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2003 Abstracts By Titles: An examination of commitment among young adults An examination of external control psychology and ways to improve its effectiveness An examination of friendship and all that it implies An examination of parental actions and children's subsequent self-concepts An examination of the relationship between criminal behaviors and level of educational attainment An investigation into the neurological basis of the search image in the European starling Cocaine conditioned place preference in 15-day-old domestic fowl cockerels Cognitive self-regulatory processes as a function of self-awareness
Correlates of alcohol use on a college campus Correlates of valuing physical attractiveness: The shallow hal syndrome Discerning individuals' needs profiles: A comparison of various models Employers and psychological contracts in small business Evidence of speech-based recoding of words before access of word meaning Exchanging messages in the classroom and beyond: Some tips on how to understand each other better Gender differences in perceptions of the expression of sadness Hero psychology: Case studies in context of a mythological model of identity development How does reality therapy work? How post traumatic stress disorder affects your life
How teachers can enhance students' self-concepts and academic achievement Is sidewalk advertising effective? The self-regulatory consequences of reliving deception Is sidewalk advertising effective? Human mate selection: Evolutionary preferences vs. social reality Measures of procrastination and required university tasks Normative social influence in collaborative testing Overcoming racial discrimination by establishing better college entrance criteria Parental involvement in after school programs Persuading between the lines: Message manipulation Persuading Between the Lines: Message Manipulation
Relationship satisfaction and honesty: The little white lie Secrets to achieving success and happiness Sensitization of cocaine-induced increases in activity and vocalizations in domestic fowl cockerels Speech therapy and the initiation of communication in a child with Down syndrome Stress and coping in the regulation of belongingness needs The effect of a person's name on predicted success in life of attractive females The effect of intrinsic motivation on academic performance The effect of parent’s divorce rate on promiscuity The effects of fast and slow familiar music on HR, galvanic skin response, and cognitive performance The effects of heightened arousal on aggressive behavior The effects of leading questioning on eyewitness confidence and accuracy
The effects of scent on perceived attractiveness The effects of smiling on person perception The essential elements for terrorism and/or crimes against humanity The relationship between juvenile delinquency and after-school programs
The various effects of domestic abuse on children Time course of cocaine-induced increases in activity and vocalizations in domestic fowl cockerels Tips regarding how to find (or create) the good life
By Institution:
Authors: Michelle R. Davids, Rachel D. Daly, Tara L. Strang,
Benjamin A. Tallmann, and Austin C. Beer
Abstract On post-hatch days (PHD) 9-14, each chick received a saline (placebo)
injection paired with a CS- (e.g., blue cards). After 15 minutes the
chick was removed, injected with cocaine hydrochloride (0.0, 1.25, 5.0, or
10.0 mg/kg; ip), and placed with the CS+ (e.g., red cards) for 15 minutes.
On PHD 15, the barriers were removed and chicks received a 5-minute choice
test; no drug was administered. Time spent on the CS+ side versus the CS-
side was recorded. Chicks that received cocaine spent significantly more
time near CS+ versus the CS- compared to the controls indicating a
cocaine-induced conditioned place preference.
Authors: Austin C. Beer, Rachel D.
Daly, Michelle R. Davids,
Tara L. Strang, and Benjamin A. Tallman Title: Time course of cocaine-induced increases in activity and vocalizations in domestic fowl cockerels. Abstract This study investigated the nature and time course of cocaine effects in male domestic fowl chicks. Ten-, eleven-, or twelve-day-old chicks received cocaine hydrochloride (0.0, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, or 15.0 mg/kg) immediately preceding a 60-minute isolation trial. Activity and vocalizations were recorded at 5-minute intervals. Data were analyzed by ANOVA as a 6 (Dose) x 12 (Interval) mixed factorial design, with Age as a covariate. Cocaine significantly increased both measures. Analysis of activity data indicated a significant effect of Interval, and a Dose X Interval interaction; vocalization data revealed significant effects of Dose, Interval, and a Dose X Interval interaction.
Authors: Tara L. Strang, Benjamin A. Tallman, Rachel D. Daly, Austin C. Beer, Michelle R. Davids Title: Sensitization of cocaine-induced increases in activity and vocalizations in domestic fowl cockerels. Abstract Cockerels received daily cocaine (0.0, 1.25, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg; ip) on post-hatch days 10-15, 15 minutes before a 30-min isolation trial. Sensitization occurred for cocaine-induced increases in activity and vocalizations as a function of dose and exposure day. Cocaine effects on activity and vocalizations increased as a function of dose across exposure days. Analysis of activity data indicated a significant interaction of Dose X Exposure, but no main effects of Dose or Exposure. Analysis of log-transformed vocalization data revealed significant effects of Exposure and interaction of Dose X Exposure. Sensitization effects were most evident at 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg.
Authors: Austin C. Beer and Desiree A.
Flickinger,
Abstract We investigated whether private self-consciousness could predict the ability to
detect self-relevant (i.e., self-descriptive) words presented at durations below
conscious awareness. Participants first completed a self-consciousness
questionnaire and then later performed a lexical decision (word/non-word) task
in which half of the words were self-relevant and the other half were non
self-relevant. Stimuli were presented in each of four blocks with durations of
12, 24, 35, and 41 milliseconds, respectively. Consistent with our hypothesis,
participants high in private self-consciousness were more accurate than
participants low in private self-consciousness at detecting self-relevant words
at the 35 and 41 ms durations.
Author: Jonathan Penny
Abstract The purpose of this study was to test if a connection exists between intrinsic motivation and increased academic performance. All undergraduate students from Concordia and Dominican Universities in River Forest, IL were sent an email with a link to a survey and 188 responded. Questions included what students enjoyed about class, why they chose their major, why they are motivated to study, GPA, and standardized test scores. Results indicated that a significant relationship exists between intrinsic motivation and GPA.
Authors: Trina Debner, Cathy Murphy,
and Stephanie Welker Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to measure the impact of a person’s name
(attractive, neutral, and unattractive) on the perception of whether attractive
females will be successful in life. Two different random orders of attractive
pictures of young adults with superimposed names differing in attractiveness
were presented to 88
undergraduates. The results revealed a main effect of name, where attractive
females were deemed to be more likely to be successful in life if they had an
attractive name. In addition, a significant interaction between name and gender
of the participant showed that male participants rated attractive females with
attractive names more likely to be successful, whereas female participants
showed that the name of the attractive females shown in the pictures made little
difference in perceived success in life.
Authors:
Sapphira Booth, Brian McDonald, Michael Simon, and Brandy Tharp Title: The effects of fast and slow familiar music on HR, galvanic skin response, and cognitive performance. Abstract
The effects of fast and slow background music on heart rate, galvanic skin
response, and cognitive performance were investigated. Unlike previous
studies, the music was normed for familiarity. The order of music type was
counterbalanced across all participants with a 60 second ISI. During each
condition of music type, participants worked on solving easy or difficult
anagrams. The results showed a significant interaction between type of
anagram (easy or difficult) and music type (fast, slow, or no music) on the
number of words generated by the participants and in the magnitude of GSR
response. The results in the HR data showed no interactions. The results
support our hypothesis that the use of familiar music is important when
testing the effects of music type on cognitive performance.
Authors: Kara Buckner, Megan Crawford, Mandy Lindsey, and Mike Porter Title: The effect of familiar asynchronous theme music verses the effect of familiar asynchronous upbeat music on motor performance. Abstract The effect of familiar theme and upbeat background music on motor performance of athletes and non-athletes was investigated. Unlike previous studies, the music was normed for familiarity. The order of music type was counterbalanced across all participants, N = 38. During each condition of music type, participants rode an exercise bicycle. The results showed a main effect of music type which showed that participants rode the exercise bike a significantly greater distance in a given time period when they had theme music compared to when they had upbeat music. A marginal interaction between music type and athlete was also revealed. Athletes showed increased motor performance compared to non-athletes when theme music rather than upbeat music was played in the background. There were no other interactions. The results support our hypothesis that the use of familiar music is an important consideration when testing the effects of asynchronous (background) music on motor performance.
Authors: Steffany Ketchum and Emily
Spurgeon Abstract The purpose of this study was to test whether people who have never been married (singles) differ from married people in their perception of what are the most important contributors for martial satisfaction. A questionnaire was administered to young adults (N=60). The survey had questions testing perceptions on factors rated to be extremely or only moderately important for marital satisfaction as reveled in previous studies that examined reports from married people. The results showed that singles differ in their perception from married people on what's important for marital satisfaction. This finding supports our hypothesis that “perception differs from reality” regarding what’s important for a successful marriage.
Authors: Kristin Childers and Nancy Jakubczyk Abstract The purpose of this study was to find a correlation between the rate of parents’ divorce and a young adult’s promiscuity. Surveys were sent through campus mail to all the undergraduate students at Eureka College. The survey consisted of questions about the student’s opinions and behaviors concerning sexual activity along with questions about their parents’ marriage. We predict that we will find more sexual activity among students whose parents’ are divorced. The implications of this study for society will be discussed.
Authors: Jennifer Long and Cori Curley Abstract Discovered by J. Ridley Stroop in 1935, the Stroop Effect describes a delayed verbal response when one reads the written name of a particular color that is printed in a contradictory hue. The purpose of this experiment was to test the effects of using unfamiliar color words and memorizing color names in comparison to the original Stroop Effect.The study included a control group, which was given the original Stroop test and three other groups, each with a different variation of the test:1) memorizing a list of familiar words then taking the Stroop test; 2) taking the unfamiliar color Stroop test; and 3) memorizing a list of unfamiliar color words, then taking the unfamiliar color Stroop test. Preliminary results suggest a difference does exist between the control and the experimental groups. Further analyzing will be conducted to test the significance of the difference and will be presented at the conference.
Author: Briana Karczewski and Sara Hayden Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to gain a better understanding of the habits of students on college campuses. Subjects received a two-page survey, consisting of 16 questions, through campus mail. Some of the questions that were asked included students’ current GPA, how many hours a week they study, how often they drink, and how many drinks the students have in one sitting. There are several predictions about the experiment that have been made. One prediction is that the average GPA between students in Greek organizations and independent students is similar. Another is that how often students drink does not differ between the two groups. Finally, it has been predicted that the amount of time spent drinking is unrelated to the number of study hours completed per week. A recommendation for future research would be to not limit the sample population to one specific area. Extending the experiment to other schools would give a larger sample size, and allow for comparisons among different types of schools. Another possible idea for future use might be to include questions about self-esteem. The added questions would place another variable into the experiment, but it might give a better understanding as to why some students drink.
Authors: Anne Barnes
and Erin Deobler Abstract Few studies have directly addressed the phenomena of
perception of honesty and white lies as they relate to length and
satisfaction of relationships. This study sought to determine the
attitudes of college age students in selection criteria of relationships
in regards to the honesty of a partner, the way that a person will rate
him or herself as honest, and how these factors may interact with
relationship length and satisfaction. This preliminary study suggests that
inconsistency in personal behavior and view of ideal behavior may be
linked to relationship length and satisfaction. Future research may want
to focus on how incongruent levels of accepted and personal behavior are
related to general relationship skills, and to focus on potential gender
differences among men and women in this area.
Author: Vincent Singleton
Title:
The effects of heightened arousal on aggressive behavior. Abstract The present study focused on how a heightened arousal state caused by an
external stimulus affects aggressive responses during a social evaluation task.
Findings of this study were not supportive of the hypothesis that increases in
arousal due to external stimuli will produce heightened levels of aggression
due to the residual effects of arousal in the body. Data obtained showed no
significant differences between Type A and Type B personality types in
reactions to heightened arousal levels and aggressive responses. These findings
were not consistent with the large research base that supports the effects of
misattribution of arousal and excitation transfer on aggressive behavior.
Authors: Nicole Friscia and Jill Pokryfke Abstract We investigated how people perceive others based on
smiling and not smiling. 58 undergraduate students (23 male and 35
female) filled out a rating scale while viewing smiling or non-smiling
models, with or without character descriptions. Overall, smiling people
were perceived more positively than non-smiling people. These results
suggest that one should smile when approaching new people, being
interviewed, and performing in the workplace.
Author: Joyce M. Christensen Title: An investigation into the neurological basis of the search image in the European starling. Abstract Despite extensive behavioral research, the neurological basis of the search image has not yet been tested. We used the technique of monocular occlusion, where 12 European starlings with either the left (N=6) or right (N=6) eye available learned to detect small black cues hidden against a black and white patterned background. After 100 acquisition trials, the opposite eye was tested for ten more trials. Acquisition was not significantly affected by eye condition, indicating no lateralization of the search image. However, performance dropped significantly when the learning eye was occluded, suggesting a neurological basis to the phenomenon.
Author: Michael H. DeGroot Abstract The study examined the relationship between early parental attachment and patriotism in Spain and the United States. Contrary to earlier studies, this study found a significant positive correlation for male and female participants from both countries between early maternal attachment and patriotism. Other factors for both genders and nationalities positively correlated with patriotism included the selection of a feminine symbol as a country’s best symbolic representation and the perception of one’s mother as “warm.” For Spanish males, perceiving the mother as “rejecting” was found to be significantly negatively correlated with patriotism. The findings in this study suggest that an individual’s mother plays a significant role in the formation of patriotic ideals later in life.
Author: Randi Shedlosky Title: Persuading Between the Lines: Message Manipulation. Abstract Since the time of Aristotle, persuasion has been an area of immense interest. Studies have looked at various aspects of message manipulation and their effects on persuasion. The current study focused on the influence of power of language, vividness of language, and message framing on persuasion, specifically on the variables of evaluation of message and perceived source credibility. Present results showed no support for main effects, but found interactions of the three variables. This interaction has not been a great focus in past research. The conflict between past and present research, in regards to main effects, and the interaction have both offered implications for persuaders and lead to new questions.
Author: Shannah Tompson Abstract
The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three speech therapy
techniques on a single subject with Down Syndrome. These techniques included a
reactive (i.e. with batteries) vs. a non-reactive (i.e. with batteries removed)
toy condition adapted from Smith, Neely, Clymer, and Justen, (2001), an
interaction-withdrawal episode created within a game adapted from Ross and
Lollis (1987), and a music technique that analyzed the presentation of songs
with and without hand-play. Although the number of initiations exhibited within
each technique failed to support within-technique hypotheses, the data
suggested that overall the techniques still held promise under certain
conditions in comparison to a baseline.
Title: A Closer look at the health of college students: Examining the relationships between health behaviors, positive affect, and physical symptoms. Abstract This study examined relationships between health-promoting behaviors, positive affect, and the reporting of physical symptoms among college students. Past research has found an inverse relationship between positive affect and physical symptoms. Therefore, it was hypothesized positive affect would be inversely related to self-reported symptoms. Research has also found an association between certain health-promoting behaviors and increased positive affect. It was hypothesized frequent participation in health-promoting behaviors would be associated with positive affect. Also, an inverse relationship between participation in health-promoting behaviors and self-reported physical symptoms was hypothesized. Participants (N = 240) completed a questionnaire packet, which contained a health behavior scale, the PILL (Pennebaker, 1982), and the PANAS (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). Results supported the hypotheses.
Authors: Christine M. Decelles, Jennifer L. Dirksen, Edward J.Fox, Eric
J. Hensen, and Ashley M. Zimmerman
Title: Gender differences in perceptions of the expression of sadness.
Abstract Research has found gender stereotypes may affect how males and females perceive the emotional expression of others. Based on these findings, we investigated gender differences in perceptions of the expression of sadness, a stereotypically female response, in males and females. A scenario describing a college student who expressed sadness after receiving a poor test score was given to 47 male and 71 female college students. Participants then completed a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of the target. Differences in perceptions were found for males and females, with females rating the target's emotional expression more positively than males. Results are consistent with evidence that females tend to be more empathetic than males. No significant differences were found regarding target gender.
Authors: Jennifer L. Dirksen, Adrienne L. Quitno, Cara A. Weber, Eric J. Hensen, Russell P. Jett, Ali Issa, and Danielle J. Freeman Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Robin A. Anderson Title: Normative social influence in collaborative testing. Abstract Past research has found many benefits associated with collaborative testing. The present study investigated the adverse impact normative social influence may have in collaborative test-taking situations. The effect of task importance on normative influence was also examined. Participants (N = 44) first completed an exam individually and then completed the same exam again as part of a group, which consisted of three confederates who gave unanimous incorrect responses for two questions. Normative social influence was assessed by comparing the average individual exam score to the average group exam score. Results supported the hypothesis that normative social influence may adversely affect performance in collaborative testing. There were no differences found between the high and low task importance conditions.
Author: Jason Butt Abstract
A survey of college student's knowledge about current events leading up to was
conducted in November 2002. This survey included 20 multiple choice questions
verified by our History professor and a 10 point rating scale indicating the
student's degree of support for military action proposed by the Bush
administration. Analysis of survey data revealed that students were less in
favor of going to war as the accuracy of their knowledge increased.
Author: Kate Ferriter Abstract Positive Psychology focuses on the good in people rather than all of the negativity that surrounds them. It helps people to look at the positive things in their life rather than the negativity. By learning about positive psychology we can learn how to become more optimistic rather than pessimistic. It allows people to focus more on the good things in their life and to surround themselves with these things. Martin Seligman has coined the term positive psychology; and he is doing research in this field. This author sees applications of positive psychology for college students seeking a more meaningful education.
Author: Roderick
James Abstract In the present study a "Commitment Questionnaire" was developed and employed in order to discern if individuals' level of commitment to others was found to vary as a function of the respondents' gender, and/or ethnicity. In addition, these results were also analyzed in order to determine if they varied as a function of the duration of the relationship between them (i.e., less than one year, one-to-two years, or two or more years). Respondents were asked to indicate their level of commitment to their "significant others", as well as indicate if they had ever cheated on them. The results from these surveys, as well as their implications, will be the focus of this presentation.
Author: Scott Michels
Abstract William Glasser, like others, has suggested that external control psychology has long been a source for more problems than solutions. In the proposed presentation we will consider why this might be so. In addition, we will explain how to make external control psychology more effective, particularly through the use of need fulfillment, i.e., through the use of power, credibility, and/or connectedness. Finally, we will seek to demonstrate how our pictures in our minds (e.g., attitudes, beliefs), as well as our overt actions (e.g., the plays we have in our play books), may serve to either positively influence or negatively influence our relationships with others, and our feelings and/or our actions toward ourselves too.
Author: Pauline Barker Title: An examination of friendship and all that it implies.
Abstract What is a friend? Why do we need friends? What do friends do? When do friends count most? For years we have all heard that no man (or woman) is an island. What this notion basically suggests is that we all need friends. Of course, it would be most helpful if we all more clearly understood exactly what friends are, and what they are supposed to do for you, or you for them. This presentation will seek to address each of these questions/ideas noted above, and describe how the need for friends operates in all kinds of situations and circumstances, ranging from the classroom to the street comer. Regarding friendship, many quotable quotes will be shared (e.g., If you want a friend, be a friend," "A friend is someone who helps you to like yourself'), as well as many tables (e.g., "The Friendly Alphabet," "The Ten Commandments of Friendship") will be presented too. To say the least, everyone who comes will soon discover that they will find themselves in a friendly discussion with friends as they share their ideas about friendship.
Author: Jessica Moore
Abstract
This presentation will seek to provide those in attendance with insights
regarding the relationship between one's criminal behavior and his/her level of
educational attainment. Discussion will be premised upon data collected by the
presenter, as well as the findings of other investigators. The bottom line to
this presentation can best be summarized by Colin Powell when he said "We can
build students, or we can build prisons . . ." In other words, if we don't help
students to reach their respective potentials, both educationally or otherwise,
we may ultimately pay the cost for our combined neglect by detaining those
individuals in prison, rather than allowing them to be productive citizens
within our communities.
Author: Scott Michels
Abstract The present study investigated how various parental relationships impacted children's/youth's self-perceptions, as well as these youth's perceptions regarding how they interact toward others. The focus of this study was to examine two groups of teenagers; one group was in-residence at a juvenile detention center, while the second group was attending a local high school. Basically, the present study sought to determine how familiar relationships varied for these two groups of youth by requesting each student to describe (on the Love/Hate Checklist [Parish, 1988]) how their parents acted toward each other, as well as how the students themselves acted toward others. In addition, the youth in the present study were asked to describe their own self-concepts (on the Personal Attribute Inventory [Parish, Bryant, & Shirazi, 1976]) too. The results from this study demonstrated that the students from the detention center did, indeed, describe themselves, and their actions, more negatively than their counterparts from the local high school. Notably, however, the parents of these two groups were not found to vary significantly from one another. Explanations for these findings, and their implications, will be discussed in detail at the forthcoming ILLOWA meeting.
Authors: Kristopher Bolhuis
Abstract
While Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" strongly suggests that everyone prioritizes
certain needs over others (e.g., deficiency needs over higher-order needs),
there are some other models that need to be considered, too, since they seem to
be more in tune with reality. For instance, Glasser's "Wheel of Needs" proposes
that our needs (i.e., love & belonging, worth & recognition, fun, freedom,
survival) are like slices of pie that can be bigger, or smaller, depending upon
a number of factors or circumstances. A somewhat similar approach would be the
notion that the ultimate in diversity in actually being in tune with everyone's
needs. How these different models interact (or compare and contrast) with one
another will be the focus of this presentation.
Author: Scott Michels
Abstract
In a world that seems to be overrun by hate and acts of violence toward one
another it is hard for one to focus on anything positive when all that we see
on the news is coverage of the war with Iraq, images of the September 11th
terrorist attacks on New York City, and the headlines of the evil of this
world. This presentation will show that the 5 P's (Perceptions, Prejudice,
Profiling, Paranoia, and Persecution) are the root of all this evil. By
examining the history of the world we can see that the 5 P's can be attributed
to all major atrocities against human existence. Singer and songwriter, Burt
Bacharach's words come to mind as we look for the answers to the conflicts of
this world, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love." Glasser pointed
out that we should place our actions in charge of our emotions, for in so doing
we will more likely act more efficiently, and feel better as a result. This
process can only be accomplished, however, if the 5 P's are placed in check,
and the 5 C's (Care/Concern, Cooperation, Courtesy, and Connection) are
implemented in their place.
Author: Jessica Moore
Abstract In this presentation various techniques will be described that should provide teachers/professors and their students with needed insight regarding how to understand each other better. Questionnaires and unobtrusive measures will be presented that should help those in attendance at this presentation to become better communicators with others. Anyone interested in improving how they interact with others-in the classroom or elsewhere-will surely benefit from the ideas that will be introduced as part of this presentation.
Author: Jennifer Youngblut
Abstract
William Glasser proposed Reality Therapy as a counseling technique in 1965, and
many practitioners and clinicians have used it over the last 35+ years. Few,
however, have actually sought to determine (1) how it works, and (2) for whom
will it actually work best. The proposed presentation will seek to answer these
questions, plus any questions that those from the audience might have too. In
addition, the proposed presentation should provide those in attendance with the
knowledge they might need in order to better understand why this approach has
become so popular in recent years, e.g., thousands of people are currently
certified in Reality Therapy, and use it on a daily basis in various
professions, well beyond the academically-oriented psychological domain.
Author: Dillon Wonders
Abstract
Teaching (even of psychology) could be a very stressful experience. However, it
need not be so! In this presentation we will outline how teachers can
successfully enhance students' self-concepts, as well as their academic
performance, plus explain why it is essential to do both. For instance, William
Glasser once noted that students won't learn what they don't want to learn, but
that teaching would be more effective if the students hurt, or have an
interest, or a need, could discover a better way to address these issues. Said
somewhat differently, Winston Churchill once scoffed that he always loved to
learn, but sometimes he hated being taught. So what do teachers need to do in
order to get through to their students? A series of suggestions will be
provided to those in attendance at this presentation, plus we will describe
exactly why each of these suggestions are very likely to work IF teachers are
willing to enhance students' self-concepts, and their academic performance too.
Author: Brad Comer
Abstract Traumatic events happen to four-out-of-ten people in North America at some point in their lifetime. Well, in this presentation we will seek an understanding of the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how people live with secondary problems in conjunction with PTSD. For the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder medical experts have depicted six stressor criteria. During the examination of the subject the medical expert will be checking for co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as depression, substance abuse, problems with memory and cognition, and physical and mental problems. The four treatment methods according to Ochberg (1995) that are used to help the individual cope with the dominating psychological experience include education, holistic health, enhancement of social support and social integration, and clinical therapy. As a part of this presentation, many suggestions will be offered for individuals who have, or in the future may have such an event, which causes psychological problems.
Authors: Shari E.
Himpelmann and Karie Kammerer Abstract Academic discrimination and racial favoritism are matters of major importance on our nation's college campuses. Recently, however, this issue has drawn increased visibility because of the lawsuit filed by three white applicants against the University of Michigan. More specifically, the plaintiffs claimed that they were denied admission at the University, but that Black and Hispanic applicants, with lower GPA's and test scores, were admitted unconditionally. This situation was brought about because the University admittedly grants students 20 points toward their admissions criteria based solely upon their minority status, and these 20 points can readily impact upon the final equation regarding who is to be admitted, and who is not to be admitted. Finding better criteria, and not just using race or ethnic affiliation as a factor in determining college admission, will be the focus of this study. Basically, students were surveyed in order to ascertain if fairer, more equitable procedures might help to alleviate this apparent discrimination problem at the University of Michigan. The results of this study will be presented at the upcoming ILLOWA Conference.
Author: Jennifer
Youngblut Abstract Parental involvement is a very important aspect of After School Programs (ASP). With the ever-growing interest in ASP, parental involvement is a trend that also needs to grow with them. In this proposed session, I will consider two types of parental involvement. The first will discuss the ideas of Joyce Epstein's six types of parental involvement. Epstein's six types are: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaboration. The second type is a three-stage process of parental involvement. The three stages in this process are: parental participation in various programs, annual door to door needs assessment, and home visits to report learning progress. I will explore the two types of parental involvement and each stage involved. I will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each type.
Author: Dillon Wonders Abstract
Research shows that between the hours of 3 PM and 4 PM - the time when most
children are being dismissed from school - is the peak time for juvenile crime,
as well as drug and alcohol use among individuals 18 years of age and younger.
It is for these reasons that my presentation will stress the importance of
structured and supervised after-school activities for juveniles, namely youth
sports programs, and will propose the need for more of these programs due to
the current lack of them in many areas of the world. Athletic programs can
provide a positive release for the negative energy within a juvenile. These
programs can also enhance a child's self-esteem by exposing them at an early
age to an area or endeavor at which they might excel. Lastly the values and
lessons that can be taught through the medium of sports can have a dramatic
effect on the development of youths. Authors: Shari
Himpelmann Abstract A champion, a winner, and a successful person all have many common attributes. In our proposed presentation we will identify many of them (as suggested by Paul J. Meyer), describe the "Ten Habits of Success" (as proposed by Og Mandino), and then demonstrate that these are life-long behaviors and/or actions, and not just momentary goals and plans needed to achieve some short-term end. Many quotable quotes will be shared, along with a model that we refer to as the "Five Steps to Success and Happiness." Offering many tips and ideas will be our goal, but leaning them and applying them will be the responsibility of those in attendance. The end result, however, will be that this presentation should be a great experience for all concerned.
Author: Brad Comer Abstract It is common knowledge that everyone wants "the good life," but few know where to find it. Well, in this presentation we will seek to demonstrate how stress and happiness are generally both largely in our heads, and are simply magnified by our actions or reactions in the real world. As proposed by Gilbert (2000), our mental pictures regarding what we expect may heavily influence whether we experience feelings of stress or happiness. So ascertaining whether one perceives himself/herself as happy or not is important, and then examining his/her behaviors in order to determine if they are efficient (i.e., need-fulfilling), rather than inefficient (i.e., need creating), is essential too. The idea that we may not be responsible for what happens to us, but that we are responsible for the way we respond to what happens to us, demonstrates that we are all likely to be the ones in charge of determining exactly how happy we are, and that our picture books, playbooks, and thermostats are merely ways with which we are constantly interacting with the world around us. As part of this presentation, several suggestions will also be offered regarding how individuals can avoid stress and find happiness without turning their lives upside-down in order to get what we want.
Author: Pauline Barker Abstract This presentation will seek to summarize the findings of several studies regarding the impact on children of abuse, both directly applied to them (i.e., the children as the victims), as well as the possible effects on children's psychological well-being of them witnessing other family members being abused too. In addition, a model will be introduced that should help those in attendance to understand how abuse might actually occur in stages. More specifically, abuse may simply begin with the use of antilocutions, move to avoidance, then exclusion, and finally resulting in emotional and physical abuse. More information regarding this model, and what the various studies concerning abuse have found, will be fully addressed as part of this presentation.
Author: Cristopher
Bolhuis Abstract What are self-concepts? Why are they important? How can they be enhanced (or diminished)? These questions, and more, will be addressed as part of this presentation. Basically, self-concepts refer to the way that we perceive ourselves. As with compasses, once you have ascertained where your self-concept is, you must next decide where you would like it to be. Whatever the goal might be, this presentation will describe two (2) different paths by which to enhance (or diminish) self-concepts, i.e., through the use of regular success pathways (that require the involvement of others), or the alternate success pathways (that require that the individual must "go it alone"). These pathways, which were originally introduced by Dr. William Glasser, provide important insights into our understanding of ourselves generally, and our self-concepts specifically. How these pathways function separately, and in interaction with one another, will be the focus of this presentation.
Authors: Justin Fox and Rhiannon Carlson Abstract This experiment was designed to see the effects of public speaking and anxiety. To manipulate this, participants were led to believe that they would be giving a speech to either a small or large audience. Participants completed a measure of shyness, and then completed an autobiographical speech. Participants’ anxiety was evaluated as they prepared to give their speech, though no speech was actually delivered. Public speaking and anxiety did not appear to have a direct correlation, however, when shyness was added as a covariate there did appear to be an effect. From these results it appears that fear of public speaking may be due to personality trait and that anxiety levels increase with higher levels of shyness and larger audience size.
Authors: Alex Gillet, Danielle Schwab, and Jenelle Boo Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of self-awareness on
self-control. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four
treatment groups using a 2 (meditation vs. no meditation) x 2 (mirror vs.
no mirror) independent groups design. Treatment was manipulated during
the first 10 minutes. After suppressing emotions during a sad video,
participants were given unsolvable anagrams; persistence at this task
served as the DV. An ANOVA (meditation x mirror) showed a trend whereby
people in front of the mirror reported more self-awareness and persisted
longer at the unsolvable anagrams than those in the no-mirror conditions. Authors: Elizabeth
Gajdik, Stephanie Ferry, Megan Hare, and Tom Streff Abstract The purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between academic and peer pressure and drinking behavior in college students. Participants completed a questionnaire that measured drinking behaviors, academic pressures, and peer pressures. Correlational analyses indicated that there was no relationship between academic pressure and drinking behavior or peer pressure and drinking behavior. However, there was a significant difference between men and women in the amount of alcohol they consumed, even though they experienced equal amounts of peer pressure.
Author: Katerina Koscova Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the tendency to forgive others and interpersonal variables. Participants were 33 college students who completed the Forgiving Personality Scale. They then wrote about a time when they felt betrayed and answered questions about this experience. These questions included information about the nature of their relationship with the perpetrator, seriousness of the betrayal, and how guilty they perceive the perpetrator felt. Correlational analyses indicated that people were more likely to forgive the transgression when the relationship was close, the betrayal was not serious, and they perceived that the perpetrator felt guilty.
Authors: Ticcarra Cassell, Sarah Summers,
Aggie Witowski, and Abby Bielser. Title: Correlates of valuing physical attractiveness: The shallow hal syndrome. Abstract The purpose of this research was to find correlates of the trait of valuing physical attractiveness in persons of the opposite sex. For men and women, it was hypothesized that this trait is positively correlated with valuing esthetic experiences, order, social status, promiscuous sex, and personal physical attractiveness. For men, it was hypothesized that this trait is also positively correlated with the desire to have biological children. For men, valuing physical attractiveness in women was positively correlated with valuing promiscuous sex. For women, valuing physical attractiveness in men was positively correlated with valuing esthetic experiences, status, and personal physical attractiveness.
Author: Katerina Koscova Abstract
Do readers access a word’s meaning directly or is the word phonologically
recoded before access? It was predicted that homophones on a
semantic-relatedness task would activate multiple meanings and lead to slower
times and more errors compared to a control condition. Participants were 90
college students, who completed three trials of a semantic-relatedness task. The
experimental condition contained three sets of 48 homophone pairs each (e.g.,
flew-birds, flu-ill). Control participants were given comparable sets of
non-homophone pairs. Results confirmed the predicted effect, indicating that
words are phonologically recoded before word meaning is accessed.
Authors: Shely Janey, Elizabeth Morgan, Andrew O'Brien, and Andrew Zeien Abstract The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of different scents on perceived attractiveness of a potential mate. Female participants were randomly exposed to one of three conditions: a room sprayed with men's cologne, a room sprayed with women's perfume, or a room with no scent (control condition). They were instructed to look at a photograph of a man and rate his attractiveness. Results indicated that women were more attracted to the man in the presence of the women's perfume than no scent; the men's cologne had no effect on their attractiveness ratings. A trend was found whereby the women had a stronger desire to call the man in the presence of the women's perfume.
Authors: Mary Rigoni and Lynnann
Schmilke
Abstract
The effects of leading questions on eyewitness confidence and accuracy were
measured using a one factor repeated measures design (Type of Question: leading
v. non-leading v. misleading). Accuracy was measured with a questionnaire, and
confidence was measured with a self-report scale. The hypothesis was supported
by the findings; the type of question asked significantly affected both
confidence and accuracy. These results have broad implications for the criminal
justice system, and support past research.
Authors: Laura Bandoli
Abstract This study examined psychological contracts, or individuals’ perceived obligations of a reciprocal exchange between parties at work, from the perspective of the small business owner. Ninety-six business owners were surveyed regarding perceived breach and violation of their psychological contracts. These measures of a broken contract were correlated with several indicators of employee-employer relationship quality. Results indicated that breach and violation of the contract were negatively correlated with all measures of relationship quality. Findings also showed that breach was a significant predictor of relationship quality, whereas feelings of violation were not found to be predictive of the quality of employer-employee relationship.
Author: Dimitrios Jason Stalides Abstract
The cyclical pattern of the mythological quest, as outlined by mythologist
Joseph Campbell, may be the cyclical stages of identity development that occur
between Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development (1959). This is consistent
with a recent Marcia article (2002) where he pointed out that identity
developmental stages may be cyclical and that identity issues may occur at each
stage. Several case studies are examined in context of this model to compare the
similarities between the mythological identity quest and the contemporary life
experiences of individuals.
Authors: Kelly R. Waner and Jamie Ridens Title: Human mate selection: Evolutionary preferences vs. social reality. Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of men and women and their real romantic partners rather than hypothetical mates. Two competing hypotheses were tested: An evolutionary hypothesis which proposes that high status men should marry highly attractive women; and a matching hypothesis which proposes that people marry mates whose attractiveness and status correspond with their own. Participants viewed a series of wedding photographs that were cropped so that the bride and groom appeared in separate pictures. They rated the bride and groom independently on status and attractiveness. Results supported the matching hypothesis more so than the evolutionary hypothesis.
Abstract The purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of sidewalk advertising, that is, 8 by 11.5 brightly colored posters taped to the sidewalk. Twenty-three men and 19 women, randomly selected from the Bayliss-Henninger (WIU) residence hall directory, were contacted by phone and asked whether they had heard of Hotline. Five men and six women stated that they had. Posters advertising Hotline were then taped to the sidewalk outside the residence hall complex. Another randomly selected sample of 22 men and 20 women were contacted by phone and asked about Hotline. Six men and seven women stated that they had heard of Hotline. The advertising was a failure.
Authors: Rebecca J. Miller and Angela J. Tee Faculty Sponsor: Kristine M. Kelly Title: The self-regulatory consequences of reliving deception. Abstract While previous research has focused on behaviors associated with deception, few studies have investigated the self-regulatory outcomes, which was the purpose of this study. A sample of undergraduate students were asked to describe a time when they told either a white lie or a serious lie. They then answered questions about the incident. After re-living this deception experience, they were given two self-regulation assessments: an emotion measure and a cognitive task (Latin square puzzle). Results supported our hypothesis in that people who told black lies experienced more negative emotionality and persisted less at the cognitive task than those who told white lies.
Authors: Jennifer Johnson and
Jahnee Brady Abstract Our project sought to discover a relationship between personal levels of procrastination and the amount of time taken to obtain a required university parking pass. By means of naturalistic observation and survey, we found that a positive relationship does exist between procrastination measures and time taken on a mandatory task.
Authors: Kelly Waner and Kristin Miller Faculty Sponsor: Kristine M. Kelly Title: Stress and coping in the regulation of belongingness needs.
Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate specific health symptoms and coping strategies reported by individuals who have experienced social rejection and over-inclusion. Participants wrote about a situation when they had experienced rejection, inclusion, or over-inclusion. They were asked to rate physical symptoms following the event as well as strategies used to cope with the event. Results indicated that rejection produced more adverse health symptoms than over-inclusion. Further, individuals reported coping with rejection in negative ways, while over-included individuals engaged in active coping.
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