Tag: Glen Waddell

Investigating Variations in Unemployment Between North and South Spain and Associated Implications

Presenter: Emily Kraschel − Economics

Faculty Mentor(s): Glen Waddell, Dennis Galvan

Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation

Unemployment in Southern Spain has long been significantly higher than in Northern Spain, negatively affecting Spain’s national unemployment rate. This has caused Spain to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU, making it a target for sanctions and corrective policies which further isolate it from the international community. The regional difference has previously been explored through purely quantitative methods and is widely attributed to a deficit in industrial output or a cultural aversion to work. The purpose of this research is to use a combination of quantitative decomposition through regression and various historical, policy, and geo-sensing sources to determine correctable factors which may contribute to unemployment and areas where further development may attract industry and workers. The regression model suggests that regional differences in industrial output and overall age have insignificant effects on unemployment, while education, working age, and population have significant effects. Sensing suggests the South may lack not only employment opportunities but the necessary infrastructure to support the desired growth. To improve employment rates in Southern Spain, education and youth employment must be better supported, and infrastructure and resources must be improved to allow for growth in all sectors of industry.

The role of financial rewards in foreign accent perception

Presenter(s): Chasen Afghani—Linguistics

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Baese-Berk, Glen Waddell

Session 1: Speech and Sound—Can you Hear Me?

Native speakers often have challenges understanding non-native speech . Previous studies have shown that both cognitive and social factors affect perception of non-native speech by native speakers . It has also been demonstrated that native listeners can improve at this task over time . In the current study we ask how financial rewards affect adaptation to non-native speech . Two subject groups were asked to transcribe unfamiliar, non-native accented speech stimuli . The control group was asked to transcribe the speech as accurately as possible . The experimental group was given similar instructions, with an additional note that they will receive monetary compensation corresponding to the accuracy of their transcriptions . Here, we examine accuracy and learning over the course of the experiment . We hypothesize that the experimental group will start the study with a higher level of accuracy, will have a steeper learning curve throughout the study, and will demonstrate greater accuracy at the end of the experiment . This work will add to a growing body of evidence that a variety of factors impact listeners’ ability to understand unfamiliar accented speech, and that these factors also impact adaptation over time .