Digital Commons Network^™

Sealds: A Quantitative Content Analysis Of #Donttrashyourvote On Twitter, Viviek Patel

Honors Theses

Public relations research has slowly integrated with the study of advocacy organizations, but little research has integrated this and social movements. Using the pyramid model of mobilization-driven relationship-building social media based advocacy, this study employed a quantitative content analysis to examine the prevalence of previously identified communicative functions in social media messages by SEALDs. Unlike previous research on advocacy and health organizations, action messages were the most common. This study also investigated the influence of message type on audience engagement through retweets. The results indicate that information tweets had the most retweets. This study also analyzed how social movements recruit …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Human Uses Of Pteridophytic Species In Tennessee, Diana Sevier

Honors Theses

Pteridophytes are an ancient lineage of plants, composed of ferns and fern allies, which are spread across the globe. There is also a long record of humans using pteridophytes to their benefit, which includes the broad categories of medicine, ornamentation, food, phytoremediation, and agriculture. Understanding these concepts, the goal of this thesis was to conduct a meta-analysis which pulled together data from many resources on the 94 Tennessee pteridophyte species to create a repository of human use information, as well as to examine, analyze, and comment on the trends present within and between taxonomic groups of pteridophytes. The methods used …

A Retrospective Investigation Of Racial-Ethnic Socialization, Adeola Ijiyode

Honors Theses

Racial and ethnic socialization is the way in which parents teach their children about race and ethnicity and it occurs in all families in varying forms. Unlike many white families, those of racial minorities tend to take an approach that makes their children aware of their race and its social implications. The present research project investigated the racial-ethnic socialization methods of Americans from varying racial and ethnic backgrounds to identify similarities and differences. This research analyzed the surveys of 52 parents and 32 nonparents in order to examine generational similarities and differences of race talk. Parents of color were more …

Informational And Normative Influences In Youth Sport, Hannah Von Zup

Honors Theses

It is widely accepted that participation in youth sport has abundant benefits. These include improving overall fitness, higher self-esteem, and socialization with others. In a 2014 study on those between the ages of six to 18, 27 million reported participating in team sports, and 60 million reported participating in any form of organized athletics within the United States (DiFiore et al.). Sports are an enormous part of American society and a great pastime for viewers and players alike. Most athletes report starting their sport at an early age, and many adults claim some of their best memories are from their …

International News From Differing National Perspectives: Spanish-Speaking Newspaper Coverage Of The 2019 Venezuelan Presidential Crisis Protests, Lauren Lalonde

Honors Theses

On January 23, 2019, the streets of Venezuela became flooded with protests in response to the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, announcing his claim to the Venezuelan presidency. The protests were largely in support of his announcement, though some supported Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela since 2013. This day marked the beginning of the Venezuelan presidential crisis, which left Venezuela, and the world, debating the legitimacy of each leader. This investigation focuses on how Spanish-language news sources from three different countries reported on the protests surrounding the Venezuelan presidential crisis on January 23, 2019, and how the …

Kinesthetic Aftereffects And Anticipation Timing Of A Weighted Bat Warm-Up In Softball Players, Kylee L. Hill

Honors Theses

Abstract

It has long since been a tradition for baseball players to use weighted bats in the on-deck circle and for many sport companies to market these training aids with promises to “increase swing velocity” and “improve hand speed and strength”. Increased research in the area has indicated the potential adverse effects of weighted-bat warm up, including potential impacts on swing mechanics, bat swing velocity, and anticipation timing. Since bat swing velocity and interceptive timing are crucial elements to success in baseball and softball batting, there is a need to further investigate the effects of weighted bat warm-up. In this …

The Opioid Crisis: Implications For Western Michigan University, Kennedy Koebbe

Honors Theses

The opioid epidemic has become a national crisis in the United States of America. The area of study for this paper, is how university students ages 18-25 are affected by the opioid crisis. This thesis will include a review of current literature pertaining to the opioid epidemic. The main goal of this thesis is to educate Western Michigan University students and faculty about the nationwide opioid epidemic. A PowerPoint will be created using the structure of a professional poster. The PowerPoint will be presented in an online face-to-face browser. Commonalities in the findings are discussed throughout the presentation. These include …

Impact Of Denial Of Sexual Offenses On Sentencing And Treatment Strategies, Jenna Luallen

Honors Theses

The prevalence of sexual offenses calls for a reevaluation of how the system treats offenders and addresses indicators of risk. How an individual convicted of a sexual offense accepts or denies the assault can weigh heavily on the sanctions imposed upon them, and how the system processes the offender. Acceptance of guilt is an important goal in offender treatment programs, and denial is reportedly used as an indicator of high risk of recidivism. Deeper examination into how individuals who deny their offense are understood and processed throughout treatment aids in the identification of best practices for working with sex offender …

Delinquency In The Caribbean: Stakeholder Perceptions Of Root Causes, Laura Nolterieke

Honors Theses

There is a gap in the research on juvenile delinquency within the Caribbean context. As countries such as St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Kitts, and Nevis have growing delinquency and crime rates, there is a need to bridge this gap in the literature. This research sought to examine the main causes of juvenile delinquency within St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Kitts, and Nevis, as described by juvenile justice stakeholders, such as probation officers, prosecutors, and judges, within their respective countries. Through the use of grounded theory, the data were coded and analyzed using a constant comparison method. From these data, six themes …

The Effects Of Emotionally Appealing Messages On Perceptions About Marine Plastic Pollution: Implications For Science Communication On Social Media Outlets, Shelby Miller

Honors Theses

Marine plastic pollution (MPP) is one of the most pressing problems in the world today with many effects on ecological, economic, and social aspects of society. Global plastic production is around 322 million tons, with 10% of the world’s plastic products entering the ocean every year. Environmental campaigns use humor and shock in order to influence consumer behavior in regard to plastic products. Such approaches are important to utilize on social media in order to effectively communicate the issues posed by MPP. In this study, students and staff at the University of New Haven campus were given a survey containing …

Hiv-1 Tat Interactions With Opioids Are Modulated By Progesterone And Estradiol, Dejun Jackson

Honors Theses

HIV infection and combined substance abuse are comorbid epidemics. Previous studies show that concurrent opioid drug use may potentiate HIV-1-mediated neurotoxicity partly via interactions with opioids. Preclinical studies suggest that the HIV-1 trans-activator of transcription (Tat), an HIV regulatory protein, can synergize with opioids to exacerbate its already neurotoxic effects. However, its interactions with clinical opioids, such as oxycodone, have yet to be elucidated. Additionally, Tat disrupts a number of systems including the dopaminergic system, which contribute to its capacity to potentiate the rewarding effects of abused drugs. Although the neurotoxic effects of Tat may be inhibited by gonadal steroids …

You Were There : An Exploration And Analysis Of The Filmmaking Process, Regan Emfinger

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the process of writing, shooting, and editing my short film You Were There. My process involved scriptwriting with several revisions, shooting with a cast and crew, and editing the raw footage. This paper will not only serve as a timeline leading up to the final product of the film but also will explain the function of each artistic choice. This paper will also outline the biggest lessons I learned about fictional narratives, and discuss the successes and failures of the film as a whole. I also plan on discussing how those lessons will further my academic and …

"We Missed Our Youth": The Identity Formation Of Child Migrants, Refugees, And Jewish Children In France From 1940 To 1942, Michaela Maria Gouge Watson

Honors Theses

From 1940 – 1942, hundreds of Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Russia, and France were hidden from Nazi and Vichy French authorities in children’s homes in France. These homes were administered by the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants, a Jewish aid organization that assisted children in need during World War II. This study employs a quantitative content analysis of the testimonies of twenty Holocaust survivors who were hidden children in France between 1940 and 1942 to investigate to what extent the experience of outsider status and trauma affected these children’s personal and religious identity formation. The analysis finds that the …

Veridical And False Memory Performance As A Function Of The Timing Of High-Intensity Acute Exercise, Claire Sanderson

Honors Theses

Background: Our recent experimental work demonstrated that high-intensity acute exercise improved veridical (true) memories and also increased the rate of false memories. The present experiment was designed to re-evaluate these effects for replication purposes. We also extend this literature by evaluating whether these effects are influenced by the timing of acute exercise. Methods: The sample included young adults (N=37; M_age = 21.16 years). We employed a three-condition, within-group, counterbalanced controlled design, consisting of two exercise conditions and a control condition. The exercise conditions involved a 15-minute bout of high-intensity acute exercise. These conditions included the bout of …

Foster A Better Future: A Comparative Analysis Of Foster Care Programs For Transition-Age Foster Youth And A Recommendation For The State Of Mississippi, Caroline Glaze

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to find and evaluate different programs aimed at

supporting older youth in foster care. This population of youth could be those in

high school and extends to youth who have aged out of the foster care system.

Through the evaluation of the selected programs based on a set of characteristics,

the study provides a policy recommendation for the state of Mississippi to begin to

better the lives of Mississippi foster youth. The methodology of this study is

qualitative and literature-based. Data was gathered from websites and other

published articles of the selected programs and …

“We Got More Yesterday Than Anybody”: Child Ghosts And The National Trauma Of Anti-Black Racism In American Literature, Megan Swartzfager

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the roles of haunting in the context of racial violence in three texts: Beloved by Toni Morrison, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, and Wolf Whistle by Lewis Nordan. In each of these texts, a parent is responsible for the death of a child. In the former two texts, both by Black authors, a Black parent kills a Black child in what they believe to be a protective act in the face of violence by white people. Wolf Whistle, however, written by a white author, is animated by the ghost of a character based on Emmett Till. …

Investigating The Link Between Executive Function And Creativity In School Aged Children, Katherine Crenshaw

Honors Theses

The primary purpose of this research was to examine links between executive function (i.e., EF or conscious control) and creativity in school aged children. To accomplish this, participants completed measurements of creativity (i.e., Alternative Uses) and EF (i.e., the Backwards Digit Span to test working memory, the Delay of Gratification task to test inhibition). I also examined whether a creative manipulation (i.e., free coloring or coloring task-relevant materials) would impact EF performance in the Dimensional Card Change Sort (DCCS) focused on cognitive flexibility. While I did not find evidence for a relationship between my measures of EF and creativity, I …

Making It Make Sense: Black Undergraduate's Negotiation Of Spiritual And Lgbtq+ Christian Identities Within The Black Church, Leah Davis

Honors Theses

For Black LGBTQ+ individuals, spirituality and sexuality can often conflict as the Black community tends to be more spiritual than other demographics and historically exhibited exclusivity towards the LGBTQ+ community. This research examines how Black LGBTQ+ youth at the University of Mississippi handle the intersectionality of race, spirituality, and sexuality and makes recommendations about ways to improve the lived experiences of Black LGBQT+ Christians and to promote LGBQT+ positive attitudes within the Black church. This research study was conducted using qualitative methods with purposeful sampling. The data yielded results that discovered Black youth identify with Christianity, engage in oppositional identity …

Unplanned Pregnancy In The Mississippi Delta: Causes And Implications, Julia Grant

Honors Theses

This study seeks to understand the causes and implications of the abundance of adolescent pregnancy in the region known as the Mississippi Delta, where teenage childbearing is among the highest in the nation. To do so, this study reports and analyzes twelve interviews with young, African American, single mothers conducted by the author in the summer of 2019. This study relies on a narrative approach to research and analysis and employs the theoretical framework of Afrocentrism. As a result of the interviews, the author concludes that a blatant lack of sex education in the region is a powerful influence on …

An Assessment Of Acne, Stress, And Psychological Symptoms In College Students: A Daily Diary Study, Sarah Berry

Honors Theses

Acne is one of the most common and burdensome skin diseases in the United States. Many factors, such as stress and psychological symptoms are believed to contribute to the development and exacerbation of this skin disease, and prior research suggests a cyclic relationship between these factors and acne. College students are known to experience heightened levels of stress and psychological morbidities; yet, most of the previous research on acne and these factors have been limited to adolescents. As such, the current study aimed to assess the relationships between acne, stress, depression, and anxiety in college students over a longitudinal period …

The Effect Of Story Processing On Memory Performance, Anna Miller

Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine how recall performance following story processing compared to both survival processing and pleasantness processing. Participants were provided with a set of instructions depending on the condition they were in, narrative, survival, or pleasantness. Following this, participants rated the words one at a time, completed a brief distractor task, and then attempted to remember as many items as they could. The primary results demonstrated that narrative processing may provide a recall advantage similar to survival processing. These results suggest that similar underlying mechanisms may enhance recall in both sets of instructional conditions.

Examination Of Sleep Disturbance, Anxiety Sensitivity, And Depression In An Undergraduate Sample, Dasha Grace

Honors Theses

Sleep contributes to overall well-being, mental health, and daily functioning. Sleep disturbances negatively affect psychological, physiological, and biological processing, and the quality of sleep is similarly affected by these processes. The effects of sleep disturbance call for a greater understanding of depression and anxiety sensitivity among college students. Studies have found that sleep disturbance affects nearly 90% of the college student population. The aims of the current study were to examine: 1) types and rates of sleep disturbance among a sample of college students, 2) associations between sleep disturbance, AS, and depression symptoms, and 3) AS and depression symptoms by …

The Relationship Between Glucocorticoids And The Humoral Immune Response To Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Challenges In Eastern Bluebirds, Joshua Smith

Honors Theses

Numerous studies have examined relationships between adrenal glucocorticoids and the immune system’s ability to fight disease. The relationship can vary, with glucocorticoids having either stimulatory or inhibitory effects. The pathogenic bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) elicits an adaptive immune response in birds, in which B cells produce MG-specific antibodies to fight the infection and prevent reoccurrence. Previous research found that Eastern Bluebirds that produce the most antibodies in response to MG infection also have the highest glucocorticoid levels. This finding led to the current study investigating whether corticosterone, the primary glucocorticoid in birds, stimulates production of antibodies in response to immune …

The Future’S So Bright: A Business Plan And Market Research Analysis Of Fraze, Elizabeth Lanford

Honors Theses

This thesis is an overview of the creation and operation of Lindy and Liz, LLC dba Fraze. Fraze is an online boutique specializing in custom, beaded sunglasses. This thesis contains details of the founding, operation, and future of the business. The following business plan will give insights to marketing strategies, target audience demographics, and sourcing procedures.

Accompanying this business plan is market research relevant to the target market of Fraze. Part I details secondary research about the effects of social media on this target market and their consumption habits. It also contains insights about the products and marketing techniques most …

Preparing And Performing A Trumpet Recital, Jesse Gibens

Honors Theses

The pieces are examined based on historical context and explained based on the practice notes that I journaled and reflected upon by comparing and contrasting standard recordings of each work. This thesis is divided into nine sections that explore the pieces that are performed, as well as the instruments used to perform them. The thesis also explores my repertoire choices based on instrumentation, style, composer, and genre, as well as how to deal with the challenges of approaching a diverse program. Historical information has been taken from articles, books, and other scholarly writings produced by experts within their fields of …

The Effects Of Written Stuttering Disclosure On Young Adult's Perceptions Of Children Who Stutter, Ashlee Manahan

Honors Theses

Abstract:

Purpose: This study measured between-group differences in perceived speech skills and personality characters of a 12-year-old male child who stutters (CWS) as a function of a written factual stuttering disclosure statement, delivered by a male CWS, his “mother”, and his “teacher”.

Methods: Four-hundred twenty-four college aged adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The groups included three experimental groups (i.e. written self-disclosure, written mother-disclosure, written teacher disclosure) and a control group (no written disclosure). Participants in the control condition viewed a brief video of a 12-year-old male who stutters. In the experimental conditions, participants viewed a brief …

Analyzing Perceptions Of University Of Mississippi Pre-Health Students Regarding The Effectiveness Of Medical Interpretation Options, Elizabeth Statham

Honors Theses

This study investigates the perceptions of pre-health students regarding which clinical interpretation options are most effective, while also assessing their personal proficiencies of the Spanish language. Information obtained from the research survey provides a basis of research that may aid in assessing trends of interpretation services, allowing for improvements to be made to these services prior to the influx of Hispanic/Latino residents into Mississippi. This investigation is entirely conducted at the University of Mississippi and includes the ideas of undergraduate pre-medical students, pre-pharmacy students, pre-PA (physician’s assistant) students, pre-PT (physical therapy) students, pre-speech therapy students, and pre-nursing students. After 61 …

More Than A Language: A Detailed Look At The English Major, Hannah Woods

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the perceptions of the English Major in order to come up with suggestions for the Univeristy of Mississippi English Department with the purpose of increasing enrollment in the English Program. The last decade has seen a large decrease in the number of English Majors throughout the country, and this decrease has been reflected in the University of Mississippi. This thesis looks at recent opinions of the English Major in society, including popular criticisms of the major and responces from the English community. It was found that the two main criticisms of the English Major are that graduates …

A Validation Of The Claremont Purpose Scale (Cps) Within An Emerging Adult Population, Lillie Grace Veazey

Honors Theses

Having a strong sense of purpose in life leads individuals to have a better overall sense of well-being. Better physical, mental, and emotional outcomes are seen when purpose in life is acknowledged, sought after, and achieved. The Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) was developed to measure three dimensions of purpose with adolescents. The aim of the present study was to examine the validity of the CPS for use with emerging adults, a population that has not been included in the previous study validating the CPS. It was hypothesized that (1) the CPS will have a three-factor structure, (2) all three factors …

Is Fitspiration Truly An Inspiration? How Social Media Accounts Dedicated To Fitness And Nutrition Affect Physical Activity Levels And Body Image Among College Students, Anna Bowles

Honors Theses

Fitspiration accounts on social media are established to influence those that view or follow them to live a healthier lifestyle. However, just because these accounts are being viewed does not mean that the individuals are following the advice of these influencers. The purpose of this study is to gather data on how physical activity levels and body image are affected by the use, or knowledge of “fitspiration,” or inspiration on fitness and nutrition, accounts on social media among students at the University of Mississippi. The participants were 361 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 at the University …