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Title: Executive Function Rating Scales: Ecologically Valid or Construct Invalid?.
Creator: Soto, Elia F., Kofler, Michael J., Patrick, Christopher J., Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Executive functions in children are commonly measured using rating scales and performance tests. However, replicated evidence indicates weak/non-significant cross-method associations that suggest divergent rather than convergent validity. The current study is the first to investigate relative construct and predictive validities of executive function tests and ratings using multiple cognitively-informed tests, multiple standardized rating scales completed by multiple informants (parents,...
Show moreExecutive functions in children are commonly measured using rating scales and performance tests. However, replicated evidence indicates weak/non-significant cross-method associations that suggest divergent rather than convergent validity. The current study is the first to investigate relative construct and predictive validities of executive function tests and ratings using multiple cognitively-informed tests, multiple standardized rating scales completed by multiple informants (parents, teachers), and both performance-based and ratings-based assessment of a key functional outcome domain with strong theoretical links to executive function (academic achievement). A well-characterized sample of 136 children ages 8-13 (M=10.34, SD=1.53; 48 girls; 68% Caucasian/non-Hispanic) completed a counterbalanced series of executive function and academic tests. Parents and teachers completed executive function ratings; teachers also rated children’s academic performance. As expected, the executive function tests/ratings association was modest (r=.30; p<.001) and significantly lower than the academic tests/ratings association (r=.64; p<.001). Both methods uniquely predicted academic tests and ratings. Relative to ratings, executive function tests showed higher cross-method predictive validity (p=.04) and better mono-method prediction (p=.01); executive function ratings failed to demonstrate improved mono-method prediction (p=.38). These findings support the construct and predictive validity of modern, cognitively-informed executive function tests, while replicating prior evidence that executive function tests and ratings are primarily assessing distinct constructs. Thus, it appears prudent to recommend that researchers and clinicians exercise caution and carefully consider items that comprise ‘executive function’ rating scales when drawing conclusions regarding what these reliable but not currently construct valid rating scales measure – and what they do not measure.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Soto_fsu_0071N_15602
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of the Novel Cannabinoid, AM11101, on Food Intake, Activity-Based Anorexia, and Neuronal Activity in Brain Areas That Control Food Intake.
Creator: Ogden, Sean Brian, Eckel, Lisa A., Kirby, David, Houpt, Thomas A., Joiner, Thomas, Wang, Zuoxin, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in regulating energy balance. Administration of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, increases food intake and decreases energy expenditure by acting on cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R). Despite these well-documented effects, THC treatment has had mixed success in alleviating symptoms and reducing weight loss in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients and in the pre-clinical activity-based anorexia (ABA)...
Show moreThe endocannabinoid system plays an important role in regulating energy balance. Administration of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, increases food intake and decreases energy expenditure by acting on cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R). Despite these well-documented effects, THC treatment has had mixed success in alleviating symptoms and reducing weight loss in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients and in the pre-clinical activity-based anorexia (ABA) rodent model of AN. To maximize medicinal benefits while minimizing potential side effects, the novel cannabinoid AM11101 was developed with the goal of having better efficacy than THC in treating AN symptoms. The goal of this dissertation was to provide the first examination of AM11101’s ability to increase food intake in healthy animals, attenuate weight loss in the pre-clinical ABA model, and identify brain areas that are activated by acute AM11101 treatment. In the first study, the orexigenic effects of AM11101 and THC were compared in pre-fed and free-fed female rats. Acute administration of AM11101 increased food intake for up to 4 h in pre-fed rats with no compensatory decrease in subsequent feeding. Although THC increased food intake in pre-fed rats, it was less reliable than AM11101 in increasing food intake in free-fed rats following both acute and chronic administration. Similar to THC, AM11101’s orexigenic effect was mediated by an increase in meal size. The second study examined whether daily treatment with AM11101 or THC would attenuate weight loss in female rats exposed to the ABA paradigm. We found that AM11101-treated rats displayed greater resilience to ABA than THC-treated rats. AM11101 attenuated ABA-induced weight loss and helped to preserve adipose tissue through a reduction in energy expenditure rather than an increase in food intake. Despite the well-characterized orexigenic effects of cannabinoids, the underlying neuronal mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the third study, we used the immunohistochemical detection of cFos, a marker of neuronal activity, to examine the effect of AM11101 treatment on cFos expression in brain areas that control food intake. We also examined whether AM11101 modulates feeding-induced changes in cFos expression. Acute administration of AM11101 produced a robust increase in cFos expression in multiple brain areas that control food intake. AM11101 was also found to increase feeding-induced cFos expression in one of these areas, the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC). These findings identify multiple brain areas where AM1101 could act to increase meal size. Taken together, these studies demonstrate for the first time that AM11101 increases food intake by a selective increase in meal size, attenuates the development of ABA with improved efficacy over THC, and increases feeding-induced neuronal activation in the ARC, a brain area that plays a critical role in controlling meal size. As such, AM11101 offers a promising new treatment to improve appetite in conditions that are characterized by undernutrition including AN.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Ogden_fsu_0071E_15526
Format: Thesis

Title: Investigating Adherence to Technology-Based Cognitive Interventions with the Potential to Slow or Reverse Cognitive Decline Associated with Aging.
Creator: Harrell, Erin Renee, Boot, Walter Richard, Shute, Valerie J. (Valerie Jean), Kofler, Michael J., Kaschak, Michael P., Charness, Neil, Florida State University, College of Arts...
Show moreHarrell, Erin Renee, Boot, Walter Richard, Shute, Valerie J. (Valerie Jean), Kofler, Michael J., Kaschak, Michael P., Charness, Neil, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two theory-based strategies to promote cognitive training adherence among older adults over an extended period. Strategies either: (a) incorporated elements of implementation intention formation or (b) positive message framing, both of which have been found to promote adherence to health-behaviors in other domains. Participants were asked to engage in technology-based cognitive training at home comprised of seven neuropsychological...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two theory-based strategies to promote cognitive training adherence among older adults over an extended period. Strategies either: (a) incorporated elements of implementation intention formation or (b) positive message framing, both of which have been found to promote adherence to health-behaviors in other domains. Participants were asked to engage in technology-based cognitive training at home comprised of seven neuropsychological tasks that were gamified (the Mind Frontiers software program) while adherence was monitored across two phases. The focus of this thesis is Phase 1. In Phase 1 (structured), participants were provided with a recommended adherence schedule that required them to engage in an hour of cognitive training for five days out of the week over two months. In Phase 2 (unstructured), participants were allowed to engage in as little or as much training as they wanted for one month. In general, adherence was adequate, but large variability was observed. Contrary to expectations, neither the implementation intention nor the positive message framing manipulation produced greater adherence relative to a control group. Individual differences did not predict adherence over Phase 1 either. Results confirm that in addition to the domains of medication, exercise, and nutrition interventions, adherence is a challenge within this domain as well, and that adherence can be difficult to improve and predict. Adaptive, technology-based reminder systems may hold more promise compared to traditional behavioral interventions to promote adherence. Phase 2 will examine whether any benefits might be observed when participants were given more freedom to determine their own level of intervention engagement.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Harrell_fsu_0071E_15527
Format: Thesis

Title: Trait Anxiety and Children's Academic Achievement: The Role of Executive Function.
Creator: Alfonso, Sarah V., Lonigan, Christopher J., Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: A number of studies have demonstrated a strong association between self-regulation, in particular executive function (EF), academic skills and problem behaviors in children (Fuhs, Farran, & Nesbitt, 2015). There is evidence suggesting that anxiety and anxiety symptoms, common among children and adolescents, are associated with poor academic achievement and even academic failure (Owens, Stevenson, Hadwin, & Norgate, 2012). Although results derived primarily from adult studies indicate that...
Show moreA number of studies have demonstrated a strong association between self-regulation, in particular executive function (EF), academic skills and problem behaviors in children (Fuhs, Farran, & Nesbitt, 2015). There is evidence suggesting that anxiety and anxiety symptoms, common among children and adolescents, are associated with poor academic achievement and even academic failure (Owens, Stevenson, Hadwin, & Norgate, 2012). Although results derived primarily from adult studies indicate that trait anxiety and self-regulation are related, less attention has been given to examining this relation among children. The goals of this study were to examine the associations among EF, trait anxiety and academic achievement and to test the mediating role of EF on the relation between trait anxiety and academic achievement in middle school children. A sample of 174 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students (M age = 12.78, SD = 1.18) were recruited from local middle schools and summer programs in Tallahassee, Florida and Miami-Dade County, Florida. Students completed an assessment battery consisting of multiple measures of working memory, inhibitory control, shifting, trait anxiety, and reading and math skills. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models were used to determine the best fitting model of EF and to examine the associations between the EF and trait anxiety. Meditational analyses were conducted to examine the indirect effects of EF on the relation between trait anxiety and each academic outcome. The EF factors significantly predicted Trait Anxiety as hypothesized but there was no difference in the strength of the associations. EF mediated the relation between Trait Anxiety and academic outcomes, but the strength of the relation did not vary by EF dimension. The findings suggest that trait anxiety enhances processing efficiency, which may lead to improvements in academic performance in middle school students.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Alfonso_fsu_0071N_15579
Format: Thesis

Title: The Intersection between School Efficiency and Student Individual Differences.
Creator: Shero, Jeffrey S. A., Hart, Sara, Schatschneider, Christopher, Meltzer, Andrea L., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The relationship between school spending and academic performance is one that is constantly being assessed and evaluated. More rarely however, is the evaluation of how efficiently that spending is taking place. This paper used a method known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), to examine how efficiently Florida elementary schools were spending their funds to produce student gains in reading achievement. This paper found that schools (n=1,446) were performing on average at an approximate 61%...
Show moreThe relationship between school spending and academic performance is one that is constantly being assessed and evaluated. More rarely however, is the evaluation of how efficiently that spending is taking place. This paper used a method known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), to examine how efficiently Florida elementary schools were spending their funds to produce student gains in reading achievement. This paper found that schools (n=1,446) were performing on average at an approximate 61% relative efficiency level for the 2009-2010 school year. This paper then used OLS regression and various school-level demographic characteristics to see if school efficiency is able to be predicted, finding that student race, free and reduced lunch status, presence of exceptionalities, and school size to all be significant predictors of school-level efficiency. Finally, this paper examined the relationship between these differing efficiency scores and student individual differences, using a sample of n=677,386 Florida public elementary school students. In doing so, significant interactions between school efficiency and a student’s exceptionality and free and reduced lunch status were found, indicating the negative impact of having an exceptionality or being free and reduced lunch status to be further increased in lower efficiency schools.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Shero_fsu_0071N_15493
Format: Thesis

Title: The Interplay between Alpha Oscillations, Anxiety, and Sensory Processing.
Creator: Kartvelishvili, Nika, Li, Wen, Boot, Walter Richard, Wilber, Aaron A. (Aaron Albert), Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Alpha oscillations (8-12 Hz) have been implicated in sensory processing and the inhibition/filtering of irrelevant sensory input. Meanwhile, aberrations in sensory filtering have been associated with a number of conditions, including anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The latter can be characterized by pathologically diminished levels of alpha power and posterior→frontal alpha connectivity, but the role of alpha oscillations in other anxiety disorders remains to be elucidated....
Show moreAlpha oscillations (8-12 Hz) have been implicated in sensory processing and the inhibition/filtering of irrelevant sensory input. Meanwhile, aberrations in sensory filtering have been associated with a number of conditions, including anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The latter can be characterized by pathologically diminished levels of alpha power and posterior→frontal alpha connectivity, but the role of alpha oscillations in other anxiety disorders remains to be elucidated. In this experiment we set out to test the effect of both anxiety and alpha activity on sensory processing in the auditory modality, as well as investigate the potential relationship between these two variables. We manipulated anxiety via a 5 minute anxiety induction and attempted to manipulate (increase) alpha power and posterior→frontal alpha connectivity via 20 minutes of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). The anxiety induction led to increases in anxiety, and resulted in a general increase in rated intensity and a corresponding decrease in rated pleasantness of sounds. This effect further interacted with the intensity and valence of the auditory stimuli. No changes in alpha power or posterior→frontal alpha connectivity were observed as a result of the anxiety induction. The tACS treatment failed to result in significant increases in alpha power and posterior→frontal alpha connectivity, and did not lead to significant changes in mood. However, posterior→frontal alpha connectivity significantly decreased in the sham condition, while no such decrease was observed in the tACS group. In addition, it was found that rated pleasantness of quiet sounds decreased in the sham condition but not in the tACS condition following treatment, potentially hinting at a buffering effect of tACS. In conclusion, we were able to demonstrate a link between anxiety and sensory processing in the auditory modality, while the relationship between alpha activity and anxiety (if one exists) remains uncertain.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Kartvelishvili_fsu_0071N_15453
Format: Thesis

Title: The Development and Construct Validation of the Revised Spatial Anxiety Scale.
Creator: Geer, Elyssa A., Ganley, Colleen M., Hart, Sara, Boot, Walter Richard, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Lyons et al. (2018) used exploratory factor analysis to develop and validate a spatial anxiety questionnaire that can reliably measure anxiety in situations that involve different types of spatial skills. Using the framework set forth by Uttal et al. (2013) for different types of spatial skills to inform their factor analysis, they were able to create an empirically validated Spatial Anxiety Scale incorporating three of the subtypes of spatial processing. This project developed and validated...
Show moreLyons et al. (2018) used exploratory factor analysis to develop and validate a spatial anxiety questionnaire that can reliably measure anxiety in situations that involve different types of spatial skills. Using the framework set forth by Uttal et al. (2013) for different types of spatial skills to inform their factor analysis, they were able to create an empirically validated Spatial Anxiety Scale incorporating three of the subtypes of spatial processing. This project developed and validated a revised spatial anxiety scale. In Study 1, expert reviews and cognitive interviews were used to establish substantive reliability for a revised spatial anxiety scale. Specifically, this study evaluated a total of 121 items pulled from the items proposed by Lyons et al. (2018), items from existing spatial anxiety scales (Lawton, 1994; Malanchini et al., 2017), and researcher- developed items. Based on these reviews and interviews, items were removed and the remaining 68 items were given to a pilot sample of 229 college students. To examine structural validity, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, which provided evidence for the four-factor model as was theoretically expected consisting of 22 items. In Study 2, the revised spatial anxiety scale with additional items to examine structural validity were given to 201 college students alongside measures of subtypes of spatial skill and other covariates. We examined the relations between each subscale and measures of each spatial subdomain to assess external validity and results provide some mixed evidence for the external validity of the scale. In addition, another CFA was conducted that verified the factor structure found in Study 1. Overall, results of the present study suggest that spatial anxiety has a four-factor structure similar to spatial skill, in line with existing research (Uttal et al., 2013), and the revised spatial anxiety scale adequately captures that complexity.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Geer_fsu_0071N_15592
Format: Thesis

Title: Excessive Exercise, Eating Pathology and Suicidality: Investigating the Role of Capability for Suicide.
Creator: Buchman, Jennifer M. (Jennifer Marie), Joiner, Thomas, Winegardner, Mark, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Eckel, Lisa A., Patrick, Christopher J., Florida State University,...
Show moreBuchman, Jennifer M. (Jennifer Marie), Joiner, Thomas, Winegardner, Mark, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Eckel, Lisa A., Patrick, Christopher J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Eating disorders (EDs) are associated with increased risk for suicide. Recent research suggests that excessive exercise (EE), an ED compensatory behavior, may increase suicide risk via increasing one's capability for suicide which is comprised of an elevated pain tolerance and a diminished fear of death. However, additional research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms by which EE may influence capability for suicide. Specifically, no studies to date have examined the influence of EE...
Show moreEating disorders (EDs) are associated with increased risk for suicide. Recent research suggests that excessive exercise (EE), an ED compensatory behavior, may increase suicide risk via increasing one's capability for suicide which is comprised of an elevated pain tolerance and a diminished fear of death. However, additional research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms by which EE may influence capability for suicide. Specifically, no studies to date have examined the influence of EE and eating pathology on behavioral indices of capability for suicide. The present study had two aims: 1) this study sought to examine how EE engagement and ED status influences pain avoidance behaviors in comparison to controls; and 2) the second aim of the present study was to determine how EE engagement and ED status influence fear of death and avoidance of death-related stimuli. We recruited 87 participants based on ED and EE status (22 controls, 22 EE only, 21 ED only, and 22 ED+EE). Hierarchical regression with dummy coding was used to compare our groups on the following outcomes: 1) breakpoint and total key presses on a pain avoidance progressive ratio task (CPT); and 2) breakpoint and total key presses on a death avoidance progressive ratio task (viewing and rating of suicide images). The results of the present study provide preliminary, albeit mixed support for our hypotheses. Specifically, we found that the EE only (β = -0.31, p = .017) and ED only (β = -0.30, p = 0.02) groups differed significantly from controls on one measure of pain avoidance (CPT PR breakpoint); the ED only group (β = -0.31, p = .017) differed significantly from controls on one measure of death avoidance (suicide-related images PR total presses). However, our ED group characterized by EE did not differ significantly from controls on any of our behavioral measures. See supplementary file for Tables 1 and 2 which provide group comparisons on main variables of interest (Table 1) and a correlation matrix for continuous variables (Table 2). Exploration of these findings, limitations, and areas for future research are included in our general discussion.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Buchman_fsu_0071E_15405_P
Format: Set of related objects

Title: The Impact of Estradiol on Food Intake, Cell Signaling, and Diet-Induced Inflammation.
Creator: Butler, Michael James, Eckel, Lisa A., Overton, J. Michael (James Michael), Hyson, Richard Lee, Levenson, Cathy W., Maner, Jon K., Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreButler, Michael James, Eckel, Lisa A., Overton, J. Michael (James Michael), Hyson, Richard Lee, Levenson, Cathy W., Maner, Jon K., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: There is a well-documented sexual dimorphism in the neural control of food intake and body weight regulation. Estradiol is a leading candidate as a potential biological factor contributing to these sex differences due to its robust anorexigenic effect. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving estradiol's anorexigenic effect are poorly understood. The goal of this dissertation was to investigate several potential mechanisms underlying estradiol's effect on energy homeostasis in...
Show moreThere is a well-documented sexual dimorphism in the neural control of food intake and body weight regulation. Estradiol is a leading candidate as a potential biological factor contributing to these sex differences due to its robust anorexigenic effect. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving estradiol's anorexigenic effect are poorly understood. The goal of this dissertation was to investigate several potential mechanisms underlying estradiol's effect on energy homeostasis in female rats. Many of estradiol's behavioral effects are mediated, at least partially, via extra-nuclear estradiol signaling. Here, we investigated whether two estrogen receptor (ER) agonists, targeting ERα and G protein-coupled ER-1 (GPER-1), could promote rapid anorexigenic effects in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Our findings demonstrated that selective activation of ERα produces a rapid (within 1 h) decrease in food intake that is best explained by a non-genomic signaling pathway and thus implicates the involvement of extra-nuclear ERα. We also found that activation of GPER-1 is both sufficient to suppress feeding and necessary for ERa agonist, PPT's, rapid anorexigenic effect. Next, we investigated estradiol's impact on the Janus kinase – signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway in the hypothalamus of OVX rats and in cultured proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. The JAK-STAT pathway mediates leptin's anorexigenic effect and previous work has shown that estradiol also activates this pathway in male mice. However, the specific estrogen receptor subtype and neuronal phenotype has not been investigated in the rat. Here, we show that activation of ERa in OVX rats increases the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) and activation of both ERa and GPER-1 increases the nuclear translocation of phosphorylated STAT3 in cultured POMC neurons. In addition to investigating the effects of estradiol under normal, chow-fed, conditions, we wanted to investigate the effects of estradiol in animals consuming a palatable high fat diet (HFD). Previous work has shown consumption of a HFD increases inflammation in the hypothalamus in male mice and rats, but little to no work has been conducted in females. Here, we showed for the first time that acute HFD exposure increases microgliosis, as measured by an increase in the number of cells expressing the microglia-specific protein Iba1, and decreased microglial branching and complexity in the hypothalamus and nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) of OVX rats. These data suggest that HFD increased microglial accumulation and activation in the hypothalamus and hindbrain. Estradiol replacement blocked the HFD-induced increase in microglia in the hypothalamus and hindbrain and reduced microglia activation in the hypothalamus. These data provide the first in vivo evidence that estradiol may play a protective role in diet-induced inflammation in female rats. In addition to increasing microglial activity, consumption of a HFD has been shown to negatively impact neuronal health in the hypothalamus. In vitro studies have shown that treatment of hypothalamic neurons with palmitate, a common dietary saturated fat, increases markers of both inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In our study, we showed that treating cultured POMC neurons with palmitate increased mRNA expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-B), and CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP). Pre-treatment with estradiol attenuated the palmitate-induced increase in IL-6 and treatment with the selective GPER-1 agonist, G-1, attenuated increases in IL-6 and NF-kB mRNA caused by palmitate. These data suggest that estradiol attenuates markers of inflammation caused by saturated fat, but has no effect on a marker of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that estradiol affects energy homeostasis via activation of extra-nuclear receptors, JAK-STAT activity, and decreasing the neuroimmune response to diet.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Butler_fsu_0071E_15351
Format: Thesis

Title: Systemic Sexism Perception and Antisexist Motivation Predict Men and Women's Collective Action Orientation.
Creator: Chamberlin, Kristina Grace, Plant, Ashby, Meltzer, Andrea L., Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Current events would suggest that activism against gender inequality is on the rise in the United States. However, more action is needed if gender equality is to be achieved. To better understand these events and to encourage greater participation, two studies explore potential underlying mechanisms that explain men and women's intentions to participate in social movements for women's rights (antisexist collective action intent). Using bystander intervention theory (Latane & Darley, 1969) as...
Show moreCurrent events would suggest that activism against gender inequality is on the rise in the United States. However, more action is needed if gender equality is to be achieved. To better understand these events and to encourage greater participation, two studies explore potential underlying mechanisms that explain men and women's intentions to participate in social movements for women's rights (antisexist collective action intent). Using bystander intervention theory (Latane & Darley, 1969) as a guide, we theorized that people who identify inequalities in their environments as systemic sexism (systemic sexism perception) are more likely to be driven by prescriptive moral convictions that one must proactively advocate for women's rights (antisexist motivation). This motivation is predicted to consequently increase both men and women's antisexist collective action intent. Cross-sectional data demonstrated that systemic sexism perception predicted antisexist motivation, and both variables predicted antisexist collective action intent, for both men and women (over and above other predictors). An experiment demonstrated that participants who were exposed to a video outlining the effects of systemic sexism on the STEM gender gap (vs. a control) were more likely to believe systemic sexism contributes to this gap, thereby experiencing greater antisexist motivation and collective action intent. The implications of these findings are discussed and future lines of research are proposed.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Chamberlin_fsu_0071N_15344
Format: Thesis

Title: Threat-Related Attentional Bias, Cognitive Control, and Temperament in Young Children.
Creator: Chong, Lyndsey Juliane, Meyer, Alexandria, Proudfit, Greg Hajcak, Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Anxiety disorders occur early in development and are one of the most common forms of psychopathology in children. Moreover, anxiety is associated with persistent impairment across the lifespan; therefore, investigating mechanisms that underlie anxiety in early childhood is crucial for prevention and intervention efforts. A fearful temperament in childhood has been shown to predict anxiety across development. Decreased cognitive control and threat-related attentional biases have also been...
Show moreAnxiety disorders occur early in development and are one of the most common forms of psychopathology in children. Moreover, anxiety is associated with persistent impairment across the lifespan; therefore, investigating mechanisms that underlie anxiety in early childhood is crucial for prevention and intervention efforts. A fearful temperament in childhood has been shown to predict anxiety across development. Decreased cognitive control and threat-related attentional biases have also been linked to the development of anxiety, but little to no work has examined how temperament (i.e., fearfulness) and cognitive control may simultaneously predict threat-related attentional bias. Additionally, previous work on attentional bias has used less reliable reaction time (RT) based measures of attention. In the present study, we 1) investigated the psychometric properties of an eye-tracking measure of attentional bias, 2) tested if fearfulness and cognitive control were related to attentional biases to threat, and 3) examined if these relationships had unique or overlapping effects. Results showed good psychometric properties, comparable to that found in adult eye-tracking studies. However, contrary to our hypothesis, fearfulness and cognitive control did not significantly predict threat/neutral dwell time and attentional biases. Future studies may explore if cognitive control and fearfulness prospectively predict threat attentional bias and the onset of anxiety using a longitudinal design.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Chong_fsu_0071N_15433
Format: Thesis

Title: The Home Math Environment and Math Achievement: A Meta-Analysis.
Creator: Daucourt, Mia Cristina, Hart, Sara, Ganley, Colleen M., Meyer, Alexandria, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Mathematical thinking is in high demand in the global market, but compared to their international peers, U.S. school children fail to meet math performance benchmarks. This is especially problematic, given that early math skills predict later success in math and reading, beyond the effects of early reading skills and that math difficulties prior to formal schooling make it unlikely that children who start off behind will catch up. The home math environment (HME), which includes all math...
Show moreMathematical thinking is in high demand in the global market, but compared to their international peers, U.S. school children fail to meet math performance benchmarks. This is especially problematic, given that early math skills predict later success in math and reading, beyond the effects of early reading skills and that math difficulties prior to formal schooling make it unlikely that children who start off behind will catch up. The home math environment (HME), which includes all math-related activities, attitudes, expectations, resources, and interactions between parents and children in the home, provides a potentially promising way to promote children's early math development. In order to understand the role played by the HME in children's math abilities, the a pre-registered meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the average weighted correlation coefficient, r between the HME and children's math achievement and the sample, assessment, and study features that contribute to study heterogeneity. A multilevel correlated effects model was run on 51 studies and a total of 456 effect sizes, which found a positive, significant average weighted correlation of r = .14, p < .0001. Although the association found was low in magnitude, our combined sensitivity analyses showed that the present findings were robust, and that the sample of studies has evidential value. Interestingly, moderator analyses revealed that all moderators tested contributed to study heterogeneity and when the HME component moderation analyses were run, no significant between-study heterogeneity remained.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Daucourt_fsu_0071N_15441
Format: Thesis

Title: General versus Specific Aspects of Self-Regulation as Predictors of Academic Skills and Internalizing Symptoms: A Model Comparison Approach.
Creator: Lerner, Matthew Daniel, Lonigan, Christopher J., Catts, Hugh W. (Hugh William), Kofler, Michael J., Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State...
Show moreLerner, Matthew Daniel, Lonigan, Christopher J., Catts, Hugh W. (Hugh William), Kofler, Michael J., Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: The relation between self-regulation and both academic skills and internalizing symptoms is well-established. However, open questions remain regarding the nature of this relation and about whether similar or different aspects of self-regulation are most strongly related to academic skills vs. internalizing symptoms. Similarly, available evidence suggests that self-regulation, as measured by self-report (i.e., effortful control; EC), moderates the relation between temperament-based risk and...
Show moreThe relation between self-regulation and both academic skills and internalizing symptoms is well-established. However, open questions remain regarding the nature of this relation and about whether similar or different aspects of self-regulation are most strongly related to academic skills vs. internalizing symptoms. Similarly, available evidence suggests that self-regulation, as measured by self-report (i.e., effortful control; EC), moderates the relation between temperament-based risk and internalizing psychopathology, but less is known regarding the status of direct, behavioral measures of self-regulation (i.e., executive function; EF) as potential moderators of that relation. This study tested competing models of EF in a sample of high school students (M age = 16.09 years, SD = 1.04 years). The preferred model was a bifactor model including a general EF factor (EFg) and specific working memory (WM) and shifting (SH) factors. This model was used to examine the relation between EF and skills in reading and math and to test specific EF components, as well as EC, as potential moderators of temperament-based risk for internalizing symptoms. The WM specific factor was strongly, positively related to reading and math, but the EFg and SH factors were not. EC moderated the relation between negative affectivity and panic symptoms. The SH-specific EF factor moderated temperament-based risk for depression symptoms, but the EFg and WM factors did not, nor did EC.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Lerner_fsu_0071E_15136
Format: Thesis

Title: Inflammation during Marital Conflict.
Creator: Makhanova, Anastasia, McNulty, James, Fincham, Frank D., Maner, Jon K., Plant, Ashby, Eckel, Lisa A., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreMakhanova, Anastasia, McNulty, James, Fincham, Frank D., Maner, Jon K., Plant, Ashby, Eckel, Lisa A., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Relationship conflict is a stressful experience for couples and stress can disrupt the balance within the immune system. In particular, stressful experiences tend to be linked with an upregulation of cytokines. In this study, I examined whether being the target of oppositional behavior from one's partner during a conflict interaction—a factor that is linked with greater stress during conflict—would be associated with upregulation of the cytokine interleukin-1β. Data were drawn from a sample...
Show moreRelationship conflict is a stressful experience for couples and stress can disrupt the balance within the immune system. In particular, stressful experiences tend to be linked with an upregulation of cytokines. In this study, I examined whether being the target of oppositional behavior from one's partner during a conflict interaction—a factor that is linked with greater stress during conflict—would be associated with upregulation of the cytokine interleukin-1β. Data were drawn from a sample of newlywed couples; interleukin-1β was assayed from saliva samples collected before and after four conflict interactions. This study extends the literature in three meaningful ways: (1) analyses differentiated between third-party observers' assessments of partner oppositional behavior and individuals' perceptions of partner oppositional behavior, (2) effects of the discrete conflict observed in the lab were isolated by accounting for critical covariates that indicate greater relationship conflict more generally, and (3) moderation analyses tested whether individual differences associated with greater sensitivity to conflict exacerbated the association between partner oppositional behavior and post-conflict interleukin-1β. Overall, the results largely did not support my hypotheses. However, an effect in the opposite direction to my predictions emerged: individuals with high self-esteem, compared to those with low self-esteem, experienced greater cytokine upregulation when they perceived partner opposition. There was also a trend for men to experience greater upregulation than women when perceiving partner opposition. Findings are discussed in light of differences in cytokine measurement between the current study which assessed interleukin-1β in saliva and past research which focused on assessments of other cytokines in plasma. Overall, findings highlight the importance of examining perceptions and individual difference variables when examining links between relationship conflict and health.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Makhanova_fsu_0071E_15293
Format: Thesis

Title: Cognitive and Motivational Processes Underlying ADHD and Early Academic Skills in Preschool Children: Are the Processes Distinct?.
Creator: Morris, Brittany M., Lonigan, Christopher J., Meyer, Alexandria, Kaschak, Michael P., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The dual-pathway model (Sonuga-Barke, 2002, 2003) proposes Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) develops along two distinct but interrelated developmental pathways, a cognitive pathway of inhibitory control (IC) deficits and a delay-aversion pathway (i.e., hypersensitivity to delay). Studies suggest delay-of-gratification (DG) tasks tap both components of the dual-pathway model, and, therefore, it is unclear whether IC, DG, and delay-aversion tasks are measuring distinct constructs...
Show moreThe dual-pathway model (Sonuga-Barke, 2002, 2003) proposes Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) develops along two distinct but interrelated developmental pathways, a cognitive pathway of inhibitory control (IC) deficits and a delay-aversion pathway (i.e., hypersensitivity to delay). Studies suggest delay-of-gratification (DG) tasks tap both components of the dual-pathway model, and, therefore, it is unclear whether IC, DG, and delay-aversion tasks are measuring distinct constructs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dimensionality of the constructs underlying the dual-pathway model and their differential impacts on ADHD symptomology and early academic skills in preschool-age children. Results of confirmatory factor analyses of data from 163 preschool children (49% female; mean age 55.42 months, SD = 8.42) indicated that measures of IC, DG, and delay-aversion were best conceptualized as two factors, rather than three distinct constructs. Specifically, IC and DG tasks were best represented as a single factor, and Delay-Aversion was a distinct factor. Although the IC + DG factor was significantly related to both teacher report of ADHD symptoms and early academic skills, the Delay-Aversion factor was not. In contrast to predictions based on the dual-pathway model, ADHD symptoms did not mediate the relation between the IC + DG factor and early academic skills. Overall, although results of this study indicate that delay-aversion tasks sufficiently reduce the influence of IC, the lack of association between delay-aversion and both ADHD symptomology and early academic skills makes it unclear what delay-aversion tasks are measuring. Taken together, this study highlights possible limitations in the applicability of the dual-pathway model, particularly in preschool-age populations.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Morris_fsu_0071N_15300
Format: Thesis

Title: The Status of Suicidality Prediction Research: A Meta-Analysis.
Creator: Musacchio Schafer, Katherine, Franklin, Joseph, Joiner, Thomas, Wagner, Richard K., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Theories of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) have long guided treatment and prevention efforts. Meta-analytic investigation into general risk factors, psychopathology, and STB related clinical instruments indicated chance level prediction, and some researchers have suggested that a shift toward a machine learning approach would yield superior STB prediction. Thus, I conducted a meta-analysis of traditional theories and machine learning models to estimate and compare respective accuracy....
Show moreTheories of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) have long guided treatment and prevention efforts. Meta-analytic investigation into general risk factors, psychopathology, and STB related clinical instruments indicated chance level prediction, and some researchers have suggested that a shift toward a machine learning approach would yield superior STB prediction. Thus, I conducted a meta-analysis of traditional theories and machine learning models to estimate and compare respective accuracy. I searched PsycInfo, PubMed, and GoogleScholar for studies using at least one theoretically relevant construct or machine learning model associated with suicide ideation, attempt, or death. This yielded 224 traditional (from 142 papers) and 14 machine learning (from 10 papers) effect sizes. Prediction from constructs related to traditional theories was consistent with previous meta-analytic work indicating weak, inaccurate prediction. No particular theory was particularly accurate in prediction of STB outcomes. Machine learning models demonstrated substantially more accurate association with STB outcomes, although these data are few in numbers. This work demonstrated that STB theories have largely not been directly tested in the extant literature and that moderators of machine learning models are largely unclear. Future studies are needed to directly test STB theories in order to stringently test these ideas. More machine learning studies are needed to investigate characteristics of extremely accurate models.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_MusacchioSchafer_fsu_0071N_15193
Format: Thesis

Title: A Matter of Priority: Exploring Attentional Resource Allocation as the Proximal Cause of the Animacy Effect.
Creator: Rawlinson, Heather Courtney, Kelley, Colleen M., Boot, Walter Richard, Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: People recall and recognize animate words better than inanimate words, possibly because memory systems were shaped by evolution to prioritize memory for predators, people, and food sources. However, the proximal cause of this animacy advantage is not yet known. Attentional paradigms show an animacy advantage in change detection tasks and in attentional blink tasks, which suggests that the animacy advantage in memory could stem from a prioritization of animate items when allocating attentional...
Show morePeople recall and recognize animate words better than inanimate words, possibly because memory systems were shaped by evolution to prioritize memory for predators, people, and food sources. However, the proximal cause of this animacy advantage is not yet known. Attentional paradigms show an animacy advantage in change detection tasks and in attentional blink tasks, which suggests that the animacy advantage in memory could stem from a prioritization of animate items when allocating attentional resources during encoding. In a series of three experiments, I replicate the animacy effect in a remember-know paradigm (Experiment 1), and test whether better recognition (Experiment 2) and better recall (Experiment 3) for animate items can be traced to enhanced attention at encoding by comparing the animacy effect under conditions of full versus divided attention at encoding. Results demonstrate that word type does not interact with attention condition, suggesting that attention is not the proximal cause of the animacy effect in memory.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Rawlinson_fsu_0071N_15428
Format: Thesis

Title: To Recognize or Not to Recognize: What Is the Effect on Relearning?.
Creator: Sorenson, Parker Andrew, Kelley, Colleen M., Boot, Walter Richard, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Repeated experiences are a cornerstone of learning and memory, but to what extent does the benefit of repetition depend upon noticing it? A rich literature exists examining the impact that an original learning experience has on a current experience when recognition of repeated material occurs while a surprisingly limited amount of research has examined the impact on relearning when recognition of repetition fails. Asch (1969) reported that recognition of repetition was necessary to experience...
Show moreRepeated experiences are a cornerstone of learning and memory, but to what extent does the benefit of repetition depend upon noticing it? A rich literature exists examining the impact that an original learning experience has on a current experience when recognition of repeated material occurs while a surprisingly limited amount of research has examined the impact on relearning when recognition of repetition fails. Asch (1969) reported that recognition of repetition was necessary to experience a benefit of repeated experiences while the formal memory model Retrieving Effectively from Memory (REM; Shiffrin & Steyvers, 1997), incorporating elements of Asch, assumes that an initial experience establishes a memory trace which is added to during a repetition, but only if the repetition accesses the original trace. If the repetition is not noticed, a second memory trace is created. I discuss research exploring the impact of recognition during a subsequent learning experience when the lists are separated by extreme context changes. In two experiments I attempted a conceptual replication of Asch and show that while recognition may not be necessary to receive a benefit of repeated information, there is a greater benefit during relearning when recognition of repetition occurs.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Sorenson_fsu_0071N_15447
Format: Thesis

Title: DSM-5 Section III Personality Traits and Clinical Outcomes.
Creator: Strickland, Casey M., Patrick, Christopher J., Osborn, Debra S., Hull, Elaine M., Joiner, Thomas, Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie J., Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreStrickland, Casey M., Patrick, Christopher J., Osborn, Debra S., Hull, Elaine M., Joiner, Thomas, Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: The official nosology of psychiatric disorders (DSM-5) includes a primarily dimensional operationalization of personality pathology, the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), in its latest edition. The present study examines the impact of DSM-5 AMPD Criterion B personality traits on clinical outcomes in a sample of 185 outpatients seeking treatment at a University-based community psychology clinic. AMPD personality traits Disinhibition and Antagonism predicted an increase in...
Show moreThe official nosology of psychiatric disorders (DSM-5) includes a primarily dimensional operationalization of personality pathology, the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), in its latest edition. The present study examines the impact of DSM-5 AMPD Criterion B personality traits on clinical outcomes in a sample of 185 outpatients seeking treatment at a University-based community psychology clinic. AMPD personality traits Disinhibition and Antagonism predicted an increase in missed sessions over the course of therapy, as did dimensionally-assessed borderline PD, antisocial PD, and narcissistic PD. Trait Detachment had a quadratic relationship with premature termination, where individuals in the high and low range of the Detachment distribution had increased risk of premature termination compared with individuals with moderate levels of Detachment. As in previous research, AMPD personality traits successfully predicted which individuals were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder via standard diagnostic criteria. The current study's findings demonstrate that DSM-5 personality traits can be used to identify individuals at increased risk for missed sessions and premature termination and provide a way forward for clinicians to begin incorporating dimensional personality assessment in clinical practice.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Strickland_fsu_0071E_15424
Format: Thesis

Title: Mechanisms of Oxytocin Regulation of Sensory Processing and Sociality in Mice and Humans.
Creator: Tabbaa, Manal, Hammock, Elizabeth Anne Dunn, Gunjan, Akash, Patrick, Christopher J., Wang, Zuoxin, Stanwood, Gregg, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreTabbaa, Manal, Hammock, Elizabeth Anne Dunn, Gunjan, Akash, Patrick, Christopher J., Wang, Zuoxin, Stanwood, Gregg, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Social behaviors are foundational to our society and quality of life while social behavioral deficits are core symptoms in a variety of psychopathologies. Yet, despite the significance for human health, the neural mechanisms that regulate social behavior are incompletely characterized. Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuro-active hormone that has been well-studied over the last several decades and shown to regulate social behaviors. The OXT system interacts with early life environment and an individual's...
Show moreSocial behaviors are foundational to our society and quality of life while social behavioral deficits are core symptoms in a variety of psychopathologies. Yet, despite the significance for human health, the neural mechanisms that regulate social behavior are incompletely characterized. Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuro-active hormone that has been well-studied over the last several decades and shown to regulate social behaviors. The OXT system interacts with early life environment and an individual's genotype to regulate social behaviors in a sexually dimorphic manner. Chapter 1 describes background information on the role of OXT in social behaviors. Thereafter, research on the developmental role of OXT is discussed. Chapter 1 ends with the proposal of a novel mechanism by which socially acquired OXT may regulate social behaviors. In chapters 2-5, experiments are described which aim to empirically test this central hypothesis. In chapter 2, a functional role for oxytocin receptors (OXTR) in the oronasal cavity were investigated in developing mice as a potential mechanism by which OXT can interact with early life sensory experience to regulate brain activity and behavior. OXTRs have recently been characterized in the periphery of developing mice that appear to be located on sensory apparatuses. We tested the effects of orally applied OXT, compared to saline, on a marker of neural activation, c-Fos, in sensory processing brain regions and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). To test the effects of orally applied OXT on sensory-dependent brain activity, we also brushed the whiskers of mice after OXT or saline treatment in a separate experiment. Orally administered OXT, compared to saline, increased c-Fos in the PVN, and decreased c-Fos activity in sensory processing brain regions after whisker brushing. Additionally, orally applied OXT, compared to saline, with whisker brushing decreased Fos in the trigeminal motor nucleus as well as oral-motor behavior of females. Compared to saline, oral OXT with whisker brushing also increased males long distance locomotor behavior. These data support the possibility of a functional role for OXT acting on oronasal OXTR to modulate the brain and behavior in developing mice. In chapter 3, the idea of OXT exchange between conspecifics as a potential driver of social behaviors was tested by examining the preference of male and female mice towards OXT containing social stimuli. Male and female mice showed a preference to investigate same-sex mice that contained OXT versus OXT knock-out (KO) mice. Next, we tested if mice prefer OXT KO bedding containing OXT versus saline and found that males prefer female OXT KO bedding with OXT compared to saline. Finally, we tested the role of OXTR in sensory ganglia in the social preference of live mice by using transgenic mice breeding strategies to selectively knock out OXTR in sensory ganglia. We found that female mice lacking sensory OXTR (OXTRsensory KO) had reduced social investigation levels compared to their wild-type (OXTRsensory WT) litter mates. The role of OXTR in sensory ganglia in social behaviors was further tested in chapter 4 by examining sociability, preference for social novelty, and aggression in OXTRsensory WT and KO mice. OXTRsensory KO females had reduced approach behaviors during the sociability test, compared to OXTRsensory WT females. Altogether, data from chapters 2-4 indicate that environmentally acquired OXT can regulate brain activity and influence behaviors. In addition, mice preferred other mice that contain OXT over OXT KO mice, but not same-sex OXT KO bedding with OXT over saline. These data suggest that preference for an OXT containing live same-sex conspecific may be due to an interaction between OXT and social sensory signals rather than OXT alone. Lastly, these data indicate that OXTRs in sensory ganglia are an important regulator of social behaviors, particularly for females. Finally, in chapter 5, we aimed to explore the translational significance of these findings by examining if variation in the OXTR gene is associated with variation in social sensory processing in humans, with significance for trait meanness. We genotyped the common OXTR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs1042778 and rs53576 in male and female participants that had brain event related potentials (ERP) recorded in response to viewing affective faces. We found that females homozygous for the OXTR SNP rs1042778 G allele had enhanced fear-specific brain responses compared to T allele carriers. Additionally, the rs53576 A allele was associated with higher ERP amplitudes to face stimuli, but not scrambled faces, compared to GG allele carriers. Further, OXTR SNPs rs1042778 and rs53576 interacted to predict trait meanness in females. These data implicate OXTR gene variability in the etiology of sensory processing variation in the brain as well as trait meanness. A summary of results as well as implications and suggestions for future research are discussed in chapter 6.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Tabbaa_fsu_0071E_15376
Format: Thesis

Title: The Processes Underlying Ran Predicting Reading Fluency.
Creator: Edwards, Ashley Ann, Schatschneider, Christopher, Hart, Sara, Cabell, Sonia Q., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Previous research has shown rapid serial naming to be predictive of reading fluency, although the mechanisms underlying this connection are much less established. Despite the strong relationship with rapid serial naming (RAN), oral reading fluency is much less predicted by isolated naming (IN). Since the requirements involved in completing these tasks are similar, yet differ in their predictive abilities, the sources of this predictive power must lay in the differences between these tasks....
Show morePrevious research has shown rapid serial naming to be predictive of reading fluency, although the mechanisms underlying this connection are much less established. Despite the strong relationship with rapid serial naming (RAN), oral reading fluency is much less predicted by isolated naming (IN). Since the requirements involved in completing these tasks are similar, yet differ in their predictive abilities, the sources of this predictive power must lay in the differences between these tasks. The present study investigates these differences to attempt to determine the specific underlying processes that make rapid serial naming predictive of reading fluency. Results showed no significant difference in correlation with the addition of an underline to a RAN task to help keep track of the current location and location tracking did not mediate the relationship between RAN and ORF suggesting that individual differences in location tracking abilities may not explain the relationship between RAN and ORF. Furthermore, no significant difference in correlation was observed between ORF and IN and ORF and either of the cluttered IN tasks. This suggests that the cluttered visual scene may not explain the difference in ability to predict ORF between IN and RAN. Lastly, no difference in correlation with ORF was observed for three different IN gap sizes. Implications of these unexpected findings are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Edwards_fsu_0071N_15289
Format: Thesis

Title: Differential Effects of Emotional State on Physiological Arousal and Pain Perception among Individuals Who Enagage in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury.
Creator: Ennis, Chelsea R. (Chelsea Rhianon), Taylor, Jeanette E., Joiner, Thomas, Franklin, Joseph, Boot, Walter Richard, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreEnnis, Chelsea R. (Chelsea Rhianon), Taylor, Jeanette E., Joiner, Thomas, Franklin, Joseph, Boot, Walter Richard, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Individuals engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) to decrease intense negative emotions. Notably, self-injurers are more likely to engage in NSSI in the context of certain emotions (i.e., anger, rejection, guilt). This may be partially explained by the fact that anger is related to increased physiological arousal relative to other emotions (i.e., sadness). However, this hypothesis has yet to be tested among those who engage in NSSI. The current study addressed gaps in the literature...
Show moreIndividuals engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) to decrease intense negative emotions. Notably, self-injurers are more likely to engage in NSSI in the context of certain emotions (i.e., anger, rejection, guilt). This may be partially explained by the fact that anger is related to increased physiological arousal relative to other emotions (i.e., sadness). However, this hypothesis has yet to be tested among those who engage in NSSI. The current study addressed gaps in the literature regarding the effect of specific emotions on physiological arousal and pain perception by inducing several emotional states, including anger, sadness, happiness, and a neutral emotion. Hypotheses were tested among 92 females with a history of NSSI. The hypotheses that participants in the anger condition would have the highest physiological arousal during the emotion induction and following pain offset was not supported. Additionally, the hypothesis that individuals in the anger condition (relative to the other emotion conditions) would have significantly higher pain threshold, pain tolerance, and pain endurance, and significantly decreased pain threshold intensity was also not supported. The current investigation is the first study to examine the interplay between emotions, arousal, and pain among those who engage in NSSI and has several implications.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Ennis_fsu_0071E_15309
Format: Thesis

Title: Self-Photo Editing and Its Effect on Eating Disorder Risk in College Students.
Creator: Wick, Madeline Renée, Keel, Pamela K., Joiner, Thomas, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Social media has been implicated as a correlate and a cause of increased disordered eating in men and women. Yet, little is known about how specific aspects of social media impact eating disorder pathology. Through utilization of a two-stage study, including a large correlational design and an experimental design, the present study sought to determine how posting photos of the self that have been edited (self-photo editing) on Instagram relates to disordered eating in male and female college...
Show moreSocial media has been implicated as a correlate and a cause of increased disordered eating in men and women. Yet, little is known about how specific aspects of social media impact eating disorder pathology. Through utilization of a two-stage study, including a large correlational design and an experimental design, the present study sought to determine how posting photos of the self that have been edited (self-photo editing) on Instagram relates to disordered eating in male and female college students. In the first stage, the association between disordered eating and self-photo editing was examined in a large sample of undergraduates. Participants for the second stage were regular self-photo editors who were randomly assigned to either edit or not edit a photo of themselves and post or not post that photo on Instagram. Assessments of momentary levels of eating disorder risk factors and urges to engage in exercise and dietary restraint were taken before and after the experimental manipulation and at 24-hour follow-up. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess editing, posting, and their interaction as predictors of changes in eating disorder risk factors and features across time points. While those who self-photo edit have higher levels of disordered eating than those who do not, anxiety symptoms were similarly increased in self-photo editors. Experimental results showed no causal associations between self-photo editing and disordered eating, but did demonstrate causal associations between posting and anxiety. Results suggest that anxiety symptoms, rather than disordered eating, are significantly impacted by posting photos of the self, whether or not photos are edited. Examining the impact of social media use may represent an important avenue for future anxiety research.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Wick_fsu_0071N_15435
Format: Thesis

Title: Examining Action Effects in Language Processing.
Creator: Madden, Julie, Kaschak, Michael P., Wood, Carla, Boot, Walter Richard, Conway, Paul, Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreMadden, Julie, Kaschak, Michael P., Wood, Carla, Boot, Walter Richard, Conway, Paul, Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Embodied cognition, which stresses the intertwined nature of the perceptual-motor system and cognitive processes (Willems & Francken, 2012), has been a prominent area of focus in replication failures and the broader discussion of the validity of an embodied theory of cognition. What follows is an attempt to assess the effectiveness of one of the early behavioral measures (the Action-sentence Compatibility Effect, Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002), which served as an existence proof for embodied...
Show moreEmbodied cognition, which stresses the intertwined nature of the perceptual-motor system and cognitive processes (Willems & Francken, 2012), has been a prominent area of focus in replication failures and the broader discussion of the validity of an embodied theory of cognition. What follows is an attempt to assess the effectiveness of one of the early behavioral measures (the Action-sentence Compatibility Effect, Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002), which served as an existence proof for embodied cognition. The original task was replicated, and extended, in order to address underlying cognitive mechanisms that may play a more central role to the theory than previously thought. The role of memory and attention were directly manipulated in order to assess their impact on the magnitude of the ACE measurement. The results are discussed, giving context and insight to the task specifically, as well as what these results mean to the embodied cognition theory overall.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Madden_fsu_0071E_15419
Format: Thesis

Title: An Investigation of Mathematics Language and Its Relation with Mathematics and Reading.
Creator: McGraw, Amanda Lee, Kaschak, Michael P., Jakubowski, Elizabeth M., Ganley, Colleen M., Boot, Walter Richard, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of...
Show moreMcGraw, Amanda Lee, Kaschak, Michael P., Jakubowski, Elizabeth M., Ganley, Colleen M., Boot, Walter Richard, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Unlike mathematical ability, mathematical language consists of terminology that is necessary to understand and participate in mathematical tasks. More recently, research indicates that mathematical language is vital for mathematic performance. Research examining mathematical language may help us better understand the long-established relation between mathematical performance and literacy. Further, little is known about potential correlations of mathematical language. Here, I will examine the...
Show moreUnlike mathematical ability, mathematical language consists of terminology that is necessary to understand and participate in mathematical tasks. More recently, research indicates that mathematical language is vital for mathematic performance. Research examining mathematical language may help us better understand the long-established relation between mathematical performance and literacy. Further, little is known about potential correlations of mathematical language. Here, I will examine the relation between mathematical language with socioeconomic status (SES) and math anxiety. I find that both mathematical language and reading ability predict mathematics performance, but reading ability is the stronger predictor. Finally, both socioeconomic status and math anxiety are significant predictors of mathematical language.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_McGraw_fsu_0071E_15423
Format: Thesis

Title: Reward Sensitivity and Stress as Predictors of Antenatal Depression.
Creator: Mulligan, Elizabeth M., Proudfit, Greg Hajcak, Meyer, Alexandria, Eckel, Lisa A., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Recent research suggests that stress and reward insensitivity may interact to confer risk for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, no study has yet examined stress and reward sensitivity, and their interaction, in the context of risk for antenatal depression (i.e., depression in pregnancy). The present study is the first study to examine whether the neural response to reward (i.e., the Reward Positivity, or RewP), stress exposure as indexed by hair cortisol and self-report, and their...
Show moreRecent research suggests that stress and reward insensitivity may interact to confer risk for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, no study has yet examined stress and reward sensitivity, and their interaction, in the context of risk for antenatal depression (i.e., depression in pregnancy). The present study is the first study to examine whether the neural response to reward (i.e., the Reward Positivity, or RewP), stress exposure as indexed by hair cortisol and self-report, and their interaction, are associated with antenatal depressive symptoms and/or categorical diagnoses of MDD, above and beyond self-report measures of psychosocial risk for perinatal depression. To this end, the present study examined cross-sectional associations between biological and psychosocial measures obtained in pregnancy, such as RewP amplitude, hair cortisol concentration, self-reported psychosocial risk factors (i.e., past major depressive episodes (MDE) and scores on a psychosocial risk factor questionnaire), and concurrent depressive symptoms and diagnoses. While the RewP was unrelated to stress exposure and to continuous depressive symptoms, and stress did not moderate associations between the RewP and continuous or categorical depression, associations were revealed between stress exposure and continuous depression, as well as between the RewP and categorical depression. Furthermore, the RewP and scores on self-report measure of common psychosocial risk factors for perinatal depression were identified in a logistic regression as independent predictors of antenatal diagnoses of MDD, and together predicted 37 percent of the variance in likelihood of MDD diagnosis. The present study provides novel evidence that the RewP is associated with MDD diagnoses in women in the antenatal period and highlights the need for further research investigating the RewP as a prospective predictor of risk for perinatal increases in depression.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Mulligan_fsu_0071N_15436
Format: Thesis

Title: Randomized Control Trial Examining the Efficacy of an IU-Focused Psychoeducation Intervention.
Creator: Oglesby, Mary E., Schmidt, Norman B., Joiner, Thomas, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreOglesby, Mary E., Schmidt, Norman B., Joiner, Thomas, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million Americans and represent a significant public health and individual burden. The existing literature supports intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as an important transdiagnostic risk factor in the development and maintenance of anxiety-related disorders. Individuals high in IU react negatively to uncertainty, believe they are unable to cope with future unknowns, and consider uncertainty itself threatening. Given the robust association between IU and...
Show moreAnxiety disorders affect more than 40 million Americans and represent a significant public health and individual burden. The existing literature supports intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as an important transdiagnostic risk factor in the development and maintenance of anxiety-related disorders. Individuals high in IU react negatively to uncertainty, believe they are unable to cope with future unknowns, and consider uncertainty itself threatening. Given the robust association between IU and anxiety-related disorders, developing interventions designed to reduce IU is important. Experimental research has shown that IU can be mitigated; however, the extant work has yet to design and examine the efficacy of a comprehensive IU-focused intervention. The aim of the current proposal was to develop and test the efficacy of a brief IU-focused psychoeducation intervention in comparison to a control intervention. The sample consisted of 84 undergraduate individuals with elevated levels of IU as measured by the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Short Form (IUS-12). Participants were randomly assigned to the active (IU-focused Psychoeducation) or control (Health-focused Psychoeducation) condition. Results revealed that the active condition did not lead to reductions in IU from pre- to post-intervention or from pre-intervention to week one follow-up. However, IU was significantly reduced from pre-intervention to month one follow-up in the active condition in comparison to control. This same of pattern of findings was found at month one follow-up within the active condition for symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and levels of negative affect. Results of the present study are discussed in terms of clinical implications and directions for future research.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Oglesby_fsu_0071E_14619
Format: Thesis

Title: Suicide-Related Internet Use's Effects on Suicide Risk and Fearlessness about Death.
Creator: Ringer, Fallon B., Joiner, Thomas, Franklin, Joseph, Plant, Ashby, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Examining suicide risk in the context of new technological advances is vital to informing suicide prevention efforts. Previous research has shown associations between internet use for harmful suicide-related purposes (e.g., increasing knowledge about lethal means) and higher suicide risk. The current study examined these associations by testing the relationship between harmful suicide-related internet use and higher suicide risk in a longitudinal design among a sample of undergraduates (n =...
Show moreExamining suicide risk in the context of new technological advances is vital to informing suicide prevention efforts. Previous research has shown associations between internet use for harmful suicide-related purposes (e.g., increasing knowledge about lethal means) and higher suicide risk. The current study examined these associations by testing the relationship between harmful suicide-related internet use and higher suicide risk in a longitudinal design among a sample of undergraduates (n = 44, 75% female, 63.6% White/Caucasian/European American, 75% Heterosexual/Straight) and a sample of current and former military personnel (n = 88, 78.4% male, 69.3% White/Caucasian/European American, 55.7% Heterosexual/Straight). The research examined the association between baseline suicidal ideation, baseline suicide intent, number of previous suicide attempts, fearlessness about death, implicit suicide risk, and harmful suicide-related internet use. The study also examined whether harmful-suicide related internet use predicts higher suicidal ideation, higher suicide intent, increased fearlessness about death, and larger implicit associations between the self and suicide/death at a four-week follow-up. Findings did not support the effects of harmful suicide-related internet use on outcomes associated with suicide or fearlessness about death in either sample; however, results were limited by the small sample size and inconsistent responding. Further studies are needed to further clarify the role of harmful suicide-related internet use and suicide risk.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Ringer_fsu_0071N_15446
Format: Thesis

Title: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia to Reduce Substance Use Disorder Risk.
Creator: Short, Nicole A. (Nicole Amai), Schmidt, Norman B., Winegardner, Mark, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Hart, Sara, Joiner, Thomas, Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreShort, Nicole A. (Nicole Amai), Schmidt, Norman B., Winegardner, Mark, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Hart, Sara, Joiner, Thomas, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a prevalent and impairing condition, particularly among trauma exposed individuals. The current proposal aimed to address the critical need for targeted direct SUD prevention in this population by intervening on a novel, malleable risk factor for SUD common among trauma-exposed individuals: sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance prospectively predicts the development of SUD and may confer risk for SUD by increasing stress reactivity, decreasing decision-making...
Show moreSubstance use disorders (SUDs) are a prevalent and impairing condition, particularly among trauma exposed individuals. The current proposal aimed to address the critical need for targeted direct SUD prevention in this population by intervening on a novel, malleable risk factor for SUD common among trauma-exposed individuals: sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance prospectively predicts the development of SUD and may confer risk for SUD by increasing stress reactivity, decreasing decision-making abilities, and ultimately promoting substance use to relieve negative affect, a core etiological factor in SUD. However, to our knowledge, no experimental studies have determined whether improving sleep leads to reductions in SUD risk. As such, the current study used a randomized controlled trial design to test the effects of brief behavioral treatment for insomnia (BBTI) against a waitlist control among a sample of trauma-exposed young adults with poor sleep and risk for SUD (N = 68). Results indicated that BBTI was more effective than the waitlist control in reducing self-reported insomnia symptoms and sleep efficiency at Post-intervention, with medium to large effect sizes. Furthermore, reductions in insomnia symptoms mediated treatment effects on reducing coping-oriented cannabis use, PTSD symptoms, and cannabis-related problems. Future research should replicate these results in a larger sample, with longer-term follow-ups and improved retention rates. Overall, BBTI is a promising intervention for reducing insomnia symptoms, and, in turn, coping-oriented cannabis use, cannabis problems, and PTSD symptoms in at-risk cannabis users.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Summer_Short_fsu_0071E_14983
Format: Thesis

Title: When Buying Milk, Do You Care about the Cow?: Developing and Validating a Measure of Focus on Ethical Considerations.
Creator: Velasquez, Kassidy R. (Kassidy Renae), Conway, Paul, Maner, Jon K., Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: People differ in the degree to which they focus on the ethical aspects of daily experiences. Past work operationalizes such differences using general, abstract items focused on perceiving and deliberating about moral conflict, but this conception may not capture the full psychological experience of morality, leading to problems with predictive validity. We built on past work to create a new measure, the Focus on Ethical Considerations (FEC) scale, which focuses on concrete moral experiences...
Show morePeople differ in the degree to which they focus on the ethical aspects of daily experiences. Past work operationalizes such differences using general, abstract items focused on perceiving and deliberating about moral conflict, but this conception may not capture the full psychological experience of morality, leading to problems with predictive validity. We built on past work to create a new measure, the Focus on Ethical Considerations (FEC) scale, which focuses on concrete moral experiences whether or not they involve conflict, allows for intuition and emotion, and invites relative rather than absolute judgments, in a bid to increase construct and predictive validity. Across three studies, the FEC scale improved upon the predictive accuracy of the moral attentiveness scale for relevant measures such as moral identity, the moralization of everyday life, and empathic concern, although moral attentiveness predicted need for cognition better than the FEC. Moreover, although both moral attentiveness and the FEC predicted rejection of causing outcome-maximizing harm in conventional sacrificial moral dilemmas, a process dissociation analysis revealed that moral attentiveness predicted reduced moral concerns about outcomes whereas the FEC predicted increased moral concerns about harm. Together, these findings suggest that the FEC scale improves upon past measures for capturing individual differences in moral considerations, and that chronic moral appraisal involves more than cognitive recognition of conflict.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Velasquez_fsu_0071N_15101
Format: Thesis

Title: The Influence of Disturbing Dreams on One's Acquired Capability for Suicide.
Creator: Schneider, Matthew, Joiner, Thomas, Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Background: Prior studies have shown a strong association between disturbing dreams and suicidal ideation and behaviors, but the pathways connecting them have not been well characterized. The systemic desensitization theory of dreams would suggest that the acquired capability for suicide, specifically the fearlessness about death component, could further explain these pathways. Hypothesis: More intense suicidal ideation will lead to more severe suicidal behaviors through a three-step...
Show moreBackground: Prior studies have shown a strong association between disturbing dreams and suicidal ideation and behaviors, but the pathways connecting them have not been well characterized. The systemic desensitization theory of dreams would suggest that the acquired capability for suicide, specifically the fearlessness about death component, could further explain these pathways. Hypothesis: More intense suicidal ideation will lead to more severe suicidal behaviors through a three-step mediation of more severe nightmares and greater acquired capability for suicide. However only for those with lower levels of anxiety sensitivity will the more severe nightmares lead to greater acquired capability for suicide and suicidal behaviors. Methods: Mediation and moderation regression analysis were completed through secondary analysis of data for two studies, and primary data collection and analysis was done through a third study. 647 participants filled out self-report questionnaires as part of intake data at a southeastern university’s psychology clinic for the first study (mean age 27.4, 62.1% female). 1143 participants from various branches of the military filled out the self-report questionnaires as part of the Military Suicide Research Consortium for the second study (mean age 29.34, 16.6% female). 251 participants were recruited through Amazon MTurk and filled out the self-report questionnaires (mean age 34.0, 38.6% female). Mediation and moderation regression analysis were then completed for a third online study, which tested additional mediators and moderators. Results: The hypotheses were partially supported across the various studies. Within the sample collected for the sake of this project, the effects were the strongest. There was evidence that dreams involving death specifically were related to higher fearlessness about death from suicide, although not higher fearlessness about death more generally. Ruminative thinking patterns moderated this interaction, such that less rumination strengthened the relationship between dreams about death and fearlessness about death from suicide. Limitations: Limitations include the inability to detect causality due to a cross-sectional design, as well as the lack of generalizability to older or suicidal samples. Conclusions: These findings further explain the pathways linking disturbing dreams to suicidal ideation through adding in fearlessness about death and acquired capability with rehearsal for suicide as mediators. They also establish the moderating role of ruminative thinking as an explanatory mechanism between dreams and fearlessness about death.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Schneider_fsu_0071N_15236
Format: Thesis

Title: Lateral Septal GLP-1 Pathways.
Creator: Terrill, Sarah J. (Sarah Joyce), Williams, Diana L., Panton, Lynn B. (Lynn Bishop)‏, Spector, Alan C., Fadool, Debra Ann, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University,...
Show moreTerrill, Sarah J. (Sarah Joyce), Williams, Diana L., Panton, Lynn B. (Lynn Bishop)‏, Spector, Alan C., Fadool, Debra Ann, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Hindbrain glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) neurons project to numerous forebrain areas, including the lateral septum (LS). Here, we propose this pathway represents a direct link between satiation processing and food reward, as LS-projecting GLP-1 neurons directly connect vagal afferent signaling to a reward-related brain region. The four studies presented in this dissertation broadly address the contribution of LS GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1R) in the control of feeding behavior under both non...
Show moreHindbrain glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) neurons project to numerous forebrain areas, including the lateral septum (LS). Here, we propose this pathway represents a direct link between satiation processing and food reward, as LS-projecting GLP-1 neurons directly connect vagal afferent signaling to a reward-related brain region. The four studies presented in this dissertation broadly address the contribution of LS GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1R) in the control of feeding behavior under both non-stressed and stressed conditions in rats and mice. We first confirmed that pharmacologic activation of LS GLP-1R suppresses feeding. When we blocked these receptors rats and mice, we found that endogenous activation of LS GLP-1R promotes satiety. Because the LS is known to play a role in motivation, we next investigated the role of LS GLP-1R in motivation for food by examining operant responding for sucrose on a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. Our findings here suggest that GLP-1R in the dorsal subregion of the LS (dLS) affect motivation for food in both rats and mice. While we initially focused on the role of GLP-1 under normal, non-stressed conditions, central GLP-1 is also involved in behavioral and endocrine responses to stress. Here we demonstrated for the first time that restraint stress robustly activates hindbrain GLP-1-producing neurons in mice and found that LS GLP-1R blockade attenuates 30-min restraint stress-induced hypophagia in both rats and mice. LS neurons project to several other brain regions known to play a critical role in the control of food intake. In the final study, we determined the distinct axonal targets of LS GLP-1R bearing neurons. This anatomical analysis begins to unravel the downstream circuitry of GLP-1 signaling in the LS and has revealed candidate neural pathways through which LS GLP-1 signaling may alter food intake and other behavioral responses to stress. Together, the results presented in this dissertation provide clear evidence that there is in fact significant overlap in the neural pathways that mediate satiation signaling and food reward.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Terrill_fsu_0071E_14992
Format: Thesis

Title: The Causes and Consequences of Being Reminded.
Creator: Gray, Nicholas Daniel, Kelley, Colleen M., Sunderman, Gretchen L., Boot, Walter Richard, Johnson, Frank, Kaschak, Michael P., Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreGray, Nicholas Daniel, Kelley, Colleen M., Sunderman, Gretchen L., Boot, Walter Richard, Johnson, Frank, Kaschak, Michael P., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Surprisingly little research has examined the phenomenon of being reminded, or having a prior experience come to mind during a current, related experience. Remindings are a regular occurrence in daily life and they can be beneficial for maintaining memories of both the item that one is being reminded of and the item triggering the reminding. In situations where interference would be expected to occur between similar memories, reminding can not only protect against interference, but it can...
Show moreSurprisingly little research has examined the phenomenon of being reminded, or having a prior experience come to mind during a current, related experience. Remindings are a regular occurrence in daily life and they can be beneficial for maintaining memories of both the item that one is being reminded of and the item triggering the reminding. In situations where interference would be expected to occur between similar memories, reminding can not only protect against interference, but it can also create facilitation of memory. I discuss research detailing the impact of reminding as well as the limited research done to understand what influences rates of reminding. In a series of four experiments I probe these influences, revealing a significant impact of word frequency, context variability, and imageability on rates of reminding. Alternatively, animacy and distinctiveness were not found to impact reminding in the current A-B, A-D paradigm.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Gray_fsu_0071E_15148
Format: Thesis

Title: It's Not You, It's Me: Implicitly Assessed Partner Attitudes Predict Mood but Not Interpersonal Evaluations.
Creator: Turner, Jordan A., McNulty, James, Meltzer, Andrea L., Proudfit, Greg Hajcak, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Although automatic partner attitudes are a critical predictor of long-term relationship outcomes, we know very little about their more immediate implications. Different theoretical perspectives suggest different possibilities—automatic partner attitudes may predict (a) daily interpersonal judgments, (b) judgments of alternative sources, such as mood, or (c) no daily judgments if these attitudes are unconscious. We assessed automatic partner attitudes implicitly and interpersonal evaluations...
Show moreAlthough automatic partner attitudes are a critical predictor of long-term relationship outcomes, we know very little about their more immediate implications. Different theoretical perspectives suggest different possibilities—automatic partner attitudes may predict (a) daily interpersonal judgments, (b) judgments of alternative sources, such as mood, or (c) no daily judgments if these attitudes are unconscious. We assessed automatic partner attitudes implicitly and interpersonal evaluations and mood via self-report for 14 days in a sample of newlywed couples. More negative partner attitudes were associated with more negative daily mood and less positive daily mood but not daily evaluations of the relationship over the 14 days. These findings suggest that people (a) do have access to the content of automatic evaluations but may not always realize their source but (b) may protect desired beliefs by explaining away automatic evaluations that are undesirable.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Turner_fsu_0071N_15068
Format: Thesis

Title: Factors Underlying Conceptual Change in the Sciences and Social Sciences.
Creator: Yazbec, Angele, Kaschak, Michael P., Wood, Carla, Borovsky, Arielle, Boot, Walter Richard, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreYazbec, Angele, Kaschak, Michael P., Wood, Carla, Borovsky, Arielle, Boot, Walter Richard, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Learning in the sciences is difficult for students from elementary school to university due to misconceptions, or incorrect prior knowledge, interfering with the acquisition of new knowledge. The process of replacing previously incorrect ideas with new and accurate ones is referred to as conceptual change. Which factors and to what extent they facilitate the conceptual change is debated. This study primarily investigates two key components to conceptual change in scientific knowledge: text...
Show moreLearning in the sciences is difficult for students from elementary school to university due to misconceptions, or incorrect prior knowledge, interfering with the acquisition of new knowledge. The process of replacing previously incorrect ideas with new and accurate ones is referred to as conceptual change. Which factors and to what extent they facilitate the conceptual change is debated. This study primarily investigates two key components to conceptual change in scientific knowledge: text style and epistemic beliefs. We also explored additional contributions of individual differences in prior knowledge, reading ability, and working memory. 157 college students completed a two-part, within subjects design study in which they completed pretests, read passages addressing a misconception, completed posttests, and were assessed on a battery of the individual difference measures. We noted conceptual change on the posttest, but individual readers appeared to respond to the text differently.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Yazbec_fsu_0071E_14683
Format: Thesis

Title: Two Sides of the Same Coin: Influences on Biracial Identification.
Creator: Krusemark, Danielle R., Plant, Ashby, McNulty, James, Hart, Sara, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: We propose a model of biracial identification that incorporates biracial individuals’ closeness to each racial group of their background, the biracial individuals’ engagement with the culture associated with each racial group of their background, and others’ perceptions of the biracial individual’s racial identity as predictors. In testing our model, we set out to (1) examine multiple predictors simultaneously, (2) include biracial individuals’ personal identity-related behavior (i.e.,...
Show moreWe propose a model of biracial identification that incorporates biracial individuals’ closeness to each racial group of their background, the biracial individuals’ engagement with the culture associated with each racial group of their background, and others’ perceptions of the biracial individual’s racial identity as predictors. In testing our model, we set out to (1) examine multiple predictors simultaneously, (2) include biracial individuals’ personal identity-related behavior (i.e., cultural engagement) as a predictor, (3) rigorously test our model across multiple different assessments of biracial identification, and (4) investigate antecedents of the predictors of biracial identification in an attempt to clarify the literature. Study 1’s findings support previous research and demonstrate that closeness and others’ perceptions were important predictors of Black/White biracial identity. Study 2’s findings demonstrate that explicit biracial identification among Latino(a)/Caucasian individuals was predicted by how others perceive the biracial individual, how close the biracial individual was to Latino(a) people, and how often the biracial individual engaged with Latino(a) culture (via speaking Spanish). Our results hold implications for altering biracial identification and biracial individuals’ behavior with members of their parents’ races.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Krusemark_fsu_0071N_15235
Format: Thesis

Title: Disengagement Training for the Treatment of Pathological Worry: A Preliminary Test.
Creator: McDermott, Katherine A., Cougle, Jesse R. (Jesse Ray), Schmidt, Norman B., Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Pathological worry is characterized by an inability to distract or disengage from worry, and this uncontrollability is the defining feature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD; Ruscio & Borkovec, 2004). Several interventions, including stimulus control (McGowan & Behar, 2013) and thought replacement (Eagleson, Hayes, Mathews, Perman, & Hirsch, 2016), have attempted to target disengagement from worry by restricting worry as soon as it begins. However, these interventions have not targeted...
Show morePathological worry is characterized by an inability to distract or disengage from worry, and this uncontrollability is the defining feature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD; Ruscio & Borkovec, 2004). Several interventions, including stimulus control (McGowan & Behar, 2013) and thought replacement (Eagleson, Hayes, Mathews, Perman, & Hirsch, 2016), have attempted to target disengagement from worry by restricting worry as soon as it begins. However, these interventions have not targeted disengagement from worry once participants have fully engaged with it, nor do they involve cultivating alternative topics to compete with worry. The present study assessed a novel computerized treatment designed to train disengagement from worry. Participants with pathological worry (N = 50) were randomized to three sessions of Worry Disengagement Training (WDT) or a waitlist control. Across six sessions, participants in the WDT condition alternated between writing about their worry and positive writing. WDT led to increased ability to disengage from in vivo worry on a breath focus task, resulting in both fewer negative intrusions (B = -.29, p = .02; sr2 = .08) and lower self-reported worry (B = -.49, p < .001, sr2 = .25) during the task. Relative to waitlist, WDT also led to lower self-reported worry (PSWQ; B = -.36, p = .001, sr2 = .14) and depressive symptoms (B = -.25, p = .02, sr2 = .07). These effects remained in the subset of participants meeting criteria for GAD. WDT did not appear to impact more behavioral symptoms of GAD or anxious arousal. In summary, WDT may be effective in increasing disengagement ability and reducing worry and depression among those with pathological worry. Future research directions are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_McDermott_fsu_0071N_15050
Format: Thesis

Title: Using Frequency Tagging to Study the Effect of Category Learning on Visual Attention to Object Parts.
Creator: Meng, Yue, Folstein, Jonathan R., Boot, Walter Richard, Proudfit, Greg Hajcak, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Subordinate-level category learning is known to cause changes in attentional modulation for learned stimuli outside of the category learning task. In our current study we investigated how visual attention changes after training on categorization. In Experiment 1, participants were trained over six sessions to categorize a set of space plant stimuli based on three out of six features. In the following Steady-state EEG session, categorization-relevant features and categorization-irrelevant...
Show moreSubordinate-level category learning is known to cause changes in attentional modulation for learned stimuli outside of the category learning task. In our current study we investigated how visual attention changes after training on categorization. In Experiment 1, participants were trained over six sessions to categorize a set of space plant stimuli based on three out of six features. In the following Steady-state EEG session, categorization-relevant features and categorization-irrelevant features were frequency-tagged. On each trial, participants were cued to monitor either relevant features or irrelevant features of a space plant from the trained stimulus set to detect the onset of a small red dot, they performed the same task on another set of untrained stimuli as well. We found an attentional effect on all attended features regardless of their relevancy to categorization or training status. In Experiment 2 we tested whether it was simply easy to attend to the cued features even without training and additionally tested whether object-based attention mechanisms affected the effect of attention on the steady state EEG. Participants performed the same target detection task on the same two sets of stimuli, and two additional sets of stimuli were created by modifying the original sets so that the exemplars were composed of individual parts instead of being whole objects. In untrained participants, there was no significant difference between steady state frequencies of attended and unattended features in any condition, suggesting that effects of training might have generalized to untrained stimuli in Experiment 1. Combining results from both Experiment 1 and 2, the attentional effect in Experiment 1 could come from a flexible spatial attention template or enhanced push-pull mechanisms of spatial attention.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Meng_fsu_0071N_15230
Format: Thesis

Title: Agreement between Parent and Teacher Ratings of Problem Behaviors: The Role of Children's Executive Function.
Creator: Osborne, Colleen M., Lonigan, Christopher J., Kofler, Michael J., Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Discrepancies between parent and teacher ratings of problem behaviors have been reported consistently throughout the literature. This study is built on the Attribution Bias Context Model, which suggests that the differences in the ratings of behavior may reflect different observable behaviors across contexts rather than different interpretations of the behavior by the informants. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which discrepancies in parents’ and teachers’ ratings of...
Show moreDiscrepancies between parent and teacher ratings of problem behaviors have been reported consistently throughout the literature. This study is built on the Attribution Bias Context Model, which suggests that the differences in the ratings of behavior may reflect different observable behaviors across contexts rather than different interpretations of the behavior by the informants. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which discrepancies in parents’ and teachers’ ratings of behaviors of young children were associated with children’s executive function (EF). Using a sample of 125 children attending first and second grade in North Florida, EF was directly assessed using a battery of EF measures that was developed for use with this age group, and both parents and teachers completed the Strengths and Weakness of ADHD-related and Normal Behavior (SWAN) questionnaire and Connors Teacher Rating Scale-15 (CTRS) to assess problem behaviors. Quantile regression was used to assess the changes in the relation of the discrepancy between parent and teacher ratings of externalizing problem behaviors and the children’s level of EF using a difference score for each subscale of both questionnaires. Although results from the SWAN inattention subscale were consistent with the hypothesis, results from other subscales and the CTRS were not consistent with the hypothesis. Scores for the Dimension Change Card Sorting (DCCS) task was significantly related to all of the difference scores except for both hyperactivity/impulsivity subscales.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Osborne_fsu_0071N_15021
Format: Thesis

Title: Novel Sites of Oxytocin Receptor Expression in the Mouse Periphery and Modulation of Pupillary Behavior by Oxytocin.
Creator: Greenwood, Maria Anjelica, Hammock, Elizabeth Anne Dunn, Liu, Xiuwen, Boot, Walter Richard, Fadool, James M., Johnson, Frank, Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreGreenwood, Maria Anjelica, Hammock, Elizabeth Anne Dunn, Liu, Xiuwen, Boot, Walter Richard, Fadool, James M., Johnson, Frank, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Oxytocin (OXT) is a peptide with important regulatory roles in both physiological and behavioral contexts. OXT binds to the OXT receptor (OXTR) in the central and peripheral nervous systems, with diverse patterns of expression dependent on many variables including but not limited to species, sex, and stage of development. OXT is an important hormone during adulthood for the transition to parenthood in many species, from mating behaviors through parturition all the way to parental care. OXT...
Show moreOxytocin (OXT) is a peptide with important regulatory roles in both physiological and behavioral contexts. OXT binds to the OXT receptor (OXTR) in the central and peripheral nervous systems, with diverse patterns of expression dependent on many variables including but not limited to species, sex, and stage of development. OXT is an important hormone during adulthood for the transition to parenthood in many species, from mating behaviors through parturition all the way to parental care. OXT signaling in the parent is crucial during these stages, and deficits in parental OXT can have persisting developmental consequences for the offspring. However, less research has investigated how the infant processes OXT-mediated parental care. The aims of this research were to assess peripheral sites of OXTR in the infant that may inform how the infant perceives OXT from the environment. This cross-species analysis sought to identify regions that were conserved among species and identify differences in OXTR expression that may correlate with developmental behaviors. A novel site of OXTR-binding, the eye, was further assessed in neonates and adults for the presence of mRNA that could potentially inform synthesis and function. Finally, a battery of behavioral tasks to assess differences in pupillary responsiveness were performed in adult transgenic mice strains of Oxt and Oxtr wild-type and knockout. Results from OXTR autoradiography indicated several sites of specific binding in the mouse, prairie vole, and rat. There were species and strain differences in regions of interest including the periodontium and the ciliary bodies of the eye. OXTR autoradiography in adult mice demonstrated that OXTR in the ciliary bodies persist into adulthood. Oxtr mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization (ISH) in the neonatal mouse eye and by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the adult mouse eye. Regions relevant to pupillary modulation and processing sensory information from the eye displayed robust Oxtr signal by ISH, including the conjunctiva, ciliary bodies, ciliary ganglion, oculomotor nerve, and superior cervical ganglion. Behavioral assessments in adult mice demonstrated a significantly constricted baseline pupil diameter in Oxt knockout mice, which is rescued by the topical application of OXT. These data support a potential role for OXT mediating autonomic development in the visual system.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Greenwood_fsu_0071E_15121
Format: Thesis

Title: Working Memory and Emotion Regulation in ADHD.
Creator: Groves, Nicole B. (Nicole Beth), Kofler, Michael J., Ganley, Colleen M., Kistner, Janet, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Emotion regulation difficulties are present in many, if not most, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and confer risk for a host of adverse outcomes. Little is known, however, regarding the neurocognitive and behavioral mechanisms that underlie these difficulties. A well-characterized, clinically evaluated sample of 145 children ages 8-13 years (M=10.33, SD=1.47; 55 girls; 69% White/non-Hispanic) were administered multiple, counterbalanced working memory tests and...
Show moreEmotion regulation difficulties are present in many, if not most, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and confer risk for a host of adverse outcomes. Little is known, however, regarding the neurocognitive and behavioral mechanisms that underlie these difficulties. A well-characterized, clinically evaluated sample of 145 children ages 8-13 years (M=10.33, SD=1.47; 55 girls; 69% White/non-Hispanic) were administered multiple, counterbalanced working memory tests and assessed for emotion dysregulation and ADHD symptoms via multiple-informant reports. Bias-corrected, bootstrapped conditional effects modeling indicated that underdeveloped working memory exerted significant indirect effects on emotion regulation via ADHD-related hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in all tested models (all 95% CIs excluded zero). Interestingly, hyperactive/impulsive symptoms also predicted emotion dysregulation when controlling for the influence of working memory. Inattention failed to predict emotion regulation difficulties in all tested models (all 95% CIs included zero). This pattern of results replicated across parent and teacher models and were robust to control for mono-informant bias. These findings suggest that emotion dysregulation in ADHD reflects, in part, an affective outcome of hyperactive and/or impulsive symptomatology, both attributable to and independent of the role of underlying working memory deficits.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Spring_Groves_fsu_0071N_15220
Format: Thesis

Title: Examination of the Mechanisms Driving Long-Range Prime-to-Target Structural Priming.
Creator: Chia, Katherine, Kaschak, Michael P., Boot, Walter Richard, Meltzer, Andrea L., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Bock and Griffin (2000) presented two experiments demonstrating that structural priming (i.e., increased likelihood of producing a given syntactic form if you have just produced that form in another utterance) can be long-lasting. In their experiments, participants alternated between reading sentences aloud (where they read prime sentences aloud) and describing pictures (where the target pictures gave participants the opportunity to produce the same syntactic structure as was used for the...
Show moreBock and Griffin (2000) presented two experiments demonstrating that structural priming (i.e., increased likelihood of producing a given syntactic form if you have just produced that form in another utterance) can be long-lasting. In their experiments, participants alternated between reading sentences aloud (where they read prime sentences aloud) and describing pictures (where the target pictures gave participants the opportunity to produce the same syntactic structure as was used for the prime sentence). The likelihood of describing the target picture with the same structure as the prime sentence was shown to be equally strong when the prime and target were presented in immediate succession (Lag 0) and when they were separated by up to 10 intervening filler sentences (Lag 10). This result has been taken as evidence for the claim that structural priming is the result of implicit learning within the language production system. The current project is aimed at taking a closer look at the factors that affect the persistence of structural priming across numerous filler items. Overall, our data provided mixed support for Bock and Griffin's (2000) claims. Although we found a robust priming effect at adjacent prime-target trials, our prime-target pairs that were separated by intervening trials were not significant. These findings suggest follow-up studies to clarify the effects of structural priming in a long term setting.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Fall_Chia_fsu_0071N_14934
Format: Thesis

Title: Suicide Acceptability Malleability.
Creator: Dougherty, Sean Patrick, Joiner, Thomas, Ribeiro, Jessica D., Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The present study is divided into a pilot study, called Study 1, and a more comprehensive study, called Study 2. The present study aims to investigate whether suicide acceptability—one's view of the acceptability of suicidal behaviors—is malleable in the short term among individuals with no reported lifetime suicidal ideation, planning, or attempts. In order to change suicide acceptability, vignette manipulations designed to increase or decrease suicide acceptability, as well as a control...
Show moreThe present study is divided into a pilot study, called Study 1, and a more comprehensive study, called Study 2. The present study aims to investigate whether suicide acceptability—one's view of the acceptability of suicidal behaviors—is malleable in the short term among individuals with no reported lifetime suicidal ideation, planning, or attempts. In order to change suicide acceptability, vignette manipulations designed to increase or decrease suicide acceptability, as well as a control vignette, were utilized. The primary hypotheses for Study 2 were that 1) The linear combination of Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ), Attitudes Towards Suicide (ATTS), and World Values Survey item (WVS) scores would be significantly different across vignette conditions; 2) A new measure derived from the 50 SOQ, ATTS, and WVS items would have acceptable (α ≥ .7) or better internal consistency reliability; and 3) Factor scores on this new measure would differ significantly across vignette conditions. Suicide acceptability was measured using three suicide attitude measures: The ATTS measure, the SOQ, and a WVS item. Data from other measures, such as interpersonal theory of suicide constructs, were also collected. Study 1 and Study 2 each utilized a Solomon four-group design, which allowed for examination of whether posttest scores differed across Study 1's design conditions (i.e., with vs. without a pretest battery) and across Study 2's design conditions (i.e., with vs. without a measurement of pretest Fearlessness About Death [FAD]). While Study 1 data suggested the presence of a possible effect of the vignette manipulation on suicide acceptability, Study 2 data did not bear out this finding. The new measure also was not significantly different across vignette conditions. Nevertheless, the new measure represents a theory-driven measure of suicide acceptability that has good psychometric properties and fits a one-factor model.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Fall_Dougherty_fsu_0071N_14951
Format: Thesis

Title: Neurocognitive Correlates of Rumination Risk in Children: Comparing Competing Model Predictions.
Creator: Harmon, Sherelle L., Kistner, Janet, Kofler, Michael J., Flynn, Heather A., Wagner, Richard K., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Rumination has been identified as a transdiagnostic risk factor associated with the development and maintenance of multiple psychological symptoms in children and adolescents. Additionally, a growing body of literature has linked individual differences in rumination to impairments of executive control, including difficulties associated with updating, inhibition, and shifting abilities. Yet, few studies have examined these neurocognitive correlates together in preadolescent children. The goal...
Show moreRumination has been identified as a transdiagnostic risk factor associated with the development and maintenance of multiple psychological symptoms in children and adolescents. Additionally, a growing body of literature has linked individual differences in rumination to impairments of executive control, including difficulties associated with updating, inhibition, and shifting abilities. Yet, few studies have examined these neurocognitive correlates together in preadolescent children. The goal of the current study was to test competing model predictions regarding the unique relations between two forms of rumination, sadness and anger, and each executive function based on two theoretical frameworks, the attentional scope model and the multiple systems model. Differential associations between each form of rumination and each executive function were examined via multiple regression analyses. One hundred and fifty-nine children, aged 8-13, completed self-report measures of sadness and anger rumination as well as a battery of neurocognitive tasks assessing updating, inhibition, and shifting abilities. Results indicated that sadness rumination was associated with poorer updating and shifting abilities but unrelated to inhibition. Anger rumination was positively associated with updating abilities and not significantly associated with either shifting or inhibition. Together, these findings offer partial support for the attentional scope and multiple systems models for sadness rumination. Our finding that sadness and anger rumination were associated with different neurocognitive correlates highlights the importance of differentiating between sadness and anger rumination. These findings also suggest that current conceptual models of rumination may not provide an adequate account of neurocognitive correlates of anger rumination. This study adds to the limited extant literature examining associations between rumination and executive functions in preadolescent children.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Fall_Harmon_fsu_0071E_14926
Format: Thesis

Title: Examining Sex Differences and the Effects of Videogame Experience on Development of Manual Control Skill in a Novel Action Videogame.
Creator: Harwell, Kyle W. (Kyle William), Ericsson, Anders, Boot, Walter Richard, Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Many classical studies examining sex differences in visuospatial abilities have shown a male advantage in measures of skills like mental rotation and spatial navigation. However, a number of investigations of strategy selection differences between men and women have begun to question the notion that individual differences in general skills may be the primary explanation for the observed sex differences in performance. Another line of individual-differences-focused research has examined the...
Show moreMany classical studies examining sex differences in visuospatial abilities have shown a male advantage in measures of skills like mental rotation and spatial navigation. However, a number of investigations of strategy selection differences between men and women have begun to question the notion that individual differences in general skills may be the primary explanation for the observed sex differences in performance. Another line of individual-differences-focused research has examined the effects of videogame experience on development of visuospatial skills, and several studies have found that individuals with an extensive history of action videogame play demonstrate superior performance on tasks demanding dynamic spatial cognition. Some researchers have proposed the likely explanatory mechanism for this phenomenon is that action videogame play encourages growth of generalizable enhancements to attentional control or cognitive flexibility. Extending from these findings, the effects of sex differences and videogame experience have recently come together in a series of studies positing that action videogame training can reduce observed sex differences in visuospatial skills. One of the major limitations of the existing videogame training literature is that very little behavioral data is typically collected during the training tasks, so it is unclear what patterns of behavior these participants are executing while performing the tasks. Thus, many of the conclusions regarding the role of individual differences in explaining participant performance are made without considering how participant strategy selection may also be contributing to performance. Additionally, individuals with extensive action videogame experience may become highly familiarized with a particular control interface, which could vary considerably from game to game, and the design of the control interface may have a nontrivial influence on learning a novel visuospatially-demanding task. The present study examined sex differences, the effect of prior action videogame experience, and the influence of varying control interfaces on participants' development of control performance across ten games of a novel action videogame, Space Fortress. Latent curve analyses revealed significant sex differences in control skill performance, indicating non-gamer men displayed better performance overall than non-gamer women. A significant gaming experience by interface interaction indicated that men with extensive action videogame experience outperformed men with very little gaming experience, but this performance advantage was limited to playing with the keyboard interface. Investigation of player behavior revealed that a participants' ship control behaviors were associated with observed sex and gaming experience differences. Additionally, it was found that playing the game with a keyboard-and-mouse interface was generally associated with better performance than playing with a joystick-and-mouse interface. Finally, analysis of variance testing was performed to compare levels of understanding of the game's control mechanics across sex and gaming experience categories, revealing that men and gamers displayed greater knowledge of Space Fortress ship control procedures than women and non-gamers, respectively. Results are discussed in the context of existing sex differences and videogame training literature. The present investigation extends previous research by presenting evidence that strategy selection differences may play a crucial role in explaining the origins of sex differences and calls into question current models of complex skill learning that argue extensive action videogame experience may be associated with enhanced cognitive processes.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Fall_Harwell_fsu_0071N_14825
Format: Thesis

Title: Interplay between Trait Disinhibition and Neural Reward Sensitivity in Substance Problems: A Longitudinal Analysis Utilizing Data from a Large-Scale Neuroimaging Study.
Creator: Joyner, Keanan J. (Keanan Joel), Patrick, Christopher J., Proudfit, Greg Hajcak, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department...
Show moreJoyner, Keanan J. (Keanan Joel), Patrick, Christopher J., Proudfit, Greg Hajcak, Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Dysfunctional reward processing and disinhibitory tendencies have been highlighted as central to the development and maintenance of substance use disorders (SUDs). The literature emphasizes two different interpretations of the reward dysfunction observed in individuals with SUDs – one being that substance-free reward dysfunction arises as a consequence of repeated substance use, and the other being that substance-free reward dysfunction is mainly a liability for subsequent substance use....
Show moreDysfunctional reward processing and disinhibitory tendencies have been highlighted as central to the development and maintenance of substance use disorders (SUDs). The literature emphasizes two different interpretations of the reward dysfunction observed in individuals with SUDs – one being that substance-free reward dysfunction arises as a consequence of repeated substance use, and the other being that substance-free reward dysfunction is mainly a liability for subsequent substance use. Further complicating these accounts are recent findings demonstrating a moderating role of disinhibition on the relationship between reward sensitivity and SUDs. The proposed work aimed to address these unresolved complexities in the literature by examining interactions between disinhibition and neural reward sensitivity (operationalized via nucleus accumbens [NAcc] activation in the monetary incentive delay [MID] task) in predicting substance problems assessed concurrently and across time. While disinhibition showed to be a robust liability factor for substance problems, demonstrating strong predictive value both concurrently and prospectively, age 14 NAcc activation was not related to substance problems as a main effect nor in an interactive manner. Additionally, dysfunctional NAcc activation was not a consequence of adolescent substance use either, as substance problems from age 14 to 19 was not predictive of the change in NAcc activation between age 14 and 19. However, NAcc activation appeared to be a concurrent co-determinant of substance problems at age 19 – disinhibition and NAcc activation interacted to predict substance problems such that those high in disinhibition with blunted NAcc activation showed the most problems.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Fall_Joyner_fsu_0071N_14850
Format: Thesis

Title: Gustatory Cortex: Taste Detection and Projections from Thalamus.
Creator: Bales, Michelle Burton, Spector, Alan C, Piekarewicz, Jorge, Johnson, Frank, Houpt, Thomas A., Hart, Sara, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreBales, Michelle Burton, Spector, Alan C, Piekarewicz, Jorge, Johnson, Frank, Houpt, Thomas A., Hart, Sara, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: The sense of taste guides nutrient consumption and affects overall health and quality of life. One of the main functions of taste is the detection of chemical stimuli that elicit the perception of canonical qualities such as sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Here, I have used a two-response operant task to essentially ask an animal, “can you taste this?” after damage to a key brain area of the gustatory system. Through the application of psychophysical methods, psychometric taste sensitivity...
Show moreThe sense of taste guides nutrient consumption and affects overall health and quality of life. One of the main functions of taste is the detection of chemical stimuli that elicit the perception of canonical qualities such as sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Here, I have used a two-response operant task to essentially ask an animal, “can you taste this?” after damage to a key brain area of the gustatory system. Through the application of psychophysical methods, psychometric taste sensitivity functions were derived for a given taste stimulus. The necessity of arguably the highest-ordered central gustatory region in the rodent, the gustatory cortex (GC), in the maintenance of normal sensitivity to prototypical tastants was assessed by placing large lesions at this brain site. The thalamocortical pathway, in which taste signals ascend from the ventral posteromedial thalamus, parvicelluar layer (VPMpc) to GC, was first hypothesized to be responsible for discriminative taste function by Carl Pfaffmann and colleagues in 1977. Although the delineations of the GC are debated, neurons that are activated when a tastant is delivered onto the tongue have been found and neuronal tracing studies confirm projections from taste thalamus reside here. Although these projections have been described, one aim here was to precisely map the connections from thalamus to GC along its anterior/posterior (AP) axis, with aid of a neuronal tract-tracer. Our prior research has revealed that bilateral GC lesions significantly impair taste sensitivity to salts and quinine but not to sucrose. The range of tastants tested has been extended here to include: a) the polysaccharide, Maltrin, a highly preferred carbohydrate discriminable from sugars, and b) citric acid, a representative compound that in humans generates sour taste. The detectability of these stimuli, as well as NaCl, was tested in rats with neurotoxin-induced (ibotenic acid) GC lesions and in sham-operated controls (SHAM). The effect of unilateral GC lesions on taste detectability was also tested because, although taste deficits are apparent in humans with unilateral damage in insular cortex, there is controversy over which hemisphere is involved. Rats were trained, via operant conditioning, and tested in a gustometer to discriminate a tastant from water in a two-response taste detection task. Psychometric sensitivity functions were derived by lowering the stimulus concentration across test sessions. A lesion mapping system was then used to determine placement and size of left (LGCX), right (RGCX), and bilateral (BGCX) lesions and, in the case of the latter, symmetry as well. Replicating our prior work, for NaCl, there was a significant rightward shift in taste sensitivity between BGCX and SHAM rats and between RGCX and SHAM rats. Similar to sucrose, taste sensitivity to Maltrin was not significantly different between lesion and SHAM groups. Although there was no significant lateral shift in taste sensitivity between surgical groups to citric acid, some declines in BGCX performance relative to SHAM rats were evident for higher concentrations. Together with prior results, complete bilateral lesions in GC do not appear to disrupt sensitivity to carbohydrate stimuli, but do appear to modestly impair sensitivity to quinine and severely impair sensitivity to salts. In the case of the latter stimulus, deficits are evident after unilateral lesions in the right GC. Nevertheless, in all of these cases the rats perform well at higher concentrations. Clearly other central brain regions appear to contribute to sensory-discriminative taste processing in rats. Similar to the controversy over where GC resides within the insular cortex, there are also conflicting reports of where these projections from VPMpc terminate within insular cortex. Here, a fluorescent tract-tracer, DiI, was systematically injected into various sites of GC along the AP axis to quantify the anatomical organization of projections arising from the VPMpc which was analytically partitioned into subfields for quantification of retrogradely labeled neurons. The results confirm previous findings showing that projections to the GC from thalamus arise from the medial portion of VPMpc, whereas projections to the areas dorsal to the conventionally defined GC arise from the more lateral portions of VPMpc. Interestingly, an anterior-posterior organization from the VPMpc to the GC was also found, supporting an orotopic topography in GC suggested in the literature that appears to be roughly maintained along the ascending gustatory pathway in the rat brain. Overall, these experiments have added to the understanding of the functional and neuroanatomical organization of the central gustatory system in the rodent model. However, there is much more work to be done to identify central regions that contribute to sensory-discriminative and other domains of taste function.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Bales_fsu_0071E_14464
Format: Thesis

Title: Classification of Suicide Ideators and Attemtpers with Machine Learning Techniques.
Creator: Huang, Xieyining, Franklin, Joseph, Joiner, Thomas, Wagner, Richard K., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Background: Suicide is a major public health concern. To facilitate treatment and prevention efforts, prior research has focused on the identification of a small set of factors that might differentiate between ideators and attempters. Recent findings from meta-analyses and machine learning studies, however, indirectly suggest that the differences between ideators and attempters might be much more complex than previously theorized. This study aims to directly test whether the differences are...
Show moreBackground: Suicide is a major public health concern. To facilitate treatment and prevention efforts, prior research has focused on the identification of a small set of factors that might differentiate between ideators and attempters. Recent findings from meta-analyses and machine learning studies, however, indirectly suggest that the differences between ideators and attempters might be much more complex than previously theorized. This study aims to directly test whether the differences are simple or complex by adopting both traditional statistical methods and machine learning approaches. Method: A total of 285 participants who have either thought about suicide (N = 131) or attempted suicide (N = 154) in their lifetime were recruited. Participants completed questionnaires examining risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Statistical models ranging from simple to complex were adopted to classify ideators and attempters (i.e., univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, random forests with cross-validation and bootstrap optimism to adjust for overfitting). Unsupervised machine learning (i.e., K-means clustering) was used to identify two underlying subgroups among the sample. Results: Overall, more complex algorithms were more adept at distinguishing between ideators and attempters. Univariate logistic regressions on average produced poor classification accuracy (AUC = 0.54); multivariate logistic regression yielded similar results (AUC = 0.62). Random forests with cross-validation to safeguard against overfitting classified ideators and attempters with fair accuracy (AUC = .0.78). Random forests with bootstrap optimism produced good accuracy (AUC = 0.89). Unsupervised machine learning appeared to identify two subgroups based on psychopathology severity, a grouping inconsistent with ideator/attempter status (AUC = 0.59). Discussion: Consistent with previous research, this study showed that the differences between ideators and attempters are likely complex. Future studies are encouraged to replicate and extend the current study by adopting different study designs with larger sample sizes and variables.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Huang_fsu_0071N_14339
Format: Thesis

Title: Antiprejudice among White Americans and the Proactive Fight to End Discrimination Toward Black Americans.
Creator: Lacosse-Brannon, Jennifer, Plant, Ashby, Hightower, Patricia Y., Maner, Jon K., Conway, Paul, Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreLacosse-Brannon, Jennifer, Plant, Ashby, Hightower, Patricia Y., Maner, Jon K., Conway, Paul, Kelley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: Despite social pressure for White Americans to be nonprejudiced, Black Americans still regularly experience discrimination. We argue that bias persists because although many White Americans espouse nonprejudiced beliefs, far fewer actively work to combat discrimination. Previous research on a newly developed scale of antiprejudice, or the belief that White people should proactively fight discrimination, indicates that higher levels of antiprejudice are associated increased proactive support...
Show moreDespite social pressure for White Americans to be nonprejudiced, Black Americans still regularly experience discrimination. We argue that bias persists because although many White Americans espouse nonprejudiced beliefs, far fewer actively work to combat discrimination. Previous research on a newly developed scale of antiprejudice, or the belief that White people should proactively fight discrimination, indicates that higher levels of antiprejudice are associated increased proactive support among White people for multiple actions that would help put an end to discrimination. Drawing from research on prescriptive moral convictions (i.e., what people should do), we predicted that teaching White Americans four reasons why White people should be proactive in the fight against systemic racism would increase perceptions that White involvement is necessary in order for real change to occur and increase antiprejudiced beliefs. Results of a pilot study supported our predictions. Moreover, in a second study we replicated our results and extended them by demonstrating that our intervention not only increased perceptions about the necessity of White involvement and antiprejudice, it was also associated with a greater likelihood of volunteering for an equal rights organization.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_LaCosse_fsu_0071E_14406
Format: Thesis

Title: Religiosity Both Increases and Decreases Deontological and Utilitarian Dilemma Response Inclinations: A Process Dissociation Analysis.
Creator: Reynolds, Caleb J. (Caleb Joshua), Conway, Paul, Maner, Jon K., Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Religious people tend to reject causing harm on classic moral dilemmas where harm maximizes overall outcomes (consistent with deontology; inconsistent with utilitarianism), but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. We propose that this lack of clarity stems in part from a common method issue in classic moral dilemma research. Namely, although most theorizing about dilemmas assumes that inclinations to avoid harm are independent of inclinations to maximize outcomes,...
Show moreReligious people tend to reject causing harm on classic moral dilemmas where harm maximizes overall outcomes (consistent with deontology; inconsistent with utilitarianism), but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. We propose that this lack of clarity stems in part from a common method issue in classic moral dilemma research. Namely, although most theorizing about dilemmas assumes that inclinations to avoid harm are independent of inclinations to maximize outcomes, typical dilemma analyses pit these two considerations against each other, making them necessarily inverted. Therefore, previous research on religiosity and moral dilemma judgments cannot ascertain whether religious people are particularly inclined to avoid harm, disinclined to maximize outcomes, or evince a more complex pattern of inclinations. To avoid this methodological issue, in the current work, we used process dissociation to independently quantify outcome-maximizing (utilitarian) and harm-avoidance (deontological) response inclinations underpinning classic relative dilemma judgments and tested several possible mediators between religiosity and these response inclinations. In three studies (N = 1,042), we replicated the common finding that religiosity predicted rejection of harm in classic dilemmas. However, process dissociation revealed that religiosity predicted both increased harm-avoidance and decreased outcome-maximization. Moreover, across multiple studies, religiosity predicted endorsement of divine command beliefs, which mediated reduced utilitarian inclinations. Religiosity also predicted empathic concern, which mediated increased deontological inclinations. Additionally, religiosity predicted moral absolutism, which mediated increases on both inclinations, as well as fatalism, which mediated decreases in both inclinations. These parallel findings canceled out for relative judgments. Study 3 clarified that most of these findings are specific to intrinsic religiosity; extrinsic religiosity shows a somewhat different pattern of results. Together, these findings suggest that religious people are not as ‘purely deontological’ as previously thought—rather, religiosity influences moral judgments through a complex web of cognitive and affective constructs that both increase tendencies to avoid harm regardless of the outcomes and decrease concerns for maximizing situational outcomes.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Sp_Reynolds_fsu_0071N_14555
Format: Thesis

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