Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Role Of Pleasure In Cognitive Tasks, Nafisa Kazi Iqbal

Dissertations and Theses

The present study investigates whether the experience of a pleasant-valenced physical stimulus will positively influence performance on a cognitive task. The concept of hedonics is explored as hedonic responses, emotional reactions to stimuli involving feelings of pleasure and displeasure, play a crucial role in various psychological processes. There is a limited amount of literature regarding pleasant smell and its impact on the performance of cognitive tasks. The reported study addresses this limitation by comparing Stroop task performance of participants in two conditions, pleasant scent and neutral scent. These findings add to our understanding of the impact of pleasant smell on …

Holding The District Together With Duct Tape And Determiniation: A Study Of Superintendent Stress, Robert Orion Thompson

Dissertations and Theses

Researchers’ work found the superintendent role was increasingly complex. Superintendents experienced elevated stress, burnout, and turnover. However, the ways in which district context and coping strategies interacted to shape superintendent well-being remain insufficiently understood, particularly in rural settings. This study examined how school superintendents perceived and experienced occupational stress, the impact of that stress on their well-being and leadership, and the coping strategies they used. Notably, there was a focus on district size differentiation. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through two focus groups in the western side of a rural state with superintendents representing districts with large …

Shared Fate In Adult Romantic Relationships, Clement Antwi

Dissertations and Theses

Shared fate captures the extent to which individuals perceive their outcomes as yoked to those of their partner, serving as a proximal indicator of interdependence in romantic relationships. Although prior research has established the Shared Fate Scale as a measure of perceived interdependence, little is known about its psychometric properties over time within ongoing romantic relationships or whether it helps explain relationship quality. I examined these key questions using two longitudinal studies of adults in romantic relationships across three waves spanning approximately two years (N = 445 at Wave 1, N = 260 at Wave 2, and N = 181 …

Covid-19 Pandemic-Induced Social Isolation: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Exploration Of Age And Time, Renee Reedy

Dissertations and Theses

Lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered social functioning, creating an urgent need to understand the lived experience of isolation across life stages. This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study explored how age and time shaped social isolation during the pandemic. Sixteen participants from three-generation households—adolescents (n=5), adults (n=6), and older adults (n=5)—were interviewed approximately five years post-isolation. Recruitment occurred through ResearchMatch, and interviews were conducted between February and March 2025. Participants represented diverse racial, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, with isolation periods ranging from 27 to 426 consecutive days (¯x = 165 ± 124 days). Data analysis followed Gadamer’s hermeneutic circle …

Helpful Autism School-Based Services: Perspectives From The People That Received Services, Michael Angelo Grizzaffi

Dissertations and Theses

Transitioning high school students with autism, primarily with a level 1 diagnosis, from high school to independence in young adulthood has evidence-based practices. However, preferences of the students who are receiving services had not been considered before. This study reviews the thoughts of what prior high school students find helpful in the services they receive. Choosing individualized evidence-based practices is ideal for students. Prior high school students' experiences demonstrate the desire for more transition skills teaching. Leading special educators in the skills of some evidence-based practices is required for the individualization of these practices the students need to occur. Leading …

All She Ever Wanted Was The World: The Emergence Of Vocal Methodology, Pedagogy, And Opera Performance For Women In The Nineteenth Century, Emma Hawkinson

Dissertations and Theses

Important music methods books began to emerge in the 1750s with instrumental treatises for flute, piano, and violin. By the end of the nineteenth century, there was a multitude of treatises for a variety of instruments, including classical voice. This study investigates and analyzes the content of treatises from four individual women who performed, taught, and published vocal treatises in the nineteenth century: German Mathilde Marchesi (1821–1913), Italian Virginia Boccabadati (1828–1922), Spanish Matilde Esteban (1841–1915), and English American Clara Kathleen Rogers (1844–1931). These methods books are set in the historical context of the music industry before and during the nineteenth …

A Mixed Methods Study On Mexican American Satisfaction And Perception Of Clinical Trials, Grace Manzo

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration sets expectations on the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data. Ethnic data for Mexican Americans is often reported as “Hispanic or Latino.” Mexican Americans make up a significant percentage of “Hispanic or Latinos,” however, they remain significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. Grounded in Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory (EDT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this mixed-methods study investigates the relationship between satisfaction and perception of Mexican Americans who have participated in an ophthalmology clinical trial. This research aimed to understand the relationships among satisfaction with the clinical trial process, patient-reported outcomes, and …

Understanding The Role Of School Resource Officers In Addressing Students’ Mental Health Needs: A Phenomenological Study, Ryan Christopher Vinzant

Dissertations and Theses

Since the 1990s School Resource Officers (SROs) have been commonly employed in schools throughout the United States. However, their jobs may look very different depending on what setting they are in and the different administrative policies governing their work. Throughout this time, researchers have focused on the different roles that SROs have within the educational environment and how these roles are put into action when interacting with students. However, there have been limited studies exploring the role SROs play when interacting with students who are experiencing mental health problems or experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental health problems have become …

Effects Of Hurricane Weather Events On Perceived Stress, Academic Motivation, And Resilience In College Students From Louisiana, Courtney Renee Harrington

Dissertations and Theses

In the fall semester of 2020, five hurricanes were projected to make landfall along the coast of Louisiana. The following fall semester of 2021, Hurricane Ida, a major category 4 storm landed and wreaked havoc among Louisiana’s coastal universities. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of hurricane events on students’ perceived stress, academic performance, and resilience. It was hypothesized that students affected by the landfall of a hurricane would have increased stress, decreased academic motivation, and decreased resilience compared to normative college students. A cross-sectional survey was administered at two southern Louisiana universities as well as …

Interactional Synchrony In Mother-Infant Dyads: Developmental Changes And The Impact Of Maternal Emotion Dysregulation Over Time, Jessica Taylor Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

Infancy is a period of rapid development, while motherhood is often a time of heightened emotionality (Bjelica et al., 2018; Leclère et al., 2014). Synchrony between mother and infant is one of the earliest bonding experiences, with short- and long-term implications for the infant’s development and the mother-infant relationship (Leclère et al., 2014). However, little research has characterized developmental shifts in mother-infant synchrony. Maternal emotion dysregulation is likely to influence mother-infant synchrony (Doba et al., 2022; Lotzin et al., 2015, 2016). Yet little research has evaluated the impact of maternal emotion dysregulation on mother-infant synchrony over time. This project aims …

Information Technology Dashboard Design Research, James Myers

Dissertations and Theses

Dashboard displays in command center environments benefit from design guidelines informed by perceptual and cognitive research. This dissertation examines how spatial hierarchy and chartjunk affect knowledge retention from dashboard displays, using a mixed-methods approach that combines formative qualitative studies with controlled experiments. Three formative studies, an expert review, a heuristic analysis with three reviewers, and semi-structured interviews with IT professionals identified spatial hierarchy and chartjunk removal as the design guidelines most likely to affect dashboard comprehension. A subsequent co-creation study with IT professionals refined these findings and informed experimental stimulus development. Two experiments tested these guidelines using a dashboard knowledge …

“A Loving And Faithful Wife”: A Study Of Dakota Territory Divorce Law And Marital Expectations In The Late Nineteenth Century, Cassidy Amanda Abfalter-Dial

Dissertations and Theses

“A Loving and Faithful Wife” provides a procedural and gender-based analysis of twenty-five Dakota Territory divorce cases, from Clay County, ranging from 1867-1884. This analysis is based on an understanding of the procedural aspects of the territorial divorce court system, as well as nineteenth century gender ideologies, include the ideals of True Womanhood, and Separate Spheres. By employing a close reading method, this research analyzes the language in court filings, allegations used in complaints, and the outcome of the cases. This analysis reveals men and women used unspoken gender scripts to present their marriages to the court and attempt to …

Painted By Hand, Written In The Sky: Martin Wong’S Fingerspelling As Invented Visual Language, 1982-1985, Bella Clemente

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines Martin Wong's (1946-1999) hand-painted fingerspelling as an invented personal visual language and vehicle of self-portraiture, analyzing three paintings created during his time in New York between 1982 and 1985: Attorney Street: Handball Court with Autobiographical Poem by Piñero (1982-1984), Compulsion (1984-1985), and Stanton Near Forsyth Street (1983). Through iconographic analysis of lingual elements in each work, including fingerspelling, graffiti, calligraphy, and poetry, this thesis argues that Wong's stylized adaptation of the American Sign Language manual alphabet reflects an evolving sense of self-identity, drawing on influences from Chinese artistic traditions, calligraphy, Kufic script, and the Nuyorican poetry and …

Meconium Metal Concentrations And Infant Temperament And Development, Fiona Fogarty

Dissertations and Theses

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to metals poses significant health consequences for early childhood development. Understanding the factors influencing metal concentrations that infants are exposed to in-utero is crucial for developing targeted interventions, particularly when maternal characteristics and environmental factors, may contribute to varying levels. Meconium offers insight into in-utero exposures for the developing infant, and the effect of each individual metal may be mediated or exacerbated by another and therefore should be studied in the context of a mixture. The effect of metal mixture exposure, as measured in meconium, on milestone and temperament outcomes has yet to be determined.

DESIGN: …

Teaching Kitchen Safety Using A Modified Coach In The Kitchen Curriculum Paired With Behavioral Skills Training Procedure With Young Adults With High Functioning Autism, Ryan Michael Groeneweg

Dissertations and Theses

Few intervention studies address the needs of young adults with high‑functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they transition toward adulthood. This study used a single‑subject multiple‑baseline design across participants and skills to evaluate the effects of a modified Coach in the Kitchen curriculum paired with Behavioral Skills Training (BST) on the acquisition of kitchen safety behaviors. Three adults with high‑functioning autism were taught task‑analyzed steps for safe use of a kitchen peeler, knife, and hot liquids. Instruction incorporated modeling, rehearsal, feedback, prompting, and strategies for generalization and maintenance. Performance was measured as the percentage of safety steps correctly completed during …

Exploring K-2 Teachers’ Perspectives Around Screen Time In Blended Learning Classrooms, Cameryn Lee Ronspies

Dissertations and Theses

The integration of digital technologies in primary education has transformed instructional practices, yet the use of screen time in K-2 classrooms remains a debated issue. While prior research has examined the effects of screen time on children’s development and learning outcomes, little is known about how teachers themselves make decisions regarding its use in the classroom. This study explores how K-2 teachers in blended learning environments navigate the complexities of screen time. Despite debate among researchers, few policies exist to guide teachers in regulating the quality and duration of screen use, leaving teachers to make complex decisions independently. Grounded in …

Impact Of Borderline Personality Features On Menstrual Phases And Pain Perception, Morgan Maples

Dissertations and Theses

Pain is a pervasive global health concern that affects approximately one in five adults worldwide and carries substantial psychological and economic costs. Chronic and persistent pain often co-occurs with emotional dysregulation and maladaptive coping behavior, suggesting the involvement of complex biopsychosocial mechanisms including personality pathology. Specifically, borderline personality disorder (BPD) features, have been associated with altered pain perception, increased emotional reactivity, and higher engagement in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Further, hormonal fluctuations across menstrual cycle phases have been linked to variability in pain sensitivity, though findings remain inconsistent. Despite the growing body of literature on pain and personality, little is known …

Perceived Discrimination And Posttraumatic Stress In People Of Color: The Moderating Role Of Ethnic-Racial Identity And Psychological Flexibility, Jacinta O. Anyanwu

Dissertations and Theses

Perceived discrimination is highly prevalent among people of color (POC) and is strongly associated with elevated posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) severity, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors. Guided by the minority stress model, this study examined whether two resilience factors - ethnic racial identity and psychological flexibility moderated the association between everyday discrimination and PTSS in a trauma exposed adult sample of POC. Participants (N = 355) were recruited through Prolific, an online crowdsource platform, and completed self report measures assessing discrimination, PTSS severity, ethnic racial identity, and psychological flexibility. Everyday discrimination was a robust predictor of PTSS severity across …

Mad Or Uncontrollable? Reading Female Madness In Three Gothic Texts, Amy Marie Bueno

Dissertations and Theses

My thesis employs comparative close reading framed by disability studies to analyze representations of female madness in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, and Isabel Allende’s “If You Touched My Heart.” Drawing on theories of socially constructed disability, it argues that Bertha, Antoinette, and Hortensia are framed as “mad women” not through inherent pathology, but through patriarchal violence, colonial domination, and institutional power. By integrating the social model of disability with feminist theory, this thesis examines how women are rendered disabled within societies influenced by Social Darwinism and eugenic ideologies.

This thesis further incorporates Gothic theory and …

Executive Self-Management Of Reading And Writing For College Students With Adhd, Jiajie Li

Dissertations and Theses

Background. College students with ADHD often experience difficulties with self managed academic tasks, for which there are currently few specific interventions. The present study examined associations among ADHD symptom severity, executive functioning, academic achievement, and perceived helpfulness of reading- and writing-focused sessions within a cognitive-behavioral intervention for college students with ADHD. Method. N = 41 undergraduate students (Mean age = 21.32 years, SD = 2.74; 70.7% female) with ADHD were recruited into a 12-week group-based cognitive behavioral intervention for executive functioning difficulties. Two sessions were devoted to skills and strategies specific to academic tasks, Reading for Retention and Planning, Organizing, …

The Ick Factor: Explaining The Term Through Lenses Of Sexual Disgust And Avoidant Attachment Style, Maxum O'Halloran

Dissertations and Theses

The phenomenon of the “ick” has gained significant traction in the context of modern romantic relationships, particularly across social media platforms, where individuals describe trivial negative traits and habits in potential and current romantic partners. Despite their trivial nature, icks are often treated as meaningful dealbreakers, raising questions about whether they reflect genuine psychological processes or are simply a social media trend. The present study examined whether the presence of an ick influences perceptions of attractiveness and dateability, and whether individual differences in sexual disgust sensitivity and attachment style help explain icks and reactions to icks. Participants (N = 236) …

Relational Spirituality And Maternal Coping In Carceral Contexts: A Participatory Action Study Of Meaning-Making And Mental Health Among Formerly Incarcerated Mothers, Jessica Peters

Dissertations and Theses

Maternal incarceration carries significant psychological, familial, and community consequences, yet limited research centers the mental health experiences of mothers themselves. This study explored how religious and spiritual engagement shape mental health and coping among formerly incarcerated mothers using a participatory action research framework. Guided by this, small groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers in collaboration with a community-based organization. This approach prioritized lived experience and aimed to reduce barriers to participation among a population often mistrustful of research institutions. Data were analyzed thematically to identify patterns in psychological distress, coping strategies, and meaning-making. Findings revealed pervasive and …

Shared Burden, Potential Space: A Qualitative Study Of How Psychodynamic Therapists Work With Intergenerational Transmission Of Historical Trauma, Shaun J. Halper

Dissertations and Theses

The intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT) has been investigated since the 1960s, beginning with research on the descendants of Holocaust survivors. Few qualitative studies, however, have taken up how psychodynamic therapists experience their treatments with adult patients with ITT. This study uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (APA) to analyze adult ITT treatments from the perspective of psychodynamic psychotherapists. Ten licensed clinicians in the NYC tri-state area participated in semi-structured interviews, which were organized around three research aims: how clinicians conceptualized and identified ITT, what effective clinical interventions they used, and how they understood the impact of therapist-patient sameness or difference (regarding …

Title: The Impact Of Intergenerational Program Participation On First-Year Physical Therapy Students’ Beliefs, Attitudes, And Anxiety About Aging And Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Study, Catherine Staloch

Dissertations and Theses

As the aging adult population continues to grow, the utilization and need for medical services for this population are increasing. These trends have raised concerns about the impact of ageist beliefs among health care providers on the health and well-being of older adults. Physical therapists are health care providers who care for aging adults across health care settings. Given the large percentage of physical therapists who care for older adults and the known negative health implications of ageist beliefs among providers, it is imperative that educators in physical therapy programs use learning activities that positively influence students’ beliefs, attitudes, and …

The Language Of Vulnerable Narcissism: Linguistic And Thematic Patterns Among College Students, Bradly Mcginnis

Dissertations and Theses

Narcissistic personality disorder, as currently described within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), emphasizes grandiose narcissistic traits, such as a need for admiration and an inflated sense of self-importance. However, the current conceptualization of narcissistic personality disorder within the DSM-5-TR does not explicitly include vulnerable narcissistic traits. Vulnerable narcissistic traits may also be mistaken for depressive symptoms due to similarities in their presentation. The present study used a mixed-methods approach to examine linguistic differences among these constructs and explore whether patterns in language could help disentangle their overlap. Quantitative analyses examined differences in linguistic features, including …

Orexin Receptor Modulation In Amygdalar Stress Circuitry Differentiates Resilient And Vulnerable Phenotypes, Megan Marie John

Dissertations and Theses

Social stress is important for evaluating threats and resource opportunities, however, chronic exposure initiates the onset of psychological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stress responsiveness varies between individuals and sexes, resulting in disproportionate diagnoses and ineffective treatment outcomes. Enhancing therapeutic efficacy requires understanding of stress responsivity, phenotype development, and neurocircuitry modifications. Key contributors to stress responsiveness, such as threat of aggression and motivational initiation, influence the development of resilient or vulnerable phenotypes through behavioral and molecular adaptations to stress-related neurocircuitry. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a brain region associated with fear learning and integrates stress …

Heat Misers, Snow Misers, And Cognitive Misers: The 'Nukewarm' Perceptions Of Nuclear Power, Tyler Williams

Dissertations and Theses

Rising energy demand in the United States necessitates alternatives to fossil fuels, yet renewable energy sources alone are insufficient to meet this demand. Nuclear power presents a promising option but faces persistent public hesitancy. This study examines how heuristic-based biases relate to American's risk-benefit perceptions towards nuclear power. Guided by the heuristic-systematic model. Results indicate that competence and affect are related to risk-benefit perceptions, and naturalness shows no relationship with risk perceptions but does correlate with benefit perceptions. Implications highlight the importance of affect-driven communication strategies for nuclear communicators, while also underscoring the need for participatory approaches that foster trust …

Women's Social Roles And Alcohol Use Among Military-Connected Spouses, Sheila Kathleen Mccabe Nickerson

Dissertations and Theses

Increases in women's alcohol use are an intensifying public health problem in the United States, contributing to a hidden epidemic of alcohol-related mortality. Women's alcohol consumption is often not openly discussed or recognized due to social stigma, the perception that women drink less than men, and the fact that women can experience negative health consequences from lower levels of alcohol consumption (relative to men), making the issue less visible than it actually is. A range of factors potentially influence women's drinking, including social roles (i.e., mother); yet, the literature is varied as to whether the combination of multiple-role demands/expectations fosters …

"I Like The Idea In Theory": Experiencing The Imperial Matrix Through Legal Gender Marker Changes And Nonbinary Disidentifications, Wynn Strange

Dissertations and Theses

Since 2018 twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have implemented administrative changes that provide a third gender option on at least one state identification document allowing nonbinary and intersex people the opportunity to select a gender marker that reflects their gender identity. This study draws from 28 interviews with agender or otherwise nonbinary people living in Maryland and California. I use queer of color and critical trans theory to consider the implications of legal gender marker changes. This research explores how social, historical, and geographical location can influence ones' awareness of, experiences with, and relation to real and imagined …

Medicaid Funding And Health-Related Social Needs: A Policy Analysis, Passion Ilea

Dissertations and Theses

The U.S. has disproportionately high health care spending compared to other high-income nations and comparatively poor health outcomes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have recently increased emphasis on addressing Medicaid member social needs. CMS believes addressing health-related social needs (HRSN) may reduce costs and improve health outcomes for Medicaid members. CMS has begun to test theories regarding the impact of member HRSN on health care by designing federal mechanisms to address HRSN, such as in lieu of services and settings-funded services, and by encouraging state Medicaid programs to develop their own approaches, such as Flexible Services. Information …