Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring A Possible New Mechanism Of The Predictive Coding Theory Of Consciousness With A Binocular Rivalry Experiment, Sai Kiersarsky, Madison Cho-Richmond

Student Research Symposium

Predictive Coding is a theory of brain function in which consciousness is a predictive model generated by higher brain regions that constantly updates its predictions about the cause of upwards flowing data – often sensory perception data. Binocular Rivalry is a phenomenon where, when each eye is presented with a completely different image, consciousness alternates between the images rather than attempting to fuse both images into one.

Here we present the same image to both eyes, but with each image partially blurred in differing areas to test if consciousness weaves together the clear areas to synthesize a single crisp image. …

Stuttering Accommodations In Professional Environments: The Intersectionality Between Multiculturalism, Multilingualism, Stigma, Disability Identity And Rights, Sulema Rodriguez, Megann Mcgill

Student Research Symposium

Stuttering is a fluency disorder that disrupts the forward flow of speech (Guitar, 2014). People who stutter (PWS) have been falsely represented in the media and negatively perceived by the general public (Boyle, 2011; Williams, 2015). This public stigma, including cultural and linguistic differences, contributes to the development of self-stigma (Dean & Medina, 2020; Gerlach et al., 2018; Plexico et al., 2019). Stuttering public stigma also leads to decreased earnings and opportunities in the workplace and higher education discrimination (Gerlach et al., 2018; Klein & Hood, 2014). Consequently, there has yet to exist a research study that considers the intersectionality …

Links Between Sound-Category Learning & Memory Skills In Neurotypical & Language-Learning-Disabled Adults, Katharine Ross, Mario Rene Jimenez-Cruz

Student Research Symposium

This study will examine how memory systems are intertwined with language learning by assessing participants’ different memory systems and relating memory skills to the ability to learn and categorize unfamiliar sounds.

Based upon similar work (Maddox, Ing, & Lauritzen, 2006), we hypothesize that the data will show a link between procedural memory and implicit sound categorization, and between declarative memory and explicit sound categorization. Additionally, based on the predictions of the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (Lum, Conti-Ramsden, Page, & Ullman, 2012), we believe adults with LI will (1) show a weak connection between procedural memory and implicit sound categorization accuracy; (2) …

Portland Urban Coyote Project: A Review Of Citizen Science's Utility For Researching Urban Canids And The Human Environment, Keith David Vanderbrooke

Dissertations and Theses

The Portland Urban Coyote Project (PUCP) is a citizen science project that allows community members to upload coyote (Canis latrans) sighting data to a database that is used to create a public web map; contributors often add observations as well. I analyzed one year of PUCP comment data in order to assess the utility of the citizen science methods used by PUCP for urban carnivore research. I code and summarize findings from PUCP's data, compare the extracted data to other research studies of urban coyote from other regions, and find that results from this analysis supports conclusions made …

Exploring The Correlational Relationship Of Interpersonal Discrimination And Leader-Member Exchange, Bryan Wesley T. Hamilton

Student Research Symposium

Stigmatized individuals use several compensatory strategies to offset the negative impact of interpersonal discrimination in the job application process, including increased positivity, providing individuating information, or identity disclosures. Using interviews and surveys, we aim to expand this literature by examining how these processes unfold after stigmatized individuals have gained employment and are interacting with coworkers. These compensatory strategies can have varying impacts on targets’ workplace relationships, job satisfaction, overall performance, and psychological and physical health outcomes. Leaders and other powerful organizational members can mitigate these negative outcomes and improve employee well being through leader member exchange and perceived supervisor support. …

Teaching Children Emotional Intelligence: A Closer Look At The Barbie Vlogs, Jillian C. Britton

Student Research Symposium

In 2015, toy company Mattel began a YouTube vlog starring a 3D animated Barbie that featured many vlogs seemingly geared at increasing children’s emotional intelligence. One concern about this promising resource is that previous research suggests that cultural relevance has a notable role in the receptivity of children's media content, and Barbie may not be the most versatile role model for children of all demographics. Using a quasi-experimental matched-groups design, this proposed research aims to evaluate the impacts of the Barbie vlogs on children’s levels of emotional intelligence, and determine whether the children's ethnicity (Black or White, within the scope …

Does Reading Violent Books Increase Aggression? Perceptions Of An Overlooked Medium, Cassandra H. Muniz

Student Research Symposium

In the ongoing media violence debate, video games, movies, and television are regular targets of scrutiny. Yet, largely absent from the discussion is a popular, age-old medium: the book. Do people think that reading violent subject matter can increase aggression? How do first- and third-person perceptions differ? Using an online survey, the author collected quantitative data on adults’ (N = 160) perceptions of how much violent books affect aggression in themselves, the average adult, and the average child. The author hypothesized that participants would perceive the medium to have stronger effects on other adults' aggression than on their own. …

Boredom And Risk-Taking In Mania, Rose M. Jardine, Nicholas A. Smith

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this proposal is to examine perceived boredom and risk-taking exhibited during manic episodes in atypical bipolar 1 disorder. I propose to recruit at least 100 participants, ages 18-25, from Intensive Outpatient Programs, Community Programs, and Inpatient Programs who will be verified to be in a manic episode and asymptomatic for psychosis by the on-site providers. A pilot study of two videos will be performed. Participants will be randomly assigned to view one of two videos: “calm” or “exciting”. They will respond to the Boredom Proneness Scale questionnaire at both pre- and post-test as well as the revised …

The Impact Of Professors’ Heterosexual Identity In Higher Education Classrooms, Sam Barr

Student Research Symposium

This proposed study is concerned with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) student’s perceptions of classroom climate, and the potential negative impacts of these perceptions. A poor classroom climate can decrease student participation and contribute to minority stress, which can be a barrier to successful higher education. In this study, we plan to inspect the impact of professors’ heterosexual identities on their scores of Classroom Diversity Climate (CDC). We hope to recruit heterosexual Portland State University professors and their students for our study. After randomly assigning professors to either an intervention on integrative heterosexuality or to a waitlist (control) group, we …

The Influence Of Surrealist Art On Popular Ads, Sydney G. Thomas Ms.

Student Research Symposium

All ads draw influence from something, most of the time it is from an art movement that will mirror the mental state of the current population. The art influence used for today’s media is surrealist art, due to its chaotic representation of life that mirrors the tumultuous events gen Z and millennials have grown up with. In the surrealist art movement, the general population experienced great anxiety and grappled with the idea of the inner, subconscious self and the represented conscious self. Today, the issue of social media, what is presented compared to what is real, creates an atmosphere where …

Oregon's Racial Purity Regime: The Influence Of International Scientific Racism On Law Enforcement, Legislation, Public Health, And Incarceration In Portland, Oregon During The Victorian And Progressive Eras (1851-1917), Katherine N. Bush

Dissertations and Theses

In 1983, the Oregon State legislature repealed the eugenic sterilization law that had been in use for 60 years. Initially passed during the Progressive era, this law epitomized the State's legacy of surveilling, policing, caging, and inflicting brutality on marginalized and racialized communities who were deemed dangerous, threatening, or contagious. Public health leaders, political officials, law enforcement authorities, and private charities worked together as a multivalent system to maintain racial purity in the State. This racial purity regime drew upon a legacy of international pseudo-scientific racism to justify and bolster policies, legislation, and practices that targeted impoverished communities, people of …

The Mode Less Traveled: Exploring Bicyclist Identity In Portland, Or, Christopher Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores bicyclist as a social identity in Portland, OR and a relatively under researched topic in the existing literature about transportation mode choice. The results indicate that bicyclists in Portland do have an understanding of what it means to be a bicyclist and particularly the normative behaviors associated with that social identity. Results also indicate that barriers to entry into this social group are quite low but the path to becoming someone who regularly chooses bicycling as a mode of transportation is not straightforward and is fraught with barriers that could easily discourage new group members. Bicyclists in …

Multimorbidity Accumulation Among Middle-Aged Americans: Differences By Race/Ethnicity And Body-Mass Index., Anda Botoseneanu, Sheila Markwardt, Corey L. Nagel, Heather G. Allore, Jason T. Newsom, David A. Dorr, Ana R. Quiñones

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Obesity and multimorbidity are more prevalent among U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups. Evaluating racial/ethnic disparities in disease accumulation according to body-mass index (BMI) may guide interventions to reduce multimorbidity burden in vulnerable racial/ethnic groups.

Book Review Of, Emotions And Care: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Maurice Hamington

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Book Review: Emotions and Care: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Sophie Bourgault and Elena Pulcini (editors). Leuven: Peeters, 2018 (ISBN 978-90-429-3711-6)

Sources Of Individual Differences In Adults’ Ict Skills: A Large-Scale Empirical Test Of A New Guiding Framework, Alexandra Wicht, Stephen Reder, Clemens M. Lechner

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We develop an integrative conceptual framework that seeks to explain individual differences in the ability to use information and communication technologies (ICT skills). Building on practice engagement theory, this framework views the continued usage of digital technologies at work and in everyday life (ICT use) as the key prerequisite for the acquisition of ICT skills. At the same time, the framework highlights that ICT use is itself contingent upon individual and contextual preconditions. We apply this framework to data from two recent German large-scale studies (N = 2,495 and N = 2,786, respectively) that offer objective measures of adults’ ICT …

Psychometric Properties Of The Brief Version Of The Questionnaire Of Olfactory Disorders In Patients With Chronic Rhinosinusitis., Jose L. Mattos, Todd Bodner, Jess C. Mace, Rodney J. Schlosser, Daniel M. Beswick, Vijay R. Ramakrishnan, Jeremiah A. Alt, Spencer C. Payne, Timothy L. Smith, Zachary M. Soler

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (QOD-NS) is a 17-item instrument measuring olfactory-specific quality of life (QOL). However, in clinical research patients can be overwhelmed with multiple questionnaires. We recently developed the 7-item brief QOD-NS (B-QOD). Our objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the B-QOD in both the development (D) sample, and in a separate replication (R) sample.

Pacification Gone Awry: The U.S Failure To Underpin Hearts And Minds In South Vietnam, 1966–1968, Simon Mai

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: Throughout the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam from 1964 – 1968, one key strategy focused on pacification – the winning of the allegiance of South Vietnamese civilians to the Saigon-based Government of Vietnam (GVN). This paper will argue that American/GVN implementation of pacification programs at the provincial and village level revealed three fundamental factors that proved fatal and counterproductive. These factors were the political and social entrenchment of the Viet Cong or National Liberation Front (NLF), the provincial cronyism and corruption of GVN, and the indiscriminate application of American firepower in support of General William Westmoreland’s strategy of …

Allotrioemeis: Or, A Preposterous Preponderance Of Pins Produced, Strangely Doesburg

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Debellatus, the 1698 account of a witchcraft trial in Bargarren, Scotland, suggests new interpretations of witchcraft epidemiology. From late 1696 through 1697 a young girl named Christian Shaw experienced fits, visions, trances, and even levitation. More interesting, and decidedly the more tactile, was her tendency to demonstrate her affliction by vomiting various items: pins, straw, warm coals, balls of hair, and pieces of dung. Previous scholarship has dubbed this phenomena Allotriophagy, linking it to compulsive consumption conditions like Pica, seemingly overlooking their presence in contemporary Scottish medical literature. Furthermore, coincident accounts of stagecraft reveal numerous techniques were being practiced to …

Familiar Ecology: The Demonization Of Spirit Knowledge In Early Modern England And Its Ecological Ramifications, Ryan P. Mealiffe

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: During the English witch trials of the mid-sixteenth century to 1735, more was on trial than just the accused humans before the bar. Witch trials also threatened an entire mental landscape, the beings that inhabited it, and their relationships with both the accused and the general populace. This ecological ontology coalesced in the other party on trial: the intersectional helpers known as familiar spirits. Spirits animated the natural world, intermingled with flora and fauna, and impacted many aspects of everyday life, representing a keystone species in popular conceptions of nature in early modern England. The assumption of malevolence present …

Practical Anarchism: The Makhnovist Movement In The Ukraine, 1917–1921, Zion G. Flores

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Anarchism was one of the most prominent revolutionary left-wing movements in 19th and 20th century Europe, even contending as a philosophy with Marxism in many socialist circles. However, anarchism is generally believed today to be unrealistic and impractical as a political ideology. When looking at the modern historical record though, this does not always seem to be the case. I plan to explore whether the Makhnovist movement in the Ukraine from 1917-1921 provides an exception to the idea that anarchist movements are never viable. This movement, guided in large part by anarcho-communist Nestor Makhno, was one of the first to …

The Manifestation Of Total War In The Mexican Revolution, Craig J. Verniest

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: The concept of total war is typically conceived of as the entirety of a nation’s or other belligerent’s resources and the spheres of non-combatant, civilian-centered life being drawn into the conflict. Total war also includes the methods of warfare being conducted with the intent of exhibiting complete destruction on an enemy’s forces and moral. Although total war in the Mexican Revolution is not typically, if ever, discussed in its historiography, I am arguing that the Mexican Revolution exhibited implementation of total war in its warfare, and therefore should be discussed in its historiography to similar degrees as that of …

Before Menstruation: The Upholding And Downfall Of Child Marriage In India, Amanda Mills

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: This paper will cover the roots of the tradition of child marriage in India through the British colonial period all the way to the 1980s. This paper will attempt to dissect the economic, social, and philosophical reasonings for child marriage. Particular focus will be placed on the time of British colonial rule because that was a time of both exploitation and reform in child marriage laws. This paper will explore the language that surrounded the discourses on child marriage, from both the British colonists and the Indian detractors. This timeline will follow the legislative action that reformed child marriage …

Project Mkultra: How The Cia Used The Cold War To Commit Horrors On Us Citizens, Dawson M. Neely

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: Project MKULTRA, the CIA’s covert mind-control program, began in 1953 and operated throughout the 1960s. Evidence from a number of sources, including the transcripts from the Church Committee hearings (1975), and several news reports uncovered the atrocities of the program. One victim of MKULTRA described the effects of his treatment (for falsely diagnosed psychosomatic leg pain) as “mental rape.” These therapies ranged from electroshock, to being unwittingly drugged with LSD. The Church Committee found that these horrific events were not isolated, but rather conducted within universities, research foundations, and even prisons. The Washington Post later editorialized that lawsuits were …

From Counterinsurgency To Chemical Warfare: Technology Dependence And Agent Orange, Sophia Johnson

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy approved the use of chemical defoliants in Vietnam. Taking British use of chemical defoliants during the Malayan Emergency as precedent, American counterinsurgency efforts used the potent “rainbow” herbicides to destroy enemy crops and jungle foliage. Although the use of Agent Orange was intended to be a limited counterinsurgency tactic, the rapid escalation of Agent Orange’s use, negligence in ensuring its safety, and its auxiliary intentional use on humans all indicate an irresponsible exercise in chemical warfare on behalf of the U.S. government. Sources examined include monographs such as David Zierler’s Invention of Ecocide: Agent …

A ‘Superlicious’ Feast: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Davy Crockett’S Almanacs As An Early Form Of White National Identity, Darren L. Letendre

Phi Alpha Theta Pacific Northwest Regional Conference

Abstract: Davy Crockett’s Almanacs, published between 1835 and 1856, have been held as a prime example of nineteenth-century Anglo-American folklore. While authors have commented on their comic qualities and racist content, what has been lacking is a rhetorical analysis, as suggested by Folklorist Stephen Gencarella, which would examine the ways in which “folklore is not something that a folk does, rather… something which constitutes a folk.” This paper analyzes the almanac stories dealing with native peoples in order to understand the political and ideological discourse that was propagated by these publications. Rather than genuine folk-stories faithfully recorded by publishers, these …

"B-Ing Flexible" : Examining Creativity In Bisexual Employees, Megan Jane Snoeyink

Dissertations and Theses

Creativity is essential for organizations to remain competitive and profitable. Past evidence suggests diversity in organizations promotes creativity, however, the mechanisms through which diversity promotes creativity in the workplace are not yet understood. Diverse populations' unique experiences may promote creativity, particularly through cognitive flexibility. I investigate the potential for heightened creativity in diverse populations within the context of bisexuality. Specifically, I use the flexibility model of bisexuality to explain why bisexual employees may have greater cognitive flexibility and subsequent creativity than heterosexual employees. Additionally, I seek to understand the moderating role of supervisor support in this relationship. Participants were recruited …

Urbanization And Mental Health: The Power Of Green Space, Emma Rosenthal

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

In this presentation, I will review the negative impacts of urbanization on mental health and the positive role of green space on mental well-being. Moreover, I will provide examples of projects being conducted to increase the amount of green space in urban communities.

Socio-Ecological Perceptions Of Wildfire Management And Effects In Greece, Palaiologos Palaiologou, Kostas Kalabokidis, Andreas Troumbis, Michelle A. Day, Max Nielsen-Pincus, Alan A. Ager

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Adapting to the growing frequency of catastrophic wildfires in Greece and mitigating their effects is a complex socio-ecological problem. We used an online survey to query more than 100 engaged stakeholders who can potentially influence possible legislation and fire management organizational reform, emphasizing civil protection agencies and research entities. We focused the questionnaire on the importance of different wildfire effects to understand which were considered negative or unacceptable, indifferent, or positive. For fire prevention, we examined the range of acceptance and views on fuel management and fire use activities that are limited in extent or not allowed in Greece. We …

Racial Bias In Driver Yielding Behavior At Crosswalks, Kimberly Kahn, Peter Koonce, George Stern

PSU Transportation Seminars

This seminar discusses how pedestrian race and gender can influence drivers’ behavior in interactions with pedestrians at crosswalks. Three speakers will present different lenses to look at this topic. Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, a researcher at Portland State University, will discuss research exploring how pedestrian race and gender influence drivers’ behavior in interactions with pedestrians at crosswalks. One dangerous potential point of conflict for pedestrians within the transportation system is interactions with drivers at crosswalks, and racial minorities are disproportionately represented in pedestrian fatalities. Research tested the hypothesis that drivers’ would demonstrate unequitable yielding based on pedestrians’ race and gender in …

Covid-19 Exacerbates Existing System Factors That Disadvantage Defendants: Findings From A National Survey Of Defense Attorneys, Tarika Daftary-Kapur, Kelsey S. Henderson, Tina M. Zottoli

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

COVID-19 has impacted many facets of daily life and the legal system is no exception. Legal scholars have hypothesized that the effects of the pandemic may contribute to more coercive plea bargains (Cannon, 2020; Johnson, 2020). In this study, we explored defense attorneys' perceptions of whether and how the plea process has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.