Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Study On Satisfaction Of Dental Implant Patients, Jung Su O

Theses and Dissertations

The implant has been around for half a century. It started in Sweden in the 1960s and is now being actively practiced all over the world. It is important to investigate what constitutes a standard for a consumer of medical services in selecting a dentist to receive implants. A great number of dentists and research organizations have published research papers on theory and techniques of implants as well as their strengths and weaknesses. However, researches on reality and satisfaction rate of patients are still very rare.

The purpose of this study was to identify how to improve satisfaction of patients …

How To Start A Riot: A Theory Of Collective Action, Cory Cambridge Alpert

Senior Theses

This paper will also augment existing theory by stating that lowered barriers to engagement and interaction with the social movement and social movement organization will increase the likelihood of both initial and sustained participation. Each section of the paper will condense the claims made into explicit theoretical statements and arguments, which are presented at the end of each section. Finally, a formal theory will be presented in Appendix I, which combines all of the presented theoretical claims and explain connections between propositions. Each section will have a title bolded, as well as a clear proposition (or multiple propositions) in italics …

Dreaming Big And Living Small: Examining Motivations And Satisfaction In Tiny House Living, Lauren Michelle Boeckermann

Senior Theses

The tiny house movement advocates for downsizing and a moving into smaller

residences.1 While living in smaller homes is in no way novel, the roots of the current trend is

somewhat contested as some attribute it to the “Back-to-the-Land” movement of the 1970’s or

Thoreau’s plea to live simply and deliberately.1 In 2002, the first company dedicated to solely

building tiny houses was founded and called Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.2 Jay Shafer,

the owner of Tumbleweed, and several tiny house advocates joined together to create the Small

House Society to serve as a community of like-minded individuals with information sharing …

Indonesia's One Map Policy: A Critical Look At The Social Implications Of A 'Mess', Kaitlyn Justine Bretz

Senior Theses

In December 2010, a cabinet meeting between the Indonesian President and REDD+

agency led to the realization that spatial data does not match between government agencies. The

comparison of two forestry maps catalyzed the publication of Presidential Decree No. 4/2011,

better known as the One Map Policy. This policy is aimed at standardizing and unifying spatial

data across the Indonesian archipelago, creating a base map for all agencies to use, and making

spatial data free and readily accessible for Indonesian citizens. The One Map Policy is a direct

move to centralize national power and give the state more control over …

Processing Differences In Reading Alliteration And Rhyme: An Eye-Movement Study, Keiko Bridwell

Senior Theses

In studies of silent reading, it is well-attested that the phonological content of a word, and not only its visual shape, contributes to the reading process. One of the most widely-observed phenomena in this field is the “tongue twister effect”: the tendency for words with repeated initial phonemes to be read more slowly and comprehended more poorly than words without phonological repetition. This effect has been welldocumented over decades of research; however, it has overwhelmingly dealt with wordinitial overlap, or alliteration. Very few studies have looked at the impact that word-final overlap, or rhyme, might have on reading. In the …

A Study Of Apocalyptic Themes In Japanese Popular Culture, Thomas M. Coar

Senior Theses

While consuming Japanese popular culture, it is easy to notice the reoccurring themes of the apocalypse though they are often very different in their presentation to the audience. Through investigation, the study found that the Japanese people draw their understanding of the apocalypse from many different religions and ideologies, also known as religious pluralism. An influential aesthetic inspired by the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence in Japan is mono no aware which is the idea of seeing the beauty in the chaos and destruction, with sadness and compassion, including the apocalypse. Stemming from the ideologies of reincarnation and masse, the Japanese …

Music And Gender, Chris Buckman

Senior Theses

The purpose of this research project was to conduct a study on the correlation between gender and music listening habits. Based on the results of a music survey, the author tested four hypotheses: females have wider genre preference range than males, females spend more time listening to music, males and females listen to music for different reasons, and males and females prefer different genres of music. Analysis was performed using a variety of hypothesis testing methods in R. Only one hypothesis was rejected out of the four—that males and females prefer different genres. Discussion is presented on why this is …

An Analysis Of Income Inequality Reduction In Brazil Under President Lula Da Silva, Victoria Rose Belcher

Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes trends in income inequality reduction across different regions of Brazil from 2000 to 2010. This period was selected because it was a period of consistent economic growth and national inequality reduction, as measured by the GINI Index, as well as a period that witnessed the introduction of new government policies by President Lula da Silva. This thesis provides extensive background information about Lula’s presidency and income inequality in Brazil before conducting an economic analysis of the trends in income inequality reduction through the country. This thesis concludes that the trend of inequality reduction favored certain regions of …

The Emotional Attentional Blink: A Review And Research Agenda, Jonathan Keefe

Senior Theses

The Emotional Attentional Blink (EAB) refers to a temporary impairment in the ability to identify a single target when that target is preceded by an emotionally salient distractor, such as a disgusting, violent or erotic image (Most, Smith, Cooter, Levy, & Zald, 2007; Ciesielski, Armstrong, Zald, & Olatunji, 2010). The EAB represents a failure to perform an endogenous target discrimination task as a result of exogenous attentional capture by an emotional image, making it an effective medium through which to study the intersection of these two attentional systems. The present review seeks to relate existing models of the EAB to …

Repairing The Relationship Between Trains And Traffic In Columbia, South Carolina, Andrea Esselman

Senior Theses

My intention with this paper is to inform readers of the history and complexity of the issues with the trains and other traffic in Columbia, South Carolina. While it may not offer specific solutions to the problems, it does examine solutions that have been proposed and reasons why these solutions have not been pursued. The reader should take away a deeper understanding of why things are in their current state in relation to the trains and the automobile traffic in Columbia. Ultimately this information can keep the public informed so that better decisions can be made in the future.

Gatekeeping: Women, People Of Color, And The Video Game Community, Bonnie Harris-Lowe

Senior Theses

Gamers are a large, diverse group of people, but they are not treated as such within their own community. AAA video games are designed largely by and for white men at the expense of women and racial minorities. These groups are grossly underrepresented in video games and are often poorly depicted when they do exist in virtual spaces. Stereotypes and other negative attitudes towards these groups are exacerbated and furthered by their portrayals in video games. The wide quantitative and qualitative gaps between female characters and characters of color compared to white male characters has contributed to a toxic culture …

The Role Of Soccer In The Post-Colonial Relationship Between Brazil And Portugal, Hunter Johnson

Senior Theses

This thesis analyses the role of soccer in the post-colonial relationship between Brazil and Portugal. It begins by discussing the history of the two countries, in particular the discovery and colonization of Brazil by Portugal. It then examines notable Brazilian-born Portuguese players, and then analyzes Brazilian player transfers to Portugal in the 2011- 12 season. It concludes by discussing the wider impact of the results, and the effect of globalization on the modern-day soccer world.

Individual Difference Variables And Social Learning: An Investigation Into Expectancies, Philip Andrew Wiliamson

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Bandura (1969, 1985) proposed social learning theory (SLT) as a theoretical framework through which behaviors can be predicted. SLT offers an explanation to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are learned. Alcohol outcome expectancies (AOEs) are defined as the physiological or psychological consequences that are anticipated following the consumption of alcohol (Goldman, Boca, & Darkes, 1999). Expectancies enhance or diminish a person’s willingness to engage in drinking behaviors. SLT and AOEs converge as children watch adults and the media either consume and glorify alcohol or conversely vilify alcohol and shun its consumption. This study investigated whether individual difference variables (i.e., suggestibility, prior …

Rise Up: 2020 Vision And A New Era Of Intersectional Grassroots Activism, Clarie Randall

Senior Theses

This thesis tells our story, the story of 2020 Vision, so that it is not lost to time and indifference. We have made our mark as activists on a campus that does not engage in activism, and attempted to make the University we all love a place that is more welcoming to its minority and marginalized students, faculty, and staff.

Climate Change As A Contributor To Terrorism: A Case Study In Nigeria And Pakistan, Natalie Lytle

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between climate change and terrorism. It seeks to identify climate change as a contributing factor to terrorism. The motivation for this research is the increasing threat from both global issues. The threat of climate change and terrorism were heavily debated topics in the United States 2016 election, and remain contentious topics for world leaders today. The years 2014 and 2015 were the top two deadliest years for global terrorism, and out of the 17 hottest years on record, 16 of them have occurred since 2000. The world has already begun to see the repercussions of …

The European Union's Response To The Syrian Refugee Crisis: National Factors That Affect Compliance In France And Spain, Sarah Cockcroft, Nicole Provax

Senior Theses

Beginning in 2011, the Syrian Refugee Crisis refers to refugees that come to Europe in an effort to escape the civil war in Syria. The influx of refugees from Non-European Union Member States, specifically those from Syria, threatens the stability and the status quo of the European Union. This population is particularly relevant because their status as refugees and their large numbers indicates a level of uncertainty about short term and long term assistance expectations. In order to understand the European Union’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis, it is necessary to determine the ways in which the national implementation …

A Five-Week Bible Study For Sorority Women, Haley Mcclelland

Senior Theses

My goal with this study is to help sorority women break free of this pressure and stereotypical role they may feel inclined to fill, and to make them stronger women and leaders in the community. Studies have proven that religion is linked with lower drug and alcohol use, lower rates of suicide or suicide ideation, lower levels of depression and hopelessness, and a positive correlation with physical health (Smith, 2003). By creating a means through which to introduce God or expand on knowledge of God, this study has the potential to impact the overall quality of life for its participants. …

Mindfulness And Dance: The Effect Of Yoga Practices In College-Aged Dancers, Alison Saum

Senior Theses

Mindfulness is the self-regulation of attention toward conscious awareness of bodily sensations and perceptions (Howell & Marich, 2015). As opposed to other forms of attention training, mindfulness focuses on a non-judgmental monitoring of stimuli and experiences which adopts a curious, open, and accepting attitude (Creswell, Denson, & Schofield, 2015). Mindfulness practitioners develop an ongoing awareness of changes in their internal experiences of sensations, thoughts, and feelings, as well as awareness of external experiences (Daubenmier, Dunn, Farb, Gard, Kerr, Klein, Mehling, Paulus, & Price, 2015). Traditionally, mindfulness involves quietly sitting and observing various experiences without judging or attempting to change the …

Leadership In Sports, Helen Récaborde

Senior Theses

In order to structure my thesis I will centralize it around the book The student leadership challenge by Kouzes and Posner. It is a book that outlines ‘The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership’ that are common when leaders are able to make amazing things happen. The goal of the book is to demonstrate how any person can be a leader regardless of age and experience. Therefore, another goal of my thesis is to investigate how much some of the top coaches in USC athletics use this model whether implicitly or explicitly for themselves and the leaders on their team. The …

De Jure Provisions For Judicial Independence In Us States: 1776-2015, Kimberly M. Pilatovsky

Senior Theses

In this paper I present original data collected for over three dozen factors capturing constitutional provisions for judicial independence for all 50 US states, from statehood to 2015. Drawing on insights from research on comparative courts, this data set goes far beyond simple appointment procedures, and includes tenure, rule-making ability, removal procedures, and other factors affecting the relationship between the judiciary and political branches. I further discuss how this data can be used in the future to address debates over the effect of institutional design on judicial behavior, as well as how changes in political conditions affect the role of …

The Woman Card: Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential Campaign As A Case Study On America's Gendered Politics And Their Impact On Female Presidential Campaign Efficacy, Skylar Mcclain

Senior Theses

I posit that the gendered American cultural expectations for women, although they are not as rigid as they once were, inhibited the efficacy of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and impacted voter behavior. By assessing the indicators most commonly used in gender stereotypes; personality traits, domestic behaviors, occupations, and physical appearance, it is possible to construct a realistic portrait of Clinton’s public gender persona and the resulting electoral response.

Afro-Mexicans And The Struggle For Recognition, Kimberly Medina

Senior Theses

In light of the Mexican government’s concession to include “Afro-descendant” as an ethnic category in the 2015 Intercensal Survey, this thesis project aims to: 1) understand the contributions and experience of Afro-Mexicans within Mexican society, 2) understand the importance of official recognition as an ethnic group, 3) understand why, relative to the rest of Latin America, Mexico took so long to officially recognize its Afro-descendant population, 4) analyze the Afro-Mexican movement towards recognition, paying particular attention to its composition and strategy and 5) determine what recognition in the intercensal survey means for the future of the movement, the Afro-Mexican population …

Representing The Relationships Between Field Collected Carbon Exchanges And Surface Reflectance Using Geospatial And Satellite-Based Techniques, Alexandria G. Mccombs

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon exchanges between the atmosphere and the land surface vary in space and time, and are highly dependent on land cover type. It is important to quantify these exchanges to understand how landscapes affect the carbon budget, which will have a significant impact on future climate change and will inform climate change projections. However, how do you represent regional carbon exchanges from a single meteorological station? A single observing station will represent a limited area around the station, but each individual observation will sample a different physical land area in time due to varying wind speeds, wind direction, and atmospheric …

Reentry And Reflection For Study Abroad Returnees At The University Of South Carolina, Paige N. Pierce

Senior Theses

Reentry is a growing practice in education abroad programming, however it remains significantly less developed than pre-departure preparations despite the increasing numbers of U.S. students going abroad in college. This project is a qualitative study looking at how the University of South Carolina (USC) addresses reentry for its students returning from their education abroad. Faculty and staff from six departments at USC were interviewed for data collection on the topic of reentry for the returned student. These stakeholders were chosen based on their professional positions and involvement in internationalization and study abroad education. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and manually …

Reproductive Healthcare Information-Seeking Behavior In Undeserved Women: An Exploratory Study, Margaret S. Zimmerman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the reproductive health-related information-seeking of low-income women which has been found to be affected by digital divide disparities. Included in this is an assessment of what reproductive health-related information needs they have, which sources they consult most frequently, if they trust the sources that they use, and how their information-seeking interacts with the variables of perceived risk and perceived barriers. While there have been many studies on the end effects of a lack of accurate and accessible reproductive health information little research has been conducted to examine the reproductive healthcare information-seeking patterns of women who live in …

Worth Fighting For: Factors Influencing Selection Decisions In School Libraries, April M. Dawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Intellectual freedom is one of the basic tenets of the library profession. However, most librarians will face attempts to censor or control access to information at some point in their careers. School librarians might choose to self-censor because they fear facing a challenge that calls into question not only their professionalism but also their personal values and ethics. While there have been numerous studies on censorship in other types of libraries, there is little research in the area of censorship and intellectual freedom as it pertains to the school library field. The purpose of this study is to understand the …

Modeling Early Archaic Mobility And Subsistence: Evaluating Resource Risk Across The South Carolina Landscape, Joseph E. Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations

Previous models predicting Early Archaic mobility and subsistence strategies in South Carolina have evaluated behavioral negotiations of specific resource distributions. A new model is presented using empirical datasets that quantify and evaluate the quality and geographic distributions of lithic raw materials and drainage systems in the state. By utilizing datasets from private collections and landscape elevation data, this model is generated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software in order to produce a "Risk Landscape" from which predictions of site density, artifact density, lithic raw material diversity, and the condition of lithic toolkit assemblages can be generated based on landscape location. …

Context Matters: Evaluating Social Judgments Of Acquaintance Rape Myths, Michelle E. Deming

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of my dissertation are to: 1) determine the social psychological factors affecting rape myth judgments and, 2) develop an instrument that utilizes realistic social contexts to measure acquaintance rape myth adherence among undergraduate students. The Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (IRMA; McMahon and Farmer 2011; Payne et al. 1999) was used to create acquaintance rape vignettes using factorial surveys (Rossi and Anderson 1982). I manipulated factors known to be associated with victim-blame such as alcohol, a previous sexual relationship, if the woman is dressed provocatively, the type of relationship (e.g., acquaintance versus friend), if the woman verbally protested, …

Speaking Of Qualia: Examining A Craft Beer Microcommunity's Membership Identity Through Speech, Anna Hamer

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnography examines a locally owned craft beer store in South Carolina, where craft beer connoisseurs and enthusiasts come together to elevate their beer drinking experience. Many members of this microcommunity use ‘beer talk’, a technical register of speech (Agha 2007; Manning 2008; Silverstein 2006, 2016), to point to, or index, a part of their beer connoisseur identity. The ‘beer talk’ register used to describe craft beer is enacted at various scales of speech (Carr and Lempert 2016), ranging from Cicerone Certification and mobile applications, to online forums, beer festivals, beer magazines, brewery visits, and face-to-face interaction. The CofP model …

The Community Rating System: Assessing Indicators Of Community Participation, A Dasymetric And Sovi Approach, Zachary P. Landis

Theses and Dissertations

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was established to provide affordable insurance to property owners and encourage communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management, primarily through the Community Rating System (CRS). The CRS awards points to communities for adopting a variety of activities in support of floodplain management. One area of interest in the CRS program is understanding differences in the types of communities participating and the degree of their participation. Research on the NFIP’s CRS tends to focus on community program participation in reducing flood losses and indicators of participation. Much of this research was performed prior to 2013 …