Explore recent independent research projects conducted by Psychology majors.
Psychology students engage in basic and applied research across many subdisciplines of the field. As part of our curriculum, all Psychology majors are required to participate in a psychology-related experiential learning activity. BS students and interested BA students may meet this requirement by completing an independent study or other form of empirical research.
The process of defining psychiatric disorders relating to sex and gender involves subjective decision-making by professionals, from acceptable objects of sexual desire to the appropriate duration for sexual intercourse. Additionally, opinions about gender norms and their relation to understandings of biological sex determine definitions of gender-based disorders, which then determine who has access to gender-affirming care. This research consisted of a literature review of historical publications about sex and gender disorders, as well as unpublished and archival materials, to investigate the motivations, reasoning, and people underlying historical changes in sex disorder categorization.
Every day, people rely on mental shortcuts to simplify complex decisions. Although this allows for quick judgments, it can also produce systematic errors known as cognitive biases. One such bias, reactive devaluation (RD), occurs when individuals dismiss a proposal simply because it comes from an opposing party—even if they might endorse the same proposal themselves. Most past research on RD has focused on large, international conflicts; the present study aimed to fill this gap by examining situations of everyday conflict. As past research has not looked into systematic methods of reducing RD, the present study also examined empathy as a possible debiasing strategy. To study these research gaps, 68 participants responded to an online survey containing 16 scenarios of everyday conflict with proposed solutions. Participants ranked how likely they were to accept each solution. Situational empathy was elicited in half of the participants, and dispositional empathy was measured for all participants. Analysis of these variables show that, although eliciting empathy and having the solution proposed by a neutral mediator did not reduce RD, dispositional empathy did affect RD: Perspective-Taking reduced RD in lower-stakes conflicts, and overall dispositional empathy reduced RD for lower-stakes conflicts where the solution was proposed by a neutral mediator. Additionally, RD was significantly stronger for high-stakes scenarios than for low-stakes scenarios. These results suggest that RD is stronger in higher-stakes conflicts and dispositional empathy affects RD in everyday conflict.
The purpose of this review was to highlight the value of investigating how individuals with sensory sensitivities (or sensory processing differences) may be differentially affected by psychedelic drugs. Sensory differences pattern across a variety of different neuropsychological profiles, including ones currently being targeted by experimental psychedelic drug therapies. However, there is a lack of data that addresses the direct relationship between sensory processing differences and psychedelics. This review examined the different mechanisms involved in both sensory processing disorders and the psychedelic effect, on a broad level. Subjective experiences with psychedelics were also considered, but the main focus was primarily neuroscientific. The main findings were that psychedelics interact with sensory systems by targeting serotonin receptors that influence both thalamic gating and connectivity, and GABAergic inhibition. Sensory sensitivity is also associated with changes in thalamic gating and connectivity, as well as reductions in GABA. In sum, psychedelics interact closely with sensory systems, which means they may have different effects on individuals who already have differences in these systems. However, there is a lack of empirical data to draw clear conclusions about these effects. Further research is necessary in order to improve treatment with psychedelics.
This project sought to identify a relationship between mental health stigma and political ideology. Mental health stigma creates individual, social, and systemic barriers to care that impact the success of mental health treatment. Understanding the factors that relate to mental health stigma is vital to understanding our role in perpetuating harm. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and they were asked to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire contained measures that assessed levels of perceived public stigma, self-stigma, and mental health literacy. These results were analyzed through SPSS. Overall, no significant difference in self-stigma was found between political groups. However, perceived public stigma and mental health literacy were both significantly correlated with political orientation. Additionally, Democrats showed significantly higher levels of mental health literacy compared to Republicans. This study supports the idea that political ideology relates to the general awareness of mental health stigma, even though it is not related to internalized beliefs. This study provides support for the relationship between mental health stigmatization and political ideology, but highlights a need for further research into the direct relationships between literacy, policy, and stigma.
Parents' mental health can often be overlooked when examining the effects of parental involvement. Previous research has frequently focused on the mental health of children in response to low or high levels of parental involvement; however, less attention has been given to how involvement may affect parents themselves. Understanding this relationship is important, as parental involvement may be associated with parental mental health. This study aimed to further understand the relationship between parental involvement and depression levels in parents. Additionally, this study observed how parental involvement levels may be related to romantic relationship satisfaction. After running multiple regressions and correlations, we found that parental involvement and depression are significantly related, indicating that higher parental involvement is associated with lower levels of depression. However, we did not find a significant correlation between parental involvement levels and relationship satisfaction or between depression levels and relationship satisfaction. Overall, our findings suggested that parental involvement may be more important than previously thought for parental mental health. It’s possible that being an involved parent may be associated with mental health benefits for parents.
Appearance plays an important role in identity formation, and psychedelic experiences may alter how individuals perceive themselves and the importance they place on appearance as part of their identity. However, existing measures do not adequately capture the breadth of these intertwined processes. This study further validated the Appearance-Related Self-Concept Clarity (AR-SCC) scale, a novel 15-item measure assessing the extent to which individuals define themselves through their appearance, including the clarity and stability of these beliefs. The AR-SCC was administered to 120 adults, with 111 participants (ages 18–77) retained for analysis. Exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factors structure rather than the originally proposed five-factor model. Consistent with hypotheses, participants with a history of psychedelic experience demonstrated significantly lower appearance-related self-concept clarity scores than participants without psychedelic experience. AR-SCC demonstrated strong construct validity and significantly predicted self-esteem scores (β = -.64, R2 = .41, p < .001), and body image satisfaction scores (β = -.61, R2 = .37, p < .001). These findings support the AR-SCC as a reliable and valid multidimensional measure.
Both mindfulness-based and music therapy interventions have demonstrated promise in improving mood and emotional regulation, yet their comparative efficacy in brief, accessible online formats remains understudied. The present randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a brief, repeated online mindfulness intervention and a receptive music therapy intervention on mood and emotional regulation relative to a white noise control condition. Healthy adult participants (N = 37) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions — a body scan mindfulness exercise (UCLA MARC), passive listening to a clinically validated relaxation track (Weightless, Marconi Union), or white noise — for 12-minute sessions three times per week over two to four weeks. Mood was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), emotional regulation was assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and dispositional mindfulness was assessed using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire – Short Form (FFMQ-SF). ANCOVAs revealed no significant between-group differences on any primary outcome measure. However, session completion significantly predicted positive affect change, and DERS and FFMQ-SF change scores were strongly negatively correlated, suggesting that improvements in emotional regulation and mindfulness co-occur meaningfully. Findings highlight the potential role of dosage compliance and individual differences in the effectiveness of brief online interventions, with implications for accessible, scalable mental health support.
Positive emotion regulation (PER) has been linked to improved performance in various domains. While a positive relationship between PER and happiness has been demonstrated, little is known about how this relationship may differ in the context of trauma exposed adolescents. This study examined whether the number and types of PER strategies differ across high- and low-happiness adolescents with and without trauma exposure. Participants (N = 137; ages 13–17) completed self-report measures of happiness, PER use, and trauma exposure. Results showed no significant differences in the number of strategies used between happiness groups. However, differences emerged in the types of strategies used. Within the trauma exposed sample, high-happiness adolescents used the strategies of socializing, personal growth, helping, and physical activity more often, while low-happiness adolescents used sensation seeking and eating more. These findings suggest that the specific PER strategy used is more influential than the number of strategies. This research has implications for post-trauma interventions promoting adaptive strategies to support well-being.
BookTok, the TikTok book club, has been climbing in popularity since 2020, and with it, the genre known as Dark Romance. Dark Romance refers to a genre of erotica that depicts violent, intense, and potentially problematic relationships, framed as passionate, desirable, and exciting. With this framing, the question of the genre’s effect on the romance attitudes and sexual preferences of the people consuming the content arises. There is a substantial body of literature on the effects of pornography on men and boys and erotica on women and girls, but BookTok is an entire social subculture with its own quirks and affordances. I surveyed 34 people of a range of ages, genders, and races about their sexual preferences, relationship attitudes, degree of social media use, and TikTok addiction, comparing the two groups that arose: those who use BookTok and those do who not. The results demonstrated that BookTok users score significantly higher on both benign and coercive/disordered sexual preferences as well as TikTok addiction. They score significantly lower on healthy relationship attitudes. This potentially has implications for the sexual wellness and relationship safety of BookTok users, as well as implications for the effect of social and sexual culture on one’s own preferences.
Contrary to common belief, many species of female songbird sing at rates comparable to their male counterparts, yet it is not clear why. Many theories regarding the role of androgens within the female avian brain have been proposed; however, the limited knowledge surrounding the effects of steroid hormones on the induction, development, and maintenance of female song introduces new challenges in understanding avian neurobiology. The proposed study intends to investigate the complexity surrounding the evolutionary mechanisms promoting female birdsong. Utilizing multiple publicly available databases, including the citizen science project Xenocanto, the female songbird project and, Hormone Base, with the goal of identifying evolutionary and neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying female song.
Memory in dance relies on repetition, embodied learning, and structured processing. In this study, I examined how previous experience and teaching styles affect memory retention in dancers. Participants were instructed on dance sequences either with counts (5,6,7,8) or terminology (kick-ball-change). Experienced dancers demonstrated sequences with higher accuracy, showing greater retention. There was no significant difference based on instructional style.
I assisted in consenting and interviewing research participants for this study. The consenting process follows established guidelines for obtaining informed consent for participating in research. The interviews were structured and designed to establish a clinical diagnosis and severity of symptoms. I also completed neurocognitive testing in subjects using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, and scored the results of their testing. On most test days, I assisted in the completion of EEG testing by fitting subjects with a 64-lead electrode cap. Throughout testing, I helped with various tasks for the comfort of the participants, including getting their lunches from the hospital cafeteria, and bringing them snacks. I completed data entry for all testing into the lab database, helped analyze these data, and designed a poster describing the study and its findings.
I mainly did research interviews via Zoom and some in-person interviews in Tacoma.
The biggest challenge I faced in my research was participant recruitment; since EMTs' and paramedics' work schedules are somewhat unpredictable, it made it a bit hard to meet the deadlines for data collection I had in place for myself. Still, I overcame this by rereading my IRB and recognizing I had left myself the opportunity to conduct interviews via Zoom. This allowed me to be more flexible in the interview process to fit the EMTs' and Paramedics’ schedules better. It taught me to be more patient while collecting data, reminding me to be resourceful in my problem-solving skills and enhancing my ability to pivot.
I conducted a summer research project on the impact of filmmaking techniques on memory and emotionality. As someone passionate about both human psychology and film, I sought to create a study that would allow me to connect my two interests. I found the pre-existing research on the psychological impacts of film to be somewhat lacking, and so I sought to investigate how the use of color and music in a film could impact a viewer’s memory for key details and their emotional response to an anxiety-provoking thriller. I shot a 5-minute thriller with 4 different versions: one with color and music, one in black & white without music, one with just music, and one with just color. Study participants were shown one, and only one, version of the short film and asked to answer a quick questionnaire upon completing the video. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: a free-recall memory section that asked participants to freely recall certain details from the film, an emotionality section that asked participants to place their anxiety levels on a 7-point scale, and a second memory section with multiple choice answers to identical questions from the first memory section to test participant recognition of details.
Sex education primarily focuses on reducing the negative consequences associated with sex, such as STIs, unplanned pregnancies, and violence. Pleasure is often left unaddressed despite the impact it has on not only sexual health, but also physical, mental, and relationship health. Since most research on sex education has similarly focused on addressing the risks of sex, the present study investigated how people learn about pleasure outside of classrooms. Nine female or fem-identifying participants aged 20-24 completed interviews about their experiences learning about sex. They described learning from parents, peers, partners, and media. Grounded theory was used to code interview transcripts and develop a codebook. Overall, participants identified flaws in learning from each source they described, such as uncomfortable learning environments and widespread misinformation. These flaws indicate a need for improvements to sex education, such as promoting communication and media literacy skills.
One group of animals whose cognition remains understudied are the birds of prey. Due to the difficulties of finding enough subjects to test, few studies have examined these animals performances on cognitive tasks. The string-pulling task is a common cognitive task used to judge factors of cognition such as learning over time, means-end analysis, and insight problem solving. Previous research has examined string-pulling in only a few species of raptor such as the Harris’s Hawk, Great Grey Owl, and Turkey Vulture. We tested seven raptor species (Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii), Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni), and Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) on the same experimental set up. Two strings were tied around a perch, with one baited with a 20 gram mouse and the other serving as a control with a 15 gram rock tied to it. A food protection stand prevented birds from accessing the mouse from below the perch. Birds were given 60 minutes to attempt to solve the task and underwent several trials. We found three species of raptors that solved the task, including the first recorded solving of the task by a Western Screech Owl. Additionally, we observed new solve methods in Turkey Vultures. Our study illustrated how natural history can affect performance on a cognitive task as different species used different solving methods based upon their biomechanical abilities and hunting patterns.
This study aimed to explore the social experiences of Gender-Diverse (GD) youth and how they influence mental health using longitudinal data collected by the developmental social neuroscience (DSN) lab at the University of Oregon. The data included survey responses from 157 cis-gender, and 17 GD adolescents (age 9-18) from four time points that were approximately 18 months apart. Coarsened Exact Matching based on demographic variables was used to create a cis-gender matched pairs sample (n = 13) for participants who had indicated a GD identity by the third time point. We found a significant decrease in perceived familial social support between wave 1 (W1) and wave 3 (W3) and waves 2 (W2) and W3 for the GD group only. Additionally, we found significant predictive relationships between depression and perceived familial social support at W3 and at the first point an individual indicated their GD identity, suggesting that the negative impacts of perceived familial social support (either after coming out or by W3) in GD adolescents contributes to depressive symptomatology.
Domesticated dogs have the ability to be highly responsive to human-delivered cues, making them suitable social partners with humans. In dogs, humans, and other mammals, the brain releases oxytocin (OT) during positive social interactions. Previous research found that oxytocin improves dogs’ performance on tasks involving social engagement from a human. Dogs were pseudo-randomly assigned into four experimental conditions (OT/Placebo, and Demo/No Demo). Participants were given the opportunity to solve a puzzle apparatus containing dog treats while an human experimenter engaged with the dog. Dogs in the social learning (“Demo”) condition interacted with the puzzle longer and solved it more often than dogs not in this condition. The results showed no influence of OT on any solving behaviors with the puzzle. Dogs with the OT gazed at their owner more often than dogs in the Placebo condition and interestingly, these dogs gazed more at the experimenter than their owners on average. These findings reveal that the dogs’ social behaviors of referencing their owners reflected the desire of obtaining cues from a familiar social partner rather than an unfamiliar one. The findings suggest the dogs’ search for having joint attention depends on how active and knowledgeable a social partner may seem related to a particular task. While there were no differences seen between OT and the placebo, the extensive demographic information obtained through surveys may offer additional insights of oxytocin’s influence in future work.
Due to Covid-19, many American schools ceased in-person instruction during the 2020/21 school year. These closures have severely impacted young children’s academic and social development. This study focuses on the influence of school closures on social development, specifically the difference in the effect of online and in-person interactions. Thirty-nine parents of first and second graders responded to a survey about their family’s experience during the 2020/21 school year. Questions focused on how 4 factors (mode of instruction, social interactions, support systems, and time for activities) impacted a child’s 3 primary social skills (play, emotion regulation, and communication). Results concluded that the mode of instruction had no impact on social skills scores. In-person interactions were associated with higher play scores. Implications of differences in social interactions are discussed.