2020 Abstracts

Mattei, Dustin; Angell, Emma; Truman, Savanah; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pam; Gonzales, Veronica; Price, Ashton (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Applied Sociology)

Burnout, defined by the World Health Organization as "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed," is the Quality of Life research topic for the Institute of Social Research Team Fall 2019. A literature review of past research regarding the topic burnout has been conducted to understand the effects it has on society. The effect of burnout on college students is a subtopic of the research by the ISR Team. The research team has a survey developed and disbursed to students of Dixie State University (DSU) to gather burnout indicators among college students. The data will show how burnout affects students of different backgrounds, and if they see burnout as a normal part of their college experience. People are socialized into norms and values that represent a quality life. College students are subconsciously taught that burnout is accepted as a societal norm. Though burnout is a popular topic to discuss there are questions that remain. Does it affect aspects of their social, academic, and career life? After the survey data is gathered, sociological theories will be applied to answer the question and to gain a better understanding of burnout among DSU college students.

Farstead, Brian; Williford, Tanner; Schow, Hunter; Muldowney, John; Stewart, Victoria (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Lundwall, Rebecca (Brigham Young university, Psychology, Cognitive and Behavioral Nueroscience)

Reflexive and sustained attention are important components of daily functioning, and those who exhibit attention deficits typically have problems in school, work, and relationships. Previous studies have measured sustained and reflexive attention using different tasks with disparate stimuli. Because the stimuli are different, it is unclear how reflexive and sustained attention are related. There are some indications in the literature that individuals tend to be better at one or the other type of task.

We measured reflexive and sustained attention in a sample (N=185) of children who completed two computer tasks that recorded response time and accuracy. We developed the two tasks so that all stimuli were identical, but the reflexive attention task used peripheral stimuli and the sustained attention task used central stimuli. Parents also completed questionnaires reporting demographics (e.g., age and sex) and the child's usual sleep habits, behavior at home, and behavior at school. Asking about sleep, home behavior, and school behavior allows us to identify predictors of individual variability in computer-task scores.

We anticipated that children who have a better reflexive attention (lower response times and higher accuracy) would score lower on sustained attention. Furthermore, we expect the relationship between reflexive and sustained attention would be moderated by aspects of behavior related to sleep, home-life, and school. Determining the relationship between different components of attention is important because it will help us to understand the underlying factors that contribute to different deficits in attention. Furthermore, it is important to understand how these different components of attention manifest by age, sex, behaviors at home and behaviors in school. Understanding the relationship between reflexive and sustained attention and their association with child characteristics could potentially contribute to interventions in individuals who have symptoms of attentional deficits.

Hamilton, Emily; Voss, Maren Wright; Swenson, Kira; Lichfield, Lana (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Voss, Maren (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Kinesiology and Health Science Department)

We interviewed rural individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) to get a better handle on opioid misuse disorders causes and solutions.
To minimize bias in the conducting of interviews, we followed a community engagement model of training community members to interview participants. Two community members were recruited from the recovery community to receive training as a community scholar. Each community scholar completed CITI training which meets National Institutes of Health standards for the Responsible Conduct of Research for human subjects. Each community scholar completed two additional sessions of training on qualitative data collection and interviewing skills. Interviews were scheduled and participants were provided with an Institutional Review Board-approved informed consent form. Given the sensitive nature of the topic, the consent form stressed the option to use a pseudonym and the opportunity to withdraw participation and interview content at any time. The participant was also informed of community resources if at any time during the interview they should become distressed. The community scholar conducted interviews using semi-structured interview prompts, with the freedom to ask clarifying or exploratory questions at will. A member of the IRB approved research team served as the recorder for each interview to ensure sound quality, ethics and safety.

The interviews collected by community scholars provide insight into the unique elements of dealing with an opioid addiction in rural Utah. Themes identified include the tendency toward isolation, the strength of the addiction and fear of withdrawals, and the utility of the criminal justice system as a pathway to recover. Interviews have been extended to an open forum of community conversations, to discuss difficult subject matter in a constructive way. The goal is to reduce stigma and engage community partners to collaborate on bringing in more available resources to help those who struggle.

Hansen, Rebecca; Spencer, Todd; Brosi, Matt; Hubler, Daniel (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Spencer, Todd (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

There has been a wealth of research examining the negative influence of stress on relationship outcomes. Additionally, research indicates the quality of communication between couples strongly influences their overall satisfaction in marriage (Fletcher, 2002). While stress has been associated with poorer communication quality among romantic partners (Bodenmann, 1997), little is known how relationship efficacy modifies that relationship. The purpose of the present study is to examine the extent relationship efficacy mediates the association between stress and communication quality. Our sample consists of 939 individuals who are between 18-70 years old and currently in a romantic relationship. Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale - short form (PSS-4; Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), Active-Empathetic Listening Scale (AELS; Bodie, 2011), and Relationship Efficacy Measure (REM; Fincham, Harold, & Gano-Phillips, 2000). Following the mediation analysis outlined by Baron and Kenny (1981), we found that relationship efficacy did mediate the relationship between stress and communication quality, F (2,901) = 111.39, p=<.001. Results provide empirical support for the potential relationship efficacy holds to ameliorate the detrimental effects of stress on communication quality among romantic partners.

Loveless, Emily; Mack, Brittney; Squire, Jenna; Turner, Haylee; Nicholls, Emily; Luke, Steven; Cabbage, Kathryn (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Luke, Steven (College of Family Home and Social Sciences, Psychology); Cabbage, Kathryn (McKay School of Education, Communication Disorders)

Language impairment affects approximately 7-9% of all children and puts children at risk for long-term negative impacts on academic performance, development of social relationships, and even vocational outcomes in adulthood (Clegg, Hollis, Mawhood, & Rutter, 2005). Preschoolers with language impairment have reduced vocabulary, use less complex oral language structures, have difficulty comprehending grammatical structures in spoken language, and poor social communication (Paul & Norbury, 2018). At present, a common recommendation to improve literacy skills in typically developing children emphasizes exposing children to stories through shared book reading from a young age. When being read a storybook, preschoolers without language impairment are more likely to focus their attention on the objects and people specifically mentioned in the text (Luke & Asplund, 2018), suggesting that they are connecting storybook images with oral language comprehension. It is unknown, however, whether children with language impairment benefit in the same way from recommended exposure to shared book reading to improve language and literacy outcomes. Prior research with older children with language impairment has shown that these children initially attend to the appropriate object or person in the text but do not sustain their attention to items that are relevant to what they're hearing (Nation, Marshall, & Altmann, 2004), suggesting they may need support learning what to attend to when integrating oral language with visual images. In this study, we aim to see if a similar pattern emerges for preschool-aged children with language impairment. This study has a strong potential to significantly improve our understanding of how to support language development processes during storybook reading, specifically with children with language impairment.

Buchanan, Shayne; Estevez, Angel (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chapman, Heather (Weber State University, Psychology)

Abstract:
Poverty is a major epidemic throughout the world. Being in an impoverished state is extremely difficult as it makes living that much more stressful. Those lacking the ability to attain basic needs such as food are at high risk of suffering physical and mental complications, along with environmental and social issues.
One of the biggest issues regarding poverty is the problem malnutrition presents. Among many complications that malnutrition creates, the most concerning is impairments in cognitive development. This can lead to children performing poorly in school. While malnutrition is a problem among those suffering from impoverished circumstances, there are organizations that provide some relief.
Foundations and organizations that provide such assistance include food banks, charities, and churches, etc. This alleviates some of the difficulties surrounding a life in poverty. If participants are not willing to return or do not continue receiving support for various reasons, poverty will persist. One of these reasons may be user satisfaction.
It can be difficult to know how parents and families feel about the satisfaction of certain aspects these foundations provide. Families receiving assistance from food pantries may discontinue participation if they feel their needs are not met. Satisfaction of various aspects of food is an important determinant in regards to overall usage for food banks. To identify levels of satisfaction from assistance programs, we set up a user satisfaction survey for participants to complete in order to measure their overall satisfaction. To be specific, we are measuring satisfaction of the quality, quantity, and ease of process in acquiring food from Granite Education Foundation food banks.

Mauchley, Olivia; Kamimura, Akiko (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Kamimua, Akiko (Social and Behavioral Science, Sociology)

The purpose of this study is to examine awareness about environmental issues among undergraduate students in Utah. As climate change and environmental problems have, and continue to negatively affect the future, it is pertinent that students stay up to date and aware of these issues. Misinformation or lack of information has harmful effects to the environment and sustainability policies. College students are the next generation to formally work on these problems, and have an important role to play in climate change activism and solutions.

A self-administered paper survey was collected from undergraduate students attending social science classes at the University of Utah in September and October 2019. There were 450 total surveys collected. The results found showed that participants were more likely to agree with the following statements: "Solving environmental problems depends on actions by each and every one of us" and "Environmental problems must be solved through international co-operation." More than 40% of the participants reported environmental problems influenced their daily life a lot/very much. The top 3 serious environmental issues noted by the participants included lack of access to clean water, ocean pollution, and air pollution. The most common behavior implemented to protect the environment among the participants was to "Turn off the lights and other electronics when you leave a room." As for climate change, the participants tended to agree "Climate change will be serious in the world."

From these results we can conclude that undergraduate students are most aware of environmental problems that directly affect their daily lives and problems that receive the most attention on social media. Ultimately most undergraduate students in Utah are aware of the severity of climate change, though few seem to be focused on what they can do about it directly.

Clark, Jessica (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, Jim (Family Home and Social Sciences, Anthropology)

The Kiva was an important element to daily like in the ancient ancestral Puebloan culture. Using construction materials gathered from an excavation at a Pueblo III site in southeastern Utah, the project focuses on how the raw materials of the area were exploited for construction purposes. By examining the composition of plaster, mortar, and masonry rocks I hope to gain a more insightful understanding of how the Ancestral Puebloan people used their available resources. In addition, studying impressions on burned impressed adobe, along with charcoal samples from site, will help me to gain an understanding of the wood used for the kiva roof, as well as potentially showing how the roof of the structure held. Because indigenous people of the American Southwest have strong ties with the earth, gaining a small understanding of how their ancestors used the land is an important study.

Angell, Emma; Wood, Kyle; Holiday, Pamela; Price, Ashton; Gonzales, Veronica; Mattei, Dustin (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Oxley, Robert (Dixie State University, Sociology)

As part of the Dixie State University Quality of Life Initiative, the research topic proposed by the Institute for Social Research (ISR) is the social contract of burnout in society. The World Health Organization recently recognized burnout as a serious syndrome. It is also apparent that individuals in numerous workforce or school settings have dealt with it in some way. However, many do not fully understand what burnout is and how to properly deal with or treat it. What is burnout? Burnout has many definitions but the most common is that it is a condition, either physical or mental, caused by an individual being overworked or stressed. Burnout can lead to exhaustion, loss of motivation, anxiety, depression, procrastination, etc. The ISR team asks the question, "How has burnout been accepted into societies contract?" It is described as a social contract because we as members of society have implicitly agreed to accept burnout as a social norm. We will also take a look at Robert Merton's strain theory and how the pressure of society to achieve goals relates to this concept. The Institute for Social Research dives further by using data that has already been researched on burnout and has conducted a survey for students and faculty at Dixie State University. The ISR team will also take a closer look at technology and how it has affected an individual's work week.

Jonah Nicoll; Zach Clement; Hal Svien; Gary Burlingame (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Burlingame, Gary (Brigham Young University, Psychology)

Aims: Many practice guidelines place cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as the gold-standard treatment for psychotic disorders. Our previous meta-analysis on group psychotherapy for schizophrenia (Burlingame et al., under review) employed a strict set of inclusion criteria (e.g., RCT, use of 2 measures, comparison groups, etc.) limiting the number of CBT studies applied to patients presenting on the psychosis spectrum. It found no meta-analytic evidence for group CBT (GCBT) ameliorating psychotic symptoms but only included 5 studies. This meta-analysis will be less restrictive to include more interventions under a broader GCBT umbrella to extend our earlier findings.

Methods: A literature search identified nearly 20 more randomized controlled trials that included in our previous analysis that evaluated some form of GCBT in treating psychosis. Three main outcomes will be assessed: schizophrenia-specific measures of psychotic symptoms, treatment-specific measures assessing treatment aims, and general measures assessing broad functioning.

Results: Preliminary results are still being calculated. Subgroup analyses will include Burlingame et al.'s (under review) CBT categorization and include interventions broadly focused on behavior and cognition, including social skills interventions that also emphasize cognition (viz., Granholm et al., 2005, 2007).

Discussion: Results will be framed in relation to Burlingame et al.'s (under review) meta-analysis. It is likely that the stricter classification of CBT resulted in an attenuation of the effects with a psychosis population. Furthermore, there is a general lack of agreement on what interventions should be labeled CBT (nb., Wampold et al., 1997; Wampold & Imel, 2015).

Keywords: group treatment, schizophrenia

Jensen, Samuel J. (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Allison, James (Brigham young University, Anthropology)

The development of Portable X-ray Fluorescence (PXRF) technology has allowed researchers to accurately determine the source of obsidian lithic material. The data produced using this method in turn allow researchers to examine the social interactions of prehistoric peoples through analysis of potential spheres of trade or points of contact. Prior researchers have applied PXRF technology to the analysis of obsidian from the Mesa Verde and Northern San Juan regions of the Ancestral Puebloan world respectively. Despite this work, however, there is a conspicuous lack of data from San Juan County, Utah, which lies at the northwestern edge of the Ancestral Puebloan extent and contains a high density of archaeological sites spanning almost the entirety of Ancestral Puebloan occupation in the American Southwest. This paper aims to fill this gap in data so as to make observations about the potential spheres of interaction that existed across time in this region of the Ancestral Puebloan world. Specifically, this research compares obsidian samples from across San Juan County and from sites with different time periods of occupation to reveal potential patterns of obsidian procurement throughout temporal space in San Juan County.

McClain Verdoes, Maryellen; Ha, Jennifer (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: McClain Verdoes, Maryellen (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Psychology Department)

This research will assess whether there is a significant difference in the correlation of attention and reading levels of school aged children that have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the correlation of attention and reading levels of school aged children that do not have ASD. I will be looking at data from two populations: school aged children with ASD and school aged children without ASD. Most of the participants for this study will come from Cache County, Utah, so that limiting factor of sample demographics should be taken into account.

Considering the meager amount of research that has been done on the attention and reading achievement of children with ASD, the purpose of this poster presentation is to (1) display the methodology, data, and findings of this research project and (2) discuss any implications this may have and where to go next. Depending on the results, if they are significant, this project may be built upon and further developed to examine possible factors that may affect or lead to significant results.

The CONNERS 3 assessment was administered to evaluate the attention levels of school age children six to twelve years of age. This assessment is generally used in helping diagnose ADHD (Connors, Pitkanen, & Rzepa, 2008;Pearson, 2008). It takes into account the social, home, and school setting of the child. The GORT 5 assessment was also administered to those same subjects to assess their reading ability at the time (Wiederholt & Bryant, 2012). SPSS was used to run analyses and results were exported in tables from the program.

Krishtof, Maryna (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Anderson, Chris (Utah Valley University, Behavioral Science)

Violence and aggression are an unfortunate reality of modern society. It is believed that multiple factors contribute to aggression. Does boredom promote aggressive behaviors? Rubb and Vodanovich (1997) published a Boredom Proneness test and reported their usual anger and aggression levels. Results indicated that people who scored higher on BPS reported being more aggressive. Because this study was based on self-reports I believe it would be useful to examine whether this would manifest on a behavior. Also, a recent murder of Chris Lane by three teenagers was reported by Oklahoma news, teenagers murdered because they "were bored." Police officers noted that in wintertime crime changes from property theft to domestic violence. In one of the reports by the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2014, it was shown that even though the overall crime rates are going down in the United States, rises in violent crime can be noticed during wintertime. This research is intended to look at aggression and its relation to boredom. In the study, participants would be asked to fill out the boredom proneness test (BPS) and after sitting in an empty room with only two objects present, a plush toy and a toy rubber hammer. Final measurements will be an average score of people who scored low (within 28-81) on BPS test and high (82-153 and above) and the time it took participants in each group to aggressively act towards the toy or other objects in the room (chair, table, walls). I hypothesize that if people are presented with a chance, they will aggressively play with the toy presented to relieve boredom. This response can give us information on how people may act in real-life situations. The question that I hope to answer with my research is "Will boredom promote aggressive behavior?"

Rawlings, Jared; Young, Jacob (University of Utah)
Faculty Advisor: Rawlings, Jared (University of Utah, School of Music)

School violence has emerged in the last ten years as a significant public health crisis that include behaviors ranging from bullying, hate-based language, sexual harassment, and physical assaults (Robers, Kemp, & Truman, 2013). A recent study found that almost one-third of students in grades 6-12 reported they had been victimized by peers, and 5% to 13% admitted to bullying others (Hymel & Swearer, 2015).

Researchers in music education acknowledge peer victimization and bullying is also a serious concern for music students (Elpus & Carter, 2016; Silveira & Hudson, 2015; Rawlings, 2015, 2016). Elpus and Carter (2016) examined data from the 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 datasets of the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to determine the prevalence of reported school victimization through physical, verbal, and relational aggression among US performing arts students. Elpus and Carter found that male music and theater students are at a 69% greater risk than non-arts students when experiencing face-to-face bully victimization and male music and theatre students were confronted with a 63% greater risk of being cyber bullied than non-arts participants. Therefore, if school music students may be more likely to be targets of victimization and feel unsafe at school when compared to their non-music peers, then research is needed to determine the prevalence of these behaviors and document detailed instances of this phenomenon. To date, there has been no published research examining the the prosocial and anti-social behavior development of school-based music ensemble performers.

Moore, Sydney; Lech, Kimberly; Richardson, Bianca; Jensen, Amber; Thiel, Rebecca (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Dunn, Charles (Weber State University, College of Nursing); Miles, Leslie (Brigham Young University, College of Nursing)

"The impact of child maltreatment on attachment is established in childhood" (Stronach et al., 2011), "with this effect remaining relatively stable through adulthood" and most often manifested as an anxious or avoidant attachment. (Weinfeld, Sroufe, & Egeland, 2000) (Oshri et al., 2105) Anxious individuals fear abandonment, are obsessive and desire high levels of reciprocity with others whereas avoidant individuals fear intimacy and closeness and avoid committed relationships (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). Can the quality of adult romantic relationships also known as "attachment" be determined by the type and frequency of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) or trauma those adults experienced growing up? The ACE survey consisting of 10 questions covering abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, and 17 questions from the Experiences of Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire rating participants' responses on a Lickert scale of 0-4 were used to compile the data. We propose the following hypothesis, in concordance with existing research, a higher ACE score will be an indicator of lower relationship quality/satisfaction in adulthood. Primarily through social media, the study was conducted among the student population of Weber State University and our circles of influence to explore a possible connection. This study targeted adults aged 18-70 with varying genders, backgrounds, and education levels. 344 people completed the survey. A connection can be seen between the instances of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction experienced as children and the quality of their romantic relationships as adults. The current study shows a strong negative correlation between ACE and ECR scores supporting our hypothesis. The average ACE score was 2.6 out of 10. The average ECR score 48.1 out of 68. with a significance of .000. This shows a strong negative correlation between ACE and ECR scores supporting our hypothesis.

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.