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Articles 1 - 30 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Women Are More Likely To Use Tentative Language, I Think: A Literary And Statistical Analysis Of Ulysses By James Joyce And Debate Speech, Cozette Blumenfeld, Claire Bracken, Tomas Dvorak
Women Are More Likely To Use Tentative Language, I Think: A Literary And Statistical Analysis Of Ulysses By James Joyce And Debate Speech, Cozette Blumenfeld, Claire Bracken, Tomas Dvorak
Honors Theses
Language and its utilization can provide valuable information about individuals and their cultural norms. Negotiation is a major factor of the gender wage gap, perpetuated by gender bias. This paper seeks to discover—does language influence gendered cultural norms? Or reflect it? This thesis is divided into eight sections that engage the relationship between gender and language in literature and debate speech. Through critical literary and statistical analysis of the “Penelope” and “Proteus” chapters of Ulysses by James Joyce, it is evident that the female chapter’s invalidation found in literary criticism is from the reception of her speech, and not the …
The Influence Of Body Temperature On Motion Patterns On Anolis Lizard Visual Display, Timothy P. Fagan
The Influence Of Body Temperature On Motion Patterns On Anolis Lizard Visual Display, Timothy P. Fagan
Honors Theses
Anolis sagrei has a display in the form of bobbing its head up and down. In order to more accurately understand the communication and honesty of the display two experiments were done. Honesty, in reference to it being an honest signal; meaning that this form of communication is correlated with the condition of the animal. The first experiment examined the lizards in a recreated environment. By controlling the temperature of the setting and recording the interaction we were able to determine how changing the temperature could cause a difference in display. The second experiment examined the lizard's ability to see …
Secular Sells: How Secular Lifestyle Influences Religiosity, Elyse Clark
Secular Sells: How Secular Lifestyle Influences Religiosity, Elyse Clark
Honors Theses
This study examines the relationship between secular behaviors and religious behaviors among youth in the United States. While there is no doubt that these two things are intrinsically linked, the nature of that relationship has been predominantly studied in the direction of religion affecting secular behavior. However, in today’s society with secularization and the prevalence of the mass media, it makes more sense to examine the relationship the opposite way and see how secular behavior affects religiosity. Using the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) dataset and change in change modeling, causality can be established showing how behaviors such …
The Consequences Of And Factors Affecting Perceptions And Use Of Technology, Patrick Gardner
The Consequences Of And Factors Affecting Perceptions And Use Of Technology, Patrick Gardner
Honors Theses
Technology and its impacts on society are the subject of constant debate. Technology has been influential in creating a global economy, which has given people more time for leisure activities. However, technology has also produced unintended by-products, including issues such as a dependence on foreign nations for commodities like food. Analyzing both the positive and negative consequences of technology can help people better understand both its regional and global impacts. In turn, this knowledge can help us make more beneficial choices regarding how we use technology moving forward. This thesis explores how technology positively and negatively affects society, and will …
Brilliant Blues And Smooth Circles: The Makings Of A Brand, Arielle Singer
Brilliant Blues And Smooth Circles: The Makings Of A Brand, Arielle Singer
Honors Theses
A company’s brand is its identity. This research examines the creation of an effective brand, focusing specifically on the colors, logo and typography shapes, and taglines utilized by a successful company. The research is applied in two case studies: a large, well-established corporation (General Electric) and a start up company by two Union College seniors (STC). Color, shape, and tagline theory are analyzed to explain the brand changes made over the last century for General Electric examining their two main logo shifts and multiple tagline alterations. In the case study of STC, I work to create the ideal brand for …
Net Neutrality: Policy And Stock Market Implications, Ian Bennett
Net Neutrality: Policy And Stock Market Implications, Ian Bennett
Honors Theses
From 2011 to 2015 the Telecommunications Industry faced changing FCC regulations that impacted daily business operations and stock price changes due to Net Neutrality. These changing regulations stemmed from rapidly morphing technology. The three types of firms in this study are Internet Service Providers (ISP's) Content Providers (CP's) who provide video streaming services and those who do not (ISP's CP's streaming and CP's not streaming). During this era the FCC went through two different regulation regimes of the Preserving the Open Internet order and the Open Internet: Bright Line Rules with two key court hearings in between. These key events …
Breaking Down Breaking News: Television's Institutional Failures And Today's Ramifications, Emma Stein
Breaking Down Breaking News: Television's Institutional Failures And Today's Ramifications, Emma Stein
Honors Theses
Media coverage of the 2016 campaign has been widely condemned for being horserace focused and light on issues. The media narrative, it can be argued, helped propel Donald Trump — a non-politician, celebrity candidate — to the White House. And scholars and citizens have been very critical of this role. Today, pundits, networks and CEO’s need to take time to look at what went wrong and decide how best to move forward. However, Trump’s attacks on the media, his allegations of mainstream media bias against his campaign, and his obsession with labeling legitimate news sources as fake news has the …
Make It On Her Own? The Portrayal Of Single Women On Television From The 1970s To The 2010s, Antonia Batha
Make It On Her Own? The Portrayal Of Single Women On Television From The 1970s To The 2010s, Antonia Batha
Honors Theses
This longitudinal study examines the portrayal of single women on television series from the 1970s to the present demonstrating the changing perception of single women by American society through the history of television. The study first examines the demographic changes leading to the rise of "singleness" in three forms: never-married women divorced women and widowed women. The study then examines television as a cultural force which affects and reflects the way that Americans perceive themselves and others including single women. A qualitative and quantitative content analysis of six television series shows several trends which appeared throughout the series. In earlier …
Effect Of Deictic Gestures On Direction-Giving In Virtual Humans, Anthony Pham
Effect Of Deictic Gestures On Direction-Giving In Virtual Humans, Anthony Pham
Honors Theses
Virtual agents are animated characters that use speech and gesture to interact with human users. They can serve as an intuitive interface for a variety of purposes. I am investigating the use of deictic gestures by a direction-giving agent. Deictic gestures are pointing gestures that humans often use in direction-giving to help clarify the route and destination. In my experiment, I developed a virtual agent to give directions to people to six different locations with the following spatial relationships to the starting point: left, right, left behind, right behind, left up, and right up. Three versions of the virtual agent …
La Paisana Jacinta: El Programa Que Causa La Risa Para Algunas Y El Sufrimiento Para Otros, Rachel Wyman
La Paisana Jacinta: El Programa Que Causa La Risa Para Algunas Y El Sufrimiento Para Otros, Rachel Wyman
Honors Theses
Examino el papel de la comedia en La Paisana Jacinta en la naturalización de la discriminación racial. La identidad denigrada que se asigna a La Paisana Jacinta origina en los estereotipos populares de la población indígena en Perú, no es solamente una interpretación de la cultura andina migrante. Entonces, analizo los comentarios de los usuarios fans en las redes sociales para entender como el programa ha ganado popularidad, incluyendo la reacción a la censura del programa. También, examino la reacción de las organizaciones humanas y indígenas que desean imponer la censura y el fin inmediatamente del programa. La Paisana Jacinta …
The Effect Of Posture On Classroom Participation, Janine Cerutti
The Effect Of Posture On Classroom Participation, Janine Cerutti
Honors Theses
Past research suggested that students with low self-esteem participate less in class than students with high self-esteem. Separately, prior research investigated the effects of nonverbal behavior on different variables such as confidence and performance. In the current research, we explored the effect of posture on the level of class participation (i.e. the number of times participants raised their hand to participate during a question-answer session). First, participants were asked to take a self-esteem questionnaire before participating in a simulated lecture. Next, participants were randomly assigned to either a slumped or upright posture condition. During the lecture, participants watched a short …
La Epoca De #Nofilter: El Impacto De Los Medios Sociales En La Imagen Corporal Latina, Rebecca Calvo-Cruz
La Epoca De #Nofilter: El Impacto De Los Medios Sociales En La Imagen Corporal Latina, Rebecca Calvo-Cruz
Honors Theses
Compartiendo fotos se ha convertido en un medio fundamental de comunicación que ofrece a los usuarios la oportunidad de un examen constante de sí mismos y otros. De hecho, a medida que más plataformas de medios sociales basados en fotos, como Instagram, ganan popularidad, cada vez es normal para los adultos jóvenes compartir fotos personales con el mundo en línea. Este año, el 54% de los usuarios del Internet mayores del año 18 dicen que “publican fotos originales en línea”, en comparación con 46% en 2012 (Duggan 2013). En Facebook, hay casi 300 millones de fotos publicadas cada día, que …
Bulking Up Or Bulging Over: Motivating Physical Activity Through Framing, Lauren Crupnick
Bulking Up Or Bulging Over: Motivating Physical Activity Through Framing, Lauren Crupnick
Honors Theses
Motivating people to perform physical activities can be a challenging task. One possible avenue is through the use of framing of exercise-related imagery and messages. Gain-frame imagery demonstrates the benefits of performing an activity, whereas loss-frame demonstrates the risks of not taking action on something (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981). With social media as a prevalent platform for exercise tips and tricks, it is possible that the way in which such imagery is framed in advertisements, blogs, and apps could be hindering or helping followers get closer to their physical activity goals. I hypothesized that gain-framed imagery motivates participants to have …
A Graph Based Departmental Spoken Dialogue System, Julia Isaac
A Graph Based Departmental Spoken Dialogue System, Julia Isaac
Honors Theses
Spoken dialogue systems are automatic, computer based systems that are a great way for people to receive important information. In this project, I created a spoken dialogue system that people can use to learn about the Computer Science Department at Union College. The system was built by populating an open source dialogue system using a graph based dialogue manager. I improved upon a previous working dialogue system by making the conversations sound more natural, improving the flexibility of the system and making the system more robust. To help with this process a corpus was created using about 200 different dialogues …
“Can The Subaltern [E-Communicate]?” Exploring The Complex Relationship Between The Worldwide Web And The World’S Most Marginalized Women, Julia Hotz
Honors Theses
Famously heralded by early Internet pioneers and contemporary globalization theorists as providing a “state of perfect freedom and equality”, the Internet, on one hand, may be used to benefit the world’s least privileged women; these efforts have taken variety of forms, from serving as a space where women can share ideas, to creating an encyclopedia of practical women’s health and political information, to providing a medium through which women can directly access economic opportunities. Yet through critically examining the ways in which the Internet is used, we see how such apparently benevolent initiatives may sometimes silence the very marginalized, female …
El Paralelismo Entre Los Cambios Demograficos Y Los Medios Sociales Y Su Impacto En El Activismo En America Latina, Ashley Beccia
El Paralelismo Entre Los Cambios Demograficos Y Los Medios Sociales Y Su Impacto En El Activismo En America Latina, Ashley Beccia
Honors Theses
En la segunda mitad del siglo XX, los avances sociales, especialmente en los ámbitos tecnológicos y médicos, cambiaron la manera en que viven los seres humanos. Los sectores demográficos empezaron a experimentar grandes transformaciones debido a la reducción de la tasa de mortalidad infantil y el crecimiento de la expectativa de vida (Saad 240). Como consecuencia, ha emergido una nueva época de vida, que se llama la edad de adulta emergente, que es caracterizada por la exploración y construcción de la identidad y creencias personales (Smith y Snell 6). Las nuevas estructuras sociales alrededor del mundo han requerido que los …
Made In America: The Affects Cognitive Load Consumer Ethnocentrism And Country Of Origin Have On Consumer Purchasing Decisions, Hannah Halstrom
Made In America: The Affects Cognitive Load Consumer Ethnocentrism And Country Of Origin Have On Consumer Purchasing Decisions, Hannah Halstrom
Honors Theses
Previous research suggests that cognitive load affects decision-making tasks. As well, a consumer varies his or her purchasing decisions based off of his or her personal level of Consumer Ethnocentrism (CE) and the Country of Origin (COO) of the product or brand. Eighty individuals participated in the study. Some participants were put under cognitive load by having remembering an 8 digit number span. All subjects were randomly exposed to one of two product sets, where COO was manipulated. Each product set consisted of 5 advertisements followed by a series of 4 questions. These questions regarded their willingness to purchase the …
The Effect Of Posture On Classroom Participation, Janine Cerutti
The Effect Of Posture On Classroom Participation, Janine Cerutti
Honors Theses
Past research suggested that students with low self-esteem participate less in class than students with high self-esteem. Separately, prior research investigated the effects of nonverbal behavior on different variables such as confidence and performance. In the current research, we explored the effect of posture on the level of class participation (i.e. the number of times participants raised their hand to participate during a question-answer session). First, participants were asked to take a self-esteem questionnaire before participating in a simulated lecture. Next, participants were randomly assigned to either a slumped or upright posture condition. During the lecture, participants watched a short …
The Effect Of Existential Concerns On Evaluations Of Dating Websites, Rachel Frisch
The Effect Of Existential Concerns On Evaluations Of Dating Websites, Rachel Frisch
Honors Theses
Previous research has indicated that death-related anxieties are the ultimate threat to the human psyche. In an effort to manage these concerns, individuals tend to turn to their romantic relationships. The present research sought to determine how mortality salience (i.e., death awareness) influences the effectiveness of an advertisement and the desirability of dating websites. A fake dating website was created with four different slogans. The first included an overt death-reminder, the second included a subtle death-reminder, the third included a loneliness reminder, and the fourth condition did not include any psychological threats. Participants were randomly assigned to visit a website …
Targeted Online Advertisements: Effectiveness As A Function Of Need-For-Cognition, Katherine Dorothy Drebin
Targeted Online Advertisements: Effectiveness As A Function Of Need-For-Cognition, Katherine Dorothy Drebin
Honors Theses
Previous research has suggested that targeted online advertising is more effective when users have a preexisting interest in a product or service. While technology now allows marketers to track the demographics and behaviors of potential customers, the current research examines online ad-perception at an individual level, specifically focused on differences in need-for-cognition. Participants were asked to read a short online news article and were randomly assigned to view a webpage containing either gender-neutral or gender-targeted advertisements. While it was predicted that advertisement recall would be stronger for targeted than non-targeted advertisements, no such association was found. Additionally, advertisement recall did …
Online Dating And Relationships On Campus: Gender, Religion, And Parental Marital Status Influencing Expectations And Experiences, Carla Gottlich
Online Dating And Relationships On Campus: Gender, Religion, And Parental Marital Status Influencing Expectations And Experiences, Carla Gottlich
Honors Theses
Past research of college campus relationships and dating has found that gender, religion, and parental marital status may each play a role in determining expectations and experiences. Due to the recent popularity with online dating, I explore college student’s expectations and experiences and the roles that gender, religion, and parental marital status play in this pursuit. An anonymous survey was sent to a random sample of 918 student e-mail addresses. Students were asked what they expected from online dating, and what the experiences have been like for those who have participated. The survey, containing both open and closed ended questions, …
The Rise And Fall Of The Friends Of Irish Freedom: How America Shaped Irish American Nationalism In The Twentieth Century, Shanon Delia Douglass
The Rise And Fall Of The Friends Of Irish Freedom: How America Shaped Irish American Nationalism In The Twentieth Century, Shanon Delia Douglass
Honors Theses
The Friends of Irish Freedom were an Irish American nationalist organization that consisted of prominent leaders and members from other nationalist groups that also attracted more moderate Irish Americans. This thesis focuses exclusively on the leaders and activities of the Friends between 1916 and 1921. During these years, membership both skyrocketed and plummeted within a matter of months. Contributing to both their rise and fall was American public sentiment, the onset and conclusion of WWI, and interactions with nationalist leaders in Ireland. My Thesis shows how despite their seemingly radical nationalist activities and beliefs, it was the gradual Americanization of …
An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Patterns Of Facebook Use And Facebook Behavior, Elizabeth Nailling
An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Style And Patterns Of Facebook Use And Facebook Behavior, Elizabeth Nailling
Honors Theses
Previous research suggests that various personality traits predict how individuals behave and portray themselves through internet-mediated communication and social media. In the current research, I examine the relationship between adult attachment style and the characteristics of Facebook use (e.g., frequency of "friending," "liking," and commenting). A pilot study conducted with Union College undergraduates who completed questionnaires measuring attachment style and Facebook use showed that higher attachment anxiety was associated with higher frequency and intensity of Facebook use as well as higher attention and reassurance-seeking Facebook behaviors, whereas higher attachment avoidance predicted less frequency and intensity of Facebook use as well …
Can The Performance Of High Self-Monitors Be Influenced By The Perceived Success Of Their Peers?, Malene Barlow-Hansen
Can The Performance Of High Self-Monitors Be Influenced By The Perceived Success Of Their Peers?, Malene Barlow-Hansen
Honors Theses
Prior research demonstrates that high self-monitors tend to alter their behavior based on social situations, and more generally, that certain cues can be given to people that can influence them to alter their performance on an exam. It has not, however, taken into account the introduction of motivation that could affect the performance of high self-monitors. Thus, the current research was conducted to establish a connection among performance, self-monitoring, and motivation via a social component. All participants completed a practice GRE exam as well as several personality questionnaires, including Snyder’s Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (Snyder, 1975). About half of the participants …
The Relationship Between Narcissism Attachment Styles And The Response To Social Media, Caitlyn Collins
The Relationship Between Narcissism Attachment Styles And The Response To Social Media, Caitlyn Collins
Honors Theses
Previous research suggests that narcissism is correlated with higher social media use and that self-esteem motivates this use. Additionally, research suggests that individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles have “self object” needs that are fulfilled through interactions with others. In the current research, we examined the correlation between narcissism and social media use, as well as the correlation between attachment style and social media use. Participants were given questionnaires to measure narcissism, attachment style, social media use, and self-esteem. Participants were also assigned to one of three feedback conditions, positive, neutral, or negative, on a social media site. Results …
The Corporate Logo: An Exploration Of The Logo Through Infographics And Other Works, Caroline Aldrich
The Corporate Logo: An Exploration Of The Logo Through Infographics And Other Works, Caroline Aldrich
Honors Theses
Everywhere we go, we interact with logos in one way or another, whether it is the car we drive, the toothpaste we use, or even the water we buy, a logo is present throughout our every move. The logo can be defined as “a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition.” The logo has evolved over hundreds of years, and due to its continued presence in our lives, there are many facets of the logo that I chose to explore as the primary focus of my thesis. …
Reducing Anxiety And Increasing Social Skills In Children With Asperger's Through Drama And Role-Playing Games, Rachel Magin
Reducing Anxiety And Increasing Social Skills In Children With Asperger's Through Drama And Role-Playing Games, Rachel Magin
Honors Theses
Children with Asperger’s syndrome have higher than typical levels of anxiety; moreover, their level of anxiety is related to their degree of social skills deficits. In non-clinical populations, role-playing and drama techniques have been used successfully to lower anxiety and increase social skills. We held seven sessions of role-playing and theater exercises, conducted in small groups, focused on specific social skills (getting to know people/introducing self, working together/trust/listening, reading emotions/nonverbal cues, self-control/assertiveness, managing stress and anxiety, detecting emotions through the voice, understanding others’ perspectives/cooperation). We examined whether participation in these sessions would lower anxiety and increase social skills in children …
Friend Me On Facebook: A Generational Study Of The Effects Of Facebook On American Friendships, Brenda Souza
Friend Me On Facebook: A Generational Study Of The Effects Of Facebook On American Friendships, Brenda Souza
Honors Theses
Sociologists argue that new communicative technologies have changed the way in which Americans interact, relate, and connect with one another. Studies show that as a result of people’s dependency on new technologies like Facebook, friendships in the United States are rapidly declining. While there is already research addressing how younger individuals use Facebook, this study adds to the literature by examining how both younger and older individuals use Facebook. Additionally, this study examines how younger and older individuals define friendships, why they use Facebook, and whether or not they believe Facebook has affected the dynamics of friendships. Since the Union …
Gender Power And Language: Touring With The Gatekeepers Of Union, Kaileigh Moore
Gender Power And Language: Touring With The Gatekeepers Of Union, Kaileigh Moore
Honors Theses
Tannen, Lakoff, O’Barr, and Atkins suggest connections between gender, power, and language. However, it is unknown if these patterns persist in our society today. Lakoff argues that women are uncomfortable with power and speak in such a way as to avoid sounding authoritative. Tannen argues that women try to be friendly and egalitarian and to use conversations to create relationships. Thus, inadvertently, women lack authority in speech. O-Barr and Atkins say speech styles are not linked to gender but to relative power. Campus tour guides hold a unique position in society in that they must be authoritative leaders, but friendly …
Cultural Influences Impact Social Networking On Chinese Students Studying In The United States, Alethea Schepperly
Cultural Influences Impact Social Networking On Chinese Students Studying In The United States, Alethea Schepperly
Honors Theses
China continues to impose limitations upon their citizen’s access to the World Wide Web, and censors their ability to readily communicate on an international basis. Further, these countries impose restrictions on the information that can be posted and shared online, including social network sites and companies such as RenRen in China, which operate under restrictions and monitoring imposed by the Government. Social networking has become an important method for communication and information sharing, because it enables information to easily be shared and made available to millions of online users.