determined that there is a disconnect between private and public perceptions, and the most effective way to minimize stigma and negative attitudes is through education and exposure to the topic of mental health, and to individuals who struggle with it.
Major: Other
Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark
An Investigation into Classical Conditioning as a Mechanism to Replicate the Effects of Diazepam
Anxiety disorders are commonly treated with a class of drugs called benzodiazepines (BZDs), which have the potential to cause dependence over relatively short periods of chronic use. The objective of this study was to determine whether classical conditioning could be a valid method of reducing the amount of BZDs required to treat anxiety disorders by replicating the effects of BZDs with a conditioned stimulus (CS). Sucrose water was paired with diazepam at a dose of 1.0mg/kg injected intraperitoneally in rats over a two-week period. Following the pairing phase, diazepam treated rats were presented with sucrose water before being evaluated on the elevated plus-maze test. The times and numbers of arm entries of rats that had been treated with diazepam were compared to rats that had been treated with saline as a control. Lack of statistical significance in most of the analyses in the present study indicates that sucrose water may not have been established as a CS. However, a significant difference (p=0.035) in the number of total arm entries between control and experimental rats in this experiment, as well as trends in both the data and data from previous investigations, is enough evidence to warrant a much larger version of this study with minor alterations to the procedure.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury
Cinematography Displays of Colorism Affecting Black Women and Nonbinary Folx
Black women and nonbinary folx are likely to experience hardship as a result of colorism and discrimination. Scholars suggest that skin tone has “proved to be one of the most sensitive facets of life faced by many African Americans'” (Nassar-McMillan et al. 2006), particularly Black women (Landor et al., 2019). It’s important to analyze how cinematography pieces display stereotypical racist tropes of Black women and how the self-esteem of Black women and nonbinary viewers’ might be affected by these portrayals. This study examined the self-esteem score of participants (14 Black women and 2 nonbinary folx) before and after viewing a collection of media pieces showing stereotypical tropes of Black women. Results suggested that self-esteem scores did not differ between those rating themselves closest and farthest to the white ideal skin tone. Further studies should analyze other socialization factors such as peer relationships, family, and ethnic background to evaluate one’s self-esteem.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Jennifer Foreman
Strive: The Development of a College Program for Former Foster Youth
Studies have shown that former self-identified foster youth are less likely to attend college, and more likely to drop out compared to students who are not foster youth if they do attend an undergraduate education. With few resources available or a role model to assist them, these young adults by the time they age out of the child welfare system, more often than not, are left to figure things out on their own. This literary review research paper aims to identify the core issues these young adults face, and to develop a college program offering the appropriate and very much needed resources in hopes to change the undergraduate dropout rate amongst this community.
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Jeff Hollerman
Efficacy of Medium-Chain Triglyceride Diet in Reducing Anxiety-like Behaviors in the Sprague Dawley Rat
Previous research has established a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and anxiety. Additionally, it has been shown that medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are an effective fuel source for the mitochondria. Therefore, a MCT diet may be able to reduce anxiety symptoms. The current study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a 5% MCT diet in reducing anxiety-like behavior in the Sprague-Dawley rat. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats ranging in age from two to six months were used in the experiment. The rats were divided into two groups: control (n=10) & MCT (n=10). Rats in the control group consumed a standard pellet diet while rats in the MCT group consumed a 5% MCT diet for eight days. A pretest/post-test design was used to evaluate anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze as well as motor behavior via akinesia and catalepsy tests. Results indicated that both groups (n=20) exhibited considerably more anxiety-like behavior from pretest to post-test. Motor behavior did not change from pretest to post-test. The results of this study indicate that eight days of a 5% MCT diet does not reduce anxiety-like behavior in the Sprague-Dawley rat, and it does not affect motor behavior. This introduces mixed results of the effectiveness of a MCT diet in reducing anxiety-like behavior into the literature. More research should be done to determine its efficacy by manipulating the concentration and duration of the diet, as well as the initial anxiety levels of the rats.
Keywords: medium-chain triglycerides, anxiety, mitochondria, Sprague-Dawley rat
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Ryan Pickering
Exploring the Model Minority Myth Effect on Academic Performance and Mental Health
The purpose of this study was to look into the model minority myth and how the stereotype affects Asian American students’ academic performance. Also, mental health in Asian cultures is highly stigmatized, so experiences in this area were also investigated in this study. A qualitative study with an online survey and interview was conducted. Participants were self-identified Asian American undergraduate students from a small liberal arts college in northwestern Pennsylvania. Results showed that participants believed the model minority myth did not affect their academic performances. Participants were also seen to seek professional help for their mental health but did not feel comfortable sharing that information with their parents and/or close relatives because of the cultural barriers. Future research should focus on venturing out to other colleges and universities, including community colleges to get a larger sample size; different perspectives from different institutions may help to see a variety of experiences as Asian American students and whether or not the stereotypes and culture affect academic performance and mental health.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Guadalupe Gonzalez
Exploration of Perspective of Privilege and Motivation for Activism on College Campuses
In recent years, social media played a massive role in bringing attention to the long history of violence against Black individuals. The conversation or terms being thrown around recently, especially when speaking on racial activism, is “Performative Activism/Allyship.” Individuals who consider themselves allies tend to be the ones that also perpetuate the system of oppression they are fighting against. This can be because they benefit from this position due to their privilege. This study examined White students’ perspectives regarding Activism/Allyship and Privilege on college campuses, especially in Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). This study examined three scales focused on individuals’ attitudes toward White Privilege, Internal and External Motivations toward Online Activism, and participants’ willingness to engage in anti-racial activism. This study aimed to understand how individuals show their allyship and what they believe is to be authentic, explore the coexisting dynamics of racial activism, and understand the necessary conditions for being a successful ally within a privileged group.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Jennifer Foreman
Implementing Universal Design for Learning into Classrooms and the Effect it has on Students with Learning Disabilities
Children with learning disabilities are not performing to their full potential due to the fact that they are not learning the material properly based on their needs or disability. This does not allow them to demonstrate their understanding effectively. However, educators can implement a framework that allows students to be able to demonstrate their learning effectively while making sure their needs are being met for not only them as a student but also their disabilities. This framework is called Universal Design for Learning (UDL). By implementing UDL, students are able to express their knowledge through the three principles associated with UDL; multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. The purpose of this study was to show the effectiveness of implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom for students with learning disabilities. Results from the implementation strategies like Story Mapping and Technology based strategies, Udio and TBGO, have shown to be effective in assisting students with learning disabilities in the classroom. This study has possible implications for implementing UDL in the classroom for elementary students with learning disabilities.
Major: Psychology/Other
Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury
The Relationship between Social Media and Self-Esteem
With the emergence of social media in recent years it is important to examine the relationship between social media and different aspects of human psychology. One such aspect that needs examining is self-esteem and how it is affected by social media. Based on 2020 research the top ages for social media use are adolescents and young adults. (PEW Research Center, 2021). This is very important because it has been seen that self-esteem is the most volatile during the adolescent years (Moksnes & Geir, 2013). This is based on many different theories and frameworks offered for self-esteem. Most of these theories have one thing in common when talking about what self-esteem consists of, that being a set of evaluations that a person makes about themselves (Moksnes & Geir, 2013). In the context of social media there are three major factors that influence a person’s self-esteem. Those are social comparative behaviors, upward and downward social comparisons made on the app. The second is feedback that a person receives from the apps that consist of likes and comments. Depending on the valence of the feedback, positive and negative has an influence on the impact self-esteem is affected by social media. Finally social media addiction takes into account how often and for how much time a person spends on social media which considers how much exposure to the previously mentioned factors. Those ultimately come together to shape the effect social media has on a person’s self-esteem. There is still room for future research into this topic as there are still areas that deserve to be looked at. Those can be looking at other moderating factors such as age and other differences. One other interesting thing to consider is the idea of anonymity. Overall it is seen that self-esteem and social media is contingent on various different factors in the relationship.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lydia Eckstein
The Effects of Parasocial Attraction and Attachment Styles on Permissive Sexual Attitudes
For college-aged emerging adults whose experience is marked by freedom, independence, and finding one’s identity, parasocial influence on sexual permissive beliefs is a growing body of research, especially in the context of attachment styles, with a solid foundation in attachment theory, they have been known to predict outcomes and behaviors in romantic relationships. This study examines parasocial relationships and their influence on sexual attitudes, while also incorporating an assessment of attachment styles. Participants were recruited through SONA Systems and completed a survey via SurveyMonkey where participants were assigned a high or low PSR written vignette and were asked to complete several questionnaires assessing the influence on sexual permissive attitudes. After manipulation and collecting demographic information, they also completed three scales, checking manipulation of MPSR in vignettes, adult attachment, and sexual permissive attitudes. There were no significant differences in sexual attitudes between the conditions, although there was a significant difference between parasocial physical love manipulation regardless of condition, evidence to support attraction through written vignettes. In groups Anxious attachment was reported for 80% of the sample, leading to no interactions across attachment styles and sexual attitudes. In all, the results suggest some evidence of manipulating PSRs, specifically in physical attraction.
Keywords, Parasocial Relationships, Adult Attachment, Emerging Adulthood, Sexual Permissiveness, Social Media Vignettes
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Allison Connell
The Correlation Between Prayer, Mindfulness, and Happiness
Neurotheology is an emerging field of study that looks at correlations between the brain and religion (Sayadmansour, 2014). In this study, the relationship between a neurotheological topic of prayer is looked at in relationship to mindfulness and happiness in 36 college students who self-identify as a Christian. Mindfulness is defined as being aware of the current situation while also acknowledging and accepting the emotions that one is feeling in that moment (Baer et al.,2004). To examine this relationship several questionnaires were used. Prayer Thought (PT) was used to determine type of prayer, either inward prayer or outward prayer (Ladd & Spilka, 2002). Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills was used to quantify mindfulness (Baer et al.,2004). Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was used to determine level of happiness (Hills & Argyle, 2002). There was demographic data collected after participants responded to the surveys, a correlational analysis was performed. It was observed that there was no correlation between prayer and mindfulness or happiness. There was however a positive correlation between mindfulness and happiness (r = 0.44, p < 0.01) along with a correlation between the two types of prayer (r = 0.66, p < 0.001). Frequency of prayer did not affect happiness (p = 0.69) or mindfulness (p = 0.21) but did affect both inward PT (p < 0.05) and outward PT (p < 0.05). We believe there is no relationship between frequency of prayer, happiness and mindfulness. We believe that this will help give some direction and insight within the field of neurotheology as more research begins to occur surrounding this topic.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
PTSD, Suicidal Ideation, and Loving-Kindness Meditation: A Review of Literature of the Relationships Between Them
Suicide rates within the military and veteran communities continue to climb on yearly basis. Literature on why these rates continue to climb shows a need for problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation to be re-examined. Within this paper contemporary literature on post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation is examined through four traits common to both, shame, moral injury, self-criticism, and depression. Literature on Loving-Kindness Meditation is then examined within the context of these four traits to understand the effect Loving-Kindness Meditation would have on the traits alone as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation. This was done to understand if application of Loving-Kindness Meditation would be and effective adjunct to psychotherapy or if it would prove beneficial to individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a stand-alone practice.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Rodney Clark
The Relationship Between Social Media Use, Attention-Seeking Behavior and Narcissism
The present study looked to examine the association between social media use, attention-seeking behavior and narcissism in Allegheny College students. Participants took a series of surveys that assessed these three factors based on their social media usage on either Instagram or Tik Tok. The results concluded that there was little to no association between social media use and attention-seeking behavior, as well as social media use and narcissism. Additionally, a weak positive correlation was found between attention-seeking behavior and narcissism. These results suggest that there may be other motivating factors associated with the posting behavior of college students.
Major: Psychology/Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
The Relationship between COVID–19 Pandemic-Related Stress and Maladaptive Eating Behaviors During the Vaccine Era
The relationship between COVID–19 pandemic-related stress and maladaptive eating behaviors has been investigated by a number of studies thus far. Factors influencing the general public’s distress during the lockdown and post-lockdown time periods of the COVID–19 pandemic are still relevant today, however there are stressors unique to the current time period, referred to as the vaccine era, that impact daily life and psychological health and well-being. Examples of these specific stressors include COVID–19 variants, breakthrough infections, and professional expectations to return to ‘normal’ productivity levels. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between COVID–19 pandemic-related stress and cognitive restraint, emotional eating, uncontrolled eating, and food addiction behaviors by having N = 60 participants, residing in the United States, complete the Coronavirus Impact Scale, Vaccine Era Stressors Impact Questionnaire, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire–R21, and modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0. It was hypothesized that impact/stress would be significantly positively correlated to maladaptive eating behaviors, i.e. cognitive restraint, emotional eating, uncontrolled eating, and food addiction. These hypotheses were all supported by the data, as significant positive correlations were seen between all variables. Results, limitations, and implications for future work are discussed.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
Child Maltreatment and Empathy in Allegheny College Students
There is contradicting research regarding the impact of childhood maltreatment and its severe debilitating emotional repercussions, specifically, the impairment of the ability to feel empathy. Some studies found no correlation between the severity of maltreatment and the ability to empathize. Past and existing research has contradicted these studies by suggesting that the more child maltreatment an individual endures, the more empathetic they will be towards others and their suffering. Furthermore, the existing literature that pertains to college students vis-à-vis empathy is also limited. Existing research has focused on college students who have been maltreated as children and their psychopathology or college students and empathy, usually relating to helping professions, but there is very little research on college students related to empathy. It is for these reasons this current study will examine the effect of child maltreatment and its severity on college student empathy. This study will attempt to answer the following research questions: What is the relationship between the severity of child maltreatment and affective empathy (AE) in college students? What is the relationship between the severity of child maltreatment and cognitive empathy (CE) in college students? Jolliffe & Farrington’s (2006) The Basic Empathy Scale and Bernstein et al.’s (1998) short-form Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (the CTQ-SF) were used to measure both affective and cognitive empathy and the severity of five subscales (i.e., physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) of maltreatment respectively. JASP was used to run a correlation analysis, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). The results revealed that there is no correlation between the severity of child maltreatment and AE and the severity of child maltreatment and CE. Furthermore, the findings indicate that participants (N=46) experience emotion/empathy congruence, which is also not related to child maltreatment severity. The current study provides more reasons to further investigate the effect of child maltreatment severity levels in relation to the subscales of empathy (i.e., AE and CE).
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Sarah Stanger
The Impact of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Physiological and Psychological Health and Implications for Test Anxiety
It is estimated that between 10% to 40% of the world’s population has test anxiety. Roughly 15%-25% of college students have test anxiety (Kavakçı, 2014 ; Embse et al., 2014). Test anxiety, also known as performance anxiety, is a human mood state or condition. It causes an imbalance in homeostasis which leads to physical symptoms such as nausea, trembling, excessive sweating, and rapid heart rate, as well as emotional symptoms such as helplessness, negative thinking, stress and blanking on information (Tsegay et al., 2019; McDonald, 2001). Test anxiety can cause such high levels of stress and worry that it interferes with a student’s academic success. Diaphragmatic breathing could be used to improve anxiety and academics. In this review, I present the research on the impact of deep breathing on physiological and psychological health. I hypothesize that it is these physiological and psychological changes that lead deep breathing to improve academic performance.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury
Just Stay Focused: ADHD, Self-Esteem, ADHD, and Social Media Disorder in College Students
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between self-esteem, symptoms of ADHD, and social media disorder. College students (N = 74) were sampled by utilizing an online survey, using a convenience sampling method. The vast majority of participants were freshman or sophomore (74.67%), female (66.67%), and non-Hispanic White (78.67%). Three instruments were used, including the Adult ADHD Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5 (ASRS-5), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES), and the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS). Contrary to my research hypothesis, a multiple regression analysis model suggested that negative self-esteem, ADHD symptoms, or the combination of both were not significant predictors of Social Media Disorder. Potential explanations for the low prevalence of Social Media Disorder in the current sample are discussed. These preliminary findings warrant the need for future research with a modified evaluation of self-esteem and symptoms of ADHD and how they may correlate with social media addiction.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury
Team Light Skin or Dark Skin: A Literary Analysis of the Impact of Social Media on Colorism and Self-Esteem Amongst the Black Diaspora
Colorism has been a historical systemic issue that has affected Black individuals for centuries. However, the introduction of social media in the modern world has provided new means for colorist ideas to spread throughout society in various ways. Previous research has highlighted how intra-racial colorism and discrimination have produced low self-esteem, negative psychosocial implications, and varying effects on skin color perception and satisfaction (Oh et al., 2021). Accounting for the pervasiveness of social media, this literary analysis seeks to analyze the impact of social media on the Black Diaspora, especially concerning self-esteem and skin color. Common themes in the literary analysis suggest that individuals of different skin tones have varying levels of satisfaction and self-esteem. The themes highlighted in the literature pertained to high levels of social media usage and similar demographics in skin color, and age. Additional themes extended to the content on social media and the psychological implication of social media usage. Specifically, the themes present found that darker individuals were inclined to have higher levels of satisfaction and lower levels of self-esteem. Future empirical studies might explore developing effective therapeutic measures to counteract the psychosocial implications that colorism might have on self-esteem and skin color satisfaction in members of the Black community.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Monali Chowdhury
The Influence of Social Media on Substance Use in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
Substance use during adolescence and emerging adulthood is a national issue, especially with the growth and popularity of various social media platforms. This study explored how individuals utilize social media, what their intentions behind using social media were, and how this use affected their lives offline. Perceived norms online and social comparison greatly impact how individuals take in content on social media, and how this information will go on to affect their own behaviors in the real world. Different behavioral theories were evaluated on how they impact these individuals, including: the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Social Learning Theory, the Social Norms Theory, the Prototype Willingness Model, the Co-Construction Model, the Media Practice Model, the Facebook Influence Model, the Message Interpretation Processing Theory, the Uses and Gratification Theory, the Super Peer Theory, and the influence of Digital Status Seeking. Also looked at were how personality types and different mental health struggles affect online behavior and substance use, including: Anxiety, Depression, Low Self-Esteem, and Narcissistic tendencies. The real life impact of frequently viewing substance-related content was also evaluated. The overall findings of this research support that increased social media use for adolescents and emerging adults is positively correlated with increased amounts of substance use.
Major: Neuroscience
Comp Advisor: Jeff Hollerman
The Effect of Dopamine Antagonists on Morphine Preference in Sprague-Dawley Rats
There is a lack of research on the potential utilization of dopamine in speeding up the extinction process of opioid addiction. There are three medication-assisted treatments (MAT) that help those with substance abuse disorders cope with the rehabilitation process following addiction. Dopamine plays a role in the mesolimbic reward pathway responsible for opioid addiction. The purpose of the present study is to assess the effect that dopamine antagonists have on the extinction process in subjects with morphine dependency. A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were utilized in the experiment. They were assessed for chamber place preference within a three-chambered apparatus and treated with morphine, linked to the non-preferred chamber. Following the conditioning phase, the subjects were given either saline (control), SCH-23390, or sulpiride in saline and DMSO and tested again for their preference. It was predicted that there would be a shortened extinction phase in the rats administered D1-like and D2-like antagonists. It was predicted that two principles of interest would be observed: 1) Time will decrease the subjects’ chamber preference in the D1-like antagonist group when compared to the control group; 2) Time will decrease the subjects’ chamber preference in the D2-like antagonist group. An interaction was predicted that the use of a dopamine antagonist prior to the second chamber preference measure would decrease the chamber preference in the subjects, with the greatest decrease of chamber preference stemming from the D2-antagonist group. A one-way ANOVA found that the antagonists did not have a significant effect on the morphine dependency, as assessed by a chamber preference ratio in regard to time (p = .970). A mixed ANOVA found that there is no significance between time and the D1 antagonist (p = .086), nor between time and the D2 antagonist (p = .091). There is not an interaction between the antagonist and chamber preference (p = .970).
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Jennifer Foreman
Effects of Queer Media Representations on Queer People
Media has become a constant in modern society. Media is found to be associated with worldviews of people, with representation of minority groups being a particular influence on the perceptions people hold of those groups. The purpose of this study was to see how representations of queer identities influences the self-esteem, group belongingness, and satisfaction with life of queer individuals. The study had N = 60 participants who completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the General Belongingness Scale (GBS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) both before and after being exposed to different experimental conditions that consisted of different queer identites that were positive or negative representations. The results suggested that there were not significant differences in pre-test and post-test scores for any of the measures with positive or negative representation or matched identity as factors. There were several limitations to the study, which provide reason to continue research in this area.
Major: Psychology
Comp Advisor: Lauren Paulson
THE IMPACT OF PLAYING STARDEW VALLEY ON MENTAL HEALTH
Video Games are a common choice of entertainment for all ages. Despite this, there is little research on the potential benefits of playing video games. Some games, such as Tetris, have increasing evidence of the relationship between gameplay and stress and anxiety relief. The purpose of this study was to look at the impact of the role-playing game (RPG) video game Stardew Valley on young and emerging adult anxiety. Participants (n = 28) were split into three conditions: the Stardew Valley condition, the Tetris condition, and a control condition (a neutral video). I hypothesized that playing anxiety relief will be highest within the Stardew Valley condition, moderate within the Tetris condition, and lowest within the
control condition. A Repeated Measures Factorial ANOVA revealed no significant differences in pre- and post-test State Anxiety scores. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in State Anxiety Scores between conditions, nor were there any significant differences in State Anxiety scores between participants within the same condition. A One Way Between Subjects ANOVA found no significant differences in Trait Anxiety scores between groups. The results of this study show the need for further investigation in this area.