Digital Commons Network^™

Anticipatory Reactions To Erotic Stimuli: An Exploration Into "Psychic" Ability, Margarita Meza

Honors Program Theses

The current study investigated psi ability (precognition) based on Bem’s (2011) experiments. The study used a computer-based program that tested for the prediction of erotic stimuli via erotic and non-erotic images. Sensation seeking and cortisol were explored as moderators of psi ability. Participants provided saliva samples at the beginning and end of the study for a measure of cortisol. It was predicted that participants would detect the future position of erotic images significantly more than they would by chance and more than non-erotic images. Additionally, it was predicted that those who scored high in sensation seeking would have greater psi …

Gender Differences In Sexual Assault And Ptsd Stigma, Megan Kennedy

Honors Program Theses

Sexual assault is a significant problem in our society, and is experienced differently by male and female sexual assault victims. Stigma, or blame and negative attitudes toward an individual or group, is frequently experienced by sexual assault victims and reinforced through media, culture, and rape/sexual assault myths. Sexual assault and experiences of stigma influence the mental health problems victims face after assault, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Overall, insufficient research has been conducted on the differing experiences of stigma related to male and female sexual assault victims. In order to separate stigma attributions based on sexual assault status and PTSD, …

"A Special Program For Highly Gifted Students:" The Evolution And Growth Of Uni's Honors Program, 1959-2009, Matthew Christian Miller

Honors Program Theses

In 1959, the faculty of the Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC), what is now known as the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), approved the creation of an honors program for gifted students, those who performed “above the norm for their age.”¹ Over the next 50 years, this program’s structure evolved and expanded to meet the changing needs of both the university and students from various backgrounds. The UNI Honors Program’s creation and evolution were not isolated events; rather, they reflected various local and national trends in education. UNI’s first honors program began as a reflection of ideas promoted by …

"Slavery Wasn't That Bad": An Examination Of The Effects Of Reduced Social Studies Class Time And Student Misconceptions, Matthew Karl Mengler

Honors Program Theses

There are four core subjects taught in American public schools today: math, English language arts, science, and social studies. For years, the social studies have been receiving less instructional time when compared to “more important” subjects such as reading, language arts, and math. This has especially been the case since the legislation of No Child Left Behind which placed English language arts and math as the two main pillars of a child’s education. The goal of this study was to figure out how teachers are adapting to this lack of social studies instruction time and to see if there have …

Disparities In Infant Mortality: Are Sociocultural Risk Factors Shaped By Institutionalized Racism?, Madison Grimm

Honors Program Theses

The infant mortality rate (IMR) is an incredibly important indicator of the overall health of a nation. Because the IMR is so closely related with factors such as quality and accessibility of healthcare and socioeconomic conditions, it is helpful in evaluating a nation’s success. The United States (US) has one of the highest infant mortality rates among countries with a similar degree of economic development (those belonging to the OECD). In 2013, the IMR was 5.96 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC (Mathews, MacDorman, & Thoma, 2015). Furthermore, this rate …

Career Development And Trajectories: Women In Senior-Level Management Positions In Nonprofit Organizations And Government Agencies, Jennifer Diane Stevens

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Lighting the way for women today, pioneers like Jane Addams and others have helped women make gallant strides in the field of human and leisure services for the past 50 years. These women took necessary steps towards equality, which ultimately led to changes in attitudes of women, attitudes towards women, and gender roles. Women now make up half of the workforce and are accepted in all sectors today.

However, inequality still exists through transparent barriers that keep women from advancing to senior-level management and decision-making positions. Elements such as family, education, and organizational and personal factors can positively or negatively …

The Filtered Self: What Instagram Postings Reveal About An Individual's Sense Of Identity, Stephanie Steiner

Iowa Journal of Communication

In this paper, I explore how an Instagram posting reveals an individual's identity by studying the relationship between the intentions of an Instagram post and the attributions of intentions other users provide. Using Attribution Theory, I analyze the attributions provided by 16 participants in an online survey and compare them to my original intentions. I present results from a thematic analysis by categorizing themes that emerged from the online survey. Based on my data, I evaluate how social media, particularly Instagram, has changed society's perceptions of identity formation. This study provides evidence that Instagram users are moving toward presenting filtered …

Review Of Humanitarian Aid And The Impoverished Rhetoric Of Celebrity Advocacy, Haneen Shafeeq Ghabra

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Differential Gene Expression Analysis Of Metolachlor Treated Human Liver Cells By Microarray, Navinder Paul Kaur Brar

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Metolachlor is one of the most common pre-emergent pesticides used by Iowa farmers. It is used to control broadleaf weeds and grasses in the fields of corn and soybean. It is a frequent contaminant of groundwater and surface water due to runoff after application. It has been shown to inhibit protein and chlorophyll synthesis in plant cells, but its effect on mammalian cells has not been consistently conclusive. As metolachlor and other herbicides have been shown to be associated with harmful health effects in non-target organisms it is very important to determine a mechanism of action on non-target cells, especially …

The Effects Of Governance And Inequality On Economic Growth, Ethan James Philo

Honors Program Theses

This paper reevaluates the variables affecting economic growth. I consider models previously proposed by economists to explain the linkage economic growth has with measures of political influence and inequality. The model I use considers two different models. The first scenario uses a common intercept between all countries while the second allows each country to have its own intercept. Political influence is measured by the score and variation of the score of the polity index as well as the score for how protected property rights are. Inequality is measured by the Gini Coefficient. The model produces some evidence of political influences …

Relationship Communication: Introduction To The Special Issue, David T. Mcmahan

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

The Dyadic Influence Of Attachment And Affection On Relationship Satisfaction, Gemme M. Campbell, Grace Ellen Brannon, Emily A. Rauscher, Colin Hesse, Sara L. Trask

Iowa Journal of Communication

Using affection exchange theory, this study proposed a mediating model between attachment style, affectionate communication, and relationship satisfaction. This dyadic model used marital couples to test actor and partner effects. Overall, results supported the predicted model, including several significant indirect effects. Specifically, affection mediated the relationships between anxious attachment for wives and relationship satisfaction for both wives and husbands. Affection also mediated the relationship between anxious attachment for husbands and husband relationship satisfaction. Affection also mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment for wives and wife relationship satisfaction, as well as between avoidant attachment for husbands and husband relationship satisfaction. Additionally, …

Keeping The Peace: Daughters In-Law's Relational Maintenance Behaviors With Their Mothers In-Law, Mary E. Donato, Scott A. Myers

Iowa Journal of Communication

The purpose of this study was to identify the specific behaviors daughters-in-law (DILs) use to maintain relationships with their mothers-in-law (MILs). Participants were 85 DILs who identified the behaviors they use to maintain their relationships with their MILs. Together, they identified 416 behaviors that were then coded into 14 categories of relational maintenance behaviors: mediated communication, family involvement, showing respect, keeping the peace, thoughtfulness, avoiding contact, expressing gratitude, visits, instrumental help, sharing meals, joint activities, frequent communication, common interests, and husband as buffer. From this, we concluded there are three general categories of behaviors in which DILs use: DILs engage …

Front Matter - Table Of Contents - Preface

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Haunted By The Past: Examining The Breakup Story Through Duck's Dissolution Model, Sara L. Trask

Iowa Journal of Communication

After a breakup, individuals are often haunted by the presence of their past relationships, making relationship termination one of the most emotionally painful events that individuals throughout their lifetime (Sprecher, Felmlee, Metts, Fehr, & Vanni, 1998). Some individuals even go as far to believe that relationship termination is like experiencing the death of one they loved (Emery, 2004). Using three of the five processes of Duck's Dissolution Model (DDM) (1982; 2005), this study examined what individuals' breakup stories reveal about their ability to adjust after a breakup has occurred. The study interviewed 18 individuals who shared their personal stories of …

Knapp's Model Of Relational Development In The Digital Age, Robert L. Duran, Lynne Kelly

Iowa Journal of Communication

The purpose of this study was to re-examine Knapp's (1978) model of the stages of relationship development to identify the ways in which communication technologies are used within those stages as romantic relationships progress. The goal was to incorporate technological activities into the descriptions of Knapp's stages of relational growth to better reflect how college students conduct their romantic relationships. Undergraduate students (N = 251) completed a survey, including a measure of their relationship stage (Welch & Rubin, 2002) as well as measures of their uses of Facebook, texting, and cell phone calling in the context of the relationship. Results …

Iowa Journal Of Communication, Volume 49, Number 1, Fall 2017 [Download Entire Issue]

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Economic Recovery Through Spiritual Awakening: Ronald Reagan's Use Of Grace-Emancipating Convenantal Rhetoric, Meg H. Kunde

Iowa Journal of Communication

This article explores how President Ronald Reagan used grace-emancipating covenantal rhetoric in his presidential discourse to make individual faith a prerequisite for national unity and create a spiritual space in which the people could perform their faith in God, freedom, and individualism, the values upon which his economic policies rested. This analysis of covenantal rhetoric recognizes the importance of the Puritan's covenant of grace as an integral and necessary part of covenantal rhetoric, an aspect that has not been given due attention in previous rhetorical scholarship.

Iowa Journal Of Communication, Volume 49, Number 2, Spring 2017 [Download Entire Issue]

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Elementary School Students' Identity Negotiations In Their Literacy Classrooms, Kimberly Ilosvay, Jeff Kerssen-Griep

Iowa Journal of Communication

Existing research reveals too little about how elementary-level students make sense of their teachers' and others' interpersonal communication with them, particularly regarding how it impacts students' identity development and engagement in teaching-learning relationships and instruction. Addressing this timely exigency, this study applied a cross-disciplinary conceptual framework to examine identity aspects of elementary school students' interpersonal and relational communication experiences in and around their literacy learning classrooms. Guided by Hecht et al.'s (2005) communication theory of identity (CTI) and examining themes that emerged among 103 face-to-face interviews with second-through fifth-graders, this paper reports key findings related to four interpenetrating identity layers, …

Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Creating Digital Displays Of Grief: Appropriateness, Relationality, And Mourning Loss, Jenna L. Currie-Mueller, Kay M. Beckermann, Adam J. Copeland, Gunther-Michael Jahnl

Iowa Journal of Communication

More than half of enrolled college students experience a significant loss during their education. When coping with loss, students may turn to social media to express grief This study explored how college students participate in communicating loss online and how students perceive grief expressions and mourning messages of others on social media. Data was collected through virtual focus group interviews with 26 participants and analyzed using eclectic and pattern coding (Saldana, 2013). Results indicate participants perceived online mourning as either appropriate or inappropriate based on relational tie, channel, and perceived authenticity of the other's communication. When observing others' grief, participants …

Review Of Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise Of Astro-Blackness, Toniesha L. Taylor

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Review Of Contemporary Studies Of Sexuality & Communication: Theoretical And Applied Perspectives, Valerie Peterson

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Trying To Fit In With The Weird Parts Of The Internet: Online Subcultures And Content Creation, Isak Fedeler Knivsland

Honors Program Theses

Creating my thesis project has been quite a journey - perhaps a longer and more tedious journey than I anticipated, but rewarding nonetheless. Starting this project in the fall, I simply had the goal of making cool music, producing videos to accompany it, and getting some people to watch it. This is much easier said than done, however.

In my head, this was to be a pretty straightforward project. I had made electronic music before and had been improving at it. I had edited some videos, though not for a few years. And I had experimented with marketing content. The …

Organizational Culture: An Analysis Of The Aggregate Impact On Financial Performance, Arijan Alagic

Honors Program Theses

Strong organizational culture, although an intangible asset, can produce tangible gains for businesses in the form of stock returns. This study uses Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in America to identify companies with strong organizational culture. Of those 100, I used the stock performance of 20 public companies who have (1) been on the list for at least 10 years and (2) have been publicly traded for at least 10 years. Each of the companies is assigned a matching industry sector and the returns are compared to the overall stock market, represented by the S&P 500. From …

Cedar Falls Community Main Street: A Gap Analysis Of Customer & Business Owner Perceptions, Cassie Evers

Honors Program Theses

Cedar Falls, Iowa is a small town of approximately 40,000 people, which has a traditional Main Street district, lined by historic buildings filled with shops, restaurants, offices, and apartments alike (“Current Cedar Falls, Iowa Population, Demographics and Stats”). This main street district is managed by an organization called Community Main Street. Cedar Falls Community Main Street (CMS) has done extensive research to gain an understanding of their market by surveying customers. However, they lack information on their business owners and managers’ opinions. This study focused on surveying area business owners to provide valuable information about business leaders’ opinions to Community …

The Impact Of Terrorism On Commercial Office Real Estate In Manhattan, Madeline M. O'Donnell

Honors Program Theses

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (“9/11”) caused major loss of human life, financial resources, and infrastructure. Within hours, over 30 million square feet of real estate in Downtown Manhattan was lost, creating an unprecedented change in supply and demand for real estate in the area. Hundreds of companies were directly affected by the loss of their offices and business fixtures, and were forced to quickly develop plans for how and where to resume work (“A Look at Former World Trade Center Tenants,” 2002). Property owners – many of whom owned the then damaged or nonexistent buildings as ground leases …

The Professional Development Of Students Through Global Experiences, Myle Duong

Honors Program Theses

As globalization increases from advancing technologies and innovation, more businesses are entering the international market. With this, comes a demand for a culturally competent workforce. To possess cross cultural skills, college students must develop Cultural Intelligence. According to the Cultural Intelligence Center, Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is defined as the ability to relate and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. Research shows that college students who go abroad have a higher probability of standing out to employers due to the knowledge and risks associated with going global, and make further efforts to immerse themselves in cultures (10 Benefits to Studying Abroad). …

The Business Of Fraud, Jessica Marie Berkshire

Honors Program Theses

This paper will focus on fraud within companies in order to discover overarching themes of why, when, and where corporate fraud occurs. Fraud has significant financial, economic, and social implications that negatively impact a company’s business standing. Research will be based on recent frauds that have been tried through the United States Attorney’s office. Correlations will be drawn regarding the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission’s (COSO) framework, which is a foundation for companies who want to improve their internal controls. Based on the comparisons between the COSO framework and recent fraud activity, individual COSO principles can be …