All Abstracts

Previous research indicates that relationships with deviant peers are associated with increased smoking and increased alcohol use. In addition, adolescents do not have fully developed prefrontal cortexes, which affects decision making and social behaviors. One implication of this is that adolescents...

Spelman College is well known for the success of its graduates in the workforce. Because of this, students feel the need to overachieve in their studies. 62 Spelman College students were asked to participate in an anonymous online survey. The survey asked about academic stereotypes, academic perform...

In this study, we focus on the interaction of termites and ants, whether there is one free-moving ant, one restrained ant or if a free moving and restraint fire ant is present in the same environment. Three parameters—termite colony, presence of a soldier termite, and whether the ants were living ...

Performing well academically often opens the door to opportunity. Academic achievement can lead to acceptance into organizations, post-graduate study, and even positions of leadership. The pressure to achieve academically can sometimes be interpreted as requiring near-perfect performance. Therefore ...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to any form of physical, psychological, and/or sexual harm committed by a current or former partner (CDC, 2003). In heterosexual partnerships, 34.6% of European American women report experiencing IPV, and this rate is even higher for African American women of w...

Depression is the fourth leading cause of disability and the leading cause of non-fatal disease burden in the United States. Several studies have indicated that African Americans are significantly more likely to report depression compared to European Americans. Although the literature has examined c...

Misinformation, or information initially accepted as fact until later corrected or retracted, can persist in memory and influence subsequent inferences and judgments. This phenomenon of continued reliance on false information is known as the continued influence effect (CIE). Previous research has in...

This study examines whether Eastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes sp.) use swarm intelligence as a way to increase foraging efficacy. We hypothesized that termites would use the shortest trail in each maze configuration as a result of swarm intelligence. Groups of 20 termites were deprived o...

Compared to European Americans, African Americans are half as likely to use mental health services (Lukachko, Myer & Hankerson, 2015). Also, African American women use services at lower rates compared to African American men (Neufeld, Harrison, Stewart, Hughes, 2008). Research suggests that seve...

Biologically relevant odors, including those related to predators, produce unconditioned fear and anxiety-like behaviors, such as risk assessment, avoidance and freezing as well as conditioned place avoidance. In addition to predator odors, social stress can promote anxiety-like behaviors. When a ma...

Previous research links autobiographical storytelling to both individual and familial psychosocial well-being indices. This study examines the relationship between measures of well-being and the stories families tell about one’s birth, known as birth narratives. The project will allow us to determ...

Although African American women are burdened by mental illness, their use of mental health services is low (Matthews & Hughes, 2001). This project explores how black women’s identity relates to knowledge about mental health and shapes attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment. It is hy...

The study examines the emotional consequences of witnessing a coworker’s negative behavior in a multiracial work setting. Black female undergraduates read a scenario in which they imagined themselves as an African-American woman named Amanda who is at a training session for a new job. During a b...

Exposure to daily stressors has been shown to increase as individuals age. This study examines religious coping as a potential moderator of the relation between age and stress. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were used to address this question. Between 1994 an...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and depression are major health concerns in the United States (U.S.). Studies have shown that women who receive help for IPV have a rate of depression that ranges from 17% to 72% (Warshaw, Barnes, 2003). Additionally, research findings suggest that IPV is more prevale...

Research suggests that eating disorders can pose a threat to young adult women's health and adjustment because they are associated with negative health outcomes such as infertility and high rates of suicide. More specifically, several studies have examined behavioral symptoms of eating disorders in ...

Spelman College is an all-women’s Historically Black College which prides itself on the academic and professional successes of its students. However, the students attending the institution may feel stressed when attempting to meet the school’s academic standards, such as achieving a high GPA, ho...

This research examines the impact of race, income, age, education level, and sexual activity on the likelihood of teenage pregnancy. The hypothesis presented was that teenagers from African American communities and low socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have teenage pregnancies than Caucas...

This study examined whether there is a relationship between maternal rank and infant social behavior in the green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) of Barbados. Previous research on vervet monkeys suggests that maternal rank is strongly associated with infant rank and social behavior (Horrocks & Hun...

Childhood experiences have the potential to shape well-being during adulthood. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not there is a relationship between recollections of childhood well-being and Black women's levels of well-being in adulthood. A survey was administered to 65 Afri...

Several mental health morbidities and physical mortalities disproportionately affect African-American women. Mistrust and negative perception towards the value of health professionals may play a role. This study examines the environmental, cultural, and societal factors that influence African-Americ...

This study examines the power of an authority figure and the role of source credibility in relation to the continued influence effect conceptual framework. A random sample of 165 participants is examined. We hypothesize that (1) an authority figure providing false information will result in increase...

Reconiliation is an integral element in social relationships.  The purpose of this naturalistic observational study was to determine whether green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) engae in reconciliatory behavior. Focal data were collected on a group of free-ranging green monkeys in the Barbados W...

Factors pertaining to a child’s home environment, such as income, can impact learning outcomes. One outcome that has been found to be affected by a child’s family income is reading ability. Previous literature suggests that children's ability to read in primary school is linked to cognitive deve...

While prior research has explored cortical connectivity and reliability of response using fMRI, there has been far less research on these topics using other neuroimaging technologies, such as fNIRS. The purpose of this study is to investigate how different cortical regions are connected, as well as ...

When sexual assaults occur, individuals who learn of the event may develop victim-blaming attitudes in which they attribute more guilt to the survivor than the perpetrator (Kelley, 1967). Previous research shows that complex factors like race, attitudes about rape, and endorsement of sexual stereoty...

It is essential to explore barriers that inhibit African American college women in seeking mental health services. The purpose of this study is to examine how attitudes toward mental health services, mental health stigma, and racial centrality influence African-American college women’s intentions ...

African American women are more susceptible to experiences of gendered racism, which is a hybrid phenomenon constructed by the intersection of racism and sexism (Essed, 1991). In order to cope with experiences of discrimination, African American women may alter their self-presentation to fit social ...

Child development can be greatly influenced by prenatal and postnatal experiences. Recent primate studies have shown that prenatal stress can exacerbate behavioral outcomes. Competing demands can cause mothers to become psychologically unavailable to infants, which can disrupt normal development. Fu...