Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Style As A Moderator Of The Relationships Between Role Stressors And Organizational Commitment, Tanya Chellani

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of leadership style on the relationships between role stressors and organizational commitment. The study hypothesized that negative relationships between role conflict and role ambiguity and both affective and normative commitment would be weaker for employees who perceived their supervisors as relationship-oriented rather than task-oriented. Furthermore, the study explored the direct relationship between role stressors and continuance commitment, along with the moderating effect of leadership style on this relationship. Responses to an online survey from 126 employees were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results showed that leadership style did …

The Silicon Valley Approach To Poverty: Humanitarian Designers At Work In Financial Inclusion, Jeffrey Stephen Greger

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the application of ethnographic research and commercially-derived design approaches in support of financial inclusion, a global movement to bring affordable financial services to low-income and rural communities that have traditionally lacked access to these services. I collaborated with and interviewed designers and anthropologists working on financial inclusion projects that range from small, grassroots efforts to create payday loan alternatives in Silicon Valley and London, to more formal international development projects funded by large corporations and philanthropic organizations. Participants in this study shared a strong belief: ethnographic perspectives and design practices that incorporate marginalized voices into the decision-making …

Creating A Cultural Context For Dong And Miao Folk Music Using An Orff-Inspired Methodology, Ke Guo

Master's Theses

As children grow up surrounded by various ethnicities, races, and religious beliefs, we teach them music and dance to cultivate respect and empathy for the diverse people in our multicultural society. On the other side of the globe, China is also a multi-ethnic country and is home to 56 ethnic minority groups that speak multiple different languages. “Chinese music” is thus a collective term for the many disparate styles and genres of music in the country, which is especially rich in the varieties of folk music heard and played. Although Chinese folk music frequently appears in music textbooks in elementary …

He's The Hero We Deserve: Batman As A Figure Of Dominant Masculinity, Karen Medrano

Master's Theses

For decades, comic books have been a prevalent media format through which cultural perceptions of masculinity are disseminated. Batman is an exemplary character who is expected to perform and behave in a manner that corresponds with social constructs of the American masculine identity: strong, dominant, and protective. These gendered traits, as represented through Batman’s body and relationships with various allies, are analyzed through the lens of R.W. Connell’s theory of dominant and subordinated masculinities (derived from her larger theory of hegemonic masculinity). As our cultural perception of masculinity has shifted, so has the visual representation of Batman over his eighty-year …

The Moderating Effect Of Self-Esteem On The Relationship Between Servant Leadership And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Whitney Kanavel

Master's Theses

Previous research has shown that servant leadership is related to organizational citizenship behaviors. However, little attention has been paid to the possible moderators of this relationship. Therefore, the present study proposed that a personality characteristic (self-esteem) will moderate the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behaviors. It was hypothesized that the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behaviors would be stronger for employees with low self-esteem than for those with high self-esteem. Results of a self report survey from 204 employed individuals in various industries found that self-esteem moderated the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behaviors. …

Moderating Effect Of Trait Mindfulness On The Relationship Between Job Demands And Burnout Using The Job Demands-Resources Model, Anne O'Brien

Master's Theses

The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model was constructed to explain the antecedents, consequences, and relationships of burnout, and has provided evidence that personal resources moderate and weaken the relationship between job demands and burnout. Although much of the personal resource literature focuses on personality traits like optimism and self-esteem, the moderating effect of trait mindfulness on the relationship between job demands and job burnout has yet to be examined. The study hypothesized that mindfulness moderates the relationship between four job demands (role ambiguity, interpersonal conflict, work-life conflict, and cognitive demands) and three dimensions of burnout, such that those with higher levels …

Increasing The Persistence Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Higher Education Settings: Faculty Perspectives On The Social Skills Needs In Classroom Environments, Amy Rodriguez

Master's Theses

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who transition to higher education environments vary in their level of skills when engaging in social activities. Current research is limited about supporting college students with ASD socially in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of faculty regarding the social skills support needs of students with ASD in classroom settings that can influence the level of achievement of academic goals in postsecondary environments. Seven faculty members from a comprehensive public university in the west participated in a qualitative interview. The results of this study showed that participants …

Effects Of Lisdexamfetamine On Effort-Related And Consummatory Behaviors Supported By Foods With Varying Degrees Of Palatability: Exploration Of A Binge-Like Eating Model, Rose Presby

Master's Theses

Diets high in sugar or fat are associated with multiple health conditions, including binge eating disorder (BED). BED affects approximately 2% of the US adult population, and occurs more frequently in females. It is important to develop animal models of palatable food consumption, food seeking, and voluntary physical activity that may have relevance for BED. The d-amphetamine prodrug lisdexamfetamine (LDX) is used to treat BED. The present experiments studied the effect of LDX on food intake and effort-based choice tasks in female Wistar rats. In experiment one, three groups of rats received different food exposure conditions randomly spread over several …

Effect Of Family Structure On Mental Health Problems In Adolescents In The United States, Adekemi Olaide Suleiman

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Marital Relationship, And Its Association With The Physical And Emotional Health Of Women In A Low-Income Community Of Mumbai, India, Nita Thapa-Chhetri

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Predicting Children Missed By An Early Autism Screener, Cara Cordeaux

Master's Theses

Recent clinical best-practice guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all children be screened for ASD at 18 and 24 months of age (Johnson & Myers, 2007), and those have contributed to an emphasis on early screening and diagnosis. However, no screening instrument can identify all cases at 18-24 months. This study examined profiles of 135 children who participated in validation studies of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT, MCHAT-R/F), an ASD specific screening instrument. Participants were screened at 18-24 months (Time 1) and again at 36-48 months (Time 2). Children who screened negative at 18-24 …

The Influence Of Sentence Context On Phonetic Recalibration, Sahil Luthra

Master's Theses

Individual talkers vary considerably in how they produce different speech sounds, and a challenge for the listener is to learn the appropriate mapping between acoustics and phonetic categories for an individual talker. Several studies have shown that listeners are able to leverage various sources of context (e.g., coincident visual information, lexical knowledge) to guide this process, sometimes termed perceptual learning of speech. Here, we examine how sentence-level semantic information – specifically, whether preceding sentence context is predictive of an upcoming word – might modulate the size of learning effects. Across a series of perceptual learning experiments, we manipulate how learning …

Reanalysis Of The Usher Syndrome Type 2 Carrier As “Phenotype-Free”, Peter Perrino

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Conflict Management Training In Video-Based Teams, Alexis Ward

Master's Theses

In the wake of an emerging economy that demands organizational agility, globalization and an increasing number of independent contractors, corporations have exponentially incorporated virtual teams in their organizations. However, despite their financial and geographical convenience, research has indicated that virtual teams have consistently experienced more conflict and lowered performance and satisfaction levels than that of their traditional counterparts. The present study sought to examine whether conflict management training could help video based virtual teams demonstrate more positive conflict handling techniques and less negative techniques, which would result in higher group process and group outcome satisfaction. This study did not find …

Pro Or Bust: Career Aspirations Of Division I And Community College Basketball Players, Alexander Shahriar Engel

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Pro or Bust: Career Aspirations of Division I and Community College Basketball Players

Alexander Shahriar Engel

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference, if any, between Division I and community college basketball players career aspirations. Interviews were held with eleven athletes from the Cal Poly Men’s Basketball team, and ten athletes from the Cuesta College Men’s Basketball team. The interviews were used to determine the impact of different variables on the athletes career aspirations, and to explore themes in the data. To look for themes, both axial and open coding was used. Division I athletes were …

Adolescent Binge Alcohol Exposure Effects On Heart Structure And Function, Lizhuo Ai

Master's Theses

More than 5 million underage Americans report binge drinking at least once per month. While the effects of alcohol consumption on the adult heart have been well studied, the impact to the adolescent heart is almost entirely unknown. Adolescents primarily consume alcohol in a binge pattern, which elevates blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.08 g/dL within 2 hours. During adolescence the body grows rapidly, and the heart must also grow by cellular hypertrophy to meet this increasing demand. Our goal was to determine the impact of adolescent binge alcohol exposure on the heart, using an outbred rat model. This thesis …

The Dogmatism Of Dissent: How Open-Minded Cognition Influences Protest Attitudes, Chad Osteen

Master's Theses

While protestors are often thought of and portrayed as dogmatic actors on the political stage, research has yet to empirically investigate the cognitive processes of protestors. While previous research has investigated how open-minded cognition relates to political party and ideology, its relationship to political activism has remained under studied. This study used a between subject's design to determine how priming system rejection may affect open-minded cognition and protest attitudes. The sample of 450 participants recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk is based off a power analysis with small to medium effect sizes (r2=0.25) and a power of .95. Using SurveyGizmo software, …

Zero Tolerance And Self Image: A Systematic Literature Review, Caitlyn Todd

Master's Theses

The use of zero tolerance disciplinary policies in schools have numerous, lasting impacts on children, particularly African American students. This study relies on the use of a systematic literature review to analyze prior data on what these effects are. The study found that the effects include, but are not limited to, destruction of self confidence, increased recidivism, and lastly further psychological issues, all of which contribute to the likelihood of having a poor self image. These findings play are role in the discussion of other, more equitable, styles of discipline, such as restorative justice, as a way to help remedy …

Perceived Appropriateness Of Sexual Misconduct In Hookup Culture: Roles Of Power And Motives, Milan Alexandra Tvardek

Master's Theses

This study used hypothetical depictions of hookup scenarios to assess the perceptions of 388 participants for whether specific interactions between third-party characters involved sexual misconduct and the perceived appropriateness and wrongfulness of those behaviors. The current research examined the role of three independent between-subject variables in perceptions of sexual misconduct perpetration: a) Sex Motive (Low, High); b) Chronic Power (Low, High); and c) Acute Power (Low, High, Control). Results showed that individuals high in sex driven motivation, compared to those who less often hookup for sex driven reasons, perceived some perpetrators to be more wrongful but also expected these perpetrators …

A Comparison Of The Relationship Between Gender Adherence, Sex, And Attitudes Toward Individuals With A Mental Illness, Brooke Reimer

Master's Theses

Attitudes toward persons with a mental illness consist of four main dimensions: Authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health ideology. Attitude differences on these dimensions have been found among many types of groups, including age, race, and educational attainment. Sex and gender adherence have been cited as other such factors, but two major issues are present: past researchers have reported inconsistent findings regarding attitude differences and the terms are used interchangeably in research literature despite conceptual differences. Using data from 187 individuals from a survey, the current study tested sex differences and gender adherence differences in attitude toward mental …

God's Mercy And Justice In The Context Of The Cosmic Conflict, Romero Luiz Da Silva

Master's Theses

Problem

When it comes to the right balance concerning God’s character of mercy and justice in relation to His dealings with sin in its different manifestations, a number of theologians, as well as Christians in general, have struggled to harmonize the existence of these two attributes in all God’s actions toward sinners. This difficulty has led many to think of divine mercy and justice as attributes that cannot fit together in what is called the cosmic conflict between good and evil. This, therefore, demands a theological study based on Scripture as a whole to draw solid findings in response to …

Ethnography: Andrews University Lady Cardinals Soccer Team And Group Dynamics, Liz Dominguez

Master's Theses

Problem

The Andrews University Lady Cardinals soccer team has a reputation of having back to back unsuccessful seasons. Hypotheses and research questions were formulated, and the answers provide further insight into the difficulties the team experienced during the 2018 soccer season. They are as follows:

Research Hypotheses:

1. Team members with higher skill levels will be more highly valued by the coach and other team members.

2. If the team does not have an adequate preseason, it will not be prepared to play as a team, thus it will have difficulty having a successful season.

3. Players who have positive …

From The Technology Gap To The Graduation Gap: Implications Of Technology Access And Postsecondary Success, Abigail Evans

Master's Theses

The gap in technology access in the United States is indicative of the larger inequalities that continue to plague our modern society. This research project focuses on the relationship between technology access and postsecondary success. Previous studies have established there is a connection between technology access and academic success, but many questions about how and when students access technology remain unanswered. in this thesis, I gather information from disparate sources to try and draw conclusions about the current state of technology in postsecondary education. This included research on technology use patterns among numerous demographic groups, information of the social behaviors …

Different Methods Of Embodied Cognition In Pedagogy And Its Effectiveness In Student Learning, Cassandra Durkee

Master's Theses

The Mathematical Ideas Analysis hypothesizes that abstract mathematical reasoning is unconsciously organized and integrated with sensory-motor experience. Basic research testing movement, language, and perception during math problem solving supports this hypothesis. Applied research primarily measures students’ performance on math tests after they engage in analogous sensory-motor tasks, but findings show mixed results. Sensory-motor tasks are dependent on several moderators (e.g., instructional guidance, developmental stage) known to help students learn, and studies vary in how each moderator is implemented. There is little research on the effectiveness of sensory-motor tasks without these moderators. This study compares different approaches to working with an …

The Whiteness Of The Elephant In The Room: How White Guilt, White Fragility, And Colorblind Racial Ideology Shape Environmental And Social Justice Activism In Santa Cruz County, Robert Michael Foran

Master's Theses

Using frameworks from critical race theory, social movement theory, and community-based activism, this thesis explores the phenomena of white fragility, white guilt, and colorblind racial ideology and how they impact the ways predominantly white-identified social and environmental justice organizations approach, build, and maintain solidarity with communities of color in Santa Cruz County, California. A qualitative approach was employed to investigate the experiences of white-identified activists and how they attempt to engage in this constantly challenging process. Using twenty-two semi-structured interviews and eight group observations, I explored how white-identified individuals negotiate the transformation from ‘moral passivity’ to meaningful, personal relationships with …

Diversity Training Outcomes: Assessing Impact Of Diversity Training On Attitudes Towards Societal Diversity And Cognitive Empathy, Iris Lenette Smith

Master's Theses

Understanding the perspectives of others and appreciating their differences are important due to diversity increasing in society. However, research on diversity has seldom examined the ineffectiveness of diversity training on attitudes towards societal diversity and cognitive empathy. The present study was conducted to examine how diversity training affects one’s attitudes toward societal diversity and cognitive empathy. It was hypothesized that attitudes towards societal diversity and cognitive empathy would improve as a result of diversity training. Gender and ethnicity were also hypothesized to interact with diversity training such that women and ethnic minorities would show more positive attitudes towards societal diversity …

Psychological Presence In Immersive Virtual Environments, Steven L. Wu

Master's Theses

Immersive virtual environments are simulated locations that attempt to create a sense of presence, or the psychological feeling that an individual is acting within the simulated environment rather than their physical one. When interfacing with an interactive virtual environment, evidence suggests that aspects of psychological presence are affected, such as time perception and situation awareness. As such, this study hypothesized presence as the construct by which immersive virtual environment usage influences time perception and situation awareness. Two levels of presence were manipulated using a monitor and Oculus Rift. Forty-one participants were tasked with a scavenger hunt in both monitor and …

College Students Experiencing Food Insecurity At San Jose State University, Elizabeth Agramont-Justiniano

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was twofold: to learn more about how students at San Jose State University experience food insecurity and to learn how food insecurity is addressed by this public university given the rise and prevalence of neoliberalism in higher education. Three focus groups were conducted gauging how 16 students defined food insecurity and what their experiences with food insecurity at college were like. A total of eight individual interviews took place after the focus groups, delving further into how it feels to experience food insecurity at SJSU and the students’ recommendations for improvement. The overwhelming majority of …

The Mere Presence Effect: Attentional Bias Promoted By Smartphone Presence, Maria Del Pilar Bianchi Bosch

Master's Theses

Smartphones have become an essential part of modern life, offering access to entertainment, information, and social connections from anywhere, at any time. However, research has associated interactions with these devices with maladaptive behaviors and cognitive impairments. Furthermore, recent research has suggested that the mere presence of a smartphone can deplete cognitive resources. We sought to test the hypothesis that the perceptual salience of smartphones would negatively impact perceptual processes. Using a sample of college-aged students (N = 71), we tested whether the mere presence of a smartphone might affect reaction time and accuracy in a lateralized spatial configuration visual search …

Associations Between Cortical Structure And Reading Skills In Beginning Readers, Meaghan Perdue

Master's Theses

The acquisition of literacy is a challenging task that engages multiple processing systems to integrate multimodal information. As a result, children exhibit wide variability in reading ability, with the lowest performers classified as having Specific Reading Disability (SRD). Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research has identified a reading network in the brain consisting primarily of left hemisphere temporo-parietal, occipito-temporal, and inferior frontal regions, but the structural neural substrates that support skilled reading during the formative years of reading acquisition remain underspecified. The present study applied a continuous analytic approach to investigate distinct surface-based properties of cortical structure (cortical …