This study aimed to examine how variable exposure to language statistical patterns affects reading behaviour, specifically, eye-movements during reading. The statistical patterns of language affect how individuals store, produce and comprehend language. When reading, individuals with greater linguistic proficiency typically have been shown to rely less on language statistical information compared to less proficient readers. Based on the Lexical Quality Hypothesis, however, it was hypothesized that spelling bias, a print-specific probabilistic cue, may only be utilized for representations with sufficient strengths of representation - through increased exposure to print in individuals, or through higher frequency of occurrence for individual words, since these individuals, and these words, would be expected to have representations of high quality in the reader’s mental lexicon. Undergraduate students with varying amounts of reading experience were presented with sentences containing English noun-noun compound words that varied in spelling bias, i.e. the probability of occurring in text either as spaced (window sill) or concatenated (windowsill). Linear mixed effect multiple regression models were fitted to the eye-movement data and demonstrated that compound words presented in their more supported format - i.e. the format with the highest bias, were read faster, but that this effect was modulated by reading experience, as measured by a test of exposure to print, as well as by word frequency. Only individuals with the most reading experience, and words with the highest frequencies benefited from this facilitatory effect of bias. This distributional property can thus be used during reading, but only when individuals' lexical representations are of sufficiently high quality. The results of this study thus suggest that future research considering the relationship between linguistic properties and reading must consider individual differences in reading skill and exposure. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

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English Prime is a language prescription advocating the abolition of all forms of the verb “to be” from usage. Such benefits of a “to be”-less form of communication might include an increased appreciation for the essential complexity of reality and the intangibility of certain forms of knowledge. However, to date, no English Prime claims have been rigorously examined in an empirical manner. A program of research systematically assessed individual differences in the use of the verb “to be” to determine their relationship to outcomes described by English Prime scholars. Relations between English Prime violations and the following theoretically relevant measures were examined: dialectical endorsement, temporal nonlinearity, interpersonal complexity, the dialectical self, arrogance, and neuroticism. No support was found for English Prime theory via these measures. Possible reasons for such null results and implications are discussed.

We hypothesized that HIV-related stigma would be related to poorer HIV-related quality of life (HIV-QOL) in people living with HIV (PLWH), and that this relationship would be stronger in women living with HIV (WLWH) than in men living with HIV (MLWH). 105 PLWH completed an online survey including measures of demographics, HIV-related stigma, and HIV-QOL. Results suggest that higher levels of HIV-stigma were associated with poorer HIV-QOL, and that in some cases, this relationship was stronger for WLWH than for MLWH. It is possible that WLWH have unique HIV-related experiences affecting their quality of life that are not shared by MLWH.

Thesis advisor: Gorica Petrovich / Thesis advisor: John Christianson / The influence of novelty on feeding behavior is significant and can override both homeostatic and hedonic drives due to the uncertainty of danger. The potential risks associated with consuming novel foods or consuming foods in a novel environment can lead to avoidance. While it is established that both novel foods and novel feeding environments can reduce or suppress feeding, it remains unclear how these two factors interact with each other to impact consumption and whether there are sex differences. Additionally, the neural mechanisms that underlie the impact of novelty on consumption are not well understood. This dissertation aimed to investigate the behavioral and neural mechanisms of the impact of novelty during food consumption in male and female rats. We first examined the consumption of novel and familiar foods in novel or familiar contexts for male and female rats (Chapter 2). Acutely food deprived rats were tested in either their familiar or novel context and were given two foods, one familiar and one novel. They underwent repeated consumption tests to allow us to track habituation to novelty overtime. Results indicated a robust behavioral sex difference in consumption during habituation. Males habituated to novel foods faster than females who showed suppressed consumption throughout testing. Next, we aimed to determine the neural circuitry mediating consumption of novel foods and feeding in novel environments (Chapter 3). Male and female rats were tested for consumption in either a familiar or in a novel context and were given either a familiar or novel food. Rats were perfused after testing to determine Fos induction. Results revealed increased activation in the novel context condition within several key areas: the central (CEA) and basolateral complex nuclei of the amygdala, the thalamic paraventricular (PVT) and reuniens nuclei, the nucleus accumbens (ACB), and the medial prefrontal cortex prelimbic and infralimbic areas. Additionally, novel food condition increased activation within the CEA, anterior basomedial nucleus of the amygdala, and anterior PVT. Sex differences in activation patterns were also observed within specific regions. The capsular and lateral CEA had greater activation for male groups and the anterior PVT, ACBv core, and ACB ventral shell had greater activation for female groups. We also investigated different patterns of related regions and the nature of those relationships and found that the CEA is a pivotal hub in our network. Therefore, we investigated the recruitment of specific inputs to the CEA in male and female rats during consumption of a novel food in a novel context (Chapter 4). We used a combination of retrograde tract tracing and Fos induction to determine whether PVTp, ILA, and AId neurons that send direct projections to the CEA were specifically recruited during the consumption test under novelty and whether that activation was sex specific. Results indicated that during consumption of a novel food in a novel context, connections from the PVTp to the CEA were recruited more heavily compared to rats that were consuming familiar food in a familiar context. These results suggest that projections from the PVTp to CEA may be driving the inhibition of feeding during novelty processing. Overall, this dissertation provides valuable insights into the behavioral and neural mechanisms of consumption under novelty and allows us to begin building the circuitry that underlies feeding inhibition during novelty processing. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Psychology.

Workplace mistreatment, such as discrimination, bullying, and incivility, affect thousands of individuals annually and cost U.S. organizations up into the billions of dollars each year in settlement costs, lost employee productivity, and poor employee health. Given the pervasive cost and prevalence of workplace mistreatment, research on this subject remains important. The purpose of the current research is to provide academics, practitioners, and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of the nature of perceived workplace mistreatment by determining if subgroups (e.g. men versus women) within individual difference groups (sex, race, age, and organizational tenure) differ in magnitude of perceived workplace mistreatment. Meta-analytic methods were used to determine if and to what degree subgroups differences in perceived workplace mistreatment exist. Mistreatment type (e.g. bullying, harassment, incivility), source of mistreatment, and measurement item type and response scale were examined as potential moderators of these differences. The results suggest that there are minimal differences between subgroups of individual difference groups in the perception of workplace mistreatment, regardless of mistreatment type, mistreatment source, or mistreatment measure. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed in addition to limitations and suggestions for future research.