Existential Isolation and Its Impact on Empathy and Perspective Taking

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Emily Spinning Psychology Cathy Cox Psychology Matthew Espinosa Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology
Location: Third Floor, Table 9, Position 2, 1:45-3:45

Existential Isolation and Its Impact on Empathy and Perspective Taking

Existential Isolation (EI) is the experience of feeling as though you are alone in your experience of the world; and that those around you do not share or understand your experiences. Past research demonstrates that EI is associated with negative influences on personal well-being including: loneliness, depression, anxiety, and lower levels of self-esteem. The impact of EI on our interactions or perceptions of others is less known and understood. Individuals that feel existentially isolated perceive a disconnect between how they experience the world and how others experience the world. Due to this disconnect, people with higher levels of EI may have difficulty taking the perspective of others or “walking in someone else’s shoes”. Perspective taking is a vital cognitive factor for feeling empathetic towards others. To explore if EI is associated with less empathy for others due to a difficulty in perspective taking, 186 undergraduate students were presented with three short stories depicting someone experiencing stress (e.g., recently experienced the death of a parent), and asked to try taking the perspective of the people in the stories. Results indicated that people who reported greater feelings of EI also reported greater difficulty with perspective taking and, subsequently, reported feeling less empathy for the people in the stories. These findings suggest that EI may inhibit people’s feelings of empathy due to increasing their difficulty with perspective taking. The implications of these findings for the role of EI in helping and supporting behaviors are discussed.

Existential Isolation and Its Impact on Empathy and Perspective Taking

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Emily Spinning Psychology Cathy Cox Psychology Matthew Espinosa Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology

Existential Isolation and Its Impact on Empathy and Perspective Taking

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

The Independent Relationships Between Emotion Dysregulation and Anxiety on Marijuana Use for Youth in the Legal System

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Jessie Swartz Psychology Danica Knight Psychology Lillyan Shelley Psychology
Advisor(s): Danica Knight Psychology
Location: Third Floor, Table 9, Position 1, 1:45-3:45

In conjunction with the legalization of medical marijuana, there has been an increase in recreational marijuana use among youth. In 2016, marijuana use for youth in the legal system (YLS) hit a high of 64%, which far exceeded the 11% rate for youth outside the legal system. Youth that frequently or occasionally use marijuana are linked to adverse health problems, including both physical and emotional, and have poor school outcomes. Prior research has found that youth who use marijuana are more susceptible to emotional dysregulation and higher levels of anxiety. Higher anxiety levels have been linked to greater marijuana use, more significant anxiety symptoms, and increases in anxiety over time. This is concerning as research shows that youth with higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, or fear of anxiety, used marijuana to detach or manage emotional distress. Due to the risks associated with cannabis use, this study examined marijuana use among a sample of YLS, specifically looking at its connection to both emotion dysregulation and anxiety. Data were utilized over three timepoints (i.e., baseline, 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up) from a 5-year longitudinal study. Consistent with prior research, it is expected that there would be a positive relationship between anxiety and marijuana use, as well as emotion dysregulation and marijuana use. Utilizing Pearson’s correlations, results indicated a significant negative relationship between marijuana use and the emotion dysregulation subscale of nonacceptance at baseline. However, there were no significant relationship between marijuana use and anxiety. At month 3 follow-up, there were significant positive relationships between marijuana use and anxiety, as well as marijuana use and emotion dysregulation for total scores and the nonacceptance subscale. At the month 6 follow-up, results indicated a positive relationship between marijuana use and anxiety. However, there was no longer a significant relationship between marijuana use and emotion dysregulation. These preliminary results suggest there is a complicated relationship between emotion dysregulation and anxiety when it comes to marijuana use. Future research should continue examining these relationships to better inform intervention work.

Bleeding Votes: The power of period imagery in politics.

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Bao Han Tran Psychology Cathy Cox Psychology
Advisor(s): Cathy Cox Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 13, Position 1, 1:45-3:45

Menstruation is stigmatized in many areas of society, often leading to distancing behavior and increased objectification of women. This is commonly reflected in the widespread use of euphemisms, or metaphors, for menstruation. According to conceptual metaphor theory, a society is shaped by the metaphors it adopts. When menstruation metaphors are used in a political context, it raises questions about whether their harmful connotations affect political appeal and broader societal implications. This study explores the power of menstrual metaphors in political attack ads, specifically focussing on the “Tampon Tim” campaign. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of three political ads (i.e., metaphor, non-metaphor, and neutral) and answer questions about ad appeal and individual differences. Results support our hypothesis that menstruation metaphors influence political opinions.

Increasing PrEP Access for Black Women: The Role of Beauty Professionals in HIV Prevention Education

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Stephanie Villaire Psychology Sakina Ghafoor Psychology Savannah Hastings Psychology Quinceola Reid Psychology
Advisor(s): Kevin Knight Psychology Pamela Carey Psychology Randi Proffittt Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 6, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

Among women in Texas, Black women account for 56% of new HIV infections. However, Black individuals receive only 14% of prescriptions for PrEP, a medication that prevents HIV transmission. In an effort to increase PrEP uptake among Black women, the Beauty Shop Study engages beauty professionals as trusted community members, equipping them to provide sexual health education to their clients. Clients are then connected with the TCU Mobile Health Unit for service delivery and/or referral coordination. In the initial phase, the study collected Beauty Shop Study needs assessment data from 32 beauty professionals in North Texas, exploring their experiences discussing sexual health and related topics with their clients. The current study will present these findings to highlight community readiness and the importance of the Beauty Shop Study.

The unique role of thought suppression in predicting panic symptom severity

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Michael Wrucke Psychology Thomas Sease Psychology
Advisor(s): Thomas Sease Psychology Cathy Cox Psychology
Location: Basement, Table 8, Position 1, 1:45-3:45

Panic disorder is a debilitating mental health disorder characterized by recurrent panic attacks, fear of future panic attacks and maladaptive behavioral changes. While only 4.7% of Americans will battle panic disorder in their lifetime, 27.3% of Americans will experience at least one panic attack. Cognitive models of panic attacks have historically emphasized the role of anxiety sensitivity in predicting symptoms, but other transdiagnostic variables, such as thought suppression, have yet to be explored. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of thought suppression to predict panic symptom severity above and beyond other predictors. To do this, we recruited participants (N = 161) on Cloud Research using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) Toolkit. Participants completed an online survey consisting of self-report measures of panic symptom severity, thought suppression, anxiety sensitivity, and trait anxiety. Results of simultaneous and hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that thought suppression was a significant positive predictor of panic symptom severity and accounted for additional variance in the model above and beyond anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety. This unique finding suggests that perhaps attempts to suppress anxious or catastrophic thoughts strengthens them and feeds the panic cognitive loop. It also supports the exploration of acceptance-based interventions to address thought suppression differently than traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Effects of Sensory Modality in a Visual Working Memory Task in Pigeons

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Hampton Zidlicky Psychology Ashley Kyle Psychology John Solorzano Restrepo Psychology Brianna Vaughan Psychology
Advisor(s): Kenneth Leising Psychology
Location: SecondFloor, Table 1, Position 1, 11:30-1:30

Prior research has found that visual cues presented before (pre) or after (retro) an object improve object properties recognition, like identity (what it is) and spatial location (where it is), in humans (Griffin & Nobre, 2003) and monkeys (Brady & Hampton, 2018). However, this has not yet been tested in other species or using other cue modalities (e.g., auditory). The current experiment will analyze the effect of visual and auditory cues on object recognition in 6 pigeons, explicitly examining how these cues influence identity and spatial location processing in a visual working memory task.

Pigeons will perform a change detection task,in a Plexiglas chamber with a monitor, touch screen, and speakers. In each trial, the subject will peck a white crosshair on the center of the screen to start. After 1500 ms, a sample pair of colored circles will appear on the left and right sides of the screen for 5000 ms. After a 1500 ms delay, a test stimulus will be displayed on the screen’s left or right side. Pigeons must compare the test stimulus to the sample previously presented on the same side of the screen. During some trials, pigeons will receive pre- or retro-cue signaling which sample stimulus will be tested (e.g., the one displayed on the left). For half of the pigeons, the cues will be different frequency sounds (auditory group), and for the rest, colored backgrounds (visual group). It is predicted that the auditory group will have higher accuracy than the visual group, suggesting auditory cues may enhance recognition of visual objects more than visual cues.

Goats in the Garden: Sustainable Grazing for Ecological Restoration and Land Management

Type: Undergraduate
Author(s): Taryn Mitchell Ranch Management Sebastian Alarcon Ranch Management Brooke Best Ranch Management
Advisor(s): Jeffrey Geider Ranch Management
Location: SecondFloor, Table 4, Position 1, 1:45-3:45

Invasive plant species significantly impact native ecosystems by outcompeting indigenous flora, reducing biodiversity, and disrupting the delicate ecological equilibrium. In collaboration with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, this research study evaluated the efficacy of utilizing sheep and goats as a sustainable grazing strategy to mitigate invasive plant species within the garden.

Vegetation analyses, specifically vegetative cover and species richness, of pre- and post-grazing indicated an initial decline in plant species richness. However, based on prior studies, plant succession and resilience are anticipated to rebound in the grazed areas over time (Booth & Skelton, 2009; Rathfon et al., 2021). The research findings also indicated environmental and operational benefits, including reduced labor costs, minimized chemical inputs, decreased noise pollution, and mimicked historical ecological processes that have been found to improve soil health and biodiversity. The findings from this research emphasize the targeted use of livestock grazing as a sustainable land management practice. This case study highlights the benefits of integrating controlled livestock grazing into public garden maintenance protocols. Furthermore, this research contributes to the existing literature regarding sustainable land management and the role of livestock in controlling invasive species and restoring ecosystems.

References

Booth, A. L., & Skelton, N. W. (2009). The use of domestic goats and vinegar as municipal weed control alternatives. Environmental Practice, 11(1), 3-16. DOI:10.1017/S1466046609090012

Rathfon, R. A., Greenler, S. M., & Jenkins, M. A. (2021). Effects of prescribed grazing by goats on non‐native invasive shrubs and native plant species in a mixed‐hardwood forest. Restoration Ecology, 29(4).

https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13361

Native Grassland Stewardship: An Archetype for Sustainable Management

Type: Graduate
Author(s): Riley O'Connor Ranch Management Brooke Best Ranch Management Kelton Eason Ranch Management Jeffrey Geider Ranch Management Ashley Titus Ranch Management
Advisor(s): Jeffrey Geider Ranch Management
Location: Third Floor, Table 10, Position 2, 11:30-1:30

Native Grassland Stewardship: An Archetype for Sustainable Management

Fort Worth, Texas, encompasses two significant tallgrass prairie ecosystems: the Blackland Prairie and the less-studied Fort Worth Prairie. Currently, less than 1% of these prairies remain due to escalating urban expansion, unsustainable agricultural practices, and the growth of the energy sector (Robison et al., 1995). With over 93% of Texas land under private ownership, effective conservation strategies must inclusively engage all stakeholders, notably land managers (Texas Parks and Wildlife, 2025). This study aims to develop a comprehensive management plan for the native prairie ecosystem located within the Botanical Research Institute of Texas at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. The proposed plan is designed to act as an archetype for regeneratively managed prairies and ranches.
Field methodologies encompassed a detailed vegetation survey, forage-clipping analyses, and identification of dominant species. From an ecological perspective, this research emphasizes the critical role of adaptive management in restoring native ecosystems, fostering responsible land stewardship, and promoting public engagement in grassland conservation. The findings aim to contribute practical insights for landowners, conservationists, and policymakers dedicated to preserving and sustainably managing tallgrass prairies in North Texas.

Keywords: Prairie Conversation, Adaptive Management, Sustainable Grazing, Ranch Management

References
Robison, R., White, D. B., & Meyer, M. H. (1995). Plants in Prairie Communities. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/93930.
Texas Parks and Wildlife. (2025). Private Landowners and Listed Species. https://tpwd.texas.gov/wildlife/wildlife-diversity/nongame/listed-species/private-landowners-and-listed-species/