Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States affecting nearly 1 out of 4 Americans and is a major cause of mortality. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the fifth most common psychiatric disorder diagnosis in the United States. Women are 2-3 times more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety disorders. […]
B07: Choice Modeling Framework: Snack Food Decisions Among College Students
Humans face many choices in healthy living with food choices being vital in a healthy diet. Decision makers must consider a variety of attributes and options when deciding. We investigated college students’ preferences for 16 common snack foods; the snacks ranged in health, taste, convivence, familiarity, and satiation. We looked at two 50/50 “grab bag” […]
B10: Behavioral Effects of N,N,N-Trimethyltryptamine and Possible Receptor Mechanisms
In the McMurray Lab, we study the behavioral and molecular effects of hallucinogenic drugs on serotonergic systems, namely the 5-HT2a receptor. Common antipsychotic drugs and hallucinogens used for mental health treatment are known to bind to the 5-HT2a receptor, and activation of this receptor is believed to lead to a downstream improvement of behavioral and […]
B13: Effects of Morphine Withdrawal on FMOR Mice
Due to problems caused by the opioid crisis in the United States, it is necessary to find solutions for both prevention and treatment of opioid abuse. This study looks at manipulation of the FoxP2 gene in regards to changes in withdrawal symptoms with the opiate morphine. This was done by removing the mu-opioid receptors from […]
B15: Does Gender Moderate the Relation Between Parasympathetic Regulation and Empathic Behaviors
The area of research that I have focused on in this study pertains to psychology and is specifically about children’s socioemotional development. Participants were 100 children (44 girls, 56 boys) and their mothers participating in an ongoing longitudinal study, with a visit at age four and age five. To measure child empathy coders scored overall […]
A17: Choice Modeling Framework: Snack Food Decisions Among College Students
Humans face many choices in healthy living with food choices being vital in a healthy diet. Decision makers must consider a variety of attributes and options when deciding. We investigated college students’ preferences for 16 common snack foods; the snacks ranged in health, taste, convivence, familiarity, and satiation. We looked at two 50/50 “grab bag” […]
A68: The Psychological Impact of Immigration
Psychological well-being can be optimized by the ability for an immigrant to maintain their ethnic identity while balancing social integration. In order to measure and evaluate this hypothesis, definitions and identifiable factors need to be set forth for such subjective terms. Mental wellbeing is a complex concept with many pieces and parts that contribute to […]
A20: Body Image in the Miami Student Body
The research conducted in this study focuses on the concepts of body shame and body image within the Miami University student population (specifically first-year students), exemplifying how students have experienced body shame, demonstrating their knowledge of body shame, and questioning if they believe that the culture at Miami University promotes or condemns body shaming. Body […]
A32: Changes in Accessing Services for Children with Autism in the European Union; A Focus on Luxembourg
My project for the 2022 University Research Forum encompasses changes in accessing services for children with autism in the European Union, specifically, Luxembourg. As a Global Health minor, I completed an immersion experience. Mine took place last semester at Fondation Autisme Luxembourg, an organization that has three care centers for children and adults on the […]
A33: “Will they have to miss school again?”: Overarching Concerns with Childhood Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic
As a global health minor, I have spent the past year completing my global health immersion experience as a COVID-19 contact tracer in Butler County. In conjunction with my experience, I have worked alongside Dr. M. Cameron Hay and Dr. Paul Flaspohler to take further steps to explore childhood wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and […]