Psychology: Physiological effects of negative international news on

News depicting conflict in foreign countries is often perceived differently by those living in America, and these differences may also have implications for gender-related news. Foreign and national news is often categorized as ours versus theirs when reporting on or perceiving news (Nossek, 2016). This suggests that if a person classifies news as theirs versus as ours , there could be a discrepancy in the emotional response to the news received based on how an individual decides to subconsciously categorize it. A person may have an emotional response upon seeing negative news, resulting in a physiological state change (Soroka, et al, 2019). There are various physiological changes in response to emotional arousal, such as an increased heart rate. (Sassenrath, et al, 2021). Another physiological measure is skin conductance response, which is an indirect measurement of the autonomic nervous system (Hein, et al, 2010). Previous literature has revealed that physiological differences occurred between male and female participants when exposed to news related to gender discrimination (Quasney, 2009). This study thus focuses on news related to gender inequality and the ways it may elicit a change in physiological markers in female participants. Specifically, the study examines the changes in skin conduction and heart rate of American female college students when viewing news clips from various global regions. The participants watched four news clips reporting about women’s rights issues from four different global regions (Europe, Latin America, West Africa, and the Middle East). The heart rate and skin conductance responses of the participants were taken with BIOPAC monitors (EDAs and pulse plethysmograph) while the participants watched the news clips. Two multifactorial ANOVA tests were utilized to analyze the relationship between the news clips and the ethnicity of each participant with the changes in skin conductance and heart rate. Data collection is ongoing, and results will be presented at the conference

Prevalence of Caffeine Dependency and Daytime Fatigue Amongst Undergraduate Students

Caffeine is considered a legal drug with a main function of acting as a stimulant. The recommended daily dose of caffeine is up to 400 mg, however, most college students consume on average 800 mg per day (Mcllavian et al., 2013). Amongst American college students, caffeine is considered one of five most commonly consumed drugs, being compared with alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and sedatives (American Addictions Center, 2019). Within this population, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the adverse effects of caffeine and its potential impact of alertness versus sleepiness. Existing literature on this topic has shown that caffeine can decrease overall energy (Young & Benton, 2013). It was found that 53% of college students self-report fatigue and daytime sleepiness (Roth, 2015). Daytime fatigue is shown to negatively impact academic achievement, attention span, decision making, function, and quality of life (2015). This research aimed to understand the relationship between daytime sleepiness and caffeine consumption at a mid-sized southern university, measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (Johns, 1991) and the Caffeine Dependency Inventory (Sabau & Beiglböck, 2020). It was hypothesized to have a positive correlation between caffeine consumption and daytime sleepiness. It is anticipated that those who consume high amounts of caffeinated drinks will show high levels of daytime sleepiness. The results of this study have implications for creating potential interventions in college students to decrease caffeine consumption and increase energy and attention throughout the day