Undergraduate Research

Roxanne Mikelson
The purpose of this study was to determine if increased exposure to video game violence would result in increased aggressive behavior. A total of seventy, fifth and sixth grade students filled out a questionnaire to determine their exposure to video game violence and their self-reported levels of aggressive behavior in real-life situations. A significant correlation was found between exposure to violent video games and aggressive behavior. The implications of these results for students, parents and teachers are discussed.

Elizabeth Hall
There have been many attempts to explain the role of the charismatic, Renaissance figure, Girolamo Savonarola. His role in Florence has fascinated historians for centuries, from those who lived in his lifetime to today. Some scholars have hailed him as a forerunner to the Reformation, a man who lived before his time, promoting active moral reforms. Some have seen him as one of the last manifestations of late medieval apocalypticism and millenarianism, predicting both the coming of God’s punishment and wrath for the sins of Italy, and the renewal of the church on earth. Some have viewed him as a prominent Renaissance politician, deeply immersed in the intrigues of government and diplomacy, with a drive to advance Florence as God’s chosen city. This paper gives a brief biography of Savonarola, analyzes each of these perspectives, and reconciles them into a succinct summary of this complex man’s legacy. It argues that, although each of the views has merit, Savonarola was first and foremost an apocalyptic preacher, and his belief in his own ability to prophesy motivated his reforms and political involvement.

Amy Anderson and Martin McLennan
This paper is an overview of cultural aspects involved in child molestation cases. Through archival and empirical case study research, we are able to identify two distinct groups of sexual offenders: pedophiles and the unassimilated immigrant (UI) offender, both of which have different motivations for committing their crimes, varied upbringings and diverse views of normative sexual behavior. Our research helps to further inform and articulate this debate at the crossroads of psychology, anthropology and criminal justice. We present an exploration of the meaning of sexual offending against minors, and the psychology of the individuals who have been known to perpetrate these crimes; comparing and contrasting the classical understanding of pedophiles with the characteristics of the UI offender. We feel the legislature did not anticipate the phenomenon of the unassimilated immigrant group of sexual offenders when these laws were set into place, and therefore, the law is not culturally discriminative. The hypothesis is that this unassimilated immigrant population of sexual offenders is exhibiting a normative cultural behavior, based on their socialization, when they engage in sexual activities with post-pubescent girls under fourteen years of age and do not exhibit the characteristics or motivation of a pedophile.