The Annual Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Research Conference showcases some of the best student research from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. The mentored learning program encourages undergraduate students to participate in hands-on and practical research under the direction of a faculty member. Students create these posters as an aide in presenting the results of their research to the public, faculty, and their peers.
If you are submitting your poster, please do so via the Submit Research link in the left sidebar on this page, and not on the main Submit Research page.
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Who do you belong to?: Understanding a Monument through Local Conceptions of Belonging
Sadie J. Lee and John Hawkins
When major logging operations closed in the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona after pressure from environmental groups, many area residents lost their jobs. Plans for a coal mine on the Kaiparowits Plateau in southern Utah revived hopes for reliable employment, but establishing the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in 1996 by former US President Bill Clinton effectively shut down possibility of exploitative operations on the majority of the plateau. This caused widespread disapproval among conservative local government and populations. This controversial issue has been described extensively in relation to legal disputes over its formation and use. However, no research has addressed why local private citizens oppose the monument other than for political and economic reasons. Based on my research during summer 2009 in southern Utah, I conclude that locals also oppose the monument because it was created in socially unacceptable ways, namely without local knowledge or participation.
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Volunteer Experience at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures
Sadie J. Lee and Paul Stavast
As BYU’s “teaching” museum, the MPC provides a setting where BYU students can gain real museum experience. Under the mentorship of professional staff, museum class students and student employees are responsible for researching, developing, and installing exhibitions; processing and cataloging incoming and current collections; and organizing and cataloging excavation notes and other collection records. Beyond classes and employment, the MPC also provides an oft-overlooked educational experience for student volunteers. Under the supervision of student employees, volunteers provide assistance in creating and distributing educational materials, cataloging collections, organizing records, and other tasks necessary for the daily maintenance of museum operations. I hypothesize that this involved approach provides a unique learning experience that can help student volunteers develop useful skills and discover educational and professional opportunities within their areas of interest.
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Parents Raising a Child with Type 1 Diabetes: Experiences and Recommendations for Services
Joan Leishman, Ann Jubber, Colette Dalton, and Stacey Mork
Twenty parents raising a child with type 1 diabetes participated in one hour focus groups. Parents identified challenges related to having a child with diabetes and possible recommendations for services to overcome those challenges.
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Note-Taking Method Affects Immediate and Delayed Recall
Keith Lowell, Meagen Jensen, and Erin D. Bigler
Note-taking improves performance on tasks (Heggarty, 1997). Because of the frequent and varied use of notes, many studies have been done on the subject of note-taking. Most studies examine differences between note-taking methods. For example, a current focus is whether note-taking within a teacher-provided outline yields better test performance than free note-taking (Larson, 2009; Piolat, 2007). Other studies examine different note-taking methods used by individuals, i.e. shorthand, diagrams, or graphic organization. A literature review found no studies which have examined the separate effect of note-taking on visual or auditory performance. Because note-taking requires the student to look away from a presentation, note-taking could potentially lower visual recall. Contrastingly, visual presentation might distract from auditory intake. The following study examined the effect of note-taking on both auditory and visual recall, as well as a general effect of note-taking on recall.
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Important Travelers in the Civil Rights Movement
Mark D. Lowe, Sharon Jensen, Mark Fitu, and Susan Rugh
For African Americans, much of the twentieth-century was a long and grueling battle for civil rights. Racial violence and inequality were everywhere, and traveling was no exception. After World War II, and continuing through the following decades, black travelers were often denied service at restaurants, bathrooms, motels, and even amusement parks and beaches. This made it hard for blacks, regardless of status, to travel and to enjoy may forms of recreation. However, these difficult travel experiences allowed many African Americans to make a difference in the fight for equality.
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The Current State of the Alcaldia Indigena in Light of its Historical Precedents: The Case of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán
Jonathan Luke and John Hawkins
The military governments of 1957-1986 abolished all forms of Maya self-government. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1994, Mayan communities have resurrected the institution of the Alcaldia Indigena, drawing on cultural memory to reorganize it. The new manifestation builds on the Alcaldia’s former structure and seeks to connect internationally to the indigenous rights movement and gain official recognition as a local government body representing indigenous interests.
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Drama, Drama, Drama
Trace W. Lund, McKenzie Gibson, Megan Pixton, and Brandon Chandler
Gender roles are set early in life (Condry & Ross, 1985). Boys are often encouraged in their rough-and-tumble play while girls are discouraged from it (Condry, 1985). Girls are treated as more fragile and are encouraged to act ladylike, including not inflicting physical harm upon others. Much of how we act in society, including aggression, is based on these social norms. The media is full of physically aggressive acts. School shootings, war, terrorism, assaults; the list goes on and on. Who do we imagine performing these tasks? Men or women? Research has shown it to be men (Zeichner, Parrott, & Frey, 2003). Are women equally as aggressive? Gossiping, back stabbing, and social rejection are all forms of aggression typically associated with women. Studies suggest that women are just as relationally aggressive as men are physically aggressive (Zeichner, Parrott, & Frey, 2003).
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Predicting Dyadic Congruence in Retirement Plans Among Middle-Aged Couples
Benjamin R. Malczyk and Jeremy Yorgason
Although there are many studies examining couple’s financial preparation for retirement, there are relatively few examining how couples expect to use their time in retirement. This does not undermine the importance of how coupes plan to use their time. Research has shown that leisure time usage was a bigger challenge than finances for retired couples (Henry, Milller, & Giarrusso, 2005).The current study extends previous research by having couples answer an open ended question about their retirement plans and seeing the congruency between planned leisure and time usage by husbands and wives. Specifically this study seeks to answer: 1. What do midlife couples plan to do when they retire? 2. Do wives and husbands have the same plans about how they will spend their leisure time? 3. What factors predict husband and wife congruence of retirement plans?
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Spirituality and Error Processing
Angelica M. Mamani, Patrick Steffen, and Michael Larson
Hundreds of articles have been published in psychology journals investigating spirituality and its uses in therapy and as a coping mechanism. However little research has been done on the effect of spirituality and neurological processes. Inzlichtet. al. (2009) asserted that both belief in God and high religious zeal were correlated with smaller ERN amplitudes. However in Inzlicht’s study only those who were highly zealous spiritually and if the participants believed in God. Nothing about the components of spirituality were examined. In order to fully assess the components of spirituality the Spirituality Assessment Inventory (SAI) was administered and the various subscales analyzed. Error-Related Negativity/Post-error Positivity Error related negativity (ERN) is an event related potential (ERP) characterized by the increased negative amplitude 100 ms after an incorrect response. The ERN is believed to reflect error processing through the error monitoring of the anterior cingulatecortex. We suggest that individual components of spirituality will significantly correlate with the ERN more than the holistic belief in God.
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Effect of Depression on Adolescent Alcohol Use
Tawnya Mayo, Thomas Bibber, and Bert Burraston
Adolescents who drink tend to continue to drink as adults. Research has pointed to depression as a factor in alcohol and substance abuse by adolescents (Deykin, Levy, and Wells, 1987). Yet, research is lacking in describing the specific effects of depression on adolescent alcohol use. Additionally religiosity has not been taken into account in past research. Other studies have specified gender as a moderating factor on the relationship between depression and substance abuse (Rohde, Lewinsohn, and Seeley, 1996).
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Marital Satisfaction and the Transition to Fatherhood
Brandon McDaniel, Sheila Lopez, and Erin K. Holmes
The perceptions of marital satisfaction across the transition to fatherhood of 54 Brigham Young University (BYU) students were surveyed using an online questionnaire. It was hypothesized that (1) father’s expectations would not match the way tasks actually were divided, (2) fathers who felt that they were making a contribution to their family and felt that their wives appreciated that contribution would have higher marital quality, (3) fathers who were better able to communicate with their wives would be more satisfied with their marriage, (4) fathers who felt the support of their wives and others would better be able to adjust to work pressures and fatherhood, and (5) fathers whose expectations had been fulfilled or exceeded would better adjust to the transition. Fathers who rated higher marital satisfaction were compared to those with slightly lower satisfaction. Significant differences were found between fathers’ expected division of child care tasks and how tasks were actually divided. Communication and quality time with spouse were found to be the greatest determinates of marital satisfaction. The reasons for these results are discussed.
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LDS Doctrine and Perfectionism
Brittany Mealey, Jeffrey Bernhardt, Michael Davison, and Andrea Riggs
Perfectionism has become a topic of widespread interest within the social sciences. Many of the studies testing and measuring perfectionism have been associated with constructs such as need achievement and level of aspiration. Though it has been found that there may be links between religiosity and perfectionism (Edgington et. al, 2008; Zohar et. al, 2005), only a small amount of studies have actually researched if and how perfectionism is affected by religiosity.
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Windmills and Walls: A Social Club Harnesses the Winds of Change in Brandenburg
Taylor C. Merkley and John Hawkins
The town of Lüttein Brandenburg, Germany survived a fire in 1833, but faced a bigger threat to its survival when the Wall tumbled down. Residents began to move away for better jobs and the older population began to dwindle as the local economy looked bleak. Despite these challenges, the residents have found a way to revitalize their community using what is already available to them. In the former East Germany, where many rural towns face depopulation and isolation, the thriving, modern town of Lütte maintains its distinct agrarian character and outward connections. The local club Vere in “Altes Haus” successfully creates a cohesive identity, restores local history, promotes social connections, and utilizes local resources to sustain the town and the club’s activities. This club provides insight into how the use of history and organized activity can propel a community into the future without leaving an empty space in history and identity.
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English Tourists in the Georgian Period: A Cultural and Leisure Pursuit
Whitney Metcalf, Amanda Jeffs, Karina Jackson, and Susan Rugh
During the Georgian period (1714-1830), the upper-middle class joined the aristocracy in the world of travel and vacation. The wealthy merchant class began vacationing to new fashionable resort towns such as Bath. The authors of the time popularized the English countryside in their writings for England’s new vacationers as well. Furthermore, the aristocracy began reaching outside of England to the Continent for trips of art, culture, and intellectual stimulation. The Georgian period, in essence, introduced the upper-middle class to leisure vacations, made the English countryside fashionable for tourists, and broadened the reach of the aristocratic vacation to continental Europe’s rich culture.
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The Pediatric Outcome Questionnaire: Considerations Regarding a Promising Pediatric Outcome Measure
Sasha Mondragon, Scott Baldwin, and Mikle South
To our knowledge, the Preschool Outcome Questionnaire (POQ) is the only existing measure developed specifically to track treatment progress over time in preschool-aged children. We examined the factor structure of the POQ using an exploratory factor analysis and conclude that the POQ is an essential first step toward effective measurement of treatment outcome in young children. However, we suggest a revision of POQ items in order to provide greater cohesion and reliability without sacrificing the effective elements of the measure.
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Preservation and Tourism: The Story of National Parks and Monuments
Amber Montes, Liz Smith, and Susan Rugh
The Antiquities Act was passed on June 8, 1906. The Act enables the president to restrict the use of public land owned by the federal government for national monuments without getting congressional approval. The Act limits the land to the smallest area that will allow for proper care. This has been broadly interpreted and has caused much controversy. The Act has been enabled more than 100 times. In August of 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that created the National Parks Service. The act charged the agency to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects . . . and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Today there are 58 national parks in the United States.
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How Does Education Level Affect Marital Processes
Stephen V. Mortensen, Karen Peterson, Candace Shields, and Julie Voisin
Current research utilizes SES levels as a predictor of marital interactions. However, since higher education attainment levels usually lead to higher SES levels, it is presumed that education can also be used as a predictor of marital interactions.Research has found that women’s education levels are positively correlated with marital stability and that husbands’ education levels are not significantly correlated with marital stability.The current study will further determine whether education level can be used as a predictor of marital processes, as measured by wives’ perceptions of various marital interactions. We hypothesize that husbands’ and wives' education attainment levels will be predictors of various marital processes.
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Child Marriage: Can access to media discourage the practice in South Asia?
Angela O'Neill and Sven Wilson
In this paper, we explore a possible role for the media to facilitate social change through international and domestic politics even when political will may be lacking. Using data from national health surveys in two South Asian countries, we find that frequent reading of the newspaper is associated with higher ages at marriage among women in all of the countries surveyed. Further research is necessary to determine the types of programs and degree of openness for the other forms of media in each of the countries.
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Marcia’s Identity Statuses in Comparison with Time Management Habits
Anu O'Neill, David Rackham, Mary Finley, and Scott C. Steffensen
This study found that time management correlates with Marcia's Identity Status theory. Marcia's Identity Status reflects on the four different levels of identity: achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, diffusion. Identity can consist of things such as reasons for going to school, what career they want and knowing what accomplishments they are working towards. Identity and time usage are related because as a person know what is important to them they know how they want to use their time. We are hoping to see the strength of identity in how time is allocated.
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The Attraction of Thanatourism
Kristen Oviatt, Johanna Goodrich, Kristy Tidwell, and Susan Rugh
From the emotional messages, the memorials, to the graphic images and memories evoked at the 9/11 Memorial, Holocaust Museum, and display of the Enola Gay, dark tourism exhibits a far reaching impact on the human race. It has the energy and influence to bring people together emotionally and unite them in remembrance of a people, place, and event. Dark tourism is an attraction of its own. In this study we have taken a random sampling of individuals from around the United States centering on their eagerness to visit three places of interest of thanatourism. These places are the 9/11 Memorial, the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., and the Enola Gay in the annex of the Air and Space Museum near an airport in the D.C. area. Prior to taking a random sampling our group hypothesized that there is a certain connection and curiosity that accompanies places that rely on thanatourism and that this sampling would show there is an industry in thanatourism.
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Acupuncture Reduces Ethanol Inhibition of VTA GABA Neuron Activity and Ethanol Self-Administration: Role of Endogenous Opioids
Jung J. Park, Bryan Blumell, Brian Hoyt, and Mandy M. Foote
Acupuncture of the Shenmen(HT-7) channel has a strong inhibitory effect on ethanol(ETOH)-induced dopamine (DA) release and prevents the reduction of dopamine (DA) by chronic ETOH (Zhaoetal.,2006). GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) regulate DA neuron activity and release in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). They also express mu-opioid receptors (Fig.1) and their firing rate is inhibited by ETOH andopioids (Fig.2).
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Materialism, Religiosity, and Financial Stress as Predictors of Retirement Planning
Scott H. Payne, Jeffrey P. Dew, and Jeremy Yorgason
Since 1978 the number of individuals covered by defined-benefit plans has been cut in half (presently 21%), and personal savings as a percentage of disposable income has also declined from 8.9% in 1978 to 4.3% in 2009. These changes are impacting financial stability during retirement. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact materialism, religiosity, and financial stress have on retirement planning.
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Brigham Young University Student Perception of Medical Practitioners Based on Gender
Curtis Pearson, Ryan Jury, Charity Kemp, and Benjamin De Jesus
Gender bias is a problem within the medical field, even to the extent of affecting patients care. At the U of U Medical School in 2001 BYU graduates were involved in gender bias. The female medical students complained of sexist remarks towards their role as a Doctor. Studies have shown repeatedly that patients prefer a certain type of gender when choosing a physician (Adams 2003). Physician gender attributes also contribute to the type of care that patients perceive they will get (Marshall 2007). Also, the patients perceptions of the physician's ability determine whether they follow the physicians counsel or not(Bonds 2004). Other research has shown that there is a general bias in the medical field based on the gender of a chosen physician. (Taylor 1994) We hypothesize that BYU students have gender bias in the way they choose a physician and follow their counsel.
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Parental Stress as a Mediator for Relationship Satisfaction and Child Well-being between Two Adult Developmental Groups
Heather Perkins and Brian J. Willoughby
In the last 15 years, a new body of research looking at the development of individuals within the age range of 18 to 25 has emerged. Fifty years ago, this developmental period was marked by what are now deemed “adult” responsibilities such as marriage and parenthood. In present times however, we have found that more and more individuals are using this period as a time to obtain an education, and form self identity. Research looking at this population has unearthed distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from other developmental groups (Arnett & Taber, 1994). For emerging adults undergoing the transition to parenthood, the introduction of a child into that self identification process could drastically change the outcomes of that process. The transition to parenthood has been found to be a period marked by rapid identity formation and development (Delmore-Ko, 2001). The impacts on of experiencing these, and the changes associated with emerging adulthood simultaneously could significantly change developmental patterns in both domains. Indeed, individuals going through multiple developmental changes, or whom have increases in role overload, are less likely to successfully navigating the transition to parenthood (Perry-Jenkins, Goldberg, Pierce, Sayer, 2007; Palmer, 2004).
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Does More Green equal More Green?: A Comparison of Vegetation in Rich and Poor Neighborhoods in Utah County
Alan Peters, Roxanne Yorgason, Cinta Nielsen, and Alison Fletcher
Greenery is an important part of any urban environment. Besides being visually appealing, landscaping performs important ecological functions such as food and habitats for some creatures and cooling effects for the urban ecosystem. For these and other reasons, places with green lawns and mature trees are highly desirable. Landscaping, however, is not cheap. Planting and maintaining appropriate trees, shrubbery, or grasses can be costly to private homeowners, businesses, or municipalities. This can result in unequal amounts of trees and other greenery between rich and less affluent communities, and a disparity between rich and poor neighborhoods within the same city. Using remote sensing, GIS, and landscape ecology methods, we hope to determine whether or not there are significant differences in the quantity and quality of greenery in wealthy and less affluent neighborhoods within Utah County.