Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

American Gun Violence: A Cause To Combat The Epidemic, Colin Fonseca

Health Policy & Management Student Scholarship

The following paper examines the role assault weapons and high-capacity magazines play in mass shootings within the United States. With reference to compelling statistics, the extent to which political ideology impacts decisions on gun reform is assessed. Specifically, the paper recognizes the stark contrast in opinion between Democrats and Republicans on the severity of the problem of gun violence in America; while Democrats identify gun violence as a public health crisis in need of immediate attention, Republicans express their worry that citizens’ freedoms are being violated if stricter reforms are established. Considering the fact that gun violence has remained an …

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 10 - Dec 9, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 10 - December 9, 2021. 40 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 9 - Nov 18, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 9 - November 18, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 8 - Nov 4, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 8 - November 4, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 7 - Oct 28, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 7 - October 28, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 6 - Oct 21, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 6 - October 21, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 5 - Oct 7, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 5 - October 7, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 4 - Sep 30, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 4 - September 30, 2021. 20 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 3 - Sep 23, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 3 - September 23, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 86 N. 2 - Sep 16, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 2 - September 16, 2021. 20 pages.

The Cowl - V. 88 N. 1 - Sep 2, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 86 No. 1 - September 2, 2021. 20 pages.

The Cowl - V.85 - N.15 - May 6, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 85 No. 15 - May 6, 2021. 32 pages.

The Effects Of The Trump Administration On Immigrant Serving Organizations In The Greater Providence Area, Odalis Flores

Sociology Student Scholarship

Odalis Flores ’23
Majors: Sociology and Global Studies
Minors: Business Innovation and Latin American Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr.Kara Cebulko, Sociology and Anthropology

Project Overview: I researched Trump-era policies and how the president’s anti-immigrant agenda has impacted the immigrant experience in Providence and the surrounding areas (Central Falls & Pawtucket), as well as how it has affected immigrant-serving organizations’ ability to fulfill their missions to these communities. I also focused on the pandemic, as these communities, which have the densest immigrant population in Rhode Island, were hit the hardest. Specifically, from the point of view of the organizations as they were …

Examining The Effects Of The “Strong Black Woman” Stereotype On Black Women’S Experience With Domestic Violence, Taylor Tristine

Sociology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Maureen Outlaw, Sociology and Anthropology

Through a thorough analysis of published articles and books, this analysis of the effects of the “Strong Black Woman” on Black women’s experience with domestic violence shows major disparities with the experience of White women. While many Black women take pride in being “strong,” this label can have surprisingly complex and simultaneously positive and negative effects on a Black woman’s psyche. Additionally, many effects of the application of this stereotype may seem positive to Black women at the time, but after constant application of the stereotype these women are consistently …

The Impact Of Anxiety On Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, Mykala Green

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Morris

Effects Of 3,4-Methamphetamine On Cognitive Empathy In Participants With Antisocial Personality Disorder, Emily P. Bosiacki

Psychology Student Scholarship

Emily Bosiacki ’21
Majors: Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Templer, Psychology

3,4-Methamphetamine (METH) has not been studied as a treatment method for people who have Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). ASPD is mainly characterized by a lack of cognitive and emotional empathy. Previous research expresses that emotional empathy is achievable through drug treatment with empathogens such as ecstacy and psilocybin, but there has been no successful treatment to improve cognitive empathy. METH has not been used in previous research due it being very addictive and detrimental to cognitive function if taken at high levels over an extended period of …

Does Methamphetamine (Ma) Cause Cognitive And Neurological Deficits? An Ecologically Valid Approach, Claire Stover

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Templer, Psychology

Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD), which is believed to cause cognitive and neurological deficits, is a growing public health concern in the United States. However, current animal constructs of MUD do not model human use patterns. MA users ramp up to a dosage of ~0.75 mg/kg, but current animal models utilize dosages of 3-15 mg/kg. Observed cognitive and neurological deficits may be caused by neurotoxic dosages of MA, not MA use itself. To test this hypothesis, mice were injected with MA twice/day, five days/week, for six months. Dosage increased over the first month …

The Effects Of Imagined Contact With Intersectional Identities, Alexandra L. Baker

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology and Women and Gender Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Saaid Mendoza, Psychology

Our present research examined whether imagined intergroup contact could reduce bias towards Black women. We predicted that this established strategy would be most effective when imagining interactions with the targeted intersectional identity compared to the broader gender and racial groups. We found that imagining an interaction with a woman was significantly more beneficial to reducing intergroup anxiety and increasing behavioral intentions toward Black women compared to thinking about the intersectional identity. These findings suggest that direct and indirect imagined contact can operate similarly and that their effects …

The Impact Of Long-Term Social Housing On Biconditional Association Task Performance And Neuron Ensembles In The Anterior Cingulate Cortex And Ca3, Anne Dankert

Psychology Student Scholarship

Majors: Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Templer, Psychology Cognitive decline and neuronal activity changes are hallmarks of advancing age across species. Positive social relationships have been correlated with fewer age-related cognitive difficulties in humans. However, the mechanisms by which sociality might protect against cognitive aging and if this can be modeled in a rodent model remain unknown. We investigated differences in accuracy on a biconditional association task, which measures cognitive flexibility, and corresponding neuronal activity in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex and CA3 of the hippocampus between socially and nonsocially housed aged rats and individually housed young controls. Findings …

Seventy Years Later: Caste Struggle In The Indian Bureaucracy, Kathryn Victoria Doner

Global Studies Student Scholarship

Major: Global Studies and Sociology
Minors: Black and Latin American Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Trina Vithayathil, Global Studies

Caste plays a role in all aspects of Indian life. Individuals from disadvantaged castes face challenges because of institutionalized discrimination and inequality favoring caste elites. The 1950 Indian Constitution implemented a centralized system of affirmative action after discriminated castes advocated for more representation in Indian society. Reservation of government bureaucracy seats would help to change the composition and culture of institutions. My research examines the changing caste composition of the administrative bureaucracy and the factors that have supported and impeded this change. …

Family Attitudes Questionnaire, Sophie Sienkiewicz

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Morris, Psychology

Biased Perceptions Of Women In The Music Industry, Samantha E. Matzerath

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology and Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Saaid Mendoza, Psychology

Stress Levels In Students With Greater Number Of Activities: A Correlational Study, Julia Sinople

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology and Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Morris

Parental Response To Children’S Negative Emotions As A Mediator Between Parental Coping Strategies And Children’S Symptoms Of Psychopathology, Brooke Vitulli

Psychology Student Scholarship

Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kelly A. Warmuth, Psychology

Can Altering The Gut Microbiome Via Diet Treat Symptoms Of Major Depressive Disorder?, Julia Degrooth

Psychology Student Scholarship

Majors: Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Templer, Psychology

Due to the prevalence of Major Depression worldwide, researchers have begun to search for alternative treatment methods other than antidepressants. Previous studies have shown that depression is affected by the gut microbiota, but the actual composition of the gut in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is not well understood. Here, I analyzed fecal samples of 100 participants with MDD and 100 healthy controls. One hundred people from the control and experiment groups were randomly and equally assigned to either a Mediterranean diet or a Western diet. According to previous research, fecal …

Effect Of Neurosteroid Levels, Genetic Linkages, And Pre-Deployment Virtualreality Resilience Training On Ptsd Severity, Kathryn Fama

Psychology Student Scholarship

Majors: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Templer, Psychology

Though Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common problem among soldiers, current military programs focus on treating PTSD after combat deployment instead of preventing it. The aim of this project was to examine the neurosteroids allopregnanolone and pregnanolone (together known as ALLO), the SNP rs717947, and pre-deployment virtual-reality resilience training (VRRT) to identify effective PTSD prevention methods. Pre-deployment, a Brigade Combat Team (N=3000) of active-duty US Army soldiers was divided into two groups, a VRRT group and an online tactical training sessions (control) group. Soldiers’ blood plasma levels of ALLO were also …

The Cowl - V.85 - N.14 - Apr 22, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 85 No. 14 - April 22, 2021. 20 pages.

The Cowl - V.85 - N.13 - Apr 15, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 85 No. 13 - April 13, 2021. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V.85 - N.12 - Mar 25, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 85 No. 12 - March 25, 2021. 16 pages.

The Cowl - V.85 - N.11 - Mar 18, 2021

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 85 No. 11 - March 18, 2021. 24 pages.