Digital Commons Network^™

Personality Dimensions Of Male And Female Law Enforcement Recruits Related To Academy Success, Chantel Duda

Honors Theses

Research has found that male and female law enforcement recruits complete academy training at different rates, with female recruits typically completing at lower rates than male recruits. While the literature on the topic demonstrates a variety of training characteristics that explain some of the difference, it is possible that typical personality differences between men and women play a role in some of the unexplained disparities in academy passing rates. This study attempted to discern differences between personality characteristics among male and female academy recruits using survey data from two major metropolitan law enforcement academies. It was hypothesized that male cadets …

More Than An Athlete: A Qualitative Analysis Of How Student-Athletes Develop Self-Authorship Through Their Experiences In Athletics, Haley Kate Webb

Honors Theses

Within the context of the newly instituted NCAA Name, Image and Likeness legislation, student-athletes are able to profit from their personal brands. This legislation presents newfound exposure to student-athletes. In order to assess the preparedness of student-athletes to benefit monetarily from their personal brands, an analysis of student-athlete development provides beneficial insight regarding their cognitive development. Using self-authorship theory as a guide, this qualitative research used long interviews to explore how student-athletes are developing their identities through their journeys with athletics. The research analyzes the lived experiences told by five athletes from a medium-sized faith-based NCAA Division II university. The …

Unpacking Political Identity In First-Time Voting Christian Women: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Mary Grace Golden

Honors Theses

As political science tends to focus on polling and statistical analysis to examine individuals’ voting behaviors, the reasoning behind constituents’ decision-making process is often left in the dark. This is particularly true in first-time voting women who come from religious backgrounds that uphold complementarian gender values. This study focuses on the following research questions: How do women experience their political identity in relation to their gender identity? How do women experience their political identity in relation to their religious or faith identity? How do women experience their political identity in relation to voting for the first time? I answer these …

The Transfer Of Motor Skill Practice To The Game: A Review Of Transfer Of Learning Theory And Applications, Silver Dawson

Honors Theses

Abstract

Transfer of learning from practice to competition is a prevalent issue that needs the assistance of professionals in motor behavior and coaching education. This review provides a theoretical and applied overview of transfer of learning and practice design. Lacking the appropriate knowledge and skillset to create an effective practice design does not have to be common for coaches. Athletes and coaches need more evidence of transfer of learning behind their practice design and assessment. This research review gives support to theories and concepts like Fitts and Posner's stages of learning, specificity of learning, schema theory, verbal cues augmented feedback, …

Covid-19: Coping Strategies Predicting Mental Health Outcomes, Crystal Lim

Honors Theses

The rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths caused are increasing. Studies have been reporting the inclining rate of psychological distress during the pandemic, which calls for attention to how the pandemic has impacted mental health outcomes. Coping strategies are helpful when it comes to predicting mental health outcomes. However, limited studies looked at coping strategies predicting mental health outcomes longitudinally. The study hypothesized that psychological distress would decrease during mid-pandemic and adaptive coping strategies such as active coping, acceptance, positive reframing, instrumental support, emotional support, religion, humor, and planning decrease psychological distress while maladaptive included denial and venting, behavioral disengagements, …

"Incorporating Behavior Analysis To Address Risk Factors For Obesity", Fawzia Khan

Honors Theses

There is a rising prevalence for obesity in the United States. Obesity is associated with health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and other health complications including worsened mental health. Because of this, it is important to look for effective solutions to address risk factors, such as overeating and a sedentary lifestyle, that are associated with obesity. Applied behavior analysis, the application of learning principles to socially significant issues, has potential in addressing factors that lead to obesity. Functional analysis and the antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) model can help explain “cause and effect” relationships between environment and behavior and why and how …

Digital Pulpit: A Thematic Analysis Of Evangelical Leaders’ Statements On Twitter In The Two Weeks Following The January 6 Capitol Riot, Everett Belle Kirkman

Honors Theses

White evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. According to the Pew Research Center, 81% voted for him. That support baffled pundits at first but held up throughout his presidency. By the time the 2020 election season was ramping up, White evangelicals who supported Trump held more tightly to their beliefs, many taking to social media to convey their opinions. Since the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, over 600 outspoken Trump supporters have been arrested and charged for inciting violence in dispute of election results. This research is a thematic content analysis of the statements …

A Literature Review Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Brindlea Peterson

Honors Theses

Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) usually sustained from an injury to the head and are hard to diagnose due to the lack of physical evidence seen in diagnostic radiology. The estimated worldwide rate of incidence each year is 42 million, making mTBIs rather common. In the US armed forces, that rate of incidence is even higher due to the dangerous nature of the work being done. Many complications can come from not properly addressing an mTBI after it happens which makes being able to determine an appropriate return-to-play or return-to-duty time very …

Pragmatic Deficits In Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Paige Kessler

Honors Theses

Background: Most studies have found pragmatic language skills to be poorer in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) populations, but there is no conclusive evidence.

Aim: Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis of pragmatic language abilities in ADHD populations to more definitively demonstrate the extent of pragmatic language deficits in these populations as compared to typically developing (TD) populations.

Methods and procedures: Journal articles were identified using the search terms ((attention deficit) OR (adhd)) AND (pragmatics). Identified studies were screened and reviewed for inclusion criteria, descriptive information, and outcome variables. A meta-analysis was conducted, and individual effect sizes and overall effect size …

A Review Of Remote Work Evaluation Approaches, Rebecca Allen

Honors Theses

With the introduction of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many United States workers were involuntarily placed in remote working conditions. As a result, it is imperative to understand the varying effects of remote working conditions on employee and organizational performance. Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Management are two specializations within the field of psychology that recognize the need for understanding these conditions. These two fields hold distinctly different theoretical approaches and as such evaluate the effects of remote work in different ways. Understanding the difference between these assessments is essential for identifying where each journal type may fall short in …

An Investigation Of Chronic Pain As A Much-Neglected Symptom Of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Sydney Collins

Honors Theses

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a group of heritable loose connective tissue disorders with 13 distinguished subtypes. The hypermobile type of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is the most common subtype and is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to defective collagen fibrils. This leads to joint instability and hypermobility, skin elasticity, widespread pain, fatigue, and generalized tissue fragility. Chronic pain is reported to be a symptom in as high as 92% of the hEDS population (Voermans et al., 2010); despite this prevalence, there is a significant lack of research, awareness, and treatment standardization regarding pain in hEDS. This literature review …

Barriers Of Bronson School Of Nursing Program, Karla Kline

Honors Theses

Aside from the rigorous coursework of nursing school, nursing students experience various barriers that impact their academic success. Barriers to successful completion of traditional Bachelor of Science of Nursing (BSN) programs include isolation, lack of peer connections, lack of faculty connections, lack of family support, lack of financial support, and mental health struggles (Shaw, 2015) (Seal & Woods, 2021). This research will aim at assessing and exploring these barriers students are facing, along with the additional or exacerbated barriers the COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced.

This study will expand on the research conducted by Shaw (2015), in which she examined the …

The Impact Of Trauma On Parenting Experiences Of Refugees, Mili Menon-Perez

Honors Theses

The importance of understanding trauma amongst refugees and providing trauma-informed care continues to grow as the number of refugees in the United States steadily increases. Despite the necessity of providing trauma-informed services to this population, a limited number of studies have explored the impact of trauma on this population and how to improve case management. This literature review aims to analyze the relationship between trauma and parenting experiences of refugees within the United States. It also aims to explore the impact of trauma on parenting experiences within this population and how social workers can best provide trauma-informed and culturally competent …

Eyewitness Identification, Alley Chan

Honors Theses

Eyewitness identification often plays a crucial role in the criminal justice system. It can be used to make an arrest, both exonerate and convict suspects, fuel police interrogation, and influence a plea bargaining decision. In the meantime, eyewitness misidentification has contributed to approximately 69% of the wrongful convictions, making it the leading factor in wrongful convictions nationwide. Hence, the central question that will be explored in this thesis is: Why eyewitness testimony is so powerful despite it is prone to error? To answer this question, this thesis will examine the role of eyewitness identification played in the criminal justice system …

Potential Effects Of Animatronic Pet Ownership In College Students, Bayleigh Burling

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Diagnosing A Princess: How Portrayals Of Mental Illness In Disney Princesses May Influence Children, Hannah Tanner

Honors Theses

Disney Princess movies tend to be one of the most popular movie series for children. Not only are they popular movies, but children often believe that the characters are people, and may model their own behaviors after them. Children learn through mimicking or witnessing behaviors of others, and this effect can be greater if the child feels an attachment to that person. Viewing mental illness may lead children to develop mental illness behaviors themselves. This literature analysis aims to identify abnormal behaviors portrayed by Disney Princesses and identify whether or not the behaviors meet criteria for the Princess to be …

The Comparison Of Data Collection Methods In Evaluating Drivers’ Responses To Speed Message Signs, Abigail Musser

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Music Listening And Cognitive Function, Neil Kotta

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining An Intersection Of Environmental Justice And Covid-19 Risk Assessment: A Review, Ashley Ellis

Honors Theses

This study views the risks associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as an environmental injustice issue due to the connection between existing environmental disparities and the disproportional negative impacts brought upon by the virus. The social and health determinants attributed to those environmental disparities have traditionally been evaluated as individual risk factors, an approach that fails to gauge the complexity of an environmental injustice issue. This study employs the emerging theory of intersectionality, a belief that phenomena cannot be linked to one principal cause but instead an interconnected web of influences, in order to synthesize the multitude of factors believed …

The Indirect Effect Of Childhood Trauma On Body Mass Index Through Exercise Frequency, Andreana Durham

Honors Theses

Objective: Research pertaining to Body Mass Index (BMI) and Childhood Trauma (CT) is very limited, with the main focus being on how these two variables correlate, disregarding other possible covariates. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of CT on BMI while including Exercise Frequency as a mediator of this relationship and sex as a moderator for both the direct and indirect relationships among these variables. Methods: Participants included 1,812 individuals (57.9% female and 42.1% male) who completed the Behavior Health Questionnaire, which included questions looking at exercise frequency, CT, and BMI. Results: CT was related …

“As A Father You Shall Be To Me”: Examining The Anglo-Saxon Oath In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Lord Of The Rings, Brady Kruse

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Status Motives And Social Activism, Olajuwon Olagbegi

Honors Theses

Numerous social and cultural events have resulted in increased interest and participation in social activism in the United States, stemming from mounting dissatisfaction with social inequality. Though explanations have previously included increased issue exposure and awareness due to the proliferation of digital media and increases in progressive ideology amongst the nation’s younger generation, the current study tests the hypothesis that social activism may in part be motivated by interest in status acquisition, given the evolutionary value of status for securing access to resources and mates. To test this hypothesis, participants were randomly assigned to a status versus control priming condition …

Terror Tactics: Vehicular Attacks In Israel, Garrett Smith

Honors Theses

Vehicular ramming attacks are a relatively new phenomenon within transnational terrorism. Their use is concentrated heavily within Israel and the West Bank. Using data from the University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database, I conduct an analysis of automobilebased terrorist attacks in Israel and the West Bank. I identify examine the relationship between Israeli counterterrorism policy, specifically the institution of barriers to physical movement, and the adoption of vehicle ramming tactics. These walls and checkpoints inadvertently provoke vehicle ramming attacks, even if effective at reducing firearm and explosive-based attacks. Exploration of existing literature on terrorist tactic selection suggests that vehicular attacks …

Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 Restrictions On The Perinatal Experience In Mississippi, Baylee Grimsley

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to assess how COVID-19 restrictions affected the perinatal experience of women in Mississippi. A flyer detailing the purpose and inclusion criteria of the study was sent via social media platforms. Five postpartum women from the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area participated in this study. Eight open-ended questions were asked in an interview format, and a seven-question demographic survey was given to each participant at the conclusion of the interview. Five restrictions related to COVID-19 were identified: visitor restrictions in the hospital, mask requirements in healthcare facilities, screening of patients upon admission to the Labor and Delivery …

Why Searle's Objection To Twin Earth Is Problematic, Paul F. Scheeler

Honors Theses

The philosopher John Searle wrote that, “The fundamental question in the philosophy of language has always been: How does language relate to reality?” For much of history, people assumed the answer to this question was “the mind”, and the debate was then about how the mind related language to reality. Starting in the 1970s, this view was challenged by the philosopher Hilary Putnam and others who claimed that meaning is not only in the mind but also involved the environment (a view known as semantic externalism). In this paper, I will give some background to Putnam’s semantic externalism and will …

The Combined Influences Of Race, Sexuality, And Gender On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Courtney House

Honors Theses

The current research examines the perceptions of sexual harassment based on the influence of the victim’s gender, and the race of both the victim and the perpetrator, and perceiver’s feminist beliefs. By using vignettes (a brief description of an event), we manipulated a) the gender of the victim (man or woman), b) the race of the victim (POC or white), and c) the race of the perpetrator (POC or white). Our hypotheses were as follows: a) vignettes depicting same-sex harassment will be less in line with the definition of sexual harassment; b) vignettes portraying the victim as a woman of …

Effects Of Gender And Sexual Orientation On Perceptions Of The Bereaved, John Dickinson

Honors Theses

The loss of a spouse is different for everyone who experiences it. There is no universal pattern for bereavement, and there is a wide variation in what is considered normal or healthy grieving (Hooyman & Kramer, 2010). Researchers have found that spousal bereavement is associated with increased risk of mortality, decrements in physical health, and diverse psychological reactions; some experience ongoing, disabling levels of stress, some experience symptoms that gradually decrease over time, and many experience little to no interference (Bonanno et al. 2004; Stroebe et al., 2007). The loss of a spouse or romantic partner affects most individuals at …

“A Penny For Your Thoughts:” Developing An Adapted Stimulus Reward Association – Stroop Task To Assess The Impact Of Individual Difference Factors On Cognitive Control, Mia Melone

Honors Theses

Limited studies have examined the effect of feedback sensitivity and intrinsic motivation on cognitive performance. The present study serves as a pilot project for a study at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga that examines the modulating role of external, monetary reward incentives and cognitive intrinsic motivation on cognitive control. For the present study, the relationship among cognitive performance outcomes (reaction time and accuracy) on an adapted Stimulus Reward Association Stroop Task will be explored. Two main hypotheses were tested in the present study: H1 Reaction time on congruent trials will be significantly faster than reaction time on incongruent trials. …

Test Transferability Of 3d-Mot Training On Soccer Specific Parameters, Micaela Dusseault

Honors Theses

Objective: The benefits of perceptual-cognitive training in elite level athletes has recently been investigated in multiple sports such as basketball, soccer, and archery, but conclusive evidence proving test transferability of 3D-MOT training is lacking. The purpose of this research is to examine the transferability of perceptual-cognitive training to on-field soccer performance parameters. Participants: NCAA Division I women’s soccer players (n=22) between the ages of 18-25 who were placed into either the experimental group (n=10) or control group (n=12). After baseline testing for both groups to determine visual tracking speed (VTS), the experimental group completed 10 3D-MOT training sessions with NeuroTracker …

Item-Specific And Relational Encoding, But Not Warnings, Are Effective At Reducing The Illusion Of Competence, Emily Cates

Honors Theses

Metamemory, or the ability to understand the capacities of one’s own memory, is an important part of the learning process. One method for assessing metamemory is through the Judgment of Learning (JOL) task in which participants are asked to judge the likelihood of correctly remembering a target word in a cue-target word pair when only presented with a cue word at test. The associative direction of the cue-target pair has been shown to affect the accuracy of JOLs. Unlike forward pairs (e.g., credit-card), in which JOLs accurately predict recall, an illusion of competence has been reported for backward associates (e.g., …