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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

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Butler University

Theses/Dissertations

2010

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

So Many Choices, So Little Time: Religiosity And The Stress Of Making Decisions, Joshua David Boeke Aug 2010

So Many Choices, So Little Time: Religiosity And The Stress Of Making Decisions, Joshua David Boeke

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Numerous studies have appeared in the literature demonstrating that religiosity and mental health are positively related. However, although investigators have identified several variables that partially mediate the effects of religiosity on mental health, much of this relationship remains unexplained. The goal of this survey study was to examine to what extent religious individuals experience better mental health outcomes because they experience less stress when making decisions. Specifically, this study evaluated whether religious individuals reduce the number of decision alternatives they consider when making decisions, which in turn should make decision making easier and reduce decision-making stress. Participants were asked to …

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Study Abroad Programs And Their Effects On Cultural Perceptions And International Awareness, Sarah Ann Hundt May 2010

Study Abroad Programs And Their Effects On Cultural Perceptions And International Awareness, Sarah Ann Hundt

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

As study abroad programs become increasingly popular among U.S. colleges and universities, a study of Butler University students who had studied abroad between Spring 2007 and Fall 2009 was conducted to examine the impacts of study abroad experiences. The study used an online survey to measure areas of world awareness, host country bond, personal growth, future plans, American pride, and acceptance ofothers. Using OLS analyses, the results showed that a first study abroad experience prior to the individual's second study abroad experience heightened their level of world awareness. The study also showed that as students had more cultural contact in …

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Does Religiosity Enhance Ability To Self-Regulate?, Kaylyn Lee Watterson Apr 2010

Does Religiosity Enhance Ability To Self-Regulate?, Kaylyn Lee Watterson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Although previous research has found positive associations between self-regulation and religiosity, very few studies investigating the relationship exist. This study was an attempt to find experimental evidence supporting the prediction that high levels of religiosity enhance ability to self-regulate. Seventy-nine students at Butler University, 15 males and 64 females, were randomly assigned to a depleted or full self-regulatory resources group. Participants in the depleted resources group squeezed a handgrip for as long as possible before working on a difficult task that required self-control. Participants in the full resources group proceeded directly to the self-control task.

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Collaborative Inhibition: A Counterintuitive Phenomenon, Lauren Michelle Mcclure Apr 2010

Collaborative Inhibition: A Counterintuitive Phenomenon, Lauren Michelle Mcclure

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Recollection is frequently social; people tend to remember with others and when they do, their joint recollection is enhanced (Meudell, Hitch & Kirby, 1992). While one intuitively thinks that collaboration would enhance memory, Weldon, et al. (1997) argued that recalling with others impairs retrieval of "unique items." This collaborative inhibition (CI), occurs when pairs of subjects recall fewer correct "unique" items than others recall in isolation. This is a common result in many studies and has been attributed to both social and cognitive causes. This study examined whether or not collaborative inhibition would disappear if the total possible number of …

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Memories For Sexual Encounters: Sexual Attitudes, Personality, Gender, And Evidence For Personal Flashbulb Effects, Nicholas Ryan Comotto Apr 2010

Memories For Sexual Encounters: Sexual Attitudes, Personality, Gender, And Evidence For Personal Flashbulb Effects, Nicholas Ryan Comotto

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Recollections of first and most recent sex experiences were examined as personal flashbulb memories (FBM) using "open" narrative and probed recall estimates over the course of two studies. Furthermore, dimensions of gender, personality, and sexual attitudes were analyzed for their effects on sexual memory. Although both experiences were rated as equally arousing, the first sexual experience occurred with a longer delay to test and was talked about more than three times as much as the most recent experience. However, memories for most recent sexual experiences were rated as more vivid in study II. Yet, first sexual memories contained more narrative …

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Finding Meaning In Facebook, Kelly Patrick Apr 2010

Finding Meaning In Facebook, Kelly Patrick

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

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Behavioral Patterns Of Mustelus Canis (Smooth Dogfish Shark) In A Captive Population, Megan Christine Vaupel Apr 2010

Behavioral Patterns Of Mustelus Canis (Smooth Dogfish Shark) In A Captive Population, Megan Christine Vaupel

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Mustelus canis, or the smooth dogfish shark, is the second most common species of shark inhabiting the coastal waters of the Western Atlantic. However little is known about the behavior of this species in the wild and in captivity. In an attempt to establish some data on the behaviors of these animals, I observed a captive population of dogfish at the Indianapolis zoo. I quantified the activity level and distribution of the dogfish in various areas of the exhibit, as well as the frequency and durations of stationary ("resting'') behavior. I analyzed these results in the context of several factors, …

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The Impact Of Imagined Reactions On Feelings About Disclosing Stigmatized Vs. Non-Stigmatized Beliefs, David Briley Apr 2010

The Impact Of Imagined Reactions On Feelings About Disclosing Stigmatized Vs. Non-Stigmatized Beliefs, David Briley

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Past research has shown that people tend to conceal some aspects of their status (e.g., HIV positive diagnosis, homosexual orientation) because they fear that they will be stigmatized (Chaudoir, 2009), however little to no research exists regarding the divulgence of beliefs that may be stigmatized (e.g., belief in Bigfoot, ghosts, unconventional religious beliefs). My thesis extends research on concealable stigmatized status to research on stigmatized beliefs, by examining the degree to which people’s feelings about disclosure of stigmatized beliefs are impacted by anticipated responses from other people. I investigated this issue by asking participants to write about either a conventional …

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Jumping To Conclusions Bias And Attitudes Towards Body Image And Food, Heather Anne Sperry Apr 2010

Jumping To Conclusions Bias And Attitudes Towards Body Image And Food, Heather Anne Sperry

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Poor body image and eating disorders are highly prevalent in Western cultures. In the United States alone, 10 million women and 1 million men struggle with an eating disorder (National Eating Disorders Association, 2008). In addition to these individuals with DSM classified disorders, evidence has been found that over 80% of American women are unhappy with their appearance (National Eating Disorders Association, 2008). There is evidence to suggest that negative body image is one of the key factors in determining whether or not an individual has or will develop dysfunctional eating habits (Cash & Deagle, 1996). The other key factor …

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Education And Girls' Development In Malawi: Promotion Of Girls' Education In Relation To Sustainable Development, Helen Momoko Wilson Apr 2010

Education And Girls' Development In Malawi: Promotion Of Girls' Education In Relation To Sustainable Development, Helen Momoko Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Girls' education plays a key role in the development of a nation. There are various barriers to girls' education that prevent them from being given an equal opportunity as their male counterparts. As a result they are not enabled with the skills or knowledge that they require to further themselves, their families, their communities and their nation. Several approaches have been made to strive to improve the situation of girls' education in Malawi. This study takes an in depth look at the factors that make girls' education so critical to development and how the various approaches taken have or have …

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Syrian/United States Relations: Explaining The Failure Of The Relationship And Suggestions On How To Repair It, Chris Chapman Mar 2010

Syrian/United States Relations: Explaining The Failure Of The Relationship And Suggestions On How To Repair It, Chris Chapman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

"Syrian-American relations have deteriorated markedly in recent years. " ~Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Bushra Kanafani Hezbollah. Hamas. The Islamic Jihad. Rogue nation. The axis of evil. These are features commonly used by the United States government, Western media outlets, and the American people to describe the Republic of Syria. Syria is a major player in geopolitics and relevant to the stability of the Middle East. Its relationship with the United States, therefore, is of central importance in reaching the United States goal of peace in this warravaged region of the world. The erosion of normal diplomatic relations with Syria since …

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