2020 Abstracts

Smith, Josh; Sam, Lizzy (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Smith, Josh (Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Economics and Finance Department)

The relationship between immigration and crime is a perennial topic of political debate where extreme claims are often made with little empirical evidence provided. Academic research provides insights into how immigration to an area affects its crime rates. Overall, the existing research suggests that immigrants are less likely to commit crime than US citizens. The research also suggests ways that policies can be designed to account for the rare cases where immigrants are involved in crime. Specifically, the research suggests providing access to legal work opportunities.

O'Grady, K.A., PhD; Yirenya-Tawiah, Abena; Stewart, Mason (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: O'Grady, Kari (Brigham Young University, Nutrition Dietetics and Food Science)

In light of recent high profile cases of sexual assault on university campuses, BYU's Organizational Psychology and Societal Resilience Lab explored aspects of sexual assault at faith-based universities. The unique climate of faith-based universities provides insight into the influence of gender role stereotypes and religious expectations on women's vulnerability to sexual assault within the hook-up culture. The lab conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of 25 articles about sexual assault at university campuses, sexual assault at faith-based universities, hookup culture and the roles dating apps play in encouraging hook up culture. Themes were analyzed for their consistency, intersectionality and cross-variability. Emerging themes indicated that hookup culture reinforces masculine stereotypes and hyper-masculinity. These sterotypes are associated with higher endorsement of rape myth beliefs. The anonymity and prevalence of dating apps on college campuses creates an avenue for sexual assaults to take place. The location aware aspect of dating apps also presents the opportunity for users to find those in close proximity, thus making hook-ups more convenient. These apps give users the opportunity to present themselves in socially desirable ways. There is a stark difference between the way women at faith-based universities tend to utilize dating apps than their male counterparts.

Ashton, S. Jeramy (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Mizell, Karen (Utah Valley University, Philosophy)

In 1968, the United States of America passed the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting citizenship to all persons born in the United States. This Amendment and further enactments, policies and addendums changed the way many African American people (former slaves) were explicitly treated in regard to segregation and racial bias...or at least it should have.

In looking further into what a "belief" truly is (how they are formed, how they change), and then examining the "alief" in a similar manner, I will explain that because of society's deeply rooted aliefs, rational persuasion alone will never achieve social justice.

I will examine the history of the Civil Rights and LGBTQIA+ movements with how beliefs restricted, discriminated and then promoted change. After analyzing how beliefs have played a role in the journey of these causes, I will use modern day empirical data from court cases, and current housing and institutional discrimination cases to help others to become aware of ones subconscious biases, or aliefs.

My purpose is to help all to become aware of such biases before attempting to enact social change. As a majority fail to incorporate change, to respond to such empirical data, to be receptive to rational persuasion and make a change even when we believe that that is what we should do. It is because of the inability to adapt, to adopt such changes in permanence that aliefs are often too difficult to overcome, therefore rational persuasion alone will never achieve social justice.

Holiday, Pamela (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology Program)

May 2019, "burnout" was recognized and defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since the term was coined in the 1970's, society has changed dramatically through the advancement of technology and with the naive notion that progress would make life easier. Today, the term burnout describes "the consequences of severe stress and high ideals," in professions. This perspective of "high ideals" and "stress" describes an individual's pursuit of success in academics, occupation, and/or lifestyle. In this regard, the societal culture determines that individuals are self-actualized when they exceed the prescribed standards of production. Studies have shown the adverse effects of technology advancements leading to isolation, mental and physical health issues, and an overall increase in stress. Contrary to WHO's new definition of burnout as an occupational phenomenon, it has been linked through several studies to non-occupational symptoms and situations during an individual's lifespan. Chronic stress is cited as a fundamental symptom of burnout - and is used as a key marker in identifying useful data for this examination. The Institute for Social Research, as part of Dixie State University's Applied Sociology program, through The Quality of Life Initiative project is exploring the question, "How has burnout been accepted into societies contract?" Using content analysis, we will identify the societal cost of burnout with the advancement of technology in a techno-reliant era and its effects on the Saint George, UT area.

Anderson, Brianna; Williams, Amanda; Collins, Lois; Hoover, Natalie Renee; Martinez, Samantha Coyne; Huang, Hui; Fernandez, Sofia; Rhoden, Michelle-Ann; Rigaud, Joseph; Kirk, Chris; Lewis, Rhonda; Nilsen, Corinne; Colvin, Deltha (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor; Diener, Marissa (College of Social and Behavioral Science, Undergraduate Studies and Family & Consumer Studies)

Each year, approximately 25,000 youth "age out" of foster care (Courtney, Piliavin, Grogn-Kaylor, & Nesmith, 2001). These foster youth often face barriers to higher education. In Utah, fewer than five percent of foster youth go to earn a college-degree (Hahnal; 2007; Dworsky, Napolitani, & Courtney, 2011). Foster youth who could pursue a bachelor's degree may not be encouraged to do so, as the adults surrounding them may underestimate their potential (Dworsky & Perez, 2010); Vacca, 2008). Despite the challenges youth in foster care face in the pursuit of higher education, many succeed and take advantage of education programs. A study reported that over 70% of foster youth aged 15 to 19 years old reported a desire to go to college, and an additional 19% reported a desire to attend graduate school (Tzawa-Hayden, 2004). The goal of the present study was to develop a better understanding of how to better support youth and address barriers in achieving higher education and to empower foster youth to have a voice in the system. The study interviewed 15 adults who were formerly in foster care, 10 foster parents, and 9 foster care stakeholders. In addition, interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded using qualitative techniques. Themes identified were strengths of foster youth, emotional impact of foster care, and foster care best practices. These data will be used to inform the University of Utah First Star program about areas for improvement in the pathway to higher education they create for their students. This research study will provide insight into the facilitators and barriers to higher education from multiple perspectives and will empower foster youth to advocate for themselves through the use of narratives of adults formerly in foster care, whose voices are often excluded from foster care research.

Jorgensen, Leteasha; Hinkson, Kent; Brooks, Malisa; Bryan, Craig (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Hinkson, Kent (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

Alcoholism has become a large concern for the United States military, beginning decades ago. With the abundance of challenges faced by service members (e.g. multiple deployments, being away from social support for longer periods of time, injury and death, etc), alcohol is often used as a coping mechanism during these times and continues after they have left the military. Veterans are at increased risk of comorbid substance use disorder and other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. With the prevalence of several different types of traumas occurring in and around military service, the question was raised if the type of trauma a veteran experiences results in different rates of alcohol consumption. The hypothesis was that certain subpopulations (based on type of trauma) within a sample of veterans would have higher rates of alcohol consumption than others. Data was collected on the amount of alcohol that is consumed, as well as trauma the types of trauma participants may have experienced including categories such as assault, natural disaster, sexual assault, and exposure to war zone. Analyses of the data suggested that interpersonal traumas were associated with increased drinking when compared to non-interpersonal traumas, with the exception of sexual assault which is non-significant. Further inspection identified that when sexual assault is split between inappropriate touching or non-penetrative assault, coercive rape, and forcible rape, the associations between trauma type and alcohol use vary significantly with coercive rape having a strong negative relationship with alcohol consumption. One possible explanation for this is that those who survived a coercive assault desire to remain focused and cognitively capable of avoiding such a situation again. With veterans having such higher rates of trauma exposure, understanding how this relates to alcohol consumption can help facilitate mental health treatment in a variety of ways.

Geist, Claudia; Collins, Saffron (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Geist, Claudia (Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sociology)

Unplanned pregnancies can have negative effects, especially in poor communities. There is little research about the perceived impact of a hypothetical pregnancy. Understanding individuals' ideas about how unplanned pregnancies might affect their lives will help us understand contraceptive behavior and ideas about family formation.

We explore the perceived impact of a hypothetical pregnancy among individuals who participated in the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative (Sanders et al., 2018). We coded 800 responses to the question "Please tell us a bit more about how a pregnancy now or in the next few weeks would affect your life." A desire to avoid pregnancy for the next year was an enrollment criterium, so most participants had negative feelings about a hypothetical pregnancy. However, we found that the kind of anticipated impact varied.

The most common response was a worry about financial resources (30.6%), followed by educational goals (20.4%): "It would stop my plans of going to graduate school and hurt my financial situation greatly. It would hurt my current relationships with partners and family and would be very emotionally and physically stressful." "Pregnancy now would rock my world. I am a single mom of 2 toddlers who's going to school part time and working part time. If I were to become pregnant now or in the next few weeks I wouldn't be able to accomplish the goals that I have set for myself." About 16.9% of participants mentioned negative impact without being specific. However, 5.4% of the respondents reported positive thoughts about a hypothetical pregnancy.

Our study may help scholars and medical providers get a better understanding of the precursors of decision-making processes for contraception and family planning. It will also illustrate where individuals faced with an unplanned pregnancy may need support.

White, Justin; Dahl, AnnElise; Harmison, Dillon; Klein, Jenni; Lemons, Anne; Simmons, Jordan; Mansfield, Cade; White, Leigh (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Mansfield, Cade (Weber State University, Psychology); Shaw, Leigh (Weber State University, Psychology)

Contrary to stereotypes, past research indicates that people become more emotionally positive across adulthood. Socio-emotional Selectivity Theory posits that with shortened time horizons over the lifespan people focus more on emotional satisfaction and meaning in life (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). This "positivity effect", is found in the fact that relative to younger adults, older adults show biases toward superior processing of positively valenced emotional stimuli (Carstensen & Mikels, 2005). Personal relationships are a key source of satisfaction and emotional well-being and from the standpoint of Socio-emotional Selectivity theory, positivity in relationships is thought to be highly prioritized by older adults. Yet, according to classic and contemporary developmental psychological theories such as Erikson's Psychosocial theory of development and Arnett's theory of emerging adulthood, younger adults should also prioritize positivity in relational functioning. There has been less theory and research that has focused on understanding how midlife adults process emotionally rich relational experiences. To better understand emotional and cognitive processes across adulthood, the current study explores age-related differences in the emotional impact of a difficult relational experience (a time one perpetrated harm against another) and age-related differences in the linguistic features of adults' narratives of these experiences. Two hundred and eighteen adults ranging in age from 20 to 69 were recruited to participate in the study through Amazon's Mechanical Turk platform. Participants were asked to recall a time when they did something that negatively impacted a personally important relationship and to then vividly recall it for 2 minutes. Then they completed a battery of questionnaires about the memory. Finally, participants wrote narratives about the memory. Data are being analyzed only for those participants who recalled memories consistent with the prompt and passed attention checks during the protocol (n = 194, female = 110, Mean Age = 43.32, SD = 13.82).

Dallon, John; Neubert, Nathaniel; Evans, Emily (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Dallon, John (Brigham Young University, Mathematics); Evans, Emily Brigham Young University, Mathematics)

The organization of collagen fibers within the various connective tissues of the body plays an important role in the functionality of the organs they support. While the biochemical composition of collagen lattices is largely understood, it is difficult to study how the microstructural organization of collagen affects the macroscopic tissue properties. In this project we computationally stretch stochastically generated lattices consisting of nodes joined by spring like connections representing the fibers of a collagen lattice to examine how varied nodal connectivity, fiber length and fiber orientation affect the Young's Modulus of the lattice. This information will aid biologists in the production of synthetic lattices by providing a guideline of parameters that are most important to control in the creation of lattices with specific desired properties. This in turn will provide insights into bioengineering, wound care and other medical sciences.

Melgar, Emiliano; Calligaro, Thomas; Wendt, Carl; Delsescaux, Jeffery; Bernard, Henri; Robles, Alma; Claes, Pieterjan; Rojas, Miguel; GarcIa, Martha; Castillo, Sabrina; Garber, James; Kenneth, Hirth; Grove, David; Hoopes, John; Juarez-Rodriguez, Octavio; Argote-Espino, Denisse; Santos-Ramirez, Marco; Lopez-Garcia, Pedro; Manrique-Ortega, Mayra; Mitrani, A.; Casanova-Gonzales, Edgar; Jimenez-Galindo, L.; Ruvalcaba-Sil, Jose; Solis Ciriaco, Reyna; Curado, Jessica; Laclavetine, Killian; Cruz, R.; Manzanilla, Linda (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Forest, Marion (Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology); Allison, Jim (Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology)

The collecting of antiquities has been popular since Roman times. In recent years, however, this practice has become more and more disheartening for archaeologists as they try to piece together history. Private collections donated to museums often lack the provenience of the artifacts and include many fakes. Such is the case with the collection of greenstone artifacts privately donated to BYU's Museum of Peoples and Cultures starting in the 1970s. An analysis of this collection strove to develop a methodology of identifying the fake from the authentic artifacts through non-destructive methods. Initially, visual examination of the artifacts was completed including microwear analysis and recording the color and density of the stones. Further authenticating methods included microscopy, X-ray florescence, and SEM (scanning electron microscope). Through a thorough examination of the density and color of the stone as well as the elements present as shown by the PXRF scan, an endeavor was made to identify what stone the artifact was made of and its source. Using the resulting data, a detailed catalog was created of the artifacts. Employing these same analyses, museums everywhere can check the authenticity of donated collections and possibly source the artifacts.

Perriton, Kiersten; Eppley, Sydnie; Young, Colleen (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Jensen, Francine (Utah Valley University, Nursing)

Purpose: To determine the preparedness of new graduate nurses to practice after completion of nurse residency programs.

Background: New graduate nurses often feel anxious, concerned or ill prepared to practice as nurses on their own. New graduate nurses worry if the residency program has prepared them for their first nursing job sufficiently for them to gain enough confidence and skill to be on their own. Studies on nurse residency programs show that nurses who complete one-year nurse residency programs had remarkable increases in communicating with family, patients and team members, confidence in skills, and ability to prioritize and organize work. There is a need for continued education, such as nurse residency programs and an active interest in new graduate nurses, such as involved mentors or preceptors to help strengthen clinical reasoning and preparedness of new graduate nurses. Stress in new graduate nurses can impede patient safety and can result in the new nurse quitting the position. When new graduates have designated mentors, fit well with unit socialization, and are oriented to multiple areas, it has been identified that it can build their confidence levels and improve retention rates of new graduate nurses. Nurse residency programs need to provide high quality orientation to help them master their careers.

Significance: This research can give insight into whether the implementation of nurse residency programs helps new nurses feel ready to practice on their own. This information may help provide increased safety and quality of care to patients due to new graduate nurses feeling competent and confident to carry out the patient's health care plan. This can help healthcare companies determine if current programs are effective and what needs to be changed. New nurse graduates may gain confidence, practice with increased patient safety, and corporations may retain the new nurses they have just trained.

Peter J. Reschke, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Laura A. Stockdale, Chicago Kylin Cox, Hailey Holmgren, Jeffrey L. Hurst, Kjersti Summers, Sarah M. Coyne, Gyuyi Kang (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Reschke, Peter (Family, Home, and Social Science; Family Life)

After the first birthday, infants begin to help and share (Dunfield, 2014). However, there is little known about infants' selectivity in helping and sharing and whether these behaviors emerge due to socialization influence or natural tendencies. In this study, 230 infants (109 female, Mage= 1.47 years, SD =.27. Range = .95 years to 2.19 years) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) Instrumental helping (caregiver) and sharing (experimenter) or (2) instrumental helping (experimenter) and sharing (caregiver). Infants observed a target person (caregiver or experimenter) demonstrate a need (dropped pen = instrumental need; lack of sticker = material desire). Infants were given 60 seconds to respond and their prosocial behaviors (e.g. returning the pen, sharing stickers) were coded using a 5-point scale (see Vaish et al., 2009). Infants engaged in significantly more instrumental helping behaviors (M = 3.37) than sharing behaviors (M = 2.23) t(144) = 7.85, p < .001, 95% CI [0.85, 1.42], d = .87. Infants were also significantly more prosocial toward caregivers (M = 3 .22) than strangers (M = 2 .38). Infants helped the caregiver (M = 4.09) significantly more than the stranger (M = 2.65), t(310) = 7.49, p <.001, 95% CI [1.06, 1.81], d = 1.17. However, infants' sharing towards the caregiver (M = 2.35) and stranger (M = 2.11) did not differ, p =.32, 95% CI [-0.23, 0.71], d = .16. These results suggest that infants are selective in their helping behaviors but not their sharing behaviors in the second year of life. A multidimensional framework of prosocial development will be discussed.

Dahl, AnnElise; Rich, Emily; Marchant, Amy; Baird, Todd (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Baird, Todd (College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology Department)

The present research examines the effects of content relevance and appropriateness of instructor self-disclosure as well as the sex of the professor and the sex of the student on students' perceptions of instructor credibility (competence, goodwill, and trustworthiness). Participants, consisting of approximately 150 college students, filled out a survey which measured each of these variables. As data collection is in its preliminary stages, results are forthcoming. When gathered, the data are expected to be consistent with previous research in the field which show that appropriateness of instructor disclosure will be positively correlated with instructor credibility. Previous research has suggested that content relevance will be positively correlated with instructor credibility, that content relevance will be positively correlated with appropriateness of instructor disclosures, and that male students will perceive instructor disclosure to be more appropriate than female students. In addition, the authors expect male students to rate instructors as more credible than female students. Finally, students are expected to perceive female professors as more appropriate than male professors and to perceive female professors as more credible than male professors.

Greaves, Aspen ; Allison, Jim (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, Jim (Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Anthropology)

Portable x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) analysis is a quantitative measure of the presence of an element. Elements from painted red ware sherds from the San Juan region were measured on painted and non-painted portions of the sherds, demonstrating the presence of elements in the paint as opposed to the paste. In particular, manganese, lead, and copper, along with a more ubiquitous iron, were found in the paint. The presences of manganese indicates the intention for the paint to be black when fired, a useful tool in identifying sherds. At Site 13 (42sa13) for example, which was burned, the sherds can appear to be Abajo red-on-orange when they may better be described as Bluff black-on-red. Lead and copper are a bit less straight-forward. Lead appears rarely, and may have no purpose, or could be an intentional sourcing choice. Another question comes from the presence of copper, which may have created a turquoise paint pre- firing. Turquoise is an important color in Pueblo color theory, and so if copper does create a turquoise paint, the presence of copper may be deliberate. Variation in paint, particularly crossed with neutron activation data, leads to a firmer understanding of decisions inherent in the ceramic creation process.

Christensen, Kate L.; Hinkson Jr, Kent D.; Brooks Malisa M.; Bryan, Craig J.� (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Hinkson Jr, Kent (Utah Valley University and University of Utah, Psychology); Brooks, Malisa (University of Utah, Psychology)

Among the staggering rates of sexual assault, little attention has been directed towards the specific risk factors involved with coercive sexual assault. The few studies that have been conducted focus solely on college campuses. Studies have found that the potential risk factors between forced sexual assault and coercive sexual assault are fundamentally different. While forced sexual assault is associated with environmental risk factors such as alcohol, coercive assault risk factors have a stronger relationship with the victim's level of depression and self-esteem. Though depression and low self-esteem can affect people for a variety of different reasons, age tends to be a reliable predictor of both of these risk factors. Depression and low self-esteem have some of the highest rates among teens and young adults. When focusing on the Military, we see depression rates higher than that of the general public, with similar patterns of teenagers and young adults (18 to 25) being the most affected. With the knowledge that depression and low self-esteem are risk factors in coercive sexual assault and knowing an age group that is more likely to be depressed and struggle with esteem, we should expect to see a relationship between age and being a victim of coercive sexual assault. In a survey consisting of veterans, age had a mild relationship with coercive rape, with younger people being more susceptible and their older counterparts holding less risk. When focusing on other distinctions of sexual crimes such as harassment, assault, and rape, age was not found to be a risk factor. Knowledge of the relationship between coercive sexual assault and age carries important implications, particularly in the form of education and support. Leaders armed with this data can inform young people of this potential risk, provide preventative strategies, and recommend therapy or support groups when necessary.

Davis, Justin; Hinkson, Kent; Brooks, Malisa; Bryan, Craig (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Hinkson, Kent (University of Utah, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences)

Emotion Regulation is broadly defined as a person's ability to modulate or maintain emotional states in order to achieve a goal. Evidence is mounting that among veterans, emotional regulation is a critical and core component directly related to veterans' abilities to work through clinical protocols for PTSD and suicidality, transition to civilian populations, reintegrate with families, and to experience overall well-being. Several academic, research, and governmental organizations have undertaken the tasks associated with understanding causal and correlative factors associated veteran suicide, and in the milieu this endeavor has shed light on suicidal phenomena more broadly applicable to general populations. As such, clinicians, researchers, and the general public have a stake in understanding emotion regulation in ways that inform development of normative mental health and various etiologies and courses of psychopathology. More specifically, among student veterans with PTSD, emotional dysregulation has been associated with greater psychological distress and higher rates of health-risk behaviors such as binge-drinking, drinking and driving, and physical aggression. Current research shows a moderate inverse relationship between the experience and expression of joy and Criterion D (negative alterations in cognitions and mood) of PTSD such that positive affective experiences may be suppressed or attenuated in those student veterans who endorse moderate to severe symptoms. This emotional reticence, whether personal or public, is likely to reinforce avoidant behavioral schemas, contributing to and maintaining the emotional dysregulation sequelae of PTSD well after military service and into the future across many contexts. The main aim of this study was to better understand and conceptualize the relationship between negative alterations in cognition and mood and emotion regulation among trauma-exposed veterans. This understanding will help support future research, screening, and prevention programs for PTSD and suicide along with conceptualization and application of emotion regulation intervention protocols in clinical veteran populations.

Brooksby, Austin; Meyer, Jake; Rentschler, Lucas; Spofford, Robbie (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Rentschler, Lucas (Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Economics and Finance Department)

The ultimatum game is a common experimental economics game done in pairs in which one person chooses a way of dividing a sum of money, and then proposes that split as an ultimatum to the other: Either accept it, or we both walk away with nothing. In theory, equilibrium play would indicate everyone should accept any split they're offered-regardless of the equity-but the experimental economics literature robustly rejects that theory. Smith and Wilson's 2017 paper "Equilibrium Play in Voluntary Ultimatum Games: Beneficence Cannot Be Extorted" produced results different from the vast literature, by making game participation voluntary within the lab. We attempted to replicate Smith and Wilson's results, but failed to do so. The most notable difference between our experiments was our subject pool, so we ran additional trials of the standard ultimatum game and confirmed our subject pool was not significantly different than the general literature. Our paper provides a great example of the importance of replicating results in the social sciences, in addition to a specific contribution to the ultimatum game literature.

Maw, Madison (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Nuckols, Janis (Brigham Young University, Linguistics); Thompson, Gregory (Brigham Young University, Anthropology)

In Ecuadorian Quichua culture people do what they can do to avoid being described as quilla—a behavior encapsulating both laziness and sexual promiscuity. Many of their myths revolve an individual who encapsulates one or both parts of quilla, the tale of Wituk and Manduru included. These behaviors are ones that estrange an individual from their family ties, which is a keystone motor of Quichua society. These myths, being origin stories, always end up with the person transforming into a part of nature, usually an animal or plant.

Wituk and Manduru's tale is one of the longer myths as well as one of the only that demonstrates both aspects of quilla so clearly. However, while it depicts what is considered the worst traits, it also demonstrates how to redeem oneself. At the end of the story the sisters transform themselves into trees that produce pods that when mashed create red or black paint. The girls use this to paint the men who they interacted with in their journey into more productive animals.

This paper will explore the implications this story has in modern life for the Quichua people, women in particular. The paint of these trees is highly important in all realms over which women preside, including pottery, beauty, and maintaining the chagra (in simplistic terms, a garden). The paint is used in a transformative and representative way, making the ritual plant grow stronger and allowing women to harness the power of animals around them, just to name a few. Women are able to use this plant to transform themselves and those around them in order to make a better society overall.