2014 Abstracts

Danielle Jennings, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences The popularity of surgical cosmetic procedures continues to climb in the U.S. (ASPS, 2012) and in other industrialized economies (ISAPS, 2011). This includes women in conservative cultures like Morocco and Afghanistan (Women of Afghanistan, 2012). This research was undertaken to examine attitudes towards plastic surgery among women who are members of the LDS Church. Utah boasts one of the highest concentrations of plastic surgeons in the U.S. (Lim, 2011) and is also majority LDS (Phillips and Cragun, 2011), rendering it ideal for this study. Data regarding attitudes towards surgery and levels of religious participation were collected from LDS women [n = 100] and men [n = 25] in Utah through a pilot survey administered in spring, 2013. The sample included women 19 — 81 years of age, 64% of whom were married, and 63% had grown up in Utah. Results indicated levels of religious participation were in keeping with other research involving Mormons (Hill et al., 2008) and 67% of women knew a female member of the Church who had had cosmetic surgery. Attitudes towards surgery varied by age and marital status. A second survey was created and administered via Qualtrics to LDS women [n =473] and men [n = 116] across the U.S. Results suggest variation in attitudes by geographic location, along with variation by gender, age, marital status, and familiarity with surgery. These results suggest aspects of Mormon life in Utah contribute to the popularity of surgery among Church members. These may include the pressures of dating and earlier ages at marriage (Maffly, 2010), coupled with demographic changes (Cragun and Phillips, 2011), as well as earlier ages at first birth of children (Davidson, 2008).

Kent Hinkson, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression both have individually strong relationships with academic performance and achievement. However, when considered together, the combination is associated with worse measures than either condition alone. Recently it has been suggested that student veterans may have elevated rates of PTSD and depression, which makes these conditions points of particular interest when looking factors that affect achievement and performance in school.

Lindsey Fields, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences For my senior thesis in anthropology, I conducted fieldwork in a small Hmong village in northern Thailand studying the process of religion conversion. Traditionally, Hmong people practice a mixture of spirit rituals and ancestral worship known as Dab Qhuas and classified as shamanism. Within the past fifty or so years, other religious groups have emerged in the village both Christian sects and Hmong messianic groups. Though many in the discipline of anthropology argue that conversion is a break from traditions of the past, I observe that Hmong of this village in Thailand undergo a much more syncretic type of conversion. Though they identify as either Christian or of a Messianic sect, much of their practices and ideology retain elements of their shamanist past. Though they stress their differences in doctrine and practice, much of the ontology permeating shamanism and Hmong culture is still very much present. In order to better examine this phenomenon, I will focus the beliefs and practices in both Is Nbis and Christianity that take on slightly different forms in each religious practice, yet, still maintain some of the same ideologies. Rituals merely shift in order to fulfill the same metaphysical needs. By studying new practices that retain much of the feel of old culture rituals, I hope to illustrate that these Hmong are not as far removed from their traditional roots as they imagine themselves to be.

Mitchell Reid, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Chronic childhood aggression can be the beginning of a developmental trajectory that begins with minor aggression, moves on to physical fighting, and then to violence (Loeber & Farrington, 2000). Behaviors during toddlerhood may be more malleable than later in childhood (Reid, 1994). To better understand what predicts children’s early aggressive behavior we examined the role of parenting behaviors, parent mental health, and child characteristics in a sample of toddlers. Sixty-five mothers and their toddlers between the ages of 17 and 24 months (60% female) participated in the study. Mother-child dyads were videotaped during teaching and clean-up tasks. Mothers also responded to several questionnaires to assess toddlers’ social-emotional behaviors, language development, attachment security, and temperament and their own parenting stress and depression. The teaching and clean-up tasks were coded for maternal language supporting behaviors such as asking questions and providing praise, directives, expansions, and labeling. We examined the correlations between the independent maternal (depression, parenting stress, and language supporting behaviors) and child (age, gender, language development, temperament, and attachment security) variables and the dependent variable of aggression/defiance. Correlations between attachment security (r = -.28, p =.03) and maternal directives during the teaching task (r = .33, p =.01) and during the clean-up task (r = .39, p =.00) showed statistical significance. We included these variables in a regression model and found that attachment security and maternal directives during the teaching and clean-up tasks accounted for 29% of the variance in maternal reports of toddlers’ aggression and defiance. These results suggest that toddlers with greater attachment security and with mothers who use fewer directives in everyday tasks are rated as less aggressive and defiant than those with less attachment security and with mothers who use more directives. The full regression model and early intervention implications will be presented.

Kelsea Hill, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Sexuality has long been identified as foundational in the lives of married couples. An area lacking in research, however, is the transition into sexuality made by couples who practiced abstinence prior to being married. The data for this study comes from a survey of 597 respondents that had practiced abstinence before being married. This focuses on the qualitative responses to questions asked abstinent couples about what helped make the transition into sexual intimacy, what purpose(s) sex has in their relationship, what they wished they had discussed prior to having sex, and what challenges they experienced in the transition into sexual intimacy.

Jared Glenn, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Previous research shows that girls and women tend to prefer and perform better in classes taught by women. However, much less research analyzes the impact of instructor gender on learning outcomes among boys and men. This research fills that gap by analyzing the effect of professor gender on male college students’ achievement. Relying on survey and in-depth interviews among undergraduate men at a large research university, this study finds no significant empirical data that professor gender significantly impacts men’s academic achievement, in contrast to previous findings among girls and women. Interview findings, however, suggest that men prefer the tough grading, which they indicate is integral in male-taught classes. The study contributes to our understanding of gender differences in an academic setting and how that factor shapes learning outcomes and achievement.

Briana Bowen, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The U.S. Secret Service (USSS), one of the most elite security agencies in the world, is charged with protecting the President of the United States at any cost. Three American presidents fell to assassins’ bullets before the USSS was assigned the role of presidential protection; one more would later be slain despite USSS protection. This study examines the organizational culture of the USSS, employing the methodology of cultural topography to identify the agency’s norms, values, identity, and perceptual lens. We review three of the most impactful twentieth-century assassination attempts––two failed, one successful––and their formative effect on USSS organizational culture. Beginning with the lesser-known plot to assassinate Harry Truman, we examine the permanent authorization of the Presidential Protective Division. We apply our main focus to the assassination of John Kennedy, the USSS’s darkest hour and still its most powerful motivator. Lastly, we review the attack on Ronald Reagan and the development of the modern USSS security apparatus. Our final profile of USSS organizational culture gives insight into the agency’s strengths and weaknesses and informs our concluding recommendations for institutional change.

Rachel LaForce, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences On an island of 65,000 people, Guernsey’s Housing Control Law offers a two-tiered alternative to the free market system. In an attempt to more closely regulate the growing population of their limited area (approximately 25 square miles), the States of Guernsey implemented the Housing Control Law in the late 1940s. With a provision that allows it to be altered and updated every 10 years, there is a distinct change over time in its original purpose and its contemporary companion. This study is based on information gained by using ethnographic methods during a two month field study in Guernsey. Questions focused on how residents perceived the purpose of the law, and how they believe it achieved those purposes. Results suggest that residents accurately perceive the original purpose of the Housing Control Law as described by the States of Guernsey, hoping to preserve the majority of housing opportunities for the indigenous population. Although their view of the modern implementation is much more varied, most point to the benefits that attracting high net-worth individuals brings to the island’s economy and also justify the use of housing incentives for skilled individuals to fill a labor shortage. Resident perception aligns with the original purpose of the Housing Control Law. With change over time, Guernsey residents understand the necessity to increase economic activity and fill labor shortages which can be provided via housing incentives, especially a two-tiered housing market.

Lyndsey Craig, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The ability for caregivers to read infant cues accurately is important for the development of infant regulatory capacities and attachment formation. Caregivers with insecure attachment representations may misinterpret infant cues and respond inappropriately. Anxious-ambivalent and avoidant attachment representations were examined with accuracy of interpreting infant engagement and disengagement cues. In an online survey, 112 college students completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised scale and interpreted images of infants’ engagement and disengagement cues. Anxious-ambivalent attachment was negatively correlated with accuracy of interpreting engagement cues. Caregivers with anxious-ambivalent attachment representations may respond inconsistently to their infants and promote the intergenerational transmission of insecure attachment. These results suggest a potential target for education efforts for new parents.

Brandon Hansen, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Measuring eye movements during reading is an effective and ecologically valid way to investigate dynamic changes in human cognition. The boundary technique (Rayner, 1975) is often employed during experimental reading research by changing text in real-time between eye movements—permitting subtle manipulations which are not obvious to the reader. Frequently, these manipulations include the replacement of a target word (beach) by words that are homophones (beech), semantically related (shore), orthographically related (bench), or by random letter masks (hxnzt). Understanding the differences between text in which the target word is available (beach) and denied (hxnzt) allows a deeper understanding of dynamic cognitive processes. In a real-world sense, such investigations yield findings that assists doctors, clinicians, and educators as they create interventions for those, for example, with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

Desirae Wood, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Previous research has suggested that genetic polymorphisms may be correlated with specific behaviors and personality traits. The SLC6A4 gene that codes for the serotonin transporter contains a polymorphism in the promoter region that has been associated with anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. There have been reports linking SLC6A4 polymorphisms to traits such as neuroticism and harm avoidance (HA), but the relationship to novelty seeking (NS) is unclear. HA and NS are personality traits that have been correlated to some forms of risk taking, including casual sex. This present study was designed to explore a potential link between SLC6A4 polymorphisms in relation to novelty seeking, the frequency of casual sex behavior, and the cognitive assessment of how risky such behavior is. Undergraduate students (n=288) completed the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory, the Physical Risk Frequency Inventory, and the Physical Risk Assessment Inventory, and provided cheek swab cell samples for genotyping via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and electrophoresis gel. Ongoing data collection and data analysis will be complete by the end of November.

Brendan Willis, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Most people at some point in their lives will encounter a situation where they witness, perpetrate, or fail to stop an action that seriously violates their moral beliefs, events that have recently been termed moral injuries. Litz and colleagues (2009) proposed a theoretical framework that suggests such moral injuries may interact with various protective and risk factors in order to result in either positive or negative outcomes. Negative outcomes could include feelings of guilt, shame, self-condemnation, and alienation. Positive outcomes could include individuals realizing that they have done something wrong, but accepting that they are not bad or evil and resolving to become a better person. A vital part of this framework is the concept of meaning making, the process by which individuals grapple with understanding and constructing meaning regarding their participation in events that violate their moral beliefs. The degree to which an individual is able to adaptively make meaning of a potentially morally injurious event is believed to serve as a mediator in the association between experiencing such an event and developing negative consequences. Specifically, the more adaptively an individual can make meaning of a morally injurious event, the less negative will be the outcomes. However, this mediational role of meaning making in the association between moral injury and psychological distress is a proposition of the theory that to date has not been empirically tested. Given its importance in the moral injury model, the purpose of this study is to empirically test whether or not this association exists. Understanding meaning making’s role in the moral injury model will help form a foundation of empirical work on which future research can build.

Sai Samineni, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Introduction: Salt Lake Peer Court (SLPC) is an alternative program to juvenile justice where Salt Lake School District (SLSD) youth are referred for minor offenses such as truancy, disorderly conduct, fighting, theft, etc… The court is mediated by a panel of high school mentors who act as a jury which questions and mentors the referred youth while adult advisers facilitate court. Restorative justice-based contract requirements are used with many options including community service, attendance tracking, tutoring, counseling, and life skills classes. One major area that remains unaddressed among Peer Court’s disposition options is that of career exploration and college preparation. The intent of this research project is to create a new sustainable option that impedes the cycle of juvenile delinquency in families and increases their ability to stay free of crime by providing youth with tools to gain socioeconomic power through self-direction, goal-setting skills, and discovering their passions.

Chelsea Romney, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Getting adequate sleep is essential for optimal daytime functioning and has implications for both physical and mental health. There are several reasons to believe that social support may influence sleep outcomes. Although certain relationships (e.g., married versus unmarried) have been tied to sleep disturbances, little is known about the association between the quality of one’s overall social network and sleep. Thus, in the present study, we examined how the amount of supportive relationships in an individual’s social network is associated with sleep outcomes.

Natalie Blanton, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences The rates of women interacting with the criminal justice system are increasing steadily—yet little is known about the experiences of these women with/within the system as well as the latent effects that follow them throughout their lives. With a sociological perspective, one comes to understand the immense impact of experiences, inequities, and health/wellness/opportunity disparities in individual’s lives—especially within the criminal justice system. This project takes a multi-pronged feminist perspective/approach to women’s interaction with such.

Megan Ward, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Little research has been done on the effect of parental media monitoring on a child’s thoughts and behaviors. This dearth of research is evident when considering the effect of parental media monitoring for a child who consumes Disney princess media. Research suggests that committed parents who heavily monitor their child’s media use are more likely to have a child who uses less media. The aim of this study is to garner a deeper understanding of the impact of parental media monitoring on a child’s stereotypical behaviors. Initial analyses showed a very strong correlation between how much a child identified with a particular princess and the number of female stereotypical traits. Namely, parents who reported that their children more closely identified with a princess showed gender stereotypical traits related to the types of toys they played with, the types of activities they participated in, and types of characteristics they took part in. Our analysis found the correlations to be especially strong when parents also reported low monitoring of their child’s media use, compared to parents who reported higher monitoring. Implications of these findings could influence children’s relationships with others. For example, children with more stereotypical behaviors may be less open to sharing, empathizing, and playing with other children who do not fit the gender stereotypes as accurately.

Quinn Linford, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Background: Mt. Timpanogos has been an attraction for the residents of Utah Valley and has become a center of recreation for much of Utah. For many years Mt. Timpanogos was the home of an annual hike hosting a daily crowd of approximately 18,000 people. After being designated a wilderness area in 1984, the annual hike was banned. However, the mountain remains an attraction for many residents of the surrounding valleys and visitors from around the world. Currently one- to two-thousand people hike the mountain on mid-summer weekends. This concentration continues to push the limits of the mountain’s ability to accommodate while balancing the opportunities for solitude and unconfined recreation.

Ty Martin, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of this study was to explore the marital and personal life outcome of couples who either had in-law troubles or did not. Using Gottman’s (1999) core principles, this study explored the complex challenges young married couples faced when trying to turn toward their spouse while problematic relationships with their spouse’s parents created a wedge. Data was obtained via a random sample of 3,000 current and 7,000 former UVU students. Of the 11 percent who responded, 488 were in their first marriage. Two types of statistical analysis were used to explore the relationship between the married student’s relationship to their in-laws and other personal and marital factors.

Steven Clements, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of this study was to test the impact of having been on a dangerous call to EMS employee’s well-being. Two hypotheses were tested: First, suffering psychological symptoms from a dangerous call had no impact on their well-being; and second, suffering physical symptoms from a dangerous call had no impact on their well-being. In 2010, 7,000 state EMS employees were surveyed, yielding 668 completed surveys for this study.

Chelsea Pineda Davey, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Sense of community on the island of Guernsey is a cross between organic and mechanical solidarity. I argue that this sense of community is built and maintained through the island’s voluntary sector. The charities and volunteers help to preserve Guernsey’s sense of community and hold the society together. As I do this I use Durkheim and Mauss’s theories along with the McMillan/Chavis definition of sense of community to support my findings.

Joshua Matyi, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences The Neural Efficiency Hypothesis (NEH) states that individuals with higher measured intelligence exhibit less neural activation on relatively simple tasks compared to those with lower intelligence (Haier et al., 1988). While the current NEH literature regarding electroencephalography (EEG) primarily focuses on amplitude measures, differences in peak latency relative to task demands could also indicate processing efficiency. The current study examined the relationship between intelligence and event-related EEG amplitudes and latencies during the third of three task conditions, a visual repetition paradigm. Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS-III; Wechsler, 1997) were collected on 30 participants, 18 of whom had sufficient numbers of EEG trials for further analysis (FSIQ: M = 111.56, SD = 13.28, range = 91 to 131). During EEG recording, participants were asked to respond to randomized line drawings representing one of three stimulus conditions from the previous two tasks: Repeated stimuli, Once-viewed, and Novel stimuli. Time-frequency analyses were conducted to identify peak phase-locked activity in the theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha (8-12 Hz) bands between 0 and 500 milliseconds post-stimulus. Results demonstrated no significant effects of IQ or stimulus condition on peak theta and alpha amplitudes. However, difference scores between Novel and Once-viewed conditions in peak theta latency showed a strong positive correlation with IQ (r[16] = .712, p < .01). These findings appear consistent with the NEH in suggesting that higher IQ individuals may process previously seen stimuli more efficiently than lower IQ individuals, as evidenced by shorter peak latencies relative to stimulus onset. A direction of future research could involve manipulating visual stimulus complexity, in order to isolate the effects of task complexity on peak latency, and potential interactions with IQ.

Jenna Deelstra, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of facilitative mental imagery training on distance runners. Female (n=20) and male (n=11) athletes, separated by skill level classifications: Collegiate (n=19) and recreational (n=12) completed the Motivational Imagery Ability Measure for Sport (MIAMS) before and after 21 days of mental imagery training. Included in the training were relaxation and breathing techniques followed by guided imagery related to distance running training and competition. Physiological data including galvanic skin response (GSR), skin temperature, and breathing rate were also measured while participants took the MIAMS survey, which asked them to imagine and experience a competition. A One-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) examining the effects of the imagery training on MIAMS survey responses between collegiate and recreational athletes for motivational general-mastery imagery (MG-M) and arousal imagery (MG-A) was employed. Significance was found in the emotional response evoked and the ease of producing imagery between the two groups. Post-training skin temperature and galvanic skin response (GSR) between the two groups was also significant. These findings support previous research indicating that imagery is both a talent and a skill that can lead to better emotional control in competitive athletes. More research must be done to better understand the effects of mental imagery training on male and female distance athletes.

Tyler Moore, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences A fundamental concept in behavioral economics is that of loss-aversion, that is, the differentially greater effect of loss when compared to gain. The law of relative effect (also known as the matching law) provides the framework for precise behavioral measurement of that differential in a hedonic scale. We recently developed a video game by which to achieve that measurement. Participants will be invited to play the game during a series of sessions in which gain and loss contingencies are varied–sometimes the participant will gain points and sometimes lose them. In addition to varying the relative frequencies of gains and losses in order to measure their relative effects on behavioral choice, we will measure the effects of an additional variable by means of a different group of participants. This second group will win or lose points in one condition of the experiment and, in the other condition, win or lose actual money. It is our prediction that the group experiencing the loss of money rather than points will demonstrate behaviors indicative of a greater aversion to loss than their counterparts, who will merely lose points.

Kathi Beckett, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences The Kallari Association, a group of self-governed organic cocoa producers located in the Napo Province of the Ecuadorian Amazon, is creating sustainable income through cacao farming and the production of organic chocolate bars in Ecuador. Using interviews and participant observation, I conducted fieldwork with six different Kichwa cacao farmers from five different communities in the Amazon area of Ecuador during the summer of 2013. In my research, I focused on the farmer’s reasons for involvement in the Kallari Association, the local community cooperative. These farmers expressed that they were driven by a desire for an increase in profits, agricultural knowledge, and education. At the same time, their involvement in the cooperative seems to have created a dilemma for them. On one hand their participation strengthened the teaching of Kichwa cultural traditions, and increased their access to food and educational opportunities, while on the other hand, the increased educational opportunities appears to have contributed to a loss of Kichwa cultural traditions.

Mary Barnewitz, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Analysis of archaeofaunal remains aids in the understanding of the ecological effects of past human prey-species exploitation. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris), in particular, were intermediate-return prey for late Holocene human populations along the California coastline. At the Yerba Buena Shellmound, on the San Francisco Peninsula, there is significant evidence of sea otter use by the local human inhabitants from 1950-1000 14C YBP. This study aims to investigate the use of sea otters at this site in order to address the implications of human subsistence patterns and the use of natural resources during this time period. The study will examine sea otter epiphyseal fusion and tooth crown height as measures of age, as well as comparative indices with other larger and smaller prey animals, in order to determine the age structure and abundance of this prey species over the time of site occupation. Given the breeding ecology of the sea otter, prey depression is often signaled by an increase in mean age over time. Prey resource depression is also signaled by decreases in the use of large-prey animals, and an increase in the lower return, small prey. Comparing the sea otter remains in the site to other taxa will provide more information regarding the significance of sea otters as prey. In general, a mean age increase in sea otters is indicated by the Yerba Buena sea otter tooth remains, but to a much lesser extent by the fused and unfused sea otter bone specimens. The interpretations of the comparative indices are still in progress. Nevertheless, the preliminary results support other evidence revealing over-exploitation of local resources in the San Francisco Bay area. Understanding the effect of past human behavior and subsistence patterns on local ecology is an important pursuit as it can help guide our management of future ecological resources.

Derek Oliver, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The use of birth interventions has been steadily increasing over the past several decades based on largely non-medical factors. It is thought that the various birth interventions (i.e. forceps, vacuum extraction, epidural, etc.), pitocin use, the mother’s attachment and psychological constructs during pregnancy are related to the incidences of neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, the current study attempts to understand the association between birth intervention and the development of neurodevelopmental disorders. Three hundred mothers of children between one and five years of age were recruited using social media, flyers and phone calls. Mothers provided access to their medical records of the birth of their child as well as incidences of neurodevelopmental disorders in their children. Mother’s hospital records were obtained to determine length of pregnancy, duration of labor and rate and duration of pitocin use. It is expected that there will be a significant correlation between developmental disorders and interventions broadly. Further, it is expected that pitocin use will be positively correlated with incidences of autism.

Andrew Broadbent, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Introduction: Timpanogos is the second highest peak in Utah County, and has the highest visitation in the state, despite having no stand-out features such as being the highest or most technical. Over the years Mt. Timpanogos has been valuable go-to wilderness area for recreating Utahns. It also has developed a unique sense of place in the way that famous locations like Yosemite and Yellowstone have. Now Timpanogos has exceptionally high visitation and trail use relative to other recreation areas in the US. One purpose of this research is to explain what makes this peak special to visitors and what can be done to improve the visitor experience in areas such as littering, trail cutting, and overcrowding.

Melanie Long, Westminster College Social and Behavioral Sciences While differences in hourly earnings between men and women have frequently been investigated in gender economics, the gender gap in unemployment rates has received less attention. According to much of the existing research, the reduction in the unemployment rate differential between the genders over the past 30 years indicates that gender no longer plays a significant role in employment outcomes. This regression analysis evaluated that claim using microeconomic data from the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Panel data regressions were conducted to establish whether women are subject to more weeks of unemployment in a year than men and whether this difference represents the influence of direct and indirect (i.e., societal) gender discrimination. After accounting for women’s decisions to drop out of the labor force, the regression output indicates that direct gender discrimination against women may no longer play a significant role in employment outcomes. However, there is evidence that societal pressures continue to encourage women to quit work in response to unemployment more readily than men. These findings speak to the complex gender dynamics that persist in the American labor market despite measures to ensure equal employment opportunities and suggest that unemployment rates alone are insufficient to fully understand those dynamics.

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.

Benjamin Hardy, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Informed by I3 theory, three studies examine whether engagement in extradyadic behavior is related to aggressive behaviors. It is hypothesized that extradyadic behavior is related to heightened aggression toward a romantic partner. Study 1 (n=97) tested the relationship between extradyadic behavior and anger and found that acts of extradyadic behavior were related to increased use of anger words when describing a recent transgression of a relationship partner. Study 2 (n=72) tested the relationship between extradyadic behavior and aggressive behavior during an interaction. It was found in Study 2 that reports of extradyadic behavior were linked to hostility, criticism, and frustration expressed to a relationship partner. Study 3 (n=99) longitudinally examined the relationship between extradyadic behavior and aggression, and found that extradyadic behavior at Time 1 predicted aggression toward a relationship partner at Time 2, controlling for initial aggressive behavior. Study 4 (n=473) again longitudinally examined the relationship between extradyadic behavior and aggression using a larger sample and longer time frame of twelve weeks and found that extradyadic behavior at Time 1 predicted aggression toward a relationship partner at Time 2, controlling for initial aggressive behavior.

Garrett Nagaishi, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Ottobah Cugoano, one of the many black voices from the eighteenth-century Atlantic world, professed that he and millions of other slaves “look for our help and sure deliverance to come from God Most High” (Ottobah Cugoano, Thoughts and Sentiments, 144) Cugoano’s zeal was not unique – many black writers in Europe and the Americas likewise found peace in religious devotion that transcended geographical and cultural boundaries. Yet despite the promises of salvation and peace that religion offered to its followers, slaves were constantly forced to reconcile an uncomfortable reality: that the religion which they literally clung to for dear life was the same faith that their unmerciful masters professed. How were slaves able to come to terms with the blatant shortcomings of religious rhetoric? And for the slave who was not born into Christianity, what kind of connection did he form with his new religion that enabled him to see past the ironies? My paper suggests that the very nature of Christianity presupposed the fallibility of human nature and encouraged the most abject person to rise above adversity with hope in Jesus Christ. For those slaves who were not born into the religion, their close contact and interaction with Christian slaves created a support system among slaves which was based on Christian theology. Furthermore, many slaves crossed the infamous Middle Passage during their infancy and youth, an impressionable period of life, which would have enabled Christianity to more readily appeal to the slave’s psyche. Thus, for many slaves in the eighteenth century, sinful masters and hypocritical evangelists were not seen as a stumbling block to faith; rather, they confirmed the necessity of Christian faith as God’s prescribed method for overcoming an otherwise miserable existence.

Jay Winters, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Science The common stereotype of feminism has a negative connotation implying that feminist’s are simply radical women’s rights activists. The reality is that feminism is hard to define given its complexity and the range of issues it encompasses. A scale was developed in 1994 called the Attitudes Toward Feminism and the Women’s Movement (FWM), which sought to predict attitudes toward feminism (Fassinger, 1994). Many social psychologists see it as an effective way of predicting attitudes despite its age or lack of an emotional component. Our Assessment of Feminist Attitudes (AFA) scale was developed to include an emotional response component as well as provide a contemporary view of the ever-changing feminist movement. Our study is in the process of being assessed for statistically significant data. The effectiveness of the AFA in measuring feminist attitudes will be known in the coming weeks.

Madeleine Ary, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences In 2010 I conducted research in the city of Cambridge England on the relationship between the Muslims of Cambridge and the police of the same city. I conducted this research primarily through single interviews and data analysis from the United Kingdom in general and England specifically. From this research I discovered that the relationship between these two groups was maintained by frequent, mutual contact and trust. England at the time was experiencing a summer of rioting, much of which revolved around Islam. This may have increased the difficulty in such a faith group, authority relationship, however their efforts to maintain a positive relationship only intensified and there was little to no real disruption within the Cambridge Muslim community. My research demonstrates how such relationships can be effectively conducted even in otherwise tumultuous circumstances.

Cassandra Southam, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Recruitment and retention are two of the most salient issues in emergency medical services (EMS) today. The National Association of State and regional EMS leaders, has twice identified recruitment and retention as the most important issues facing rural EMS agencies across the nation. The purpose of this study was to predict how Utah EMS personnel reached a point of wanting to resign using a stress model; value of job, self and other harm, spouse satisfaction, formal support as independent predictor variables. This data was obtained from an IRB approved statewide survey of all EMS personnel during the Spring of 2010. Of the 7,000 current EMS employees, 668 completed the survey, resulting in a 9.5 percent response rate. Results. The linear regression model indicated that the model explained 28 percent of the overall variance. A brief explanation of the findings indicates that all the direct paths were significant at the .05 level. The more they harmed themselves and others, the more they wanted to resign (Beta coefficient of .31). The higher their levels of Past Call-related Stress, the more they wanted to resign (.21). The higher their levels of spouse satisfaction, the more they wanted to resign (.07). The more they found value in their job, the less they wanted to resign ( -.18), And finally, the more they valued formal support from the debriefing team, the less they wanted to resign (-.10). Administrators and agency leaders can use these indicators to intervene when an EMS employee reaches a difficult point from the stresses and hardships of the job. Education, training, and available support can be very useful in preventing trained, experienced, and valued EMS employees from leaving the field. Local EMS directors and policymakers may find the results and study methodology useful toward designing and evaluating programs.

Clinton Hardy, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences Coercive treatment practices, while controversial, are commonly employed (by mental health professionals and parents) when admitting adolescents into outdoor behavioral healthcare (OBH; e.g., outdoor/wilderness therapy) and residential-based treatment settings. While coercive practices have been investigated in various adult treatment contexts, to my knowledge no study has examined coercive practices or pressures among adolescent treatments. As the first of its kind, my report investigates the relationship between adolescent-perceived coercive treatment pressures (i.e., negative pressures) and their affective reactions reported when entering OBH treatment. Negative pressures, or the perceptions of “threat” and “force” during admissions, are measured via the Negative Pressures Subscale (NPS) of the MacArthur Admission Experience Survey (AES). Affective reactions to entering treatment are measured via the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule – Expanded Form (PANAS-X). Although this study is still taking place, my interim analysis (N = 36, age range: 14-17) has so far demonstrated the following predicted relationships between negative pressures and affective reactions in OBH treatment admissions: An adolescent’s increased perception of negative pressures significantly correlates with (a) increased affective distress (r = .377, p = .037), (b) decreased affective positivity (r = -.61, p < .001), and (c) increased affective hostility (r = .464, p = .003). Therefore, significant medium to large correlational effect sizes are reasoned to be imminent. In recognizing that negative pressures might not only relate to an aversive admissions experience, but also negatively impact or delay positive treatment outcomes, future research is concluded to be essential.

Ryan Hill, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences We analyze the presence of two types of framing bias in ballot wordings that affect election outcomes: status quo bias and agent-external loss aversion. Both of these biases are studied extensively in behavioral economics and likely have salient impacts on initiative or proposition measures in state elections. Status quo bias is the tendency of a voter to be more likely to maintain a currently enacted policy rather than passing a new law. Agent-external loss aversion is the tendency for a voter to be more likely to grant a right to a minority population rather than vote to restrict a right. Both of these biases have had important impacts on the outcome of recent ballot initiatives especially on California Proposition 8 that failed to legalize the right of marriage for same-sex couples. We test the salience of these framing biases by conducting a nationwide survey experiment that randomly assigns different ballot wordings for the same policies across different survey respondents. The survey mimics a real voting situation and the randomization of questions ensures that we can identify the specific effect of each bias on the voting outcome. We analyze the treatment effects using difference of means and ordinary least squares analysis. We also extend our analysis to examine whether moderating variables such as political knowledge or opinion have an impact on the magnitude or direction of the bias effects.

Conor Fishback, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in recent years has seen the majority of its neighbors fall into some kind of violent conflict. Throughout the Arab Spring and the years following, the Jordan state has been one of stability and peace. One possible reason for the stability of the country could be its level of religious tolerance. One way to look at religious tolerance is to look at the geographic landscape of where the religious buildings are located within the cities of that country. This study analyzed the specific location of Christian churches in relation to Muslim Mosques in five different cities with a significant Christian population. Specific points representing the different faiths were gathered using GPS and then analyzed using GIS software. The geographic situation was analyzed for each structure. Geographic situation in this case referred to Christian churches and their proximity to Muslim Mosques, as well as the number of Muslim mosques and how adjacent they are in relation to the Christian churches. Photographs were taken of every location to determine the level of overshadowing or dominance that was taking place in that specific site. Using GIS, the Christian quarters in each city was analyzed. The majority of the cities, including the Jordanian capital of Amman, showed little or no clustering of mosques in relation to churches as well as little evidence of building dominance by either sect. Only one out of the five cities studied showed serious clustering of mosques around the Christian areas. While this study only analyzed a small part of what makes up a country’s level of religious tolerance, it can be expanded to other countries as well – not only Muslim states that are tolerant to Christianity, but also Christian or Western states and their tolerance to Islam.

Peter Busche, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences An undergraduate study on young people in the Channel Islands (near England and France. Such questions will be addressed, such as: What makes growing up in a tiny Island community unique? How does leaving the Island for the outside world affect the young peoples’ transition into adulthood? This project consists of a descriptive outline based on 2 months of ethnographic research, as part of a 10,000 word senior thesis. Current anthropological and psychological theories are part of the overall construction of the data.

Chelsey Kenney, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences The purpose of this study was to compare the stressors and supportive resources found between Utah emergency medical service personnel who divorced after certification to those who did not divorce.

Joshua Smith, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences The current veteran populations that comprise Level 1 (18-24 years old) and Level 2 (25-34 years old) have had higher unemployment rates than their counterparts in the civilian population. One reason for this discrepancy is that veterans have put their lives on hold to make a commitment of public service by serving in the military. When they return home, many struggle to adjust from life in the military to civilian life. One issue includes finding employment in their areas of expertise without having a degree from a higher education institution. Many employers that are seeking veterans for their military experience prefer them to have a college degree in addition to their specialized training. Veterans are encouraged once they leave service to find a college major that best matches the skills and experience they gain while serving in the military. However, many veterans do not understand the full education benefits they receive from the government, what college majors best match their skillset, and what kind of benefits they can get from earning a college degree. Veterans have a lot to offer to both the college environment and workforce with their advanced technical and personal skills. This research paper will help determine if veterans do understand their educational benefits, if they have or will use their educational benefits, if they know what degrees could apply to their military training, and what the Veterans Administration and higher education institutions can do to better serve veterans to succeed for a life after the military with a college degree.

Maximilian Stiefel, University of Utah Social and Behavioral Sciences This paper examines the impacts of sugarcane cultivation on rural community resilience in municipios throughout Brazil. Whether sugarcane cultivation has generated vulnerabilities, such as population diffusion, ecological transformation, and adverse path dependencies, for rural community resilience is the primary focus. Resilience is critical in that it demonstrates adaptation efficacy for a community facing shifting capabilities. Social cohesion and capital also tie into how resilience correlates to meaningful interactions among individuals. Over the past thirty years Brazil became second to the U.S. in terms of global ethanol production, generating robust economic growth. However, sugarcane cultivation expansion has forced some cattle ranchers from southern Brazil to migrate north, resulting in the clearing of Amazon forestland for grazing. Pastureland displacement from sugarcane cultivation generates various concerns for rural economies, social cohesion, and socioeconomic class disparities. There currently lacks abundant examination of impacts to rural communities adjacent to sugarcane ethanol cultivation and production. I formulate a regression analysis to gauge shifts in resilience from sugarcane cultivation that will include a variety of metrics such as employment rates, livelihood diversification, and educational attainment. From this information I will suggest practices that afford a more resilient economic, agricultural, and social model for rural communities. The suggestions I put forth will not be palliative, but will instead be consistent with sustainable practices that foster capabilities, socioeconomic equality, and environmental stewardship. Resilient rural community development models avoid historic deforestation patterns and aid climate change mitigation, which in turn safeguards Brazil’s myriad economic sectors. Robust rural economies support national security by ensuring a healthy agricultural sector, avoiding unsustainable urban migration, and reducing poverty. The models and practices I suggest will inform policies and programs for Brazilian officials, agriculturalists, and conservationists to support rural communities, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and increase national security.

Mason Bennett, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences In the natural environment, rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) acquire social dominance rank through matrilineal family (mothers’) inheritance. It is unknown as to how high ranking matrilines initially become high in social dominance. Serotonin (5HT) has been linked to social dominance rank. Central Nervous System 5HT is modulated by both the serotonin transporter (5HTT) and MAO and both have been linked to social dominance rank. MAOa and the 5HTT are the two main variables controlling central serotonin. To assess the effects of genetic and temperamental variables on matrilineal rank and potentially the effects of rank on behavior and temperament, we examined: the serotonin transporter genotype and MAOa genotypes. Because low or unstable social dominance rank is stressful, leading to chronic hypercortisolemia we also measured stress-induced cortisol levels. Lastly we examined infant temperament ratings taken from a Bio-Behavioral Assessment (BBA) pioneered by John Capitanio. This test is performed over a 24 hour period when infants are 6 months of age, and includes a bio-behavioral battery of tests designed to measure temperament. Dominance was measured by wins/losses during head-to-head competition between all possible pairs in a group. Subjects included 2300 rhesus macaques raised at the California National Primate Research Center between the years of 2001-2012. Results showed that matrilines high in social dominance exhibited a significantly high rate of both the long allele of the serotonin transporter genotype, and for males a high frequency of MAOa allele 6. As infants, subjects from matrilines low in social dominance rank exhibited high cortisol, hypervigilance, low activity ratings, and high emotionality. This study is the first of its kind to suggest that the acquisition of dominance by a matriline is modulated by genetic influences and that it is likely that the serotonin system plays a role in this process.

Bryson Pope, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Purpose of the Project:

Chantelle Fitting, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Rebelliousness is often the product of an effort to express individualism and is an outlet for uniqueness (Imhoff & Erb, 2009); however, it can have very detrimental consequences. When a person strives to not conform to his or her family’s beliefs and values, familial relationships become strained, and the potential arises for the family to be torn apart. This nonconformity manifests itself through the beliefs a person has and the actions they take that are markedly different from those chosen by family members. The Nonconformist Assessment Scale (NCAS) is a ten question survey that is used to measure an individual’s inclination to rebel against his or her family unit. With the NCAS, we seek to discover indications of early rebelliousness, which are manifested through a person’s deviation from the family in areas such as weekly activities and personal interests. By detecting the seeds of nonconformity that arise in early life within the family, family therapists can intervene before more severe rebelliousness such as illegal activity, abandonment of core family values, or other dangerous behaviors emerge. Cronbach’s Alpha of the NCAS was found to be .7195, giving the test acceptable reliability. The Pearson bivariate correlation indicated that every item except item nine correlated positively with at least seven other items. The items loaded onto a single factor, and the variance explained by this factor was .7019. Thus the NCAS is a good indicator of nonconformity to familial values. However, the domains of actions and beliefs were not discernible as the items loaded only onto a single factor, so further research could be conducted that includes items where these domains are more easily separated from each other.

Michelle Hammon, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences A caregiver’s ability to meet their infant’s physical and emotional needs is important to development. Infants who are unable to get their needs met are at risk of developing an insecure attachment with their caregiver. The ability of the caregiver to empathize with and appropriately respond to the needs of their infant is dependent on the caregiver’s attachment representation. An online survey collected data from 112 college students. Participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) scale and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Insecure attachment representations were associated with the ability to empathize. Anxious-ambivalent attachment was positively associated with concern and distress and avoidant attachment were negatively associated with distress. These results suggest that attachment representations are important for the development of empathy.

Katherine Abarca, Westminster College Social and Behavioral Sciences The Hunger Games series has sold 50 million copies of the three books as of July 2012, has an impressive fandom, and has significant influence on popular culture. One of the many reasons for the success of the series is that its shocking story is set in a society eerily similar to the United States. The fictional country of Panem and its similarities to the United has caused it to gain interest in academia. Utilizing textual analysis, I examine how the fictional country of Panem is similar to present day United States in its inequality between classes and use of mechanisms of control. I also discuss how this cultural artifact affects our understanding of our society and how our society is reflected in the books. This research will expand the limited academic literature analyzing the Hunger Games. In addition, this research will focus on the different mechanisms of control in how they maintain inequalities between classes rather than stopping at analyzing the mechanisms themselves.

Patrick O’Connell, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Studies show that the CRH gene has several variants that are associated with psychopathological disorders and dysregulation of the HPA system, including a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located on the promotor region (201 C/T). In rhesus macaques there is a orthologous SNP in the promoter region of the corticotrophin releasing hormone gene, CRH-248 C/T, that up-regulates the production of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), inhibits the down-regulation of CRH expression in the presence of glucocorticoids, and is related to stress-induced alcohol consumption (Barr 2009). HPA Axis differences due to genotype will manifest initially in CRH concentrations, affecting the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal stress response (HPA axis). This effect translates peripherally in the form of plasma ACTH concentrations and subsequently in concentrations of plasma cortisol. 180 rhesus monkey subjects reared either with their mothers or in adult-absent, peer-only groups were genotyped and underwent a series of social separations from their attachment source. Blood samples were obtained one and two hours following separation to assay for ACTH and cortisol. Our analyses showed a significant effect of the orthologous CRH-248 genotype on plasma ACTH concentrations following repeated experimentally induced stress. Further analyses showed that this genotypic difference was only found however in the peer-reared subjects. Interestingly, analyses showed no effect of genotype on plasma cortisol levels. This finding suggests while negative feedback at the level of CRH is disrupted leading to pituitary hypersecretion of ACTH, intact negative feedback at the level of the adrenal cortex may moderate this dysfunction. Additionally, genotypic effects were only different after prolonged, chronic stress, as measured separations three and four. We suggest a GxE effect with CRH genotype effects only present after deleterious rearing experiences and chronic or repeated stressful situations.

Kent Hinkson, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences PTSD has become increasingly more concerning to the mental health world over the past few decades. A plethora of events (both acute and chronic) that serve as a triggering moment in the lives of those afflicted by this potentially debilitating condition are beginning to be identified more consistently. Yet, it continues to remain an area of concern because of the manner in which it affects nearly every aspect of its victim’s life.

William Ng, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences This paper draws on leadership and behavioral theory in a public context to ascertain the full necessity of the sustainability officer to engender, sustain, and develop sustainability movements in higher education institutions and municipalities. As sustainability rises in awareness and demand from university and municipal stakeholders — influenced by political and educational discourse, the sustainability officer plays a vital role in conceptualizing, interpreting, and manifesting the abstract principles that stems from sustainability movements. Specifically, this study looks at the emergence of the sustainability officer, who they are, where they come from, what they do, and the outlook of future trends. Moreover, this paper looks at the structural positions of where sustainability officers fit in the organizational hierarchy and question whether they fall in line with contemporary political theory of public organizations. Furthermore, through interviews with Sustainability Managers/Coordinators/Directors, an intimate look into where they have been effective, where they could progress, and what they envision for themselves in the future has been garnished. Finally, these interviews manifest the establishment of the pragmatic connection between organizational theory and practice, allowing an exposition of the evolution of centralized sustainability leadership.

Lucas Brook, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Present day Peru finds itself in the midst of an interesting transition. Government decentralization is creating increased levels of political participation among the historically skeptical citizenry (Crabtree 2011). While some Peruvians participate through established institutional channels such as voting, campaigning or contacting political leaders, many others choose to engage in community improvement activities, private organization undertakings, or public protests as their avenue of political participation (Booth and Seligson 2009). What causes some Peruvians to participate in these extra-governmental activities while others use established government institutions? Although the causes of political participation are vast, this study focuses on political knowledge (both actual and perceived) as the independent variable. I hypothesize that Peruvians with less political knowledge (actual or perceived) understand (or at least perceive that they understand) less about Peru’s democratic institutions. Therefore, they will forgo participation through these established government institutions and employ extra-governmental means when participating politically. This hypothesis will be tested through the performing of regression analysis using data from Vanderbilt University’s AmericasBarometer survey project conducted in Peru in 2012. The results of this research will illustrate the effects that citizen’s political knowledge have on their participation in extra-governmental activism.