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Psychobiology in the Sun Belt Conference
Letter from the Editors:
This special issue of the
Electronic Journal of Integrative Biosciences features articles
on behavioral and neuroscience research by scientists working at Sun
Belt Conference universities, or who received some of their
scientific training at those universities. We chose this theme
because, just as the Conference’s athletic programs have become
increasingly recognized for their competitiveness against the major
athletic conferences, Conference schools have also emerged as
significant contributors to scientific knowledge. As faculty members
at Sun Belt member institutions, we thought it important to
highlight some of this important scientific research activity.
Included in this issue is a
behavioral research study by Thornberry, Risner, and Haggbloom
(Western Kentucky University) that provides evidence for functional
color vision in the zebra fish, an increasingly important vertebrate
model for both behavioral and neuroscience research. The report by
Broadaway, Eubank, and Pearce (Arkansas State University)
establishes for the first time that voluntary oral consumption of
nicotine by rats produces a detectable blood serum level of
nicotine. Allen and Schwartz (Florida International University)
present evidence of a Gorilla passing the mirror self-recognition
test, a standard indicator of self-knowledge.
Hahn (Western Kentucky University),
describes a new multi-response free association task as a method for
creating associates for a target word. This new approach offers some
advantages over, and avoids some problems that occur with, the use
of a single-response method. The study by Warnick (a graduate of
Arkansas State University now at Arkansas Tech University) and
Liddell shows that levels of a stress hormone are attenuated by a
negative mood induction writing task, a result with implications for
the mechanism mediating the effects of expressive written therapy. A
follow up short report by Williams, Laffoon, and Warnick describes a
relationship between positive emotion in a writing task and a
salivary biomarker. Finally, Dickson (Arkansas State University)
provides an insightful review of a new book on brain plasticity.
We thank all of the contributors for
choosing the Electronic Journal of Integrative Biosciences as
a forum for presenting their behavioral and neuroscience research,
and the anonymous reviewers for their timely and thoughtful
considerations of each manuscript. Psychobiology in the Sun Belt
Conference proudly displays and promotes an assortment of
scientific contributions being made by Sun Belt Conference
universities.
Amy R. Pearce
Steven J. Haggbloom
Arkansas State University
Western Kentucky University
Accepted for
publication: 10 December 2008
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