Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Priming Of Narrative Language In Young Adults, Rachel M. Crowder

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Deictic Gestures On Direction-Giving In Virtual Humans, Anthony Pham

Honors Theses

Virtual agents are animated characters that use speech and gesture to interact with human users. They can serve as an intuitive interface for a variety of purposes. I am investigating the use of deictic gestures by a direction-giving agent. Deictic gestures are pointing gestures that humans often use in direction-giving to help clarify the route and destination. In my experiment, I developed a virtual agent to give directions to people to six different locations with the following spatial relationships to the starting point: left, right, left behind, right behind, left up, and right up. Three versions of the virtual agent …

La Paisana Jacinta: El Programa Que Causa La Risa Para Algunas Y El Sufrimiento Para Otros, Rachel Wyman

Honors Theses

Examino el papel de la comedia en La Paisana Jacinta en la naturalización de la discriminación racial. La identidad denigrada que se asigna a La Paisana Jacinta origina en los estereotipos populares de la población indígena en Perú, no es solamente una interpretación de la cultura andina migrante. Entonces, analizo los comentarios de los usuarios fans en las redes sociales para entender como el programa ha ganado popularidad, incluyendo la reacción a la censura del programa. También, examino la reacción de las organizaciones humanas y indígenas que desean imponer la censura y el fin inmediatamente del programa. La Paisana Jacinta …

The Effect Of Posture On Classroom Participation, Janine Cerutti

Honors Theses

Past research suggested that students with low self-esteem participate less in class than students with high self-esteem. Separately, prior research investigated the effects of nonverbal behavior on different variables such as confidence and performance. In the current research, we explored the effect of posture on the level of class participation (i.e. the number of times participants raised their hand to participate during a question-answer session). First, participants were asked to take a self-esteem questionnaire before participating in a simulated lecture. Next, participants were randomly assigned to either a slumped or upright posture condition. During the lecture, participants watched a short …

La Epoca De #Nofilter: El Impacto De Los Medios Sociales En La Imagen Corporal Latina, Rebecca Calvo-Cruz

Honors Theses

Compartiendo fotos se ha convertido en un medio fundamental de comunicación que ofrece a los usuarios la oportunidad de un examen constante de sí mismos y otros. De hecho, a medida que más plataformas de medios sociales basados en fotos, como Instagram, ganan popularidad, cada vez es normal para los adultos jóvenes compartir fotos personales con el mundo en línea. Este año, el 54% de los usuarios del Internet mayores del año 18 dicen que “publican fotos originales en línea”, en comparación con 46% en 2012 (Duggan 2013). En Facebook, hay casi 300 millones de fotos publicadas cada día, que …

Bulking Up Or Bulging Over: Motivating Physical Activity Through Framing, Lauren Crupnick

Honors Theses

Motivating people to perform physical activities can be a challenging task. One possible avenue is through the use of framing of exercise-related imagery and messages. Gain-frame imagery demonstrates the benefits of performing an activity, whereas loss-frame demonstrates the risks of not taking action on something (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981). With social media as a prevalent platform for exercise tips and tricks, it is possible that the way in which such imagery is framed in advertisements, blogs, and apps could be hindering or helping followers get closer to their physical activity goals. I hypothesized that gain-framed imagery motivates participants to have …

A Graph Based Departmental Spoken Dialogue System, Julia Isaac

Honors Theses

Spoken dialogue systems are automatic, computer based systems that are a great way for people to receive important information. In this project, I created a spoken dialogue system that people can use to learn about the Computer Science Department at Union College. The system was built by populating an open source dialogue system using a graph based dialogue manager. I improved upon a previous working dialogue system by making the conversations sound more natural, improving the flexibility of the system and making the system more robust. To help with this process a corpus was created using about 200 different dialogues …

“Can The Subaltern [E-Communicate]?” Exploring The Complex Relationship Between The Worldwide Web And The World’S Most Marginalized Women, Julia Hotz

Honors Theses

Famously heralded by early Internet pioneers and contemporary globalization theorists as providing a “state of perfect freedom and equality”, the Internet, on one hand, may be used to benefit the world’s least privileged women; these efforts have taken variety of forms, from serving as a space where women can share ideas, to creating an encyclopedia of practical women’s health and political information, to providing a medium through which women can directly access economic opportunities. Yet through critically examining the ways in which the Internet is used, we see how such apparently benevolent initiatives may sometimes silence the very marginalized, female …

El Paralelismo Entre Los Cambios Demograficos Y Los Medios Sociales Y Su Impacto En El Activismo En America Latina, Ashley Beccia

Honors Theses

En la segunda mitad del siglo XX, los avances sociales, especialmente en los ámbitos tecnológicos y médicos, cambiaron la manera en que viven los seres humanos. Los sectores demográficos empezaron a experimentar grandes transformaciones debido a la reducción de la tasa de mortalidad infantil y el crecimiento de la expectativa de vida (Saad 240). Como consecuencia, ha emergido una nueva época de vida, que se llama la edad de adulta emergente, que es caracterizada por la exploración y construcción de la identidad y creencias personales (Smith y Snell 6). Las nuevas estructuras sociales alrededor del mundo han requerido que los …

Made In America: The Affects Cognitive Load Consumer Ethnocentrism And Country Of Origin Have On Consumer Purchasing Decisions, Hannah Halstrom

Honors Theses

Previous research suggests that cognitive load affects decision-making tasks. As well, a consumer varies his or her purchasing decisions based off of his or her personal level of Consumer Ethnocentrism (CE) and the Country of Origin (COO) of the product or brand. Eighty individuals participated in the study. Some participants were put under cognitive load by having remembering an 8 digit number span. All subjects were randomly exposed to one of two product sets, where COO was manipulated. Each product set consisted of 5 advertisements followed by a series of 4 questions. These questions regarded their willingness to purchase the …

The Effect Of Posture On Classroom Participation, Janine Cerutti

Honors Theses

Past research suggested that students with low self-esteem participate less in class than students with high self-esteem. Separately, prior research investigated the effects of nonverbal behavior on different variables such as confidence and performance. In the current research, we explored the effect of posture on the level of class participation (i.e. the number of times participants raised their hand to participate during a question-answer session). First, participants were asked to take a self-esteem questionnaire before participating in a simulated lecture. Next, participants were randomly assigned to either a slumped or upright posture condition. During the lecture, participants watched a short …

Missed Connection: A Case Study Of Social Media, The Youth Vote And The 2015 Louisiana Gubernatorial Race, Valencia Richardson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A First Amendment Conundrum: Hate Speech And Social Harm, Kaylyn Blosser

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

How Various Sources Of Content On Social Networking Sites Affect Millennial’S Attitudes Toward A Brand, Katherine Campbell

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Information To Affect Party Alignment And Third Party Support, Lindsey Spillman

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Media's Isis Crisis: How Isis Came To Be Through Framing And Naming, Cameron A. Morgan

Honors Theses

An exploration of the ISIS crisis from July 2013 - June 2014 in the New York Times and the Guardian's respective coverages using frame analysis. Through keywords, frames were determined to be constructed. Frame analysis was broken into three parts, particularly focusing on sourcing, power dynamic and structure.

Millennial Skepticism And Susceptibility To Media Persuasion, Olivia K. Lee

Honors Theses

This study examines the disconnect between millennials' perceived and actual skepticism toward news media outlets as well as the Third Person Effect in millennials' attitude toward others' skepticism. This body of work includes survey research to examine these theories in the context of millennial news consumption.

College Student Development And Emerging Adulthood, Gina Cavanaugh

Honors Theses

College student development theories focus on the experiences and growth that individuals and groups encounter throughout their time attending colleges and universities. During this time, many traditionally aged college students are in the period of emerging adulthood. In industrialized societies, this age range is characterized by a prolonged period of adolescence and a lack of taking on adult responsibilities. This exploration highlights the emerging adult college student population in the United States and the development these individuals may undergo.

News In Virtual Reality, Samantha Macy

Honors Theses

Virtual reality (VR) is the next frontier of news media, but we know little about the impact is has on viewers. The goal of this experiment is to gain a better understanding of the social presence and information retained by watching news in VR. Participants will either consumer news in a VR setting, a highly interactive online format, or print. Then, using a survey, social presence and information retention were assessed. Research participants were undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university. It is expected that VR news will result in higher social presence and information retention than news in highly …

The Comparison Of Effectiveness Between Print Media & Electronic Media In Terms Of Promotion And Recruitment, Katherine Dayton

Honors Theses

This research project’s objective was to determine whether print media such as brochures and booklets are more or less effective than electronic media such as e-mails and webpage advertisements in attracting consumers. A special interest was taken in higher education recruitment and the research was completed by advertising to high school students who are in the process of choosing a school for their higher education experience. The research featured an advertising campaign launched through both print and electronic platforms, directing the consumers to an online survey they were able to take to provide feedback about the experience. This project led …

Campus, Community, Connection: A Public Relations Campaign, Elizabeth Blasko

Honors Theses

Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes (KLF) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to “Feed hungry people and engage our community in the fight to end hunger.” KLF started in 1982 and has since grown to include 23 pantry sites across Kalamazoo County. KLF offers many assistance programs including Grocery Pantry Program, Mobile Food Initiative, Weekend Food Pack Program, Commodity Supplemental Food, and Meal Support Program (Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes).

Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes faces public relations challenges in regards to connecting with college students in the Kalamazoo community. There is limited mission awareness among students at Western Michigan University. …

Trumped: How A Billionaire With 140 Characters Stole Billions In Free Media, Kylie Shae Keyser

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining The Knowledge And Attitudes Of The Public In Regard To Military Sexual Trauma Policy, Lindsey Miller

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Depolarizing Science: The Effects Of Local Crises On Partisan Science Policy, Christopher R. Handy

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Message Appeals In Corporate Social Responsibility Communication On Organized-Public Relationships, Kristin N. White

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Content Analysis Of Minority Representation In A Selection Of Current College And University Viewbooks, Jolena Ann Broussard

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Exposure To Video Media And Its Effects On Attitudes Towards Law Enforcement, Amante Gonzalez

Honors Theses

This study examined how exposure to video media (specifically media geared toward a social media platform) depicting either negative or positive police interactions with individuals will influence perception of law enforcement officials. Using a modified version of the Building a Relationship of Trust Community Perception Survey (BRTCPS) subjects (N=43) responses were analyzed using a two way ANOVA. Results indicated a strong main effect for exposure to both the negative and positive police interaction videos in regards to attitudes towards law enforcement. These findings support the thesis that the videos emotional valence is extremely successful in altering individual’s attitudes towards law …

Picturing The Museum: How America's Leading Art Museums Use Instagram As A Public Relations Tool, Hannah S. Mclain

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Vous De Amatongas: The Voice Of Amatongas, Matthew T. Adler

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Exporting A Brand: A Comparative Analysis Of The French Model Brand Elle Decoration With The American Edition Elle Decor, Kate Hayes

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the history and editorial design of the French and American publications within the ELLE Déco brand network. The ELLE Déco network of interior design magazines is the only truly global brand of the shelter category with 25 editions published in 28 countries. By studying corresponding issues of the original French edition, ELLE Decoration, and American, ELLE DECOR, I have determined the different personalities of each publication, as well as what elements are used in the cover and editorial design of each. In doing so, I uncovered what consistencies of both content and design have led to success …