Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Anxious Attachment As A Mediator Between Parental Abuse In Childhood And Partner Attributions In Adulthood, Naomi Michele Pearson

Honors Theses

Parenting in childhood can positively or negatively affect physical and mental health and behaviors in adulthood. When a child undergoes abuse or neglect from their caregiver, they often develop inadequate adjustment, due to insecurity in close relationships, which may continue throughout their lives. Furthermore, this insecurity, established in childhood, can manifest in adult romantic relationships, as assurance-seeking, jealousy, and hostility, causing insecurely-attached individuals to attribute blame onto their partners, internal attributes, or circumstances.

These pessimistic attributions, caused by parental- influenced feelings of ambivalence and separation anxiety, may lead to increased tension and dissatisfaction within close relationships. A sample of 150 …

Social Media Usage During Covid-19: Friend Or Foe?, Claudia Dominique

Honors Theses

College students experience more stress and are more vulnerable to mental illness as compared to the general population. Both COVID-19 and social media usage have shown to be stressors that augment this pre-existing issue. The goal of the current study is to highlight the relationship between the social media usage and mental health of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a correlational and longitudinal research design, undergraduate students completed self-report mental health and social media usage measures throughout the semester. Researchers found that both social media usage, anxiety, and depression levels were higher post-pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic. However, …

Pro-Understanding: Understanding The Pro-Choice Catholic, Natalie Eilerman

Honors Theses

Abortion is a widely debated and polarizing topic in the United States. While many Catholic leaders and members tend to hold beliefs against abortion, some Catholics are pro-choice. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of this often-under-recognized group. Mixed methods research was conducted to analyze 1) how perspectives towards abortion are changing among Catholics in the United States (using data from the General Social Survey from 1977-2018), and 2) the experiences of college students at a private, predominately white, Catholic university in the Midwest who identify as pro-choice and Catholic. Quantitative analysis shows that Catholics’ attitudes towards abortion are …

College Students’ Opinions On Climate Change: Do Political Views Matter?, Aileen Hull

Honors Theses

Climate change is an ever-impending crisis and the politics surrounding the issue are as contentious as ever, especially in the United States where the political culture is extremely polarized. The polarization of the political parties in the United States makes any environmental policy extremely difficult to pass. Meanwhile, the new generation of young people entering the workforce, voting scene, and public eye are bringing new demands to current climate debates. Youth make up a large share of environmental activism participants and opinion polls show climate change is on the minds of many young people. However, there is a lack of …

Healthy Eating, Unhealthy Mind: Measuring The Rate Of A Disordered Eating Pattern Among University Student Athletes And Non-Athletes, Erika Moeller

Honors Theses

The present study examined the rates of Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a disordered eating pattern characterized by an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy foods, among college athletes and non-athletes at a medium-size, Midwestern university in the U.S. The present study investigated ON using two different tools: the ORTO-15 and the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The independent variables were athletic status and hours of exercise per week, and the dependent variables were scores on the EHQ and ORTO-15. Participants reported demographic information, including whether they were an athlete (n = 196 athletes, 105 non-athletes) and how many hours of exercise they perform …

Job Diversity And Its Impact On Intergenerational Mobility At The County Level, Derek Olson

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on whether or not the diversity in industries within a county has an impact on the income mobility of children within that county. Data come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to construct variables measuring job diversity and the degree of industry specialization of a county. Building on Chetty (2017a, 2017b), I find that for children with parents at the 25th percentile of the national income distribution, a one standard deviation increase in a county being less diverse in the presence of industries increases a child’s expected rank in the national income distribution by 2.19% while a …

Investigating The Relationship Between Identity Salience And Attitudes Of Groups, Grazia Dipierro

Honors Theses

A person’s political views are largely dependent on who they are, meaning a person’s identities may inform their political attitudes. The extent to which a person is made aware of an identity may influence how they view certain issues. For example, a white woman may view the same issue in two different ways depending on whether her racial or gender identity is activated. It is hypothesized that when participants are made aware of their racial identity, White participants will hold more conservative views, while non-white participants will hold more liberal views. Additionally, when made aware of a gender identity, white …

Labor Trends In Nuclear Energy And Developmental Obstacles In Nuclear Energy, Ryan D. Greensfelder

Honors Theses

The idiosyncrasies that exist in the United States independent system operator’s structure poses many unique challenges to wholesale energy markets. The array of energy production solutions is one of these challenges to understanding energy markets. Numerous tools have been used to measure the quantitative complexity of energy markets. Few tools and indices exist to track macroeconomic fluctuations in US employment and wage for United States relative to the cost of energy delivery. In modelling the derived labor demand for energy employment, we should be better able to explain markets and allow for predictions in fluctuations in the labor market. This …

Tiktok And The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, And Two-Spirit People Movement, Meghan Leinhauser

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited People (MMIWG2S) social movement via content analysis and interviews. The study includes analyzing a sample of 50 videos posted to the social media platform TikTok, and an interview with a user who posts videos about MMIWG2S. TikTok uses a unique algorithm to tailor users’ feeds based on the types of videos with which they watch and interact. This allows for the creation of an online community that shares common interests with one another, especially in a time where communication methods have changed significantly. …

Measuring Perceptions Of Various Forms Of Rehabilitation And Re-Entry Programs On Various Types Of Offenders And Reducing The Likelihood Of Recidivism: A Qualitative Study Of Criminal Justice Professionals In Ohio, Jasmine H. Riechmann

Honors Theses

Research suggests that rehabilitation and reentry programs reduce rates of recidivism for various types of offenders. The study, based on the constructivist paradigm, will use a phenomenological strategy to explain criminal justice professionals’ perceptions of rehabilitation and reentry programs. Participants with experience working with at-risk populations in Ohio were selected for inclusion in the study. Participant experiences and feedback were analyzed to answer the research questions posed in the study. Data collected from each interview and the researcher’s field notes were compared to identify themes.

The Relationship Between Classroom Variables And Academic Achievement Across The Preschool Year, Olivia M. Leblanc

Honors Theses

Preschool education is designed to foster social, cognitive, and academic gains for three- to five-year-old children before they enter kindergarten. Preschool education provides three- to five-year-old children with opportunities to participate in structured educational activities and to interact with groups of peers. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between specific elements of successful preschool classrooms and student outcomes across the preschool year utilizing data from 125 preschool classrooms in the Midwest. Controlling for demographic information, it was found that the implementation of social-emotional learning was significantly positively correlated with the development of self-regulation and literacy abilities, and increased …

The Multi-Sensory Design Of A Synesthete's Everyday Experience, Madeline M. Spicer

Honors Theses

Perception, which can be defined as becoming aware of occurrences in the world through the senses, is different for every person (Merriam-Webster). My thesis deals with perception in the form of a condition called synesthesia and the communication of this condition using graphic design. Synesthesia is a condition that involves the involuntary crossing of the senses, resulting in multi-sensory experiences every time a synesthete absorbs the world and visible language. Utilizing the field of graphic design, I created several projects to communicate my three goals of conducting research on synesthesia, sharing what I experience every day, and educating others about …

Sustainable Stories: Linking Graphic Design And The Environment To Inform, Educate, And Inspire, Shannon M. Stanforth

Honors Theses

The importance of the field of graphic design lies in its ability to communicate with others. It can serve to transcend barriers, to clarify messages, and to deepen universal understanding. Similarly, sustainability encompasses the three spheres of the environment, society and economy—demonstrating its interconnected complexities and multifaceted applications. In pursuing my Honors Thesis, I aimed to develop a project which would reflect the ideals of sustainability while simultaneously serving to educate about the importance of caring for the natural world. Furthermore, my research explores how the disciplines of sustainability and design overlap and interact, searching to discover ways in which …

Impact Of A Dialogic Reading Intervention On The Effectiveness Of Adaptive Magnitude Comparison Ebooks For Improving Young Children’S Magnitude Comparison Skills, Patrick C. Ehrman

Honors Theses

Dialogic reading interventions have been used successfully to increase literacy and language skills, including math language. This study aims to investigate whether a dialogic reading intervention will assist children with spatial and numerical magnitude comparison skills learned through a novel adaptive eBook designed to be read together by parents and children. We propose that a dialogic reading intervention used with an adaptive magnitude comparison eBook will improve children’s spatial and numerical magnitude comparison skills and general math skills compared to control groups. Preschool-aged children and their parents (N=27) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: adaptive magnitude comparison eBooks …

The Effects Of Helicopter Parenting In Emerging Adulthood: An Investigation Of The Roles Of Involvement And Perceived Intrusiveness, Abigail T. Flower

Honors Theses

The term “helicopter parent” describes parents who provide extensive support with high constraint to their children with a variety of possible negative outcomes (Comstock, 2019). The present study examined the effects of intensive (i.e., “helicopter”) parenting among emerging college-aged adults by comparing evaluative and descriptive measures of intensive parenting and examining their differential associations with college students’ achievement and well-being. There were three main hypotheses of the study. First, I predicted that perceptions of parental intrusiveness, captured by an evaluative measure, would be more strongly correlated with negative outcomes (e.g., poorer grades, greater depression etc.) than would the frequency and …

Mortgage Discrimination And District Manipulation: Deterrents To Minority Mobility, Megan M. Rice

Honors Theses

This paper explores the relationship between gerrymandering and home loan discrimination. Gerrymandering, the process of manipulating district plans for political gain, and discrimination in mortgage lending are both illegal; and yet, they still occur in today’s society. By using individual loan application data from the HMDA’s website, a series of regressions will be run using applicant characteristics to measure loan discrimination at the state level. Once a state level model has been constructed, a measure of gerrymandering called the Efficiency Gap will be added into the regression in order to explore the relationship between home loan discrimination and gerrymandering. Regression …

The Effects Of L. Rhamnosus Consumption On Male Long Evans Rat Anxiety-Like Behavior, Amanda Marie Schleper

Honors Theses

Adolescent stress in humans has been correlated with an increased likelihood of an individual to develop an alcohol use disorder later in life. Literature has demonstrated that rats subjected to adolescent stress tend to show an increased preference and consumption of ethanol. Adolescence is a critical time of development. The link between adolescent stressors and alcohol use disorders is not fully understood yet. This study examined the relationship between adolescent stress and alcohol consumption and preference in rats. Probiotics are bacteria with potential health benefits and have been well accepted as a dietary supplement. Literature shows that probiotics could decrease …

Poverty Redemption: Why Those Affected Stay Affected, Claudia M. Hampel

Honors Theses

This paper looks at why those in poverty have not taken advantage of self-sufficiency programs that are offered through Miami Valley Works along with other self-sufficiency programs offered. This paper looks at the general reasons why those in poverty do not go through self-sufficiency programs, whether they chose not to participate or leave a program prior to completion. This paper delves into multiple factors that could contribute to why an individual would forgo to participate in the program or would choose to leave the program before completing it. The study examines how governmental policies, the culture of poverty, race, housing, …

The Melody Of Spatial Memory, Victoria Lynne Karpuszka

Honors Theses

Music has been studied extensively in psychology, including research on musically-induced emotion. However, the project reported here looked at new effects of musically-induced emotions on spatial memory. Trochidis and Bigand (2013) established that music and emotions are associated. Music of a major mode, or an Ionian mode, is usually associated with positive emotions. Music of minor modes, such the Locrian or Aoelian modes, are associated with negative emotions. These associations with the specific modes are seen by the lowering of the third and sixth scale tones.

Participants for the present study completed a spatial memory task (called the “Tower of …

Maternal Depression, Child Temperament, And Risk For Depression In Adolescence A Test Of The Differential Susceptibility Hypothesis, Karina Palermo

Honors Theses

This study examines the relationship between maternal depression and offspring risk for depression. A child's difficult temperament may be especially challenging for a depressed mother. The depression, in combination with child difficult temperament, may cause changes in parenting styles that put the child at a greater risk for depression. The purpose of this study is to examine whether links between maternal depression, maternal parenting, and offspring risk for depression in adolescence vary according to child difficult temperament. It is predicted that maternal depression will be more strongly predictive of parenting deficits for mothers of children with difficult temperament. Furthermore, consistent …

Leaving A Legacy: Empowering Students To Give Back, Eric Schutter

Honors Theses

Most college universities struggle to convince alumni to give back to their former institutions. Currently, only 19.9% of college alumni give back to their former colleges (Alumni Factor, 2018). Despite the amount of time and energy that schools invest in their students, many of the students are not making any sort of commitment in return. However, there is a solution. If college programs found ways to create avenues for students, both current and former, to give back outside of just university general funds, they could see an increase in student giving from both parties. While there is a notion that …

Secondary Trauma In Children Services Workers: Is The Opioid Crisis A Contributing Factor?, Rebecca L. Richardson

Honors Theses

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) can impact anyone who interacts with a victim of trauma, such as family, friends, first responders, or social workers. This project ultimately aims to determine whether or not the opioid crisis impacts the levels of secondary traumatic stress in children services workers. This research examines STS in current children services workers who work directly with victims of child abuse or neglect alongside how frequently children services workers are exposed to opioid-related cases in their professional lives. Data for this project were gathered by administering a survey to two area children services agencies to assess the STS …

Pretrial Publicity And Juror Decisionmaking: Effects Of Inadmissible Evidence And Coverage Of Its Exclusion From Trial, Rebecca Rhein

Honors Theses

The courts have long been concerned that exposure to media coverage regarding a case making its way through the judicial process (i.e., pretrial publicity [PTP]) may influence jurors’ decisionmaking in court. Indeed, empirical research over the past two decades has shown that PTP can influence juror decisions. PTP often contains descriptions of evidence or factors that are ultimately deemed inadmissible at trial (e.g., confession evidence), but no research to date has examined what occurs when confessions are reported to the public but later deemed inadmissible. We examined these issues using a 2 (Interrogation Quality: High vs. Low) x3 (Exclusion: Technicality …

Intelligence And Interpersonal Functioning In Youth And Young Adults With Varying Levels Of Psychopathic And Callous-Unemotional Traits, Marie Feyche

Honors Theses

The current study examined 30 youth and young adults ages 12-21 who were receiving therapy services at South Community, Inc. The intelligence and interpersonal functioning of individuals with varying levels of psychopathic and callous-unemotional (CU) traits was studied. Although there are a variety of conceptualizations of psychopathy, this study used the Triarchic Model of Psychopathy (TriPM), which defines the three factors of psychopathy as boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. CU traits are a downward extension of psychopathy, overlapping with the meanness factor, and are embodied by an absence of guilt, remorse, and the expression of superficial emotion. “Successful” psychopathy is a …

Sports Fan Interaction: A Comparison Of Teams To Determine The Common Thread Between Fan Engagement Across Social Media, Emma L. Ishee

Honors Theses

This study focused on the utilization of social media by collegiate athletic teams and how it relates to their interaction with their fan base. The aim of this study was to determine if a particular platform or post type gained the most fan interaction. The study also examined whether the men’s or women’s teams receive more interaction from fans. A random number generator selected three collegiate athletic teams from three different school in three conferences. Data was collected in the week leading up to the opening game. Ultimately, the results were not able to prove one type of post more …

The Context For An Undergraduate Research Program At Western Michigan University, Nathan Browning

Honors Theses

This thesis is an investigation into undergraduate research, experiential learning, and creative scholarship as it relates to Western Michigan University (WMU). Data mining was used to analyze the state of undergraduate research activity (URA) nationally. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups were used to examine both faculty and undergraduate opinion of the state of URA specifically at WMU. The goal of this thesis is to help establish a framework for what a successful undergraduate research program would look like at WMU.

Previous literature shows benefits for both institutions and students, including higher retention rates, stronger graduate outcomes, and increased satisfaction levels …

Wives’ Perceptions Of Husbands’ Housework And Parenting Contributions, Reilly Kate Kincaid

Honors Theses

Although husbands today may contribute more home and family labor than in previous decades, the type of contributions they make tend to be those of a “helpmate,” leaving the responsibility for organizing and managing housework and childcare to their wives. Gordon and Whelan-Berry (2005) found that husbands generally spent more time “doing” rather than “managing” in the household. The present study sought to examine working wives’ perceptions of how much their husbands “do” and/or “manage” in terms of housework and childcare. Results provide quantitative support for the high incidence of high-doing but low-managing husbands and shed light on the different …

Caffeine Rush! Examining The Effects Of Caffeine On Spatial Working Memory, Alexander Lawriw

Honors Theses

Past research concerning caffeine and its effects on memory have yielded varying results. One study found that a 3-mg/kg dose of caffeine decreased reaction time during a selective attention task. However, this improvement was only found during a low display load, with no effect on reaction time occurring within a high display load (Lorist, Snell, Kok, & Mulder,1996). As such, the effects of caffeine may be dependent on a variety of other factors, such as the difficulty of the task at hand (Nehlig, 2004). This present study aimed to explore further the potential memory-enhancing qualities of caffeine with respect to …

Olfaction And Disgust As Predictors Of Elevated Perfectionism, Maia Mclin

Honors Theses

Odor detection and disgust sensitivity were once vital to survival by providing a means to assess if foods were safe for consumption. Along with odor detection and disgust sensitivity, obsessivecompulsive traits, such as checking, may have increased chance of survival by decreasing the likelihood of consuming contaminated foods leading to an evolutionary advantage (Rozin & Fallon, 1987). Current regulations that prevent the distribution of spoiled and contaminated foods in developed societies make these processes less necessary to survival today; as a result, obsessive compulsive traits that may have once been advantageous may now be pathological. Neural connections also suggest a …

The Effects Of Anxiety Induction On Olfactory Function In Healthy Young Adults, Lauren T. Olson

Honors Theses

There is significant overlap in the neural structures involved in the human limbic (emotion) and olfactory systems, and prior research findings have suggested both positive and negative associations between anxiety and odor detection sensitivity (threshold), odor identification accuracy, and odor hedonic ratings (Havlicek et al., 2012; Krusemark et al., 2013). However, knowledge about whether anxiety causes changes in olfactory perception remains unclear due to limited research findings. The present study aimed to extend the literature on olfaction and state anxiety by investing the impact of an anxiety induction on odor detection sensitivity, odor identification accuracy, and odor hedonic ratings. It …