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Pornography And Human Trafficking: The Beliefs Of The Effects Of Personal Pornography Use, Chelsea M. Thompson

Senior Honors Theses

Each individual has different beliefs about the effects of pornography use in relation to the self, a romantic relationship, the family, and society as a whole. There is research that shows pornography tends to negatively affect these areas of life and there is also evidence for some human trafficking occurring within the pornography industry. Thus, the ultimate goal of this thesis is to not only assess what people believe about those involved in the pornography industry, but to test whether information about the pornography industry might change people’s beliefs about their personal pornography use. Human nature tends to not equate …

Problem Gambling And Treatment In Nevada, Bo Bernhard, Sarah St. John

Social Health of Nevada Reports

For many years, it was moral experts, rather than medical and academic ones, who told us who gambled “too much.” Speaking from pulpits rather than podiums, church leaders informed us that gambling was uniquely subversive of the American way of life, for its something-for-nothing promise threatened to undermine the popular ethic of honest toil and gradual accumulation of goods. Samuel Hopkins, in an 1835 sermon on “The Evils of Gambling,” captured this sensibility: “Let the gambler know that he is watched, and marked; and that . . . he is loathed. Let the man who dares to furnish a resort …

Volume 04, Matt Szemborski, Phillip Van Ness, Sarah Croughwell, Sarah Mayfield, Alyssa Strackbein, Marley Kimmel, Stephanie Skipp, Jamie Yurasits, Katherine Taggart, Alex Leonhart, Kristen Rawls, Andrew Armes, Amanda Haymens, Allison Paqlowski, Erica May, Stephanie Lane, Luke Acree, Cassandra L. Wilson, Stephanie Pishock, Erica Hopson, K. Juston Osborne, Katheryn Grayson, Kyle Fowlkes, Jessica Cox, Kaity Byrum, John-Harwood Scott, Ashley Johnson, Samantha Hockman, Emily Staskiel, Nancy Macdonald, R. Kruger Bressin, Benjamin P. Bilodeau, Andrea Irby, Kristin Macquarrie, Sarah Bietsch, Elizabeth Bednar

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Please note that part of pages 92-95 are redacted, in the digital copy, due to a misprint of the original printed article.

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

The Internal Other: Transculturation and Postcolonial Magical Realism in Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children by Matt Szemborski

Photography by Phillip Van Ness

Photography “Waterfall” by Sarah Croughwell

Romancing the Bite: Statistical Analysis of Young Adult Vampire Novels by Sarah Mayfield

Photography by Alyssa Strackbein

Photography by Marley Kimmel

Wine and Society in the Viceroyalty of Peru by Stephanie Skipp

Analysis of Claud Monet’s Impression, Sunrise by Jamie Yurasits

Exploring Meaning: The Lindisfarne Gospels by …

Comorbidity Of Psychopathy In Schizotypy: Skin Conductance To Affective Pictures, Kathleen A. Ragsdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior research substantiates a relationship between psychopathy and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, which has begun to elucidate why some individuals with schizophrenia are violent. Unfortunately, this relationship has been limited to self-report. To objectively corroborate this finding, undergraduate students were recruited from an online screening administration of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. This resulted in 56 participants (52% male) with a mean age of 20.37 (SD = 4.74) and a wide range of schizotypy scores who participated in the experiment. Following completion of self-report measures, participants viewed 15 pictures (five neutral, five threatening, and five of others in distress) from the International Affective …

Adult Witness Credibility: Evidence For A Two-Factor Model, Abigail E. Moore

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous research in the areas of social, expert witness, and child witness psychology has found evidence for a multiple factor model of witness credibility. While a multiple factor model has not yet been tested with adult witnesses who are not experts, results from previous credibility research suggest that there may be at least two components of adult witness credibility: perceived cognitive accuracy and perceived honesty. The current study utilized a 3 x 3 (Perceived Cognitive Accuracy [neutral, medium, low] x Perceived Honesty [neutral, medium, low]) design to assess effects on witness credibility, verdicts, and likelihood of commission scores. Participants were …

The Effects Of Defendant And Juror Language Use On Sentencing Recommendations, Victoria Christine Estrada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Spanish-language testimony is an extra-legal variable not widely studied in the legal psychology field. More emphasis has been placed on the translation of the testimony as well as accent attitudes. The current study extended research conducted by Stephan and Stephan (1986) to investigate the impact of Spanish-speaking defendants and mock-juror's language use and proficiency on sentencing recommendations. Two hundred and seventy-seven participants from the University of Texas at El Paso read a case vignette of a first-degree aggravated assault and asked were asked to provide sentence recommendations for the defendant. The defendant's testimony was presented in English or Spanish with …

A Qualitative Exploration Of African American Men's Attitudes Toward Marriage, Rabiatu Barrie

Dissertations

The decline in the rate of marriage in the African American community has been documented in both the empirical literature and pop culture. Initially researchers postulated that the upward mobility of African American women had diminished their to marry, but studies found opposing evidence to that theory and so the focus switched to African American men. Early studies about African American men and marriage indicated that the sex-ratio imbalance, the educational disparity between African American men and women that leads to economic frailty was the major cause of the disparity in marriage (James et al 1999, Davis, Emerson, & Williams, …

Intimate Partner Violence As A Risk Factor For Ptsd In Female Survivors Of Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analysis, Selena Tramayne

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct two meta-analyses investigating the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in female survivors of domestic violence. The first meta-analysis investigated the relationship between physical violence and PTSD symptomatology while the second meta-analysis investigated the relationship between psychological abuse and PTSD symptomatology. A moderator variable, recruitment setting, was investigated to see whether recruitment setting changed the relationship between physical violence and PTSD symptomatology and/or the relationship between psychological abuse and PTSD symptomatology. For both meta-analyses, a medium to large effect size was found. Recruitment setting was not …

Clinical Implications Of Wearing A Scarlet Letter: Sex Offender Public Policy, Tracy E. Shannon

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation outlines a mixed methods research approach to evaluate the clinical implications of sex offender public policies. Background information is given regarding current public policy on sex offender civil commitment and community notification and registration, the development of public policy and the current ramifications of the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORNA), the etiology and construction of the definition of sex offenders, and a review of sex offender interventions and their impact on therapeutic outcomes. This study examines the therapeutic and anti-therapeutic effects of SORNA using a therapeutic jurisprudence framework. A discussion of the correlation between mental health symptoms and …

Comparing Static-99 Scores Of Incarcerated White, Black, And Latino Sex Offenders, Michele O. Waldron

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Risk assessments contribute to sentencing and parole decisions, and thus are among the highest stakes assessments in the mental health field. The Static-99 has become a standard element of risk assessments for sex offenders, yet its norms and predictive accuracy have been established primarily with Caucasian samples, while the incarcerated population is disproportionately minority. Scoring of the Static-99 depends heavily on history of criminal offenses; if patterns of offenses differ along ethnic lines, the possibility that offense history should be understood to have ethnically-specific predictive validity (that is, the predictive significance of a given factor differs by ethnicity) becomes more …

The Reintegration Myth: An Interpretive Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Reentry Experiences Of Air Force Reservists Returning From Afghanistan, Brent French

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This project documents the 18-month reentry trajectory of nine (including the author) United States Air Force Reservists returning home from a six-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. Compared with their Active Component peers, members of the Reserve Component are more likely to be diagnosed with adaptive disorders and have an elevated risk of unemployment, substance abuse, and suicide. Since a critical difference between Active and Reserve Component members is the dual-status of reservists as both military members and civilians, this project sought to better understand this duality within the context of nonpathological reentry. This required an interdisciplinary approach …

The Phenomenology Of Court-Ordered Treatment: From The Perspective Of Methamphetamine Dependent Adults, Justin Steffener

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This phenomenological study was designed to explore with a sample of methamphetamine dependent adults their perceptions of the process involved in their experiences of court-ordered treatment. The motivation for this study derives from the researcher's wish to unearth ways to better understand and support the needs of adults suffering from addiction. A significant amount of research has already been conducted in regards to the treatment of methamphetamine addiction from the standpoint of quantitative measurements of treatment outcomes, but limited information is presently available from the perspective of the suffers. The stringent selection of the sample was composed of six individuals …

Predictors Of Juvenile Court Dispositions In A First-Time Offender Population, Karen C. Kalmbach, Phillip M. Lyons

Psychology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Scholars and policy makers have long been troubled by the potential for some youth to receive disparate sanctioning as a function of extralegal factors, especially against the backdrop of ethnic/racial minority group overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system as a whole. Beginning in the late 1990s, many states began to adopt a graduated sanctions model in response to the emerging ‘get tough’ zeitgeist of the day. Originally intended by the federal government to reinforce juvenile accountability and to ensure equitable treatment of all youth in custody, some stakeholders began to note concerns about uneven outcomes in the use of graduated …

Abused Women Who Kill: Juror Perspectives On Self-Defense Theories, Shahrzad Nikoo

CMC Senior Theses

In self-defense cases of battered women who kill their abusive husbands, defendants have used Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) expert testimony to help justify their acts of self-defense. However, past research demonstrates that BWS is ineffective in persuading jurors because it pathologizes the defendant rather than rationalizing her behavior. Additionally, BWS highlights passive (i.e., stereotypical) features of a battered woman, and such testimony may not apply to a defendant with active (i.e., atypical) features of a battered women. The current study hypothesized that another type of expert testimony, Social-Agency Framework (SAF), will persuade jurors to render more lenient verdicts, and that …

Psychopathy And Victim-Type Related To Treatment Outcome For Civilly Committed Sexual Offenders, Ashley Helle

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous research on sexual offender treatment has produced mixed results regarding effectiveness and recidivism rates of sexual offenders. The literature shows differences among categories of sexual offenders which suggest extrafamilial adult offenders (rapists) and offenders with both adult and child victims ten to be a bigger threat to society in comparison to familial offenders (incest) and extrafamilial child offenders ( child molesters). Extrafamilial adult offenders and mixed offenders have demonstrated higher levels of psychopathy. Seventy-four civilly committed sexual offenders participated in the current study by completing a psychopathy measure and retrieval of archival data. Fifty-five participants produced valid PPI-R profiles …

The Influence Of Phenotypic Variation On Criminal Judgement, Jacque-Corey Cormier

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of phenotypic variation on criminal judgment. This study had two phases. In the first phase, participants rated multiple headshot photographs on the degree to which African American men possess pronounced Afrocentric features (fuller lips, broader nose, curlier hair, darker skin, etc.). The race of the participants predicted 34.2% of the variance in average skin color ratings above all other variables. White participants rated the Black faces as darker than any other participants rated the same faces. Researchers used the faces rated least, average, and most prototypical of Blacks as the …

Using Video And Contact To Change Attitudes Toward Gay Men And Lesbians, Jonna J. Cooley, Gary J. Burkholder

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Prejudice against gay men and lesbians has continued to fuel negative attitudes that are perpetuated by stereotypes and by validation from those within one’s own social group. While there has been some research regarding the impact of contact on attitudes, the present study expands the theoretical approach of Allport and the empirical work of researchers such as Herek to examine the impact of adding media to interactive contact with lesbian and gay individuals. Participants were placed into one of three treatment groups: control, video only, and video plus contact with gay men and lesbians. The sample included 106 undergraduate students …

"Is This Really A Police Station? Police Department Exteriors And Judgments Of Authority, Professionalism, And Approachability.", Ashley Clinton, Ann Sloan Devlin

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examined the relationship between exteriors of police department facilities and participants’ ratings of the buildings’ authority, professionalism, and approachability. After a pilot study, research was conducted with 122 participants who were undergraduate students from a small, liberal arts college in the Northeast. On each of three characteristics (authority, professionalism, and approachability), participants rated 16 color images of police departments located in the United States. The façade ratings for each characteristic were then categorized into factors through factor analyses. There were three factors for authority (Ineffectual, Strong, and Outdated); three for professionalism (Unskilled, Non-traditional, and Governmental); and four for …

Early Childhood/Child Welfare Priority, Nancy Edick, Samantha K. Ammons, Melissa Cast-Brede, Ann Coyne, Karen Falconer Al-Hindi, Shari Hofschire, Lisa Kelly-Vance, Jay Killion, Sajda Qureshi, Bridget O. Ryalls, Peter Simi, Peter Wolcott

Foundational Documents

This is the executive summary of a white paper that describes the context, current capacity, areas of opportunity, and next steps for the UNO Early Childhood/Child Welfare Priority (ECCW). It responds to the need for comprehensive integrated systems of services designed to give all young children (birth through age eight) access to what they need in the early years to succeed in school and in life. In this context, UNO recognizes ECCW as critical to our metropolitan university mission. Further, we must come together with early childhood service providers, P-12 districts, parents, policy makers, other University of Nebraska campuses, community …

Assessing The Efficacy Of A Modified Therapeutic Community On The Reduction Of Institutional Write-Ups In A Medium Security Prison, Lee Maglinger

Dissertations

This study explored the impact a modified Therapeutic Community (TC) had on reducing institutional disorder as documented by institutional write-ups. Substance abuse treatment programs are typically evaluated in terms of their ability to prevent relapse and reduce recidivism. The current study examined the efficacy of a modified TC in relation to these parameters but also explored its overall impact on prison safety and security for both the inmates and staff of a medium security prison located in Kentucky. Specifically, the number of institutional write-ups exhibited by clients participating in a modified Therapeutic Community was compared with the number of write-ups …

From Nixon’S War On Drugs To Obama’S Drug Policies Today: Presidential Progress In Addressing Racial Injustices And Disparities, Cigdem Sirin

Departmental Papers (PS)

This study investigates presidential progress in addressing racial injustices and disparities within the context of the war on drugs. I argue that racial inequalities emanating from the war on drugs have been largely overlooked and at times aggravated by previous administrations. Although there have been some improvements in this regard since President Obama took office, more extensive policy reforms are needed to better remedy such inequalities. I also argue that the viability of a progressive presidency for racial justice vis-à-vis U.S. drug policies depends not only on the personal agenda of the president but also on a supportive public as …

Improving Eyewitness Testimony Methods For More Accurate Recall Of Events, Ashley M. Schachter

HIM 1990-2015

Eyewitness testimony has as long history in the court system, and is very persuasive to juries. Jurors are hard pressed to ignore a witness' assertion of a perpetrator's identity. However, the juror's perception of eyewitness testimony is problematic as it has been documented as inaccurate and unreliable in numerous experiments. With the advent of DNA testing and efforts such as The Innocence Project, it has become apparent that faulty eyewitness accounts are central to many wrongful convictions. The intent of this thesis was to explore how law enforcement can facilitate more accurate eyewitness accounts via their interview process. Research suggests …

Childhood Maltreatment, Coping, And Coping Self-Efficacy Among Offenders, David Guion

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and coping self-efficacy, coping styles, and emotion regulation difficulties among male and female offenders in detention and diversion centers (N = 183). The coping-relapse model of recidivism posits that offenders’ coping ability plays a pivotal role in successful reentry (Zamble & Quinsey, 1997). Past research reveals that childhood maltreatment is associated with avoidant coping and emotion regulation difficulties, which could negatively impact reentry (e.g., Cloitre et al., 2009; Min, Farkas, Minnes, & Singer, 2007). The relationship between childhood maltreatment and coping self-efficacy has not been addressed. This study found that childhood …

Indirect Screening: Enhancing Identification Of Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy, Courtney Smith

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Most drug use screening measures rely on and are validated against self-report. Fear of negative consequences often promotes denial of drug use. For pregnant women, social stigma and fear of legal consequences make underreporting of drug use even more likely. An indirect screener that could effectively identify pregnant women at risk for illicit drug use without reliance on disclosure would be clinically significant. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate an indirect measure of prenatal drug use by comparing correlates of prenatal drug use to urinalysis results. METHOD: Pregnant women attending an OB appointment at …

Racial/Ethnic Matching Of Clients And Therapists In Mental Health Services: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Preferences, Perceptions, And Outcomes, Timothy B. Smith, Raquel R. Cabral

Faculty Publications

The effects of matching clients with therapists of the same race/ethnicity have been explored using a variety of approaches across several decades. We conducted a meta-analysis of three variables frequently used in research on racial/ethnic matching: Clients' preferences for a therapist of their own race/ethnicity, clients' perceptions of therapists, and therapeutic outcomes. Across 52 studies of preferences, the average effect size was d = .63, indicating a moderately strong preference for a therapist of one's own race/ethnicity. Across 81 studies of individuals' perceptions of therapists, the average effect size was d = .32, indicating a tendency to perceive therapists of …

Mate-Selection And The Dark Triad: Facilitating A Short-Term Mating Strategy And Creating A Volatile Environment, Peter K. Jonason, Katherine A. Valentine, Norman P. Li, Carmelita L. Harbeson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The current study (N = 242) seeks to establish the relationship between traits known collectively as the Dark Triad – narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism – and mating standards and preferences. Using a budget-allocation task, we correlated scores on the Dark Triad traits with mate preferences for a long-term and short-term mate. Men scoring high on the Dark Triad may be more indiscriminate than most when selecting for short-term mates in order to widen their prospects. Furthermore, those high on the Dark Triad – psychopathy in particular – tend to select for mates based on self-interest, assortative mating, or a predilection for …

Perceived Community Cohesion And The Stress Process In Youth, Karen T. Van Gundy, Nena F. Stracuzzi, Cesar J. Rebellon, Corinna Jenkins Tucker, Ellen S. Cohn

Psychology

Using survey data from two youth samples, one rural and one urban, we examine the role and significance of perceived community cohesion in the stress process. In particular, we assess the extent to which community attachment and detachment are related to depressed mood, problem substance use, and delinquency net of social statuses, stress exposure, and personal attributes. In addition, we explore the degree to which those dimensions of community cohesion explain or condition the links between the above stress-process components (e.g., social statuses, stress exposure, and personal attributes) and well-being. We find remarkably similar results across samples: community attachment is …

Challenges Of Reentering Society For Incarcerated African-American Men, Monica L. Ricci, Carolyn Mcnamara Barry

Modern Psychological Studies

African-American men are at the greatest risk for incarceration. Upon their release from prison, they face tremendous challenges to successful reentry, which explains in part their high recidivism rate. In the current paper, we review the existing literature on the challenges faced by African-American ex-offenders as they strive for successful reentry into society, namely challenges to secure employment and living arrangements, social support assets and challenges, as well as broader community-level challenges of reentry. Policy solutions are then identified to offset these obstacles. Lastly, the limitations of existing literature and future research directions are addressed.

The Effects Of Video Game Play On Academic Performance, Jancee Wright

Modern Psychological Studies

The purpose of the present research is to determine whether playing video games impacts academic performance as determined by GPA. To accomplish this, 198 participants filled out a Gaming Habits Survey which was analyzed using a series of one-way ANOVAs. The study found that there was a significant effect of player status on GPA at the p < .01 level for the two conditions of player versus non-player [F (1, 169) = 7.08, p = .009]. Comparisons using descriptive statistics indicated that the mean GPA score for the player condition (M = 3.2, SD = .51) was significantly different than the non-player condition (M = 3.4, SD = .47). These results show that participants who indicated that they did play video games had significantly lower GPAs than participants who indicated that they did not play video games.

An Investigation Of Racial Biases Among Rural Police Officers, Emily Pica, Karri Verno

Modern Psychological Studies

The current study examined racial biases in rural police systems. Fifty police officers took part in the study. A likert-type scale was used to measure different aspects of racial bias, and a questionnaire with crime descriptions was used. Each police system received either a Caucasian suspect questionnaire or an African American suspect questionnaire. Results indicated that the rural police officers in this study did not exhibit racial biases. There were additional analyses done which showed that female officers are slightly harsher in their treatment of African American suspects compared to male officers. The findings of the current study are similar …