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Description
Can Body Height and BMI predict cancer trends in humans? Using a dataset of 220,181 individuals, with 31,822 individuals having malignancy records, we found that body height (p < 2e-16) and Body Mass Index (BMI) (p < 5.6e-05) are significant predictors of developing cancer. After stratifying by sex, we determined that men and women face an elevated risk of developing cancer with increases in body height, but a very slight increase in cancer risk with increases in BMI.
ContributorsMartins, Brian (Author) / Maley, Carlo (Thesis director) / Richker, Harley (Committee member) / Marquez Alcaraz, Gissel (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2023-12
ContributorsLarimer, Kathyrn (Author) / Gewirtz, Abigail (Thesis director) / Basha, Sydni (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
As the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson’s affects around 1 million people in the United States, and 10 million worldwide (Parkinson’s Foundation). Thus there are 10 million people who are suffering from a disorder with no cure. Because of this, treatment of Parkinson’s disease and management of symptoms is crucial as the disease advances. Some non-physical symptoms include anxiety, sleep troubles, fatigue, and loss of smell, while some physical symptoms include a resting tremor, bradykinesia, dyskinesia, instability, and rigidity (Parkinson’s Foundation, 2023). These symptoms lead to gait instability, gait freezing, higher fall risks, an overall lack of flexibility, and a struggle with dual-task performance (Johannson et al., 2023).
The goal of this thesis project is to create a game design document and potential study outline of a Virtual Reality (VR) game that targets upper body bradykinesia and allows Parkinson’s patients to improve their arm mobility and decrease rigidity and reaction time. This game, REACH, is designed to be used in conjunction with weekly physical therapy, and progress within the game should be monitored by the therapist. Because it is important for rehabilitation to be individualized for each patient, in this game, the patient’s physical therapist will select a “level”, which corresponds to the patient’s range of motion (ROM) and reaction time. However, the exercise game will keep track of performance and log the degrees of motion, corresponding reaction time, and time on task. This performance profile will allow the therapist to monitor the patient's progress and make well-informed decisions about the patient’s progress and goals.
ContributorsHurley, Lauren (Author) / Johnson, Mina (Thesis director) / Parsons, Thomas (Committee member) / Coon, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
Among children in the United States, there is a high prevalence of psychopathology. Understanding what contributes to the development of these disorders in early adolescence and late childhood is key to informing intervention efforts. This study aimed to understand the impacts of economic and social stress on the development of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in children. Additionally, with the knowledge that supportive adult relationships can buffer psychopathology impacts, it sought to uncover if supportive sibling relationships can alter the relationship between stress and psychopathology. Data was collected through both home visits and online questionnaires as part of the Arizona Twin Project. The sample of the twins at eight years old included 355 families (M = 8.43 years, SD = .68) and 709 twins (MZ = 29.9%, same-sex DZ = 37.8%, opposite-sex DZ = 31.7%, and unknown zygosity = 0.6%) with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. Families were followed longitudinally with annual assessments at ages 9, 10, and 11. Our results showcased a significant positive relationship between economic stress and the development of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology symptoms in children. Our social stress indicators were categorized into family stress and negative parenting constructs. It was observed that family stress was linked to an increase in both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. However, when it came to parenting behaviors, no significant associations were identified with the development of either externalizing or internalizing symptoms in our study. In terms of the potential moderating effects of a positive sibling relationship, no significant results were found. Ultimately, our study showcases the adverse impact of stress on children and early adolescents. Further research on the impacts of the relationship between siblings can help us to better understand the dynamics in the home as a whole and explore whether relationships beyond those with supportive adults can contribute to resilience in children. This knowledge may guide interventions and preventive measures aimed at mitigating the effects of psychopathology in young individuals.
ContributorsHammond, Arden (Author) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Thesis director) / Ostner, Savannah (Committee member) / Pickett, Janna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
Summer temperatures in Arizona are some of the highest in the nation. Arizona also ranks within the top ten states for percentage of homelessness per capita (Wisevoter, 2023). Extreme heat poses a threat to the rising homeless population in Phoenix, Arizona, as it causes severe dehydration, which can lead to potentially fatal heat-related illnesses like heat stroke. Sufficient hydration and lowering body temperature are the first paths of treatment for such illnesses. Thus, there is a critical need for water and heat-relief for homeless individuals in the Phoenix community. This paper responds to this crisis by proposing The Hydro-Drive Project, an incentivized, donation-based charity that provides cold water storage solutions to the homeless community in Phoenix. Using a three-pronged approach, The Hydro-Drive Project will collect, sanitize, and distribute insulated water bottles to homeless individuals in Phoenix. Providing insulated water bottles to persons experiencing homelessness can provide both hydration and coolness, which in turn, can help prevent heat-related illnesses. This paper also outlines a comprehensive plan for securing grant funding and establishing partnerships with like-minded organizations, as well as other elements necessary to ensure the success and sustainability of the program such as participant recruitment strategies, success and impact measures, project limitations, budget, and sustainability. Overall, The Hydro-Drive Project is an innovative response to a critical issue in the Phoenix community that requires grant funding and input from partnerships.
ContributorsStewart, Kaelin (Author) / Joseph, Rodney (Thesis director) / Maxfield, Molly (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
Past studies have supported that religion plays a role in how people engage in moral psychological processes, specifically regarding a person’s thoughts versus their actions. It is important to look at how religion can play a role in the sentencing of inchoate crimes, since they are crimes that have not yet been completed involving thought. It is a current practice that lawyers and judges may include or exclude a juror based on their religious affiliation due to their assumption that their religion will play a role in their decision making. However, this current practice is based on assumption and there is limited research to support that this practice is actually effective. To address this gap in the literature, I looked at the role of religion when individuals are presented with jury instructions, and asked participants to make judgements about inchoate crimes. There was an overall significant main effect of religion on sentencing decisions of inchoate crimes, and there was no significant interaction of jury instructions and religion on sentencing decisions. The results of this study indicate that the practice of excluding jurors based on religion may actually be effective and that jury instructions do not mitigate these religious biases.
ContributorsChowdhury, Meghna (Author) / Cohen, Adam (Thesis director) / Cohen, William (Committee member) / Cruz, Rick (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12
ContributorsAsano, Mizuki (Author) / Bourne, Chloe (Co-author) / Olson, Loren (Thesis director) / Belgrave, Melita (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
For centuries, religion has been a part of people's lives, impacting their well-being. Well-being includes both positive and negative emotions that make people feel satisfied. Religion can affect how people handle their physical health, social behavior, support, and stress. Interestingly, more people have been abandoning religion since 1990, even though it has positive effects on well-being. In this study, I sought to understand the extent to which leaving religion is associated with all aspects of well-being, including spiritual well-being. I asked 606 Arizona State University undergraduates to rate their well-being from two different time periods in their life. Participants were first asked if they were currently religious or nonreligious;135 said they had left/changed religions. If participants indicated that they did not leave/change religions, they were asked about their well-being before and after starting at ASU. I examined perceived change in well-being to understand how religion can influence many aspects of an individual’s life. Leaving or changing religion was positively associated with well-being. Those who reported leaving religion reported better environmental, emotional, social, educational, occupational, and spiritual well-being. In the control group (ASU), educational and spiritual well-being had a significant increase, which is interesting. The results showed that changing/leaving religion had a positive association on well-being.
ContributorsCarbine, Analy (Author) / Cohen, Adam (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Johnson, Kathryn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Metamorphosis Behind the Closet Door: Analysis of Queer identities through Monstrous Transformations
Description
Queer individuals are frequently perceived as ‘the Other’ and thus, ‘the Other’ that exists in the imagination of writers as creatures and monsters to terrify audiences frequently take on queer characteristics. However, to examine these monsters, their transformations, and the communities that connect to them further, we must step away from the cis, straight view of ‘normality’ and attempt to discuss the creature from within. This paper aims to examine the experiences of individual queer identities as they transition out of assumed heteronormativity and into ‘the Other’ themselves through the monsters that each identity aligns itself with narratively.
Contributorsvan Doren, Claire (Author) / Irish, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Himberg, Julia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2023-12
Description
Before the introduction of mobile/online forms of gambling, “brick and mortar” gambling was the typical form of gambling. Now, the use of mobile phones allows for greater accessibility and convenience to gambling. This modern method of gambling has attracted newer younger audiences such as college students which poses an increasing concern about problem gambling among younger individuals. Since alcohol use problems tend to co-occur with problem gambling, it is important to consider alcohol use as a predictor of problem gambling. Other factors that could potentially influence the relation between alcohol use problems and problem gambling are financial stress (as an indicator of socioeconomic status) and sensation seeking; however, the potential interactive effects of these variables with problem alcohol use in predicting problems remain unclear. The main goals of the current study were to examine the unique and interactive influences of alcohol use problems, sensation seeking, and financial stress in relation to problem gambling. The sample for the current study was taken from the Psychology participant pool enrolled at Arizona State University and met the minimum age requirement of 18 (N = 793, 64.1% Male). All analyses were conducted using R Studio (R Core Team, 2023). I ran a a series of logistic regression models for my covariates only, main effects (alcohol use problems and financial stress or alcohol use and sensation seeking) models while controlling for covariates, and interaction models (alcohol use problems multiplied by financial stress and alcohol use problems multiplied by sensation seeking). Results showed that alcohol use problems and sensation seeking were not significant predictors of problem gambling. However, financial stress (SES), sex (male), and age proved to be significant predictors of problem gambling. There were no interactions found between alcohol use problems and socioeconomic status or sensation seeking on problem gambling outcomes. Although some results from the current study are inconsistent with existing literature, the significant findings provide insight into potential future directions and treatment programs for problem gambling among college students. Further studies are needed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between alcohol use problems, socioeconomic status, and sensation seeking in relation to problem gambling.
ContributorsIn, Noah (Author) / Cruz, Rick (Thesis director) / Corbin, William (Committee member) / Meier, Madeline (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-12