Digital Commons Network^™

Ai Models As Cultural Beings: Investigating Ai Cultural Biases And The Impact Of Cultural Alignment On Human-Ai Creative Collaboration, Choon Ngee Tan, Meng Han, Roy Y. J. Chua, Chi-Ying Cheng

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Existing research on AI cultural biases predominantly focuses on Western models, overlooking critical gaps in non-Western models. We conduct a comparative analysis of AI models – ChatGPT (U.S. developed) and ErnieBot (China developed) – from different cultures to investigate how corresponding cultural biases manifest in their outputs. Additionally, we examine how cultural alignment between human users and AI models impacts their collaborative creative performance and the underlying psychological mechanisms. In Study 1, multi-choice prompt with zero-shot technique was used to evaluate cultural biases in four widely used AI models – ChatGPT-3.5/4, ErnieBot-3.5/4 – comparing their responses to established cultural psychometric …

Bug-In-Ear ECoaching To Enhance Parents' Use Of Embedded Learning Opportunities With Preschool-Age Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aeshah Alturki

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has heightened the need for effective communication interventions. Parents are key partners in intervention and, with appropriate support, can serve as effective intervention agents. However, parents often require ongoing support to implement evidence-based practices. The purpose of this study was to experimentally evaluate the effects of online Bug-in-Ear (BIE) eCoaching on parents’ fidelity of embedded choice-making during family routines with their preschool-aged children with ASD. This study also examined the generalization and maintenance, children’s communicative responses, and parents’ perceptions of the intervention. A single-subject nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across two parent–child dyads …

Effects Of Cross-Language Instructional Design On Foreign Language Learners' Cognitive Load: Approaching The Redundancy Principle Of Multimedia Learning, Leonor Mendiola Adams

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Because conceptualizations of cognitive resources play a critical role in determining the effectiveness of instructional design (Greeno, 2011; Greeno et al., 1996; Mayer, 2011, 2019), this study explores the effects of cross-language instructional design on learners’ perceived intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load content corresponding to content complexity, instructional presentation demands, and depth of understanding and schema construction, respectively.

Grounded in the redundancy principle of the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, this research further investigates whether the principle operates differently when learners’ native language is strategically incorporated into foreign language learning contexts. According to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, …

From Arrival To Opportunity: A Policy Analysis For Supporting Newly Arrived English Learners In California, Valeria Gabrielli, Stephanie Mendoza Hernandez

School of Public Policy Capstones

Newly arrived immigrant students, commonly referred to as “newcomers,” represent a notable portion of the English Learner (EL) population in California’s K–12 public schools. As of Fall 2023, the California Department of Education reported that newcomers comprised 3.27% of total student enrollment. Although enrollment is projected to decline in the near term, the potential for future increases highlights the need for sustainable, evidence-based support systems. This study examines how California K–12 public schools with large EL populations provide academic and trauma-informed support services to newcomer students, with a particular focus on early intervention in grades K–5. Using the Bardach policy …

Retrieval Interference In The Processing Of Relative Clauses: Evidence From The Visual-World Paradigm, Matthew W. Lowder, Gwynna Ryan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although object-extracted relative clauses (ORCs) are more difficult to process than subject-extracted relative clauses (SRCs), there is still substantial disagreement regarding the cognitive mechanisms underlying these effects. The current visual-world eyetracking experiment took a novel approach to this problem by examining whether ORC-SRC differences would emerge at the matrix verb during the processing of spoken sentences containing these structures. Fixation patterns at the onset of the matrix verb revealed a tendency for participants to fixate the picture representing the subject of the sentence in both ORCs and SRCs. Crucially, participants considered the picture corresponding to a competing noun more while …

Transformational Leadership In Higher Education, Dr. Jewel Hale, Jr., Kristi Apostel

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

A crisis can highlight the critical need for resilient leadership within higher educational settings. Educational leaders encounter extraordinary difficulties, ranging from different learning options to prioritizing the well-being of both staff and students, necessitating flexible and innovative methods. By exploring how school leaders apply transformational techniques in actual educational environments, this article addresses the impact of the four I’s of transformational leadership, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration, on building educator resiliency, sustaining school effectiveness, and promoting student achievement in higher education.

Fierce Leadership-Perspectives Of Black Women Educational Leaders: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Janice Taylor, Dianne Reed

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

The authors of this transcendental phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of Black women based on their perceptions, values, and beliefs about the complexities of leadership and the kind of leadership required to succeed in their respective roles, as educational leaders. This study was framed by the adaptive leadership theory. Adaptive leadership recognizes the need for leaders to stay flexible and resilient in fast-paced environments (Nelson & Squires, 2017). The three Black women leaders in this study were fierce adaptive leaders. The information acquired from this study is significant and highlights how Black women educational leaders developed the …

Research Literacy And Research Production Skills As Core Competencies In Leaders, Kk O'Byrne

Tapestry: Journal of Research in Education

No abstract provided.

The Living Lab: Instructional Design Interventions To Improve Communication And Equity In Federal Housing Programs, Joana I. Camp

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

The Living Lab is an independent applied research project informed by my 25 years of lived experience as a Section 8 voucher holder, examining how instructional design strategies can improve administrative workflows, communication, and equitable access within the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Drawing on sustained participation, the research identifies two primary systemic barriers: the federally mandated 15-day inspection period and incomplete Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA) packets. To address these issues, the project developed the RFTA Roadmap—a zero-cost, clarity-driven communication tool that embeds sequential instructions directly within procedural workflows, mitigating the Split-Attention Effect and cognitive “Bandwidth Tax” associated with standard …

But Their Emails! Investigating Ideological Language Signatures In Presidential Campaign Emails And Text Messages, Jordan L. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Although emails and text messages are important means of connecting voters with political candidates, the content of political campaign emails and text messages is understudied. The purpose of these studies is to identify linguistic patterns in candidate emails and texts from the 2024 US presidential election (Study 1) and to determine which linguistic styles are most convincing to readers (Study 2). I examined the linguistic trends in campaign emails and text messages using Linguistic Inquiry Word Count, random forests, and Structural Topic Modeling. Democratic messages had higher LIWC dictionary scores for cognitive processes and word count, providing potential evidence for …

Analyzing Methods To Support Students Left Behind In Colorado Primary/Secondary Schools, Grace Hudson

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

In the United States, there has been an increase of deportations, since 2024, of undocumented immigrants. This has disproportionally affected Mexicans and others from Latin American countries (Dreby 2012) due to them being the largest group of undocumented people in the United States. One effect of these deportations is an increase in children that are left in the United States while their parent(s) are in detention or have been deported. Some of these children are in mixed-status families, which means that the child has a different citizenship status than their parents or other members in their family, which allows for …

Emergent Patterns In Individual Perceptions Of Domestic Violence Among African Immigrants, Annah Ezuma

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic abuse continues to be a prevalent and intricate matter within society, frequently concealed by silence. The comprehension of individuals’ perceptions of abuse is of utmost importance in the advancement of efficacious interventions and support systems. Among African immigrants in the United States, perceptions of domestic violence were often influenced by several factors like religion and migration stressors. Despite increasing concerns about abuse within this population, limited research has explored how they interpret abuse and how these perceptions shape help seeking behaviors and disclosure. The gap was significant because of the cultural transition and many immigrant experiences. This qualitative study …

The Impact Of Linguistic Discrimination On The Mental Health Of International College Students: A Systematic Review Protocol Design, Isabella G. Hausladen, Chinarah D. Winston, Maria Kondaurova, Lidiya Grote

The Cardinal Edge

The analysis of education data from the National Foundation for American Policy demonstrates that between 50% and 82% of the full-time graduate students in STEM fields at United States universities are international students who provide a wide range of expertise, knowledge, and skills needed to participate in the STEM workforce (National Foundation for American Policy, 2017). One of the challenges international college students face is self-perceived linguistic discrimination, defined as a person’s individual experience of feeling unfairly treated due to their accent, proficiency, or choice of language. The objective of this study is to develop a protocol for a systematic …

Embodied Transcendence: Psychedelics And The Evolution Of Moral Abstraction, Emanuel Jas

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This paper explores the role of psychedelics in the context of evolutionary brain development and the conceptual capacity for moral realism. Drawing on theories from evolutionary anthropology, neuroscience, and moral philosophy, the first part provides a brief overview of human evolution and brain expansion. From here, recent empirical data from the neurosciences is assessed on the effect psychedelics have on the brain, along with speculations on the role of psychedelics in our hominoid evolutionary history—specifically, the capacity for phenomenologically rich, conscious, subjective experiences that are incredibly vivid and real. This imaginative capacity for transcendence and disembodiment could enable the realization …

The Psychometric Use Of Word Embeddings, Thomas Benjamin Lyle Wasden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the feasibility of categorizing individuals by English-language competency using word embeddings derived from language samples obtained from these individuals and by viewing word embeddings as a psycholinguistic construct. Word embeddings have been shown to be a versatile tool for performing a large number of important natural language processing (NLP) tasks, as well as a plausible model for some processes in the human mind, including processes within the domain of psycholinguistics. This research seeks to build upon previous research by showing that word embeddings may shed light on the underlying neural representation of semantic entities being acquired …

Numerals And Other Means Of Expressing Plurality In Language And Thought: A Developmental Perspective Across Cultures., Giovanni Giuseppe G.G. Nicosia Prof.

Numeracy

Several ancient languages use linguistic structures to differentiate between singular, dual, and plural forms that are used when one, two, or many objects are referenced. (Some languages go further, adding a trial form to differentiate two from three.) In many modern languages, numerals are used to convey precise number. After reviewing a range of ways languages express number (including the interesting case of Pirahã which does not express precise number), the paper concludes with a proposed developmental path for the expression of quantity in languages.

The Bidirectional Effects Of Engaging In Hazard Perception And Work-Related Phone Calls, Hannah V. Pannell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the bidirectional effects of conducting work-related phone negotiations during a driving task. With the prevalence of multitasking in today's fast-paced environments, understanding the effects of dual-task interference is critical for enhancing road safety and workplace efficiency. Experiment 1 established a foundational understanding that multitasking negatively affects both driving ability and negotiation outcomes. Experiment 2 employed an accomplice script to standardize negotiation quality, revealing that while dual-tasking again impaired driving performance, focused negotiators earned more points on the integrative items and overall. Analyses of negotiation behaviors further indicate differences in the use of distributive behaviors. Together, these experiments …

The Illusion Of Causality In Llms: A Developmentally Grounded Analysis Of Semantic Scaffolding And Benchmark–Capability Mismatches, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

Recent benchmarks increasingly report that large language models (LLMs) exhibit human-like causal reasoning abilities, including counterfactual inference and intervention planning. However, many such evaluations rely on domains that are heavily represented in training data and embed strong semantic cues, raising the possibility that apparent causal competence may reflect semantic pattern recombination rather than structure-sensitive causal reasoning. Drawing on human developmental theories of causal induction, this perspective argues that genuine causal understanding requires robustness to novelty and reliance on conditional structure rather than semantic familiarity. To illustrate the testability of this claim, the paper includes a pilot demonstration using synthetic causal …

Scoping Review: Facilitators, Barriers, And Cultural Adaptations In The Caregiver Skills Training Program For Children With Developmental Concerns, Cecilia Montiel-Nava, Maria C. Montenegro, Ana C. Ramirez, Victoria Villarreal, Lucia Murillo Chacko, Pamela Dixon, Sarah Dababnah

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Autism interventions are predominantly developed in high-income countries, limiting access for families in low- and middle-income countries due to systemic, cultural, and logistical barriers. The Caregiver Skills Training program aims to address this disparity by equipping caregivers with practical skills. This scoping review examines the cultural adaptations, facilitators, and barriers to the implementation of Caregiver Skills Training, focusing on its accessibility, feasibility, and acceptability. A comprehensive search of ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science identified eligible studies that reported cultural or linguistic adaptations of Caregiver Skills Training. Forward searches and manual reference checks supplemented the review. Data were extracted …

Diagnostic Trends And Service Enhancements In Deaf Mental Health: A Longitudinal Analysis, Kent Schafer, Steve Hamerdinger, Frank Wu, Rie Sakai Bizmark, Charlene Crump

JADARA

A longitudinal study investigated mental health diagnostic trends and patterns among Deaf and Hearing individuals using a comprehensive dataset from Alabama Department of Mental Health spanning 2004-2024 (Deaf=4,547; Hearing=2,056,188). Chi-square analysis revealed significant proportional differences in diagnoses between the groups. Deaf individuals showed significantly higher proportions of psychotic (12.93% vs. 8.33% Hearing), mood (20.76% vs. 18.84% Hearing), and personality (0.58% vs. 0.43% Hearing) disorders. These findings suggest that increased access to specialized and competent mental health services for individuals who are Deaf, particularly following the increase of staffing patterns for the Office of Deaf Services in 2015,contributed to more accurate …

When Stress Matters Most: Developmental Timing And Socio-Ecological Stressors Among Mexican-Origin Adolescents From Low-Income Immigrant Families, Ka I Ip, Wen Wen, Sujin Lee, Wei Xiang Sim, Su Yeong Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study investigates the dynamic, time-varying associations between multiple socio-ecological stressors and internalizing symptoms among Mexican-origin youth from low-income immigrant families. Grounded in a socioecological framework and employing time-varying effect modeling (TVEM), we examine how stressors at the interpersonal, family, and neighborhood levels differentially influence anxiety and depressive symptoms across early adolescence (ages 11–13), middle adolescence (ages 14–17), and late adolescence/emerging adulthood (ages 18–20). Participants included 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (54% female) from low-income immigrant families, assessed across three waves spanning nine years. Five distinct stressors were identified: discrimination, foreigner stress, economic stress, language brokering stress, and neighborhood violence/non-safety. Results from …

“Care Work” In Facilitative Mediation: Interactional Techniques For Emotional Support In The Context Of Conflict Resolution, Angela Garcia

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper investigates how facilitative mediators use “care work” techniques when participants display emotional or relational concerns during the session. Conversation analysis is used to analyze a pre-existing dataset of video-recorded small claims and divorce mediation sessions. Techniques the mediators used to do care work include reflection, topic refocusing, complimenting, role modeling, and coaching. The analysis shows how the trajectory of the talk in the mediation session is impacted by care work. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the mediator’s role and the effectiveness of the interaction for the conflict resolution process in mediation.

Rewiring The Senses: Neural And Perceptual Adaptation Through Cultural Immersion In Chile, Alexa Castillo

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores how cultural immersion reshapes perception over time. Rather than focusing only on language acquisition, the project examines how sustained exposure to a new cultural and linguistic environment alters sensory processing, cognitive effort, and emotional experience. The study draws on cultural neuroscience and neuroplasticity research to frame immersion as a process of adaptive recalibration.

Over four weeks in Valparaíso, Chile, I documented daily changes in auditory processing, visual attention, emotional response, and social interpretation. Journal entries were analyzed using qualitative thematic coding and organized into five categories: language overload, cognitive effort, automaticity, anxiety/frustration, and belonging/comfort. Weekly intensity ratings …

Preparando Para Su Edad Y Su Futuro: Latina Mothers’ Perspectives Of Navigating Postsecondary Transition For Autistic Youth, Kristina Rios Dr., Katherine R. Brendli Brown, Genna Kieper, Cynthia Velasquez, Amber Brown Ruiz

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Families play a critical role in the education and service provision of Autistic students. However, much of the existing research on family involvement and expectations has centered on families of younger Autistic children and has disproportionately reflected the experiences of White families, even though Latinx families may include individuals of any racial background. Furthermore, while there is growing transition literature focused on families of color, Latinx families—particularly those with Spanish-speaking caregivers—remain underrepresented in studies examining the postsecondary transition. There is a critical need for research that captures Latinx caregivers’ perspectives on navigating the transition process and identifies how educators can …

Cerebral Documents And Algorithmic Sensemaking: Searching For Expressions In Human And Artificial Cognitive Collaborations, Rebekah L. Cowell

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Generative Artificial Intelligences (AIs) and current advanced large language models (LLMs) are algorithmically designed to generate text-based conversations as conversational agents (CAs), by replicating human language and conversational communication. Pairing human cognition with generative computationally coded cognition. We have never been here before: cerebral and artificial information collaborations and processing producing expressions that may or may not become visible as second-hand/secondary source documents.

Sensemaking or sense(un)making is a unique autonomous human drive cognitively, our information processing is sensemaking in action and expressions and articulations are evidence of the sensemaking cycle. Documentation [expressed or articulated through various mediums] are a product …

The Relative Importance Of Cultural Competence And Compassion Fatigue In Predicting Nurse Prescribing Self-Efficacy, Debarah Lane Jowett-Gordon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As a result of the growing diversity among citizens requiring medical care, there has been a substantial increase in immigrants globally and in the United States. In the U.S. healthcare system, nurse practitioners (NPs) have been facing increased cultural challenges. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relative importance of cultural competence and compassion fatigue in predicting nursing prescribing self-efficacy. Cultural competence served as the theoretical framework, as it focuses on how NPs can effectively communicate with patients from diverse backgrounds by understanding and respecting cultural differences, thereby building trust, improving patient outcomes, and providing quality healthcare. …

The Impact Of Cultural Competence On Patient Outcomes In The Bahamas, Erinique Denise E. Ingraham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In The Bahamas, the quality of care received by culturally diverse patients remains generally poor, highlighting an inability to adapt to the changing climate and adopt culturally responsive practices. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine the relationship between perceived cultural competence of healthcare providers in The Bahamas and its impact on patient outcomes for the non-Bahamian patients they treat. The tripartite model of cultural competence grounded this study. The participants comprised 49 non-Bahamian patients from the public and private sectors. They completed the patient-reported physician cultural competency measure, self-efficacy for managing medications and treatments, and the …

Assessment Perception: Delivery Matters, Nicole Marie Arcuri Sanders, Chelsey Simmons

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Perception shapes how individuals experience the world and guides their actions toward personal goals. In counseling, clients’ accurate understanding of assessment results is essential for informed decision-making and effective treatment engagement. Mental health clinicians have an ethical responsibility to communicate findings in ways that safeguard client welfare and empower both clients and stakeholders to collaborate in care. This conceptual manuscript introduces the BRIEF (Brief, Relevant, Interpretive, Empathetic, and Factual) Feedback Integration Framework, a structured model for delivering assessment feedback ethically and accessibly. Integrating cognitive, developmental, and cultural considerations. BRIEF provides counselors, supervisors, and educators with a practical strategy for improving …

Potential Mediators In The Relationship Between Racial Identity And Neuropsychological Performance In A Retired Nfl Cohort, Claire Stafford, Charles Golden, Ryan Bennett

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Historically, Black Americans have consistently performed more poorly than White Americans on various neuropsychological tests, with debates surrounding the causes of these differences ranging from genetic to societal factors. These differences have been documented across various cognitive domains, including memory, attention, executive function, and processing speed. Findings from previous research suggest that individuals with higher levels of education and stable marital relationships tend to exhibit better cognitive functioning, while certain football positions are linked to differences in cognitive abilities. However, the specific effects of these factors on neuropsychological performance require further investigation. The present archival study was derived from a …

Cv: Gregory Benson-Flórez (Counseling Psychology), Gregory Benson-Flórez

Psychology Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.