UMSS20 Social Sciences and Humanities
UMSS20 Presentations by Category
UMSS20 Physical and Mathematical Sciences
UMSS20 Engineering and Information Sciences
UMSS20 Interdisciplinary Research
UMSS20Business, Education, and Art
Links provided will take viewers to UMaine’s Kaltura video gallery. Presentations available for viewing by UMaine users only are noted (*).
0702. Testing the Waters of Natural Resource Management: A study on the management values of Acadia National Park’s key stakeholders
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Dominique DiSpirito, Katharine Ruskin. Mentor(s): Katharine Ruskin.
Abstract: National parks are socio-ecological systems managed with the intention of preserving natural resources and serving diverse stakeholders. The variety of stakeholder values poses a significant challenge to the management of resources within the protected lands. Water resources in Acadia National Park (ANP) epitomize this dilemma due to the complex set of uses and jurisdictions present. I propose to investigate the management strategies valued by stakeholders through intercept surveys of local residents, natural resource managers, and ANP visitors. I will test whether there is consensus among stakeholder groups regarding the time frame on which water resources should be managed and the degrees of use permitted. Finally, I will compare the observed stakeholder values to the existing policies that govern ANP’s water resources. Results will provide natural resource managers of ANP with much-needed insight into policies that may resolve points of contention among stakeholders.
0703. Adolescent Depression, Co-rumination, and Friendship: A Longitudinal Study
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Raegan Harrington. Mentor(s): Rebecca Schwartz-Mette.
Abstract: During adolescence, youth are increasingly influenced by friends and navigate increased risk for emotional problems. Interpersonal theories of psychopathology posit interpersonal interactions during this period may exacerbate risk for depression (Coyne, 1976). One example is co-rumination (Rose, 2002), a conversational process marked by excessive negative problem talk. Co-rumination has socioemotional tradeoffs, linked to increased positive friendship quality and increased depressive symptoms concurrently and over time (Rose et al., 2007; Rose et al., 2014). Past research utilized only two assessments (e.g., Rose et al., 2007; Starr & Davila, 2009), making the longer-term implications of co-rumination unclear. This study examined adolescents’ co-rumination, positive friendship quality, and depressive symptoms over 3 time points, each spaced about 3 months apart. Adolescents were recruited from local areas (N = 186). A cross-lagged panel model tested associations of the 3 variables over the 3 time points. Co-rumination was linked to increased depression and friendship quality at Time 1 but did not predict these variables over time. Instead, a cyclical association was observed where lower positive friendship quality at Time 1 predicted increased Time 2 depressive symptoms, which then predicted decreased Time 3 friendship quality. Results suggest lower levels of initial friendship quality may predict a downward spiral of increased depressive symptoms and friendship problems.
0705. Emerging Neuroimaging Technology in Category Learning Research
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Sahvannah Michaud, Rose Deng, Renee Savoie, Shawn W. Ell. Mentor(s): Shawn Ell.
Abstract: Understanding the neural processes involved with learning and behavior is one central goal of cognitive psychology. One such method to accomplish this is through category learning, which is the ability to accurately sort objects and events into separate categories in order to appropriately interact and respond to our environments. How categories are learned and the neural processes involved with learning are currently debated as different types of category learning tasks are thought to engage different areas of the brain. To assess this, participants completed a series of category learning tasks while wearing a functional near-infrared spectroscopy device, which was used to assess changes in blood-oxygen levels in the prefrontal brain region. The task comprised of different category stimuli, which participants had to sort into either “category A” or “category B”, followed by corrective feedback. Neural activity within the prefrontal cortex was monitored throughout the task and correlated with participants’ performance across different category learning tasks.
0717. Nonacceptance of Emotions as a Mediator between Negative Problem Orientation and Depression
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Jade Perry, Melodie Godin, Lauren Briggs, Michelle Buffie. Mentor(s): Douglas Nangle.
Abstract: Investigating how inability to accept one’s emotions and negative problem orientation (NPO) may impact depressive symptoms can help give us a better understanding of psychopathology and its implications. NPO is a cognitive set in which a person may view life problems as threatening rather than challenging (Anderson, Goddard, and Powell, 2007). Additionally, non-acceptance of emotions, a component of emotion regulation, is the inability to accept one’s own emotions (Gratz & Roemer, 2003). Both NPO and non-acceptance of emotions have been associated with depression. In the present study, we hypothesize that non-acceptance of emotions will mediate the relationship between NPO and depressive symptoms in young adults. Data was collected from a larger study at the University of Maine on social problem-solving. Participants included 367 undergraduate students between the ages of 18-25. Participants completed the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). A mediation analysis via process v3.4 was used to investigate the indirect effects of NPO through non-acceptance of emotions on depressive symptoms. Results indicated NPO as a significant predictor of non-acceptance of emotions, b = 0.40, SE = .031, p < .001. Non-acceptance of emotions was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms, b = 0.74, SE = .13, p < .001. There was a significant indirect effect of NPO on depressive symptom severity through non-acceptance of emotions, b = .30, BCa CI [ 0.161, 0.449]. This indirect effect accounted for 16.20% of the variance, b = .162, BCa CI [ 0.089, 0.239]. Findings from this study suggest that the inability to accept one’s emotions may enhance the relationship between one’s negative approach towards problem-solving and depressive symptoms. With such high prevalence rates of depression, it is vital to identify underlying processes that may contribute to the development and maintenance of depression. These findings help to characterize the nuanced relationships between NPO, non-acceptance of emotions, and depressive symptomology and highlights the need for further investigation.
0719. Understanding Veteran Suicides: Differences in Combat Deployed and non-Combat Deployed Risk of Suicide
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Teagan LaPiere. Mentor(s): Mollie Ruben.
0721. The Impact of Emotion Regulation on ADHD and Depression Symptoms in Emerging Adults
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Hannah Meidahl, Michelle Buffie, Douglas Nangle. Mentor(s): Douglas Nangle.
Abstract: The current study examines the connections between emotion regulation (ER), ADHD symptoms, and depressive symptoms. ER is the process that comprises one’s ability to control emotional responses and is theorized to be an important component in the disorders of interest. This expands on findings from Seymour et al. (2012; 2014) that found that ER fully mediated the relationship between ADHD and depression by analyzing this connection in a population of emerging adults. Undergraduate students (N = 361) completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Higher ADHD symptoms were associated with higher ER difficulties (r = 0.47, p < .001), higher ER difficulties were associated with higher depressive symptoms (r = 0.65, p < .001), and higher ADHD symptoms were associated with higher depressive symptoms (r = 0.49, p < .001). A mediation model was conducted which demonstrated a significant indirect effect of ADHD symptoms on depressive symptoms through ER, b = 0.35, 95% BCa CI [.24, .47]. This indirect effect accounted for 25% of the variance, b = 0.25, 95% BCA CI [.18, .33]. This suggests that higher ADHD symptoms lead to higher difficulties in ER, which in turn lead to higher depressive symptoms. This indirect relationship is important in understanding how these disorders interact. Importantly, it provides a target area of intervention, ER, which can be used to limit future comorbidity and ease distress in individuals that have both disorders.
0724.* Sleep and Evaluating the Proficiency of Emotion Regulation
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Evan Vidas, Colin Bosma, Emily Haigh. Mentor(s): Emily Haigh.
Abstract: Sleep loss is a key factor in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Sleep disturbance is associated with deficits in emotion regulation (Banks et al., 2007), or the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences. The strong association between sleep issues and mood disorders (Palmer et al., 2016) may be explained by emotion regulation deficits. Research is needed to understand how sleep quality impacts emotion regulation in naturalistic settings. The present research will evaluate the relationship between trait and daily sleep quality and changes in emotion over time. Sixty participants are recruited as part of a larger study. Participants will complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and complete surveys via a mobile app assessing sleep within the current circadian cycle, and state affect twice daily. Preliminary analyses (n=25) have been conducted to examine whether sleep quality and sleep duration predict negative or positive affect as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). While no association was found this may be related to small sample size. Additional analyses using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, a more comprehensive measure of state affect, will be conducted. Recommendations for future research will be discussed.
0725. Hip-Hop Attitudes and Mainstream Media
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Andrew Cashman, Joline Blais. Mentor(s): Prof Joline Blais.
Abstract: Hip-Hop music, commonly referred to as rap, is the most popular genre in commercial music, surpassing pop for the first time in 2019. The attitude that is expressed in mainstream hip-hop is representative of a stereotype. Most of the hip-hop music that is available through the radio or streaming and what reaches the most ears is often what is considered to be misogynistic, materialistic, and without a socially conscious message. Mainstream media has perpetuated an idea of ‘whiteness,’ or a white idea of what hip-hop should represent to express a homogeneous idea that is most marketable and appealing to a wide audience, whereas anti-racist or socially conscious music became less appealing. The hip-hop “ethos” is accompanied by self worth (swag/drip) and the worth of the community, clout, intertextuality, and being in the realm of counter-culture or the pro-cultural state of mainstream media and record labels, a factor that was not involved in the genre’s inception. While the stereotypes of hip-hop’s materialism, toxic masculinity, and lyrical content are still existing qualities within hip-hop culture, it is only a piece of a greater definition that is less seen by those who are less immersed in the culture. Hip-hop empowers those who are less privileged by creating a social identity that measures success through community goals, whereas mainstream media depicts success in hip-hop by fame and riches.
0727. Speak Softly and Carry a Selfie-Stick: Understanding risk in selfie-behaviors at National Parks
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Olivia Reese, Judith Rosenbaum-Andre. Mentor(s): Judith Rosenbaum.
Abstract: Tourists who fall off a cliff, hikers who are rescued from near death due to hypothermia. Injuries and deaths inside U.S. national parks are nothing new. What makes these two examples different from accidents in the past is that they were both the direct result of park visitors wanting to take a specific selfie. As Instagram continues to be one of the most popular social media platforms to date, we understand less and less about how the desire to share aesthetically pleasing photos could be affecting our better judgement. Are people aware of the risks they are willing to take for these photos? Are their followers? After scraping images hashtagged with one of the top 10 most visited national parks during peak visitation, the images were then analyzed for risky behaviors in accordance with the rules identified by the National Parks Association and Rickard (2014). Those displaying risky behaviors were identified and their comments analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Findings show most comments approve of the behavior, enjoy the imagery shown, and reference a personal relationship with the poster. Few comments recognize risk, and those few did so in a non-confrontational manner that is open to multiple interpretations. Results showed that commenters valued personal relationships with the poster over any risks the poster engaged in.
0731.* The Effects of Sex Education on Healthy Sex Relationships
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Anna Godsey, Dayle Welch, Aleigh Suffern, Karah Hussey. Mentor(s): Daniel Puhlman.
Abstract: Several studies have been conducted to examine the association between types of sex education and contraceptive use. The two sexual education programs that are typically taught in schools are Abstinence Only Education (AOE) and Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE). To reach clarity on the benefits of sex education and it’s effect on adolescent healthy choices in relation to sex, this study took a look at the difference between these educations, and their impact on adolescent and young adults future choices regarding sex. Data was collected via self administered online surveys from 270 university students, male and female aged 18-30. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS software. Participants were asked to report about their potential use of different types of contraceptives and whether or not they felt that their sex education prepared them for future healthy sex lives. These students were also examined for: age at start of sex education; where they received their sex education; what type of education they received; and type, frequency and comfort of using the following contraceptive methods: condoms, birth control pill, IUD, Nexplanon, other and/or none. Students who reported receiving CSE were likely to also report that they also use or have used contraceptives. Results indicated that individuals who receive a more comprehensive sex education are not anymore likely to practice healthy sex choices than those who received abstinence only education.
0740. New Kid on the Block: El Niño-Modoki in Peru-Past, Present, and Future
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Heather Landazuri, Daniel Sandweiss. Mentor(s): Daniel Sandweiss.
Abstract: During the climatological phenomenon referred to as El Nino Modoki, warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central Pacific are flanked on the east and west by cooler SSTs. Over the last century, El Niño-Modoki has increased in frequency, but a long-term sequence has yet to be established prior to the last four centuries. At least on the north coast of Peru, El Niño-Modoki is associated with reduced river discharge resulting from lower precipitation and/or temperature in the adjacent Andes mountains. Much paleoclimatological and archaeological research has focused on the effects of canonical El Niño along the Peruvian coast, however, almost no attention has been paid to El Niño-Modoki in this region even though the associated reduction in water flow must have a major, recurring effect on the irrigation-based societies that inhabit the area. Considering the societal and environmental gravity of ENSO phenomena, improving our understanding of previous events is essential not only to anticipating them, but also to mitigating their effects on human populations. In this poster we present the paleoclimatological research potential of El Nino Modoki on the northern coast of Peru with specific focus on potential proxy sources, prehistoric adaptive strategies, and modern applications.
0749. What Makes a Great Co-Parenting Program?: A Qualitative Examination of the Perspectives of Professionals
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Kittiya Reeves, Emily Neville, Maylinda Boynton, Anna Caballero, Daniel Puhlman. Mentor(s): Daniel Puhlman.
Abstract: This study aims to determine the most desired traits that should be included in a co-parenting program according to the perspectives of professionals who work with families. This study uses qualitative data collected by face to face interviews with twelve professionals: therapists, lawyers, guardian ad litems and court appointed mediators. This study focuses on one question from the interview questions: “If you had a magic wand, what would the perfect co-parenting program look like?” in order to answer the research question: What makes a great co-parenting program according to the perspectives of professionals? This study found that a great co-parenting program consists of five important traits: mental health, intervention, frequency, financial/funding, and resources.
0756. Platonic Irony: How Custom Remains in Plato’s Symposium
Undergraduate Presentation. Author(s): Ivy Flessen. Mentor(s): Robert Ballingall.
Abstract: This article seeks to expose Socratic virtue far too often overlooked. Scholars memorialize Socrates as the man most liberated from convention. They also rightly comment on how the Platonic Socrates covertly attempts to liberate his interlocutors from convenion. That being said, too few have recognized that through The Symposium, Plato also offers readers the opportunity to learn that liberating oneself from convention is much more difficult than one might think. This article emphasizes the resilient and ironic presence of custom in The Symposium, a dialogue whose setting would lead one would expect an atmosphere of lawless debauchery. By focusing on how Socrates himself protects and upholds custom, I argue that he reavails the philosopher of the reputation for lawfulness. The brilliance of this strategy deserves recognition, not only because it enriches scholarly understanding, but also because its lessons remain pertinent. It remains dangerous and perhaps impossible to erase custom from the political chalkboard. The philosopher who tries necessarily endangers both herself and philosophy. I therefore conclude by illuminating how The Symposium conveys a message of love from Plato to philosophers everywhere: know your limitations; you are too special to die at the hands of conventionalism.
0760. Do Men and Women Differ in Risk Profiles for Mild Cognitive Impairment?
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Amy Halpin. Mentor(s): Rebecca MacAulay.
Abstract: Objective: Low levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta, and high levels of phosphorylated tau and total tau, are critical biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). CSF changes can occur several years before cognitive decline, making them a valuable tool for prediction of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD; however, research suggests predictive validity may differ by sex. We investigated biomarkers relationship with memory function in MCI and whether these associations differed by sex. Methods: 630 older adults (59% men, Mage=72.37) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database were included. CSF biomarkers and baseline cognitive testing were obtained within six months of each other. Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task immediate recall, learning and forgetting scores measured episodic memory. Results: Women were younger and generally had better memory performance. Non-parametric tests revealed women had significantly more pathological levels of t-tau than men. Women demonstrated more significant correlations between the CSF biomarkers and episodic memory than men. Fisher r-to-z transformations revealed significant sex differences in the magnitude of these relationships. Conclusions: Findings suggested differential validity in CSF biomarkers ability to predict episodic memory performance in men relative to women. This paper presentation will discuss findings in terms of clinical implications and future directions for improving understanding of AD.
0761.* Does Sleep Contribute to Dual-Task Gait Disturbances Beyond Executive Attention in Older Adults?
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Angelica Boeve, Amy Halpin, Lisa Derrico, Michael Fagan, Sahvannah Michaud, Rebecca MacAulay. Mentor(s): Rebecca MacAulay.
Abstract: Sleep issues increase with age and are associated with worse executive function and attention. Research also suggests that sleep problems may contribute to gait dysfunction. Whether sleep influences gait characteristics beyond the established relationship between executive attention and gait remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether sleep problems contributed to gait characteristics beyond executive attention during a cognitive dual-task (DT) walking condition. Fifty-five community-dwelling older adults (M = 72, SD = 6) underwent neuropsychological testing and clinical interview during the Maine Aging Behavior & Learning Enrichment Study. The GAITRite® system objectively measured gait characteristics during simple and DT walking conditions. Sleep estimates were derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The Trails Making Test evaluated Executive Attention. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that Executive Attention contributed to 9-20% of the variance in DT velocity, step time, and stride length. Sleep estimates did not predict DT gait beyond the influence of executive attention. However, specific relationships between sleep quality and somnolence on DT gait asymmetry were found. This presentation will discuss these findings in the context of future mechanistic research that may help to better understand these relationships and improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment for cognitive and functional decline.
0762. Documentary Practices and Documentary Discourse in Contemporary Anglophone Literature: Affect and the Limits of the Sayable in M. Nourbese Philip’s Zong!
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Keaton Studebaker, Kristina King, Clinton Spaulding, Miranda Snyder. Mentor(s): Carla Billitteri.
Abstract: My presentation focuses on the intersection of history, documentary practices, and affect in M. Nourbese Philip’s 2008 book of poetry, Zong!. In 1781, the captain of the slave ship Zong fraudulently sank his ship and murdered 150 African slaves hoping to collect insurance money. The poems Philip crafts in her book use only the words of the legal proceeding that immediately followed: Gregson v. Gilbert, the only remaining historical document from the Zong massacre. My presentation considers the relationship between the form of Philip’s poems and the affective dimension of her text. Philip fragments the language of the court document and opens a space of “felt” and unspoken utterance—the utterance of what cannot be said. The space that Philip opens makes it possible for the Zong massacre to be remembered without being trivialized or explained away. Through an analysis of poetic fragmentation, my presentation elaborates on the turn from meaning to sense in Philip’s writing. Calling attention to the ways in which her poems implicate readers in a textual and affectual experience, I find that—in stark contrasts to the univocality of Gregson v. Gilbert—Philip’s poetry evokes the sense of a choral voice that communicates across time.
0763. Documentary Practices and Documentary Discourse in Contemporary Anglophone Literature: Pedagogical Potential
Graduate Presentation. Author(s): Clinton Spaulding, Kristina King, Keaton Studebaker, Miranda Snyder. Mentor(s): Carla Billitteri.
Abstract: Informed by the field of media ecology, a metadiscipline that seeks integrated and holistic accounts of the consequences fashioned by the collision of technology, culture, and consciousness, my presentation will highlight the findings of an exploration of documentary poetic projects including Charles Reznikoff’s Testimony, works from Mark Nowak, and Kaia Sand’s Remember to Wave. My presentation focuses on the pedagogical potential in documentary poetics. Spanning the better part of a century, from the 1930s to the present, American documentary projects have been composed and presented in a number of media. Within each medium the potential for pedagogical exploration and reflection is present and varied. Using Reznikoff’s work with historical documents as a foundation, this presentation will share how Mark Nowak’s work has established communication between auto workers on two continents while also fostering a new sense of agency among unionized workers through America’s rust belt and juxtapose this work with Kaia Sand’s participatory, cultural map making in Portland, Oregon.