Psi Chi Paper Presentations (2005 MPA)
Conference: Psi Chi Midwestern Regional Convention Program (2005)
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2005
View Research Award Paper Presentations:
- Presentation I (8:00 - 9:00 a.m.)
- Presentation II (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.)
- Presentation III (10:00 - 11:00 a.m.)
- Presentation IV (11:00 - 12:00 noon)
Psi Chi Regional Research Award Paper Presentation I
8:00 - 9:00 a.m., PDR 16
Moderator: Daniel Corts, Augustana College (IL)
1
Mood Elicited by Negative TV News and Its Effect on Helping Behavior
AMY BOSSMANN & KATARINA POPOVIC, Elmhurst College (Helga Noice, Faculty Sponsor)
Participants watched either a negative TV news video or a neutral instructional video. Group moods were equal before manipulation, but significant disparity was observed afterward. Moreover, those in a more negative mood engaged in more subsequent helping behavior. This finding is consistent with a negative state relief model.
2
Relationships of Psychological Birth Order and Parent-Child Relationships With Campus Involvement
AMBER HINTON, Central Missouri State University (David Kreiner, Faculty Sponsor)
We hypothesized that college students who were psychological firstborn and only children would be more involved on campus than laterborns. Firstborn and only children scored significantly higher on two measures of campus involvement than laterborn students. Differences in parental nurturance or achievement pressure were not related to campus involvement.
3
Distinguishing Optimism and Pessimism in Middle-Aged Adults: Relations to Personality and Subjective Well-Being Probes
YURI KASHIMA, EDWARD CHANG, AVIVA MORADY, VALENTINA IVEZAJ, & JENNY CHUNG, University of Michigan (Edward Chang, Faculty Sponsor)
This study examined the associations of dispositional optimism and pessimism with probes assessing for personality and subjective well being in a large sample of middle-aged adults. Results indicated that even after controlling for overlap, optimism and pessimism hold important unique associations with various markers of personality and adjustment.
4
Boys vs. Girls: Who Actually Makes the Decision to Use Condoms Among African American Youth?
JENNIFER EVANS POWIS, University of Missouri-Kansas City (Kathy Goggin, Faculty Sponsor)
This study examined differences regarding condom use and sexual attitudes among African American adolescents in relation to gender and relationship status. While females reported possessing strong suggestion and persuasion power toward condom use, males ultimately determined whether a condom would be used.
Psi Chi Regional Research Award Paper Presentations II
9:00 - 10:00 a.m., PDR 16
Moderator: Maria Hunt, Avila University (MO)
1
Quality of Father-Child Relationship as a Predictor of Reactions to Rejection
STEPHANIE DRANE & RYAN HANNINEN, Western Illinois University (Kristine Kelly, Faculty Sponsor)
Participants completed a questionnaire pertaining to their relationship with their father, then read a scenario depicting someone accepting or rejecting their offer of a date and rated how they would feel. Participants with low quality father relationships were more anxious after being rejected than those with high quality father relationships.
2
Expectations and Attentional Strategies as Joint Determinates of the Placebo Effect
SHANNON HOLLERAN, MARISSA HOMRIGHOUSE, & ANDREW L. GEERS, University of Toledo (Andrew L. Geers, Faculty Sponsor)
In this study we manipulated participant's expectations for a placebo (relaxation) therapy as well as their tendency to focus on consistent or inconsistent information. Changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure supported our hypothesis that the placebo effect is the joint product of one's expectations and attentional strategy.
3
Social Support Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology in Women
BETHANY L. PHILLIPS, EVE M. SLEDJESKI, & BETH FISCHER, Kent State University (Doug Delahanty, Faculty Sponsor)
This study assessed the relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in motor vehicle accident (MVA) victims. Higher levels of social support measured 6-weeks post-trauma significantly predicted lower levels of PTSD 3 months following the MVA in women. However, this relationship was not present in men.
4
Effects of Behavioral Couples Therapy on Drug Usage and Relationship Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis
RACHAEL SCHUSTER, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Bruce Wampold, Faculty Sponsor)
This study uses meta-analytic procedures to investigate the longitudinal effects of behavioral couples therapy on drug use and relationship satisfaction. Results indicate that BCT is more effective than individual-based therapy in decreasing drug usage in the year following treatment.
Psi Chi Regional Research Awards Paper Presentations III
10:00 - 11:00 a.m., PDR 16
Moderator: Kristine Kelly, Western Illinois University
1
Effects of Perceived Sexual Orientation on Moral Reasoning
KATHRYN HAUPT, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (Tracie Blumentritt, Faculty Sponsor)
This study examined the impact of varying the sexual orientation of characters depicted in moral judgment dilemmas on participants' level of moral reasoning. Belief in a just world and attitudes towards homosexuals were also measured. No significant differences were found in levels of moral reasoning between groups.
2
Tantrums and Cortisol in 3-Year-Olds
NICHOLAS SEAN HOLTZMAN, Loyola University New Orleans, & MICHAEL POTEGAL, University of Minnesota (Michael Potegal, Faculty Sponsor)
In 3 year olds, we found 1) a significant positive correlation between basal cortisol and tantrum frequency and 2) an acute post-tantrum cortisol surge that was strongest in the morning. Perhaps the increase in basal cortisol associated with higher tantrum frequency relates to the cumulative effect of repeated post-tantrum surges.
3
Hemisphere Differences in Processing Emotion on a Verbal-Matching Task
BENJAMIN P. NORRIS, MILENA KAVRAKOVA, & ADDISON NOREEN, Hope College (Thomas Ludwig, Faculty Sponsor)
This study investigated the role of the cerebral hemispheres in processing emotion on a verbal-matching task. Participants were presented with stimulus word-pair combinations in three visual-field locations: 1) unilateral-left, 2) unilateral right, and 3) bilateral. Results support proposals of the inhibitory/interference effect as a viable explanation of the RVF superiority.
4
Item Method Directed Forgetting Instructions Prevent False Memories from DRM Lists
JANE STOUT & SARAH TAUBER, Augustana College (Daniel P. Corts, Faculty Sponsor)
In two experiments, critical lures occurred more frequently when participants were told to remember DRM word lists than when they were told to forget DRM word lists in an item-based directed forgetting task. Results support a differential encoding explanation of item based directed forgetting effects.
Psi Chi Regional Research Award Paper Presentations IV
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, PDR 16
Moderator: Jeff Smith, Mount Union College (OH)
1
Investigation of Position Learning Through the Elimination of Response Cues in Animals
TIFFANY N. HENLEY & LAUREN M. YOGGERST, Southeast Missouri State University (Richard A. Burns, Faculty Sponsor)
Rats were runway trained in which response patterns were eliminated by the use of direct placement of the animals into the goal box. Transfer tests to NNN showed results that are not predicted by position learning theories.
2
Early Exposure to Corticosterone Impairs Hippocampal-Mediated Learning in Males but not Females
SARAH J. JENSEN, Wright State University (D. I. Claflin & M. B. Hennessy, Faculty Sponsors)
Long-Evans rats were administered corticosterone or placebo on postnatal day 15 and subsequently trained with either delay or trace eyeblink conditioning on postnatal day 28. Early exposure to corticosterone impaired trace conditioning in males only. Trace conditioned females and delay conditioning were unaffected.
3
The Relationship Between Hip Hop Music and Rape Myths
ANGELA PIRLOTT, Marquette University (Debra Oswald, Faculty Sponsor)
This study examined the connections between chronic exposure to hip-hop music and rape myth acceptance, sexual conservativism, adversarial sexual beliefs, and acceptance of interpersonal violence. Results suggest that hip hop music is associated with adversarial sexual beliefs and males' increased rape myth acceptance, thus having theoretical and practical applications.
4
The Effect of Childhood Social Anxiety on Friendship Perceptions
SALLY CRAIG, Eastern Illinois University (Daneen Deptula, Faculty Sponsor)
This study examined the friendship beliefs of children with social anxiety. Although children with social phobia were just as likely to be desired as friends by their classmates as their non-anxious peers, they inaccurately perceived themselves as having lower friendship desirability, demonstrating a cognitive error with regards to their friendships.