2021 Fall

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    Role Models with Bottles: An Analysis of Exposure to Alcohol Branding in Music Videos
    (Florida Southern College, 2021-12-02) Shorey, Allen; Smith, Patrick L.
    Music videos have been used to popularize different musical styles towards the proclivities for continual young generations. However, use of provocative content (e.g. substance abuse) seems to be increasing with each generation (Durant et al. 1997). Previous research has explored various social factors that affect various perceptions of music videos, including alcohol and substance abuse (e.g. Cranwell et al. 2017). The purpose of such research was to analyze perceptions of music videos when alcohol or illicit substances were consumed, but two major limitations are present in the form of specific genres that may differentially glorify alcohol/substance abuse and how such perceptions generalize to American culture. The current study explores how variations of music video genres influence the perceptions of alcohol consumption within the aforementioned variables in common American music video outlets. The design is a 3x2 between-subjects factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA), with level of alcohol consumption (High-Alcohol, No-Alcohol) and variations of music video genre (Pop, Hip Hop, Classical) as the between subjects factors. In the current study, participants were given a perception of alcohol questionnaire. Scores were assessed based on what type of video the participant was given (with varying genre and alcohol content). Results from this study could contribute towards policy change in the United States regarding youth exposure to alcohol content in music videos.
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    “Meme, myself, and I:” Self-directed effects in meme-centered pedagogy
    (Florida Southern College, 2021-12-02) Shibilski, Katelyn; Smith, Patrick L.
    Neuroscience, the study of the brain and nervous system, has been steadily growing as a field of study in undergraduate establishments over the past four decades (Ramos et al., 2011). Neuroscience has a complex vocabulary that is new to most students, which in some students may cause some anxiety (Birkett & Shelton, 2011). To counteract this anxiety, some educators have begun to use alternative assignments. Researchers have found that interactive and cooperative learning settings can decrease science anxiety (Okebukola, 1986). Interactive learning has also been shown to increase engagement in the material (Mendez-Reguera & Lopez Cabrera, 2020). If interactive learning can decrease anxiety while increasing engagement, it stands to reason that interaction with other forms of media can possibly do the same. Memes are a contemporary form of media that are increasingly popular in younger generations (Beach & Dredger, 2017). In this study, researchers investigate the effect of using self-designed memes to increase engagement and retention of neuroscience information.
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    “All that's important is that you were honest with yourself”: Fictional Responsibility and Morality in Self-Involving Interactive Fictions
    (Florida Southern College, 2021-12-02) Handley, Megan; Moffitt, Jennifer Leigh
    Video games have seen an ever-increasing amount of academic attention in recent years, though most of that has attempted to classify them as something apart from pre-existing foundations. However, I argue that video games belong to an already established, but under-investigated, class of fictions: Self-Involving Interactive Fictions (SIIFs). These fictions are those that make statements in a piece of fiction true of the person participating. According to Jon Robson and Aaron Meskin, SIIFs are concerned with the participant, and “...what your actions say about who you are choosing to be in the story world.” These uniquely personal fictions occupy an interesting junction where story-telling and narrative devices meet with moral responsibility. SIIFs demand more attention on account of their philosophical and literary merits. While not the whole of the genre, some of the most popular and recognizable examples of SIIFs are video games. Therefore, I utilize 2K Games’ BioShock (2007), Toby Fox's Undertale (2015), and Obsidian Entertainment's The Outer Worlds (2019) as case studies designed to test and expand the application of the theories compiled in this paper.
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    Implications of Microplastic Pollution on Green Bean Growth and Production
    (Florida Southern College, 2021-11-29) Jackson, Ashley; Manners, Malcom M.
    The implications of microplastic pollution on varying ecosystems and the organisms within them have become an area of concern and major research focus. The presence of microplastic pollution within soils has the ability to alter some soil characteristics, as well as plant growth. This study assessed the effects of microplastic polluted soil on green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) grown within a greenhouse. Control and polluted green beans were grown in the same conditions, except for the microplastic mixture added to the experimental group. After the beans fully germinated, shoot length, bean production, and produced bean weights were recorded. Although the data between the two groups did not vary significantly, this study used an organism familiar to a wide scope of people. In general, our results were not consistent with published data, in that the polluted group did not display positive or negative implications as a result of the pollutant’s presence. Additionally, the need for further research using a variety of organisms as well as selected variables was highlighted.