Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Being Here And Now: The Benefits Of Belonging In Space And Time, Matthew Baldwin, Lucas A. Keefer

Faculty Publications

Research suggests that a sense of belonging is a critical prerequisite of happiness and well-being. While some have focused on belonging provided by relationships, other work demonstrates the value of belonging in certain places. In the current research we join these efforts to understand belonging by offering a novel framework for exploring an understudied but no less fundamental aspect of human experience—time. We situate this framework within an existential analysis of human action and test general predictions about the psychological value of experiencing a sense of belonging in time, what we call temporal rootedness. Two samples (Studies 1 …

Narcan Can Save Your Loved One: Designing Messages For The Opioid Crisis Using The Extended Parallel Process Model, Braden Bagley

Dissertations

In 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. The opioid epidemic has become widespread because of over prescription and extreme addiction. In recent years, the crisis has become dire because of the staggering annual death toll from overdoses. Although the number of opioid-related deaths has risen, so too have the innovations designed to combat opioid abuse and overdoses. The use of naloxone is a safe and reliable option for treating overdose victims. In fact, many first responders are primarily relying on the medication in such emergencies. This study …

Winning Public Hearts And Minds: Security And Development Aid In The 21st Century, Mohammad Ashraf

Dissertations

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States, foreign aid has focused on winning public hearts and minds in the aid recipient states as a hedge against insecurity and means to achieve progress in the “war on terror.” Western donors, especially the United States, argue foreign aid is an effective tool to expand government capacity and control over territory, win public hearts and minds, and ultimately mitigate the need and significant military costs of deployment to counter insecurity, extremism, and terrorism in weak, fragile and failing states.

This dissertation uses case studies to explore the …

Social Media, Journalism And Crisis: Twitter Representation Of #Syrianrefugees In Western News Media, Ahmad Khaled Alshallal

Dissertations

Generally, there have been conflicts in the world regarding media coverage especially on #SyrianRefugees in Western media. It is undebatable that the Western states have political stability and peace; thus, they remain better hosts for asylum seekers and other refugees who come in search of greener pastures. However, current trends have hindered such countries from being ideal hubs because citizens have basic fears including those related to national security. Refugee situations have attracted lots of controversies over the years to the point that the concern is evident in the media. This dissertation explores the crisis of Syrian refugees and the …

Relationship Between Self-Development, Mentorship, And Senior Military Officer Moral Judgment, Garry Thompson

Dissertations

Despite a renewed emphasis on ethics programs across the Department of Defense (DOD) since 2007, the number of senior officer ethical failures increased by 13% from 2015 to 2017 (Copp, 2017). If the trend of ethical failures and misconduct continue, the military faces a further decline in public confidence (DoDOIG, 2017). The 2017 DOD Inspector General report noted the trend of senior leader ethical failures might foster negative public perceptions regarding military leader’s overall dedication, sacrifice, ethics, and character (DoDOIG, 2017).

A review of military literature revealed the importance of mentorship and self-development in professional development; however, gaps between …

Assessing The Effects Of Psychopathy, Sadism, Aggression, And Boredom Proneness On Cyber Aggression Perpetration In Emerging Adults: Is Moral Disengagement To Blame?, Taylor Nocera

Dissertations

Prior research indicates that a number of dark personality traits (e.g., psychopathy and sadism) positively predict the perpetration of cyber aggression among emerging adults (e.g., Goodboy & Martin, 2015; Craker & March, 2016; Nocera & Dahlen, 2018); however, few studies have utilized psychometrically sound measures of cyber aggression developed for use with this population. Additionally, some traits that are theoretically relevant to cyber aggression (Koban, Stein, Eckhardt, & Ohler, 2018; Slonje & Smith, 2008; Varjas, Talley, Meyers, Parris, & Cutts, 2010) and have been useful predictors of other forms of aggression have received insufficient attention in the cyber aggression literature …

Person-Level Sources Of Continued Influence Effect: The Roles Of Attention Control, Intolerance Of Ambiguity And Conservatism, Jinhao Chi

Dissertations

People continually rely on disinformation to make judgments after it is corrected or discredited. This phenomenon is termed the continued influence effect (CIE). Using a sample of 152 participants, the current study examined whether the CIE can be explained by a person’s political orientation, attention control (AC) levels, intolerance of ambiguity (IA) and need for specific closure (NSC). It was found that when political orientation was based on self-reports, the overall political conservatism did not predict the CIE (r = .13, p = .09) but economic conservatism did (r = .19, p < .05), suggesting that those with higher self-reported fiscally conservative attitudes may show more prolonged influence of disinformation. In addition, the overall AC levels did not predict the CIE (r = .08, p = .30), but the antisaccade scores reflecting the ability to inhibit automatic responses were a significant positive predictor of the CIE (r = .18, p < .05). Lastly, neither IA nor NSC significantly predicted the CIE (ps > .05). These findings were obtained with only one …

The Economic Impacts Of Casino Gaming In Mississippi: Local, Regional, National And International Considerations, Janelle Townes

Dissertations

Casino development and the proliferation of the casino gaming industry has centered on the prevailing issue of economic impact. The purpose of this study was to determine what impact casinos in Mississippi have on the economy of the host communities. In this quantitative descriptive research study, the primary employment, tourism and revenue data were gathered from records provided by the Mississippi Gaming Commission to test the level of change that occurred in the host communities of Mississippi casinos between 2000 and 2015, a period when Mississippi communities experienced severe economic crises due in part to natural diseasters and economic recession. …

The Quiet Classroom Game With An Indiscriminable Contingency In A High School, Stefanie Schrieber

Master's Theses

The Quiet Classroom Game (QCG) is an interdependent group contingency utilized to decrease classroom noise levels, increase student engagement, and decrease disruptive behaviors in the classroom setting. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of the QCG in three high school classrooms in the Southeastern United States. Classrooms were recruited based on teacher reports of excessive noise and high rates of disruptive behavior. A multiple baseline design with two intervention phases was utilized to examine the effects of the intervention. The first phase was the QCG alone, and the second phase was the QCG with an …

Processing Speed For Action And Semantic Memory, Tyler A. Surber

Master's Theses

Previous research suggests that the processing of affordances may require more perceptually relevant information than words can provide (Surber et al., 2018; Chainay & Humphreys, 2002). The present study investigates this hypothesis with the shoebox task used in Bowers and Turner (2003). A list of 81 object nouns (targets) and associated features (primes: affordance, semantic, and non-associates) was compiled from the McRae, Cree, Seidenberg, and McNorgan (2005) norms. Affordances denote possibilities for action in relation to the object (e.g. chair – sit), whereas semantic features indicate definitional characteristics (e.g. chair – has legs). Affordances and semantic features served as primes …

Estimating Body Mass Through Bone Mineral Density Studies Using Dexa (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry), Kaitlin Harstine

Master's Theses

Identification of a decedent is one of the primary goals of forensic anthropologists. In order to do this, one must build a biological profile based on the remains that are provided. Sex, age, ancestry, and stature are four of the most common, however a fifth addition piece of information that could be beneficial is body mass. The goal of this research is to explore the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and body mass, using data collected from dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans of 107 collegiate football athletes. Athletes are a good fit for this study because they have achieved …

Elevated Adhd Symptoms As A Predictor Of Rule Violations Among Male Juvenile Offenders, Kathleen Lolley Ramsey

Master's Theses

Youth with ADHD are disproportionately at-risk for engaging in criminality and aggression relative to the general population, and this may be a function of underlying executive function deficits associated with self-regulation. More specifically, youth with ADHD may be susceptible to difficulties with behavioral regulation (impulsivity) and emotional regulation (e.g., managing feelings of anger). The current study sought to expand on previous research to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and aggression and the potential moderating effects of anger control among institutionalized youth. Archival data comprising a sample (N=119) of male adolescents who were admitted to a maximum-security residential facility were …

Expanding The Fear Of Loss Of Vigilance Theory: Using Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Responsibility For Harm, And Fear Of Sleep To Predict Nocturnal Panic Attacks, Nicole S. Smith

Master's Theses

Nocturnal panic involves experiencing panic attacks out of a sleeping state without obvious causes such as nightmares or loud noises. Roughly half of patients with panic disorder will experience nocturnal panic in addition to panic attacks while awake, or daytime panic. Like daytime panic, nocturnal panic also occurs in other disorders such as PTSD. The Fear of Loss of Vigilance theory is currently the only model available to explain nocturnal panic. It suggests that nocturnal panickers fear states in which they cannot easily react to or protect themselves from danger. Prior research using a self-report measure to differentiate nocturnal and …

Terrorism And Organized Crime: An Analytical Study From An International Law Perspective, Leila Mejdoubi

Master's Theses

With the spread of terrorism and its growing risks since the start of the 21^st century, a wide range of reports and studies have emerged. This funding comes from a special relationship between terrorist organizations, organized crime syndicates, and their cooperation with each other, which has enabled terrorist organizations in particular to carry out recruitment efforts and operations alike. It has also fueled an international black market for smuggling and trade in drugs and arms. Under what conditions do violent terrorist groups driven by extreme Islamist ideology collaborate with organized criminal enterprises to generate the requisite resources to pursue …

Archaeobotanical Analyses Of The Winterville Mounds Site (22ws500) And Other Southeastern Ceremonial Complexes, Dana Hauffe

Master's Theses

The prehistoric Southeast region of the United States has had very limited archaeobotanical research focused on botanicals’ medicinal or ritualistic characteristics. An analysis of reported botanical remains recovered from Winterville Mounds (22WS500) and seventy- two other Late Woodland and Mississippian sites, from seven states, was conducted to identify their potential medicinal and ritual use of seventy-five botanicals based on reported ethnobotanical evidence. By classifying botanicals into four classes, modeled after the dissertation of Dr. Michele Williams in 2000, taxon frequency and feature ubiquity is configured and utilized to identify the possible ceremonial and medicinal use plants. At Winterville Mounds Site …

In For A Shock?: Discretion And Disparity In Program Assignment, Brianna Mathis

Honors Theses

Due to the massive prison population in America, correctional agencies are considering alternatives to standard incarceration. These programs are designed to redirect individuals from serving a prison sentence, and are instead assigned to a program specifically targeted at reducing offenders’ likelihood at recidivating. Typically, the main focus of these programs centers on education, job training, and various types of counseling. The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) has implemented two programs that aim at reducing recidivism: the first was the Regimented Inmate Discipline Program (RID), which was later replaced with the Recidivism Reduction Program (RRP). While both programs were intended to …

Testing An Active Intervention To Deter Researchers' Use Of Questionable Research Practices, Samuel V. Bruton, M. Brown, Donald Sacco, R. Didlake

Faculty Publications

Introduction: In this study, we tested a simple, active “ethical consistency” intervention aimed at reducing researchers’ endorsement of questionable research practices (QRPs).

Methods: We developed a simple, active ethical consistency intervention and tested it against a control using an established QRP survey instrument. Before responding to a survey that asked about attitudes towards each of fifteen QRPs, participants were randomly assigned to either a consistency or control 3–5-min writing task. A total of 201 participants completed the survey: 121 participants were recruited from a database of currently funded NSF/NIH scientists, and 80 participants were recruited from a pool …

Slis Connecting Volume 8 Issue 1, Stacy Creel, Ph.D., Teresa S. Welsh, Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

SLIS Connecting refereed open-access e-journal, Volume 8, Issue 1 (Spring/Summer 2019)

Webometrics And Mississippi Public Libraries: A Webometrics Study Of Public Libraries In Mississippi, Charlie Simpkins

SLIS Connecting

With the introduction of the Internet, library websites have become new access points for a global community. A library’s website serves as a new branch for its users, one that can be accessed 24/7 globally. But with that continuous access to such a large audience, a library’s website should include certain key information to be truly beneficial to the user. This website content analysis examines the websites of public library systems in Mississippi for the presence of four elements from Kumar and Bansal (2014) essential menus for a library’s homepage and for the presence of eight elements from Chow, Bridges, …

Finding Government Resources Online: A Webometric Study Of Selective Federal Depository Library Websites, Charity C. Park

SLIS Connecting

Over eleven hundred libraries across the United States and its territories participate in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) by providing public access to free government resources. In the last decade, there has been a significant shift as many government publications are being published only electronically. At the same time, several older physical collections are being digitized and made available online. This shift has caused many FDLP libraries to weed their older physical government document collections and increase their electronic holdings.

This study examines how Federal depository libraries in the United States provide information about their government document collections and …

Hashtag Marbled Monday: A Webometric Analysis Of Academic Special Collections Outreach On Instagram, Carla Fulgham

SLIS Connecting

This study used webometric analysis to assess the most successful strategies for engaging Instagram users in academic special collections. Data were collected from five academic special collections Instagram accounts to analyze their activity during the month of April 2018. Data considered in the study include average number of likes per post, average number of hashtags per post, and most common hashtags and content. The results of this analysis may serve as a recommendation for best practices for academic special collections interested in, or already using Instagram as a platform, to engage students and other Instagram users in their collections.

Student Associations: News And Events, The University Of Southern Mississippi

SLIS Connecting

News and events from SLIS student groups: Library and Information Science Students Association (LISSA) and Southern Miss Student Archivists (SMSA).

From The Gas: Congratulations, Publications, Presentations, The University Of Southern Mississippi

SLIS Connecting

News and congratulations from SLIS Graduate Assistants for student, alumni, and faculty accomplishments, publications, and presentations.

Spotlights: Faculty, Alumna, And Courses, Stacy Creel, Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

Spotlighting SLIS Faculty Dr. Jennifer Steele, SLIS alum Kathy Barco, and two new courses LIS 492 H002/LIS 692 H002: Storytimes & Early Literacy and independent study LIS 492 H003: PR & Marketing in Libraries.

Slis Director's Report, Teresa S. Welsh Mlis, Ph.D.

SLIS Connecting

News and updates from Southern Miss School of Library and Information Science Director, Dr. Teresa Welsh.

The Effect Of Group Polarization On Opposition To Donald Trump, Marija A. Bekafigo, Elena V. Stepanova, Brian A. Eiler, Kenji Noguchi, Kathleen L. Ramsey

Faculty Publications

Using focus groups, we examined support and opposition for Donald Trump prior to the 2016 presidential election. When ingroup members participate in discussion, this conversation alone typically strengthens and intensifies members’ initial attitudes. We used a pre‐ to post‐focus‐group questionnaire to assess attitudes toward Trump, his campaign, and policies. We argue that group polarization influenced people’s opinions about Trump such that attitudes became more extreme after discussion with like‐minded individuals. We report changes for Trump nonsupporters for which group polarization occurred on attitudes toward illegal immigration, political correctness, the military, women, and veterans after the group discussion. For each, level …

Affordable Audio Visual Solutions For Library Displays, Greg Johnson

The Primary Source

This paper examines relatively low cost means of incorporating audio visual elements into library, archive, historical society, and museum exhibits. It provides some ideas smaller institutions can use to create interactive exhibits similar to those found in larger, well-funded museums.

Slis Connecting Volume 7 Issue 2, Stacy Creel, Teresa S. Welsh

SLIS Connecting

SLIS Connecting refereed open-access e-journal, Volume 7, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2018/19)

Availability Of Public Library And Community Support For Patrons With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Survey Of Coastal Mississippi Libraries, Tammy L. White

SLIS Connecting

While a growing number of libraries are beginning to provide programs for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is still a need for more, and there is a need for staff to become more aware of the types of behavior that are associated with ASD so as provide a better understanding of how to create programs.The purpose of this research is to evaluate the availability of ASD programs and community support among public libraries in Mississippi’s coastal region.

Spanish Literature In Mississippi: A Collection Analysis Of Spanish And Spanish‐Bilingual Books In Mississippi Public Libraries, Marisela Madrigal

SLIS Connecting

Mississippi, while it may be considered a rural area, contains cities along the Gulf of Mexico and other regions throughout the state that have a diverse population, which includes Hispanics. Libraries must be receptive to the communities they serve and must be aware of community demographics so that they may provide the necessary resources to accommodate them. The objective of this study is to analyze the availability of Spanish and Spanish bilingual literature.