Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploración De Las Narrativas BilingüEs Orales Y Escritas En Español E Inglés, Maria Luisa Spicer-Ecalante

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Este estudio investiga las diferencias y/o similitudes en las narrativas personales bilingües, español e inglés, de un grupo de estudiantes de escuela secundaria, cuando cuentan una historia de manera oral o escrita. Previos estudios sugieren que los estudiantes bilingües nativo-hablantes del español tienden a producir narrativas diferentes dependiendo de la lengua en que relatan las historias. Los participantes del estudio escribieron una narración en español y unos días después escribieron la misma narración en inglés. Posteriormente, durante una entrevista personal, se les pidió que contaran la narración que habían escrito, tanto en español como en inglés. Las muestras se analizaron …

Marginalia No. 37, Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University

Marginalia

Merrill-Cazier Library Celebrates 10 Years.....John Elsweiler, Associate Dean of Public Services

Celebrating Staff:

Classified: Sara Skindelien.....Professional: Rose Milovich.....Faculty: Becky Thoms

Friends of Lecture Fall 2015.....Jim Steenburgh

Voice: Cache Valley Refugees

Merrill-Cazier University Library and Folklore Program Host Library of Congress Field School.....Randy Williams, Fife Folklore Archives Curator

Library Encourages Stressed Students to Paws and Breathe.....Pamela Martin, Coordinator of Outreach and Peer Learning

Website Face Lift.....Alex Sundt, Web Services Librarian

Merrill-Cazier Library Supports Research Week.....Betty Rozum, Data Services Coordinator and Undergraduate Research Librarian

Staff Publications and Presentations

Water: A Life's Work of Research at Utah State University

Recommendations From The Mwdl Geospatial Discovery Task Force, Sandra Mcintyre, Rachel Wittmann, Liz Woolcott, Anna Neatrour

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

2015 Year In Review, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

The crisp air of fall is settling in nicely as Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research’s editorial team puts the last issue of the year “to bed.” Psi Chi Journal continues making important strides toward meeting its two-prong mission to educate, support, and promote professional development, and to disseminate psychological science. This editorial provides a year in review for our readers, focusing on these two areas of our mission.

Controlling Episodic Air Pollution With A Seasonal Gas Tax: The Case Of Cache Valley, Utah, Leo A. Moscardini, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Using daily data spanning 10 years, we establish a statistical relationship between episodic particulate-matter (PM_2.5) concentrations and vehicle trips in Cache Valley, Utah, and estimate an average gas-price elasticity for the region. We also estimate the benefits and costs associated with a seasonal gas tax set to reduce vehicle trips during the winter-inversion season and thereby lower health costs through concomitant decreases in the PM_2.5 concentrations. We find a strong positive relationship between vehicle trips reduced and associated reductions in PM_2.5 concentrations. Further, we estimate a mean gas price elasticity of approximately –0.3 in what we …

Academic-Community Partnerships Effectiveness Evaluated Beyond The Ivory Walls, Rosemary M. Caron, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Catherine C. Lafferty

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has furthered our understanding of the working principles required for academic-community partnerships to address persistent public health problems. However, little is known about how effective these partnerships have been in eliminating or reducing community-based public health issues. To contribute to the literature in this area, the authors conducted a survey of U.S. schools and programs in public health and community groups working with these academic partners to: (1) identify the most common local public health issues addressed; (2) examine the characteristics of the partnership and the actual or perceived benefits and challenges for each partner; (3) …

Assessing The Probability Of Bankruptcy, Jarom Heaps

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Knowing whether or not a company is financial stable has always been a top concern for analysts and money managers. This paper compares the effectiveness of default prediction using two different types of measures: accounting and market based. Accounting measures have been the most popular even though, according to theory, a market based measure reflects all available information. Theory goes as far to say that accounting measures can add no incremental value to a market based measure. In my research I found that accounting based measures can be effective in their predictive power; the market-based measure (BSM) results were much …

Women, Higher Education, And The Labor Market: A Cross-Cultural Understanding Of The Impact Of Religion, Allison Fife Hale

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

How do deeply-held cultural perspectives shape the desire and ability of women to pursue higher education and or careers? More specifically, how do predominant religious and cultural perspectives on the family, the role of women, and the role of education influence a woman's decision to obtain higher education and her perceived ability or desire to seek full-time employment upon graduation? To answer these questions, this research utilized a cross-cultural survey instrument to compare and contrast the perceptions of female, undergraduate students in one predominantly Muslim/Middle Eastern society -- Dubai, U.A.E -- and one predominantly Mormon/Western society -- Utah, U.S.A. We …

Influencing Acceptability Of Parent Training Interventions Through Treatment Rationales, Trisha Chase

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parent training is an effective intervention for parents of children with a variety of childhood disorders, and parents often view behavioral parent training as acceptable. Explanations and rationales for parent training are commonly provided at the beginning of treatment. However, there is little research regarding how rationales may influence acceptability. There is also limited information on whether fathers and mothers judge the acceptability of parent training differently. The purpose of this study was to determine whether changing the description of a behavioral parenting intervention influenced parents’ acceptability ratings and whether mothers and fathers differed in their ratings.

Participants viewed one …

Lifestyle Intervention In Emerging Adulthood: A Brief Acceptance-Based Behavioral Intervention With Young Adults, Spencer M. Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Across the U.S., obesity and overweight represent a rapidly growing public health concern that have been associated with expensive and debilitating outcomes such as depression, cancers, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and significant disruption in quality of life, in addition to the tremendous public health costs. The current study examined a brief, randomized-controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with overweight and obese young adults.

Study participants were randomly assigned to a 4-week experimental ACT group or an information control group, which received psychoeducational materials regarding lifestyle behaviors recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

Late Taino Occupation Of Jamaica: A Zooarchaeological Analysis Of Faunal Materials From The Bluefields Bay Site, Diana M. Azevedo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My thesis seeks to answer the broad questions: can early foragers alter marine resources in island settings and can archaeological data provide insights into these changes. These questions highlight two important issues. The first issue reflects the common belief that small-scale societies did not affect their environments. The second issue centers on growing concern over the collapse of fisheries across the globe.

To answer these questions, I use fish bones recovered from an archaeological site located in Belmont, Jamaica near the Bluefields Bay marine sanctuary. The Bluefields Bay site dates to the late Taíno occupation of Jamaica. The name Taíno …

Organizational Adaptation In Local Stormwater Governance, Andrea Armstrong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Much of the past research and policy analysis on issues of western water has focused on inter-basin river agreements, large infrastructure that captures and distributes water, and conflict between agricultural and urban water demands. My dissertation asks a set of different questions:

How is water governed and managed within communities of Utah?

How are the organizations that manage water responding to changes in population, water availability, and water quality policy?

The answers to these questions are essential for understanding the ways in which changes to water quantity and quality will be addressed in the present and coming years. To better …

Three Essays In Trade And International Development, Nii Amon Neequaye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation studies how society views corruption at different stages of economic development. It develops a theoretical framework that shows that at low levels of income or development, corruption increases and at high levels of income and development, corruption decreases. This theoretical proposition is also investigated empirically. The empirical analyses support the proposed theory and hint that fiscal policy, socioeconomic conditions, and incidences of war play significant roles in determining a country’s corruption level.

In addition, this dissertation also explores the relationship between merchandise and service trade. I show theoretically that the two are related and determined simultaneously. An empirical …

The Role Of Element Type And Crossed Relation In Restructuring Difficulty, Zhonglu Zhang, Ke Yang, Christopher M. Warren, Guang Zhao, Peng Li, Yi Lei, Hong Li

Psychology Faculty Publications

Chunk decomposition is an aspect of problem solving that involves decomposing a pattern into its component parts in order to regroup them into a new pattern. Previous work suggests that the primary source of difficulty in chunk decomposition is whether a problem’s solution requires removing a part that is a meaningful perceptual pattern (termed a chunk) or not (a non-chunk). However, the role of spatial overlap (crossed relation or not) has been ignored in this line of research. Here, we dissociated the role of element type and crossed relation in chunk decomposition problems by employing a Chinese character transformation task. …

Digitalcommons@Usu Fiscal Year Report 2014-2015, Danielle M. Barandiaran, Becky L. Thoms

Digital Commons Reports

A report on the growth and changes in the repository over the fiscal year 2014-2015.

Interdisciplinary Modeling For Water-Related Issues Graduate Course, Laurel Saito, Alexander Fernald, Timothy Link

All ECSTATIC Materials

The science and management of aquatic ecosystems is inherently interdisciplinary, with issues associated with hydrology, atmospheric science, water quality, geochemistry, sociology, economics, environmental science, and ecology. Addressing water resources issues in any one discipline invariably involves effects that concern other disciplines, and attempts to address one issue often have consequences that exacerbate existing issues or concerns, or create new ones (Jørgensen et al. 1992; Lackey et al. 1975; Straskraba 1994) due to the strongly interactive nature of key processes (Christensen et al. 1996). Thus, research and management of aquatic ecosystems must be interdisciplinary to be most effective, but such truly …

Casting A Wider Net: Student Research In The Ir, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms, Scott Bates, Danielle M. Barandiaran

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Student research is an untapped commodity. A survey of 238 Institutional Repositories in 2013 indicated that only 38% collect student research other than theses and dissertations. We think student research is a potential goldmine. Do other librarians agree? What about stake holders outside of the library? And, what are the obstacles preventing more robust collection of student research? Includes breakdown of repositories by platform.

Opportunities Outweigh Obstacles, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms, Scott Bates, Danielle M. Barandiaran

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Student research is an untapped commodity. A survey of 238 Institutional Repositories in 2013 indicated that only 38% collect student research other than theses and dissertations. We think student research is a potential goldmine. Do other librarians agree? What about stake holders outside of the library? And, what are the obstacles preventing more robust collection of student research?

Discovering Open Access Articles: Maximum Access, Maximum Visibility! A Report Of The Alcts Continuing Resources Section Program. American Library Association Annual Conference, Las Vegas, June 2014, Mavis B. Molto

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

The growing open access movement raises many questions for libraries and researchers. A program, presented by the Education, Research, and Publications Coordinating Committee of the ALCTS Continuing Resources Section, addressed prominent open access issues and offered a number of solutions currently under development by institutions and NISO (National Information Standards Organization). The three presenters provided background on the various issues, a description of the new open access policy at the University of California system, an overview of the challenges in accessing open access articles in hybrid journals, and a description of the NISO Open Access Metadata and Indicators Initiative.

Cultural Adaptation And Implementation Of Evidence-Based Parent Training: A Systematic Review And Critique Of Guiding Evidence, Ana A. L. Baumann, Byron J. Powell, Patricia L. Kohl, Rachel G. Tabak, Valentina Penalba, Enola K. Proctor, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Leopoldo J. Cabassa

Psychology Faculty Publications

With advances in knowledge regarding efficacious evidence-based interventions, there have been significant attempts to culturally adapt, implement, and disseminate parent training interventions broadly, especially across ethnic and cultural groups. We sought to examine the extent to which researchers and developers of evidence-based parent training programs have used cultural adaptation models, tested implementation strategies, and evaluated implementation outcomes when integrating the interventions into routine care by conducting a systematic review of the literature for four evidence-based parent training interventions: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), The Incredible Years (IY), Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (PMTO™), and the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P). A total …

Opportunistic Uses Of The Traditional School Day Through Student Examination Of Fitbit Activity Tracker Data, Victor R. Lee, Joel R. Drake, Ryan Cain, Jeffrey L. Thayne

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In large part due to the highly prescribed nature of the typical school day for children, efforts to design new interactions with technology have often focused on less-structured after-school clubs and other out-of-school environments. We argue that while the school day imposes serious restrictions, school routines can and should be opportunistically leveraged by designers and by youth. Specifically, wearable activity tracking devices open some new avenues for opportunistic collection of and reflection on data from the school day. To demonstrate this, we present two cases from an elementary statistics classroom unit we designed that intentionally integrated wearable activity trackers and …

The Design And Progress Of A Multidomain Lifestyle Intervention To Improve Brain Health In Middle-Aged Persons To Reduce Later Alzheimer’S Disease Risk: The Gray Matters Randomized Trial, Maria C. Norton, Christine J. Clark, Joann T. Tschanz, Phillip Hartin, Elizabeth B. Fauth, Julie A. Gast, Travis E. Dorsch, Heidi Wengreen, Chris Nugent, W. David Robinson, Michael Lefevre, Sally Mcclean, Ian Cleland, Sydney Y. Schaefer, Sheryl Aguilar

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Introduction: Most Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention studies focus on older adults or persons with existing cognitive impairment. This study describes the design and progress of a novel pilot intervention, the Gray Matters study. Methods: This proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial tests an evidence-based multidomain lifestyle intervention in 146 persons aged 40 to 64 years, in northern Utah. Data collectors were blinded to participants' randomization to treatment (n = 104) or control (n = 42). Intervention targeted physical activity, food choices, social engagement, cognitive simulation, sleep quality, and stress management, and uses a custom smartphone application, activity monitor, and educational materials. Secondary …

Participation In Dual Language Immersion Programs: Using Theory Of Planned Behavior To Explore Enrollment Factors, Andrea Call

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The theory of planned behavior is used to explain and predict human behavior in a variety of situations. The theory proposes that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence behavioral intention, which then influences behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Research has found that this model is useful in education for predicting teacher behavior in instruction, student participation in coursework, and parental involvement in education (Bracke & Corts, 2012; Campbell, 2010; Cheng & Chu, 2014; Lee et al., 2010). Dual Language Immersion consists of two languages being used for instruction in the same classroom (Alanis & Rodriguez, 2008). The goals of such …

Climate, Latitude And Wealth, Trevor Greg Stringham

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

So many of the world's most impoverished nations are found in warm climate regions that some economists have referred to "tropical" as synonymous with "underdeveloped". In this paper I study the difference in GDP per capita throughout the world based on latitude, and show that there is a significant, positive correlation between distance from the equator and GDP per capita. I find that consumption is different in wealthier countries and that these differences are correlated with latitude. I use these differences in consumption as a new approach to evaluating the problem of what causes temperate climate nations to be rich …

Teaching Chinese As A Foreign Language: A Foreigner's Perspective, Frederick J. Poole

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio reflects the author’s beliefs on effective methods for teaching Chinese as a second language. The first section includes the author’s teaching philosophy, which focuses on communicative language teaching, developing literacy, integrating culture into instruction, and employing technology to facilitate learning. Following the teaching philosophy are three artifacts that were written throughout the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program. First, the language artifact presents a study conducted by the author regarding three different approaches to teaching beginners of Chinese. Second, the literacy artifact is a proposal for a study that examines the effect of reading Chinese via an …

Investment Performance Of Common Stock In Relation To Their Price-Earnings Ratios: Basu 1977 Extended Analysis, Jordan R. Tilley

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this study, the work of Basu 1977 is partly replicated using subsequent market data. A trading strategy of investing in assets based on their price-earnings ratio is back-tested, thus also testing the efficient market hypothesis. Market data over the past twenty-five years (1989-2014) was gathered, cleaned, and modeled to test for unexplained return to five portfolios ranked by PE ratio. The data was tested using the single-factor Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Fama-French three-factor model. The dataset was then decomposed by price and similarly modeled to test whether the effectiveness of using PE as a leading indicator is …

A More Perfect User Fee: Examining The Viability Of A Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee As An Alternative To The Gas Tax, Heath Hansen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The United States is currently facing a highway funding crisis. Both federal and state transportation budgets are under mounting duress as road maintenance and construction costs continue to outpace revenues each year. While a number of factors contribute to this problem, one of the primary causes is the inherently flawed nature of gas taxes, which provide the vast majority of revenues for the nation’s surface transportation system.

In response to growing budgetary shortfalls and the increasingly apparent shortcomings of gas taxes, state and federal policymakers have begun searching for an alternative approach to funding and financing roads. Recently, a concept …

The Idiosyncratic Volatility Puzzle: A Behavioral Explanation, Brad Cannon

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The trade-off between risk and return is a fundamental principle in finance. In any finance class, one will likely hear the phrase, “the greater the risk, the greater the return.” The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), one of the most basic and well-known finance models, estimates the expected return of an asset assuming a positive relation between expected return and a single risk factor. Empirically, risk control variables such as the CAPM beta along with other risk factors associated with market cap, book-to-market ratio, and illiquidity are used when pricing assets. Finance is abundant in theories all supporting positive risk-return …

Archaeological Tourism Opportunity Spectrum: Experience Based Management And Design As Applied To Archaeological Tourism, Brian Mazzola

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Archaeological sites need a new management and development framework to address the pressures resulting from an increasing interest in archaeological tourism. This new framework needs to address both the imminent threat that increased tourism brings (overuse, crowding and additional wear) to the site as well as the widening range of experiences that tourists expect. Over the last decades, management frameworks have been developed in many fields of tourism to address similar issues. The most widely known of these approaches are the Recreational Opportunity Spectrum (ROS), the Tourism Opportunity Spectrum (TOS) and the Ecotourism Opportunity Spectrum (ECOS). These frameworks provide several …

Monitering And Addressing Light Pollution At Utah State University, Rachel Kim Nydegger

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many outdoor light fixtures illuminate in all directions, meaning that a large portion of light is emitted upwards. This excess light - light pollution - represents wasted energy and money, decreases public safety, is a health hazard for humans as well as wildlife, and inhibits the view of the night sky. In order to quantify the anthropogenic contribution of local light pollution, I studied detection methods at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory though a summer REU in 2013. Upon my return to USU, I monitored the night sky brightness from September 2013 to April 2015 at Utah State University. Due …