Psychological Sciences

Session I

Laila Ali, "Trigger Warnings: Examining The Effects of Stimulus Anticipation in People with Misophonia"

Misophonia is a neurophysiological disorder in which certain unpleasant sounds result in extreme physiological reactions. This level of emotional distress can impair daily functioning in several ways, yet there is little known on how cognitive factors such as expectation can influence these reactions. This project hopes to investigate whether anticipating a triggering sound changes the body’s stress response in people with misophonia.

During the project period, a literature review will be conducted on misophonia and anticipation. Additionally an experimental protocol will be developed with a preliminary test of the physiological recording method of skin conductance to measure stress responses to auditory stimuli. By establishing and testing these procedures, this project can lay the groundwork for a larger study examining whether anticipation of a trigger sound can reduce physiological distress caused by misophonia. The findings from continued research could support improvements in accommodations, therapies, and media design.

Student Major/Minor: Neuroscience Major, Economics Minor

Advisor: Dr. Heather Hansen

Mayrani Arevalo, "Alcohol and Traditional Gender Roles among Latine College Students: Assessing Differences in Gender and Immigration Generation"

Objectives: The present study examined the association between traditional gender roles (i.e., machismo and marianismo) and alcohol use frequency among Latino college students.

 
Methods: Latino students (n = 1,680; 71.6% female) across 6 universities in the U.S were surveyed using the Traditional Machismo and Caballeros scale and the Marianismo Beliefs Scale. Moderation analyses were completed for gender and immigration generations. Results. Machismo and marianismo were positively correlated, but neither were associated with higher alcohol use frequency. Men reported higher scores of both machismo and marianismo. Gender and immigration generation did not moderate the associations between machismo/marianismo and alcohol use frequency.

 
Conclusions: Traditional gender roles were not associated with alcohol use frequency. Gender and immigration generation did not moderate the relationship between gender roles and alcohol use. Further research is needed to identify other cultural and non-cultural factors influencing alcohol consumption among Latino college students. 

Keywords:  College, Latinos, Machismo, Marianismo, Alcohol

Student Major: Neuroscience Major

Advisor: Dr. Adrian Bravo

Ellis Barwell, "Precision Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Personalized Approaches to Slowing Disease Progression"

Neurodegenerative diseases fall outside conventional clinical paradigms because unlike other diseases, monotherapeutic care has failed to modify disease mechanisms. This review challenges the traditional uniform, monotherapeutic treatment model and posits an argument for elevation of the standard of care in the context of neurodegenerative diseases to include multifaceted precision medicine techniques. Evidence from over 50 clinical studies suggests that wider implementation of precision medicine with comprehensive, multidimensional care will increase positive patients outcomes. Especially important in precision medicine is extensive patient evaluation involving genetic screening for accurate subtype stratification followed by tailored treatment plans considering all aspects of patient care; biological and genetic monitoring, pharmaceuticals for symptom management, and lifestyle interventions such as exercise regimens and nutritional plans should be administered to provide comprehensive care. Broad implementation of precision medicine will require significant dedication of resources but can be assisted by artificial intelligence and open access to healthcare data.

Student Major: Neuroscience Major

Advisor: Dr. Christy Porter

Natalia Cortez Solano, "Latino Values and Their Influence on Substance Use Amongst Young Adults: A Systematic Literature Review"

This systematic literature review aimed to summarize the impact of Latino values (i.e., familismo and machismo) on substance use. Multiple databases (APA PsycNet, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO) were used to conduct online searches for published articles using terms related to substance use, machismo, and familismo. Across 12 published articles reviewed, there was strong support for the protective role familismo and for the nuanced role of machismo, (acting as both a risk and protective factor depending on the context). Moreover, we found that machismo’s impact can better be understood by accounting for caballerismo, marianismo, and cognitive expectancies; and that familismo and machismo can shape motivations to avoid substance use directly and indirectly through education, family responsibilities, and social support. These findings underscore the need for preventions programs and targeted interventions that address Latino values. Future research should also focus on how Latino values interact with structural barriers that shape risk behaviors. 

Student Major: Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Adrian Bravo

Audrey Flood, "Social Perception: Evaluations of Observed Behaviors in Covert Stuttering"

Stuttering is a speech disorder often associated with social stigma and negative stereotypes. Current research shows that people who stutter (PWS) are perceived as less confident, capable, and intelligent than their fluent peers. Self-disclosure is a tool in which a PWS preemptively informs a listener that they stutter, managing listener expectations and reducing stigma for PWS. This study examined how self-disclosure and the clarity of disclosure influenced social perceptions of individuals with mild or covert stuttering. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (no disclosure, ambiguous disclosure, full disclosure) and evaluated a speaker after watching a reading task video. Results indicated that full disclosure was associated with significantly more positive social evaluations than no disclosure, while ambiguous disclosure produced no statistically significant differences. Prior social exposure was associated with more precise identification of stuttering. These findings help clarify how the type of language used surrounding stuttering and prior social exposure can influence social perceptions of PWS.

Student Major/Minor: Psychological Sciences Major, Public Health Minor

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Jacqueline Fuentes, "Excessive Social Media Use and Mental Health Among College Students"

Excessive social media use has become increasingly common among college students and may be associated with anxiety and depression. This study examined whether higher levels of social media use were related to greater symptoms of anxiety and depression among undergraduate students. Twenty-four William & Mary students completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), which measures unhealthy social media use, and the Four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), which measures symptoms of anxiety and depression. A Pearson correlation examined the relationship between BSMAS and PHQ-4 scores. Results showed a positive association between excessive social media use and mental health symptoms, with higher social media use corresponding to higher anxiety and depression symptoms. However, the relationship was not statistically significant, r(22) = .39, p = .063. These findings suggest a possible relationship between excessive social media use and mental health symptoms, but larger studies are needed to determine whether this association is reliable.

Student Major: Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Genesis Huarniz Arostegui, "Does A Guardian’s Language Proficiency Affect Their Child’s Academic Help-Seeking Habits?"

Parental involvement has been cited to be a prime determinant towards a child’s future academic success. For parents whose primary language is not English though, the language barrier makes it frustratingly difficult to provide their children the same level of participation. As a result, children are oftentimes unaware of the options available to them, opting instead towards academic hyper-independence which avoids seeking out aid. This study asked current college students to recount how proficient their parents were in English when they were in elementary school. Using a 5-point Likert scale, participants additionally measured how likely they were to identify with several statements detailing academic help-seeking and academic concealment habits both throughout elementary school and in the present day. Students who grew up with a parent whose primary language was not English demonstrated a higher likelihood of exhibiting lower academic help-seeking behaviors in elementary school, a set of habits which grew further in college. Throughout elementary school, children primarily rely on their guardians to academically direct them or speak up for them. Given that ESL parents are met with a daunting language barrier, it is necessary to create interventions and inclusivity programs to ensure their child’s academic success.

Student Major: Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Camila Masetto, "The Invisible Stressor: How Parental Incarceration Shapes the Adolescent Brain"

This project investigates the mechanisms through which parental incarceration (PI), conceptualized as a deprivation- and threat-type adversity, may produce neurostructural change during the critical developmental window of early adolescence. Using McLaughlin et al.’s (2014) Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP) as a theoretical framework, a literature review was conducted synthesizing evidence across three domains: parental incarceration research, adolescent neurodevelopment, and adversity neuroscience. The proposed pathway suggests that chronic stress exposure associated with PI disrupts regulatory stress systems, triggering neuroinflammatory cascades that interfere with normative synaptic pruning and structural brain remodeling during heightened neuroplasticity. These disruptions are theorized to produce measurable neurostructural changes in fronto-limbic and fronto-parietal circuitry. Future empirical investigation will use data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to examine whether PI exposure predicts neurostructural outcomes. Attention should be paid to white matter microstructure and neuroinflammatory mechanisms as downstream consequences of chronic stress during development.

Student Major: Neuroscience Major

Advisor: Dr. Danielle Dallaire

Natalie Najera-Luna, "Generational Differences in Acculturative Stress Among Latino College Students: Examining the Impact of Cultural Stressors on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms"

Latino college students represent a growing population in higher education, yet they remain disproportionately vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Acculturative stress is identified as a risk factor for poor mental health in this population, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unknown. The present study aimed to examine whether adherence to Latino cultural values (i.e., familismo and marianismo) and immigration generational status moderated the relationship between acculturative stress and anxiety and depressive symptoms among Latino college students (n = 429; 74.8% female; 62.0% Mexican heritage) recruited across six U.S. states. Results indicated that acculturative stress predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms and Latina women reported more anxiety; but neither familismo nor marianismo served as significant moderators in the acculturative stress mental health link. These findings highlight the importance of conducting future research to better understand the cultural factors influencing mental health outcomes to develop culturally tailored counseling interventions for this population. 

Student Major: Neuroscience Major, Human Health & Physiology Minor

Advisor: Dr. Adrian Bravo

Molly Parker, "Music as a Tool: A Literature Review of the Effects of Music on Cognition"

Music’s impact on cognition, including intelligence, language, and memory, has been a longstanding area of study in psychology and neuroscience. While research on the effect music has on intelligence has produced conflicting results, recent research suggests that music training may improve general intelligence and related skills, such as executive function. Music seems to improve aspects of language, as music exposure in infants assists in language development and music training improves speech processing. Music causes improvements in memory as well; music listening can help patients with Alzheimer’s disorder recover autobiographical memories, and music training can strengthen their long-term memory. This review investigates music’s effect on intelligence, language, and memory, finding that music can be used to improve and enhance cognition.

Student Major(s): Neuroscience and Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Madelyn Labella

Tomasina Pearman, "Does Attention Moderate Empathy and Moral Decision-Making in Psychopathy?"

This project explores the intersection of moral decision-making, attention, and empathy in individuals high on psychopathy.

Prior studies have shown neurotypical samples are more likely to let emotions influence their decision-making when the moral decisions are personal (vs. impersonal) and when they are subject to an empathy induction during the experiment. These effects are weaker or absent in psychopathy. We want to evaluate whether attention could moderate these psychopathy-related deficits, and allow empathy to impact decision-making in individuals high on psychopathy.

To do this, we presented participants with personal and impersonal moral dilemmas in three conditions: a control, an implicit empathy induction, and an explicit empathy induction. For each dilemma, participants rated the likelihood that they would make a deontological (emotion-driven) judgment or a more utilitarian-judgment.

Consistent with prior literature, initial piloting showed that with impersonal moral dilemmas, participants were more likely to endorse a utilitarian decision than with personal dilemmas, providing evidence that our paradigm works as intended.

We are currently collecting data from JCC community members to properly assess the effects of attention on empathy and decision making in psychopathy.

Student Major(s): Psychological Sciences and Government Major

Advisor: Dr. Scott Tillem

Berex Pobee, "Power in Perusal: A Pilot Study of a Culturally Impactful Summer Reading Program for Black Elementary Students"

This study will explore how black elementary school children and their parents engage with a summer reading program that integrates culturally relevant bibliotherapy techniques. Summer reading for K-12 students is typically used to support literacy development, but research on summer reading has yet to examine social and emotional well-being, especially among Black youth. Bibliotherapy, which includes reading for personal growth through guided discussion, harnesses the storytelling traditions that have been a part of Black culture for hundreds of years. These storytelling traditions have long supported pride and resilience in the Black community. Over the summer, these 3rd-5th-grade students will read books about influential Black figures and participate in guided discussions led by their parents. Interviews and survey data will be collected and analyzed at the end of the summer to understand the families' experience with the bibliotherapy program. The findings collected may reveal a strong guide for families to use as a way to support their children’s academic motivation in addition to social-emotional wellness during the summer. This guide could be especially impactful to Black youth who may often have limited access to structured educational and wellness resources.

Student Major/Minor: Psychological Sciences Major, Geology Minor

Advisor: Dr. Janise Parker

Benjamin Rivera, "Investigating the Role of Orexin-A in Nicotine-Induced Enhancement of Sustained Attention in Rats"

Nicotine, the chemical responsible for addiction to tobacco products like cigarettes, improves attention. Regular users of nicotine-containing products report improvements in attention during use and difficulties in attention upon discontinuation. The cognitive effects of nicotine are significant in nicotine addiction. It is hypothesized that a chemical in the brain called Orexin, which nicotine increases, plays a role in nicotine's cognitive effects. This study seeks to parse to what extent Orexin is responsible for the attention-boosting effects of nicotine. In the present study, rats that have been given nicotine will take a drug that blocks Orexin in the brain. The attentional capabilities of this group of rats will be compared to a nicotine-only control group that hasn't been administered the Orexin-blocking drug. The performance of each group will then be analyzed. The results of this study will provide insight into the mechanisms by which nicotine enhances cognition. It is predicted that Orexin-blocking drugs will diminish the attention-boosting effects of nicotine administration in rats. The potential uses of this research include drug development, a better understanding of the biological basis of attention, and clinical applications in addiction medicine.

Student Major: Neuroscience Major

Advisor: Dr. Joshua Burk

Shauri Srivastava, "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Physiological Regulation in Adulthood"

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with psychological and physiological regulatory system alterations, and their autonomic nervous system connection. While indices of heart rate variability (i.e., parasympathetic function) have provided evidence for the latter, vagal efficiency (VE)–a measure of brainstem vagal regulation–may provide a more dynamic index of how early adversity shapes physiological regulatory processes relevant to self-regulation. While reduced VE has been associated with physical illnesses, limited research has investigated early psychological characteristics that may lead to differentiated VE, such as ACEs. Therefore, the present study explored associations between ACEs and VE in an adult clinical population.

Student Major: Neuroscience Major

Advisor: Laura Boylan

Katrina Strong, "Cautious Minds, Financial Choices: Examining the Relationship Between Cautiousness, Harm Avoidance, and Financial Asset Participation"

Financial investment decisions are influenced by both economic circumstances and individual psychological characteristics. This study examines whether cautiousness and harm avoidance are associated with participation in financial assets, including stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, and mutual funds. Using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, this research analyzes responses from adults who completed measures of personality and financial behavior. Binary logistic regression, a statistical method used to examine factors associated with a yes-or-no outcome, will be used to test whether cautiousness and harm avoidance predict financial asset participation while accounting for age, sex, education, and household income. It is anticipated that individuals with higher levels of cautiousness and harm avoidance will be less likely to participate in financial assets. Findings may provide insight into how psychological characteristics relate to financial decision-making and may help inform financial education and investment guidance that better accounts for individual differences in risk-related behavior.

Student Major(s): Finance and Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Madelyn Labella

Joshua Zhou, "Correlating American Healthcare Perception with Familial Socioeconomic Status"

The modern United States healthcare system remains one of the most widely debated issues facing Americans due to disparities in cost and access across socioeconomic groups. Prior research suggested that socioeconomic status influences both access to healthcare and individuals’ perceptions of financial strain. This study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and both perceived and experienced financial barriers to American healthcare. Participants were tasked with completing a cross-sectional survey measuring annual family income level before taxes, perceived financial concern, and frequency of financial barriers to accessing healthcare. It was expected that lower income will be associated with greater experienced barriers and higher perceived financial strain, though these relationships may not align perfectly. These findings contributed to understanding how socioeconomic status shapes both objective and subjective healthcare experiences.

Student Major: Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Session II

Minahl Akram, "The Effects of Embryonic Alcohol Exposure on Anxiety Behaviors in Zebrafish"

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a range of physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Many FASD cases are milder and often remain undiagnosed due to difficulty in early detection, leading to a lack of research compared to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is the most severe form of FASD, showing physical impairments, allowing for easier detection. Our research addresses the question of how PAE affects anxiety in zebrafish based on varying alcohol concentrations, timings of exposure, and ages of exposure. We tested zebrafish at 1 month and 2 months of age using the novel tank test and the light/dark tank test. We anticipate that higher concentrations of alcohol will result in increased anxiety and possibly varying effects from different timings and ages of exposure. This project can help understand the behavioral effects of PAE and contribute towards research about treatments for those affected.

Student Major: Human Health & Physiology (Pre-Medical Track) Major

Advisor: Dr. Pamela Hunt

Izaak Brown, "The Effect of Context and Sound-Scene Congruency on Likeability Among Misophonic Individuals"

Misophonia is a strong aversion to certain repetitive sounds (e.g. clock ticking, gum chewing) that disrupts an individual's ability to perform daily cognitive and social tasks. Though misophonia is a relatively new discovery, recent studies have shown that it affects nearly one-fifth of the population (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). Previous research, by Hansen et.al (2024), supported that these “triggering sounds” had an effect on social and cognitive judgement. Extending this research, this project will examine the relationship between sound congruency to scenes and its effect on “likeability.” “Likeability” will be defined by a rating scale. Sounds and scenes will be sourced from the Free Open-Access Misophonia Stimuli (FOAMS) and Open Affective Standardized Image Set (OASIS) respectively. If the findings support our hypothesis, it can play a significant effect on therapeutic approaches towards those with misophonia.

Student Major: Neuroscience Major

Advisor: Dr. Heather Hansen

Lyndey Brown, "College Adjustment and Alcohol Use Among First Year College Students: A Mediation Model"

The research examined how college adjustment (academically, socially, and psychologically) affected drinking to cope, use of protective behavioral strategies and alcohol-related problems amongst first-year college students in the U.S. Methods: Participants consisted of 612 first-year, U.S. college students with an average age 18.6 (SD=.907) from five universities, a majority were assigned female sex at birth (65.7%) and reported their racial identity as white (78.7%). Results: Across nine double mediation models, we found two significant indirect effects such that poorer college adjustment was associated with greater alcohol-related problems via greater drinking to cope motives; and poorer college adjustment was associated with greater alcohol-related problems via lower use of serious harm reduction strategies. Conclusions: Our results suggest that students' college adjustment impacts motivations in using alcohol to cope and less use of drinking practices, leading to alcohol-related problems. Limitations and directions are discussed.

Student Major: Undeclared

Advisor: Dr. Adrian Bravo

Joanna Chappell, "The Relationship Between Reading Preferences and Moral Values"

Questions about whether media consumption is associated with morality receive a fair amount of attention in public discussion. Previous research on the topic has supported that morality of audiences is somewhat related to exposure to literary genres and lyrical preferences in music, but few studies have examined the connection between morality and enjoyment of genres in non-music mediums. This study attempted to address this gap by measuring the genre preferences and moral foundations of participants. Correlations between six moral foundations and preferences for five genre categories were analyzed in order to gain understanding about the relationship (if any) between the two constructs. Preferences for four of the genre categories were found to be related to some moral foundations, but the correlations did not follow a consistent pattern. The results suggest that there may be some connections between moral foundations and genre preferences, but that they might not apply very broadly.

Student Major/Minor: Psychological Sciences Major, Linguistics Minor

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Camille Coughlan, "Intolerance of Uncertainty and Sleep in College Students"

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has shown relationships with anxiety and worry, which both impact sleep. Yet, investigations of the relationship between IU and sleep have been limited. Forty-one male and female undergraduate students were asked to complete a questionnaire composed of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale and the Sleep Scale– Short version to measure their views of uncertainty as well as their sleep quality, quantity, and latency. Participants were divided into two groups based on their IU levels, and analysis revealed a significant difference between the means of the non-elevated IU and the elevated IU group with the latter having a higher mean sleep score, inconsistent with the conclusions made by previous research. These findings may have clinical implications due to both constructs’ connections to mental and physical health. 

Student Major/Minor: Psychological Sciences Major, Hispanic Studies Minor

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Sabrina Ehmann-Jones, "Parental Influences on Child's Emotional Regulation"

Children begin to develop their emotional regulation skills from an early age, and parents are believed to play an important role in this development. This research aimed to examine the relationship between how parents guide their children's emotions and how children behave when placed in a challenging situation. Children's physical and verbal strategies were recorded during a delay of gratification task and then correlated with parental responses to a questionnaire about their responses to children's emotions. No significant correlations were found in the preliminary analysis between children's behavior and parental responses. Due to timing constraints, only a subset of the sample was analyzed, and so further data may yield more significant correlations.

Student Major: Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Madelyn Labella

Lydia Ghebrezghi, "Not All Adversities Are Equal: Differential Effects of Adversity Types on Adult Psychological Symptoms and Executive Function"

This research project will explore how exposure to specific types of adversity relates to psychological symptoms and executive function in adults. Adverse experiences, including neglect, abuse, or chronic stress, have been consistently linked to long-term mental health challenges. However, less is known about whether different forms of adversity have distinct effects on later outcomes. This research will examine how specific adversity subtypes (e.g., physical and emotional childhood maltreatment, family dysfunction, and community-level stressors) are associated with adult symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as executive function, a set of top-down cognitive skills including attention and planning. Using existing psychological data and validated assessment tools, quantitative analyses will be conducted to identify patterns and relationships between specific adversity exposure and adult outcomes. The findings have the potential to deepen understanding of the lasting impact of various adversities and to inform efforts promoting resilience, mental health, and well-being across the lifespan. 

Student Major/Minor: Neuroscience Major, Computational & Applied Mathematics & Statistics Minor

Advisor: Dr. Madelyn Labella

Ella Jarrett, "Strong Partisan Identity and Applying Affective Polarization to Multiple Outgroups"

Previous research has investigated the link between partisan identity strength and affective polarization and has found that the former feeds the latter. These studies, however, have only investigated individuals’ negative evaluations of opposing partisans, excluding any other outgroups in their research. Investigating the potential influence of affective polarization on “middle groups,” such as non-voters and swing-voters could reveal broader effects of affective polarization. This study surveyed participants to measure their individual partisan identity strength and their negative evaluations of opposing partisans, non-voters, and swing-voters. Results demonstrated that partisan identity strength correlated positively with affective polarization for both opposing partisans and non-voters, but with only marginal significance for swing-voters. Stronger partisans held more negative opinions of opposing partisans and non-voters than did weaker partisans. The findings may suggest that the effects of affective polarization have expanded beyond just party vs. party perceptions and now impact partisans’ perceptions of anyone outside their party. 

Student Major(s): Government and Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Megan McCarley, "Allocation of Attention in Implicit and Explicit Learning: An SSVEP Study"

Learning can be categorized into two forms, explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious). Attention, a limited and selective cognitive resource, is involved in these forms of learning. Between explicit and implicit learning, this selective attention has the potential to vary at a neural level.

The present study aims to identify neural markers of implicit and explicit categorical learning. Prior research indicates that implicit learning function differs from explicit in clinical cases like traumatic brain injuries, making markers of each potentially clinically useful. To investigate this, electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings will be made while participants complete a category learning task which induces implicit and explicit learning.

Based on prior study findings, we expect to see differences in the amplitudes of attention-related signals in the EEG data, across two different explicit learning conditions, as well as the implicit learning condition. This could indicate early neural differences in selective attention between these types of learning.

Student Major(s): Neuroscience and Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Paul Kieffaber

Yasmeen Mogharbel, "Your Brain on Bilingualism: The Relationship Between Second Language Acquisition & First Language Fluency"

This project examines the impact of second language acquisition on first language morphological awareness and literacy skills, looking specifically at native German speakers in comparison to bilingual German and Arabic speakers (n=56). Bilingualism is shown to improve overall executive functioning but delay processing speed, and further research is needed to determine its effects on other aspects of language usage. Each language is mapped differently within the brain; this project investigates the influence of speaking Arabic as an additional language on participants’ competency in German. 42.9% of the participants spoke both Arabic and German. Morphological inflection differs significantly between the two groups–modifying a word from one grammatical category to another–and this study explores whether other variables (i.e. gender) are associated with increased performance on inflection tasks. It will also explore whether increased performance on inflection is associated with increased performance in morphological awareness and literacy tasks. Both are expected to contribute to increased performance. Overall, this project contributes to the growing literature on bilingualism and to the understudied field of Arabic in neurolinguistic studies.  

Student Major(s): Neuroscience and History Major

Advisor(s): Dr. Danielle Dallaire and Dr. Christy Porter

Rachelle Moran, "Childhood Trauma and Negative Self-Perception among College Students: Examining PTSD Symptoms as a Moderator"

This study examined whether PTSD symptoms moderated the associations between five types of childhood maltreatment (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect) and two aspects of negative self-views: self-criticism and negative generalization. Data were collected from 1,007 trauma-exposed college students who completed validated self-report measures. Moderation analyses indicated that PTSD symptoms significantly interacted with most childhood maltreatment subtypes; however, contrary to expectations, these relationships generally weakened rather than strengthened as PTSD symptoms increased. These findings highlight the complex relationship among childhood maltreatment, PTSD symptoms, and negative self-views and suggest that interventions addressing trauma-related symptoms and maladaptive self-beliefs may improve psychological well-being among college students.

Student Major(s): Psychological Sciences and Sociology Major

Advisor: Dr. Adrian Bravo

Madeline Sluss, "The Effect of Sibling Relationship on Young Adult Depression"

This study examined the correlation between early-childhood sibling relationships and young adult depression in a sample of undergraduate students at William & Mary. Early-childhood sibling relationship closeness was expected to negatively correlate with young-adult depression (Ha). Two self-report scales, the Relationship Quality Version of the Network of Relationships Inventory, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were employed. Participants accessed the online survey via Blackboard, and responses remained anonymous throughout the entire recruitment process. Only data about full biologically related siblings were collected, but no other demographic exclusions were made. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation at a p = 0.05 significance level. Approximately 40 responses were obtained, and 36 of them were able to be analyzed. The results identified a slight negative correlation between childhood sibling relationship closeness and young-adult depression, albeit the association was not statistically significant. Further research controlling extraneous variables like gender, age difference, and SES, is warranted to extend the implications of this study. 

Student Major/Minor: Psychological Sciences Major, Management & Organizational Leadership Minor

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz

Jonathan Spitler, "Personality Perception of Political Candidates and Their Influence on Political Engagement"

This project explores how the public perceives the Big Five personality traits of political candidates and how these perceptions may influence political engagement. The Big Five describes personality across five broad domains: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Although previous research has connected individuals’ own personality traits to political attitudes, less is known about how voters’ perceptions of candidates’ personalities shape political engagement. Using an online survey experiment, participants will evaluate AI-generated candidate profiles that are identical in their basic biographical information with only candidate success (e.g., polling strength or electoral viability) and party affiliation manipulated. The study will test whether successful and unsuccessful candidates are perceived as having different personality traits and whether these perceptions are associated with intended political engagement. Findings may help explain how limited campaign information shapes voter impressions and political decision-making.

Student Major: Psychological Sciences Major

Advisor: Dr. Xiaowen Xu

Hannah Tarmy, "First Impressions and Lasting Judgments: Language and Attribute Influences on Long-Term Impression Formation"

People form mental representations of others based on minimal character information, including personality traits or linguistic cues in speech. This study investigates the interaction between these two sources in long-lasting impression formation. In a between subjects design, participants (N = 30) participants either first listened to a speaker and then viewed a list of traits describing her, or their exposure to each stimuli was reversed. After these exposures, participants rated various personality traits on how accurately they described the speaker on a Likert scale. Results showed that both linguistic and attribute information significantly influenced impression formation. However, the effects of each variable varied by trait; some judgments were shaped primarily by attributes, some primarily by linguistic cues, while others remained stable or were influenced by both. These findings suggest that impression formation relies on multiple mechanisms rather than a single dominant factor. Also, different types of social information are selectively weighted depending on the personality trait being evaluated.

Student Major(s): Psychological Sciences and Linguistics Major

Advisor: Dr. Harvey Langholtz