Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ua19/16/2 Softball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU softball team in spring 2025.

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU baseball team in spring 2025.

Code^Shift Newsletter Spring 2025, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Manaswini Pillai

CODE^SHIFT Research

No abstract provided.

Ocd Online: Strategies To Build Engagement For Mental Health Content On Social Media, Casey Matthews

Senior Theses

Social media is a tool with the potential to shape health communication. This study seeks to apply models of social media engagement from brand communication studies to explore how social media practitioners can effectively build engagement for mental health messaging. The study takes root in the concepts of social media engagement behavior (SMEB) and active vs. passive engagement outlined in the work of Dolan et al. (2019) and Shahbaznezhad et al. (2022). The application of these concepts to health communication provides new insight into the effectiveness of various messaging strategies—with a focus on OCD, a disorder that faces high levels …

Tiered Clinician Vaccine Communication Strategy To Improve Childhood Vaccine Uptake: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial., Douglas J. Opel, Jeffrey D. Robinson, Chuan Zhou, Kathryn Colborn, Heather Spielvogle, Anna Furniss, Christine Spina, Cathryn Perreira, Sean T. O'Leary

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

No experimental studies to date have tested the effectiveness of clinician communication strategies to improve vaccine uptake among children of parents with negative vaccine attitudes.

Cpec In The Shadows Of Fifth Generation Warfare And The Dynamics Of Propaganda Model, Muhammad Usman Sahibzada, Wenshan Jia

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose – The clear patterns of bias and propaganda such as narrative framing and selective reporting are severely affecting the public opinion and policymakers. Overall, the study shows that media depiction of CPEC conditioned by the propagandistic model and 5GW strategies carries deep meanings for global politics. In addition, there is the necessity to increase media literacy and strategic communication so as to direct the complications of these projects. Transparency and international cooperation become important for regional stability as well as informed public discourse.

Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative analysis of media content is carried out for this research across the …

Murder On Music Row: A Narrative Analysis Of Mass-Mediated Country Music And Independent Texas Red Dirt Music, Jennifer A. Worley

Communication Theses

This project employs Roland Barthes' narrative codes as a framework for textual analysis to examine the underlying structures and meanings within song lyrics from two contrasting traditions of country music: mass-mediated Nashville country and Texas Red Dirt. With a sample spanning a five-year period, the study explores how narrative forms reflect broader socio-cultural dynamics and economic forces. Drawing upon the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, particularly the works of Theodor Adorno and Karl Marx, the project concentrates on the commodification of cultural products and implications for authenticity and truth in cultural expression. Through a comparative analysis, the research reveals …

Polymorph V. “Stochastic Parrot”, Lin Allen

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

This mock trial script is based on Thaler v. Perlmutter, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, (2025), which upheld the ruling that artificial intelligence cannot be classified as an “inventor”, rendering AI ineligible for copyrighting. The futuristic scenario is based on the case being adjudicated before a fictional court: The Adjudicator of Artificial Intelligence. Plaintiff will be represented by “Polymorph,” aka Stephen Thaler, An Individual Appellant, and Respondent will be represented by “Stochastic Parrot,” aka Shira Perlmutter, in her official capacity as Register of copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office and U.S. …

Ica Newsletter, Spring 2025, Iowa Communication Association

ICA Newsletter

Contents:

--- President's Note
--- 2025 ICA Conference
--- G. Jon Hall Panel Call: AI in Research
--- Westphal Student Paper Call - 2025
--- Call for Outstanding Adjunct Teacher Award
--- Call for Outstanding New Teacher Award
--- Inaugural ICA Book Club
--- 2025 Call for Submissions
--- ICA Board

Attachment And Culture: Exploring Relationship Satisfaction, Lizbeth Carbajal

Posters - 2025

- Suggests that communication patterns related to attachment impact relationship satisfaction (Domingue & Mollen, 2009). -Latinx cultural values influence attachment-related conflict behaviors and relationship satisfaction (Guerrido, 2017). -Secure attachment leads to healthier conflict resolution and greater satisfaction (Pistole, 1989). The purpose is to analyze existing research on how attachment styles impact conflict resolution strategies in romantic relationships and determine whether cultural background (Latinx vs. non-Latinx) and relationship length influence these behaviors. Hypotheses H1: The quality of a relationship is mentioned more frequently than other themes when examining previous literature. H2: Cultural influences are discussed more frequently than relationship length in …

A Word From The Writing Team (April 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publication Spotlight
• Sign up for the April 4th Writing Retreat (Online)
• Check out the Health Humanities Consortium (HHC) Conference
• Come to the 3rd Annual Jefferson Science Slam
• Visit the Write that Baby in 9 Weeks Workshop Canvas Page

Zero Textbook Cost Syllabus For Com 1010 (Speech Communication) - College Now, Giselle Blanco

Open Educational Resources

This course provides training and practice in the preparation and delivery of original speeches, encourages the use of clear language, develops students' awareness of intellectual and ethical aspects of communication, and promotes critical thinking and academic research. This course is required for all undergraduate degrees granted by Baruch College.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the theory and practice of basic speech communication skills. The focus of the course is on extemporaneous public speaking, with particular emphasis on the speaking situations and genres that students are likely to encounter. Along with formal speeches, the course incorporates other forms …

Information Literacy: How Students Search For & Verfiy Health-Related Information On Social Media, Isabel Sousa

Honors Projects in Communication and Language Studies

Today, younger generations utilize social media to access what they perceive to be reliable and accurate information, yet there are some concerns regarding validity and the ease of which students share information. This thesis evaluates how undergraduate students search for and verify information seen on popular social media platforms and analyzes the proficiency of their information literacy skills. The data collected will be used in determining which social media platforms are most frequently used and trusted by students, which types of sources are used in verification of this information if verified at all, and their perception of information literacy. The …

Smart Strategies: The Impact Of Social Media And Ai In Modern Marketing, Waverly O. Smith

Student Publications

In recent times, social media and artificial intelligence (AI) have become increasingly popular in the world of marketing. With these technologies, companies can more efficiently and effectively find consumers and create tailored product advertisements. AI has helped companies segment consumers, identify trends, and predict consumer needs. Social media has created a platform in which companies can connect with consumers and gain direct feedback. Additionally, it has created a space in which anyone can become an influencer or market a product. With the evolution of technology and digital marketing, it has also become increasingly important for companies to use high quality …

The Usc Sports Sorority: A Podcast Highlighting The Experiences Of Sjmc Alumnae Working In Sports Media, Griffin Goodwyn

Senior Theses

Women’s sports are on the rise, as indicated by increased media interest and television viewership records across the professional and collegiate ranks. This trend coincides with one specific to the sports media industry, where more women are pursuing careers in that space – and being recognized for their contributions in ways they have not in previous decades.

My project examines both trends in the form of a podcast, featuring interviews with eight alumni and two current students who have sports media experience and ties to the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications. The podcast consists of …

Exploring The Web And Language Accessibility Of Medical Tourism Providers’ Websites: Implications For Online Marketing And Patient Recruitment Practices, Alicia Mason, Elizabeth Spencer, Kristen Livingston, Treyton Meyers

Faculty Submissions

Background: Web accessibility as an attribute of the digital presence of organizations has been studied across domains and contexts. Our study aims to add to existing lines of research inquiry by examining the web and language accessibility of medical tourism provider (MTP) websites commonly used to market and promote international medical tourism treatments and services globally.

Objective: This study aims to (1) systematically analyze the web and language accessibility of MTP online health messages and (2) discuss challenges and implications for medical tourists’ user experiences when seeking health information online.

Method: We conducted an exploratory quantitative content analysis of web …

Investigating Child-Informed Considerations For Animated Picture Symbols Representing Emotion For Aac Use In Children With Asd, Hannah Kitsmiller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Development of emotional competence is an important area of consideration when supporting individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Emotional competence includes skills related to identifying and communicating about one’s emotions. Individuals who use AAC may struggle to develop strong skills in emotional competence. One potential barrier to developing emotional competence may be access to symbols that facilitate understanding of the represented emotion. Emotions are abstract and challenging to represent in visual symbols. Additionally, evidence suggests individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have visual perceptual differences when viewing faces. Current emotion symbols are often depicted using isolated facial …

Controlling The Narrative: How The United Daughters Of The Confederacy Shaped Collective Memory Through Romance Novels, Karie L. Cobb

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While existing scholarship on the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) reveals the immense influence the organization wielded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, I assert that their legacy has had a broader and more insidious reach than previously believed. Through close analysis of two foundational romance novelists’ works published during the rapid escalation of the genre’s popularity, I contend that the rhetoric of the UDC shaped generations of Southerners as demonstrated through repetitions and parallels of the Lost Cause ideology found in UDC publications and sponsored materials within romance novels written by white Southern women who came of age …

Holding Ground In The Cerulean Tide: Minority Party Legislators' Strategies For Advancing Climate Policies In Landslide States, Sukjae Lee

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation addresses a key puzzle: Why do states sometimes adopt nationally polarized policies, such as climate change legislation, even when doing so does not align with strict partisan interests? The analysis focuses on “landslide states,” where a single party overwhelmingly dominates, and the minority party cannot realistically expect to gain a majority. In these environments, reduced partisan conflict allows minority party legislators to break from traditional partisan paths. As a result, I argue that electoral motivations drive them to signal moderation by advancing liberal policy agendas or incorporating provisions that minimize backlash from their core constituents in landslide states. …

Everyday Storytelling: The Function, Meaning, And Impact Of College Student's Storytelling And Storylistening, Sophie K. Richards

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The current study investigated the stories that 102 college students heard and told through the course of a 1-day diary study with surveys administered at four timepoints. Investigated through the perspective of the small story framework (Bamberg & Georgakopoulou, 2008), everyday talk (Goldsmith & Baxter, 1996) and Communicated Narrative Sense-Making (CNSM) theory (Koenig Kellas, 2022), participants reported about the stories that they heard and told throughout their day, as well as completed self-report measures of well-being. The study aimed to understand the characteristics of everyday stories, the functions they serve, the meanings they hold, and their impact on well-being. Participants …

Giving Voice To Student Grief: Using Community-Based Participatory Research To Develop And Pilot A Translational Storytelling Intervention For Bereaved College Students, Cassidy Rae Taladay-Carter

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this dissertation was to employ community-based participatory research (CBPR, Wallerstein et al., 2018) methods to attend to a pressing issue in the community. In partnership with one local grief center, we identified the need for enhanced grief support for current emerging adult undergraduate students in our area. Nearly 50% of U.S. emerging adults enrolled in four-year residential universities experience the death of an important figure (Cox et al., 2015; Cupit et al., 2021), at a time when they are developing important facets of their narrative identity. Without the coherence and meaning structures provided by narrative identity, students …

The Impact Of Provider Communication On Treatment Adherence In Patients With Hypertension And Diabetes, Trey Carlson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Current research cites effective provider communication as an important factor in improving treatment adherence and the health outcomes of patients. This study examines the effect of provider communication on treatment adherence in patients with chronic illnesses with a specific focus on hypertension and diabetes. Provider communication was measured using patient satisfaction surveys and treatment compliance was measured as the percentage of hypertensive and diabetic patients with a blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg and hemoglobin A1C levels below 9%. A one-way MANOVA revealed that provider communication had no significant impact on the combined treatment compliance variables for hypertension and diabetes (Wilk’s …

Attitudes Towards Political Censorship In Eastern And Western Germany, Brandon Pionk

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Recently there has been a lot of coverage on political censorship in Germany. Censorship has an important role in Germany due to WWII. In Germany support for freedom of the press has been declining in recent years. Right leaning political parties are emerging which has caused opposition parties to try and ban them. I analyze data in this study from the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS). I analyze different political culture variables in western and eastern Germany for their impact on views on censorship. I incorporate multiple variables including education, gender, age, political affiliation, and living location. Early …

Interactive Pathways: Designing Accessible Museum Experiences, Bryce M. Christian

Senior Theses

This research examines the educational strategies employed by the Columbia Museum of Art in addition to similar institutions to explore how museums can optimize their educational impact on K–12 students by applying human-centered design strategies that prioritize accessibility, engagement, and real user needs. Many museums struggle to fully serve K–12 students due to physical, financial, and perceptual barriers. While digital platforms have expanded reach in some institutions, others prioritize in-person experiences and community engagement. This research uses artificial intelligence tools such as supervised data to accelerate and enhance the analytical process. The study evaluates these approaches through the lens of …

Research On The Influencing Factors Of Dropout Behavior Among Users Of Ancient Language Models From The Perspective Of Resilience Theory, Hai Zhang, Jiping Fang, Dongbo Wang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]The deep integration of ancient book digitization and large language models is the future development trend. In order to clarify the influence factors and formation mechanisms of dropout behavior among users of domain ancient book large language models, mobilize the willingness of users to use large language models, achieve high-quality user retention, and promote the non-human high-quality development of domain large language models. [Method/process]This study takes users in the field of ancient books as an example, based on resilience theory, and draws on grounded theory research methods to code and deconstruct first-hand data obtained from in-depth interviews with 30 users …

From Skepticism To Loyalty: A Whitepaper For Companies On Building Consumer Trust In Digital Marketing, Grace Darcy Pora

Theses

Trust is the foundation of business and works as a dynamic relationship between customers and businesses. As social media continues to evolve as the main way that companies promote and sell their products, trust must align with these marketing efforts. Through the analysis of past research, case studies, and current surveys, data, and trends, the relationship between consumer trust and online advertisements can be examined. Consumer trust online is experiencing a consistent downward trend, where consumers are losing trust in the companies and products they purchase from online. There is a heavy amount of skepticism online with the content that …

Communication During Perimmigration: A Life-Line Interview Method Study, Giada Roberta Rossi

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

This thesis examines the communication challenges faced by migrants and their impact on acculturation using a new approach. The study analyzed autobiographical memories of immigrants’ communication to explore both positive and negative experiences over time. The study extends previous intercultural communication research by using the Life-Line Interview Method (LIM) (Assink & Schroots, 2010) to collect autobiographical narratives from twelve participants about their communication journeys. The findings reveal consistencies with past intercultural communication research insofar as uncertainty and identity problems were pervasive, but also positively extends past research arguing that supportive environments, characterized by culturally responsive educators and peer networks, play …

Cultivating Community And Commerce: A Summary Of The Statewide Social And Economic Impacts Of Utah Farmers Markets, Jaclyn Pace, Bryn Watkins, Roslynn Mccann, Steven Price

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Data collected from six markets throughout the market seasons between 2023 and 2024 highlights the transformative impact of Utah’s farmers’ markets on the state’s economy, health, and sense of community. According to market patrons, Utah’s farmers' markets are vital economic and social hubs supporting local agriculture, small businesses, and community well-being.

A Research Proposal: Morality As A Social Construct, Samantha Gonzales

Posters - 2025

Separating our minds from the constraints of our social constructs allows us to analyze problems from a place somewhere remotely close to unbiased. However, it is only after we understand that our sense of morale [i.e. right and wrong] originated as social constructs—that is to say, right and wrong have no reason to exist in an objective world. The very concept of right and wrong have been socially constructed from the beginning; they are, in their most simplistic nature, entirely subjective. Subjective in this sense means outside of the very people who speak of the words right and wrong in …

Crafting Connections: Language Use And Cultural Resonance In Marketing Campaigns For The Hispanic Market, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli Peschiera, Kristina Simon, Melany Sarcevic

AMTP Proceedings 2025

Considering the rapid growth and relevance of the Hispanic market in the U.S., this study explores strategies employed by brands in their communication efforts to connect with this consumer base. Through a qualitative content analysis, the study analyzes emerging themes and patterns in terms of language use and cultural values employed in marketing and advertising campaigns directed to the U.S. Hispanic market. Results reveal a prevalent use of Spanish, with a rise in the use of English reflective of changing demographic trends of Hispanics in the U.S. Cultural values resonant with Hispanic identity are also employed in campaigns. Important implications …