Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Black And Blue All Over: Whose Lives Matter?, Bella Purvis

Honors Theses

This study investigated the influence of beliefs about race on support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Blue Lives Matter (BluLM) movements, mediated by attitudes towards police and beliefs about white privilege. Utilizing a sample of undergraduate university students, data were obtained through a survey measuring beliefs in the biological and social constructs of race, support for police, belief in white privilege, and attitudes toward BLM and BluLM. Results indicated that individuals who perceive race as a biological construct are less likely to support BLM and more likely to support BluLM, while beliefs in white privilege and attitudes towards …

Divided Discourse: Analyzing Abortion Rhetoric In The 2016 Presidential Debates, Ella Hayes

Honors Theses

How did the party affiliation of the speaker affect the rhetoric used to talk about abortion in the 2016 American presidential election? Using computer-assisted qualitative analysis and coding for instances of framing, metaphors, and bridging rhetoric, I look at debate transcripts during the election cycle from the American Presidency Project, tracing both Democratic and Republican primaries into the general election. I argue that across all debates and speeches, Democrats invoke the“morality as empathy metaphor and the Nurturant Parent model in their arguments more than Republicans. In contrast, I argue that Republicans invoke the“morality as strength" metaphor and the Strict Father …

Longitudinal Associations Between Peer Victimization And School Belonging In Elementary-Aged Children, Bridget E. Mcguiness

Honors Theses

Belonging is crucial for children’s social adjustment, and peer victimization has the potential to threaten belonging. Alternatively, it is possible that low levels of belonging can elicit higher victimization. My study determined the directionality of the relationship between peer victimization and belonging and whether gender moderated the relationship. There was no evidence that peer victimization was associated with decreases in classroom belonging, but low belonging was associated with higher levels of peer victimization. Gender did not moderate the relationship.

Prototypicality And Need To Belong: How One’S Standing In The Group Affects Parochial Cooperation, Huidi Yuan

Honors Theses

This study explores the dynamics of parochial cooperation within intergroup social dilemmas, specifically examining the roles of harm, prototypicality, and the need to belong (NTB). Utilizing an experimental design and an adapted investment game, the study investigates how these factors influence individuals' decisions to engage in cooperation that is biased towards their own group, especially when such actions potentially harm outgroup members. The findings reveal a strong preference for parochial cooperation over universal cooperation and free-riding, consistent with previous research on ingroup favoritism. Notably, this preference is significantly moderated by the harm condition, where participants reduced their parochial investments when …

The Impacts Of Identity On Perceptions Of Safety On A Predominately White Campus, Rebecca Delrosso

Honors Theses

This quantitative study examines the relationship between students’ marginalized identities of race, gender, and sexuality and their perceptions of safety at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Survey data collected from undergraduates at a small liberal arts university reveal associations between minority identities and feelings of discomfort, insecurity, discrimination, and vulnerability on campus. The findings highlight the need for PWIs to prioritize secure and inclusive environments through policies, practices, and support systems.

Unpredictable Positive Experience Response (Uper) Training In Male And Female Rats: Effects On Cognition, Emotional Resilience, And Neuroplasticity Markers, Eve M. Barringer

Honors Theses

This study investigated the effects of positive anticipation on depression-like symptoms in Long Evans male and female rats, using Unpredictable Positive Experience Response (UPER) training. Rats that received UPER training (UPER group) were exposed to cues followed by a positive reward at random times, fostering anticipation of three different positive experiences. Along with the UPER rats, there was a group of rats that received positive rewards without anticipation (ENR group) and a group that received no positive reward or anticipation (CTRL group). After 7 weeks of behavioral… training, we examined how training impacted the animal’s cognition, emotional resilience, and neurobiological …

(Re)Constructing Race: How Essentialist Beliefs Shape Social Justice Support, Abbey Alvarado

Honors Theses

The political climate and social discourse around social justice has grown increasingly tense and hostile in recent years. The current study investigated potential predictors of the opposition to support for racial equity and social justice reforms. Research illustrates that a biological conceptualization of race (“essentialism”) has powerful implications on information processing and social-psychological outcomes regarding issues of race and racism. In the current study, we conducted a survey of 164 University of Richmond undergraduate students. The survey examined the interplay of essentialism and beliefs about systemic racism and white privilege on social justice support. The results showed that essentialist beliefs …

The Effect Of Housing Burden And Access To Affordable Housing On Abortion Rates, Isabelle Huggard

Honors Theses

In the United States a household’s highest expenditure is housing. Low-income households feel this more acutely and have higher rates of housing burden. Past research documents a link between financial constraints and abortion. Three studies published in 1988, 2004, 2014 sought to understand the reasons women get abortions, and found that finances are a prominent reason given. If housing is a large share of household finances and finances play a large role in abortion demand, how might housing affect abortions? This study looks at the effect of three housing mechanisms on abortion rates: rent to income rate, mortgage to income …

The Impact Of U.S. News And World Report College Rankings On Prospective Students’ Decisions And Enrollment Outcomes, Camilla Schneider

Honors Theses

The following paper further expands on previous research using more recent data which is important given changes in the last decade. This paper will answer the question: How do U.S. News and World Report college rankings impact college application and enrollment decisions for prospective students within American public and private colleges and universities? Application decisions refer to the choice to apply to a school while enrollment decisions refer to the choice to attend a school after being accepted. This paper analyzes Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDs) admissions/applicant, fall enrollment, and financial data alongside historical USNWR rankings lists to investigate …

Shifting Grounds: Movement And Continuity In Mustang, Nepal, Lauren Carter

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the socio-cultural and economic transformations in the Mustang region of Nepal. Drawing from fieldwork conducted over a month, this study examines how traditional economic activities, particularly yak herding, are being replaced by tourism and agriculture due to shifting socio-economic conditions and global influences. The concept of 'adaptive traditionality' is introduced to describe how the community in Mustang actively engages with both internal pressures and external changes to reshape their socio-cultural landscape. This adaptability is evident in the transition from nomadic pastoralism to more sedentary agricultural practices and tourism, which not only reflects a survival tactic but also …

Sharing Stories Of Hope And Transformation In U.S. Higher Education: An Ereader By Portland State University Students, Óscar Fernández, David Peterson Del Mar

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

This eReader showcases stories of hope and transformation written by diverse students enrolled in University Studies courses at Portland State University. The goal is to motivate first-year and transfer students to see that, in higher education, they are not alone in their personal, familial, and academic struggles—and personal, familial, and educational achievements.

Gender Roles In Natural Resource Use In Madagascar, Sarahana Shrestha, Cortni Borgerson, Be Jean Rodolph Rasolofoniaina

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Understanding gender roles in natural resource use is essential for culturally-tailored effective conservation. Despite its conservation priority, little is known about the gender roles of forest product use in Madagascar. This study used over seven years of data from 1,255 interviews on the extraction, use, and sale of forest, freshwater, and marine resources, to examine gender roles. We found that gender significantly affects natural resource use in Madagascar. While men were primarily responsible for natural resource collection, women collected nearly all resources in at least one household. Both genders collected resources, with subsistence use as the primary incentive for resource …

Examining The Source Of Island Effects In Native Speakers And Second Language Learners Of English, Saad Aldosari, Lauren Covey, Alison Gabriele

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We investigate sensitivity to island constraints in English native speakers and Najdi Arabic learners of English, examining (1) whether second language (L2) learners whose native language (L1) does not instantiate overt wh-movement are sensitive to island constraints and (2) the source of island effects. Under a grammatical account of islands, these effects arise due to violations of syntactic constraints. Under the resource-limitation account, island effects arise due to processing difficulty. The source of island effects is interesting to examine in L2 learners because it is possible that reduced processing abilities in the L2 may lead to the low acceptance of …

Exploring Language Patterns: Integrating Corpus Linguistics In The Pedagogical Grammar Class, Larissa Goulart

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A Citizen’S Perspective Of Clientelism In Morocco, Adam Lahlou

Honors Program Theses

This undergraduate research thesis aims to examine the implications of clientelism in Morocco from the perspectives of the citizens. Clientelism, or patronage-based political exchange can have a significant impact on political systems, and representative politics. While studies have been done examining citizen’s perspectives on clientelism, this aimed to be the first study in the context of Morocco. Using qualitative data from interviews and literature examination, the author tested three assumptions. He analyzed if clientelistic networks in Morocco are entrenched via Urban-Rural divides, if clientelism has had a symbiotic relationship with the Amazigh’s movement for greater political representation, and if Moroccan …

State Politics And Stress Amongst Lgbtq+ Students At Florida’S Private Colleges: A Psychological And Normative Analysis, Alise Fortune

Honors Program Theses

The recent wave of anti-LGBTQ+ politics and policies in Florida pose potential risks to the mental health and well-being of Florida’s LGBTQ+ students. The present study surveyed LGBTQ+ students attending private colleges in Florida to measure their self-reported stress levels in comparison to non-LGBTQ+ students, the level at which they believed specific sources of stress contributed to their stress levels, their level of distress upon experiencing discrimination, their sense of sexual identity distress, and their awareness of and involvement in advocacy against Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Survey results suggested that anti-LGBTQ+ politics in Florida and the personal lives (social and family …

Perception, Attention, And Action! A New Perspective On The Associations Found In Educational Expertise And Visual Search, Ashley Sawyer

Honors Program Theses

Expertise as defined in literature is the peak or otherwise exceptionally high levels of performance on a particular task or within a given domain (Papesh et al., 2021). In this study, expertise is defined as the time length the individual has spent in their field. For the purpose of this research, an expert can exist in a plethora of fields ranging from history and music to mathematics or science. Becoming an expert requires for the individual to not only have the mental and cognitive concepts that come with acquiring this type of knowledge, but it also incorporates skills they know …

Emotional Throwing: Decision Making And Emotion In The Dual-Process Theory, Eve Wasil

Honors Program Theses

The dual process theory of decision-making describes system 1 as automatic and system 2 as controlled (Frankish & Evans, 2009). While much research has been conducted on system 2 and emotional arousal, little is known about how arousal affects the more automatic, gut-feeling processes of system 1. Through galvanic skin response (GSR), a system 1 ball throwing task, and a system 2 trolley problem survey, this study measured emotional arousal’s effect on both systems in conjunction with one another. Results revealed minimal effects of emotion on system 1 and system 2, leaving room for speculation as to the robustness of …

Examining Adolescent Sexual Patterns In Creek Town, Nigeria: Insights From A Cross-Sectional Survey And Implications For Tailored Interventions, Rowland Edet, Kabiru K. Salami

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In the dynamic landscape of global health, the sexual behaviors of adolescents are of particular significance due to their profound implications for individual well-being and public health. This article focuses on Creek Town, a vibrant community in Nigeria, and aims to provide a nuanced exploration of the sexual behaviors of adolescents within the context of local culture and socioeconomic factors. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, involving a multi-stage sampling approach with 422 participants. A comprehensive 112-item questionnaire captured various aspects of adolescent sexual behaviors. Additionally, four focus group discussions, including both in-school and out-of-school adolescents, provided qualitative insights. The …

Animal Agriculture And Cellular Agriculture Futures Workshop Resources, Julia Mcquillan, Linda J. Pfeiffer, Charlotte Brockman, Meghan Leadabrand, Michael Sealy

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The activity was supported by NIST Cooperative Agreement 70NANB22H047T under the project titled, "Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap for Cellular Agriculture: Initiative for Convergent Manufacturing of Agriculture and Food for Equity (I-CAFE).”

Does Innovation Facilitate Meeting The Co2 Emission Reduction Targets Of China: A Non-Linear Approach, Yifan Wang, Nadia Doytch, Mohammed Elheddad, Wei Li, Mengna Chi

Ateneo School of Government Publications

China has been implementing energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction schemes at the provincial level that have been embedded in the National Five Year Plans of the country. We set out to investigate the relationship between R&D expenditures and CO2 emissions in China at the province level in the context of the planned emissions reduction targets. We explore the possibility of the existence of a non-linear relationship between R&D expenditures and CO2 emissions with a non-parametric methodology, a fixed effect panel data quantile (FEQR) regression estimator applied to a panel of 30 provinces. We stratify the sample according to the …

Coattailing For Regime Continuity?: Unraveling Duterte's Legacy In Marcos Jr.'S 2022 Electoral Victory, Gabrielle Ann S. Mendoza, Imelda B. Deinla, Cristine Lian C. Domingo, Jurel K. Yap

Ateneo School of Government Publications

The electoral victory of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been attributed to a range of factors such as misinformation, patronage, and populism. We argue that Marcos’ electoral victory should not be treated as an isolated instantaneous event, but rather a result of a shift in the country's political narrative due to the legacy of his predecessor. The shift to illiberal populism is tied to the public's continued support for Duterte's flagship policies as well as in the proliferation of populist rhetoric on social media. Using a non-probability survey of 1500 Filipinos, we find that support for President Duterte and his …

To Busan And Beyond: Mobilities Of Korean War Trauma, Raymon D. Ritumban

English Faculty Publications

The Korean War (1950-1953) leveled the peninsula, losing and displacing millions of its people. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans from North and South found themselves in refugee camps in Busan. This traumatizing event is carefully delineated in Yi Hochol’s “Far from Home” and Han Musook’s “The Fragment.” Through an analysis of these short stories using Kate Coddington’s theory of contagious trauma, the paper forwards that the trauma caused by the war spreads, compounds, and expands within the infrastructures—namely, freight cars and warehouse—that facilitate the movements of refugees. In “Far from Home,” during the outbreak of the Korean War, four North …

Whiteness As The Standard: Shifting Ideologies, Race, And Social Context, Kelsey Swift

Publications and Research

In previous work, I have documented and analyzed the persistence of mainstream ideologies around ’standard’ and ’nonstandard’ American English in the adult ESOL classroom and their connection to linguistic racism and anti-Blackness. This study explores how these ideologies developed more broadly, employing elements of raciolinguistic genealogy and metapragmatics to analyze historical language scholarship. I find that while the linguistic features of ‘nonstandard’ English have remained remarkably consistent in the popular imagination, they became increasingly linked with Blackness, especially during and after white backlash to the Great Migration (and other cultural and political changes) in the mid-20th century. I argue that …

Grid Culture, Eliot Bates, Arseni Troitski

Publications and Research

In this essay, we provide our initial ethnographic research about lines, which at a superficial level can be considered a platform, but which is also synonymous with a community of 8800 users, and with 606k unique posts authored by these users that in aggregate constitute a discourse network (Aufschreibesysteme, see Kittler 1990). lines—as platform, community, and discourse network—is primarily designed to support the development, documentation and user-generated code efforts specific to a set of hardware synthesis-related objects (the two we will focus on are called Norns and Grid; we’ll discuss what they are and what they do through the subsequent …

Members Only: Do Mandatory Inclusive Introductions Inadvertently Cause Exclusion?, Leah Marie Mckinney

All Master's Theses

In order to establish the proper way to address peers and colleagues, an introduction is necessary. In an attempt to support inclusion, it has become standard to ask that people state their associated pronouns. Researchers have shown that the proper use of one’s pronouns can help people feel safe in a new environment (e.g., Kramer et al., 2022; Lauscher et al., 2022; Palanica et al., 2022); however, to my knowledge, very few researchers have explored the potential adverse effects of requiring pronouns in introductions. The practice of stating pronouns during introductions has been established relatively recently (MIT, 2020), limiting research …

Foodways: An Ethnographic Analysis Of Cwu International Students’ Perception Of The Role Of Culturally Relevant Food In Their Sense Of Belonging, Joy Ihuka

All Master's Theses

International students face unique challenges adjusting to new academic environments, including developing a sense of homesickness and lack of belonging. Studies have shown that consuming culturally relevant food helps international students relieve homesickness, fostering a sense of belonging. Curiously, nonetheless, literature on student belonging rarely focuses on food. Within this gap, this thesis explores the significance of culturally relevant food in fostering a sense of belonging among international students at Central Washington University. Using ethnographic interviews, this research examines how culturally relevant food (including how food is prepared) or lack thereof may influence international students’ perceptions of belonging. This study …

Do The Securities Laws Actually Protect Investors (And How)? Lessons From Spacs, Patrick M. Corrigan

Journal Articles

From the Article

This Article identifies transactional innovation in public offering markets as a case study of how going-public transactions would work if issuers could choose to relax some of the investor protections provided under the securities laws. In recent years, private companies that wanted to go public had a meaningful choice between a traditional initial public offering and a merger with a special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC). Most of the direct and indirect investor protections that ordinarily apply in the initial public offering context are relaxed in the SPAC context.

The Article argues that outcomes in SPAC markets, where …

Religious Right Countermovement Tactics: Taking Down Lgbtq+ Rights One Letter At A Time, Hannah J. O'Connor

Political Science Honors Projects

The group we know today as the “Religious Right” (“R.R.”) has been in contention with the LGBTQ+ movement since the early 1970s. Using a single case study method, I analyze how, if at all, Religious Right framing and LGBTQ+ counter-framing evolved at a point in time where the R.R. recognized it was losing its fight against same-sex marriage. Using Arizona’s 2013 Senate Bill 1045 (one of the nation’s first bathroom bills) as a case study, I find that the Religious Right translates protectionist framing from its anti-gay marriage crusade into its anti-trans rights offensive, and the LGBTQ+ movement also responds …

Les Pratiques Professionnelles Des Pomiculteurs Exposés Aux Pesticides : Des Savoir-Faire De Métier Aux Pratiques Stratégiques, Caroline Jolly, Alain Garrigou, Elise Ledoux

Études primaires

Dans les très petites entreprises pomicoles, le propriétaire assume majoritairement seul la préparation et la pulvérisation des pesticides. Le respect des mesures de prévention prescrites n’élimine pas l’exposition, pouvant occasionner des effets à la santé. L’objectif est de décrire les pratiques professionnelles développées par les pomiculteurs. Elles visent à limiter l’exposition aux pesticides tout en produisant des fruits de qualité, contribuant ainsi à l'essor de leur entreprise. La recherche-intervention mobilisant l’ergotoxicologie a été réalisée auprès de pomiculteurs au Québec. La diversité des pratiques professionnelles présentées s’inscrit dans les domaines d’activités de la gestion stratégique (p. ex. : développement de l’entreprise) …