Follow

• 

  Mental Wellness of the Saintly, Spiritual, and Secular: Who Has the Edge?

  Addison Clevenger, Justin Dyer, and Sam Hardy

  This study examines the relationship between religious/spiritual identity and depression and anxiety levels at comparative baseline levels, and then longitudinally. Gathered from The Family Foundations of Youth Development Project, this study samples parent-child dyads from highly religious parts of the Western United States to determine how the mental health of these individuals is affected by the conjunction of spirituality and religiosity, the lack of either, or one divorced from the other. Results revealed that at baseline levels, participants across all groups who identified as “Spiritual but not Religious” had the highest levels of anxiety and depression, and children who identified as “Religious and Spiritual” had the lowest levels of depression. The difference between the “Religious and Spiritual” identity and the “Spiritual but not Religious” identity, specifically, was significant across every baseline scale. Results indicated that while the baseline mental health levels of the “Spiritual but not Religious” groupings were the worst, this was the only group of children to significantly decrease in their depression levels, and the only group to not significantly increase in their anxiety levels, across time. Regarding adults, each group got significantly less depressed over time, except those who identified as “Religious but not Spiritual.” Like the area of research broadly, the results of this study are nuanced. This paper explains the study’s procedures and results, and offers possible interpretations, intending to alleviate suffering and encourage flourishing by identifying causal and protective factors for mental illness as it relates to religiosity and spirituality.

• 

  From Story Time to Small Talk: Do Parents Use Descriptive Language Based on Gender?

  Alyssa C. Connelly

  This study examines whether parents use descriptive language differently based on gender using a wordless story book between the parent and child. Findings indicate that parents use more emotion-based language when describing female picture gender and more verb-based language for boy children. These results show ways in which gendered language may shape early self-perception and interests.

• 

  The Disrupted Symphony of Speech: A Lesion Network Mapping Analysis of Apraxia of Speech

  Payton Harris, Harrison Moore, Milija Grotenhuis, Jared Nielsen, and Michael A. Ferguson

  Apraxia of Speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder that causes difficulty planning and coordinating the movements necessary for speech. This study uses lesion network mapping to identify the neural connections of AOS by tracing lesion data and analyzing their functional connectivity patterns. Our data indicates strong connectivity between the left primary motor cortex and right premotor cortex. The findings of the left primary motor cortex differ from most AOS research but still correlate with regional functions found in healthy populations. However, results related to the right motor cortex were much less expected, and suggested a larger, understudied role in the disorder. These results gave insights into AOS mechanisms, and will better inform future research.

• 

  Disclosing Mental Disorders: Whether, When, How, and with Whom to Share a Mental Disorder Diagnosis to Maximize the Likelihood of Receiving a Positive Response

  Eli Z. Hendricks

  Individuals with mental disorders face complex decisions about whether, when, how, and to whom they disclose their diagnosis. Disclosure is significant because it can lead to both substantial positive and negative outcomes. This review examined how disclosure outcomes differ across five major classifications of mental disorders. Through a search of three academic databases, 23 relevant articles were identified and analyzed. Findings indicate that both the likelihood and type of disclosure outcomes vary considerably by diagnosis. Furthermore, the optimal disclosure strategy, which maximizes the likelihood of positive outcomes, is unique for each disorder. The optimal timing, context, and audience are also unique for each disorder. Implications for mental health practitioners, individuals with mental disorders, and the public are discussed to support more positive disclosure outcomes. Finally, limitations are acknowledged, and areas for future research are proposed.

• 

  Urban Heat Islands Across Major U.S. Cities: ​The Relationship Between Surface Temperature & Socioeconomic Status

  Sarah Irish, Eliza Hammari, and Megan Green

  The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a geospatial phenomenon prevalent across major U.S. cities which has significant implications for public health, energy consumption, and environmental quality. To better understand the impacts of UHI on various communities, we analyzed the correlation between surface heat temperatures and median household income across five large cities and three urban climates (arid, humid, and tropical) in the U.S.. We gathered data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources to create maps using ArcGIS Pro. Based on the maps and statistical analysis, UHI intensity is correlated with socioeconomic status. Further research is recommended to better understand the other aspects affecting UHI intensity and to develop better strategies for UHI mitigation.

• 

  Automating Adjustable Storm Evacuation Sites for Local Governments

  Bailee Kinghorn, Emma Milne, and Camille Heaton

  Using ArcGIS Pro and ArcPy 3.4, we built a tool that scrapes the National Hurricane Center and NOAA GIS databases for current shapefiles, Users choose relevant hurricane track, storm sure, or high-wind layers, specify units and distance, and generate customizable evacuation buffers around selected features, which are automatically added to their map for analysis.

• 

  Poverty in Conflict: How Poverty has been Affected by the Russia-Ukraine War

  Madeline A. Matthews

  In researching the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war on poverty, I sought to understand the effects on the war on the already impoverished and if the war itself increased the rate of poverty particularly in Ukraine. Conflict not only exacerbates already existing poverty (because the poor have less accessibility to shelters, aid, hospitals, religious sites, etc.), but it also increases the number of people who become impoverished. This is true of the current Ukraine-Russia conflict. This war in particular has had more drastic effects on inflicting poverty as Urban warfare has been used by Russian forces. This creates situations where more civilians have been affected and forced into poverty as they flee their houses or are stuck in an area without access to water and food or necessary medical help. I found that the Russia-Ukraine war has not only led to an increase in impoverished people, but it has created a situation where it is much more difficult to care for the poor because the accessibility to care has been blocked or destroyed.

• 

  Under Threat, Overwhelmed: How National Security Crises Impact Support for Right-Wing Populism

  Mary Moody

  How do national security crises affect support for extremist parties? Using Poland’s far-right Law and Justice (PiS) party as a case study, we argue that security threats requiring multilateral responses—such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—erode populist support. Analyzing Polish survey data and election results, we highlight the limits of populist appeal and demonstrate how reliance on multilateral security responses limits populist appeal.

• 

  "Judge Not the Stranger": Partisanship, Social Media, and Support for Immigration Tactics

  Mary Moody, Esme Bolander, and Emma Thomas

  Public opinion polls on immigration in the United States largely focus on gaps between parties and partisans. We provide a new approach, with a novel survey experiment employing randomized vignettes. We find that respondent gender, candidate gender, and candidate country of origin are insignificant predictors of immigration preferences. However, candidates with negative social media posts about the United States government were significantly more likely to face deportation, regardless of a respondent’s partisanship. This has important implications for understanding American citizens’ perceptions of immigration, free speech, and who is welcome in the United States.

• 

  Fertilizer for Independent Terrorism: Social Media's Facilitation of Radicalization

  Mary Moody and Rachel Stark

  Does social media play a role in the radicalization of independent terrorists? We theorize that, while neither necessary nor sufficient, social media facilitates the radicalization of independent terrorists due to its low barrier of entry, allowing individuals around the world to have access to and create echo chambers around radical ideologies, reinforcing their political identities. To test this theory, we conducted a mixed-methods analysis, running statistical tests on the PIRUS database and executing a most-different qualitative comparative design. We find that social media is more involved in independent rather than traditional terrorist radicalization, establishing the causal pathway in case studies.

• 

  Young Children's Responses to Socioeconomic Status in Peer Reward and Punishment

  Joshua R. Namingha and Peter Reschke Dr.

  This research aimed to determine whether children's understanding of socioeconomic status influences their tendency to reward or punish their peers. The experimenters used the "dictator task" to evaluate children's (ages 7-8) assessments of hypothetical scenarios with participants punishing/rewarding poor and rich children. The results indicate no significant difference in punishment based on socioeconomic status, suggesting limited social class bias at this age.

• 

  Scaring Away Sleep: A Psychometric Investigation of Sleep Attention and Sleep Heath

  Brandon Pattillo

  Sleep research has illuminated paradoxical relationships between valuing sleep and sleep health. The current study introduced the Sleep Attention Scale (SAS), a novel scale of sleep attention measuring individuals' cognitive and behavioral focus on sleep, in a population of college-aged individuals (n=372). The SAS was also examined in relation to a measure of sleep-related daytime impairment, a form of cognitive dysfunction attributed to insufficient sleep. The SAS exhibited acceptable internal consistency (α = .72), and factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure. No significant relationship between the SAS and impairment was observed, suggesting that sleep attention may not directly influence cognitive functioning. This has implications for sleep health valuation research, as these findings may challenge the understanding that health valuation strongly correlates to health outcomes. Rather than aligning with more general health models, these results may reflect previous findings supporting more nuanced relationships between sleep valuation and sleep health. Future research in sleep attention may contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms contributing to maladaptive sleep health attitudes observed in previous literature and inform efforts in sleep advocacy and intervention.

• 

  Social Gaps & Urban Divides: How Social Factors Shape Economic Disadvantage in American Cities

  Parker J. Peterson and Ruth Kerry

  This research examines the relationship between nonmarriage, education, and socioeconomic disadvantage across census tracts in Boston, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. Statistical analyses reveal significant differences in never-married proportions between cities, with strong correlations between nonmarriage and community disadvantage. Even when controlling for other factors, nonmarriage remains a significant predictor of disadvantage, though spatial regression shows education is the strongest predictor in Boston.

• 

  Improving Food Security: Determining Risk Zones for Toxic Crop Contamination

  Parker J. Peterson, Cade Smith, Kirsten Sanders, Ruth Kerry, and Sean Young

  Aflatoxin contamination causes significant food waste and poses liver cancer risks to humans and livestock consuming infected corn. This study identifies high-risk years and locations in Texas by analyzing relationships between drought conditions, remote sensing data (NDVI and Thermal IR), and insurance claims for spoiled crops, enabling targeted interventions to reduce contamination and waste.

• 

  Failure To Protect: The Criminalization of Abused Women under Oklahoma Statute 843.5B.

  Asia L. Reid and Michael Barber

  This study examines gender disparities in prosecutions under Oklahoma’s Failure to Protect child abuse statute. Women—often victims themselves—make up 95% of those charged and are more likely to be convicted. Many receive longer sentences than the abuser, raising urgent concerns about how child protection laws criminalize victimized caregivers.

• 

  Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Analyzing the Individual Mobilizing Effect of Vote-by-Mail in Utah’s Municipal Elections

  Asia L. Reid and Michael Barber

  Vote-by-Mail significantly boosts municipal turnout in Utah, especially among Sometimes Voters and those aged 65+. Sometimes Voters show turnout gains of nearly ~19%, while voters 65+ increase by around ~22%. Although turnout rises across all groups, Rare and Habitual Voters show smaller effects. VBM most benefits occasional and older voters.

• 

  The Phenomenology of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: A Literature Review

  Daniel Wellock and David Erekson

  AVHs are experienced by 75% of persons with schizophrenia, and they are characterized by verbal experiences that do not arise through an audible sensation. AVHs often cause debilitating comorbid symptoms and understanding them is important to ameliorate these outcomes. This paper is a literature review of studies surrounding the phenomenology of AVHs in schizophrenia. We gathered 26 papers through using the APAPsychnet and Web of Knowledge databases. We found that negative emotional valence was characteristic of AVHs in schizophrenia. Furthermore, AVHs appeared to have a distinct linguistic and tonal profile and affected behavior significantly. A command subtype, a hypervigilance subtype, and a Schneiderian voice subtype were discovered. Healthy controls appeared to have similar phenomenology, but persons with schizophrenia had higher negative emotional valence. This was represented in literature comparing schizophrenia with other psychoses, and studies demonstrate that more significant differences exist across diagnostic groups rather than individual diagnoses. Further research is needed to develop the widely held ISMM theory, claiming that voices are the product of inner thought confusion. Additionally, more research is needed to establish subtypes and to construct a more comprehensive therapeutic modality to treat persons with schizophrenia experiencing AVHs.

• 

  The Black Latter-day Saint Experience: Exploring Gendered Perspectives

  Hanna Wilkins

  This research investigates the experiences of Black members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through qualitative interviews. It analyzes how participants construct and negotiate racial and religious experiences within a predominantly white faith community– highlighting themes of inclusion, belonging, and the complex intersections of faith and race.

• 

  Jewish Scientists in Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project: Informing their Perspective and Work

  Abigail Beus

  Since the radio broadcasted that Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been bombed, Americans have had difficulty understanding the science and figures behind the literally earth-shattering invention. Despite the innumerable books, shows, movies, poetry, and more regarding World War II and the atomic bomb, very few portray the role played by Jewish scientists in the American effort. Even before 1945, the Manhattan Project and its contributors have had to strike a delicate balance between confidentiality and transparency towards the public. Secret cities involved in the Manhattan Project such as Los Alamos were met with skepticism and concern, especially during the Red Scare of the 1950s and the director J. Robert Oppenheimer’s trial. Such concerns made it difficult to highlight participants in Los Alamos who could be deemed troublesome or anti-American, including Jews and immigrants. It is important to note that Jews in this case refers to those whom the Nazis and others would have persecuted because of their perceived Jewishness. They themselves may not have considered themselves Jewish, especially those religious non-practitioners or those with half or quarter Jewish blood, but such individual circumstances mattered very little in the wide scale hatred of Jews.

  To some extent, such prejudice has continued today. Modern textbooks specifically highlight the righteous American men who worked on the project. They are seen as the saviors of WWII who worked tirelessly to stop their German and then Japanese enemies. While such a story is accurate to a point, it devalues the contributions made by the typically overlooked margins of society such as women and minorities. Jews, both foreign and American-born, were an especially important part of the atomic race in Los Alamos. Their personal desire to resist the devastation brought about by Hitler and the Third Reich catalyzed and revitalized the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos.

• 

  Behind Bars, Beyond Means: Why Incarceration is the Ultimate Form of Poverty in the U.S.

  Samuel Bohn, Ella Paligo, and Benjamin White

  This Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference poster examines the relationship between incarceration and poverty in the United States, where currently over 2 million individuals are imprisoned, constituting 20% of the global prison population. Comprehensive analysis reveals that incarceration exacerbates poverty in the United States through the stigmatization of ex-felons and intergenerational poverty— both perpetuated by systemic exclusions. Drawing on Christian and Islamic principles, this poster highlights the universal call for justice and compassion for these marginalized individuals. The proposed reforms emphasize investment in rehabilitation programs, sentencing reform, and addressing structural inequities. Ultimately, by integrating research-based policies and collectively advocating for systemic change, American society can mitigate the adverse effects of incarceration on individuals and communities, fostering bipartisan economic empowerment and social equity.

• 

  Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Religiosity: Implications for the Parasympathetic Nervous System

  Sydnee Bond, Hannah Hornberger, Parker McKasson, and Patrick Steffen PhD

  Background

  Intrinsic religiosity is a deeply rooted connection to one's faith. Individuals with high intrinsic religiosity find purpose and meaning through their spiritual connections. Extrinsic religiosity is primarily driven by social or other superficial factors. Intrinsic religiosity has demonstrated associations with lower self-reported stress, however, associations between intrinsic/extrinsic religiosity and baseline heart rate variability (HRV), a proxy measure of the parasympathetic nervous system, have not been studied. We hypothesize that higher self-reported stress will be associated with a lower baseline HRV, higher intrinsic religiosity will be correlated with higher baseline HRV, and intrinsic religiosity will serve as a buffer, such that stress will have a weaker influence on baseline HRV among individuals who are more intrinsically religious.

  Methods

  A survey and biofeedback study were conducted on a sample of 135 college students. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) and Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religiosity Scale (IE/R), as well as baseline heart rate variability (HRV), measured using a 3 lead ECG, were used. The impacts of stress on HRV across people with varying levels of intrinsic/extrinsic religiosity were analyzed through a multivariate regression model.

  Broad Impacts

  Although religiosity was not shown to serve as a moderator on stress and HRV, higher intrinsic religiosity was shown to correlate with healthier parasympathetic functioning as measured through HRV. It cannot be fully described why this correlation exists, but these findings could lead to further study on how intrinsic religiosity could play an important role in an individual’s stress response and well-being.

• 

  Liberty and Justice for Some: Comparing DWI Convictions by Ethnicity

  Gretel Busse and Daniel Wilkerson

  This study observes potential disadvantages faced by minorities in the criminal justice system. Using data from DWI cases, we compare outcomes for Hispanic and white criminal defendants. Controlling for BrAC and criminal history, we find that Hispanics are more likely than whites to be convicted and incarcerated, and less likely to use a private attorney.

• 

  If you Teach a Bot to Read: Using Machine Learning to Read the Paris Census

  Jacob Leavitt

  Digitizing 20th-century French census records offers a valuable resource for understanding demographic shifts during significant historical events such as the Thirty Years Crisis and the Industrial Revolution. These records provide insights into the migration patterns of Jewish populations during WWII, revealing how the war impacted Jewish communities and broader population movements. Additionally, they help researchers analyze the transformation of Paris’s neighborhoods over time, examining development and decline. To digitize these records with deep learning models, researchers face the challenge of developing a dataset that allows machine reading of handwritten French census entries. Traditionally, this would require extensive manual labeling of thousands of images, a costly and time-consuming task. Instead, synthetic data generation is used to create a dataset of French words for training the model. By synthesizing labeled data, researchers reduce the need for labor-intensive labeling while still achieving meaningful training outcomes. BYU Pathways students are then used to label to fine-tune the model. Initial results from the model show strong performance, with birth year fields reaching 67% word accuracy and 87% character accuracy after training solely on synthetic data and transfer learning. However, more complex fields had only 39% word accuracy and 49% character accuracy after training. This approach underscores the potential of introducing synthetic data training to traditional transfer learning and active learning to efficiently train high-accuracy models, enhancing historical research capabilities and creating robust tools for analyzing handwritten records.

• 

  CMV and Brain Volume

  Scott MacLean, Ashley Catchpole, Ethan Coulter, Elijah Davis, Bethany Richmond, Thomas Farrer, Dawson Hedges, Shawn Gale, and Lance Erickson

  In a sample of UK adults aged 40-69, we conducted multivariable regression analysis on the relationship between cytomegalovirus (CMV) and brain volume accounting for several health covariates. Although no main effects emerged, we found that socioeconomic status moderated the relationship, such that in low socioeconomic groups, CMV predicted lower thalamic and hippocampal volumes.

• 

  La Unión Hace la Fuerza: The Power of Parental Involvement in the Emotional Well-Being of Hispanic/Latinx Youth

  Ana McCarl

  The present study seeks to answer how parental involvement impacts the emotional health of Hispanic/Latinx youth, a population known for disproportionately experiencing high rates of mental health disorders in the US.

  Data were taken from 373 parent-child dyads from every state in Mexico, and a linear regression model was run to assess if parental involvement predicts emotional well-being while controlling for age, marital status, education, and gender.

  The results showed that parental involvement predicted child emotional well-being, with each unit increase in parental involvement representing a 7.98 increase in child emotional well-being.

  Given the prevalence of negative mental health outcomes among this population, culturally-tailored interventions should seek to incorporate parental involvement as an essential part of individual and family therapy.