Psychology - Student Works

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/73

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50 shades of risk? Psychopathic traits, gender, and risky behaviour
(2019) Krentz, Courtney
The purpose of this study was to determine what effect psychopathic traits and gender have upon risk-taking behaviours across multiple domains. Although psychopathy is associated with risk for violent/criminal behaviours, few studies have addressed psychopathic traits in relation to other types of risk, including whether different risk patterns are manifested across genders. Participants (N = 540) were assessed for psychopathic traits and then were asked to complete measures evaluating risk-related attitudes/behaviours (i.e., domain-specific, sexual behaviours, drug use). Results indicated that males generally reported higher levels of risk taking, although scored similarly to females on social risk and below females on sexual risk. Those high in psychopathic traits engaged in more risk across the board, which was primarily related to traits of fearlessness, rebellious nonconformity, and egocentricity. Risk consequence information impacted reported behaviours in the negative condition, possibly due to several reporting biases. Implications concerning methods of assessing risk and factors predictive of risk are discussed.
A profile of Islamophobia in Alberta
(2020) Johal, Sunpreet; Chaudhry, Irfan
My project is call A Profile of Islamophobia in Alberta.This project was prepared for the ECMC (Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities). I developed a racism and Islamophobia profile affecting the Muslim population in Alberta, based on existing sources of information regarding incident and threats. My project includes a detailed report of the findings and an executive summary of the findings just as defining Islamophobia, statistics from official and third party reports that looked at Islamophobia in Alberta, examples of Islamophobia in Alberta just as types of Islamophobia and where Islamophobia happens.
A study of mindset: better understanding the structure of mindset and how growth mindset interventions are delivered
(2022) Kyler, Nathan; Moscicki, Michele
Mindsets (MS) (i.e., beliefs about the malleability of traits) exist in many diverse domains, such as intelligence, creativity, emotions, and anxiety. With such a diversity of mindset domains, it is reasonable to question whether a general underlying factor influences all mindsets similarly. For example, if one believes intelligence is malleable, does one also believe creativity, musical ability, and athletic ability are malleable? In study 1, we conducted factor analysis on nine self- report mindset measures to determine if a general mindset factor exists. The nine mindsets studied clustered into three underlying factors: 1) Skills (intelligence, creativity, musical and athletic ability); 2) Personality (personality and morality); and 3) Emotions (emotions and anxiety). Stress did not load onto any of the three factors. In addition, we investigated ways to improve the efficacy of growth mindset interventions. Though growth mindset interventions show positive outcomes, the effect sizes are generally small. Actively engaging in material by applying the information to one’s life, or teaching others, improves retention of that material over passively listening to the material being taught. In study 2, we sought to determine whether an active vs. passive growth mindset intervention is more effective for improving exam scores. We found no significant difference in exam score improvement between the control, active, or passive groups. It is possible that the active intervention was not engaging enough to alter one’s mindset beliefs in only one exposure. Targeting general mindset factors rather than individual mindset domains may improve intervention efficacy.
A tale of tails: the function of tail-flagging behaviours in Eurasian red squirrels
(2020) Kaneda, Juliana; Digweed, Shannon
An exploratory study on the relationship between earworms and stress
(2020) Tingley, Jessica; Moscicki, Michele
An earworm is defined as hearing music without currently listening to music. Research on earworms is limited; however, research on music in relation to stress and arousal is plentiful. Here we present two studies investigating earworms in relation to arousal. Much research suggests that music can help to reduce stress. On the other hand, one common phenomenon associated with stress is ruminative thoughts. We initially hypothesized that earworms may either be: (1) a form of ruminative thought and thus more likely to occur when an individual was stressed or (2) similar to music therapy, a stress reducing experience. To test this hypothesis, we had participants fill out a modified PANAS scale over the course of a semester during both earworm presence and earworm absence. We found that significantly more people reported lower anxiety during earworm presence and higher anxiety during earworm absence than people who reported the opposite. From these results, it was unclear whether people would be more likely to get an earworm when they were less stressed, or whether getting an earworm helped to reduce stress. Therefore, study two was developed to further probe the results from study one. In study two, we assessed arousal before and after an earworm induction procedure. A regression model found that the presence or absence of earworms and infrasound predicted arousal post-earworm induction. Our research adds to the body of literature regarding earworms and attempts to clarify whether earworms are a useful form of anxiety-reduction.
Are we on the same page? Comparing the perceptions of professionals on overall sexual offending risk
(2017) Maltais, Natasha; Jung, Sandy
The current study will be looking at overall sexual risk perceptions of professionals who assess and treat sexual offenders. The participants will be members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA), who will be asked to complete an online survey comprised of a vignette and a questionnaire. The vignette will describe a person who has offended sexually and will include one of three levels of risk (i.e., low, moderate, high). The questionnaire will also be comprised of basic questions about the participant, their role in conducting risk assessments, and their attitudes and individual characteristics. The survey will attempt to address three separate questions. First, we will be looking at how different risk categories are perceived. Second, participants will be asked about the intensity of treatment that they believe should be assigned to a given level of risk. Finally, the survey will examine the relationship between their perceptions and their political attitudes, general views on sexual offenders, and punitive attitudes of the participants. The findings from this study may provide insight into treatment providers’ perceptions of risk and how this may influence predictions of reoffending and treatment decisions, such as allocation of services. Their perceptions may also be associated with specific characteristics and traits, which will also be examined and may identify reason for these perceptions.
Are we on the same page? Comparing the perceptions of professionals on overall sexual violence risk
(2018) Maltais, Natasha; Jung, Sandy
The risk, need, and responsivity (RNR) model is currently the most evidence-supported model of treatment for offenders. Although there is ample research that focuses on the validation of the model, very few studies have examined how well professionals adhere to the principles of RNR. The current study investigated how professionals perceive sexual violence risk, what treatment dosages professionals recommend and how they quantify those dosages, if they can identify criminogenic needs and responsivity issues, and if individual attitudes of professionals influence risk perceptions. Additionally, the study examined if individual attitudes of professionals could have an influence on their perceptions of sexual violence risk. Twenty-nine members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) completed an online survey where they read a mock referral form about an individual who had sexually offended and completed a series of questionnaires. The findings revealed that professionals were more likely to use their own discretion when making risk-related decisions, disagreed on treatment dosage, and were unable to consistently identify criminogenic needs and responsivity issues. These results suggest that professionals may not be adhering as closely to the principles of RNR as would be expected and highlight the need for validated guidelines to ensure sound practice.
Associations among parental attitudes on technology, digital literacy, and children’s learning outcomes in the 2020 pandemic
(2021) Hidalgo, Karyl; Vongpaisal, Tara
The purpose of this study was to explore how parents’ digital literacy affected children’s learning outcomes while engaging in online learning in the recent pandemic. Digital literacy is the ability to efficiently use technology, to navigate through different programs comfortably, and to manage information for proper online behaviour. This study focused on the parental perspective of their child’s learning from face-to-face to digital instruction. An online survey was completed by 22 parents with children in grades K-12 attending school in the Edmonton area. The survey explored parents’ digital technology use, their motivation and perspectives on technology in their child’s learning, as well as demographic factors such as ethnicity, digital age, and household income. Students’ school performance was recorded for a number of subject areas. The survey revealed that parents had good digital literacy, access to technology, and positive attitudes on technology for learning. However, some parents reported a lack of their child’s engagement, a desire for greater teacher interaction, and difficulties with balancing parenting and teaching at home. Despite these concerns, detriment to children’s school performance was not observed. The findings shed light on the challenges faced by parents and children’s learning at home in the recent pandemic and have the potential to inform teaching practices that will optimize learning outcomes in online learning settings.
Baby it’s cold outside: use and interpretation of sexual coercion in relation to psychopathic traits
(2019) Swanek, Jessie; Peace, Kristine
The present study was designed in two parts (counterbalanced) to further our understanding of the relation between psychopathic traits and sexual coercion. Part 1 will investigate the association between psychopathic traits, sexual risk, and use of both overt (e.g., using physical force, use of drugs or alcohol) and covert (e.g., massaging, sweet talking, guilt-tripping) sexual coercion strategies. Part 2 will examine whether psychopathic traits alter perceptions of sexual coercion.
Behavioural interventions for sleep: who prefers what?
(2017) Hemmings, Nicholas; Digdon, Nancy
Many university students have trouble sleeping because their minds are too active with worries and other sleep disruptive thoughts they are unable to control. Previous research has compared two self-help intervention: Structured Problem-solving, which involves scheduling time earlier in the day to write out worries and steps toward solutions; and Beaudoin’s Somnotest APP, which uses mental imagery to prevent sleep disruptive thoughts. Both interventions were equally effective alone or in combination. Nevertheless, there were individual differences in how students responded to the interventions. Our study extends previous research by examining these individual differences. We examined students’ preferences for interventions in relation to their circadian preference (morning types and evening types) and their preferred way of coping with stress (i.e, emotion focused vs. problem focused). We predict that students who prefer problem-focused coping will also prefer Structured Problem-solving, whereas those who prefer emotion-focused coping will favour the APP. Since evening types take longer to fall asleep, we predict that they may find the APP less effective because it could be arousing. Participants consisted of 131 MacEwan University students who were poor sleepers. They completed standardized measures of sleep and arousal (Sleep Quality Scale, Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale and Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale), ways of coping with stress (COPE) and circadian preference ( Composite Scale of Morningness). Data analysis will be completed by April. Results and implications will be discussed.
Buying peudoscience: does regulatory focus have anything to do with it?
(2020) Plante, Maureen; Schmaltz, Rodney
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice that is perceived as scientific, but does not meet the rigorous standard of scientific testing. Distinguishing pseudoscience from science can be difficult, especially with the influence of aggressive marketing tactics in the media that promote dubious health claims. This study examined the relationship between belief in pseudoscience and motivation using the framework of regulatory focus theory. Individuals who are promotion focused are motivated by advancement, accomplishment, and opportunities to grow; while others who are prevention focused are motivated by safety and security. Regulatory focus theory explains why some messages may be more persuasive than others. If a message has regulatory fit, it will elicit a more positive response. This two-part study explored the impact of regulatory focus on belief in pseudoscience. While previous research has explored the role of regulatory focus in a variety of different forms of persuasion, there has yet to be an investigation of regulatory focus on the acceptance of pseudoscience.
Can biofeedback increase the use of stress interventions?
(2020) Nieminen, Ada; Moscicki, Michele
Undergraduate students struggle to incorporate stress coping strategies or self care routines into their lives that take time (e.g., yoga or exercise). However, there are many useful stress coping methods that do not require a significant time investment (e.g., deep breathing, cognitive reappraisal). These strategies can also be employed in the moment when students are facing an immediate stressor, like writing a final exam. Although these simple strategies exist, students often do not use them in the moment. It is unclear whether this lack of use is due to lack of knowledge , lack of belief that the strategy will be effective, or other factors. Our proposed study will examine these first two ideas. We will recruit participants into one of four groups: 1) deep breathing, 2) cognitive reappraisal, 3) deep breathing with biofeedback, 4) cognitive reappraisal with biofeedback. Physiological (i.e., heart rate variability) and psychological (i.e., perceived stress) measures will be assessed at baseline. Participants will then complete a stress-inducing mathematics task. Next, participants will be taught one of the two stress interventions. The stress task will then be repeated, and participants will be asked to use the intervention during the second stress task, either receiving heart rate variability biofeedback or not. Throughout the rest of the semester, participants will receive email prompts inquiring if they have used the learned intervention. We hypothesize that participants who receive biofeedback, and thus see that the intervention is effective, will use the intervention more often throughout the semester.
Can leadership characteristics predict perceived growth when faced with stress?
(2017) Cobler, Cody; Rogers, Sean
In recent years, positive psychology has devoted an area of study directed at exploring the anecdote "that which does not kill you makes you stronger." This led to the creation of a field of study called growth through adversity. Previous research in this area has demonstrated that there are a multitude of personality traits which contribute to growth through adversity, but no known research to date has looked at leadership traits specifically, and how these traits affect growth outcomes. This study sought to fill this void in the literature by attempting to determine whether or not leadership characteristics are strong predictors of perceived growth when an individual is faced with stressful life circumstances. Self report measures were used to assess 142 MacEwan students in levels of leadership, stress, and growth outcomes resulting from stress. The relationship between these variables was assessed using regression analysis, which yielded statistically significant findings, which supported that leadership traits have meaningful effects on growth outcomes.
Can singing help me relax? The effect of music preference on perceived stress levels
(2020) McCloy, Morgan; Corrigall, Kathleen
Previous research has suggested that listening to music can be a helpful strategy in promoting feelings of relaxation, especially when participants can select their own music. However, the role of singing in relaxation is less clear. Some studies have examined the effects of group singing on levels of stress hormones, or have used singing as a way to induce stress, but none have examined whether or not singing alone in the absence of social stressors can decrease stress. The purpose of the current research study is to examine the role of music preferences in singing vs. listening for stress relief. Participants will complete various questionnaires in relation to their demographics, personality, and music experience. A mathematical stress-provoking task will follow, where they will rate their levels of perceived stress. Next, they will be randomly assigned to a listening or singing condition, with a song selection that they either enjoy or dislike. We hypothesize that individuals who sing preferred songs under low social stress should have a higher overall decrease in stress than those who were assigned songs they disliked. This research is not only beneficial to the student population with managing stress, but it could also have many implications in real-world settings. Future research should continue to examine other ways that singing in the absence of social pressure can aid in various therapeutic techniques.
Can't stress this enough: can biofeedback increase the use of stress interventions?
(2021) Nieminen, Ada; Moscicki, Michele
Undergraduate students experience many stressors throughout their education. An abundance of stress coping methods exists to help students cope; however, many require a significant time investment (e.g., exercise, meditation). Some quick stress coping methods (e.g., deep breathing, cognitive reappraisal) are effective for coping with in-the-moment stressful situations, but students rarely use these coping methods. It is unclear whether this lack of use is due to lack of knowledge, lack of belief that the strategy is useful, or other factors. Our study examined the first two ideas by introducing deep breathing and cognitive reappraisal to the participants with and without biofeedback. We compared the effectiveness of a physiological technique (deep breathing) to a cognitive technique (cognitive reappraisal). Contrary to our hypotheses, coping strategy and biofeedback did not increase the use of either coping strategy throughout the semester; however, participants across all groups reported using deep breathing and cognitive reappraisal more in Part 2 than Part 1. Aligning with our hypothesis, deep breathing, and cognitive reappraisal as a stress coping strategies lead to similar changes in our biofeedback measure and seem to lead to better mental control over the participant’s stress reaction.
Can't stress this enough: can biofeedback increase the use of stress interventions?
(2021) Nieminen, Ada; Moscicki, Michele
Undergraduate students experience many stressors throughout their education. An abundance of stress coping methods exists to help students cope; however, many require a significant time investment (e.g., exercise, meditation). Some quick stress coping methods (e.g., deep breathing, cognitive reappraisal) are effective for coping with in-the-moment stressful situations, but students rarely use these coping methods. It is unclear whether this lack of use is due to lack of knowledge, lack of belief that the strategy is useful, or other factors. Our study examined the first two ideas by introducing deep breathing and cognitive reappraisal to the participants with and without biofeedback. We compared the effectiveness of a physiological technique (deep breathing) to a cognitive technique (cognitive reappraisal). Contrary to our hypotheses, coping strategy and biofeedback did not increase the use of either coping strategy throughout the semester; however, participants across all groups reported using deep breathing and cognitive reappraisal more in Part 2 than Part 1. Aligning with our hypothesis, deep breathing, and cognitive reappraisal as a stress coping strategies lead to similar changes in our biofeedback measure and seem to lead to better mental control over the participant’s stress reaction.
Chondroitin Sulphate acts as an 'alarm cue' in zebrafish
(2020) Bajwa, Jasmin; Hamilton, Trevor
Zebrafish are conspecific organisms that are sensitive to the use of ‘alarm cues’, a procedure in behavioural fish research used to create experimental stress responses. We used a commercially available chemical compound, chondroitin sulphate, extracted from shark cartilage, as the possible ‘alarm cue’. This chemical compound controls for standardization errors common with alarm cues extracted from individual fish. We conducted an open field test, followed by a novel object approach test, to assess the behavioural responses consequential of 30 minutes of chondroitin sulphate exposure at different concentrations (ie. 1, 10, and 100 mg/L). Secondly, we locally applied 250 μL of 100 mg/L of chondroitin sulphate to the centre of an open field arena, and again assessed behavioural responses. The time individual fish spent in the centre, transition, and thigmotaxis zones was examined, along with the distance each fish moved and the time spent immobile. There was a significant increase in the time fish spent in the thigmotaxis zone during the novel object approach test after chondroitin sulphate exposure. We also found that fish in the experimental group spent more time in the thigmotaxis zone following the injection of chondroitin sulphate, compared to fish in the control group. These findings suggest this compound can be used as a reliable alarm cue stimulus in zebrafish.
Coho salmon are behaviourally resilient after 120 days of rearing under altered photoperiods and salinities
(2020) Szaszkiewicz, Joshua; Hamilton, Trevor; Krook, Jeffrey; Richards, Jeffrey; Stiller, Kevin; Brauner, Colin; Hamilton, Trevor
Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are a sustainable method used in aquaculture to farm healthy stocks of fish intended for market. In order to optimize fish growth, environmental conditions within RAS, including salinity and photoperiod are manipulated. However, little is known about the effect of varying photoperiod and salinity on behaviour. In this study, Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) smolts were reared in RAS for 120 days on either a 12 hour light: 12h dark or 24 hour light photoperiod and in salinities of either 2.5, 5, or 10 ppt. An additional group reared in 30 ppt and 24h light was examined. To determine the impact of photoperiod and salinity on behaviour, three behavioural test assays were employed. Locomotion was quantified using an open field test, the novel object approach test was used to quantify boldness, and the light/dark test was used to quantify anxiety-like behaviour. In the open field test we observed no significant differences in locomotion. In the novel object approach test, the 2.5 ppt (12h/12h) group demonstrated decreased boldness relative to the 10 ppt (24h) and 30 ppt (24h) groups. In the light/dark test, the 2.5 (12h/12h) group spent significantly less time in the dark zone. However, no significant differences were observed between any of the treatment groups, suggesting that anxiety-like behaviour was only minimally impacted. Taken together, the photoperiods and salinities investigated did not significantly affect coho salmon behaviour, which has important implications for RAS aquaculture.
Consent 102: integrating knowledge with experience
(2018) Pavez, Alex; Skye, Aimee
There have been growing efforts on college and university campuses to increase awareness about sexual violence. Often those initiatives focus on defining affirmative consent within the broader context of socio-cultural power dynamics. Cognitive psychology can add a complementary perspective through understanding biases that might affect perception of consent and the processes by which individuals reason about consent. Research in medical education has demonstrated that reliance on both explicit rules and as well as similar prior experiences produces the best diagnostic judgement (Eva, 2004). Like medical diagnosis, consent requires one to make decisions about individual experiences or cases that are multidimensional, contextually diverse and interpretive in nature. Consequently, practices designed for building expert diagnosticians may have value in teaching students about consent. Our program will include an analytical training component that focuses on the explicit dimensions of consent dimensions and cognitive biases likely to influence perceptions of consent, illustrated through case examples. Some students will also receive the training needed for non-analytic reasoning, which is embedded in considerable exposure to a range of test cases with feedback on their decisions. After training, all students will be asked to provide judgments of consent for a series of test cases. We expect the group that received both analytical and non-analytical training will be more accurate in their judgments of consent and will demonstrate more sophisticated rationales for their decisions.
Cosmic awe, self-esteem, and materialism: the effects of awe and self-esteem on materialist values and beliefs
(2020) McCurdy, Emmett; Watson, David
Experiencing awe (a self transcendent shift in perspective) has been shown to increase generosity, spirituality, and prosociality, reduce tribalism, and reduce inclination towards conspicuous consumption. The present research aims to investigate the effects of experiencing awe on individuals’ endorsement of materialistic values and beliefs through an online experimental design. It is hypothesized that induction of awe will result in decreased endorsement of materialism, as the self-transcendental nature of the experience minimizes self-focused goals and encourages greater prosocial and achievement motivations.

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