Social and Behavioral Sciences | Open Access Articles

Msu Students' Use Of The Msu Web Site, Kristin Ruder

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

As part of ongoing usability studies of the MSU Web site, survey data was collected from convenience samples of MSU students to evaluate their self-assessed expertise using the Internet as well as their use of and satisfaction with the MSU Web site.

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A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Rethinking Aids Website, Jennifer Dettmann

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

A group of scientists known as the Group for Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis created a web site title, Rethinking AIDS. The group behind the web site argues that AIDS is not a sexually transmitted disease. They even question the existence of the virus entity. My analysis is driven by the critical question: Does the web site construct a reality that affectively alters our perception of HIV-AIDS? In order to answer this question, Goodnight and Poulakos 1981 article, Conspiracy rhetoric: from pragmatism to fantasy to public discourse (Western Journal of Speech), will be utilized.

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Feasting On Broken Glass: Making A Meal Of Seeds, Bones, And Sherds, Mary C. Beaudry

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Drawing on various lines of evidence that provide insight into late 18th- and early 19th-century episodes of dining at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, Massachusetts, I explore ways in which historical archaeologists can move from discussions of food and foodstuffs to explore menus, meals, and dining. I argue that by drawing together many lines of evidence—food remains such as bones, seeds, and shells; documentary sources; and ceramics, glassware, and utensils—archaeologists are able to “feast” upon the evidence and to go beyond merely reporting on what people ate in the past. They do so by exploring ways of interpreting food on …

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Modeling Communities Through Food: Connecting The Daily Meal To The Construction Of Place And Identity, Karen Bescherer Metheny

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Foodways are an aspect of community building that find expression in the physical and cultural landscape. Using family reconstitution, food maps, and other archaeological and anthropological approaches to study foodways and commensality in the mining town of Helvetia, Pennsylvania (ca. 1891–1947), I lay out a program to reconstruct the spatial relationships associated with food procurement, preparation, and consumption in historic-period communities. Particular emphasis is placed on food sharing and shared food activities in the context of the daily meal. These reconstructed relationships or food connections reflect the varied networks and boundaries within the community, based on ethnicity, gender, age, sex, …

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Applying Concepts From Historical Archaeology To New England's Nineteenth-Century Cookbooks, Anne Yentsch

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This article describes a study of New England cookbooks as a data source for historical archaeologists. The database for this research consisted of single-authored, first-edition cookbooks written by New England women between 1800 and 1900, together with a small set of community cookbooks and newspaper advertisements. The study was based on the belief that recipes are equivalent to artifact assemblages and can be analyzed using the archaeological methods of seriation, presence/absence, and chaîne opératoire. The goal was to see whether change through time could be traced within a region, and why change occurred; whether it was an archetypal shift in …

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Decline In The Use And Production Of Red-Earthenware Cooking Vessels In The Northeast, 1780-1880, Meta F. Janowitz

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Ceramic collections from archaeological sites dating to and before the early 19th century are often dominated by red-earthenware vessels used in the foodways complex. By the late 19th century, redware vessels are much less common in New England and the Middle Atlantic region. This decline in the use and production of red earthenwares has many causes, including decreased costs of alternative materials (stoneware, refined earthenware, metal, and glass) and an awareness of the harmful effects of lead glazes, but the most important factor is the change in food-preparation technology from open-hearth to stove cooking.

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Op-Ed: The Influence Of New Technologies, Foods, And Print Media On Local Material Culture Remains In Nineteenth-Century America, Marie-Lorraine Pipes, Meta F. Janowitz

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This opinion piece is a brief discussion of documentary and graphic sources, such as cookbooks, works of fiction, advertisements, and genre paintings, available to archaeologists for use in interpreting food-related artifacts and faunal materials from 19th-century domestic deposits. At that time American society experienced a surge in print and visual media that shaped the consumption and preparation of new foods. The scale of influence a particular form of media has on consumers varies in relation to the time sensitivity of the media.This article considers the range of sources that exist and suggest a comprehensive approach to the analysis of archaeological …

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Consumerism And Control: Archaeological Perspectives On The Harvard College Buttery, Christina J. Hodge

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, offers a unique setting through which to explore cultural changes within 17th- and 18th-century America, including shifting foodways and consumerisms. Harvard’s early leaders constructed their collegiate community by controlling many aspects of scholars’ lives, including their eating, drinking, and purchasing practices. Between 1650 and 1800, the college operated the “Buttery,” a commissary where students supplemented meager institutional meals by purchasing snacks and sundries. As a marketplace, the buttery organized material practices of buying and selling as people and things flowed through it. Archaeological and documentary evidence reveals how college officials attempted to regulate, but lagged …

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Historic Philadelphia Foodways: A Consideration Of Catfish Cookery, Teagan Schweitzer

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This article explores the consumption of catfish in the Philadelphia area during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Although not extremley popular in the region today, in the past this fish was an important part of the culinary landscape, in particular as part of a meal referred to as "catfish and waffles." Evidence from zooarchaeological and documentary research is used to justify this claim.

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Dining With John And Catharine Butler Before The Close Of The Eighteenth Century, Eva Macdonald, Suzanne Needs-Howarth

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The partial excavation of the homestead of Colonel John Butler in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has afforded the opportunity to explore the daily activities of one Loyalist family after the establishment of the British colony of Upper Canada in the 1780s. In particular, the large collection of zooarchaeological material (over 14,5000 specimens) can provide information about the availability of wild animal species, as well as the types of domestic animals that the Butlers kept on their farm. Butchering marks provide further insight into the types of meat cuts used in cooking meals for the family and guests. These are compared …

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The Power Of Choice: Reflections Of Economic Ability, Status, And Ethnicity In The Foodways Of A Free African American Family In Northwestern New Jersey, Megan E. Springate, Amy Raes

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The choices people make concerning food involve decisions well beyond biological sustenance. Food procurement and consumption, as well as the way in which a dish is served, are choices that are embedded with both overt and less obvious implications of social aspirations and validations (McKee 1999; Reitz, Ruff, and Zierden 2006). Food and the means by which it is prepared and consumed embody and communicate cultural traditions, as well as factors such as social identity, ethnicity, status, class, and consumer choice. In this article, we examine the faunal remains, tablewares, and food-preparation vessels recovered during excavations within a free African …

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Introduction: Bringing More To The Table, Karen Bescherer Metheny

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Introduction to the special volume on foodways.

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Project Close At Hand: Addressing Homelessness Through Community Engagement, Kristin Wibben

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This project examines the power of college students to positively sensitize their host community’s residents to the problem of homelessness and to implement “Project Close at Hand”, a project that focuses on breaking down the stereotypes associated with homelessness and collecting donations sufficient to save a local men’s homeless shelter from closing.

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Possible Psychological Effects Of Ultrasound Scanning On Women, Hang Wu

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Questionnaires were designed and given to 30 female subjects to investigate the possible psychological effects caused by the use of ultrasound scanning. The answers were analyzed in a numerical way and correlation tests were run to explore the relations among various factors. No significant correlation was found between any pair of the four selected factors. Further interviews with the subjects and detailed qualitative study of the answers provided answers for the results, and suggested that the possible psychological effects introduced by the ultrasound scanning, if any, were very limited.

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Using Social Cognitive Theory To Predict Behavior, Gretchen Walker, Amy Posner

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model where self-efficacy is hypothesized to influence people’s behavioral intentions directly and indirectly through effects on outcome expectancy. Data on self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and intention to jog two consecutive miles were collected from 115 college students enrolled in general education classes. As anticipated, path analyses indicated that efficacy had both a direct impact on intention and an indirect impact through its effects on outcome expectancy. The more efficacious people were, the more positive the outcomes they associated with jogging and the surer they were they would jog. The model tested …

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Effects Of Popular Music On Memorization Tasks, Kristin Sandberg, Sarah Harmon

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study investigated the effects that popular music has on memory performance. It was proposed that popular music would adversely affect both studying and memory recall. Forty introductory psychology students participated in the study. Subjects were given a list of fifty words to study in 6 ½ minutes, with music either being present or absent. This was termed the learning stage. In this study, four conditions were tested. In all 4 conditions, subjects were assigned to either a “music” pre-period or a “non-music” pre-period and a “music” post-period or a “non-music” post-period. After they had studied the words, subjects were …

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Consolidating Democracy Or Stopping At Polyarchy? An Evaluation Of The Chamorro Administration In Nicaragua (1990-1997), Roland D. Mckay

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The period from 1990 to 1997, the tenure of the Chamorro administration, presents a salient and unique case study in Latin American ‘democratic consolidation’, although as we shall see, this concept is problematic when applied to Nicaragua. It is difficult to evaluate objectively the performance of the decade‐long tenure of the FSLN, since the government had civil war thrust upon it even as Sandinista tanks rolled into Managua’s Plaza Central in 1979. The process of democratic consolidation in Nicaragua began long before the 1990 election, however. The purpose of this paper, then, is to evaluate the Chamorro administration in terms …

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The Effects Of Room Color On Stress Perception: Red Versus Green Environments, Teresa M. Kutchma

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of red versus green room colors on individual perception of stress. Room color was found through previous studies to have specific effects on psychomotor activity and emotional states. Correlations were found between red room color and emotional and physical stimulation, while green was associated with inhibitory effects. Additionally, Goldstein’s theory of color perception showed that red has stimulating effects on human behavior. Subjects consisted of 15 female and 15 male college freshmen at Minnesota State University, Mankato. An experimental booth was used for red, green and white room conditions. Subjects …

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Parenting From Prison: Family Relationships Of Incarcerated Women In Massachusetts, Erika Kates, Sylvia Mignon, Paige Ransford

Sylvia I. Mignon

Historically in the United States, there has been little concern about the needs of incarcerated women and their family members, especially children. This began to change with the tremendous increase in the number of incarcerated women. The rate of women’s incarceration increased dramatically during the 1980s and today the number of female inmates continues to rise faster than the number of male inmates. In 1986, 19,812 women were incarcerated in the United States and this number rose in 1991 to 38,796. Today, over 112,000 women are incarcerated in state or federal facilities (Sabol et al., 2007; Snell 1994). While in …

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Correlation Between Health And Stress, Hang Wu

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study examined participants’ level of stress and their perceived level of stress and success in school. The subjects were given the stress questionnaire in order to determine the level of stress they were experiencing and the frequency of health issues experienced during the previous year. The results of the study suggest that although level of stress may be similar between individuals, how they perceived the stress impacted their health level. Students who perceived the stress in a negative fashion were more likely to be sick than individuals who were less impacted by the stress. By identifying the correlation between …

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Spatial Intelligence And The Ability To Comprehend And Execute Textual/Graphical Instructions, Anthony Wacholtz

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Performing a task such as solving a Rubik’s cube can be very difficult, but it can be done after enough twists and turns. However, only an individual with extremely high spatial intelligence could be expected to solve a Rubik’s cube in his or her head. Discussing the concept of spatial intelligence, Howard Gardner makes it clear that “...Spatial intelligence is closely tied to, and grows directly out of, one’s observations of the visual world.” The term spatial intelligence, as it pertains to my research, derives from the ability to visualize and manipulate three-dimensional objects in your mind. In this experiment, …

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Investigating Changing Moral Boundaries Through Tattooing, Nikolas L. Proehl

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This study examines undergoing tattooing as a basis for understanding moral passage. Moral passage occurs when a social act undergoes a transformation from an undesirable or deviant act, to one that is generally tolerated or accepted by the greater society. Interviews were conducted with individuals who have undergone tattooing, and their experiences and encounters with others in social settings were documented and analyzed. Results indicate that while individuals often undergo tattooing because of their attraction to its deviant connotations, many of these same individuals do not identify themselves as deviant. At the same time, persons with tattoos typically find toleration …

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A Burkian Pentadic Analysis Of Msu Riot Narratives, Joseph Mohrfeld

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

In the fall of 2003 a riot occurred very near the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus and in its aftermath many different narratives emerged describing the events. Using Kenneth Burke's pentad, this project examines those narratives in order to discover how different groups construct their accounts and which narrative elements different groups emphasize. By understanding how the narrative accounts given by these agents are influenced by their situation, the research allows us to see how riots emerge out of tensions within the conflicting productive contexts.

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Effects Of Race Of Attractiveness Ratings And Individuals Physical Attractiveness Stereotypes, Aaron Karst

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the “physical attractiveness stereotype”. Previous research suggests that the physical attractiveness plays an important role in how we ascribe certain personality traits. Weiten (2002) for example, noted the stereotype as people’s tendency “to ascribe socially desirable personality traits to individuals who are considered to be more attractive, seeing them as more sociable, poised, and well adjusted than those who are less attractive”. However, very little research has been conducted to explore the role race may have on the concept. The current study was conducted to explore the validity of the physical …

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Political Attitudes Towards The Bush Administration By Ethnic And Racial Groups, Amber Elzen, Mai Inoue, Julianna Koomen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This project analyzes the attitudes towards political statements according to a person’s ethnic and racial groups. The statements relate to the Bush administration and some of its policies. The different responses are categorized by age, gender and location as well. It is hypothesized that Caucasians would have a more positive outlook on the administration and its policies while racial and ethnic minorities would have a less positive response to the questions. Overall, a total of 219 participants were surveyed from Minnesota State University, Mankato and from communities of southeastern Minnesota through questions asking them to indicate their political attitudes. When …

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Distinguishing Observed Inattentive Behaviors In The College Classroom As They Correlate To Brain Wave Activity Utilizing A Wireless Electroencephalograph, Christopher J. Aura, Matthew R. Stanton

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

A significant amount of research has been devoted to the behavioral correlates of inattention in children (A.P.A., 2000; Arnold, 2000; Gordon & Barkley, 1998). It is proposed by the authors that college students, in their several years of experience, are much more capable of masking these trademark behaviors. When a child loses interest they will begin to openly look around the room, shift in their seat, or chat with their neighbors (Sandberg, Rutter & Taylor, 1978; Arnold, 2000). College students however, are proposed to candidly fidget, shift in their seat, or even maintain eye contact with their instructor while “daydreaming”. …

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The Antelope, University Of Nebraska At Kearney

The Antelope

No abstract provided.

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Fall 2014 Economics Newsletter, Economics Department

Economics Newsletter

No abstract provided.

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Prospectus, August 27, 2014, National Weather Service, Scott Barnes

Prospectus 2014

PARKLAND BEING RECOGNIZED AS BEING A "STORMREADY" COLLEGE, New Construction Ensures Parkland's Future, Colleges Warn More Students of Sex-Abuse and Alcohol 'Red Zone,' Washington State Lauded for Cautious Approach to Pot Sales, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials Define Being Healthy Differently, Vigilance by the Supreme Court for a More Healthy Planet, A Judicial 'No' on Gay Conversion Therapy, USC Player Sidelined After Rescuing Nephew, Emmy Awards 2014: 'Breaking Bad' and 'Modern Family' Win Top Awards

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Illegal Economies And Territoriality In Latin America, Fernando Carrión Mena Arq.

Fernando Carrión Mena

Little importance has been attributed to illegal markets in the economy, perhaps due to the invisibility that results from their methodologies, indicators and sources, but also due to the moral, legal, political and cultural implications born in the framework of the “war on drugs” policy. What is certain is that there exists an important monetary mass coming from illicit markets. The available data indicate that in 1998 Michel Camdessus (Director of the International Monetary Fund - IMF) estimated the amount at between 2% and 5% of the world economy, while Moisés Naim established a volume of 10% for 2004. This …

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Msu Students' Use Of The Msu Web Site, Kristin Ruder

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Rethinking Aids Website, Jennifer Dettmann

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Feasting On Broken Glass: Making A Meal Of Seeds, Bones, And Sherds, Mary C. Beaudry

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Modeling Communities Through Food: Connecting The Daily Meal To The Construction Of Place And Identity, Karen Bescherer Metheny

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Applying Concepts From Historical Archaeology To New England's Nineteenth-Century Cookbooks, Anne Yentsch

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Decline In The Use And Production Of Red-Earthenware Cooking Vessels In The Northeast, 1780-1880, Meta F. Janowitz

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Op-Ed: The Influence Of New Technologies, Foods, And Print Media On Local Material Culture Remains In Nineteenth-Century America, Marie-Lorraine Pipes, Meta F. Janowitz

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Consumerism And Control: Archaeological Perspectives On The Harvard College Buttery, Christina J. Hodge

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Historic Philadelphia Foodways: A Consideration Of Catfish Cookery, Teagan Schweitzer

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Dining With John And Catharine Butler Before The Close Of The Eighteenth Century, Eva Macdonald, Suzanne Needs-Howarth

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The Power Of Choice: Reflections Of Economic Ability, Status, And Ethnicity In The Foodways Of A Free African American Family In Northwestern New Jersey, Megan E. Springate, Amy Raes

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Introduction: Bringing More To The Table, Karen Bescherer Metheny

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Project Close At Hand: Addressing Homelessness Through Community Engagement, Kristin Wibben

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Possible Psychological Effects Of Ultrasound Scanning On Women, Hang Wu

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Predict Behavior, Gretchen Walker, Amy Posner

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Effects Of Popular Music On Memorization Tasks, Kristin Sandberg, Sarah Harmon

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Consolidating Democracy Or Stopping At Polyarchy? An Evaluation Of The Chamorro Administration In Nicaragua (1990-1997), Roland D. Mckay

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Effects Of Room Color On Stress Perception: Red Versus Green Environments, Teresa M. Kutchma

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Parenting From Prison: Family Relationships Of Incarcerated Women In Massachusetts, Erika Kates, Sylvia Mignon, Paige Ransford

Sylvia I. Mignon

Correlation Between Health And Stress, Hang Wu

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Spatial Intelligence And The Ability To Comprehend And Execute Textual/Graphical Instructions, Anthony Wacholtz

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Investigating Changing Moral Boundaries Through Tattooing, Nikolas L. Proehl

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

A Burkian Pentadic Analysis Of Msu Riot Narratives, Joseph Mohrfeld

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Effects Of Race Of Attractiveness Ratings And Individuals Physical Attractiveness Stereotypes, Aaron Karst

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Political Attitudes Towards The Bush Administration By Ethnic And Racial Groups, Amber Elzen, Mai Inoue, Julianna Koomen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Distinguishing Observed Inattentive Behaviors In The College Classroom As They Correlate To Brain Wave Activity Utilizing A Wireless Electroencephalograph, Christopher J. Aura, Matthew R. Stanton

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Antelope, University Of Nebraska At Kearney

The Antelope

Fall 2014 Economics Newsletter, Economics Department

Economics Newsletter

Prospectus, August 27, 2014, National Weather Service, Scott Barnes

Prospectus 2014

Illegal Economies And Territoriality In Latin America, Fernando Carrión Mena Arq.

Fernando Carrión Mena