University Honors Program

: The Effects of Running Durations on Executive Function
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between running habits and specific executive functions. Three cognitive function tests were
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between running habits and specific executive functions. Three cognitive function tests were administered virtually to men and women ages 18 – 61 through a validated web-based application (PsyToolKit) and were preceded by a demographic questionnaire. A total of 199 participants were analyzed. The cognitive functions assessed were cognitive inhibition by the Stroop Color and Word Test, visuospatial short-term working memory by the Corsi block-tapping test, and working memory capacity by the 2-back task. A linear regression was used to determine relationships between running and cognitive function. Significant correlations were found for all three tests. Stroop Color and Word Test correct matches positively correlated with running days (r = 0.123, p = 0.042). Corsi block-tapping test highest score negatively correlated with running miles (r = -0.155, p = 0.033). 2-back task median reaction time negatively correlated with running days (r = -0.147, p = 0.041). 2-back task mean reaction time negatively correlated with running miles (r = -0.0158, p = 0.028) and running days (r = -0.162, p = 0.024). 2-back task missed questions negatively correlated with running miles (r = -0.167, p = 0.02) and running days (r = -0.151, p=0.036). 2-back task correct matches positively correlated with running miles (r = 0.171, p = 0.017). While these correlations do not imply causation, results indicate a general improvement of cognitive test scores as individuals increase running volume. Study results suggest that running on a regular basis may be beneficial for improvement of executive functions, especially cognitive inhibition and working memory capacity. The data also suggest a possible dose-response relationship.
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Subject: Cognitive
Type of Resource: text

: Egalitarian Nationalism's Contribution to the Rise and Fall of Athens' Democracy: the Criticisms of Athenian Democracy from the Old Oligarch, Plato, and Aristotle
Description: The purpose of this research is to determine how combining radical egalitarianism and nationalism to create radical democracy can lead to the destruct
Show moreThe purpose of this research is to determine how combining radical egalitarianism and nationalism to create radical democracy can lead to the destruction of society. Politics are for the purpose of protecting the common good, but individual liberties are sometimes necessary for the preservation of the common good based on the continual flux of social contexts. However, too much individualism can lead to the rise of tyrannical collectivism. Karl Popper termed this problem of too much toleration as “the paradox of tolerance.” Once everything becomes tolerable, there is little to no hope that anyone can guarantee anything. Absolute toleration will tolerate intolerable ideas to plague society, which would threaten liberty. In this research, there was a study of how Athens allowed too much toleration, leading to the rise of an ochlocracy. Research included scholarly books of Ancient Greece and Athens made from ancient and contemporary historians. There were also a use of political philosophy works from ancient philosophers and scholarly commentaries of those philosophers’ ideas from contemporary academics. Plus, contemporary works of psychology, nationalism, and the connection of psychology to nationalism were part of the research to understand the background of the mindset of the Athenian nationalists prior to and during the corruption of democracy in Athens. However, there also included scholarly works to challenge the claim that the Athenians were intemperate and full of envy in order to either defend or revise the thesis and prevent bias.
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Date Issued: 2022-05
Type of Resource: text

: The New Norm: Do Societal Attitudes Still Play a Role in Unmarried Childbearing?
Description: This study examines the influence of women’s economic changes in the United States on the incidence of out-of-wedlock births in the United States over
Show moreThis study examines the influence of women’s economic changes in the United States on the incidence of out-of-wedlock births in the United States over time. The data were obtained from various sources including the CDC, BLS, and U.S. Census from the year 1980 to 2018. It was found that women’s education and the fertility rate had significant impacts on out-of-wedlock births. However, while these societal norms had a positive correlation in the first few decades since Roe v. Wade, the technology shock has died down while these trends have continued their path, and women are now choosing to both work and be mothers rather than one or the other.
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Subject: out-of-wedlock births
Date Issued: 2022-05
Type of Resource: text

: Patterns of Natural Variation in Drought Escape and Drought Avoidance in the Common Monkeyflower
Subject: heritability
Type of Resource: text

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