Explore past psychology SMPs to inspire future projects and learn more about the broad variety of topics research in psychology can cover. Search by year, mentor, department, or keyword to narrow your findings, or select one of the column headers to sort your search alphabetically or chronologically.
Name | Department | SMP Title | Abstracts | Mentor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green, Shantavia | Psychology | Privilege And Covid-19: Race, Privilege, And Consequences Of Covid-19 | It is important to consider how each pandemic has a social content that paints a beautiful and painful picture of how social constructs have impacted outcomes for different groups of people. Like the symptoms (white privilege, disadvantage of nonwhites) of the pandemic's different with-it verity (Spanish Flu, HIV/AIDS, Swine Flu and COVID) so is the effect of social construct (Asians, Blacks, Whites and Latino). Understanding that symptoms help to identify a problem so is social construct. However, for this paper the researcher did not have to create any symptoms (white privilege, disadvantage of nonwhites) just follow the pandemic. Society has already set the stage. There was not a significant difference in scores for White college students’ access to COVID-19 vaccines. Non-Whites and whites had similar levels of access to COVID-19 vaccines. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2021-05 |
| Hall, Leah | Psychology | Media And Autism: Media’s Impact on The Public Perception of Autism | This study investigated the effect of different types of media and the way they portray autism on society’s perception of autism and autistic people. Participants (N = 124) were asked to compete an IAT (Implicit Association Task) and a self-report survey with various questions related to tropes and themes found in media about autism through previous research. Participants also reported how many instances of an autistic character they’d seen in certain types of popular media. Those who consumed media with more negative or stereotyped depictions of autism did not have higher levels of anti-autistic internalized bias than those who consumed media with less negative depictions of autism. There was also no difference in anti-autistic internalized bias between psychology majors and non-psychology majors. However, given the broad scope of this issue, future research is needed to help understand exactly how media depictions of autism affect real autistic people and society’s perception towards them. Keywords: autism, media, ableism, discrimination, stereotypes | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2021-05 |
| Holland, Janel | Psychology | Dietary Choices: Dietary Choices Of Students At Smcm | The purpose of this study is to compare food insecurities, poor diet and the overall dietary choices of St. Mary’s College of Maryland student’s pre-pandemic and while in the pandemic. The current study also examines composition of students, for example healthy proportions of vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, protein and how it relates to academic achievement. To better understand the dietary choices of students the research also acknowledges transitions from home to college, composition (e.g., eating behaviors) of a healthy diet and the dietary choices of college students when they’re stressed. The sample used in this study is a convenience sample and consisted of 69 upperclassman college students who all gave consent and completed an online survey. Results of this study suggested that while many college students were food secure Pre-and during the pandemic there was a small percentage of students who experienced great food insecurities while in the pandemic. Secondly students reported that their diet choices did have a slight change while in the pandemic; such as snacking and consuming more food than they would on a typical day but results were not significant. Thirdly, poor dietary choices were not correlated with academic achievement. | Platt, Richard D. | 2021-05 |
| Horner, Erin | Psychology | The Importance Of Social Support In Single Mother Pregnancy | The impact that social support has on individuals has been well researched, but there's a need for more research specifically on the importance of social support on single mother pregnancy. Women endure a variety of difficulties when pregnant . An important part of the mental well being of any individual includes but is not limited to having social support from others. Supportive relationships can have a positive effect and promote well-being that can lead to pregnant women to view pregnancy related challenges less stressful. The goal of social support is to show any individual that they are valued and deserving of help. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2021-05 |
| Kirk, Shannon | Psychology | Impact Of Fluoxetine On Neurodegeneration And Anxiety In Adolescent Rats Following Binge Alcohol Consumption | Chronic consumption of binge levels of alcohol can often result in alcohol use disorders. Binge consumption of alcohol can commonly begin during adolescence, a critical time period for brain development. Alcohol is a particularly dangerous substance, as it utilizes both reward and stress pathways, meaning usage can result in increased reward and decreased stress. Serotonin is involved in both reward and stress pathways and disruption in this neurotransmitter pathway due to excessive alcohol consumption can cause increased sensitivity to stress and anxiety. Until recently, neurodegeneration was thought to be irreversible, but recent studies have begun to discover few areas within the brain that continue cell proliferation throughout adulthood and treatments that can induce neurogenesis, such as selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Fluoxetine is a SSRI antidepressant that has been found to provide neuroprotective effects by increasing neurogenesis and inhibiting neurotoxic effects from pro-inflammatory cytokines. We administered a binge level exposure of alcohol to adolescent rats followed by a chronic dosage of Fluoxetine with the intentions that the Fluoxetine would promote neurogenesis after alcohol consumption and as a result reduce anxiety-like behaviors. The level of alcohol administered did not alter the anxiety-like behaviors, thus we did not see ameliorated effects from the Fluoxetine. | Dennis, Torry S. | 2021-05 |
| Kuderski, Nicole | Psychology | Lex the Lion’s Guide to Divorce: A Workbook for Children | Divorce is occurring at an increasing rate throughout the United States. Every year more than a million children in America experience divorce or separation of the parents (Cohen, 2002; McCullough, 2009). Half of all children will spend at least some time in a one parent family, and with half of all divorces occurring by the seventh year of marriage parents with young children are the fastest growing divorcing population (Nair & Murray, 2005; Pruett & Jackson, 1999). Over half of the children who experience divorce do so by age six with 75% of these children being under age 3 (Solomon & George, 1999). In addition to an increase in divorce, children testifying in court has been occurring in an increasing amount over the past two decades (Crossman et al., 2002). Children are only asked to testify in court in extreme cases when the parents cannot reach an agreement and the court has to step in. While it only occurs in extreme cases, these cases are increasing in number and there are major detrimental effects of children being involved in the court system. Since children testifying is becoming more and more common, judges are starting to become more educated on children in the court. It varies by jurisdiction, but overall many judges try to educate themselves on ways to help the child witness (Crossman et al., 2002). This is crucial, because the system is defined for adults and thus judges are primarily educated on how to work with adults. This can cause severe confusion and stress for children who are put in that system. If judges educate themselves, it will allow them to better understand and work with the children, easing the stress they experience and making the process less intimidating. The developmental stage of the child, the parent’s ability to focus on the child’s needs and feelings, the child’s temperament, and the psychosocial functioning of the child pre- and post- separation affect how the child reacts to the divorce (Cohen, 2002). Addressing these issues is not only important for the children but it can help society as a whole. Failing to prevent or help underlying causes of children's mental health difficulties can cause significant effects on their wellbeing while also impacting society overall with increased future costs. Children of divorce are an overlooked population that suffers extreme mental health issues that need to be addressed (McDonald et al, 2019). | Jensen, Cjersti | 2021-05 |
| Lott, Isabel | Psychology | Religion-Based Sexism And Attachment To God: The Moderating Roles Of Religiosity, Spirituality, And Feminist-Oriented Spirituality | The growing body of psychological research on God as an attachment figure for theists has thus far focused more on the impact of a secure or insecure attachment to God on psychological well-being, but less so on the variables that might impact the development of a secure attachment to God, what populations are most likely to develop those insecure attachments, and how religious communities can support the development of a healthier, more secure attachment to God. The goal of this study was to better understand the risk and protective factors of religion in the lives of women through an exploration of the relationship between Christian-affiliated women’s experiences of religion-based sexism and attachment to God. The moderating roles of religiosity, spirituality, and feminist-oriented spirituality on this relationship were also assessed. Questionnaire measures of these variables were completed by a sample of college students from a small, liberal arts college on the East coast of Maryland (n = 77). Somewhat consistent with prior research related to LGBTQ+ individuals and non-affirming religious environments, results indicated that more experiences of religion-based sexism were associated with a more avoidant attachment to God. However, most of our hypotheses were unsupported. Explanations for this lack of support were considered; namely, the effects of the irreligiosity of the sample on our findings. Despite the limitations, this study provides directions for future research on women’s attachment relationships to God, such as the ability to selectively reject negative aspects of one’s religious environment, other external variables that may impact a woman’s internal sense of connection to God, and the importance of including a qualitative element in future studies. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2021-05 |
| Macconnell, Judith | Psychology | The Effects of Nicotine and Alcohol Exposure on Learning and Memory During Adolescence in Rodents | During adolescence, the brain is still developing, which may lead to young individuals partaking in risky behavior such as smoking tobacco and binge drinking (Nguyen-Louie et al., 2016). Drug use can cause changes in behavior, and has been shown to have effects on structures in the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (Salmanzadeh et al., 2020). Since the brain is still developing during adolescence, there is evidence to suggest that learning and memory functions may be impaired later in life as a result of adolescent drug use. We examined these effects by exposing adolescent rodents (post-natal day 28) to high levels of alcohol and nicotine through the early, mid, and late adolescent time period. We later tested any effect of combined nicotine and alcohol use on learning and memory, using hippocampal dependent paradigms such as Novel Object Recognition (NOR) and Object- in- Place (OIP). We found no effect of early drug use recognition memory (NOR), but did find that early drug use facilitated spatial recognition (OIP). Substance use during adolescence is an important, preventable issue, and it can have long- term neural consequences. With more knowledge on the psychological and physiological effects of substance use during this fundamental timeframe, awareness can be spread to conceivably reduce the long- term effects of these substances. | Fernandez, Gina M. | 2021-05 |
| Minor, Spencer | Psychology | Multiracial Identity: Development Through Various Social Connections | Multiracial people are an understudied racial minority, and not much is understood regarding the various influences that go into their racial identity development. The goal of this exploratory study is to get an understanding of how a multiracial person’s social connections influence the development of their racial identity. The sample for this study was 13 multiracial college students between the ages of 18 and 24. The sample was interviewed using Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, 2012; Hill et al., 1997). The participants shared their unique experiences regarding peer comments and reactions to their racial identity, influence of tradition and family on their racial identity, microaggressions they may have experienced, how their racial identity has changed since adolescence, and other more general comments about being multiracial. Overall, most participants shared that their multiracial identity was strong. Every participant shared at least one experience of a microaggression. Other results are discussed in further detail as they vary among the participants. Limitations of this study and future directions are discussed. keywords: multiracial, microaggression, racial identity development, adolescence | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2021-05 |
| Mixson, Daniel | Psychology | Sexually Explicit Media’s Effect and Relationship with Sexual Behaviors and Sexual False Self | This study is intended to examine the relationship between differences between sexually explicit media consumption and sexual behaviors, and sexual false self. This study found the consumption of sexually explicit media at higher levels than engagement in sexual behaviors correlated positively with higher levels of sexual false self. This indicates that individuals who consume more sexually explicit media, and engage in less sexual behaviors, may be more likely to have a tendency to conceal their sexual interests and preferences. Keywords: Sexually Explicit Media, Porn, Sexuality, Sexual False Self, Sexual Scripts, Sexual Norms, Cultural Norms, Sexual Scripting Theory, Sexual Behavior | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2021-05 |
| Parcell, Jonathan | Psychology | MOODY MUSIC: Mood and Arousal Hypothesis with Lyric-less Music | The Arousal-Mood Hypothesis is the idea, that arousal and mood affected by music can in turn affect the cognitive performance of listeners. This is supported by the literature, and thus we created an experiment to test the hypothesis. Many studies use different selections of music to fit their arousal or mood needs, but we used one song and manipulated the key of a song and the tempo, changes supported by evidence to manipulate mood and arousal respectively. We had people complete a survey asking them to memorize word lists, completing a retention task to give them time between the word list and testing, and then testing them on the world list they studied. Results showed that none of the groups performed significantly differently than one another on their memory tested on the word lists, and we found the key of the song did not significantly impact the mood of the participants. We did find that high tempo significantly increased the arousal in participants, however. Further research should be done on using the Arousal-Mood Hypothesis and using the same song but manipulated by key and tempo to provide more supporting evidence. | Platt, Richard D. | 2021-05 |
| Pineda, Amber | Psychology | Bringing Learning Center Practices to Daycare Facilities | Finding the right daycare or learning center is a complicated task many parents face when returning to work. Swartout-Corbeil (2005) recently wrote an article discussing how parents, primarily mothers, have to return to the workforce after maternity leave, forcing them to place their child in a childcare setting. The article focused on the percentage of children's enrollment within daycare or learning care centers, so parents can maintain their lifestyle, including raising a child. This requires a lot of effort on the parents' end of locating/searching for the right childcare center. Many parents are focusing on the cost of each facility and realizing they are unable to afford excellent childcare that also provides an education in their daily activities. I would propose implementing the same practices of a learning care center into a daycare facility without adding any extra cost. This proposal would benefit both parents and daycare facilities when childcare costs may be the reason for selecting one facility over another. Keywords: daycare, learning center, educational facility, early child care | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2021-05 |
| Pisano, Josephina | Psychology | Perceptual Conformity: Investigating the effects of social influence on perceived attraction | The digital age has made finding romantic partners easier than ever with a range of online dating apps to choose from. In some ways dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble have become more than just a way to pursue dating but also a form of social interaction or fun amongst friends and peers. When a group of friends is together, and someone is swiping through dating profiles, they may show their friends and ask for their opinion of the potential match. How do people manage social influences in respect to personal perception of attraction? I suggest that one way people react to these social influences is by unconsciously conforming to their perception of attraction to those around them. Using a virtual machine paradigm I found evidence of perceptual conformity among those in a romantic relationship, but not among single participants. I discuss these findings in regards to a novel perspective into perceptual conformity. Keywords: perception, conformity, social influence, attraction | Howansky, Kristina | 2021-05 |
| Pollock, Carly | Psychology | The Effects of Combined Nicotine and Ethanol Exposure on Drug Seeking Behaviors in Adult Rats | Nicotine and alcohol are two of the most widely used drugs in the United States. The CDC reported that 13.7% of adults 18+ currently smoked cigarettes regularly and 25.1% of adults 18+ had at least one binge drinking episode in the past year (five or more drinks for men and four or more for women) based on the National Health Interview Survey in 2018. In acute levels, effects such as headaches, diuretic effects, and the inability to concentrate can occur, while with chronic alcohol use, more serious effects such as sleep disturbances, withdrawal, restlessness, sweating, loss of appetite, nausea, irritability, and blackouts can occur (Meyer & Quenzer, 2005). With nicotine use, the user develops a tolerance to the anxiogenic and cognitive effects of the nicotine as use increases, leading to a lack of satiety and an increase in use (Meyer & Quenzer, 2005). From 2011-2015, excessive drinking was responsible for an average of 95,158 deaths in the United States each year (Stahre et. al., 2020). Even with this evidence, research on the combined use of these two drugs is limited in long term effects. | Fernandez, Gina M. | 2021-05 |
| Prather, Elizabeth | Psychology | Implicit Racial Biases In Criminal Counseling | Racial bias influences behavior in both the criminal justice system and the counseling field, and implicit racial biases are challenging to address and measure. The present study examined how the biases that counselors have affect their perceptions of clients in the criminal justice system. Using vignettes to establish different conditions based on client race and client criminal history as well as various measures, the impact of the participants’ implicit racial biases on perceptions of counseling and the client was measured; the data were then analyzed using a MANOVA. The only significant result found was for the therapists’ reactions to the client in response to client race, and the results were contradictory to the hypothesis in that the African American clients were rated more positively than the White clients. These findings add complexity to the understanding of how implicit racial biases affect the criminal counseling field by measuring biases based on the client’s race and criminal history. Keywords: implicit racial bias, criminal justice, mandated counseling, psychotherapy, therapist personal reaction, working alliance, implicit association | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2021-05 |
| Priest, Kyaira | Psychology | Resilience in Individuals | The aim of this study was to identify whether heterosexual (straight) or homosexual individuals were more likely to discover resilience after suffering from depression. For this study diverse college-aged students took a 5-10 min survey that was divided into 3 different sections. First was to determine an individual's sexual orientation. Following this was the depression evaluation scale (DES) to determine those who have suffered from depression. The study ended with the resilience evaluation survey (RES) to discover those who have discovered resilience. Using an independent t-test, I compared the two groups. I hypthesized that heterosexual individuals would be more likely to discovering resilience after depression, than a LGBTQ+ individual. Results showed that heterosexual individuals were in fact more likely to discover resilience than a LGBTQ+. The results of this study may indicate that heterosexual individuals are more likely to discover resilience but overall, all individuals are capable of experiencing resilience. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2021-05 |
| Sears, Kelsey | Psychology | Autism Spectrum Disorder and Problem Behaviors: An analysis of behavioral stategies | Problem behaviors are common characteristics that come along with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. In early childhood, all children may present difficult behavioral issues. However, those children with an autism diagnosis may need extra patience, support, and techniques to help them through those behaviors and experiences. This literature review is an examination of problem behaviors that are associated with autism spectrum disorder. This review also examines suggestions and strategies for parents and educators when managing those difficult behaviors. Additionally, a website critique to investigate various behavior strategies is presented. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2021-05 |
| Shorter, Cory | Psychology | Therapist Cultural Values And Attitudes Towards Dreams | This study investigates the relationship between therapist cultural values and attitudes towards dreams. To examine this relationship, current practicing psychotherapists (N= 21) were recruited to participate in a study analyzing their attitudes towards dreams as well as their cultural values and salience. Psychotherapists filled out a questionnaire containing multiple measures such as the Attitudes Towards Dreams - Revised Scale (ATD-R), developed by Dr. Clara Hill (1999). The questionnaire also contained the Cross Ethnic-Racial Identity Scale - Adult (CERIS-A) (Worrell et al., 2019) and the Cultural Salience Ranking Scale (Hook et al., 2013). Results demonstrated there was no significant relationship between attitudes towards dreams and ethnic-racial salience or multicultural inclusivity. However, we did find a relationship between time therapists spent working with dreams and their positive attitudes towards dreams. No significant relationship was found between therapist most salient cultural identity and attitudes towards dreams. As sample size may have limited the findings, additional research on these issues is warranted. Keywords: Attitudes towards dreams, Cultural salience, Cultural values, Psychotherapy, Dream work | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2021-05 |
| Spanoghe, William | Psychology | Mental Fatigue In The Workplace | The current study examines the differences in mental fatigue between educators who have just finished a workday and those on their day off. Previous studies have suggested that individuals experiencing mental fatigue have shown worse cognitive performance. Within the study educators were presented with three different cognitive tasks, a Flanker, N-back and Psychomotor Vigilance task. Current results contradict the hypothesis and show no significant different in performance based on the two groups. Members of the afterwork group showed better, but not significant, results for the cognitive tasks. | Platt, Richard D. | 2021-05 |
| Turner, Ruby | Psychology | Examining Help-Seeking Behaviors Among African American/Black College Students | This mixed methods study examined the relationships between social class, religiosity, ethnic identity, family connectedness, and help-seeking stigma within the African American/Black college student population. Participants completed a questionnaire containing quantitative scales and four open-ended response prompts about these topics. Hypotheses; (1)Religion, ethnic identity, social class, and family connectedness will be negatively related to help-seeking stigma; (2)The correlation between family connectedness and help-seeking stigma will have a weaker relationship compared to religion, ethnic identity, and social class. (3) How have religion, race, family connectedness, and social class influenced participants' help-seeking stigma towards mental health resources? Results partially supported the hypotheses since ethnic identity was negatively correlated to help-seeking stigma and ethnic identity and social class negatively predicted help-seeking stigma. Open-ended responses were incorporated as a follow up for the quantitative scales and gave participants a chance to share their personal experiences with mental health professionals. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2021-05 |
| Tyler, Ocean | Psychology | Covid-19: Impact On The Internet And Young Adults | COVID-19 lockdowns have been a societal response necessary to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the psychological and physiological effects and implications have not been extensively studied due to the recency of the outbreak. This study examined how the COVID-19 lockdowns have impacted screen time and relationships with loneliness, depression, smartphone addiction, and COVID-19 related health anxiety in a sample of70 St. Mary’s College of Maryland undergraduate students. Participants responded to items regarding health anxiety, screen-time, depression, loneliness, and smartphone addiction. Data was analyzed using SPSS to calculate Pearson’s Correlations to find relationships between the variables, T tests to find if screen time had significantly increased since lockdowns began in March 2020, and a frequency table to examine what participants were engaging with on screens. The results showed that screen time had significantly increased since lockdowns began and students were mostly engaging with social media more than any other activity, including school-related activities. There were statistically significant results which suggest there is a relationship between screen time, health anxiety, and depression. This study sheds light into how college students may be responding to the COVID-19 lockdowns psychologically and behaviorally. Keywords: COVID-19, depression, health anxiety, social media, screen time, lockdown, Internet, | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2021-05 |
| Wilde, Paige | Psychology | Telehealth Rehabillitation for Physical Therapy Patients | Telehealth is the use of telecommunications and electronic information in a healthcare setting. Telehealth has multiple goals which include, increased access to patients across locations and life stages, increased quality of care, and increased patient accountability and engagement. Unfortunately, telehealth alone as an approach to care is still problematic and there are few programs that have effectively administered quality healthcare. There are various general telehealth prototypes but minimal telehealth prototypes that have included physical therapy. Long term goals could be easily accommodated once a patient is discharged by implementation of a well-designed telehealth app. I created a demo rehabilitative app through Adobe XD which incorporates all key features identified in past research and my own personal experience for an effective app that aids rehabilitation. The purpose of creating this telehealth app for physical therapy patients is to provide practitioners an approach to care that will benefit both the therapist and patient. This app includes features like a home exercise program, interactive qualities, be easily accessible and easy to use, educational pieces, allow for support from the therapist, and include rehabilitative assessments. A survey of the app was completed to determine if the app is aesthetically appealing, easy to use, as well as containing the potential to be beneficial and effective. Overall, participants believed that this telehealth rehabilitative app for physical therapy patients was a great concept with good features, but needed some improvements in order to maximize its effectiveness. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2021-05 |
| Ziccardi, Francesca | Psychology | Influence of the Gut-Brain Microbiome Axis on Conditioned Morphine Reward | Addiction has become a large issue within the United States, specifically drug addiction and there are not many ways to help prevent it. Addiction is a sickness that is not easy to cure, and withdrawal and relapse is a serious issue. The brains reward pathways become comfortable and “enjoy” the feelings that drugs can give off, especially opioids. One thing that has become more apparent in research is how the gut microbiome can affect the reward pathways in the brain causing a decrease in drug addiction behaviors (Lee, et al., 2018). The gut and brain are two completely different organs but are connected through nerves, neurotransmitters, and/or gut hormones. Not only does the gut microbiome reduce inflammation, but it also reduces psychological disorders like anxiety and depression. The gut microbiome has positive effects on the brain and the body as a whole and that’s why the probiotic can be used as a protective. If there are more microbiomes within the gut than that can be portrayed by some to be negative because a gut microbiome is a bacteria. What some do not know is that there are bacteria’s that live in the gut that the body uses to help maintain healthy behavior and functioning. | Dennis, Torry S. | 2021-05 |
| Allnutt, Elizabeth | Psychology | Parents of Children with Nonverbal Autism: Perceptions of their Child’s Educational Experience | This project aims to look at the perspective of parents of children with nonverbal autism spectrum disorder (NVASD) in regard to their child’s educational placement. NVASD refers to people who exhibit the typical behaviors of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) such as difficulty with social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviors, in addition to producing minimal or no verbal speech. This kind of autism is usually referred to as “low-functioning” meaning it is thought to be on the low end of the autism spectrum. As it is viewed “low on the spectrum”, there is little research regarding people with NVASD, with the majority of the ASD research targeting those on the other end of the spectrum. To fill in this gap in the literature, parents of children with NVASD were interviewed about what their experiences have been in the education system and what they want to change in the future. Parents reported that they valued communication with and support from teachers, challenging academics and increased socialization. In their current placements, parents thought that their child was frequently not seen as an individual and unsupported in their communication methods, resulting in parent’s constant advocacy. In addition, many parents had difficulty achieving their placement, and many times had to resort to outside resources for assistance. Overall, the parent interviews indicated that current teaching techniques used for children with NVASD are ineffective and require more research. | Koch, Katherine A. | 2019-05 |
| Ballard, Ashley | Psychology | Applied Behavior Analysis And Music Therapy: An Integration Of Interventions For Children With Autism A Literature Review And Proposed Clinical Trial | The rise of Autism rates has been called an ‘epidemic’, but research suggests that rather than more incidences of Autism, there has been further development and understanding of the disorder, which has led to more awareness and an increase in children being diagnosed. Autism has historically been difficult to diagnose; but in recent years there has been an effort to improve interventions and treatment options to better help clinicians make judgments on a child's behavior, abilities and treatment options. This review builds a case for the use of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) in combination with Music Therapy as an intervention for young children diagnosed with Autism.The two therapies are complementary to one another and are likely provide successful results as an intervention for children with Autism. Key words: Applied Behavioral Analysis, ABA, Music Therapy, Autism, Early childhood | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2019-05 |
| Bauer, Elisabeth | Psychology | An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Imaginary Play And Theory Of Mind In Early Childhood | In recent years, an expanding body of research has examined imaginary play in relation to socio-cognitive capacities such as mental reasoning, empathy, and perspective-taking abilities in early childhood. This study investigates the relationship between imaginary play and theory of mind, a socio-cognitive capacity for perspective taking, among preschool aged children. Previous research has suggested that pretense and theory of mind operate under the same core mechanisms, contingent upon the ability to interpret actions and beliefs as representational. Play also offers a developmentally appropriate space to enact multiple perspectives, explore causality, and experiment with socio-emotional reasoning. Although neither directionality nor causality have been established, this study assumes the position that imaginary play facilitates the development of theory of mind. Furthermore, we hypothesized that there would be a significant, positive correlation between theory of mind and imaginary play. The present study comprised of 14 preschool aged children (ages 3-5) recruited from a local college community. Researchers administered a common theory of mind assessment and behavioral measurement of imaginary play in a single time-point session. A parent survey was distributed as an additional measure of imaginary play ability. The results indicated that theory of mind and imaginary play are significantly correlated, however after conducting a subsequent partial correlation controlling for age the correlation was no longer significant. Thus, age had an effect on the relationship between theory of mind and imaginary play. Results are further discussed in the context of early childhood education, and suggestions are offered for implementation of play pedagogy. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2019-05 |
| Best, Logan | Psychology | Effects of Adolescent Stress on Anxiety-like Behavior in Female Rodents | Stress is an inevitable, often daily, part of life. In humans, mild stress can help you stay focused and alert by enhancing neural function. Research using rats suggests that extended stress can lead to many physical and mental health complications, such as altered cardiovascular function, depression, anxiety, and neurological changes. These neurological changes are often structural (dendritic), and focused within the prefrontal cortex, with stress having distinctive structural effects in adolescents when compared to adults. Early life stress has been shown to cause changes in social behaviors including fear, avoidance, and decreased social interaction among other rats. Research shows that a significant increase in anxiety-like behavior follows stressful conditions. Though it’s known that stress early in brain development can lead to deficits in social behavior and dendritic morphology, research on the role sex differences play are not abundant. In fact, research into stress-related changes in late adolescent female rodents is lacking. The present study investigated the effects of repeated mild stress on anxiety-like behavior in late adolescent female rats. Behavioral results found no significant stress-induced traits specific to late adolescent female rats, however, it did unexpectedly reveal that female adolescent rats may be able to handle mild stressors without behavioral side-effects. Continued work on this study will attempt to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms for the behavioral outcomes observed, and provide insight into future animal research on the potential neurological effects of female adolescent stress. | Fernandez, Gina M. | 2019-05 |
| Cain, Zoey | Psychology | Social Media Choices And Mental Health | Social media is a form of communication that was created within the last fifteen years. Social media can be an amazing thing because it provides users with the ability to stay in touch with people they may not otherwise be able to. But these new benefits come with consequences. This study looks at the way social media choices (the type, time spent, and content that is seen on social media) can impact individuals mental health (mental well-being and self-esteem). Participants filled out various questionnaires to measure their social media choices and mental health. The results supported the hypothesis that time spent on social media is negatively correlated with self-esteem. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2019-05 |
| Chiavacci, Lindsay | Psychology | An Introduction To Effectively Teaching Abstract Cognitive Skills: An Integrated Developmental Framework | This paper develops a framework that is designed to enhance abstract cognitive skills throughout education. Abstract cognitive skills include critical thinking, problem-solving, and metacognitive reasoning. These skills are not limited to one domain and are useful far beyond an academic setting. I argue that education for the enhancement of these skills should begin as soon as the child begins school and should continue throughout their education. This paper uses Halpern’s Model of Cognitive Development and Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development to create a framework that enhances abstract cognitive skills in early education rather than waiting until context-dependent knowledge is well developed in specific domains. Halpern’s model suggests that education aimed at the enhancement of abstract thinking skills must include dispositions towards intellectual curiosity, instructional techniques such as analogical reasoning, and metacognitive components that require self-explanation and reflection. Piaget’s theory highlights critical developmental milestones in cognitive function throughout childhood. This paper uses these milestones to suggest ability-appropriate instruction at any age. This framework offers ways for educators to teach abstract thinking skills in any subject as a learning process that continues through education and into the ‘real-world’. | Platt, Richard D. | 2019-05 |
| Coogan, Emily | Psychology | Man’s Best Friend: How Animals Help Facilitate The Therapeutic Alliance | Abstract This study examines therapists’ opinions on how the therapeutic alliance and outcome of therapy is affected by Animal-assisted therapy. Animal-assisted therapy is a relatively new field that has not had many research studies devoted to it. To find out more about this topic, the researcher conducted interviews with therapists defining themselves as Animal-assisted therapists. The interview questions involved the alliance, the outcome of therapy, the therapists’ thoughts on this type of therapy, and other topics. Once all interviews had been completed and transcribed, consensual qualitative research was performed on the interviews. This study found that the therapeutic alliance and outcome of therapy was affected by Animal-assisted therapy. This study also discovered areas in this practice that need to be addressed and changed. One interesting finding was that a new, unexpected domain emerged that could potentially lead to a future study. Positive benefits were found for clients who have been in an Animal-assisted therapy sessions, which help support the credibility of its practice. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2019-05 |
| Dirmeyer, Kallan | Psychology | Linguistic Modulation of Color Sensitivity | Afterimages are effects of neural exhaustion on perception and often create an experience of seeing a shadow of the opposite color than what the eye was exposed to. Prior work showed that a similar effect involving changes in visual sensitivity can happen when the priming stimulus is auditory information. This study aims to replicate Zheng et al. (2017) in finding any top-down effects of auditory color information creating a visual sensitivity change in discriminating low alpha level colors from a white background. There is a visual priming task designed to be a baseline for comparison to any sensitivity change that may have been found from the auditory stimuli. It was found that this visual priming task did not yield the expected results in that complimentary paired trials should have a heightened sensitivity to the test stimuli. Because of this inability to create a data set where a sensitivity change was measured no comparison to the auditory task could be made in this way. Even without this comparison, there was no effect of congruency of stimuli colors on sensitivity, meaning the priming stimuli (audio or visual) did not create a sensitivity change in participants visual perception of the test stimuli colors. A discussion of limitations and improvements are done to suggest ways to redesign the areas of the procedure that may have led to these findings. | Mantell, James T. | 2019-05 |
| Feidelseit, Kara | Psychology | Effects of Social Class on Stigma Toward Mental Illness and Treatment | Social class has been a neglected variable within psychological research, despite its impact on beliefs, attitudes, culture, and experiences. Specifically, there is a lack of research examining how stigma towards mental illness and mental health treatment varies across social classes. Stigma has been identified as one of the most prevalent barriers to treatment; however, studies have tended to use majority White, wealthy, well-educated samples for data collection. To address this gap in the literature, the aim of the present study was to assess how stigma surrounding mental illness and attitudes towards seeking treatment vary between social classes. Participants (N = 181) responded to an online survey, where they subjectively ranked their social class and answered measures which assessed internal and perceived public stigma towards mental illness, self-stigma towards seeking help, and experiences with classism. Results show that individuals in subjectively-lower social classes reported having significantly higher levels of internal and perceived public stigma towards mental illness; there was not a significant relationship between social class and stigma towards seeking help. Findings support the importance of including social class in research regarding mental health and barriers to treatment. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2019-05 |
| Feleke, Raphael | Psychology | Rates of school discipline use differs depending on student race and gender, with Black males being disciplined at higher rates than other students. When examining explanations of the disparities in discipline use, true difference in misbehavior between races have consistently failed, while others have attributed it to racial biases or cultural miscommunications between teachers and students. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been found to be effective in decreasing overall discipline use, but research is limited on its effects on decreasing racial disparities in discipline use. The present study sets to examine perceptual differences in PBIS and non-PBIS teachers when responding to behaviors of students who misbehave, and if the PBIS system is effective in decreasing discipline use and discipline disparities. To do so, vignettes of misbehaving students that differed in race and gender were administered to 68 teachers from St. Mary’s County. Although interesting trends in responding based on student race were seen, racial disparities failed to be found. | The Effects Of Pbis Status When Evaluating Student Misbehavior | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2019-05 |
| Flores, Katherine | Psychology | Social Support Differences between First Injury and Multiple Injury Athletes | In review of the research outlined, it is clear that social support has a positive influence on anxiety and depression in the post-injury period for athletes. However, little is known about social support differences in individuals who are recovering from their first injury versus their second or third injury. Participants were asked to complete The Social Support Survey (Richman, Rosenfeld & Hardy, 1993) and the Types of Social Support Survey. Results show that parents provide the most amount of support and coaches provide the least amount of support. There is no significant difference in social support when comparing first versus a multiple injury. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2019-05 |
| Forrester, Alexandria | Psychology | Positvie And Negative Impacts On The Self-Identities Of People With Disabilities | There is a lack of research that exists regarding the self-identities of individuals with physical disabilities. More specifically, there is even a smaller amount of qualitative studies regarding this population of individuals. As a result, there is a need to better understand the self-identities of people with disabilities (PWD). The goal of this study was to interview individuals with physical disabilities in order to better understand the multiple identities that these people can acquire. The participants of this study were a variety of genders and ages, which helped to gather more accurate information, relating to the lives of PWD overtime. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and then analyzed to find major themes that exist within all of the interviews. Many individuals with physical disabilities, regardless of gender, experienced similar setbacks within their variety of identities. However, every individual with a disability experienced life differently. What matters more to one individual with a disability, may not be as significant to another, it all depends on how prominent a particular identity is within the life of the individual. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2019-05 |
| Forrester, Victoria | Psychology | How Interviewer Feedback Affects Eyewitness Memory Recall And Confidence | Previous research has indicated that eyewitness memory is a very important part of forensic investigations. When analyzing eyewitness memory, it is important to look at the confidence and accuracy of the information being reported. There are many different factors that can influence eyewitness memory. One of the major influences of eyewitness memory includes the type of interviewer feedback that is given to the eyewitness during the interview process. Positive interviewer feedback indicates that the eyewitness is providing correct information. Negative interviewer feedback is anything that results in the eyewitness doubting their reports. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of negative and positive interviewer feedback on both accuracy and confidence of eyewitness reports. The participants were randomly assigned to either a negative or positive feedback group and required to read a written crime scenario describing a hit and run. The participants were then asked to answer ten questions about the crime scenario. After each question the participants were presented with positive or negative feedback. After receiving the feedback, the participants were then asked to rate their level of confidence on the response they gave to each of the ten questions. The results concluded that feedback type did not have an impact on the confidence and accuracy of eyewitness’s reports. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2019-05 |
| Friedman, Lane | Psychology | L-655, 708, An 𝞪 5-Selective Negative Allosteric Modulator, On A Dominance Model Of Depression | Depression affects almost 7% of the adult population in the United States. However, the medications on the market to treat depression are not effective. Current treatments for depression have been shown to provide relief in only half of the patients to whom they are prescribed and normally take 3-8 weeks to produce effects. In previous rodent models of depression, L-655, 708, an 𝞪5-selective negative allosteric modulator of the benzodiazepine site of GABAA receptors, has shown fast-acting antidepressant effects in as little as 24 hours. A common symptom of depression is a decrease in motivation to continue highly desired behaviors such as social interaction and maintaining rank. The current study manipulated this phenomenon and hypothesized that L-655, 708 would recover rodent’s motivation for social rank after induction of chronic restraint stress induced depressive-like symptoms. To quantify social rank and the effect of the stress, the current study utilized dominance tube tests, agonistic behavior recordings, sucrose preference tests, and a novelty suppressed feeding test. Although most of the data was not statistically significant, the results of this study show patterns in the expected direction. This has led to the conclusion that with more data, L-655, 708 could produce a significant recovery of dominance in rodents suggesting that it could be an effective fast-acting treatment of depression. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2019-05 |
| Griffiths, Mia | Psychology | Effects of Intermittent Alcohol Exposure on Adolescent Female Rat Development | This study assesses the effects of binge ethanol exposure on the adolescent female rat’s social behavior. Previous research has shown the various effects on the brain resulting from consumption of alcohol and consequences that alcohol has on social behavior. Rodent models indicate varying consequences on social behavior after ethanol has been consumed. This research focuses on the female rodent model to examine sex differences in drinking behavior. Subjects were 2 groups of 4 adolescent female Sprague Dawley rats. The ethanol (EtOH) group received a dose of 4 g/kg of 20% EtOH solution and the control group received 4 g/kg of water. After 16 adolescent intermittent ethanol exposures beginning on post-natal day (PND) 28, subjects were tested in the social memory and social preference paradigms. The results showed there were no significant differences between the EtOH and control group time spent with either a novel animal (social memory) or an environment previously paired with a novel animal (social preference). However, moderate and large effect sizes indicate that ethanol had an impact on the subject’s behavior and further research is needed to examine these findings. | Fernandez, Gina M. | 2019-05 |
| Groen, Maxwell | Psychology | Threat Attention And Athletic Performance In College Lacrosse Players | This study in the area of threat attention looks at the relationship between threat attention and sports, as well as the effect of gender on this relationship. In order to measure for this concept, participants from two college lacrosse teams (one male and one female) were required to partake in a threat attention computer test. The test subjects had to detect threatening or non-threatening images while being presented with varying facial expressions in the middle of the screen. To assess a participant’s level of athletic performance in the sport of lacrosse, the head coaches of both the men’s and women’s team completed an athletic performance evaluation of their players. Results from this study found that there is no difference between the genders when it comes to threat attention alone. However, the study found that there is a difference in the genders when it comes to the relationship between threat attention and performance. These results suggest that threat attention may contribute to an increase in performance for men but that it may lead to a reduction in performance for women. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2019-05 |
| Henry, Caitlin | Psychology | Fostering An Inclusive Environment For Biracial-Bisexual Individuals Within The Lgbtq+ Community | For individuals who identify as both biracial and bisexual (bi-bi), finding support in community can be especially difficult. Bi-bi individuals can experience rejection from both their racial and sexual identity communities, and often have a hard time feeling like they truly belong in their communities due to imposter syndrome and gatekeeping from other members. Participation in the LGBTQ+ community is an ideal route towards support, as the community has a mission of accepting all sexual and racial identities. Realistically, bi-bi individuals face difficulties when trying to engage with the LGBTQ+ community due to stereotypes about bisexuality, bi-erasure, and racism. Using consensual qualitative research (CQR) methods (Hill et al., 1997; Hill et al., 2005), the current study explores the experiences of nine bi-bi individuals’ identity development and engagement with the LGBTQ+ community. From these interviews, findings suggest that acceptance in the LGBTQ+ community is sometimes conditional based on there is a toxic rift between some lesbian women and bisexual women, and bisexuality is not nearly as visible as it needs to be in the community. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2019-05 |
| Judlick, James | Psychology | Queer Eye For The Employer: A Resume Audit Study | Previous research has supported that hiring discrimination exists against different groups of minorities. In the present study, researchers survey human resources professionals and analyze their perception of how hireable a potential employee looks based on how their resume represents them and their social identities. There was a statistically significant difference in hireability when the participants reported if the potential employee would be an asset to the company, F (4, 133) = 2.51, p < 0.05, Wilks’ ƛ = 0.93. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2019-05 |
| Madden, Hannah | Psychology | Reconsolidation Disruption as a Method of Relapse Prevention Using the Protein Synthesis Inhibitor Rapamycin | The goal of this study is to determine if the protein synthesis inhibitor rapamycin can be used to prevent relapse in models of conditioned reward through disrupting reconsolidation. Memory reconsolidation is the process of memories going from short-term memory into long-term memory and protein synthesis is necessary for this to occur. It is possible for protein synthesis inhibitors to be used a method of relapse prevention by blocking the reconsolidation of drug-related memories. In the current study, the protein synthesis inhibitor rapamycin was used in a cocaine condition place preference paradigm with a sample of 12 female rats. The conditioned place preference procedure lasted for a total of 11 day and consisted of 6 phases; pre-test, conditioning, acquisition test, cue re-exposure and rapamycin treatment, drug memory test, and drug-primed reinstatement test. Rapamycin was not found to be an effective method of preventing relapse. The goal of this study is to determine if the protein synthesis inhibitor rapamycin can be used to prevent relapse in models of conditioned reward through disrupting reconsolidation. Memory reconsolidation is the process of memories going from short-term memory into long-term memory and protein synthesis is necessary for this to occur. It is possible for protein synthesis inhibitors to be used a method of relapse prevention by blocking the reconsolidation of drug-related memories. In the current study, the protein synthesis inhibitor rapamycin was used in a cocaine condition place preference paradigm with a sample of 12 female rats. The conditioned place preference procedure lasted for a total of 11 day and consisted of 6 phases; pre-test, conditioning, acquisition test, cue re-exposure and rapamycin treatment, drug memory test, and drug-primed reinstatement test. Rapamycin was not found to be an effective method of preventing relapse. | Dennis, Torry S. | 2019-05 |
| Merchant, Taylor | Psychology | The Effects of a Fast-Acting Antidepressant, L-655,708, on a Social Dominance Model of Depression | Depression is a large cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The current most commonly prescribed antidepressants are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) but they have low effectiveness and a latency of three to eight weeks for behavioral effects. The need for a more effective, faster-acting drug lead scientists to investigate L-655,708, a GABA-NAM drug that exhibits similarities to ketamine, producing antidepressant effects in 24 hours with a higher efficacy. We hypothesized that the disruption of naturally forming social hierarchies in rodents through chronic restraint stress (CRS) can be reinstated 24 hours after injections of L-655,708. The results of this study showed a non-significant increase in dominance score in rodents that lost their dominance through CRS post injection, indicating a reversal of depressive-like symptoms. The results also showed a decrease in healthy rodent dominance scores was observed after the injection of L-655,708, suggesting there may be negative impacts of administering this drug to healthy individuals. Further research should be conducted with larger populations to determine the negative aspects of this drug and the impacts social housing may have on the effectiveness of inducing anhedonia. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2019-05 |
| Radinsky, Marie | Psychology | The Effect Of Chilhood Experiences On The Susceptibility And Interpretation Of The Misinformation Effect | Interpretations of ambiguous events were examined in relation to childhood experiences and the misinformation effect. 76 university students participated in an online survey which was composed of a childhood questionnaire, which determined whether or not participants had trust or mistrust in their childhood, an ambiguous photo, and post event questionnaires. All participants were exposed to the same photo; however, participants were randomly assigned to a “pushed” negative framing of the post event questionnaire or to a “guided” positive framing of the post event questionnaire. The literature review and the research review the effects of childhood experiences and future outcomes, as well as factors relating to the interpretation and susceptibility of the misinformation effect. The findings of the data conclude that individuals who had perceived trustworthy childhoods were more susceptible to saying that an event was highly negative when it was presented with a negative “pushed” framed post event questionnaire. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2019-05 |
| Robey, Mary | Psychology | Antidepressant Efficacy Of L-655,708 Following Infusions Into The Medial Prefrontal Cortex | Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses in the United States, as it affects around 1 in 5 Americans at some point in their lifetime (Hasin et al., 2018). Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common therapeutic treatment employed, despite the fact that these prescriptions are only effective in half of patients and take several weeks for symptomatic relief to be experienced (Fischell, Van Dyke, Kvarta, LeGates, & Thompson, 2015). Previous studies have found evidence that links the development of depression with decreases in glutamatergic transmission and expression in neuronal regions associated with reward processing (Thompson et al., 2015; Yuen et al., 2012). The present study aimed at investigating the fast-acting antidepressant value of the drug L-655,708, a negative allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors containing alpha-5 subunits, following direct infusions into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) using an animal model of depression. Following 28 days of exposure to a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) paradigm, rats were surgically implanted with guide cannulas and received direct infusions into the mPFC of either L-655,708 or a vehicle solution. Twenty-four-48 hours after direct infusions behavioral tests indicated differences, that were non-significant, but some of which possessed large effect sizes in the hypothesized direction, between CUS, L-655,708, and CUS, vehicle groups. The outcome of this study provides support for the mPFC’s involvement in the etiology of depression. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2019-05 |
| Robinson, Shannon | Psychology | Gender Stereotypes And Lgbtq Topics Within Elementary School Classrooms | The current study used Consensual Qualitative Research methodology to examine elementary school teachers’ beliefs about addressing LGBTQ and gender-related topics in their everyday classroom settings. The researcher used convenience sampling to recruit ten teachers from two public school districts in Maryland. Participants completed an eight-question semi-structured interview about their views and experiences as well as an online questionnaire to provide basic demographic information including age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, grade level teaching/ subject, and how long they have been teaching. Findings revealed typical and variant responses amongst the eight domains showing that teachers are generally aware of gender stereotypes within the classroom and believe there is no place for LGBTQ topics within the classroom. Implications of these findings for social issues and education are discussed | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2019-05 |
| Rubinoff, Maia | Psychology | Personal And Environmental Relationships With Coping And Resilience In Emerging Adults | The relationships between personal and environmental characteristics with coping and resilience were examined in emerging adults who experienced childhood trauma. Frameworks that can buffer or hinder the effects of trauma are Erikson’s developmental framework and Bronfenbrenner’s social framework. Erikson’s developmental crises can be disrupted by trauma, possibly stunting resolution of the specific developmental stage in which the individual resides, or the stages could be resolved successfully and help build resilience. Bronfenbrenner’s social framework has multiple systems that interact with an individual. Support from each of these systems provides an individual with resources following a traumatic event, which can help resiliency. Systems that are not supportive or traumatize the individual could negatively impact coping abilities since there are little to no resources offered. The context of emerging adulthood looks at a transitional period between adolescence and adulthood and how this in-between stage can affect the coping and resilience following trauma. Participants in the study consisted of 126 students from a small, liberal arts college. Participants completed self-report measures analyzing the effects of trauma on resilience. Results supported that resilience lowers internalizing and externalizing symptoms in an individual who has experienced trauma. Increasing knowledge on factors that can help build resilience is important to provide support to those who have undergone traumatic events. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2019-05 |
| Ruth, John | Psychology | Your Brain on YouTube | Over the past decade, the sudden success of the web’s most popular video-streaming site, YouTube, has rippled across our modern world and truly changed the ways we seek entertainment, and information. YouTube has even found itself within the classroom, being used by teachers in order to add variety to their curriculum, while demonstrating a wide variety of concepts at the push of the button. Some instructors, especially those teaching in the online classroom, have even taken it a step further, by filming their own educational content in order to reach out to their students at any time, and any place. YouTube videos and other forms of digital multimedia seem to show a great deal of educational potential due to their incredible accessibility and engaging delivery, however, most educational researchers are still on the fence about the effectivity of multimedia learning. In this study, I attempt to thoroughly explore the field of multimedia-mediated education in order to uncover the theoretical framework guiding it’s use, and ultimately determine it’s pedagogic validity. I’ve found the success of multimedia to be heavily reliant on the context it is presented within, however, in almost any case, educational videos are incredibly effective at increasing student engagement and motivation, while often encouraging active learning. Based on existing (rather limited) researcher, I have also developed several key guidelines that, if followed, will help any potential producer design the most educationally effective multimedia content possible. | Dennis, Torry S. | 2019-05 |
| Steinhoff, Brooke | Psychology | Major Depressive Disorder Treatment | Major Depressive Disorder is a serious and widespread mental health condition that has a significant negative impact on overall quality of life. Current treatments for depression such as SSRIs are slow to take effect, have negative side effects, and fail to achieve remission in a large number of patients. The recent success of ketamine as a fast-acting antidepressant has led to research using other drugs, with the goal to discover a safe, fast-acting antidepressant option without the addictive and psychotomimetic effects of ketamine. L-655,708 is a partial inverse agonist selective for the α5 subunit-containing GABAA receptors that has been shown to produce an antidepressant-like effect when injected systemically and when infused directly into the hippocampus (Carreno et al., 2017; Kostelnik et al., 2017). The present study evaluated the effects of the direct infusion of L-655,708 (5ng in a 0.2 µL at 0.25 µL/min) via bilateral guide cannula insertion directly into the medial prefrontal of rats exposed to a chronic stress paradigm. Depressive-like behaviors, including anhedonia, were quantified using behavioral tests including the sucrose preference test, social interaction test, and the novelty suppressed feeding test. Although not statistically significant, many results displayed a large effect size and show potential for L-655,708 to have an antidepressant-like effect. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2019-05 |
| Thompson, Rachel | Psychology | Singing To Learn: How Pitch Information Facilitates Encoding And Retrieval | Melodies can serve several functions to facilitate learning. They can act as encoding aids, retrieval aids (or both), provide sequential information for how text should be encoded and retrieved by, enhance phonological discrimination, and allow individuals to chunk information. Researchers have described the benefit for a sung presentation of novel information (e.g., text or an unfamiliar language) over spoken presentations. However, these experiments have not distinguished whether the advantage for melodies was specific to encoding (i.e., perception) or retrieval (i.e., production). I performed a replication and extension of prior work to examine if the advantage for sung presentation was specific to encoding or retrieval. Thirty participants learned 20 German phrases in a sung or spoken paradigm with the paired-association paradigm. I assessed performance across three measures: multiple-choice pre/posttest, German production test, and delay recall conversation. I manipulated recall, such that sung conditions were asked to recall through singing or through speaking. If the melodic advantage is specific to encoding, I expected participants in both song learning groups to perform equivalently. If the melodic advantage was specific to retrieval, participants in the singing-singing condition should outperform other conditions. Finally, if melodic exposure has no effect on encoding or recall, the speaking condition should outperform all groups. Effect sizes were compared across conditions. Results replicated prior work that music facilitated language learning on the posttest measure in comparison to the spoken condition. However, mixed results on the remaining measures did not allow me to determine where the advantage for melodic presentation lies. | Mantell, James T. | 2019-05 |
| Tse, Angel | Psychology | The Effects of TrkB Receptor Agonist 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone on Extinction Enhancement of Cocaine Conditioned Placed Preference in Female Rats | A primary complication in drug addiction treatment is relapse. Various preclinical and clinical studies have made a huge effort in understanding the neurological and behavioral mechanisms involved in cocaine addiction. Recent studies on addiction have found that using a TrkB (Tyromyosin-receptor kinase) receptor agonist (a specific receptor agonist of the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Ren et al., (2014)) drug to reduce reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviors has shown to be successful. Nonetheless, there is still an important gap to fill in understanding the mechanism of the treatment and the success rate of treatment in the long-term. The present study used a cocaine Conditioned Placed Preference (CPP) Test to examine the potential effects of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (DHF), a TrkB receptor agonist used for enhancing extinction memories to prevent relapse. Female Rats (N = 12) were put through 16 days of CPP protocol that involved six phases (Pre-Test, Conditioning, Acquisition, Extinction Training, Extinction Test, and Drug-Primed Reinstatement Test) in which intraperitoneal (IP) injections of vehicle (saline) and 7,8-DHF are administered each morning of Conditioning, Extinction Training, Extinction Test, and Drug-Primed Reinstatement Phases. Data Analysis utilized a 2 (Treatment: 7,8-DHF, Vehicle) x 4 (Time: Pre-Test, Acquisition Test, Extinction Test, Drug-Primed Reinstatement Test) Mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Preliminary results suggest that there are no significant differences for both vehicle and 7,8-DHF conditions between each time periods, indicating the animals were not extinguished for extinction. Thus, 7,8-DHF did not have an effect on enhancing extinction memories. | Dennis, Torry S. | 2019-05 |
| Valenti, Elizabeth | Psychology | Is Laughter The Best Medicine? A Laughter Yoga Study | It was predicted that individuals who participate in laughter yoga would be more likely to have a significant decrease in negative affect (anxiety, stress, etc.) and an increase in positive affect (relaxation, happiness, etc.) compared to participation in a basic non-intensive yoga session. There was a total of six sessions of both laughter yoga and basic yoga that were conducted during the timespan of a week; there was a total of 60 participants (27 from yoga and 32 from laughter yoga), however only 58 surveys met the requirements. The study was composed of four sections: consent, demographics (age, gender, race, major, etc.), a pre survey, and a post survey. After the data were collected and the statistics were computed, it was found that the results were not significant; individuals who participated in laughter yoga did not score higher on positive affect and less on negative affect and anxiety significantly more than the individuals in the non-intensive yoga session. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2019-05 |
| Vickery, Hannah | Psychology | Successful Intervention Techniques For Grieving Children | Past research shows that grieving children may be at risk for depression, anxiety and other mental health problems (Melhem & Brent, 2016). Ideally, no child should have to experience the loss of a close family member, but if they do, we need effective interventions to prevent these children from developing mental health problems. Although there are many theoretical recommendations published, there are few empirical research studies on which interventions are effective for children. With a sample of 13 participants, the current study explores the various grief interventions and coping strategies utilized by individuals who lost a parent, guardian or sibling during childhood. The researcher used the Consensual Qualitative Research approach to conduct interviews and data analysis. Findings suggest that individuals have found that talking with friends, family or a therapist to be the most beneficial. Further, some individuals would have preferred to have access to talk therapy within a few years after the death. Additional core ideas and implications are discussed. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2019-05 |
| Walker, Zachary | Psychology | Personality & Perceived Justifications For Lying | The primary purpose of this experiment is to assess whether liar motivations impact perceptions of lie justification in others; the secondary purpose is determining correlations between personality factors and perceived lie justification. Using scenario-based online surveys, 9 motivation dimensions were assessed for perceived lie justification: beneficiary, predicted outcome, fault/assigned blame, relationship, parental lies to promote obedience, perspective, contradictory social norms and helpfulness, safety, and lying under authority. Items from the fault/assigned blame and predicted outcome groups were combined to create two additional dimensions: total loss aversion and total gain attainment. Within promoting obedience, safety, and authority, all experimental conditions were viewed as significantly more justified than their respective control conditions. For beneficiary, lying for another was viewed as significantly more justified than lying for Pareto and self-benefits; as was Pareto-benefits for self-benefits. For predicted outcome, lying for loss aversion was viewed as significantly more justified than lying for gain attainment. For relationship, the parental condition was viewed as significantly more justified than the romantic/professional conditions. Both the (BFI) and (SD3) were used as personality measures. Conscientiousness was negatively correlated with total lie justification, while narcissism was positively correlated with total lie justification. These findings are significant because lying is a daily deceptive behavior, making research regarding the topic integral to social psychology. The main conclusion from this study is that the most influential factors that impact perceived justification for a lie are whether the lie reinforces normed entitlements, avoids unnecessary social conflict, and/or follows social norms. | Platt, Richard D. | 2019-05 |
| Wineke, Renee | Psychology | The Effects Of Intermittent Alcohol Exposure On Adolescent Female Rats Social Behavior | Binge drinking, consuming a large quantity of alcohol in one sitting, is a common behavior among adolescents across the United States. It can cause negative effects on the brain, which may lead to impairments in social behavior. During adolescence, the brain is going through rapid growth and maturation (Arain, 2013). Because the brain does not fully develop until adulthood, experiences throughout teenage years can influence how the brain functions in the long term. During this time period, adolescents are going through periods of hormonal fluctuations, brain circuits are being pruned and refined, and social interactions are vital to development. Social interactions and play allow the individual to create an identity to fit in with their friends and within society. Due to the immaturity of regulatory brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, impulsive behavior, such as binge drinking, can become common, and can lead to deleterious effects on social development. This study examined the effects of binge alcohol exposure during adolescence using a female rodent model of addiction. Animals were given 16 exposures to high, binge-like levels of ethanol or water, starting at early adolescence and progressing through early adulthood. Animals were then tested for differences in social memory and social preference. We found that binge drinking during adolescence did not significantly alter the memory for novel rats or the preference for an environment that is associated with social interaction. | Fernandez, Gina M. | 2019-05 |
| Barnwell, Ashantee | Psychology | Labeling And Its Effect On Perceptions Of Therapy | Due to the negative and positive labels attached to therapy and the counseling field, there has been a mix of dismissive and acceptive reactions to therapy practices. These reactions have led to labeling stigma and counseling perceptions (client and therapist perceptions) becoming research topics of interest in psychology. Labeling stigma affecting health care and client perceptions of counselor behaviors and vice versa regarding the working alliance has been studied previously. The goal of this research study is to gather data on whether labeling has an effect on individual help-seeking behavior towards therapy (Multicultural-feminist/Cross-Cultural therapy being the change in the label) and counselors with specific training or therapy focuses. The researcher created a survey that 132 participants completed and analyzed the data using a multivariate (MANOVA) and descriptive test through IBM SPSS. Data revealed that there is no significant difference in client perceptions of therapy and client perceptions of a counselor when compared to the different labeling of therapy and different presenting issues for seeking professional help. The implications of these findings are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-12 |
| Faubion, Rebecca | Psychology | Aquariums’ Potential To Reduce Client’S Physiological And Affective Anxiety In Clinical Settings | This study examined an aquarium’s potential to lessen anxiety in the therapy room. The personality traits of introversion and extraversion were also examined to better understand if they would impact the social discomfort of participants. During a one-on-one, in-person session interpersonal anxiety was induced and physiological data as well as self-report data was collected from 51 participants. Significance was not found for group or personality type, suggesting further investigation is required. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-12 |
| Ross, Kayla | Psychology | The Role Of Language On Color Perception | Previous research has found evidence that suggests that language impacts color perception. This has been suggested because of the existence of categorical perception of color. Categorical perception of color is shown when participants are faster at discriminating colors that have different, distinct color labels, such as blue and green, than colors within the same color label, such as light blue and dark blue. This study examined whether a task that distracts linguistic processing and timed color discrimination trials would eliminate the outcomes of categorical perception of color. Participants completed timed and untimed color discrimination trials, where they had to match a target stimulus to one of two possible stimuli, as well as spatial and verbal tasks in between the color discrimination trials. The results of this study indicate that categorical perception was present in all conditions, and that the verbal task and time interference did not eliminate the presence of categorical perception of color. This suggests that that categorical perception of color could be due to factors other than language. | Mantell, James T. | 2018-12 |
| Baroncinni, Elijah | Psychology | Does Dividing Attention Affect Test-Potentiated Learning? | The testing effect has been a cornerstone of American education. The general concept of the theory revolves around retesting students on learned material through small quizzes in order to retain the information more effectively. While a student takes an exam they are retrieving the necessary information from their memory, and the more a student retrieves the information through subsequent tests, the stronger the memory becomes. However, memory can be disrupted through divided attention, which occurs when we try to split our attention between two or more stimuli. This study’s purpose is twofold: first I wanted to confirm how effective the testing effect is at reinforcing memory retrieval, and I also wanted to explore the possibility of the testing effect curbing the negative effects of divided attention. At the conclusion of this study, the testing effect was found when the participants took a test before a final exam while under divided attention. However the effect was not found in the conditions with no divided attention task, which should have been present. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2018-04 |
| Baysmore, Nicole | Psychology | Male Victims Of Intimate Partner Violence: Barriers To Reporting And Help Seeking | In most Intimate Partner Violence cases, women are typically the victims while men are the aggressors. However, in some cases men are the victims while women are the perpetrators. This study examines the ways in which males sought help for the violence they have experienced, the process in which they sought help and various barriers that prevent men from seeking help and/or reporting. This study also examines factors that can influence one’s decision of not seeking help, such as perceptions of the police, the amount racists events one’s experienced throughout their life by the police, health and legal officials; marital status, mental health symptoms experienced after the violence, and the types of violence male victims experienced. The sample consisted of forty-two men that reside in the United States and have experienced some form of violence perpetrated by a female partner. It was hypothesized male victims that scored lower on the Perceptions of Police Scale (POPS), experienced more racists’ events in their lives by police and officials, were married to their aggressor, and experienced mental health symptoms following the violence would be less likely to seek help. It was also hypothesized that male victims who did seek help had negative experiences, and which forms of violence male victims experienced. The results showed a strong significant relationship between help-seeking and racists events experienced as well as marital status. Keywords: Intimate partner violence, help-seeking, barriers | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2018-04 |
| Bell, Kassidy | Psychology | The Long-Term Effects Of The Gabaa α5 Selective Allosteric Modulator L-655,708 On Depressive-Like Behavior In An Animal Model | Depression is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although the current standard treatment is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), this method has proven to be inadequate, as there is a 3-8 week latency to produce therapeutic effects and the medications have been found to be fully effective in only half of depressed patients. Ketamine was thought to be a viable antidepressant due to its rapid action and high effectiveness, but it displayed high abuse potential and psychomimetic effects. Because SSRIs and ketamine both act on excitatory synapses in the cortico-mesolimbic reward circuits, research has shifted focus to drugs that act similarly to decrease depressive-like behaviors, but with fewer significant side effects. Partial inverse agonists at the benzodiazepine-binding site of GABAA receptors with an α5 subunit have been shown to increase excitatory network activity similar to ketamine, but without the adverse effects. One particular partial inverse agonist that shows potential is L-655,708, a negative allosteric modulator that selectively binds to the α5 GABA receptor (GABA-NAM). Research following chronic restraint stress (CRS) and chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) models of depression has found rapid antidepressant effects for L-655,708 in rodents; however, little is known about the long-term properties of GABA-NAMs. Therefore, the present study induced a depressive-like state into rodents that was reversed within 24 hours by L-655,708. The long-term protective effects were examined through exposure to additional stress post drug-administration. The results suggest that L-655,708 displays protective effects for one week, with potential protective effects for up to two weeks. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2018-04 |
| Bowden, Julia | Psychology | Examining The Relationship Between Drag, Self-Esteem, And Body Esteem | To discover more about the relationship between drag performance, self-esteem, and body-esteem, interviews with those in the drag performance community were conducted. Past research alludes to drag performance helping individuals within the LGBTQA+ community with their confidence as well as their own opinions of themselves. The topic of drag has not been extensively researched in the past, exploratory qualitative research was conducted for the current research. Drag, the performance of drag, and the drag community have changed and evolved over the years; modern research on this subject intends to look into the feelings and experiences of drag community members. Individuals currently or previously involved in the drag community were recruited and interviewed about potential changes in their self-esteem and body-esteem levels as a result of participating in drag. Using Consensual Qualitative Research, results are discussed, which include eight domains with their respective subcategories and classifications. Project limitations, implications, and conclusions are reported. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2018-04 |
| Cunha-Benjamin, Gabriela | Psychology | The Psychological Implications Of Women’s Response Styles To Sexism | The current study aimed to measure the relationship between experienced sexism and anxiety and depression. This study also considered the mediating role of anger response styles the women engage in and self-silencing behaviors in the relationship between experienced sexism, anxiety, and depression. Women college students in the U.S. (N = 120) participated in the study by completing five self-report questionnaires which measured their experienced sexism, self-silencing behaviors, behavioral anger responses, anxiety, and depression. It was predicted that as experiences with sexism increased, so would levels of anxiety and depression. Also, we predicted that unhealthy anger responses and self-silencing would mediate this relationship. Results showed that experienced sexism within the past year positively correlated with anxiety and depression in women. Also, anger responses, but not self-silencing, mediated the relationship between experienced sexism, anxiety, and depression. These findings suggest that sexism may have negative consequences on women’s mental health and unhealthy expression of anger may aid in explaining why sexism and mental health are related in such a way. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2018-04 |
| Druffner, Rita | Psychology | Piecing Together The Puzzle: A Preliminary Anthropological Examination Of Autism | Autism existed long before the title was used by medical professionals. Today, there is an increasing prevalence of individuals diagnosed with autism in the United States. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a collection of developmental disorders that vary by severity and symptom. This paper argues that diagnostic criteria and popular perceptions of autism shape the way individuals with autism personally identify. Popular perceptions of autism have been analyzed through a review of a sample of popular media representations of autism. Changes to the standardized diagnostic criteria published by the American Psychiatric Association. In order to understand the lived experience of autism, ethnographic data was collected through life history interviews where individuals diagnosed with autism spoke about their personal experiences on the autism spectrum. This research, demonstrates that a sample of individuals with autism diagnosis identify with the medical labels and expectations. Specifically, individuals with autism will exhibit symptoms and characteristics of autism that they may not inherently display but that are commonly associated with popular ideas about autism. Keywords: Autism, Life Experiences, Perceptions, Diagnosis, Media | Roberts, William C. | 2018-04 |
| Ertman, Benjamin | Psychology | Is It Better To Simply Suppress My Negative Emotions? Effects Of Parental Ignoring And Low Negative Expressivity On Child Outcomes | Following emotion socialization research analyzing the interactive effects of active and passive emotion socialization (Mirabile 2014; Fabes, Leonard, Kupanoff, & Martin, 2001), this study examined the main and interactive effects of parent ignoring responses and low negative expressivity on their children’s adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and social competence. After collecting parental surveys in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on parental strategies for active and passive emotion socialization and their children’s emotion regulation, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and social competence, data was analyzed using correlation and regression analyses. The study found that, while parent negative expressivity explained variance in child maladaptive emotion regulation, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors, the interaction between parent ignoring and low negative expressivity explained additional variance in the child’s maladaptive emotion regulation. High levels of parental ignoring responses weaken the relationship between parental negative expressivity and child maladaptive emotion regulation: as parental negative expressivity decreases, child’s maladaptive emotion regulation decreases, rendering the relationship non-significant. Results are discussed within a broader framework of understanding contributors to parents’ emotion socialization, such as parent emotion regulation and meta-emotion philosophy. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2018-04 |
| Hancock, Kelsey | Psychology | Using Acting Styles To Reduce Prejudice | Both imagine-self perspective-taking (ISPT), imagining oneself in another’s place, and imagine-other perspective-taking (IOPT), imagining another’s thoughts and feelings in a situation, are prejudice reduction strategies. Many acting styles use perspective-taking, such as Stanislavski’s system, which is similar to ISPT, and everyday life performance (ELP), which is similar to IOPT. The present study sought to examine if these acting styles facilitated prejudice reduction through perspective-taking. Both system and ELP exercises were hypothesized to reduce prejudice compared to controls, but that ELP would facilitate greater prejudice reduction than the system. Participants completed either the system exercise, ELP exercise, or a control exercise using a Black person’s monologue about institutional racial discrimination, and performed the monologue twice while being videotaped. Then, participants completed the Symbolic Racism Scale embedded in distractor questions (Henry & Sears, 2002) and other measures, including self-esteem. Acting style type did not lead to statistical differences in prejudice, but general patterns of means aligned with predictions. The ELP group had the lowest prejudice, followed by the system group, and then the control group with the highest prejudice. Although not statistically different, participants with low self-esteem or minimal acting experience had the highest prejudice in the system condition and the lowest in the control condition, suggesting that lack of confidence or previous perspective-taking experience may interfere with perspective-taking processes. However, ELP means for high and low self-esteem and for high and low acting experience were very similar, suggesting that ELP could help to eliminate these group differences. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2018-04 |
| Harris, Christian | Psychology | Investigating The Relationship Between Psychopathy And Leadership | Between modern media and popular news outlets there is culturally a lot of reference to criminals and business owners exhibiting the signs of or displaying psychopathic behavior. The current research was driven by the desire to have conclusive evidence of a correlation between psychopathy and leadership. This correlation was hypothesized, using narcissism as a mediating variable. The Triarchic model of psychopathy, the Narcissistic personality inventory, and the Leadership Practices Inventory were used to survey 204 St. Mary’s College of Maryland students. Bivariate correlations revealed that there was not a significant correlation between psychopathy and leadership among these participants. However, as hypothesized, there was a correlation established between narcissism and leadership, and narcissism and psychopathy. Mediation analysis using multiple regressions revealed that when narcissism and psychopathy together were regressed onto leadership, there was a significant effect. But when narcissism was removed from this analysis, there was no significance. This suggests that when narcissism is removed from the analysis, there is little to no effect of psychopathy onto leadership. There was a significant effect of narcissism onto boldness, and boldness onto leadership, meaning there are similar qualities in both narcissism and leadership Keywords: psychopathy, boldness, narcissism, leadership, empathy | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2018-04 |
| Headley, Grace | Psychology | A Qualitative Exploration Of The Experience Of Having A Sibling Diagnosed With ASD | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can impact the cognition, social skills, and communication of an individual. While the impact on parents, as well as mediating and moderating factors, have been researched, the impact of having a sibling with ASD is still relatively new to research. There is some research indicating that siblings may be at risk for some potential negative outcomes as well as some positive outcomes. The current study seeks to explore the experience of a sibling of an individual with ASD by conducting a qualitative study. Participants were recruited through email at the St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Eleven participants were interviewed and asked about their experiences growing up with a sibling whom is diagnosed with ASD. Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) was the method utilized to analyze the interviews. Major findings include participants perceiving positive relationships with their siblings that changed over time. Negatives were discussed as well, such as frustration towards parents and worry for their future. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-04 |
| Holmes, Lara | Psychology | Beyond The Mat: Bringing Yoga Philosophy To The Therapy Couch | There is a growing trend of including yoga in many modern health interventions, including psychotherapy. Much of the research on yoga and its benefits, as well as its place within the broader conversation of health and wellness focuses on asana, or yoga postures, which is traditionally only a small part of the vast system of yoga. While there is some research that delves deeper, such as research on pranayama (breathing techniques), the focus of this research still focuses primarily on the physical and surface level effects of the practice. Yoga is an ancient spiritual and scientific system that goes far beyond the practices commonly given the moniker of “yoga” in the West. In simplifying it down to these basics, Western practitioners miss out on many of the benefits that a yoga practice can yield. This paper uses psychological theorists such as William James, Carl Jung, and Aaron Beck, among others, to argue for a purposeful and intentional use of yogic systems and practices within a psychotherapeutic setting. In analyzing notions of the self and samskaras (patterns of thought and behavior) through the lenses of psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, and neuroscience, and their analogous yogic counterparts, I discuss the validity of including yoga into psychotherapy and I propose a deeper, more informed integration of these scientific, therapeutic systems. | Meckel, Daniel J. | 2018-04 |
| Kass, Adam | Psychology | The Relationship Between Perceptions Of Crime, Media Consumption, And Use Of Force | Police use of force, especially deadly force, is an increasingly relevant subject of debate and discussion in American political discourse. As such, it is important to determine which, if any factors may play into these life-altering decisions. Using a survey and virtual firearms simulator, I found no clear relationships between predictor variables (attitudes towards crime, attitudes towards criminals, media consumption) and performance in the simulator. In a follow-up study, which solely involved the survey, certain forms of media consumption were positively correlated with fear of crime and negatively correlated with attitudes towards criminals. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2018-04 |
| Kim, Min | Psychology | The Effect Of Music Genre On Perceived Objective Physical Attractiveness: Physiological Arousal As A Possible Mediator | Physical attractiveness (PA) has shown to influence many important factors. The current study aims to examine how music genre affects perceived PA and whether physiological arousal mediates this relationship. Thirty-nine subjects affiliated with St. Mary’s College of Maryland participated in the study (33% males, 67% females). Participants were asked to listen to a randomly assigned music genre (pop, electric dance music, jazz, control) while simultaneously rating photographs on PA. Electrodermal activity was also recorded during this time. A mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance was conducted to assess the influence of four different music conditions (pop, EDM, jazz, control) on perceived PA, across two different levels of arousal (high, low). The results were inconclusive. The evidence did not support an effect of music on physiological arousal or perceptions of physical attractiveness. Additionally, physiological arousal does not mediate this relationship. Keywords: physical attractiveness, music genre, physiological arousal | Mantell, James T. | 2018-04 |
| Lynn, Julia | Psychology | GABA-NAM, L-655,708, Shows Rapid Antidepressant And Long-Term Protective Effects | Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of morbidity worldwide, affecting about 17% of the world’s population. Individuals with MDD have exhibited abnormal neuropathologies including reduced volume of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampal regions, along with a decrease of neural excitation within the cortico-mesolimbic reward circuits. The current standard of treatment for depression is to increase the concentrations of monoamine neurotransmitters by inhibiting their reuptake and degradation through medications, such as MAOIs, SSRIs, and SSNRIs. However, these methods have proven to be insufficient, as they are only fully effective in about 33% of patients and require a three to eight week latency period to begin to function. Ketamine was found to cause rapid anti-depressant effects within 24 hours by increasing synaptic efficacy and neural activity, but it displayed high abuse potential and psychomimetic effects. This led studies to focus on drugs that acted similarly to ketamine by increasing EPSPs, specifically within the cortico-mesolimbic reward circuits. Negative allosteric modulators that selectively bind to the alpha5 GABAA receptors (GABA-NAM), such as L-655,708, have been found to increase network activity similar to ketamine for up to seven days, without the adverse effects. In the present study we examined the short and long term antidepressant effects of L-655,708, along with potential protective effects against additional stress. We confirmed previous findings that L-655,708 caused rapid antidepressant effects within 24 hours. We also found that L-655,708 had protective effects for at least one week with the potential of protective effects for two weeks following administration. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2018-04 |
| Matullo-Miller, Anna | Psychology | The Efficacy of Local And Nationwide Programs That Work With Child Maltreatment | Child maltreatment comes in many forms ranging from physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, or simply neglecting a child’s basic needs. The effects of abuse and neglect have a wide range of risks and symptoms that can severely impact the victims in numerous ways. Effects from maltreatment range from numerous psychological issues such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, drug use, alcoholism, and suicidality. There are many professionals and programs who specialize in different services that include therapeutic, educational, informative, and judicial that combat against child maltreatment. These programs and different forms of therapies are in place to help the psychological issues that form, and to one day shape victims for a more positive and bright future. Keywords: Child abuse, child neglect, child maltreatment | Mantell, James T. | 2018-04 |
| McKissick, Connor | Psychology | Did not submit SMP CD-R or Thumb Drive | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2018-04 | |
| Morgan, Emily | Psychology | A Qualitative Study Of Therapists’ In-Session Tears | Instances of therapists crying with or in front of a client are more common than the amount of research on the subject reflects. Through use of Consensual Qualitative Research methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997; Hill et al., 2005) therapists’ experiences of these situations were studied. Phone interviews were conducted with eight currently practicing therapists of varying ages, experience levels and theoretical orientations, with the goal of more deeply understanding how they experienced their thoughts, feelings, and actions during a TCIT event. Major findings included a consistent positive perception of the consequences of TCIT both on therapy in general as well as on the client-therapist relationship. A lack of training was also discussed by many of the participants, confirming previous results (Blume-Marcovici et al., 2013) insinuating that therapists may be under-prepared to encounter their own emotions while on the job. Additionally, the suppression of tears seemed linked to experience level, much as self-disclosures have been found to be. Implications of these findings as well as directions for future research are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-04 |
| Muscolino, Sarah | Psychology | Public Perceptions Of Mental Illness And Crime | Approximately 18% of adults in the United States have been diagnosed with a mental illness in the past year (“Mental Illness,” 2017). Thus, it could be assumed that people with mental illnesses commit almost 20% of crimes. However, the general public perceives people with a mental illness diagnosis as more violent than people who have not been diagnosed with a mental illness (Minster & Knowles, 2006; Parewark, Seidenzahl, & Pantle, 1981). In order to assess these perceptions, a study was conducted to examine how people perceive mental illness and gender in a criminal context. This experiment utilized vignettes and a questionnaire in order to assess these perceptions. The results demonstrated that the gender of a criminal did not influence the perceptions of people in a criminal context. In addition, the results found that a mental illness diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) did influence the verdict choice in a jury trial such that people with ADHD were found guilty more than people with bipolar I disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The main conclusions from this study are that people perceive gender the same in a criminal context, but people do not perceive all mental illnesses equally. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-04 |
| Orille, Flormelisa | Psychology | Impact Of Gendered Racism On Women’s Career Paths In Higher Education | The purpose of this study is to further examine intersectionality and how it influences the professional career paths of woman of color (WOC) within higher education institutes. I hypothesized that a participant’s negative self-image will increase as the experiences of gendered racism increases, social supports system will moderate the relationship between gendered racism and negative self-image, and the perception of negative professional relationships with colleagues increases as the experiences of gendered racism increases. Using a mixed methods survey, there was statistically significance to only support the first hypothesis regarding the relationship between gendered racial oppression experienced by WOC and the low self-esteem of their professional identity. These findings suggest that the negative self-esteem of one’s professional identity strengthens as the experiences of intersectional oppression in the workplace also increases. Future research should consider using the gendered racial oppression measure to continue our expanding of intersectionality in social identities. Keywords: faculty of color, women of color, higher education, intersectionality, professional identity, gendered racism, oppression, work climate, institutional discrimination | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2018-04 |
| Phillips, Sharon | Psychology | The Effect Of Oxytocin On Social And Anxiety Behaviors In Female Rats In Novel And Familiar Environments | Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that tends to produce decreased anxiety behaviors and increased prosocial behaviors (Bowen et al., 2011; Gao et al., 2016; Kritman et al., 2017; Li et al., 2016; Sabihi et al., 2014). Oxytocin is implicated in both anxiety disorders and in Autism Spectrum Disorders, as it is prevalent in the neural circuits that are involved in the anxiety response and in the neural circuits involved in social behaviors (Calhoon et al., 2015; Viviani et al., 2011). The beneficial effects of oxytocin are potentially limited based on the environmental context that the behaviors are observed in, with oxytocin producing more anxiogenic and less social behaviors in novel environments (Bredewold et al., 2014; Duque-Wilckens et al., 2017; Steinman et al., 2015). The effects of oxytocin on anxiety and social behaviors may also be sex-specific however more research on the effects of oxytocin in female rats needs to be conducted in general (Sabihi et al., 2014b). The current study looked at how oxytocin affected anxiety and social behaviors in female rats in novel and familiar environments at a dosage approaching 0.05 mg/kg (actual dosage of 0.4 mL per rat). There were no significant main effects of drug or environment found or interactions found, which suggests that neither oxytocin nor the environment had an effect on anxiety or social behaviors. However, this could be due to the low dosage and more research should look at the contextual effects of oxytocin in female rats at different dosages. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2018-04 |
| Pickens, Whittni | Psychology | Motives Behind Memes: Pleasure, Power, Or Meaning? | The motives behind posting depression memes was studied using Sigmund Freud’s pleasure principle, Alfred Adler’s individual psychology, and Viktor Frankl’s will to meaning. Memes are culturally-charged images and videos that are shared within communities on social media (Cannizzaro, 2016). A focus group was first conducted to help organize randomly selected memes from the Facebook page titled “Depression Memes.” After the focus group, a survey was sent out to the students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland that attempted to understand the difference between people who display depressive symptoms and those who do not and their reasoning behind their enjoyment of depression memes. Due to the lack of depressed participants, no analyses were conducted to determine the motives behind meme posting. This study aims to add to the little amount of research on why depression memes are popular amongst young adults and what resources should be made available on social media for depressed individuals. Keywords: depression, memes, social media, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Viktor Frankl | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2018-04 |
| Robertson, Caroline | Psychology | ‘A Mile Behind’: Exploring Disclosures Of Invisible Illness | Existing literature has shown that invisible illnesses are conditions with no externally visible symptoms, often stigmatized because of their invisible nature (Defenbaugh, 2013; Lyons, Volpone, Wessel, & Alonso, 2017). There are numerous issues, therefore, regarding the extent to which someone with an invisible illness, which can be either physical or mental, is free to talk about their experiences. These issues may include disclosing at work, disclosing to friends and family, how people react to them after disclosing their illness, and how closely tied their illness is with their identity and sense of self. The current study explored these themes through semi-structured interviews and consensual qualitative research methods (CQR; Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). The analysis revealed a considerable finding that everyone had experienced some degree of a negative reaction after disclosing their invisible illness. Other important findings showed that participants are most likely to tell their family and then their close friends; that their illness is part of them but it does not define them; and that there are multiple external factors that affect a decision to disclose, such as the relationship of the discloser to the listener, the situation or context of disclosure, and the need for help. Implications for these findings are discussed and opportunities for future research are suggested. Keywords: disclosure, invisible illness, stigma of invisible illness, CQR | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-04 |
| Sanders, Amanda | Psychology | Stress, Anxiety, & Depression, Oh My! A Literature Review On Stress Management Skills For College Students | College is an academic institution that typically draws young adults from the ages of 17 to 25 seeking an education that will provide enriching learning experiences to secure a career in the future. However, college students often experience stress during their years at the institution. In addition to the academic demands and the pressures to do well, a young adult in college also faces pressures and demands in the form of parental and peer relationships, social and sexual identity, and mental health. This is the time when many young adults begin to develop their identity. For all these reasons combined, stress is common amongst college students. Prolonged stress, however, is associated with anxiety and depression, the two most common illnesses amongst college students. In this paper I will identify the link between stress, anxiety, and depression. I will then explore non-medicinal approaches to a healthier well-being and outline natural stress-reducers. These include diet, exercise, and mindfulness techniques. It is important to understand ways to naturally reduce stress because these strategies in turn can help reduce the prevalence of anxiety and depression, and will promote a healthier way of living. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2018-04 |
| Tacka, Madison | Psychology | If #MeToo Happens To You: Research Driven Pathways For Survivor Recovery And Empowerment | Sexual assault occurs more often than society cares to recognize, yet the resources available for survivors are underutilized due to the fact that they are not made aware of. The purpose of this St. Mary’s Project is to bring awareness to the multiple pathways a survivor of assault can take, specifically those that are backed by facts and research. This research looks specifically at the mental health outcomes after experiencing a sexual assault, possible feelings one may encounter, as well as both self help and professional help options for those who need them; namely legal, medical, and psychological avenues. The final outcome of this research is a pamphlet geared towards survivors who may lack an awareness of all of their options, that incorporates input from professionals on what an ideal pamphlet would include. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2018-04 |
| Vahdat, Mohammad Azimi | Psychology | Caffeine As A Potential Moderator Of Depression: Effects On Attention And Memory | Higher consumption levels of caffeine are commonly observed in individuals diagnosed with depression. The underlying reason for the elevated use of caffeine has been mostly left to speculation. The present study hopes to provide further information about the heightened us of caffeine in individuals with depression by conducting a short-term memory task, a long-term memory task, and a SART attention task in individuals of varying levels of self-reported depression and caffeine consumption levels. Participants were presented with two lists containing 14 words each for the short-term and long-term memory tests. Participants were also counterbalanced for the order of words presented to them (list one or list two) when performing the short-term and long-term memory tasks. All participants underwent the SART attention task. Short-term, long-term, and SART scores were compared across all participants to test the possibility of an interaction of high caffeine usage and high depression scores on test performance acuity. Results suggest the possibility of an effect of high caffeine consumption and performance on short-term memory tests in individuals with high self-reported levels of depression, but not long-term and SART performance. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2018-04 |
| Walsh, Liam | Psychology | Hoarding By Nurture: A Study On The Relationship Between Parental Hoarding And Adolescent Attachment | Hoarding Disorder is defined as: the excessive collecting and failure to discard excessive amounts of collected items (Wu & Watson, 2004); while this is a fairly basic definition, there are many disparities in this research field, due to minimal research conducted in the past. The purpose of this study is to gain a fuller understanding of the effects of parental hoarding on adult children. We hypothesized that adult children whose parents exhibit hoarding behaviors would report lower levels of emotional warmth and higher levels of rejection; we also hypothesized that adult children whose parents exhibit hoarding behaviors would report lower levels of attachment than adult children of parents who do not exhibit hoarding behaviors. We utilized two measures in order to establish an understanding for what qualifies as severe hoarding. We also utilized two measures in order to understand the parent-adult child relationship, but measuring levels of emotional warmth, rejection, trust, communication and alienation. Adult children whose parents exhibit hoarding behaviors reported significantly higher levels of rejection and alienation, and lower levels of trust. Surprisingly, adult children whose parents exhibit hoarding behaviors reported significantly higher levels of emotional warmth and communication, than adult children whose parents did not exhibit hoarding behaviors. These findings demonstrate the unusual relationship that exists between parents who exhibit hoarding behaviors and the level of attachment that their adult children experience. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2018-04 |
| Weiss-Rice, Emilee | Psychology | Staying Positive: Mirror Exposure And Its Impact On Body Image And Sexual Well-Being | revious research on body image and sexuality has exposed the detrimental effects that poor body image has on various sexual outcomes. The current study refined existing methods of measuring body image by including multiple domains of body image. While many studies have explored the link between body image and sexuality, few studies have investigated possible interventions for reducing negative body image and promoting sexual well-being. Mirror exposure therapy has shown promise in increasing body satisfaction while mindfulness, a component of some mirror exposure therapies, has shown promise in enhancing sexual satisfaction and decreasing sexual insecurities. Therefore, one of the goals of this study was to determine if mirror exposure therapy would increase body image and sexual health outcomes among participants. An online survey that assessed the multiple domains of body image and female sexuality was administered to 166 participants. Of the 166 participants, 26 completed multiple sessions of a mirror exposure intervention. Results showed that there are strong correlations between the multiple domains of body image and female sexual satisfaction and functioning, though correlations among some variables were inconsistent depending on sexual orientation of participants. Cognitive distraction was found to fully mediate some of the relationships between body image and sexuality. The results for the mirror exposure intervention showed that there are positive impacts of mirror exposure on some aspects of body image. Findings suggest important links between body image and sexual health outcomes and indicate that interventions that improve body image may have positive effects on sexual well-being. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2018-04 |
| Wondoloski, Edward | Psychology | Developing An Integrative Model Of Trauma-Focused Group Rap Music Therapy: A Qualitative Study | Hip Hop therapy (HHT) is a subset of music therapy that uses hip hop and rap music as a therapeutic tool. Literature suggests a large number of clients who receive this form of therapy have endured trauma, so we investigated the development of an integrative trauma-focused group rap music therapy (TF-GRMT) model. We used consensual qualitative research to interview eight counselors (five women and three men) who had experiences in either trauma-focused or music therapy. Five had conducted hip hop therapy as licensed therapists, and one was a trauma therapist, and two were informal counselors. Their ages ranged from 24 to 56 years old (M = 38, SD = 10.86). Seven self-identified as white, and one as biracial. Our research team consisted of a 21-year-old primary researcher/judge who conducted the interviews, two 21-year-old judges, and an auditor. We asked counselors about their clinical experiences, their current therapeutic models, and their opinions on a new integrative model. The research team analyzed the transcripts as data. Results showed that all 5 HHT counselors had worked with traumatized clients, but four out of five had no formal experience with trauma-focused therapy. Most counselors believed a new model would be beneficial for clients. We concluded that there is a need for a TF-GRMT model. Counselors’ descriptions of their practices revealed alignment of therapeutic factors with principles of trauma-informed approaches. We concluded that trauma-focused/informed therapy models are compatible with HHT models. There is value in developing an integrative TF-GRMT model. | Ikizler, Ayse S. | 2018-04 |
| Zhang, Serena | Psychology | Sex-Specific Differences In Response To Stress And Treatment In Animal Models Of Depression | At least 17% of the United States population report experiencing symptoms of depression at least once in their lifetime. In fact, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which affects an estimated 17 million individuals, is the leading diagnosed mental disorder in the United States. Females are twice as likely to be diagnosed with MDD compared to males. However, due to the lack of research on female animal models of depression, the underlying sex-differentiated mechanisms implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and the sex-specific antidepressant effects remain elusive. Furthermore, while widely used antidepressants such as SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants do not have any known abuse potential, they take weeks to months to induce their antidepressant effects and only alleviate symptoms in approximately half of users. Although ketamine exerts a rapid antidepressant response within hours and reverses stress-induced effects, it has a high abuse potential and produces psychotomimetic side effects, complicating its clinical viability. Emerging research has shifted its focus to negative allosteric modulators of α5-containing GABAA receptors, which have been found to promote rapid therapeutic effects without the adverse side effects produced by ketamine. Here, we examined the effects of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) and L-655, 708 administration in a female rat model of depression. We compared behaviors using data collected on males in past research studies to elucidate sex-specific differences in response to stress and treatment. Keywords: Major Depressive Disorder, chronic unpredictable stress, antidepressants, glutamate, NMDA, ketamine, L-655, 708 | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2018-04 |
| Burr, Emily | Psychology | Overparenting, Autonomy Support, and Locus of Control in Emerging Adulthood | Overparenting occurs when parents are over-involved in a child’s life, given her age and ability, often because they want to ensure her success or protect her from negative outcomes. The public is concerned that such parenting is related to poor outcomes in emerging adult children, an idea that is increasingly supported by research under the self-determination theoretical framework. Autonomy supportive parenting behaviors, on the other hand, actively encourage children to act independently. I surveyed a sample of college students (n = 167) between the ages of 17 and 26 at a small liberal arts college to examine the relationship between overparenting, autonomy support, and emerging adults’ locus of control. I found that while three measures of overparenting were significantly correlated, one measure stood apart from the others, which raised questions as to how different researchers have conceptualized this relatively new construct. Two of the overparenting measures were negatively correlated with a measure of autonomy support, but the third did not find a significant correlation. All of the overparenting measures were related to a more external locus of control in emerging adults, and autonomy support was related to a more internal locus of control. This may have important implications for the future of the overparenting construct in research, and for the potential impact of parenting behavior on emerging adults’ sense of control over their lives. | Mantell, James T. | 2017-05 |
| Capozzi, Megan | Psychology | Perceptions and Realities of School Counselors | School counselors face great role ambiguity which can interfere with the development of their own professional identity. There is evidence that the role ambiguity is largely due to the discrepancy between appropriate and inappropriate tasks handled by school counselors on a daily basis. Thirty-eight school counselors (N= 38) were surveyed using the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale and given a series of open-ended questions. There was a statistically significant increase from actual time spent to preferred time spent on activities related to counseling, consultation, coordination, and curriculum. There was a significant decrease in the scores of actual to preferred time spent on the activity scale labeled other (i.e., inappropriate tasks). Furthermore, additional themes emerged from the responses to the open-ended questions. Keywords: school counseling, role ambiguity, activity discrepancy, professional identity | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2017-05 |
| Chapman, Hannah | Psychology | How Does Diet Impact Health, Body Image, and Life Satisfaction? A Quantitative Comparison. | This study examined the relationship between diet and life satisfaction, body dissatisfaction, exercise, and nutrition. Participants (n = 163) were recruited via an all-student email at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Facebook advertisement. Participants filled out an online survey that included one measure for each variable of interest, along with a demographic questionnaire and a questionnaire about the participants’ current diet. We predicted that participants who identified as vegan would have lower body dissatisfaction scores, but higher life satisfaction, nutrition, and exercise scores. We found that participants who identified as vegan did not have significantly lower body dissatisfaction scores when examined individually, but when examined in conjunction with vegetarian participants against omnivore, paleo, and pescatarian participants the vegetarian/vegan group did report significantly lower body dissatisfaction scores. There was a significant positive correlation observed between animal protein consumption and body dissatisfaction. There were no differences observed between vegan diets and other diets in terms of life satisfaction. Participants who identified as vegan had significantly higher exercise scores than participants who identified as any other diet. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2017-05 |
| Cortez, David Reynoso | Psychology | The Effects of Opioids and TCAs on a Rat Model of Fibromyalgia: An Exploratory Study | Fibromyalgia is an idiopathic, chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome. The condition is currently incurable; various modalities are employed to mitigate both the widespread symptoms, and comorbid affective components, including anxiety and depression. The effects of both opioids and antidepressants have been studied, individually, in animal models of chronic pain. However, prior studies have had low ecological validity, as animals do not share humans’ side effect profile. We use a more modern animal model that induces hypersensitivity, a major symptom of Fibromyalgia, to study the effects of opioids and antidepressants. Tramadol, a weak opioid, has antinociceptive effects on pain and tactile allodynia, while also improving affect. Amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, can serve as an analgesic at higher doses. The combined effects of opioids and TCA’s have not been studied extensively, and particularly not in this model of hypersensitivity. We aimed to develop drug dosage curves for Tramadol and Amitriptyline, and to confirm that these drugs work synergistically. We determined doses of tramadol that reduce hypersensitivity, and deduced an additive effect of amitriptyline on tramadol. Our results demonstrated that these drugs can work synergistically to reduce prominent symptoms in Fibromyalgia. We anticipate our study will lead to further tests of synergistic interactions. This could produce more robust drug dose curves and metrics for chronic pain syndromes and their comorbid conditions. Furthermore, positive synergistic results in further studies with TCAs and opioids can help develop treatments that mitigate the overuse of opioids, and decrease patients’ experience of adverse side effects resulting from higher doses. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| Damanka, Vera | Psychology | The Effects of Opioids and TCAs on a Rat Model of Fibromyalgia: An Exploratory Study | Fibromyalgia is an idiopathic, chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome. The condition is currently incurable; various modalities are employed to mitigate both the widespread symptoms, and comorbid affective components, including anxiety and depression. The effects of both opioids and antidepressants have been studied, individually, in animal models of chronic pain. However, prior studies have had low ecological validity, as animals do not share humans’ side effect profile. We use a more modern animal model that induces hypersensitivity, a major symptom of Fibromyalgia, to study the effects of opioids and antidepressants. Tramadol, a weak opioid, has antinociceptive effects on pain and tactile allodynia, while also improving affect. Amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, can serve as an analgesic at higher doses. The combined effects of opioids and TCA’s have not been studied extensively, and particularly not in this model of hypersensitivity. We aimed to develop drug dosage curves for Tramadol and Amitriptyline, and to confirm that these drugs work synergistically. We determined doses of tramadol that reduce hypersensitivity, and deduced an additive effect of amitriptyline on tramadol. Our results demonstrated that these drugs can work synergistically to reduce prominent symptoms in Fibromyalgia. We anticipate our study will lead to further tests of synergistic interactions. This could produce more robust drug dose curves and metrics for chronic pain syndromes and their comorbid conditions. Furthermore, positive synergistic results in further studies with TCAs and opioids can help develop treatments that mitigate the overuse of opioids, and decrease patients’ experience of adverse side effects resulting from higher doses. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| Darby, Megan | Psychology | A Qualitative Exploration of the Relationship between Self-Control and Disordered Eating | This Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) study was conducted to analyze the relationship between self-control and disordered eating, and specifically how self-control may change during the recovery process. Six counseling psychologists and psychotherapists participated in one-on-one recorded interviews following an 10-item protocol used to assess how each counselor defined self-control and how they interpreted self-control in their disordered eating clients. Of the many core ideas that were analyzed across the interviews, all of the participants identified a lack of control in their eating disorder clients in reference to eating and emotions. There were also several cognitive trends seen across their clients and typical trends that the participants used to manipulate control in their clients. The results from this study highlight our lack of understanding and research regarding the domains of self-control, which has previously been analyzed as a fairly one-dimensional concept. With a deeper understanding of self-control comes an increased ability to manipulate and understand self-control behaviors in both neurotypical people and those with control-based disorders. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2017-05 |
| Forrester-Fronstin, Zoey | Psychology | The Influence of Orexin Antagonist, SB-334867, on Cognitive Flexibility | The effect of orexin A (OxA) on acetylcholine (ACh) activity by way of the orexin-1 receptor (Ox1) is a studied pathway in the pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) (Boschen, Fadel, & Burk, 2009; Fadel, Pasumarthi, & Reznikov, 2005). The change in efflux of ACh is seen to contribute to the cognitive impairments and molecular changes (e.g. tau phosphorylation) evident of AD (Blennow, de Leon, & Zetterberg, 2006). OxA released via the lateral hypothalamus projects to the nucleus basalis magnocellularis of the basal forebrain, which in turn activates Ox1 receptors naturally (Scammell & Winrow, 2011). Recent literature has indicated that the compound SB-334867 selectively antagonizes Ox1 (Smart & Jerman, 2002). Blocking Ox1 is known to decrease ACh release in the cortex and alter domain specific cognitive flexibility (Fadel & Burk, 2010). The proposed study aims to identify deficits in a more general form of behavioral flexibility, the set-shifting task. A set-shifting task measures the ability for an animal to learn a “correct” rule, have the “correct” rule change, and learn the new rule. This set-shifting ability has been found to be disrupted in AD patients. It is hypothesized that following an infusion of the OxA antagonist, SB-334867, into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis—the ability for rats to shift from the original rule to a new rule will be impaired. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2017-05 |
| Gill, Mary | Psychology | This Is What Inclusion Looks Like: Parent Perspectives on Post-Secondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities | Post-secondary education (PSE) programs for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) represent a new frontier in inclusive higher education. The current study explored parents’ views of the social, emotional, academic, practical, and professional impacts of PSE programs on students, as well as the challenges and successes involved in PSE participation. I conducted qualitative interviews with six parents of students with ID who are either current students or alumni of PSE programs at four-year, residential colleges and universities. Using methods adapted from the Consensual Qualitative Research process (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997), I analyzed the interviews to find common themes. The results indicate that, despite some challenges, attending college does benefit students with ID in social, emotional, and practical ways. Notably, parents said that separation from family increases students’ independence, students grow in self-determination, and graduates are more equipped for employment and independent living. Parents provided suggestions for improvement including better communication between families and program staff and increased availability of PSE programs. They also suggested that students with ID benefit at least as much as typical students and that people without ID benefit from the programs as well. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed, as well as recommendations for future practice. | Koch, Katherine A. | 2017-05 |
| Goodrich, Samantha | Psychology | Behavioral Laterality Exhibited in Foraging Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) | Lateralized behavior is commonly seen in the handedness of a human individual and can be defined as a consistent movement or preference of a side. Dolphins are known to have visuospatial lateralization to the right as it has been previously studied and has been deemed an integral aspect to provide critical information in visual discrimination tasks. Integrated with the vision track of a bottlenose dolphin, echolocation is essential for successful foraging and is hypothesized to also be heavily lateralized like vision. This study looks into a bottlenose dolphin foraging behavior specifically known as crater feeding and the strong lateralization that is exhibited in it. After recording feeding behaviors from 2012 to 2016, behaviors were observed for lateralization on both the population level and individual level. I found a significant preference for a right-side bias in leaning during foraging behavior. The results showed that the majority of the bottlenose dolphins consistently exhibited right lateralized behavior. From the total 167 observations there were, 74.25% right leans, 0.06% left leans, and 25.74% no leans. Finally, dolphins that exhibited more than 10 observations were tested for significance. Out of 7 dolphins, 6 dolphins showed a significant right side leaning bias. The results from this study provide support that lateralization during foraging is significant and may be advantageous. | Kaplan, Jennifer D. | 2017-05 |
| Gorovoy, Amy | Psychology | Twitter User-Generated Content on Social Media and Consumer Behavior | This study tested the effect of the valence of a brand-related Tweet posted to Twitter and the presence or absence of a response from the brand on consumers’ opinions and behaviors towards the brand. It was hypothesized that a negative Tweet would decrease consumer attitudes and purchase intention about the brand compared to a positive Tweet. A response from the company to the negative Tweet would reduce the negative attitudinal and behavioral effects compared to no response from the company. One hundred twenty-nine participants were recruited from St. Mary’s College of Maryland to take part in the study. Participants completed an online survey in which they saw an image of a Tweet about Panera Bread and then rated statements on their opinions about the company. The results were not consistent with the hypotheses, as significant main effects were found only for two statements. A significant main effect for company response was found for the statement “This company doesn’t value consumer loyalty” and a significant main effect for Tweet valence was found for the statement “I will speak negatively about this company.” Key words: consumer behavior, social media, Twitter, user-generated content | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2017-05 |
| Haber-Sage, Sophie | Psychology | An Empirical Study of Pre-existing Beliefs Toward the Insanity Defense using Anecdotes and Statistics | In general, research suggests that the public has strongly held adverse beliefs toward the insanity defense such as: it is easily, frequently and successfully feigned. In reality, for every 1000 felony cases, approximately 2 defendants are acquitted out of 9 insanity pleas. Previous research has used statistics and anecdotes to influence attitudes. The purpose of the present study was to measure the degree to which statistics and positive, negative, and neutral anecdotes affect pre-existing beliefs of the insanity defense over time using belief preservation and the availability heuristic. A total of 120 participants completed the pre-test, filling out questionnaires on political beliefs, frequency and success estimates of the insanity defense, the death penalty, the JWS, and the IDA-R. At least a week later, 83 participants came back to complete the post-test where they read a narrative (positive, negative, neutral) with or without statistics before providing frequency and success estimates and filling out the IDA-R. At least 10 days later, 73 participants came back to complete the delayed post-test where they provided frequency and success estimates and completed the IDA-R. Conservative leaning participants were more likely to indicate having a just world belief, being proponents of the death penalty, estimating higher frequency and success estimates, and having more negative attitudes toward the insanity defense. Participants were able to integrate the corrected statistics but this did not affect attitudes. Additionally, the relevant anecdotes did not have a significant influence on attitudes. Implications of the results and future directions are discussed. | Platt, Richard D. | 2017-05 |
| Haller, Janina | Psychology | Women and Weightlifting: Programs Promoting Improvements in Self-Concept and Physical Health | Women are less likely to participate in weightlifting compared to men, despite the physical and psychological benefits of weightlifting. After an in-depth discussion of benefits and constraints to female participation in weightlifting, four programs were developed which address women in different age groups: Elementary, High School/College Aged, Middle Adult, and Senior Adults. These programs are designed to make weightlifting more accessible to women, taking into consideration constraints specific to women. In the future, these programs will help women to better their physical and mental health. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2017-05 |
| Justice, Gillian | Psychology | The Animals that Tame Us: Comfort Animals in Research, History, Policy and at St. Mary's College Of Maryland | A “comfort animal” in the United States is an accommodation for people with mental and physical disabilities that has been mostly defined by public policy and law. Though comfort animals are prescribed as emotional support for people with disabilities, little empirical literature exists to explicitly support the practice. To understand how and why we are already using comfort animals, I will review the history of the relationship between humans and animals, as well as literature on domesticated animals and mental health outcomes in humans. It is also necessary to discuss mental health needs of college students who are already seeking comfort animal accommodations, and address concerns and controversies surrounding the practic e. I applied this research in a multidimensional project with two primary components: through a preliminary small-sample study on the mental health and academic self-efficacy of students with and without comfort animals at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and a comfort animals outreach event and campaign on St. Mary’s campus. Results of the study did not support the original hypothesis that the tested outcomes would be better for students with comfort animals, but the response to the outreach event was positive and suggestive of further actions for universities. Drawing from the literature review, the preliminary study, and the outreach work, I make several relevant conclusions and suggestions for the future of research into comfort animals. | Mantell, James T. | 2017-05 |
| Kasmani, Nabiha | Psychology | Animal Models of Depression: Sex differences between juvenile rats in a CLI model of depression | Depression is the most common mental illness in the world, affecting women twice as much as men. It typically presents around the adolescent age continuing into adulthood. Little is known about the development of depression in adolescents due, in part, to lack of animal models. This limits the amount of treatments available for adolescents diagnosed with depression because there are no juvenile models for comparison to the adolescent population. This study uses a common adult animal model of depression, the neonatal administration of clomipramine (an SSRI), or CLI, model of depression. It involves giving CLI to neonatal rats and seeing the emergence of depression in adulthood. This study extends this model to an earlier age, using the open-field test and the forced-swim test to evaluate for depression in adolescence. Further more males and females are tested to broaden the literature with female animal models. We found that there was overall increased activity for the CLI group and females in the OFT. There was also increased immobility in the FST across the juvenile age. These results suggest that this model can possibly be extended to an earlier age to include juvenile, thus more research can be done for adolescents with depression. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| Kidane, Salina | Psychology | The Effect of Orexin A in the Basal Forebrain on Cognition | Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by depletion in the basal forebrain cholinergic system, which effects memory and cognitive flexibility in patients suffering from the disease. Further degeneration of the basal forebrain results in decreased amounts of the primary neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (ACh), innervating the nuclei. Previous research has focused on the modulators involved in their influence on cognitive functioning in the basal forebrain. Orexin, a group of neuropeptides primarily localized in the hypothalamus, project to the basal forebrain and aid in the release of ACh cortically. Fadel et al. (2005) utilized microdialysis to administrate orexin agonist (OxA) into the basal forebrain of rats which showed to stimulate the release of ACh and increase cognitive functioning. No previous research has examined the effect of OxA administration on performance in terms of cognitive flexibility. The current study examined the effect of infusing orexin agonist (OxA) on a set-shifting task and the performance in rats. We hypothesize that OxA administration into the basal forebrain prior to the reversal learning will both enhance acetylcholine release and improve learning and cognition. Results indicated that rats administered with OxA did not differ significantly from the control group on the reversal learning portion. Keywords: orexin, acetylcholine, cognition, basal forebrain, Alzheimer’s disease | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2017-05 |
| Kostelnik, Claire | Psychology | Intraventricular Injections of L-655, 708 on Depressive-Like Behavior | Depression is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The standard therapeutic care for depression is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), which present a 3-8 week delay before displaying any effect and are additionally only effective in about half of patients (Gaynes et al., 2009). With similar properties to the drug ketamine, partial inverse agonists of GABAA receptors containing alpha-5 subunits (e.g., L-655, 708) may treat a wider range of patients without this delay. Previous findings have found a rapid antidepressant action on the social interaction test and sucrose preference test following L-655, 708 (0.7 mg/kg) injected intraperitoneally in chronically stressed rats (Fischell, Van Dyke, Kvarta, LeGates, & Thompson, 2015). The present study performed cannula surgeries to directly infuse L-655, 708 (5ng in 0.2 μL at .25 μL/ min) in the lateral ventricles of chronically stressed rats. Antidepressant effects of L-655, 708 were found on the sucrose preference test, social interaction test, and novelty suppressed feeding test. Being the first of its kind to infuse L-655, 708 directly into the brain, these results provide new insight to the cerebral effect of L-655, 708 and convincing support of the excitatory synapse hypothesis of depression. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2017-05 |
| Krautner, Maura | Psychology | Understanding the Effects of Drug Prevention Curriculum on Perception of Substance Use Disorder | General stigma and negative perceptions of substance use disorder (SUD) have not improved in recent decades despite an influx of research regarding etiology and understanding of the disorder. Research shows that public negative perception of SUD reduces the number of people seeking treatment due to fear of public rejection, and also impacts implementation of legislation surrounding treatment. One potential influence on negative perception of SUD is drug prevention education. Current drug prevention education generally focuses on social, legal, and visible physical consequences of drug use but does not educate on the neurobiological changes that occur following use. In the current study, we hypothesized that drug prevention education that include lessons on the neurobiological changes would increase understanding of the Disease Model of Addiction (DMA) and reduce stigmatization and negative views of SUD. To conduct this study, students, faculty, and staff of St. Mary’s College of Maryland completed a survey consisting of the Addiction Belief Scale and the Substance Abuse Attitudes Survey in a pre and post-test following review of either the Swiss Cheese Model of Addiction (SCMoA) or the Science of Addiction (SoA) videos, used to simulate the current and proposed drug prevention curricula. Results showed that participants who watched the neuroscience based SoA video, or had a prior neuroscience background held greater belief in the DMA versus the Free-will Model of Addiction. It was also found that there was greater treatment optimism for participants with a neuroscience background. Results indicate effectiveness of reducing stigmatization through neuroscience education. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2017-05 |
| La, Kathleen | Psychology | The Effects of GABANAMS (L-655,708) on Animal Models of Depression | Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide. Individuals suffering from depression may experience debilitating effects that can impact daily living. Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed in treating depression. However, SSRIs have been shown to only be effective in about half of patients and take effect after 4-8 weeks of use. This poses a problem for individuals seeking immediate relief from their symptoms. We propose that a class of drugs named GABAnams (e.g.,L-655,708) will produce a faster antidepressant response in animal models of depression. We propose in this present study that an administration of the L-6 drug will reduce various signs of anhedonia, or a loss of pleasure, after 24 hours of administration in animals that underwent the chronic stress model of depression. The results from this study indicated that after an administration of L-6, chronic restraint stress (CRS) animals exhibited an increase in sexual activity and a slight increase in sucrose intake, indicating a reversal of anhedonia. Further research should be done to further confirm the effects of L-6 on animal models of depression as well as its effects on unstressed animals. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2017-05 |
| LaCourse, Catherine | Psychology | Chronic Progesterone Treatment as a Potential Model of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection | Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) is a parasite that infects roughly a third of the global human population. A few subtle behavioral symptoms have been identified, but latent toxoplasmosis is largely considered inconsequential. Chronically infected rodents show a unique loss of their natural cat aversion; interestingly, cats are the definitive hosts of T.gondii, implicating that T.gondii is manipulating its host to propagate its life cycle. Infected rats also show increased locomotion, decreased anxiety and neophobia, and increased levels of sex hormones. In an attempt to model latent toxoplasmosis, intact female rats were chronically administered progesterone (4mg/2ml) or vehicle (50% DMSO in water) over four weeks using osmotic mini pumps (Alzet, model 2ML4). Prior to treatment, after two weeks of treatment, and after four weeks of treatment rats were tested in an open field, elevated plus maze, and a novel object recognition paradigm. Rats were also tested for response to cat odor after four weeks of treatment. No significant differences were found in anxiety, neophobia, or response to cat odor. Locomotion was principally unchanged as well, except for an interesting drug effect on short-term habituation. Progesterone-treated animals showed slower short-term habituation, which may be indicative of a slight increase in locomotion. Future studies should test the effect of progesterone and testosterone chronically administered in females and males, respectively, for longer than four weeks to determine if increased levels of sex hormones is the primary mechanism of behavioral change in latent toxoplasmosis. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| LaMora, Rebecca | Psychology | Domination, Dildos, and Dogma; Religiosity and Perceptions of BDSM | Recent media such as 50 Shades of Grey series have brought alternative sexualities such as BDSM to into public domain and conversation. However, there are stigmas attached to those who practice BDSM such as the stereotypes that BDSM participants were abused as children or are deviants outside the bedroom, and BDSM participants have faced forms of discrimination because of this. One theory hypothesized in past research was that negative perceptions of BDSM come from the “religious moralistic opposition.” Undergraduates (N = 94) completed measures of religiosity, BDSM attitudes, sexual liberalism, sexual conservatism, and sexual activity Likert scales and answered three free response questions about BDSM, BDSM portrayals in the media, and how religiosity influences their sexuality. Results showed that participants who identified as religious were significantly more likely to have negative attitudes about BDSM, be more sexually conservative, and be less sexually liberal than participants who identified as spiritual, agnostic, or atheist. These findings support the idea that certain forms of religiosity have a correlational relationship with negative perceptions about alternative sexualities, but that other forms of religiosity such as spirituality do not. Keywords: BDSM, religiosity, sexual liberalism, sexual conservatism | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2017-05 |
| London, Elena | Psychology | Gut Feelings: Knowledge and Attitudes Toward the Gut Microbiome in Healthcare Professionals and St. Mary's Students | Extensive research has shown that the gut microbiome plays a significant role in many bodily functions far beyond the primary function of digestion. Having an unhealthy gut is linked to medical illnesses such as autoimmune disorders, and psychiatric disorders such as depression. However, research has shown that healthcare professionals are not getting adequate education about the gut microbiome which is causing them to overlook the gut when treating patients. This study explores what healthcare professionals, as well as undergraduate college students, know about the gut microbiome and their attitudes towards it. Results showed that college students do know about the gut microbiome, but they are not learning about it through healthcare professionals. Furthermore, it was determined that the education that healthcare professionals receive on nutrition and the gut microbiome is severely lacking. The students exhibited skeptical attitudes towards the importance of the gut microbiome, but they expressed a desire to be better informed on the topic. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| Marcelli, Margaret | Psychology | Transracial and Transethnic Adoptees and a Sense of Identity | Due to the importance of formation of racial and ethnic identity, there has been criticism of White parents raising children of color (transracial adoptees) and children of a non-European descent (transethnic adoptees). The different ways White parents might socialize their transracial adoptee have been studied in the literature through the parent perspective. The goal of the present study was to get the adoptee’s point of view about how their parent(s) socialization strategies affected their own sense of racial and ethnic identity. The researcher interviewed 14 transracial and transethnic adoptees who identified as being Asian/Pacific Islander and analyzed the data using Consensual Qualitative Research analysis (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). The researcher found one general category and many typical categories that revealed both benefits and challenges to transracial and transethnic adoption and the identity development process. This research articulated the important role of transcultural socialization throughout adoptees’ lives. These results are crucial in the renovation of the adoption process by social workers, counselors, and parents alike. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2017-05 |
| Monro, Julia | Psychology | The Influence of Theory of Intelligence in Students with Learning Disabilities on Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, Goal Orientation, and Motivation | This two-part study examines the differences between college students with and without learning disabilities (LD) regarding self-regulation, self-efficacy for self-regulation, goal orientation, motivation, and theory of intelligence (TOI). In Part 1, 128 college students (14 males, 120 females, 3 other) were surveyed about self-regulation, self-efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, and TOI. In Part 2, 5 college students with LD (1 male, 4 female) and 5 without LD (1 male, 4 female) were interviewed to analyze specific self-regulation strategies and differences in TOI between the two subgroups. Part 1 did not show any significant differences between the LD and non-LD subgroups in terms of these factors. However, the qualitative data in Part 2 showed that students with LD tended to have comparable self-regulation skills to students without LD, procrastinate less, and hold strong compensation strategies. The results from Part 2 also supported that students with LD demonstrate more entity TOI behaviors than incremental ones. Together, these findings suggest that college students with LD have personalized ways to make up for any academic weaknesses due to their LD, but their TOI ultimately still influences their ability to self-regulate and learn from failure. Keywords: learning disabilities, theory of intelligence, compensation strategies, self-regulation, self-efficacy, goal orientation, motivation | Tallent, Kathleen A. | 2017-05 |
| Rios, Nohely | Psychology | Predictors of Long-Term Negative Adjustment and Yearning Following Romantic Relationship Disengagement | The termination of a romantic relationship can have a substantial impact on an individual’s mental health and wellbeing long after the breakup. This study investigated a range of predictors that might influence not only the speed with which people recover emotionally from the breakup of a romantic relationship, but also the factors that predict feelings of yearning for the former partner. Factors included attachment style, gender, age, breakup initiator status, level of social support, duration of the focal relationship, level of intimacy shared between the couple, current relationship status, surveillance of the former partner via social media, and level of satisfaction experienced during the relationship. Results indicated that overall, social media stalking, attachment style, breakup recency, distress levels and current relationship status most strongly predicted feelings of yearning and distress in both the short term and long-term conditions. Level of intimacy and amount of social support during the relationship were solely correlated with long-term negative adjustment. Future research should continue to examine additional unaddressed predictors of long-term yearning and distress postbreakup and attempt to account for the gender differences observed. | Platt, Richard D. | 2017-05 |
| Scott, Emily | Psychology | Personality Correlates, Study Habits, and Academic Performance: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Personality, Study Habits Used and Overall Academic Success | Finding what affects student’s GPA and overall academic performance is important so that students can understand what habits they should be utilizing so they can be as successful as possible. This study looked at the personality traits of extraversion and conscientiousness with a focus on extraversion. Research on how conscientiousness affects academic performance has consistently shown that there is a positive correlation between conscientiousness and academic success. Research on the relationship between extraversion and academic performance is mixed, with some researchers finding negative correlations between extraversion and academic success and some finding no correlation. Research on study habits suggests that certain study habits may be better than others. The first hypothesis was that participants who score higher on the extraversion scale would have more interactive study habits than those who score lower. Secondly, it was hypothesized that participants who score higher on the extroversion scale would have lower overall GPA’s than those who score lower. This study included 118 students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland who completed a Study Habits Questionnaire and a 20-item personality questionnaire. Person’s correlation results showed that studying alone was significantly negatively correlated with extraversion and studying with one person and studying in a group was significantly positively correlated with extraversion, which supports the first hypothesis. Results also showed that there was no significant relationship between extraversion and GPA, which goes against the second hypothesis. This finding could be due to the fact that extraverts need more stimulation, so they work best with others. | Platt, Richard D. | 2017-05 |
| Seltzer, Mathew | Psychology | The Elucidation of Parabcrachial Substance P projections; A Role For Substance P and CGRP Expression in the CeA in Response to Visceral Nociception | Afferent nociceptive information travels from the periphery to the brain through two distinct tracts: the spinothalamic tract, which is responsible for transmitting the “sensory discriminative” component of pain; and the spino-parabrachial pathway, which is thought to convey the “affective-motivational” component of pain (Basabaum et al., 2009). For the spino-parabrachial pathway, it is known that the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) projects to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST),the insular cortex, and the amygdala. In response to a noxious stimuli such as capsacin or footshock, the neurons within the PBN release the neurepeptides substance P, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) onto these target nuclei (Han et al., 2015). With the use of Cre-dependent viral vectors that target the genes encoding substance P, we have revealed that substance P cells in the parabrachial project to the BNST, the insular cortex, the thalamus, and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Moreover, with the use of immunostaing, it is shown that in response to visceral capsaicin administration, C-fos (a marker for neuronal activation) substance P, substance P synapses, and CGRP are expressed in the CeA. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| Shimoda, Alison | Psychology | Problematic Empathy in Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Approach | Empathy has been studied in various settings with few methods or findings that prove to be entirely generalizable. Furthermore, the issue of problematic empathy has little to no recognition in the body of research regarding therapy or empathy. The experiences of counseling psychologists and psychotherapists were studied using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). After recruiting from listservs in APA Division 17 and 29, phone interviews were conducted with 10 therapists who had experienced issues of problematic empathy with clients. A research team analyzed interview data using the methodology of CQR. Several general and typical findings emerged from data analysis showcasing the great variation in experiences of problematic empathy across participants. This research emphasizes the importance of establishing universal definitions of problematic empathy due to the different levels and situational factors that contribute to experiences of empathy. The findings of this study also reflect the need to conduct further research to find more conclusive techniques therapists utilize to manage issues of empathy. Limitations of the research and future areas of research relating to problematic empathy are discussed. Keywords: problematic empathy, empathy, therapeutic relationship, CQR, in-session strategies | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2017-05 |
| Solomon, Rachel | Psychology | Word-of-Mouth Referrals for Caregiver Support Groups: A Cross-Cultural Analysis | Caregiver burden is a pervasive issue affecting people from all backgrounds. One method of alleviating that stress is through caregiver support groups. Awareness for these groups must be raised through referrals and outreach. Although word-of-mouth (WOM) is effective as a referral practice, there is insufficient evidence for Latinx groups. This investigation explored WOM referral practices on support group attendance and promotion between White and Latinx groups. In Study A, data was gathered from English- and Spanish-speaking caregiver support groups with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to better understand referral method and perception of community stigma. Of interest was whether WOM initiated by the experimenter would enhance WOM referrals compared to baseline, but there were no clear effects. Spanish-speakers reported their community was less familiar with NAMI than English-speakers. Spanish-speakers were mostly referred by another organization or the internet, while English-speakers were mostly referred by family members. Qualitative analysis revealed ethnic differences in opinions on conducting referral. Study B was an online survey of White and Latinx college students about perception of WOM and likelihood to use WOM for mental compared to physical health support group services. ANOVAs revealed a complex four-way interaction pattern between ethnicity (Caucasian or Latinx), WOM recipient (family member, friend, or acquaintance), stigma levels (physical or mental illness), and emotions involved (comfort, gratitude, or embarrassment). These studies illustrate that WOM is complex and could manifest differently in Latinx and White groups. Future research should investigate these factors to improve culturally appropriate support group referral. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2017-05 |
| Stewart, Kelley | Psychology | The Western Influence on Beauty Ideals Within Asian Communities | The goal of this study was to investigate the influence Western beauty ideals have on Asian individuals. A total of 49 Asian/Asian American participants completed eight scales as an online survey. Ages ranged from 18 – 56 years old. The influence of internalization on body shame, disordered eating, and self-objectification was examined. More internalization was found to increase these variables. The relationship between self-objectification, perfectionism, and acceptance of cosmetic surgery was examined. A positive correlation between self-objectification and acceptance of cosmetic surgery indicated that participants who objectified themselves favored cosmetic surgery, whereas no correlation was found between perfectionism and acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Additionally, the use of acculturation as a moderator for internalization and predictor for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating was examined. Acculturation and internalization explained disordered eating and body shame among participants, the acculturation/internalization interaction did not influence either measure. Furthermore, the use of feminism as a moderator used to lessen internalization and therefore self-objectification and acceptance of cosmetic surgery was examined. However, feminism did not decrease the effect of internalization on self-objectification or acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Lastly the influence of East Asian religions on disordered eating was also examined, although religion had no influence on the variable. These finding suggests that Western internalization has a negative impact on body ideals within Asian individuals, although further research is need to determine the mode of Western internalization and how its effects can be lessened. Keywords: Western internalization, objectification, acculturation, body shame, perfectionism, cosmetic surgery, Asian American | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2017-05 |
| Suzich, Timothy | Psychology | Effects of Food Deprivation on Social Hierarchies in Rats: An Exploration of the Extent of Dominance in Male Sprague Dawley Rats and the Effect of the Stressor of Food Deprivation | Dominance hierarchies are a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom and rats are not an exception. There has been a large amount of debate on what the markers of social dominance hierarchies in rats are, especially with regard to resource control (many researchers believing that dominant animals control food and water resources and others claiming that this shifts). In addition, there has been a very limited amount of research into how food deprivation effects social dominance hierarchies, and so identifying potential breakdown of the dominance hierarchy and the shifting of status between dominant and submissive animals was the focus of the following research. The first section of this research focused on identifying dominance through the playfighting interactions of the animals, and for six days the animals were observed and their playfighting interactions recorded and scored, with main effects for dominance and playfighting wins but no interaction between the two. The second test for dominance was based around sucrose pellets placed in an open maze, time spent in the center of the maze and at the pellets was recorded, and a second dominance test that consisted of the investigation of cages laced with pheromones of dominant and submissive animals to identify the dominant animal within the triads of subject animals. The final section, after dominance had been identified, was a period of playfighting observed after food deprivation had occurred, with serious social breakdown identified both through the combative behaviors of the animals and significant changes in playfighting behaviors. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2017-05 |
| Ulrick, Scott | Psychology | Multiple Choice and Applied Testing: Information Recall and Test Type | What is the best testing style for information recall? Is it multiple choice, or is it a more applied style of testing? I hypothesized that because applied testing involves more cognitive effort, it would make it easier for the students to accurately recall the information at test. To assess this, I recruited 105 St. Mary’s College of Maryland students. The students were split into three groups, Group 1 was the control group, Group 2 was the applied group, and Group 3 was the multiple choice group. All three groups also took a cued recall test; the results of this cued recall, however, were not what I expected. The results showed that of the three groups, the control and multiple choice were performed the same, but the applied group’s cued recall test scores were significantly lower than the rest. The scores were still significantly lower even when accounting for people not following the instructions and misspellings on the final test. What this study found was not the testing effect as expected, but the negative testing effect; the only time the participants in the applied category scored on par with the others was when I accounted for interference, defined as participants typing an incorrect sentence in the applied category, but remembering the incorrect word on the cued recall test. | Foster, Nathaniel L. | 2017-05 |
| Winters, Mary Rose | Psychology | Best Practices for the Continuing Care of Adolescents in Recovery from Severe Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review with Proposed Model of Treatment | Underage substance abuse is a widespread problem affecting approximately 8% of adolescents in the United States. Rehabilitation and recovery services are effective in reducing substance use rates in adolescents but due to the complex nature of addiction, relapse rates are extraordinarily high (estimates vary, but are all above 50%). Continuing care is a relatively new phenomenon, it is a term referring to ongoing treatment that takes place after a primary care service has been provided. Practices of continuing care for adolescents in recovery from severe substance use disorders have been systematically reviewed in this study to answer four questions: 1. Does continuing care benefit adolescents in recovery? 2. If so, what are the most effective systems of continuing care? 3. What are the most specific treatment components that have been found to be most successful in supporting adolescents in maintaining recovery? 4. What are efficient methods to deliver treatment services to a diverse population of adolescents who are in-need? The analysis of several studies provided suggestions for a framework of continuing care for adolescents which should be adjusted according to the individual needs of the adolescent. A proposed model of continuing care is built from this framework. Recovery High Schools are a promising model of treatment delivery that permit a supportive environment in which students can create and develop without judgement or association with substance use. | Staley, Joshua A. | 2017-05 |
| Abate, Francisco | Psychology | Microaggression Reduction Through Mindfulness : Analyzing the Quality of Conversations Between Groups | Research asking racial minorities at predominantly white universities indicate that there are many microaggression that these students experience. These experiences have been correlated with poor health habits and mental health problems. Mindfulness has been shown have positive effects on prejudice and stereotypes and positive effects of empathy. 38 participants from St. Mary’s college of Maryland participated in an experiment on the effects of a mindfulness manipulation on the quality of a group conversation. The participants talked about one of two issues related to the campus of St. Mary’s: The confederate flag and Title IX. The conversations were rated with self-reports measuring the quality of the conversation and the perceptions of the participants. The perception of microaggressions was also measured for. Results showed that the mindfulness manipulation was successful in increasing empathy, and decreasing the tension in a conversation when compared to the control condition. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2016-05 |
| Adams, Stephen | Psychology | Lack of Ethanol Sensitization and Cocaine Cross-Sensitization in Ethanol-Drinking Rats | Drug-induced behavioral sensitization has been implicated as a possible mechanism facilitating addiction. Sensitization occurs when continual administration renders neural mechanisms, hypersensitive to a drug of abuse. This phenomenon is known to span drug classes, and provide a common mechanism of action between drugs. Cross-sensitization can be induced by a drug challenge, following continual administration of a different drug. Addictive drugs target the reward center of the brain, specifically the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, which is mediated by ventral tegmental area (VTA)- based dopaminergic projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and other regions of the system. Current literature has revealed possible common mechanisms between alcohol and cocaine, and cross-sensitization may reveal these underlying mechanism between drugs of abuse. Sprague-Dawley rats were forced to drink increasing doses of ethanol over a 35-day period then were administered challenges of cocaine (15 mg/kg) and ethanol (.25 g/kg. 2 cocaine challenges (Day 2 and 10), and 1 ethanol challenge (Day 16). These challenges did not express sensitization or cross-sensitization in the ethanol treated rats, however cross-tolerance may indicate a shared mechanism. Differences in mechanism, variable ethanol consumption, and lack of ethanol sensitization in rats limited the success of this experiment | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2016-05 |
| Adashek, David | Psychology | Long-Term Effects Of Methylphenidate on Working Memory | Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is a condition which affects approximately 7% of all children, regardless of ethnicity or upbringing. Although the exact etiology of ADHD is currently unknown, treatment options focus on reducing hypofunctioning of the prefrontal cortex, specifically the Dopamine-2 and norepinephrine pathways, which play significant roles in executive functioning, including working memory, and object recognition. The primary choice of treatment is methylphenidate, the main ingredient in Ritalin, and is prescribed to over 56% of patients undergoing drug therapy for ADHD. Despite its common prescription status, the long term effects of chronic usage of MPH, followed by cessation of dosing after a withdrawal period, have not been extensively studied. To study how long term usage affects learning and object recognition, 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were broken into groups, administered daily injections of saline or either a high or low dose of MPH. These rats were treated until sensitization characteristics appeared, at which point they were taken off the drug regimen, entered into a washout phase, then tested with novel object recognition tests and locomotion trials. Preliminary results indicated no significant effects of chronic MPH usage on object recognition, or locomotion post drug-withdrawal. While acute locomotion sensitization did occur, there was no evidence of long-term sensitization past a 10 day washout phase. Further testing on set shifting, and other learning mechanisms will need to be completed in order to rule out negative long term repercussions of chronic MPH usage. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2016-05 |
| Bucknam, Elaine | Psychology | Assessing Social Motivation and Cognition in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder through a Modified False-belief Task | For individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) social interactions pose significant challenges. To explore these impairments, this study modified an experimental assessment of social cognition known as false-belief tasks. Research has indicated that typical children can pass false-belief tasks between ages 3-5, while children with ASD often cannot pass until early adolescence. However, recent research has found the false-belief task to be an inadequate measure of social impairment in ASD, because social cognition is only one aspect of social ability. There is evidence that social motivation, or one’s desire to interact with others, is also impaired in ASD. This study examined the effectiveness of false-belief tasks modified to measure social motivation in addition to social cognition in 9 typically developing male adolescents and 11 adolescents with ASD. Participants completing the modified task were asked questions measuring their desire to help the characters seen in the videos—an indirect measure of social motivation—in addition to the social cognition questions asked in the unmodified false-belief task. Participants’ interactions with the experimenter were also coded and analyzed for social ability. The data from this study suggest false-belief task alternatives for a better understanding of social impairment in ASD. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2016-05 |
| Calin, Bianca | Psychology | Long Term Consequences of Premature Birth as Compared To Full-Term Birth | The study presented discusses long-term consequences of premature birth for students of college age, as compared to those born full term. College-aged students born premature were expected to have difficulty academically and socially as compared to those born full-term, specifically in terms of their social self-esteem, self-efficacy, and learning. Students born premature were expected to have difficulty in school, and have difficulty with cognitive strategies important to understanding higher-level concepts. Participants were assessed on social self-esteem and overall learning. This research is important in order to assess whether or not students born premature are able to meet college-level standards without difficulty, and addresses the idea of students born premature being further assessed in school to combat some of the issues discussed in this research. There were no significant differences between students born premature versus full-term. Future research can further assess students of college age born premature, as there are implications of this research, such as medical, educational and social initiatives that need to be considered. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2016-05 |
| Condelli, Carmen | Psychology | Singing and Foreign Language Learning: Relationships With Accent Imitation Skills | There is incredible diversity in singing and language skills. Two important models in this line of research include the linked-dual representation (LDR) model (Hutchins & Moreno, 2013) and the OPERA hypothesis (Patel, 2011). According to LDR, the brain consists of two different pathways for perceiving and producing vocal stimuli. Improving on these pathways in singing translates over to improving these skills in speech. The OPERA hypothesis focuses on overlapping brain areas in speaking and singing, and provides other reasons for singers often being more skilled than the general population in language skills. In this study, I attempted to further explore this correlation and test these models. Participants included singers, students majoring in a foreign language, and a psychology major control group. They were tested on their singing abilities through use of the Seattle Singing Accuracy Protocol (SSAP), a measure of pitch matching ability (Demorest & Pfordresher, 2015). They then completed an accent imitation task in which they attempt to repeat Australian stimuli as accurately as possible, including the accent. Long-term average spectra (LTAS) difference scores and subjective ratings are used to judge accent imitation ability. The results show singers and language majors have significantly smaller difference scores than the control group. However, a significant correlation between SSAP scores and difference scores or ratings was not found. This suggests that singers and those with experience learning a foreign language likely have better language skills than the general population, but perhaps this difference is not as large as previous literature has suggested. | Mantell, James T. | 2016-05 |
| Condrey, Bobby | Psychology | Influences On Behavior On Youth Athletes: Influences On Pro-Social And Antisocial Behaviors During Youth And Adolescence In Ice Hockey | This study was designed to analyze from whom children participating in ice hockey learn pro-social and antisocial behaviors. Previous research indicates that continued exploration into the context of youth sports is vital to understanding a child’s general social actions (Rutten et al., 2008). In ice hockey specifically, antisocial behaviors are more acceptable and their impact on the child’s expression of pro-social and antisocial behaviors has yet to be explored (Cusimano et al., 2013). Using Alfred Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977), children between the ages of 9 and 18 were asked to fill out surveys on their behavior, as well as the behavior of their teammates. I predict that there will be a negative correlation between pro-social and antisocial behavior, with pro- social behaviors increasing as antisocial behaviors decrease. Using Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, the self-reports will have a positive correlation with their reports of teammates’ pro-social and antisocial behavior. Older athletes will report more own and teammate antisocial behaviors in comparison to the younger children. Due to a lack of participation, analyses were not conducted. Possible modifications to this study and future directions are described in length. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2016-05 |
| Fraser, Olabisi | Psychology | “Carefree Black Girls”: Tumblr As A Therapeutic Tool To Improve Black Women’S Self-Esteem | Beauty ideals are something that all women have to navigate, but due to their Eurocentric nature in the United States, black women have an especially hard time navigating them. A combination of factors goes into black women’s body image including hair, skin, and body shape and body size. However, positive representation and a strong Black identity can help counter this. In the present study, A content analysis of Tumblr was conducted to investigate if it could be utilized as a therapeutic tool due to its diverse representations of Black women. It was found that while not significantly evenly distributed, Tumblr does contain varied representations of Black women, general positive content, and discourse that could allow Black women to reinforce their Black identity. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2016-05 |
| Frisco, Sherri | Psychology | The effects of internal cues on renewal in female rats | More than 10% of people will suffer from an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, therefore there is a great need for an effective treatment (Somers et al., 2006). Extinction has shown to reduce fear, but the fear will return when a human or a rat changes contexts (renewal). One way to reduce renewal is through the use of external cues, but they are not always affective. Bouton (2010) mentioned using internal cues to reduce renewal, so in the present study we used water-repletion (giving water) as an internal cue. During conditioning (context A) 33 rats received a tone (CS) paired with a shock (US) and they were water-deprived, but during extinction the rats receive the CS only and were water-replete. During extinction, half of the rats were extinguished in Context B and the other half in context A. During renewal testing all of the rats were tested in Context A. Half of the rats from Context B received the cue (water-replete) (B1) and the other half received no cue (B0). Half of the rats from Context A received the cue (A1) and half did not (A0). Results showed a decrease in freezing from the last day of conditioning to the first day of extinction due to the internal cue. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2016-05 |
| Gil, Sinead | Psychology | Variation In Risk Perception And Propensity: An Exploration Of The Relationships Between Motivation, Gender, And Other Variables And Extreme Sports Participants’ Attitudes Towards Ris-Taking | Risk taking is a multifaceted realm of psychology, involving all perspectives of development. Many factors can influence one’s propensity to take risks and can be domain-specific, reflecting the variable nature of risk related cognition. Extreme sports offer an interesting look at how many variables interact to create a community with varying propensities and attitudes towards risk. The Domain – Specific Risk – Taking Scale was used to assess risk perceptions and risk propensity in five domains of risk. Analysis of this community revealed that extreme sports participants are less likely to engage in risk if they perceived a high level of risk. Gender differences in perception of risk and risk propensity were not significant. Sensation-seeking was revealed to be a major motivation for participating in extreme sports. Significant correlations between domains of risk in both risk perception and risk propensity were found. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2016-05 |
| Goldman, Robin | Psychology | Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment Of Social Anxiety In Early Childhood: A Developmental Review And Clinical Trial | Social Anxiety Disorder is a common condition for children of all ages. In early childhood, children lack certain cognitive abilities critical to success in typical social anxiety therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). However, since Social Anxiety Disorder can be a developmentally detrimental condition, age-appropriate treatments are necessary. After examining the developmental implications of social anxiety on young children, this review builds a case for the use of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as an intervention for young children with social anxiety. Additionally, a proposed clinical trial to test the effectiveness of such an intervention is also presented. Further research opportunities, including related therapeutic techniques and other Applied Behavior Analysis applications are discussed. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2016-05 |
| Goodrich, Jessica | Psychology | Disinhibition of the Indirect Output Pathway of the Dorsal Lateral Striatum via Optogenetics in a Parkinsonian Mouse Model | Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is pathologically characterized by the deterioration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain, which project to the striatum. Treatments, such as levodopa, operate by replenishing lost stores of dopamine neurotransmitter, however, chronic treatment can lead to long term dyskinesia. Within the striatum there are 2 classes of medium spiny neurons (MSNs): the D1-type dopamine receptors of the ‘direct’ pathway, which initiates movement, and the D2-type dopamine receptors of the ‘indirect’ pathway, which inhibits movement. The striatum also contains GABAergic fast spiking interneurons (FSIs) that mediate the activity of the D1 and D2 MSNs. In dopamine depleted conditions, the microcircuitry of the striatum changes to approximately double the number of synapses onto D2 MSNs. Currently, little research has tested the effects of altering FSI activity in vivo on ameliorating the motor deficits in parkinsonian conditions. This study used optogenetic methods on the FSIs within the dorsal lateral striatum in a 6-OHDA mouse model to produce an effect long term depression (LTD) at the FSI-MSN synapse. The results from open field testing indicated a possible decrease in movement after optic stimulation, which may have been due a lack of a full lesion effect or misplacement of the guide cannula into the cortex instead of the striatum. Gait analysis indicated a difference in walking patterns due to an effect of the lesion and suggested that optic stimulation returned walking patterns to pre-lesion values. Comparative analysis between optic light stimulation for 30 Hz for 30s (and 30s rest) for 5 cycles compared to 10 cycles showed that the 5 cycle treatment was, comparatively, the more efficacious treatment. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2016-05 |
| Herald, Jonathan | Psychology | Raised in a Cult: Interviews With Former Cult Members | Cults are phenomena still relatively new in research. Even less research exists on individuals that are born or raised into these cults, and what affects being raised in a cults setting has on them. The current study seeks to remedy that issue by conducting a qualitative study. Participants were recruited through personal communication and Facebook. Eight individuals who were raised in the Mother of God Community were interviewed on their experiences growing up in the Community. The methodology used to analyze their responses was Consensual Qualitative Research, or CQR (Hill, Thompson, & Williams,1997). Major findings include participants being made aware of their gender role, experiencing punishment, and being in an environment where everyone knew everyone. Both positive and negative experiences were discussed, and different effects of growing up in a cult were found, such as gender dynamics, ability to socialize, relationships, mental health, and religiosity and spirituality. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2016-05 |
| Hirsh, Samuel | Psychology | Molecular Determinants of Optogenetic Restoration of Movement in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease | Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by a loss of dopamine tone in the striatum. Moreover, the loss of endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression (eCB-LTD), which requires dopamine signaling, in part underlies parkinsonian motor deficits. Because restoration of eCB-LTD in dopamine-depleted animals in vivo has only been reported once, with results in disagreement with prior research, the mechanisms by which eCB-LTD can be restored in vivo remain unknown. Here we show that in vivo optogenetic activation of fibers from the centromedian nucleus of the thalamus in the dorsal striatum restores motor function in a 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease. In addition, this study attempted to identify the mechanism of observed motor restoration by pharmacologically blocking the molecular determinants of eCB-LTD. Results indicate that antagonizing the receptors implicated in eCB-LTD attenuated stimulation-induced movement. These findings shed new light on thalamic control of striatal circuitry and also suggest novel approaches for the development of therapeutic drugs for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2016-05 |
| Jimenez, Maria | Psychology | Use Of Comfort Animals Among Students Living on Campus: A Qualitative Study | Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and human-animal interactions (HAI’s) are evidence-based alternative treatment methods which have been shown to have significant effects and benefits on the physiological, psychological, and psychosocial wellbeing of individuals across various diverse populations. However, recent empirical research on the effects of HAI’s on young college students is lacking, especially in the specific context of emerging comfort animal campus programs in colleges across the United States. Therefore, this qualitative study on the effects of comfort animals on St. Mary’s College of Maryland students residing on campus seeks to explore and investigate if, why, and how comfort animals may be helpful in treating college students with psychological and mental conditions, to promote and justify the potential and implementation of comfort animal programs in colleges, and to construct a basis for future empirical research on the effect of comfort animals on college students. Results, findings, and potential directions of future research are addressed and discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2016-05 |
| Karimi, Arman | Psychology | A Neuroscience Approach on Addiction Prevention: Examining how Neuroscience Education Could Change Drug-Related Behaviors and Attitudes | Adolescents and young adults are at particular risk for developing addictive behaviors due to environmental and physiological factors. Addiction prevention programs typically focus on drug use prevention and social aspects of addiction risk. Little research has been done on the effect of neuroscience education on drug behaviors and attitudes. The current study investigates the relationship between neuroscience based addiction knowledge, addition related attitudes and drug use in a college sample. Educational methods are also discussed with regards to a neuroscience education program for high school students. Results indicate that general addiction knowledge is not related to drug use, but agreeing with principles of addiction might be specific to the use of certain drugs and might be mediated by affect. Relationships between sensation seeking, affective drug perceptions and drug use are replicated. Implications for future addiction prevention programs are discussed. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2016-05 |
| Kocher, Katherine | Psychology | Social Adjustment and Immigrant Language Learning (Saill): Helping Immigrant Children Adjust Socially and Emotionally | This paper explores the factors that contribute to the social and emotional development of immigrant children in American classrooms. The main points of focus are: English language proficiency, cultural adjustment, and peer relationships. Each of these factors effect how well immigrants are able to adjust socially and emotionally to their new schools and new lives in the United States. Next, several existing programs for immigrants in the school systems are reviewed and critiqued. Finally, a program was designed to address the adjustment issues that affect immigrants in the school system. The Social Adjustment and Immigrant Language Learning program (SAILL) involves both in-school and after-school sessions to address the three main factors of adjustment. In school, immigrant and American students will attend a class that attempts to increase cultural understanding for both immigrant and American students, and strives to develop relationships between the two groups. After school, the immigrants are given specialized English-language-learning assistance, in order to increase their English language acquisition, as well as aid them with their academic work. | Platt, Richard | 2016-05 |
| Logan, Nicole | Psychology | Transmission of PTSD to Children in Military Families: Implications for Treatment | Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental illness associated with combat and being in the military. Because of consistent exposure to PTSD, children of veterans can experience secondary traumatic stress (STS), in which they develop symptoms similar to PTSD such as nightmares, aggression, and anxiety. It has been suggested that STS is transferred through a disruption in typical family roles, specifically through over-sharing stories or emotional distance. This disruption can affect the child’s school performance, home life, and interpersonal skills. The present paper calls attention to the STS phenomenon; further understanding of this disorder is needed to provide an effective treatment for veteran offspring. Unfortunately, there is a lack of treatment for children suffering from STS. The present paper provides an overview of two different types of therapy: narrative and play. In conclusion, it is suggested that children with STS would find play therapy or narrative therapy to be the most beneficial treatment. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2016-05 |
| Long, Megan | Psychology | The Effects of Estrogen Treatments Given During Pre-Exposure on Latent Inhibition | Latent inhibition (LI) is a learning phenomenon that results in delayed conditioning to a stimulus that has been pre-exposed, or repeatedly presented without consequence. Pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) is a behavioral phenomenon that results in a reduced startle response to a startle stimulus when it is preceded by a weaker stimulus, or pre-pulse. Both of these behaviors are disrupted in schizophrenia patients and used as animal models. The estrogen hypothesis of schizophrenia proposes that schizophrenia symptoms become less severe when estrogen levels are high, suggesting estrogen could be a treatment. Previously, estrogen treatments have been shown to normalize both LI and PPI; however, the literature is sparse and it remains unclear how estrogen is working within the nervous system. Serotonin dependent drugs exert their effects during the pre-exposure stage of LI, while dopamine dependent drugs act during conditioning. In a novel experiment, we administered estradiol to ovariectomized rats during pre-exposure only and found the estradiol treatments normalized LI that was disrupted in ovariectomized controls. Our findings suggest that estrogen during pre-exposure is sufficient for normal LI. Thus, estrogen seems to be affecting serotonin. Similarly, atypical anti-psychotic drugs are thought to help via regulation of serotonin. For our measure of PPI, we found that estrogen treatments increased PPI, confirming the effectiveness of our dose and the protective effect of estrogen seen in LI. Although estrogen may play a role in LI, perhaps through serotonin, the exact role is still unclear. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2016-05 |
| Lowenthal, Jacob | Psychology | The Effects of Unattended Music on Reading Fluency and Comprehension: Manipulating Controlled Musical Stimuli Through Tempo and Harmonic Complexity | Past research has examined existing music and its effect on reading comprehension and reading fluency, with mixed findings. The present study examined the effect of musical stimuli on reading comprehension and reading fluency of students enrolled in psychology courses (n = 35). The background stimuli were manipulated on tempo and harmonic complexity. Participants read five passages while attempting to ignore the background musical stimuli, and then answered comprehension questions after each passage. Results indicated no effect of tempo or harmonic complexity on reading comprehension, but faster tempo marginally increased reading fluency. Item difficulty varied across passages and potentially mediated comprehension scores. Despite the small effect of tempo, the background musical stimuli were not sufficient to cause distraction. | Mantell, James T. | 2016-05 |
| McCarthy, Mary | Psychology | Risks and Motivations for Nonsuicidal Self-injury Among Adolescents and Young Adults | This review examines the current research on nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents and young adults. Although the body of research on this topic is growing, gaps remain in the understanding of how the risks for NSSI develop into motivations. Theoretical models have been proposed to explain this pathway but none has been firmly established. Although more research is needed to determine the underlying factors behind NSSI, there is a need for evidence-based interventions. This review further examines two interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] and dialectical behavioral therapy [DBT]) that are commonly used to treat self-injury alone and as a symptom of other conditions such as borderline personality disorder and suicidal ideation. The suggested efficacy of CBT and DBT as interventions for self-harm establishes a need for more homogeneous research and provides an evidentiary basis for NSSI-targeted CBT programs. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2016-05 |
| McIlmail, Zoe | Psychology | Defining and Understanding Reactive Attachment Disorder | The ability to form attachments to other human beings is a crucial part of early child development. Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another (Bowlby, 1969). Reactive Attachment Disorder, known as RAD, is characterized by a pattern of markedly disturbed and inappropriate attachment behaviors where the child rarely seeks comfort from a caregiver (APA, 2013). The prevalence of RAD is unknown, but is higher in populations of young children who have been severely neglected; even in this population, it is likely that less than 10% of such children suffer from RAD (APA, 2015). The current diagnostic criteria of RAD is not as concrete as they have the potential to be. There are inconsistencies in RAD treatment methods, but with the development of a more consistent treatment methods, children and caregivers living with RAD have the potential to live a less stressful life (Haugaard, 2004). To further understand RAD, a book analysis was performed on two books that claim to be useful resources for parents. The texts were evaluated on the basis of how well the behaviors exhibited by the children aligned with the symptoms listed in the DSM-V, and on the methods the caregivers used to improve the child’s behaviors. The analysis of these texts are important because they provide an accurate depiction of how RAD presents in children, methods that can be implemented to improve the child’s behaviors, and a sense of a supportive community for parents and caregivers. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2016-05 |
| Mecklenburg, Charlotte | Psychology | Integration of Typically Developed Siblings Into Family Intervention Therapies for Autistic Children | Integrating typically developed siblings into therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder children has the possibility to enhance current therapy techniques addressing specific deficits of the ASD child: social deficits and play, functional skills, and language development skills. When choosing to address social and play skills, a sibling can be a co-recipient, a model, or an instructor with the correct training and supervision from the clinician. Presently, the purposeful use of siblings in therapy settings for ASD children has yet to become widespread as a therapy strategy. At this point, research detailing the advantages and disadvantages to involvement of siblings is limited, highlighting the necessity of this study, which is to determine how often typically developed siblings (TDS) are used in therapies for children with ASD, clinicians’ reasons for their use or non-use of TDS, and clinicians’ perspectives/opinions on which methods of inclusion are most effective. This study concludes that the majority of clinicians are not utilizing TDS and hypothesizes that lack of education on TDS use could be a contributing factor that needs further study. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2016-05 |
| Moore, Liza | Psychology | A Qualitative Study of Counseling Clients With Chronic Autoimmune Diseases | Chronic autoimmune disorders decrease quality of life and initiate psychological distress, in the form of emotional reactions and adjustment challenges. Therapeutic techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy are used to help chronically ill clients manage symptoms, yet there is little research on psychotherapy for clients with autoimmune disorders in particular. The current exploratory study aims to investigate which therapeutic techniques are most effective in counseling clients with autoimmune disorders. Interviews were conducted with counseling psychologists, clinical psychologists, and a clinical social worker as key informants to learn about therapeutic practices utilized in autoimmune disease cases. A research team analyzed interview data using Consensual Qualitative Research, as described by Hill, Thompson, and Williams (1997), in order to understand best practices in the field. Many typical and general categories of results emerged through analysis, revealing the complexity of the autoimmune disease illness experience and the value of psychotherapy in the healing process. This research emphasizes the importance of effective emotional therapy for individuals suffering with complicated autoimmune disorders. Limitations of the research and future research directions with regard to incorporating psychotherapy into autoimmune disease treatment are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2016-05 |
| Quade, Emily | Psychology | Dressed to Impress Exploring Gender Stereotypes in Children Through Clothing Selection | This study sought to identify whether or not children possess gender-based stereotypes. Participants consisted of 19 children, ages four through ten. Participants consisted of children of faculty and staff members of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, students at Our Lady Star of the Sea School, and additional children gathered by snowball sampling through the project mentor. Participants were presented with a felt board which consisted of a non-gendered character, typically masculine clothing, and typically feminine clothing. The participants were then given a list of seven different scenarios which described certain tasks or occupations the figure was hypothetically engaging in which consist of gendered occupations/tasks. In total, four of the scenarios listed were stereotypically female, and three of the scenarios listed were stereotypically listed. Participants were asked to dress the figure based off of the scenario the figure was engaged in. After dressing the figure, participants would give their reasoning behind their clothing options and their responses were recorded on an audio device to later be transcribed by the researcher. Visual responses were coded by the researcher using a Likert scale with “1” representing “stereotypically male” and “2” representing “stereotypically female”. Verbal responses were coding based off of whether or not participants included gender stereotypes in their responses. Overall, it was found that children do possess gender stereotypes when dressing the figure, but very rarely did children express gender stereotypes in their verbal responses, and instead typically mentioned functionality of clothing. Older children were also more likely to exhibit gender stereotypes than younger children. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2016-05 |
| Rost, Emily | Psychology | How Does Clothing Represent Speakers? | The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of formality and color of dress on first impressions of a speaker. Participants included 103 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland who rated the speaker on various characteristics. To name a few, participants rated the speaker as more successful, capable, powerful, interesting, passionate and creative when he was wearing blue instead of red. Participants also rated the speaker as more trustworthy and more of an authority when the speaker was wearing formal attire, instead of casual attire. People can use this information to increase positive first impressions, often leading to better future interactions. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2016-05 |
| Sari, Cetin | Psychology | An Assessment of the Cross-Cultural Applicability of Problem Behavior Theory to Secondary School Students in the Republic of The Gambia | Problem Behavior Theory (PBT) is theoretical framework which integrates the psychosocial and environmental factors which predispose adolescents to engage in detrimental behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, violence toward others, and early sexual debut. The theory posits that there are risk and protective factors which affect the likelihood problem behavior initiation. Previous studies have the cross-cultural applicability of PBT in Europe, Asia, and within various ethnic groups in the United States. No known studies have been conducted in Western Africa. A comprehensive mental health and behavioral self-report survey was administered to 1254 adolescents attending secondary schools in the Republic of The Gambia in the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2014. Multiple regression and ANOVA analyses were utilized to assess the changing cross-cultural applicability of PBT. It was hypothesized that the proliferation of internet throughout The Gambia from 2006-2014 would be related to an increase in the applicability of PBT to more cross-sections as a result of the influx of Western cultural ideas facilitated by the internet. Partial support for this hypothesis was found based on an increase in number of statistically significant PBT constructs when individuals were grouped based upon their internet usage. PBT was found to be applicable in all cross-sections based on multiple regression analyses reproducing the expected relationships between risk and protective factors and engagement in problem behaviors. Knowledge that PBT is applicable in the can serve public health officials and government organizations who wish to reduce adolescent acquisition of problem behaviors. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2016-05 |
| Schultz, Catherine | Psychology | The Effect of Benevolent Sexism on Heterosexual Couples | The effects that benevolent sexism had on heterosexual couples were examined in this research using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Interviews were conducted in person with eight couples (16 students) of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Major findings were that benevolent sexism was not a significant part of the relationships. The couples had mostly positive relationships with some problems that were solved mainly through communication. There were some differences when defining the terms gentleman, feminine, and dominant. The implications and directions for future research are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2016-05 |
| Smithers, Emily; Rogers, Bliss | Psychology | The Effect of Ketamine on Latent Inhibition and Working Memory in a Rat Model of Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder characterized by a variety of symptoms that complicate diagnosis and treatment. Administration of ketamine, a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, at a subanesthetic dose (25 mg/kg) can result in disruptions of both long and short-term processes in learning and memory that reflect the cognitive impairments characteristic to schizophrenia. Administration of ketamine in a rat model was used to evaluate latent inhibition in a latent inhibition-extinction paradigm and working memory in a novel object recognition task. This study found that ketamine given in pre-exposure abolished latent inhibition and subsequently delayed extinction following conditioning to asymptote. Experimentation also revealed that administration of ketamine results in the inability to discriminate between a novel versus a familiar object, indicating an impairment of working memory. This experimental design and the neural pathways implicated may provide a useful tool in modeling the etiological conditions and mechanisms of the disorder and developing potential treatments for the cognitive dysfunction exhibited in humans with schizophrenia. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2016-05 |
| Speer, Michael | Psychology | The Effect of Social Media Use on Political Polarization in the United States | The purpose of this paper is to investigate a possible link between politically oriented social media use and the polarization of political attitudes in the United States. My hypothesis, that social media use is accelerating political polarization, is predicated on that the principles of group polarization, primarily the social comparison and informational influence hypotheses. I tested this hypothesis by measuring the ideological attitudes of 28 St. Mary’s College of Maryland students before and after discussion of political and social issues with their peers. Although the results of my experiment were contrary to my original hypothesis, I believe this is due to procedural and conceptual problems with my experimental design, rather than my hypothesis. Due to the relatively new and unexplored nature of this topic, I advocate in my conclusions for further research in this area, and offer a number of improvements on my design that I believe would be beneficial to future investigators. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2016-05 |
| Stokes, William | Psychology | Examining the Role of Hypertensivity In Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Animal Models | The Spontaneous Hypertensive Rat (SHR) is the most common model of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, the SHR rat is known to become spontaneously hypertensive which is atypical for individuals with ADHD. Proponents of the model argue that this spontaneous hypertensivity in the SHR rat does not invalidate the model because the ADHD-like behavior exists before the rats become hypertensive. However, it is important to test the role of hypertensivity in behavior as hypertensivity has been associated with executive function deficiencies that contribute to ADHD-like behavior. To investigate the role of hypertensivity in behavior, eight Sprague-Dawly rats were given 20% fructose water for one week and followed by a 4% Na diet for another week to induce hypertension while another eight rats were fed a normal diet. All rats were then tested for prepulse inhibition of startle and open field locomotion. The open field locomotion was tested with either 1.5 mg/kg of amphetamine or an equivalent amount of .9% saline solution, which was consistent with other injections in the literature. We found no significant effect of hypertension in either the prepulse inhibition or locomotion which validates the SHR rat model. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2016-05 |
| Vaillant, Karlee | Psychology | Body Image Attitudes: Is There a Difference in Dissatisfaction And Ideal Body Size From the View of a Varsity Athlete to a Non-Varsity Athlete | This study examines differences in body image for athletes and non-athletes at a small liberal arts, Divisions 3 college. It looked at how body image was determined based on the components of body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, self-esteem, eating attitudes, drive for thinness, and discrepancies between body image. A total of 239 students participated in this survey with 113 partaking in varsity athletics which included baseball (n=1) , basketball (n=7), crew (n=8), cross-country (n=11), field hockey (n=5), hawkettes dance team (n=12), lacrosse (n=14), sailing (n=11), soccer (n=14), swimming (n=14), tennis (n=11), and volleyball (n=10). Results showed that there were significant differences in body dissatisfaction between athletes and non-athletes, with non-athletes having higher levels of body dissatisfaction. There was no significant difference in the amount of perfectionism between athletes and non-athletes. Females had a significantly smaller body ideal than males, as well as female athletes had a smaller body ideal than males athletes. There were no differences in ideal size from athletes and non-athletes. There was a significant difference in drive for thinness among the female sports teams. There was however no significant differences in eating attitudes among females sports, males and females, and athletes versus non-athletes. There were significant correlations among the surveys showing that self-esteem correlated negatively with the perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, eating attitudes and behaviors scale, while all the other surveys correlated positively. | Platt, Richard | 2016-05 |
| Williford, Victoria | Psychology | A Qualitative Examination of the Navy’s Efforts to Prevent Combat Stress | The examination of the Navy’s efforts to prevent combat stress was studied using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) (Hill, Thompson & Williams, 1997). In total, six active duty members and veterans were interviewed over the phone to gather information on the prevention of combat stress. Amongst the interviews several common ideas emerged including: the lack of sincerity from superiors, the absence of educational programs on combat stress, and an overall negative view of currently used educational briefs. The results brought to light flaws of the Navy’s prevention methods for combat stress. Limitations, implications, and future research of the current study are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2016-05 |
| Winston, Ian | Psychology | Pitch and Timbre Interactions | Previous research has demonstrated interactions between pitch and timbre; specifically interactions occurring when pitch height and timbre moved in the same direction (Krumhansl & Shepard, 1979). Results suggest that timbre affects melodic interval size perception and certain pitches are judged as higher completion than others after hearing a context scale(Russo & Thompson, 2005). This study extends previous research to examine the effects of dynamic context timbre on different test tone pitches and test tone timbres, specifically analyzing timbre’s perceptual importance as compared to pitch when judging test tone completion. Participants were presented with 27 unique combinations of stimuli that included a dynamic context scale followed by a test tone and judged how well the test tone completed the context scale. Results of a three-way repeated measure ANOVA showed no significant interaction between participant completion ratings of test tone pitch and test tone timbre for context scale. There was a significant effect for interaction between context timbre and test timbre as well between test timbre and test pitch. There was no significant interaction between context timbre and test tone pitch. These findings do not support timbre’s contextual ability to influence later pitch judgments, so hypotheses cannot be confirmed. | Mantell, James T. | 2016-05 |
| Wood, Stephanie | Psychology | Getting Back on The Horse: Building Resilience In Childhood Through Equestrianism | Resilience is a complex construct describing an individual’s ability to “bounce back” or return to a normal state after the experience of injury or hardship. Certain skills that have been shown to correlate positively with resilience have also been shown to be built or improved by participation in sports; this includes self-efficacy, perseverance and determination, problem-solving, and others (Masten, 2014). Under the assumption that equestrian sports offer a unique opportunity to build these skills and supports, the present study sought to explore the possible differential effect of participation in equestrian and other sports on an individual’s resilience by examining differences between these groups and in comparison to non-athletes. Participants were athletes, equestrians, and non-athletes recruited from a higher educational setting as well as a convenience sample of equestrians recruited from the surrounding community. Although no significant differences were detected among groups, this may be due to methodological problems, particularly small sample size. Implications and possible directions for future work are discussed. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2016-05 |
| Acosta, Sonia Vanessa | Psychology | Materialism: The Effectos on Life Satisfaction and Self-Presenation | This study examined the effects of exposure to different types of advertisement (luxury or non-luxury products) on materialistic attitudes, life satisfaction, and self-presentation. Three demographic factors were focused on, including spending behaviors, | Han, H. Anna | 2015-05 |
| Amick, Julia Katherine | Psychology | Memory and Respiration | Memory in humans is a subject that is still not fully understood. What is known is that verbal memory is retained by subvocal rehearsal. Subvocal rehearsal is closely tied with speech. As such, tasks that impede vocal speech also impede subvocal rehearsal | Abrams, Richard L. | 2015-05 |
| Benanzea-Fontem, Belle | Psychology | Effect of Antioxidant on Cognitive Deficits in Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesion Model of Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia (SZ) is a devastating mental illness that affects 1% of the population. Therapeutic avenues of resolution for negative symptoms resulting from this disease such as cognitive deficits have not been discovered. Post mortem brains of individua | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2015-05 |
| Berry, Leah Emily | Psychology | The Effects of Gender Role Attitudes and Behaviors on Male and Female Marital Satisfaction in Newlyweds | Gender role differences were examined between attitudes and behavior and how these differences effect marital satisfaction in males and females. This study provides a comprehensive over view of main factors that affect marital satisfaction. The factors ar | Dennison, Renee P. | 2015-05 |
| Claro, Monica Olivenca | Psychology | The Benefits of Exercise on Mood and Stress Levels in College Students-promoting a Healthy Lifestyle | College students are at risk for many stressors and consequently are more likely to develop mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. As a healthy lifestyle habit, exercise has shown many positive benefits both physically and psychologically. Lack | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2015-05 |
| DiLeo, Cameron | Psychology | Fear Condidtioning Deficits in Male Rats Modeled with a Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesion of Schizophrenia | In a three phase fear conditioning experiment, we measured the habituation of rats during a preexposure phase, their abilities to condition to an aversive unconditional shock stimulus, and abilities to extinguish learning about the unconditional stimulus. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2015-05 |
| Drake, Amber Marie | Psychology | The Influence of Theoretical Orientation and Gender-Match on Perceptions of Counselor | The present research examines the influence of theoretical orientation and gender match on students’ perceptions of counselors using a 2x4 factorial design involving the manipulation of information provided on a counselor fact sheet. The effect of these m | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2015-05 |
| Fisher, Sarah Lynn | Psychology | Media-based Perceptions of Mental Disorders: Using Responsible Portrayals to Change Attitudes | A total of 189 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland participated in his experiment. The objective of this study was examine college students’ perceptions of mental disorders based on their exposure to media. This study examined whether college stu | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2015-05 |
| Ford, Ella M. | Psychology | Dialectioal Behavior Therapy Use in Treating Borderline Personality Disorder | Borderline Personality Disorder is a difficult disorder to treat. Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a unique form of treatment because it has especially high rates of efficacy in treating this disorder. Part of what allows this therapy to be effective is it | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2015-05 |
| Gragan, Shelby Elizabeth | Psychology | Reality TV in the 21ST Century: An Exploration into the Genre's Expoential Growth | Reality television is a genre that offers shows with real people going about their everyday lives and has taken television by storm. With high demands from viewers and almost half the production cost to film reality television (RTV), production companies | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2015-05 |
| Gramling, Benjamin Ray | Psychology | The Effect of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibition on Social and Sensorimotor Gating Deficits in the NVHL Model of Schizophrenia | The endogenous cannabinoid system has become a significant focus of research in recent years due to its prominence throughout the brain and myriad effects on neurotransmitter systems. Endogenous cannabinoid signaling has been shown to be different in indi | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2015-05 |
| Hamilton, Marianne Therese | Psychology | Using Animals and Nature to Improve Mental Health | Seeking therapy is a highly-stigmatized behavior (Vogel, Wade, & Ascheman, 2009); however, therapy is a beneficial practice for gaining greater life satisfaction, sorting through difficult life circumstances, and gaining insight about one’s own actions an | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2015-05 |
| Jackson, Nicole Harman | Psychology | All Aboard the Friend-Ship | The current St. Mary’s Project is quantitative longitudinal research conducted on the non-profit organization Best Buddies and their work in schools across Maryland for individuals with disabilities. The study’s purpose is to examine high school and middl | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2015-05 |
| Jarrin, Sarah Emily | Psychology | In Vivo Optogentically Induced Long-term Depression at the Parvalbumin Fast Spiking Interneuron to Medium Spiny Neuron Synapse in the Dorsolaterak Striatum in a Parkinsonian Mouse Model | Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Currently, the most common approach for treatment is L-DOPA, which leads to long term dyskinesia. The substanti | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2015-05 |
| Kokes, Gwen Kristen | Psychology | A Qualitative Study of Counseling with Incaracerated Women | Incarcerated women are a unique population; many authors emphasize the common victimization among incarcerated women, such as various traumas including rape, domestic violence, and more. Prisons have implemented therapeutic programs to assist incarcerated | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2015-05 |
| Lafferty, Danielle S.; Acs, Deanna Nicole | Psychology | The Effect of Developmental Antioxidant Treatment on Habit Learning in the Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Leion Model of Schizophrenia | The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) rat model of schizophrenia has demonstrated in previous studies an inherent vulnerability to behaviors, habits, and actions involved in taking drugs, which is relevant to research involving high rates of como | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2015-05 |
| Maenner, Amy M.; Fitzgerald, Kimberly Paige | Psychology | The Effects of Rimonabant on Attenuating Conditioned Fear with a Retrieval-Extinction Procedure | Exposure therapy is a behavioral procedure that is used to eradicate fear memories in patients suffering from anxiety disorders. Unfortunately, patients who receive treatment may recover their fear due to the context and time dependency of exposure therap | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2015-05 |
| Mecklenburg, Charlotte | Psychology | Integration of Typically Deveopled Sibings Into Family Intervention Therapies for Autistic Children | Integrating Typically Dveloped siblings into therapies for Autistic Spertum Disorder children has the possibility to enhance current therapy techniques addressing specific deficits of the ASD child, social deficits and play, functional skills, and language development skills. When chosing to address social and play skills a sibling can be a co-reipiant, a model,or an intructor with the correct traingin and supervision from the clinician. The purpose of the current study is to determine how often typically developed siblings are being used in therapies for children with ASD and will attempt to determine if siblings are being used in current therapies and the reasons behind why or why not. And if they are being used, which methods are most effective. This study concludes that esearch detailing the advantages and disadvantages to invovement of siblings is available but not acessed and known in full. The purposeful use of siblings in therapy settings for ASD children has also yet to become widespread as a therapy strategy. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2015-05 |
| Peditto, Kathryn Sandra | Psychology | Effects of Keypad Layout on Number Entry in Infusion Pumps | There is currently no national medical standard for the layout of a keypad on an infusion pump, even given the potentially fatal cost of a missed key. Anecdotal evidence from individual hospitals suggests that infusion pump keypads have not been designed | Mantell, James T. | 2015-05 |
| Redman, Amy I. | Psychology | Body Image and Burlesque | Burlesque is commonly known as the art of the strip tease as it incorporates the removal of clothing into a performance. Psychological studies have suggested the role of embodying activities or activities that utilize the body as well as the mind in impro | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2015-05 |
| Ridpath, Selina Marie | Psychology | Evaluation of Objective Workload Measures During an UnManned Air Vehicle Task | The increasing need for unmanned air vehicle systems has led to advancement in the interface design of the operator station; however, it’s difficult to determine what makes an effective interface. To determine if an operator can manage the interface, one | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2015-05 |
| Roberts, Bradley Mark | Psychology | Targeting Striatal Inhibitory Microcircuity in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease Using an Optogenetic Approach | Exaggerated temporal synchronization of neuronal activity in the indirect-pathway of the basal ganglia is an established pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dopamine denervation is known to induce a pathological target-specific remodeling o | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2015-05 |
| Rossel, Adriana Castro | Psychology | Attention-Defict/Hyperactivity Disorder: Behavioral Interventions for Children | Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects 3-5% of children. The following literature review defines ADHD and its history, as well as includes information regarding sex differences that exist and comorbidity. The aim is to | Finkelman, David G. | 2015-05 |
| Schoene, Lauren A. | Psychology | Effectiveness of Art Therapy for Depressed Adolescents: Insights From Interviewing Art Therapists | Major depressive disorder is an illness that greatly impacts one’s life, in that it causes debilitating symptoms that makes day-to-day life challenging. Depression in adolescence is an important issue because of its prevalence and severity. This study sou | Dennison, Renee P. | 2015-05 |
| Shuman, Kelly Rose | Psychology | Using Dolphin Assisted Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders | Little empirical research has been completed on the success of using animal assisted therapy (AAT) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), especially in the field of dolphin assisted therapy (DAT). The current paper proposes two experiments tha | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2015-05 |
| Smith, Willow Rhianne | Psychology | Based on a True Story? Perpetuation of Abortion Myths and Stigma through Film and Cinema | Based on previous research examining abortion myths and stigma, the current study examined recent popular feature films that employed abortion as a plot point to examine the extent to which they perpetuate abortion myths and stigma. The rationale behind | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2015-05 |
| Szebeni, Zoltan Andrew | Psychology | Dreams and Their Use in Therapy:An Analysis of the Theories of Freud, Jung, Adler, Perls, and Hall | There is no definitive understanding of the inherent function or purpose of dreams. Dream interpretation has long been a technique used of many different types of psychotherapy. The purpose of this project is to provide a unique approach called, The Const | Finkelman, David G. | 2015-05 |
| Warshanna, Nadda Mohammed | Psychology | Research to Practice Gap: The Application of A-B-A Training, Behavior Management, and Implementation in Elementary Schools | The diffusion of innovation theory explains how ideas and behaviors are adopted over time through a social system, thus resulting in the diffusion of innovations. Research has indicated that certain individuals are more prone to adopting innovations than | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2015-05 |
| Wolf, Jacob Andrew | Psychology | A Qualitative Study of Feminist Multicultural Therapy with Male Clients | The experiences of feminist multicultural counseling psychology working with male clients was studied using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Phone interviews were conducted with currently practicing licensed or lic | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2015-05 |
| Woods, Sarah E. | Psychology | Internet Use in the Family Context: An Exploration of the Relationship between College Students' Childhood Internet Use, How tTheir Parents Handled it, and Current Family Outcomes | Children are increasingly using Internet technologies, which may decrease the amount of time that families spend together (Lee & Chae, 2007). Parents attempt to regulate their children’s Internet use in a variety of ways, and there is evidence that these | Dennison, Renee P. | 2015-05 |
| Yates, Bethany A. | Psychology | Adulthood Outcomes Associated With Foster Care Maltreatment | Experiencing maltreatment in childhood is associated with several unfavorable outcomes, including insecure attachment style and mental health problems. Similarly, children in foster care typically experience more unfavorable outcomes in adulthood. Althoug | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2015-05 |
| Agarunova, Anna | Psychology | Masculinity and Muscles: Comparing Social and Gender Identity Influences on the Drive for Muscularity | Two prominent theories have arisen in regard to the relationship between masculinity and the drive for muscularity. Social comparison theories assert that exposure to an “ideal” affects perceptions of an individual’s body image. Gender identity theories examine how adherence to gender roles results in conflict when masculinity is threatened, causing increased pursuit of muscularity. The present research compared gender identity and social comparison theories using a 2x2 factorial design examining the effect of two manipulations: a social comparison task intended to create a discrepancy between current and “ideal” body image, and a false feedback task involving failure to a female intended to manipulate gender identity. The effect of manipulations was measured by participants’ performance on two dependent measures: The Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS; O’Neil et al., 1986) and Swansea Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire (SMAQ; Morrison & Morrison, 2006). No significant main effects or interactions were found for the overall dependent measures, however there was a significant effect of social comparison and an interaction between social comparison and gender identity threat for two subscales: the “Success, Power, and Competition” subscale of the GRCS and the “Engagement in Muscle Building Activities” subscale of the SMAQ. This research finding suggests that specific characteristics of masculinity (drive for achievement and competition) as well as reported engagement in body building behavior may be influenced by social comparison manipulations intended to create a discrepancy between one’s current and ideal physique. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2014-05 |
| Akhlaghi, Kevin | Psychology | Controlling Anxiety Through A One-time Student Run Intervention Consisting of Talk-Therapy and Meditation in College Students | Undergraduate students are exposed to a great deal of stressors, some of which are due to their involvement in rigorous academics, and trying to balance their work with their life. Counseling centers on campuses provide a service that, in part, addresses this anxiety. However, the ratio of students to counselors leaves something to be wanted. Colleges and universities implement student to student counseling services in order to address this problem to a degree. The present study investigates the effectiveness of such a type of program through brief training on empathetic tactics, meditation, and talk therapy; as well as the implementation of these strategies in one-time sessions with recruited participants. The researchers found a significant drop in class related negative emotions, as well as implications as to the nature of such a program in the context of a small rural liberal arts college. Keywords: Student counseling, college, university, meditation, psychotherapy, empathy | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2014-05 |
| Baugh-Ruschman, Darya | Psychology | The Effect of Motion on Memory | Past research has shown that attention can be focused on central details, leading to better memory for them at the expense of peripheral details. When looking at a negative emotional scene, people will typically focus on the central details of the scene – whatever is inducing the negative emotion – and will not attend to any of the other details. This is referred to as a tradeoff effect in memory. There are two possibilities for the narrowing of attention: valence of images or arousal caused by images. It was hypothesized in the present study that if valence causes the memory tradeoff effect, participants would have better memory for negative central images, and decreased memory for peripheral items that were paired with negative central images, because there is an implication of threat. It was hypothesized that if arousal causes the memory tradeoff effect, participants would have increased (or decreased) memory for both positive and negative images. In the present study, participants looked at images taken from the International Affected Picture System (IAPS). Surrounding each image were three neutral peripheral items, also taken from the IAPS. Regarding the peripheral items, the valence hypothesis was not confirmed, though the arousal hypothesis was partly confirmed. Regarding the central images, neither the valence nor the arousal hypothesis was confirmed. Overall, the findings suggest that arousal plays a more prominent role in attention and memory for emotional details; the level of arousal is more important than whether an image is positive or negative. | Platt, Richard D. | 2014-05 |
| Belachew, Meaza | Psychology | IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO ERADICATE FGM: A PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN AFRICA | This paper analyzes Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) within African culture, which is operationalized as a socioeconomic dynamic setup through gender roles, sexuality, religion, and the patriarchal society. Female Genital Mutilation is explored through the context of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) aiming to eradicate the practice. The anti-FGM campaign is investigated through a literature review as well through an online survey taken by individuals working within NGOs. This study aims to further investigate the efforts and overall progress of NGOs in the anti-FGM movement. Drawing from current research, this study hypothesizes that participants of the survey will indicate a holistic approach involving religious/and community leaders to be the most effective approach in eradicating FGM. Data from the survey supports that a holistic approach is the most effective effort. It also confirms that FGM is facilitated by cultural values of several African societies. From this data, the researcher proposes an approach in which all members of the community take part in the eradication of the process, concluding a need for further research within the field. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2014-05 |
| Bishop, Rachel | Psychology | Peer Led Support Groups: A Support Network for College Students Taking Psychotropic Medication | Peer-led focus groups differ from traditional focus groups in that there is no power disparity within the group and the peer-leader is in the same marginalized situation. This study was conducted as an eight-week peer-led focus group targeting undergraduate college students who take psychotropic medication. The goal of the study was to educate and provide support for these students (n = 7). Participants significantly benefited from the focus group sessions both in terms of learned information and considerably improved attitudes about their situation. I would conclude that a peer-led focus group is an effective an important means of reaching out to college students. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2014-05 |
| Bradbrook, Keighly; Dantrassy, Hannah | Psychology | The Effects of Exercise on Spatial Consolidation in a Chronic Unpredictable Stress Model of Depression in Rats | Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disabling disorder characterized by many symptoms including, impaired memory consolidation. Moderate, regular, voluntary, aerobic exercise has been shown to improve depressive-like symptoms, although not all research is clear on the effects of exercise. The current research seeks to provide clearer insight into the effects of exercise on depressive-like symptoms and impaired spatial memory consolidation in rats. Rats were pseudo-randomly assigned to control, exercise, Chronic Unpredictable Stress (CUS), and exercise + CUS groups, following water maze training. Once assigned, rats were exposed to CUS for three weeks, given sucrose preference tests weekly, and evaluated on short-term and consolidation of spatial memory in the Morris Water Maze (MWM). CUS did not appear to significantly stress the rats, and rats in the exercise condition performed significantly worse than control rats in the MWM consolidation probe trial. The current research suggests that exercise may act as a stressor. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2014-05 |
| Bullock, Mia | Psychology | An Exploration of the Processes Behind the Testing Effect | The current experiment sought to examine the processes behind the testing effect, the concept that testing improves retention of material better than elaborative studying. The focus was on the differences between retrieval practice involving the process of recall (fill in the blank), retrieval practice involving recognition (multiple choice), elaborative studying (concept map with article present) and a combination of retrieval and elaborative studying (concept map without article present). The current experiment found no significant differences in performance on a short answer test between these conditions after a one- week retention interval. The testing effect was further broken down to analyze the impact of question type on the testing effect. It was found that inferential questions produced better retention than item- specific questions. The impacts of corrective feedback and correct retention were also explored, and corrective feedback was found to improve performance for all learning conditions, not just testing conditions. Confidence in response was measured for every test question on the multiple choice and fill in the blank conditions and there was no relationship found between confidence and correctness. This experiment was conducted on a small scale and has certain limitations. This research adds to existing evidence that testing can be used as an effective teaching tool in the classroom as well as a means of assessment. | Platt, Richard D. | 2014-05 |
| Cain, Victoria | Psychology | When Love Hurts: The Developmnet of a New Model of Domestic Violence Intervention | Domestic violence is a prevalent problem for women worldwide with one in three women experiencing some form of abuse in their lifetime. A majority of the research on prevention and intervention focuses on the majority of White female victims; however, Latina women in the United States suffer from domestic violence while facing a set of unique challenges, apart from those of the White majority. A social-ecological model of violence with three levels: cultural, societal, and individual, is a useful way of understanding the various aspects that impact the Latina woman’s experience of violence. The implications of the factors at each level can be used to formulate a variety of different responses and solutions that reflect the specific needs of victims of domestic violence in the Latina community. In the future, these responses could be implemented in the community, incorporated into public policy, and would serve to benefit the lives of Latina women who are experiencing domestic violence. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2014-05 |
| Carino-Herrera, Cecilia | Psychology | Tal Como Soy: Effects of Academic Experiences on Self-Esteem among Hispanic English Language Learners | As the number of Hispanic English Language Learners (ELLs) enrolling in United States public schools continues to grow the focus in the literature is on pedagogical implications and less on affective factors that also enhance academic achievement. This study investigated the academic experience of ELLs in order to determine whether acculturation, discrimination, parents’ level of education, transition into the American school system, socioeconomic status, and other personal factors among 15 Hispanic ELLs (14 females and 1 males, Mage=18, age ranged: 15-21) were correlated with the development of self-esteem. The quantitative analysis focused on examining level of self-esteem, degree and type of acculturation, and frequencies of responses from demographic questionnaire. The qualitative analysis revealed several themes including positive and negative experiences as ELLs, discrimination, bilingualism, family support, and trends of in class participation. The results revealed a strong marginally significant correlation between self-esteem and acculturation among ELLs who were currently enrolled in an ESOL/ESL program. Implications of the study are discussed, areas of limitations and strengths of the study are addressed, and future areas of research are suggested. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2014-05 |
| Carroll, John | Psychology | Emotion Contagion and Individual Reactivity | The current study explored influence of the experience of negative life crises, specifically parental divorce and/ or the death of a loved one, had on individual susceptibility to emotion contagion and emotional mimicry. It was hypothesized that individuals who have experienced a negative life crisis of parental divorce or the death of a loved one would show lower susceptibility to emotion contagion, lower levels of emotional mimicry, and lower levels of perceived social support, and exhibit higher levels on need to evaluate, self-monitoring, and resiliency than individuals who have not experienced a negative life crisis. Consistent with hypotheses, results showed that individuals who experienced a life crisis reported significantly higher levels of resiliency, emotion contagion, and self-esteem scores, and were harder to assess emotional states for when compared to individuals who have not experienced a crisis of parental divorce or death. Individuals who have not experienced a life crisis were also found to have higher levels of self-monitoring than the individuals who faced a life crisis and were shown to be less susceptible to emotion contagion, but more prone to emotional mimicry. Future areas of research in the areas of life crises and emotion contagion, as well as implications of the current research are presented. | Han, H. Anna | 2014-05 |
| D'Ambrosio, Stefania; DeAngeli, Nicole | Psychology | The Effects of Pre-Exposure and D-Cycloserine Administration on Extinction Learning in the Rat | Studies that address the effects of pre-exposure on extinction learning are limited and present conflicting results. Understanding how pre-exposure affects the ability to extinguish has major implications for the treatment of fear and anxiety disorders, and is therefore clinically relevant. Also relevant to fear and anxiety disorder treatment are drugs such as the NMDA partial agonist D-cycloserine (DCS). DCS enhances extinction learning in rats and exposure therapy in humans, but the mechanism by which it exerts these effect remains unclear. The present study seeks to elucidate (1) the effect of pre-exposure on extinction learning and (2) determine if DCS effects the retrieval of memories made prior to extinction or is simply acting only to enhance the extinction memory. This study is novel in that it uses a temporally expanded LI paradigm to dually study the effects of pre-exposure and DCS on extinction processes in order to further study the mechanism with which both impact extinction processes. We determined that pre-exposure in this experimental design results in retarded extinction (latent extinction). We also determined that DCS acts only on the extinction memory and does not impact or interact with prior memories. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2014-05 |
| Frazier, Anastasia | Psychology | Critical Analysis of Behavioral Health Services Among the American Indian/Alaska Native Population (2008-2013) | This study investigated the spread and characteristics of 378 behavioral health programs and clinics specifically targeting American Indians/Alaska Natives in both reservation and urban settings. Three individuals working at institutions that met study criteria were interviewed in order to develop an in-depth understanding of their strengths and the challenges they face. Researchers found that of the programs examined, approximately half were tribally owned and/or operated, and there were notably fewer programs that directly provided inpatient services. Two themes that emerged from interviews were the need for increased funding as well as flexibility in the grant process. Policy implications of this study are on a national level. The grant process needs to be revised to work better with rural and minority communities, as certain aspects of a grant may not be feasible due to geographic or cultural restrictions. The other implication is directed at the President and Congress: More funding is needed for AI/AN behavioral health. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2014-05 |
| Gresham, Mitchell | Psychology | Reducing Recidivism: Effective Interventions and Strategies | Currently, at least two-thirds of all released offenders return to a correctional facility. This illustrates the concept of recidivism, which can be defined as the rate at which an offender returns to a correctional institution. The purpose of this literature review was to explore effective interventions and strategies that could be used to reduce recidivism. The four areas of study for this literature review were correctional education, reentry, mental health and substance abuse problems, and how to hold wardens accountable. Some correctional education programs that appeared to be effective include: vocational training, the Youth Offender Program found in North Carolina, and entrepreneurship education. The Texas Rehabilitation Tier Program appears to be an effective intervention for reentry. Mental health courts and residential treatment programs could be used for offenders who have a mental health or substance abuse problem. Additionally, it is possible that using incentives and sanctions could assist in the process of holding wardens accountable. | Finkelman, David G. | 2014-05 |
| Griffin, Allison; McGinnis, Katherine | Psychology | Rhythm in Music: Improving Auditory Processing in an Animal Model of Developmental Dyslexia | Language processing abilities are believed to be driven by the capacity to efficiently process rapidly presented auditory stimuli. Deficits in rapid auditory processing have been associated with language learning disorders such as developmental dyslexia. Induced microgyria in animals have been linked with auditory deficits similarly seen in developmental dyslexia. Music exposure has previously been found to be effective in alleviation of auditory processing deficits in humans. In the present study, we examine how passive music exposure with manipulated rhythms is effective in alleviation of these auditory processing deficits in rats with induced microgyria. A startle response paradigm was used to test juvenile rats’ ability to process auditory stimuli after receiving bilateral freeze lesion or sham surgery on postnatal day one. Freeze lesions induced the formation of microgyria, similar to that found in postmortem human dyslexic brains. The results of this study indicate that while all rats were able to process auditory stimuli presented at slower speeds, the shams possessed significantly greater abilities to process rapidly auditory stimuli in comparison to lesions. Music exposure was found effective in alleviating these rapid auditory processing deficits found in microgyric rats, but it had little effect on shams. These results may suggest that humans with a familial history of developmental dyslexia can prevent the behavioral symptoms due to rapid auditory processing deficits of dyslexia found in later childhood and adolescence by passive music therapy starting in early infancy. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2014-05 |
| Gyawali, Utsav | Psychology | Reversal of Compulsive Cocaine Seeking in the Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesion Model of Schizophrenia | Substance abuse is more prevalent in schizophrenic patients compared to healthy individuals. Substantial overlap in neuropathology of schizophrenia and drug abuse suggests that vulnerability to addiction may be a core symptom of schizophrenia. Compulsive cocaine-seeking is evident in the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model of schizophrenia possibly because of disinhibited and “noisy” prefrontal cortex (PFC). This study attempted to pharmacologically reverse the compulsive cocaine seeking by improving PFC function in NVHL rats. At postnatal day 7, rats received excitotoxic ventral hippocampal lesion. As adults, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine. Following acquisition, rats were tested 10 days on a punishment schedule where 5 out of 11 daily trials terminated in foot-shock instead of cocaine delivery. On 4thand 7thday of punishment, (vehicle) and CIQ (10 mg/kg) were respectively administered intravenously 30 minutes prior to testing. Results indicate that there was no difference in cocaine seeking between day 3 and day 4 (vehicle) of punishment for both NVHLs and shams. On the 7thday of punishment (CIQ), both NVHLs and shams decreased cocaine seeking compared to 6thday. Across days of punishment, NVHLs were significantly seeking more and completing more cycles than shams. On punishment days 8,9, and 10 when no treatment was administered, 80% of NVHLs were resisting punishment which suggests that they were transitioning to compulsive drug seeking. These data further support the result that NVHLs become compulsive drug seekers. CIQ could thus be a therapeutic measure for comorbidity in NVHL model, and by extension, in schizophrenia. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2014-05 |
| Herrington, Allison | Psychology | A Qualitative Examination of Holistic Treatment as Understood and Practiced by Occupational Therapists | Occupational therapy is a health care service provided to diverse groups of people to address a variety of their functional capacities. Holistic care is characterized by the view that people are integrated, indivisible wholes and is a principle that can be applied to many different health care practices, but is particularly relevant to occupational therapy. In the present study, the researcher sought to determine the degree to which holism is valued and implemented in the practice of occupational therapists. This study employed interviews to gather information about the practices and perceptions of occupational therapists directly from the source, and the researcher analyzed these interviews, along with a coding team, through grounded theory research. Findings indicate that occupational therapists who participated value holistic care in their practice, but experience some obstacles when attempting to employ it. It seems that holistic ideals are an important and defining aspect of occupational therapy, and future research and legislation should work to facilitate occupational therapists’ use of holistic care. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2014-05 |
| Hogya, Sadie | Psychology | Connecting Through Play: The Use of Play Therapy with Children with Autism | Background: Play therapy uses the child’s natural language of play to help treat a variety of disorders and issues. One population that play therapy has been successful with is children who are diagnosed with Autism. Aim:The current study explores the experiences and views of play therapists who work with children with Autism. In addition, play techniques used in the school system were also examined. Method:Six semi-structured interviews were conducted and then analyzed for themes.Findings:Five main themes were identified: play therapy is an individualized and customized approach; play therapy connects to the child on a deeper level; the importance of parental/family involvement; lack of awareness surrounding play therapy and school communication.Conclusions:Play therapy is a flexible approach that can be used with children of all ages and all diagnoses on the Autism spectrum. Through the relationship-based approached, play therapists are able to connect to the child on a deeper level allowing the child move beyond the social and emotional barriers that are characteristic of the disorder. Because play therapy is not widely known as a treatment approach, there is still a lack of awareness surrounding play therapy and it is not recognized in the school system as a treatment approach for children with Autism. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2014-05 |
| Huckenpoehler, Claire | Psychology | Talking to Children About Death: Communication in Families Facing Pediatric Cancer | Childhood cancer is one of the most traumatic life events that a family can experience (Kazack & Nachman, 1991 as cited in Clarke & Fletcher, 2003). A cancer diagnosis impacts ill children, their parents, and their siblings across nearly all aspects of life (Patterson, Holm, & Gurney, 2003). From the moment of diagnosis, parents are forced to make difficult decisions, many of which do not have clearly defined right and wrong answers. One of the most difficult decisions that parents must make is how to communicate with both their ill children and their healthy children about the seriousness of the diagnosis, including the possibility of death (Kreicbergs, Valdimarsdóttir, Onelöv, Henter, & Steineck, 2004). The style of communication used by families is associated with various outcomes for ill children, parents, and healthy siblings. In order to for parents to select the communication style that is most appropriate for their children, it is important for them to understand children’s concepts of death, the different styles of communication used by families facing pediatric cancer, and the other factors associated with each communication style. This activity book is intended to aide parents of children with cancer in selecting the appropriate communication style for their child, by providing them with some of the research findings on this topic, as well as activities that will help them assess their child’s understanding of death, and activities designed to facilitate parent-child communication. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2014-05 |
| Hughes, Colleen | Psychology | Implicit Discriminations Between Wanting and Liking Motivations | Incentive sensitization proposes that, in abnormal motivational processes such as addiction, the liking or hedonic experience of the reward differentiates from wanting or craving of the reward that promotes reward-seeking behaviors (Robinson & Berridge, 1993). This differentiation in concepts may explain why dieters and persons addicted to drugs and nicotine have difficulty quitting despite the negative societal consequences of the behavior. The current experiment developed two variations on the Implicit Association Test (IAT); wanting and liking versions using the labels ‘I want/like’ and ‘I don’t want/like’. It was hypothesized that an experimentally induced thirst would increase wanting preference for water in comparison to snacks, but not a liking preference. Although there was no significant interaction between thirst and motivational process, the means trended in support of our hypothesis. Furthermore, the hypothesis was supported by participants’ explicit reports and correlation measures which showed that the wanting and liking scores on the IAT were correlated for satiated participants but not for thirsty participants. The implications of these findings on our understanding of how motivation is measured are discussed. Keywords: Implicit association test, motivation, incentive sensitization, thirst. | Han, H. Anna | 2014-05 |
| Kanu, Janita | Psychology | Contingent Self-worth and Facebook Social Comparison | Research has shown that Facebook can have detrimental effects on psychological well-being, which some research suggests is the result of negative social comparison. Although many studies have explored the effects of Facebook, little research has investigated specifically how the site can produce these changes. This study explored whether different types of Facebook exposure targeting physical attractiveness, success, or good relationships influence changes in different types of self-esteem (success, appearance, relationship) based on an individual’s contingency of self-worth in these three domains. Although it was predicted that exposure to Facebook would decrease self-esteem in domains where participants have high contingent self-worth, previous research suggests that self-compassion can help individuals feel unconditional positive self-regard. It was thus hypothesized that practicing activities that increased self-compassion would buffer the negative effects of Facebook exposure. Analyses indicated that appearance-contingent self-worth was the only self-worth that is associated with changes in related self-esteem. Self-compassion was also found to reduce changes in self-esteem, but only in certain scenarios. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed, as well as future paths of Facebook research. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2014-05 |
| Keramidas, Anastasia | Psychology | The Effects of Yoga on Concentration and Anxiety | Present research on the use of yoga as an alternative therapy is limited. This paper compares previous research studies with our study on the reasons why yoga is physically and mentally beneficial for all individuals, specifically those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This study aims to support the use of yoga as an alternative therapy to stimulant and nonstimulant medications, specifically decreasing anxiety and increasing concentration. Ultimately one of the two hypotheses were supported, yoga decreased anxiety and increased concentration across the whole. The data obtained was based on 40 participants; procedure and measures of the study are described as well as the results and discussion of previous research as well as the data obtained from the study. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2014-05 |
| Keyani, Sam | Psychology | “Music as a universal language”: The relationShip between musical Reactivity and narative transportation | Studies examining music have established its unique ability to emotionally affect humans (Garivaldis and Moss, 2007). While evolutionary theories have already suggested story-telling as a primitive form of communicating complex information to other individuals, a new evolutionary rational for human musicality suggest it is also a form of group communication. The current study aimed to establish a relationship between how psychologically reactive individuals are to music and their likelihood to be transported into a narrative. Additionally, music may facilitate one’s ability to “get lost” in a story, and persuade a change in participant’s brand attitudes via transportation. The researcher also measured individual characteristics that previous research has suggested to be related narratives and music (i.e., aesthetic experiences, personality characteristics). The results indicate that musical reactivity and narrative transportation are correlated. While participant’s musical condition had a significant effect on self-reported levels of persuasion, the results indicate that there were no differences in narrative transportation levels between the experimental conditions. These findings indicate a relationship between ones propensity to be emotionally affected by both music and stories, and suggest future directions for research on the nature of musicality. | Han, H. Anna | 2014-05 |
| Klima, Michelle | Psychology | The Effects of Entorhinal Cortex Lesions On A Latent Inhibition Paradigm | Latent inhibition is when familiarity with a stimulus prevents the subject from making new associations to the stimulus in a classical conditioning paradigm. LI requires a pre-exposure (PE) phase prior to conditioning where the to-be conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented to the subject. During this phase, the animal habituates to the stimulus and decreases its response. LI is seen during the conditioning phase when it takes a longer time for the subject to respond to the CS in a way to prepare for the aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). The entorhinal cortex (EC) is the only structure that abolishes LI when it is inactivated prior to PE (Seillier et al., 2007). The EC communicates with the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens to change behavior to account for the expected outcome of a stimulus to the observed outcome of a stimulus (Chrobak, Lörincz, & Buzsáki, 2000). Gluskin and Haus (2013) found that lesioning the EC prior to PE caused a change in habituation between lesion animals and controls. We sought to replicate this finding by lesioning the EC of rats and running them through a LI classical conditioning paradigm measuring lick behavior. We did not find a difference in habituation between control and lesioned animals, but we were able to see that there is a difference between habituation and LI. LI was seen in PE animals regardless of habituating in the same way as non-PE animals. More research should go into the chemical pathways in the LI circuit. LI research can be used to improve schizophrenia lab models and ultimately advance our understanding of the disease for better treatment. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2014-05 |
| Kowalski, Crista | Psychology | Canine Behavioral Evaluations in the Shelter Environment | Each year, millions of pet dogs enter the shelter and each year millions end up euthanized. One reason why an owner may relinquish a dog to the shelter is because of behavioral issues. It is crucial to understand canine behavior, and understand the validity and reliability of the tests used to evaluate canine temperament, as well as the tools used in the evaluation process. To examine these issues, interviews with certified applied animal behaviorists were executed and a survey was distributed to animal shelters and rescues across the country. It was found that there is no standard evaluation method and even though there are several valid and reliable evaluation methods available for use, not all shelters/rescues use one of those methods or behaviorally evaluate their animals. In addition, those who administer the evaluations do not always have a background in behavior. Studies to test the reliability and validity of tools used during behavioral evaluation are proposed as well as a study to examine how owners’ perceptions of a particular breed of canine can influence the animals’ behavior and, therefore, propagate the stereotypes. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2014-05 |
| Lawson, Shelby | Psychology | The Effect of MK-801 on Consolidation of Spatial Memory in the Rat | The process of creating and storing memories requires numerous steps within the brain from acquiring the memory, to consolidating it into a more stable form, to storing it to be retrieved later. We were most interested in consolidation, which requires NMDA receptor functionality to occur. Moreover, past studies have suggested that there is a small window between 24 hours and 9 days after acquisition of the memory that consolidation occurs in, and where functionality of NMDA receptors is crucial. We attempted to narrow down this window by training rats on a water maze and administering MK-801, an NMDA antagonist, or saline to rats either 24 hours or 7 days after training. Two probe trials were used to assess short term and consolidated memory of the rats. We hypothesized that rats given MK-801 24 hours after training would have higher latencies for escaping the water maze compared to rats given MK-801 7 days after training and the control groups. Although all rats preformed significantly worse during the consolidation probe trial compared to the short term memory probe trial, performance in the maze did not differ based on the drug administered or the week the rats were given the drug. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2014-05 |
| Lawton, Kevin | Psychology | Making of a Mnemonist | The following study observes a single subject, KL, as he is tested on percentages of correct recall in 20 and 50 digit matrices. KL first attempts rote methods for recall, then builds mnemonic strategies using method of loci, phonetic alphabet, and digit-noun theories. Across 56 trial hours we see KL’s performance increase to perfect recall in 20 digit series and near perfect in 50 digit series suggesting that any individual can obtain superior memory in digit recall after skill acquisition of a strong mnemonic system. Questions were raised about predisposing factors that may allow an individual to learn a mnemonic strategy faster when using rote methods first, as they may provide an opportunity to learn basic mnemonic skills before having learned a mnemonic strategy or system. Future research is suggested to look into these questions as well as continue single n subject designs to find patterns in individual motivation and research on their way to becoming a mnemonist | Platt, Richard D. | 2014-05 |
| Lehmann, Meshan | Psychology | Love Marriage Vs. Arranged Marriage: A Cross Cultural Study of the Differences in Marital Expectations and Father-Child Intimacy Between India and the United States | This study analyzes how type of marriage (love or arranged), in India and the United States, affects the realism of one’s expectations of marriage, the number of marital myths believed, and the intimacy of the father-child relationship. A combination of forces such as living in collectivistic vs. individualistic societies, modernization and industrialization of India and the United States countries, feminist movements encouraging women to demand more from marriages, and changes in role expectations of fathers work together to alter marital expectations today. I hypothesized that Indians having arranged marriages would have the most realistic expectations, Indians having either love or arranged marriages would believe in the most marital myths, and love marriages (either American or Indian) would have the most intimate father-child intimacy. I also predicted that as father-child intimacy decreases, marital expectations also decrease and as marriage expectations increase, the belief in marital myths also increases. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to analyze results. Quantitative results did not show significant differences in either marital expectations or father-child intimacy in regards to type of marriage but they did show Indians having higher marital expectations than Americans. Qualitative exploratory results suggested Americans predicted increased marital problems, more independence during a typical day, more equal expectations of themselves compared to their spouse, looking forward to a friendship with their spouse, and more fears about divorce when compared to Indians. American participants also used more negative words to describe their relationship with their father and reported fewer experiences of their father expressing his feelings. | Finkelman, David G. | 2014-05 |
| Lewis, LaShana | Psychology | Mental Health of College Students and Student Athletes | This study evaluated multiple factors related to college students’ mental health. Nonathlete students were compared to varsity athlete students, men varsity athletes were compared to women varsity athletes, and women athletes who play “women-only” sports were compared to women athletes who play sports that are also played by men. The mental health factors analyzed included emotions, self-esteem, time management, eating and sleeping habits, confidence, and gender attitudes (both positive attitudes and negative attitudes). St. Mary’s College of Maryland students completed an emotions scale, a self-esteem scale, a time management scale, a confidence scale, and a gender attitudes scale. The results showed that varsity athletes have significantly more positive emotions and higher self-esteem than nonathlete students. Men varsity athletes reported significantly more positive emotions, higher self-esteem, higher athletic confidence, and more positive gender attitudes than women varsity athletes. Women who play “women-only” sports only differed from women who play sports that are also played by men by reporting more negative attitudes toward gender. The findings from this study suggest that there are many factors that influence the mental health of college students. | Finkelman, David G. | 2014-05 |
| Malarkey, Molly | Psychology | A Meditational Intervention as a Supplementary Treatment for Chemotherapy Outpatients at St. Agnes Hospital | This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a meditational intervention for cancer outpatients undergoing chemotherapy as part of their treatment trajectory through examination of self reported changes in symptoms of stress, mood disturbances and compassion. It is hypothesized that patients and staff who participate in meditational sessions throughout the duration of the study will experience fewer physical, emotional and physiological symptoms of stress, fewer mood disturbances; and exclusively for the staff, an increase in the compassion they feel toward their patients. Data was gathered at the beginning and end of each week throughout the duration of the study. The meditational intervention consisted of patients attending meditation sessions twice a week, lasting for one hour each, throughout the entire three week duration period of the study. Stress and mood was measured in the patient participant population and stress, mood and compassion was measured in the staff population. The staff served as a control group for this study, as they were not undergoing chemotherapy throughout the course of the study. Results indicated that there was some significant differences between the staff and patient population in terms of total mood disturbances and symptoms of stress, varying by sub-scales of the measured variables as reported in the results. Compassion stayed relatively stable throughout the duration of the study. This study aimed to explore alternative medicine approaches to a holistic treatment lens toward the ways the United States medical system can treat cancer. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2014-05 |
| Martin, Elise | Psychology | Social Deficits and Impaired Theory of Mind: Empathic Behavior in a Rat Model of Schizophrenia | Recent studies, including neuroimaging, behavioral analysis, and heredity research, have shown that the brain has specific areas that are linked to both Theory of Mind (ToM) and schizophrenia. ToM denotes the capacity to perceive and understand the mental and emotional states of others as well as the awareness of what knowledge others may have or not have. The emotional aspect of ToM involves empathy and pro-social motivational states induced when the emotional state of one individual triggers equivalent empathic emotions in another individual. Empathy drives the helping behaviors seen in humans, but it is not known whether similar behaviors observed in animals indicate empathic ability or ToM. This study involves two experiments designed after previous studies on social and helping behaviors in rats. Experiment 1 examined the effects of social conditioning in NVHL rats with measurements on preference between bedding associated with cagemates and bedding associated with isolation. Results did not support the hypothesis that NVHL rats would display reduced social preference since no difference in social preference between NVHL and sham rats was found. Experiment 2 examined whether NVHL rats would perform pro-social behaviors to free a "trapped" cagemate in distress. Results were inconclusive due to a small subject size, although marginal effects matched the hypothesis that NVHL rats would display less helping behavior than sham rats. Although the findings were not sufficient to support the existence of empathy in rats, this study serves as a prototype for future research. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2014-05 |
| McKay, Earline | Psychology | College Romance and Disability: Effects of Exposure on Attraction Attitudes and Relationships | This research explored whether the level of exposure to the physically disabled has an impact on the attitudes and attraction of the non disabled toward the physically disabled. This research also investigated if the attitudes and attraction of the non-disabled had was related to willingness to engage in a romantic relationship with a physically disabled individual. The participants for this research were college students between the age of 18 and 24 who completed an online survey measure. The results of the research found that those participants with a higher level of exposure to the physically disabled score higher on the Interpersonal Attraction Scale. This result may suggest that the physically disabled will be perceived as being more attractive to the non-disabled, once the two groups have more interactions with one another. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2014-05 |
| Meister, Madeleine | Psychology | The Predictors and Risk Factors of Suicidal Ideation in Undergraduate Students | Suicide is one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States. The three parts of the cycle are suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide completion. There are numerous factors that influence and predict the risk of an individual having suicidal ideation. 137 participants from St. Mary’s College of Maryland completed an online survey measuring six of those factors, including death anxiety and impulsivity. Results revealed that impulsivity and suicidal ideation are significantly related, however, all other results were not significant. Death anxiety is not a significant predictor of suicidal ideation, even in combination with other factors. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2014-05 |
| Nickens, Caitlin | Psychology | Perceptions of Smoking: An Impact on Health Disparities | Studies documenting smoking behavior and associated health outcomes have found that women, some racial minorities, and smokers with less education suffer disproportionately from smoking-related illnesses. These disparities persist despite a decreased prevalence of smoking behavior among these groups compared to men, White individuals, and smokers with higher education, respectively. The current research attempted to clarify the nature of these disparities by measuring optimism, perceived control of self and health, and causal uncertainty among smokers and quantifying the relationship between these attitudes, demographic data and actual smoking beliefs/behaviors. The results included many predictable, though helpfully specific patterns in smoking behavior and attitudes, such as differences based on educational attainment, but also included unexpected evidence that political affiliation may indicate smoking beliefs as well. These findings may be used to better inform and tailor cessation intervention efforts to the individual. | Han, H. Anna | 2014-05 |
| Payton, Stephanie | Psychology | Modeling Impaired Decision Making: Impulsivity and Risk Taking in the Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Rat Model of Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness which often results in serious lifestyle disruptions for those with the disease. These may be due to schizophrenia’s diverse symptomatology, including hallucinations, social impairments, and deficits in higher executive functioning. These deficits may include an impairment in decision making, a skill which can be subdivided into risky and impulsive behavior. The literature on these two measures in schizophrenia is inconclusive however, especially for risky behavior. Therefore in the current study, we used two lever pressing tasks, a delay and probabilistic discounting task, in order to measure impulsivity and risk taking, respectively. We compared the performance of control rats to the performance of rats with a neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL), which is used as a model of schizophrenia. In the delay discounting task, we found that the healthy controls performed more impulsively than the NVHL animals. We hesitate to draw conclusions, however, because our control animals did not perform normally on this task. In the probabilistic discounting task, we found that the NVHL rats performed inconsistently across the different probabilities, possibly indicating a risk appraisal impairment. This may have been due to a deficit in working memory which has been found in the NVHL model and schizophrenia. We also measured pre-pulse inhibition and found the expected deficits in the NVHL group. These results are preliminary evidence for impaired decision making in schizophrenia, specifically in risk-taking, which may contribute to the high comorbidity between schizophrenia and substance abuse. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2014-05 |
| Placido, Jessica | Psychology | Evaluating the Challenges Latinos Face in Seeking Mental Health Services: A Model to Increase Mental Health Use for Latinos | The Latino community is rapidly increasing in the United States. The challenges Latinos experience in the United States are also increasing. In particular, one challenge Latinos experience is the inability to access mental health services. The following paper will: address the mental health issues in the Latino community, then it will discuss the issues Latinos experience in treatment seeking, next it explores the reasons for the underuse of mental health services, and Lastly, it examines the differences among Latino sub-groups. A few of the challenges Latinos experience in their community are political, social, and personal. Also, I propose a model that can be implemented in mental health facilities for both clients and their families and for mental health providers. I suggest possible strategies to increase the use of mental health services in the Latino community. The strategies are directed to clients and family members, as well as some directed to mental health providers. This new model will incorporate previous implications of past models and suggestions from therapists who were interviewed. | Finkelman, David G. | 2014-05 |
| Pribut, Heather | Psychology | The Effects of Entorhinal Cortex Lesions in a Latent Inhibition Paradigm | Latent inhibition (LI) refers to familiar stimuli being slower to enter into new associations compared to novel stimuli. This behavioral paradigm has considerable importance as a tool for research in learning theory and for improving clinical understanding of learning deficits associated with schizophrenia. Damaging the entorhinal cortex (EC) typically abolishes LI, suggesting that this structure is necessary for forming memories within this behavioral paradigm. This study aimed to further understand the EC’s role in acquiring associations between stimuli by demonstrating that EC lesions impaired animals’ ability to habituate to stimuli during the pre-exposure phase of LI, in addition to abolishing the LI effect during conditioning. There was no significant effect of lesions throughout our study. However, we were still able to demonstrate LI and its complexity in learning theory through our changes to traditional methodology. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2014-05 |
| Ramos, Erica | Psychology | Latinos in Higher Education: Understanding What it Takes to Succeed Academically | The following study analyzes resiliency factors that enable Latina/o students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland to succeed academically through the use of Grounded Theory (Fassinger, 2005; Lawrence & Usman, 2013). Resilient students are characterized as students who demonstrate personal attributes that enable them to succeed academically in contrast to adverse conditions. Past trends in Latino educational attainment have concentrated on negative influences that disable academic growth, therefore this study aims to promote academic success among Latino students by examining positive personal attributes (e.g., intrinisic motivation and self-efficacy), as well as external factors, such as supportive interpersonal relationships and positive use of time. This study also aims to evaluate the Latino experience at a small liberal arts college, and ultimately better understand what factors influence positive academic success for Latino students. Results from focus group and individual interviews indicate that supportive interpersonal relationships, specifically parental and peer support, along with high intrinisic motivation, self-efficacy, and internal locus of control, enabled participants to succeed in higher education. Interestingly, awareness of oppression and race/power inequality was an emerging theme that was not accounted for, therefore future research should analyze how this awareness can facilitate academic growth and success. Keywords: Latino students, academic success, resiliency theory, race/power | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2014-05 |
| Squire, Ebony | Psychology | Interpersonal Attraction and Hiring: Can Differences Between Applicants and their Employers Prevent Them From Being Hired? | One of the main facets of the interpersonal attraction theory is the similarity-attraction hypothesis, which states that people are attracted to similar others and repelled by less similar others. Past research has shown that individuals tend to be more attracted to people who are similar to him or her in areas such as ethnicity, geographic location, attitudes, and personality. The purpose of the present study was to determine if the similarity-attraction effect would be present in employment situations, such as employee interviews and employee recommendations. Participants were asked to fill out a personality and work values survey to determine their levels of extraversion and their general attitudes about certain work values. They were then shown the resume, personality survey, and work values survey of a bogus applicant and were asked to decide if they would hire the bogus applicant for a position as an IT Support Officer in false company that they “own” and state what salary they would recommend for the applicant. Results of the study did not show any evidence of the Similarity Attraction Hypothesis and revealed that participants are more likely to recommend the bogus applicant for a position and recommend higher salaries as the applicant became more dissimilar in personality and attitudes. The reason for these unpredicted results is explained using the information processing theory. | Han, H. Anna | 2014-05 |
| Taylor, Lauren | Psychology | Strategic Self-Presentation and Sexuality in Gay, Straight, and Bisexual Online Dating Profiles | Evolutionary mating theory emphasizes reproduction and the potential for offspring; however, these considerations are not necessarily relevant for individuals seeking partners of the same sex, allowing for the argument that traditional evolutionary theory is not universally supported. The present study sought to provide exploratory research of the mating practices of gay, heterosexual, and bisexual males and females as exhibited on internet dating websites, specifically regarding sexuality and sexual content. A total of 180 online dating profiles were collected and independently coded. A variety of differences were discovered, most notably concerning the profiles of bisexual individuals, who were rated as having significantly higher rates of sexual content than straight or gay individuals. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2014-05 |
| Valkanas, Sotira | Psychology | An Exploration of the Processes Behind the Testing Effect | The current experiment sought to examine the processes behind the testing effect, the concept that testing improves retention of material better than elaborative studying. The focus was on the differences between retrieval practice involving the process of recall (fill in the blank), retrieval practice involving recognition (multiple choice), elaborative studying (concept map with article present) and a combination of retrieval and elaborative studying (concept map without article present). The current experiment found no significant differences in performance on a short answer test between these conditions after a one- week retention interval. The testing effect was further broken down to analyze the impact of question type on the testing effect. It was found that inferential questions produced better retention than item- specific questions. The impacts of corrective feedback and correct retention were also explored, and corrective feedback was found to improve performance for all learning conditions, not just testing conditions. Confidence in response was measured for every test question on the multiple choice and fill in the blank conditions and there was no relationship found between confidence and correctness. This experiment was conducted on a small scale and has certain limitations. This research adds to existing evidence that testing can be used as an effective teaching tool in the classroom as well as a means of assessment. | Platt, Richard D. | 2014-05 |
| Weitzel, John | Psychology | Neonatal Ventral Hippocampus Model of Schizophrenia and its Effects on the Expression of Latent Inhibition | Latent inhibition (LI) is a reduction in the ability to form or express new associations with a stimulus that has been passively presented without reinforced pre-exposures. This form of learning is however absent in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) is currently the most effective model for schizophrenia, due to the procedure being performed during pre-adolescence. Lesions to the ventral hippocampus (VH) performed during adulthood do not abolish latent inhibition making the NVHL model optimal for replicating latent inhibition. Forty-two Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral injections of either ibotenic acid (NVHL; n = 19) or aCSF (n = 22) into the ventral hippocampus between postnatal day (PD) 6 and 8. Testing consisted of habituation and conditioning sessions. Lesion and sham rats were assigned to either pre-exposure groups (PE) or non pre-exposure groups (nPE). PE groups received 15 CS white noise presentations (20sec, 88dB), and nPE groups received 1 CS presentation. In conditioning sessions, all groups were presented CS with a shock pairing (0.5sec, .5 milliamps) during the last 0.5sec of the CS presentation. NVHL PE rats were expected to show latent inhibition impairments. Results found that no groups demonstrated latent inhibition. However, there was a clear learning deficit evident in NVHL PE and nPE groups. These deficits are commonly in schizophrenia providing further validity to the effectiveness of the NVHL model and the bilateral VH lesion. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2014-05 |
| Willett, Ciara | Psychology | Exploring Death-Related Children’s Literature as a Function of Age, Cognition, & Religion | The concept of death is rarely discussed openly in our society (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2009). Parents are often uncomfortable communicating with their children about death and are unsure of how to correctly respond to children’s questions (Pettle & Britten, 1995). While a majority of the research advocates for speaking with children about death with respect to their current understandings and cognitive capabilities, some studies indicate that caregivers tend to underestimate what their child actually understands about death (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2009; Gaab, Owens, & MacLeod, 2013). Within the literature, age, cognitive development, and religion are commonly investigated as potential influences on how children develop a mature understanding of death. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the age and developmental appropriateness of religious and secular children’s death-related picture books with respect to religious content. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2014-05 |
| Dalrymple, Kelly | Psychology | Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Impulsivity and Hyperactivity | It has been hypothesized that insufficient levels of omega-3 can lead to symptoms of ADHD. This study examined the effects an omega-3 deprivation has on the impulsivity and hyperactivity levels in rats. Two groups of rats were used for this study, one group deprived of omega-3, and the other provided with adequate levels of omega-3. The rats completed a delay discounting tasks to measure levels of impulsivity, and locomotor activity chambers measured hyperactivity levels. The rats deprived of omega-3 did not display significantly higher levels of either impulsivity or hyperactivity than the omega-3 adequate rats. This suggests that an omega-3 deprivation is not enough to produce ADHD symptoms. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-12 |
| Wang, Christina | Psychology | Continuity and Fan Appeal in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | The current research sought to profile and expand on the characteristics of the girls’ cartoon series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that make it popular among older viewers, and the show producers’ reactions to this unexpected source of popularity. Characters portrayed as fallible and prone to creating or facing problems were significantly more popular than characters that rarely make mistakes, possibly because the viewer may find them more relatable. Between season 1 and season 2, show producers did not make any significant changes to how the main characters are depicted. Season 2 featured significantly more references to the events of previous episodes (including episodes from season 1), suggesting an interest in creating a cohesive storyline and rewarding existing viewers for their continued loyalty. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2013-12 |
| Barnold, Stephen Charles | Psychology | Effects of Pharmacological REM Deprivation On Spatial Memory | The relationship between sleep and memory is complicated, and as such is not yet fully understood. In order to better understand this general relationship, it is necessary to examine the relationships between different types of sleep, like REM sleep and slow-wave sleep, and different types of memory, like declarative and procedural memory. While research on slow-wave sleep is relatively abundant, research into REM sleep’s effects on memory has been less extensive, resulting in a general lack of information regarding how REM sleep interacts with various types of memory. In particular, the relationship between REM and spatial memory has been explored more recently than other relationships, providing a useful base of knowledge for future research. Additionally, different methods of manipulating REM can provide useful ways to research how REM influences spatial memory (and other forms of memory as well). This study examines both the relationship between REM sleep and spatial memory and the feasibility of using benzodiazepines such as diazepam as an experimental method of REM deprivation in order to both lend support to previous research associating REM sleep with benefits to spatial memory and provide possible future directions and methods for research into REM sleep using pharmacological REM manipulations. While the results do not directly match the anticipated results (in that the expected drug effects were not present), there is some evidence for an effect of diazepam administration on spatial memory retention in an object-place recognition task, as well as evidence supporting the general benefits of sleep for spatial memory. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2013-05 |
| Buonato, Julie Katherine | Psychology | Representation of Women in Video Games: Bodies, Roles, Clothing, and Interactions | A content analysis of 9 video games, determined by an all student survey, was conducted in order to examine whether or not there are significant differences regarding interactions depending on whether the gamer is playing as a male or a female protagonist. Additionally, differences in body types, roles, and clothing types between male and female game characters were observed. The first hour of game play was recorded for each of the 9 games within the study. Those with only male protagonists available were played for an hour, but those with the option of playing as either a male or female protagonist were played for a total of 2 hours each (1 hour played as male from the beginning and 1 hour played as a female from the beginning of the game). Results found that there was no significant difference found in types of interactions between characters depending on the gender of the protagonist, and that there were no significant differences between primary and secondary characters in terms of gender. However, it was shown that there was a significant difference between gender and body type, chest size, level of muscularity, tightness of clothing, appropriateness of clothing, and amount of skin shown. These results suggest that video games have significantly different representations of male and female characters. Key Words: Video games, interactions, sexualization, body types, females, males, content analysis | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2013-05 |
| Campbell, Simone A. | Psychology | Effect of Quinpirole on Extinction after Latent Inhibition | Latent Inhibition and extinction both describe behavioral outputs that result from a combination of reinforced exposure as well as non-reinforced exposure to a conditioned stimulus. While extensive research has been performed with both paradigms separately, there are few studies that combine both paradigms together. Quinpirole, a dopamine agonist, has been found to disrupt extinction by blocking the recall of the association formed during fear conditioning. Animals that were pre-exposed to a stimulus before conditioning showed latent inhibition, and also began to show reduced suppression at extinction. Quinpirole administered during extinction appeared to produce a state dependent effect on extinction, but there were no differences between the pre-exposed animals and non-pre-exposed animals, suggesting that quinpirole blocked the recall of the memory formed during pre-exposure. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2013-05 |
| Dimas, Taylor Christian | Psychology | Exercise and its Effects on Higher Cognition | There is a large body of research investigating how exercise can impact an individual’s performance on tests of cognition. Exercise and cognition fall into a body of research known as dual-tasking research. One of the theories underlying this branch of research is central capacity theory, which posits that the brain has a central processor responsible for the distribution of cognitive resources to perform tasks. Using this theory, dual-task researchers hypothesized that exercise increases an individual’s arousal level, and thus increases the amount of cognitive resources available for use during dual-task activities, thus resulting in improved performance on measures of cognition while exercising. However, many studies have focused on lower measures of cognition, and what studies have examined higher cognition have done so while making participants undergo a very strenuous amount of exercise. This study examined how moderate exercise would impact a higher measure of cognition in 21 college-aged students, sampled randomly from a population of students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. After performing a 2x4 multiple factors ANOVA on the performance data obtained from the experiment, exercise was not found to have a significant effect on cognitive performance. Reasons for this are discussed, along with recommendations for future studies. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2013-05 |
| Dink, Adrienne Michelle | Psychology | Benzodiazepines Revisited: the adverse effects of long-term use, reducing long-term use, and alternative treatment options | The Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are one of the most widely prescribed psychotropic medications in clinical practice in developed countries. Although they have well-documented efficacy for treating anxiety in the short-term, concerns over prolonged use have emerged in recent decades. This is due to both the creation of novel guidelines for the responsible prescription of the BZDs, and the growing knowledge surrounding the potential consequences of prolonged use. These guidelines advise against their long-term use and question their use as a first line of treatment for anxiety altogether. The adverse side effects of the BZDs include their potential for dependence, distressing withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation, and cognitive deficits. In regard to the benefits of prolonged use, the efficacy overtime is questionable, due to the lack of evidence supporting the continued anxiolytic effects. It seems that, despite recent guidelines, physicians are continuing to overprescribe the BZDs, and patients are continuing to take them long-term. This discrepancy is due to many factors including physicians’ maladaptive habits, patient resistance, and perceived lack of alternative options, among others. I conclude with a two-fold effort aimed first, at reducing initial BZD prescriptions, and, second, at decreasing the number of current, long-term users. It seems that training and education for physicians regarding methods for rational prescribing and strategies for successful withdrawal methods are needed, with the ultimate goal of creating a regular dialogue between the patient and physician. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-05 |
| Dudley, Katerina M. | Psychology | The Link Between Non-Deliverative Self-Control Strategies: does construal manipulation affect the formation of implementation intentions? | The literature demonstrates that there are two ways to automatically promote non-deliberative self-control, namely high-level construals and implementation intentions. Both strategies have been found to be automatically and unconsciously activated, to counteract the effects of ego-depletion, and to promote goal-attainment and self-control behavior (Fujita & Han, 2009; Gollwitzer & Brandstätter, 1997). Despite their evident similarities, previous research has failed to investigate the connection between these two non-deliberative strategies. Because of this, the current study investigated the effects of construal level on the formation of implementation intentions. The current study’s results were not statistically significant, and thus, failed to confirm the hypothesis that participants in the high-level construal condition would report forming implementation intentions for their previously formed goal intentions more often than those in the low-level construal condition. The results, however, did follow the hypothesized direction of influence; participants in the high-level construal condition reported forming more implementation intentions than those in the low-level construal condition. Future research should continue to investigate the relationship between implementation intentions and high-level construals by revising instructions that were unclear in the current study and also narrowing the array of goal intentions that participants can provide to include only those of popular goal categories. | Han, H. Anna | 2013-05 |
| Elder, Katherine Callahan | Psychology | Attractiveness and Resume Evaluations: does it pay to be beautiful? | Male and female students classified as having high or low self-perceived attractiveness and high or low self-esteem at St. Mary's College of Maryland acted as hiring managers to evaluate four applications with a photograph and resume. The sex and physical attractiveness of the four fictitious applicants were manipulated. A 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 repeated measures analysis of variance was computed, with the first two variables (applicant gender and physical attractiveness) being within subject’s variables and the second two variables (participant self-esteem and self- perceived attractiveness) being between subject’s variables. Support was found for the “beauty is beastly” effect in that attractive applicants were seen less positively than the unattractive applicants. Participants also showed bias in favor of the male applicants. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2013-05 |
| English, Sarah Katherine | Psychology | The Etiology of Stuttering: authoritative parenting style and adolescent anxiety in non-clinical population | The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between parenting style, anxiety and stuttering in a non-clinical adolescent population. The foundation of the current study is the Demands-Capacities Model (DCM), as developed by Starkweather and Gottwald (1990). Researchers of the present study expand on the DCM by examining the role of environmental demands (parenting style) and capacities (a child’s ability to produce fluent speech) on the development of stuttering. Full mediation between parenting style, anxiety, and stuttering was hypothesized. One hundred ninety six male and female St. Mary’s College of Maryland students were randomly selected through an online research database to participate in a survey in which they self reported on aspects of stuttering, parenting style, and anxiety. Results demonstrate that anxiety and authoritative parenting significantly explain variability in stuttering, and a significant positive relationship exists between anxiety and stuttering, while a significant negative relationship exists between authoritative parenting and stuttering. The link between parenting (both authoritative and authoritarian) and anxiety was not found to be significant, and therefore full mediation did not occur. These results suggest that anxiety is involved in the etiology of stuttering (although it cannot be determined if anxiety precedes or follows stuttering), and that demands might be outweighed by reasonable and developmentally-appropriate expectations and a high level of warmth, which is characteristic of authoritative parenting style. Future studies should further investigate the role of anxiety in the development and persistence of stuttering. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2013-05 |
| Grein, Katherine Anne | Psychology | Literature and the Self: Perspective Change, Reflection, and the Relationship of Leisure Reading to Identity Development | Narratives occupy an important organizational and descriptive position in human life, with theories of narrative impact and the processes involved in reading even fictional narratives suggesting a possible capacity to influence such central processes as identity development (Bruner, 1986). Yet little research to date has empirically examined narrative impact from this more lasting, developmental perspective. In the current study the researcher sought to examine the relationships between vicarious experiences in the form of leisure reading narratives and processes of identity development in a sample of emerging adults (N = 184, M age = 20 years). Results demonstrated both quantitative and qualitative evidence for a link between leisure reading and identity development. In a factor analysis combining 3 sources of reading-related variables, 5 distinct components of the reading experience emerged: Insight and Reflection, Investment, Character Connections, Intellectual Interest, and Early Reading Experiences. These 5 factors highly resembled the main themes of reading experience to emerge from follow-up semi-structured interviews (N = 10), and were related to identity development in different ways. Insight and Reflection, Investment, and Character Connections proved most important in these relationships, as assessed by both correlations and regressions, with measures of empathy and transportation – a construct encompassing emotional and imaginal engagement in a text – modifying these relationships. Interestingly, components of the reading experience related only to measures of identity exploration, not identity commitment. Implications of these findings for identity exploration, reading research, narrative theories, and therapies are discussed. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2013-05 |
| Hameroff, Marci Beth | Psychology | Sexual Orientation in the Workplace | The purpose of the literature review was to take a deeper look at prejudice and discrimination in the workplace due to sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is a very difficult subject with very little previous research. Having little prior research, the review looks at women in the workplace and draws conclusions between women’s issues and non-heterosexuals issues in terms of inequality, wage disparity and lack of respect. It was seen that there are still copious issues when dealing with acts of discrimination and/or prejudice both inside and outside the work environment. After gaining a better understanding of the current issues with prejudice and discrimination from the literature, a survey was conducted to get a more personal feel for current issues. Answers from the survey were then taken into account to create a retreat which work offices could use in order to assuage discrimination and/or prejudice in the work area. The retreat is geared towards smaller offices who have non-heterosexual workers who have experienced discrimination and/or prejudice in the workplace. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2013-05 |
| Hirsh, Ariel Elissa | Psychology | A Closer Look at Problematic Drinking in College | This study evaluated multiple factors related to college students’ alcohol consumption. The factors analyzed included class year, gender, living on/off campus, personality traits, anxiety, drinking motives, the false consensus effect, and perceived drinking norms. St. Mary’s College students completed a personality scale, an anxiety scale, and a drinking motives and behaviors survey. The results yielded no differences in alcohol consumption between class years; freshmen reported drinking similar amounts of alcohol to seniors. Men reported drinking more than women. Students living on-campus reported drinking more and perceived that their peers drink more than students living off- campus. Extroversion was shown to be positively related to drinking and anxiety was shown to be negatively related to drinking. Students reported drinking for positive social outcome, negative affect, and negative consequence motives. Men reported drinking for positive social outcome and negative affect motives more than women. In regards to the false consensus effect, students reported their peers drink similar amounts of alcohol to them. Students who reported drinking high amounts of alcohol reported their peers drink high amounts of alcohol and students who reported drinking lower amounts of alcohol reported their peers drink lower amounts of alcohol. Students also perceived their peers drink higher amounts of alcohol than their peers reported drinking. The findings from this study suggest that there are many factors that influence students drinking. | Finkelman, David G. | 2013-05 |
| Jacobs, Janay Alexandria | Psychology | Mentoring the Recovery of Drug Addicted Youth | Existing literature seldom addresses the course of action that should be taken in order to encourage recovering adolescent substance users about their future life orientations for a successful transition back into society. The following paper contains a review of the demographics of adolescents involved with drugs, how drug use is initiated, and the current treatment techniques that are practiced with substance-using adolescents today. Additionally, interviews were conducted with mental health professionals in order to collect perceptions on adolescent substance abuse and treatment recovery techniques. Incorporating both literature review and professional suggestions provided a better understanding of present gaps and challenges in order to develop a novel approach for an adolescent recovery program model. | Finkelman, David G. | 2013-05 |
| Kirk, Samantha Renee | Psychology | Can Creating Art Reduce Stress in Undergraduates? | Millions of Americans suffer from anxiety disorders according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (2010). Past research has shown that stress is positively correlated with negative aspects of undergraduate life, so it may be particularly important for researchers to examine this subsection of the population (Friedlander, Reid, Shupak, & Cribbie, 2007; Hudd et al., 2000; Chapell et al., 2005). This study sought to examine the effect of drawing on stress in a sample of 73 undergraduates with a total of 53 females and 20 males. First, participants were instructed to watch a short video depicting a concentration camp rescue. They were then given the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure their initial stress. Following the testing, participants took part in one of three conditions: drawing in an individual setting, drawing in a group setting, or a control group. After the activity, participants' stress was measured again by the STAI. All groups significantly decreased in stress from pre-test to post-test, but there were no significant differences in self-reported stress reduction between the three groups. However, there was a significant effect of gender demonstrating that female's stress decreased significantly more than males. When analyses were run excluding the males, females' stress marginally significantly decreased more in the individual setting than the control. To expand current knowledge, researchers should look at the effect of art on stress in multiple areas and pay close attention to gender differences following art creation. Keywords: art, drawing, stress, anxiety, gender | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2013-05 |
| Koch, Andrew N. | Psychology | Gender Differences in the NVHL Model of Schizophrenia | The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model of schizophrenia involves lesioning of the ventral hippocampus within the first week, altering the development of the mesolimbic structures. This current study sought to examine the role that sex differences have in fear conditioning and amphetamine induced locomotion in an open field test. NVHL or sham, male or female, rats were subjected to fear conditioning and amphetamine induced locomotion tests. A novel main effect of lesion was found in regards to fear conditioning acquisition. Sham rats spent a significantly increased amount to time freezing to the conditioned stimulus during conditioning acquisition compared to NVHL rats. NVHL rats also exhibited decreased extinction of the CS-US association compared to shams. This indicates that the NVHL lesion might be effective at attenuating the learning of associative fear memory. There were no group differences in baseline or saline locomotion. However, females showed increased locomotion compared to males in certain recording blocks. There was a near main effect of lesion, which indicates that NVHL animals have increased amphetamine induced locomotion compared to shams. This may be indicative of increased dopamine, possibly due to NVHL sensitivity to amphetamine. The current results are tentative, pending the verification of NVHL lesions, but provide a cursory examination into the role of sex differences in the NVHL model in regards to fear conditioning and locomotion. Keywords: NVHL, schizophrenia, amphetamine induced locomotion, fear conditioning | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-05 |
| Kodluboy, Christine Marie | Psychology | Teaching Academics and Parenting about Emotions: How Children Learn to Feel Good and Do Well in the Classroom | Emotion regulation, a complex and adaptive process developed in early childhood, relates to many outcomes including emotional, social, and academic competence. The adaptive regulation of emotion is crucial to successful performance in the classroom setting because of the regulatory behavior needed to perform academic tasks in the class and socialize with teachers and others. Although the greatest amount of research studying emotion socializers revolves around parents, teachers play an important role as well and merit an equally in-depth analysis of their impact. Teacher report measures were used to assess teacher’s active and passive emotion socialization, and children’s emotion regulation and academic performance. The researcher analyzed the data to identify a direct relationship between socialization and academic performance with the mediating variable of emotion regulation. Although this mediation did not exist, many significant and expected indirect paths occurred between the three constructs. Positive expressivity and supportive responses to children’s emotion was significantly positively correlated with better emotion regulation, and negative expressivity and unsupportive socialization was linked with poorer outcomes. Higher adaptive emotion regulation was positively correlated with better academic performance. This study emphasized the need for the continuation of research about influential emotion socializers in a child’s life and the importance of properly developed emotion regulation for academic success. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2013-05 |
| Koplow, Grace Leigh | Psychology | Shhhh!!!! It's A Secret: An Investigation Into the Reasoning Behind Why People Disclose Their Own Secrets | This paper explores the psychological reasoning behind why people feel the need to disclose a personal secret. Borrowing from research on rumination, positive emotional and health issues related to disclosures, and gossip, the current study sought to explore why people tell secrets. Using an open-ended and an adapted close-ended/scale questionnaire, the researcher found that questionnaire response frequencies supported the hypothesis presented in this experiment. Through an analysis of the novel questionnaire created for this study and previous research, this study concludes that people disclose secrets because of positive feelings that follow such an action. When one discloses information, he/she does not only experience positive emotions, but also attempts to gain information from the listener and works to build connections. With recognition of the listener’s significant role, the results also concluded that the person to whom someone discloses their secret is also important. The conclusions drawn in this study therefore serve as a platform for future research, giving the primary insight necessary to determine why people feel compelled to disclose secrets. Keywords: secrets, gossip, venting, rumination, and catharsis | Han, H. Anna | 2013-05 |
| LaFleur, Claire Genevieve | Psychology | Parental Divorce and Romantic Relationships: Changes in Views and Behaviors in Children of Divorce as Mediated by Child's Gender, Age at Divorce, and Attachment Style | The association between parental divorce and romantic attitudes and behaviors goes beyond the intergenerational transmission of divorce. Children of divorce tend to be less committed in their relationships, and have more negative attitudes about marriage. Certain important factors have been found that mediate this relationship: gender (Whitton, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2008), age at divorce (Ivanova, Mills, & Veenstra, 2011), and attachment style (Carranza, Killman, & Vedemia, 2009). Previous studies rarely look at all three together. For Study 1, participants filled out an attachment measure as well as a relationship commitment, satisfaction, and investment size measure. Gender and attachment were found to vary, so that women with secure attachment were more satisfied, committed, and invested in their relationships. Self-determination theory may also explain why children of divorce behave differently from their peers from intact families. The second study sought to better understand the experience of the adult child of divorce’s relationship with their parents and their romantic partners. Children of divorce were interviewed, and grounded theory analysis revealed that they had all experienced a change in their relationships with their parent during and after the divorce, had a unique conceptualization about the relationship between marriage and commitment, and used their parents’ relationships as a model for their romantic behaviors. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2013-05 |
| Lasota, Jerzy Marek | Psychology | Man as a Self-Frustrating Organism: What is the Self? | Disordered behavior is argued for as a symptom arising out of a misunderstanding on the true nature of self. The popular assumption of self as an autonomous entity, separate from the world it inhabits, is explained and psychological research is presented for why such a concept is erroneous. The origin of this autonomous self is speculated upon through the discussion of language and conventions. Finally, the concept of self as activity is put forward and how the cultivation of mid-level self-awareness (e.g., through meditation) allows for the experience of such a self, as well as appropriate self-regulation. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2013-05 |
| Marbourg, Jessica M. | Psychology | The Effects of Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesions On Sex Differences in Pre-Pulse Inhibition and Set-shifting Ability in Male and Female Rats | Clinical studies have indicated that sex differences arise in the severity and onset of cognitive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Animal models of this disorder, including the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model, have long been applied in an attempt to elucidate this disease’s complex etiology. However, relatively few studies have examined sex differences in cognitive deficits within the NVHL model. In an attempt to further understand the neurobiology underlying symptoms of schizophrenia, this study examined sex differences in the NVHL for two classically-impaired abilities in patients with the disorder, sensorimotor gating and behavioral flexibility. Using a pre-pulse inhibition task to examine sensorimotor gating deficits, results indicated that NVHL rats had significantly impaired PPI relative to controls. Although no effects of sex were observed on percent inhibition, there was a trend towards a significant interaction between sex and treatment which suggested that sham females exhibited greater PPI than males or NVHL females. On the set-shifting task, there was a trend towards significant shifting impairments in the NVHL although again, no significant sex differences were observed. These results suggest only minor sex differences appear in the severity of deficits for the cognitive tasks examined, although more research is necessary, first to confirm this observation for either task and then, before any predictions can be made about the underlying neural mechanisms of the model. Only after the mechanisms underlying the behavioral abnormalities of the NVHL are understood can comparisons be drawn to the causes of schizophrenia itself. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-05 |
| Martin, Hannah Jill | Psychology | Parental Divorce and Conflict: A Study of Offspring's Experiences in Romantic Relationships | The purpose of this study was to examine the role that parental conflict plays in the relationship between parental divorce and negative outcomes in offspring’s own romantic relationships (i.e., decreased satisfaction and increased conflict). Timing of parental divorce and offspring’s attachment to both parents and peers were also examined to understand if changes in these variables led to differences in offspring’s relationship outcomes. College students (N = 192) provided information on parental divorce, parental conflict, attachment to parents and peers, and satisfaction with and conflict in their own romantic relationships. Results demonstrated that increased parental conflict was associated with lower attachment to parents. Decreased attachment to peers was correlated with increased conflict in participants’ romantic relationships and alienation from both parents and peers was associated with less satisfaction with romantic relationships for participants. When timing of parental divorce was assessed it was found that individuals who experienced an earlier (i.e., before age six) rather than later (i.e., after age six) parental divorce exhibited higher attachment to peers. Gender differences in findings are discussed as well as implications for individuals experiencing high levels of parental conflict and various timings of parental divorce. Keywords: divorce, parental conflict, relationship satisfaction, relationship conflict, attachment | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2013-05 |
| Martin, Lydia West | Psychology | Decoding the Meow: The Effects of Experience on Interpreting the Behavioral Context of Cat Vocalizations | Based on prior research which showed that humans could infer correct behavioral contexts when they listened to specific categories of dog barks, I decided to look for evidence of similar referentiality between different categories of domestic cat meows. I observed that cats would alter their vocalizations within contexts based on the amount of attention they received from their owners. I conducted a survey using pre-recorded cat meows from different contexts and asked human participants to classify meows into five different categories (affiliative, agonistic, distress, food-related, and obstacle). I also asked participants to rate the pleasantness of meows from the same cat based on whether they were given with the owner directing attention towards the cat (HR) or ignoring the cat (NR). When it came to categorizing cat meows, participants performed with greater accuracy if they had owned one or more cats before, but only accurately categorized two types of meows, agonistic and obstacle, higher than chance level. Participants were more accurate at categorizing meows if they reported an affinity for cats. Participants found HR meows more pleasant-sounding than NR meows about 60% of the time, with no relationship to experience with cats. The results of the categorization task contradict previous research on referentiality in cat meows, and seem to indicate that humans have a limited capacity to learn to recognize them aurally. However, the results of the HR-NR task indicate that cats may use their vocalizations to shape human behavior within meow bouts. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-05 |
| Nielson, Emily Ann | Psychology | Exploring the Role of Adulthood Criteria Achievement In Drinking Habits During Emerging Adulthood | Arnett (2000a) postulated the existence of a developmental period after adolescence but before young adulthood, approximately between the ages of 18 and 25, which he termed emerging adulthood. Research has found that emerging adulthood is a unique period characterized by ambiguity over adult status, optimistic bias, and risk-taking behaviors, like binge drinking. This is concerning considering the many harmful consequences of risky alcohol consumption, like unintentional injury and driving under the influence. In the present study, 304 emerging adults (82% female, 87% Caucasian) were sampled and completed an online survey measuring adult status, achievement of Arnett’s adulthood criteria, optimistic bias, and drinking habits. A hierarchical linear regression showed that lower criteria achievement, adult status, and higher optimistic bias significantly predicted riskier alcohol consumption, but only accounted for a small portion of the variance in drinking habits (R2 = 0.12). These findings both supported and contradicted the hypotheses, but ultimately suggest that emerging adulthood is continuing to change demographically and a multitude of other factors, like sensation-seeking or educational endeavors, need to be examined to explain more of the variability in alcohol use during emerging adulthood. Keywords: emerging adulthood, transition to adulthood, optimistic bias, adult status, alcohol consumption. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2013-05 |
| Palacorolla, Heather Lynn | Psychology | Compulsive Drug Seeking in the Neonatal Ventral Hippocampal Lesion Model of Schizophrenia | The study investigated the hypothesis that an over-representation of rats in neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model of schizophrenia will transition from controlled to compulsive drug seeking. Substance abuse is prevalent among people with schizophrenia and most drugs they abuse exacerbate their symptoms. It has been suggested, therefore, that drug addiction is a core symptom of schizophrenia. To study this hypothesis, male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 13) were given bilateral excitotoxic lesions in the ventral hippocampus at postnatal day 7 or a sham surgery. As adults, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine or sucrose on a fixed ratio 1 schedule. Then rats entered a seeking-taking (ST) chained schedule in which pressing on the seeking lever gave access to the taking lever and a single press on the taking lever administered the assigned reward. Rats then entered a single progressive ratio session before rebaselining on the ST-chain and entering 8-10 days of punishment testing in which half the cycles resulted in a footshock without gaining access to the taking lever. The preliminary results found that cocaine NVHL rats appeared to seek cocaine under punishment at a higher rate than sham rats, though the results did not reach significance due to small sample sizes. Further, due to the large variability within the lesion and sham groups, cocaine NVHL rats did not achieve higher breakpoints than sham rats. Overall, the results suggest that NVHL animals may exhibit compulsive drug seeking supporting the idea that drug addiction is a core symptom of schizophrenia. Keywords: schizophrenia, NVHL, drug-seeking, drug addiction, progressive ratio, punishment | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-05 |
| Phipps, Kathryn Michelle | Psychology | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Education System | This paper is a research proposal concerning teachers’ perceptions and understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the educational system, specifically in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The major research questions focus on teachers’ educational background and understanding regarding ASD, their general perceptions of children with ASD, their knowledge of effective strategies for educating students with ASD, their perceptions of parent-teacher communication with parents of children with ASD, and their perceptions of the current local and federal policies regarding students with ASD. This study proposes a comparison across elementary, middle, and high schools to determine if teachers’ perceptions differ across grade levels. The prevalence of ASD increased greatly in the past few decades, indicating that the proper care of children with ASD in the educational system is rising in importance and relevance. Previous research about teachers’ perceptions and knowledge of ASD is relatively new and incomplete, therefore this proposal adds to the literature by examining teachers’ perceptions of ASD more thoroughly. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2013-05 |
| Rau, Marie Angela | Psychology | Sexual Permissiveness in College Students: cognitive dissonance, peer group reference, and self-esteem | This study aimed to find if sexual permissiveness is mediated by cognitive dissonance, peers, and self-esteem. Participants were asked to write a counterattitudinal essay against their personal belief on whether or not sexual intercourse in a non-committed relationship is acceptable. They were then told whether or not a peer agreed with their opinion. This was used to induce dissonance. Sexual attitudes were measured before and after the manipulation in order to measure attitude change. Rosenberg’s (1957) self-esteem inventory was administered to measure self-esteem. It was hypothesized that attitude change would occur after the manipulation. As well, if the peer disagreed with the participant’s opinion then the cognitive dissonance would be greater and more attitude change would occur. Those participants with high self-esteem were expected to have more attitude change. The results showed that attitude change did occur, however not with respect to peer response and self-esteem. This study contributes to understanding sexually permissive behavior in college students. It is important to understand their sexual behavior in order to prevent certain risk-taking behaviors. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2013-05 |
| Sitz, Liza Maree | Psychology | Effects of Chronic Corticosterone Exposure on Long-Term Memory Consolidation in Rats | Depression is a prevalent disorder in the United States’ adult population and has been linked to cognitive impairments. Heightened stress hormones (glucocorticoids) have been associated with the display of depressive-like symptoms in animals, suggesting stress to be a major contributor to depression onset. Excessive glucocorticoid exposure has also been suggested to damage hippocampal neurons, which are important for learning and memory. Chronic unpredictable stress has been a common method for investigating stress’ influence on the brain. However, the current study investigated the impact of chronic glucocorticoid exposure through a novel approach by orally administering glucocorticoids in order to study their effects on long-term spatial memory in rats. Results indicated that long-term memory was not significantly disrupted in rats exposed to glucocorticoids, however, exposed rats did show a trend in behavior that suggests impairment in memory. Further research is suggested to implement higher CORT doses to further investigate the influence of stress on cognition. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2013-05 |
| Smith, David Nathaniel | Psychology | Neonatal Tactile Stimulation May Ameliorate Cognitive Impairments Associated With Chronic Prenatal Fluoxetine Exposure | This study aimed to further explore the associated negative effects of chronic prenatal exposure to the SSRI fluoxetine on cognition, as well as examine the efficacy of environmental enrichment via tactile stimulation at ameliorating the suggested cognitive deficits. The subjects, Long Evans breeder rats were bought from Charles River Laboratories and allowed to reproduce so dams could be treated with fluoxetine and thus prenatally expose the pups to fluoxetine. When pups matured to postnatal day 90, they were tested in the Morris water maze task, which is believed to require good memory and executive function skills. Surprisingly, our findings suggest that fluoxetine treated, non- stimulated rats performed the best during the different water maze paradigms presented in this study. These findings are applicable to the general public due to the rising number of pregnant human mothers given SSRIs, such as fluoxetine, to help alleviate anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Limitations of the study include small sample sizes, as well as some researcher error with tactile stimulation technique and fluoxetine dosage. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2013-05 |
| Stiles, Sharon Marie | Psychology | Effects of the Dark-Light Cycle on Behaviors in the NVHL Model of Schizophrenia | Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder associated with numerous brain abnormalities and a wide range of mental and behavioral disturbances. In rodents, the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model of schizophrenia is used to study the disorder because it is thought to best model schizophrenia’s pathogenesis, symptoms, and other characteristics. The NVHL model produces enhanced locomotion, prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits, and hypersensitivity to psychostimulants. Although increased spontaneous locomotor activity is a hallmark behavior of the NVHL model, NVHL rats at the St. Mary’s College of Maryland laboratory often do not display this behavior. The dark-light cycle may affect locomotion in rats because rats are more active during the dark cycle, and NVHL rats in the dark period display more locomotor activity compared to shams. Therefore, the present study investigated whether the light-dark cycle and test lighting affects spontaneous locomotion, amphetamine-induced locomotion, and PPI in NVHL rats by testing rats at different times in the cycle in chambers with differing lighting conditions. While lesion verification is not yet complete, preliminary results indicate NVHL rats displayed enhanced spontaneous locomotion compared to shams, which is inconsistent with other results from the lab but consistent with other research. NVHL rats also displayed enhanced saline and amphetamine induced-locomotion as well as PPI deficits compared to shams. However, these behaviors in the NVHL animals were not affected by test cycle or lighting conditions. Overall, these finding indicate that the dark-light cycle does not affect these NVHL-induced behaviors. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2013-05 |
| Sullivan, Emma Odette | Psychology | "No Law Can Make Me Have Friends": Changing Attitudes Toward Disabilities Through Unified Sports | This study examined college student’s attitudes toward individuals with disabilities and how to improve them. A cognitive/affective and behavioral intervention, the St. Mary’s Unified Swim Program, was developed between the local Special Olympics Swim Team (N=8) and the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Swim Team to facilitate positive attitudes. SMCM swimmers were divided into an intervention group (N=16), a randomly assigned control (N=11) and a refusal control (N=6). The intervention group participated in the 6-week long swim program with the Special Olympic athletes. The program utilized 4 key elements to improve attitudes; knowledge, equal status contact, pursuit of common goals, and a structured environment. A quantitative pre and post-test measuring attitudes toward disabilities found that the intervention group had significantly more positive attitudes after the program than they did before. The intervention group also had significantly more positive attitudes than both of the control groups. Qualitative measures also showed improvement in the intervention group’s attitudes. Another focus of the program was to increase the Special Olympians’ sense of belonging. The quantitative measures had a ceiling effect and therefore did not show improvement but showed very high feelings of belonging. The key elements are not limited to this program and should be extended to other teams and organizations. Considering the degree of success for the present study, the opportunities are available to apply the ideas to other areas of interest. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2013-05 |
| Tanman, Lauren S. | Psychology | Effect of MK-801 in a Persistent Latent Inhibition Paradigm | Latent inhibition (LI) is a phenomenon describing a delay in conditioning to a stimulus that was previously regarded as inconsequential. Latent inhibition models of schizophrenia using NMDA receptor antagonists such as PCP, ketamine, and MK-801 effectively induce negative and cognitive symptoms such as the inability to tune out irrelevant stimuli and perseverative behaviors. Research on this topic has been further supplemented by findings of persistent LI in animal models with a procedure implementing an enhanced conditioning stage that intends to abolish LI in healthy controls. The present study reproduced and extended a procedure by Gaisler-Salomon and Weiner (2003) of persistent LI using MK-801 while measuring a thirst-motivated emotional conditioned response. Twelve of the 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were pre-exposed to a tone; then, all of the animals underwent a conditioning stage in which licking behavior was measured as the animals were exposed to the same tone followed by a shock. A low dose of MK-801 was administered before conditioning to half of the pre-exposed and nonpre-exposed animals. LI was shown in pre-exposed animals after two tone-shock pairings, but was abolished by three. Persistent LI was expected to be shown by pre-exposed, MK-801-treated animals after five tone-shock pairings; however these results were not found. Extinction was measured in the following days after conditioning in which the nonpre-exposed, MK-801-treated rats extinguished the conditioned response faster than the other groups. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2013-05 |
| Thompson, Ryan Michael | Psychology | Power of Belief: A Study on the Interactions Between Religiosity and Social Power and Perception | The main interest of this study was to conduct an exploratory research on whether or not there is an interaction between perceptions in social power and religiosity. Previous research has found that individuals with more responsibilities and power feel less stressed due to a sense of control. Further, research has shown that there is a negative correlation between religiosity and stress so that those who are more religious are less stressed and vice versa. Other research has concluded that religious institutions may help to ameliorate stress because participation in organized religion places sets of responsibilities on its adherents and that religious institutions provide a venue for social interactions. Finally, it has been concluded previously that religion in general may help to buffer changes in perceived power. For these reasons, this study hypothesized that individuals who are manipulated to perceive lower levels of social power will score higher on scales religiosity and vice versa. To test this, participants were first presented with a manipulation that either manipulated them to feel a high, low, or control level of perceived power. Afterwards, the participants were asked to fill out two measures of religiosity which were finally analyzed for results. The main finding of this study was that the manipulations in the perception of power did not seem to have an influence on religiosity. However, this result may have been due to the general lack of religious practice in the sample population or a possible failure of power manipulation. | Han, H. Anna | 2013-05 |
| Vandegrift, Abby Louise | Psychology | Ego-Resiliency Among College Students: Is it Related to Academic Performance? | In order to further research, the present study sought to examine the relationship between ego-resiliency and academic performance, in addition to investigating how ego-resiliency relates to an individual’s level of perceived stress and the types of coping strategies applied in handling such stress. Participants included 224 students from a small liberal arts college in southern Maryland. Each participant completed a series of self-report measures including the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER89), Academic Coping Strategies Scale (ACSS), and a modified version of the College Student Stress Scale (CSSS). Additionally, participants reported their estimated cumulative GPAs and demographic information. Results indicated that ego-resiliency was related to levels of perceived stress and types of coping strategies applied, such that individuals high in ego-resiliency reported significantly lower levels of stress, more common use of approach and social support coping strategies, and infrequent use of avoidance coping strategies. Ego-resiliency was not significantly related to estimated cumulative GPA, but was significantly related to average grade received; that is, participants high in ego-resiliency reported receiving better grades overall. A lack of variability in reported cumulative GPAs could be an explanation for the lack of evidence supporting a significant relationship between it and ego-resiliency. In the future, researchers should consider using a multi-method approach to more accurately measure academic performance. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2013-05 |
| Zhang, Tianran | Psychology | Why They Say the Chinese Food Here is Not So Good: The Acculturation Process of First-year Chinese International Students in the U.S. | The current study focused on the acculturation process of first-year Chinese international students in the United States. The Chinese international students of the class 2016 in St. Mary’s College of Maryland were chosen as participants. Four surveys and one interview were conducted across their first semester on campus. The current study examined the influences of different factors on the acculturation process and studied their effects on the acculturation outcomes. Gender and orientation groups were examined as independent variables. Perceived and experienced cultural differences, self-construal types, English confidence scores, psychological adjustment scores, cultural constitutions, and social difficulties were dependent variables. The study concluded a pyramid-shaped mode for the acculturation process and closely studied the influence of 4 factors: personality and motivation, gender, language ability, and the length of residence. It was hypothesized that gender and length of residence would affect the acculturation outcomes. Language ability was hypothesized to relate to both social and psychological adjustment. It was hypothesized that personality and motivation would be reliable predictors of acculturation. The results supported partial hypotheses but not the hypothesis of gender differences. Gender differences did not directly affect the acculturation outcome, but males and females had different acculturation processes. The current study also provided suggestions about helping international students to adjust to the new environment based on the pyramid mode of acculturation. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2013-05 |
| Borns, Jared Morley | Psychology | Here Today, Grain Tomorrow: Saving and Spending | A study investigated the potential relationship between the regulatory modes of assessment and locomotion on spending or saving decisions. Regulatory mode was evaluated using a survey (Kruglanski et al., 2000). Spending and saving differences were examined by providing participants with $2.00 and then asked if the $2.00 was likely to be spent or saved. The author found that neither assessment nor locomotion was predictive of saving or spending. The author discusses the results and provides guidelines for future study. | Han, H. Anna | 2012-12 |
| Gluskin, Katherine Harrington [with Jeffrey Haus] | Psychology | Entorhinal Cortex Lesions, Habituation, and Latent Inhibition | Latent inhibition (LI) is a process that occurs when the presentation of a non-reinforced stimulus hinders a future conditioned response to that same stimulus. It is a phenomenon that has been studied for over 50 years and has since been witnessed in a variety of species including goldfish, rabbits, rats, and human children (Lubow, 1973). Understanding the learning process needed to elicit latent inhibition and the neural circuitry involved is critical to understanding latent inhibition itself. The current study aimed to support these results as we hypothesized that EC lesion animals that had been pre-exposed would show less LI than pre-exposed intact animals. | Jordan, Wesley P. | 2012-12 |
| Gradijan, Leanne R. | Psychology | Effects of Personality on Dream Content | This study researched how personality affects dream content in relation to attitude towards dreams and the continuity hypothesis. It was hypothesized that the personality traits of extroversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience would significantly affect dream content with attitude towards dreams as a mediator. It was also hypothesized that there would be significant relationships between extroversion and the number of total characters, female characters, total settings, and friendly social interactions as well as between neuroticism and the number of total characters, joint sex characters, total settings, and outdoor settings. Participants (n= 155) completed the International Personality Item Pool NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (IPIP NEO-PI-R), the Attitude Towards Dreams-Revised scale, and the Most Recent Dream form. There was one significant finding that extroversion significantly predicted attitude towards dreams. There were no other significant findings, indicating that personality does not significantly affect dream content nor does attitude towards dreams act as a mediator. Possible explanations for the lack of significant findings could be methodological differences between the current study and previous research. Keywords: dream content, extroversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, attitude towards dreams | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2012-12 |
| Mileto, Arley A. | Psychology | The Relationship between Video Games and Aggression in Emerging Adults | Boys and girls in this day and age have been exposed to video games in today’s world. As they grow older, they spend more time playing games. There are many types of different games to choose from. Researchers have taken an interest in the attitudes young men and women develop from time spent playing video games, particularly aggression. Men are more likely to show aggression either verbally or physically after playing aggressive video games. The researcher conducted a survey to see if men and women were more physically and verbally aggressive, angry, and hostile playing video games, whether men were more aggressive than women, and if the number of hours they played video games affected their behavior. A total of 147 students were surveyed. Results partially support the hypotheses. Men are more physically aggressive and there is a relationship between verbal aggression and the number of hours spent playing a video game. However, no other significant results were revealed suggesting that Keywords: video games, gender, aggression, violence, impulsive behavior, social learning theory, media, television, general aggressive model, aggressive behavior, frustration-aggression hypothesis | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2012-12 |
| Plaisance, Ryan G. | Psychology | Effect of Challenging Gender Identity on Cooperation | Previous research has identified many variables that may affect cooperation in mixed motive situations; however there has been little if any research on how threats to gender identity might affect cooperation in these situations. The aim of the current research was to examine the effect that threat to the validity of one’s gender identity (masculinity or femininity) has on later cooperation. In the current experiment, participants completed a gender knowledge survey and based on which condition they were placed in received feedback from that test that either confirmed or challenged their gender identity. The participants completed an investment task to measure how much they cooperated and competed with a hypothetical partner following feedback that either affirmed or challenged their masculinity or femininity. It was hypothesized that gender threat would cause men to cooperate less, but not affect women. It was also hypothesized male and female participants would act more stereotypically to masculine and feminine stereotypes due to gender salience. Although a significant interaction was not found between the effects of gender and gender threat, women did almost cooperate significantly more than men. Interestingly it was found that gender threat affected women’s desires to compete, however not how much they ultimately cooperated. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2012-12 |
| Riffle, Stephanie M. | Psychology | Parent and Child Emotional Coping in Response to an Acute Health Concern | Children are subject to small injuries and illnesses on a daily basis. These mundane medical problems are negative stressors that provide caregivers a chance to teach children coping/regulatory strategies. Researchers have identified seven kinds of responses parents use when faced with a child’s stress and these seven responses compose the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotion Scale (CCNES). Researchers have also identified four coping strategies used by a child in response to a health problem and these four strategies compose the Coping with Health Injuries and Problems (CHIP) scale. The present research examined possible relationships between a parent’s coping strategies and a child’s coping strategies. The researcher hypothesized that there would be statistically significant relationships between parents’ positive socialization strategies and children’s positive socialization strategies. The researcher also hypothesized that there would be statistically significant relationships between parents’ negative socialization strategies and children’s negative socialization strategies. Sixty participants, parents of children who had suffered a small injury or illness, completed revised CCNES and CHIP scales. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 60 years and the participants had children between the ages of 1 and 17 years. Unfortunately, there were no significant correlations found between the supportive and unsupportive strategies of the CCNES and CHIP scales. Despite a lack of significant relationships, both the revised CHIP and CCNES scales were found to have high internal consistencies and these scales can be used for future research. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2012-12 |
| Sturm, Taylor G. | Psychology | Representations of Femininity in 21st Century Slasher Films | Modern slasher films have come under heavy critique for the ways in which women are represented, through violence against women and the tropes of the Final Girl and the Queered Monster. The present research focused on the victimization of women and the exploration of these two tropes. It was found that women, especially sexually active women, were subject to more violence than any other character. The trope of the Final Girl proved to be well supported, while the trope of the Queered Monster was not represented enough to warrant further study. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2012-12 |
| Barnes, Crystal Chantal | Psychology | How effective is alcohol education at St. Mary's College of Maryland? : a preliminary program evaluation | The objective of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the current alcohol education class at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Perceptions of student judicial board members concerning St. Mary's College of Maryland and alcohol consumption were attained and analyzed. Overall, student Judicial Board members felt that drinking at St. Mary’s is somewhat serious. The alcohol education class was evaluated using two designs. The first being a non-equivalent dependent variable design that pre- and post-tested alcohol (trained) and marijuana (untrained) knowledge, and a questionnaire targeting participant satisfaction with the program. For the knowledge pre- and posttests, two t-tests were conducted. The first t-test compared the alcohol pretest scores (M=7.43, SD=1.37) with the alcohol posttest (M=8.47, SD=.84) scores, in which a significant difference was found, t(22)=-3.11, p=.005. The second t-test compared the marijuana pretest scores (M=8.47,SD=1.08) to the marijuana posttest scores (M=9.04, SD=1.18), this t-test also yielded significant results, t(22)=-3.21, p=.004. Participants increased already high scores on both the marijuana and alcohol pretests to the marijuana and alcohol posttest. A significant difference was found here. Both the literature reviewed and the results of the study justify St. Mary's College of Maryland switching to and keeping a face-to-face alcohol education class. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2012-05 |
| Bouslog, Christopher Michael | Psychology | Social play behavior in rats effected by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tactile simulation | The hypothesis of the present study outlines that giving fluoxetine to pregnant rats will result in emotional deficits in their pups. We expected that these deficits would be seen through decreases in initiations (aggressive) of social-play behavior at adolescents ( PD25) and increases in avoidance (defensive) of social-play behavior. Giving tactile-stimulation to these pups at a critical growing period in their lives should help improve these deficits. [from introduction] | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2012-05 |
| Bowers, Justin | Psychology | Origin and assessment of handedness : a re-evaluation of clinical implications | Strong right-handedness and left hemisphere dominance for language are typical for most humans, regardless of sex or culture. However, research has demonstrated elevated incidence of left- and mixed-handedness in schizophrenic populations and in healthy individuals with high scores on a magical thinking scale, which suggests that delusional thinking may be associated with reduced lateral asymmetry. Unfortunately, the lack of a standardized method of measuring hand preference has prevented a consensus from forming as to who is at risk of developing schizophrenia. Based on this discordance, a number of researchers have recently shifted focus and found that the strength, rather than direction of preference, is more predictive of performance on lateralized function tasks. The present study is the first to the author’s knowledge that attempts to compare the most commonly used handedness inventories for the purpose of establishing a case for one as a more effective instrument at tapping into this novel aspect. Results from a sample of 176 students at St. Mary’s College did not lead to an unequivocal answer to this question, although there are certainly grounds for further investigation. Pinning down the nature of the relationships between strength of handedness and lateralization has implications for the theoretical explanation and treatment of lateralization-related disorders. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2012-05 |
| Burke, Jesse Steven | Psychology | Effects of adolescent exposure to olanzapine on adulthood rodents | With greater understanding of certain mental illnesses, there comes the ability to identify and start treatment at an earlier age. Starting medication is one line of defense when a mental illness is identified, and when that illness is identified in adolescence this process is no different. The complication arises when introduction of these drugs occurs during adolescence, a period when the nervous system is rapidly changing. Studying the long-term effects of starting medications at an early age is critical for understanding if the treatment of symptoms outweighs the potential behavioral/neurobiological consequences in adulthood. In the current study, we administered olanzapine (OLA), a common atypical antipsychotic that is prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism to adolescent rats to see how this affected conditioned reinforcement through a Pavlovian reinforcer devaluation task in adulthood. We also wanted to see if adolescent OLA treatment affected fear and appetitive extinction tasks in adulthood. We did not find any significant impairment between vehicle and OLA treated rodents in conditioned reinforcement or appetitive extinction, although some interesting behavioral trends were noted. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2012-05 |
| Buxton, Alison E. | Psychology | Effect of learning a second language on grammatically gendered perceptions of objects | Grammatical Gender of a language has been shown to affect the way in which the individual perceives of gender relationships, even for inanimate objects. The present study measures the effect of linguistic relativity in regard to English speakers who are learning to speak Spanish, at varying levels of proficiency. Participants were asked to describe objects, presented in English and in Spanish, which were either grammatically feminine or grammatically masculine in Spanish using three adjectives each and later these adjectives were rated on their masculinity or femininity. Results indicated that the grammatical gender of the object in Spanish affected the overall masculinity or femininity of the adjective ratings, however, as this finding was not affected by level of proficiency of the participants or by language the object was presented in, it was concluded that there might be some characteristics of the objects themselves which relate to their grammatical gender. | Platt, Richard D. | 2012-05 |
| Carver, Benjamin Keane | Psychology | Attractiveness of primacy : an examination of the attractiveness stereotype and primacy and recency | Examined the combined effects of the attractiveness stereotype and primacy and recency in the process of impression formation. Research suggests that in natural situations primacy (the first thing in a list is remembered the best) should take a strong role in the impression of an individual formed upon the first meeting as well as the attractiveness stereotype (attractive people are better) effecting how that person is viewed. Participants (102) viewed an attractive or an unattractive photograph either before or after a vignette and then rated the fictitious person they viewed on generosity, wisdom, happiness, irritability, humor, sociability, popularity, reliability, importance, humaneness, persistence, seriousness, talkativeness, altruism, imagination, strength, honesty, parenting ability, willingness to hire, willingness to date, and physical attractiveness. Results support that in this experiment there was an interaction between attractiveness and the order of presentation of the photograph as was hypothesized. Recency was found to have a stronger effect on impression formation than primacy. Participants rated more consistently to the attractiveness stereotype when the photograph was presented after the vignette than before. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2012-05 |
| Davis, Anna K. | Psychology | Proposal of a novel prevention program against pluralistic ignorance and bullying in elementary age students | Bullying in schools is a serious problem and can lead to many psychological and physiological effects for those involved. Over the past decades, prevention and intervention programs have been created, but none have related to pluralistic ignorance, which can influence how an individual interprets a group norm and the motivations of others. Though pluralistic ignorance has never been studied in children, according to developmental psychology theories, it is possible, and likely, that it could affect children and influence their attitudes and behaviors in a bullying situation. In this review, the causes and consequences of pluralistic ignorance are explored. A novel pluralistic ignorance prevention program is then proposed, based on various other prevention and intervention programs previously shown to be effective, to prevent bullying in elementary school aged students. The proposed program involves the entire school and surrounding community, encouraging students to talk about bullying and discover that the group norm is opposed to bullying. These discussions would improve the social information processing skills of students and empower them to intervene in a bullying situation to protect a victim. | Han, H. Anna | 2012-05 |
| Dippel, William Christopher | Psychology | Cognitive and behavioral impairments evaluated in the neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion rat model of schizophrenia | The neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion (NVHL) is a proposed rat model for schizophrenia. The present study assessed the effects of the NVHL in social interaction, pre-pulse inhibition, spontaneous locomotion, response to amphetamine, set-shifting, and reversal learning. Rats with an NVHL showed deficits in pre-pulse inhibition, and set-shifting as well as a stronger response to amphetamine. Few effects were found in social interaction, and there was no effect during reversal learning. Pre-exposed rats made more perseverative errors during the set-shift task suggesting the NVHL causes impairments in PFC functioning. Percent pre-pulse inhibition was negatively correlated with trials to criterion on the shift day of the set-shifting task, response to amphetamine, and spontaneous locomotion suggesting there may be a relationship between behavior deficits elicited by the NVHL. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2012-05 |
| Ehrig, William K. | Psychology | Effect of prenatal fluoxetine exposure and neonatal tactile stimulation on motor and cognitive behavior in adult rats | Fluoxetine (Prozac), a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI), is commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression during pregnancy. Although the long-term effects of prenatal fluoxetine exposure are not clear, rat models of prenatal fluoxetine exposure have found increased anxiety-like and depressive-like symptoms, along with contrasting evidence on motor and cognitive effects in adult offspring following prenatal fluoxetine exposure. Prenatal fluoxetine exposure has been associated with altered synaptogenesis and dendritic complexity in the pyramidal neurons of the frontal cortex. Tactile stimulation has been shown as an effective tool for morphological and behavioral recovery following early damage to the frontal cortex. Following oral administration of prenatal fluoxetine (10mg/kg/day) or vehicle treatment to pregnant mothers from GD0-PD7, offspring were split into stimulated and non-stimulated groups to receive tactile stimulation three times daily for 15-minute periods from PD3-21. Offspring were measured for their performance on the rota-rod, novel object recognition and reversal learning tasks after PD90. A near significant effect of drug condition showed a trend towards a decrease in both latency and final RPM for prenatal fluoxetine exposed female rats. Significant increases in perseverative errors were seen in prenatal exposed female rats during the initial reversal session. Significant decreases in learning errors were seen in female rats that received tactile stimulation. This study supported the hypothesis of sex-dependent long-term detrimental effects of prenatal fluoxetine exposure on behavioral flexibility and motor development. No interaction was seen between prenatal fluoxetine exposure and neonatal tactile stimulation in either rota-rod or reversal learning tasks. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2012-05 |
| Fitzpatrick, Shannon | Psychology | In-depth examination of counselors’ experiences working with special education students | Eight school counselors in St. Mary’s County Public Schools were interviewed through in-depth, open-ended questions regarding their experiences, perspectives, and feelings of preparedness when working with special education students. Interviews were coded through content analysis to find prevalent themes among responses from the school counselors. Several themes were found including a team approach, social skills work, group counseling, and autism. Overall, counselors expressed feelings of preparedness in working with special education students through experience, rather than education. Implications for counselors include treating special education students fairly and using group counseling to improve social skills. Growing rates of autism call for additional education and experience in this area for counselors. Future research to improve graduate programs is also discussed. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2012-05 |
| Flynn, Elise Duboscq | Psychology | Effect of cocaine or natural reward in the NVHL animal model of schizophrenia | Schizophrenic patients abuse drugs at higher rates than the general population. Two theories exist to explain this phenomenon: the self-medication hypothesis, which posits that patients use drugs to alleviate their symptoms; and the primary addiction hypothesis, which believes that vulnerability to drug abuse is a symptom of schizophrenia. Here, we use the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model, a neurodevelopmental animal model of schizophrenia which has been shown to produce increased drug-seeking behaviors, to study the effects of drug and natural reward on NVHL behavioral abnormalities. Once animals reached adulthood, baseline measurements were then taken for three behaviors: prepulse inhibition (PPI), social interaction, and hyperlocomotion in response to a novel environment. Rats then completed an assigned method for 16 days: rats in the self-administration group (SA) self-administered cocaine or saline; rats in the experimenter-administered group (IP) received IP intraperitoneal injections of cocaine or saline; rats in the sucrose operant training group (food) learned to lever press for sucrose pellets. Behavioral measurements were taken again at early (3 days after training) and late (30 days after training) time points. As expected, deficits in PPI and reduced social interaction were present in the NVHL model. Though some behaviors changed over time, none of the NVHL deficits were ameliorated by drug use, and cocaine use increased the startle response for all animals in the SA group. These results fail to support the self-medication hypothesis and justify the need for a time course of these NVHL behavioral abnormalities without food or drug manipulation. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2012-05 |
| Fullerton, Jacqueline N. | Psychology | Companion-animal bonding and empathy development : an investigation of the lasting influence of past dogs on empathy in a college population | This study explored the relationship between companion animal bonding and empathy to further research in the field of human-animal interactions. The companion animal bond was defined and explored in terms of: (1) saliency of effects into young adulthood, (2) pet type, (3) concurrent pet ownership, and (4) ability to activate empathy through thoughts of the bond. College-aged students (N = 83) owning a dog before the age of 16 retrospectively responded on the strength of their bond with The Dog they considered most important in their lives, as well as on the presence of other dogs in the household simultaneous with The Dog. Randomly assigned conditions (control, experimental manipulation) dictated one of two writing tasks. All participants then completed a behavioral and a self-report empathy measure. Results showed an inverse relationship between the strength of bonding and self-report empathy by gender. Stronger bonding was associated with lower empathy in females, but higher empathy in males. Owning other dogs was associated with weaker bonding in all participants and females, and higher empathy in females compared to males. Males with no other dogs reported higher empathy than those with other dogs. Future research should continue to explore the relationship between companion animal bonding and empathy by gender. Research should address: (1) the influence of specific types of pets owned, alone and with others; (2) the saliency of effects, into adulthood; and (3) quality of social interactions with other people. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2012-05 |
| Gibson, Jeffrey S. | Psychology | Does salience of alternatives influence commitment of relationships? : self-esteem and gender as mediators of alternative salience influence on commitment | Physical and emotional fidelity are both mediated by the level of commitment an individual has for a relationship. Gender has historically been seen as one of the major factors determining infidelity with males engaging in extradyadic sex more often than females. Praise and attention from alternatives threatens commitment however individuals in relationships respond to threats by devaluing alternatives when they possess high self-esteem (HSE) and by discounting praise when they have low self-esteem (LSE). The current study looked at whether the underlying cause of these defense responses was the salience of alternatives. We also looked for an interaction between self-esteem and gender that might explain why males cheat more than females. We believe that males may be less adept at defending their relationship by devaluing alternatives resulting in less commitment and greater infidelity. Due to low response rate for male participants we could not analyze any possible effects of gender. We found no effect of salience of alternatives across conditions or self-esteem level for female participants. This indicates that the threat presented by praise from alternatives is not the salience of alternatives but some other factor. | Platt, Richard D. | 2012-05 |
| Glasser, Alyssa Faye | Psychology | Bridging contexts : an alternative framework for relapse prevention | Bridging Contexts is a proposal of a curriculum that resulted from an extensive literature review concerning the processes and mechanisms of addiction and recovery. The program is mainly informed by four areas within the field of addictions: the neurobiological mechanisms associated with drug use, learning theory, current relapse prevention models, and different considerations of “recovery.” The investigation into these disciplines culminated into a three part agenda for the individual seeking to maintain abstinence following the treatment context. The first segment, Part I: Awareness, focuses on the incorporation of mindfulness-based practices in order to help the participant cultivate improved awareness of physical and emotional states. Part II: Agency explores ways of applying the participants’ heightened awareness to self-expression within their environment and the use of retrieval cues to aid in relapse prevention. The final segment, Part III: Action, extends the discussion by exploring the ways in which many of the issues faced by the addicted individual mirrors the consequences of the maladaptive behaviors of a consumerist society. Finally, the implications of the foundational concepts and manifested theories are discussed in relation to the obstacles faced by students in college, who encounter the simultaneous challenges of a critical life transition, increased academic demands, as well as heightened interpersonal pressures to engage in drug and alcohol abuse. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2012-05 |
| Goluskin, Sasha N. | Psychology | Investigating the role of the 5-HT1B receptor in the CA1 of rats | Previous research has shown that consolidation of spatial learning in the water maze requires the temporoammonic (TA) pathway. The TA pathway is the neuroanatomical projection from the entorhinal cortex to the CA1 region of the hippocampus. The CA1 contains a dense amount of serotonin (5-HT) 1B receptor mRNA. Systemically delivered injections of a 5- HT1B antagonist have improved consolidation of spatial information in rats. However, neuroanatomical specificity of the task is unknown. In order to further investigate the role of the 5-HT1B receptor in CA1, bilateral injections of the 5- HT1B receptor antagonist SB216641 were directly infused into CA1 of rats via cannulae. Subjects were given hippocampal infusions of SB216641 every other day for two weeks following 40 water maze trails. Twenty-eight days after the initial training, subjects underwent a probe trial in the water maze to test their consolidation and retention of previous training. It was hypothesized that infusions of the antagonist would result in an increased ability to consolidate spatial information. Results of the study did not support the hypothesis. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2012-05 |
| Gordon, Adrienne Ilana | Psychology | Ageism : a cultural worldview or a result of lack of contact? | Ageism is defined as the predominantly negative treatment toward the elderly, resulting from either a lack of contact with elderly individuals or an inherent fear of death and aging. This paper examines the causes, effects, and manifestations of ageism. Two theories are examined as proposed causes for ageism. Terror Management Theory (TMT) purports that because humans have the intellect to be aware of their own mortality, they are plagued with a constant fear of death that leads to the development of cultural worldviews to buffer the anxiety. People support institutions that provide them with a source of meaning and permanence, and refute any ideas or individuals that go against this worldview. Contact Hypothesis states that when members of two out-groups spend cooperative time together, they will eventually display less prejudice toward other members of that same out-group. This study tested the competing expectations of TMT and the Contact Hypothesis through the use of a mortality salience manipulation. Participants (147 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland; 113 females, 33 males) were about their prior contact with elderly individuals and their reported ageism, aging anxiety, and attitudes about death. Responses were analyzed before and after a MS manipulation. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were used to discern whether contact with elderly individuals had a moderating effect on ageism, anxiety, or death attitudes reported after thoughts of death were made salient. While contact did not show this moderating effect, it was found that contact had some effect on reports of ageism and anxiety. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2012-05 |
| Holt, Courtney | Psychology | Role of confidentiality in the therapist-sex offender client relationship | The role of confidentiality in the therapist – sex offender client relationship is often unclear to both mental health professionals and legal professionals. Part I of this project uncovers where this ambiguity stems from. The confusion surrounding the legal definitions of confidentiality and privilege, what constitutes mandatory reporting laws and no definitive answer as to what types of treatment for sex offenders are most effective all seem to contribute to the complexity of the issue at hand. A history of past and current sex offender legislation is also explored. Interviews with mental health and legal professionals are reported in Part II of this project, in an attempt to gain insight from professionals in the mental health and legal fields on what their knowledge and opinions were about the role of confidentiality. Breaking the confidentiality of a patient was found to be very uncommon among the mental health professionals interviewed. They also expressed a general aversion to the use of polygraphs as a component of treatment for sex offenders. The need for improving prevention measures for individuals who experience sexually deviant urges was also expressed by interviewees. | Finkelman, David G. | 2012-05 |
| Johnson, Lindsey Paige | Psychology | Pit bull : measuring stereotypic beliefs | The aim of this study was to create a modified version of the Stereotypic Explanatory Bias Measure (SEB; Sekaquaptewa et al., 2003) that would measure implicit prejudice against pit bulls. The SEB scores from this measure, obtained through sentence completion tasks where explanations for stereotype-inconsistent items indicate higher scores, were compared to Race and Gender SEB scores using the original SEB measures. It was hypothesized that higher Dog SEB scores would correlate with higher Race and Gender SEB scores, supporting the theory that different forms of prejudice are related. Results revealed that depending on survey order, participants scoring high in Race SEB tended to score high in Dog SEB and the interaction of Race SEB X Gender SEB was marginally significant in predicting Dog SEB, indicating that participants scoring high in Race SEB and low in Gender SEB tended to score higher in Dog SEB than participants scoring high in Race SEB and low in Gender SEB. In another survey order, participants scoring high in Gender SEB also tended to score high in Dog SEB, indicating that participants with higher gender bias were more likely to have higher pit bull bias. These findings suggest that the structural bases for human and dog stereotypes are correlated, but the relationship is not clear. For future exploration on the subject of pit bull prejudice, the validity of the Dog SEB measure, as well as the sample size and demographics of participants, should be reexamined. | Han, H. Anna | 2012-05 |
| Jones, Shelby | Psychology | Cognitive and behavioral impairments evaluated in the neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion rat model of schizophrenia | [no abstract] | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2012-05 |
| Lackler, Kathleen N. | Psychology | Third person observer’s empathic accuracy of friend versus stranger dyad and perceiver’s need to belong | Empathic accuracy is the extent to which a person accurately infers the thoughts and feelings of others (Ickes, 1993). The effect of the relationship between two targets (the people about whom a perceiver makes inferences) on the empathic accuracy of a third person perceiver (the person making inferences) was examined, as well as the role of need to belong. Participants inferred the thoughts and feelings of either a female stranger dyadic pair or a female friend dyadic pair recorded having a conversation via Skype. Empathic accuracy was computed by rating the similarity of inferences made by participants with the actual thoughts and feelings of targets. The results revealed that participants viewing the stranger dyad achieved significantly higher empathic accuracy than those viewing the friend dyad. This finding shows that observers may be better able to connect to a group of strangers than a group of people who are already friends. Furthermore, participants’ need to belong also correlated with higher empathic accuracy, implying that individuals with a higher need to be accepted and to be socially included may be more motivated to accurately infer the thoughts and feelings of others. This research addresses a gap in the empathic accuracy literature in the identification of a trait that predicts empathic accuracy and the role of the relationship between targets. | Han, H. Anna | 2012-05 |
| Legg, Carly Ann | Psychology | Law and the family : psychology in action in the legal system | In this paper I examine the relationship between psychology and the legal system. I discuss research on parenting classes and mandated therapy used by the court system. I will also discuss interviews that I conducted with two therapists, the Master of the Queen Anne’s County Circuit Court, two judges, and parents who are enrolled in mandated parenting classes. Data was collected through observation of parenting classes, surveys, telephone interviews, and interviews conducted in person. Interviews conducted in person were recorded and transcribed. The data was analyzed quantitatively using the meaning condensation method. The results of the study indicate that parental and professional satisfaction with parenting classes was high, but there are areas in need of improvement within the system. It was also found that mandated therapy is effective, but that additional improvements are needed. Suggestions for improvement are made including earlier intervention for mandated clients and the implementation of an assessment for parenting classes. | Finkelman, David G. | 2012-05 |
| Mazuk, Molly S. | Psychology | Psychology of the Christian martyrs of the Roman Empire | This paper examines the early Christian martyrs of the Roman Empire with a particular emphasis on Vibia Perpetua. The paper seeks to examine the motivations behind the martyrdoms from a psychological point of view. The paper discusses what it means to be a martyr and the historical context of the martyrs before examining psychological theories. Through the use of theories about psychoanalysis, psychosexual disorders, moral development, gender identity formation, and the psychology of religion it is found that martyrs are motivated by personal desires for the benefits of martyrdom and by their religious values. Past research on martyrs is critiqued. Limitations and possibilities for future studies are also discussed. | Finkelman, David G. | 2012-05 |
| Miller, Emily D. | Psychology | Effects of cocaine on behavior in the NVHL model of schizophrenia | [abstract not available] | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2012-05 |
| Morris, Steven Newton | Psychology | Eating to ease : emotional eating in a male college population | Self-regulatory failure can result in the use of dysfunctional coping mechanisms. Depression is an emotional state that is externally expressed in different ways depending on the demographics of the participant. As a result certain behaviors that may normally be adaptive become maladaptive. The concept of emotional eating states that certain individuals seek to reduce distressing emotions by overeating (Evers, Ridder, & Adriaanse, 2009). The emotional eating literature has previously centered on the female population. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature by utilizing a male college population in the study of emotional eating in response to feelings of sadness. Research suggests that while this phenomenon may be chronic cognitive emotion regulation strategies may alter the magnitude of consumption (Evers, Stok, & Ridder, 2009). The emotion regulation strategies of cognitive reappraisal and emotion suppression were studied for their potential moderating effects on emotional eating in a male college population. The current study sought to study emotional eating in response to emotionally charged movie clips and the effects of cognitive emotion regulation viewing strategies on the amount of food eaten. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2012-05 |
| Opabajo, Irene A. | Psychology | Color-blind racial attitudes and perceptions of counseling | [abstract not available] | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2012-05 |
| Placek, Katerina | Psychology | Prenatal fluoxetine exposure : mitigation of affective behavioral deficits through neonatal tactile stimulation | Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the most frequently prescribed drug for the treatment of depression in pregnant women, but its long-term neurodevelopmental effects on offspring have not yet been established. In rats, prenatal fluoxetine exposure is linked with emotional-behavioral deficits in adulthood and lasting neuroanatomical changes, presumably resulting from the unnatural saturation of the developing brain and nervous system with serotonin. A form of environmental enrichment, tactile stimulation may improve neurodevelopmental outcome in neonatal populations following early-life cortical assault. The present study investigated the novel usage of neonatal tactile stimulation as an intervention in rats prenatally exposed to fluoxetine, examining potential effects of the intervention on behavioral measures of rodent emotionality (open field test, elevated plus maze, forced swim test) and on Golgi-Cox-identified dendritic spine density and length. While Golgi-Cox analysis of histological data is not yet complete, behavioral results denote novel evidence for a) the therapeutic potential of tactile enrichment on anxiety-like behaviors, and b) the differential effects of drug exposure and/or environmental enrichment on behavioral outcome based on sex. Future work on this project will focus on utilizing neurobiological Golgi-Cox data to find a correlation with or causal inference to behavioral data, in the hopes of elucidating the mechanisms by which tactile stimulation confers beneficial outcomes for the comprised neurodevelopment of offspring. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2012-05 |
| Saari, Emily Olivia | Psychology | Challenging the status quo through emotional connectedness in relational activism | Though morality is often characterized as rational, reasoned, and autonomous judgments, new research more accurately portrays it as intuitive, emotional, and effortless, with strong biases towards social alignment with others. Moral judgments are woven into a coherent ideological narrative that shapes perceptions and creates a shared reality with others. Ideology tends to be biased to favorably evaluate and defend the status quo as morally good, and ideologies that do so are labeled as system justifying. System justification takes on a particular form and dominance in the United States. Due to the social motivations for ideological alignment, it is suggested that individuals also experience social motivations for emotional alignment. Ideological frames for perception are reciprocally informed by emotion culture, or the complex of labels and rules regarding emotional experience and expression. This paper will put forward the thesis that both dominant system justifying ideology and dominant emotion culture constrain the emotions that inform moral judgments, working towards the continued validation of the status quo and exclusion of those experiencing ‘deviant’ emotions. However, it is proposed that deviant emotions are valuable in informing individuals of flaws in the status quo. If deviant emotions are socially validated in relationships of solidarity, then they can turn from a means of exclusion to a means of motivating social change action. Contrary to previous conceptualizations, the origin of social change lies in these relationships of solidarity, and networks of such relationships create a system of change larger and more influential than the sum of its parts. | Han, H. Anna | 2012-05 |
| Sebert, Adam Christopher | Psychology | Theory of boundaries and related ego defenses | This study examines the relationship between Ernest Hartmann's personality construct of boundaries and usage of defensive mechanisms. 148 participants completed Hartmann's (2011) Boundary Questionnaire and the Defensive Style Questionnaire-40 (DSQ-40) (Andrews, Singh, & Bond, 1993). Positive correlations were found between SumBound scores on the Boundary Questionnaire and the DSQ-40's subscales of Displacement, Autistic Fantasy, Undoing, Passive Aggression, Reaction Formation, Pseudo-Altruism, and Anticipation. These results suggest that the use of defensive mechanisms are more characteristic of individuals with thinner boundaries than thicker boundaries. Limitations discussed include the possibility of Type I error, the low reliability of some DSQ-40 subscales, and the potential role of social desirability. Further research into the relationship between defensive mechanisms and boundaries should focus on specific defensive mechanisms and their relation with boundaries, using more reliable measures of defensive use. A study examining these two variables in relation to social desirability may further refine the findings of this study. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2012-05 |
| Serfling, Katherine Ann | Psychology | Leadership to reduce ageist thought : using strategic leadership and organizational psychology strategies to help reduce ageism in the workplace | This literature review covers knowledge on ageism and leadership to attempt to reduce ageism in the workplace. Robert Butler first used the term ageism in 1969, describing exposure to ageist discourse, negative attitudes in relation to age, and discrimination based on age. These all have a number of negative consequences for the elderly in the workforce. Eighty percent of adults aged forty-five to seventy – four feel that age discrimination in the workplace exists, with negative ageist stereotypes in the workplace often stemming from negative stereotypes of older people in general. Generational differences between older and younger workers also contribute to problems in the workplace. Under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act makes it illegal to discriminate an employee in any aspect. Leadership is a process where leaders inspire others with visions of the future. It is a complex phenomenon that can only be fully understood within an organizations culture. There is a belief that there is a shift from individual styles of leadership to collective methods. Emerging research indicates that certain behavioral traits may link to more effective leadership. A major challenge to overcome in order to help senior workers within organizations is encountered when changes are made in structure. Changing traditional, hierarchal models to more inclusive or collective structures requires there to be agreement and acceptance within the organization’s culture for the change to be successful. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2012-05 |
| Stewart, Jennifer Catherine | Psychology | Effect of mortality salience on ageism as a worldview defense : is social connectedness related? | The current study was conducted to examine the relationship between mortality salience and worldview defense, as well as if social connectedness is a moderating factor in that relationship. Participants completed an online questionnaire that included the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA), the Death Attitudes Profile (DAP), and the Propensity to Connect with Others scale (PCO). The DAP and FSA were presented in a split-half methodology in order to measure change in scores after the mortality salience manipulation, which was presented between the first and second halves. FSA scores in both the experimental group and the control group were significantly higher post-manipulation, t(86) = -5.414, p < .001 and t(69) = -6.471, p < .001 respectively. Also, neither social connectedness (β = -.034, p = .563) nor which condition the participant was in (β = .560, p = .478) were found to be significant predictors of change in FSA scores post-manipulation. Results indicate that the mortality salience manipulation was not successful in invoking worldview defense, and social connectedness was not found to moderate the relationship between mortality salience and worldview defense. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2012-05 |
| Thompson, Brittany Nicole | Psychology | Parental education, parent-child communication and self-esteem in emerging adulthood | Self-esteem continues to develop into emerging adulthood, contributing to the emerging adult in both positive and negative ways. Research has shown that parent education levels are related to both parent-child communication and self-esteem in childhood. The present study seeks to establish the continuity of this relationship in emerging adulthood. College students’ self-reports on Rosenberg’s (1965) Self-Esteem scale and Barnes & Olson’s (1982) Parent-Adolescent Communication scale were used to measure the dependent variables, and parent education was measured on an ordinal scale. Correlations and an ANOVA were used to test the hypothesis that family communication mediates the relationship between parent education levels and emerging adult self-esteem. Parental education was not significantly related to either family communication or emerging adult self-esteem. Family communication was significantly related to emerging adult self-esteem, as predicted by previous research. Further research is needed to explore other possible family level causes for this relationship. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2012-05 |
| Unger, Alexandra Marie | Psychology | Modern sex slaves : the truth behind the sex trafficking of America’s children | This paper addresses the issue of the domestic aspects of sex trafficking in the United States. Sex trafficking, or commercial sexual exploitation, of American citizens is often wrongly classified as prostitution. The traumas associated with commercial sexual exploitation of American girls are equivalent to those associated with international victims, but American citizens are often treated as perpetrators in the crime as opposed to victims. Four organizations were interviewed to better understand the changes needed in the areas of prevention, intervention, and aftercare. Results indicate that better education is needed for various groups in the community to prevent girls’ victimization and ostracism as a result of negative stigma. Legal changes must address the issue of the girls as victims, and efforts must be made to prosecute the actual perpetrators. Finally, aftercare services, while progressing, still have many gaps to close in order to provide a better chance of recovery to survivors. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2012-05 |
| Vaughan, Suzanna Virginia Louise | Psychology | Unique moral lens and religious identity : exploring the relationship between religious attitudes and moral perception | Morality and religion have been inextricably tied throughout history. Although the role of religion in creating a cultural and social framework for morality has been well documented (e.g Batson, 1976; Graham & Haidt, 2010), research has yet to link religion and morality with personality factors. The aim of this study was to explore how differences in moral perception are related to religious attitudes and how personality relates to both of these measures. Participants completed the Moral Foundations Questionnaire measuring moral judgment style, Quest Scale measuring religious interpretation style, and Big Five Personality Inventory. It was predicted the moral foundations of harm/care and fairness reciprocity would demonstrate the strongest relationship with Quest scores and that the personality trait of openness to experience would be predictive of both Moral Foundation and Quest scores. The results indicate that, fairness reciprocity was the only moral/foundation to reliably predict Quest scores. Interestingly, the personality dimension of conscientiousness demonstrated higher predictive value than openness to experience. The implications of these relationships for the religious, moral and social dynamics of the future will be discussed. | Han, H. Anna | 2012-05 |
| West, Kathryn Elizabeth | Psychology | Effect of voice on smell-based attractiveness ratings | Previous research has shown the importance of a male’s voice pitch and smell in how attractive females rate him. Many studies have shown that women prefer men with lower pitched voices (Apicella, Feinberg, & Marlowe, 2007; Puts, 2005). This study seeks to understand how voice pitch influences attractiveness ratings that are based on smell, while also examining the effects of hormonal birth control and mating context. This was investigated by having 28 female participants rate the attractiveness of smells of t-shirts provided by three males. Ratings the males’ t-shirts were made while listening to four different voice pitch conditions: no voice, a normal pitched voice, a lower than normal pitched voice, and a higher than normal pitched voice. Results indicated that shirts paired with the lower or normal pitched voice were rated as more attractive than shirts paired with the higher pitched voice and the no voice condition. These findings indicate that voice pitch is an important component in judging attractiveness. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2012-05 |
| Minkoff, Sarah Abrams | Psychology | Success of students with ADHD in the college setting | This study investigated the differences in academic success of college students with ADHD and college students without ADHD at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Participants (n= 211) completed the LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory) and demographic information during Phase I. Participants (n=8) in Phase II completed an interview about how support networks and coping mechanism are used to handles the demands of college. There were significant differences on the anxiety, concentration, motivation, selecting main ideas, and test strategies scales of the LASSI between students with ADHD and students without ADHD and significant differences on the anxiety, study aids, and time management scales between males and females. Overall, LASSI scores were weak for participants with and without ADHD. The use of executive functioning coaching at St. Mary’s would be an effective way to improve academic performance due to the weak scores found in students with and without ADHD in Phase I of the current study. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2011-12 |
| Penney, Lily Evelyn | Psychology | Emotional competence and inconsistent socialization messages : moderating effect of an opposite-gendered older sibling | This study examined the relationship between parents’ emotion socialization and children’s emotional competence outcomes, namely emotion expression and regulation. It also investigated the impact that an opposite gendered older sibling has on this relationship. It was hypothesized that (1) parents would socialize emotions differently for female and male children; (2) the presence of an opposite gendered older sibling moderates the relationship between parents’ emotion socialization and children’s emotional competence. Parents of 72 preschool aged children completed questionnaires assessing their emotion socialization of the target children and their older siblings, as well as the target children’s emotional regulation and expression. Results did not support the moderation hypothesis, but there were significant relationships between target and sibling directed socialization and some emotional competence outcomes. These suggest the utility of a broader analysis of family-level factors relating to parents’ socialization of emotions and children’s developing emotional competence. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2011-08 |
| Bernstein, Julie Ellen | Psychology | Perinatal exposure to Bisphenol-A : alterations in adult behavior and dopaminergic functioning | Bisphenol-A (BPA) in an estrogen-mimicking endocrine disruptor widely used in the production of plastics. Under certain conditions, BPA can leach from plastic containers into food or drink, and enter the body. Due to its lipid solubility, BPA can cross the placental barrier and interfere with development. Estrogen plays a vital role in sexual differentiation and dopaminergic gene transcription during gestation and lactation; BPA is predicted to interfere with these processes. In particular perinatal exposure to low-dose BPA is expected to: expedite puberty onset in females, alter development weight gain, reduce sex differences in measures of anxiety in the elevated plus maze, impair learning and memory in the Morris water maze, alter social interaction, produce hyperlocomotion, alter drug-induced locomotion, reduce TH-positive cell counts in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, and reduce TH fiber density levels in the nucleus accumbens. We administered the E.P.A.’s safe daily limit, 50 µg/kg/day BPA, from embryonic day (ED) 14 – postnatal day (PD) 20 by maternal oral exposure and measured behavior in adult offspring after PD 56. Females exposed to BPA showed trends of earlier pubertal onset and impaired weight development in both males and females. BPA was seen to increase social behavior and produce hyperlocomotion in both sexes, yet blunted amphetamine-induced locomotion only in males. Although BPA did not alter TH levels, further analysis should be done to account for variability. Overall, perinatal exposure to a considered safe BPA dose is seen to produce developmental and behavioral impairments in offspring. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2011-05 |
| Cammarata, Erin M. | Psychology | Temporoammonic excitation of CA1 cells in an animal model of depression | Depression is among the leading causes of mental disability in the world. The hippocampus plays an important role in depression. Patients with depression show hippocampal volume reductions shown by fMRI and hippocampal dysfunctions shown by deficits in spatial memory. Serotonin signaling in the hippocampus is thought to be impaired in patients with depression. Specifically, the TA-CA1 pathway connecting the hippocampus to the neocortex contains dense areas of 5HT1B receptors, and is involved in spatial memory function. Changes in serotonin’s potentiation of glutamatergic transmission at the TA pathway occur in animals with the CUS model of depression. Antidepressants, specifically fluoxetine, restore these changes to the potentiation at the TA pathway. According to this finding, animals with the CUS model of depression were predicted to have deficits in spatial memory because the TA pathway is linked to spatial memory functioning. In addition, it was hypothesized that fluoxetine would restore spatial memory function in animals with the CUS model of depression. This suggests that the activity of 5HT1B receptors at the TA pathway is involved in the etiology of depression, and that restoration of normal function to these synapses is critical to the therapeutic effects of antidepressants. The current study found significant evidence suggesting that CUS impaired spatial memory, but did not find any normalization of impairments mediated by fluoxetine. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2011-05 |
| Casasa-Blouin, Kathleen Nicole | Psychology | Gender wage gap and the motherhood penalty : costs, causes, and suggestions for the future | Women’s and mother’s participation in the workforce has increased significantly over the past 40 years, but with this advancement has come drawbacks in the workplace such as work-family conflict, gender discrimination, and inequalities in pay. A review of the literature examines the financial and psychological costs of the gender wage gap and the wage gap between mothers and childless women. Causes and possible explanations for the wage gaps are explored, as well as incentives for companies to establish family-friendly policies as a suggestion on how to reduce work-family conflict, the gender wage gap, and the motherhood penalty. | Han, H. Anna | 2011-05 |
| Colonna, Taylor C. | Psychology | Qualitative exploration of bullying : retrospective accounts of victimization and coping | Bullying has become a serious issue in America’s schools today. Although society’s awareness of bullying has increased, its prevalence is continuing to steadily increase; nearly one-half of sixth graders have been bullied at some point during school (Virginia Youth Violence Project). Bullying may take various forms (i.e., physical, verbal, relational), but all can be equally detrimental to the victim. The immediate negative effects of bullying have been recognized by past research, but the long-term effects are not as clearly understood. Through a qualitative and retrospective approach, this study aims to describe the possible long-term effects bullying has on its victims and examine various coping strategies used by previous victims. A total of 10 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland participated in semi-structured interviews. Raters achieved 94% agreement, which reflects a high degree of reliability on the coding of data. There was a large immediate negative impact on victims’ self-esteem. Throughout the bullying all 10 victims used at least 2 different coping strategies, and participants heavily relied on parental support. Bullying had some negative long-term effects on their social relationships (i.e., dating, friendships), and had both positive and negative effects on self-esteem later in life. Implications for future bullying interventions are also discussed. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2011-05 |
| Dantrassy, Lela Kathryn | Psychology | How does sound influence the perceived sex of biological motion? | In the real world, events are often multisensory. For example, the perception of two objects colliding involves both the sight and sound of the collision. I sought to determine how sounds influenced visual perception of human walking, including the sex perception of the walker. This was done by presenting observers with a point light walker (PLW) while they simultaneously heard unambiguously male, neutral and female voices (Experiment 1) and footsteps (Experiment 3) coming from two different locations. I found that the sex of the voice and the sex of the footsteps influenced how participants perceived the PLW’s sex. The location of the sound did not matter for voices, but the content of the voice “I” or “You” did have an effect on participant perception. However, when participants viewed footsteps paired with PLW displays, location of the sound did have an effect. I also found a 3-way interaction between the sound location, footstep sex, and PLW sex. The neutral footstep recording coming from the front speaker created the perception of a more male PLW display, overall, than when it came from the back speaker. Overall, the sound (voices or footsteps) presented with a PLW does have a significant influence of PLW sex perception. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2011-05 |
| David, Karunakaran Rathnam | Psychology | Racial differences in attitudes toward mental illness and mental health treatment | Treatment for mental illness is largely underutilized by much of the general population. This is especially true for African American and other non-Caucasian groups as they experience more stigmas. Attitudes toward mental illness and mental health treatment were compared between Caucasian and non-Caucasian groups. Different treatment option preferences were also compared between Caucasian and non-Caucasian groups. Personality factors from the IPIP personality inventory were also measured in each participant to determine if personality has more or less of an effect on an individual’s attitudes and preferences than race. It was found that African American participants were significantly more likely to prefer religion as a treatment option than Caucasian participants. It was found that neither race nor personality factors can predict attitudes toward mental illness. It was also found that personality factors, Intellect/ Imagination and Agreeableness, play more of a role than race in predicting attitudes toward mental health treatment. Personality factors also were more predictive than race of willingness to use all of the different treatment options. These results indicate that race does not play as much of a factor in attitudes toward mental illness and mental health treatment, and that it may be possible that different race groups now face similar levels of stigma in a college population. | Finkelman, David G. | 2011-05 |
| Ezekwenna, Mmaolisa Ijemdinma | Psychology | Can arts help children learn? : the effects of arts integration in education | [no abstract] | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2011-05 |
| Fary, Rachel Elizabeth | Psychology | Impact of gender and sexual minority status on perceptions of rape victims | Numerous studies have been conducted examining how a rape victim’s homosexuality impacts how they are viewed; no known studies have looked at how participants view bisexual rape victims. Similarly while studies have looked at how being male and female impacts participant perceptions of rape victims, no known studies have been conducted looking at how being transgender impacts participant perceptions. The current study was conducted in order to better understand how being bisexual or transgender impacts how a victim of sexual assault is viewed. The present study consisted of 120 participants. Participants were given two acquaintance rape scenarios, each followed by a case reaction questionnaire. Scenario one described the sexual assault of a male or female who was either heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual. Scenario 2 described a scenario of sexual assault where the victim was either male, female, a biological male who identified as female, or a biological female who identified as male. While no differences were found between heterosexual and homosexual victims for participants blaming of attackers or victims, more blame was placed on bisexual victims, and less blame on their attacker. No overall differences were found between participants’ blaming of victims or attackers based on their gender identity of the victim. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2011-05 |
| Flerlage, William Jesse | Psychology | Role of AFosB in enhanced incubation of cocaine craving in the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion model of schizophrenia | [abstract not available] | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2011-05 |
| Gaylor, Kaitlin Elizabeth | Psychology | Neuroimaging correlates of IQ | The measurement of intelligence has been implicated in a variety of clinical and educational settings. As neuroimaging techniques have advanced, the search for the location of intelligence in the brain has developed.The review of relevant literature has yielded six cerebral components that are thought to be associated with IQ, namely, grey matter, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, white matter, parietal lobe and the cerebellum, in that respective order. These have been implemented in a variety of studies involving cognitive processes and intelligent behavior. The current study investigated the relationship between these components and IQ scores, as assessed by the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) in 413 participants, ages 6-22. This project was a secondary analysis of data collected from the National Institute of Health’s Study of Normal Brain Development. A hierarchical multiple regression was used, entering each component in the above mentioned order based on the hypothesis. The temporal lobe emerged as the main predictor of intelligence, holding the only consistently significant positive relationship to IQ scores. The temporal lobe is part of the language processing area in the brain, and also contains the memory important hippocampus, which may explain its significance. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2011-05 |
| Holmes, Ashley Anne | Psychology | Effects of orexin A in the nucleus basalis magnocellaris (nBM) on olfactory discrimination acquisition and reversal | The orexins or hypocretins are a family of neuropeptides found in a variety of different brain structures. The orexins produce excitatory effects and can be split into two types, orexin A (OxA) and orexin B (OxB). The orexins originate in the lateral hypothalamus but project to various other areas of the brain. Orexin interactions with the basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) in particular are hypothesized to be related to arousal and attention and the BFCS is seen to be responsible for normal attentional functioning. Previous research shows that OxA plays an important role in the BFCS attention system. Therefore, we looked at the effects of OxA in an olfactory discrimination acquisition and reversal task. Results supported the hypothesis that orexin A infusions in the nBM did significantly increase attention on olfactory discrimination acquisition and reversal. Therefore, in general, rats who received OxA infusions did have an increase in attention when compared to rats given aCSF infusions. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2011-05 |
| Johnson, David Jeffrey | Psychology | Thinking without thinking? : stereotype use and unconscious thought theory | Unconscious thought theory (Dijksterhuis & Nordgren, 2006) asserts that complex decisions are better made after distraction than deliberation, and that decisions made after distraction (products of “unconscious” thought) are not influenced by stereotypes. The present experiment attempted to replicate this effect in a hypothetical job hiring scenario. I failed to support the claim that unconscious thought leads to better decision making and instead found evidence suggestive that conscious deliberation leads to better decision making. Additionally, I did not observe that unconscious thought reduced stereotype application, but found some evidence that unconscious thinkers might be overcorrecting (acting in a socially desirable way) when racial stereotypes were activated. | Han, H. Anna | 2011-05 |
| Kallas, Christopher Thomas | Psychology | Physical activity in emerging adulthood | Regular physical activity is an important factor of good health yet it is commonly left out of daily routines. Large-scale interventions are necessary to reverse this trend and the college population is one of the last areas that interventions can easily be introduced. The relationship between the five characteristics of emerging adulthood (identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between, and endless possibilities) and leisure time physical activity levels were explored through focus groups and a survey measure. Responses of 223 students of St. Mary’s College to a questionnaire looking at leisure time physical activity and the five characteristics of emerging adulthood, ego identity status, life change events, and stress and perceptions of life control were collected. Analyses revealed significant positive relationships between physical activity and identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, self-focus, and lower stress and higher feelings of control. Significant negative relationships were discovered between physical activity and negativity/ instability, and identity diffusion. Possible implications of the identity data include that physical activity levels are higher when multiple possibilities are being explored or when committed to parental and societal views. Objective measures of stressful events showed no relation to physical activity, however a significant relationship with subjective measures of control and stress may implicate that feelings of control lead to, or are increased by, physical activity. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2011-05 |
| Kallevang, Jonathan Knight | Psychology | Performance on hippocampal dependent tasks in the cycad model of Parkinson’s disease in rats | The cycad model of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) has been shown to produce motor symptoms similar to that of PD, and similar to those seen in the MPTP and 6-ODHA rat models. However, unlike these previous models, cycad is a progressive and variable model that may better reflect idiopathic PD histologically. Here, cycad fed rats were subjected to hippocamal dependent tasks to observe behavioral parallels in the model that are consistent with pre-motor cognitive symptoms in human patients. We found no significant difference between cycad and control performance on the novel object recognition task, fear-conditioning, or open field analysis; illuminating the complexity of the disease pathology and interaction of multiple anatomical regions and neurotransmitter systems. Anxiety related behavior was generally observed in the cycad rats, possibly confounding our results. Also, it is possible that the highest dose of cycad ingestion in this experiment precipitated attentional deficits, but due to a small sample size, further research and experimentation is required. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2011-05 |
| Larrimore, Arianna Aubry | Psychology | Are you dating the right person? : an exploration of the relationships among birth order, personality, and romantic relationship quality | Birth order has been a controversial debate between researchers for several years. Many researchers argue the impact birth order has on personality regarding various aspect of psychological research. This study examines the relationship between birth order and romantic relationship quality. Personality was expected to mediate or explain the connection between birth order and romantic relationship quality by assessing three personality characteristics; extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Despite previous research suggesting that birth order is significantly related to romantic relationship quality, this study failed to find that relationship. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2011-05 |
| Mathews, Teresa Marie | Psychology | Relationship between the quality of family meal times and the self-esteem of elementary and middle school students | Past research has found that preadolescents who eat frequent, quality family meals experience many benefits including increased vocabularies (Snow & Beals, 2006) and participation in fewer risk behaviors (Sen, 2010; Neumark-Sztainer, 2006). A healthy sense of self-esteem is associated with increased optimism (Salami, 2010) and higher levels of mental and physical well being (McClure et al., 2010). The current study investigates the relationship between quality family meal times (i.e., enjoyable and free of conflict and distractions) and self-esteem. Forty-five elementary and middle school students completed the Family Dinner Time Scale, developed by the researcher, and the Hare Self-Esteem Inventory. Although a significant direct relationship between quality family meal times and self-esteem was not found, results indicate that high quality meal time contexts are significantly correlated with overall enjoyment of family meal time, which is in turn associated with higher self-esteem among peers and at school. This suggests that if a child frequently eats dinner with at least one family member; the quality of the dinner time context increases, as the quality of the dinner time context increases, the child’s enjoyment of the family meal does, too; and as enjoyment of the meal time context increases, so does a child’s peer and school self-esteem. The implications of these findings, as well as recommendations for parents, are discussed. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2011-05 |
| Mikael, Makeda Sahlu | Psychology | Maternal separation as an animal model of depression : animal models of depression | The purpose of this investigation was to determine if there was a need for a second stressor to induce depressive-like behavior in the maternal separation animal model of depression. The stressors used in this investigation were shipment stress and maternal separation. Pups were exposed to two stressors, one stressor, or no stressor. On post natal day (PD) 2, the pups underwent maternal separation (3 hours/15 minutes) until PD 14. All animals underwent behavioral testing (Novelty Suppressed Feeding Test, Sucrose Preference Test, Elevated Plus Maze, Forced Swim Test) in adulthood. Results of the 2-way (Experimental Group x Arrival Method) ANOVA in males and females can be found in the results section with the significance of these results at the conclusion of the paper. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2011-05 |
| Miller, Bryan Andrew | Psychology | Effects of concealable stigma and disclosure on self-presentation : how 'coming out of the closet' affects self-presentation | Because of the negative effects of living with a concealed stigma, disclosure of a non-heterosexual orientation most likely positively influences self-presentational behavior, feelings of social support, and life satisfaction. In this study 53 non-heterosexual participants (35 (66%), 13 (24.5%) male, and 5 (9.4%) identified as other) filled out two sets of surveys, completed from a pre-disclosure and post-disclosure point of view. Each survey consisted of the Self-Concealment scale, the Self-Monitoring scale, the Impression Management scale, the Internalized Homophobia scale, the short Internalized Homonegativity scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness scale, the Interaction and Audience Anxiousness scale, the Rumination scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Satisfaction with Life scale. Disclosure significantly decreased scores of self-concealment, self-monitoring, internalized homophobia, rumination, and loneliness. Disclosure significantly increased scores of self-esteem, life satisfaction, and perceived social support. By disclosing to at least one individual, participants were less likely to engage in effortful self-presentation in effort to conceal their stigma, felt greater social support and less loneliness, ruminated less, and gained higher self-esteem and greater life satisfaction. These results give better insight into the changes that occur post-disclosure and show those who are fearful about disclosing to another that the world will not end, but that it will likely get better. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2011-05 |
| Miller, Ryan Clark | Psychology | Applying the meaning maintenance model to the formation of novel stereotypes : forming stereotypes under duress | The current study tested a prediction regarding the ability of meaning threats, or disruptions of expected relationships, to enhance novel stereotype formation. While this prediction is derived from a larger volume of threat compensation literature, it was examined in the context of the Meaning Maintenance Model. Experiment 1 established a group of behaviors that participants viewed as either positive or negative and Experiment 2 attempted to create novel stereotypes and manipulate their formation via the addition of a meaning threat. Novel stereotype formation was tested by using a standard illusory correlation paradigm and a previously reported meaning threat. Neither the control group nor the experimental group demonstrated much evidence of forming an illusory correlation. Explanations of the failure to generate an effect and potential future studies are discussed. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2011-05 |
| Mirenzi, Aaron Matthew | Psychology | Analyzing the gender aftereffect in biological motion : the effects of adaptation to static and dynamic stimuli | Biological Motion stimuli present human form and motion through points of light placed on major joints of the human body. These point light walkers (PLWs), though minimal, present enough information for accurate gender perception. It has been shown that adapting to a hyper sexual PLW will bias the perception of a subsequent PLW as being the opposite gender (Troje, Sadr, Geyer, & Nakayama, 2006). Aftereffect research uses the assumption that the aftereffect is caused by adaptation to a particular aspect of the stimulus. In the case of biological motion perception, low level motions are combined to create a global form, which is then placed in a gender category. Thus, adaptation could be occurring to the motions of the stimulus, the form of the stimulus, or to gender as a concept. This paper addresses which physical aspects of biological motion are adapted to in the gender aftereffect. Experiment 1 used full body images, which evoked gender as a concept, as adaptation stimuli, however, these images were unable to cause an gender aftereffect in the perception of a PLW, suggesting that the aftereffect is perceptual, not conceptual. Experiment 2 used PLWs reduced to four hip and shoulder points as adaptation stimuli. Despite research showing the critical nature of hip and shoulder points for gender perception, adaptation to these points alone did not cause a gender aftereffect in a complete PLW. Experiment 3 used static PLWs to test whether the form of the stimulus was the adaptive property of the stimulus. Contrary to several studies showing the importance of motion in gender perception, we found that adaptation to a non-moving PLW created an aftereffect similar to when a dynamic PLW was adapted to. We conclude that in the gender aftereffect in biological motion, the form of the stimulus is the adaptive property. Experiment 3 suggests that form processing is critical for gender perception in humans, even in displays which highlight human motion, and minimize human form. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2011-05 |
| Nesmith, Charise Charnee | Psychology | Past and present adjustment of college students with learning disabilities : a qualitative study | The main goal of this study was to gain understanding into the everyday and past struggles of individuals with learning disabilities. This was done through qualitative methods. Eight St. Mary’s college students (5 females and 3 males) participated in this study. Fifteen to 20 minute interviews were conducted. The questions included, but were not limited to subjects concerning past experiences in school, experiences of diagnosis, family reaction to diagnosis, family support, relationship with peers, relationship with teachers, and current academic situations. Transcriptions were then coded by common themes into categories of demographics, time/changes, specific stressors/difficulties, diagnosis, teachers/schools, accommodations, awareness of difference, relationship with peers, parental reaction and support, coping strategies, awareness of best learning, and positive outcomes of their learning disability. Many of the participants interviewed for this study displayed characteristics of “successfuls” that were studied by Goldberg et al. (2003). Recommendations for future studies are given. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2011-05 |
| Painter, Katherine Ann | Psychology | Examination of the interaction between media and gender socialization on college women’s self-concept | This study aimed to explore the impact of media internalization and gender socialization on college women’s self-concept. Researchers used mixed methodology—a survey followed by a focus group—for data collection. There were 251 participants for the survey, all of whom were female students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and ranging from 17 to 25 years of age. The survey consisted of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, the Self Image Profile for Adults, and the Media Internalization and Exposure scale. The focus group had nine participants who had previously taken the survey and were willing to converse about themes discussed in the survey. A linear multiple regression showed that both media internalization and gender socialization (i.e., identification as masculine/feminine/androgynous) significantly predicted participant’s ratings of self-esteem, which was based on the scored discrepancy between their actual and ideal selves. The focus group added depth and insight to the quantitative results. This current study suggests that media models and especially models of traditionally appropriate gender can negatively impact young women’s self-esteem. Researchers should continue to explore possible detriments to women’s self-esteem and how it can influence their self-efficacy and overall well-being as they age in a society that values masculinity over femininity. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2011-05 |
| Parr, Christina Marie | Psychology | Odor and spatial working memory in an environmentally-induced animal model of Parkinsonism | Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that affects many people in the United States and world. PD is characterized by its well-known motor symptoms, but also many cognitive symptoms that occur before the onset or in conjunction with the motor deficits. These non-motor impairments are more variable and not well understood. Many methods have been developed in order to model the disease in animals, but none of these previous methods have included the progressive feature of the disease. The cycad seed, an environmental neurotoxin, model has been shown to cause ALS-PDC among the Chamorro population in Guam and when fed to rats have shown PD-like symptoms. Therefore, this progressive model can be used to study possible cognitive deficits that occur before the onset of motor deficits. The current study examined possible deficits in spatial and social odor working memory using the Y-maze task and the social odor recognition task. No significant differences between the three groups of rats were found except for decreases in locomotion time in the open field over the two testing days in the control rats and the low dose cycad rats in the social odor recognition task. This suggests that the high dose cycad rats are not habituating to the open field apparatus suggesting a possible deficit. There was high variation within the groups, which makes a strong conclusion more difficult. Future research should examine the correlation between the neurochemical changes, specifically a-synuclein aggregates, in the substantia nigra and entorhinal cortex and individual behavior. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2011-05 |
| Redding, Mary O. | Psychology | Effects of stress and glucose on self-control | Self-control is an effortful process of consciously restraining impulses and resisting temptations. Self-control requires a significant amount of cognitive resources, and stress is a prominent factor that contributes to self-control failures by depleting those resources. Since low levels of glucose seem to impair controlled or effortful processes but not the simpler or automatic processes, it seems likely that the presence of glucose could help maintain self-control. The current study was conducted in order to further examine the depleting effect of stress as well as the attenuating role of glucose on self-control. In this 2 x 2 study, participants were placed under stress with a timed anagram task or were not under stress, and they received either a sugar or sugar-free candy. Self-control was measured by comparing participants’ reaction times on a Stroop task. There was no main effect of stress on self-control, and there was also no main effect of glucose on self-control. Possible limitations and future directions are discussed. | Han, H. Anna | 2011-05 |
| Schiller, Kristina Marie | Psychology | How are you persuaded? : the roles of self-esteem and self-compassion in different types of advertising | Do advertisements affect all people in the same way? Based on differing personality correlates, I hypothesized that they do not. Using a sample of 198 St. Mary’s College of Maryland students, I assessed levels of self-compassion and self-esteem, showing half of the participants a peripheral-route persuasion advertisement, and half a central-route persuasion advertisement. Results showed that in general, people were more convinced to buy the product by the central-route advertisement. However, within the peripheral condition, participants with a higher self-compassion score tended to have a negative attitude towards Razzle Dazzle, while a high self-esteem score was a positive predictor. These results may be useful in designing advertisements to be as effective as possible to the largest possible audience. | Mathews, Maureen A. | 2011-05 |
| Shapiro-Davis, Allison | Psychology | Relationships among relocation, parental deployment, and resiliency of military children | Despite the original thought that military families should be depicted as a group that combines a demanding, militant father, an oppressed mother, and rebellious children, when the effects of multiple relocations on children were examined, it was found that these children had improved behavior, increased adaptability and resiliency, and became more involved in school activities. Adult children from military families were hypothesized to be more adaptable than adult children from civilian families and will report strong, supportive families. Participants were college students between the ages of 18 and 22 recruited through Sona Systems or email. Two separate measures were conducted in order to test this hypothesis. The first was a survey, the Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents: A Profile of Personal Strengths, administered over the internet. The second measure was a focus group and two interviews conducted only with military adult children. Participants were asked about their families, relocations, and growing up in a military environment. Based on results from the t-test and the answers from the interview questions, the initial hypothesis was supported; military participants did demonstrate strong adaptability. This adaptability included an increase in world awareness, decreases in general stress (i.e. school and traveling), and an increase in confidence with their ability to make friends and succeed in school. Given that based on stereotypes and previous assumptions, it was assumed that growing up in a military family had solely negative consequences; this research suggests that there are positive effects that can result from a military lifestyle. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2011-05 |
| Sherwood, Devin Margaret | Psychology | Does deodorant influence attraction? : female perceptions of male body odor | Evolutionary Psychology suggests that pheromones, or odors given off to signal reproductive characteristics, still play an active role in mate selection today. Research shows that both males and females detect and use pheromones when considering a mate. Past research has shown evidence that female mate preferences are correlated with the ovulatory cycle. Women who are ovulating, or at higher fertility risk, have also shown to be more in tune with evolutionary indicators of attractiveness including fluctuating asymmetry. Fluctuating asymmetry is defined as the absolute difference between the left and right sides of the body. However, no research has looked at these findings from a more modern standpoint. Today, especially in America and other industrialized cultures in which media defines societal norms, the act of “masking” or “covering up” one’s scent with deodorant, cologne, perfume, or other fragrances is the standard. Yet, research has not yet focused on how these products influence the ability to perceive fluctuating asymmetry or attractiveness through pheromones. Very few research has also looked at the impact of hormone-based birth controls, such as the pill, on mate selection. The current study looks at the effects of fertility, birth control usage, and both male and female-targeted deodorants, on the ability to perceive pheromones as measured by fluctuating asymmetry. The results of this study indicate that fluctuating asymmetry and deodorant are both significant predictors of attractiveness. Fertility was also found to be significantly correlated with the offensiveness and intensity ratings. Birth control usage yielded no significant findings. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2011-05 |
| Skinner, Catherine Smith | Psychology | Assisting offenders, improving society : an examination of the benefits of re-entry programs | The following paper includes information about the public opinions, academic theories, court decisions, and legislative changes that brought U.S. prison system to its current state. It provides evidence that re-entry programs can reduce recidivism in addition to improving the lives of individual offenders by helping them overcome drug addiction, manage mental illness, and gain stable and legitimate employment. Finally, this paper provides a model for a re-entry plan that focuses on the treatment of co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse. Such a program is just one potential solution to the growing problem of imprisonment in our country. | Finkelman, David G. | 2011-05 |
| Sokolove, Sofia Gerhart | Psychology | Memoir & me : understanding American females' consumption of memoirs through psychology and literature | Studying narrative can be one of the most important tools in understanding human culture and behavior because society relies on stories as a way of sense making. In American culture today, the memoir is becoming an increasingly popular way of telling our stories. The present study examines the memoir from a literary and psychological lens, and with a feminist focus, to help understand the genres appeal and influence. Critical and historical research of the genres beginnings through modern day is presented alongside a narrative of the politics and changes in women’s roles, and it is hypothesized that memoirs are appealing to women because they provide a model through which women can make sense of their own experiences. This hypothesis is supported through a close reading of Mary Karr’s coming-of-age memoir Cherry, and is further expanded on in a pilot study and two research studies grounded in a uses and gratifications perspective of media use. Study one measures the effect of genre expectations of a memoir versus a novel and finds no significant differences in the cognitive or emotional experience of reading based on the label. Study two looks at general and specific motives for reading, and finds results to support the original hypothesis, including significant differences in the levels of reading for information between memoir readers and non-memoir readers. It is discussed that the experience and gratifications of reading memoir is partially dependent on motives for reading and uses sought. Broader implications of the results are discussed in regards to the fields of both English and Psychology, as well as suggestions for future research. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2011-05 |
| Sparklin, Peter Francis | Psychology | Support of, role of, and experience of social supporters helping individuals with depression | This exploratory study examines depression’s effect on the individual with depression, the coping mechanisms used by individuals with depression to help with their depression, the role and effects of social support on the individual with depression, and the impact of the support relationship on the individual providing support (the supporter). Information about this relationship was collected through semi-structured interviews of eight individuals who self identified as an individual with depression, a supporter of an individual with depression, or both. The data suggest that this relationship is more complicated than previous research that touches on this topic suggests. The supporter and individual with depression must balance their own interests, their concern for the well-being of the other individual in the support relationship, and the difficulties and benefits of the relationship. Better education about mental health, easier access to professional care, and recognition of the experience of being a supporter may assist supporters in providing better care for the individuals they support and for keeping themselves healthy and balanced. Implications and directions for future research are included. A brochure available in the St. Mary’s Counseling and Health Center as well as a website with information and resources from this study were created as part of this project. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2011-05 |
| Steinbach, Kathryn Ann | Psychology | Mass media and young adults : differences in ethnicity and media forms | In today’s society, there is an incredible amount of pressure put onto young adults to fit into the ideal body type, which causes them to become immensely concerned with their body image. Thus the current study aimed to find whether one ethnicity’s level of body dissatisfaction is more affected by media than another, if the race of the model plays a role in body dissatisfaction, and which media type is more influential on levels of body dissatisfaction. Method: 289 (212 Caucasians, 39 African Americans, 13 Asians, 8 Hispanics) female participants between the ages of 18 and 25 were recruited through an all campus e-mail and Facebook message. At the beginning and end of the survey they took the Body Esteem Scale and the State Self-Esteem Scale, and were asked to either view four sets of images (N = 133) or four videos (N = 156). Both media types consisted of models that were Caucasian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic, and were of thin female celebrities in the mass media. Results/Discussion: Caucasian and Asian participants were significantly more dissatisfied with their body image after viewing their own ethnicity than Hispanic or African American participants. No race was significantly more dissatisfied than another, and neither images nor videos were more effective than the other at causing body dissatisfaction. In essence, these findings do not suggest that there is much difference in body dissatisfaction with ethnicity of the participant or media type, but that there may be one with viewing one’s own ethnicity. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2011-05 |
| Teta, Allison Elizabeth | Psychology | How much loss is too much loss? : the effect of temporal separation on sunk cost attenuation in investment scenarios | Research suggests that individuals tend to take past unrecoverable costs into account when making decisions (Arkes and Blumer 1985; Thaler 1980). Mental accounting theory argues that people mentally track costs and benefits to maximize the net benefits received. Previous research has shown that when costs and benefits are temporally separated over time, sunk costs become attenuated in the mental account, having less of an effect on decision-making (Gourville and Soman, 1998). The current study attempts to apply mental accounting theory about sunk cost depreciation to investment scenarios. Study one attempts to replicate previous findings on temporal separation. Studies two, three, and four seek to apply decoupling theory to investment scenarios. Finally, study five looks at decision satisfaction and post-decision mental accounting. | Platt, Richard D. | 2011-05 |
| Thomas, Christine D. | Psychology | Pretty or powerful : a content analysis of gender stereotyped messages in Disney animated films | This study aimed to examine gender messages that are being communicated to children who watch Disney films through using a content analysis to examine 32 major and minor characters in eight Disney animated films. Each character’s behavior was coded using 20 different masculine and feminine traits based on previous research done by Thompson and Zerbinos (1995). The present study found that gender stereotypical messages are present and character status interacted with the era in which a Disney film was released such that major characters were portrayed as more gender stereotypical during the Walt Disney era than the Team Disney era. Minor characters remained consistently gender stereotypical during the Walt Disney era and the Team Disney era. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed. | Mirabile, Scott P. | 2011-05 |
| Tracy, Megan Grace | Psychology | Investigating the efficacy of antipsychotic drug treatment on an animal model of schizophrenia | Schizophrenia is a disease that is difficult to study and understand due to its variety of symptoms and difficulty to fully treat. The most common treatment for the symptoms of schizophrenia is psychopharmaceutical therapy. Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic that is often prescribed for schizophrenia in adults and adolescents. Fifty-six long evans rats were used to test the effects of adolescent olanzapine administration in the NVHL animal model of schizophrenia. The animals’ play behavior was tested during adolescence while they were receiving either olanzapine or vehicle in their drinking water. In adulthood, the rats were tested for disrupted sensory gating and hyperlocomotion. The animals did not show significant differences in the prepulse inhibition task or the hyperlocomotion task. These results suggest that a different dose of olanzapine is necessary to see differences between the animal groups. There were significant differences seen during the adolescent play behavior, showing significantly increased play behavior in the control animals. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2011-05 |
| Tsereteli, George | Psychology | Perceptions of political polarization in the United States | Political divisiveness seems to be a constant in the United States political arena; however, because of a growing number of especially polarizing hot-topic issues, and according to recent research, this divisiveness appears to be increasing. The present paper investigated whether there are differences in how college students and political experts perceive the extent of this polarization. Two groups of participants were recruited: students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and experts/professionals from the socio-political sphere. All participants took an online survey consisting of a measure of expertise, a Social Dominance Orientation Scale, the newly developed Perceived Political Polarization Scale (PPPS), and a few general questions. Contrary to the hypotheses, students were found to perceive greater polarization than experts, and the two groups did not differ significantly in terms of variability of PPPS scores. Those individuals who checked the news most frequently were found to have lower PPPS scores as well as higher expertise scores, and perhaps perceived less polarization because of their greater experience and understanding of the issues. Limitations of the present research were noted, as well as potential directions for future research regarding perceptions of political divisiveness. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2011-05 |
| Turner, Linda Catherine | Psychology | Generation kill : an analysis of violence and realism in teen and mature rated games | This study examined the content of a sample of action games receiving the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Mature and Teen ratings. Based on past research, this study hypothesized that there should be more intense violence in Mature rated games than Teen rated games but not necessarily frequency. Time in which blood was present was also examined Mature rated games had significantly more blood content than Teen rated games. Realism scores higher in Mature rated video games than in Teen rated video games. This study examined the new category of violence, ‘psychological violence,’ but there was no significant difference found for psychological violence between Teen rated games and Mature rated games. There was not a difference in average time in which an instance of violence occurred between Teen and Mature. From these findings, it possible to conclude that the ESRB rating system does not change a game rating based solely on violence, rather higher content in other factors, such as realism and blood, are required to obtain the Mature rating. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2011-05 |
| Vamvas, Melina A. | Psychology | Foster parent qualities and student’s attitudes towards foster parenting | This study explores the attitudes of college students towards foster parenting. Previous research on the needs, challenges, perceptions, and factors promoting and inhibiting foster parenting explain that there are five important qualities to a successful foster placement: organization, flexibility, continuing foster parent education, seeking advice, and child centered motives of foster parenting. This study examines how a combination of these affect a student’s endorsement and rating of a foster parent and how much students perceive these qualities to be important to fostering. This study suggests that student’s attitudes are in line with most views shared by foster parents, such as the belief that having a child-centered motive for fostering is a highly important quality for a foster parent to suggest. Students also rated a foster parent higher when the foster parent exhibited more qualities that are positive. In addition to these findings, the students appear to show differing beliefs with greater societal norms. Limitations and implications of this study are also discussed. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2011-05 |
| Williams, Brandi Amanda | Psychology | Parenting styles and their effects on risk-taking behaviors among emerging adults | During Emerging Adulthood, Emerging Adults seek the answer to the question, “Who am I?” Due to the lack of responsibility and the escape from the ever-watchful eyes of their parents, Emerging Adults on a college campus tend to take part in risky behaviors. Students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland were surveyed using the Parental Authority Questionnaire, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and the Risk and Reckless Behavior Questionnaire. The current study examined whether parenting styles have an effect on risk taking. Participants who reported that their fathers were more authoritative engaged in more use of hallucinogens, t(148)=2.28, p<.05, and casual sex without contraceptives, t(150)=2.61, p<.05. Also, participants who reported that their fathers were over protective were more likely to take risks than participants who reported that their fathers were caring in nature. Age was a significant predictor for risk-taking. As participants got older, the more frequently they engaged in risk-taking behaviors. Gender was also a significant predictor for sexual risk-taking. Males tended to report that they had more casual sex with more than one partner at a time, t(191)=2.92, p<.05. In the majority of the cases, though risk was foreseen participants engaged in the risk behavior anyway indicating that risk-taking is highly characteristic of the population that was studied. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2011-05 |
| Woodburn, Michael Jonathan | Psychology | Beer goggles : the effects of alcohol on visual perception of facial attractiveness | Previously, little research has been done combining the effects of alcohol and ratings of attractiveness. Most studies focused on either on or the other exclusively. This study sought to identify specific facial characteristics associated with attractiveness whose ratings differ when individuals rating facial images are intoxicated. Facial images were rated on 11 different categories by both a sober control group recruited through online research pools and an intoxicated experimental group recruited from a local college bar. In regards to the relationship between intoxication and perceived attractiveness, little new information was found. However, it was found that a majority (56%) of online participants intended to be the sober control reported being intoxicated to at least some degree while completing the study. For this group of participants there was a higher dropout rate as well as a lack of correlation between attractiveness and the other ten facial categories, which was seen in the other two groups (sober online and experimental). The authors discuss the implications this finding has for the validity of online research. | Finkelman, David G. | 2011-05 |
| Brown, Le'Jenn Phyliscia | Psychology | Effects of bibliotherapy on the self-esteem of children with learning disabilities : literature review for the efficacy of bibliotherapy | The present literature review explores the efficacy of bibliotherapy for the self-esteem of children with learning disabilities. The literature review defines bibliotherapy as well as gives background information on the types of problems it has helped treat. Bibliotherapy has been used to treat a variety of problems and has been proven to yield positive results. It is used as a way for clients to find ways to give insight to a given problem, cope, and offer methods in dealing with their problem. The literature review also defines what learning disabilities are and how diagnosis can affect a child. Self-esteem is also explained, giving insight on how it changes throughout the life-span. Self-esteem can be impacted by a learning disability, especially during the transition into adolescence. This literature review is also supplemented with a short story about a young student who has recently been diagnosed with a learning disability and how he over comes his self-esteem issues. The story is geared towards children with learning disabilities in the third, fourth, and fifth grade, helping them find methods of dealing with self-esteem issues before entering middle school and adolescence. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-12 |
| Harvey, Jessica Korrine | Psychology | Influence of personality, interrogation, and false evidence on false confessions | The purpose of the current study is to evaluate interrogation and personality as factors influencing a suspect’s likelihood of producing a false confession. The study offers an in depth literature review focusing on police interview and interrogation techniques, classification and causes of false confessions, prevalence of false confessions, and the consequences of false confessions inside the court room. A series of interviews with six law enforcement officers are reported and described based on four general themes: training; determinants of guilt or innocence; interrogation; and false confessions. Finally, an empirical study evaluates how presentation of false evidence and an individual’s personality type, are related to making a false confession and the degree to which the confession is internalized. The results indicate that presence of false evidence during an interrogation increases the degree of internalization within a false confession. No effect was found regarding personality type as an influence on false confessions. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2010-12 |
| Swanson, Thomas M. | Psychology | Effect of adolescent olanzapine administration on dendritic branching in the hippocampal circuit | Anti-psychotic drugs are frequently prescribed to adolescents. The long-term treatment effects of these drugs are poorly understood and may be particularly dangerous in relation to the undeveloped nervous system. We investigated the effect of the atypical anti-psychotic drug olanzapine on the developing adolescent hippocampal formation in orally-treated male Long-Evans rats. Cells from both the hippocampus CA3 and dorsal dentate gyrus of each brain were digitally reconstructed and analyzed for changes in dendritic branching length and node prevalence. There were no differences in node prevalence or dendritic branch for both apical and basal portions of hippocampus CA3 neurons. No difference was observed in node prevalence in dentate gyrus granule cells. Olanzapine-treated animals had significantly greater dendritic branching length in the dentate gyrus than water-vehicle controls. We purpose the observed changes in the dentate gyrus and subsequent hippocampal circuitry provide a neuroanatomical explanation for previously observed deficits in spatial memory and concentration ability in rats treated with olanzapine during adolescence. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2010-12 |
| Bamberger, Katharine Theresa | Psychology | Gender messages in children’s fairy tales : an examination using content coding and literary analysis | Based on the idea that fairy tales introduce heroes and heroines as models for gendered behavior, this study aimed to explore the gender messages that are conveyed through fairy tales. This was accomplished by content coding two samples of fairy tales (popular and lesser known), as well as utilizing literary analysis to examine multiple versions of two popular tales. Results of content coding revealed mainly patriarchal messages and limited differences between types of tales. Results of literary analysis indicate that gender messages varied across revisions of a single tale, with some messages remaining constant based on the tale’s premise. The results of these two methods of analysis corroborated each other, and the significance of the gender messages found is discussed. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2010-05 |
| Becker, Anna Elizabeth | Psychology | Conceptual and methodological challenges in studies of low-income African American adolescents : a critique of the Mobile Youth Survey | African American youth are currently the largest group of non-Caucasian youth in America and research on this population has greatly increased over the past few decades. Historically, African Americans have been exploited by researchers. Studies on low-income African American adolescents have become more ethical in recent years; however, research on this population may be conceptually and methodologically flawed, potentially producing unreliable and invalid data. The study explored in the paper, The Mobile Youth Survey (MYS), conducted among adolescents living in low-income housing in Mobile, Alabama, asks youth about safety in their neighborhood, feelings about the future, educational experiences, drug and alcohol use, relationships, sexual behavior, health, and violence. Frequency analyses were conducted on specific survey items in order to examine inconsistent responses in the data for the year 2006. Results indicate high frequencies of inconsistent responding in the year 2006. Potential sources of inconsistent responses and suggestions for future research are discussed. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2010-05 |
| Bramble, Amanda Marie | Psychology | Barkley Parent Training : a look at parent-child interactions in families with ADHD | Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder that is common to millions of school aged children. Therefore, it is important to examine how this disorder may affect children in the realm of general functioning, more specifically parent-child relationships. This study looked at the parenting practices of parents and guardians of children who have ADHD. Participants were enrolled in a 10 week Barkley Parent Training program and were assessed using the short form of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Results showed no significant change in participants’ scores from the beginning of the program to the end. However results did show that parents scored significantly lower on discipline than either positive parenting or supervision in both pre and post test, suggesting that consistent discipline should be among the primary focuses of the parent training programs. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2010-05 |
| Brunot, Kristen Nicole | Psychology | Influence of schemas on media programming choice and perceptions of criminals | It is theorized that individuals schemas about criminals and in combination with the confirmation bias will choose media programming that supports their schemas. Then when confronted with a scenario involving criminals, individuals will use the availability heuristic to help them make judgments about the cause of crime. Participants completed a survey that examined their level of political conservatism, fear of crime, attribution style, and memory recall for a vignette. Individual characteristics did not relate to an individual’s media programming preference. It also seems that individuals are more likely to recall schema-inconsistent information rather than schema-consistent information. This study was unable to determine if individuals engage in the confirmation bias when selecting media programming choices. However, when recalling information about a situation, the information that comes to mind most readily is schema-inconsistent information and therefore this information is viewed as the most likely occurrence. | Platt, Richard D. | 2010-05 |
| Bryant, Vaughn Everett | Psychology | Conscientiousness and the theory of planned behavior : an integrative theory incorporating personality and other predictors of health behaviors in college students | Conscientiousness facets, the Theory of Planned behavior as mediating variables and alcohol use were examined in an integrative theory, in order to predict condom use and exercise behaviors among college students. Participants included 257 students, 32 males and 132 females, 93 did not identify their gender. The majority of participants currently attend St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Path models were used to analyze both health behaviors. Impulse control was the only facet of conscientiousness which was a significant predictor of any of the other variables. Perceived behavioral control, attitudes and behavioral intention were strong predictors in both models. The exercise model exhibited better fit, chi square = 9.1. In the condom use model, impulse control predicted number of sexual partners, which was also predicted by condom use intentions. In the exercise model, alcohol use predicted impulse control, which predicted exercise scores directly. The results of the path models suggest a dual systems model proposed by Steinberg (2008) which incorporates the “cognitive control” and “socio-emotional” systems. The implications suggest that interventions should address: drinking, impulse control, perceived behavioral control and attitudes for risk behavior interventions among college students. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2010-05 |
| Capone, Emily Elizabeth | Psychology | Investigations into the effectiveness of alternative medicine from traditional Asian practices | The term alternative medicine encompasses any therapy not a part of conventional modern medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda are alternative medical systems that have been practiced for thousands of years in China and India, respectively. The traditional Chinese herb Huperzia serrata and Ayurvedic herb Bacopa monniera have historically been used for memory enhancement. Studies investigating the effects of Huperzia serrata and Bacopa monniera on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) cognitive and neurological symptoms are proposed. Another alternative therapy from TCM is acupuncture. In the United States acupuncture is most often used to treat pain. A study investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture on pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis is also proposed. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2010-05 |
| Chapman, Christopher Allan | Psychology | Analysis of the effectiveness of four different mental preparation techniques in an individual athletic setting and a team athletic setting | The influence of four mental preparation techniques (arousal control, specific focusing, self-talk, imagery), gender and competitiveness level were analyzed to see if they affected free throws made in day one (where no techniques were used) compared to day two (where techniques were given to participants). Technique, gender and competitiveness was also analyzed in reference to the effects they may have on a defined team score, that was compiled during two on two basketball games. No significant effect of technique, gender or competitiveness was seen on free throws made. In addition, no significant effect of technique, gender and competitiveness was seen for team score. There was a significant difference in the free throws made before a technique was introduced (day one) and after a technique was introduced (day two). Thus there was a significant effect of technique on free throws made from day to day. Keywords: mental preparation techniques, competitiveness, arousal control, specific focusing, self-talk, imagery | Stanton, Roger D. | 2010-05 |
| Chaudhary, Sheena | Psychology | Long-term effects of adolescent antipsychotic drug treatment on reward-related behavior and cognitive functioning in adult rats | Antipsychotic drugs, such as the atypical drug olanzapine, are used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Olanzapine acts on the dopamine system and is usually administered during adolescence, when schizophrenia is typically diagnosed. However, it is unknown if drug administration during neuronal development will result in long term changes in the brain and behavior. Twenty-one Long-Evans animals were used and were treated with olanzapine during adolescence for a period of 21 days (PD28-PD49). When tested in adulthood for reward sensitivity with a progressive ratio task (PR), an FR 5choice task, and tested for cognition with a set-shifting task, control and olanzapine animals did not show significant differences in behavior. Olanzapine animals did appear to have potential differences in spatial processing as measured by the set-shifting task. However, there was a trend present indicating that olanzapine animals gave up sooner and were not as motivated for food rewards as compared to the control animals in both the PR and FR5 choice tasks. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2010-05 |
| Clemens, Grace Victoria | Psychology | Examining the link between gender role orientation and aggression in adolescence : a retrospective study of male college students | Research of aggression in adolescence suggests that mostly girls use relational aggression while boys use overt aggression as a way of bullying their peers. The current study examined aggression in 41 male undergraduates, and asked about their experiences with aggression in high school. The aim was to determine if boys were more likely to use overt or relational aggression, and which type of aggression is associated with adolescent boys’ gender role orientation. The study also identified if gender role orientation and the role in aggression (victims vs. perpetrators) were related. No significant results were found, but the trends in the data suggest that Feminine boys were more likely to be victims of both types of aggression, and also most likely to use relational aggression towards their peers. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2010-05 |
| Clement, Rebecca E. | Psychology | Developing outreach exhibits for an emerging children’s museum | The goal of this project was to design and implement two outreach exhibits for an emerging children’s museum in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. To facilitate the creation process, research was conducted on existing children’s museum programs, cognitive, social-emotional, and motor development in children, as well as instructional design. Two outreach exhibits were created that could be adjusted to teach children between ages 3 and 10 years. Preliminary presentations to both an older group and a younger group of children were used to evaluate the effectiveness and age-appropriateness of the exhibits. Feedback about the exhibits is provided, as well as suggestions for how they could be improved. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2010-05 |
| Cole, Hal Edwin | Psychology | Effects of adolescent stress on adult working memory and susceptibility to drug addiction in a neurodevelopmental animal model of schizophrenia | Schizophrenic patients experience significant amounts of stress during their daily lives. Also, schizophrenics suffer from impaired working memory and increased rates of drug addiction. Chronic stress produces similar effects. A current neurodevelopmental animal model of schizophrenia involves neonatal ventral hippocampus excitotoxic lesions (NVHL), which produce an array of schizophrenic-like symptoms in adulthood. The current study investigated the effects of the NVHL and 6-hour daily restraint stress for 3 weeks during adolescence on working memory in the novel object recognition test and drug-seeking behaviors in the conditioned place preference test. Results showed that restraint stress impaired working memory performance, but the NVHL did not. Neither variables affected conditioned-place preference performance. NVHL + restraint combined to increase locomotor activity in the conditioned place preference task. Implications include the need to reduce adolescent stress, especially when there is evidence of early insult to the hippocampus. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2010-05 |
| Disque, Monika Nicole | Psychology | Use of different methods to self-disclose : comparing introverts’ and extroverts’ preferred means of communicating | This study examined individual preferences for disclosure of information over a variety of communication modes, specifically looking at how introversion and gender influences subjects’ disclosure of emotions and subject matter. The purpose was to compare the differences in quality between face-to-face communications versus different online communications. Measures included an extraversion scale, as well as, a disclosure scale and a quality of communication scale created for this study. The results found that there was not a main effect of introversion or gender on preference of communication technique. But there was a significant effect of emotion and topic disclosed. These findings are important because they suggest that although there are more communication methods available we still rely on face-to-face communication as our major source of disclosure. The use of Internet communication might be related to subject’s desire for more opportunities for communication. There also might be an influence of culture driving our need to use these Internet communication applications, although we do not see them as being beneficial, these theories and others are presented in the discussion. | Platt, Richard D. | 2010-05 |
| Dueker, Ashleigh Dawn | Psychology | Relationship between personality and student engagement in activism | Since the 1960’s, college students have cycled from apathetic to lively participants in various social movements. Today, campus activism is fragmented and issue-specific, encompassing a broad range of causes varying from human rights and “going green,” to increasing the quality of campus life. However, there is still no clear picture of the complexities or personal determinants of student activism. Behavior is affected by personality, and once a goal is set, personality will contribute to if and how the goal will be attained. The current study measures how 16 personality traits of 261 liberal arts college students correlate with engagement in activism. Results show that 12 traits from the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) correlate with engagement in activism; in every instance, except for self-control, activism levels are higher at high levels of the personality trait. Also, there is no difference between activists and non-activists in the realm of achievement via conformance, good impression, socialization, and well-being. Results suggest that college students today may generally be more active because they are more open to new experiences, feel responsible for their experiences and actions, persevere despite setbacks, and are knowledgeable about and dissatisfied with current affairs. In addition, they deal well with complexity and ambiguity, which will benefit anyone trying to understand the complex problems of the world today. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2010-05 |
| Eckert, Caitlin Jeanne | Psychology | Are the evolutionary and social cognitive theories of romantic jealousy products of a poorly constructed methodology? : a closer examination of gender disparities in emotional reactions to hypothetical infidelity scenarios | The evolutionary theory of romantic jealousy states that sex difference in response to emotional and sexual infidelity will persist despite the methodology used. The current study examined this claim by using a forced-choice methodology and continuous scales to measure emotional reactions to hypothetical scenarios of infidelity. The target emotions of jealousy and distress were compared in each of these methods to determine if they are measuring the same construct, as past research has assumed these emotions are interchangeable. In addition, the plausibility of the social cognitive perspective was examined. No support was found for either theory, as the predicted sex difference was not present across all measures and males and females inferred that each type of infidelity equally implied the other. The data indicates that distress and jealousy measure separate constructs and may have an effect upon subjects’ responses to emotional and sexual infidelity. The effect of relationship history (relationship status, victimization of infidelity, and infidelity perpetration) upon subjects’ emotional responses was also examined. | Platt, Richard D. | 2010-05 |
| Escalante, Rossina Maria | Psychology | Qualitative investigation of gender identity and emotional expressivity in American and Peruvian romantic relationships | The present study examined the influence of gender role identity on the emotional expressivity of dating couples from two different cultures: the United States and Peru. Four Caucasian-American couples and four Peruvian couples between eighteen and twenty-five years of age were recruited for this study. Gender identity was assessed using the Bem Sex Role Inventory and modes of expressivity (i.e., love, praise, commitment to relationship, anger, sadness, conflict resolution) as well as social and personal conceptualizations of gender associated with masculinity and femininity were acquired through structured interview questions. Qualitative analysis revealed eight primary themes among the interview responses: equalized power and privilege for men and women, division of power and privilege for men and women, gender conceptualization, fundamental principles for relationship satisfaction, features of mutuality, social learning of gender identity, social influence on gender conceptualization, and progression of gender conceptualization into emerging adulthood. Results suggest that emotional expressivity in couple relations is a complex performance of positive and negative emotions influenced by a range of factors. Findings offer a unique description of gender role perceptions and behavioral patterns of emotional expressivity that manifest in romantic relationships. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. Keywords: gender role, culture, expressivity, emotion, gender identity | Dennison, Renee P. | 2010-05 |
| Ewing, Kathryn Elizabeth | Psychology | How motion and nonmotion adaptation affects gender recognition | Biological motion is the perception of a human in motion when only points of light are visible to indicate its form and motion. These point light displays, or PLWers, are also able to carry information regarding the walker’s gender. In adaptation aftereffect studies of biological motion, viewing a male walker for an extended period of time results in perceiving subsequently viewed PLWers as female, and viewing a female walker for an extended period of time results in the perception of subsequently viewed walkers as male. One question that this phenomenon raises is whether adaptation is occurring to the sex of the walker, or to its form and motion. In order to answer this question, experiment 1 used biological motion displays and faces as adapting stimuli. The results indicated that an aftereffect was created in response to biological motion adaptation, but not in adaptation to faces. This result supports adaptation to motion or form. However, there may not be enough overlap in neural structures for biological motion and face perception. Thus, experiment 2 used full body images, in the place of faces, as adapting stimuli. For this experiment, no aftereffects were found in response to full body adaptation, nor to biological motion adaptation. Because aftereffects were created in experiment 1, the authors concluded that a problem may have occurred with the observers in which their ability to adapt to the stimuli was interrupted. This research lays the groundwork for using different types of stimuli to study biological motion adaptation. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2010-05 |
| Faggio, Julie Anne | Psychology | Taking a closer look at bullying : analysis of the travesties at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech and what we are continually missing | Bullying is a term widely used throughout the world with varying interpretations based on age group, ethnicity, gender, location, and general life experience. For the purpose of this paper, bullying will be conceptually defined and used to demonstrate how maltreatment and harassment in elementary and high school years can develop into criminal or antisocial behavior in early adulthood. There are many factors that relate to this topic; this paper focuses on exactly how and why bullying occurs, the detrimental short-term and long-term effects it can have, as well as what is being overlooked in the hallways of schools and what we can do to prevent it. Two modern-day case studies are analyzed to support evidence found in past research, concluding with possible solutions for this public health problem. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2010-05 |
| Fomum-Mugri, Larissa | Psychology | Investigation of pre-clinical cognitive impairments in the rat cycad progressive model of Parkinson’s disease | Previous research has indicated the grave implications of consuming the cycad seed present in the cycad plant, Cycas micronesica. Chamorro individuals in Guam who consumed washed cycad seeds and rodent models given cycad seeds both develop neurological symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Washed cycad seeds fed to rodents have been shown to model the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Unlike the other animal models which demonstrate PD at either an earlier or later stage, this method shows progressive deterioration with eventual motor deficits similar to PD. Subjects in this study were fed washed cycad seeds for 114 days and tested for the changes in cognition. Animals were tested on a delayed non-matching to position task, a set shifting task, and a water maze task. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2010-05 |
| Gardner, Jamie Carolyn | Psychology | Siblings by chance, friends by choice : determinants of relationship qualities | The aim of the present study was to examine the potential links between qualities of sibling relationships (warmth, conflict and rivalry) and measures of adjustment at the individual (self-esteem) and relationship (friendship qualities) levels in the context of two competing models: the carry-over and compensation models. The carry-over model emphasizes links between sibling relationships and adjustment whereas the compensation model posits dissimilarity between the two. Undergraduate students at St. Mary's College of Maryland completed the Adult Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (ASRQ), the Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale. Results indicated a positive significant relationship between sibling warmth and self-esteem. Qualities of sibling relationships and friendships were largely unrelated. Both sibling and friendship qualities were found to significantly predict self-esteem scores. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2010-05 |
| Gunther, Julie Marie | Psychology | Effects of physical activity and yoga on perceived stress and health in a college setting | The present study comprised of 232 participants who were currently students attending St. Mary’s College of Maryland. In order to further research on the beneficial aspects of physical activity and specifically yoga, the current study was conducted. Participants completed an online questionnaire that included sections on activity participation time (amount of time spent participating in physical activity or yoga), motivating factors and reasons for participation, subjective health effects and stress, which was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and open-ended responses. Although I discovered no differences between the PSS scores of the yoga and non-yoga/physical activity groups, qualitative data showed significant differences in the amount of times participants used stress as a reason for participation or stated stress as a subjective health effect, χ2 (1, N = 231) = 8.426, p <.005 and χ2 (1, N = 231) = 14.919, p < .001, respectively. Since both methods of measurement allowed for subjective ratings or responses, opposing results were obtained, from which no distinct or withstanding conclusions can be drawn about the association between different types of physical activity and stress. Researchers should continue to study this relationship between physical activity and stress to determine if one form of physical activity is more beneficial than another. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| Hines, Kaitlin Michelle | Psychology | Filling in the blanks : self-projection onto fictional characters | The present research investigated how individuals answer perceived an ambiguous character using the False Consensus Effect. Each participant was given a story about Student A, a completely ambiguous character with no indication of a sex, race, gender, personality, or personal preferences. After reading the story, participants filled out a questionnaire about Student A including questions about physical characteristics, 11 attitude statements, and a Big 5 Personalities inventory. Participants then responded with their own answers to the same questionnaire. The participants’ responses for Student A and their own answers were analyzed and a False Consensus Effect was found for five out of the 11 attitude statements (i.e. Preference for cold weather) , three of the Big 5 personality traits, as well as gender, age, height, and eye color. It can be concluded from this research that individuals may, in fact, use their own characteristics and traits to fill in details about ambiguous characters. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2010-05 |
| Johnson, Tricia Anne | Psychology | Growing up with autism : a documentary comparing the development of children with and without autism | Autism affects 1 in 110 children and therefore it is important to be informed of what it is. Therefore, a documentary was made from the current project in order to inform people of what autism involves and how it affects typical development. It provides insight into the parallel development of a child with autism and a child without autism. The documentary specifically focuses on the motor, social and emotional, cognitive, and language milestones that the two children have developed as three-year-olds. The documentary also provides insight into the struggles and rewards of being a mother to both of these children involves. It highlights how having a child with autism leads you to appreciating more of the little things in life by using positive coping strategies; whereas, other families may have just brushed them off as something normal and as no big achievement. Lastly, the documentary provides opinions as to what some people believe autism is and how they think it affects those who have it. The purpose of this documentary was to be an informational piece for people to gain knowledge and see, for themselves, a real case example of what a mild case of autism involves and how the child who has it differs from a child without autism. It shows that the two children, in fact, parallel each other, but only when you really observe the behaviors of the child with autism can you tell that there is a difference. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2010-05 |
| Kircher, Daniel Maxwell | Psychology | Perinatal exposure to Bisphenol-A : does it produce similar behavioral deficits to those observed in animal models of schizophrenia? | The endocrine disrupting chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) has the ability to cross the placental barrier and produce changes in offspring. The chemical has been found to cause disruptions of dopamine systems. Disruptions of dopamine observed in BPA treated animals have also been observed in animal models of schizophrenia. We examined the effects of perinatal treatment of BPA on pre-pulse inhibition; novelty induced hyperlocomotion, the Morris water maze (MWM), and social interaction and Dopamine (DA) cell numbers in the substantia nigra of adult rats. BPA treated animals had decreased time spent in the target quadrant in the MWM and had increased distance traveled in the open field. BPA treated animals also had decreases in the time spent sniffing/grooming partners. BPA treatment however, did not disrupt DA cell numbers. These findings could indicate a connection between perinatal BPA exposure and animal models of schizophrenia. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2010-05 |
| Klapper, Stephanie A. | Psychology | Exploring Kawaii in a sample of Japanese college women : a mixed-methods study | [no abstract] | Dennison, Renee P. | 2010-05 |
| Kok, Brian Christopher | Psychology | Effect of evolutionary and semantic threats on cognitive functioning : is there a threat processing hierarchy? | The type and intensity of threats that modern humans face are decidedly different than those encountered by our genetic predecessors. Evolutionary psychology argues that certain common fears (e.g., snakes, heights) are artifacts of historic aversion to these dangerous stimuli, and are thus innate. However, not all threatening stimuli have been around long enough to be classified as such. The present study paired phylogenetic (evolutionary) visual threat-stimuli as well as ontogenetic (semantic) visual threat-stimuli with neutrally salient words to observe if there was a content superiority effect. Cognitive function was measured via two tests of memory. When compared to neutral visual-stimuli, both phylogenetic and ontogenetic threats had a negative effect on cognitive performance, although no difference was observed between the two. Keywords: threat processing; evolutionary threat(s); phylogenetic threat(s); semantic threat(s); ontogenetic threat(s) | Stanton, Roger D. | 2010-05 |
| Konka, Kimberly Genevieve | Psychology | Investigating the effects of postnatal exposure to Prozac on adult rat motor and emotional behavior | Women diagnosed with post-partum depression are often treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs. These drugs can readily pass through the mother’s breast milk to the infant during breast feeding. There have been no long-term studies on the physical and emotional side effects these drugs can have on the infants as adults. In this study, male rat pups were exposed to fluoxetine (Prozac) through dam’s milk from PD 8 to PD 21. Rats were allowed to mature undisturbed until adulthood when they underwent behavioral and emotional testing. Results showed that fluoxetine exposed rats were less anxious in the elevated plus maze by spending significantly less time in the closed arms than control rats. It was also found that fluoxetine exposed rats had significantly lower latency to fall times on the rotarod test. These results indicate that postnatal exposure to fluoxetine has long-term emotional and motor side effects and should be avoided during lactation. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2010-05 |
| Lewis, Christopher Michael | Psychology | Influence of voice gender on the perceived sex of biological motion | Integrating information from multiple modalities allows us to live in an environment without being constantly confronted with perceptual ambiguity. I studied how visual and auditory information is integrated in making judgments about sex. Observers were shown a series of point-light walkers (PLWs) which each varied in the gender information they contained. Presenting those stimuli with unambiguous male, female, and neutral gender voices, each of which either addressed the stimuli or created the perception of being from the stimuli, had no effect on the visually perceived gender if the voice addressed the stimuli. However, when the voice was coming from the stimuli, the gender information carried by the voicer influenced the visually perceived gender. These data suggest auditory sex cues influenced the perceived sex of biological motion, but only when the voice was coming from the biological motion. Thus, audiovisual integration of biological motion is processed at a level that can differentiate if the auditory information is related to the visual stimuli. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2010-05 |
| Marian, Claire Louise | Psychology | Why natural environments restore directed attention : an alternative explanation | Previous research has found that exposure to natural environments can restore directed attention abilities. The primary explanation cited for this effect involves the four component parts of a restorative environment proposed in Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (ART). The current study assessed the perceived restorative potential of images collected from the St. Mary’s College of Maryland campus through an online survey. The images rated with the highest and lowest perceived restorative potential were then assessed for their actual ability to restore attention using a Sustained Attention Response Task. The study also observed what effect length of exposure to an environment has on attention restoration. Findings indicate that there is a minimum threshold of exposure that must be met to observe attention restoration effects. I conclude by proposing several alternative explanations for the observed attention restoration effect of natural environments. These theories bring ART back into the field of cognitive psychology by connecting the effect to previous findings involving visual perception and control of attention. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2010-05 |
| Marshall, Lauren J. | Psychology | Why do men rape? : a comparison of rape theories | The aim of this study proposal is to compare and test the three leading rape theories with what they hypothesize about the effects of male social status. The evolutionary theory posits that rape is genetic, natural and motivated by sex and the reproductive success. The feminist theory posits that rape is motivated by power and it a results of power imbalance due to gender inequalities. The social learning theory of rape posits that rape is a learned from observation and experience in social settings. Data will be collected via national Internet survey from non-married, heterosexual males. Pearson’s correlations will analyze the relationships between social status, rape myth beliefs, need for achievement/power, stranger rape and acquaintance rape. | Platt, Richard D. | 2010-05 |
| Mason, Elizabeth Jo | Psychology | Intervention on music therapy with grieving and hospitalized children | Music therapy is developing as a method to reduce the symptoms in children who have experienced trauma, especially in hospitalized and grieving children. It reduces trauma by using techniques such as improvisation, songwriting, singing, and music listening. It also emphasizes both a relationship between the music therapist and the children and self-expression in children through music. Hospitalized and grieving children often experience anxiety, depression, social isolation, and inability to express themselves, so music therapy is often beneficial to them. The purpose of this article is to illustrate through a review of published literature how music therapy is used in different populations of traumatized children and to develop a music therapy program specifically for grieving and hospitalized children. This program is designed to reduce their anxiety and increase their capabilities for self-expression. This program also gives music therapists a model that is flexible with regards to children’s ages, whether they are grieving or hospitalized, and whether or not they want to socialize in therapy. This model will address the goals that grieving and hospitalized children need to reach in order to function well in everyday life. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| McKerlie, Katelyn | Psychology | If you think you have, then you haven’t : the female orgasm : a socially constructed, subjective experience | This study examines the personal experiences women have with orgasm, which have been influenced by social and medical discourse. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with women ages 19 to 54. The data was analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The analysis serves as a way to explore the meaning making and personal definitions of women. The research revealed orgasm is experienced as a contextual experience that is considered the goal of sex, and an ability that reflects the sexual identity of women. Orgasm is influenced by external factors experienced by women personally, and yet social constructions of orgasm, shadow these personal experiences. The research highlights a gap between physiological experiences and embodied experiences, which should be further examined in health psychology. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2010-05 |
| Morgan, Erin Nicole | Psychology | Examining the link between gender role orientation and aggression in adolescence : a retrospective study of female college students | The present study examines gender role orientation and the perpetration and victimization of relational and overt aggression in adolescence, where 180 female college students retrospectively reported on their high school experiences. Participants completed the Adolescent Sex Role Inventory (ASRI), which provided scores for masculinity and femininity, and the Revised Peer Experience Questionnaire (RPEQ), which provided scores for perpetration and victimization of relational aggression, overt aggression, and prosocial behavior. The results of multiple One-way ANOVAs show a significant effect for gender role orientation for perpetration, where masculine and undifferentiated had higher scores of overt and relational perpetration. There was also a significant relationship between masculinity and perpetration, and between femininity and prosocial behavior. Based on the results, it seems that feminine females do not participate in relational aggression, and instead foster positive relationships; whereas masculinity in females is linked with the perpetration of aggression. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2010-05 |
| Mountain, Taylore Donnye Ligons | Psychology | Implementation and evaluation of a leadership training program for campus club officers | St. Mary’s College of Maryland has a strong interest in student leadership. Student Affairs representatives encourage students involvement on campus, as this is an opportunity for them to attain leadership experience, enhance critical thinking, interpersonal, and communication skills, and learn how to work in groups. The skills that student leaders learn now can be applied in the future. However, not every student leader has the same amount of leadership training or experience. This project focuses on methods for student leaders to enhance their leadership skills in addition to the current objectives of the Student Government Association’s Club Council sessions. For this project, Situational Leadership Theory was the method applied. Club presidents took a pre- and post-assessment, the Leadership Behavior Analysis II (LBA II), that measured leadership style, flexibility, and effectiveness. The leadership assessment used may not have been applicable to student leadership, but the additional aspects of the program have potential to be used to help club leaders become better student leaders. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| Piantadosi, Patrick Thomas | Psychology | Effect of intrabasalis orexin A infusion on reversal learning performance in rats with 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis | Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by hypofunction of the basal forebrain cholinergic system, which results in the memory and attentional deficits observed in individuals suffering from the disease. Progressive neurodegeneration renders the primary source of cortical acetylcholine (ACh), the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nBM), unable to innervate the cortex at normal physiological levels. Recent research has implicated a group of hypothalamic neuropeptides, the orexins (orexin A and B, also known as hypocretin 1 and 2), in aiding in the efflux of endogenous ACh from the nBM to the cortex. Microdialysis administration of orexin A (OxA) to the nBM in rats has been shown to stimulate cortical ACh release and decrease feeding latency in response to an appetitive stimulus. No previous research has evaluated the impact of OxA administration on performance of a cortical dependent task in animals with selective cholinergic lesions of the nBM. The current study attempted to examine the effect of intrabasalis administration of OxA on olfactory discrimination reversal learning (ODRL) performance in rats with 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the nBM. It was hypothesized that OxA administration prior to reversal would ameliorate the reversal learning deficit characteristic of animals with nBM lesions. Results indicated that animals with cholinergic lesions trended towards impairment during reversal, although no effect of OxA was observed on performance during any stage of the ODRL task. Implications and possible confounds relating to cannula placement and lesion efficacy are discussed. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2010-05 |
| Piantadosi, Sean C. | Psychology | Examining the effect of voluntary exercise on spatial memory, fear conditioning and BDNF levels in the hippocampus of male and female rats | In aging humans, voluntary exercise has been shown to improve cognition, increase brain and hippocampus volume, and raise levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Sex differences in the effect of exercise have also been found, with females performing significantly better than males on cognitive tasks. Animal studies have replicated and expanded these human findings, with one notable exception: The effect of exercise in both male and female rats has not yet been studied. Existing literature suggests that the circulating hormone estrogen interacts with exercise, and that there are non-learning and memory associated differences between males and females following voluntary exercise. Other areas of research, such as chronic stress, have found stable sex differences in both the brain and behavior. Taken together, an argument for the possibility that exercise has sexually dimorphic effects can be made. The present study investigated whether 4 weeks of voluntary wheel running affected spatial memory, fear conditioning and hippocampal BDNF levels differently in male and female rats. Results showed that performance on an object placement task of spatial memory improved following exercise in both males and females. However, in males, both auditory and contextual fear conditioning were impaired following exercise, while female performance did not change. No changes in hippocampal BDNF were observed following exercise. Possible confounds, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2010-05 |
| Reynolds, Rebecca Marie | Psychology | College students attitudes toward cigarette smoking | Researchers examined whether attitudes toward smoking changed as a function of knowing others who smoke, whether the participants themselves smoke, and whether the participants knew someone close to them who suffered from smoking-induced chronic illness. The results of this study suggest that there is a link between an individual’s attitude toward smoking as well as their perceptions of cigarette smoking and whether or not they are smoking themselves or know others who smoke. Participants who knew smokers viewed smoking as more socially desirable, a stress reliever, and less negative. Participants who are currently smokers also view smoking as more socially desirable, and less negative. There was no difference in attitudes toward smoking based on whether or not the participant knew someone with a smoking-induced chronic illness. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2010-05 |
| Robinson, Fawne Diva | Psychology | Consequences of making ends meet : comparing predictor models of positive and negative spillover | The work family conflict is an issue that affects the majority of the working population. Work family conflict is the conflict that arises from an employee’s work and family domains. Negative spillover is a consequence from the interaction between work that spills over into the family domain. Although industrial organizational psychologist know the definition of work family conflict, it is still hard to find the most accurate theoretical approach to explain it. The role stress theory explains the work family conflict as a type of conflict that arises from the interactions of multiple roles, which demands can deplete an employee of his or her physiological or psychological resources. The role enhancement theory explains that the participation in multiple domains will enhance and employee’s resources which will enhance participation in other roles. Positive spillover is benefits that an employee experiences in their work domain that carries over into their family domain. The aim of this study is to test if the combined positive and negative spillover predictor model is a better predictor model of work family conflict than the negative spillover model alone. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2010-05 |
| Rowlands, Abby Lauren | Psychology | Effects of isolation rearing on the motivational properties of cocaine in the conditioned place preference test | The current study is based on the dual diagnosis model of schizophrenia and addiction. The high prevalence of the comorbidity of schizophrenia and addiction has drawn the attention of much recent research. The mesolimbic dopamine pathway, a neural pathway implicated in addiction, has been shown to be dysfunctional in individuals with schizophrenia both drug abusing and non-abusing. The primary goal of the current research was to investigate the effects of isolation rearing on prepulse inhibition and the motivational properties of cocaine. Isolation rearing was used as a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia while conditioned place preference (CPP) was used to investigate reward-seeking behaviors. Subjects included 20 male Sprague Dawley rats which were divided into two housing conditions, social (n =10) and isolate (n=10), for six weeks. Rats were then tested on prepulse inhibition (PPI) and cocaine CPP. Results did not support the hypotheses that rats reared in isolation would show deficits in PPI relative to animals housed in social conditions. While it was also expected that isolation reared animals would show a stronger preference for the drug as shown by greater time spent in the drug-paired room, results showed no interaction between time spent in room and housing condition. Future research should look to further investigate the pairing of isolation rearing and CPP, as well as the use of cocaine in the CPP model. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2010-05 |
| Russell, Lisa Michele | Psychology | Impact of parental attachment on roommate relationship quality | Parental attachment in childhood was investigated as a predictor of subsequent college roommate relationship quality. Two hundred and fifty-five undergraduate college students participated in the study. Parental attachment in childhood was measured retrospectively using the Parental Attachment Scale (PAS) while roommate relationship quality was measured using the Roommate Relationship Questionnaire (RRQ). Results indicated that participants’ scores on the PAS were significantly correlated with and significant predictors of their RRQ scores. Further analysis revealed that participants’ scores on the Rejecting subscale of the PAS had a significant effect on their RRQ scores. Possible implications in regards to the current findings are discussed, as well as future directions for related studies. | Dennison, Renee P. | 2010-05 |
| Smith, Elizabeth Sarah | Psychology | Behavioral and neuronal implications of isolation rearing on a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia | The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) as well as isolation rearing are rodent models of schizophrenia that produce similar behavioral deficits in sensorimotor gating, social behavior, and spatial working memory in conjunction with similar neuropathologies combination of both of these models in rats produces an additive effect on locomotor activity and structural deficits within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). In this study, the combination of isolation rearing and the NVHL model was examined in sensorimotor gating, social behavior, spatial working memory and neuronal activity within the PFC and NAcc. There was no additive effect of combining isolation rearing and the NVHL on these tasks or on neuronal activity within the PFC and NAcc. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2010-05 |
| Southerland, Shauna M. | Psychology | Art therapy in public schools : a program proposal for America’s elementary school counseling system | Recently, art therapy is becoming recognized as a useful form of therapy with young children. The varying problems that children face today can impact their education and consequently impair development and their eventual arrival into the adult world. Elementary school aged children today are experiencing increasingly complicated problems in today’s society so effective counseling and therapy has never been more needed. This paper not only discusses the current state of the American school counseling system, but also presents a practical implementation of art therapy within schools as well as the. One main goal of the proposal program is to create a system in which children with varying problems may receive the necessary help from art therapy. Children with developmental, emotional, intellectual, and physical disabilities and children who are experiencing other problems will receive help from this art therapy program. Within the program, children may participate in group and individual counseling depending on need. Additionally, the program is an open entry-open exit program which allows children to begin therapy when needed and leave when goals are accomplished. This program aims to work alongside established counselors, teachers, and parents. Varying art therapy activities are also presented alongside, an evaluation process, budget concerns, and implementation strategies. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| Stutman, Jason Michael | Psychology | Lifting the veil : exploring the subjective foundations of diagnoses in American psychiatry | Modern American psychiatric diagnoses have been challenged on the grounds of ethics, reliability, validity and culture (Rosenhan,1973; Kirk and Kutchins, 1992; Szasz, 1970; Watters, 2010). Despite these criticisms, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), structured as a medical model of abnormal behavior, is used by a considerably high proportion of mental health professionals (Frazer, Westhuis, Daley and Phillips, 2009). Being this indicates adherence to the medical model, the author of this study analyzed undergraduate education as a possible origin of this adherence. Findings show a higher focus on a bio-medical model of viewing behavior in comparison to various other models. Further research on students’ views is suggested, as well as deeper educational focus on alternative models. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| Thomas-Brown, Autumn Sherida | Psychology | Vhat vould joo lyke? : accents and their impact on impression formation | This study was conducted to investigate how a speaker’s accent might influence first impressions and person perception. The experiment used five different types of accented English with an American Midwestern accent, a Chinese accent, a French accent, a German accent and a Spanish accent, to examine the effect of accent on personal characteristics and qualities ratings provided by the listener. Two accents had to be eliminated from data analysis for failure to be recognized. For the remaining three accents, there were significant differences in ratings of the likelihood to live in a rural area, the likelihood of being more educated, the likelihood of reading more and the likelihood of being healthier. The results suggest that there is indeed a way in which a speaker’s accent influences impression formation. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| Thompson, Alexander Daniel | Psychology | Relationships between types of perfectionism and defense mechanisms | This paper discusses the different types of defense mechanisms and the categories that they belong to (immature, mature, neurotic, and psychotic). Types of perfectionism (maladaptive, adaptive, other oriented, and self oriented) are also discussed. This paper proposes a study, using no less than 91 students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, to observe the relationships between defense mechanisms and types of perfectionism. These relationships will be studied by using the Defense Style Questionnaire 40, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised. It is hypothesized that other oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism will be significantly associated with immature, mature and neurotic defenses. It is also hypothesized that self oriented perfectionism will be slightly correlated with sublimation, humor and suppression. This paper hypothesizes that maladaptive perfectionists will use significantly more immature defenses than adaptive and non-perfectionists. It is hypothesized that maladaptive perfectionists will use more immature defenses than non-perfectionists. Finally, it is hypothesized for any differences between adaptive, maladaptive and non-perfectionists in terms of using neurotic and mature defenses. Limitations and implications of the study are also discussed. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2010-05 |
| Turek, Kevin Charles | Psychology | Mental illness stigma : even when you’re better? | Those with mental illnesses often experience stigma, which can hinder social and physical recovery. This stigma may still be present years after a person has “recovered.” This study used vignettes to compare stigma toward those with symptoms of depression to those with symptoms of schizophrenia. They were compared when symptoms were present, when symptoms were not present for two years, and when the symptoms were attributed to a physical injury. These conditions were compared separately using 2x2 ANOVAs. Other factors that may influence stigma (e.g., experience with those with mental illnesses) were also examined. Those with schizophrenia symptoms scored significantly higher than those with depression symptoms on every factor examined except for one about visibility. Based on correlation and reliability data, this visibility factor may not be a valid measure of stigma. Further analysis found that those with more experience with those with mental illnesses showed fewer stigmas toward them. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2010-05 |
| Watters, Sara Morgan Amy | Psychology | Study abroad : the impact international education has on St. Mary’s College of Maryland students | Studying abroad has provided many students with unique international experiences that have impacted cross-cultural views and awareness. In order to measure this impact, the current study sought to analyze changes in a pre posttest survey that measured attitudes, aspirations and knowledge from predeparture to after returning from study abroad. In addition, additional insight was gathered through focus group discussions. The quantitative and qualitative assessments revealed that students gained a global perspective, and had attitude and aspiration changes after studying abroad. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2010-05 |
| Wersten, Krysta M. | Psychology | Gender and the physical attractiveness stereotype | This study attempted to find relationships between the long standing “physically attractive stereotype” and the importance of gender in relation to attractiveness. The physical attractiveness stereotype is the higher perceived social competency of physically attractive persons. Biological and social groundings emphasize the importance of physical attractiveness through the preferential treatment given to the physically attractive. Media influences on the stereotype and the perception of both males and females is discussed. Subjects viewed 6 photographs (3 males/ 3 females) and rated their personality characteristics based on perceived attractiveness. Subjects also compared the photographs in terms of future happiness and personality dimensions of friendliness, physical attractiveness, social poise and enthusiasm. No significant results were found, however, the differences in amount of female and male participants could account for the lack of significance. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2010-05 |
| Winship, Anna Dorothea | Psychology | Effect of different types of music on anxiety levels | The current study examines the effect of different music types on anxiety levels in a college population. There were 103 undergraduate students who took part in this study, 34 men, 60 women, and 9 unknown. In order to induce anxiety, the participants were told they were taking a math exam, and that they would be presenting their answers to the group. The participants were given the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y and then were given a difficult math test. Following the math test, the participants listened to their type of music or sat in silence for 10 minutes. They then completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y. Music type did not have a significant effect on state or trait anxiety ratings. There was a significant increase in anxiety scores from before to after the math test for both state and trait anxiety, signifying that anxiety was successfully induced following math test. There were no significant effects of gender, math classes taken, GPA, or major on anxiety ratings for state anxiety and trait anxiety. Limitations and future implications are discussed in the discussion section. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2010-05 |
| Baker, Angela Jessica | Psychology | Examining the effect of parenting styles and morals on college student academic achievement and life satisfaction | The present study examined the separate and combined effects of parenting styles and the mechanisms of moral disengagement defined by Bandura (1999) on academic success and life satisfaction. The aim of the study is to examine the discrepancy between college students’ perceived and actual GPA as well as the discrepancy between students’ perceived and actual class ranking. The current evidence supported previous research, which stated that students of authoritative parents have higher actual and perceived GPAs, be less morally disengaged and have a higher sense of life satisfaction than students of authoritarian or permissive parents. However, evidence from the current study suggested there was no impact on the GPA or ranking discrepancies as a function of parenting style or morality. Implications for reasons students might misrepresent themselves are discussed. Keywords: parenting, morality, life satisfaction, academic success, discrepancy | Stanton, Roger D. | 2009-12 |
| Hernandez, Alexander Edgardo | Psychology | Impact of a four-week escalating dose regimen of methamphetamine on cognition and serotonin levels within the hippocampus in adult and adolescent rats | Although recent rates of methamphetamine (METH) use have decreased somewhat, use remains higher among adolescents aged 12-17 than among adults 26 years or older. Exposure to METH during adolescence could result in neurological damage and psychiatric dysfunction. The current experiment focused on determining the impact of a four-week escalating dose regimen of METH, beginning in either adolescence or adulthood, on working memory, behavioral flexibility, and levels of serotonin within the hippocampus in 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The use of a four-week escalating dose regimen spans the entire adolescent period in rats and models the typical human pattern of METH use. Results did not support the hypothesis that all rats exposed to the escalating dose regimen of METH would show significant deficits in working memory and set-shifting, nor reductions in levels of serotonin within the hippocampus, as compared to saline controls. Results also did not support the hypothesis that adolescent-treated rats would be more susceptible to METH induced cognitive deficits and reductions in hippocampal serotonin levels as compared to adult-treated rats. Future research should utilize the escalating dose regimen and investigate the role of the HPA axis, pharmacodynamic tolerance, and chronic injection stress in METH induced cognitive deficits. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2009-12 |
| Hill, Kelli Lynn | Psychology | Teacher attitudes toward standardized testing | Various stakeholders, including teachers, are influenced by standardized testing and it is important to understand their attitudes shaped by perception of both positive and negative aspects of testing. Educational professionals (n= 221) completed the 56-item Teacher Attitudes toward Standardized Testing questionnaire. Factor analysis resulted in the emergence of three distinct factors- Unfairness/Limited Opportunities/Modifications, Accountability/Motivation, and Stress/Teaching Practices. Data analysis revealed that teachers generally held neutral to mildly negative attitudes of standardized testing. Regression analysis demonstrated that years of teaching experience predicted teacher attitudes for the Unfairness/Limited Opportunities/ Modifications factor. Generally, rural teachers, elementary school teachers, and veteran teachers held more positive attitudes of testing than suburban teachers, middle school teachers, and new teachers. Future research should explore attitudes in more geographical locations and diverse populations. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2009-12 |
| Lawson, Cynthia Ann | Psychology | Signal strength in induced eating behavior : a comparison between direct and indirect activation of the lateral hypothalamus | [no abstract] | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-12 |
| Slater, Alana LoryAnna | Psychology | Living with addiction : a proposal to create an animal model of cohabitating with drug use and its effect on stress using Long Evans rats | Drugs alter behavior and because of this a drug user’s relationship and social network may suffer. The alteration in behavior could affect not only the drug users or addicts but the family and peers of these individuals. In order to test this effect I propose the development of an animal model of living with and addict. In order to do this four behavioral tests will be used to measure depression and anxiety in cage mates of rats that are injected with binge doses of cocaine. It is predicted that the results will show that rats had a measurable increase in depression and anxiety across the four behavioral tests. If these are the predicted results, they support the idea that living with an addict causes an increase in stress, as presumably we believe there will be similar if not greater changes in humans living with addicts considering that humans have closer social ties. If these individuals do undergo stress, there is a possibility that their cognitive function may be impaired. This animal model would help us better understanding of the relationship between addicts and individuals living with them and could provide the research needed in order to develop therapy treatment for this particular type of stressor, greatly benefiting places which have many individuals living in close proximity such as college campuses. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2009-12 |
| Bell, Kelly | Psychology | The Perceived Parenting Style and Personality Traits that Influence Substance Use and Abuse | This study examined perceived parenting style and personality traits of participants and their substance use. 345 participants completed the surveys, 293 females and 52 males. The participants were recruited from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a convenience community sample in the Southern Maryland area. The results of this study indicated that there is an interaction between some substances, personality traits, and perceived parenting styles. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2009-05 |
| Cain, Kathleen P. | Psychology | Exploration into the elements of writing therapy present in personal journals and weblogs | The current study aimed to investigate the use of traditional writing therapy in personal journals and weblogs. Previous research has indicated that writing about personal traumas in laboratory settings can relieve anxiety and symptoms of depression (Pennebaker, 1997). This study utilized an original questionnaire to explore participant’s usage of journals (handwritten or word processed) and weblogs, specifically in the areas of structure, disclosure, emotional regulation, and depth of content. Weblogs are widely used in the United States and around the world as a place to record personal thoughts and feelings. Demographic information about participants that used journals and weblogs was collected. Results between journal users and weblog users were compared using paired-samples t-tests. URL addresses from 37 participants were collected to explore the use of writing therapy techniques first hand. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2009-05 |
| Caminiti, Jacqueline A. | Psychology | Modern racism and juror decision-making : the impact of racial saliency in a mock criminal trial | This study examined the role of race on the decisions of mock jurors. Participants read a case vignette describing the physical assault of either an African American man by a Caucasian man, or vice versa. The racial saliency of the criminal cases was also manipulated, thereby creating 4 experimental conditions. Participants were asked to return a verdict as well as several other assessments of the guilt of the defendant. Participants also completed the Modern Racism Scale (MRS) in order to factor individual levels of prejudice into the analysis. Results showed that African American defendants were rated as guiltier and deserving of harsher punishments than Caucasian defendants regardless of racial saliency. Furthermore, individual levels of prejudice as measured by MRS score were positively correlated with guilt ratings and harshness of punishment ratings of the African American defendant. This study and others of its kind are useful in determining how large a role racial issues play in legal proceedings and offer opportunities to learn how the effects of racial prejudices may be mitigated. | Finkelman, David G. | 2009-05 |
| Clark, Jessica Jean | Psychology | Transforming our youth : a behavior modification program created through a compilation of therapy techniques | Through past observations when working with young children, researchers wanted to develop a program to help modify the behavior of disruptive students. Three main themes were selected, respect (for oneself, for peers and for staff), responsibility (for one’s work, and actions), and coping with emotions (anger, sadness, worry). Research on therapy techniques for young children was examined and compiled to create a unique behavior modification program. The program used techniques such as sand tray therapy, expression through arts and crafts, group discussion, and reward systems. Students felt successes of the program included learning to deal with bullies, anger, and worry, learning to enjoy competition for the fun of it, and learning to be a better person. Researchers found similar successes. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2009-05 |
| Cosentino, Maya Elisabeth | Psychology | Residential therapeutic community : a model for adolescents in Germany | The therapeutic community (TC) is a residential program that uses a self-help social learning approach to treat individuals with substance abuse and co-existing disorders. Following an overview of the history, treatment approach, and research conducted to evaluate traditional and adolescent TCs, a case study of an adolescent TC in Töpeln, Germany is presented. Daily life in the community and the reasoning behind how the program is run is described and critically analyzed. The program’s success is also demonstrated through personality inventory score changes and information gathered by the author in informal interviews. Based on the reviewed literature and the presented case study, it is concluded that although many of the therapeutic aspects of TC treatment are not understood, the social, caring environment and structured lifestyle are fundamental to the positive influences adolescent TCs have. [Includes DVD recording of documentary film "Parceval : an adolescent therapeutic community."] | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2009-05 |
| Delanoy, Erika Lindsay | Psychology | Alternatives to traditional psychotherapeutic intervention techniques : a review of the literature and interviews with practitioners | This paper analyzes alternatives to traditional psychotherapy. I first briefly describe some traditional approaches of psychotherapy (including psychoanalytic therapy, Adlerian therapy, Rogerian therapy, behavior therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy) and follow that with an in-depth description of complementary and alternative medicine as well as specific approaches including yoga therapy, music therapy, pet therapy, qigong, aromatherapy, and acupuncture. Interviews were conducted with professional yoga therapists, music therapists, a qigong master, and an aromatherapist. Important findings from the interviews are reviewed. I continue with a discussion of some issues, concerns, and questions that are left unanswered by the literature. Implications for future research and the future of psychotherapy are also discussed. | Finkelman, David G. | 2009-05 |
| DeMarr, Heather Maria | Psychology | School psychologist’s role in diagnosing and intervening with ADHD in the classroom | The behaviors associated with ADHD can cause many problems in the classroom. Detecting ADHD is integral to maintain an environment conducive to learning. School psychologists assess children and plan interventions to eliminate negative behaviors associated with ADHD. This study aimed to examine what behaviors are associated with ADHD and whether those behaviors stand out in a classroom setting. It was hypothesized that children with possible ADHD would exhibit higher levels of off-task behaviors and out of seat behavior and there would be grade level differences. Results show that children with possible ADHD do demonstrate more behaviors as well as out of seat behavior but only out of seat produced a grade level difference. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2009-05 |
| deWolfe, Julie Marie | Psychology | Parent-child communication about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder : implications for coping with ADHD | The purpose of this study was to learn about the common experiences that accompany the diagnosis of ADHD. There is controversy over the disorder about whether or not it is over diagnosed, and about the dangers of the psychostimulant drugs used to treat children. The currents study aimed to investigate the opinions of college students about these issues. Twelve college students were interviewed about their experiences relating to ADHD, school, personal life, and treatment history. The interviews were analyzes by content areas and common themes found within the responses. These included: Symptoms, individual coping methods, teacher accommodations, parental support, parent-child relationships, social life, attitudes about counseling, attitudes about ADHD, adjustment to college, and medication. Based on these themes, an informational document was developed with suggestions for parents and children who are currently experiencing the challenges of ADHD. | Finkelman, David G. | 2009-05 |
| Eid, Justin Bryant | Psychology | Human lie detectors? : psychopathy and deception detection | The ability to detect deception is a very useful skill to possess if one is in the law enforcement industry. Criminals, specifically those with psychopathy, tend to lie in order to avoid criminal charges. It has been shown that individuals who possess a high level of psychopathy can be expert deceivers. But, does this mean that because these individuals are good at deceiving, they are also good at detecting deception? This question was investigated by exploring the relationship between psychopathy and the ability to detect deception. One hundred twenty four students, acting as naïve raters, were measured on the trait of psychopathy with the Psychopathic Personality Interview (Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996) and asked to detect deceptive presentations of 60 individuals who had been videotaped - either attempting to deceive or telling the truth. The results indicated that as the level of psychopathy increases, the ability to detect deception decreased significantly (r = -.216, p = .016). Thus, those individuals with high levels of psychopathy were worse at deception detection than those who scored lower. In addition, it was found that the scores on psychopathy of the individuals in the videos were not significantly correlated to their ability to deceive the naïve raters. | Billings, Frederick J. | 2009-05 |
| Fegley, Hannah Louise | Psychology | Examining the relationship between sexually explicit images, race, and sexual consent | The effects of pornographic images on individuals’ attitudes about date rape and sexual consent were examined. In addition to examining sex differences, the study aimed to see if the race of the women in the pornographic images influenced participants’ attitudes. Participants either viewed neutral images, pornographic images of White women or pornographic images of Black women. Participants completed the Sexual Consent Attitudes Scale (Humphreys & Herold, 2007) and answered questions about a date rape scenario (Katz, Moore & Tkachuk, 2007). A series of 2 x 3 ANOVAs were conducted. Significant main effects for sex were found, but no significant main effects for image type were found. No significant interactions were found, but non-significant trends were found. The conclusions of the study indicate that more research needs to be done in this field. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2009-05 |
| Freund, Valerie Anne | Psychology | Peer influence on disordered eating in college females | The current study was designed to examine the roles of self-objectification and social comparison as they impact the experience of social comparison, self-objectification, body shame, body anxiety, and self-restricted eating in college females. The independent variables manipulated were the sex of the anticipated evaluative audience (either male or female) and the presence of others while being evaluated (single, paired with thin-ideal peer or paired with average peer). None of the results from a series of ANOVAs were found to be significant except for a significant interaction for body shame. Variables that may protect against the experience of body shame, self-objectification and disordered eating behavior are discussed. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2009-05 |
| Gerald, Kaila Rae | Psychology | Are early and late bloomers really that different from everyone else : examining the effect of pubertal timing on personality | Studies have shown that an adolescent’s pubertal timing influences certain factors, like the likelihood of developing psychological problems, engaging in delinquency, sexual experience, and self-concept. This study seeks to determine whether pubertal timing influences personality, using the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness). Participants completed a questionnaire measuring their perceived pubertal timing and personality. They were then placed in one of three groups (early, on-time, or late maturers) and their scores for each personality trait were totaled. A series of 2x3 ANOVAs (sex x pubertal timing) was completed to analyze the data. The only significant main effect was for sex for neuroticism, with females being more neurotic than males. These results suggest that pubertal timing does not influence personality. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2009-05 |
| Gibson, Emily Claire | Psychology | Teaching it all : a new approach to a middle school sex education curriculum | Different sex education programs and curriculums were examined. The effectiveness of abstinence-only and comprehensive programs was compared. Abstinence-only programs were deemed ineffective by existing literature while comprehensive programs were found to be most effective at lowering pregnancy and STD rates among teens. A number of components and topics included in many sex education programs were examined in detail and the wishes of parents and students in sex education programs were discussed. An existing middle school sex education curriculum was critiqued and changed to form the author’s ideal which includes more parental involvement, a teacher with a health background, and topics including communication skills, obtaining accurate health information, and homosexuality. Recommendations were made for future research in those areas. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2009-05 |
| Gibson, Joanna Louise | Psychology | Creating community and living intentionally : a study of secular intentional communities | A study of members/residents of three secular intentional communities was conducted to determine the demographic and personality traits of the individuals who choose to join intentional communities. 62 community members/residents completed a survey with demographic and personality assessment items. The survey results from community members/residents were compared with the results from a comparison group, and some significant differences were found. The survey results from community members/residents were also tested for intercorrelation. Seven community members/residents participated in interviews to provide information on the experience of individuals within communities. The themes of sustainability, feminism, and active conflict resolution/prevention (ACRP) were isolated from the interviews. The implications of the findings, both for future research and for mainstream society, are discussed. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2009-05 |
| Graham, Tashia Nicole | Psychology | Sexual double standard in college students | The sexual double standard is defined as an inconsistency in socially acceptable sexual activity for males and for females. A sexual double standard was demonstrated solely in participants’ views of the target’s self-esteem and female participants’ views of the target’s responsibility. A reverse double standard was supported for ratings of target intelligence. For goal-orientedness, respectability and responsibility a single sexual double standard was supported. The hypothesis that female participants would rate the female target significantly more harshly than male participants was supported for both responsibility and self-esteem. Male peers were trended to be more forgiving over all, supporting the hypothesis that participants will perceive lower ratings from female peers. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2009-05 |
| Graydon, Megan Elyse | Psychology | Examining anxiety and depression in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease | Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the cognitive functioning of humans (Hollingwoth et al., 2006). Damage to the nBM via human AD or an experimental lesion may alter processing in the amygdala leading to changes in emotion and mood. AD has also been shown to affect mood, such as anxiety and depression in humans (Delano- Wood et al., 2007). The nBM is known to send cholinergic projections to the amygdala (Mesulam et al., 1983), which has been previously shown to be involved in aspects of emotional learning and fear responding (LeDoux, 2000). The researchers hypothesized that quisqualic acid lesions will disrupt the cholinergic pathways from the nBM to the amygdala, which will cause an increase in time spent immobile in the forced swim test, decrease in preference for sucrose in the sucrose preference test and decrease in entries and time spent in the open arms in the elevated plus maze. 192- IgG saporin nBM lesions were hypothesized to effect projections to the cortex and will have fewer changes seen in depression and anxiety- like behaviors of the rats. The researchers found that there was so significant difference in anxiety and depressive-like behaviors seen in rats with nBM lesions and sham control rats. The data however suggests a trend that may support the current hypotheses if repeated. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Gutowski, Ellen Rachel | Psychology | Nerves syndrome in the Gambia, West Africa and its social and global context | Although it has been proposed that difficulties coping with acculturative stress may result in mental illness, little research has directly focused on indigenous populations known to experience such stress as a result of globalization (Arnett, 2002; Berry,1997). The current study examines the phenomenon of “Nerves” syndrome, a label used locally for a group of young Gambian men who desperately want to travel. Because the population afflicted with the “Nerves” syndrome is composed of youth who are involuntarily immobile, previous research indicates that this population may be particularly susceptible to mental health problems (Berry, 1997; Carling; 2002). Through participant observation in local mental hospitals as well as interviews with (n = 7) Gambian and Senegalese respondents, this study investigates whether those experiencing this “syndrome” experience mental illness, as well as the local and global context influencing the experience of the “syndrome.” | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2009-05 |
| Hilliard, Makeyda Antoinette | Psychology | Knowledge and attitudes of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) of practicing teachers | This study analyzed the overall knowledge of ADHD of practicing teachers of St. Mary’s County Public schools in the state of Maryland. Their knowledge of ADHD was compared to their attitudes towards students with ADHD and their self-efficacy of teaching these students. The knowledge of ADHD was measured using a newly developed instrument while the attitudes and self-efficacy were measured through a direct probe question. There was no correlation between the overall knowledge of ADHD and attitudes or self-efficacy. However, there was a negative correlation (which was predicted) between attitudes and self-efficacy. The results of this study were relatively similar to previous studies and showed the need for more resources that have information regarding the treatment of this disorder. The discussion compares the results of this study to previous literature and discusses the implications of these findings. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2009-05 |
| Holmes, Lauren A. | Psychology | Gender stereotypes in Caldecott Medal-winning children’s books, 1938-2008 | In the past, researchers have noted that a main focus in early childhood is on the development of gender roles and gender identity. Although social interactions and exposure to popular media sources have been shown to provide a basis for this gender role development, children’s books have been considered a powerful influence as well. In the present study, a collection of 71 children’s picture books were analyzed for gender representation and emotion stereotypes. All examined books were awarded either the Caldecott Medal or Caldecott Honor award, making them top-selling picture books. It was anticipated that overall female presence and female main character presence would increase in the illustrations and text of these books over the years. In addition, it was hypothesized that, with time, female characters would be associated with fewer emotion words and male characters with more emotion words. All hypotheses were unsupported. In the case of these award-winning books, male characters continuously outnumbered female characters in terms of visibility, or explicit presence, and female character presence only slightly fluctuated. In the case of emotion, both male emotion and female emotion fluctuated. Implications and suggestions for future research regarding gender and gender stereotypes in children’s award-winning books are discussed. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2009-05 |
| Hughes, Michele Nicole | Psychology | Effects of sports participation on at-risk youth : review of the literature and suggestions for program development | Youth sports participation has been a topic of great concern in terms of its benefits. The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the research investigating the effects of sports participation on a youth population. The psychological, emotional, social, and intellectual benefits of sports participation are all reviewed, revealing sport has the potential to offer positive outcomes for participants. Following the literature review, the research focusing on sports participation is evaluated, outlining issues with quasi-experimental designs and problems arising from not having a control group. An outline of a sport program that has the potential for the most psychological benefit to participants is included as well as suggestions for designing research that will provide a better indication of the actual affects of sports participation on a youth population. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2009-05 |
| Johnson, Kaitlyn | Psychology | Hippocampal and cognitive changes in an animal model of Type 1 diabetes mellitus | Cognitive impairments have been recognized as a complication of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). This study examined the effect of DM on spatial cognition and neuronal activity in the hippocampus using Streptozotocin-treated animal models of DM. Water maze testing was used to examine changes in spatial cognition. C-fos immunohistochemical staining techniques were used to measure neuronal activity in the hippocampus. DM animals showed impairments in spatial recognition memory tests six weeks after diabetes was induced. C-fos staining results were inconclusive regarding neuronal activity in the hippocampus. The results support the hypothesis that DM animals will exhibit cognitive impairments after six weeks of induced DM. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Klotz, Kaitlin Elizabeth | Psychology | Evaluation of memory : do authority roles affect adults' memories of central and peripheral information? | The current investigation evaluated whether or not adults are susceptible to false memories when misinformation of an event is introduced. After reading a newspaper article describing an on-campus event, participants were assigned to a condition; student condition or authority condition. Those in the student condition read a letter that was said to be written by a student and those in the authority condition read a letter that was said to be written by the president of a college, when in actuality they were identical letters. Particular items were chosen to test the participants’ recognition of true central/peripheral information and false central/peripheral information. Memories were assessed through the use of a recognition questionnaire. I discovered that the participants did report false memories of central and peripheral items and were less accurate for peripheral items then central items. Both of these findings are congruent with previous research. However, it was found that assigned condition had no effect on the participants’ recognition and was not a predictor of false memories. This finding suggests that adults may place similar importance on a peer’s opinions and memories as they would on an authority figure’s opinions or memories. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2009-05 |
| Lamar, Catherine Leslie | Psychology | Effects of subconscious priming on judgment behavior | For this St. Mary’s Project in the field of psychology, a study was designed to assess the effect of subconscious priming on behavior. Past research shows that subconscious priming, or flashing words below the conscious awareness level, may have an effect on subsequent actions. The present study seeks to further this research by observing the proposed effects of subconscious emotion priming on judgment decisions. 102 college participants were subconsciously primed with angry, happy, guilty, or neutral words. They were then asked to determine the punishment they would administer in three vignettes depicting crimes of varying severity. There were no significant results of the study, which shows that there was no effect of priming on judgment. There was also no effect of sex on judgment. Recommendations for research suggest modifying details in the methodology, and extending the categories of subconscious priming. | Platt, Richard D. | 2009-05 |
| Murphy, Kiely Elizabeth | Psychology | Case study of a 23-year-old male with bipolar disorder | This research provides more information about a specific case of bipolar disorder. It features a 23-year-old primary participant whose onset occurred during high school and is currently living a relatively stable life. The study included 5 respondents that are integral parts of the primary participant’s life. 4 of the respondents witnessed the initial acute phase of his disorder. It is an in depth look at the current literature on pharmacological treatment, psychotherapy, treatment adherence, and other aspects of life that are affected by bipolar disorder. Each aspect was applied to the primary participant’s lifestyle before, during, and after diagnosis. It identifies where he can be compared to available literature and where he differs from what was been reported for patients who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2009-05 |
| Nehez, Briana Katheryn | Psychology | Finding value in dissonant information : examining the limitation of relevance in evaluating information | The purpose of the present research was to investigate how the relevance of information affects the preference for information consistent with personal views. Participants were given a proposal of a new required college course involving teaching library and technological skills. The proposal pertained to either the student’s present institution or a different college. Participants gave their initial decision and then were given more information about the proposal (either two or ten pieces of information) then had to choose which piece of information was most useful and make their final decision. Results indicate a preference for consistent information regardless of information quantity. | Stanton, Roger D. | 2009-05 |
| Novak, Jennifer Nicole | Psychology | Are we dismissive of being permissive? Examining gender and sex roles in terms of sexual activity in “casual” and “serious” relationships | [abstract not available] | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2009-05 |
| Oben, Marie Elise | Psychology | Continuing exercise after brief cessation : the effects on BDNF regulation, depression, and anxiety | There is evidence to support the up-regulation of BDNF and improvement of depressive and anxiety symptoms as a result of exercise in both human and animal models. However, some animals models do not support these results. There is also a lack of research on the effects of cessation and reoccurrence of exercise. The current study investigated the effects of exercise, exercise cessation, and reoccurrence of exercise on BDNF levels in the hippocampus and behavioral measures of depression and anxiety (forced swim test, sucrose preference test, elevated plus maze) in four groups of adult rats. Results do not support the hypotheses that voluntary access to running wheels would cause an up-regulation of BDNF and a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms (as compared to controls), nor were there noticeable trends regarding BDNF and behavior in the groups that experienced cessation or reoccurrence of exercise. While some past research conflicts with these results, there is also some research to support them. Explanations, limitations of the current study, and the need for further research are discussed. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Ortiz, Samantha Lynn | Psychology | Cyber world of identity expression | Internet use has reworked the way individuals interact and communicate with one another. Some of the most widely used sites online would be online social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, in which individuals, specifically adolescents and young adults, provide personal information about themselves as a way to meet new people. With a site such as MySpace, users have the ability to explore possible interests, crowds and communities of people, and their own identities. The purpose of the current study was to examine MySpace users’ profiles and analyze the type of identity-related information that was provided by males and females who were 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds. Based on Erikson and Marcia’s theories of identity development, it was hypothesized that individuals ages 18 and 19 would be more inclined to be going through moratorium than 20-year-old subjects. As for sex, it was hypothesized that females would be more likely to be emotionally expressive, more willing to disclose information about their identity relative to males. The results indicated that there were no such sex differences. However, younger subjects did appear to be expressing more ideas related to moratorium than older subjects. Additionally, analyses illustrated that males placed more importance on superficial details (e.g., movies and TV shows) compared to females. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2009-05 |
| Polisar, Evan N. | Psychology | Effects of romantic relationships on academic achievement, motivation and depression in college students | The current research examined the effects of the presence of college romantic relationships on students in terms of academic achievement, levels of depression, and academic motivation. Multiple factors of relationship health were investigated; hypothesizing that healthy college relationships would buffer the generally accepted negative effects of dating in an academic setting, while unhealthy relationships would increase these effects. Relationship presence was significantly correlated with lower academic performance, however results indicated contradictions to many hypothesized effects, and an overall lack of finding for others, including findings of previous research. Results suggest the possibility that in rigorous academic institutions, the negative effects of romantic involvement on academic performance are not as concrete as previously thought. Similarly, GPAs of participants were higher than the average student and not particularly variable, and history of relationship involvement was not associated with GPA. These results suggest a less dramatic impact of relationships on academic performance. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2009-05 |
| Powers, Jessica Lynn | Psychology | Do personality traits and demographic characeristics influence worried wellness? | The worried well are patients who are worried about their health, but have no medical illness. This population contributes to the burden the healthcare system currently experiences by excessively visiting the physician and overusing available resources. To reduce this burden, I proposed a worried wellness scale to identify this population comprised of four components, including doctor-patient relationship, psychological illness, perceptions of self, and family medical history. In addition, I was interested in identifying demographic characteristics and personality traits of this population. The factors that emerged from the four factor solution factor analysis were similar to the proposed components of the worried wellness scale. One component of the worried wellness scale did not correlate with the global worried wellness score, signifying that participants’ self report of patient-doctor relationships does not help to identify the worried well population. Participants who scored higher on the worried wellness scale were more likely to exhibit neurotic personality characteristics. The results supported future development for more research on the worried well population to reduce the burden of the healthcare system. | Finkelman, David G. | 2009-05 |
| Rogalski, Jerilyn Marie | Psychology | Using dolphins as therapy tools : possible effects on the animals and implications for future interaction programs | There is little research examining dolphin interaction programs. A few studies have measured stress levels of dolphins in various interaction programs (Brensing et al., 2005; Trone et al., 2005) and one study that measured the effectiveness of treating depression with dolphin therapy (Antonioli and Reveley, 2005). The purpose of these three proposed experiments is to expand on the research of dolphin interaction programs. The first study will measure the effects different human interaction situations have on the stress and aggression levels of dolphins. The second study will examine the effects of dolphin therapy, dog therapy, swimming therapy, and medication only on children with autism. The third study will examine the effects of dolphin therapy versus swimming therapy on the positive emotions of cancer patients. Following the three proposals is a literature review discussing the cognitive capabilities that dolphins possess. All three proposed studies are novel research ideas and the results could revolutionize the prevalence of animal therapy, specifically dolphin therapy. Results could also raise awareness to ensure that the dolphins are being treated appropriately and protect against aggressive behavior towards human participants. If dolphin therapy proves to be the most effect method for treating autism or cancer patients, families may be encouraged to come up with additional creative and effective ways to treat their children with these illnesses. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Sitz, Lindsey Nichole | Psychology | Transforming our youth : changing behavior creatively | Transforming Our Youth (T.O.Y.) is a behavior modification program that utilized creative therapeutic techniques to reduce the frequency of problem behaviors in a group setting of fourth and fifth graders. Prior to sessions, two volunteer coders observed children (in both control and experimental groups) for three minutes each, marking down misbehaviors (as dictated by a researcher designed coding sheet). T.O.Y. consisted of four females and one male, and lasted approximately five weeks. There was an average of three sessions per week that aimed to address issues of respect, responsibility, and coping with emotion in new and innovative ways. Group members enjoyed sandplay and progressive relaxation, made worry dolls, grew lavender plants, watched caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies, and partook in meaningful discussions about anger and communication. After the sessions were complete, volunteers repeated the coding process for post-intervention measurements. Unfortunately, due to a lack of observed behaviors, as well as a small sample size, quantitative data was inadequate at measuring the presence of a significant difference between control group behavior and experimental group behavior, both prior to T.O.Y. and after the completion of T.O.Y. Despite a lack of empirical support, researchers, as well as participants, made a number of important observations about the nature of creative play and the therapeutic process that may aid in future research. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2009-05 |
| Slomski, Jennifer Lynn | Psychology | Use of a touchscreen to assess categorization | Categorization is a cognitive task requiring objects to be generalized into and discriminated out of a category. Touchscreens are touch-sensitive computer monitors shown to be useful in assisting with cognitive tasks in research. This study sought to use a touchscreen to have rats categorize stimuli based on membership in the oval, rectangle, triangle or star category. While none of the rats in the study successfully completed the shaping process to enter the next phases, the results from the study do not contradict the likelihood that rats are capable of using a touchscreen for this purpose. With more time, the rats in this study should have completed the shaping process and continued on to the proposed training and testing methods. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2009-05 |
| Smithson, Emily Anne | Psychology | Psychological distress and demographic variables related to help-seeking among students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland | Characteristics related to reported psychological distress and help-seeking were examined among 314 students to establish trends for counseling center users and non-users. Consistent with past research, the majority of participants were non-users, with users reporting higher distress than non-users. However, contradictory to past findings, no significant differences were found between genders for counseling center usage; however, females did report significantly higher levels of distress. More generally, reports of depression, academic issues, and social anxiety were significantly lower than the sample groups. Furthermore, reports of substance use, general anxiety, family issues, and spirituality were significantly higher. Through the synthesis of psychological distress rates and trends in counseling center usage, prototypical characteristics were established for students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2009-05 |
| Soleo, Katelin Corcoran | Psychology | Father impact on risk-taking : a study looking at college students’ father presence and risk-taking behavior | America has been called the fatherless nation by many researchers (Debell, 2008). Today, father absence is more of a problem than ever in the history of the United States. The current divorce rate is at nearly fifty percent (Jones, 2007). Half of American children will spend part of their childhood in a single-parent home; with most of the homes not headed by their biological fathers (Jones, 2007). Previous research was done to operationally define father absence and accurately define risk-taking and correlate it to father presence. This study consisted of 323 participants from the St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 79 were males and 240 were females. This study was designed to examine how father presence impacts risk-taking behaviors in young adults. Risk-taking was divided into six sub categories and father impact was measured through a number of questions regarding marital status, father closeness, frequency of father visitation and age at which father separation happened. Results indicated inverse trends for numerous hypotheses about risk-taking and father absence. The most interesting finding was that participants from father present homes were significantly more prone to reporting risk-taking than participants from father absent homes. Although this rejects the hypothesis that father absent participants would report more risk-taking overall and in all sub categories , the results suggest that father presence may still impact risk-taking behavior. | Platt, Richard D. | 2009-05 |
| Solyst, James Andrew | Psychology | Loving-kindness meditation and altruism : does empathic perspective taking increase helping behavior? | Meditation has been widely documented for its ability to reduce anxiety, stress, pain and its clinical applications in the medical field. However, the effects of meditation on behavior have not yet been investigated. One form of Buddhist meditation called loving-kindness meditation (LKM) aims to cultivate feelings of unconditional empathy towards all beings. Indeed, LKM practice has been shown to increase feelings of compassion for self and others (Weibel, 2007), social connectedness (Hutcherson et al., 2008), empathy and perspective-taking (Lutz et al., 2008), and reduce chronic lower back pain, emotional distress and trait anger (Carson et al., 2005). The empathy-altruism hypothesis posits that pro-social helping behavior is motivated by an emotional state of empathic concern for a distressed other (Batson et al., 1988; Batson, Fultz & Schoenrade, 1987). It was predicted that LKM would increase empathy, perspective taking, helping behavior and reduce personal distress compared to a progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique. This experiment compared the effects of LKM practice on empathy, mood, physiology and helping behavior to PMR over the course of two 20-minute long meditation sessions over two weeks. Both meditation types significantly increased perspective taking, tranquility, positive mood and decreased personal distress, anxiety and negative affect. No significant differences were found between meditation types for helping behavior. These findings suggest that meditation in general can improve mood, reduce anxiety and increase the tendency to take the perspective of another and decrease feelings of personal distress in emergency situations. Further research is needed to test the behavioral effects of an extended LKM program. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2009-05 |
| Songrady, Judy Catarina | Psychology | Environmental enrichment vs. cognitive enrichment in aged rats : effects on cognition and hippocampal neurogenesis | Age related deficits in spatial memory have been demonstrated in both humans and other animals. Research shows a negative correlation between the increase in age related deficits and a decline in the number of newly generated neurons in the hippocampus as animals age. However aged rodents following enrichment show fewer deficits in spatial tasks, and increased reference memory function (cognition). Environmental enrichment (EE) and cognitive enrichment (CE) have been found to enhance behavioral performance in future cognitive based tasks, such as the Morris Water Maze (MWM), and increase neurogenesis in hippocampus. Previous work had not yet directly compared animals that have undergone different forms of enrichment and examined possible differences in plasticity or cognition. The current study examines neurogenesis and performance on novel cognitive tasks, MWM and Novel Object Recognition, in aged rats after receiving either cognitive (set-shifting task) or environmental enrichment. It was hypothesized that the enriched groups would show an increase of working memory and cognition when compared to the control group. Results suggest a possibility that CE does not affect cognition and memory equivalently. Specifically results demonstrate an increase in spatial cognition, but not in working memory following CE. Surprisingly subjects following EE did not show an improvement in working memory or cognition function in comparison to the control animals. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Stevens, Katherine McKenna | Psychology | Minor physical anomalies and neurological soft signs as a function of age of onset in first-episode schizophrenia patients : a proposed study and review of existing literature | Minor physical anomalies (MPAs), small aberrations in the development of one’s hands, feet, mouth, ears, head or eyes, and neurological soft signs (NSS), impairments in motor coordination, sensory integration, sequencing of complex motor acts and the presence of primitive reflexes, have been found to occur more frequently in those with schizophrenia compared to those without a psychotic mental illness. This phenomenon provides support to the notion that schizophrenia is neurodevelopmental in origin. A variety of factors, which may potentially dictate NSS and MPAs, have been examined in conjunction with schizophrenia. Due to extensive methodological flaws and variations, findings pertaining to such factors are, for the most part, inconclusive. The current proposal relays the results and shortcomings of previous literature, and suggests an experimental design to eliminate possible confounds of antipsychotics and symptom severity in past studies assessing MPAs and NSS in those with schizophrenia based on age of onset. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2009-05 |
| Stukes, Marian Lorraine | Psychology | Love between the sheets, behind the screen : online sexual activities and infidelity | The Internet is a multifaceted realm in which users engage in several gratifying activities. Some people use the Internet as forum to seek both romantic and sexual endeavors. Secretly engaging in online sexual activities can prove detrimental to monogamous relationships. This study investigates whether participants who engage online sexual activities are also more prone to commit offline infidelity. Results showed that those who participated in online sexual activities significantly had more offline sexual partners. Significant main effects were found for gender where non-online sexual activity female participants reported feeling high levels of betrayal, opinions on whether online sexual activities are acts of infidelity, and the likelihood of believing that their partner would commit infidelity due to their engagement in online sexual activities. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2009-05 |
| Torres, Christina Marie | Psychology | Nerds, geeks, and bookworms : exploring identity through academic major | This research investigated factors that influence student decisions to choose a major, use of academic major stereotypes as a social categorization tool in a college setting, and the impact of majors on student identity formation at St. Mary’s College. Open-ended questions were answered in individual interviews with 15 students ranging in age from 18 to 21 years (M = 20.4, SD = 1.08). The Consensual Qualitative Research method (Hill et al., 1997) was used for data analysis. This sample showed a combination of career goals and personal interests, workload, and faculty support contributed to major persistence. Majors were also used as a social categorization tool in college settings and influenced the way students were perceived by themselves and others. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2009-05 |
| Traher, David Christopher | Psychology | Decision making and consumer behavior | Studies have shown that consumers find discounts given in percents more favorable on low priced items and discounts given in dollar amounts more favorable on high priced items. In addition studies have also shown that the type of promotion can affect an individual’s perceived price for the item on promotion. The current study aims to investigates these findings and determine if consumers preferences for the discount display is a function of price or durability. A survey was administered to 102 college students to test the hypothesis. Findings have showed that for the very high priced items participants were influenced by the discount display. | Platt, Richard D. | 2009-05 |
| White, Gina Natalie | Psychology | Effect of perceived stigma of mental illness on help-seeking behavior in first-year college students | Research indicates that adolescents are less likely to seek professional help in the event of a psychological problem than adults. This study examines first year college students’ attitudes toward seeking help, based on problem severity and attitudes toward the stigmatization of mental illness. Using a series of scales, attitudes toward help-seeking and mental illness were assessed, as well as what types of behavior participants exhibited in relation to low-grade affective disorders, which are prevalent during this developmental time. There was no significant effect indicating that stigma against mental illness acts as a mediator between willingness to seek professional help and problem severity. However, results indicated that first year college students tended to have high levels of stigma of mental illness. Other factors may contribute to whether or not an individual seeks professional psychological help. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2009-05 |
| Whitlow, Victoria Jane | Psychology | Effects of neonatal exposure to antipsychotic medication on neuronal expression of glucocorticoid receptor in the rat hippocampus and medial and orbital prefrontal cortices | Antipsychotic medication is capable of crossing the placental barrier and is also secreted in breast milk (Miyazaki et al., 1986). Pregnant women and new mothers with schizophrenia using antipsychotic medication must therefore make the decision whether to continue treating their illness or risk abnormal neuronal development of their child. Perinatal exposure to antipsychotic medication could disrupt neuronal development and the proper organization of neuronal pathways, such as the connections of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis and associated brain structures. The HPA axis is involved in the adaptive stress response. Activation of the HPA axis ultimately results in synthesis and secretion of glucocorticoid hormone by the adrenal cortex. Circulating glucocorticoids bind with glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the brain and induce changes that inhibit HPA axis activity and allow for the reestablishment of homeostasis. However, abnormal neural organization of the HPA axis and associated structures could result in manifestation of neuropathology later in life. In this study, rat neonates were either exposed to daily haloperidol (8 mg/kg) or vehicle injections or were given no injections and handled only. Following in situ hybridization protocol, hippocampal subfields and two regions of the prefrontal cortex were analyzed for neuronal expression of GR in brain sections obtained once subjects reached adulthood. Significance was found only in the CA1 of the hippocampus between rats having received vehicle injections and rats that were handled only. Explanation of these unexpected results as well as possible sources or error and future directions of study are discussed. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Whitman, Cecelia Burch | Psychology | Attitudes toward students with hidden disabilities and resulting social and learning opportunities : an investigation and intervention | The current study serves to inform educators of the current condition of the inclusive classroom environment and the possible dangers the general classroom poses for included students with mild or hidden disabilities. The study examines teachers and peers typically negative attitudes toward students with hidden disabilities through the lens of differentiated expectations and the tolerance theory. Teacher and peer attitude are of particular concern, as classroom characterized by negative attitudes toward included students jeopardizes their learning and social opportunities. Concurrently, a classroom that does not accommodate all of its students inherently violates the principal of inclusion. The current study addresses such concerns in a review of the literature and makes recommendations in an accessible website geared to improving teachers’ attitudes by providing resources to improve teachers’ skills in instructing in the inclusive classroom. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2009-05 |
| Whitt, Joshua Patrick | Psychology | The effects of prenatal antipsychotic exposure on neuronal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor | [abstract not available] | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2009-05 |
| Wilkie, Melodi Nicole | Psychology | Psychiatric adolescent inpatient units in Maryland : a review of the literature and analyses of interviews with practitioners | The first half of this study consists of a literature review investigating treatment plans and therapeutic techniques that should be used on adolescents requiring psychiatric inpatient hospitalization. Factors affecting readmission, the length of stay, and measuring outcome are discussed. Treatment approaches suggested by peer-reviewed literature including family involvement, treatment of suicidal adolescents, those with anorexia nervosa, and those with drug use are examined. A compilation of these suggestions is provided. The second portion of this study consists of interviews with two practitioners from different psychiatric hospitals in Maryland that provide inpatient treatment to adolescents. They were asked questions about background information of the hospital, admissions, readmission, treatment, activities, family involvement, discharge, and quality. Themes were identified from the interview responses. Themes included an average length of stay of three to seven days, readmission being a problem, treatment focusing on short-term crisis stabilization, and emphasis on group discussion sessions and family therapy, and the need for more staff training, among others. These themes, especially the reasons for readmission, are discussed. | Finkelman, David G. | 2009-05 |
| Blackwell, Robert Allen | Psychology | Cognitive deficits in beta-catenin knockout mice : an endophenotype approach to modeling bipolar disorder | Lithium is the only novel pharmacological treatment for bipolar disorder; developing novel medications is inhibited by the lack of a valid animal model. At therapeutic concentrations, lithium inhibits GSK-3, disinhibiting beta-catenin. Beta-catenin overexpression decreases immobility in the forced swim test (correlated with depressive behavior) and amphetamine induced hyperlocomotion (correlated with manic behavior), suggesting beta-catenin is involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. A progressive beta-catenin knockout in male mice increased immobility time in the tail suspension test, but had no effect in the forced swim test or hyperactivity. This study examined the validity of the knockout in female mice. The knockout increased immobility time in the tail suspension test, but had no effect on the forced swim test, baseline activity, or memory. While the current results do little to support the validity of this knockout as a model for bipolar disorder, further study is required before dismissing it entirely. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2008-12 |
| Brezinski, Christen Victoria | Psychology | Mind-body connection : meditation and yoga as alternative treatments for generalized anxiety disorder | The purpose of this study was to further examine the benefits of alternative treatments on Generalized Anxiety Disorder, focusing specifically on meditation and yoga. Existing literature concerning these concepts was reviewed to determine evidence of reduced symptoms following treatment. Local professionals connected to these fields were also interviewed to gain real-life perspectives concerning treatment implications and results. These sources revealed support for these alternative treatments by presenting observed differences in chemical, physiological, and psychological characteristic following practice and incorporation of techniques in daily life style. This information illustrates additional treatment options available to those afflicted with anxious symptoms, focusing on a more natural and holistic approach. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2008-12 |
| Dawson, Amber Lynn | Psychology | Implementation of drug rehabilitation programs at a Maryland detention center : interviews with counselor and inmates | The functioning of six factors known to affect the efficacy of substance abuse treatment programs within a correctional setting were investigated within the Walden Jail Based Substance Abuse Programs at the St. Mary’s Detention Center. The programs’ procedures in terms of theoretical approaches to treatment, gender, criminogenic needs, inmate motivation, program characteristics, and aftercare were examined. Direct observations of the group sessions gave insight into the functioning of these features within the program. The counselor and all inmates enrolled in the Walden Jail Based Substance Abuse Programs were present during these observations. Interviews with inmates and the counselor were used to determine the influences of the programs’ features. Six inmates currently enrolled in these programs participated in the interviews. Most of the features of the programs that were examined met the standards for what current research defines as effective for substance abuse treatment in correctional facilities. Suggestions include addressing more criminogenic needs, increasing correctional officers’ commitment to inmate rehabilitation, and increasing the number of treatment programs available for women within the detention center. | Finkelman, David G. | 2008-12 |
| Derullieux, Stephanie Rachel | Psychology | Advancement of fine motor skills through stimulation from Montessori practical materials | This study aims to detect change in fine motor activity among children who are exposed to new manipulative lessons created by Maria Montessori. The study contained one experimental class (n=15) and two control classes of children (n=22) who were pre-tested, and then post-tested after one month, on their fine motor ability through three tests of skill: tong test, dressing test, and marble test. The experimental class received an intervention of new classroom materials stemming from the Montessori Method in between testing sessions. The data was analyzed and showed a significant effect at time 2 through a repeated measures test. An ANOVA was run on each condition to determine that the effect was between the experimental class and a control group. The results show a significant increase in fine motor ability among children in the experimental condition after using these lessons, which was also found to be a significantly higher increase from the control classrooms. This study is useful in detecting early intervention activities for preschoolers and young school-agers with a delay in fine motor activity used in pencil grip, transferring activities, and fine detail. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2008-12 |
| Flores, Alexis Jeremias | Psychology | Attitudes toward interracial dating : effects of sex, race, self-esteem, and age | In today’s society, interracial relationships are still perceived and evaluated negatively. The current study focuses on sex, race, self-esteem and age attitudes toward racial fear and racial equality on interracial dating preferences. Participants numbered 420; 300 were Caucasians and 64 were other races including Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans. Males were 75 and females were 289, and their ages ranged from 7 to 47 years old. A regression analysis failed to reveal that sex, race, self-esteem and age are predictors of racial fear and racial equality in interracial dating preferences. Implications and future research are discussed. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2008-12 |
| Adetunji, Esther Adenike | Psychology | Predictors of the importance of physical attractiveness in dating preferences of college students | The two theories tested in this study were the Terror Management Theory (TMT) and the matching hypothesis. The goal of this study was to determine which theory better predicts the importance of physical attractiveness in developing a potential long-term relationship. Some studies have revealed that relationships serve as a buffer against the anxiety of death, and when placed in a mortality salient condition, people will compromise the ideal level of physical attractiveness they want in a potential mate. Other researchers claim that a matching of physical attractiveness is what occurs between romantic partners when considering each other as a potential mate. The results of this study did not support the TMT. However, matching was found to occur in college students’ considerations for a potential mate. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2008-05 |
| Buchanan, Kathryn Williams | Psychology | Autism and theory of mind : do autistic children lack theory of mind? | The current literature review analyzes the hypothesis which states that the impairments observed in autistic individuals are the result of a core deficit of theory of mind reasoning. The literature review first summarizes previous literature on autism; a disorder characterized by severe impairments in social and language development. Second, it reviews theory of mind, the ability of individuals to understand other’s emotional states. Thirdly, the paper provides a summary of recent literature about theory of mind deficits in autism. The paper concludes that although it is currently impossible to definitively attribute the social and language impairments seen in autism to deficits in theory of mind, it is the most prevalent and supported theory available. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2008-05 |
| Collins, Amanda Michelle | Psychology | Young girls’ body image, the media and parental influence | With body image a hot topic among researchers, the question of how young girls are affected is now starting to get more attention. This study was conducted to examine body image in girls age 10-16. This study examines the media influences on body image as well as parental influences on body image. Data was collected from both mothers and their daughter using questionnaires. Questionnaires gathered data on self esteem, body esteem, BMI, ideal body type and demographic information. It was expected that the media will have a negative impact on body esteem. Also, that there will be a correlation between the body esteem of the girls and the body esteem of their mothers. This study also found data suggesting a racial difference between ideal body shape as well as body esteem. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2008-05 |
| Corrice, April M. | Psychology | Client experiences with touch in psychotherapy | College students once or currently engaged in psychotherapy were surveyed on their experiences with touch in psychotherapy. The results indicated that a majority of clients (70%) had experienced touch in therapy. Most clients reported neutral to positive general evaluations of the touch. Client evaluations of the touch were related to the form of the physical contact, the reason for engaging in the contact, and client history with psychotherapy and other therapists. Touch in psychotherapy may contribute to a stronger therapeutic alliance, as clients who experienced touch had a stronger therapeutic alliance with their therapists than clients who had not experienced touch in therapy. Sexuality and ethicality issues related to touch in psychotherapy were explored in depth. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2008-05 |
| Coster, Jenalee Nicole | Psychology | Effects of voluntary exercise on acquisition of an olfactory learning set in Long-Evans rats with lesions to the nucleus basalis magnocellularis | The current study examines the effect of exercise on lesions to the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nBM) on acquisition of olfactory discrimination learning set (ODLS). Exercise animals were given free access to a running wheel five days following surgery. Animals did not differ on pre- to post-surgical measurements of activity level in an open field, nor did animals differ in percentage of time spent on a novel object during a novel object recognition task to assess working memory. Therefore, there were no deficits in activity or working memory among the animals that would impair acquisition of ODLS. Sedentary and exercise sham animals and SAP exercise animals performed significantly above chance on trial 2 indicating learning set acquisition. SAP sedentary animals did not perform above chance on trial 2 indicating that they were unable to acquire a learning set; however, on trials 3-5 they were able to perform significantly above chance indicating olfactory abilities were intact Furthermore on block 1, sham exercise and SAP exercise performed significantly above chance. Exercise enabled animals to form a learning set more quickly compared to sedentary animals. In conclusion, SAP lesions to the nBM impaired acquisition of ODLS, but those deficits can be overcome with voluntary exercise. Histology still needs to be completed to ensure lesion placement and acetylcholinesterase levels in the nBM and cortex. Although, more animals need to be added and the results replicated, there is a strong trend that shows exercise is important to counteract cognitive deficits caused by lesions to the nBM. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2008-05 |
| Dula, Kimberly Ann | Psychology | Terror management theory in relation to risk-taking and self-esteem | The aim of the current study was to determine the relationships of sex and self-esteem on risk-taking behavior from a terror management perspective. Terror management theory states that when an individual is reminded of their inevitable death they will be struck with terror and anxiety. To defend against the terror and anxiety and individual will use their worldview defense and their self-esteem. The current study made participants aware of their inevitable death through mortality salience or participants were in a control condition. The dependent variable of risk-taking behavior was measured through a self-report. The results of the current study showed that participants who have a higher self-esteem will endorse risk-taking behaviors on a sensation seeking scale because participants with higher self-esteem are more confident in their abilities. However, further research should be done concerning terror management theory on risk-taking behavior; in order to, find reasons to why people engage in risk-taking behaviors. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2008-05 |
| Eberhardt, Madeline | Psychology | Infants, toddlers, and televised media | Television viewing and exposure to media are currently widespread phenomena regardless of age, but of particular interest is the changing media consumption patterns found in children aged two years and younger. Over the last decade there has been a rapid expansion of televised media products marketed to this age range, but this expansion has not been matched by research into the effects this exposure has on children’s cognitive, developmental, and health outcomes. The current research examines the impact of media products on general language outcomes and target word learning, as well as exploring the utility of televised media products as a means to present general information and inform children’s understanding of reality. In order to investigate caregivers’ motives for exposing young children to television, consumer reviews of children’s media products were qualitatively analyzed. A number of conclusions and recommendations based on this research are offered. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2008-05 |
| Edwards, Margaret Anne | Psychology | Effects of ongoing adenosine antagonism at the A1 and A2A receptors on long-term memory | The effects of chronic A1 and A2A antagonists on spatial memory were investigated. Low doses of drug were administered daily (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) for 6 weeks. Spatial memory was assessed by performance during Morris Water Maze (MWM) training and probe tests. The results indicated that subjects that received the A1 antagonist alone tended to acquired memory slightly faster than animals that received only A2A antagonist. Animals that received A1 antagonist or a combination of the two adenosine antagonists retained spatial memory preferences longer than animals that received only the A2A antagonist. This suggest that if adenosine antagonism of the A1 receptor is minor memory is enhanced rather than impaired even when antagonism occurs over a long period of time. These findings suggest that these low levels of antagonism are enough to effect receptor activation but not enough to produce long-term changes in receptor binding. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2008-05 |
| Enos, Jennifer Keryn | Psychology | Attempt to block the expression of CS-potentiated eating : antagonizing NPY Y1 receptors with BIBP3226 | [abstract not available] | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2008-05 |
| Heather, Marybeth Anne | Psychology | Cross-sectional study of college student morality in a liberal arts setting | Researchers have come to several different conclusions concerning the development of morality. The Defining Issues Test (DIT) was used to determine the level of moral reasoning achieved by students at a public liberal arts college. Students were studied cross sectionally through a sample of first year students and seniors only. Three predictions were made based on pervious research using DIT scores. Seniors were predicted to score higher than first year students. Students who have taken an ethics class were predicted to score higher than those who did not take an ethics class. The final prediction was that males would display a higher level of moral development on the DIT than females. No significant results were found for any of the predictions. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2008-05 |
| Hoewing, Justine Mary | Psychology | Writing a book for children with autism : its unique challenges and joys | The purpose of this literature review was to examine research about how children with autism view friendships, and to use this information to create a book for children with autism. There are a few main areas of research this paper centers around. These are: the problems children with autism face, how these problems could be related to cognitive behaviors, how children with autism view themselves, how children with autism view friendships, reading comprehension of children with autism, different interventions that are helpful for children with autism, and the effect of bibliotherapy on children with autism. Bibliotherapy was found to correct negative social behaviors of children with autism, so the idea of bibliotherapy was used for the completed children’s book. The main theme in the book was that children with autism can have friends and that friends should accept and celebrate each other’s differences. The book, called “My Friend David” is included in the appendix of the paper. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2008-05 |
| Hughes, Christopher Randolph | Psychology | Therapist or therapy : what is keeping men out of therapy? | Using a modest size sample (N = 106) of college age students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the researcher for the present study aimed to discover whether or not client fear of therapy was moderated by three independent variables: client gender, therapist gender, and facial expressions displayed by the therapist. A series of statistical analyses were done, including between subjects t-tests, partial correlations, and two 4 x 2 x 3 ANOVA’s, to find support for the experimental hypotheses. Regrettably, no significant results were found in support of the hypotheses. Implications for these results include the potential efficacy of online-based therapy as an alternative for males as opposed to traditional therapy. Limitations and future research are also discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2008-05 |
| Jeanes, Mary Lyle | Psychology | Review of autism from diagnosis through etiology and into therapy for the documentary ‘Seeing eye to eye : autism, therapy and the family’ | Autism is shrouded in the public eye as a mysterious disorder in which communicating with diagnosed individuals is near impossible. The goal of this review is to take some of the mystery out of autism and present the dynamics and variability of the spectrum of social symptoms, neurological correlates, and behavioral therapy that consumes both the individual and his or her family. The information presented is the foundation of a supplementary [documentary film] entitled Seeing Eye to Eye: Autism, Therapy and the Family and is an attempt to give a wider audience an appreciation for the intricacies, struggles, and triumphs involved in living with autism. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2008-05 |
| Kummer, Shannon Marie | Psychology | Sympathy for the devil : the influence of a prior offense of future judgments of sympathy for the offender | Sympathy is often understood as an emotion reserved for victims of a negative event or tragedy, yet it is rare for a victim to occupy only one role. The victim-offender dynamic becomes especially complex when the victim is himself an unrepentant offender. The current study investigates the extent to which committing a prior offense will influence judgments made of the offender. Participants were asked to report how much sympathy they felt for both a target that had been established as an “offender” and a neutral target for several negative events (moderate and severe) and how deserving the target was for these events. The influences of trait empathy and target retaliation were also examined. As predicted, less sympathy and more deservingness were reported for the offender compared to the neutral target, and this was qualified by a significant severity by target interaction. The most sympathy was reported for neutral targets who experienced severe negative events, while the least sympathy was reported for offenders who experienced moderately severe events. Interestingly, there was no significant difference between sympathy for the neutral target who experienced moderately negative events compared to the offender who experienced severely negative events. Retaliatory acts resulted in lower sympathy and higher deservingness reports compared to acts committed for unexplained reasons. Implications for social perception and the media as well as future research directions are discussed. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2008-05 |
| Lewis, Eastman Macek | Psychology | Assessment of decision-making ability in terminally ill patients requesting assisted suicide | In 1997 the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was implemented, legalizing physician-assisted suicide. The law stipulated that in order to receive an assisted suicide, a patient must be terminally ill with a life-expectancy of fewer than 6 months. The law also requires that patients who are to receive an assisted suicide have the requisite decision-making ability to do so. If a physician is unsure of a patient’s decision-making ability he or she is required to refer the patient to a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist for a mental health evaluation. Throughout the law’s existence the referral rate has been low and in 2006 only 4% of patients were referred for an evaluation. This paper presents an analysis of decision-making ability as it pertains to patients who have requested assisted suicide as well as a new tool designed to help physicians determine what patients should be referred for a mental health evaluation. | Finkelman, David G. | 2008-05 |
| Logan, Trevor Thomas | Psychology | Learning set acquisition in a rodent model of Alzheimer’s disease : the effects of continuous intracerebroventricular b-amyloid infusions on learning set acquisition in rodents | Endogenous b-amyloid proteins are found postmortem in the senile plaques of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Continuous intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of the protein into rodent produces behavioral and anatomical changes that are associated with AD, including a degeneration of the nucleus basalis magnocelluaris (nBM) and drop in cortical cholinergic innervation. The nBM plays a critical role in the process of learning set (LS) acquisition in rodents, an ability which is associated with problem solving and higher cognitive processing. This study observed the effects of continuous ICV b-amyloid infusion on rodent LS acquisition in hopes of elucidating the connection between increased central nervous system abeta load and the changes in higher cognition. Two control tasks (open field activity and novel object recognition) were conducted to help clarify behavioral results, and brains sections were stained with Congo Red dye. The behavioral results found that neither the protein nor the vehicle group ever successfully performed above chance on trial 2 of the LS task, indicating that neither group had successful LS acquisition. However, the vehicle group did show indications of LS formation by performing above chance on trial 3 of the LS task while the abeta infused group did not, and further investigation is warranted. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2008-05 |
| Mansky, Brian Kenneth | Psychology | Conformity behavior and group attraction : the influence of gender, self-esteem, and severity of hazing on one’s degree of conformity and affiliation | One’s rationale for conforming to and affiliating with the members of a group depends on a variety of factors and circumstances. Previous studies have examined the extent to which the “severity of initiation” and hazing as a whole effects one’s desire to affiliate, one’s degree of conformity, and one’s attraction to the group. Furthermore, it has been suggested that one’s gender, one’s age, and the size of the group all have different influences on one’s desire to conform and affiliate with the members of the group and the group as a whole. The current study examined additional influences on conformity such as the influence of gender, self-esteem, and the effects of the severity of initiation/hazing on group cohesiveness and group attractiveness, as the degree as these factors have only briefly been discussed in the previous literature that exists. [from introduction] | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2008-05 |
| Mark, Ross Baxter | Psychology | Effect of misogynistic rap music videos compared to music alone on implicit and explicit attitudes of women | The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of misogynistic rap music on implicit and explicit attitudes toward women. The difference between the effects of music alone and music videos was also examined. The results show that although there was no specific effect of the misogynistic content on attitudes, there were several findings that showed males in all conditions had higher implicit attitudes of women, with the most positive attitudes being in the misogynistic music video condition. Males also showed more knowledge of the misogynistic content than females. Males also showed higher adversarial sexual beliefs than women. Discussion focuses on the lack of expected results despite strong previous findings, the role of the rap music exposure in the experimental study and the possible implications of the significant results and some of the non-significant trends. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2008-05 |
| Marshall, Cassandra Kay | Psychology | Understanding and treating post traumatic stress disorder resulting from torture and mass violence in Cambodia, Uganda, and Guatemala | Survivors of mass violence and torture in Cambodia, Uganda, and Guatemala developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of trauma they faced during periods of national conflict. During 1975-1979, Cambodia faced mass genocide, torture, and forced labor under the Khmer Rouge regime. The Mayan population in Guatemala was targeted by the government and faced torture, disappearances, and murder during their 36-year civil war, and Uganda continues to face torture and other mass human rights violations long after their most notorious ruler, Idi Amin Dada, lost power. To treat for mental illness, including PTSD, native practitioners and foreign volunteer groups tend to use community based therapies and incorporate indigenous healers into therapy sessions. Western treatment methods administered in the United States to patients who have achieved or are seeking refugee status include drug therapy, but typically do not include indigenous healers and community therapies. Further research should be conducted on the most beneficial and cost-effective treatments for future treatment programs abroad and in the United States. | Finkelman, David G. | 2008-05 |
| Marshall, Victoria H. | Psychology | Cross-sectional study of college students’ moral development in a public liberal arts setting | The moral development of college students at a liberal arts college was explored using the Defining Issues Test-2. Based on previous research in the field three hypotheses were tested. It was predicted that males would exhibit higher levels of principled reasoning than females and that seniors would exhibit higher levels of principled reasoning than first year students. In addition, it was hypothesized that students who had participated in an ethics based class would score higher on principled reasoning than students who had not taken an ethics class. No significant differences in the use of principled reasoning were found between males and females, first year students and seniors, or students who had taken an ethics class and students who had not taken an ethics class. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2008-05 |
| Medley, Vanessa Allyson | Psychology | Examining behavioral flexibility in Long-Evans rats following lesions to the prefrontal cortex | The current study evaluated the effects of lesions to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) on learning set acquisition and formation in a visually-cued water maze (MWM) task and olfactory discrimination reversal (ODR) task. The subjects were also tested in an open field apparatus and in novel object recognition (NOR) to ensure that surgical procedures did not affect their general functioning or working memory, respectively. We hypothesized that learning set formation would be inhibited or blocked by the PFC lesion but general functioning and working memory would remain intact. The results indicated that the control subject were able to form a learning set in the ODR task and perform significantly above chance. The PFC lesioned rats did not form a learning set in the ODR task and performed below chance. There were no group differences in the MWM task suggesting that visual cues are not sufficient in learning set formation or methods should be altered. All of the animals exhibited no change in activity levels or working memory. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2008-05 |
| Moore, Caitlin Meredith | Psychology | Exploring the use of sex appeal in advertising : a cross-cultural analysis of sex appeal in magazine advertising | Sex appeal is frequently used in advertising to entice consumers to buy a product. Past studies examined the level and the effects of sex appeal in advertising, but few studies have looked at sex appeal in advertising from a cross-cultural perspective. This study conducted a cross-cultural examination of sex appeal in advertising. The first part of the study involved a content analysis of sex appeal in advertisements from eight different countries in the transnational magazine Vogue. The second part of the study was a cross-cultural examination of opinions about sex appeal in advertising in general and in twelve specific advertisements. This study found that there were cross-cultural differences in sex appeal in magazine advertising. In addition, people from different countries had different perceptions of sex appeal in advertising and found advertisements from their own countries to be more effective than advertisements from other countries. The results from this study suggested that advertisements should not be completely globalized, because people from different countries are used to seeing and are more persuaded by different types of appeals. Future studies should examine more countries and more consumers from those countries to better define cross-cultural differences in the use of sex appeal in advertising. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2008-05 |
| Mullins, Kaycee Lynn | Psychology | Job satisfaction in the nursing career : how factors of autonomy and job stress influence job satisfaction for nurses | There is an increasing shortage of nurses. Factors of job stress and autonomy affect the job satisfaction of the nursing career. Decreasing levels of job satisfaction affect the turnover intent which contributes to the nursing shortage. The nursing shortage ultimately results in lower quality of patient care and lower job satisfaction of nurses. This study examines the findings in previous literature. A literature review of job satisfaction in the nursing career was completed and three nurses were interviewed. The interviews reflected on their job satisfaction as a nurse. Comparisons were drawn between the findings in previous literature and the nurses’ responses to job satisfaction. It was hypothesized that the previous findings of job satisfaction in nursing and the job satisfaction of the nurses would be parallel. The responses of the nurses further support the findings in previous literature. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2008-05 |
| Natcher, Angela L. | Psychology | Black and blue : exploring racial advantage and disadvantage for white and black law enforcement officers | Researchers of the present study examined performance and personality evaluations of black and white law enforcement officers for possible racial disadvantage. Participants (n = 101) read a racially manipulated vignette concerning a domestic disturbance call and then rated the described officer on a number of personality traits and the likelihood of early and regular promotion recommendations. Participants were designated into high and low prejudice groups by their score on the Modern Racism Scale (MRS). Analyses of variance resulted in a majority of nonsignificant results. Overall, black and white officers appeared to be rated similarly on positive character traits, as well as aggressive and dominant character traits. Both officers were rated similarly for likelihood of being recommended for early and regular promotions. However, participant scores on the MRS did have influence on the ratings to some degree. Results are discussed in terms of previous research. Implications from the current data and suggestions for future research are explored. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2008-05 |
| Nazari, Adam Dost | Psychology | Do college students with tattoos and piercings engage in risk taking behavior more often than students without tattoos and piercings? | This study investigated if college students with tattoos and body piercings engaged in risk taking behaviors more often than students without tattoos and piercings. 154 (134 female, 20 male) students participated in this study and of these participants 24 had tattoos and 39 had body piercings other than earlobes. The hypothesis that people with body art would engage in risk taking behavior more often was not supported. A significant correlation did not exist between tattoos and the sensation seeking score from the Zuckerman-Kulhman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ). Nor did a correlation exist between body piercings and the sensation seeking score. The results did not support previous literature and the gender limitations of this study may be a reason why the results did not correlate. The majority of participants were female and there were only two males with tattoos and no males in this study had body piercings. The results from this study show that college females with body art are not risk takers. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2008-05 |
| O'Brien, Stephanie Marie | Psychology | Love? Handles! Thin-ideal media and women's body image : an examination of current research and social critique | Over the last sixty years in western cultures there has been an increase in women's body dissatisfaction levels. This shift in body image has happened concurrently with a shift in the ideal of physical attractiveness towards a thinner physique. Research suggests that the downward shift in body satisfaction has been caused, at least in part, by social comparison with the thin-ideal of feminine beauty presented in the media. The body dissatisfaction felt by women has further reaching negative effects on women's lives than development of an eating disorder including selective attention to negative body feedback, relationships, work performance, and career advancement. While endorsement of feminist ideals does not seem to provide a large level of protection against body dissatisfaction it does seem to prevent the use of some of the more extreme weight control methods. Looking to the future, emphasis should be placed on teaching acceptance of many body shapes in order to encourage positive body esteem. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2008-05 |
| Pack, Halley Ann | Psychology | I think I can : integrating sports psychology into St. Mary’s College athletics | This review of the literature examines several different mental strategies that can be used to enhance an athlete’s performance in sports, including imagery, goal setting, management of stress and anxiety, pre-game rituals and superstitions, and team building. Several studies are referenced to indicate the effectiveness of the strategies, and to help understand the appropriateness of the techniques in various situations. Using the information concerning the mental strategies, I will be creating a publicly accessible sports psychology website for St. Mary’s College of Maryland athletics. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2008-05 |
| Patterson, Benjamin Tawney | Psychology | Coping with stress in college : styles of coping and their effects on academic achievement and motivation | A brief review of the recent developments in the study of stress research is offered in the present paper with a specific focus on the development of the concept of coping. Following a review of the literature on stress and its effects on college students and academic achievement, the present study hypothesized that avoidant-oriented coping would correlate with higher levels of stress and also lower levels of academic achievement. It was also predicted that there would be a variety of correlation between specific personality characteristics and different stress coping styles. However, there was found to be no correlation whatsoever between avoidant-oriented coping and either stress or academic achievement. The predictions made involving personality characteristics and their relationship to coping styles was proven to be partially correct, marking the first step in validating the scale created for the purpose of this research project. Interesting data was gathered that related the academic ambition of students to what style of stress coping they utilized and also how high their GPA was. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2008-05 |
| Perrizo, Jaie Michel | Psychology | Masculinity and depression : implications for help-seeking attitudes | The relationship between masculine gender role conflict (GRC) and reluctance toward seeking help is well-established. However, despite empirical and theoretical support, depression has not been explored as a moderating factor between GRC and help-seeking attitudes. In attempt to fill this gap in the research, the present study examined a sample of 120 college-age males (44 depressed and 76 nondepressed) who completed a measure of GRC along with a help-seeking questionnaire. As hypothesized, GRC was negatively related to help-seeking attitudes. However, the interaction between GRC and depression in regard to help-seeking attitudes was nonsignificant, and thus depression does not appear to moderate the relationship between GRC and help-seeking attitudes. Implications and suggestions for future research and psychotherapy with men are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2008-05 |
| Pierce, Kimbrey Anne | Psychology | Learning social skills in summer camps : a student-designed camp model | The purpose of my SMP was to research and design an inclusive summer camp designed to specifically teach social skills. The literature review of psychology articles includes the positive effects of summer camp attendance and inclusive environments, and the unique needs of a special needs child in a summer camp. The project culminated with a proposed summer camp model which specifically lays out how to foster an inclusive environment that promotes positive social skills, and more broadly, how the camp will operate. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2008-05 |
| Rubinstein, Sara Jean | Psychology | Dance time : implementation of an after-school dance program as a way to improve body image in school-aged children | The objective of this study was to implement an after-school dance program aimed at improving body image in elementary school children. Previous research has shown that dance movement therapy has been successful in treating many disorders in children and adults, including eating disorders and body image distortions. Six elementary school children participated in five 30 minute sessions of themed dance activities. Body image was measured through participants’ journal activities, coded video-taped sessions, and interviews. Results suggested that the dance program was successful in improving body image in the participants. This conclusion was indicated by participants experiencing decreases in shyness, increases in confidence, increases in or maintenance of positive body feelings, and changes from restricted movements to open and natural movements. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of programs designed to prevent eating disorders in children by correcting body image distortions at an early age. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2008-05 |
| Saul, Ronald David | Psychology | Chronic activation of the substantia nigra nociceptin/orphanin receptor (NOP) induces motor deficits similar to Parkinson’s disease : a behavioral and motor assessment following chronic UFP-112 administration into the substantia nigra pars reticulata | In an attempt to create a working model of Parkinson’s disease that portrays the motor and non-motor features of the disorder, the nociceptin/ orphanin receptor (NOP) potent agonist UFP-112 was chronically administered into the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR). Previous studies have shown stimulation of the SNR NOP receptor decreases dopamine transmission along the nigrostriatal pathway and induces parkinsonian-like motor impairments (Marti et al., 2004b). Following placement of cannulas into the SNR attached to an osmotic pump containing UFP-112 or vehicle alone, both motor behaviors and non-motor behaviors were assessed. Chronic stimulation of the SNr NOP receptor system regulated the nigrostriatal pathway and induced motor performance impairments, but did not disrupt the cognitive and emotional behaviors involved with Parkinson’s disease. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2008-05 |
| Spealman, Brendan Dende | Psychology | Fear persuasion and STD vaccine acceptance : a focus on the Human Papillomavirus vaccine | The current study investigated whether a fear appeal could influence an individual’s intentions to get the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Participants (N = 135) were randomly selected to receive either Pro-vaccination or Anti-vaccination information on HPV and the HPV vaccine. The Pro-vaccination information included examples of a few of the severe symptoms of HPV and on the high efficacy of the vaccine. The Anti-vaccination information presented samples of the negative aspects of HPV and the HPV vaccine including side effects and its high cost. All of the information was derived from publicly available sources and peer reviewed empirical studies. Results indicated that female participants in the Pro-vaccination condition who had not yet received the HPV vaccine (n = 60) had a significantly higher intention to get the vaccine in the next year as compared to the Anti-vaccination condition t (1, 58) = 2.073, p = .022. Additionally, participants were equally aroused in each condition indicating that the Pro and Anti conditions had an equal emotional impact. The results of this study indicate that a fear appeal can be used to persuade individuals in their decision to get the HPV vaccine. Thus, caution must be advised for individuals when using publicly available information in their decision to obtain the HPV vaccine. | Billings, Frederick J. | 2008-05 |
| Staples, Jessica Anne | Psychology | Long-term effects of attribution style in response to peer victimization in youth | Peer victimization is a severe problem in schools today, creating extreme maladjustment in those children targeted. However, not much is known about the long-term effects of peer victimization in youth. In the current study, the researcher examined the long-term effects of victimization with attribution type as a mediator in 133 participants, aged 18 to 30. It was hypothesized that higher levels of characterological attribution and recalled teasing would predict a lower GPA, higher levels of negative affect, and lower levels of positive affect. Data were collected online through three different surveys and demographic questions. Findings suggested that attribution type and teasing history did not predict GPA, positive affect, or negative affect. This study has implications for future research and the understanding of the long-term effects of peer victimization in youth. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2008-05 |
| Taylor, Kaitlin Marie | Psychology | Parents’ perspective of their bipolar children | The researcher investigated the relationships of parents’ perspective of their bipolar children’s disorder, family cohesion, family conflict, and parenting style. Parents completed three surveys assessing the level of family cohesion, family conflict, and type of parenting style as seen from the parents’ perspective. Results supported multiple hypotheses: (1) Parents of bipolar children are more likely to experience higher levels of family conflict than those without; (2) Parents of bipolar children are more likely to have higher ratings of over-reactivity than those without; and (3) levels of family cohesion, parent style, and family conflict interact. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2008-05 |
| Tenaglia, Theresa Ann | Psychology | Honors and non-honors college students : academic self-concept as a predictor of program participation and educational experiences | The current study sought to explore differences between honors program participants and non-participants in academic self-concept and exposure to good practices of learning outcomes at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a small liberal arts college. Currently enrolled students completed the SDQ III which is comprised of 13 subscales of self-concept (including an academic subscale). Using the college’s Office of Institutional Research data, differences in educational experiences between honors and non-honors senior students and alumni were explored. It appears that honors program participants have more positive academic-self concept than their non-honors peers. Participants tended to be exposed to some aspects of good practices of learning outcomes more frequently than their non-honors peers. Possible effects of program participation and other explanations and implications are discussed. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2008-05 |
| Wilson, Brittanny Renae | Psychology | College students’ attitudes toward division of household labor in marriage based on family of origin gender roles | The current study measures the relationship between parental gender role attitudes and college student gender role beliefs about household division of labor in future relationships. A sample of 169 college students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland participated in a short online survey. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between students’ perceptions of their parent’s gender role adherence and students’ personal gender roles beliefs about household division of labor. Gender role beliefs about household division of labor were defined as traditional and non-traditional. College students’ beliefs were found to be positively correlated with perceived parental gender role beliefs. It was also found that men were more traditional in their ideals about household division of labor but expected to take on more non-traditional household tasks in future marriage or cohabitating relationships. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2008-05 |
| Zweimiller, Paula Kay | Psychology | Effects of deployment on children in military families | [abstract not available] | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2008-05 |
| Adamson, Amechi Nelson | Psychology | Comparing intercultural sensitivity between Japanese and American college students | Now, more than ever many institutions are aware of the need of multiculturalism or intercultural sensitivity. Educators and companies, aware of this need, have begun implementing practices to help create and promote a diverse atmosphere. The raise and invention of the internet, various forms of telecommunications, and travel has enabled a wider array and spread of people to communicate and interact with one another; further, stressing the need in addressing issues involved with cultural sensitivity …. Comparing St. Mary’s College students (SMCM) to the Japanese students in Akita International University students (AIU) intercultural sensitivity will be significantly greater among the Japanese sample. There are several reasons which allude to why one might find this to be true. For one thing, each student is required to know a second language other than Japanese, as they take college level course in English. The next reason deals with the curriculum as each student is required to achieve a certain level of proficiency in English attaining a certain score on the TOFEL test thus going a abroad for a year. Students at SMCM are not required to achieve any sort of mastery a language nor are students required to go abroad. [from introduction] | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2007-12 |
| Babalola, Oluwatosin Elizabeth | Psychology | Exploring the relationship between religiosity, optimism, and relationship satisfaction | The present study investigated the links between several variables and satisfaction in romantic relationships. Measures of religiosity, optimism, relationship satisfaction, religious homogamy, religious orientation, perceived social support and intimacy were administered. Results of this study showed no significant relationship between religiosity and relationship satisfaction. However, optimism and relationship satisfaction were highly correlated; with evidence indicating that perceived level of support was a mediating factor in this link. Significant correlations were also found in regards to intimacy, religious homogamy, religious orientation and relationship length. Implications of these findings on relationship outcome are discussed. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2007-12 |
| Barker, Nichole Lynne Reynolds | Psychology | Adolescents’ perceived body image in comparison to their self-esteem and their ideal body image | In this study three major themes were observed: adolescents’ ideal body image for each sex, their own body image, and their self-esteem. The participants were first-year college students and they represented a small portion of adolescents. Each participant was given a series of drawings and the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem questionnaire. The new lineup of images is a redrawing of the Stunkard, Sorensen, and Schulsinger (1983) Stunkard Body Image Scale. The new drawing had six figures that ranged from very thin to obese, with the exception of the males bodies which were more muscular. The new body scale labeled the male images 1 through 6 and the female images A through F. There was a uniform ideal body image for males (Body Image 3 and 4) and females (Body Image C, with recoded both Body Image C and D). The females own body image was larger than her desired ideal body image. The males own body image was not smaller than the ideal. Males identified that medium images (Body Image C and D) to be the ideal, and the females chose Body Image 3 as ideal. There was no correlation between the adolescent’s own body image and their self-esteem. These results do not represent all adolescents. In fact, much of these results do not correspond to other literature. However, these results are a promising tool for future studies. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2007-12 |
| Braxton, Jonathan M. | Psychology | Effect of violent video games on young adults | [abstract not available] | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2007-12 |
| Hanner, Glenn P. | Psychology | Investigating the effects of mortality salience on religiosity | Religion has been, and continues to be, investigated by the greatest empirical and metaphysical thinkers of the ages. Even so, there remains a lack of consensus on the precise nature of religion and the religious experience. According to Freud, “Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis” (Freud, 1928, p. 353) while, Rudolf Otto the well known theologian said that “Religion is that which grows out of, and gives expression to, experience of the holy in its various aspects” (Otto, 1958, p. 68). The prominent philosopher Immanuel Kant said that “Religion is the recognition of all our duties as divine commands” (Kant, 1800, p. 31). As one can see these varying interpretations of religion remain a source of individual interpretation. Although interesting, these definitions fall short of unifying all religions under one classification system. An alternate approach to creating a constraining, all-encompassing set of definitions is to link all religions by a common and seemingly shared factor - the transcendence of death (Becker, 1973). The one over-arching fact of life is the inevitability of death and, perhaps even more disturbing, is the fact that the exact time of our death is presumed unknowable. Human self-awareness makes the contemplation of impending doom a psychological issue (Becker, 1973; Greenberg, Koole, & Pyszczynski, 2004). The all too human ability to reflect and realize that we will one day cease to exist creates anxiety in the least. Becker (1973) articulated this idea by stating that humans are self-aware and will one day die and cease to exist in all forms. This human dilemma creates an existential crisis that necessitates a coping device that may help alleviate the load of potential anxiety. [p. 2] | Billings, Frederick J. | 2007-12 |
| Hawkins, Daniel Scott | Psychology | Effects of chronic nicotine administration on cognition | It was estimated that 72.9 million Americans aged 12 years or older were users of a tobacco product in 2006. Nicotine in tobacco interacts with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and activates reward centers in the central nervous system (CNS), including the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, which leads to behavioral reinforcement and addiction. Nicotinic receptor systems are involved in a wide variety of behavioral functions, including cognition. In both humans and animals, nicotine administration has been shown to improve reaction time, working memory, and attentional processes. Importantly, research indicates that measures of nicotine-induced improvement in cognitive processes, such as working memory, are abolished when concurrently administered with nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine (MEC), suggesting that nAChRs mediate the actions of nicotine’s cognitive enhancement. In humans, self-administration of nicotine, i.e. smoking, has been beneficial in alleviating cognitive dysfunction in disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and schizophrenia. Exploring the neural nicotinic mechanisms underlying cognitive function is critical for the development of effective treatments for cognitive dysfunction and addiction. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2007-12 |
| Kauffman, Christopher William | Psychology | Effect of incentives on questionnaire response rates for college students | This study investigated the effects of different incentives on the recruitment of participants for an online student questionnaire. It also examined whether participants in the different incentive conditions differed in social self-esteem. Of the potential participant pool of 300 individuals, 100 in each treatment condition, a total of 101 participants responded to the recruitment e-mail and 91 of those participants fully completed the Social Self-Esteem Inventory (SSEI) and Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBI). Findings supported the primary hypothesis that the mention of incentives in the recruitment email was not independent of response rate. Specifically, it appears that extra credit was more effective in recruiting participants than either entry into a lottery or no incentive. The secondary hypothesis was not supported, as participant social self-esteem scores were not found to differ among treatment conditions. These results extend previous literature, as the majority of previous research only uses monetary payments or lotteries as their forms of incentive. This study also suggests that postpaid non-monetary incentives, such as extra credit, can be effective in increasing response rates in the appropriate settings. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2007-12 |
| Vogel, Molly Rose | Psychology | Faculty and student perspectives on academic advising at St. Mary’s | Our advising system utilizes solely faculty advisors and we are of the minority of public institutions who do so; however, when you consider the size of St. Mary’s we are not alone. Most smaller schools have not introduced professional advisors into their academic advising systems. All faculty are required to advise, therefore we do not select specially qualified advisors. Advisees are asked to provide evaluations of their advisor when their advisor is being considered for tenure; however, advising is not routinely evaluated like teaching is. As of yet there have been no comprehensive evaluations of the academic advising program at St. Mary’s. We also do not formally reward good advising, even though it is expected of all faculty. NACADA also has both a National and Regional Awards program for academic advising that individual universities may participate in (NACADA, 2006). However, St. Mary’s does have annual training programs for advisors. This assessment will provide us with both student and faculty perspectives on how advising is being handled at St. Mary’s. By dividing the assessment into advisor and advisee specific evaluations, we will be able to determine the extent of advisor and advisee satisfaction with the current advising program. The differences and similarities in how students and faculty view advising will also be made obvious. These surveys will also provide the first forum for both advisors and advisees to explain the concerns they have about advising and find out what desired changes seem to be common. From these results, we are able to make suggestions for improvements based upon common concerns and requests. [from introduction] | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2007-12 |
| Loftis, Stacey Rebecca | Psychology | Cross-cultural comparison of attractiveness in regards to the Golden Decagon Mask | Facial attractiveness is normally a subjective matter which varies across cultures. An objective means of measuring facial attractiveness was developed by Marquardt (1997) using a geometrical relationship to form the features and structure of the face. However, this Golden Decagon Mask has only been tested in predicting attractiveness for Caucasian females. This study compared the mask to the African-American and Asian faces. Comparison among the cultures revealed that indeed, the mask was best at depicting the Caucasian faces, which shows a difference in facial structure between different ethnicities. A negative correlation was found between the total mask deviation score and facial attractiveness for all ethnicities. Unfortunately, there was not a strong enough correlation to show that total mask deviation scores can predict attractiveness. Certain nodal points on the face were also predictive of attractiveness in the Asian and Caucasian cultures. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2007-08 |
| Abell, Kimberly Danielle; Riedel, Christina Leigh | Psychology | Romantic beliefs and abusive relationships : how beliefs in destiny and beliefs in growth affect one's tolerance for abuse | Implicit Theories of Relationships (ITRs) can predict behaviors pertinent to romantic relationships. Noting the alarming rates of domestic abuse between intimate partners, this study explored the relationships between the ITRs of growth and destiny and tolerance for psychological abuse. Male and female undergraduates (N = 129) completed measures of ITRs and self-esteem, and the researcher-designed psychological abuse and mistreatment scale. Results suggested that neither beliefs in destiny nor beliefs in growth were significantly correlated with experiencing abuse. Furthermore, no significant correlation between destiny belief and the dissolution of abusive relationships, nor a correlation between self-esteem and the termination of abusive relationships were found. An unexpected finding showed a positive correlation between self-esteem and destiny beliefs. The results of this study will aid in identifying potential risk factors for continued victimization associated with romantic beliefs. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2007-05 |
| Ballute, Amanda Jo | Psychology | Superstitious behavior in sports | This project consist of three separate parts; a literature review, an informal interview with NBA Wizards guard, Caron Butler, and a small empirical study of selected SMCM athletic teams. A literature review was completed on the history of superstitions, approaches and issues regarding superstitions, superstitions in sport and the factors that influence superstitious behaviors. An informal interview with a player from the Washington Wizards NBA Basketball team, Caron Butler, was used to explore the elite level of sport competition and the role of superstitious behavior. Also, an empirical investigation was conducted to examine superstitious behavior among St. Mary’s College of Maryland Athletes. The study examined the frequency and type of superstitious behavior among 93 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III athletes. Questionnaires were administered to determine which types of superstitious behavior and how frequently they occurred among six different sport teams; Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Lacrosse, Women’s Lacrosse, and Men’s Baseball. The scale used was developed by the researcher and approved by the St. Mary’s College IRB. Results showed no overall or categorical differences among teams or gender, except for routine. Female athletes scored significantly higher in routine superstitions than males. Also, females significantly self reported themselves as more superstitious than males. | Finkelman, David G. | 2007-05 |
| Bancells, Andrea Maria | Psychology | Coping strategies exhibited by parents of children with autism : from diagnosis to present day | [no abstract] | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2007-05 |
| Buechler, Kerry Lisa | Psychology | Theory of mind development in autistic and non-autistic children | The author of the study examined the development of Theory of Mind in typically developing children and children with Autism. In Study 1, 15 typically developing children were interviewed with five questions, ranging from basic seeing is knowing concepts to false belief tasks. In Study 2, which was a proposal, 15 children diagnosed with autism will be recruited and asked the same five interview questions. The children are expected to perform better on the Theory of Mind tasks and they increase in age. Typically developing children are expected to perform better than the autistic children. It is also expected that the children’s answers will reveal a pattern, which supports the theory that Theory of Mind development is a slow and continual process. This was found, in addition to an increase in Theory of Mind abilities with age. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2007-05 |
| Connolly, Jennifer Christine | Psychology | Influence of sexual orientation and violence severity on perceptions of intimate partner abuse | The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effect of sexual orientation and violence severity on perceptions of intimate partner abuse, a form of domestic violence. The study also investigated how these perceptions were influenced by anti-homosexual attitudes. Two self-report questionnaires were completed by undergraduate students (N=90) at St. Mary’s College of Maryland after reading a brief scenario of a domestic violence case. The scenarios depicted an incident of abuse of high or low severity between a romantically involved heterosexual or homosexual couple. The results indicate significant effects of sexual orientation and violence severity on several factors, including perceptions and certainty of defendant guilt, perpetrator responsibility for the abuse, and recommended sentencing. Anti-homosexual attitudes were found to influence these factors as well, along with perceptions of victim responsibility and sympathy for the victim of abuse. Implications for future research, the criminal justice system, and public policies are discussed. | Finkelman, David G. | 2007-05 |
| Connolly, Kevin Michael | Psychology | Left-handedness : implications and consequences | Left-handedness is a topic that has a wide variety of implications for psychological research. Through a review of the literature, the current study attempts to synthesize the theories and findings that have accumulated over years of research. Assessments, causes, and consequences of laterality are discussed, and suggestions for future research are made. Consequences include implications for a person’s health, cognitive capacities, sexuality, and belief systems, among other things. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2007-05 |
| Cordani, Diane Elizabeth | Psychology | Blame attributions of male and female victims of spouse abuse | Victims of domestic abuse are often blamed for the situations they are in due to people’s ignorance, attitudes, and misconceptions about spouse abuse. The present study considers possible factors that influence how much a victim is blamed. The effect of participant gender, sex-role attitudes, and victim sex on blame attributions and acceptance of abuse of both male and female victims of spouse abuse was investigated. Because males are traditionally viewed as the stronger and more masculine sex, they were predicted to attribute more blame for being victimized than the female victims. One hundred-ten undergraduate students completed a questionnaire consisting of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, six spouse-abuse scenarios, and a blame questionnaire. A statistical analysis revealed that participant gender and victim sex had a significant effect on both blame attributions and acceptance of abuse. Contrary to predictions, traditional sex-role attitudes did not have a significant effect on blame or acceptance. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2007-05 |
| Emerson, Charles Christopher | Psychology | Pet ownership as a child and the development of self-esteem and empathy | Previous literature has studied the immediate socio-emotional effects of owning a pet. Self-esteem and empathy are generally considered to be important characteristics that are part of normal development. A person that has positive feelings about themselves and is in touch with the feelings of those around him or her has the basis to be successful in life. The current study sought to discover whether owning a pet as a child was related to individuals having higher self-esteem and empathy later in life compared with those individuals who did not own a pet. Students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland were surveyed using a pet-ownership questionnaire and measures of animal bonding, self-esteem, and empathy. It was predicted that in general, students who had a pet as a child would score higher on both the self-esteem and empathy scales than the non-pet-owners and furthermore that dog-owners would score higher on the two scales than cat owners. The results showed that students who owned a pet as a child scored significantly higher on empathy than those students who did not own a pet. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2007-05 |
| Farley, Megan Jean | Psychology | Making a comeback : collegiate athletes and the emotional response to athletic injury | The emotional response to athletic injury and the impact that athletic identity, social support, injury severity, pain, type of sport, timing in season, and gender have on the emotional response were investigated. Participants were varsity athletes from St. Mary’s College of Maryland; 199 healthy athletes participated in phase 1 of the study and 27 of those athletes participated in phase 2 of the study following an athletic injury. Phase 1 questionnaires were collected before athletes began their sports season to measure athletic identity, social support, and current mood, in addition to other demographic information. Phase 2 questionnaires were collected within 72 hours of an athletic injury, and again at one-week intervals until the athletes returned to play; the questionnaire measured athletic identity, social support, current mood, injury severity, type of injury, pain, and timing in season. Analyses did not reveal any significant findings between mood disturbance and athletic identity, social support, injury severity, pain, timing in season, and gender; some significant findings not hypothesized did emerge. The current research adds to the understanding of the emotional response to athletic injury in Division III collegiate athletes. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2007-05 |
| Havens-McColgan, John Charles | Psychology | Legal ramifications of juror perceptions of mental illness | The study examines the effects of juror perceptions of mental illness on judgments in a criminal trial. One hundred undergraduates (87 female, 13 male) read a scenario consisting of two parts, a general description of a crime (the same for all participants) and one of five condition specific sections consisting of testimony about the defendant and his mental state (the defendant having either no mental illness, or one of four disorders: Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), or Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)). The effects of specific diagnosis, juror perceptions of the responsibility of the defendant for the crime, and juror perception of the dangerousness of the defendant, on juror judgments were examined. Also, the effect of general attitudes about mental illness and knowledge about the disorders involved is investigated. The results showed that disorder and responsibility have significant effects on juror judgments but perceptions of dangerousness are not good predictors of any judgments included in the questionnaire. Furthermore, attitudes about mental illness and general knowledge of the disorders included in the study were measured for a relationship with any of the aforementioned judgments, and no such relationship exists. Effect size comparisons, implications and limitations of the study are discussed. | Finkelman, David G. | 2007-05 |
| Hickman, Megan Anne | Psychology | Beyond cutting classes : a guide for middle and high school educating professionals on adolescent self-mutilation | The study and awareness of self-mutilation by educators dealing with teens is important because of the increasing incidences among adolescents and even if self-mutilation is without suicidal intent, it can still cause long-term damage to the body (Zanarini et al., 2006). Education on the matter is the best defense for self-mutilation prevention (Izutsu et al., 2006; Berne & Huberman, 2000). The purpose of this study was to provide extensive background research on self-mutilation as a tool for middle and high school faculty and staff members, and to develop educational materials to aid schools in educating themselves, their students, and the parents and guardians. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2007-05 |
| Hoehn, Jessica Lynn | Psychology | Stigma and cancer : young adults' attitudes toward hypothetical peers | Prior research has shown that cancer diagnosis can have a significant effect on psychosocial functioning. Young adult cancer survivors (especially survivors of childhood cancer) display unique psychosocial characteristics, coping styles, and difficulties. Prior research has found that cancer patients experience some stigma, although this stigma is often more positive than stigmatized views experienced by other groups. Research also suggests that people with chronic illness may be more empathetic and open to others. Thus, this study was designed to test stigma and attitudes in young adult survivors of childhood cancer compared to other young adults. The researcher compared young adults’ social acceptance of hypothetical peers with cancer or depression. The researcher also examined whether status as a cancer survivor or as a friend/relative of a cancer survivor impacted social acceptance. Results showed that young adults are significantly more accepting of hypothetical peers with cancer as opposed to peers with depression; participants who had been diagnosed with cancer or who had known someone with cancer were more likely to be accepting of either peer. Former cancer patients were less accepting of people with depression than was predicted. These results suggest that stigmas for mental illnesses are significantly more negative. The results also suggest that the experience of cancer could lead to greater acceptance of stigmatized groups. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2007-05 |
| Ikizler, Ayse Selin | Psychology | Gender role representations in Turkish television programs | The current study focused on the representations of gender stereotypes that prevail in prime-time Turkish television dramas and sit-coms. Specifically, a content analysis was conducted for prevalence, age, weight, hair color, setting, and gendered activities of male and female characters. Findings suggested that there were significant differences between male and female characters that characterized women as younger and decorative, whereas men were portrayed as older, more overweight, and more likely to be seen outside of the home. An extensive literature review discussed television research in general, cross-cultural media research, and a brief history of Turkish politics. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2007-05 |
| Ivy, David Patrick | Psychology | Oxidant stress and nicotine’s role in diffuse vascular injury : vascular response to chronic nicotine | The present study investigated nicotine’s role in oxidative stress and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in the cerebrovasculature of rats. Specifically, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and nitrotyrosine levels were examined in endothelial cells (ECs) of the basilar artery to investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in oxidative stress while proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was examined in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to investigate nicotine-induced promotion of atherosclerosis. This report found that nitrotyrosine levels were elevated in rats treated with nicotine and given a withdrawal period of 7 days while PCNA levels were elevated in rats treated with nicotine for 28 days. Discussed are the implications of these findings and the compensatory mechanisms of the vascular system involved in the cessation of smoking/nicotinic intake. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2007-05 |
| Jensvold, Karin Patritia | Psychology | The relation between family dynamics in childhood and later attitudes about family formation | [abstract not available] | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2007-05 |
| Jones, Amanda Catherine | Psychology | Evaluation of the St. Mary’s County family independence project | This study evaluated the St. Mary’s County Family Independence Project by analyzing the opinions, attitudes and responses of the participants about the program. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected. Responses indicated that the financial mentors, financial workshops, and the retreat weekends were the most beneficial aspects of the programs. The financial mentors and workshops helped families to gain an abundance of vital financial knowledge. The retreat weekends allowed for families to relax, spend time together, and learn life skills. Limitations and directions for further research are discussed. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2007-05 |
| Kampmeyer, Hannah Marie | Psychology | Effects of socialization on expression and acceptance of depression in men and women | The present study examined acceptance/rejection of individuals with various degrees of depression (clinical, situational, or no depression). This study also investigated how the gender of the target, the gender of the participants, and participants’ sex-role beliefs influenced participants’ reactions. Participants (62 women and 47 men) completed a BEM Sex-Role Inventory, read 6 passages reflecting levels of depression, and answered a 13-item questionnaire (measuring acceptance/rejection) after each passage. The data, analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), indicated that participants rejected individuals with clinical depression more than those with situational or no depression. Although there was a trend for men to be rejected more than women, there was not a significant effect. Nor was there a significant effect for rejecting the same-sex more than the opposite-sex. The results did show a significant main effect for sex-role beliefs. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2007-05 |
| Leech, Hillary Meredith | Psychology | Women’s rights in the Gambia : an analysis of Gambian newspapers | The Gambia is a small developing country in West Africa that has a long standing patriarchal social structure. This study investigates the women’s rights movement in the Gambia through a linguistic and content analysis of articles from two of the country’s prominent newspapers: The Point Newspaper and Daily Observer. Using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, dimensions of the articles such as pronoun use and psychological processes were calculated. Results revealed that women were more likely than men to express certainty in their writing and women also used a higher ratio of positive to negative words. Emotional language varied significantly between topics. Additionally, there were several differences between the language characteristics of Gambian journalists and language characteristics that have been found in previous research using American populations. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2007-05 |
| Lubben, Joshua Todd | Psychology | Religious socialization and religious behavior : a literature review | The current review examines three agents of religious socialization in childhood and adolescence: family, peers, and religious institutions. Parents act as the primary religious socialization agent, with peers and religious institutions being secondary. Factors affecting the socialization process related to each of these agents are also examined. The quality of the relationship with the parents can affect the socialization process as well as the number and strength of relationships with peers and members of religious institutions. The review continues by examining the literature regarding factors that affect religious behavior, such as the motivation for being religious. The review concludes by examining theories on reasons for going religious institutions and a personal account of a religious upbringing. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2007-05 |
| McGill, Jacquelyn Ann | Psychology | Effects of diazepam on anxiety with repeated testing in rats | The locus coeruleus (LC) and the amygdala are two areas of the brain involved in anxiety. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, decrease anxiety behaviorally. Histological data using cFos also supports diazepam’s role in reducing anxiety, through possible regulation by the LC and amygdala. It was hypothesized that a dose-dependent decrease in anxiety after administration of 0, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg of diazepam would be seen both on the elevated plus maze and open field after repeated testing and on anxiety-induced cFos expression in both the LC and amygdala. No significant effects of dose were seen behaviorally or in the number of activated cells, suggesting either these areas do not influence anxiety or that different experiments are needed to see their effects. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2007-05 |
| Muehl, Allison Nicole | Psychology | Vocal characteristics as a response to self-esteem manipulation : findings and implications | Self-esteem has long been an indicator of performance as well as perceptions made by others. Additionally, peripheral vocal characteristics, such as rate of speech, pitch, and volume, have illustrated perceptions of such character traits as competence, credibility, and trust. The current study aimed to study the relationship between self-esteem and vocal characteristics, to determine if positive and/or negative feedback had an effect on vocal performance in high and low trait self-esteem individuals. Bogus feedback was given to participants over a computer following a task that was said to be measuring “reaction ability.” Additionally, participants were asked to complete two measures of self-esteem (one prior to feedback, one following feedback) and record a vocal passage twice (once prior to feedback, once following feedback). Results indicated no effects of the feedback manipulation on pre- to post-recording changes in any of the peripheral vocal characteristics: rate of speech, pitch, or volume. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2007-05 |
| Pitts, Katrice Charita | Psychology | Thank heaven for little girls : high risk sexual behavior of African-American female adolescents with relationship, environmental, and media factors | The purpose of the current literature review was to investigate predictive factors of high risk sexual behaviors in African-American female adolescents. The reasoning for investigating high risk behaviors in black female youth was the disproportionate numbers of contractions of HIV/AIDS, and how this is hurting the African-American community. Therefore, the author investigated three main variants that were correlated with high risk behavior, which included the factors of interpersonal relationships, environment, and media influence. The author also reviewed historical factors that influence high risk sexual behaviors, implications sexual deviant behaviors have on HIV/AIDS rates in the black community, and prevention programs to reduce high risk behaviors. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2007-05 |
| Reid, Chelsea Maitland | Psychology | Periadolescents on methamphetamine : the impact of an escalating dose regimen of methamphetamine on non-spatial working memory and serotonin within the hippocampus | The use of methamphetamine (METH) worldwide, in adults and adolescents, has led to increased research on the neurotoxicity to brain regions and the cognitive deficits caused by METH. The current experiment focused on the effects of METH on hippocampus dependent non-spatial and spatial working memory and hippocampal serotonin levels with an escalating dose model of METH use in periadolescent rats. Using 18 male Spraque-Dawley rats, the novel object recognition task and the discrete paired-trials delayed alternation task measured working memory and optical density quantified serotonin found in the hippocampus. The effects on working memory and hippocampal serotonin were found to be non-significant. Further research should utilize the escalating dose model to determine the developmental issues caused by periadolescent METH use. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2007-05 |
| Ruiz, Casimira Teresa | Psychology | Cognitive deficits and individual differences resulting from behavioral sensitization to an escalating dose of methamphetamine | Sixteen rats were administered saline or an escalating dose of methamphetamine (meth) (3 days a week for 5 weeks, increasing 1 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg at 1 mg/kg a week). Locomotor activity of meth-treated animals resulted in sensitized (activity increased by 50% or more) and non-sensitized (activity did not increase by 50%) rats. Following a 4 week withdrawal period, rats were tested for conditioned place preference to determine the rewarding properties of the drug when compared to food. Additionally, rats were tested in a set-shifting task to assess cognitive impairment due to repeated meth use. Meth had no effect on either test for any of the three drug groups (sensitized, non-sensitized and saline). | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2007-05 |
| Sumner, Jaclyn Michelle | Psychology | Qualitative study of children of Holocaust survivors | The present study combined a literature review with a qualitative study to examine the extent to which the psychological scars of Holocaust survivors affect the adjustment of their children. Data were collected from fourteen adult children of survivors who either completed a questionnaire or took part in an interview. Contrary to much of the literature reviewed, it was found that some degree of psychopathology is not inevitable in children of Holocaust survivors. The one conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the children of survivors who participated seem to be very well adjusted in their adult lives. The implications for future research on this topic are extensive. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2007-05 |
| Sutton, Jeanne Peri | Psychology | Forms of trauma and their relationships with phenomena of dissociation, sleep, and dreaming | The current study explored the relationships between trauma type with forms of dissociation and specific sleep phenomenon. We utilized a sample of 140 undergraduate students and using the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Iowa Sleep Experiences Survey, and Trauma History Questionnaire ran a correlational analysis. As previously found, overall traumatization was associated with dissociation and general sleep experiences. Counter to our hypothesis, we found that crime-related experiences, not physical and sexual traumas, were related to dissociation, and most strongly associated with derealization. Lucid dreaming was unrelated to all forms of trauma. Furthermore, nightmares were associated only with physical and sexual traumas. Additional research should replicate this study with a trauma measure that collects severity data and is intended for questionnaire use. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2007-05 |
| Tranen, Naomi Shoshanah | Psychology | Roommate expectations throughout college | The purpose of this paper is to explore how roommate expectations change from the first year through the fourth year of college. Undergraduates, with roommates, at a small liberal arts college participated in the current study. Questionnaires were completed in person and on the Internet, asking students to describe their ideal roommate and to rate the importance of different possible roommate traits and characteristics. Collected data reports that current roommate matching systems may not be asking the right questions and that they can be improved by asking students to describe their ideal roommate. It was also determined that roommate matches may be more successful if schools have different matching systems for 1st and 2nd year, and then 3rd and 4th year students because students seem to have different roommate expectations as they progress through college. Based on the collected data this study includes a proposal for a new roommate matching system, which may result in more successful roommate experiences. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2007-05 |
| Ward, Caitlin Gore | Psychology | Conditioned place preference and the effect of dopamine antagonism on cocaine reward in adolescent and adult rats | Drug addiction is regulated by dopamine pathways in the human brain. Based on developmental differences between the adult and adolescent brain, it was hypothesized that adolescent and adult rats would respond differentially to treatment with drugs intended for cocaine anti-abuse. It was hypothesized that flupenthixol would block place preference in rats, and would be less effective in adolescent rats. Results show that rats demonstrated place preference, but found no differences between adolescents and adults, or groups receiving saline or flupenthixol prior to testing. Flupenthixol suppressed activity and movement, and had a greater affect on the suppression of movement in adult rats. These results suggest that behavioral responses to dopamine antagonism are different in adult and adolescent subjects. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2007-05 |
| Wells, Heather Amanda | Psychology | Inclusion : a case study of a teacher’s first inclusion setting | This study intended on discovering, through a review of the literature, the factors contributing to success in inclusive classrooms. Results of the review showed teacher-related variables, student-related variables, and environmental variables. Interviews were also conducted with a fifth grade general education teacher and her special education co-teacher to examine their thoughts about inclusion. In order to examine the interactions in an inclusive classroom, students with special education needs were observed regarding their interactions with IEP students, non-IEP students, and teachers. Results of interactions with non-IEP students showed an increase in positive interactions and a decrease in negative and neutral interactions over time. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2007-05 |
| Wiest, Matthew Kristoff | Psychology | Effects of acute exercise on a dominant-submissive relationship in rats | A dominant submissive relationship (DSR) was established by pairing animals in the straight runway tube task (SRTT) and measuring their behavior for two weeks. Animals were exercised over a ten day testing period, during which DSR behavior was measured. After the treatment period, behavior was measured during social interaction and compared to before the animals were exercised. We were able to successfully establish a DSR by using the SRTT. Non-exercised pairs were measured for c-Fos and the DSR established in the SRTT was determined to differentially activate the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and not the amygdala between dominant and submissive animals. Even though some of the behaviors measured during social interaction were influenced by exercise, dominance behavior was not significantly altered by exercise during the SRTT or social interaction. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2007-05 |
| Wilson, Lauren Anne | Psychology | Somos Hijos del Lago : a preliminary descriptive case study on a special education and rehabilitation center in rural Guatemala | A preliminary exploratory investigation of the issues and perceptions surrounding SHL, a rehabilitation and special education center in rural Guatemala. The center offers free services to children and other members of the local communities in the town of San Pedro and its vicinity; most of the affiliated people identify to belonging to the Tzutujil Mayan culture. Many of the issues investigated are a response to observations made as a foreign volunteer. A written inquiry was sent to three women working at the center: the special education teacher, the secretary/director, and the physical therapist. The inquiry consisted of three major sections: Professional and Educational History, Experiences at the Center, and Opinions. Questions were open ended and a number of themes and issues were extracted from the responses. Directions for further study are discussed. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2007-05 |
| Wood, Jessica | Psychology | College students’ help seeking behaviors | Young adulthood is the time when depression is most prevalent among young adults. Because of this reason, it is no surprise that college students are at high risk from depression and psychological distress. College students suffer at increasing numbers compared to their peers that are not undergraduates. It is disputed whether these levels have been increasing over time, but regardless it is important to consider the role of college counseling centers in supporting their students mental health. College students often suffer from psychological health and do not seek treatment for it. This literature outlines the potential reasons for the lack of students that seek psychological treatment. These include fear of treatment and stigma, ethnicity, gender, emotional openness and competence as well as self-disclosure and self-concealment. Because of the findings of this literature review, two projects were completed. These are an informational website on the topic of various therapies as well as an informational brochure. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2007-05 |
| Zakielarz, Brittney Diane | Psychology | Correlates of boundary structure and aspects of dream content | This study, examining the relationship between boundary structure in the mind as a measure of personality and several aspects of dream content, involved the administration of Hartmann’s Boundary Questionnaire and a Dream Report prompt to 130 college students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Dream content was analyzed using a modified version of Hall and Van de Castle’s system of classification for the content analysis of dreams. Results of several one-way ANOVA’s indicated a significant relationship between the number of familiar characters in a dream report and the dreamer’s Boundary Category identification. Further significance was found in the relationship between the incidences of threat made by the dreamer and the Boundary Category that the dreamer identified with. Other variables examined were friendly interactions, setting, number of unfamiliar characters, primary emotion, and various demographic variables; none of these yielded significant results. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2007-05 |
| Allen, Elizabeth Jayne | Psychology | Animal assisted therapy (AAT) and animal assisted activities (AAA) : a literature review | [no abstract] | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-12 |
| Barnes, Katherine Hemsley | Psychology | Closer look at Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) | The following study explores the controversy found in the literature surrounding Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This therapy, primarily used to treat anxiety-related disorders, has found support in some areas of research and endures intense critiques in others. There is little agreement about what makes EMDR effective and what differentiates it from a more traditional exposure technique (e.g. flooding). The researcher explores the relationship between EMDR’s reputation in the literature to local practitioners feelings toward the therapy. A survey was sent out to practitioners in the Southern Maryland area to assess their feelings toward EMDR. The researcher found that the same mixed reviews that EMDR receives in the literature were also found in the local practitioners’ views in Southern Maryland. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-12 |
| Bhanot, Rashmi | Psychology | Disordered eating in female athletes | The media places high expectations for females to maintain a slim figure. Women may engage in unhealthy diet and exercise methods to obtain the skinny look. Females may feel the pressure to maintain the idealized figure from the media; however, female athletes may be at greater risk for disordered eating because of the high pressures placed by coaches, fans, and teammates. Currently, there is no program that targets disordered eating specific to female athletes at Saint Mary’s College of Maryland. The current paper proposes a Disordered Eating Response team that is specific to female athletes. The goal of the Disordered Eating Response Team is to prevent and educate female athletes about disordered eating, as well to increase self-esteem and decrease negative body image perceptions. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-12 |
| Black, Colin Sime | Psychology | Alcohol : a self-medication for socially anxious individuals | The self-medication hypothesis states that socially anxious individuals drink alcohol to alleviate anxiety symptoms and facilitate social interaction. The purpose of the present study was to examine this self-medication hypothesis and determine its effect on the drinking habits and social-avoidant behavior of socially anxious individuals. A total of 80 undergraduate college students completed self-report measures of social anxiety, alcohol consumption, and alcohol expectancies. In addition, participants responded to multiple hypothetical scenarios designed to measure anxiety relief from alcohol across various degrees of anxiety-producing social situations. Socially anxious participants reported more frequent alcohol consumption and greater anxiety relief from alcohol than did non-socially anxious participants. Socially anxious participants were also more likely than non-socially anxious participants to report that they would avoid social situations when alcohol was not available. The present results indicate that socially anxious individuals do in fact perceive alcohol as an effective self-medication. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2006-12 |
| Hammamy, Ranwa Diaa | Psychology | Value of educational television : examining the contribution of Dora the Explorer | The role of television in the daily lives of children has been explored for several decades, with investigations focusing on various aspects of the medium. One area of children’s programming that has received a great deal of attention is educational television, and whether or not it serves as a valuable educational tool. Many of the investigations examining educational television have studied not only the overall content, but also the contribution of specific shows, such as Sesame Street or Blue’s Clues. The current investigation consists of three distinct parts, the first of which is an extensive literature review of the research conducted regarding educational television. The second is a content analysis of the children’s program Dora the Explorer, which will be utilized to create the study materials for the third and final portion of the investigation. This third portion is a research proposal designed to examine the educational contribution of Dora the Explorer, which has gained popularity throughout the past few years. This particular show is important to investigate due to several of its unique characteristics, such as the inclusion of audience participation and the regular use of the Spanish language. The current investigation focuses on the influence of repeated exposure to the program on the viewers’ ability to learn the lessons presented, and will take the form of four separate studies. This investigation will also attempt to determine whether or not the presence of show-related playtime materials can impact lesson learning from the program Dora the Explorer. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-12 |
| Hammond, Arianna Marie | Psychology | Appraisal of goal progress, motivation and life satisfaction in a mental health rehabilitation program | Goals are often implemented due to the recognition that a positive result is associated with having personalized goals. The present study aimed to explore the extent to which goal-setting influences motivation and goal progress from 18 clients in a clinical rehabilitation setting. Participants had the option of independently filling out surveys or being interviewed. A significant positive correlation was found between client self-reports of goal progress and levels of motivation. Further research should examine client perceptions of symptom interference and medication issues to eliminate motivation and goal progress barriers. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2006-12 |
| Lichtenstein, Hannah Rebekah | Psychology | Relationship between childhood imaginary companions and adulthood creativity : a retrospective study | The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between childhood imaginary companions and adulthood creativity styles. Imaginary companions included both invisible friends and personified objects. The sample consisted of 182 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 33 male and 149 female. Seventy-six had childhood imaginary companions and 106 did not, 12 were personified objects and 64 were invisible friends. Participants completed a demographic survey, the Creativity Styles Questionnaire-Revised (Kumar & Holman, 1997), and an imaginary companion questionnaire. The subscales from the Creativity Styles Questionnaire-Revised included: overall creativity, belief in uncontrolled processes, use of techniques, use of other people, superstition, and use of the senses. The imaginary companion questionnaire investigated characteristics of the imaginary companion(s) as well as the child and his or her environment. Adults who had childhood imaginary companions were more likely to use multiple techniques in the creative process. Participants that had imaginary companions and were shy as children used other people while being creative. Those that were embarrassed about their companion as children were less likely to use other people during the creative process as adults. Subjects that had imaginary companions for a long time were more likely to be superstitious in the creative process. According to the links between creativity styles and levels, it can be concluded that adults who had imaginary companions as children are more creative than their peers as adults through the use of multiple techniques during their creative process. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-12 |
| Mason, Michelle Alice | Psychology | Early childhood reading programs : parents' role in their children's reading success | [no abstract] | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-12 |
| Strauss, Ethan Thomas | Psychology | Understanding college athletes readiness to quit competitive sport : a qualitative study | To understand how Division 3 athletes conceive of their inevitable retirement from sport this study employed open-ended interviews. The Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) was used to analyze participant responses. Findings consisted of all participants agreeing that their upcoming transition out of competitive sports would come with substantial difficulties. Participants also largely agreed that they would miss the benefits that come with being part of a team. St. Mary’s College of Maryland coaches emphasized academics before athletics and that this was a philosophy present in all of Division 3 athletics. Findings were congruent with most previous research that suggests retiring athletes experience difficulties with quitting sporting competition. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-12 |
| Tress, Megan Elizabeth | Psychology | Attraction : yours, mine, or ours? The effects of social influence on perceived physical attraction | This study analyzed the effect social influence has on perceived physical attractiveness of the opposite sex. It was hypothesized that social influence would have an effect on the perceived facial attractiveness of the opposite sex. Women would be more influenced by negative opinions of other women when judging attractiveness, while men would be more influenced by positive opinions of other men. It was also believed that individuals who were high self-monitors would be more influenced by confederates, regardless of gender. 118 St. Mary’s College of Maryland undergraduate psychology students, 84 females and 34 males, participated in this study. A self-monitoring scale was used to measure an individual’s level of self-monitoring. The participants were asked to rate a series of 25 pictures of the opposite sex. There were two conditions, control and experimental. In the experiment groups the participants were presented with verbal comments intended to influence their ratings of the photographs. It was found that social influence does affect an individual’s perception of what is physically attractive, supporting our original hypothesis, but the expected gender and self-monitoring effects were not supported by the data. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-12 |
| Gayle, Diana Andrea | Psychology | Father absence and its effects on college women’s interpersonal interactions | This study aims to analyze the developmental impairments associated with women growing up in father absent homes. This will entail gaining a greater understanding of the historical and societal factors that influence our views of marriage, the family system and parent/child interactions. The analysis of parent behavior, child temperament, parent/child relationships suggest that parents influence our social and cognitive development. A woman’s relationship satisfaction, fear of intimacy and her social competence through assertion and dating are assessed in this examination of father absence; in addition, to an investigation of age on outcome. This study used a sample of 195 undergraduate women aged 18-25 to complete an online survey. This survey includes Thelen’s fear of Intimacy scale, The Hendrick Relationship Assessment Scale and the Dating and Assertion Questionnaire. A Univariate Analysis of Variance was used to investigate significance on each of these variables. Results revealed that the woman’s age at the time of the initial father absence showed no significant differences across all independent variables. However, significance was found between father absent and father present women on Fear of Intimacy. Whereas, incidences of divorce and separation, abandonment and the death of the father were found to show no significance on relationship satisfaction, fear of intimacy or dating and assertion. Conclusions and limitations will be discussed. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2006-08 |
| Snavely, Carl Russel | Psychology | Intimate relationships : relationships correlates with depression and academic performance | [no abstract] | Lasane, Terell P. | 2006-08 |
| Ahrendt, Kenneth Carl | Psychology | Media influence and risk perception : the impact of the news media on risk perception | The interaction between the misrepresentative nature of news media and the risk perceptions of college students is an area in need of further research. This study seeks to understand the role of the availability heuristic in shaping the world view of college students as a product of their exposure to the news media. 40 students from St. Mary’s College of Maryland participated in a survey measuring their news media exposure, and general knowledge of current events. This was followed by a manipulation of availability through varied exposure to different risks that cause death, and estimations of mortality were made based on a hypothetical population of 100,000 people between the ages of 20-24. The study found that in general college student are good at assessing risk, the notable exceptions being the overestimation of car accident mortality, and the underestimation of homicide mortality. More in depth findings are covered, and suggestions for future research and flaws in the design are discussed. | Platt, Richard D. | 2006-05 |
| Asmann, Suzanne Elizabeth | Psychology | Behavioral investigation of an isolation-rearing model of schizophrenia in rats | Isolation-rearing of rats leads to behavioral and neurochemical changes including deficits in pre-pulse inhibition, locomotor hyperactivity, and impairments in spatial learning. These behaviors are analogous to vulnerability to stress and cognitive deficits in human schizophrenia. This experiment addresses the relationships between these three behaviors through the use of acoustic startle, locomotor assessment in an activity chamber and a radial arm maze task. The hypothesis was that animals raised in isolation would have greater PPI deficits, increased locomotor hyperactivity, and more difficulty completing a radial arm maze task. These behaviors were hypothesized to be positively correlated with one another. The research showed a significant increase in PPI deficit and difficulty in a radial arm maze task, but did not support the locomotor activity hypothesis or correlational hypothesis. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2006-05 |
| Baker, Allison Kathryn | Psychology | Effects of parental involvement on student academic achievement | With the use of past literature, a questionnaire was constructed to measure parental involvement dimensions of school involvement, social monitoring, support and communication over three schooling periods: elementary school, high school, and college. The questionnaire was completed by 137 students attending a small liberal arts college. The results indicate that the different types of parental involvement do change over years of schooling. In addition, females report higher levels of parental involvement on all dimensions, over all of the schooling years, when compared to males. Parental involvement and academic achievement were not significantly correlated at the elementary and college levels, but all parental involvement dimensions were significantly negatively correlated with academic achievement at the high school level. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2006-05 |
| Barnes, Eileen Patricia | Psychology | Relationship between birth order, achievement, and anxiety | The relationship between actual birth order, psychological birth order, academic achievement and anxiety was investigated. Eighty college participants (aged 17-50) completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Speilberger, 1983), the Psychological Birth Order Inventory (Campbell, White & Stewart, 1991) and a question assessing Grade Point Average. The results of the study suggest that there was a negative relationship between anxiety and psychological birth order for the position of middle females. There is no other evidence that actual birth order position as well as psychological birth order position have a significant relationship to anxiety or academic achievement. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-05 |
| Berger, Samantha Leigh | Psychology | Relationship between attachment and expected vs. perceived intimacy | The relationship between adult attachment styles and expected vs. perceived intimacy was examined. It was hypothesized that individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment would be more likely to have a large discrepancy between the current intimacy in their relationship and the ideal intimacy levels they would like to have in a relationship. Participants were given two surveys. One survey measured whether the individual was anxiously, or avoidantly attached. The second survey measured the differences between current and ideal levels of intimacy of the individuals’ relationship. Sets of Pearson correlations were performed to determine if there was a relationship between attachment style and intimacy discrepancies. The hypothesis was supported by the results. Possible explanations for the relationship are discussed. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-05 |
| Borsch, Emily Victoria | Psychology | Tactic is distraction : the news broadcaster’s influence on content recall | Are we paying attention to what we watch on television? The present study examines the accuracy of content recalled from ten different national news broadcasts, focusing on the retention of news content by 140 students at St. Mary’s College. Participants answered three questions from each broadcast. The most accurately remembered broadcast involved a report on tax scam email (part of the participant’s domain knowledge), and the least remembered broadcast involved a topic outside of participant’s domain knowledge, the Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Ports World. Results indicate a floor effect, several explanations are given for the variance in content recalled concluded by a discussion of limitations and suggestions for future research. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2006-05 |
| Burkman, Lisa Michele | Psychology | Stereotypes of psychotherapists in film : a content analysis | Although many groups are stereotyped and stigmatized, one group of people that is often stereotyped is the psychotherapist. The purpose of the current study was to explore the prevalence of stereotypes of psychotherapists in various films. An analysis instrument was designed to measure stereotypes in films. Frequencies of stereotypes were calculated and are fully discussed and various t-tests were performed to determine gender differences in characterized psychotherapists. If psychotherapists are being portrayed negative in the media, then it is possible that consumers (potential clients) will develop negative views of therapy. The negative stereotypes present may cause many potential therapy clients to never seek professional help. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Burtis, Amy LeeAnn | Psychology | Applying the theories of aggression to adolescent aggression | Aggression and violence among the nation’s youth is becoming an ever more significant issue, especially to young people themselves. Recent identification and examination of social aggression among female adolescents has sparked a new interest in aggression during the adolescent life period. This literature review examines definitions and typologies of aggression as well as gender differences among its expression during adolescence. It briefly describes and evaluates three more conventional theories of aggression, as well as a more recent theory of aggression proposed called Dominance Theory. Suggestions for future studies with respect to adolescents and aggression are discussed as well as a specific prevention program for schools. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-05 |
| Bushell, Thomas R. | Psychology | Role of occupational stress in various positions throughout the criminal justice system | Occupational stress was examined in the criminal justice system as a means of identifying the stressors experienced in the field. Other factors such as the effects of stress and the resources provided to relieve stress were also examined. The criminal justice system was chosen because it has various different types of jobs that can all be highly stressful. Correctional officers, police officers, judges, and attorneys were studied to show how different positions in the criminal justice system involve highly stressful situations that are not experienced in most other job fields. In order to study these positions a literature review was conducted. In addition to this, interviews with individuals in the mentioned positions were also completed to supplement the literature. Both revealed that although the positions have unique stressors, all are highly stressful at times. The stress experienced at work is not addressed or dealt with in a healthy fashion, causing many negative effects to the individuals and their employers. These results show that much needs to be done in the in the criminal justice field in the area of reducing and coping with occupational stress. | Finkelman, David G. | 2006-05 |
| Butler, Sylvia Claire | Psychology | Correlation between parental practices on gender role orientation, attachment style, self-esteem and satisfaction in later romantic relationships | The researcher examined the relationship between parenting styles, romantic attachment styles, gender role orientation, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction in college students. Participants completed surveys measuring these variables. I conducted a regression analysis with relationship satisfaction as the criterion and other measured variables conducted on the variables. As hypothesized, I found that an authoritative parenting style was positively correlated with a secure attachment style, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction. Conversely, an authoritarian parenting style was found to be associated with maladjustment in the dimensions of the other variables. Finally, a secure attachment style was found to be a mediator for father authoritativeness and self-esteem, and these three variables were found to be the significant predictors of relationship satisfaction. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2006-05 |
| Calhoon, Gwendolyn Gabrielle | Psychology | Effects of cognitive intervention in adolescence on behavioral abnormalities in a rat model of schizophrenia | Schizophrenic patients who achieve high levels of education prior to onset of psychotic symptoms have better prognoses than patients who accomplished lower levels of education, suggesting that early cognitive stimulation may reduce symptoms in adulthood. The present study assessed the effects of cognitive intervention in adolescence on disrupted adult behaviors in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia in rats. Neonatal ventral hippocampus lesioned (NVHL) rats were trained in an attentional set-shifting task during adolescence, which served as the cognitive intervention. In adulthood, rats were assessed for behaviors known to be disrupted in the model, including prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, social interaction, novelty-induced locomotion, dopamimetic drug-induced locomotion, and working memory in the radial arm maze. Lesioned rats performed worse in the working memory task than shams, as indicated by total errors. The performance of lesioned rats that had received cognitive intervention, however, was markedly improved (p=.032). The results of the present study suggest that premorbid cognitive intervention may protect against impairments in cognition in schizophrenia. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2006-05 |
| Callahan, Lauren Jean | Psychology | Effects of isolation rearing in adolescence on behavioral sensitization to methamphetamine in adulthood | Environmental stress has been shown to play a significant role in addictive behavior in both animal models and in humans. The present study investigates whether the stress of social isolation in adolescence increases measures of behavioral sensitization to methamphetamine in adult rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were reared either in isolation (n=11) or housed two to a cage (n=12) beginning in adolescence. At the onset of adulthood, rats were randomly assigned to receive either methamphetamine (n=15) or saline (n=8), and locomotor activity was measured in activity chambers at baseline, over five chronic days, and at a later test day. Results reveal that rats reared in isolation in adolescence do not exhibit higher levels of sensitization to methamphetamine than non-isolated rats. In conclusion, the current study does not show that isolation rearing increases sensitization to methamphetamine. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2006-05 |
| Carrico, Lea Rene | Psychology | Adult attachment and its correlations with parental marital status and conflict | The purpose of the research presented here in is to see if there are correlations between attachment behaviors and conflict for participants from both intact and divorced families. 96 participants completed questionnaires on perceived parental marital conflict, parent-child attachment and adult attachment. The results indicated that perceived parental marital conflict was negatively correlated with parent-child attachment, parental marital conflict was not correlated with adult attachment and parent-child attachment was correlated with adult attachment. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-05 |
| Cochran, Christa A. | Psychology | Therapist personal history variables and their effect on the quantity and quality of self-disclosure in the therapeutic relationship | The present study examined the relationship between the personal experiences of therapists and the amount and type of therapist self-disclosures (TSD) used in the therapeutic environment. Two self-report questionnaires were completed by 196 counseling psychologists. The Counselor Disclosure Scale measured participants’ level of disclosure related to personal, interpersonal, and professional issues. The Salient Life Events Inventory measured the number and perceived stressfulness of major events occurring in the past year of the participants’ life. Correlational analyses yielded significant results, indicating that participants who had experienced a greater number of major life events were more likely use TSD with clients. Results are discussed in terms of previous research, and implications and suggestions for further research are explored. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-05 |
| Davis, Brendan Michael | Psychology | Strategies for coping with injury and rehabilitation program adherence | Different coping strategies were examined in the context of traumatic physical injuries. Strategies for adherence to rehabilitation programs were also examined. These were studied through a literature review. Among the recurring findings was that using internal attributions of control helps to reduce depression and leads to successful coping. Also, early counseling and education regarding one’s injury and possibly changed life situation should take place soon after the acute phase of the injury to reduce stress and prevent distorted self-perceptions. The findings are further revisited in a section which delivers advice to injured patients in many circumstances. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2006-05 |
| Dinh, Dian Phuong; Proimos, James Theodore | Psychology | Personality and character class selection in World of Warcraft : an exploratory study of massive multiplayer choices and behaviors | The relationship between scores on the five factor model of personality and class selection in a Massively Multiplayer online (MMO) game were investigated. Participants included 1541 players of World of Warcraft (194 females and 1347 males, aged 12-55 and older) that were made aware of the study via forum posts on the World of Warcraft forums. Participants took a survey with a shortened version of the 50-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP)’s Big-Five Factor Markers questionnaire. Questions relating to gaming behaviors and choices were included. Participants that played a priest were higher in agreeableness than those that played a warrior. There were no other significant results for personality and class selection, but a number of exploratory analyses of personality (as well as gender) and gaming behaviors and choices were examined. This study discusses the directions that future exploration of MMOs is likely to take. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Dixon, Amber Lynn | Psychology | Breast obsessed : the importance of breast size in American society and its' influence on the approval of cosmetic breast surgery | The present study sought to find differences in the way women are perceived based on the size of their breasts, and whether or not the media influences society’s approval of breast augmentation surgery. The hypotheses were that women with large breasts would be rated more positively than women with small breasts, and that negative media would negatively influence participants’ attitudes towards breast surgery, whereas positive media would positively influence participant’s attitudes towards breast surgery. Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment participants viewed the same model with either large breasts, medium breasts or small breasts, and were asked to rate her based on character traits. In the second experiment, participants viewed either a negative, neutral or positive video, and then reported their attitudes about breast augmentation surgery. The findings show that the hypotheses were supported in part. The large-breasted model was viewed as more popular than the small-breasted model, but also as more self-centered. For the second experiment, the attitudes were significantly more negative after watching the negative video, and significantly more positive after watching the positive video. Results suggest that women are judged based on their breast size, and that the media influences women’s approval of breast augmentation surgery. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Freethey, Miranda Maeve | Psychology | Schadenfreude, social comparisons and competition | Schadenfreude, or feelings of pleasure at the misfortune of another, was investigated under a framework of gender, social comparisons, and competition. Thirty-six participants (29 female, 6 male) acted as the judge of a competition between two manipulation students that were made up (a superior comparison student and an average comparison student) via “online communication.” Participants rated Schadenfreude, and various other perceptions about the comparison students. In the second part of the study, the students directly competed with the superior student. Interactions between gender and whether the superior comparison student won or lost were investigated, but no significant results were found. Gender differences were not found in relation to Schadenfreude, and the data do not conclusively suggest that Schadenfreude is experienced in competitive situations. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-05 |
| Hege, Johnathon Robert | Psychology | Development of friendship over Instant Messenger | Instant messenger has become a popular tool for socializing, particularly on college campuses. However, there is considerable controversy regarding whether friendships developed over this medium are of equal quality to those developed face-to-face. This study had pairs of female participants engage in conversations over the course of three sessions, either face-to-face or using instant messenger. They completed the Reysen Likeability Scale (2005) after each session, and their conversation was coded for self-disclosing and affectionate statements using the Couple’s Communication Coding System (Hollinsworth, King, & Woolley, 1991). The results showed no difference in likeability ratings between the two communication mediums, but revealed that those who spoke face-to-face used more self-disclosing statements than did those who used instant messenger. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Jones, Victoria Mackenzie | Psychology | Developing a women's center in India | Violence against women is a real problem in India. This paper looks at the societal, community, relational, and individual factors which contribute to the abuse of Indian women. A plan for a women’s center to help ameliorate this problem is then developed, and limitations thereof are discussed. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-05 |
| Kloster, Laurie Evelyn | Psychology | Personality and political orientation : the relation between conservatism and the five-factor model | The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between conservatism and (1) each of the Big Five factors of personality, (2) self-esteem, and (3) life satisfaction. Measures of personality, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and political orientation were administered to 286 participants at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. A Pearson product-moment correlation revealed that conservatism correlated negatively with both Openness to Experience and Agreeableness, and that conservatism correlated positively with self-esteem. These results lend support to the notion that conservative individuals tend to be less open to new experiences and novel ideas than individuals who are less politically conservative, and that conservative individuals tend to be less concerned with others and less able to sympathize with others’ feelings than those low in conservatism. The positive correlation between conservatism and self-esteem was an unexpected finding. However, this finding reiterates the complexity of this relationship and encourages future research. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Lubben, Jade Marie | Psychology | Exercise as a protective mechanism against chronic stress-induced memory impairments and hippocampal damage in rats | Chronic stress and release of the stress hormones glucocorticoids (GC’s) can cause learning and memory impairments. Chronic binding of GC’s is toxic to neurons of the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in learning and memory. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also suppressed in times of chronic stress. The decrease in BDNF, a protein that supports the functional integrity of neurons, may be the key factor underlying stress-induced memory impairments. Voluntary exercise by humans and rodents appears to enhance memory and increase the expression of hippocampal BDNF. The current study investigated whether 2 weeks of voluntary exercise by rats would protect against memory impairments caused by co-occurring restraint stress (1 hour per day). After 2 weeks of the stress condition, exercise condition, stress and exercise condition, or control condition, the animals’ non-spatial hippocampus-dependent memory was tested using the novel object recognition task.Results showed only a positive main effect of exercise on memory, consistent with previous research. Contrary to the hypothesis, stress had no effect. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2006-05 |
| Lutterbie, Simon J. | Psychology | Interactive personality : theoretical foundations and measure development | Interactive Personality is a new theory of the self that focuses on our interpersonal interactions as the defining component of who we are. This paper outlines the foundation, structure, and function of Interactive Personality, the first official outline of this theory. A discussion of Interactive Personality’s connection to existing theories and constructs in psychology includes classic theories of personality, Higgin’s Theory of Self-Discrepancy, and Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance. A progress report on a study designed to test the reliability and validity of a basic measure of Interactive Personality is also included, followed by a discussion of general conclusions of the theory and possible avenues of further research. Overall, this paper is designed to serve as a foundational paper upon which research testing and expanding of Interactive Personality may be conducted. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-05 |
| MacFarland, Megan Elizabeth | Psychology | Sex differences in the effects of valium on neuronal activation and elevated plus-maze behavior in the rat | Females are diagnosed with anxiety disorders more frequently than males; however, the majority of animal and preclinical drug research is done with only male subjects. This study aimed to replicate and extend previous research, which has found evidence for sex differences, by examining sex differences and the effects of chronic diazepam (DZ) treatment on behavior in the elevated plus-maze and neuronal activation as assessed by Fos expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA). Behavioral results supported the anxiolytic properties of DZ; however, did not illustrate sex differences. Maze-evoked Fos results found evidence for laterality, as well a DZ influenced decrease in activation, in both regions. Sex was found to interact with laterality in the MeA. Increased Fos expression was seen in the MeA in females when compared to males. It is possible that the activation is due to the anxiety-inducing event more than the animal’s response to that event since no significant sex differences were seen in the behavior in the elevated plus-maze. The current study supports and expands previous research regarding drug effects in the elevated plus-maze and maze-evoked Fos expression, however, does not support findings of sex differences in elevated plus-maze behavior. | Brady, Anne Marie H. | 2006-05 |
| Mandell, Melissa Beth | Psychology | Feminist approach to combating relational aggression among middle school girls | The social conflicts of preadolescent and adolescent girls, a topic that has recently gained media and researcher attention, often involve the use of relational aggression, defined as the “harming [of] others through purposeful manipulation and damage of peer relationships” (Crick and Grotpeter; 1995, p. 711). Programs created to combat aggression have rarely focused specifically on the use of relational aggression or the unique social experiences of young females (Committee for Children, 1997; Frey et al., 2005; Nixon, 2005). Using some of the principles of feminism and feminist therapy practice (Enns, 1992; 1997; Worell, 1992), the author has designed a program for middle school girls to raise their awareness about and combat relational aggression while actively discussing what it means to be a girl in today’s society. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-05 |
| Maslyar, Constance Grace | Psychology | Going beyond “no” : behavior management strategies for children with autism | Children with autism display unique behavioral and social characteristics that must be addressed before they are able to acquire and develop essential knowledge, skills, and independent functioning abilities. Because of the complicated nature of autism, parents and educators should do all they can to maximize autistic children’s potential to learn. Intervention should be continued throughout the day regardless of being in the school setting or at home so that these children are constantly working towards their goal of displaying appropriate behavior. Several behavioral therapies including functional communication training, various reinforcement procedures, self-management, and circle of friends have shown promising results in terms of decreasing disruptive behavior and also increasing positive behavior. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-05 |
| Mathews, Sarah Elizabeth | Psychology | Experience, knowledge, perceptions, and misperceptions of teachers and undergraduates about students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the media and in diagnosis. People have very strong opinions about this disorder, and many of these opinions are developed from false information. The present study examines knowledge, perceptions, and misperceptions of ADHD within three levels of experience: undergraduate students, regular educators, and special educators. 39 undergraduate students, 161 regular educators, and 35 special educators from the state of Maryland completed the Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale (KADDS) that measured knowledge in three areas: symptoms/diagnosis, treatment, and general information. Participants also rated themselves on their perceived knowledge of ADHD, and completed a biographical and attitudes questionnaire. Participants scored were significantly higher on the symptoms/diagnosis subscale than they did on the treatment and general subscales. Special educators scored significantly higher on both perceived and actual knowledge than regular educators and undergraduates. There were also many significant correlations within each level of experience and lectures attended, courses taken, number of students with ADHD taught, age, and years teaching. From the findings of this study there are many implications for future interventions. Regular educators should be targeted to learn more about the treatment and other factors associated with ADHD. Undergraduates planning to go into education could also be more prepared with information about the treatment and other factors of ADHD. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2006-05 |
| McBride, Megan A. | Psychology | Media effects on body image in elderly and college aged women | Internal factors such as perfectionism and external factors such as media were looked at as predictors of body image in elderly and college aged women. Participants were given surveys to assess body esteem, perfectionism levels, and media exposure. An experimental group was also given a packet containing photographs of thin models. Results suggest that perfectionism is negatively correlated with body esteem in both age groups. The media manipulation (exposure to a booklet containing images of thin models) also had a negative effect on body esteem in both age groups, lending support to media cultivation theory. Older women were found to have higher body esteem than young women. This result is discussed in term of social comparison theory. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2006-05 |
| Messenheimer, Sharon Lynn | Psychology | False confessions : the problem and possible solutions | This project focuses on the factors contributing to police-induced false confessions and provides suggestions to prevent their future occurrence. Part I offers a review of the relevant literature on this topic, and Part II contains information gathered from interviews with police officers. There are three categories of causes of police-induced false confessions: suspect characteristics, interrogation characteristics and interrogator characteristics. Furthermore, there are many legal issues surrounding permissible interrogation techniques and the admissibility of confessions evidence. In order to prevent future false confessions, there are reforms that can take place within law enforcement, inside the courtroom and within the criminal justice system. Finally, Part II includes information gathered concerning: training, determinations of guilt and innocence, false confessions, Miranda issues, interrogation techniques, and recording interrogations. | Finkelman, David G. | 2006-05 |
| Mills, Brian Matthew | Psychology | Differences in time use efficiency and motivation in relation to athletic role identity and academic performance of NCAA Division III athletes and non-athletes | Because many college student athletes are often branded with the stigma of a ‘dumb jock’, the current research investigates the actual differences between academic performance of NCAA Division III college athletes and non-athletes. Previous research has suggested that better students have a tendency to participate in athletics. Researchers measured college GPA, the Time Use Efficiency (TUE), Athletic Identity (AI), including subscales of Academic Motivation (AM), Student Athletic Motivation (SAM), and Career Athletic Motivation (CAM), along with a number of other variables related to academic performance and academic behavior in college. The data showed no difference in academic performance between college student athletes and non-athletes. Researchers also found that student-athletes show better Time Use Efficiency than their non-athlete counterparts. It may be concluded that athletic participation does not predict better or poorer academic performance. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2006-05 |
| Mitchell, James Robert | Psychology | Stigma of mental health therapy : sociocultural factors and recommendations for change | [abstract not available] | Lasane, Terell P. | 2006-05 |
| Mundle, Erica Leigh | Psychology | Effects of viewing television news programs : an analysis of the United States and Australia | Negative news encompasses news that is violent in nature and evokes feelings that are detrimental to the viewer’s well-being. Research has shown that the United States has a high amount of negative news on television. The present study examined the amount of negative news on US television compared to a similar country, Australia. Fear and anxiety of participants in the United States (n= 103) and Australia (n=33) were self-assessed and then related to the amount of negative news participants’ were exposed to. There was no significant difference between the amounts of negative news in the United States and Australia; however Australia did have significantly higher reporting of positive news compared to the US. There was no difference in fear of participants from the two countries, but the United States had more reported anxiety than Australia. Negative news exposure was not a predictor of fear or anxiety in either country. Possible differences between the two countries and implications for future research are discussed. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Nugent, Kevin Carson | Psychology | Poked and prodded : the role stigma plays in perception of people with body modifications, and personality differences between people with and without body modifications | The purpose of this study is to explore whether or not there are differences in personality traits between people with body modifications and people without body modifications on the IPIP; to see if a clear predictor variable for whether or not a body modification will be obtained will emerge; and to see if people without body modifications perceive the description of the person with body modifications significantly differently than the other descriptions, as well as to see how stigma affects their perception, on the Perception Scale. It was hypothesized that there would be no personality differences for neuroticism between people with and without body modifications; a clear predictor variable would emerge; and the description of the person with body modifications would, as a result of being more stigmatized, be perceived significantly differently than the other descriptions. Results indicated that there were no significant personality differences between people with and without body modifications on the IPIP. As a result of this, no significant predictor variables emerged. Finally, the description of the person with body modifications was not perceived significantly differently than the other descriptions. The description of the person in the wheelchair turned out to be the most stigmatized. Ultimately, participants made judgments based on the behaviors that were described, not the physical descriptions they were provided with. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2006-05 |
| Okidegbe, Oluchi Nwalokomobi | Psychology | African American achievement at St. Mary’s College of Maryland | In this current study, the researcher examined psychosocial factors that hinder achievement for college students, particularly for African American students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The researcher was conducting an analysis in verifying which psychosocial variables correlate with underachievement for college students by posting a survey on St. Mary’s College psychology pool website. All participants were current St. Mary’s college students and ages ranged from 18-25. The results were none of the psychosocial variables examined had a significant effect, except for academic self-esteem and racial anxiety. In this study African American students scored lower on academic self-esteem and experienced higher racial anxiety compared to White students. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2006-05 |
| Opel, Katelyn | Psychology | Demand withdraw pattern in dating relationships : individual differences perspective vs. conflict structure perspective | This study investigated whether the cause of the demand/withdraw pattern in dating relationships is based on the individual differences perspective or the conflict structure perspective. The researcher gathered 31 couples. 16 of the 31 were male couples, where the male was required to attend St. Mary’s College, and 15 were female couples, where the female was required to attend St. Mary’s College. Males in the male couples and females in the female couples determined what the most difficult issue is in their relationship and both partners filled out the Communication Patterns Questionnaire twice: once to assess their general perceptions or their communication patterns during conflict and once to assess their patterns during a specific conflict. A paired samples t-test was completed to determine whether female demand was overall greater than male demand and results indicated that women reported demanding at a much greater rate then males. Another paired samples t-test was completed to determine if there was a shift in male demand from discussion over conflict in general to their conflict over their specific problem. However, the expected increase in male demand during discussion of their specific problem was not found, in fact, results showed that they cited demanding less then during conflict in general. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-05 |
| Richards-Peelle, Kathryn Canfie | Psychology | Effects of yoga on body satisfaction in pre-adolescent females | Past research suggests that yoga may be related to increased body-satisfaction. This relationship is particularly noteworthy for the population of adolescent girls. The purpose of the present study was to examine yoga as a possible method for increasing body-satisfaction among sixth grade girls. This age group was targeted with the aim of counteracting developing low levels of self-esteem and body satisfaction that increase throughout adolescence. For this study, a six week yoga intervention program was implemented as an after school program activity option at a local Boys and Girls Club. The scale used to measure body satisfaction, the Body-Esteem Scale was deemed inappropriate because participants based ratings of body satisfaction on functionality of their bodies rather than appearance. The functionality based nature of participants’ responses may indicate that greater cognitive, physical and situational differences exist between pre-adolescents and adolescents than was previously expected. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2006-05 |
| Roberts, Elizabeth Anne | Psychology | Bilingualism and its effect on learning | The United States is one of the few countries where bilingualism is not a common practice. With increasing rates of immigrants from all over the world, it is essential to understand how being bilingual affects learning in the classroom. This paper analyzes recent research pertaining to second language acquisition, the critical period hypothesis, two-language systems, bilingual literacy skills, and current suggestions for handling bilingualism in the classroom. I believe that it would be beneficial for all students to have early exposure to a second language, and propose methods of doing so. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2006-05 |
| Robey, Lauren M. | Psychology | Stress in the dental chair : an investigation of the roles of parental stress and child preparation | In the current study, relations between parental dental fear and dental anxiety, the level of preparation of the child for a biannual dental exam, and the observable stress experienced by the child during the visit were investigated. Child and parent participants were patients at a local pediatric dental practice. Parents completed paper-pencil questionnaires, consisting of items regarding demographic information, a parental dental fear measure, a parental dental anxiety measure, and a questionnaire with items relating to the preparation of the child prior to the dental visit through parental disclosure. Dental assistants completed a measure of observed child stress during the visit. The results supported the hypothesis that higher scores of parental dental fear and parental dental anxiety would be correlated with higher ratings of observed child stress. Also, as hypothesized, parental reports of some preparation prior to the dental visit were correlated with higher ratings of child stress. The results of this study support the findings of prior research, emphasizing the importance of parental influence on the experience of the child and the ability of the child to cope in the face of potentially stressful situations. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2006-05 |
| Ryan, Katie Marie | Psychology | Effectiveness of PBIS programs in elementary schools : a case study | The present study combined a literature review with a case study of an elementary school to determine the effectiveness of school-wide PBIS [Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support] programs in elementary schools. The school-wide PBIS program of a Maryland public elementary school was observed in order to determine how effective this program was. It was found that the school adequately implemented the program and was able to decrease problem behaviors as well as increase academic achievement. However, this particular school does show a need for some minor adjustments in order to maintain the success of the program. An extensive literature review also revealed that there is much evidence in support of the effectiveness of school-wide PBIS programs within elementary schools. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-05 |
| Sawyer, Wesley Neal | Psychology | Differences between television news programs : an analysis of the United States and Australia | The comparison of negative television news content from the United States and Australia was examined to see if the content affected the viewer’s fear and anxiety levels. One hundred three U.S. participants and thirty three Australian participants completed a general questionnaire and fear and anxiety subscales. The general questionnaire reported demographic, statistical, and opinion information about the participant’s viewing habits while the subscales recorded each participant’s fear and anxiety level. Television news media content samples from both countries were coded with a focus on specific negative news variables. There was no statistically significant difference between the two countries for the amount of negative news content. Killings and shootings was found to be significantly higher in the United States content when compared to Australian content. U.S. participants were more anxious than Australian participants and had a more negative state of mind after viewing the news and negative perceptions of the news. Negative news did not predict fear and anxiety levels. Positive news was a negative predictor of anxiety in the U.S. Findings imply that if more positive news is displayed in the U.S., the population will correspond with a decrease in their anxiety levels. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Scarr, Ashley E. | Psychology | Is media the menace? : investigating the effects of highly stimulating television programs on the symptoms of ADHD | The effect of television viewing habits on children's ability to attend was examined with the aim of determining whether there is a relationship between a child's viewing of private television programs, usually perceived as being highly stimulating and of little educational value, and decreased attention levels. Two hundred seven students from a private school in Maryland were surveyed using a measure of television viewing habits and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)-Youth Self-Report (YSR; Achenbach, 2001). A similar media survey and the ASEBA-Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 2001) were also administered and matched to the parents of the students. Results found no relationships among television access, parental supervision, mimicking behavior, or types of programming and children’s attention levels. Minimal differences were discovered between the educative value and stimulating programming on increased attention problems in children. Limitations considered concerned a non-representative sample and a low response rate from parents. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2006-05 |
| Schlosnagle, Leo | Psychology | Sibling relationships as a protective factor following parental divorce | A wide social support network is highly valuable to children and adolescents who are attempting to overcome the many risk factors associated with parental divorce. Due to the fact that they have an intimate knowledge of the child, and the familial structure as a whole, siblings can be especially valuable in serving as a source of support and care following parental divorce. The present study was designed to examine whether the presence of a sibling can act as a protective factor, serving to buffer feelings of loneliness and strengthen global life satisfaction following parental divorce. The present study compared an experimental group of participants with divorced parents to a control group of participants whose parents are not divorced to assess whether parental divorce correlated with higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of overall life satisfaction. Additionally, sibling presence was taken into account in order to assess whether the presence of a sibling correlated with lower levels of measures of loneliness and higher levels of overall life satisfaction. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2006-05 |
| Seneff, Alexis Mackenzie | Psychology | Lost generation : the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on South African youth | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is rapidly becoming the biggest epidemic in history. At the end of 2002, there were 28 million deaths from HIV/AIDS, a statistic that will soon amount to over 100 million (Hunter, 2003). Unfortunately, this rampant spreading of AIDS is affecting all aspects of life in Africa, particularly the children. The children are being raised in an environment stricken by poverty and death, stunting their growth and jeopardizing their futures. Slowly, the epidemic is tearing apart families, leaving children to support themselves or live on the streets, where they face abuse and exploitation daily (AVERT, 2005). Unless something is done to help the African continent, exhausted and hopeless because of deprivation and disease, their youngest generation, and therefore their economy, will eventually collapse. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2006-05 |
| Stephens, Teresa Michele | Psychology | Invisibility and fading in motion-induced blindness as static dot size increases | Motion-induced blindness (MIB) is the apparent invisibility of a static stimulus when viewed with a moving pattern. In some cases, the static stimulus is not entirely invisible, but instead appears faded. I hypothesized that total faded time would increase as invisibility decreased. Static dot size was used in Experiment 1 to manipulate invisibility time. Experiment 2 involved the critical comparison of one large static dot and four medium sized dots plotted in the same area as the large dot to determine whether suppression was based on object or area. Experiment 1 provided evidence that static dot size does significantly influence invisibility time but not fading time. Results from Experiment 2 suggest that suppression may be influenced by objectness, not area. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2006-05 |
| Stone, Holly Theresa | Psychology | First and second generation female immigrants in the United States | This research explored the perceptions of first and second generation immigrant females. Eight college participants from diverse countries were interviewed individually regarding issues such as their families, gender roles, their futures and ethnic identity. The researcher hypothesized that the participants would integrate aspects of Western culture and their parents’ country of origin into their identity, engaging in selective assimilation. It was found that most participants considered their ethnic identity important and hoped to learn more about their countries of origin. Commonalities between the experiences of participants were restrictive parents while growing up and interest in further education and career before having a family. The findings of this study can add to the limited research regarding immigrant females and help to understand the needs of females when coming to a new country. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2006-05 |
| Ulino, Alison Jane Sarah | Psychology | Motivation factors that influence athlete's adherence to rehabilitation programs after suffering an injury | The present research involves motivational factors (extrinsic and intrinsic) and the impact that pre-established motivation, social support, and athletic identity have on adherence measures post-injury. Participants were varsity athletes at St. Mary’s College of Maryland (Division III school); 121 participants participated in Phase 1, and 32 sustained injury during data collection and thus participated in Phases 2 and 3. Data collection was done by survey questionnaires that measured perceived social support (Smith et al., 1990), athletic identity (Brewer & Cornelius 2001), and sport motivation (Pelletier et al., 1995), and adherence (Brewer et al., 2000). Correlation analysis did not find significant results regarding adherence and motivational factors. Athletic identity was significantly correlated with intrinsic motivation and subgroups of social support were significantly different from one another pre-injury to post-injury, suggesting a shift in the amount of perceived support of athletic trainers from pre-injury (5th place) to post-injury (2nd place). Research is important for coach and athletic trainers because it provides insight into the athlete’s drive to complete rehabilitation and how the athlete is affected by the people around him during an injury experience. | Platt, Richard D. | 2006-05 |
| Walper, Daniel J. | Psychology | ADHD : peer identifiability and perspective on treatment | [abstract not available] | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2006-05 |
| Whitehead, Vanessa Alexandra | Psychology | Cross-cultural differences between television news programs : an analysis of negative news and the effect of fear and anxiety in the United States and Australia | Television news in the United States seems to be saturated with violence and negativity. Although many American T.V. news producers claim that this negativity in the news is representative of the events that are being reported, research has shown that news overemphasizes the amount of negativity that is actually occurring in real life. The intent of this study was to investigate the possible harmful effects of negative news media on it viewers, specifically looking at the relationship between watching negative news and the amount of fear and anxiety in its viewers. In addition to examining the effect of negative news in America, this study was also interested in determining if the U.S. differed from other countries regarding its negative news reports. This study also compared the amount of negativity in Australian and American news, and compared the amount of fear and anxiety between the viewers of each country. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2006-05 |
| Wickizer, Rebecca Christine | Psychology | Yoga intervention program and its effects on compassion in adolescent females | A Yoga Intervention Program was conducted with students from a local Boys and Girls Club to determine whether it increased their levels of self-compassion. Based on my knowledge of the Buddhist notion of compassion and the practice of Yoga and meditation, I expected that the yoga program would increase the amount of compassion the girls felt towards themselves. Yoga and meditation entail a directing of consciousness to oneself and one’s body and mental processes. With this turning inward of attention comes an attitude of acceptance - acceptance of one’s feelings, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Such acceptance can lead to increased compassion towards oneself, and if practiced for long enough, towards others. Although the program did not seem to directly influence the amount of self-compassion the girls felt towards themselves, it certainly moved their thinking in the right direction. More importantly, the girls learned important aspects of Yoga and breathing techniques that they could use on their own. This study examines the connection between mind and body and the way yoga and meditation can mediate that connection to influence one’s way of thinking in a more positive direction. The study considers the effects of a yoga intervention program and gives suggestions for future research by way of yoga and its influence on positive development. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2006-05 |
| Winkler, Melinda Kay | Psychology | Scotopic sensitivity : what do we know in southern Maryland? | [abstract not available] | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2006-05 |
| Wirtz, Ashley Brooke | Psychology | Chronic pediatric illnesses : impact and coping during the elementary school years | Cancer and type 1 diabetes are two chronic pediatric illnesses that complicate lives of children, families, and friends. Sick children experience physical changes to daily activities and health routines at home and school. These changes, combined with limited social exposure, cause behavioral and emotional problems, especially at school. To avoid maladjustment, children and families must adjust and cope with changes in positive ways. This review and analysis of published literature and methodologies examines characteristics of cancer and type 1 diabetes, explains implications of these illnesses on sick children’s lives, explores coping strategies for such changes, and discusses effective ways to conduct research in the field. Limitations of this project include oversimplification of similarities between illnesses and lack of empirical support. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2006-05 |
| Baxter, Shane Michael | Psychology | My child is different : a focus on the trials and tribulations of family adjustment to children with autism spectrum disorder | Parents and families of children with autism face years of decision making and adjustment when coping with the disorder. The literature in the field of developmental disorders has expanded greatly in recent years; however, the research is still young and in some cases inadequate. The purpose of this literature review is to reveal the effects that a child with autism can have on their surroundings and the coinciding interactions and relationships that ensue. It is proposed that families experience intense levels of stress and anxiety resulting from the developmental disorder, but eventually adaptation and adjustment will occur resulting in family cohesion and positive outcomes. Focus on the families of children with developmental disorders, specifically autism, presents a different perspective on finding a possible solution to this pervasive disorder. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-12 |
| Brooks, Cori Renee | Psychology | Effect of relationship status on female college students : happiness and loneliness regarding single women and women involved in a romantic relationship | Researchers conducted the present study in order to examine differences among female college students regarding their levels of happiness and loneliness based on their relationship status. Measurements of loneliness, self-disclosure, life satisfaction, and self-reported time spent with out a significant other are distributed to 100 undergraduates. Females currently involved in an intimate relationship self-reported lower levels of loneliness and higher levels of happiness than women who are not currently involved in an intimate, committed relationship. Generally these women spent more time with their significant other, whereas disclosing more information to their significant other. These results suggest that loneliness and happiness are correlated with a female’s relationship status, and that being in a relationship significantly increases a females happiness levels, and significantly lowers her loneliness levels. Women who are in a relationship have a sense of emotional support which helps them to develop friendships more thoroughly. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-12 |
| Dugan, Erin T. | Psychology | Autism and treatments in school aged children | This literature review focuses on the behavioral treatment of children with autism. Reviewing the most known and used behavioral treatments such as ABA, VBA, and TEACCH. Some interventions are coupled with supplemental treatments and sensory and motor interventions. An in-depth look at the similarities and differences that each intervention has to each other, as well as which intervention seems to work best for children with autism. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2005-12 |
| Gardiner, Stephanie Joan | Psychology | Search for balance : the acculturation process of Asian American undergraduate students and the role of therapy in the reconciliation of related concerns | The purpose of this study was to explore the various acculturation and ethnic identity concerns that exist among Asian American individuals and to then examine opinions regarding the use of multicultural and cross-cultural therapy for the reconciliation of related issues. After gathering a sample of nine undergraduate Asian American students, phone interviews pertaining to acculturation concerns and subsequent psychological help-seeking preferences were conducted and transcribed. Following the transcription process, a technique known as Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) was utilized in order to determine trends in the data. Ultimately, researchers determined that acculturation and ethnic identity experiences were highly dependent upon individual factors such as feelings towards culture, parents’ feelings towards the role of culture in their children’s lives, and the implementation of various coping mechanisms. Furthermore, opinions regarding the use of therapy for the mitigation of these concerns were often contingent upon individual preferences and circumstances as well. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2005-12 |
| Kallarackal, Angy Jose | Psychology | Effect of apamin, a small conductance calcium activated potassium (SK) channel blocker, on a mouse model of neurofibromatosis 1 | Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a common genetic disorder known to cause a variety of physiological symptoms such as the formation of both benign and malignant tumors, and is also known to cause visuospatial learning deficits. A large component of the learning deficits in NF1 patients is difficulty in visuospatial tasks. The astrocytes of Nf1+/- mice exhibit an increased outward K+ current which is apamin (a specific blocker of small conductance calcium activated potassium (SK) channels) sensitive. SK channels appear to play a role in regulating long term potentiation (LTP), a mechanism of learning which has been shown to be impaired Nf1+/- mice. We found a significant upregulation of SK1 channels in Nf1+/- mouse brains in comparison to WT brains through western blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry showed that the upregulation is localized to the hippocampus and olfactory tract. We tested 32 mice and administered a 0.4mg/kg dose of apamin either through i.p injection or micro-osmotic pump to Nf1+/- mice and found that the apamin treated Nf1+/- mice significantly improved performance on the water maze task in comparison to saline treated Nf1+/- mice on the third day of training. We also tested Nf1+/- mice in the Barnes maze, another test of hippocampal dependent learning and found that Nf1+/- mice had higher escape latencies than normal control mice, however this was not significant. In this study we demonstrate a possible mechanism for the learning deficits seen in Nf1+/- mice and a possible drug therapy for rescuing these deficits. We also demonstrate a potentially novel learning deficit in Nf1+/- mice in the Barnes maze task. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2005-12 |
| Pennington, Nicholas Morris | Psychology | Causes of self-defeating behavior | [abstract not available] | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2005-12 |
| Grisham, Carrie Bess | Psychology | Therapeutic horseback riding for autistic children : a review of the literature and a proposal for research | The first therapeutic horseback riding program centers were established in the 1950s and therapeutic riding has since gained popularity. It is viewed by many as an acceptable for of therapy for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities, as well as for those with other difficulties (such as children with behavioral problems). Despite the success of these programs, there is limited research to support their claims of being therapeutic. Much of the literature in support of therapeutic horseback riding is based more on speculation and limited case studies than empirical research. Therapeutic horseback riding has the ability to help some individuals better their lives, and any activity that might provide this opportunity is certainly worth examining further. This project provides the reader with a history of and background research on therapeutic horseback riding and proposes a study to examine specific effects of therapeutic horseback riding on autistic children. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-08 |
| Joseph, Crystal Marie | Psychology | Obesity and the importance of body image on adolescents | This literature review presents an analysis and discussion of the current research in the field of body image, adolescents, and obesity. A majority of research found relates to the affect body image has on adolescents views towards obesity and overweight. The research mainly focused on adolescent females because male adolescents were not seen as being as susceptible to body image and the negative consequences. In addition, factors were evaluated such as race and socioeconomic status. Psychological affects were analyzed and included when considering eating disturbances as a result of body image and obesity. Finally, a few prevention techniques were suggested to help reduce unhealthy behaviors and habits. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-08 |
| Alafriz, Courtney Erika Murphy | Psychology | Social aggression among adolescents : an analysis of “teen” television | Social aggression is defined in this study as behavior aimed at hurting a person’s feelings, relationships, reputation, or self-esteem, and can be manifested directly (in the presence of a target) or indirectly (behind their back). The present study used content analysis to evaluate the prevalence of aggressive acts that occurred in popularly viewed television shows by adolescents, as determined by the annual Teen Choice Awards. Eighteen hours of television were coded for social versus physical aggression, direct versus indirect aggression, and male versus female aggressors and targets of aggression, with all categories overlapping. Group size and specific types of social aggression were analyzed, with verbal aggression being the most commonly used form. Social aggression appeared in 100% of the data sample, whereas physical aggression only appeared in 7% of the cases. Gender failed to be a significant factor in social aggression; group size, and number and type of responses. Further studies investigating gendered aggression are proposed. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2005-05 |
| Anthony, Erin Patricia | Psychology | Psychotherapy integration | This paper is an exploration of the different types of psychotherapy and their relation to one another. It examines the development of the different branches of psychology and their corresponding techniques of and approaches to therapy. It is argued that, because the therapies are derived from a specific theoretical orientation, there will be certain techniques not present in the examination of a different kind of therapy. Lack of knowledge and access to the therapeutic techniques of all major therapies is a problem in the field of psychology, as it prohibits therapists from providing the best possible treatment of the client based on his or her individual needs. The development of these fields is examined and the need for integration is discussed. Three case studies are examined to offer examples of integrative therapy techniques. | Finkelman, David G. | 2005-05 |
| Barndt, Carolyn Marie | Psychology | Bibliotherapy : developing fiction for siblings of children with autism | Bibliotherapy is a useful therapeutic technique used in conjunction with traditional therapy that is applicable to a wide variety of diagnoses and situations. The incorporation of fictional literature utilizing factual representations of psychological disorders in therapy targeting children provides a creative and less threatening outlet for therapeutic progress to occur. Literature addressing the effects of a diagnosis of autism within a sibling relationship serves as a source of educational material for the public about the disorder as well as a therapeutic tool for children in similar circumstances. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2005-05 |
| Beal, Georgene Marie | Psychology | Stress in law enforcement officers | The focus of this analysis is the police officer and how stressful events that occur because of the law enforcement profession can have detrimental effects on the officer’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Discussed are two types of stress seen in law enforcement officers, how poor coping strategies are sometimes employed, and how these impact the officer’s behaviors, family life, and potential to commit violence to self. Prevention and treatment programs for officers experiencing difficulties are also covered. | Finkelman, David G. | 2005-05 |
| Blackwell, Elliott Gill | Psychology | How political debate and directed faking studies support a method of cheating on a test of moral development | The Defining Issues Test is a measure of moral judgment. Studies have been conducted to determine if the DIT measures political attitude, if the DIT can be faked in an upward direction, and what the effects of education about moral development may be. In an effort to see if the DIT can be faked in an upward direction, education about the DIT, as well as instructions to fake a higher score based on a stereotyped political attitude were used in this study as variables. There were a total of 60 participants drawn from a small liberal arts college who completed the entire study by taking the DIT-2 twice and undergoing an educational intervention. Thirty-four participants were females and 11 were males. At the second administration of the DIT-2, 9 participants were randomly selected as the control group and took the test a second time with no additional instructions or education. Thirty-six of the participants were involved in an educational session that described the stages of moral development and the test that measures the use of those stages, the DIT. After the session, 19 of those 36 participants took the DIT with instructions to take the test as a liberal person would. Seventeen participants took the test with no additional instructions. Results showed no significant difference between pre and posttest principled reasoning scores (P-scores) for the control group, the education-only group, and the education-fake group, although a distinct trend was present where the education-fake group (who received instructions to fake) increased their P-scores by a larger amount. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2005-05 |
| Bryant, Erin Hart | Psychology | Multidimensional health locus of control and depression in a sample of rheumatoid arthritis patients | One hundred twenty-eight participants diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) completed the condition-specific Multidimensional Health Locus of Control assessment (MHLC form C) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression inventory (CES-D). Subjects were courted via bulletin board message on arthritis support groups (www.arthritis.org; http://www.rheumorweb.com) to participate in a study about health locus of control and rheumatoid arthritis. Additional demographic data were collected: gender, sex, age, and age at onset of RA, as well as the patient’s perceptions of the overall severity of illness, current severity of joint pain, and efficacy of medication regimen in controlling disease on a 1-10 scale. Principal components analysis was conducted to verify the existence and consistency of the four previously identified sub-categories of the condition-specific MHLC. A stepwise linear regression was run on the four locus components [Internal, External, Doctor, and Other (Powerful) People] to test their value in predicting depression scores. The belief in control of Other (Powerful) People and current severity of joint pain emerged as significant predictors of total depression score. The extent of belief in the control of the patient’s doctor (Doctor locus) over the respondent’s health was demonstrated to be a significant negative predictor of depression scores. No significant differences in depression scores were detected in Internal versus External health locus of control categories. Doctor locus of control and current severity of joint pain were both significant predictors of how well the respondents felt their medication regimen was controlling their disease. Limitations and extensions of the study are discussed. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2005-05 |
| Cawthorne, Kari Maureen | Psychology | Parental divorce : its effects on offspring’s young adult relationship satisfaction | Divorce is a trend that has been steadily on the rise and is more accepted everyday. Present researchers investigated the effects that divorce could have on the offspring’s romantic relationship satisfaction level. Sixty eight participants from St. Mary’s College of Maryland completed an online survey assessing family situation, relationship characteristics, experience with divorce, and romantic relationship satisfaction. The results also showed that the remarriage of the mother, the age at which divorce took place, and the length of the relationship are not related to the romantic relationship satisfaction. One interesting finding showed that if divorce took place during the critical age of the offspring, 11-17, then these offspring would show more difficulty sharing with their partner. Implications for this study include a greater understanding for the impact of divorce on intimacy levels if the divorce occurred during the ages of 11-17 as well as implications for further studies. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-05 |
| Celedonia, Karen Lynn | Psychology; English | Craving the spotlight : the desire for fame in Buddhists vs. non-Buddhists | The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between desire for fame, narcissism, and spirituality. In order to do this, two groups were administered surveys: a Buddhist and non-Buddhist sample, each sample of varying age and gender. A scale measuring the desire for fame was administered along with a scale measuring the level of narcissism present in the participants’ personalities. The hypothesis, that the levels of desire for fame and narcissism would be less in the Buddhist sample than in the non-Buddhist sample, was supported. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2005-05 |
| Cramer, Christine Marie | Psychology | Relationship of relational aggression and depression | Relational aggression is aggression used to inflict harm on others. It involves excluding a person from a group, gossip, or making negative facial expressions (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995; Grotpeter & Crick, 1996). The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between relational aggression and psychosocial functioning, especially depression. In the study one qualitative data was collected using an original survey to examine college student’s high school experiences school in their own words. Themes found in this study are that social hierarchies are divided into a top, middle, and bottom tier. The majority of people are in the middle and top tier. Most participants had prevalent gossip in their high schools, participated in and were the objects of gossip and were rejected from groups. Most participants felt high school still had an impact on their current psychosocial functioning with most good but some bad impacts. In the second study quantitative data was gathered using the Revised Peer Experiences Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. No correlation was found between relational aggression and depression in this study. Since this relationship has been consistently found in the previous literature (Hawker & Boulton, 2000), the lack of correlation in this study is most likely due to a small sample size and an unrepresentative sample. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2005-05 |
| Dansie, Katherine Fauver | Psychology | Treating eating disorders with bibliotherapy | Further research is needed for better eating disorder treatments. For example, there is some agreement in the literature that the interplay of familial, societal, and psychological factors lead to the development and maintenance of the psychopathology. Many treatments have been successful. Specifically, bibliotherapy, in which therapists assign their patients reading, may help clients “own” their treatment, thereby increasing motivation and decreasing defensiveness. This paper will outline the current research on eating disorders and review the research done of the effectiveness of bibliotherapy. It will subsequently argue that bibliotherapy may be an effective treatment for eating disorders. Lastly, it will present a list of books that may be used for treating eating disorders with bibliotherapy. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2005-05 |
| Davies, Kimberly Ann | Psychology | Ideal balance of power in interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, and academic achievement | This study investigated the relationship between real-ideal balance of power discrepancy in interpersonal relationships and academic achievement. Real-ideal balance of power was measured using the “Interpersonal Relationships Questionnaire”, which was created for this study. It was hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by global self-esteem. Participants were 60 college students attending a small northeastern liberal arts college. The main hypotheses were not supported. Exploratory analyses revealed that for participants who had more decision-making power than they would like, there was a negative relationship between decision-making discrepancy and grade point average. Also, for participants who had less than ideal emotional involvement, emotional involvement discrepancy was negatively correlated with global self-esteem. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-05 |
| Davis, Lauren Fusting | Psychology | Types and levels of disobedience in popular children’s television programs | This study explored the variety and amount of disobedience exhibited by characters in children’s television programs. Previous research has demonstrated how exposure to such inappropriate behaviors influences children’s development and interpersonal skills. Researchers coded a selection of the most popular children’s shows for varying types of disobedience and a number of other descriptive variables. This study presents the general trends of disobedience displayed in children’s programming to create archival data for future studies, educators, and concerned parents. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2005-05 |
| Derocher, Anne-Marie Junee | Psychology | Importance of speech-language pathology : children with speech-language impairments | Communication facilitates the creation, preservation, advancement, and utilization of knowledge. However, there are many people in society who have difficulty communicating and require aid from speech-language pathologists (SLPs). SLPs assess, treat, and help to prevent speech, language, cognitive communication, voice, swallowing, fluency, and other related disorders. It is important for concerned parents to ask their child’s healthcare provider for a full evaluation as well as a hearing test. If a child has a speech-language delay, the child may have future academic and/or social difficulties. This paper explains the importance of speech-language pathologists in the school system and intervention strategies used by these therapists. As well, it includes possible precursors of speech delay, the diagnosis procedures used to identify children with speech impairments, and helpful tips that parents can use to help their child speak clearly. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2005-05 |
| Desmond, Angela Marie | Psychology | Drama therapy : a handbook | The purpose of this handbook is to educate its readers on the developing psychotherapeutic discipline of drama therapy. Briefly, drama therapy can be understood as the intentional application of the art of drama along with techniques from theater to achieve therapeutic goals. The wide-ranging conceptual basis of drama therapy and its sister field, psychodrama is examined. The history of drama therapy and its development from psychodrama among other sources is explored. The often-misunderstood differences between drama therapy and psychodrama are discussed, as well as the relation of drama therapy to other forms of psychotherapy. The techniques, theory, and current methods are described. Finally, the weaknesses of the discipline are analyzed and suggestions for the further development of drama therapy are given. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Doyle, Susan Elizabeth | Psychology | Mindfulness-based stress reduction : the interface of meditation and psychotherapy | This study explores the history of meditation and its relationship to psychotherapy, with a focus on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a relaxation technique that aims to increase awareness and enhance general well-being. Researchers hypothesized that a brief MBSR intervention would improve mood and reduce anxiety. Participants completed the Profile of Mood States Bipolar Version (POMS-Bi) to assess baseline mood on six different subscales and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess baseline anxiety. Experimental participants listened to a MBSR audio tape while the control group laid in silence. All participants then completed the POMS-Bi and STAI to assess changes from baseline measurements. Data was analyzed and results indicated significant increases on three positive POMS-Bi subscales and significant decreases in anxiety for both experimental and control groups. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Eck, Kathleen Ann | Psychology | Stress and athletic competition : how do athletes cope? | A survey was designed by the researcher to measure the stress levels and coping strategies of college athletes based on ten different scenarios. The survey was distributed to 144 St. Mary’s College varsity athletes, 58 females and 86 males, via their respective coach. Results supported the hypothesis that there would be an effect of sex on stress levels. Data showed that females reported higher stress levels than males. Data also showed support for the hypothesis that there were effects of sex on coping choices, with males reporting more use of emotion focused and avoidance coping styles and females utilizing problem focused and approach coping styles. Finally, data showed an effect of years of experience on stress levels with fourth year students reporting less stress than second and third year students when dealing with academic problems. There were also results which reported an effect of stress levels on the coping styles chosen to deal with the given stressors. Thos athletes who reported higher stress levels were more likely to use problem focused coping while those who reported lower stress levels were more likely to use emotion focused coping. Research findings were then discussed in respect to past studies. | Finkelman, David G. | 2005-05 |
| Flanagan, Emily H. | Psychology | Weathering the storm : a proposed intervention to increase peer social support among adolescents | Rates of depression are rising in adolescents. Adolescent depression is strongly linked to perceived social support. The increase in the prevalence of adolescent depression presents several concerns because of the negative outcomes associated with the disorder. Using existing research a program has been designed to use group activities and discussion as a means to increase the participants’ ability to receive and benefit from increased levels of peer social support. Based on the assumption that improving an adolescent’s perceptions of and actual peer social support will act as a protective and preventative factor in regards to depressive symptoms it is possible that this program may help to prevent and decrease depressive symptomatology in the participants. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2005-05 |
| Fleisher, Doria | Psychology | Inclusion in educational and recreational settings : a literature review focusing on the variables affecting the implementation of successful inclusive environments | Although inclusion has become a major focal point of the United States’ educational system, there is relatively little research available that clearly defines in what settings inclusion is most beneficial to all participants. This review of the literature sought to determine how the success of an inclusive environment is measured, as well as the variables that influence that success. Once the measures of success and possible benefits of inclusion in educational and recreational settings were identified, factors necessary in the preparation, support, and instruction of an inclusive environment were used to suggest a model for developing future inclusive environments. Overall, no common method of identifying success in inclusive educational environments was found, nor was there plentiful methodologically sound empirical data regarding inclusion in recreational settings. | Glidden, Laraine M. | 2005-05 |
| Fletcher, Eleanor Ward | Psychology | Use of play therapy with children diagnosed with autism | This study examines the use of play therapy in working with children with Autism. Research shows that play can provide a supportive environment for expression and emotional development. Play has been shown to improve social interaction, communication, and behavior in children with Autism. In the present study, the researcher interviewed three play therapists to gain a better understanding of the approach, process, and development of autistic children in play therapy. The researcher found that emotional development appeared to be the most important aspect of change in these children. Children also showed great improvements in social interaction and communication but did not seem to improve in behavior. The researcher concludes that play might be best utilized in conjunction with other therapy approaches and that overall, there should be a greater emphasis on the use of play with this population. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Genau, Jacqueline Lee | Psychology | School-wide approach to the bullying problem facing elementary schools | The systematic study of bullying began in the 1970s. Scandinavia was one of the first countries to investigate the behavior patterns and reactions to this phenomenon. Norway later joined this force toward the early 1980s and the global investigation catalyzed in the 1980s and early 1990s (Olweus, 1997; 2003). Bullying has existed in schools for centuries. In the past people viewed it as a normal part of growing up, a toughening phase of childhood (Ma, Stewin, & Mah, 2001). Inquiring minds and school officials were alerted to these incidents when children began committing suicide and leaving notes about how they could not suffer the harassment of their classmates anymore. In Norway, three boys took their lives partly as a result of severe bullying and in Tokyo a 13 year-old boy hanged himself, leaving a note that blamed his classmates (Ma et al., 2001). The U.S. Secrete Service conducted a study to identify the psychological and familial factors related to school-shooters. Through interviews they found that 71% of the shooters had been victims of bullying (Vossekuil, Fein, Reddy, Borum, & Modzeleski, 2002). Findings such as these highlight the importance of the schools’ ability to identify and deal with bullying incidents. Where is the line between normal child play and harmful harassment? The search to find this answer has guided the development of many school intervention programs. [first paragraph] | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Glynn, Joseph Andrew | Psychology | Lucid dreaming : a qualitative assessment | The author interviewed seven lucid dreamers ages 18-21. All participants were asked a series of 24 open-ended questions about their lucid dreams. Questions dealt with quantity of dreams, emotions, elements of control, effects in waking life, and meaning. Transcripts of interview were then assessed according to Hill, Thompson, & Williams (1997). Researcher wanted to do qualitative assessment of dream content to get full understanding of dream experience. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2005-05 |
| Graham, Kerry Beth | Psychology | Coping with 9/11 : conquering the tragedy with or without God | [abstract not available] | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Groth, Byron N. | Psychology | Crisis negotiation in law enforcement : history, mechanics, and the application of psychology | Crisis and hostage negotiation, a discipline which has only become a reality in the last 30 years, has gained great popularity in the law enforcement community in recent years. Negotiation teams are not only called upon to deal with hostage situations but with suicide threats, crisis situations, and sieges.The history of such developments is explored in addition to the current techniques of negotiation and their application. | Finkelman, David G. | 2005-05 |
| Hannon, Paige Lee | Psychology | Evolving responsibilities, issues, and methods of intervention effecting school-based speech-language pathologists | The roles, responsibilities, and methods of intervention of school-based speech-language pathologists have changed substantially over the past decades. All facets of education in American public schools have been affected over time by continuous change in legislature, regulations, societal demands, fiscal restraints, and professional factors. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association refers to language as “our most human characteristic,” as it is a quintessential aspect of learning, working, and social interaction (2003). Within the United States, an estimated 6 million students under the age of 18 suffer from a speech or language disorder. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments were passed in June of 1997 there was a 10.5% increase in the number of students treated by a speech-language pathologist, indicating the accurate prevalence of speech and language disorders within the school system (Owens, Metz & Haas, 2003). The 22nd Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA (1998) stated that of the 5.5 million children between the ages of 6-21 that are affected by IDEA 1.1 million, approximately 19.4 %, received speech-language therapy. [first paragraphs] | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Hawes, Rachel June | Psychology | Self-fulfilling prophecy in college athletics | The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the psychological cue of confidence on the second and fourth stages of the self-fulfilling prophecy by demonstrating that a coach’s impression of athlete confidence predicts coach behavior and athlete performance. This hypothesis was tested with one coach and 13 Division III collegiate swim team participants. Mid-season, the coach completed an overall expectancy rating and a trait sport confidence scale for each participating athlete. At the end of the season, athletes completed a measure assessing the frequency of specific coaching behaviors, and a trait sport confidence inventory. Performance information including percent of improvement over the season and percentile rank among participating athletes at a conference championship were collected. Step-wise linear regressions showed that the coach’s perception of the athletes’ confidence was the strongest predictor of athlete recall of positive and negative coaching behaviors such that as the coach’s confidence impression increased, the athletes’ recall of positive interactions with the coach increased and recall of negative interactions with the coach decreased. A step-wise linear regression also showed that the coach’s overall expectation for athletes was the strongest predictor of percentile rank at the championships, and that this relationship was positive. Implications of the research for coaches and athletes and directions for future research are discussed. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2005-05 |
| Hjemvik, Leeann Marie | Psychology | New approach to adolescent drug use prevention | Adolescent drug use is a common problem in today’s society. Many programs have tried to combat the ever-growing problem, some with very little success (Abbey, 2000; Donnermeyer, 2000; Ellickson, 2003). Factors such as family influence, peer choice, as well as the media’s role in shaping adolescent perceptions need to be taken into account for such programs to be effective (Bauman, 1994, 1996; Dinges, 2003; Jenkins, 1996; Kandel, 1996; Stephenson, 1996; Tickle, 2001; Windle, 2000). The inclusion of parents in prevention programs also greatly influences the efficacy of such programs. The program proposed in this study uses the aforementioned factors as a foundation in order to make the most effective drug prevention program possible. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2005-05 |
| Hovatter, Jessica Lynne | Psychology | Sex and emotion detection in interactive point light displays | Point light displays sufficiently convey enough biological motion information for naïve observers to interpret motion cues as human without any interference from structural cues. Even the more specific characteristics of sex and emotion of the actors are accurately recognized from such displays. The aim of this study was to see if certain emotions were recognized better than others, if actor sex influences emotion perceived or vice versa, and if the other emotion in the interactive point light display influences either emotion or sex perception. Congruent emotions (such as happy and sad or angry and scared) were perceived more accurately when performed in the same display. In addition, sex judgments were based on emotion; males were identified with the emotions angry and happy, while females were identified with the emotions sad or scared. | Hiris, Eric J. | 2005-05 |
| Huggins, Elizabeth Anne | Psychology | Evaluation of the mental health services available to the deaf and hard-of-hearing | Ever since the passage of the ADA in 1990, those providing services to the public were required to be cognizant of disabled individuals or face possible legal action. Deaf mental health services have been an area of considerable need for decades despite ADA regulations. An evaluation of resources and services shows the psychological community is doing a poor job of addressing the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Specialists and interpreters are lacking nationwide, especially in rural areas. Future suggestions are numerous, but must include community services with qualified individuals to be efficacious. As the baby boomers age, they will increase the need for the number or deaf/hard-of-hearing services like never before. The psychological community will soon be unable to ignore the needs of the deaf. Only time will tell what direction mental health services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing will take. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2005-05 |
| Hunt, Jennifer Jean | Psychology | Tobacco-use prevention : using persuasive techniques to prevent smoking | Previous areas of research involving youth tobacco use have addressed a few different approaches toward tobacco programming: a) psychosocial factors, which includes combating peer pressure and understanding social norms; b) information campaigns, which inform students of the negative health problems associated with tobacco use; c) logical reasoning skills, which encourage students to understand what possible motivations encourage them to smoke. All of these approaches incorporate persuasive mechanisms, but they often do not address persuasion directly. It is an implied process, used in subtle ways as part of program configurations. The purpose of this proposal is to analyze the use of persuasive mechanisms as an integral part of a tobacco prevention program. There are several reasons for this focus. One reason is practical: A thorough review of all approaches to prevention programming would require years to complete. A second reason is strategic: By providing a base knowledge and framework for this kind of approach, schools will be able to use the information to supplement existing programs or to create new ones. This approach involves a fairly narrow focus, and would prove more useful for a point of reference, combined with ideas from other promising programs, in the formation of anti-smoking interventions. In subsequent sections, a proposal based on persuasion will be explained and outlined to be used as general guidelines for possible prevention strategies. A focus on social persuasion has two important implications-one methodological and one theoretical. Methodologically, persuasion is approached in its most pure and abstract form. The conclusions derived from such research are applied to the target subject: tobacco programming. Theoretically, to focus on the principles of persuasion allow inferences to be drawn in terms of existing psychological research on argument formation and audience perception. [from introduction] | Platt, Richard D. | 2005-05 |
| Krebeck, Aurore Lynn | Psychology | Cross-sex and cross-cultural interactions among Gambian and US men and women | The Gambia is a small developing nation with a population that is 90% Muslim and a culture that is struggling to find balance between tradition and western influence. The focus of this study is interpretation of cultural influences on interactions between men and women from the US and the Gambia in social and professional settings. Primary data collection method consisted of several focus groups with college females, in both the Gambia and US. The purpose of the study is to provide a way for exchange students from each country to understand their social interactions within the cultural context. Preliminary results reveal that cultural differences in constructs of respect, persistence, class and reputations create cross-sex tension between the cultures and that emotional experiences of women in each culture are similar. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Krohn, Daniel Thomas | Psychology | Comparing the medical model to the psychosocial model : the positive and negative consequences that arise from the way one approaches mental illness | In this paper, I highlighted the fundamental philosophies behind the medical model and psychosocial model of viewing mental illness and discussed the benefits and costs of taking each view in relation to both the individual and society. I based my conclusions on published literature and personal observations. From these sources, I came to the conclusion that one should be wary of the current shift that is taking place in how mental illness is viewed that is directed toward an increasingly predominantly medical view. The main support I provide for this conclusion comes from evidence supporting the existence of strong cultural and societal influence on the conceptions of mental illness and the assumption that the conception of illness must be universal in nature. Thus, in showing that the conception of mental illness derives from social influence, I argue that there is no universal conception of mental illness. Because of this, I argue that mental illness cannot be considered an actual illness and, in turn, cannot be appropriately dealt with from the medical model. | Finkelman, David G. | 2005-05 |
| Lamont, Amanda Brooke | Psychology | Efficacy of art therapy as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic intervention for treating children traumatized by physical and/or sexual abuse | This research aimed to understand the way that art therapy is conducted, better understand ways in which art therapy facilitates both similar and dissimilar conditions when compared with traditional, talking-based therapy, and to gain a clinician’s perspective on previously published literature, with specific attention to the goals of art therapy. In order to meet these goals, the researcher developed a series of questions to be posed in an interview format to Ms. Patti Prugh, a practicing art therapist at Sheppard Pratt Psychiatric Hospital in Towson, Maryland. Additionally, the researcher observed three art therapy sessions conducted by Ms. Prugh on the Trauma Disorders Unit at Sheppard Pratt. Data was gathered based on a coding scheme developed by the researcher. The coding scheme consisted of 10 conditions that, based on previous research, are likely to occur during an art therapy session. Observations were conducted and coded for content based on a time-sampling method of one-minute increments. The two conditions met the most often were warmth and active listening. There was also a pattern between therapist involvement and day of the week on which the session was conducted. Friday sessions were characterized by less therapist involvement while the Monday session was characterized by more therapist involvement, a trend most likely due to the specific goals of the session day. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Leonard, Jessica Marie | Psychology | Identity formation in emerging adulthood that links to delayed marriages | Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, developmental psychologists have observed an increasing number of developmental stages in a person’s life in societies where that has been considerably affected by industrialization. A significant new stage that became apparent is emerging adulthood. This period last between the ages of 18-25 and is a common time for those in a broad socializations to explore many different aspects of life including love and work and to finish creating their unique identity. This new developmental stage has been a cause of an increasing trend to delay marriage. Postponement of marriage until a person completes the emerging adult stage and forming his/her identity may lead to more successful and long lasting marriages for future generations. However, the changing trends of emerging and young adults in attitudes towards marriage need to be continually researched and addressed as a society. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2005-05 |
| Lobkowicz, Hope Sandra | Psychology | Aggression, affiliation, and vocalization patterns in the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus | The California sea lion is a species which lives in large colonies, resulting in a complex social structure which can be characterized by the animal’s social affiliation as well as stereotypical and hierarchical aggression. The purpose of the present study was to identify and examine several behaviors within the two behavioral categories of affiliation and aggression while additionally examining when vocalizations occur across these categories. Data was collected over a period of 13 days through behavior sampling and instantaneous scans of a sample in their natural environment. Results showed that the sea lions vocalized significantly more during a social interaction than during non-social behavior. When social interactions were categorized, results showed that vocalizations occurred significantly more often during aggressive behavior than affiliative behavior and significantly more often during neutral behaviors than affiliative behavior, but there was no significant difference between vocalizations during affiliative and neutral behaviors. Lastly, it was found that the sea lions engaged in significantly more physical contact during affiliative behavior than during aggressive behavior. Findings of this study were consistent with previous research on the topics but invite more investigation in several behavioral aspects of the species. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2005-05 |
| Long, Tabitha Margaux | Psychology | Does being involved in the rescue squad effect one’s perceived stress level and his/her personality? | The researcher of the present study set out to determine if there was a difference between the personality, gender, and stress. Specifically, the researcher hypothesized that individuals displaying Type A behavior traits will have a higher level of stress. It was hypothesized that emergency service personnel, would display more type A behavior and will have a higher perceived stress level; however, they will be more capable of dealing with that stress better. Two scales of measurement were utilized in this study, the Jenkins Activity Survey and the Perceived Stress Scale. Four sub-scales were extracted from the Jenkins Activity Survey (Speed and impatience, hard-driving and competitiveness, type A behavior, and job involvement). Both scales of measurement proved to have good reliability. T-tests and ANOVAs were run and found that non-rescue squad personnel were more likely to have a higher perceived stress level. Females, in general were more likely to have an increased level of “speed and impatience” compared to men. No other significant findings were noted. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-05 |
| MacHarris, Molly Ann | Psychology | Initiation rituals and hazing : a comparison within athletics and clubs | Initiation rites have been prevalent is society for thousands of years. Research has also shown an increase in the mount of athletic hazing as well as fraternity hazing. We would like to see whether or not there is a relationship of athletics hazing on a small liberal arts campus. We hypothesized two main things: firstly those athletic participants will acknowledge a more common scenario of hazing than not athletic participants. And secondly that in respect to gender men will acknowledge hazing more than females. The results showed no significant interactions for either hypothesis, however there was an extremely small sample size obtained that could have been responsible for the lack of significant results. | Kosarych-Coy, Janet M. | 2005-05 |
| McQuighan, Lisa Marie | Psychology | Nature of infidelity in romantic relationships | The present study assesses the different reasons why an individual may cheat on their partner and any gender differences in these reasons by combining Rusbult’s Investment Model and evolutionary theory. Possible explanations for cheating were measured by three variables from the Investment Model: relationships satisfaction, investment size, and alternative quality. Sixty-eight participants were obtained, 23 male and 44 female, and 16 cheaters and 47 non-cheaters. Participants completed a survey that assessed their reasons or hypothesized reasons for cheating based on the three Investment Model variables. It was hypothesized that for both cheaters and non-cheaters, females would be more likely than males to report relationship satisfaction and investment size as explanations for cheating, and males would be more likely than females to report alternative quality as an explanation for cheating. Although the data did not support this hypothesis, it indicated that responses from cheaters were very different from the responses of non-cheaters. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2005-05 |
| Meyer, Kevin Patrick | Psychology | Child preference in custody disputes | The concept of child custody preference following divorce was investigated using a method of self-report survey analysis. The generated survey consisted of three distinct parts, with ‘Part I’ inquiring about sex, age, and parental marital status. The 25-item ‘Part II’ was completed if the participant had come from an intact family, whereas the 27-item ‘Part III’ was completed if one’s parents had divorced. It was hypothesized that preferred living arrangement would differ according to parental marital status while actual living arrangement experienced in childhood was expected to be associated with preferred living arrangement in retrospect for those from divorced families. It was further assumed that those from divorced families who preferred sole custody as the best living arrangement in retrospect would report a better relationship with their mother than those who selected joint physical custody. The results indicated that those from divorced families did prefer a sole custody living arrangement significantly more than those from intact families and that their actual living arrangement experienced in childhood was significantly associated with preferred living arrangement in retrospect. Participants from divorced families who selected sole custody as the best living arrangement in retrospect reported a significantly more positive relationship with their mother than those who selected joint physical custody. These findings suggest that there are several factors that must be further addressed by researchers before expecting more profound results, and perhaps alternative approaches to the study of child custody cases may need to be pursued. | Finkelman, David G. | 2005-05 |
| Miller, Jennifer Amy | Psychology | Investigation of parents’ thoughts and attitudes about parenting and child behavior problems | Given that child behavior problems are becoming more prevalent and are often influenced by a number of parental factors, the aim of this study was to determine the degree to which parents understand how they may impact children’s behavior problems and assess parents’ attitudes toward their participation in parent based interventions. Thirty-two parents completed surveys inquiring about their attitudes toward parenting, child behavior problems, and ways of intervening in such problems. Results suggest that many parents have an understanding of the role parents play in child behavior problems and express a willingness to participate in parent based interventions. Although some did not share these same perceptions, the results provide an understanding of who those parents are likely to be and ways of improving their outlook on parenting. Future research would be well spent aiming to determine whether the attitudes reported by parents in this study correspond to actual behaviors. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Miller, Kathryn Anne | Psychology | Critical investigation of the relationships between eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression | There is an abundance of research that exists in respect to eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depression. Etiological reasons for the presence of these disorders, time course, lifetime prevalence, several psychotherapeutic approaches, and a recently advanced field of information on antidepressant medications for treatment has been studied. Sifting through the depths of the material that is present in the academic world is a long and arduous task, but upon examination it appears that eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depression have many features in common. For instance, there is a strong overlap between the criteria the American Psychological Association has established for these disorders. The goal of this paper is to briefly examine three facets of each disorder in order to shed light on the distinct, comorbid relationship that appears to be present between them. [from introduction] | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2005-05 |
| Mitchell, Michael | Psychology | Handbook on divorce : a resource for counselors and their clients | The handbook is a resource of counselors and their clients focusing on the positive and negative characteristic of individual and group therapies. The goal of the handbook is to provide readers with need information to help facilitate the therapeutic process as well as provide a possible program to counsel children of divorce. The extensive literature review is followed by the proposed program and multiple handouts and activities to benefit the therapeutic interaction. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Moore, Elizabeth Anne | Psychology | Freedom of choice : blessing or burden? : the relationship between choice set size, maximization propensity, and post-decision regret | The current study examined three cognitive factors influencing consumer behavior in the context of excessive product choice, also known as “consumer hyperchoice.” Past research demonstrates that as the number of choices facing a consumer (choice set size) increases, consumer well being suffers. In addition, research has demonstrated that individuals, called “maximizers,” who feel the strong need to find the absolute best products, are more likely to experience post-decision regret. In the present study, 63 participants (13 males and 50 females) were asked to make judgments about hypothetical decision making situations, as well as to report their own thoughts, feelings, and behavior regarding every day consumer decision making. Consistent with past literature, results revealed a significant positive correlation between the propensity to maximize and post-decision regret. | Platt, Richard D. | 2005-05 |
| Naab, Pamela Jo | Psychology | Housewifery in the 21st century : distributions of domestic labor within marriage | Though women in the workplace are achieving equality, much still remains unequal within the home. On average, women perform over 2/3 of all household labor and a large majority of the traditionally feminine tasks, tasks which are more time-intensive and are performed more regularly. One of the explanations for this is the gender ideology perspective. It was hypothesized that those who are more traditional will be part of a household where women perform a majority of the housework, while those who are more egalitarian will distribute housework between spouses more equally. Researchers surveyed seventy-four college students in regards to egalitarian and traditional beliefs and future predictions of time spent in domestic labor for themselves and their spouses. A gender divide was found to exist between individual and spousal estimates in terms of feminine and masculine type tasks: women predict to perform more of the feminine tasks while men predict to spend more time on the masculine type tasks. However, this distribution of labor appears unaffected by gender ideology and not related to one’s traditional or egalitarian beliefs. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-05 |
| Newell, Delia May | Psychology | Behavioral and developmental differences in wild- and captive-bred cetaceans | The current literature review seeks to explore the physiological and psychological differences between killer whales and dolphins that were raised both in the wild and in captivity. Categories for comparison include feeding behaviors, territoriality, communication, reproductive habits, parental care, and pod structure. Though differences do exist, so little is known about each species that it is difficult to draw conclusions as to whether or not these differences could be detrimental to the animal. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2005-05 |
| O'Sullivan, Elizabeth Anne | Psychology | Someday my prince will come : gender stereotype evolution in film from 1980-2003 | This study examined changes in female gender role stereotypes in film over a period of 23 years. Sixteen movies were chosen based on box office success and presence of two lead female characters. Movies were grouped in six year spans, and within these groups, one movie was selected for each MPAA rating. These movies were then coded for stereotypical/non-stereotypical behavior of the lead females. A survey was constructed to assess how influential these movies were on women when they were viewed. Sex roles of the viewers were evaluated as well as their desire to be like movie characters. These results were then compared to the content analysis data on those characters. The prevalence of feminine characteristics in movies did not change over time. Masculinity of the characters increased over the time period of the study. Participant identification with sex role characteristics of movie characters did not predict participant’s own sex role characteristics. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2005-05 |
| Pennington, Nicholas Morris | Psychology | Analysis of negotiation theories, bargaining strategies, and the psychological precepts which influence bargaining behavior | In the first section of this paper, I describe the most popular theories concerning bargaining and the decision-making process and the corresponding bargaining personalities. This will be followed by an examination of the factors, which can alter and be used to manipulate a person’s bargaining behavior. The third section of the paper will analyze if the social constructs of personality, gender, age, and culture have any influence over bargaining behavior. The various empirical studies discussed will provide a scientific framework and will support or contest the validity of the various negotiation theories. I will also relate the current empirical research to the three current leading texts on the subject; Robert Mnookin's Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes (2000); Roger Fisher and William Ury's Getting to Yes (1983); and Herb Cohen's Negotiate This! (2003), in order to formulate a conclusion on the most effective bargaining strategy. | Koenig, Cynthia S. | 2005-05 |
| Pugliese, Jennifer Nicole | Psychology | Influence of athletic participation and extraversion on the alcohol consumption behaviors of college students | This study set out to examine the relationship between level of athletic participation, alcohol consumption, and extraversion. This study included 80 participants that completed a specially designed questionnaire made specifically for this study. The hypotheses included that the higher level of athletic participation a person was involved in the more alcohol they would consume, the higher level of athletic participation a person was involved in the more extraverted they would be, the more alcohol a person consumed the more extraverted they would be, and males would consume more alcohol than females. Results indicated that athletics and alcohol consumption, athletics and extraversion, and alcohol consumption and extraversion were all positively correlated. Further analysis revealed the specific differences between the groups. The mediational analysis model revealed that extraversion played a role in mediating the relationship between athletic participation and alcohol consumption indicating that those who participate in higher levels athletics consume more alcohol than those who participate in a lower level of athletics or no athletics because they are more extraverted than these participants. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2005-05 |
| Ravitz, Nadine Kathleen | Psychology | Gender role formation in Latino preschoolers in Washington, D.C. | Cultural psychologists believe that the process of development is inherently social and cultural. Thus culture cannot be seen as separate from the individual, but rather as a shaping force that guides individuals in their early development and throughout their adult lives. Children born into traditional Latino families in which male and female roles are strictly defined are likely to be socialized to assume their respective gender roles, and are likely to form strong gender stereotypes. The present study investigates processes of gender stereotype development among Latino preschoolers. Using the Gender Stereotyped Attitude Scale for Children (GSAC) and behavioral observations the researcher studied a classroom of Latino preschoolers at the Spanish Educational Development Center in Washington, D.C. Findings reflect patterns in gender role formation among these Latino preschoolers, including a positive relationship between amounts of television watched daily and rigidity of gender role perceptions. Future research should concentrate on reworking the present study and conducting additional research on preschoolers from other cultural backgrounds for cultural analysis and comparison. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Rotholz, Abigail Michal | Psychology | Gender role attitudes as function of sibling relationship context | Research on the mechanisms of attitude formation has demonstrated that exposure to valuated messages about gender will influence one’s conception of gender, gender roles, and gender differences. Older siblings may be particularly influential mediums of attitude transmission by serving as model of gendered behaviors and appropriate gender attitudes. In the present study, gender role attitudes were evaluated as a function of sibling relationship context to examine whether growing up with older siblings of the opposite sex facilitates formation of egalitarian gender role attitudes. Ninety-eight college-aged (18-24) participants were self-selected into three groups: those with older siblings within 4 years of their age, those with any other opposite-sex sibling, and those with no opposite-sex siblings. Gender role attitudes were measured by comparing participant responses to King and King’s (1993) Sex Role Egalitarianism Scale, Form KK. Results indicate that, for the respondents surveyed, gender role attitudes do not differ significantly based on sibling relationships. Consistent with similar studies, females were found to report significantly more egalitarian attitudes than males. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Rowe, Christina Marie | Psychology | Gender differences in the perception of fear appeals : self-esteem and self-efficacy as moderators | The present study investigated the relationship between fear appeals, gender, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Two questionnaires were distributed to measure attitudes and behavioral intentions in response to manipulated print advertisements intended to arouse different levels of social fear. A statistical analysis of participants’ responses found that fear level significantly affected the amount of fear reported by participants, though not entirely in a positive direction as predicted. A near significant positive effect of fear level on advertisement attitudes was also found. Gender moderated the effect of fear level on advertisement attitudes, while self-esteem significantly predicted average reported fear. Self-efficacy significantly affected advertisement attitudes and fear levels for the low fear condition only, while self-efficacy was positively related with many product and advertisement attitudes and purchase intention outcomes overall. The implications of this research and ethical concerns about the use of fear appeals are discussed. | Tickle, Jennifer J. | 2005-05 |
| Shutty, Meagan Lynne | Psychology | Effect of muscimol, a GABA agonist, on the acquisition of learning set in male Long-Evans rats | Fourteen male Long-Evans rats were randomly assigned to one of two groups: saline (n = 7) or muscimol (n = 7). The rats received 0.5 mg/kg of muscimol (intraperitoneal, i.p.) or saline (i.p.) during the initial 40 odor-unique discrimination problems to test effects of muscimol on the acquisition of learning set. Muscimol did not impair the acquisition of a learning set, as evidenced by the significantly higher than expected by chance Trial 2 performance. Muscimol also did not result in performance or motor deficits, or changes in emotionality. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2005-05 |
| Sides, Ashley Mae | Psychology | Effect of enriched environments on the learning deficits of type 1 neurofibromatosis mice | Twenty-eight C57B16 mice were used in this study. The Nf1 mice (n=13) and wild type mice (n=15) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: enriched environment (n= 12) and non-enriched environment (n= 16). The mice were tested in the Morris water maze and the open field. Results from the water maze indicated no significant differences in acquisition or probe trials between the four groups. No differences were found between the Nf1 mice and the wild type mice in the water maze acquisition or probe trials. No differences were found between the enriched environment mice and the non-enriched environment mice in the water maze acquisition or probe trials. No differences were found in the open field indicating no differences in emotionality between the groups of mice. | Bailey, Aileen M. | 2005-05 |
| Sloane, Sarah Louise | Psychology | Effects of a Muslim culture and faith on psychopathology | The first portion of the research was gathered in The Gambia, West Africa, during a seven week field study program in the summer of 2004. Seeking to find the perceptions and conceptualizations that The Gambians had of mental illness and treatment, I set up multiple interviews with traditional healers, health professionals and everyday citizens. The research continued at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Since The Gambia is 95% Muslim, questionnaires were given to Muslim college students. They were asked questions about their perceptions on the Muslim religion and how it may relate to psychopathology. It was found that most Gambians and Muslim students categorize the manifestation of mental illness into three areas: spirits, psychological and drugs. The findings also suggest that the Muslim religion may have some aspects, such as prayer, that are protective against mental illnesses, especially in the realm of anxiety. | O'Donnell, Deborah A. | 2005-05 |
| Stancavitch, Amy Lynn | Psychology | Importance of multicultural literature in the early elementary school classroom | The cultural diversification occurring within the United States in the last twenty years also mirrors the changes that are occurring within the school systems. In order for students to function effectively within the 21st century, education must be changed in substantial ways to successfully address the various learning needs of such a diverse student population and the subsequent pluralistic society for which children will be responsible of. One way to accomplish this idea is through multicultural education. This paper addresses the importance of preparing children early on in their developmental years and encourages successful strategies for achieving multiculturalism within the classroom. More significantly, multicultural literature can be used as powerful vehicle for children to explore others different from themselves. | Van Abbema, Dana L. | 2005-05 |
| Stout, Alexandra Larsen | Psychology | College counseling centers : challenges and recommendations | This study evaluated the counseling services available at St. Mary’s College of Maryland by comparing staff perceptions and student opinions. Interviews were conducted with the Director and Assistant Director of counseling services, and 387 students completed an online survey. The results indicated that most students who have been to counseling services would recommend them to fellow students, but almost one third of students who have not been said they considered it and did not go. Students believe the services would be improved if there were more staff members and greater access to a psychiatrist. Increased communication between students and counselors may help increase student awareness of counseling services and comfort with seeking help there. | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2005-05 |
| Tyler, Megan McLeod Dodson | Psychology | Media influences on female body esteem | The current study investigates popular media among female college students and its influence on body image. The contents of popular magazines and TV shows (and their advertisements) were analyzed in terms of their portrayal of the “thin ideal.” Participants were asked their height and weight (from which a BMI was calculated). They were surveyed to discern which magazines they read, which TV shows they watched, and how often. Participants were then administered the Body Esteem Scale to determine their attitudes about their body. Based on previous research, it was expected that a high BMI would predict lower scores on the Body Esteem Scale. Further, participants who consumed media (both TV and magazines) that portrayed more examples of the “thin ideal” would have lower body esteem; this effect would be more pronounced when media was consumed more frequently. In addition, lower body esteem would be seen more in women that read magazines frequently than in women that watched TV frequently. It was expected that women that described their favorite celebrity using appearance-related words (for example, “I admire her because she is so beautiful”) would have lower body esteem, as that could be interpreted as an indication of internalization. A last hypothesis is that women who rely on magazines or TV shows for information on diet and exercise would have lower body esteem. [from p. 9] | Williams, Elizabeth N. | 2005-05 |
| Wilson, Laura Chin | Psychology | Measuring undergraduate students’ life satisfaction and reactions to gnosticism | The present study examined whether controversial information that conflicted with an undergraduate student’s previously held religious beliefs would alter or change those beliefs in any way. The study also investigated whether an emerging adult’s life satisfaction was related to their change (or reluctance to change) their religious beliefs. To test a participant’s religious beliefs information about an early form of Christianity known as Gnosticism was presented. Participants consisted of 59 St. Mary’s College of Maryland students who were asked to read the information and report their religious beliefs before and after its presentation by using the Short Version Christian Orthodoxy Scale (Hunsberger, 1989). Participants were also asked to report their life satisfaction using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Griffen & Larsen, 1985). The findings showed that the presentation of information about Gnosticism did not effect religious beliefs and that life satisfaction scores were correlated with a change in religious beliefs at a near significant level. Since religion plays such an important part of an individual’s psychological and emotional well-being, further research about the implications and the causes of changing religious beliefs is needed for the future. | Hopkins, J. Roy | 2005-05 |
| Wise, James Sherer | Psychology | Just world or just unlucky? : a study of public perceptions concerning the reasons for poverty and the methods of helping the poor help themselves using students at St. Mary’s College of Maryland | Poverty pervades every country in the world. Research has identified Belief in a Just World as an important factor influencing a person’s perceptions of poverty. This study investigated the relationships between Belief in a Just World, perceptions of the poor, perceived reasons of why poverty occurs, and assessments of aid institutions meant to help the poor. Participants were asked, among other items, to characterize the poor, middle, and upper classes so that correlations between the evaluations could be analyzed. The results indicated that significant relations and effects were indeed present between many of these factors, and that many individuals do have positive evaluations of the upper and middle classes while having negative evaluations of the poor. The reasons for these correlations and interactions are discussed. | Lasane, Terell P. | 2005-05 |