The Effects of Increased Estradiol on development of the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus and It’s Possible Connections to Autism
Student author: Timothy Aiello
Student author: Alice Borella
Faculty advisor: Dr. Patricia Whitaker-Azmitia
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized principally by social deficits and shows a 4:1 ratio in male to female diagnosis. The sex ratio differences have led investigators to propose that one factor that may be involved is altered levels of prenatal sex hormones such as testosterone. Indeed, a recent study has shown that amniotic fluid levels of testosterone is positively associated with social deficits in the child.

The current study was undertaken to test this hypothesis by using 17-â-estradiol, a metabolite of testosterone. Estradiol’s affects on brain development include: influences on apoptosis, synaptogenesis and cellular maturation such as axonal elongation and dendritic elaboration. In addition, it has been proposed that Estradiol may have even greater masculanizing effects in both male and female brains than once thought. In fact, studies have found that administering the non-aromatizable compound dihydrotestosterone during sexual differentiation of the brain was largely ineffective at masculanization and that estradiol had greater masculanizing results. The metabolite, (estradiol) may also explain the sex differences seen in autism, as the developing female brain may have a greater capacity to resist increased levels of the hormone due to the presence of á-fetoprotein, a blood bound protein that binds to estradiol, rendering it inactive. Because of these factors, it is plausible that variations in the concentration of estradiol in blood circulation of the developing fetus would disrupt the normal process of brain development.

To test this hypothesis, developing rat pups were treated at the age when the hypothalamus undergoes sex hormone mediated differentiation (postnatal day 1-2) with peanut oil or 17-â-estradiol (5 or 50ìg). In doing so, the social functions of the oxytocin system were targeted specifically. Dysfunction of the oxytocin system caused by increased levels of estradiol could provide significant evidence of the potential damage associated with increased levels of the hormone.

We report that varying dosages of estradiol caused autism like traits in male rats on such behavior tests as huddling behavior, return to dam and response to novel stimuli. In comparison, female rats did not show similar traits on the return to dam and response to novel stimuli tests. Preliminary analysis of oxytocin-immunoreactive cells of the hypothalamus shows significant differences in the number of oxytocin cells in various sections of the PVN. Upon further investigation, it is apparent that the male and female low and high dose groups showed differential reactions to the drug that may coincide with behaviors observed during behavioral testing.

Differences Between Face-To-Face and Computer Mediated Self-Disclosure to Relationship Satisfaction
Student author: Erica Cuoco
Faculty advisor: Dr. Dominique Treboux
Affiliation: St. Joseph's College
The development of intimacy in a romantic relationship is a developmental task for adolescents and young adults. Learning how to positively communicate to your partner is one of the central components in building a satisfying romantic relationship. Recently, the internet has changed how many adolescents and young adults communicate. Previous research has found that the internet allows individuals who are typically socially anxious or physically unattractive to form intimate relationships more easily online. In existing friendships, it has been found that individuals who communicate online with their friends feel closer. Finally, research has suggested that using instant messaging to communicate with existing relationships benefited the relationships and had an increase of commitment, trust, and communication.

In the current study, we examined the role of online and face-to-face self disclosure on romantic relationships including satisfaction, passion, intimacy, and commitment. It was hypothesized that face-to-face self-disclosure would a better predictor of the duration of the relationship and satisfaction than online self-disclosure.

Participants included 65 students from a small private college. The majority of the sample was Caucasian and female. Seventy-two percent of the sample was currently in a relationship dating, on average, 33.6 months. Established self-report measures were used to measure internet use, online self-disclosure, face-to-face self-disclosure, perceptions on the breadth and depth of internet self-disclosures, and romantic relationship satisfaction. Online self-disclosure and offline self-disclosure was measured using the same questionnaire, but was altered to refer to either online or face-to-face. Sample statements included: Online, I disclose….to my partner about my personal feelings and during face-to-face discussions, I disclose….to my partner about my personal feelings. Breadth and depth was measured using the Perceptions of Online Communication questionnaire. Sample statements include: I talk more easily about different topics than during face-to-face encounters with my partner. Relationship satisfaction was measured with a self-report asking about intimacy, passion, and commitment in the relationship. Cronbach’s alphas for all measures were high (range .87 to .99)

The results suggest that there is significant relationship between face-to-face self-disclosure and romantic relationship satisfaction. Using the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation it was found that face-to-face self-disclosure was positively correlated with intimacy (r(64)=.62, p = .01), passion (r(64)=.65, p = .01), and commitment (r(64)=.71, p = .01). Online self-disclosure was negatively correlated with the perception of breadth and depth of internet disclosure. (r(64)= -.33, p = .05). Multiple Regressions indicated that face-to-face self-disclosure predicted 48% of the variance in passion, 40% of the variance in commitment, and 43 % of the variance in intimacy. On-line self-disclosure did not emerge as a significant predictor of relationship components.

Results suggest that the communication over the internet does not negatively impair the relationship. However, face-to-face self-disclosure is significantly better in creating a positive and satisfying relationship than online self-disclosure.

Childhood beliefs about divorce: Implications for young adult relationships
Student author: Christina Fritz
Faculty advisor: Dr. Dominique Treboux
Affiliation: St. Joseph's College
A core developmental task of young adults is achieving interpersonal intimacy (Berscheid, 1999; Feldman, Gowen, & Fisher, 1998). A social learning approach suggests that the parents’ marital relationship provides a model of relationship functioning for children and adolescents (Amato & Booth, 2001; Whitton, 2008). Research has supported the idea that divorce negatively affects young adults’ romantic relationships (Amato, 1996; Amato & Deboer, 2001; Wallerstein & Lewis, 2004).

There has been little research examining gender differences in the effects of divorce on dating relationships. Jacquet and Surra (2001) found that females, but not males who had experienced a parental divorce felt insecure regarding the permanence of their romantic relationships, were less trusting of their partners, and experienced ambivalence about being involved with another person. Men with partners who had divorced parents reported issues with trust and conflict. Men seemed to be less trusting of their partner when that partner was ambivalent and untrusting of herself. Men from divorced families who were coupled with women from intact families, reported having the most compassionate trust out of all the groups.

One of the ways that divorce affects relationships is through the offspring’s understanding of that divorce. Amato & Booth (2001) found that offspring’s recollections and perceptions about their parents’ conflict throughout the divorce were related to conflict in their own relationships. Shulman, and colleagues (2001) found that having a good understanding about parental divorce leads to better quality friendship, enjoyment, and trust in romantic relationships.

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in the understanding of divorce and how it relates to romantic relationships. Questionnaires asked about how the individual felt when their parents divorced and also asked about how they felt in their current romantic relationship. Reliabilities for the scales were adequate. The following results are based on a preliminary sample of 97 college students, 70.8% (n=68) were from married families and 24% (n=23) were from divorced families.

To test the hypothesis a series of 2 (gender) x 2 (parents married: divorced) ANOVAs were conducted. Results suggest that parents’ marital status did not affect males’ satisfaction in relationships, whereas females from divorced families reported greater dissatisfaction than females from intact families. The childhood experiences differed as a function of parents’ marital status, such that offspring from divorced families (F (1, 8.4) = 8.42 p <.05, eta square = .09) reported a greater fear of abandonment than the offspring from married families. In addition, males from the divorced families reported the greatest amount of self-blame and differed from all other groups. Males, regardless of family of origin, were more likely to view their mothers as being responsible for problems in the family than females (F (1, 3.61) = 5.32 p <.024, eta square = .062). In contrast, parents’ marital status (F (1, 37.91) = 20.99 p < .000, eta square= .204) accounted for differences in paternal blame; offspring of married families were more likely to blame their fathers for the problems in the family than offspring of divorced families.

To examine the influence of childhood beliefs during the divorce on romantic relationships, a set of Pearson correlations were conducted. For males, greater perceptions of fathers and themselves as being responsible for problems in the family were related to less satisfaction and shorter relationships. In contrast, for females, fear of abandonment during the divorce was related to satisfaction.

The association between attachment security and knowledge about romantic relationships among adolescent girls
Student author: Eunjin Lee
Faculty advisor: Dr. Joanne Davila
Affiliation: SUNY Stony Brook
The goal of the study was to examine the association between positive and negative things that adolescents learn about romantic relationship and their level of attachment security in parent-adolescent, romantic, and general relationships. Eighty-three early adolescent girls responded to the open-ended question “what are the most important things you have learned about romantic relationships”. Their responses were coded reliably for positive and negative content. (Cronbach’s alpha=.98 for positive .96 for negative). Parent, romantic partner, and general-adolescent attachment security were assessed in multiple ways including through self-report, a reliably coded interview, and a story telling task (the Secure Base Script Procedure; Waters, Rodrigues, & Ridgeway, 1998). Consistent with predictions, greater security in parent, romantic partner, and general-adolescent relationships was associated with more positive and less negative content in adolescent’s reports of what they have learned about romantic relationships. First, the more adolescents experienced a secure relationship with their parents, the less negative content they reported in what they’ve learned about romantic relationship. Second, the more adolescents showed a preoccupied attachment style in relationships in general, the more negative content they reported in what they have learned about romantic relationships. Third, the more adolescents showed a preoccupied attachment style with their mother, the less positive content they reported in what they have learned about romantic relationships. Forth, the more adolescents showed a secure attachment style with romantic partners, the more positive content they reported in what they have learned about romantic relationships. Fifth, the more adolescents showed a fearful attachment style in romantic relationship, the less positive content they reported in what they have learned about romantic relationships. Last, the more adolescents understood secure base functioning with their mothers, the more they reported positive content in what they’ve learned about romantic relationship. The findings show that attachment security in parent, romantic, and general relationships plays an important role as an internal working model which influences their belief and judgments about romantic relationships.

The Role of Sensation Seeking and Aggression in College Students' Preferences for Violent Video Games
Student author: Samantha Litt
Faculty advisor: Dr. Nancy Frye
Affiliation: C.W. Post
The current study had two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that sensation seeking would predict violent video game use. The second hypothesis was that the relationship between sensation-seeking and violent video game use would be stronger for aggressive people. Participants (N=26) were recruited using an online survey. The study found that sensation-seeking does predict the use of violent video games. Also, it was found that the relationship between sensation-seeking and violent video game use is more significant for people who are low in aggression and is not significant for people who are high in aggression. Lastly, aggression may factor into the relationship between sensation seeking and violent video game use for females, but more research should be conducted to validate these results.

Physical Attractiveness Stereotyping and Intelligence: Judging Intelligence on the Basis of Physical Attractiveness
Student author: Eleana Mauceri
Faculty advisor: Dr. Andrew Quinn
Affiliation: St. Joseph's College
The present study explored the effects of the attractiveness stereotype on the judgments made by college students with respect to the fitness of an applicant for a peer counseling position. Ninety-three college students (of which 30.1 percent were males, 68.8 percent were females, and 93.5 percent of participants were 18-22 years old) examined the profile of a fictitious job applicant and were asked to indicate the likelihood that they would hire the person for a peer counseling position. They were also asked to estimate the applicant's IQ and indicate the degree to which they would enjoy having the applicant as a friend. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Each group received an identical profile with the exception that the applicant was described as attractive in one case and as plain in the other. It was hypothesized that in keeping with the attractiveness stereotype the woman who was described as attractive would be significantly more likely to be recommended for hiring, would be estimated to have a significantly higher IQ, and would be seen as significantly more desirable as a friend than her plain counterpart. Based on an Independent Samples t Test, results failed to confirm any of the hypotheses. Reasons for the failure to confirm the hypotheses discussed are centered on the nature of the sample and the robustness of the independent variable.

Perceived Relationship between Uniform Fit and Body Satisfaction in Athletic and Non Athletic College Women
Student author: Dana Reoch
Faculty advisor: Dr. Andrew Quinn
Affiliation: St. Joseph's College
The present study will investigate the perceived relationship between uniform fit and body satisfaction in athletic and non athletic college women. Research suggests that female athletes have become accustomed to the type of uniform they wear. It is hypothesized that there will be no significant differences in social physique anxiety between female athletes who wear tight fitting vs. loose fitting uniforms. It is also hypothesized that the non athletes, not having prior experience will report significantly greater amounts of social physique anxiety when they imagine themselves in tight fitting uniforms. The non athletes will be randomly assigned and shown a picture of an athlete competing in either a tight fitting uniform or a loose fitting uniform. They will be asked to picture themselves wearing this uniform and to fill out the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS-9) accordingly. Questionnaires were collected on a convenient sample basis from 50 athletic and 50 non athletic women from St. Joseph’s College. Athletes in the tight fitting group were sampled from the cross country/track, equestrian, swimming and volleyball teams. Athletes in the loose fitting group were sampled from the basketball, soccer and softball teams. Non athletes were from undergraduate psychology courses. The participant’s ranged in age from 18 to 56 years (M = 20.81, SD = 4.46) and were mainly white/non Hispanic. The 2x2 ANOVA suggested that there were no significant differences in SPAS-9 scores between the athletic groups. This supported the first hypothesis; that athletes are accustom to the type of uniform they wear. On the other hand, although the non athletes in the tight fitting group had higher SPAS-9 scores than those in the loose fitting group, the 2x2 ANOVA revealed that these differences were non significant. Reasons for the findings are discussed.

Posttraumatic Growth and Coping Style in College Students
Student author: Lori Ross
Faculty advisor: Dr. Sherlip
Affiliation: St. Joseph's College
Posttraumatic growth (PTG), the report of positive changes after trauma, has been documented following a multitude of different adverse events. Research has shown that the more traumatic the event, and the more subsequent distress one undergoes as a result of it, the greater the experience of PTG. One traumatic event that is common to the human experience is romantic relationship dissolution. Following dissolution, many experience intense distress as well as depression and deterioration in health. Research has shown these symptoms can be severe and long-lasting. To deal with this distress an individual may use one or more types of coping. In terms of long-term psychological well-being and health, research has found that problem-focused and approach emotion-focused coping are more preferable than avoidant coping.

In the current study, we examined the role of distress and coping style on subsequent PTG. It was hypothesized that the greater the distress after the break up, the more PTG the subject would report. It was also hypothesized that those who utilized problem-focused and emotion-focused coping would report more PTG than those who primarily used avoidant coping.

Participants included 44 students from a small private college. The majority of the sample was Caucasian and female. All participants satisfied the criteria that they experienced a romantic break-up within the previous 12 months with someone they had dated for at least six months. On average, the length of the relationship was 36.7 months (SD = 23.6) and the break-up occurred 5.3 months (SD = 3.6) prior to participating in the study. Established self-report measures were used to assess feelings about the former relationship, distress after the break-up (Impact of Events Scale), coping style (Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations), and PTG (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory). Various aspects about the relationship were assessed using a relationship questionnaire developed by the researcher.

Pearson’s Correlations were used to test the hypotheses. PTG was not related to distress or to feelings at the time of the break-up, but was positively related to feelings about the break-up at the present time (r (43) = .43, p < .01). Contrary to the hypothesis, avoidant coping was positively related to posttraumatic growth (r (43) = .34, p < .05), specifically to new possibilities (r (43) = .35, p < .05), and feelings of personal strength (r (43) = .40, p <.01), but not to feelings about the break-up. In contrast, emotion-focused coping was related to feelings about the break-up at the present time (r (43) = -.66, p <.01), but not to growth. Task-oriented coping was not related to posttraumatic growth.

Results suggest that those who have overcome the pain of the break-up and who are feeling less distress at the present time experience more posttraumatic growth than those who are still distressed about the break-up. Results also suggest that avoidant-coping is a constructive way to move on from a break-up and grow from the experience.

How Scary is Too Scary? The Effects of Fear Appeals in Political Advertising
Student author: Geetika Rudra
Faculty advisor: Dr. Allyson J. Weseley
Affiliation: Roslyn High School
Research has established, through the Extended Parallel Process Model, that fear appeals in health advertising typically need to create, at the same time, high levels of response efficacy, self-efficacy, and perceived threat to persuade an audience. However, although fear appeals are a popular strategy in political campaigns today, no studies have investigated how such variables collectively affect the success of political fear appeals. One hundred and ninety-two high school seniors were randomly assigned to read one of eight versions of a political fear appeal advertising a hypothetical presidential candidate. Participants were asked to rate the likelihood they would support the candidate, their perceived self-efficacy, their perceived response efficacy, and the perceived severity of the threat. Participants expressed a higher level of self-efficacy when the appeals contained either a high level of response efficacy or a high level of threat. Fear appeals with a high level of response efficacy resulted in a greater likelihood to support the candidate. This study suggests that political candidates should employ fear appeals with high levels of response efficacy to garner support from an audience and high levels of threat severity to mobilize the electorate.

The Gender of Your Doctor May Matter: Factors Affecting Patient Physician Relationships and Quality Care in Breast Cancer Treatment
Student author: Kevin Xu
Faculty advisor: Dr. Allyson J. Weseley
Affiliation: Roslyn High School
The discovery that breast cancer standard care (radiotherapy after lumpectomy) contributes to high survival rates has been a groundbreaking development in modern cancer care. Amid reports that 25% of American breast cancer patients are not receiving standard care, a previous study has found that female doctors are more likely to offer standard care than are male doctors. Although this disparity is typically thought to be explained by differences in the quality of patient-physician communication, otherwise known as participatory decision making (PDM), no studies have yet explored this assumption. The present study, the first explicitly to examine patient-related characteristics that may be related to standard care, surveyed 105 breast cancer patients about the type of care they received, PDM, and anxiety. Participants were randomly selected using the American Cancer Society Siebel Patient Database. The results demonstrate that breast cancer patients who see female oncologists are more likely to receive standard care than breast cancer patients who see male oncologists. However, contrary to popular belief, patients still reported equivalent levels of PDM and anxiety regardless of their physician’s gender and their receipt of standard care. Patients who indicated higher PDM also tended to have lower levels of anxiety. This study suggests that the quality of patient-physician communication may not be related to the actual quality of care that patients receive.