Flash Poster Talks Theme #1: Emotion
More Than an Icon: Public Figures Mitigate Emotional DistressNicola Manfredi ’22 (Psychology), Sasha Milton ’22 (Psychology and Biological Sciences), Daniel Cress ’21 (Biological Sciences), Randy Lee (Graduate Student Mentor), and Vivian Zayas (Faculty Advisor)Across diverse disciplines, researchers have been interested in how people feel and think about public figures (PFs; e.g., Everett et al., 2020; Zhao et al., 2016).
Work in the communications literature has shown that people develop strong one-sided affective bonds, or parasocial relationships, with PFs (Horton & Wahl, 1956). How does simply viewing an image of a PF regulate affective responses? Given the affective regulatory benefits provided by attachment figures (Selcuk et al., 2012), we hypothesized that PFs would confer similar affective benefits, such that simple reminders of the PF would aid in recovery from negative affective states resulting from distressing news. In our study, participants (N = 314) completed a modified version of the Attachment Affect Regulation Task (Selcuk et al., 2012) to assess the extent to which PFs promote affective recovery. Participants also completed a new scale modified from the parasocial relationship scale (Ruben & Perse, 1987) to assess the strength of a participant’s parasocial relationship with a given PF. We found that photographs of PFs elicit positive affect, which in turn alleviates negative affect triggered by reading distressing news headlines. The strength of people’s parasocial relationships with the PFs accounted for the distress-relieving effects. Given the ubiquity in which reminders of PFs and distressing news co-occur, findings suggest that the affective regulatory power of PFs may be pervasive.
The Effect of Feedback on the Metacognitive accuracy and Performance of Emotion RecognitionZhimeng Li ’21 (Psychology and Comparative Literature) and Laura Niemi (Faculty Advisor)
Meta-accuracy is the correlation between one’s metacognition and actual performance, representing whether people perform as well (or as poorly) as they think they do. Kelly and Metcalfe (2011) has shown that people have significant relative meta-accuracy compared to global meta-accuracy. In other words, although people are less accurate at estimating their general emotion recognition ability, they are able to accurately assess their moment-to-moment performance. The current study aims to replicate this major finding using dynamic video stimuli and further examine the effect of explicit feedback on relative meta-accuracy and the performance of emotion recognition. The participants were 224 adults aged 18-72 years old, who answered self-report questions measuring global metacognition, completed emotion recognition tasks measuring performance, and rated trial-by-trial confidence of judgment measuring relative metacognition. The participants were randomly assigned to the feedback group or the control group, with the former receiving informative trial-by-trial feedback on the correctness of emotion judgment. Although both groups showed significant relative meta-accuracy, replicating the findings by Kelly and Metcalfe, the feedback group did not perform better or demonstrate higher relative meta-accuracy than the control group. The results call for further examination regarding the psychometry of socio-cognitive abilities and conceptualization of social emotion perception.
Flash Poster Talks Theme #2: Belonging
Choking under Pressure: The Impact of the Model Minority Stereotype on Stress, Working Memory and Test Performance
Kamla Arshad ’21 (Psychology), Mikaela Spruill (Graduate Student Mentor), and Vivian Zayas (Faculty Advisor)
The Model Minority Stereotype is a seemingly positive stereotype associated with Asian Americans in the United States. Previous stereotype and prejudice research has primarily focused on the negative impact of racial stereotypes on performance (Steele & Aronson, 1995; Schmader, Johns, & Forbes, 2008), but the present study explores how positive stereotypes may also have a negative impact on performance. We examined psychological stress and working memory as sequential mediators of the relationship between model-minority stereotype threat and math performance. Survey data from 79 Asian American students revealed that students reported higher psychological stress and performed worse on math tests when the model minority stereotype was salient. Working memory was a strong predictor of test performance in both conditions. The discussion focuses mainly on the impact of seemingly positive stereotypes on marginalized communities and the current study's limitations.
Neighborhood Support and Wellbeing: Does College Belonging Matter?
Amber Tan ’21 (Human Biology, Health, and Society), Marissa Rice (Postdoctoral Researcher Mentor), and Marlen Gonzalez (Faculty Advisor)
Social Baseline Theory (SBT) posits that human biology expects and requires supportive social networks to maintain homeostatic processes and cognitive functioning. Without such supports, an individual must exert additional cognitive energy to ward off potential environmental threats, which can manifest into internalizing symptoms of depression and social anxiety. The current study examined how abrupt changes in social support systems (neighborhood supports to novel college supports) during emerging adulthood can affect such internalizing responses. It was hypothesized that college belonging moderates the relationship between neighborhood supports and internalizing symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Through hierarchical moderation analysis and mediation analysis, the study found support that college belonging moderates the relationship between neighborhood support and social anxiety while mediating the relationship between neighborhood support and depressive symptoms. Additional three-way interaction effects could not be pursued, given the nonsignificant associations between gender, first generation status, and underrepresented minority status with social anxiety. Such results suggest that college belonging can have positive effects on one’s psychological well-being, and, under certain conditions, it may even buffer individuals from lower resourced neighborhoods.
Flash Poster Talks Theme #3: Coping
A Tale of Two Reddits: Exploring the Emotional Sentiment of College Reddit Communities Timothy Reeves ’21 (Information Science), Rohan Upadhyayula ’21 (Information Science), and Matthew Wilkens (Faculty Advisor)
Previous research has found that we possess an intuitive negativity bias, where we tend to focus on the 'headwinds' versus the 'tailwinds' in our lives. In this preliminary study, we attempt to understand if a similar phenomenon occurs on the social network Reddit. Here, we utilize a machine-learning model to analyze 12 Reddit datasets from different colleges to uncover whether negative posts garner more attention. We found identical posting behavior across the 12 colleges. Users posted similar amounts of positive, neutral, and negative content, with positive posts occurring the most frequently, followed by neutral and then negative posts. However, community reactions to these posts strongly favored negativity. Across all colleges, negative posts had the highest likelihood of receiving an above-average number of upvotes. In sum, these findings suggest that in college Reddit communities, the best way to make one’s voice heard is through expressing negative emotion.
Zoom, Gloom, and Quarantunes: Investigating Listening Habits in the COVID-19 Pandemic Emily Hurwitz ’21 (Psychology and Music) and Carol Krumhansl (Faculty Advisor)
The contexts in which people listen to music – what music, with whom, where, when, and with what media – are referred to as listening niches. The first study explores the listening niche on Spotify and characterizes how undergraduates use Spotify in daily life. The second study investigates how these listening niches have shifted during the pandemic, both four weeks after students were sent home in the spring of 2020, and four weeks after they returned to campus in the fall of 2020. The third study investigates whether the songs that participants chose as meaningful during these two pandemic periods differ in audio dimensions and lyrical content. The results show that students listened to more music in the pandemic, but there was no difference between lockdown and the new normal. Whom they were listening with did shift across periods. The reasons behind choosing signature songs fell into three themes: (1) emotional responses; (2) memory associations; (3) discovery of new music. Lyrical content related to these three clusters and also differed across pandemic periods and compared to Billboard top hits. These results illustrate how students listen to, find, and interact with music in meaningful ways during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caregiver Experience in COVID-19
Amber Haywood ’21 (Psychology), Corinna Loeckenhoff (Faculty Advisor), and Catherine Riffin (Faculty Advisor)
There has been limited research on the impact of COVID-19 on paid caregivers. Prior theory suggests that in caregivers there are several stressors and factors that mediate the effects of stress and outcomes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers (N = 7) who have been working in this role for at least one year. since at least March 2020. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed for identification of logistical, emotional, relationship. not sure. Results: Caregivers reported several logistical challenges after the onset of COVID-19, including new use of PPE, limited interactions with patients, and lack of support from management. In terms of changes in the caregiver-patient relationship, there was decreased physical interaction, increased frustration from patients, and an increased appreciation of patients from caregivers. Finally, caregivers reported increased signs of anxiety and depression but have relied on coping mechanisms outside of their family and friends through their religion. Caregivers reported both positive and negative effects from COVID-19. It is imperative for increased mental health support to be available to caregivers in future similar situations.
Flash Poster Talks Theme #4: Physiology
CPSim: A Computational Neurophysiology Simulator
Kyrus Mama ’21 (Psychology) and Christiane Linster (Faculty Advisor)
Computational modeling in neuropsychology is a powerful tool that allows researchers to build and test models of their theories. It is, however, being underused by researchers. Building such models can often require a significant background in computer science and mathematics, which psychology researchers may not have. To help mitigate this problem, we have built a program that allows users without coding experience to build and simulate models of neural networks. Our simulator allows its users to construct interconnected neural networks using several different types of neurons, synapses, and learning rules. The simulator will then interpret the model and simulate its behavior, given specified inputs. After the simulation, the user can analyze the simulation by saving or plotting requested data in several different forms.
Effects of a GnRH Agonist on Mate Choice Behavior in African Giant Pouched Rats
Amit Hanadari-Levy ’23 (Biological Sciences), Lucy Huang ’23 (Human Development), Alexandra Chaves ’21 (Biological Sciences), Bhupinder Singh (Veterinarian and Research Mentor), Jackie Berman ’20 (Psychology), Beverly Lo ’20 (Biological Sciences), Angela Freeman (Postdoctoral Researcher Mentor), and Alexander Ophir (Faculty Advisor)
The African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys ansorgei) is unique in its reproductive system which includes the phenomenon of flexible vaginal patency – whereby the vagina can be opened or closed at different points in its life – though the cause of this is still unknown. A previous study tested the effect of deslorelin, a GnRH agonist implant on vaginal patency in female pouched rats, however no significant effect was observed. This study aims to identify any behavioral changes in the female pouched rats as a result of the deslorelin implant, as well as changes in behavior of the males in response to females in a mate choice experiment. The study investigates the role of the pouched rats’ olfactory sense in mating behavior and the detection of fertility since the deslorelin implant should interfere with typical hormonal cycling in females. It is hypothesized that control females with a saline implant will show more interest in males compared with females with the deslorelin implant, and that the males will also show more interest in females with the saline implant.
Flash Poster Talks Theme #5: Marketing and Human Resources
Human Resource Data as Early Indicators of Financial Trouble
Juliette Raymond ’21 (Industrial and Labor Relations) and Stephanie Thomas (Faculty Advisor)
“In every business we’re in, we’re on the side of the good guys” This February 2001 boast by the CEO of Enron Corporation, Jeff Skilling, became infamous by the end of that year when the company filed for bankruptcy. Enron’s fall rattled Wall Street because the company seemed so unshakable. Right up until three days before it filed for bankruptcy, Enron’s stock was labeled by analysts as a “buy.” During the congressional testimony that followed Enron’s bankruptcy, some analysts insisted that the company’s financial statements revealed trends that should have been taken as warning signs by investors. However, these metrics should not be the only pieces of information used to understand the health of a company. Data collected by Human Resource departments about employee sentiment and engagement is often overlooked by investors even though it may provide very early warning signs of problems that could affect stock price and financial performance. At Enron, for example, internal HR indicators showed significant shifts in employee sentiment and a growing distrust of the company three months before it went under. This research examines companies whose internal human resource data demonstrated a pattern of employee dissatisfaction before legal and ethical scandals caused their stock performance to plummet. This research discusses the psychological factors that go into making investment decisions and economic and organizational behavior concepts are discussed.
Testing the Efficacy of Food Primes Over the Internet
Smita Bhoopatiraju ’21 (Psychology) and David Levitsky (Faculty Advisor)
Previous research has shown that food advertisements serve as positive food primes, which means they elicit eating behavior. However, few studies have shown the applicability of these findings in an online setting. In the present study, we examined the efficacy of using food advertisements viewed over the internet as positive food primes. This was accomplished by comparing the percentage of snacks eaten by 85 Cornell University students while watching both online food advertisements and online control advertisements. A statistically significant difference (p <.001) was found between the percentage of snacks eaten while watching the online food advertisements and the online control advertisements. We concluded that food advertisements act as positive food primes even when viewed over the internet. These findings have the potential to expand the scope of food prime studies by enabling them to be conducted in online settings as well as traditional laboratory settings. Additionally, recognizing the impact of online food advertisements on food intake may assist in creating interventions that can counter these effects.
Flash Poster Talks Theme #6: Psychology and Law
Relationships Among Framing, Criminality, and Substance Use
Joliet Stallone ’21 (Psychology), Sarah Edelson (Graduate Student Mentor), and Valerie Reyna (Faculty Advisor)
Despite the life altering effects of the choice to engage in criminal activity and substance use, the decision-making processing behind such behaviors remains largely unexplained. Previous research applying Fuzzy-Trace Theory (FTT) to criminal decision making has established that those who rely on precise, verbatim-based representations in decision making processing, rather than categorical gist, are more likely to take risks that can translate into criminal behavior and substance use. 508 college-aged participants at Cornell University completed an online survey about framing, risk-taking, substance abuse, impulsivity, and sensation seeking to begin to disentangle the complex relationship between criminality and substance abuse by taking into account people’s mental representations in decision making. We predicted that more verbatim based thinking would be associated with higher levels of criminal risk taking and substance abuse and that this effect would remain robust even after taking impulsivity, sensation seeking and the other risky behavior into account. Consistent with FTT, analyses showed that verbatim-based thinking significantly predicts both criminal risk taking and substance abuse, and it continues to do so after controlling for the explanatory power of the other variable. Furthermore, reverse framing was shown to predict risk taking, even when the effects of impulsivity and sensation seeking are taken into account.
Fair and Impartial Jurors? Investigating Biasing Effects of Death and Penalty-Focused Language During Capital Voir Dire
Marieliette Corretjer ’21 (Psychology), Vivian Rotenstein (Graduate Student Mentor), and Stephen Ceci (Faculty Advisor)
The current study examined the impact of death and sentencing-focused language during capital voir dire on trial outcomes. Differing from previous studies that had participants watch a video of voir dire that either included or excluded the death qualification process, the present study had participants answer voir dire questions directly. This study also included a measure of implicit bias to assess the role of “death primes” in biasing mock jurors at both an implicit and explicit level. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions which varied the extent to which they were exposed to death and sentencing-focused language and questions. Participants then took an Implicit Association Task, read case information regarding a felony murder charge, and answered questions about their decisions regarding guilt and sentencing of the defendant. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference in years sentenced between conditions, such that voir dire conditions did not increase convictions, but did increase participants' reported years sentenced among those who chose a life sentence. This pattern is consistent with previous findings that show that exposure to capital voir dire may not increase convictions, despite increasing pretrial presumptions of guilt.
Impact of Age and Gender on Victim Blaming
Emily Eagleton ’21 (Psychology), Vivian Rotenstein (Graduate Student Mentor), and Stephen Ceci (Faculty Advisor)
Rape impacts 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men throughout their lifetimes, however perpetrators of rape are infrequently convicted. This is in large part due to underreporting, however previous research has inquired into whether this is also due to exaggerated empathy towards males in the courtroom. Other previous inquiries have identified that victim-blaming likely also plays a factor. The current research recruited a sample of adults (N = 630) to investigate whether victim and perpetrator age and gender have an impact on victim-blaming. Participants were presented with the facts of a rape case (with age and gender of perpetrators and victims) manipulated and answered questions about levels of empathy, forgiveness, sympathy, and blameworthiness. Participants additionally completed either the male or female version of the Attitudes towards Rape Victims Scale, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory. Analyses were run to inspect whether victim age impacts victim-blaming, age and gender relationships between victim and perpetrator impact victim-blaming, and if participant gender or attitudes towards rape victims and sexism impacts empathy towards victims. Results demonstrated that victim blaming has little to do with the characteristics of the perpetrator and victim (at least in situations such as this one), and has more to do with the characteristics of the juror. The current research has significant implications for juror decisions in rape trials.