14th Annual McNair Research Presentation Abstracts

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Moral Debate and Moral Tradition

Dennis Trinkle

Moral debate today often proves stymied due to difference in opposing positions. Alasdair MacIntyre suggests that this is due to the premises of tradition independent rationality held by Enlightenment thinkers and their heirs. However, MacIntyre’s positive suggestions prove susceptible to strong criticisms in areas that seem to offer most hope of turning moral debate into a form of moral enquiry through ‘intellectual and moral warfare’ rather than looking only for agreement among opponents. The areas considered are the role of perspective in knowledge, appeal to a ‘real world’ vantage, translating languages, and the role of local community in moral debate.

Pop or Soda? An Analysis and Comparison of Black English in Chicago vs. St. Louis

Robyn Skinner

Today, the Midwestern cities of St. Louis and Chicago alike have dialects exclusive to the areas, especially within the urban communities of African Americans. The latest generation of youths in these regions has developed new styles of speaking that have yet to be examined. This study will analyze the contemporary speech of African American youths in Chicago and St. Louis, comparing common slang and pronunciation while providing reasons for the differences in the linguistics.

Meta-Analysis of the Benefits and Costs of Psychostimulants in Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Clinical Trials Funded by Pharmaceutical Companies vs. Other Sources

Adetokunbo Aderibigbe

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is often treated with psychostimulant medications. Psychostimulants have both benefits and risks to patients, and popular media reports have raised the possibility of medication-favoring biases in clinical trials funded by pharmaceutical companies. The goal of this meta-analysis was to compare the proportion of treatment dropouts, adverse events, and symptom reduction between studies funded by pharmaceutical companies and studies funded by other sources. Studies (k = 71) published from 1990-2006 were analyzed. Studies funded by pharmaceutical companies reported similar numbers of dropouts and symptom reduction, and more adverse events, compared to studies funded through non-company sources. This meta-analysis does not support the hypothesis of medication-favoring biases in clinical trials funded by pharmaceutical companies but suggests areas for future research.

The Politics of Biracial Identity: An Exploration of How Internalized Oppression Manifests in Black/White Mixed-Race People

Ashley Adams

Since the mid 1980’s research on racial identity development among mixed-race people has increasingly emphasized biracial identification over black identification. Psychologists have argued that it is problematic for mixed-race people to develop a black identity because it signifies an internalization of the white supremacy embedded within the One-Drop Rule. This paper challenges the notion that internalized oppression is linked directly and exclusively to black identity. Instead, I ask how internalized oppression manifests in mixed race people across several different racial identifications. By analyzing 20 in-depth interviews of mixed-race people who identify as Black, Biracial and White, I demonstrate the need to decouple internalized oppression from any specific racial identification. The findings help to clarify the therapeutic process by allowing therapists who work with mixed-race clients to focus more on the pathway an individual takes to racial self-understanding than on the racial label a client uses.

What is Prayer? A Phenomenological Investigation

Joseph Frana

James (1996/1902) writes that prayer is “the very soul and essence of Religion,” but psychological research on prayer has focused primarily on its application in health-care or well-being. In order to provide a description of prayer as an end in itself researchers will use a phenomenological perspective to administer and interpret questionnaires and interviews using members of two local Christian congregations in Kirksville, Missouri.

Patriarchal Dissidence: An Analysis of the Relationship between the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency until 1989

Christopher Peterson

During the Cold War period, the International Atomic Energy Agency represented the only measure of international control against the spread of nuclear weapons. The United States was the catalyst in creating this agency, but on numerous occasions undermined the independence and effectiveness of the IAEA. Despite the advantages of a strong international nuclear agency, the United States continually pursued its own independent programs, and there exists a significant gap in historical literature studying the relationship between these two bodies. This study seeks to understand and explain the reasons behind the U.S.’s nuclear actions during the cold war and how they affected the course of the IAEA while filling an important place in International nuclear policy development.

The Tension between Sports as Business vs. Sports as Education: An Analysis of NCAA Division II Football Programs

Jerard Leverson

Becoming a collegiate head football coach can be a great achievement in ones life, but that achievement may be spoiled due to ineffective practices. Many coaches today are trapped by the fallacy that running a team is about education, neglecting the business aspect of the game. I’ve observed that many athletic programs above the Division II status operate based upon a business model; but does the average program beneath the elite status, and those possessing scholarship budgets, adopt a business model? Or, do the programs use sports as a vehicle of education, adopting educational models? The approach to incorporate a business model versus an educational model as strategic sports management was analyzed to determine the affects such an approach will have on satisfaction, commitment, and identification.

Is Acculturation Related to Type and Amount of Physical Activity in Hispanic Adults with Type 2 Diabetes?

Kelly Haley

A critical component of Type 2 diabetes self-management is physical activity (both type and amount). In the Hispanic population, disproportionately afflicted with Type 2 diabetes, acculturation may be an important predictor of self-management behaviors including physical activity. A qualitative study triangulated with quantitative descriptive data was conducted to assess the relationship between acculturation and physical activity in a sample of acceptably (HbA1c<8%) and unacceptably (HbA1c>8%) glycemically controlled Hispanic adults with Type 2 diabetes. Full time manual labor employment and family support were key characteristics of the acceptably controlled group. Self-management education programs need to focus on both traditional as well as non-traditional forms of exercise and family centered approaches.

The Health Impact of Industrialization on Women with Histories of Maquiladora Employment in the Ciudad Juarez Region

Nohemi Alvarez-Landa

In 1965 Mexico established the Maquiladora Program as an economic incentive for foreign, mostly U.S.-owned, assembly plants located in the border region. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), implemented in 1994 between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, further increased industrial development with over 2,700 plants operating in the border states of Mexico in 2001 (PAHO). Now, after the 2004 tenth year anniversary of NAFTA, it is time to begin to understand its impact. This study investigates the health impact of industrialization according to the perceptions of women with histories of maquiladora employment in the Ciudad Juarez region.

Perceptions of Self-Images in Black Children as Illustrated through their Artwork

Danielle Leveston

This research project explored the incidence of negative self-images within black children of lower-class communities. Negative self-perceptions may be evidenced by low test scores and the lack of confidence that some black children reveal while interacting with children of another race. Although not all children may come from lower-class households, the fact that negative attributes may be ascribed to their group or communities as a whole may contribute to observed lower levels of self-esteem. The relationship between scores on the Coopersmith Self-Inventory (CSEI) and children’s self-portraits were analyzed; then contrasted for two groups comprised of low and middle class socioeconomic status participants. In terms of self-esteem, it was found that children from lower-class communities did not differ significantly than those of middle-class communities on both measures of the CSEI and analysis of their self-portrait drawings. Overall, the characteristics of children’s drawings were a more significant predictor of self-esteem.

Prostate Cancer and Race: Role of Treatment Options on the High Mortality Rate of African Americans

Chizoba Ifeorah

This study examined potential contributing factors to the significant health disparity in both the incidence rate and mortality rate of African Americans from prostate cancer compared to other races. Research has shown that black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white males. The purpose of this project was to supplement previous scholarly research on prostate cancer and race and to investigate the possible relationship between the high mortality rate of black men from prostate cancer and types of treatment options available to them.

Infants’ Response to an Expressive Face versus a Non-Expressive Face

Sunshine Wilson

Maternal facial expression has been well documented to influence infant-interaction dynamics. This study compared the influence of contrasting facial expression from an unknown adult on infants’ behavioral responses, including smiles, eye gaze, and disengagements. Fifteen infants were videotaped in face-to-face play with an unknown adult under two conditions. In condition one the adult played with the infant using no facial expression. In the second condition the adult played with the infant using varied and exaggerated expressions. The results showed that non-maternal facial expression did not influence infant response behavior.

It Doesn’t Quite Translate: The Relationship between Africans and African Americans on the Truman State University Campus

Tiffany Caesar

I believed that there was a division between Africans and African Americans influenced by the media depiction of stereotypical roles. I studied the impact of stereotypes between Africans and African Americans at Truman State University by conducting ethnographic research involving selected interviews of students and faculty. My process also included examining past studies, and watching films that I believed had stereotypical images. I realized that stereotypes are only a part of the problem. I concluded that members of both need to be more willing to step outside of their cultural boundaries. Following the collection of my qualitative data, I created a one-woman performance piece comprising the reactions of my interviewees.