Anthropology - Butler University

data, including behavior reports and houseparent/homeroom teacher surveys, will be coded based
on severity/frequency. Analysis includes baseline behavior, family related disruption, and nonfamily
disruptions. With our results we hope to be able to provide more information to the
caregivers about behaviors and the importance of stable schedules.
Predictors of Positive and Negative Outcomes within a Correctional Facility
Michelle Painter, Faculty Sponsor: Bill Altermatt, Hanover College
This study examines predictors of outcomes for female inmates at a juvenile correctional facility.
The study was an archival analysis of the records of inmates who were housed at an all-girls
maximum security juvenile correctional facility and released during the six months between June
and December 2010. Records from 111 girls ranging from the age of twelve to nineteen were
used. Some of the outcomes examined were how often an inmate was assigned to segregation or
suicide watch, awards they received, and the duration of time spent within the facility. Some of
the predictors included frequency of exposure to treatment programs within the facility, history
of drug use, medications and psychological diagnoses, and family configuration. Some areas of
special interest include the variables that are associated with treatment conditions such as therapy
and being prescribed anti-psychotic medications, and the relationship between family
configuration (e.g., number of siblings, parental custody) and inmate outcomes.
A Threat to Evolutionary Fitness: How much more do you remember?
Sarah Pajkos, Faculty Sponsor: John Bohannon III, Butler University
Evolutionary psychologists use Darwin’s theory to study the mating patterns in humans. Sexual
selection is dependent upon the advantage, which certain individuals have over others, which is
exclusively related to reproduction (Darwin, 1871). Nairne (2007) also applied this to memory
by using word lists related and unrelated to survival. Participants remembered significantly more
words from a list related to survival than neutral words. He argued that the human memory has
adapted to solve problems of survival and fitness. By testing a more real-life situation results
can be better generalized to everyday life. Comparing an evolutionary-related event to a nonevolutionary
event provides a look into the effect of harshness on memory. Participants
completed either a dating or directions-giving simulation. The dating sequence consisted of
viewing a video and then writing a date request. Participants then saw either a harsh fitness or a
polite rejection video of their date request. Participants in the faulty-directions condition
completed the same sequence, but were told the person was a potential student and needed
directions. The faulty-direction subjects also received harsh or polite feedback. After their
feedback, all participants completed a memory test including narrative and probed questions. All
participants came back one week later and completed the same memory test. Primary results
show that participants in the romantic-rejection condition remembered significantly more details
than those in the directions-giving condition; furthermore, those who received harsh feedback
remembered more than those who received polite feedback. This supports the theory of a
separate adaptive memory mechanism.
Linking Perceived Attractiveness and Relationship Status: Categorization in Mate
Selection
Andrew Pennington & Nathaniel Hickman, Faculty Sponsor: John Krantz, Hanover College