Counterintuitive Spring 2023

Working Hypothesis 1

Allowing humans to observe life challenges through the lens of puppets would offer more sympathy, understanding, and rationality into their hearts and minds

Academic Sources

Source #1

Between Human and Object: Performing Artists on the Possibilities of Puppets. (2013, June 3). Creative Capital. https://creative-capital.org/2013/06/03/between-human-and-object/ 

Quotes

“the audience “is willing to suspend disbelief, all the while being acutely aware of the mechanics behind everything.”

“the crucial point about puppets is that they are real and unreal at the same time.”

“‘The frailty and vulnerability of the illusion of a puppet communicates something of the frailty of the identities that we all construct and attempt to maintain. The obvious effort it takes to animate a puppet says something…about the difficulty of merely living.’”

Summary

 Puppeteering is an art that has constantly intrigued artists for centuries and proves to still reveal new discoveries to this day. One group of people who study puppeteering are grantees for the Creative Capital. Examining these entities through the eyes of a modern citizen provides a new perspective on their relationship with electronic avatars. This outlook adds another layer to the role that puppets play in human existence-do humans sympathize with avatars as much as they do with humans? How do avatars’ teaching abilities compare to physical puppets? The grantees also explore the point at which puppets are existing in the human world compared to their own world. That idea is something frequently explored by artists as it allows us to explore new artistic realms. An interesting aspect of puppetry explored in this article is the way it comments on the awkwardness of human existence-one of the grantees, Susan Simpson sees the fragility of a puppet as a reflection of the fragility humans often feel in their lives and she views the way in which a puppeteer controls a puppet as a comment on the effort it takes for humans to merely exist. These ideas provide insight into why spectators feel a connection to puppets and how it stems from a place of struggle. Another idea explored in the article suggests that puppets allow for greater experimentation in a theatre setting and the audience will feel safer witnessing new concepts through puppets rather than living human beings. Understanding this relationship allows not only performers but spectators also to experiment with new emotions and concepts in a safe setting.

Source #2

Wright, M., & Wright, M. (2016, August 3). Power in Puppetry. Getty Iris. https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/power-in-puppetry/

Quotes

“We breathe life into the puppets, but they breathe life into us.”

“By concentrating on the life of the puppet, and the life of the other, we are able to temporarily forget our own struggles.”

“Word and image work in tandem, fall out of step, scrape against each other. Meaning is constructed through association; truth is elusive, and the questions are between the layers.”

Summary

Puppets hold an other-worldly power to embody life, death, and everything in between. Their breath comes from the puppeteer, however, somehow, these objects take on a life of their own, completely unknown to humans. This life has the ability to move spectators to laugh, cry, gasp, and feel various other emotions that human actors may convey in the same way. Their abilities are quite remarkable and often are not recognized to their fullest extent. Not only is the relationship between the puppet and the audience important, but the relationship between the puppet and the puppeteer is vital to tell a story. This connection is mutual and crafts careful, expressive stories. Puppets also act as therapeutic tools in a way for people, as the ability to breathe life into an inanimate object allows for the puppeteer to focus on a life other than their own. Puppets give the puppeteer permission to express all of their emotions into another being in a safe, artistic way and that is extraordinary. People feel a responsibility to puppets, especially when they have given them life-they have a responsibility to cradle the puppet’s story and tell it with love and care-this responsibility shapes the atmosphere of the theatre and creates bonds among the audience the performers, and of course the puppets, like no other performance.

Source #3

Cummings, S. T. (2019, December 30). Puppets: Still Very Much a Thing. AMERICAN THEATRE. https://www.americantheatre.org/2015/06/24/puppets-still-very-much-a-thing/ 

Quotes

“If a performance is mediated by focus on an object and its manipulation,” Bell says, “then to my mind it is in the realm of the puppet.” 

“The puppet lives in the audience’s imagination. We try to steer that, and perhaps persuade it to go somewhere exciting, but to be honest we don’t have a huge amount of control over it.”

“Puppetry today is a mashup of work. The field has such plurality. And audiences love that.”

“They only exist in the present of performance. And that makes them agents of presence.”                                

Summary This article includes many examples of puppet festivals, which will be useful when providing examples of puppet performances that experimented. The article touches on the relationship between human and puppet, claiming that puppets can determine their own stories as long as the puppeteer lets them tell the story. In other words, puppets can teach humans a lot about real and inanimate life. Certain productions reveal different concepts about storytelling, masks, etc. The article also dives into the performance aspect of puppeteering and how the puppet shape’s the audience’s interpretation to be whatever they allow themselves to believe. There is a certain kind of magic that comes with a puppet performance because the puppets are alive at that moment, but do not continue to live afterward. They only perform when the puppeteer does and that makes them, as Dan Hurlin states, “agents of presence.” Additionally, puppet theatre allows for open interpretation, which is uniquely beautiful.

Source #4

Eprints.worc.ac.uk. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/5218/1/The%20Theatricality%20of%20Objects.pdf

Summary This article explores ‘object theatre’ and how artists can work with objects in a way that includes them as characters and important parts of the story, rather than just props. It digs deeper than puppetry theatre because it explores how seemingly dull objects can be utilized to tell intricate stories. The performer can work with the object as a co-actor of sorts rather than just using it as a concrete object. Objects can disrupt or transform a scene in ways that are withdrawn by humans-the interpretation of these objects is entirely up to the humans working with or watching them-that is what makes them so versatile and interesting. The article also urges audience members to view objects in theatre in a more inclusive and curious light, constantly wondering how they impact the show and what their relation to the characters is. Actors also must consider their relationship to the object that they interact with and how that may be made more personal or interesting. Ultimately, one must consider what separates a human from an object and what the line is between the real world and the inanimate world.

Source #5 UNIMA. (2018, September 17). Theatre of Objects. World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts. https://wepa.unima.org/en/theatre-of-objects/

Summary This article does a great job of giving examples of instances in history when puppetry or the use of inanimate objects has been used in theatre. It explains how inanimate objects have been used for symbolism, storytelling, and development throughout the history of theatre. Throughout those years puppetry has changed and formed into what it is now. 

Source #6

Epic Theatre of Brecht. Epic theatre of brecht. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://tinyurl.com/mrxp2emk 

Summary

This article provides detailed biographical information about Berthold Brecht and the development of “epic theatre” and how it influenced his work. It describes some of the tactics he used in the theatre to encourage his audiences to view his work critically rather than emotionally.

Source #7

Origins of the puppet. World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts. (2016, September 6). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://wepa.unima.org/en/origins-of-the-puppet/ 

Summary

This article is a quick, but informative article about the origins of puppets. The article includes information about where puppets originated, how they were used, what form of puppet they were, and how those forms differ or compare to other puppet styles. 

Source #8

Woodruff, P. (1988). ENGAGING EMOTION IN THEATER: A BRECHTIAN MODEL IN THEATER HISTORY. The Monist, 71(2), 235–257. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27903080 

Summary

This article provides extensive information about Berthold Brecht and his theories regarding “epic theatre”. It also includes a strong argumentative statement against Brecht, like a rebuttal of its own. Brecht subscribed to many interesting and sometimes outlandish beliefs about how theatre should be performed and consumed. Theatre serves various purposes, but Brecht believed that his work specifically existed to intellectually challenge the audience and allow them to consume art without feeling strong emotions or empathy for the characters. Paul Woodruff, the author of this article goes into extensive detail about why Brecht’s theories were contradictory to the purpose of art and the numerous ways Brecht did not fulfill his goals in his work. He explains how emotions are a natural part of consuming art and they allow the experience to be more fulfilling and raw. 

Source #9

Roe, R. (2017, September 20). Mahna Mahna, yes… but why? Retrieved December 08, 2021, from https://toughpigs.com/mahna-mahna-yes-but-why/ 

Summary

The infamous “Mahna Mahna” video from the Muppet Show is a simple, fun video designed to entertain audiences of all ages. However, there is a deeper meaning behind the characters of this video. Viewers have found themselves drawn to either the pink “Snowths” or the “Mahna Mahna” puppet. Turns out there are reasons behind this favoritism. The puppet that people relate to reveals whether they are an organized, self-controlled personality or a free spirit, who lives life on the edge. This information reveals a lot about why humans find comfort and empathy with puppets and proves that although they are inanimate objects, puppets can be relatable.

Source #10

Yakubovskaya, I., Yakubovskaya, I., 12, H., 21, W., & 21, I. (2014, October 10). Emotion, brain, & behavior laboratory. Retrieved December 08, 2021, from https://sites.tufts.edu/emotiononthebrain/2014/10/10/82/ 

Summary

Emotion in a theatrical setting is an interesting vein of research because there are so many different ways in which emotions can be communicated, felt, and responded to. Actors use their bodies, voices, faces, etc. to convey emotion, but does this mean that those emotions are genuine? This question is explored deeply in this article, specifically in how it relates to neurological activity and embodied cognition. The importance of empathy and emotion is unmistakable; Aristotle explored this idea in his time and his many findings are explored in this article. The article praises emotion in the theatre and treats it as a necessity for successful art.

Current State

I am feeling fairly comfortable with the state of my paper-I am so excited to research this topic because I am so passionate about it! I think my hypothesis could do with more fine-tuning, but I know that will come with more time and research. I feel great about the sources I have found so far-they are strong and helpful. I am anticipating my final product to be well-researched and fascinating. I am eager to learn more about my topic and compile that information into a paper. I have already learned so many new things about puppetry and object theatre and I am sure there is still more to discover. I am looking forward to it! 🙂

Working Hypothesis 1

Social media use cripples the ability of users to hold conversations and have meaningful personal interaction.

Working Hypothesis 2

Social media enables people to build more interpersonal reltaions has a positive net effect on social engagement.

Bibliography

Allen, S. 2019. Social media’s growing impact on our lives. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/members/content/social-media-research

Social media benefits adolescents by allowing them to make more social connections and more readily easily maintian contact.

Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor B. 2014. Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review. 41. 27-36. 10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.001

Social media has both beneficial and deleterious effects on adolescent social wellbeing.

Twenge, J., Spitzberg, B., & Campbell, W. 2019. Less in-person social interaction with peers among U.S. adolescents in the 21st century and links to loneliness. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(6). 1892-1913. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519836170

Social media use is correlated with less personal interaction at the cohort level, but more at the individual level.

Drago, E. 2015. The Effect of Technology on Face-to-Face Communication. ELON JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN COMMUNICATIONS. 6(1). http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1137/2/the-effect-of-technology-on-face-to-face-communication

Many students report that technology reduces human capablity for interpersonal interaction and degrades conversation quality.

Przybylski, A., Weinstein, N. 2012. Can you connect with me now? How the presence of mobile communication technology influences face-to-face conversation quality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 30(3). 237-246. 10.1177/0265407512453827

Communication technology has been deleterious to our social bonds and our capability for personal conversation.

Current State

My current information seems to lean towards reaffirming hypothesis 1, so I suppose I will start building an argument for that as I gather more data. Hopefully I am able to offer something new, I don’t want to just retread old grounds, but I feel as though I am not approaching the issue through a truly original angle yet.

Topic for Smaller Paper

Distinction Between Digital and Face to Face Communication

(Classification argument)

If I’m goint to make a claim about whether digital communication is inferior to face-to-face, I should establish that there are differences first.

Social Media Destroys Human Capabiltiy for Deeper Interpersonal Relationship

(Causal argument)

One of the major points to be asessed for the purpose of my paper.

Counterarguments

The reason adolescents use social media more and face-to-face communication less is because the latter is restricted as a social outlet.

Social media provides adolescents with a valuable creative outlet.

Social media offers many young people a sense of social support.

Arguments

Social media depersonalizes communication with others, making face-to-face conversation more difficult.

Digital communication damages the closeness and intimacy of interpersonal bonds.

By increasing the number of available people we can communicate with, social media reduces the value of any given particular relationship.

Working Hypothesis 1

Playing certain types of music while you are studying and doing homework will help you to become a more efficient worker and will increase your work ethic.

Working Hypothesis 2

Different types of music, as extreme as classical or pop, will stimulate brain activity in drastic ways to either increase or decrease work ethic. 

Five Academic Sources

Goltz, F., & Sadakata, M. (2021, September 20). Do you listen to music while studying? A  portrait of how people use music to optimize their cognitive performance. Acta Psychologica. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691821001670?via%3Dihub. 

This study covers the effects of background music on performance of our daily tasks, and explores specific tasks such as reading, memory, writing, and more. Individuals that contain a higher working memory capacity are less likely to be negatively affected by background music when doing tasks. This is connected to the fact of personality influence, with extraversion allowing people to have pop music playing when they are reading and it will barely bother them. There have been other experiments that have helped prove this fact, while many other studies fail to show it.

It seems counterintuitive that listening to music involving lyrics would help you focus more, and that listening to highly repetitive music would help you read better. Individual preferences play a big role in how much background music would help you, as well as musical training, showing “non-preferred music impairs reading comprehension when compared to conditions with preferred music, noise, or silence.” In my personal experience, my preferred music, being pop, has helped me complete my homework, while when I try to do homework in silence I get distracted easily. It may be the opposite for another person, and according to this study, calm music is much more preferred over pop. 

 A., Ashmita Mohan & Elizabeth Thomas, & Additional informationNotes on contributorsAshmita MohanAshmita Mohan is a Counselling Psychologist working in a Non-profit Organisation called the Swasti Health Catalyst. (2019, November 29). Effect of background music and the cultural preference to music on adolescents’ task performance. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2019.1689368?src=recsys. 

It is shown in this study that playing music in a classroom setting can be helpful for adolescents. While in your adolescence, your brain is still growing and changing, adapting to things it is taught. Music helps to create a more welcoming and friendly environment, making the class seem more fun than it might actually be. While helping students focus, music also helps with behavioral issues, making the space safe for the kids. Music creates a higher level of arousal and mood, which “results in more material being processed by the learner and consecutively enhances their performance.” 

Young people have shown they listen to music for 2.5 hours on an average day, which helps them through hard times and stressful situations. It’s proven that listening to music benefits the adolescent population very well, and “it helps them develop a sense of self, connection and belongingness, acts as a supportive system in troubling times, extinguishes loneliness, develops social skills and increases emotional sensitivity.” Music preference can also be determined by an individual’s cultural background, preferences leading to a higher concentration level.

Gianna Cassidy, R. A. R. M. D. (2007). The effect of background music and background noise on the task performance of introverts and extraverts – gianna cassidy, Raymond A.R. MacDonald, 2007. SAGE Journals. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735607076444. 

Many requirements of music play into how effective it can be, such as form, genre, tempo, complexity, etc. One study showed music with a “low information load” was shown to improve performance in reading comprehension, while “high information load” did the opposite. Another study said that they saw no difference in the performance involving different music. Genre is such a big factor in whether or not music will help you improve your focus. Introverts will experience a great arousal with music of lower intensity, while extraverts may not. Introverts are more likely to not perform well when there is any music at all, especially if it is pop music or lyrical music.

White, K. N. (2007). The effects of background music in the classroom on the productivity, motivation, and behavior of fourth grade students. DEDICATION. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED522618.pdf. 

Music has been shown to play “an important role in culture and is a strong influence on today’s youth,” so focusing on implementing music to promote student learning in classrooms is a big thing for the younger generations. Research shows using background music during teaching and independent learning has many benefits relating to productivity, motivation and behavior within students. Although music classes are not required for school, it is becoming much more widespread because of how well it affects students. Getting younger students to stay focused can be hard, but educators are slowly realizing that background music heavily influences students’ performances in a positive way.

It’s been proven that classical music playing in the background helps enhance a classroom’s climate, and can shift the mood completely. Some teachers take advantage of playing music to motivate kids when they are entering class. This helps them get ready for class, and gets them excited, rather than walking into a silent classroom. Music during individual study helps students as well, giving them steady background noise.

Bonnet, M. H., & Arand, D. L. (2001, February 27). The impact of music upon sleep tendency as measured by the multiple sleep latency test and maintenance of wakefulness test. Physiology & Behavior. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003193840000353X. 

There have been 2 studies showing that “loud, white noise helped to maintain performance during a 30-min vigilance task during sleep deprivation.” Music provides arousal through sound intensity and by providing an interest component, as it is used in a study for attending to wakefulness as well as using it to fall asleep. Subjects had no instructions for whether or not to use the music to stay awake or fall asleep, giving them freedom to choose what they liked. Sleep latencies were reduced by the same amount on the recovery day (after sleep deprivation) whether music was present or not. Music seemed to have increased arousal levels, but nothing showed that music could have a different impact on falling asleep or staying awake.

Topics for Smaller Papers 

Definition Argument

When people think of the word “music,” they think of the popular songs of today. The term “music” is when vocal and/or instrumental sounds come together to form something of harmony and expression. Music isn’t just pop or rap, but it dives deep into the classical era and even forms of white noise can be music. 

Cause/Effect Argument

Students need to learn how to stay focused and productive inside of class and most importantly outside of class. Background music has had many positive effects on a students productivity, motivation, and overall mood. When studying and doing homework, an individual’s preferred music genre will help them to focus and become more productive. Music has had such a strong influence on our society that having something familiar can be comforting for a student in stressful times, or can help them push through homework. 

Rebuttal Argument

Background music causes one’s brain to become overloaded, and causes students to become less productive when working. Having music with lyrics playing will inevitably force the student to fully listen to said music. Although this may be true for some individuals, it is proven that music does improve productivity, you just need to pick the right music for you. There are many genres to indulge in, and even white noise is something you can use. Focus can be difficult for many people in this generation, and having the slightest amount of background music can greatly improve it.

Current State of Research Paper

As I have been researching for my paper, I have been finding a lot of sources about background music and studying. I believe that I am heading in a good direction, and can use these resources to my advantage. I want to try and find more on sleep and background music, as those have been more sparse. I am starting to see the connections between music and productivity and I am hoping to dig even deeper into it. I am hopeful for my hypothesis, and I am excited to get into researching more on this topic.

Working Hypothesis- We as humans have made life so absent of physical labor through advanced technology, that we have given up our valuable time and money to be a part of a gym in order to get some form of physical activity.

Purposeful Summary #1: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.655491/full

From the very beginning of the human race, the human brain has developed new ways to make survival more and more attainable.  This started over 2 million years ago with the development of the earliest stone tools.  There was a continuous growth for survival even down to the human brain itself.  Even going from homo erectus to homo habilis there was an increase in brain capacity.  This went on to later have crucial creations such as the wheel.  This made life so much easier by taking a lot of labor out of the equation.  Crafting carts with wheels meant less walking, more trade, even cattle drawn carts to take on a lot of the agricultural needs.  Humans naturally kept advancing and soon enough in the early 1700’s the industrial revolution was upon us.  This redefined transportation and increased the profit ratio for entrepreneurs as they didn’t need as much labor in order to produce the same product.  This led all the way up to the technological era during the latter portion of the 20th century which skyrocketed items that would be accessible to the public to make household chores and communication much easier.  However, the daily tasks of life such as preparing a full meal for your family or physically working on your house or for a career have all been replaced by technology and machines.  Instant communication such as the internet and smartphones have distracted us from other forms of entertainment and have trapped us on the couch or in bed.  This is horrible for the body as we can sit and have the world at our fingertips without moving a muscle.  This has led to a lack of activity and physical exercise as we have cut out anything strenuous.  Obesity and heart problems have skyrocketed; those classified as obese or overweight increasing by 30% since the 1960’s.  Even though many are living longer, the last years of life are often ruined by health concerns caused by inactivity.  We have improved life so much that it is starting to destroy us. 

Purposeful Summary #2 https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/physical-activity.htm

It is evident that the lack of physical activity has made us physically inadequate.  “Only 1 in 4 US adults and 1 in 5 high school students meet the recommended physical activity guidelines,” says the CDC.  This tells us that the majority of people in the US are not physically active enough to meet the standard amount of activity.  It is shown that medical complications due to this lack of activity have built up over $100 billion in medical bills annually.  Cancer, diabetes and heart disease, three of the most deadly conditions, are directly linked to the lack of exercise.  Not only are we missing out on ridding ourselves of these horrible diseases, but we are also losing out on the extra benefits of physical activity.  This includes better sleep, physical and cognitive stamina increases and bone density/skeletal health.  The combination of eating right and exercising regularly takes stress off of your body in more ways than one.  Eating cleaner takes stress off digestion, exercising increases blood flow which takes stress off of your heart, and the combination of the two will reduce body mass which takes stress off bones and joints.  Our world has strirpped us of everything physical so in response, taking care of your body is absolutely necessary.  If you do not, our way of life is not set up for you to regularly get activity in.  Humans went from having to use every waking moment for survival, to being able to have food, water, shelter and communication all while not being forced to leave the house.

Purposeful Summary #3:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00125-012-2677-z

While physical activity has outstanding health benefits, it is critical to both human mental and physical health and wellbeing. There are several forms of physical activity including sedentary and low-intensity behaviors.The aim of this analysis was to take a closer look at the interconnection of sedentary time with health issues, specifically diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (Wilmot, Edwardson, Achana, Davies, Gorely, Gray, Khunti, Yates & Biddie, 2013). Research has been focused on seeking the links between the intensity of physical activity and overall health. Most of this research overlooks the potential importance of the distinction between “sedentary activity and light-intensity physical activity”(Wilmot et al., 2013). Examples of sedentary behavior include sitting in a car, sitting at a computer, watching TV, etc… Researchers note that objective measures have demonstrated that the average adult spends 50-60% of their day in sedentary pursuits (Wilmot et al., 2013). Past research shows that diabetes and mortality both have a moderate-to-strong association with sedentary behavior (Wilmot et al., 2013). The present analysis aims to further examine the association between sedentary activity and four outcomes including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause death.  Most human beings are practicing sedentary behavior for 50-60 percent of our days. Driving, TV time, desk time, etc.. People are purely lazy or they are busy working at a desk all day long or traveling to work. Spending time using technology.. You can circle it back to your hypothesis and how our lives are almost centered around technology in the workplace it has honestly just become such a habit and necessity in order to do anything so the little things like getting up to move or going to the gym seem so taxing and people either have a lot of trouble doing it or they skip out on it completely.

Purposeful Summary #4: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3988884/

With rising obesity and weight related medical conditions, there is a correlation of areas of the workforce decreasing in physical labor.  The decomposition of our once labor intensive and industrial work could be the cause of the utter lack of physical activity whatsoever.  A survey was taken among over 25,000 members of the British workforce, that took down their activity in all facets of their life.  As physical labor decreased, the trend was most likely the same across the board. This goes beyond simply the correlation of occupation and activity level.  “In Europe more than 65% of the adult population is insufficiently active, and this has been related to increasing levels of obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and several forms of cancer,” according to the world health organization.  The amount of miles a person walks per year has gone down over 25% and is currently about less than a mile a day.  These effects were about the same in men and women, however the variation in results changed with regard to time period and region of the world.

Purposeful Summary #5:  http://sites.nd.edu/caroline-langley/category/farming-and-the-industrial-revolution/

Our jobs are no longer taxing on the body and labor has been so divided up across industry that everything is easily accessible.  We’ve gone from spread out forms of manual labor to extremely specific areas of the workforce.  This specialized labor is done using the help of machines to pick up the slack of manpower.  Humans used to have to spend their days working for survival, but now they have everything in the palm of their hands.  This is obviously so much more efficient, but there is no way to get any of that hard work back into our quick pace, mass produced lifestyle.  On the flip side of this, the improvement overall has made our food supply suffer as a result.  It was a crazy train reaction of improving agriculture, which made food more accessible, which made people live longer, which meant more people to feed, which finally led to a need for more output, which hurt the quality of our food.  This means that we live in a world where food quality has gone down and on top of it there is no need to exert energy on physical activity on a daily basis.  While we will live longer we are more likely to suffer from a deadly disease later in life.  We’ve ironically decreased our quality of life as a result of continuously trying to perfect our quality of life.

Topics For Other Papers:

Cognitive Health due to excercise

The effects of physical activity based on region of the world

The effects of food quality due to overpopulation

Current state of paper:
I feel pretty satisfied with the quality of sources I was able to find. I feel that I need to make sure that I do not repeat myself as a lot of my sources have great points that closely intertwine. Other than that I feel that I am ready to expand on these brief thoughts and dive into more analysis of my claim.

White Paper- kingofcamp

Working Hypothesis

1. In Western culture, men have put physical value on female virginity, therefore objectifying women in the patriarchal society.

Academic Sources

1. “Gender and the Meaning and Experience of Virginity Loss in the Contemporary United States” by Laura M. Carpenter

This detailed analysis focuses on gender and how it contributes to the idea of virginity and virginity loss. The analysis focuses on (specifically) young men and women and how they perceive virginity and approach the subject collectively. Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century in the United States, men and woman have taken different perspectives on what it means to “loose” virginity/and or have sex for the first time. In retrospect, virginity has only been defined in heterosexual terms, but this study looks at virginity through the lens of a multitude of diverse peoples.

Historically, women as a majority have perceived having sex (for the first time) as something monumental in their lives. Having a “romanticized” idea of the subject led many women defining their virginity as something almost “sacred”. In contrast, the majority of men have typically perceived losing virginity as something that naturally happens- nothing to fuss over (generally speaking). This process, popularly, has been less emotional for men than it is for women. There are biological factors that play a role in the emotional aspect, but this study solely focuses on the psychological aspect of gender.

With intercourse, there is also a romanticized belief of “staying pure” until marriage or until at least engagement. This monogamous ideology, for centuries, has been pressured, especially onto women. This double standard lead different gendered peoples to understand sex relating to power. In heterosexual relationships, many women have voiced feelings of “loss” and “vulnerability” when engaging in intercourse. The same notion has been the complete opposite for men, typically feeling “powerful” and or “fulfilled.”

In non-heterosexual relationships, opinions and feelings vary. In many cases, women who participated in non-heterosexual intercourse or women in relationships with same-sex or same-gendered partners typically expressed feelings of “sameness” and “equality,” often feeling empowered and satisfied. Men who engaged in non-heterosexual intercourse and or were in relationships with same-sex/and or same-gendered partners also voiced similar feelings. The differences in gender and sexuality relate to different perspectives of intercourse. This analysis and study embodies the very complex concept.

CARPENTER, LAURA M. “Gender and the Meaning and Experience of Virginity Loss in the Contemporary United States.” Gender & Society, vol. 16, no. 3, 2002, pp. 345–365., https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243202016003005.

  2. “The Quality of Young People’s Heterosexual Relationships: A Longitudinal Analysis of Characteristics Shaping”

This brief analysis of a study conducted by researchers in Europe discusses, as titled, the quality of teenagers’ heterosexual relationships in Scotland and England. The research focuses on heterosexual relationships and the different aspects that play a role in a romantic/and or sexual relationships.

Topics discussed in the study were as follows: proportions of females and males pressured by a partner to engage in sexual intercourse, regrets following the first engagement of sexual intercourse, and not enjoying most recent engagement in sexual intercourse. All topics included were respectively compared between adolescent females and males (ranging from thirteen or younger to fifteen and sixteen years of age).

Adolescent males and females resulted differently in the study. Female individuals (collectively) concluded that intimacy was more important than physical pleasure whereas male individuals concluded oppositely. Conclusions such as the one stated, communicated to readers the differences in male and female psyche.

Overall, both female and male subjects rated their first engagement in sexual intercourse as a positive interaction. With that said, not all adolescents came to this conclusion. Despite the overall positive results in sexual engagement, adolescent males and females psychological interpretations differed in the study.

Wight, Daniel, et al. “The Quality of Young People’s Heterosexual Relationships: A Longitudinal Analysis of Characteristics Shaping Subjective Experience.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, vol. 40, no. 4, 2008, pp. 226–237., https://doi.org/10.1363/4022608.  

3.“Oh boys! Sex Education and Young Men”

This short opinion article centers around the notion that men should be included in the sexual education realm and have become “a lost cause.” The article is a counterintuitive outlook on the “feminist thinking” that has altered sexual education for both men and women.

Sexual education has undergone much change over the course of a few decades- from women being “the problem” to now men being “the problem.” The author suggests that men aren’t the problem but must address the problem in behavior.

The philosophy of this article focuses on the differences in gender (specifically men and women). The author proposes that biological men and women are born with the same emotions but are raised to handle these emotions differently. “Men”, as the author suggests, learn to oppress certain emotions while embracing more “masculine” emotions and thought processes- leading men to become more “difficult.” “Women” also learn to oppress certain emotions and thought processes whole embracing more “feminine” emotions and thought processes.

By understanding the stereotypes men are often put in and how those stereotypes alter their thought process, the author concludes that as a society we can better educate men in sexual health and understanding.

Davidson, Neil. “Promoting Public Health through Public Art in the – Proquest.” Oh Boys! Sex Education and Young Men, ProQuest, 1996, https://www.proquest.com/docview/1560670647?accountid=13605.

4.Compulsory Heterosexuality in a University Classroom

This academic article focuses its attention on the common practice of teaching students that heterosexuality is the norm in society (specifically sexual education). The author of this article claims that gay and lesbian students, teachers, and minorities are left out of the equation. Activists have fought against this norm keeping high hopes of changing these norms in sexual education- making sexual education more inclusive. Heterosexuality is a privilege unlike homosexuality and bisexuality. In the sexual education agenda (in universities and colleges), the primary focus is on heterosexuality and heterosexual intercourse- leaving a majority of students in the dark. These standards are unfair to those students left in the dark. By allowing this agenda to continue, many students and community members are left to dwell in the uncertainty of their respected sexualities.  

Eyre, Linda. “Compulsory Heterosexuality in a University Classroom.” ProQuest, ProQuest, 1993, https://www.proquest.com/docview/215374474?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=13605.

5.The Objectification of Women in Mass Media: Female Self-Image in Misogynist Culture

This article focuses primarily on the objectification of women in mass media and the negative effects it has on women and their mental, physical, and emotional well beings. The objectivation of women has always existed in the United States but now with social media outlets on the rise, this issue has become more predominate.

The idea of an “ideal woman” is something of pure fiction; the “ideal woman” simply does not exist. Women are often sensualized and so very often face misogynic comments made by the mass media. Unfortunately, this reality leaves many women in a “catch-22,” leading to the decline of mental, physical, and emotional health.

Along with declining mental, physical, and emotional health, many women seek out cosmetic surgery to attain “the perfect body” and or to become the “perfect woman.” All of this pressure is crushing for the female population leaving some women to commit suicide or practice self-harm. The objectification of women in both the mass media and in real life is a harsh reality for many women to endure.

Eyre, Linda. The Objectification of Women in Mass Media: Female Self-Image in Misogynist Culture. The New York Sociologist, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.694.8981&rep=rep1&type=pdf.  

Topics for Smaller Papers

1. Definition Argument
   1. The term “female virginity” is often misunderstood on a societal level. Female virginity is often believed to be “lost” once a woman engages in sexual intercourse or is penetrated. Contrast to popular belief, female virginity is more ambiguous than most deem it to be.

• Cause/Effect Argument
  • Because our society is a patriarchy, men hold more power than women. Men have played authority therefore defining female virginity in society- without considering the female perspective.

• Rebuttal Argument
  • The notion that men do not hold central power in society and play a major role in influencing the mass is certainly incorrect. For centuries, and possibly longer, men have held a higher power than women in Western culture. Women have always been a minority in a “man’s world,” therefore facing oppression in society.

• Current State of the Paper
  • As of now, my research is plentiful and intriguing. I am enjoying my research though it can be difficult at times to find current data. The information I have found thus far, is both detailed and at times, vague. My hypothesis is extremely specific and counterintuitive- making it difficult at times to find relevant information. Overall, I am enjoying this project and research.

Work In Progress Hypothesis

• I believe that women’s lacrosse is arduous as a result of the strict regulations put in place in order to protect the female athletes from long term injuries like their male counterparts.
• Lacrosse is an aggressive sport both physically and psychology, when it comes to women’s lacrosse
• Any women athlete not satisfied with psychologically devastating her opponent on the battlefield can join a Roller Derby club. 
• Blood Lust vs Psychological Warfare

Paragraphs Topis Ideas

1.  Show the difference between girls and boys,through rules and clarify why the difference shows that girls have to use more skill work than boys
   1. Use rule books to compare the major differences
      1. Also explain how boys could be better due to today’s sports standards favoring those that are more contact inclusive (Do this first)
2. Lead into how the increase of skill allows for plays and games that finish with less injuries to the players than boys
   1. Compare injuries between boys and girls
3. unknown

 References

KERR, Z. , LINCOLN, A. , DODGE, T. , YEARGIN, S. , COVASSIN, T. , NITTOLI, V. , MENSCH, J. , ROOS, K. , DOMPIER, T. & CASWELL, S. (2018) . Epidemiology of Youth Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse Injuries in the 2015 to 2016 Seasons. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 50 (2), 284-291. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001422. https://tinyurl.com/yvczbx9m

Koukouris, K. (1994). Constructed Case Studies: Athletes’ Perspectives of Disengaging From Organized Competitive Sport. Sociology of Sport Journal, 11(2), 114–139. https://tinyurl.com/4k5adsbt

World Lacrosse Women’s Rules Sub Committee. (2021, February). CLARIFICATION FOR WOMEN’S RULE BOOK, 2019-2020 [Memo]. https://tinyurl.com/jfsc7vts 

NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee, & Scroggs, W. (2019). 2019 and 2020 NCAA MEN’S LACROSSE RULES AND INTERPRETATIONS (A. Supergan, Ed.). NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. https://tinyurl.com/3njy5att  

Dymowski, C. (2016, April 20). Lacrosse has different rules for men and women. The Ithacan. https://theithacan.org/sports/lacrosse-has-different-rules-for-men-and-women/ 

Carey, J. (2012). New directions of play: Native american origins of modern lacrosse (Order No. 1518272). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1039261901). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fnew-directions-play-native-american-origins%2Fdocview%2F1039261901%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D13605

Claydon, J. (Ed.). (2021). Origin of Men’s Lacrosse. World Lacrosse. https://worldlacrosse.sport/about-world-lacrosse/origin-history/

Hamilton, M. (2017, August 28). Lacrosse Has Untapped Potential as TV Sport, ESPN Producer Says. USA Lacrosse Magazine. https://tinyurl.com/2ppjy46k 

Sanches, M. (2017, April 12). Women’s and Men’s Lacrosse: Same Name, Different Sports [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i39zllGnJkI 

Lacrosse All Stars. (2014, October 24). 2015 NCAA Faceoff Video – Notre Dame vs. Team USA – Lacrosse Best Moments [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL1z6a96Y1w Roberts, R. (1992). Women’s Sports [Review of Women’s Sports: A History, by A. Guttmann]. Reviews in American History, 20(2), 242–246. https://doi.org/10.2307/2703108

Mental Statues While Writing

Starting the writing process is always difficult for me, especially when I don’t fully know what exactly I am going to discuss in the paper. Of course you have to do research and find the sources that will go into the paper, and sometimes the search allows us to find a new take on the topic we are discussing. This process of finding sources as one of the first steps, although helpful, is very frustrating to me. I think very differently than others, I need to have a good idea of what exactly I’m writing about. I need to keep reminding myself about what I’m writing. I need to see a list of the points I will talk about in order to stay focused on writing. Even though we are practicing all the parts of our paper before we will actually write the real deal, I still don’t understand the concept or purpose of the arguments we need to write about. I just can’t write this way.

Definition Paragraph

“The Creator’s Game,” natively known as Baggataway or stickball, is now known as lacrosse. Originally designed by the natives across North America it was slowly adapted throughout the centuries leading to the lacrosse we know today. “From the seventeenth century, when the game was played exclusively by Native Americans, to the early decades of the twentieth century… While the game was first developed by Native Americans well before contact with Europeans, lacrosse became standardized by a group of Canadians led by George Beers in 1867, and has continued to develop into the twenty-first century,” Jeff Carey states in his thesis New directions of play: Native american origins of modern lacrosse. 

Lacrosse in basic terms is a team sport, the objective is to get the ball into the opponents goal using a stick with a triangular net piece known as a crosse. Each team has ten to twelve players on the field at a time, depending on men’s or women’s lacrosse. Regardless of gender both men’s and women’s have a defense, mid field, attack and a goalie on field at all times.

Women’s and men’s lacrosse have one leading difference that shapes how each game is played, contact. Similar to popular sports like football, men’s lacrosse can be more physical with their opponents than in women’s. While men’s lacrosse is able to hit and body check with some restrictions, women’s lacrosse highly restricts physical contact between players. Women are allowed to have minimal contact while defending and chasing the ball, there are rules against getting too close to the face and body. Despite these differences the game’s objective and tactics remain fairly similar, yet men’s lacrosse is more mainstream than women’s, which generates the idea that it is the superior twin.  

The most popular sports today have some form of contact, football and hockey being at the top while sports like soccer, basketball and baseball lean towards the bottom. Despite this, lacrosse is still a very popular sport that is streamed for the public, yet men’s is regarded higher and viewed more. Women’s sports in general suffer from mainstream media not displaying or advertising enough to encourage viewers. One of the reasons men’s lacrosse does better is due to “the level of contact and physicality determines the amount of fans that come… the more contact there is, the more spectators we will draw to our games,” as opinionated by Ithaca’s former attackman Connor Hulme in Cal Dymowski’s Lacrosse has different rules for men and women. Men’s lacrosse is perceived better due to the lack of regulation that allows for the game to flow better than women’s. In Jane Claydon’s Origin & History, a girl writing for the student magazine at St. Leonards School, in St Andrews, Scotland reported that “after our crosses having undergone a severe inspection i.e. our referee holding them up one by one and squinting with one eye to see if that which ought to be plane surface was not a curved one.” Even before the game starts, the equipment worn by the players are inspected to prevent any harm or cheating from occurring. While this may indicate that the rules in women’s lacrosse should be revised in order to allow for better flowing gameplay, it can show how much harder the girls have to work compared to men. Women have to jump more hurdles in order to play, it in turn forces the players to come up with more creative plays in order to score.

Rebuttal Argument

Women have to work harder in every aspect of life. Thankfully in today’s world, the fight for gender equality has progressed greatly. Despite this progression, there are still some kinks to work out, even in something that unites the world like sports. Throughout the years sports organizations and media have been under fire about the unfair treatment of genders and lack of female representation in televised sports. Women in sports have constantly fought to be represented and respected by not only their male counterparts but the world as a whole. 

Men on the other hand have plenty of representation and screen time. They have more viewers when their games are on TV, and they are given more opportunities to compete. In general, lacrosse has grown in popularity in recent years for both genders, and the women’s college NCAA championship has even drawn more viewers. In 2017 Matt Hamilton reported in Lacrosse Has Untapped Potential as TV Sport, ESPN Producer Says, that in “the [2017 NCAA] women’s lacrosse championship game between Maryland and Boston College drew 88,000 viewers on TV and streaming… the men’s lacrosse semifinals and final had an average (260,000).” Men have a high rating when it comes to televised games as well as in person audiences. If this is the case, men’s lacrosse is clearly the prefered version to watch. Their games are evidently more entertaining to the general public since they involve more physical contact and have more flow to them. 

Striking a player, also known as body checking, is frequently used during games as well as crosse checking also known as stick checking. Of course, like any game there is a limit of how much contact is allowed: “Body checking of an opponent in possession of the ball or within 5 yards of a loose ball, from the front or side above the waist and below the neck, is legal… A player may check his opponent’s crosse with his own crosse when that opponent has possession of the ball, when the opponent is within 5 yards of a loose ball or when the ball in flight is within 5 yards of the player,” found in the 2019 and 2020 NCAA MEN’S LACROSSE RULES AND INTERPRETATIONS (A. Supergan, Ed.). NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION by the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee. Men’s crosse checking is very lenient when it comes to contact between crosses, which is defined as a player may “check his opponent’s crosse with his own crosse when that opponent has possession of the ball, when the opponent is within 5 yards of a loose ball or when the ball in flight is within 5 yards of the player,” (NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee). The game starts with players going head to head, literally, the game begins with a face off which also allows physical contact between the opposing players shoulders and helmets while they try to retrieve the ball, as seen in Lacrosse All Star’s 2015 NCAA Faceoff Video – Notre Dame vs. Team USA – Lacrosse Best Moments video. 

Physical contact could be considered something you need some level of skill to successfully pull off, whether it is tackling someone or checking them with a stick. In a game you have to be precise, or else you risk getting penalized for your actions. Women’s lacrosse has the same restrictions but they are harsher than the men’s, they have to find ways around in order to retrieve the ball and defend their goal. Not only is there a rule against a player’s body having contact with their opponents, but there are guidelines on crosse checking. Crosse Checking as defined in the 2020–2022 WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL PLAYING RULES by World Lacrosse is defined as “an extension of body checking whereby the defender attempts to dislodge the ball from an opponent’s Crosse by using controlled Crosse-to-Crosse contact.” The rules go over the “do’s and don’ts” of checking, whether it involves stick positioning or the position of your body when attempting to check. 

Compared to men, women have to develop patience and timing on top of finding ways to decrease the possibility of getting penalized. Physical contact is a way to retrieve the ball without needing much skill, however body checking is a short cut for players who do not have the proper stick skill to acquire the ball. Women need to develop these stick skills to recover the ball more creatively, while their male counterparts are allowed to slowly injure their opponents as the game progresses. They need to come up with plays to move the ball around the field while confusing the defense in order to score on the opposition’s goal. 

Despite the fact that the game times are exactly the same length with one hour game time and a fifteen minute half time, women’s games seem to go on forever. The players will then become angry at not only the referees, but at the rules themselves due to the overprotected nature of the sport. This, in turn, causes both the players and the audience to become frustrated throughout the game, and all of them become uninterested in the current play. Also, It is true that the game can easily come to a halt due to a minor call causing the players to freeze. Due to these frequent and inconvenient calls, the players must quickly adapt to make up for the game’s lost time. Of course this can occur in both mens and womens lacrosse, but female players once again have to come up with more inventive plays and creative strategies in order to make up for this lost time. So, not only does this cause the women players to develop quicker thinking skills, but it in turn will increase each player’s agility. Throughout the history of women’s lacrosse players and fans have tolerated these game stopping rules for far too long. Regardless of the lack of reform due to the conflicting ideas between players and committee members, women have continued to make this game their own.

Working Hypothesis: Spotted lanternflies must be captured away from any orchard and returned to their source, as well as monitoring any lanternflies in the vicinity of the orchard and ship trades. 

Sources  

Analysis of Anemotactic Flight Tendencies of the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) during the 2017 Mass Dispersal Flights in Pennsylvania | SpringerLink (rowan.edu)

Adult Lanternflies use upwinds to fly up to 40 meters and have attempted to land on fruit tree orchards using their frontal wingspan and with just enough wind speed from the triangle of velocities. This is how they use short flights to conserve small amounts of energy before their angled flight to the tree’s nutrients without exhausting themselves. Such behavior to anticipate their direction without falling towards the ground, which most Lanternflies have attempted and failed to do.

Worldwide Feeding Host Plants of Spotted Lanternfly, With Significant Additions From North America

The Spotted Lanternfly migrated into the United States in 2014 due to the shipment of fire wood and have since populated and expanded into newer regions of the U.S. as well as occupying new feeding plant hosts; such as the tree of heaven and swingle. Records of their life stage and eating habits are used to identify the presence of the spotted lanternfly in the area. 

Evaluation of insecticides for control of the spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), a new pest of fruit in the Northeastern U.S.

Insecticides applied to the Spotted Lanternfly’s favorite foods, such as grapes and tree fruit, should be effective in eliminating future generations and managing their population from eating fruit from U.S. farms. Spraying insecticides would suffice until new ideas for combating this invasive pest were developed.

Developing Traps for the Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae)

Creating sticky traps for these pest could reduce the population of the Spotted Lanternfly by using the tree trunks that the pest would use to lay eggs for the next generation and learning how many Spotted Lanternflies have been detected with sticky trapping techniques or luring the pest by using the preferred tree they loved the most.

Relating antennal sensilla diversity and possible species behaviour in the planthopper pest Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae)

To learn more about the Spotted Lanternflies’ behavioral habits and whereabouts in America, learn about their anatomy functions that can be used against them by their sense of the antennas and responses to the environment. 

Small paper topic

1. The anatomy of the Spotted Lanternfly
2. Protection for the fruit trees, grape vines, and the plant trees from the Spotted Lanternflies
3. Capturing or eliminating the Spotted Lanternflies for good.

White paper

FBI negligence connected to Stoneman Douglas school shooting

https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-statement-on-the-shooting-in-parkland-florida

this article covers the FBI’s poor handling of the Stoneman Douglas school shooting, where a confidant of Nicholas Cruz warned the FBI threw the PAL tip line. He stated that Cruz had a detartrating mental state, had firearms readily available, and had spoken ambitions of conducting a mass shooting. Upon hearing this information the FBI ignored the mans warnings and months later tragedy struck Stoneman Douglas high school because of the FBI’s unforgivable negligence.

the squid ink tattoo scandal

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/12/feds-paid-a-teen-to-get-a-neck-tattoo-of-a-giant-squid-smoking-a-joint/282279/

this reference talks about a massive sting operation conducted across the entire US, in predominately low income areas. In one case the ATF set up a sting house at a smoke shop. This smoke shop was frequented by a young man before the ATF had aquired the location, agents that had been posing as workers or the shop approached the man and became friends with him, knowing that the man normally frequented the spot alone. They told him to aquire drugs, firearms, and contact information/the trust of criminals. After networking in dangerous enviornments the man had made a close friend among others that were not as close. The man and his friend were told by agents to get neck tattoos of the fictional smoke shop and were paid $150 each to do so, many believe that the ATF wanted this done to help the reputation of the smoke shop so it wasn’t believed to be a fraudulent business with the soul pperpose to entrap criminals.

the Hepting VS AT&T and the ninth circuit court transcripts

Click to access 09-16676.pdf

in 2006, Gregory hicks, Carolyn Jewel, erik Knutzen, and tash hepting sued/appelled the United States government and AT&T on the grounds that the government and AT&T were collaborating to syphon  information from American civilians and servey them at will.

To keep it short, the case was moved to the ninth circuit because the united states district court for the northern district of California rejected the governments motion to dismiss the case stating that disclosing such information could jeperdise national security. When the case was appealed to the ninth circuit it was dismissed, on June 3^rd, 2009; this was achieved by citing the FISA amendment acts (which were amended in 2008). This effectively put an end to Heptings battle for the truth but it did help inspire the Electronic Frontier Foundation to continue their efforts on other related cases such as Jewel V. NSA.

State Secret Privilege

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_secrets_privilege

the State Secret Privilege is and evidentiary rule, when it is applied to a case it calls for an exclusion of evidence on the grounds that said evidence may expose or harm US security.

First, the government must provide an affidavid, which is usually easiely abtainable, they then present the court with the affidavid and state that this official condones these actions (dismissal of evidence) and highly advises the courts to drop the evidence. When this motion is granted any evidence pretaining to the privilege is completely removed from the litigation.

the crash of the b-29 aircraft and the origin of the sectet privilege

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/345/1

this inncodent is when the state secret privilege was created. In 1948, a secret test flight was conducted over Waycross, Georgia, the aircraft was a B-29 military bomber that was upgraded with classified electronic equipment. Onboard were nine crew members and four civilian observers, six of the nine crewman and three of the four observers were killed when a fire that occurred in one of the engines. After the incident, widows of the fallen service men and civilians filed a suit with the government for answers. The law suit lead nowhere however, the US government stated that sensitive information was at stake and the disclosure of evidence was inherently dangerous.

Working Hypothesis: The psychological aspect in sports is just as prevalent as physical; stress and anxiety can tear down an athlete’s psyche and destroy their performance.

Purposeful Summary 1: Psychological Factors in Sport Performance

The stress that comes along with sports, commonly raises an acute level of anxiety in athletes. However, roughly 35% of athletes believe that this anxiety – typically at high level moments in sport – actually raise their abilities to perform. Numerous factors such as the sport the individual plays, the level of sport they play, or their experience seems to have no valuable effect on the anxiety levels athletes induce. The MHM (Mental Health Model) proposes that an athletes level of performance should rise or fall accordingly with their mental health.

According to the MHM, successful athletes seemed to have similar mental qualities that became a pattern, likewise with the unsuccessful athletes. To conduct this research, a number of athletes were split up into their ability class, such as “pre-elite, elite, or international level.” Then they were split again on their success levels. Next, the mental assessments began. Successful athletes scored a higher average on mental health, mood state, emotional stability, and vigor. While unsuccessful athletes scored higher on tension, depression, anger, and confusion. These successful athletes were also far more likely to be extroverted compared to their counterparts.

Raglin, J.S. Psychological Factors in Sport Performance. Sports Med 31, 875–890 (2001).

Purposeful Summary 2: Fear of Failure and Anxiety in Sport

The factors that directly correlate to anxiety in sport are not short in quantity. Fear of failure, fear of social repercussions, and fear of performance are all very prevalent in the rise of anxiousness and stress during sport activity. Athletes that do suffer from a higher level of anxiety constantly think about these consequences of their performance. However, fear of failure seems to be more prevalent than all the other factors.

Fear of failure is strongly connected to anxiety in athletes. Nearly 83% of athletes who had a fear of failure, had above average levels of anxiety. However, fear of failure (FoF) did not only connect to anxiety, FoF played a significant role in concentration disruption and somatic anxiety subscales. Any athlete who has a severe case of FoF will be second questioning every decision they make in game, resulting in a deeper consequence than just anxiety. High anxiety athletes tend to focus more on the consequences after the game than their counterparts. As well as focusing more about factors relating to their performance and to their social consequences.

Correia, M. E., & Rosado, A. Fear of failure and anxiety in Sport. Análise Psicológica.

Purposeful Summary 3: High-Performance Work Systems and Job Control: Consequences for Anxiety, Role Overload, and Turnover Intentions

High-performance work systems and job control seem to have startling connections. How strong of a grip a person has on their job, directly connects to the level of anxiety they receive. The research for this statement was conducted through a survey of 16 local authorities who, in total, have 128 departments, 1775 employees who took part. The employees in these departments answered a survey of questions. To determine the HPWS, scale based questions were asked, the total at the end would determine the HPWS. Likewise for job control. Then there were some personal questions on anxiety and role overload to determine how anxious these employees are.

The results were not surprising, but were conclusive. Those who did not believe they had a stronghold on their position were more likely to have high level anxiety, more likely to be thinking about getting a new job or looking for one, and were more likely to believe their role was overloaded. In contrast, those who had a sense of security in their job were less likely to have high level anxiety, less likely to be thinking about transferring jobs, and less likely to think their workload was too much.

In connection to sport, those who do not have the confidence in themselves to believe they have secured their position (fear of failure), are more likely to be hit with overwhelming anxiety.

Jaclyn M. Jensen, P. C. P. High-performance work systems and job control: Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions. SAGE Journals.

Purposeful Summary 4: Trait emotional intelligence in sports: A protective role against stress through heart rate variability?

In short, emotion plays a massive role in performance during sport activity. With the introduction to competition in sport, stress and anxiety are bound to come to the surface. Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a role in ones ability to not only utilize their own emotions to be more efficient athletically, but also communicate with the ones surrounding them by understanding their emotions. Conversely, understanding the other team’s emotions will improve one’s ability to make decisions on the field. Athletes must be able top cope with the stress and anxiety that accompanies sport. EI at a high levels makes it easier for athletes to not only cope properly with the stress, but utilize the stress to perform at a higher level. EI seems to be strongly correlated to self-control, a trait that makes it easier for one to withstand pressure, regulate stress, and control their emotions.

This article is attempting to prove EI’s importance in sport with a controlled experiment. Using an emotional trait questionnaire, a 153 item list that each participant would answer. Each athlete would then be hooked up to a heart rate reader allowing their heart rate variability to be read. To make it a controlled experiment, each athlete was forbidden to take in caffeine or any sort of stimulant, they were then told that the experiment would test their “concentration.” The conductors got their base heart rates prior to the experiment. Each participant was then introduced to some negative imagery that would mimic the effect of trash talking. After this “stressor” they were introduced to a 100 problem list that had a two minute timer to mimic competition.

Results saw high trait EI athletes having less variance in their HR while low trait EI athletes had a higher variance in their HR. The results gave us some insight on how high trait EI athletes look at competitors. Rather than seeing competitors as threats, they view them as a challenge. Leaving the stress lowered and anxiety lowered as well.

Laborde, S., Brüll, A., Weber, J., & Anders, L. S. (2011, March 29). Trait Emotional Intelligence in sports: A protective role against stress through heart rate variability? Personality and Individual Differences.

Purposeful Summary 5: The Relationship Between Anxiety and Performance: A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective

Competitive anxiety is higher for individual sport athletes than team athletes. Individual sport athletes do not have the ability to rely on others for assistance in their job, as well as knowing that only one person can be of blame for a bad performance. Through numerous studies, there is proof that cognitive anxiety holds a strong influence on one’s performance. There seems to be a different understanding of anxiety in athletes, some believe it to be debilitative while others see it as facilitative. Those who choose the latter see less anxiety in their sports compared to the other.

Athletes who score higher on self-confidence tests are more likely to see anxiety as facilitative during activity. Individual sport athletes are also seen to have marginally less confidence in themselves than team sport athletes. Although an athletes mental capacities are huge in their athletic performance, there are still other clear factors that will effect their performance. An athlete with terrible confidence and considerable physical talent and ability can certainly outperform an athlete with the opposite.

Humara, Miguel The Relationship Between Anxiety and Performance: A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective Athletic Insight.

Purposeful Summary 6: How is stress affecting my health?

To attain a quick definition and explanation on stress from another, more medicinal view. A concise view point and definition on the signs of stress and how they may affect one’s livelihood. Gives a possibility on the reasoning of stress and the potential consequences of what the stress may result in.

Most important reason for this article is the types of stress. This page introduces the 4 main types of stress along with a definition of each. Acute stress being the most common type of stress, the stress we engage with the majority of our days. Chronic stress being a relentless force of stress that seems inescapable. Chronic stress is typically resulted from traumatic experiences. Episodic acute stress is the third type of stress that is reoccurring acute stress that dictates our lives when active. The fourth type of stress is the positive type known as eustress. Eustress is mostly perceived in times that we equate to adrenaline rushes like competition and deadlines.

Elizabeth Scott, P. D. (2020, August 3). How is stress affecting my health? Verywell Mind.

Purposeful Summary 7: Some quantitative properties of anxiety.

Anxiety has defining properties that separate it from similar diagnoses like stress. One is that anxiety resembles what we believe to be fear. Fear typically results when we are aware we do not know what is going to happen, typically resulting in a loss of courage. The other defining property is that the stimulus that creates this feeling of fear is not accompanied in the current moment, but rather in a sense of anticipation. Anxiety does not result from worries of current events but rather through expectation and anticipation.

This definition of anxiety can certainly be impactful in the athletic conversation. Players who set expectations on themselves and invest in their anticipations will have more potential stress and anxiety than those athletes who prepare without investing in their anticipations.

Estes, W. K., & Skinner, B. F. Some quantitative properties of anxiety. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 29(5), 390–400.

Purposeful Summary 8: Hans Selye (1907-1982): Founder of the stress theory.

The father of stress. The founder of stress theory, Hans Selye. This page goes over the life of Hans and certain activities in his life that took him down the route of stress theory. Before him, stress was only used practically in a physical sense. For example, the term stress would be used when a force is put onto an object. Hans’ work transformed the notion of stress to much more than what it was previously perceived as. Hans was one of the few who never believed what he was doing was “work,” rather he thought of his work as leisure. From the day he was born, Hans was destined for greatness. Supposedly being able to speak 4 languages by the age of 4, he was born to be a pioneer.

Tan, S. Y., & Yip, A. (2018, April). Hans Selye (1907-1982): Founder of the stress theory. Singapore medical journal.

Purposeful Summary 9: Facts & Statistics: Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA.

A few useful statistics are available here. Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the US, seen in nearly 20% of American adults. Yet, only about 40% of those who suffer from anxiety receive treatment to help themselves. Stress is a reaction to a situation where anxiety is a reaction to stress. 1 in 4 children between the ages of 13-18 suffer from an anxiety disorder. “Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.”

Facts & Statistics: Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA.

Purposeful Summary 10:  What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is a massive factor in one’s abilities to control their emotions and take advantage of them. Those who are aware of their stress can take control of their feelings and use it to their advantage. Emotions precede thought, the faster the awareness of emotions is realized, the better one can control their emotions and create a better environment. When there is not a realization of emotions, emotions can diminish our typical abilities to process information and act on said information.

Emotional intelligence could mean just as much, if not more than, IQ. “In a 2003 Harvard Business Review reported that 80% of competencies that differentiate top performers from others are in the domain of Emotional Intelligence.” Unlike our perceived IQ, emotional intelligence can be strengthened greatly with practice of situations that would pertain to emotional control. Emotional intelligence does not only factor an individual though, one with high emotional intelligence has a better ability to read others and understand what they may be thinking.

Goleman, Daniel What is emotional intelligence? IHHP.

Topics for Smaller Papers: (Kinda confused on this one)

How anxiety can effect someone’s ability to perform.

The correlation between stress and anxiety.

Physical ability versus mental ability in sport.

Current State of Research Paper:

I feel pretty satisfied with the amount of sources I have been able to accumulate. However, using the words stress and anxiety in my hypothesis is bound to lead to some inconsistencies. Stress and anxiety both do not necessarily have strict definitions, especially in how many contexts these two can be perceived in. I have to find a suitable definition for both of these terms and stay consistent to them in my paper.

Update: I’m a little worried on how I’m going to connect all of these topics but the worry is not overwhelming. With a little extra work I’m sure the goal of this paper can be reached. I’m happy with the sources and the available information to me through google scholar. The use of google scholar has been huge during this search for sources, especially Rowan’s access to different platforms and libraries.