INQUIRY

INQUIRY • Volume 19, 2015
No Intention of Doing: Effect of Non-Conscious Goal
Activation on Illusion of Control
Fannie Law, Economics, Psychology
Sponsor: Professor Peter Gollwitzer, Psychology
This study investigates the effect on positive illusion
when individuals are acting towards a non-conscious goal.
Specifically, the study addressed whether individuals exhibit
perceived control over a situation after recognizing they are
acting towards a goal of which they are not aware. Participants
were randomly assigned to either of two conditions
(disclosure or no-treatment control) in a between-subjects
design. The study involved collecting physiological data
using sensors to assess whether participants recognized they
were primed toward non-conscious goals through increased
signs of arousal, a phenomenon called the explanatory
vacuum. Participants were then given a task to evaluate their
illusion of control. Predicted results from preliminary analysis
suggest that individuals who experienced arousal from
norm-violating behavior while pursuing a non-conscious
disclosure goal were more likely to exhibit positive illusion.
This study also assessed whether the opportunity to misattribute
negative affect to another environmental condition
would diminish the adverse effects of such arousal. This
research can shed light on how people rationalize their
behavior when confronted with the realization that they are
not consciously aware of their motives and to what extent
the effects of pursuing such goals affect them. Because there
is a causal link between thought and behavior, testing biases
in mental processing may in turn provide explanations for
actual behavior and, ultimately, examine salient beliefs about
how thoughts influence behavior.
Censoring China: Economic Stalemate
Nicole Lem, Global Liberal Studies
Sponsor: Professor Matthew Longabucco, Global Liberal
Studies
This project examines the effects of China’s Internet
censorship on a socio-political level by focusing on the
information and technology revolution. This research was
conducted through analyzing a specific event: Google’s
departure from mainland China, what it means and its role
in the flourishing economy. The spread of the Internet has
equated to the mass distribution of information, so much
so that we are now living in what many scholars call an
information, or knowledge, society. Using Jean Francois
Lyotard’s claim that knowledge is a commodity, knowledge
becomes a stake in the competition of power between
citizens and the state. The development of an information
economy has spurred Chinese citizens to demand more
freedom and inclusion. The legitimacy of Chinese authority
is in a waning state, and its impending collapse is inevitable.
Diffusion of knowledge is the economic foundation of
society and with it comes social action. Google’s departure
from China reflects that their economic growth does not
come without political reform. This topic is crucial to any
future foreign engagement with China.
Climate Change’s Effect on Maine Lobsters
Lauren Lewis, Environmental Studies, Journalism
Sponsor: Professor Jason Samuels, Journalism
When Americans think of Maine, many almost immediately
think of lobsters. Whether it is hard-shell, soft shell,
lobster rolls or festivals, Maine’s lobster industry pulls in
over $350 million annually. However, the industry is not
foolproof. Every season brings in new reports on what
catches will be like for the year. Most recently, scientists
detected an increase in Maine’s water temperature, causing
many lobsters to move north to colder waters, as previously
happened in Long Island Sound. With constantly changing
and unreliable weather patterns, it seems like someone
would be crazy to enter into such an inconsistent industry,
but lobster boats run in the family, passed down from generation
to generation. This piece looks into the lives of Maine’s
lobster community to see why they continue in the family
business, even with all of the industry hardships. Many of
these families feel that lobstering is just in their DNA, and
they couldn’t imagine another way of life. Ultimately, these
families do not have any sort of back up net. This project
looks into a very important and immediate effect of climate
change—one that will affect the entire state of Maine, and,
ultimately, the national food community.
Family Net Worth, Abilities and Students’ College
Abroad Decisions in China
Bei Liao, Economics and Mathematics
Sponsor: Professor Konrad Menzel, Economics
This study develops and estimates a college abroad
decision model for students in selective Chinese high
schools. Students choose between studying in China and
abroad. High school students, having different family
backgrounds and ability levels, make college abroad decisions
based on the value attached to either choice. They are
categorized into either “high net worth” household group or
“low net worth” household group according to their family’s
net worth. This model, with the help of econometrics tool,
was used to examine, in both groups, the extent to which
moving decision is determined by students’ abilities and the
family’s net worth and how the pattern is different from one
group to the other. Several interesting results emerged from
this empirical work. Primarily, the exact amount of family
net worth does not directly have a strong effect on students’
decisions. However, whether students belong to the “High
Net Worth” group or not has a stronger impact on the decision.
That is to say, as long as household net worth exceeds
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