Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of Treatment Acceptability, Self-Efficacy, And Feasibility Of Interventions Delivered Through Different Modes Of Communication, Ashley Phillips

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Self Management: Overcoming Barriers To Success, Jazmyn Souryamat

Honors Theses

Individuals with an autism spectrum diagnosis often have a social-skills deficit that may include the tendency to avoid eye contact. In addition, they may have sensory issues and become easily overwhelmed by excessive sensory stimuli. Self-management is a treatment that has been found to enhance the quality of life for individuals with or without an autism spectrum diagnosis. It has been helpful in treating procrastination, used to increase physical activity, lower caloric intake, and increase independence. In this study, self-management treatments were used to increase instances of appropriate social responding and to decrease behaviors that posed a barrier to personal, …

Cross Cultural Study Of Food And Consumer Packaged Good Products In A New Market: Case Study In Thailand, Savanna Everett

Honors Theses

This study examines whether there are differences in consumers’ shopping behavior due to cultural orientation. The study uses comparing samples of American and Thai culture on two occasions. Theory suggests that these two cultural groups have dramatically different shopping practices. Thai, raised in a collectivist society that values price consciousness and sophistication in money handling, differ from Americans raised in an individualist society that traditionally do not have the same values (Ackerman and Tellis 2001).

We argue that differences in culture provide the most likely explanation for the differences in prices between the two types of super markets. The overall …

Cross Cultural Study Of Food And Cpg Products In A New Market: Case Study In The United States Vs Thailand, Mariel Dehn

Honors Theses

This study examines whether there are differences in consumers’ shopping behavior due to cultural orientation. The study uses comparing samples of American and Thai culture on two occasions. Theory suggests that these two cultural groups have dramatically different shopping practices. Thai, raised in a collectivist society that values price consciousness and sophistication in money handling, differ from Americans raised in an individualist society that traditionally do not have the same values (Ackerman and Tellis 2001).

We argue that differences in culture provide the most likely explanation for the differences in prices between the two types of super markets. The overall …

Social Class Identity Development And Elite Schools, Sarah Peck

Honors Theses

This project explores the ways in which students’ identities are shaped and created at an elite school in a large metropolitan city in Chile, called Croft School. The project focuses on the ways in which privilege is reproduced at this elite institution and how the school inadvertently and purposefully teaches its students lessons about social class. In order to examine these lessons, interviews with students, alumni, teachers, and administrators as well as a site visit to Croft’s campus were conducted. These methods were used to analyze the students’ understandings of themselves and the ways that the school attempted to shape …

Small Town, Big Future: Preparing Rural Maine Students For College, Elizabeth C. Huber

Honors Theses

While the need for a college degree has increased in the knowledge economy era, acquisition of this degree has remained difficult for low-income and first-generation students. At the same time, college preparatory programs designed for this demographic of student tend to be clustered in urban centers while very little focus is given to disadvantaged students in rural communities. The academic prospects of rural students in regards to higher education are the focus of this project. More specifically, this project explores the ways in which college-cultured programs may address the educational needs of students living in rural communities. By doing in-depth …

Constructing (Hu)Man Nature: A Feminist Critique Of Western Ir Theory, Liberal Economics And U.S. Foreign Policy, Nadia Stovicek

Honors Theses

Feminism in general exposes the fundamental folly of Western political theorists’ view of human nature, which is based on Western, decently well-off, white men’s experiences and privilege. This view of human nature, which is not human nature at all, but rather a socially constructed definition of what men’s human nature is, is replicated in neoclassical economics and perpetuated in mainstream Western International Relations theory. Understanding the social construction of norms exposes how what is conceived in conventional theory as human nature and state behavior is unnecessarily limiting. The U.S. is the greatest benefactor from the worldview of Western political theorists, …

The Anonymous Truth: Honesty And Hostility In Public And Private Online Settings, Grace S. Carroll

Honors Theses

Three studies were conducted to understand the relationship between honesty and hostility in public and private online settings. Study one analyzed a college’s public and private online forums and examined post frequency. Related to study one, study two examined the usage of these forums, and current and past social and political issues. Study one found the public forum comprised of general announcements, while the private forum hosted random jokes/statements, negative posts targeting specific people, and personal reflections. Study two’s results indicated the private forum was used more often than the public forum and race was the prevailing social and political …

America's National Parks And The Anthropocene: Addressing The Present To Accommodate The Future In Acadia National Park, Sophie A. Swetz

Honors Theses

In 2000, atmospheric chemist, Paul J. Crutzen, and limnologist, Eugene Stoermer, formally proposed the idea of “the Anthropocene,” a new geologic epoch in which humans are the dominant force shaping the Earth. To claim the Anthropocene's existence is to declare that human actions have altered the Earth in such a way that geologic indicators render it a distinct epoch in the stratification of geologic time. This new epoch emerges as a consequence of increased technological development employed to accommodate an anthropocentric human existence. That is, rapid advancements in technology have driven the transformation from a primarily naturally controlled planet to …

Aging Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Eye-Tracking And Person-Perception Analyses Of Young And Old Faces, Stephanie M. Ha

Honors Theses

To examine possible mechanisms related to negative attitudes of aging revealed in face processing patterns, young and old participants rated their first impressions (positive or negative) of 100 faces of young and old individuals taken from the CAL/PAL Fate Database (Minear & Park, 2004) while gaze patterns were recorded using eye-tracking methods. In a follow-up study, an independent sample of young participants rated the same 100 faces on competence, attractiveness, and subjective age in order to further assess age-related stereotypes. This study replicated the T-gaze pattern in previous eye-tracking studies (Firestone, Turk, Browne, & Ryan 2007). We also found evidence …

Do Obsessive Beliefs Moderate The Relationship Between Obsessive-Compulsive And Depressive Symptoms?, Joanthan A. Teller

Honors Theses

There has been limited research investigating potential mechanisms that drive the association between obsessive-compulsive (OC) and depressive symptoms. Obsessive beliefs are implicated in the etiology and maintenance of OC symptoms and have been shown to correlate with depressive symptoms amongst OCD patients. I assessed whether obsessive beliefs moderate the relation between obsessive compulsive and depressive symptoms to replicate analyses from a study conducted by Teller et al. (2017). Forty-six participants with elevated OC symptoms were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Each participant completed the obsessing subscale of the Revised Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R), Dimensional Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DOCS), the Revised Obsessive …

The Familiarity Factor: How Semantic Similarity Affects Associative Memory In Older And Younger Adults, Paige Warner

Honors Theses

The role of semantic knowledge and familiarity on retrieval processes were investigated in a test of the associative deficit hypothesis (ADH), and the data were interpreted from the perspectives of fuzzy trace theory and source monitoring errors (Naveh-Benjamin, 2000). Younger and older adults (N=60) studied pairs of words for two recognition tests – an item test, for recognition of individual words, and an associative test, for recognition of word pairs. In the associative test, four word pairs were presented with a forced-choice response requirement (4AFC; Patterson & Hertzog, 2010). In addition to the studied, intact cue-target pair, three cue-target pairs …

Eating Your Feelings: The Relationship Between Core Affect And Food Choices, Kana V. Rolett

Honors Theses

The psychology of eating behavior is increasingly important given that more than one- third of Americans are obese, with 74% of men considered overweight or obese (Overweight and Obesity Statistics, 2012). This study examines the relationship between core affect and healthy food choices. Though previous research has examined relationships between specific emotions and eating behavior, little is known about core affect or about these relationships in more naturalistic settings (outside the lab). To evaluate the role of core affect in healthy food choices, a field study was conducted in the University of Richmond (UR) dining hall to measure UR students’ …

The Effect Of Font Type On Memory For Instruction, Courtney Upchurch

Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether or not one font type promotes superior memory retention for order over another. Participants were presented with one of three sets of instructions each displayed using a different style of font. They were asked to read the instructions and, following this, were provided with the instructions presented in a different, random order. Their task was to place the instructions back in the order in which they were originally presented. Results indicated that one font style led to better memory for order than the others. In addition, based on participant self-reports, …

Oprimido, Censurado, Controlado: Authoritarian Censorship Of The Media In Spain Under Franco's Dictatorship, Darby Hennessey

Honors Theses

Francisco Franco is one of the most formidable dictators of the 20th century, and his overwhelming control over the press and other media in Spain during his 36 years as an authoritarian dictator is among the most notable forms of press censorship in history. This thesis examines the various measures Franco's regime took to censor the press and other media platforms (print news, non-news print media and digital media) and explains that, through these measures, Franco's regime fits and even expands the Authoritarian Theory of Mass Communication. This theory has historic and philosophical backgrounds, but by applying the basic principles …

Everybody's Story: Gertrude Stein's Career As A Nexus Connecting Writers And Painters In Bohemian Paris, Elizabeth F. Milam

Honors Theses

My thesis examines how the combination of Gertrude Stein's career, Paris, and the time period before, during, and after The Great War conflated to create the Lost Generation and affected the work of Sherwood Anderson and Ernest Hemingway. Five different sections focus on: the background of Stein and how her understanding of expression came into existence, Paris and the unique environment it provided for experimentation at the beginning of the twentieth century (and how that compared to the environment found in America), Modernism existing in Paris prior to World War One, the mass culture of militarization in World War One …

We The People: An Analysis Of The Supreme Court's Jurisprudence Relating To Constitutional Personhood, Emma Jennings

Honors Theses

This thesis studies the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on the issue of constitutional personhood and its historical lack of clarity and uniformity. I focus on three groups of persons who historically and frequently bring claims of constitutional protection before the Court: aliens, children, and felons. Across these three classes of claimants, case analysis shows that the Court lacks a clear framework for answering questions of constitutional personhood, instead relying on an individualistic approach in their decision-making, rendering a defined understanding of constitutional personhood impossible. I argue that the Court's current methods of decision- making produce inequality and second-class citizenship, and further, …

Memory Retention Rates Of Gossip-Related Information, Hannah R. Rogers

Honors Theses

The aim of this study is to determine if gossip-related information produces higher memory retention rates than scientific information. Participants completed a two-part survey. During the first part of the survey, participants read nine paragraphs, separated into three categories. Three were scientific, three were non-celebrity gossip, and three were celebrity gossip. After reading each article, participants rated each on a scale of 1-10 based on both personal relevance and how interesting they found each article. After a week delay, participants completed a multiple-choice memory test about the articles read the week before. The study found that while scientific articles were …

Political Communication In The Online Era: Moral Psychology Of News Media Consumption, New Forms Of News Media, And Political Communication, J. L. Watts

Honors Theses

Drawing on data from the moral psychology of political communication and literature on news media consumption, this thesis explores the relationships between new forms of news media and longstanding trends in the moral psychology of political communication. By discussing dynamic changes in the form and content of news media, as well as the new venues through which it is experienced, this thesis highlights three areas in which new forms of media place pressure on existing literature. Namely, it holds that the ways in which individuals experience new forms of news media place pressure on existing literature centering around the homogeneity …

Loneliness, Meaning In Life, And Depressive Symptomology In College Students, Abigail Oehler

Honors Theses

The present study aimed to better understand the relationship between loneliness, meaning in life, and depressive symptoms in college students. Two-hundred and forty-seven participants, ages 18-37, completed self-report measures about their experience with depressive symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale- Version 3), and meaning in life (Meaning in Life Questionnaire). The following was hypothesized: 1) symptoms of depression, loneliness, and meaning in life will be significantly related; 2) meaning in life will mediate the relation between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated all constructs were associated as expected (ps<.001). Contrary to hypothesis, meaning in life did not mediate the relation between loneliness and depressive symptomatology. However, post hoc regression analysis illustrated that loneliness was the only unique predictor of depressive symptoms. This study suggests more research is warranted on understanding specific mechanisms relating loneliness to depressive symptoms in college students.

Let's Discuss: Group Size, Course Performance, And Enjoyability In An Interteaching Class, Alexandria Emily Leidt

Honors Theses

In 2013, Saville and colleagues examined whether group size affected course performance in an interteaching based classroom, and found there was no significant difference in course performance between the different sizes of groups. In this replication and extension, we increased the larger interteaching group size from four to six, maintained the small group size at two, and included additional measures of social validity. The students rated their groups each class as a group and individually. Additionally, teaching assistants rated their perception of group effectiveness based on responses to end-of-class questions by individual students. The current study used an alternating treatments …

Fixed And Growth Mindset In Undergraduate Students: Impacts On Academic Achievement And Resilient Behaviors, Ann Louise Seabrook

Honors Theses

The study of mindset is relevant to various outcomes that occur across the span of a college student's career. There are two different mindsets that all students view themselves through the lens of, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The fixed mindset implies that traits are unchangeable, whereas the growth mindset implies that traits are malleable (Dweck 2015). The current study sets out to examine the relationship between mindset and academic achievement, mindset and resilient behaviors, and the potential meditational variables between mindset and academic achievement, in an undergraduate population. Participants completed a Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act …

Is Major League Baseball Striking Out? In-Game Advertising And Its Effects On America's Pastime, Ashley M. Anderson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the effectiveness of in-game advertisements at Major League Baseball games. Average attendance at Major League Baseball games has been steadily declining for years. Simultaneously, the average length of a professional baseball game has increased significantly. Secondary research has shown that just a few minutes of advertising per game could add up to hours of extra playing time per season. There is ample research available on the evolution and frequency of in-game advertisement, but little has been done to study the actual effectiveness of in-game advertising. Therefore, I conducted primary research in the …

(N)Ostalgic Consumption And The Former German Democratic Republic, Savannah Coleman

Honors Theses

This study examines the consumer psychology of nostalgia. It specifies, focusing on consumer products that are associated with the former German Democratic Republic. My research studies the Ostalgie phenomenon through the lens of nostalgic consumption. The study is focused on understanding the relationship between the consumer psychology of nostalgia and the theory of 'Ostalgie' and what implications such a relationship could have. I took previously discussed concepts and theories of nostalgic consumption and observed if they played a role in the consumption of East German goods. I conducted and distributed surveys to eighty-eight Germans above the age of twenty-eight. Both …

Examination Of Electroglottography (Egg) And Surface Electromyography (Semg) As Techniques To Assess Oral Motor Activity During Consumption Of Four Forms Of Chocolate, Taylor Patterson

Honors Theses

The study assessed individual oral motor activity while eating different types of chocolates through the use of electroglottography (EGG) and surface electromyography (sEMG). I hypothesized that chocolate samples with higher milk solids and cocoa composition would be preferred by subjects as assessed by subject evaluation of textural attributes for the four chocolate samples. I predicted that preference will be significantly and positively correlated with oral motor events [e.g. sEMG activity of master and suprahyoid muscles, total number of chewing actions, and time to last swallow (EGG)]. The experiment used a subject group of 40 students enrolled at the University of …

Cannabidiol Mitigates Opioid Reward On Conditioned Place Preference In Mice, James Roland Markos

Honors Theses

This study sought to determine whether the cannabis constituent, cannabidiol (CBD), is able to attenuate morphine reward in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Mice received IP injections of either saline or morphine and increasing doses of CBD that were paired with a distinct environment in the CPP apparatus. Morphine-produced place preference was dose-dependently blocked by CBD. Furthermore, none of the tested doses of CBD exhibited reward or aversion. The finding that CBD blocks opioid reward suggests CBD may be useful as an abuse deterrent, particularly in the setting of opioid use for pain management.

The Effect Of Recess On Fifth Grade Students' Time On-Task In An Elementary Classroom, Jenny Kate Smith

Honors Theses

In recent years, elementary schools across the United States have reduced the amount of time allocated for recess or have eliminated it altogether (Jarrett, 2002; Ramstetter et al., 2010). However, recess has the potential to offer significant academic, physical, and social benefits. These benefits have led to a vigorous and ongoing debate about the importance of recess in elementary schools (Ramstetter et al., 2010). Therefore, this study examined the effect of recess on students' time on-task in a fifth grade classroom. There were 12 participants in the study, six male and six female students. All participants were in the same …

Re Magazine And The Politics Of The Little Magazine, Jesse Webb

Honors Theses

The little magazine played a widely significant role in the political and cultural history of Western civilization. Literary and ephemeral in nature, the little magazine gave birth to Modernism in the early 20th century by publishing the works of little known authors such as William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound, and T.S. Eliot to name a few. Later, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America recognized the influential role of the little magazine and began funding magazines that spoke to the anti- communist left in Europe and in the Americas at the beginning of the Cold War. While …

Investigating Potential Anti-Catholic Bias In Southern Media, John Cooper Lawton

Honors Theses

This thesis researches newspapers in effort to find anti-Catholic bias particularly in the South. It also studied if the bias had changed over time. The study looked at five categories: Nature of Headline, Presentation of Headline, Supportive Picture or Not, Body Text Content, and Tone of Story. The Tone of Story category refers to the types of sources, which sources are placed where in the article, the location of where harsh and supportive words were placed within the article, and the taste in the mouth the researcher was left with upon completing the article. This category proved to be the …

The Effects Of Race, Economics, And Millennials On Voting Patterns In Mississippi, Katelin Davis

Honors Theses

This thesis applies Bill Bishop's Big Sort theory to sixteen Mississippi counties. The goal is to determine whether Bishop's theory is applicable to Southern states like Mississippi. Based on Mississippi's unique political history, background on the Deep South's move from Solid Democrat to Solid Republican is included. Research necessary to understand the implications of the data including education, poverty, population density, religion, and race are also included. The Mississippi county data is sourced from Presidential voting records from 2004 and 2008, the United States Census Bureau, and the Association of Religion Data Archives. Using 16 Mississippi counties as a testing …