Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Water Poverty In Disadvantaged Communities In California, Alyssa J. Galik

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

California, the eighth largest economy in the world, has nearly one million residents that lack daily access to clean drinking water, yet it recently became the first state in the US to declare water a human right through the passage of 2013 Assembly Bill 685. The majority of water quality violations take place in the rural San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated, low-income communities, which have difficulties accessing clean, drinking water due to issues including quality, affordability, and physical availability. The role of community participation in improving water poverty has been studied extensively in developing countries but its impact is infrequently …

The Relationship Between Religiosity And Friendship Quality, Namele Gutierrez, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The study’s objective was to examine a possible relationship between religiosity and friendship quality through the relational model. We hypothesized that higher levels of religiosity would positively enhance friendship quality. Young adults (N = 118) from a small, Christian university participated in an online survey. We observed a main effect for religiosity of the participant and religiosity of the best friend in predicting greater support and depth as well as an interaction between the participants’ religiosity and best friend’s religiosity in predicting support. Specifically, for participants low in religiosity, having a friend with higher levels of religiosity was associated …

Economic Analysis Of Flight Delay, Nathan D. Boettcher

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Our project began as an investigation into the phenomenon of flight delay. We approached this problem with two goals in mind. First, we used mathematical statistics and econometric methods to develop a predictive model of flight delay. An improved forecasting process has obvious benefits for customers, and would additionally shed light on the factors which airports and airlines should seek to change in order to reduce flight delay. Our secondary goal was to complement this predictive research with a theoretical analysis of the incentive structure that consumers and producers face. We limited the scope of this model to delayed flights …

The Virtual Self: Avatar And Individual Determinants Of Mood, Ivana Wang, Steven Rouse Dr., Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

We explored the potential of avatar-based games as a method of influencing mood. Factors such as avatar customization, participants’ perception of accurate avatar-self representation, self-esteem, and personality were assessed in relation to changes in affect following avatar game play.

With technology dominating the culture of the current day, it’s no surprise that people are becoming increasingly more concerned with their online persona. Most often, this impression is managed via an avatar, which through customization can become an accurate translation of the individual who created it (actual-self) or instead portray the self that he or she wants to be (ideal-self). The …