Digital Commons Network^™

Competency To Stand Trial Evaluations: Using Vignettes With Patients Who Lack Insight, Katelyn Fuller

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

In the United States, an attorney may request a competency to stand trial evaluation if they are concerned that their client is not mentally fit to adequately participate in their case and defense. Patients found incompetent must undergo treatment for restoration of competency, regardless of their willingness. Clinicians and psychiatrists may use vignettes, or hypothetical scenarios, to help restore competency if the patient lacks insight into their mental illness. While vignettes have been well documented in studying attitudes and awareness, decision making, and identifying mental illness, there is little to no research into their use in psychiatric hospitals due to …

Social Barriers And Cyclical Health Inequity: Addressing Disparities In Health, Kaitlyn Gentille

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This mixed methods study examined the lived experiences of participants negatively impacted by the social determinants of health (i.e., physical environment, economic stability, education), and the repercussions regarding their ability to access quality healthcare. Three themes emerged: evidence of social determinants, barriers to healthcare, and the influence of health insurance. These three themes illustrate the interrelated nature of the social determinants of health and the cyclical entrapment of social injustice and health inequity. To address the realities of the impacts of inequitable healthcare on vulnerable populations, interventions must be initiated to enact tangible, positive change for vulnerable populations.

Análisis Sociolingüístico De Una Hispanohablante En Harrisonburg, Virginia/Sociolinguistic Analysis Of A Spanish Speaker In Harrisonburg, Virginia, Tessa Adams

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Los patrones dialectales de hispanohablantes nativos quienes saben inglés como un idioma segundo han sido un foco para académicos lingüísticos por mucho tiempo. El estudio presente compara las experiencias de una hispanohablante nativo biligüe de Harrisonburg, Virginia, con patrones de voz que son común en otras investigaciones más amplias. Utilizando un formato de entrevista estructurado y un análisis hecho como en un caso práctico, la escritora muestra que que los rasgos lingüísticos de “Mirabel” alinea con aspetos claves de escolaridad existente mientras probando como una excepción a otras tendencias establecidas.

The dialectical patterns of native Spanish speakers who know English …

Intercorrelations Between Essentialist Beliefs And Religious, Political, And National Identities, Truman Deree

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Research on essentialist beliefs has largely focused on a few identities associated with biological traits that have socially constructed significance and meanings placed on them (e.g., skin color for race or voice pitch for gender). Identities that are more choice-based (e.g., religion or politics) or otherwise non-physical (e.g., nationality) have been underrepresented in research on essentialism. The concept of essentialism is important because the action of regarding natural biological factors as immutable and determinant has been found to lead to racial and political discrimination. The current study surveyed participants on their national, religious, and political beliefs to investigate the relationships …

The Conquest Of Milk: The Rise Of Lactase Persistence And The Fall Of Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherers, Nicholas Mays

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Over half of the global human population suffers from lactase nonpersistence, a condition marked by losing the ability to digest lactose after infancy. However, a minority of the global population, primarily located in Central and Northern Europe, has a genetic mutation that results in lactase persistence, which is the continued ability to process lactose after infancy. This interdisciplinary analysis blends archaeology, cultural anthropology, evolutionary biology, and archaeogenetics to explore the origin and rise of lactase persistence in Europe and its contribution to the end of hunter-gatherer societies in Scandinavia. Furthermore, the paper uses gene-culture coevolutionary theory to argue that lactase …

Dynamic Return Relationships In The Market For Cryptocurrency: A Var Approach, Julian Gouffray

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This paper examines how the Bitcoin-altcoin return relationship has evolved in periods between 2015 and 2020. To understand this relation, we observe data on the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and prominent altcoins Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Stellar, and Monero, which collectively represent over 90% of the market throughout the observed period. We employ a vector autoregressive model (VAR) to produce forecast error variance decompositions, orthogonal impulse response functions, and Granger-causality tests. We find evidence that Bitcoin return variation has increasingly explained altcoin returns and that market inefficiency increased between 2017 and 2020, as shown by increased Granger causality between Bitcoin and altcoins. These …

Homosexuality In Leviticus: A Historical-Literary-Critical Analysis, Ian Jarosz

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The book of Leviticus from the Hebrew Bible is often referenced when discussing the LGBTQ+ community and related topics. This project offers historical, literary, and etymological analyses of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, exploring cultural and thematic similarities between Leviticus, the Avestan Vendidad of ancient Persia, and the Book of the Watchers in 1 Enoch. The influential views of other ancient Near Eastern cultures and the growing Persian culture during the time of the Exile establish a tolerant cultural background for the Levitical authors and for the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, the exilic priests who finalized the laws within Leviticus did not …

Same-Gender Pathways To Parenthood, Sydney T. Inger

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

LGBTQ+ individuals and couples who want children negotiate systemic inequalities in the United States of America. This literature review surveys America’s confusing legal map and the gaps in its enduring scholarly theories. The paper then examines the challenges that LGBTQ+ individuals and couples confront in working through the common pathways—same-gender adoption and fostering, in vitro fertilization, and surrogacy—to become parents. Dispersing information on the pathways will be a positive step towards breaking down the inequities for those in the LGBTQ+ community who want to start a family.

Assessing Perceptions Of Group Work Using Team-Based Learning, Lauren Ferry, Phillip J. Wong, Kathryn Hogan

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Group work is frequently incorporated into courses; however, student perceptions of their experiences and the benefits of group work might differ based on the structure of course. In this study, we examined student perceptions of group work in a team-based learning (TBL) course. Undergraduate students completed pre- and post-surveys on their team work experiences over a semester. Students had lower agreement with the statement “working in groups usually ends up with one person doing all of the work” and higher agreement with “working in a group makes me feel as though I am part of a learning community” at post-test. …

An Analysis Of Technological Components In Relation To Privacy In A Smart City, Kayla Rutherford, Ben Lands, A. J. Stiles

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

A smart city is an interconnection of technological components that store, process, and wirelessly transmit information to enhance the efficiency of applications and the individuals who use those applications. Over the course of the 21st century, it is expected that an overwhelming majority of the world’s population will live in urban areas and that the number of wireless devices will increase. The resulting increase in wireless data transmission means that the privacy of data will be increasingly at risk. This paper uses a holistic problem-solving approach to evaluate the security challenges posed by the technological components that make up a …

Christmas Criminals: A Routine Activity Approach To Crime On U.S. Holidays, Wyatt Lam

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Based on Cohen and Felson’s 1979 routine activity theory, this study examines crime rates on prominent U.S. holidays. Little research exists that analyzes crime patterns on holidays, despite the mass disruption of routine activities. Using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), this study compares the average daily number of offenses per state on 15 holidays with the average daily number of offenses per state on non-holiday weekdays for the 2016 calendar year. The crimes under investigation are economically motivated crimes: burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and robbery. Holidays are divided into groups for analysis based on where activities …

Collective Identity In Germany: An Assessment Of National Theories, Sean Starkweather

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Beginning in the 18th century, the question of what makes a nation has occupied a prominent place in German politics. From the national theories of the 18th-century German Romantics, who identified cultural and ethnic factors as being the key determinants, to modern civic nationalists and postnationalists, who point to liberal civic values and institutions, the importance of collective identity and how it is oriented has remained an important topic for German scholars and policymakers. Using survey research, I assess the accuracy and relevance of these theories in contemporary German society. I find that, contrary to the optimism of modern thinkers, …

Variation In Women's Political Representation Across Countries, Julianna Heck

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This cross-national study examines the ongoing gender imbalance in positions of power in local and national governments. While some countries have gone to great lengths to combat disproportion and inequality, others have taken steps backwards and have made it almost impossible to achieve equal opportunities for women. Despite the fact that women make up almost half of the world’s population, men still far outnumber women in government in the majority of countries worldwide. This quantitative study analyzes variation in women’s political representation in four categories: domestic roles, wage parity, political systems, and gender quotas. The results suggest that although the …

The Russo-Japanese War: Origins And Implications, Benjamin E. Mainardi

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War was the first major conflict of the twentieth century and a turning point in the balance of power in East Asia. In the short term, Russia’s defeat helped precipitate the 1905 Russian Revolution and the 1917 October Revolution. More broadly, the aftermath of the war informed Japan’s imperial ambitions in Manchuria—the early stages of World War II in Asia during the 1930s—and continuing Russo-Japanese enmity over Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Island chain. Studying this historical conflict in terms of international relations provides valuable insights into the nature of the conflict and how the past continues …

Jungle Gyms Of Justice: Understanding The Urban Park Accessibility Problem, Victoria Holmes

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Urban parks and green spaces have the potential to provide outstanding benefits to both children and adults. However, increased urbanization and the disproportionate placement of urban parks and green spaces can make these benefits elusive. Case studies focused on Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago have found that access to urban parks and green spaces is more challenging for non-white and low-socioeconomic status populations. The present study, focused on the much smaller, much less populated city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, builds on this work using geographic information system (GIS) buffer analysis to find that all socioeconomic groups face access issues to some …

Lobbying The Regulatory State: An Examination Of Regulation And Revolving Door Lobbying, Charles Lowrance Iii

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The prominence of lobbying activity in Washington, D.C., is well-known and often discussed by pundits and legislators alike. For those familiar with the practice of lobbying, it is not a secret that many former government employees become lobbyists and vice versa in a phenomenon often called the revolving door. Yet to be determined, however, is what leads to these so-called revolving door lobbyists and what factors contribute to a heightened number of them working on similar issues.

This study sought to determine if there is a relationship between the degree to which the federal government regulates a certain industry and …

The Roles Of Race And Gender In Contagious Yawning, Daroon Jalil

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Social psychologists often consider race to be a marker of in- or out-group status. When looking at race, implicit bias can take more subtle forms than outward racism. This study asked two research questions to better understand the psychology behind racial issues. The first question was whether the number of contagious yawns (CY) a person experiences depends on the race of the stimuli being viewed. Yawning more in response to in-group members is a phenomenon seen in chimpanzees, but it has not been studied in humans in a racial context. Black and white males and females were recruited to view …

Using Residential Location To Assess The Environmental Value-Action Gap Of Students At James Madison University, Emma Martin

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This study focuses on the environmental value-action gap of students at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. An environmental value-action gap occurs when a person has pro-environmental beliefs but does not have congruent actions. Over 1,000 JMU students completed a survey of their residence location, environmental values, and environmental actions. Students’ preservation and utilization values were assessed using a 2-Dimensional Model of Ecological Values (2-MEV), and their frequency of environmental actions was assessed through a series of Likert-scaled statements. It was hypothesized that any value-action gap would be wider in students who resided in off-campus housing compared to students …

Indigenous Language Revival: The Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project As A Case Study In Indigenous Identity, Representation, And Place-Based Knowledge, Kyle Woodward

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Indigenous societies face issues related to cultural preservation, representation, and declining autonomy in resource and land management. For most indigenous groups, native languages serve as the medium through which culturally unique identities are expressed, and allow a highly contextualized environmental knowledge base to be passed down intergenerationally. Native language preservation therefore facilitates the overall survivability of an indigenous group’s culture, traditions, and collective knowledge. Unfortunately, many indigenous languages today are in danger of extinction or have already been lost. The Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project serves as a prominent example of native language revival in the United States. Wampanoag progress in …

"Expanding That Story": How Nonprofit Leaders Portray The Populations They Serve, Sarah Koth

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This paper examines how nonprofit leaders talk about the populations they serve, specifically financially disadvantaged populations in food pantries and homeless shelters. Previous literature exploring the nonprofit sector considers volunteers and their experiences, although leaders set the tone for the organization’s language, and ultimately the quality of service. Five nonprofit organization leaders from different organizations participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews that lasted between 36 to 72 minutes. Questions inquired about their average workweek, their contact with clients and volunteers, and how they break stigmas about their clientele. Findings suggest that nonprofit leaders consider their clients as individual cases, and their …

Hackers And The Dark Net: A Look Into Hacking And The Deep Web, Danielle Lefrancois, Christina Reilly, Russell Munn, Andy Strasel, Jess Garcia, Lindsey Chiles

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The dark web is notorious for the illicit activities it facilitates, including human trafficking, narcotics and weapons sales, and illegally obtained information transfers. In order to combat this constant, invisible threat to security, governments and experts have called for tougher legislation and increased surveillance. But on the opposite end of all this crime and villainy lie persecuted groups who use the dark web and the anonymity it affords to protect themselves from retaliation. This article uses Atavist’s digital storytelling medium to explore how hackers “hack” the web, ethical questions surrounding the dark web, and policy solutions to cyber security.

Critical Thinking Skills Across The Semester In Lecture- And Team-Based Learning Classes, Zachary Buchin

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Team-based learning (TBL) classes utilize techniques believed to foster increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills when compared to lecture classes. This study compares increases in critical and higher-order thinking skills in a TBL class and a lecture class covering identical subject matter and taught by the same professor during a single semester. Raw score changes on the the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment S2 (HCTA S2) were used to measure critical thinking skill changes and Bloom’s Taxonomy was used to differentiate higher-order questions on the final exam. No significant difference was found between the two classes when comparing raw score …

The Birds And The Bees: The Impact Of Parent-Child Communication On Adolescent Sexual Health, Hannah Adams

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Having “the talk” with children can be difficult and uncomfortable. However, recent behavioral research indicates that having this conversation, and having it often, is important for raising sexually healthy adolescents. This paper provides an overview of the literature surrounding the role of parent-adolescent communication in the development of sexually healthy young adults, including benefits for LGBTQIA+ youth. The findings suggest that non-judgmental parental communication can encourage condom use, delay initiation of intercourse, and reduce mental health issues arising from a perceived lack of support for sexual choices.

To Build The Fire Of Revolution, Stephen Roddewig

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Scholarly examinations of naturalism in Jack London’s 1908 short story “To Build a Fire” often overlook the influence of the socialist political movement. After surveying the American Socialist Party movement and London’s activism in “How I Became a Socialist,” this essay uses the frame of Marxist rhetorical criticism to inspect sociopolitical themes in London’s famous story. London’s critiques of Individualism in “How I Became a Socialist” parallel one of his concerns in “To Build a Fire” as his unnamed protagonist progresses through the Yukon with the larger ideals of American society and the capitalist economy guiding his actions. Although masculinity, …

The Contact Hypothesis And The Diffusion Of Public Opinion Toward Undocumented Latino Immigrants In The United States, Sawyer Hackett

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Negative and positive attitudes between population in-groups and out-groups are matured through a variety of experiences, chief among them being the extent of interaction between the two groups. The contact hypothesis observes the extent of interaction between in-groups and out-groups—distinguished by a particular demographic descriptor—and asserts that the extent of the two groups’ interaction is positively correlated with favorable attitudes directed toward the out-group. This research analyzes the potential effect that the undocumented Latino immigrant population has on the sentiments of the established native population. In addition to attitudes toward the undocumented Latino population, the importance that U.S. residents place …

“That Sucks?”: An Evaluation Of The Communication Competence And Enacted Social Support Of Response Messages To Depression Disclosures In College-Aged Students, Daniel Vieth

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Recent communication research on depression has focused on which response messages are most effective in providing emotional comfort to depressed individuals during depression dialogues. This study investigates the impact that a confidant’s initial response to a disclosure has on the disclosing individual, a key moment of dialogue for those with depression. It examines the relationship between the communication competence of responses to depression disclosures and how individuals rate those responses’ enacted social support, hypothesizing that the higher the communication competence of a confidant’s response (where competence reflects the effectiveness of interdependent communication), the more enacted social support the discloser will …

Beyond Interpretation: The Need For English-Spanish Bilingual Psychotherapists In Counseling Centers, Stephanie Guilman

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Despite the cultural and linguistic diversity that exists in the United States of America, bilingualism and multiculturalism have been neglected, if not almost completely ignored, in the field of psychotherapy. When counselors and clients are unable to commuanicate due to language barriers and cultural disconnect, the client often leaves the counseling session feeling unsatisfied and is more likely to discontinue therapy altogether. This article focuses on Spanish-speaking clients seeking mental health services in the United States, surveying the available literature to argue that that clients who receive therapy in their native language are better able to express themselves and form …