MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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The Effect of Earworms on Affect
No full textOur study investigated earworms in relation to affect. An earworm is defined as hearing music without currently listening to music. Affect refers to emotions. As the research on earworms is limited, one goal of our study was to confirm and advance prior findings, such as whether or not neuroticism is associated with a heightened occurrence of earworms. We hypothesized that earworms are a type of ruminative thought, which are typically associated with stress and worry. Based on this hypothesis, our specific prediction was that people with higher levels of stress/anxiety would be more likely to experience earworms. To test this prediction, we collected self-report measures from undergraduate students enrolled at MacEwan University. In part one of the study, participants filled out a questionnaire regarding music experience and importance, personality (to assess trait anxiety), and affect (to assess state anxiety). Personality was measured with the Big 5 Inventory (BFI-2-S). A modified positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) was used to measure affect. For part two, participants filled out the PANAS questionnaire whenever they had an earworm throughout the semester. On two random occasions, participants received an email to fill out the PANAS questionnaire regardless of earworm occurrence. We expect that those who report more earworms throughout the semester will have corresponding higher ratings of stress/anxiety on the modified PANAS and higher ratings of neuroticism on the BFI-2-S. Our research posits reasons for the occurrence of earworms and may support the idea that stress-reduction measures can reduce negative earworm experiences.
Faculty Mentor: Michele Moscicki
Department: Psychology (Honours
Depictions of the Sex Offender and Public Responses
No full textThis paper aims to examine the context in which legislation and vigilante responses to sex offenders emerge. This paper will explore the relationships between disgust and anger, and responses to sex offenders. A snowball sampling method was used to analyze both YouTube videos of the Canadian vigilante group Creep Catchers, and their comment sections. The sample
includes five YouTube videos (n=5). The findings in this paper indicate that disgust reactions to sex offenders tend to drive legislation such as memorial and registration laws, whereas anger reactions to sex offenders tend to drive vigilante responses. This paper will argue that harsh legislation and vigilante responses are an ineffective and harmful response to those who have offended as they hinder reintegration and therefore increase recidivism.
Faculty Mentor: Amanda Nelund
Department: Sociolog
The "trembling, delicate, and snail-horn perception of Beauty.": An Exploration of Particularized Experience Through the Poetry of John Keats.
No full textRomanticism marks a movement away from Classical conceptions of idealized beauty with a shift towards expressions of particularized experience. Enlightenment philosophy influenced this shift through empiricist theory, which introduced the importance of sensation and subjective experience in the acquisition of knowledge or truth. This paper analyzes the elevation of particular experience, specifically feeling, which scholars argue encompasses both sensation, and emotion. An in depth exploration of current and past research exposes the pursuit of a particular experience which “at once sustains and eludes both thought and language” at the heart of Romanticism. Romantic poet John Keats captures this elusive expression of sensation and emotion in his most descriptive poetry. A master at his craft, Keats’ poetry simultaneously expresses and evokes a particular response to sensation.
Faculty Mentor: Jillian Skeffington
Department: English (Honours
Introduction to the Gamma Function
No full textGamma function and its historical background will be introduced. Also known as an Euler integral of the second kind, it interpolates natural factorials and extends the function into the non-natural numbers. Applications to fractional calculus will also be shown.
Faculty Mentor: Nataliya Zadorozhna
Department: Mathematics
 
Analysis of Microplastic Concentrations in Runoff
No full textThis project will use data collected by the city of Calgary between May and September 2017 and Dr. Matthew Ross\u27s group at MacEwan University. The data is composed of roughly 150 observations and close to 22 variables that describe the chemical composition of microplastic concentrations in runoff samples. The goal of the project is to determine whether there is any statistical evidence that suggests the microplastic concentrations have common factors or are of the same type. Several different types, sizes, and colours of microplastics were considered. After an initial data analysis, different statistical procedures were used to identify potential relationships between different factors, with a focus on the effect of various land use types on the concentrations of microplastics.
Faculty Mentor: Brian Franczak and Matthew Ross
Department: Statistic
Intrusion, Immersive or Irregular: Clasifying the Fantasy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell with the Intertextual Influence of Sir Orfeo
No full textOften when we think of fantasy we think of far off places or some magical world completely removed from our own. We think of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia or J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Even J. K. Rowling’s wizards and witches are distinctly divided from and inaccessible to non-magical people. But what happens when this Other Place comes into contact with our world? Susanna Clarke explores this type of contact in her novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Relating the adventures of two magicians in early nineteenth century England, the novel describes what happens when the magic of the Faerie realm interacts with our world or, more specifically, with England. The ultimate effect is one where each place does not exist independently of one another but rather are ontologically connected. Unpacking the particulars of this existential coexistence and identifying the exact nature of Clarke’s fantasy is no easy task. For this it is helpful to turn to Farrah Mendelsohn’s Rhetorics of Fantasy, a book dedicated to the classification of five different types that a fantasy work might fall into: Portal-Quest, Immersive, Intrusion, Liminal and Irregular. Despite the thorough detail that Mendelsohn achieves in outlining and explaining each category, Clarke’s novel remains exceedingly difficult to place. In addition to Mendelsohn’s book then, we must also turn to the outside influence of other primary texts, like the Middle English poem Sir Orfeo, to classify the intricate fantasy that is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
Faculty Mentor: Mike Perschon and Pam Farvolden
Department: English (Honours)
 
American Roulette (Russian Roulette with a Twist): Investigating the Probability of Encountering Mass Shootings in the US Using Stochastic Modelling
No full textWith the plethora of mass shootings occurring in the US, we asked ourselves: what is the probability that one of the tourists will encounter a mass shooting? Using stochastic modelling we constructed 8 different scenarios where individuals travelled throughout the US for 5 years. We assumed that each US state would experience mass shooting events that follow a Poisson process with a rate equivalent to the state’s actual daily rate between Jan 1st and Oct 31st, 2018. We used the simulated estimate of the probability of being in the same state as a mass shooting event to get an idea of the risk posed to tourists.
Faculty Mentor: Cristina Anton
Department: Mathematics and Statistics
 
Catalan Independence: An Elitist Perspective in a Bottom-Up Movement
No full textThe politics of polarization are intensified in secessionist movements wherein ones culture and identity is questioned; Catalonia is no exception. The drive for independence from Spain has produced divisions between citizens who support or oppose the movement, regardless of their locality. Polarization within the political and academic spheres has only amplified the divergent positions, resulting in echo chambers of stagnant contention and limited opportunities for impactful dialogue. This paper adopts a parallel data collection approach, relying on the elite interviews and political claim analysis to establish the inducement on both sides. We propose an innovative approach to the Catalan crisis through a top-down process via the medias framing and problem definitions. The first section provides an in-depth review and organization of previous literature in order to identify the medias role in framing the issue, the motivations of independence, the position of elites, and the role of the European Union (EU). The second section develops the methodological framework for this project: the elite interviews and political claim coding. The third section cross-analyzes the data sets to rationalize whether the medias framing of the issue has indeed impacted citizens’ perceptions and deepened polarization. Finally, the last section establishes a theoretical framework to examine the academic, social and political implications our findings will have moving forward, specifically focusing on the continued role of the media in framing such prevalent issues.
Faculty Mentor: Andrea Wagner
Department: Political Science (Honours
IS HEALTH ANXIETY RELATED TO EATING DISORDER PATHOLOGY? THE ROLE OF METACOGNITION, INTOLERANCE OF UNCERTAINTY, AND BODY CHECKING BEHAVIOURS.
No full textHadjistavropoulos and Lawrence (2007) have found that individuals higher in health anxiety (HA) were more likely to report dieting, food preoccupation, and shape related body checking. Researchers have also found that individuals high in either HA or eating disorder pathology, report higher levels of metacognitions, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and body checking behavior. The current study aimed to further examine the relationship between HA and eating disorder pathology, while exploring how metacognitions, IU, and body checking are related to these disorders. This online study had a non-clinical sample (N = 533) of undergraduate psychology students. The study included measures of HA, eating disorder pathology, metacognitions, IU, and body checking. Correlational analyses were conducted to see if HA and eating disorder measures were correlated, while also exploring if HA and eating disorder pathology were correlated with metacognitions, IU, and body checking measures. The analyses revealed that HA was significantly correlated with eating disorder pathology. HA and eating disorder pathology, separately, were also significantly correlated to measures of metacognitions, IU, and body checking. Regression analyses revealed that the unique predictors of HA were metacognitions related to uncontrollability and danger, and eating disorder-related body checking. Analyses also revealed that metacognitions related to the need to control thoughts, and eating disorder-related body checking, were unique predictors of eating disorder pathology. Areas for future research, and clinical implications will be discussed.
Faculty Mentor: Alexander Penney
Department: Psychology (Honours
Maximizing Efficacy of Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) on Campus: Implications for student wellbeing
No full textMental health problems are commonplace in university, with 85% of students reporting elevated stress and 32% reporting clinically significant problems (Eisenberg et al., 2007; Garlow et al., 2008). Thus, programs that allow for the mitigation of stress and negative mental health symptoms have important implications for student well-being. Several studies have demonstrated that Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) have positive effects on university students’ mental health. However, when it comes to equivalency across studies, very few have comparable interaction times. Examining the relationship between interaction time and stress mitigation is important to balance treatment efficacy and efficiency. To test this, participants completed a mental arithmetic task to induce stress, and were then given 35-min to interact with a therapy dog, with measurements being taken during the interaction at times of 5-, 15-, 25-, and 35-min. Interaction time led to significant improvements in self-reported negative affect, stress, and anxiety, but these did not improve at the same rate. Specifically, these measures showed maximal improvement at times of 5-, 15-, and 25-min, respectively. These findings have two main implications. First, as stress, anxiety, and mood do not improve at the same rate, interaction times may vary depending on the intention of the interaction. Second, since no measures showed significant improvements after 25-min, these findings indicate that it would be beneficial for AVPs to limit interaction time to a maximum of 25-min, in order to maximize the efficiency of the these programs while most benefiting students’ mental health.
Faculty Mentor: Eric Legge
Department: Psychology (Honours