Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Temporal Discounting And The Assessment And Treatment Of Academic Procrastination, Anthony Concepcion

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many individuals engage in procrastination at some point in their lifetime. Although procrastination is usually not detrimental, for college students, academic procrastination is correlated with adverse health effects (e.g., anxiety, depression, sleep hygiene) and poor academic performance (Akinsola, et al., 2007; Ferrari, et al., 1995). Furthermore, the prevalence of academic procrastination is high with reports of up to 95% of college students engaging in detrimental amounts of procrastination (Hussain & Sultan, 2010). Notably, students enrolled in online courses are likely to be at greater risk to experience adverse consequences associated with procrastination (Elvers, et al, 2003). Previous studies have focused …

The Perceived Usefulness Of A Weather Radar Display By Tampa Bay Residents, Michelle E. Saunders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A weather radar display is a tool that provides spatially oriented, timely information about an impending weather event. While radar is frequently used by meteorologists, emergency managers, and pilots, this tool is now readily available for individuals to use on a variety of platforms including television, computer/laptop, smartphones and tablets. Most importantly, there are hundreds of mobile weather applications available as well as online sources that provide a weather radar display. However, little is known about how individuals use a weather radar display. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to understand why radar is sought out as a tool …

Evaluating Public Posting, Goal Setting, And Rewards To Increase Physical Activity In Children, Bryon G. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Experiments 1 and 2 we evaluated a pedometer-based intervention consisting of public posting between two teams of students, with additional self-monitoring, goal setting, and reinforcement components, to increase physical activity during school recess. In the absence of self-monitoring, performance feedback alone did not increase physical activity levels above those observed during baseline. Additionally, higher levels of physical activity were observed when goal-setting was introduced, with the highest levels of activity observed when raffle tickets could be earned for exceeding a specified step-total goal. In Experiment 3 we removed the team component and evaluated similar intervention components across an entire …

Effects Of Inter-Male Status Challenge And Psychopathic Traits On Sexual Aggression, Amy M. Hoffmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sexual aggression (SA) is a serious social problem that has been linked to a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes for survivors and produces significant monetary costs to society. In the past five decades, a wealth of research has improved our understanding of the individual and sociocultural factors that contribute to SA perpetration; however, epistemological differences in theoretical approaches to the subject (i.e., evolutionary, feminist) have resulted in gaps in the empirical literature. Informed by both feminist and evolutionary perspectives, this study attempts to examine the ways in which same-gender interpersonal interactions and individual psychopathology interact to produce …

The Impact Of Cues On Autobiographical Memory Recall In Depression, Ena Begovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies have consistently found autobiographical memory (AM) impairments in persons with depression. However, these studies have largely utilized generic word cues to elicit AM, yet word cues do not reflect how AMs are typically represented in the mind nor how AMs are usually cued in daily life. The current two-part study employed improved methodology to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of cues on AM recall and emotional functioning in depression. In part one, a set of word and image cues were developed and validated. In part two, twenty-one currently depressed and 31 never-depressed participants were instructed to …

Female Identity And Sexuality In Contemporary Indonesian Novels, Zita Rarastesa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses on female characters’ identity and sexuality in four contemporary Indonesian novels, selected based on historical settings highly significant to the discussion. First, The Girl from the Coast (2002) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer takes place during Dutch colonialization, and the second, The Dancer (1982) by Ahmad Tohari, during the transition of power from President Soekarno to General Suharto, a period when the Indonesian Communist Party was still active. Durga/Umayi (2004) by Y. B. Mangunwijaya and Saman, a Novel (1998) by Ayu Utami both take place during the New Order era when Suharto was president of Indonesia.

The project’s …

Understanding Campus Support Programs: How Universities Are Assisting Foster Care Alumni In Achieving Success, Bonnie Wilson Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adults with foster care experience encounter a number of challenges related to obtaining a college degree. To assist this population in reaching their academic goals, many colleges and universities have created campus-based support programs. These programs are designed to assist former foster youth through an array of services, which range from financial aid to mentorship. However, little is known about how these programs are designed or implemented, or how effectively they are meeting the needs of this population. This dissertation sought to build upon previous research that examined the barriers faced by former foster children who are pursuing a …

Research On The Prevalence Of Bullying And Related Interventions: A Literature Review, Ashley Caliri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This literature review will first describe the definition of bullying and the prevalence of bullying across populations. Populations include individuals with intellectual disabilities, individuals who are typically developing as well as children, and adults. Several interventions have been implemented to help remedy bullying occurrences, decrease the negative outcomes of bullying, and prevent the initiation of bullying. Therefore, this review will also discuss interventions that have been implemented to decrease bullying with a focus on BST and IST as these specific interventions have shown some of the most promising outcomes. Additionally, a discussion will highlight the need for continued research using …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Video Modeling Types And Technologies, Laura J. Whitman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to explore the literature available on video modeling. Video modeling teaches a variety of skills, including play skills, social skills, and daily living skills. Delivery of the video model varies based on researcher preference and available technology of the time. The paper provides descriptions and examples of different types of video modeling including, video self-modeling, simultaneous video modeling, video priming, interactive video modeling, and treatment packages. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research including the use of modern technologies with video modeling.

Evaluating The Effects Of Reinforcement Delay On Acquisition During Discrete Trial Training: A Literature Review, Theresa Barhold

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This review of literature analyzes the use of immediate and delayed reinforcement within discrete trial training (DTT). Criteria for inclusion in this review consisted of articles published in English, human participants, single subject design, targeting skill acquisition in a DTT format, and inclusion of at least one delay to reinforcement condition. Four articles, with a total of 18 participants and 23 datasets, were identified in this review. Data on participants’ characteristics and procedural modifications (i.e., target response, type of prompt, delivery of praise, use of an error correction procedure, type of reinforcer, and delay to reinforcement) were extracted. Results indicate …

Before The Storm: Water And Energy Utilities, Human Vulnerability And Disaster Risk, Cori D. Bender

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly communities are impacted by slow-onset and sudden hazards. With reports of disasters affecting millions of people and with severe impacts on lives and livelihoods, there is a focus on creating cities that make human settlement inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Within this focus are the mandates that safe drinking water, energy and wastewater sanitation are the right of all people living on the planet. This research addresses water and energy insecurity, highlights the gaps in community level perceptions of water and energy, and global-local dynamics that impact disaster vulnerability through a political-ecology lens.

This work examines how disaster resilience …

Eppm And Its Effectiveness In Advertisements Of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Young Adults, Anh T. Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer around the world and in the United States, yet it could be highly preventable by following the recommended guidelines of getting screened by the age of 50 and above. The focus of this study was on the Extended Parallel Process Model and sought to understand the efficacy and threat components in the fear appeal messages in the context of colorectal cancer screenings. Specifically, the study examined how young adults react when being exposed to those messages and whether they intended to discuss with their parents about it. The study also …

“Placing Our Breasts On A Hot Kerosene Lantern”: A Critical Study Of Microfinancialization In The Lives Of Women Entrepreneurs In The Informal Economic Sector In Ibadan, Nigeria, Olubukola Olayiwola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study uses an anthropological perspective to investigate everyday lived experience of women borrowers and entrepreneurs (in the informal economic sector in Ibadan, Nigeria) relating to microfinancialization. Study such as this becomes important given the popular Yoruba metaphor “owo komulelanta” (“Placing our breasts on a hot kerosene lantern”) women borrowers use to express their experience particularly in their attempts to make repayments of MFB loans. Hence, there is a need to pay close attention and listen more carefully to operators of the informal sector and borrowers of MFB loans. This study employs ethnographic mixed methods to generate data in various …

An Experimental Investigation Into The Impact Of Crisis Response Strategies And Relationship Management In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Nikoletta Pappas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how millennials view their relationship with the pharmaceutical industry and if that relationship changes when exposed to different crisis messaging strategies. The pharmaceutical industry is currently dealing with a preventable crisis because of companies in the industry, such as opioid companies, causing death, distrust, and lawsuits. Coombs suggests the rebuild message strategies will result in a stronger relationship between the industry and their publics. This study will test that theory. The millennial participants that contributed to this study were all born between 1980-1996. Their relationships were measured through the variables of trust, satisfaction, control mutuality, commitment, communal …

Procedural Variations Of Rird: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Stephanie Almendarez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to summarize and synthesize the current literature on RIRD. Specifically, the aim of this review was to determine proportion of cases in which RIRD was effective in reducing stereotypy as well as to identify RIRD procedural variations that appear to be correlated with an increased probability of positive outcomes. Researchers synthesized the results of 21 articles according to the following categories: (a) participant characteristics (e.g., sex, age, diagnosis, communication repertoire, and topography of stereotypy), (b) RIRD procedural variations (e.g., form of RIRD, type of task, response requirement, number of tasks, and intervention), and (c) …

Features Of Borderline Personality And Related Psychopathologies As A Contemporaneously And Temporally Connected Network, Haya Fatimah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In contrast with the latent variable models, network psychometricians have proposed that symptoms co-occur not because of an underlying common cause but because of direct dynamic associations among symptoms. This empirical study aims to elucidate how features of with borderline personality disorder, depression, and anxiety interact with one another and form a network. Specifically, I aimed to identify a potential causal structure among the features of BPD, depression, and anxiety while identifying the most influential features. Participants were 37 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 26 recruited from University of South Florida SONA pool. Following baseline assessment, participants …

A Case Study On Black Twitter’S Reactions To The Framing Of Blacks In Dove’S 2017 Facebook Advertisement, Shereena Farrington

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Insensitivity to racial issues has long been one of the main causes of controversy in the marketing field. Among many brands to have caused outrage across social media, is the notable brand, Dove. The criticism that the veteran brand received has shown that even experienced marketers can still find themselves being accused of insensitivity or even racism (Ma, 2018). The gaffe of an advertisement released by Dove in 2017, serves as the impetus for the need for diversity in brands. Given today’s complex society, the purpose of this study is to identify themes that emerged in Black Twitter’s responses to …

How Can I Help My Anxious Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder? Understanding Parental Perspectives And Treatment Preferences, Sandra L. Cepeda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the high prevalence of co-occurring anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about parental preferences for treatment in addressing these anxiety concerns. Understanding parents’ preferences for treatment is an important factor to consider for ensuring quality care, as it can guide clinical decisions with regard to implementation of care, strategies for optimizing engagement and treatment adherence, and is associated with treatment outcome. To date, limited studies have examined parental preferences in treatment for childhood anxiety or ASD; but no study has investigated preferences for treatment in children with comorbid symptoms. Thus, the present study sought …

A Review Of Training Interventions To Teach Safety Skills To Children With Autism, Gabrielle Mondello

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching safety skills to children with autism is a serious responsibility for caregivers, siblings, teachers, and other important people in the children’s lives. Finding the effective and most efficient way to teach these skills is important. Behavioral skills training (BST), in situ training (IST), video modeling, virtual reality, and the use of simulation training have all been evaluated for teaching safety skills. This paper discusses the safety threats faced by children with autism and reviews these various approaches to teaching safety skills.

Use Of Music To Improve Running Performance, Jeremy Buttice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Running is an exercise that requires minimal equipment and gear therefore, running is easily accessible for many people. Research has shown performance benefits when music is used while running such as increased cadence (steps per minute), increased speed, and decrease in perceived exertion. Since music is easily accessible during a run (e.g., smartphone or smartwatch), one can utilize the technology in these smart devices to track specific aspects of their run. Accelerometers, GPS, heart rate sensors, gyroscopes, and barometers can be utilized to track speed, distance, physical exertion, steps, and cadence. Software developers can take advantage of these features in …

Exploration Of Drive For Leanness In Relation To Drives For Thinness And Muscularity, As Well As Their Concurrent Associations With Health-Related Outcomes, Brittany Lang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drive for leanness, the motivation to build lean muscle,as well as obtain low enough body fat content for this muscle to be seen, is a nascent drive construct compared to the more established drives for thinness and muscularity. What little research has been done on drive for leanness has suggested that drive for leanness is more sex neutral, as well as potentially more adaptive,than the other drive variables. However, there is debate regarding the factor structure of drive for leanness, or more specifically,whether drive for leanness is its own unique construct or if it is better described as an amalgamation …

A South Florida Ethnography Of Mobile Home Park Residents Organizing Against Neoliberal Crony Capitalist Displacement, Juan Guillermo Ruiz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The cyclical inflations of real estate values right before the 2008 housing crisis in the United States enticed mobile home park landowners, especially in California and Florida, to sell their land in the search for spectacular profits displacing many low-income residents. This thesis uses an engaged anthropological ethnographic approach to explore the struggle in organizing against neoliberal crony capitalist displacement in the South Florida metropolitan area. The study focuses on Davie, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, where at the time of fieldwork a third of residents lived in mobile homes. In 2007, the Davie town council attempted to soften the …

İyo Luché!: Uncovering And Interrupting Silencing In An Indigenous And Afro-Descendant Community, Eileen Cecelia Deluca

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied project is to uncover and interrupt the silencing of memories through the production of public narratives, specifically, the documentation of heritage of members of an indigenous and Afro-descendant community in Waspán, Nicaragua. The project is informed by interviews with seven women ex-combatants in the Contra War (1980-1990). Oral histories, transcribed interviews, and field notes are the source for the content of a book of heritage stories that I produced as one output about the former combatants utilizing their own words. In this thesis, I argue that the values of the “conquering” group of Nicaragua (i.e. …

Developing Design Elements For A Parkinson’S Disease Informative Website: A Social Marketing Approach, Emilie R. Madsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease with no known cause or cure. No two cases are identical, meaning that every individual will present different symptoms and will have a different progression of the disease. Me Over PD is an initiative created to aid newly diagnosed PD patients and care partners in navigating the complexities surrounding the disease and live a more informed life with PD. Considering Me Over PD, the present research works to understand the experiences of PD patients and care partners upon diagnosis and after, and gauge what elements and information would be most beneficial to these individuals …

Aligning Voice And Communication With Identity – A Survey On Transgender And Gender Diverse Populations, Rachel T. Chalom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This research has two goals. The first goal is to examine transgender (TG) and gender diverse (GD) voice and communication functioning and the impact of voice on their everyday lives. The second goal is to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs speech-language pathologists (SLP) have about the TG and GD community and to investigate the relationship between self- and listener-perception and its correspondence to quality of life (QoL).

Methods: A total of 59 participants took part in this research. The research was separated into two parts, the first included 24 TG and GD individuals who participated in a Qualtrics …

A Dangerous New Era: Analyzing The Impact Of Cyber Technology On International Conflict, Kenneth Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the causal relationship between cyber technology’s deep global integration and changes in how states struggle for power in the international system. Specifically, it argues that cyber technology has changed international conflict by providing external actors the ability to penetrate states’ grand strategy decision-making and implementation processes to an unprecedented degree and scope. As a result, the meaning of power has changed from a material-centric metric to one that is more nuanced and difficult to measure.

To explore this hypothesis, the study follows a three-step process. First, it examines the history of cyber technology, how it has become …

The Role Of Threat And Efficacy In Anti-Vaping Ads: A Test Of The Extended Parallel Process Model, Ryan Noone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Often thought of as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarette use among youth and young adults has steadily increased over the past 10 years. With over 34 percent of high school students and over 7.8 percent of young adults using electronic cigarettes, organizations like the CDC and the FDA have created campaigns and advertisements to combat the epidemic (Truth Initiative). This study uses a 2x2 between subject factoral experiment to gain insights into how varying levels of anti-vaping advertisements’ threat and efficacy elements effect college age students’ perceptions and behaviors towards e-cigarettes. While several of the study’s hypotheses …

A Visit To Cuba: Performance Ethnography Of Place, Adolfo Lagomasino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bestowed to the Cuban government in 1956, The Parque Amigos de José Martí in Ybor City, FL is a historical site intended to symbolize the relationship between Tampa and Cuba that facilitated Cuba’s independence. Cuban cultural identity and the sense of Cubaness are confounded by the history of exile and the constraints of the United States Embargo. This project articulates the experience of the Cuban exile community and their descendants through descriptive accounts of visiting the Parque Amigos de José Martí. Visiting a place is framed as a means of identity performance and a method of performance ethnography, enabling discursive, …

A Prospective Examination Of Psychosocial Outcomes Following Gynecomastia Surgery, D. Luis Ordaz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gynecomastia is a condition in which 3% of males will go on to develop permanent excess breast tissue and has been associated with a number of psychosocial consequences. In recent years, gynecomastia surgery has been in the top 5 cosmetic procedures sought out by men. There is a limited amount of research regarding psychosocial outcomes of gynecomastia surgery despite the large number of men seeking surgery, and the current literature on outcomes has yet to examine chest satisfaction within the context of gynecomastia surgery. The current study sought to add to the treatment literature on gynecomastia by examining chest satisfaction, …

Assessing The Impacts Of Sensorimotor Stimuli And Nicotine Content On Cravings And Other Outcomes Of E-Cigarette Use, Amanda M. Palmer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As use rates of e-cigarettes continue to rise, especially among cigarette smokers, there remains concern that “dual use” may lead to increased dependence and hinder smoking cessation efforts. At the same time, emerging evidence suggests clinical efficacy of e-cigarettes. The role of nicotine must be considered, in addition to non-pharmacologic influences, such as expectancies or conditioned reinforcers. Sensorimotor stimuli associated with drug delivery have been demonstrated to produce cigarette and e-cigarette craving reduction, even without the nicotine. The purpose of the present study was to parse the influences of nicotine and sensorimotor delivery on various outcomes of e-cigarette use, including …