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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 …


Is There Room In The United States Diet For Goat Meat? Analysis Of The 2019 National Goat Meat Survey, Everett Marcus Martin Dec 2021

Is There Room In The United States Diet For Goat Meat? Analysis Of The 2019 National Goat Meat Survey, Everett Marcus Martin

MSU Graduate Theses

Demand for goat meat has steadily increased in the past decade, but few studies have been conducted addressing goat meat attributes and demographic factors on consumers’ willingness to buy goat meat products. Analyzing a national consumer survey on goat meat preference, a logit modeling is used addressing factors affecting willingness to buy three goat meat products: grass-fed, locally grown, and organically raised. Results indicate that quality and freshness attribute characteristics significantly affect consumer willingness to buy grass-fed, organic, and locally grown goat meat.


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 …


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 …


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 …


Islands In The Sun: Lawfare And Great-Power Competition In The Indo-Pacific, Clayton T. Russo Dec 2021

Islands In The Sun: Lawfare And Great-Power Competition In The Indo-Pacific, Clayton T. Russo

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis examines the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty and its future considering the recent developments in the international security environment. The 2018 National Defense Strategy brought back an emphasis on Great Power Competition, fundamentally transforming the role of U.S. alliances to address new challenges. In the 2021 budget, the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) has prioritized the People’s Republic of China as the number one pacing threat to theUnited States, drastically shifting international focus away from the Middle East and towards East Asia. In conjunction with funding new capabilities through the PDI, the U.S. will need to conceive new legal doctrines …


The Influence Of Dsm-5 Mental Disorders And Type Of Offense On Perceived Guilt Of Offenders, Sydney N. Stone Aug 2021

The Influence Of Dsm-5 Mental Disorders And Type Of Offense On Perceived Guilt Of Offenders, Sydney N. Stone

MSU Graduate Theses

This study addresses the influence of mental disorder in the perceptions of guilt in offenses by offenders with DSM-V mental disorders. An attitudes survey and vignettes describing combinations of DSM-V disorders and offenses were distributed to 42 participants at Missouri State University, who were then asked to make guilt judgements and rate the magnitude of guilt of the vignette characters. An ANOVA test revealed no significant difference between conditions with mental disorders versus conditions without mental disorders. A regression analysis found significant relationships between guilt ratings and specific mental disorder conditions. Type of mental disorder was concluded to influence the …


A Study Concerning Factors That Contribute To School Counselors' Self-Efficacy, Cory J. Neal Aug 2021

A Study Concerning Factors That Contribute To School Counselors' Self-Efficacy, Cory J. Neal

MSU Graduate Theses

Many school districts and states still require that school counselors have previous teaching experience before one can begin a career in school counseling. There is little to no data to support these claims and the data that is available does not include how the school counselor’s own previous experiences influence their self-efficacy in their current roles. The data for this study was collected through an online survey sent to school counselors in Missouri. The qualitative data was evaluated using a grounded theory approach while the quantitative data was analyzed through a series of t-tests for independent samples, with group membership …


Child Life Specialists' Knowledge And Perception Of White Privilege, Renee Elise Jamar Lee Aug 2021

Child Life Specialists' Knowledge And Perception Of White Privilege, Renee Elise Jamar Lee

MSU Graduate Theses

This study’s goal was to understand child life specialists’ knowledge and perception of White privilege. The purpose of this study was to examine child life specialists’ understanding of White privilege and to obtain their perspectives on the impact White privilege has on patient- and family-centered care within the hospital setting. Through qualitative interviews, participants defined “White privilege,” shared their perception of “White privilege” and the impact it has on patient- and family-centered care, as well their personal experience with diversity and inclusion training. Additionally, participants created their own personal lists of unearned advantages as an exercise of awareness and acknowledgement …


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 …


Why Am I Like This? An Examination Of The Impact Of Early Childhood Experiences On Adult Attachment Style, Amaris Clay Aug 2021

Why Am I Like This? An Examination Of The Impact Of Early Childhood Experiences On Adult Attachment Style, Amaris Clay

MSU Graduate Theses

Early childhood experiences and parental relationships have a lasting influence on future interpersonal relationships and the associated behaviors (Cortazar and Herreros 2010; Raby et al. 2015; Simons et al. 2014; Treger and Sprecher 2011). The proposed study is investigating the complex links between adverse childhood experiences, parenting style, and attachment style. The purpose of this study was to examine the lasting impact of early childhood factors and how they affect relationships in adulthood. The study intends to replicate previous research on parenting style and attachment style. The results of this study will add to the body of research centered on …


Ecological Correlates Of Alligator Snapping Turtle Bite Performance, Ashley Herrin Gagnon Aug 2021

Ecological Correlates Of Alligator Snapping Turtle Bite Performance, Ashley Herrin Gagnon

MSU Graduate Theses

The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is one of many turtle species facing conservation challenges. Nearly extirpated in the 1980s, it is currently the subject of a head-start initiative, of which, any lasting behavioral or physiological effects were—until now—unknown! To evaluate the ability of captive-reared individuals to excel in natural habitats, and to foresee any future research or conservation challenges regarding this animal, I explored a suite of variables that influence bite performance and behaviors including captive or free-ranging status, and environmental conditions including body temperature and season. My results indicated that free-ranging M. temminckii outperform those residing …


The Relationship Between Self-Reported Measures Of Anxiety And Sensory Processing, Elizabeth R. Troutwine Aug 2021

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Measures Of Anxiety And Sensory Processing, Elizabeth R. Troutwine

MSU Graduate Theses

Auditory sensory gating, a type of sensory processing, is a physiological mechanism that allows the brain to filter out and respond less to redundant sensory information. Poor sensory gating has been found in clinical groups such as Alzheimer’s dementia (Jessen et al., 2001), bipolar I disorder (Lijffijt et al., 2009), schizophrenia (Patterson et al., 2008), and other anxiety-related psychopathologies such as panic disorder (Ghisolfi et al., 2006), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Orr et al., 2002), and obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD) (Hashimoto, 2007). Research is limited regarding effects of chronic worry and anxiety on sensory gating ability. This study will explore the relationship …


How Competition Undermines Deterrence, Kayse Jansen Aug 2021

How Competition Undermines Deterrence, Kayse Jansen

MSU Graduate Theses

The re-emergence of great power competition has brought with it a U.S. government-wide initiative to reclaim and strengthen advantage and influence across all elements of national power. Competition is considered necessary to secure American interests and protect the existing liberal international order, as well as uphold deterrence by enhancing the nation’s ability to impose costs and deny benefits. This view, however, neglects a critical factor in deterrence: the cost of restraint, which reflects the acceptability of the status quo. Paradoxically, the more successful the nation is at “competition,” the less likely it may be in important deterrence situations. Successful diplomatic …


A Values-Based Self-Management Program For Undergraduate Students With Remote Delivery: Looking At Emotion Regulation, Sara Elizabeth Johnson Aug 2021

A Values-Based Self-Management Program For Undergraduate Students With Remote Delivery: Looking At Emotion Regulation, Sara Elizabeth Johnson

MSU Graduate Theses

College students face significant levels of stress (American College Health Association, 2019) and recent data suggests a high prevalence of diagnostic-level mental health concerns being reported by students and treated by mental health professionals (Blanco et al., 2008). College counseling centers are thus facing an increase in demand for services, creating a growing need for innovative treatment options to flexibly accommodate the demand (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2016). In response to the unique needs of college students, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based interventions have received support for their use in increasing wellbeing in engineering students and graduate students (Abiadbe …


Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray May 2021

Adult Transracial Adoptees' Childhood Experiences And Decision-Making In Forming Families Of Creation, Sarah J. Gray

MSU Graduate Theses

This study examined adult transracial adoptees’ (TRAs) childhood experiences and determined how specific factors influenced their likelihood to choose biological procreation, adoption, fostering, a combination of these options, or the choice to be child-free when forming their own families. These adoptees were Black, Indigenous and people of color adopted by white parents in the United States through domestic or international adoption. Childhood experiences included the TRAs’ sense of belonging, cultural socialization, and preparation for bias. The only dependent variable option predicted by a childhood experience was the preference to be child-free. TRAs who experienced higher levels of belonging were less …


Affinity-Seeking: Student Desirability And Motivation In The Classroom, Taylor D. Corlee May 2021

Affinity-Seeking: Student Desirability And Motivation In The Classroom, Taylor D. Corlee

MSU Graduate Theses

Affinity-seeking research once provided teachers with effective strategies to create an overall better classroom environment. Over the last twenty years there has been no continuation of this research and the effectiveness of these strategies seemed to be agreed upon. The purpose of this study is to bring affinity-seeking research back into the modern era and see how motivation is affected for both in-person and online classes. This study is a contribution that adds to these strategies for effectiveness in both in-person and online classrooms.


Uncertainty Monitoring And Resiliency In Middle Childhood, Stephanie Greenquist-Marlett May 2021

Uncertainty Monitoring And Resiliency In Middle Childhood, Stephanie Greenquist-Marlett

MSU Graduate Theses

This study explores correlations between uncertainty monitoring and resiliency in middle childhood, an age not previously studied. Eighty-three 9- to 11-year-olds (M = 9.98; SD = .693) completed a researcher-created perceptual discrimination task, followed by a confidence judgment decision to determine uncertainty monitoring. Resiliency was determined via The Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents (RSCA) including a sense of mastery and its subsets (self-efficacy and optimism) as parts of resiliency. Significant positive correlations were found between uncertainty monitoring and sense of mastery (r = .23, p = .037) and its subsets (self-efficacy: r = .22, p = .04 and optimism: …


Examining High Status Via Resource Control Strategies, Emotional Intelligence, And Empathy, Rebekkah Ann Wall May 2021

Examining High Status Via Resource Control Strategies, Emotional Intelligence, And Empathy, Rebekkah Ann Wall

MSU Graduate Theses

The innate drive for human belongingness in cooperative societies is coupled with strategies they use to gain resources. Individuals in high social status use specific strategies to gain their status. Emotional intelligence and empathy are also factors that enable status acquisition as they facilitate connectedness and the ability to relate to others, which can be important for the development of humans as social beings. High status, or popularity among peers, is usually examined via peer-reports of sociometric and perceived popularity, however, they may be evaluated via likability or social dominance respectively due to shared characteristics. This study examined self-reported social …


Use Of Force Under Scrutiny: Impacts Of Body-Worn Cameras On Types Of Force Used By Police, Michaela Elizabeth Goldsmith May 2021

Use Of Force Under Scrutiny: Impacts Of Body-Worn Cameras On Types Of Force Used By Police, Michaela Elizabeth Goldsmith

MSU Graduate Theses

While several studies have examined the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on the frequency of use of force incidents with mixed results, research evaluating the impact of BWCs on types of force is scant. Utilizing 86-months of use of force report data from a medium-sized mid-Atlantic police department (36 months pre, and 50 months post-BWC implementation), the current study addresses limitations in prior BWC research and explores the potential relationship between BWCs and the level/types of force used through the use of Vector Autoregression Analysis.


Exploring The Influence Of Self-Efficacy And Autonomy On Outdoor Recreation Behaviors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katheryn E. Carpenter May 2021

Exploring The Influence Of Self-Efficacy And Autonomy On Outdoor Recreation Behaviors During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katheryn E. Carpenter

MSU Graduate Theses

Outdoor Recreation (OR) provides the benefits of physical activity and traditional leisure along with the addition of the benefits associated with an outdoor environment. Self Determination Theory (SDT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) state that self-efficacy (SE) and autonomy can increase depending on the physical and social environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-efficacy and autonomy on OR behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized there would be a correlation between individuals who participate in OR activities and self-efficacy as well as autonomy. The research also explored barriers and facilitators to OR via …


The Development And Validation Of Implicit Measures Of Job Satisfaction For Students, Xin Wei Ong May 2021

The Development And Validation Of Implicit Measures Of Job Satisfaction For Students, Xin Wei Ong

MSU Graduate Theses

Job satisfaction is one of the most researched topics in industrial-organizational psychology and explicit (self-report) measures are the most common assessment method. However, self-report measures are contaminated by inaccurate self-knowledge and impression management artifacts, which may weaken the predictive validity of the measures. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) might address these limitations because the procedure is based on reaction times in classification tasks. This research developed personalized implicit measures of job satisfaction using IATs and investigated their construct validity in a college sample. The construct validity of the measures was investigated with a multitrait-multimethod design. Results indicated problems with some …


Evaluating The Effects Of A Remote Act-Based Intervention Designed For Children With Parent-Child Dyads, Crystal K. Tracy May 2021

Evaluating The Effects Of A Remote Act-Based Intervention Designed For Children With Parent-Child Dyads, Crystal K. Tracy

MSU Graduate Theses

The current study evaluated a remote Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention designed for children implemented with parent involvement. Each parent-child dyad completed a total of nine sessions, which included an introductory session, one baseline session, six ACT-based intervention sessions, and one follow-up session. The study was conducted using a multiple-baseline across participants design. The effects of the intervention on both the parent and child well-being were evaluated using between sessions measures that measured values-based behavior and challenging behaviors. Pre- and post-test measures were taken on psychological flexibility, parent stress, and child behavior. Although the present intervention is designed for …


Meaning In Life And The True Self: A Construal Level Theory Approach, Lydia M. Needy May 2021

Meaning In Life And The True Self: A Construal Level Theory Approach, Lydia M. Needy

MSU Graduate Theses

People have higher ratings of meaning in life when they feel like they know their true self. This study examines whether one’s thoughts about their true self and meaning in life are consistent with a high-level construal. According to Construal Level Theory (CLT), the type of mental construal (i.e., low-level versus high-level) used depends upon how much psychological distance there is between the self and the object one is mentally representing. Objects perceived as far from the self use a high-level construal, which is more abstract, simple, and schematic. Objects perceived as close to the self use a low-level construal, …


Sex Differences In Communication During Times Of Conflict, Erin J. Snider May 2021

Sex Differences In Communication During Times Of Conflict, Erin J. Snider

MSU Graduate Theses

Although current research indicates small effect sizes with sex differences in communication and some believe gender and culture to be the primary influence of conflict communication style, i.e., abstraction and perception, emotional talk, conflict management styles, capacity to empathize, and argumentativeness style, sex may be more responsible because of the biological properties of brain function and hormone effect. This research intends to compare male and female perceptual and behavioral reactions during communication in conflict. The measure of sex (i.e., the biological difference between men and women) in communication during conflict is used for this study. To ensure a homogeneous sample …


Terrorism, Trauma, And Memory: Constructing National Identity At The 9/11 Museum And The Oklahoma City National Memorial And Museum, Caroline L. Whittenburg May 2021

Terrorism, Trauma, And Memory: Constructing National Identity At The 9/11 Museum And The Oklahoma City National Memorial And Museum, Caroline L. Whittenburg

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis undertakes an analysis of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the 9/11 Museum in New York City, New York, focusing on the construction of an idealized citizen that is mobilized as a defense against terrorist threats. Employing rhetorical field methods, I focus on how these spaces work symbolically and materially to shape visitors’ sense of national identity. I pay careful attention to how message construction relates to whether the terrorist threat is framed as internal or external, and how that influences what it means to be American. This argument is grounded through …


Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer May 2021

Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer

MSU Graduate Theses

Content validity describes the degree of which a measure represents all the components of the overall construct being measured. Behavior analytic language assessments are largely based on Skinner’s verbal operant theory (1957). Three behavior analytic language assessments were utilized to measure the coverage of Skinner’s verbal behavior theory: the VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and PEAK. The purpose of the current study was to examine the content validity of each of these assessments coverage on the totality of Skinner’s verbal operant theory. Expressive items on each of the three assessments were compared to definitions of Skinner’s verbal operants and were coded as the …


The Effect Of Sex Education Programs On Rape Culture, Logan J. Griffin May 2021

The Effect Of Sex Education Programs On Rape Culture, Logan J. Griffin

MSU Graduate Theses

Although schools in the United States primarily present abstinence only or comprehensive sex education programs, neither of these programs discuss the topic of sexual consent. In addition, these programs reinforce negative ideologies regarding rape-myths and victim blaming. The purpose of the current study is to determine if the prior type of sex education effects participants’ beliefs in rape-myth acceptance, sexism, willingness to help, and importance of consent, and if the sex education priming effects the participants’ likelihood to victim blame, express victim empathy, and their bystander behavior. The data reflected that those participants who received abstinence only sexual education did …


The Use Of Relational Training To Help Children With Autism Learn Emotions In Context: Extending Results With A Case Study, Ashlee Holderby May 2021

The Use Of Relational Training To Help Children With Autism Learn Emotions In Context: Extending Results With A Case Study, Ashlee Holderby

MSU Graduate Theses

People who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty with identifying and interpreting emotions and coordinating their facial expressions. This defiency extends to both their own emotions and expressions as well as those of other people. Understanding emotions is important in developing social behaviors such as sharing or empathy. However, researchers have found that emotion recognition training, video modeling, and other procedures have helped children with autism build these skills. Previous research demonstrated a method for teaching the identification of private events of others in context using stimulus equivalence and transformation of stimulus function procedures. The current case study addressed …


Multiracial Identity: Membership And Cultural Representation, Bethanne Grover May 2021

Multiracial Identity: Membership And Cultural Representation, Bethanne Grover

MSU Graduate Theses

What follows are two methods woven together to investigate multiracial identity and membership. The first section investigates the role of ethnographic research as the methodological tool of choice for a multiracial who positions herself along the liminal perspective through experimental autoethnographic tales of ambiguous embodiment. The tales weave in and out of the text and work to articulate multiracial identity through a critical race standpoint rooted in amorphousness. The second section applies a traditional qualitative approach, including narrative interviews of multiracial participants – focusing on intercultural communication. Identity negotiation theory and communication accommodation theory guide my investigation into intergroup communication/coping …