Digital Commons Network^™

She Must Be Crazy: Alternative Realities In Contemporary Francophone Literature, Emily Barclay Spriggs, Emily Barclay Spriggs

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Globally and historically, madness appears as a prominent socio-medical concern that also occupies a significant space in literary tradition. There has been an increase in the number of scholars who study madness and literature in postcolonial works. However, the predominant view and treatment of madness – both socially and medically – adheres to the European, white male construct that has informed a more or less universal regard of those who suffer from mental woes: they are deranged, sick, ill. This poses a problem for postcolonial works when we consider the sexist and racist implications in psychology that were enhanced through …

An Exploration Of Adolescents' Attitude Toward, Intention To Consume, And Self-Reported Consumption Of Whole Grain Foods, Amy Lynn Queret-Mitchell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine Louisiana high school students’ perceptions towards consuming whole grain food products. The findings of this study are presented by objectives in the following sections. There is an obesity epidemic in America. Despite the wealth of information, this issue continues to have a negative impact on many adolescents particularly those of low socio-economic status in America. A possible cause for this problem is that adolescents may not have been taught to select the proper foods for consumption. However, this research shows that adolescents who consume whole grain food products have significantly lower …

Using Teacher Prompts To Increase Leadership Skills In Preschool Children, Sarah Elizabeth West

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine if teacher prompting could increase the frequency of leadership behaviors exhibited by preschool children during play and if teachers increased their level of prompting of leadership behaviors. Parten’s original 1933 framework defined the categories both directing and following; reciprocally directing or sharing leadership with another child; or directing the group in which the preschool children’s leadership behaviors were recorded. A review of the literature revealed prompts teachers could use to promote leadership skills in young children, which included modeling, helping others, completing tasks, praise, decision-making, and problem solving. …

Development, Acceptability, And Emotional Responses Of Low-Sodium Roasted Peanuts And Flavored Spreads, Kairy Dharali Pujols Martinez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of developing acceptable low-sodium products by using a salt-replacement technique, an oil-in-water emulsion system, and health benefit information to improve consumers’ awareness of low-sodium diets. Three experiments were conducted: (I) Sensory characteristics and optimization of low-sodium roasted peanuts by substitution of NaCl with KCl, and addition of glycine (Gly) as a bitterness blocker; (II) Rejection threshold (RjT) of KCl added to low-sodium roasted peanuts using a 2AC-test; (III) Development of acceptable low-sodium and sodium-free spreads by flavor modification and their use on turkey salad sandwiches. In study I, results showed …

The Impact Of Observation Duration On The Dependability Of The Direct Behavior Rating- Classroom Management External Rater Form (Dbr- Cm Er), Kaitlin Angela Cassidy

LSU Master's Theses

Classroom management skills are evidence-based strategies used to maintain a productive learning environment. The Direct Behavior Rating – Classroom Management: External Rater Form (DBR-CM ER) is an indicator for assessing classroom management. Utilizing classroom management strategies has been proven effective; however, limited tools are available for assessing such skills and further assessment of the reliability and dependability of such measures is needed. Calculating inter observer agreement (IOA) assesses evidence for inter-rater reliability and IOA results were about 87%. Additionally, the study evaluated the variance contributing to the ratings produced by the DBR-CM ER. A fully crossed analytic design (p x …

Identifying The Influences Of Psychological Factors On Fashion Customization, Sukyung Seo

LSU Master's Theses

As environmental concerns have been increasing and fashion market condition has been fierce and competitive ever before due to consumers’ ever-changing fashion tastes, customization has received growing attention considering as a solution to overcome those challenges. Despite the numerous attention, research on customization has been limited to only issues from business viewpoints whereas studies from consumers’ standpoints are little.

The purpose of the study was to examine how consumers’ psychological properties (i.e., self- promotion, need for uniqueness, self-expression, social identity, self-monitoring, and other-directedness) affect buying intention of customized apparel products mediated by perceptions of customization and extended-self. To achieve the …

The Incremental Validity Of Parent-Reported Executive Functioning In Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders And Reading Achievement, Ilayna Krysten Mehrtens

LSU Master's Theses

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed neuropsychological disorder in childhood. Children with ADHD are at an increased risk for comorbid learning disorders, particularly in reading. Attempts to understand the factors that contribute to the high co-occurrence of these disorders have identified Executive Functioning (EF) as a potential explanatory mechanism for this relationship. However, previous findings regarding the role of EF have been mixed. Additionally, much of the research regarding the influence of EF on reading achievement among children with ADHD has been limited to performance-based measures of EF. Subsequently, there is little research regarding the relative influence of behavioral …

Identifying Stress Variables Linking Socioeconomic Status And Smoking, Aaron French Waters

LSU Master's Theses

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death accounting for approximately 480,000 deaths every year (Jamal et al., 2015). Across the socioeconomic status gradient smoking prevalence differs greatly, with those of lower socioeconomic status smoking at much higher rates. Within the literature relationships have been identified between socioeconomic status, stress variables, and smoking. However, little research has explored the possibility of stress variables mediating the relationship between socioeconomic status and smoking. The goal of the current study was to identify stress variables linking socioeconomic status and smoking in order to identify variables to address in cessation programs for …

Evaluating Classifiers' Optimal Performances Over A Range Of Misclassification Costs By Using Cost-Sensitive Classification, Ramy Al-Saffar

LSU Master's Theses

We believe that using the classification accuracy is not enough to evaluate the performances of classification algorithms. It can be misleading due to overlooking an important element which is the cost if classification is inaccurate. Furthermore, the Receiver Operational Characteristic (ROC) is one of the most popular graphs used to evaluate classifiers performances. However, one of the biggest ROC’s shortcomings is the assumption of equal costs for all misclassified data. Therefore, our goal is to reduce the total cost of decision making by selecting the classifier that has the least total misclassification cost. Nevertheless, the exact misclassification cost is usually …

A Cycle Of Giving: Transforming Individuals, Transforming Community In A Louisiana Children's Choir, Jason Paul Bowers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Kids’ Choir, a community children’s choir in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, formed in 2014 as part of the Kids’ Orchestra organization. The organization, founded in 2011, is El Sistema-inspired—a model developed in 1975 by Venezuelan orchestra conductor, José Abreu. The model’s mission is “to effect social change through music for children with the fewest resources and the greatest need” (Mission Statement, 2017).

El Sistema's focus on social change through musical excellence may hold great promise in the United States where neighborhoods are becoming increasingly diverse. Moreover, the El Sistema philosophy responds directly to issues of segregation still present in the Baton …

Examining Anxiety And Achievement Goal Theory In Physical Activity Settings, Timothy Michael Dasinger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States (US), a majority of adults do not meet the recommended guides of physical activity despite the many benefits. One benefit of activity is the reduction of anxiety. Although there is robust evidence demonstrating the anxiolytic effects of physical activity, the mechanism is not fully understood. Some psychological explanations are related to a lack of confidence in one’s ability. Because of this, Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) may be a viable framework to explain the anxiolytic effects of physical activity. The focus of this dissertation is to examine the efficacy of AGT as a mechanism and to explore …

Characteristics Associated With Improvements In Health Among Community Mental Health Clients With Thought Disorders Receiving Co-Located Primary Care Services, Mary Elizabeth Heintz

LSU Master's Theses

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are disproportionately impacted by preventable physical health conditions, which put them at risk for premature mortality. Integrated primary and behavioral health care (PBHC) programs have demonstrated promise in treating comorbid physical and mental health conditions, common to individuals diagnosed with SMI. The current study focused on individuals with thought disorders (i.e., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and brief psychotic disorder), as those diagnosed are more likely to be retained in care. Treatment retention is especially important, as adherence slows down the progression of psychiatric symptoms and physical health diseases. Extant research has focused on evaluation of …

Understanding Perceptions Of Race: Exploring White Racial Consciousness Among White Students At A Predominately White Institution In The Southeast, Victoria Elizabeth Callais

LSU Master's Theses

Higher education is continuing to diversify and there is a need for student affairs to be intersectional in their approach (Renn & Reason, 2013). Having an understanding of how the dominate group, White/Caucasians, identify their racial identity or understand their identity in relation to other races is essential to creating dialogue and programming that targets the inequalities that exist in higher education. In this study, White student’s White racial consciousness is explored using a phenomenological approach. At the time of the study, the students participating were all enrolled undergraduates at Louisiana State University. The White Racial Consciousness Model is designed …

Degrees Are Not Enough : Success And Challenges Of Black Women Pursuing College Degrees., Dequinten Shrez Glenn

LSU Master's Theses

Black women are succeeding highly across the country in Higher Education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2010) Black women received 66% of undergraduate degrees received by Black people in America in the 2007-2008 school year. This extreme success reflects their abilities to compete at the highest levels while attending institutions of higher education. Their success is not rewarded with job opportunities and equal wages which is reflected by their lack of representation in highly paid fields including science and medicine.

America has been organized and governed by systemic oppression of certain groups this oppression stems from a …

Development Of The Routines And Time Management Inventory For Young Adults, Morgan Ashwill Grinnell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Routines are observable and repetitive behavior patterns that are context specific and help to automate aspects of daily life (Sytsma, Kelley, & Wymer, 2001; Zisberg, Young, Schepp, & Zysberg, 2007). The presence of routines in an individual’s life promotes overall functioning, and irregular routines have been associated with poorer physical and psychological health (Margraf, Lavallee, Zhang, & Schneider, 2016). Time management skills, such as those required to plan, prioritize, and execute tasks are crucial to cultivating stable routines. Although measures of routines exist for children, adolescents, families, and older adults, the routines of younger adults have been neglected.

The purpose …

A Tale Of Two Birds: Lighting Design And Implementation Of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull And Aaron Posner's Stupid Fucking Bird Running In Repertory At Swine Palace Theatre, Chelsea G. Touchet

LSU Master's Theses

The course of creation never did run smooth. Every act of creation is a process of creation. While theatrical creation and execution may follow the same basic steps each time, the process will always be evolving. One may take many paths to reach the same destination.

This project is a study of the process of creation and execution of a repertory theatrical lighting design for a professional company in an academic setting. In the spring of 2017, Swine Palace Theatre, the professional company associated with Louisiana State University’s (LSU) School of Theatre, produced Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull in full rotating …

From Party To Publicity: The Transitional Role Of Three Publicity Experts On The Road To Modern Campaigning, Meagan H. Collman

LSU Master's Theses

During an election cycle, social media newsfeeds and TV screens are overrun with political advertisements and celebrity politics. Publicity has become a critical component of presidential elections. While many argue that a reliance on publicity developed with the popularization of the television, I argue that a dependency on publicity occurred in the early-to- mid 1900’s with three publicity experts who paved the way for future elections. Robert Woolley in Woodrow Wilson’s 1916 campaign exercised unprecedented management over his publicity bureau and used new techniques catering to new mediums of the time; Albert Lasker in Warren Harding’s 1920 campaign merged the …

A Study Of The Lived Experience Of African American Males Who Transition From Out-Of-Home Care To Postsecondary Education, Marvin Cain Alexander

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While the literature is replete with studies of the factors contributing to the failure and social deviance of African American males, few qualitative studies have been conducted to determine the factors that support the success of African American males, and virtually none have focused on the transition of African American males from out-of-home care to postsecondary educational institutions. Despite the challenges faced preceding and during out-of-home care, African American males can transition to postsecondary educational institutions. There is a need to understand why some African American males who experience out-of-home care can accomplish this while others cannot. It is imperative …

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Impact Of The College Student Union On Student Engagement At A Historically Black University, Nathalie Nicole Godfrey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Known as the proverbial “living room of campus,” college student union facilities date back to the late 1800s. Unions were a place for congregation and fellowship, a place where student engagement was crucial. Today’s college union varies from campus to campus, with some focused on student development, some with a keen focus on generating revenue through providing services, and some that attempt to strike a balance between the two.

The concept of student engagement and the research surrounding engagement rarely has shed light on the role of the college student union facility in the engagement process. Entities traditionally found within …

Sediment And Plant Dynamics In A Degrading Coastal Louisiana Landscape, Glenn Michael. Suir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Alterations to Louisiana’s river systems and local hydrology have resulted in reduced freshwater, sediment, and nutrient inputs into wetland landscapes, causing significant negative impacts on marsh productivity and stability. To combat these losses many restoration projects have been constructed or planned throughout coastal Louisiana. Typical goals of wetland restoration efforts are to conserve, create, or enhance wetland form, and to achieve wetland function that approaches natural conditions. Failure to adequately maintain wetland elevation and hydrology can have serious implications on sedimentation and vegetation processes, which significantly reduces the likelihood of reaching structural and functional targets. Measures of wetland condition have …

Public Knowledge Of Monarchs And Support For Butterfly Conservation, Jerrod Penn, Hannah Penn, Wuyang Hu

Faculty Publications

© 2018 by the authors. Pollinator populations in North America are in decline, including the iconic monarch butterfly. In order to determine if public knowledge of monarchs informs opinions on butterfly conservation, we surveyed the public to assess their knowledge of monarchs. We also asked participants about their attitudes towards general butterfly conservation and if they believe that butterfly gardens contribute to conservation. Respondents generally had some knowledge of monarchs but were unaware of monarch population declines and the necessity of milkweed to their life cycle. Respondent knowledge was correlated with more positive attitudes about butterfly conservation. Furthermore, membership in …

Personalized Normative Feedback For College Student Condom Use, Sonia Mahesh Shah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions provide corrective normative feedback and have been found to successfully elicit behavior change (e.g., related to alcohol consumption, gambling). There are no known PNF interventions that explicitly target risky sexual behavior (RSB). PNF interventions have demonstrated significant reductions on drinking outcomes and normative perceptions, highlighting the potential utility of a PNF intervention specifically for RSB. The current study tested the utility of a web-based PNF intervention to correct normative perceptions regarding condom use as well as to increase condom use among college students. A sample of 189 undergraduate students (80.6% female, 62.2% non-Hispanic Caucasian) who …

The Status Of Safety Culture At Louisiana State University, Jerry Edward Steward

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work accesses the nature of and level of safety culture in the academic research community at Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (LSU). After serious chemical related accidents in academic research laboratories the National Academies of Science has made recommendations to improve safety within academic research by encouraging researchers to go beyond simple compliance with regulations and work toward fostering a strong, positive safety culture. The term, “safety culture” is used to describe workplace safety in various efforts to improve it. Researchers have studied these concepts from technical, social, and psychological viewpoints leading to the general consensus …

State Of Crime, 2018: A Look At Crime And Crime Response Needs In East Baton Rouge Parish, Hillar C. Moore Iii

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Mediating Role Of Korean Immigrant Mothers’ Psychological Well-Being In The Associations Between Social Support And Authoritarian Parenting Style, You Jung Seo, Charissa S.L. Cheah, Sevgi Bayram Özdemir, Craig H. Hart, Christy Y.Y. Leung, Shuyan Sun

Faculty Publications

© 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. We examined the mediating role of Korean immigrant mothers’ psychological well-being in the associations between mothers’ emotional vs. instrumental support received from their kin, and their authoritarian parenting style with their preschoolers using longitudinal data. First-generation Korean immigrant mothers with preschool-aged children (N = 158; Mmaternal age = 36.11 years, SD = 3.90; Mchild age = 4.43 years, SD = 1.10) residing in Maryland, U.S., participated in three assessment waves. Each assessment wave was 6 months apart. Mothers reported on the amount of perceived emotional and instrumental support they received from their kin, their …

Difficulties Using Standardized Tests To Identify The Receptive Expressive Gap In Bilingual Children's Vocabularies, Todd A. Gibson, Linda Jarmulowicz, D. Kimbrough Oller

Faculty Publications

Receptive standardized vocabulary scores have been found to be much higher than expressive standardized vocabulary scores in children with Spanish as L1, learning L2 (English) in school (Gibson et al., 2012). Here we present evidence suggesting the receptive-expressive gap may be harder to evaluate than previously thought. We compared the performance of 116 six-year-old Spanish-English bilingual children in the US to 30 monolingual Spanish-speaking peers in Mexico across two Spanish-language standardized picture naming tests and one standardized picture pointing test. The performance of 134 monolingual English-speaking peers was compared using similar English-language tests. Results revealed the presence and magnitude of …

Work Engagement In Nonprofit Organizations: A Conceptual Model, Sunyoung Park, Junghwan Kim, Jiwon Park, Doo Hun Lim

Faculty Publications

Using the revised job demands–resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical framework, our article aims to develop a conceptual model of the work engagement of paid workers in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) by identifying its antecedents and outcomes discussed in the literature. We found that job resources are prevalent antecedents for work engagement, while three categories of the JD-R model are all significant with work engagement. Although some findings are similar with existing studies for for-profit organizations, others implied that we need a different approach to work engagement of NPO workers. We finally offer a proposed JD-R model of work engagement in …

Assessing Changes In Self-Reported Driving Ability After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, John Philip Kelly Bernstein

LSU Master's Theses

The ability to safely drive a car requires intact cognitive functioning across a variety of domains, many of which are adversely affected following a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) impacts similar cognitive facets, albeit to a less severe extent, and preliminary evidence suggests that mTBI may also have a deleterious effect on driving abilities immediately following injury. However, changes in driving ability over the course of recovery from mTBI have not been adequately examined. The present study addressed this dearth in the literature through examination of self-reported driving ability in 18 participants with a recent …

Effects Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness And Weight Status On Knowledge Of Physical Activity And Fitness, Attitude Toward Physical Education, And Physical Activity, Senlin Chen, Xiangli Gu

Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness and weight status on knowledge of physical activity and fitness (PAF knowledge), attitude toward physical education (PE), and physical activity. Methods: A total of 343 middle school students participated in the study (Age: M/SD = 12.76/.94, ranging from 11 to 14 years old). PE Metrics™ was used to measure PAF knowledge, and Attitude toward Physical Education Questionnaire and Youth Activity Profile were used to measure attitude, physical activity and sedentary behavior. Fitness and weight status were assessed using FitnessGram and converted to in Healthy Fitness Zone …

In Vitro Digestible Properties And Quality Characterization Of Nonsucrose Gluten-Free Lentinus Edodes Cookies, Tao Feng, Wenxin Wang, Haining Zhuang, Shiqing Song, Lingyun Yao, Min Sun, Zhimin Xu

Faculty Publications

Lentinus edodes was included in nonsucrose gluten-free cookie formulations. Their digestible properties and quality features were analyzed. Six various types of cookies were prepared through the use of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% of Lentinus edodes powder. The quality features of cookies and cookie dough, as well as digestibility were measured. To which level consumers were attracted by the six types of cookie was assessed. The quality features of the six types of cookies varied significantly to different degrees. Nevertheless, these differences failed to change the acceptance of consumers for nonsucrose gluten-free Lentinus edodes cookies. The digestibility properties …