Digital Commons Network^™

An Interdisciplinary Analysis Of Dehumanization During The Holocaust, Alissa Marie Davies

Honors Theses

The body of literature surrounding the Holocaust and dehumanization is extensive. Multiple theories have been proffered to try and explain the Holocaust’s causation, each with varying degrees of acceptance from the Jewish and global communities. Meanwhile dehumanization has been studied however often through the lens of a singular field. Despite the abundance of research on the Holocaust, the subject of perpetrators has had limited exploration as of yet. The present analysis seeks to examine the mechanics of dehumanization and how these mechanics could explain the behaviors behind the perpetration of the Holocaust and by extension, other genocides. This analysis will …

Comparing Operant Discrimination Training And Response Contingent Pairing For Eliciting Vocalizations, Jade Grimes

Thesis Projects

Delays to language acquisition can have negative impacts to a child’s academic and social interactions. Stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) is a clinical procedure used to increase vocalizations by early language learners. Alternative interventions to SSP include response contingent pairing (RCP) and operant discrimination training (ODT). The results from previous research in RCP and ODT have limited benefit to clinical applications because verbal approximations were not reinforced, and they did not bring the vocalizations under stimulus control. The present study sought to evaluate the use of RCP and ODT to determine which intervention increased vocalizations. Two children aged 2- and 6-years-old, diagnosed …

Dancing With 4e Cognitive Science And Human Science Psychology, Joshua Hall

Middle Voices

According to the “Embodied Cognition” entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the three landmark texts in the 4E cognitive science tradition are Lakoff and Johnson’s Metaphors We Live By, Varela, Thompson, and Rosch’s The Embodied Mind, and Andy Clark’s Being There. In my first section, I offer a phenomenological interpretation of these three texts, identifying recuring affirmations of the figure of dance alongside explicit marginalization of the practice of dance, perhaps in part due to cognitive science’s overemphasis on cognition to the exclusion of affect. In my second section, drawing on my previous interpretations of proto-affect theorists …

An Analysis Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Students At The University Of South Dakota, Alexandra J. Buss

Honors Thesis

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly took over the United States (US) in the beginning of 2020. Nationally, damages to finances, housing, and mental health have impacted many. Despite being one of the least densely populated states, South Dakota quickly rose to some of the highest rates in the nation and was identified as a national hotspot. While there have been significant reports on the effects of COVID-19 on certain communities (healthcare workers, small business owners, parents), more research is needed on the effects on university students. In this report, I aim to assess damages based on financial status of students, mental …

Examining The Relationship Between Functionally Assessed Parental Behavior And Child Anxiety, Allison Smith

LSU Master's Theses

Etiological theories of child anxiety suggest an interaction of multiple factors that lead to the development and maintenance of child anxiety. Environmental influence, specifically that involving the family or parent, has been a target area of study for decades. Additionally, functional assessment of behavior indicates that certain behaviors may be maintained primarily by specific functions. Functional assessment has been successful at identifying functions of problematic behavior and planning treatment accordingly. However, in the realm of child internalizing disorders, research has not utilized functional assessment in this way. Acknowledging the impact of parental behavior on child anxiety as well as the …

Classifying Dogs’ Facial Expressions: Implications For Human Cognitive Social Evolution And Cross-Species Communication, Lauren Mitchell

Symposium of Student Scholars

Facial expressions have been considered outward expressions of internal behavioral states. There is evidence that both dogs and humans subscribe to the social learning theory to acquire contextual information from past experiences in connecting facial expressions to behaviors. Previous research has shown that people are able to read dog facial expressions; however, the research is inconsistent on whether this behavior is innate or learned, as well as if this ability extends to dogs of different facial morphologies. The goal of this study was to understand the extent of humans’ ability to read facial expressions of dog breeds with different facial …

Bullying: How Feelings Of Fatalism May Influence Youth Choices To Offend, Tammy Shartzer

Theses

School age bullying continues to be a source of intense research as it is commonly linked to increased levels of delinquency in adolescents. In an effort to understand the process through which bullying victimization is linked to increased levels of delinquency, researchers continue to explore environmental and psychological components. This study used both OLS regression and negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between traditional and cyberbullying victimization and delinquency to assesses if fatalism mediates or moderates this relationship. An individual with fatalism often feels they are stuck within a revolving cycle of bad happenings and are powerless to change …

Acknowledging The Relevance Of Elephant Sensory Perception To Human–Elephant Conflict Mitigation, Robbie Ball, Sarah L. Jacobson, Matthew S. Rudolph, Miranda Trapani, Joshua M. Plotnik

Publications and Research

Elephants are well known for their socio-cognitive abilities and capacity for multi-modal sensory perception and communication. Their highly developed olfactory and acoustic senses provide them with a unique non-visual perspective of their physical and social worlds. The use of these complex sensory signals is important not only for communication between conspecifics, but also for decisions about foraging and navigation. These decisions have grown increasingly risky given the exponential increase in unpredictable anthropogenic change in elephants’ natural habitats. Risk taking often develops from the overlap of human and elephant habitat in Asian and African range countries, where elephants forage for food …

A Photography-Based, Social Media Walking Intervention Targeting Autonomous Motivations For Physical Activity: Semistructured Interviews With Older Women, Michael C Robertson, Maria Chang Swartz, Ursela Christopherson, Jason R Bentley, Karen M Basen-Engquist, Debbe Thompson, Elena Volpi, Elizabeth J Lyons

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Older adult women are at risk for negative health outcomes that engaging in sustained physical activity can help prevent. However, promoting long-term maintenance of physical activity in this population has proven to be a challenge. Increasing autonomous motivations (ie, intrinsic, integrated, and identified regulations) for physical activity may facilitate enduring behavior change. Digitally delivered games for health that take a celebratory technology approach, that is, using technology to create new ways to experience valued behaviors and express valued beliefs, may be a useful way to target autonomous motivations for physical activity. Formative research with the target population is needed …

Embryonic Hypoxia Alters Exploratory Movement In Adult Geckos, Nikki Boon, Kyleigh Adorno, Kayley Ozimac, Emma Kinerson

Undergraduate Research Competition

Environmental changes, such as temporary hypoxia, during the embryonic stage can impair brain development in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius). We therefore tested whether this early brain damage produces behavioral deficits that persist into adulthood. The organization and kinematic properties of non-visual exploration between normal (n = 14) and hypoxia (n = 3) geckos were compared. Geckos were individually placed on a circular table (diam=91cm) and allowed to explore darkness for 60min while being recorded. The gecko's coordinates were calculated at 5frames/second. Movement properties within each trial were evaluated across five 10min epochs. Total distance, peak speed, movement scaling (correlation between …

A Mixed-Methods Assessment Of Human Well-Being Related To The Presence Of Companion Animals During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Bindi Bennett, Suzie Cosh, Jack Thepsourinthone, Amy Lykins

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

COVID-19 and the measures used to curb the pandemic (e.g., lockdowns, isolation) have significantly impacted mental health and well-being. This study sought to investigate the role of companion animals in alleviating stress and improving mental health during the pandemic. In this study, 250 Australian adults completed measures of well-being and life satisfaction, animal dependency, perceived emotional support from animals, and animals’ effect on mood. Employment and living with others were the strongest predictors of positive life satisfaction and well-being, while greater dependency on companion animals for emotional support and companion animals’ negative effects on mood were associated with reduced life …

The Role Of Affect And The Autonomic Nervous System (Ans) In Visuospatial Learning And Set-Shifting: Modulating Cardiac Vagal Tone Through Heart Rate Variability (Hrv) Biofeedback To Improve Cognitive Performance, Breannan C. Howell

Psychology ETDs

The fields of psychology and neuroscience have found an interconnection between the autonomic nervous system (ANS), affect, and cognitive performance. Heart rate variability (HRV) may be a useful index of this relationship, representing the regulatory processes that facilitate adapting to emotions and environments to modulate mood and executive function. The current project consists of a series of experiments to investigate the relationship between trait affect, HRV, learning, and set-shifting performance. In the first experiment associations are found between negative affectivity, HRV, and set-shifting performance during an attentional set-shifting variant of the Virtual Morris Water Task (VMWT). Participants that exhibited both …

Heart Rate Variability Following Treatment For Ptsd: Testing The Polyvagal Theory, Brittany F. Goodman

Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked to lower heart rate variability (HRV), including measures of vagal tone. Treatments targeting the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have demonstrated efficacy in improving vagal tone, but it is less clear whether similar effects can also be achieved with cognitive therapies. The polyvagal theory has suggested that symptoms of social dysfunction are linked to vagal tone through a phylogenetically organized response to stress. HRV was collected during rest, reactivity (exposure to personalized trauma scripts), and recovery using a scripted imagery paradigm in female PTSD positive physical and sexual assault survivors (N = 41) …

Canonical Sentence Processing And The Inferior Frontal Cortex: Is There A Connection?, Nicholas Riccardi, Chris Rorden, Julius Fridriksson, Rutvik H. Desai

Faculty Publications

The role of left inferior frontal cortex (LIFC) in canonical sentence comprehension is controversial. Many studies have found involvement of LIFC in sentence production or complex sentence comprehension, but negative or mixed results are often found in comprehension of simple or canonical sentences. We used voxel-, region-, and connectivity-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM, RLSM, CLSM) in left-hemisphere chronic stroke survivors to investigate canonical sentence comprehension while controlling for lexical-semantic, executive, and phonological processes. We investigated how damage and disrupted white matter connectivity of LIFC and two other language-related regions, the left anterior temporal lobe (LATL) and posterior temporal-inferior parietal area …

Raging Hormones: Why Age-Based Etiological Conceptualizations Of The Development Of Antisocial Behavior Are Insufficient, Stuart F. White, S. Mariely Estrada Gonzalez, Eibhlis M. Moriarty

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Developmental science, particularly developmental neuroscience, has substantially influenced the modern legal system. However, this science has typically failed to consider the role of puberty and pubertal hormones on development when considering antisocial behavior. This review describes major theoretical positions on the developmental neuroscience of antisocial behavior and highlights where basic developmental neuroscience suggests that the role of puberty and pubertal hormones should be considered. The implications of the current state of the science with respect to developmental neuroscience is considered, particularly what is known in light of development beyond puberty. This review shows that development continues to an older age …

Neuronal Density In Navigation-Related Regions Of The Adult Leopard Gecko Brain, Kyleigh Adorno, Kayley Ozimac, Emma Kinerson, Nikki Boon

Undergraduate Research Competition

Hypoxic conditions disrupt brain development in many species, but oxygen deprivation may be particularly detrimental to ectotherms such as reptiles. Our preliminary data suggest the brains of embryonic leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are damaged following brief hypoxic conditions in ovo, and these developmental changes are associated with altered exploratory behavior in adulthood. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of such hypoxic conditions neuronally once the geckos have reached adulthood. However, no previous studies have evaluated the neuronal density of navigation-related brain regions in normal adult geckos, or whether these regions are sensitive to early hypoxia. Here, …

Mirror Tracing: The Effect Of Different Shapes On Transfer Performance, Jillian Brennan

The Compass

No abstract provided.

Thalamic Shape Abnormalities Differentially Relate To Cognitive Performance In Early-Onset And Adult-Onset Schizophrenia, Derin J. Cobia, Chaz Rich, Matthew J. Smith, Pedro Engel Gonzalez, Will Cronenwett, John G. Csernansky, Lei Wang

Faculty Publications

Early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) shares many biological and clinical features with adult-onset schizophrenia (AOS), but may represent a unique subgroup with greater susceptibility for disease onset and worsened symptomatology and progression, which could potentially derive from exaggerated neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Neurobiological explanations of schizophrenia have emphasized the involvement of deep-brain structures, particularly alterations of the thalamus, which have been linked to core features of the disorder. The aim of this study was to compare thalamic shape abnormalities between EOS and AOS subjects and determine whether unique behavioral profiles related to these differences. It was hypothesized abnormal thalamic shape would be observed in …

Happily Ever After, Phoebe C. Ellsworth

Book Chapters

I have been lucky in my upbringing and education, and especially in having advisors who let me do what I wanted to even when they didn’t think it was a good idea. This allowed me to have a deeply rewarding career devoted to two entirely different topics – basic theory and research on emotion, and applied theory and research in psychology and law. My career spanned the period from when women were considered unsuitable for scientific or academic work through the rise of feminism, so although I faced obstacles, the culture was changing quickly enough that my unusual choices soon …

Then And Now: The Evolution Of The Psychology Undergraduate Program At Utah State University, Abigail Hamblin, Amy Mackliet, River Mckinlay

Student Research Symposium

The history of Utah State University’s Psychology Department has significantly influenced the current activities and goals of the department, and this presentation will exemplify how that is so. Throughout the Psychology Department’s history, a common theme was focusing on research, teacher education programs, and instructing the individual undergraduate student to be more prepared for their life after graduation (USU Mission Statement, n.d.). This theme has continued on today through the department’s mission. For instance, the program strives to inspire scientific inquiry and critical thinking, which is done through various courses, including both undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on research …

Effects Of Exercise On Fear Behavior In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Tyler Kuni

Student Scholar Showcase

The experiment shows the response of zebrafish when they are exposed to environments stimulating fear and how exercise will affect the behaviors of the fish in those environments. It is predicted that the behavior of fish receiving exercise before fear conditioning will show less behaviors associated with fear and anxiety. The subjects were exercised in a large water pump apparatus that creates a current for the fish to swim against, and then they were used in a classical fear conditioning protocol. Zebrafish behavior is recorded before and after fear conditioning is conducted. The speed of the subject’s swimming along with …

Human-Machine Communication Scholarship Trends: An Examination Of Research From 2011 To 2021 In Communication Journals, Riley J. Richards, Patric R. Spence, Chad Edwards

Human-Machine Communication

Despite a relatively short history, the modern-day study of communication has grown into multiple subfields. To better understand the relationship between Human-Machine Communication (HMC) research and traditional communication science, this study examines the published scholarship in 28 communication-specific journals from 2011–2021 focused on human-machine communication (HMC). Findings suggest limited prior emphasis of HMC research within the 28 reviewed journals; however, more recent trends show a promising future for HMC scholarship. Additionally, HMC appears to be diverse in the specific context areas of research in the communication context. Finally, we offer future directions of research and suggestions for the development of …

Adults’ Perceptions Of Children: Expectations Of Children With Disabilities And History Of Sexual Abuse, Asha L. Harp

Honors College Theses

Adult perceptions greatly affect children, especially those most in need of help (e.g., children with sexual abuse histories (CSA); children with disabilities). It is important to examine how these perceptions can shape children’s lives. This study investigated adults’ perceptions to further understand views of children with CSA and disabilities. Children with histories of disabilities, compared to CSA or “normal” backgrounds, were perceived as having more externalizing behaviors. Children labeled with CSA were perceived to have more internalizing symptoms (compared to both “disabled” and “normal” and less competence (compared to “normal”). Further results are discussed.

Before They Crash And Burn (Out): A Compassion Fatigue Resilience Model, Kerry A. Schwanz, Melissa Paiva-Salisbury

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: We propose a working model of compassion fatigue resilience by identifying compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction correlates as potential targets for building resilience. Further, we explore focusing on pre-professionals as a method of primary prevention of CF.

Methods: The participants were 143 college students who completed self-report measures to assess current CF, self-care behaviors, self-care beliefs, self-esteem, frequency of helping behaviors, and exposure to others under extreme stress.

Results: Notably, hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for helping frequency and exposure to high stress individuals) suggested that self-care beliefs and self-care behaviors contributed to concurrent experiences of CF, through secondary …

Manipulating Image Luminance To Improve Eye Gaze And Verbal Behavior In Autistic Children, Louanne Boyd, Vincent Berardi, Deanna Hughes, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jazette Johnson, Viseth Sean, Eliza Delpizzo-Cheng, Brandon Mackin, Ayra Tusneem, Riya Mody, Sara Jones, Karen Lotich

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Autism has been characterized by a tendency to attend to the local visual details over surveying an image to understand the gist–a phenomenon called local interference. This sensory processing trait has been found to negatively impact social communication. Although much work has been conducted to understand these traits, little to no work has been conducted to intervene to provide support for local interference. Additionally, recent understanding of autism now introduces the core role of sensory processing and its impact on social communication. However, no interventions to the end of our knowledge have been explored to leverage this relationship. This work …

Targeted Osmotic Lysis: A Novel Approach To Targeted Cancer Therapies, Harry J. Gould, Dennis Paul

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The conventional treatment of cancer has been based on the delivery of non-selective toxins and/or ionizing energy that affect both the cancer and normal tissues in the hope of destroying the offending disease before killing the patient. Unfortunately, resistance often develops to these treatments and patients experience severe, dose-limiting adverse effects that reduce treatment efficacy and compromise quality of life. Recent advances in our knowledge of the biology of tumor cells and their microenvironment, the recognition of surface proteins that are unique to specific cancers and essential to cell growth and survival and signaling pathways associate with invasion and metastasis …

Differences In Growth On Typed And Written We-Cbm, Connor East

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Writing is an essential skill for students to have now and later in life. Many students’ writing skills are not proficient for their grade level due to writing being overshadowed by other core academic subjects/areas. Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement (WE-CBM) is used to identify those at-risk for poor writing performance, as well as to monitor students’ progress towards reaching an academic goal. This study examined how student performance changed from fall to winter on typed and written responses using WE-CBM. Results show that performance change significantly differed by response type for several scoring metrics for both fourth and fifth grade …

Worrying In Cato Manor: A Case Study Analysis On The Influence Of Context, Samantha Garbus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Social Causation theory states that social and economic circumstances cause people to be at a higher risk of mental illness (Lund 2011, p.1). South Africa has high inequality, with racial disparities prevalent in multiple indicators of socioeconomic status. Moreover, mental health in South Africa has often not been prioritized. This project aimed to assess how context impacts relevant aspects of mental health, such as worrying and the mind/body stress-response in Cato Manor. An additional theme of community beliefs on stress emerged from the interviews which is also presented.

For this project, I used a Mixed Methods-Case Study research design. I …

The Theological Structure For Forming Christian Vocational Spirituality: A Practical Method For The Whole Of The Christian Life, Yong Sub Sim

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

The Christian church works for reconciliation between God and his creatures through Jesus Christ. For this, the church calls people and helps them hear, understand, recognize and receive the Spirit of God through Jesus. This dissertation explains this process as walking with, working with and following Jesus.

This dissertation builds a theological structure for forming “Christian vocational spirituality” as the whole of the Christian life reconciled with the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ. This theological structure guides the process through which a human being becomes a true Christian being, and a Christian being becomes a true human being reconciled …

The Effects Of Sub-Chronic Olanzapine Treatment On Sucrose Preference In Mice, Mia Goodson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.