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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Antecedents of Paternal Involvement: Is It More Than Just Being There?
Heidi Harris, Nathan Jorgensen, Jessica Francis, and Stacia Svedi
Our primary research question focuses on what predicts higher levels of father involvement. Previous research has only touched on the variables that influence a father's involvement and very few assess father involvement using a multiple factor definition of involvement and fewer still assess multiple predictors of involvement in one model. Using the Lamb-Pleck model (1987) father involvement was measured (see Marsiglio, Amato, Day, & Lamb, 2000; Hawkins et al., 2002) in three aspects: accessibility, engagement, and responsibility). In the current study, items measuring responsibility did not factor together in a way that allowed for further analysis and this element was dropped. Five predictors of involvement were assessed in our model in an effort to ascertain which contributes to each element of paternal involvement. These predictors are: father individual well-being (depression) (Radloff, 1977), partner relationship (commitment/ sacrifice) (Stanley & Markman, 1992), father identity (Lee et al., 2002), and level of differentiation (both emotional cutoff and emotional reactivity) (Skowron & Friedlander, 1998).
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Making it: A Comparison of Hispanic and Asian Immigrants' Annual Income
Ben Harrison, Deborah Erickson, Ham Mitala, and Lauren vanderHorst
Research indicates that the number of immigrants in U.S. in 2006 was 37.5 million. The purpose of this study was to examine if Asian or Hispanic immigrants had a higher income and the factors that influence these differences. To gain a foundation on the subject the researches reviewed literature completed on Asian and Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. They discovered that Asians are considered the model minority by the American public. The researchers then looked at the New Immigrant Survey (NIS) from Princeton University done in 2003 and 2004. The variables explored are ethnicity, income, education, documentation, gender, and English fluency. A regression analysis and means comparison was used to analyze the data. Our findings support our hypothesis that Asian immigrants earn more annually than Hispanic immigrants.
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Classical Music and Its Effects on Verbal and Nonverbal Memory Performance
Clarence Holbrook, Emily Hadlock, Jentri Rasmussen, and Erin D. Bigler
The purpose of this study was to test the effect that music has on memory. To date there have been several studies done that fail to agree on the question of whether music affects memory. The fairly well-known phenomenon called the Mozart effect found that spatial-temporal memory increased due to exposure to classical music. This research is intended to determine whether the Mozart effect in fact increases verbal and nonverbal memory, employing the Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCFT).
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Between Two Worlds: Relationships between hearing children and their Deaf parents
Corinne Hoskin and John Hawkins
Hearing children of Deaf parents (HCDPs) — a population rarely addressed by researchers — are surrounded by the Deaf culture of their parents and Hearing culture of their peers and mentors. The differences in language and culture that they experience produce a confusing and potentially disorienting world. HCDPs accept Deafness as an integral part of their identity, as illustrated through the relationships between parent and child.
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Benefits and Applications of Journaling: Exploring the Lower Boundary for Effective Dosage in Non-clinical Populations
Ryan Hunsaker and Patrick Steffen
Written expressions of emotion have been shown to produce favorable outcomes in both spheres of physicalhealth and mentalhealth (Murray, 2009; Pennebaker, 2000). Although scientists have identified to some degree what the effects of journaling are, much less is known regarding exactly whenthis impact is most likely to occur (Pennebaker, 2000). Several studies have shown clinically significant benefits for brief journaling interventions (e.g., Greenberg, Wortman, & Stone, 1996; Burton and King, 2008), but the long-term benefits and the lowest dosages necessary for these benefits are debatable. The current study provides an opportunity to assay the therapeutic effects of a brief journaling intervention. The author proposes that a 15-minute journaling intervention will lead to significant health benefits, which will still be apparent after two weeks.
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Parental Involvement Among Immigrants: Examining Group Differences of Latent Means Using Categorical Data
Wade C. Jacobsen and Joseph Olsen
Bourdieu’smodel of cultural and social reproduction suggests that parents of mainstream backgrounds possess higher levels of cultural and social capital, thus magnifying their level of participation in their children’s educations. Previous studies supporting this theory, have categorized parents of racial-ethnic minorities by pan-ethnic categories (Black, Asian, Hispanic, etc.). This study is one of the first to explore parental involvement levels of parents from different nationalities.
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Don't deny it: Cultural patterns in coping with stress
Bryan J. Jensen, Julianne Lunstad-Holt, Patrick Steffen, and Bruce Brown
Stress is a part of everyday life. One important way that stress influences our health is by increasing blood pressure. Research has consistently reported that foreign‐born Mexicans have lower blood pressure than Caucasians 1. This surprises many, since foreign‐born Mexicans are typically more socioeconomically under advantaged 2. Numerous psychosocial factors such as social support and perceived control have been shown to moderate this socioeconomic status (SES)‐health gradient3, but surprisingly li1le work has been done examining how perceived stress and coping strategies influence this relationship. The current study seeks to examine how the psychological factors of perceived stress and coping influence foreign‐born Mexican Americans and Caucasians. It is hypothesized that: 1. If foreign‐born Mexican Americans have lower blood pressure, then they will perceive less stress. 2. Similarly, if foreign‐born Mexican Americans have lower blood pressure and less perceived stress, then they will also use more adaptive ways of coping.
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Demand for Terrorism: What factors make a country more vulnerable to attack?
Timothy P. Jensen and Sven Wilson
Factors used to explain terrorism range from economic inequality (Bailey, 2002) to religious fundamentalism and prejudice (Anderson & Taylor 2001). Taylor (1998) found that “Neither social background, educational opportunity or attainment seem to be particularly associated with terrorism.” In an econometric analysis of terrorism, Krueger and Maleckova (2003) found no causal relationship between poverty in individuals and their likelihood of becoming terrorists. They examined the supply of terrorism by looking at biographical information of individual terrorists, particularly in Palestine. They found that most terrorists had more education than other members of their home country and were in occupations of high social status. They also examined country-specific attributes that produce terrorists. Significant independent variables were log population, level of civil liberties, and proportion of population in five major religion categories. In significant independent variables tested were GDP per capita quartiles and the literacy rate. They found that a lack of civil liberties has a correlation with terrorist activities and that low income had no direct connection. While this and other research has focused on supply, I will examine what characteristics make a country more likely to be attacked.
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Promontory Caves Revisited: Preliminary Analysis of Faunal Material from 42BO1 and 42BO2
Lindsay Johansson and Joel Janetski
Promontory Caves (42BO1 and 42BO2) are located on Promontory point and were excavated in 1930 and 1931 by Julian Steward from the University of Utah. The caves are the type site for Promontory Phase occupation in the Great Basin and the work being done currently concerning the caves is one aspect of a larger project by Jack Ives of the University of Alberta and Joel Janetski of Brigham Young University concerning the Promontory culture and its relationship to the Athapaskan migration. Based upon the presence of moccasins and ceramics recovered at the site, Steward (1937:87) concluded that Promontory cultures were neither Puebloan nor Shoshonean in origin. Recently, the upper levels of occupation at Promontory Caves have been dated to what is termed the Promontory phase of the Late Prehistoric, occurring from approximately AD 1300 to 1550 (Forsyth 1986:190; Janetski 1994:176). Here, I present preliminary data from my analysis of the faunal collection recovered by Steward. This is one portion of my thesis research, in which I will be comparing the faunal collections from various Late Prehistoric sites in the Eastern Great Basin.
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Examining the Impacts of Habitat Fragmentation Along the Western Border of Yellowstone National Park
Alex D. Johnson, Vania Hernandez, Janelle Sands, and Matthew Bekker
Landscape Ecology combines the disciplines of geography and ecology to give a unique spatial approach, which allows extrapolation across scales Our area of study is located on the SW border of Yellowstone National Park and the adjacent National Forest. (Fig.1) Different land management practices between the National Park and National Forest, in particular, deforestation in the National Forest, can affect the ecosystem in the greater Yellowstone area. (Fig. 2)
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Social Versus Memory Demands On Cognitive Set Shifting
Oliver H. Johnston, S. White, A. Clawson, and E. Krauskopf
Executive functions refer to brain processes needed for planning, flexibility, abstract thinking, and other everyday organizational tasks. There remains inconsistency in executive function (EF) studies in autism. A recent review of previous studies (Corbett et al., 2009) reports overall significant deficiencies in EF for autism groups, but it is uncertain how much of this may be due to the presence of ADHD symptoms in 30-50% of children diagnosed with autism (Yerys et al 2009). It has been shown that children with high-functioning autism perform the Wisconsin Card Sort, a test of set-shifting and perseveration, better when it is administered via computer than by a person (Ozonoff 1995). Ozonoff suggested this was due to social demands on cognition during the in person task that interfered with performance, rather than damaged executive functioning in set-shifting. We aimed to investigate this hypothesis by varying the amount of social input in the administration of the WCST, across three different conditions
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EEG Responses of 5-Month-Old Infants to Static and Dynamic Face-Voice Synchrony
Blake L. Jones, Sarah A. Ahlander, Joan M. Leishman, and M. Mangum
IntroPrevious behavioral research with faces and voices demonstrates that at an early age infants notice, and prefer, synchrony between faces and voices 1, 2. However, little is known about how infants’ process information regarding face-voice synchronies neurophysiologically. Therefore, Study 1 examined infants’ electrophysiological responses during brief presentation of synchronous, as well as asynchronous, face/voice stimuli.
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12-Month-olds’ Discrimination of Monkey Faces: Evidence for Perceptual Narrowing?
Jacob C. Jones, Scott Stevens, Melissa Wright, and Amanda Phillippi
It is well known from birth that faces are salient, preferred over other stimuli, and are readily discriminated. It has also been shown that over the course of development infants’ proclivity for face discrimination is influenced by their social environment. Pascalis, deHann, andNelson (2002), for example, demonstrate that 6-month-olds are able to discriminate various monkey faces as well as human faces whereas 9-month-olds can only discriminate different human faces. Importantly, however, if 6-month-olds receive 1-2 minutes per day of familiarization with photographs of monkey faces three months later the now 9-month-olds can still discriminate unfamiliar and familiar monkey faces. Like face perception, infants’ discrimination of speech also varies as a function of experience and exposure. Four-to 6-month-olds discriminate speech sounds in their native and non-native languages; however, by10-to12-months of age infants can only discriminate speech sounds common to their native language.
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Male Dating Initiation at BYU
Lara A. Jubber, Jessica Hansen, Tamara Fackrell, and Thomas B. Holman
Through qualitative dating analysis, we interviewed 12 males from BYU and found several patterns regarding dating initiation. First, there was perceived male responsibility to initiate the date. Second, there were expectations that females should be straightforward with their interest. Third, males expressed concern about their readiness for marriage and the pressures for marriage. Fourth, dating is viewed as a game with rules that vary depending on the participant.
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Female Dating Initiation at BYU
Lara Jubber, Tamara Fackrell, Jessica Hansen, and Thomas B. Holman
Through qualitative dating analysis, we interviewed 12 females from BYU and found several patterns regarding dating initiation. First, there was perceived male responsibility to initiate the date. Second, there was confusion that results in how a female should let a male know of their interest in him. Third, ambiguity resulted because the communication in dating initiation is not straight forward. Fourth, dating is viewed as a game with rules that vary depending on the participant.
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Distancing and Hostility as Mediators of Parental Depression and Child Depression
Ashley Kerns, Curtis Pearson, Jessica Hawkins, and William Dickerson
Purpose: To identify parenting behaviors through which parental depression affects children’s depression Background: Parental depression increases the risk for depression in children (Turner, 2008; Goodman & Gotlib, 2002). Depressed parents are likely to use coercion (Bor & Sanders, 2004)& have decreased social involvement (Dix & Meunier, 2009). When depressed, men are more likely to exhibit irritability and women are more likely to withdraw. Such parental behaviors increase children’s risk (Elgar et.al, 2007) Hypotheses: 1) Mother’s distancing behavior during an observational task will mediate the relationship between mother’s depression and child’s depression 2) Father’s hostile behavior during an observational task will mediate the relationship between father’s depression and child’s depression.
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Consistency of temperament of in group-housed infant rhesus monkeys (Macacamulatta) during the first months of life
Joshua W. Kirton, Daniel Blocker, Kfir Orgad, and James D. Higley
While a wide number of studies have assessed temperament as a predictor of future personality or behavior, few studies have assessed its interindividual stability over the first few months of life in nonhuman primates. This laboratory study examined temperament in group-housed infant rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) assessing interindividual consistency from the second through fifth months of life using objective behavioral measures. Stability of temperament was measured by correlating (Pearson Product-Moment tests) individual differences in the frequency of 25 behaviors over months 2-5 of life in 88 mother-reared subjects. Two 5-minute sessions were recorded for subjects each week and the mean for each month was the dependent variable. Results: Eleven behaviors exhibited a statistically significant consistency across at least three of the four months measured, with a significant positive r-value between .204 and .601. Statistically significant consistency was found for maternally-oriented behaviors of contact cling, mutual ventral, approach by infant, and leave by infant. This maternally-oriented trait may reflect maternal treatment, as well as temperament because receive groom by mother, and restrain by mother were also consistent across months. Consistency was found for the behaviors characteristic of activity including locomotion, environmental exploration, and inactivity. Consistency was also found in socialize with others, and anxiety-like self-directed behavior. This study suggests that objective measurements of temperament in infant rhesus monkeys are consistent across time and possibly situation.
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Performance-Monitoring and Evaluative Control in High Functioning Autism
Erin Krauskopf, A. Clawson, O. Johnston, and M. J. Crowley
1. Understanding the neurobiology of how children with ASD make mistakes has implications for understanding biological causes and informing intervention strategies 2. This study aimed to determine how response monitoring (i.e., learning from mistakes) differs between those with ASD and controls
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Abuse History and Therapy Participation Among Men and Women in Methadone Maintenance Treatment
Alexandria Kunzler, Sasha Mondragon, Amy Welsh, and Scott Baldwin
The differences between men (N = 26) and women’s (N = 27) self-reports of abuse and recorded therapy participation were examined among clients in a methadone maintenance treatment program. Results indicate that women report significantly more abuse. We found no significant difference in therapy participation between men and women.
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Identities among Immigrants in Utah County
Nicole Lakip, Kathryn Staples, Bryce Ayoso, and Amber Masters
Immigration has been a controversial topic in the United States since the first immigrants voyaged to the Americas. Throughout the United States’ history, there have been heated debates on what is acceptable as immigration and what is not. Identity is a big factor that comes into play when analyzing the lives of immigrants. How do immigrants form their identities? Is identity changeable? Does where you live affect your identity? While there have been many studies on immigration, there are very few studies that focus on the construct of the identities of these immigrants. Many variables can be attributed to the formation of an identity. What variables actually help individuals construct their identity? We explore whether or not other peoples’ views of the participants actually affect their identity. With so many other factors of where an immigrant can construct their cultural identification. Our questions include: how do immigrants identify themselves? What factors affect how immigrants identify themselves? What factors are most important? Because we draw our data from working immigrants living in Utah County, our research will serve as a pilot study for future research on identity among immigrants in the U.S.
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The Power of the “Magic Moment”: The Long-term Effects of Marital Expectations on Child Health and Relational Outcomes
Jeffrey K. Larsen, Jeffrey K. Larsen, and Brian J. Willoughby
Nonmarital childbearing has become increasingly common among couples in the United States. Recent research has shown that these unwed parents and their children are more likely to experience negative personal and familial outcomes compared to those families in which the parents are married. These negative outcomes include lower levels of financial stability, inconsistent paternal involvement, more behavioral problems in children, relationship instability, lower amounts of positive parenting practices, and lower levels of relationship satisfaction (Bronte- Tinkew, & Horowitz, 2009; Castillo, 2009; Huang, & Lee, 2008; McLanahan & Garfinkel, 2000; Osborne, Manning, & Smock, 2007; Osborne & McLanahan, 2007). Scholars have noted that the time shortly after the birth of a child designates a time period when both parents are generally extremely positive about their future together and hope to marry, with one study finding that almost 80% of unmarried parents indicating a better than a 50/50 chance of marrying the child’s other parent in the future (McLanahan et al., 2003). This “magic moment” shortly after the birth of a child may be a time period when some individuals begin to formulate long-term relational and family plans with their partner and may be a pivotal time to examine attitudes and expectations that are predictive of the future course of individuals, couples and families. Attitudes about marriage have been found to influence other general aspects of relational outcomes. For example, positive general attitudes toward marriage predict relationship status after one year among unmarried couples (Carlson, McLanahan, & England, 2004). Hohmann-Marriott (2009) found that couples are less likely to marry if they perceive the father’s care giving role as unimportant after the birth of a child. Taken together, family formation attitudes and expectations found shortly after the expansion of the family system may be an important predictor of future individual and relational behavior. This study utilizes the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (McLanahan et al., 2003) to investigate how marital expectation during that “magic moment” shortly after the birth of a child may influence child and parenting outcomes longitudinally.
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The New User: Revisiting the Digital Divide
David S. Lassen and David Magleby
Though many scholars and commentators are optimistic about the influence of the Internet on American political culture, some decry the presence of a “digital divide” wherein individuals of higher socioeconomic status have greater access to online political tools. I argue that this is an unnecessarily limited view of online political behavior and that analyses of online political engagement should go beyond questions of access to include considerations of individual preference. Using the results from a new survey of 2008 campaign donors, I find that differences between online and offline political participators are largely skill-and interest-based, not demographic. I also present a personal typology of Internet behavior and find significant skill and interest differences between different types of online participators. This suggests that future research on the extent of online political engagement should be broader than simple questions of access and should include classifications of personal preference as well.
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LDS Pathways to Marriage: How does communication play a role in relationship progression?
Kaitlin Lattin, Cherie Wilson, Todd Jensen, and Adam Frary
The purpose of this study was to examine the role of communication in the relationship progression or regression between males and females at BYU along the pathway to marriage. For most Americans, mate selection follows a predictable process of acquaintance, build-up, and [commitment] leading to legal marriage (Levinger, 1983). This process is characterized by personal choice based on mutual physical attraction, growing interpersonal involvement, and interdependence, followed by commitment to marriage and actual marriage during the period of greatest relationship satisfaction (Cate & Lloyd, 1992). It was hypothesized that communication plays an essential role in the progression or regression of dating relationships.
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A Case for Christian Communalism: Overcoming Individualism and Racial Segregation in an Ubuntu-Infused South African Catholic Parish
Jordan R. Layton and Jeremy Grimshaw
Geographic, linguistic, and economic divisions between ethnic groups linger from Apartheid; but recent concerns also include divisions within ethnic groups due to Western-influenced individualism and a decline in communal values known as ubuntu. Ubuntu is a spiritual concept; thus, Christianity seems to be the ideal context for its reinforcement. But most theorists would argue that the physical and figurative walls being constructed between and within ethnic groups could not be overcome through Christianity, which is itself considered to be individualistic “self-serving redemptionism”—the theoretical opposite of ubuntu. However,one East London Catholic parish creates an anomalous interracial community by promoting communal ubuntu values, and thus defies theoretical arguments of Christian individualism and the actual segregations and divisions prevalent in East London.
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Decreasing Temperature Below Tt or Increasing Cholesterol Enhance Vesibcle-Bilayer Membrane Fusion
David E. Lee, Reed A. Doxey, Kevin J. Tuttle, and Dixon J. Woodbury
Lipid composition plays an important role in fusion of vesicles to membranes, an essential process for exocytosis. Lipid head group, tail structure, and sterol content all impact the complex phase behavior of membranes. To determine the effect of lipids on fusion, we utilized the nystatin/ergesterol (nys/erg) fusion assay and stimulated fusion with a salt (osmotic) gradient. With this assay, vesicles containing nys and erg fuse with a planar membrane producing characteristic spike increases in membrane conductance.Using PE/PC (7:3) membranes, we varied cholesterol from 0-40 mol% and observed significant increases in fusion rates. In one series of experiments, membranes were formed with 0 mol% cholesterol, repainted with 20 mol%, then repainted with 0 mol%. The 20 mol% cholesterol membrane showed a marked increase in fusion rates over both pre- and post- controls. Likewise, increased fusion rates were observed in DPPC/cholesterol (9:1) membranes upon lowering temperature below the phase transition (Tt). These data are consistent with a liquid disordered lipid phase suppressing vesicle fusion, and shows how membrane fusion can be affected by lipid behavior.