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Exploring Gender Identity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Description

This research investigates what aspects of certain college students' quarantine experience were contributing to specific changes in gender identity. For this project, a general survey was distributed, and multiple interviews were conducted with willing survey participants to gauge more in-depth information about this phenomenon. Through the survey portion of the…

This research investigates what aspects of certain college students' quarantine experience were contributing to specific changes in gender identity. For this project, a general survey was distributed, and multiple interviews were conducted with willing survey participants to gauge more in-depth information about this phenomenon. Through the survey portion of the research, I found that many Barrett students felt that their identity had changed over the course of the pandemic, and a unique subset of these students experienced a change in their gender identity. Interviews with these folks highlighted several mechanisms that fostered this phenomenon: first, that quarantine allowed them a time to introspect, second, that they were not being policed or scrutinized in public for their gender performance, and third, that this was taking place in a supportive physical and/or virtual environment. This new research provides insight into the specific experiences of nonbinary college students whose identity shifted over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring factors that can influence identity development. While this is a unique and niche situation, it illustrates changing trends in how younger generations view themselves and their gender identity.

ContributorsNorthrop, Kay (Author) / Graff, Sarah (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)

Created2021-12

Thesis Presentation

ContributorsLoera, Cristian Peter (Author) / Autote, Aubreanna (Co-author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Abril, Lauren (Committee member) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Autote and Loera Thesis Paper

ContributorsLoera, Cristian Peter (Author) / Autote, Aubreanna (Co-author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Abril, Lauren (Committee member) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2021-05

Generational Differences in Racial and Ethnic Socialization of Korean American Transracial Adoptees and Their Influences on Korean International Adoption Policy

Description

While racial and ethnic socialization of transracial Korean international adoptees has been a growing topic in adoption literature, little research has looked at generational differences in parental racial and ethnic socialization of Korean adoptees. Using three semi-structured interviews with Korean international adoptees this paper analyzes how racial and ethnic socialization…

While racial and ethnic socialization of transracial Korean international adoptees has been a growing topic in adoption literature, little research has looked at generational differences in parental racial and ethnic socialization of Korean adoptees. Using three semi-structured interviews with Korean international adoptees this paper analyzes how racial and ethnic socialization practices of white adoptive parents have changed over time. Through this analysis, we can better understand how Korean adoption policy should reflect the changing socialization practices as well as educational resources that different generations of adoptees want. Findings suggest that younger cohorts of adoptees are receiving more racial and ethnic socialization, however, interviewees still expressed the desire for greater educational resources on socialization practices for adoptive parents. Additionally, younger generations of adoptees may be less supportive of policy changes that end all Korean international adoption and have more positive feelings towards international adoption. Future research should consider the importance of tracing the historical connection between older Korean adoptees influence on policy changes like the Special Adoption Act. Overall, these interviews reveal a need for greater research on how Korean adoptees feelings towards adoption may shape policy within the adoption industry.

ContributorsBeccard, Melia (Author) / Kuo, Karen (Thesis director) / Jackson, Kelly (Committee member) / Matriano, Ronae (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Social Work (Contributor)

Created2021-12

Measuring Presence and Its Impact on Learning in an Embodied VR Game

Description

Virtual reality (VR) educational games are growing in demand, partly because of evidence found of the benefit of using embodied gestures in educational VR games. Little research has investigated how presence, which is the subjective experience of existing in a virtual world, impacts player learning gains when playing an embodied…

Virtual reality (VR) educational games are growing in demand, partly because of evidence found of the benefit of using embodied gestures in educational VR games. Little research has investigated how presence, which is the subjective experience of existing in a virtual world, impacts player learning gains when playing an embodied STEM VR games. The current study investigates how presence impacts learning gains in four conditions. This study evaluated 122 participants’ subjective experiences of presence via an experimenter-designed Presence Scale after playing an educational STEM VR game. ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate differences in learning gains by condition and to also ascertain how presence was affected by cognitive load. Results revealed that presence did not impact learning gains, although high embodiment and high immersion significantly predicted presence. These findings contribute to understanding the effects of embodiment on VR educational games, and how to design for VR user-ability.

ContributorsKalina, Elena Aleksandra (Author) / Johnson-Glenberg, Mina C. (Thesis director) / Presson, Clark (Committee member) / McClure, Sammuel (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-12

Animal Assisted Activities: An Experimental Comparison Study of Therapy Dogs versus Massages to Alleviate Short-Term Stress

Description

Animal assisted activities and therapy have demonstrated efficacy but the question remains of whether the animals themselves are the mechanism of change or if other factors mediate this relationship. We investigated novelty and touch as mediators between therapy dogs and stress reduction as no other study has done both. Additionally,…

Animal assisted activities and therapy have demonstrated efficacy but the question remains of whether the animals themselves are the mechanism of change or if other factors mediate this relationship. We investigated novelty and touch as mediators between therapy dogs and stress reduction as no other study has done both. Additionally, we were interested in whether the belief that a treatment is relaxing or simply providing a break acted as mediators. We explored these relationships using three conditions: therapy dog interaction, massage, and no-treatment control. Interacting with a therapy dog is similar to receiving a massage in each of the mediators of interest. Thus, should the therapy dogs outperform the massage in relieving stress, it suggests something there is something unique about the dogs themselves, beyond the mediators held constant for both the therapy dog and massage condition. We included the no-treatment control to determine whether treatment at all was effective in reducing stress. We tested 40 participants aged 18 to 43 years old over the course of three days. Participants were measured pre-treatment using two self-report surveys of stress, the Stress Overload Scale- Short (SOS-S) and the Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM) as well as a physiological indicator of stress, heart rate variability (HRV) measured by the Scosche Rhythm24 Waterproof Armband Heart Rate Monitor. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition for seven minutes. Afterwards, all measures were readministered. We found no significant interaction of time on condition nor any main effect of condition on any of the measures. However, we found significant main effects of time on both subscales of the SOS-S and the threat, centrality, controllable-by-others, and stressfulness subscales of the SAM. We are unable to determine whether there is a unique benefit of therapy dogs themselves but overall, the event was effective in reducing stress as reported by the participants. We recommend continued investigation of mediators in animal assisted activities and therapy.

ContributorsBryant, Gillian Varnedoe (Author) / Wynne, Clive (Thesis director) / Patock-Peckham, Julie (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-12

“Forgive Me Father”: A Look at Trust Engagement Within Catholic Confession

Description

Catholic confession is one of the most practiced and well-known religious acts in the world. Although Catholic confession has proven to be an important component in the lives of millions of people, little research has been conducted exploring trust engagement within Catholic confession or the variables that affect one’s willingness…

Catholic confession is one of the most practiced and well-known religious acts in the world. Although Catholic confession has proven to be an important component in the lives of millions of people, little research has been conducted exploring trust engagement within Catholic confession or the variables that affect one’s willingness to confess. The purpose of this study was to examine Catholic confession and find whether variables such as perception of the sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, ability, benevolence, and integrity of the priest, Catholic Church, and pope, propensity to trust, trust, and intrinsic religiosity have a significant relation with one’s willingness to confess. This study was conducted through a series of anonymous questionnaires, including two measures that were created for the purpose of this study—the Sex Abuse Perception Measure and Willingness to Confess Measure. Linear regressions and correlations were used to analyze relation between variables. Results revealed that the perception one has of the sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is significantly related to the perceived ability, benevolence, and integrity for a priest, Catholic Church, and the pope. Additionally, ability and benevolence had a moderate positive relation with trust in a priest and the pope and benevolence and integrity had a moderate positive relation with trust in the Catholic Church. Surprisingly, there were no significant relations between propensity to trust and trust in the priest, Catholic Church, or the pope. Similarly, there were no significant relations between trust in the priest, Catholic Church, or the pope and one’s willingness to confess. Intrinsic religiosity did have a positive relation with willingness to confess. This study highlights that individual and organizational religious figures possibly have differing origins of trust (ability, benevolence, and integrity). This difference may be related to one’s perception of the sexual abuse that occurred within the Catholic Church.

ContributorsCervantes, Jasmine (Author) / Cohen, Adam (Thesis director) / Presson, Clark (Committee member) / Mayer, Roger (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-12

Utilizing Promotive and Protective Factors in Alcohol Prevention for First-year College Students

Description

Alcohol consumption in first-year college students is both prevalent and problematic. Although several interventions have been shown to decrease alcohol consumption in college students, effect sizes tend to be small. Previous programs have focused on reducing risk factors; however, some research has shown potential in bolstering promotive and protective factors.…

Alcohol consumption in first-year college students is both prevalent and problematic. Although several interventions have been shown to decrease alcohol consumption in college students, effect sizes tend to be small. Previous programs have focused on reducing risk factors; however, some research has shown potential in bolstering promotive and protective factors. The main objective of the current study was to further our understanding of the use of promotive and protective factors in alcohol prevention and intervention for first-year college students. A sample of 290 college psychology majors were assigned to either a treatment group or the standard curriculum of a first-semester course on achieving academic success. The intervention included activities aimed to increase academic engagement and community engagement, promote healthy minds and bodies, and promote positive social lives, including engagement in alcohol-free social activities. Students completed baseline measures at the beginning of the fall semester of their first year in college and a follow-up near the end of the semester. Analyses examined proximal targets (use of university resources, perceptions of peer alcohol use, academic engagement, school connectedness) and behavioral targets (personal alcohol use and GPA) of the intervention. Analyses demonstrated changes in proximal targets, but no significant effects of the intervention on behavioral targets. Students in the treatment condition utilized more school resources, had lower perceptions of peer alcohol use, and were marginally higher in school connectedness than those in the control condition. This suggests that the use of promotive and protective factors in alcohol prevention and intervention may contribute to attitudes and behaviors that are associated with better academic performance and less engagement in risk behavior. However, no significant changes were found for personal alcohol use or GPA. Future studies involving longer follow-ups and adding a skills-based component are needed to fully evaluate the potential of this approach.

ContributorsBaldevia, Aegia Mari Y (Author) / Corbin, William (Thesis director) / Presson, Clark (Committee member) / Meier, Matthew (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-12

Target's Romantic Involvement as a Determinant of Heterosexual Attraction

Description

It was hypothesized that information about current romantic involvement could make a male target more attractive to females. A 2 (Gender) X 4 (Romantic Involvement: Current Romance, Past Romance, Friend, and Control) factorial design was created to test competing predictions from scarcity/reactance, impression-formation, and sociobiological perspectives. A total of 235…

It was hypothesized that information about current romantic involvement could make a male target more attractive to females. A 2 (Gender) X 4 (Romantic Involvement: Current Romance, Past Romance, Friend, and Control) factorial design was created to test competing predictions from scarcity/reactance, impression-formation, and sociobiological perspectives. A total of 235 male and female subjects saw a photograph of an opposite gender target person, then read a brief description about the target that contained one of the three involvement manipulations, or contained no involvement manipulation (Control). Subjects then rated the target along a 14 item scale to measure romantic attraction. ANOVA and MANOVA results revealed main effects of Gender and Romantic Involvement. Simple effects for Romantic Involvement were found for female, but not male subjects. A priori contrasts testing the predictions from the competing theoretical perspectives provided support only for the socio-biological prediction for female subjects.

ContributorsJoanes, Thomas (Author) / Linder, Darwin (Committee member) / Braver, Sanford (Committee member) / Young, Michael Cochise (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created1991-12

The Phylogenetic Placement of Oxymonads

Description

The gut microbiome of many termites consists of a diverse range of protists that aid in the digestion of food particles. One of these families of protists is Oxymonadida. This project focuses on finding the evolutionary relationship between oxymonads and their most recent common ancestor, Trimastigidae, by building phylogenetic trees.…

The gut microbiome of many termites consists of a diverse range of protists that aid in the digestion of food particles. One of these families of protists is Oxymonadida. This project focuses on finding the evolutionary relationship between oxymonads and their most recent common ancestor, Trimastigidae, by building phylogenetic trees. This project was important because there is a large amount of species of oxymonads. This is because oxymonads adapt to the particular termite it lives in, and there are many species of termites. Understanding each species relationship helps give more knowledge and insight as to where some of the unknown species may go, even though they may not have DNA sequences yet. One unpublished sequence for Microrhopalodina was used in this paper, which previously had no molecular data available. The trees retrieved in this project had some discrepancies compared to previous studies and found an interesting relationship for Microrhopalodina. Microrhopalodina was included in the Oxymonas clade, indicating a very close relationship between the two species. It may even suggest that Microrhopalodina should be considered part of the species Oxymonas. Furthermore, Streblomastix branched in between Monocercomonoides and Trimastigidae, which is a different result than previous papers have found. Streblomastix was previously found to branch between Blattamonas and Monocercomonoides. The most recent paper on Blattamonas stated that they were unsure what family this species belongs to due to its molecular diversity, but its appearance resembles Monocercomonoides which is part of the family Polymastigidae. The trees produced in this project may indicate that Blattamonas belongs in the Polymastigidae family after all.

ContributorsStotts, Cherise (Co-author, Co-author) / Jasso-Selles, Daniel E. (Co-author) / Gile, Gillian H. (Thesis director) / DeMartini, Francesca (Committee member) / Mee, Evan D. (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2019-05

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