Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bypassing Roadblocks To Technical Information: Locating Freely Available Technical Information For Entrepreneurs, Anne E. Rauh

Librarian Publications

If you have ever had to seek technical information, you have probably run into an information access roadblock or a pay-wall. This is a major issue for our students as they leave our universities and our subscription resources and move on to become practitioners of their field. This session will outline the different types of freely available technical information - including patents, government funded technical reports, and open access journal literature - and demonstrate how to access them. The session will also give examples of how to integrate these resources into the classroom through design projects and information seeking assignments. …

Rethinking Fdi: China’S Geopolitical Move Into Europe, John Harris, Dr. Wade Jacoby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The magnitude of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows has skyrocketed in the past decade. In the wake of the Chinese “Going Out” policy, many high profile Chinese firms are buying up companies in all regions of the world. It is curious that Chinese firms are poised to allocate large amounts of capital abroad so early on in their development. But what is more puzzling is the destination of outward FDI from China. Typically, a country’s FDI is determined by economic, cost-cutting motives. Chinese firms, however, tend to focus on areas that do not maximize their economic returns. This …

Mapping Civil Society: An Experiment In Ngo Coordination, Madeleine Gleave, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Our research took us to the red dirt and bustling streets of Uganda. There we sought to understand how non-governmental organizations behave. We were interested in understanding the coordination behavior of NGOs in Uganda and India. With the on-site mentorship of Professor Daniel Nielson, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in the field that involved randomly assigning a subset of NGOs in our sample the ability to use an online NGO project mapping tool that we generated (to view, see: http://ngocoordinationug.tumblr.com/).

Impact Of Hathaway Scholarship On Wyoming Higher Education, Jason Despain, Dr. Eric Eide

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A commonly repeated axiom states, “Life is what happens when you make other plans.” In other words, most endeavors in life rarely go as planned or according to proposed timelines, although the end result is most often positive and desirable. Such has been the case with this research assignment. It continues to go forward, and I continue to learn about the overall researching process, but it has not yet gone according to plan. This final report details the last six months of the project, its current state, and the expected future.

Buzzwords Without Borders: Three Field Experiments In Individual Donation Behavior, Scott Jackson, Dr. Joshua Gubler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2009, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that over the preceding twelve months, 67% of Americans “contributed to a charity or non-profit organization other than their place of worship” (Smith et al., 2009). The study also found that 11% of Internet users had gone online to donate money to a nonprofit or charitable organization in the preceding year. In 2002, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University reported that the average amount donated by American donor households was $1,872 (Center, 2006). These studies show that modern nonprofits access a large market of potential donors and wealth when …

Effects Of Light Stimulation On The Baseline Level Of Dopamine In The Nucleus Accumbens, Benjamin Carter, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study explored the effects of light stimulation on the baseline levels of dopamine (DA) in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc).

Phasic And Sustained Fear In Autism, Paul Chamberlain, Dr. Mikle South

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project was designed to study how autistic children respond to uncertainty and if they respond differently than typically developing children. Psychologists have differentiated between two different types of fear- phasic fear and sustained fear. Phasic fear is fear to a specific threat. For example, if you are hiking and see a snake on the path you are afraid. However, if there is no snake you are not afraid. Sustained fear, or anxiety, is essentially fear of what could possibly happen even when there is no physical stimulus present. Going back to the hiking example, sustained fear would be fear …

Do You Know How To Dance?: Mediating Identity Through Film And Dance In Visakhapatnam, India, Kaitlin Patterson, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I went to India to study gender relations in the family, but as I spent more time there I came to know a group of striking individuals and instead focused my research on a similar topic, film as a mediator of culture, but in this case a mediator for the deaf. The Omkar and Lions School for the Deaf (OLSD) looks out onto the bright blue bay of Visakhapatnam, India. Despite the beautiful view, the students rarely spend time in the water; their time is consumed with other things. They have school to go to, homework to complete, temple to …

Closing The Gap: Defining The Determinants Of School Dropout In Rural Mexico, Ashley Dymock, Dr. Tim Heaton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research examined the motives behind school dropouts occurring between primary and secondary schools in Guanajuato, Mexico. It involved both preliminary quantitative analysis as well as field research that was both qualitative and quantitative in nature. I am currently in the process of evaluating the data collected in Mexico from April to July of 2012 to provide a local non-governmental organization (NGO) with solutions to help reduce this rural educational gap. I report the status of my findings to the NGO on a regular basis and will submit a final report within the next two months.

Long-Term Recidivism Of A Short Term Jail Substance Abuse Program, Leslie Cooper Terry, Dr. Stephen Bahr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research was a follow-up of previous research done by Dr. Stephen Bahr, looking at recidivism rates of offenders who had been through a jail substance abuse program in 2006. The research took place at a county jail in the intermountain United States. Dr. Bahr did follow-up interviews and looked up whether or not they went back to jail or prison for more than 30 days. My hypothesis was expanded to include not only recidivism, but also to examine whether or not they relapsed. Since we were not able to interview many respondents, we measured relapse by if they had …

Religious Influence On Adolescents And Their Parents Faculty Mentor: Sam Hardy, Psychological Sciences, Carrolyn Mcmurdie, Dr. Sam Hardy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For decades, research has shown religious involvement and religious belief to predict positive outcomes for adolescents and adults, including better physical and mental health, fewer risk-taking behaviors, and greater involvement in moral or pro-social and helping behaviors (Hood, Hill, & Spilka, 2009). However, the current body of research literature is unclear about how individuals perceive religion to influence their lives. Research has not shown if people identify the same positive outcomes from their religiousness that scholars do. This is important to consider because people may perceive outcomes that are unrecognized by scholars. These additional outcomes may have a significant impact …

Effects Of Nicotine On Plasticity In Glutamate Neurotransmission To Midbrain Gaba Neurons, Peter Nielson, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In order to further the knowledge of physiological contributions to addiction, this project’s purpose was to elucidate the neuronal processes involved in nicotine (NIC) addiction. We studied its effects on critical neuronal substrates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), an area of the midbrain implicated in drug reinforcement. As NIC was previously shown to affect GABAergic neurotransmission, this project was to determine the more specific effect of NIC on glutamate (GLU) neurotransmission in the same area.

Negative Affect In Individuals With Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications For Acquiring New Learning, Spencer Liebel, Dr. Michael Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this project was to clarify the additive role that negative affect plays in the capacity for individuals with moderate-to-severe (M/S) traumatic brain injury (TBI) to acquire new learning. Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, affecting an estimated 1.7 million people annually. Traumatic brain injuries typically result in considerable long-term neurological disabilities such as deficits in attention, memory, and processing speed (Zaloshnja, Miller, Langlois, & Selassie, 2008). In addition, TBI survivors are significantly more likely to develop psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety, and attempt suicide at a higher …

Mediators Between Pornography Use And Risky Sexual Behaviors, Gwen Coulson, Dr. Scott Braithwaite

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With the advent of the internet the availability, anonymity, and affordability of pornography has substantially increased (Cooper, 1998). Furthermore, content analyses have revealed that various types of pornographic material frequently present sex as casually occurring between acquaintances (Brosius, Weaver, & Staab, 1993) and often portray sexual violence as pleasurable (Bridges, Wosnitzer, Scharrer, Sun, & Liberman, 2010). Considering previous research has revealed many associations between pornography use and risky sexual behaviors, as well as many associations between pornography and casual sexual attitudes, we sought to expand current investigations through application of a meditational model, enabling us to test loosening sexual attitudes …

A Modern Ethnohistorical Understanding Of Ancient Plant Use, Emphasis On The Fremont Near Goshen, Utah, Insight Into Diet And Medicine, Madison Mercer, Dr. Michael Searcy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The research for this project began in August 2011 and finished in April 2012. The goal was to understand how plants were anciently used for food or medicine. To determine this, archaeological data would have to be coupled with more modern ethnographic data of living peoples. This is because there is no clear way to determine how people anciently used plants and because it is possible that modern indigenous groups used plants in similar ways.

Prophets, Scripts, And Nations: Hmong Religious And Ethnonational Borders In Northern Thailand, Belinda Ramirez, Dr. Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a sociocultural anthropology major, my ORCA project entailed spending three months on an ethnographic study. I chose to conduct this study in northern Thailand among the Hmong, a small hill tribe ethnic group. During my stay in a Hmong community near Pua, Nan Province, I spent much of my time with a small messianic religious group known as Is Npis Mis Nus (pronounced “ee bee mee new”), or Is Npis for short. My goals were to understand the various concepts of nationalism and ethnicity for both the Is Npis and the Hmong in general, which I ascertained largely through …

Who Is “We”?: Community Development In El Salvador, Hilary Munger, Dr. Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Where will you be vacationing for Fiestas Agostinas? During the weeks leading up to the most anticipated holiday in El Salvador I was asked this question by almost every individual with whom I came into contact. As a new comer to the country and its customs reusing others greetings and topics of conversation from one social interaction to the next became a common practice as I endeavored to give the impression that I understood what was going on around me. As I traveled outside the capitol to indigenous communities living in the periphery, both literally and figuratively, my assumptions of …

Change And Continuity In A South Indian Fishing Village, Andrew Pieper, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vasuvanipalem, a once isolated fishing village on the South Eastern coast of India has in recent years been absorbed in to the rapidly growing city of Visakhapatnam. The accompanying changes of urbanization and modernization within this community have changed dramatically the lives of fishermen within the community and their families.

Examining The Relationship Between Graduation Rates And Minority Rates In Utah High School, Stephen Richards, Dr. Eric Eide

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The humorist Dave Barry has said, “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.”

The Picky Eater Premium?: The Effect Of Product Portfolio Size On The Price Consumers Pay For Fresh Produce, Wayne Sandholtz, Dr. Joseph Price

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to examine whether consumers who buy a wider variety of distinct fresh fruits and vegetables pay lower average prices for fresh fruits and vegetables, by substituting away from fruits and vegetables during price shocks. In order to answer this question, I used Nielsen Homescan data, which records all grocery purchases of a nationally representative sample of households. Using regression analysis, I found little direct evidence that households which buy a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables pay lower prices for them. In fact, I was surprised to find that in general, higher-variety household …

2012 Annual Population Report Tables (April 19, 2013), Portland State University. Population Research Center

Oregon Population Estimates and Reports

This item contains Oregon population tables. Prepared by Population Research Center, Portland State University, January 2013.

Regional Regimes For The Defense Of Democracy And Coups D’Etat, Jacob P. Wobig

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Does international law work, and if so, how? In the last twenty years eight regional intergovernmental organizations have adopted treaties requiring all participants to be democracies and specifying sanctions to be leveled against members that cease to be democracies. In this work I examine to what extent these agreements are helping protect the governments of their members from coups. I find that, between 1991 and 2008, states subject to these treaties were less likely to experience attempted coups d’etat, and were less likely to be overthrown when coups were attempted, but that the evidence varies widely in particular cases. Case …

Manufacturing Polarization: The Role Of The Internet In Corporate Media And Opinion Formation, Colin Longhurst

All Theses And Dissertations

The primary concern of this thesis is tracing and articulating the political consequences of the Internet as applied to the formation of public opinion. This thesis will present a critical interpretation of a larger theoretical problem while concentrating on two related empirical cases. The broad question that this thesis will ultimately address is this: how, and to what extent has the Internet provided a new platform for the continued ideological hegemony of the American elite? Can an empiric relation be drawn between the rise of Internet-based technologies and contemporary political polarization in public opinion? How has the digital market for …

Maternal Employment And The Mother-Child Relationship, Marie Ortega, Margaret Gross, Helena Karnilowicz, Veronica Kreter, Lindsey Butrera, Shirley Mcguire, Nancy Segal

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

It has been suggested that a mother’s employment status affects her relationship with her children. This study examined whether children of stay-at-home mothers showed differences in the mother-child relationship than those of employed mothers. Participants were 252 sibling-pairs, 8-13 years, in the Twins, Adoptees, Peers and Siblings Study. Children completed measures on maternal warmth, trust, and conflict. Mothers reported their occupations. Independent t-tests were used to compare mean scores for maternal warmth, trust and conflict. There was no significant statistical difference between the groups, which suggests maternal employment does not affect relationship quality. Follow up analyses will examine biological …

Community, Power, And Memory In Díaz Ordaz's Mexico: The 1968 Lynching In San Miguel Canoa, Puebla, Kevin M. Chrisman

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

On September 14th, 1968, approximately 1,000 enraged inhabitants wielding assorted makeshift weapons formed a lynch mob that brutally murdered four people and injured three others in San Miguel Canoa, Mexico. According to the generally accepted account, Canoa’s inhabitants feared that recently-arrived Universidad Autónoma de Puebla employees, in town on a weekend mountain-climbing expedition, were in actuality communist agitators threatening the town’s social order. The lynching in Canoa received limited press coverage and was subsequently overshadowed by the much larger government orchestrated Tlatelolco massacre that occurred in Mexico City, on October 2, 1968. While Tlatelolco remains an important historic event from …

Female Roles And Fan Fiction In Charmed, Supernatural, And Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Krystalle Double

Honors Theses

The objective of this paper is to investigate the portrayal of female characters in Charmed, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the relation it has to which sexes were represented in romantic relationships within fan fiction for the three shows. This investigation was conducted through content analysis of the scripts and fan fiction to determine number of female roles and their depth in the scripts, and the number of romantic relationships and the sexes involved in the relationships in the fan fiction texts. It found that Charmed and Supernatural had the greatest proportion of individual female characters introduced …

The Reaction Of Small States To The Advancement Of The People's Republic Of China In The South China Sea, Michael Miller

Honors Theses

This paper will outline the internal and external factors that have spurred the People's Republic of China (PRC) to issue strong rhetoric and naval expansion in the defense of their claims to territory in the South China Sea (SCS). An analysis of the PRC's posturing will provide the contextual background necessary for answering the following research question central to this paper. What strategies have relatively less capable states engaged in the region as a reaction to the advancing capacity of the PRC? The escalation of tensions between the PRC and other states in the region, namely , the Republic of …

Investigations At The Fort St. Joseph Archeological Project Unit N25 W9, Erika Mammen

Honors Theses

The Western Michigan University Archaeological Field School is a program that allows students with an interest in Anthropology or History an opportunity to participate in a learning community devoted to the practice of archaeology. Since 2002 the field school has been held regularly at the site of historic Fort St. Joseph (20BE23). During the summer field season of 2011 I was a student archaeologist at Fort St. Joseph. For my honor’s thesis I am presenting a summary of my field experience and a discussion of my findings.

The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First, I aim to provide future …

Youth Self-Efficacy As A Predictor Of Youth Symptoms And Psychotherapy Outcomes, Brooke Daniels-Brown, Dr. Jared Warren

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of the project was to examine youth self-efficacy as it relates to youth symptoms and treatment outcomes in a community mental health setting. From analyzing the collected data, results suggest that youth self-efficacy may act as a moderator and potential mediator in youth mental health services. Tailoring interventions to improve youth self-efficacy may yield more effective outcomes and additional research examining youth self-efficacy in the context of evidence-based treatments may be warranted. Also, these results generalize well to routine services, which are received by the majority of youth in mental health care. Self-efficacy is an important factor in …

Oxytocin, Or “Cuddle Hormone” Genotype In Titi Monkeys, Hannah Page, Dr. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I used my ORCA grant to attend ASP, go on an internship at the CNPRC, and pursue research involving the oxytocin, or “cuddle hormone” genotype in titi monkeys.