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Abstract: This study investigated the influence of grit as a protective factor against the impact of childhood adversity on item and source memory accuracy. Childhood adversity is defined as experiences related to abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction (Felitti et al., 1998). Drawing on trauma theory and outcomes associated with grit, the study aimed to explore how adverse childhood experiences affect item and source memory in different contexts. A total of 131 participants (Mage = 21.40) completed tasks assessing item and source memory accuracy in both threat and safety conditions, measures of adverse childhood experiences, and grit. Results revealed that emotional context influenced memory retrieval, with better performance in the safety condition compared to the threat condition. Additionally, participants with higher levels of sexual abuse showed better item memory accuracy in the threat condition but not in the safety condition, while emotional abuse influenced source memory accuracy differently depending on the emotional context. Furthermore, grit emerged as a moderator in the relationship between sexual abuse and item memory accuracy in the threat condition, suggesting a protective role in encoding and retrieval processes. These findings underscore the importance of considering individual differences and situational factors in understanding memory outcomes in populations with adverse childhood experiences.

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Abstract: Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by distorted body image and persistent food restriction and can lead to adverse health outcomes or death. This project explored the role of grit and reward/punishment sensitivity in dietary restriction and eating disorder severity. Previous research observed increased punishment sensitivity (i.e., excessive desire to avoid negative/punishing situations drives one’s behavior) in Anorexia Nervosa. Habit strength and cognitive restraint have also been identified as critical factors in Anorexia Nervosa. In this context, habit strength describes how frequently and unconsciously an individual restricts caloric intake. Cognitive restraint involves the perceived conscious effort to control or limit food intake through various cognitive processes such as calorie counting, diet planning, and establishing eating rules. Grit has been associated with favorable clinical outcomes in depression and anxiety but has not been explored in Anorexia Nervosa. Using an online data collection platform, participants with Anorexia Nervosa completed measures of disordered eating, habit strength, reward/punishment sensitivity, and grit, along with a demographics form. Sixty-three women with a prior Anorexia Nervosa diagnosis participated in the study. The results revealed grit is not directly associated with dietary restriction or the measures of eating disorder severity. However, all measures of grit were negatively correlated with
punishment sensitivity, and grit effort was positively correlated with reward sensitivity. Regression analyses indicated that punishment sensitivity, cognitive restraint, and habit strength significantly predict dietary restriction and eating disorder severity. Further, grit indirectly influenced habit strength through its effects on punishment sensitivity, indicating potential pathways in developing eating disorder symptoms.

Paper

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), exploring potential mediators such as emotion regulation and motivation. A sample of 110 participants completed measures of perceived stress, depression, emotion regulation, and motivation, along with EEG recordings to assess FAA. Results revealed that greater right frontal activity (lower right relative to left frontal alpha power) was associated with higher perceived stress levels, even after controlling for depressive symptoms. Perceived stress was found to mediate the relationship between FAA and difficulties in emotion regulation, highlighting the complex interplay between neural activity patterns and stress and emotion regulation. This study contributes to our understanding of the neural correlates of perceived stress and emphasizes the importance of considering individual differences in emotion regulation and motivation in stress-related outcomes. Further research should explore longitudinal designs to measure situational changes in stress and incorporate physiological stress responses to deepen our understanding of the neural and behavioral correlates of stress perception and inform potential interventions for improving emotional well-being.

Paper

Abstract: Social media has become a popular addition to many people’s everyday routine. Research has begun to study the effects of social media on its users but has varying reports. This study offers an addition to social media research with the consideration of blaming sexual assault victims of varying attractiveness levels. Over 180 undergraduate psychology students’ responses were recorded to analyze the relationship between these variables. The researchers utilized a social media questionnaire to measure the level of social media use and rape vignettes and a perceived culpability scale to measure participants’ level of blame they placed on victims considered attractive, unattractive, or their attractiveness was not mentioned. The results did not support a relationship between social media use and victim blaming, regardless of the victim’s attractiveness description. More research needs to be done in the areas of the effects of social media use and differences in blaming victims of sexual assault when their attractiveness is mentioned.