Social Sciences & non-STEM 2017

Non-STEM Index Poster#:

1. The differential roles of patriotism and nationalism in political engagement | Kiara J. Cogar and Natalie J. Shook 

   Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences,
   West Virginia University,  Morgantown, WV 26506 

   With the results of the 2016 Presidential election, there has been a renewed interest in the roles of patriotism and nationalism in U.S. politics. Patriotism refers to “attachment and goodwill towards one’s country,” whereas nationalism refers to viewing one’s country as superior to others. Although patriotism and nationalism are often positively correlated against one another, they do differentiate in some important ways (e.g., patriotism is a significant correlate of political engagement, whereas nationalism is not). The purpose of this study was to further differentiate patriotism and nationalism in their relationship with different forms political engagement. Political engagement was measured four ways: 1) political activity, 2) political values, 3) exposure to political news and discourse, and 4) voting. We found that patriotism was positively correlated political values, exposure to political news and discourse, and voting (p<0.01). Nationalism negatively correlated with political activity (p<0.05), and positively correlated with the political values (p<0.05). Thus, patriotism and nationalism are differentially related to political engagement, which has implications for political activities, such as voting. 

2. Athletic identity and the transition from Division 1 football: from athlete to  adult | Mykal Manswell and Scott Barnicle 

   College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   Identity is how one views themself within multiple roles. Athletic identity is a key factor in multiple areas in a student-athlete’s career however, athletic identity is both fragile and critical simultaneously, effecting things such as self-confidence, self-identity, and reputation around campus. Through qualitative interviews with ten football players at a Mid-Atlantic Division 1 University, data was gathered examining interests outside of the sport, their process of becoming a division one athlete, and preparation for life after football. Primary findings explored common trends among the participants such as having support systems, the use of applied sports psychology skills such as goal setting and motivation, and having ideas on creating useful career opportunities for themselves. Additional results suggested participant student-athletes have a solid sense of who they are but do not have a stable outlet for who they want to become outside of sport. The significance of the study is that it can inform universities that student athletes not only desire innovative methods for career development, but also have diverse ideas of their own. 

3. Cultural perceptions of cancer among college-educated populations in north central West Virginia | Jacqueline Spiropoulos, Susanna Donaldson and Ann Morris 

   Department of Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   For many years, West Virginians have experienced suboptimal health outcomes, including above average cancer mortality rates. Previous anthropological studies suggest that cultural factors in low-income, uneducated populations may explain this phenomenon. However, few studies have examined cultural factors in college-educated populations. In this pilot study, we interviewed college-educated Morgantown residents to better understand their perceptions of cancer. We asked informants to create lists based on four prompts (i.e. “List all of the words or phrases that you think of when you hear the word cancer”) and then explain their lists in detail. Preliminary results indicate that while college-educated populations accept the biomedical treatment approach, they maintain relatively negative perceptions of biomedical cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation and express little faith in the long-term success of these treatments. Although the initial goal of this project was to test our method and collect baseline data, we believe that further study is necessary within this demographic. Our findings suggest a need for further research on health-based decision-making and its relation to socio-economic class. 

4. Discovering the best consumer complaint strategies to gain compliance from financial institutions | Natalie Marquart, Farnoush Reshadi and Paula Fitzgerald
   
   Department of Marketing, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV 26506 

   The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is the newest of federal agencies that provides a governmental check to ensure financial institutions are correctly implementing the rules and regulations of the industry. This study is looking at consumer credit card complaint narratives filed with the CFPB. The best persuasion tactics will be identified that lead to the best outcome when consumers are dissatisfied with a financial service. Various persuasion strategies will be examined based on the sales, promotion, and justice literatures using NVivo. Additionally, LIWC, a computerized text analysis tool to identify effective themes will be used. Within the findings, consumers use a wide variety of strategies, from expressing negative emotions, identifying certain legal regulations, and reminding firms of the consumer’s loyalty. Traditionally, marketing scholars have studied how companies strategize to persuade consumers to purchase their product. This study is of significance because it looks at how consumers are trying to persuade the company to act in their favor. 

5. Capitalizing off collapse: the hidden alpha within the 2008 Financial Crisis | Nathan Burks, Bingxin Li, John Bowling and Natalia Schmid

   Department of Finance and Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   The 2008 Financial Crisis resulted in economic anomalies that largely caused fundamental equity market microstructure to cease normal function. A major component in the origination of this market dysfunction can be ascribed to pervasive illiquidity. Illiquidity can be rudimentarily defined as a condition when an asset cannot be easily sold without incurring substantial loss in value. In this study, we investigate how systemic illiquidity can adversely affect a mean-reverting statistical arbitrage strategy through the development of a trading algorithm. Statistical arbitrage is essentially a convergence trade entailing the purchase of an undervalued security, while simultaneously selling an overvalued security of a similar nature. A trader is projecting that the prices of the two securities will converge and produce a theoretically riskless profit. However, historical analyses of statistical arbitrage tactics during the 2008 Financial Crisis indicate that massive losses were suffered in this period. The algorithm we have designed will incorporate liquidity-based risk metrics to enhance the alpha-generation potential of our specific arbitrage strategy. Preliminary results suggest discrepancies between traditional and liquidity-adjusted algorithmic portfolio optimization. 

6. Machine learning in statistical arbitrage: forecasting the market to succeed during financial crisis | John S. Bowling, Nathan D. Burks, Bingxin Li and Natalia A. Schmid 

   Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and Department of Finance,
   West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6045 

   Statistical arbitrage is the application of exploiting anomalies in the pricing of one or many assets based on the forecasted value of these assets. In this research, we explored the implementation and benefits of machine learning algorithms to statistical arbitrage. This research sought to provide a comprehensive overview of statistical arbitrage and its potential risks. Our experimental strategy consisted of exchange traded fund (ETF) arbitrage by shorting and longing the ETF or its respective component stocks. Further, principal component analysis was utilized to reduce the dimension of feature space within the ETF dataset. We applied an autoregressive prediction model to the daily closing prices of the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund ETF, or XLF, to commit arbitrage between the XLF and its component stocks. The algorithm was backtested with historical data from the 2008 Financial Crisis for analysis of its performance under extreme stress. Our algorithm yielded higher profits than similarly published strategies, and additionally proved the existence of alpha within the economic downturn of 2008. 

7. A changing cultural landscape in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Morgantown, West Virginia | Elizabeth Satterfield and Jenny Boulware 

   Department of History, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   Although known in recent memory as a popular party location for students, prior to the mid-twentieth century, Sunnyside was home to a diverse population. As a primarily working class neighborhood, Sunnyside provided affordable housing, social outlets for permanent and transient populations, and proximity to one’s workplace, campus, and downtown Morgantown. In the past thirty years, as West Virginia University’s student population grew, student housing demands significantly altered Sunnyside’s historic building stock. Since 2013, graduate students in West Virginia University’s public history program have researched over thirty Sunnyside properties including factories, businesses, houses, and social institutions. We edited and compiled these narratives into a concise, thematic document for public consumption, with historic and current photographs and a map to help the reader better understand the scope of the neighborhood. This study provides a foundation for future research about the area and its residents, preserves many fascinating Sunnyside narratives, which is critical considering current and future real estate development, and serves as an example for other historic communities that struggle to coexist with increasing student populations. 

8. A closer look at critical consciousness: does it function differently in Appalachian adolescents? | Shannon Underwood, Lauren Alvis and Aaron Metzger 

   Department of Psychology, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences,
   West Virginia University,  Morgantown, WV 26506 

   Critical consciousness—the understanding of how systems of oppression persist in society—and its affects on adolescent political behaviors has been researched in the past, but critical consciousness has not been looked at with social responsibility values, nor has critical consciousness been examined in an Appalachian population. Understanding the association between critical consciousness, social responsibility values and political efficacy among different marginalized populations will provide unique insights into the ways in which culture and geography differentially influence the development of political efficacy. Participants were 998 adolescents aged 10-20 years old that completed a survey. Consistent with hypotheses, both social responsibility and critical consciousness were positively associated with political efficacy. Furthermore, in the Appalachian subsample, social responsibility values moderated the association between critical consciousness and political efficacy. Critical consciousness was positively associated with political efficacy for Appalachian adolescents with low levels of social responsibility but not for Appalachian adolescents with high social responsibility. Findings indicate that critical consciousness may function differently as a predictor of political efficacy in an Appalachian population versus other marginalized populations. 

9. Revising sociolinguistic research methodology for the West Virginia Dialect Project
   | Em Hough and Kirk Hazen 

   Department of English, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 

   A chief concern of sociolinguistics is the interplay between language and culture, which inherently entails a conversation surrounding power dynamics associated with language variation. The West Virginia Dialect Project’s (WVDP) current study takes up this question in the context of the dialect of English produced in West Virginia and has conducted numerous studies and published multiple highly influential papers on the subject. Traditional sociolinguistic methodology and data analysis has frequently been painstakingly slow and at times difficult to collect and record in an organized, expedient fashion. The WVDP has developed a new model with the intention of streamlining the data collection process for its upcoming project that focuses on the relationship between West Virginian eighth graders’ language and social identities. We are switching from a program called PRAAT to ELAN, both linguistic analysis softwares, as ELAN allows us to export data straight to excel spreadsheets to speed up the process and reduce statistical errors. ELAN allows for pre-programmed templates that significantly cut down on the amount of time lab workers will require to complete their analysis. 

10. People floating in midair: towards a new expressive figuration in painting | Patrick J Bayly 
    
    College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6045 
    
    I arrived at this point after thinking about a leaf as a unit that describes, through variations in its physical form, the unfolding space occupied by a plant and began to paint portraits as an investigation of the human form. Inspired by Édouard Manet’s Boy Carrying a Sword (1861) to distill painting into a signature expression of light, to reduce composition to its subject, and to seek concision of brushwork, I have moved from representation as a goal in and of itself to communicate new ideas. The bat in Young Woman Leaning on Her Father’s Old Baseball Bat (2017) is painted on the ledge of the podium as an offering to the viewer, as a key to the meaning of the painting, which cannot be grasped. These paintings of people made by one unfold into spaces of philosophy, culture, and politics towards a new expression of the human form.