http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/psychology Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 07 Jun 2026 14:07:54 -0400 Sun, 07 Jun 2026 14:07:54 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1956/change-blindness-the-influence-of-positive-mood-on-change-detection-in-visual-scenes By Emily Wang - Change blindness is the finding that people often fail to notice substantial changes between different views of a visual scene. The current study investigated the effect of mood states on people’s ability to detect changes, by comparing participants’ performance on a motion picture change blindness task, after a positive or neutral mood induction. The results found that participants in the positive mood condition had no advantage over the neutral mood condition in the number of unusual changes they detected. This null finding was found for both intentional and incidental encoding.... Tue, 07 Jun 2022 08:37 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1956/change-blindness-the-influence-of-positive-mood-on-change-detection-in-visual-scenes http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1945/the-relationship-between-stress-coping-strategies-and-problem-solving-skills-among-college-students By Brittany Draper - The study investigated stress, coping strategies, and problem-solving skills among college students. A total of 202 university students completed this study. The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the existing literature regarding stress, coping strategies, and problem-solving skills in college students. To date, no research in this topic area had been conducted with this sample of college students in this region of the United States. This study helped to advance the field of psychology because new knowledge was contributed about the relationship between college students' stress, coping... Fri, 11 Mar 2022 02:30 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1945/the-relationship-between-stress-coping-strategies-and-problem-solving-skills-among-college-students http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1935/do-textbooks-shape-attitudes-toward-war-narrative-images-and-implicit-social-cognition By Noemi Andrusello - To explore the relationship between history education and attitudes to war, narrative primes about World War II were read by 20 undergraduate students at California State University, Fresno. Afterwards, in the course of experimental interviews, participants responded to news of a hypothetical terrorist attack and shared policy solutions and opinions about war. Analysis revealed that interview responses were patterned by narrative. While readers of an ‘enemy’ narrative conveyed feelings of loss, aggressive policies, and war support, readers of ‘ally’ and ‘imperialist... Wed, 19 Jan 2022 01:29 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1935/do-textbooks-shape-attitudes-toward-war-narrative-images-and-implicit-social-cognition http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1897/gender-theory-vs-pragmatism-a-point-of-diversion-between-judith-butlers-gender-performativity-and-the-psychosocial-limitations-of-gender-construction By Melissa Padron - The question of what it means to be a gendered individual has been left unanswered in light of its variants. The feminist movement proceeding the Industrial Revolution propelled philosophical and literary works, such as Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, challenging the traditional perception of man and woman and concomitantly advancing the foundation for gender theory. Judith Butler’s Gender Performativity theory proved to be one of the most salient works of the rather unexplored realm of philosophy. This paper confronts Butler’s theory of gender as an individual act and analyzes... Fri, 16 Apr 2021 10:50 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1897/gender-theory-vs-pragmatism-a-point-of-diversion-between-judith-butlers-gender-performativity-and-the-psychosocial-limitations-of-gender-construction http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1884/linguistic-affect-positive-and-negative-emotion-words-are-contagious-predict-likability-and-moderate-positive-and-negative-affect By Ryan M. Knuppenburg - Positive affect (PA) is active, enthusiastic, and happy engagement in pleasurable activities and negative affect (NA) includes aversiveness, anger, and fear (Watson et al., 1988). Two studies examined linguistic affect presented as emotion words used to describe experiences with PA and NA. The first study explored linguistic affect priming and altruistic decision-making, PA and NA valence word-choice, likability, and affect. 132 undergraduates were randomly assigned to read a narrative with positive or negative linguistic affect priming. Altruism was assessed and no difference in altruistic decisions... Fri, 05 Mar 2021 11:14 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1884/linguistic-affect-positive-and-negative-emotion-words-are-contagious-predict-likability-and-moderate-positive-and-negative-affect http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1874/cross-cultural-differences-in-memory-beliefs-and-mental-schemas By Zachary Hendricks - Although it is self-evident that one’s memories are often fleeting, a large amount of empirical research has been done within the field of cognitive psychology supporting the notion that one of the mind’s most extensive faults is its faculty for memory. Our memory system is, in a sense, defined through its shortcomings. It cannot store an unlimited amount of information, and because of this limitation, evolved to remember only what it deems relevant to the moment. Two questions necessarily follow this fact: what exactly makes something worth remembering, and how much of that thing... Wed, 10 Feb 2021 02:55 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1874/cross-cultural-differences-in-memory-beliefs-and-mental-schemas http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1871/understanding-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-in-children-a-comprehensive-review By Kailey M. Pate - Post-traumatic stress disorder in children under six years old has been formally recognized since 2013 (Veteran’s Affairs, 2019), yet the body of research is still lacking for this age group. An important step towards helping these youngest sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder is to determine whether symptomology assessments, social supports, and treatments that exist for older children can apply to those who are younger than six suffering from the disorder. This comprehensive literature review compiles the research on post-traumatic stress disorders in children from six to seventeen... Thu, 04 Feb 2021 08:56 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1871/understanding-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-in-children-a-comprehensive-review http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1863/impacts-of-positive-or-negative-feedback-on-state-authenticity-state-flow-self-efficacy-and-meaningfulness By Ryan M. Knuppenburg - Authenticity, flow, and meaning are three important factors of an individual’s ability to achieve sustained long-term happiness (Seligman, 2002; Seligman, 2011). State-authenticity, state-flow, and participant self-reports regarding the achievement of flow and opinions about whether participation in the study was meaningful were assessed in the context of a simple drawing task. One hundred undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to receive either positive or negative feedback following this drawing activity that was designed to be personal in nature. The State-Authenticity Scale... Mon, 18 Jan 2021 11:30 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1863/impacts-of-positive-or-negative-feedback-on-state-authenticity-state-flow-self-efficacy-and-meaningfulness http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1854/the-foreign-language-effect-and-disembodied-cognition-the-complexity-of-emotional-boundaries-and-linguistic-factors By Estefani C. Reyes - Cognitive psychology research informs on the complexities of human functioning and behavior and thereby, simultaneously, extends our agency to harness its potential malleability. Our various cognitive processes (e.g., decision-making, emotion, language) furthermore point to complex, interrelated relationships that coalesce into human intricacies. Indeed, the subfield of bilingual cognition points to a special premise of “disembodied” cognition such as in Keysar, Hayakawa, and An’s (2012) proposed foreign language effect (FLe) eliciting emotional and cognitive distance. The purpose... Thu, 31 Dec 2020 12:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1854/the-foreign-language-effect-and-disembodied-cognition-the-complexity-of-emotional-boundaries-and-linguistic-factors http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1818/understanding-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-in-teenagers-with-high-functioning-autism By Pamela Lim - Research has shown that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shares similar genetic roots with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All three conditions share some common features, one of the most observed being that of impulsivity. This paper examines the neurobiology of OCD, and how the similarities in disruptions of the brain structures between OCD and ASD increases the risk of developing the comorbidity of OCD in teenagers with high-functioning ASD. Through looking at a case study of a teenager with ASD, this paper also explores the prognosis of... Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:19 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1818/understanding-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-in-teenagers-with-high-functioning-autism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1808/affective-gender-communication-an-interdisciplinary-analysis-of-toddler-behavior By Suzannah R. Gifford - Conversations about the gender expression of young children are often characterized by confusion, as parents, educators, and even child psychologists have a hard time determining where exactly children’s strong gendered beliefs and behaviors come from. Children as young as two have been observed exhibiting behaviors and expressing beliefs that align with the gender binary, yet there are usually no obvious moments when these messages have been translated to them. In an attempt to illuminate these hidden instances of gendering, I take an interdisciplinary approach to this paper that brings... Fri, 02 Oct 2020 03:20 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1808/affective-gender-communication-an-interdisciplinary-analysis-of-toddler-behavior http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1800/intergenerational-intimate-partner-violence-pathways-of-genetic-and-environmental-interactions By Clare Choi - Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health issue that results in social, psychological, emotional, and physical consequences. Although interventions may be continuously designed to combat this problem, IPV must first be understood in an intergenerational perspective before effective programs can be put into place. Intimate partner violence is historically viewed as a social and private phenomenon, tinged with shame and stigma. Existing literature on this issue predominantly focuses on the social environment, leaning towards theories that put blame on the social environment the... Tue, 22 Sep 2020 05:31 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1800/intergenerational-intimate-partner-violence-pathways-of-genetic-and-environmental-interactions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1798/the-weight-of-emotions-on-decision-making-a-comparative-analysis By Jadzia M. Wray - When making decisions, a person must rationally analyze their options and understand potential outcomes. Emotions, the way that we feel in a particular moment, are also involved in how we respond to others. But how much do emotions really weigh upon our ability to form decisions? There is a possibility that emotional factors can be considered from a rational or emotional perspective in decision-making. Therefore, a person's decision-making process has the potential to produce different outcomes. In the current study, 57 participants (ages 18 to 23) completed a survey where they were required to... Wed, 16 Sep 2020 10:34 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1798/the-weight-of-emotions-on-decision-making-a-comparative-analysis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1792/a-historical-perspective-on-the-cultural-connotations-surrounding-eating-disorders By Meera Shanbhag - Over 30 million people in the US are plagued by eating disorders (EDs), with at least one ED-related death occurring every 62 minutes.[1] These serious illnesses, which have the greatest mortality rate of any psychological disorder, are characterized by abnormal eating patterns. Of all EDs, the two most well-known are anorexia nervosa, which consists of severe restriction in calories to achieve weight loss, and bulimia nervosa, in which purging follows periodic episodes of binge eating. While the diagnosis of the first eating disorder, “anorexia nervosa,” was not coined until 1873... Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:36 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1792/a-historical-perspective-on-the-cultural-connotations-surrounding-eating-disorders http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1747/exploring-the-origins-of-achievement-goals-and-their-impact-on-well-being By David A. Olson - Achievement goals refer to the motivational approach of an individual when facing an achievement situation that challenges the person’s sense of competence, such as a university course (Baranik, Stanley, Bynum, & Lance, 2010; Harackiewicz, Barron, & Elliot, 1998; Reeve, 2009). Research in this area is primarily quantitative and largely does not provide the opportunity for participants to elaborate on why they adopt certain achievement goals or what effect it has on their personal well-being. Drawing upon a questionnaire completed by fifty participants, seven interviews, and three... Wed, 19 Dec 2018 10:21 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1747/exploring-the-origins-of-achievement-goals-and-their-impact-on-well-being http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1741/differences-in-ethical-decision-making-and-reward-responsiveness-in-individuals-with-anxiety-and-depression By George Bate - This study aimed to determine if anxiety and depression in individuals are related to deontological ethical decisions, with particular emphasis on the role of reward responsiveness as an underlying principle mediating any differences. Despite some studies indicating that anxiety and depression can impede upon general decision making, existing research has largely failed to address the impact of these enduring traits on ethical decision making. In order to assess this, three trait inventories measuring anxiety, depression and reward responsiveness, along with an ethical dilemma measure, were administered... Wed, 05 Sep 2018 09:30 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1741/differences-in-ethical-decision-making-and-reward-responsiveness-in-individuals-with-anxiety-and-depression http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1676/cognitive-embodiment-and-mind-reading-in-jane-austens-persuasion By Karah L. Smith - Empirical psychology first emerged as a scientific discipline during the eighteenth century when it was launched into the academic realm by being taught in universities, appearing as chapters in philosophy manuals, and debuting as the topic of scientific journals and textbooks (Vidal 408). Psychology “then, and for the first time­­­––[was thought of] as an empirical research discipline, committed to a naturalistic perspective on the mind” (409). This perspective led to the rejection of the soul’s agency in the body claiming that thoughts could be explained... Tue, 31 Oct 2017 09:55 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1676/cognitive-embodiment-and-mind-reading-in-jane-austens-persuasion http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1588/choosing-a-dissertation-adviser-challenges-and-strategies-for-doctoral-students By John M. Hineman - The process of selecting a dissertation adviser can be accomplished in a number of ways. The importance, however, of this process should not be understated. This relationship between adviser and advisee often can be the difference between completing or not completing the dissertation. This research study looked at the selection process of a dissertation adviser from both a theoretical as well as practical perspective in a fast-track three-year doctoral leadership program at a medium size university in the United States.The methodological approach utilized a single focus group along with follow... Wed, 22 Mar 2017 12:07 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1588/choosing-a-dissertation-adviser-challenges-and-strategies-for-doctoral-students http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1576/social-networking-sites-and-romantic-relationships-effects-on-development-maintenance-and-dissolution-of-relationships By Kenadie T. Wilkerson - In our now largely virtual world there are many different ways that we can choose to communicate with one another. Texts, FaceTime, and social media sites have become some of the most popular ways for people to communicate with each other. Romantic partners express their relationship in many different ways. A couple can choose how they want their relationship to be expressed to the public. Now, with the increasing growth of technology, romantic partners can express their relationship online for essentially everyone they know to see. Social networking sites are used to try to recreate face-to-face... Tue, 14 Mar 2017 05:06 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1576/social-networking-sites-and-romantic-relationships-effects-on-development-maintenance-and-dissolution-of-relationships http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1546/bilingual-episodic-memory-and-eye-witness-testimony By Ketaki A. Tongaonkar - The human memory system comprises multiple components. The focus of this paper is on the encoding and decoding process of episodic memories. Events that catch the attention of individuals either consciously or sub-consciously are stored in a particular sequence, which constitute episodic memories. The storage of these memories is dependent on a variety of factors such as attention paid to the event, ambient surroundings, and the significance of the event for the individual. Language plays a crucial role in the encoding/decoding process of episodic memories. Multiple research studies have... Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1546/bilingual-episodic-memory-and-eye-witness-testimony http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1540/the-psychopathology-of-pica-etiology-assessment-and-treatment By Annette E. Chalker - Pica is a condition that has been prevalent among humans for centuries. According to the DSM-V (2013) pica is classified as an eating disorder in which an individual consumes non-food substances at least once per month, at a developmental stage in which the behavior is inappropriate, and occurs in a culture that does not sanction such behavior. Pica etiology is related to gastrointestinal distress, micronutrient deficiency, neurological conditions, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Currently there are no clinical guidelines for situations regarding pica and cases in clinical institutions often... Tue, 21 Feb 2017 11:31 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1540/the-psychopathology-of-pica-etiology-assessment-and-treatment http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1493/a-summary-of-the-bystander-effect-historical-development-and-relevance-in-the-digital-age By Jack Cieciura - This article provides a historical perspective on the bystander effect, a social phenomenon that Darley and Latané first studied experimentally in 1968. Critical events that took place prior to the study of the bystander effect are discussed. Specifically, emphasis is placed on the formation of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues in 1936, Kurt Lewin’s social action research in the late 1930s, and the cognitive revolution of the 1950s. Furthermore, this article explores some of the research on bystander intervention that came after Darley and Latané&rsquo... Thu, 10 Nov 2016 01:27 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1493/a-summary-of-the-bystander-effect-historical-development-and-relevance-in-the-digital-age http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1488/sexual-harassment-in-the-federal-workplace-bridging-the-gap-between-genders By Sandra F. Masci - A meta-analytic review was conducted on the adverse outcomes and prevalence of sexual harassment in a federally operated workplace. Both males and females were included in the analysis which fills a gap in prior research. Researchers report a total of 11 studies, nine examining sexual harassment prevalence rates and two examining adverse work outcomes. Results found that sexual harassment was prevalent in the federal workplace r = .60, with women experiencing sexual harassment significantly more than men. Gender harassment had the greatest adverse effects as reported by employees r = .84 and was... Tue, 01 Nov 2016 09:54 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1488/sexual-harassment-in-the-federal-workplace-bridging-the-gap-between-genders http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1429/assessing-the-impact-of-adverse-childhood-experiences-on-brain-development By Stephen J. D'Orazio - Findings have shown that adolescence marks a period in which the prefrontal cortex (PFC) forms continued connections with limbic areas.10 The PFC exhibits top-down control over limbic regions and governs the regulation of emotions. Thus, exposure to adverse experiences during this period in brain development may elicit problems in emotion regulation. The PFC is the last brain region to complete myelination, and its extended sensitivity to environmental experience is advantageous for tailoring neurobiology to environmental surroundings.10 However, in the absence of an optimal environment or when... Tue, 19 Jul 2016 06:52 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1429/assessing-the-impact-of-adverse-childhood-experiences-on-brain-development http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1426/nagarjunas-idealism-as-a-metaphysical-justification-against-ignorance By Rocco A. Astore - The revered Madhyamika Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna is a central figure in the history of Eastern thought. In his Seventy Stanzas, Nagarjuna shares his views on many eternal questions including inquiries into what it means to have a proper understanding of the mind and the objects that it perceives. Though counterintuitive, he believes that one should regard all objects as being ultimately immaterial because if objects were not ideational, one’s immaterial mind would not be able to perceive them (1). Nagarjuna’s view derives from his belief that the mind is an immaterial sense organ... Tue, 28 Jun 2016 06:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1426/nagarjunas-idealism-as-a-metaphysical-justification-against-ignorance http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1421/life-course-criminology-comparing-the-dual-taxonomy-and-age-graded-theories-of-criminal-behavior By Joana Ferreira - One of the most well established assertions in criminology is that of the relationship between crime and age (e.g. Sampson & Laub, 1992, 1998; McAra & McVie, 2012), in which developmentally orientated researchers attempt to explain how crime unfolds across the life course. From this impetus, the criminal career paradigm was developed, later setting the inspiration for developmental and life-course criminology (DLC). The aim of this framework is to explain offending by individuals through the analysis of the impact of different events at different stages of life as antisocial behaviour... Fri, 10 Jun 2016 11:49 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1421/life-course-criminology-comparing-the-dual-taxonomy-and-age-graded-theories-of-criminal-behavior http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1402/the-impact-of-music-on-emotion-comparing-rap-and-meditative-yoga-music By Matthew Kwong - Music has accompanied major social events throughout the history of mankind. Major gatherings such as weddings, graduations, or birthdays are usually recognized by a familiar tune. There is evidence that music plays a large role in emotional processes within the brain. An individual’s emotional state of mind can directly impact daily cognition and behavior. Studies have shown that music has the ability to regulate a wide range of both positive and negative emotions. This study was conducted to determine the degree of music’s influence on aggression using two extremes of genre: relaxing... Tue, 03 May 2016 09:24 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1402/the-impact-of-music-on-emotion-comparing-rap-and-meditative-yoga-music http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1328/sexual-behavior-in-prison-populations-understood-through-the-framework-of-rational-choice-and-exchange-theory By April N. Terry - Rational choice and exchange theories have been used to explain many phenomena in the field of sociological research. Although some literature has used such theories to explain sexual offenses, no research has attempted to make the connection between rational choice and exchange theory as a way of explaining sexual behavior of inmates. The following paper attempts to use such theories to further understand explanations for sexual behavior of inmates. Although standards such as the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) seek to restrict sexual behavior amongst the incarcerated population, while providing... Sat, 16 Jan 2016 10:04 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1328/sexual-behavior-in-prison-populations-understood-through-the-framework-of-rational-choice-and-exchange-theory http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1298/on-obedience-as-identity-milgram-and-the-banality-of-evil By Lukas Holschuh - Milgram's studies have been widely replicated (Burger, 2009; Dambrun & Vatiné, 2010; Mantell, 1971; Zeigler-Hill, Southard, Archer, & Donohoe, 2013) and results show similarly high completion rates, suggesting that Milgram's design is high on internal validity. Indeed, Milgram himself conducted over 20 pilot studies with a range of variations. This is also one of the main critiques of Milgram's 'baseline study.' It was carefully calibrated to achieve the highest possible completion rate. Milgram aimed for eye-catching findings that were “great drama as well as great science... Thu, 05 Nov 2015 04:57 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1298/on-obedience-as-identity-milgram-and-the-banality-of-evil http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1138/narcissism-and-social-networking-sites-the-act-of-taking-selfies By Taylor M. Wickel - This study focused on why the act of taking selfies and posting them to the Internet is a factor leading to an increase in narcissistic and selfish behaviors. This study examined whether the Millennial Generation believes the selfie phenomenon is a contributor to the rise in narcissism. A 12-item survey was administered to 93 female college participants. A single open-ended question asked whether respondents found their behavior in posting selfies to be narcissistic. This study found that 55% of participants agreed that posting of selfies to different social networking platforms encouraged their... Sat, 30 May 2015 11:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1138/narcissism-and-social-networking-sites-the-act-of-taking-selfies