Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The International Court Of Justice: The Quest For Neutrality In A Prejudiced Political World, Zoe Buchmann

Politics, Philosophy, and Legal Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), one of the primary organs of the United Nations, was created to serve as a court that handles matters between states and nations. Its purposes are to serve the international community and adjudicate general disputes in accordance with international law. The close relationship of the court to the Security Council should allow, in theory, for an unbiased legal exchange between the Court’s Judges and the members of the Security Council on any international dispute between the nations subject to the Court’s jurisdiction. The Court has contributed, since its creation, to establish guidelines for crucial …

The Importance Of Cross-System Collaboration For Dual Status Youth, Cece Sadek

Social Work: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Dual Status Youth (DSY), youth who receive supervision from both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, are more vulnerable than youth who are only involved in one of these child-serving systems. Dually-involved youth have more detrimental outcomes in exposure to trauma, homelessness, substance abuse, recidivism, health problems, and protective indicators (factors such as education, peer or family support, employment, and coping skills) than youth who are only involved in one system (Narendorf et al., 2020). It is more common for youth to initially be involved in child welfare and become a part of the juvenile justice system later than …

Review Of The Role Of Environmental Cues In Various Aspects Of Nicotine Addiction, Brendan Atticks

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Nicotine in cigarettes is a highly addictive substance but can also alter the incentive value of cues associated with smoking as well as other natural reinforcers, such as food. While previous work has shown nicotine to enhance the saliency of and reactivity to sucrose-paired cues by serving as an occasion-setting stimulus while also enhancing reward-learning, much of this work has been done in male rats. In the present study, we explore whether nicotine can enhance sucrose self-administration and sucrose-seeking in female rats. For ten days female Sprague-Dawley rats were either given subcutaneous saline (ST, saline trained) or nicotine (NT, nicotine …

Art Experience, Art Enjoyment, And Fixed/Growth Mindset: Clues In The Case For Art Therapy, Hope Mcquoid

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Existing research into the Creative Arts Therapies (or CAT), though still growing and not quite widely recognized across the field of Psychology, points toward the use of art related interventions to decrease stress levels and create a high sense of enjoyment, but little research has been done to examine the impact of particular components of said intervention. This includes how the role of the instructor of such an intervention would impact stress levels and enjoyment, if art experience of the participant has a role in the outcome of either variable, or if a particular mindset about creativity could impact one’s …

Perceptions Of Social Media Use On College Students’ Burnout, Meghan Keenan

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In recent years, the US public increasingly turned to social media for socialization (Bendau et al., 2020; Maheux et al., 2021). This transition was concerning, as many previous studies correlated increased frequency and duration of social media use with negative mental health outcomes (AlHardi et al., 2021; Hammad & Alqarni, 2021). However, some studies correlated positive mental health outcomes with social media usage when used to connect with friends (Huddart et al., 2020; Maheux et al., 2021). The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the frequency, duration, quality, and perception of social media use on social …

Higher Education Professors Adapting To Online Teaching, Jocelyn Kosik

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Adaptation factors such as experience, personality and social support may be predictive in professors’ self-perceived adaptability scores to online teaching. Data from forty-four Elizabethtown College professors and forty-six Lebanon Valley College professors, collected using an online forum, was analyzed in a correlational analysis, regression analysis and t-tests. When combining the results from Elizabethtown College professors and Lebanon Valley College professors, significant relationships were detected between self-perceived adaptability scores and three personality types (proactive, extroversion, agreeableness) and workplace support. The regression analyses showed workplace and school to be predictive of self-perceived adaptability scores to online teaching. These findings represent the importance …

Gender Stereotypes In Survivor, Jessica Freels

Communications: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Survivor is an American reality competition show where a group of castaways fight for the title of “Sole Survivor” through a variety of challenges and tribal councils where members are voted out by each other. It is often called a “microcosm of our real world,” but how accurate is it? This research compares gender and four behavioral traits—affection, emotionality, independence, and competitiveness—to determine if gender stereotypes associated with those traits are present in Survivor. Previous research indicates that women are portrayed as more affectionate and emotional, while men are portrayed as more independent and competitive in the media. Previous …

Instagram Engagement: Comparing Sportswear Companies To Running Brands, Christian Schaaf

Communications: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Achieving an engaged social media presence is a crucial task for sports organizations in today’s expanding digital realm. “Instagram Engagement: Comparing Mainstream Sports Brands to Running Brands” explores the evolution of the sports-media relationship and specifically analyzes the engagement rates and types of content posted throughout five sportswear and running organizations’ Instagram accounts. 393 posts were analyzed and classified into three categories: metacommunicative, conceptual, and narrative (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006; Romney & Johnson, 2018). Overall, sportswear companies posted the most narrative images while running brands shared the greatest number of conceptual images. Significant difference was discovered between the number …

Does Money Matter? Outside Spending In The 2020 Georgia Elections For The U.S. Senate, Brooke Wilson

Business: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Outside spending in American politics has become increasingly significant as a small number of groups are influencing elections for millions of people. Since these political nonprofits are allowed to take unlimited amounts of donations, they overpower small donors, taking away the average citizen’s voice. Before the 2000s, outside spending only accounted for 1% of total election spending. In the next decade, outside spending would rise to 9% of total election spending. When Citizens United was passed in 2010, spending by outside groups multiplied.

It is important to study the impact of outside spending in the 2020 Georgia Senate Elections because …

In-Vivo E-Cigarette Usage Is Associated With Fluctuations In Positive And Negative Affect, Aries Baringer

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

The use of e-cigarettes has become a popular replacement for traditional cigarettes since they were first introduced to the market in 2006. Evolution of these customizable devices has provided young adults with a plethora of different ways to vape nicotine. Although e-cigarettes are increasingly widely used, little research has been conducted to learn about factors that motivate and maintain usage of these devices at the intersection of affect, stress, and overall mood. The current study utilizes ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as a way to collect information in the moment, representative of daily life. In the study, 25 participants responded to …

Examination Of Lgbtqia+-Inclusive Recommendations Issued By Professional Medical Associations Across Healthcare Fields, Alexandra R. Gates, Anna Goldina Ph.D., Jonathan J. Wisco Ph.D., Anastasia Filimonov M.S.

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

LGBTQIA+ populations persistently experience discrimination and limited access to informed, quality, and patient-centered healthcare. The gap between population needs and provider competence can be attributed to the inadequate education of healthcare professionals, suggesting the need for educational reform not just within medical schools, but also in physician assistant, nursing, and emergency medical services programs. To create the most widespread change across all these programs, it is imperative that the leading, most influential professional medical associations (PMAs) in each field take steps to make LGBTQIA+-focused healthcare education a priority, provide actionable statements and plans, and encourage educational institutions to ardently take …

How Colleges Use Social Media To Promote Podcasts, Karlie Fromm

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Blue Jay Journey's Media Posts Research Paper

Six Instagram accounts and one accompanying Facebook account were examined to observe how other colleges promote podcasts and keynote speakers to their campus and alumni. The colleges observed include Drew University, Juniata College, Millersville University, Boston University, and Moravian University. First observed was Drew University’s “@drew_alumni” page, and “@drewuniversity” was also observed to see how a keynote speaker was presented on the main page. The pages looked at from Moravian University include “@moravianalumni” on Instagram and the accompanying Facebook page “Moravian Alumni. Juniata’s Instagram account “@juniata_college” was also examined. The last page’s viewed …

Sharing Personal Cultural Experiences Through Travel Writing, Faith Morrow

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

It is common to hear that travelling changes people, often for the better, but what are tangible ways in which those changes are shown? Founded on a two week study abroad to England, I explored the captivating and educational genre of travel writing and attempted it myself. Through researching and consuming various travel writing and taking countless notes and observations in England, I set myself up to create my own travel pieces. Based on my research, two common types of travel writing included location-based personal narrative and tourist-centered pieces, both of which styles I experimented with in my three completed …

Travel Writing: Capturing British Culture Through Prose And Image, Ashley Conway

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

This project examines the development and creation of the travel writing genre. Before going on a study abroad trip, research revealed notetaking and photography techniques and helped develop overarching themes to guide activities abroad and story writing upon return.

Keepin It Shiny Side Up: A Qualitative Study Of American Stage Rally, Nyvani Molina

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

No abstract provided.

Peacebuilding Since World War Ii: Relations Between Japan And The United States, Misaki Yamaguchi

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Recognition and evaluation of history is vital for us to understand the international relations by outlining events happened between states and connecting each history to present structure of relationship. This research project will identify some of the key histories between Japan and the United States. It examines how the various aspects of societies and people developed in the past have led the way of relationship how it is now between two nations. Comprehending history supports acquisition of facts about the process of change in partnership over time and the shape of current relations in terms of peacebuilding, military and security, …

Promoting Access To Archival Information On The Amish, Emily Erdlen

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

The Elizabethtown College Hess Archives contains a wealth of Amish research materials and scholarship. This project, spanning nine weeks, served to add materials to the Hess Archives to be used for research on the Amish. Student Emily Erdlen, under archivist Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, processed newly donated materials relating to a variety of Amish groups. The project led to a six-box addition to the Donald B. Kraybill Collection and the processing of two new collections, the Ben Riehl Collection and the Karen M. Johnson-Weiner Papers. Kraybill and Johnson-Weiner are both scholars who have studied Amish culture, and Riehl is an Amish …

The Tenets Of Journalism: A Thematic Analysis Of Journalists’ Adherence To Traditional Journalistic Norms, Abigail Lindsay

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

No abstract provided.

Is The United States ‘Exceptional’?, Wayne A. Selcher

Faculty Publications

Debates over issues of national identity have been constants in American history, up to and including today, with the Civil War being the most notable and violent example of serious disagreement about national identity and unity. There are many interpretations of how the country came to be, what its defining characteristics are, and how factual or merely self-congratulatory the elements of the nationalistic claims of exceptionality really were or are now. Like any nationalistic tenet, the exceptionality thesis certainly requires a deliberatively selective and incomplete understanding of the national history. Whole university courses and disciplines of study in American Studies …

Outdated Laws: Their Contributions To Mass Incarceration And Police Practices, Allie Melnikoff

Politics, Philosophy, and Legal Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Smoking Behavior: An Analysis Of Menthol's Effect On Nicotine, Kathryn Carter

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Menthol is well known to exacerbate tobacco addiction. It is unclear, however, if menthol directly effects dopamine release which may increase the reward associated with smoking or if menthol has any effect on environmental cues which act as reinforcers for smoking behavior. Study 1 used fast scan cyclic voltammetry to examine the effects of nicotine and menthol, administered alone and in combination, on phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Results confirmed that nicotine, but not menthol, enhances phasic dopamine release in the …

Effective Usage Of Instagram As A Food Influencer, Brianna Komiske

Communications: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Social media allows individuals to reach publics worldwide within seconds. The risks and benefits of organizations using social media as a tool for promotion has been researched extensively with social networks’ growing popularity. In recent years, individual profiles with large followings have been used as opinion leaders and have earned the term influencer. This research examines the engagement of influencer’s followers, then analyzes the content with the most engagement. A review of literature and examination of data leads to the thesis of: Due to the rise of social media engagement, it is vital to analyze the content of posts and …

Insta-Impact: Evaluating Media Forms Used By Non-Profit Organizations To Engage With Their Publics On Instagram, Emily Barber

Communications: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Youtube Influencers: Are There Too Many Commentary And Reaction Stars In The Spotlight?, Emma Knight

Communications: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

YouTube has permeated the everyday lives of millions of people and created an online entertainment platform where people can create and share video content. Since its beginnings in 2005, it has grown from a simple source of entertainment to a complex ecosystem where popular creators can make a living off of their content. Both large and small YouTubers have the opportunity to follow a successful YouTube career path, and now, creators can be part of a niche subcategory to reach a dedicated fanbase. For example, some popular video types on YouTube include beauty, prank, lifestyle, comedy, and commentary. These people …

That’S News To Me: A Content Analysis Of The Portrayal Of Perpetrators Of Mass Murder In Mass Media Communications, Meghan Kenney

Sociology-Anthropology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The United States holds only five percent of the world’s population, but surprisingly 31 percent of global mass shootings. Previous literature defines a mass shooting as an incident where at least four individuals are shot and a mass murder as an incident where at least four individuals are killed. Mass shootings have been found to occur in bunches due to the exposure of mass shootings inspiring copycat shootings. Such inspiration has been potentially linked to media coverage of these events thus giving them “accidental advertising”. Limited research has empirically examined the news coverage of mass shootings through a content analysis. …

To Vote Or Not To Vote: The Effects Of Political Information Efficacy, Locus Of Control, And Parental Socialization On The Political Engagement Of College Students, Jessica Cox

Sociology-Anthropology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Political engagement involves both indirect and direct actions that effect the political system such as voting, donating to campaigns, and volunteering for a political party. Previous literature has suggested that students demonstrating more interest in politics and exhibiting strong party ties were more likely to vote than those who were uninterested in politics. Limited research has examined the relationship between political information efficacy, locus of control, and parental socialization on the political engagement of college students; however, studies have thoroughly examined the effects of political affiliation. The sample population for this research were students enrolled at one small, private, liberal …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On K-12 School Teachers' Stress, Coping And Burnout: Identification Of Protective And Exacerbating Factors, Victoria Vaughn, Meghan Keenan

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many changes and challenges for K-12 teachers and students alike. The changes in teaching modality, need for safety precautions, and challenges in maintaining contact with students contributed to heightened stress levels for teachers (Jones, 2020). Job stress has the potential to lead to burnout among teachers (de Vera Garcia & Gambarte, 2019). The present study sought to survey the stressors experienced by K-12 teachers in the U.S., the impact of teachers’ job-related stress on their burnout, and factors, such as resiliency, coping styles, resources, and social support, that might buffer against the effects of stress on …

Exploring The Effects Of Nicotine On Reward Learning In Female Sprague-Dawley Rats, Brendan Atticks

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Nicotine addiction harms millions of individuals worldwide: financially, socially, and psychologically. Successful smoking cessation could dramatically improve the quality of life for these people. A key driver of smoking relapse centers around associated environmental cues, which induces craving and drives a smoker to re-initiate smoking. Previous work has shown that nicotine can enhance the reinforcing properties of reward-associated cues in male rats. This research aims to evaluate nicotine’s effect on female rats using a behavioral assay called “cue-induced reward-seeking.” In this behavioral assay, rats are trained to press a lever that produces liquid sucrose along with an audiovisual cue. After …

The Implications Of Greek, Turkish, And U.S. Triangular Relations On Transatlantic Security, Laura Cardona

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Since the discovery of hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions between Turkey and Greece have been exacerbated due to enhanced geostrategic competition in the region (Dursun-Ozkanca 2021). Against the background of Turkey’s increased self-confidence in its foreign policy in the region and its “Blue Homeland” doctrine on maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean (Gingeras 2020) as well as its changing relations with the EU and the US, the need for scholarly analyses of regional competition in the Eastern Mediterranean and its implications for transatlantic security relations has become more evident. While there have been few academic works focusing on …

Effects Of Vaping On Positive Affect, Negative Affect, And Stress: A Pilot Study Of A College Sample, Jen Mele, Emily Lamison

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

As it is a relatively new concept, there is little research on the topic of vaping and e-cigarette usage among young adults. These practices were branded as being a healthier alternative to smoking, and while this may be true, young adults who do not already engage in smoking have become increasingly more likely to start vaping. While the long term effects of vaping and e-cigarette use are still unknown, they have been linked to several changes in affect and stress levels. To explore the reasons that college-aged young adults are starting to use e-cigarettes and how their behaviors might be …