Drew is a sophomore (2023) at Wesleyan from Montclair, New Jersey double majoring in Math & Economics with a minor in Data Analysis. At Wesleyan he is a member of the Men’s Lacrosse team.
Abstract: About 40-50% of American marriages ultimately end with a divorce (APA, 2020). The goal of this analysis is to examine a potential stressor for these marriages— one’s work life. Using the General Social Survey (GSS) data set, the relationship between job satisfaction and marital happiness was examined using a logistic regression model. When controlling for potential confounding variables (sex, income, hours worked, and stress at work), it was found that individuals who expressed being very satisfied with their jobs were more likely to be very happy with their marriage compared to those a little dissatisfied or moderately satisfied with their jobs. Altogether, these findings suggest that external factors may play a role in the health of one’s marriage.
Ethan is a Junior Neuroscience and Film double major at Wesleyan University. He’s also a three season athlete participating in Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track. Ethan is from Pacifica California, about 20 minutes south of San Francisco. Ethan’s project explores the idealized love of adolescence with the romantic statuses of adults.
Research has been done on the success of relationships and their preexisting factors. (Burges 1939). The conclusions made have been quite universal, variables such as age contributes to the long term success of relationships (Burges 1939). Divorces have similarly predictive conditions such as household income levels, which have a negative correlation with chances of divorce (Kiernan, 1998). These relationship factors which can lead to long lasting relationships or divorce seemingly have an impact on the next generation, as those whose parents get divorced tend to be of a lower economic status and get married earlier, both of which have a positive association with divorce (Jaquet, 2001)(Burges, 1939)(Kieran, 1998). Scientifically there are many predictors which correlate to relationship longevity, but not much has been found on the correlation between childhood perceptions of love and future relationship health.
The research on perceptions of love establishes a correlation between changes in perceptions of love during different parts of a person’s life (Nieder, 2001) (Sumter et al, 2013). As their priorities shift with age, that does not consider the relationship status of those in question. Since there are many predictors in relationships, specifically with parental divorce (Jaquet, 2001), the question becomes why do these factors change the next generation of relationships. Specifically, whether the association is with the conditions in which a divorce happens being passed down to the next generation, or if the divorce itself changed the perceptions of love in the next generation, leading to a lack of relationship longevity in the future..
There is little research done one perceptions of love as children and the relationship seen as adults, but there are troves of evidence about how perceptions of love are affected by many things. Gender, porn use, family , friends and self-perception all effect perceptions of love and an ideal relationship (Seiffge-Krenke, 2016) (McCormack, 2017). Although all the research connecting causes to changes in perceptions of love, there comes the question of the manifestation of those perceptions. One research study asked about perceptions of love at different stages of one relationship, and the only difference they found was confidence (Aloni, 2004). Although interesting, this doesn’t answer the question of how perceptions of love changes and effects relationships in the future, which would carry many implications on what’s important in teaching relationship ideals to adolescents.
The goal of the analysis presented will be to examine associations between adolescent perceptions of love and adult ones. That is, this study will analyze different adolescent’s concept of an ideal relationship and compare those results to the relationships they foster in the future, in search of a trend between these two. Factors such as, whether or not an adolescent wanted to be married or have kids, will be cross referenced to whether or not they got married or had kids as adults, in search of a correlation between childhood expectations and adult relationships.
After using the ADDHEALTH data set comparing WAVE I and WAVE IV results, there was a correlation found between believing that marriage is part of an ideal relationship as an adolescent and being married as a young adult. Although biological sex had a larger effect as a predictor for marriage as a young adult, perceptions of love still was shown as a statistically significant factor.
Perceptions of love from an adolescent is a type of synthesis of other factors, whether it be parental relationship status or income, overall perceptions of love can be seen as a single gauge of other outside factors, an internalization of external factors around the adolescent.
Biological sex being a predictor relates more to the age in which this sample was taken, as women are more likely to marry at a young age than men are.
Arthur is a sophomore at Wesleyan majoring in Film Studies and College of East Asian Studies. He is an aspiring journalist and seeks to challenge social stigmas with his work.
Abstract: People with mental disorders may face impairment in different aspects of life, but not all of them are willing to seek treatment or support of some sort. This study investigates what could be potential motivators or barriers for treatment-seeking behavior among agoraphobic individuals, and whether the effects of motivators and barriers interfere with each other. The responses are from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Patients (n=4337) self-assess their conditions retrospectively to prompts that were relevant to them. Among the motivators, only problems at work and on the emotional level, and not impersonal issues, are significant factors to treatment-seeking. Controlling for the motivators, neither income nor race is important barriers to treatment-seeking. This study highlights the importance of awareness of illness in treatment-seeking behavior for agoraphobic individuals. These predictors can be useful in understanding/mediating why agoraphobics may or may not want to seek treatment, despite suffering (serious) symptoms.
Hi! I am a graduating senior (’21) at Wesleyan majoring in Economics & Environmental Studies. I enjoy hiking and I am learning how to crochet. I’m currently trying to crochet a blanket.
Abstract: Climate change denial runs rampant in the United States, and many younger people who do believe tend to blame the older generations for being skeptics, reluctant to change, and overly influential in voting decisions about climate change. This analysis uses data from the Fall 2017 National Survey on Energy and Environment (NSEE) to examine differences in tendency towards belief between age categories. I find that the oldest age group (65+) is significantly more likely to believe the earth is warming than the youngest (18-29). This topic is important because identifying which groups are less likely to believe in climate change can allow activists to better target messaging to improve motivation to act on climate mitigation strategies.Â
Nellie Ghosheh is a current freshman who grew up in a small suburb on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois. She is a prospective Psychology and Government double major, and she also hopes to acquire the Writing Certificate! In her free time, she likes to play badminton, binge Netflix, and explore new restaurants as she is a huge foodie. Growing up with four siblings, Nellie is no stranger to the occasional friendly competition. After finding out sibling relationships is an understudied field, Nellie wanted to explore the depth sibling rivalries have on one’s academic success.
Abstract: Around 80% of Americans live with at least one sibling and are reported to spend half of their free time engaged with their siblings (Demographic Research, 2017). Because siblings are in such close contact with one another for large periods of time, they are bound to have an influence on one another. In this study, I sought out to find out how much of an influence sibling rivalries have on one’s academic performance. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data set, a sample of 864 adolescents from the grades 7-12 were used. The following data was taken to measure sibling rivalries: how often siblings spend time with one another and how often siblings quarrel. Academic success was measured by the average GPA among selected school courses (history, English, science, and math). This study revealed that there is a significant relationship between sibling rivalries and academic success whereas siblings who spend more time and quarrel with one another, have higher average GPAs. Self-efficacy was a third variable used that seemed to moderate the relationship between quarreling and average GPA. Nevertheless, those who quarreled have a higher average GPA as well as higher self-efficacy than those who do not quarrel.
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Hi! My name is Natalie Shen (she/her) and I am a freshman majoring in CSS (College of Social Studies) from Long Island, New York. As someone interested in researching the role of government, politics, and citizenship, this project helped me discover new insights.
Abstract: In a tumultuous political climate, voting is more crucial than ever towards enacting change and sustaining a democratic system. It would thus be beneficial to understand what characteristics motivate individuals to politically participate. How does trust (or the lack thereof) in the governmental system affect your civic engagement? How does confidence in your ability to influence the course of politics relate to voting behavior? My research found that political self-efficacy is of greater importance towards influencing voting compared to political trust, which may suggest that educational and civic institutions must work to improve self-efficacy levels to increase political participation.
Ashley is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Economics and Government and a minor in Data Analysis at Wesleyan University. Coming from Hong Kong, Ashley works as a Course Assistant for Econ300 (Quantitative Methods in Economics) and Econ301 (Microeconomic Analysis). In addition, Ashley has participated in Wesleyan Debate and is has helped organize Wesleyan’s first Hackathon in a half-a-decade, WesHack! With a particular interest in money market security and investor behavior, Ashley will be working as a Research Assistant to further her academic interests through Wesleyan’s QAC Apprenticeship Program over the summer of 2021.
Abstract: With the gradual privatization of the financial service sector, the responsibility of personal finance is falling increasingly on the shoulders of individuals. Alongside the rise of on-hand financial technology, millennials find themselves ever susceptible to impulsive consumer behavior and mounting indebtedness. In recent years, researchers have begun to examine to what extent parental involvement in childhood financial discipline plays a significant role in shaping an individual’s future financial health. While a few studies have corroborated the positive relationship between parental involvement and future financial wellness, it is unknown whether the cause of poor financial performance among millennials can be attributed to decreasing levels of parental instruction.
The goals of the present analysis include [1] establishing the relationship between parental instruction and financial wellbeing; [2] determining whether or not the relationship between parental instruction and financial wellbeing is affected by generational status; and [3] identifying whether parental instruction levels have changed across four generations in the United States.
Alec is a current sophomore (’23) from Northern New Jersey studying Government and Studio Art. Besides playing on Throw Culture, working for the Wesleyan Media Project, and editing The Ankh and other arts magazines on campus, he spends most of his time working in policy and communications for various campaigns. He is particularly interested in the religious factors contributing to the rise of conservatism in the United States and how this has influenced national politics.
Abstract: Religiosity, particularly regular church attendance has been tied to higher voter turnout. (Smith 400) While this could be partially attributed to the communities provided by church congregations, as well as opportunities for political engagement, the rise of the Christian Right has linked cultural issues such as transgender healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion to Christian values. (Chaves 235) However, Protestantism is the largest and most diverse denomination in the United States, so political affiliations and religious beliefs vary widely between various denominations. I examined four Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist churches, as well as whether individuals identified as Fundamentalism, a conservative theological movement emphasizing literal interpretations of the Bible, as well as voter turnout in the 2016 Presidential Election. Fundamentalism and Protestant denomination was significantly related to voter participation.
Hi! My name is Piya and I am a junior double majoring in Neuroscience & Behavior and Science in Society (SiSP) with a minor in Civic Engagement. I am an international student, born in Singapore and raised in Dubai, UAE. I am interested in the racialized and gendered history of healthcare alongside the psychological/biological basis of addiction and trauma. Taking R this semester has helped me visualize my passions and interests.
Abstract: Affection, love, and care from parents are cherished by children as they grow up learning to navigate the world. How much care a parent gives a child is something that is usually unmeasurable. However, what if the perceived care given by parents affects how violent a child may be? What if the association between perceived parental care and violent behavior tendencies is significant? These are important questions as a positive association between the factors can ultimately affect a child’s well-being, safety, and emotional security. This can also be important in restructuring family dynamics and in concluding the importance of affection, love, and care in familial relationships.
