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Claremont Colleges

Scripps Senior Theses

2015

Articles 1 - 30 of 30

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Online Feminisms: Feminist Community Building And Activism In A Digital Age, Taryn Riera Jan 2015

Online Feminisms: Feminist Community Building And Activism In A Digital Age, Taryn Riera

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores both what feminism looks like in a digital age, as well as how the Internet and technology inform the ways in which feminists interact, build communities, and form identities. I found that online feminist spaces are built as communities of validation and support, education and empowerment, as well as spaces of radicalization and contention. Ultimately my thesis leads toward a new understanding of feminist activism that incorporates the unique characteristics and abilities of online feminism.

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Being Japanese In English: The Social And Functional Role Of English Loanwords In Japanese, Shalina Omar Jan 2015

Being Japanese In English: The Social And Functional Role Of English Loanwords In Japanese, Shalina Omar

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis investigates native speaker attitudes towards English loanwords in Japanese and the ways in which these loanwords are used. The imperialism and hegemony of English can often cause anger or worry for the preservation of the cultural identity of the borrowing language. However, the results from a 9-page sociolinguistic questionnaire suggest that English loanwords are overwhelmingly seen as useful and necessary and are generally associated with positive attitudes. Additionally, many native Japanese speakers feel that loanwords provide more options for expression, both functionally and as a possible pragmatic tool for performing Japaneseness. On the other hand, overuse of loanwords—especially …

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The Relationship Between Vagal Tone, A Marker Of Parasympathetic Activity, And Pro-Social Behavior, Emily A. Goodlin Jan 2015

The Relationship Between Vagal Tone, A Marker Of Parasympathetic Activity, And Pro-Social Behavior, Emily A. Goodlin

Scripps Senior Theses

Vagal tone, a measure of parasympathetic activity via the vagus nerve, is known to be associated with positive emotion because it promotes social engagement and self-soothing behavior. Heart rate variability (HRV), especially high frequency oscillation, is a direct measure of vagal tone, and has been used in previous studies to test the correlation between vagal tone and positive emotion. This study aims to determine if the two major oscillations of heart rate variability, high frequency (HF-HRV) and low frequency (LF-HRV) can predict pro-social behavior, which is classified as giving donations to charities. Baseline LF- and HF-HRV levels were recorded, and …

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Perceptions Of Search Consent Voluntariness As A Function Of Race, Rebecca M. Gold Jan 2015

Perceptions Of Search Consent Voluntariness As A Function Of Race, Rebecca M. Gold

Scripps Senior Theses

The United States Constitution provides its citizens protection from unreasonable searches and seizures from government officials, including police officers, through the Fourth Amendment. This Amendment applies to searches that violate a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, the Fourth Amendment does not protect citizens when they consent to a search voluntarily. It is necessary to determine whether or not a search is voluntary by looking at a variety of factors. Although an infinite number of factors can be considered to make this determination, race of both the police officer and of the person being searched should be considered, due to societal …

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Personality And Creativity Correlates In Adults With Childhood Imaginary Companions, Carolyn Lasch Jan 2015

Personality And Creativity Correlates In Adults With Childhood Imaginary Companions, Carolyn Lasch

Scripps Senior Theses

A few studies have demonstrated differences in various personality attributes and creative abilities in children with imaginary companions. This study examined how recalled childhood engagement with an imaginary companion correlates with adult personality and creativity measures. It was hypothesized that creation of childhood imaginary companions would be positively correlated with adult creativity, but that this relationship would be mediated by certain personality attributes such as openness to experiences and extraversion. Other details of the imaginary companion experiences were also investigated. Two hundred and forty-six participants were recruited online to answer questions related to their personality and creativity, as well as …

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Sexual Education Across The United States: Are We Doing It Right?, Emily A. Horne Jan 2015

Sexual Education Across The United States: Are We Doing It Right?, Emily A. Horne

Scripps Senior Theses

Since the early 20th century, students across the United States have been learning sexual education in public classrooms. Although American society has made many advancements and social changes since then, the curriculum of sexual education has remained stagnant. It continues to stress the concept of “social hygiene,” promoting white, heterosexual norms while demoralizing adolescent sexuality (McCarty-Caplan 2013). Since the 1980’s, the federal government has created three federally funded programs to promote abstinence-only sexual education. Although there are no federal laws or policies that dictate states or districts must provide sexual education, the programs have pressured the boards and districts …

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It's The Economy, Stupid: Economic Voting And Gender Bias In U.S. Congressional Elections, Grace Lutz Jan 2015

It's The Economy, Stupid: Economic Voting And Gender Bias In U.S. Congressional Elections, Grace Lutz

Scripps Senior Theses

This study examines the relationship between the state of the U.S. economy and the outcome of general elections for incumbents in the U.S. House of Representatives. The analysis uses a unique data set compiled from a sample of U.S. Congressional Elections and state and economic indicators between the years 1999 and 2014. We find that economic indicators are consistently related to election outcomes, but have a larger and more significant effect when the time period examined is closer to a major economic event, such as the Great Recession. We also find that female incumbent candidates are more negatively affected by …

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"We're All Jock Tamson's Bairns": Scottish Ethnic Identity And Nationalism In America, Avalon Harder Jan 2015

"We're All Jock Tamson's Bairns": Scottish Ethnic Identity And Nationalism In America, Avalon Harder

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper explores how Scottish-Americans have contributed to Scottish national dialogues by laying roots for future generations in the form of early ethnic organizations as well as religious and social practices, engaging in discussion about what it means to be both white and ethnic, sustaining forms of traditional culture through Scottish Highland Games, and interpreting their personal experiences with ethnic and national identity as a way of negotiating their relationships with Scottish nationalism. The 2014 referendum on Scottish independence offered historical circumstances that were both relevant and exhilarating to explore these topics under. This exploration incorporates both interview and survey …

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Coming Out Of The Margins: Lgbti Activists In Costa Rica And Nicaragua, Samantha Abelove Jan 2015

Coming Out Of The Margins: Lgbti Activists In Costa Rica And Nicaragua, Samantha Abelove

Scripps Senior Theses

For decades LGBTQ rights have been approached purely by a legal strategy, in particular advocating for the legalization of same-sex marriage. However, discrimination and violence against the LGBTQ community continues to be a major issue in Latin America because of cultural values such as Catholicism and machismo that uphold a standard of and, in turn, have control over people’s sexuality. Using a human rights approach towards the politics of sexuality, LGBTI activists in Costa Rican and Nicaragua have been successful in transforming public opinion about sexuality and more importantly, sexual diversity. As a result of their egalitarian framework and efforts …

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Is The Reception Better On A Different Channel? Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Of Introverts And Extraverts During Face-To-Face Versus Instant Messenger Conversations, Christina S. Whalen Jan 2015

Is The Reception Better On A Different Channel? Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Of Introverts And Extraverts During Face-To-Face Versus Instant Messenger Conversations, Christina S. Whalen

Scripps Senior Theses

Satisfying communication is sometimes hard to come by. Due to differences in social expression and reception, individuals tend to express and receive communication in dissimilar ways, especially within different social contexts. In the present study, the effects of personality and channel of communication on individual and mutual satisfaction after a conversation will be tested. Participants will take a personality test to determine introversion or extraversion. They will then be randomly assigned to conversation pairs which will communicate either through an instant messaging (IM) program or face-to-face (FtF). Satisfaction will be determined using a modified version of the Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction …

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The Impact Of Jury Instruction Formatting And Insanity Defense Consistency On Juror Knowledge And Decision-Making, Elaine Tsao Jan 2015

The Impact Of Jury Instruction Formatting And Insanity Defense Consistency On Juror Knowledge And Decision-Making, Elaine Tsao

Scripps Senior Theses

Past literature has indicated that jury instructions are not written in ways that result in optimal juror comprehension, and can be improved through various ways of simplification. Prototypes of the insanity defense have also been found to influence juror decision-making. Additionally, individual factors such as attitudes toward and myth endorsement of the insanity defense can influence verdict. The following study explored these effects of jury instruction format, insanity defense consistency, and participant factors on jury understanding and decision-making. Three hundred and eighty jury eligible community members were recruited online for this study. Participants were first asked questions pertaining to attitudes …

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The Effects Of Interview Length On Gender And Personality Related Bias In Job Interviews, Emily Condon Jan 2015

The Effects Of Interview Length On Gender And Personality Related Bias In Job Interviews, Emily Condon

Scripps Senior Theses

The proposed study explores the cognitive miser approach to perception formation in job interviews, as well as factors that may motivate people to not act as cognitive misers. Personality type (introverted and extraverted) and gender are characteristics of people that are associated with many stereotypes (Heilman, 2001; Andersen & Klatzky, 1987), and can have a large influence on an employer’s perception of an applicant, particularly when the employer is acting as a cognitive miser. It is hypothesized that in longer interviews, employers will be motivated to not act as cognitive misers, because they have more information about the applicant, have …

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Learning Requires Attention For Binding Affective Reinforcement To Information Content, Chia Mun Foo Jan 2015

Learning Requires Attention For Binding Affective Reinforcement To Information Content, Chia Mun Foo

Scripps Senior Theses

Humans are limited in their capacity to process information about the environment; to choose the most salient details to process, we have to make rapid value appraisals and prioritize our attentional resources. In this proposed study, it is expected that attention is required to learn from affective information. Learning is measured by the difference between update (the difference between the first and second estimation) and the estimation error (the difference between the average likelihood and the first estimation). Using a belief-updating paradigm, participants will be asked to estimate their likelihood of encountering a negative event, once before and once after …

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Reconstruction After Genocide: An Analysis Of The Justice System For The Women Victims Of Genocidal Rape In Post-Conflict Bosnia, Hannah E. Gardenswartz Jan 2015

Reconstruction After Genocide: An Analysis Of The Justice System For The Women Victims Of Genocidal Rape In Post-Conflict Bosnia, Hannah E. Gardenswartz

Scripps Senior Theses

In the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the critical elements of the ethnic cleansing regimes was rape and impregnation of women. When the international justice system was created to criminally try the perpetrators of the atrocities, including the rape victims was a new development. Looking at the tribunals and court system from a gendered perspective reveals that the efforts to include rape victims have not taken into account their specific needs, stemming from their trauma. A critical look the ICTY and other criminal courts are presented, as well as recommendations for improving inclusivity and reconciliation.

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Understanding The Complexity Of Attitudes Toward Public Education: Predicting The Views Of Teachers And Parents In France And In The United States Based On Social And Cultural Factors, Madeleine Wills Jan 2015

Understanding The Complexity Of Attitudes Toward Public Education: Predicting The Views Of Teachers And Parents In France And In The United States Based On Social And Cultural Factors, Madeleine Wills

Scripps Senior Theses

Extending prior research related to attitude development and intra-attitudinal consistency, the current study aims to evaluate various factors that predict attitudes toward public education and understand how they impact the direction and consistency of participants’ attitudes. In an effort to develop our knowledge of the factors that predict these attitudes among members of differing populations, the researcher will administer surveys that assess the three components of participants’ attitudes as well as the factors that predict them to public school teachers and parents of students in the United States (US) and in France. It is predicted that considerations like social identity …

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A Call For Bioregional Governance In Cascadia: Shaping An Ecological Identity In The Land Of Falling Waters, Molly D. Freed Jan 2015

A Call For Bioregional Governance In Cascadia: Shaping An Ecological Identity In The Land Of Falling Waters, Molly D. Freed

Scripps Senior Theses

In recent years, as globalization has taken a toll on North Americans’ “sense of place,” there has been a swelling interest in the identification of bioregions: spaces delineated by their natural borders and shaped by the cultures that arise within them. Bioregionalism, the movement that arose from this scalar shift, emphasizes the “reinhabitation” of bioregions through a deep understanding and attachment between residents and their watershed and habitat. This thesis argues for a shift to bioregional-scale environmental governance in the Cascadian bioregion (the Pacific Northwest) via an interstate compact. Using the Great Lakes bioregion as a comparable case …

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I Accidentally This Thesis Because East: The Influence Of The Internet On Spoken Language In Eastspeak, Emma S. Manning Jan 2015

I Accidentally This Thesis Because East: The Influence Of The Internet On Spoken Language In Eastspeak, Emma S. Manning

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines the variety of English spoken in East Dorm at Harvey Mudd College. It describes aspects of the syntax and phonology of Eastspeak, focusing in particular on how Eastspeak has been influenced by the language of the internet. This includes tendencies toward brevity and language play, as well as the use of specific constructions used on the internet, and playful pronunciations that are influenced by creative misspellings used online. Specific Eastspeak phenomena discussed include conversion, deletion, and unusual determiner and quantifier use.

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America’S College Promise: An Economic Evaluation Of President Obama’S Free Community College Plan, Yue Guan Jan 2015

America’S College Promise: An Economic Evaluation Of President Obama’S Free Community College Plan, Yue Guan

Scripps Senior Theses

In his 2015 State of the Union Address, President Obama announced “America’s College Promise,” a plan to make community college free for all American families making less than $200,000. In this thesis, I provide an analysis of the plan and provide an evaluation of its potential impact on the education attainment gap in the United States. I also evaluate the plan’s various components and assess its potential impact on community college student enrollment, completion, and transfer to four-year universities. Lastly, I offer recommendations for improvement.

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What Is The 'Economic Value' Of Learning English In Spain?, Molly M. Robbins Jan 2015

What Is The 'Economic Value' Of Learning English In Spain?, Molly M. Robbins

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper uses historical and economic references to evaluate the economic value of learning English in Spain. Seeing that English is the lingua franca in politics, business, and technology, it is a necessary skill for Spanish citizens to possess in order to efficiently interact in foreign relations of all kinds. Due to Franco’s harsh language policies, and Spain’s ineffective education system, Spain has lacked the same linguistic exposure to foreign languages—especially English—than the rest of Europe. By referencing the previous literature written about the relationship between language and earnings, this paper seeks to find the economic incentive for Spaniards to …

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Statistics Of The Self: Shaping The Self Through Quantified Self-Tracking, Lauren M. Rowse Jan 2015

Statistics Of The Self: Shaping The Self Through Quantified Self-Tracking, Lauren M. Rowse

Scripps Senior Theses

Self-tracking practices are growing in popularity worldwide. From heart-rate monitoring to mood tracking, many believe that wearable technologies are making their users more mindful in exclusively positive ways. However, I will argue that consistent and deliberate self-tracking (with or without portable devices) necessitates a particular understanding of the self with consequences that have yet to be fully explored. Through an analysis of forum posts on a popular self-tracking discussion and informational site, QuantifiedSelf.com, I will claim that self-trackers approach the creation of self-knowledge in a manner that is particular to today’s society. I will discuss how the ubiquitous conflation of …

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The Germ Theory Of Dystopias: Fears Of Human Nature In 1984 And Brave New World, Clea D. Harris Jan 2015

The Germ Theory Of Dystopias: Fears Of Human Nature In 1984 And Brave New World, Clea D. Harris

Scripps Senior Theses

This project is an exploration of 20th century dystopian literature through the lens of germ theory. This scientific principle, which emerged in the late 19th century, asserts that microorganisms pervade the world; these invisible and omnipresent germs cause specific diseases which are often life threatening. Additionally, germ theory states that vaccines and antiseptics can prevent some of these afflictions and that antibiotics can treat others. This concept of a pervasive, invisible, infection-causing other is not just a biological principle, though; in this paper, I argue that one can interpret it as an ideological framework for understanding human existence …

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Untold Narratives: Refugee Experiences From Laos To Richmond, California, Laiseng Saechao Jan 2015

Untold Narratives: Refugee Experiences From Laos To Richmond, California, Laiseng Saechao

Scripps Senior Theses

Untold Narratives: A Refugee Experience from Laos to Richmond, California is focused on the Mien refugee experience from Laos to Richmond, California. This thesis highlights the ways Cold War politics, the Secret War, and heavy industrialization have impacted Mien communities who have been displaced from their homelands into refugee camps, and again through sponsorship into the United States. This thesis looks at political theories that discuss inequalities that exist, particularly through environmental degradation and negative health impacts that Mien refugees are experiencing in their resettlement into Richmond, California. Due to the limited scholarly articles and documented narratives that are available …

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Ngos V. State: A Case Study Of The Effectiveness Of Women’S Development Programs In Tanzania, Sara M. Eliason Jan 2015

Ngos V. State: A Case Study Of The Effectiveness Of Women’S Development Programs In Tanzania, Sara M. Eliason

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper compares the effectiveness of an NGO and a government branch at promoting development through gender equality in Tanzania, in an attempt to determine whether one actor is more suited to this sector of development. Due to the nature of the actors, their approaches impact different parts of the population of Tanzania and are complementary in their impact. Both NGO and government efforts can help to empower women and in turn promote economic development in Tanzania.

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Successfully Financing Classical Music Kickstarter Projects, Sarah Chung Jan 2015

Successfully Financing Classical Music Kickstarter Projects, Sarah Chung

Scripps Senior Theses

With the rise of technology and finance, crowdfunding has been uprising as a popular method of financing projects. Kickstarter provides an online platform in which anyone with Internet access can upload their own project “pitch” to gain funding for their idea on an all-or-nothing model. My thesis explores financial trends and factors that potentially contribute to a successful Kickstarter campaign within the classical music projects subcategory. I use a logistic regression and the Ordinary Least Squares model to examine a dataset of already successfully funded projects and a second dataset that contains both successfully and unsuccessfully funded projects that were …

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Domestic Violence Advocacy In California: Social Influences, Legal Limitations, And Client-Centered Practice, Claire Shum Jan 2015

Domestic Violence Advocacy In California: Social Influences, Legal Limitations, And Client-Centered Practice, Claire Shum

Scripps Senior Theses

This project explores domestic violence advocacy in California by tracing historical, social, and cultural influences; examining the limit of the law and bias of those who uphold it; and analyzing a local domestic violence agency that provides services to survivors. Through the frameworks of anti-essentialization, and intersectionality I analyze gender roles and stereotypes ingrained in our culture. The essentialization of what it is to be a women renders women’s differences invisible, making it difficult for law and policy to address. By looking at domestic violence through an intersectional lens, the multi-layered nature women’s experiences can be revealed. However, not all …

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Mexican Masculinities: Migration And Experiences Of Contemporary Mexican American Men, Zandalee Springs Jan 2015

Mexican Masculinities: Migration And Experiences Of Contemporary Mexican American Men, Zandalee Springs

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examined how four Male Mexican American post-undergraduate college students constructed their views on what it means “to be a man”. The method of oral histories not only for it’s power but also for its ability to offer a different perspective than that given by theory. Oral histories offer a rich perspective that has the power to challenge dominant narratives. The thesis was set up to reflect the way that the past informs the future. Through beginning with the history of U.S.-Mexico border relations via NAFTA, the Bracero Program, and the Border Patrol, one grasps the contentious relationship between …

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The Economic Impact Of Transportation Network Companies On The Taxi Industry, Alice Wang Jan 2015

The Economic Impact Of Transportation Network Companies On The Taxi Industry, Alice Wang

Scripps Senior Theses

Transportation Network Companies (TNC) are companies that use online-enabled platforms to connect passengers with drivers. In recent years, they have sparked controversy with the taxi industry, which accuses TNCs of operating unfairly. In my study, I look at taxi regulation, consumer transportation preferences, and costs and benefits of TNCs. I analyze data comparing three of these companies, Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, with a traditional taxicab, and evaluate trends in taxi employment from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I find that Transportation Network Companies generally have shorter wait times, cheaper prices, and increased convenience, aspects that appeal to consumer preferences. I …

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A Leap In The Right Direction For California Public Education: The Local Control And Accountability Plan And Its Effects On Latino English Learners, Sarah E. Owens Jan 2015

A Leap In The Right Direction For California Public Education: The Local Control And Accountability Plan And Its Effects On Latino English Learners, Sarah E. Owens

Scripps Senior Theses

The California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 97 in June 2013 and Governor Brown signed it into law on July 1, 2013. The legislation created the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). The LCFF changed the way that school districts in California receive education funding from the state, shifting from a complex categorical program towards a per-pupil based formula. Furthermore, school districts receive “supplemental” and “concentration” funds based on the number of English learners, low-income students and foster youth in the district. The LCAP is a key component of this new funding system …

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Price, Perceived Value And Customer Satisfaction: A Text-Based Econometric Analysis Of Yelp! Reviews, Eleanor A. Dwyer Jan 2015

Price, Perceived Value And Customer Satisfaction: A Text-Based Econometric Analysis Of Yelp! Reviews, Eleanor A. Dwyer

Scripps Senior Theses

We examine the antecedents of customer satisfaction in the restaurant sector, paying particular attention to perceived value and price level. Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation, we extract latent topics from the text of Yelp! reviews, then analyze the relationship between these topics and satisfaction, measured as the difference between review rating and user average review rating.

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Take A Deep Breath: How Yoga Postures And Breathing Techniques Can Impact Ptsd Symptoms, Sophia E. Armington Jan 2015

Take A Deep Breath: How Yoga Postures And Breathing Techniques Can Impact Ptsd Symptoms, Sophia E. Armington

Scripps Senior Theses

Yoga postures (asana) and yoga breathing techniques (pranayama) could be an effective method of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study investigates the importance of the style of yoga treatment (pranayama, asana, or both) and the frequency with which these interventions are conducted (two or five times per week). The participants in this study will be military personnel with diagnosed PTSD who are currently receiving CBT and pharmaceutical treatment. All participants will have their PTSD symptoms assessed before the study begins, and then once a week each of the 12 weeks of the study. Structured interviews will be administered …

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