Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

A documented phenomenon is that people want to quit social media but do not. A leading explanation is that the content shown on social media is addictive. However, I use a survey to show that the content is not the main reason people say they cannot leave social media. Instead, it is losing the ability to communicate through direct messaging.

Despite efforts to promote gender diversity in STEM, math-based STEM majors, such as Engineering, Computer science and Physics, remain male dominated. In this research, the effects of peer interactions are examined within students in math-based STEM majors, since peer relationships significantly impact retention and success in STEM. However, underrepresented groups, such as women in STEM, are particularly susceptible to negative stereotypes about their group, through the induction of stereotype threat. This study seeks to investigate how the gender of the support-giver and support-seeker in a peer directed study group affect male dominated STEM majors’ personal wellbeing, social perceptions and STEM-related outcomes using video vignettes of an interaction in a study group. The gender of the support-giver, as depicted in the vignette, influenced social perceptions and to a lesser extent, STEM-related outcomes. Likewise, female participants scored lower in personal wellbeing, social perceptions and STEM-related outcomes, which were consistent with literature about stereotype threat. Implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.

This research aims to understand the affect that sexual assault trauma has on survivors’ sex lives and romantic relationships. Using a qualitative research method of interviews, ten female-identifying sexual assault survivors from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) were asked about their history, attitudes, and behaviors on sex and relationships. An intersectional approach combined with a feminist lens was utilized in order to understand the lives of these survivors’ post-assault with a sociological perspective. The findings revealed that participants received inadequate formal education on consent in schools. I discovered intimacy challenges both romantically and sexually, where participants revealed a hesitancy and even avoidance to intimate interactions. Relatedly, a struggle in reintegration into society as sexual assault survivors was found to be evident. This study expanded on previous research on the perpetuation of hegemonic masculinity and femininity and its contribution to violence against women. Societal norms such as hook-up culture were also found to be correlated with sexual assault. This study contributes to the existing and expanding research on women who experience sexual assault and their experiences thereafter.

The zine is curated for people who have experienced a world made unlivable for them. It stands strong for those who have faced trauma and felt shattered beyond repair. This is my message to you: Even though some parts of us are lost forever, we can still become someone even greater. We can still cultivate a life that is worth living, having a radically different outlook and appreciation for life.

Gym equipment is not required to follow ADA guidelines to ensure they can be used by people with disabilities. We have adapted one half of a dual-pulley machine to allow our sponsor, a paralympic athlete, to demonstrate these issues and push for change because the components used to alter these machines are often inaccessible. The height adjuster changes the angle between the weight and the user, allowing them to focus on different muscle groups, but if a user cannot reach the mechanism, they cannot use the machine, so we have automated and motorized that aspect. The weight stack requires users to move a small pin to a very specific position, so creating a raised system with linear guides to make that easier will allow users with hand dexterity issues to use the machine on their own. We hope these changes will make exercise more accessible for all.

In this research paper, I have applied the Marxian theory of conflict to the ongoing situation between a teachers union and its corresponding school district. My research uses a mix-method approach, which includes interviews, ethnographic observations, and content analysis. In this dispute, wages and class sizes are the main contentious issues. The teachers believe that smaller classes would greatly improve their working conditions and have concerns about inadequate responses and perceived incompetence, particularly with the superintendent. Despite this, both sides agree on the importance of constructive conversation to resolve this ongoing conflict. According to the orthodox Marxian theory, labor conflicts arise from divergent interests due to economic structural disposition. The teachers seek better treatment while the school district aims to maintain budgets and a professional image under the superintendent’s guidance. Considering these circumstances, I advocate for constructive collective bargaining to achieve a positive outcome instead of engaging in a destructive cycle of mutual harm.

Machine learning techniques have revolutionized the field of financial engineering by providing accurate and efficient methods for pricing American options. This research project aims to explore the effectiveness of deep learning algorithms in accurately pricing American options. The project is divided into two schemes: Scheme I employs a sequence of neural networks, while Scheme II utilizes a single aggregate neural network to eliminate time discretization. By testing various combinations of neural network hyperparameters in both schemes, we seek to optimize the accuracy and computational speed for pricing nine different Put and Call options. Our results are compared against existing efficient algorithms, such as polynomial regression and random forest, as documented in [5]. Based on the analysis of optimal hyperparameters that enhance the accuracy of machine learning-based American option pricing, we identify the top five solvers (hyperparameter sets) in Scheme I and the top two solvers in Scheme II. These solvers are benchmarked and reproducible, serving as reference points for future comparisons with prior studies.

The effects of motivation and the depletion of cognitive resources on performance in a sustained attention task were investigated. 17 participants completed a modified version of the continuous temporal expectancy task (CTET; O’Connell et al., 2009). Performance on the CTET is a measure of sustained attention. Monetary reward was introduced as a between-subjects manipulation. Overall performance and performance across time served as behavioural measures of general sustained attention and the vigilance decrement, respectively. An electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to measure the neural correlates of behaviour, in particular, the alpha band oscillation. EEG analysis revealed higher alpha power for pre-target misses compared to hits, indicating a phase-dependent influence on sustained attention influenced by motivation levels. The vigilance decrement occurred in both reward and no reward groups, unaffected by rewards alone. Ceiling effects may have weakened the impact of rewards. Task performance variability suggests the need for a larger sample size to enhance reliability. In conclusion, alpha power differences between misses and hits suggest its role in sustained attention. However, reward did not mitigate the vigilance decrement which persisted across groups. Further research with a larger sample size is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of these effects.

The cultural object known as “sweet purses” was fabricated and rose in popularity in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for its ability to supersede extravagance restrictions in a Post-Reformation court culture and support ideas within early modern neuroscience. This paper explores the cultural shifts and interest in early modern neuroscience and the influence of the soul that are truly responsible for the nature and being of sweet purses, despite often being examined in current collections purely for their visual appeal. Discussing the interest and consequent belief in ideologies such as imagination and humoral theory better explicates the impact and importance that sweet purses had within English court life and often why these objects were able to circumvent the regulations of sumptuary laws. This paper examines the construction and use of sweet purses to best understand the inner workings of early modern English court culture in the aspect of theocratic court functions, the intersection between religious values and developments within scientific spaces, and how the conversation between these territories can be reflected within physical objects.

This paper presents a systematic literature review on the relationship between influencer marketing and parasocial relationships in social media. Influencer marketing has gained significant traction as an effective marketing strategy with the advent of social media platforms. Thus, this study seeks to explore the impact of parasocial relationships between influencers and their followers on consumer trust, purchasing decisions, the factors that influence these relationships, and how influencers can enhance them to optimize marketing outcomes. The review encompasses analysis of five primary research studies, investigating factors such as interpersonal attraction, personal attributes, intimate self-disclosure, and empathy as determinants of parasocial relationships. The findings indicate that parasocial relationships exert a positive influence on consumer trust, purchase intentions, and brand evaluations. Notably, factors such as interpersonal attraction, intimate self-disclosure, and empathy emerge as key drivers in fostering and reinforcing parasocial connections. The paper concludes by discussing practical strategies that influencers can employ, including two-way communication, personal disclosures, advertising transparency, and tailored content, to cultivate and strengthen parasocial relationships, ultimately enhancing marketing effectiveness. The study underscores the need for further research to deepen our understanding of this phenomenon and its implications for influencer marketing.