Digital Commons Network^™

Bullying In Sport Harms Athletes Mentally And Physically And Impairs Their Performance, Jessica Hamilton

Student Research Symposium

While bullying in sporting contexts is thought to be highly prevalent (Parent & Fortier, 2018), it is understudied and not well-defined within the sport psychology literature. Bullying is defined in the general peer aggression literature as repeated, intentional harm of a person across an interpersonal relationship with an asymmetric power balance (Olweus, 1994) and often occurs across peers. Furthermore, the literature highlights how bullying in academic settings is associated with detrimental outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, suicidality, and substance abuse (Armitage, 2021), so the effects that bullying in sport might have on victims and perpetrators are of particular interest. The …

Comparing Vasopressin Receptor 1a Density In Paired Vs. Widowed Coyote Brains, Jacey Hopkin

Student Research Symposium

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a neuropeptide known for its key role in the formation of social bonds and acts through binding to the AVP 1a receptor (AVPR1a). Most notably, research has demonstrated that monogamous species have higher levels of AVPR1a compared to non-monogamous species. AVPR1a is typically found in brain regions facilitating individual relations, social memory, and interspecies attachment; these areas are closely associated with partner preference and monogamous behavior. In addition, it has been observed in prairie voles that levels of social neuropeptides, such as oxytocin, will decrease when pair-mates are separated for extended time periods. A majority of …

Reducing Impulsive Choice In Female Rats, Joshua Jones, Christine Layne, Sofia Sperber

Student Research Symposium

Early and prolonged exposure to reward delays has been found to be effective in reducing impulsive choice in male Long-Evans rats. Replication in female subjects ensures that this effect is generalizable across the sexes. Such studies also expand our knowledge of factors associated with impulsive control. The present study randomly assigned 12 female Long Evans rats into a delayed exposure group (DE) or an immediate exposure group (IE). Groups completed 120 sessions (80 trials each) of training. In each of these training trials, rats pressed a lever to earn a food reward. For DE rats, food was delayed by 17.5 …

Delayed Autism Diagnosis In Girls Due To Social Masking, Madeline Abram-Moyle

Student Research Symposium

Objective: To determine if camouflaging social and linguistic skills delays autism diagnosis in girls ages 6-18 years old compared to boys of the same age.

Methods: A rapid review from PubMed database to review relevant evidence.

Results: Evidence that social and linguistic camouflaging lead to delayed diagnosis in autistic girls compared to autistic boys is strong, but evidence is lacking that these forms of camouflaging lead to poor mental health in autistic girls ages 6-18.

Conclusion: Diagnostic criteria for autism should be updated to include female behavior and language patterns.

Climate Change In South Asia: A Review Of Perceptions, Coping, And Adaptation Strategies, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed

Student Research Symposium

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the entire planet. It has been found that South Asia is highly susceptible to the negative consequences of climate change, making it one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. In addition, agriculture makes up the majority of this region's economy, which accounts for the vast majority of GDP. A handful of individuals also occupy an area of arable land that is smaller than 0.1 hectares in size. As a result, local people in the South Asian region, particularly farmers, have utilized a variety of coping and adaptation tactics …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, April 17, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:30 Call to Order, Approval of Minutes – March 20, 2023
• 3:35 University Business
• 3:50 Faculty Senate Presidency Business
• 4:00 Information, Educational Policies Committee – April 6, 2023
• 4:05 Reports, Committee on Committees Annual Report, Calendar Committee Annual Report, Recruitment and Retention Annual Report
• 4:20 Old Business
• 4:25 New Business, Faculty Code 405 original | track changes | final (1st Reading). Faculty Senate President Elect, Format and Responsibilities for 2023-2024 Faculty Senate Meetings, Faculty Senate Executive Committee Membership.
• 5:00 Adjourn

Perceptions Of Disabilities Among Native Americans Within The State Of Utah, Erica Ficklin, Melissa Tehee, Sherry Marx, Eduardo Ortiz, Megan E. Golson, Tyus Roanhorse

Psychology Student Research

Currently, little research exists on disabilities among Native American communities and no research exists on how Native Americans perceive disabilities, services currently available, and unmet needs. Understanding these key areas is essential to providing efficacious and culturally relevant care. To address this gap in the literature, we used Indigenous research methodology through sharing circles throughout the state of Utah to listen and amplify the voices of the Native communities. Participants shared how they conceptualize "disability," what they thought of current services, and how they thought the needs of Native persons with disabilities should be addressed. Four major themes emerged in …

Social Isolation And Third Place, Katelyn Bauer

Student Research Symposium

Social isolation and human connection are key to human quality of life. This research was undertaken to understand what spaces could help to foster social interaction and connection. Third places, the place between home and work, were found to have significant positive impact on both individuals and communities. The presentation discusses the criteria of third place, examples, benefits, and some causes of loss of third place in modern society.

The Family Place Utah Princess & Prince Party: Who Attends And Which Activities Did They Enjoy?, Ann Peterson, Clara Alder

Student Research Symposium

Attending community events can have significant benefits for the families who attend. Some of these benefits include providing an opportunity for socialization and strengthen family relationships (Liu, 2022). The Family Place Utah hosts a community event called the Princess and Prince Party. The Princess and Prince Party is an event where families can attend and meet some of their favorite Princesses and Princes. At the event, data was gathered from participants using Qualtrics. The results indicated that majority of the children in attendance were ages 3-5 and families attending because their children enjoy interacting with the characters.

Oxytocin Receptor Binding In The Substantia Nigra In Schizophrenia, Ariel Snowden

Student Research Symposium

Schizophrenia is a chronic, psychiatric disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, cognitive deficits, and social cognitive impairments. Although antipsychotic drugs are typically effective in treating psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia, the social cognitive symptoms often persist. As social cognitive functioning is predictive of successful life outcomes in schizophrenia, there is a critical need to determine the biological basis of social cognitive impairments. Due to its ability to affect social behaviors in animals and humans, the oxytocin (OXT) system has become a therapeutic target of interest for schizophrenia. Although several studies examine the OXT system in schizophrenia in the periphery, it is currently …

The Grieving Brain: Effect Of Pairmate Loss On Coyote Oxytocin Receptor Densities, Kaleb Keller

Student Research Symposium

Complicated grief is a severe mental health disorder that can have detrimental effects on individuals who have lost a loved one. Understanding the biological underpinnings of grief is essential in being able to help develop effective treatments and therapies. Oxytocin is heavily implicated in studies about grief and pairmate loss due to its importance in modulating social behavior such as pair bond formation. Previous research has primarily focused on rodents and non-human primates as model organisms of social attachment and studies have shown that monogamous prairie voles showed a decrease in oxytocin receptor (OXTR) binding in the nucleus accumbens after …

Cultivating Fluent And Meaningful Writing Through Empathy-Centered Texts In The Third Grade Classroom, Lori Qian

Student Research Symposium

In this qualitative case study, my professor and I examined how my class of third-grade students endeavored to construct meaning around empathy as they cultivated their fluency-centered writing skills. Through the use of empathy-based, culturally-responsive reading lessons, and knowing that reading and writing are intricately connected, the researchers draw upon specific book choices and a well-crafted discussion structure to encourage meaningful, fluent writing. By designing and instituting a simple yet purposeful reading response template, as well as implementing certain classroom practices, the researchers are able to observe the degree to which the text, associated discussion, and classroom practices have an …

Promoting And Providing Oral Healthcare For Francophone Africa, Mckay Lund

Student Research Symposium

Oral health is key to overall health. Many people in francophone African countries face challenges in oral health including: lack of access to healthcare, cost of healthcare, lack of dentists and oral surgeons, lack of funding, and lack of effective oral health public health education or ad campaigns in French or other languages they speak.

Beyond ‘Bisexual’: Toward A New Conceptualization Of Bi+ Experience, Brook Hutchinson

Student Research Symposium

Scholars have begun to explore the sexuality binary and the way it is experienced by and reinforced among bisexual individuals. However, extant research has not yet analyzed the experiences of bi+ individuals in heterosexual relationships, including those who have never experienced a non-heterosexual relationship. The current study seeks to fill this gap through a case study of bi+ individuals in Utah. Relying on in-depth interviews with sixteen bi+ identified individuals, this study explores the experiences of bi+ individuals engaged in heterosexual relationships and how these individuals define their sexuality and negotiate their identity. Preliminary analyses reveal unique experiences among this …

The Impact Of The Family Place Utah's Better Together Program On Parent/Caregiver Distress, Mitchell Adair

Student Research Symposium

Parenting challenges and overall stress have increased in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic (Adams et al., 2020). The Better Together program at The Family Place Utah was developed to provide children with positive childhood experiences (PCEs), improve family functioning, and increase nurturing and attachment between parents and their children. We explore the positive impact Better Together has on parent stress.A sample of 219 caregivers with children aged 0 to 18 years participated in a randomized experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the Better Together program. Families were randomly assigned to a treatment or waitlist group. Treatment participants started …

Heart2heart Online: A Discrimination-Based Stress Reduction Intervention For People Of Color, Shari Linares

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this project was to extend prior work on developing an intervention to reduce discrimination-based stress, moving from Latinx college students to a broader audience of people of color. In addition, moving the intervention online from a face-to-face modality allowed the researchers to have a broader reach, thus broader impact and larger reach. The original intervention, Heart 2 Heart was developed for in-person delivery prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Domenech Rodríguez Linares, 2020a). A single-subject design evaluation showed some evidence of promise in reducing discrimination-based stress, however, the project was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, …

Applying A Health-Risk Model To Climate Change Communication: The Benefits And Barriers Of The Eppm For Inciting Carbon Footprint Reductions, Mikenna Debruin

Student Research Symposium

Whereas over 99% of the scientific community believes in the concept of anthropogenic climate change, lay support is still lagging behind. I suggest three key factors to lagging lay support: 1) complexity, 2) manufactured scientific controversy, and 3) doom-and-gloom framing. Because of these factors, individuals are less willing believe in the prevalence of human-induced climate change, nonetheless do something about it. The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), however, presents a model to assuage eco-anxiety and counter psychological distance from the problem. The EPPM, proposed by Kim Witte in the 1990s, combines appeals to threat and appeals to efficacy to contextualize …

Elementary Education In Ethiopia, Sarah Wiscomb

Student Research Symposium

In developing and developed countries alike, children do not have access to basic education because of inequalities that originate in sex, health and cultural identity (ethnic origin, language, religion). These children find themselves on the margins of the education system and do not benefit from learning that is vital to their intellectual and social development. Factors linked to poverty such as unemployment, illness and the illiteracy of parents, multiply the risk of non-schooling and the drop-out rate of a child by 2. Undeniably, many children from disadvantaged backgrounds are forced to abandon their education due to health problems related to …

Haven Women's Shelter: Interior Design Promoting Equality, Safety, And Comfort, Sierra Martineau

Student Research Symposium

The objective of this project was to develop a concept that would not only enhance accessibility for occupants of a women’s shelter, but also create an environment where interior design fosters healing and comfort for its residents. The space was designed to cater not only to women but also their children and pets, offering all necessary facilities to meet the residents’ needs within the shelter’s premises.To create this vision, included in the space is a comprehensive set of amenities, including a therapy room with an onsite therapist, a medical room staffed by a qualified registered nurse, a daycare area for …

Is The Pen Mightier Than The Computer? An Analysis Of Digital Natives’ Preference For Writing Tools, Dylan Ash, Landon Corbett, Jane Harvey, Clarissa Lloyd, Ellie Miller, Lauren Myers, Hannah Potter, William Spence, Mason Bodell, Avery Truman, Anna Tuite, Isabelle Vasquez, Nevaeh Villastrigo

Student Research Symposium

Students in Honors 1320, History of Writing, investigated traditional, college-aged students and their preferred writing implements. Digital Natives--people born after 1980 who grew up with technology--are assumed to prefer digital writing implements such as computers, tablets, and Smartphones. Do they really tend to use digital implements, or do they use analog instruments such as pens and pencils? To find out, the researchers designed a Qualtrics survey to ask students about their use of digital and analog writing tools. A second data source were essays on the topic 'My Favorite Writing Implement,' which were analyzed on a spreadsheet, counting each instance …

Dignity And Functionality In Affordable Housing Design, Olivia Wallentine

Student Research Symposium

The cost of housing across the United States is becoming a major issue that seems to be spiraling quickly out of control. The percentage of Americans who report that the availability of affordable housing is a major problem in their community is rising quickly, and it is becoming much more difficult for young adults to buy a home than in previous generations. The inability to afford housing, or anything beyond housing, has severe consequences across society. These include but are not limited to poverty, homelessness, poor public health, economic decline, population decline, high crime rates, and low education rates.Affordable housing …

Design For The Betterment Of Senior Living, Summer V B Miller

Student Research Symposium

My great-grandparents have always been an inspiration to me, their smiles could light a room. They had always been a big part of the community and I could tell they were craving these connections in their living facility but were living in an environment that did not nurture new relationships. Through design senior living facilities can encourage connection, hobbies, and good quality of life. By using research regarding the proper use of natural light, color, and design we can create atmospheres worthy of anyone's beloved family members.

Connecting Beliefs, Mindsets, Anxiety, And Self-Efficacy In Computer Science Learning: An Instrument For Capturing Secondary School Students’ Self-Beliefs, Luis Morales-Navarro, Michael T. Giang, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Context

Few instruments exist to measure students’ CS engagement and learning especially in areas where coding happens with creative, project-based learning and in regard to students’ self-beliefs about computing.

Objective

We introduce the CS Interests and Beliefs Inventory (CSIBI), an instrument designed for novice secondary students to learn by designing projects (particularly with physical computing).. The inventory contains subscales on beliefs on problem solving competency, fascination in design, value of CS, creative expression, and beliefs about context-specific CS abilities alongside programming mindsets and outcomes. We explain the creation of the instrument and attend to the role of mindsets …

The Utah Statesman, April 10, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, April 3, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Efficacy And Feasibility Of A Fully Automated, Web-Based Acceptance-Enhanced Behavioral Treatment For Trichotillomania In Adults: A Randomized Waitlist-Controlled Trial, Leila K. Capel, Julie M. Petersen, Mckenzie R. Becker, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Student Research

Treatment access for those with trichotillomania is limited by several issues including professionals’ lack of knowledge of the disorder, proximity to providers, and financial constraints. Acceptance-enhanced behavioral therapy (AEBT) has been implemented in groups and using telehealth to reach a larger population. However, these methods still require therapist time and incur notable costs. This study aimed to address the gap in trichotillomania treatment accessibility by examining the feasibility and efficacy of a self-guided, web-based AEBT treatment for adults with trichotillomania across the United States. Participants completed an eight-module asynchronous program over eight weeks. The effects of the website were tested …

An Exploration Of Computational Text Analysis Of Co-Design Discourse In A Research-Practice Partnership, Mei Tan, Victor R. Lee

Publications

In combination with contextualized human interpretation, computational text analysis offers a quantitative approach to interrogating the nature of participation and social positioning in discourse. Using meeting transcript data from the development of a co-design research-practice partnership, we examine the roles and forms of participation that contribute to an effective collaboration between a multileveled school system and researcher partners. We apply computational methods to explore the language of co-design and multi-stakeholder perspectives in support of educational improvement science efforts and our theoretical understanding of partnership roles. Results indicate participation patterns align with documented roles in co- design partnerships and highlight the …

Introduction To The Special Issue On The Acbs Taskforce Report, Michael P. Twohig, Joanna J. Arch, Ian Stewart

Psychology Faculty Publications

In 2021, the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) published a white paper titled “Report of the ACBS Task Force on the strategies and tactics of contextual behavioral science research.” The focus of this report was to guide research done by members of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science. This report offered 33 specific recommendations under five themes. This paper is the introduction to a special issue of JCBS that includes eight commentaries written by leaders in their respective fields on the taskforce report. These commentaries offer praise and suggestions based on the ACBS report.

Rethinking Behavior - Spring 2023, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Spring 2023, Volume 6, Issue 3

The Impact Of Family Support And Rejection On Suicide Ideation And Attempt Among Transgender Adults In The U.S., Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, Gabe H. Miller, Jesse Ezra Shircliff, Mario Itzel Suárez

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

We evaluate the association of familial factors and suicidality among transgender adults in the U.S. by estimating the odds of lifetime suicide ideation and attempt using the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Predictors include family support, family rejection, and specific experiences related to both. About 79% of sample respondents have experienced suicidal ideation and nearly 43% have made a suicide attempt. The predicted probability of suicide attempt is 0.35 for those with no family rejection experiences, 0.75 for those who have had all five experiences in our models. Rejection predicts both outcomes and experiences of rejection have a cumulative impact.