Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Portrayals Of Gender And Race In Instagram Advertising: An Exploratory Content Analysis, Taylor Moore

Honors College Theses

Race and gender stereotyping is a longstanding problem in the world of advertising. This research utilized content and statistical analysis to answer three questions regarding race and gender stereotyping in Instagram advertising: (1) what portrayals are being shown? (2) how are these portrayals being shown? And (3) are diverse advertisements reinforcing or challenging stereotypes? Tweny advertisements were chosen off Instagram to analyze. Through an analysis of literature on the topic, a code book defining race, person of color, sex, gender, and gender expression was created. Using these variables and classifying the ads as a stereotype/counterstereotype/neutral, allowed for the creation of …

Per Capita Gdp’S Potential Effect On The Percentage Of Children In Foster Care, Jenna Mcclain

Honors College Theses

Few studies have been conducted on the presence of a direct connection between per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and the percentage of children in foster care in a given region. GDP is a known indicator of economic growth (Powers, 1995; Roshaniza & Selvaratnam, 2015), as is a child’s potential for foster care placement associated with a parent or family’s financial status (Bald et. al, 2022; Barth et. al, 2010). Poverty is the bridge in many of these scenarios – low GDP can be indicative of higher poverty rates, and financial hardship under poverty classification can lead to child maltreatment …

Origin Of Differences In Child Maltreatment Between Italy And America, Morgan Huff

Honors College Theses

There is a distinct difference between the rates of child abuse and neglect in the United States and Italy. Specifically, the United States has a higher rate of child maltreatment than Italy (Bernacchi et al., 2016; Finkelhor et al., 2009). There is also variation in the types of maltreatment that the children suffer within each country (Bernacchi et al., 2016; Mehta et al., 2023). This literature review analyzes potential explanations for these differences in rates of child maltreatment by examining the ways in which this maltreatment may be impacted by access to health insurance, religion, family structure, education, poverty, and …

The Relationship Between Family Communication Patterns, Conflict Strategies, And The Development/Management Of Eating Disorders, Ana Moyers

Honors College Theses

Eating disorders persist as one of the most prominent psychological and physiological illnesses among young adults and adolescents. Nonetheless, most research in the field focuses on external factors that influence the development of these disorders such (i.e., social media and an idolized body image). There is less research to investigate the role of an individual’s environment, more specifically the family dyad and communication related to such eating disorders. The family unit remains, often, the primary means of socialization for individuals during developing years, thus, this study seeks to expand on how current family communication and family climate contribute to eating …

Government Policy And The Housing Bubble, Hannah Reynolds, Hannah Reynolds

Honors College Theses

The housing market bubble was created by market forces and exacerbated by government regulations. The government policies implemented incentivized certain behaviors by investors that exacerbated the housing bubble beyond what would have occurred “naturally.” The policy under analysis for this research is the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1995. The CRA made affordable-housing initiatives more enforceable and results-driven. These revisions produced unintended consequences in the economy in the form of incentives to give out risky loans. Statistical analysis through difference of means tests show that there is a low level of confidence in statistical significance between the CRA and increased …

Sleep Quality In Undergraduate Students: Examining The Role Of Class Rank And Related Individual Differences, Lauren Yocum, Lauren Yocum

Honors College Theses

College students are likely to experience stress due to increased responsibilities, more demanding coursework, and maintaining a balance between academics and social life. Indeed, college students are at risk for experiencing clinically-significant depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as sleep disturbances, likely as a result of these challenges. Although the relationship between these affective variables and college stressors are well-documented, less attention has been given to the factors that may help promote better sleep, with the majority of research documenting the intrinsic bidirectional nature of mood and sleep (e.g., lack of sleep leads to worse mood which further exacerbates sleep …

Faculty In Education: Perception Of Control And Alternative Disciplinary Methods, Samantha Freville

Honors College Theses

Schools have the unique and important opportunity to teach students useful life and coping skills as well as positive behavior in their community. One way in which they may impact their students is through their choice of disciplinary methods. Research suggests that alternative disciplinary methods may be more beneficial to students than are traditional exclusionary policies. For part one of this study, undergraduate students reported their experiences with traditional and alternative discipline in elementary, middle, and high school as well as their engagement in school (school involvement and attitudes of school faculty). Results showed that having alternative methods at a …

Halo Meets Horn: Influence Of Dissonant Information In Impressions, Amber Sanders

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The halo effect is a cognitive bias in impression formation that happens when people assume that when a person has a positive trait, such as physical attractiveness, the rest of their characteristics are also positive, leading to an overall positive perception of that person (Thorndike, 1920; Radeke & Stahelski, 2020). Conversely, the horns effect links together a negative trait, such as unattractiveness, with other seemingly negative traits (e.g., selfishness), leading to an overall negative perception (Radeke & Stahelski, 2020). However, these impression formation heuristics can lead to inaccurate impressions and poor judgments (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007). The current study …

Local Or Import? A Compositional Analysis Of Aztec Ritual Ceramics In The Tuxtlas Frontier, Veracruz, Mexico, Matthew T. Meyer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

At the time of Spanish Contact in the early 16th Century the western Tuxtlas region formed part of the Aztec imperial frontier in the southern Gulf lowlands. The most apparent material manifestation of this imperial connection was Aztec-style Texcoco-Molded Censers, recovered primarily from sites that served local centralizing functions. While rare, these symbols may provide valuable information on the dynamics of frontier politics and the relations between this region and the distant core to which they were sending tax payments. Initial consideration of this adopted imperial style implies political linkages, but the mechanisms of introduction, knowledge transmission, imperial versus local …

The Role Affiliation Membership Plays In An Ffa Chapter: A Qualitative View From Kentucky, Jacob Falwell, Kristie B. Guffey

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Research exists to demonstrate the benefits of FFA membership and the three-circle model of agriculture education. FFA membership had shown minimal growth in the 20 years following the rebranding. The innovative approach of affiliation membership has ushered in a steady growth of FFA membership, but not all chapters are participating in affiliation. FFA membership is provided to every student who is enrolled in agriculture education classes with affiliation, and the dues collection process is eliminated. This study investigated the view of affiliation membership in Kentucky High School Agriculture Education programs by researching the enrollment, involvement, and educational outcomes of affiliated …

“I Ask Questions!”: An Investigation On Conspiracy Theorizing, Epistemic Curiosity, And Social Vigilantism In Examining Fanatic Conspiracy Theory Support, Hillary Copeland

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study uncovered factors associated with increased conspiracy theory fanaticism by examining the structural components of conspiracy thinking to predict continuous support for specific conspiracy theory propositions. Participants' level of discordant knowledge in conspiracy thinking, comprised of subjective certainty and locus of perceived social opposition, was quantified to predict continuous support for specific conspiracy theory propositions (H1). Findings suggest that underlying differences in the epistemic structure of conspiracy theorizing can be measured to predict the potential negative outcomes of increased conspiracy thinking. Social vigilantism was also examined as a partial mediator to help explain the relationship between discordant knowing conspiracy …

Self-Diagnosis & Pathologizing Normality During The Information Age, Chelsey Eaton

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Self-diagnosis has become a concern for medical and mental health diagnoses. More people are engaging in self-diagnosis based on information that was obtained from the internet, including websites, social media platforms, and online forums. There are several reasons one may choose to self-diagnose. Some common reasons outlined in research are the desire to fit in with others who share similar characteristics and having a label to explain one’s experiences. Past research has shown that people frequently search for mental health information online, but they may not understand or may misinterpret the information that is found. This study aimed to address …

Women Pursuing An Agricultural Systems Technology Degree, Tanya Milam

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This phenomenological research study examined the factors influencing women to pursue an Agricultural Systems Technology (AST) degree and their self-efficacy in that field of study. Two research questions guided this study and data was analyzed from interviewing women enrolled in an Agricultural Systems Technology (AST) program at a mid-western university. The resulting four categories of Agricultural Experiences, Aptitude, Support, and Motivation were broken down into themes. The results were also applied to the theoretical framework of self-efficacy associated with career choice theories. Limitations of scope and generalizability indicate that further investigation of this topic is highly recommended.

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