Psychological stress interacts with the immune system to increase inflammation, a physiological response involving the body’s defense against pathogens, which can promote biological and behavioral changes related to depression. However, research is needed to better understand factors that contribute to the inflammation–depression pathway. One such factor is repetitive thinking, defined as recurrent and intrusive thoughts about negative, positive, or neutral content (e.g., rumination, defined by negative thoughts focused on potential loss or failure, or worry, defined by thoughts of future danger). Higher rumination is related to greater inflammatory activity under acute stress conditions; however, the relationship between worry and inflammatory reactivity to stress is less clear. Further, there is limited literature demonstrating how reflection, defined as neutral or positive repetitive thinking, is associated with inflammatory activity under stress. Additionally, while past findings have focused on how trait-based personality characteristics related to repetitive thinking are associated with inflammatory reactivity under stress, the research on state-based repetitive thinking and inflammatory reactivity following an acute stressor is less clear. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine how state-based momentary changes in repetitive thinking under acute stress are related to inflammatory activity. To investigate the proposed study, 150 undergraduate participants will be randomly assigned to complete a laboratory-based stress induction or control task. Participants in the stress induction group will complete the Trier Social Stress Test, and the control task will approximate the physical demands of the stress induction without prompting social-evaluative threat. State-based repetitive thinking will be collected with self-report measures obtained before, during, and after the stress/control task. We will obtain whole blood samples from participants before the stress/control task and 55 minutes after the initiation of the task. Blood will be processed for serum, which will then be assayed for the inflammatory proteins - interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Multiple regression analyses will be conducted to test our hypotheses that (1) higher state-based repetitive negative thinking (i.e., rumination and worry) will increase following exposure to an acute stressor in comparison to those in the control task (2) higher state-based repetitive negative thinking will predict greater inflammatory reactivity under stress, and (3) higher state-based reflection will predict lower inflammatory reactivity under stress. Findings from this study may prompt future research to examine how other types of stressors impact the relationship between repetitive thought and inflammation.

Title: Evaluation of A Learning Intervention to Support Dementia Care over Two Months
Authors: Emily Q. Anderson, Morgan Shumaker, & Uma Tauber
The Micheal and Sally McCracken Annual Student Research Symposium: April 17, 2026

Abstract:
Research indicates that providing care for individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) can be highly demanding. Caregivers, who are often relatives or friends, face elevated stress levels and may lack adequate knowledge or resources to effectively support their loved ones (Jorge et al., 2021). This gap in knowledge often leaves caregivers feeling incompetent and may also lead to a lack of confidence in their caregiving skills. We have previously found that our digital health education intervention improves caregivers’ knowledge of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). In this research, we extend on our prior work by establishing the impact of our intervention on caregivers’ long-term retention – 2 weeks and 2 months post-intervention. Caregivers were taught 12 categories of BPSD (e.g., anxiety, agitation) by reading information and then either rereading or taking practice tests with detailed, corrective feedback, which has been shown to enhance learning and retention (Ariel et al., 2023; Carpenter et al., 2022; Dunlosky et al., 2013). The study consisted of 3 sessions. Caregivers first completed a screening process to determine their eligibility to participate. Session 1 consisted of teaching caregivers about the BPSD via reading and then rereading or taking tests with feedback. Session 2 consisted of a second round of the learning intervention, as well as taking survey assessments and knowledge tests. Finally, Session 3 consisted of completing final tasks and knowledge assessments. Our goal was to have caregivers learn what physicians would want them to know for how to care for their loved one living with dementia. This study provides caregivers with the knowledge and in turn, confidence to manage BPSD. Data is being collected concurrently, with nearly half of the target participants enrolled so far; thus,, the current presentation reports preliminary observations from this initial cohort.

I-sharing is the belief in an identical shared subjective experience between two individuals. Shared subjective experiences play an important role in interpersonal contact and it can lead to increased liking between subjects. Interestingly, the liking that I-sharing builds can override in-group bias, leading individuals to prefer I-sharing dissimilar partners over non I-sharing similar partners. While increased liking from I-sharing has been explored, intergroup perceptions, such as sexist beliefs, after I-sharing have not been explored. Unlike I-sharing, quality and quantity of time spent with women have both been linked to a reduction in sexist beliefs in men, which may suggest that I-sharing could induce a similar effect (Vasquez, 2020). Since sexist beliefs are connected to violent behavior and acceptance of violent behavior towards women in men, any reduction in sexist beliefs is significant (Gutierrez, 2023). This study seeks to explore the relationship between men I-sharing with women and sexist beliefs.

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. We used air pressure recordings to identify introductory notes and triggered white-noise playback during their performance in twelve birds. We found that any white-noise playback, regardless of amplitude (e.g., high and low) or duration (e.g., short and long), led to abnormal pauses or breath holding before song execution, which is considered an interruption of introductory notes. Whereas low amplitude with short and long durations has ended with interruption in introductory notes, it does not cause termination or interruption of the syllables of the motif when white-noise playback is triggered in the motif part of the song, which is considered the continuation of the motif’s syllables. Moreover, high amplitude with short and long duration causes more termination or interruption of the motif’s syllables when the white-noise playback is triggered in the motif part of the song. However, another important subject in the most stereotyped part of the song (motif) regarding its termination or continuation by white-noise playback is the specific location of the triggered playback within the motif, that is which syllable of which motif of the song is targeted by the playback. Our findings suggest that, in addition to introductory notes, which are flexible and modifiable by external stimuli and are consistent with the hypothesis that they function as a preparatory motor gesture for the upcoming stereotyped song, high-amplitude white-noise stimuli, when triggered on the last syllables of the second or final motif of the bout, can cause termination in the execution of the song pattern in zebra finches.
Understanding motor planning can provide insight into neurological, behavioral, speech, and motor disorders that are characterized by deficits in neuromuscular preparation.

Social media has become deeply ingrained in young people’s daily lives. Coincidentally, mental health problems have also risen sharply over the past decade. This project examines the bidirectional relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes among TCU college students, who face unique challenges as they transition to a new phase of adult life. The causal relationships between undergraduate social media use and mental health remain unclear, with mixed findings in the literature. This is largely due to the overreliance on cross-sectional data and crude measures of social media use that focus solely on total screen time, which fail to capture fluctuations across the day and week, given the ever-changing contexts and diverse nature of social media use. Moreover, when studies consider mental health as a trait or categorical diagnosis, they fail to capture the fluctuating and co-occurring nature of symptoms. To address these limitations, we propose an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) study leveraging Dr. Shi’s previously developed MediaHealth app for data collection.

Over 7 days, participants will receive push notifications through the MediaHealth app, prompting them to upload daily phone-use screenshots (from the Screen Time settings on their devices) and complete a questionnaire each day to report on their mental health states and social media use. These real-time assessments will capture daily stability and variations in social media use and mental health symptoms, helping to clarify potential causal pathways and inform strategies to support healthier digital behaviors among TCU students. This study aims to find how social media use among college students affects mental health, specifically looking at daily stress. It is expected that students who use social media more often will show an increase in their daily stress than those who use it less often. It can also be expected that stress can lead to increased use of social media among college students.

Research indicates that parental factors influence children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes. For example, parental diagnoses of related conditions or parental trauma history may increase the likelihood that a child develops attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Additionally, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with greater probability of an ADHD diagnosis and may intensify the impact of parental ADHD or trauma history on ADHD risk. This project examines whether parental ADHD diagnosis predicts higher ADHD risk in children, whether parental trauma history is similarly associated with elevated ADHD symptoms or diagnoses, and whether a child’s ACE exposure amplifies the combined effects of parental ADHD and trauma history. Participants (expected N = 100) will be recruited through Texas Christian University’s SONA system and will complete self-report questionnaires assessing parental ADHD history, parental trauma exposure, personal ACE exposure, and the participant’s current ADHD symptoms and diagnoses. We hypothesize that both parental ADHD and parental trauma histories will correspond with increased ADHD symptoms and diagnosis, and that participant exposure to ACEs will strengthen these relationships. Clarifying how vulnerabilities interact with environmental adversity may improve understanding of pathways shaping ADHD risk. The findings carry clinical relevance as identifying individuals at elevated risk can guide prevention, early identification, and intervention strategies that support resilience and adaptive functioning among people with ADHD.

With media consumption constantly evolving, it is crucial to understand how information is perceived based on the medium used to deliver it. The current study surveyed Dallas-Fort Worth community members (N = 40) to determine how textual versus audiovisual news may influence an audience’s perception of crime dangerousness and community safety concerns within their area. Using a randomized, between-subjects design, participants were assigned to one of two conditions - either an audiovisual broadcast about a recent local news clip or a textual transcript of the same news story. Subsequently, participants completed standardized measures assessing perceptions of crime severity, community safety, social media use frequency, and demographic characteristics. We hypothesize that the audiovisual news media format will predict stronger emotions and heightened judgments of crime severity and community safety. Such findings carry important implications for journalism, politics, and criminal justice, as the format through which news is delivered may shape public perception of crime beyond what the facts alone convey. Both media producers and consumers should be aware of these effects to avoid forming distorted or amplified reactions to crime reports, and ensure more accurate evaluations of potential danger. 

Vulnerable populations face elevated risks for diminished well-being, prompting growing interest in interventions as a form of social support. Evaluating the effectiveness of such interventions is critical for understanding their impact on well-being outcomes. The current study utilizes data collected as part of ACTION, a NIDA-funded R01 study examining the feasibility of two interventions: a mobile health unit and a patient navigator. Specifically, the current study investigates changes in well-being scores from baseline to a 6-month follow-up. A moderated regression analysis was conducted to assess whether the number of interventionist visits moderated changes in well-being scores over this period. Results revealed significant main effects for three well-being domains (anxiety, depression, and sociality) while the interaction effect was nonsignificant. These findings indicate that well-being scores changed significantly over the 6-month period. However, the number of interventionist visits did not significantly moderate this change. Future research should explore additional factors that may moderate improvements in well-being among vulnerable populations.

Widespread use of hormonal birth control (HBC) calls for a deeper understanding of its systemic side effects. Emerging research suggests HBC may deplete essential micronutrients (Palmery et al., 2013), including B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc, which serve as critical cofactors for neurotransmitter synthesis and energy regulation (Muscaritoli, 2021). These deficiencies are hypothesized to interfere with physiological systems, leading to mood instability, chronic fatigue, and functional somatic symptoms that can significantly impair daily functioning (Kennedy, 2016). This study addresses a virtual literature gap regarding the efficacy of targeted, non-pharmacological interventions for these issues. Utilizing a longitudinal, double-blind design, we investigated whether taking a daily supplement for 28 days, designed to combat nutritional deficiencies in HBC users, increases happiness levels, decreases mood instability, increases energy, and improves digestive health. By identifying safe interventions to mitigate these symptoms, this research contributes to personalized health strategies and improved well-being for women. Data are forthcoming.

As trauma-informed care continues to flourish, professionals across diverse roles interact with children in different ways that may shape how intervention principles are applied. Trust-Based Relational Intervention is an attachment-based, trauma-informed approach that equips professionals working with children and youth with evidence-based relational strategies through Practitioner Training. Although TBRI is implemented across a range of child-serving contexts, limited research has examined the specific roles individuals report playing in their work with youth and how these roles have evolved over time among TBRI practitioners. This exploratory study examines the expansion of the roles TBRI Practitioners play in working with youths. Data from 2,185 participants from across five years of training sessions (2021-2025) was analyzed to assess trends in role representation across 6 professional categories: (1) I work in leadership, (2) I work directly with youth, (3) I supervise staff, (4) I train clients or staff, (5) I am support staff or direct care or leadership, (6) Other (specific). This study contributes to the understanding of trends in professional roles within TBRI training and elucidates the importance in understanding relational contexts when applying and implementing this training.

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a commonly studied model organism for understanding the neural basis of motor learning due to its ability to learn its characteristic song. Researchers investigating the neuronal mechanisms that produce zebra finch song are often interested in measuring the internal pressure of the zebra finch's air sac, which physiologically produces the observed song. Unfortunately, this is an often difficult and intrusive signal to measure. Previous work has used biophysical modeling to demonstrate that air sac pressure can be reconstructed from a bird's song using a dynamical system with parameters fine tuned to a specific bird. In this project, we aim to develop a machine learning model that can infer internal air sac pressure from acoustic data across multiple birds. Specifically, we train a variational recurrent neural network to translate observed acoustic data into a low-dimensional set of latent variables that can be decoded into air sac pressure.

Caregiver mental health is closely linked to parenting practices, making it crucial to understand how adversity affects parenting. This study examined how daily war-related stress and caregiver mental health relates to parenting quality, among Ukrainian caregivers of children under 18 years of age. Participants (N = 319) were recruited through social media platforms and directed to an online survey hosted on Qualtrics. Measures included the Ukrainian Scale of Daily War Stressors, PHQ-8 (depression), the GAD-7 (anxiety), and the MAPS scale for parental practices. Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among daily war-related stress, caregiver mental health, and parenting practices. Results indicated that higher levels of daily war-related stress were positively correlated with greater depressive (r = .579) and anxiety (r = .600) symptoms among caregivers. Depression and anxiety were not significantly associated with positive parenting behaviors. However, both depression (r = -.342) and anxiety (r = -.394) were significantly associated with greater harsh parenting behaviors. These results highlight the importance of supporting caregiver mental health, especially in war-affected areas, as caregivers' well-being may influence parenting behaviors and potentially affect child and family outcomes. Future research should consider a longitudinal design and a more diverse caregiver sample to better understand how war-related stress affects parenting and mental health over time.

In recent years, there has been growing interest among women regarding menstrual cycle-based approaches to women’s health and fitness. While previous research has found that hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle influence various parts of women’s physiology (e.g., Eiling et al., 2007; Lim et al., 2024; Rizor et al., 2024), no prior research has examined outcomes associated with “syncing” one’s lifestyle, specifically their exercise routine, to their hormonal state. Therefore, the present research examined the effects of using a cycle-based approach to exercise on women’s levels of happiness, quality of life, body image, and health satisfaction. 1091 naturally cycling women who were current users of the cycle-based wellness application, 28, filled out a survey asking about usage of menstrual cycle-based approaches to exercise. Participants then reported their levels of happiness, quality of life, health satisfaction, and body image. Results revealed that individuals who worked out in sync with their cycle over the last three months reported higher levels of happiness, positive body image, and health and fitness than those who did not workout in sync with their cycle. The results of the present research provide evidence to suggest that working out in sync with one’s menstrual cycle may improve one’s mental and physical health. These results expand upon past research on women’s physiological changes across the menstrual cycle and suggest that women may benefit from tailoring their exercise routine to their menstrual cycle phases.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities and differences in reciprocal social communication abilities (APA, 2013). Children with ASD are more prone to depressive symptoms when compared to TD children (Muscatello et al., 2021). Studies have found that a high RSA reactivity (RSA-R) predicted an increase in externalizing behaviors when moderated by high negative parenting and predicted a decrease in externalizing behaviors when moderated by lower negative parenting (Baker et al., 2019). However, there is a lack of research examining this relationship with internalizing behaviors. McRae et al. (2018) found that warm parenting behaviors were negatively associated with internalizing behaviors in children with ASD, however, there has been no investigation into if RSA reactivity moderates this relationship and if this association remains as autistic children mature into adolescents. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine how RSA reactivity moderates the relationship between parenting behaviors for both mothers and fathers and depressive symptoms in autistic adolescents.

Method: Participants included 117 autistic adolescents aged 10 to 17 years old. Adolescents and both of their parents participated in an in-person lab study at TCU. Questionnaires were completed by adolescents which assessed parenting behaviors (Parental Bonding Instrument–Revised), RSA reactivity (Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia), and child depression (Child Depression Inventory). RSA is a specific measure of heart rate variability that reflects natural fluctuations in heart rate during breathing (Cacioppo et al., 2007) and was measured while adolescents watched a video of their parents engaging in a conflict discussion.

Results: Several moderation analyses were conducted to examine the effect of parenting behaviors on adolescent depressive symptoms as a function of adolescent RSA reactivity, while controlling for RSA baseline. A two-way moderated regression examined the effect of mother parenting behaviors (centered) on adolescent depressive symptoms as a function of adolescent RSA reactivity (centered). The results indicated that there was a significant main effect for mother warmth on adolescent depressive symptoms, b = -.63 (SE = .29), t = -2.22, p = .029. All other moderations for mother parenting behaviors were non-significant (ps > .05).

A two-way moderated regression examined the effect of father parenting behaviors (centered) on adolescent depressive symptoms as a function of adolescent RSA reactivity (centered). The results indicated non-significant main effects for father firm control, b = .07 (SE = .26), t = .28, p = .78, and adolescent RSA reactivity, b = -.12 (SE = 1.34), t = -.09, p = .93. However, these main effects were qualified by a significant interaction between father firm control and adolescent RSA reactivity, b = 1.01 (SE = .42), t = 2.40, p = .018.

To probe at this interaction further, we conducted simple slope analyses to examine the relationship between father firm control and adolescent depressive symptoms at low (- 1 SD), mean, and high (+1 SD) levels of adolescent RSA reactivity. The results revealed that at low, b = -.51 (SE = .38), t = -1.34, p = .18, and mean, b = .07 (SE = .26), t = .28, p = .78, levels of adolescent RSA reactivity, there was no association between father firm control and adolescent depressive symptoms. The results also revealed that at high adolescent RSA reactivity, b = .65 (SE = .34), t = 1.94, p = .055, such that higher father firm control resulted in higher adolescent depressive symptoms. Overall, adolescent RSA reactivity moderated the association between father firm control and adolescent depressive symptoms, but only at high levels of RSA reactivity. All other moderations for father parenting behaviors were non-significant (ps > .05).

Discussion: The results of the analyses revealed that as mother warmth increased, adolescent depressive symptoms decreased. These results imply that mother’s warm parenting behaviors could be used as an intervention for both autistic adolescents and mothers. Mothers can implement warm parenting behaviors in their parenting style in order to decrease internalizing behaviors in their adolescent with ASD. The analyses also revealed an association between father firm control and adolescent depressive symptoms at high levels of adolescent RSA reactivity. This indicates that if an adolescent has high levels of RSA reactivity, then higher levels of father firm control are associated with higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms. High levels of RSA reactivity reflect increased PNS activity and have been shown to predict increased observed dysregulation in children with ASD (Baker et al., 2022). These results could suggest that autistic individuals with high levels of RSA reactivity are more easily dysregulated in the presence of high dad firm control, leading to an increase in internalizing behaviors such as depressive symptoms. Future interventions should focus on promoting positive father parenting behaviors, especially in fathers of autistic adolescents with physiological dysregulation.

There is a gap in the literature examining the role of fathers on internalizing behaviors of autistic adolescents. Therefore, it is crucial for research to evaluate how father parenting behavior impacts behavior in children and adolescents with ASD. Given that autistic individuals are at a higher risk for increased internalizing behaviors (Hudson et al., 2019), future research should further examine the moderating role of physiological data in relation to internalizing symptoms in autistic individuals. A better understanding of physiological data in children and adolescents with ASD will allow for more effective interventions.

51% of Americans report having a parasocial relationship, but research on how parasocial relationships form still remain ambivalent, with theories of loneliness and social isolation centering the conversation. With the rise of AI and increased social media use, parasocial relationships are all the more ubiquitous. In this study, feelings of existential isolation and parasocial relationship strength and intensity were measured alongside carryover effects on well-being outcomes such as self-esteem and depression. In a sample size of 101 undergraduate students across Texas Christian University and the University of Florida, a Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the relationship between existential isolation and parasocial relationship strength. There was a significant relationship between feelings of existentially isolated and how strong their bonds were with parasocial figures, r(101) = -.47, p = <.001.

Stigma toward individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) plays a significant role in treatment engagement, policy creation, and research priorities. Attribution theory posits that stigma results from attempts to understand the causes of behavior, and attributions toward individuals with SUD typically fall along a continuum from personal attributions (e.g., bad character) to biological attributions (e.g., genetic or neurochemical; Henderson & Dressler, 2017). Past research has demonstrated that poor character attributions are strongly associated with SUD stigma, which can lead to reduced pity, support, and tolerance for this population (Röhm et al., 2022). The present study examined whether personal culpability mediates the relationship between stigmatizing language and perceived need of treatment towards individuals with SUD. Community members in Tarrant County were randomly assigned to read a vignette describing an individual with SUD in either person-first or stigmatizing language followed by a brief survey (modeled after Kelly & Westerhoff, 2010). We hypothesize that participants exposed to stigmatized language will report greater personal culpability attributions for the vignette character leading to reduced perceived need for treatment. These findings would suggest that addressing language in media and clinical settings is essential, as reducing stigmatizing language may lower personal culpability attributions and ultimately promote greater support for treatment engagement among individuals with SUD.

Black women have notoriously been mistreated within the medical system, a reality that is heavily documented in the literature and can be traced back to times of slavery. Today, Black women continue to face disproportionately high rates of mistreatment and adverse outcomes during childbirth. Racial bias plays a key role in these inequities, influencing how medical providers perceive and respond to patients’ pain. The current study examined differences in perceptions of Black and White mothers experiencing pain during childbirth. We recruited an equal number of Black (n = 250) and White (n = 250) participants and randomly assigned them to examine real-life photographs of either Black or White mothers’ facial expressions. After viewing the images, participants reported their perceived seriousness of the mother's condition and level of humanity. It is predicted that 1) participants in the White mother condition will report higher perceived pain than those in the Black mother condition, 2) participants will dehumanize Black mothers to a greater extent than White mothers, and 3) these associations will be consistent regardless of the participant’s race. Findings will shed light on racial bias during maternal emergencies and reveal how ingroup bias affects these outcomes.

Associations Among Childhood Adversity, Family Proximity, Hope, and Psychological Well-being in Helping Professionals

Helping professionals frequently support individuals experiencing trauma and psychological distress, yet less is known about how their own childhood adversity may relate to their well-being and psychological resources. This study was conducted to better understand how helping professionals are influenced by childhood adversity. Participants were 397 helping professionals (87.4% female, 80.1% White), ranging in age from 22 to 70 years (M = 43.08, SD = 10.28). Approximately two-thirds of participants (66.2%) reported growing up with extended family living within a 30-minute drive. Measures included the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Questionnaire, the Dispositional Hope Scale, and the Psychological Well-being Scale, which were administered through a Qualtrics survey. Bivariate Pearson correlations were conducted as the analysis. Results showed a weak but statistically significant negative correlation between childhood adversity and psychological well-being (r = -.153, p = .003), suggesting that higher levels of ACEs were associated with lower well-being among helping professionals. The correlation between hope and childhood adversity was not statistically significant (r = -.093, p = .071). Additionally, ACEs scores did not significantly differ between participants who reported growing up near extended family and those who did not (r = -.050, p = .335). These findings contribute to the understanding of how childhood adversity relates to psychological well-being among helping professionals and highlight the need for further research examining factors that may promote resilience in this population.

Sex disparities in criminal sentencing have been well documented (Embry & Lyons, 2012; Jeffries et al., 2003; Frances & Taylor 1991). For instance, federal sentencing data reports that female offenders receive sentences averaging 29% shorter than those imposed on male offenders (United States Sentencing Commission, 2023). These disparities are often attributed to paternalistic biases in judicial decision-making (Albonetti, 1997; Freiburger, 2010). The present study explores whether these biases extend to public perception by investigating whether community members sentence males or females longer for the same low-level crime. Community members of Tarrant County were randomly assigned to one of three vignette conditions — female, male, or gender-neutral — each depicting the same low-level drug offenses committed by a parent and were then asked to recommend a sentence length for the offender. It is hypothesized that participants will recommend longer sentences for male offenders than for female offenders. The findings of the present study are expected to demonstrate that sex bias in sentencing is not limited to the judiciary but is also present in lay community members' sentencing recommendations. Such findings would suggest that paternalistic attitudes toward female offenders are culturally embedded rather than specific to judicial decision-making, reinforcing the need for targeted bias-awareness interventions across both legal and public contexts.

Existential Isolation (El) is the experience of feeling fundamentally alone in one's perception of the world, with the belief that others cannot fully understand or share that experience (Pinet et al., 2017). It reflects a deep sense of separation from others and arises from the awareness that subjective experiences are ultimately inaccessible to others. El is central to existential psychology, which emphasizes the inherent loneliness tied to the human condition. Though research on El is relatively new, findings suggest that chronic El is linked to negative emotional outcomes, such as increased loneliness (Pinet et al., 2017), greater death thought accessibility (Helm et al., 2019), depression, anxiety (Constantino et al., 2019), and reduced self-esteem (Helm et al., 2018). Adverse early life experiences are another critical factor influencing adult well-being, leading to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation (Hays-Grudo & Morris, 2020).
Childhood abuse, specifically, has been associated with greater loneliness in young adults (Landry et al.,
2022), though various factors-such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, and epigenetic influences - affect this relationship (Southwick et al., 2014).
Further, Bui et al. (in preparation) found that adverse childhood experiences predicted existential isolation, thus this research aims to qualitatively examine the relationship between such experiences and existential isolation in adulthood.

Caring for a person living with dementia (PLwD) is demanding and can be stressful even though caregivers can look upon their role favorably. Caregivers, especially those who are relatives or friends of PLwD, experience heightened stress levels that can impact both their mental and physical well-being and the quality of care they provide (Jorge et al., 2021). While resources for caregivers exist, most are not designed using effective learning methods to support long-term memory. Our goal was to determine the degree to which caregivers’ stress is reduced by an approach called “structured retrieval practice” (SRP). Structured retrieval practice involves spacing practice tests during learning and receiving corrective feedback. This study is a follow-up to a completed study from Dr. Tauber’s lab that showed SRP as the best method for remembering information about dementia caregiving long-term (Shumaker et al., under review).
Prior to participation, caregivers underwent a screening to determine qualification. Next, caregivers completed 2 sessions. In session 1, caregivers learned about managing dementia symptoms, coping strategies, and self-care techniques. Half of the caregivers learned the information by taking a practice test with immediate corrective feedback and the other half learned it by reading. Session 2 consisted of a second round of learning, followed by self-reported stress and memory tests. The aim of the study is to help caregivers learn methods to manage the stress related to caregiving and provide them with coping mechanisms to become able to better assist individuals living with dementia.
Data collection is currently ongoing, with approximately half of the target sample enrolled. The following presentation represents preliminary findings from the initial cohort.

Caring for another person can be demanding and stressful, and this is true for people providing care for a person living with dementia (PLwD). The stress process model (Pearlin et al., 1990) divides care triggers into primary stressors and primary subjective stressors. An example of primary stressors is managing difficult symptoms of dementia. An example of primary subjective stressors is feeling overwhelmed about providing help to a PLwD. Sadly, both types of stressors can negatively impact the wellbeing of caregivers (Lau et al., 2010; Polenick et al., 2020). Our study aims to explore how our psychoeducational intervention using structured retrieval practice (SRP; Shumaker, Ariel, & Tauber, submitted) impacts caregivers’ self-reported stress. We hope to reduce caregivers’ stress by providing high-quality care for their loved one living with dementia. Further, we hope to reduce both primary stressors and primary subjective stressors for caregivers. To explore this issue, caregivers will learn about the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) through either an SRP-based learning intervention or a reading-only control condition. The SRP intervention uses structured retrieval practice, whereas the control condition mimics reading from available sources online. Caregivers’ perceived stress will be measured before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983). We will examine whether stress ratings improve more for the SRP intervention compared to the reading condition. This is a first step for determining if the educational intervention improves measures of caregivers’ well-being. Data collection is ongoing, with approximately half of the target sample enrolled, and this presentation represents preliminary findings from the initial cohort.

Stigma towards individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) influences social attitudes towards treatment decisions and policy support (Kennedy-Hendricks et al., 2017). Prior research has shown that using stigmatizing language, such as “substance abuser” rather than “a person with substance use disorder,” increases perceptions of personal culpability and support for punitive responses (Kelly & Westerhoff, 2010). The present study examined whether personal culpability moderates the relationship between stigmatizing language and punitive attitudes towards individuals with SUD. Community members in Tarrant County were randomly assigned to read either a vignette containing person-first or a stigmatizing language and completed a brief survey online. We hypothesize that the effect of language condition on punitive attitudes will be stronger among participants with higher levels of personal culpability, such that stigmatizing language will be most strongly associated with punitive attitudes when perceived culpability is high. These findings would suggest that educational efforts aimed at reducing perceived personal culpability, particularly around the development of SUD, should be implemented to decrease punitive attitudes toward this population.

Frustrative nonreward occurs when a reward is unexpectedly reduced or omitted, producing a temporary suppression of behavior. In animals, this phenomenon is commonly studied using the consummatory successive negative contrast (cSNC) task, in which a high-value reward is replaced with a lower-value one. Following this downshift, animals typically show a reduction in consummatory behavior followed by gradual recovery as they adjust to the new reward conditions. Although the behavioral dynamics of recovery have been well described, the neural mechanisms that regulate this process remain incompletely understood. Previous research suggests that subcortical structures such as the basolateral amygdala and the nucleus accumbens play a role in the recovery of behavior after an unexpected reward downshift. However, cortical regions involved in behavioral flexibility may also contribute to recovery. The infralimbic cortex (IL), a region of the medial prefrontal cortex, has been implicated in processes such as fear extinction learning and habit regulation, both of which require updating previously learned associations and suppressing outdated responses. Based on this evidence, the present study examined whether inhibiting the IL would alter behavioral recovery following reward downshift. Rats were trained in a cSNC task in which a high-concentration sucrose solution was later downshifted to a lower concentration (32% → 2% sucrose). Animals received an infusion of inhibitory DREADDs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) targeting the IL. Three experimental groups were tested: animals expressing inhibitory DREADDs and treated with the activating drug CNO (clozapine N-oxide), animals expressing inhibitory DREADDs but treated with a vehicle injection, and animals treated with a control infusion that has the same elements but lacks the engineered receptor and treated with CNO. Lick frequency served as the primary behavioral measure. Contrary to our initial prediction, results suggest that inhibition of the IL may accelerate behavioral recovery following reward downshift. One possible explanation for this unexpected effect is the spread of viral expression into adjacent regions, particularly the prelimbic cortex (also part of the medial prefrontal cortex), which has been associated with behavioral effects opposite to those attributed to the IL. Because the IL cortex is relatively small and anatomically close to neighboring cortical regions, DREADD diffusion may influence the functional outcome of the manipulation. These findings highlight the potential role of medial prefrontal cortex circuits in regulating behavioral adjustments to reward downshifts.

Research suggests that demographic characteristics, particularly age, significantly shape perceptions of crime and sentencing outcomes (Gleadell, 2019). Studies indicate a notable disparity in punitive leanings: younger adults tend to recommend harsher measures, whereas older adults often favor more lenient punishments (Hosch et al., 2011). This divergence may be driven by age-related increases in empathy, which can temper retributive impulses (Beadle & Vega, 2019), or by younger individuals’ limited experience with the legal system, which may hinder their ability to assess proportional sentencing (Hosch et al., 2011). Despite judicial instructions to remain objective, sentencing decisions frequently reflect these preexisting beliefs and personal experiences (Curley et al., 2022). To further explore this relationship, the current study examines how age influences perceptions of crime severity. Community members of Tarrant county were asked to read a vignette describing a low-level, nonviolent offense and rated its seriousness on a 5-point Likert scale. It is hypothesized that younger participants will perceive the offense as significantly more severe than older participants. By highlighting these generational differences, this research aims to better understand how age-related biases influence legal decision-making and inform broader discussions on legislative reform.