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Articles 3661 - 3690 of 8231

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Finding The Oxtr Gene In Titi Monkeys, Hannah Page, James D. Higley Feb 2016

Finding The Oxtr Gene In Titi Monkeys, Hannah Page, James D. Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I came across a compelling research question while doing an internship at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) three years ago. I was working in the Lab for the Comparative Neurobiology of Monogamy (I’ve always been a huge fan of monogamy), and chatting with some of the researchers about oxytocin, AKA the “cuddle hormone”. I soon learned that the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), which is found in humans and non-human primates, and correlates with social bonding measures such as parent-infant bonding time in overall social behavior, but surprisingly, it had not been sequenced a primate species studied for its …

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Partner Preference In Victims Of Sexual Aggression, Jacob Tengelsen, Robert Ridge Feb 2016

Partner Preference In Victims Of Sexual Aggression, Jacob Tengelsen, Robert Ridge

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The project that Dr. Ridge and I have been working on has produced several interesting results, some of which are academic, and many of which are personal. Through this report, I will summarize the impact that this project has had on me as a researcher and the steps Dr. Ridge and I have taken to conduct this research in an ethical and objective manner. Next, I will briefly summarize the results of our study. I will then discuss plausible interpretations of the data found, future possibilities with this kind of research, and limitations. For a more comprehensive background and understanding …

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Super Mario Brothers And Sisters: Associations Between Coplaying Video Games And Sibling Conflict And Affection, Sarah Coyne, Alexander C. Jensen, Nathan J. Smith, Daniel H. Erickson Feb 2016

Super Mario Brothers And Sisters: Associations Between Coplaying Video Games And Sibling Conflict And Affection, Sarah Coyne, Alexander C. Jensen, Nathan J. Smith, Daniel H. Erickson

Faculty Publications

Video games can be played in many different contexts. This study examined associations between coplaying video games between siblings and levels of affection and conflict in the relationship. Participants were 508 adolescents (M age = 16.31 years of age, SD = 1.08) who completed questionnaires on video game use and sibling relationships. Participants were recruited from a large Northwestern city and a moderate city in the Mountain West of the United States. Video games played between siblings were coded by an independent sample to assess levels of physical aggression and prosocial behavior in each game. Playing video games with …

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Defining The Obvious, Or Not, Emily Furner, William Eggington Jan 2016

Defining The Obvious, Or Not, Emily Furner, William Eggington

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When a new word premieres in a publication in the English language, the word is normally followed with a definition (hereafter gloss) that defines or restates its meaning1. But generally, words will eventually stop being defined as readers come to understand the meaning of the word. In other words, when readers “accept” a word into their vocabulary, the practice of including definitions with newer words becomes unnecessary. In this study, I explored the possibility of using corpora to determine when words stop appearing with definitions, thus signaling when these new words became “accepted” into American English.

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Examining The Link Between College Gender Ratios And Assortative Marriage, Bryan Seegmiller, David Sims Jan 2016

Examining The Link Between College Gender Ratios And Assortative Marriage, Bryan Seegmiller, David Sims

Journal of Undergraduate Research

It has been well-documented that the latter half of the 20th century and the early 21st century has seen vast upheavals in the societal roles of males and females in Western society. One noted result of this gender revolution is the striking change in college gender ratios—in the US, for example, the male-to-female college gender ratio changed from 1.6 in 1960 to .74 in 2003 (see also Figure 1). These changes in college gender ratios can have profound impacts on marriage and family patterns seen in society. For example, a recent Time Magazine Article examined the effects of a lowered …

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The Pre-Requisites Of Peer Education: What Really Matters?, Zach White, Philip Rash, Phd Jan 2016

The Pre-Requisites Of Peer Education: What Really Matters?, Zach White, Philip Rash, Phd

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Peer education is well established as an effective means of supporting first-year students in their transition to the university experience (Shook & Keup, 2012) (Esplin, Seabold, & Pinegar 2012). In large part, the success of peer education programs depends on the selection of peer educators, but very little research has been conducted to investigate how specific pre-requisites correlate to peer educator success. This project seeks to understand the correlation between the five pre-requisites for peer educator selection identified by Terrion and Leonard (2007) and peer educator success within the First-year mentoring program at Brigham Young University.

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Ideological Movement In House Party Leadership A Difference In Difference Model, Hayden Galloway, Michael Barber Jan 2016

Ideological Movement In House Party Leadership A Difference In Difference Model, Hayden Galloway, Michael Barber

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I hypothesized that the party leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives converges their roll call voting behavior to the median of their parties after being selected as party leaders. This measured through ideological differences in congressional roll call voting behavior.

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An Examination Of The Relative Accuracy Of Family Cancer History Knowledge And Perceptions Of Spousal Influence In A Younger Population, Emily Hartung, Wendy Birmingham Jan 2016

An Examination Of The Relative Accuracy Of Family Cancer History Knowledge And Perceptions Of Spousal Influence In A Younger Population, Emily Hartung, Wendy Birmingham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, yet many people are not aware of their own personal familial risk. This may be especially true in younger individuals in the population. According to the American Cancer Society, over 1.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and over 500,000 cancer deaths will occur this year. Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly 1 in every 4 deaths. Survival rates vary by type and stage at diagnosis but early detection through screening improves survival odds and healthier behaviors …

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The Effects Of A Recruitment And Mobilization Experiment On Caucus Meeting Dynamics, Alejandra Gimenez, J. Quin Monson Jan 2016

The Effects Of A Recruitment And Mobilization Experiment On Caucus Meeting Dynamics, Alejandra Gimenez, J. Quin Monson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Studies on political recruitment have increased over the past few years, and specifically that of female recruitment in regards to political candidacy. Studies have shown strong evidence that recruitment increases participation, both in activism and candidacy. However, much of this work focuses on the effects of recruitment among a pool of subjects who are already more likely to run than the average citizen. What is unclear is whether recruitment deepens the pool of potential candidates or simply triggers those who are already in the pool to run. In this paper, I argue that political recruitment does not increase the number …

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Access In The Accent: Career Opportunity Based On Differences In Regional Accents, Stephanie Hedges, David Eddington Jan 2016

Access In The Accent: Career Opportunity Based On Differences In Regional Accents, Stephanie Hedges, David Eddington

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Accents affect employment ratings more when the accent is perceived to be stronger (Carlson & McHenry, 2006). When the accent is strongly perceived by the employer, employment ratings drastically dropped for those speaking Spanish-influenced, Asian-influenced and African American English dialects (Carlson & McHenry, 2006). However, when the accent was only minimally perceived, employment ratings remained high (Carlson & McHenry, 2006). This proposes that accents only negatively impact employment when maximally perceived by the employer (Carlson & McHenry, 2006).

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Analyzing The Costs Of Voting: A Voter Turnout Experiment, Katherine Westmoreland, Christopher Karpowitz Jan 2016

Analyzing The Costs Of Voting: A Voter Turnout Experiment, Katherine Westmoreland, Christopher Karpowitz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the 2014 presidential election, only 36% of eligible voters cast a ballot on Election Day. Voter turnout is especially low in non-presidential elections and the already bleak number of voters is heightened when examining young voters, withonly 21.3% of 18-19 year-olds voting in 2014.

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An Online Treatment Program To Treat Compulsive Pornography Use: A Pilot Study, Devin Petersen, Tyler Pedersen Jan 2016

An Online Treatment Program To Treat Compulsive Pornography Use: A Pilot Study, Devin Petersen, Tyler Pedersen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Online pornography use among college students is frequent and extensive. Studies indicate that roughly 90% of male college students access online pornography with nearly half doing so weekly or daily (Carroll, 2008). Although there is debate about the ultimate effects that frequent pornography viewing may have, some studies have found that heavy users (roughly 10% of viewers) can spend more than one hour per day accessing pornography with negative effects on mental health (depression, anxiety), social relationships, and work performance among others. Data available through BYU CAPS indicate that approximately 10% of all clients seeking mental health counseling at CAPS …

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Transforming Marginality: Redefining Hmong Ethnic Identity Through Development In Sapa, Vietnam, Mary Cook, Jacob Hickman Jan 2016

Transforming Marginality: Redefining Hmong Ethnic Identity Through Development In Sapa, Vietnam, Mary Cook, Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In addition to a booming tourist industry, Sapa, Vietnam is home to a number of development organizations seeking to improve the livelihoods of ethnic minorities in the region. One Hmong woman, whom I will call Maiv, started one of the first indigenous educational development programs in Sapa- ‘by Hmong people for Hmong people,’ as she describes it. In short, the organization boards ethnic minority youths (mostly Hmong) closer to a local school so they can receive an education. Maiv’s organization also provides jobs for women by running a trekking business, a café, and a handicraft shop.

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Counseling Attitudes And Stigma Among Polynesian Americans, Timothy B. Smith, G. E. Kawika Allen, Ofa Hafoka Jan 2016

Counseling Attitudes And Stigma Among Polynesian Americans, Timothy B. Smith, G. E. Kawika Allen, Ofa Hafoka

Faculty Publications

There is a paucity of research on the mental health of Pacific Islanders living in the U.S., including those of Polynesian descent. This study examined coping strategies, attitudes towards seeking mental health counseling, public and self-stigma towards seeking professional help, and psychological adjustment among 638 Polynesian Americans. On average, participants held neither favorable nor unfavorable attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help, but Polynesian American men endorsed moderate self-stigma about mental illness and Polynesian American women endorsed high levels of public stigma about mental illness. Women showed relatively more favorable attitudes than men about seeking help from professional mental health providers. …

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Additive Schooling: Understanding Latino Education In A South Provo Elementary School, Hailey Leavitt, Gregory Thompson Jan 2016

Additive Schooling: Understanding Latino Education In A South Provo Elementary School, Hailey Leavitt, Gregory Thompson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research was a case study of an elementary school in South Provo – Franklin Elementary, which focuses on two, second grade classrooms and the homes of six Latino second grade students. It focused on the similarities and differences found between home and school environments and how they shaped the educational experience of these six students. To do this, I examined what specific Latino additive schooling practices are being implemented in Franklin Elementary.

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Morality Among The Hmog, Eric Austin Gillett, Jacob Hickman Jan 2016

Morality Among The Hmog, Eric Austin Gillett, Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I have presented my findings at three conferences: Hmong Studies Consortium in Madison, Wisconsin (April 6, 2015), Society for the Anthropology of Religion in San Diego, California (April 12, 2015), and the American Anthropological Association in Denver, Colorado (November 18-22, 2015). I am preparing a journal article to submit for publication in the Journal of Vietnamese Studies. I will also be using research data to complete my senior thesis, honors thesis, and applications for graduate school.

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Relational Aggression Across Cultures And Continents, Landon Hale, David Nelson Jan 2016

Relational Aggression Across Cultures And Continents, Landon Hale, David Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“Relational aggression” defines a spectrum of behaviors in which the goal is to manipulate or harm relationships. Common behaviors include gossip, rumors, social exclusion, and threatening to end a relationship. Until relational aggression became a focus of study, males were considered to be aggressive whereas females were generally considered nonaggressive. In particular, aggression research, particularly in child psychology, was predominantly focused on physical forms of aggression, which tend to be the domain of males. In contrast, females are just as likely or more likely (depending on age) to engage in relational aggression toward others. We wanted to find out if …

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Prospective Memory And Pregnancy, Storm Atwood, C. Brock Kirwan Jan 2016

Prospective Memory And Pregnancy, Storm Atwood, C. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Memory is separated into two parts; one is procedural memory in which processes such as riding a bike are stored, the second is declarative memory or factual memory (Mickes, Wixted Shapiro, & Scarff, 2009, p.754). Many soon-to-be mothers report difficulty with their declarative memory and find that they are unable to recall facts or information, even things they have recently learned. Previous studies have found that pregnant women’s recall is impaired but recognition is the same as non-pregnant controls (Sharp, Brindle, Brown, & Turner, 1993, p. 209; Brett, & Baxendale, 2001, p. 345). This project will be a follow-up study …

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“My Head Hurts, My Stomach Aches”: Physical And Social Factors Associated With Early Adolescent Health, Benjamin Fife, Renata Forste Jan 2016

“My Head Hurts, My Stomach Aches”: Physical And Social Factors Associated With Early Adolescent Health, Benjamin Fife, Renata Forste

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between physical and social factors and the frequency of headaches and stomachaches among school-aged children in the US. In particular, I looked at how both physical and psychosocial factors influence health outcomes in order to identify ways to decrease health risks among early adolescents.

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Gender And Nationality On The Receptiveness Of Nongovernmental Organizations, Laura Boyer, Joel Selway Jan 2016

Gender And Nationality On The Receptiveness Of Nongovernmental Organizations, Laura Boyer, Joel Selway

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in international development. While the NGO sector addresses hundreds of issues and annually administers millions of dollars in aid (Hall-Jones 2006, Djelic 2006), these organizations are often Western based, which generates debates regarding the appropriateness of Western-based interventions in developing countries. One side argues that these foreign NGOs often use a one-size-fits-all approach, which fails to effectively help the community and only perpetrates cultural imperialism; the opposing side argues that Westerners have skills and resources that can provide invaluable assistance to impoverished communities (Easterly 2006, Sachs 2005). Unfortunately, these arguments mainly focus on …

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Motivating Transparency In Non-Governmental Organizations, Robert Francis, Daniel Nielson Jan 2016

Motivating Transparency In Non-Governmental Organizations, Robert Francis, Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A recent trend in both development research and practice has dealt with increasing the transparency of government and international development institutions. While donors and stakeholders are able to put significant legal and social pressure on large development organizations, this same pressure has not materialized in regards to NGOs. They are not legally required to make publicly available information on activities and finances, which means that such transparency must be exogenously motivated. The research question behind this project is therefore to investigate what factors could motivate NGOs to act transparently.

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Rhesus Macaque Scar Tissue As It Relates To Aggression Rates And The Oxytocin Receptor Gene, Riley Barrington, Dee Higley Jan 2016

Rhesus Macaque Scar Tissue As It Relates To Aggression Rates And The Oxytocin Receptor Gene, Riley Barrington, Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research project originally started out with the purpose of correlating aggression rates in rhesus macaque monkeys with the level and type of oxytocin receptor that that monkey possessed. Blood samples were to be taken, level of scarring and wounds analyzed, and observations done to predict their average level of aggressive activity. Oxytocin has been implicated in a number of pro-attachment behaviors, including bonding with pair-mates and offspring, but has conversely been shown to increase aggressive behaviors toward those who pose a threat to either of the afore mentioned. Because Rhesus macaques are notoriously aggressive, I was interested in seeing …

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The Impact Of Physical Activity On Memory: Recognition Differentiation Between Stimuli, Seth Spencer, C. Brock Kirwan Jan 2016

The Impact Of Physical Activity On Memory: Recognition Differentiation Between Stimuli, Seth Spencer, C. Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many studies have shown a correlation between physical exercise and healthy cognitive processing. It has been shown extensively that regular exercise has a positive impact on brain health. One example is a study that linked increased exercise with greater performance on as shown via a Stroop Color-Word test [1]. Similarly, regular exercise has been shown to be related to improved memory and object recognition [2]. Another study has shown that even a single session of exercise can alter functional connectivity in the brain as measured by the resting-state fMRI [3]. The problem with this literature is an utter lack of …

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Psychotherapy Utilization And Presenting Concerns Among Polynesian American College Students, G. E. Kawika Allen, Timothy B. Smith, Jon Cox, Ofa Hafoka, Derek Griner, Mark Beecher Jan 2016

Psychotherapy Utilization And Presenting Concerns Among Polynesian American College Students, G. E. Kawika Allen, Timothy B. Smith, Jon Cox, Ofa Hafoka, Derek Griner, Mark Beecher

Faculty Publications

This study examined psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, reported distress levels, and psychotherapy outcomes among Polynesian American students presenting for services at a counseling center at a large inter-mountain university on the mainland U.S. We collected data at intake, during therapy sessions, and at termination for 415 Polynesian American students over a 17-year period. Utilization results indicate no difference, but Polynesian American students were equally likely to utilize counseling services as European American students but were more likely to drop out earlier than European American students. At intake these students presented with shared higher numbers of presenting concerns and greater levels …

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Exploring The Effects Of Contextual Elements On Memory Specificity, Cassie Widdison, Brock Kirwan Jan 2016

Exploring The Effects Of Contextual Elements On Memory Specificity, Cassie Widdison, Brock Kirwan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Regions of the brain, such as the medial temporal lobe (MTL), including the hippocampus and the adjacent MTL cortex, facilitate recognition memory performance (Squire, Stark, & Clark, 2004). The hippocampus is known for its ability to encode and retrieve memories through two processes called pattern separation and pattern completion (Mcclelland, Mcnaughton, & Oreilly, 1995). Pattern separation is a computational process in which the memory representations of similar stimuli are made as dissimilar as possible. This allows one to recall differences between old stimuli and similar, but novel stimuli. Pattern completion is a computational process where a memory representation is retrieved …

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Mexican American Families, Nicole Rose, Dr. Greg Thompson Jan 2016

Mexican American Families, Nicole Rose, Dr. Greg Thompson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Researchers define familismo as a “strong identification with the family” (Triandis, Marin, Betancourt, Lisansky, & Chang, 1982). Sabogal et al. said that “perceived support from family,” “family obligations,” and third, using family as cultural “referents” are important parts of familismo(Sabogal, Marín, Otero-Sabogal, Marín, & Perez-Stable, 1987). All researchers seem to have an underlying assumption that familismo-style relationships are phenomena that occur between blood-relation (Sabogal et al., 1987)(Steidel & Contreras, 2003)(Triandis et al., 1982)(Davila, Reifsnider, & Pecina, 2011). I argue that Mexican kinship is not defined simply by blood relations and that a kin group can be formed through reciprocal relationships. …

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Infant Aggression In Rhesus Macaques, Stephen Anderson, Dr. James Higley Jan 2016

Infant Aggression In Rhesus Macaques, Stephen Anderson, Dr. James Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Temperament is defined as a pattern of behaviors that remain stable and show continuity over time and across different contexts (Clarke & Boinski, 1995). These behavioral patterns can be observed early in life, and can serve as a predictor of future behaviors (Weinstein & Capitanio, 2008). Temperamental differences are largely a result of interaction effects between genetic and environmental factors. These interactions can be complex, and there is a great need to better understand the nature of those interactions (Clarke & Boinski, 1995). The purpose of this project (which is still ongoing) is to better understand the features of early …

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Reciprocal Relationships Associated With School & Residential Diversity: A New Test Of Perpetuation Theory, Shelby Mcneill, Dr. Kristie J.R. Phillips Jan 2016

Reciprocal Relationships Associated With School & Residential Diversity: A New Test Of Perpetuation Theory, Shelby Mcneill, Dr. Kristie J.R. Phillips

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 1954—ten years before the Civil Rights Act was passed—the Supreme Court ruled on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. In their ruling, the Court held that state-imposed racial segregation created “inherently unequal” schools that were unconstitutional. Thus, public schools became the first institutions to be held accountable for overturning Jim Crow segregation practices and shepherding in a new era of race relations. In addition to promoting equitable access to quality schools, Brown was also intended to “alter the attitudes and socialization of all children—beginning at the youngest ages” (Johnson 2011:38) and increase interracial contact (Clotfelter 2004). Moreover, …

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Prereaders And Eyetracking, Anna Banks, Steven Luke Jan 2016

Prereaders And Eyetracking, Anna Banks, Steven Luke

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Reading to children has long been considered a critical factor in the development of their reading skill1. However, very little research has been done on prereader children and their eye movements. Studies that have been performed show that children tend to fixate more on the illustrations in books than on the words in the books (looking at the words only 7% of the time)2. Moreover, children tend to look more at illustrations of objects that are mentioned in the story3. To date there is very little research investigating whether children’s eye movements are so …

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Interest In Genomic Testing Among Individuals At Increased Risk For Colorectal Cancer, Jordan Sgro, Wendy Birmingham Jan 2016

Interest In Genomic Testing Among Individuals At Increased Risk For Colorectal Cancer, Jordan Sgro, Wendy Birmingham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

CRC is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Despite the fact that screening can detect CRC earlier and lead to better outcomes, screening adherence remains less than optimal in individuals with increased family risk. Identifying the genetic causes of moderate increases in CRC risk may allow individuals to be aware of their risk through genomic testing, rather than relying solely on family history analysis and may facilitate further tailoring of screening and risk reduction recommendations. This research also has implications for clinical practice by informing providers about the broader context of decision-making, which may be important …

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