2014 Cohort

Francesco Depalma

Supervisor: Dr. Reiko Graham

My current research interests are focused on cognitive neuroscience and substance abuse/addiction.  Specifically, I’m interested in attentional biases to alcohol and their neural correlates.  A vast array of attentional paradigms has been used to examine attentional biases to drug-related cues in substance abuse, including the attentional blink (AB).  My thesis will examine how the AB to alcohol images is moderated by alcohol consumption patterns.  Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) will also be utilized to help further understand the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying AB and alcohol-related attentional biases in college drinkers.

Thesis Title:  Individual Differences in Attentional Blink to Alcohol Related Cues

Andrew Duong

Supervisor: Dr. Harvey Ginsburg

My research interests are in cross-species communications with a focus on the relationships between domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) and modern humans. I chose this focus because of my own personal love for animals and because humans and dogs have coevolved over thousands of years. My thesis will focus on whether humans can distinguish between different dog vocalizations, identify and categorize their own dog’s barks, and how they react and/or respond to these different barks.

Thesis Title: Dog Vocalization:  Owner Detection of Familiar and Unfamiliar Alert Barks

Avia Gray

Supervisor: Dr. Krista Howard

I am interested in health and clinical psychology and want to design and conduct studies for the medical field. I plan to pursue a career that will allow me to work closely with veterans, trauma patients, and those with chronic illnesses. Currently, I am measuring treatment adherence and subsequent barriers to treatment adherence in young adults with diabetes.

Brittany Hill

Supervisor: Dr. Shirley Ogletree

My research interest are in examining sociocultural influences and their effects on individuals from varying populations in regards to their perceptions and attitudes. Fortunately, I have been able to meld both my interests in social psychology and clinical psychology in order to study human perception and behavior. I have great passion towards pursuing a career in the medical field, specifically psychiatry. I am currently researching body modifications in association with gender transcendence and gender roles. 

Thesis Title:  Body Modification: Perceptions of tattoos and the examination of gender, tattoo location and tattoo size

Morgan Kelly

Supervisor: Dr. Natalie Ceballos

My research interests are centered on neurobiology and addiction.  I am currently investigating the effects of drinking on heart rate variability in a young, non-dependent population. In particular, I am interested in the physiological and neurobiological effects of drugs of dependence and the potential use of biofeedback as a treatment modality.

Thesis Title:  Alcohol Use and Cardiovascular Health in College Students

Rachel Layton

Supervisor: Dr. Reiko Graham

My research interests lie primarily in the field of psychopathy, as well as neuropsychology, emotional development, abnormal psychology, forensic psychology, and psychopathology. I am currently focused on examining the differences between criminal and noncriminal psychopaths, specifically the neurobiological and psychophysiological bases of these differences.

Julia Christine Moore

Supervisor: Dr. Natalie Ceballos

My research interests focus on substance use and the motivating factors that facilitate abuse of substances. Although the population student veterans has been increasing steadily, little research has been conducted to will examine the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotional support (friends, family, significant others) on alcohol use and abuse in military veteran college students.

Thesis Title:  Alcohol Consumption and Other Related Factors in College Military Veterans

Shally Pius

Supervisor: Dr. John Davis

My general area of interest is Social Psychology, especially intrapersonal and interpersonal relations. I am choosing to focus on interpersonal relationships, specifically interpersonal attraction in initial encounters. I am interested in understanding the factors that influence and alter interpersonal attraction and how this affects subsequent relationships. Specifically, my thesis will examine how  sexualized and objectifying media affects interpersonal attraction and relationships.

Thesis Title:  Media and Interpersonal Relations

Stephen Ramos

Supervisor: Dr. Ty Schepis

Stephen received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. His research interests include chronic illness, substance and alcohol use/abuse, stress, and mental/physical health disparities in minority communities. Stephen also has experience in the mental health field as a psychiatric technician for child, adult, and geriatric patients. He plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical or Counseling Psychology with the ultimate goal of being a professor at the university level, teaching and conducting  research on alcohol and drug use in the chronically ill.

Thesis Title:  Exploring Psychosocial Issues and Stress Perception: Influences of Substance Use in People Living with HIV (PLH)

Bryant Reininger

Supervisor: Dr. Carmen Westerberg

I am interested in how and why people become curious, and in particular how curiosity influences information-seeking behavior and selective attention. My thesis involves the manipulation of information to evoke the experience of curiosity and attempts to measure (with EEG or event-related potentials) the underlying physiology that accompanies this experience.

Candice Stanfield

Supervisor: Dr. Harvey Ginsburg

Candice graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in Philosophy from Northern Kentucky University. Her current research interests include cognitive processes as they pertain to human perception and performance, implicit social cognition, consciousness, and individual differences. Candice plans to go onto a PhD program in Cognitive or Experimental Psychology upon graduating. When she is not studying and conducting experiments, she can be found in her home studio handcrafting jewelry, or writing works of fiction and poetry.

Thesis Title: Do You See What I See:  Avatars, Dots and Perspective-Taking

Haleigh Winfrey

Supervisor: Dr. John Davis

My current research interests focus on interpersonal attraction and how this relates to attachment style, self-esteem, and pratfalls relating to impression formation in the field of Social Psychology. First impressions, behavioral impressions, cognitive compatibility, and physical attractiveness are just a few of the perspectives worth exploring!

Thesis Title:  The Effects of Attachment and Self-Esteem on Interpersonal Attraction