Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Theory Of Conditional Party Opposition, Samuel Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This paper takes a critical look at executive power in the United States. Recent years have shown an increase of executive power that many people including: scholars, media, and the public have become skeptical of. The new norm has been for the executive to bypass Congress in order to accomplish policy goals. Traditionally the separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches has been the remedy to executive power. This thesis, however, argues that scholarship has largely ignored the role of political parties in government. Due to this, scholarship has misunderstood the role parties play in the separation …

The Rise And Fall Of Elizabeth Holmes: Investigating Myths Within Media Coverage, Charlotte Emelia Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

When Elizabeth Holmes became the youngest female billionaire in 2014, news media framed her as the next Steve Jobs due to her similarities as a dropout, a passionate industry disruptor, and a visionary. When she was discovered as a fraud in 2018, coverage framed her as a feminine, seductive monster who duped everyone. I analyzed the media coverage in both years to uncover myths that guided these narratives and argue that these news frames contributed to the large interest in her rise and fall while also reinforcing harmful ways of thinking toward success and female leadership.

Stratigraphic Evidence For Indigenous Use Of Fire As A Dryland Agricultural Landscape Management Tool On The Northern Colorado Plateau, Mariah Walzer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

While documented in ethnography and traditional ecological knowledge, Indigenous burning practices are rarely recognized in the archaeological record of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. I analyzed charcoal from an arroyo wall to understand the relationship between Indigenous farmers and fire at the Cub Creek archaeological site (AD 300-1300) in Dinosaur National Monument. The size, shape, and amount of charcoal in each sediment layer indicates the fuel types (woody or grassy) and relative size and/or intensity of fires. I compared my data to a precipitation reconstruction for the area to evaluate the influence of climate on fire activity. The results …

An Xrf Elemental Analysis Of Prosser Molded Beads From Southwest Oregon, Michele Hoferitza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Glass beads were brought to the North American continent by European explorers and traders beginning in the 17^th century. Native Americans quickly adopted beads as trade commodities and personal ornaments. Prosser beads were made predominately in France and Bohemia from the 1860’s to the 1970’s and can be found in archaeological contexts from coast to coast. In this study, elemental analysis using X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) technology is used to determine if there is a way to chemically discern where and when the beads were made.

Statistical analysis of three categories of elements was done to determine whether the creation …

Online Multiplayer Video Game Play And College Adjustment, Salina M. Ochoa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

There are an increasing number of individuals who participate in multiplayer video games and an increase in screen time overall. Due to the increase in online video game play, this study aimed to find possible positive impacts that online multiplayer video games had on freshmen who are adjusting to college, as this is a pivotal point in life. The data were collected at the beginning of the second semester and 99 freshman, 18 years or older, who regularly engaged in online multiplayer video games participated in the study. The study showed four important findings: First, students who receive support from …

Birds, Bees, And The Babies: Study Of The Influence Of Self-Efficacy On Parent-Child Sex Communication, Cassandra M. Craig

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Previous studies show that parents tend to be uncomfortable discussing sexual topics with their children, such as menstruation, masturbation, and/or condom use. This study offers a look at the part confidence plays in a parent's intentions to talk to their kids about such topics. The results indicated that the confidence parents feel about discussing sexual topics is not related to how much their own parents talked with them about sex. However, the confidence they feel that could be coming from other models, like social media or peers, is related to how much parents intend to talk with their own children …

Contrasting Management Styles And Differing Outcomes Of Capping And Orphaning Of Utah Oil And Gas Wells By Conditions And Land Types, Maxwell C. Parson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The issue of public lands management and ownership in the West has long been contentious. This thesis takes a quantitative approach examining outcomes of the rates at which oil and gas wells in the state of Utah are orphaned and/or capped. Findings indicate that orphanings occur at a statistically significant higher rate on state owned land as opposed to federal and private, and wells on tribal land have no recorded orphaning. No other variables were significant in their relationship to orphaning. The proposed explanations for this disparity are two-fold: First the longer periods of inactivity permitted by the state simply …

Validating A Scale Of Psychological Flexibility And Inflexibility For Older Adolescents, Caleb Douglas Farley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Psychological flexibility (PF) is a skill that is related to various mental health experiences in adults. Higher levels of PF seem related to greater wellbeing. Given increases in mental health problems with youth, measuring PF and its inverse, psychological inflexibility (PI), might be useful for identifying those teenagers at risk for mental health challenges and referring them to appropriate interventions. To date, most measures of PF and PI are only available for adults older than 18, and, while theory suggests PF and PI are important for adolescent mental health, little research has examined the validity of these claims. This multipaper …

Hunting For Agriculture: Unraveling Ecological Motivations In The Transition To Farming By The Fremont Cultural Complex, Ryan Mcgrath

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study explored the profound human history shift from foraging to agriculture, focusing on Utah's Fremont cultural complex. Utilizing the Prey-Rank Model, we investigated whether dwindling encounter rates with high-rank prey prompted the Fremont's adoption of agriculture. We quantified past resource trends by analyzing the Utah archaeofaunal database to discern if ecological conditions influenced this transition. If confirmed, it suggests adaptive responses to a decline in high-ranked game led to a more resource-intensive survival strategy. This research provides crucial insights into the motivations behind the Fremont's agricultural adoption, enhancing our understanding of human-environment interactions and adaptations throughout history.

Developing A Methodology For Evaluating The Sensitivity Of Rock Imagery Sites To Vandalism In Washington County, Ut, Erin C. Haycock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study uses statistical analysis to examine the relationship between the characteristics of rock imagery (also known as rock art) sites and intentionally caused damages in Washington County, Utah. This project aims to create an index for public land managers to respond proactively to vandalism at rock imagery sites. Included here is an analysis of the severity and frequency of damage to the sites and an inventory of the types of site damage to determine the most common and destructive types of vandalism. Site attributes such as the number of figures in a panel, the type of images, and panel …

Exploring Farmers' Willingness To Accept Payment For Agricultural Conservation In Utah, Asif Ahmed Khan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In view of Utah’s drought situation and the need for conservation of water use, this thesis tries to calculate the compensation required for farmers to switch from cultivating alfalfa-which requires a lot of water, to less water-consuming crops like wheat, hay and even pasture. It proposes a new technique for this calculation using big data, including satellite images from National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), agricultural statistics from National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), climate data from Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate group and land use data from the state of Utah. These data are integrated into a …

Do Physical Activity, Diet And Sex Modify The Association Between Neurotrophin Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms And Insomnia?, Hector Leonardo Gonzalez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sleep disturbance is common in older adults at prevalence rates ranging between 30 - 50% in the United States. Neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), play a role in sleep (Bachmann et al., 2012) as do lifestyle factors such as physical activity (Dolezal et al., 2017) and diet. This study examined the associations of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs related to BDNF or its receptors and lifestyle factors of physical activity and diet, as well as their interactions on the risk for sleep disturbance in older adult males and females. This thesis examined existing data from the Cache …

Adhd Knowledge: Support For Current Measures And Connections To Stigma And Intervention, Megan E. Golson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at-risk for social, educational, and daily functioning challenges. Identifying ADHD and beginning intervention as early as possible improves outcomes for children with ADHD. Research suggests that parents, teachers, and the general population have more favorable opinions about ADHD interventions the more they know about ADHD. While many measures of ADHD knowledge have been created to measure this, there is little research on the validity of these measures. Further, additional research is needed to better understand relation between ADHD knowledge and intervention favorability. The two studies in this dissertation aim to fill these …

Across The Snake River Plain: Terminal Pleistocene, Early Holocene, And Early Middle Holocene Land-Use In Southeast Idaho, Jennifer Finn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The range of mobility demonstrated to overcome challenges with resource distribution is a hallmark of hunter-gatherer societies. Previous studies in southeast Idaho have investigated the possibility that precontact human movement was impacted by climatic differences. According to preliminary studies on regional obsidian toolstone conveyance, land use patterns were already changing throughout the early Holocene due to increased aridity. However, the geographical distribution of Northern Side-notched projectile points suggests a significant expansion in mobility at the early Holocene/middle Holocene transition. This thesis tests the hypothesis that precontact early middle Holocene human mobility in the study area was conditioned by environmental factors …

A Dyadic Analysis Of Fat Talk And Body Esteem Amongst Romantic Couples, Marissa J. Sáez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Due to high levels of body objectification within society, many individuals feel a strong need to "improve" their bodies. This mindset can lead individuals to speak negatively about their body, which is referred to as fat talk. This study examines the relationship between fat talk on one's own and their romantic partner's body esteem. Meaning, it is proposed that speaking negatively about one's body will impact not only their own body esteem, but also their romantic partner's body esteem. Data were collected from 112 participants (56 dyads). The results of the data supported both hypotheses, demonstrating that one's fat talk …

The Relationship Between Blame, Maladaptive Guilt/ Shame, Couple Communication, And Relationship Satisfaction In Pornography Users, Joshua K. Otani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In this master’s thesis, I conducted a quantitative study using data from 190 individuals in a committed couple relationship where at least one partner is dealing with problematic pornography use to better understand the relationship of blame and maladaptive guilt/ shame with couple communication patterns and couple satisfaction. All 190 individuals independently completed an online anonymous questionnaire consisting of various quantitative assessments measuring my study variables (e.g., blame, maladaptive guilt/ shame, couple communication, couple satisfaction, problematic pornography use).

I used an individual data analysis to examine how study variables related to individual outcomes. The first analysis revealed that general blame …

Do Poor Countries Catch Up To Rich Countries? Structural Change In The World-Economy, 1816-1916, Jared Walker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Do poor countries catch up to rich countries? To answer that question, countries were divided into upper class (core), middle class (semi-periphery), and lower class (periphery) based on degree of industrialization as indicated by primary energy consumption data. Findings indicated twenty-three upward transitions and five downward transitions during the period examined. Asymmetrical upward mobility was understood in the context of geographic expansion of the system. This sufficiently increased the population of the lower class (periphery) to support larger populations in the middle class (semi-periphery) and upper class (core). Nevertheless, probability analysis indicated a stable system characterized by high levels of …

Online Deception: The Impact Of Language In Text-Based Deception Detection, Stephanie Dayle Avila

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In today’s digital age, spreading false information online can have serious consequences, from affecting elections to undermining public health efforts. Despite the issue's importance, there’s been relatively little research into better understanding how people make decisions about lies and misinformation online. My project dives into this challenge by exploring how specific language cues, like grammar errors or unusual word choices, influence people’s perception of statements in terms of deceit online. I examined how people react to these cues through three separate but related studies when reading truthful and deceptive statements. The first two studies showed that true statements with grammatical …

Conflict Within Wildlife Management On Western Landscapes Home On The Range, Trisha A. Hedin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Most of the public lands within the Intermountain West are administered under a multiple-use mandate which emphasizes striking a balance in land use planning among the potentially competing values of livestock grazing, timber production, water supply, extraction of valuable fossil fuels, wildlife, and wilderness. This research sought to dive into a few of these competing values that involve large herbivores that compete for limited forage resources such as livestock and wildlife, on public lands, but also touched upon wildlife on private lands. The first component of research looked specifically at the coexistence of wildlife and livestock on both public and …

Wellbeing, Mental Health, And Natural Resource Dependency In Rural Utah, Kristen Rene Koci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation examines wellbeing, mental health, and natural resource (NR) dependency in rural Utah. The following questions are asked: How do wellbeing and mental health vary throughout the state of Utah, including by rural-urban location? What concerns do applied practitioners have regarding mental health in rural parts of the state? How do chronic stress and social dislocation contribute to mental health outcomes in rural NR dependent communities in the state? Four studies were conducted to pursue these research questions.

The first two studies use data from the Utah Wellbeing Survey to explore wellbeing and mental health in Utah communities over …

Coming Out Experiences Related To Improved Well-Being Among Religious Sexual And Gender Minorities, Samuel Skidmore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs; individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or who do not identify as cisgender and heterosexual) often come out to others as a way to improve their connections, feel more authentic, and improve their mental health. However, coming out is often a frightening and stress-inducing process, and SGMs’ overall well-being may depend on how they approach these conversations and how others respond. In an effort to better understand these experiences and to provide a scientifically-validated “guide” to SGMs and those to whom they come out, we conducted three studies that examine when coming out goes well and …

Protein Residue Analysis In Archaeology: A Geological Contamination Experiment, Theresa Popp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Protein residue analysis has been used by archaeologists for decades to explore ancient diets and hunting behaviors based on proteins deposited on tools and artifacts, however, protein contamination of buried artifacts has been assumed but lacked formal study. Through a contamination experiment testing different geological contexts (e.g. water movement and freeze-thaw), possible routes of protein contamination within soil were identified, adversely impacting protein residue analysis conducted on buried artifacts. Protein was found to move through soil in large enough concentrations to elicit positive protein residue results on sterile artifacts that never made direct contact with the protein source used in …

Evaluating An Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math/Computational Thinking Professional Development Program For Elementary Level Paraprofessional Educators, Aubrey A. Rogowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

For my dissertation, I looked at a training program one Utah school district used to teach paraprofessional educators science, technology, engineering, math, and computational thinking. Specifically, the program taught them about what computational thinking is and how they could use it when teaching science, technology, engineering, and math to students from kindergarten to sixth grade. While reviewing this program, I evaluated 1) The experiences the paraprofessionals had with the program, 2) Whether the paraprofessionals understood computational thinking, and 3) Whether the program prepared them to teach computational thinking to K-6 students.

I worked with eight paraprofessionals who participated in this …

Nonreligious Parents' Perceptions Of The Role Religious Differences And Religious Disaffiliation Play In Family Relationships, Heather H. Kelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The number of nonreligious Americans has steadily increased in recent years, and researchers predict that this growth will continue. Despite this growth, limited research has explored the experiences of nonreligious parents and how religious differences impact their family relationships. As such, through a qualitative analysis of 33 interviews with nonreligious couples (N=66 individuals), the current study addresses how nonreligious adults perceive the influence of religious differences on their relationships with their family of origin (i.e., parents, siblings, and extended family members) and how these religious differences impact the intergenerational relationships between nonreligious parent's family of origin and their children. Additionally, …

Public Cyberattack Attribution And Domestic Political Considerations: An Analysis Of State Decision Making, Ella M. Devey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

When a country is targeted with a cyberattack, what compels its government to publicly attribute the perpetrators of the attack rather than keep their attribution private? Cyberattacks are an increasingly utilized weapon of international conflict by governments, groups, and individuals. Following a cyberattack, the target of the attack may investigate the origin of the attack and may choose to share their findings with the public; alternatively, they may choose not to publicly share their findings.

While we know that forensic capabilities and international political factors contribute to the decision of governments to make public cyberattack attribution, domestic political circumstances may …

A Content Analysis On Emotions Presented In Preschool Children's Television, Sarah Austin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Learning about emotions is an essential aspect of early childhood. Because of the increasing access to screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, children have more resources in their environment to learn from. However, before more can be known about whether children are learning about emotions during their screen time, it is important to know how emotions are being presented to them in their online content. Therefore, this study sought to gather data regarding how four emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear) are portrayed verbally and nonverbally among three types of preschool television shows (entertainment, balanced, educational). A sample of 60 preschool …

Drama: A Burlesque And Melodramatic Frame Analysis Of The January 6Th Committee Final Report, Makayla Chadwick Lindsay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

On January 6^th, 2021, former president Donald Trump stated "...if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore". Following his speech thousands of Trump supporters marched to the United States capitol under the belief that they were stopping nationwide voter fraud. In the months following, the U.S. congress created The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol with the goal to investigate those responsible for the insurrection that took place at the U.S. capitol. This paper examines the committee's communication as they attempted to hold Trump …

Using An Interactive Computer Training To Train Teachers In Function-Based Assessment And Intervention, Kristin R. Griffith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Since many educators receive little-to-no formal training in evidence-based classroom management strategies, it may be helpful to train general education teachers in strategies that direct them to the underlying causes of problem behavior. One such strategy is functional behavior assessment, which is the process of gathering information to determine the function of problem behavior, or why behavior is occurring. One potentially effective way of training teachers in this process may be to use an interactive computer training, which has previously been used to train a variety of complex behavior analytic skills with other populations. In the current study, we trained …

Mattering And Attachment: A Bilateral Association That Underlies Relationship Outcomes In Couples, Jacob Ybarra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In this master's thesis, I conducted a quantitative study using data from 100 heterosexual couples in a committed, romantic relationship to better understand the relationship between perceived mattering (PM) and attachment and to explore how mattering relates to various mental health and relationship outcomes. All 200 partners independently completed an online anonymous questionnaire consisting of various quantitative assessments measuring my study variables (e.g., attachment, PM, and relationship and mental health outcomes).

I used dyadic data analysis to examine how study variables related to an individual's outcomes as well as their partner's. Overall, findings from the first analysis highlighted that men …

A Systematic Review On Functional Analysis Of Noncompliance, Alyssa Hurd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Lack of following instructions is a common caregiver concern that can have adverse effects on the learner. Although certain behavioral assessments (i.e., functional analysis) are often employed for other forms of challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, property destruction) to determine why these behaviors are occurring (e.g., to gain attention, toys, or escape from instructions), these assessments are infrequently conducted to determine why a learner is not following instructions. Lack of following instructions is often hypothesized to be motivated by desire to escape from instructions. However, to date, no study has examined the prevalence of variables that motivate lack of following instructions …