Parenting Behaviors and Depressive Symptoms in Autistic Adolescents: The Moderating Role of RSA Reactivity

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Mary Bubb Psychology Brooke Blakeney Psychology Naomi Ekas Psychology Abbie Heidenreich Psychology
Advisor(s): Naomi Ekas Psychology

Structured Retrieval Practice (SRP) Intervention For Learning Medication Side-Effects Across the Lifespan

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Corinne Getzendanner Psychology Ariana Elsden Psychology
Advisor(s): Uma Tauber Psychology

Multi-Informant Discrepancies of Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Abbie Heidenreich Psychology Naomi Ekas Psychology Lexi McGinnes Psychology Trey McKamey Psychology
Advisor(s): Naomi Ekas Psychology

Academic Satisfaction and Internalizing Symptoms in College Students: The Moderating Role of Helicopter Parenting

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Riley Lewis Psychology Naomi Ekas Psychology Abbie Heidenreich Psychology Kaitlin Hinch Psychology
Advisor(s): Naomi Ekas Psychology

Perceptions and Experiences of ADHD in Higher Education

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Ava McConnell Psychology
Advisor(s): Michelle Chen Psychology

Parental Attachment and Emotional Intelligence in Law Enforcement Officers

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Sydnee Moody Psychology Kayla Rabb Psychology
Advisor(s): Danica Knight Psychology

Associations between Autism Symptom Severity and Parent Relationship Quality in Parents of Autistic Children

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Emily Ozawa Psychology Naomi Ekas Psychology Ramzi Quintanilla Psychology Whitney Sullivan Psychology
Advisor(s): Naomi Ekas Psychology

Faculty Perceptions of ADHD In Higher Education

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Sarah Pelinger Psychology
Advisor(s): Michelle Chen Psychology

Improving Caregiver Education about Dementia Through the Science of Learning

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Michala Pollard Psychology
Advisor(s): Uma Tauber Psychology

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.

Examining Support & Perceived Necessity of Trauma-Informed Care in Human Service Sectors

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Kayla Rabb Psychology
Advisor(s): Danica Knight Psychology

The Impact of Helicopter Parenting and Emerging Adults' Perceptions of Parental Conflict on their Romantic Relationships: The Mediating Role of Adult Attachment

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Whitney Sullivan Psychology Ava Burton Psychology Jasmine Durrant Psychology
Advisor(s): Naomi Ekas Psychology

• The Link Between Natural Mentoring and Resiliency in the Face of Adverse Experiences and Insecure Attachment

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Jessie Swartz Psychology Lillyan Shelley Psychology
Advisor(s): Danica Knight Psychology

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
Location: Third Floor, Table 3, Position 3, 11:30-1:30

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
Location: Basement, Table 4, Position 3, 11:30-1:30

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
Location: Basement, Table 15, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

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
Location: Basement, Table 3, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

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.

A Convolutional Neural Network for Identifying Zebra Finch Song

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Kevin Bien Psychology Soseh Asadoorian Psychology Andrew Magee Psychology Dimitri McLain Psychology Samantha Shah Chemistry & Biochemistry Shayla Smith Psychology Maria Solis Psychology Emily Sugg Psychology Diana Villalta Palencia Psychology
Advisor(s): Brenton Cooper Psychology
Location: Third Floor, Table 3, Position 2, 1:45-3:45

Bird song has been extensively investigated as a model for understanding the physiological basis for animal vocalization.. Juvenile songbirds acquire their songs and perfect them as they transition into adulthood, just as we acquire our native language by exposure and imitation of adult tutors. Scientific investigation of bird song requires the collection of hundreds of hours of audio data containing songs, calls, and cage noise. These data must be sorted into categories of interest for specific research questions, with singing behavior being the dominant behavior of interest. Data categorization is a tedious and time-consuming process, and while current software hastens this process, substantial human effort is still required. This project investigates whether or not machine learning algorithms can be used to more efficiently categorize audio data collected in songbird research. Specifically, we developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) in PyTorch to classify whether or not 0.5 second sections of audio contain bird song. Using a supervised learning paradigm, we trained the CNN using labeled spectrograms (visual representations of audio frequencies across time) acquired from recordings of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). After training the CNN, we implemented it into an algorithm that identifies song within audio recordings. We then compared the CNN based software to a pre-existing, custom-written LabVIEW template-matching algorithm to determine the relative speed and accuracy of the software. Recordings were taken in both noisy and quiet recording environments to test the strengths and limitations of the two approaches. Our data indicate that the CNN based algorithm achieves comparable levels of accuracy to the pre-existing algorithm and accomplishes the categorization using a fraction of the time required by the template matching program. . These results suggest that machine learning algorithms can effectively be used to automate and rapidly categorize stereotyped vocal patterns. Further development of this software may facilitate rapid analysies of data and be extended to categorization of a broader range of vocal patterns, including human speech.

Hormonal Contraceptives and Alcohol Craving: A Cue-Based Study

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Lindsey Bliss Psychology Savannah Hastings Psychology Izzy Miller Psychology
Advisor(s): Sarah Hill Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 4, Position 3, 1:45-3:45

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
Location: Basement, Table 8, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

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.

Redefining Success: What Formerly Incarcerated Individuals Value in Life

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Renee castillo Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology Thomas Sease Psychology
Advisor(s): Thomas Sease Psychology
Location: SecondFloor, Table 7, Position 2, 1:45-3:45

Existential Isolation and Politics

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Teagan Cronn Psychology Matthew Espinosa Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 13, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

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.

The Ineffective Anxiety-Buffering Mechanisms on Well-Being and Psychological Disorders in Traumatized Individuals

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Jeanne Dahmen Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Geological Sciences
Location: FirstFloor, Table 5, Position 1, 1:45-3:45

Psychological well-being is shaped by an individual’s ability to buffer existential anxiety through self-esteem, cultural worldviews, and close relationships. However, prior research suggests that trauma weakens these mechanisms, increasing vulnerability to distress. Studies indicate that individuals with high trauma exposure struggle to reinforce cultural values in response to mortality salience, leaving them susceptible to psychological disorders. This study examines whether disrupted anxiety-buffering mechanisms contribute to increased fear of death and lower well-being. Participants, which are college students, (N=100) will complete measures assessing childhood trauma (ACE), fear of death (CL-FODS), and well-being (SWLS, PANAS). It is hypothesized that high-trauma individuals will report greater death anxiety and lower well-being compared to their low-trauma counterparts. This research aims to refine models of trauma’s psychological impact and inform interventions designed to restore effective anxiety-buffering mechanisms in survivors.

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
Location: Third Floor, Table 9, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

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
Location: Third Floor, Table 3, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

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

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

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

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 Stephanie Villaire Psychology Jaelyn Wegner Psychology
Advisor(s): Amanda Sease Psychology Kevin Knight Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 12, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

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.