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Behavioral Consequences of Calcium/Calmodulin Kinase II Inhibition in Rats: Author: Schwartz, Elizabeth Ann; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: CaM kinase II (CaMKII) comprises 2% of hippocampal protein and plays an important role in learning and models of neural plasticity. Previous studies have employed a variety of techniques to inhibit CaMKII to investigate its role. This includes the use of chemical inhibition, genetic mutation and antisense; all have shown limitations. In the present study, RNA interference (RNAi) was used to inhibit CaMKII in the hippocampus of rats. The goal of this project was to determine if inhibition of hippocampal CaM kinase would result in behavioral deficits consistent with the role of this kinase. Thre...; Download File | View full details

Consequences of Perceived Group Variability: Hostile Outgroup Behaviors: Author: Kirmis, Nathan Halvor; Date: 2004-08-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The present study investigated the link between perceptions of group variability and intergroup hostility. Three-hundred and twenty undergraduates delivered noise blasts to members of their ingroup and a competing outgroup after receiving bogus feedback about the variability of personality scores for each group. It was hypothesized that under conditions of outgroup homogeneity, participants would demonstrate the greatest levels of outgroup hostility. While the average levels of outgroup hostility were greatest under conditions of outgroup homogeneity, there were no significant differences in o...; Download File | View full details

The Dual Process Model of Stereotyping: Using Social Cognitive Research to Reduce Bias in the Workplace with an Emphasis in Gender Stereotyping: Author: Betzen, Nathan John; Date: 2005-12-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: As more women and minorities enter organizations, the issue of the glass ceiling fails to evaporate, due in part to the less favorable evaluations of women and minorities in the workplace. A likely cause for this is the lack of research and understanding in the business environment on stereotyping and its results. The following narrative review seeks to bridge the gap between social psychological and social cognitive research and business and Industrial/Organizational research on the topic through the introduction of a dual process model that identifies and attempts to correct for the harmful ...; Download File | View full details

Effects of Test Expectancy, Word Frequency, and Word Concreteness on Encoding Workload: Author: Bosco Jr., Frank Anthony; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The effort associated with relational and distinctive memory encoding was evaluated in two experiments. To this end, a secondary task was added during encoding, and the interference on the secondary task was used to infer encoding effort. Memory test expectancy was varied between-participants, with incidental, expect recognition, and expect recall conditions in Experiment 1, and recognition and recall conditions in Experiment 2. In both experiments, all participants encoded words varying in written frequency and rated concreteness. In Experiment 1, all participants received a recognition test ...; Download File | View full details

Ethical Decision Making about Sexual Harassment Complaints that Stem from Dissolved Workplace Romances: A Policy-Capturing Approach: Author: Jessen, Paul Lee; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: An experiment was conducted to examine the degree to which Jones' (1991) ethical decision-making model is an appropriate theoretical perspective from which to interpret raters' varying responses to a sexual harassment claim that stems from a dissolved workplace romance. The policy capturing methodology was used with 40 study participants to assess the significance of features of a dissolved workplace romance and sexual harassment situation in predicting participants' responses to a sexual harassment claim. Results revealed that Jones' (1991) ethical decision-making model is appropriate for...; Download File | View full details

Men's Stereotypes of Women in Management: Are Women Aware of How They are Stereotyped?: Author: Crawford, Kevin Charles; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: It is commonly thought that men and women differ in the extent or frequency to which each exhibits various traits-especially traits that are frequently perceived to be more agentic and stereotypical of males (e.g., aggressive and forceful) or more communal and stereotypical of females (e.g., interpersonally sensitive and sympathetic). Further, stereotypes frequently influence behaviors, with many real-world consequences, not the least of which are those often manifested in the disparate treatment of men and women in the workplace. In a recent study (Martell & DeSmet, 2001), male MBA studen...; Download File | View full details

A Meta-Analytic Review of the Performance-Cue Bias: Author: Moody, Ann Michelle; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: This review is a quantitative synthesis of the Performance-Cue Bias literature (43 effect sizes, from 43 independent samples, and 4,013 participants). The purpose of this synthesis was to test the overall magnitude of the Performance-Cue bias as well as 9 possible moderators of this phenomenon. Across all moderators, raters who were given positive performance cues rated the target more favorably than raters given negative performance cues. Five potential moderators were identified and shown to significantly influence the Performance-Cue Bias. These significant moderators were; timing of the pe...; Download File | View full details

Problematic Eating and Weight Control Behaviors Among Native Americans: A Meta-Analytic Review: Author: Maertens, Julie Ann; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: A ubiquitous clinical stereotype has conventionally associated eating pathology with White, upper-class girls and women. However, recent studies suggest that problem eating behavior and use of unhealthy weight control techniques span many ethnic and socioeconomic groups. High rates of obesity and non-insulin-dependent diabetes suggest that unhealthy eating behaviors may be a particularly serious problem among Native American youth and adults. This meta-analytic review of studies reporting the prevalence of specific eating practices among Native American participants reveals that on average, 18...; Download File | View full details

Semantic Activation Without Awareness: Still No Reliable Evidence: Author: Bengson, Jesse Jon; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Three experiments were conducted to examine whether semantic association contributes to unconscious priming. Experiment 1 used exclusion instructions in which participants were told to avoid completing the stem (e.g. mo---) with a word related to a masked prime (e.g. cash) flashed for 0, 38, or 212 ms. Significant semantic priming was found only in the items analysis when data was averaged across participants. In the subjects analysis, this performance was moderated by participants' ability to report the prime. Experiment 2 used a free association task to examine unconscious semantic priming. ...; Download File | View full details

Spinning Fantasies into Consumer Attitudes: A Fantasy Realization Perspective of Attitude Formation: Author: Goss, Robert Justin; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Fantasy Realization Theory (Oettingen 1996) states that people can dwell on their negative reality, fantasize about a positive future, or mentally compare each. When individuals mentally compare, commitment to the goal of achieving their fantasy is influenced by expectations for goal attainability. Consistent with the attitude literature, such expectations can be influenced by the quality of arguments within an advertisement. Merging these ideas, we predicted and found that participants' attitudes toward purchasing a car were influenced by the quality of arguments presented in an advertisement...; Download File | View full details

Duration and Warning Work Independently to Reduce False Memories in DRM and Homograph Lists: Author: Lambert, Ann Elise; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Two experiments examined the effects of forewarning and presentation duration on false memory. Durations of 1000 ms and 3000 ms were used to present words in DRM lists containing 12 words which converged onto the same meaning of a critical nonpresented word and homograph lists containing 6 words that converged onto a different meaning of a critical nonpresented word. Associative strength from list items to critical items was equated across list types. In Experiment 1 participants were warned of the tendency of the lists to bring to mind a nonpresented critical word and were instructed to write...; Download File | View full details

Cognitive Complexity and Logic Puzzle Question Answering: Author: Hobson, Jennifer Michelle; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Cognitive complexity refers to a person's system of interpersonal constructs that controls an individual's perceptions. An individual's system of interpersonal constructs is used to interpret and analyze the actions of other individuals. An individual's interpersonal constructs can be considered relatively complex when they contain a relatively large number of elements (constructs). Previous research has suggested that individuals high in cognitive complexity compared to those low in cognitive complexity differ in approaches to solving decision problems. Those high in cognitive complexity will...; Download File | View full details

Effects of Music and Other Stimuli on Subsequent Verbal Task Performance: Author: Koster, Michael Richard; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Music is woven into the fabric of daily life. Music awakens people in the morning, accompanies them as they drive to work, and plays in the background at restaurants and stores. Even though music is often present in the lives of most people, surprisingly little is know about the way it affects cognitive processing in humans. In this paper, I review current research on the effects of music on emotions, physiology, and cognitive task performance. I also present results from an experiment testing the hypothesis that music that has a positive effect on mood, increases arousal, or is preferred by t...; Download File | View full details

Hippocampal damage and novelty preference in the ischemic gerbil: dissociating object and arrangement memory: Author: McNeill, Damon Lee; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The most insidious consequences of transient ischemia are its effect on the hippocampus and the memory systems it serves. The novelty preference test is a direct measure of memory function and has been used in the rat and primate animal models. The gerbil animal model has been used extensively to study the mechanism of ischemic brain damage; however, the novelty preference paradigm has not been used to study memory impairment in this species. In addition, the novelty preference paradigm has not been tested with models of ischemia. In the present experiment, Mongolian gerbils were tested in two...; Download File | View full details

Behavioral Consequences following AAV mediated Hippocampal EAAC1 knockdown: Author: Coombs, Katie Marie; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1 (EAAT3) is present in hippocampal neurons to prevent excessive glutamate accumulation. Glutamate receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity is important for learning and memory. The present study investigates behavior associated with blocking the glutamate transporter EAAC1. To manipulate EAAC1 function, rats were intrahippocampally injected with a adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector encoding an EAAC1 antisense mRNA sequence or an AAV empty cassette. Twenty-eight days following surgery, rats were tested in a delayed matching-toplace (DMTP) watermaze task to...; Download File | View full details

Dead-Set Against It? Thoughts of Death Can Promote Resistance to Attitude Change: Author: Dood, Tiffany Lee; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Terror Management Theory (TMT) argues that people experience an underlying sense of 'terror' when presented with their own mortality, causing them to more strongly defend their ideals (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 2000). Although much support exists for this idea, prior research has not specifically investigated whether mortality reminders will enhance individuals' resistance to persuasive attempts that are counter to their existing attitudes. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine how reminders of individuals' mortality affect participants' attitudes towards persuasiv...; Download File | View full details

Expectancy Generation and Utilization: An Attentional Control Perspective: Author: Shipstead, Zachary Martin; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Although the research of Balota, Black and Cheney (1992) has shown attentional deficits in older adults to be detrimental to performance in semantic priming tasks which require a shift of attention away from a presented category, no attempt has been made to link performance to measures of attentional control. The current study utilizes the same paradigm as Balota, Black and Cheney with participants' attentional control measured using the battery of Hutchison (in press). Results show ability not only to generate expectancy for the target category, but to override automatic processes initiated b...; Download File | View full details

Spacing and Lag Effects in Recognition Memory: Time Versus Intervening Items: Author: Shively, Matthew David; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Spacing and lag effects both refer to abundant findings that memory is enhanced when repeated items are spaced. Several researchers have realized the difficulty of explaining these effects using only one theory, and, therefore posited varying dual-process models. It is also unclear if there is a limit to the increase in memory performance due to increased lag. This study sought to understand how stimulus type influences spacing and lag effects, limits of the lag effect, and the importance of time and items in creating these effects. Experiment 1 found a unique spacing effect and lag effect. Ex...; Download File | View full details

Neuroprotective Potential of Methamphetamine: Behavioral and Histological Analysis: Author: Weeden, Christy Samantha Star; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Stroke is a leading cause of death and ischemic stroke is the most common form. The deficits that follow ischemic stroke include memory and learning impairment. There are presently no treatments that can combat the effects of ischemia after the attack has occurred. Immediately following insult, locomotor activity increases in rodent models. The goal of the current research is to determine if methamphetamine administration following ischemic attack will have neuroprotective effects and prevent changes in locomotor behavior that are observed following insult. Ischemic insult was induced in gerbi...; Download File | View full details

When does ostracism decrease self-regulation: Author: Carter, Brett Edward; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Previous research in social Psychology has suggested that ostracism has a negative impact on SE, and also can affect how much food individuals will consume. Moreover, research in the eating disorders literature shows a negative relationship between self-esteem and eating. As such, the present experiment was designed to merge these two lines of research to examine what causal role, if any, self-esteem plays in men's and women's food consumption. It was proposed that some individuals should show a lack of self regulation in terms of the type and amount of food eaten following ostracism. It was...; Download File | View full details

From East to West: an exploratory cross cultural comparison of night eating syndrome and related eating pathology in Mainland China and the USA: Author: Cooper, Barbara Ellen; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: The current study investigates the prevalence rate of Night Eating Syndrome (NES) in mainland China. Although some research has investigated the prevalence and characteristics of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in China, virtually no research has been carried out on NES in the indigenous Chinese population. Thus, the primary goal of the current study was to examine NES prevalence and characteristics in China and to compare these prevalence rates and characteristics to published prevalence rates for the USA and also to a sample of college students in the USA. NES has also been linked to va...; Download File | View full details

Different encoding strategies affect retrieval of information in collaborative groups: Author: Freuen, Margaret Taffy; Date: 2008-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: This study examined collaborative memory and encoding strategies. Participants read three different stories processed with three different encoding strategies. Each story had two encoding strategies, but participants were only given one strategy per story (Pichert & Anderson, 1977). Later participants recalled and recognized the stories in three test trials. Recall occurred either individually or collaboratively. Pairs of participants read the same stories with the same strategy (congruent condition), the same stories with different strategies (incongruent condition) or the same stories wi...; Download File | View full details

Novel pharmaceutical combination confers protection from delayed cell death following transient cerebral ischemia: Author: Chapman, Courtney Myfanwy; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability throughout the world; ischemia is the most common form of stroke. Medical procedures such as cardio-pulmonary bypass surgery can cause ischemic stroke can be caused. There are no treatments to limit neural impairment following stroke. The current research investigates neuroprotection offered by treatment with a novel drug combination consisting of Simvastatin™, Gemfibrozil™, Troglitazone™, and Spironolactone™. Animals were treated with the drug cocktail three weeks proceeding and one week subs...; Download File | View full details

Aging and prospective memory: the role of cue familiarity: Author: Rand, Kristina Marie; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Older adults often show age-related declines in retrospective and prospective memory (PM). However, when memory is tested in a way that allows for reliance on familiarity, age-related declines are eliminated. Recent research has indicated that on a number of tests of PM, no age-related memory deficits were found. It is hypothesized that such tests allow older adults to rely on familiarity to detect the PM cue. The current study uses a PM task on which reliance on familiarity will lead to a measurable error that can be distinguished from a general PM deficit. It is hypothesized that older adult...; Download File | View full details

Evidence for unconscious thought in complex decisions: the result of a methodological artifact or of an active thought process: Author: Runnion, Brett Matthew; Date: 2009-05-15; Program: Applied Psychology; Abstract: Previous research has suggested that a period of unconscious thought can result in judgments that are equal or superior to those of conscious thought (Dijksterhuis, 2004). The existence of unconscious thought as a decision-making process is controversial. In fact, it has been suggested that unconscious thought is not a process rather the evidence supporting it is the result of a methodological artifact (Lassiter et al., in press) that only occurs when participants can retrieve online judgments. This thesis attempts to resolve this controversy. Participants received information describing 4 car...; Download File | View full details

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