Collegiate athletes have been found to be particularly at risk for alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences compared to non-athletic college peers (Grossbard et al., 2009; Turrisi, Mallet, Mastroleo, & Larimer, 2006; Yusko, Buckman, White, & Padina, 2008). Research on the pathways of risk for alcohol use among athletes has often focused on external factors such as social norms (Perkins & Craig, 2006; Turrisi, Mastroleo, Mallet, Larimer, & Kilmer, 2007; Massengale, Ma, Rulison, Milroy, & Wyrick,...

Testing to see if total number of hours of sleep per night increases or decreases alcohol related consequences.

This prospective study will test whether markers of self-regulation are associated with protective effects against negative impacts to mental health, well-being, and substance use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Machiavellianism demonstrates divergent associations with social status, aggression and empathy (e.g., Berger, Batanova, & Cance, 2015). Specifically, the potential for high Machiavellians who perceive themselves as being low in status may be more likely to rely on aggressive tactics to achieve their goals than those who have greater social capital (i.e., status). As such, we are interested in examining the potential for such clusters emerge between trait Machiavellianism and social status. In order to examine...

FSCI 2021 course T18, Unpacking the Role of Preprints in Scholarly Inclusion

This research will document prevalence of racial bias (implicit/explicit prejudice and implicit/explicit stereotypes) among genetic counselors and trainees.

The proposed study will clarify the contribution of anxiety sensitivity to the comorbidity of anxiety and weight related distress in adolescence. The project has multiple, sequential aims. First, we will estimate the genetic, shared environmental and unique environmental contributions to a latent composite of weight related distress indexed by four items from the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS). We will compare this common factor model to a correlated factors model, which estimates correlated genetic and...

In Many Labs 2, we will employ an expanded version of the Many Labs paradigm to investigate a substantial number of new effects and further examine the findings from Many Labs 1.

Psychopathy and sadism, personality constructs largely characterized by antagonistic tendencies, share several similar traits and behaviors such as cruelty, callousness, and antisocial behavior (Foulkes, 2019; Hare, 2003). They are two of the most severe risk factors for criminal offending and aggression across a wide range of contexts, rendering these traits major public health concerns (Foulkes, 2019; Kiehl & Hoffman, 2011; Reidy et al., 2015). Despite the risks they pose, these constructs are relatively poorly understood....

The initial lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic presented an unfortunate opportunity to observe how abrupt, large-scale changes in traffic volume can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study explores how carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Virginia’s transportation sector may have been affected by the changes in activity stemming from COVID-19 to inform more carbon-neutral policies as the state recovers from the economic downfall. Emission savings were calculated by multiplying the percent change from 2019 to...

Adverse childhood experiences have repeatedly been shown to be associated with poor long-term physical, mental, and oral health outcomes. This has in some parts been attributed to an increased risk of engaging in risky health behaviors. For incoming college students with previous adverse childhood experiences, this risk is amplified by the pressure to engage in risky health behaviors that are now intertwined in the traditional college experience. However, current research has yet to examine the...

HGEN 611 Fall 2021

We are researching how social exclusion among African American college students in the form of racism and discrimination influence depressive symptoms.

Marijuana use is often started in college and with the expansion of legalization more college students may have access to it in the future so it is important to understand how this might affect a common mental health problem.

Revenge is associated with reward and positive affect (Chester, 2017), but the details of how these feelings unfold over time are unclear. More specifically, it is unclear if people experience positive affect prior to revenge, during revenge, and/or after revenge. Further, it is unknown the extent to which these various experiences of revenge-related affect differ among people with antagonistic personality traits (e.g., psychopathy, sadism, machiavellianism, narcissism).