Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Mukbang Influencers In China And The United States: Food, Identity, And Cultural Values, Anni Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mukbang, a type of online eating broadcast which originated in South Korea, has become a widely popular form of digital media practice across different platforms. Although existing studies have examined Mukbang from perspectives such as audience psychology, health concerns, and platform economies, fewer studies have focused on how Mukbang influencers communicate cultural meanings and identity through food-related media contents in different cultural contexts. To address this gap, this study conducts a cross-cultural analysis of Mukbang influencers in China and the United States, focusing on how food, identity, and cultural values are represented in digital media environments.

This research adopts an …

Examining Demographic And Contextual Differences In Stress-Related Sport Interference Among U.S. Collegiate Sport Participants, Heather Tran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Collegiate athletes experience a range of stressors that may interfere with sport performance; however less is known about how stress-related sport interference varies across demographic groups and contexts. Guided by the transactional model of stress and coping, this study examined differences in stress-related sport interference by gender, race/ethnicity, and year in school, as well as across situational contexts (training, competition, and life outside of sport). Data were drawn from a secondary dataset of 288 collegiate sport participants who completed the Sport Interference Checklist (SIC). Independent samples t-test and analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examined demographic differences, and a …

Factors Influencing K-12 School Homicide Casualties, Melvin Alexander Vargas Melgar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Kindergarten through 12th-grade (K-12) school homicides, defined as homicides that occurred on the property of a school serving kindergarten through 12th-grade students, account for about 2% of all youth homicides, but are still a serious problem in the United States. From 2000 to 2024, 372 K-12 school homicide incidents have occurred, in which 783 victims were killed and injured. However, prior research tends to either generally focus on youth homicides, school violence, or high-profile school shootings with multiple victims. This study aims to add to the literature by examining various incident-level factors of K-12 school homicide incidents that may influence …

“I Just Kept Showing Up”: On Institutional Actors’ Motivations, Change Work, And Homeplaces At Desert Rose University In Support Of Undocumented Students, Vanessa Núñez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My dissertation examines the roles that faculty and staff play in (re)shaping institutional policies and procedures to support undocumented students. While access to higher education has been examined through various lenses, we know very little about the “institutional activists” who advocate for undocumented student support in a bounded system like a college campus. The extant literature on faculty support of undocumented students focuses on the ways they create a sense of belonging and validation through mentorship and encouragement (Pérez-Huber, 2010; Gámez, Lopez, and Overton, 2017). My research suggests that while undocu student activists are the driving force behind change at …

Digital Society: Media And Mental Health, James P. Sims

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines how contemporary media environments especially algorithmic, mobile, and socially interactive platforms are shaping attention, identity, emotional regulation, and mental health in a mediatized society. While research has documented rising levels of anxiety, depression, social comparison, compulsive media use, and fragmented communication patterns, much of the existing scholarship is quantitative and clinical, leaving a gap in how individuals experience these effects subjectively. This project combines literature grounded in media effects theory with a qualitative documentary film featuring lived-experience narratives from media users, clinicians, and scholars. The thesis argues that the psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes associated with digital …

Exploring Ai-Driven Scaffolding For Critical Questioning In Argument Evaluation, Ebenezer A. Belete

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The fast-paced changes caused by generative AI (GenAI) innovations call for exploring the potential benefits of GenAI in empowering 21st-century pedagogical strategies. Previous studies in the field of argumentation have shown how students can benefit from using critical questions. However, scaffolding argument evaluation through custom GenAI using critical questions has not been systematically investigated. This study involved two components: (1) designing and determining the usability of a GPT-powered conversational assistant (CQMAA Conversational Assistant) and (2) testing its impact on participants' efficacy for argument evaluation and their acceptance of GenAI as a learning tool through a pretest–posttest experiment. A convergent mixed-methods …

Stalking Victimization Risk Factors Among College-Aged Men And Women: Does Relationship Type Matter?, Nicole Cebak

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research assessing stalking—or a pattern of repeated, unwanted behaviors directed at a specific individual that causes fear, distress, or concern for their safety—has identified several factors that can increase a person’s vulnerability to this form of victimization (e.g., demographic predictors, lifestyle factors, individual characteristics) (Fissel et al., 2023; Fox et al., 2016; Reyns et al., 2016; Reyns & Scherer, 2016). However, stalking can manifest within a wide range of relational contexts, suggesting that risk factors identified for stalking victimization more broadly may be insufficient across different victim-offender relationship types (e.g., stranger, intimate partner) (Reyns et al., 2016; Strauss et al., …

Prepulse Inhibition And Emotion: A Systematic Review, Jennifer U. Le

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Prepulse inhibition is a neurological pre-conscious sensorimotor gating mechanism by which a softer auditory sound (or prepulse) preceding a startle probe (or pulse) and subsequently reduce the magnitude of the startle blink reflex. Prepulse inhibition is deficient in many psychological disorders where emotion is a central component; however, emotion has been scarcely examined with prepulse inhibition in human studies. The current study is a systematic review that examines three databases (APA PSYCInfo, Pub Med, and CINAHL) to examine how state and trait emotion (such as happiness, sadness, anger, disgust) is related to prepulse inhibition within human subjects. The initial search …

Vocational Training, Employment, And Recidivism: Examining Job Satisfaction As A Mediator, Gianni Brianna Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of job satisfaction in mediating the relationship between employment, vocational training, and recidivism. Recidivism remains a major issue in the United States, with a substantial portion of formerly incarcerated individuals returning to criminal behavior and, in many cases, being reincarcerated. The relationship between work and crime has been well established, however not all jobs are equal, and the protective effects of employment can vary across jobs. Employment has been cited as one of the most important factors in reducing recidivism, yet many individuals face barriers to securing stable and quality …

Impairment And Disability In Mesoamerica: Bioarchaeological Evaluation And Interpretation Of The Maya Of Palenque, Dayanira Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The application of disability theory to the past is of growing interest among bioarchaeologists, both nationally and internationally. However, its application poses greater challenges when considering ancient contexts, such as Mesoamerica. Nonetheless, engagement with disability studies has led to the development of various theoretical frameworks in bioarchaeology, including dis/ability. This model views physical impairment as a fluid state that may exhibit adaptability and resilience rather than a biological deficit. Importantly, it views ability on a spectrum and does not make assumptions about social and cultural perceptions of ability where there is a lack of contextual data. Thus, it is a …

Protest Policing And Legitimacy: A Comparative Analysis Of Myanmar And The United States, Khaing Sandee Lynn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Political protests garner immense attention during academic, socio-political, and policy discourse discussions. More specifically, the manner in which government, police, and protestors interact during protest events is heavily observed and debated. Research shows that legitimacy is established when power-holders act in accordance with legal frameworks and various political and institutional norms. With focus on the intersection of legitimacy and protest policing, the current study aims to explore how political, legal, and institutional legitimacy influence police compliance with state and institutional directives, and protestor compliance with police directives in two distinct sociopolitical contexts.

For this purpose, qualitative data was collected through …

Are The Dollars Equal? Investigating Racial And Geographic Disparities In New Market Tax Credit Allocations, Brian L. Maddox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

When Minority led CDEs are deprived an allocation of NMTCs and minority small businesses are deprived an investment, successes for minority communities are not as plentiful and economic gains are not shared in the community. Putnam (2000) believes economic empowerment of individuals in and from low-income communities can result in positive impacts to community dynamics, such as a reduction of disparities and enhance social cohesion. According to Putnam (2000) having examples of success breeds more success and often creates a community of individuals who form ties.

Picture Of Health: Visual And Textual Gendered Ideals And Media Framing On Men’S Health And Women’S Health Magazine Covers, Gracie Marquez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Magazines play an influential role in shaping cultural understandings of health, fitness, and gender, yet differences emerge in how health is framed across media outlets. This study examines how Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazine covers construct and communicate gendered ideals of health through visual and textual elements. Guided by gender role theory and framing theory, this research explores how these magazines frame health in ways that reinforce expectations of masculinity and femininity. Using directed qualitative content analysis, magazine covers published between 2014 and 2024 were coded across visual and textual categories, and chi-square tests of independence were conducted to …

Shaping Narratives By Defying Math: How Black Congressional Candidates Frame Economic Issues From 2018–2022, Dante Allen Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation moves the discussion of Black candidates economic policies beyond race to understand how Black candidates participate in racial capitalism. Using a mixed-methods approach, including textual analysis, and multinomial logistic regressions, I interrogate how 374 Black candidates navigate economic framing. Candidates use four distinct economic frames, three of which are rooted in neoliberalism, traditional, welfare state, progressive, and vague values. I present the findings in three papers which examine framing via textual analysis, the intra-categorical differences, and differences by congressional district demographics. In the first paper I show that Black candidates framing of economic issues reinforces racial capitalism even …

Organizing The Life Story: The Structure, Retrieval, And Flexibility Of Autobiographical Memories, Erin Murphy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation focused on the characteristics and flexibility of autobiographical memories within the life story, based on Conway and Pleydell-Pearce’s (2000) self-memory system and McAdams’s (2001) narrative identity theory. In two experiments, the research examined how retrieval goals and hierarchical organization influence the recall of different autobiographical memories (i.e., specific events that occur within one day, and chapters that are longer) and the flexibility of the temporal boundaries and duration of these memories. In Experiment 1, task instructions about recalling life story memories were manipulated to examine whether subtle shifts in retrieval goals influenced the type of memories recalled. Experiment …

Event Day, Crime Day? A Study Of Event-Driven Crime And Enforcement In Las Vegas, Anna Nakazawa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Las Vegas is an international tourist destination that welcomes millions of visitors each year. Allegiant Stadium, located in Las Vegas, is an NFL venue south of the Strip that hosts a wide variety of events. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of events on the environmental backcloth within a 10-minute walking distance from the stadium. Calls for service (CFS) and proactive police enforcement were measured and compared across event days and non-event days from 2022 to 2024. The findings from this study demonstrate that event days experience disproportionately more calls and enforcement than non-event days, with …

Volunteer Experiences In Outdoor Recreation: Navigating Uncertainty And Belonging, Morgan R. Purdy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Volunteers play a central role in the operation of outdoor recreation areas, yet their positions often lack formal training, clear authority, and consistent structural guidance. While organizational socialization research has focused primarily on paid employees, less is known about how volunteers in outdoor contexts navigate uncertainty and develop identity through communication. Guided by organizational socialization theory and volunteer communication scholarship, this qualitative study examines two research questions: How do outdoor recreation volunteers manage uncertainty during socialization? And how does volunteering shape their sense of identity and belonging? Drawing on 13 semi-structured interviews and prolonged ethnographic fieldwork within a public land …

At The Crossroads Of Traditional And Nuclear Forensics: Decontaminating Radiologically Contaminated Dna Evidence Using Magnetic Beads, Rin Nyx Ruby

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Known for its impressive discriminatory power, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting stands as the “gold standard” of forensic investigation. However, complications arise when such evidence is contaminated with radioactive material. Though biological samples exposed to ionizing radiation can still yield comprehensive DNA profiles, most forensic laboratories lack the facilities which meet the safety and security requirements necessary for handling radioactive material. While nuclear facilities can decontaminate samples prior to forensic analysis, conventional methods for radiological decontamination – such as mechanical cleaning and chemical washes – may degrade the quality of the forensic evidence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate …

Collaboration Between Non-Denominational Community-Based Support And Social Work Professionals For Substance Use-Related Family Crises, David Marcelo Siqueira

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Family social problems such as child maltreatment and domestic violence continue to impact vulnerable populations, despite societal progress. Evidence of negative results due to these factors is found not only in vulnerable populations in the United States but also throughout the world. These issues are often interconnected and cyclical, with substance abuse both contributing to and resulting from familial trauma. Addressing such issues requires interdisciplinary interventions and socioecological models that consider the broader environments influencing an individual's well-being.

One such environment is the non-denominational Christian church. While churches have traditionally offered community support, the professionalization of social work, including licensure …

Is Forgetting Independent Of Learning? An Examination Of Initial Learning Across Alternative Forgetting Analyses, Rhiannon Nicole Soriano Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A long-standing debate has reappeared regarding whether the rate of forgetting is independent or dependent upon the initial degree of learning. Interestingly, both conclusions have been supported. These diverging conclusions could be due to the analytical method and operational definition of forgetting employed: Researchers supporting independence typically measure forgetting as the number of items forgotten at a given retention interval, while those in favor of dependence typically measure forgetting as the number of items forgotten between test intervals. The current study tested whether the degree of learning affects the rate of forgetting for recognition accuracy (da) and other memory processes …

Exploring Non-Native English Learners’ Attitudes Towards Ai And Online Multimedia Persuasive Opinions And The Role Of Sentiment, Zvetomira N. Svetleff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study and various other studies use quantitative models to identify which persuasive features predict persuasiveness. Most studies in the field do not explain why participants responded as they did nor do they focus on studying adult non-native English learners also referred to as second language (L2) English learners. Despite seemingly remarkable progress on research related to how to convey persuasive messages, there has been little work related to persuasive messaging targeted at second language learners or non-native speakers. In addition, despite the increasing reliance on AI technologies and tools in language learning within educational and work settings, there has …

Exploring A Boxing Community Exercise Porgram For Women With Parkinson's Disease, Emily Truong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: The purpose of this capstone project was to explore the lived experiences of 10 women with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who participate in the Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) program, an exercise community-based non-contact boxing program. Because women remain underrepresented in PD research and exercise-based interventions, this project aims to better understand how women perceive the physical, emotional, and social impacts of participating in RSB.

Methods: This qualitative case series included 10 women diagnosed with PD that participate in RSB at the Tony Cress Training Center. Data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews and audio recordings. Interviews were consented, transcribed verbatim, …

Bodies Under Command: A Feminist-Foucauldian Narrative Analysis Of Institutional And Cultural Betrayal In Military Sexual Misconduct, Chelsea Wheeler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The military continues to experience alarming rates of sexual aggression, reaching epidemic levels. While all people can experience sexual aggression, women, compared to men, are more likely to experience this, despite women making up only 17 percent of the military. Throughout history, the military has demonstrated several instances of reactive attempts at combating the concerns of sexual aggression; however, these attempts have not been successful. From a feminist-Foucauldian lens, this dissertation research explores narratives of service members to gain a more in-depth understanding of the systemic dynamics that contribute to institutional and cultural betrayal in sexual victimization experiences. Additionally, this …

Addressing Sexual Health For Older Veterans By Healthcare Providers: A Mixed Method Study, Andrew James White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Older adults remain sexually active, yet sexual health is frequently under-discussed in healthcare settings, particularly within veteran populations. Sexual health is essential to overall quality of life, and prior studies have shown that older patients value these conversations. However, veterans often face unique factors such as military-related trauma, including military combat exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to compounded stigma from these topics in regards to open discussions about sensitive health issues to their healthcare providers. This study is significant in its potential to uncover systemic, cultural, and interpersonal influences that shape these dynamics, with a particular emphasis …

Navigating The Unknown: Understanding The Impact Of Mentorship For First-Generation Students In Stem, Shanika Roshanie Wickramarachchi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

First-generation students often encounter systemic barriers and inequities in academic pursuits related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Many institutions implement mentoring programs to mitigate these challenges; however, the effectiveness of STEM mentoring relationships for first-generation college students has been underexplored in the empirical literature. The current study centers the voices of first-generation college students to explore how mentors and institutions can better support their success through STEM mentoring relationships. In addition, this study examines how mentors’ generational status informs how they approach mentoring relationships with first-generation mentees. Participants included mentors and first-generation mentees in STEM research mentoring relationships …

Enhancing Psychosocial Well-Being And Quality Of Life In Parkinson’S Disease: Integrating Patient Experiences And Physical Therapists’ Expertise, Adetayo Adeoti Babarinde

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by a wide range of non-motor symptoms that often affect the quality of life of persons with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) even more profoundly than the motor symptoms typically associated with the condition. These non-motor symptoms include olfactory and gastrointestinal dysfunction, cognitive impairments, sleep disturbances, and psychological and social concerns. Psychosocial concerns include the mental, emotional, and social impact of PD on an individual’s functioning and, overall well-being. They reflect the interplay between symptoms of the disease, psychological development and functioning, personal relationships, and environmental factors. Mental health and psychosocial concerns such as depression, anxiety, fear …

And Now It Blooms And Sings: The Music And Poetry Of Noël By Clémence De Grandval, Nicholas Stephen Carozza

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents a historical background with poetic and musical analysis of Noël for voice, oboe, and piano by Clémence de Grandval (1828–1907) to contextualize the work within the lives of the composer, performers, and poet. Noël occupies an important period in Grandval’s life as one of the few pieces composed after 1900, and features a unique instrumentation of voice, oboe, and piano. The work is a musical setting of poetry by Nobel laureate Sully Prudhomme and was dedicated to oboist Louis Bleuzet and baritone Paul Daraux. This document presents biographical information, compositional background, records of performances, and analysis to …

Voices Under Constraint: College Students’ Self-Censorship, Empowered Resistance, And Solidarity, Richard Chang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-censorship, empowered resistance, and solidarity are critical yet understudied phenomena that shape the lived experiences of college students from racially marginalized communities. The present research comprises three studies examining the interconnected roles of these constructs in the psychosocial well-being and collective action of racially marginalized college students in the United States, specifically in the context of students’ activism behaviors during the 2023 and ongoing genocide in Gaza. Chapter 2 will present findings from an online mixed-methods study that examines college students’ self-censorship and psychological distress factors that support or hinder open discussion during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Results suggest …

Understanding Chinese Students’ Intent To Study Abroad: Case Study Of A Collaborative Chinese & U.S. University Program, Jaekeun Cho

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined how Chinese undergraduate students enrolled in a Sino-Foreign Cooperative Program (SFCP) made decisions about studying abroad and selected a U.S. institution, with particular attention to institutions in less traditional destinations, such as Nevada. International student enrollment has become a critical strategy for U.S. higher education institutions facing declining state appropriations, demographic contraction in domestic enrollment, and increased global competition. Although China has remained the largest source of international students to the United States for decades, states such as Nevada enroll comparatively few international students and lack empirical research on recruitment pathways. This study addressed this gap by …

Organizational Justice And Staff Well-Being In Probation And Parole, Deena R. Devore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how probation and parole (P&P) officers perceive fairness within their organizations and how these perceptions relate to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and emotional exhaustion. Organizational justice research has been conducted primarily in business and policing contexts, with limited attention to whether established measurement models accurately capture fairness in community corrections. Because P&P officers operate within hybrid roles characterized by discretion, sustained supervisory relationships, and bureaucratic constraint, fairness perceptions in this setting may not align cleanly with existing dimensional frameworks.

Using survey data collected from P&P officers in a western U.S. state, this study evaluates competing measurement structures …