Social Science

Creating safer intersections is possible by encouraging driver awareness, most notably by increasing the complexity and density of intersections. Research has shown that complex intersections encourage prosocial behavior. Designing our environments around this principle can lead to increased socialization, interpersonal trust, and economic activity. A gap in analysis is present given previous research has focused on investigating driver awareness and safety, neglecting cyclists, pedestrians, and observers of intersections. Thus, this study aims to add to the existing body of research by observing how participants subconsciously retain memory about an intersection’s background characteristics. The test functions by presenting various images of intersections and having participants recall what street signs they saw and describe them, as well as report how safe and comfortable they would feel in that environment. According to the running hypothesis, when presented with increasingly complex intersections, participants will likely remember more street signs and feel safer/more comfortable. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Economics and Psychology 

Advisor: Harvey Langholtz, Psychology

Throughout the National Football League’s history, Black quarterbacks have been seen as solely physical rather than smart. Although this view is no longer expressed outright, it seems coded in the language of NFL commentators. This project will explore whether language used by play-by-play announcers to describe NFL quarterbacks differs by race, and if so, in what ways. The hypothesis is that Black quarterbacks are described using terms related to physical abilities, white quarterbacks mental abilities, separate from their actual performance. When predominantly white announcers use language that replicates stereotypes about Black people, these stereotypes become more ingrained in society. These words go beyond football and seep into football fans’ attitudes that diminish Black people’s intelligence and objectify Black bodies as strong and tough. If racially biased patterns are discovered, announcers and viewers alike can be more conscious of language so that these stereotypes are no longer prominent in the NFL.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Linguistics and Psychology 

Advisor: Leslie Cochrane, Linguistics 

This project focuses on mindfulness and meditation, topics that have significant gaps within the researching world. These practices are popular in the world, we hoped to dive into broader cultural and social implications. This summer an experimental EEG investigation focusing on college students and “meditation practiced” participants. The purpose of this project is to illuminate the relations between, on one hand, different forms of attentional practice and, on the other, personality traits, sociodemographics, religiosity/spirituality factors and health outcomes.   Findings from this research will contribute to an important emerging literature that acknowledges the problematic use of “mindfulness” as an umbrella term for a wide variety of contemplative practices, and shows how different types of attentional practice may generate different neurophysiological responses and wellness outcomes. Data generated from this project can serve as a foundation for enabling further exploration of this topic.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience

Advisor: Cheryl Dickter, Psychology 

Language policies in schools consist of providing students the opportunity to acquire different languages. However, public K-12 schools dismiss language learning as something unimportant to education than what is considered academic. Language learning is prominent within many professional disciplines, but the narrative society says follows what academia portrays. I intend to study how language policies in the United states influence the extent of language learning in public K-12 schools. The study will be a literature review collecting quantitative and qualitative data, compositing how emergent patterns and the interpretation of language policies are factors that influence language acquisition. Findings show that language policies are relatively ambiguous, leaving interpretation up to counties, schools, and educators themselves. Parents/Guardians also influence language acquisition ideologies that scope the trajectory of their students. Bilingual Education and language learning should follow processes that not only follow the needs of students, regardless of language backgrounds, but find ways to implement language consciousness raising within classrooms so students don't feel discouraged or diminished. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Linguistics and Global Studies 

Advisor: Katherinew Barko-Alva, Education

Solving global issues requires an integrative approach to health, development, and conservation. In the shadow of Apartheid and the historic Battle of Lurwayizo, the organization Battle of Lurwayizo Development (BOLD) has been established to advance peace, prosperity, and development in the Mbhashe region of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In partnership with BOLD, William and Mary’s Institute for Integrative Conservation (IIC) students conducted a qualitative review of community perspectives on public health, development, and conservation approaches. In an area where healthcare access is scarce, the review found that integrating traditional medicine may be a route to increased accessibility. Facing widespread youth unemployment, tourism industry decline, and labor emigration, this review recommended the creation of an integrated skill development pipeline based around youth sports, local skills training, and community-led road maintenance. Placing communities at the center of conservation planning is vital to avoid a top-down approach to conservative development. Ultimately, this review highlights the importance of understanding and addressing the linkages between health, development, and conservation in the context of legacies of social and racial injustice 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Eden: Public Health & Environmental Science Minor, Patrick: Public Health & Environmental Science Jack: International Relations & History  

Advisor: Erica Garroutte, Institute for Integrative Conservation

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been repeatedly linked to better executive control (EC). This research project sought to expand on this literature by examining the relationship between HRV and EC under social-evaluative stress. Specifically, we investigated whether heart rate variability (both at rest and during an EC test) predicts EC more strongly when EC is assessed under stressful conditions. We used data from an experiment conducted by Professor Meghan Quinn's Stress and Emotion Lab. In this experiment, participants were assigned to either a stress or non-stress condition. Participants in the stress condition underwent the Trier Social Stress Task, which involves delivering a speech and performing difficult arithmetic in front of a research assistant. Both groups then completed an n-back task designed to assess working memory updating (the ability to control the contents of working memory). Because HRV is also associated with more adaptive stress responses, we hypothesized that heart rate variability would predict EC under stress more strongly than EC under neutral conditions.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology, B.S.

Advisor: Meghan Quinn, Psychology

Scholars have considered the increase of fandom and celebrity worship alongside the decline of organized religion, theorizing that fans look to the media and celebrities they ‘worship’ to find meaning in a secularized world. Limited empirical studies provide inconclusive results on the relationship between meaning, religion, and celebrity fandom. 201 participants (N = 201) completed a survey of celebrity worship, fan identity, the search for meaning in life and in music, spirituality, and religion. Although the majority of participants were fans of Taylor Swift or the Grateful Dead, members of other fandoms participated as well. In this study, spirituality positively correlated with celebrity worship. Fans were more interested in finding meaning than pleasure in the music they listened to. While fandom engagement related to an increased presence of meaning in life, celebrity worship correlated with increased search for meaning. The present study provides valuable insight into the motivations and outcomes of fandom.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology and Religious Studies

Advisor: Jaclyn Moloney, Psychology

This research explores public perception on the effectiveness of North Macedonia’s current environmental legislation and public readiness to change environmental practices at a national and individual level. Using an online survey, over 1400 responses were analyzed to gain insight into public sentiment regarding the environment, while interviews were conducted with policy experts to contextualize environmental roadblocks. Findings indicate that there is widespread dissatisfaction regarding government environmental action as most respondents believe the country is not progressing towards European Union environmental standards, feel that no progress has been made regarding air quality, and would like more local green space. Overall, while there is high awareness of climate change and recycling rules, complemented by high support for more renewable energy such as solar power, effective action and infrastructure are lacking. The data suggest that possible solutions for how the government could improve public perception and environmental well-being include: following through on pre-existing environmental policies, further protecting air quality and green spaces, and putting more resources towards expanding solar power - a massively underutilized energy source. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Public Policy and ENSP (Policy Track)

Advisor: Alexandra Joosse, Public Policy

This project explores changes in property values and demography in the Raleigh area of North Carolina over the last decade, seeking to visualize the changes to communities in the area amid rapid population influx. This work also looks to the future, offering policy recommendations for the coming decades if current trends continue. Included in this analysis are estimates based on the Raleigh government’s current (2024) plans to establish a larger “missing middle” housing market, and how, if these plans are executed, the urban landscape may change further. By analyzing and mapping past and present data and making predictions about future trends, this research will gain insight into the evolving face of the City of Raleigh.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Urban studies (self-design, intended), philosophy (intended)

Advisor: Meaghan Stiman, Sociology

Students on college campuses are constantly meeting and getting to know people from many different backgrounds and cultures. Participants in this study will be asked about their familiarity with people from different backgrounds. Participants will be asked a series of questions relating to different aspects of confrontations. For example, their views on the offensiveness, possible mindset changes of perpetrators or themselves, etc.  However, how can participants decide the best course of action when confronting racism? When individuals confront the perpetrator who is disputing racial remarks, they tend to feel better about themselves after doing so. Confrontations can benefit all parties involved and can mainly have a positive effect on everyone. Using participants' responses, this research will examine how participants perceive confrontations and how they would respond as if they were the confronter.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Abena Akrong Major: Neuroscience, Trinity Givens Major: Psychology, Jo'Lissa Smith: Kinesiology 

Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Dickter, Psychology 

The present study explored the associations between impulsivity-like traits, marijuana DUI risk perceptions, and marijuana DUI behaviors among U.S. college students. Specifically, we examined whether DUI risk perception moderates (i.e., strengthens) the associations between impulsivity and marijuana DUI behaviors. Participants were 513 U.S. college students (64.1% female; Mean Age = 19.46) who consumed marijuana in the past month. Within our moderation models, we did not find any significant moderation effects. However, we did find that higher negative urgency and sensation seeking were associated with greater risk of marijuana DUI engagement in the past year. Furthermore, lower marijuana DUI risk perceptions were associated with greater risk of marijuana DUI engagement in the past year. Our results provide preliminary evidence that higher impulsivity (i.e., sensation seeking and negative urgency) and lower risk perception independently predict an increased chance of engaging in driving while intoxicated with marijuana.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychological Sciences and Kinesiology

Advisor: Adrian J. Bravo, Psychology

The main research question is does the intersection of sexual orientation and race result in unique stereotypes that differ from racial stereotypes for Black women and sexual orientation stereotypes for White lesbians? Focusing on four target groups, Black straight women, Black lesbians, White straight women, and White lesbians, I predict that the findings of this study will yield an intersectional pattern of stereotyping wherein race and sexual orientation both/and influence racial and homophobic attitudes, demonstrating the importance of studying multiply marginalized identities with an intersectional approach. The lack of prior research on stereotypes of Black lesbians adds complexity to hypothesizing what results this study will yield; thus, I base my hypotheses on varying research regarding White lesbians, Black lesbians, White women, and Black women. Prior research regarding the intersection of sexual orientation and race shares a theme of inverted gender stereotypes and stereotypes that differ from ingroups, I hypothesize that the results of this research will follow this trend. Utilizing the Stereotype Content Model I hypothesize that White and Black lesbians will be stereotyped higher in competence and agency than straight White and Black women, with White straight women being stereotyped as the lowest of the four target groups in competence and agency . I hypothesize that this stereotype will also be seen in Black lesbians, resulting in lower ratings of communion and warmth than White lesbians and White straight women. I hypothesize that Black lesbians will rate lower on warmth and competence than Black straight women. My methodology utilizes person perception, faces of each target group, and questions following each face using specific words that represent agency or communion, to identify explicit stereotypes. There is no prior research for specific stereotypes of Black lesbians using the Stereotype Content Model or Person Perception.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology B.S.

Advisor: Cheryl Dickter, Psychology

In May the country of Georgia’s parliament voted to overturn a presidential veto and pass into law a foreign agent bill—requiring organizations receiving more than 20% of funding from abroad to register as a “foreign agent” or pay a fine of around 8,000 USD. The contentious law, nearly identical to one enacted in Russia in 2012, sparked strong and ongoing dissent from the West. This brought many to ask the question, how will this affect Georgia’s path to membership as a NATO and European Union-hopeful? Over the course of two months in Georgia, I studied reactions from Western nations, especially from the United States, towards Georgia’s new law. The July NATO summit in Washington and its released communique were also a main source of research for the ongoing developments in Georgia’s relationship with the West. Despite the condemnation of the law and the pro-Russian shift in Georgia’s government, the West’s current rhetoric towards Georgia keeps the door open for the nation to return to form as a NATO and EU ally, with the upcoming October elections in Georgia set to play a large role in which way the country will turn—westward to Europe and the US or northward to Russia. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Data Science; REES

Advisor: Daniel Maliniak, Government

In recent years, there has been newfound interest in the maternal health outcomes of women prescribed opioid treatment medication (OTM) during pregnancy. The study includes 55 women prescribed OTM during pregnancy, and 28 women from a low-income comparison group without opioid use disorders (OUD). The Obstetrics Complication Scale (OCS) was used to score obstetric outcomes based on participants’ medical records, with lower OCS scores indicating more complications. Participants’ self-reports of childhood adversity, recent life stress, and past-year substance use were evaluated as predictors of obstetric complications, chronic illness, and psychological disorder. Preliminary analyses conducted with the OUD subsample revealed below-average OCS scores as well as elevated rates of psychological disorder (80.8%) and STIs (76.5%). Unexpectedly, childhood adversity, recent life stress, and past-year substance use did not significantly predict maternal health outcomes in this subsample. OCS scoring is ongoing, and analyses will be updated with the full sample. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology and Religious Studies

Advisor: Madelyn Labella, Psychology

This research examines the impact of meditation on brain function and overall well-being, comparing individuals who regularly practice meditation (meditators) with those who do not. We aim to investigate how meditation influences neural activity, psychological states, and health outcomes. Using EEG brain wave measurement technology, we will analyze brain wave patterns during meditation sessions and compare them between meditators and non-meditators. Additionally, cognitive control ability and tasks will be assessed before and after meditation sessions. We anticipate significant differences between those who meditate to those who do not. This study integrates insights from both scientific and humanistic disciplines to provide a comprehensive understanding of how meditation practices affect neurological and psychological well-being across different individuals.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience and Psychology

Advisor: Cheryl Dickter , Psychological Sciences

This project will explore the relationship between executive function and the frequency of relationship challenges. Executive function (EF) is someone’s ability to address novel challenges through resisting temptations, using working memory, controlling attention, and creating strategies that promote goal-directed behavior (Diamond A., 2013; Williams et al., 2009). Past research suggests that poor EF leads to depression and other internalizing disorders (Snyder et. al., 2019). Additionally, one person’s perception of another’s self-control has been found to influence the development of interpersonal trust (Righetti F., & Finkenauer C., 2011). Given the previous research, EF could have direct effects on interpersonal relationships. This project will use data from Dr. Meghan Quinn’s Stress & Emotion lab on executive function and everyday challenges to uncover what correlation, if any, EF and the frequency of relationship challenges have. This project will provide insight into how relational challenges arise in individuals and one potential pathway to depression.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology

Advisor: Meghan Quinn, Psychology

With the rise of globalization, medical tourism—traveling abroad for medical care—has emerged as a billion-dollar industry. Inspired by the perceived successes of medical tourism in several Asian countries, South Africa is striving to become Africa's leading medical tourism destination. While medical tourism offers economic benefits, previous research highlights major consequences for the health systems of destination countries. This investigation seeks to understand how the effects of medical tourism on healthcare provision in established locations can guide South Africa’s expectations of the industry’s impact. An in-depth analysis of journal articles reveals how medical tourism has exacerbated health disparities in well-known destinations and highlights the inequities burdening the South African health system. Without action, medical tourism may worsen these inequities. This study’s findings underscore South Africa’s need to address existing inequalities and implement policies to protect the health system before becoming a robust medical tourism destination. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Kinesiology and Health Sciences and Economics

Advisor: Reya Farber, Sociology

The present study explored the associations between personal views of collectivism/individualism, emotion regulation, and mental health (i.e., anxiety and depression) among college students from the U.S. and South Africa. Specifically, we examined whether individualistic/collectivistic views are associated with mental health outcomes via emotion regulation facets (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression). Participants were 2,285 participants (1,911 from the United States and 374 from South Africa; 63.9% female in total sample) who completed online surveys. Within our estimated models (i.e., individualism/collectivismàemotion regulation facetsàmental health outcomes) we found significant mediation effects for all four collectivism/individualism facets on mental health outcomes via emotion regulation strategies. For example, we found that horizontal individualism relates to lower anxiety/depressive symptoms via lower expressive suppression and higher cognitive reappraisal. These findings shed light on the need for culturally tailored interventions that consider cultural orientations to promote better emotion regulation strategies and mental health outcomes. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Kinesiology and Health Sciences

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology 

This project aims to explore what Americans and Australians view as important pieces of their respective national identities. By analyzing survey responses, the project seeks to pinpoint the most commonly identified traits in people viewed as "true" national examples. It is anticipated that there will be a high amount of white, male, and Christian representatives named. There may also potentially be more non-white and non-male examples named due to the rise in diversity in today's society. The findings from this study will highlight what members of these national communities value. These same values may in turn influence policy votes and other political behaviors. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Public Policy and Environment & Sustainability

Advisor: Mackenzie Israel-Trummel, Government

Despite known benefits of Social Skills Training (SST) for individuals with autism, there remains a need to evaluate additional curricula that seek to improve social interactions in elementary-aged children. This randomized group design study explores the effectiveness of the Conversation Club intervention (Cannon et al., 2018) to improve conversation skills in elementary-aged children with autism and without intellectual disability. Observational data collected prior to the start of the intervention (pre-test) and after the intervention is complete (post-test) were used to assess the frequency and quality of social initiations and responses of each participant, including the use of specific conversational skills, such as a) questions (e.g. a request for additional information), b) wh-queries, c) attention-gaining strategies, d) conversation repairs (e.g., requesting or providing clarification). Results indicate that the Conversation Club is effective in improving social outcomes for young children with autism. I will present findings from the current study and implications for practice.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Elementary Education (Concentration in Special Education)

Advisor: Heartley Huber, School of Education

In recent years the pastoralist Maasai tribe has been unable to engage in their livestock-based economic activities because of extreme drought exacerbated by climate change. Maasai women play an integral role in their families' well-being and conservation but are not equipped with the tools necessary to sustain their livelihoods. We will be designing and implementing a capacity-building program for women’s collectives across Amboseli, Kenya that focuses on building entrepreneurial skill in order to support women's livelihood and conservation initiatives in the Amboseli Ecosystem in the face of drought.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Self-designed, Mathematics

Advisor: Graham Henshaw, Business

For many students, mathematics is a difficult subject to learn. Although it is an abstract subject by nature, research over the past decades has begun to determine effective strategies for teaching mathematics (Koskinen and Pitkäniemi, 2022). One of these emerging strategies is the use of animated mathematical visuals. This project synthesizes the current research literature on the effectiveness of mathematical animations in undergraduate math courses. The synthesis indicates that most research reports results in support of math animations, but further evidence is needed to compare the effectiveness of animated visuals and still visuals in mathematics education. Based on these findings, recommendations and examples are provided for the implementation of animations in undergraduate mathematics classes.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Mathematics

Advisor: Paul Heideman, Biology

Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth and is a significant public health challenge, particularly in resource-constrained settings such as Nepal. Despite notable progress in recent years, critical gaps in knowledge remain about how to adapt and implement strategies in various contexts (for example, specific countries, and urban/rural locations, etc.). Evaluating the effectiveness of strategies and monitoring the comparative progress subnationally remains complicated because the measurement of maternal mortality is difficult and maternal deaths are underreported throughout pregnancy, especially early on and from complications of induced abortion and indirect causes. This study sought to understand subnational maternal mortality disparities and identify optimal interventions. By understanding where and when complications are occurring the research can lay out areas where interventions are needed. The research seeks to inform evidence-based policies and practices to further improve maternal health outcomes in Nepal. The findings of this study have the potential to contribute significantly to global efforts to reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health outcomes, ultimately benefiting women and families in Nepal and similar settings worldwide.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Sociology w/ concentration in Health, Medicine, and Well-Being, Biochemistry minor 

Advisor: Julius Odhiambo, Kinesiology

This project addresses the significant employment disparities faced by individuals with learning disabilities (LD). Despite their potential and willingness to work, people with LD encounter barriers to obtaining and maintaining competitive employment, leading to a less inclusive workforce.

Our research aims to understand these inequities and identify effective business practices to support a more inclusive workforce. By examining successful workplace strategies, we seek to empower individuals with learning disabilities to thrive professionally and contribute meaningfully to their organizations

Student Major(s)/Minor: Valentina: Psychology, Linguistics, Saylor: Sociology, Educational Studies; Cassidy: Government and Psychology, Wil: Psychology, Management & Organizational Leadership, Mia: Environment & Sustainability, Philosophy, Sonali: Psychology major, Sociology minor 

Advisor: Eleanor Loiacono, Business; Heartley Huber, Education

The current study explored the role of adverse adulthood experiences in explaining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and observed parental sensitivity among 205 parents of toddlers (aged 1-2 years) from the broader Williamsburg area. Sensitivity was coded based on parents' responsiveness to their children's feelings and interests during a series of interaction tasks, including book reading, free play with toys, and clean-up. Following the interaction, parents completed several measures, including questionnaires about their experiences of adversity. The Philadelphia Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire was used to assess childhood adversity, and the STRAIN Screener for Adults was used to assess adulthood adversity. No significant correlation was found between ACEs and parental sensitivity, contrary to previous literature. However, a mediation model revealed that ACEs and parental sensitivity are indirectly related through adult adversity. These findings suggest that ACEs may lead to ongoing adversity in adulthood, consequently affecting parental sensitivity.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology, Studio Art minor 

Advisor: Madelyn Labella, Psychology 

When the U.K. deindustrialized, Birmingham’s once-thriving industrial economy fell into stagnation. As the city reorients itself to a service-based economy, what are the driving forces behind this transformation? This research highlights a crucial relationship between Birmingham’s higher education system and its growing service sector. The transition has been mainly fueled by university funding of service sector degree programs, graduate retainment to sustain younger working populations, and—to meet demand for such degrees—job openings in higher education. Through collection of Library of Birmingham and University of Birmingham resources and analyses of time series data from national labor market databases, this project offers a concrete evaluation of universities’ roles to place graduates in finance, banking, education, public administration, and healthcare jobs. However, this research does not suggest that university development is the sole reason for Birmingham’s transition to the service sector; there are other factors explored. Birmingham's higher education system is prioritized because many latent consequences of expansion already align with goals for city development. These findings may inform strategies for other cities the U.K. or the post-industrial world that are navigating similar transitions.  

Student Major(s)/Minor: Economics and Data Science

Advisor: Marcus Holmes, Government 

Early life stress (ELS) represents a wide range of adverse experiences children may face. It is well-established that ELS poses irreversible damages to developmental outcomes, although there is limited information on the mechanisms through which such damages take place. ELS has been extensively studied through a cumulative approach, which confirms that the amount of ELS a child is exposed to is highly correlated with the risk of negative developmental outcomes; however, the cumulative approach fails to consider whether different forms of ELS lead to distinct long-term effects. Alternatively, the dimensional model proposes that adverse experiences can be categorized into two main dimensions: deprivation (neglect), which impacts cognitive and executive functions, and threat (abuse), which influences emotion regulation and processing. This review focuses on these two dimensions and compares their varied impacts. Examining such differences contributes to public health and health policy efforts by informing more targeted prevention and intervention approaches, and provides new insights into future research directions.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology

Advisor: Meghan Quinn, Psychological Sciences 

In the early 20th century, many American cities passed their first comprehensive zoning ordinances, which legislated the form and character of the urban environment. Until recently, the relationship of these ordinances with existing uses and densities, and their impact on the future development of the cities, was not possible to analyze quantitatively. We contribute to the existing literature by using a novel geographic dataset to establish a relationship with the existing pattern of use, and with later developments, including current-day zoning and redlining. We find that the pre-zoning distribution of uses and population correlates significantly with the placement of zones. We find further that the placement of zones correlates closely with the risk assessment of the Homeowners Loan Corporation, and with the uses in modern-day zoning.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Economics and Mathematics 

Advisor: Tate Twinam, Economics 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with detrimental physical health outcomes (e.g. increase prevalence of autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disorders, chronic pain symptoms). Given the compelling evidence for the link between PTSD and poor physical health, maladaptive behaviors that represent common coping responses are critical to consider as potential risk factors for PTSD-related health outcomes. In this study, we examine problematic cannabis use as one such maladaptive coping strategy. Specifically, we tested whether the problematic cannabis use mediated the association between PTSD and poor health. Furthermore, we sought to test whether using cannabis to cope with PTSD symptoms specifically (compared to negative mood more broadly) increased risk for problematic cannabis use and, ultimately, poor health. Findings suggest that cannabis use significantly mediated the association between PTSD severity and poor health. Follow-up moderated mediation analyses indicated PTSD specific coping motives significantly moderated the association between PTSD symptomatology and problematic cannabis use.  

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology, Kinesiology minor 

Advisor: Madelyn Labella, Psychology 

This research looked into the speech of defendants on trial in the Southern District of New York facing criminal charges in a jury trial. Using typed transcripts of cases, the study analyzed the usage of hedging, i.e. additional phrases or words that often signal politeness or uncertainty, on the part of the defendant in cases that resulted in both acquittal and conviction. The cases analyzed were also picked according to alternating prescribed gender ( Mr. Or Ms.) of attorneys, and only the direct and cross examinations of the defendant were included. The gender of the defendant was held constant as there were not sufficient enough cases with female defendants who testified during their trial. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Linguistics and Film & Media Studies 

Advisor: Anya Hogoboom, Linguistics  

People of color frequently experience discrimination and racism. Whereas some policies and laws such as slavery and Jim Crow laws have been abolished, there are still many individuals with implicit and explicit racial biases. One place where these biases show up is in college. Therefore the goal of this study is to evaluate how effective an anti-racism intervention training method would be in white college students. In order to conduct this study, we split the eligible participants into two groups: the experimental group was given materials that related to knowledge and awareness of racial biases, whereas the control group was presented with materials relating to environmentalism. Every  participant then completed a series of measures that analyzed various levels of racial biases, with the intention of comparing baseline levels to the levels observed after engaging with the given materials. With the results, we hope to see that this intervention training led to a reduction in racial bias, with attention to how this reduction may be maintained for several weeks after the intervention. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience and Biochemistry 

Advisor: Cheryl Dickter, Psychology 

The present systematic literature review aimed to summarize the impact of mental health stigma among nurses, particularly focusing on professional image, workplace culture, and fear of professional consequences. Multiple databases (APA PsycNet, Google Scholar, and PRIMO) were used to conduct online searches for published articles using terms related to mental health stigma among nurses seeking treatment. Across 12 recently published articles reviewed, there was strong support for mental health stigma significantly impacting nurses’ likelihood to seek treatment and treatment-seeking behaviors. Several factors that are relevant include: 1) that nurses often fear that seeking help could negatively affect their job security and 2) colleagues’ or supervisors’ perception of them seeking treatment. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address mental health stigma among nurses to improve treatment-seeking behaviors. Future reach should focus on strategies to mitigate the negative effects on mental health stigma on seeking care within nursing population.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Kinesiology

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology 

During the summer, along with a group of other W&M students, we conducted interviews with veterans in Georgia along with Russians who moved to Georgia after the start of the war in Ukraine. We also conducted research on the instability of Georgian politics and the rise of the ruling party, Georgian Dream. Aside from that, some of us interned at a consulting firm contracted by USAID, which is part of USAID’s Local Governance Program. The research came at an interesting time for the country of Georgia with elections coming up and extreme political rhetoric being at its highest. Although the results of the research remain unclear, we are hoping that in the context of the elections this October we will gain a deeper understanding of the socio-political situation in Georgia. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Lana: International Relations, Lydia: International Relations, Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies minor

Advisor: Daniel Maliniak, Government

Few studies have examined the experiences of Black college males who serve as mentors for marginalized youth. This research project is an autoethnography, which is an approach to research studies that involve the researcher documenting and analyzing their lived, first-hand experience of a specific phenomenon. As the primary researcher, I sought to share my experience as a Black male mentor who supported high school students during a summer STEM camp.  Participants will gain insight regarding the lived experiences that have shaped my path as Black male undergraduate student who serves the community as a role model and mentor. In addition to personal anecdotes, the autoethnography will link my experiences with prior research findings in STEM and youth development fields. The strong support from published literature, in conjunction with detailed recollections of my unique experiences, demonstrates the importance of Black male mentors and their impact on youth mentees. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology major, Education minor

Advisor: Janise Parker, Education

Previous research highlights a unique association between socioeconomic factors and rurality by identifying disparities in access to higher education and impacts on college readiness influencing postsecondary education pathways (Koricich et al., 2018). Unfortunately, there is a lack of research addressing the intersectionality between rurality and lower socioeconomic status predicting lower college enrollment rates, institutional choice patterns, and an overall enrollment gap (Wells et al., 2023). The proposed study, Child Opportunity Index Needs (COIN), aims to understand how collectively socioeconomic status and rurality influence college attendance and experiences in higher education. COIN plans to highlight the experiences of William and Mary students from rural areas with low socioeconomic status backgrounds, providing insight to researchers on the social, economic, and academic experience of these underrepresented students. Results will contribute to support systems and institutional buffers that can improve the experiences of rural students who are of a lower socioeconomic status.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology, Public Health minor 

Advisor: Danielle Dallaire, Psychology

This chapter examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on nuclear weapons proliferation, arms control, and nuclear risk. It analyzes how AI may affect nuclear deterrence, human control over nuclear systems, and states' perceptions of AI capabilities. The authors argue that AI's influence on nuclear security will largely depend on how states perceive and integrate AI technologies, rather than the technologies themselves. They emphasize the importance of maintaining human oversight, adapting arms control frameworks, and establishing clear policies on AI use in nuclear systems. The chapter recommends that states adopt explainability standards for AI models, pursue confidence-building measures like enhanced communication and transparency, and carefully consider how AI integration may alter power dynamics between nuclear states. While acknowledging AI's potential to both stabilize and destabilize the nuclear landscape, the authors advocate for a cautious, deliberate approach to AI integration that preserves states' ability to reverse course if needed. **The authors generated this abstract with ChatGPT. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Amy: International Relations, Data Science minor, Chloe: Public Policy and Philosophy, James: Mathematics

Advisor: Jeffery Kaplow, Government; Ryan Musto, Global Research Institute

Since its creation in 1970, Cévennes National Park in southern France has been a popular tourist destination for people seeking to experience its unique natural and cultural landscapes. The Causses and Cévennes Mediterranean agro-pastoral cultural landscape was inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2011 and is still at risk of being lost. Local practices and species of this area have been negatively affected by increases in tourism and conflicts between the various different users of the Park. This project analyzes the complex interactions between the permanent inhabitants, official Park management, tourists, and wildlife in the Cévennes and evaluates current management efforts. It seeks to identify how the Park can improve its policies and conservation strategies to better preserve the traditional human activities and natural life that have shaped its valuable cultural and environmental heritage over hundreds of years. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Integrative Conservation and French and Francophone Studies

Advisor: Giulia Pacini, French and Francophone Studies

Rule of law is a fundamental principle that determines the democratic strength and stability of a country. It is the basis for the political legitimacy and institutions that govern nations. This study explores how the various types of legal systems and government forms found in a selection of countries can affect its rule of law. The selected legal systems include common and civil, and the selected government forms include presidential and parliamentary. Countries with a combination of these four factors have varied results of rule of law measured through data sets such as the World Justice Project and Freedom House. This study demonstrates the combination of factors that is most conducive to high measures of rule of law, but also considers potential political and economic third variables that may affect these measures. The findings in this project may assist in predicting the stability of young countries as they develop. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Government

Advisor: Rani Mullen, Government

The underrepresentation of minorities and people of color in conservation and environmental science is well-documented, rooted in systemic exclusionary practices that have historically silenced their voices and erased Indigenous knowledge systems. Despite contemporary diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, engagement still needs to improve, particularly in academic departments like Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) and Conservation (CONS) at institutions such as William & Mary. This study reviews literature and interviews faculty committed to addressing this issue, identifying barriers such as systemic biases and structural obstacles. Proposed solutions include expanding research opportunities, mentorship programs, and affirming diverse students' belonging. The findings aim to guide targeted programs to foster a more inclusive environment at William & Mary, advancing DEI in environmental science and conservation.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology and Environmental Sustainability and Policy 

Advisor: John P. Swaddle, Institute for Integrative Conservation

This project’s primary goals are to identify the cause(s) of widespread non-compliance with Virginia’s SB 232/HB 405—which requires Virginia public schools to provide menstrual hygiene products in restrooms (MS/HS) or “other accessible locations” (ES)—as well as quantify the degree of this non-compliance.  Schools were broken down by level (i.e., ES/MS/HS), student body size, socioeconomic status, district political affiliation, and other factors to identify other possible correlations. Data collection consisted of sending email surveys to VA public school principals and, for a qualitative perspective, surveying representatives of Communities in Schools (an NPO that works with students in under-resourced schools). Initial findings include that non-compliance is more prevalent at the middle and high school level, that vandalism is the overwhelming cause of non-compliance in these schools, and that VA public school principals are largely unaware of SB 232/HB 405’s existence.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Business Analytics and Public Policy

Advisor: Claire McKinney, Government

Adolescent Black boys in the U.S. face high rates of poor mental health due to factors like family poverty, stress, and parental incarceration. In conducting a systematic literature review, the present study aimed to illuminate how mindfulness impacts mental health and quality of life among Black adolescent boys. Across fifteen different articles, we found evidence that mindfulness and mindfulness practice is beneficial in improving mental health and quality of life among Black adolescent boys. By exploring both the potential benefits and barriers to effective mindfulness practice in this specific demographic, our systematic review contributes to the development of culturally and contextually relevant mindfulness interventions that can better serve at-risk Black youth (particularly adolescent boys).

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology

The drivers of the implementation of workplace lactation support strategies are not well known. Policymakers have mandated unfunded, on-site lactation stations for workplaces without evidence of feasibility or impact within most industries (The Kenya Gazette, 2017). In the implementation science literature, few interventions have sought to promote Exclusive Breastfeeding through workplaces (Kalve 2019, Olson 2020) and few have assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of workplace lactation stations. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) is a flexible implementation science framework with growing relevance for Low-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) settings, including workplaces. Our team seeks to fill the evidence gap in workplace breastfeeding interventions in LMICs through the proposed study. The success of these aims will highlight the translatability of implementation and dissemination research to workplace lactation supports, an area where there are significant gaps between policy, implementation, and health outcomes. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Kinesiology and Health Sciences Public Health Concentration

Advisor: Scott Ickes, Kinesiology

Since its establishment, the aim of the American-Bosnian Collaboration (ABC) project has been to foster and enhance children’s intercultural competence (ICC) skills in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Every year, American and Bosnian co-teachers have utilized experiential learning strategies to achieve this goal. This year's project seeks to understand the effect of activities revolving around leading works of children’s literature on tolerance on skills, knowledge, and attitudes associated with ICC. Our methodology included a baseline and an endline survey in order to determine the effectiveness of experiential teaching initiatives used throughout the project. Furthermore, co-teachers were asked to fill out a reflection form to critically assess how well students responded to activities related to ICC. Lastly, each class participated in a community-facing final project, during which students wrote their own stories and presented them. The analysis of the data collected is still underway, but we anticipate that the results will show increased levels of ICC among students between the start and end of the project.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Sarah: Biology, Natalia: Public Policy and History, Sam: International Relations

Advisor: Paula Pickering, Government

The present study explored the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), distress tolerance (DT), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Specifically, we examined whether ACEs longitudinally predict past year NSSI engagement via distress tolerance. Participants were 634 college students (75.2% female; Mean Age = 22.4) from six countries (USA, Argentina, Spain, South Africa, England, Canada) who completed three online surveys. Within our estimated model (i.e., ACEsàDTàNSSI), we found significant associations between ACEs and DT, ACEs and NSSI, and DT and NSSI. Specifically, we found that higher ACEs scores at Time 1 were associated with lower DT at Time 2, which in turn was associated with increased risk for engaging in NSSI at T3 (indirect b=.026, 95% CIs=0.01, 0.05). These findings suggest that introducing and strengthening healthy coping mechanisms may provide emerging adults who experienced ACEs with the with adaptive strategies to manage distress, and may reduce incidence of NSSI as a result. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology and Biology

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology

Some people consider the model citizen to have particular identity traits. For example, research confirms that Americans tend to perceive the prototypical citizen to be White, Christian, and male. This project explored how people imagine the model citizen, by asking individuals from the United States and Australia to provide an example of a true citizen. The responses from each country were coded based on traits such as ethnicity, religion, and occupation. The coding of the survey responses revealed trends in what Americans or Australians value for acceptance in their respective countries. For example, American ideal citizens were overwhelmingly politicians, while Australian responses had more athletes and artists. These survey results are part of a larger existing project examining the effect of identity traits on attitudes towards immigration and the possibility that ideal identity traits are exclusionary to immigrants.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Government

Advisor: Mackenzie Israel-Trummel, Government

Multi-level marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry with a growing prominence within the U.S. economy. Considering multi-level marketing’s similar business structure to pyramid schemes and their adverse impacts on both consumers and recruiters, it’s important to develop a more complete understanding of multi-level marketing and government policy concerning the industry. This project explores the inner workings of a multi-level marketing firm called Herbalife. It explains Herbalife’s multi-level marketing business structure and how this structure impacts those who try and sell Herbalife products. The project exposes Herbalife’s abusive business practices, namely their misleading advertising and how difficult Herbalife makes it to profit off selling Herbalife's products. After providing exposition about Herbalife’s business practices, the project outlines past and current U.S. government regulations that have attempted to correct Herbalife’s conduct. These regulatory policies have proven insufficient in protecting both consumers and workers from Herbalife’s harmful business structure. The project finishes by recommending potential policy changes and relating the lessons learned from this case study to other multi-level marketing firms. The goal of the project is to better understand how Herbalife harms consumers and workers, and generate potential solutions to better protect those involved with Herbalife.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Economics and French 

Advisor: Chris Howard, Government & Public Policy

This qualitative study aims to explore the experiences of Students of Color in responding to instances of white fragility at an elite, public liberal arts campus. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, participants will be invited to share their personal encounters and reflections on navigating interactions characterized by white fragility. DiAngelo (2011) defined white fragility as an “insulated environment of racial protection [which] builds White expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering the ability to tolerate racial stress” (p. 54). DiAngelo highlighted white fragility as a state where any amount of racial stress becomes so intolerable for White people, defensive reactions are triggered. These reactions include the “outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation” (DiAngelo, 2011, p. 54). When feelings of shame, guilt, or negativity arise related to white fragility they recenter White feelings, and marginalize responses from People of Color (POC). 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Kinsley: Government, Adriek: Kinesiology

Advisor: Erica Wiborg, School of Education

Social media platforms provide accessible spaces for disabled people to share community knowledge and voice solidarity (Wang & Ringland 2023), but these spaces are often intruded by negative comments. Women and femme people with disabilities, in particular, experience online hate at the intersection of sexism and ableism (Arthur 2022). It is this study’s goal to uncover the nuances of “able-sexist” comments and how online creators respond to them. I selected six femme, disabled Instagram/TikTok creators and surveyed 1-3 of their most viewed video posts from the months of January to August 2024. Comments with ableist language were documented and coded under various categories, such as “denial,” “dehumanization,” and “slang.” The rhetoric presented in these comments, as well as creators’ responses, varied based on identity markers. Able-sexist comments were often associated with other forms of discrimination, making an intersectional framework the most effective way to analyze these comments.  

Student Major(s)/Minor: Anthropology and Biology

Advisor: Leslie Cochrane, Linguistics

The present study explored the associations between trait mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and college adjustment among undergraduates from six countries. Specifically, we examined whether dispositional mindfulness longitudinally predicts better college adjustment via distress tolerance and emotion regulation. Participants were 652 college students (75.2% female; Mean age = 22.44) from six countries (USA, Argentina, Spain, South Africa, England, Canada) who completed online surveys. Within our estimated mediation model (i.e. trait mindfulness facets→distress tolerance/emotion regulation facets→college adjustment), we did not find a significant longitudinal mediation effect for four of our mindfulness facets. However, we did find a significant mediation effect for the nonjudging facet, such that higher nonjudging of inner experience was longitudinally associated with better college adjustment via greater distress tolerance (indirect β=.014, 95% CIs=0.001, 0.03). These findings suggest that more mindful individuals can better withstand distress, allowing them to more successfully adjust to the challenges of university life.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychological Sciences

For this thesis, we are examining adjective order in English. We anticipate that there will be some amount of flexibility in adjective order and that there are categories of adjectives that are more likely to be flexible. The adjective categories we are looking at are Pattern (e.g. “plaid”), Material (e.g. “stone”), Shape (e.g. “round”), and Temporariness (e.g. “new”, “dirty”). We are starting with a judgement task where participants are given phrases consisting of adjective pairs of different orders and a noun, and asked to rate how good they are on a scale from 1-7. Given our findings, we can look into other components that affect adjective order of any flexibility (e.g. conversational context) through additional surveys. In conducting this research it is hoped that we will contribute new understanding to the specifics and production of adjective order in English.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology and Linguistics 

Advisor: Kate Harrigan, Linguistics

This project will explore the usage of English in signage, advertisements, and other public written language as Costa Rica has a unique environment of having a very low English-speaking rate in the locals but a huge tourism industry that caters to English speakers. This project is aimed at analyzing the effects of linguistic globalization, the phenomenon that English is becoming a lingua franca—or a language used to make communication possible between groups of people who do not share a native language—due to the international integration of economic, trade, technological, and communications, in a third-world country and potentially find its limitations.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Chemistry and Linguistics 

Advisor: Leslie Cochrane, Linguistics

This literature review explores the coping strategies employed by immigrant-origin African youth in America and Canada as they face various challenges, including acculturation stress (stress due to cultural changes), discrimination, and conflicts with cultural identity. These young individuals navigate intricate environments influenced by cultural values, social contexts, and personal experiences. Five categories of coping strategies for this population emerged from the literature: cultural factors (including a religious component), familial factors, school/community support, peer support, and an individual coping/other strategies category.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology

Advisor: Madelyn Labella, Psychology

This research investigates the neural basis of racial bias in empathy, particularly how individuals are more likely to empathize with those who share their racial identity.

Using EEG to record brain activity, the study examines whether adopting different perspectives can reduce this bias. Participants, 100 college students, will be randomly assigned to one of four conditions: taking another's perspective, adopting an objective mindset, envisioning interaction with another, or a control condition.

They will view faces of different racial groups displaying painful and neutral expressions while their brain activity is recorded. Additionally, participants will complete a questionnaire assessing their experiences with different racial groups and racial attitudes. The study anticipates finding that adopting certain perspectives may lessen racial bias in empathy, as measured by EEG. These findings could lead to new strategies for reducing racial bias in empathy, with potential applications in educational and workplace settings to promote inclusivity.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Neuroscience

Advisor: Cheryl Dickter, Psychology

The present study examined the longitudinal associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and problematic alcohol use via distress tolerance and drinking to cope among college students. Participants were 463 (76.5% female) college students who consumed alcohol in the past month from six countries (U.S., Argentina, Canada, Spain, South Africa, and England). Within our estimated path model (i.e., ACEs--> distress tolerance--> drinking to cope--> alcohol-related consequences), we found a significant double-mediation effect (indirect β = .03, 95% CIs = 0.01, 0.03). Specifically, higher endorsement of ACEs was longitudinally associated with lower distress tolerance, which in turn predicted future drinking to cope motivations, which in turn was associated with more problematic alcohol use. Our findings suggest that childhood trauma has long term risk on problematic alcohol use among college students via lower distress tolerance and higher drinking to cope motivations. Interventions focused on college drinking need to account for ACEs and improving distress tolerance.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology major, Mathematics minor 

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology 

Core reading programs in U.S. reading instruction have significant influences upon student outcomes, as they are capable of influencing student reading motivation and reading achievement. This project conducts a content analysis of four required reading programs legislated by the Virginia Literacy Act assessing dedicated reading time, weekly word count, and encounter format. Through a deep analysis of exemplary weeks, our findings yield important insights into how much reading occurs and the type of reading that occurs in these programs. With wide discrepancies between the programs in terms of repeat reading, excerpts and short passages as opposed to full-length books, and a variety in dedicated time, this work provides significant implications for teachers (dependent on their selected curriculum), as well as for student reading motivation and engagement.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Elementary Education and Psychology

Advisor: Kristin Conradi Smith, Elementary Education 

River herring are an anadromous fish species that are historically prevalent in the Rappahannock river in Virginia. The species was both economically and socially important to the local communities but is now under a total moratorium due to population decline. This project is a multiyear oral history project of people in the local community, examining how local ecological knowledge can contribute to conservation policy. The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Integrative Conservation’s Conservation Research Program. My portion of the project involves developing a unique way of publicly telling the stories collected from oral history interviews by developing an online platform to share the local ecological knowledge concerning river herring conservation in the Rappahannock river.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Philosophy, Conservation

Advisor: Mara Dicenta Vilker, Conservation Anthropology

This study investigates the relation between maternal sensitivity (maternal warmth and responsiveness) and children’s attachment security (e.g., secure, insecure) in the context of parental incarceration and factors that may influence maternal sensitivity by analyzing data from the Family Life Project. The Family Life Project was a longitudinal study that looked at social risk and children’s development in rural communities. The current study hypothesizes that parental incarceration will be associated with lower levels of maternal sensitivity and higher rates of attachment insecurity. Additionally, we hope to explore maternal factors that are associated with higher levels of maternal sensitivity within families impacted by parental incarceration. This study will enrich the field of knowledge regarding parental incarceration by highlighting the protective factors that mothers in adverse situations employ to benefit their children’s attachment security.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology and Hispanic Studies

Advisor: Danielle Dallaire, Psychology

Research in clinical psychology links generalized anxiety disorder to stimulus generalization through cognitive schema theories, proposing fear is stored in memory as a network of fear-related situations. Minor triggers, like a phrase, can evoke strong fear responses, like elevated anxiety levels. In addition to the significant physical health impact, COVID-19 has great psychosocial impacts and has led to higher rates of depression and anxiety in many populations across the country. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of COVID-19 exposure on an individual's anxiety level. To achieve this, participants completed a survey that included the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) and two rounds of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). One STAI assessment was conducted before presenting participants with a COVID-19 exposure notification, and the other was administered after. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between the initial and final scores of the STAI and that scores on the CSS would be correlated with the second STAI scores. The results of this study and future research have the potential to yield valuable insights for societal implementation. Despite the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in March 2020, its prevalence and diagnoses continued into 2023. In understanding how COVID-19 exposure impacts an individual's anxiety levels, one can better grasp the pandemic's repercussions on society’s mental health. This knowledge can inform the development of programs aimed at addressing mental health issues in affected populations, such as college students.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology and Neuroscience 

Advisor: Harvey Langholtz, Psychological Sciences

Black individuals often face higher rates of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder due to a variety of reasons (Williams & Mohammed, 2009). My findings revealed that mental health stigma is often deeply rooted in familial beliefs, where there is a strong cultural inclination to "keep things in the family" and avoid seeking external help (Misra, 2021). This stigma is further perpetuated in faith-based communities, where spiritual explanations and solutions to mental health issues are commonly preferred over medical or psychological interventions (Caplan et al. 2019). These factors, among others, contribute to a reluctance to seek mental health treatment. Importantly there is a significant gap in the literature regarding mental health and mental health stigma among Black women. This oversight underscores the necessity of examining mental health through the lens of intersectionality, which considers the complex and interwoven nature of social identities. Recognizing and addressing these intersecting factors is essential for developing effective and culturally competent mental health interventions for this underserved population. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Biology

Advisor: Adrian Bravo, Psychology

The present study examined whether attending a public or private high school affects the academic self-concept of college students. Academic self-concept is one’s self-perceived ability to achieve in academic tasks compared to their peers and it is formed through interactions with one’s environment. Previous research has found a positive relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement. Previous research has also found that students who attended private high schools perform better academically in college than those from public high schools. This study aimed to fill a gap in the research by examining the relationship between type of high school (public or private) and academic self-concept. Therefore, it was hypothesized that students from private high schools would have a higher academic self-concept. The Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (ASCQ) (Liu et al., 2005) was used to assess participants’ (N= 46) academic self-concept. Results revealed no significant difference in academic self-concept based on the type of high school participants attended. 

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology

Advisor: Harvey Langholtz, Psychology

This line of inquiry seeks to establish a link between parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation and the ability to recognize and discriminate between emotional cues among parents of young children. The parasympathetic nervous system supports social engagement, relaxation, and recovery from challenges. Parents’ parasympathetic regulation was measured using respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a metric of heartbeat variability, during a mild parenting challenge when children were 1-2 years old. Emotion recognition and regulation were measured using a computerized Emotional Go-No-Go task completed at a follow-up assessment when children were 3-4 years old. Specifically, participants were asked to press a key in response to specific emotional faces while inhibiting a response to others. I hypothesized that greater RSA reactivity from baseline to challenge would predict faster response times and lower false alarms on the Emotional Go-No-Go-Task. Preliminary analyses conducted with a subsample (n = 42) revealed no significant relationship between RSA reactivity from baseline-challenge and false alarms or overall reaction times. However, there was a significant negative correlation between RSA reactivity and reaction time to happiness stimuli specifically (r = -.33, p = .045) Data collection is ongoing and analysis will be updated with a larger sample.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Psychology, Data Science

Advisor: Madelyn Labella, Psychology

This study attempts to determine the commonalities and differences between how Americans and Australians perceive “true” Americans or Australians. The study was carried out by via a survey to thousands of Americans and Australians. The religious and occupational composition between the two nations differed greatly, while the gender and race were fairly similar. These findings shed light on the dissemination of political, social, and cultural values across the Anglosphere and the evolution of both countries. Future studies may wish to include other countries in the Anglosphere or perhaps examine two nations with closely related histories but separate languages.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Government and Data Science

Advisor: Mackenzie Israel-Trummel, Government

A bloody civil war, gang violence, and political instability have marked El Salvador and its people for years. Now that El Salvador has gone from the murder capital of the world to the safest country in Latin America, the current government’s actions may pose a threat to democracy. This project will explore how Salvadorans navigate the tradeoffs between democratic institutions and improved security conditions. Through in-depth analysis of archived and current newspapers, governmental documents, and other primary documents, this project will interpret what Salvadorans take into consideration when making decisions about their government. This project will raise questions such as: Do Salvadorans perceive democratic erosion? If so, how do they restore support for both democratic institutions and the demand for improved security? The articles, quotes, and images shared by Salvadoran media will shed light on how people decide between a representative and democratic government, or a government capable of doing things. By examining this, political analysts may gain a new understanding on how to assist countries like El Salvador, so they can avoid needing to trade off democracy for stability in the future.  

Student Major(s)/Minor: Government and Psychology

Advisor: Mark Deming, Government