Anthropology - Butler University

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), every minute in the United States about eight
women enter into a new chapter of their lives by becoming new mothers or by adding another
child to their family. Women experience a spectrum of different emotions during their journey
into motherhood. While some mothers spend the beginning of their child’s life experiencing
feelings of intense joy, according to the Harvard Mental Health Letter (2011), as many as 10% to
15% of mothers will spend the precious first moments of their child’s life experiencing feelings
of deep depression, known as Postpartum Depression. Postpartum Depression is a serious illness
which causes a moderate to severe depression after the birth of a child. Despite the fact that over
twelve million of America’s mothers suffer from Postpartum Depression, little has been
determined as to what causes this potentially deadly illness. This study seeks to examine the
potential link between the behavior of mothers and the development of Postpartum Depression.
The behaviors in question as potential causes of Postpartum Depression in this study include:
alcohol use, drug use, sexual behaviors, eating disorders behaviors and self mutilation behaviors.
Participants in this study will be selected using a simple random sampling method. Women are
eligible to be chosen for the study after checking in to the Indiana University Hospital Riley
Perinatal Center in Indianapolis, Indiana to give birth. The study will take place over 31 weeks.
Participants will be randomly selected each day for inclusion in the study. Postpartum
Depression will be assessed in this study by using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
(EPDS). In this study, Postpartum Depression was defined as the onset of Major Depressive,
Manic, or Mixed Episodes of Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar I Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder
or Brief Psychotic Disorder within four weeks after childbirth. The behaviors of the mothers in
this study will be gathered and assessed using a survey approach. The mothers behaviors will be
measured using the Behaviors Assessment, which was created for this study, as well as by using:
the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ), the Michigan Assessment Screening Test - Drug
(MAST-AD), the Sexual Experience Scale, the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-3), and the
Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (FASM). The predicted findings of this study are
expected to suggest that participation in the behaviors in question will have a positive correlation
to the development of maternal Postpartum Depression. It is hypothesized that participation in
alcohol use, drug use, sexual behaviors, eating disorder behaviors and/ or self mutilation
behaviors will put a mother at risk for the development of Postpartum Depression in the
postnatal period. It is also hypothesized that simultaneous presence of the behaviors in question
will contribute to a greater likelihood of the development of maternal Postpartum Depression.
The Effects of Music as a Mnemonic Device on Memory Recall
Rachaellen Wooddell, Anna Tuley & Josiah Wareham, Faculty Sponsor: Amy Bracken, Franklin
College
Past research has shown that music can be an overall distraction to memory. Studies have shown
music to be detrimental to the learning process when there is no connection between the music
and subject material. However, when subject material has a connection to the music, learning
and recall can be improved. The study improves upon previous research by incorporating
elements from prior studies that were suggested to have a positive effect on recall. Past research
suggested that parameters such as slow tempo, steady rhythm, and familiarity produced higher
recall rate. This experiment will link familiarity, rhythm, and melody with memorization of text.
Participants will consist of male and female college students enrolled in psychology courses at
Franklin College. The experimental group of participants will hear a list of unfamiliar words and