Undergraduate Research

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Browsing Undergraduate Research by Author "Aguirre, Suzanne"

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    Climate Related Disasters and Hindsight Bias
    (2022-11-30) Aguirre, Suzanne; Mermilliod, Cara Lee; Drinnon, Joy
    Hindsight bias is one of the biases that might influence decisions made in difficult situations, commonly known as the knew-it-all-along effect. The purpose of our study is to replicate both the studies of Walmsley et al. (2019) and Yama et al. (2021). A two-group study design was used with a convenience sample of 205 participants. Qualtrics, a web-based survey, was used to randomize participants into either a results group or a control group. We provide evidence of hindsight bias, including how it affects everyday people. We conducted an experiment with two dependent variables, each including three different hypotheses. We hypothesized that if a picture of a muddy riverbed and a photo of hailstorm clouds are shown to two groups of individuals while informing only one half of the group (Group A) of the flash flood and hailstorm actually occurring, then Group A will report that a flash flood and hailstorm will be more likely to occur whereas Group B will rate the likelihood of a flash flood and hailstorm to not be as probable. Two surprising themes emerged within the data collected. First, the results group responded with lower levels than expected in two of the six t-tests conducted – the ratings of the likelihood of a flash flood and the likelihood of a hailstorm. This resulted in a lack of statistical significance in both. Second, the results group rated the remaining four t-tests with statistically significant scores, showing that participants rated these probabilities as expected but did not rate the two main objectives as predicted. It demonstrated that even when posed with weather-related questions, people are frequently led by hindsight bias.
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    Effects of Childhood Emotional Maltreatment on Adulthood Relationships of Minority Women: A Qualitative Study
    (2024-04-26) Aguirre, Suzanne; Browning, Christine
    Childhood Emotional Maltreatment (CEM) , which encompasses both childhood abuse and childhood neglect, exerts various adverse effects on brain development and response to diverse situations, particularly in relationships. Drawing from Bowlby’s attachment theory, this study investigated how relationships may be jeopardized for individuals who endured maltreatment in childhood. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of CEM on adulthood relationships, specifically parental and romantic relationships. Through interviews, the emotion regulation and attachment patterns of four racial/ethnic minority women aged 20 to 27 in Appalachia were explored–all of whom experienced emotional maltreatment during childhood–to discern the roles these components play in their parental and romantic relationships. On average, participants scored 6 out of 10 on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale. Qualitative research methods were utilized employing one-on-one, in-person, semi-structured interviews to collect data. Each interview lasted between 16 to 35 minutes, exploring how participants’ experiences of CEM have impacted or are impacting their parental and romantic relationships over their lifetimes. Six prominent themes emerged from the data: Inconsistent Parenting, Disconnect, Behaviors, Fears, Relationships, and Multiple ACEs. The data partially supported the prediction that participants who had experienced CEM may tend to remain in unhealthy relationships, exhibiting insecure attachment styles within relationships. Furthermore, the findings underscore the necessity for further research investigating the intersectional effects of trauma on minority women who were displaced from their home countries during childhood.