Digital Commons Network^™

To Mitigate Or Adapt? A Construal Level Perspective On Agenda Setting For Climate Action, Shu Tian Ng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a present crisis—making the question of how we act timelier than whether we act. This research investigates how people evaluate different approaches to climate action—specifically, mitigation (reducing emissions) and adaptation (coping with impacts)—through the lens of the Construal Level Theory (Liberman & Trope, 1998; Trope & Liberman, 2010). Across three studies, I examined how perceptions of desirability and feasibility influence preferences for different climate action strategies. Study 1 found that, to laypeople, mitigation was perceived as more desirable while adaptation was perceived as more feasible. Study 2 attempted to manipulate individuals’ …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Behavior Analysis In Psychiatric Inpatient Settings, Stephanie Henry, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be best known for the treatment of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ABA also has a long history of effective outcomes with other populations, such as with individuals who are admitted to inpatient psychiatric facilities (Dougher, 2004; Harvey et al., 2009). In 2018, 187,877 individuals in the United States were reported as receiving treatment for mental health disorders (Lutterman, 2022). Given behavior analysis’ success implementing operant procedures with these populations, an updated review of the literature on the use of behavior analysis within these settings …

Useful Measures Of Adult Attachment And Object Relations In Psychotherapy, Matilde A. Torallas Huerta

Dissertations

This is a literature review of objective and projective measures of attachment and object relations in adults, with the objective of reviewing outstanding research to identify the key factors for adult attachment assessment considered within attachment and object relations theories, what measures of adult attachment styles and dysfunction work best, and to provide key themes of assistance in the measurement of attachment and object relations in adult clients in psychotherapy. Theoretical foundations of attachment and object relations theory are reviewed as well as objective and projective instruments grouped by format. The 10 themes found to be useful in the assessment …

The Impact Of System Transparency On Perceived System Reliability, Perceived System Usability, And Information Clarity In Self-Driving Car Systems, Uditkumar Nair

Theses and Dissertations

In human-computer interaction (HCI), the development of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has created new difficulties, especially in building user confidence as well as understanding of system functioning. The effect of system transparency on user- centered outcomes, such as perceived usability, perceived system reliability, and information clarity, is examined in this thesis. In order to evaluate their experiences in both ordinary and high-stakes driving situations, participants engaged with both system- transparent user interfaces (TUIs) and non-transparent user interfaces (NTUIs) across a number of experimental scenarios. In order to assess how well each interface conveyed system logic and actions, the study included …

Effects Of Reflective Journaling And Nudges On Academic Motivation And Engagement, Lakshmi Satya Sai Veda Mahita Uppuluri

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the effects of reflective journaling and motivational nudges on academic motivation and engagement among college students. Grounded in Self- Determination Theory (SDT), the research examines how different interventions influence intrinsic motivation, and academic behaviors such as class attendance, participation, and preparation. The study employed a between-group experimental design with three conditions: a control group, a journaling group, and a journaling group that also received daily motivational nudges. Results showed that students in the journaling groups—particularly those who received nudges—experienced a significant increase in academic motivation. While changes in academic engagement were not significant, the effect size suggested …

The Effect Of Food Preference On The Efficacy Of The High-Probability Instructional Sequence To Treat Food Selectivity, Christina Marie Sheppard

Theses and Dissertations

Food selectivity involves avoiding certain foods based on type, texture, brand, smell, temperature, or presentation, and it affects 80% of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Although several antecedent-based and consequence-based behavioral interventions exist to increase acceptance and consumption of food in this population, one antecedent-based intervention that has shown promise both within and outside of a feeding context is the high-probability instructional sequence, which consists of the delivery of three high-probability instructions before delivery of a low-probability instruction. The high-probability sequence is used to increase compliance with instructions that have a low probability of completion (e.g., taking a bite …

Emotional Outbursts In Latinx Autistic Youth With Intact Or Non-Intact Families; Frequency, Severity, And Socio-Demographic Correlates, Sandra Lucia Masso Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, communication, and restricted repetitive behaviors. One of the core difficulties in individuals with ASD is related to emotional outbursts. Emotional outbursts (EO) are behavioral episodes in response to situations, environmental and physiological stimuli that occur in an extreme, unpleasant, sometimes aggressive way, often disproportionate to the context. Considering the impacts that EO’s can cause in populations with neurodevelopmental disorders and on the well-being and mental health of parents/caregivers, the need arises to evaluate these populations. Due to the core characteristics of ASD (such as a rigid mentality, …

Kansas City, Kansas, Vida Davidović

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS is a thesis that operates in the tradition of expressionist dramaturgy and playwriting, taking up themes of abuse, imperialism, war, trauma, womanhood, Balkan identities, history of the Balkans, as well as the discourses of psychoanalysis and postcolonial theory. The use of different theoretical frameworks related to both international and personal politics, which are shown to be intertwined, suggests a strong relationship between political processes in the Second World Countries that had experienced many occupations throughout their history and the way women in those countries relate to the questions of body, authority, feminity, and interpersonal relationships. The play …

The Promotion Of Native American Boarding School Archives For Truth And Healing, Emma Schuele

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Native American Boarding Schools were federally funded programs of forced assimilation that involved family separation. There is a lack of community access to the records and archives about these boarding schools. The Niibi Center, our community partner, is working to create an online database to make this information available to the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. Our proposal includes assisting the Niibi Center by sorting through letters, photographs, and artifacts from these boarding schools and helping to digitize them. The aim of this proposal is to promote further truth and healing to the White Earth Band of Ojibwe by providing …

Can Exploring Before Instruction Improve Underrepresented Stem Students’ Learning Compared To Traditional Methods? Investigating Psychosocial Factors., Katherine G. Golway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing evidence suggests that active learning benefits students’ learning outcomes, while also helping to reduce or eliminate grade differences between historically underrepresented (UR) and non-underrepresented (non-UR) students in STEM courses. This dissertation investigates if, and when, a specific active learning strategy – exploratory learning before instruction – can have these learning benefits and impact students’ fundamental needs (i.e., security, belonging, competence, and self-efficacy) and curiosity/interest. In five experimentally-controlled studies conducted within undergraduate STEM courses (physics, engineering, and chemistry), students were randomly assigned to exploratory learning conditions (explore-first) or traditional instruct-then-practice conditions (instruct-first). After completing both the learning activity and lecture-based …

Emotion Regulation, Reasoning, And Procedural Safeguards In Politically-Polarized Moral Dilemmas., Alanea Graci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Societal disputes often stem from polarized moral dilemmas. Procedural justice and self-determination (PJSD) afforded by societal decision-making processes may influence cooperation and acceptance in these dilemmas. However, moral conviction can sometimes overshadow PJSD, causing morally-opposed individuals to avoid deliberation, become uncooperative, or reject decision outcomes. I conducted two experiments to explore the role emotions (emotion regulation) and procedural safeguards for democratic deliberation (e.g., equal discussion time, rules for civility) play in these situations. I examined the topic of abortion in the U.S. after the Supreme Court’s June 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. Undergraduates at a large, urban Midwestern university …

Meaningfulness As An Avenue To Eudaimonic Well-Being In Remote Workers, Ashley Hofflander

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the relationship between the perception of meaningful work (MW) and eudaimonic well-being (EW) in remote workers, its predictive capacity, and the mediating roles of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Using the Work and Meaning Inventory (Steger et al., 2012), the Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989), and the Basic Psychological Needs at Work Scale (Ryan & Deci, 2000), data was collected and analyzed through Pearson correlation, simple regression, and mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Results revealed a significant positive relationship between MW and EW (r = .56, p < .001), with MW significantly predicting EW (R² = .316, F(1,113) = 52.23, p < .001). Competence was found to mediate this relationship (β = .625, p < .001), while autonomy (β = .481, p = .425) and relatedness (β = .454, p = .274) did not demonstrate significant mediation effects. The study extends Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Model and Self-Determination Theory by emphasizing competence as a key mediator in remote work settings. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of fostering MW through purpose-driven job design and providing remote workers with the necessary training, resources, and feedback to enhance competence and improve well-being.

Lived Experiences Of Older Adults After Involuntary Work Separation, Mark Mallock Rose

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of those subjected to involuntary work separation at age 50+ in the United States. The literature concerning involuntary job loss is lacking in research pertaining to the 50+ age demographic. This research is important in the aspect that older workers face specific challenges that their younger counterparts may not after involuntary work separation. Understanding the psychological responses, positive aspects, and negative aspects of involuntary job separation in older adults added to the literature for those aged 50+. The research design was qualitative inquiry using virtual recorded interviewing …

The Role Of Emotion Dysregulation In Adaptive Functioning Associated With Internalizing Symptoms Among Neurodiverse Youth, Emily Lynch

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Adaptive functioning (AF) refers to an individual’s ability to manage daily life demands and maintain personal independence. Deficits in adaptive functioning presents with higher challenges in overall quality of life, resulting in lesser abilities for social relationships, and is often associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms. Emotion dysregulation (ED) is a key feature of several clinical disorders, can hinder self-care abilities, particularly in the presence of co-occurring internalizing conditions, and is significantly elevated in autistic youth. Given that ED may interfere with daily functioning, understanding how ED impacts AF could help identify intervention targets for neurodiverse youth. This project …

Online Racial Discrimination, Depression, Anxiety, And Sleep Disturbances Among Ethnoracially Minoritized Young Adults: The Buffering Role Of Family Support, Aamnah M. Ullah

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

There has been a surge in young adult exposure to online racial discrimination (ORD), which is associated with impaired sleep, greater anxiety, and depression. Evidence suggests that ethnoracially minoritized college students are at increased risk for exposure to ORD. Additionally, sleep disturbances (SD) may impact the link between ORD, depression, and anxiety. Thus, this study aims to explore whether increased SDs mediate the relationship between ORD, anxiety, and depression among ethnoracially minoritized college students. This study also aims to examine whether family support (FS) moderates the indirect effect of ORD on anxiety and depression. Participants were 495 (78.6% female, mean …

The Impact Of On-Campus And Off-Campus Employment On College Students' Leadership Development, Juliet Eckert

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines the impact of on-campus and off-campus employment on college students’ leadership development, focusing on three proximal indices: leader self-efficacy (LSE), motivation to lead (MTL), and leader identity. Drawing from the Hexagon Theory of leadership, the study utilized secondary longitudinal data from a sample of students enrolled in leadership development programs across five universities, tracked over six years from freshman year through two years post-college. A series of two-step linear regressions were conducted to assess the predictive value of employment type on each leadership construct. Results revealed that neither on-campus nor off-campus employment significantly predicted LSE, MTL, or …

Ex-Gaussian Analysis Of Inhibition In Chronic Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Michelle Mui

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs following injury to head, resulting in disruption of normal brain functioning. During the chronic stages (greater than one year postinjury), those with TBI may experience ongoing symptoms. Executive dysfunction, including inhibition, is often seen. Neuropsychological measures of inhibition applied in basic research utilize response time across several trials, where participants complete trials with and without inhibitory control. Refined measurement approaches include trial-by-trial performance to capture response time inconsistencies or variability within the subject, known as intraindividual variability. Typical methods of measuring intraindividual variability violate statistical assumptions given that response time distributions are positively skewed. One …

Are We Safe?: An Explanatory Dissertation Of African American Females' Psychological Safety At Work, Loren Ashley Shelley

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation aimed to explore the relationship between demographic diversity and psychological safety within workplace teams, with an additional focus on African American females. Despite extensive research on psychological safety, there is limited understanding of how demographic diversity influences perception of psychological safety within teams and an even more limited understanding of African American females’ perception of psychological safety within teams. The study sought to address this gap by investigating if team similarities and dissimilarities with regards to demographic differences, marginalized identities (moderation), with an emphasis on African American female identity, and microaggressions (mediation) affected individuals’ perceptions of psychological safety …

In Sickness And In Work: How Organizational Identification, Health Climate, And Workaholism Relate To Employee Strains Over Time, Isabel R. Skovera

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Organizational identification (OID) reflects an employee’s sense of belonging to their organization (Ashforth & Mael, 1989). While previous research on OID primarily highlights its positive organizational outcomes, its effects on employee well-being remain understudied. Existing studies often take a cross-sectional approach, focusing mainly on mental health and positive outcomes while overlooking organizational context and individual differences. This study addresses these gaps by examining the longitudinal relationship between OID and well-being variables (burnout, physical symptoms, job satisfaction, life satisfaction) among newly hired employees. Using a four-wave survey design with initially 585 participants (remaining N = 127) recruited through Prolific, this research …

Predicting Cognitive Bias Susceptibility In Simulated Business Management Decisions: Exploring The Impact Of Group Size, Process Accountability, And Member Experiences, Jacob Breaux

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation explored systematic susceptibility to four cognitive biases among individuals, dyads, triads, and tetrads in a series of tasks designed to simulate real-world business management scenarios. This included measuring representativeness bias, sunk costs, anchoring effects, and framing effects, each of which with historical and empirical prevalence in various managerial contexts. Using experimental data from undergraduate students, participants were prompted to act as surrogate members of a top management team simulation. Participants first completed each of the decision scenarios on their own and were subsequently brought together to collaborate and converge on a single decision preference on the same set …

The Marionette Among Us: The Dark Triad, Influence Tactics, And The Fabric Of Team Relationships, Jarret Nathan Bain

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of the Dark Triad personality traits—Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy—on workplace team dynamics, particularly through the use of hard and soft interpersonal influence tactics. The research focuses on Team Member Exchange (TMX) as a measure of perceived relationship quality among team members. Using a cross-sectional survey of employed adults recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), the study investigated the relationships between Dark Triad traits, influence tactics, and TMX. The findings reveal that while Narcissism is positively correlated with TMX, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy show more complex patterns of association, impacted by the choice of influence tactics. The …

Literature As A Tool For The Introduction Of Mental Health To Children, Kira Ott

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In childhood, literature is a quintessential learning tool, so it is imperative it is used in the introduction of mental health. Around the ages of seven to nine children begin to become aware of their own needs and comprehend others' perspectives (Short et al., 2017, p. 13). At this time non-fiction books can be used to present information when it is organized, accessible, and informative (Short et al., 2017, p. 13). This can be effectively paired with fiction which can help contextualize abstract ideas, and develop self-monitoring skills (Gunawardena, 2023; Short et al., 2017). Mental health, which encompasses thoughts, feelings, …

Retoriando "La Neta": Cosechando Testimonios Del Campo Y Desahogos Laborales As Regenerative Rhetoric Pathways For Raza Obrer@ Performing La Talacha In Marginalized Laboral Spaces, Ramiro De Anda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Emic, phenomenological, and interdisciplinary, this study draws on and seeks to bring the fields of Sociopsychology and Rhetoric and Writing Studies into conversation to address the potential intracultural cognitive bias of raza obrer@ (RO), by raza non-obrer@ (RNO), throughout the Borderland (the El Paso/Juarez Region) through the strategic application of Regenerative Rhetoric.

In this dissertation, I examine testimonios del campo (personal narratives from laboral spaces) and desahogos laborales (emotional laboral releases) of RO performing la talacha (arduous blue-collar work) within marginalized labor spaces utilizing Regenerative Rhetoric reparative discourse/dialectic strategies that spur sentipensamiento en la sudoracion (sensing and thinking within the …

The Role Of Ecological Nostalgia And Prostalgia In Pro-Environmental Intentions, Perla Celeste Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Climate change will have catastrophic impacts on humans and the natural environment. However, despite abundant evidence suggesting climate change is happening, climate change mitigation remains a highly polarizing issue in the U.S. Addressing this challenge requires social science research to tailor climate change information to resonate with both liberals and conservatives. Certain concepts, such as nostalgia and prostalgia - a sentimental longing for the past and future - have yet to be explored in the context of pro-environmental behaviors within liberal and conservative samples. Specifically, the longing or sentimental attachment to a past or future natural environment (i.e., ecological nostalgia …

Bilingual Inconsistency Effect, Colin Andrew Scholl

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

One of the leading models of discourse processing states that the activation of information within a text occurs through an automatic spread of activation between associated concepts, known as cohort-based retrieval. Moreover, previous studies that have investigated bilingual reading comprehension have found that certain processes that support the construction of quality mental representations of discourse are less efficient in a bilingual's non-dominant language (L2) compared to their dominant language (L1). The current study investigated cohort-based retrieval in the L1 and the L2 using a sample of 44 highly proficient, college-aged Spanish-English bilinguals that read narrative passages all in their L1 …

Evaluating The Effects Of Social Ostracism On Attentional Control And Episodic Memory, Colby Brown

Honors Theses

This study examined the relationships between social pain, attentional control, and episodic memory. Fifty-five University of Southern Mississippi undergraduates (Mage = 19.78 years; Range = 17-29) wrote responses to one of three prompts designed to elicit feelings of social pain, physical pain, or no pain (i.e., control). Participants then completed a battery of attentional control (AC) and episodic memory (EM) tasks consisting of the Stroop squared, Flanker squared, Simon squared, and dual-list recall tasks. Participants also completed a series of questionnaires including Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to assess any change in affect caused by the writing prompts and …

User Acceptance Of Shared Autonomous Vehicles, Haotian Su

All Dissertations

A dissertation is proposed to explore user acceptance of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). SAVs are facing limited user acceptance. To systematically tackle the user acceptance barriers of SAVs, the main problem can be disintegrated into two sub-problems of user acceptance of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and ridesharing. The comfort of the ride experience in AVs is a determinant of user acceptance. Understanding the influential factors and developing methodologies to quantify human comfort in AVs are essential to facilitating future research to improve human comfort in AVs. The current pooled rideshare (PR) service closely resembles the anticipated future of SAVs. Understanding why …

Serious Leisure, Passion, And Burnout, Carson Matsick

All Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between aspects of serious leisure, dualistic passion, and burnout in the MBI-GS and BM. Serious leisure has been shown to improve leisure and general life outcomes, but little research considers how harmonious or obsessive leisure engagement affects these outcomes or has extended serious leisure benefits to the workplace. Overall, the study hypothesized that leisure seriousness, harmonious passion, and satisfaction with time spent in serious leisure will negatively correlate with burnout, and obsessive passion will degrade the benefits derived from serious leisure. 240 participants completed Gould's Serious Leisure Inventory, the Passion Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory …

Am I Woke Enough To Serve In Healthcare: A Secondary Analysis Of Pre-Health Students’ Personal And Professional Growth By Engaging In Cultural Competency Assessments, Harolynn Williams

All Dissertations

Healthcare providers must be equipped to serve an increasingly diverse population, yet cultural competence remains underemphasized in undergraduate pre-health education. This study explored how embedded cultural competency training influences undergraduate pre-health students’ perceptions of personal and professional growth. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the research incorporated intercultural assessments, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and the Global Competence Certificate (GCC), along with qualitative reflections from students enrolled in three versions of a cultural competence course: a year-long course, a semester-long course, and a short-term study abroad immersion six-week course. Findings revealed that students demonstrated measurable growth in cultural awareness, knowledge, communication, …

Leadership Matters: The Impact Of Transformational Leadership And Mattering On Job Attitudes And Perceived Performance, Chelsea E. Robbins

All Dissertations

Mattering refers to the sense that one is significant and valued by others, which has been linked by a small but growing body of research to key work-related outcomes, including job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance. This study examines mattering among Basic Science Medical Educators (BSME), a group potentially vulnerable to low workplace mattering due to limited leadership support and isolation from communities of practice. Consideration for follower well-being is important across many leadership theories, and transformational leadership behaviors overlap highly with behaviors thought to increase mattering. Survey responses from BSME and a general workforce sample were analyzed to …