Whitney Worsham and Dr. Michael Larson, Department of Psychology Introduction The purpose of this research project was to investigate underlying difficulties with social interaction in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous research has demonstrated that children with ASD are inhibited in processing social cues, including social threat (Krysko & Rutherford, 2009). We hypothesized that children with autism […]
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The Picky Eater Premium?: The Effect of Product Portfolio Size on the Price Consumers Pay for Fresh Produce
Wayne Sandholtz and Dr. Joseph Price, Department of Economics Introduction The purpose of this project was to examine whether consumers who buy a wider variety of distinct fresh fruits and vegetables pay lower average prices for fresh fruits and vegetables, by substituting away from fruits and vegetables during price shocks. In order to answer this […]
Religious Influence on Adolescents and Their Parents Faculty Mentor: Sam Hardy, Psychological Sciences
Carrolyn McMurdie and Dr. Sam Hardy, Department of Psychology For decades, research has shown religious involvement and religious belief to predict positive outcomes for adolescents and adults, including better physical and mental health, fewer risk-taking behaviors, and greater involvement in moral or pro-social and helping behaviors (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009). However, the current body […]
Positional Segregation in Sport: How Rugby Introduces New Ethnicities to Research
Dylan Lubbe and Dr. Mikaela Dufur, Department of Sociology Modern scientists continue to argue over an issue that has existed since the first time a person realized that his or her skin was a slightly different shade or tint than someone else’s: Does skin color serve as an indicator for something deeper? The conversation about […]
Negative Affect in Individuals with Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for Acquiring New Learning
Spencer Liebel and Dr. Michael Larson, Department of Psychology The goal of this project was to clarify the additive role that negative affect plays in the capacity for individuals with moderate-to-severe (M/S) traumatic brain injury (TBI) to acquire new learning. Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, […]
Youth Self-Efficacy As A Predictor of Youth Symptoms and Psychotherapy Outcomes
Brooke Daniels-Brown and Dr. Jared Warren, Department of Psychology The purpose of the project was to examine youth self-efficacy as it relates to youth symptoms and treatment outcomes in a community mental health setting. From analyzing the collected data, results suggest that youth self-efficacy may act as a moderator and potential mediator in youth mental […]
Plasticity in Glutamate Neurotransmission to Midbrain GABA Neurons by Ethanol
Jennifer Mabey and Dr. Scott Steffensen, Department of Psychology The aim of my ORCA grant was to better under the addictive pathway of ethanol (EtOH) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain. The VTA contains several neuron types that release different neurotransmitters, but the type I experimented with was γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), which […]
Emotion-Related Conflict Adaptation in Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Daniel Bjornn and Dr. Michael Larson, Department of Psychology Conflict adaptation is a neurological process that reflects the adjustment of performance on tasks when conflict is detected on previous trials. Conflict in this instance refers to the simultaneous activation of multiple response options. When conflict is detected, such as on an incongruent trial on Stroop […]
An Analysis of Music Specialist Principles and Practices in Hungarian Music Education
Christy Ripa and Professor Jerry Jaccard, Department of Elementary Music Education Contrary to what I expected when our team arrived in Budapest, Hungary, I found that it was not much different from our American cities. While they are speaking a different language and have different cultural expectations and norms, they wear modern clothes and live modern […]
Influence of Tissue Stiffness Asymmetry on Human Vocal Fold Vibration
Kimberly Stevens and Dr. Scott Thomson, Department of Mechanical Engineering Background and Motivation The flow-induced vibration of the human vocal folds produces the sound for voiced speech and singing. The vocal folds consist of two folds of tissue, one on each side of the larynx, that are nominally symmetric in terms of shape, composition, and […]