ABSTRACTS Scottish Undergraduate Conference
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Title : The factors that influence memory strength: A study of episodic recollection and source precision Name and that of any co-author(s): Aamina Kauser Institution/organisation : University of Stirling Objectives/purpose The purpose of this experiment is to see if stimulus distinctiveness has a selective influence upon the precision of memory retrieval Design in this study we had used an independent measures design. The iv was whether the words were semantic or unrelated and the dv, whether the participant could remember the location of each word accurately. Background Harlow and Donaldson (2013) developed an objective continuous measure of successful episodic retrieval that does not rely on subjective reports such as confidence.the data shows recollection is a some or none process in which retrieval can fail but when successful can be more or less precise – i.e., recollection can be measured in terms of rate and precision. we know quite a lot about different factors that have an effect upon rate, but almost nothing is known about factors that influence retrieval precision. Methods 46 students participated through psych-web (24 for the 1st experiment, for semantic vs unrelated and 22 for experiment 2, semantic vs christian names).The experiment was designed and run using E-prime software. the data was then analysed through the e-prime software and excel. Results the results were analysed to find out the average shape, for both experiment 1 and 2. we analysed the results to find the lambda for both experiments. the lambda results show the rate, while the shape shows the precision. overall from experiment 1, results suggest that there was no difference in rate but is in precision, while in experiment 2, there is no difference in rate nor precision. an independent t-test is still need to be done, and once completed we will know if our results are statistically significant or not. Conclusions Briefly we can state that stimulus distinctiveness has a selective influence upon the precision of memory retrieval, though it does not support the notion that it affects rate, not was any difference seen between christian names, and semantic words, in experiment 2. Project Supervisor Jamie Murray Keywords memory precision, memory retrieval, recollection, Title : Alcohol hangover attentional bias among social drinkers and the hangover stroop paradigm Name and that of any co-author(s): Agnese Merlo Institution/organisation : University of the West of Scotland Objectives/purpose The present study investigated whether social drinkers who are experiencing alcohol hangover at the time of testing would exhibit an attentional bias towards hangover-related stimuli. Design This was a naturalistic study, as participants consumed alcohol at time and location of their choosing - i.e. there was no control over their consumption. An automated alcohol hangover Stroop test was utilised to measure alcohol and hangover-related attentional bias. Three categories of words were presented: alcohol, hangover and neutral. Background Previous publications have consistently demonstrated the presence of an alcohol-related attentional bias (AAB) among social drinkers, but this is the first study to examine attentional bias in alcohol hangover. Methods Participants were breathalysed, completed the alcohol hangover Stroop test and six questionnaires to measure hangover severity, sleep quality, mood, drinking motives, drinking desire and typical alcohol consumption. Results A 2x3 ANOVA mixed subject design was conducted. Alcohol and hangover related attentional bias were found to be present among participants. Specifically, longer reaction times (ms) for the alcohol and hangover words were recorded in comparison to the neutral ones. It is predicted that higher scores of hangover severity will be associated with a greater hangover attentional bias interference (ms). Conclusions Findings suggest that hangover-related attentional bias (HAB) is present alongside AAB within social drinkers experiencing alcohol hangover. Both biases are found to cause individuals to react slower to alcohol and hangover stimuli, which can lead to adverse health, economic and social consequences. Project Supervisor Dr. Gillian Bruce Keywords Attentional Bias; Alcohol hangover; Hangover Stroop Paradigm; Social drinkers Title : Does imagined contact reduce implicit and explicit prejudice towards people with depression? Name and that of any co-author(s): Agniete Pocyte Institution/organisation : University of Edinburgh Objectives/purpose The purpose of the study is to assess imagined contact’s effect on explicit and implicit attitudes towards people with depression. Design This study used a between-subjects design with two groups: an imagined contact experimental condition and a control condition. Background Previous research has shown imagined contact to be effective at reducing discrimination towards people of different nationalities, ethnic groups, and sexual orientations (Miles & Crisp, 2014). Na and Chasteen (2016) found imagined contact to be effective in reducing explicit prejudice, evaluated via self-report questionnaires, towards people with depression. The current study extends Na and Chasteen’s (2016) work by assessing whether imagined contact will reduce implicit prejudice, measured via an Implicit Association test (IAT), as well as explicit prejudice towards people with depression. Methods Participants (N= 110) in the experimental condition read a vignette about a depressed individual and subsequently engaged in imagining a positive interaction with the individual. Participants in the control condition read the same vignette and imagined an outdoor scene. Following this, participants in both groups completed an IAT and several self-report questionnaires assessing their prejudice towards the individual with depression, and people with depression as a group. Results/Conclusions We expect to produce similar results of reduced explicit and implicit prejudice, complementing previous research in imagined contact. Project Supervisor Tom Booth Keywords Imagined contact, contact theory, prejudice, depression, explicit attitudes, implicit attitudes Title : Investigating the relationship between self-directed positive vs negative affect on communication Name and that of any co-author(s): Aimee-Lee Stewart Institution/organisation : Abertay University Objectives/purpose The study investigated whether valence of emotions about the self affects communicative behaviours in similar ways as valence of pro-social emotions . Design The participants underwent a procedure designed to induce positive or negative mood by influencing self-esteem. Participants’ pictures were taken and a faux attractiveness score was given to them. Following this, participants completed a ‘director-matcher’ task where ‘directors’ described cards to ‘matchers’ who were to select matching cards from an identical set on the other side of a partition. After communicating about all 8 cards directors and matchers switched roles. Both members of a dyad then completed a mood questionnaire (BMIVAS). Background The study is a follow-up of a previous study by Moulds et al which examined how participant mood changes as a result of communication. This research suggested a bidirectional relationship between emotion and communication, whereby induced positive mood leads to greater speaker ambiguity, but induced negative mood leads to cooperative, mood- enhancing communication strategies. Methods 22 student participants were recruited in dyads using convenience sampling. Participants were made to believe that their attractiveness would be assessed and were given a high or low fake attractiveness score. Induced mood was assessed using Facereader technology. Participants then engaged in referential communication which was audio- and video recorded, before completing the BMIVAS mood questionnaire. Results Preliminary data analyses suggest that the mood induction was effective and that the participants’ mood improved over the course of the interaction. However, number of turns has questionable authority and thus far suggests that mood improvement was achieved without the cooperative communication strategies hypothesised in previous research. Conclusions The final data set will be discussed with respect to whether mood improvement is an unavoidable consequence of any interaction and whether self-directed, as opposed to empathetic, negative mood, is not specifically associated with cooperative communication strategies that lead to mood improvement. Project Supervisor Vera Kempe Keywords language,mood,communication,self-esteem Title : Evaluation of the transition between primary and secondary school for children with autism, from a parent’s perspective’ Name and that of any co-author(s): Alex McRory Institution/organisation : University of Dundee Objectives/purpose The purpose of this study is to explore parental views of the transition between Primary and Secondary school for children with autism. The main hypotheses are as follows: 1) Parents will report higher levels of support for Primary Schools compared to Secondary Schools 2) Parents will report higher levels of support in schools that are specialist schools than for mainstream schools. Open questions will be qualitatively analysed in order to determine potential improvements for support within schools Design A mixed ANOVA will be used for the quantitative analysis. The DV is level of support, and the IVs are nature of school (mainstream; mainstream with additional support; specialist)