Senior Thesis Previews: Psychology, Biology and Physics Students' Senior Research Plans
November 06, 2009Studying Relational Aggression via Subconscious Thoughts
by Caroline Pierce '10Psychology Major
For my psychology thesis, I am studying relational aggression through implicit measures. Relational aggression consists of acts that damage relationships or social status, such as spreading rumors. All past research on relational aggression has studied the subject explicitly, meaning the experimenters directly asked participants if or how they use relational aggression. However, relational aggression is generally a negative act, which might make people not want to admit to using relational aggression. Also, acts of relational aggression are often unconscious, so people are not able to accurately answer if they use relational aggression.
To study relational aggression implicitly, I am using several Implicit Association Tests (IATs). The IAT is a computerized program that taps into unconscious thoughts and attitudes by measuring the time it takes participants to make associations between different stimuli. The basis is that people will make faster responses between stimuli that they more strongly associate together. For example, if a participant uses relational aggression, it is likely that they will respond faster to pairing a 'relational aggression' with 'positive' than pairing a 'relational aggression' with 'negative.'
Hopefully by studying relational aggression implicitly we will better understand how and why people use it and consequently find effective ways to diminish its usage.
The Effectiveness of Biochar on Plant Growth
by Linnaea Chapman '10Biology Major
I am doing my thesis on the effect of adding biochar, an all-natural charcoal, to agricultural soil. Previous studies have shown that biochar does not act as a fertilizer, but does make nutrients more available to plants, allowing them to grow bigger. It also helps retain nutrients in the soil, making biochar ideal for use in sustainable agriculture. Recently, scientists have been promoting biochar as a way to sequester carbon in the soil.
My experiment is set up in the community garden and involves mixing three different amounts of charcoal into the soil and analyzing its effect on the growth of a cover crop. I will also gather data on the microbial community and soil characteristics such as pH. I expect plant biomass to increase with greater amounts of biochar.
The goal of my study is to see if the addition of small amounts of biochar give significant results, help determine why biochar affects plant growth, and find out whether it is a viable option for use on small farms.
Working with an Autistic Child from Clinton Elementary School
by Jackie Marra '10Psychology Major
Autism is a developmental disability characterized by repetitive behavior and qualitative deficits in communication and social interaction. The best treatment methods for children with autism fall under the domain of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), an intervention system that is based upon the principles of behaviorism, especially operant conditioning (i.e., reinforcement and, to a lesser degree, punishment).
My thesis involves a five-year-old boy with autism who attends Clinton Elementary School and who shows many deficits in social skills. In particular, he shows marked deficits in his ability to initiate and maintain eye contact with those around him. This deficit is particularly troublesome because eye contact is an essential component to successful social interaction. Additionally, he is fascinated by the objects around him (he will play with one tiny little piece of foam for hours), but makes no attempts to engage other people in these interests (either through gestures, eye contact or verbalization).
This particular deficit severely limits his capacity to foster social connectedness with those around him.
My hope is to design and implement an ABA intervention that will increase this boy's joint attention (that is, his ability to use eye contact and gestures to direct the attention of those around him to an object that he is interested in) by initially prompting him to point to an object, look at me, and then look back at the object. After some time, I will systematically fade my prompts until he will be able to initiate and maintain joint attention independently. Hopefully, this intervention will help the boy learn to make eye contact and to engage others in the activities that he finds interesting, thus providing essential prerequisites to successful social interactions.
Building an Electron Paramagnetic Resonance System
by Valerie Hanson '10Physics Major
The goal of my senior thesis is to design and build a microprocessor controlled electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) system. The system will be used to measure the polarization of 3He (a type of Helium atom) for use as a diagnostic tool in polarized neutron experiments. This measurement will provide us with a way to quickly verify that the polarizing system is functioning properly before running an actual experiment, and can be used as a tool to build better polarizing systems. This project is a continuation on the research I've done the past two summers both here at Hamilton and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
The project is a combination of physics research, programming and electrical engineering. The long term goal we have is to use the system for measuring and determining the source of X-factors found in cells. (X-factors cause unwanted relaxation, thus preventing polarizers from achieving 100 percent polarization of the 3He.)
Polarized neutron scattering experiments are important because they reveal information about the magnetic structure of a material. (The process is somewhat similar to how x-rays work.) One example of an application of polarized neutron research is in the materials science field, where this method is used to study the magnetic properties of new materials used in nanotechnology.
Precursors to Relational Aggression in Preschoolers
by Julia Howles '10Psychology Major
Although the study of aggressive behavior has permeated much of psychological research regarding children, it has largely been focused on physical aggression. Recently, however, a new form, called relational aggression, has been discovered, which involves actions that harm others through damage to peer relationships. Examples of this behavior include social exclusion (i.e. ignoring a child in retaliation for some act), the "silent treatment," spreading rumors and breaking confidences.
Because relational aggression requires a more developed cognitive maturity, young children (before preschool age) are more likely to use alternate forms of aggression (physical or verbal). It is with the development of certain cognitive abilities that children begin to use forms of relational aggression.
In my senior thesis, I wish to investigate several developmental achievements among preschool-aged children (3-5 years) as possible precursors of the capacity for and use of relational aggression. These developmental achievements include both the recognition of self-conscious emotions in others (such as shame, guilt, embarrassment and pride) and the capacity for deceptive behavior (such as purposefully deceiving others). I will also be measuring the children's capacity for and level of expressive language.
I hypothesize that a child's acquisition of these developments will be related to his or her use of relational aggression - that is to assume that these developments indicate an increased cognitive maturity necessary for the use of relational aggression.
Relationally aggressive children have been found to be at risk for future social adjustment and behavioral problems. Findings such as these indicate the significance of the topic – if we can pinpoint the precursors of relational aggression at such young ages, perhaps we can intervene before it becomes an issue. Researchers have identified a prevalent and harmful form of aggression; it is only natural that an investigation of its origins should follow.
How Effective Are Public Service Announcements?
by Meghan Shine '10Psychology Major
For my senior thesis I will be looking into the cognitive components that underlie fear-arousing persuasion. I will examine the effectiveness of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that try to encourage healthy behaviors by threatening viewers with the potentially averse outcomes of their actions (e.g. smoking or drunk driving).
Historically speaking, research has emphasized the role of rational, analytic thought in effective persuasion. However, affect (emotional response) plays a major role in these fear-arousing PSAs and in the general body of advertisements we see in the media today. Therefore, I will focus on highlighting the large the role of affect in encouraging or inhibiting persuasion.