Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Parental Involvement And Child Achievement In School Among Interracial Marriage And Same-Race Marriage: Comparison Of White-White, Asian-Asian, And White-Asian Families, Can Cheng

Theses and Dissertations

Does the parental involvement of interracial families have different effects on children's academic achievement compared to same-race families? This study compares parental involvement in children's education and the academic outcomes of White-Asian families and White and Asian families. Five dimensions of parental involvement are examined: educational expectations, school involvement, home involvement, parental control and parental social networks. Based on data from The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, generalized estimating equations (GEEs) are used to analyze the variability of academic achievement produced by the interaction of involvement dimensions and family types. Asian mother-White father families rank the highest in most forms of …

Program And Classroom Factors Affecting Attendance Patterns For Hispanic Participants In Adult Esl Education, Steven J. Carter

Theses and Dissertations

This report explores factors contributing to absenteeism and attrition in government-funded adult ESL programs. Because adult learners enrolled in inexpensive programs typically juggle numerous priorities and responsibilities beyond their schooling, their motivation must be maintained in order for them to continue to attend their language classes. As consumers, they "directly or indirectly assess the cost-benefit ratio of their program participation every time they attend or do not attend classes/tutoring sessions" (Tracy-Mumford & Baker, 1994, p. 8). Tendencies toward absenteeism can ultimately lead to attrition, which poses serious challenges for programs as it inhibits their success rates, their funding, and ultimately …

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 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. …

Pornography Use And Loneliness: Assessing Correlations Using Three Associative Models, Samuel Alejandro Pereyra

Theses and Dissertations

Given the current debate on the discrepancies of pornography research and the inconclusiveness of addiction to pornography, this study examines the associative nature between pornography use and loneliness using a measurement model and two structural equation models where pornography use and loneliness are regressed on each other, respectively. Survey data was collected from a sample of 1,247 participants, who completed an online questionnaire containing questions on pornography use, the University of Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLALS), and other demographic variables. Results from our analyses revealed significant and positive associations between pornography use and loneliness for all three models. Findings provide …

The Impact Of Behavioral Activation On Maternal Well-Being In Mothers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christine Horne Mcallister

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder known for deficits in language and social skills. It is often associated with maladaptive behaviors. Studies have indicated that these behaviors in children lead to increased stress, anxiety and depression in mothers. This study examines the effects of parent-implemented Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and behavioral activation (BA) on reducing problem behaviors and increasing maternal wellness. The single subject study was conducted with three mothers (between the ages of 30 and 45) and their three children (between the ages of 5 and 7) with autism spectrum disorder. The results of this study demonstrate …

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 …

Spiritual Pathways To Healing And Recovery: An Intensive Single-N Study Of A Patient With An Eating Disorder, Troy William Lea

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents an in-depth case study of eight sessions of spiritually integrated psychotherapy with a 20-year-old woman recovering from an Eating Disorder. The inclusion and utility of session-to-session outcome data as well as systematic follow up data in conjunction with in-depth qualitative interviews are shown. The therapist and client's perspectives are highlighted over the course of treatment. Three clinical areas of focus (renewing identity, reducing self-contempt, and fostering hope) are extracted from the qualitative interviews and the therapeutic process of weaving them together is highlighted. The Tau-U and SMA single case study statistical analyses are used to highlight clinical …

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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.

Standing Ground: Situational Crisis Communication Theory And The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints Handbook Policy Change, Natalie Marie Tripp

Theses and Dissertations

Situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), experimentally created by W. Timothy Coombs in 2007, is designed to help crisis managers evaluate a crisis situation and craft an effective response strategy based on the organization's crisis history, the crisis type, and prior reputation with stakeholders.This thesis examined the November 2015 controversial handbook policy update from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which ruled same-sex marriage as grounds for excommunication. Exploring the policy change as a crisis in the context of SCCT and comparing the Church's crisis response strategies with the recommended strategies of SCCT exposes a gap in current SCCT …

Getting All The Ducks In A Row: Towards A Method For The Consolidation Of English Idioms, Ethan Michael Lynn

Theses and Dissertations

Idioms play an important role in language acquisition but learners do not have sufficient time to learn all of them. Therefore, learners need to focus on the most frequently occurring idioms, which can be determined by corpus searches. Building off previous corpus studies, this study generated a comprehensive list of English idioms by combining lists from several sources and developed a methodology for organizing and sorting idioms within the list. In total, over 27,000 idiom forms were amalgamated and a portion of the list was compiled, which featured 2,697 core idioms and 5,559 variant idiom forms. It was found that …

The Effectiveness Of Using Written Feedback To Improve Adult Esl Learners' Spontaneous Pronunciation Of English Suprasegmentals, Chirstin Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

This report describes a systematic procedure designed to give students pronunciation feedback on suprasegmental features of English in spontaneous production (rather than students' pronunciation during a read-aloud task). The procedure was developed to find out if written feedback (given frequently enough) could impact students' spontaneous production of suprasegmentals. Pronunciation feedback was given to the treatment group by marking transcripts of spontaneous speech with written symbols. Both the treatment group and the control group received form-focused pronunciation instruction. After 14 weeks, there was no significant difference between the groups, but there was a statistically significant improvement in students' comprehensibility overall (regardless …

A Hybrid Approach To Cross-Linguistic Tokenization: Morphology With Statistics, Logan R. Kearsley

Theses and Dissertations

Tokenization, or word boundary detection, is a critical first step for most NLP applications. This is often given little attention in English and other languages which use explicit spaces between written words, but standard orthographies for many languages lack explicit markers. Tokenization systems for such languages are usually engineered on an individual basis, with little re-use. The human ability to decode any written language, however, suggests that a general algorithm exists.This thesis presents simple morphologically-based and statistical methods for identifying word boundaries in multiple languages. Statistical methods tend to over-predict, while lexical and morphological methods fail when encountering unknown words. …

Examining Stakeholder Relationships In Chinese Public Relations Practice: A Case Study Of Linkedin China And Its Sub-Brand Chitu, Yingying Li

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, single case study research analyzes the stakeholder relationship cultivation strategies employed by LinkedIn China and its sub-brand Chitu. It also examines the extent to which the propositions of stakeholder theory and relationship management theory are applicable in a Chinese public relations context. Observations were made through analysis of documentation, interviews, direct observations and participant-observation. The results show that stakeholder theory and relationship management theory alone could not adequately explain the ways in which LinkedIn China and Chitu establish and maintain relationships with their stakeholders. This research discovered that additional theories are needed to explain LinkedIn China's success in …

"Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind": Examining The Association Between Geographic Distance And The Likelihood Of Cheating, Krista Joy Dowdle

Theses and Dissertations

Distance from a partner can put a strain on romantic relationships, especially when one is surrounded by attractive alternatives, as is often the case when moving away to college. Long distance relationships are often associated with increased stress, less relationship stability, and lower levels of relationship satisfaction. Distance may also be associated with cheating on one's romantic partner. The few studies that have examined cheating behavior in college students have found an increase in cheating over a very short, non-representative interval of time when partners were separated (e.g. spring break) but did not control for important variables such as alcohol …

Concept Identification And Formation In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jonathan Sterling Beck

Theses and Dissertations

Abstraction is an inductive process through which specific details become united by a general concept. Abstraction incorporates two sub-skills: concept identification which involves recognizing patterns created by an external agent, and concept formation which is more difficult, requiring independent creation of a schema to organize information. Impairments in concept identification and formation are theorized to underlie a variety of practical difficulties of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g., failure to generalize learning in one context to a similar, but new context). However, past research has yielded mixed results, with some finding significant impairment and others finding intact concept identification …

Why Kids Are 'Lovin' It': A Q Methodology Analysis Of The Appeal Of Mcdonald's, Erica Nelson Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

The dramatic rise in childhood obesity is a major concern nationwide. Unprecedented media exposure, drastically decreased time spent interacting as a family, and the consumption of calorie-dense foods are all heated topics of discussion with ties to weight gain. In this research, possible associations are examined between media, social groups and a favorite fast-food restaurant among children: McDonald's. Q methodology was used to analyze the various factors that draw children to McDonald's. With a theoretical background in social learning theory, this study had 29 children rank-order 30 photographs depicting elements of the McDonald's experience. Pictures included the most and least …

Just Tweet It: Sports Teams' Communication Of Csr On Twitter, David Paul Stephan

Theses and Dissertations

The sports industry has been made distinct from traditional business for many reasons including its body of stakeholders and its position in popular media. For these reasons, corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts and the communication of them in professional sports is known to be addressed differently. The following research has been conducted in order to learn how well professional sports teams are doing to communicate CSR to the particular stakeholders who are also their social media followers. Sports teams' Twitter accounts were analyzed and tweets concerning CSR were identified. Findings suggested that only 3.94% of professional sports teams' tweets were …

Initial Development And Validation Of The Clinically Adaptive Multidimensional Outcome Survey, Jason Andrew Mcbride

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a long-standing need in the field of psychotherapy to document progress and show effectiveness. The evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has had considerable influence in the field of psychology as evidenced by the APA task force that adopted the stance of evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) to ensure quality and accountability for psychological services as well as the integration of science and practice. One of the primary components of EBPP is the use of routine outcome measures (ROMs), which seek to integrate research with practice while simultaneously documenting progress and enhancing treatment. Despite the wave of ROM in …

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 …

Utah Mental Health Professionals' Recommendations For Working With Youth At Risk For Suicide, Amy Paskett Stillman

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide has immediate and long-term negative effects on surviving family members and adverse effects in the school and community. Suicide rates for children and adolescents have increased in the United States since 2009. As part of suicide prevention efforts, information about risk factors and warning signs are typically addressed in schools, private organizations, and communities. In addition to academic literature for professional audiences, various therapeutic resources are available to assist those who grieve the suicide of a loved one. In particular, practical and easy-to-implement interventions are needed by those who offer support to suicidal individuals and survivors of suicide. Practical …

Gender Threat, Male Dominance, And Masculinity: A Perfect Storm For Workplace Aggression, Brooke Elise Dresden

Theses and Dissertations

Higher prevalence of gender harassment has previously been identified in male dominated workforces, but not in academia. Factors such as implicit bias, male dominance, perceived gender threat, and heightened masculinity may increase the likelihood of gender harassment occurring in an academic setting. Two studies investigated this. In Study 1, one hundred seventy-one (92 male, 79 female) participants from male dominated and gender equivalent majors completed an online survey in which their explicit attitudes regarding gender and authority (GAM; see Rudman & Kilianski, 2000), and implicit associations regarding gender and careers (IAT; see Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) were measured. Additionally, …

Associations Between Physical And Sedentary Activity Regularity And Sleep In Preschoolers And Kindergartners, Kara Mcrae Duraccio

Theses and Dissertations

Short sleep duration in childhood has been associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Research suggests that physical activity might mediate this association; however, studies examining associations between physical activity and sleep in young children have reported equivocal findings. A possible explanation for these inconsistencies is that past studies have looked at total physical activity counts rather than examining physical activity regularity. We aim to explore the relationship of regular physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in preschoolers and kindergartners. 131 children (ages 4-6) were included in this study. Each child wore a waist-worn accelerometer for three days …

Does Sleep Disturbance Among Parents Of Infants Predict Increased Depressive Symptoms?, Zachary Joseph Blackhurst

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that sleep disturbance (e.g., sleep latency, wakefulness after sleep onset [WASO]) negatively affects physical, emotional, and mental health. For many adults, the postpartum period is one that is particularly highlighted by sleep disturbance and fatigue. Postpartum mothers are also more vulnerable to psychiatric disorders such as depression. We sought to investigate whether the number of children and presence of an infant predicted clinically significant sleep disturbance, and subsequently, depressive symptoms, for both mothers and fathers. We found that having an infant was significantly associated with increased wife WASO, which in turn was associated with increased depressive symptoms …