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Alone, anxious, and unable to forget: Modeling social isolation in rats
No full textSocial isolation, an environmental stressor, induces anxiety and prolongs recovery from psychological trauma in humans. In the present study, we utilized a fear-potentiated startle paradigm, a valid measure of anxiety observable in rodents and humans, to model continuous isolation in rats. We found that while short-term isolation did not affect fear-learning, continuous isolation prolonged cued fear extinction. Surprisingly, isolation did not affect threat discrimination ability. These findings highlight the critical role of social environment in the modulation of fear memory, opening new avenues of investigation
Predicting Teacher Attitudes Toward Education Reform Initiatives
Get PDFAs alternative teacher certification programs, accountability measures urged by federal mandates, and unconventional school structures such as the charter school movement have gained traction, a loud debate over how to ‘fix’ America’s schools has ensued amongst teachers, administrators, researchers, and policymakers. This thesis examines teacher attitudes regarding a number of education reform initiatives including tenure, accountability for student achievement, and school choice using Brookings’ 2003 Survey of Educators, a sample of 3,264 public school teachers. My empirical analysis extends the findings of Moe’s Special Interest by looking at the quality of undergraduate teacher training as a predictor of these attitudes. Then, political theory is used to make sense of why teachers unions have chosen to take education policy stances that substantial portions of their membership disagree wit
Economic Outlooks in the Age of Fake News
No full textPolitical beliefs are often viewed as consequences of economic conditions, but a growing body of evidence suggests that politics can also be a driver of economic activity. The polarizing 2016 election has created a rift in American society, creating groups with disparate worldviews. These differences in perception could lead to changes in economic behavior. In this study, a sample of 285 adults were surveyed. Participants were asked about political views, as well as spending habits that may indicate confidence in the economy. It is hypothesized that supporters of the party in power will act more confidently by spending and investing more
Fluctuation Patterns of Autonomic Arousal Predict Mental Arithmetic Performance
Get PDFPupil dilation, an autonomic arousal response, can measure attention because pupil dilation positively correlates with attention. This study investigated the predictability of mental arithmetic performance from pupil dilation fluctuation patterns of 11 college students. Arithmetic problems consisted of basic addition and varied in difficulty. The mental arithmetic task was administered while recording pupil dilation at 60 Hz with an ISCAN eye tracker. A pupil diameter baseline was measured before problems. Patterns of pupil diameter change from the baseline over time were analyzed by difficulty and performance. A marginal effect of Difficulty, marginal effect of Performance, and significant effect of Time on Pupil Dilation change were observed. Both Time by Difficulty and Time by Performance interacted significantly. However, Difficulty and Performance did not interact. These findings support the conclusion that attention increased over time during mental arithmetic problems. Furthermore, attention over time increased more on difficult problems and on correct problems
Langevin Transducer Analysis and Acoustic Levitation
Get PDFIn this experiment we investigated the behavior of a 40W commercial, ultrasonic transducer. We observed a frequency response hysteresis near the resonant frequency of 28 kHz and determined that the resonant frequency depends on temperature and driving amplitude. We then used the transducer to create a resonant standing wave to levitate small objects including water drops. We show the non-linear acoustical theory to support the acoustic levitation force being produced by a nonzero time-average pressure. Using Schlieren optics we were able to observe pressure variations and measured relative pressures using a microphone. From the dynamical behavior of a levitated object, we were able to estimate the pressure amplitude of the standing wave
The Sue and Gene Hotchkiss Celebration of Faculty Scholarship, 2017-2018
Get PDFhttps://publications.lakeforest.edu/faculty_scholarship/1003/thumbnail.jp
