Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bahar And Zarrin, Bahar, Zarrin, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Bahar and Zarrin are friends living in Oinofyta Refugee Camp. They are both from Afghanistan but fled very different circumstances. Bahar lived in Iran with her husband until he passed, and she was rejected by her family. As a single woman she faced a life with little rights. Despite major health complications she fled to Greece in a boat. She now lives in the camp, struggling with repeated hospitalizations.

Zarrin left a life of comfort and privilege in Afghanistan and misses home greatly. Her husband was a wealthy businessman and Zarrin taught school. Thinking back on what they lost causes …

Ilhan & Family, Ilhan, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Ilhan, his wife Nura, and their children resided near Kabul, in a region where both the Taliban and ISIS were active. As Shias, Ilhan’s family faced numerous menaces, including threatsfrom ISIS that they would be beheaded if they did not display ISIS flags. Ilhan’s sister Radwa, who is deaf and mute, was forced to marry a regional leader. In addition to being threatened on religious grounds, Ilhan’s family was also threatened by anelder of their town. Out of desperation, Ilhan’s family sold their house appliances, escaped Afghanistan, and arrived at the Oinofyta refugee campin Greece. Ilhan’s family fled with Radwa, …

Kamaria Bakes, Kamaria, Twila Bird, Lindsay Silsby, Yasmine Kataw, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Amina is from Aleppo, where she was a math teacher. She is married with four boys. Her family fled to Turkey from Syria after losing their home in the war. Amina and her youngest son then sailed on an inflatable boat to Greece. Using cars, buses, and trains, they traveled from Greece to Macedonia, then on through Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria before finally arriving in Germany. They stayed for two months in Camp Hamburg before being transferred for a short time to Lemberg. Lemberg was followed by another camp for three and a half months and then to Eisenberg …

Hamed, Hamed, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Hamed and his family are from Afghanistan where he worked as a diplomat and interpreter for the U.S. Army after having studied international relations and diplomacy. As the situation with the Taliban worsened it became too dangerous for Hamed and his family to stay in Afghanistan. They began the difficult journey with the help of smugglers, first to Iran, then Turkey, and then to Greece in a dangerous, overfilled boat.

Hamed explains the despair and frustration faced by many refugees. They feel as though very little is actually done for refugees once they’re admitted, and explains they need more assistance. …

Zarrin, Zarrin, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

My name is Zarrin. I was an English teacher. In Afghanistan I had a big house and a garden. My husband was a rich man; he had lots of money. My children studied in a private school.All the time the Taliban was warning my husband, “Why does your wife go to school and teach children? If your wife goes to school, we’ll throw acid on her face and take your children.” They don’t like education —they don’t like women attending school.Zarrin left a life of comfort and privilege in Afghanistan and misses home greatly. Her husband was a wealthy businessman …

An Item Reduction Analysis Of The Group Questionnaire, Jennifer Lynn Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

The Group Questionnaire (GQ) was developed to measure group therapeutic processes-which are linked to successful prediction of patient outcome and therapeutic factors-across three qualitative dimensions (positive bond, positive work, and negative relationship) and three structural dimensions (member-leader, member-member, and member-group). The GQ model has been shown to be valid across 5 settings and 4 countries. As a clinical measure given after each session, length is of particular concern. Although shorter measures are more convenient for clients and therapists to use, fewer items necessarily means less information, a loss of psychometrics, and possible floor and ceiling effects. This study examined the …

A Corpus-Based Comparison Of The Academic Word List And The Academic Vocabulary List, Jacob Andrew Newman

Theses and Dissertations

Research has identified the importance of academic vocabulary (e.g., Corson, 1997; Gardner, 2013; Hsueh-chao & Nation, 2000). In turn, many researchers have focused on identifying the most frequent and salient words present in academic texts across registers and presenting these words in lists, such as The Academic Word List (AWL) (Coxhead, 2000). Gardner and Davies (2014), recognizing the limitations of the AWL, have developed a new list known as The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL). This present study examines the appearance of the 570 AWL word families and the top 570 AVL word families in the Academic Textbook Corpus (ATC) – …

The Influence Of Client General Anxiety And Attachment Anxiety Onalliance Development In Couple Therapy, Erica Leigh Delgado

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the intake levels of client general anxiety and attachment anxiety andthe relationship of these levels to changes in therapy alliance across the first four couple therapysessions. Participants were 165 couples in a treatment-as-usual setting. Dyadic growth curvemodeling was used to determine whether couple ratings of therapeutic alliance changed overtime and explored the influence of general anxiety and attachment anxiety on therapeutic alliancedevelopment. Results showed that the alliance increased over the first four therapy sessions.Additionally, female alliance ratings across time were positively associated with female generalanxiety and negatively associated with male attachment anxiety. Results also showed that maleattachment …

Developmental Changes In Response To Music-Evoked Emotion Among Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Kevin G. Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations

Significant symptoms of anxiety in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may arise due to impaired emotion recognition. In light of reports showing ASD-specific developmental changes in amygdala volumes, we expanded a previous study of recognition of music-evoked emotions in ASD versus typical controls (CON). We explicitly compared both behavioral and psychophysiological response to music-evoked emotions of children (ages 8-11) and older adolescents (ages 16-18). A total of 91 participants (42 ASD) listened to segments of instrumental music that had been previously validated to evoke happy, sad, or scary emotional valence. We measured accuracy and reaction time while also …

Sex Differences In Cognitive Decline In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer's Disease, Juliann Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and results in progressive cognitive decline, particularly in regards to memory (National Institute on Aging, 2012). Prior research has shown sex differences in brain-atrophy rates of AD patients, with women experiencing a higher rate of progression in volume reduction (Skup et al., 2011). This suggests that there may also be differences in cognitive functioning between sexes, particularly in the rate of cognitive decline with a more rapid disease progression for dementing females compared to dementing males. The current study monitored memory function longitudinally in approximately 200 total participants, 100 with …

Exploring Language Services Provided To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders In The State Of Utah, Jeannie Irene Zwahlen

Theses and Dissertations

Because several challenges exist when providing English as a Second Language (ESL) services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such services may be overlooked in deference to other educational needs. Therefore, this study used a survey to obtain information from 121 special education teachers in the state of Utah to explore the types of ESL services offered to CLD students with ASD. Results indicated that only 30% of the special educators participating in the study provide second language services in their classrooms. Results also show that language services provided by speech language pathologists are …

Parent-Reported Deficits In Executive Function And Sleep-Disordered Breathing In Adolescent Behavioral Weight Loss Program Participants, Jonathan James Mietchen

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents with obesity and overweight are at increased risk for developing sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and SDB has been associated with cognitive deficits and executive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between executive functioning and SDB among adolescents participating in a behavioral weight loss intervention. Adolescents (n = 37) and their caregivers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and caregivers completed the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). Using the Sleep Related Breathing Disorder scale on the PSQ adolescents were classified as at risk or not at risk for SDB. Correlations were …

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished”: The Costs Of Helping Others, Michael Nolen Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Although prosocial behavior has been moving in directions that highlight complexity over the past few years, little research has assessed the cost of this behavior. This study created a scale assessing the tendency to perceive costs of prosocial behavior. This was validated via focus groups, content and discriminant validity. In six focus groups, 29 13- to 25-year olds described specific prosocial acts and the costs that they experienced from the act. A questionnaire was then given to 391 emerging adults. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Results suggest a four-factor solution with adequate model fit, suggesting cognitive, behavioral, emotional, …

Using The Assessment For Signal Clients As A Feedback Tool For Reducing Treatment Failure, Melissa Mallory White

Theses and Dissertations

The Clinical Support Tools (CST) was developed to help therapists organize and target potential problems that might account for negative outcomes in psychotherapy. The core of CST feedback is The Assessment for Signal Clients (ASC). The purpose of this study was to describe and identify patterns of problems that typically characterize off-track cases. A cluster analysis of 107 off-track clients revealed three client types: those whose problems were characterized by alliance and motivational difficulties; those characterized by social support and life event difficulties; and those whose problems had an indistinguishable pattern. Loglinear modeling showed that if patients had less therapeutic …

Sticking With It: Psychotherapy Outcomes For Adults With Asd In A College Counseling Center Setting, Emily Irene Anderberg

Theses and Dissertations

Young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience high rates of comorbid mental health concerns in addition to distress arising from the core symptoms of autism. Many adults with ASD seek psychological treatment in outpatient facilities in their communities that are not specifically geared towards individuals with ASD. However, few studies have looked at the effectiveness of standard psychotherapeutic care in adults with ASD. This study aims to discover how individuals with autism spectrum disorders fare in psychotherapy within a college counseling setting compared to their neuro-typical peers. Clients with ASD (n = 94) or possible ASD (n = 109) …

Marginalized Sexuality And Masculinity: An Ethnographic Exploration Of Adolescent Homophobic Language In A Rural High School, Benjamin M. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have examined homophobic language (HL) with both qualitative and quantitative methods and have studied HL's relationship to multiple factors such as sexual prejudice, masculinity, and religiosity. However, our understanding of this language, while expanding, is still limited because the meaning of this evolving language varies depending on the context in which the language is used. In order to get a more in-depth and current understanding of this language, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 males who were high school seniors. I also conducted 102 hours of observations in their high school. I analyzed the interviews and observations with a …

Cognitive Functioning In Multiple Sclerosis: An Investigation Of The Utility Of A Computerized Cognitive Testing System, Stephanie Patrice Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this study was to assess cognitive functioning in participants with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) using the MicroCog and to compare their performance to that of a demographically matched, healthy control group. It was hypothesized that as a group, participants with RRMS would have worse cognitive function than healthy controls on all Level 1, 2, and 3 Index scores of the MicroCog. Twenty-six participants with RRMS and twenty-nine sex and education matched healthy controls were administered the MicroCog (Standard Form) along with measures of depression and clinical status, and paper-pencil tests of processing speed (Symbol Digit …

Moral Values In Moral Psychology? A Textual Analysis, Shannon Starks

Theses and Dissertations

What values, if any, is moral psychology based on with regard to what humans should be like? While the value-free ideal of science requires at least the bracketing of values in regards to the conducting of research and influence on its results, this investigation takes seriously the concerns of leading social psychologists that biases may influence the subdiscipline. Textual analyses of moral psychology's literature involving content analysis of codes and cultural discourse analysis of value themes illuminate values involving moral problems and moral goods that may inherently influence research at various levels. It is proposed that values are impossible to …

Bahram & Camila, Bahram, Camila, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Bahram tells the story of the Afghanistan's 1992 government collapse and subsequent civil wars that destroyed the city of Kabul. "There was war in every alley, every house, every area and every village. 60,000 people were killed." Their family emigrated to Pakistan and after living there for some time, some relatives of a friend from their village travelled to Pakistan and required lodging so they stayed with Bahram's family. In some developing and under-developed countries, the custom of arranged marriage to child and infant daughters is practiced. These house guests demanded their one-year-old daughter be given in marriage to a …

Traditional Vs. Flipped Library Instruction For The Life Sciences, Michael C. Goates, Megan Frost, Gregory M. Nelson

Faculty Publications

We compared search statement development between traditional lecture and flipped instruction sessions using two separate flipped models. Students in lecture sessions scored significantly higher on developing search statements than those in the flipped model 1 sessions. However, student scores were not significantly different between the lecture and the flipped model 2 sessions. Reasons for lower flipped-session scores may include a lack of student accountability, strong preference for a live demonstration, and disconnections between online tutorial content and in-class collaborative activities. Students in all sessions expressed a strong preference for pedagogies that incorporate elements from both lecture and flipped methodologies. Librarians …

Roles And Responsibilities Of Cataloging Units In Academic Libraries Research Project, Jeremy Myntti, Liz Woolcott

Faculty Publications

How are cataloging units in academic libraries navigating these changes?

The Premis Of Our Not So Simp-Le Story: Implementing Preservation Metadata Using Homegrown And Vendor Solutions, Jeremy Myntti, Tawnya Keller

Faculty Publications

Digital Library at the University of Utah

• CONTENTdm for 15 years
• Migrating to a Hydra-like platform using Fedora and Solr
• 450+ collections
• 2.5 million digital objects
• 1.8+ million digital newspaper pages

Linking People: Developing Collaborative Regional Vocabularies, Jeremy Myntti, Anna Neatrour

Faculty Publications

More metadata, more metadata problems

• Vendor based DAMS often not offering good authority control solutions
• Libraries in Utah often consult additional regional names sources

Linking People: Developing Collaborative Regional Vocabularies, Jeremy Myntti, Anna Neatrour

Faculty Publications

For libraries taking the first step into Linked Open Data (LOD), using controlled vocabularies is an essential part of creating new data structures linking people, places, collections, and digital objects together. The Western Name Authority File (WNAF) will be a first step in collaboratively analyzing existing vocabularies, developing a data model, exploring infrastructure, and testing workflows that could be used throughout the Mountain West Digital Library (MWDL) network of partners. Building on existing work at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library of reconciling digital collection metadata fields against existing controlled vocabularies, this project would explore creating a regional …

The Deception Of Depression: How A Melancholy Mood Can Sink A Marriage, Jason B. Whiting

Faculty Publications

Logan was a doctoral student studying ancient Italian poetry. His life was filled with shelves of old books and a teaching job where he was supposed to inspire lethargic freshmen. His doctoral adviser was difficult and inconsistent, and Logan was a people- pleaser who worried that his adviser and students were always upset with him. He came to see me at the request of his wife, Yuko, who was starting to panic at his change in personality. “He used to be cheerful, fun-loving, and interested in his work,” she said. “Now he is a zombie. He goes through the motions …

The Relationship Between Scores From The Student Risk Screening Scale: Internalizing And Externalizing (Srss-Ie) And Scores From Student Engagement Instrument (Sei) In A Sixth-Grade Sample, Adrienne Ann Atkin

Student Works

This study analyzes the relationship between scores from a measure of student engagement and scores from a measure that screens students for being at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in sixth grade students. Screening instruments are used in schools to improve identification of students at risk for behavioral difficulties. Measures of engagement assess students' levels of psychological and cognitive engagement in school. Students in this study completed the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), an instrument used for measuring student engagement. Teachers completed the Student Risk Screening Scale-Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) for their students, which screens for risk of EBD. …

An Investigation Of Associations Between Heart Rate Measures Of Aerobic Fitness And Executive Functioning In Pre-Adolescent Children, Kimberly Anne Barnett

Student Works

The present study evaluated the associations between direct measures of aerobic fitness and executive functioning in pre-adolescent children aged 8 to 12 years. To evaluate these associations, the study employed a cross-sectional design and a series of three step hierarchical regressions were conducted. Results suggest that after controlling for age, sex, and BMI percentile, heart rate measures of aerobic fitness did not independently predict executive function. These findings provide preliminary evidence that contradicts a growing body of research within the adult literature demonstrating an association between aerobic fitness and executive function.

The Use Of Embedded And Stand-Alone Measures Of Effort In Predicting Academic Ability In College Students, Danita Renee Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Detection of sub-optimal effort is a critical element of all psychological assessment procedures. Failure to consider the validity of the client's performance and symptom reporting may result in inaccurate conclusions about the degree of impairment. Because the American with Disabilities Act requires colleges to provide accommodations for students with documented disabilities, providing resources for students feigning impairment may ultimately drain university resources intended to help those students with disabilities. This study sought to examine the relationship between two different types of measures of effort and variables related to academic ability. De-identified archival data was gathered from the University Accessibility Center …

Longitudinal Examination Of Observed Family Hostility And Adolescent Anxiety And Depression As Mediated By Adolescent Perspective Taking And Empathic Concern, Trevor Dennis Dahle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine hostility in family interaction and its impact on adolescent depression and anxiety with adolescent perspective taking and empathic concern as mediators. Gender differences were also examined. Adolescents were from 353 two-parent families in a large north-western city in the United States and on average were 13.25 years old (SD=1.01) for girls and 13.30 years (SD=.99) for boys at the beginning of the study. This study utilized data from waves 3-5. Earlier waves of data were not used because some of the measures were not available for earlier waves. Results indicated that …

An Investigation Of Associations Between Heart Rate Measures Of Aerobic Fitness And Executive Functioning In Pre-Adolescent Children, Kimberly Anne Barnett

Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluated the associations between direct measures of aerobic fitness and executive functioning in pre-adolescent children aged 8 to 12 years. To evaluate these associations, the study employed a cross-sectional design and a series of three step hierarchical regressions were conducted. Results suggest that after controlling for age, sex, and BMI percentile, heart rate measures of aerobic fitness did not independently predict executive function. These findings provide preliminary evidence that contradicts a growing body of research within the adult literature demonstrating an association between aerobic fitness and executive function.