Digital Commons Network^™

Using Video Modeling To Teach Functional Direction Following, Breanna Burns

Honors Theses

Many children with developmental disabilities have a hard time learning skills, such as following directions, in a small group setting. Video modeling has been shown as an effective way to teach certain skills to children with autism and other developmental disabilities (Nikopoulos & Keenan, 2004; Wu, Cannella-malone, Wheaton et al, 2016). Little research has been done on using video modeling to teach functional directions. Generalizing direction following skills to appropriate contexts is important for children to be successful in the many environments they encounter in a typical school setting. The purpose of this project was to teach functional direction following …

Increasing Vocalization And Echoic Stimulus Control, Logan Wurster

Honors Theses

Deficits in verbal behavior can be harmful to children’s growth and development of other crucial skills and can also increase problem behavior (Eldevik, Eikeseth, Jahr, & Smith, 2006; Charman, Magiati, & Howlin, 2007; Cividini-Motta, 2014). Results from previous research show that vocal imitation training, stimulus-stimulus pairing, rapid motor imitation, and mand-model approaches have been successful in teaching echoic behavior. However, there is little evidence to show that these methods are successful for children who are making little to no verbal responses. (Carroll & Klatts, 2008; Bennett & Yoon, 2000; Greer & Ross, 2003; & Hawkins & Schuster, 2007). The purpose …

Culture Of Gentleness: A Behavioral Approach, Stevie Parcell

Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explain the fundamentals of an ideological framework for caregivers providing services to people with disabilities called a Culture of Gentleness. The material is traditionally taught within the two-day Working with People training, and the efforts to spread this theory is headed by the Center for Positive Living Supports located in Clinton Township, Michigan. The material is then analyzed through a behavior analytic perspective. Each segment of the initial training will be discussed through both a Culture of Gentleness and behavioral perspective, rooted in Applied Behavior Analysis. Although established in the practice of Positive …

Teaching A Scanning Response To A Child With Autism, Katherine Burnham

Honors Theses

Children with autism have been known to exhibit abnormal scanning responses, or lack them entirely, as shown by the results of various studies (Sasson et al., 2008; Landry & Bryson, 2004). Studies have indicated that scanning may be a behavioral cusp and the lack of a normal scanning response in children with autism may be inhibiting the acquisition of many other subsequent skills (Bosch & Fuqua, 2001). By implementing an intervention to teach the scanning response, it was hypothesized that our participants would develop the prerequisite scanning skill, and therefore performance on a matching-to-sample procedure would improve. Through a basic …

How To Plan, Budget, Write, And Implement A Student Sustainability Grant, Annalisa Wilder

Honors Theses

The Student Sustainability Grant program was created to give students valuable grant writing experience and to promote a culture of sustainability on Western Michigan University’s campus. Despite the enormous opportunity that this program provides, few students apply for the grants with their sustainable ideas. Even fewer students are able to fully complete the projects, research, and initiatives that receive funding. In order to help increase the number of grants that are fully implemented and to provide students interested in writing a grant with a useful resource, this guide was created. This ‘how-to manual’ provides an undergraduate student’s perspective on the …

The Effectiveness Of Music Therapy To Reduce Agitation Among Persons With Alzheimer’S Disease, Caroline Mazon

Honors Theses

According to the Alzheimer’s Association (2016), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is diagnosed every 66 seconds resulting in this disease being the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States. Among other signs and symptoms, agitation is one of the most challenging symptoms that patients and caregivers must try to control using nonpharmacological therapies or prescribed pharmacological treatments. Among many professions, music therapy has been used to specifically lower the levels of agitation in AD patients. Live music, “sing a long’s”, using instruments, and listening to a song of the patients’ choice have all been shown to reduce agitation behaviors …

Therapeutic Benefits Of Certified Canines For Veterans With War-Related Trauma Disorders, Erin Caspers

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Dog Breed Discrimination In Criminology And Public Knowledge, Megan Ekkert

Honors Theses

Animal abuse is never an easy topic for people to discuss. Until recently, animal abuse was only considered a misdemeanor charge under the law, but now it can be considered a felony charge. While that should be good news for animals, there are still a lot of questions when it comes to animal abuse. Breed discrimination is a topic of animal abuse that is largely ignored in criminology. This topic brings about several questions. Should breed discrimination be a topic studied more in criminology and why? What is the current view of breed discrimination by the community? Are certain behaviors, …

Therapeutic Benefits Of Certified Canines For Veterans With War-Related Trauma Disorders, Smith Lauren

Honors Theses

Veterans and their service dogs share a special relationship that is not only a friendship but a working relationship as well. They each give each other something that they cannot get on their own. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the relationship between veterans and their service dogs and the emotional and physical support provided. A review of the literature, combined with systematic interviews of combat veterans led to an initial understanding of the relationship between a veteran and a service dog and the benefits and risks associated with this special connection.

Identity Development In Korean-American Adoptees: A Content Analysis Of Personal Reflections, Charles Rachor

Honors Theses

This paper examines Korean-American Adoptees and their identity development through a content analysis of online comments concerning four major themes: Parents and Parenting, Siblings, Self-identity, and Current Events. Using two Facebook groups consisting exclusively of adoptees, examinations were made of positive, neutral, and negative replies to posts about the themes. The findings from this analysis lend credence to previous studies about self-identity, some of the influential factors, and the struggles faced in achieving levels of comfort expressing multiple racial and cultural identities.

Perceived Sources Of Academic Stress In The Nursing Program, Iana Fontanilla

Honors Theses

University students in health disciplines face many different sources of stress and challenges during their experience in their individual programs. However, a study shows that baccalaureate nursing students experience higher levels of stress as well as higher levels of physiological and psychological symptoms than students in other health-related disciplines (Beck et al., 1997). In order to create interventions to improve student performance and self-efficacy in the nursing program, both the professors and students in the program must understand the most significant stressors that can negatively impact the overall performance of the nursing students.

A survey was conducted to identify the …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Texas A&M University -Commerce Students Toward Vegetable Gardening, Emily K. Lawrence

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Media Multitasking In Relation To Cognition And Socioemotional Well-Being: A Literature Review, Kaitlyn May

Honors Theses

With the rapid expansion of media use by children and adults, media multitasking (engaging in more than one media activity at a time) has rapidly become a lifestyle for American youth (Roberts, Foehr, & Rideout, 2005). The aim of this systematic review is to examine the cognitive and socio-emotional impacts of media multitasking (MMT). This review analyzed 59 articles from 2006 to 2016 that investigated MMT across a range of ages, including pre-adolescents to adults, although primarily focused on college-aged students. Concerning academic and cognitive skills, media multitasking is detrimental to the learning of both those multitasking and other classroom …

A Comparative Study Of Perspectives In Musical Structural Features And Emotional Stimuli, Cibele Maia Burke

Honors Theses

Music psychology has become increasingly popular in music research given the ability of music to evoke strong emotions. However, there are not many studies that have investigated the mechanisms that induce these emotions. One of the characteristics of recognized composers in Western Art Music is their ability to manipulate musical devices in a way that will evoke an emotional state within the listener. This study looks into theories and perspectives regarding the influence of music upon emotions (such as the Doctrine of ethos) while analyzing certain musical structural features and their impact on emotional expression. By comparing musical works and …

Assessing Electronic Voice Phenomena Through Speech Science, Cassie C. Axtell

Honors Theses

Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) are unexplained voices captured on audio recording, allegedly paranormal in nature (Buckner & Buckner, 2012). Little research exists on listener’s perception of EVPs to date. The field of speech science involves the study of the production, transmission, and perception of human speech. Many concrete elements from the study of speech science have the potential to be applied to the interpretation of EVP content. Several works of literature were reviewed to assess current EVP analysis practices Interviews were conducted with various paranormal investigation societies across the nation to gather information on the general practices involved in EVP …

Science And Literature: An Exploration Through A Shared Language, Maura D. Stovall

Honors Theses

Science and fiction are often deemed opposing forces, incompatible “languages” and “cultures.” Science is the realm of fact and reality while fiction is mere fantasy, useless to the rational mind. Yet, the works of Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Aldous Huxley, H.G. Wells, and numerous others continue to stand the test of time even as scientific knowledge and understanding broaden. Science and fiction, science and literature, are so often thought of as separate, irreconcilable entities and yet science fiction enraptures and intrigues. Science fiction is the playground of science. Where science has not yet or cannot dare to go, science fiction …

Student Loans And Their Effect On Parental Views Of Education Financing, Jose Angel Nunez

Honors Theses

Using the 2012 wave National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, this study examines the effect that parents' student debt have on their decision to use tax advantage education vehicles to save for their children's college. We also examine parental decisions on obtaining student loans on behalf of their children. The results show that parents who report having student loans are 61% less likely than those that report no student loan debt to use tax-advantaged education saving vehicles. However, we find no difference in the effect of having student loans on the decision to obtain debt to fund their children's college …

Young Adult Fiction: Inside The Mirror Image, Paige Christin Flannelly

Honors Theses

Identity and image-of-self are concepts intertwined throughout the pages of Young Adult Fiction Literature. Characters in Young Adult Fiction interact with their surroundings and as a result form an identity based on these interactions. Research has shown how young adults respond to the feedback of their surroundings whether embodied by other characters or their environment. The way in which identity and the image characters see in the mirror are formed is directly related to the interactions characters experience in their daily lives. Interactions with landscapes, peers, illness, grief, and parents are the specific interactions discussed in this thesis. The novels …

Ambiguous Pleasure(Ers): Negotiating The Bodies Of Falstaff And Moll, Lauren Van Atta

Honors Theses

The British Early Modern Period was a time of shifting social ideologies where class as well as gender were mapped onto bodies and embedded in the very material conditions of life. But class and gender were not discreet categories with dichotomous definitions like ‘male’ and ‘female’, or ‘nobility’ and ‘peasant’. They had many inbetweens, and the theater was perhaps the most glaring inbetween of all. The theater necessarily complicates definitions and ways of viewing bodies as no body is what they seem. And at the heart of these ambiguous identities lay the fat body. It is consumptive, it is transgressive, …

Suicidality And Depression Of Those Raised In Kincare, Theresa Fitchie

Honors Theses

The rate of children who are raised in kincare (that is, by a non-parental relative), has steadily been on the rise. Past studies have indicated that this group of individuals are at an increased risk of mental health problems, such as suicidality and depression, and are often at a financial disadvantage and are overlooked for federal aid. The current study examines the suicidality and depressive symptoms of adults who were raised in kincare, compared to their peers. The participants were given the revised Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire (SBQ-R) to assess suicidality, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to assess depressive symptoms, a …

Undergraduate Men's Perceptions Of Consent In College Campus Acquaintance Rape, M. Colleen Mcdaniel

Honors Theses

One in five women on college campuses have experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2015). About 98% of sexual violence perpetrators are men (Greenfield, 1997). The present study seeks to examine whether a range of individual difference characteristics, including endorsement of masculine gender norms, endorsement of modern myths about sexual assault, and self-reported sexual behavior, predict participants’ evaluations of a hypothetical acquaintance rape scenario. One hundred fifty college men completed a survey consisting of the Male Role Norm Inventory (MRNI), followed by the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) and the Sexual …

You Have The Right To…What? A Study Of Knowledge Of Americans’ Rights In Criminal Proceedings, Anna Marchiony

Honors Theses

An exploratory questionnaire was developed to assess participants’ knowledge of American rights during criminal proceedings, their confidence in that knowledge, and whether their experiences, professional or recreational, are associated with that knowledge. Questionnaire items covered topics such as Bill of Rights, Miranda Rights, Interviews and Interrogations, Rights During Trial, and Post-Conviction Rights. Demographic variables assessed field of study/employment, encounters with the Criminal Justice System, and viewership of crime-based television shows. Responses were analyzed in an attempt to find patterns in knowledge. Results showed that participants were most knowledgeable regarding the Bill of Rights, rights during a criminal trial, and post-conviction …

Effects Of Playing Computerized Versus Tactile Learning Games On Preschoolers’ Attention Skills And Comprehension: A Pilot Study, Samantha Malick

Honors Theses

The ability to attend to relevant information and resist attention to distractors is important for children’s cognitive development. Much has been written in the news about the impact of electronic media on children’s development of attention skills, but little research has been done explicitly comparing children’s attention to relevant information and resistance to distractions across activities that are presented as either a computerized or tactile learning game. The goal of this study is to compare levels of attention and distraction among preschool-aged children while they engage in a common childhood activity, playing a board game that is either presented in …

Behind The Stigma: The Impact Of Gender And College Adjustment On Attitudes Towards Mental Health Disorders, Maggie Inman

Honors Theses

The topic of stigmatization of mental health disorders and use of psychological services has been widely researched. Gender differences have been found in attitudes regarding acceptability and treatability of mental illness, with adherence to gender roles influencing these attitudes. Past research has not explored non-traditional gender roles or the influence of social factors, like college adjustment. This study tested three hypotheses: that men and women with more feminine gender roles will display more accepting attitudes, that men and women with poorer college adjustment will also display more accepting attitudes, and that the relationship between college adjustment and attitudes towards mental …

The Influence Of Women’S Self-Esteem On Mating Decision Making, Kathleen D. Golterman

Honors Theses

This research examines the extent to which a woman’s appearance self-esteem influences her mating decisions. Recent research finds that, at peak fertility, women erroneously perceive attractive, genetically fit men as more willing to commit to them and be better fathers to their potential offspring, but not to another woman or her offspring (Durante, Griskevicius, Simpson, Cantu, & Li, 2012). However, vast amounts of research find that attractive, genetically fit men adopt a short-term mating strategy where they seek to mate with many women but provide for none. The present study extends this research by examining the influence of women’s appearance …

The Possibility Of Communal Biases In Alibi Evaluation: The University Of Dayton, Norbert Wessels

Honors Theses

Considering the lack of data surrounding its influences, the current study aims to investigate the influence of identification with a geographic community on the alibi generation process. It does this by examining three questions:

• Do geographic cues allow you to identify with an alibi generator, and therefore have bearing on the evaluation of said alibi?
• Does identification with the alibi generator lead to stronger alibi evaluations?
• Do the answers to the previous two questions indicate bias?

To do this, 104 students at the University of Dayton were asked to engage in an alibi evaluation scenario that judged their opinion on …

Educating The Whole Child: Using Positive Adult Relationships To Develop Noncognitive Skills In Students Facing Adversity, Virginia A. Saurine

Honors Theses

Under-resourced children often experience multiple stressors in their everyday lives that can negatively impact their performance in schools. However, numerous research studies have shown that the most significant protective factor for under-resourced children is a caring, adult relationship. This study focuses on what needs to happen in the teacher-student relationship in order for the teacher to be that protective relationship. Building the teacher-student relationship aids all children, not just under-resourced children, in developing the academic, social and emotional skills necessary to be successful in the classroom. Development and presence of academic perseverance and an academic mindset of students are the …

Challenging The Postwar Narrative: The Art And Agenda Of Boris Lurie, Kiersten Signe Remster

Honors Theses

Art history is shaped, studied, and taught based on narratives, artistic movements, and the biographies of celebrated artists. While contributing to an understanding of prevalent traditions and artists working in those traditions, these narratives are also constructions of inclusion and exclusion that establish art historical placement for certain artists while relegating others to historical obscurity. It is clear what happens to the critical fortunes of artists who are placed within these narratives. Yet what happens to the artists who do not fit within any of the categories established by these constructions? Are they then to be understood as simply minor …

The Seventh Party System? Social Homophily And The Reemergence Of Culturally-Based Political Coalitions, Tony Laudadio

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the growth of polarization in American politics and society as a result of social homophily. In recent years, social scientists have documented the increase in polarization, but their work has tended to view party identification and ideological rigidity as something to be explained in the context of policy battles and not as an independent variable that drives other areas of political and social life. My main thesis in this project is that social self-segregation has turned partisanship into a larger part of a person's identity - in other words, people are not partisan because of deeply held …

Zebrafish As A Model For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Bernadette Johnson

Honors Theses

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder with limited treatment options. Molecular mechanisms that cause PTSD remain unclear due to a lack of viable animal models. Considering the behavioral similarities between zebrafish (Danio rerio) and humans, their social nature, and functional parallels between select brain regions, we hypothesized that zebrafish can demonstrate PTSD and that antioxidant treatment will prevent PTSD induction. To test this hypothesis, adult zebrafish were exposed to a traumatic event then were tested immediately and three weeks after the event. Traumatized fish exhibited non-social behavior, spending 7000 fold less time interacting with tank mates then their …