Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Simply Butter (One Pat At A Time), Maddie Mcsweeney

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Simply Butter (one pat at a time) is an investigation of food and intimacy through sculpture, installation, performance, printmaking, and recordkeeping. In this series of Happenings, I explore themes of love, loss, and empathy while dealing with emotions related to grief and mental health issues. I look to cultural phenomena and art history figures who are concerned with similar sentiments to make conceptual connections and inform my choices when creating this project. Drawn to silliness and the absurd, I use the rudimentary yet familiar form of a stick of butter to act as a monolithic stand-in for the emotionally, mentally, …

(Un)Successful Use Of Apologia: A Case Study Of Mayor Shubert's Resignation, Alexis Raineri

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With the growing tension in the political climate of the United States, political figures often use apologia in their attempt to repair a damaged image due to their mistakes or wrongdoings. This project reviews several scholars’ image repair typologies and strategies, applying them to the case of Craig Shubert, former mayor of Hudson, Ohio. While the specific image repair strategies employed can vary from one case to another, Shubert’s use of evasion of responsibility and reducing offensiveness proved to be ineffective and resulted in his resignation before completing his term at the end of 2023. Although it is recommended to …

The Relationship Between Trust In Local Police And Perceived Police Legitimacy Among Koreans In The United States, Zermeen Siddigi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following study will determine whether Korean Americans’ trust in police positively correlates with perceptions of police legitimacy. This project uses the data collected from surveys given to Korean Americans in the Atlanta, Georgia area. It takes into consideration 128 complete responses collected in September 2022 from Korean Americans, regardless of their immigration status. A regression analysis will be conducted to analyze the relationship between trust in police and perceived police legitimacy among Korean residents while controlling for the demographic factors such as age and gender of the participants. It also controls for other relevant factors including English proficiency, annual …

The Impact Of Remote Learning In The Wake Of Covid19, Dominique Richards

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

With COVID19, the University of Akron and many other universities had to adjust how they taught students. They went from primarily in-person classes to primarily remote classes as well as hybrid classes. This project is meant to determine how students at the university were affected by this change regarding their overall satisfaction with remote learning. Students at the University of Akron were surveyed in September 2023. The questions regarded demographics, location during the semesters (from spring 2020 to current), impact on study habits, impact on grades, impact on social life, satisfaction with courses, and general thoughts on online learning. Questions …

Badges And Blush: Gender Expression In Policework, Aubrey Powell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Gender roles are a social construct ingrained in American culture. Stemming from this problem is the femininity versus competency bind. This means that women in the workplace are seen as either feminine or competent, but never both. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the perceived deficit is due to gender expression or biological sex. Additionally, the project examined the masculine of policework and the neutral profession of teaching. Participants were assigned to one of four conditions (feminine woman, masculine woman, feminine man, and masculine man) in which they rated a potential hire for a police precinct or …

Age And Its Effect On Drug Addiction Treatment, Skylar Haberman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Substance use disorders and addiction have become increasingly serious problems in the United States. Diseases of this nature revolve around problematic patterns of substance use and abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, and over-the-counter medications. Substance use disorders are not limited to a certain demographic, which makes treatment of these illnesses complicated and multifaceted (Argyriou et al., 2017). This review paper will focus on age-related effects on substance use, and how age is consequential to the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment. The literature review focuses on the onset and progression of substance use disorders and treatment for these disorders …

The Role Of Symbolic Politics In Shaping Political Attitudes: A Study Of Trump And Biden's Campaign Speeches, Nimra Asif

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this study, five speeches by Donald Trump and six by Joe Biden were comprehensively analyzed for their symbolic politics on immigration and social issues. The data revealed a consistent trend, with Trump featuring a greater number of mentions in comparison to Biden—66 and 26, respectively. Furthermore, Trump's symbolic politics exhibited a predominantly negative tone, while Biden's approach was predominantly positive. The results of this analysis confirm my hypotheses, highlighting notable disparities in the rhetoric employed by each candidate. Trump amplified a negative outlook on social issues and immigration, whereas Biden strategically mentioned and positively framed these issues. This research …

Examining Contributing Factors To Poor Mental Health Among College Students: A Guide To Student Mental Health Resources, Kora Dutton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Among college students, poor mental health is an issue that continues to progress. In this literature review, contributing factors to mental health conditions of college students are examined. These factors include financial burden and living standards, violence, substance use, pandemics, and health crises. After the initial onset of a mental illness, the risk for other negative consequences increases. Students with mental illness are less likely to graduate, more likely to develop substance use disorder, and are at an increased risk for other mental health comorbidities and suicide. As poor mental health among college students persists, more accessibility to resources is …

Health Misinformation During Epidemiological Crises, Bethany Stefan, Alexis L. Emich, Katrina R. Lamp

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Health misinformation is more prevalent than ever in the modern age and poses serious risks for those who believe it. Medical fallacies can become especially harmful during periods of widespread disease when the misinformed respond in ways that increase threats to public health. The purpose of this systematic review is to describe and critically appraise the evidence about how health misinformation during endemics and pandemics can influence behaviors and responses, as well as the implications of interventions affecting these behaviors. A systematic search of the literature with inclusion/exclusion criteria using CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO resulted in …

Variation In Ohio Police Response To Mental Health Crises, Brett Dietrich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following paper aims to identify and explain variation in Ohio police department methods of response to calls for service (CFS) involving mental health crises. Police response to mentally ill or disturbed individuals has become a topic of increased discussion in recent decades. Communities have attempted to bring reform to this area with alternative solutions, including specially trained police officers, co-response with social workers, or community-based response teams. Geographic and demographic factors such as police department size, population served, and availability of mental health resources impact how communities and police departments approach this issue. This paper consists of a literature …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Construct Measurement Techniques Used In Industrial/Organizational Research, Benjamin Michael, Andrea F. Snell, Katie Rosneck

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project aims to challenge the appropriateness of the methodological strategies and tools utilized within psychological research. We will look at the types of statistical modeling used and the context in which they are used, such as measurement modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, and bifactor analysis within survey development, as well as the use of psychological constructs such as extraversion and leadership. The objective of this research is to search for and recognize patterns from the content of some of the top journal articles in the field of industrial and organizational psychology. The information gained from analyzing the content of the …

Community Policing: The Challenges Of Implementation In The United States, Paris Frank

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Community-oriented policing (COP) is a policing philosophy that emphasizes the partnership and positive relationship between the police and the community. This paper discusses the importance of COP and its implementation in police departments. Decentralization and community engagement are key components of COP, which can be challenging to implement due to various barriers. Some of the challenges include resistance to change from law enforcement agencies, lack of resources, and a lack of community trust in the police. Additionally, there can be a disconnect between the goals of COP and the traditional law enforcement model, which can make it difficult for some …

Assessing Consistency Of Three Perfectionism Scales, Brianna Lawry

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Perfectionism is generally described as a personality trait characterized by excessively high standards, overly critical evaluations of performance, and disproportionate amounts of distress in response to perceived flaws or failure. However, there is some debate as to whether perfectionism is a stable personality trait or a fluctuating state attribute. To investigate this, the current study assessed the test-retest reliabilities of the three most widely used perfectionism scales (the APS-R, HFMPS, and FMPS) over a three-week period and examined the influence of various contextual variables. Data from this college sample (N=43; mean age=21; SD=3.7) demonstrated high reliability and internal consistency for …

Factors That Affect The Well-Being Of College Students, Breanna Piorkowski

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this paper was to research the existing literature regarding the factors that affect the well-being of college students and make suggestions for further research. There are a number of factors that contribute to the well-being of students during their time in college. This topic is important to cover in order for colleges to make adaptations to increase their students’ well-being. The factors currently in the literature include involvement, living situation, participation in class, social factors, diets, Internet usage, sleep, individuation from parents, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Each of these factors were found to impact a college student’s …

The Queer Performance, Owen Coldsnow

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my project, I decided to make a documentary focusing on the experiences of queer, University of Akron students appropriately called, “The Queer Performance.” As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, it was particularly important to me to document the unique challenges that queer students have to face. One specific challenge that rings true for me is putting on many different personas in different situations, and I wanted to see how this compared and contrasted with other members of the community. According to Goffman’s Dramaturgical Theory, everyone puts on an act when they are around people, but each of …

Scrolling Through The Years: Social Media's Effects Of Self-Esteem In Younger And Older Adults, Ryan Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The detrimental impact social media has had on self-esteem in younger adults is well documented. However, this same approach to studying social media’s impact has not been applied to older generations, who were already well into adulthood as social media as we know it today began to emerge. Due to this, my project proposes to examine an interaction between the variables of three different social media categories (interactive, image/video, and informational) across younger and older adults. The results of this study could provide further insight into the effects social media has on self-esteem, specifically, the effect of different types of …

Variations In Refugee Acceptance Among Democratic States, Ryan King

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

What factors account for the variation in refugee acceptance? My review of existing literature and subsequent research paper will seek to further develop the understanding of this phenomenon by identifying and investigating factors that account for the differences in rates of migration flow among democratic states. The literature review will discuss the current body of research surrounding the topic, and the research itself will attempt to further the understanding of the impact of the given variables by using currently available data of international trends in migration, as well as a number of specific case studies. First, the paper will outline …

The Political And Social Advancement Of Divine Nine Sorority Women., Simara M. Vines

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will explore the correlation between Divine Nine sorority women and politics and civic engagement. There is a low percentage of BIPOC women in politics; however, the majority of them are in Divine 9 sororities. I'll find a correlation between the principles of the Divine Nine and these upstanding women in society through various interviews with women in local politics who are also in the Divine Nine. Furthermore, this will enable political scientists to assess the motivation of these women and the attributes that these sororities have given them to achieve success.

The Higher Education Risk To National Security: A Case Study Of The University Of Akron, Anna Back

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There are numerous threats to U.S. National Security within higher education. Through this paper, I will provide an analysis of current and future threats using a literature review and informational interviewing. The literature review revealed four major National Security threats facing higher education institutions due to Foreign Intelligence Entities (FIE): foreign recruitment of faculty and students, increase in foreign students and screening difficulties, campus openness/easy access to facilities and information, and foreign funding for research. A set of informational interviews were conducted with The University of Akron faculty, employees, and partners to evaluate whether these same threats were present. The …

Gender Differences In Mind Wandering Intentionality, Samira Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My fellow research assistants and I attempted to replicate Seli and colleagues’ (2016) original study that first distinguished between unintentional and intentional mind wandering. Additionally, I conducted my own research study regarding gender differences in mind wandering intentionality. I hypothesized that men would report higher levels of unintentional mind wandering than women. Participants were randomly assigned to two conditions of the sustained attention to response task (SART): difficult and easy. Using data collected from 29 undergraduate psychology students, we validated that the difficult SART is harder than the easy SART, we found no significant difference in overall mind wandering rates …

The Correlation Between Work Empowerment And The Ownership Of Feminist Beliefs In Working College Women, Taylor Marino

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The correlation between work empowerment and attitudes of feminism in people who identify as women while simultaneously working and attending college has not previously been assessed. The aim of this study is to identify what relationship, if any, exists between these constructs. The scales utilized will be the work empowerment scale developed by Spreitzer (1995) and the FEM scale developed by Smith, Ferree, and Miller (1975). Based on previous literature, it can be hypothesized that greater feminist attitudes will be correlated with higher levels of work empowerment.

Coming Out In Later Adulthood: Are The Stresses Different?, Chris Ng

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of the present study is to investigate whether there is a difference between people who “come out” at a later age compared to those who came out at a “younger age.” There is a dearth of research on the stress of sexual minorities in general and even less research done on the stress of older sexual minorities. The present study also aims to investigate whether

The hypotheses for the present study include the following:

Hypothesis 1: Older LGB adults will have greater Internalized Homonegativity.

Hypothesis 2: Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends will mediate the relationship between …

Technology’S Impact On Students In A Virtual Environment, Leah S. Sorensen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In 2020, a worldwide pandemic ensued as the coronavirus spread throughout the United States. This caused a nationwide shutdown, closing schools. All forms of education went to a virtual learning setting, where all students were expected to learn outside of a classroom. This also meant that there became a heavy reliance on technology. This setting and use of technology began to affect students’ learning and development. Through conducted research, three domains of child development are evaluated to determine the effects of this form of learning. The cognitive, physical, and social-emotional domains will be considered.

Mental Health Apps: A Study Of College Students' Perceptions Of Counseling Through An App, Caroline Burns

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this study is to gather data on the perceptions of undergraduate students regarding mental health apps. Participants will be asked to complete a survey through Qualtrics. There will be 20 questions, some with pre-determined answers and some open-ended. The survey, including a few demographic questions, should take approximately 20 minutes. Data will be collected from all undergraduate students at The University of Akron who are 18 years of age or older, with the goal of at least 100 responses. There are no preferences for major or year. The survey will be sent out to undergraduate students via …

Artificial Intelligence And National Security, Ryan Laverick

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As technology advances at an exponential rate, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the ramifications of that technology in the geopolitical environment, and especially as it pertains to American national security. One of the most important categories of technological innovation that will likely disrupt the global balance of geopolitical power, especially along the US-China axis, is the advent and growing sophistication of artificial intelligence. In order to address the new and evolving national security challenges that will accompany this disruption, this paper seeks to define and explain the disparity in artificial intelligence capabilities between the United States and China. …

Influence Of Social Expectations On Muscle Dysmorphia In College-Age Males Studying Exercise Science, Quinten Garver

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between the risk of an individual developing MD and the presence of unrealistic social expectations. The research question is “How do unrealistic social expectations influence the development of muscle dysmorphia in college-age males studying exercise science?”. METHODS: An electronic survey was distributed to all exercise science students at The University of Akron. This survey was targeted exclusively at male students; any responses received by females were not analyzed. The survey consisted of 20 questions that were aimed at determining the individual’s risk of developing muscle dysmorphia and determining how likely the individual is to have …

The Impact Of Social Media On The Participant Turnout Of An Event, Leah Gombosch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my Honors Research project, I will be creating and implementing a social media plan to promote a charity 5k that will benefit Akron Children's Hospital. This social media plan will identify a target audience and key publics and use research on these publics to identify the best platforms to utilize in order to reach them. I will create content that will engage my audience and encourage them to participate in the 5k race. After developing and utilizing this social media plan and after the conclusion of the event, I will compare the participant turn out from the current event …

A Swipe To The Right: Exploring Tinder Use In College Students, Madisyn Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A Swipe to the Right: Exploring Tinder Use in College students set out to explore different ways in which college students used the dating application Tinder . More specifically, the study focused on what kind of relationships college-aged users were hoping to form on Tinder (i.e. committed, casual, or neither) and what factors determined whether these users swiped right versus left on other Tinder users. This study was conducted by way of five qualitative, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews between participant and researcher. While Tinder is commonly thought of as a "hookup app", the results of the interviews proved otherwise; college students …

Barriers To Technology Adoption In The Water Treatment Industry, Ian Adams

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors project focuses on barriers to technology adoption in the drinking water treatment industry. The scope of this project considers these barriers as they relate to general technology and with a specific focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins. To better understand these barriers, prior research and case studies are analyzed. The case studies include reports provided by Fontus Blue, a water treatment software provider based in Akron, Ohio. The case studies exhibit the benefits and challenges of integrating new technology, including AI systems. With the context of these case studies in mind, a survey was distributed to …

The Relationship Between Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, Coping Humor, And Self-Confidence, Emma Dudones

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Cognitive distortion is an error in thinking believed to increase susceptibility to depression (Burns, 1980; Dozois & Beck, 2008). Research shows Affiliative and Self-Enhancing humor styles are associated with less cognitive distortion, while Aggressive and Self-Defeating humor styles are associated with greater cognitive distortion (Rnic et al., 2016). The current study examines those relationships and extends the research by examining whether coping humor and self-confidence relate to humor styles and cognitive distortion. 210 college students took the Humor Styles Questionnaire, the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire, the Coping Humor Scale, and the Internal and External Self-Confidence Scales. The maladaptive humor styles were …