2025 Publications (Vol. 20)
Recalling (Some) U.S. Presidents
F. Richard Ferraro
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota
Undergraduates (n = 118) recalled as many U.S. Vice Presidents (VPs) as they could in 5 minutes. Only exact position names were counted as correct. The typical serial position effect (SPE) curve emerged with more recent VPs being recalled than earlier VPs. This pattern also emerged when the 49 VPs were grouped 3 at a time. These patterns partially replicate Healy and Parker (2001). Recall of VP # 48 (Pence) and VP #49 (Harris) showed decreased recall despite being the 2 most recent VPs. Several VPs who went on to be the President of the United States (Adams, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Nixon, L. Johnson, Bush and Biden) enjoyed high overall proportion recall (.3845). Results are discussed.
January 2025; Volume 20
F. Richard Ferraro
Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota
Undergraduates (n = 118) recalled as many U.S. Vice Presidents (VPs) as they could in 5 minutes. Only exact position names were counted as correct. The typical serial position effect (SPE) curve emerged with more recent VPs being recalled than earlier VPs. This pattern also emerged when the 49 VPs were grouped 3 at a time. These patterns partially replicate Healy and Parker (2001). Recall of VP # 48 (Pence) and VP #49 (Harris) showed decreased recall despite being the 2 most recent VPs. Several VPs who went on to be the President of the United States (Adams, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Nixon, L. Johnson, Bush and Biden) enjoyed high overall proportion recall (.3845). Results are discussed.
January 2025; Volume 20
| Recalling (Some) U.S. Presidents |
Empathy Unveiled: Exploring the Mediating Role of Empathy in the Sad Eyewitness Effect
Cassie A. Ridley
Jaclyn K. Maass
J. Adam Randell
Department of Psychology, University of Central Oklahoma
The emotional victim effect occurs when jurors believe distressed victims more than neutral victims. The current work sought to establish this in non-victim eyewitnesses and test possible mediating roles of empathy and misconceptions about emotional memories. Participants watched either a sad or neutral eyewitness deposition video and completed: a believability rating, Shen’s State Empathy Scale, and a perceived memory accuracy rating. Results supported the emotional eyewitness effect and the mediating role of empathy. Participants’ perceptions of the eyewitness’s sadness were a significant predictor of believability. Participants’ believability increased as perceptions of sadness increased, and this effect was driven by the participants’ state empathy. The misconception that emotional memories are more accurate than neutral ones did not mediate the effect, but belief in the accuracy of the memory played an independent role in predicting believability. This work benefits those inside and outside of the judicial system and supports future research in more applied settings.
March 2025; Volume 20
Cassie A. Ridley
Jaclyn K. Maass
J. Adam Randell
Department of Psychology, University of Central Oklahoma
The emotional victim effect occurs when jurors believe distressed victims more than neutral victims. The current work sought to establish this in non-victim eyewitnesses and test possible mediating roles of empathy and misconceptions about emotional memories. Participants watched either a sad or neutral eyewitness deposition video and completed: a believability rating, Shen’s State Empathy Scale, and a perceived memory accuracy rating. Results supported the emotional eyewitness effect and the mediating role of empathy. Participants’ perceptions of the eyewitness’s sadness were a significant predictor of believability. Participants’ believability increased as perceptions of sadness increased, and this effect was driven by the participants’ state empathy. The misconception that emotional memories are more accurate than neutral ones did not mediate the effect, but belief in the accuracy of the memory played an independent role in predicting believability. This work benefits those inside and outside of the judicial system and supports future research in more applied settings.
March 2025; Volume 20
| Empathy Unveiled |
Encouraging Employers To Promote Safe-Sun Behaviors Among Outdoor Workers
Aaron Entringer
Onlife Health
Laura Brannon
Kansas State University
Whitney Whitaker
Fort Hays State University
Sun exposure, with its link to the development of skin cancer and other health issues, can be a serious health hazard. In particular, those who primarily work outdoors and are consistently exposed to the sun’s rays are at elevated risk for such health problems. In an effort to promote sun protection behaviors among employees, we focused on managers and supervisors who may influence change from the top-down. Using a four-level between-subjects intervention, it was found that managers and supervisors who received messages that emphasized the financial consequences of employee sun exposure had greater intentions to encourage sun protection behaviors in their employees than those who received a message focused solely on employee well-being. This finding indicates that employers may be most concerned with financial consequences when it comes to promoting employee health. Findings provide insight into the most effective methods for promoting sun protection for outdoor workers.
April 2025; Volume 20
Aaron Entringer
Onlife Health
Laura Brannon
Kansas State University
Whitney Whitaker
Fort Hays State University
Sun exposure, with its link to the development of skin cancer and other health issues, can be a serious health hazard. In particular, those who primarily work outdoors and are consistently exposed to the sun’s rays are at elevated risk for such health problems. In an effort to promote sun protection behaviors among employees, we focused on managers and supervisors who may influence change from the top-down. Using a four-level between-subjects intervention, it was found that managers and supervisors who received messages that emphasized the financial consequences of employee sun exposure had greater intentions to encourage sun protection behaviors in their employees than those who received a message focused solely on employee well-being. This finding indicates that employers may be most concerned with financial consequences when it comes to promoting employee health. Findings provide insight into the most effective methods for promoting sun protection for outdoor workers.
April 2025; Volume 20
| Encouraging Employers to Promote Safe-Sun Behaviors |
Using the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT) for Test Reviews: Effects on Academic Performance
Lynne N. Kennette
Durham College
Phoebe S. Lin
Framingham State University
Lisa R. Van Havermaet
University of Michigan
Utilizing a variation of the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT) activity during weekly reviews, the present study examined combined effects of collaboration, retrieval, and immediate feedback to determine whether it affected student performance in the class. Participants in the control group did not use the IFAT while those in the two experimental conditions used it either for the full semester or began using it only partway through the semester. Hypotheses were partially supported. The benefit of using the IFAT was demonstrated as both IFAT conditions (part-semester and full semester) obtained higher grades than the control group. However, we did not find an incremental benefit as we had hypothesized where using the IFAT more would lead to more gains than using it for part of the semester. Now that most students are back to in-person learning, educators are encouraged to consider using the IFAT to optimize student success.
May 2025; Volume 20
Lynne N. Kennette
Durham College
Phoebe S. Lin
Framingham State University
Lisa R. Van Havermaet
University of Michigan
Utilizing a variation of the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT) activity during weekly reviews, the present study examined combined effects of collaboration, retrieval, and immediate feedback to determine whether it affected student performance in the class. Participants in the control group did not use the IFAT while those in the two experimental conditions used it either for the full semester or began using it only partway through the semester. Hypotheses were partially supported. The benefit of using the IFAT was demonstrated as both IFAT conditions (part-semester and full semester) obtained higher grades than the control group. However, we did not find an incremental benefit as we had hypothesized where using the IFAT more would lead to more gains than using it for part of the semester. Now that most students are back to in-person learning, educators are encouraged to consider using the IFAT to optimize student success.
May 2025; Volume 20
| Using the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT) |
Eliminating the Potential Roots of Fear: Addressing Thanatophobia in Childhood
Travis Gray
Jaclyn Maass
University of Central Oklahoma
The fear of death, also referred to as thanatophobia or death anxiety, is one of the most common fears among people. Terror Management Theory suggests that a psychological conflict creates a debilitating anxiety in people, which can lead to seeking forms of immortality to deny death. After reviewing the literature on the topic, we have identified and will focus on three key factors related to thanatophobia: culture, gender, and age. Based on this research, we propose that thanatophobia may evolve based on how death was handled during childhood.
May 2025; Volume 20
Travis Gray
Jaclyn Maass
University of Central Oklahoma
The fear of death, also referred to as thanatophobia or death anxiety, is one of the most common fears among people. Terror Management Theory suggests that a psychological conflict creates a debilitating anxiety in people, which can lead to seeking forms of immortality to deny death. After reviewing the literature on the topic, we have identified and will focus on three key factors related to thanatophobia: culture, gender, and age. Based on this research, we propose that thanatophobia may evolve based on how death was handled during childhood.
May 2025; Volume 20
| Eliminating the Potential Roots of Fear |