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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Textbook Citation Analysis Of Who’S Who In The History Of Psychology, Brandon Akers Dec 2017

A Textbook Citation Analysis Of Who’S Who In The History Of Psychology, Brandon Akers

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Addressing Common Mental Health Issues Prevalent Among Honors College Students, Steven Pham Aug 2017

Addressing Common Mental Health Issues Prevalent Among Honors College Students, Steven Pham

Honors Theses

The prevalence and severity of mental health disorders on college campuses has been increasing nationwide. This review aims to address some of the prevalent mental health issues that continuously plague college students today. Recent trends in college student mental health are analyzed as well as literature regarding common disorders including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. A comparison of honors and non-honors students is provided to contribute to an otherwise lacking area of research surrounding honors student populations. Effective practices and policies for colleges and universities to incorporate into their counseling services are also considered, with viable goals centering on the …


The Effectiveness Of Narrative Transportation Varies By Product Type And Gender, Junwen Su Jun 2017

The Effectiveness Of Narrative Transportation Varies By Product Type And Gender, Junwen Su

Honors Theses

Previous studies had explored that narrative transportation increases affectivity and decreases cognitive responses. Specifically in the context of advertisement narrative transportation was found to increase product and brand evaluation and therefore was considered as an effective promotional strategy for marketers. In the current study we examined the direct impacts of narrative advertisement on people's positive affectivity critical thinking ability and brand evaluation and how the impacts differed between females and males and also between people assigned to read ad of spontaneous product and deliberative product. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of four types of radio transcript: narrative spontaneous …


Psychiatric Disorders Memory And The Future: The Effect Of Anxiety And Depression On Self- Defining Memory And Self-Defining Future Projections, Sarah Irvine Jun 2017

Psychiatric Disorders Memory And The Future: The Effect Of Anxiety And Depression On Self- Defining Memory And Self-Defining Future Projections, Sarah Irvine

Honors Theses

Prior research has found that depression affects how individuals recall self-defining memories by preventing individuals from properly encoding and retrieving memories, resulting in a suspected inability to recall specific events and information (Conway, 1990). The current study aimed to replicate this finding and to examine whether this phenomenon exists within those with higher levels of anxiety, a concept not previously studied. Fifty-three participants were asked to recall two self-defining memories (Singer & Blagov, 2000) and forty- seven participants described where they saw themselves two years from now in order to determine whether depression and anxiety affect future projections as well …


Love Thy Attachment Figures As Thyself: Self-Esteem Predicts Deviations In Adult Attachment Security, Molly Rosenthal Graether Jun 2017

Love Thy Attachment Figures As Thyself: Self-Esteem Predicts Deviations In Adult Attachment Security, Molly Rosenthal Graether

Honors Theses

As we expand our close relationship (attachment) bonds from parents and caregivers to friends and romantic partners, some of us become more secure, while others become more insecure. What determines the direction in which our security deviates? The present study looks at whether self-esteem and worldview systems can account for deviations in security across partners, in both a college sample and a (more generalizable) online sample. Participants who were more secure in their friendships and romantic relationships than in their relationship with their parents/caregivers had higher self-esteem. The impact of worldviews, measured by the extent to which participants used several …


Fitness And Exercise As Linked To Overall Stress And Physiological Stress Responses, Justine Monthony Jun 2017

Fitness And Exercise As Linked To Overall Stress And Physiological Stress Responses, Justine Monthony

Honors Theses

Exercise negatively correlates with physiological stress responses, but there is less research on short-term stress hormones for this response. For this thesis, I hypothesized that exercise and fitness levels would be negatively correlated with perceived stress and with physiological stress from a standard stressor. Undergraduate college participants reported their chronic stress, current mood, past week’s physical activity (amount and intensity), perceived physical fitness, and demographic characteristics. Participants also engaged in a social stress task, on which they had limited time to prepare a speech with no notice or resources that was given in front of peers who were ostensibly analyzing …


Macho Men: Male Body Image In 21st Century America, Allison N. Michaelis Jun 2017

Macho Men: Male Body Image In 21st Century America, Allison N. Michaelis

Honors Theses

There is a myriad of research on women’s body image, and discourse on this subject has become virtually normal; however, research on male body image is sparse, and is not openly discussed. The current study looks at factors that influence men’s body image and body image pathology, such as body distortion, steroid use, eating disorders and depression. Prior literature has identified gender, sexuality, race, and media exposure as key factors that influence men's perceptions and behaviors. This study found partial support that these factors play a role in men's body image. Specifically, gender, media images of the ideal men’s body, …


Brilliant Blues And Smooth Circles: The Makings Of A Brand, Arielle Singer Jun 2017

Brilliant Blues And Smooth Circles: The Makings Of A Brand, Arielle Singer

Honors Theses

A company’s brand is its identity. This research examines the creation of an effective brand, focusing specifically on the colors, logo and typography shapes, and taglines utilized by a successful company. The research is applied in two case studies: a large, well-established corporation (General Electric) and a start up company by two Union College seniors (STC). Color, shape, and tagline theory are analyzed to explain the brand changes made over the last century for General Electric examining their two main logo shifts and multiple tagline alterations. In the case study of STC, I work to create the ideal brand for …


Food Porn & A Snack: Investigating The Effect Of Mindset On A Taste Test, Kingshuk Mazumdar Jun 2017

Food Porn & A Snack: Investigating The Effect Of Mindset On A Taste Test, Kingshuk Mazumdar

Honors Theses

The hot/cool system framework represents a dichotomy within cognitive functioning that moderates the exertion of self-control. While the cool system can be described as a cognitive and emotionally stable construct that serves as the center for self-regulation and control, the hot system forms the basis for emotionality, passion, and impulsivity. Research evidence suggests that attentional priming towards hot or cool cognitions may have a direct and measureable influence on behavior in a variety of social psychological domains. The present study investigated the effect of attentional priming towards hot or cool systems on snack food consumption in 142 college students. Participants …


Attachment Theory In Chinese Culture, Julia Brooks Jun 2017

Attachment Theory In Chinese Culture, Julia Brooks

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


The Road To Recovery: Predicting Improvement In Physical Therapy Programs, Noemie Bechu Jun 2017

The Road To Recovery: Predicting Improvement In Physical Therapy Programs, Noemie Bechu

Honors Theses

The three variables of autonomous motivation self-efficacy and autonomy support have positively predicted improvement in and adherence to various health rehabilitation programs. There have also been positive correlations between these variables such that those with high autonomous motivation also have high self-efficacy. In the current study we examined if these relationships would be replicated in the physical therapy context. Participants were adult community members recruited from their physical therapy practice through flyers. Participants were asked to complete a first survey regarding their autonomous motivation self-efficacy and current health status and a second survey four weeks later asking about their current …


Offender And Non-Offender Differences In Empathy Aggression Impulsivity And Executive Functioning: A Predictive Model, Maddison Stemple-Piatt Jun 2017

Offender And Non-Offender Differences In Empathy Aggression Impulsivity And Executive Functioning: A Predictive Model, Maddison Stemple-Piatt

Honors Theses

Predictive offender profiling uses present offense details as well as personality and behavior traits to predict past criminal history to better understand criminality and predict future offending. A typical offender profile is characterized as the inability to understand other peoples’ emotions and perspectives, tendency to act without thinking, propensity for dealing with adversity through aggression, and deficit in cognitive abilities. There are assumed differences between offenders and non-offenders, but these differences have rarely been studied. The present study examines the differences between 22 male offenders and non- offenders in empathy, impulsivity, aggression, and executive functioning in a sample from the …


When Deception Gets Personal: An Exploration Into Personality's Link To Deception, Jason T. Weber May 2017

When Deception Gets Personal: An Exploration Into Personality's Link To Deception, Jason T. Weber

Honors Theses

Most of our understanding of deceptive behaviors comes from cognitive (Vrij, Fisher, & Blank, 2015) or social psychological (Ekman, 2009) perspectives, and furthermore comes from forensic deception detection research and strategies (Vrij, 2008). One psychological domain that has not had as much investigation in relation to deception is personality. The present study examines the connection between personality traits and one aspect of deceptive behaviors – motivations to lie. College students completed self-report surveys online regarding personality, their lying habits, and basic demographic questions. Additionally, participants read several lying scenarios and rated the likelihood of lying. In a sample of 292 …


Identifying Behavioral Response Trends Following Aggression In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Breanna M. Cheri May 2017

Identifying Behavioral Response Trends Following Aggression In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Breanna M. Cheri

Honors Theses

In group-living species, an individual’s response to aggression from another animal can reveal information about the complexities of their social relationships. The current study sought to categorize behavioral responses between conspecifics following direct aggression. Agonistic behavioral interactions were analyzed in a semi-captive group of bottlenose dolphins housed at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences, whose population dynamics mirror those observed in the wild. Interactions began at the onset of an aggressive behavior, and all concomitant behaviors between aggressor(s) and recipient(s) were coded chronologically for the length of each event. Results revealed five response types present following aggression: retaliation, reconciliation, avoidance, …


A Retro Development In Education: Evaluating The Feasibility Of Integrating Place-Based Education Into Mississippi Curriculum Standards, Colby K. Mcclain May 2017

A Retro Development In Education: Evaluating The Feasibility Of Integrating Place-Based Education Into Mississippi Curriculum Standards, Colby K. Mcclain

Honors Theses

This thesis evaluates the feasibility of integrating place-based environmental education activities from Think Green, Take Action: Books and Activities for Kids into the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) Frameworks for Science and Social Studies for K-5. As children develop and experience the world, their ability to understand and interpret the surrounding environments expand; however, Mississippi schools are not focused on experiential environmental education, even though experiencing and understanding the surrounding environment is vital in fostering eagerness to learn. Due to a growing disconnect between humans and the natural world, this thesis examined 37 place- and environment-based activities for children, sixteen …


Comparison Of Suicidality Among Heterosexual And Sexual Minority Individuals, Ashley R. Pate May 2017

Comparison Of Suicidality Among Heterosexual And Sexual Minority Individuals, Ashley R. Pate

Honors Theses

Previous research suggests that sexual minority individuals have a higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than do heterosexual individuals. Little research has been done to determine what may cause these differences and how living in a conservative region may contribute to it. This study sought to compare risk factors for suicidal ideation among heterosexual and sexual minority college students in southern Mississippi. To do so, suicidal ideation was examined, as well as thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) – two robust predictors of suicidal ideation. It was hypothesized that sexual minorities would have elevated TB, PB, and …


Understanding Narcissistic Personality Traits And Aggression: The Roles Of Self-Esteem And Gender, Regis S. Junearick May 2017

Understanding Narcissistic Personality Traits And Aggression: The Roles Of Self-Esteem And Gender, Regis S. Junearick

Honors Theses

The present study investigated the established relationship between narcissistic personality traits and aggression (e.g., Barnet & Powell, 2016; Baumeister et al., 2000; Bushman & Baumeister, 1998). Specifically, the study aimed to understand this relationship in a more nuanced fashion and proposed that 1) the relationship is indirect through self-esteem (mediation) and 2) the relationship is stronger in males than in females (moderation). Participants were 269 undergraduate students from the University of Southern Mississippi. A battery of self-report measures [Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Terry, 1988), Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI; Pincus et al., 2009), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965), …


A Study Of Object Play In Captive Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Victoria L. Johnson May 2017

A Study Of Object Play In Captive Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Victoria L. Johnson

Honors Theses

Behaviors related to play are positively reinforcing as they promote the continued exhibition of play behaviors in a variety of animal species. Play in animals is thought to contribute to the development and practice of skills animals require across their lifespan (i.e., foraging, mating, etc.). In bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), several categories of play can be observed such as solitary play, social play, locomotor play, predatory play, and object play. The aim of the present study was to observe how variables of age-class, sex, object type, and play sociality influenced dolphin object play by utilizing video data from a …


Exploring The Moderating Effects Of Drinking Context On The Relationship Between Harmful Drinking And Risky Sexual Behaviors Among College Females, Lauren A. Gardner May 2017

Exploring The Moderating Effects Of Drinking Context On The Relationship Between Harmful Drinking And Risky Sexual Behaviors Among College Females, Lauren A. Gardner

Honors Theses

Females are engaging in harmful amounts of drinking at higher rates than ever before. Because these rates are increasing, studying harmful drinking in the college female population is imperative. Previous studies have noted that an increase in harmful drinking correlates positively with an increase in risky sexual behavior. Although these correlations are evident, no previous study has looked at drinking context as a moderator between these two variables. The current study examined the degree to which drinking context moderates the relationship between harmful drinking and risky sexual behavior in college females. This study consisted of 387 female college students ages …


A Comparison Of Three Reading Interventions For Three Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alexandra D. Utley May 2017

A Comparison Of Three Reading Interventions For Three Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alexandra D. Utley

Honors Theses

Brief experimental analyses (BEA) have been used in the present literature to identify the most effective reading strategy in increasing oral reading fluency (ORF) for typically-developing students. The current researcher extends the research by implementing three reading intervention to three children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to study whether a BEA is effective in identifying the most effective reading intervention for children with developmental disabilities. There were three interventions implemented throughout the duration of the study: Repeated Reading, Phrase Drill, and Contingent Reinforcement. Additionally, the present study implements an extended intervention (EA) to test the accuracy of the BEA results. …


Jealousy And Romantic Relational Aggression Among Dating College Students, Ashlee A. Bryant May 2017

Jealousy And Romantic Relational Aggression Among Dating College Students, Ashlee A. Bryant

Honors Theses

Most of the research on relational aggression has been conducted with samples of older children and early adolescents and has focused primarily on same-sex peer relationships (Goldstein & Tisak, 2004). The aim of this study was to contribute to the relatively meager research on relational aggression in the context of college students’ romantic relationships by exploring the role of interpersonal jealousy. Participants included 377 undergraduate student volunteers (64 men and 313 women) ranging in age from 18 to 58 who were recruited through the Department of Psychology’s subject pool (i.e., Sona). The data were collected in the form of an …


Misleading Information In Social Media News: How Bias Affects Perceptions, Amber Jackson May 2017

Misleading Information In Social Media News: How Bias Affects Perceptions, Amber Jackson

Honors Theses

Correcting misinformation is challenging because of the difficulty in changing biases (Ecker et al., 2013). Biased decisions are learned behaviors. People choose information that they are more frequently exposed to and from which they gather rewards (Sali, Anderson, & Courtney, 2016). Social media has become a new reward system for biased information (Neubaum et al, 2016). The difficulty of correcting misinformation multiplies as people have begun choosing social media as their preferred news platform. Social media news has recently focused its reporting on police (Sela-Shayovitz, 2015). Among participants who saw a misleading clip before a longer video of a police/suspect …


Lacuna: Transcendence Of The Human Body Through The Space Between, Anica Bottom May 2017

Lacuna: Transcendence Of The Human Body Through The Space Between, Anica Bottom

Honors Theses

This essay examines the author’s choreography, Lacuna, and research integral to its representation. During the choreographic process, experimentation of how the human body moves in relation to different architectural space was observed. In collaboration with the cast of dancers, cohesion of personal experiences in particular locations was evaluated: specifically, investigation of how environments has the ability to trigger habits or patterns of movement from both past and present experiences. A closer look at how the body responds on a visceral level to the physical and emotional sense of place is described. Although the choreographic piece, Lacuna, came to …


The Relationship Between Parenting Style And Self-Regulation In Early Childhood, Madeline Newman May 2017

The Relationship Between Parenting Style And Self-Regulation In Early Childhood, Madeline Newman

Honors Theses

Research demonstrates the significance of the quality and quantity of caregiver guidance in the rearing of children. Many empirical studies find a correlation between social and developmental psychology and child rearing (Karreman et al., 2006). An important component of social-emotional development is a child’s ability to self-regulate––controlling bodily impulses, managing strong emotions, and maintaining focus and attention (Eisenberg, 2005). Children of authoritative parents have well-regulated emotions, respond well to difficult tasks, and exhibit developed social skills and happy and spirited dispositions; whereas, children of authoritarian and permissive parents lack many of those skills (Baumrind, 1971). Studies also show that cultural …


Silence On The Endemic Suicides In Lithuania: Background, Causes, And Prospective Solutions, Monika Barta May 2017

Silence On The Endemic Suicides In Lithuania: Background, Causes, And Prospective Solutions, Monika Barta

Honors Theses

Suicide has long plagued Lithuania, establishing the small country as one of the global leaders in suicide mortality. The gravity of this nationwide issue may be the result of a variety of factors, including the country’s traumatic history, societal standards and taboos, high rates of alcohol consumption, and underdeveloped prevention programs. This research paper analyzes several decades of data obtained from prior studies to assess the underlying causes and contributing factors to Lithuania’s high rates of suicide. The primary goal of this paper is to raise awareness of Lithuania’s suicide epidemic and to propose feasible methods to ameliorate the problem.


Increasing Shared Attention In Children With Developmental Delays, Shelby Esman Apr 2017

Increasing Shared Attention In Children With Developmental Delays, Shelby Esman

Honors Theses

Joint attention behaviors may be essential to the development of language and social interaction skills (Whalen and Schreibman, 2003). Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often lack these behaviors which may explain the difficulty many of them have communicating appropriately with others (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Previous research has shown that prompting procedures and social reinforcement have been successful in teaching children with ASD to shift their eye gaze between an adult and the object of interest when prompted to do so (Taylor and Hoch, 2008). This present study set out to create and test a procedure designed to teach …


Toilet-Training A Child With Autism In A School Setting, Kristianna Ferrier Apr 2017

Toilet-Training A Child With Autism In A School Setting, Kristianna Ferrier

Honors Theses

Children with autism and developmental disabilities typically take longer to learn skills. Specific training that requires more repetition to obtain mastery should be used to teach specific tasks (MacDuff, Kratz, & McClannahan, 2001). Toilet training is no exception and must be directly taught to children with Autism. Toilet training is a fundamental skill for independent living and greatly reduces the work load of care givers (Chung, 2007). The child in this study was chosen based on a toilet training readiness checklist. The present study is a combination of the scheduled sitting protocol by Azrin and Foxx (1971) with the omission …


Teaching Imitation To Children With Autism Using Most-To-Least Prompt Fading In Front Of A Mirror, Giulia Avelar Apr 2017

Teaching Imitation To Children With Autism Using Most-To-Least Prompt Fading In Front Of A Mirror, Giulia Avelar

Honors Theses

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty acquiring imitative skills, which may serve as an important factor in developing social skills and language (Miller et al., 2015; Ledford & Wolery, 2010; Young et al., 1994). Research has shown that most-to-least prompting is most effective for children who do not learn quickly (Libby et al., 2008). The goal of this study was to discover whether the presence of a mirror affected the rate of acquisition of imitative behaviors compared to a no-mirror condition, using most-to-least within-session prompt fading. This study used a multiple baseline design across sets of behaviors. Sets …


Within-Session Progressive Gestural-Prompt Delay To Teach Receptive Identification, Breanne Stiemsma Apr 2017

Within-Session Progressive Gestural-Prompt Delay To Teach Receptive Identification, Breanne Stiemsma

Honors Theses

Receptive identification skills are important for any child to learn. Without these skills, various aspects of development can become impaired. There are many ways to teach receptive identification. This project pulled ideas from previous studies on within-session progressive gestural-prompt delays as well as the different methods of teaching receptive identification skills, simple-conditional method and the condition-only method. The student was not acquiring receptive identification skills with the traditional methods used in the classroom. Within-session progressive gestural-prompt delay was used in this project to teach receptive identification of objects. An AB single-subject design was used in this project. The student responded …


Explicit Programming For Icon Rings: Visual-Based Discrimination, Samantha Borowski Apr 2017

Explicit Programming For Icon Rings: Visual-Based Discrimination, Samantha Borowski

Honors Theses

Instructional icons are helpful as basic direction following is the basis for complex skills needed later in life. These instructions should have a good training so that children can get the basic skills and can move on to the complex skills. The goal of the project was to increase the correct responses to instructional icons. Visuals are a good tool for learning because it attaches a picture with the event that is happening or will happen. Children with autism sometimes struggle when they are introduced to a new environment so having a system in place to help make instruction following …