Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Predictors Of Substance Use, Relationship Arrangements And Intimacy Expectancies Among Gay Couples And Associations To Erikson Intimacy Development, Jonathan Lopez Matos

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored relationship arrangements, intimacy expectancies of substance use and the potential role of Eriksonian intimacy development on drug use among gay and bisexual men. Data were collected from 339 partnered gay/bisexual men across the United States. Measures addressed arrangement type, intimacy expectancies, Eriksonian intimacy and drug use.

Investigating Attachment Behavior In Shelter Dogs, Anamarie Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a modified Strange Situation Test to investigate attachment behavior of shelter dogs to an experimental owner and a stranger observing physical contact and location. No difference was seen in physical contact but a small difference was seen in location.

Individual Thought Patterns: Women In New York's Extreme Metal Music Scene, Joan M. Jocson-Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Extreme metal music (EMM) is both an umbrella term and a sub-category of heavy metal. Although women have a small but steady presence in heavy metal, this number shrinks when applied to the EMM scene. Using ethnographic research, participant-observation and interviews, this study surveys women in New York's EMM scene to address participation, gender performativity and feminist musicology.

Rationality, Parapsychology, And Artificial Intelligence In Military And Intelligence Research By The United States Government In The Cold War, Guy M. Lomeo

Theses and Dissertations

A study analyzing the roles of rationality, parapsychology, and artificial intelligence in military and intelligence research by the United States Government in the Cold War. An examination of the methodology behind the decisions to pursue research in two fields that were initially considered irrational.

The Effect Of Economic Integration And Political Centralization On Linguistic Diversity - And The New Function And Status Of The English Language In Europe, Demba K. Baldeh

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the effect of economic integration (EI) and political unity on

linguistic diversity and the new function and status of the English language in

Europe. It shows the current sociolinguistic transformation and the growing use of

English both as strong effects and key indicators of the process.

Fresh Air: The Impact Of Reformulated Gasoline On Infant Health, Mohammed Husain

Theses and Dissertations

This paper considers a 1996 Reformulated Gasoline program, where gasoline emissions were regulated in California, to observe the effects on infant health indicators. I use a cross-county analysis to find significant effects from the policy that suggests an improvement in birth weight, gestational length, and infant mortality.

Pro-Islamic State Twitter Users In A Post-Suspension Era, Colby Grace

Theses and Dissertations

Twitters efforts to silence pro-IS users has been largely unsuccessful. I apply discourse analysis techniques to better understand why that is. The findings demonstrate that Twitter’s account suspension campaign is outmatched by a community that now values account suspensions as a right of passage. I propose a new method.

The Effect Of Health Insurance On Young Adults' Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence From The Affordable Care Act's Dependent Coverage Expansion, Quazi Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

The Affordable Care Act’s dependent coverage mandate extended young adults’ parental coverage to age 26. I study the expansion’s impact on young adults’ labor market outcomes using a control function method. Following the expansion, I find dependent coverage lowered labor force participation, lowered incomes, and mixed evidence regarding labor supply.

The Effects Of The Implementation Of Green Carts On New Yorkers' Bmi, Ana L. Pacheco

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the Green Cart Initiative implemented by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. The Initiative was implemented to bring fresh fruits and vegetables in a fast, cheap, and efficient way to neighborhoods considered food deserts and areas with high rates of obesity.

E-Waste In Relation To Geopolitical Forces: A Case Study Of The United States - Mexico Border Region, Michael A. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

Analysis deconstructs the electronic waste industry and its interconnectedness to geopolitical forces and economic development in the border region between San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico. A symbiotic business relationship exists between informal e-waste collectors, non-profit collection sites, and for-profit recyclers. Fieldwork data is analyzed from a slow/structural violence perspective.

Desire And Fantasy Between Commercialism And Personal Room, Yukimi Otagiri

Theses and Dissertations

I apply two aspects of my life history to my art; my childhood experiences and my advanced studies in sociology. My work therefore combines a highly personal reading of my experiences of social interactions and my ongoing analysis of the nature of capitalism and socialism, commodification and media, especially in regard to the experiences of women in particular and consumers in general.

The Impact Of The Federally Qualified Health Center Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration On The Poor And Elderly, Jaison R. Moreno

Theses and Dissertations

Implementing a difference-in-differences, I quantify the effects of the Federally Qualified Health Centers Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration on the self-reported general health of 367 U.S. counties across 47 states. I find small positive statistically significant effects of the demonstration on the elderly and residents of high poverty communities.

How Should We Motivate Effort, Shamima Khan

Theses and Dissertations

This research uses an experimental design to study if the pattern and positioning of rewards influence the amount of effort participants put in. The three key hypotheses tested here are: 1) are people more likely to complete a task if the incentives are given in more regular intervals, 2) do uncertainty of reward timing hurt or help in maintaining motivation, 3) is intrinsic motivation more influential than the patterns in which incentives are structured? The treatments in this experiment are created by varying the reward structure of candies and pens in exchange of a simple math test completion. Among the …

Slavery, Migration, And Local Development In The Western Us, Colin Q. Sharpe

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the effects of migration from eastern slave states in the 19th century on the subsequent development of counties in the Western US. I find that increased migration from slave states has a large, statistically significant negative effect on 2010 income, and no significant effect on racial inequality or overall income inequality. These findings are robust to a variety of specifications, including controls for geographic factors, state fixed effects, and various county level social and economic conditions. Data on individual migrants suggest that the cause of the negative income effect is the lower average human capital endowment of …

Cause For Question: Risk And Postmodern Panic In The Vaccine Safety Debate, Marygrace Trifilio

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the thoughts and feelings of non-vaccinating parents in America and argues that contemporary vaccine refusal results from overwhelming information saturation in the Internet age. Non-vaccinating parents express distrust of competing scientific research and call for a return to a more natural, toxin-free lifestyle.

Can Noncompliant Behavior Explain Racial/Ethnic Disparities In The Use Of Force By The Nypd? An Econometric Analysis Of New York's Stop-And-Frisk, Omari-Khalid Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

This paper seeks to analyze spatiotemporal variations in NYPD policing patterns in an attempt to identify the causal mechanism(s) driving the observed racial/ethnic disparities; specifically, it addresses questions of how changing neighborhood demographics influence the decision-making of NYPD officers/precincts as it relates to their controversial Stop-and-Frisk policy.

Influence Of Social Status On Spatial Attention In African Cichlids (Astatotilapia Burtoni), Rebecca Bang

Theses and Dissertations

The present study used subordinate and dominant African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni to test the hypothesis that social status will influence the perception of spatial cues during startle escape behavior. Our results show escape behavior that imply a focused spatial attention to potential threats in dominant fish.

From Cow Pasture To Cul-De-Sac: The Intersection Of Rural Values, Memory, And Nostalgia Amidst Suburban Development In The American South, Emily F. Ramsey

Theses and Dissertations

How do residents of a once small farming community react to rapid suburbanization? By examining rhetoric on growth, progress, and rurality, this thesis argues a complex landscape forms where longtime residents weave among pragmatism, disaffection, and nostalgia, with efforts to preserve memories of the past for themselves and future generations.

The Effect Of Play Group On The Behavior Of Shelter Dogs, Stephanie Flower

Theses and Dissertations

This study looked at two groups of dogs, one which attended play group prior to receiving their behavior evaluation and one that did not. The group that attended play group showed significantly lower scores when looking at the dog to dog portion of the behavior evaluation.

In The Eyes Of The Beholder: Pet Owners’ Attitude Toward Animals And Perception Of Their Pet’S Behavior, Suzanne K. Remito

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between pet owners’ attitude toward animals and perception of their pet’s behavior. Pet owners completed an online questionnaire regarding their pro-animal welfare attitude and pet’s behavior. The results indicate that gender and previous pet ownership are related to a person’s attitude toward animals.

The Geography Of Financial Technology (Fintech) Companies In The New York Metropolitan Area, Frank C. Riggio

Theses and Dissertations

The Financial Technology (FinTech) industry uses technology to provide financial services more innovatively and competitively than traditional banks. A survey was conducted collecting original data of NY metropolitan area FinTech firms. Findings include a start-up heavy industry stemming from the 2008 financial crisis, prioritizing locational access to clients and funding.

Voices Of Kaka‘Ako: A Narrative Atlas Of Participatory Placemaking In Urban Honolulu, Adele Balderston

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an exploration of power structures governing the redevelopment of Honolulu’s Kaka‘ako neighborhood. Through participant observation of three initiatives that utilize creative placemaking as a tool for asserting the right to the city, this thesis offers active strategies of opposition to the commodification of culture by developers.

Effects Of Ultra-Violet B On The Behavior Of Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys Scripta Elegans), Edgar Alarcon

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to test the predictions that (1) turtles raised under mercury vapor artificial lamps will display the greatest amount of time spent in ultra-violet zones, and (2) turtles are able to differentiate between UVB and non-UVB light sources. Prediction 1 was partially supported, while prediction 2 was met.

The Effect Of Perceived Parental Autonomy Granting On Vocational Identity And Communication In Emerging Adults, Emily Salmany

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines the relationship between autonomy granting parenting, vocational identity and communication between emerging adults and parents. It is hypothesized that emerging adults with autonomy granting parents have achieved more stable vocational identities and are better able to communicate with their parents than emerging adults without such parents.

A House Without A Roof, Adam Golfer

Theses and Dissertations

A House Without a Roof (AHWAR) is a project that scrutinizes the histories of violence and displacement connecting Europe, Israel, and Palestine. With photographs, appropriated imagery, and texts, I weave together fictions of my family history with representations from Israel’s founding and ongoing military occupation. Ethnic and national identities are ruptured and reassembled as the project interrogates contradictory histories and notions of selfhood. AHWAR questions how we understand global conflict and trauma in light of our individual experience.

Population Genetic Analysis Of The Critically Endangered Black-And-White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia Variegata) In Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, Amanda Mancini

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine the efficacy of Ranomafana National Park (RNP) in preserving genetic diversity and gene flow in black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata). Results indicate that RNP successfully promotes gene flow between V. variegata groups, although genetic diversity at this site is low compared to other lemur taxa.

Slowed Temporal Disengagement From Ambiguous Information In Trait Anxiety, Tiffany Arango

Theses and Dissertations

We investigated the relation between trait anxiety and temporal disengagement from social and nonsocial affective information. Participants (n =54) completed a disengagement task and self-report questionnaires. Trait anxiety was associated with slower temporal disengagement from neutral nonsocial information, but did not predict above and beyond state anxiety.

Household Shocks And Transition Into Marriage: Evidence From Rural Ethiopia, Boyd K. Tembo

Theses and Dissertations

The study tests the primary hypothesis that household shocks do not have a positive and significant correlation with a child's transition into early marriage. It finds that there is no statistically significant correlation between parental death and transition into marriage for both genders of subjects in the study.

The Effect Of Gambling Expansion On Health, Marina Li

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effect of gambling expansion on health and health behaviors. This paper hypothesized gambling expansion decreases individual’s health and increases negative health behaviors. The study is done by observing the health and health behavior of individuals and results generally supports hypothesis.

Investigating The Nest Sanitation Hypothesis In A Rejecter Species: Is Sanitation A Proximate Link, Pre-Adaptation, Or By-Product Of Egg Ejection?, Alec B. Luro

Theses and Dissertations

Nest sanitation, a behavior similar in motor pattern to egg ejection, has been proposed repeatedly as a potential pre-adaptation to foreign egg ejection in avian brood parasites hosts. We found no support for the sanitation hypothesis--therefore we suggest egg ejection may have evolved independently of sanitation.