Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Come Closer: Cognitive Dissonance Between Strangers, Melissa Bond, Connie Shears

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Whether it’s reacting to unwanted invasion of our personal space (Khan & Kamal, 2010) or creating interpersonal warmth using physical touch (Williams & Bargh, 2008), our interactions with others affect us every day. But how will you feel toward a stranger that you voluntarily let invade your personal space? Cognitive dissonance states that our behaviors will dictate our attitudes instead of the other way around (Festinger, 1957) and is typically studied within an individual. The current study investigates cognitive dissonance between two people. To test the hypothesis that physical touch would change two strangers’ perception of “closeness,” we manipulated three …

Moving Back To The 18th Century View's Of Women's Role And Perception Of Their Lives: The Case Of Motherhood, Yelena Liepelt

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This project will explore the role of French women of the 18th century, and specifically the problems they faced due to their gender. I will analyze the obstacles that made it difficult for strong women, such as physicist and author Madame du Châtelet, to obtain happiness. These include the complicated identity of educated and ambitious women who lived within a strict gender binary system.

I will compare Châtelet’s concept of happiness from a female perspective to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s view of women’s happiness and maternity. Rousseau believed women played an important role in society; however, their existence was always relative to …

How Disney Is "Kingdom Hearts?” A Comparison Between Disney Films And The Video Game, Andrew Vo, Kassidy Vo

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Disney is known for movies that often entail gendered morals for boys and girls. This research examines Kingdom Hearts, a video game developed by Disney and Square Enix, to show how the game has "Disney morals" that are progressive in terms of gender, race, and religion.

Gender Gap In The Environmental Movement, Nicholas Burghard

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

It has been known in recent years, that there is a connection between political party choice, and the importance of the environment to their members. However, this correlation may only be skin deep. The objective of this research is to delve into the specific correlations between the importance of the environment to the voter, and their gender, religion, and propensity to joining New Social Movements (NSM’s). With environmentalism becoming a strong topic in candidate and voter discussions today, studies are being done to see what the audiences are backing environmentalism, and promoting its integration into modern American society. Therefore studies …

Predictors Of Support For A Woman President, Frances Chang

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In recent years, the number of women holding a higher political position is rising; additionally, more and more women are running for office. Furthermore, female politicians are increasingly being elected as the head of nations globally. Although the number of women in the government is increasing, they are still underrepresented politically compared to men and are still facing obstacles while running for office. The United States is one of the strongest countries around the world, with a successful democracy for hundreds of years. The country emphasizes liberty and equality; however, the United States has not yet had a female president. …