Section 4 (11:10am-12:30pm)

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Zoe Bogan

Zoe Bogan is a freshman at Wesleyan University from just outside of Chicago, IL majoring in the College of Letters. She is also a member of the varsity volleyball team and enjoys tutoring kids through the Individual Tutoring Program here at Wes. Throughout her research in the Psychology and Data Analysis courses at Wesleyan, she has cultivated an interest in early child psychological social development and how it manifests itself in childrens’ future relationships. 

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Abstract:  Children’s first experiences with relationships of any kind are with their parents, so they learn and establish their idea of what a healthy relationship with others looks like based off of the relationship they form with them. Unstable parent-child relationships lead to varying levels of instability in the child’s romantic relationships, and overall mental health and social stability, as an adult. The purpose of this study is to uncover whether or not individuals with higher levels of intimacy with their parents during their adolescence feel secure enough in their romantic relationships as an adult to commit to their partner in marriage. Analysis from the fourth wave of the U.S. National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health) indicates that there is a significant positive correlation between the proximity one feels to their parents and their level of commitment to their partner. The closer one felt to their parents as a child, the more likely they were to commit to their significant other in marriage than they were if they hadn’t had a high level of parental proximity. 

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Seth Larner

Seth is a sophomore at Wesleyan double majoring in physics and astronomy. He is originally from Eldersburg, Maryland where he attended Liberty High School.

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Abstract:

This work makes use of the 2014 General Survey Study (GSS) to examine the relationship between a person’s employment status and their level of political participation. Political participation was measured by asking participants if they had ever participated in a variety of politically motivated activities such as donating to a political candidate or attending a rally. Levels of political participation were compared between unemployed and employed adults and adults who are self-employedadults and those who are employed by others. In these categories, adults who identify as politically conservative were compared to those who identify as politically liberal.

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Abstract: According to a Pew Research Study done in September of 2020, only about 20% of the American population has confidence that the American government will “do the right thing” just about always or most of the time. With Joe Biden’s approval rate sitting around 53% after his first 100 days, lower than his fellow former president Barack Obama, one has to wonder, why are there such low ratings of confidence in facets and members of the American Government? This study explores the relationship that race and/or political party may have on confidence in each of the three branches.

Anna Ribeiro

Born and raised in New York City, Anna is a current sophomore (’23) at Wesleyan University. She is triple major in Government, Psychology, and Education Studies, with an interest in the intersectionality of the three domains through the lens of policy, legal work, and civic engagement & education.

Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/8845336295

Jackson Belden

I am a Sophomore at Wesleyan University working towards the Anthropology major and the Certificate in Applied Data Science. I am originally from Portland, Oregon, where I grew a love of nature, strategy games, and political action which has stuck with me to today. I hope to combine those passions with data science and writing in a future career.

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Abstract: While there is a significant amount of research pointing to the association between poverty and social outcomes there is not a body of research investigating the relationship between poverty and the social outcome of ability to borrow from friends and family. Using the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s National Financial Well-Being Survey I find a significant negative association between material hardship suffered (a poverty indicator) and ability to borrow. This relationship is confounded by an individuals background, as education of one’s parents has a significant positive relationship with ability to borrow. This points us towards individual suffering material hardships as a group which could be targeted for aid or loans, as they are less likely to be able to use social networks for aid, however other factors, including background, must be included in the equation.

Live Poster Session: Link

Desiree Cervantes

Hello! I am a sophomore at Wesleyan University, class of 2023, studying as a molecular biology and biochemistry major on the pre-med track.

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Abstract: Racial profiling has been a prevalent issue regarding race relations in the United States. Law enforcement and racial bias have been pertinent topics of discussion recently, as there have been widespread efforts in the more recent years to denounce police brutality, as it relates to racism and the mass incarceration of Black folks in the US. Significant populations of Black people and Hispanics have been taking up the majority of the prison populations, in part because of traffic stops influenced by racial bias. It is vital to see how communities of color are disproportionately affected by racial profiling, which is a factor in the mass incarceration of Black people. The aim of this study is to determine how much more likely are Black people and Hispanics to be stopped in traffic by law enforcement and also receive further consequences in the traffic stop. Specifically, this study examines these rates of traffic stops and further consequences against communities of color in the predominantly white state of Connecticut. The sample used in this study was from the data set of a CT traffic stop study conducted in 2014 and last modified in 2017. The focus of this study, was the racial/ethnic identities of individuals and how each group of individuals (Black, Hispanic, white, Asian, Native American, and Middle Eastern) made up the population of traffic stops in general. It was further analyzed what racial/ethnic groups in the study experienced a blind check (stop with no tangible motive), and further consequences from the stop (vehicle searched, vehicle towed, and custodial arrest). Ultimately, this study revealed that Hispanics were the group with the highest amount of individuals to receive any type of further consequence. At very similar rates trailed Black people, showing that there is an association between race/ethnicity and the likelihood of receiving additional punishment. Thus, it appears that racial profiling effects Hispanics and Black people more than their white counterparts. Further research is needed to consider what types of encounters (violent/nonviolent) Black and Brown folks experience compared to other racial counterparts in traffic stops, to further support the notion that racial profiling contributes to anti-black violence.

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Suocheng Zhang

Suocheng is a junior math and economics double major at Wesleyan University. He is from Beijing, China.

Abstract: Many will regard the cigarette as the gateway drug, which means that the use of tobacco will lead to the use of other addictive drugs. In this research, the simple linear regression model will be used to determine whether there is an association between the age started smoking marijuana, the most commonly used drugs in the US, and the age started smoking cigarettes. Also, the third variable sex is added into the research to determine whether the association varies for males and females. It was discovered that there is a significant positive correlation between the age started smoking marijuana and the age started smoking cigarettes. Moreover, sex serves as the moderator in the association, suggesting that the gateway drug effect is stronger for males.

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Zara Zhou

Zara is a member of the Class of 2023 at Wesleyan University from China, majoring in Economics and Film Studies. She likes film scores and has been a member of the orchestra for nine years as a cello player. After graduation, she aspires to join the media industry.

Abstract:

Drinking has always been prevalent in the United States. Approximately 95,000 people died annually from excessive drinking in the United States from 2011 to 2015, and it is the third-leading preventable cause of death (CDC, 2019). The causes of alcoholism mainly include genetic and environmental factors(True et al., 1996; Enoch, 2012). One of the risky genetic factors associated with excessive drinking behavior and subsequent dependence on alcohol is the family history of alcohol abuse (Dawson& Grant, 1998). The present research aims to explore the association between family history of alcoholism and individual alcohol dependence. Using the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), I choose three symptoms of alcohol dependence to represent the degree of personal alcohol dependence. Consequently, the family history of alcoholism is significantly and positively associated with the likelihood of meeting criteria for personal alcohol dependence.

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Chiara Christie

Chiara is a sophomore at Wesleyan University working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with minors in Chemistry and Data Analysis. She is from Durham, New Hampshire, and is interested in working in the Pharmaceutical industry.

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Abstract: This study examines the relationship between adolescent academic performance and perceived parental affection among adolescents in grades 7-12 using the 1994-95 U.S. National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). That is, this study will investigate whether the adolescent academic achievement is sensitive to their perception of parental affection and whether these differences are consistent across the gender of the parent. The survey included 20,745 students. Perception of maternal and paternal affection was assessed using five categories of varying affection and was coded separately based on the gender of the parent. The five levels were then coded dichotomously into “affection” and “no affection”. Academic performance was assessed using a series of four questions about letter grades. Responses were summed to a variable reflecting GPA ranging from 0 (all D’s) to 12 (all A’s). Additionally, the mother/father’s education level was used as a control to explore the impact of education level on children’s performance. After controlling for mother’s affection, there is a statistically significant positive association between Mother’s affection level and adolescent GPA. After controlling for father’s education, there is not a statistically significant association between father’s affection and adolescent GPA.

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Isha Jha

Isha is a sophomore at Wesleyan University from Orange County, CA studying Economics and Government. At Wesleyan, Isha is a senator on the Wesleyan Student Assembly and enjoys tutoring middle schoolers. She’s interested in International Relations and its implications on the Macroeconomy.

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Abstract: Recent research has indicated that highly partisan individuals tend to consume polarized media. In addition, there is also limited research which indicates that individuals with higher interest and engagement levels in politics tend to have stronger political ideologies. Rhetoric on social media indicates that the fractures within our society are furthered by individuals of opposing political parties accusing one another of ignorance. This research aims to answer this question by exploring the relationship between political engagement and ideology. ANOVA analysis indicated that the relationship between political ideology and political engagement is not significant but that the relationship between household income and political engagement is. This is intriguing because it creates avenues to target areas to increase engagement. More comprehensively this research is useful to be disseminated to voters to discourage antagonistic rhetoric and to hopefully create a more harmonious society.