Digital Commons Network^™

Extralegal Supreme Court Policy Making, Joelle A. Moreno

Faculty Publications

The Colbert Report aired its final episode on December 18, 2014. Nine years earlier, on the first episode, Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness.” Truthiness satirized contemporary disinterest in empirical information in a country increasingly "divided between those who think with their head and those who know with their heart.” Truthiness was not just the Merriam-Webster word of the year. Over the past decade, it has been the unspoken mantra of reporters who give equal time to climate science denialists, faith healers, and vaccine refusers. When Justices of the Supreme Court decide questions of scientific or empirical fact — such …

Rights, Remedies, And The Quantum And Burden Of Proof, Joelle A. Moreno

Faculty Publications

It is tempting to commemorate the 2014 centenary of the exclusionary rule by celebrating our historically progressive role in constitutional rights protection, but those familiar with the facts know that Fourth Amendment violations persist unabated. As New Yorkers consider Judge Scheindlin’s damning assessment of police stop-and-frisk practices, and the country erupts in protests following fatal police encounters, are legal scholars who continue to pontificate on constitutional bona fides addressing “real” Fourth Amendment questions?

Traditional academic abstraction and artificial doctrinal divides obscure the fact that rights and remedies are defined by their operation. Constitutional rights have no value if, after they …

Evaluating Changes In Patient Anxiety Regarding Classic Cancer Genetic Testing Versus Expanded Multiplex Cancer Genetic Testing, Andrew Todd Alfonso

Theses and Dissertations

Multiplex cancer genetic testing by next generation sequencing (NGS) offers genetic counselors and patients new options for testing multiple genes beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2, increasing both the yield of positive results and the number of variants of uncertain significance (VUS). This pilot study explored three psychosocial questions related to multiplex cancer genetic testing: 1). Do anxiety levels differ in patients with results of familiar single gene testing versus those with results of multiplex cancer genetic testing of unfamiliar genes? 2). Do different results (i.e., negative, positive, or VUS) affect patient anxiety levels in the post-results period? 3). Is patient anxiety …

Evaluating The “Family-Centered” Approach Of Pediatric Multidisciplinary Down Syndrome Clinics: A Parents’ Perspective, Devon A. Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. Individuals with Down syndrome usually display mild to moderate intellectual disability, developmental delay, characteristic facial features, and an increased risk for birth defects and various medical problems. Multidisciplinary clinics were established to address the multi-system health concerns for Down syndrome, increase adherence to medical management guidelines, and provide coordinated and comprehensive care for the patient. Research has examined the beneficial effect of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and medical outcomes; however, no studies have been done which evaluate the psychosocial aspect of the care provided.

We hypothesized that …

The Liminal Workplace, Michael O'Hare

Student Scholarship

This study investigates how managers, executives and professionals (MEP) working 50 or more hours per week and using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to stay connected with their work 24/7 manage their energy and thrive at work. Based on interviews with these subjects, we learn that they have adapted ICT to help them achieve the goals of their "protean careers" and meet the challenges of the transitional or liminal workplace. We also discovered that they function in an autopoietic fashion to rejuvenate themselves in the work domain by physical exercise, managing relationships, and through introspective reflection. We were surprised that for …

What Is A Life Worth In North Carolina? A Look At Wrongful-Death Awards, Ralph Peeples, Catherine T. Harris

Campbell Law Review

This Article examines the amounts recovered in 123 wrongful-death cases filed in North Carolina over a five-year period. The dataset is unique in that it includes both jury verdicts and settlements. Although the injury - death - was the same in each of these cases, the amounts recovered varied greatly. Several patterns emerge from the data. First, there is a strong negative correlation between age and the amount recovered. Second, the manner in which the decedent died seems to make a difference. Violent deaths, for example, led to larger recoveries than did nonviolent deaths. Third, jury verdicts produced much larger …

The Moderating Effects Of Praise On The Relationship Between Autonomy And Work Motivation, Alyssa Washakowski

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study applied self-determination theory principals and the already existing links to work motivation to examine how praise would moderate the relationship between work motivation and autonomy. Previous literature has already stated that there is a positive relationship between autonomy and work motivation and also a positive relationship between praise and work motivation. A sample of 54 participants was used in a 37 question survey highlighting questions on work motivation, autonomy and praise. Our results yielded that there was in fact a significant relationship between praise moderating the effects of autonomy on work motivation. From this research it is evident …

Promoting Social Interaction Skills To Influence The Transition To Employment For Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jennifer Susan Lange

Honors Theses and Capstones

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affect one in 68 children in the United States and are characterized by deficits in social interaction. Decreased social interaction skills limit youth with ASDs’ ability to obtain and maintain a job. Acquisition of needed social interaction skills must occur during high school years as part of youths’ transition program. The Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to consider ways to facilitate social interaction to influence the transition to employment. The specific aims of the study were to explore strategies currently used to facilitate social skills, identify social skills currently targeted, and identify other …

A Narrative Study Of Emotions Associated With Negative Childhood Experiences Reported In The Adult Attachment Interview, Lynne Hartman

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Attachment patterns, which tend to be stable over time, are passed from one generation to the next. Secure attachment has been linked to adaptive social functioning and has been identified as a protective factor against mental illness. The parents’ state of mind with regard to attachment—as measured with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (Main, Goldwyn, & Hesse, 2002)—predicts the attachment classification for the infant in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Procedure (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Earned-secure individuals have overcome negative childhood experiences to achieve a secure state of mind in adulthood. Earned security, like continuous security, strongly predicts infant security …

Finding Childcare For The Disabled Child: The Process And Decisions Through The Primary Caregiver’S Lens, Misty Dawn Torres

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In this qualitative, Grounded Theory study, the researcher examined the process that primary caregivers go through when selecting a childcare placement for children who have special needs. Data were collected through participant interviews with primary caregivers (n=10) who responded to recruitment notices posted on (1) listservs by organizations directly affiliated with early intervention and child care services; (2) local Internet classified sites; and (3) through word of mouth. The research demonstrated that caregivers who learned of their child’s disability in a prenatal diagnosis or prior to an adoption identified with having a greater sense of choice and control over their …

The Journey Of A Digital Story: A Healing Performance Of Mino-Bimaadiziwin: The Good Life, Carmella M. Rodriguez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Indigenous peoples have always shared collective truths and knowledge through oral storytelling. Just as we were born, stories are born too, through our sacred “living breath.” We live in a time where stories travel far, beyond our imaginable dreams, and can have an influence on anyone who hears them. In the present-day, we have an opportunity to combine personal stories with digital technology in order to share one of our greatest gifts with each other--our experience and wisdom. For eight years, Brenda K. Manuelito and I have been traveling across Indian Country helping our Indigenous relatives create nDigiStories for Native …

Initial Consonant Mutation In Modern Irish: A Synchronic And Diachronic Analysis, Janine Fay Robinson

Master's Theses

This thesis presents an overview of the process of initial consonant mutation in Modern Irish. Initial consonant mutation is most simply described as a phonetic change in the initial consonant of a word triggered by a closed set of morphosyntactic environments. These triggers and environments are varied and difficult to generalize. Many attempts at classification have utilized current theories of phonology, morphology, and syntax to describe and explain the synchronic process, with the original motivation being a purely phonological environment that existed in earlier stages of the language. By examining the original mutation environments in comparison to the corresponding forms …

Health Care In The Us Department Of Veterans Affairs: Critical Issues And Strategic Progress, Kristin Nicole Sandoval

Master's Theses

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is one of the largest executive departments in the nation, providing essential financial and medical assistance to veterans and their families. As the VA continues to evolve and grow it is imperative to understand the department’s current capability constraints and how they arose in order to propose effective methods for addressing current issues and overcoming future policy pitfalls. The most critical issues presently facing the VA concern appalling increases in wait-times and backlogs for services, which have emerged since 9/11 and are primarily the result of growing numbers of disabled veterans from …

Effects Of Input Modality On Capturing Notes, Chaya Bijani

Master's Theses

The features of the smartphone make it an indispensible commodity of Western urban lifestyles. However, the most common problems of using a mobile device for work-related activities are limited screen space and poor input techniques. People in the workforce whose daily job entails being in a mobile environment generally prefer to carry light, mobile devices along with a pen and a notepad. The purpose of this study was to investigate optimal input modality for taking notes. The three modes of input evaluated were spoken notes, typing on the phone, and writing by hand using a pen and paper. The variables …

Comparing Taxi Clearance Input Layouts For Advancements In Flight Deck Automation For Surface Operations, Lara W.S. Cheng

Master's Theses

Airport moving maps (AMMs) have been shown to decrease navigation errors, increase taxiing speed, and reduce workload when they depict airport layout, current aircraft position, and the cleared taxi route. However, current technologies are limited in their ability to depict the cleared taxi route due to the unavailability of datacomm or other means of electronically transmitting clearances from ATC to the flight deck. This study examined methods by which pilots can input ATC-issued taxi clearances to support taxi route depictions on the AMM. Sixteen general aviation (GA) pilots used a touchscreen monitor to input taxi clearances using two input layouts, …

Seeing Success: Biographies Of Low-Income Students, Julia M. Morrice

Master's Theses

The purpose of this narrative ethnographic study was to explore the success stories and lived experiences of six low-income students, utilizing an asset-based approach and attention to cultural wealth. Low-income students are less likely to attend college, and those that do are less likely to complete a degree. There is presently a lack of asset-based research that explores the successes of low-income students. A semi-structured interview protocol yielded biographical narratives of low-income students, which included discussions about identity and provided insight into the cultural wealth possessed by low-income students. In an effort to better understand the use of visual methodologies …

The Moderating Role Of Perceived Organizational Support On The Relationship Between Bullying And Work Behaviors, Zakwan Salahieh

Master's Theses

Workplace bullying has been linked to many unfavorable outcomes that can be very costly to organizations. One way to minimize the impact of this negative behavior is through perceived organizational support (POS). Thus, researchers have called for more studies examining the joint effects of workplace bullying and POS on various outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine whether POS would moderate the relationship between workplace bullying and outcomes that are related to work behaviors and motivations, namely, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and work engagement. A total of 224 individuals working in a variety of industries participated in an …

Chasing Rx: A Spatial Ethnography Of The Crossfit Gym, Matt Crockett

Master's Theses

CrossFit is a group fitness program that incorporates a variety of weightlifting and gymnastic movements performed at high intensities. Although there is growing research on CrossFit’s physiological and behavioral outcomes, few studies have qualitatively examined the program’s psychological and sociological characteristics. Drawing from Henning Eichberg’s (1998) work on spatial geography, this five-month ethnographic study examined the space and place of two San Francisco Bay Area CrossFit gyms as an introduction to a broader discussion on CrossFit subculture and evolving discourses about the body, health, and fitness. Specifically, three major themes about the CrossFit space emerged from the participant-observation data, including: …

A Comparison Of Alternative Interface Designs For Planning Software, Rachna Tiwary

Master's Theses

This study investigated the impact of varying the interface design of a software planning tool in a specific domain of the Attitude Determination and Control Operator (ADCO, where ADCO refers to a group or an individual was studied). This study extended a prior study that compared two entirely different interfaces of a software planning tool, LEGACY and NEW, and by which it was found that the NEW interface better matched the underlying domain structure and resulted in improved performance. The current study looked into the impact of varying the levels of presentation of the elements of a plan on user …

"They Going To Throw You In Jackson Where You Belong": Depictions Of Mental Disability In The Works Of William Faulkner And Flannery O'Connor, Marie Elizabeth Lawson

Master's Theses

Mentally disabled characters in the works of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor are often subjected to mistreatment, neglect, and violence at the hands of their families and communities. In William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury (1929) and The Hamlet (1940) and Flannery O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” (1955) and The Violent Bear it Away (1960), characters with mental disabilities are depicted in such a way as to evoke sympathy for the characters without the narratives overtly calling for sympathy. This is achieved through the juxtaposition of positive narrative portrayals with negative treatment by the characters’ …

Conduct In Narrativized Trust Games, Jan Osborn, Bart J. Wilson, Bradley R. Sherwood

English Faculty Articles and Research

We “narrativize” a basic extensive form trust game by placing participants in a story that contextualizes the interaction with an unforeseeable future. In our narrative experiment, participants consider each decision as a character, advancing the story with their choices for salient payoffs. Our interest is in understanding how participants apply Adam Smith's rules of beneficent and just conduct in our narrativized games with epistemic conditions of an unknown future, conditions which aren't possible in extensive form. We invite our readers to participate in the story of the results, making meaning as participants in a narrative that unfolds with their choices.

Are Subjects Making Financial Decisions In Lab Auctions Or Are They Just Gambling?, Cary Deck, Jungmin Lee, Javier Reyes

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Optimal bidding strategies in first-price and Dutch auctions are theoretically isomorphic but depend on bidder risk attitudes. However, laboratory experiments consistently find different behaviour between auction formats. This article explores whether the notion in psychology that financial and gambling risks are viewed differently can explain the discrepancy. Ultimately, the evidence does not support this hypothesis, but a bidder's propensity to gamble is associated with how much risk he takes in both auctions whereas his propensity to take financial risks is not. The results suggest that subjects may view themselves as gambling in laboratory auctions rather than making financial decisions.

Advancing The Understanding Of Behavior In Social-Ecological Systems: Results From Lab And Field Experiments, Marco A. Janssen, Therese Lindahl, James J. Murphy

ESI Publications

"Experiments have made important contributions to our understanding of human behavior, including behavior relevant for understanding social-ecological systems. When there is a conflict between individual and group interests in social-ecological systems, social dilemmas occur. From the many types of social-dilemma formulations that are used to study collective action, common-pool resource and public-good dilemmas are most relevant for social-ecological systems. Experimental studies of both common-pool resource and public-good dilemmas have shown that many predictions based on the conventional theory of collective action, which assumes rational, self-interested behavior, do not hold. More cooperation occurs than predicted (Ledyard 1995), “cheap talk” increases cooperation …

Performance Benefits Of Reward Choice: A Procedural Justice Perspective, Arran Caza, Matthew W. Mccarter, Gregory B. Northcraft

ESI Publications

Reward choice – employees' ability to exercise control over the formal rewards they receive from work – is an important part of many HRM strategies. Reward choice is expected to increase employee performance, but conflicting findings highlight the need to better understand how and when it will do so. Based on fairness heuristic theory, we predicted that procedural justice mediates reward choice's influence on performance, and that choice attractiveness moderates that influence. A field study and an experiment both had similar results, supporting our predictions. Reward choice can increase performance by as much as 40 per cent, but only when …

Time Discounting In Strategic Contests, Cary Deck, Salar Jahedi

ESI Publications

In many contests, such as political campaigns or R&D expenditures, there is at least some trade-off between immediate money outlay and potential future benefits. This timing aspect has mostly been ignored by the contest literature. If contestants exhibit a strong present bias, such as that shown by past individual choice experiments, then benefits that are deferred to the future will lead to a significant drop in investment. This paper uses controlled laboratory experiments to explore how the timing of prize payment impacts behavior in a contest with a unique Nash equilibrium strategy. We find no evidence that people significantly discount …

Disfluent Fonts Don’T Help People Solve Math Problems, Andrew Meyer, Shane Frederick, Terence C. Burnham, Juan D. Guevera Pinto, Ty W. Boyer, Linden J. Ball, Gordon Pennycook, Rakefet Ackerman, Valerie A. Thompson, Jonathon P. Schuldt

ESI Publications

Prior research suggests that reducing font clarity can cause people to consider printed information more carefully. The most famous demonstration showed that participants were more likely to solve counterintuitive math problems when they were printed in hard-to-read font. However, after pooling data from that experiment with 16 attempts to replicate it, we find no effect on solution rates. We examine potential moderating variables, including cognitive ability, presentation format, and experimental setting, but we find no evidence of a disfluent font benefit under any conditions. More generally, though disfluent fonts slightly increase response times, we find little evidence that they activate …

An Experimental Investigation Of Time Discounting In Strategic Settings, Cary Deck, Salar Jahedi

ESI Publications

Several studies have shown that people greatly discount future benefits and costs, but few have examined how discounting is manifested in strategic settings. This paper investigates the degree to which the timing of payments affects behavior in four commonly studied strategic settings: a Prisoners’ Dilemma, a Stag-Hunt Game, a First Price Auction, and a Second Price Auction. In general, a two week delay in the date of payment has a comparable effect on outcomes as a substantial reduction in current payoffs. A follow-up study compares individual’s own discount rates with their beliefs of others’ discount rates and finds that people …

The Effect Of Cognitive Load On Economic Decision Making: A Survey And New Experiments, Cary Deck, Salar Jahedi

ESI Publications

Psychologists and economists have examined the effect of cognitive load in a variety of situations from risk taking to snack choice. We review previous experiments that have directly manipulated cognitive load and summarize their findings. We report the results of two new experiments where participants engage in a digit-memorization task while simultaneously performing a variety of economic tasks including: (1) choices involving risk, (2) choices involving intertemporal substitution, (3) choices with anchoring effects, (4) choices over healthy and unhealthy snacks, and (5) math problems. We find that higher cognitive load reduces numeracy as measured by performance in math problems. Moreover, …

Commitment Problems In Conflict Resolution, Erik O. Kimbrough, Jared Rubin, Roman M. Sheremeta, Timothy W. Shields

ESI Publications

Commitment problems are inherent to non-binding conflict resolution mechanisms, since an unsatisfied party can ignore the resolution and initiate conflict. We provide experimental evidence suggesting that even in the absence of binding contractual agreements individuals often avoid conflict by committing to the outcome of a conflict resolution mechanism. Commitment problems are mitigated to a greater extent for groups that opt-in to the conflict resolution mechanism, but only when opting-in is costly. Although conflict rates are higher when opting-in is costly than when it is free or exogenously imposed, commitment problems are greatly reduced among those groups who choose to opt-in.

Humankind In Civilization’S Extended Order: A Tragedy, The First Part, Bart J. Wilson

ESI Publications

This article is a short, scientific story of the labyrinthian human career, of humankind’s place in the natural order of the world, and of the evolution of moral rules and rule following that make the extended order of civilization possible. Drawing upon work in anthropology, biology, and linguistics, I weave a science-based narrative of how Homo sapiens came to be the only primate to convert enemy aliens into trading friends. It is a Goethean story of the human condition that postulates the common origins of and modern tension between Pleistocene and Anthropocene morality. It is also a Hayekian story of …