Shedding Psychological Light on the Racial Disparities in School Disciplinary Measures: The Role of Dehumanization as a Potential Mechanism

Schools should be safe and supportive spaces for all students, yet Black students tend to face biased treatment in the education system, which often results in harsh disciplinary measures. This research examined the role of animalistic dehumanization (i.e., perceiving others as animal- like and uncultured and denying uniquely human characteristics), in predicting choice of harsher disciplinary measures for Black students as opposed to White students. It was hypothesized that individuals who dehumanize Black students to a greater degree would be more likely to believe that Black students need to be disciplined through harsher measures. Both Study 1 (in which dehumanization was assessed) and Study 2 (in which dehumanization was experimentally manipulated) failed to provide evidence supporting the role of dehumanization in differential choices of school disciplinary measures for Black vs. White students. However, both studies provided evidence suggesting that dehumanization of, and negative attitudes toward, Black Americans are still prevalent and related in American society, and that animal learning perceptions and paradigms influence participant perceptions of threat from students and disciplinary decisions. These findings indicate a need for continued investigation of racial stereotypes about students when assessing racial disparities in school discipline.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1062/thumbnail.jp

Patient, companion, and oncologist agreement regarding information discussed during triadic oncology clinical interactions

Background Although people with cancer want and need information from their oncologists, patients and oncologists often disagree about what information was discussed during clinical interactions. Most patients have companions present during oncology visits; we investigated whether companions process information more accurately than patients. Specifically, we examined whether patients and companions differed in agreement with oncologists about what was discussed. We also investigated the effect of topic on agreement and patient/companion self‐reported understanding of discussions. Methods Patients with companions were invited to participate on first visits to a cancer center in Detroit, MI. Patients, companions, and oncologists independently completed questionnaires immediately following visits. Participants were asked whether five topics were discussed (diagnosis, prognosis, metastasis, treatment/treatment goals, and side effects) and, if discussed, what oncologists said. Participants were also asked to estimate their own and each other's understanding of discussions. Results A total of 66 patient–companion–oncologist triads participated. Agreement was higher regarding whether topics were discussed than what oncologists said. Agreement did not differ by dyad type. Patients, companions, and oncologists were equally likely to be the source of triadic disagreements. Agreement was high about diagnosis (>90%) but much lower about other topics, particularly side effects. Patients and companions reported greater understanding of discussions than oncologists estimated and more accurately estimated each other's understanding than did oncologists. Conclusions Companions and patients showed similar levels of agreement with oncologists about what they discussed during visits. Interventions are needed to improve communication of information to both patients and companions, especially about particular topics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96703/1/pon3045.pd

Differential Involvement of the Prefrontal Cortex and the Nucleus Accumbens in Visuospatial Learning

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFc) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are thought to play an important role in spatial learning. Neuroanatomical studies indicated a topographical organization: NAc-core region projects to the dorsal mPFc and NAc-shell region projects to the ventral mPFc. The present study examined differential involvement of subregions within mPFc and NAc during two visuospatial tasks using reversible lesions with lidocaine. Lidocaine produces a temporal blockade of neural transmission. Wistar rats were trained on two tasks; one required a correct barpress on cue location (matching); the other required a correct barpress opposite to cue location (non-matching). Upon reaching a criterion (\u3e85% correct, 3 consecutive sessions), rats were cannulated in mPFc (dorsal/ventral) or NAc (core/shell). After recovery, rats were retrained until their performance reached the pre-surgery criteria, and received lidocaine and saline infusions into each subregion of mPFc or NAc. Lidocaine infusions into neither subregion of mPFc affected performance on the matching task. Lidocaine infusions into the ventral, not dorsal, mPFc decreased correct responses on the nonmatching task. Interestingly, lidocaine infusions into either shell or core decreased performance on both tasks. Our preliminary data indicate that activation of D1-dopamine receptors within shell, but not core, is critical for successful performance during the nonmatching task. Our data suggest that visuospatial discrimination requires both mPFc and NAc, and that involvement of each subregion within mPFc and NAc depends on the nature of behavioral tasks

Excitatory Modulation of Hippocampus on Amphetamine-induced Hyperactivity in Rats

Psychostimulants, such as amphetamine and cocaine, produce hyperactivity in mammalian species. Hyperactive behavior is thought partly due to excessive dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Recent evidence indicates that stimulation of the hippocampus (HIP) also produces hyperactivity, possibly via modulation of dopamine in NAc. The present study investigated hippocampal modulation of hyperactivity induced by amphetamine in rats. Hippocampal stimulation was done via NMDA infusions into the ventral hippocampus. Hippocampal inhibition was done via lidocaine infusions. Amphetamine was infused into NAc to enhance dopamine transmission in NAc. We tested the hypothesis that excitation or inhibition of HIP would differentially affect dopamine-induced hyperactivity: stimulation of HIP would augment hyperactivity, whereas inhibition of HIP would decrease hyperactivity. Wistar rats were anesthetized, were surgically implanted with bilateral cannulae for subsequent microinfusions, and were allowed 7-10 days for recovery. We found that amphetamine (10mg/ml, 0.5 microliter/site) infusions into NAc produced hyperactivity, measured by distance traveled. Hippocampal stimulation augmented hyperactivity induced by amphetamine infusions in NAc. Hippocampal inhibition blocked amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. The present findings support our hypothesis and provide evidence for a critical involvement of hippocampus in expression of hyperactivity possibly via modulation of dopamine and another neurotransmitter, such as glutamate in NAc. Future research on the precise role of hippocampus in hyperactivity will expand our understanding of hyperactivity disorders associated with dysfunction of the mesolimbic system

What Drives Racial Attitudes in Elementary School Children: Skin Tone, Facial Physiognomy, or Both?

This work examines whether racial attitudes—when measured by both explicit and implicit measures— are driven primarily by skin tone, facial physiognomy, or both in 5 to 12-year-old children. Participants evaluated faces varying in skin tone (from dark to light) and facial physiognomy (from Afrocentric to Eurocentric). In an explicit task, children rated how much they liked each face. In an implicit task, participants completed a child-friendly version of the Affect Misattribution Procedure, where they rated a Chinese character as “good” or “bad” following a racial prime. Results suggest that pro-White attitudes (especially those measured by the explicit task) are driven by both factors, vary by perceivers’ race, and are present in both White and non-White children, though skin tone exerts a larger influence than other features, at least in explicit evaluations. Our results also raise the possibility that pro-White biases might be more internalized by non-White children in the American South