Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Body Type Preferences Among Young Adults, Khyati Maheshkumar Ganatra

Honors Theses

Based on a study conducted by Devendra Singh in 1993, it is believed that males prefer females with a lower waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, as compared to higher ones. This may be due to the evolutionary advantage of these females being more fertile and able to reproduce. However, social media has been suggesting that thinner females are more attractive. One way society measures thinness is by a characteristic known as the 'thigh-gap' that many females strive to obtain. This study was conducted to discover whether or not a difference exists between males and females regarding their preference of the thigh-gap …

Prepulse Inhibition Of The Acoustic Startle Reflex: Comparing Low And High Trait Anxious Individuals, Krista Sturm

Honors Theses

This investigation examined whether prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex was impaired among individuals with high trait anxiety compared to controls. PPI has traditionally been theorized to be a psychophysiological index of information processing and sensorimotor gating, and is now being used to help identify various psychological disorders. Although results of existing research on reduced PPI across the anxiety spectrum are equivocal, previous findings indicate that highly anxious (HA) participants exhibit significantly reduced PPI at lead intervals of 60 ms relative to low anxious (LA) controls. This study paired a 70 dB (A) white noise prepulse stimulus with a …

The Effect Of Auditory Distractions On Working Memory In People Diagnosed With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kristen Laprade Johnson

Honors Theses

This study compared the effect of an auditory distractor on working memory in participants with and without ADHD. Undergraduate students (N-65) were asked to complete a memory task for 25 words in which a pulsating beep sounded from the computer during the middle 5 words. The results indicated that students with ADHD performed significantly worse in the presence of a distraction than those without ADHD. However, the present study also examined the effect of ADHD medication, taken the same day, on working memory. The results indicated that participants with ADHD who had taken medication performed better than those who did …

The Effects Of Prenatal Education And Hospital Intervention On Breastfeeding Initiation, Lauren Camp

Honors Theses

Breastfeeding is considered an important health practice for mothers and babies. However, Mississippi has the lowest breastfeeding rate of any state in the nation. Because of the numerous potential benefits of breastfeeding, the overall health of Mississippians could benefit from improved breastfeeding outcomes. Using 2010 data retrieved by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey, which is administered through the Mississippi State Department of Health (MDH) in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this study explores the factors that influence the breastfeeding decisions of mothers in Mississippi. In the PRAMS survey, women were asked whether …

Perceptions Of Health Information On General And Medical Social Media Sites, Brea Hope Rich

Honors Theses

The goal of this thesis is to identify and discuss the public's perception on health information found on general and medical social media sites. To discover this information, a survey was sent to employees of South Tippah School District. It was found that people are more likely to use general social media sites compared to medical social media sites. People are more likely to share medical information than receive information on either type of site. Most people doubt or are uncertain of the credibility of health information on social media sites. The benefit found most in reading or sharing medical …

In Another Day: The Historical And Cultural Relevance Of Gone With The Wind, Cody Rentz

Honors Theses

Although it was a massive success in its time and won a Pulitzer Prize, critics today tend to discard Gone with the Wind as a piece of low-quality, racist, historically inaccurate literature. However, the novel, through no intent of its author, parallels the Great Depression in many ways, a fact that likely contributed to its popularity. As such, the novel can be a useful tool in studying the culture of the 1930s. To study the cultural connections, I began by reading the novel, watching the film, and speculating as to the connections to Depression-era culture. I then researched the author, …

Physical Therapy And Depression: A Pilot Study On Screening For Depressive Symptoms, Allison Hatten

Honors Theses

The current paper presents a pilot study of mental health screening in a physical therapy clinic. It aimed to determine the feasibility of integrating simple, scientifically-sound methods of capturing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, sleep patterns, and physical pain. A total of 10 patients recruited from University of Mississippi Physical Therapy Clinic participated in the study. Participants were given the DASS-21 with additional questions on pain ratings, hours ofsleep, and reason for physical therapy. The measure was administered twice with a three-week interval of time in between. Data were analyzed by conducting individual ttests for change in the variables of …

#Livetweetmylecture: A Look At Note-Taking Consolidation, Retention, And Test Performance In Students Using Twitter Vs. Traditional Typed Notes, Samra B. Ward

Honors Theses

This study investigated how different types of note-taking affect college students' retention of classroom material. In particular, this study looked at whether live-tweeting lecture material would result in better retention of the material presented in a lecture than traditional note-taking on a laptop. It was hypothesized that students who took notes via live-tweeting would have comparable results to those who took notes in the traditional computer format. In addition, it was also hypothesized that a person's familiarity with Twitter would likely affect his or her ability to use Twitter as an educational tool. In order to test this hypothesis, participants …

Energy Drinks And Caffeine: The Science Behind The Billion- Dollar Industry, Eric Villarreal

Honors Theses

Ask any college student how he or she gets through long study sessions, all-nighters, and the always grueling finals week and he or she will most likely reference some caffeine-containing beverage as the antidote, with energy drinks becoming an ever increasing option. The effects, both physiological and psychological, of the ingredients in energy drinks (caffeine and, to a lesser degree, glucose) dictate their usefulness to consumers. A review of the available research literature from http://scholar.google.com using the following keywords: caffeine, energy drink, Red Bull, caffeinated beverage, caffeine drink, energy drink industry, energy drink company, and glucose yielded the references that …

Visual Cognition While Listening To Stories, Nathalie Borges

Honors Theses

Different people have different perceptual patterns in response to language. Different language accents may influence visual cognition by increasing cognitive load when different objects are referenced in stories. The purpose of this study was to record differences in eye movement patterns while subjects listened to stories in two different accents which served as the accent-induced stimulus load to increase cognitive processing. Using the eye tracker, eye movement patterns were recorded as subjects looked at an object array on a computer screen. My hypothesis that subjects would delay eye movement patterns to target objects while listening to stories in a foreign …

What Was He Thinking? Dr. William Cooper's Decision To Increase The University Of Richmond's Tuition By 31 Percent In 2005, Rooney V. Columbus

Honors Theses

“Skyrocketing,” a word frequently and hyperbolically used by columnists in the present age, is the verb du jour when describing the increasing price of college tuition in America over the past thirty years. The media does not seem to be exaggerating in this case, though. The cost of attending a collegiate institution, in the year 2013, has increased by 631 percent since the year 1978, two and a half times the national rate of inflation.1 In essence, the increase of price of a degree is well over twice the increase in the price of groceries during the same timeframe. Thus, …

The Forces Of Value: Structure And Content Of Self-Reported Values By Civilian And Military Science Students, Shelly Holland

Honors Theses

Upon graduation, students in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs are commissioned to lead the individuals tasked with protecting the American people and their ideology. This project examines the values of leaders and followers in military and nonmilitary contexts to determine if students in military education programs endorse values that are different from the values of students in non-military programs. First, this paper discusses the concept of values, and how values are defined and differentiated from other concepts. By providing an overview of past literature on values within the military and in general, the importance leaders place on values …

Intuition And Its Proper Uses, Chris Boss

Honors Theses

What is intuition? Is it nothing but a nagging conviction in certain beliefs? Is it the same thing as common sense? When, if ever, is intuition a legitimate epistemological tool? Is the use of intuition in philosophical inquiry not just legitimate, but also inevitable? The aim of the present research project is to answer these and related questions. This research project will prove important due to the regularity with which intuitions are evoked in philosophical discourse, and the judgment errors that can result from a misunderstanding of the proper scope of these intuitions.

In section (1), I define and explain …

A Bad Following: The Big Five Factors Of Personality And Follower Reactions To Unethical Leader Behavior, Rose Wynn

Honors Theses

Leadership research currently lacks significant attention to followership as an essential component of leadership. Existing literature addresses leader traits and behaviors more than those of followers, but also falls short by offering greater focus on ethical rather than unethical leadership. The current study attempts to fill this gap by examining not only followers as an overlooked yet essential influence, but also unethical leadership, particularly as it relates to follower perceptions of such behavior. The investigation uses follower personality (defined by the Big Five Factor Personality Dimensions) as a potential predictor for follower support or rejection of unethical leadership. Findings of …

The Effects Of Coal Mining On Health In Appalachia : Global Context And Social Justice Implications, Adrienne Schmidt

Honors Theses

The purpose of this report is to investigate the environmental and health effects of coal mining in the Appalachian region of the United States in the context of global natural resource extraction, explore existing regulation for the reduction of negative environmental health effects of mining in Appalachia, and explore the social justice implications of current mining practices. The research for this report was limited to literature published in English. It was found that there are widespread negative health effects of mining in Appalachia due to environmental toxins, a toxic social environment of limited economic opportunity, and occupational health hazards. The …

Links Between Friendship, Psychological Symptoms, And Academic Adjustment In An Emerging Adulthood Sample, Lisa Sample

Honors Theses

It is well established that peer relationships, including friendships, have an important influence on children’s adjustment in school (Buhs & Ladd, 2001; Guay, Boivin, & Hodges, 1999). Friendship might contribute to success in school because this relationship often serves as a source of social and emotional support for the child. When a child feels comfortable in his or her environment, he or she is more readily able to participate in his or her learning (Buhs & Ladd, 2001).

Leadership With Liberal Arts : From Ehebia To Jepson, Shaye Ellis

Honors Theses

“Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena.” Despite his extensive research and knowledge in the field, James MacGregor Burns still professes the complexity of the concept of leadership. The abstract nature of the topic does not lend itself to a brief synopsis or a limited understanding of a specific aspect of leadership. In many ways it eludes being confined to a particular category and exists across and between different academic disciplines. In the absence of a prescribed curriculum or method of study, institutions of higher education establish programs and departments that disseminate a distinct model or …

Emerging Adults' Friendships And Group Identification : Differential Associations With Well-Being, Ethan Wolf

Honors Theses

Happiness is a universally desirable state that humans inherently strive to achieve. Researchers have come up with different ways of operationalizing this universal construct, but have generally agreed that happiness can be considered as the frequent presence of positive affect (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). There is a reason we love being happy, and the associations between happiness and success in numerous life domains have been long documented. However, research shows that happiness is more than just a byproduct of successful outcomes and in fact contributes to life success. Positive affect and emotions leads to feelings of confidence, self-efficacy, optimism, …

Application Of Carhart Four-Factor Model To The Aaii-Generated Portfolios, Teo Lagvilava

Honors Theses

American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) provides stock screens that follow the investment strategies of some of the most well-known investors. This paper uses Carhart’s Four Factor Model and adjusts returns for transactions costs to see whether these portfolios generate abnormal returns. I find that number of portfolios with excess returns significantly decreases under the restrictions of the four factor model and transaction costs assumptions. In addition, I find that a momentum is a statistically significant factor in explaining the returns of these portfolios. The results of this study suggest that markets are inefficient in the weakest form.

Jacina's Worldview 2.0: Revisiting, Refinding, And Refining Faith In The University Years, Jacina Shultz

Honors Theses

In this non-fiction, 44-page, creative extended essay, I revisit my worldview essay from HONS105-106 Western Heritage, specifically focusing on my belief in a loving God. I trace my path to this belief, beginning with my freshmen year of college when I first started to question its legitimacy. Though teetering on the edge of agnosticism, I eventually learned how a belief in a loving God need not be a blind one. I came to understand what it means to have a relationship with God. This project reconstructs the reasoning that verified to me that a faith in God does not have …

The Relationship Between Student Motivation, Resilience, And Parental Environment, Eliana Iller

Honors Theses

Does parental environment influence the relationship between resilience and student motivation for university students? The goal of this research is to better understand how student motivation and resilience are related to parental environment, distinguishing between parental involvement and parental conflict. Data was taken from 235 Andrews University students via online survey. The hypotheses were partially supported that parental conflict would be positively correlated to motivation and resilience while parental conflict was negatively correlated. The strongest correlation was found between resilience and identified academic motivation. Mediation analyses showed small to moderated effect sizes of parental conflict and parental involvement on this …

The Role Of Sabbath-Keeping, Christian Internalization, Need Satisfaction, And Parental Environment In Well-Being, Paola S. Caceres

Honors Theses

Identifying which specific religious practices promote religious internalization is crucial in understanding the relationship between practice and well-being. The current study employs surveys along with an episodic memory recall task to examine whether the relationship between Sabbath-keeping internalization and well-being is mediated by Christian religious internalization, parental environment, and basic need satisfaction as outlined in Self-Determination Theory. Our mediation analysis results demonstrate a large mediation effect size for daily basic needs satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and autonomy) on the relationship between internalization of Sabbath-keeping and well-being. Small to medium effect sizes were found for a general measure of Christian internalization and …

Processing Load And Biopotentials: An Evaluation Of A Consumer Electroencephalogram (Eeg), Kristen M. Bishop

Honors Theses

The general public is extremely interested in mental training and the use of brain imaging to study the mind. One device that combines the two and is currently on the market for consumers is a single channel EEG band produced by NeuroSky which claims to measure concentration. However, the claim that they have developed a single channel measure of concentration and meditation have not been tested. EEG power is related to cognitive memory and performance, which both contribute to concentration. In addition to EEG waves, pupil size is a reliable physiological index of processing load and concentration. The first purpose …

A Study On The Relationship Between Gre Scores Of Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students And First Time Pass Scores On The National Physical Therapy Examination Scores: A Retrospective Study, Givan Hinds

Honors Theses

Background. This study explored relationships between Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) scores. -- Methodology. This is a retrospective correlational design utilizing a purposive sample (n = 102) of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students from three consecutive cohorts. Correlations were examined between GRE Verbal (GREV), GRE Quantitative (GREQ), and GRE Total (GRET) socres with the NPTE first time pass rate utilizing a Spearman rho correlation coefficient. Discriminant analysis was used to calculate the cut-off score that would correlate with a minimum passing score of 600 on the NPTE. -- Results. The results showed a weak, …

Speech And Language Interventions, Holly Hajnal

Honors Theses

In this review of literature, authors examined the effects of speech and language impairments and how to correct them. 15 studies were review that compared when interventions should be implemented, what the best types of interventions are and how speech and language impairments affected children's development. The overall question is, How do interventions assist in correcting speech and language impairments? In order to answer this question, the questions, What are speech and language impairments? Do speech and language impairments affect children's psychological attitude? Do speech and language impairments affect children's behavior? Do speech and language impairments affect children's ability to …

Prevention Of Increasing Burnout Levels Among Physicians Of Different Specialties And Doctoral Degrees, Taylor Lewis

Honors Theses

Burnout rates are steadily increasing among physicians all over the world (Sime, Quick, Saleh, & Martin, 2007). Burnout is defined as high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE), high levels of depersonalization (DP), and low levels of personal achievement (PA) (Ionita, Copotocan, & Copotoiu, S., 2011). These burnout rates are directly correlated with many factors, such as high levels of emotional exhaustion and stress (McManus, Winder, & Gordon, 2002), little experience in the medical field (Keswani, Taft, Coté, & Keefer, 2011), and long work hours which leads to sleep deprivation and fatigue (Jackson, 1999). These moderate to high levels of burnout …

An Intervention To Increase Ioa And Objectivity In Supervisors At Woodsedge Learning Center, Karli Silverman

Honors Theses

The purpose of my research was to increase interobserver agreement (IOA) and objectivity in supervisors at WoodsEdge Learning Center. We questioned whether or not designing and implementing a new grading sheet would lead to this outcome. Our methodology consisted of internet research regarding interventions to increase these measurements, followed by task analyses of the behaviors that should occur when tutors provided discrete trial training (DTT), surveys regarding the quality of feedback received at WoodsEdge, visits to various early intervention centers, and ended with the creation and multiple revisions of a new grading sheet. My involvement with this intervention ended before …

Success And The Balance Of Commitment And Time: Effects Of Perceived Time Management Control On College Student Performance, Ashley Twehues

Honors Theses

This study explores how time management and the perception of control over time contribute to undergraduates success in college. Although students have good grades in college, they may not be able to achieve the desirable combination of a high GPA, extracurricular involvement and a career-related employment history. Students often become overwhelmed with the pressure to achieve this success, but lack the time management skills to balance everything. This paper explores how students best use their time in order to gain college success. Extant literature suggests that students who are more involved on-campus with academics, extracurricular activities and employment opportunities achieve …

The Implication Of Patient-Based Interventions Leading To A More Effective Treatment Of Anticipatory Nausea & Vomiting In Cancer Patients, Katelyn Delaney

Honors Theses

In the last thirty years, greater attention has been drawn to the aggressive methods of cancer treatment and the aversive conditioned symptoms they come to elicit. Anticipatory nausea and vomiting is one such aversive conditioned side effect and is significantly prevalent in cancer patients who undergo treatments like chemotherapy. In response to the ineffectiveness of pharmacological interventions to control these symptoms, behavioral intervention methods have grown as a topic of research. The implications of these behavioral interventions (including cognitive/attentional distraction, meditation and systematic desensitization) have proven effective in the treatment of the anticipatory nausea and vomiting and reducing patient anxiety. …

Biracial Identity In Texts Read By Secondary Education Students, Jared Madden

Honors Theses

This thesis sought to examine how biracial identity is portrayed in the literature read by students in secondary education. Unfortunately, the findings indicated that biracialism is not being adequately portrayed in this literature. Students rarely encounter biracial characters, when they do these characters are usually peripheral, and sometimes the biracialism of these characters is presented as an obstacle to be overcome. Furthermore, teachers (at least in this researcher’s local area) seem to be extremely apathetic towards even discussing this issue. The impact which all of this can have on secondary students with a biracial background is discussed. However, there are …