Psychology & Neuroscience
Cynthia Keeth, ckeeth08@student.se.edu
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, with Dr. Joseph Simons-Rudolph
Psychology
Analyzing the Structure of the Emergency Management Degree Programs
An important part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been the development and support for the growth of the academic field of Emergency Management. One effort started in 1994 is the FEMA Higher ED College List of the academic programs in and related to Emergency Management. Recent research (Simons-Rudolph, 2020) has found that there are some systematic biases in this type of list, which is self-populated by program faculty across the country. This descriptive study is designed to provide a more accurate estimate of the size and characteristics of the academic programs in Emergency Management. (Simons-Rudolph, 2020). We have collected both quantitative and qualitative data from the websites of the academic programs listed on the FEMA Higher Education College List. This data included several basic characteristics of the programs including, but not limited to: (a) program names, (b) degree offered, (c) College where the program is located, (d) number of required credits, and (e) how the programs are delivered (e.g. traditional vs online). This data will be used to provide descriptive characteristics of the academic programs along with some simple comparisons between different program types (degree, concentration, and certificate) across academic levels (Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral). This data will provide a more rigorous and accurate estimate of the size and characteristics of the field of Emergency Management for the FEMA Higher Ed Program.
Fatima Gallardo, fgallardoibarr@mail.stmarytx.edu
St. Mary's University, with Dr. Rick Sperling
Psychology
Addressing Missingness in Longitudinal Data: Accommodating for Type I Error in Optimal T
Missingness interferes with practitioners’ ability to accurately interpret the results of their studies. This is especially true in within-subjects designs as a study with a sufficiently large original sample size might net a much smaller set of complete cases once missingness is taken into account. Contemporary solutions to dealing with missingness, such as regression and multiple imputation, have focused on replacing missing values. Methods such as these that replace missing values rather than delete cases altogether preserve sample size, but they also require a level of sophistication that far exceeds what practitioners can reasonably be expected to have. Recent research has supported the use of between-subjects methods in within-subject scenarios as a means by which to manage missingness in a highly accessible manner. The present study builds on this earlier research by considering whether a new strategy, Optimal t, maintains statistical power in the face of missingness without artificially inflating alpha. Optimal t selects the better option between a paired samples and an independent samples t-test based on simulated trials. Initial research has supported the use of Optimal t, although there has been some concern about inflated Type I error rates (Sperling et al., 2023). In this study, a correction formula is introduced which adjusts p-values in proportion to sample size and compared the results against original Optimal t, paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test. Results suggest that original Optimal t outperforms all other options across conditions. Implications for practice and recommendations for further research are provided.
Marlee Anderson, marlee_anderson1@baylor.edu
Baylor University, with Dr. Elisabeth Vichaya
Psychology
Evaluating the Behavioral and Neuroinflammatory Effects of Chronic Mild Stress in Female Mice
Unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) is associated with a variety of behavioral and neuroinflammatory effects. Our lab previously failed to detect behavioral and inflammatory effects of UCMS one week following the end of stress exposure in female mice. To determine if an effect would emerge at an earlier time point, we conducted a follow up experiment using a larger set of behavioral tests assessed immediately following stress exposure. We hypothesize that the additional depressive assessments may allow us to detect effects and that using a more acute time point would reveal neuroinflammatory changes. We will utilize a two group (+/- UCMS) design (n = 11 mice/group). We ran the UCMS protocol for approximately 3 weeks, conducting 0-2 stressors per day. We monitored activity via burrowing and sucrose water preference throughout. After 3 weeks of stressors, we evaluated depressive-like behavior. After completion of behavioral testing, the hippocampus was collected for analyses of brain inflammation.