2013 Abstracts

Eric Hastings, Utah State University Psychology Does building a new school facility change the quality of the school learning environment? If so, how enduring are these effects? Research shows some correlation between the physical environment of a school and student outcomes to. However, research fails to demonstrate that drastic changes to the environment through reconstruction influence those same outcomes. To investigate this relationship a group of newly built/reconstructed schools was identified and looked at longitudinally to measure the quality of the school’s learning environment two years before construction and four years after construction. To measure the school’s learning environment this research used the Indicators of School Quality survey (ISQ); a comprehensive survey system for school administrators to evaluate and monitor school improvement and accreditation efforts which provides information on the status of the schools learning environment, year to year progress and details about the conditions for learning produced in the classrooms. ISQ does this by measuring parent, teacher, and student perceptions of things such as parent support, teacher excellence, student commitment, school leadership, instructional quality, resource management, and school safety. In addition to the impact of school construction on a school’s learning environment, this analysis was extended to student attendance, safety, and student academic achievement. Data collected to this point supports the argument that school construction only has short term effects on a school’s learning environment, but no long lasting effect. Instead of investing in new facilities, schools and districts would be wise to first consider giving more attention to maintaining student and teacher relationships.

Marlee Olsen, Snow College Psychology This study focuses on how college students interpret and understand new knowledge. Participants will be answering a number of questions via survey about their personal beliefs such as religion, reliable sources of knowledge, and other possible mitigating factors. After reviewing existing research, we found studies being done over long-term acceptance of beliefs, and also studies of the affects on understanding and acceptance of new beliefs after exposure to relative information. However as we reviewed the literature we found lacking information specifically regarding whether college students, when exposed to new concepts, accept the information before understanding it, or postpone acceptance until further understanding. The survey will be given out to students in different geographic regions across the nation to obtain various religious backgrounds, race, gender, and geographic background. We project to find a correlation between religiosity and the rate of acceptance of new beliefs before understanding. Other mitigating factors such as ratings for source of knowledge and geographic background are expected to also have affects. Results will be discussed.

Karen Yu, University of Utah Psychology Objective

Tida Blackburn, University of Utah Psychology Previous work has shown that our perception of height is influenced by ones eye height. We further investigate this phenomenon by extending this research to virtual reality. Virtual reality can give the appearance of eyeheight change, which cannot be done otherwise. We changed participants’ eye height by adjusting the height at which participants viewed their environment. Effective eye heights were both 0.08 cm lower and higher than the participants’ normal eye height. The virtual reality environment was a classroom with two vertical poles and a horizontal pole that create a horizontal barrier for participants to walk under. In the first experiment, participants were instructed to walk under the barrier as naturally as possible and to duck when needed. The height of the barrier was altered across trials. In the second experiment, we manipulated eye height further using physical objects, namely shoe inserts. The second experiment followed the design of the first experiment. Data was collected using cameras and a tracking program to record the participants’ ducking behavior. The previous study found that manipulating a person’s height influences their judgment of how high the horizontal barrier appears and whether they could pass under it without ducking. We hypothesized that people will change their ducking behavior depending on their eye height, because they are rescaling their body to their new viewpoint.

Bret Wayman, University of Utah Sociology The purpose of this study is to examine the motivations that drive non-traditional students to return to complete a degree and the challenges that returning students face while attempting to earn that degree that might be different than those of a traditional student. The study assumes that there are differences between non-traditional and traditional students in regards to motivation and challenges faced along the path to earning a degree. By examining these differences, the study aims to see if there are ways to better serve a non-traditional student’s needs in order to increase graduation rates among the non-traditional student group. The primary data for this study consists of essays written by the attendants of a seminar, “Life after the NFL (and other life-changing experiences): A discussion of the challenges and rewards of returning to college,” presented by Dr. Julie Stewart which was sponsored by the University of Utah Department of Sociology and the Sociology Student Advisory Committee and interviews with selected non-traditional students, faculty, and staff. The essays were originally intended for curriculum rather than research purposes and consist of the thoughts of students who attended the seminars about the challenges faced by returning students and the motivations that drive non-traditional students to return to the complete a degree. The seminar attendees consisted of both traditional and non-traditional students. Interviews will be conducted with students who qualify as non-traditional students due to several demographic qualities, and with faculty/staff that are familiar with the challenges that non-traditional students face in returning to school. The students selected will be picked using the strategic method snowball sampling to ensure that those sampled are in the desired demographic. As more non-traditional students enter academia areas of concern need to be identified to help those students to better function and achieve similar results to more traditional students. The proposed study intends to find those areas of concern.

Jordin Kirkham, Snow College Psychology The purpose of this study is to observe, and analyze how average college students perceive professors in the media and if these perceptions have an effect on our own personal behaviors in the setting of a classroom, the influence of grades, and other factors. Based upon the review of literature, we have discovered that many of the studies regarding professors in the media have barley skimmed the surface, not providing much detail. We plan on going into more depth in our personal observation-analysis studies, seeing how we mainly perceive professors in movies, television, books, newspapers, etc. Results will be discussed.

Andrew Chol, University of Utah Psychology Motivation is a critical factor in academic performance and must be self-regulated over time (Sansone & Thoman, 2005). Self-regulation becomes more significant online due to the lack of schedule and supervision characteristic of traditional in-class courses (Artino & Stephens, 2009). That is, online students must address both opportunities for supplemental learning (i.e. videos) and possible distractions that may redirect focus (i.e., social media) (Sansone, et al. in press). An initial examination (Sansone, Butner, et al., 2011) of the Regulation of Motivation and Performance Online (RMAPO) project indicated that students given reasons to value learning basic HTML skills in an online lesson (value-added) spent more time on-task and off-task prior to submitting an assignment; this time spent was furthermore associated with greater interest. Given this counterintuitive pattern, our study aimed to identify and analyze the nature of off-task website access, and whether certain sites or patterns were more beneficial for interest and performance. Websites were coded into the following categories: on-task, non-lesson websites related to HTML coding, indirectly lesson-related websites (i.e., alternative image examples), off-task social communication, off-task personal interests, and other. Statistical analysis (i.e., Chi-square, ANOVA) revealed that patterns of off-task behavior varied by category as a function of condition (control or value-added). Specifically, value-added groups accessed indirectly lesson-related websites and off-task personal interests to a significantly higher degree relative to the control. Access to these websites was further significantly related to higher degrees of interest and performance (quiz scores). The findings suggest that students given reasons to value learning may use off-task behavior as strategy to 1) seek additional information related to their developing interest on a topic, and 2) rejuvenate diminished resources through creation of interest. Addition of utility value may thus motivate students to reconfigure their learning process in service of having a more interesting experience using both on and off-task means (Sansone & Thoman, 2005).

Austin LaBau, Utah State University History and Sociology At the beginning of the 19th century, there was only one public insane asylum in the United States. Together, this facility and a handful of private hospitals housed only a few hundred patients. By 1890, more than 74,000 Americans lived in mental institutions. A wealth of literature exists on the rise of the American insane asylum during this period; the evolution of modern psychiatry; and the philosophical, political, social, and ethical implications of the two. But what the literature lacks is a perspective on the rise of the asylum that recognizes its place in the developing urban environment. This project addresses that shortcoming by exploring a small group of institutions within the context of a single urban center; New York. In 1890, one-in-twenty-five Americans lived in what would soon become New York City’s five boroughs, alongside nearly one-in-ten of the country’s institutionalized insane. Upon opening, NYC’s massive insane asylums became a source of pride for city’s elites. Far from being hidden away, most of the asylums were built on islands in the East River—at the time, one of the busiest waterways in the world. Nestled between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the imposing structures and their residents lived in clear view of thousands of daily commuters, and inspired numerous poems, novels, and songs. However, it was not their largess that attracted international visitors like Charles Dickens and Alexis de Tocqueville, but the unique circumstances in which they operated. Throughout the 19th century, the intimate nature of NYC, where masses of impoverished immigrants lived only blocks from some of the richest and most powerful men in the world, helped make the city the site of violent class warfare, as well as a testing ground for social reform. Insane asylums were only a portion of NYC’s sprawling public welfare system, consisting of nearly a hundred public and private charitable institutions inn Manhattan alone. To explain how the insane asylum affected New York City, I examine essays, and photographs written and taken by doctors, patients, reporters, and reformers illustrate the significance of the insane asylum on New York City life.

Esther Kim, University of Utah Political Science In 1961, student activists from across the United States challenged socially segregated public transit in the South by enforcing desegregation laws. The activists, known as Freedom Riders, were met with resistance, violence and jail. On its 50th anniversary in May 2011, the Freedom Riders were met with much media recognition: a documentary screening at Sundance, an episode on Oprah and a commemorative retracing of the original ride sponsored by PBS American Experience, which involved student activists from across the country to get on the bus. The Civil Rights Movement as a historical memory has become highly celebrated and widely understood as racial justice realized, but commemoration works to historicize and isolate these acts of resistance from modern day struggle for social equity. As a participant of the student freedom rides, I witnessed a complicated mapping of how we live with history, memory, race, power, place, the everyday lives of people that are still affected by events that shaped the nation and corporations seeking to benefit from the blind acceptance of commemoration. Using Cultural Studies theories of encoding and decoding, this research is an examination of the tensions among the actions and rhetoric of the Freedom Riders movement and how they are validated, co-opted, re-formed and understood. This research is an attempt to pull the acts of the Freedom Riders out of a historical framework, contextualizing the way we understand how the events of the Civil Rights Movement have played out and affect the ways we engage social activism and justice now.

Madeleine Oritt, University of Utah International Studies This research examines the impact of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on accessibility to HIV/AIDS medications for populations in resource-limited countries. This World Trade Organization agreement created provisions by which these countries can obtain or manufacture HIV/AIDS drugs at reduced prices, but also affirmed the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies over their drugs. To achieve a thorough understanding of its impact, several other factors that affect accessibility to HIV/AIDS medications, beneficially or detrimentally, were analyzed and compared to the TRIPS agreement; these factors include foreign aid, drug pricing inequality, patent pools, independent actions of drug companies, and political pressure. Research was conducted through literary review, using primary sources including academic articles, news and magazine articles and information from governmental organizations like the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization. This research recognizes the detrimental effect of the TRIPS agreement on accessibility of HIV/AIDS medications globally. However, the analysis of the aforementioned factors illuminates the positive effects of multiple other actors and organizations, which may negate, partially or fully, the ramifications of the TRIPS agreement. Thus, this research concludes fundamental factors, including physical obstacles like a lack of infrastructure and dispersal of HIV/AIDS-affected populations in rural areas, social obstacles like ethnic fractionalization and stigma, and political obstacles like government corruption, inefficiency and lack of economic prosperity, have the most deleterious effect upon HIV/AIDS drug accessibility. Instead of focusing on the TRIPS agreement as a singular determinant, these deep-rooted issues must take precedence and will require more time, cooperation and political will to change on a national and global level. Until the affected countries are willing to assume responsibility for drug accessibility and the fundamental issues that affect it, it will be impossible to realize widespread progress toward treating HIV/AIDS in resource-limited populations.

Stephanie Lawanto, Utah State University Psychology Mice are excellent models for studying social behavior. Anomalies in the perception and processing of social cues may induce abnormal social approach or sexual behaviors. We performed an assessment of social behavior in NrCAM knockout female mice and wild-type littermates. We found that NrCAM knockout mice exhibit social behavioral deficits (reduced interaction with unknown conspecifics). Analysis of neuronal activation in a circuit relevant to processing and response to olfactory cues (olfactory bulb, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamus), using cFos immunostaining, revealed differences in neuronal activation between NrCAM knockout mice and wild type littermates exposed to unknown conspecifics. These differences may be the result of anomalies in neuronal connectivity in the olfactory systems in NrCAM knockouts. These studies have the potential to generate a new understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for abnormal social behaviors, and to identify new treatment strategies to reduce social deficits in autism spectrum disease patients.

Amanda Stouffer, Snow College Psychology There have been many studies on the topic of magazine covers, whether it is the contents of the magazine or specifically what is depicted on the cover of the magazine. Such studies typically look at the ethnicity, gender, and age of the people shown on magazines’ covers. They also study what trends exist with these different factors. For example the number of women shown on covers is going up. These studies have been done on many magazines including Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Playboy, and Cosmopolitan. These extensive studies have also found an increasing amount of sexual objectification, especially of women. The magazine Psychology Today has not been studied in-depth, but as psychology is a supposedly progressive field that uncovers and empirically studies inequalities one might guess Psychology Today breaks that stigma. However it does not. Through the study of the cover photos of Psychology Today the present study will look at: perceived age, sex, ethnicity, amount of clothing, passive vs. active scene, body parts shown, arousing vs. disturbing picture, whether the overall message is positive

Chance Christensen, Utah State University Psychology Affective disorders such as depression, phobias, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder impairs the ability to time in the seconds-to-minutes range, i.e., interval timing. We investigated the effect of chronic administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine(FLX) when anxiety-inducing task-irrelevant distracters are presented during an interval timing task. According to the Relative Time-Sharing (RTS) model, presentation of task-irrelevant distracters during a timing task results in a delay in responding suggesting a failure to maintain subjective time in working memory, possibly due to attentional and working memory resources being diverted away from timing. Given that some anti-depressants have beneficial effects on attention and working memory, e.g., decreasing emotional response to negative events, we hypothesized that FLX would improve maintenance of information in working memory in trials with distracters, resulting in a decrease of the disruptive effect of emotional events on the timekeeping abilities. Our results revealed independent effects of FLX on timing and resource allocation. Acute administration of FLX delayed timing, but this effect was eliminated after chronic administration. FLX reduced the detrimental effect of the distracters only when the distracters were anxiety-inducing, but not when they were neutral. Results are discussed in relation to the brain circuits involved in RTS of resources, and the pharmacological management of affective disorders.

Justine Larsen, Utah State University Political Science In recent years, the aggressive barred owl’s invasion of northern spotted owl territory has led to significant declines in spotted owl populations along the Pacific Northwest. In response to the owl’s waning population, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has implemented a plan under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to kill the barred owl in a radical attempt to save the spotted owl. Applauded as revolutionary legislation, critical in protecting the Earth’s species from extinction, the ESA is decidedly far from the miracle bill its proponents laud it to be. A mere one percent of species protected under the ESA have successfully recovered enough to be delisted, and the ESA had little to do with these rare recoveries (Scheer & Moss, 2012). Observation and analysis of the spotted owl’s turbulent decline, reveals fundamental flaws specifically in basic theories on which the legislation was based. Particularly, the theory that nature, if left alone, will return to a natural state of balance (balance of nature theory) is a primary concept that has led the ESA astray numerous times, as evidenced by the FWS’ paradoxical plan to capture and kill one species in order to maintain a balance in the other species. This study reviews the balance of nature theory, providing research examining the effectiveness of the ESA and contributing to efforts to determine an appropriate and successful solution to species decline.

Carolina Silva, Jasmin Alves, Katrina England, Courtney Hammond, and Ethel Tackle-Yarbol; Westminster College Psychology Bullying among adolescents is a common problem that deserves attention. Youth City, a multi-site after school youth program in the Salt Lake City area catering to youths ages 8-13, expressed an interest in learning more about bullying experiences in their attendees with the aim of developing a program for intervention and prevention. We partnered with Youth City to develop the current project, the goals of which were twofold: (1) to measure the prevalence and types of bullying experienced by 53 youths attending one Youth City site (our participants) and, (2) to work with the youth and the site coordinator to develop a bullying intervention and prevention program. Participants completed a modified version of the Olweus Bully Victim Questionnaire, in which 31 behaviors of bullying were assessed. Behaviors included examples of physical bullying, relational bullying, cyber bullying, and bullying due to one’s ethnicity or sexuality. Participants were asked to report whether each behavior had ever been done to them (victim role), done by them to another (bully role), or witnessed by them in the role of bystander. Results showed that the participants had experienced many of the behaviors as either victims, bullies, or bystanders. The second step was to conduct focus groups in which participants were asked more about their bullying experiences and what they felt could be done to more effectively intervene and prevent bullying. Transcripts from the focus groups were analyzed for emergent themes. These themes, combined with input from staff and information gleaned from research into other programs, were used to draft a bullying intervention and prevention plan to be implemented at one Youth City site in the coming school year.

Dani Willis, Utah State University Political Science In this era of increasing complex electric utility corporate restructurings, prudence review is an important analytical tool that should be applied by state regulatory commissions in an informed and reasonable manner to address and balance risk sharing between electric utility investors and utility ratepayers. The payer examines the legal and economic considerations concerning the development and application of the analytical tool of prudence review by state regulatory commissions concerning the revenue requirement regulation of electric utilities.

Noreen Barnes, Weber State University Political Science Many women in Guatemala suffer poverty and repression their entire lives. This situation is not unique to countries in Central America, but what is unique is the level of violence that is perpetrated in Guatemala compared with neighboring countries, the lack of engagement by law enforcement, and the complicity of the media. The Guatemalan civil war helped to create an atmosphere riddled with violence and alcohol. There is only a two percent conviction rate for murder. The majority of media outlets report on Femicide as if it were the woman’s fault she was killed; they portray her as a prostitute when there is no evidence to support the conclusion. In 2000 there were 213 femicides in Guatemala, by 2009 that number had jumped to 708 (Guatemalan Human Rights Commission 2010). My research has come from peer reviewed articles in both English and Spanish, Guatemalan government figures, personal experiences and international sources such as the World Health Organization. How do these details combine to create the perfect storm of increasing Femicide in Guatemala, and what can be done to help stop this tide of violence? There are women who have taken steps to improve their lives despite the many challenges they face. Micro-credit, small loans given to women to help them start or expand a business, have helped women who have a desire to flee abusive situations by giving them self-esteem as well as the financial means to accomplish their desires. There is a movement amongst women to convince their husbands to join Evangelical Christian churches that do not permit drinking in an effort to control rampant alcoholism. It will take time to alter the prevailing attitudes of machismo, prejudice, and lack of tolerance that threatens to drown the wonderful of Guatemala, but it can be done.

Scott Ploharz, Weber State University Psychology A pilot study conducted in spring of 2012 by the same researchers, suggested that sexting, or the sending of text or picture messages containing sexual content is common among young adults ages 18-30. This pilot research suggests that there were differences in personality and relationship satisfaction among those who engaged in sexting and those who did not. This current study further examines the effect of sexting on individuals and their relationships, as well as the reasons individuals may choose to engage in sexting. This study examines personality traits that may be related to engaging in sexting using both the Big 5 personality inventory and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). The relationship between engaging sexting and relationship satisfaction is measured using the Revised Dyadic Assessment Scale(RDAS). To measure the effect on the individual, along with providing a possible explanation for sexting, self-esteem will be measured using Rosenberg’s RSE. Previous research suggests adult attachment style as a possible method of explanation as to who engages in sexting and the reasons for the behavior. Attachment style is measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-R) and the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Structures (ECR-RS). Analysis of the data is expected to be completed by January 31st 2013. Results are expected to show that those with an Anxious or Anxious/Avoidant attachment style are more likely to sext. It is also expected that there will be a small positive correlation between the personality trait extroversion and sexting. It is also expected that specific domains of narcissism and lower self-esteem scores, will relate to engaging in sexting. There is also expected to be a negative correlation between sexting and relationship satisfaction.

Elizabeth Payne, Utah State University Anthropology This paper is an exploratory ethnographic research project designed to collect stories of health care experiences of childbirth in Cache Valley, Utah. By interviewing women who have given birth in Cache Valley, key themes have been identified as being significant to the childbirth community, these are; the Biomedicalization of childbirth; Tensions between the biomedical and holistic out-of-hospital approaches to births; Out-of-control pitocin use; and the Beliefs and Attitudes associated with giving birth. I compare the results with my own experiences as well as in the literature. The discussions raises issues of concern and an applied suggested course of action is offered to policy makers.

Scott Ploharz and Britaini Delbo, Weber State University Psychology Youth or Peer Courts are diversionary programs designed to lower recidivism and re-offense rates among youth offenders. These programs focus on lowering risk factors and enhancing protective factors among the youth they serve. This study will look specifically at the Youth Court based in Layton Utah. Using a projected sample of 280 youth offenders over a 4 year period, the efficacy of this program will be evaluated. Efficacy will be measured by the rate of re-offense compared to youth in the traditional juvenile justice systems who have committed similar offenses. Analysis will also be performed using participant surveys, to determine which risk and protective factors are associated with re-offending. We anticipate completing this project by January 1st 2013.

Alysha Waters, Utah State University Psychology Emotional distracters impair cognitive function. Emotional processing is dysregulated in affective disorders such as depression, phobias, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Among the processes impaired by emotional distracters, and whose dysregulation is documented in affective disorders, is the ability to time in the seconds-to-minutes range, i.e., interval timing. Presentation of task-irrelevant distracters during a timing task results in a delay in responding suggesting a failure to maintain subjective time in working memory, possibly due to attentional and working memory resources being diverted away from timing, as proposed by the Relative Time-Sharing (RTS) model. We investigated the role of the prelimbic cortex (PrL) in the detrimental effect of anxiety-inducing task-irrelevant distracters on the cognitive ability to keep track of time, using local infusions of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (FLX). Given that some anti-depressants have beneficial effects on attention and working memory, e.g., decreasing emotional response to negative events, we hypothesized that FLX would improve maintenance of information in working memory in trials with distracters, resulting in a decrease of the disruptive effect of emotional events on the timekeeping abilities. Our results revealed a dissociation of the effects of FLX infusion in PrL between interval timing and resource allocation, and between neutral and anxiety-inducing distraction. FLX was effective only during trials with distracters, but not during trials without distracters. FLX reduced the detrimental effect of the distracters only when the distracters were anxiety-inducing, but not when they were neutral. Results are discussed in relation to the brain circuits involved in RTS of resources, and the pharmacological management of affective disorders.

Ariel Hargrave, Weber State University Psychology A review of the literature surrounding mental health literacy has suggested that there are many misconceptions about those with a mental illness. These misconceptions effect help-seeking, treatment, mental health policies, early intervention and social support. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers a peer-to-peer taught class called Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (BRIDGES). This class addresses these misconceptions and aims to educate those suffering with mental illness on how to self-advocate. Research suggests that a peer-to-peer approach has been found useful in a consumer’s recovery process. Support and education are crucial in society’s understanding of mental illness and aids in their ability to strive towards a stigma free environment. The objective of this study is to measure the effectiveness of this class by conducting a pre and post assessment at the beginning of the class before material is presented and at the end of the class. A population of approximately 100 participants over the age of 18 diagnosed with a mental illness will be used. The assessment includes eleven total questions that identify key factors to recovery and mental health literacy. A five point likert scale will be used to measure participant’s responses. Data will be collected starting in January of 2013 and will be completed in March of 2013. Data will then be analyzed using a T-test in SPSS.

Zachary Cook, Utah Valley University Behavioral Science A Trend analysis of counseling visits to Utah Valley Universities (UVU) student health center was carried out between the months of January to October of 2012. During this time intake forms from students were examined in alphabetical order by HIPPA trained researchers and assessed for the frequency of the client’s visits along with their chief complaint as determined by the therapists. High frequencies of complaints such as depression, anxiety, and educational issues were reported from students attending the university in past studies beginning in 1999 at UVU’s health center. Researchers at Kansas State University used an instrument known as the Case Descriptor List to measure a therapist’s assessment of a client’s problems based on nineteen categories including items such as depression, anxiety, and educational/vocational issues (Benton, Robertson, Tseng, Newton, & Benton, 2003, p. 69). The basis of the present study was formulated by collapsing the nineteen categories into fourteen constructs for simplicity in order to determine the trend found between the years of 2006 to 2011. During this time 1,974 individuals obtained counseling services from UVU’s student health center. The research found that 56% of clients sought therapy for depression, 38.1% for anxiety, and 39.9% for educational assistance based on the stated categories. An increase in issues such as depression and anxiety has demonstrated the need for an increase in the number of trained therapists as it relates to the complexity of issues and co-morbidity. It has also shown the need for improved intake procedures, focusing on accurate diagnosis which the counseling center has recently adopted.

Dexter Thomas, Westminster College Psychology When someone is the victim of a beating, rape, or murder, one might expect that most individuals would recognize the innocence of the victim. Surprisingly, research suggests many people assign blame to innocent victims (Dalbert, 2009; Lerner & Simmons, 1966). The “Just World” hypothesis proposes a possible explanation for this puzzling phenomenon. Belief in a Just World implies that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Previous research has found a relationship between belief in a just world, victim blaming, and other beliefs such as homophobia (Glennon & Joseph, 1993; Anderson, 1992). The present experiment extends upon this area of research. We examine transphobia, belief in a just world, and victim blaming. Three hundred and forty-two participants ages 18-72 were recruited from within the United States. Participants read a scenario in which an individual was the innocent victim of a beating. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; in one condition, the victim was transgender, in the other condition, the victim was not. Participants then completed questionnaires measuring victim blame, transphobia, and belief in a just world. Results showed that transphobia positively correlated with belief in a just world. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between victim blaming and transphobia for all victims, transgender and non-transgender. However, when controlling for levels of transphobia, belief in a just world was no longer correlated with victim blaming. These results suggest that transphobia is related to belief in a just world and that transphobia, separate from belief in a just world, is related to increased victim blaming even for victims who are not transgender.

Antoinette Kingsford, Weber State University Psychology The type of professor a student selects for a college course can impact the quality of learning and success in the course. Information about the traits and qualities of professors is limited to word of mouth and Internet sites that allow for biased ratings of professors. The validity and quality of information obtained via online professor rating websites, like RateMyProfessor.com (RMP), is often called into question in academia. A study to assess the validity of RMP was conducted with 127 Weber State University students from introductory psychology classes. The participants completed an online survey using the RMP rating scale for professors, and they also completed the College of Social Sciences professor evaluation survey. They were also asked questions regarding RMP usage, professor traits, and sources they used to find information about professors. The findings of the study indicated that students were using RMP more frequently than word of mouth from friends to obtain useful information about professors. The most meaningful traits in professor selection were Clarity and Overall Quality, not necessarily Easiness and Attractiveness. Also, there were no significant differences between gender and professor trait importance, and the validity of RMP was highly correlated to the Student Evaluation of Weber State Psych 1010 Professors.

Dallin Webb, Utah State University Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology Recent rediscovery of an ancient Fremont irrigation system in central Utah presents the opportunity to model the economics of Fremont irrigation agriculture. A significant cost of irrigation farming is the construction of a ditch to bring water from a natural source to the fields. We use an experimental approach to investigate the costs of ditch construction. Mountain mahogany digging sticks were employed to construct ditches under different sediment conditions, as well as a stream diversion into a ditch take-out. The experiments reveal a range of costs incurred for constructing different elements of the system.

Heather Sheffer, Utah State University Family Consumer and Human Development Background:

Amanda Snow, Utah State University Psychology Past studies investigating attention have found that exposure to natural scenes have a restorative effect on attention in adults, allowing for the occurrence of effortless, involuntary attention. This is in contrast to exposure to urban scenes which do not show the same restorative effect on attention (Berto et al., 2005, 2008). The present study investigates the potentially restorative effects on childhood attention of exposure to natural scenes. In this study, 58 children ages 4 to 11 participated in a task which was attentionally taxing. Next, they were instructed to attend to pictures belonging to one of three conditions: “high fascination” (natural scenes), “low fascination” (urban scenes), or a control group (geometric shapes). Finally, the participants performed the initial attentionally taxing task once again. While accuracy remained constant across conditions, children demonstrated a greater decreased reaction time when exposed to high fascination natural scenes as opposed to low fascination urban scenes or the geometric shapes of the control group. Between the pre and post tests, mean differences of 37.7 milliseconds for the natural condition, 24.4 milliseconds for the urban condition, and 22.7 milliseconds for the control group was found. This suggests that exposure to high fascination natural scenes has a restorative effect on attention in children as it does in adults. This finding is important because it provides a mechanism by which the attentional capacities of children may be improved.

Trevor Hicks-Collins, Weber State University Psychology Austistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an increasingly prevalent disorder, with approximately 1 of every 88 children in the United States diagnosed with the disorder. Several factors can exacerbate autistic symptoms in ASD children, including environment, diet, and sleep. Sleep problems in children with ASD’s occur more frequently than in non-ASD children, and their effects could be even more detrimental. The sleep literature in non-ASD children is clear about how sleep deficits adversely affect behavior and cognition, but there is little research to indicate the effects of sleep deficits on ASD children. This study was designed to assess the effect of sleep quality and quantity on ASD symptoms. The participants were children, ages 5-8, who were rated on the autistic spectrum. The children’s sleep was assessed using Actigraph monitors, which provided an objective measure of sleep quality and quantity. The children wore the monitors each night for one week. Also, parents and teachers kept daily records of the children’s sleep quantity and autistic behaviors, reporting both good and bad behaviors. A MANOVA was used to assess the effect of REM sleep, duration of sleep, and number of interruptions on autistic symptoms reported by parents and teachers. Results indicate that the amount and quality of REM sleep (both short-term and long-term) affects the frequency of autistic symptomology in children. In addition, results demonstrate that parents’ perceptions of sleep duration in their children is greatly distorted. Parents believe that their children are getting much more sleep than they actually are. Helping parents and teachers understand how important sleep is in affecting autistic symptomology can help modify behaviors. Studies like this are instrumental to providing us with information to better understand one of the fastest growing disorders affecting children today.

Nicholas Gailey, Westminster College Psychology For over seven decades organizational scientists have extensively studied the happy-productive worker thesis, which assumes that a happy worker is a productive worker. Previous research in the field has focused on the relationship of a worker’s own happiness with their productivity. However, uncertainty remains today as to the link between managerial psychological well-being and their employees’ productivity. The purpose of the current study is to find a correlation between managerial psychological well-being and employee productivity. Thirty managers from two manufacturing facilities participated in the study and responded to two different measures of psychological well-being. Productivity data from one hundred employees underneath the managers were also collected daily over a period of three weeks. Results, strengths, and limitations of the study will be discussed along with its implication for future research and practice in the field of industrial/organizational psychology.

Zachary Cook, Elizabeth Hanna, Harmony Jovey, Joseph Ammon Martin, Tyler McDonald, Shelby Randquist, George Rivera, Amy Sachs; Utah Valley University Sociology and Criminology National data concerning citizens’ opinions toward the death penalty is already available, but this data has a serious limitation because only 35 states allow for use of the death penalty (called retentionist states), and each of them uses it differently, so it makes little sense to look at national trends and attitudes and try to apply them to a particular state. It appears that the best method is to explore the attitudes within each retentionist jurisdiction (state) with the goal of obtaining data that will en- able attitudes to be compared and contrasted based on defined variables. This study explores the attitudes of Utah residents in two phases. In the first phase, 6,000 postal surveys were sent to a random sample of Utah residents in six purposively chosen cities (based on representative demographics). This instrument contained questions used in existing instruments and addition- al questions designed to address attitudes specific to the death penalty. The second phase consists of in-depth interviews with survey-respondents who strongly support the death penalty and strongly oppose the death penalty. They will be asked to elaborate on their responses to the postal survey questions and to describe which factors most influence their opinions concerning the death penalty.

Colin Cox, Weber State University Economics Acceptance into the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) can be interpreted as a sign that a country has achieved a level of high economic development. The pathways leading to becoming an OECD country are as diverse as the countries within this organization. The most recent country to join this elite organization is the small eastern European country, Estonia. Besides being the most recent country to be inducted into the OECD Estonia has another unique characteristic, it is the only OECD country to have belonged to the Soviet Union. Estonia’s relatively new independence gives researchers an extraordinary opportunity. We are able to track this country’s economic progress after its policies and institutions were essentially wiped clean upon gaining independence in 1991. In this study I will investigate what macroeconomic devices Estonia has used to progress further than other former Soviet States. In order to do this I will compare key economic indicators and policies for three former Soviet countries with similar economies; Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. I will draw connections between economic policies implemented and correlating empirical indicators. After analyzing the above mentioned parameters I will provide a summary of the successes and shortcomings experienced by Estonia’s economy and make relevant suggestions.

Johonna Sheldon, Southern Utah University Agriculture Science Scotch Thistle (Onopordum acanthium), Musk Thistle (Carduuas nutans) and Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) are invasive species that produce large quantities of seeds that remain viable for long periods of time. Collections were made of the species from various locations. Five distinct stages of growth were determined. Samples were collected and labeled with the maturity stage of each seed pod recorded. Tetrazolium, cut, and pop tests will be used to help indicate seed viability. I hypothesize that different stages of maturity will have varying degrees of viability as determined by tests. Furthermore I predict later stages will have the most overall viability and the pop test will positively correlate with the tetrazolium and cut tests. The results are in progress.

Scott Hoopes, Dixie State University Business Hybrid Social Enterprise Businesses are companies that sell products and donate a portion of their proceeds to a social cause. I submit that these types of businesses will become the patterns of marketing and business organization of the future because they are able to fund their social undertakings from the revenue of the products they sell, and be sustained by sales rather than depending on donations to fund their endeavors. The reason this model is successful is because many people throughout the world want to make a difference but rarely take action to put that change into effect. Hybrid Social Enterprise Businesses are able to make a difference in the world through their donations yet they have their revenue from product sales to run the day-to-day business. These items such as TOMs shoes, People Water, and comparable companies are becoming status symbols for socially conscious people worldwide. Not only are these items “fashionable” or “stylish” they are giving consumers the feeling that they have made a difference in somebody else’s life by making a purchase. By comparing and analyzing data from a variety sources and primary research I will be able to support my hypothesis that Hybrid Social Enterprise Businesses are a growing trend of business organization and marketing and will continue to grow into the future.

Kelsey White, Utah State University Economics and Finance California is endowed with some of the United States’ most beautiful natural landscapes. It also lies atop significant energy resources. While preserving natural amenities and developing energy are sometimes considered mutually exclusive endeavors, the reality is that most counties throughout California have developed both of these rich resources. While the ratios between amenities and energy differ, almost all counties with available opportunities have developed both to some extent. This paper compares and contrasts the balance between energy and amenities in three California counties. Monterey County is economically focused on agriculture and amenities, but has a strong potential for developing its shale resources, and some extraction has already begun. Ventura County also boasts plentiful natural amenities, but engages in significant oil production, particularly offshore production. Kern County is economically dependent upon oil extraction, but still maintains an active amenity sector. The fact that all of these counties have opted for a mixed economic portfolio balancing energy and recreation demonstrates that the two activities are not mutually exclusive, but rather that counties already opt for some mixture of the two. The three counties are compared on several key economic indicators such as per capita income and unemployment by using compiled US Census Bureau data. Counties with a mixed economic portfolio enjoy higher economic outcomes than those counties that focus more exclusively on either natural amenities or energy extraction.

Hallmat Ipaye, Westminster College Marketing Marketers and advertisers allocate a compelling amount of resources to deciphering their target market, however, currently many women express that advertisements targeted towards and portraying women do not represent real women. An increasing disconnect exists between what an average woman actually looks like, thinks, acts and does and how a woman is marketed to in advertisements, specifically in women’s fashion and beauty magazines. Advertisers and marketers make important decisions regarding advertising and marketing without first consulting consumers about finished advertisements. Studies have shown that women do not relate, and often have lowered self esteem after looking at modern fashion and beauty magazines. This research and presentation focuses on categorizing what is important to women over the age of 18 to gain insight on how advertisers and marketers can better represent women in the advertisements of popular fashion and beauty magazines. July 2012 issues of fashion and beauty magazines Vogue, Glamour and Cosmopolitan will be discussed in terms of presence of factors that are important for women to relate to the advertisements in these magazines. The conclusion of these findings will further demonstrate the sales implications of representing real women in advertising from a survey of over 200 women.

Mimi Marstaller, University of Utah Economics During the Progressive Era that stretched roughly from 18771928, the United States faced the rising costs of industrialism. As corporate capitalism expanded and a national market replaced local economies, the role of the federal government changed to include mitigating collective costs by providing public goods. The Progressive Era represents the U.S.’ first national discussion on the role of the state in an industrialized nation. The nation, newly linked by economic ties, faced a collective action problem. I use this historical backdrop to examine economic theories on how societies manage the costs of capitalism. I look at scholarship on collective action, spontaneous order, self-regulation and enforcement within economic systems, and explore how the Progressive Era exemplify or refute the theories on social and economic behavior. I trace the emergence of a national market from pre-industrial, local economies, and examine how in the national context citizenship, the newly powerful nation state and standardized treatment of collective costs played an essential role in establishing the market as the central motivating factor of 20th century American culture. The institutions supporting citizenship and facilitating market participation bolstered capitalism but also required significant oversight by the regulatory bureaucracy established during the Progressive Era. While mainstream economic theory minimizes the role of class interests and power dynamics by assuming freedom of contract and costless enforcement of property rights, recent work in economics invokes sociology and history to understand the barriers to collective action. Today’s most illuminating theories revive the thought processes of the early, classical political economists, and I use the Progressive Era to explore the extent to which their theories on collective cost management describe the case of U.S. industrialization.

Megan Hansen, Utah State University Economics This research represents one chapter out of a larger book written with the help of fellow student researchers at Liberty Source under the direction of Dr. Randy Simmons. The book itself questions the notion common among environmentalists that a balance of nature exists and that governments should take steps to restore that balance when it is upset. This research in particular examines the effects of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the subsequent funding of alternative energy start-ups by the federal government in an effort to restore the balance of nature. It includes a detailed case study of Solyndra, a solar power manufacturing company that received a large federal loan from the Department of Energy under the Obama administration only to default a few years later. This case study questions the role of the government in “picking favorites” when it comes to alternative energy, and argues that failure is likely when this occurs due to imperfect information and the tendency for politics to play too large a role in decision-making.

Joshua Blume, Utah State University Economics and Finance Studies of expatriates in a number of industries have suggested that acculturation plays a role in how individuals re-adapt to their home country after working abroad. This study applies acculturation and repatriation frameworks to returned Mormon Missionaries (who have also spent significant time away from home and family). Qualitative and quantitative results suggest that re-adaptation to home, family and school are affected in part by cultural components of the mission experience. Recommendations are made to assist “expatriate missionaries” in the re-acclimation process.

Whitney Evans, Brigham Young University Communications The United States adopted a freedom of information law earlier than the United Kingdom, but the latter has surged ahead with its adoption of an Information Commissioner’s Office, well equipped to handle complaints and mediate in complex situations. This article delves into the attitudes of those who are intimately involved with freedom of information laws: journalists, lobbyists, campaigners, advocates and government officials. This qualitative research showed a similar attitude at a government level in both countries, namely, a hesitance of government officials to warm up to the law. The Information Commissioner in the United Kingdom and the Office of Government Information Services in the United States are essentially limited to recommendation and mediation services. The United States, initially progressive in its open government laws, has lagged behind many other nations in terms of disclosure. Because the law is nearly 50 years old, the Freedom of Information Act here is often taken for granted. Complacence, rather than outright defiance, obstructs successful implementation of this law. The United Kingdom has the lingering legacy of an Official Secrets Act obstructing what would otherwise be a clean slate on which to build their government disclosure laws. The key to successful utilization of freedom of information laws in both countries lies in a shift in each country’s culture, instigated by a marked change in the stories being told.