Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Influencing Political Tolerance Among Populists In The Uk, Stephen Black, Kirk Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent years, politics around the world have seen a drastic change in its elections. Not too long ago, Mexican leftist populist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador swept the elections in July 2018. It did not come as a surprise as several other countries, especially in Europe, have seen a wave of populism emerging with the election of centrist French President Emmanuel Macron and the reelection of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In this context, populists are generally those who view the world with an “us-versus-them” mentality and who see some sort of conspiring elite (often the government) who disregard the …

Archaeometry For The Ancestors: Stable Isotope Analysis Of Skeletal Remains From Huarochirí, Perú, Ridge Anderson, Zachary Chase, Phd

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Huarochirí region of the central coast of Peru has been of utmost importance to Andean anthropologists since the late 1930s discovery of the Huarochirí Manuscript. The manuscript is the only historical document we have that is written in an indigenous Andean language. Consequently, it has been one of the main sources for understanding indigenous Andean lifeways leading up to the Early Colonial period. The first systematic archaeological research in this area commenced in 2010 under the Proyecto Arqueológico Huarochirí-Lurin Alto (PAHLA) directed by Dr. Zachary Chase. So far, the research involved in PAHLA indicates a different story than the …

Populism And Emotions, Allison Adams, Kirk Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In November 2016, the United States elected a strongly populist candidate, Donald Trump, as President. This seems to be a part of a larger wave, one that includes the Brexit vote and parties that have come to power in Hungary, Poland, Greece, and Italy. Populism can have positive and negative effects on democratic institutions and social unity. Because of this, social scientists are trying to understand the reasons why populist parties win elections, especially how populist candidates win the support of individual voters.

Destined To Dominate? Exploring The Link Between Prenatal Androgens And Dominance Rank In Rhesus Monkeys, Alexander Baxter, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prenatally, androgens are responsible for masculinizing the developing male fetus. Prenatal androgen exposure (PAE) also shapes male brain functioning and organization, and is the main underlying influence underlying sexually dimorphism, to a certain extent even in adulthood. Through its effect on the brain, PAE can influence personality and behavior, likely contributing to gross sex differences in these traits, as well as within-sex variation (see Manning, 2011). One of the most commonly used biomarkers used to study PAE is the second-to-fourth-finger length ratio (2D:4D ratio). In humans, males tend to have a longer ring finger and shorter pointer finger (i.e., a …

University And College Counseling Centers: Collegiate Athletes Shifting Changes In Mental Health Risk, Lilly Bautista, Rachelle Clayson, Jared Klundt, Davey Erekson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Within the college population, student athletes are often considered a unique population for mental health concerns. There are more student athletes than ever before, with over 460,000 students participating in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, 2016). Student athletes have access to more resources than the typical student, but the amount of utilization and extent of these resources can vary greatly. Specifically, the utilization of university and college counseling centers.

Seeing The World Through Humility-Tinted Glasses: Exploring Social Cognitive Explanations For Outcomes Of Humility, Chayce Baldwin, Dr. Robert Ridge

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent years, psychological research on humility has burgeoned, highlighting the influence of humility in prominent aspects of life such as well-being (Toussaint & Webb, 2017), interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behaviors (Hilbig, Zettler, & Heydasch, 2012), as well as self-control (De Vries et al., 2013). Particularly, studies have connected humility to traits and behaviors such as agreeableness and conscientiousness (Lee & Ashton, 2004), cooperation (Hilbig et al., 2012), and helpfulness (Exline & Hill, 2012), painting a picture of humility as predominantly prosocial and characterized by low self-focus. Indeed, many researchers highlight low self-focus as a defining attribute of humility, with …

Association Between Exposure To Air Pollution And Hippocampal Volume In Adults In The Uk Biobank, Dawson W. Hedges, Lance D. Erickson, Jackie Kunzelman, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale

Faculty Publications

Background: The hippocampus is important for memory processing. Several neuropsychiatric diseases including Alzheimer’s disease are associated with reduced hippocampal volume, and further the hippocampus appears vulnerable to environmental insult. Air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular disease, abnormal brain structure, and cognitive deficits.

Objective: Because of hippocampal vulnerability to environmental insults and based on the association between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function and brain structure, we evaluated the association between exposure to toxins in air pollution and left and right hippocampal volume using brain-imaging and air-pollution data from the UK Biobank, a large community-based dataset.

Methods …

Somebody To Lean On: The Moderating Effect Of Relationships On Links Between Social Withdrawal And Self-Worth, Brandon N. Clifford, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

Previous research has discovered different subtypes of social withdrawal based on motivations to approach or avoid social interactions. Each of these motivations are uniquely related to indices of maladjustment during emerging adulthood, including aspects of the self. However, research has yet to investigate whether or not relationship quality moderates these associations. The purpose of this study was to examine whether relationship quality with best friends, romantic partners, mothers, and fathers, respectively, serve as protective factors in the negative links between shyness and avoidance and self-worth. The participants included 519 college students (Mage = 19.87, SD= 1.99, 61% female) from four …

Cardiovascular Factors Moderate The Association Of Infection Burden With Cognitive Function In Young To Middle-Aged U.S. Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges, Andrew N. Berrett, Evan L. Thacker

Faculty Publications

Background: Infectious diseases might affect cognitive aging and dementia risk, possibly via neuroinflammation. Similarly, risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are associated with cognitive function and dementia. We hypothesized that cardiovascular risk factors moderate the association of exposure to infectious diseases with cognitive function.

Methods: We studied 5662 participants aged 20 to 59 years from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) in the United States. We used linear regression to investigate whether the Framingham general cardiovascular risk index moderated the association of infection burden based on exposure to eight different infectious diseases with cognitive functioning as …

Discrimination, Coping, And Social Exclusion Among African Immigrants In The United States: A Moderation Analysis, Sherinah K. Saasa

Faculty Publications

This cross-sectional study examined coping strategies as moderators of the relationship between perceived discrimination and social exclusion among African immigrants in the United States (N = 409). Moderation models using path analyses were conducted to examine the moderating effects of three coping strategies (active coping, use of instrumental support, and religious coping) on the relationship between discrimination and four dimensions of social exclusion: (1) material deprivation, (2) limited access to basic social rights, (3) limited social participation, and (4) insufficient cultural integration. Increases in perceived discrimination were associated with increased social exclusion on all four dimensions. Increased use of active …

The Longest-Lasting Relationship: Patterns Of Contact And Well-Being Among Mid- To Later-Life Siblings, Alexander C. Jensen, Makayla K. Nielson, Jeremy B. Yorgason

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Adults in mid to later life experience shrinking social networks, which may hinder well-being. Siblings may be important sources of social contact. Yet, little is known about adults’ patterns of contact with siblings and how contact is linked to well-being.

Method: Participants included 491 adults from across the United States (M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female) recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk; they reported on their contact with their sibling in person, over the phone, via email, texting, and social media.

Results: Latent class analysis found evidence for four patterns of contact (classes) among siblings: low, …

Examining Religious Commitment, Personality, And Well-Being Among Latter-Day Saints, Kawika Allen, Ofa Hafoka, Lane Fischer

Faculty Publications

This study examined religious commitment, the big five personality traits, social interaction anxiety, and anger among 110 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Results suggest the majority of the participants are religious, score high on agreeableness and conscientiousness, and low on social interaction anxiety and anger. Agreeableness mediated the relationship between religious commitment and anger, and extraversion moderated the relationship between religious commitment and social interaction anxiety. Counseling strategies are discussed for social work providers. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Marta, Marta, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Marta is a member of the support community for Central American refugees arriving in the southwest US. In this interview, Marta shares her own story of crossing the border at a young age with her daughter and her life in the US. Marta was self-employed for many years and later went on to serve in the US Army in Iraq. For the last 9 months, she and her husband Israel and son Josue have worked tirelessly to help make sure the current refugees arriving are cared for after they are released from detention centers and begin their lives in the …

The Impact Of Sleep Restriction On Food-Related Inhibitory Control And Food Reward In Adolescents: Physical Activity And Weight Status As Potential Moderators, Kara Mcrae Duraccio

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to evaluate associations between sleep duration and food-related inhibitory control and food reward in adolescents aged 12-18. Potential moderating effects of physical activity and weight status on the association between sleep, inhibitory control, and food reward were also examined. To evaluate these associations, the study employed a two-phase crossover design in which participants spent either 5 hours per night (restricted sleep) or 9 hours per night (habitual sleep) in bed for 5 nights. Participants completed a food-related inhibitory control task and a questionnaire assessing for food reward on the 6th day of each study phase. Repeated …

A Doxycycline Inducible Hek-293 Model For The Characterization And Screening Of ∂3Β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Ashley Diana Sego

Theses and Dissertations

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are found widely throughout the body. Like all members of the cys-loop family of receptors, nAChRs are composed of five protein subunits, each with a large extra-cellular domain and four transmembrane domains. Together these subunits form a binding domain, transmembrane pore, and selectivity filter. Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, formed exclusively from α2-10 and β2-4 subunits, can form in many arrangements and stoichiometries. Each arrangement can have varying binding affinities and channel kinetics, resulting in great modulatory control. α3 and β2 subunit mRNA is found in CA1 interneurons in the stratum radiatum and stratum oriens of the …

School Psychologists’ Perceptions Of Selecting Divorce-Themed Books For Elementary-Aged Children Experiencing Parental Divorce, Tarryn Elizabeth Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Divorce is a common event in the United States; an estimated 50% of marriages end in divorce. With so many divorces each year, a substantial number of children are impacted. Divorce can have negative effects socially, behaviorally, emotionally, and academically, in both the short term and the long term. Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic tool centered on the use of books and stories to assist in the understanding and expression of an event. Bibliotherapy has been shown to be effective for children who have experienced similar traumatic events such as loss. Research suggests that bibliotherapy could be a flexible, cost efficient, …

Cognitive Control And Context Maintenance In Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Ocd), Lindsay Morgan Fruehauf

Theses and Dissertations

Context maintenance, an aspect of cognitive control, is the internal representation and utilization of task-relevant information that helps achieve task goals. Alterations in context maintenance may be responsible for the cognitive difficulties seen in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We used two tasks designed to measure context maintenance: a) the cued-Stroop, a single-trial version of Golden’s Stroop test that varies the cue for each trial (color-naming or word-reading), and b) the AX-CPT task, a continuous performance task that has participants respond to an “A” only when followed by an “X,” with all other non-target trials labeled as AY, BX, and …

Cross-Group Relationship Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis, Elena Kelsey Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-group relationships are defined by romantic relationships involving two individuals from distinct racial or ethnic groups. For this paper, the terms “interethnic” and “interracial” are used as specifiers for the umbrella terms, “intergroup” and “cross-group.” Studies examining whether cross-group romantic relationships are more or less satisfying than intergroup romantic relationships have yielded discrepant findings. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies, we found that there are no significant difference between cross-group and intergroup relationship satisfaction (aggregate d = .024, 95% CI [-0.076; 0.123]). Tests of moderation found that the amount of Asian participants included in individual studies on …

Latino Immigrant Children’S Perspectives On Homesickness In Bilingual Picture Books, Kelly Beus Thorpe

Theses and Dissertations

When Latino children immigrate to the United States, they encounter challenges and opportunities associated with immigration (Alba & Foner, 2015; Arbona et al., 2010). Although there were nearly 2.5 million foreign-born children living in the United States in 2016 (U.S. CensusBureau, 2016), little is known about these children’s perspectives on immigration, particularly their perspectives on homesickness. The current research study investigated Latino immigrant children’s perspectives on homesickness and bilingual picture books containing stories of homesick Latino immigrant children. The children’s experiences were compared with current theories ofacculturative stress.Through semi-structured interviews using the hermeneutic method, the researchers interviewed 12 Latino children, …

Cultivating The Skill Of Savoring: An Internet-Delivered Intervention To Promote Well-Being, So Yeon Park

Theses and Dissertations

The skill of savoring is one practice from the positive psychology literature that appears to facilitate well-being and happiness (e.g., Cazanescu, Tecuta, Candea, & Szentagotal-Tartar, 2018). Given such findings and the emerging evidence in favor of delivering positive psychology interventions via the Internet (Layous, Nelson, & Lyubomirsky, 2013), the potential feasibility of providing researched-based savoring instruction using self-directed online resources warrants empirical examination. This pilot study examined the feasibility of a self-directed online module of instruction and exercises intended to aid in cultivating individuals’ savoring abilities. The two primary aims of the present study were: 1) to examine the feasibility …

Fact Or Fiction: Comparing Byu Library's Decision Based Learning And Ysearch Source Evaluation Modules, Ana Katz

Theses and Dissertations

Current First Year Writing research seeks to address the need to help students meet the Council of Writing Program Administrators objectives on source evaluation while also changing current pedagogy methods (Meola, 2004; Ostenson 2014; SHEG, 2016; Wineburg & McGrew, 2017). This paper seeks to compare two different source evaluation pedagogies, YSearch and Decision Based Learning, taught by Brigham Young University’s library to determine which module is more effective at teaching students source evaluation skills. To answer these questions, this study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods utilizing a quasi-experimental design by conducting an open comparison between the two pedagogy modules.

L1 And L2 Reading Behaviors By Proficiency Level: An English-Portuguese Eye-Tracking Study, Larissa Grahl

Theses and Dissertations

The process of reading in a second language is an under-studied area of research on second language processing. Researchers have found similarities and differences between first- and second-language reading (Koda, 2007; Artieda, 2017; Walter, 2007), and many believe that readers’ successful reading behaviors in their L1 reflect their reading patterns in the L2 (Yamashita, 2007; Cummings, 1991; Sparks & Ganschow, 1995). Others claim that a certain threshold level of L2 language proficiency is necessary before L1 reading ability transfers to L2 reading (Clark, 1978; Cummings, 1991). Eye tracking technology has enabled researchers to investigate early and late reading measures, the …

Self-Control Training For Parents Of Children With Autism And Related Disabilities In Albania, Amanda Jane Petersen

Theses and Dissertations

Self-control can be defined as the ability to select a larger, later reward over a smaller, sooner reward. This ability, also known as gratification delay, has been highly correlated with academic competence and success. Studies that examine gratification delay have identified strategies that have been observed to increase the delay time to reward. This study examined the extent to which parents of children with Autism or a related disability could be trained to teach these strategies. Participants were seven mothers who were all ethnic Albanian. The results indicated that these mothers were able to teach the three strategies they were …

The Effect Of The Precision Request On Compliance In An Elementary Classroom For Students With Emotional Behavior Disorders, Marcie Carol Calder

Theses and Dissertations

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of the Precision Request as a behavior intervention on the compliance behavior of students in a self-contained class for students with emotional-behavioral disorders. The Precision Request is an intervention commonly used by teachers to decrease noncompliance. The study took place in an elementary school behavior unit classroom. The participants included one special education teacher and the eight students in his class. A single subject reversal design was used to track student percentage of compliance, latency to compliance, as well as teacher use of praise and reductive consequences as part of the Precision …

The New Face Of Business: Comparing Male And Female Gender Stereotypes In Multi-Level Marketing Facebook Posts In India, Hannah Elizabeth Chudleigh

Theses and Dissertations

India's huge financial power and recent economic expansion have been supported by multi-level marketing (MLM) initiatives over the last decade. This type of business structure is notorious for having shady ethics and for enforcing traditional stereotypes, and as MLMs enter the Indian market, they find themselves navigating even more gender and race-based stereotypes. In India-a country where women have one of the lowest labor participation rates in the world and where advertisements have historically portrayed women as submissive-multi-level marketing companies' posts on social media can have large influences on how the public sees gender roles in business. To better understand …

Sexual Violence Prevention Education For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: The Social Validity And Effect Of Disability Impact On Parent Perception, Katherine Mizue Willden

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities are sexually abused or assaulted at a rate seven times greater than those without disabilities (Shapiro, 2018). There is a lack of education and prevention programs specifically for this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to explore parental perceptions about the need for sexual violence prevention education, based on their child's disability type, severity, and communication level. A 33-item online survey was completed by parents of children with intellectual disabilities (n=61). The majority of parents valued the social validity of providing sexual violence prevention education. A child's disability type did not impact …

What Is The Relationship Between Religiosity, Self-Perceived Problematic Pornography Use, And Depression Over Time?, Meghan Elizabeth Maddock

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies suggest that religious individuals are more likely than non-religious individuals to perceive their pornography use as problematic. For our six-month longitudinal study, we recruited a sample of adults from Turkprime.com. We hypothesized that more religious individuals who use pornography at baseline would report higher self-perceived problematic pornography use at three months, which would be associated with higher depression at six months. We constructed and validated our own measure of self-perceived problematic pornography use, which included two factors: excessive pornography use and compulsive pornography use. We ran two separate structural equation models, one with excessive use at three months …

Successful Weight Loss Initiation And Maintenance Among Adolescents With Overweight And Obesity: Does Age Matter?, Diana Rancourt, Chad D. Jensen, Kara Mcrae Duraccio, E. Whitney Evans, Rena R. Wing, Elissa Jelalian

Faculty Publications

Background—Treatments for adolescents with overweight/obesity demonstrate mixed success, which may be due to a lack of consideration for developmental changes during this period. Potential developmental differences in weight loss motivations, weight maintenance behaviors, and the role of parents in these efforts were examined in a sample of successful adolescent weight losers.

Methods—Participants enrolled in the Adolescent Weight Control Registry (n = 49) self-reported demographic information and weight history, reasons for weight loss and weight control, weight loss approach and weight maintenance strategies, and perceived parental involvement with weight loss. Associations between age at weight loss initiation and the aforementioned factors …

The Experience Of Sexual Betrayal Trauma: A Qualitative Analysis Of Responses From The Trauma Inventory For Partners Of Sex Addicts (Tipsa), Laurel Kaylee Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Partners of sex addicts report symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder in a mental health crisis known as betrayal trauma. Behaviors that constitute sexual addiction include viewing pornography, a behavior often claimed to affect no one but the user. This article presents an analysis of 1,191 qualitative responses to an item on the Trauma Inventory for Partners of Sex Addicts (TIPSA), with particular emphasis on respondents’ self-reported disruption to relationships outside of the marriage/romantic relationship (e.g., with their children, employers, friends) following discovery of betrayal. Phenomenological analysis was conducted on participants’ responses to determine if other relationships are/are …

Deterioration In Individual Psychotherapy: The Effectiveness Of The Clinical Support Tools, Melissa Mallory White

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have found evidence that when clinicians use an evidence-based feedback system that uses Clinical Support Tools (CST) for not-on-track clients, deterioration rates fall and success rates improve (Shimokawa et al., 2010). Despite multiple studies finding evidence in support of using the CST, there has been a discrepancy between effect sizes (i.e., d = 0.5; Simon et al., 2012). As such, further replicate of these past studies is needed to discover if small effect sizes still persist and if so, what possible variables may contribute to inconsistent findings. For the current study, it was predicted that the use of the …