Psychology Honors Papers

Reproductive Anxiety: The Relationship Between Self-Objectification and Menopausal Attitudes

Amy Leichliter — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:19:23 PDT

Previous research suggests that attitudes play a role in the experience of menopause. The objective of the current study was to explore whether self-objectification is related to negative attitudes toward menopause and aging. One hundred and thirty-eight women aged 20-64 years old completed measures of self-objectification, attitudes toward menopause, menopausal symptoms, aging anxiety, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use. Consistent with previous research, the results indicate that self-objectification, aging anxiety, and severe menopausal symptoms were all related to negative attitudes toward menopause. HRT use was related to severe menopausal symptoms and greater aging anxiety. Thus, self-objectification and related constructs may be helpful in furthering our understanding of aging women’s body experiences.

College Student’s Alcohol Consumption Habits, Perceptions, Readiness to Change and Exposure to a Brief Information Based Intervention

Matthew Boudreau — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:37 PDT

The current study sought to compare the effectiveness of two brief information based interventions. The first exposed to participants information regarding accurate social norms college student alcohol consumption and a second which focused on information regarding the effects of alcohol on the brain and body. The effectiveness of the interventions was investigated by comparing initial scores on the Readiness to Change scale (RTC; Rollnick et al. 1992) to scores on the same scale after a two week follow up. It was hypothesized that the groups who received the intervention would both show significant increases in scores on the contemplative and action subscales of the RTC scale and decreases in pre-contemplative score in comparison to the control group. The results found that there was a significant reduction in scores on the pre-contemplative subscale of the RTC scale in the social norms group, but no other significant differences between baseline and follow up were found. Perceptions of student drinking habits were also compared to the drinking habits of the owners of those perceptions. Results found that the amount of drinks participants perceived the typical student to consume per week was significantly correlated with reports of the number of drinks which an individual reported themselves to be consuming and the number which they reported their best friend to be imbibing per week. Perceptions and habits were recorded using the Drinking Norms Rating form (DRNF; Baer at al. 1991) and the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ: Collins, Parks & Marlatt, 1985). Additionally significant differences in perceptions of the physiological effects of consuming alcohol were found according to self reported weekly drinking totals. Individuals who reported moderate-heavy levels (defined as 13-19 drinks in a typical week) of drinking were significantly less accurate in their perceptions of the physiological effects of alcohol than moderate drinkers (6-12 drinks in a typical week), according to a scale created by the researchers (BCBDS; Boudreau & Grahn, 2013).

Are We Becoming More Socially Awkward? An Analysis of the Relationship Between Technological Communication Use and Social Skills in College Students.

Cecilia Brown — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:35 PDT

This study examined the relationship between the use of technological communication and social skills in college students. A total of 112 male and female undergraduate students at Connecticut College were surveyed about their social skills, social anxiety, technology use, and technology preference. Sixteen of these participants returned to participate in a conversation taking place in a lab setting that was observed by the researcher, in order to evaluate non-verbal social skills. We predicted that participants who used technological communication more frequently or preferred it to face-to-face communication, would have lower social skills and high social anxiety. In addition, women were expected to use technological communication more than men. A series of analyses provided support for the first hypothesis. Ultimately, communication preference strongly correlated with poor social skills and high social anxiety, while a greater restriction of technology in youth correlated with high social skills in college. Implications for the impact of technological communication on social skills were discussed.

Student Residence Hall Rooms: Sense of Control, Sense of Community, Student Relationships, and Academic Achievement

Boris Jeremic — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:34 PDT

The present study investigated the effects of room amenities and rules addressing the physical space of the room on sense of control, sense of community, student relationships, and academic achievement. Participants in this study were 118 Connecticut College students (25 men, 92 women, and 1 not specified). The study indicates that different room amenities and rules may influence student residents’ sense of control, sense of community, and student relationships. In addition, these may have an indirect effect on academic achievement, as academic achievement is found to be positively associated with sense of control, sense of community, and student relationships. Recommendations for institutions of higher learning include providing student residents with living arrangements that best promote sense of control and sense of community to optimize academic achievement. It is suggested that the amenities, such as an air conditioner controllable by the resident, Internet connection, a window that a resident could open, and a view to nature from the window, all of which promote sense of control and sense of community, be included in student residence hall rooms. Additional findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Does the Life-Cycle Theory Really Matter? Saving and Spending Habits of College Students

Kaitlin Karlson — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:33 PDT

This study looked at the financial behavior of college students and recent alumni as it relates to economic theory and the life-cycle hypothesis. With student loans increasing dramatically and credit card debt becoming more of a reality, it is critical to understand what drives financial stability or instability after graduation. The pool of 230 participants was composed of 174 women and 56 men, representative of eight years of graduating classes, 2009-2016, from Connecticut College. Students comprised 29.1% of the participants and alumni made up the remaining 70.9%. Participants completed a survey including three quantitative measures on credit card use, financial well-being, and attitudes toward debt, as well as an extensive demographic questionnaire regarding spending and saving habits. Results suggested that participants overestimated future salaries, making it difficult for them to smooth current consumption based on future earning as predicted by the life-cycle model. Debit and credit were not the primary methods of payment of the participants who reported a preference for using cash. Students who were confident financially were more responsible with their credit cards and more tolerant of debt. The life-cycle hypothesis, although a theoretically sound model, was not upheld by participants in this study.

The Power of Perspective: Implications of Seeing Gender as Natural or Nurtured

Sarah Lamer — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:32 PDT

Perceiving gender differences as natural or learned has important implications for the self. Here it was hypothesized that, compared to thinking of gender as learned (i.e., a social constructivist theory), thinking of gender as natural (i.e., an essentialist theory) would lead to a more external locus of control, less perceived ability and persistence, and stronger stereotypical associations of men with science and women with the liberal arts. Participants were randomly assigned to read an article that primed either a social constructivist or an essentialist theory. Participant gender moderated how the prime affected locus of control, perceived ability, and implicit associations. After being primed to think of gender as natural, men had more external locus of control and less perceived ability than after being primed to think of gender as learned. In contrast, after being primed to think of gender as natural, women had less external locus of control and greater perceived ability than after being primed to think of gender as learned. These results are discussed through the lens of the Self-Serving Attributional Bias (SSAB) and Worldview Verification Theory. Through the SSAB, men would prefer to think of gender differences as learned because this worldview allows them to think of gender disparities in power (that are often in their favor) as due to somewhat controllable factors. Women would prefer to think of gender as learned because this worldview allows them to instead frame gender disparities in power (that are often not in their favor) as due to uncontrollable factors. Combined with Worldview Verification Theory (i.e., people react with emotional distress when they encounter information that contradicts their worldviews), these results indicate that people may have had more external locus of control, less perceived ability, and been slower to make stereotypical associations after being primed with the lay theory that contradicted their preferred worldviews.

Effects of Amphetamine on Radial Arm Maze Performance in the SHR Model of ADHD versus Age/strain Matched Controls

Kristin Lampley — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:31 PDT

Stimulants have been shown to have a variety of effects on different measures of learning and memory. In general low doses of stimulants like nicotine and caffeine enhance memory acquisition and recall, while high doses can significantly impair performance. Amphetamine, in the form of Adderall, is widely prescribed to improve attention and reduce hyperactivity, which promotes learning in children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADHD). The radial arm maze (RAM) is a test of spatial learning that allows for the tracking of short and long-term memory errors. In the current study, we employed the RAM to examine the effects of amphetamine on spatial learning performance in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), an accepted model of ADHD, animals and age/strain matched controls. An immunohisotchemical analysis of cFos expression in the hippocampus was also utilized to evaluate the effect of amphetamine of neural activation in both groups of animals. Amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg, ip) administered during training significantly increased maze completion time and increased short-term and long-term error rates. The results of this study suggest that chronic amphetamine treatments have hindering effects on learning and memory in control rats. Unlike their age/strain matched controls, amphetamine did not enhance or inhibit radial arm maze performance of SHR animals. This suggests that the neurophysiological mechanisms mediating learning and memory may be different in SHR animals than in humans with ADHD. Therefore, additional studies are needed to evaluate the validity of the SHR model of ADHD.

The Functionality of Creativity and its Relationship to Hypomania and Associated Factors

Nora Loughry — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:28 PDT

Research on creativity has consistently linked it to positive behaviors such as productivity and flow. Though the causal direction remains unknown, research has also linked creativity to a heightened risk for mental illness, from where the idea of the “mad creative genius” is born. This research utilizes a nonclinical sample of Connecticut College students (n = 84) to explore how differing amounts of hypomania and creativity within an individual may be related to his/her psychological wellbeing. The student sample was 24 males, 57 females, and 3 students identifying themselves as “other,” all between the ages of 18 and 22. Participants completed a series of creativity measures, as well as questionnaires regarding hypomania, flow, impulsivity, resilience, vulnerability, and personal and familial mental health history. Several regression analyses were conducted examining the predictive capacity of creativity and hypomania on emotional functioning. Creative behavior tended to predict positive emotionality, hypomania tended to predict negative emotionality, and creative thought was mixed. Interaction effects between creative thought and hypomania were observed in the models predicting both vulnerability and resilience. Future research should utilize greater sample size to better understand these interactions. Additionally, future research should include clinical sampling and widening the scope of the creativity measures.

Perceptions of Mental Illness and Mental Health Policy

Kristen McAleenan — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:27 PDT

The present study examined people’s implicit and explicit perceptions of mental illness and compared those attitudes to ratings of fairness for psychiatric hospital policies. The sample consisted of 88 participants, from both Connecticut College and Amazon Mechanical Turk. Data were derived from a Hospital Policy Questionnaire created by the researcher, the Perceptions of Dangerousness of Mental Patients (PDMP) scale, as well as 2 Implicit Association Tests assessing General Attitudes and perceptions of Dangerousness. Results showed no significant association between implicit attitudes and judgments of hospital policies, nor between implicit perceptions of dangerousness and judgments of hospital policies. However, explicit perceptions of dangerousness were shown to be related to fairness ratings of hospital policies in that views that mental patients are less dangerous were associated with unfair ratings of hospital policies. Exploratory analyses showed a significant relationship between personal contact and perceptions of dangerousness, meaning that greater levels of contact were related to perceptions that individuals are not as dangerous. These results show that contact is an important mitigating factor in lowering the stigma associated with mental illness. Another exploratory finding was that there was a significant difference in how Connecticut College students rated hospital policies compared to participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Students tended to rate policies as more unfair overall than did those from Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Implicit and Explicit Stigma Surrounding Bulimia and Depression in a College Population

Emily Morse — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:26 PDT

Research suggests that stigma lies on both a conscious, explicit level and an automatic, implicit level. This research investigated the explicit and implicit stigma surrounding two mental illnesses: depression and bulimia. 62 participants included college students in introductory Psychology courses, male (n=16) and female (n = 45). Participants took two Implicit Association Tests (IATs), one investigating general mental illness stigma versus physical illness (on the dimension of blameworthiness) and the other directly investigating bulimia stigma versus depression stigma (also on the dimension of blameworthiness). Then, participants were given either a vignette about a female with bulimia or depression and asked to fill out explicit measures about their attitudes towards the character. Analyses revealed stronger implicit stigma than explicit stigma. Stronger implicit associations between blameworthy and bulimia (vs. depression) were also associated with higher explicit scores of anger, social distancing, and personal stigma. Other analyses revealed some gender and condition differences in the explicit measures with men in the depression condition attributing more general stigma and personal responsibility to the character in the vignette. Further analyses showed weak correlations between implicit stigma on the second IAT and explicit stigma by condition (bulimia or depression). Further research could test whether the order of measures (i.e. doing the IATs first and then the explicit measures or vice versa) affects how participants report stigma. Implications for stigma reduction are discussed.

Stigma, Social Support, and Self-Concept among Voluntary Female Sex Workers

Meghan Rossini — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:25 PDT

The present study was designed to examine the experiences of voluntary female sex workers. Six women, who worked in diverse sectors of the sex industry, were recruited for this study through online postings on sex worker advocacy websites and snowball sampling. All participants were interviewed over the phone and answered questions on an array of topics, which included their experiences with sex work-related stigma, their social support systems, and what methods they used to maintain positive self-concept despite stigma. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed using grounded analysis to uncover commonalities across interviews. Through this process 11 themes emerged as did 5 spheres of identity disclosure (e.g., to family, to friends). Among others, the themes include the presence of, and need for emotional, physical, and informational social support, as well as the importance of activism. The findings of this study demonstrate that the stigma of sex work has meaningful negative impacts on many sex workers

and that adequate social support is crucial to combating this stigma.

Choice Blindness in Consumer Decision-Makings

Jessica Schanzer — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:23 PDT

The present experiment used the choice blindness methodology to examine introspection, self-knowledge, and the instability of preferences within the domain of consumer choice. The sample consisted of 60 participants between the ages of 18 and 23. Participants completed a consumer goods questionnaire that contained the choice blindness manipulation of either the price or the other attributes of the laptop item and a demographic questionnaire. A strong choice blindness effect was established and over 70% of participants failed to detect the manipulation of the laptop item. Participants were also significantly more likely to detect the manipulation of the laptop’s price than the other choice attributes. While participants who originally chose the cheaper laptop were more likely to detect the manipulation, this difference was not significant. Interestingly, out of the participants who did not detect the manipulation, many people gave verbal justification and reasoning for the choice they did not originally pick. Most of these justifications were self-contradictory, in which participants rated either the price or the other specific attribute(s) that they justified to be very important in their initial decision prior to the switch. The results demonstrated that preferences are not only constructed to make a particular choice, but are also shaped by the outcome of a decision. Practical implications for choice blindness in consumer decision-making and directions for future research are discussed.

Bullying and Victimization: The Impact of Peer Conflict on Treatment Response

Lauren Sheintop — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:22 PDT

This research study examined the impact of bullying and victimization on treatment response within short-term residential treatment by analyzing data collected from both students and staff members at a therapeutic summer program. Participants were 255 children attending the Wediko Children’s Services therapeutic summer program during the summers of 2006 and 2007. The age of the participants ranged from 7-20 years old, with the mean age of 12.96. There were 177 male participants and 78 female participants. Each participant completed the Wediko Peer-Self Survey at two points during the summer, which assessed overt and relational bullying and victimization, as well as prosocial behaviors and experiences. Staff members completed the Teacher Report Form behavior checklist at three time points and provided hourly behavioral observations of participants’ aggression and prosocial behavior throughout the summer. Participants’ bullying, victimization, and prosocial experiences and behaviors were compared over time and across gender and age. Behavioral correlates of bullying, victimization, and prosocial behaviors were also examined. Finally, children’s end of summer behavior was predicted from victimization, bullying, and prosocial behaviors and experiences with peers while controlling for early summer behavior. Results showed that although bullying and victimization were not infrequent, prosocial experiences and behavior were more common, with age and gender explaining individual differences in these behaviors. When predicting treatment outcomes, being relationally victimized, as well as engaging in overt and relational bullying, predicted higher end of summer aggression than did prosocial experiences and behaviors. Prosocial experiences and behaviors predicted lower end of summer aggression and higher end of summer prosocial behaviors than did being relationally victimized or engaging in overt and relational bullying. Future research could examine how to reduce victimization and enhance prosocial peer relations in short-term residential treatment.