Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Counterterrorism In Authoritarian And Democratic Governments, Tai Gray

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

This research project aims to determine if significant differences exist in the types of counterterrorism used by authoritarian and democratic governments. A case study of the counterterrorism methods used by the United States and Chinese governments shows that authoritarian governments' methods seem to be more extreme due to a greater influence over domestic media and public opinion, but similarities in the realm of human rights also exist that could suggest a more similar response between the two regime types.

A Tall Tale: How Stories Can Change U.S. Public Opinion, Matthew B. Young

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

“In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything.” Just as in Abraham Lincoln’s day, today our nation’s course is influenced by public opinion. Thus, understanding which frame best elicits a change in public opinion will provide agencies with a more effective model to change voters’ opinions.

A frame is the presentation of an idea or fact, meant to encourage a specific interpretation. In this study, the issue of foreign aid will be framed as stories and facts. A story frame will portray information about a community or individual affected by U.S. foreign aid using the “Universal Story Structure.” …

Marital Satisfaction, Error-Observation, And The Brain: Harmful Or Beneficial Effects Of Spouse Observation?, Chelsea E. Romney, Michael Larson, Jonathan Sandberg, Patrick R. Steffen, Scott Baldwin

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Introduction

Rewarding marital relationships are associated with many positive outcomes in one’s physical and mental health, including improved cardiovascular functioning, decreased depression risk, higher self-reported levels of happiness, and overall lower rates of mortality. The purpose of this study was to observe the differences in performance monitoring between males and females (while being observed by their spouses) using error-related brain activity (ERN). ERN is a response-locked, negative deflecting event-related potential (ERP) that occurs 50-100 milliseconds following an error. Heightened (i.e., more negative) ERN amplitude is associated with stressful or anxiety-provoking situations. Conversely, dampened ERN amplitude (i.e., less negative ERN) may …

The Segregating Effects Of The Social Construction Of Academic Quality, Maika M. Tuala

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Brown v. Board concluded 60 years ago that “separate but equal” schools are “inherently unequal”. Yet, schools are more separate and unequal today than four decades ago. Take the district that I have been studying, for example. The north side has mostly affluent white students attending B+ schools while the south has 80 percent poor minorities in D+ Schools

Ironically, school segregation practices are none existent, and today, poor minority parents have more opportunities to choose schools for their children rather than attending low performing zoned schools. In fact, this district offers ideal opportunities for school choice. The parents in …

Adolescent Body Dissatisfaction And Emotional Distress, Marina Potter

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Based on data from a nationally representative survey of adolescents in the U.S., this study examines the association between body dissatisfaction and emotional distress, mediated by family, peer, and school relationships. In a sample of 5,110 adolescent girls, I use least squares regression to estimate the models. I find satisfaction with family relationships, self-esteem, time with friends, peer victimization, and feelings about school to be associated with emotional distress. In addition, body dissatisfaction remains the strongest predictor of emotional distress, even when all other variables are held constant.

The Effects Of Loss Aversion And Investment Type On The Sunk Cost Fallacy, Veronika Tait, Harold Miller Jr

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The sunk-cost fallacy (SCF) occurs when an individual makes an investment with a low probability of a payoff because an earlier investment has already been made. It is considered an error because a rational decision maker should not factor in now-irretrievable investments, as they do not affect current-outcome likelihoods. Previous research has measured the tendency to commit the SCF by using hypothetical scenarios in which participants must choose to make a future investment or not after making an initial investment. Loss aversion, the preference for uncertain over certain losses, may be related to SCF. In this study, participants were asked …

Seeing A More Complete Worker: Religiosity, Income, & Job Satisfaction, Rolf David Dixon Jr.

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

A central assumption to the study of individuals in work settings it to study only the those factors directly connect to the work context. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a more holistic approach to a generally very compartmentalized phenomena, such as job satisfaction, is in order. Using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data collected in 2000, I examine the effects of religious attendance frequency of job satisfaction under the hypothesis that religious attendance will have a statistically significant effect on job satisfaction and that that effect will be positive. The results show that there …

Connecting To Disconnect: Internet Access And Loss Of Trust In Pre-Arab Spring Egypt, Rolf David Dixon Jr.

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Research has shown that seeking out and deliberating with like-minded individuals can contribute to the fragmentation and polarization of societies. The study posits that the internet can contributes to just such like-minded reinforcement, via a phenomenon called the echo chamber effect. An analysis of the World Values Survey of Egypt in 2001 supports the claim that the internet can contribute to fragmentation and polarization, as measured by a lack of trust. The analysis shows that access to the Internet, even as early as 2001, with the limited penetration it had in in Egypt at that time, still had a measurable, …

More Money, Less Problems? New Answers To Aid Allocation Questions, Jackson Beazer

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

I wanted to investigate how the economic growth of developing countries affects the amount of aid it receives. In a study of the models previously used in aid allocation research, I noticed that the literature alternates between aid per capita and total commitment amounts as the dependent variable. After trying both, I found that economic growth is significant in the aid allocation models, but not in the aid per capita models. I hypothesized that while aid per capita models embody an individual focus on the needs of the recipient country, total aid allocation models embody more of a focus on …

Mesa Verde Vegetal Survey, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This write-up is mainly concerned with plant specimens recovered and examined from major prehistoric cliff dwellings being excavated during the Wetherill Mesa Project. It also includes anecdotes from the author’s experiences in Mesa Verde. An overall summary of the species identified is presented at the end of this work, including suggestions as to how plants may have been used based on modern Native American surveys.

Table of Contents

Preface

Prologue

Introduction

Wetherill Mesa

Climate

Collections

Identification

Modern Plant Assemblage

Contemporary Species Compliment

Archeological Plant Assemblage

Plant Species Recovering from the Major Ruins

Kinds of Plant Materials Recovered

Wood-worked Items …