The Influence of Meta-Experimental Factors on Compliance: Participant Motivation & Experimenter Demeanor -- Kelly Jo Hubers & Elizabeth R. Graf
An experimental study examined the effects of participant motivation (required vs. voluntary participation) and experimenter demeanor (participants treated as co-researchers or as data-producers) on compliance and participant attitude.  Participants completed a meaningless task and then rated their attitudes toward the experimenter and task.  Participant motivation affected attitudes toward the experiment and task; experimenter demeanor affected compliance.  Future research could increase the impossibility of the task and should also expand the study to other populations.

The Influence of Food Deprivation on Reward Preference in Socially-deprived Rats -- Philip Van De Griend and Jeremy Van Dyke
Rats deprived of food for many hours display greater preference for food than do rats deprived of food for only a few hours (Reynolds & Pavlik, 1960).  Rats deprived of social interaction for greater periods of time display greater preference for play than do rats that are socially-deprived for much shorter periods (Ikemota & Panksepp, 1992).  This study investigated the effects of food deprivation on socially-deprived rats’ reward preferences.  Rats deprived of food for 48 hrs after 8 days of social deprivation were compared with equally socially-deprived rats that experienced 24 hrs of food deprivation or no food deprivation.  Results showed no significant effect of length of food deprivation on reward choice in socially-deprived rats.

Effects of Positive Imaging on Young Adults’ Attitudes Toward Elderly Persons -- Carol Hiner & Benjamin Hickox
This study focuses on the effects of positive image/education and contact/experience on young adult attitudes toward the elderly.  Attitudes were assessed using the AGED inventory (Knox, Gekoski & Kelly, 1995).  Twenty-one participants aged 17-22 were assigned to one of two experimental conditions based on caregiving experience with the elderly population.  A video to induce positive attitudes was used to determine wither positive imaging would increase AGED scores.  Although there were no overall significant effects of positive imaging or caregiver experience on attitude scores, significant effects of gender and education level were found. Implications for future ageism research are discussed.

The Effects of Group Size on an Individual’s Conformity -- Shelli Halbersma & Kristi Ver Mulm
How many people does it take to affect the behavior of one individual?  This study examined the effects of group size on conformity.  One at a time, 34 participants (11 male, 23 female) followed along with one of two stretching videos in which norms were violated.  One video had a group size of one who led the stretches while the other video had a group size of five persons who led the stretches.  It was hypothesized that participants who watched the stretching video with the greater group size would have greater conformity.  Results showed, however, that there was no significant relationship between group size and conformity.  Implications for exercise instruction are discussed.

The Effect of Perception of Control on Anxiety Involving Risk and Trust -- Shelly Peters & Mikala Poll
People deal with different forms of anxiety every day.  This study was designed to see if one’s perception of control over factors related to a risk would affect his or her anxiety about the risk being taken.  Participants who were given control were asked questions that would make their experience more comfortable, giving them a sense of control over the risky situation.  Each participant was blindfolded and performed a “trust fall,” where each fell backwards into the arms of several peers.  Observers recorded anxious behavior and comments, timed how long each person waited to fall, and obtained a self-report of nervousness.  No significant relationship was found between condition, gender, or class, and level of anxiety.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Listening Comprehension -- Karen Memmelaar & Glenn Mesman
Sections of the brain associated with cognitive abilities are stimulated during exercise (Pinel, 2000).  However, no research has investigated the effects of aerobic exercise on listening comprehension.  In this study, 60 college students listened to two passages while simultaneously exercising moderately, strenuously, or not at all, and filled out a questionnaire that tested listening comprehension.  The results indicated that aerobic exercise did not significantly affect listening comprehension.  In the future, research should study the effects of exercise and listening consecutively rather than simultaneously.

The Effect of Tattoos and Piercing on Children’s Perceptions of People -- Kristin Bouma and Lindsay De Wit
Negative associations are placed on people with tattoos and piercing (Durkin & Houghton, 2000; Acor, 2001).  In this study, children’s perceptions of people were examined to see if tattoos and piercing had the same effect on their perceptions as they do on adults’ perceptions.  Fourth-grade students saw photographs of people either with tattoos and piercing or people without them.  The participants then answered negative and positive questions about the people in the photographs.  Children reported negative perceptions of people with tattoos and piercing, but only on the positive construct items.  Gender was also found to be a significant factor in the responses of the participants.  Limitations to this study and implications for further research are discussed. 

Effects of Mood on Facial Emotion Interpretation -- Sita Riblet, Brenda Vermeer, & Kim Kooiker
This study examined the effects of mood on interpretation of facial expression of emotion.  Participants watched one of three movies to induce a desired mood.  Following this, the non-neutral groups heard music to maintain the induced mood while rating the emotion of photographed facial expressions.  Results did not show a significant relationship between mood and rating of emotion.  Because emotion interpretation is an important aspect of interpersonal communication, further research should be done in this area.

The Effects of Attraction and Similarity on Personal Space -- Travis Woudstra & Andrea Johnson
This study looked at whether attraction or similarity is more important in how women define their personal space.  We predicted that females would sit closer to a similar confederate than a dissimilar confederate especially if he is attractive.  53 female undergraduates completed a 60-piece puzzle with a male confederate who was either similar or dissimilar and either attractive or unattractive.  Females who had an attractive partner had significantly smaller personal spaces than females who had an unattractive partner.  The level of similarity did not effect personal space.  This research is important for understanding how personal space affects everyday interactions. 

The Effects of Music Tempo on Driver Attention in a Simulated Situation -- Gregory Van Den Berg & Kristopher Wynia
This study focused on the effects of music tempo and the driver’s attention to the roadside environment.  Participants completed a simulated driving course while listening to fast tempo music, slow tempo music, or no music.  The driver’s ability to recall various elements from the roadside environment was measured.  It was predicted that drivers exposed to fast tempo music would score lower than drivers exposed to slow tempo or no music groups.  The effects of the study were not significant.  Suggestions for future research are discussed.

Effect of a Co-Worker’s Pace on Worker’s Pace -- Matthew A. Visser
Productivity is necessary for an organization to be successful.  The negative influence of one worker is reflected on other workers.  This situation can be explained by two competing theories.  Social facilitation predicts that the presence of others will increase performance of an easy task and the social-learning theory predicts that slow role models will inhibit productivity.  Both theories are relative to working alone.  Participants were randomly assigned to one of three co-worker conditions: fast-paced, slow-paced, or none.  Participants worked significantly slower in the slow-paced condition relative to working alone, and the social-learning theory was supported.

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