16144 research outputs found
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The Language of Gender
No full textThis research addresses how language and gender co-construct. We focus our analysis through three overarching questions: 1) How does language reinforce the gender binary? 2) How does language give power and preference to one gender over another? and 3) What are the long-term effects of reinforcing the binary and/or favoring one gender’s voice over another’s? To facilitate our discussion of these questions, we review key theories of gendered communication, specifically from authors Judith Butler and Adrienne Davis. From there we went on to use three-real world case studies, focusing on women in politics, “bro talk”, and how women conversationally say “no” to sexual advances, as evidence for the ways in which these theories are seen in society. Ultimately, we found that language and gender co-construct in both subtle and glaringly obvious ways that give preferential treatment to one gender over the other. We conclude by developing practical discussion questions and recommendations that will guide undergraduate students as they think through the complexities of language and gender
How Long is Too Long? A Concussion Overview
No full textThe many signs and symptoms that are associated with concussions can be both qualitative and quantitative. Scientists today are still in the works of gripping the many causes, variations of treatment protocols and redesigning of sports equipment to make our athletes safer and more aware of concussions and their severity. The literature is constantly changing and evolving in a direction towards safety, protection and knowledge of the processes of the brain activity once a concussion occurs. Some studies focus on medical theories or neurocognitive testing while others may focus on consensus statements and what linking professions have found out. The research question of this project focuses on whether or not this athlete’s concussion signs and symptoms should be put to question for the longevity of the injury. It also focuses on if something more underlying is taking place in this particular case that could make some concluding statements about concussions in general. A case study took place where the athlete’s mechanism of injury, diagnostic processes, and treatment protocols were examined as well as extracurricular and recreational activities to come up with learned results. This research examines the case information as well as the physiological links to altitude and concussions and the supporting literature
Just another ACL Tear, or Is It?
No full textAn ACL tear may present with complications during the rehabilitation process. This case examines one which might not be as common, a cyclops lesion. A 20 year-old collegiate football player three months into post-surgical rehabilitation experienced limited knee extension, anterior knee pain, an audible click with functional movements as well as decreased strength given his disposition. Timely recovery from an ACL repair is inhibited with these lesions due to the location and potential size of the structural deformity. A fibrous notch was evident upon further examination of this athlete approximately three months into his rehabilitation process through MRI imaging. Review of the revision, the presentation and complications of a cyclops lesion as well as progressive rehabilitation procedures are explained. This case also pursues the importance of patient and practitioner communication as well as the vigilance in detecting complications in what should be normal progression after ACL repair
Effects of Visual and Auditory Stimuli on Exercise Performance and Ratings of Exercise
No full textAuditory and visual stimuli are often used by individuals during exercise. Previous studies have found that such stimulation can increase exercise performance and enjoyment through distraction from feelings of fatigue and exertion. This study is being completed to determine the combined effects of auditory and visual stimuli, as compared to each alone or no stimulation, on various measurable outcomes of exercise. These measurable outcomes will include ratings of exercise enjoyment, internal (fatigue, exertion, etc.) or external (daydreaming, focused on surroundings) attentional attributions, peak and average heart rates, and distance cycled. Each participant will engage in moderate-intensity cycling on a stationary bike for four consecutive weeks, during which they will be exposed to four different conditions of stimulation: visual and auditory, visual alone, auditory alone, and no stimulation. The order of the conditions will be randomized for each participant, and the workload added to each bike will be tailored to each individual participant’s body weight and aerobic capacity. This will be measured by a V02 Max test prior to the beginning of the experiment. Auditory stimuli will be popular music and visual stimuli will be the accompanying music videos. It is hypothesized that in the visual/auditory combined stimulation condition that the distance cycled and peak heart rates will be higher, the exercise will be rated more favorably, and attentional attributions will be more externally focused than with visual, auditory, or no stimulation. If the results are significant, it would be recommended that individuals utilize visual and auditory stimuli during exercise to improve their exercise performance and enjoyment. This study is in progress, and results will be reported at the Hope College Celebration of Undergraduate Research
Where Are The Women?
No full textThis research aims to uncover the reasons why there are fewer women that are elected to political office than men. Moreover, I seek to examine the American public’s attitudes towards electing a female president. Using the 2012 American National Election Study, a national randomized survey, I plan to test the main factors that explain the respondents’ support for female politicians
State Partisanship and Voter Turnout
No full textThis research will examine the extent that one-party control of U.S. state institutions has on voter turnout within the state. Relying on a “U.S. States’ Politics” dataset including information on the degree of one-party control of legislatures and governors’ offices, I assess their effect on aggregate voter turnout
Democracy and Public Satisfaction
No full textThis research explores the link between expanding political freedoms and an individual’s trust in and satisfaction with government
Flourishing and the Unity of Virtues: Psychology Listens to Philosophy
No full textAccording to classical virtue theory, as articulated by Aristotle and subsequently Thomas Aquinas, virtue is necessary for eudaimonia (i.e., human flourishing; Fowers, 2012). Positive psychologists have defined virtues as character strengths (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and primarily studied them in isolation (e.g., the correlation between gratitude and well-being; Emmons & McCullough, 2003). In contrast with psychologists, philosophers have long examined virtues more holistically (e.g., Aristotle, 1999). In this view, all of the individual virtues coalesce as practical wisdom, which enables people to engage in virtuous responses in various contexts (Fowers, 2012). In light of this philosophical conceptualization, we plan to examine the interrelationships among virtues, evaluating a higher-order latent factor structure and its association with flourishing. Existing psychological measures of virtues of interest were reviewed and revised to more accurately track Aristotelian and Thomistic perspectives. Our virtues of interest were the cardinal virtues (i.e., temperance, courage, justice, practical wisdom) and other virtues relevant within positive psychology and a Thomistic perspective (e.g., forgivingness, gratitude). Data were collected using an online Qualtrics questionnaire (N = 170). We will then evaluate a higher order structure, using structural equation modeling (Mplus software). Preliminary correlation analyses among the individual Thomistic virtues (i.e., faith/spirituality, forgivingness, gratitude, hope, humility, patience) and flourishing revealed statistically significant relationships, rs = .24 - .52, ps \u3c .017. Among the cardinal virtues, flourishing was correlated with justice (r = .41, p \u3c .001), wisdom (r = .35, p \u3c .001), and temperate attitudes toward food (r = .22, p = .029) and sex (r = .30, p = .002). We anticipate that a higher-order latent factor will correlate more strongly with flourishing. However, this study is largely exploratory given its interdisciplinary nature. Examining the utility of a higher-order latent virtue factor has the potential to shape the way we view and study the relationship between virtues and flourishing
Perceptual Differentiation of African American and European American Children Based on Gender and Ethnicity of Listeners
Get PDFThomas and Reaser (2004) demonstrated that adult speakers can be perceptually differentiated by listeners with respect to gender and ethnicity. They presented data from various studies with respect to adult speakers, but no data for child speakers. It follows that there are cues in the acoustic signal that support making distinctions amongst adult speakers. Following the onset of puberty, these acoustic parameters begin to emerge, enabling listeners to reliably identify speaker characteristics in adulthood (Berger, 2008). The question remains, at what point across the pubertal transition does perceptual accuracy meet the level for adult speakers? The goal of our research is to examine how the gender and ethnicity of the listener affects the accuracy with which they are able to identify these same aspects of a child speaker. Undergraduate students completed a language background questionnaire and then listened to audio recordings of European American and African American children producing /h-vowel-d/ words and sentences. The participants listened to four blocks of recordings: forward words, reverse words, forward sentences, and reverse sentences, containing items spoken by children of each ethnicity, age, and gender. The listeners identified which ethnicity and gender they believed the speaker to be, as well as how confident they were of their choice. We expect that minority (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, and Asian American) and female participants will have greater accuracy for all speakers. We also anticipate that accuracy of identification will improve as the age of the speaker increases due to the changing of the voice as a result of puberty. The study will provide greater knowledge of how the age of a child speaker impacts the ability of the listener to identify the speaker’s gender and ethnicity. The implications can be informative for individuals who work with children and in speech-related professions
Growth of Pitcher’s Thistle on the Flower Creek Dunes
Get PDFCirsium pitcheri, or Pitcher’s thistle, is a plant species found on the sand dunes surrounding the Great Lakes. Its current conservation status is classified as “threatened,” or vulnerable to endangerment. Due to being classified as such, plant numbers are monitored to determine whether their population is increasing, decreasing, or stable as well as to chart their growth. As part of a long-term project to study their numbers, data was collected August, 2016 at Flower Creek Dunes in Muskegon, Michigan. Two methods were used in collecting data on Pitcher’s thistle populations at this site. The southern side of Flower Creek Dunes was surveyed and a census of the thistles was taken. The northern dune was divided into six large quadrats created using strings, and from each section, six plants were randomly selected and data on them was recorded. For both methods, data was collected on the plants’ height, longest leaf length, length of major and minor axes, whether the plant was living or deceased, and number of flowers. The new 2016 data was combined with data gathered in 2014 and 2015. Statistical analyses of the data showed that the proportion of smaller thistles on the northern dune is not significantly different from that of the southern dune. It was also determined that the average longest leaf length increased between 2015 and 2016. Further studies will illumine the long-term growth and survival of Pitcher’s thistle at Flower Creek Dunes and may instigate studies at other locations along the Great Lakes