Infant Aggression in Rhesus Macaques

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Stephen Anderson and Dr. James Higley, Psychology Introduction Temperament is defined as a pattern of behaviors that remain stable and show continuity over time and across different contexts (Clarke & Boinski, 1995). These behavioral patterns can be observed early in life, and can serve as a predictor of future behaviors (Weinstein & Capitanio, 2008). Temperamental […]

Interest in Genomic Testing Among Individuals at Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer

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Jordan Sgro and Wendy Birmingham, Psychology Introduction CRC is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Despite the fact that screening can detect CRC earlier and lead to better outcomes, screening adherence remains less than optimal in individuals with increased family risk. Identifying the genetic causes of moderate increases in CRC risk […]

Depression, Suicide, and Performance Monitoring: Identifying Neuroelectric Markers of Suicidal Behavior

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Kaylie Carbine and Michael Larson, Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction From 2000-2009, suicide mortality rates increased by 15% (Rockett, et al., 2012) and 98% of individuals who complete suicide have diagnosable psychopathology (Bertolote, Fleischmann, De Leo, & Wasserman, 2003). Individuals at risk for suicide exhibit cognitive impairments in decision-making and problem-solving abilities (Pollock & Williams, 2004; […]

Cortisol Profiles as Bio-Markers of Extreme Temperaments

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Claudia Rasmuseen and Dr. James Dee Higley, Psychology Department Temperament is defined as a variation between individuals’ affective-motivational reactivity and self-regulation (Rothbart & Bates, 1998; Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981; Rettew &McKee, 2005). Temperament can be measured as early as birth and has been found to remain relatively stable across the lifespan (Goldsmith, 1987; Lansade, Bouissou […]

The Effects of Sleep-dependent Memory Consolidation on the Discriminability and Generalizability of Learning

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Bengt Grua and Dr. C. Brock Kirwan, Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience Introduction The goal of this study was to determine how sleep affects memory recall in an academic setting with relation to memory discrimination and memory generalization. Memory generalization depends on the computational process of pattern completion, which is the brain’s ability to retrieve […]

Good vs. Evil: Incorporating Human Stimuli to the Question of Infant Morality

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Jordan Layton and Dr. Ross Flom, Psychology A recent as well as intriguing question in developmental psychology is whether human infants have an innate sense of morality. Media outlets such as 60 Minutes and New York Times magazine have reported findings from Hamlin et al. (2007)1 that infants as young as 6-months have the innate […]

MAOa Genotype X Environment Interaction and Influence on Monoamine Neurotransmitter Functioning in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

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Daniel Loveland and Dr. J. Dee Higley Department of Psychology Original Project Title: Why can’t we all just get along? MAOa genotype variation is associated with aggressive temperaments in nonhuman primates In place of studying behavior differences among rhesus monkeys with differing MAOa genotypes, my research group and I chose to analyze the effects of […]

Priming the Pump: A Study of Hidden Biases

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Rachel Maxwell and Dr. Jeffrey Reber, Psychology Introduction Priming is a method often used in psychology research to activate implicit attitudes and behaviors. Priming has been effectively demonstrated in advertising and the marketplace (North, Hargreaves, & McKendrick, 1999; Milliman, 1982; Jacob, Gueguen, & Boulbry, 2011), politics (Berger, Meredith, & Wheeler 2008; Rutchick, 2010), business (Kay, […]

Change over time of White Matter Hyperintensities and cognitive scores in the Cache County Memory and Aging Study

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Zachary McDonnell and Dr. Erin Bigler, Psychology Department Introduction The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging (CCMA) includes a sample of over 400 individuals with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Bigler et al., 2000). Studies have shown that White Matter Hyperintensities (WMH) on MRIs are associated with not only cognitive decline, but degenerative disorders like […]