Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Network Models To Predict Steelhead Abundance, Middle Fork John Day, Or, Monica R. Blanchard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is important in the management of threatened and endangered species to have informed population estimates. Population estimates are used to gage whether or not recovery goals are being met. When assessing Pacific salmonids this assessment involves sampling a small subset of the population and then scaling up to estimate larger populations units. This is complicated by the fact that fish populations are not evenly distributed along river systems but respond to fluctuating physical and biological stream properties. We used rapid assessment survey methods and the River Styles classification to explore fish-habitat relationships. River Styles is a classification system that …

Cultural, Demographic, And Environmental Influences On Risk Perception And Mitigation In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Voravee Saengawut Chakreeyarat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protecting human communities and natural environments from wildfire is growing more complex as more people move to fire-prone areas across the United States. This study integrates cultural, psychological, and environmental information to reach a better understanding of the linkages between perceptions of risk from wildfire and people’s behaviors to reduce that risk. Through studies in fire-prone communities in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, I investigated factors that influence peoples’ decisions whether to undertake wildfire hazard mitigation activities such as clearing dead vegetation around the house. The social and ecological characteristics of individual properties were investigated to understand how they are …

Effectiveness, Facilitator Characteristics, And Predictors Of The Premarital Interpersonal Choices And Knowledge (Pick) Program, J. Wade Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are two studies in this dissertation. Both are about a program called “PICK a Partner.” The first study looked at how the program went for 682 people from the community who were taught PICK. These people ranged in age from 18 to 25. Those in attendance were given questions at the beginning of the program about their thoughts, perceptions, and knowledge regarding dating relationships. They were given these same questions at the end of the program. The scores on the questions at the end of the program were compared with scores on the questions at the beginning of the …

Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth: 2014 Farm Bill Insect And Disease Restoration Provision -- True Gift Or False Hope?, Jamilee E. Holmstead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill were meant to increase the speed within which natural resource managers could treat insect and disease issues on National Forests. In order to use this new authority, each state was required to nominate acre portions of each National Forest with insect and disease risks.

The 35 nominations that were submitted differed substantially, from the amount of acreage nominated to the amount of effort that went into developing the nomination. The purpose of the research was to understand why there was such variation in the nominations. Several of the states that submitted nominations were contacted …

Understanding Westerners' Relationship With Public Lands And Federal Land Managers Through Attachment To Public Lands, Chris Sisneros

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The western United States contain large amounts of federal public lands, and those lands play an important role in both those states’ economies and the daily
lives of their residents. This study set out to understand how individuals interact with those public lands, how they become attached on a deeper level to those lands,
and whether or not that attachment has an effect on how they feel about the federal agencies that manage those lands. The term attachment to public lands is used to
describe how individuals can develop a bond towards public lands through both the recreational and economic …

Young Widows' Grief: A Descriptive Study Of Personal And Contextual Factors Associated With Conjugal Loss, C. Ryan Dunn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Grief is a natural condition resulting from the death of a loved one, and one of the most grievous experiences a person can endure is the death of a spouse. Grief can be influenced by relationships, the setting, and the survivor’s personal and social resources. Despite many studies on widowhood, young widows have received little attention. This study of 232 young widows between the ages of 18 and 55 in their first 5 years following loss was done to better describe the personal and social factors associated with younger widows’ grief. An online survey was distributed through social network sites …

Romantic Relationship Quality And Technological Communication: Examining The Roles Of Attachment Representations And Rejection Sensitivity, Ron C. Bean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is important to understand normal developmental patterns in romantic relationships, which develop within historical and cultural contexts and are influenced by social and technological advancement. One of the core features of developing attachment in romantic relationships is proximity to the attachment figure, for which technology may be a substitute. This study described patterns of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in young adult relationships. We hypothesized that core relational and personality features were linked to participants’ interpretations of CMC.

For this study, 97 college students provided overall scores for rejection sensitivity, insecure attachment styles, relationship satisfaction, and data about CMC with their …

Teaching Bystander Skills Through Fluency Training, Emilee Hagloch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the effectiveness of an intervention that adds a fluency component to teaching bystanders how to defend other students during a bullying situation. Bystander skills were taught to fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms and fluency training was added to several of these classrooms as an experimental group. Students also filled out rating scales to find out what their participant role in bullying situations was (defender of the victim, outsider, bully, victim of the bully, assistant to the bully). Results showed that there was more growth on the fluency scores for those who participated in the fluency training as opposed …

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Novice Year Of Teaching, Rebecca Bingham Rees

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to understand the perceptions of beginning teachers concerning the training they received in their teacher preparation program helped them with the successes and challenges they faced during their novice year of teaching. Comprehending novice teachers' perceptions of their successes and challenges is important as a method to help beginning teachers avoid feelings of burnout.

A survey was sent to graduates of a teacher preparation program at a large, land-grant university, who were embarking on their novice year of teaching. Responses were received from 16 teachers. In the survey, teachers were asked to answer demographic questions regarding …

Spatial Patterns Of Rural And Exurban Residential Settlement And Agricultural Trends In The Intermountain West, Saleh Ahmed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Population growth is often linked to negative impacts on agriculture. However, the effects of residential development likely depends on the spatial pattern of development, such as whether housing is clustered or dispersed, and whether it is located near or away from important farmland. For several decades, rural and urban planners have advocated policies to encourage consolidated forms of development as one strategy to protect agriculture and preserve open space. To date, relatively little empirical research has been conducted on the actual effects of different spatial patterns of residential settlement on agricultural. This study aims to fill that gap with a …

Dementia Caregiver Personality Traits And Coping Strategies: Association With Care Recipient Outcomes, Christine M. Snyder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the potential impact of dementia caregivers’ personality traits and utilization of coping strategies on care recipients’ development of severe dementia, institutionalization, and mortality. Generally, the personality traits and coping strategies were not predictive of care recipient outcomes, especially related to the institutionalization of care recipients. However, increased caregiver use of Avoidance predicted time to care recipient development of severe dementia, while increased use of Counting Blessings reduced risk of mortality.

This research was conducted using extant data from a community-wide study examining factors that affect dementia progression. All data were collected by a research nurse and a …

The Effect Of A Class-Wide Training On Prosocial Bystander Behaviors, Charity Deanne Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to decrease school bullying by teaching defending steps and increasing incentives for bystanders, students who witness bullying but who are not necessarily involved in the violence. An established bullying prevention program was modified to increase the likelihood that bystanders would defend victims of bullying behaviors. The findings of the study suggested that bullying behavior decreased and defending increased. Further, acceptability of the intervention and the skills taught to children were rated as moderately high across all classrooms.

Representations Of Us Acts Of Extra-Territoriality As Illustrated In Pakistani-English Political Cartoons, Aina S. Niaz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The significance of Pakistan as an international state cannot be downplayed. Not only is Pakistan the first Islamic state to develop its nuclear power, but Pakistan has served as an important geostrategic state to the US on several occasions. The US-Pakistan geopolitical relationship was most vividly highlighted during the final years of the Cold War; and has reemerged again in the Global War on Terror. This thesis will examine Pakistani-English political cartoons to examine the way US extra-territoriality is represented visually. Approximately 2940 political cartoons are collected from four Pakistani-English newspapers: Dawn, The Express Tribune, The Nation, …

Welfare State Context And Individual Health: The Role Of Decommodification In Shaping Self-Perceived Health, Karin M. Abel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

What happens in the political arena has important implications for individual lives. But, the form these implications take is not always clear. Hence, conducting research to uncover the impacts of the passage and subsequent implementation of various social policies is crucial. Also, understanding what drives various health outcomes is extremely important, as people’s well-being is tied to success (or failure) in so many aspects of their lives. My research seeks to uncover the link between the happenings in the political world and the health of individuals. If they understand the intricacies of this link, individuals will be better equipped to …

Student Research + Digitalcommons@Usu = A Partnership With Unlimited Potential, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

International Teaching Assistants' Experiences In The U.S. Classrooms: Implications For Practice, Ekaterina Arshavskaya

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

Recently, a number of studies have examined the lived experiences of the international teaching assistants (ITAs) in the U.S. classrooms. The findings show that the ITAs face many challenges such as classroom management, instructional, linguistic, cultural and social challenges. Following this line of research, this interview-based study examined the lived experiences of a group of ITAs using a qualitative methodology. The qualitative approach was intentionally selected to add an interpretive stance to the quantitative analyses prevalent in the current research on the ITAs. The paper aims to: (1) to provide insights into the ITAs’ perspectives on their first semester of …

Marginalia No. 36, Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University

Marginalia

That Voila Moment …wonders of digital access in the library…… Brad Cole, Interim Dean New &

Notable Acquisitions: Newton’s Opticks and four plays from Shakespeare’s second folio… Brad Cole

You are an alchemist: Sir Isaac Newton’s obsession with the ancient art ….. K.schockmel

Chad Nielsen wins 2014 Arrington Lecture Award …..

Patrick Williams Friends Lecture 2015: The Curious Case of the Connection between Sherlock Holmes & the Mormons … Patrick Williams 2014 Arrington Lecture Drew Large Crowd … Liz Kline Well Done!

Recent Presentations and publications by our Librarians

The Year of Water 2015 … USU’s long involvement in Water …

Undergraduate Student Change In Colorblind Racial Attitudes: Impact Of A Multicultural Psychology Course, Christina Patterson, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving Micro-Finance Productivity Through Data Analysis, Ryan D. Taylor

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

After nearly three months of gathering, creating, organizing, and analyzing data from social entrepreneurship programs in Peru and Ghana, correlations have been found within the data which may be used in the pursuit to eliminate poverty around the globe. These correlations were found through completing both linear relationship analyses and multi-variable regression analyses. The most statistically significant factors when looking at correlational relationships with number of missed and late payments were APR, loan duration, loan date (year fraction), gender or principle loan participant, and participation in incentive programs. The most poignant of these variables in terms of statistical significance was …

Tools For Evaluating And Monitoring Effectiveness Of Urban Landscape Water Conservation Interventions And Programs, Diana T. Glenn, Joanna Endter-Wada, Roger Kjelgren, Christopher M. U. Neale

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Our research objective was to investigate ways to evaluate landscape water use to help cities more effectively direct water conservation programs to locations with capacity to conserve. Research was conducted in connection with a landscape irrigation evaluation delivered through a city-sponsored Water Check Program. Research efforts led to development of several assessment and monitoring tools including: Landscape Irrigation Ratio (LIR), Participant Outcome Evaluation Tool, and Program Evaluation Tool. We utilized these tools to identify locations with capacity to conserve water applied to landscapes, compare water use before and after the water check, and evaluate Water Check Program effectiveness. We found …

We Have Only Scratched The Surface: The Role Of Student Research In Institutional Repositories, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms, Scott Bates, Danielle M. Barandiaran

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Institutional repositories (IRs) and other research archives have at their core the mission to disseminate the scholarship of their communities. At universities, this content is often expected to come primarily from faculty and professional researchers. Certainly, faculty are significant producers of scholarship, but students also make worthy contributions to this body of knowledge. Graduate students, at least, are generally recognized as creators of information, and in recent years, IRs have been successfully collecting theses and dissertations written by masters and doctoral students. However, another important and often overlooked group is undergraduate students.

We Have Only Scratched The Surface: The Role Of Student Research In Institutional Repositories, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms, Danielle M. Barandiaran, Scott Bates

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Searching Smart With Standards: Using Curriculum Standards To Find Educational Resources In Digital Libraries, Anne R. Diekama, Sheri Haderlie

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stability Of Children And Adolescents' Friendships: A Meta-Analytic Review, Diana J. Meter, Noel A. Card

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Decades of research has assessed the benefits of children’s and adolescents’ friendships, but friendships among youth often dissolve within a matter of months or years. Studies have investigated predictors and consequences of friendship stability with the expectation that, in order for friendships to have a positive or negative influence on youth, they need to be enduring. However, differing methodology used to assess friendships affects the proportion of stable friendships observed, which may confound conclusions. In this meta-analysis a number of methodological and substantive study comparisons were made to assess their contribution to differences in effect sizes across studies of friendship …

The Digital Distribution Of Public Health News Surrounding The Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A Longitudinal Infodemiology Study, L. Meghan Mahoney, Tang Tang, Kai Ji, Jessica Ulrich-Schad

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background: New media changes the dissemination of public health information and misinformation. During a guest appearance on the Today Show, US Representative Michele Bachmann claimed that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines could cause “mental retardation”. Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore how new media influences the type of public health information users access, as well as the impact to these platforms after a major controversy. Specifically, this study aims to examine the similarities and differences in the dissemination of news articles related to the HPV vaccination between Google News and Twitter, as well as how the content of …

Review Of Extensible Processing For Archives And Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs, Todd Welch

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Extensible Processing for Archives and Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs.

Gsm - Based Telemetry To Define Turkey Vulture Movements At Key West Naval Air Station, A.G. Duffiney, J.S. Humphrey, E.A. Tillman, M.P. Milleson, M.L. Avery

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Nonlethal Approaches To Wildlife Damage Management, Charlotte Conley

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Milorganite As A Repellent For Domestic Mice, C.E. Martin, L.B. Wood, G.R. Gallagher

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Distinguishing Between Eurasian Wild Boar Hybrids And Feral Swine Using Molecular Analyses, J.A. Matthews, J.N. Caudell, C. Trzepacz, B. Mccann

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.