Reward downshifts show that behavior remains dependent on reward expectancies even after extended training

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Angela Adame Psychology Jessica Suarez Psychology
Advisor(s): Mauricio Papini Psychology

Frustrative nonreward (FNR), an adverse reaction brought on by unexpected reward reductions or omissions, can be induced by a downshift in the quantity or quality of the reward. The consummatory successive negative contrast (cSNC) task is a well-known paradigm for studying FNR. cSNC involves monitoring the behavioral reaction to a lower reward (downshift) after exposure to a larger or better incentive. It supports the idea that an acceptable but less preferred reward will be rejected in a situation that is associated with a better and more desirable reward. The intensity of FNR depends, among other things, on the strength of the expectation of the large reward. We assumed that overtraining would enhance reward expectancy such that a reward downshift would lead to a stronger cSNC effect than that observed under regular training conditions. This would support the hypothesis that behavior (licking for sucrose) was guided by reward expectancies—an action. But overtraining often leads to habitual behavior that depends on eliciting stimuli, rather than reward expectancies. A failure to show the cSNC effect after overtraining would be consistent with the hypothesis that behavior had become automatic—a habit. Our experiment was designed to test whether overtraining in the cSNC task would result in behavior becoming either an action or a habit. In the experiment, 47 rats were exposed to different concentrations of sucrose, 32%, 16%, or 4%, and 2 training periods, overtraining for 30 sessions and regular training for 10 sessions. Animals exposed to 32% and 16% sucrose were randomly assigned to two groups depending on the amount of training they received before the downshift, either 30 (overtraining) or 10 sessions (regular training). These animals were given access to 4% sucrose after their designated training period. An unshifted control group received only access to 4% sucrose throughout training. The data obtained after 10 vs. 30 sessions of training were compared to the unshifted controls. The results showed that overtraining enhanced the cSNC effect relative to regular training, suggesting that licking was an action guided by the expectation of the current reward, rather than a habit. These results suggest that FNR induced by reward downshifts overcomes the development of a habit even after prolonged training.

Introductory Notes as Motor Preparatory Motor Gestures Underlying Zebra Finch Song

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Soseh Asadoorian Psychology Kevin Bien Psychology Andrew Magee Psychology Dimitri McLain Psychology Samantha Shah Chemistry & Biochemistry Emily Sugg Psychology
Advisor(s): Brenton Cooper Psychology

Humans produce complex and learned behaviors like speech, playing musical instruments, and sports through exceptional motor abilities. These learned actions need specific motor planning and preparation. Researchers use songbirds in part because they produce a stereotyped motor sequence whenever they engage in singing behavior. Further, Zebra Finches learn their song through vocal production learning, similar to human speech acquisition; they mimic their adult male tutor's song and reproduce a similar version in adulthood. This motor learning process leads to the generation and execution of a highly skilled and stereotyped motor program production. Before the song, Zebra finches sing a sequence of introductory notes that are short-duration, non-stereotyped sounds. Previous work has speculated that these introductory notes are a form of motor preparation, but an experimental test of this hypothesis has not been conducted. This study casually examines the role of introductory notes as a motor preparation phase to help transition to executing the main song motor sequence. To distinguish motor preparation from song execution, we reasoned that presenting an external stimulus would delay preparation but not execution. We used air pressure recording to identify introductory notes and triggered white-noise playback during the introductory note performance in six birds and found that the external stimulus led to a delay, which can lead to interruption of the typical song motor pattern (e.g., abnormal pauses). Whereas the same stimulus presented during the song either caused an abnormal early termination of the motor program or did not affect the song (continuation), but it did not delay the execution of the song's motor gestures. Our findings suggest that introductory notes are flexible and modifiable by external stimuli, which is consistent with the hypothesis that they function as a preparatory motor gesture for the upcoming stereotyped song.
Understanding motor planning can provide insight into neurological, behavioral, speech, and motor disorders that are characterized by deficits in neuromuscular preparation.

Community Perceptions of Police Intervention in Mental Health Crises

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Zoya Bernadas Psychology Brittney Bell Psychology Colten Castillo Biology Crystal Ibe Psychology Peyton Jacobe Psychology Dimitri McLain Psychology Makenna Miyamoto Psychology Victoria Perez Psychology Brooke Preston Psychology Sophie Rapeepat Psychology Anna Umpleby Psychology
Advisor(s): Amanda Sease Psychology

Recent discussions surrounding law enforcement have highlighted varying opinions on the ability of police officers to respond effectively to mental health-related incidents. Given that 20% of police calls involve mental health or substance abuse issues, it is crucial that the general population is confident about the role of police as mental health interventionalists. The current study assessed DFW residents’ (N = 64) perceptions of the police’s ability to intervene in mental health crises utilizing in-person and online 7-point Likert scale surveys (where 1 = disagree strongly and 7 = agree strongly). Survey results showed that confidence in police’s ability to handle mental health crises increases with age, p = .04. Older participants expressed greater trust, while younger respondents were more skeptical. No significant differences were found in gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, highlighting a generational divide in public trust. These results suggest that there is potential for improving younger individuals’ attitudes towards police intervention.

Two-Choice Landmark Discrimination in Rats

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Hiya Bhatte Psychology Oluwabusola Adetunji Psychology Sara Bond Psychology Kendall Castelo Psychology Kenneth Leising Psychology Cokie Nerz Psychology Catherine Piskurich Psychology Hampton Zidlicky Psychology
Advisor(s): Kenneth Leising Psychology

SRS Abstract

Two-Choice Landmark Discrimination in Rats

Hiya Bhatte, Sara Bond, Hampton Zidlicky, Oluwabusola Adetunji, Kendall Castello, Catherine Piskurich, Cokie Nerz, & Ken Leising (Texas Christian University)

Rats use many cues when navigating to food, shelter, or a mate. The use of visual cues (e.g., landmarks) has been reported in many species. In rats, these cues include those around their start position, the experimenter, as well as landmarks located in (intramaze) or around (extramaze) the search space. In the current experiment, rats were placed into a start box with a transparent door and released onto an open field. We examined whether rats were able to discriminate between two different intramaze landmarks (wooden figurines; A and B) from the start box. Landmark A trials were reinforced with a Froot Loop© hidden in a cup behind the landmark (A+), but no Froot Loop was present on Landmark B (B-) trials or on C- trials with no landmark. Latency to the goal cup was measured and revealed no differences between the three trial types. The procedure was modified to include two response locations (to the left and right of the landmark). A+ and B+ trial types were reinforced at different cups. There was no difference in accuracy for searching the correct cup first. The use of non-visual cues, the discriminability of the landmarks, and the response cost of search will be discussed.

Hormonal Contraceptives and Alcohol Craving: A Cue-Based Study

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Lindsey Bliss Psychology Savannah Hastings Psychology
Advisor(s): Sarah Hill Psychology

Hormonal Contraceptives and Alcohol Craving: A Cue-Based Study
Lindsey Bliss, Savannah Hastings, B.S., Sarah Hill, PhD

Hormonal contraceptives can have many negative side effects that deter women from using them. One example that many women are unaware of is alcohol craving. Preliminary studies in our lab have shown that women on hormonal contraceptives have greater alcohol cravings than women who are naturally cycling. Given that this data is mostly survey-based, we aim to add a research manipulation in the current study. We are testing this through a Qualtrics survey, distributed via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (Mturk), that is designed to prime alcohol cravings. We will ask women to rate their alcohol cravings before and after they watch a video containing alcohol. We expect that when primed with an alcohol video, women’s cravings towards alcohol will increase to a level higher than before they watched the video. Further, we expect to find that women on hormonal contraceptives will have a higher increase in cravings than women who are regularly cycling. If we do find that women on hormonal contraceptives have a stronger reaction to an alcohol cue, women would benefit from being well informed about this effect. For instance, armed with the knowledge that hormones influence craving and behavior, women may be more mindful about their drinking habits. In addition, we eventually hope that this knowledge will influence those who are developing future contraceptives to take these side effects into account.

I Think Your House is Haunted: Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Existential Isolation

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Tiffany Bui Psychology Kayla Rabb Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology

Existential isolation can be described as the experience of feeling alone in one’s experience of the world; that no one shares your experience or comes close to understanding it (Pinel et al., 2017). Research on existential isolation remains novel, however current findings among those chronically existentially isolated has found significant associations with a host of negative affective outcomes, including increased loneliness (Pinel et al., 2017), death thought accessibility (Helm et al., 2019), depression and anxiety (Constantino et al., 2019), and reduced self-esteem and self-worth (Helm et al., 2018). Finally, there is novel and consistent evidence that existential isolation is related to insecure attachment, specifically avoidant attachment (Helm et al., 2020).

Recent literature has found that adverse early life experiences are one of the factors that can proactively influence adult well-being, resulting in consequences such as anxiety and depressive disorders, and suicidal ideation (Hays-Grudo and Morris, 2020). Additional work has also shown that childhood abuse was uniquely associated with greater loneliness among young adults (Landry et al., 2022) but the impact of early life experiences on loneliness can be impacted by a multitude of factors including, but not limited to, age, gender, socioeconomic factors, and epigenetic factors (Southwick et al., 2014). While loneliness is inherently a part of the feeling of existentially isolated, existential isolation itself is distinct in theoretically meaningful ways that this study aims to investigate through the lenses of adverse childhood experiences and childhood uncertainty. This present study aims to qualitatively examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and existential isolation among adult individuals. Our findings across two studies established a positive association between individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences and existential isolation.

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Tiffany Bui Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology

Personal Values and Post-Incarceration Success: A Qualitative Study

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Renee castillo Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology Thomas Sease Psychology
Advisor(s): Thomas Sease Psychology

Existential Isolation and Politics

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Teagan Cronn Psychology Matthew Espinosa Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology

Recent research has begun to explore the basic misperceptions that underly political divides. For instance, people tend to believe that their political opponents accept objective moral wrongs (e.g., homicide, watching child pornography). These misperceptions then motivate avoidance and dehumanization of political opponents. However, the socio-cognitive processes preceding the formation of these misperceptions are less understood. Across two studies, we examined existential isolation towards political opponents, or the belief that people with a different political orientation than you do not understand your perspective and worldview, as one such social determinant. Study 1 surveyed 194 undergraduate students, and Study 2 surveyed 250 adults via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results provide consistent support to suggest that individuals feel more existentially isolated from political opponents (e.g., politically liberal individuals report feeling more existentially isolated from politically conservative others). The more existential isolation people felt towards liberal or conservative others, the more they believed that these individuals endorsed objective moral wrongs, the less willingness they were to engage in political discussions with these individuals, and the more they dehumanized them. These findings emphasize the important role of existential isolation in the formation and persistence of political divides, and highlight the need for interventions that target feelings of existential isolation towards one’s political opponents.

Public Perception of Law Enforcement's Ability to Effectively Intervene in an Opioid Overdose: A Study of Tarrant County

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Shane Davidson Psychology Ollie Ansley Psychology Kait Beermann Psychology Renee Catillo Psychology Taylor Harrison Psychology Erica Kaminga Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology
Advisor(s): Amanda Sease Psychology

There is substantial literature exploring public perceptions of police, with many studies focusing on demographic factors such as race, age, prior police encounters, and neighborhood characteristics as key influences. While these factors are important, there remains a gap in research examining the public’s perceptions of law enforcement's abilities in handling public health emergencies, particularly opioid overdoses. This gap is concerning as law enforcement often serves as the first responders to such crises. The current study aimed to address this gap by interviewing residents of Tarrant County regarding their perceptions of law enforcement’s ability to effectively intervene in opioid overdose situations. Participants were recruited from various public locations across Tarrant County (N = 72). As part of the interview process, participants completed a nine-question survey using a seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree) to assess their confidence in police responses to opioid overdoses. Results revealed that while there were marginal variations in survey scores, no significant differences were observed based on sex or education level. Overall, the findings suggested a moderate level of confidence among Tarrant County residents in law enforcement’s ability to effectively respond to opioid overdoses. Future research should further explore the factors influencing these confidence levels and develop interventions aimed at strengthening trust-based relationships between Tarrant County residents and law enforcement.

A Six-Factor Model of Ethical Decision-Making

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Kevin Diegel Psychology
Advisor(s): Timothy Barth Psychology

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.

Stigma to Seeking Substance Use Treatment

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Brooke Drenowatz Psychology Kennedy Beaumont Psychology Gracie Haas Psychology Sarah Pelinger Psychology Brianna Pitz Psychology Vlad Shelashskyi Psychology Jaelyn Wegner Psychology
Advisor(s): Amanda Sease Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology

In 2023, a national survey found that less than 1% of adults diagnosed with substance use disorder sought treatment. Examination of past research revealed stigma as a potential barrier to seeking treatment, with higher levels of stigma associated with a lower likelihood of receiving treatment services. Understanding how sociodemographic factors shape stigma perceptions is essential for curating targeted interventions that promote treatment-seeking behavior. This study examined how sociodemographic factors influence perceptions of stigma related to seeking substance use treatment in a community-based environment. Community members were recruited (N = 77) at bus stops, community centers, and public parks in Tarrant County and asked to complete a brief paper survey. Analysis of the data revealed no significant differences in levels of stigma to seeking treatment for substance use across sociodemographic variables. Although there were no significant differences among sociodemographic factors, other barriers could be influencing the lack of service utilization that were not measured here. Further community-based research is essential for understanding the relationship between stigma and sociodemographic variables, as well as developing effective interventions to reduce stigma-related barriers to substance use treatment.

Exploring Mattering in Graduate STEM Students

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Carly Dwyer Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology

Research has found that a sense of mattering, the perception that one is recognized and valued by other people and/or society, contributes to people’s well-being (e.g., reduced burnout & stress). Although some research has been done in university samples (i.e., undergraduate students), little work has explored the psychological benefits of mattering in graduate students. Thus, the aim of this research is to examine the relation between mattering and several well-being outcomes (e.g., satisfaction, stress, burnout) among graduate students at Texas Christian University (TCU). The study survey will be sent to approximately 1900 graduate students at TCU. It is hypothesized that a higher (vs. lower) sense of mattering will be positively related to increased school/job satisfaction and reduced stress, burnout, depression, and frustration. Additionally, research has shown that women in male-dominated fields such as STEM (i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) receive less recognition and credit for their work, which may contribute to a lower sense of mattering for them. Although yet to be empirically examined, the second aim of the current research is to explore whether there is (a) a gender difference in the level of mattering between females and males for graduate students and how area focus (i.e., STEM vs. non-STEM-related majors/careers) moderates potential gender differences. It is hypothesized that females (vs. males) in STEM-related professions (as compared to their non-STEM counterparts) will report reduced mattering scores, with associated detriments to their psychological well-being.

The Impact of Childhood Unpredictability on Sleep Quality: The Mediating Role of Unpredictability Beliefs

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Karla Fuentes Psychology
Advisor(s): Thomas Sease Psychology

Sleep quality refers to an individual's overall feeling of restfulness. Lower sleep quality is reported in many psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders. In addition to the relationship between traumatic life experiences and sleep quality, childhood unpredictability—one’s perceived level of uncertainty in their environment as a child—has been noted to impact one’s quality of sleep. This study will seek to examine whether participants’ childhood unpredictability is related to sleep quality. Furthermore, we are looking to see if unpredictability beliefs could serve as a mediating variable between childhood unpredictability and sleep quality. The implications of this study include the identification of a psychological process that could be intervened upon to improve sleep quality in general and clinical samples with a history of childhood unpredictability.

Public Perceptions of Stigma to Seeking Mental Health Treatment

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Lila Golden Psychology Brooke Blakeney Psychology Ava Burton Psychology Reese Carpenter Psychology Taren Duffy Psychology Jasmine Durrant Psychology Destyni Ellis Psychology Brianna Pitz Psychology Victoria Tucker Psychology
Advisor(s): Amanda Sease Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology

In 2022, over 50 million adults were diagnosed with a mental illness, however, only half of those individuals received mental health care. This marked disparity between diagnosis and service utilization reflects the need to understand barriers impeding individuals from seeking mental health treatment. One commonly experienced barrier to seeking treatment is stigma. Stigma can result from cultural attitudes to structural limitations within communities which impacts how its members seek and interact with mental health services. Community-based research is necessary to understand the nuances regarding barriers within specific communities and the impact of sociodemographic factors on the perceived level of stigma. This direct work with communities helps identify various lived experiences and identify where stigma is most prevalent. Participants were recruited at community centers, bus stops, and public parks in Tarrant County (N = 77) and asked to complete a brief paper survey. Analysis demonstrated that males reported higher levels of stigma towards seeking mental health treatment compared to females. No other comparisons of sociodemographic variables were statistically significant. These results suggest that interventions targeting mental health treatment engagement in Tarrant County should target stigma primarily among males. Further research is needed to understand other barriers within this community to seeking mental health treatment.

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 Faith Harms-Zacharias Psychology Katie Robb Psychology
Advisor(s): Gary Boehm Psychology Michael Chumley Biology

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.

Uncovering Substance Use Dynamics: A Study of Incarcerated Youth

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Emily Hardin Psychology Danica Knight Psychology Lillyan Shelley Psychology
Advisor(s): Danica Knight Psychology

Substance use among adolescents, particularly those in the juvenile justice (JJ) system, remains a critical public health issue with serious long-term consequences. Adolescents in JJ facilities face a heightened risk of developing substance use disorders (SUDs) and are more likely to experience negative outcomes such as mental health challenges and re-incarceration. Identifying substance use patterns in this population is essential for developing targeted treatment and intervention strategies that can mitigate these risks. This study examines the prevalence and patterns of substance use among incarcerated youth, focusing on how these patterns, as well as changes in use over time, relate to treatment needs. Data were analyzed from the Leveraging Safe Adults (LeSA) project, a 5-year longitudinal study evaluating the effectiveness of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) in reducing opioid use among youth after release from JJ facilities. Quantitative methods, including frequencies, cross-tabulations, and ANCOVAs, were used to analyze survey data. Results at baseline (N = 250) indicate that incarcerated youth report most frequent use of marijuana and alcohol and identify marijuana as the most problematic substance for them. However, a general decrease in marijuana and alcohol use was observed at a 3-month follow-up (n = 90) and 6-month follow-up (n = 60). These findings suggest a need for targeted interventions focused on marijuana use and provide preliminary evidence that substance use patterns in this population can improve over time. Findings could inform future interventions designed to address the unique challenges faced by adolescents within the juvenile justice system.

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

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.

Sector Diversity in Trust Based Relationship Intervention Practitioners

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Paige Hassel Psychology Carla Ayala Psychology Erin Razuri Psychology
Advisor(s): Carla Ayala Psychology Erin Razuri Psychology

Sector diversity in professional training programs is a crucial factor in expanding the reach and effectiveness of trauma-informed interventions across multiple disciplines. This exploratory study examines the year-to-year expansion of sector diversity in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner Training from 2019 to 2024. Data from 4,048 participants across six years of training sessions were analyzed to assess trends in sector representation across 16 professional categories. Annual participant counts ranged from 498 in 2020 to 1,229 in 2024. Findings indicate a gradual diversification of professional representation, with juvenile justice, sex trafficking, corrections, international outreach, and medical professional sectors remaining underrepresented. These insights highlight areas requiring targeted outreach to enhance the inclusion of diverse professional backgrounds in future training cohorts. The study contributes to understanding trends in professional diversity within TBRI training and informs future recruitment strategies for underrepresented sectors.

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

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.

Under Pressure: How Frustration Disrupts Ethical Decision-Making

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Paris Hayes Psychology Will Komar Psychology Adelaide Lovett Psychology Amanda Ochranek Psychology Hailey Stewart Psychology
Advisor(s): Timothy Barth Psychology Kevin Diegel Psychology

Ethical decision-making is affected by both cognitive and emotional factors; nevertheless, little research has been directed towards the impact of frustration in moral reasoning. We examined the impact of frustration in decision-making in response to both classical (Sacrificial) and real-world (Contemporary) moral dilemmas in two different studies (N = 328). The participants first took the Ethical Perspectives Scale (Diegel et al., 2024) and were then assigned to a frustrating anagram completion or control group. Next, they responded to ethical dilemmas and gave us data about personality traits, religious orientation, socioeconomic status, sex, age, and political orientation.
The results showed that frustration significantly reduced the ability of ethical perspectives to predict decision-making. Without frustration, Utilitarianism was a strong predictor of outcome-oriented decisions (p ≤ .01), while Rights and Common Good ethics were linked to deontological decision-making (p ≤ .01). However, under the influence of frustration, these effects disappeared (p ≥ .05), suggesting that emotional upset undermines moral consistency. Frustration also undermined the influence of Virtue and Care ethics (p ≤ .01), particularly under high-stakes conditions.
Later tests revealed correlations between ethical positions and personality traits. Both Care ethics and Virtue ethics showed significant relationships with higher religiosity levels (p ≤ .05), while Rights ethics was negatively related with religiosity (p ≤ .01). Politically, Virtue ethics was linked with conservative orientations, while Care ethics was linked with liberal orientations (p ≤ .05). Tests for personality factors showed Utilitarianism associated with low Openness (p = .002), while Virtue ethics was predictive of higher Openness (p = .043).
The findings highlight how frustration undermines moral reasoning, thus disrupting ethical frameworks in the decision-making process. This carries important implications for leadership, policy-making, and crisis situations where ethical decisions have to be made under high-stress conditions.

Testing with Feedback Enhances Caregiver Knowledge of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Maryann Hernandez Psychology Sophia Lohrmann Psychology Morgan Shumaker Psychology
Advisor(s): Uma Tauber Psychology

Many people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) are cared for by informal caregivers (Thompson et al. 2007). Caregivers can face challenges managing and treating symptoms owing to gaps in their dementia-related knowledge (Jorge et al., 2021). Prior work has found that practice testing enhances long-term retention of information (Agarwal et al., 2021). Practice testing followed by elaborative feedback also benefits learning, regardless of whether the retrieval attempt is successful or unsuccessful (Butler, 2008; Roediger & Butler, 2011). We examined whether practice testing with or without elaborative feedback improved caregivers’ learning of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Caregivers studied 12 categories of BPSD and then either restudied the material, took a practice test with no feedback, or took a practice test with elaborative feedback. We found that testing with feedback enhanced caregivers’ learning of BPSD more than testing with no feedback or restudying on both an immediate and delayed test. We also present characteristics of our sample.

Testing a Women and PrEP Education Tool

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Esmeralda Herrera Psychology Casey Chesterman Interdisciplinary Breton Estes Biology Vera Farah Biology Sarah Gonzalez Interdisciplinary Savannah Hastings Psychology Ewaoluwa Olabisi Biology Morayma Rodriguez Psychology
Advisor(s): Amanda Weise Psychology

Awareness and uptake of HIV-preventative medications in women remain low, which contributes to a high prevalence of cases in the southern United States. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an available and effective HIV prevention medication. However, it is not very well-known, particularly among women. This study aims to increase awareness and knowledge of PrEP through an educational model, which includes a pre-survey and a post-survey to assess changes in the participants’ understanding of the medication. Women were recruited through SONA, Mturk, and in-person recruitment methods, with a goal of N = 50 - 150. Data from the surveys about the women’s attitudes and knowledge of PrEP before and after the educational model will be analyzed using a paired samples t-test. We hypothesize that after viewing the PrEP & Women education module, participants’ knowledge and attitudes towards PrEP will change significantly. Specifically, we predict that after viewing the module, individuals’ PrEP attitudes will become more positive and their PrEP knowledge will increase. Overall, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of a PrEP education tool that can be utilized on a wider scale to increase PrEP knowledge and decrease negative attitudes/stigma.

Task Experience Improves Younger and Older Adults’ Ability to Memorize Important Medication Information

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Esmeralda Herrera Psychology Emily Anderson Psychology Jordan Edwards Psychology Morgan Shumaker Psychology
Advisor(s): Uma Tauber Psychology

Learning and remembering medications requires forming memory associations that older adults (65+ years old) tend to experience difficulty forming (e.g., Naveh-Benjamin, 2000). One way older adults can compensate for such memory deficits is to prioritize remembering more important information over less important information. With task experience, older adults can prioritize remembering important information as well as younger adults (e.g., Castel, McGillivray, & Friedman, 2012; McGillivray & Castel, 2017). We examined how much task experience is needed for older and younger adults to learn drug interactions and their side effects. Participants studied fictitious drug interactions with side effects that differed in severity (mild, moderate, severe) and took a cued recall test across three trials. Participants also completed measures of health knowledge and side effect knowledge to evaluate self-efficacy. Recall improved with task experience in both younger and older adults, and both age groups remembered severe side effects over mild and moderate side effects, which is consistent with prior work (e.g., Friedman et al., 2015). Younger adults remembered more than older adults, which provides insights to the cognitive differences between older and younger adults in their abilities to recall health information. Older adults scored higher than younger adults on the health knowledge measure, but there was no difference in side effect knowledge between age groups.

Motivations for Helping Professions: A Qualitative Study

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Kyra Howie Psychology
Advisor(s): Raya Shelashska Psychology

Abstract
Background. Understanding the motivations that drive individuals to pursue careers in helping professions is crucial for workforce recruitment, retention, and training, particularly in the child welfare sector. Despite the increasing demand for helping professionals, research on the factors influencing career decisions in this field remains limited. This qualitative study explores the motivations of individuals who become helping professionals, particularly those working with children and families affected by adversity.

Methods. The study included 398 helping professionals (M = 43.08 years, range = 22–70), with the majority identifying as female (87%) and white (80%). Participants represented various professional fields, including foster care and adoption (37%), clinical and counseling services (29%), education (16%), and juvenile justice (9%). Data were collected via Qualtrics surveys featuring open-ended questions, with one of them about career motivations (Why did you choose to be in a helping profession?). Thematic analysis was used to create a codebook and systematically analyze responses.

Results. Analysis identified five key themes underlying the motivations of helping professionals: Encouragement, Empowerment, Utilization of Own Experience, Inspiration, and Understanding. Encouragement involved fostering hope, recovery, prevention, connections, and growth. Empowerment reflected advocating for children, building trust, and amplifying voices. Utilization of Own Experience encompassed applying personal experience/trauma, empathy, and a helping mindset. Inspiration included passion, personal satisfaction, making a difference, and faith. Understanding captured the recognition of trauma’s impact and family influence in shaping individuals’ lives.

Conclusion. These findings offer valuable insights into the motivations that drive individuals to enter and remain in helping professions. By identifying core motivational factors, this study informs targeted recruitment strategies, supports retention efforts, and contributes to the development of training programs that align with professionals' values and career goals.