Browse the Kent State University Undergraduate Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Collections
The Relationship Between Age and Depression Symptoms in a Sample of Youth Bereaved Siblings03/15/2016Research has shown that adolescents who have experienced the death of a sibling often have higher rates of Depression, Anxiety and PTSD. Although a large portion of past research has focused on bereavement after the death of a sibling through suicide, there has been little done on sibling bereavement after death from a terminal illness. Linear regression analyses were conducted investigating the relationship between age and depression symptoms in a sample of bereaved siblings ages 7-22 recruited from a Palliative Care Center at a medical center. Depression symptoms were assessed with a self-report measure, the Child Depression Inventory (CDI). Results showed that the sibling age predicted depression symptoms where older siblings experienced more depressive symptoms (B=.66, p<.03). Results indicate that children who are older when their sibling passes may be at an increased risk of developing depression symptoms. The bond between siblings is one of the most in depth relationships and as children get older the relationships strengthen and, in turn, the older the sibling is the more at risk they are for developing depressive symptoms after the death of their sibling. |
The Poet: Incorporating Abstract Conceptual Thought and Thematic Research into Restaurant Design03/15/2016This design studio project focused on the ideas of abstract concepts and thematic research to develop a design for an upscale restaurant. After identifying an abstract concept – perplex – different elements of thematic development were researched as potential design directions. Research became a major component of the project, utilizing online, library and journal sources to gather data for the thematic background for the restaurant. In addition, other areas of research focused on the technical issues of restaurant design and accessibility requirements. The word perplex means to make unable to grasp something clearly. The decision to use this concept came from much research, specifically looking at the works of Edgar Allen Poe. The concept was used as the basis for the thematic development of the restaurant, which focused on the town of Brittany, in Northern France. This town was influenced by a movement known as The Matter of Britain, which included music, arts, architecture and literature. The movement began in Britain and had an impact on this region of France. The Matter of Britain emphasized the dark, mysterious and romantic elements that are often found in Poe’s writings. The results of the research were used to develop the thematic design of the restaurant. The functional layout of the restaurant, selection of materials and finishes, and the ambience experienced by guests were a direct result of the research component of this project. As shown in the project, the development of interior spaces is a direct result of the various avenues of research undertaken. |
The Incremental Impact of Trauma-Related Nightmares on PTSD Symptom Severity03/15/2016Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often develops following trauma. Nightmares may contribute to the development of PTSD. According to the neurocognitive model, cognitive and neural factors together form an emotion network and produce dreaming. Normal dreaming plays a role in fear extinction. However, when disruptions occur in this neurocognitive network, disordered dreaming such as nightmares occur. Among vulnerable individuals who are fear conditioned or primed for select emotional reactivity (i.e., a traumatic event), nightmares can activate previously encoded structures containing specific fear memories. This can lead to elevated waking distress and more intense/frequent nightmares. Based on this model, nightmares containing content related to the trauma should play a role in fear conditioning and reduce the chance for fear extinction. Although an association between nightmares and PTSD has been established, several sleep disturbances often co-occur among individuals displaying PTSD symptomology, and few studies are statistically powered enough to examine a number of PTSD-related sleep disturbances simultaneously to examine each disturbance’s unique contribution to PTSD. The current study examined the relationship between seven PTSD-related sleep disturbances and PTSD symptoms, in a sample of 983 college students. Further, we hypothesized that trauma-related nightmares would be associated with greater PTSD symptom severity after controlling for other PTSD-related sleep disturbances, including non-trauma-related nightmares. Results indicated that PTSD-related sleep disturbances predicted PTSD symptom severity. Moreover, trauma-related nightmares were most strongly associated with PTSD symptom severity. Moreover, nightmares and bad dreams not related to a specific traumatic event were not related to PTSD symptoms. |
The importance of friendship for children learning a new language03/15/2016
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The ideal Millennial working woman: A thematic analysis of how female professional identity and community are constructed online03/15/2016In American culture, traditional gender roles are socially constructed around binaries of male and female and femininity and masculinity. This categorization forces women and men to conform to socially constructed views of gender (Aker, 2006, p. 444; Wood, 2014). Accordingly, men must be masculine, or “dominant, independent, assertive and strong” (Weisgram, Dinella, & Fulcher, 2011, p. 244). On the other hand, women should be feminine, that is “warm, sympathetic, sensitive and soft-spoken” (Weisgram, Dinella, & Fulcher, 2011, p. 245). These stereotypes infiltrate the minds of men and women and can even subconsciously affect occupational choices (Buzannell, 1994). Indeed, in the workplace, men are “described as achievement-oriented” and value independence, competitiveness, courage, and autonomy (Ciolac, 2013, p. 2). Women, on the other hand, are expected to be submissive, supporting the social and emotional health of the organization (Wood, 2012, p. 235). However, Millennials (also known as Generation Y), born between 1980 and 2000, seem to be pushing back on these traditional constructions of gender (Farrel & Hurt, 2014). For example, Millennials are more likely to “believe that men and women should contribute equally to childcare and home maintenance” (Reference Shelf, 2014, p. 182). Moreover, Cotter, Hermsen, and Vanneman (2011) explain that contemporary gender roles and norms do not necessarily represent a reversal of tradition but instead a new set of gender norms that highlight gender equality and choice. One arena that offers the opportunity to further explore how gender is socially constructed in terms of generation is popular culture. Popular culture has the power to both subvert and reinforce dominant gender regimes and constructions (Reference Shelf, 2014). For example, D’Enbeau and Buzzanell (2014) explore how the hit TV show Mad Men depicts female characters that allow viewers to consider how much has changed in terms of gender and how much remains the same. In another example, D’Enbeau (2011) highlights how feminist media can encourage young women to reclaim their sexuality while also maintaining their femininity. These analyses demonstrate that how gender is constructed in popular culture is often wrought with contradiction, tension, and complexity. In this spirit, this study examines how the ideal Millennial woman is discursively constructed online. Specifically, I conducted a thematic analysis of the Top 10 websites for Millennial women as outlined by Forbes magazine. My analysis demonstrates how the ideal Millennial woman is defined by her relationships. She sees the importance of cultivating and maintaining a personal brand. She sees her career as something important to navigate and seeks outside sources to reassure her. She could be perceived as naïve in some fields, and turns to her personal brand and relationships for affirmations. However, her brand is devoid of race and religion. The contributions of this paper will allow a reference for millennial women to view a summary of content surrounding their professional experience. This research could help define problematic stereotypes and encourage women to find creative ways to redefine them in their own lives. Finally, this research begins to close the gap on defining the characteristics or perceived characteristics of Millennial women. |
The effects of using knee wraps on vertical jump performance.03/15/2016PROBLEM: Knee wraps have been used to improve squat performance for decades. Their effectiveness to increase a 1 repetition maximum has been documented in lifting records for several organizations but the effect on vertical jump performance is unknown. METHODS: Ten healthy active males (Height- 1.74±5.88m, Mass- 86.1±14.6kg, Age- 27±3 years) volunteered to participate in a 2 week vertical jump training study. On three different testing days (1, 4, and 11) subjects performed 2 sets of 5 vertical jumps with 20 seconds rest between jumps and 5 minutes rest between sets. One set was performed without knee wraps and one set was performed with knee wraps. On two separate training days, subjects performed 3 sets of 10 vertical jumps with 20 seconds rest between jumps and 5 minutes rest between sets. One group (KW; n=5) performed the sets with knee wraps and one group (UW; n=5) performed the sets without knee wraps. Vertical jump height data was collected with a Vertec Device. RESULTS: A significant 3-way interaction (p=.003) was observed for vertical jump height such that groups were different on vertical jump height for sets without knee wraps on Day 4 (UW-55.986±6.332cm, KW- 62.382±9.646cm) and Day 11 (UW- 56.087±8.851cm, KW-63.805±7.701cm). In addition, sets without knee wraps were observed to be significantly greater (p<.001) than sets with knee wraps on all days regardless of group. CONCLUSION: Different from back squat research, knee wraps do not improve vertical jump performance even though vertical jump with knee wraps increases with training. |
The Effects of Romantic Partner Instrumentality and Goal Progress03/15/2016Past research (Fitzsimons & Finkel, 2011) has found that when people’s romantic partners are instrumental to their pursuit of personal goals, they report decreases in their planned goal-related effort. The current study extended these findings by examining the effects of romantic partners’ instrumentality on actual effort toward goals and goal progress over time. We also examined the role of relationship satisfaction in the association between instrumentality and effort and progress. We predicted that partner instrumentality would decrease goal effort and have positive impacts on goal progress over time, but only for people with high relationship satisfaction. Seventy-eight couples completed questionnaires on relationship satisfaction, their romantic partner’s instrumentality to their goals, goal effort, and goal progress at 2 time points, 3 months apart. To analyze the data, we used a 3-level multilevel model. We found that partner instrumentality at Time 1 was not related to changes in goal effort, but was related to changes in goal progress across time, such that higher partner instrumentality was related to more progress. However, the relation between instrumentality and goal progress depended on relationship satisfaction, such that higher relationship satisfaction was related to greater increases in progress over time. Although we did not find that partner instrumentality decreases goal-related effort, we found that it predicts increases in goal-related progress across time, especially for individuals with higher levels of relationship satisfaction. Therefore, having a romantic partner who is instrumental, making it easier to pursue a given goal will result in more goal progress. |
The Effects of a High Calorie Diet on Weight in Zebra Finches03/15/2016According to the CDC, over one-third of adults in the United States are obese. Long-term obesity has been linked to many health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and several forms of cancer. Unlike humans that tend to gain weight as we age, there are vertebrates that appear to be resistant to weight increase such as many species of non-migratory birds including zebra finches. The goal of this experiment was to determine if we could alter weight in zebra finches by exposing them to a high caloric diet of finch seed mixed with suet (15% by weight). We hypothesized that birds receiving suet would gain more weight compared to controls. Birds were fed either regular finch seed or suet mixed diet for 17 weeks, and were housed in modified cages to restrict activity. Every other week they were weighed, and lean mass and fat mass were measured using an EchoMRI. From this, average lean and average fat mass percentages were calculated. Preliminary results demonstrate that within the suet fed group there was variability in these two measures that paralleled controls. Despite this, neither group experienced a significant change in weight. These results imply that there is a mechanism responsible for maintaining weight homeostasis that cannot be overridden by solely challenging them with an increased calorie diet. Some possible mechanisms that may explain the results include increased metabolism, an increased output of thermoenergy, or changes in food consumption. |
The Effectiveness and Advancement of Military Combat Gear:03/15/2016Title: The Effectiveness and Advancement of Military Combat Gear: Michaela M. Judy Undergraduate Business Major College of Business Administration Kent State University Steve Riczo Faculty Advisor Exploring Business Professor College of Business Administration Kent State University Trevor Watkins, MS, MCIS, MLIS Faculty Advisor Assistant Professor, Science Librarian Kent State University Libraries Assistant Dean, Elizabeth Sinclair Co-Faculty Advisor College of Business Administration Kent State University Title: The Effectiveness and Advancement of Military Combat Gear As technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, U.S. soldiers face endless threats on the battlefield everyday and the threats of modern warfare using today’s technology are deadlier than ever. Our enemies are enhancing their military weapons making it imperative that we keep pace with protective gear for our armed forces who risk so much for us everyday. Military combat uniforms have evolved to become more advanced to meet military standards. However, we believe that current uniforms used in combat today, do not provide our soldiers with the most advanced protection needed when facing these threats. We investigated different ballistic fibers. During the process of conducting the research for this project, we discovered the need to address some business aspects as well. For example, subsequent to patenting our product, we would joint venture with a military contractor for final testing and production of improved military combat uniforms that provide soldiers full body protection. We are also exploring the possibility of bringing on technical experts in liquid crystals and chemistry to work with us in enhancing our combat gear. We have used both qualitative and quantitative methods to conduct this research project, such as connecting with different universities in our quest for technical experts. I am confident that our combat uniform will ultimately: have superior durability and protective qualities than that of its predecessors; protect a soldier’s entire body including arms, legs and neck; stand up to various climate conditions; and, last longer than the current 2-year lifespan of today’s uniforms. |
The Effect of Denominator Size on a Magnitude Comparison Task03/15/2016Both children and adults find fractions challenging. Understanding how adults cognitively process fractions is important for making beneficial changes to math education in the future. We investigated whether the size of a fraction's denominator plays a significant role in the speed and accuracy with which adults compare the magnitude, or values, of two fractions (e.g., which is bigger ¾ or 3/19?). Should adults find fractions with large denominators more difficult to differentiate based on magnitude, it would suggest that participants are deconstructing the fractions into their component parts (e.g., focusing on the denominator), rather than thinking about the magnitude of the fractions in terms of the value of the fractions as a whole (e.g., ¾ = 0.75 or 75%). If participants are focusing on the components of fractions, then they may make slower and more error prone decisions when the comparison involves fractions with larger denominators, because these are fractions that actually possess smaller magnitudes (e.g., ¾ = 0.75 vs. 3/19 = 0.16). As hypothesized, adults in our study made significantly more mistakes when comparing fractions with larger denominators (11-20) as compared to fractions with smaller denominators (1-10). Adults focus on the denominators of fractions and treat them as whole number indicators of the fractions' magnitude, and this can lead to decreased accuracy on a magnitude comparison task. |