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Social and Behavioral Sciences

Bard College

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“Joy In My Body:”An Exploration Of Queer Drug Use, Sam Baker Jan 2023

“Joy In My Body:”An Exploration Of Queer Drug Use, Sam Baker

Senior Projects Fall 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Lessons From Cowboys And Nature's Narratives: Symbolic Interactionism And The Cowboy's Environmental Encounter, Isabel Piper Danishmend Jan 2023

Lessons From Cowboys And Nature's Narratives: Symbolic Interactionism And The Cowboy's Environmental Encounter, Isabel Piper Danishmend

Senior Projects Fall 2023

This paper analyzes both the ‘myth’ of the cowboy, as well as the real life experiences of one. Through the lenses of symbolic interactionism, naturework, and myth and meaning making, this paper looks into how cowboys see themselves in relation to the land and to nature. Drawing on insights from in person interviews and analysis of historic cowboy ballads, these concepts were defined through their personal experiences that became intertwined with their culturally linked identities. For cowboys, the concepts of 'land' and 'nature' not only represent words but also constitute lived realities that profoundly shape their self-perception.

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The Right Sign For The Right Time: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Different Types Of Signage, Samantha Emily Feldstein Jan 2023

The Right Sign For The Right Time: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Different Types Of Signage, Samantha Emily Feldstein

Senior Projects Fall 2023

Warning signs are present in the day to day lives of most individuals. While there has been past research into what makes a warning sign more or less effective, there is still no clear answer as to what the most effective warning sign looks like. This study looks at specifically the words being used on a sign and the sign's color to determine which has a larger impact on the hazard perception of the sign. An online study was conducted in which participants were shown different signs and asked to rate how hazardous of a situation they thought each sign …

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Spirituality As A Coping Mechanism For Academic Stress, Zurab Kherodinashvili Jan 2023

Spirituality As A Coping Mechanism For Academic Stress, Zurab Kherodinashvili

Senior Projects Fall 2023

Current research has emphasised the adverse effects of stress on well-being and mental health. This paper explores the aspect of stress and well-being in the college student population. Students face multiple stressors during their academic life, such as isolation from family, academic stress, social interactions, financial difficulties, love, and a list of requirements for their future careers. During this period, individuals develop skill sets, ideas, mental prototypes, and coping mechanisms that may be used as a guiding point and retrieved later in life. Coping is mobilizing ideas and behaviors to manage internal and external stressful events. It is a word …

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The Relationship Between Semantic Search And Semantic Priming, Lily Rachel Mencarini Jan 2023

The Relationship Between Semantic Search And Semantic Priming, Lily Rachel Mencarini

Senior Projects Fall 2023

Memory is an essential skill for survival but also very complicated. Semantic memory is an aspect of long-term memory that consists of words and facts about the world. This study aims to see if there is a relationship between semantic priming and semantic search. There were 57 participants with full data who took both the Remote Associates Test (RAT) and a primed lexical decision task (LDT). The RAT tests for semantic search abilities and the primed LDT tests semantic priming ability. It is hypothesized that participants who get faster reaction times (RTs) on correct trials of the RAT will have …

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The Effect Of Increasing Number Of People, Rumor-Threshold, Liking-Factor, And Influence On The Spread Of Rumors: An Agent-Based Modelling Approach, Abdul Matloob Naweed Jan 2023

The Effect Of Increasing Number Of People, Rumor-Threshold, Liking-Factor, And Influence On The Spread Of Rumors: An Agent-Based Modelling Approach, Abdul Matloob Naweed

Senior Projects Fall 2023

This paper examines the effect of increasing the population density (number of people), rumor threshold, liking factor, and influence on the rate of the rumor spread in an agent-based model. A rumor is a piece of information disseminated without official verification and it is very difficult to stop it from propagation once it begins. Dissemination takes place when individuals of powerful influence are within a population and have close face-to-face interactions with other individuals. The nature of the rumor is such that it will survive even if the adoption percentage is minimal. Using two agent-based models and statistical tools such …

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Every Screen Is A Window And A Mirror: How Social Media Strengthens Ties Within The Lgbtq+ Community, Jourdan Sadir Pérez Jan 2023

Every Screen Is A Window And A Mirror: How Social Media Strengthens Ties Within The Lgbtq+ Community, Jourdan Sadir Pérez

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Behind Closed Doors: How Remittance Flows Changed Repression Dynamics In Beneficiary States During Covid-19, Ketevan Tsurtsumia Jan 2023

Behind Closed Doors: How Remittance Flows Changed Repression Dynamics In Beneficiary States During Covid-19, Ketevan Tsurtsumia

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the global world in a lot of ways. Extensive research has been done on its effect on the economic growth of states, the effectiveness of government responses, the efficacy of different vaccines, and vaccine diplomacy. However, changes in state repression have been a neglected topic in research focused on understanding and analyzing the processes that took place during the pandemic. This paper will take on the topic of state repression dynamics during COVID-19 and further develop this relationship using remittances as an additional variable that affects state repression, taking state repression as a dependent variable. Finally, …

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Exploration Of The Public School Education: Still Perpetuating Indoctrination In Our Modern World, Shaniqua B. Bowden Jan 2023

Exploration Of The Public School Education: Still Perpetuating Indoctrination In Our Modern World, Shaniqua B. Bowden

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Maya Lavender's Senior Project In Theater And Performance (Part 3): Reflections From Playtime, Maya E. Lavender Jan 2023

Maya Lavender's Senior Project In Theater And Performance (Part 3): Reflections From Playtime, Maya E. Lavender

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This project is an exploration of metatheatre in an attempt to understand and portray the feelings surrounding coming of age. Part one was A Play, performed in LUMA theater in fall of 2022. Part two was More Play, performed in the Old Gym in spring of 2023. This is part three, a reflection on my time playing.

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Philosophy Of Agency In Studies Of Alcoholism: A Generalizable Paradigm For Overcoming Spiraling Habits, Paul Patrick De Tournemire Jan 2023

Philosophy Of Agency In Studies Of Alcoholism: A Generalizable Paradigm For Overcoming Spiraling Habits, Paul Patrick De Tournemire

Senior Projects Fall 2023

This study considers several of the most successful attempts to understand alcoholism and some of the more successful rehabilitation strategies from the perspective of the philosophy of agency. Puzzling behaviors of the alcoholic are clarified by considering how an individual’s associations between behavior and reward are impacted by the delay of the particular reward, and how this relation is situated by the sober life that serves as a motivation for the alcoholic to drink. Far from being niche interventions, George Ainslie and Hanna Pickard present notable rehabilitation strategies that could have broad applications, particularly in relation to behaviors that involve …

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Moving Forward: Studying The Impact Of Future Self-Continuity And Active Commuting On Depression, Anxiety, And Stress, Max William Gehr Jan 2023

Moving Forward: Studying The Impact Of Future Self-Continuity And Active Commuting On Depression, Anxiety, And Stress, Max William Gehr

Senior Projects Fall 2023

The current research delves into the relationship between Future Self-Continuity (FSC) and mental health, particularly in the context of commuting behaviors. It employs a cross-sectional, observational design and relies on self-reported data. While this approach provides helpful perspicuity into the nature of the observed phenomena, it also expresses methodological limitations in terms of causal inference and variable control and manipulation. The study utilizes established psychometric tools as a basis for modified measures for the sake of brevity and digestibility by recruited online participants: the Truncated Future Self-Continuity Questionnaire (FSCQ-T) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-10 (DASS-10), to measure the …

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The Impact Of Psychiatric Labels And Sexual Orientation On Attitudes Toward People With Pedophilic Attractions, Gabriel Traub Jan 2023

The Impact Of Psychiatric Labels And Sexual Orientation On Attitudes Toward People With Pedophilic Attractions, Gabriel Traub

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This study explores whether framing pedophilic attractions as a mental disorder and/or manipulating the sexual orientation of these attractions impacts attitudes toward people with pedophilic attractions (PPA). This study used an experimental 2 (Pathological Language vs. Non-Pathological Language) by 2 (Heterosexual vs. Homosexual) between-subjects design, in which online participants read a vignette describing a fictional subject’s pedophilic attractions. Both independent variables were manipulated within the vignette, in that the subject’s attractions were either given a pathological or non-pathological explanation, and were either heterosexual or homosexual. To assess stigmatizing attitudes, participants reported their affective responses, agreement with beliefs/stereotypes about the individual, …

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The Path To Development And Democracy, Does It Matter Which Comes First? Nicolas, Nicolas Soucy Jan 2023

The Path To Development And Democracy, Does It Matter Which Comes First? Nicolas, Nicolas Soucy

Senior Projects Spring 2023

In this paper I have looked into the relationship between economic development and the type of political regime used to achieve development. Throughout my research I approach the idea that economic development is more related to the initial conditions of the state independent of the regime style in place. I have looked at states that achieved development through a democracy, states that achieved development through more of an authoritarian regime, and states that have not achieved development yet. When looking at the process of economic development the initial conditions of macroeconomic and political stability, equality of opportunity, and a collective …

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The Ngo Industrial Complex And Palestinian Feminism: A Case Study, Dana A. Ghoul Jan 2023

The Ngo Industrial Complex And Palestinian Feminism: A Case Study, Dana A. Ghoul

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Analyzing The Effects Of Video Games On Social Anxiety And Communication, Ana S. Quigley Jan 2023

Analyzing The Effects Of Video Games On Social Anxiety And Communication, Ana S. Quigley

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Those with high levels of social anxiety can struggle with their communication skills, and confidence in communication. By using a virtual platform such as Zoom to communicate with others, individuals with social anxiety have shown decreased levels of anxiety, even noting that they prefer the virtual platform over face-to-face encounters (Yen et al., 2012). Video games can increase this level of anonymity that could be felt through zoom, by removing the ability to see the other individual’s face. This gives video games the opportunity to decrease anxiety levels while still requiring a degree of communication. Participants will be randomly sorted …

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Fostering Teacher Vitality Through Student Care: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Demoralized Teacher, Zaina Daria Autor Jan 2023

Fostering Teacher Vitality Through Student Care: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Demoralized Teacher, Zaina Daria Autor

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This mixed methods research study on "teacher demoralization" works to conceptualize the school as a site of care, teachers as providers, and obstructing forces in the performance of that care as the problem. It lays bare the fact that if teachers feel that in order to do their assigned job they are being asked to work against their sense of morality, or if they feel significantly blocked from enacting their moral goals, then there may be issues not just with how we are treating teachers but how we are teaching students. Ultimately finding that rather than understanding teacher exhaustion as …

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A Repulsive Inquiry: Evaluating The Impact Of Cognitive Load On Aversive Gaze Behaviors Following Exposure To Disgusting And Fearful Stimuli, Asa Miles Kaplan Jan 2023

A Repulsive Inquiry: Evaluating The Impact Of Cognitive Load On Aversive Gaze Behaviors Following Exposure To Disgusting And Fearful Stimuli, Asa Miles Kaplan

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The present study analyzed the impact of gaze behavior in response to disgusting, fearful, and neutral pictures while participants operate under a cognitive load. Participants were exposed to fearful and disgusting stimuli and their eye movements were tracked accordingly. Participants were randomly sorted into either the cognitive load or no-cognitive load groups. Those within the cognitive load group were given a 5-digit memorization task before each of the four trial sets while the no cognitive load group received a break (in the form of a blank screen) instead. After completing the free-viewing task, participants from both groups were prompted to …

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Unraveling The Enigma Of Japan’S Lost Decades: An Econometrics Study Using Var Model, Mingche Sun Jan 2023

Unraveling The Enigma Of Japan’S Lost Decades: An Econometrics Study Using Var Model, Mingche Sun

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This paper investigates the driving factors of Japan’s stagnation for over 20 years. Through reading various studies and reports, the main factors considered in this econometric study are the government policies, including fiscal and monetary policies, demographic change, and the international competition. These are represented by government spending, interest rates, age dependency ratio, and net export, respectively. The Vector Autoregression (VAR) Model is used in two separate periods. The findings show that for the first period (1991-2000), the age dependency ratio, net exports and interest rate slowed down the economy; however, for the second period, the net exports became the …

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Moments That Matter: The Role Of Emotional Stimuli At Event Boundaries In Memory, Haonan Chen Jan 2023

Moments That Matter: The Role Of Emotional Stimuli At Event Boundaries In Memory, Haonan Chen

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The present study examined the impact of event segmentation and emotional arousal on long-term memory performance. Event segmentation is the cognitive process of automatically dividing experiences into smaller pieces for better consolidation and retrieval, resulting in the formation of event boundaries. Prior research has identified the crucial role of event segmentation in long-term memory and working memory. However, few studies have explored ways to enhance its effects. Emotional arousal refers to the physiological and psychological activation of the body and mind in response to an emotional stimulus. Previous research has indicated that heightened levels of arousal may enhance memory performance. …

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Ambivalence, Legality, And Social Activism: How Daca Survived Donald J. Trump, Pamela V. Jaramillo Jan 2023

Ambivalence, Legality, And Social Activism: How Daca Survived Donald J. Trump, Pamela V. Jaramillo

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Gender And Theory Of Mind: The Complex Relationships Between The Depiction Of Emotion In Preschool Age Children And Moderating Variables, Anna Delaney Skamser Jan 2023

Gender And Theory Of Mind: The Complex Relationships Between The Depiction Of Emotion In Preschool Age Children And Moderating Variables, Anna Delaney Skamser

Senior Projects Spring 2023

As children grow, their artistic depictions of emotions become more accurate; however, these depictions become more influenced by gender roles and social expectations. Research shows that though gender does not influence the ability to depict emotion, it does have an effect on the style used to artistically depict emotion (Vendeville et al., 2018). A majority of the research on this topic is done on grade school children, because of both physical and cognitive development that occurs between the ages of five and ten. The goal of this study is to see if these results can generalize to a younger population …

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Corporate Lobbying: A Corporate Perspective To Lobbying And The Ecosystem Behind It, Noah R. Gulla Jan 2023

Corporate Lobbying: A Corporate Perspective To Lobbying And The Ecosystem Behind It, Noah R. Gulla

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Women’S Sexuality And The State: A Beginning Look At Virginity’S Relationship To The Law, Ariana Strieb Jan 2023

Women’S Sexuality And The State: A Beginning Look At Virginity’S Relationship To The Law, Ariana Strieb

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This is a beginning look at the relationship the state has with women's sexuality in the United States, specifically looking at how virginity animate the way rape trials are prosecuted.

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Dreaming Of Nuclear Futures: History, Toxicity, Panic, And Motherhood In Contemporary Pro-Nuclear Advocacy, Mikel Rand Inchausti Jan 2023

Dreaming Of Nuclear Futures: History, Toxicity, Panic, And Motherhood In Contemporary Pro-Nuclear Advocacy, Mikel Rand Inchausti

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior project submitted to the Division of Social Studies of Bard College. Enjoy!

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The End Of Everything: The Physical And Figurative Impacts Of Landscape On American Ideology, Wyatt Alger Jan 2023

The End Of Everything: The Physical And Figurative Impacts Of Landscape On American Ideology, Wyatt Alger

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College.

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Reckoning With Our Binary Sex/Gender System: A Transgender Liberation From Patriarchy, Roger Bek Florey Jan 2023

Reckoning With Our Binary Sex/Gender System: A Transgender Liberation From Patriarchy, Roger Bek Florey

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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The Sound Of A Sense Of Belonging: El Sistema, Ideology, And Having Fun, Michael Knox Jan 2023

The Sound Of A Sense Of Belonging: El Sistema, Ideology, And Having Fun, Michael Knox

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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Forming The Kyrgyz Community Of Chicago: Identity, Organizations, And Institutions, Jonah Victor Sorby Roth Jan 2023

Forming The Kyrgyz Community Of Chicago: Identity, Organizations, And Institutions, Jonah Victor Sorby Roth

Senior Projects Spring 2023

This project is an anthropological examination of the Kyrgyz community living in Chicago. It involves a deep examination of who the Kyrgyz are as an ethnic group, how they have developed a shared identity, and how this identity forms the basis of their community in Chicago. It also includes an ethnographic examination of two formal organizations—a nonprofit and a restaurant—that are run by Kyrgyz people and serve the Kyrgyz population, and a similar examination of Kyrgyz-Chicagoans’ relationships to institutions. After analyzing the complex web of relations between community, organizations, and institutions, I argue that informal organizations and institutions are especially …

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An Assertion Of The Rights Of The Malësore As Indigenous Peoples In Present-Day Montenegro, Sarina Jaqueline Culaj Jan 2023

An Assertion Of The Rights Of The Malësore As Indigenous Peoples In Present-Day Montenegro, Sarina Jaqueline Culaj

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

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