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  Healthy Attachment and Commitment Levels in Early Marriage

  Bethany M. Wood and Cory E. McFarland

  Data from the CREATE study were analyzed to observe how healthy, strong attachment affects commitment levels in newly married couples. Results indicate that there is a positive and statistically significant association between attachment and commitment. The other control variables did not have a statistically significant effect on the dependent variable: commitment. The R2 for each of the models suggests that attachment explains a substantial portion of the variation in commitment.

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  A Tall Tale: How Stories Can Change U.S. Public Opinion

  Matthew B. Young

  “In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything.” Just as in Abraham Lincoln’s day, today our nation’s course is influenced by public opinion. Thus, understanding which frame best elicits a change in public opinion will provide agencies with a more effective model to change voters’ opinions.

  A frame is the presentation of an idea or fact, meant to encourage a specific interpretation. In this study, the issue of foreign aid will be framed as stories and facts. A story frame will portray information about a community or individual affected by U.S. foreign aid using the “Universal Story Structure.” A fact frame will consist of big data, numbers and figures presented in five bullet points.

  Previous studies have shown that correcting wrong perceptions about aid practices can improve support for aid. My project goes a step further and answers the next logical question; which frame of aid will have the strongest effect. A study carried out by Dr. Paul Zak reveals that narratives following the “Universal Story Structure” change behavior by changing brain chemistry (Zak 2012). My main finding is that participants with negative opinions of foreign aid are 6 times more likely to support foreign aid after reading a positive story frame.

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  Measuring Maladaptive Perfectionism

  JoAnna Burton, Amber Veazey, Melissa Tingey, and Kat Green

  Perfectionism is a personality trait in which individuals set high standards for themselves that are in line with an ideal image of how they should look, act, and perform. Perfectionism can be both adaptive and maladaptive. Identifying maladaptive perfectionism may aid individuals in consciously overcoming the negative side effects associated with maladaptive perfectionism and help individuals practice an adaptive perfectionism. We hypothesized that our measure, the Maladaptive or Adaptive Personality Scale (MAPS) would reliably and validly indicate and measure the presence of maladaptive perfectionism. Our measure used ten 4-point Likert scale questions measuring behavioral and emotional manifestations of perfectionism. MAPS was administered to a convenience sample of 165 to mostly students at Brigham Young University. Results showed that MAPs had a high internal consistency (? = .80), and a relatively moderate content validity ratio (most items ? .44). Principal component analysis showed most items loaded onto one factor (behavioral manifestations of perfectionism). The measure was highly reliable but may need further research to reassure validity. Overall, MAPS is worth pursuing and may be beneficial in detecting behavioral manifestations of maladaptive perfectionism.

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  Perceptual Influences for Potential Hoarders

  Sam Hardy, Marie Ricks, Brian Appel, and Alex Dresden

  Hoarding is defined as "(1) the acquisition of, and failure to, discard a large number of possessions that appear to be ... of limited value, (2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which these spaces were designed, (3) significant ... impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding, and (4) reluctance ... to return borrowed items." The average age of onset for hoarders is 11-15 years of age, with most hoarders reporting symptoms before age 20. Our research sought to find correlations regarding public perceptions of hoarding, including demographic, personal, and socioeconomic factors. Using a 55-question online survey and taking advantage of social networking and byu.sona-systems.com and after doing a smaller pilot study, we gathered pertinent information regarding hoarding perceptions and hoarding self-identification from 1265 participants. These research results confirm that the perceptual influences for potential hoarders were positively correlated with age, gender, education, and income. In addition, those that knew hoarders and those who identified themselves as hoarders were positively correlated with knowledge of treatment options, potential pursuit of those treatments, and belief that treatment could be successful as they aged. Thus, we can promote early life education programs regarding hoarding, especially if targeted to appropriate audiences, as an influential factor in reducing hoarding behaviors.

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  Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Dyadic Longitudinal Study

  Anthony A. Hughes and James Harper

  Using questionnaires, self-report, and partner report of spouse, this five year longitudinal investigation examined the growth trajectory of the sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) of married partners within midlife, with insecure attachment at time 1 as a predictor. Findings showed that insecure attachment was a significant predictor of wives intercept but not for husbands. Insecure attachment wasn't a significant predictor of either partner's slope. As husbands SDD score changed, their growth across time had an inverse change. Husband slope and intercept had an inverse correlation. Wives intercept and husband intercept correlated or changed together. Wife slope and husband intercept had an inverse correlation. Wife slope and wife intercept had an inverse relationship. The findings also showed a positive attachment correlation for husbands and wives. Treatment implications can be drawn from this investigation.

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  Imagining a Controversy: The Taft-Katsura Memorandum in Korean History Comic Books

  Joseph Seeley and Kirk Larsen

  For generations of North and South Koreans, the 1905 Taft-Katsura Memorandum or "secret treaty" has been emblematic of the U.S. decision to support the Japanese annexation of Korea around the turn of the twentieth century. Although scholars of early Korean-US relations consistently point out that Taft never called the Memorandum anything more than his "personal opinion," these academic objections have had little impact on how the Memorandum has been remembered by generations of Koreans. By distilling complex historical nuance into concise, visually appealing vignettes, comic book histories of the Taft-Katsura Memorandum in both North and South Korea seem to exert far more influence on how the event is remembered and understood than do scholarly articles, illustrating the tension between actuality and popular memory.

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  Children, Spouses, and Attitudes: Impact on Women's Work Status

  Mengxi Li Seeley and James B. McDonald

  Women face unique challenges in their balancing of career and family. Some questions women consider include children and childcare, spouses' earning potential and relationship stability, and their own attitudes on family relationships and gender roles. This study uses probit and probit with instrumental variables to examine the effects of these considerations on women's fulltime work status, the dependent variable. Under the assumption of traditional social views regarding men as breadwinners and women as nurturers, increased childcare pressures and spousal potential to provide are expected to decrease the incentive for women to work fulltime. The results of this study are mostly consistent with this theory. One especially interesting finding was that the most influential factor consistently statistically significant in both models used was women's attitudes regarding mother-child relationships.

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  The Best Way to Select State Court Judges

  Curtis Thomas and Sven Wilson

  Due to the spending increase in campaigns for state court judges and to the controversial positions taken by state court judges on high-profile issues, research has increased into the methods state use to select their judges. This poster highlights research into the best method for selecting state court judges. By comparing the different methods for selecting state court judges currently in use according to goals considered to be relevant to this issue, I conclude that the best method for selecting state court judges is a combination of appointment for a state's highest court judges and non-partisan elections for a state's lower court judges, enhanced by a federal solution requiring recusal in cases involving large campaign donors.

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  Does Killing Drug Cartel Leaders Increase Violence in Mexico?

  Alex Wilson and Jay Goodliffe

  Soon after Felipe Calderon became president of Mexico, he drastically changed the country's policy concerning drug cartels and drug trade. The policy moved from destroying production of drugs, such as burning poppy and marijuana fields, to an attack on the organization of the Drug Cartels. Opponents of this action, argue that the policy has been ineffective in reducing drug flow, but has only increased violence. One argument made for the increasing violence is that the killing of drug cartel leaders leads to fractionalization and competition within the cartel. This fractionalization then leads to violence as different members of the cartel fight for power. By examining time series data and determining if there are any breaks when a drug cartel leader is captured or killed, I find that the data changes significantly. However, I do not find that it increases like the hypothesis claims. To confirm this finding I test the data of captured or killed cartel leaders in a random effects panel model. I find that the killing or capturing of cartel leaders actually leads to a statistically significant decrease in the number of executions.

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  An Alternative to Hedonism: Eudaimonic Well-Being

  Brigham Breton, Nathan Billings-Smith, Jason Lefrandt, and Patrick R. Steffen

  Research has repeatedly shown that individuals who rate highly on eudaimonic personality measures have a more positive perception of their well-being (physical and psychological) than individuals who rate highly on hedonic personality measures. We hypothesized that individuals who rate highly only the eudaimonic questions in the survey will have lower blood pressure and heart rate in response to stress, and also will return to normal stress levels more quickly than hedonic individuals. These results valid a number of other research studies that have demonstrated that eudaimonic thought is consistently related to better health outcomes. Similarly, individuals who rated highly on eudaimonic measures were generally more psychologically healthy than their more hedonic counterparts.

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  Are Microfinance Institutions Immune to Science?: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  Matthew R. Brigham, William T. Matthias, Chase Petrey, and Daniel Nielson

  Microfinance institutions (MFIs) allow the poor access to capital in order to overcome the poverty trap and lift themselves into prosperity. With the success of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, MFIs have become a popular solution to poverty alleviation in the developing world. However, their objective impact on poverty remains uncertain. Researchers have performed studies and experiments with mixed results. Despite its popularity, microfinance may not be as effective as people believe. Do MFIs value scientific information on their effectiveness? If so, the poor may be more likely to benefit from effective programs as MFIs make changes responsive to such research. If not, MFIs may resist improving their programs at the expense of the poor. We ran a randomized controlled trial on MFIs around the world to determine whether or not MFIs are willing to improve given positive or negative research about the effectiveness of microfinance. Results support our hypothesis that MFIs that receive positive information are more likely to request partnership for an impact evaluation, and MFIs that receive negative information are less likely to do so. This knowledge could help academics and donors know how MFIs respond to new information.

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  General Motivation Domains & Behavioral Specificity Across Motivations

  Justin B. Christensen, David C. Dollahite, and Sam A. Hardy

  The present study used Self-Determination Theory to explore adolescents' motivations to engage in prosocial behaviors (donating and volunteering) and abstain from health-risk behaviors (marijuana use and sexual intercourse). Pearson's r correlations evidenced general motivation schemes (prosocial and abstinence), suggesting that general prosocial motivation will prompt many prosocial behaviors while a general abstinence motivation will discourage many health risk behaviors. Multiple regression analysis, however, indicated that motivation is also behavior specific, meaning that specific behaviors are prompted by specific motivation. These findings help to broaden our understanding of adolescents by revealing two levels of motivation; behavioral and domain.

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  The Fox News Effect: Does Polarized News-Media Fill Traditional News Roles?

  Richard Davis and Braden W. Johnson

  Since the formation of the Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980, cable news channels have grown in scope and influence. Traditional news providers are often critical of the bias and "spin" that are frequently associated with such cable news channels but few have looked for the unique benefits that polarized news can have on its consumers. This study seeks to prove whether or not polarized news has beneficial effects on its consumers. Using a 2010 media survey conducted by the Pew Media Center, I group the respondents into categories representing those who view polarized media (n=780) and those who do not (n=760). I then test each group against the mean (n=3,007) in three different measures and compare the results. I find that consumers of polarized media are more likely to have a working knowledge of current events, read the newspaper daily, and register to vote.

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  Public Perception of Hoarding

  Alex Dresden, Stephanie Svanevik, Kristen Hoopes, and Brian Appel

  Hoarding is defined as (1) the acquisition of, and failure to, discard a large number of possessions that appear to be of limited value, (2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which these spaces were designed, (3) significant impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding, and (4) reluctance to return borrowed items. The average age of onset for hoarders is 11-15 years of age, with most hoarders reporting symptoms before age 20. Our research sought to find correlations regarding public perceptions of hoarding, including demographic, personal, and socioeconomic factors. Using a 55-question online survey and taking advantage of social networking and byu.sona-systems.com, we gathered pertinent information regarding hoarding perceptions and hoarding self-identification from 769 participants. The research results indicate that public perceptions of hoarding and personal identification as a hoarder were both positively correlated with age, gender, education, and income. In addition, those that knew hoarders and those who identified themselves as hoarders were positively correlated with knowledge of treatment options, potential pursuit of those treatments, and belief that treatment could be successful as they aged. Thus, we propose early life education programs regarding hoarding, especially if targeted to appropriate audiences, as an influential factor in reducing hoarding behaviors.

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  Does Attachment to Parents Mediate the Relationship between Marital Conflict and Child Self-Regulation

  Lisa T. Hansen, James M. Harper, and Jeremy Yorgason

  This longitudinal study considers the effect of parent-child attachment on the self-regulation of children. Four hundred and forty-eight families from the Northwestern U.S. were surveyed as part of Brigham Young University's Flourishing Families Project. Each family studied included a child between the ages of 11 and 13. Couple conflict and the child's attachment to parents were assessed at time 1 and the child's self-regulation was assessed each year thereafter for three years. Higher couple conflict predicted lower attachment to father and to mother at time 1 with a greater negative effect for fathers. Higher scores on attachment to father predicted greater initial levels of child self-regulation (at time 2) but not slopes of child self-regulation. Model results suggest that father attachment mediates the link between couple conflict and initial levels of self-regulation. This model accounted for 40% of the variation in child self-regulation measured at one year.

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  Wanted "Dead or Alive": The Effects of Charismatic Leadership on Terrorist Organizations

  Cameron S. Harris, Kirk Hawkins, and Daniel Milton

  Charismatic leadership profoundly moves terrorist organizations to more violence and longer organizational life-spans.

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  Sexual Satisfaction and Differentiation

  Anthony A. Hughes and James Harper

  Using questionnaires, self report, and partner report of spouse, this investigation examined the relationship between differentiation of self and sexual satisfaction of each partner for a sample size of 681. The data was collected from a large northwestern city and was part of the Flourishing Families Project. Actor and partner effects were both examined. Findings showed that both husbands and wives were impacted by both actor and partner effects of differentiation of self. The latent variable of differentiation of self measured the lack of differentiation, while the latent variable of sexual satisfaction measured the lack of sexual satisfaction within the relationship. Wife sexual satisfaction was predicted by the increase or decrease in husband and wife differentiation of self. Husband sexual satisfaction was also predicted by the increase or decrease of husband and wife differentiation of self. Overall, as the variables (differentiation of self) increased, the variables (sexual satisfaction) also increased.

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  Television Media Consumption: Measuring Attitudinal Levels Towards Capital Punishment

  Bryson D. Jones and Stephen J. Bahr

  This study argues that the frequency of consumption and type of television media that one views is indicative of attitudinal formation on sensitive Political Science issues such as executing convicted murderers. In this setting, I investigate whether Americans who watch more television, and those who watch prime-time dramas or comedies or national or world news programs are more likely to support the death penalty. I hypothesize that such viewing habits increases ones likelihood for supporting punitive punishment like the death penalty because of the type of media messages they are exposed to such as violence, criminal dramas, law enforcement, and victimization. I test these hypotheses utilizing data from the 1993 General Social Survey (GSS). Controlling for a range of demographic factors and other known predictors of death penalty attitudes, my results demonstrate that Americans who more frequently view prime-time dramas or comedies and national or world news programs are more likely to support capital punishment for convicted murderers.

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  The Life of a Bill in the Utah Legislature: Following House Bill 49- Firearms Revisions

  Scott Robbins

  There have been some recent cases of firearm owners legally carrying their firearms, who have faced criminal prosecution and fines, though they broke no law. House Bill 49 was was introduced by Rep. Paul Ray in order to protect firearm-carrying citizens from receiving fines and criminal charges from two conflicting laws.The bill mainly clarifies the open carry and disorderly conduct aspects of existing Utah law. Because HB49 was incremental and fit with the majority opinion of Utah, it was able to get through to the senate where it was stalled from an amendment. Since the legislative session ended before the amendment could be fixed, HB49 died in the 2012 legislative session.

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  Does This Marriage Make Me Look Fat? Marital Quality as a Predictor of Body Weight, Activity Level, and Eating Habits

  Lori C. Schade, Jonathan Sandberg, and Dean Busby

  Survey data from married couples (N=374) was analyzed for effects of marital quality on weight as a problem in the marriage, activity level and eating habits. Results indicate that wife marital quality was positively associated with weight being a problem for wives, while husband marital quality was negatively associated with weight being a problem for both husbands and wives in the relationship. Wife marital quality was also positively associated with husband activity level, while husband marital quality was negatively associated with husband activity level. Implications of findings are discussed.

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  Ceramics From Wolf Village

  Kari Schrade and James Allison

  Ceramics have been found all over the world and in most cultures. Ceramics can be a form of art or can be strictly utilitarian. Most cultures have tried to create pottery that is unique to them. These styles and tempers help archaeologists determine where a piece of ceramic has come from. Pottery decorations and the different tempers found in the ceramics at Wolf Village present evidence that the Fremont traded with people outside their local community. Great Salt Lake one of the largest counts is associated with northern Utah, especially around the Great Salt Lake. All of the other types are from farther away which can indicates trade. Corrugated wares are typically associated with southwestern pottery (Anasazi) and could indicate that there was trade of ideas between the two groups, especially as these two buildings were being used during the same time period as the Pueblo II period in Anasazi history. Fremont and Anasazi pottery both use similar design elements but they use them in such a way that they are distinct. Although the relationship between design styles of the Fremont and Cortez Black-On-White could be construed as very similar, I can only state that the tempers found in all but the Great Salt Lake wares are from far enough away from Wolf Village as conclude that the people of Wolf Village were trading and interacting with other Fremont groups.

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  Nike, Goddess of Victory: Symbol of Ancient Greek Identity

  Shannon C. Wood and James Allison

  The importance of the Ancient Greek goddess of victory, Nike, has traditionally been ignored or understated in Classical studies. However, I would argue that because the Greeks idolized traditional values that Nike had patronship over, and because there is evidence in the archaeological record that demonstrates Nike's importance and presence across a broad spectrum of worship, Nike is in fact one of the more important deities when considering the relation of Greek religion to Greek identity.

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  Dating a Mummy: Determining Background on Museum Objects With No Provenience

  Shannon C. Wood and Paul Stavast

  An Egyptian falcon mummy donated to BYU's Museum of Peoples and Cultures had no provenience and thus aroused a lot of curiosity. At first, noninvasive research procedures were used in order to see inside the mummy. Results were inconclusive, so only after these procedures were followed were more invasive techniques carried out. It is important that museums follow these procedures in order to build a background for their objects without a history.

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  Fathers of Flourishing Families

  Daniel H. Erickson and Randal D. Day

  Researchers have found that father involvement is a critical part of healthy child development. Fathers’ perspectives and qualities greatly influence and affect children. Researchers’ findings tell us that father involvement is correlated to positive outcomes in children, including increased cognitive competence, increased empathy, less sex-stereotyped beliefs, a greater internal locus of control, and acting out less often. The purpose of this study is to advance the extant literature by showing how father involvement over time impacts child self-esteem, depression, perseverance, hope, and leadership in the lives of 500 teens.

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  How Well Do Republican Delegates Represent Other Utah Republicans

  Matthew D. Frei and Quin J. Monson

  In her 1967 classic work on representation, Hannah Pitkin presents two conceptualization of that term. One view of representation demands that representatives share demographic characteristics with those they represent while the other concerns itself with the actions of representation. This project applies both views to an assessment of the Utah candidate nomination system by comparing the issue preferences and demographic characteristics of delegates to the 2010 Utah Republican Nominating Convention with those of the primary and general election voters they are to represent. The resulting analysis shows how the groups differ and that their issue preferences diverge.