Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Examination Of Attitudes Toward Sexualized Advertising In Las Vegas, Ashley Crisp, Alexis Kennedy

McNair Poster Presentations

This study explores the attitudes of college-level criminal justice students as to their perception of sexualized advertising in Las Vegas, and if these attitudes have any correlation with the participant’s length of residency. The study also correlates college-level student’s attitudes toward sexualized advertising and how religious they rate themselves. Female participants who lived in Las Vegas for 5 years or more on average agreed advertisements in Las Vegas are too sexualized. In contrast, female participants who were either born in Las Vegas or lived there less than 5 years neither agreed nor disagreed that advertising was too sexualized. As for …

Correlates Of Compulsive Buying, Brittaney Benson-Townsend, N. Clayton Silver

McNair Poster Presentations

Compulsive buying is a chronic issue for shoppers exacerbated by a nation obsessed with consumption. To predict compulsive buying behavior, a survey was administered to 283 college students in southern Nevada. The results suggested that the compulsive buyer exhibits am ex­ternal consumer locus of control and purchases goods with the intent to increase social status or quell anxiety. Given that responsible financial behavior changes as a function of age, college students are particularly vulnerable to compulsive purchasing behavior, as it is exacerbated by irresponsible credit spending behaviors.

Evolution Of The Human Diet: What We Can Learn From Hunters And Gatherers, Kara Osborne, Alyssa Crittenden

McNair Poster Presentations

The study of hunter-gatherer populations around the world can greatly inform our understanding of the evolution of the human diet. Ethnographic research of modern hunter-gatherers has been used to infer the possible food consump­tion and acquisition patterns of our ancestors. Hunter-gatherers provide the in­formation necessary for the understanding of the past human diet, due to these populations living similar lifestyles in similar environments, therefore procuring similar foods.

The Hadza, a group of nomadic hunters and gatherers living in Tanzania, East Africa, are one of the primary populations that nutritional anthropologists study to infer what possible foods our ancestors acquired and …

Which Data Checking Method Is More Accurate?, Sarah Cobb, Kimberly A. Barchard

McNair Poster Presentations

Researchers use multiple methods for data checking. Each method can help identify and fix errors that were introduced during the data entry process. Fixing the errors that were introduced during the data entry process increases the accuracy of the research results. Accuracy is impor­tant because if a researcher publishes inaccurate results other researchers would not be able to replicate those results and draw the same conclusions. The purpose of this study is to compare the accuracy of four different data checking methods: double entry with one person, double en­try with two people, visual checking, and solo read aloud. So far, …

American Influence In The International Financial Institutions, Shawn Rosen, Jonathan R. Strand

McNair Poster Presentations

As the world becomes more globalized and the prosperity of new, rising powers begins to challenge that of long-standing powers, many scholars and policy-makers have begun to examine America’s place in the global political economy. Ongoing changes in the world politi­cal economy such as the flourishing economies in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), continued integration in Europe, as well as questions about eco­nomic policies derived from American dominated neoliberal ideology have raised many doubts regarding how long the United States can remain the world leader. The conventional wisdom holds that the United States has enough …

The Effect Of Experience On Infants’ Visual Preferences, Jennifer Bolick, Jennifer L. Rennels

McNair Poster Presentations

Research has shown that 3 to 4-month-olds with female primary caregivers show visual preferences for female relative to male faces (Quinn, Yahr, Kuhn, Slater, & Pascalis, 2002). Facial experience is likely an important influence on these preferences. From birth, infants’ experiences guide face processing skills. This processing ability influences the development of efficient face recognition later in life. The following study investigated (1) How visual pref­erences are influenced by real world experience with males and females, and (2) How experi­ence affects older infants’ visual preferences (i.e., 10-month-olds).

Effects Of Restraint Stress And Allopregnanolone Inhibition On Amphetamine Locomotor Sensitivity, Kelly Abuali, Laurel M. Pritchard

McNair Poster Presentations

The chronic, recurring nature of addiction remains a worldwide problem. Even after apparently successful clinical treatment and long term abstinence, individuals may still relapse many months or years later. Although many individual differences exist among substance abusers, relapse tends to occur during periods of high stress (Sinha et al., 2006). Behavioral training and therapy can help cope during these high stress times, but pharmacological interventions have not been shown to be effective (Ross & Peselow, 2009). Although some therapeutic options decrease relapse rates, more effective treatments for relapse need further consideration.

The effect of stress on use of and relapse …

An Acute Inflammatory Response In A Diabetic Alzheimer’S Disease Model, Krystal Courtney D. Belmonte, Jefferson Kinney

McNair Poster Presentations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. This neurodegenerative disease leads to neuronal death and tissue loss in the brain, resulting in the slow deterioration of memory, thinking skills, and eventually even the ability perform daily tasks. While it is not a normal part of aging, AD is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65; thus, the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is increased age, though it is most likely other additional factors also contribute (Heese & Akatsu, 2006). Neuropathological hallmarks of AD include …

Ketamine Induced Deficits In Working Memory With Relevance To Schizophrenia, Michael A. Langhardt, Jefferson Kinney

McNair Poster Presentations

Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating brain disorder, which affects approximately one per­cent of the adult population worldwide. The symptoms of schizophrenia are commonly divided into three broad classes: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive disturbances (Kay, et al., 1987). The positive symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, and dis­organized thinking, while the negative symptoms include affective flattening, social withdrawal, and an inability to plan and carry out future activities. The cognitive disturbances exhibited in schizophrenia include deficits in spatial reference and working memory as well as difficulties with focus and attention (Lewis et. al., 2007). Several models have been proposed …

Evaluating The Discriminant Validity Of The Metaphors Test, Daniel N. Erosa

McNair Poster Presentations

The Metaphors Test (Barchard, Hensley, Anderson, & Walker, 2013) is a new test of emotion per­ception in which test takers indicate the extent to which various emotions are conveyed by metaphors. In order for the Metaphors Test to be considered a valid test of emotion perception, it must have dis­criminant validity. The Five-Factor Model (McCrae & John, 1992), also known as the Big Five Model, is one of the most well-known frameworks for personality. Based upon theory and previous research, the Metaphors Test should have low correlations with the Big Five. Conscientiousness had a moder­ate correlation with the Metaphors Test. …

Emotional, Psychological, And Behavioral Challenges Of Children With Incarcerated Parents, Starr Bailey, Marie Antoinette Wakefield

McNair Poster Presentations

Children of incarcerated mothers and fathers are at a high risk of developing emotion­al, psychological, and behavioral problems (Dallaire, 2000; Lotze, Ravindran, & Myers, 2010; Nurse, 2004). The literature review conducted for this study noted several problem­atic behaviors. Some children were at a high risk for delinquency and criminal activity. Others experienced several home displacements which led to foster care or grand parenting responsibilities (Belknap, 2006). Further, mental health issues and school behavior prob­lems were directly linked to parental incarceration (Arditti, 2012). Four main problems in children were identified, which included aggression, anxiety, poor concentration, and so­cial withdrawal. Some children …

Punishment First: A Study Of Juvenile Pretrial Detention, Richard V. Foster, David Tanenhaus, Heather Lynn Lusty

McNair Poster Presentations

How society and the legal system should respond to youth crime is a volatile issue. Much research exists on this topic broadly. A largely overlooked subset exists regarding the rights of juveniles in the United States who face pretrial confinement, specifically how juveniles accused of delinquency are treated by the courts. Delinquency or a delinquent act, in the context of this study, is “an act that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult.”7. Adults and children are processed by the courts differently, each with their own rights and court mandated procedures to follow. This report analyzes …