Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Uncharted Territory: Researching The Effect Of Implicit Bias On The Political Attitudes Of Black Participants, Briona Young

Scholars Week

Extant research suggests that implicit bias can predict behavior such as voting, policy preferences, and assessment of government performance (Pérez 2010). Yet, research on implicit bias has largely excluded people of color, leaving a wide gap in our understanding of implicit bias and its effects on society (Orey, 2013). In this study, we research implicit bias within the black community and test its effects on political attitudes. We administer Harvard’s Implicit Association Test (IAT) and a survey to measure levels of implicit bias and subsequently policy preferences and trust in government. We expect to find that the black participants with …

Global Criminal Justice Practices And Public Safety, Rachel Hwang

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Popular political discourse in the U.S. assumes that more funding for law enforcement and prison facilities will make civilians safer, presumably by reducing crime and sense of disorder. However, studies have shown that the relationship between these factors may not be as straightforward. With the killing of George Floyd and increased media coverage of police brutality, existing literature focuses mainly on the relationship between police and crime in the U.S. The impact of incarceration (the result of procedural justice) on the community (for whom procedural justice exists) is less known, especially on a global scale. We argue that cycling people …

The Mobilizing Effect Of Descriptive Representation? The Impact Of Representatives’ Race And Gender On Participation, Akayla Henson, Brittany Wood

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Studies on the effect of increased descriptive representation on political participation have yielded mixed results. This research explores the relationship between descriptive representation and political participation. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how the race and gender of political representatives affect electorate participation. We conduct a unique survey experiment where participants receive communication from a political representative. The treatment conditions varied based on representative race (black, white) and gender (man, woman). We hypothesized that participants who receive correspondence from a representative of the same gender and race as themselves (i.e., in-group) will be more likely to participate than a participant …

How News Media Coverage Of Crises Promotes Conspiracy Beliefs, Richard Kornrumpf, Adam Enders Phd

Posters-at-the-Capitol

While scholars of conspiracy theories have recently made great strides in understanding the basic nature and correlates of conspiratorial thinking, we still know little about how conspiracy beliefs are disseminated and communicated, especially when it comes to traditional media. In this instance, we use a unique experiment to investigate whether media coverage of mass shootings – complete with the uncertainty, conflicting reports, and dubious official narratives that characterize such coverage – provides the raw material for conspiracy theories and promotes conspiracy beliefs among viewers. We find that implicit conspiratorial information – that which causes confusion and foments uncertainty – does …

Gender And Representation: Economic Performance And The Emergence Of Women In State Politics, Chris Jackson

Posters-at-the-Capitol

A plethora of literature in gender and representation has been devoted to understanding disparities that occur during campaigns. More recently, the shift has been toward candidate emergence and the decision of individual women to run in the United States. In this vein, we are curious whether women are likely to run for office following times of economic prosperity or disparity, respectively. We hypothesize that when the state of the economy is generally decreasing in terms of declining GDP per capita and growing unemployment rates, fewer women will emerge to run for office. In times of worse economic performance, we argued …

I'M With Us, But Not With Them: A Study Of In-Group Bias And Political Party, Quinn Lambert

Scholars Week

The purpose of this research is to test the interaction of in-group/out-group bias and political parties. This research is especially necessary and timely due to the unstable and somewhat unorthodox political climate surrounding our country this year. Research by Olivola, Sussman, Tsetsos, Kang, and Todorov (2012) shows that voters identifying as Republicans showed a greater preference for candidates who fit the physical stereotype of a Republican (an older white male) even if that candidate was not a Republican. My research asks if in-group biases apply to perceptions of attractiveness and trustworthiness. I hypothesized that participants will be more likely to …

2016 Presidential Campaign And The American College Student, Madison Frost

Scholars Week

It is perceived by many that college students have low awareness of the presidential campaign and its candidates. Many blame the sources from which knowledge is attained. Most researchers agree that the Internet and newspaper are the most popular sources, and both are positively related to political knowledge (Kenski & Stroud, 2006; Valentino, Hutchings, & Dmitri, 2004; Cao, 2008). Cao (2008) also found a positive association between young adults and political comedy shows, which have become even more popular since 2008. Other researchers found that watching presidential debates increased knowledge of candidates, but only individuals who were already interested in …

Boiling Over On The Back Burner: Why Downplaying North Korea’S Nuclear Ambitions Is A Dangerous Proposition, Justin T. Baldwin

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Boiling Over on the Back Burner: Why Downplaying North Korea’s Nuclear Ambitions is a Dangerous Proposition

Justin Baldwin

Mentor: Dr. Ryan K. Baggett

Homeland Security Program, Eastern Kentucky University

Abstract

For over sixty years, the Korean Peninsula has teetered on the brink of violence between two countries still technically at war. Since the division of Korea at the 38^th parallel in 1945, a power struggle between North and South and, ultimately, Communism and Democracy has become a dangerous stalemate.

While many have downplayed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a backwards, isolated nation with a leader thirsty …

The Conflict In Syria: Should The United States Get More Involved?, Jacob Peoples

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The purpose of this research is to explore the relations between Syria, Russia, and the United States in the Syrian civil war. The relationship has been in turmoil because of the complexities of the situation. Syria has been a designated state sponsor of terrorism since December 29, 1979, five years before the next designated state of Iran. Syria is a very important and strategic country and now more than ever has a large risk of being completely overrun by the newest terrorist group ISIS. The turmoil is possibly stemming initially from the result of a failed 1957 Central Intelligence Agency …

United States Federal Courts And Inter-Branch War Powers, Erica Lindsey Fields

Posters-at-the-Capitol

US Federal Courts and Inter-Branch War Powers

Author: Erica Fields, with Dr. Jasmine Farrier and Dr. Laura Moyer

Department of Political Science- University of Louisville

Introduction

When a separation of powers issue arises between the branches of the United States government, they can seek remedy in the federal courts. This has become especially relevant in the area of war powers. Over the past 40 years, members of Congress have challenged Presidential encroachment of war powers 10 times in the courts.

Purpose

To determine if the rulings in the 10 war powers cases could best be explained by the ideologies of …