Honors Projects

Does Perfecting Your Day Keep the Doctor Away?: Examining the Roles of Affect and Coping in the Association Between Perfectionism and Physical Health

Carly A. Visk, '09 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:20:09 PDT

This study proposed a structural model in which the association between perfectionism and physical health is mediated by positive and negative affect and coping strategies. A sample of 119 Illinois Wesleyan undergraduate students completed questionnaires that assessed perfectionism, affect, coping strategies, physical health, and preventative and risky health behaviors. Results offer partial support for the proposed model and include the following: maladaptive perfectionism is related to the experience of more physical health symptoms, and this relation is mediated by negative affect and maladaptive coping. Adaptive perfectionism is related to the performance of more preventative health behaviors, mediated by positive affect; and maladaptive coping is related to fewer physician visits, mediated by adaptive coping. Implications for understanding the relation between perfectionism and physical health and for improving the health of individuals are discussed.

How the Individual Differences of Subordinates Within the Workplace Predict Leadership Style Preference and Organizational Commitment

Elizabeth A. Rupprecht, '09 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:15:45 PDT

The connection between leader and subordinate is a crucial one for businesses. One reason this connection is crucial is that many subordinates see the business through the eyes of their managers or super-ordinates. Leaders with certain abilities and attributes can help employees feel more comfortable with their work environment. Different subordinates in specific work environment situations may desire different attributes in a leader. Conversely, individuals with specific personality attributes and a similar work environment may, therefore, desire the same type of leader. The following study will attempt to describe the relations between subordinates' personality characteristics, gender, job stereo typicality and emotional intelligence, their preferred type of leader and, finally their commitment to their organization.

A Campaign for Male Beauty: The Influence of Advertisement on Dimensions of Male Body

Michelle Meehan, '09 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:10:17 PDT

Distorted body image perception is a growing problem in today' s society, with advertisements that display a "thin-ideal" having a significant effect on the issue. Recent advertising campaigns have been designed to improve self perceptions of body image and are now the fo cus of research. Dremonas (2008) concluded from her research of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, that such a campaign actually decreased self perceptions of body esteem in females. Adding to the research of Dremonas (2008), the present study utilized 50 male, undergraduate students to examine the effects of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty on men. Participants either viewed the Dove commercial "Evolution" in its entirety, "Evolution" in part, or a control commercial. The men then completed self-report questionnaires to measure perceptions of their body and esteem. It was found that men's general self esteem and self perceptions of sexual attractiveness increased after viewing the full Dove "Evolution" commercial. The current research has supported past findings that men who view images of attractive women experience increased esteem. In addition, current findings support that the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty does attain its goal to increase esteem, for male viewers. The results of the present study are pertinent because there is currently a discrepancy in findings regarding male body image. As the problems associated with decreased body satisfaction continue to grow, it is important to more clearly differentiate between successful and harmful advertising techniques so as to better improve the pervasive media that effects esteem.

The Effects of Medial Septal Modification on the Theta Rhythm of the Amygdala

Colleen E. McShane, '09 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:56:09 PDT

The theta rhythm is a 3- 1 2 Hz electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillatory phenomenon that has been recorded from the hippocampus of small animals during large motor movements, periods of arousal, and memory tasks. Theta denotes the amount of brain synchrony occurring, with higher theta amplitude corresponding to more synchrony among individual neurons. The proposed pacemaker of the hippocampal theta rhythm is the medial septal area (MSA), which consists of neurons that fire rhythmically in frequencies corresponding to the theta rhythm. Despite the proven physical connection between the MSA and the amygdala, there is uncertainty as to whether the MSA serves as a pacemaker for the amygdala theta rhythm as well. To assess the effect of MSA neuronal firing on the amygdala theta rhythm, cholinergic antagonists and GABAergic agonists were infused into the MSA. Eight male Long-Evans rats were anesthetized with a ketamine/xylazine mixture. A guide cannula was inserted into the MSA and a recording electrode was inserted into the amygdala. After one week, rats were re-anesthetized and amygdala EEG was recorded. Baseline recordings were taken for 5 minutes, after which each rat was infused with 0.5 III of all of the following drug treatments: saline, scopolamine ( 10 �g or 20 �g), muscimol (30 ng or 60 ng), and ethanol (0.1 % or 1 .0%). A within-subjects ANOV A was used to analyze pre- and post-infusion differences in theta power. There were main effects for muscimol and ethanol, but no main effect for scopolamine. Subsequent T-tests revealed a significant difference in theta power between the saline treatment and both the high, t(7) = 4.015, P < .05, and low 1(7) = 2.934, P < .05, doses of muscimol. There was also a significant difference in theta power between the saline and the high, 1(6) = 2.602, P < .05, and low, t(4) = 3.240, P < .05, doses of ethanol. These results have strong implications for the respective roles of the cholinergic and GABAergic pathways in amygdala theta modulation.

Is Competitive Behavior Controlled by its Consequences? The Effects of Omission Training on Competitive Behavior in Rats

Melinda Mallory, '09 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:46:20 PDT

Recent research has examined competitive behavior in rats. When multiple rats are placed in an open field with a single feeder delivering pellets on a Variable Interval Schedule, the rats typically engage in a competitive wrestling response near the feeder tube. This response has been observed in several different experiments, but little is known about its specific nature. One possibility is that the response is a traditional operant. Although there is no explicit contingency with reinforcement, rats that do not engage in the response are unlikely to consume pellets. Alternatively, the competitive response might represent a species-specific foraging mode, controlled by the competitive foraging environment but not controlled by its consequences. The present experiments utilize an omission procedure, in which engaging in competitive responses cancels delivery of reinforcement. In Experiment I there was no difference in the rate of competitive response between the omission phase and the baseline phases. Although it would be tempting to conclude from these results that the behavior is not subject to its consequences, additional explanations must first be ruled out. The second experiment was aimed at eliminating any possible variables that may have affected these results to rule out possible alternate explanations. The results have implications for various biologically-oriented models of foraging.

The Effects of Coaching Feedback on Perfectionism and Disordered Eating in College Athletes

Natalie E. Chase, '09 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:32:26 PDT

Feedback given to athletes by their coaches is a topic that has not been extensively researched in terms of its effect on perfectionist tendencies and disordered eating in athletes. It is important to reduce factors that are associated with disordered eating before the overt disordered eating behaviors can develop into a more severe clinical-level eating disorder. In investigating these links, parallels were drawn between research that has shown negative effects from harsh parental feedback to hypothesize about the effects of coaching feedback. The hypotheses examined include: I. Feedback from coaches that is interpreted by athletes as harsh, ego-involved, or highly critical will be positively correlated with socially prescribed perfectionism in those athletes. 2. Athletes with higher levels of pre-existing self-oriented perfectionism will expect harsher and more critical feedback from coaches than athletes that have lower levels of pre-existing self-oriented perfectionism. 3. Unmet feedback expectations will be positively correlated with disordered eating behaviors. 4. Socially prescribed perfectionism will mediate the relation between harsh, ego-involved, or highly critical feedback and disordered eating behaviors. In the current study, 103 collegiate athletes reported their attitudes and behaviors concerning eating, body image, perfectionism, the feedback they received from their coaches, and the feedback they want from their coaches. Significant results were found showing negative correlations between negative feedback expected and self-oriented perfectionism in women. Significant positive correlations were found between socially prescribed perfectionism and disordered eating for both men and women. Limitations of the study included the way that negative feedback and perfectionism were measured. It would be interesting for future studies to examine the role of coaching feedback at in a Division I athletic environment. Future research should continue to examine the effects of coaching feedback on perfectionism and disordered eating so that coaches and athletes can be well-informed about ways to establish a healthier athletic environment.

Why Can't We Be Friends?: The Effects of Disclosure and Severity on Typical Students' Attitudes Toward Peers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Jacqueline M. Dowjotas, '09 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:53:24 PDT

The autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests. Although many children with autism desire social interaction, they tend to have a difficult time mastering conversation skills and socially appropriate behavior. In addition, they have fewer and lower quality friendships when compared to typical peers, and they often face negative stigma from their typical peers. The current study was used to investigate typical students' attitudes toward hypothetical peers with varying degrees of ASDs. Participants (N = 61) read and responded to vignettes that depicted adolescents, in which severity of ASD symptoms and disclosure of autism were manipulated. There was a significant main effect for severity, such that as symptoms of the condition became more severe, peer attitudes decreased. There was also a significant interaction effect between severity and disclosure, suggesting that disclosure increased attitudes toward individuals with relatively moderate or severe conditions but had no apparent impact toward the individual with a mild condition. Overall, these findings suggest that middle school students are less accepting of children with more severe autism characteristics and that disclosing one's condition is beneficial, at least for persons with moderate or severe characteristics.

Predictors of Relapse and Long-Term Recovery

Leann Westerhold '95 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:24:19 PDT

Previous studies on panic disorfer (Bruce et al., 1995) have examined predictors of relapse on a short-term basis. This study investigated predictors of relapse and long-term recovery in panic disorder treated with alprazolam or alprazolam plus cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Relapse was defined as return to medication or other treatment after discontinuation. Logistic regression analysis tested five variables derived from different conceptualizations of panic disorder etiology and treatment to determine if any predictors of relapse versus long-term recovery could be found. Only the change in Anxiety Sensitivity Index score from baseline to posttaper was found to be significant(p < 0.05, B= 0.22, df=1, R=0.25). this univariate model correctly classified 73 percent of patient outcomes at a two to four year followup. this finding suggests that a focus on cognitive change during treatment may help prevent relapse. Future research should include controlled studies to isolate the mechanism of cognitive change.

Promoting Environmentally Responsible Behaviors Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques

Sarah L. Tribble '08 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:31:36 PDT

An experimental design was used to determine whether environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) could be promoted by exposing participants to two motivational interviewing techniques-provision ofinformation and engagement in a decisional balance exercise. We hypothesized (a) a main effect of the information manipulation such that provision ofbasic as well as normative information about the current state ofglobal warming would be more effective than basic information only at promoting ERBs, which would in turn be more effective than a control information group and (b) a main effect ofthe decisional balance manipulation such that engagement in a decisional balance activity would be more effective than engagement in a control activity at promoting ERBs. We had no basis on which to hypothesize an interaction between the information and decisional balance manipulations. On some of the dependent measures, the predicted main effect for information manipulation was found as well as an unexpected interaction effect. Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine any gender effects as well as the validity ofthe dependent measures used. Effects on environmental attitudes and behaviors were interpreted in light ofexisting theory and real-world applications.

The Effects of the Norepinephrine Agonist, Guanfacine, on Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairments in the Rat

Andrew P. Tharp '08 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:31:34 PDT

Cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease are known to result from decreases in acetylcholine within the cholinergic system ofthe medial septal area, which projects to the hippocampus. Recent studies have proposed that increasing levels ofthe neurotransmitter norepinephrine may help to decrease the cognitive impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease and aging. The present study measured the effects that Guanfacine, an alpha-2 noradrenergic agonist, has on memory deficits produced by the acetylcholine antagonist, Scopolamine. Memory ability was assessed using an object recognition task and a socially transmitted food preference task. Following administration of Scopolamine, memory ability was significantly impaired from baseline levels on both memory tasks. Pretraining injection of Scopolamine followed by post-training injection of Guanfacine resulted in memory performance that was equivalent to baseline memory performance on both tasks. Guanfacine administration alone did not improve memory performance, but rather had a trend toward impairing performance. Results from this study indicate that Guanfacine may be effective at improving memory impairments caused by decreased acetylcholine function as seen in Alzheimer's disease.