Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comm-Entary 43rd Edition, 2022-2023 - Full Issue

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

The Pacific Sentinel, May 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Ghosts of Plant & Place
• Everybody Reads Ozeki
• Shrinking: Rethinking New Approaches to Therapy
• Braiding Sweetgrass
• Lana Del Rey Album Review
• The Perseverance of R*pe Culture in Rock & Metal
• Pay What You Will, Take What You Need
• What We're Enjoying
• Comics & Games

Check It Out: Analyzing The Checkout Experience Of Small Business E-Commerce Websites, Janet Lovera

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

There is limited research available aimed at identifying specifically how a small business shopper may experience different pain points during checkout in comparison to well-known retail websites and the layout of their e-commerce websites. Enlightened by the Technology Adoption Model and the concept of consumer trust, the purpose of this research is to determine similar characteristics across small business e-commerce websites to identify common pain points for users, or simply what small businesses lack regarding common elements that ease the checkout experience for consumers. From these insights, elements within the checkout experience can be compared to the pain points of …

Facebook In County 4-H Extension Programs In Arkansas: Is It Effective For Communication?, Haley Padgett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As social media rises in popularity, agents with 4-H responsibilities have the opportunity to implement social media platforms in their communication outreach. The purpose of this study was to identify how agents with 4-H responsibilities in Arkansas use Facebook for communication purposes and their perceptions of its effectiveness. This information helps provide understanding of the effects of Facebook on county 4-H programs in Arkansas and assists agents in determining how to implement or better utilize Facebook in their county programs. The study had three research objectives: 1) describe the usage of Facebook by agents in Arkansas with at least a …

Civil War Journalism: Two Rough Drafts Of One History, Brianna Collora

History Honors Program

This paper addresses journalism in the Civil War by analyzing both Northern and Southern reporting. The severity of censorship changed throughout the duration of the war, with it less harsh in the Union by the end. Southern officials did not censor as much, both because their resources were scarcer, and their officials were more opposed to the use of censorship. While past historians have argued that the decrease in Northern censorship is because the Union began to have the upper hand in the war, I argue that the decrease in Union censorship was not only because the Union was now …

Death And Dynasties: Using Family Communication Patterns Theory To Understand Individual Feelings Regarding The End Of Life, Erica Danielle Cecilia Strand

Communication

This research investigated how Family Communication Patterns Theory, one of the leading theories in the study of family communication, relates to parent-child communication regarding religion and outlook on the end of life. Using pairs of parent-child participants this research sought to connect the family type and style in which one was raised, with their likelihood to remain in the religion they were raised with, as well as their acceptance or fear regarding the end of life. This research seeks to close the gap between parenting styles/family dynamics and adult feelings, thoughts, and beliefs regarding religion and death. This research was …

Women In Organizations: Leadership And Overcoming Biases, Madison T. Witt

Honors Thesis

This thesis will work to describe the different experiences women have in the workplace compared to men. It will discuss the biases faced: prove-it-again bias, tightrope bias, and the maternal wall bias. These play a large role in why women act as they do in the workplace as well as why they tend to experience different barriers within the corporate ladder. This research notes both gender biases facing women and the additional bias women of color face. These different experiences change how women lead companies when placed in executive positions. These leadership styles of women tend to be more welcoming …

Understanding The Evolution Of Enforcement Systems In Resource Dilemmas, Devin M. Flener

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The effective management of resources on Earth is a pressing global social dilemma. An alternative solution to the traditional managing methods of these common pool resources is communal self-management facilitated through principles of restorative justice and developed through exploratory learning. We examined how communication, restorative justice techniques, and opportunity for exploratory learning impacted groups’ ability to develop a strong conceptual understanding of enforcement as well as an enforcement system in order to maintain an effective conservation strategy. Participants (N=288) were randomly assigned to 72 four-person groups in six separate conditions. Each group played nine rounds of a computer-simulated foraging task …

Examining Heterosexual Women's Social Comparisons And Perceptions Of Sexual Competition With Porn Stars, Jessica Journeay

Communication (PhD) Dissertations

The current study investigated women’s social comparisons and perceptions of sexual competition with porn stars they imagined their romantic partners viewed for purposes of private masturbation. Two novel predictors were considered, the body size (thin vs. plus-size) and facial attractiveness (high vs. low) of the porn stars, to investigate conditions that were more or less threatening to women’s relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, facial satisfaction, body satisfaction, and sexual desirability. Results from a 2 x 2 between-subjects online experiment (N = 762) suggest that women’s downward comparisons with porn stars’ facial attractiveness resulted in positive effects on facial satisfaction and …

A Holy Land Guidebook: Cultivating Spiritual Disciplines For Pilgrimages, Johnnie L. Birks

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

A small group of research participants and I assembled for this phenomenally enriching project intervention to create a proprietary branded guidebook for Miracle Loaves And Fishes World Hunger Ministry, Incorporated, and its subsidiary, Anointed Royal Tours, to be used for pilgrimages to the Holy Land. These pilgrimages will create sustainable funding for the ministry to support universal efforts to eliminate global hunger while simultaneously attempting to equip believers with a transformative and/or restorative walk in Christlikeness for the sake of creation, humanity, and eternal life in God’s Kingdom. The path of Christlikeness is to be transformed (Rom 12:2 NRSV), as …

The Impact Of The Csr Messages Type On Corporate Image: A Cross-Cultural Investigation, Hansen Lee

All Theses

This study investigates the impact of internal and external CSR messages on corporate image within a cross-cultural context. A 3 x 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted to examine the effects of CSR message types on general corporate image, trust, and credibility among U.S. and Chinese participants. The results revealed that U.S. and Chinese participants displayed varying levels of perceived corporate image and credibility. Chinese participants exhibited higher levels of trust, corporate image, and credibility after receiving CSR messages, regardless of type. Significant interaction effects were noted between CSR message type and culture on corporate image and credibility. Chinese participants had …

Using Linkedin To Promote Effective Corporate Social Responsibility Communication Through The B2b Supply Chain, Eden Wallace

All Theses

Utilizing LinkedIn as a communication tool for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communications is a relatively unknown area of CSR research. However, existing scholarship and current business trends suggest that LinkedIn may be beneficial for business to business (B2B) companies to communicate to their corporate partners. Findings from this study advance communication scholarship in this relatively new area of research and provide new understanding in how LinkedIn can be used by companies to strengthen business operations pertaining to corporate social responsibility. This thesis examines how Equinix, a B2B company, communicates its socially responsible initiatives on LinkedIn and to what extent its …

The Autistic Perspective: Interviewing Autistic Adults On Lived Experiences With Behavior Modification And How It Has Shaped Their Communication, Lighla R. Whitson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of behavior modification (BM) based treatment, the best-known example being Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), is established as an evidence-based practice for promoting communication and other outcomes for Autistic individuals. As such, many Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) use it in their practice to target various forms of communication. Among many autistic advocacy groups, however, ABA and other BM informed therapies are often described as a detriment to mental and emotional health. Organizations such as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) have come out against the practices and recommend finding different approaches to teaching communication skills. Much research is needed …

Digital Literacy Among Older Adults In Singapore, Mindy Eiko Tadai, Micah Tan

ROSA Research Briefs

Singapore stands as the fourth most digitally competitive country, after Denmark, USA, and Sweden, in the latest edition of the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (IMD World Competitiveness Center, 2022). This global ranking measures the capacities of 63 nations to adopt and explore digitally transformative practices across government, industry, and wider society. Among households in Singapore, an astounding 99% have Internet access and 92% have computer access (Infocomm Media Development Authority, 2023). Even within the eldest surveyed cohort, proportions of smartphone usage have risen from 28% in 2017 to 48% in 2021 among resident Singaporeans aged 75 and above, and …

Nonprofit Marketing And Communication Personnel Job Satisfaction: The Effects Of Role Conflict And Role Ambiguity, Rachel L. Swink

Communication Theses - Archive

Job satisfaction is becoming increasingly important in efforts to retain employees across all sectors. The nonprofit sector is facing greater challenges than ever before in competing for and retaining adequate talent. The nonprofit sector provides unconventional benefits such as hybrid office models, paid time off, and others to improve job satisfaction. While nonprofits receive high job satisfaction, turnover is a big issue, even among marketing and communication teams which are often underfunded, understaffed, and unappreciated. Marketing and communication teams play a unique role within nonprofits, as they are frequently pulled in different directions to accomplish tasks that may not necessarily …

Understanding The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Newsroom Social Culture And Journalistic Performative Roles : A Qualitative Case Study Of Ai As An Emerging Digital Innovative Technology In Newsrooms, Chad S. Owsley

Communication Faculty Publications

Throughout the evolution of journalism, innovative technology has played a pivotal role in shaping the production and consumption of news. The transformative power of disruptive technology has revolutionized the journalism industry in the past by impacting the society it serves through the diffusion of innovation. Artificial Intelligence, when operationalized for use in journalism, has the propensity to be a disruptive technology, possibly transforming the industry in significant and meaningful ways. This research investigates the impact of Artificial Intelligence as an emerging digital innovative technology on journalism and mass communication from a sociological and historical context. The aim of this study …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Impact Of Moderating Variables On The Experience Of Eudaimonic Outcomes, Brandon Lynn Lawson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing body of research looking into effects beyond enjoyment of media content. However, these explorations have primarily been outcome focused and have failed to analyze variables that could be mediating eudaimonic effects. This thesis examined the results of an experimental study investigating the variables of flow and realism and their possible impact on eudaimonic outcomes of video game play. Using data collected from 193 participants who played either the game The Last of Us Remastered or Elude, this study examined the possibility of flow mediating the relationship between realism and eudaimonic effects. Results of a hierarchical …

Understanding The Support Local Movement From The Perception Of Generation Z In The Nwa Region, Daniela Medina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The support local movement is a growing trend within Generation Z, with that comes the need to understand marketing strategies Generation Z responds to best. As Generation Z is entering the workforce and purchasing their groceries there is a need to understand how this generation perceives the term local beef. There is currently little research in regard to Generation Z and their perceptions of local beef. This study aimed to fill a gap within research by conducting a qualitative study to gather rich data to understand Generation Z’s perception of the term local beef and what marketing strategies impacted them …

A Word From The Writing Team (May 2023), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Join us for our First Friday writing retreat of the semester!
• Faculty Days 2023
• Publication Spotlight
• Reminders

Digitods, Statistical Machine Learning Algorithms, And Internet Cognition: Sociocultural Learning Through Familial Modeling And Mediated Exchanges, Sina Foley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With ever-advancing technology and the ubiquity of smart devices, younger generations of children are growing up with access to smart mobile technology from birth. These digitally acculturated children ages 0-5, or digitods, are learning to make sense of the world in large part through sociocultural exchanges in the home. As these digital natives are habituated to mobile media, prevalent and accessible, they are also opened to data-mining and target-marketing as their online engagement signals algorithmic function. This study adds to our understanding of how digitods may be susceptible to algorithmic culture and strategic digital marketing, as familial modeling and mediated …

Flying The Unfriendly Skies: How Flight Crew Members Perceived And Communicatively Constructed The Emotional Labor Of Their Positions Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic, William B.L. Ingelson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented levels of volatility to all hospitality industries, including aviation. Such levels of volatility have highlighted a need to understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on flight crew communication. This study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intra-flight crew communication and the emotional labor flight crew members experienced. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of facework, politeness theory, emotional labor, and emotional management, this study examined how participants communicated through the tumult of this time period. This study discovered heavy usage of surface acting and increased levels of emotional labor through 28 qualitative interviews …

Examining Reflexive Communication Following A Break In Alcohol Abstinence, Lynda Kay Maxfield

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over 107 million individuals are thought to have alcohol use disorder (AUD) (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). Discontinuing drinking can be difficult, but social support is thought to promote sobriety efforts. The r/stopdrinking online public community supports such efforts. This study has two broad aims: (1) explore how resilience building might occur on r/stopdrinking among initial users disclosing an abstinence disruption and responses from other users; and, (2) explore possible relationships, within initial posts, between resilience and three other phenomena (i.e., trauma, stated views of Alcoholics Anonymous, statements reflecting the transtheoretical model’s ten processes of change; Prochaska & Prochaska, 2021). To …

“But What About Me?”: How Memorable Messages Received During Catholic Sex Education Contribute To The Development Of Identity Gaps, Hannah Novak

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sex education in the United States is a widely debated issue. Christians have supported abstinence-based education in the United States for decades (Dent & Maloney, 2017). There are numerous studies that have examined how abstinence sex education is faulty, specifically religious sex education (Judge, 2020; Levand & Ross, 2021; Rasmussen, 2010; Reuther, 2008). Studies found that religious sex education led to mental, physical, and emotional health disparities in the United States (Baker et al., 2015; Nelson et al., 2017). This study explored how memorable messages received in Catholic sex education led to the formation of identity gaps in participants' lives. …

Evidence-Based Practice As An Undergraduate Clinician, Abigail Guinan

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Evidence-based practice consists of client perspectives, clinical expertise, and research evidence to make clinical decisions for client treatment. This project evaluated evidence-based practice in the field of speech-language pathology. One evidence-based treatment method was found for each of the Big Nine areas of treatment in speech-language pathology. More focus was put on the area of language, specifically late language emergence in pediatric populations. Late language emergence is a delay in language development that is not caused by any comorbidities. Children with late language emergence struggle in all areas of language. The three intervention strategies for late language emergence are family-centered, …

“We Felt Powerful And Rebellious”: Contested Spaces, Lesbian Identity, And The Evolution Of Separatism, Sarah Cooper

All Dissertations

Drawing on theoretical perspectives from lesbian studies, queer theory and studies and, feminist rhetorics while using rhetorical analysis, interviews, and archival research, this project traces the relationships lesbians have had to place, through case studies. To date, research on how space occupancy or land practices have contributed to the constitution of a contemporary lesbian identity in the United States lack scholarly attention. My following chapters ask: how has separatism historically and at present contributed to the constitution of lesbian identity? To answer, I turn to archival evidence of women’s lands in Southern Oregon, Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, and Olivia Travel. …

The Guardian The Month Of May 2023, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of May 2023. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

The Effects Of Tiktok's Covid-19 Content On Anxiety In Young Adults, Nicholas Fontaine

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic spiked generalized anxiety worldwide. The onset of the pandemic also coincided with TikTok’s rise to popularity in the social media landscape, especially among young adults and children. As a result, COVID-19-related content rose to prevalence on the platform as it became a common outlet for users to share their thoughts and opinions on the pandemic while also feeding a growing audience in need of information and diversion. Given the connection between COVID-19 and anxiety, along with temporal ties between TikTok’s rise to popularity and the COVID-19 pandemic, this study set out to determine whether young adults would …

Seeking Second Skins, Alisa Scott

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Seeking Second Skins, a mini magazine serving as a slight counter to mainstream fashion reporting. This creative project unpacks clothing’s role in impression management, the modern fashion industry’s role in hypercommercialism and more.

The project will open with images and this conversational note, titled A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR, explaining my process and main ideas:

Hello,

I’m an NEIU senior and University Honors Program member pursuing a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies. On November 24, 2020, I donated nine large bags of clothes, shoes and bags. This experience made me wonder how and why people collect material things— clothing specifically. …

Pregnant Black/African Americans' Experiences In Prenatal Genetic Counseling, Latonya Alexander

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pregnant Black/African American patients have faced systematic racism in the U.S. healthcare system embodied in the high maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Patients have the desire to feel heard and connected with their healthcare providers. Prenatal genetic counselors are not only trained to provide education to individuals, couples, and families who may be seeking genetic counseling, but also to use psychosocial skills with patients. Previous studies with majority of White participants have described how psychosocial skills build patient trust. Therefore, this study aimed to determine what factors made pregnant Black/African American patients feel heard and trustful with their prenatal genetic …

An Exploration Of Influences On Consumers' Behaviors/Decisions In Relation To Animal Agriculture, Abigail Durheim

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Animal agriculture provides many daily resources for consumers around the globe. While the average American is at least three generations removed from agriculture, they still hold power to influence the industry with the dollar and their vote. The purpose of this study was to identify influences on consumer behaviors/decisions in relation to animal agriculture. Seven hundred four complete and usable responses were collected via a researcher-developed online survey. Using branding concepts as a framework, the first study evaluated how visual stimuli influenced consumers' intention to purchase Nebraska beef products. Researchers found that visual stimuli did influence respondents to choose Nebraska …