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Assessment Of Reliability And Stability Of Various Visual Search Parameters, Michael Don Mizer Dec 2017

Assessment Of Reliability And Stability Of Various Visual Search Parameters, Michael Don Mizer

MSU Graduate Theses

Research in social science has been on a continuous self-correcting path as scientists find new ways to look at old problems. Recent technology has given us the ability to perform compounded calculations in a fraction of previous times while recording complex measurements with greater degrees of precision. While this is helpful regarding corporeal measures, quantifying cognition is still a difficult task. Recently, many computer-aided eye tracking devices have been developed and used to validate visual search theories. However, few inquiries have been made assessing the reliability and stability of these methods. This study assessed the reliability and stability of visual …


A Comparison Of Traditional, Trial-Based, And Synthesized Contingency Trial-Based Functional Analyses, Kaitlin S. Curtis Dec 2017

A Comparison Of Traditional, Trial-Based, And Synthesized Contingency Trial-Based Functional Analyses, Kaitlin S. Curtis

MSU Graduate Theses

Researchers have developed functional analyses (FAs) to improve efficiency and correspondence that still use core components of the traditional format. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the correspondence between the trial-based FA and the traditional FA. I also evaluated the correspondence between the synthesized-contingency trial-based FA and the traditional FA. Within this study, I determined that by combining methods, I was able to reduce false negatives for escape found within the trial-based FAs and false-positives found within the synthesized contingency FAs.


Household Chipped Stone Technology At South Cape (23cg8): A Mississippian Hinterland Site In Southeast Missouri, Deseray L. Helton Dec 2017

Household Chipped Stone Technology At South Cape (23cg8): A Mississippian Hinterland Site In Southeast Missouri, Deseray L. Helton

MSU Graduate Theses

Mississippian archaeology is characterized by a longstanding bias towards studying large, mound-bearing sites as opposed to small hinterland sites. Although this bias has diminished in recent decades, research on hinterland sites is still relatively uncommon. This study helps correct that bias through an analysis of flaked stone technological organization at South-Cape (23CG8), a Mississippian hinterland site in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. A sample of flaked stone artifacts from two house features at the site was analyzed. The results indicate that residents at South Cape generally acquired and consumed higher quantities of local lithic raw material than of supra-local lithic raw material. …


The Unraveling Of The Nation-State In The Middle East: Examples Of Iraq And Syria, Zachary Kielp Dec 2017

The Unraveling Of The Nation-State In The Middle East: Examples Of Iraq And Syria, Zachary Kielp

MSU Graduate Theses

After the carnage of World War One and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire a new form of political organization was brought to the Middle East, the Nation-State. Based on European ideas of Sovereignty and equality between countries; the nation-state was thrust upon these areas that had no history or interest in adopting a foreign form of governance and served the primary purpose of safeguarding the imperial interests of Europe. Compounding their error, the regions of these new nation-states contained populations that had long resented and mistrusted each other. While these countries could be held together by repressive dictatorships for …


Czech Cultural Identity: Incompatible With Mass Muslim Immigration And Contributes To Rising European Populism, Alana Thi Vorda Dec 2017

Czech Cultural Identity: Incompatible With Mass Muslim Immigration And Contributes To Rising European Populism, Alana Thi Vorda

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis examines the respective successes and failures of the Czech experience with integrating Roma and Vietnamese immigrants, and asserts that, given deeply established historical and cultural narratives, and contemporary domestic political considerations as shown in these two previous cases, the Czech Republic is unlikely to effectively assimilate any new surge in Muslim immigration. Developments in the Czech Republic are likely, therefore, to reflect the accelerating populist momentum that is currently sweeping Central and Eastern European states.


Charting Constellations Of Power: Texas Public Education Policy, Hollie Wright Dec 2017

Charting Constellations Of Power: Texas Public Education Policy, Hollie Wright

MSU Graduate Theses

For decades, public education in Texas has been entrenched in neoliberalism-inspired policies that research shows largely fail to produce promised results and have a tendency to perpetuate the very problems advocates claim the policies will solve. This raises questions about the decision-makers and what is happening in the public education policy process. In line with Laura Nader’s directive for more anthropologists to make those in power the subject of their research, I used both ethnographic and social network analysis methods to ‘study up’ in Texas public education. This study describes some relationships of members of the Texas State Board of …


An Assessment Of North Korean Threats And Vulnerabilities In Cyberspace, Jeremiah Van Rossum Dec 2017

An Assessment Of North Korean Threats And Vulnerabilities In Cyberspace, Jeremiah Van Rossum

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis answers the fundamental questions of what North Korean capabilities and intent in cyberspace are and what North Korean threats and vulnerabilities are associated with these. It argues that although North Korea’s cyberspace resources and capabilities have increased and reached a level that represents an advanced persistent threat, its cyberspace operations have remained restrained and regional. It also argues that North Korea’s valuable assets include its ability to control cyberspace within North Korea and its ability to engage in cyberspace activities and operations from abroad. The thesis recommends that the United States government exploit these assets by denying and …


Comparison Of Trial-Based, Synthesized Trial-Based, And Traditional Functional Analyses, Kara Leigh Forck Dec 2017

Comparison Of Trial-Based, Synthesized Trial-Based, And Traditional Functional Analyses, Kara Leigh Forck

MSU Graduate Theses

I evaluated a synthesized trial-based functional analysis with two students who engaged in problem behavior by combining the methods from the trial-based functional analysis and synthesized contingency functional analysis. Multiple test conditions were combined into one test condition and were evaluated in 2-min trials. The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of correspondence of the results between the trial-based, synthesized trial-based, and traditional function analyses. One participant showed exact correspondence between the three functional analyses, while the other participant showed partial correspondence.


The Effects Of Goal Setting Type And Feedback On Basketball Skill Improvement, Shelby Diane White Dec 2017

The Effects Of Goal Setting Type And Feedback On Basketball Skill Improvement, Shelby Diane White

MSU Graduate Theses

Goal setting is a process that is used by many people in a variety of settings. For example, goals can be set for weight loss, career milestones, or anything a person would like to increase or decrease. According to Locke and Latham (1984), the best way to set a goal is to make sure the goal is specific. If someone wants to lose weight, the individual should state exactly how much weight they would like to lose and set a specific deadline for achieving the weight loss. A second aspect to goal setting is to make sure the goal is …


A Qualitative Study Of Group Therapy Incorporating Rap Music With Inmates, Abigail V. Richards Dec 2017

A Qualitative Study Of Group Therapy Incorporating Rap Music With Inmates, Abigail V. Richards

MSU Graduate Theses

This study aims to explore the lived experiences of inmates who participate in group psychotherapy incorporating elements of rap music. Rap music includes elements such as emotional expression, songwriting, community building, freestyling, and beat, which can be beneficial for individuals experiencing typical symptoms of incarceration such as anxiety, self-discovery, and difficulties regulating emotion. Ten inmates of a Missouri county justice center (50% male) were recruited on a volunteer basis to participate in a five-week psychotherapy group. The study involves psychoeducation, group-drumming, self-expression, and improvisation. Qualitative data were collected through an interview process with participants, including inmates, facilitators and supervisors. Results …


Contemplative Practices And Post-Secondary Well-Being: Potential Methods For Reducing Test Anxiety, Shannon S. Hayden Aug 2017

Contemplative Practices And Post-Secondary Well-Being: Potential Methods For Reducing Test Anxiety, Shannon S. Hayden

MSU Graduate Theses

Students encounter numerous sources of stress in college from school work to examinations. A proposed method for reducing test related anxiety is contemplative practice (namely, mindfulness meditation and expressive writing). These interventions were used immediately prior to an exam to determine effectiveness on students’ mood and test grade. Although the study produced few statistically significant results, a promising trend in utilizing these interventions for increasing exam grades, increasing positive mood, and decreasing negative mood was uncovered. Each intervention appears to have dissimilar effects on different types of students (i.e., varying degrees of dispositional mindfulness and cognitive test anxiety; for example, …


The Effects Of Motivation And Goal Setting On Response Latency And Mental Effort, Jessica K. Willis Aug 2017

The Effects Of Motivation And Goal Setting On Response Latency And Mental Effort, Jessica K. Willis

MSU Graduate Theses

Researchers have found that performance is enhanced when participants set goals that are specific, difficult, and perceived as attainable. Also, motivation contributes to performance; specifically, intrinsic motivation, approach motivation, and avoidance motivation. Ninety participants were assigned randomly to one of two motivation groups; a goal setting or a control and assessed over a series of memory problems; solvable and unsolvable. Participant’s response latencies (RL) following an unsolvable problem was examined as a function of motivation type. Based upon the results from a 2 (Group; goal setting vs control) X 2 (test order) X 2 (memory problem difference scores) mixed ANOVA, …


Language Learning And Metacognition: An Intervention To Improve Language Classrooms, Rebecca Elise Knoph Aug 2017

Language Learning And Metacognition: An Intervention To Improve Language Classrooms, Rebecca Elise Knoph

MSU Graduate Theses

In the USA, the trend of increase in foreign language enrollments at the college level has suddenly begun to decline since 2009, despite the notion that learning multiple languages is becoming essential for effectively communicating with others from diverse native language backgrounds. This new decline may be due in part to inefficient and outdated foreign language courses. The current study examined the effect of how we assess our current knowledge and learning techniques (metacognition) on educational outcomes in hopes to improve the effectiveness of the university classrooms. College students were exposed to new metacognitive strategies that could benefit their language …


Midnight In America: Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse And The 21st Century Threat To The United States, Angela Weaver Aug 2017

Midnight In America: Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse And The 21st Century Threat To The United States, Angela Weaver

MSU Graduate Theses

The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects produced by the detonation of a nuclear weapon at high altitude are capable of causing widespread destruction in the U.S. homeland with few to no immediate casualties. The threat of nuclear EMP attack against the United States was recognized as probable during the Cold War but as time passed, the threat lost consciousness among U.S. policy makers as other issues and threats rose to the forefront. Simultaneously, the United States military and civilian society grew increasingly reliant upon emerging electronic systems and capabilities while adversary nations and rogue states rapidly pursued nuclear weapons capabilities. Today, …


Who Are The Apistoi? Symbolic Boundaries And Anthropological Language In 2 Cor 6:14-7:1, Nii Addo Kobina Abrahams Aug 2017

Who Are The Apistoi? Symbolic Boundaries And Anthropological Language In 2 Cor 6:14-7:1, Nii Addo Kobina Abrahams

MSU Graduate Theses

Joseph A. Fitzmyer’s “Qumran and the Interpolated Paragraph in 2 Cor 6:14-7:1,” originally published in 1961, argued that 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 was an interpolation from an undiscovered Qumran text. Fitzmyer’s thesis was the prevailing scholarly opinion for over a decade, and while several counter-arguments have convincingly challenged Fitzmyer’s theory, scholars are still hard-pressed to explain how the passage fits into its context. Not only does 6:14-7:1 seem to lack any organic connection to the verses immediately prior or following, but it also contains unique vocabulary and what seems to be uncharacteristic use of standard Pauline terms. However, all of these …


Land Use And Land-Cover Change Detection And Its Effect On Bengal Tiger Mortality For Central India, Tania Banerjee Aug 2017

Land Use And Land-Cover Change Detection And Its Effect On Bengal Tiger Mortality For Central India, Tania Banerjee

MSU Graduate Theses

This research investigates land use/land cover change in central India and it’s impacts on the tiger population. Central India is situated on the Deccan plateau with tropical climate patterns and includes two large states: Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Central India has the largest tiger reserves in India. The land cover of this area is dominated by forest, agricultural land, and urban settlement. After the Green Revolution in the 1970s, the central India has undergone tremendous changes in land use/land cover. Time-series Landsat satellite imageries were processed and classified in a GIS environment to identify these land use/land cover changes. The …


Investigation Of The Predictive Validity Of Implicit And Explicit Measures Of Integrity, Andrew C. Schneider Aug 2017

Investigation Of The Predictive Validity Of Implicit And Explicit Measures Of Integrity, Andrew C. Schneider

MSU Graduate Theses

The present study examined the incremental predictive validity of two overt-based Implicit Association Tests (IATs) and three personality-based IATs for behavior related to integrity and character. The overt-based IATs assess attributes related to self and honesty. The personality-based IATs assess attributes related to the “dark triad” of personality – Machiavellianism, subclinical narcissism, and subclinical psychopathy. A temptation manipulation provided opportunities for subjects to lie, cheat, and steal on a number finding task, to receive a greater financial reward. In addition to the five IATs, subjects also completed five explicit (self-report) overt and personality-based integrity measures. Findings did not support the …


Body Image And Bodybuilding: The Impact Commitment To Bodybuilding Has On Body Image Disturbance Among Competitive Bodybuilders, Jordan Henslee Aug 2017

Body Image And Bodybuilding: The Impact Commitment To Bodybuilding Has On Body Image Disturbance Among Competitive Bodybuilders, Jordan Henslee

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect commitment to bodybuilding had on body image disturbance in men. It was hypothesized that competitive bodybuilders would exhibit higher levels of body dissatisfaction, body checking, body consciousness, and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia than regular weight lifters. It was also hypothesized that commitment to bodybuilding, as defined by the number of competitions, would predict the severity of body image disturbance as measured by body dissatisfaction, body checking, body consciousness, and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia. Participants included males who were a minimum age of 18 years old. Participants were recruited via Mechanical …


Rivalry In The Middle East: The History Of Saudi-Iranian Relations And Its Implications On American Foreign Policy, Derika Weddington Aug 2017

Rivalry In The Middle East: The History Of Saudi-Iranian Relations And Its Implications On American Foreign Policy, Derika Weddington

MSU Graduate Theses

The history of Saudi-Iranian relations has been fraught. This relationship has impacted the United States’ role in the Persian Gulf. Prior to the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran could be characterized in terms of mutual understanding which allowed them to become integral parts of the American foreign policy in the1970s. This policy was intended to safeguard Western interests in the Persian Gulf after the British left. Saudi-Iranian cooperation during this time was in stark contrast to the hostile relationship that developed between them following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. …


Cognitive Origin Of Reported Goals, Nikolas M. Pate Aug 2017

Cognitive Origin Of Reported Goals, Nikolas M. Pate

MSU Graduate Theses

Goal setting theory assumes that goals that drive self-regulation exist in ‘goal structures’ and that asking participants to report their goals draws from these pre-existing structures. This study tested this assumption of pre-existing goals against the notion that goals are generated by goal-setters at the time they are requested to report their goals. A model of working memory was used to differentiate between goals existing in memory or goals generated on the spot. Participants were 211 students from a large Midwestern public university, randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group participants reported their career goals while also …


Exploring Men's Motivations And Restraints In Repeated Extramarital Sex, Casey Marie Stinley Aug 2017

Exploring Men's Motivations And Restraints In Repeated Extramarital Sex, Casey Marie Stinley

MSU Graduate Theses

The influence of extramarital sex (EMS) on marriage has been a topic of discussion in the research community for over 30 years. This thesis explored the influences that drive the EMS participants’ decisions, whether to abstain, continue while in the marriage, or to leave the marriage, and, those influences that affect whether they later participate in EMS or not. This study also used individual semi-structured interviews of ex-husbands who have participated in EMS in the past, as well as husbands who are participating in EMS currently. The four men interviewed were from southwest Missouri. The interviews were reviewed to identify …


Exploring The Caregiver-Child Relationship In Institutional Care Facilities In South Sudan, Jennifer Joy Telfer Aug 2017

Exploring The Caregiver-Child Relationship In Institutional Care Facilities In South Sudan, Jennifer Joy Telfer

MSU Graduate Theses

Institutional care for children separated from parents is expanding in Africa, but little research exists on caregiving at these institutions. This study explores the caregiver-child relationship in two residential institutions in South Sudan by investigating how caregivers experience their role and how children experience their lives in the institution. Semi- structured interviews assessed 14 caregivers’ backgrounds, parenting experience, attitudes, education, and motivations. The Orphans and Vulnerable Children Wellbeing Tool (OWT) assessed 98 adolescent residents, who also gave feedback about their answers. Caregivers employ parenting styles used by their parents and report treating non-relative children the same as biological children. Children …


A Self-Compassion Intervention To Increase Feedback Acceptance Among Individuals With Perfectionistic Tendencies, Alise Sue Ellen Kottman May 2017

A Self-Compassion Intervention To Increase Feedback Acceptance Among Individuals With Perfectionistic Tendencies, Alise Sue Ellen Kottman

MSU Graduate Theses

Performance feedback is an important part of employee development. Performance feedback is often administered incorrectly which can be damaging to the employee. Self-compassion training is proposed as a means to mitigate the negative effects associated with receiving damaging performance feedback. Self-compassion priming was used as a method to increase feedback acceptance among individuals with perfectionistic tendencies. Participants (n = 938) were given a measure of perfectionism and then asked to complete a proofreading task containing either a self-compassion prime or a neutral topic. Positive and negative feedback was randomly assigned. Participants then filled out an internal self-compassion measure as well …


A Replication/Extension Of The Presence Of Others On Judgments Of Desirability, John E. Scofield May 2017

A Replication/Extension Of The Presence Of Others On Judgments Of Desirability, John E. Scofield

MSU Graduate Theses

Mate-choice copying is a mating strategy where females rely on contextual information to assist in securing accurate assessments of potential mates. Mate-choice copying has been extensively studied in non-human species, and has begun to be examined in humans as well. The desirability enhancement effect occurs when women judge men surrounded by opposite-sex females as more attractive than those same men alone or with same-sex males. The desirability diminution effect occurs when men judge women surrounded by opposite-sex males as less desirable than those same women alone or with same-sex females. The current project replicated previous findings concerning the desirability enhancement …


The Effects Of Goal Systems On Performance In Youth Baseball, Joshua A. Leet May 2017

The Effects Of Goal Systems On Performance In Youth Baseball, Joshua A. Leet

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis explores the relationship of multiple goals set by youth baseball players with past and present performance. Core to this investigation was the complexity, content, and number of distal and proximal goals reported by players who wrote their goals for an upcoming season. Results showed that players with a greater number of process goals (compared to performance or outcomes goals) and individual goals (compared to team goals) received higher ratings of performance by their coaches. Analyses also revealed that age significantly influenced aspects of goal structure and content for goal reported by players. That is, older players reported having …


Expressing Pride: Effects On Perceptions Of Agency And Communality Based On Race And Gender, Rosalyn A. Miles May 2017

Expressing Pride: Effects On Perceptions Of Agency And Communality Based On Race And Gender, Rosalyn A. Miles

MSU Graduate Theses

This study investigated how the expression of pride shapes perceptions of agency and communality, and how those perceptions differ when the pride expresser is of a certain gender and race. Participants were primed with a scenario featuring a picture of a target varying in race and gender. Participants were then invited to complete a survey assessing their perceptions of agency, communality, leadership competence, and ascribed interpersonal hostility. It was hypothesized that the expression of pride over happiness would rank someone as being more or less agentic, communal, competent in leadership, or interpersonally hostile. It was also hypothesized that black targets …


Examining The Impact Of The Haven Training On Perceptions Of Rape, Katerina Marie Oberdieck May 2017

Examining The Impact Of The Haven Training On Perceptions Of Rape, Katerina Marie Oberdieck

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of a university-mandated sexual assault prevention program-Haven: Understanding Sexual Assault-on college students' judgments of three different rape vignettes (Stranger Rape, Acquaintance Rape, Acquaintance Rape with Intoxication), and overall rape myth acceptance. A sample of 490 participants who either had or had not completed Haven training participated in the study, and each participant was also randomly assigned to read either a brief summary of the Haven training or a control paragraph before judging the vignettes. Gender was also treated as an independent variable due to robust evidence of gender differences in …


The Third Offset: The U.S. Strategy To Combat Future Threats, Brian Charles Kempf May 2017

The Third Offset: The U.S. Strategy To Combat Future Threats, Brian Charles Kempf

MSU Graduate Theses

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and into the 21st Century, the United States (U.S.) has continued to maintain global commitments and a global presence. In addition, the U.S. has expanded its aspirations to address a more diverse range of global security challenges than in previous periods; from conventional conflicts to climate change. In order to meet the demands of a 21st century superpower, the U.S. Department of Defense is expected to conduct a broad range of operations across a spectrum of threats. Indeed, U.S. technological superiority is a hallmark of U.S. military prowess and has been instrumental in …


Human Trafficking: A Global Tragedy In Five Acts, Cynthia Rhiannon Knight May 2017

Human Trafficking: A Global Tragedy In Five Acts, Cynthia Rhiannon Knight

MSU Graduate Theses

Transnational security is an emerging sub-field within the broader scope of international relations. Human trafficking is a wide-spread but rarely emphasized threat to global security with powerful transnational dimensions. This type of crime threatens security at all levels of society. At the individual level, the victims of trafficking are abused, tortured, and experience incredible trauma. The traffickers themselves exploit weaknesses at the state level, either leveraging lack of political will or corrupt officials into their schemes to make more money, or by circumventing lax laws entirely. States have serious power to affect change at this level, particularly in the realm …


Returning To Abusive Relationships: Related And Predictive Factors, Rachel Leanne Swadley May 2017

Returning To Abusive Relationships: Related And Predictive Factors, Rachel Leanne Swadley

MSU Graduate Theses

Domestic violence and interpersonal abuse affects one-third of women and can have extreme negative consequences on the victim's psychological and physical health and well-being. Recently, the related area of a victim's choice to return to an abusive relationship has been studied more thoroughly, although the body of literature in this area is still relatively small and only provides limited evidence for factors predicting return to abuse. The current research examined the possible risk factors of victims of interpersonal violence in leaving and returning to abusive situations. 40 participants were recruited from a domestic violence shelter and completed a questionnaire packet …