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Central Washington University

Theses/Dissertations

2020

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Articles 1 - 24 of 24

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy Jan 2020

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy

All Undergraduate Projects

Renewable energies, and fuels that are not fossil fuel-based, are one of the prolific topics of debate in modern society. With climate change now becoming a primary focus for scientists and innovators of today, one of the areas for the largest amount of potential and growth is that of the capturing and utilization of Solar Energy. This method involves using a mechanical system to track the progression of the sun as it traverses the sky throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker such as the one designed and built for this project, can follow the sun both azimuthally and in …

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Mood Effects And Individual Differences On Reappraisal And Distraction: An Erp Study Of The Sensitivity Of Emotion Regulation Strategies, Elsa Mastico Jan 2020

Mood Effects And Individual Differences On Reappraisal And Distraction: An Erp Study Of The Sensitivity Of Emotion Regulation Strategies, Elsa Mastico

All Master's Theses

The present research evaluated the effect of mood and individual differences on the regulatory process of emotions by using a regulation task with negative and neutral images to assess reappraisal and distraction ability. Specifically, this research evaluated the average amplitude of the latent positive potential (latent positivity, LPP) brainwave linked to distraction and reappraisal using an ERP analysis. In addition, the current study compared the modulation of the LPP to the self-reported mood of the participants and their individual differences in regulation ability through scores of a self-report emotion regulation questionnaire. The latent positive potentials from an emotion regulation task …

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Effects Of Different Housing Configurations On Captive Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) Behavior In Holding Area During Construction, Kailyn Campbell Jan 2020

Effects Of Different Housing Configurations On Captive Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) Behavior In Holding Area During Construction, Kailyn Campbell

All Master's Theses

In this study, I explored the behaviors, social interactions, and effects different housing configurations on chimpanzees in a zoological environment during a period of construction. I collected noninvasive, observational data at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon on a small group of chimpanzees, three females and one male, between the ages of 45 and 50 that are split daily into two separate groups of two. I used the focal animal sampling method to record behaviors from an adapted ethogram. I hypothesized that the Oregon Zoo chimpanzees would behave differently depending on which chimpanzee they were housed with. I predicted that …

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The Development Of Social Behavior In The Tibetan Macaque (Macaca Thibetana), Rose Amrhein Jan 2020

The Development Of Social Behavior In The Tibetan Macaque (Macaca Thibetana), Rose Amrhein

All Master's Theses

Social cognition is vital for the proper integration into adulthood for any highly social animal species. The development of social intelligence during the childhood and adolescence of a social organism affects the individual throughout its life. This social intelligence allows for the establishment and maintenance of bonds through the formation of empathy, the understanding of intention and emotion, and theory of mind in some species. Changes to the rate and effectiveness of social development could lead to an individual incapable of integrating into the social environment of adulthood. Yet, much still needs to be learned about the process and influences …

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Mommy Issues: Do Differential Rearing Histories Affect The Social Behavior Of Captive Chacma Baboons (Papio Ursinus), Madeleine Spencer Jan 2020

Mommy Issues: Do Differential Rearing Histories Affect The Social Behavior Of Captive Chacma Baboons (Papio Ursinus), Madeleine Spencer

All Master's Theses

I observed the behavior of 17 chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in order to understand the relationship between rearing history, dominance hierarchy, and social behavior. The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (C.A.R.E.) has utilized hand-rearing in the past and is currently using a surrogate-rearing method. Hand-rearing involves one or more primary caregivers attending to an infant for 6 – 12 months. Surrogate-rearing involves one individual being the primary surrogate for the first 3 months of the infant’s life prior to bonding her or him to an adult female baboon before integrating both back into the surrogate’s troop. Mother-reared …

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Examining Environmental Use By Captive Lemur Catta And Varecia Rubra, Rhiannon Belcher Jan 2020

Examining Environmental Use By Captive Lemur Catta And Varecia Rubra, Rhiannon Belcher

All Master's Theses

There are over 100 named species of lemurs, of which 94% are considered threatened with extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They live in increasingly fragmented forests. To understand how best to protect them in their natural habitats, we can observe how they manipulate the environment and how they use objects, both natural and humanmade, around them. Understanding their behavior is a critical component of conservation, and observing behavior in a captive setting allows us to study lemur-environment relationships without disrupting what little habitat is left in Madagascar. In this study I investigated whether the …

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Comparing Students' Perspectives On A Rural University's Special District Police Department And Student's Traditional Hometown Police Departments, Angela Pierce Jan 2020

Comparing Students' Perspectives On A Rural University's Special District Police Department And Student's Traditional Hometown Police Departments, Angela Pierce

All Master's Theses

Understanding the public perceptions of police is not a new topic, but it is one that has not focused on that of university students. This current study aims to fill the gap in knowledge by comparing student’s perceptions of two different police departments; traditional hometown police departments and special district police. This study targeted a specific population, college students, that needs additional research to understand what factors contribute to their perceptions of police. This study gathered students’ perceptions of police using an email survey of all on-campus students in a regional state university. Using OLS regression, I was able to …

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The Seasonality And Parasite Richness And Prevalence Of The Weddelli’S Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus Weddelli), Krista Banda Jan 2020

The Seasonality And Parasite Richness And Prevalence Of The Weddelli’S Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus Weddelli), Krista Banda

All Master's Theses

This study surveyed the intestinal helminths (parasitic worms) of Weddelli’s saddleback tamarins (Leontocebus weddelli), focusing on seasonality in parasite prevalence and richness. The collaborative study with Field Projects International took place at the Estación Biológica Rio Los Amigos (EBLA) in southeastern Peru. Fecal samples were collected by following semi-habituated groups of tamarins, yielding 16 samples in the dry season of 2015 and 11 samples in the wet season of 2015-2016. Findings were interpreted to understand trends for parasite prevalence and richness between the two seasons; however, novel helminths for the study species were observed. Trends were interpreted with …

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Tekison Cave: A Case Study In Archaeological Collection Rehabilitation And Accessibility, Jackey Anderson Jan 2020

Tekison Cave: A Case Study In Archaeological Collection Rehabilitation And Accessibility, Jackey Anderson

All Master's Theses

Tekison Cave is a Kittitas County, Washington, archaeological site that was excavated by avocational archaeologists in the 1970s. Part of the collection (previously never cataloged or professionally analyzed), is housed at CWU on behalf of the landowners, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Additionally, the avocational archaeologists still possess some artifacts that they loaned to the university. The collection was rehabilitated and a recommended access policy was created, by collaborating with stakeholders: WDFW, one of the original excavators, and Native American descendant communities. For the rehabilitation, 661 bags and more than 4,406 objects were organized, cataloged, and housed …

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Comparing Rusle Ls Calculation Methods Across Varying Dem Resolutions, Amanda Moody Jan 2020

Comparing Rusle Ls Calculation Methods Across Varying Dem Resolutions, Amanda Moody

All Master's Theses

Soil erosion is a global problem that reduces land productivity and causes environmental degradation. Soil erosion models, such as the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), are used to estimate the severity and distribution of erosion. The topographic factor (LS), which combines slope length and angle, is an important part of RUSLE. This work compared two methods of L calculation, the grid cumulation (GC) and the contributing area (CA) methods, and two methods of S calculation, the neighborhood (NBR) and maximum downhill slope (MDS) methods. These were compared across digital elevation models (DEMs) of 1, 5, 10, and 30m resolutions. …

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A Resource Management Analysis Of Olympia And Pacific Oysters In Puget Sound, Liliana Kaeding Jan 2020

A Resource Management Analysis Of Olympia And Pacific Oysters In Puget Sound, Liliana Kaeding

All Master's Theses

Beginning with the 1848 California Gold Rush, populations of Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) were nearly decimated by overharvest and water pollution in Puget Sound. To fill the market demand for oysters, Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were introduced from Japan in the early 1900s. Since then, Pacific oysters have become the most common species sold by shellfish growers in the Pacific Northwest due to their hardiness and fast growth. Olympia oysters have subsequently become the focus of many restoration projects in Puget Sound in attempts to regrow populations. Paradoxically, Pacific oyster shells are often used in restoration …

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Effects Of Illness Type And Empathy Induction On Illness-Related Stigma In Undergraduate Students, Karlie Hill Jan 2020

Effects Of Illness Type And Empathy Induction On Illness-Related Stigma In Undergraduate Students, Karlie Hill

All Master's Theses

The current study investigated if increasing empathy would decrease stigma toward populations with illness. One hundred and seventy-nine participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) sexually transmitted infections (STIs), 2) mental illness, or 3) cancer. Participants were primed with either a high-empathy prompt or low-empathy prompt. After reading the prompt, participants read a vignette detailing the experience of being diagnosed with the illness in their condition. Participants then responded to three stigma measures to assess their stigmatizing attitudes toward the person in the vignette with the illness. To test the experimental hypothesis, a multivariate analysis of covariance …

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The Mystery Of Mandalas: Effects Of Coloring On Stress Reduction And Mood, Olivia Mcdougall Jan 2020

The Mystery Of Mandalas: Effects Of Coloring On Stress Reduction And Mood, Olivia Mcdougall

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Art therapy is commonly used across many different situations, as artmaking and creative expression provide many different psychological benefits. Specifically, research has found that coloring mandalas—abstract, circular designs—can reduce stress more than coloring other prints or drawing on blank paper (Curry & Kasser, 2005). However, the reason behind mandala’s stress reducing properties has yet to be entirely discovered. The present study attempted to uncover part of the mystery behind mandalas by measuring mood and stress in response to watching coloring videos. Through an online survey platform, participants were subjected to a stress inducing task and then asked to watch a …

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Queer Political Organization In Israel, And Palestine: Shifting Away From Homonationalism, Tristan Blaisdell Jan 2020

Queer Political Organization In Israel, And Palestine: Shifting Away From Homonationalism, Tristan Blaisdell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this project, I present research I have done on the issue of pink washing queer Israeli and Palestinian citizens and homonationalism within Israel and Palestine. I also create an exhibit brief outlining a hypothetical museum exhibit on this topic to be put up at the museum of culture and environment. The first section outlines the history and theory of my exhibit, and a brief personal statement where I talk about my interest in the subject and where I’m coming from before I design this exhibit. My theory is built off concepts of diaspora, home, belonging, queer identity, and intersectionality …

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Impact Of The Csi Effect And Authority Bias On Juror Decisions, Meredith Scruggs Jan 2020

Impact Of The Csi Effect And Authority Bias On Juror Decisions, Meredith Scruggs

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The recent increase in number of crime drama television shows raises the issue that these fictional portrayals may impact real proceedings in the justice system. This phenomenon has become known as the CSI effect. This includes the concept of authority bias, by which laypeople place higher value on information provided by those that they perceive to be in positions of authority. 289 college students completed a survey comparing their likelihood to match an unknown fingerprint to a suspect’s, after actors portraying evidence technicians either confirm the match or provide no conclusion. Results showed no significant interaction between the confirmation condition …

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An Inside Look Into Event Planning, Anastasia Goebel Jan 2020

An Inside Look Into Event Planning, Anastasia Goebel

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper will summarize the planning process, methods, and results of a local Ellensburg, Washington event and student project, “Mickey’s Countdown to Christmas.” This event was a fundraiser taking place during the holiday season, where the goal was to raise money for the Ellensburg High School Band (EHS). The EHS Band takes a biannual educational trip to The Disneyland Resort, and as over 100 kids want to go in the year 2020, it has become an expensive endeavor. The hope for the fundraiser was to raise some extra money that could be deposited directly into student accounts, so that more …

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A Functional Analysis Of Recorded Pre-Contact Archaeological Sites On Lopez Island, Washington, Julia Kunas Jan 2020

A Functional Analysis Of Recorded Pre-Contact Archaeological Sites On Lopez Island, Washington, Julia Kunas

All Master's Theses

Lopez Island, Washington has been the subject of archaeological study for over a century. Through an evolutionary archaeology framework, this thesis uses a functional analysis of recorded precontact sites on Lopez Island to determine how previous sampling and research strategies have influenced what is known about the island’s archaeology. Knowing what is currently known about the island’s archaeology shows how recorded sites can be further investigated to address regional Salish Sea research questions. I developed and applied a paradigmatic classification to 54 sampled sites from the Washington DAHP’s WISAARD database by their level of previous research, microenvironment, and archaeology. This …

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Investigating The Spatial And Statistical Dimensions Of Mortuary Choice In The Historical-Period Old City Cemetery In Roslyn, Washington, Sarah Rain Hibdon Jan 2020

Investigating The Spatial And Statistical Dimensions Of Mortuary Choice In The Historical-Period Old City Cemetery In Roslyn, Washington, Sarah Rain Hibdon

All Master's Theses

The historical-period Old City Cemetery in Roslyn, Washington contains individuals from diverse social backgrounds and exhibits considerable variation in mortuary expression. As such, the Old City Cemetery offers a unique opportunity to explore potential differences in social group mortuary practices spatially and statistically. Using burials in Roslyn’s Old City Cemetery, this project developed a methods framework to assess mortuary practice through demographics, burial location, and monument/plot attributes. I tested correlations between demographics and mortuary expression using spatial-statistical cluster analysis (Ripley’s K-Function), spatial density analysis (Kernel Density Estimation), and non-spatial statistical significance assessments (Factor analysis and Pearson’s R), and identified …

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Lithic Technological And Functional Variability Between Mesa And Riverine Environments In The Mid-Columbia River Basin, Josh Allen Jan 2020

Lithic Technological And Functional Variability Between Mesa And Riverine Environments In The Mid-Columbia River Basin, Josh Allen

All Master's Theses

This study develops a theoretically informed method and technique to compare variability between pre-contact riverine and hinterland Mesa archaeological resources of the mid-Columbian River Basin in Central Washington. To test the developed model, the study follows suggestions made by Dr. William Smith (1977:82) to “develop a testable hypothesis” using Mesa sites and other site types across environments with a more “sophisticated system for the classification of both artifacts and features.” Three sites (Mesa 06, 12, and 36) are compared to a riverine site (45DO673) to determine how the frequency of technological and functional traits of lithic stone tools and debitage …

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Sampling The Local Fare: Fishes At The Sam Israel House Pit (45gr76), Soap Lake, Washington, Adam Fruge Jan 2020

Sampling The Local Fare: Fishes At The Sam Israel House Pit (45gr76), Soap Lake, Washington, Adam Fruge

All Master's Theses

The Sam Israel site is a precontact archaeological complex with numerous fish bones at the north end of Soap Lake, Washington. Excavated in 1976, the fish remains recovered from there were never fully analyzed prior to this research. Since this inland Columbia Plateau site had thousands of fish bones, it contained untapped potential for our understanding of ancient local fish procurement. As such, I conducted a detailed analysis of 2,862 fish bone specimens from the Sam Israel House Pit locus to: study a larger sample of fish bones in greater detail than was done before; compare the distribution of fishes …

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The Economic Impact Of Forest Harvest Practices On Washington State Park Visitation, Tyler Humphries Jan 2020

The Economic Impact Of Forest Harvest Practices On Washington State Park Visitation, Tyler Humphries

All Master's Theses

Washington State receives timber contributions from 34 out of its 39 counties, making it a top producer of timber in the United States. Because of the widespread and abundant number of harvests, many forests that society values are affected via diminished aesthetic appeal. Of these affected areas are Washington State Parks and the areas around them. This study seeks to estimate the economic impact that forest harvest practices have on the visitation of Washington State Parks. Through the use of GIS and fixed effect regression analysis, I estimate the impact that over 100,000 permitted forest cuts have on the visitation …

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Group Differences In Mother-Infant Macaca Fascicularis Behavior, Parasite Load, And Body Condition Within An Anthropogenically Altered Forest, Elizabeth M.C. Coggeshall Jan 2020

Group Differences In Mother-Infant Macaca Fascicularis Behavior, Parasite Load, And Body Condition Within An Anthropogenically Altered Forest, Elizabeth M.C. Coggeshall

All Master's Theses

This study aimed to establish preliminary health and behavioral data, as well as understand group variation for a large population of Macaca fascicularis individuals within an anthropogenically altered monkey forest. A parasitic analysis of 40 mother and infant individuals showed that M. fascicularis carried 13 different parasitic taxa, and that there was parasitic variation between groups. Body condition scores were determined using a newly created and adapted body condition scale from 146 sampled mother macaques. Body condition scores were significantly different between groups, specifically the pond group when compared to the three other groups. Mother-infant behavioral differences were seen between …

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Forgive Them, Forgive Them Not: The Role Of Remorse And Empathy In Interpersonal Forgiveness, Molly Mortensen Jan 2020

Forgive Them, Forgive Them Not: The Role Of Remorse And Empathy In Interpersonal Forgiveness, Molly Mortensen

All Master's Theses

Forgiveness research has suggested that the reduction of negative thoughts and emotions between a victim and perceived transgressor (forgiveness) may be beneficial for close, personal relationships. The current study aimed to examine the influence of perceived remorse and elicited empathy on forgiveness following the occurrence of a hypothetical transgression. It was hypothesized that (a) participants would demonstrate the greatest levels of Forgiveness in the condition of Remorse and Empathy compared to all other conditions, (b) Empathy would increase Forgiveness only when combined with Remorse, and (c) Remorse would be more critically to increasing Forgiveness than Empathy. Participants from Central Washington …

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Recovering Lost Information From Avocational Projectile Point Collections, Mackenzie Hughes Jan 2020

Recovering Lost Information From Avocational Projectile Point Collections, Mackenzie Hughes

All Master's Theses

Human prehistory in North America has sparked the interest of private citizens for decades, sometimes leading to an accumulation of avocational artifact collections that lack site-level provenience. The Wild/Clymer artifacts (n = 1,371) are one such collection where precise site provenience was lost. The analysis aims to recover regional provenience by using morphology, raw material sourcing, and typology to create a data set. The avocational collection data set was analyzed by comparing it to the professionally recorded archaeological data sets from within 100 miles of Frenchglen, Oregon. A paradigmatic classification approach identified 606 typeable points in the avocational collection, in …

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