Bachelor of Arts Theses, 2008

With 170 psychology majors per year, a large number of Wesleyan seniors write Honors Theses. Current abstracts are included in each volume of Mind Matters. The following are abstracts from 2008.

The Role of Hyphenation in Compound Word Processing
                Melanie Cherng

The present study examines the role of hyphenation in the processing of English compound words. English compound words that appear in the English language as both hyphenated (eg. grown-up) and unspaced (eg. grownup) were chosen as target stimuli. Half of the compound words chosen appeared more frequently in their hyphenated form while the other half of the compounds appeared more frequently in their unspaced form. The words were embedded in sentences in both their hyphenated and unspaced forms. Participants were instructed to read a randomly selected set of sentences while their eye movements were recorded. First fixation duration showed a significant interaction between compound type and spatial layout presentation which indicated a significant processing gain for unspaced compound words shown as hyphenated. However, for compound words more familiar as unspaced, gaze durations significantly increased with the addition of the hyphen. There was no significant main effect for compound type or spatial layout presentation in gaze duration, indicating no significant benefit from the transformation of a hyphenated compound into an unspaced compound. The results indicate that while spatial segmentation benefits initial word processing by facilitating lexical decomposition, it has detrimental affects on later word processing when whole word retrieval occurs.

Smoking Trajectories, Health, and Mortality across the Adult Lifespan
                Zachary Adam Koel Frosch

Research has clearly established that smoking negatively impacts one's health. However, previous work examining smoking trajectories has neither followed participants past early adulthood nor studied how these trajectories may link to specific health outcomes. The present study aims to address these shortcomings by using latent class growth modeling to examine smoking trajectories and health from early adulthood through late life in a cohort of 232 Harvard graduates with a mean birth year of 1921. The present analysis showed five distinct smoking trajectories based largely on the age that participants quit smoking. The trajectories were significantly associated with both chronic lung diseases and mortality and demonstrated that the later a participant quit smoking, the higher the probability of developing lung disease, and of premature death.

Learning Disabled Students at a Highly Selective Liberal Arts College: How They Make it Work
                Julia Kessler

Though learning disabled students have become increasingly present in selective postsecondary institutions, very little is known about who they are or how they cope with academic challenges. This study found that the learning disabled students attending this highly selective university had particularly high verbal capabilities despite having deficits in working memory and processing speed. These students seemed to manage their academic challenges by making global accommodations such as selecting manageable course loads or allocating extra time for academic work, as opposed to choosing other, more specific strategies, the use of which varied greatly from person to person. Data is also presented on the association between strategy use and the studentsÕ cognitive deficits that may help inform later research.

Aging While Incarcerated: A Qualitative Study of Geriatric Prisoners in America
                Elissa Kozlov

The purpose of this study was to gather subjective accounts of the experience of aging while incarcerated. All subjects were male inmates over the age of 60 who had been incarcerated for a minimum of 15 years. A total of 9 subjects were interviewed from 2 different prisons. Older inmates at one of the institutions were segregated from the general population, while inmates of all ages were integrated at the other. Unstructured, qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed for common themes. Findings revealed that all inmates spoke of persistent hope, regret and loss, and distinct transformations in self. Older inmates from the integrated institution reported high levels of fear and victimization, whereas the segregated inmates did not. Overall, this study revealed that further research is needed to understand the various psychological implications of growing old in prison.

The Cultural Context of Trauma: A Case Study of Displaced Youth in Northern Uganda
                Rebecca Littman

This paper sought to examine the relationship between culture and trauma by using a case study of internally displaced youth in northern Uganda. A framework is proposed for looking at the nature of this relationship within a given culture ÒxÓ, which asks whether (1) exposure to traumatic stressors leads to the development of the symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (2) whether these symptoms are deviant from the cultural norm, cause distress, and lead to dysfunction, thus qualifying as a trauma disorder. A total of 390 youth between the ages of 16-23 were interviewed in the Gulu and Amuru Districts of northern Uganda. Participants were randomly selected from four Internally Displaced Persons camps. Exposure to war violence was found to lead to the development of symptoms associated with PTSD, with between 30-75% of the sample endorsing each symptom. However, scores on the PTSD measure were not related to positive social functioning, economic activity, enrollment in school, or community involvement. Therefore, while the symptoms developed we those associated with PTSD, individuals suffering from these symptoms should not be classified as having a Òtrauma disorderÓ because symptoms are not deviant from the norm and do not lead to dysfunction.

Eating Disturbances in Female Cameroonian College Students: A Pilot Study
                Jennifer Madowitz

For decades, there was a general consensus that many countries which were neither wealthy nor influenced by Western culture had a kind of immunity to eating disorders. Investigation of eating disorders in developing countries, and especially in Africa, has been limited. The purpose of this study was to collect descriptive data of eating disorder symptoms in a sample of female college students in Cameroon, using the EDI-II, a widely used self-report questionnaire. The total number of participants who completed the EDI-II and were eligible for the study was N = 171. Because no known prior study has collected information on eating disorders in Cameroon, the present study focuses both on subscale scores (for which international norms have been reported) as well as on specific items tapping key eating disorder symptoms. As a subsidiary aim, the study sought to examine whether students born in urban centers were more likely than students from rural areas to report body image or eating concerns.

The Poor Student's Guide to College
                Toni Martello

Social class on college campuses is becoming an increasingly prominent issue as record numbers of low-income students gain access to institutions formerly reserved for students from affluent backgrounds. Institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and Wesleyan offering free tuition to students from low-income families evidence this transition. However, affording college is only the beginning of the difficulties faced by these poor students. Low-income students interviewed speak of feelings ranging from alienation, isolation, and anger to guilt, jealousy, and shame. This guide uses information drawn from my own experience as a working-class student at Wesleyan, as well as input from interviews of 15 fellow low-income students. The guide will help students from low-income backgrounds tackle the unique challenges that poor individuals must face within the elite university system. Addressing both the practical and the psychological, the guide is compiled of tips and advice for saving money, navigating the college process, and surviving the emotions and relational difficulties particular to this minority group. Additionally, the guide helps students to see that they are not alone in their struggles and to highlight the positive aspects of a low-income background.

Does the Scientist's Sex Matter in the Laboratory? The Effects of an Experimenter's Sex in Psychology Experiments
                Brittany Morse

Two studies, a meta-analysis and an experiment, examine the effects of experimenter sex in psychology experiments. The meta-analysis of 144 experiments that test the effects of experimenter sex determined that effects are reported in about two-thirds of studies, and that kinds of experimenter sex effects reported vary with the dependent variables measured. Paradigms employed by researchers to explain these findings change over time, as do methodological problems in the research. The experiment replicated the 1974 study that explored participants' perceptions and judgments of male versus female, and competent versus incompetent, experimenters. Female participants were found to judge incompetent female experimenters more harshly than male experimenters, and competent female experimenters were seen as less feminine than incompetent female experimenters (when presented to participants by female administrators). The results of these two studies were interpreted in terms of shifting social-historical contexts, suggesting that even with advances in feminist thinking, sexist practices continue in peoples' judgments as well as laboratory practices.

Predicting Immigration Attitudes from Social Dominance and Prosocial Orientations: The Moderating Role of Immigrants' Social Status
                Hyun Hannah Nam

Immigration attitudes have been demonstrated to be more negative among individuals who are higher in social dominance orientation (SDO), perhaps because SDO entails perceptions of zero- sum competition. Additionally, evolutionary social psychology has posited that prosocial behavior favors kinship and reciprocity, which may exclude immigrants from consideration by the native citizens of a country. This research examined how SDO and prosocial orientation predict immigration attitudes, taking into consideration the social status or national origin of immigrants. It was hypothesized that higher SDO would be associated with more negative immigration attitudes when participants are primed with migrant remittances to a low-status country (Mexico), but not a high-status country (Canada). On the other hand, higher prosocial orientation was expected to be linked to positive attitudes when primed with a high-status, but not a low-status, immigrant group. In general, the results were consistent with the hypotheses. These results suggest that the desire to maintain social hierarchy, as well as the bias toward helping those who are able to reciprocate, leads to negative immigration attitudes when immigrants are perceived to be low-status. Implications for how attitudes might be changed through reshaping perceptions and directions for future study are discussed.

Deviance in Disney Representations of Crime in Disney Films: A Qualitative Analysis
                Rebecca Rabison

This study analyzed the representations of crime and criminals in Disney animation. The enormous popularity of The Walt Disney Company in the United States has lead it to become an important purveyor of information about identity, thus taking part in American children's formation of ideas about the world. In questioning what Disney films teach children about crime and its roots, this study examined thirty-two of the most popular Disney films. A qualitative coding scheme was used to monitor various characteristics of the criminals, focusing specifically on portrayals of social class, race, and gender. The study also looked at ways in which images of crime have changed over time in Disney representations and what new kinds of criminals are introduced in more recent films. Results of the study indicate that Disney films largely neglect the influence of social conditions on crime that are heavily correlated with actual crime in the United States.

Using Modern Theories of Cognitive Processing to Augment Assessments in Advanced Placement Physics
                Kirsten Sharpes

The current research examined whether theory-driven examinations that expand the range of cognitive skills assessed allow individual students to better demonstrate content knowledge and decrease achievement gaps between ethnic and sex groups. Two hundred and eighty one students enrolled in AP Physics courses in the 2006-2007 school-year took an augmented version of the AP Physics exam that included items measuring creative and practical thinking in addition to analytic and memory skills. Employing such a framework reduced achievement differences in ethnic groups compared to standard estimates. It further revealed distinct profiles of achievement across cognitive processes, suggesting that traditional tests, which tend to emphasize memory and analytic skills, may not allow all students to fully demonstrate their content mastery. This research points to a need to integrate theories of cognitive processing into the design of new tests.

Resident Advisor General Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Personality Dimensions, and Internal Belief Characteristics as Predictors of Rated Performance
                Max Wu

Resident Advisors (RAs) have a significant hand in helping students adjust and thrive in college life. Given the importance of selecting high-performing RAs, this study sought to examine how well various measures of intelligence (e.g., general, emotional) as well as personality and additional internal belief characteristics predict performance in the RA position, using hierarchical regression analyses. General intelligence, emotional intelligence, personality dimensions, and "internal beliefs" survey data was obtained from 36 university RAs. Performance data was obtained from self-reports by the RAs and also from 189 resident students. RA emotional stability, conscientiousness, and confidence in ability as an RA were found to be predictive of rated performance. Scores of emotional intelligence, but not general intelligence, were found to be significantly positively correlated with RA performance. However, emotional intelligence did not have incremental validity above the contribution of other measures. Implications for improving the current process of RA selection at colleges and directions for future research are discussed.

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