A Six-Factor Model of Ethical Decision-Making

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Kevin Diegel Psychology
Advisor(s): Timothy Barth Psychology
Location: Third Floor, Table 3, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

This study examines the integration of Care ethics as a distinct factor into the Ethical Perspectives Scale (EPS; Diegel et al., 2024). In contrast to typical ethical theories centering on consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics reasoning, Care ethics prioritizes relational and situationally appropriate moral judgment. In the conduct of four experimental studies, we made Care an independent factor by utilizing Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses, assessed its predictive validity regarding moral dilemmas, tested its temporal stability, and generalized the findings to a population outside of the student group.

Results confirmed that Care ethics is conceptually and statistically distinct from Virtue ethics, predicting moral judgments in relational and compassion-based contexts. Care ethics correlated with political ideology, religiosity, and subjective well-being, further differentiating it from other ethical dimensions. However, ethical decision-making remained highly context-dependent, with different perspectives becoming salient across dilemma types.

The findings of this research promote the integration of Care ethics into models of moral decision-making, thus highlighting its relevance to practical uses. Future studies should examine its applicability in various cultures and its impact on professional ethics training.

Impact of food insecurity on anxiety-like behavior and spatial memory in old-age C57BL/6J mice

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Logun Gunderson Psychology Morgan Bertrand Biology Gabriella Dover Biology Faith Harms-Zacharias Psychology Katie Robb Psychology
Advisor(s): Gary Boehm Psychology Michael Chumley Biology
Location: Third Floor, Table 8, Position 2, 1:45-3:45

Food insecurity affects more than 6 million households with children in the U.S., the majority of which are insecure without hunger. Food insecurity and the accompanying chronic unpredictability are associated with significant negative health outcomes, such as impaired immune function, anxiety/eating disorders, malnutrition, and delayed language acquisition. To explore the connection between the unpredictability of a food source and cognitive impairments, prior studies have attempted to model food insecurity in rodent models. An ideal study design to answer this question would expose mice to a truly unpredictable food source for an extended period and assess their behavior for any significant changes, but most of the prior work has not been able to make a truly unpredictable food source which limits the generalizability of their findings. To address these limitations, the present study aimed to ensure that the rodent's food source was truly unpredictable by randomly assigning periods of limited food access across each week of the study. 18-month-old male and female C57BL/6J mice were either given ad libitum food access or were food insecure, where their otherwise full food-hopper would be reduced to 25% of their baseline consumption two randomly selected nights each week until the following morning. At 21 months, the mice underwent a battery of behavioral tests, including the open field test, elevated-zero maze, and novel object location task, to assess anxiety-like behavior and spatial memory capabilities. While insecurely-fed male mice were trending towards displaying more anxiety-like behavior than their securely-fed counterparts, we found no significant impact of food insecurity on anxiety-like behavior or spatial memory capabilities. Taken together, this study provides a more complete analysis of the behavioral changes due to a truly unpredictable food source, which more closely represents the environment of those living with food insecurity, and highlights areas to improve the model for future investigations.

Histological analysis of peripheral tissues following Typical American (TAD) or Mediterranean (MD) diet consumption in C57BL/6J mice.

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Faith Harms-Zacharias Psychology Skye Duncan Biology Sara Gabriel Biology Ashish Rana Psychology
Advisor(s): Gary Boehm Psychology Michael Chumley Biology
Location: SecondFloor, Table 5, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

At least 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and above are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as of 2024, and that number is only expected to increase as the aging population grows. The exact cause of AD has yet to be discovered, but there are several significant risk factors such as sleep deprivation, a lack of exercise, and diet quality. Our lab has investigated diet quality in relation to AD pathology through the creation of two representative diets, the Typical American Diet (TAD) and the Mediterranean Diet (MD). These diets are calorically matched and are used to investigate their long- and short-term effects on Alzheimer’s pathology in C57BL/6J mice. To follow up on a previous study that used 6 months of diet exposure to explore the longer-term effects of these diets, groups of mice were fed either the TAD or MD for 3 months, beginning at 4 months of age, to better understand the short-term effects. This project then conducted histological analysis on the colon, liver, and gonadal white adipose tissue using different histological techniques. Specifically, a cryostat and microtome were used to prepare the tissue samples, and they were stained using Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Oil Red O. Samples were then examined using confocal microscopy, and tissues from each diet were compared and analysed. We found that 3 months of diet led to excess hepatic lipid deposition, as was found in the 6-month study. Additionally, the 6-month study suggested that the TAD may have induced an insulin resistance (IR) state, so gonadal white adipose tissue was examined to explore adipocyte expansion after 3 months on diet. Preliminary colon histology was conducted to begin the exploration into gut dysbiosis and inflammation and the connection to Alzheimer’s pathology. This study presents novel histological evidence of the impact of diet quality on peripheral tissue in relation to Alzheimer’s disease.

Increasing Access to PrEP for Women of Color by Leveraging Beauty Shops as Community Health Hubs with Women's Healthcare Delivery: The Beauty Shop Study

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Savannah Hastings Psychology Pam Carey Psychology Sarah Gonzalez Psychology McKynzie Johnson Psychology Randi Proffitt Psychology Stephanie Villaire Psychology
Advisor(s): Kevin Knight Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 8, Position 2, 1:45-3:45

Each year, Black women are disproportionately affected by new HIV diagnoses. Recent data of HIV cases in Texas indicate that approximately 56% of new HIV cases in women occur in Black women, despite them making up only 13% of the female population in the state. This stark disparity highlights the need for targeted interventions that address the barriers to accessing sexual health resources, including HIV prevention services. The Beauty Shop Study seeks to address these gaps by leveraging beauty professionals as trusted community health advocates (CHAs). These CHAs facilitate sexual health conversations and connect clients with essential healthcare services. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the two combined interventions: (a) using beauty shops as community health hubs and (b) providing healthcare through either a mobile health unit (MHU) or a referral coordinator. Participants engage in three visits with a research assistant across 6 months, which include interviews and specimen collection. In Tarrant County, participants have access to a MHU for 3 months, while in Dallas County, participants receive support from referral coordinators for the same duration. Recruitment for the present study presented several challenges, including the ineffectiveness of virtual training for CHAs and the inability to accept snowball referrals. However, outreach efforts strengthened trust, ultimately increasing referrals and community engagement. Moving forward, insights from this pilot study will inform the development of future iterations of the project. The findings will continue to advancing community-centered approaches that enhance Black women’s access to sexual health care.

Comparing Different Methods for Assessing Substance Use Post-Release Among Justice-Involved Youth

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Brianna Pitz Psychology Danica Knight Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology Yang Yang Psychology
Advisor(s): Yang Yang Psychology
Location: Third Floor, Table 5, Position 2, 1:45-3:45

Substance use is a pervasive issue in adolescents, and justice-involved youth are at a heightened risk of SU compared to the general youth population. Monitoring individual SU trajectory such as initiation, escalation of use, progression, and reductions is important for identifying key prevention and intervention opportunities. There are tools to assess SU in youth populations, but little research has been conducted to compare these assessments in terms of how they accommodate sporadicity of SU within various time frames. This study compared two self-reported measures for post-release SU—Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) and Substance Use Involvement Scale (SUIS)—within youth who were recently released from secure residential facilities. The aims of this study are to examine the differences between TLFB and SUIS in (1) alcohol and cannabis use (yes/no), (2) the cumulative number of days of alcohol and cannabis use, and (3) the average daily use frequency for youth who have initiated alcohol and cannabis use post-release. This study used a subsample of 89 youth who reported post-release SU. Results revealed that (1) SUIS reported significantly greater number of youth that indicated alcohol and cannabis use (ps ≤ .001) than TLFB, (2) SUIS and TLFB did not differ in cumulative number of days of cannabis use (p = .40), but SUIS recorded a significantly greater number of days of alcohol use than TLFB (p ≤ .001), and (3) SUIS reported significantly greater average frequency of use per day for both cannabis and alcohol use (ps ≤ .001) compared to TLFB. TLFB provided more in-depth results for individual participants’ SU patterns including date of initiation post-release and day-by-day frequencies of use compared to SUIS. Despite TLFB’s advantages, additional strategies are needed to optimize the intensive process of data capturing and to support the external validity for capturing long-term SU. SUIS adequately captured data for sporadic SU without an overwhelming amount of data that worked well for comparing broad patterns of SU. These findings collectively show the importance of TLFB and SUIS measures in addressing different research goals.

Bleeding Votes: The power of period imagery in politics.

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Bao Han Tran Psychology Cathy Cox Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 13, Position 1, 1:45-3:45

Menstruation is stigmatized in many areas of society, often leading to distancing behavior and increased objectification of women. This is commonly reflected in the widespread use of euphemisms, or metaphors, for menstruation. According to conceptual metaphor theory, a society is shaped by the metaphors it adopts. When menstruation metaphors are used in a political context, it raises questions about whether their harmful connotations affect political appeal and broader societal implications. This study explores the power of menstrual metaphors in political attack ads, specifically focussing on the “Tampon Tim” campaign. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of three political ads (i.e., metaphor, non-metaphor, and neutral) and answer questions about ad appeal and individual differences. Results support our hypothesis that menstruation metaphors influence political opinions.

Increasing PrEP Access for Black Women: The Role of Beauty Professionals in HIV Prevention Education

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Stephanie Villaire Psychology Sakina Ghafoor Psychology Savannah Hastings Psychology Quinceola Reid Psychology
Advisor(s): Kevin Knight Psychology Pamela Carey Psychology Randi Proffittt Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 6, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

Among women in Texas, Black women account for 56% of new HIV infections. However, Black individuals receive only 14% of prescriptions for PrEP, a medication that prevents HIV transmission. In an effort to increase PrEP uptake among Black women, the Beauty Shop Study engages beauty professionals as trusted community members, equipping them to provide sexual health education to their clients. Clients are then connected with the TCU Mobile Health Unit for service delivery and/or referral coordination. In the initial phase, the study collected Beauty Shop Study needs assessment data from 32 beauty professionals in North Texas, exploring their experiences discussing sexual health and related topics with their clients. The current study will present these findings to highlight community readiness and the importance of the Beauty Shop Study.

Native Grassland Stewardship: An Archetype for Sustainable Management

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Riley O'Connor Ranch Management Brooke Best Ranch Management Kelton Eason Ranch Management Jeffrey Geider Ranch Management Ashley Titus Ranch Management
Advisor(s): Jeffrey Geider Ranch Management
Location: Third Floor, Table 10, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

Native Grassland Stewardship: An Archetype for Sustainable Management

Fort Worth, Texas, encompasses two significant tallgrass prairie ecosystems: the Blackland Prairie and the less-studied Fort Worth Prairie. Currently, less than 1% of these prairies remain due to escalating urban expansion, unsustainable agricultural practices, and the growth of the energy sector (Robison et al., 1995). With over 93% of Texas land under private ownership, effective conservation strategies must inclusively engage all stakeholders, notably land managers (Texas Parks and Wildlife, 2025). This study aims to develop a comprehensive management plan for the native prairie ecosystem located within the Botanical Research Institute of Texas at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. The proposed plan is designed to act as an archetype for regeneratively managed prairies and ranches.
Field methodologies encompassed a detailed vegetation survey, forage-clipping analyses, and identification of dominant species. From an ecological perspective, this research emphasizes the critical role of adaptive management in restoring native ecosystems, fostering responsible land stewardship, and promoting public engagement in grassland conservation. The findings aim to contribute practical insights for landowners, conservationists, and policymakers dedicated to preserving and sustainably managing tallgrass prairies in North Texas.

Keywords: Prairie Conversation, Adaptive Management, Sustainable Grazing, Ranch Management

References
Robison, R., White, D. B., & Meyer, M. H. (1995). Plants in Prairie Communities. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/93930.
Texas Parks and Wildlife. (2025). Private Landowners and Listed Species. https://tpwd.texas.gov/wildlife/wildlife-diversity/nongame/listed-species/private-landowners-and-listed-species/

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Ashley Titus Interdisciplinary
Advisor(s): Ranch Management

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Ashley Titus Interdisciplinary
Advisor(s): Ranch Management