Emergence & Maintenance of Psychological Experiences of Community at Work

Recent scholarship has demonstrated that psychological experiences of community at work (i.e., a psychological sense of community and a sense of community responsibility) can enhance employee psychological and behavioral outcomes. Recent evidence also shows that psychological experiences of community are facilitated by a multitude of actions that can be enacted by executives, human resource professionals, and managers throughout an organization. These findings have helped scholars understand some of the factors that contribute to building experiences of community in organizations. However, very little empirical evidence exists on the dynamic nature of antecedent conditions that exist when experiences of community first form, and what factors lead to maintenance or changes in experiences of community over time. The present study attempted to study this research gap by investigating experiences of students who enrolled in a course where they were charged with forming and running a company for a semester. A mixed-methods study was employed that included surveys at six key moments throughout the semester, and interviews with a randomly selected small cohort of participants to understand factors and incidents that were present as experiences of community manifested, and during states of dynamic change. The findings help frame factors that scholars can empirically test in future studies, and that managers could use in building community at work.

Literature Review of Parenting Practices in Latinx Families

Parenting practices are strongly influenced by contextual factors and cultural values, especially among Latinx families in the United States. This literature review investigated how Latinx parenting is influenced by cultural values such as familismo and respeto, gender norms derived from marianismo and machismo, and larger sociopolitical factors such as immigration status and socioeconomic tensions. This review integrated findings from 31 peer-reviewed studies, analyzed through NVivo coding, to identify key themes in Latinx parenting research. The findings revealed that Latinx parents integrate warmth and discipline in a practice known as protective parenting; however, issues such as deportation and acculturative stress show an impact on family dynamics and parent-child interactions. In addition, parental expectations, particularly those surrounding masculinity and academic aspirations, play an important role in determining child development.

The Bittersweetness in Language Brokering Experiences of Latinx College Students

Latinx migrants are a culturally diverse group in which children commonly learn English more quickly than their parents. In light of their rapid language acquisition, children often become language brokers for their families. Language brokering (LB) is interpreting and translating for non-English-speaking family members. LB has been associated with both positive and negative experiences that relate to psychological well-being and family dynamics. However, little research has explored the role that the personality traits of the interpreter play in language brokering. This project intends to address this gap by investigating how personality traits and other psychosocial variables affect the psychological adjustment of Latinx individuals who broker for their families.

The Alien Language Game: The Developmental Trajectory of Auditory and Visual Statistical Learning

Statistical learning (SL) extends across multiple stimulus domains and modalities, including vision, audition, and touch. However, it remains to be seen whether SL is supported by a modality-general or modality-specific mechanism(s). Prior work examined this by varying the rate of presentation across modalities, finding evidence of modality-specific constraints on learning (Emberson, Conway & Christiansen, 2011). In a prior experiment, I extended this work by testing the effect of presentation rate in standardized audio and visual SL tasks. The results of this project provided evidence against modality constraints to SL, suggesting instead that the mechanism is modality-general in nature. However, SL’s developmental trajectories in school age children are highly debated and minimally researched, begging the question of whether modality constraints on statistical learning exist at any point during development. Utilizing a gamified version of the task used in my prior experiment, I was able to examine the mechanism’s performance in the visual and auditory domains at two rates of presentation in children 7- to 12- years-old. Performance in the auditory domain was significantly better than that of the visual domain, with performance in visual task at both rates of presentation at or below chance, suggesting the SL mechanism is better equipped to track temporal dependencies of auditory stimuli. However, performance at the slower rate of presentation in both the auditory and visual domaines improved with age. Thus, my results may provide evidence suggesting that modality constraints to statistical learning do not exist in school age children.

Dream or Illusion? – Social Mobility in a Divided Era

The “American Dream” embodies evolving ideals of economic and social success in the U.S., rooted in the Declaration of Independence’s promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This research examines contemporary perceptions of the American Dream and its attainability today, focusing on how socioeconomic background, race, and gender shape individual interpretations of success and opportunity.
Drawing from historical and sociological frameworks, we integrate perspectives from American studies, social mobility research, and economic inequality discourse. A questionnaire conducted among college students from diverse backgrounds explored their perceptions of the American Dream and key attributes linked to achieving it. Qualitative coding identified recurring themes and emotions, while quantitative analysis examined correlations between responses and socioeconomic status.
Preliminary findings indicate that historical patterns persist, with white males often seen as the quintessential embodiment of the American Dream. However, views on attainability vary due to rising living costs and workplace diversity efforts. Our analysis revealed differences in expected income levels and lifestyle aspirations—some participants included vacations as part of their dream, while others omitted them, considering them either an unrealistic luxury or too normalized to be a goal.
Future research will expand data collection through in-depth interviews and archival analysis to refine these trends. By analyzing modern interpretations of the American Dream, this study contributes to discussions on social mobility and economic opportunity, offering insight into how diverse individuals navigate and redefine this evolving ideal.

Political Consumption on the Edge of the 2024 Election

This study explores social media behavior, specifically political consumption and polarization. Political Polarization is a system that results in the division of a country’s entire population into two diametrically opposed political camps (Duignan, n.d.). In the project, we focused on the 2024 election, highlighting the binary opinions of content creators based on the United States two candidate electoral system. The content on the social media app TikTok will be analyzed as it intersects with this election. TikTok currently represents one of the most successful Chinese social media applications in the world, attracting young users to engage in viewing, creating, and commenting on “LipSync-Videos” on the app (Montag et al., 2021, 1). Therefore, the question is posed: What does political polarization look like in the climate of a popular social media platform, where users are encouraged to share their opinions throughout the course of a two candidate electoral election? Over the span of 12-weeks (6-weeks before election results, 6-weeks after election results), the top two videos under each hashtag were collected every Monday and Thursday located using the hashtag feature, in which three hashtags were chosen (#Trump2024, #Harris2024, #2024election). Following collection, videos were transcribed and coded to view emerging themes, and analyzed qualitatively by comparing, contrasting, and drawing parallels between the literature and the data. This project is at the stage of data analysis and literature review. In the presentation, the preliminary findings will be presented and the implications surrounding political polarization in social media will be discussed.

Informal Entrepreneurship within Vintage Malls

Our research will be centered around how antique malls or vintage shops can work as places of encounter in which people can experiment with informal entrepreneurship in rural areas. We will study these informal spaces to determine why people get into the temporary entrepreneurship field around vintage items. We aim to explore the paradox that these spaces provide the opportunity for experimentation and temporariness, even though they are sustained over time. Community, entrepreneurship, belonging, memory, culture, and identity can make these experiences meaningful to prospective temporary entrepreneurs and connect them through a common passion for antique items. We are interested in exploring these topics and understanding how these forms of entrepreneurship differ from traditional entrepreneurs who are sharing the same space but use the antique trade as a form of subsistence.  

Are bystanders more persuasive than victims? The impact of social media backlash towards brand transgressions.

Our research focuses on the intersection of brands, social media, and influencers, and their impact on consumers’ motivation to engage with social issues. We collected archival data from press media using keywords/phrases like “social issues,” “backlash,” and “influencers,” using the ProQuest database. Our initial research goal was to understand backlash involving influencers, consumers’ reactions to it, and brands’ roles in these discussions. We then moved to primary data collection, conducting 33 semi-structured interviews, analyzing the data using Dedoose. We explored 2 main research questions, the first being “How do consumers react to brand transgressions, and how do influencers and celebrities play a role in brand-consumer relationships?” Our findings suggest that consumers often react negatively to brands engaging in performative activism, resulting in backlash. Advertisements aligning with consumers’ identities tend to generate support for social causes, with varying interpretations of diversity. The second component of our research assessed “How can influencers and celebrities motivate consumers to care about social issues and what are the most effective uses of social media for inspiring action?” We found that celebrities and influencers can shape how consumers perceive brand efforts and social diversity issues. Authenticity and emotional appeal are key in motivating consumers. Moreover, a consumer’s background can influence an advertisement’s effectiveness. This research investigates the impact of social media backlash on marketing, and investigates whether the source of backlash can further influence consumers’ attitudes towards brands and their marketing. This research also investigates how influencers and celebrities shape consumers’ views on social issues.

Literature Review of Psychosocial Factors Linked to Latinx Education and Occupational Development

This review examined prior literature in psychology to better understand the educational experiences of Latinxs. The aim was also to identify the contextual factors that influence educational and occupational outcomes among Latinxs. An examination of the eligible peer-reviewed articles (n = 32) published between 2011 and 2024 was conducted with an emphasis on identifying recurring themes that play a significant role on U.S. Latinx student educational experiences. Articles were coded and the results across studies synthesized. The results were classified into three categories: individual, social, and environmental. Studies that examined individual factors emphasized the role of Latinx students’ increased likelihood of encountering barriers and the importance of developing self-efficacy compared to their non-Hispanic peers. Other studies that examined the social contexts surrounding Latinx education demonstrated that positive perceptions of school climate can promote academic success. With regard to environmental factors, prior research emphasized the importance of creating contextual settings for Latinx students that support autonomy, competence, and social connection to others in order to enhance academic and social integration. In addition, the current review identified recurring barriers and facilitators that promote or detract from Latinx educational achievement. Notably, many barriers and facilitators were related to structural factors, such as socioeconomic status of family members or access to social support. The review findings indicate interventions designed to increase self-efficacy, career outcome expectations, and resources to overcome barriers may ideally support the educational and occupational development of Latinx students.

NFL Top 100 Analytics: Evaluating the Factors that Drive Top 100 Rankings

The NFL Top 100 is a ranking released each summer, designed to highlight the top NFL players based on the votes of their peers. Each year, NFL players are asked to rank the league’s best players, with results providing an insider’s perspective on player performance. This project aims to better understand the factors that matter most to NFL players when determining these rankings. Specifically, we explored how player positions, team affiliations, and other external factors might influence the rankings. We also identified whether certain factors, such as media coverage or statistical performance, play a substantial role in shaping the rankings. Our methodology began by collecting data on the NFL Top 100 rankings, along with other major player rankings (like those from ESPN and CBS Sports), as well as individual player statistics. We then analyzed how the NFL Top 100 has evolved over time, looking at trends in player selections and the impact of factors like legacy and QBR. In doing so, we aimed to uncover patterns in the rankings and predict which factors NFL players prioritize when making their selections.