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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

How Do They Stay: An Exploration Of The Factors Contributing To College Completion Amongst African-American Women At The University Of Mississippi In The 21st Century., Hope Myriah Owens-Wilson May 2014

How Do They Stay: An Exploration Of The Factors Contributing To College Completion Amongst African-American Women At The University Of Mississippi In The 21st Century., Hope Myriah Owens-Wilson

Honors Theses

This study considers the factors that help increase the chances of black women continuing their studies at the University of Mississippi. Using a snowball method to contact participants and a video camera to record participants, findings showed that the black women who perceived their time at the University of Mississippi positively had previous contact with the University of Mississippi and clear academic goals within the university. Overall, the findings, while mostly consistent with the previous literature, point to areas that this research can delve deeper.


Ja, Ich Will: Framing The Same-Sex Marriage Debate In The 17th Session Of The German Bundestag, Stephen Colby Woods Jan 2014

Ja, Ich Will: Framing The Same-Sex Marriage Debate In The 17th Session Of The German Bundestag, Stephen Colby Woods

Honors Theses

In 2001, Germany passed the Life Partnership Act (Gesetz über die Eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft), establishing civil partnerships for same-sex couples. At the time, Germany was a forerunner in the legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Despite the approval of 74% of Germans, same-sex marriage was a fiercely debated topic from 2009 to 2013 in the 17th session of the Bundestag. During this session, the Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Union, and Free Democratic Party make up the Majority government, and the Social Democratic Party, Alliance 90/the Greens, and the Left made up the Opposition. This thesis uses framing theory to examine what …


The Eurozone: Effects On Spain After The Implementation Of The Euro, Caroline Mürer Rohde-Moe Jan 2014

The Eurozone: Effects On Spain After The Implementation Of The Euro, Caroline Mürer Rohde-Moe

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the current situation in the Eurozone and how the entry into the currency union has affected the member countries. I have especially focused on the consequences the implementation of the euro has had on Spain because of the deeper recession that this country has experienced compared to many of the other Eurozone countries. I wanted to figure out what has caused some nations to struggle at a different level than others. By comparing Spain to countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, and France I have tried to look into how much of the domestic problems seen in …


The Smoke Free Campus Movement, Daniel Roberts Jan 2014

The Smoke Free Campus Movement, Daniel Roberts

Honors Theses

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the rising number of smoke free college and university campuses in the United States and to identify the mechanisms that can be used to implement a national policy requiring all colleges and universities to be smoke free. To fully investigate this topic, I utilized qualitative research through analyses from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, reports from the Surgeon General, a tobacco control legal consortium, newspaper articles, television news reports, websites of colleges and universities with smoke free policies, to consolidate the research into an overarching picture of the current climate …


Attaching Meaning To Sex: Attachment Styles And Possible Mediators Of Safe Sex Behavior, Dominic Antonacci Jan 2014

Attaching Meaning To Sex: Attachment Styles And Possible Mediators Of Safe Sex Behavior, Dominic Antonacci

Honors Theses

Attachment theory, first posited by Bowlby (1969, 1973, 1980), has been expanded and applied to many aspects of human development as well as to adult relationships. Hazan and Shaver (1987), for example, define romantic relationships as an interaction between caregiving, attachment, and sex. It would then be expected that attachment has an effect on sexual behavior, and indeed, Strachman and Impett (2009) have reported that anxious individuals are typically less likely to use condoms than avoidant individuals. This study attempted to explore the link between attachment and beliefs about sex and condom use as possible mediators for the differences seen …


Understanding Strawberry Plains Through Landscape Archaeology, Leeanne Wendt Jan 2014

Understanding Strawberry Plains Through Landscape Archaeology, Leeanne Wendt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strawberry Plains is a site that is located in Marshall County, Mississippi and is comprised of Woodland, Chickasaw, antebellum, and postbellum components. The focus of this thesis was placed on the postbellum time period. The information presented here is intended to give a comprehensive view into the lives of the sharecroppers that resided and worked on Strawberry Plains during the early to mid-twentieth century and also understand the economic relationship between them and the landowner. Also of importance to this project was the placement of the houses and their dispersed pattern across the landscape and comparing this pattern to other …


Sexual Assertiveness As A Predictor Of Differential Vulnerability In Sexual Victimization Between Sorority- And Non-Affiliated College Women, Mary Ashton Phillips Jan 2014

Sexual Assertiveness As A Predictor Of Differential Vulnerability In Sexual Victimization Between Sorority- And Non-Affiliated College Women, Mary Ashton Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since Koss' seminal research in 1985, it has been clear that college women are especially vulnerable to sexual victimization; more than 30% of her sample had experienced the legal definition of rape, which includes completed as well as attempted rape. Since then, several studies have found similar findings. Koss, Gidycz, and Wisniewski (1987) reported that 15.4% of a sample of college women had experienced rape and 12.1% had experienced attempted rape since the age of 14. Gross, Winslett, Roberts, and Gohm (2006) also found in their college sample that 13.3% of women had experienced rape and 18.2% had experienced attempted …


Diagnostic Accuracy Of Self-Report Instruments In A Non-Clinical Sample: A Receiver And Operating Characteristics (Roc) Analysis, Lindsay Trent Jan 2014

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Self-Report Instruments In A Non-Clinical Sample: A Receiver And Operating Characteristics (Roc) Analysis, Lindsay Trent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Stop Making Sense: Exploring Basic Properties And Clinical Applications Of Coherence, Michael James Bordieri Jan 2014

Stop Making Sense: Exploring Basic Properties And Clinical Applications Of Coherence, Michael James Bordieri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the ways in which people make sense of ambiguous tasks and the degree to which people prefer contexts where coherent responding is possible. Relational frame theory contains a foundational assumption that coherence (i.e., making sense) is reinforcing for verbally competent humans. That is, it is assumed that humans relate ambiguous stimuli in ways that go together because they have an extensive learning history where others have given praise, positive attention, and other reinforcement for this behavior. This study was designed to empirically investigate this core assumption of relational frame theory by analyzing response patterns to ambiguous stimuli …


Neurocognitive Outcomes In Children Experiencing Seizures During Treatment For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Stephanie L. Nassar Jan 2014

Neurocognitive Outcomes In Children Experiencing Seizures During Treatment For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Stephanie L. Nassar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a growing literature for cognitive late effects among childhood cancer survivors, yet little empirical information is known regarding specific neurocognitive outcomes of children who experience seizures while treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This study examined prevalence of on-protocol seizures, seizure risk factors, and neurocognitive change in children with therapy-related seizures in comparison to the normative sample and a matched cohort of children without on-protocol seizures. Participants included children enrolled on the St. Jude frontline leukemia treatment protocol, Total Therapy 15 (TOTXV) - the first systematic investigation of intensified chemotherapy agents plus optimal intrathecal therapy without irradiation. Out of …


Monetary Policy And The Housing Market During The Last Decade, Jing Zhang Jan 2014

Monetary Policy And The Housing Market During The Last Decade, Jing Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines how monetary policy influences the housing market in U.S. with a special emphasis on the recent financial crisis dating from 2007, which started from the burst of bubbles in the housing market. Using monthly U.S. data spanning over the period from January 2000 to July 2011, I estimate Vector Auto-regressive(VAR) models using data for each metropolitan statistical area (MSA) to analyze the interaction between local housing markets and monetary policy. Aggregate responses of housing variables to monetary policy are also estimated by adopting composite data. Empirical results show that employment and housing price index both respond negatively …


The Importance Of Housing Variables In Predicting Economic Fluctuations, Wenxian Xu Jan 2014

The Importance Of Housing Variables In Predicting Economic Fluctuations, Wenxian Xu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates the importance of housing variables in predicting the six recent recessions using factor analysis model. It shows that housing variables have great predictive power in forecasting the downturn of the economy, but little predictive power when the economy is steady or is expanding. The explanation is that housing variables match consumers' expectations of future income and employment, and consequently predict future economic downturn. By using Granger-Causality test and vector autoregression (VAR) model, combination of factor analysis and VAR model, and hard thresholding method to identify the importance of each housing variable, the results show that housing price …


The Role Of Acceptance In Headache-Related Variables, Joshua D. Hamer Jan 2014

The Role Of Acceptance In Headache-Related Variables, Joshua D. Hamer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Migraine is a neurologic disorder that causes impairment in many areas of functioning. Migraine sufferers frequently avoid environmental stimuli (triggers) they assume to be associated with migraine onset, which may inadvertently lead to an increase in the potency of some triggers and increase headache frequency over time. Headache patients who instead use acceptance strategies to limit their attempts to control or eliminate/avoid their pain may experience reduced distress and pain-related disability. Studies examining acceptance-based approaches in managing chronic pain conditions have shown favorable results of acceptance on pain intensity, reduced pain-related anxiety and avoidance, and less physical and psychological disability. …


The Role Of Religion In The Relationship Between Loneliness And Health Behaviors, Lindsy Jean Magee Jan 2014

The Role Of Religion In The Relationship Between Loneliness And Health Behaviors, Lindsy Jean Magee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While research has demonstrated the relationship of religion to health risk and health promoting behaviors, it has not investigated the relationship between religious coping and health risk and health promoting behaviors. In addition, while the link between loneliness and certain health risk and health promoting behaviors has been established, little research has looked at the potential effect that religion has on the relationship between loneliness, health risk, and health promoting behaviors. As such, it was the purpose of this study to investigate the relationship between religious coping and health risk and health promoting behaviors and to investigate the role of …


Exploring Developmental Assets And Strengths In Mississippi Youth, Umieca Nicolle Hankton Jan 2014

Exploring Developmental Assets And Strengths In Mississippi Youth, Umieca Nicolle Hankton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Improbable Dreams: A Qualitative Case Study Of Elite High School Football Players, Noah Stephen Webb Jan 2014

Improbable Dreams: A Qualitative Case Study Of Elite High School Football Players, Noah Stephen Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a qualitative case study of an elite high school football program in the American Southeast. I conducted twelve interviews with former players from Lake Kolofa High School to better understand how young men are socialized into pursuing elite levels of sport. Using the society spectacle framework, this thesis extends current debates about primary sources of encouragement for participation to include the collective spectacle of sport. Here, the sporting spectacle acts as a major contributing factor in how young men come to view their chances of achieving upward social mobility through football. Other primary findings focus on the …


Maintaining Community On Hardship Island: A Case Study Of Demographic Change And Community Agency, Jamiko Vandez Deleveaux Jan 2014

Maintaining Community On Hardship Island: A Case Study Of Demographic Change And Community Agency, Jamiko Vandez Deleveaux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to address how a community survives in the context of sustained population loss in an international context. Crooked Island, located in The Bahamas, has experienced a steady population decline over the last several decades. This research focused on how family networks and communication technology are used by Crooked Island residents to develop relationships and build community in the face of population loss from out-migration. The causes and effects of population loss are examined, and then community field theory and the interactional approach are used to understand the processes residents engage in to address place-relevant problems such …


The Social Ecology Of Men's Sexual Self-Efficacy In The Mississippi Delta, Vanessa Ann Parks Jan 2014

The Social Ecology Of Men's Sexual Self-Efficacy In The Mississippi Delta, Vanessa Ann Parks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mississippi often has some of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections in the country. To combat this, the state uses abstinence-based sexual education in an attempt to discourage young people from having sex. I conducted 27 interviews and one focus group to talk with young men in the Mississippi Delta about their opinions on birth control. Using the social ecological model and self-efficacy framework, this thesis considers the influences on young men that shape their attitudes and behaviors regarding sexual health topics such as birth control. Primary findings include their learning from teachers, parents, …


The Effects Of Anxiety On Second Language Acquisition, Jingjing Tu Jan 2014

The Effects Of Anxiety On Second Language Acquisition, Jingjing Tu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety occurs in second/foreign language learning. A large body of previous research has demonstrated the effect of language anxiety on second/foreign language learning. Many studies have found anxiety has a debilitating effect on language learning. Factors associated with anxiety have also been investigated widely. This study focuses on the effects of the interlocutor(s) and communication contexts on language anxiety experienced by a group of ESL students studying at a flagship university in the Southeastern United States. A background questionnaire and an adapted instrument called Second Language Speaking Anxiety Scale were utilized in order to report the anxiety that students experienced …


Democratic Paradox: The Role Of Regime Type In Civil War Intervention Initiation And Success, Justin Marshall Burnett Jan 2014

Democratic Paradox: The Role Of Regime Type In Civil War Intervention Initiation And Success, Justin Marshall Burnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: Justin M. Burnett: democratic paradox: the role of regime type in civil war intervention initiation and success. (Under the direction of Dr. Timothy Nordstrom) regime type is an important yet largely ignored factor in the likelihood of civil war intervention initiation and success. Most research related to intervention processes has analyzed these processes without questioning whether or not domestic political institutions and constraints affect the decision to intervene as well as the probability of success. Democracies have unique institutions and recognized norms that do not exist in non-democratic states. I argue that these differences matter and that domestic political …


The Currency Union Effect On Trade: The Role Of Financial Development, Walker Lee Messer Jan 2014

The Currency Union Effect On Trade: The Role Of Financial Development, Walker Lee Messer

Honors Theses

The effect of currency union formation on trade growth may depend on an economy's level of financial development. Economies with lower levels of financial development have less capacity to hedge exchange rate risk, are susceptible to hysteresis, and have little to overcome the large fixed costs of entering foreign markets. These barriers may be partially overcome through the use of common currencies. Economies with high levels of financial development may already be capable of overcoming these barriers to trade and will likely not gain significant trade from common currency formation. This paper tests the hypothesis that the currency union effect …


#Democracy: The Internet And Support For Democracy In Central And Eastern Europe, Matthew Alan Placek Jan 2014

#Democracy: The Internet And Support For Democracy In Central And Eastern Europe, Matthew Alan Placek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 1989, the countries in central and eastern Europe have undergone a tremendous amount of societal and political change. While previous studies have noted the importance of citizen support for democracy in providing a base for regime stability in these new democracies, there is considerable debate in what influences these values. One possible mechanism of attitude change is mass media. Previous studies in political science have noted the importance of mass media in influencing citizen attitudes and behavior. Though this research has uncovered a plethora of effects that the media can have, the extant literature has mostly focused on this …


A Behavioral Intervention For Child Obesity: Increasing Physical Activity On The Playground Via Reinforcement In A Preschool Classroom, Kevin Francis Karl Jan 2014

A Behavioral Intervention For Child Obesity: Increasing Physical Activity On The Playground Via Reinforcement In A Preschool Classroom, Kevin Francis Karl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child obesity rates have reached an all-time high in the United States with rates quadrupling since 1963 for children ages 2-5 (Fryar, Caroll, & Ogden, 2012). This has led to increased research directed toward understanding the causes of this proliferation. The literature shows that several key variables, including physical activity level, diet, and health education are related to childhood obesity (Epstein, 2005; Trost, et al., 2003). In the realm of physical activity level, many interventions have been proposed and conducted with varying degrees of success. Only few have attempted to impact the physical activity level of children in free play, …


Childhood Growth In An Oneota Community: Examining Long Bone Growth Differences In The The Juveniles At Norris Farms 36, Whitney Broughton Jan 2014

Childhood Growth In An Oneota Community: Examining Long Bone Growth Differences In The The Juveniles At Norris Farms 36, Whitney Broughton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oneota migration into the central Illinois River valley around ad 1300 resulted in a number of different interactions with Mississippian groups. Milner and colleagues (1991) identified significant numbers of perimortem injuries at the Norris farms 36 cemetery, along with biological markers for poor health, such as cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis. They suggested that the threat of violence may have forced the Oneonta at Morton village to limit subsistence activities to circumscribed areas close to the settlement, thereby reducing the resource base and negatively impacting the health of the community. However, recent research (Bengtson et al. 2012; Bengtson and O'Gorman …


From The Mouths Of Mississippian: Determining Biological Affinity Between The Oliver Site (22-Co-503) And The Hollywood Site (22-Tu-500), Hanna Stewart Jan 2014

From The Mouths Of Mississippian: Determining Biological Affinity Between The Oliver Site (22-Co-503) And The Hollywood Site (22-Tu-500), Hanna Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippian period in the American Southeast was a period of immense interaction between polities as a result of vast trade networks, regional mating networks which included spousal exchange, chiefdom collapse, and endemic warfare. This constant interaction is reflected not only in the cultural materials but also in the genetic composition of the inhabitants of this area. Despite constant interaction, cultural restrictions prevented polities from intermixing and coalescent groups under the same polity formed subgroups grounded in their own identity as a result unique histories (Harle 2010; Milner 2006). As a result, phenetic similarities and differences are not homogenized. In …


Exploring The Influence Of Adult Attachment On Stress Coping Resources And Career Adaptabillity, Laith Mazahreh Jan 2014

Exploring The Influence Of Adult Attachment On Stress Coping Resources And Career Adaptabillity, Laith Mazahreh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


The Middle Class Tax Relief And Job Creation Act Of 2012 And Its Impact On Television Broadcasting And Future Broadband Wireless Communications, David H. Cole Jan 2014

The Middle Class Tax Relief And Job Creation Act Of 2012 And Its Impact On Television Broadcasting And Future Broadband Wireless Communications, David H. Cole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The upcoming Incentive Auction for the 600 MHz band will cause the relocation of hundreds of UHF television stations while potentially freeing up as much as 120 MHz of valuable electromagnetic spectrum for utilization by wireless communications providers. This "new" wireless spectrum will allow wireless providers to increase their wireless broadband capabilities and feed the ever-growing demand by consumers for more wireless broadband capacity. This thesis addresses the mechanics of the proposed auction platforms, the impact the auction will have on existing television broadcasters, and explores some of the possible future opportunities the repurposing of the 600 MHz band presents …


On Mass Media, State Capacity, And Civil Conflict, Jacob Walter Dryden Jan 2014

On Mass Media, State Capacity, And Civil Conflict, Jacob Walter Dryden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

State capacity scholars contend that a state's capabilities objectively predict its likelihood of civil conflict onset. The state capacity literature argues that the likelihood of civil conflict increases when military strength, regime revenue, and/or political institution coherence decrease. However, for this theoretical causal linkage to hold, the state capacity literature must assume that prospective rebels possess complete regime capabilities information; whereas, prospective rebels will know to rebel when the regime has a sufficiently weak, low revenue, and/or an incoherent political institution. I begin my dissertation by contending that incomplete information is more indicative of prospective rebels' informational abilities. Next, I …


How We Teach Psychology: A National Survey Of Empirically Supported Teaching Techniques In Undergraduate Instruction, Joshua C. Fulwiler Jan 2014

How We Teach Psychology: A National Survey Of Empirically Supported Teaching Techniques In Undergraduate Instruction, Joshua C. Fulwiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research from a wide range of psychological disciplines has focused on understanding the teaching methods that most effectively promote learning. Despite a wealth of literature demonstrating the effectiveness of various teaching methods, the prevalence of these methods in contemporary college psychology courses has not yet been examined. To fill this gap, the current study surveyed undergraduate psychology instructors on methods implemented in their classrooms. Distributed to 448 institutions of higher learning, this online survey sought to provide a preliminary picture of the modern teaching landscape. In order to provide the most objective standard of comparison among these different institutions, frequency …


Meaning, Resilience, And Traumatic Stress Following The Gulf Oil Spill: A Study Of Mississippi Coastal Residents Seeking Mental Health Services, Bethany Jane Aiena Jan 2014

Meaning, Resilience, And Traumatic Stress Following The Gulf Oil Spill: A Study Of Mississippi Coastal Residents Seeking Mental Health Services, Bethany Jane Aiena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform exploded, resulting in the release of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a period of three months. In addition to the ecological and economic impact of the disaster, the spill also had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of coastal residents. Following a disaster, not all affected people experience the same level of distress or long-term, negative psychological effects. Coping mechanisms such as resilience and perceived meaning in life are essential variables in understanding how people respond to a wide range of disasters. The present …