Why Lyme Disease is Common in the Northern US, but Rare in the South: The Roles of Host Choice, Host-seeking Behavior, and Tick Density

Lyme disease is common in the northeastern United States, but rare in the southeast, even though the tick vector is found in both regions. Infection prevalence of Lyme spirochetes in host-seeking ticks, an important component to the risk of Lyme disease, is also high in the northeast and northern midwest, but declines sharply in the south. As ticks must acquire Lyme spirochetes from infected vertebrate hosts, the role of wildlife species composition on Lyme disease risk has been a topic of lively academic discussion. We compared tick–vertebrate host interactions using standardized sampling methods among 8 sites scattered throughout the eastern US. Geographical trends in diversity of tick hosts are gradual and do not match the sharp decline in prevalence at southern sites, but tick–host associations show a clear shift from mammals in the north to reptiles in the south. Tick infection prevalence declines north to south largely because of high tick infestation of efficient spirochete reservoir hosts (rodents and shrews) in the north but not in the south. Minimal infestation of small mammals in the south results from strong selective attachment to lizards such as skinks (which are inefficient reservoirs for Lyme spirochetes) in the southern states. Selective host choice, along with latitudinal differences in tick host-seeking behavior and variations in tick densities, explains the geographic pattern of Lyme disease in the eastern US

Impact of Colored Text on 1337 (Leet) Speak Comprehension

Color poster with text, charts, diagrams, and graphs.Leet speak is a form of written communication that has risen in popularity among gaming and online communities. It involves the substitution of letter-like symbols and numbers, also known as homoglyphs, for letters of the English alphabet. This study sought to learn more about cognitive processes involved in the Stroop Task using Leet speak stimuli.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Using Empirical Article Analyses to Assess Students Learning of Psychology Research Methods

Color poster with text and graphs.Bachiochi et al. (2011) developed an article analysis activity to assess psychology students' mastery of American Psychological Association student learning outcomes (SLOs) for research methods (Goal 2; APA 2007). Students read a research report and answered factual and analysis questions about it. Bachiochi et al. used the activity to assess their department's success at teaching research methods over a two-course sequence, finding that it both documented students' learning and identified ways in which they could improve their program. This study applied the Baciochi et al. approach to assess student attainment of the UWEC Psychology Department's SLOs for research methods.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Investigation of the Stroop Task Effect Using an Orthographic Variation of the 3/\/9[vertical bar]$[vertical bar]-[vertical bar] 14/\/9(_)493 (English Language)

Color poster with text, graphs, and tables.Stroop (1932) originally contemplated the effects that two cognitive dimensions have on each other when presented as a compound stimulus. An exploratory pilot study indicated that the Stroop interference was reproduced by Leet words. Additionally, there was a significant change in times from the baseline of reading Leet speak (BRL) to the resulting baseline (RRL). The purpose of this study was to replicate these results, and propose that between the two baseline conditions, a perceptual learning experience occurs.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Assessment of Impact of Civil Rights Pilgrimage on Student Participants

Color poster with text and graphs.In an effort to address the concern that students are not able to experience diversity directly at UW-Eau Claire, the University established a ten-day Civil Rights Pilgrimage in 2008. Students participating in the pilgrimage travel by bus to visit major sites of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s through the 1970s. A new component to this year's research was the addition of a qualitative analysis. The purpose of this study was to expose students to new cultures and ideas, furthering their understanding of racism, sexism, White privilege, and multicultural competence.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs