Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Comparative Measure Of Judicial Legitimacy, Rahul Hemrajani

Theses and Dissertations

In the Federalist papers, Hamilton emphasized the vulnerability of courts as the weakest branch of government, lacking both the power of the "purse" and the "sword." Consequently, courts can secure compliance with their decisions only if people believe in the legitimacy of their actions. Courts that are seen as legitimate by the public can better prevent governmental overreach, enhance the rule of law, and protect democratic rights. However, there is no consensus on how to validly measure the legitimacy of courts. Additionally, existing research on legitimacy focuses on courts in the United States; we know little about judicial legitimacy in …

Tied Together, Eiko Nishida

Theses and Dissertations

The paper is about a site-specific installation that questions a viewer’s norms and perspectives, through the use of multilingual newspapers as a sculptural material.

Non-Directed Time, Danial Derakhshan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Non-Directed Time is a sixteen-minute composition for mixed septet and soundtracks. Its two movements are entitled Brainwash and Introduction. The piece aims to challenge listeners' perception of passing time through gradual transformations between timeless, non-directional musical textures to moments of textural clarity and directionality. The musical material in my composition repeats at both large-scale and micro-scale levels, developing an alternative musical time structure and a sense of familiarity. Thus, changes in repeating material affect the experience of this time structure, in which time seems to expand and contract. Because these changes are gradual and their goals are unpredictable, listeners may …

Deconstructing And Decolonizing Identities Of “Gender” And “Sex” When Viewed As Anti-Black: Black Narratives Outside Of The Binary, Didier Salgado

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

How is “Reality” experienced in the Black body? Is “Reality” an objective article which is outside of the realm of personal experience? Assigned sex is often assumed an objective biological phenomenon that exists everywhere and in all communities. Gender is often thought about as a socially constructed form of identity which is expressed in various ways. In this thesis, I critically examine the terror of “reality” on the Black body, looking at the ways that Black people who’ve experienced discomfort with gender and sex categories experience the “world” around them. Diving deeply into their own experiences and the meanings they …

Seasonal Effects On The Arrival And Colonization Of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) On Carrion In New Jersey, Amanda A. Hernandez

Student Theses

Blow flies (Order: Diptera, Family: Calliphoridae) are a valuable forensic tool. Female blow flies will lay eggs (colonize) on remains often within minutes of death and entomological methods are based on their behavior and development to extrapolate postmortem intervals (PMI). External factors, such as temperature and weather patterns can influence timing of this behavior. This study seeks to gain a better understanding of the environmental factors that impact this behavior across two seasons. In this study, arrival and colonization behavior was investigated on rat carcasses from sunrise to sunset in a semi-rural region of New Jersey (n=64). Video recording software …

Time And Power: The Will To Temporalize In Digital Culture, Talha Issevenler

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation, I analyze the new forms of temporalization of social media in relationship to arrangements of power through nonhuman agency of the algorithm. The new social media industry refers to the entities that make up its circulatory movement, simply as ‘content’. This suggests that scientific or empirical study of social media should deal with content and analyze this as the data of research through sampling (Manovich, 2020, p. 93-94). Yet the forms and the temporality in which the content is presented not only are open to empirical research but should be central to our understanding of the organization …

Heterosexual Parents Who Move Toward Acceptance Of Their Gay Sons, Brady Sullivan

Dissertations

Rejection of gay men by parents is a frequent occurrence. Rhoades et al. (2018) found 49% of a sample of 657 sexual minority children had experienced parental rejection due to their LGBTQ+ identity. However, the current body of literature does not discuss those heterosexual parents who initially reject their sexual minority children and then return to a place of acceptance. Within the framework of attachment theory, this dissertation used a basic qualitative approach, influenced by Grounded Theory methods, to investigate the experience of heterosexual parents who move toward acceptance of their gay son. Fifteen, white, heterosexual parents, ranging from ages …

Making Yourself At Al-Dar: On Islamic Education, Social Imaginations, And Affective Possibilities, Alia Amr Amin Shaddad

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the Dar as an alternative space of knowledge, and unravels how its different contexts and rhythms allow us to imagine what that alternative means in the everyday. In order to do so, this thesis unpacks questions of space, time, subjectivity, and potential. I look at the ways in which this Dar is constituted as a space through its relations with other spaces and by engaging questions of temporality. By doing so, this thesis maps this space to make clear what and how it is, and highlights the historical and geographical context it exists in. This also includes …

The Space Love Maps: A Blackgirl Legend In Three Plots, Loren S. Cahill

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This is a love story from one Blackgirl (Boylorn, 2016) from St. Louis to Blackgirls in Philadelphia. It radically traces love across plots of race, gender, time, space, and affect. This text will provide non-conventional maps for how Blackgirls, young and old, have been memory keepers, cultural workers, love pillars, freedom mappers, and actors since before the inception of American slavery (Brown, 2013; Hartman, 2019; Hooks, 1993; Nash, 2013; Walker, 2004). Specifically, it will argue that we have problematized the settler-colonial project of mapping (McKittrick, 2006) and moved away from viewing space as an entrenchment of empire. Further, we have …

It's About Time: Examining The Role Of Time Together And Perceived Stress In Couple Relationships, Rachel J. H. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Because stress is a common struggle in romantic relationships and because stress can spill over into couples’ interactions and affect their level of relationship connection, it is important to understand what can help couples adapt to stress and maintain meaningful relationships. Quality time together has been found to have positive effects on relationship outcomes overall. Additionally, family stress theory has posited that having sufficient resources can help couples adapt to stress and avoid a crisis situation. As such, time together was examined as a potential resource for couples to draw upon to adapt to the potential negative effects of perceived …

A Tale Of Two Tweets: What Factors Predict Forgiveness Of Past Transgressions On Social Media?, Andrew Dawson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As more and more of our lives take place online, we are developing a very public and permanent record of our past views and actions. It is increasingly common for public figures to have their current image tarnished by their mistakes and transgressions in what is often the distant past. Although factors such as the passage of time and age of the actor are typically given consideration in moral judgement, they may be swept away by identity and politics when the transgressions are viewed along partisan lines. Three experiments (N = 2,018) found that judgements of a public figure …

Time Spent Gaming And Marital Quality: The Effect Of Mmorpgs, Kimberly J. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is not known if, or to what degree, time spent playing massive multi online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) and adult attachment style affect marital quality. This study attempts to deliver a clearer image about the statistical links between MMORPGs and marital quality to better understand how MMORPGs can affect this relational area. Attachment theory is the theoretical model used in this study. The Hayes mediation analysis was used to answer the research questions. However, correlations were performed initially, to evaluate the suitability of the mediation analysis. The 240 respondents were selected using a convenience sampling approach, through the use of …

Migratory Timescapes: Experiences Of Pausing, Waiting, And Inhabiting The Meanwhile Of Migrants And Asylum Seekers In Mexico, Isabel Gil Everaert

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Mexico´s southern border with Guatemala, this dissertation provides insights into contemporary experiences of migration in Mexico by engaging with the notions of movement, control, and settlement from a critical perspective. I explore these experiences through the idea of migratory timescapes, defined as structural temporal-relational contexts in which migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are socially embedded. In the case of this dissertation, I unpack three migratory timescapes which are situated in a regional context of growing displacement and increasingly restrictive migratory and asylum policies, what I call the block-and-wait system.

First, I introduce the idea …

Mnemonic Discrimination: Correcting False Memories And Detecting Changes In Time, Nathan M. Muncy

Theses and Dissertations

Two projects are presented in this dissertation. First, we investigated the impact of false memories on the original trace and whether recovery of the original is possible. Second, we tested whether mnemonic discrimination for temporal duration is possible. Both projects incorporated fMRI techniques in order to implicate any potential neural correlates of these memory behaviors. Project One. To elicit false memories and study a potential recovery therefrom, thirty-five healthy, young adults performed multiple recognition memory tests where they were induced to make errors in a first test and then participants were tested again in a surprise, second test. These two …

(Subjective) Time Heals All Wounds: The Competing Roles Of Objective And Subjective Time In Reactions To Past Events, Sarah L. Williams

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Although folk wisdom states that “time heals all wounds,” the truth of this claim is questionable and may be contingent on the nature of time in question. People think about and represent time in different ways: they consider how far away events (objectively) are, as well as how close or far away they (subjectively) feel. How close or distant a temporal event feels from the present is quite malleable and can be affected by a host of psychological factors independent of chronological time. However, little research has explicitly investigated the extent to which objective, calendar time, and one’s subjective sense …

Academic Librarians And The Space/Time Of Information Literacy, The Neoliberal University, And The Global Knowledge Economy, Karen P. Nicholson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative research study explores how academic librarians working in Canadian public research-intensive universities experience the space/time of information literacy, the neoliberal university, and the knowledge economy. Information literacy lies at the intersection of higher education and the knowledge economy: it became a priority for librarians in Anglo-American countries in the 1980s in the context of neoliberal educational reforms intended to better prepare skilled workers for the “information society” (Behrens, 1994; Birdsall, 1994).

The shift from Fordist modes of production to flexible accumulation, characterized by the expansion of capital into new markets, flexible workers, and just-in-time inventories, made possible by …

Social Work Services: How Can Social Workers Improve The Healthcare Experience For People Who Are Homeless?, Mckinsey Kemp

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research project focuses on how social workers can improve the healthcare experience for people who are homeless. The twelve participants in this study were recruited from a homeless shelter located in Southern California. Data was collected for this study using qualitative methods by means of interviews. Interviews were conducted in person, audio recorded, and then transcribed for data analysis. Findings from this study indicated that the concepts of time, perception of needs being met, service connection, staff interaction, social work intervention, and potential social work intervention were all connected to whether participants viewed their healthcare visit as a negative …

Influence Of Psychological Capital And Thinking Perspectives On Construction Safety Climate And Performance, Anne-Perrine Pascale Cades

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding safety factors in construction is critical to reducing accident frequency and severity. Grounded in the safety performance model, this study was conducted to examine the impact of psychological capital (PsyCap), which consists of the shared variance of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, and Past, Present, and Future thinking perspectives, on safety climate and performance. A nonexperimental quantitative design was used to determine whether PsyCap and thinking perspectives of construction project employees predicted safety performance and/or moderated the relationship between safety climate and performance across construction sites in different countries. 411 construction employees were recruited via a multistage and clustering …

(Un)Packing The Natural: Exploring Tactics Of Empowerment For Girls Through Outdoor Education, Avalon Blue Qian

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Gene By Environment Interaction On Weight-Related Outcomes Over Time In Underserved African-American Adults, Tyler Coe Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity research in the area of prevention has become a national priority given the increasingly high prevalence rate of this condition among US adults, and subsequent health risks that are associated. The etiology of obesity is complex, so a more comprehensive understanding of the interaction between genetic predisposition and the social environment in regards to obesity in adults would advance our knowledge for future public health and prevention efforts. This study’s aim was to assess the impact of a gene by neighborhood social environment interactions on weight-related (i.e., waist circumference) and stress-related (i.e. cortisol) outcomes in underserved African-American adults. A …

Binational Farming Families Of Southern Appalachia And The Mexican Bajio, Mary Elizabeth W. Schmid

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

Over the last four decades, farming families throughout North America experienced significant transitions due, in part, to the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. This multi-sited dissertation investigates the ways in which a network of binational (Mexican-American) families organize their small- to mid-scale farming enterprises, engage in global networks as food producers, and contribute to rural economies in the southeastern U.S. and the Mexican Bajío. To mitigate difficult transitions that came with the globalizing of agri-food markets, members of this extended family group created collaborative, kin-based arrangements to produce, distribute, and market fresh-market fruits and vegetables in the …

Episodic Work-Family Conflict And Strain: A Dynamic Perspective, Kimberly A. French

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given rising work and family demands in our society for both men and women, the experience of work-family conflict is commonplace. Work-family conflict occurs when the demands of work or family make it difficult to meet the demands of the alternate domain. A sizeable body of research has established work-family conflict and its nomological network. Despite decades of research, we have yet to form a precise understanding of when work-family conflicts occur and what happens when a conflict arises. The current research addresses these questions using an experience sampling, episodic approach. Two primary research questions are addressed. First, I used …

The Conceptualization Of A Crime Event As A Process To Analyze Crime Commission And Behavioral Consistency In Serial Sexual Assaults, Kimberley R. Schanz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project examined the two main questions of why and when behaviors change. In the course of five studies, four aims were addressed. The first aim examined why behaviors change by examining whether the behavioral subtypes of control, sex, and violence could differentiate offenses within the elements of a crime (e.g. the offender, victim, and situation. The second aim addressed when behaviors change by examining whether the behavioral subtypes of control, sex, and violence could differentiate offenses within the temporal phases of a crime (e.g. before, during, and after the crime). The third aim examined which behaviors to use as …

Shifting Ground: Rethinking Concepts Of Continuity And Change In Late Iron Age And Early Roman Landscapes Of Southern England, Lara Ghisleni

Theses and Dissertations

What kinds of landscapes does the segmentation of space and time by the Late Iron Age/Early Roman transition create, include, and exclude? What continues, changes, and co-exists, and how is the landscape interconnected in the context of these negotiations? This thesis re-conceptualizes continuity and change during the Late Iron Age (100 BCE–CE 43) and Early Roman period (CE 43–CE 150/200) in southern England, exploring how relationships with place and landscape generate the contexts for community formation and transformation. Despite the deconstruction of the traditional acculturation paradigm—Romanization—it has proven difficult to circumvent binary categories of identity and process that relegate continuity …

Cross Cultural Meta-Analysis Of Personality And Leadership Effectiveness And Evaluation Of Changes Over Time, Laura Lynn Motel

Theses and Dissertations

The research integrates and expands upon trait theory and culturally-endorsed leadership theory by performing a meta-analysis of the big five personality traits relationships with leadership effectiveness through a cultural and temporal lens. Using only organizational and military/government samples, this investigation delivers three important contributions; corroborates support for trait theory, reveals trait variability, and identifies trends in global leadership. In order to be a “Great Man”, a person needs to be born with the right traits at the right time in the right place. Consistent with prior meta-analytical research, big five traits consistently predicted leadership effectiveness, further supporting trait theory. While …

There And Now, Tinghua Huang

Senior Projects Spring 2017

THERE AND NOW

by Tinghua Huang

History/Observation of Life/Rebellion/Challenge/ Time/(without)Intention

In my exhibition, I have photos, bags, garments, the FIT IN room, and a clock with a second display. I will explain my points for choosing to put them in my show, and it is up to you, the viewers, to take it, expand it, or not. I believe there is never a final answer to art, as long as humans have their own ability to think.

I made the choice of putting the photos in my show to convey a straightforward sense of my personal background: where I am …

When Words Are Worse Than Bullets: A Study Of Corruption As An Unintended Consequence Of Threats Of Sanctions, Aleksei Balanov

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This research contributes to the debates on the efficacy of economic sanctions as a tool of international diplomacy. It focuses on corruption, one of the potential unintended consequences of sanctions. Using multiple regression on a custom cross-sectional time series dataset of more than a thousand observations, this research finds the correlation between threats of sanctions and level of corruption statistically significant. The model suggests each new round of threats translates into a 1.25% increase in corruption for relatively clean states and a 5% increase for already corrupt states. The resulting policy implications are examined in this thesis.

Experiences Of Trust In Longer-Lasting Formal Youth Mentoring Relationships, Michelle Levine

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this longitudinal qualitative study was to investigate youth experiences of trust and mentor experiences supporting youth trust in longer-term formal youth mentoring relationships. Trust was defined as youth relying on and confiding in their mentors based on experiences of mentor reliability, honesty, and emotional sensitivity and protection from emotional harm. Thematic analysis was conducted on interview data from a longitudinal dataset, involving analysis of narratives from interviews (n=147) with youth, mentors, and parents for mentoring matches that lasted at least two years. Overall, participants in this study identified multiple ways trust was experienced by youth and supported …

In And Out Line Monitoring System For Volleyball, Kelley White

Honors Theses

The main goal of this project is to create a line monitoring system for volleyball to aid the line judges in their decision making as well as reduce the frequently misjudged calls. Line calling systems have already been implicated into other sports but there is not one yet for volleyball. This is because volleyball must move on to the next point in a matter of seconds or a delay of game is called against a team. Therefore, there needs to be a system that calls a ball without the need of a replay. The in and out line monitoring system …

Japanese Neet And Freeter: A Representation Of The Relationship Between Social Changes And Youth's Employment Pattern, Linh Hoang

Honors Theses

My paper attempts to analyze the existence of NEET (No Employment, Education or Training – ニート) and Freeter (Freelancing part-time worker - フリーター), two common groups of young unemployed people and irregular workers in Japan. Throughout the study, the relationship between Japanese social changes, modernization process and Japanese NEETs and Freeters is thoroughly examined. The first social change related to the establishment of these two groups is the transformation of employment system. The combination of a seniority-based system and performance-based system as well as their contrasts has increased the competitiveness in the job seeking war while eliminating some of the …