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The Role Of Grit In A Self-Directed Weight Control Intervention, Molly Wright

UNF Undergraduate Capstone Projects and Honors Theses

This study was conducted to investigate the possible relationship between an individual’s level of the trait of GRIT (Duckworth et al., 2007) and the effectiveness of a health promotion and weight control intervention. Participants completed an initial online survey that consisted of the GRIT scale, demographic questions (age, gender, ethnicity), and health behavior questions, along with a baseline body measurement. Participants were randomly assigned to the control group (n = 34) or one of two treatment groups (n = 57). Those assigned to the treatment groups completed a 1 hour educational session and received intervention packets, while those in the …

Stereotypes And Evaluations Of People Who Are D/Deaf, Mary Wood

UNF Undergraduate Capstone Projects and Honors Theses

D/deaf individuals face discrimination in their daily lives, impacting their access to language, education, and life satisfaction. While there has been research about some of the stereotypes held about those who are D/deaf, the relationship between those stereotypes and prejudice and discrimination has not been explored, to my knowledge. Additionally, how D/deaf individuals are categorized has not been examined, to my knowledge. Understanding whether the hearing majority holds a distinct cognitive schema for those who are D/deaf or consider D/deaf people within a larger group of disabled people will help in creating anti-bias interventions. For example, if hearing people have …

Personality And Stress: Understanding The Roles Of Extraversion And Neuroticism In Social Stress Scenarios, Synthia Knapp

UNF Undergraduate Capstone Projects and Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge regarding personality and stress, with a focus on ambiverts, by investigating potential non-linear relationships and overall relationships between extraversion and stress levels, and neuroticism and stress levels. Two hundred thirty­-eight participants completed an online survey through SONA, consisting of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Social Stress Scenarios (SSS), the Big Five Aspects Scale (BF AS), and the Open Extended Jungian Type Scales 1.2 (OEJTS). In general, those lower in extraversion and those higher in neuroticism were found to have higher perceived stress levels. Both aspects of extraversion-enthusiasm and assertiveness-were negatively related …

Behavioral Factors Related To Weight Change In A Health Promotion And Weight Control Intervention, Bethany M. Hartsell

UNF Undergraduate Capstone Projects and Honors Theses

This study explored whether body weight was affected by certain lifestyle behaviors and if these behaviors were affected by a brief, self-directed weight control intervention. The behavioral factors assessed in this study included: meal regularity, fast-food eating, television viewing and eating/sedentary time, dietary modifications (e.g., portion control, reducing fat intake), self-monitoring (tracking diet and exercise), self-weighing, and physical activity. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention groups or a minimal contact control group. The intervention groups completed a 1-hour education session at baseline and received bi-weekly emails. Participants completed online questionnaires at baseline and 3 months, and body measurement sessions at …

Attrition In Behavioral Parent Training Programs In Clinical And Community Settings: A Meta-Analytic Review, Brett C. Michael

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

It is estimated that approximately 16-20% of youth will develop a diagnosable behavior disorder. Behavioral parent training is a valuable approach to address disruptive behaviors by teaching parents how to effectively manage their child’s challenging behavior with non-physical disciplinary techniques. While these programs are generally effective, attrition rates have been found to be as high as 60% in some cases. This review provides information about the characteristics commonly associated with these programs, the attrition rates of each program, and the general effectiveness of the programs. Meta-analytic procedures were implemented to identify contributing factors leading to withdrawal from intervention.

Keywords: …

Putting The “Gay” In Gamers: Increasing Identification With Homosexuals Through Video Games, Matthew D. Olah

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Priming out-groups and taking the perspective of out-group members increases implicit and explicit identification with out-groups. Because the popularity of video games has increased dramatically over the past few decades and they have become an influential form of media, the current study investigated video games as another potential strategy to increase identification with and reduce prejudice against out-groups. Specifically, I investigated how manipulating the sexual orientation of the video game character participants used influenced implicit and explicit identification with homosexuals and implicit and explicit prejudice against homosexuals. Additionally, I investigated whether implicit and explicit identification with homosexuals would mediate the …

Pokémon Go As A Positive Virtual Reality Game: Promoting Cognitive, Affective, And Empathic Benefits, Rachel Carpenter

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Video game popularity and time playing in children, adolescents, and adults is steadily increasing due to heightened accessibility, advanced technological game design, and a rising sedentary lifestyle among Americans. The advent of exergames and virtual reality paradigms has led to a new wave of mobile video games that can be played anywhere, involve the combination of mobility and gaming, and may be used to improve cognition, affect, and perhaps empathy. The aim of the present study was to examine if the exergame Pokémon Go would improve visual and verbal working memory, attention, positive and negative affect, and empathy. Additionally, the …

Get Legitimate: Achievements Promote Recovery From Addiction Via Non-Addict Identity, Daniel Crutchfield

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Despite decades of research, over 400 million people around the globe suffer from substance abuse and only 10% to 43% maintain abstinence after treatment. Social support, spirituality, self-regulation, and locus of control have all been examined for their efficacy and relationship with successful abstinence outcomes. Conceptually, educational/vocational achievement is believed to contribute to reforming an identity divorced from the previous lifestyle of active addiction. Educational and Vocational achievements as proxies for non-addict identity have only been investigated sporadically. The present study seeks to establish a quantitative link between successful long-term recovery and these types of goal-oriented achievements. A survey …

Hard Copy Versus #Hashtag: Examining The Channels Of Terrorist Propaganda, Evan Copello

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, terrorism and radicalization has been a consistent issue that many countries have faced. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been the most recent in a long trail of organizations that have sought to strike terror against the western world. However, ISIS is distinguished from other groups, like Al-Qaeda, in that ISIS supports a complex propaganda machine. Although ISIS is not the first organization to use the social media platform, they are the first to use it with such diversity. The two main channels that ISIS uses to spread their propaganda messages are through social …

Associations Between Parenting, Neurobiological Variables, And Adolescent And Young Adult Risk-Taking, Sarah Meghan Mcclanahan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests that adolescence and young adulthood is a transitional stage whereby unique contextual factors may increase the likelihood for certain individuals to engage in risk-taking compared to their peers. In addition to influential environmental aspects (i.e. parenting, societal affiliations, peer influence) an adolescent’s and young adult’s underdeveloped cognitive control system is unable to successfully inhibit early maturing tendencies such as sensation seeking and reward sensitivity. However, previous research indicates that certain parental mechanisms may serve as protective/promotive agents for stabilizing this neurobiological imbalance. Therefore, the focus of the current research was to examine how parenting behaviors and styles moderate …

Treatment Analysis Of A Captive Male Jaguar (Panthera Onca), Megan Colleen Morris

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Large carnivores in human care have been reported to engage in stereotypic behaviors. Such behavior is thought to be correlated with high stress levels, in part, due to captive environments limiting opportunities for functional consequences and environmental stimuli. Moreover, there are several arguments stating that stereotypic behaviors can be indicative of poor welfare, as they can often have severe negative emotional and physical effects on the animal. The first portion of this study included a five-phase treatment analysis which evaluated whether environmental manipulations decrease the frequency of stereotypic behaviors including pacing, over-grooming and tail-sucking exhibited by a single male jaguar …

Priorities For School Safety: The Alignment Between Federal And State School Safety Legislation And Safety Needs As Perceived By Education Stakeholders In Florida Private Schools For Exceptional Students, Anthony D. Mortimer

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the apparent threat assessment priorities of potential risks to safety in the school environment in the United States and whether stakeholders in Florida private schools that serve exceptional students agree with the priority given to specific identified potential threats. Faculty and staff, high school students, and the students’ parents and guardians at four Florida private schools for exceptional students rated their perceptions of the severity and likelihood of occurrence of nine potential threats identified in a review of federal and Florida state school safety laws and national and state government surveys of incident occurrences. Results showed that …

Opioid Use Disorder: The Ugly Return And Treatment Effectiveness Of Heroin Use, Antwana L. Drayton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Relationships among demographic, socioeconomic and person factors and Opioid Use Disorder diagnosis, treatment, and recidivism were explored. Data from a sample of 4,860 adults with substance use difficulties were analyzed. A program evaluation was conducted on Gateway Community Services to explore the use of Medication Assisted Treatments (MATs) and Psychosocial (PS) treatments to address Opioid Use Disorder. Using archival data, a chi-square analysis and independent sample t-test was performed. The results expressed that a relationship among race, type of substance use diagnosis, and treatment type and recidivism rate was found. While White/Non-Hispanics adults were more likely to use heroin than …

The Effects Of Tact-To-Mand Transfer Procedures And Prompting Procedures For Increasing Independent Mands In A Child With Autism, Melissa C. Perdomo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined tact-to-mand transfer procedures and prompting procedures on a child diagnosed with autism. There was one participant, a 3-year-old Hispanic male, with a limited manding repertoire whom also possessed knowledge of tacting items. A multiple baseline design across settings was implemented in order to increase the number of mands emitted by the participant. Data were collected using paper and pen recording by the researcher and another observer to provide interobserver agreement. Mastery probes were collected at one week, two weeks, and four weeks. Results indicated that transfer procedures may be helpful in generalizing manding for a child …

Cross-Cultural Study Of The Predictors Of Learning In Children Ages 11-15 Years Old, Nadina Melina Williams

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Academic achievement is deemed a significant indicator for a successful future. Cognitive ability, home environment, and metacognition are among the many factors research has posited to contribute to academic achievement and later success (Alloway & Alloway, 2010; Bradley & Caldwell, 1984, Veenman, Wilhelm, & Beishuizen, 2004). The present study examines the relation between cognitive ability (working memory (WM) and nonverbal ability), metacognitive awareness, implicit theories of IQ, home environment (socioeconomic status (SES), home life, and parental involvement in homework), and learning outcomes (grades) in two distinct sample populations. The study used a sample of 11-15-year-olds and their parents from two …

Impressions Of A Female Political Candidate Based On Political Party Affiliation, Candice J. Veilleux

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a gender gap in United States politics; men are over represented, and prioritize issues/policies differently compared with women. Stereotypes may be associated depending on group memberships. Stereotypes of men (competent) are consistent and stereotypes of women (warm) are inconsistent with politicians (competent). I examined stereotypes of major/non-major political parties, and how party affiliation affects whether stereotypes about men/male politicians/women/female politicians predict female politicians’ traits. Stereotype valence ascribed to political parties is important because people vote for a positively viewed party/representative. I assessed the strength and valence of stereotypes associated with political parties, and found major parties were viewed …

The Truth Is Out There: The Use Of Conspiracy Theories By Radical Violent Extremist Organizations, Gregory Rousis

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper sought to examine conspiracy theory (CT) use across three types of groups: radical violent extremists (RVE), non-violent extremists, and moderates. Using the theory of significance quest, or the desire for one’s life to have meaning (Kruglanski, Chen, Dechesne, Fishman, & Orehek, 2009), I sought to determine whether RVE groups were more likely to use CTs, invoke need for cognitive closure (NFCC) via the use of time pressure, elicit anomie, and promote significance quest through violence than the other groups. Using text analysis software, I pulled passages from six groups – two from each level of extremism - that …

The Perceived Emotional Intelligence Of Elementary Principals And Teachers' Job Satisfaction: Do They Relate?, Charis Lee Swift

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between teacher’s perceptions of their principal’s level of emotional intelligence and teachers’ job satisfaction level. Nine elementary schools within a small rural school district in a southern state were the selected cite for the research. Thirty-nine teachers completed two on-line surveys. One survey was intended to report their perceptions of their principal’s level of emotional intelligence and the second survey was intended to report their level of job satisfaction.

The primary research question was: What is the relation between elementary teachers’ perceptions of their principal’s emotional intelligence and the teachers’ …

The Inevitability Of Decay: Disability In Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man And The Sea, Dominic Robin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To many, Ernest Hemingway embodies a certain image of "masculinity," one centered around ability and physical performance. Such a narrative ignores the truly complicated and dynamic shape his understanding of the body took. Through an analysis of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, I examine the form this ideology took in his later life, focusing particularly on Hemingway's evolved understanding of the body. Through this research, a more nuanced picture of Hemingway emerges, one that recognizes the complicated and dynamic nature his view of the "able" body took.

Student Perceptions Of Police, Taylor Leigh Claxton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Police-community relations are a frequently discussed topic in both academe and the media. Many factors are believed to influence individuals’ perceptions and views of law enforcement, including demographic variables (race and socioeconomic status), experiences with law enforcement, and media consumption. With an emphasis in the news and on social media regarding police misconduct or police brutality, this research seeks to inquire about college students' perceptions of law enforcement and racial injustice within the criminal justice system. While controlling for key demographic variables, this project specifically examines how individuals’ personal experiences with law enforcement and their exposure to news media and …

Twitter Use During Hurricane Irma: How The Local Government Agencies Amplify And Attenuate Risk Factors For The Vulnerable Populations, Elizabeth Ann Mccarthy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Twitter has become a popular channel for local governments to explore crisis communication during a hurricane. Local governments use Twitter to distribute crisis messages to the public, and are able to amplify or attenuate risk perception. Many factors attribute to individuals’ risk perception including control, choice, children, novelty, and risk-benefit tradeoff. The Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) provides a guide to understanding the intensifying or weakening of these risk messages. While these crisis messages are directed to the general public, the local governments may be neglecting information for the vulnerable populations. In order to prepare for a hurricane, vulnerable …

The Influence Of Emotional Woundedness On Clergy Leaders In The Christian And Missionary Alliance A Q Methodology Study, Brian M. Shore

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This Q research designed study sought the answer to the research question, “What are the range of collectively help perceptions of leaders in the Christian and Missionary Alliance toward the impact that emotional woundedness has had on their leadership?” In doing so a conceptual framework was constructed from three psychological theories. These theories were Need Reduction Theory (Hull, 1973), Goal Theory (Adler, 1927) and finally a Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger, 1957). The 39 participants of this study were clergy leaders of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. The participants perspectives were compared and grouped, and three factors were revealed, along …

Teacher Perspectives Regarding The Pedagogical Practices Most Culturally Responsive To African American Middle School Students, Robert James Mcgill

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines teacher’s perspectives regarding the classroom strategies,

behaviors, and approaches they believed best support the development of African American students. Educator perceptions are valuable to understand because perceptions and attitudes undergird behavior and practices. This study focused on perceptions of teachers toward pedagogical strategies, approaches, and teacher behaviors that perceived to best support African American students because of the persisting achievement gap between African American students and their White, middle class counterparts.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy was used as the theoretical framework for this study as it describes approaches to teaching students from historically marginalized groups in ways that …

A Study Of State College Faculty Trust In Immediate Supervisors, Anna Byrd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated faculty trust in their immediate supervisors (academic deans and faculty chairs) in a state college setting. A survey instrument created for this study was based on existing research on trust in schools by Bryk and Schneider (2002) and Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (1998), as well as research on trust in corporate setting. The study’s purpose was to determine the types and frequencies of interactions between community college faculty and deans/faculty chairs – i.e., faculty immediate supervisors – that are related to higher levels of faculty trust. Also investigated were the relationships between faculty trust and demographic characteristics …

Self-Monitoring And Friendship: Individual Differences In Relationship Dissolution, Michael Yoho

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High self-monitors choose as friends skilled activity partners, whereas low self-monitors select friends who are similar in attitude and values. We hypothesized that (a) as self-monitoring increased, individuals would identify the loss of shared interest as the cause for dissolving a former friendship and (b) as self-monitoring decreased, individuals would identify the loss of shared attitudes and values as the cause for dissolving a former friendship. One-hundred sixty one (82 males, 79 females) participants were recruited from MTurk. Participants were prompted with a forced choice measure to identify one of two reasons why a past close friendship dissolved. For one …

Learning Strategies Employed By College Aged Students With Disabilities: The Link Between Metacognition, Motivation, And Working Memory, Michael Rodriguez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is two-fold. First, we want to understand the levels of metacognitive awareness of learning strategies in undergraduates with learning disabilities. Previous research states that recall is the most effective method of studying, but most students prefer to reread their notes or textbook which is ineffective. Second, we want to explore the link between Working Memory and metacognitive awareness of learning strategies in undergraduates with learning disabilities. The learning strategies that college students with and without disabilities is examined, we found that students in both groups preferred the usage of the same strategies equally. The most …

Parent Perceived Stress And Child Temperament: Qualities That Facilitate Or Impede Child Developmental Outcomes, Rebekah Faith Klempin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effective parent-child relationships contribute to the development of well-adjusted children. Taxing personal and situational factors encumber a caregiver’s capacity for responsivity with his or her child. The purpose of the present study was to identify interpersonal factors that impact child outcomes in low socioeconomic status family populations. Data was collected in northeast Florida Head Start centers from 219 low income, at-risk caregivers and their children ages one and a half through almost five. Parents completed questionnaires on parent perceived stress, child temperament, and child developmental outcomes. Hierarchical regression was used to assess the influence of child temperament and parent perceived …

Developing A Social Media Behavior Scale, Heather O. Cissel

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When the topic of social media usage arises, the connotation is usually negative, with a focus on the negative impact both on the individual and on society (Greysen, Kind, & Chretien, 2010). In response to these perceived negative effects, some researchers have created a Social Media Disorder Scale (Van Den Eijnden, Lemmens, & Valkenburg, 2016) in order to address a diagnostic cutoff for social media disorder. However, relatively less research has been focused on measuring the potentially positive effects of social media on the individual and on society. In an effort to address this issue, the aim of the present …