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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

College Students And Beliefs In The American Dream: The Impact Of Race, Class, And Gender, Maggie E. Marlow Jan 2023

College Students And Beliefs In The American Dream: The Impact Of Race, Class, And Gender, Maggie E. Marlow

Honors College Theses

The concept of the American Dream and its promises of prosperity and social mobility, primarily through hard work, has been prevalent throughout modern U.S. history. However, what defines the American Dream has been arbitrary and varied, and research has shown that attitudes and beliefs surrounding the Dream have changed over time with shifts in the economic and political environments. The research for this thesis uses qualitative methods, specifically thematic analysis, to analyze 16 in-depth, one-on-one interviews to examine how students attending a predominantly white university in the Southeastern United States perceive the American Dream today while factoring in how those …


Myths, Misconceptions, And Misrepresentations: An Examination Of Erroneous Human Trafficking Beliefs, Sarah M. Vanorder Nov 2022

Myths, Misconceptions, And Misrepresentations: An Examination Of Erroneous Human Trafficking Beliefs, Sarah M. Vanorder

Honors College Theses

Human trafficking is a crime that effects people all over the globe and an estimated 24.9 million people are currently being exploited through some form of human trafficking. Despite its prevalence, there are a variety of myths regarding human trafficking that are commonly believed by the public. The proliferation of these myths can have damaging effects and ultimately prevent survivors from receiving the help they need. The aim of this study is to discover factors that lead to the belief of these myths about human trafficking. To uncover these factors, a survey was administered in October 2020 and completed by …


College Students’ Perceptions Of The Efficacy Of Different Strategies To Reduce The Rate Of Abortions, Sophia B. Doros Nov 2022

College Students’ Perceptions Of The Efficacy Of Different Strategies To Reduce The Rate Of Abortions, Sophia B. Doros

Honors College Theses

This study examines college students’ perceptions of different strategies and the efficacy of those strategies to reduce the rates of abortions. Factors such as comprehensive, medically accurate sex education, widespread accessibility and affordability of contraception, and affordable and accessible pre-natal care are all factors that the literature has established lower the rates of abortions. Factors such as waiting periods of 24 hours or more to perform a surgical abortion, restricting state funding for abortions, and legal bans of abortions altogether are factors that do not reduce the rates of abortions (Medoff, 2015); they may even be counterproductive to their original …


Adults’ Perceptions Of Children: Expectations Of Children With Disabilities And History Of Sexual Abuse, Asha L. Harp Apr 2022

Adults’ Perceptions Of Children: Expectations Of Children With Disabilities And History Of Sexual Abuse, Asha L. Harp

Honors College Theses

Adult perceptions greatly affect children, especially those most in need of help (e.g., children with sexual abuse histories (CSA); children with disabilities). It is important to examine how these perceptions can shape children’s lives. This study investigated adults’ perceptions to further understand views of children with CSA and disabilities. Children with histories of disabilities, compared to CSA or “normal” backgrounds, were perceived as having more externalizing behaviors. Children labeled with CSA were perceived to have more internalizing symptoms (compared to both “disabled” and “normal” and less competence (compared to “normal”). Further results are discussed.


Exploring Sport, Exercise, And Performance Psychology Practitioners’ Attitudes On Attire, Claire Harding Jan 2022

Exploring Sport, Exercise, And Performance Psychology Practitioners’ Attitudes On Attire, Claire Harding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has revealed that attire has an influence on one’s self-perceptions, self and socially prescribed adjective traits and behavior (Adam & Galinsky, 2012; Lubker et. al, 2008; Peluchette & Karl, 2007). The present study aims to explore the influence of attire on perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of SEPP (Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology) practitioners during their applied work. Specifically, these factors were investigated through various demographic lenses such as gender, experience level, and age in order to describe the population. SEPP graduate students (n = 49) and early career professionals (n = 82) were asked to participate in a questionnaire, …


Restoration Of A Nation, Deshauna Williams Apr 2021

Restoration Of A Nation, Deshauna Williams

Honors College Theses

Restorative justice is a growing school of penal thought which places emphasis on restoration and healing rather than punitive solutions. The purpose of this study is to assess whether prior experience with the criminal justice system, either as a victim, as an offender, or as an employee, affects perceptions of the foundations of restorative justice. These foundations include ideas such as punishment, retribution, and victim involvement. Additionally, this study examines how these perspectives influence the respondents’ perception of effectiveness or “justness” of the criminal justice system. Findings reveal that offenders have more negative views of punishment as a method of …


Age Is An Attitude, Not A Number: The Change In Perceptions Of College Students About Aging., Jennifer Nelson Nov 2020

Age Is An Attitude, Not A Number: The Change In Perceptions Of College Students About Aging., Jennifer Nelson

Honors College Theses

“Ageism is an untrue assumption that chronological age should be the main determinant of human characteristics and that one age group is better than another” (Cavannaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2015, p. 31). Even though America is currently undergoing population aging, ageism is still experienced by 77% of adults (Novak, 2012). Although there has been an abundance of research on the outcomes of ageism (Burnes, et al., 2019; Kallio & Thomas, 2019, Scott, 2019) not as much attention has been given to intergenerational programs. The current study compared qualitative feedback to better understand students’ experiences in service learning with different populations of …


Functional Analysis Of Tattoos From An Evolutionary Perspective, Elise V. Neville Jan 2018

Functional Analysis Of Tattoos From An Evolutionary Perspective, Elise V. Neville

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, rates of tattooing in the U.S. have surged despite evidence of negative perceptions of individuals with tattoos. Additionally, perceptions appear to vary by target gender, with tattooed women being perceived more negatively than their male counterparts. The purpose of the current research was to examine (a) if perceptions of those with tattoos indeed vary by gender, (b) if tattoos conceivably serve an evolutionary function and (c) if so, do tattoos serve different functions for women and men. An evolutionary approach takes into consideration the purpose an observed behavior may serve for the individual in terms of how it solves …


College Students’ Attitudes Towards Adults With Developmental Disabilities: Does Direct Contact Make A Difference?, Caroline E. Greene May 2014

College Students’ Attitudes Towards Adults With Developmental Disabilities: Does Direct Contact Make A Difference?, Caroline E. Greene

Honors College Theses

Data were collected from thirty college students who participated in an alternative break trip and approximately seventy college students who did not attend the trip. Study subjects served as counselors at a camp for adults with developmental disabilities. Data were collected using five measures: a) before the week started, students filled out a survey which questioned their comfort level and attitude when interacting with this population; b) this same survey was administered to a random sample of college students who did not attend the break trip c) at camp, students kept a journal throughout the week documenting their experiences; d) …


Preventing Childhood Obesity: A Mixed Methods Study Into The Perceptions Of African Americans In A Rural Community, Dayna S. Alexander Jan 2014

Preventing Childhood Obesity: A Mixed Methods Study Into The Perceptions Of African Americans In A Rural Community, Dayna S. Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preventing childhood obesity is a global priority due to adverse health risks and financial burdens. With childhood obesity rates stabilizing it is difficult to determine which factors alone (i.e., genetic, environmental, behavioral, or demographic) increase susceptibility to childhood obesity. Parents influence childhood obesity risk factors through their parenting styles and behaviors. Social behavioral theories and public health evidence demonstrate including parents in childhood obesity efforts could assist in reducing childhood obesity rates. The objective of this study was to assess perceptions of childhood obesity among African Americans with children enrolled in a rural elementary school in the Deep South. The …