Laura MacPherson
Biographic Data
| ID | 6085461 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Laura MacPherson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Laura |
| FAMILY NAME | MacPherson |
| SIGNATURE | MACPHERSON L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Maryland, College Park |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3422-4478 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 27 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Perceptions of Academic Malpractice are not Always Biased by Halo Effects
The attractiveness halo effect has been discussed for over a century. Physically attractive people are often judged more favourably and accrue many life advantages. Halo effects have been observed in university settings for decades, but perhaps their influence is waning due to increased awareness of unconscious bias. The first study examined judgments of students accused of academic malpractice. Undergraduate student participants ( N = 302) compl…
A preliminary examination of the role of avoidance in behavioral activation treatment among Latinx individuals
This study provides preliminary evidence that avoidance may be a specific proposed mechanism of depression change in BATD among LSSP with depression. Pretreatment avoidance appears to be a useful construct to identify the trajectories of depressive symptoms over the course of psychotherapy among LSSP
Negative affect mediates the relation between trait urgency and behavioral distress tolerance
Distress tolerance is associated with a range of psychopathology and risk-taking behavior. Current research suggests that the behavioral ability to persist at goal-directed behavior when distressed may be malleable. However, little is known about the contributing factors that underlie individual differences in distress tolerance. Trait urgency, or the tendency to act impulsively in the context of acute changes in affect, may predict distress tole…
Query and test for synthetic cannabinoids in drug treatment and research
Racial Differences in Risk-Taking Propensity on the Youth Version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (Bart-Y)
Research indicates that White adolescents tend to engage in greater levels of risk behavior relative to Black adolescents. To better understand these differences, the current study examined real-time changes in risk-taking propensity (RTP). The study utilized the Balloon Analogue Risk Task–Youth Version (BART-Y), a well-validated real-time, laboratory assessment of RTP. The sample included 224 adolescents (41% Black; M age = 11 + 0.8 years old). …
A preliminary examination of the relationship between the 5-HTTLPR and childhood emotional abuse on depressive symptoms in 10-12-year-old youth
Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is a pervasive problem associated with negative sequelae such as elevated depressive symptoms. Key stress-related genes, such as the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, interact with childhood abuse to produce elevated depressive symptoms in older adolescent girls, but not in older adolescent boys. To date, studies have not examined this relationship as a function of CEA specifically or among younger adolescents. To extend prio…
College men and alcohol use: Positive alcohol expectancies as a mediator between distinct masculine norms and alcohol use
College men are more likely to engage in health-compromising behaviors including risky drinking behavior, and experience more alcohol-related problems, including violence and arrest, as compared to women. The study of masculine norms or societal expectations, defined as beliefs and values about what it means to be a man, is one promising area of investigation that may help explain within-group differences and differential rates of alcohol use amo…
Exposure to hazardous neighborhood environments in late childhood and anxiety
This investigation examined the relationship between living in disordered neighborhoods during childhood and anxiety 1 year later. Objective measures of neighborhood environment and individual data from a study of mental health in suburban children were utilized. Linear regression models were used to assess relationships between neighborhood hazard and anxiety. Childhood neighborhood disorder was inversely associated with generalized anxiety (β =…
College men and alcohol use: Positive alcohol expectancies as a mediator between distinct masculine norms and alcohol use
College men are more likely to engage in health-compromising behaviors including risky drinking behavior, and experience more alcohol-related problems, including violence and arrest, as compared to women. The study of masculine norms or societal expectations, defined as beliefs and values about what it means to be a man, is one promising area of investigation that may help explain within-group differences and differential rates of alcohol use amo…
Exposure to hazardous neighborhood environments in late childhood and anxiety
This investigation examined the relationship between living in disordered neighborhoods during childhood and anxiety 1 year later. Objective measures of neighborhood environment and individual data from a study of mental health in suburban children were utilized. Linear regression models were used to assess relationships between neighborhood hazard and anxiety. Childhood neighborhood disorder was inversely associated with generalized anxiety (β =…
Racial Differences in Risk-Taking Propensity on the Youth Version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (Bart-Y)
Research indicates that White adolescents tend to engage in greater levels of risk behavior relative to Black adolescents. To better understand these differences, the current study examined real-time changes in risk-taking propensity (RTP). The study utilized the Balloon Analogue Risk Task–Youth Version (BART-Y), a well-validated real-time, laboratory assessment of RTP. The sample included 224 adolescents (41% Black; M age = 11 + 0.8 years old). …
Exposure to hazardous neighborhood environments in late childhood and anxiety
This investigation examined the relationship between living in disordered neighborhoods during childhood and anxiety 1 year later. Objective measures of neighborhood environment and individual data from a study of mental health in suburban children were utilized. Linear regression models were used to assess relationships between neighborhood hazard and anxiety. Childhood neighborhood disorder was inversely associated with generalized anxiety (β =…
A preliminary examination of the relationship between the 5-HTTLPR and childhood emotional abuse on depressive symptoms in 10-12-year-old youth
Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is a pervasive problem associated with negative sequelae such as elevated depressive symptoms. Key stress-related genes, such as the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, interact with childhood abuse to produce elevated depressive symptoms in older adolescent girls, but not in older adolescent boys. To date, studies have not examined this relationship as a function of CEA specifically or among younger adolescents. To extend prio…
College men and alcohol use: Positive alcohol expectancies as a mediator between distinct masculine norms and alcohol use
College men are more likely to engage in health-compromising behaviors including risky drinking behavior, and experience more alcohol-related problems, including violence and arrest, as compared to women. The study of masculine norms or societal expectations, defined as beliefs and values about what it means to be a man, is one promising area of investigation that may help explain within-group differences and differential rates of alcohol use amo…
Query and test for synthetic cannabinoids in drug treatment and research
Racial Differences in Risk-Taking Propensity on the Youth Version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (Bart-Y)
Research indicates that White adolescents tend to engage in greater levels of risk behavior relative to Black adolescents. To better understand these differences, the current study examined real-time changes in risk-taking propensity (RTP). The study utilized the Balloon Analogue Risk Task–Youth Version (BART-Y), a well-validated real-time, laboratory assessment of RTP. The sample included 224 adolescents (41% Black; M age = 11 + 0.8 years old). …
Negative affect mediates the relation between trait urgency and behavioral distress tolerance
Distress tolerance is associated with a range of psychopathology and risk-taking behavior. Current research suggests that the behavioral ability to persist at goal-directed behavior when distressed may be malleable. However, little is known about the contributing factors that underlie individual differences in distress tolerance. Trait urgency, or the tendency to act impulsively in the context of acute changes in affect, may predict distress tole…
A preliminary examination of the role of avoidance in behavioral activation treatment among Latinx individuals
This study provides preliminary evidence that avoidance may be a specific proposed mechanism of depression change in BATD among LSSP with depression. Pretreatment avoidance appears to be a useful construct to identify the trajectories of depressive symptoms over the course of psychotherapy among LSSP
Perceptions of Academic Malpractice are not Always Biased by Halo Effects
The attractiveness halo effect has been discussed for over a century. Physically attractive people are often judged more favourably and accrue many life advantages. Halo effects have been observed in university settings for decades, but perhaps their influence is waning due to increased awareness of unconscious bias. The first study examined judgments of students accused of academic malpractice. Undergraduate student participants ( N = 302) compl…
Psychology (8 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (4 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Medicine (4 works) · Psychiatry (4 works) · Social Psychology (3 works) · Social Psychology (3 works) · Anxiety (2 works)