purcc 2012 - University of the Pacific

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Poster Session Abstracts coefficient was negative), and could not be shown to have an effect on inflation. Discussion will emphasize theoretical causes of inflation and unemployment in the context of the current macroeconomy and how they can or cannot be explained by the Phillips curve. Perceptions of Sex Trafficking: Asian Women and Massage Parlors Theresa and Monica Cortez-Guardado Faculty Mentor: Gesine Gerhard This paper examines the way in which sex trafficking is viewed in America. Sex trafficking is typically seen as a one dimensional issue that prescribes to an abolitionist viewpoint only. This viewpoint defines sex trafficking as an industry which is always a forced profession with unwilling victims. However, sex trafficking is actually an industry that includes women who work as sex workers because it is an economically viable option for gainful employment. This fact is often forgotten though with the many ways in which the abolitionist viewpoint has been promoted and encouraged in U.S. society. U.S. legislation has been influenced by this viewpoint as well as modern-day media which tends to focus on young girls being pimped out. In particular western perceptions of Asian women have made it so they are always perceived to be the ones sexually exploited. Essentially, the abolitionist viewpoint of sex trafficking and its prevalence throughout history, in U.S. legislation and in media sources contributes to the sexualization and victimization of women, particularly Asian women, in American society. In order to discover American perceptions of sex trafficking and Asian women, both will be contextualized historically and these perceptions will be connected to our micro-study of Sacramento area massage parlors as an example of the more ambiguous nature of sex trafficking. Overall, sex trafficking proves to be an ambiguous issue as it is not always clear who is a victim, but it is clear that there are prevalent Western perceptions of Asian women as sexual objects. Social Facilitation Effects on Memorization Task in University Students Marisol Aguilera, Diana Lujano, Anthony Sandoval-Junio, Lyndsi Mark Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) Social facilitation is the process in which task performance is inhibited or facilitated by the presence of others (Zajonc, 1965). It is traditionally hypothesized that the presence of an audience will cause a person to perform better on a task that is previously mastered. However, when participants were asked to perform a kick drill in front of an audience, results showed that there was no significant difference of the effects of an audience on the performance (Bell and Yee, 2001). However some research has shown that even the presence of virtual humans on a computer screen has the same effects as humans for social facilitation. Performance was facilitated with the presence of a virtual human with a simple task such as a maze (Park and Catrambone, 2007). Newman and Dickenstein (1976) have shown that social facilitation produces higher performance scores as the complexity of puzzle building increased. The present study will observe audience effects on participants trying to complete a complex maze. In this experiment, each individual will be given 30 seconds to solve and memorize a complex maze. The participants are going to be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: memorization and completion of the maze alone, memorization alone and completion of the maze in front of an audience, and both memorization and completion of the maze in front of an audience. We hypothesize that participants will be facilitated in learning the maze and task performance while in the presence of others. Results from studies on social facilitation can aide in many different relevant aspects, such as finding the ideal setting for students to study, the best way for athletes to train, and the most efficient method for professionals in any field to perform their job. 40
Poster Session Abstracts Views on Current Events Amir Cruz-Khalili, Sadaf Sahibzada, Marissa Davis, Tabrisha Johnican Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) Previous research has examined implicit or indirect discrimination before and after events that have fostered the national fear of Islam (Sheridan, 2006). This study will explore Islamophobia, looking at opinions on current events throughout the world, with or without exposure to a historical source. It is presumed that with the presence of a biased historical video clip, participants will rank higher on an Islamophobia scale compared to those not exposed. Thirty participants will be recruited from a small, private University in Northern California. Three conditions - the viewing of a historical clip, the viewing of a Muslim comedy, and the control group - will be run using a between-subjects ANOVA. The scores will be taken from a validated Islamophobia scale. Results of the study should reveal an association between the presence of a video clip and the level of Islamophobia. Future studies should incorporate a larger sample size, a more diverse population, and an eclectic assortment of video clips and/or current events. War Attitudes Across Gender Alina Franco, Megan Rangel, Ginny Durakovich, Christina Thompson Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) The purpose of this study to evaluate gender differences in attitudes toward war and to determine whether exposure to positive or negative war information affects explicit attitude. Previous research has suggested that women are more willing to participate in peaceful encounters, have more consistent and positive attitudes towards conflict groups (Yablon, 2009). Therefore it is hypothesized that women will hold more consistent and negative views toward war than men. Thirty participants (15 males, 15 females) will be recruited from a small private university. Using a between-subjects design, participant’s attitudes toward war will be measured across two sessions using a 5-point Likert scale, 12- item survey from the Revised Attitudes Towards Violence Scale (2006) in combination with six student designed items. All participants will complete a pre-intervention survey before exposure to either “pro war” or “pro peace” information. In the final session, participants will be given a second but similar survey to determine whether exposure to information regarding war elicited a change in attitude. Implications of this study may suggest gender differences in vulnerability to propaganda and could shed light on national military action over past years. Limitations include small sample size time constraints and experimenter presence may have influenced the responses of participants. Future research could evaluate the relationship between SES or ethnicity and attitudes toward war. Prosocial Behavior In Instances of Theft On College Campuses Tyler Glassford, Sean Kagan, Jonel Imutan, Nina Shenker Faculty Mentor: Gary Howells, Rocci Jackson (Graduate student) Prosocial behavior refers to the voluntary efforts one takes in order to benefit another, even when there appears to be no incentive or gain in doing so (Eisenberg, Fabes & Spinrad, 2007). Prosocial behavior can refer to acts as minimal as sharing and volunteering, or as significant as intervening in a violent crime. There may be many factors influencing one’s decision to be prosocial such as the timing and location of the instance, the number of other bystanders, etc. Alternatively, the bystander effect refers to instances when individuals refrain from engaging in prosocial behaviors as a situation presents itself. The question then becomes, how and when does one decide to engage in prosocial behavior? The present study will investigate prosocial behavior of college students on a small university campus in Northern California. Confederates of the study will leave their belongings unattended for another confederate to attempt to steal those belongings in the presence of an unaffiliated bystander. Prosocial behavior will be evaluated in terms of the bystanders’ decision to intervene or not. It is hypothesized that gender will influence one’s decision to engage in prosocial behavior. 41
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