Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of A Low-Glycemic Index Diet On Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Symptoms Among University-Aged Women, Angelika A. Gonzalez, Annalise M. Sankar, Noelle D. Nguyen

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is an endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age and is associated with insulin resistance, menstrual irregularities, hyperandrogenism, and metabolic dysfunction. Dietary modifications targeting glycemic response have emerged as a nonpharmacologic approach for PCOS management. However, long-term randomized controlled trials targeting young adult populations remain limited.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate long-term effects of adherence to a low-glycemic index diet on the frequency and severity of PCOS symptoms among female college students ages 18-22. This 12-month randomized controlled trial will recruit participants meeting the Rotterdam criteria from university health clinics. Participants will be randomly …

Comments On Proposed Regulations Reg-117270-25: Trump Accounts Under Section 530a, Jin Huang, Margaret Clancy, Michael Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Stephen Roll

Center for Social Development Research

In December 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department published a notice of intent to issue regulations concerning Trump Accounts (also known as 530A accounts), requesting public comments on proposed regulations for the Trump Accounts Contribution Pilot Program. This testimony presents comments submitted n response. Drawing on decades of Child Development Account research, including insights from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment (SEED OK), the authors urge Treasury to adopt automatic enrollment to ensure that all eligible children— not only those whose families actively enroll them—receive the $1,000 pilot-program contribution. They outline federal–state implementation pathways using Social Security number data, recommend layered …

Are You Deaf-Smart? : Deaf School-Based Mental-Health And Assessment Resource Toolkit, Rachel Shaffer, Moss Maclean

Annual Student Research Day

This project aims to increase awareness, promote best practices, and encourage partnership and information sharing in relation to working with Deaf people as psychologists. This project leads to a resource library for psychologists.

Anxiety Within Romantic Relationships, Brooklyn Hintze

ScholarsArchive Data

I studied the affects of social anxiety, dating anxiety, and appearance anxiety on individuals, specifically pertaining to romantic and dating relationships. I also studied literature on treatments and interventions for these anxieties.

Update Mechanisms In Event Models: Boundary Effects And Dimensional Influences, Xing Su

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

People construct working event models to comprehend dynamic, multimodal information such as movies and narratives, but how these models update remains debated. Two mechanisms have been proposed: incremental updating, which selectively modifies specific dimensions while preserving others, and global updating, which discards the existing model entirely to construct a new one. This dissertation investigated how event boundaries influence which updating mechanism people employ. Across two experiments, participants read narratives about everyday activities while we measured recognition memory response times and self-paced reading times. Participants also completed event segmentation tasks to identify perceived boundaries. Results revealed a consistent dissociation opposite to …

Records Management Systems Employed By Registries In Zambia: A Case Study Of Selected Departments In Health And Education In Livingstone., Sututu Imasiku

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated the records management systems employed in the education and health sectors in Zambia, with a focus on their role in improving service. Using a mixed-methods triangulation design, data was collected through surveys, interviews, observations from registry users and key informants with a sample size of 150. 100 teachers where purposively sampled from the Education department specifically at the District Education Secretary registry with 5 key informants and 40 from the Livingstone Teaching Hospital registry with 5 key informants. Chi-square t-test and descriptive analysis was used in quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. The …

An Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of Records Management On Service Delivery. A Case Study Of Ministry Of Local Government And Rural Development In Zambia, 'Pamela Lweendo Hangoma, Kadeyo M. Kuyela, Sututu Imasiku, Adrian Chisale, Glenda Ntalasha, Matilda Mercy Muchinga, Emma M. Ndalameta-Theo, Dalitso Mvula The

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study assessed records management practices and their influence on service delivery in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in Zambia. The study was guided by the Records Continuum Model, which emphasizes the continuous management of records from creation, capture, organization, use, to preservation. The objectives were to examine current records management practices, assess their effect on service delivery, identify challenges, and propose strategies for improvement. A qualitative case study design was adopted, with data collected from 22 participants across 11 departments through face-to-face interviews, and analyzed thematically using content analysis. Findings revealed that records are generated through …

Clustering Of Internet Behaviors And Associated Mental Health Outcomes Among U.S. Adolescents, Aakansha Singh, Timothy Grigsby, Miguel Fudolig, Ying Guo, Clariana Ramos De Oliveira

School of Medicine Research Poster Showcase

Poster: Clustering of Internet behaviors and associated mental health outcomes among U.S. adolescents

How Far Is Too Far? Travel Planning Burdens In Autism Families, Risae Carlson, Daniel Olsen, Ruth Kerry

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

This study examines how the burden of planning and risk management influences travel distance and destination choice among families with a child on the autism spectrum. Survey data from Utah-based parents indicate that higher planning burden is associated with a preference for familiar, closer-to-home destinations and shorter travel distances. Despite these constraints, families report that travel remains highly valuable for bonding, fostering a sense of normalcy, and supporting developmental growth.

From Crown To Communism To Crown: Reconstruction In Budapest's Castle District Reveals How Heritage Is Selectively Rebuilt To Shape National Identity, Risae Carlson, Daniel Olsen

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

This project examines how reconstruction in Budapest’s Buda Castle District shapes perceptions of authenticity and historical memory. Following World War II destruction and socialist rebuilding, post-1989 reconstruction has emphasized a return to imperial-era aesthetics. Using visual and historical analysis, this study shows how different political periods have reshaped the same space to reflect shifting cultural priorities. While the district appears historically cohesive, many structures are reconstructed rather than preserved. This creates tension with UNESCO’s standards of authenticity and integrity. The findings suggest that reconstruction does not simply restore the past but actively reshapes it by prioritizing certain narratives while downplaying …

Developmental Underpinnings Of The Other Race Effect Using Fmri, Aquilla Denise Copeland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well established that perceptual experience with own-race faces is associated with faster and more accurate recognition of own-race compared to other-race faces — a phenomenon known as the other-race effect (ORE). Previous fMRI research has shown that adults generally exhibit more robust face-sensitive responses than children in the core face-processing areas, especially to own-race versus other-race faces. Although much is known about the neural underpinnings of the ORE in adults, little is known about this phenomenon in children. The present experiment aimed to examine face-sensitive fusiform and occipital regions in 8- to 10-year-olds and adults as they engaged …

Poor Peer Relations During Early Adolescence Amplify Bidirectional Pathways Between Body Dissatisfaction And Alcohol Misuse, Molly Selover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study focuses on the growth of body dissatisfaction and alcohol misuse, and factors that amplify their interplay. Participants were 221 sixth- and seventh-grade students (118 girls, 103 boys; ages 10–13) attending a public school in Florida. Self-reports and peer nominations were collected at three time points across the course of a school year. Results from parallel process growth models indicated that higher self-reported body dissatisfaction at the beginning of the school year predicted increases in self-reported alcohol misuse across the academic year. Conversely, higher initial alcohol misuse predicted increases in body dissatisfaction. Follow-up analyses revealed that loneliness, low …

Our Stories: Black Parents’ Experiences At K-12 Predominantly White Institutions, Jason Thompson

Dissertations

Black parents of Black children attending K–12 predominantly White institutions (PWIs) often experience stress as they navigate school environments where they may be perceived as uninterested, combative, or “token” members of the school community. These deficit-based perceptions can cause Black parents to limit school interactions, question whether their perspectives will be valued, and develop distrust toward school personnel. Although research has examined Black students’ experiences in PWIs, fewer qualitative studies have centered on Black parents’ stories. Capturing these experiences in parents’ own words helps challenge harmful stereotypes and offers schools, especially school counselors, deeper insight into strengthening relationships with Black …

Divergent Paths Towards Belonging: A Comparative Analysis Of Latina/O/E Domestic And International Student Experiences At A Pwi, Sebastian Lema, Rita Kagaju

25th Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2026)

In this study, we examine how undergraduate international students from Latin America and domestic Latina/o/e students experience belonging and inclusion at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). While existing research highlights systemic barriers and microaggressions faced by domestic Latina/o/e students, we address a critical gap by exploring the distinct challenges faced by international Latin American students. We ask how these groups’ experiences of inclusion, microaggressions, and support systems differ within a PWI context. Using qualitative interviews with 55 students (40 domestic, 15 international), we employed grounded theory to analyze themes such as classroom dynamics, feelings of inclusion/belonging, and institutional support. Our …

Eudaimonia In Democracy: Finding The Soul In No-Excuse High School English Classrooms, Anna Snader

25th Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2026)

This paper explores Alexis de Tocqueville’s observations of American equality in No-excuse high school English classrooms and analyzes how these equality-driven tendencies transform a once liberal study into a servile one. I argue that these practical pedagogies, especially in stringent school models, reverse equality into a cycle of inequity. Through the removal of liberal-based learning, No-excuse schools fail to emphasize purpose and flourishing as an end for their diverse students, and as a result, oppose the primary goal of racial and economic equity. In my research, I propose that No-excuse high schools ought to return English to its liberality through …

Empathy Is Hard, Replication Is Harder, Kylie R. Springfield

Undergraduate Research Conference

My classmates and I got the opportunity to further our research experience over the course of this semester by conducting a research study. The purpose of our study was to investigate if people would choose to empathize if they were given a choice. Our study was a replication of a prior widely cited study. The replication crisis in psychology is important to understand because if studies cannot be replicated, then it undermines their credibility. Furthermore, the participants in our study were given a choice between two card decks that showed images of refugee children. One of the decks asked the …

The Quiet Strength Of Empathy, Jourden J. Whitfield

Undergraduate Research Conference

This study is a replication of a well-known experiment by Cameron on empathy. We want to see how people decide to engage with tasks that require thinking and emotional effort. In the study, participants were shown scenarios where they could choose to see more or less detail about a person, like their age, gender, or how they were feeling. After reading, participants answered questions about how hard or mentally tiring the task felt. We also collected basic demographic information. The goal is to test if the original findings hold true and see how they apply to the W campus community. …

Replication Of Empathy And Cognitive Effort: The Trials And Errors Of An Undergraduate Researcher., Meshun S. North

Undergraduate Research Conference

Cameron et al.'s purpose for their study was to see whether, given a choice, people would choose to show empathy. Why and why not? My purpose was to know this as well, but to also get a better understanding of the research process as a whole. As a class assignment, I am also doing this replication to aid in the understanding of the replication crisis, which is a worldwide issue of researchers replicating previous experiments and not getting the same results as the original.  Our participants are all 18 and older college students on this campus. In this replication, we …

Teaching Under Pressure: A Study Of Factors Influencing Stress Among Educators, Daniel K. Ashlock, Shaun D. Bell, Victoria K. Hutcherson

Ex Sapientia Loqui

There were three purposes of this non-experimental study. The first purpose was to determine whether there was a difference in stress levels between teachers of different grade levels. The second purpose was to determine whether there are significant differences in workplace stress among PreK-12 school teachers as a result of the educational setting (either public or private school). The third purpose was to determine if there are significant differences in workplace stress among PreK-12 school teachers as a result of class size. The participants (n=81) included a convenience sample of PreK through twelfth-grade teachers in or around Searcy, Arkansas. Their …

In The Shadow Of Justice: How The Mythos Of The Batman Balances Major Ethical Theories In His Pursuit Of Ideal Justice, Camille Bewley

Ex Sapientia Loqui

For more than eighty years, the Batman character has exhibited a unique synthesis of major theories of Justice, and through his experiences as a vigilante, exemplified the pursuit of the ideal virtue of Justice. Because virtue requires a lived example to be understood, Batman is one of the foundational stories fulfilling this need for one of collective society’s prominent pillars. Within the horror of Gotham City–a hyperbolic, fictional representation of urban corruption–Batman’s actions as a vigilante, walking a tightrope to maintain morality even above the law might not only be justified, but necessary. The Batman’s nature, balancing ethical theories and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Behavioral Problems Among Hispanic Adolescents, Emily Bennett, Hugo Garcia Arreguin, Aubrey Britten, Pietra Ferreira, Seowon Song

Celebration of Research

Introduction: A growing body of research has documented the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on adolescent behavioral problems (Hunt et al., 2017; Larn et al., 2024). Children who experience greater numbers of ACEs are more likely to develop a range of behavioral problems, including aggression, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Despite the well-established association between ACEs and later behavioral problems, less is known about the mediating role of internalizing behaviors in the link between ACEs and externalizing problems among Hispanic adolescents. Guided by Life course perspective, highlighting a developmental approach for understanding heterogeneity in individuals’ experiences and outcomes in …

Health And Motivation, Lydia E. Erickson, Dr. Jay Medenwaldt

Celebration of Research

Mental and physical health are two fundamental components in a person's life that directly affect well-being. Across continents, cultures, and all human backgrounds, mind and body are something every individual has in common. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between mental and physical activity when accounting for motivation.

Understanding this relationship is critical for developing more effective health interventions and motivational strategies, especially among adolescent and young adult populations. The researchers hypothesized that intrinsic motivation and physical activity would positively predict well-being.

Participants in this study were students attending Northwestern College. Participants included both male and …

Belonging, Motivation, And Academic Achievement, Rubin Charles

Celebration of Research

This study examined whether motivation correlates with academic success and whether students’ sense of belonging mediates this relationship. A sample of undergraduate students completed self-report measures assessing academic motivation, belonging, and grade point average (GPA). A mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 4 (Hayes, 2022) and a series of multiple regressions revealed that motivation was not significantly related to belonging, and neither motivation nor belonging significantly correlates with GPA. Correlation analyses similarly showed no significant linear associations among the three variables. These findings suggest that motivation and belonging may not directly influence academic performance within a high-achieving sample and highlight the …

Political Orientation As A Predictor For Collegiate Anger And Narcissism, Tyson D. Braunschweig, Jay Medenwaldt

Celebration of Research

Recent research suggests a potential association between anger and narcissism among politically right-leaning individuals (Hart & Stekler, 2022; Maglić et al., 2024). It also indicates a potential relationship between political extremism and anger (Marinthe et al., 2025; Dono et al., 2024). To test these hypotheses, 100 Midwest college students were surveyed and answered questions regarding their political orientation, level of narcissism, and level of anger. A multiple regression was performed, seeking to predict political orientation scores from anger and narcissism scores. We found anger and narcissism to not be significant predictors of political orientation, both together and separately. Anger and …

Perfectionism And Excellencism: A Study On Parental Impact, Devon Miller, Megan Heitritter, Jennifer S. Feenstra Ph.D.

Celebration of Research

This study examined how parenting behaviors and neuroticism relate to perfectionism and excellencism—two distinct achievement orientations. Seventy-five undergraduates completed measures of parental warmth, control, contingency of worth, neuroticism, and achievement tendencies. Results showed that parental contingency of worth was positively associated with perfectionism but not excellencism. Parenting warmth and control were largely unrelated, except for a negative relationship between paternal control and excellencism. Neuroticism and contingency of worth explained a small portion of variance in perfectionism. Overall, findings suggest that parental expectations may contribute to perfectionism, while excellencism is influenced by other factors.

Does Reappraisal Of Test Anxiety Improve Performance?, Lydia Baker, Jay Medenwaldt

Celebration of Research

Test anxiety, anxious thoughts and worries surrounding testing, is a relevant issue for around 20-30% of students today. Different methods have been researched to treat test anxiety, including emotion regulation strategies, one of which is cognitive reappraisal. Personality traits such as neuroticism may make it hard for a person to emotionally regulate, which is why cognitive reappraisal is helpful. A Qualtrics survey was distributed that placed people into 3 experimental groups: positive reappraisal, negative reappraisal, and a control group, and participants were asked to complete a memory test after reappraisal. A One-way ANOVA revealed no significant effect of reappraisal on …

The Effect Of Sports On Personality: An Examination Of Athletes Vs. Non-Athletes, Noah C. Parmelee, Dr. Jay Medenwaldt

Celebration of Research

This study aims to further investigate these relationships by comparing personality traits between athletes and non-athletes, as well as differences between participants in team and individual sports. It is hypothesized that athletes will score higher in conscientiousness, extraversion, and emotional stability, while showing no significant differences in agreeableness or openness. Additionally, individuals in individual sports are expected to exhibit higher levels of neuroticism than those in team sports. By clarifying how sports participation relates to personality development, this research contributes to a better understanding of how athletic experiences shape psychological outcomes and can inform coaching, education, and athlete support strategies.

Hockey Top Hand Trainer Effectiveness, Alice A. Boggs, Brooke Bartscher, Jay Medenwaldt

Celebration of Research

This study tested whether a top hand trainer improves hockey stickhandling performance. Twenty-eight college students were randomly assigned to train with or without the device by stickhandling in a figure-8 pattern. Participants were tested before and after training by timing how long it took them to complete five figure-8s. Results showed no significant differences between groups for trainer use or handedness. However, a small effect was observed, suggesting that the top hand trainer may be effective with long-term use. Future research should use longer training sessions and a larger sample size to better understand the effect of using a top …

Do Social Relationships Matter Equally? Predicting Academic Motivation Among Latine And Non-Latine Students, Pietra Ferreira, Aubrey Irene Britten, Emily Bennett, Hugo Garcia, Valerie Stokes, Seowon Song

Celebration of Research

Introduction: Academic motivation can be shaped by multiple social relationships within the school context. While previous research has examined which social relationships are associated with students' motivation to pursue their education among both Latine and non-Latine students(Alfaro et al., 2006; Wentzel et al., 1999), less is known about comparative approaches that examine social relationship pathways to academic motivation among both Latine and non-Latine students. Such understanding may provide valuable insights into how interventions targeting school-aged students can be informed by distinct social relationships among both Latine and non-Latine students. Guided by Self-Determination Theory(SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2002), which highlights the …

Effects Of Social Media Comparisons On State Self-Esteem, Fomo, And Depression In Young Adult Women, Amanda J. Trapp

Student Scholar Showcase

Social media has quickly become a main source of entertainment that may have more damaging effects than one may expect. For specifically women, it is important to understand how the use and comparison of exposing oneself to the life of other influencers, family members, and friends affect self-esteem, depression, and FOMO. Previous research has shown the damaging effects of other social media sites such as Facebook, and the way comparing oneself to others has an impact on these variables. It is important to focus on women in this topic as they are more susceptible to damaging effects through comparison. Along …