Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Stress And Alcohol Use: An Experimental Investigation Of Cognitive Mechanisms, Katherine Anne Buckheit

Dissertations - ALL

Research suggests that exposure to stressors is associated with greater alcohol consumption, more alcohol-related problems, and a greater likelihood of Alcohol Use Disorder. Theory suggests that cognitive processes, particularly unconscious cognitive processes, are key in determining a coping strategy but both alcohol and chronic exposure to stressors may interfere with these processes. The current study tested one such process, attention bias to alcohol cues, as a mediator in the stressor-alcohol relationship. Thirty-nine participants who endorsed hazardous alcohol consumption patterns were recruited from the community; eligible participants were randomly assigned to a stress-exposure or non-stressful control condition. Participants completed assessments of …

The Perceived Credibility Of Professional Photojournalism Compared To User-Generated Content Among American News Media Audiences, Gina Gayle

Dissertations - ALL

This study examines the perceived credibility of professional photojournalism in context to the usage of User-Generated Content (UGC) when compared across digital news and social media platforms, by individual news consumers in the United States employing a Q methodology experiment. The literature review studies source credibility as the theoretical framework through which to begin; however, using an inductive design, the data may indicate additional patterns and themes. Credibility as a news concept has been studied in terms of print media, broadcast and cable television, social media, and inline news, both individually and between genres. Very few studies involve audience perceptions …

The Diffusion Of Cyber Forces: Military Innovation And The Dynamic Implementation Of Cyber Force Structure, Jason Blessing

Dissertations - ALL

What explains the variation in implementation dynamics for cyber forces across militaries? In other words, as cyber forces emerge in states across the international system, why do some militaries undertake wide-ranging implementation efforts with few alterations to cyber force structure, while implementation in other militaries is characterized by a drawn-out, incremental process entailing several changes in cyber force structure?

Militaries have been building cyber capabilities since the late 1980s; however, formalized military cyber organizations for these capabilities have only recently emerged. These cyber forces—active-duty military organizations that possess the capability and authority to direct and control computer network operations (CNOs) …

Visual Processing Across Space And Time In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Justin Kopec

Dissertations - ALL

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate enhanced perceptual

abilities relative to typically developing (TD) peers, as evidenced by better detection and identification of visual targets. This enhanced ability to discriminate features has been replicated across spatial and temporal displays. Research also suggests that visual perceptual abilities are correlated with the severity of core autism symptoms in this population, with the exception of atypical sensory behaviors, including sensory seeking and aversion, in which the relationship has been understudied and remains poorly understood. The current study introduces a novel visual search task to assess identification accuracy of feature-based visual targets that …

Medical Cannabis Use Among Chronic Pain Patients And Associations With Prescription Opioid Use: A Retrospective Study, Jesse Kosiba

Dissertations - ALL

Medical cannabis is increasingly used as a treatment for chronic pain, and there is initial evidence that medical cannabis may lead to a subsequent decrease in prescription opioid use. The objective of the current study was to conduct a retrospective, naturalistic examination of medical cannabis use (i.e., dose, frequency, type) and subsequent changes in prescription opioid use among a sample of treatment-seeking chronic (non-cancer-related) pain patients (N =277). Data from the electronic medical record (EMR) was paired with information from the State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and collected at time of initial certification and at six months post-certification. Results indicated …

Using A Token System To Increase Compliance And Avoid Satiation During Reinforcer Preference Assessments, Samantha Sallade

Dissertations - ALL

Preference assessments are commonly administered to identify potential reinforcers for use in behavioral interventions. This study examined the effectiveness of a token intervention for increasing compliance during paired-stimulus preference assessments. Three male preschool children with hypothesized tangible-motivated problem behavior participated. For Experiment 1, an ABAB reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of tokens on students’ compliance and problem behaviors. Experiment 2 used a concurrent-operants design to compare children’s choice of concurrent VI-15s schedules of token delivery and exchange at the end of each session versus immediate access to a highly-preferred item. Results demonstrated that two of the three …

Security After War: A Theory Of Security Assistance And Governance In Post-Conflict States, Elise Marguerite Roberts

Dissertations - ALL

Donors have increasingly promoted the provision of security assistance to states emerging from civil war as a tool to establish peace. Driven by both security and development concerns, donors have asserted the value of this assistance to improve both the governance and effectiveness of the security sector. Despite this increase in aid, however, we know relatively little about its effects. In some cases, security assistance has promoted security force professionalization and a consolidation of peace. In others, security assistance has gone towards fueling corruption and repression, seriously jeopardizing the stability of the recipient state.

This dissertation seeks to address this …

How Do People Process And Share Fake News On Social Media?: In The Context Of Dual-Process Of Credibility With Partisanship, Cognitive Appraisal To Threat, And Corrective Action, Se Jung Kim

Theses - ALL

The objective of this study is to examine how the information processing of news users happens on social media in the context of spreading fake news. This study is intended to shed light on how fake news spreads on social media with the effects of two moderators (i.e., partisanship and source credibility) from political attitude consistency to message credibility and the effect of mediation (i.e., cognitive appraisal to threat) from message credibility to intent to share fake news on social media and corrective action. As a theoretical lens, dual-process theories were adopted in this paper. For this, a 2 (news …

Effects Of Differential Reinforcer Magnitude For An Alternative Response On The Resurgence Of Academic Responding, Emily Lynn Baxter

Dissertations - ALL

Several studies have looked at ways to mitigate resurgence of challenging behavior by manipulating dimensions of reinforcement for an alternative behavior. To date, only one study has examined differences in resurgence following different magnitudes of reinforcement for an alternative behavior, and only one study has addressed resurgence in an academic setting. The current study evaluated the magnitude of resurgence of a target academic response when large- or small-magnitude reinforcement for an alternative behavior was provided and then all responses were placed on extinction in a subsequent phase. Four students, not receiving academic or behavioral services, were recruited from a suburban …

Three Essays On The Economically Disadvantaged, Emily Gutierrez

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines disadvantaged students through a unique and novel lens and investigates the effects of Universal Free Meals (UFM) – a program available to schools with sizable economically disadvantaged populations – on student well-being and district financial feasibility. UFM provides free meals to all students, regardless of household income, in an attempt to increase participation in school meals and ensure all students have access to nutritious meals. The Hunger Free Kids act of 2010 expanded the availability of UFM via the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP allows schools, clusters of schools, or entire districts to adopt UFM if 40 …

Factor Invariance Of Anxiety And Depression Measures In Autism, Elizabeth Patrice Mckernan

Dissertations - ALL

This study examined factorial invariance of three self-report measures of psychiatric symptoms—the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS; Kessler et al., 2005), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R; Eaton, Smith, Ybarra, Muntaner, & Tien, 2004), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)—using a convenience sample of 434 adults surveyed though Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were sorted into two groups based on their score on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley, 2001). Of 423 participants included in the final sample, 203 were included in the low ASD traits group …

Making Military Wives: Militarizing Social Reproduction Of Military Families, William J. Oliver

Dissertations - ALL

How do current day military institutional practices structure the daily lives of military wives? To answer this question, I use the theories of greedy institutions, militarization, and the life-course perspective to investigate the effects of deployments, temporary duty assignments, and training exercises, which coalesce to create long-term family separations, as well long work hours and frequent family geographic moves. In total, I conducted in-depth interviews with 38 women and 2 men, used as supplemental data, who were married to active duty U.S. military service members at the time of their interview. I find the military’s organization of work creates certain …

Being In Transit: Life, Death, And The Politics Of Migrant Journeys From Central America To The United States, Jared Patrick Van Ramshorst

Dissertations - ALL

Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua risk their lives traveling to and toward the U.S. Long before reaching the U.S.-Mexico border, however, they travel thousands of miles across Central America and Mexico, often stopping off in migrant shelters scattered along the way. Whether travelling by foot or riding atop large freight trains known as “the Beast,” migrants spend weeks, months, and even years in transit, navigating a dense landscape of hardening borders and immigration enforcement in Mexico and the U.S. while encountering incredible dangers along the way, such as assault, extortion, kidnapping, …

Examining The Efficacy Of Combining Cover, Copy, Compare And Performance Feedback: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Natalie Williams

Dissertations - ALL

A large percentage of elementary-aged students in the United States are performing below the proficient level in writing (Aud et al., 2012) and a key component in improving writing quality is the acquisition of proficient spelling skills (Berninger, 1999). One intervention, Cover, Copy, Compare, has shown effectiveness in improving third-grade students’ spelling performance (Williams, 2017); and it has been found to be most effective when combined with another instructional component (Jaspers et al., 2012). A second intervention, Performance Feedback, has been found to be effective in increasing third-grade students’ writing performance (Eckert et al., 2006). However, limited research has examined …

Health And Profit In Student Housing During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Austin Mcneill Brown

Population Health Research Brief Series

The decision to reopen some U.S. universities during the current COVID-19 pandemic may be tied to private financial interests in student housing.

The Collapse Of Health Care: The Effects Of Covid-19 On U.S. Community Health Centers, Ashley Van Slyke

Population Health Research Brief Series

The closure of community health centers is likely to have widespread detrimental impacts on the country’s public health and economy for years to come.

Community-Based Disaster Risk Management In Vietnam, Huong Vu

International Programs

No abstract provided.

Benefits Of Bioenergy For The Sustainable Development Of Sudan, Arwa Ibrahim

International Programs

This poster discusses bioenergy and its potential benefits for Sudan’s Sustainable Development.

Barriers To The Implementation Of The National Concept Of Inclusive Education In The Kyrgyz Republic For 2019-2023, Zhibek Lbraeva

International Programs

Implementation of the National Concept of Inclusive Education in the Kyrgyz Republic may be significantly impeded due to the existent systematic barriers. The current poster goes over the barriers identified as a result of literature review on inclusive education in the former Soviet republics, in particular Kyrgyz Republic.

Theories Of Language Acquisition, Laura Gomez

International Programs

Language acquisition has been discussed for many years; several theories were proposed. In this occasion we will discuss Social Interactionist view by Lev Vygotsky and Nativism view by Noam Chomsky.

Harm Reduction In Prison Settings: A Relevant Approach To Reduce Hiv Transmission?, Amine Ghrabi

International Programs

Harm reduction defines a set of policies and interventions aiming to address the adverse health consequences associated with drug use. Compared to the general population, prisoners are disproportionally affected by HIV. Thanks to its strong emphasis on public health and human rights principles, harm reduction can effectively reduce transmission of HIV inside prison settings.

Virtual Reality: A Tool Used To Engage Youth In The Voting Process In Newly Democratic Tunisia, Raed Ghanja

International Programs

Tunisia is facing a hard time with its transition to democracy partly due to the reluctance on the part of young people to participate in elections. This poster discusses why the Tunisian government must engage youth and encourage their participation in the election process by using fun simulations of this process in Virtual Reality.

Corruption In The Public Sector In North Macedonia: What Can Be Done?, Teodora Gacoska

International Programs

The purpose of this project is to analyze the current situation of corruption in the public sector in North Macedonia and suggest possible solutions to prevent this kind of corruption.

Youth Participation In The Development Sector Before And After The 2011 Egyptian Revolution, Saif Abdelrasol

International Programs

The socio-political situation has a huge impact on the youth participation in the development agenda, whether locally or internationally. That was obvious during and after the Egyptian revolution, which was led by young people. Youth participation in development field in Egypt has had a significant increase in comparison with before the revolution, both locally — through NGOs and youth-led organizations — and in the international development agenda, through participation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

How Natural Materials Affect Our Perception Of The Built Environment, Iryna Demianiuk

International Programs

Our daily life is shaped by the emotions we feel, and our emotions are highly dependent on the environment we live in. Those connections have been developing through the whole history of humankind, starting with the feeling of shelter near bonfires in caves. Today, we can discover neural responses to environmental conditions and even certain materials around us. Those findings have allowed architects and neuroscientists to work more closely together, and, through that collaboration, the new field of neuroarchitecture appeared. This relatively young discipline explores the way our brain responds to the environmental stimuli we are facing, and how different …

How Can 5g Make Our Lives Better?, Firas Slewa Dawod

International Programs

Our lives will be significantly improved with the advent of the new cellular wireless technology due to all its new features and applications. This Poster discusses the main features and application of 5G technology and its positive impact on society, in particular facilitating interactive and smart communities.

Environmental Pollution, Karen Davtyan

International Programs

Earth: The home of humanity, the place where we live, where we developing, the matter that feeds us, gives us everything.

Iot-Enabled Eldercare Technology, Watchanan Chantapakul

International Programs

The world’s population is changing as people are growing older. Leveraging technology for eldercare is important in this century. It can enable many eldercare applications effectively.

Access To Treatment For People With Hiv: Do Latin American Governments Cover Medical Treatment For People With Hiv-Aids Who Cannot Afford It?, Veronica M. Belmonte

International Programs

I will analyze different Latin American Supreme Court rulings in order to demonstrate that governments are obliged to cover universal medical treatments for people with HIV. This is a worldwide issue and UNAIDS is constantly working to protect this vulnerable group of people. We can see this progress in the following statistics.

How Can Mongolia Avoid The Resource Curse?, Batbayar Baatarkhuu

International Programs

The resource curse paradox, i.e., that resource rich countries tend to have weaker economies than no-resource countries, causes challenges for low and middle-income countries, including Mongolia (Moran, 2013). To avoid the resource curse, Mongolia should undertake three policy measures: diversifying its economy, establishing a sovereign wealth fund and imposing import restrictions.