INQUIRY

INQUIRY • Volume 19, 2015
Israeli and U.S. UAVs? Contrary to previous discourse
about the legal and ethical implications of UAVs, this paper
uses multivariable regression analysis, UAV transfer data
from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) along with data on UN voting affinity, military capability,
Polity, domestic stability and the incidence of soldier
and terrorism casualties. The results suggest that smaller
nations are more likely to import UAVs from the U.S. and
Israel; closer ideological similarity between nations leads to
decreased likelihood of UAV trade. Nations with a large but
contracting military are more likely to import UAVs from
the U.S. while nations with a small but expanding military
are more likely to import UAVs from Israel. Rising state
fragility increases the likelihood of UAV imports from both
the U.S. and Israel, but the U.S. is more likely to trade with
fragile nations. The results do not suggest that nations import
UAVs as a means of averting soldier casualties.
Staying Informed in the Digital Age: Intrusive Advertisements’
Influence on Printed and Online Newsreaders
Olivia Jack, Psychology
Sponsor: Professor Denis Pelli, Psychology
More people are reading news online than ever before,
and advertising, rather than sales, has become the key source
of revenue for newspapers (Berte and De Bens, 2008). When
articles are adapted for either printed or online reading,
advertisements must also be adapted. Online ads can be
perceived as more intrusive than their printed counterparts
(Truong et al., 2010). However, it is unknown whether
newsreaders have this perception and whether, if they do,
this perception causes them to assess online and printed
news differently. This study investigates differences in
online and printed newsreaders’ interaction with ads and
interpretation of surrounding news articles. Thirty-four
undergraduate students read two news stories, either in print
or online, while their eye movements were tracked. They
were then tested on their ability to recognize ads and recall
news content and asked to rate the intrusiveness of ads and
the credibility of articles. Online newsreaders spent more
time looking at ads, recognized ads better and perceived
ads as more intrusive than printed newsreaders. However,
readers’ perceived credibility of and memory for articles was
consistent across mediums. These findings reveal that online
ads lead to increased ad exposure and familiarity without
degrading newsreaders’ interpretation of articles.
Internet and Technology Addiction: Is it Time to Check
Yourself into E-Hab?
Ethan Jacobs, Journalism, Spanish
Sponsor: Professor Brooke Kroeger, Journalism
The lengthy entries in the latest edition of the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
do not acknowledge addiction to the Internet and its related
technologies; yet, more and more people in the U.S. are
seeking clinical help to overcome this dependence, aided
by programs that have emerged over the past few years to
address the growing need. This project examines aspects
of contemporary society that trigger this condition, how it
is distinct from other forms of addiction and, more importantly,
how it is essentially no different. It further seek to
illuminate the exigency of this emerging issue as well as the
measures professionals are taking to treat patients, starting
at the private practice level and extending out to rehabilitation
programs, or “E-habs,” and even online fellowships.
Furthermore, this study examines the reasons why this issue
has gained much more traction in countries like China and
Korea and, conversely, why the U.S. is delaying to make
it a priority. The results strongly suggest that internet and
technology addiction should be treated as a legitimate form
of addiction. Furthermore, by investigating a new manifestation
of addiction in contemporary society, general attitudes
toward addiction are challenged. It is posited that addiction
is intrinsic to human beings and that the only variable in
the equation is the vehicle by which addiction manifests.
India’s Gender Quota and Rates of Reporting Violence
against Women from Scheduled Castes and Tribes
Nadia Kale, Politics
Sponsor: Professor Anna Harvey, Politics
This research project asks whether increased female
representation in India increases rates of reporting of violence
against women from scheduled castes and tribes. The
impact of female representation on the incidence of violence
against women has yet to be extensively explored, due to
the nonrandom assignment of female representation across
electoral districts. In India, however, the Panchayati Raj
Act of 1993 introduced a quota system in local levels of
government, mandating that one third of seats be reserved
for women. For several reasons, the Act was implemented
in different states at different times and thereby created
increases in women’s representation that were as-if random.
One recent study looked at the gender quota’s impact on
crimes against all women and found an increase in rates of
reporting (Iyer, 2012). However, this study did not account
for class distinctions that may influence which women are
empowered to report. In exploring the impact of mandated
increases in female representation on rates of reporting
crimes against India’s most marginalized women, this project
finds that while gender quotas have a positive impact
on rates of reporting amongst all women, the same does
not hold true for women from scheduled castes and tribes.
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