Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“I Do Have A Softer Side”: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Prisoner-Dog Relationship In The Canine Partners For Life Training Program, Kathleen Kocherzat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the relationship between incarcerated dog handlers and the service dogs they trained. Six men at a large northeastern prison were interviewed during the summer of 2017; all were current or former dog trainers in the Canine Partners for Life (CPL) training program. The men were serving prison sentences ranging anywhere from several years to life without parole. The interviews focused on their lived experience, rasing and training puppies for a period up to eighteen months. The qualitative data consisted of approximately thirteen hours of transcribed interviews, which were then interpreted using the phenomenological psychological method developed …

The Dialectics Of Cyberspace: Communication Ethics As First Response To Cyber Attacks, Matthew P. Mancino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project recognizes the need to re-conceptualize cyberspace according to its characteristic dialectical tensions in order to offer lasting, adequate responses to cyber attacks. Scholars across multiple disciplines recognize the ineffectiveness of perimeter defense strategies, or the raising of defensive walls to protect sensitive information as the primary response to cyber attacks (Denning, 2001; Jang-Jaccard & Nepal, 2014; MacKinnon, Bacon, Gan, Loukas, Chadwick, Frangiskatos, 2013). Thus, this project suggests that in addition to a literacy in coding, corporations and policy makers must attend to what Ronald C. Arnett, Janie Harden Fritz, and Leeanne M. Bell McManus (2009/2018) term “communication ethics …

Privatio Dialogus: Toward A Phenomenology Of Aloneness For The Philosophy Of Communication, Timothy Michaels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation is to utilize the phenomenological method to elucidate the experience of aloneness and its relationship with human communication. Aloneness, for the purposes of this research, is understood as the broad experience of feeling alone. This dissertation first seeks to understand some essential principles of previous interdisciplinary literature on this topic before establishing a typology of experiences of aloneness, including isolation, escapism, and solitude. I present a phenomenology of each of these types of aloneness through a representative philosopher for each one, with Hannah Arendt, Emmanuel Levinas, and Henry David Thoreau, respectively. Finally, I conclude that …

The Yips: A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Experience Of A Lost Movement, Patrick O'Brien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the experience of the yips, a phenomenon in athletics in which individuals lose the ability to perform a basic, habitual movement of their sports. There is a growing body of research which frames the yips as a movement disorder with possible physical or psychological etiologies, or with components of both. This study centers on the experiences of athletes with the yips, seeking to understand the nature and meaning of the relationship between yips-experienced individuals and their yips, as well as what these meanings reveal about the yips in general. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews …

Black Body Memory: A Philosophy Of The Talk, Autumn Redcross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project offers the term Black body memory to point toward the threatened existential disposition of Black people in society today. Moreover, Black body memory points to the narrative paradigm of a shared experience. While popular conceptions theorize race as a social construction, the lived reality of Black people is frequently imbued by racialization and racism. Black body memory emerges from the intersection of the Black body articulated by Franz Fanon, Charles Johnson, and George Yancy, among others, and body memory, as described by Edward Casey and Thomas Fuchs. Black body memory is a culturally-laden and sedimented lived reality. The …

Reclaiming Rhetorical Intersectionality: From Silence To Parrhesia And Attuned Listening, Tahirah Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intersectionality is a term applied by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw in the late 1980s to a social experience. A person experiences intersectionality when different aspects of her identity converge in a way that causes uniquely amplified marginalization or oppression. The classic three identities that produce intersectionality experiences in the United States are race, gender, and class, making poor women of color the central figures of intersectionality study. Crenshaw explained that these forces take three main forms: structural, political and representational (“Mapping the Margins” 1243).

Intersectionality has always been rhetorical. Structural, political and representational intersectionality are supported in language. The power of …

When Humanity Meets Technology: Contemplating Neil Postman's Critique Of Advertising, Yingwen Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to contemplate Postman’s critique of advertising and offer insights to understand Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) in today’s mediated environment. As an essential component of IMC, the history of advertising demonstrates and documents that the medium of communication has an extensive influence on IMC practices. The concern about how communication media affect human perception, understanding, and behavior, resides within the central claim of the study of media ecology. Thus, this project investigates IMC through the lens of Postman’s media ecology perspectives, and argues that Postman’s prescient ideas provide both hope and constructive insights. Moreover, Postman’s thermostatic perspective, rooted …

Precision Medicine And It's Ethical And Social Implications: Public Health And Gobal Persepctives, Evangel Sarwar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ever since President Obama's launch of the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) in 2015, precision medicine (PM) has been anticipated as the new paradigm for healthcare with the capacity to “empower patients, researchers, and providers to work together toward the development of individualized care,” through research, technologies, and policies (President Obama, 2015). Precision Medicine (PM), in the form of genomics, offers unprecedented promise of providing new tools for improving health and reducing the burden of diseases, not just for the U.S. - but also globally. According to World Health Organization, genomics research and precision medicine will play a major part in …

Factors Contributing To Successful Completion Of A Holistic Job Skills Training Program, Renee Paul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Job skills training programs are one way to address barriers to employment. As is important with any program that is implemented, it is important to evaluate its effectiveness. Existing literature contains several examples of job skills training programs that measure success by looking at outcomes such as employment rates post-program completion. Another way to measure success, which very few studies report, is to look at program completion rates. This study sought to fill that gap by reporting completion rates and factors that contribute to completion for a holistic job skills training program in West Texas. This study tested five variables …

Food Insecurity And Mental Health Correlations And Barriers On A College Campus, Alexandria M. Bisson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity is defined by the U.S Department of Agriculture as “the uncertain or limited ability to get adequate food due to lack of financial resources” (Watson, Malan, Glik, & Martinez, 2017, p. 130). It tends to go unnoticed, and the size of the vulnerable population cannot be fully depicted because of stigma in seeking help. One study could only estimate from findings that 14% to 59% of students will be food insecure at some point throughout their college years (Henry, 2017). Food insecurity is affecting students’ social and mental health, diet choices, and physical well-being. Food insecurity is only …

Examination Of Coalition Sustainability Factors In Texas Human Trafficking Coalitions Through The Lens Of The Community Coalition Action Theory, Bryn Stonehouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The state of Texas ranks number two in the nation for the highest volume of human trafficking, at an estimated 313,000 victims in the state. As awareness of this issue in both Texas and the United States increases, efforts to educate communities, advocate for new policies, and provide services to survivors are on the rise. One strategy utilized by organizations, agencies, and individuals across Texas serving survivors of human trafficking is the use of coalitions. Limited research addresses coalition sustainability within the context of issues outside healthcare initiatives facing communities, including human trafficking. Due to the limited research surrounding community …

An Exploration Of Factors Of Lgbt Cultural Competency Among Prospective Healthcare Professionals, Heather Isbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Literature suggests there is a relationship between cultural competency and health outcomes as well as a perceived fear of discrimination LGBT individuals face when attempting to receive healthcare services. The aim of this study is to assess the level of LGBT CC (cultural competency) among prospective professionals who are expected to provide health care services and to explore factors that affect those attributes. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to test the effect of the following factors of LGBT CC: postsecondary experience, relations with LGBT individuals, and religion using a sample of 57 different healthcare students in a faith-based university during …

Connecting Youth To Public Lands Through The Social Change Model Of Leadership Development: The Yosemite Leadership Program, Amanda J. Dworak Rowland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the success and outcome of the Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) through its foundation in the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. There are research studies of collegiate programming and the Social Change Model (SCM); however, a literature review uncovered the limited amounts of research around leadership programming connecting collegiate students to their gateway public lands sites. The goal of this research was to identify how the SCM could be used to implement methods and practices of leadership development with college students in partnership with a public lands agency. The specific leadership development themes that were explored …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Student Persistence In A Bachelor Of Science In Forestry Program, Maxwell Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational leaders in forestry have been challenged to increase and diversify the pipeline of ‘society ready’ foresters. To meet these challenges, leaders must shift their focus to student retention. By understanding the factors that influence student engagement and persistence, these leaders will be better positioned to support students in forestry programs, thus positively impacting retention. This qualitative case study investigated student persistence of second-year forestry students in an undergraduate forestry program. The study was guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Social Capital Theory and explored the malleable psychosocial mechanisms of self-efficacy, sense of belonging, emotion, and well-being proposed by Kahu …

The Religious Classroom: Analyzing The Cross-Application Of Instructional Communication Pedagogy To Youth Ministries, Lakelyn Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Instructional communication literature suggests that, to achieve optimal student learning outcomes, an instructor must completely engage in all aspects of experiential learning. It follows, then, that youth ministers should also employ experiential learning in their youth ministries to achieve their learning outcome goals among the youth they teach. This research project examined three research questions: 1.) What pedagogical strategies do youth ministers use during large group class sessions? 2.) In what ways do youth ministers employ instructional communication best practices within their pedagogical strategies? 3.) What strategies do former students remember their youth minister using the most? The analysis revealed …

Bending The Binary: Effects Of Nonbinary Gender Media Representations On Disposition Formation And Media Enjoyment, Diana Higley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, the issue of gender plays a larger role in our social discussions than in the past. Over the last decade, new and groundbreaking television shows and movies that showcase gender nonconforming characters and plots that challenge traditional gender roles have become more common. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential effects of gender-neutral representations in media programming and particularly whether different representations of gender might influence audience attitudes toward characters and overall enjoyment of the media. Affective Disposition Theory and Moral Foundations Theory were used as a framework for understanding people's perceptions of gender-neutral media …

Methodological Improvements In The Mrna Profiling Assays For Incorporation Into Dna Casework Workflows, Paris Volk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, DNA profiling is the gold standard to identify an individual. However, determining body fluid origin is important in criminal investigations, offering additional information surrounding the circumstances of a crime. However, crime labs can only definitively identify blood and semen and presumptively saliva using techniques that consume time and sample and do not simultaneously identify all forensically relevant body fluids. This causes many crime labs to want to bypass body fluid identification altogether. Therefore, advances into more definitive molecular-based body fluid methods are necessary. One such technique is mRNA profiling because it provides a highly sensitive and specific approach to …

Grandma Got Passed Over By A Manager: The Intersection Of Age And Gender In Hiring, Alyssa Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated how age stereotypes influence judgment and decision making at work, but older workers are more than just older. All individuals are members of multiple demographic categories, yet we know surprisingly little about how multiple category membership affects judgments and decision making at work. Competing models have been suggested, such as the category activation and inhibition model (Kulik et al., 2007) and the intersectional salience of ageism at work model (Marcus & Fritzsche, 2015). However, empirical tests of these models are scarce. In the present study, the age and gender of job applicants were manipulated in a mock …

Teacher’S Attitudes And Willingness To Refer Sexual Minority Students To Special Education, Diane' Forney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that cultural minority students are over-represented in special education services based on teacher bias and attitudes towards these cultural minority students. A cultural minority that has not been as widely researched is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ). The purpose of this study is to determine if teacher’s bias and attitude towards LGBTQ students interferes with their ability to make special education referrals for sexual minority students (Hebl, 2000), who are students identified as LGBTQ. For the purpose of this study, a variety of teachers were asked to complete, two qualifying questions, a detailed demographic questionnaire, …

The Moderating Effects Of Adaptive Coping Styles And Locus Of Control On Stress Outcomes By Reported Level Of Masculinity, Technology At Work, And Level Of Perceived Stress, Dawn Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of adaptive coping styles and locus of control on reported stress outcome. Findings suggest that perceived stress, time spent using technology at work, and level of masculinity significantly predict job productivity and somatic symptoms. Only perceived stress and level of masculinity significantly predicted sleep quality. Internal Locus of Control and Adaptive coping with initial independent variable composites did not have significant moderation effects. When independent variables were separated, three significant moderations were found. Individual’s with high Internal Locus of Control and more time spent using technology at work reported improved sleep quality. Also, when Internal …

Outdoor Education’S Relationship To Adolescent Behavior And Academic Performance In Two East Texas Middle Schools, Trenton Stiefel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, a key part of a child’s development was their exposure to and relationship with the world outdoors – nature. The current movement to promote the inclusion of environmental and outdoor education into curricular and extracurricular activities stems from the mounting evidence that experiences in the outdoors may improve a child’s behavior and mood, as well as improve their academic performance. This mixed-methods study hoped to discover whether or not, on average, children improve their academic performance and/or their individual behavior in school when provided with outdoor education learning experiences. The mindset used in outdoor education research may have to …

Risk-Taking, Thinking Styles, And Criminality: A Fuzzy-Trace Theory Perspective, Adrienne Machann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preferred modes of thinking, otherwise known as biases, have been well documented in adult reasoning and decision-making (Evans, 2003; Gilovich, Griffin, & Kahneman, 2002; Reyna & Brainerd, 2011; Tversky & Kahneman, 1986). Researchers have explained these biases by proposing that the basis for them is a system of thought that relies mostly on intuition and “gut feelings” rather than logical analysis of the situation (Reyna & Brainerd, 2011; Tversky & Kahneman, 1986). According to standard dual-process theories, intuition is described as a thought process so quick, it is automatic and, at times unconscious; conversely, analytical thinking is slow and steady, …

Using The Forestry Reclamation Approach For Reclaimed Surface Mineland In The Western Gulf: Effects On Pinus Taeda Seedling Growth And Survival, Cassie Phillips, Jeremy Stovall, Hans Williams, Kenneth Farrish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While land reclamation efforts of surface mines have considerably increased soil stability since the implementation of SMCRA (Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act), research suggests that resulting soil compaction hinders the productivity of forests post-mining. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) was developed to improve forest health in the Appalachian region through a five-step process that minimizes soil compaction and establishes a productive forest. The FRA has not yet been tested in the western Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP). The higher clay content of some GCP soils and the dearth of coarse fragments (e.g. cobbles, stones and boulders) may affect reclamation practices …

Investigating A Mental Health Literacy Intervention Among Economically Disadvantaged Youth, Jayna Mumbauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health is a critical and pervasive issue for children and adolescents in the United States, with one in five youth living with a diagnosable mental health condition (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Despite the increasing rates of mental health disorders, barriers to treatment are abundant and most young people do not receive appropriate treatment (Merikangas, 2009). Mental health literacy is the knowledge and beliefs surrounding mental health that guide recognition, management, and prevention (Jorm, 1997, p. 143). Mental health literacy is a particularly important framework for youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds as they face increased vulnerabilities to …

The Examination Of A Mobile Application For The Reduction Of Posttraumatic Stress Related Symptoms In Emergency Dispatchers, Emy Willis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emergency dispatchers report that their jobs are stressful, yet there are few controlled investigations examining their specific psychological complaints. Additionally, research examining the use of interventions directed at alleviating their work-related stress is limited. This study aims to examine the efficacy and feasibility of a mobile application (PTSD Coach) on various indicators of psychosocial well-being among emergency telecommunicator dispatchers. A sample of 117 emergency dispatchers completed self-report psychological mood assessments at baseline, weekly for five weeks during PTSD Coach use and post-treatment. Participant report of psychological symptoms showed statistically significant decreases in mood severity over the period of one month.

An Examination Of The Florida Linking Individuals Needing Care Coordination Program For Racial And Ethnic Minority Females, Michelle Vance

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide accounts for close to 800,000 deaths each year, making it one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In the state of Florida, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. Currently, it is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 15-29, claiming more lives than homicide. Among Black and Hispanic youth (10 to 24), it is the 2nd and 3rd leading causes of death. This study aimed to examine the extent to which depression and suicidality outcomes change among racial and ethnic minority females (i.e., Black and African American, Hispanic) who participated …

Stepping Outside Of Yourself: Social Anxiety, Dissociation, Alcohol Consequences, And Relationship Satisfaction, Matthew Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

OVERVIEW: Social anxiety disorder is the third most prevalent psychiatric disorder in the United States. Dissociation can arise during acute daily social stressors in individuals with social anxiety. This study examined the relationship between social anxiety and functional outcomes (i.e., alcohol-related consequences and relationship satisfaction) as moderated by levels of dissociation (i.e., depersonalization/derealization). It was hypothesized that dissociation would moderate the relationships between social anxiety and alcohol-related consequences and between social anxiety and relationship satisfaction. METHOD: College students who endorsed alcohol use within the past 30 days (n = 320) and college students who reported having been in a romantic …

Threatening Instructions During A Hurricane Influence Risk Perceptions: The Case Of Fear Appeals And Changing Hurricane Projections, Daphne Whitmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to examine the effectiveness of persuasive language in the protective action recommendation of an emergency warning, which instructs people how to prepare and stay safe. Study 1 was a pilot study, which suggested that participants were able to make distinctions between hurricane categories. In study 2, the presence of fear language and second-person personal pronouns (i.e., "you") in a recommendation was manipulated. Overall, fear language was more influential than a pronoun on risk perceptions. To understand how context influences risk perceptions, participants in study 3 made decisions after each piece of information received. The …

Federal, State And Local Law Enforcement Agency Interoperability Capabilities And Cyber Vulnerabilities, Tyrone Trapnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System is the central informational hub located at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Its purpose is to provide network subscriptions to all Federal, state and local level law enforcement agencies while increasing information collaboration across all domains. The National Data Exchange users must satisfy the Advanced Permission Requirements, confirming the terms of N-DEx information use, and the Verification Requirement (verifying the completeness, timeliness, accuracy, and relevancy of N-DEx information) through coordination with the record-owning agency (Management, 2018). A network infection model is proposed to simulate the spread impact of various cyber-attacks within Federal, state …

Predicting Counterproductive Work Behavior With Explicit And Implicit Measures Of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, And Emotional Stability, Jimmy Zheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study leveraged the stressor-emotion model of CWB, the reflective-impulsive model of behavior, and theories of explicit and implicit personality to investigate the roles explicit and implicit aspects of personality, and work stressors have in influencing CWB. The stressor-emotion and reflective-impulsive models suggest that in addition to reflective (i.e., explicit) processes, impulsive (i.e., implicit) processes may also influence CWB because the act can be motivated by negative emotions induced by frustrating working conditions. Theories of personality and motivation suggest that conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability predict CWB because these traits motivate people to pursue goals that reduce or increase …