Journal of Undergraduate Research

David Marsh and Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Department of Psychology The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of marital quality on certain cardiovascular health risks, including diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Relationships, including that of marriage, have long since been known to correlate with these physiological markers (Wickrama, 1997). Our study, however, […]

Megan Christensen and Dr. Mikle South, Department of Psychology Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication. Anxiety is also an extremely common feature with approximately 81% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder also qualified for at least one other anxiety disorder (Amaral et al., 2003). Amaral et […]

Bobbi Padro and Dr. James Higley, Department of Psychology The purpose of this project was to determine a correlation between the temperament of rhesus macaques and the amount of alcohol they consume. This project looked specifically at 16 juvenile rhesus macaques. Each juvenile had been tested to determine its temperament through the Biobehavioral Assessment (BBA) […]

Tyler Nickle and Dr. Ramona Hopkins, Department of Psychology Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Studies show that 40-70% of individuals with MS have cognitive impairments in memory, executive functioning, attention, and processing speed (Rogers and Panegyres, 2007). Quantitative Electroencephalographic peak alpha frequency (PAF) is used to measure physiological […]

Brett Larsen and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Department of Psychology Alcohol addiction is becoming increasingly prevalent in our world today, but the mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction are unknown. We do know; however, that the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) of the brain are specifically involved in addiction. These GABA neurons have […]

Nathan Jamison and Dr. Mikle South, Department of Psychology Overview My ORCA research project was presented as a poster at the annual International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR) in San Diego on May, 2011, under the name, “Candidate Gene Associations with Performance Monitoring of Others in Autism.” I am currently working with my mentor, Mikle […]

David Hedges and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Department of Psychology The purpose of my ORCA research was to better understand the neural circuitry behind addiction. It is well known that the mesocorticolimbic pathway in the brain is involved with addictions. This pathway consists of dopaminergic neurons originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) projecting to the […]

J. Andrew Hartshorn and Dr. Brock Kirwan, Department of Psychology I began work in the BYU Memory and Cognition Lab in the fall of 2009. Under the direction of Dr. Kirwan I was fortunate enough to be involved in a variety of projects using different testing methodologies. My first project examined the ability of people […]

Nicholas Edwards and Professor Dawson Hedges, Department of Psychology The purpose of my project was to find factors that might be predictive of cognitive deficits in a college age group of people. After discussing the topic with my mentor, Dawson Hedges, we chose a few broad categories, including family health history, demographics, education, and psychological history. […]

Robert Cohoon and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Department of Psychology The rationale for this study was predicated on the belief that advancement in the understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying the recreational use and abuse potential of drugs will pave the way for more effective treatment strategies that would save lives and resources throughout the world. […]