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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 30 of 31
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Environmental Evaluation Of A Quaternary Wastewater Treatment Wetland, Olivia Demeo, '09
Environmental Evaluation Of A Quaternary Wastewater Treatment Wetland, Olivia Demeo, '09
Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers
Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment have become a sustainable alternative to environmentally harmful traditional wastewater treatment methods. This case study evaluated the Schroeder Wildlife Sanctuary, a wetland area constructed for removal of nutrients from wastewater. An environmental evaluation of the wetland was completed that addressed three parameters: the water quality of wetland effluent, the avian biodiversity within the sanctuary, and an assessment of community outreach and education initiatives. Water quality testing was conducted using rudimentary LaMotte and Hach testing kits. The data was contrary to the literature and showed no nutrient removal occurring. However, the results were inconclusive because the …
Growing Food Justice In West Bloomington, Illinois, Daniel Burke, '09
Growing Food Justice In West Bloomington, Illinois, Daniel Burke, '09
Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers
In some places in the United States, guns are more accessible than tomatoes. In a nation where food is in relative abundance, how can this be? Food security is the ready availability of nutritious and safe food and the assured ability to obtain it through normal sources (Morris et al 1992). Food justice asserts that no one should live without enough food because of economic constraints or social inequities. In this way, food justice frames the lack of healthy food sources in poor communities as a human rights issue (People's Grocery 2008). However, in some communities, access to fresh, healthy …
World Piece Discusses The Presidential Election, Heather Lindquist ’09
World Piece Discusses The Presidential Election, Heather Lindquist ’09
News and Events
No abstract provided.
Analog, Digital And In-Between: Managing Transitions In The Media Center, Stephanie Davis-Kahl
Analog, Digital And In-Between: Managing Transitions In The Media Center, Stephanie Davis-Kahl
Scholarly Publications
In 2004, Ames Library staff and librarians collaborated to create a Strategic Plan that would guide efforts to improve existing services and develop new ones. Part of the plan called for re-visioning media services to be more collaborative with faculty and information technology staff. This presentation will discuss how the transition from media center to digital center began and how it has impacted services, staffing, technology and relationships in and outside the library.
An Economic Analysis Of The Effects Of Steroids On Season Best Performances In Track And Field, Allison Fisher '08
An Economic Analysis Of The Effects Of Steroids On Season Best Performances In Track And Field, Allison Fisher '08
Honors Projects
This paper investigates the relationship between steroids and an athlete's ability to run a season best time in track and field. Certain event groups have seen a faster drop in season bests than others. Medical research indicates which of these event groups (sprinters, distance, throwers, jumpers) would most benefit from steroids. I hypothesize that steroids allow sprinters to improve on their season bests more than other event groups. This hypothesis is based on a production theory from the economics literature where inputs such as coaching, facilities and steroids produce season best performances. Using ordinary least-squares regression, I use a dummy …
Stock Index Pricing With Random Walk And Agent-Based Models, Scott N. Swisher Iv '08
Stock Index Pricing With Random Walk And Agent-Based Models, Scott N. Swisher Iv '08
Honors Projects
The objective of this work is to empirically test the EMH (efficient market hypothesis) and compare its results to those of a viable agent-based competitor using computational simulation. The models are not directly fit to the data; random walk and agent-based methods of stock price determination are statistically compared using the criteria of stationarity, randomness, and autoregressive behavior. The agent-based approach used, styled the "ant trader" model, is based on the ant model established by Kirman in his 1993 work "Ants, Rationality, and Recruitment". Daily returns of the Hang Seng and Nikkei 225 indices are used over the periods 1987-2007 …
Determinants Of Crack Cocaine Trial And Addiction, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Leekley, Faculty Advisor
Determinants Of Crack Cocaine Trial And Addiction, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Leekley, Faculty Advisor
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference
No abstract provided.
Transparent Politics Or Empty Legislation?, Connor Mcgee '08
Transparent Politics Or Empty Legislation?, Connor Mcgee '08
Honors Projects
The Bipartisan Campaign Refonn Act (BCRA) was passed in 2003 as a way to clean up and make transparent the way in which congressional elections are funded. The legislation succeeded in banning soft money from the election process, however fell short of closing the gap between incumbents and challengers and clearing up the process. Using data from the Federal Election Commission this project analyzes the total receipts, contributions from parties and PACs, and, most importantly, the proportion of small donors for five traditionally Democratic districts, five traditionally Republican districts, and five districts that have been highly contested in recent elections. …
Video Games And The Da Vinci Code: Effective Use Of Multimedia In Information Literacy Instruction And Tutorials, Christopher Sweet
Video Games And The Da Vinci Code: Effective Use Of Multimedia In Information Literacy Instruction And Tutorials, Christopher Sweet
Scholarly Publications
Admit it, we've all had students nod off during instruction sessions! The material we need to cover is essential to student learning, but difficult to present in an engaging manner. Effective use of multimedia means utilizing technology to supplement (but not replace!) good teaching practices. This presentation will look at how to incorporate some freely available multimedia sources into your instruction sessions and library web tutorials.
Brazilian Ethanol And U.S. Industrial Organization: An Analysis Of Bilateral Trade Barrier Removal, Michael X. Feeney '08
Brazilian Ethanol And U.S. Industrial Organization: An Analysis Of Bilateral Trade Barrier Removal, Michael X. Feeney '08
Honors Projects
With rising petroleum costs and a plethora of other influences causing international ethanol demand to grow at an unprecedented rate, discussion of trade liberalization has become an important point of debate for the ethanol production industry. Although there have been many studies on the results of the removal of trade barriers there has been little emphasis on the potential impact it would have on domestic industrial organization. This paper looks to analyze the possible effects of ethanol trade barrier removal between Brazil and the United States on U.S. industrial organization through evaluation of the removal's ,influence on incentives for consolidation …
Determinants Of Crack Cocaine Trial And Addiction, Elizabeth Taylor '08
Determinants Of Crack Cocaine Trial And Addiction, Elizabeth Taylor '08
Honors Projects
This paper examines how socioeconomic factors contribute to initial use of crack cocaine and to eventual addiction. The paper focuses on two specific questions: what characteristics influence crack cocaine use initially and why do people continue to use crack cocaine? In order to answer these questions the paper utilizes basic supply and demand theory as well as general physiological theory on drug dependence. These theories, coupled with previous literature, suggest characteristics that would increase the probability of a person trying crack cocaine. However they also indicate that once a person has become addicted, these characteristics no longer matter. Ordinary Least …
Nurturing Failure: Re-Conceptualizing Library Leadership To Embrace Change And Encourage Innovation, Christopher Sweet
Nurturing Failure: Re-Conceptualizing Library Leadership To Embrace Change And Encourage Innovation, Christopher Sweet
Scholarly Publications
No abstract provided.
Following The Public’S Lead: What Public Libraries Do Better Than Academic Libraries, Christopher Sweet, Aimee Dziekan
Following The Public’S Lead: What Public Libraries Do Better Than Academic Libraries, Christopher Sweet, Aimee Dziekan
Scholarly Publications
No abstract provided.
Student Researches Alzheimer-Like Deficiencies In Rats, Heather Lindquist
Student Researches Alzheimer-Like Deficiencies In Rats, Heather Lindquist
News and Events
No abstract provided.
Achieving Proficiencies In Economics Capstone Courses, Michael Seeborg
Achieving Proficiencies In Economics Capstone Courses, Michael Seeborg
Scholarly Publications
This paper argues that capstone courses in economics should be integrative experiences that require students to demonstrate six core proficiencies. The capstone economics senior seminar at Illinois Wesleyan University is used as an example of how a capstone course that requires completion of an original research paper might achieve these proficiencies. Also, carefully designed co-curricular activities, such as student-edited undergraduate journals, and participation in undergraduate research conferences are recommended as complements to capstone research courses.
The Case For Chick Lit In Academic Libraries, Stephanie Davis-Kahl
The Case For Chick Lit In Academic Libraries, Stephanie Davis-Kahl
Stephanie Davis-Kahl
The purpose of this article is to prove that chick lit is a legitimate and important area of collection for academic libraries. This article presents a definition of chick lit with an overview of the origin and significance of the term itself, discusses chick lit’s impact on publishing, and its relationship to academia and women’s writing. The article concludes with guidelines on building a chick lit collection.
The Case For Chick Lit In Academic Libraries, Stephanie Davis-Kahl
The Case For Chick Lit In Academic Libraries, Stephanie Davis-Kahl
Scholarly Publications
The purpose of this article is to prove that chick lit is a legitimate and important area of collection for academic libraries. This article presents a definition of chick lit with an overview of the origin and significance of the term itself, discusses chick lit’s impact on publishing, and its relationship to academia and women’s writing. The article concludes with guidelines on building a chick lit collection.
The Influence Of Hope On The Relationship Between Racial Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms, Kira Hudson Banks, Jennifer L. Singleton, Laura P. Kohn-Wood
The Influence Of Hope On The Relationship Between Racial Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms, Kira Hudson Banks, Jennifer L. Singleton, Laura P. Kohn-Wood
Scholarship
This study investigated how hope influences the relationship between discrimination and depressive symptoms. Results from participants’ (N=318) responses suggest that increased levels of hope were directly related to decreased levels of depressive symptoms. However, increased levels of hope were also related to a stronger relationship between discrimination and depressive symptoms.
The Effect Of Gender Inequality On Growth: A Cross-Country Empirical Study, Quentin Brummet '08
The Effect Of Gender Inequality On Growth: A Cross-Country Empirical Study, Quentin Brummet '08
Honors Projects
Recently, a large amount of economic literature has focused on the empirical determinants of economic growth, especially the impact of human capital. These studies have established that human capital is a very significant determinant of growth. However, relatively few studies have examined the effect of misallocation of human capital on the basis of gender. Furthermore, those that study gender inequality consider different measures of inequality, different control variables, and different data sets. This study attempts to investigate the robustness of these previous findings. Using OLS regressions and more recent data than past studies, the results highlight the fact that cross …
Nafta Toward A Common Currency: An Economic Feasibility Study, Kelly Hugger
Nafta Toward A Common Currency: An Economic Feasibility Study, Kelly Hugger
Undergraduate Economic Review
The recent emergence of the Euro, combined with the completion of a decade of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has sparked interest in adopting a common currency for North America. This study examines the likelihood that Canada, Mexico, and the United States will adopt a common currency under fixed exchange rate regimes. The benefits and costs of a common currency are explored using the theory of optimum currency areas (OCA). Empirical research focuses on several variables including intra-regional and intra-industry trade, trade openness, gross domestic product, inflation rates, interest rates, economic growth rates, business cycle synchronization, factor mobility, fiscal …
Validation Of A Measure Of Affective, Inferential, And Holistic Intuition, Lauren A. Carlson '08
Validation Of A Measure Of Affective, Inferential, And Holistic Intuition, Lauren A. Carlson '08
Honors Projects
A new theory of intuition synthesizes current theoretical models suggesting the existence of three types of intuition: affective, inferential, and holistic (Pretz & Totz, 2(07). However, current intuition measures inadequately assess these types. In response, a new intuition inventory, the Types of Intuition Scale (TIntS), was created containing subscales measuring affective, inferential, and holistic intuition. The current study attempted to establish the factor structure and validity of the TIntS. A factor analysis of TIntS data from 332 participants revealed four distinct factors of intuition: affective, inferential, abstract holistic, and incubation. Additionally, 227 of these participants completed other measures of intuition …
From Mario To Manhunt: The Effects Ofviolent Video Game Content And Competition On Hostility And Aggressive Cognitions, Courtney Lee '08
From Mario To Manhunt: The Effects Ofviolent Video Game Content And Competition On Hostility And Aggressive Cognitions, Courtney Lee '08
Honors Projects
Research has shown that playing violent video games can lead to increases in aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This study further examined this effect using a specially designed video game that allowed for precise manipulation ofviolent game play. Competition was independently manipulated and the interactive effects of competition and violence were studied. It was hypothesized that violence combined with competition would lead to greater aggressive thought and feelings. Consistent with this hypothesis, results show that male participants in the high violence, high competition condition report significantly greater hostility than participants in other conditions. Female participants show significantly greater hostility in …
The Effects Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On Behavioral And Neuroelectric Indices Of Cognition In Young Adults, Elizabeth K. Mraz '08
The Effects Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness On Behavioral And Neuroelectric Indices Of Cognition In Young Adults, Elizabeth K. Mraz '08
Honors Projects
Effects ofcardiorespiratory fitness on cognition were assessed for 72 young adults. Participants completed an executive control task while behavioral and neuroelectric indices ofcognition were obtained. Behavioral (reaction time, response accuracy) and neuroelectric (P3 amplitude, P3 latency) measures ofcognitive function and processing were examined in relation to fitness to determine the unique influence offitness on cognition. A graded maximal exercise test was used to measure fitness by assessing maximal oxygen consumption. Higher fitness was associated with a smaller difference in P3 amplitude across expectancies as well as a longer P3 latency at the central midline site, suggesting a relationship between fitness …
Behavioral Responses To Predictable And Unpredictable Competitors And C-Fos Expression In The Amygdala And Nucleus Accumbens, Jennifer Schnupp '08
Behavioral Responses To Predictable And Unpredictable Competitors And C-Fos Expression In The Amygdala And Nucleus Accumbens, Jennifer Schnupp '08
Honors Projects
The present study examined the effects of the presence of a competitoron the behavior of individual rats in a foraging paradigm as was done in Farmer-Dougan, Dougan, Knight, Toelle, and Chandrashekar (2007). Rats foraged for food in a large open field, with pellets delivered in one patch on a Variable Interval schedule (VI). During alone conditions, each rat foraged by itself. During the unpredictable competitor condition, a competitor rat was introduced on an unpredictable basis on the last day of foraging. In this condition, the rats displayed avoidance behavior and were significantly undermatching as was observed in Farmer-Dougan et al. …
The Effects Of Social Ostracism On Frontal Lobe Electroencephalogram Activity, Jennifer A. Morozink '08
The Effects Of Social Ostracism On Frontal Lobe Electroencephalogram Activity, Jennifer A. Morozink '08
Honors Projects
This project is part of a larger investigation involving personality traits and their relation to the individual's response to ostracism as well as effects of social ostracism on frontal lobe EEG activity.
Increasing Condom-Related Behavioral Intentions, Motivation, And Willingness Via Social Ties In Advertisements, Marylee Richardson '08
Increasing Condom-Related Behavioral Intentions, Motivation, And Willingness Via Social Ties In Advertisements, Marylee Richardson '08
Honors Projects
Although researchers have identified factors associated with increased condom use, STI prevalence rates are still high, and condom use rates are still low. Various advertising techniques have been implemented to increase condom use, but these techniques are largely self-focused. Based on research in exercise adherence and cognitive interdependence, this study used advertisements targeting social ties to increase condom use. One hundred forty-seven Illinois Wesleyan University students viewed one of six critical advertisements--a self-focused condom advertisement, a relationship-focused condom advertisement, a friendship-focused condom advertisement, a self-focused sunscreen advertisement, a relationship-focused sunscreen advertisement, or a friendship-focused sunscreen advertisement. Participants then completed measures …
The "Evolution" Of Media: The Influence Of A Media Literacy Campaign On Self Esteem And Body Image, Vasiliki D. Dremonas '08
The "Evolution" Of Media: The Influence Of A Media Literacy Campaign On Self Esteem And Body Image, Vasiliki D. Dremonas '08
Honors Projects
For decades, society has criticized the media for instigating many of the physical, social, and psychological maladies that affect females of all ages. However, recent advertising approaches, namely the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, endeavor to sell products by responsibly endorsing attainable beauty ideals. The present study seeks to empirically evaluate whether campaign efforts like Dove's are successful at reducing negative female body image, or whether they are instead counterproductive to their goal due to what social psychologists term "sleeper effect" processes. 102 female undergraduates were either exposed to the Dove commercial Evolution in its entirety, Evolution in part, or …
The Effects Of The Norepinephrine Agonist, Guanfacine, On Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairments In The Rat, Andrew P. Tharp '08
The Effects Of The Norepinephrine Agonist, Guanfacine, On Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairments In The Rat, Andrew P. Tharp '08
Honors Projects
Cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease are known to result from decreases in acetylcholine within the cholinergic system ofthe medial septal area, which projects to the hippocampus. Recent studies have proposed that increasing levels ofthe neurotransmitter norepinephrine may help to decrease the cognitive impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease and aging. The present study measured the effects that Guanfacine, an alpha-2 noradrenergic agonist, has on memory deficits produced by the acetylcholine antagonist, Scopolamine. Memory ability was assessed using an object recognition task and a socially transmitted food preference task. Following administration of Scopolamine, memory ability was significantly impaired from baseline levels …
Promoting Environmentally Responsible Behaviors Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques, Sarah L. Tribble '08
Promoting Environmentally Responsible Behaviors Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques, Sarah L. Tribble '08
Honors Projects
An experimental design was used to determine whether environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) could be promoted by exposing participants to two motivational interviewing techniques-provision ofinformation and engagement in a decisional balance exercise. We hypothesized (a) a main effect of the information manipulation such that provision ofbasic as well as normative information about the current state ofglobal warming would be more effective than basic information only at promoting ERBs, which would in turn be more effective than a control information group and (b) a main effect ofthe decisional balance manipulation such that engagement in a decisional balance activity would be more effective …
The Effect Of Changes In The Federal Funds Rate On Stock Markets: A Sector-Wise Analysis, Kunaey Garg '08
The Effect Of Changes In The Federal Funds Rate On Stock Markets: A Sector-Wise Analysis, Kunaey Garg '08
Honors Projects
The federal funds rate is an indicator of monetary policy that investors in the stock market scrutinize very closely. This paper determines the relationship between changes in the federal funds rate and sector stock indexes. The paper goes on to determine why particular sectors are more sensitive to interest rate changes than others. Weekly returns of the Dow Jones ICB classified financial, energy, utilities, materials, industrials, consumer goods, consumer services, information technology, health care and telecommunications sectors are analyzed using separate OLS regression models for each sector. The results show that the utilities, financials, telecom and basic materials sectors are …