Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Constructing A Data-Based Mortality Profile For Avian Tower Kills At Telecommunication Towers In Illinois, Rachel Dipietro

Theses and Dissertations

During spring and fall seasons, Neotropical migratory passerines travel nocturnally across the Western Hemisphere between their wintering and breeding grounds, often encountering man-made threats. One hazard that has gained considerable publicity in recent decades is the communication tower. While there have been many tower kill studies recorded, there has been no attempt at predicting the risk of towers based on their different attributes (e.g., height, type of light, landscape placement) spatially on a regional scale. The objective of this study was to create seasonal mortality profile maps in GIS for Illinois, based on tower attributes combined with key factors such …

A Pokébalancing Act: The Management Of Japanese Cultural “Odor ” In Pokémon, Nicholas Raes

Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I analyzed two seasons of the Pokémon anime to discover patterns of cultural “odor” management employed by the show’s producers and editors. In the first season of Pokémon, the producers of the anime included many symbolic representations of Japanese cultural artifacts within the visual features of the show. However, between the Japanese and US versions of the season, most instances of Japanese linguistic text were either “scrubbed” from scenes entirely or replaced with English text. These techniques struck a careful balance between including and excluding Japanese specificity within the first season, subtly expressing to non-Japanese audiences the …

Does A Positive Illusory Bias Mediate The Moderating Effect Of Achievement Orientation On Response To Exclusion In Boys With Adhd?, Alexandria G. Fladhammer

Theses and Dissertations

Disturbed peer relationships have commonly been found to have long-lasting adverse impacts on children, including school dropout, substance abuse, criminal offenses, psychological maladjustment, and academic problems (Mrug et al., 2012). One subgroup of children well-known to struggle with their peer relationships are children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Hoza, 2007). These children often engage in high rate, intrusive behaviors and are excluded from peer interactions (Hoza et al., 2005). The frequent rejection that these children endure highlights the need for research focused on ostracism, the exclusion or ignoring of others by individuals or groups (Williams, 2007). Thus, the purpose of the current …

#Digitalactivism: Examining #Yesallwomen And Teaching Social Media Activism In Technical Communication, Karishma Verma

Theses and Dissertations

In May 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others near

the University of California campus in Santa Barbara. A “hatred of women” was cited as the

reason for his crimes. This incident inspired the hashtag movement #YesAllWomen on social

media. Users shared examples of how although “not all men” engage in violent behaviors that

Rodger exhibited, all women go through their lives fearing. This thesis uses a technofeminist

framework to examine how the #YesAllWomen movement functioned as an online social

movement on Twitter to encourage conversation as well as promote change. I also discuss how

technical …

Achieving Development In Destinations: Effects Of Tourism On Poverty, Inequality, And Quality Of Life, Jessica R. Linder

Theses and Dissertations

For decades, political scientists and development practitioners have focused on poverty and inequality alleviation, as well as increased quality of life as key goals for the field of development. Research focused on key concepts such as social capital and tools like microfinance and trickle-down tax structures for achieving these goals. Tourism, however, remained largely unstudied as a development tool, with most prior research focusing on sustainability and the economics of the industry. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of tourism as a tool for development by examining its effects on poverty, inequality, and quality of life, as it becomes …

Relationship Closeness And Joint Action Coordination, Vincent Tyler Cialdella

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers define joint action coordination as “two or more actors [coordinating] their actions under real time constraints with or without the explicit intention to do so” (van der Wel, Knoblich, & Sebanz, 2011, p. 1420). While previous research has investigated how the valence (i.e., the attractiveness or aversiveness) of interpersonal relationships affects interpersonal coordination dynamics (Hommel, Colzato, & van den Wildenberg, 2009), the present experiment examines the effects of relationship closeness on joint action coordination. First, dyads collaboratively completed a stimulus-control task on a computer. This task is used to assess general cooperative performance (Schloesser, Bai, Abney, & Jordan, 2015). …

Gender-Exclusive Language: Women’S Perception Of Linguistic Ostracism, Voice, And Power In Politics, Michelle Roxanne Grzybowski

Theses and Dissertations

Gender-exclusive language is a type of subtly sexist language that makes reference to a single gender group thereby excluding other gender groups (Stout & Dasgupta, 2011). Two studies examined how the use of gender-exclusive language impacts the experiences of women who were elected members of county boards. Specifically, the studies surveyed county board members in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin to determine whether the naturally occurring variation between the use of gender-exclusive language (e.g., using chairman to indicate both men and women) or gender-neutral language (e.g., chair or chairperson) was related to perceptions of ostracism and a sense of …

Future Melting Away: Water Stress As A Threat To Human Security In Bangladesh And The Role Of International Community, Farzana Afroz Chowdhury

Theses and Dissertations

Bangladesh is considered as one of the frontline states in the global climate change; its policy agendas attempt to respond to the perceived security threats emanating from such changes. Water stress is one of the key problems the country is facing. Yet, links between glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Bangladesh’s climate, growing water stress, and its implications for human security have seldom been studied. Drawing on the concepts of climate change, human security and water stress, the thesis examines the causes of Bangladesh’s freshwater crisis and its contribution to the human insecurity. Here in this study, the influence of …

Using Context Specific Measures Of Maximizing Tendency To Reduce Inconsistency In Findings, Thomas Holzhauer

Theses and Dissertations

The relation between maximizing tendency, the tendency to search for alternatives to make the highest quality decision, and its theorized outcome, regret, has mixed support in previous maximizing tendency literature. In the current study, it was hypothesized that measuring maximizing tendency in different contexts, as opposed to measuring maximizing tendency globally, could reduce this inconsistency. This hypothesis was tested by administering measures of maximizing tendency from different contexts and maximizing tendency without context and using the results in hypothesized models. The models were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and path analysis. Results showed that using context specific …

A Place To Stand: Community Media Centers, James Joseph Knightwright

Theses and Dissertations

With the experience of 30+ years in community media, I envision providing a resource for scholars as well as community media practitioners and stakeholders. I am investigating the processes of training at community media centers (CMC) to determine potential impacts and effects. Functioning as a participant observer, I will prepare a documentary film focusing on the practices and processes utilized by CMCs to serve their communities.

Concentrating on Columbia Access Television (CAT TV), Columbia, Missouri and the Sun Prairie Media Center (SPMC), Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, I plan to visit each location to interview station staff, volunteers, and community members. These …

Experiential Similarity Of Depression And Interpersonal Empathy, Sarah E. Caputo

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to build and maintain supportive, social relationships has been linked to both physical and psychological well-being (e.g., Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Kawachi & Berkman, 2001). Yet, social struggles are a commonly observed symptom among individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), particularly with regards to interpersonal empathy. Perceptions of interpersonal similarity can influence empathic engagement with others (e.g., Batson et al., 1996; Hodges, Kiel, Kramer, Veach, & Villanueva, 2010); often, interpersonal similarity will lead to greater empathic engagement. The present study asked participants to listen to audio clips of a fictitious therapy client discussing either depression or non-depression-related financial …

Applying Conditional Distributions To Individuals: Using Latent Variable Models, Feng Ji

Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes a new method to interpret individual results of psychological test batteries. The Mahalanobis distance is a commonly-used measure of how unusual an individual’s profile of scores is compared to a population of score profiles. In models in which there is a set of predictors and a set of dependent variables (e.g., cognitive abilities predicting academic abilities), it is useful to distinguish between a profile of dependent scores that is unusual because its profile of predictor scores is unusual and a profile of dependent scores that is unusual even after controlling for the predictors. The conditional Mahalanobis distance …

Diversity In Parenting: A Qualitative Study On The Socialization Goals Of Palestinian Mothers From Different Socio-Economic Backgrounds, Layali Ba Hamayel

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined diversity in the socialization goals (SGs) of Palestinian mothers from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. It specifically looked at their cultural model using the Family Change model to analyze elements of collectivism and individualism in their attitudes and goals for the future. Purposeful-convenience sampling was used to recruit twelve urban Arab mothers of first grade children from two types of socio-economic backgrounds (SES). Each mother was interviewed about her goals and asked to describe her child. The interviews were analyzed thematically, and coding was guided by that used by other studies on SGs. One main finding was …

Is The Montessori Method A Solution To Improve Public Education? Comparing Two Pedagogical Models In Urban Schools, Iwona Beata Franczak

Theses and Dissertations

Education is one of the most important social institutions that can improve quality of life. While our schools, ostensibly, provide for equal education for all, they differ in their curricula and resources that ultimately impact the quality of learning experiences. Distinguished educational organizations emphasize the need to implement our curricula with constructivist pedagogy. Montessori is a holistic educational model that embraces this approach. While studies show that Montessori methods provide positive outcomes for students, these studies are largely limited to performance of students attending private schools. The purpose of this work is to examine the effectiveness of public conventional and …

Dynamics Of Perception Of Affordances For Reaching For Self And Other, Alex Dayer

Theses and Dissertations

Perceivers are sensitive to the boundaries at which they must transition from one mode of performing a given behavior to another. As in other self-organizing systems, such transitions occur at a critical value of a parameter with continuous changes in that parameter. In general, behavioral transitions occur at larger values when that parameter increases than when it decreases (positive hysteresis), and perceptual transitions (for a behavior to be performed by one’s self) occur at larger values when that parameter decreases than when it increases (negative hysteresis). We investigated whether this pattern also occurs in perceptual transitions for a behavior to …

Emotional Overtones Of Professional Jargon As Experienced By English And Bilingual Speakers, Daisy Bueno

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has suggested that technical language is regularly used in the area of clinical practice called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). However, the use of this technical language or jargon may elicit unpleasant emotional responses that could be expected to “turn off” clients or parents of child clients. To understand how emotional overtones of words may interfere with therapist-client communication, the current study utilized an online data collection tool to obtain word emotion ratings of jargon words and terms. The first study is a replication and extension of past research that used existing word emotion ratings for ABA jargon words …

Assessing The Experiences Of Women Who Have Suffered Intimate Partner Violence Living In Shelters, Queencilla N. Hammond

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Centers for Disease Control on National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in 2010, more than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Throughout history, someone they knew has most often victimized women. Over the past thirty years, feminist organizers of the domestic violence (DV) movement powered public awareness regarding the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) dominantly. This led to the development of a network of shelters and other support services for victims, …

Internalizing Outcomes Of Self-Objectification As Predictors Of Behavior In Sexual Situations, Kyla Marie Cary

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine various outcomes of self-objectification by creating latent variables encompassing several outcomes. Self-objectification was expected to predict self-surveillance, the behavioral manifestation of self-objectification. Self-surveillance was then expected to predict a latent variable termed internalizing states which encompassed: body shame, appearance anxiety, and sexual self-esteem. Finally, the latent variable of internalizing states was expected to predict a latent variable termed behavior in sexual situations which encompassed: sexual assertiveness, control over sexual encounters, and risky sexual behavior. The participants were 383 undergraduate women between the ages of 18 and 25. The majority of participants …

The Effects Of Technical Language And Individual Differences On Evaluating Interventions For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jillian R. Reiher

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has identified many interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Some of these interventions are evidence-based; others are not. However, previous research has also found that people select interventions for their children with ASD based on several factors other than the evidence base. Other research has found that the language used when describing interventions also influences people’s perceptions of them. The current study examined several factors that may influence how people evaluate two widely used ASD interventions: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Sensory Integration (SI). ABA is an evidence-based intervention, but SI does not have any empirical support. The …

A Critical Interpretation Of Study Abroad, Participant Identity, And Second Language Learning, Laura Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

In this study I explore the history of study abroad as a sojourn for the privileged, notions of whiteness, institutional racism and inequality, and nationality and linguicism, and apply theory from critical applied linguistics and post-colonialism to analyze and interpret data collected from five participants of either a semester or year-long study abroad at the Centre International d’Études Françaises (CIDEF) in Angers, France. The principal research questions are: What is the nature of how students negotiate their identities (racial, national, and gender), L2 learning, and engagement (or lack of) with various communities of practice while studying abroad in a non-English …

More Than Just A Job: A Social Enterprise's Response To Homelessness, Molly Cook

Theses and Dissertations

For the first time since 2010, the number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased in the United States in 2017 (HUD 2017). A lack of affiliations with family and friends has been suggested as a cause of homelessness (Burt 1992; Jencks 1995; Lippert and Lee 2015). This study employs affiliation theory, thematic coding, and 21st century coding methods to examine social enterprise employment as a solution to ending homelessness and increasing the number and types of affiliations individuals gain while working at a social enterprise. Seven interviews were conducted at one case study social enterprise with the goal of employing the …

From Ideology To Ideologue: How The Mormon Church Utilizes The Ideograph To Interpellate Identity, Alexander Ewers

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to form a more thorough understanding of how a prominent U.S. religion has utilized internally-generated media to interpellate its preferred identity onto members. Specifically, this research investigated how the ideograph was utilized as a tool for interpellation in the context of Mormonism. To do this, an ideological criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Ensign magazine was conducted. A single ideology was found: The ideology of the perfect order. Constitutive ideographs of this ideology were also discovered. In connection to the use of gender, sex, and sexuality language to express the perfect order ideology, …

Diffusion Of Innovations And Public Communication Campaigns: An Examination Of The 4r Nutrient Stewardship Program, Henry Seeger

Theses and Dissertations

This project is an examination of how strategies for innovation in fertilizer application are communicated to agricultural communities. Specifically, this project examines the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program‒a public communication campaign seeking to encourage the use of specific strategies, tools, and best practices in fertilizer application. The campaign is advanced by the Fertilizer Institute, an industry trade association, and targets local agricultural communities within the United States. To understand how this campaign functions to encourage adoption of innovative fertilizer application behaviors, this project draws on the principles of diffusion of innovations theory as well as established concepts within public relations, including …

You Have Seventy-Two Hours: How The City Complaint System Enables Criminalization Of The Unsheltered Population, Lindsey Grace Earl

Theses and Dissertations

The unsheltered population has been denigrated since the formation of the United States. This is true in a city I call Marinville, Illinois where the privatization paradigm, social stratification, and anti-homeless ordinances have contributed to the shutdown of at least five homeless encampments. Multiple times per week, law enforcement officials interact with the chronically unsheltered population and incarcerate individuals for petty ordinance violations. In our current regulatory system, city officials, police officers, and homeless service organizations (HSOs) all influence the unsheltered population’s lives, including options for social and spatial mobility. This thesis is based on multi-method research from 2016-2017: engaging …

Every Rose Has It S Thorn: A Feminist Critique Of How The Bachelor Communicates Ideal Femininity, Katy Biddle

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the messages ABC’s The Bachelor sends about ideal femininity. Specifically, the first and twentieth seasons were analyzed through a liberal feminist lens to determine if the women on The Bachelor aligned with stereotypical representations of women in media. I focused my attention on the women who progressed to the final three within the competition and the women who were depicted as the villains within the series. Then, I compared the first season’s portrayal of the contestants with the twentieth season’s portrayal. The three themes that were uncovered were sexuality, confidence, and “ladylike” behaviors. Ultimately, I argue that …

Examining The Relationship Between Basic Needs Theory And Mental Toughness Transfer In Mentally Tough Athletes, Chelsi Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Mental toughness can be defined as a psychological skill encompassing an individual’s ability to overcome adversity while still achieving high levels of performance and functioning. Sport is commonly referred to as a domain that helps to develop an athlete’s life skills, including mental toughness. The benefits of mental toughness stretch across multiple domains, making the ability to transfer mental toughness from one domain to another, advantageous. Transferring life skills is a multi-dimensional process involving an individual’s interaction with their environment and the degree to which they internalize the life skills but there is little evidence to explain if and how …

Mortuary Patterns In West-Central Tennessee: Contextualizing Historic Field Data From Nine Mississippian Period Sites, Brooke Adele Wamsley

Theses and Dissertations

Middle Mississippian is a both a cultural and temporal (1200 CE – 1400 CE) archaeological context of Midwestern North America. This cultural tradition is associated with mound building, specific art motifs, arguably stratified societies, intensive agriculture, and specific ritual/mortuary practices. Burial sites can be very valuable to archaeologists because of the purposeful interaction between the living and the deceased and reconstruct cultural elements such as social identity and group membership. While American archaeology continues to be fieldwork-focused, there are a considerable amount of cultural resources housed in museum collections that could provide data for research into pre-Columbian lifeways in North …

Communication In Live Sports Broadcasts: Attributions Of Task Performance Errors, Benjamin J. Lynn

Theses and Dissertations

A single study was conducted exploring perceptions of causal attributions communicated through a task performance error during a live sports broadcast. Participants were recruited from within the live broadcast sports community and causal attributions of a camera operator’s performance were measured using a Multidimensional Observer Attributions for Performance Scale (MOAPS) developed by Rutherford, Harari, and Rudolph (2013). Additional scales were created to measure perceptions of importance, frequency, and future hiring recommendations. Results found that following a camera mistake in a live sports broadcast, the camera operator’s relationship with the director significantly influenced future hiring recommendations and attributions of ability in …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Perceptions By Public Relations Practitioners In The United States And Germany, Leila Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

In our globalized world, becoming aware of the interdependence between public relations and culture becomes more and more important. This cross-cultural study combines an emic and etic approach to explore how PR practitioners in two individualistic countries, the United States of America and Germany, experience and perceive the impact of culture on their practice, specifically the development of campaigns. To understand the broader image, the study incorporates Hofstede’s (2009) cultural dimensions; to examine similarities and differences in terms of cultural nuances, the study relates to Spitzberg’s (2015) intercultural communication competence. The participants consisted of sixteen male and female PR practitioners …

The Relationship Between State Effectiveness And State Legitimacy: A Quantitative Test, Bich Thi Ngoc Tran

Theses and Dissertations

Legitimacy is a contested concept in political science. The question of legitimacy has been addressed in various topics, including state formation, state building, and state failure. This research is an attempt to quantitatively test the relationship between state legitimacy and state effectiveness and development in the economy, politics, and society. By examining the literature on legitimacy and its sources, the research tests the following hypothesis: a state with better performance in macro issues, including economic performance, social welfare, and political participation, is more likely to enjoy a higher level of legitimacy. In other words, this study attempts to establish a …