Tag: Hirte J

Jessica Hirte

Behavior Modification

Behavioral modification is the process of changing a behavior based on principles of operant conditioning. A target behavior can be changed through reinforcement or punishment. Behavior modification can be used to decrease behaviors, such as running in the road, or increase behaviors, like holding someone’s hand. The current project attempted to modify the dangerous behavior of running in the road using a schedule of reinforcement called differential reinforcement for an incompatible behavior. The child was reinforced for holding hands, which is incompatible with running in the road. This new behavior was formed by reinforcing closer approximations of the wanted behavior until the desired behavior was performed. 

PSY 330, Psychology of Learning

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1:00 – 3:00 PM

Jessica Hirte

Traumatic Experiences May Negatively Impact Military Members’ Personal Moral Values 

This synthesis-based presentation examines the role of moral injury in American service men and women. Moral injury has increasingly become a focus of discussion and research. This document specifically aims to assess the role of traumatic military experiences and the impact on morality. In the seminal work of Litz, et al. (2009) moral injury is defined as an act of transgression that shatters moral and ethical expectations rooted in spiritual, cultural-based, organizational, and group based rules about fairness and the value of life. The most commonly identified transgressions include betrayals, incidents involving injury or harm to civilians, within-rank violence, inability to prevent death or suffering, and ethical dilemmas or moral conflicts. Researchers have empirically demonstrated the potential damage that moral injuries have on American soldiers. The transgressions illustrated by Drescher, et al. (2011) showed behaviors such as destructive anger, alienation, social withdrawal, depression, and suicidal ideation. Finally, moral injury can negatively impact functioning and quality of life for both affected soldier or veteran and their family members. Future direction for theory and intervention research, highlighting the importance of repairing moral injury, are proposed.

PSY 499, Capstone

Mary Ann Winter-Messiers

PFB 114

1:30 – 2:00 PM

Chasity Castañeda-Estrada, Jessica Hirte & Karen Reynolds

The Effects of Priming Analytical Thinking on Performance on a Cognitive Task

Priming, a technique used to influence how one thinks, has been shown to affect an individual’s performance on cognitive tasks that depend on either analytical or intuitive thinking. Using pictures of famous statues the Thinker and the Discus Thrower, the aim of the present study was to prime participants to think either intuitively or analytically. Undergraduate students from an introductory psychology class from Northwest Christian University were asked to participate. The hypothesis was that priming participants to think analytically would increase scores on a cognitive reflection task that required analytical, as opposed to intuitive, thinking.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Denise Barrett, Jessica Hirte & Sharaya Moretti

Drinking Habits on College Campuses

Drinking on college campuses can be a widespread problem. NCU is a small liberal arts college, which is right next to a larger public university, U of O. U of O campus has fraternities and sororities that tend to have higher rates of drinking. NCU does not have those environments, so there is likely not as much drinking. NCU campus is a Christian environment, which could have an impact. A survey was given to students at both campuses in order to gather information on their drinking habits. That information was compared to see the differences in drinking habits between schools. 

MATH 430

Tim Bergquist

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM