Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

From The President, Ellen Hammond

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

A Tribute To T. H. Tsien, Eugene W. Wu

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

New Appointments

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Memories Of T. H. Tsien

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

My Early Years At The University Of Chicago, Tai-Loi Ma

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Information Behaviors Of Nuclear Scientists At Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Youngchoon Chun, Jiho Yi, Jung-Ran Park, Sangki Choi

Journal of East Asian Libraries

The goal of the study was to analyze the information use behaviors of researchers in the science and technology domain. A survey and interviews were conducted targeting nuclear scientists at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. Study results indicate that the nuclear scientists mainly use the Institute library/information center and Internet portal/search engines during information acquisition. Easy access to information, accuracy, currency and cost are the most critical factors in selecting and obtaining information. The most frequently used database for executing research is the Institute’s electronic library (NUCLIS21) followed by the Citation Index SCOPUS. The results of the study indicate …

Why Does A Leisure Magazine Publishing House Need A Professional Librarian? An Interview With Eddie Yeung, Librarian At The South China Media Limited, Patrick Lo, Lilly Ho

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Case Study At Nanjing University And Nanjing Technology University, Shwuing Wu

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Civilizational Trauma And Value Nihilism In Boccaccio's "Decameron", David J. Rosner

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Barry Cunliffe, Europe Between The Oceans: 9000 Bc To Ad 1000, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

John Keegan, The First World War, Laina Farhat-Holzman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Andrew Targowski, The Deadly Effect Of Informatics On The Holocaust, Peter Hecht

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Aging And Pattern Separation, Nathan Giles, Dr. C. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It is widely known that as we age, our cognitive functions start to decrease, especially when it comes to memory. Memory in the human brain has major processes in the medial temporal lobe, specifically the hippocampus. It is widely accepted that in older adults, the areas in the medial temporal lobe start to atrophy and this decrease in brain tissue volume is what leads to difficulty in memory (Van Petten, 2004). Further, as we age the rate of new neuron growth (termed neurogenesis) in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus slows down (Small, 2001). Neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus …

Cortisol Profiles As Bio-Markers Of Extreme Temperaments, Claudia Rasmuseen, Dr. James Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Temperament is defined as a variation between individuals’ affective-motivational reactivity and self-regulation (Rothbart & Bates, 1998; Rothbart & Derryberry, 1981; Rettew &McKee, 2005). Temperament can be measured as early as birth and has been found to remain relatively stable across the lifespan (Goldsmith, 1987; Lansade, Bouissou & Erhard, 2008;Chronis-Tuscano, et.al, 2009). Although most temperaments used to be grouped into reactivity and self-regulation, new temperament taxonomies have been found to belong to two higher order dimensions: degree of sensitivity to signals of punishment and a propensity to experience negative emotions (Rettew & McKee, 2005). The variety in taxonomies extends to non-human …

The Effects Of Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation On The Discriminability And Generalizability Of Learning, Bengt Grua, Dr. C Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this study was to determine how sleep affects memory recall in an academic setting with relation to memory discrimination and memory generalization. Memory generalization depends on the computational process of pattern completion, which is the brain’s ability to retrieve a memory representation based on a partial or modified stimulus (such as viewing a false statement as true if it has many true elements embedded in it). Memory discrimination depends on the computational process of pattern separation, which is the brain’s ability to store a memory as distinct and separate from other, similar memories. Current models of sleep …

Maoa Genotype X Environment Interaction And Influence On Monoamine Neurotransmitter Functioning In Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Daniel Loveland, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Original Project Title: Why can’t we all just get along? MAOa genotype variation is associated with aggressive temperaments in nonhuman primates

In place of studying behavior differences among rhesus monkeys with differing MAOa genotypes, my research group and I chose to analyze the effects of genes and the environment on brain chemistry.

Good Vs. Evil: Incorporating Human Stimuli To The Question Of Infant Morality, Jordan Layton, Dr. Ross Flom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A recent as well as intriguing question in developmental psychology is whether human infants have an innate sense of morality. Media outlets such as 60 Minutes and New York Times magazine have reported findings from Hamlin et al. (2007)1 that infants as young as 6-months have the innate ability to discriminate an individual as either appealing (i.e., helpful) or aversive (i.e., hindering).

Priming The Pump: A Study Of Hidden Biases, Rachel Maxwell, Dr. Jerffrey Reber

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Priming is a method often used in psychology research to activate implicit attitudes and behaviors. Priming has been effectively demonstrated in advertising and the marketplace (North, Hargreaves, & McKendrick, 1999; Milliman, 1982; Jacob, Gueguen, & Boulbry, 2011), politics (Berger, Meredith, & Wheeler 2008; Rutchick, 2010), business (Kay, Wheeler, Bargh, & Ross, 2004), social norms (Aarts & Dijksterhuis, 2003), studies of aggression (Berkowitz & LePage, 1967), and studies of racism (Wittenbrink, Judd, & Park, 2001). In these studies certain cues in the environment led to an unconscious activation of an attitude or behavior.

Change Over Time Of White Matter Hyperintensities And Cognitive Scores In The Cache County Memory And Aging Study, Zachary Mcdonnell, Dr. Erin Bigler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging (CCMA) includes a sample of over 400 individuals with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Bigler et al., 2000). Studies have shown that White Matter Hyperintensities (WMH) on MRIs are associated with not only cognitive decline, but degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease (Philip Scheltens et al., 1998). A common and widely used clinical rating method for identifying WMH is the Scheltens Rating Scale (PH Scheltens et al., 1993). This scale rates WMH, Grey Matter Hyperintensities (GMH), Periventricular White Matter Hyperintensities (PWM), and Infratentorial Signal Hyperintensites (IFH) in a semi-quantitative scale that can be easily …

Compulsory Voting In Latin America: Good Or Bad For Democracy?, Ian Hansen, Dr. Darren Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Using survey data from across Latin America, I sought to determine whether compulsory voting laws have negative effects on constituents’ views toward democracy. I expected to find that such laws influence voters to have lower appraisals of democracy in their country.

The analysis yielded results that lend significant support to my theory. Controlling for individual demographic variables and the country-level indicators of GDP per capita and GINI Index (which measures economic inequality), it appears that compulsory voting laws do, in fact, have a statistically significant effect on support for and satisfaction with democracy. Further, although the substantive effects are small, …

Voter Turnout: How Femininity And Competence Affect Attitudes Toward Female Political Candidates, Holly Henrich, Dr. Chris Karpowitz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Currently, the United States ranks as the 86th country in women’s representation in government,with 18.2 percent of seats in the House of Representatives and 20 percent representation in the Senate (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2014). With a nation that is half comprised of women, questions are raised as to why women have historically been underrepresented in government. More coverage on the physical appearances and fashion choices of female political candidates has far exceeded the coverage given to their male counterparts (Rosholm, 2009). How female political candidates are initially perceived based on their physical attributes may be a contributing factor as to why …

A Generalized Ordered Response Model, Carla Johnston, Dr. James Mcdonald

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Does happiness depend on income? What puts people at risk to become “heavy smokers?” Do gender and wage affect job promotion? The answers to these varied questions have one thing in common: they employ grouped or categorical data. Happiness is often reported on cales of 1 to 10 (Winkelmann 2005). Tobacco users and cigarette smokers are asked if they are “non-users,” “light users,” or “heavy users” (Harris and Zhao 2007). In some professions, such as the British nursing field, careers are assigned ranks from one to six Pudney and Shields 2000). Categsorization often cannot be avoided when collecting data. The …

America’S Prodigal Devotion To Light Rail: Did Denver’S Light Rail System Help With Traffic Decongestion?, Thomas Kelemen, Dr. Michael Ransom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over the past twenty years, the Denver Regional Transit District has developed an extensive light rail public transit system in the Denver, Colorado metro area. This development was motivated, at least in part, by severe highway congestion on important highway routes to downtown Denver. In a recent analysis, Bhattacharjee and Goetz (2012) suggest that the presence of the light rail system has reduced the growth of highway traffic on major highways near the light rail network by ten percent, relative to routes in areas not served by light rail. We show that such an effect is implausibly large. We provide …

Skill, Complexity, And Strategic Interaction, Val Lambson, John Van Den Berghe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract: We present a win-loss game between players with explicitly-modeled cognitive limitations. Differences in the players’ abilities to analyze the available actions and deduce the optimal choices induce preferences over the complexity of the environment and hence incentives to manipulate that complexity. More skilled players are always at an advantage. In a class of long-horizon games with constant complexity, greater complexity favors the less- skilled player when the more-skilled player is the last mover. When the less-skilled player moves last there are countervailing effects. Finally, when complexity can be manipulated over the course of the game, the benefits of strategic …

Opportunism In Ugandan Ngos: A Randomized Field Experiment, Eric Reuben Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Corruption undermines the effectiveness of international development. The financial integrity of non-governmental organizations (NGO) can be improved by donor-to-organization contact, but foreign donors rarely travel to countries such as Uganda. This project involved a randomized design to compare the size of project bids by NGO management when approached by potential donors (foreigners) or donor representatives (Ugandan citizens). Local donor representatives were more likely to be denied information during an in-person visit than the foreigners visiting NGOs. Otherwise, foreign potential donors were provided with information that was the same as local representatives, except in 6 instances in which bids were substantially …

Predictive Factors Of Gender, Attitudes Towards Sec, And Relationships On Signs Of Dating Violence In Japan, Joshua Murphy, Niwako Yamawaki

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Domestic violence is on the rise and poses serious societal and health concerns. Studies have shown that between 21% and 34% of all women in the United States will be physically assaulted by an intimate partner (Browne, 1993). Shockingly, 1 of every 5 female high school students have reported physical and/or sexual assault by her date (Silverman, Raj, Mucci, & Hathaway, 2001). Furthermore, in Japan a study done by Nakata (2007) found that 30% of female high school participants reported they had experienced unwanted sexual activity. It is important that this study occurs given the lack of investigation in adolescents’ …

Effects Of Chronic Ethanol On Gaba(A) Receptors In The Vta, Ashley Nelson, Dr. Scot Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes approximately 80,000 deaths annually to excessive alcohol use (CDC), and alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States (Mokdad et al., 2004). These statistics do not even describe the detrimental effects alcohol addiction has on personal lives and families. The accepted model for addiction in the brain is a change in the normal regulation of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) in the mesolimbic pathway. Studying this pathway is important in developing treatments for addiction, which has implications to improve the lives of many suffering people. The primary …

The Effect Of Second Language Reading On Eye Movement On Second Language Learners, Kyle Nelson, Dr. Steven Luke

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Due to the difficulty of finding valid and reliable testing material for our subjects to read, this current study has been significantly delayed. Finding reading passages that can be rated for difficulty for a non native speaker to read has been difficult and only in recent weeks have we found, through the generous help researchers in the linguistics department at BYU, materials that we finally feel can be used in such a study as the one we have proposed to carry out. Finally having reading passages that have been previously rated and used in research provides reliable passages with which …

Fear Of Negative Evaluation In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Catie Nielson, Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by social communication deficits and restricted repetitive behaviors. Studies have found co­‐morbidity of ASD and social anxiety disorder (SAD), but it is unclear how the anxiety experienced in ASD is socially mediated (White, Oswald, Ollendick and Scahill; 2009). In this study, we measured psychophysiological reactivity during socially stressful (performance­‐evaluated) trials compared to unevaluated trials. We aimed to understand how anxiety in people with ASD is mediated by fear of negative social evaluation, a key factor in SAD. We hypothesized that the ASD group would show elevated stress during evaluation, whether the task was hard …

The Effects Of Trilostane And Dheas On Dopamine Release In The Nucleus Accumbens, Tyler Okelberry, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol dependency is a serious, widespread problem in the United States. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that “In 2009, the number of persons aged 12 or older needing treatment for an alcohol use problem was 19.3 million (7.7 percent of the population aged 12 or older).” ¹ The following study contributed to a growing body of research about alcohol addiction and the brain. The study focused on a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. The release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens has been implicated in the mental processes of reward and …