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Articles 4861 - 4890 of 8231

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associations Between Marital Beliefs And Life Satisfaction: The Role Of Relationship Status, Eden Moss, Dr. Brian J. Willoughby Sep 2013

Associations Between Marital Beliefs And Life Satisfaction: The Role Of Relationship Status, Eden Moss, Dr. Brian J. Willoughby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Marital Paradigm framework [MPF] (Willoughby & Hall, 2013) is a new conceptual model and body of terminology focused on organizing marital attitudes scholarship. Recent scholarship has established that marital attitudes have a strong impact on outcomes. Willoughby and colleagues’ work demonstrates the effect an individual’s marital attitudes have on the formation of others’ marital attitudes, from which measureable outcomes such as delaying marriage have been found (Willoughby & Carrol, 2012; Willoughby & Olson, 2012). Considering this connection between marital attitudes and outcomes, we decided to investigate another outcome of importance in relation to marital attitudes—life satisfaction. General attitudinal research …

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Clearing Up The Smoke: How Government Transparency Efforts Affect Political Sentiments In Peru, John Harris, Dr. Darren Hawkins Sep 2013

Clearing Up The Smoke: How Government Transparency Efforts Affect Political Sentiments In Peru, John Harris, Dr. Darren Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Peru is known for its cynical citizenry. People from all demographics and regions have a negative and oftentimes hopeless perception of their government of all level (regional, municipal and national). This ardent cynicism comes for a legacy of corruption that is deeply embedded into the political culture. Most Peruvians do not trust their government but feel there is no feasible solution to the mountain of problems facing reform (Carrión and Zárete 2006, 1-194).

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Re-Ordering Ethnic Identity An Experiment On Ethnic Salience In Uganda, Liz Mcguire, Dr. Daniel Nielson Sep 2013

Re-Ordering Ethnic Identity An Experiment On Ethnic Salience In Uganda, Liz Mcguire, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Every person has some idea of who they are, but that idea is made up of several identities. A person can be a mother, a sister, an American, a Catholic, an Hispanic, and a friend all at the same time. How we order these identities in dominance was the original purpose of this study. The intent was to see how we can change that ordering to include a larger in-group. For example, what could we do to make people see themselves as Muslims, instead of Shia or Sunni. If we can expand this type of identity, we could change how …

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Philo’S Transformation Of Jewish Piety: His Influence On The Scriptural Interpretative Tradition, John Rather, Dr. James Siebach Sep 2013

Philo’S Transformation Of Jewish Piety: His Influence On The Scriptural Interpretative Tradition, John Rather, Dr. James Siebach

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Philo Judaeus was a deeply philosophic exegete of Hebrew scripture whose commitment to Greek philosophy led him to re-interpret the nature of the study of scripture. His reinterpretation is a form of philosophical reflection on the nature of reality within the context of the exegesis of scriptural texts. A Greek aristocrat, Philo received an education which emphasized the importance of philosophy, and particularly Platonism. His most mature works show influence from three schools of thought. First, Philo is a middle plantonist. He accepts Plato’s metaphysics of universal ideas and theory of creation. Second, Phho borrows from the Stoa a method …

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A Chapbook Of Poetry, David Joseph Passey, Dr. Lance Larsen Sep 2013

A Chapbook Of Poetry, David Joseph Passey, Dr. Lance Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The finished manuscript, entitled Coming Up, is nearly fifty pages long, consisting of the standard front material, and thirty-three poems, some several pages long. Of the poems, roughly half were written since the receipt of the grant. The remainder is previously written poems that were revised and polished for inclusion in the final manuscript. Due to its size, this manuscript is a substantial collection of poetry, bordering on a small volume rather than a chapbook, and may need to be pared down before publication.

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Examining Links Between The Lds Faith And Cervical Cancer Mortality Rates Of The American West, Austin Parker, Dr. Ruth Kerry Sep 2013

Examining Links Between The Lds Faith And Cervical Cancer Mortality Rates Of The American West, Austin Parker, Dr. Ruth Kerry

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Several medical geography studies have identified Utah as an outlier in terms of various illnesses with far lower rates than other states in the country. Gooaverts (2009) noticed small clusters of low cervical cancer rates in Utah compared to other states, although he wasn’t specifically studying the heavy LDS influence on Utah’s population. Lower cervical cancer rates in Utah could be attributed to the LDS “Law of Chastity”, which discourages sexual relationships outside of marriage as up to 99% of cases of cervical cancer have been linked to the human papilloma virus, a sexually transmitted disease (http://www.cancerrecovery.org.uk/cervical-cancer). A goal of …

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The U.S. Counter-Terrorism Policy Dilemma, Tuan N. Samahon, Dr. Jeffrey F. Ringer Sep 2013

The U.S. Counter-Terrorism Policy Dilemma, Tuan N. Samahon, Dr. Jeffrey F. Ringer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Contrary political crosscurrents beset the conduct of U.S. counter-terrorism policy. While Washington actively supports numerous friendly governments and their various peace initiatives, constitutional permissiveness and ineffective legislation enable American nationals to subsidize terrorism against these very same governments and initiatives. The U.S. counter-terrorism policy dilemma, then, is to craft a politically viable counter-terrorism program that effectively blocks domestic subsidies of terrorism abroad, while yet avoiding First Amendment right violations.

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Microsavings: Barriers To Saving Learned From An Experiment In Uganda, Austin Beck, Brady Grayson, Dr. Daniel Nielson Sep 2013

Microsavings: Barriers To Saving Learned From An Experiment In Uganda, Austin Beck, Brady Grayson, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Uganda has one of the lowest savings rates among sub-Saharan countries, which tend to have the lowest savings rates in the world. Between 2002 and 2008 the private savings average was at 14.6% compared to the African average of 22.1% (African Development Bank). Low savings rates have a negative impact on the rural poor, who face the worst credit terms and have the least access to credible financial institutions.

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The Optimal Focus Theory For Sport Performance Under Pressure, Laurie Anderson, Dr. Ben Ogles Sep 2013

The Optimal Focus Theory For Sport Performance Under Pressure, Laurie Anderson, Dr. Ben Ogles

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Our study sought to add to the current literature on the explicit monitoring and distraction theories. We have created a theory known as the Optimal Focus Theory. This theory states that choking can be avoided and performance under pressure will improve if athletes achieve the right amount of focus. Rather than over-focusing, such as the explicit monitoring theory suggests, or being distracted by irrelevant stimuli, as the distraction theory purports, the Optimal Focus Theory calls for a balance of focus. We aimed to study subjects’ anxiety, perceived control, and sport confidence as they shot free throws in a pressure situation. …

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A Study Of The Role Of Kindness In Swiss Families, Irina Pang, Dr. Ivan F. Beutler Sep 2013

A Study Of The Role Of Kindness In Swiss Families, Irina Pang, Dr. Ivan F. Beutler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The research I conducted in Switzerland was part of a long-term research program that started at BYU in 1991. The purpose of that research was to learn more about the role of kindness in family systems. Kindness is defined as patterns of charitable and loving interactions. The main theoretical idea of this program is that kindness plays a much more significant role than has been realized in previous family science literature.

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Correlation Of Hyperspectral Bands From Remotely Sensed Imagery And Urban Leaf Area Index, Derek Farnes, Dr. Ryan Jensen Sep 2013

Correlation Of Hyperspectral Bands From Remotely Sensed Imagery And Urban Leaf Area Index, Derek Farnes, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As the world’s urban population continues to grow, more and more attention is being given to the environment in which humans live – urban areas. Unfortunately, urban expansion often leads to considerable loss of urban forest and its associated amenities. When studying the urban forest, a critical biophysical variable to consider is leaf area index (LAI) which is defined as the ratio of leaf surface area divided by ground area. Due to the importance of this variable, efficient methods have been sought for estimating LAI in urban areas. Potential has been found in measuring LAI with a hyperspectral sensor using …

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Gender And The Poetics Of Conversation, Cassie Keller, Dr. William Eggington Sep 2013

Gender And The Poetics Of Conversation, Cassie Keller, Dr. William Eggington

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research extended the findings of Neal Norrick and Deborah Tannen in examining the poetical elements of conversation and gender differences in discourse. Related research suggests that the “poeticity” of conversational language among and between sexes has not been analyzed (Norrick). This project was conducted by recording and transcribing face to face discussions between three groups: females to females, males to males, females to males. Using poetic elements, these conversations were analyzed to show the different ways the genders utilize these devices and how they combine them when speaking together.

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Cognitive Conflict Adaptation In Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Scott A. Baldwin, Michael J. Larson, Ann Clawson, Peter E. Clayson Sep 2013

Cognitive Conflict Adaptation In Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Scott A. Baldwin, Michael J. Larson, Ann Clawson, Peter E. Clayson

Faculty Publications

ndividuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) display poor emotional conflict adaptation, a cogni- tive control process requiring the adjustment of performance based on previous-trial conflict. It is unclear whether GAD-related conflict adaptation difficulties are present during tasks without emotionally-salient stimuli. We examined conflict adaptation using the N2 component of the event-related potential (ERP) and behavioral responses on a Flanker task from 35 individuals with GAD and 35 controls. Groups did not differ on conflict adaptation accuracy; individuals with GAD also displayed intact RT conflict adaptation. In contrast, individuals with GAD showed decreased amplitude N2 principal component for conflict adap- tation. …

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American Attitudes Toward Six Varieties Of English In The Usa And Britain, Katherine Morris, Dr. Wendy Baker Aug 2013

American Attitudes Toward Six Varieties Of English In The Usa And Britain, Katherine Morris, Dr. Wendy Baker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Studying attitudes toward different varieties of English has helped researchers understand how different language groups interact. When a listener judges a particular speaker based solely on his or her variety of English, the listener is really making a judgment on the group the speaker belongs to. Thus, a listener’s attitude toward a particular variety of English can indirectly reveal the listener’s prejudices (good or bad) toward the group of people who speak that variety. For this project, I conducted an attitudinal study that examined how Americans feel about different varieties of British and American English.

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A Comparative Study: Language Attitudes And Linguistic Practice In Amazonian Ecuador, Bradley Miller, Dr. Janis B. Nuckolls Aug 2013

A Comparative Study: Language Attitudes And Linguistic Practice In Amazonian Ecuador, Bradley Miller, Dr. Janis B. Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The original Quechua language was the main language spoken in the ancient Inca Empire. This language became over the years the native language of many Indians of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile. However in the 1500’s, with the conquistadores, Spanish became the language of dominance and power in Ecuador. Over time, and because of geographical and social separations, Quechua has become separated into several different dialects. Scientifically these dialects are considered mutually intelligible, though most natives say this isn’t true.

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Modification Of Experimental Objective And Protocol To An Assessment Of The Effects Of Electroacupuncture On Vta Gaba Neurons In The Context Of Acute Alcohol, Christine H. Walton, Dr. Scott C. Steffensen Aug 2013

Modification Of Experimental Objective And Protocol To An Assessment Of The Effects Of Electroacupuncture On Vta Gaba Neurons In The Context Of Acute Alcohol, Christine H. Walton, Dr. Scott C. Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although my proposal for the ORCA grant involved the effects of nicotine on neurons in the VTA, preliminary data showed little to no promise and my mentor and I decided to go in a different direction.

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Foundation For The Gevterm Multilingual Database French-English Food Terms, Jennifer Smith, Dr. Alan K. Melby Aug 2013

Foundation For The Gevterm Multilingual Database French-English Food Terms, Jennifer Smith, Dr. Alan K. Melby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

GEvTerm is an initiative whose primary goal is to “address language challenges on a global scale” . One method for achieving this goal is to provide databases of terms in many different languages in order to help facilitate translation and communication. One example is their Olympic Sporting Events Database which provides translations for all the sports names used in the Olympics. My research project was to create a similar database but intended for food terms and with a concentration on French and English terms.

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Na Wahi Pana O Hawai’I: Sacred Places Of Hawai’I, Eve Okura, Dr. Cynthia Hallen Aug 2013

Na Wahi Pana O Hawai’I: Sacred Places Of Hawai’I, Eve Okura, Dr. Cynthia Hallen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In cultures with oral traditions, sacred place names and ritual language may serve as a sacred text of a people. Cultures across the globe have unique definitions of and rules reagrding sacred space. Knowing these rules and definitions can help the cross-cultural traveler exhibit more culturally sensitive behavior in other lands.

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The Patagonian Cradle Of Welsh Culture, Bently Snow, Dr. Mark Grover Aug 2013

The Patagonian Cradle Of Welsh Culture, Bently Snow, Dr. Mark Grover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The vitality of the Welsh culture has suffered significantly due to the pressures of globalization. Marginalized even in their homeland, the Welsh way of life was dying out due to disinterest on the part of the rising generation, something which greatly concerned the shrinking number of this people who still clung to their culture in the face of mounting pressures to accept assimilation. Even in 1865, in fact, pressures were such that 153 Welsh men, women and children left their homeland with hopes to preserve their language and their culture. The party sailed across the Atlantic towards the Patagonia—the rugged …

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Final Orca Report, Amy Hurt Aug 2013

Final Orca Report, Amy Hurt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I conducted my field study in the city of New Orleans for two months, 24 April -25 June 2008. During this time I lived in a small house in Mid-City, an apartment in Jefferson Parish, a hotel room on Decatur Street in the French Quarter, and a rent-by-the-day room just outside of the French Quarter on Pauger Street.

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Kachinas Of The Southwest: Dances, Dolls, And Rain Elucidating The Kachina Cult, Jamie Bingham, Dr. Paul R. Stavast Aug 2013

Kachinas Of The Southwest: Dances, Dolls, And Rain Elucidating The Kachina Cult, Jamie Bingham, Dr. Paul R. Stavast

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This past semester (Winter 2008), the Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) researched and curated an exhibition on the Kachina Cult of the Pueblo and Hopi cultures. The Kachina Cult is centered around belief in a set of spiritual beings that bring blessings, gifts, and rain. Kachina literally means “spirit father” or “life father” and can be anything that exists in the natural world. One of the most common representation of kachinas is in the form of dolls. The exhibition features an impressive collection of ancient and modern kachina dolls in an effort to provide insight into the fairly elusive …

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Governance And Growth: Technology Absorption And Economic Development, Johnathan Christensen, Dr. Daniel L. Nielson Aug 2013

Governance And Growth: Technology Absorption And Economic Development, Johnathan Christensen, Dr. Daniel L. Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The original purpose of my research project was to apply a business theory to international trade to explain why the exports of the Asian Tigers were so successful. However, as I began writing on this topic during my capstone seminar, I learned of a striking empirical finding showing that while the growth rates of most poor countries have not caught up with rich countries over the last fifty years, the fastest growing economies always come from a subset among poor countries. Upon learning this, I soon realized that I wanted to expand my research question to explain the difference in …

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The Gendering Of Choice Of Majors What Do College Students Perceive Influences Them?, Miriam Walther, Dr. Mikaela Dufur Aug 2013

The Gendering Of Choice Of Majors What Do College Students Perceive Influences Them?, Miriam Walther, Dr. Mikaela Dufur

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While 13.8% of workers in architecture and engineering occupations are women, 77.6% of personal care and service workers are female (Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2005). What is the cause of this discrepancy? While these occupations are so heavily gendered, 50.3% of workers in management, professional, and related occupations are women (Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2005). Why are these not gendered? Men and women go on for higher education to develop skills needed to form a career, and the representation of men and women in most large universities is evenly divided at 50% each, but many individual majors are …

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Recreating The Past Through The Use Of Modern Technology, Jennifer Harris, Dr. Cynthia Finlayson Aug 2013

Recreating The Past Through The Use Of Modern Technology, Jennifer Harris, Dr. Cynthia Finlayson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Last year I set out on an adventure to research an ancient civilization, to gather photographic and textual research halfway across the globe. I traveled to Greece in order to research the ancient Minoans, a very advanced and interesting people who had a great influence on Greek culture.

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Creating Citizens In The Modern Irish State: Primary Schools As Indicators Of Identity Ambiguitiy, Charlotte Williams, Dr. Julie Hartley-Moore Aug 2013

Creating Citizens In The Modern Irish State: Primary Schools As Indicators Of Identity Ambiguitiy, Charlotte Williams, Dr. Julie Hartley-Moore

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In Europe, notions about national identity are being called into question as historical state-sponsored conceptions encounter new forces present in current affairs—including, relative economic prosperity, mass immigration, conflicting ideas about religion, and desired assimilation into a collective European identity. Ireland provides a case study largely reflective of these broader European issues, while simultaneously being distinct as the only free European state which was formerly under colonial control by another European power. Thus, in its post-colonial context, Ireland currently struggles to accommodate these competing forces—both old and new—to form a cogent national identity which the state can disseminate to its constituents. …

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Assessing Effects Of Rural Marriage Markets, Sarah Savage, Dr. Vaughn Call Aug 2013

Assessing Effects Of Rural Marriage Markets, Sarah Savage, Dr. Vaughn Call

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Rural communities are unique in that they have a limited number of eligible singles or “marriage pool” which restricts the choice of marriage partners. There is great importance in the number of potential partners in a marriage market because this number affects persons in the transition to their first marriage. In rural areas the population is low and the number of individuals in the marriage market is few, thus limiting the pool of possible marriage-partners. Additionally, there are few opportunities for employment in rural areas, so the number of individuals who are single and employed is likely to be slim. …

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The Origin And Development Of The Pueblo Kachina Cult, Adrien Mooney, Dr. Glenna Nielsen-Grimm Aug 2013

The Origin And Development Of The Pueblo Kachina Cult, Adrien Mooney, Dr. Glenna Nielsen-Grimm

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States have a unique set of beliefs centered on the practice of ceremonies dedicated to kachinas, intermediaries between the Pueblo people and their deities. The word kachina literally means “life-bringer,” and the kachina ceremonies are integral for the growth of crops in the Pueblo region, as the kachinas bring rain to the region when ceremonies are performed correctly. There are three different manifestations of the kachina: the spirit of the kachina, the kachina mask worn by a dancer in the ceremony that allows the dancer to act on behalf of the kachina, and …

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Journeys Of Navajo Social Workers, Farina King Aug 2013

Journeys Of Navajo Social Workers, Farina King

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My name is Farina King. During the summer of 2008, I was a student intern for the Diné Policy Institute (DPI), located in Tsaile, Arizona. I was an undergraduate senior, studying History and French with minors in Native American Studies and African Studies. I had to recite those same lines of personal information every time that I introduced myself to a Navajo social worker from the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services. I had to convince them to meet me, to spend some of their precious time (literally), and to share personal information with me in an interview.

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Marriage Data From The Flourishing Families Project, Alex Jensen, Dr. Jason S. Carroll Aug 2013

Marriage Data From The Flourishing Families Project, Alex Jensen, Dr. Jason S. Carroll

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the spring and summer of 2007 the Flourishing Families Project collected data from 500 families in the Seattle area. Each family was given extensive questionnaires and video taped discussing various family topics. Out of these 500 families data was collected on roughly 350 marital dyads (around 150 of the families were single parent homes). It was with these couples that we planned to research variables important to positive outcomes. All of our data was coming solely from the questionnaires.

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Home Cookin’: The Mechanisms That Affect Child Obesity, Collin Flake, Dr. Renata Forste Aug 2013

Home Cookin’: The Mechanisms That Affect Child Obesity, Collin Flake, Dr. Renata Forste

Journal of Undergraduate Research

After careful consideration and several discussions with my faculty advisor about potential projects, I set out to tackle the problem of child obesity. I began my project by extensively reviewing previous literature on the issue. Child obesity is rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent health concerns in the U.S. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates nearly a quarter of U.S. adolescents are overweight or obese, and projected numbers suggest a dramatic raise in the future (Morrill and Chin, 2004). Childhood obesity rates are particularly worrisome in the Southern region of the United States, where 23% of children suffer …

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