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The Effect Of Email Communication On Professor-Student Rapport, Academic Self-Efficacy, Resiliency, Motivation, And Spirituality, David J. Heim Jan 2024

The Effect Of Email Communication On Professor-Student Rapport, Academic Self-Efficacy, Resiliency, Motivation, And Spirituality, David J. Heim

MSU Graduate Theses

Student retention and success rates are an increasing concern among collegiate administrators and educators. This study examined the influence of a college instructor’s email communications on professor-student rapport, student academic self-efficacy, resilience, motivation, and success. Researchers hypothesized that the student participants who received the encouraging email communications from their professor would demonstrate higher levels of professor-student rapport, higher levels of academic self-efficacy, resiliency, and success compared to the students who receive standard email communications from their professor. Five scales were utilized in this study including Professor-Student Rapport Scale, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30), Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES), …


Grit, Efficacy, Commitment And Career Planning, Mary Clare Newsham Jan 2023

Grit, Efficacy, Commitment And Career Planning, Mary Clare Newsham

MSU Graduate Theses

This current study advanced understanding of the career goal-setting and relevant goal-related attitudes to the career planning process. Specifically, this study evaluated how career goal commitment, career goal self-efficacy and grit affect career goal structures and effort. A multidimensional career goal commitment scale was developed to differentiate intrinsic (affective) from rational types of commitments. Findings supported affective career goal commitment as consequential to the completeness of career goal structures and in career-relevant effort. Also, career goal self-efficacy was found to predict career planners’ self-efficacy for shorter term performance.


Effect Of Color On License Plate Recall, Hannah R. Johnson Jan 2023

Effect Of Color On License Plate Recall, Hannah R. Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

Accurate and quick license plate recall is important for identification purposes, especially in emergency situations, such as hit-and-runs. Previous research has shown that there are particular patterns of license plate designs that are easier to recall, such as a higher digit to letter ratio. Missouri license plate patterns (AB1-C2D) somewhat diverge from what research suggests works best for recall. The current study sought to determine if including color into license plate designs would improve recall. There were 48 undergraduate students from Missouri State University who participated in the experiment. Participants saw 100 timed trials of license plate stimuli, where they …


Measuring Microaggressions In The Advisor Advisee Relationship: Preliminary Scale Development, Samantha Lynn Bumgardaner Jan 2023

Measuring Microaggressions In The Advisor Advisee Relationship: Preliminary Scale Development, Samantha Lynn Bumgardaner

MSU Graduate Theses

A number of survey instruments exist to measure microaggressions across various contexts and across numerous historically underrepresented groups. However, no such scale exists to assess microaggressions within the advisor-advisee relationship. The academic advisor-advisee relationship can make—or break—a student’s experience at a university, both personally and academically. Thus, microaggressions in the advisor-advisee relationship could impose numerous negative implications, both psychologically and academically. The goal of the present study aimed to develop a psychometrically sound scale to measure microaggressions in this association. Overall, findings from the present study offer preliminary support of a two-factor measure to assess microaggressions within the advisor-advisee relationship …


Investigating Relations Regarding The Religious Ought, Ideal, And Actual Self Using A Relational Density Theory Approach, Kam Barker Jan 2023

Investigating Relations Regarding The Religious Ought, Ideal, And Actual Self Using A Relational Density Theory Approach, Kam Barker

MSU Graduate Theses

Religiosity may produce positive outcomes (e.g., greater life satisfaction, hope, and optimism) or negative outcomes (e.g., psychological distress), especially if the individual’s identity is in conflict (Koenig, 2001). This distress, as explained by self-discrepancy theory, is caused by inconsistency between the self-concept (attributes the individual believes they currently possess) and the self-guides, consisting of the ‘ought’ self (attributes the individual believes they ought to -or should- possess) and the 'ideal' self (attributes the individual desires to possess) (Higgins, 1987). Exploring stimulus relations related to these ‘selves’ using a relational density framework (Belisle & Dixon, 2020) may provide insight regarding relational …


Toward A Behavior Analysis Of Discrimination And Prejudice: Racism, Sexism, And The Stigmatization Of Autism, Claire M. Zuch Jan 2023

Toward A Behavior Analysis Of Discrimination And Prejudice: Racism, Sexism, And The Stigmatization Of Autism, Claire M. Zuch

MSU Graduate Theses

Behavior analysts are becoming increasingly aware of and involved in the study of issues related to sex, gender, disability, prejudice, and discrimination. This thesis integrates and discusses two collaborative manuscripts that revolve around the shared subject matter of multi-level research on systemic issues. In the first chapter, sexism and gender bias are conceptualized and informed by the framework of the nested sociobehavioral model of racism developed by Belisle et al. (2022), including implicit bias, selective gender norms, and systemic oppression, while integrating feminist and queer theories in the analysis. A model-dependent scoping review of research in major behavior analytic journals …


Between Choice And Compulsion: An Examination And Critique Of The Evolution Of 'Original Sin', Matthew James Wynn Jan 2023

Between Choice And Compulsion: An Examination And Critique Of The Evolution Of 'Original Sin', Matthew James Wynn

MSU Graduate Theses

“Why are we the way that we are?” is one of the hardest questions to answer because it requires grasping the origin of human beings. This has left philosophers and theologians in century-long debates on forming a “cosmogony of ontology” (i.e., how the origin of the universe informs the human condition). The concept, “original sin” was developed by a North African theologian named Augustine (354 – 430 CE). Augustine’s reading of Genesis 3, and inaccurate translation of Romans 5:12, taught that a person is born morally culpable for a fault antecedent to their existence. This way of thinking about the …


The Development And Validation Of Implicit Measures For Black Women Stereotypes, Natasha Pierre Jan 2023

The Development And Validation Of Implicit Measures For Black Women Stereotypes, Natasha Pierre

MSU Graduate Theses

The struggles that Black women face in everyday life are underrepresented in the research literature. Part of these hardships involve negative stereotypes that are associated with Black women. The purpose of this project was to create measures to assess the implicit association between stereotypic attributes and Black women. This study used Implicit Association Test (IAT) procedures to develop implicit measures of Black women stereotypes and investigate relationships with theoretically related explicit (self-report) measures in a sample of university students. Results indicated the implicit measures have acceptable psychometric properties (low stimuli misclassification error rates and adequate internal consistency) and sufficient variability …


The Strong Black Woman Schema: How It Informs The Gendered Racial Identity Development Of Black College Women/Non-Binary Students And Their Navigation Of Pwis, Whitney Ngozi Akalugwu Jan 2023

The Strong Black Woman Schema: How It Informs The Gendered Racial Identity Development Of Black College Women/Non-Binary Students And Their Navigation Of Pwis, Whitney Ngozi Akalugwu

MSU Graduate Theses

The strong Black woman schema (SBW) is known to be a salient aspect of Black womanhood. This culturally specific schema can be understood as a protective factor against the social inequities that Black women are subjected to. However, not much is known on how the SBW schema informs Black college women’s gendered racial identity development and how it informs their navigation of PWIs. The purpose of this study is to explore the strong Black woman schema and how it informs the gendered racial identity development of Black college women/non-binary students and their navigation of PWIs. This study will also address …


Phenomenological Study Into The Role Of Self-Efficacy In Minority Student-Athletes' Sport Performance, Tomas A. Singhgolden Jan 2023

Phenomenological Study Into The Role Of Self-Efficacy In Minority Student-Athletes' Sport Performance, Tomas A. Singhgolden

MSU Graduate Theses

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to successfully complete a task, which can be derived from four sources of information (i.e., past performance, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states). The role of self-efficacy in sporting performance is well documented as being positively associated with enhanced performance across multiple levels of sport (e.g., Olympic, collegiate athletes). Specifically, with collegiate athletes, high levels of reported self-efficacy have resulted in higher performance accomplishments. Although self-efficacy has been researched within sports, there is a dearth of knowledge examining ethnic minority athletes’ perceptions of self-efficacy related to their athletic performance. The aim …


Validation Of An Internet Search Strategies Assessment, Joseph A. Wansing Jan 2022

Validation Of An Internet Search Strategies Assessment, Joseph A. Wansing

MSU Graduate Theses

The internet has become the go-to place for those seeking information. The strategies that people employ when seeking information differ (Tsai, 2005), and critical thinking is related to these differences (Zhang et al., 2015). Although people use different strategies to find information on the internet, there are virtually no formal, easy to use tools for assessing these differences. Wansing and Wood (2020) developed the Internet Search Strategies Assessment (ISSA) for this purpose. A preliminary study revealed that the scale had four factors as hypothesized, but the measure did not correlate as well as expected with other theoretically related scales. This …


Using Music Training To Increase Social Responsiveness And Happiness In Children With Autism, Meghan Talarico Jan 2022

Using Music Training To Increase Social Responsiveness And Happiness In Children With Autism, Meghan Talarico

MSU Graduate Theses

Social skills are imperative for individuals’ success in their daily lives because they are applied in areas such as shared interests and cooperative work and play. This study was a replication with extension of the study on a musical treatment of social skills by Finnigan and Starr (2010). The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of musical and non-musical interventions on the sharing and turn-taking behavior of five children with autism. The participants were four boys and one girl between the ages of 4- and 8-years-old who had a diagnosis of autism and were receiving ABA …


Stay-At-Home Fathers: What Is Their Life Really Like? An Intimate Portrayal, Christi Ann Hosking Jan 2022

Stay-At-Home Fathers: What Is Their Life Really Like? An Intimate Portrayal, Christi Ann Hosking

MSU Graduate Theses

Reinforced by years of gender stereotypes is modern societies’ definition of masculinity, which has long been characterized by breadwinning and providing. Current literature has observed the growing trend which finds an increasing number of men engaged in the role of caregiver and the dynamic change in the home-work balance. Only a few studies looked at what life is like for a stay-at-home father and even fewer have allowed these fathers a unique voice for sharing their story. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of what day to day life was really like as a stay-at-home …


Overcoming The Odds: The Effects Of The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity, Lifetime Trauma, And Resiliency On Empathy And Conscientiousness, Victoria West Staples Jan 2022

Overcoming The Odds: The Effects Of The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity, Lifetime Trauma, And Resiliency On Empathy And Conscientiousness, Victoria West Staples

MSU Graduate Theses

This research sought to understand the connection between trauma and the development of resiliency while examining the effects of that relationship on empathy and conscientiousness. Specifically, this study was created to answer four main questions: (1) Does early childhood adversity predict later life trauma? (2) Does childhood adversity and cumulative lifetime traumatic experiences impact the development of resiliency and its subconstructs (i.e., interpersonal resiliency and intrapersonal resiliency)? (3) Is empathy impacted by the presence of resiliency, specifically examining its effect on cognitive and affective empathy (using questionnaires and galvanic skin response)? (4) And is conscientiousness related to resiliency subconstructs? There …


Measuring Gender-Related Biases And Exploring Methods To Diminish Bias By Targeting Relations For Defusion, Chynna B. Frizell Jan 2022

Measuring Gender-Related Biases And Exploring Methods To Diminish Bias By Targeting Relations For Defusion, Chynna B. Frizell

MSU Graduate Theses

Biases related to gender are an important area of empirical attention in the United States due to social challenges related to prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination based on gender. The purpose of this study is to evaluate potential bias related to binary and nonbinary gender using a measure of relational responding rooted in Relational Density Theory (RDT) (Belisle & Dixon, 2020). Mass and volume of networks in terms of gendered stereotypical relations are assessed to further examine binary gendered stereotypes and to examine relations regarding nonbinary genders in the context of traditionally masculine and feminine labels. Implicit biases regarding male and …


Maintenance Of Language And Learning Skills Using Peak Relational Training During Extended School Closure, Kayla Marie Welch Jan 2022

Maintenance Of Language And Learning Skills Using Peak Relational Training During Extended School Closure, Kayla Marie Welch

MSU Graduate Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental and neurological disorder that affects how people communicate, interact with others, behave, and learn. Applied Behavior Analysis is a scientific approach to predicting and influencing behavior that has been applied successfully in supporting children with ASD. Due to communication and intellectual differences experienced by those diagnosed with ASD, it is important to identify therapies and interventions that focus on language development as well as maintenance of intervention gains during unexpected lapses in instruction. The PEAK Relational Training System (Dixon et al., 2017)is a treatment framework that exists within ABA to address language and …


The Development And Validation Of Implicit Measures For Power Motivation, Timothy Luke T. Amadore Jan 2022

The Development And Validation Of Implicit Measures For Power Motivation, Timothy Luke T. Amadore

MSU Graduate Theses

Power motivation has been operationalized and explicitly measured both as a global and a multi-dimensional construct. However, implicit measures have focused on evaluating power motivation as a unidimensional construct. Thus, it is worth evaluating whether an implicit measure of power motivation can also measure power motivation as three distinct constructs – Dominance, Prestige, and Leadership (Social) motivation. This study used Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures to develop implicit measures for power motivation both as a global and multi-dimensional construct. A multitrait-multimethod design was used to examine the construct validity evidence for the new measures. Confirmatory Factor Analyses provided moderate evidence …


Stress And Its Interventions In Undergraduate College Students During Covid-19, Katie A. Jones Jan 2022

Stress And Its Interventions In Undergraduate College Students During Covid-19, Katie A. Jones

MSU Graduate Theses

Though stress in postsecondary education is a highly researched topic, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has created many new questions that require answers. It is important to connect total perceived stress in undergraduate students with academic, COVID-19, and distance-learning factors and examine the effectiveness of interventions on stress and anxiety during the pandemic. This research determines the efficacy of mindfulness stress interventions (cognitive-behavioral, guided meditation, and music) for individual differences in stress, self- efficacy, and anxiety and links these variables to performance. This study measures levels of different types of stress (total perceived, distance-learning, academic, and COVID-19) for undergraduate …


Conceptualizations Of A Flea Market Space, Tyler D. Curran Jan 2022

Conceptualizations Of A Flea Market Space, Tyler D. Curran

MSU Graduate Theses

The ubiquitous presence of flea markets is emblematic of midwestern life. They illustrate common consumption practices and distinct modes of entertainment. This study investigates how vendors within a large, midwestern flea market conceptualize and utilize the space. Additionally, this study reveals the relationship between variant conceptualizations of the market and the merchandise sold by individual vendors. Existing research identifies a tension between social and economic dimensions within flea markets. This study extends prior research by examining the specific social fulfillments vendors garner and identifying other non-economic rationalizations for participation within the market. The results are derived from ethnographic observations and …


Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Self-Compassion Training With Disability Support Staff, Jessica M. Venegoni Jan 2022

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Self-Compassion Training With Disability Support Staff, Jessica M. Venegoni

MSU Graduate Theses

The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of self-compassion training with disability support staff concurrently completing their college education for career advancement. The intervention was guided by a combined Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Self-Compassion training framework. The ACT Matrix was utilized within the study prior to intervention to determine values within self-compassion and to identify three behaviors to target within the weekly self-compassion training, and daily behavior report (Polk and Schoendorf, 2014). During the intervention phase, daily reported self-compassion behaviors and weekly reported self-compassion scores were collected (Neff, 2003a; Belisle et al., 2022), as well as their …


The Examination And Evaluation Of The Public Foster Care System's Attachment-Based Intervention And Trainings For Foster Parents In The West North Division Of The Midwestern States, Brooke T. Crowell Jan 2022

The Examination And Evaluation Of The Public Foster Care System's Attachment-Based Intervention And Trainings For Foster Parents In The West North Division Of The Midwestern States, Brooke T. Crowell

MSU Graduate Theses

The effectiveness of many foster parent training curricula in the United States foster care system is basically unknown (Adkins et al., 2018). Furthermore, there is little to no research that indicate when and how attachment-focused interventions and trainings are being implemented in the United States. Thus, the initial purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate interventions and trainings pertaining to attachment that exist throughout the United States public foster care system. As this study progressed however, the purpose shifted to answering this question: How is the Midwest foster care system training staff and foster parents on issues of …


The Influence Of Psychological Safety On Leadership Attitudes And Beliefs In College Students, Ján Koperniech Jan 2022

The Influence Of Psychological Safety On Leadership Attitudes And Beliefs In College Students, Ján Koperniech

MSU Graduate Theses

The goal of the present study is to examine whether there is a link between experiences of psychological safety and certain beliefs and attitudes college students have about organizational leadership. While the locus of most of the research on psychological safety is the workplace, this study examines the effects of psychological safety in three environments: home, school, and work. One-hundred and ninety-nine psychology students reported their experiences and attitudes by completing an online survey. The results showed no significant relationship between psychological safety and systemic and hierarchical beliefs about leadership. The findings, as well as recommendations for future research, are …


Equine-Assisted Therapy And Learning Interventions With Youth: A Meta-Analysis And Quasi-Experimental Study., Sarah Lovins Jan 2022

Equine-Assisted Therapy And Learning Interventions With Youth: A Meta-Analysis And Quasi-Experimental Study., Sarah Lovins

MSU Graduate Theses

Equine-assisted psychotherapy interventions have become increasingly used and tested as an alternative or complementary approach with youth. This project presents two studies. The first study consists of an overview of existing reviews and a meta-analysis of controlled and comparison studies on the effectiveness of equine interventions with youth. A comprehensive search and selection procedure produced 3,525 records, from which 56 quantitative studies were identified, and ultimately 16 controlled or comparison studies were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Results showed a statistically significant, medium, and homogenous effect size for the overall effectiveness of equine interventions for youth psycho-social outcomes ( …


The Effects Of Pyramidal Training Of Behavioral Skills Training On Staff Interactions With Students With Developmental Disabilities, Mallory Eoff Jan 2022

The Effects Of Pyramidal Training Of Behavioral Skills Training On Staff Interactions With Students With Developmental Disabilities, Mallory Eoff

MSU Graduate Theses

Well-trained staff are critical for quality care in human service settings, but training requires resources that are often unavailable or restricted. This results in staff with inadequate training and worse outcomes for those in their care. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is an effective training strategy with empirical support. The current study implemented a pyramidal training procedure with BST to train staff to increase staff use of positive interactions and behavior-specific praise statements when working with children with developmental disabilities in a public-school setting. Instruction, modeling, practice, and feedback were used to teach lead classroom teachers and their paraprofessionals how to …


Using Scorecards To Improve The Performance Of Behavior Technicians In An Autism Treatment Clinic, Carly M. Ruether Jan 2022

Using Scorecards To Improve The Performance Of Behavior Technicians In An Autism Treatment Clinic, Carly M. Ruether

MSU Graduate Theses

Staff performance is important to the success of businesses and employers often use different methods to increase staff performance and motivate their staff. Performance scorecards, goal setting, and feedback are some methods of increasing staff performance. The goal of the current study was to partially replicate and extend Griffin et al.’s (2019) study utilizing performance scorecards to increase targeted behaviors of employees. In the current study, pre-intervention survey results were used to inform the choice of intervention based on deficiencies. Based on the results of the pre-intervention questionnaire, it was concluded that “task clarification and prompting” and “performance consequences, effort, …


Building A Repertoire Of Joint Attention Bids In Children With Autism, Erica Jordan Rackers Dec 2021

Building A Repertoire Of Joint Attention Bids In Children With Autism, Erica Jordan Rackers

MSU Graduate Theses

The current study extended previous research through evaluating if a multiple-probe procedure including auditory scripts and script-fading procedures could build a generalized repertoire of initiating bids for joint attention in three young children with autism. Stimuli were selected from four categories. Three categories were associated with teaching procedures and within-category generalization. The fourth category was associated with across-category generalization. The four categories were (a) visually alluring toys, (b) strangely placed objects, (c) large pictures, and (d) sounds. Category assignments in which teaching procedures or generalization were assessed were counterbalanced across the participants. Three different auditory scripts were selected and used …


Using Self-Management Procedures To Decrease Social Media Usage In Adults, Olivia Joy Solari Dec 2021

Using Self-Management Procedures To Decrease Social Media Usage In Adults, Olivia Joy Solari

MSU Graduate Theses

Social media is a widely used tool and the effects it has on well-being and productivity levels are well known. Due to widespread concern about the negative effects (e.g., addiction, reduced productivity, unhappiness) of social media there is increased interest in methods for reducing this behavior. Self-management techniques have shown great utility for managing behavior. The current study used a changing-criterion design with an embedded reversal to determine the effectiveness of a self-management treatment package on decreasing participant social media usage. The treatment package consisted of feedback, self-monitoring, goal setting, and a token economy. Results of the current study show …


Body Image Among High School And College Female Athletes, Mercedes A. Robinson Dec 2021

Body Image Among High School And College Female Athletes, Mercedes A. Robinson

MSU Graduate Theses

This study examined body image among female high school athletes and college athletes across different sports. Athletes participating in track and field, tennis, cross country, dance, cheer, softball, golf, basketball, soccer, and volleyball completed self-report questionnaires assessing various components of body image including the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearances Questionnaire (SATAQ-4), and an edited version of the CHEER Survey. Responses on the questionnaires were analyzed to evaluate differences between high school and college athletes. No differences were found between high school and college athletes on measures of shape/weight concerns, sociocultural pressures for thinness, or internalization of the …


Nicu Experiences Of Adoptive Parents & Desired Preparation, Catherine J. Howe Dec 2021

Nicu Experiences Of Adoptive Parents & Desired Preparation, Catherine J. Howe

MSU Graduate Theses

Parents who have newborns admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) have multiple experiences and emotions. Additional social and emotional layers are experienced by adoptive couples when the infant they wish to adopt needs specialized care. This research study was completed to find out what adoptive parents experience in the NICU and what preparation would have been helpful. The method included semi-structured, open-ended interviews with seven couples who adopted a newborn at a Midwestern adoption agency within the past three years and had a NICU experience. The results described adoptive couples’ experiences on the unit, bonding and attachment, fears …


The Influence Of Human Attentional State And Familiarity On Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris) And Siberian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Altaica) Sociability, Jenna J. Dail Aug 2021

The Influence Of Human Attentional State And Familiarity On Bengal Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris) And Siberian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Altaica) Sociability, Jenna J. Dail

MSU Graduate Theses

An essential element of an animal’s character is sociability (Gosling and John, 1999) and is demonstrated through interactions with other individuals (Capitanio, 2002). Although it is common to believe that domestic cats are not social beings, they have exhibited variance in solitary and social behavior, contingent on their environment and history (Turner, 2014). Much of the research on sociable behavior of animals has been completed between conspecifics. There has been less examination into interspecies sociability, and that which has been reviewed is focused on the relationship between humans and the domestic dog (Udell et al., 2010). Following this work, Vitale …