Sascha Smoot
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Kentaro Fujita
Title: Factors That Influence Academic Performance; Examining the Effect of Question Format on Student Perception
Abstract:Introduction: Previous research has indicated that women score lower than men on exams, but higher on non-exam assignments such as labs or homework (Salehi et al., 2019). Exams typically employ multiple-choice items, in which the student must select the correct answer; in contrast, labs and homework assignments often employ short response questions, in which students “show their work,” or show how they arrived at a particular answer. In the present research, we examine whether the type of questions included influence the differences in scores. Method: In this study men and women (N=94) were assigned to view two syllabi with corresponding multiple-choice and short-response exams. We examined three potential mediators to examine this gender difference: stereotype threat, belonging threat, and the perceived mindset of the professor. Results: Unfortunately, results do not support the hypothesis. Contrary to our predictions, both men and women reported more belonging threat when viewing short-response materials. Additionally, there was no significant difference in stereotype threat nor professor mindset between men and women when viewing materials. Conclusion: This research will reveal whether question format unintentionally contributes to gender inequality within STEM fields. Instructors may wish to change the structure of commonly administered exams to reduce such group-based discrepancies. Furthermore, results will spur future research on how to equitably measure knowledge in an academic setting. Ultimately, altering the structure of exams may reduce the gender gap within STEM fields over time.
Sarah Baltimore
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Daniel R. Strunk
Title: Knowing and Doing: Patient CBT Skill Quality and Performance and Risk of Relapse
Abstract: Introduction: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been established as an effective treatment for depression. Specifically, certain skills taught in CBT have been studied as an important aspect of the treatment. Less, however, is known about the relationship between patient CBT skills and relapse. Methods: The present study observed 150 participants engaging in CBT for depression who were randomly assigned to either CBT or CBT-SE (skill enhanced) conditions. Participants engaged in 12 weeks of CBT and were sent follow-up surveys over 6 months post treatment. Results: Findings indicated skill quality (WOR) – how well a patient used CBT skills, was a significant predictor for the reduction in risk of relapse post treatment. Patient self-reported skill use (CCTS-SR) was also a significant predictor. Skill performance (PCTS) – how frequently the client used CBT skills, was not a significant predictor. The BA, AT, and SC subgroups of the PCTS were also not significant predictors for the reduced risk of relapse post treatment. Skill quality (WOR) was also significantly higher in the CBT-SE condition although the risk of relapse was not significantly different per condition. Discussion: These findings suggest patient skill quality within CBT may be important to consider as a predictor for who might relapse post treatment. Results also suggest that as skill performance alone may not be enough to provide benefits in CBT, therapists should emphasize the development of patient's skill quality within treatment. Implications may suggest that how well a patient can use CBT skills is more important than the frequency in which they perform the skills.
Sanjana Ranade
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Benedetta Leuner
Title: Hormonal contraceptives in adolescence perturb the neuroimmune environment of the prefrontal cortex
Abstract: Adolescence is a critical period of brain and behavioral maturation which, in females, is mediated in part by ovarian hormones. It is also a time when many individuals begin to use hormonal contraceptives (HCs), synthetic hormones that act to suppress endogenous ovarian hormone levels. Little is known about the extent to which neurodevelopmental processes in maturing brain regions like the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may be impacted by adolescent HC use. Our lab has shown that adolescent HC exposure perturbs synaptic refinement and myelination in the female rat medial PFC (mPFC). These are two critical aspects of cortical development mediated by microglia, the brain’s resident innate immune cells. Thus, we hypothesize that HCs may affect mPFC maturation through alterations in microglia and the neuroimmune environment of the mPFC. Intact female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to receive daily subcutaneous injections of vehicle or 10 ug ethinyl estradiol + 20 ug levonorgestrel (HCs) throughout adolescence from postnatal day (PND) 35-56. Daily vaginal lavage was performed beginning on PND 40. On PND 57-58, blood was collected for ELISA (n = 7-9/group), and ovarian weight was measured. Brains were also collected for immunohistochemistry and microscopy (n = 10-12/group) or qPCR for gene expression analysis (n = 7-9/group). HC treatment was effective, with lavage indicating disrupted estrous cycling and ELISA quantification showing diminished luteinizing hormone concentration in HC-treated rats along with reduced relative ovarian weight. Less mPFC Iba1 (microglia) immunolabeling and fewer Iba1+ cells were observed in HC-treated rats. Additionally, HC treatment affected mPFC Iba1+ cell morphology, as indicated by shorter branches, fewer branch junctions, and larger soma sizes. The expression of genes related to phagocytosis and cell-cell interaction, including Trem2, CD68, CX3CL1, and CX3CR1, was reduced in the mPFC of HC-treated rats. These data provide some of the first evidence demonstrating that one of the most widely used pharmaceuticals (HCs) given during a vulnerable developmental period (adolescence) affects the neuroimmune environment of the PFC to possibly influence the neurodevelopment of this brain region.
Samantha Daniels
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Cheavens
Title: Perceptions of Extrinsic IER Consequences for Positive and Negative Scenarios
Abstract: Negativity bias, or the tendency to attend and assign greater significance to negative information, influences how people interpret their environments and experiences. We are interested in how negativity bias may arise in interpersonal emotion regulation interactions, which involve how people influence and regulate each other's emotions. Participants (N = 107) were presented with vignettes depicting both negative and positive scenarios that could occur in the lives of people around them and were asked various questions about how they would respond. We hypothesized that participants would report being more likely to respond and more likely to respond more quickly and with more effort to negative versus positive things happening in the lives of others. Consistent with our hypothesis, our analyses found that participants (N = 107) reported a greater likelihood to respond and greater perceived social costs of not responding in negative scenarios versus positive scenarios. These findings enhance our comprehension of how negativity bias shapes interpersonal responses. Secondly, we hypothesized that levels of envy, tendency to make social comparisons, and public or private self-absorption levels would predict participant responses for negative or positive scenarios. Specifically, we found that public self-absorption was a significant predictor for likelihood of responding, perceived effort to respond, and perceived urgency of responding to negative scenarios. These results provide a basis for identifying individual differences that impact responding to both negative and positive scenarios. Implications for social connection and well-being will be discussed.
Rachel Mitchell
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Bogner
Title: The Combined Effect of Anxiety and Substance Use on Quality of Life in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Abstract: In the general population, there is a proven co-occurrence between anxiety disorders and substance use disorders. Due to this co-occurrence, researchers are focusing on integrative treatments that target both disorders. However, little research has been conducted on the co-occurrence within traumatic brain injury (TBI) populations. To hone in on improved treatment interventions for traumatic brain injury patients with comorbid anxiety and substance use disorders, my project aims to determine whether there is a significant interaction between substance use and anxiety in the TBI populations. Furthermore, my project aims to then quantify the magnitude of the effect of the interaction via quality-of-life scores. Using data from the traumatic brain injury model system (TBIMS), we are currently using SPSS to analyze patients GAD-7 scores, the form 1 and 2 substance use questions on the intake forms for the TBIMS study, and the SF-12 quality of life scores. In doing so, we hope to eventually inform researchers of the extent to which TBI rehabilitation treatments should target comorbid disorders through an extrapolation of the innovative treatment research that is currently ongoing for the general population with both disorders.
Mia Schmittenberg
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Daniel R. Strunk
Title: Stay the Course or Change Strategy? An Examination of Therapist Options When Working with Low Engaging Patients
Abstract: Introduction CBT is a widely used and effective treatment for depression (Beck et al., 1979). Despite the emphasis on homework, there is considerable variability in the extent to which clients engage (Kazantzis & Shinkfield, 2007). Client engagement with homework has been found to predict improvement in depressive symptoms, even from one session to the next (Conklin & Strunk, 2015). Some have suggested that persisting with a therapeutic approach that is not working may be unethical (Nezu, 2020). However, therapists’ flexible persistence in promoting homework might be a vital contributor to CBT’s overall efficacy. We will analyze observer ratings of therapists’ homework assigning approaches among high and low engagement sessions with clients exhibiting limited early engagement. We will test whether these sessions are distinguished by therapists’ persistence in promoting the same strategies or changing to different therapeutic strategies in that session. We expect to find that the therapist approach of flexibly persisting with the assignment of homework will characterize higher homework engagement sessions. Methods Drawing from 150 participants in a clinical trial of depression treatments, we focus on 73 participants with homework engagement below the 75th percentile across sessions 2, 3, and 4. A total of 146 sessions were rated 3 times. High engagement sessions were defined as the first session at or above the 80th percentile using that individual participant’s scores. Low engagement sessions were defined as the first session at or below the 20th percentile of that participant’s scores. Observational coding was completed by 6 raters (5 undergraduates, and 1 graduate student). To quantify therapist homework assigning approaches, we developed an observer-rating scale: Changing Approach versus Flexible Persistence in Homework. These are 8 questions to be rated on a scale from 0-6. We anticipate data analysis to conclude by the beginning / middle of March 2024. Discussion Previous research has raised questions about under what conditions a therapist should fundamentally change their approach. Although adapting treatment based on initial response seems reasonable, it may also be that persistence through low engagement in early sessions is part of what allows CBT to be as effective as it is. We seek to empirically address the strategy that is most likely to be helpful for those with low initial engagement. We hope our work can guide therapists to determine whether sticking with core strategies is helpful or not, and evaluate whether therapists should adopt a very different approach with clients who have a slow start to homework engagement.
Megan Bartoszek
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Anthony King
Title: Impacts of IL-6 and DHEA-S on Response to Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder associated with notable intrusive cognitive patterns following the experience of a life-threatening stressor. Conventional treatments for PTSD involve prolonged exposure to reminders of trauma and face challenges such as high dropout rates and treatment-refractory cases. Moreover, individuals with PTSD often exhibit reductions in memory pathways that are indispensable to therapeutic success in prolonged exposure modalities. The present study investigates the effects of physiological biomarkers, IL-6 and DHEA-S, in predicting and explaining treatment refractory PTSD in individuals undergoing an emerging mindfulness-based therapy. The goal of the present study is to contribute to current efforts seeking to specialize psychiatric treatment through the discovery of positive treatment response predictors, eliminating one-size-fits-all treatment. Participants were 20 individuals who met DSM-5 criteria for PTSD or experienced chronic stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saliva samples were collected before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to analyze respective levels of IL-6 and DHEA-S. PTSD symptom severity was quantified through CAPS-5 scoring to explore the relationships between IL-6, DHEA-S, and relative symptom improvement. Exploratory analyses revealed significant reductions in PTSD symptom severity following the MBCT intervention, as well as respective positive correlations between IL-6 levels and pre-intervention CAPS-5 scores and DHEA-S levels and post-intervention CAPS-5 scores. These findings suggest a complex interplay between physiological biomarkers in PTSD symptom reduction, which may temporally fluctuate throughout the course of illness and treatment, influencing symptom severity. Future studies examining biomarker fluctuations throughout the course of treatment are needed to assess the temporal intricacies of physiological regulation in PTSD.
Lyric Ransom
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Julie Golomb
Title: Effective distribution of VWM resources does not depend on VWM capacity.
Abstract: "Attention serves as a filter to capacity-limited visual working memory (VWM), ensuring that irrelevant information is not encoded. Dube et al. (2017) suggested that this attentional filter also regulates the distribution of VWM resources, ensuring the most relevant items are encoded with the greatest precision (the Filter and Distribute account). There are individual differences in VWM capacity, and high- and low-capacity individuals differ in their ability to filter distraction (Vogel et al., 2005). Here we examine whether high- and low-capacity individuals also differ in their ability to flexibly distribute VWM resources. We first used a change localization task to measure VWM capacity: participants viewed an array of colored squares and identified the item that changed color when the array reappeared. We separated participants into high- and low-capacity groups using a median split on capacity estimates. Next, participants viewed four colored shapes (two circles/two squares) before reporting the color of a probed shape in a continuous report task. We manipulated the likelihood that a square (or circle) would be probed (target shape counterbalanced across participants), such that the probed item was 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% likely to be the pre-designated target shape (blocked conditions). We observed flexible resource distribution in both VWM groups: the precision of color report increased with increasing probe probability. Unlike the ability to filter out distraction, our results suggest that low-capacity VWM individuals do not show reduced ability to flexibly distribute resources in VWM. Thus, counter to the suggestion made by the Filter and Distribute account, the ability to filter information in/out of VWM and the ability to flexibly distribute resources among encoded information may be supported by distinct mechanisms.
Kai Richmond
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Xin Feng
Title: The Impact of Punitive Discipline on Child Internalizing and Externalizing : Moderation by Maternal Depressive Symptoms
Abstract: Maternal depression is a risk factor for children’s internalizing and externalizing problems (Goodman et al. 2011). Variability exists in the literature concerning what moderates the relationship between maternal depression and internalizing and externalizing problems, but one commonly investigated factor is parenting behaviors (Mccullough & Shafer 2013; Goodman & Gotlib 1999). Studies agree maternal depression is linked to an increase in negative parenting behaviors (e.g. Lovejoy et al. 2000). Punitive discipline, including verbal or physical aggression, is associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors in children. (Wolford et al. 2019). The present study seeks to explore if punitive disciplinary parenting behaviors moderate the relationship between maternal depression and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors in preschool-aged children. Participants were drawn from a longitudinal study examining maternal depression’s effect on children’s autobiographical memory and emotion regulation. The study included 125 mother-child dyads. The mothers were an average age of 35.03 (SD = 4.67) at T1. Their children (48% girls) were an average age of 4.04 at T1. T2 took place approximately 14.29 months after T1. Maternal depressive symptoms were self-reported on the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd Edition (Beck et al., 1996) at T1. Parenting practices were self-reported on the punitive discipline subscale of The Parenting Behaviors and Dimensions Questionnaire (Reid et al., 2015). Children’s internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed by maternal report on the internalizing and externalizing subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) at both T1 and T2. Analysis was conducted using PROCESS macro (version 4.3) for SPSS by Andrew Hayes. Our results indicated that punitive disciplinary parenting behaviors produced an overall significant interaction effect on the relationship between maternal depression symptoms and later child internalizing problems (B = -.024 p = .046). The individual effects at different levels (-1 SD, Mean, +1SD) of the moderator were not significant. High levels of punitive discipline moderated the relationship between maternal depression symptoms and later child externalizing problems (B = -.2050, p = .0082). When mothers exhibit high levels of punitive disciplinary practices, maternal depressive symptoms are negatively related to their children's later externalizing problems. However, when mothers exhibit low or medium levels of punitive disciplinary practices, the association between maternal depressive symptoms and children's later externalizing problems is not significant. These results strengthen the literature regarding maternal depression and punitive discipline’s effect on child behavior, and have implications for the development of interventions for positive outcomes in children of depressed mothers.
Grace Hodges
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. John Gibbs
Title: Offenders with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Study
Abstract: The U.S has an exceedingly large recidivism rate and countless resources, time, and faculty have been focused on this issue. A relatively large subpopulation within the criminal justice system (CJS) is that of offenders with disabilities. Very few resources have been put toward research and interventions to prevent recidivism within this subpopulation with specialized needs. This study used a data set of over 100 offenders with ASD in the UK. We aimed to explore cognitive functioning, empathy, moral judgment, and psychopathy. We used a Pearson correlation matrix to explore relationships among these constructs and other variables. Variables in the constructs—especially in cognitive functioning—significantly correlated with the number of CJS contacts and/or behavioral misconduct over three months. One of the most interesting variable findings was a significant negative correlation between PCLSV Checklist scores and Autism Quotient scores. This finding signifies that psychopathic traits and ASD are distinct and potentially oppositional, despite being previously regarded as mechanistically similar due to issues with empathy. Going forward, we hope this may guide future research, and personnel involved in the rehabilitative process of offenders with specialized needs, namely ASD, may be able to use this study in the tailoring of specific rehabilitative regimes.
Cole Lyons
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Daniel R. Strunk
Title: The role of patient memory for skills in producing outcomes for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression
Abstract: Memory for skills in therapy has been explored as a mechanism for improving treatment outcomes. One research group has recently shown that cognitive therapy (CT) can be enhanced with memory support which includes tactics such as rewarding recall or giving tips for remembering skills. In one of their studies, they established that in a CT with memory support condition, relative to a normal CT condition, participants were more likely to meet criteria for response or remission from depression.
The study this thesis sources its data from is a clinical trial where cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and skill-enhanced CBT (CBT-SE) were compared as treatments for depression. In CBT-SE, the therapists administered usual CBT but with a greater focus on skills and especially helping the patients develop skills to the point of independent use. In this trial, CBT-SE resulted in greater CBT skills but comparable symptom reduction. Differences favoring CBT-SE were more marked among the more severely depressed patients. Among these patients, CBT-SE outperformed CBT on both promoting CBT skills and depressive symptom reduction.
The aim of this thesis is to evaluate whether the differences between CBT and CBT-SE are a result of increased memory for skills or other factors involved in patient learning for skills such as practice in using skills or better understanding of skills.
Abby McRae
Faculty Research Advisor: Dr. Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan
Title: Parenting together vs. individually: Do mothers and fathers differ?
Abstract: Purpose: My research aims to contribute to knowledge regarding similarities and differences between mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behavior in different contexts. High-quality parenting from mothers and fathers is associated with children’s positive social-emotional development. My primary research question is: how similar or different are mothers and fathers when parenting a child individually (dyads, i.e., mother-child) and together (triad, mother-father-child)? Fathers' behavior may be more susceptible to change in different contexts, given that their roles are typically less well-defined than those of mothers. A secondary research question is whether the quality of the coparenting relationship (how parents relate to each other in their roles as parents) affects the extent to which fathers show similar parenting in the dyad vs. triad. Mothers may influence fathers' behavior through their greater power and control in the coparenting relationship, and this may be more apparent when mothers are parenting alongside fathers. Procedure: Using data from the New Parents Project (NPP), which observed and surveyed 153 families with 9-month-old children. Mothers and fathers were observed separately interacting with their infants for 5 min, and these interactions were coded for the quality of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behavior (i.e., sensitivity, intrusiveness, detachment, positive regard, and negative regard). Mothers and fathers were also observed interacting with their infants for 10 minutes, and these interactions were coded for the quality of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behaviors using the same coding scales. Both mothers and fathers also completed the Coparenting Relationship Scale to assess the quality of the interparental relationship. Preliminary results: I am currently analyzing data, including ANOVAs, correlations, and regression analyses. Preliminary findings show that in the triadic context compared to the dyadic, almost all parenting behaviors (except mothers’ sensitivity and fathers detachment) decrease, suggesting a difference in parenting behaviors between contexts. Preliminary correlations between parenting behaviors and coparenting ratings suggest variations due to coparenting quality. Mothers parenting seems to be influenced more by the coparenting relationship than fathers parenting. Most notable mothers’ ratings of endorsement of partner parenting and coparenting support are positively associated with mother triadic intrusiveness. Conclusions and implications: This research will contribute to a greater understanding of how context affects mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behavior and can inform interventions to improve parenting quality to promote children’s positive social-emotional development.