Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Treatment Of The Differently Abled: Representations Of Disability From Victorian Periodicals To Contemporary Graphic Narratives, Rachelle Echevarria

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In recent years, a number of efforts have been made to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic institutions, the workplace, and to examine and analyze representations of marginalized populations in a variety of literary and cultural contexts. These efforts usually acknowledge past mistakes, emphasizing the idea that history shall not and should not repeat itself. While analyzing the representations of disability is important in its own right, it's also important to understand why these perceptions exist. This thesis suggests that when the representations of disabilities from different mediums and from different time periods are examined in relationship, readers may …

An Analysis Of The Role Of Fentanyl In Fatal Overdoses In Orange County, Logan Michalski

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Fentanyl is a potent narcotic analgesic that leads to countless overdoses each year. Past studies have shown that fentanyl use has been growing substantially in counties within Florida. However, little research has been done to quantify and analyze rates of fentanyl overdose within Orange County, particularly over multiple year periods of time. The goal of this study is to provide information and analysis on the rates of fentanyl overdose within Orange County, Florida from 2019 to 2021, and to explore demographic factors that correlate with fentanyl overdose. It is hypothesized that the rate of fentanyl overdoses will have significantly increased …

Learning Disabilities And The Impact Of Accommodation Programs In Post-Secondary Education, Jacqueline Persaud

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As enrollment rates for students with learning disabilities steadily increase, post-secondary institutions must become more inclusive. Current literature reveals a gap in studies between post-secondary education and student views on access programs. Our endeavor focused on this community. The survey was distributed using SONA and by the Student Accessibility Services Office via Qualtrics. Our study looked at 312 participants, aged from 18 - over 30 years old and who varied in sex. More satisfaction with accommodations equated to more academic competence towards goals. However, the results showed less satisfaction with personal lives and self-acceptance. This is possibly due to participants …

The Impact Of Countries' Leaders' Responses On Covid-19 Deaths, Kate Rumisek

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented health crisis with consequences felt worldwide. While every country was impacted, each leader had a different response resulting in different consequences per nation. This paper evaluates the responses of three countries' leaders to the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to COVID-19-related deaths. The countries analyzed are New Zealand, Brazil, and the United States. New Zealand's Prime Minister's response was characterized as proactive and strict. Under the leadership of Bolsonaro, Brazil ignored the magnitude of the pandemic, leading to a lack of a cohesive national plan. The United States, led by President Trump, responded with a …

Chemical Analysis For Phytochemical Residues On Ceramics From Cape Canaveral Archaeological Sites, Jacob Woodard

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to contribute to the field of paleoethnobotany in Florida archaeology by presenting a novel approach to chemical residue analysis using UV-vis spectroscopy. The project's main goals are to develop a spectroscopic method for analyzing ceramics to identify phytochemical residues and present the findings of chemical analysis applied to ceramics from the Cape Canaveral archaeological mitigation project (CCAMP). The study focuses on two sites, the Penny site (8BR158) and Burns site (8BR85) in Florida's Indian River region.

While organic residue analysis (ORA) has been applied to various materials and regions, limited research ORA on has been conducted within …

Observing The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Overall Health, Anxiety, And Sleep, Brianna Chicas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

College students' mental health has been researched for some time. In particular, the correlation between physical activity and mental health symptoms has been researched. The study examines the relationship between physical activity and anxiety, sleep, and overall health. College undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida took an online survey that measured all of these variables. A Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess correlations. Positive correlations were found between anxiety and sleep, anxiety and social desirability, sleep and social desirability, and strength training and vigorous physical activity. Negative correlations were found between overall health and physical activity, overall …

Psychology Of Platonic Relationships, Amber V. Heinig

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Romantic relationships (RR) regarding attachment styles and theory have been widely studied, whereas platonic relationships (PR) have received comparatively less attention in research. This study aims to explore two hypotheses: (1) individuals exhibit more avoidant behavior in platonic relationships rather than anxious behavior, and more anxious behavior in romantic relationships than in platonic ones; (2) attachment styles in platonic relationships manifest uniquely and can exist independently of romantic attachment. This research aims to better understand the way that attachment differs between both relationship types. Through a quantitative study involving a survey with a 5-point Likert scale measuring attachment, administered to …

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder And Identity: The Role Of Ego-Dystonicity, Andrea B. Mullin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has been linked to a dysmorphic construction of self that is closely tied to mental illness (Bhar & Kyrios, 2007). Although associations have been found, no study has determined the impact of OCD on one's self-perception, to better understand how to resolve patients' dysmorphic construction and fear of oneself. College students (N = 410; M = 20.60, SD = 4.27) completed an anonymous online survey for course credit. The survey consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (Foa et al., 2002), theEgo-Dystonicity Questionnaire (Purdon et al., 2007), and the Self-concept Identity Measure (Kaufman et …

The Effect Of Personality On Performance Under Change, Sydney Mazur

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the relationship between personality and performance under changing circumstances. Specifically, this paper analyzes how the personality trait of optimism, and a moderator of ambiguity tolerance, affects performance under changes in an Air-Traffic Control Simulation. Previous studies have not examined the effect that optimism has on performance under change. Results indicated that personality does not correlate significantly with performance. This study was completed due to interest in a positive attitude and how it may relate to performing in the workplace

The Evaluation Of Legal Rights Granted To Non-Citizen Detainees, Julia Oldershaw

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For over two decades, the United States imprisoned and detained hundreds of suspected terrorists at the United States Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. While many of these prisoners were suspected of being terrorists, no formal charges were ever levied against the detainees. All of the prisoners detained were considered non-citizens of the United States. They were not citizens of either Cuba or the United States. Instead, they were citizens of another country. While the legal precedent in the United States' territorial jurisdiction is that non-citizens are granted specific Constitutional rights, Guantánamo Bay was a legal black hole to which …

How Mental Health Impacts The Relationship Between Aesthetics, Perceived Usefulness, And The Intention To Follow Self-Help Social Media Accounts, Quang Hong Phuoc Thai

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Mental health self-help accounts on social media often provide tips and strategies for individuals struggling with mental health difficulties to improve mental health outcomes. As mental health poses a public health concern that causes economic and physical problems worldwide, this self-help approach offers a potential solution to help millions of people at risk. In accordance with Technology Acceptance Models, how useful an individual finds a social media account should predict their intent to follow such accounts. Additionally, since social media accounts are highly visual content-driven, aesthetics may be a significant driver of intent to follow social media accounts. The present …

From Authoritarian To Democratic: A Look Into South Korea's Political Evolution Through Sports And Culture, Alexandra Laguna

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Relationships between nation-states are interconnected through a delicate state of balance maintained by direct or indirect behaviors. Balance is instituted by great international powers who hold military, economic, and social dominance over others. Having greater authority over other nation-states facilitates a self-beneficial system of equilibrium – one in which great powers typically hold an increased benefit. The concept of power can be separated between direct (hard) and indirect (soft). Despite the use of direct power throughout history, indirect power can also become a compelling instrument towards developing social dominance in the international domain. The rise and dependance on technology to …

Post, Share, Like: The Role Of Facebook In The Russo-Ukrainian War, Hannah Michelle Snyder

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Facebook is being used by both Russia and Ukraine as a tool of war, for very different purposes. This demonstrates that the platform no longer serves the sole function of connecting communities together. Existing literature has recognized that social media is being used in the current Russo-Ukrainian war but has yet to conduct comparative and contrastive analyses of Russian and Ukrainian social media strategies and effects. Conducting these analyses will illustrate not only what strategies are being used, but how they can be simultaneously advantageous and disadvantageous for belligerents. By focusing on one platform, Facebook, one can not only learn …

The Effect Of Educational Versus Recreational Screen Time On Depression Levels Among University Students, Gage Guettler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Despite the amount of people currently using technology and the overwhelming amount of data already presented on the topic of how technology affects a person's mental health, there seems to be little information on how the different types of activities on the different types of screens affect university student's mental states. This research study examined the amount of time that a University of Central Florida (UCF) student spends on what was defined as educational activities in front of screens and what was defined as recreational. The definitions of what is educational and what is recreational screen time came from a …

Biological Versus Social Factors Of Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Meta-Analysis, Katherine M. Phillips

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Juvenile sex offending is not a new phenomenon but is one of limited research, with only a slight increase in research in the past decade. This meta-analysis used 5 articles to determine which holds a greater influence on juvenile sex offenders, biological or social factors. Biological factors were divided into impulsiveness, psychosis/mental health diagnosis (excluding paraphilic disorders), and sexual deviance/paraphilia. Social factors were divided into antisocial behavior, prior criminal activity, prior exposure to sexual activities/pornography, and history of being sexually abused. This meta-analysis found that biological factors have a slightly greater effect on Juvenile sex offenders, but it was not …

The Influence Of Genetics, Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, And Energy Deficit On Migraine, Victoria Dm Maldonado Llinas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The pathomechanism of migraine attacks is not understood well, however, is currently believed to be a brain disorder. Migraine is a multifactorial disorder that needs to be investigated in multiple research areas to shed light into its mechanism and find ways to treat it effectively. Migraine episodes come from one or many things at the same time, and such vary from person to person. However, sufficient evidence in recent studies show there is a strong relationship between genetics with patients having specific genes that may be responsible for the disease or a genetic sequence passed down through generations in families, …

The Impact Of Supreme Court Make Up On Rulings Towards Administrative Agencies, Hannah N. Cothern

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigated whether or not the membership of the United States Supreme Court affects the way the institution rules in cases regarding federal administrative agencies by collecting and comparing votes from 2018-2019 and 2020-2022. It found in the first section that justices showed an anti-deferential attitude towards agencies and in the second section a deferential attitude towards agencies, despite the conservative majority being larger in the second section. The result is likely due to the types of agencies and content of cases involved.

Personality And Social Media Use, Joshua Pearson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study seeks to examine the connection between social media usage and the Enneagram personality model. This connection will aid in a better understanding of what motivates individuals to use social media. The information found in this study will be applied to understanding behavioral addiction. This understanding will allow more personalized treatment for individuals already subject to these behaviors and preventive treatment for those more susceptible to behavioral addiction to social media. In order to find the connection between social media use and the Enneagram personality model, a survey including an Enneagram personality inventory, a social media use inventory, and …

The Prevention Of Sexualization Of Girls, Sarah P. Thomas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sexualization can affect individuals of all ages, colors, sexualities, and genders. Sexualization may affect women and girls more commonly and intensely, however. Sexualization occurs when one's value is placed solely on their appearance. Sexualization has been observed to happen through two main sources: the media and interpersonal relationships. Consequently, a third source may arise when girls internalize the sexualization. It has been demonstrated that sexualization can have negative and positive consequences for adolescent girls. Though sexualization may have positive consequences, such as sexual agency, the negative consequences seem to outweigh them. Despite the amount of attention this topic has received, …

Male Pornography Viewers' Perceptions Of Asian Women, Caitlyn M. Koerner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Objectification and sexual aggression are common themes in pornography. However, there are only a handful of quantitative studies that examine the role of race in pornography that included Asian women, a population that has been fetishized extensively and historically portrayed as hypersexual in mainstream media. There were also no studies on the self-reported attitudes of viewers around this topic. 96 male university students took a survey measuring the frequency and perception of their pornography use, their acceptance of sexual aggression myths, their objectification of Asian women, and their propensity to agree with microaggressions about Asian women. Results indicated that while …

Democracy In Latin America, Democracy Everywhere, Jamie L. Mantilla Vale

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The obstacles that hinder democracy in Latin America are the topics of interest of this research. Loopholes within Latin American democratic systems of governance are a cause for concern, but also intrigue. In this research the specific loopholes and strengths of democracies in Latin America will be spotted and explained. More specifically, this research features a series quantitative method to help explain and evaluate the characteristics of strong democracies in Latin America as well as the characteristics of weak democracies in Latin America. A series of regression models show a causal relationship between rule of law and the overall democratic …

Decision-Making And Christianity: Black Queer Women's Mental Health, Deborah Coffy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigated how Christianity affects Black queer women's decision-making regarding seeking mental health services. Those who felt they met the inclusion criteria completed a Basic Demographic Survey. After vetting these individuals, eleven female participants—who are both Black and queer—were asked to participate in an individual semi-structured qualitative interview. The interview focused on one's journey with mental health, societal and relationship influences, Black and LGBTQ+ identity, influences from conservative, traditional, or mainstream Christianity, and sense of self. Although Christianity may not have directly impacted most of the women in this study to seek mental health services, Christianity did have an …

Diet Change Over Time In The Ais Community Of Cape Canaveral, Florida, Allyson Shenkman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Diet change over time is assessed for a Malabar II period (900 C.E. to 1565 C.E.) Ais indigenous community in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the Penny Plot site (8BR158). To this end, 7,760 faunal fragments were examined, with 1,876 identified at the species, genus, or family level. Through identification and analysis of faunal remains, it can be concluded that, while the amounts of overall remains left behind as a whole increased, there were no significant changes in the types of fauna utilized or patterns of consumption. This suggests that the indigenous people who occupied this site managed their resources very …

The Relationship Between Task-Induced Stress And Time Perception, Annamarie Brosnihan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A distortion of time is often reported under the presence of stress or threatening stimuli, for instance motor vehicle accidents or near-death experiences. There is a lack of research on the complexity of time distortion under stress; thus, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between stress and time perception. Given the challenges associated with producing a stress response in a laboratory setting, difficult tasks have been previously used to produce a stress response, such as anagram tasks. However, it remains unknown whether experiencing time pressure while completing a stressful task can also influence time distortion. To investigate this, …

Protection Or Control? – The History & Impact Of The Major Crimes Act On Native Americans And Its Future In Criminal Law, Cameron A. Garrow

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this thesis, I traced the history of the Major Crimes Act of 1885, focusing on United States Supreme Court cases regarding the Act's enforcement and its constitutionality. In particular, analysis focused on how the USSC's decisions affected Native Americans within the field of criminal law, both as defendants and victims, and how these decisions prove to be contradictory or unjustly detrimental in nature. There is also focus on the ongoing issues in the state of Oklahoma resulting from the Major Crimes Act's enforcement that have begun to spread from a state-level crisis into a nationwide problem. The thesis concludes …

The Effects Of Virtual Reality-Based Mindfulness Meditation On Cognition, Rafael Leite

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Due to relatively recent strides made in the field of virtual reality, the technology's potential use in a clinical setting has been the focus of a growing body of research. Multiple studies focus on benefits of its combination with meditation interventions; however, few explore its impact following a short-term period of utilizing both. This investigation aims to explore that gap in the literature by determining whether an improvement on mindfulness and working memory test scores would be seen following a single session of virtual reality meditation. That was done by randomly assigning participants to one of two conditions. One group …

Navigating A Fragmented Landscape: Insights From Civil Society Actors In Lebanon, Daniah K. Jarrah

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the contemporary era, civil society has become an essential component for addressing the political liberalization and democratization of Middle Eastern regimes. This study concentrates on civil society in Lebanon, a small democratic nation in the Levant. Lebanon's government is a consociational system characterized by dysfunctional power-sharing among sectarian parties. Comprehending the factors in Lebanon that influence civil society's ability to function and serve its purpose is essential. This understanding can assist in gaining insights into how civil society activists in the Middle East may mobilize to contribute to purposeful political and social evolutions.

This exploratory study seeks to gain …

Advocacy With Context: The Role Of Pediatricians In Breastfeeding Success, Sanya Bansal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Although the importance of breastfeeding is almost universally accepted, the rates of breastfeeding are improving very slowly. The current literature provides much insight as to how medical professionals such as obstetricians and lactation specialists could improve the rates of breastfeeding. The pediatrician could encourage breastfeeding at a prime opportunity: during post-natal visits. Unfortunately, there is limited research on what role the pediatrician plays in breastfeeding success. This study used in-depth, qualitative interviews from four pediatricians to gather data on the true role of the pediatrician in breastfeeding. These pediatricians were selected based on the diverse patient population they serve, considering …

Bilingual Switch Cost Effect On Language Processing, Ancuta Rader

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Recent reports suggest that over half of the world's population regularly uses two or more languages (or dialects) in their daily lives. The U.S. Census Bureau reports 21.6% of the population communicates in a language other than English within their homes. Thus, it is essential to methodically investigate how language processing and learning vary between monolingual and bilingual individuals. To date, research on the effects of bilingualism on language processing has been inconsistent or conflicting. The present study was designed to empirically examine if bilingual speakers differ in language processing and comprehension compared to their monolingual counterparts. It was hypothesized …

Characteristics Of Anxiety In Autistic Adults, Melissa Lewis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Modern Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) research has shifted in focus from explaining a debilitating childhood illness to helping individuals of all ages, cultures, and intelligence navigate their social problems. Understanding of the adult perspective has also grown massively since the autism diagnosis changed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) in 2013 and has brought into question how the neurodevelopmental disorder affects the individual. Anxiety symptoms in ASD, like the existence of camouflaging, have proven unique only to ASD, and recent findings suggests that the cause of anxiety in autistic individuals may be due to fundamental differences in communication …