Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Language Brokering Consequences As A Function Of Development, Brent M. Gage

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Language brokering can be defined as a child mediating linguistically for a parent or other adult figure, either in spoken or written communication. This situation is a common occurrence among migrant and refugee families as children tend to acquire a new language at an accelerated rate in comparison with adults. As the immigrant and refugee populations continue to grow in comparison with native groups within the United States, it is increasingly important to understand the phenomenon of child language brokering. Moreover, it is particularly relevant to understand how the expectations for and consequences of language brokering may help to shape …

A Pilot Trial Of The Effectiveness Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Self-Help For Problematic Pornography Viewing, Scott Thane Heninger

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Although problematic pornography viewing (PV) is quite prevalent (Carroll et al., 2008), very few studies have been done to test treatments addressing this issue. Preliminary research indicates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising potential treatment for problematic pornography viewing, but this has only been evaluated in face-to-face therapy trials to-date. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of a general ACT self-help book on PV. A sample of 19 participants were recruited and given a copy of the book with directions to read and apply its principles over the course of 8 weeks. Assessments were completed at baseline, …

Perception Of Real And Perceived Anger In Various Races, Mikelle Hymas

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Research of emotional expressions has suggested that facial expressions of emotions are universal between cultures (Ekman, 1989). However, because of in-group biases, misidentification of emotions in other races can predictably occur. The misidentification of facial expressions of emotions can lead to predictable and specific racial biases. One important instance of this is that groups of White individuals often make the error of perceiving anger in an African American who is actually experiencing fear. This has important implications of accidental discrimination. The current study aimed to determine whether a brief training in accurate identification of various facial expressions would improve accuracy …

Barriers To Health Care Access For Refugees In Cache County, Utah, Michael Timo Hoggard

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The United States has a rich history of resettling refugees. The United States resettled hundreds of thousands of refugees at the conclusion of World War II, and has resettled more than 3 million refugees since 1975 (Refugee Council USA, 2016). A refugee is a forcibly displaced person who will not or cannot return to their country of origin because of fear of physical harm or persecution (United Nations, 1951). Refugees are distinct from other forms of immigrants in many ways: refugees do not choose their country for resettlement, they receive government assistance upon arrival, their residency and work permits are …

A Look At The Controversies Of The United States Export-Import Bank, Bo A. Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Ex-Im Bank is the official export credit agency of the United States. The Bank was established in 1934 to aid a depressed economy and foster global trade. Ex-Im was mandated to improve economic conditions and international trade by providing financial assistance where the private sector fell through, while not competing against private firms. The bank has four main tools to perform its responsibilities - direct loans, loan guarantees, working capital financing, and credit-export insurance.

The Ex-Im Bank has enjoyed a long history of strong bipartisan support. Opposition surfaced in the late 2000's leading to an Ex-Im temporary shutdown. The …

The Relationship Between Water Shortage Concern And Age In Utah, Viviane S. Baji

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

It is unclear whether current water supplies in Utah will be able to accommodate the needs of the future. Population in the state is expected to double by 2050 and climate change models predict declines in water availability in the region. Public perceptions of the adequacy of the water supply (and concerns about potential shortages) are key factors that could influence water use behaviors and support for public policy interventions. This paper explores the research question: "Are young people in Utah more concerned about water shortages than older cohorts?" It was expected that young people would be more concerned about …

Institutional Constraints Limiting Social Services For Immigrants, Grant Alan Holyoak

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study advances the literature by identifying the factors that constrain the resource provision activities of social service agencies for immigrants. We consider whether and how coercive, mimetic and normative constraints shape organizational practices in this field. Drawing on twenty-five in-depth interviews with social service providers in Utah, we find that despite providers' commitment to serving immigrants, organizations remain significantly constrained due primarily to external coercive constraints including restrictive state laws and increasing competition over limited funding. We conclude by exploring the implications of our findings for policy and practice.

Qualities That Influence Guardian Ad Litem Effectiveness, Ilana Kornfeld

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The use of Guardians ad Litem (GALs) in child abuse and neglect cases has become increasingly common throughout the world. It has, in fact, become standard procedure in child welfare proceedings in the United States. GALs are charged with presenting children's best interests in court and ensuring that each child has a voice in the process. Ideally, GALs are consistently effective in doing so. However, GALs have extremely high caseloads that potentially limit the time they can spend with their children. In addition, little research has been done on what qualities make an effective GAL. Knowing what qualities increase GAL …

Interaction With Water: Water-Based Outdoor Recreation And Water Quality Perception And Concern Among Residents Of Utah, Matthew J. Barnett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There are a large number of impaired water bodies in Utah, and population trends indicate that water quality impairment will become an increasingly important issue in the future. Because of education and management implications, an understanding of the social processes that drive water quality perception and concern is a matter of interest and importance. Sociodemographic characteristics and outdoor recreational activity have both been associated with environmental concern in the past. Using a Generalized Linear Modeling approach, this study explores the relationship between water-based outdoor recreation and water quality perception and concern. It is found that participation in water-based outdoor recreation …

Impact Of Participation In A Small Music Group On The Academic Achievement Of Primarily Hispanic Youth, Danielle Juliana Keaton

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of participation in a children' s violin instructional music program, The Young Violinists from St. Thomas Aquinas (YVSTA), on the primarily Hispanic participants' academic achievement. Data collection involved obtaining YVSTA attendance records and participants' academic records: their standardized test scores, attendance records, and academic transcripts. The participants were 5 boys and 14 girls ranging in age from 6 to 14, enrolled in Kindergarten to eighth grade. Children attended the YVSTA between 9 and 57 times, representing 36.36% to 86.36% attendance. All children but one were identified as being Hispanic; …

Trauma And Touch: Apprehension Of Touch And Relationship Quality In Survivors Of Military Sexual Trauma, Danielle Christensen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Sexual assault is linked to poor romantic relationships but sexual assault in the military is linked to more severe outcomes than civilian assault (Surís et al., 2007).One in four women Veterans report military sexual trauma (MST; VA, nd). MST is highly correlated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and lower relationship satisfaction, which is problematic as relationship quality buffers against PTSD and dysfunction secondary to MST. Relationship quality is multidimensional and includes satisfaction with physical touch; the effects of sexual trauma on touch apprehension have not been examined in those with MST. Moreover, it is not clear whether contact MST (e.g., rape) …

The Opm Data Breach: Lessons Learned, Michael Wheat

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In 2015 the federal government announced the largest data breach in United States government history. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was hacked, and the personal information of more than 25 million American people was lost to foreign attackers. This incident has spawned concern and outrage about the security of government data in the emerging digital age.

Moving forward from the breach questions remain about how this event happened. It's clear that there were weaknesses that were taken advantage of by malicious threats abroad, and investigations into the attack have yielded surprising results. Not only was the security in place …

The Affordable Care Act And Health Care In America, Michael Ryan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

What you are about to read is a final project meant to incorporate ideas from my undergraduate coursework with my interests in medicine and economics. Issues in health care, especially insurance, fascinate me and I chose to use my Honors Capstone Project as an opportunity to further my understanding of issues important to me as both a future physician and businessman. The purpose of this paper is to practice critical and analytical thinking skills by exploring some of the challenging issues surrounding American health insurance and the Affordable Care Act while also gaining a deeper understanding of the nuances of …

Domestic Violence In Mass Media: An Analysis Of Messages, Images, & Meanings In Motion Pictures, Renee Liana Delcambre

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The overarching goal of this research was to discover the framing strategies employed within depictions of domestic abuse and/or violence through mass media outlets and what potential impact that can have on the audience, particularly in assigning meaning to the topic. Specifically, this research analyzed the choices made in how domestic abuse/violence is framed within four popular motion pictures and the subsequent messages and meanings communicated. Findings from this qualitative analysis reveal common depictions of fictional victims being young, beautiful, naïve, and fully responsible for ending the abuse. In contrast, fictional abusers are depicted as young, handsome, wealthy and/or in …

Exceptionally Cleared Cases In Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparison Of Same-Sex Couples Versus Heterosexual Couples, Clarice Ambler

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Most of the literature regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) focuses on heterosexual couples, with little emphasis on how same-sex couples are specifically and uniquely affected by IPV, especially in terms of how such cases are treated by the criminal justice system. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence the odds of intimate partner violence (IPV) cases being exceptionally cleared. This study analyzed 207,008 incidents of IPV that occurred in 2013. Using logistic regression, this study determined how weapon use, injury severity, and drug use affected the likelihood of a case being exceptionally cleared across heterosexual and …