Throughout development, humans encounter pathogen threats that shape both physiological and behavioral defense systems. The immune system protects the body from infection, while the emotion of disgust helps prevent contact with potential sources of disease. Research suggests that early life stress can biologically alter children’s developing bodies, leading to immune cells that are primed for heightened inflammatory responses to threat. Consequently, childhood adversity has been associated with altered stress regulation and long-term changes in immune function. This study examines how early life stress influences inflammatory and autonomic responses to a simulated pathogen threat. Participants will be exposed to disgust-inducing stimuli, such as sticky keyboards and unpleasant smells, to elicit perceptions of contamination and disease risk. During exposure, inflammatory markers, including cytokine levels, heart rate, and core body temperature, will be documented to assess immune and autonomic activity. Participants will also report on early life stressors such as neglect, maltreatment, or socioeconomic adversity. We hypothesize that greater exposure to early adversity will lead to stronger inflammatory and autonomic responses to pathogen related stimuli. This work aims to clarify how early experiences shape the body’s reactivity to pathogen threats and investigates the link between childhood stress and long term health outcomes.

Improving Caregiver Education about Dementia Through the Science of Learning
Michala Pollard, Emma Goffard, Ariana Elsden, Lesca Hadley, & Uma Tauber
Most (83%) of the care provided to people living with dementia (PLwD) is provided by informal caregivers such as family members or friends who are not paid for their assistance. Informal caregivers’ 18 billion hours of care is valued at $339.5 billion for 2022 alone (Alzheimer’s Association, 2024). Caregivers for PLwD often assist with complex medical tasks and manage challenging emotional and behavioral symptoms of dementia with limited formal training (e.g., Fortinsky & Hathaway, 1990; Penrod & Dellasega, 1998; Ringer et al., 2020). As the demand for caregiving increases, it is critical to understand how caregivers can best learn and retain essential information for managing ADRD care.
The goal of is project is to establish methods to improve caregiver education about the behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of dementia. Specifically, our educational intervention incorporates principles from the science of learning for structuring retrieval practice to optimize learning (e.g., Agarwal et al., 2021; Sumowski et al., 2010; Tse et al., 2010; Woods et al., 2021). We compared the structured retrieval practice intervention against an active control comparison to determine the degree to which structured retrieval practice enhances caregivers’ long-term retention of dementia care information.
Caregivers of PLwD were recruited from the community and underwent an online survey screening and video or in-person screening prior to study enrollment. Caregivers learned 4 modules on emotion and mood symptoms of dementia – agitation, irritation, apathy, and depression – via the learning intervention or active control (rereading). Caregivers took an immediate test of their knowledge approximately 10 minutes after study and after a 2-day delay. Our novel intervention significantly increased caregivers’ knowledge immediately, and their knowledge was maintained 2 days later at a significantly higher rate relative to the active control comparison.

Situationships represent an increasingly common form of romantic involvement, with nearly 40 percent of Americans and half of young adults ages 18 to 34 reporting having been in one (YouGov, 2024). Although these relationships resemble traditional dating in terms of emotional connection, sexual involvement, and shared time, they lack labels, commitment, and clearly defined expectations (Langlais et al., 2024). Despite their prevalence, situationships remain understudied. Therefore, the present study investigated whether power dynamics and gender influence investment strategies in situationships. To investigate this, heterosexual men and women ages 18 to 32 were recruited through Prolific, and participants who reported being in a situationship were assigned into one of four conditions: woman in control, woman not in control, man in control, or man not in control. 400 eligible respondents (100 per condition) completed measures of mate retention behaviors and situationship investment. It was hypothesized that situationships controlled by women, compared to those controlled by men, would involve male partners engaging in more resource display and greater expressions of love and care, whereas situationships controlled by men would involve the female partners engaging in more appearance enhancement and sexual behaviors as investment strategies. Data are forthcoming.

During ancestral times, while women focused on child-rearing, they relied on their male mates to protect their family. Nowadays, women can protect their families themselves by employing strategies like using a home security system or owning a firearm. However, modern women continue to form long-term relationships with men to reduce the risk of encountering harm (Wilson & Mesnick, 1997). Crucially, men will not provide investment without getting something in return. One resource that men value that women can provide in exchange for investment is granting men sexual access (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004). Therefore, given that women continue to use men as a protective resource and men will accept sexual access in exchange, we should find that women in dangerous environments are more sexually open. This study aims to examine the impact of dangerous environments on women’s sexual strategies. Importantly, no previous research has focused on this. Overall, I predict that women who are primed with dangerous environment cues, compared to women who are primed with a control condition, will show higher levels of sexual openness. By gaining more knowledge about how dangerous environments can influence women’s mating strategies, we can better understand how evolutionary mechanisms continue to influence women’s sexual behaviors. Data are forthcoming.

Many barriers to accessing treatment for substance use disorder and HIV among those on community supervision are well-documented, including a lack of transportation, lack of reentry care, and lack of awareness of services. To address these barriers, a NIDA-funded R01, ACTION, aimed to promote engagement in care for infectious diseases (like HIV/AIDS) and opioid use disorder for individuals on probation in Texas. When conducting these large studies, it is imperative to understand participant and staff perceptions of an intervention’s feasibility and acceptability. Therefore, the current study aims to analyze the similarities and differences in opinions and attitudes of the success of the intervention identified by project staff and client. To examine this, a deductive qualitative analysis of 6 project staff and 20 clients was completed using Atlas.ti. Staff identified communication, state resources and facilities, and issues with pharmacies as key barriers to the intervention, whereas clients cited scheduling and transportation as key barriers. Staff identified the ability to communicate with other staff for resources, meeting clients in person, and meeting in the mobile health unit as key strengths of the intervention, whereas clients cite receiving healthcare services and interaction with the patient navigator and research assistant as key strengths. Understanding these barriers to and facilitators of the ACTION interventions allows researchers to see what works and what can create issues in the study.