Markov chains are stochastic models characterized by the probability of future states depending solely on one's current state. Google's page ranking system, financial phenomena such as stock market crashes, and algorithms to predict a company's projected sales are a glimpse into the array of applications for Markov models. In this research, we analyzed the board game "The Settlers of Catan" using transition matrices. Transition matrices are composed of the current states which represent each row i and the proceeding states across the columns j with the entry (i,j) containing the probability the current state i will transition to the state j. Using these transition matrices, we delved into addressing the question of which starting positions are optimal. Furthermore, we worked on determining optimality in conjunction with a player's gameplay strategy. After building a simulation of the game in python, we tested the results of our theoretical research against the mock run throughs to observe how well our model prevailed under the limitations of time (number of turns before winner is reached).

In the field of Riemannian geometry, the condition on the Riemannian metric so that a manifold has positive scalar curvature (PSC) is important for a number of reasons. Many famous researchers have contributed gradually to this area of geometry, and in this project, we study more about PSC metrics on such manifolds. Specifically, we refine and provide some details to the proof of Gromov and Lawson that the connected sum of 2 n-dimensional manifolds will admit a PSC metric, provided each of the manifolds has a metric with the same condition. We then derive some useful formulas related to the Riemann curvature tensor, the Ricci tensor, and the scalar curvature in many different scenarios. We compute the quantities for a manifold equipped with an orthonormal frame and its dual coframe, namely the connection one-form and the curvature two-form. Then, we observe the change in the structure functions, defined as a function that determines the Lie derivative of the orthonormal frame, under a nearly conformal change of the said frame. The aim of these calculations is that, by expressing the scalar curvature of a manifold M entirely in terms of the structure functions, we can determine a condition on the conformal factor so that when dividing the tangent bundle of M into two sub-bundles, then the scalar curvature restricted to one sub-bundle will “dominate” that of the other one, so that if we know the scalar curvature of the former sub-bundle is positive, we c

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diet and health-related behaviors of adults

Background:
Study objectives were to describe how diet and health habits changed and identify factors impacting diet and health behaviors during the pandemic.

Methods:
An electronic, anonymous survey was developed and distributed via local social media and through a community food-bank following IRB approval. Data were coded into and analyzed for frequencies and correlations using SPSS.

Results:
Participants (n=80) were 97% (n=77) female and 41.37+/-11.7 years. Participants receiving food assistance primarily accessed community food/mobile pantries (22%, n=17). Participants (54%, n=43) agreed that, “I was healthier before the pandemic”, while 15% (n=12) disagreed. Participants (52%, n=42) reported 13.2+/-6.8 pounds unwanted, pandemic weight gain, while 22.5% (n=18) reported 14.1+/-13.9 pounds desired, weight loss. Among participants earning <$50,000/year, 89.5% (n=17) reported inability to afford healthy food, while 2.6% (n=1) earning >$150,000/year reported inability to afford healthy food. Inability to afford healthy food correlated with BMI (ρ=.40, p<.01). Income negatively correlated with pandemic weight gain (ρ=-0.31, p<0.05) and ability to afford healthy foods (ρ=-.73, p<0.01). Participants reported increased pandemic snacking (61.25%, n=49) and alcohol consumption (37.5%, n=30). Higher pandemic stress levels correlated with increased pandemic alcohol and snack consumption, (ρ=.30, p<.01) and (ρ=.44, p<.01), respectively.

Conclusion:
Changes in health perceptions and weight were common. BMI and income impacted ability to afford healthy foods. Increased stress levels were significantly associated with increased alcohol intake and snacking, although weight changes were not associated with alcohol or snacking. This research provides information about pandemic dietary and health behavior changes and how impacts differ based upon income level.

Determination of Caffeine Use and its Effects on University Students
Jason Balters, Senior-Coordinated Program in Dietetics; Jordan Pitts, Senior-Coordinated Program in Dietetics; Anne VanBeber, PhD, RD, LD, FAND, CCMS; Kelly Fisher, DCN, RD, LD, CSP; Lyn Dart, RD, LD, PhD - Department of Nutritional Sciences
Background
Many studies have observed caffeine intake of university students. Investigators have found that the majority of consumers who over consume caffeine were not aware of the FDA recommended limit of 400 mg caffeine/day. Purposes of this research were to determine the level of caffeine consumption among students attending Texas Christian University (TCU) and the perceived effects that users experienced related to sleep, stress, and withdrawal symptoms. A desired outcome of this research was to clarify confounding values of average caffeine consumption in the university population that varied from 124 mg/day to 228 mg/day in the existing literature.

Methods
A survey questionnaire was created to assess the quantity, modality and situational scenarios of caffeine consumption, as well as caffeine’s perceived effect on sleep, energy and stress. Caffeine withdrawal effects felt by students were also ascertained in the survey. The survey was administered via Survey Monkey® and distributed via the TCU email system to approximately 1000 students. Basic descriptive and frequency statistics were calculated using the Survey Monkey® software.

Results
The 217 respondents were 76.5% female with 94% between the ages of 18-25 years old and 94.0% current undergraduate students. Of the total respondents, 70.1% consumed 1-2 caffeinated beverages per day, 66.5% used caffeine to help study, and 67.5% used caffeine to increase energy. Negative perceptions of caffeine’s impact on sleep were reported by 30%; while 18.5% reported a negative impact on stress, and 73.7% reported withdrawal symptoms.

Conclusions
The consumption of 95-190 mg caffeine/day by the majority (54.9%) of study participants was consistent with reported scientific literature. While only 1.8% of those surveyed consumed more than the FDA recommendation of 400 mg caffeine/day, reasons for this are unknown. Additionally, of the 70% who stated they experienced withdrawal symptoms, it is uncertain if these symptoms were indeed caused from the caffeine withdrawal or from another unrelated cause. It is advised that the research survey be revised to include questions that more acutely seek information sought in the stated purpose of the study. Further research regarding caffeine consumption by consumers is also warranted to better assist registered dietitian nutritionists and other health professionals when assessing diet and lifestyle habits of patients.

Background:
Studies in the general population assessing knowledge/attitudes regarding a plant-based diet found that the majority of participants were reluctant to follow the diet. Specific concerns included perceived lack of satiety, low protein content, and undesirable taste. However, there is lack of research in the college-age population. The purpose of this study was to determine university students' general knowledge/attitudes of a whole-foods, plant-based diet.

Study Design:
After providing informed consent, participants (N=209) completed a 28-question online research survey via Survey Monkey®. Participant demographics, health status and eating habits were gathered at the beginning of the survey. The remaining questions assessed participant knowledge and attitudes pertaining to a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Analysis using Pearson correlation coefficients was performed to assess associations between knowledge and attitude towards a whole-foods, plant-based diet in concordance with participants’ health status and eating habits (SPSS, p ≤ 0.05).

Results:
Males were more likely to disagree that following a plant-based diet is beneficial to their health (p ≤ 0.01). Male students were also more likely to believe that a whole-foods, plant-based diet would never satisfy their hunger (p ≤ 0.01), decrease their energy levels (p ≤ 0.05); males were also less likely to understand the meaning of a whole-foods, plant-based diet (p ≤ 0.01). Similarly, students who had never taken a nutrition course were more likely to disagree that a whole-foods, plant-based diet is beneficial to their health (p ≤ 0.01).

Conclusions:
Respondents who had negative attitudes toward a whole-foods, plant-based diet tended to lack knowledge/understanding of the diet. Providing nutrition education about the whole-foods, plant-based diet by registered dietitian nutritionists could result in improved health outcomes among this population.

Background
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2.6 million tons of food waste was composted in 2017, while 30.6 million tons of food waste went to landfills. EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy prioritizes actions to prevent and divert wasted food including source reduction and feeding hungry people and animals. The objectives of the study were to 1) describe factors influencing participation in a composting pilot and 2) determine the impact on food and overall waste.

Methods
A 36-question electronic anonymous survey was developed and distributed to 1,054 participants in the composting pilot program by the City of Fort Worth via email following IRB approval. Data were coded into and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Statistical significance was p<0.05.

Results
Approximately 40% of pilot program participants completed the survey (n=418/1054). Participants’ mean age was 45.5+/-14.9 years. Almost 90% (n=375) of participants cited wanting to save the Earth as a reason for program participation. Over 54% (n=223) reported completely filling the five-gallon compost bucket with food waste within 1-2 weeks, on average. Participants (45.7%, n=191) reported frequently throwing away food based upon expiration, best buy, or sell-by dates. Participants reported other waste-reducing behaviors including use of reusable glass and plastic containers and water bottles; 91.2% (n=381), 89% (n=372), 86.1% (n=360), respectively.

Discussion
The majority of participants wanted to save the Earth and were partaking in other waste reduction behaviors. However, food waste remained high among households as evidenced by frequent filling of five-gallon compost buckets and reports of throwing away food based upon dating systems. While it is nearly impossible to eliminate all food waste, landfills need a relief system, and city composting programs or at-home composting could be solutions for many households. Citizens would benefit from additional education regarding food dating systems and food waste reduction methods.

Background: Low-carbohydrate diets are increasingly popular in the US. Despite having vital roles in the body, negative associations are established toward carbohydrates in the media, indicating that reduced consumption leads to weight loss, decreased gastrointestinal conditions and improved brain function and energy status.
Objective: The objective of this study is to determine college students’ perceptions of carbohydrates on health and contributing factors to their perceptions. It is hypothesized that due to recent media coverage and health trends, carbohydrates have gained a negative connotation in regards to health, despite the lack of research supporting these ideas.
Methods: An online survey was developed to investigate participants’ perceptions and knowledge of carbohydrates. Researchers recruited Texas Christian University students through social media and email. Data was analyzed using Excel.
Results: Among study participants (N=127), only 3% (n=4) were currently following a low-carbohydrate diet and 45% percent (n=54) had previously followed one. Of the participants who limited their carbohydrate intake, the main motivators were weight loss (53%, n=51) and health (19%, n=18); they reported low energy levels (51%, n=47), mood swings (20%, n=18), and trouble concentrating (18%, n=17). The most commonly reported sources of nutrition education were internet searches (74%, n=90), social media/blogs (63%, n=77), and friends/family (63%, n=77). Approximately 45% (n=55) were in a health-related major and 47% (n=57) have taken a college nutrition course. The majority were able to correctly identify the roles that carbohydrates play in the body, including energy source (98%, n=117) and brain function (69%, n=82).
Conclusions: A small percentage of participants are following a low-carbohydrate diet, likely due to their awareness of the roles that carbohydrates play in the body, as well as negative symptoms reported by those who previously followed the diet. Many had taken a nutrition class, which indicates that nutrition education influences dietary decisions.

Background. The prevalence of nutrition-related diseases has created a need for increased nutrition education in medical school curricula. Due to the lack of nutrition education for physicians, RD/RDNs bring value to interprofessional teams. Incorporating nutrition education into medical school programs is likely to increase physicians’ ability to provide nutrition advice and promote healthy lifestyles.

Objective. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to determine Registered Dietitians’ (RD/RDNs) perceptions of physicians’ nutrition knowledge; and 2) to determine the interprofessional practice of physicians.

Methods. A 27-question electronic survey was developed and distributed to a Survey Monkey link through email, social media and word-of-mouth communication following IRB approval. Inclusion criteria includes RD/RDNs credentialed with the Commission of Dietetic Registration over the age of 18 years. The investigators used Excel for Mac, Version 16.42 for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Results. The study surveys RD/RDNs in Texas. Participants (n=64) were 38.3+/-11.0 years of age and 100% (n=64) female. Over 95% (n=61) of participants reported feeling comfortable interacting with or providing nutrition information to physicians in a healthcare team setting. Approximately 30% (n=19) of participants rated physicians at expected to well above expected on establishing collaborative relationships with RDs/RDNs. Approximately 78% (n=50) of participants reported that they disagreed/strongly disagreed that physicians are well-prepared to educate their patients in nutrition. Over 43% (n=28) agreed/strongly agreed that physicians discuss nutrition with patients/clients when appropriate.

Conclusions. RD/RDNs reported being comfortable interacting with physicians. RD/RDNs did not report that physicians were well-prepared to educate patients about nutrition or discuss nutrition with patients when appropriate. The majority of participants reported that physicians meet or exceed expectations for establishing collaborative relationships. Thus, interprofessional teams are valuable in achieving positive patient outcomes.

Keywords: Registered Dietitian, RD, RDN, Doctor, MD, DO, Medical School, Nutrition Education, Interprofessional Education

During the first 100 million years after the Big Bang the universe was dark, and possibly full of terrors. Sometime during the first 500 million years, these cosmic dark ages ended with the ignition of the first stars. The first stars, which we call these Population III, contained only the hydrogen and helium formed in the Big Bang. These stars are interesting because they are thought to have started a domino effect of enrichment of elements heavier than helium through the cosmos. These ”heavier” elements formed in the core of stars are referred to in astronomy as ”metals”. Without ”metals” the gas out of which Population III stars form cools inefficiently, producing stars with masses as high as a few 1000 times the mass of our Sun. However, while we know that Population III stars are massive, we do not know exactly how massive as they are too faint for detection by all current and upcoming astronomy observatories. The work presented on this poster will explore one possible alternate avenue to answer the question: how massive were the first stars? As a result of their extreme masses, the most massive Population III stars will collapse directly into black holes with masses of a few hundred to a few thousand times the mass of our sun. A billion years after the Big Bang, as the era of the Population III stars ends, astronomers have observed the distribution of supermassive black holes (a million to a billion times the mass of the sun) in galaxies. Our work traces the evolution of the direct collapse black holes, formed from Population III stars, to determine whether the distribution of the masses of Population III stars left an imprint on the distribution of supermassive black holes, 500 million years later. The goal of this work is to randomly populate different potential distributions of Population III masses to compare the varying distributions of direct collapse black holes at different times. The result of this will eventually provide predictions for the dependence of the distribution of supermassive black holes, a billion years after the Big Bang, on the distribution of the masses of Population III stars.

Dark Matter (DM) is hypothesized to be an exotic particle that is invisible to human observation. But thankfully, its existence is proven through its gravitational interaction with luminous matter (such as stars and galaxies), and it is responsible for the formation of the humongous structures across our universe. The leading interpretation of DM is what we call Cold Dark Matter (CDM), where the DM particles have relatively low velocities and low energies. This causes structures to form quite quickly and easily in the early universe. While CDM can explain many observed properties of the universe, it is not without its flaws (specifically on the scale of low-mass dwarf galaxies). The hypothesis of Warm Dark Matter (WDM) poses a viable solution to the shortcomings of CDM. In WDM, the DM particles are of higher energy and have higher velocities. This would cause the formation of the first gravitationally bound structures in the Universe to be delayed when compared to CDM. Using a model to approximate varying temperatures of DM, we compare the rates and characteristics of early structure formation for the current CDM hypothesis, and that of many other types/temperatures of WDM. We expect that the differences between CDM and WDM will be most apparent during the first billion years after the Big Bang, just as the first stars in the Universe ignite. These results may be indicative of the true nature of dark matter, and finally bring our understanding into the light.

In this research we developed biocompatible Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) capable of emitting light in the infrared part of the light spectrum. Using the bottom up and top down approaches, we synthesized near-infrared light-emitting GQDs to be used for further cell studies as imaging and drug delivery agents for cancer detection and treatment.
From our bottom up approach, using a one-step hydrothermal reaction using a microwave and oven, the GQDs derived from the Glucose and Liquid ammonia mixture and those from from the L-glutamic acid showed near-infrared emission. And from our top down approach, using a UV based photolytic reaction, the GQDs derived from the mixture of urea, citric acid and hydrogen peroxide also showed near-infrared emission.

Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are used as measuring sticks in the structure of the Universe. These catastrophic explosions occur when two stars collide, but it’s unknown what kind of stars are combined to produce a SN Ia. Target 1 in our study is an unusual SN Ia; while a standard SN Ia would grow much dimmer after 300 days (late-time), this one remains bright. This is due to delayed interaction between the material ejected from the SN explosion colliding with the material in the surrounding region, causing light-curves to stagnate in late-time and be brighter than standard SNe Ia. It’s unknown if SNe like Target 1 are rare, but their properties would greatly aid in mapping the Universe. Therefore, we searched the public data from the Zwicky Transient Facility for more these types of SNe. We obtained 40 light-curves that are representative of the intrinsic SN Ia distribution in the nearby universe and found two instances of Target 1-like SNe.

Photothermal Therapy (PTT) provides a promising new method of therapy for various medical conditions, including cancer, using infrared wavelengths. In my project, the photothermal effect of various nanomaterials—including Reduced Graphene Oxide, gold nanospheres and nanorods, and Copper Sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles—is characterized by irradiation of the aqueous materials with near-infrared radiation. These materials were then irradiated in live cell cultures to characterize their potential use as a treatment candidate.

Many cancers are characterized by rapid cell growth and division. This growth causes the area to become densely packed, forming tumors and therefore limiting oxygen penetration, and also causing the cell to have elevated energy needs. These factors trigger the use of mechanisms which have a high acidic output, which makes cancerous environments measurably more acidic than their healthy counterparts. This study was conducted to determine the suitability of various nanomaterial-based platforms for pH sensing as an additive to their previously shown suitability for drug/gene delivery and bioimaging. Several platforms were chosen, including Glucose-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots (GGQDs), Reduced Graphene Oxide-Derived Graphene Quantum Dots (RGQDs), and Aluminum-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide-Derived Graphene Quantum Dots (Al-RGQDs), which all have peaks in their emission spectra in both the visible and infrared range. 9 spectra were taken from each of these platforms in the visible and infrared ranges from pH 6.00 to 8.00, as would be expected in cancerous and healthy biological systems. These spectra were then analyzed for defining characteristics which would distinguish between the various pH levels. While the results from GGQDs and RGQDs are thus far inconclusive, the relative peak intensity readings from the visible and infrared Al-RGQDs showed a promising inverse relationship that bears further investigation.

Hydrogen energy is the most sustainable source of energy known to man. Though Earth has a seemingly limitless supply of hydrogen trapped in water molecules, industrial size production and storage of it has remained costly and dangerous. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) shows great potential as a storage vessel for hydrogen while acting as a “catchers’ glove” for hydrogen when it is split from water. Where others have tried to store hydrogen in rGO by having it surrounded by hydrogen gas, I will attempt to directly attract hydrogen to rGO by taking advantage of hydrogen’s electrical attraction to rGO once it is split from water via electrolysis. This technique, paired with a novel method of preparation of the working cathode , could increase hydrogen storage in rGO that has not been achieved; furthering its potential as a safe, cost effective, and reversible hydrogen storage vessel.

The creation and evolution of elements, as a function of age, throughout the Milky Way disk provides a key constraint for galaxy evolution models. In an effort to provide these constraints, we have conducted an investigation into the rapid and slow-process neutron capture elemental abundances, which are created in supernovae, for a large sample of open clusters. Stars were identified as cluster members by the Open Cluster Chemical Abundance & Mapping (OCCAM) survey, which culls member candidates by Doppler velocity, metallicity, and proper motion from the observed OCCAM sample. We’ve obtained new data for neutron-capture elements in these clusters using the Subaru Observatory 8-m telescope in Hawaii with the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS). We are analyzing the neutron capture abundances in star clusters to measure the chemical evolution of the Milky Way.

In recent times, nanomaterials have attracted interest in the scientific community due to their capacity for drug/gene delivery as well as their ability to target tissues and serve as probes for delivery pathways through various bioimaging approaches. Nanomaterial-based imaging systems in the near-infrared (NIR) region are desirable in vivo due to low biological autofluorescence, low tissue scattering, and increased penetration depth in animal tissue. However, low biocompatibility, as well as complexity in preparation, impede many current NIR imaging platforms from biomedical applications. In order to rectify this issue, we developed biocompatible NIR emitting graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and tested them for imaging in animal tissues. GQDs injected into mice intravenously through the tail vein show NIR emission in multiple organs including the intestine, kidney, spleen, and liver. Localization of both quantum dots in these organs was verified through the NIR fluorescence microscopy of organ slices, taken at multiple time points (1, 3, 6, 24 hours) via hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy. Slices in the 6 hour time point show the strongest fluorescence and characteristic GQD spectral signatures at ~950 nm compared to none in the control slices. These results indicate that GQDs show promising potential for future applications in theranostics, for instance as imaging or image-guided drug delivery agents.

Fifty percent of stars in the night sky are actually binary star systems, but finding and characterizing them require significant data, time, and analysis. Studying the brighter star of the pair is fairly straightforward, but the secondary is commonly hidden. Using the infrared spectroscopy data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey combined with The Joker, a new Monte Carlo analysis technique, we are working to reveal and characterize these hidden binary stars.

Introduction: Helicopter parenting, a parenting style defined by high parental control and warmth, (has been shown to negatively impact college age students through higher rates of depression and anxiety (Lubbe, 2018; Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Further, helicopter parenting may inhibit college students’ academic performance (Love, 2019) and feelings of success (Deci & Ryan, 2012). Overparenting has also been associated with maladaptive traits in adult children, including a sense of entitlement (Segrin, 2012). The goal of the current study is to explore the mediating role of self-efficacy in relationship between helicopter parenting and college student outcomes. It is hypothesized that helicopter parenting will increase depressive symptoms, decrease well-being, and increase students’ sense of entitlement.
Methods: Six-hundred sixty-five undergraduate psychology students were recruited through SONA to participate in the study at two Southern private universities. Participants answered a battery of online questionnaires about their interactions and relationships with their parent, reporting on their perceptions of their parents’ helicopter parenting behaviors, family environment, and personality. Students also completed questionnaires about their personality, mental health, academic achievement, and substance use.
Results: In order to test Lubbe and colleagues (2018) proposed four-factor helicopter parenting model, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed in MPlus version 8 (Muthén & Muthén, 2001-2014). The four subscales of the Bifactor Model of Helicopter parenting were used as indicators for the latent variable, Helicopter parenting, and was the hypothesized confirmatory factor analysis model. Based on Hu and Bentler’s (1999) criteria for adequate model fit, results of the CFA indicated the model had good fit, χ2 (2) = .720¸ p ≤ .001; RMSEA ≤ .001, 90% Confidence Intervals (CI) [≤.001,.005]; CFI = 1.00; SRMR = .005. To test the relationship between helicopter parenting and college student outcomes and the mediating role of self-efficacy, a structural regression model was performed with the ML estimator and 10,000 bootstraps. Results of the first model indicated good fit, χ2 (17) = 34.72¸ p = .007; RMSEA = .040, 90% Confidence Intervals (CI) [.020,.058]; CFI = .989; SRMR = .021. The indirect paths through self-efficacy from helicopter parenting to psychological entitlement (95% CI: [-.45, -.06]), academic entitlement, (95% CI: [.16, .71]) depressive symptoms (95% CI: [.37, 1.42]), and subjective well-being (95% CI: [-.16, -.05]), were all significant. Therefore, as helicopter parenting increases, self-efficacy decreases, which predicts lower levels of psychological entitlement and subjective well-being and higher levels of depressive symptoms and academic entitlement.
Discussion: Helicopter parenting behavior during the college years is not developmentally appropriate for parents to engage in and has been associated with negative outcomes for their college-aged child. The main goal of the study was to examine the relationship between helicopter parenting and college student outcomes and the mediating role of self-efficacy. Results of the current study support previous findings which suggest helicopter parenting has been associated with lower levels of mental health and well-being and higher rates of entitlement. The results also indicate that the relationship between helicopter parenting and student outcomes is mediated by self-efficacy.

Title: Employment Decisions in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Authors: Naomi Ekas, Ph.D., Deborah Rafferty, Allie Benson

Introduction: It is very common for at least one parent of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to quit their job to care for this child (Stoner & Stoner, 2016). Some research suggests that parents of children with ASD are four times as likely to quit, change, or not take a job compared to parents with typically developing children (Montes & Halterman, 2008). These high rates of career disruption can have effects on both the parent quitting their career and the one continuing their career. Typically, it is mothers of children with ASD whose careers are impacted the most. Mothers disproportionately quit their jobs compared to fathers to care for a child with ASD and the mothers who continue their professional career face issues at work such as working fewer hours, having to change jobs, and not accepting promotions (Baker & Drapela, 2010). However, there is a dearth of prior research that examines why parents of children with ASD decide to quit their jobs or remain working outside the home after their child’s diagnosis. Thus, the first goal of this current study is to determine the factors underlying the reason mothers of children with ASD decide to quit her job versus continuing to work outside of the home.

Due to the array of challenges mothers face in caring for a child with ASD, these mothers face several mental health challenges. In general, research suggests that mothers of children with ASD experience more stress, less self-efficacy and parental competence, and lower overall health ratings than parents of typically developing children and children with other special needs (Herring et al., 2006; Pisula, 2007; Yamada et al., 2007). However, there is a dearth of research on the effects staying in a career versus quitting work to care for a child with ASD have on a mother of a child with ASD’s mental health. Thus, the second goal of this research is to determine the effects quitting a job to care for a child with ASD has on a mother’s mental health versus the effects staying in a career while parenting a child with ASD have on a mother’s mental health.

Methods: We recruited mothers of children with ASD who chose to remain in the professional workforce while raising their child with ASD and who quit their job to care for their child with ASD. All mothers reside in the United States, are married, and have a child with ASD between the ages of 10 and 17. Participants completed a 45-60 minute online Qualtrics survey that included demographic measures, mental health measures, and questions about their employment decisions.

Results/Discussion: Data is still being collected for this study. We will utilize SPSS to perform statistical techniques.

Introduction: There is a vast range of deficits and behavioral issues associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which leads families with children with ASD to experience greater amounts of stress compared to families of neurotypical children (Bayat & Schuntermann, 2013). An additional factor that may exacerbate the stress families with children with ASD are under is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has contributed to disrupted routines and increased anxiety and can result in an increase in challenging behavior for some individuals with ASD (Autism Speaks, 2020). In addition to the stress of the pandemic, the current social unrest evident by national racial protests following the killing of George Floyd may exacerbate stress in families, particularly families of color. The current study aims to contribute to the paucity of research regarding parent mental health and family functioning in families of color with children with ASD. Due to the stress of raising a child with ASD being exacerbated by the pandemic and the racial inequality protests in families of color, I hypothesized that families of color with children with ASD would experience higher rates of stress and have poorer family functioning compared to White families.
Methods: Participants were caregivers of children with ASD who were recruited from the community through local schools, flyers, and online advertisements. Participants completed a Qualtrics survey in April and the second survey in July. The surveys included questions regarding parents’ stress, anxiety, and depression levels associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and how this impacted family function. To analyze stress-levels regarding the racial protests that began in May, the July survey included questions regarding levels of distress about the protests and how families perceived their interactions with the police.
Results/Discussion: The data for the current study is still being analyzed.

Previous research has found that people can become self-radicalized (i.e., adopt more extreme attitudes in the absence of new information) by merely thinking about a group. A number of studies in our research lab have also found that people can become self-radicalized when they engage in a specific type of thought strategy, namely extrapolating from known to unknown traits about a group. The current experiment examined whether differences in trait imageability, or the ability to form a mental image of a trait, influence the effects of extrapolation on self-radicalization toward a negatively perceived outgroup. We found that regardless of trait imageability, participants who extrapolated reported more extreme attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the outgroup compared to control participants. More importantly, however, participants who extrapolated to traits that were difficult to form a mental image of subsequently reported more extreme attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the outgroup, compared to participants who extrapolated to traits that were easy to form a mental image of and compared to control participants. The current results established an initial link between self-radicalization and thinking about trait information that is relatively difficult to process.

Previous work illustrates that people’s judgments of the memorability of stimuli is affected by the perceptual features of those stimuli, even when there is no actual difference in memory (Rhodes & Castel, 2008). There is, however, a gap in the research about how such metacognitive illusions relate to other common misconceptions about how memory works. The present study examined the connection between so-called perceptual fluency effects and the common misconception that students learn best when content is presented in line with their individualized learning styles (e.g., auditory learners, visual learners, etc.). Participants were asked questions to gauge their perceptions of learning styles, then studied and made judgments about words that were presented in either large or small fonts (a manipulation that has been shown to affect judgments, but not actual memory performance). After a delay, participants took a free recall test, and were asked to make a global judgment about whether they remembered the large or small words better. We found that 43.47% of participants endorsed visual learning styles, 21.75% endorsed kinesthetic learning styles, 8.69% endorsed auditory learning styles, and the other 26.09% did not endorse a specific learning style. We also examine the relationship between learning styles and fluency effects.
Keywords: individualized learning styles, fluency effects, judgments of learning, metacognitive biases

Influence of socioeconomic status on rhythm perception in children with and without dyslexia
Nathania Davis, Vishal Thakkar, John Solorzano Restrepo, Abby Engelhart, Tracy Centanni
Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129

Development of strong reading skills takes years of practice and instruction, but such skills are critical for future success academically, vocationally, and in everyday life. In spite of the early start to reading instruction in the United States, up to 15 percent of children fail to learn to read and approximately 21 percent of adults meet the Department of Education’s criteria for low English literacy (NCES, 2014). One risk factor for poor reading outcomes is the child’s socioeconomic status (SES). Previous research has demonstrated a significant and positive relationship between children’s SES and their reading abilities, such that children from more advantaged backgrounds develop better reading skills (Bowey, 1995), (Corso, 2016). Interestingly, reading skills may also be correlated with rhythm perception. Children who struggle to read also appear to struggle in the ability to detect slight changes in rhythmic patterns (Overy et al., 2003). It is currently unknown why these two skills are related and whether SES impacts the development of rhythm perception. The goal of the current study was to examine the SES-rhythm relationship among typically developing children (TD) and those with dyslexia (DYS). Data were collected from 36 TD children and 25 DYS children. Children completed a series of virtual reading assessments and information about the child’s history and home environment was collected from the parents. Children then completed a rhythm matching task (Dolloghan and Campbell, 1998) in which they heard two patterns and reported whether they were the same or different. Early analyses suggest that SES and rhythm processing are not significantly related. We discuss the implications of these findings on the development of rhythm-based interventions for children who are at risk for lower reading skills.

Delay of gratification refers to the ability to wait for a preferred reward over an immediate reward. For children, this ability serves as an important predictor of future outcomes (e.g., Mischel et al., 1989). Previous studies have identified several strategies that children utilize in order to delay gratification and most research points to cognitive processes as the key strategy for aiding in children’s ability to delay gratification. However, a newer body of research with adults suggests that emotions, such as gratitude, might be manipulated, and thus might serve as a constructive strategy for delaying gratification (DeSteno et al., 2011). This study is the first to examine whether positive emotions influence a child’s ability to delay gratification.

Four and five-year-old children (n = 74) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions - pride, gratitude, and control - and completed a drawing task prior to the delay of gratification task. In the pride group, children completed a drawing and then were given praise. In the gratitude group, children were instructed to draw something they were thankful for and then describe it when they finished. In the control group, children were given a single black crayon and asked to draw 5 lines and given no feedback. Children were then told they could have more of a preferred reward if they waited for 15 minutes in their chair, but to ring the bell if they wanted to stop and have less of the reward (e.g., marshmallows, goldfish crackers, fruit snacks, etc.). The total amount of time they waited was recorded. In additional, the frequency of performing various behaviors was coded. These included distraction (looking away from the reward), verbal (talking about the reward v. talking about other things), and interacting with the reward (touching, smelling, tasting, eating).

The three groups did not differ on any demographic characteristics (child age, child gender, ethnicity, household income, parent education). There were no significant differences between groups on the amount of time they delayed gratification, F(2, 72)=2.07, p=.13. Children in the praise (M=17.42, SD=7.18) and gratitude groups (M=16.92, SD=8.34) engaged in significantly greater amounts of distraction, F(2,72)=4.30, p=.017, compared to the control group (M=11.48, SD=8.18).

Research with adults has shown that positive emotions play an important role in delaying gratification. The current study provides evidence that this is also true for younger children. Although all groups of children performed equally well with respect to the time they waited, there were important differences in the types of strategies they used. Focusing attention away from the source of temptation is generally found to be an effective strategy and one that translates across situations. For example, distracting oneself during an anger-eliciting situation is also effective in reducing negative emotions. Therefore, teachers and parents should consider implementing interventions that focus on teaching children to generate positive emotions when encountering potentially challenging situations.