Social and Behavioral Sciences

Tessa Reber, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Music education can be used to help students with autism control emotion and build cognitive, behavioral, social and communicative developmental skills. By achieving musical ambitions, autistic students develop self-efficacy that leads to confidence which reflects in their lifestyle and attitude. This paper draws upon primary and secondary research for evidence of conducted cases with autism spectrum disorder students and the implications of music involvement. Methodology focuses on providing the student with a safe environment for learning in the following ways: (1) Teaching the basics of musical grammar aides in cognizance of areas such as math and reading; (2) The embodied affective symbolism that music possesses provides an opportunity for the student to indicate internal emotion; (3) Sharing and performing of music builds self-efficacy and suitable behavior of physical boundaries; (4) Social and communicative effects of music provide the student with the ability to build relationships of similar interests. This includes an increase of appropriate verbal interactions and coping with frustration or anxiety. The summative effects of these combined efforts allow individuals of all ages and abilities on the Autism Spectrum discover the inspirational power of music and the influence it has in their lives.

Austin Hernandez, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences Student’s study habits are always a matter of concern for both instructors and students themselves. Often times when students are learning a new subject the information the receive about studying centers around how they should study for “that class.” Research has also shown that students regularly overestimate their academic ability. The current research examines what happens if student in introductory courses are given strategy sheets which asks them to examine their study efforts and metacognitive strategies in preparation for the exam. This focuses not on the content, but the process that students use to prepare. The data collected from the students will be analyzed in comparison to their performance on subsequent exams to see if the focus on metacognition can effect a positive result on future exams.

Dakota Wilson, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences Ambiguity in language throughout history has always caused problems. In every field there are instances where words mean different things to different people. There seems to be more and more instances today where there is ambiguity in romantic relationship terminology and it is causing confusion and dissatisfaction. In the beginning of the 20th century words like “calling” or “going steady” were popular to describe romantic relationships whereas today “hooking up” and “hanging out” are the dominant terms. Although there have been studies that are very similar to this subject, there is little to no research exactly like it. This study has been made to assess what terminology is being used today to describe relationship terminology, why it has changed over (generational and cultural influences), and how these changes affect the satisfaction of the relationship. Methodology comprised creating a survey, a portion of which was taken from pre-validated tools such as the MSI-R to assess relationship satisfaction. Other portions included basic demographic information, current relationship terminology used, short answer where the participants were asked to describe situations in which they would use particular terms now and in middle school, in which social situations they would use certain terminology, and domains as to what each relationship term entailed in regards to behavior (these were based off of the categories in the MSI-R). The last section asked about terminology that was used in the participants youth to avoid disapproval of cultural or religious leaders if an exclusive relationship was unacceptable but was occurring regardless. Results are in the process of being analyzed.

Taylor Pike Casara Reeves, Jennifer Sroka, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences There is a lot of information about how women’s bodies are portrayed in comic books, we are researching the voice that women have in comic books through time. In our research, we are attempting to find out what women have to say in comic books. We are accomplishing this by taking varying comic books from different publishers, using different teams or superheroes, and analyzing the contribution that women have in each edition. We will also be examining how other characters respond to what the women have to say. Our hypothesis is that women in modern comic books have more to contribute to the plot and the dialogue than women in earlier comic books. However we also suspect that women in comic books will not be given the same input or value as males in the comics.

Clair Talley and Melissa Benavides, Snow College Current research done by Susan Sprecher and Sandra Metts (1989, 1999) discusses the presence of romantic ideals and their effect on the quality of relationships. While this research focused mainly on committed relationships of college-aged students, it did not investigate the influence of these love beliefs on their sexual relationship progression. Other research that does look at why students have sex suggests that it is seen as a right of passage, a gift, a stigma, and even a means by which students can alter their mood. (Humphreys, 2013 and Dawson, Shih, de Moor and Shrier, 2008)

Ty Palmer, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences With productivity in the U.S at an unexpected low for the last quarter, it is apparent that employers and employees alike are struggling to meet the financial demands of their companies. Similar to the critical situation Chrysler was facing in 1979, the right leader, Lee Iacocca was all that was needed to save the company from going under. Researchers have studied effective leaders such as Lee Iacocca and their qualities for many generations, but little research has been conducted to gauge employer’s leadership abilities from the perspective of employees. Personality theory has been a topic well researched in the field of Psychology. A personality classification tool generally accepted by most Psychologists today is the Big Five personality characteristics, which are agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, and neuroticism. Many studies have utilized this tool in gathering valuable data about individuals, but few studies have used this tool to evaluate a second person. The Big Five Inventory (BFI) is composed of 50 questions designed to evaluate behavior to determine personality type. The BFI utilizes a 4-point Likert scales, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree to further gauge the prevalence of certain personality traits in a person. The BFI has been created for self-evaluation, so an adapted personality assessment will be constructed to measure a second persons personality. The proposed research would ask employees to take the personality test in behalf of their boss to determine the type of person they are. Participants will also be asked basic questions about their relationship with their boss and how satisfied they are working for them. Specific questions will be asked to determine how productive they want to be at work, and why. Through this study we expect to see a common trend among employees who appreciate one personality characteristic above others. Based on past analyzed studies regarding effective personalities, we anticipate that conscientiousness will be rated to make employees to feel more productive, but less satisfied with their work. The insight gained from this research may provide valuable information and instruction to all employers regarding what characteristics make employees want to be more productive at work.

Christian Kindt, Alyssa Ashton, Jay Homewood, and Catie Nielson, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Background: Improved understanding of the neural mechanisms of anxiety in ASD may provide targets for etiological research as well as for better treatment specificity. To date, however, there have been no fMRI studies of such mechanisms. Objectives: We report findings from behavioral and functional neuroimaging studies of potentially atypical function. We hypothesize that such atypical function during extinction of learned fear may contribute to difficulty adapting to changing contexts in ASD and lead to subsequent symptoms of uncertainty and anxiety. Methods: Twenty-one adults with ASD ages 18-29 were compared to healthy controls on a classical conditioning task used by Phelps and colleagues (Hartley et al., 2011) during two functional runs of fear acquisition and two extinction runs. Resulting regions of interest were identified with a 2×2 repeated measures ANOVA comparing diagnostic group (ASD vs. controls) and task condition (threat vs. non-threat stimulus). Results: Analyses revealed greater activation in right amygdala and left insula in controls than ASD for threat compared with non-threat stimuli. ROI analysis across all 4 runs revealed that activation patterns for these ROIs show a statistically significant descrease for the CON group, in contrast to an increase for the ASD group that persists into the extinction period. Left amygdala and right insula showed significantly greater activity in the ASD group compared to controls in final extinction run. Conclusions: fMRI data support that fear learning networks in amygdala and insula are less activated in ASD during fear acquisition, but show increased activation during contexts that should be safe. Rather, they are afraid when they should be feeling safe. We hypothesize that chronic everyday anxiety in many individuals diagnosed with ASD may arise from uncertainty regarding contextual cues for fear versus safety.

Crystal Garcia, Corbin Standley, Kaitlin Staker and Lyndsi Drysdale, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The extant research suggests that there are relationships between differing personality types and Internet and Facebook usage (e.g., Buffardi and Campbell, 2008; Ross, et al., 2009). To that end, the present study aims to determine which personality traits, including narcissistic traits, predict Internet and Facebook usage. In addition, it examines specific motivations for continued and consistent use of the social media site, including the types of activities one engages in while using Facebook. Participants completed a survey measuring narcissism, the Big 5 personality dimensions, Facebook usage, specific activities (e.g., unfriending, blocking others), and motivations (including emotional motivations) for using Facebook. It is predicted that different personality types will differ in the amount of time spent on Facebook. Moreover, motivational reasons as to why participants first joined Facebook, and why they continue to use Facebook will also differ in relation to personality dimensions. More specifically, we anticipate that those scoring higher on the narcissism scale will report higher Facebook usage. Furthermore, we anticipate that those scoring higher on the narcissism scale will be more motivated to use Facebook for self-esteem and personal-related reasons as opposed to professional or more social reasons. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the need and compulsion to actively interact, know, and inform others of what one is currently doing, feeling, and thinking through social media sites, specifically Facebook.

Ho Yan Mok, Dixie State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Game research is troubled with utilizing a number of different concepts used to forecast the often negative outcomes of playing games (Utz, Jonas, and Tonkens, 2012). These concepts often extend over each other and frequently put too much emphasis either on negative consequences or game-specific aspects that makes it lack comprehensiveness. This paper will argue that the field of gaming addiction can benefit from using concepts that are already well-established in alternative domains and extending earlier work to also cover the different benefits of gaming. Based on previous research on gaming, the dualistic model of passion is recommended in the current study to give a better understanding of antecedents and positive outcomes of gaming. This model proposes that gaming promotes flow experience, which consequently results to higher level of achievement in school, less anxiety, and higher self-esteem, to mention a few (Sherry, 2004).

Holly Clegg and Charles Yeager, Snow College Social and Behavioral Sciences Economic growth can be defined as an increase in the amount of goods and services produced per capita over a period of time. Basically, economic growth, from a geographic perspective, can be summed up as what types of businesses grow where – and why. Logically, improvements in quality of life [QOL] accompany economic growth. This research focuses on three measures that represent QOL: poverty, education, and access to health insurance, and measures them as they relate to economic growth at the county level in Utah. Data was mapped using a geographic information system, and correlations between economic growth and QOL variables were determined. The purpose of this research is to determine if economic growth necessarily produces measurable increases in QOL variables, or if economic growth tends to occur in areas where QOL is already higher.

Corbin Standley, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences The extant research regarding the relationship between religious affiliation and attitudes toward homosexuality is extensive, yet shallow. While some research suggests a significant positive correlation between religiosity and negative attitudes toward homosexuality (Ingelhart, 2000), other studies show different results dependent on religious motivations, affiliations, and activity (Besen and Zicklin, 2007; Burris, 1999). To that end, the current study examines the interplay between religiosity, personality dimensions, and attitudes toward homosexuality. A correlational survey methodology was utilized attempting to measure religious activity and motivations, personality dimensions, and attitudes toward various policy areas as relevant to homosexuality (including marriage, adoption, and military service). A significant positive correlation between religious activity and negative attitudes toward homosexuality is anticipated such that those scoring higher on the religious activity scale will report more conservative views of homosexuality. Moreover, we expect a strong positive correlation between the Openness to Experience personality dimension and positive attitudes toward homosexuality such that those expressing more openness will exhibit more liberal views toward homosexuality. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of the ways in which religious affiliation and religious activity differ in regard to attitudes toward homosexuality. Further, implications concerning personality traits in relation to such attitudes will be drawn from these results.

Catherine Cragun, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Sibling relationships play a critical role in healthy development throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood (Dunn, 1983; Jensen, Whiteman, Fingerman, and Birditt, 2013; Stocker, Lanthier, and Furman, 1997). The quality of the relationship matters as well: a predominantly warm relationship is linked to less antisocial behavior, yet if there is mostly conflict it can be linked to depression and anxiety (Padilla-Walker, Harper, and Jensen, 2010). While the influence of the sibling relationship is well documented, much less is known about what influences it. Marital conflict is one likely deterrent to positive sibling relationships (Stocker and Youngblade, 1999), but there has been little attention to the effects of marital conflict and intimacy over time. Our study will analyze how changes in marital conflict impact future warmth and conflict between siblings. Data for this study come from the Family Relationships Project (FRP). The FRP surveyed two parents and two children from 200 families 13 times (phases) from 1995 to 2012. During in-home and web-based interviews parents and children reported on their family relationships and personal development. Using SAS we are conducting a series of lagged multi-level models to examine how the marital relationship at an earlier phase relates to sibling relationships of the next phase. We will then juxtapose our analyses from the first seven phases with the final six to observe any long-term correlations. Preliminary analyses have revealed a negative correlation between marital conflict and siblings’ levels of intimacy during childhood (r = -.17, p < .05), but not in adolescence (r = -.10, p < .05). In conclusion, we anticipate that our complete analysis will support the hypothesis that marital relationships play a role in the development of sibling relationships but that those links vary across the developmental periods of childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.

Catie Nielson, Alyssa Ashton, Alexis Grow, Christian Kindt, and Jay Homewood< Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Studies have found co-morbidity of ASD and social anxiety disorder, but it is unclear how the anxiety experienced in ASD is socially mediated. In this study, we measured psychophysiological reactivity during socially stressful (performance evaluation) trials compared to unevaluated trials. We aimed to understand how anxiety in people with ASD is mediated by fear of negative social evaluation. We hypothesized that the ASD group would show elevated stress to both types of threat while the control group (CON) would be more affected by social evaluation than non-social contexts. Twenty adults aged 18-29 diagnosed with ASD were compared to age- and IQ-matched controls on modified Stroop and Multi- Sensory Integration tasks. We measured stress with impedance cardiography and skin conductance response. In a computerized task, participants were instructed for each block whether or not the research assistant and computer would evaluate them. We examined within subjects differences for evaluated and unevaluated trials, as well as between subjects with ASD and CON groups. We found that adults with ASD had higher physiological responses, relative to controls, during stress conditions. Parasympathetic activity during recovery periods was reduced in the ASD group. There were significant group X evaluation condition interactions, with the evaluated trials adding substantially more to the stress response in the CON but not the already elevated ASD group. Response to social evaluation was significantly correlated with scores on the Fear of Negative Evaluation and the Social Anxiety Questionnaire in both groups. Increased sympathetic activity during stress and decreased parasympathetic activity during rest confirm other recent studies that show ASD adults are out-of-sync with fear versus safety contexts, which may underlie their everyday anxiety. Interventions for anxiety in ASD should focus on helping individuals recognize physiological stress responses and develop situation-specific coping skills.

Laurin Wilson, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Premature birth and subsequent hospitalization of an infant in the Newborn (or Neonatal) Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be an extremely stressful time for parents and has been associated with maternal depression, anxiety, and decreased coping ability (Hack, Taylor, Klein, & Mercuri-Minich, 2000; Hughes, McCollum, & Sheftel, 1994; Partridge et al., 2005; Shaw, Sweester, St. John, Lilo, Corcoran, Jo, & Horwitz, 2013). Interventions to reduce parents’ stress levels during the hospitalization of their very preterm infants have mixed results (Boyce, et al., 2008; Matricardi, S., Agostino, R., Fedeli, C., & Montirosso, R., 2013). This study examined the medical, family, and maternal mental health factors that influenced feelings of parental distress for mother of very premature infants.

Dusty Pilkington, Weber State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Boundaries dividing political authority rarely match natural water flow. Multiple agencies, often with competing policies and agendas, manage water within single watersheds. This discrepancy can render management efforts ineffective. Local water agencies include soil conservation districts, local health departments, and engineering agencies. Agencies have varying funding sources, managerial structures, and jurisdictional boundaries. Fragmentation can frustrate management efforts at watershed scales. Comparisons between natural watersheds and human political geography can therefore be helpful in avoiding conflicts. This research examines discrepancies between political and physical geographies for sections of three Utah rivers : the Logan and Provo Rivers, and Red Butte Creek. These rivers are being targeted for intensive research as part of a statewide, multidisciplinary water sustainability project, titled iUTAH. Water-related land use (WRLU) data acquired from Utah’s Automated Geographic Resource Center were analyzed using ArcGIS geoproceessing tools. WRLU contributing to water quality in urban river reaches is described. WRLU was examined using three boundary sets, comparing the political geography of the river reaches, as depicted in municipal boundaries and management areas of community water providers, to their physical geography, as depicted in United States Geologic Survey Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds. WRLU mixes using political infrastructure were contrasted with land use mixes from HUC boundaries. WRLU was classified in seven categories: residential, commercial/industrial, riparian/water features, irrigated agriculture, non-irrigated agriculture, farmsteads, and parks/open spaces. A gradient from rural Heber, to urbanizing Logan, to fully urbanized Red Butte Creek is shown. While Red Butte Creek HUC boundaries showed 53.8 % residential land use, Red Butte Creek municipal boundaries and community providers totaled 26 % and 39 % residential use, respectively. Differences emerged when irrigated agriculture was assessed using HUC boundaries. Irrigated agriculture totaled 0.2 % in Red Butte Creek, with Logan showing 29. 7% and Heber irrigated agriculture sitting at 41.1 %.

Luz Maria Carreno, Utah State University Social and Behavioral Sciences Significance: Patients’ health literacy, or ability to comprehend and understand health information, influences their health status, knowledge about medical care and conditions, and hospitalization and adherence rate (Andrus, & Roth, 2002). Low-English proficiency patients are especially at risk, given they must overcome English and health literacy barriers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rebecca Holland, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Dialectical Quichua throughout Ecuador faces disappearance through the development of Quichua Unificado, a standardized form of Quichua used the bilingual school system. This form of Quichua was created in hopes that introducing a standardized orthography would help bilingual schools effectively address the Quichua language loss that is pervasive throughout the country. However, as the language steps beyond its intended bounds of being a written language and moves toward replacing dialectical Quichua as a spoken language, it is evident that this revitalization movement is progressing at a great cost. Original ethnographic research in the Napo Valley of Ecuador asserts that this movement is ineffectual at reversing the Quichua language loss in this area, and may in fact prove fatal to the future of spoken dialectical Quichua.

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.

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.

Chad Clayton, Brigham Young University Social and Biological Sciences Great Britain declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939, alongside France. Within a year, France would fall to the German Blitzkrieg and England would stand alone in Europe against the Third Reich. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, in a radio broadcast on June 18, 1940, told the British people that, despite significant military losses in the Battle of France, “there are good and reasonable hopes of victory” upon which they must resolve to carry on. With France already conquered and The Soviet Union out of the picture, the British must have known how big of a risk they were taking. What motivated the British to face down such a foe? By examining the archival reports of the British Joint Intelligence Committee at the time, this study seeks to evaluate the British perception of German military strength in 1940 when the war began, and to see how their assessments of Germany’s military capability and plans factored into British military and political actions.

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.

Jarrett Webster, Dixie State University Social and Biological Sciences This study sought to determine what type of influences a British accent has on Americans. It was predicted that American listeners would rate a British voice higher than an American voice across four traits: physical attraction, social attraction, credibility, and overall favorability. Participants were 197 undergraduate students from Dixie State University (68 men, 129 women). Participants were offered extra credit in return for participation and ranged in age from 17-60. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experiment was designed as a between-subjects experiment. The control group heard an American voice and saw a picture of a man. The experiment group heard a British voice and saw a picture of the same man. Both groups were asked to answer questions that measured the four dependent variable traits. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to calculate results. The hypothesis was confirmed for all of the traits except credibility. These findings have ramifications in interpersonal relationships in business, educational, and social settings.

Chase Jenson, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences In May of 1940 Britain demilitarized the island of Guernsey which created the opportunity for German occupation. Some of the citizens left the island, but those that remained became imprisoned for the next five years. While there is a significant amount of research that is done on the topic of extreme circumstances during World War 2, the archived data of the events and social interactions of the people of Guernsey remains unexplored despite being the only part of Britain under German rule. To address this, final stages of conducting an exploratory study are in progress to discover reasons for resistance and collaboration of the imprisoned island inhabitants by content analysis of secondary data including government records, interviews, and journals.

Tanner Mortimer, Utah Valley University Social and Behavioral Sciences Surveys show that nearly half of all Americans reject evolution as an explanation of the origin and diversity of life on Earth, especially when concerning human evolution. (Gallup 2007). Furthermore, there is a correlation between the rejections of evolutionary science with a belief in a Christian God-creator (Gallup 2007).

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.

Michael Christensen, Brigham Young University Social and Behavioral Sciences Suicide is a major problem for students in Utah middle and high schools. Since adolescents spend a large portion of their time on social media like Facebook and Twitter, there is a wealth of information we can learn about their personalities, moods, and interests by exploring their online interactions with others and specifically the statuses and messages they post publicly. We have created a Facebook app to mine this data and report the mood of a logged-in user’s entire network based on the individual classification of community members’ posts. We contribute to the Public Health field by aggregating suicide-risk factors and facilitating intervention, the motivation being to help others better identify and help those who are at-risk for suicide based on their online behavior. We contribute to the Computer Science field by creating a machine learning algorithm that can classify text into one of several fine-grained mood categories, learning to identify more than just positive or negative sentiment. In addition, our algorithm has the ability to update online by receiving feedback from the users on how well or poorly it classified the text of their friends’ posts. We describe our algorithm and report on preliminary results about its performance on real-world data.