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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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.
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Modern-day Conceptions of Marriage in Visakhapatnam, India: “Bridging the Gap” Between Globalized Young Women and Their Parents
Courtney E. Petersen and Charles Nuckolls
Though the globalization of Visakhapatnam is causing a drastic shift in how university-age women understand and relate to current marriage practices and the power relationships associated with them, I propose that the tensions resulting from this change can be overcome through a revived importance placed on communication between the young woman and her parents.
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Non-target Incidental Memory and Associated Factors
Sean Peterson and Erin D. Bigler
Students want to learn what is on the test, but professors want students to learn all the curriculum, tested or not. One compromise is through non-target incidental memory, which acts like peripheral vision, so that even though some material is emphasized, surrounding material is also processed and learned. The current study found a significant amount of incidental memory that did not vary with year in school or sex. Therefore, “teaching to the test” does not necessarily block all learning of other material: some of it is automatically learned as well.
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Why Are You Nice? Relational and Dispositional Correlates of Adolescent Prosocial Behavior
Noelle L. Pitcher, Drew Egan, Julie Lutz, and Brent Black
IntroductionProsocialbehavior is defined as voluntary behavior to help and benefit another (Padilla-Walker & Christensen, in press). Most research looking at adolescent’s prosocialbehavior has taken a dispositional approach, meaning adolescents help people because of their personal traits such as empathy (Krevans & Gibbs, 1996), and values (Bardi& Schwartz, 2003). In addition, the majority of research focuses on prosocialbehavior toward strangers. There is also research showing that adolescents are more frequently prosocialtoward friends and family than toward strangers (Padilla-Walker & Christensen, in press). Thus, recent studies have turned their attention to a relational approach of prosocialdevelopment. This approach states that adolescents are prosocialtoward others with whom they have established relationships in an attempt to maintain those relationships (Eberly& Montemayor, 1999). Therefore, the current study will examine both the dispositional and relational approaches to prosocialdevelopment.Based on existing research, we hypothesize that: 1) Dispositional traits will be a stronger predictor of prosocialbehavior towards strangers than towards friends and family. 2) After controlling for dispositional traits, the relationship quality with mom and dad will still be directly related to prosocialbehavior towards family. 3)After controlling for dispositional traits, the relationship quality with friends will still be directly related to prosocialbehavior towards friends.
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Marriage: Sooner or Later
Franklin O. Poulsen and Dean Busby
The major purpose of this study is to explore whether there are concrete relationship factors, family factors or attitudes that explain why individuals put off getting married till later and later even though they generally view it as desirable. In order to test this we use two variables (Desire to be Married and Readiness for a Close Relationship) as indicators of marriage imminence and then utilize predictors to see if our conceptual framework accurately predicts these indicators. Our predictors follow an ecological approach (Larson & Holman, 1994) to dating and marriage that assumes a variety of contexts (family, dating, culture etc.) influence our dating attitudes and behaviors. We recognize from the outset that without longitudinal data that includes both dating and marriage, what we term imminence is not an accurate reflection of marital timing, though it does distinguish between people who want to be married “now” and those who do not.
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Marital Ideals
Franklin O. Poulsen, Kyle Reid, and Thomas B. Holman
There is a scant but growing literature exploring how marital ideals influence dating and marriage among young Americans. This research indicates that a person’s marital ideals are predictive of marital success (Fletcher, Simpson, & Thomas, 2000), and that similarity in ideals especially those that are value based help ensure positive marital outcomes (Acitelli, Kenny & Weiner, 2001). Americans in particular are looking for a partner who is caring, social, a good communicator, involved in a career, independent, family-oriented, and intelligent. (Knobloch-Fedders& Knudson, 2009). In this study we were interested in exploring a conceptual model that includes the source of marital ideals, what these ideals look like and how they influence marriage for young single Latter-day Saints (LDS). We were also interested in whether marital ideals among LDS young adults are more American or more Mormon.
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From Pawn to President
Joshua C. Powell and Sven Wilson
This study attempts to clarify the causes of coups d’Etat, which still occur at alarming rates within less-developed nations. Previous research has focused on three potential motivations: greed, grievance, and feasibility. Greed: High levels of natural resources such as oil can easily be diverted into personal accounts, making a successful coup more profitable. Grievance: Repression or poor governance may lead to rebellion. Feasibility: A game-theoretic explanation in which coups are attempted simply because their success seems likely.
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We are Widows, We are Women: The oral histories of low caste Indian widows and how they maintain a sense of self in the face of social role change
Suzanne Powell, Charles Nuckolls, and Valerie Hudson
Despite having social widowhood imposed upon them, these wides are able to create a continuance of self by taking a conscious stand on their new role through utilizing value systems they maintained prior to widowhood and by giving personal meaning to the prescribed rites and behaviors associated with widowhood.
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Stealing Babies, Making Families: Does Corruption in Government lead to More Adoptions into the US?
Tisah Quarnberg, Chelsea Mazar, and Jini Roby
On March 26, 2007 Ana Escobar reported her baby Esther Zulamitawas stolen. Ana was locked in a storage closet at the family’s shoe store, north of Guatemala City, while armed men took her daughter. Two months later, Ana was sitting in the National Adoption Council’s offices when she spotted her baby. Esther was being adopted by an unidentified US couple. DNA tests had been falsified and Esther was given all new papers. Convinced that the child was hers, Ana got a new DNA tests ordered. These tests confirmed that the baby was Esther and she has since been reunited with her mother. Unfortunately, stories like these are all too familiar in Central and South America.
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Schizophrenia and Error Processing: A Meta Analysis
David Rackham, Scott Baldwin, and Michael Larson
The error-related negativity (ERN) is a response locked Event-Related Potential component that peaks approximately 50 ms after an incorrect response. (Gehring, 1993) In a general sense the ERN seems to play a role in error detection and monitoring that occurs in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The ERN is modulated by affective variables as well as by psychopathology. It is thought that deficiencies in the internal monitoring systems of individuals with schizophrenia may be related to the expression of symptoms typical to schizophrenia. Studies of the ERN and individuals with schizophrenia have revealed significant results that support these assumptions. No work has been done to determine the overall effect of ERN amplitude and schizophrenia. This study determined the average effect size of ERN amplitude for patients with schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that a large average effect size of ERN amplitude attenuation in participants with schizophrenia would be found.
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Service-Learning: Does it Matter?
Katie E. Rasmussen, David Nelson, Jason Carroll, and Sarah Coyne
We hypothesized that those who participated in service-learning experiences, relative to the comparison groups, would experience greater growth in self-perceptions or valuing of religious identity (RI), cultural awareness (CA), balanced living (BL), lifelong learning (LL), and critical thinking (CT). We also expected study abroad participants to experience more growth than our control group participants, given the demands and opportunities of an international experience.
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Service-Learning in Emerging Adulthood: Positive Development and Outcomes
Katie E. Rasmussen, Larry Nelson, and Laura M. Padilla-Walker
The current study qualitatively examined positive development and outcomes during emerging adulthood specifically in the context of service-learning experience in the Romania International Internship program. We hypothesized that compared with emerging adults who do not participate in service-learning experiences, those who do participate develop more positive outcomes including (1) more positive self-perceptions, (2) greater identity development, and (3) achievement of criteria deemed necessary for adulthood.
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United States Secret War in Laos with the Hmong tribe (Vietnam era) – the agreement
P. Michael Rattanasengchanh and Andrew Johns
The purpose of the project was to learn and understand the agreement between the Hmong tribe of Northern Laos and the United States when the U.S. government recruited the Hmong people to fight the communists in Laos.