2014 Abstracts

Kaylie Carbine, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences There are multiple benefits of physical activity, such as weight maintenance and overall lower rates of morbidity and mortality; however, individuals with sedentary desk-bound jobs may not receive these health benefits due to less time for physical activity. Consequently, an increasing trend in the workplace is for employees to walk on treadmills while working. Although job-related treadmill walking has known health benefits, such as decreasing back pain, alleviating stress, and reducing weight gain, the effect of treadmill walking on cognitive performance is not well known and may affect employee productivity. Our objective was to determine if there are significant behavioral differences in response inhibition (the ability to withhold an overt response) and conflict-related interference between participants walking on a treadmill and sitting controls. Seventy-six neurologically and psychologically healthy individuals were randomly assigned to sitting (n = 39; 17 female) or treadmill walking (n = 37; 23 female) conditions. Participants did not differ significantly in body mass index or overall fitness levels (ps > .20). All participants completed a computerized Go/No-Go and a computerized Eriksen Flanker task. Accuracy and response time data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results indicated that there were no significant between-groups differences for individuals walking on a treadmill versus sitting on indices of response inhibition and conflict-related interference (ps > .24). The results suggest that walking on a treadmill does not decrease efficiency in these cognitive tasks and may not impact workplace performance.

Mary Cook, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Traditional western practices in marriage and family therapy rest on a foundation of protecting the union between husband and wife. While relevant methods for couples may be extremely valuable, certain cultural dynamics call for a more family-integrated method to approaching issues in a marriage. This study serves as a person-centered ethnography geared toward understanding the kinship-oriented ideology upon which Hmong women tend to base their decisions to commit to their marriages. One in-depth case study serves as a framework for the evaluation of these factors; supporting evidence is brought in from two other case studies. All three women (one divorced, one separated, and one cohabiting with the husband and second wife) decided to remain committed to polygynous husbands (although in one case, the husband chose to leave) primarily concerning reasons involving their children’s relationships to their clans, ritual practices and ontological foundations of belief. Throughout the course of the interviews, the prevailing notion was that within the traditional Hmong kinship system, children benefit more from remaining in close proximity and emotional contact with the patrilineal clan to promote functional relationships and learn clan-specific ancestral practices. In these cases, the well-being of the children becomes a greater factor in a woman’s decision to remain married to a polygynous husband, as opposed to the relationship between husband and wife. In addition, the concept of karma plays a major role in Hmong women’s beliefs about their station in life and marriage. These culturally grounded influences play a large role in Hmong women’s commitment to marriage and should be incorporated into therapeutic models in addition to more couple-oriented practices.

Robert Bischoff, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Five seasons of excavation by BYU at the ancient Fremont site Wolf Village, located in what is now Goshen Utah, have exposed a large village with many unusual features, foremost of which was the discovery of the largest known Fremont pit structure. Unusually large structures have been interpreted as central gathering places for the community and the locations of intraregional trade fairs. An examination of trade goods (specifically painted pottery, obsidian, and Olivella shell beads) found in this structure compared to the trade goods found in a different residential structure in Wolf Village sheds further light on the nature of communal structures and the nature of exchange among the Fremont, by providing additional evidence of Fremont trade fairs and community architecture.

Carolina Silva, Westminster College Social and Behavioral Sciences This study was a preliminary study to a larger project in the coming fall. The larger study aims at finding influential variables on acculturation and their relationship to the academic achievement of immigrant adolescents. In the pilot study two acculturation measures were assessed on a small sample of immigrant youth to ensure the effectiveness of the measures on immigrant adolescents. The two scales used were the Acculturation Habits and Interest Multicultural Scale for Adolescents (AHIMSA) and the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS). Both scales were selected due to their use of Berry’s model and focus on acculturation across groups. The scales were administered to 15 adolescents, and a discussion was held in order to receive input of the participants’ reception of the measures. Participants were asked to give feedback on the scale’s wording, suitability of format, timing and clarity of statements. This information was analyzed for themes which will be used in the following study.

Grace Hanley, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of this study is to examine how engaging in various Eastern practices affects people’s perceptions of their negative experiences and themselves. Yoga is a practice intended to enhance the overall well-being of practitioners through held poses, mindful breathing, and meditation. Yoga (“yuj”), in the original Sanskrit language, means “union,” and explicitly acknowledges the mind-body connection that is at the root of the Eastern practice. This very notion conveys the main theme of this psychological project: that mind-body practice can influence how individuals mentally process and narrate their difficult experiences from the past. Specifically, such practices could result in increased exploration, growth, and positive resolution in such narratives, compared to more neutral conditions. The study is split up into two parts: in the first part, depending on random assignment, subjects are asked to participate in one of four possible 10-15 minute activities: a yoga sequence, an exercise regime, a meditation, or watching a series of neutral pictures. In the second part of the experiment, subjects are asked to recall and narrate three types of life events: two transgressions, two victimizations, and two life turning points. Afterwards, participants are asked to complete several questionnaires about themselves regarding well-being, self-compassion, forgiveness, and interoceptive awareness. After data collection, stories are then coded for instances of emotional exploration, perceived growth, and resolution. It is hypothesized that yoga and meditation conditions will result in increased instances of these constructs as opposed to the physical and mental control conditions.

Keara Moyle, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences This study explores the concept of identity within Ojibwe tribal membership in the context of the controversial requirements that are currently in place. Over the course of the 2013 spring and summer terms I conducted an ethnographic study on the White Earth Indian reservation of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) under the guidance and mentorship of BYU Anthropology department’s Dr. John Hawkins and Minnesota State University-Moorhead Anthropology department’s Dr. Erik Gooding. White Earth is undergoing major constitutional reforms as they are trying to declare their sovereignty as a tribe, rather than be considered a band under the current Minnesota Chippewa Tribe constitution. If this constitution passes it will have a direct impact on enrollment numbers, as they will do away with the imposed blood quantum requirements and open enrollment to anyone who is a descendant of a member. Under the current blood quantum requirements, an individual must have one-quarter Ojibwe blood to be an enrolled member in the tribe.

Kyle Durfee, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences To promote Self-Reliance, Eagle Condor Humanitarian teaches impoverished communities classes designed to increase their self-reliance in their families, community, and their businesses. This study evaluated what the participants understand, how well they participate in the classes, how well they apply the things they learn, and how well the facilitators teach the program. The community members hold different desires for their future than what Eagle Condor seems to want for their participants, and the participants perceive their obstacles to success as being primarily financial matters rather than things that can be resolved through better understanding and training. Literacy and mathematics problems also hinder the ability of the participants to understand the content received in the classes, all suggesting that Eagle Condor may need to adjust its program, or find populations that can capitalize on its current program offerings more effectively. Participants also struggle to apply the concepts taught, usually as a result of not understanding how to do them, or that they should do them at all. Participants tend to participate well in the classes when they come, but generally miss large portions of the instruction due to tardiness. The facilitators teach the program well, but the current teaching curriculum structure (called the FAMA technique for a process that runs through teaching Facts, Associations, Meaning, and Action) is designed on a more exploratory solution than the rigid and organized structure of Eagle Condor’s program. Overall, a more clearly defined holistic strategy built around either participants or the program may increase Eagle Condor’s efficacy in increasing the levels of self-reliance within the communities that Eagle Condor works.

Erik Lovell, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences This project reports on an investigation of the social mechanisms that constrain or aid goal formation and work motivation among homeless populations. We utilize theoretical insights from organizational behavior to add to a long tradition of research on the persistence of homelessness. The few studies that do use the goal formation literature to understand homelessness generally focus on individual rather than structural constraints. Our unique contribution is in evaluating work motivation from the perspectives of homeless persons and what they experience as limiting or aiding in formulating and achieving their goals.

Kyle Haderlie, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Much has been written about the positive and negative influences of parents in sport and the mechanisms through which parents can enhance their involvement within youth sport contexts (e.g., Côté, 1999; Gould et al., 2006; Holt et al., 2009). Parents’ previous sporting experiences or sports knowledge is often identified as a factor that might influence the appropriateness of parental involvement youth sport (Bowker et al., 2006; Holt et al., 2008; Knight & Harwood, 2010). Further, children (and coaches) have indicated that parents’ own sporting experiences might alter the types of feedback or involvement children will actually accept from their parents (Knight et al., 2010; Knight et al., 2011). However, the specific ways in which parent experiences might influence their involvement in their children’s sport is relatively unknown. Developing an understanding of this relationship is necessary as researchers and practitioners aim to better understand the factors that influence positive and negative parental involvement. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine how parents’ previous sporting experiences influence their sport parenting style and practices. Specifically, this study sought to identify the influence of parents’ own experiences in sport (e.g., through their own youth sport participation), their experiences with children in sport (e.g., with older offspring), and their knowledge or understanding of sport (e.g., through education or coaching) on their present involvement. Open-ended survey data were collected from 102 mothers and fathers of children aged 6-18 in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Study data illuminate patterns of parent experiences that are consistent with authoritative sport parenting styles and adaptive practices (e.g., support), as well as patterns consistent with authoritarian parenting styles and less adaptive practices (e.g., pressure). Data hold the potential to inform both sport and family theory, as well as policy for parent involvement in organized youth sport.

Benjamin Hardy, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Researchers of gratitude have typically discussed gratitude as a one-dimensional construct. Gratitude journaling has been shown to enhance well-being (e.g., Emmons & McCullough, 2003), an inherent characteristic of this method is that frequently there is no clear benefactor identified in its entries. This type of impersonal gratitude has been termed generalized gratitude (Lambert, Graham, & Fincham, 2009). Conversely, benefit-triggered gratitude (Lambert et al.) refers to gratitude felt toward a particular benefactor.

Cory Pettit, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how stress affects performance monitoring, specifically the error-related negativity (ERN) component of the event-related potential (ERP). To produce stress, we used the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST), which elicits a stress response confirmed by cortisol measurements. We hypothesized that increased state levels of social stress would increase ERN amplitudes.

Erin Martin, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences There is a rise in the use of drugs and alcohol in college students across the nation. College students are becoming dependent on drugs long after the books have closed and college students have tossed the caps, turned in their gowns, and received their diplomas. The purpose of the study is to determine at what rate is the use of drugs and alcohol being experimented within college dorm rooms. Furthermore, this study will discover whether a person’s gender plays a role a determining if college students are more likely to experiment with drugs or alcohol, because they live in campus dorms. The method of this study is a survey at Weber State University. I will be looking at two different populations, those who live on campus at Weber State University and those who live off campus. I will survey students living in University Village, those in classrooms and those around campus. When the responses come back, the responses are going to be divided by those who live in the college dorms and those who live off campus. They will be further separated by male and female, in order to determine which group is more likely to experiment with alcohol and drugs. My hypotheses is that Weber State University has a smaller housing option for students than most other universities and being a commuter school, the results will be different from those found in other studies. There might not be a large problem of illegal drug abuse at Weber State University; however, you will see abuse in alcohol and prescription drugs.

Eleanor Golightly, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences This project seeks to better understand the underlying model that motivates parental behaviors. Parents seem to be motivated by an equity constraint, meaning a desire to devote equal amounts of time and money resources at each point in time to each child, even though these children may vary in age and ability. We hope to identify trends in parents who engage in unequal allocations to better understand why such behavior occurs and which children benefit and which are disadvantaged. As growing evidence suggests that happiness is influenced not only by what one has, but also by how much one has in comparison to those around them, this study could give important insight into children happiness. We have compiled data on private school enrollment, a measure of a financial resource that is at times allocated unequally among children in the home, and time spent reading to children. We will perform regression analysis employing fixed effects for this project.

Benjamin Hardy, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Most approaches to education are done with the teacher giving information to the students, with the teacher having the knowledge and “filling” the empty glasses of the students understanding with knowledge. Although this approach is conventional and has its benefits, a “flipped classroom approach” recognizes the student’s unique abilities and gifts of expounding and teaching aspects of given topics in a synergistic form far beyond what the teacher could do alone. Thus, in a “flipped classroom,” the teacher would give each student assignments to teach as well as using the art of questions to allow the students to become the teachers.

Caitlin Lagasse, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences In many instances, child labor is a way to exploit the cheap labor a child has to offer. Although in many situations, the exploitation of child labor is not normally the case, such as families living in a developing country. What individuals raised in Western cultures fail to realize is that in some nations and for some families, child labor is a necessary resource to survive, children act as an exceptional resource in these situations. Without the extra income a child could make working in the fields, on the street, or the diamond mines, the family would suffer. Families in developing countries do not have the same luxuries that already developed countries can afford. Without the full knowledge of the detrimental effects, developed countries attempt to superimpose child labor restrictions on countries. Western societal norms differ from countries around the world; our parental views of childhood are far from the reality of parents in developing nations. Furthermore, children face difficulties outside the exploitation of labor, such as slavery, prostitution, malnutrition and low educational standards. The dilemma to send their child to school or work is an ongoing daily battle for parents, even though the families are aware that the schools are an ineffective way of educating their children. All of those situations are the reality of the lives of children living in a developing country. Even though, the money that they make on a day’s wage is small, and generally smaller than that of an adult, it is still more money than they would have been able to make on the street, selling drugs or sex trafficking.

Daniel Simmons, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Too often young citizens (18-29) are ignored or discarded as an unimportant constituency by politicians due to the fact that youth do not vote in a consistent or significant manner. However, when the youth do turnout at the polls, their impact can be significant and can change the dynamics of political campaigning very quickly, as we saw recently with the success of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012.

Jarrod Call, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Homelessness is a critical issue affecting a wide portion of the population. As municipalities continue to struggle with the implications of homelessness, researchers are interested in gauging prejudicial attitudes toward homeless people. Assessing current attitudes towards homeless people is a critical first step in beginning to enact positive social change to help mitigate the effects of homelessness. Current inventories used for assessing attitudes towards homelessness, particularly the Attitudes Towards Homeless Inventory (ATHI), are outdated and fail to examine behavioral indications of prejudicial attitudes. This study seeks to rectify these shortcomings by creating an enduring, reliable, and valid measure that encompasses both cognitive and behavioral aspects and which will provide consistency for further research. Our inventory, the Evaluation of Attitudes on Homelessness (EAH), consists of 10 items that measure negative cognitions and avoidance behaviors in order to ascertain current prejudicial attitudes. The test was administered online to a convenience sample of 211 participants who responded to items using a six-point Likert scale. Statistical analysis was completed and the reliability and validity of the inventory was assessed. Preliminary results suggest that the EAH inventory is a reliable and valid method for measuring attitudes towards the homeless.

Justin Curtis, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences The rise of political Islam, or Islamism, across the Muslim world, since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, continues to mystify researchers. While there has been considerable debate about the causes and effects of this discourse, researchers have been unable to operationalize Islamism. This study serves two main purposes: 1. It serves as a description of the founder of modern political Islam, Ayatollah Khomeini, as a populist and an Islamist and, 2. It provides an operational definition for Islamism based on textual analysis. In the wake of ground-breaking work on populism in Latin America that analyzed political speeches using a holistic grading approach to textual analysis to quantify discourse, this study uses the same technique and adds a new textual analysis method for Islamist discourse. These two quantitative methods serve as the basis for a qualitative analysis of the relationship between populism and political Islam in the speeches and declarations of Ayatollah Khomeini from 1963-1983. This analysis reveals insights into the modern used of Islamism and demystifies its origins by placing it within the ethos of populism.

Jared Cline, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Our primary purpose was to explore the association between characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)-known as the Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP)-and college major choice. The reason this is important is because students with the BAP sometimes have debilitating characteristics similar to ASD, but don’t qualify for academic accommodation. By exploring the relationship between major choice and the BAP prevalence, we may be able to help educate instructors and institutions to be aware of majors with elevated numbers of individuals with the BAP. In turn, we hope this will help allow those individuals to receive needed academic help. Our secondary purpose was to correlate the two separate measures we used to assess the BAP. To assess the BAP we used the well known Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the relatively newer Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Because the BAPQ is a relatively new measure with promising preliminary psychometric properties, we decided to further test its convergent validity with the AQ in order to confirm its purported soundness.

Patricia Dirks, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences While much research has evaluated depression, metacognition, and automatic thoughts through various measurement techniques and within various disciplines, no research to date has explored the relationship between the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Negative (ATQ-N), and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Positive (ATQ-P). The purpose of this study is remedy this gap and to examine the relationship and interaction between depression, thoughts, and metacognitive processes, and to assess if these factors are valid and significant predictors for participants’ ability to correctly predict and postdict exam performance. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire that includes the BDI-II, MAI, ATQ-N, and the ATQ-P. Participants will also complete prediction and postdiction questions on introductory psychology exams throughout the semester where they will be asked to first declare the score they predict they will receive on the exam they are about to take, and then state what score they believed they received after having completed the exam but prior to receiving the score from the instructor. The relationship between the accuracy of these pre and post-dictions will be analyzed in relationship to the results of each individual participant determined through the questionnaire data. It is expected that students with moderate to severe depression will be less accurate on performance estimations and participants who score higher in metacognitive awareness will be more accurate in their performance estimations than those with lower scores. We also hypothesize that no relationship will be found between positive/negative automatic thoughts and the accuracy of performance estimations.

Sarah Dursteler, Weber State University Communications The culture of sex outside intimate relationships including dating scripts and sexual scripts has shifted to one of more ambiguity. Multiple changes in sexual scripts have occurred in the last 50 years with the diversification of types of relationships in which sex occurs, including, a greater acceptance of sex outside of relationships (Gagnon & Simon, 1987). This study is in response to the call for more research on how social identities influence perceptions of sexual interaction (Backstrom, Armstrong, and Puentes, 2012). The purpose of this study is to examine hook-up culture outside of traditional intimate relationships. This study explores the extent of the shift from traditional dating scripts to a culture of hooking up as perceived by males and females that identify with the predominant Latter-Day Saint (LDS) religious culture. Using the tenants of social exchange and scripting theories this study examined the attitudes of males and females. Transcripts from four same gender and religion focus groups and 100 open-ended survey responses provided data for analysis. The constant comparative method (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) provided the means by which to analyze data within emergent categories. One open-ended response question was reviewed to assess content theme analysis. The constant comparative method indicated distinct contrast of perceptions of sexual intimacy between males and females. Findings suggest that there are distinct differences between male and female and LDS and non-LDS attitudes about and perceptions of hook-up culture. These results are consistent with previous research indicating that hooking-up can be a functional strategy used to shift focus from traditional intimate relationships to more academic and professional goals.

Taylor Topham, Dixie State University Communications With the new generations comes new forms of entertainment. Rarely is there a home without a television. The Cultivation Theory presented by George Gerbner and his colleagues states that television is so common in our society that it has an affect on our perceptions of the world. The Cultivation Theory specifically looks at violence on television and its effects on the viewer. Those that are heavy viewers of television often have what is known as mean-world syndrome. Because of the violence they watch on television, they are more likely to see the world as a violent place (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011). Along with a television often comes some type of video gaming system. Studies state that over 65% of North American households now have a video gaming system (Chiawen, Aiken & Huang, 2012). The purpose of this research is to determine if video gaming effects the perception of individuals similarly to that of television as described by George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory.

Emma Penrod, Brigham Young University Communications A newspaper is the catalog of a community’s past. I spent about three years researching the impact of industrialization on Tooele from a variety of angles, primarily by reading archived newspapers from 1905 to 1970. During this time, I also collected and scanned nearly 200 original photographs. Industrialization came to Tooele in force in 1908, with the construction on the International Smelter and the Tooele Valley Railroad. Prior to the railroad and the smelter, Tooele was a small, predominantly Mormon community with an agrarian economy. Construction of the railroad, the smelter, and several affiliated projects could have employed 72 percent of every man, woman and child living in Tooele City in the early 1900s. An influx of immigrants changed the social landscape dramatically, reshaping Tooele as one of Utah’s most diverse communities. Through the early 1900s, conflict between the original Mormon settlers and the transplants embroiled the community in something of a perpetual identity crisis. Temporarily, a sort of physical segregation solved the problem-Mormons lived west of Main Street, and the immigrants set up shop east of Main Street. But it wouldn’t be long before the Tooele newspapers came to accept the newcomers and the advertising revenue they had to offer. The Great Depression and football, of all things, finally brought the community back together, and throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the immigrant families were invited to fly their native colors at important community events that celebrated Tooele’s heritage.

Jessica Read, Brigham Young University Communications As the world of online social networking has changed to accommodate public interest, online dating sites have become increasingly popular. With this new trend in social media there has been an increased awareness as to how one might present him or herself in the most favorable way possible through computer mediated stimuli. To find out if nonverbal cues played a significant role in online impression formation, we had males and females randomly assigned to one of two variables, where they viewed stimuli of a member of the opposite gender. The stimuli that was presented was either a photograph accompanied by a written autobiography about a member of the opposite gender, or a video of the person reading their own autobiography, which allowed for the presence of nonverbal cues. Participants rated the subjects in the assigned stimuli on a number of different scales ranging from trustworthiness to sexual attractiveness based on their first impressions. Results showed no significant differences between the presence of nonverbal cues in the video stimuli or the photographic stimuli, reasoning for the indifference participants had towards the nonverbal cues is discussed. However, there were significant gender differences among the first impressions formed, other findings are presented.

Sydney Tycksen, Utah Valley University Communications An award winning research project, this summary highlights research conducted by Communication students at Utah Valley University of a grassroots public relations campaign created to increase awareness among middle school students, parents, educators, and community leaders of the serious short and long term consequences of youth bullying. The study also demonstrates how the campaign informed audiences of the steps they should take to help prevent bullying. The goal of the research was to understand the short-and-long term effects of bullying, types of bullying, and the prominence of bullying in the surrounding community where the research was conducted. A public relations strategic communication plan was developed based on the research to change bullying behavior in the community. The campaign aimed to spread awareness of the short and long term effects of bullying and outline the steps to report and prevent bullying through the development of strategies and tactics. These steps help students, parents, educators, and community members understand bullying, recognize the signs and types, and know the appropriate authority to whom to report the behavior. This presentation will show how the research provided the students with the information needed to establish measureable objectives for the campaign, reach their key publics and provide an evaluation of the strategies and tactics used to meet campaign objectives. The document reviews the outcome and evaluation of each strategy and tactic implemented during the campaign, including media relations and social media tactics, The summary concludes with an overview of how campaign objectives of teaching key publics how to take steps to prevent bullying were achieved due to thorough research and understanding of how to effectively use messaging to generate behavior changes within the key public.

Emma Josey, Dixie State University Communications Romance novels seem to be a staple in the devoted reader’s array of books and have remained an extremely popular genre throughout the centuries. Not only are the actual stories appealing to the readers, but some readers go a step further and interact with or create a relationship with characters themselves. A phenomenon called parasocial interaction. This research study seeks to discover if the parasocial interactions female romance novel readers experience relate to a practice of a particular attachment style and jealousy in their romantic relationships. These characteristics are important to the health and sustainability of people’s romantic relationships, and this study seeks to learn whether or not the quasi relationships romance novel readers create with characters influences those relationships.

Indigo Klabanoff, Dixie State University Communications With globalization and the minority population changing, it is extremely important to learn the real statistics that are out there when it comes to single parenting. The most important thing though, is to figure out is which communication styles work in healthy communication, with single parent families.

Tyler Mathis, Brigham Young University Education We need to improve our educational system through giving our teachers more chances to be given constructive feedback through teacher evaluations. As teachers receive feedback and are put through effective teacher evaluations their performance will improve and the upcoming generation will be more educated. This will greatly beneficial to the future of our society as a whole. Teacher evaluations is an important topic to raise awareness of to help produce effective and beneficial teaching to the upcoming generation. The topic I will address is how we can make teacher evaluations more effective by exploring ways to quantitatively measure teachers’ effectiveness through examining student gains. I will also examine why implementing teacher observations will be an asset to teacher performance and a necessity in teacher evaluations.

Kristin Murphy, Utah State University Education Past research shows that parents interact more positively with their children and use more supportive language during play than during teaching interactions (Kwon, Bingham, Lewsader, Jeon, & Elicker, 2013). Children with normal language development tend to have parents who use more language supporting speech, (Vigil, Hodges, & Klee, 2005) than parents of children with language delays. The specific research question addressed in this study is: Do maternal (maternal depression, education levels, parenting stress) or child factors (language development, social-emotional development) influence maternal language behaviors in teaching and play contexts?

David Turner, Utah State University Education Problem based learning is an approach to education where students develop solutions to authentic problems (Hmelo-Silver, 2004) with support from scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976; Reiser, 2004). Computer based scaffolding helps students organize thoughts and arguments while solving problems (Belland, Glazewski & Richardson, 2008). We examined how students from one small group constructed order in their interactions and arguments as they solved an environmental issue using a stakeholder lens.

María Velasco, Utah Valley University Agriculture Calochortus is a plant genus that includes approximately 60 species distributed in North America with great ornamental and ethnotobanical value. Sego lily, mariposa lily and other common names have been used to describe the different species of Calochortus. Native Americans and settlers have used the bulbs as food, either raw or ground into flour and cooked. C. nuttallii played an important role in the success of colonization of Utah. Between 1840 and 1851 the scarcity of food due to a plague of crickets led to the pioneers to dig for the bulbous roots of sego lily, ensuring the survival of the pioneer population. This research studies the effects of Gibberellic acid on the germination and elongation of these species in vivo and in vitro. Eight different species of Calochortus are being utilized for this experiment to evaluate the effect of this growth regulator on the germination of these species. Different types of media are being tested to evaluate the optimal in vitro conditions that these species require for germination and growth. In addition embryogenesis and organogenesis is being induced by using Benzyl Amino Purine and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid at different concentrations. Sego Lily is the State flower of Utah; micropropagating this plant will allow us to understand and research new methods and conditions to grow these species successfully, making preservation possible since some Calochortus species have been listed as endangered. In addition, other species such as Calohortus ambiguous (Doubting Mariposa Lily), which is distributed in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, will also benefit from the system developed in this research because they are closely related to Sego Lily (C. nuttallii). The long term goal of this research is to establish an appropriate micropropagation system for a wide variety of Calochortus species.

Nathan Bliss, Utah Valley University Health High-frequency (HF) ultrasound in the 20-80 MHz range has recently been found to be sensitive to pathology in tissue margins from breast cancer surgery. In order to improve the resolution and sensitivity of this method, however, transducers need to be employed that have piezoelectric elements that are smaller than those currently in use. The purpose of this study was to determine if similar results can be obtained from small element transducers (Blatek pachyometer, 50 MHz, element diameter < 2 mm) as compared to large element immersion transducers (Olympus NDT, V358-SU, 50 MHz, 6.35-mm diameter active element). Ultrasonic tests were performed on 10 bovine heart specimens of varying surface structure (myocardium, endocardium, and epicardium). Pulse-echo and through transmission measurements using a HF square-wave pulser/receiver (UTEX, UT340) and a digital storage oscilloscope (Agilent, DSOX3104A, 1 GHz, 4 analog channels) were acquired from a total of 2 sites per bovine specimen, first testing all specimens with the large transducers then again with the small transducers. Specimens were marked with India ink for location and accuracy of testing. The density of peaks in the ultrasonic spectra of the large transducers paralleled those of small transducers. Results from HF ultrasonic measurements of bovine heart tissue obtained from large transducers compared to the small transducers indicate that they produce statistically comparable peak densities.

Amy A Fairbrother, Utah Valley University Health Research has shown that high-frequency (HF) ultrasound is capable of detecting structural and biomechanical property changes in tissues and cells at the microscopic level. This capability is currently being tested for the real-time identification of breast tissue pathology in surgical margins during lumpectomies. The objective of this study was to determine if structural and property changes arising in tissue from variations in temperature can be detected by using HF ultrasound. Once a tissue sample is excised from the body, the temperature of the sample decreases rapidly from body temperature to that of the surrounding room temperature. Because of the decrease in heat, the tissue can become more rigid and thus less fluid. These alterations in biomechanical properties can affect HF ultrasonic measurements such as wavespeed and attenuation. These biomechanical changes may also affect the ultrasonic signals sensitive to tissue structure such as the number of peaks in the ultrasonic spectra. The methodology of the research was as follows. Fresh samples of bovine tissue were ultrasonically tested at 3 different temperatures: 37º, 24.5º, and 15º C. Each sample was approximately 7.6 mm thick and 3.8 x 2.5 cm in size. To observe the overall effects of temperature on a sample, the tissue was slowly heated from room temperature to body temperature (37º C) and then tested with HF ultrasound. The sample was then cooled back down to room temperature (24.5º C) and tested again using HF ultrasound. Lastly, the sample was cooled further to 15º C and again tested using HF ultrasound. Ultrasonic waveforms were collected using 50-MHz pitch-catch and pulse-echo measurements. The data was then analyzed to determine changes in wavespeed, attenuation, and spectral peak density with temperature. Results from the study will be presented and discussed with respect to the improvement of HF ultrasound procedures for testing tissue samples.

Matthew Wood, Brigham Young University Health Anatomy Academy (AA) is a recently developed school based educational program for fifth graders that uses college age students as small group mentor educators. This program aims to combat child obesity by improving the children’s understanding of nutrition, anatomy, exercise, and healthy behaviors. Our study specifically aimed to evaluate the impact of this mentoring opportunity on student nurses. As the largest population of healthcare workers, nurses play an essential role in patient and family education, especially in well populations. As healthcare costs increase, it will be increasingly important for nurses to actively participate in prevention efforts that empower individuals to develop healthy lifestyles. Currently, there exists a paucity of opportunities for student nurses to practice providing this health teaching to well populations and a lack of research literature on the subject. Anatomy Academy is one of these opportunities and our hypothesis is that there will be positive changes in the self-perceived abilities of the student nurses. After identifying undergraduate nursing students engaged in AA, we collected pre and post (5 scale Likert) surveys asking the nurses to rate their self-perceived ability of their skills to 1) adapt the message to the level of audience understanding, 2) communicate basic physiological concepts, 3) teach and model the link between concepts and health behaviors, 4) empower children toward healthy decisions, and 5) collaborate with organizations, like elementary schools, toward a common goal of helping children maintain healthy BMI and habits. A demographic survey and weekly reflective journals were also collected. Our results found statistically significant results in every perceived skill and we conclude that mentoring opportunities for student nurses in programs like AA improve their confidence and ability to communicate in a nursing role. We recommend that similar opportunities be included in the curriculum of all undergraduate nursing programs.

Percy Segura, Utah Valley University Health High frequency (HF) ultrasound has been investigated for the detection of breast cancer in surgical samples, and has shown correlations to histology including precursors to cancer development. It is hypothesized that the sensitivity of HF ultrasound to breast cancer is due to changes in the microscopic structure of the tissue. With this approach, better diagnosis of breast cancer can be achieved for purposes such as the assessment of surgical margins in lumpectomy procedures. The microscopic structure of the tissue affects HF waves as they pass through the tissue. These structures can therefore be recorded and distinguished by the HF ultrasound. HF ultrasound will show differentiation between healthy tissue, benign pathologies such as hyperplasia, and advanced cancerous formation. With continuing development, variables are being studied which may skew or produce artifacts in the HF ultrasound results.

Tyler Navarro, Utah Valley University Health PURPOSE: An Exercise Science class homework assignment revealed that a significant majority of the Exercise Science majors were Kinesthetic vs. Visual or Auditory learners. The researchers were curious what learning styles other fields of study had and if, like Exercise Science, other fields of study were dominated by one learning style or another. The purpose of this study was to identify the percentage of different learning styles of majors in various fields of study at UVU. Our hypothesis is that each field of study, by its very nature, would be lead by > 50% of the percentage points by one learning style over the others.

Talmage Wood, University of Utah Health One of the challenges facing emergency room physicians is the number of tests and procedures to be performed on patients who present with chest pain but had negative initial findings. Since heart disease ranks as the leading cause of death in the United States, hospitals have protocols to monitor patients for a period of time before discharging them. At the University Of Utah’s Emergency Department our monitoring protocol was adjusted over a year ago to mandate consultation with a cardiologist for any and all chest pain patients being observed due to negative findings, whereas prior to the adjustment patients were monitored and consulted by normal emergency room physicians or advanced care providers.

Tyler Harris, Brigham Young University Health Background

Kristin Walker, Utah State University Health The purpose of this study was to quantify the efficacy of a six-week aquatic treadmill exercise program on measures of pain, balance, mobility, and muscle thickness. Three participants (age = 64.5 ± 10.2) with knee OA completed a six-week exercise training intervention. Outcome measures, collected before (pre) and after (post) the six-week intervention, included visual analog scales for pain, posturography for balance, a 10 m walk test for mobility, and ultrasound for muscle thickness. The exercise protocol included balance training and high-intensity interval training (HIT) in an aquatic treadmill using water jets to destabilize while standing and achieve high ratings of perceived exertion (14-19) while walking. Expected results include, reduced joint pain (pre = 50.3 ± 24.8 mm versus post = 15.8 ± 10.6 mm), improved balance (equilibrium pre = 66.6 ± 11.0 versus post = 73.5 ± 7.1), and mobility (walk pre = 8.6 ± 1.4 s versus post = 7.8 ± 1.1 s) after participating in the exercise protocol (p = 0.03-0.001). We expect that aquatic treadmill exercise that incorporates balance and HIT training will be well tolerated by patients with OA and may be effective at managing symptoms of OA.

Tyler Harris, Brigham Young University Health Background

Jorgen Madsen, Utah State University Health The gold standard in purification of influenza virus is by means of ultracentrifugation. Although effective, this process is very expensive and thus impractical for developing countries. We hypothesize that column chromatography can be a cost efficient alternative that is as effective as ultracentrifugation. If correct, this method of purification could revolutionize vaccine production in third world countries. We tested the purification ability of column chromatography by comparing two different chromatography resins. The Capto Q resin separates proteins on the basis of protein charge. The Capto 700 resin separates proteins on the basis of both size and charge. Samples following chromatography were collected, and evaluated for virus specific proteins as well as total protein content. After chromatography selected samples were evaluated by electrophoresis to determine protein separation. Although it is evident that some protein separation occurred, the results are inconclusive and suggest more testing.

Breanne Woodbury, Dixie State University Health In this paper I will be discussing the health impacts of immunizations and how it affects the individual, the family, the community, and society. I will present information from both sides of the argument of immunizations, as well as my own conclusion on this controversial subject. Findings from leading experts in the medical field will be cited, including Dr. Paul Offit, co-inventor of vaccines and one of the most trusted advocates for vaccine safety, as well as award-winning scientific writer Seth Mnookin. Their research on vaccines, specifically the ingredients included in vaccines, possible side effects, and the nonexistent correlation between vaccines and autism, will support my thesis of vaccine safety and the need for immunizations. I will include current scientific studies which reveal the very serious results of a vaccine-free society and discuss the desperate need to change the anti-vaccine mindset. In conclusion, I will re-state, with supporting evidence, why immunization is absolutely crucial and why it plays a key role in the health of our society and in our personal daily living.

Alyssa Lark, Brigham Young University Health The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a community-based sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program on sexual assault criminal case outcomes in Salt Lake County, Utah.

Brittni Carr, Brigham Young University Health Purpose/Aims: To examine religiosity and family hardiness in parents raising children with disabilities (CWD) to determine if there are differences according to parent gender and type of disability and if there is a relationship between the variables.

Andrew Mackay Breivik, Utah Valley University Health The central research question of this project is to determine the reproducibility of high frequency (HF) ultrasonic signals in breast cancer detection. Previous studies on surgical specimens of breast tissue have shown that HF ultrasound (20-80 MHz) appears sensitive to a range of breast pathologies including fibroadenomas, atypical ductal hyperplasia, fibrocystic changes, and carcinomas. A measurement in the ultrasonic signal called the peak density appears most sensitive to the pathology of the breast. The reproducibility of this parameter has not been quantitatively measured in a comprehensive manner. In parallel to a clinical study being conducted at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, we are conducting a laboratory study of the reproducibility of these measurements using chicken and bovine tissue. The ability to reliably determine the pathology of breast tissue with a real-time intra-operative tool would greatly aid in the surgical removal of all malignant tissue, as well as greatly reduce the occurrences of repeat surgeries to remove margins of cancerous tissue that remained. The results of this study will reveal the degree of variability in the signals, thus supplementing previous studies as well as determining the reliability of the results from the current clinical study. The research methodology included the following. Fresh chicken breast and bovine tissue were cut into 4x3x0.5 cm and 4x3x1.5 cm cubes. The tissue was tested at room temperature (23.4oC) using HF ultrasound. Pitch-catch and pulse-echo waveforms were obtained in triplicate measurements of two types: Three measurements with the transducer not leaving the tissue, and three measurements with the transducer lifted off the tissue between measurements. A total of 640 measurements were acquired and analyzed to obtain the spectral peak densities. Preliminary results indicate that the measurements are reproducible to a statistically significant level, thus removing one possible source of uncertainty in the data.

Siena Davis, Brigham Young University Health In the U.S., exposure to radon gas (222Rn) is the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoke. 222Rn is a naturally occurring environmental carcinogen produced during the radioactive decay of uranium-238, which is found in many soils throughout the U.S. Because 222Rn is a gas, it has the ability to travel through the soil and into homes through cracks in foundation walls. Inhaled 222Rn has the potential to emit alpha radiation in the lungs, and long-term exposure is responsible for approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the U.S. 222Rn is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, so the only way to know it is in a home is to test for it. Studies show that even in areas with high radon levels, homeowners frequently do not test or mitigate their homes as recommended. This study aims to understand the psychosocial factors that influence whether Utah residents perform radon testing and mitigation. Radon-related lung cancer deaths would be significantly reduced if the psychosocial factors that influence radon testing and mitigation were better understood and used to design and implement effective interventions. To understand the psychosocial factors that influence radon testing, we will survey residents (n = 50) of the county who come to UCHD specifically to purchase a radon test kit. The survey will be based on social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs. We will administer the same survey to a comparison group (n = 50). The comparison group for the study will be individuals who visit UCHD’s office of vital records. Individuals from the study group with indoor radon levels above 4 pCi/L will be contacted by telephone 30 – 60 days after testing to complete a second survey. This survey will measure SCT factors that influence participants’ actions to reduce radon levels in their home.

Ashley Ostler, Southern Utah University Health Research indicates that collegiate athletes may be at risk of developing disordered eating and other distorted behavioral patterns. This may be due, in part, to the aesthetic and performance demands of their sports. The purpose of this study is to discover if female athletes acquire increased negative views towards their body image and food due to the pressures of being a collegiate athlete at Southern Utah University (SUU). An anonymous survey was given to approximately 150 female athletes participating in a variety of sports inquiring about body perception and eating behaviors relative to their sport. The survey evaluates the athlete’s attitude toward food, their relationship with food, if there are outside influences that affect how they eat, and if they are satisfied with their weight. Athletic teams were chosen based on meeting two of the three following requirements: tryouts are held, scholarships are offered, and there are regular competitions or performances. Athletic teams involved in the survey include tennis, volleyball, track & field, cross country, softball, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, drill team, ballroom dance and cheer. The data will provide information regarding Southern Utah University female athlete’s body perceptions and eating behaviors. Results will be compared to a similar study conducted five years ago at SUU.

Stephen Clarkson, Brigham Young University Health While there is an abundance of mobile health apps for weight management on the market today, almost all focus entirely on net caloric intake (exercise minus calories consumed). Recording daily caloric intake can be cumbersome, inefficient and inaccurate. One rising suggestion in the health field for reaching weight goals is objectively recording hand-to-mouth movements (HTMMs) during meals throughout the day. This method focuses entirely on portion control and if any improvements are to be made in this area, an effective method of activity recognition must be developed. In this paper, we report our efforts to classify HTMMs and non-HTMMs in an effort to automate counting the number of HTMMs during meals throughout the day. We also report on the performance of several base-level classifiers such as k-NN, Naive Bayes and Decision Trees as well as meta-level classifiers (Voting, Bagging and Boosting).

Wesley Tietjen, Dixie State University Health High risk sexual behaviors, such as having unprotected sex, are a community health concern because of the heightened susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases. An estimated 19.7 million people are newly infected with a sexually transmitted disease annually. Young people (ages 15-24) account for nearly half of all new incidences (CDC, 2008). Considering these statistics, the author, a Dixie State University Integrated Studies undergraduate student, conducted an interdisciplinary study to determine the correlation between the degree of self-reported religious devotion of Latter Day Saint (LDS) singles and their likelihood of purchasing or using protection during premarital intercourse. Seventy five students attending Dixie State University in Saint George, Utah participated in this study. Participants completed a 15-item survey consisting of questions inquiring how religious they consider themselves and their feelings towards premarital sex. Of the non-married participants who engage in sex, only 28% (n=4) of LDS respondents reported consistent use of birth control, compared to 84% (n=16) of non-LDS individuals. These results are suggestively significant and are consistent with findings from studies conducted by Douglas Kirby (2007) and others who have demonstrated that teaching abstinence, without providing education about birth control methods other than abstinence, leaves individuals unprepared to practice safe sex if the occasion arises. The relevance of the Dixie State University study to previous more broadly conceived research will be presented along with recommendations for future research.

Paydon Newman, Dixie State University Health Several studies (Shepley, 2012; Sherman-Bien, 2011; Walch, 2010) have found that sunlight has a stress-reducing effect on those who are exposed to it. An innovative new design of artificial lighting known as RaLight is proposed to reflect light with a color rendering index nearly identical to natural sunlight. This study will examine the relationship between exposure to RaLight (as a substitute for sunlight) and levels of stress. RaLight is predicted to decrease levels of stress in test subjects. In several hospice facilities, test subjects will consist of an estimated 100 patients both male and female with ages ranging from 65 to 85 years. This research is designed as a single subject experiment (ABA). The initial control condition will be the common indoor environment which exposes patients to standard fluorescent lighting. Replacing light fixtures with RaLight will then establish both the second phase of the experiment and the independent variable. A follow up re-installment of the initial fluorescent lighting will be conducted post-RaLight phase. Throughout each phase, questionnaires regarding the overall well-being of patients will be completed by hospice staff.