Digital Commons Network^™

Keep It Simple? Effects Of Color And Age On Product Packaging, Saamiya R. Mohammed, Alex Robinson

Undergraduate Research Posters

Packaging has always played a pivotal role in consumer decision-making. Specifically, the color of the visual elements placed on product packaging have garnered significant attention for their potential to influence consumer perceptions and behaviors. Color is believed to have emotional/psychological associations across cultural and societal contexts.

On the one hand, research has noted that the use of grayscale does not elicit an emotional response (Clarke and Costall, 2008) and this may be because they’re considered passive colors (Bottomley and Doyle, 2006). Conversely, Jacobs et. al (1991), found that black is associated with being expensive and powerful. Based on the conflicting …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Mental Health Of College Students, Alexis West, Afton White, Punit Gandhi, Indranil Sahoo, Michael Robert, David Chan

Undergraduate Research Posters

In April and May of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, a few hundred VCU students were surveyed about their academics, mental health, support network, and the impact COVID was having in their life.

A Three-Dimensional In Vitro Model Of Disease That Improves Preclinical Research By Incorporating Genetic Diversity And Increasing Physiological Accuracy, Akash Jagdeesh

Undergraduate Research Posters

Biomedical research is essential for the discovery of new medications and treatments, and is built upon the cooperation of preclinical (in vitro/vivo) research and clinical trials. However, 85% of treatments previously successful in vitro/vivo fail in clinical trials, suggesting that in vitro models are poor indicators of clinical success. The issue lies in conventional “two-dimensional” in vitro models containing genetically identical cells grown on a flat plate, which lack the variety of cell types and cooperation/structure found in real tissue. Moreover, 2D in vitro models do not simulate humans’ genotypic variability, which affects both …

Women's Marital Roles In Classical Athens: Male Understanding And Portrayal In Aeschylus' Agamemnon And Euripides' Medea, Elena Graf, Mary Boyes

Undergraduate Research Posters

Abstract

The Classical Period of Athens (500-336 BCE) was an era of sociocultural growth and stability for the ancient Greeks, renowned for its development of tragic theatre. While Classical Athens nurtured the public sociocultural success of male citizens, women adopted a submissive role, confined to their marital responsibilities. Women were forbidden from directly taking part in politics, philosophy, and above all, the theatrical scene of Athens. Due to these societal perceptions of traditional gender roles, the literature of the Classical Period was heavily influenced by a male bias. This study investigates the connections between women’s role in Classical Athenian society …

Respire: A Technological Tool To Navigate Mechanical Ventilation In Patient Care And Educational Settings, Swara Chokshi

Undergraduate Research Posters

Around the world, more than 20 million patients rely on mechanical ventilators annually; however, not enough individuals understand how to operate ventilators, posing a risk to the health of many. Moreover, it is increasingly difficult to determine optimal mechanical ventilator settings in a timely fashion, especially in low-resource countries and critical care areas. Respire is a mobile application that bridges this gap in a twofold manner: it is designed to assist healthcare workers around the world navigate and use mechanical ventilators effectively as well as educate the general public about mechanical ventilation. Respire offers a user-friendly yet educational interface that …

Mental Health Among Chicanos And Chicanas: Barriers To Mental Health Care, Consequences Of Disparities, And Resources, Roma A. Kankaria, Shaheer Alam, Ananya Udyaver, Alyssa Sievers

Undergraduate Research Posters

Mexican Americans, or Chicanos and Chicanas, face many barriers to mental health care. This literature review was conducted by the Collective Corazón—a VCU student organization, mentored by Dr. Indira Sultanić, that addresses Latinx health equity through service and advocacy—in order to examine the underlying causes and consequences of disparities in mental health in Chicanos and Chicanas. Some of the barriers that affect mental health care in Mexican Americans are racial inequities and discrimination, the societal and/or cultural stigma associated with receiving care, language barriers, lack of health insurance, and legal status. Furthermore, among Chicanos, machismo culture is associated with an …

Basalt Leaching In Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Rock Gardens Favours Agricultural Surplus Production, Elisabeth Burns

Undergraduate Research Posters

Basalt Leaching in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Rock Gardens Favours Agricultural Surplus Production

Elisabeth Burns, Depts. of Anthropology and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies, with Dr. Christopher Stevenson, Dept. of Anthropology

In an effort to provide evidential support for the process of basaltic mineral dissolution replenishing soil fertility and enabling productive plant growth in Rapa Nui rock gardens, a simulated leaching experiment was conducted to determine the elemental release rates from the basalt matrix, and the availability of these elements for plant absorption. The dissolution experiment modeled Rapa Nui soil conditions and rainwater with a pH of 6.3. Basalt leaching …

Characteristics Of Medicaid Dental Providers Who Provide Oral Health Services To Pregnant Women In Virginia, Hasib Zaman

Undergraduate Research Posters

Characteristics of Medicaid Dental Providers Who Provide Oral Health Services to Pregnant Women in Virginia

Hasib Zaman, Depts. of Bioinformatics and Computer Science, with Dr. Shilipa Naavaal, VCU School of Dentistry

Introduction: Medicaid is a federal program that provides health insurance for low-income adults, children, pregnant women, and elderly adults in the United States. Virginia expanded their Medicaid, both financially and demographically, in January 2019 and currently has 1,317,981 individuals enrolled in Medicaid, which is an increase of 39.7% from 2018; however, within this expansion, there was no increase in budget for dental Medicaid. Although there are programs, such as …

To Read Or Not To Read; That Is The Question, Christopher Latourrette, Morgan Haas

Undergraduate Research Posters

To Read or Not to Read; That is the Question

Christopher Latourrette, Depts. of Psychology and Sociology, and Morgan Haas, with Dr. Jeffrey Green, Dept. of Psychology

Do regular leisure readers have a different psychological profile from non-readers? We investigated whether particular positive psychological traits (i.e., greater subjective well-being, self-esteem, meaning in life, and lower loneliness) and leisure motivational variables (i.e., intellectual pursuits or distraction source) would distinguish undergraduate readers from non-readers. In support of a larger ongoing research study exploring the psychological benefits of reading and re-reading novels, we conducted a k-means cluster analysis followed by an analysis of …

Differences In Mental Health And Ethnic-Racial Identity Between White Gender Variant Students And Gender Variant Students Of Color, Xuxa Sky Lark, Arlenis Santana, Chloe Walker

Undergraduate Research Posters

Differences in Mental Health and Ethnic-Racial Identity between White Gender Variant Students and Gender Variant Students of Color

Xuxa Sky Lark, Depts. of International Social Justice and French, Arlenis Santana, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, & Chloe Walker, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Diamond Y. Bravo, Dept. of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, and Dr. Chelsea Derlan Williams, Dr. Amy Adkins, and Dr. Danielle M. Dick, Dept. of Psychology

Gender variant college students (i.e., transgender, genderqueer, and questioning) experience increased risk for mental health disparities, discrimination, bullying, family disownment, homelessness, and hate crimes, to name a few (Eisenberg, …

The Role Of Gendered Racial Microaggressions On African American Women's Sleep Quality, Shanya Chandel, Ashlynn Bell, Chelsie Dunn

Undergraduate Research Posters

The Role of Gendered Racial Microaggressions on African American Women's Sleep Quality

Shanya Chandel, Depts. of Psychology and Human Resource Management, and Ashlynn Bell and Chelsie Dunn, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Kristina Hood, Dept. of Psychology

African American women are often subjected to oppressive and marginalizing commentary directed toward various facet of their being. This subtle yet harmful oppressive commentary is commonly referred to as silencing and marginalizing gendered racial microaggressions (Lewis & Neville, 2015). These types of microaggressions can be expressed by silencing, meaning taking away the voices of others. Microaggressions can also be used to …

Role Of Self-Worth Contingencies On Sleep Quality Due To Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms, Victoria Cambar, Ruth Laryea, Bianca Owens, Chelsie Dunn

Undergraduate Research Posters

Role of Self-Worth Contingencies on Sleep Quality Due to Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms

Victoria Cambar, Depts. of Psychology and Criminal Justice, Ruth Laryea, and Bianca Owens and Chelsie Dunn, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Kristina Hood, Dept. of Psychology

Scholars have well documented the association on discrimination experiences, negative implications for both physical and psychological symptoms (Gee et al., 2007; Williams et al., 2008). According to Stone and Carlisle (2018), the experience of racial discrimination at the workplace may increase the likelihood of negative emotions and sadness. In addition, the occurrence of perceived discrimination experienced by African American …

Assessing Sexual Differences With The Decision To Remain A Virgin, Jessica Del Rossi

Undergraduate Research Posters

Assessing Sexual Differences with the Decision to Remain a Virgin

Jessica Del Rossi, Depts. of Biology and Sociology, with Dr. Claire Kimberly, Dept. of Internal Medicine, VCU School of Medicine

In the transition to adulthood, the loss of virginity can be seen as an important step in personal development. The first sexual experience someone encounters is often memorable with a positive or negative interaction impacting sexual satisfaction and sexual communication in the future. People have different definitions of virginity which can lead to miscommunication in personal relationships, research and/or a therapy setting. People may remain a virgin till marriage due …

Effect Of Political Ideology, Femininity, And Gender On Abortion Stigma, Rym Yousfi, Emily Beatty, Allison Patev, Chelsie Dunn

Undergraduate Research Posters

Effect of Political Ideology, Femininity, and Gender on Abortion Stigma

Rym Yousfi, Dept. of Psychology, Emily Beatty, and Allison Patev and Chelsie Dunn, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Kristina Hood, Dept. of Psychology

Abortion stigma is a negative characteristic attributed to individuals who terminate a pregnancy that marks them as inferior to social ideals of womanhood (Kumar et al, 2009). One factor influencing abortion stigma is political ideology. Conservative individuals display more opposition to abortion and hold more abortion stigmatizing attitudes, when compared to their liberal counterparts (Bessett et al, 2015). Further, individuals’ gender may impact endorsement of …

The Impact Of Acculturation On Help-Seeking And Mental Health Among Refugees In Minnesota, Analynne Escobar

Undergraduate Research Posters

The Impact of Acculturation on Help-Seeking and Mental Health Among Refugees in Minnesota

Analynne Escobar, Depts. of Social Work and Psychology, with Dr. Hyojin Im, School of Social Work

This study looks at how acculturation affects mental health and help seeking attitudes among refugees in Minnesota. There is a need to address high levels of acculturative stress, mental health, and a lack of trust with human services for this population. Secondary data was utilized from the University of Minnesota Survey of Housing Questionnaire, with those identifying as Librarian, Oromo, Karen, Hmong, and Somali, for this study. A Pearson’s Correlation test …

Gender And Ethnic Differences In Sound Tolerance, Nicole Concepcion, Rachel Wallace

Undergraduate Research Posters

Gender and Ethnic Differences in Sound Tolerance

Nicole Concepcion, Depts. of Psychology, Social Work, and Human Resource Management, and Rachel Wallace, M.S., Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Scott Vrana, Dept. of Psychology

Misophonia, hyperacusis, and tinnitus are related to decreased sound tolerance (DST). Misophonia is characterized as strong aversive reactions to specific sounds. Hyperacusis is a heightened sensitivity to certain sounds below the loudness sensitivity levels. Tinnitus is a condition that includes continuous ringing or buzzing in the ears. Current research has shown that misophonia symptoms have many commonalities with psychiatric diagnoses and these symptoms result in substantial …

There's More To Sleep Than Counting Sheep: A Cross Sectional Analysis Of Sleep Health, Elizabeth Torres, Sanika Lawate, Hali Russell, Emily Donovan, Pablo Soto

Undergraduate Research Posters

There's More to Sleep than Counting Sheep: A Cross Sectional Analysis of Sleep Health

Elizabeth Torres, Depts. of Psychology, Biology, and Chemistry, Sanika Lawate, Hali Russell, and Emily Donovan, M.S., and Pablo Soto, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Joseph Dzierzewski, Dept. of Psychology

Background: Studies have supported the claim that good physical health and positive affect have a lasting positive impact on the body and the brain across all age groups. High levels of activity and positive affect can boost immunity, increase life expectancy, and promote resiliency. Studies have also shown that poor physical health and low affect …

Moral Development Of Eco-Martyrs, Ashley Sanico, Ian Mcfadden, Victoria Bee

Undergraduate Research Posters

Moral Development of Eco-Martyrs

Ashley Sanico, Depts. of Psychology and Gender Studies, Women, & Sexuality, Ian McFadden, and Victoria Bee, with Dr. Richard Bargdill, Dept. of Psychology

Over the past 18 years, close to 2,000 individuals have been murdered in attempts to preserve the natural world. Those who have carried out the killings are corrupt individuals or institutions that wish to discard and destroy the environment for personal gain and wealth. For the past two years, we have been studying these venerable Eco-Martyrs and their efforts to preserve the ecosystems and communities around them. Today, we are commenting on how …

Behavioral Health Integration In Primary Care, Casey Zapata, Demetrius Carter, Marykate Crawford, Samantha Mladen, Emily Donovan, Amber Fox, Kristen O'Loughlin

Undergraduate Research Posters

Behavioral Health Integration in Primary Care

Casey Zapata, Depts. of Psychology and English, Demetrius Carter, & MaryKate Crawford, and Samantha Mladen, Emily Donovan, Amber Fox, & Kristen O’Loughlin, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Bruce Rybarczyk, Dept. of Psychology

Background/Aims: Due to limited access to mental health care, many patients present to primary care with mental health concerns, such as depression and anxiety. Integrated primary care (IPC), an emerging practice model that integrates behavioral health providers with medical providers in primary care, has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes. This project aims to characterize patients being seen in safety-net …

Stress And Positive Coping In Older Adults, Jazzmin-Guy Swain

Undergraduate Research Posters

Stress and Positive Coping in Older Adults

Jazzmin-Guy Swain, Dept. of Exercise Science, with Dr. Faika Zanjani, Dept. of Gerontology

Stress can become a huge health risk factor for older adults. Stress occurs when individuals experience demands or threats without sufficient resources to meet these demands or mitigate threats. Everyone has some form of the same stressor(s), money job/school, health and family, which are the main common stressors. In every population, if those stressors are prolonged the stress can become chronic and become detrimental to a person's health. The reason stress often becomes chronic is because individuals may not know …

Differences On The Use Of Emotion Regulation Strategies And Intimate Partner Aggression Between Males And Females, Natalia Rodriguez Romero, Alexandra Martelli

Undergraduate Research Posters

Differences on the Use of Emotion Regulation Strategies and Intimate Partner Aggression Between Males and Females

Natalia Rodriguez Romero, Depts. of Psychology and Criminal Justice, and Alexandra M. Martelli, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. David Chester, Dept. of Psychology

Intimate partner aggression (IPA) is defined as an attempt to harm one’s romantic partner via physical, verbal, or sexual means. It is crucial to determine key factors related to IPA perpetration to further understand the phenomena and reduce its prevalence in society. We explored gender differences in the use of emotion regulation strategies and IPA perpetration. The emotion regulation …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Health Needs In Refugee Populations In The Greater Richmond Area, Ashley Koo, Matt Tessama, Tatiana Brown, Jay Lawson

Undergraduate Research Posters

Stakeholder Perceptions of Health Needs in Refugee Populations in the Greater Richmond Area

Ashley Koo, Depts. of Medical Anthropology and Chemistry, Matt Tessama, and Tatiana Brown, with Dr. Dina Garcia, Dept. of Health Behavior and Policy

A refugee is a person outside of the country of his or her nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on her race, religion, nationality, or membership in a certain social group. The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees estimates that in 2018, approximately 22,500 refugees were resettled in the …

Bullet Wound Amputation, Laura Flaherty

Undergraduate Research Posters

Bullet Wound Amputation

Laura Flaherty, Depts. of Anthropology and History, with Dr. Bernard Means, Dept. of Anthropology

"The limbs of soldiers are in as much danger from the ardor of young surgeons as from the missiles of the enemy."

-Surgeon Julian John Chisholm, 1864

Civil War medicine was highly dependent on the profession and education of those practicing medicine on the battlefield. Throughout the states that were involved with the war are burial grounds of soldiers or partial remains post amputation. Are there indicators of differing probabilities of survival of amputees at field hospitals or (traditional) established hospitals? Were soldiers …

Mental Health Comorbidities In Adolescents With Asd: Indirect Effects Of Family Functioning Through Youth Social Competence, Marie Johnson, Jessica Greenlee, Cathryn Richmond

Undergraduate Research Posters

Mental Health Comorbidities in Adolescents with ASD: Indirect Effects of Family Functioning through Youth Social Competence

Marie Johnson, Depts. of Psychology and Product Innovation, and Jessica Greenlee and Cathryn Richmond, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Marcia Winter, Dept. of Psychology

Recent research has established the high comorbidities of mental health problems in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; see Strang, et al., 2012), prompting researchers to examine factors that may contribute to elevated anxiety and depression. Given the centrality during adolescence of both the family and peer contexts (Greenlee, Winter, & Diehl, 2018) as well as the stage …

How Personal Names Shape The Way Society Sees People As Individuals In The United States., Rand Gabriel M. Buenaventura

Undergraduate Research Posters

In a world where people are disadvantaged by first impressions and implicit bias, names factor a lot into a person’s successes in life. Whether it be first names, last names, the number of middle initials, the gender and racial implications of a person’s name, and societal standards surrounding names and naming systems, there are multiple ways names shape a person’s identity. Thus, it is important to ask how personal names shape the way people are seen as individuals in the United States and contribute to their identity. Names are a trait that people are born with, usually determined before anything …

My Cup Runneth Over: The Evolution Of Acceptance In Sonny's Blues, Glynis M. Boyd

Undergraduate Research Posters

Literature Abstract

My Cup Runneth Over:

The Evolution of Acceptance in “Sonny’s Blues”

“Not everything that can be faced can changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced”

James Baldwin

The greatest gift of literature is the mirror it provides for us to see ourselves both as we are and who we can be.

James Baldwin, one of the most prolific writers of the 20^th century, was a creative advocate of this method, as demonstrated in his writing. Sonny’s Blues, one of Baldwin’s most widely read and discussed short stories, asks the reader to consider provocative …

“Doing Time Long After The Crime: How A Prison Sentence Today Is Only The Beginning Of A Felon’S Life-Long Sentence As A Pariah To Society”, Mary C. Pollock

Undergraduate Research Posters

This research seeks to explore the various difficulties in convicted felons’ life after their transition back into society. The research examines how an ex-convict’s finances, interpersonal relationships with friends, family, and romantic partners, lifetime opportunities, mental health, physical health, and living conditions are affected by the offender’s status as such an offender, as well as to consider ways in which these difficulties can be alleviated for future ex-offenders upon reassimilation into society after a prison sentence. Though indeed a broad topic, this particular brand of research seeks to highlight the exaggerated perception of the ex-con as a permanently damned member …

Examining The Psychological Adjustments Of Neurotypical Siblings Of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) And Determining The Efficiency Of Support Groups, Swathi Deo Sambatha

Undergraduate Research Posters

Neurotypical siblings of individuals with behavioral disorders are reported to have complex, complicated psychological adjustments that vary significantly due to a multitude of sociodemographic factors. In addition, these children are at risk of mental health disorders and negative psychological symptoms. Support groups or extensive social support are known to increase intra-communication and create better sibling dynamics between the neurotypical and autistic siblings. This paper investigates such complications to the psychological adjustment of neurotypical siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and determines the implications of the utilization of support groups/social support. The analyzed trends and reportings of multiple studies …

Stall Seat Journal As A Social Norms Intervention For Risky Drinking Among College Students, Zackaria I. Niazi, Mariam Alshagra, Rhianna G. Ericson, Jinni Su Ph.D., Linda C. Hancock Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Posters

Alcohol use is prevalent among college students and many participate in risky drinking behaviors over the course of their college careers, leading to negative consequences. The social norms theory posits that individuals behave based on their perceptions of peer behavior. Overestimation of peers’ problem behavior is associated with increase in their own problem behavior. The Stall Seat Journal (SSJ), developed by the Wellness Resource Center, is used in part to help correct common misperceptions, including those related to peer alcohol use. Our study aimed to see if Stall Seat Journal readership was associated with perception of peer alcohol use among …

Relationship Between Caffeine Use And The Total Hours Of Sleep Per Week, Marlene A. Michniak

Undergraduate Research Posters

Lack of sleep is a common theme throughout college students’ lives. Additionally, college students report being dependent on caffeine to perform their best.The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a link between how much caffeine students are using and how much sleep they are getting. The sample contained data from the 2011-2014 cohorts of the Spit for Science dataset. Both sleep and caffeine use data were collected at several points: first year fall semester (n=1799), third year spring semester (n=1918), and fourth year spring semester (n=859). Sleep data included the hours and minutes of sleep that …