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Title: Types of Errors in a Memory Interference Task in Normal and Abnormal Aging.
Creator: Torres Solano, Valeria Lucia, Rosselli, Monica, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The types of intrusion errors (Prior List, Semantically Related, and Unrelated) made on the LASSI-L verbal memory task were compared across three diagnostic groups (N = 160, 61 % female), Cognitively Normal (CN), amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Errors related to Proactive, Recovery from Proactive, and Retroactive Interference were also analyzed, as well as the relationship of errors to Amyloid load, a biomarker of AD. Results suggest that the types of...
Show moreThe types of intrusion errors (Prior List, Semantically Related, and Unrelated) made on the LASSI-L verbal memory task were compared across three diagnostic groups (N = 160, 61 % female), Cognitively Normal (CN), amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Errors related to Proactive, Recovery from Proactive, and Retroactive Interference were also analyzed, as well as the relationship of errors to Amyloid load, a biomarker of AD. Results suggest that the types of error made indicated the level of cognitive decline. It appears that as deficits increase, impaired semantic networks result in the simultaneous activation of items that are semantically related to LASSI-L words. In the aMCI group, providing a semantic cue resulted in an increased production of Semantically Related intrusions. Unrelated intrusions occurred rarely, although, a small number occurred even in the CN group, warranting further investigation. Amyloid load correlated with all intrusion errors.
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Date Issued: 2018
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005982
Subject Headings: Memory--Age factors, Semantic memory, Amyloid
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effects of predatory status on developing understanding of mental state functioning subsequent to death.
Creator: Cormier, Christopher A., Bjorklund, David F., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Bering and colleagues (2004, 2005) reported that the expectation that conscious mental states cease with the onset of death (discontinuity reasoning) emerges developmentally, and discontinuity reasoning for some states (emotions, desire, epistemic) remains lower than for others (psychobiological, perceptual). Cormier (2005) reported very similar findings for the context of sleep and proposed a modular explanation of these effects (“intentional persistence”) and suggested that intentional...
Show moreBering and colleagues (2004, 2005) reported that the expectation that conscious mental states cease with the onset of death (discontinuity reasoning) emerges developmentally, and discontinuity reasoning for some states (emotions, desire, epistemic) remains lower than for others (psychobiological, perceptual). Cormier (2005) reported very similar findings for the context of sleep and proposed a modular explanation of these effects (“intentional persistence”) and suggested that intentional persistence represents an evolved adaptation designed to maintain vigilance and behavioral preparedness while in the presence of animals of ambiguous agency status (e.g., death, sleep, hibernation, feigned death). The current study extended this line of research to realistic animal characters. Although results revealed patterns of discontinuity reasoning and intentional persistence that were consistent with those of previous studies, the prediction that intentional persistence would be more pronounced for predators was not fulfilled. A newly proposed evolutionary product, “Cooptation,” was introduced to further explain the results.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004094
Subject Headings: Cognitive neuroscience, Developmental psychology, Mental representation, Philosophy of mind, Thought and thinking
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Adolescent relationships and their contributions to social and academic competence.
Creator: Jones-Hudson, Vonda Dionne, Florida Atlantic University, Laursen, Brett, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: School success is associated with parent- and peer-relationships. To study the connection between these alliances and school success, 30 African-American and 30 European-American 6th graders were given the Relationship Closeness Inventory, Network of Relationships Inventory, Self-Perception Profile, Revised Class Play, and Youth Self-Report. A parent and best friend also completed surveys. Results show parent and peer support relates to the social competence of youth. Father support is...
Show moreSchool success is associated with parent- and peer-relationships. To study the connection between these alliances and school success, 30 African-American and 30 European-American 6th graders were given the Relationship Closeness Inventory, Network of Relationships Inventory, Self-Perception Profile, Revised Class Play, and Youth Self-Report. A parent and best friend also completed surveys. Results show parent and peer support relates to the social competence of youth. Father support is associated with female aggressive-disruptive behavior, and best friend support is associated with sensitive-isolated behavior in boys. African-American parents do more social events with their children than European-American parents do with their children. European-Americans and males have higher socioeconomic status than African-Americans and females.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15436
Subject Headings: Child development, Parent and child, Social interaction in adolescence, Academic achievement, Friendship
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Keeping an eye on cheaters: cognitive and social determinates of successful deontic reasoning in preschool children.
Creator: Sellers, Patrick D. II, Bjorklund, David F., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Deontic reasoning is a domain of reasoning concerning permissions, obligations, and prohibitions founded on conditional logic (Wason,1968). The inclusion of a social valence to deontic rules leads to increased rule violation identification in both adults (Cosmides & Tooby, 1992) and children (Harris & Nunez, 1996), suggesting an evolutionary advantage for a specific class of reasoning known as “cheater-detection” (Fiddick, 2004). The current investigation is the first attempt to understand...
Show moreDeontic reasoning is a domain of reasoning concerning permissions, obligations, and prohibitions founded on conditional logic (Wason,1968). The inclusion of a social valence to deontic rules leads to increased rule violation identification in both adults (Cosmides & Tooby, 1992) and children (Harris & Nunez, 1996), suggesting an evolutionary advantage for a specific class of reasoning known as “cheater-detection” (Fiddick, 2004). The current investigation is the first attempt to understand the cognitive and social variables that account for children’s logical reasoning advantage in social violation situations.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004464
Subject Headings: Cognitive neuroscience, Cognitive psychology, Deontic logic, Developmental psychology, Judgment (Ethics), Judgment in children, Moral development, Moral motivation, Practical reason, Reasoning in children
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Investigating the Mechanisms Underlying Infant Selective Attention to Multisensory Speech.
Creator: Tift, Amy H., Bjorklund, David F., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: From syllables to fluent speech, it is important for infants to quickly learn and decipher linguistic information. To do this, infants must not only use their auditory perception but also their visual perception to understand speech and language as a multisensory coherent event. Previous research by Lewkowicz and Hansen-Tift (2012) demonstrated that infants shift their allocation of visual attention from the eyes to the mouth of the speaker's face throughout development as they become...
Show moreFrom syllables to fluent speech, it is important for infants to quickly learn and decipher linguistic information. To do this, infants must not only use their auditory perception but also their visual perception to understand speech and language as a multisensory coherent event. Previous research by Lewkowicz and Hansen-Tift (2012) demonstrated that infants shift their allocation of visual attention from the eyes to the mouth of the speaker's face throughout development as they become interested in speech production. This project examined how infants, from 4-14-months of age, allocate their visual attention to increasingly complex speech tasks. In Experiment 1, infants were presented with upright and inverted faces vocalizing syllables and the results demonstrated that in response to the upright faces, 4-month-old infants attended to the eyes and 8- and 10-month-olds attended equally to the eyes and mouth. In response to the inverted face presentation, both the 4- and 10-month-olds attended equally to the eyes and mouth but the 8-month olds attended to the eyes. In Experiment 2, infants were presented with a phoneme matching task (Patterson & Werker, 1999, 2002, 2003) and the results demonstrated that the 4-month-old infants successfully matched the voice to the corresponding face, but that older infants did not. Measures of their selective attention to this task showed that the 4-month-old infants attended more to the eyes of the faces during the task, not attending to the redundant speech information at the mouth, but older infants attended equally to the eyes and mouth, although they did not match the voice to the face. Experiment 3 presented infants with a fluent speech matching task (Lewkowicz et al., 2015) which demonstrated that although the infants (12-14-months) did not systematically match the voice to the corresponding face, the infants attended more to the mouth region, which would have provided them with the neces sary redundant information. Overall, these studies demonstrate that there are developmental changes in how infants distribute their visual attention to faces as they learn about speech and that the complexity of the speech is a critical factor in how they allocate their visual attention.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004551
Subject Headings: Child development, Cognition in infants, Interpersonal communication in infants, Language acquisition, Visual perception in infants
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: SELECTIVE MODULATION OF SMALL CONDUCTANCE CALCIUM ACTIVATED POTASSIUM CHANNELS IN C57BL/6J MICE RESCUES MEMORY AND ATTENTION DISORDERS IN KETAMINE-INDUCED PSYCHOSIS: A NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACH.
Creator: Rice, Claire A., Stackman, Jr. Robert W., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: Small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels are expressed throughout brain regions important for long-term memory. They constrain the intrinsic excitability of neurons by enhancing afterhyperpolarization, shape glutamatergic synaptic potentials and limit induction of NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity. Behaviorally, SK channels modulate learning and memory encoding. It is hypothesized that SK channels influence cognitive symptoms of psychosis including executive functioning,...
Show moreSmall conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels are expressed throughout brain regions important for long-term memory. They constrain the intrinsic excitability of neurons by enhancing afterhyperpolarization, shape glutamatergic synaptic potentials and limit induction of NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity. Behaviorally, SK channels modulate learning and memory encoding. It is hypothesized that SK channels influence cognitive symptoms of psychosis including executive functioning, working memory, and selective attention. Theories of psychosis currently posit that symptoms of psychosis are a result of dopaminergic hyperfunction, and glutamatergic dysregulation which can be induced following administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist, ketamine. Initial experiments confirmed that sub-chronic treatment with KET produced significant impairment of object recognition memory, trace fear memory, and latent inhibition compared to SAL mice. A comparison of ketamine dosing regimens revealed the necessity for sub-chronic/chronic dosing on a consistent schedule with a wash out period, to obtain long-lasting attention and memory impairment. These experiments revealed for the first time that sub-chronic KET treatment elicited a new phenotype in male C57BL/6J mice: audible vocalizations. KET mice emitted audible vocalizations within 10 min of receiving KET injections, and vocalizations were detected up to 30 min after injection. Experiments conducted to determine the efficacy of SK channel agonists and antagonists on SK channels to modulate attention and memory in the ketamineinduced model of psychosis in C57BL/6J mice demonstrated for the first time that the SK2 channel activator, CyPPA, significantly reduced memory impairment and decreased the attention deficit of KET mice. A new method of analysis for trace fear conditioning freezing responses permitted a more accurate measurement of the ability of mice to discriminate the predicted delivery of shock during trace versus CS intervals. The application of the novel analytical method further demonstrated that KET mice failed to accurately discriminate these intervals, due to their impaired attention and acquisition of the trace conditioned response. This study examined the efficacy of SK channel drugs to rescue cognitive impairments in a pharmacological mouse model of schizophrenia. The results indicate that SK2 subunit activators and blockers, may provide a new therapeutic treatment for memory impairment and attention deficits seen in schizophrenic disorders.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013624
Subject Headings: Calcium-activated potassium channels, Calcium-dependent potassium channels, Mice, Ketamine, Psychoses
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Synchrony in adult male Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenella frontalis) during aggression.
Creator: Myers, Alyson J., Bjorklund, David F., Herzing, Denise L., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Synchrony between Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) is crucial for successfully fending off bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during interspecies aggression. The present study examined synchrony in adult Atlantic spotted dolphins during aggressive encounters with bottlenose dolphins. Across group size, aggressive behavioral events increased preceding synchrony, peaked during synchrony, and decreased dramatically after synchrony. Although smaller groups ( 10 dolphins),...
Show moreSynchrony between Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) is crucial for successfully fending off bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during interspecies aggression. The present study examined synchrony in adult Atlantic spotted dolphins during aggressive encounters with bottlenose dolphins. Across group size, aggressive behavioral events increased preceding synchrony, peaked during synchrony, and decreased dramatically after synchrony. Although smaller groups (< 10 dolphins) became synchronous more frequently than larger groups (> 10 dolphins), larger groups remained synchronous longer; however, smaller groups exhibited more frequent aggressive behavioral events during synchrony, suggesting that additional aggressive behaviors may be necessary to compensate for the small group size, whereas larger groups may be able to rely on synchrony alone. Disorganized squawk bouts synchronized as physical synchrony began, but only if coupled with escalating aggressive behaviors. The synchrony during aggressive episodes observed in adult Atlantic spotted dolphins can be used as a baseline to determine the process of the development of this critical skill in juveniles.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004454
Subject Headings: Atlantic spotted dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin -- Behavior -- Research, Bottle nose dolphin, Bottle nose dolphin -- Behavior -- Research, Dolphins, Social behavior in animals
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Stress Reactivity in Children Following an Academic Stressor: Associations and Interactions with Intrapersonal Characteristics.
Creator: Corbett, Maria L., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Previous research has shown that the intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., temperament) of children are associated closely with alterations in the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis. However, consistently capturing direct associations between these characteristics and stress reactivity of the HPA axis has, at times, yielded disparate findings. Thus, using the Rothbart model of temperament (Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981) as a guide, the main goal of this project...
Show morePrevious research has shown that the intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., temperament) of children are associated closely with alterations in the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis. However, consistently capturing direct associations between these characteristics and stress reactivity of the HPA axis has, at times, yielded disparate findings. Thus, using the Rothbart model of temperament (Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981) as a guide, the main goal of this project was to investigate and identify intrapersonal characteristics that moderate associations between other intrapersonal characteristics of the child and stress reactivity during development (e.g., trait by trait interactions). Additionally, study variables were assessed for meaningful associations and, on average differences between those who responded to the stressor paradigm and those who did not. A sample of 45 male and 37 female students (n=82, M= 9.66 yrs.) from six, fourth and fifth grade classes partook in a mathematically based stressor paradigm administered in the classroom. Salivary cortisol and behavior measures were collected in two waves over a 7-week period. Several significant results emerged. Overall, children who responded to the stressor paradigm had significantly higher levels of traits associated with a more inhibited behavioral style. Further, several meaningful interactions surfaced in which intrapersonal characteristics of various categories, including reactive, regulatory, and ambiguous, interacted with one another to predict stress reactivity. Of note, the majority of the interactions involved self-regulation and surgency. These two intrapersonal characteristics interacted with several others, helping to elucidate the unique influences of these intrapersonal characteristics on each other and, subsequently, stress reactivity of the HPA axis. These results illustrate that interactions between multiple intrapersonal characteristics should be taken into consideration in the future when studying the relationships between intrapersonal characteristics and stress reactivity of the HPA axis.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004824, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004824
Subject Headings: Stress (Psychology), Stress management., Temperament in children., Emotions--Psychological aspects., Mood (Psychology)--Physiological aspects.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Pluralistic ignorance and explicit attitudes on academic cheating in college students and faculty.
Creator: Hubertz, Martha J., Bjorklund, David F., Monson, Thomas C., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Academic integrity essentially centers on an individual’s ethical attitudes and behaviors as well as injunctive norms, or norms that dictate what is socially accepted and lauded. One key influence may be pluralistic ignorance; here arguments for cheating posit that students cheat because they perceive that others are “doing it” to a greater extent than is actually true and thus what they are doing is minimized in relation to others. Research indicates that students perceive cheating as more...
Show moreAcademic integrity essentially centers on an individual’s ethical attitudes and behaviors as well as injunctive norms, or norms that dictate what is socially accepted and lauded. One key influence may be pluralistic ignorance; here arguments for cheating posit that students cheat because they perceive that others are “doing it” to a greater extent than is actually true and thus what they are doing is minimized in relation to others. Research indicates that students perceive cheating as more widespread than it actually is (Hard, Conway, & Moran, 2006). A considerable gap in the research is noted when looking at definitions of what constitutes academic fraud, research has indicated that when students are asked if they have cheated and then given a definition of cheating, their self-reports of cheating increase (Burrus et al., 2007). This indicates that students’ definition of cheating and a universities’ definition of cheating may be incongruent. Participants were 507 members of the Florida Atlantic University community during the 2012-2013 academic year who completed a survey that consisted of items, which centered on self-reported cheating, perceptions of what cheating constitutes, and estimates of cheating prevalence. Results indicate that students reported peer cheating to be higher then self reported cheating, that participants distinguished between five different forms of cheating, and that faculty and students hold differing definitions of cheating. The findings suggest a disconnect between faculty perceptions and definitions of academic integrity and students. This would suggest that greater efforts should to be taken to bring a more uniform operational definition of what constitutes academic dishonesty that universities, faculty, and students can rely on. Second, as a pluralist model of cheating was supported, universities could develop campaigns like those aimed at reducing drinking, hooking up, and increasing women in STEM fields (Lambert, Kahn & Apple, 2003; Mattern & Neighbors, 2004; Muldoon, 2002; Schroder & Prentice, 1998). Research has suggested social norm campaigns targeting pluralistic ignorance can be effective on college campuses. In educating students about what actually happens and the discrepancy between reality and perception, cases of academic dishonesty could be reduced.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004381
Subject Headings: Cheating (Education), College discipline, College students -- Attitudes, College students -- Conduct of life, Personality assessment, Plagarism, Professional ethics, Social ethics
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Properties of Child-Directed Speech in Mothers’ Native and Nonnative Languages: A Comparison of English Monolingual and Spanish-English Bilingual Mothers’ Talk to 2-Year-Olds.
Creator: Shanks, Katherine Alexandra Filippi, Hoff, Erika, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Previous studies have found that bilingual children’s vocabulary development benefits more from child-directed speech from native speakers than child-directed speech from nonnative speakers. The current study compared the native English child-directed speech of 20 English monolingual mothers, the nonnative English child-directed speech of 20 Spanish-English bilingual mothers, and the native Spanish child-directed speech of the same bilingual mothers in terms of three aspects of input...
Show morePrevious studies have found that bilingual children’s vocabulary development benefits more from child-directed speech from native speakers than child-directed speech from nonnative speakers. The current study compared the native English child-directed speech of 20 English monolingual mothers, the nonnative English child-directed speech of 20 Spanish-English bilingual mothers, and the native Spanish child-directed speech of the same bilingual mothers in terms of three aspects of input previously associated with children’s language development: data-providing properties, topic contingency, and speech function. There were significant differences between native English and nonnative English child-directed speech, and between nonnative English and native Spanish. The results suggest two sources of influence shaping child-directed speech: quality differences related to native speaker status and cultural factors primed by the language being spoken.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004633, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004633
Subject Headings: Language arts (Early childhood), Language acquisition--Parent participation., Sociolinguistics., Bilingualism in children., Psycholinguistics., Interpersonal communication--Psychological aspects.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Self-Organization of Object-Level Visual Representations via Enforcement of Structured Sparsity in Deep Neural Networks.
Creator: LaCombe, Daniel C. Jr., Barenholtz, Elan, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: A hypothesis for the self-organization of receptive fields throughout the hierarchy of biological vision is empirically tested using simulations of deep artificial neural networks. Results from many fields for topographic organization of receptive fields throughout the visual hierarchy remain disconnected. Although extensive simulation research has been done to model topographic organization in early visual areas, little to no research has investigated such organization in higher visual areas...
Show moreA hypothesis for the self-organization of receptive fields throughout the hierarchy of biological vision is empirically tested using simulations of deep artificial neural networks. Results from many fields for topographic organization of receptive fields throughout the visual hierarchy remain disconnected. Although extensive simulation research has been done to model topographic organization in early visual areas, little to no research has investigated such organization in higher visual areas. We propose that parsimonious structured sparsity principles, that permit the learning of topographic receptive fields in simulated visual areas, are sufficient for the emergence of a semantic topology in object-level representations of a deep neural network. These findings suggest wide-reaching implications for the functional organization of the biological visual system and we conjecture that such observed results in nature could serve as the foundation for unsupervised learning of taxonomic and semantic relations between entities in the world.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004965, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004955
Subject Headings: Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Selective Activation of the SK1 Subtype of Small Conductance Ca2+ Activated K+ Channels by GW542573X in C57BL6J Mice Impairs Hippocampal-dependent Memory.
Creator: Rice Kuchera, Claire A., Stackman, Robert W., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: SK channels are small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels expressed throughout the CNS. SK channels modulate the excitability of hippocampal CA1 neurons by affecting afterhyperpolarization and shaping excitatory postsynaptic responses. Such SK-mediated effects on activity-dependent neuronal excitability and synaptic strength are thought to underlie the modulatory influence of SK channels on memory encoding. Here,the effect of a new SK1 selective activator, GW542573X, on hippocampal...
Show moreSK channels are small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels expressed throughout the CNS. SK channels modulate the excitability of hippocampal CA1 neurons by affecting afterhyperpolarization and shaping excitatory postsynaptic responses. Such SK-mediated effects on activity-dependent neuronal excitability and synaptic strength are thought to underlie the modulatory influence of SK channels on memory encoding. Here,the effect of a new SK1 selective activator, GW542573X, on hippocampal-dependent object memory, contextual and cued conditioning, and trace fear conditioning was examined. The results demonstrated that pre- but not post-training systemic administration of GW542573X impaired object memory and trace fear memory in mice 24 h after training. Contextual and cued fear memory were not disrupted. These current data suggest that activation of SK1 subtype-containing SK channels impairs long-term memory. These results are consistent with converging evidence that SK channel activation suppressed behaviorally triggered synaptic plasticity necessary for encoding hippocampal-dependent memory.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004541, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004541
Subject Headings: Cellular control mechanisms, Cognitive neuroscience, Cognitive psychology, Hippocampus (Brain), Mice as laboratory animals, Neurotransmitter receptors
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: INHIBITORY CONTROL PERFORMANCE AS A FUNCTION OF PREADOLESCENT ANXIETY AND RESTING-STATE NEUROPHYSIOLOGY.
Creator: Shanok, Nathaniel A., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: The aim of this study was to further examine the relationship between anxiety, inhibitory control (IC), and brain functioning (electroencephalogram) in a critical age-range for social and emotional development (8-12-year-olds). Depression was a secondary focus but was included in the analyses given the common anxiety/depression overlap. Additionally, the participants (N = 42) were assigned to 4 weeks of either an emotional training program (Emotional gFocus), a neutral training program ...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to further examine the relationship between anxiety, inhibitory control (IC), and brain functioning (electroencephalogram) in a critical age-range for social and emotional development (8-12-year-olds). Depression was a secondary focus but was included in the analyses given the common anxiety/depression overlap. Additionally, the participants (N = 42) were assigned to 4 weeks of either an emotional training program (Emotional gFocus), a neutral training program (Neutral gFocus), or a waitlisted control and were tested using cognitive, neurophysiological, and mood measures. Hierarchical regression models revealed that IC accuracy scores were significantly and negatively related to anxiety levels as indicated by the Screening For Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), as well as depression levels (using the Child Depression Inventory (CDI)), controlling for age and gender. Additionally, increased resting-state right lateral frontal alpha asymmetry was predictive of increased anxiety as well as depression levels. To evaluate the intervention effects, a series of Multivariate Analyses of Covariance (MANCOVA) and contrast tests were conducted to determine if group differences existed from pre-to-post for any of the measures of interest. Overall, the emotional and neutral training conditions showed similar reductions in anxiety and depression compared to the waitlist condition. Both the emotional and neutral conditions also facilitated significant improvements in IC accuracy compared to the control. Minimal pre-to-post power and asymmetry changes occurred in frontal and parietal regions; however, a lateral frontal leftward activity shift was found in the emotional training group. These findings further demonstrated a relationship between IC and anxiety and showed preliminary evidence that training IC has the potential to mitigate negative emotional functioning in adolescents. Future research is necessary to determine the importance of emotional training versus neutral as well as whether longer training intervals will be needed to facilitate a long-term impact.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013486
Subject Headings: Preadolescents, Preteens, Anxiety, Neurophysiology, Inhibitory control
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Hippocampal CA1 activation during object memory encoding in the novel object recognition task.
Creator: Cinalli, David A., Stackman, Robert W., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Transcription and translation of proteins are required for the consolidation of episodic memory. Arc, an effector immediate early gene, has been linked to synaptic plasticity following learning and memory. It is well established that the rodent hippocampus is essential for processing spatial memory, but its role in processing object memory is a point of contention. Using immunohistochemical techniques, hippocampal sections were stained for arc proteins in the CA1 region of the dorsal...
Show moreTranscription and translation of proteins are required for the consolidation of episodic memory. Arc, an effector immediate early gene, has been linked to synaptic plasticity following learning and memory. It is well established that the rodent hippocampus is essential for processing spatial memory, but its role in processing object memory is a point of contention. Using immunohistochemical techniques, hippocampal sections were stained for arc proteins in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus in mice following two variations of the novel object recognition (NOR) task. Results suggest mice that acquired strong object memory showed significant hippocampal activation. In mice that acquired weak object memory, hippocampal activation was not significantly different from controls. Arc expression was also examined in other hippocampal sub-regions, as well as in the perirhinal cortex. These results suggest that the mice must acquire a threshold amount of object information before the hippocampal CA1 region is engaged.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004436, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004436
Subject Headings: Association of ideas, Cellular control mechanisms, Cellular signal transduction, Episodic memory, Hippocampus (Brain) -- Physiology, Human information processing, Mice as laboratory animals
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Hey God, It’s Me: Development and Initial Validation of the Personal Prayer Content Scale.
Creator: Schipper, Lucas D., Vallacher, Robin R., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: I present the development and initial validation a new measure designed to assess specific personal prayer content I used feedback from men and women, along with a review of the relevant literature, to identify specific prayer content for inclusion in the Personal Prayer Content Scale (PPCS) (Study 1) I administered the PPCS to a sample of participants from southeast Florida and southeast Michigan allowing for a cross-national investigation of the specific content of the thoughts that...
Show moreI present the development and initial validation a new measure designed to assess specific personal prayer content I used feedback from men and women, along with a review of the relevant literature, to identify specific prayer content for inclusion in the Personal Prayer Content Scale (PPCS) (Study 1) I administered the PPCS to a sample of participants from southeast Florida and southeast Michigan allowing for a cross-national investigation of the specific content of the thoughts that individuals privately direct towards a god, gods, or god-like entity (Study 2) I compared men’s and women’s responses (Study 3) and responses between Christians and non-Christians (Study 4) on the PPCS The results provide evidence for the reliability and discriminant validity of the PPCS by demonstrating that personal prayer content predicts aspects of religiosity and is equally valid for men and women and Christians and non-Christians A validated PPCS may be of theoretical, empirical, and practical value
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004797
Subject Headings: Psychology, Religious, Spirituality--Psychology, Psychology and religion, Faith development
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Maternal influence on early infant emotional regulation: A study of 3-month infant behavior, cortisol and frontal EEG.
Creator: Sloan, Aliza T., Jones, Nancy Aaron, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Prenatal maternal stress and mood, and early postnatal mother-infant interactions set the stage for the child’s psychobiological, neurological and social development. While a large body of research connecting maternal depression to infant EEG asymmetry exists, the current study sought to add to the sparse literature on maternal anxiety and infant EEG. Mother-infant dyads were assessed prenatally during the third trimester, soon after birth, at 6 weeks and 3 months postnatal. Association...
Show morePrenatal maternal stress and mood, and early postnatal mother-infant interactions set the stage for the child’s psychobiological, neurological and social development. While a large body of research connecting maternal depression to infant EEG asymmetry exists, the current study sought to add to the sparse literature on maternal anxiety and infant EEG. Mother-infant dyads were assessed prenatally during the third trimester, soon after birth, at 6 weeks and 3 months postnatal. Association between maternal depression and later development of right mid-frontal alpha asymmetry was confirmed, while trends suggested maternal anxiety may be associated with lateral frontal alpha asymmetry. Greater maternal sensitivity and anxiety were each associated with lower post-stressor cortisol in infants with right frontal asymmetry. Greater time spent in mutual gaze was associated with positive infant affect. Finally, quality mother-infant dynamics encourage positive infant affect and healthy physiological stress regulation even when brain patterns associated with dysregulation have been established.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005929
Subject Headings: Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, Mother and infant., Infant Behavior., Cortisol., Emotion., Frontal Lobe--physiology., Electroencephalography--Psychological aspects.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Mirror neurons: imitation and emotional differences among males and females.
Creator: Reale, AmberRose, Rosselli, Monica, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The mirror neuron system consists of a specific class of visuomotor neurons, which fire for both observation and execution of an action (di Pellegrino et al., 1992), as well as showing differences for empathy and gender. Fifty males (M = 25.94) and fifty females (M = 25.48) watched short clips of a hand tapping fingers in a sequence in neutral and emotional settings. Participants were asked to imitate emotions while watching and repeating the finger sequences. A univariate ANOVA discovered...
Show moreThe mirror neuron system consists of a specific class of visuomotor neurons, which fire for both observation and execution of an action (di Pellegrino et al., 1992), as well as showing differences for empathy and gender. Fifty males (M = 25.94) and fifty females (M = 25.48) watched short clips of a hand tapping fingers in a sequence in neutral and emotional settings. Participants were asked to imitate emotions while watching and repeating the finger sequences. A univariate ANOVA discovered significant differences in response times for males and females in the emotion trials, which were eliminated when empathy was included in the analysis. Findings show those higher in empathy are faster at imitation of a motor task in emotional settings.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004153
Subject Headings: Affective neuroscience, Emotions -- Psychological aspects, Form perception -- Physiological aspects, Pattern perception -- Physiological aspects, Perception -- Physiological aspects, Sex differences
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Multisensory Cues Facilitate Infants’ Ability to Discriminate Other-Race Faces.
Creator: Minar, Nicholas J., Bjorklund, David F., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Our everyday world consists of people and objects that are usually specified by dynamic and concurrent auditory and visual attributes, which is known to increase perceptual salience and, therefore, facilitate learning and discrimination in infancy. Interestingly, early experience with faces and vocalizations has two seemingly opposite effects during the first year of life, 1) it enables infants to gradually acquire perceptual expertise for the faces and vocalizations of their own race and, 2)...
Show moreOur everyday world consists of people and objects that are usually specified by dynamic and concurrent auditory and visual attributes, which is known to increase perceptual salience and, therefore, facilitate learning and discrimination in infancy. Interestingly, early experience with faces and vocalizations has two seemingly opposite effects during the first year of life, 1) it enables infants to gradually acquire perceptual expertise for the faces and vocalizations of their own race and, 2) it narrows their ability to discriminate the faces of other-race faces (Kelly et al., 2007). It is not known whether multisensory redundancy might help older infants overcome the other-race effect reported in previous studies. The current project investigated infant discrimination of dynamic and vocalizing other-race faces in younger and older infants using habituation and eye-tracking methodologies. Experiment 1 examined 4-6 and 10-12-month-old infants' ability to discriminate either a native or non-native face articulating the syllable /a/. Results showed that both the 4-6- and the 10-12-month-olds successfully discriminated the faces,regardless of whether they were same- or other-race faces. Experiment 2 investigated the contribution of auditory speech cues by repeating Experiment 1 but in silence. Results showed that only the 10-12-month-olds tested with native-race faces successfully discriminated them. Experiment 3 investigated whether it was speech per se or sound in general that facilitated discrimination of the other-race faces in Experiment 1 by presenting a synchronous, computer-generated "boing" sound instead of audible speech cues. Results indicated that the 4-6-month olds discriminated both types of faces but that 10-12-month-olds only discriminated own-race faces. These results indicate that auditory cues, along with dynamic visual cues, can help infants overcome the effects of previously reported narrowing and facilitate discrimination of other-race static, silent faces. Critically, our results show that older infants can overcome the other race-effect when dynamic faces are accompanied by speech but not when they are accompanied by non- speech cues. Overall, a generalized auditory facilitation effect was found as a result of multisensory speech. Moreover, our findings suggest that infants' ability to process other- race faces following perceptual narrowing is more plastic than previously thought.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004525
Subject Headings: Cognition in children, Individual differences in children, Infant psychology, Infants -- Development, Intersensory effects, Perception in infants
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Approach, A voidance, and the Mouse Paradigm: An Examination of Wording and Relationships with Other Hedonic Constructs.
Creator: Saigal, Elizabeth Anne, Florida Atlantic University, Monson, Thomas C., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The two principal areas of research addressed by this study were: a) further validation of Nowak and Vallacher's mouse paradigm, and b) comparison of literatures all theoretically derived from principles of hedonics. Validation of the mouse paradigm included examination of the instructional set and detection of individual differences in various hedonically derived measures of personality. The mouse instructions were framed in terms of approach ('less good ' versus ' more good') or in terms of...
Show moreThe two principal areas of research addressed by this study were: a) further validation of Nowak and Vallacher's mouse paradigm, and b) comparison of literatures all theoretically derived from principles of hedonics. Validation of the mouse paradigm included examination of the instructional set and detection of individual differences in various hedonically derived measures of personality. The mouse instructions were framed in terms of approach ('less good ' versus ' more good') or in terms of avoidance (' more bad' versus ' less bad ' ). Inclusion of inventories based on the principles of approach and avoidance allowed for examination of convergent and discriminant validity. The mouse procedure was able to differentiate self-esteem, self-stability, introversion/extraversion, neuroticism/emotional stability, and Strelau's Pavlovian mobility. Depending on the prime used, some differentiation was also seen with measures of attachment. Differentiation was not found with the mouse procedure for Strelau's Pavlovian measures of strength of excitation and strength of inhibition. Two factor analyses of the questionnaires used gave rise to conceptually positive and negative components. The positive component was related to self-esteem, self-stability, extraversion, strength of excitation, strength of inhibition, mobility, and inversely related to anxiety and neuroticism. The negative component positively loaded on neuroticism, avoidance, dismissing attachment, and fearful attachment, and negatively loaded on selfesteem, self-stability, and secure attachment. These components were compared with Vallacher and Nowak's hedonically based mouse paradigm measures. They were consistently found to correlate with distance under the approach prime and variability in distance under the avoidance prime. This suggests that individuals who score highly on conceptually positive constructs (approach temperaments) have more stable absolute attitudes whereas individuals who score higher on conceptually negative constructs (avoidance temperaments) have greater variability in attitude. The approach instructions initially gave rise to lower evaluation, more variability, and less time at rest than the avoidance instructions. This trend was reflected in the increase in correlations over time under the positive hedonic condition and a decrease in correlations with time under the negative hedonic condition. These results suggest a suppression effect with negative framing.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000876
Subject Headings: Social psychology, Intimacy (Psychology), Attachment behavior, Object relations (Psychoanalysis)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE EFFECTS OF PROGESTERONE, TESTOSTERONE, AND DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE ON THE MALE AND FEMALE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR OF THE FEMALE RAT.
Creator: KAPLAN, PETER L., Florida Atlantic University, Singer, Jay J., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Twenty-six 75-day-old, ovariectomized Long-Evans female rats were randomly divided into two groups of ten and one group of six animals. The ten Group I Ss received, in consecutive treatment periods, 2 mg progesterone (P-2) daily, 2 mg testosterone propiorate (TP-2) daily, TP-2 daily plus P-2 every fourth day, and P-2 every fourth day. The ten Group II Ss received, in consecutive treatment periods, P-2 every fourth day, and 4 mg dihydrotestosterone (DHT-4) daily plus P-2 every fourth day. Both...
Show moreTwenty-six 75-day-old, ovariectomized Long-Evans female rats were randomly divided into two groups of ten and one group of six animals. The ten Group I Ss received, in consecutive treatment periods, 2 mg progesterone (P-2) daily, 2 mg testosterone propiorate (TP-2) daily, TP-2 daily plus P-2 every fourth day, and P-2 every fourth day. The ten Group II Ss received, in consecutive treatment periods, P-2 every fourth day, and 4 mg dihydrotestosterone (DHT-4) daily plus P-2 every fourth day. Both Groups I and II were tested for female sexual behavior. A significant increase in the lordosis response was observed only in Group I Ss after receiving TP-2 plus P-2 every fourth day. Group III Ss were tested for male sexual behavior after receiving DHT-4 daily. Male sexual behavior increased significantly after DHT-4 treatments. It was concluded that progesterone exerts a facilitatory effect on female sexual behavior only when the Ss have been previously primed with an aromatizable androgen and that dihydrotestosterone is capable of inducing male sexual behavior in female rats.
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Date Issued: 1973
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13576
Subject Headings: Sexual behavior in animals, Hormones, Sex
Format: Document (PDF)

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