Digital Commons Network^™

Using Disaster Outcomes To Validate Components Of Social Vulnerability To Floods: Flood Deaths And Property Damage Across The Usa, Beth Tellman, Cody Schank, Bessie Schwarz, Peter D. Howe, Alex De Sherbinin

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Social vulnerability indicators seek to identify populations susceptible to hazards based on aggregated sociodemographic data. Vulnerability indices are rarely validated with disaster outcome data at broad spatial scales, making it difficult to develop effective national scale strategies to mitigate loss for vulnerable populations. This paper validates social vulnerability indicators using two flood outcomes: death and damage. Regression models identify sociodemographic factors associated with variation in outcomes from 11,629 non-coastal flood events in the USA (2008–2012), controlling for flood intensity using stream gauge data. We compare models with (i) socioeconomic variables, (ii) the composite social vulnerability index (SoVI), and (iii) flood …

Profiting From Protecting Small Business Borrowers: Take That To The Bank!, Jerome D. Williams, Sterling A. Bone, Glenn L. Christensen, Alexandra Tebbs

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

While small businesses represent a significant portion of the economy, there is mounting evidence that the playing field is not level for these firms in access to capital. Based on 10 years of matched-paired mystery shopping tests in banks to investigate bank lending practices and customer experience, the results demonstrate that in almost every instance, minorities were treated more poorly than their White counterparts. However, the authors acknowledge the controversy surrounding this issue, as some question the need for government action to push banks in this direction. Before offering evidence of the impact race can have on the treatment of …

Information Search And Financial Markets Under Covid-19, Behzod B. Ahundjanov, Sherzod Akhundjanov, Botir B. Okhunjanov

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

The discovery and sudden spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) exposed individuals to a great uncertainty about the potential health and economic ramifications of the virus, which triggered a surge in demand for information about COVID-19. To understand financial market implications of individuals’ behavior upon such uncertainty, we explore the relationship between Google search queries related to COVID-19—information search that reflects one’s level of concern or risk perception—and the performance of major financial indices. The empirical analysis based on the Bayesian inference of a structural vector autoregressive model shows that one unit increase in the popularity of COVID-19-related global search …

A Systematic Review Of Academic Discourse Interventions For School-Aged Children With Language-Related Learning Disabilities, Amy K. Peterson, Carly B. Fox, Megan Israelsen

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Student Research

Purpose: This systematic review synthesized a set of peer-reviewed studies published between 1985 and 2019 and addressed the effectiveness of existing narrative and expository discourse interventions for late elementary and middle school-aged students with language-related learning disabilities.

Method: A methodical search of the literature for interventions targeting expository or narrative discourse structure for students ages 9-14 with group experimental designs identified 33 studies, seven of which met specific criteria to be included in this review.

Results: An 8-point critical appraisal scale was applied to analyze the quality of the study design and effect sizes were calculated for six of the …

Stimulus Complexity And Chunk Tightness Interact To Impede Perceptual Restructuring During Problem Solving, Zhonglu Zhang, Christopher M. Warren, Yi Lei, Qiang Xing, Hong Li

Psychology Faculty Publications

The mutual influence of stimulus complexity and chunk tightness on perceptual restructuring was examined using a chunk decomposition task (CDT). Participants attempted to remove components of Chinese characters in order to produce new, valid characters. Participants had their electroencephalogram recorded while completing a CDT in conditions of low or high stimulus complexity, crossed with two levels of chunk tightness. Tight chunks overlapped spatially whereas loose chunks did not. Both increasing chunk tightness and increasing stimulus complexity impaired performance (lower accuracy, longer reaction times), and these factors interacted such that highly complex, tight chunks produced the worst performance. These factors also …

Promoting Healthy Decision-Making Via Natural Environment Exposure: Initial Evidence And Future Directions, Meredith S. Berry, Meredith A. Repke, Alexander L. Metcalf, Kerry Jordan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research within psychology and other disciplines has shown that exposure to natural environments holds extensive physiological and psychological benefits. Adding to the health and cognitive benefits of natural environments, evidence suggests that exposure to nature also promotes healthy human decision-making. Unhealthy decision-making (e.g., smoking, non-medical prescription opioid misuse) and disorders associated with lack of impulse control [e.g., tobacco use, opioid use disorder (OUD)], contribute to millions of preventable deaths annually (i.e., 6 million people die each year of tobacco-related illness worldwide, deaths from opioids from 2002 to 2017 have more than quadrupled in the United States alone). Impulsive and unhealthy …

Contested Dam Development In Iran: A Case Study Of The Exercise Of State Power Over Local People, Elham Hoominfar, Claudia Radel

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

In this article, we address the interaction of the Iranian State, an agent of power, with affected village residents, as four dam projects are planned and implemented. Dams, recently positioned as a green energy source, are a central component to Iran’s national development strategies; yet historically their construction has been a source of significant conflict and resistance around the world. We focus on ten villages facing displacement or partial loss of lands at the time of the research, and we answer the question: During dam building and resettlement processes, how have residents experienced their role in decision making and the …

No More “Social Distancing” But Practice Physical Separation, Debasree Das Gupta, David W. S. Wong

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Though not a new term, “social distancing” exploded onto the global stage as an expression to publicize the only means currently available to control the transmission of COVID-19. This term is increasingly being adopted and translated into the vernacular to inform and guide public behavior in most, if not all, countries around the world. However, any effective global response requires direct and unambiguous communication and sharing of ideas across communities with different cultural backgrounds as well as between researchers and responders across the disciplinary spectrum. Unfortunately, social distancing is a misnomer. The current use of social distancing – separating ourselves …

Applied Behavior Analysis For The Treatment Of Autism: A Systematic Review Of Assistive Technologies, Fábio Junior Alves, Emerson Assis De Carvalho, Juliana Aguilar, Lucelmo Lacerda De Brito, Guilherme Sousa Bastos

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Student Research

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that may lead to significant impairment in social communication, repetitive patterns of behavior, and possible fixed and restricted interests. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a well-supported and evidence-based treatment for the delays attributed to ASD. Assistive technologies, such as gamification, software apps, computer-based training (Web), and robotics; provide a standardized method of implementing ABA techniques. This review provides a synthesis of the main characteristics of these technologies. The assessed proposals focused on technologies such as Distributed Systems, Image Processing, Gamification, and Robotics. The primary objectives of these tools sought to improve social …

Postpartum Depression: What Is It And How Can Family And Friends Help?, Latisha Tornabeni, Ty Aller

All Current Publications

Peripartum depression, now called

postpartum depression (PPD), is an adjustment disorder manifesting symptoms throughout pregnancy or after childbirth. Women suffering from PPD often experience feelings of depression and fatigue, making it difficult to carry out daily activities (American Psychological Association, 2013). This condition should not be confused with the “baby blues,” which affects up to 80% of mothers and naturally subsides within a couple of weeks after childbirth (National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). Research shows that one in seven women experience PPD (Wishner et al., 2013). This fact sheet reviews how to work through the process of identifying, supporting, …

Effects Of Behavioral Skills Training On Teachers Conducting The Recess-To-Classroom Transition, Sarah C. Smith, Thomas S. Higbee

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Elementary school teachers transition their students from recess to the classroom multiple times a day. When students do not line up quickly or are disruptive in line, teachers can spend valuable instructional time trying to manage students’ inappropriate behaviors. The result is a loss of instructional time that could lead to a decrease in student performance. This study examined how teachers could use behavioral skills training with their students as a way to reduce the length of the recess-to-classroom transition with second–fourth graders. After teachers were trained, they provided their students with training, which included instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. …

Documenting Resiliency Of American Indian Youth: Preliminary Results From Native Pride’S Intergenerational Connections Project, Allyson Kelley, Clayton Small

Journal of Indigenous Research

Background- American Indian youth are strong, resilient leaders with enormous potential. This potential is sometimes overshadowed by deficit based program approaches, where disparities and vulnerabilities are the focus of prevention programs.

Approach- To address deficit-based approaches and work toward a 7^th generation paradigm that is strength based and community driven we developed the Sources of Strength scale (SOS). The SOS is a 13-item scale designed to measure the strengths of American Indian youth. We administered the SOS to youth and young adults involved in the Intergenerational Connection Project (ICP). ICP is a 5-year prevention program aimed at increasing youth …

Recognition And Stigma Of Prescription Drug Abuse Disorder: Personal And Community Determinants, Robert Shupp, Scott Loveridge, Mark Skidmore, Brandn Green, Don Albrecht

Extension Research

Background

Prescription drug abuse (PDA) disorders continue to contribute to the current American opioid crisis. Within this context, our study seeks to improve understanding about stigma associated with, and symptom recognition of, prescription drug abuse.

Aims

Model the stigma and symptom recognition of PDA in the general population.

Methods

A randomized, nation-wide, online, vignette-focused survey of the general public (N = 631) was implemented with an oversample for rural counties. Logit estimation was used for analysis, with regional and county-level sociodemographic variables as controls.

Results

Individual respondents that self-identify as having or having had “a prescription drug abuse issue” were …

“How Well Does Your Structural Equation Model Fit Your Data?”: Is Marcoulides And Yuan’S Equivalence Test The Answer?, James Peugh, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Structural equation modeling is an ideal data analytical tool for testing complex relationships among many analytical variables. It can simultaneously test multiple mediating and moderating relationships, estimate latent variables on the basis of related measures, and address practical issues such as nonnormality and missing data. To test the extent to which a hypothesized model provides an appropriate characterization of the collective relationships among its variables, researchers must assess the “fit” between the model and the sample’s data. However, interpreting estimates of model fit is a problematic process. The traditional inferential test of model fit, the chi-square test, is biased due …

Creating Silence: How Managerial Narcissism Decreases Employee Voice, Jake Harrison, Alexander C. Romney

Curiosity

Narcissism in organizations is becoming increasingly prevalent, as evidenced by the growing number of CEOs that seek acclaim and dominance, often at the expense of others (Chatterjee, 2017). Narcissism is defined as “individuals for whom enhancing the positivity of the self (specifically, to achieve status and esteem) is overwhelmingly important” (Campbell, 2004), and most often wields a detrimental influence on organizations. In the management literature, efficacy is defined as “a person’s estimate that a given behavior will lead to certain outcomes” (Bandura, 1977), and employees who hold a stronger sense of personal self-efficacy will display more active efforts to improve …

Structuring The Social Media Assessment During The Hiring Process, Jake Harrison, Christopher Hartwell

Curiosity

Social media assessments (SMAs) are becoming a common practice during the hiring process, but little research existing that examines how to best structure SMAs. Drawing from Campion et al.’s (1997) components of interview structure and including additional components specific to the SMA procedure, a framework of eight components of SMA structure that should be considered when conducting SMAs in research and/or practice has been developed. Those components include (1) job-related specificity, (2) procedural consistency, (3) measurements used, (4) documentation, (5) assessor training, (6) separate rater(s) than decision maker(s), (7) informed consent, and (8) notification of results. We define each of …

Developing And Implementing A 100% Renewable Electricity Resolution: A Research-Based Framework, Emily E. Skill, Roslynn Brain Mccann, Sarah C. Klain

All Current Publications

While it may seem that the efforts of local governments have only a marginal impact on the global issue of climate change, local action can spread to generate large-scale change. Local action can inspire other communities to adopt policies, creating the potential to expand and form regional action on climate change. Furthermore, local policies can influence state and federal policies. This guide will walk you through a five-step framework that was developed from the results of a qualitative research study that explored how three Utah cities, Salt Lake City, Park City, and Moab, successfully adopted 100% renewable electricity resolutions.

Natural Categorization: Electrophysiological Responses To Viewing Natural Versus Built Environments, Salif Mahamane, Nick Wan, Alexis Porter, Allison S. Hancock, Justin Campbell, M. S. Lyons, Kerry Jordan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Environments are unique in terms of structural composition and evoked human experience. Previous studies suggest that natural compared to built environments may increase positive emotions. Humans in natural environments also demonstrate greater performance on attention-based tasks. Few studies have investigated cortical mechanisms underlying these phenomena or probed these differences from a neural perspective. Using a temporally sensitive electrophysiological approach, we employ an event-related, implicit passive viewing task to demonstrate that in humans, a greater late positive potential (LPP) occurs with exposure to built than natural environments, resulting in a faster return of activation to pre-stimulus baseline levels when viewing natural …

Experiencing Active Mathematics Learning: Meeting The Expectations For Teaching And Learning In Mathematics Classrooms, Kristy Litster, Beth L. Macdonald, Jessica F. Shumway

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Active learning mathematics classrooms incorporate meaningful activities that emphasize reasoning, thinking and active interaction with mathematics. Current mathematics standards and curricula recommend that Mathematics Teacher Educators (MTEs) use elements of active learning in their mathematics content courses specifically designed for Prospective Teachers (PTs) as they prepare PTs to learn and teach mathematics. However, it can be very difficult for PTs to shift their pedagogical dispositions towards instruction associated with active learning because they typically have not experienced mathematics taught in this way. This article focuses on two instructional practices for MTEs to use with PTs. First, selecting tasks that promote …

A Religious Paradox: Can Priming Ideas Of God Reduce Rape Victim Blame?, Emma G. Heath, Kathryn Sperry

Psychology Faculty Publications

Rape victim blame contributes to unreported incidents of sexual assault and failure to support victims (Ahrens in American Journal of Community Psychology, 38(3-4), 263-274, 2006). The present study investigated the relationship between religiosity, religious priming, and rape victim blame. Using an online Qualtrics panel, 247 U.S. participants were randomly assigned to either a neutral prime or a religious prime. They then read a short vignette of an acquaintance rape scenario and answered questions regarding perceptions of victim blame, victim credibility, benevolent and hostile sexism, religiosity, religious fundamentalism, and Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA). Results revealed that the religious prime …

Reviewing Family Communication Scholarship: Toward A Framework For Conceptualizing A Communicative Perspective On Family Identity, Kaitlin E. Phillips, Jordan Soliz

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In this manuscript we review multiple approaches to family communication research, and provide directions for future research as they relate to family culture. Specifically, we review family communication research that is either explicitly or implicitly tied to family culture. Given the importance of families and understanding the first social group that individuals often belong to, it is necessary to synthesize programs of research related to family culture. Thus, in order to further the progression of family research we provide an overview of where current research on family communication converges, present additional factors for family scholars to include in their work, …

Others' Publications About Ehdi

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Well-Being Of Parents Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Courtney P. Kasin, Karen F. Munoz, Clarissa W. Ong, John J. Whicker, Michael P. Twohig

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing the well-being of parents who have children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and to compare their experiences to non-clinical samples.

Method: A cross-sectional online survey was used to collect data (N = 296).

Results: Data analyses revealed the majority of parents of children who are DHH were functioning similarly to or better than the non-clinical samples in our comparison and within the non-clinical range for the included measures. No relationship was found between factors related to child age or timing of services (age at diagnosis, time …

Beliefs And Self-Efficacy Of Parents Of Young Children With Hearing Loss, Sophie E. Ambrose, Margo Appenzeller, Alexandra Mai, Jean L. Desjardin

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the beliefs and self-efficacy of parents of young children with hearing loss. Seventy-two parents completed the Scale of Parental Involvement and Self-Efficacy - Revised (SPISE-R), which queries parents about their child’s hearing device use and their perceptions of their own beliefs, knowledge, confidence, and actions pertaining to supporting their child’s auditory access and spoken language development. Two beliefs were identified that related to parents’ action scores and one belief was identified that related to children’s hearing device use. Knowledge and confidence scores were significantly correlated with action scores and children’s …

Odds Of Autism At 5 To 10 Years Of Age For Children Who Did Not Pass Their Aabr Newborn Hearing Screen, But Were Diagnosed With Normal Hearing, Shihfen Tu, Craig A. Mason, Deborah L. Rooks-Ellis, Patricia Lech

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Background: Research has found atypical Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) activity in some children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The current study examined whether an association may also be found between ASD and pass/refer results obtained via Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) screening. As stewards of large-scale AABR data, an AABR – ASD association may be of interest to EHDI programs.

Methods: State EHDI data for 29,350 children born in Maine between 2003 and 2005 were linked with education records, including special education status, for the 2010/2011 and 2013/2014 school years.

Results: Children who did not pass their …

Rural Transportation Conference Participants’ Opinions And Concerns Pertaining To Transit For Older Adults, James W. Mjelde, Rebekka M. Dudensing, Geoffrey Battista, Jonathan Brooks, Maria Carrillo, Blane Counsil, Anil Giri, Man-Keun Kim, V. Dimitra Pyrialakou

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Mobility remains a vital part of the well-being of rural-living, older adults and transportation disadvantaged persons. This study seeks to identify research and policy needs related to rural transit for older people and the transportation disadvantaged. To obtain this goal, the multidisciplinary study team conducted two activities as part of a 2016 rural transportation conference: a survey of conference attendees and open discussion to elicit additional information. Results suggest the attendees felt the need for rural transit for older adults would continue to increase with public and private funding being critical issues. Respondents had similar opinions about challenges and opportunities …

Mental Health And Weather Extremes In A Southeastern U.S. City: Exploring Group Differences By Race, Lisa Reyes Mason, Bonita B. Sharma, Jayme E. Walters, Christine C. Ekenga

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The connection between mental health and weather extremes is a public health concern, but less studied to date than physical health. This exploratory study examines the mental health impacts of two kinds of weather extremes increasingly linked to climate change—summer heat waves and extreme winter weather—in a low-to middle-income population in the Southeastern U.S. The distribution of mental health impacts, and potential pathways to them, are examined with a focus on race. Data are from a random-sample survey of 426 participants and are analyzed with bivariate statistics and path analysis. Self-reported mental health impacts, in both seasons, were common in …

Utah State University Commencement, 2020 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

133rd Annual Commencement of Utah State University

Why Is My Heart Beating So Fast? Librarian Experiences With Teaching Anxiety, Britt Fagerheim, Kacy Lundstrom

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Seduction: Male Perceptions Of Sexual Willingness, Lisa Starrett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The body of sexual assault research historically focuses on survivors, specifically female survivors. Examining male perpetrators is an important gap in the literature. Research demonstrates that men often misperceive the sexual willingness of female partners. Additionally, men predominantly react with guilt, shame, and depression when accused of sexual assault (Brennan, Swartout, Cook, & Parrot, 2018). The current study examined men’s perceptions of non-consensual dating advice as provided by a best-selling men’s dating book. We found several factors that related to higher endorsement of the non-consensual tactics, including past or present involvement in a fraternity, knowing a sexual assault perpetrator, living …