Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Some Effects Of Metronome Modality On Speech Rate, Zachary Z. Hand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effects of three metronome modalities on speech rate were examined for three college students. Five conditions were tested for comparison of the effects of each modality. In the first phase of the multielement evaluation none of the modalities succeeded at decreasing the speech rate of the subjects to the target range. During the second phase, a modeling plus feedback component was implemented which successfully decreased the speech rate to the target range for each subject. In the post assessment the effects of the model and feedback component maintained for each subject. These findings may suggest that the use of a …

Using Generalization-Enhanced Behavioral Skills Training To Teach Poison Safety Skills To Children With Autism, Ellie Morosohk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is important for children to learn safety skills, especially involving dangerous stimuli such as medicine that can be found in almost every household. This study examined a generalization-enhanced behavioral skills training package to teach children with autism poison safety skills. Three children ages 4- to 10-years-old received generalization enhanced BST to teach the safety skills required when they found pills. In situ assessments were conducted both in home and in the clinic to examine whether the skills generalized to the natural setting. All children engaged in the safety skills following training. The results of this study indicated that generalization …

A Comparison Of Verbal Feedback And Video Feedback To Improve Dance Skills, Shreeya Sudhir Deshmukh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that video feedback and verbal feedback can improve a variety of skills related to several sports. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of these two forms of feedback for improving dance skills. In this study, the dance skills of three participants were assessed. Verbal feedback and video feedback were implemented using a multiple baseline across participants with an embedded alternating treatments design to allow for a direct comparison of the interventions. The results indicated that verbal feedback was more effective for one participant and video feedback was more effective for one participant. More …

Choice Versus Reinforcement: Which Produces Better Effects In Decreasing Disruptive Behavior For Students With Or At Risk Of Emotional And Behavioral Disorder?, Sara M. Hordges

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the number of students with developmental disabilities increases in schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2017a), so does the need for effective interventions within school settings. Both antecedent and consequence interventions have been conducted within schools in attempts to decrease maladaptive behaviors and increase appropriate behaviors in relation to academics. Providing choices and reinforcement have demonstrated empirical evidence that both interventions were successful in creating positive behavior change in students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This study compared the use of an antecedent-based intervention (i.e., activity choice) versus a consequence-based intervention (e.g., differential reinforcement without extinction) to determine which …

A Multidisciplinary Approach To Trauma Analysis In Cases Of Child Fatality, Jaime D. Sykes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Child fatality is an issue of social and forensic significance. Due to the complex nature of these cases, it can be difficult to determine the cause and manner of death (referred to as equivocal death), particularly when differentiating between accidental and inflicted traumatic fatalities. Finite Element Modeling is a tool typically used to elucidate the etiology of fractures. This thesis utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to research the frequency of equivocal deaths among juveniles and the usefulness of FEM as a solution to diagnosing skeletal trauma. The first component examines the problem of misdiagnosed manner of death through retrospective case examinations …

Decolonizing Human Trafficking: A Case Study Of Human Trafficking In Edo State Nigeria, Oyinkansola Adepitan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Every year, governments and globally acclaimed international organizations alike develop policies, sanctions and other control mechanisms in terms of prevention, protection and prosecution in an attempt to abate the current human trafficking problem which appears to be worsening by the year. This thesis will explore the relationship of colonial legacies to the current human trafficking dilemma, assessing the impact of post-colonial cultural and structural practices that continue to persist and proliferate the movement of human beings across borders and facilitates their sub-human treatment. By analyzing the underlying elements that have caused the current international system to operate and be structured …

Museum Kura Hulanda: Representations Of Transatlantic Slavery And African And Dutch Heritage In Post-Colonial Curaçao, April Min

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Presenting a history of slavery that resonates with multiple audiences and serves necessary educational goals, while still creating sufficient appeal to attract visitors and remain sustainable is an enormous task faced by museums in post-colonial spaces across the world. The Museum Kura Hulanda in Curaçao finds itself in an unenviable position of maintaining a vast collection compiled by its founder, navigating the complexities of the 400-year legacy of Dutch involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, and sustaining its position within the local business and tourist economy of Curaçao.

Focusing on the exhibitions at the Museum Kura Hulanda as a site …

Evaluating The Use Of Alternative Seating With Children At Risk For Emotional Behavioral Disabilities, Corinne E. Bloom Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) include learning difficulties that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors and an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers. Often, children with EBD have a tendency to have negative experiences in school and engage in challenging behavior in the classroom. This could stem from their lack of desire or motivation to succeed, which is often found in individuals with EBD. One possible antecedent manipulation, alternative seating, may reduce problem behavior and involves exchanging the typical seating and tables in classrooms for different types of seating …

Gofundtransitions: Narratives Of Transnormativity And The Limits Of Crowdfunding Livable Futures, Hayden J. Fulton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Crowdfunding websites, such as GoFundMe, have provided a new avenue for (some) individuals to fund their healthcare needs. The use of these sites requires individuals to story their medical need, in the hopes of receiving financial assistance. Trans individuals encounter unique challenges within the healthcare system, including providers’ lack of knowledge, a dearth of competent care, and widespread individual and institutional cissexism. Because of the difficulties acquiring competent trans-healthcare compounded with broader inadequacies in our healthcare system, many trans folks and their loved ones turn to crowdfunding platforms to help cover the cost of medical transition. In this thesis I …

Use Of Pyramidal Training In A Juvenile Residential Facility: Teaching Staff To Self-Monitor Use Of Behavior Specific Praise, Zoe I. Hay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile residential facilities are punitive and restrictive limiting youth opportunity to learn and engage in adaptive behavior. Staff training is necessary to reduce the punishment-based behavior management practices that are often in place and to increase reinforcement of appropriate behavior. Pyramidal training is a cost-effective and efficient strategy to train multiple levels of staff of behavior analytic skills. In this study a pyramidal training approach was used to train juvenile residential level 1 staff to deliver training to level 2 staff, using behavioral skills training (BST) procedures and to implement self-monitoring procedures to improve their practices. A multiple baseline across …

Pre-Class Physical Activity: Does Choice Expand Its Effect On Disruptive Behavior?, Olivia Mulligan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive behaviors in the classroom have a negative impact on academic engagement and are related to teacher burnout (Abel & Sewell, 1999). Antecedent-based interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing disruptive behaviors (Watson, Timperio, Brown, Best, & Hesketh, 2017) without the need to interrupt academic instruction (Rosenthal-Malek & Mitchell, 1997). Physical activity is an example of an effective antecedent intervention (Lang, et al., 2010), however its efficacy may be related to the type of physical activity (Kern, Koegel, & Dunlap, 1984). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-class physical activity on disruptive classroom …

The Effects Of Perceived Motivations And Mental Distress On The Likelihood Of Reporting And Engaging In Self-Protective Measures Among Victims Of Stalking, Daniela Oramas Mora

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines how perceived motivations and mental distress affect decision-making among victims of stalking. Although stalking victimization has become relatively common in recent years, with approximately 1 in 6 women reporting to have been victims of stalking at some point in their lives, victims of stalking are unlikely to report to police compared to victims of other violent crimes (NISVS, 2015). Though studies have explored the dynamics of stalking, little is known about the role of the victim’s perception of the offender’s motivation in the victim's decision to report to the police and engage in self-protective measures. The …

Archaeology And The Philosopher's Stance: An Advance In Ethics And Information Accessibility, Dina Rivera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ancient Greek scholars have scaffolded ethical examination for several fields beyond philosophy, providing essential guidance for management and practicum within professions. From the Society of Antiquaries of London (1718) to the Society of American Archaeology (1934), the professional study has continued to evolve as new translations of the past and new models for predicting human behavior in the future would underpin the development of ethics in academic archaeology. Database enabled study creates opportunities for open research, expanding data pools and scientific perspectives and becomes essential for providing inclusivity, respect, and cooperation in order to build and rebuild paradigms.

Lydia Cabrera Entre Líneas: Sociolingüística, Etnografía Posmoderna Y Realismo Mágico, Mauricio A. Cabrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Los que estudian Cuba seguramente se han enfrentado con la metáfora popular que se usa para describir a los habitantes cubanos: “La isla de Cuba es un ajiaco.” Cuba, como muchos países latinoamericanos, es una mezcla compleja de varias culturas que finalmente terminan marcando la identidad cubana. Desde los principios del siglo XVI se puede notar la presencia africana en Latinoamérica y especialmente en Cuba. Una de las figuras más importantes que se dedicó a estudiar la cultura afrocubana fue Lydia Cabrera. Esta presentación es un acercamiento lingüístico, etnográfico y analítico hacia la obra de esta escritora cubana. A través …

9/11 Then And Now: How The Performance Of Memorial Rhetoric By Presidents Changes To Construct Heroes, Kristen M. Grafton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is concerned with American presidential rhetoric at the cross-section of hero rhetoric and memorial address. It analyzes presidential memorialization of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. 9/11 is arguably the most significant tragedy in recent American history. The purpose of this study is to identify the type of hero each president since 9/11 has attempted to construct of himself for the public and discuss the rationale behind that hero construction. To complete this objective, I analyze the second 9/11 memorial speech from the presidencies of Bush, Obama, and Trump for hero construction. A close reading examining the …

Toward Culturally Relevant Emotion Detection Using Physiological Signals, Khadija Zanna

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that emotional distress has a statistically significant impact on a student’s grade point average and intent to drop out of college. Because students of different races have varying college experiences, it is important to understand the emotional experiences of different racial groups to better support students’ needs and academic success. In this work, we explore several physiological responses to ten different emotional stimuli captured from 140 students. We employ unsupervised learning via the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm and supervised learning via Random Forests and Support Vector machines to analyze clustering partitions and classification …

The Roles Of Emotional Cues And Purchasing Incentives In Wechat Commerce: A Content Analysis, Xuezhu Hao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years with the development of social media, a variety of business forms have also developed. In the United States, there are advertising and business forms based on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. However, in China, WeChat is the mainstream social media platform with a staggering number of active online users. As a mainstream social media platform, WeChat has extended a new business form, which is the Micro-business. With the changes in purchasing needs and economic forms, more and more people are participating in Micro-business buying and selling transactions. The formation of a new type of …

“I Woke Up To The World”: Politicizing Blackness And Multiracial Identity Through Activism, Angelica Celeste Loblack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drawing from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 Black multiracial students, this project explores the extent to which processes of racial socialization and racialization can differentially inform how Black multiracial students navigate and experience involvement in

Black student and activist organizations. It unpacks the ways that anti-Black racialization and racism, experienced in the college setting, can motivate Black multiracial students’ involvement in student organizations. Moreover, it highlights the ways in which involvement in anti-racist activism and Black student organizations can impact Black multiracial students’ understandings of blackness, multiraciality, and identity more broadly. To operationalize the long term impacts of Black organizational …

Analysis Of Malicious Behavior On Social Media Platforms Using Agent-Based Modeling, Agnieszka Anna Onuchowska

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation focuses on the problem of malicious accounts actions on social media. The dissertation proposes an artifact in a form of an agent-based model of Twitter network. The model is then deployed to investigate a policy intervention that aims at controlling malicious behavior on social media outlets. The main research question is: How can we best intervene in social networks to minimize the effects of malicious actors? The dissertation consists of four studies that are organized as follows. First study is designed as an exploratory investigation that deploys descriptive analysis and unsupervised methods to analyze the types of …

Essays On The Disposition Effect, Matthew Henriksson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contains two essays that shed new light on the disposition effect – that is, the tendency for investors to be especially eager to realize gains over losses. The first essay combines county-level natural disaster data with individual investor transactions to document an increased disposition effect for investors impacted by a natural disaster. This effect is increasing in disaster severity and decreasing in the length of time following the event, suggesting that extreme natural disasters can significantly influence investor behavior, especially in the short term. These findings are not explained by liquidity needs, tax incentives, or informed trading. The …

Mystic Medicine: Afro-Jamaican Religio-Cultural Epistemology And The Decolonization Of Health, Jake Wumkes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The underlying motivation for this thesis is the position that colonialism, or coloniality, continues to thrive as an ideological and institutional framework all over the world, to the detriment of the majority of the population of the earth, and particularly of indigenous peoples and the African diaspora. Thus, what is sought here is a decolonization both of mind and institutions. Looking at the case of Jamaica, one can see how coloniality continues to undermine the beliefs, behaviors, institutions, and overall well-being of the majority African-descended population of the island in many ways both culturally and economically. I narrow my focus …

Elemental Climate Disaster Texts And Queer Ecological Temporality, Laura Mattson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis approaches climate disaster texts as an opportunity to challenge constructions of the body, space, and time. Developed from embodied experiential knowledge about hurricanes, my work will explore how climate disasters can teach us to reimagine human-nature relationships. In my two analysis chapters, I use critical textual analysis and autoethnography to challenge particular representations of the human-nature relationship as a binary between nature and culture. By intervening in the nature-culture binary, I theorize queer ecological temporality as an opportunity to reveal and challenge constructions of nature and time. Working at the intersections of queer and ecocritical theory, this thesis …

The Role Of Financial Insecurity And Expectations On Perspectives Of Mental Health Services Among Refugees, Jacqueline M. Siven

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how perspectives of mental health among refugees are situated within the realities of the refugee resettlement system, a population for which information on this issue is quite limited. Through in-depth interviews and participant observation with Congolese refugees and non-Congolese refugee-serving professionals in a major Florida city, this dissertation examines how perceptions of mental health and mental health services among refugees were affected by financial insecurity and disparities in expectations. Local Congolese refugees expected the American Dream; they believed that once they arrived they would find prosperity through hard work. Instead they experienced frustration and distress because the …

Predictors Of Premature Discontinuation From Behavioral Health Services: A Mixed Methods Study Guided By The Andersen & Newman Model Of Health Care Utilization, Shawna M. Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adults, ages 18 to 25, demonstrate high prevalence of behavioral health illnesses, yet infrequently access treatment. For those who do access care, premature discontinuation rates from treatment are high, ranging from 30 to 50 percent. For the emerging adults who initiate contact with the systems of care by attending at least one session of therapy, there is an opportunity to engage them in treatment and prevent negative health outcomes in adulthood. This mixed methods study used the Andersen & Newman (1973) model of healthcare utilization as a guiding framework to explore and examine premature discontinuation from public sector behavioral …

Differential Reinforcement Without Extinction: An Assessment Of Sensitivity To And Effects Of Reinforcer Parameter Manipulations, Hannah Lynn Macnaul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often engage in problem behavior (e.g., aggression, property destruction, self-injurious behavior; Horner, Carr, Strain et al., 2002) that may limit access to traditional social and education settings, impact their health, and pose a risk to their safety and the safety of others. One of the most common interventions used to treat problem behavior is differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA; Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007), which are often used in combination with other interventions such as extinction (Shirley, Iwata, Kahng, Mazaleski, & Lerman, 1997). However, implementation of extinction may pose an ethical dilemma …

Assessment Of Land Cover Change In St. Martin’S Marsh Aquatic Preserve, Florida, Usa, Katie Wagner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

St. Martin’s Marsh Aquatic Preserve (SMMAP) is a 28,461 acre (115.18 km2) preserve located on the coast of Citrus County, Florida, USA. There has been no published research that focused on coastal change on this unique coast. This thesis research focuses on coastal land cover change that has occurred within the preserve from 1988 to 2018. Multitemporal Landsat images were classified using a support vector machine (SVM) classification, while changes in vegetation were evaluated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Field research was conducted to examine nineteen sites for classification training and test data and notes on habitat composition. …

Algorithms To Profile Driver Behavior From Zero-Permission Embedded Sensors, Bharti Goel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we design algorithms to profile driver behavior from zero-permission sensors embedded in modern smartphones and wearables. These sensors are typically the accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pressure sensor and a few more than are now available in most modern smartphones and wearables. In order to profile driving behavior, we devised algorithms for detecting distraction while driving due to the use of modern-day smartphones (e.g., calling, texting and reading while driving) in real-time.

To do so, we conduct an experiment with 16 subjects on a realistic driving simulator, where each subject, where each subject carries a smartphone and a wearable …

Roots In Antiquity: A Comparative Study Of Two Cultures, Lara Younes Freajah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted with the goal to provide an in-depth analysis of the analogous qualities of two very distinct yet similar cultures: the Arab and Sarakatsan cultures, with a particular focus on personal matters that deal with family and kinship. Despite the difference in religions, both groups demonstrate a substantive set of similar traits especially in terms of the interactions, dynamics, and functionality of family relations in addition to the highly-esteemed values that dictate everyday conduct. As a first-generation Arab Muslim who immigrated to the United States, I use the culture in which I am entrenched as a basis …

Villains Or Vermin? The Differential Effects Of Discrimination And Dehumanization On Immigrant Cardiovascular Responses, Mona El-Hout

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Immigration has been pushed to the forefront of a national political debate, and immigrants are commonly portrayed as villains and vermin looking to invade and infest Western nations. These negative portrayals of immigrants may have negative implications for immigrant health outcomes. Among other negative health outcomes, studies have found that immigrant cardiovascular disease rates increase with time spent in the U.S. This phenomenon of decreasing immigrant health with extended U.S. residency has been labeled “the immigrant health paradox”, and discrimination has often been posited as a possible explanatory factor. In addition to discrimination, immigrants are often the targets of dehumanization, …

Motivation Matters: The Interaction Of Approach And Avoidance Alcohol Motivation And Self-Control Demands In College Drinkers, Becky K. Gius

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Failure in self-control has long been identified as a risk factor for problematic alcohol use among college students, as individuals who are less equipped or less able to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors use alcohol more frequently and are at greater risk for binge drinking. Recent findings suggest self-control depletion and motivation interact to determine performance on subsequent tasks that require self-control. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the ways self-control exertion and desires to use alcohol (approach inclinations) and desires to avoid using alcohol (avoidance inclinations) impact subsequent alcohol use behavior. Using ecological momentary assessment, …