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Cognitive Load Of Registered Nurses During Medication Administration, Sarah Faith Perron

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over 4 million avoidable hospital admissions result from medication errors (IMS Insitute for Healthcare Informatics, 2013). Human error accounts for 80% of all medical errors (Palmieri, DeLucia, Peterson, Ott, & Green, 2008). Medication administration is a complex process. It is important to understand the cognitive load (CL) of Registered Nurses (RNs) working in an electronic health record environment to identify the risk factors of medication errors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the CL of RNs during medication administration who are working in an electronic health record environment. Simulated medication administration scenarios with varying …

An Empirical Comparison Of The Effect Of Missing Data On Type I Error And Statistical Power Of The Likelihood Ratio Test For Differential Item Functioning: An Item Response Theory Approach Using The Graded Response Model, Patricia Rodriguez De Gil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the context of educational research, missing data arise when examinees omit or do not reach an item, which generates an item nonresponse problem. Using a simulation approach, in addition to conducting complete data analyses, this study compared the performance of six methods for treating item nonresponse in the context of differential item functioning (DIF). The effect of missing data on the Type I error and statistical power of the Likelihood Ratio test for DIF detection in small scales was examined in the context of Item Response Theory (IRT-LR), using polytomous, Likert-type data and the graded response model. The effect …

Now, We Hear Through A Voice Darkly: New Media And Narratology In Cinematic Art, James Anthony Ricci

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the intersection of new media and narrative, as it is presented through a cinematic aesthetic. The narrative language of film is analyzed through the theoretical framework of Bakhtin’s concepts of Heteroglossia, Chronotope, and Dialogism. Bakhtin’s ideas of classifying language act as strong tools for demonstrating how cinematic narrative can inform and alter the perception of its spectators. Lev Manovich’s principles of New Media, specifically Variability, Modularity, and Automation are also utilized to demonstrate how cinema is a constantly evolving paradigm.

Chapter one focuses on the theoretical terminology, outlining the conceptual definitions and illustrating their relevance in precise …

Exploratory Study Of Counseling Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Distance Clinical Supervision, Brittani Fiore Munchel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many forms of distance clinical supervision (DCS) have been used in the last decade, but a sparse amount of research addressing (DCS) in counselor education exists to date. The author used random and snowball sampling to survey American Counseling Association members, with a analytic sample total of 96 participants. In the sample, 54.2% of participants were licensed counseling professionals and 39.6% were student or post-masters level interns. The average participant age was 43, ranging from 23 to 74 years. Participants had a mean of 8.1 years of experience. A total of 37.5% of participants had used DCS at some point …

Estimating Likelihood Of Having A Brca Gene Mutation Based On Family History Of Cancers And Recommending Optimized Cancer Preventive Actions, Mehrnaz Abdollahian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are gene mutations that drastically increase chances of developing breast and ovarian cancers, up to 20-fold, for women. A genetic blood test is used to detect BRCA mutations. Though these mutations occur in one of every 400 in the general population (excluding Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity), they are present in most cases of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer patients. Hence, it is common practice for the physicians to require genetic testing for those that fit the rules as recommended by the National Cancer Comprehensive Network. However, data from the Myriad Laboratory, the only provider of the test until …

An Animal Model Of Flashbulb Memory: Insights Into The Time-Dependent Mechanisms Of Memory Enhancement, Laura Ashley Bullard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The vivid memory of an emotional event, as well as memory for incidental details associated with the arousing event, has been referred to collectively as a “flashbulb memory”. An important aspect of flashbulb memory in people is that an emotional event enhances memory of contextual details, such as the weather, or clothes one was wearing at the time of the event. Therefore, an emotional event not only produces a detailed memory of the event, itself, but also enhances memory for contextual details that would otherwise not be remembered. The first goal of this work is to describe the development of …

A Comparative Study Of Formal Verification Techniques For Authentication Protocols, Hernan Miguel Palombo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protocol verification is an exciting area of network security that intersects engineering and formal methods. This thesis presents a comparison of formal verification tools for security protocols for their respective strengths and weaknesses supported by the results from several case studies. The formal verification tools considered are based on explicit model checking (SPIN), symbolic analysis (Proverif) and theorem proving (Coq). We formalize and provide models of several well-known authentication and key-establishment protocols in each of the specification languages, and use the tools to find attacks that show protocols insecurity. We contrast the modelling process on each of the tools by …

Acceptance And Commitment Training To Enhance A Behavioral Parent Training With Parents Of Children With Autism, Jillian Defreitas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is an effective teaching package that is often used to teach new parenting skills. While BPT has been established as efficacious in teaching parenting skills, performance often returns to baseline levels. There may be myriad reasons for this; however, it is possible that competing contingencies in difficult behavioral interactions, and long histories of practices that solve behavioral issues in the short term, affect parents’ ability to implement what they were taught. This study sought to impact parental treatment integrity of a common set of parent training practices via an Acceptance and Commitment Training protocol. Parents were …

Understanding How Young People Experience Risk With Online-To-Offline Sexual Encounters: A Second Qualitative Phase For The Ch@T Project, Elizabeth Vp Marwah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how heterosexual young people understand and manage risks related to meeting sexual partners online in the United States. The purpose of this study is to help inform the development of culturally-appropriate sexual risk communication and health promotion messages for young people by linking public health knowledge of adolescent sexual health and eHealth with anthropological theories of risk. With qualitative data from two rounds of semi-structured interviews and two group interviews with university students in central Florida, this study shows how young people experience and prioritize more social-emotional risks in meeting online-to-offline sexual partners compared to physical risks. …

Strategic Missile Defense: Russian And U.S. Policies And Their Effects On Future Weapons Proliferation, Diana Marie Nesbitt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the effects that Russian, U.S., and NATO policies of deterrence have on strategic missile defense as well as how these policies and strategic missile defense affect future weapons proliferation. The aspects explored are the current Russian strategic forces and quality, Russian policies and strategies, the Phased Adaptive Approach, and U.S. and NATO policies and strategies. Mitigation of this pressing issue may be through open dialogue, a system to limit future U.S. and NATO interceptors and sensors, and a possible joint data exchange center.

Effectiveness Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy For Behavioral Outcomes In Young Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kimberly Ann Knap

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in improving the behavioral outcomes in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design with four mother-child dyads, the study determined the impact of PCIT on the frequency and severity of young children’s challenging behaviors, mothers’ positive parenting practices, and mothers’ satisfaction with treatment. Outcome measures included the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Child Behavior Checklist, Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, and Therapy Attitude Inventory. Results from visual analysis and hierarchical linear modeling indicated a treatment effect for mothers’ use of labeled praises (b = 14.79, …

School-Based Concussion Management: Implementation Characteristics Of Student Services Personnel, Jeffrey Garofano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concussion is an injury that disproportionately affects children and adolescents and has the potential to negatively impact school performance. Currently, a significant proportion of youth with concussion go unreported due to a lack of effective concussion surveillance procedures. Additionally, many individuals who have daily contact with youth (e.g., parents, teachers) lack training in how to assess or manage a concussion. Schools may be the ideal setting to address both of these problems as they have a high level of access to students and employ personnel (e.g., school psychologists, nurses, social workers, counselors) with experience in assessment and intervention. What is …

The Association Between Sexual Harassment And Suicidality Among College Women, Renee Brown Hangartner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of sexual harassment among college women has been reported to range from 33% to 97% (Klein, Apple, & Khan, 2011; Yoon, Funk, & Kropf, 2010) across the lifespan. In any one year of college, the prevalence of sexual harassment reported by women ranges from 33% to 57% (Crown & Roberts, 2007; Huerta, Cortina, Pang, Torges, & Magley, 2006). The severity and frequency of sexual harassment has been found to be related to reports of psychological distress (Nielsen & Einarsen, 2012), feelings of shame (Yoon et al., 2010), anxiety and depression symptoms (Murdoch, Pryor, Polusny, & Gackstetter, 2007), and …

The Effect Of An Alcohol Cue On A Risk Taking Task, Patrick Mcgee Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Laboratory-based tasks of impulsivity and related constructs can be useful in predicting alcohol use. Performance on these tasks is generally assumed to reflect traits that remain stable across situations. However, several studies have indicated that manipulations of state-like variables (e.g., mood or stress) can influence levels of impulsivity demonstrated on the tasks. Furthermore, environmental context (in the form of physical setting, or contextual cues) has a demonstrable effect on tasks relevant to alcohol-related risky behaviors (e.g., ad lib drinking tasks). Importantly, this effect of context on behavior is dependent on the individual's alcohol expectancies. It is unknown, however, whether alcohol-related …

Response To Bullying (Rtb): Behavioral Skills And In Situ Training For Individuals Diagnosed With Intellectual Disabilities, Rebecca Lynn Stannis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bullying is a continuing problem for adults with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes and attend adult day training settings together. Many different intervention approaches have been reviewed. Most research in this area focuses on bullying in schools with typically developing children, and therefore, a need for effective behavioral interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities still remains. Previous research has found success in teaching safety skills to a variety of populations using behavioral skills training (BST) and achieving generalization of these skills using in situ training (IST). This study evaluated BST to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to …

The Evaluation Of Tablets To Increase Compliance And Decrease Problem Behaviors In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hongchau Vo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to replicate the effects of the study by Neely et al. (2013) and also determine if the tablet served as a reinforcer for three participants with escape maintained behaviors. A multiple baseline with an alternating treatment design was utilized in the first phase in which academic work was completed on either traditional materials or the tablet. The following phases for each participant were dependent on the prior phase, with a final choice phase. All participants showed lower levels of problem behaviors and higher levels of compliance when tablets were introduced contingent upon completing work. …

Factors Associated With Treatment Seeking In Automotive Manufacturing, Khin Thingyan Chit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders is very common. The main objective of the study was to identify any association between the severity of musculoskeletal symptoms and treatment choice by workers in automobile manufacturing plants.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 1017 production workers in six automobile manufacturing plants was performed. The study included the structured interviews to determine symptoms, preexisting personal risk factors, treatment choices (health care provider or no treatment sought), job strain, and job satisfaction. Nordic style questionnaire for symptoms, Karasek’s Demand Control Model and three job satisfaction questions were used to assign symptom severity, job strain, …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Values Based Training To Impact Physical Activity In Adults, Jessica Sykes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the use of values based training with typically developing adults to affect levels of physical activity recorded by FitBit Flex technology in the form of step count. Traditional approaches have shown promise but with mixed results. Interestingly, one must look outside of behavior analysis for interventions attempting to affect control by an individual’s covert verbal behavior. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been shown to be effective in various behavior change areas by using a values based approach that focuses on the control of rules and their motivative functions. An ACT training protocol (ACTr) consisting …

Investigation Of The Effects Of Impulsivity And Executive Function On A Complex Prospective Memory Task, Emily Kellogg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prospective memory is colloquially known as “remembering to remember” and refers to forming an intention in the present time to fulfill at some point in the future. It has previously been studied within the context of executive functioning (i.e., purposive and goal directed behavior) and impulsive behaviors (e.g., gambling, risk seeking) within clinical populations. This study sought to further elucidate the relationships of impulsivity and executive functions on prospective memory in a non-clinical population. One hundred and nine undergraduates completed the UPPS-P impulsivity self-report questionnaire, three cognitive tasks measuring components of executive function, (i.e., planning, inhibition, and switching), and a …

To "Plant Our Trees On American Soil, And Repose Beneath Their Shade": Africa, Colonization, And The Evolution Of A Black Identity Narrative In The United States, 1808-1861, Edward Jason Vickers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the role that ideas about Africa played in the development of a specifically American identity among free blacks in the United States, from the early nineteenth century to the Civil War. Previous studies of the writings of free blacks in the Revolutionary period, and of the American Colonization Society (ACS), which was devoted to removing them back to an African homeland, have suggested that black discussions of Africa virtually disappeared after 1816, when the colonization movement began. However, as this work illustrates, the letters, books, newspapers, and organizational records produced by free blacks in the antebellum era …

Linking Insomnia And Suicide Ideation: The Role Of Socio-Cognitive Mechanisms In Suicide Risk, Melanie Lauren Bozzay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite what is known about predictors of suicide risk and consequences of insomnia, research has yet to delineate mechanisms that may explain the known relationship between insomnia symptoms and suicide risk. There is some disagreement in the literature regarding whether this relationship could be primarily explained by recent depressive symptoms, or whether there may be other explanatory factors related to sleep deficits. The present study addressed this contention in the literature by examining 1) whether socio-cognitive variables (e.g. fatigue, appraised social problem-solving ability, and hopelessness) explained this insomnia-ideation relationship, and 2) whether these variables contributed some explanatory variance in suicide …

Effect Of Empathy On Death Penalty Support In Relation To The Racial Divide And Gender Gap, Brian Godcharles

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to examine previous empirical literature indicating that death penalty support contains a divide among Blacks and Whites and a gap among males and females. Previous literature has indicated that there has been a persistent racial divide and gender gap in death penalty support that has spanned over 60 years of research. Attempts to attenuate these divides have failed to fully explain why Whites are more likely than Blacks to support the death penalty and men are more likely than women to support the death penalty. This study proposes the use of empathy to control for these divides …

Basal Salivary Oxytocin And Skin To Skin Contact Among Lactating Mothers Of Premature Infants, Jessica Marie Gordon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research explored mechanisms of human milk (HM) expulsion by describing the effects of skin to skin contact (SSC) on maternal basal oxytocin (OT) secretion among 20 premature mothers with hospitalized premature infants. This one-group, repeated measures design consisted of: 1) daily SSC with covariant data via self-report diary and 2) maternal salivary OT with and without SSC at 4 time points were collected over a 7 day time frame. Results indicate that mean levels of basal OT increase over time (M 234 pg/ml, SD 108 pg/ml time point 1; M 257 pg/ml, SD 125 pg/ml time point 3). …

Adolescent Females With High-Functioning Asd: Self And Mothers’ Perspectives Of Their School And Social Experiences, Lindsey Land

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is currently 1 in 68 (Centers for Disease Control, 2015) and research in this area is growing, high-functioning individuals on the spectrum are often overlooked. This is because of their relatively milder symptoms. The recent collapse of Asperger Syndrome (AS) with autism in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5; APA, 2013) also has obscured the differences that may exist between those with higher vs. lower levels of functioning. Among youth with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD), girls are a particularly understudied and potentially vulnerable group. Previous research …

Parent Predictors Of Social-Emotional Strengths In Kindergartners, Kayla Nicole Larosa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Strengths-based assessment is providing an alternative to the typical way that psychologists approach mental health in the literature. Social-emotional strengths are multidimensional, positive indicators of mental health that include Social Competence, Self-Regulation, Empathy, and Responsibility. Limited research has been conducted to examine the potential connection between parental involvement in children’s education, specifically in the areas of supporting a child’s learning at home, parental involvement within educational settings, and parenting practices (discipline, Monitoring, use of Praise and Incentives) in connection with social-emotional strengths. With an emphasis on prevention of mental health problems, parents are an important and potentially untapped resource for …

Improving Elementary Teachers’ Well-Being Through A Strengths-Based Intervention: A Multiple Baseline Single-Case Design, Mollie Marie Mccullough

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching is considered to be one of the most highly demanding professions, and one that is associated with high levels of stress and sometimes deleterious outcomes. Although research demonstrates that burnout and attrition are often associated with specific characteristics of the occupation (e.g., challenging workload, standardized testing, merit-based salary) minimal research focuses on how to better support teachers’ well-being. The field of positive psychology affords a new perspective in how to obtain quality mental health without solely focusing on psychopathology within a deficits-based approach. This includes the implementation of interventions (i.e., positive psychology interventions [PPI]) that target constructs of well-being …

Passive Symmetry In Dynamic Systems And Walking, Haris Muratagic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ubiquitous nature of symmetry lends itself to be taken for granted, however the breath of research on symmetry encompasses several disciplines. In engineering, studies centered on symmetry often address issues in dynamic systems theory, robotics, and gait rehabilitation. This thesis presents findings on two specific topics dealing with passively induced symmetry; dissimilar rotating systems and human gait. Past studies on passive symmetry in dynamic systems often incorporate physical coupling or a controller. This thesis presents a technique to passively induce symmetry between two dissimilar systems that are not physically connected. This work also presents a human gait study consisting …

The Cultivation Of Eating Disorders Through Instagram, Kendall O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A profusion of research has been dedicated to the effects of new media on body image. In an attempt to explain the inflation of eating disorders, several researchers have turned to the cultivation theory, postulating that increased interaction with these medias will lead to internalizations of the messages they disseminate. The over presence of extremely thin models and actresses can create a new reality for media users, who begin to equate thinness with beauty, power, femininity and happiness. While an abundance of research has delved into the impact of this thin ideal through television and magazines, the Internet as a …

Using Auditory Feedback To Teach Dance Skills To Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Aracely Abreu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of auditory feedback for teaching individuals with intellectual disabilities the “Mississippi Cha Cha Slide.” Participants consisted of six males ages 35 to 61. During baseline, line dance skills were low for all participants. During the auditory feedback intervention, the trainer used a clicker to reinforce dance steps and forward chaining to chain movements into a sequence. Once auditory feedback was implemented, line dance skills increased substantially for all participants. Generalization assessments for four of the participants resulted in performance levels similar to baseline and demonstrate the need for future training …

Pottery Exchange And Interaction At The Crystal River Site (8ci1), Florida, Kassie Christine Kemp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Crystal River site (8CI1) is a Woodland-period mound (ca. 1000 BC to AD 1050) complex located on the west-central Gulf coast of Florida. Links to the Hopewell Interaction Sphere suggest that the people of Crystal River had connections with a broad range of communities, yet little is known concerning the role the site played in local, regional, or long-distance exchange networks. Pottery traditions vary amongst different communities of practice, therefore the level of interaction at Crystal River can be measured by looking at variation in the ceramic assemblage. I combine type/attribute, vessel form and function, gross paste, and chemical …