Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Countries' Leaders' Responses On Covid-19 Deaths, Kate Rumisek

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented health crisis with consequences felt worldwide. While every country was impacted, each leader had a different response resulting in different consequences per nation. This paper evaluates the responses of three countries' leaders to the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to COVID-19-related deaths. The countries analyzed are New Zealand, Brazil, and the United States. New Zealand's Prime Minister's response was characterized as proactive and strict. Under the leadership of Bolsonaro, Brazil ignored the magnitude of the pandemic, leading to a lack of a cohesive national plan. The United States, led by President Trump, responded with a …

Professional Perception Of Gaps In Adhd Diagnosis And Treatment In Young Girls, Claudia Caputo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

ADHD has become a common place subject in both the scientific community and the common public. ADHD is talked about in the media, schools, and is a common conversation amongst parents. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become prominent due to increased research but also due to increased accessibility of this research for the public. Contributing to this trend, there is an increase in open conversations about mental health awareness on social media. This phenomenon of people openly speaking about ADHD has led to more teens and young adults seeking diagnostic assessments and treatments for their symptoms. (Coppersmith et al., 2015) …

The Prevention Of Sexualization Of Girls, Sarah P. Thomas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sexualization can affect individuals of all ages, colors, sexualities, and genders. Sexualization may affect women and girls more commonly and intensely, however. Sexualization occurs when one's value is placed solely on their appearance. Sexualization has been observed to happen through two main sources: the media and interpersonal relationships. Consequently, a third source may arise when girls internalize the sexualization. It has been demonstrated that sexualization can have negative and positive consequences for adolescent girls. Though sexualization may have positive consequences, such as sexual agency, the negative consequences seem to outweigh them. Despite the amount of attention this topic has received, …

Parental Divorce Effects On Young Adults Romantic Relationships In College, Hanna Mcadam

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With divorce rates at an all-time high, many young adults have gone through a parental divorce. Divorce has many negative effects on children like their development, the parent-child relationship, and overall health (mental and physical). There have been a variety of studies conducted about the effects of parental divorce on individuals, but a lack of research has been done on young adults' relationships in college. The purpose of this study is to explore more how parental divorce affects young adults in college romantic relationships, by investigating students raised in divorced families' relationship satisfaction and life satisfaction. This will be based …

Chemical Analysis For Phytochemical Residues On Ceramics From Cape Canaveral Archaeological Sites, Jacob Woodard

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to contribute to the field of paleoethnobotany in Florida archaeology by presenting a novel approach to chemical residue analysis using UV-vis spectroscopy. The project's main goals are to develop a spectroscopic method for analyzing ceramics to identify phytochemical residues and present the findings of chemical analysis applied to ceramics from the Cape Canaveral archaeological mitigation project (CCAMP). The study focuses on two sites, the Penny site (8BR158) and Burns site (8BR85) in Florida's Indian River region.

While organic residue analysis (ORA) has been applied to various materials and regions, limited research ORA on has been conducted within …

Renewed Social Democracy: Thomas Piketty And His Critiques, Patrick T. Connors

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the proposals and prescriptions of Thomas Piketty as expressed in his vast array of works and the critiques of his works. His proposals for a system of participatory socialism is grounded in the notion that inequality is expanding at an unsustainable rate, and that growing economic inequality is a problem for the future of liberal democracy and economic growth and sustainability. This thesis argues that Piketty provides many compelling arguments in favor of tackling inequality, but he falls short of a real system of justice or elaborated political theory aside from his moral intuitions of …

The Limitations Of Freedom Of Speech Regarding Academic Freedom: Balancing Constitutional Rights With Humanistic Responsibilities, Andrea Marrero-Bosch

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The value of free speech is deeply rooted in democratic principles designed to foster a marketplace of ideas where diverse viewpoints thrive and enable accountability and social progress. Simultaneously, academic freedom is essential for the pursuit of knowledge. Yet both must be exercised responsibly. This thesis examines the intricate relationship between free speech, academic freedom, and humanistic concerns like respect, inclusivity, and diversity. By exploring pivotal court cases such as Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957), Bonnell v. Lorenzo (2001), Axson-Flynn v. Johnson (2004), Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), and Morse v. Frederick (2007), this paper illustrates the delicate balance needed …

Tort Reform In Florida: The Impact Of Hb837, Kara E. Burns

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Legislative policies play a pivotal role in shaping the socio-political landscape of a nation, addressing critical issues, and reflecting the values and priorities of its citizens. This case study examines the implementation of Florida's House Bill 837 (HB837), a significant piece of legislation that has generated substantial interest and debate. The study aims to shed light on the practical implications of this policy within the context of its introduction, passage, and subsequent results. The research of this case study explores the historical and political backdrop against which HB837 was enacted. It examines the motivations behind the bill, the debates that …

Observing The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Overall Health, Anxiety, And Sleep, Brianna Chicas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

College students' mental health has been researched for some time. In particular, the correlation between physical activity and mental health symptoms has been researched. The study examines the relationship between physical activity and anxiety, sleep, and overall health. College undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida took an online survey that measured all of these variables. A Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess correlations. Positive correlations were found between anxiety and sleep, anxiety and social desirability, sleep and social desirability, and strength training and vigorous physical activity. Negative correlations were found between overall health and physical activity, overall …

Psychology Of Platonic Relationships, Amber V. Heinig

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Romantic relationships (RR) regarding attachment styles and theory have been widely studied, whereas platonic relationships (PR) have received comparatively less attention in research. This study aims to explore two hypotheses: (1) individuals exhibit more avoidant behavior in platonic relationships rather than anxious behavior, and more anxious behavior in romantic relationships than in platonic ones; (2) attachment styles in platonic relationships manifest uniquely and can exist independently of romantic attachment. This research aims to better understand the way that attachment differs between both relationship types. Through a quantitative study involving a survey with a 5-point Likert scale measuring attachment, administered to …

Leaving The European Union: When Euroscepticism Meets Internal Crisis Within Member States, Isabella M. Dimesa

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the era of global stability, it is crucial to understand the nuances that maintain peace. Neoliberal institutionalism is the ideal that institutions bound together promote peace through sharing stakes and developing positive cost-benefit matrixes that ensure cooperation. The European Union (EU), a neoliberal institution, was developed to establish a peaceful, cooperative European system to further the European agenda and foster power through combined assets. The EU has manifested this success and prosperity—until one of its member states, the United Kingdom, defected from the institution, causing a shock to the EU system. Why would an institution yielding positive returns see …

Democracy In Latin America, Democracy Everywhere, Jamie L. Mantilla Vale

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The obstacles that hinder democracy in Latin America are the topics of interest of this research. Loopholes within Latin American democratic systems of governance are a cause for concern, but also intrigue. In this research the specific loopholes and strengths of democracies in Latin America will be spotted and explained. More specifically, this research features a series quantitative method to help explain and evaluate the characteristics of strong democracies in Latin America as well as the characteristics of weak democracies in Latin America. A series of regression models show a causal relationship between rule of law and the overall democratic …

Utilizing Carbon And Nitrogen Stable Isotopes To Examine Elite Juvenile Diet Of Individuals From Meroitic Sai Island, Sudan, Anelis Diaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Limited research has assessed the lived experiences of juveniles during the Nubian Meroitic Period (300 BCE - 350 CE). Therefore, the focus of this research is to examine dietary patterns throughout development of elite juveniles from Sai Island, Sudan to identify if dietary variations exist throughout development that may be a result of social differences within the juvenile population. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of tooth dentin from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd molars of 11 adult individuals interred at cemetery 8-B-52.B on Sai Island are utilized to examine diet through the life course. As each tooth corresponds to …

Social Media-Based Crisis Communication: Analysis Of Twitter Data From Local Agencies During Hurricane Irma, Naiyara Noor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

As social media platforms have become vital means of communications, it has become imperative for emergency managers and policy makers to understand how people are interacting with different agencies on these platforms for enhancing community response coordination during disasters. Although many public agencies have already adopted social media platforms for crisis communication purposes, empirical evidence on whether and how these agencies are effectively engaged on these platforms is lacking. This research aims to examine crisis communication activities of a variety of agencies on Twitter in response to Hurricane Irma in 2017. In this study, we analyzed 13,353 hurricane-related tweets posted …

Gendered And Racialized Bodies In Dobbs V. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Saphronia Carson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

In June 2022 the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abandoning nearly 50 years of precedent, and removing federal protections for abortion access. In doing so, the Court drew on a lineage of explicit and implicit discourses that have constructed abortions, abortion providers, and pregnant and fetal bodies in ways that make overturning Roe seem inevitable. This thesis takes a reproductive justice perspective while conducting a feminist critical discourse analysis of the majority and concurring opinions in Dobbs. Two main findings stand out. First, the decision relies on originalist constructions of abortions, abortion providers, pregnant people, and fetuses to …

Defining Sober Harms And Factors That Influence Them: Blame It On The Alcohol?, Jessica Flori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Reductions in alcohol use have often led to smaller reductions in harms than expected, and this may result from inadequate measurement of alcohol-related consequences. Harms questionnaires typically include consequences that can occur in the absence of alcohol use leading to an over attribution of certain harms to drinking (e.g., an individual might endorse engaging in risky behavior while drinking and while sober). The purpose of this study was to examine limitations of harms assessment by collecting data on frequency of harms while drinking and while sober, and to identify potential determinants of harms unrelated to alcohol use. College student participants …

A Pilot Study Of An Immersive Folktale User Experience, Iulia Popescu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Immersive media provides new avenues for preserving and sharing traditional folktales. To keep up with modern generations and continue to cultivate an interest in the arts as well as different cultures, this researcher argues that storytellers need to keep on adapting by conveying stories in new ways. Virtual Reality (VR) offers an interesting medium to present and preserve folktales. The goal of this study is to evaluate the user and learner experience of an immersive digital media application design using a think aloud protocol, surveys, and tests to document what worked and what did not in the design, including if …

Reflections On White-Passing Black Identity, Edi Mucka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Now, there are more options than ever for racial identity. Identities such as Black, White, Native, Asian, and Latino have put into contention how past racial boundaries and definitions interact with newer racial color lines. Racial passing is one concept that captures both older and newer forms of identity maintenance. Racial passing refers to when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived as a member of another. In this thesis, I review the literature on racial passing to understand its history and theoretical explanations. Based on the review, I examine a convenience sample …

“A Cog In A Wheel That Gets It Done”: A Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of Faculty Seeking Administrator Support, Lakesha Anderson, Mattea A. Garcia

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This qualitative study sought to determine the stressors that motivate faculty to seek administrator support and examined faculty experiences of administrator support. Participants were 27 full- and part-time faculty members who completed a seven-item online questionnaire. Findings show that many participants felt unsupported by their administrator while navigating the stressful situations for which they sought help. This lack of support led to negative departmental cultures and faculty feeling insecure, undervalued, and isolated. This study highlights the need for policies and practices designed to build relationships between faculty and administrators. Efforts to improve the faculty-–administrator relationship can lead to increased understanding, …

A Typology Of Perceived Negative Course Evaluations, Heather Carmack, Leah E. Lefebvre

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Instructors and administrators continue to debate the merit and value of using course evaluations to assess instructor effectiveness and course outcomes, especially when students see course evaluations as satisfaction surveys where they can unload negative and/or hurtful comments directed at instructors. Little is known about instructors’ perceptions of negative course evaluations. This study qualitatively examined faculty’s (N = 90) perceptions of negative course evaluation qualitative comments. Using a grounded analyst-constructed typologies approach, three types of negative course evaluation comments were identified: professional, personal, and performance. These types of negative comments call into question the disconnection between what students and instructors …

Student Perceptions Of Campus Crime And Victim Services, Tracy Gulliford

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Few would argue that college campus crime is a serious problem across the United States. Debate arises, however, regarding why the problem is so pervasive and how best to address it. This dissertation addresses that gap by exploring the nature and magnitude of the college campus crime problem followed by a rationale for studying student perceptions regarding knowledge about and use of victim services resources offered on the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus. Doing so is particularly important in light of the fact that five years have now passed since UCF launched the "Let's Be Clear" campaign designed to …

The Study Of Crisis Narratives Over Time: Mayfield, Ky In The Aftermath Of The 2021 Tornadoes, Rebecca Freihaut

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study was a year-long longitudinal qualitative research project using the case study of Mayfield, KY after the catastrophic tornado event that impacted their community on December 10, 2021. Oral histories were collected from 18 participants who lived in or were closely connected to Mayfield at the six month and 1.5 year marks after the disaster. Later, after the oral histories were archived and made available to the public, the transcripts were used to extract the crisis narratives from the oral histories and the data was thematically analyzed using the existing theory and theoretical framework of Narratives of Crisis: Telling …

Exploring Stakeholder Experiences To Co-Design Policy Alternatives For The Bright Futures Scholarship Program, Sherry Paramore

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Despite decades of research and promising strategies to ensure educational equity for all students, a significant disparity persists between the racial majority and marginalized students in the United States. Attaining educational equity is a complex problem illustrated by state-funded merit-based scholarships, including the State of Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. Since Florida's merit-based Bright Futures Scholarship Program's (BFSP) inception, the average percentage of black scholarship recipients has been minimal compared to other races. The equitable distribution of scholarship funds is critical to investigate since attaining a post-secondary education advances social mobility consequently breaking the cycle of poverty for lower socioeconomic students …

Body-Image Distress In Breast Cancer Survivors And Their Evaluation Of Medical Tattooing Following Surgery, Miranda Proctor

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

A review of the literature reveals a high incidence of body-image distress among breast cancer survivors who have undergone surgery, which is a natural response to the significant changes in their appearance. Reconstructive surgery, utilizing implants or flaps, may be employed to restore breast size and shape. Medical tattooing can simulate the nipple-areola complex and decorative appliques can conceal scars and skin color variations. Both reconstructive surgery and medical tattoos are associated with patient-reported satisfaction, yet further research is necessary to understand their combined impact on body-image distress. To investigate this, a survey was distributed among national breast cancer support …

Leadership And Military Power – Can A Leadership Approach Provide A Competitive Advantage?, Lawrence E. Skelly Iii

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Leadership and Military Power – Can a Leadership Approach Provide a Competitive Advantage? When does a military commander's leadership approach give his or her unit a performance advantage? U.S. Army senior leaders have asserted that forces led using the mission command approach will have an edge in future combat. Mission command decentralizes decision-making to empower subordinates to react more successfully and seize battlefield opportunities. American forces have struggled to employ mission command partly because of a lack of understanding of the approach. This study applied two concepts from organizational psychology, empowering leadership and directive leadership, to better define and examine …

Revisiting The Vigilance Taxonomy: Are Findings Consistent In A Remote Environment?, Grace E. Waldfogle

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Previous research has highlighted key taxonomic factors that have been found to influence human performance on vigilance tasks. However, previous literature has focused on research conducted in laboratory settings but has not examined vigilance tasks in remote environments. The present dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining human performance on a remote vigilance task, as well as workload and stress associated with the task. Qualitative data were collected to further understand the environment and distractions that participants experienced. Across three experiments, 372 participants were asked to complete a vigilance task and answer surveys pertaining to stress, workload, and …

Patterns Of Risk Behaviors And Their Value: A Latent Class Growth Modeling Approach, Anthony Naranjo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The current body of individual risk behavior research has been mainly driven by two streams of literature. Stable risk researchers propose individuals tend to display similar risk behaviors across time and situations due to individuals' underlying propensity to either engage in risk averse or risk seeking behaviors. Changeable risk researchers have sought out to examine variability in risk behaviors due to factors such as personality and contextual characteristics. However, might it be the case that there are subgroups of individuals who may be more prone to display static risk behaviors and other subgroup whose risk behaviors are more amendable? To …

Advocacy With Context: The Role Of Pediatricians In Breastfeeding Success, Sanya Bansal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Although the importance of breastfeeding is almost universally accepted, the rates of breastfeeding are improving very slowly. The current literature provides much insight as to how medical professionals such as obstetricians and lactation specialists could improve the rates of breastfeeding. The pediatrician could encourage breastfeeding at a prime opportunity: during post-natal visits. Unfortunately, there is limited research on what role the pediatrician plays in breastfeeding success. This study used in-depth, qualitative interviews from four pediatricians to gather data on the true role of the pediatrician in breastfeeding. These pediatricians were selected based on the diverse patient population they serve, considering …

The Impact Of Supreme Court Make Up On Rulings Towards Administrative Agencies, Hannah N. Cothern

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigated whether or not the membership of the United States Supreme Court affects the way the institution rules in cases regarding federal administrative agencies by collecting and comparing votes from 2018-2019 and 2020-2022. It found in the first section that justices showed an anti-deferential attitude towards agencies and in the second section a deferential attitude towards agencies, despite the conservative majority being larger in the second section. The result is likely due to the types of agencies and content of cases involved.

Through A Cultural Lens: The Association Between Parentification And Identity Development In Relation To Ethnicity, Jasmine A. Garcia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Expectations of children to perform parenting tasks above their development level, a phenomenon known as parentification, is said to be destructive in western literature. However, in other cultures, children taking on some parenting duties may not be considered a detriment but rather an attribute of filial responsibility. The current study examined the relationships between identity distress and parentification as it differs by culture. A comparison of parentification by ethnicity revealed that individuals who did not classify as an ethnic minority experienced significant levels of identity distress compared to ethnic minority individuals regarding parentification. This variation may be attributed to elements …