Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Leadership Advocacy, Ethical Negotiations, And Resignations To High-Stakes Assessment: A Pilgrimage, Jennifer Galbraith Canady

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my study is to explore the stories of the ethical tensions K-12 educational administrators navigate when implementing high-stakes assessment policy in a culture of measurement during testing season. Some educational leaders, in particular K-12 school and district administrators, struggle with the tensions existing between their own personal belief systems, organizational dilemmas, and the requirements of enacting high-stakes assessment policies. Using narrative inquiry as method, I collected and analyzed four school administrators selected who expressed frustration with enacting high-stakes assessment policies. The participants include a middle principal, a middle school assistant principal, a high school assistant principal, and …

Phishing In Dark Waters: A Quasi-Experimental Approach With Evaluating Cyber-Security Training For End-Users, Jaclyn Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing amount of digital storage of personal and organizational data, there has been an increasing number of cyber-attacks, which has spurred much research on how to reduce phishing susceptibility. However, there are several gaps in the current research. There is little research on the effectiveness of different interventions on phishing susceptibility. There is no research on the differential impact of interventions on sensitivity (ability to detect phishing emails) and response bias (propensity to treat emails as threatening) or the influence of individual characteristics on phishing email training success. This study addresses these gaps using a quasi-experimental approach to …

Increasing The Supply Of The Missing Middle Housing Types In Walkable Urban Core Neighborhoods: Risk, Risk Reduction And Capital, Shrimatee Ojah Maharaj

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a low supply of the missing middle housing types (MMH) in walkable urban core neighborhoods. That is, a variety of compact low- to mid-rise housing in walkable areas that are accessible to entertainment, recreational and other amenities. The largest demographic, the millennials, followed by the baby boomers, prefer the MMH types. The MMH types is a new name for a variety of compact housing types that existed in traditional neighborhoods in urban areas pre-World War II. However, due to changes in housing preferences after World War II, the requisite land use and zoning changes facilitated larger single-family homes …

Genetic Testing And The Power Of The Provider: Women’S Experiences With Cancer Genetic Testing, Dana Erin Ketcher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Genetic testing has become ubiquitous in contemporary society, from determining ancestry to addressing health concerns. This dissertation focused on a qualitative, feminist approach to understand women’s experiences of genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes, as well as their perspectives of risk. A total of 33 participants agreed to a semistructured interview and drawing of their family tree (pedigree). Eleven (40.7%) participants had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and 16 (59.3%) participants with ovarian cancer. Thirty-one (93.9%) participants had genetic testing, and of those, 17 (54.8%) had genetic counseling. Participants voiced several reasons why they wanted to undergo genetic testing or …

Psychological Responses To High-Intensity Interval Training Exercise: A Comparison Of Ungraded Running And Graded Walking, Abby Fleming

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of ungraded running and graded walking as modalities of HIIT on enjoyment, perceived exertion, and affect. 29 healthy males and females (aged 23.3 ± 5.1) volunteered to participate in the study. Participants completed six visits to the laboratory: the first was a medical screening to ensure safety of the participants. For the second and third visits, participants completed two maximal treadmill exercise tests, one running and one walking. On the fourth visit, the speed needed for the run HIIT (running speed: 6.9 ± 1.2mph) and the grade needed for the walk HIIT (walking speed: 3.3 …

The Effects Of Mortality Salience On Interest In Death (And Life) Among High Openness Individuals, Patrick Boyd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Terror management theory suggests that the fear of death is ubiquitous. Only recently has death been examined as something potentially interesting from this framework, and specifically, to individuals high in trait openness (Boyd, Morris, & Goldenberg, 2017). This research, however, did not clearly delineate if participants were actually becoming interested in death. My studies address this ambiguity by examining what high openness individuals are becoming interested in and if the way death is construed impacts interest. Study 1 tested if in addition to becoming more generally interested, high openness individuals become interested in death per se following mortality salience (relative …

An Application Of The Trial-Based Functional Analysis To Assess Problem Behavior Evoked By Ritual Interruption, Jennifer R. Weyman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher-order restricted and repetitive behavior includes a rigid adherence to routines and schedules or insistence on sameness or completeness. Some individuals with autism spectrum disorder engage in problem behavior when these higher-order rituals are interrupted. Modifying the trial-based functional analysis to assess problem behavior evoked by the interruption of higher-order rituals might allow therapists and teachers with limited resources to assess this function of problem behavior. In addition, it may mitigate some of the risks associated with the traditional functional analysis. Thus, the first purpose of the current study was to evaluate the use of the trial-based functional analysis to …

Some Effects Of Functional Analysis On Problem Behavior Outside Of Session, Karie S. John

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Conducting a functional analysis (FA) is the most empirically supported method of determining problem behavior, yet clinicians report various barriers to conducting FAs. A common concern associated with conducting FAs is that by reinforcing problem behavior during assessment, problem behavior may increase outside of the assessment context (Hanley, 2012). However, little research has validated this concern. In fact, behavioral contrast research suggests the opposite may be more likely. Behavioral contrast can best be described as a change in behavior in one context as a result of the rate of reinforcement of the behavior in another context (Reynolds, 1961). The purpose …

A Comparison Of High-Tech And Low-Tech Response Modalities To Improve Student Performance And Classroom Behavior, Thomas J. Schulz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the effects of high-tech (e.g., clickers) and low-tech (e.g., response cards) active responding strategies during whole-group English language arts in two first-grade classrooms serving students with and without disabilities. The authors combined an ABAB reversal design with an alternating treatments design to compare the impact of using high-tech (clickers) and low-tech (response cards and hand raising) modalities on academic engagement, accuracy of responding, and disruptive behavior across four teacher-nominated students in two first-grade classrooms. During baseline, the teacher conducted her lesson as planned by having the students raise his/her hand to answer questions. In the intervention phase, …

Evaluating Behavioral Skills Training To Improve Individual’S With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities Bowling Form, Margaret Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training (BST) as an intervention to improve bowling form. Three individuals with mild to moderate intellectual disability participated. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the changes in each participant’s bowling form. Each of the participant’s bowling form improved after BST was introduced. Two of the three participant’s performance increased with BST alone. The third participant showed minimal improvement after BST, however with the addition of a reinforcement component, the participant’s form increased substantially from baseline. The results of this study suggest BST is an effective intervention to use for improving …

Comparison Of Token Reinforcement And Monetary Reinforcement To Increase Steps In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities In A Group Home Setting, Hana Hanashiro-Parson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the obesity rate in America continues to rise, the levels of physical activity have persistently declined at a rapid pace across all age groups. This trend is demonstrated most significantly in individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities (ID). Due to the high obesity rate in individuals with ID, it is crucial to find an effective intervention to increase physical activity. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of token reinforcement and monetary reinforcement for increasing physical activity among adults with ID, to assess preference for token or monetary reinforcement, and to evaluate the effects of choice of …

Evaluating The Effects Of Matched Stimulation On Vocal Stereotypy And Skill Acquisition, Joel D. Greenbaum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stereotypic behavior is often observed in children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Stereotypy can inhibit skill acquisition by leading to inaccuracy on task performance and/or slower task completion (e.g., Koegel & Covert, 1972; Morrison & Rosales-Ruiz, 1997). Several studies have demonstrated that access to preferred matched stimulation leads to a reduction of vocal stereotypical behavior (e.g., Lanovaz, Rapp, & Ferguson, 2012). However, it is paramount that treatments not only be effective in decreasing the problem behavior, but do so without further inhibiting academic progress. The current study evaluated the effects of matched stimulation (i.e., …

Assessing Teacher Preference For Training Modalities For Behavior Intervention Plans, Laurel M. Porter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within public schools, teachers and instructors may require training to implement procedures listed in a behavior intervention plan (BIP) to support students with disabilities. It is crucial that teachers receive training that is both effective and efficient. Behavioral skills training (BST) and video modeling are two training modalities that are proven to be effective for a wide range of skills and learners. Written instructions, although they are not supported as an effective training method in the literature, can be used as task analysis for the steps that are needed to be performed for a procedure. At present, there is no …

Animal-Assisted Therapy To Increase Independent Reading Forchildren With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Taylor L. Butts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has become a popular intervention for the health and behavioral community as evidenced by media attention. The research that has been done on AAT has been mostly qualitative and anecdotal. The current study adds to the literature on AAT by collecting quantitative data on AAT. A multiple baseline design across three participants was used to evaluate the independent reading duration under a baseline condition (no dog present) and a non-contingent access to dog condition (which simulated how dog therapy is typically conducted). If reading did not increase during the non-contingent dog condition, a contingent access to …

Implementation Of Differential Reinforcement Of Other Behavior And Response Cost Procedures In Children With Down Syndrome, Melissa S. Giblin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is some discrepancy on how differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and response cost (RC) affect responding within the context of token economies. We evaluated DRO and two variations of response cost with and without verbal feedback to decrease response errors in the context of academic skills for three children diagnosed with Down syndrome. The results suggest that a token economy intervention alone, with or without verbal feedback, was not effective for 2 of 3 participants. Gestural prompting was required to reduce response errors for those 2 participants and is possibly responsible for reducing response errors for the third …

An Evaluation Of Parent Implemented Web-Based Behavior Skills Training For Firearm Safety Skills, Marissa Ann Novotny

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral skills training (BST) is effective for teaching safety skills but often requires a behavior analyst to conduct the training, which can make it costly and inaccessible for most parents or teachers. Parent-conducted BST may allow for children to receive training without the need for a trained behavior analyst. However, providing parents with training can often be difficult. Manualized training from a website could allow parents access to needed material at a low or no cost. This study evaluated a web-based manualized intervention implemented by parents for teaching firearm safety skills using BST. First, BST experts and parents validated the …

Implementation Of The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce Model Within Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support For Elementary School Students With Problem Behavior, Sofia Reyes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the implementation of the school-based Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model within multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for elementary school students engaging in high levels of problem behavior. Three students and their classroom teachers in two public schools participated in the team-based PTR process during which they engaged in teaming and goal setting, functional behavior assessment, intervention, and evaluation. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of using the PTR model on student problem and replacement behaviors. Direct and indirect observations of student behaviors were conducted across target and generalization academic time periods. Findings indicate …

Medical Decision Making Among Individuals With A Variant Of Uncertain Significance In A Hereditary Cancer Gene And Those With A Chek2 Pathogenic Variant, Deanna J. Almanza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite national guidelines, women with a BRCA VUS or CHEK2 pathogenic variant are choosing to have risk-reducing surgeries such as bilateral mastectomies which are not aligned with their level of cancer risk based on genetic test results alone. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 6 women with a BRCA VUS and 12 with a CHEK2 pathogenic variant exploring the factors influencing their decision-making process when considering medical management options. Patients from a cancer registry agreed to a recorded telephone interview. Coding was performed using the main constructs from the Ottawa Patient Decision Guide including: knowledge, uncertainty, values, and support. Iterative …

The Peruvian Minstrel: An Analysis Of The Representations Of Blackness In The Performance Of El Negro Mama From 1995 To 2016, Ana Lucía Mosquera Rosado

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peruvian mass media has failed in addressing and representing the cultural and ethnic diversity of its country, as the presence and representation of ethnic minorities (indigenous and Afro-Peruvian) are almost exclusively reduced to the reproduction of stereotypes in comedy shows, in which they are often racialized and the target of offenses directly related with their ethnic identities. The analysis will focus on the figure of El Negro Mama, a very popular character in Peruvian television thought to be a portrait of the Afro-Peruvian population. Through the use of textual analysis, the paper will explore of this character in order to …

The Effects Of A Daily Behavior Report Card Intervention: Inclusion Of A Peer Mediator Component, Deanna Canfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that children with disabilities are more likely engage in problem behaviors and have behavioral, social, and academic deficits in a school classroom than those children without disabilities (e.g., Owens et al., 2012; Pierce, Reid, & Epstein, 2004). Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRCs) have been found to improve disruptive behaviors, such as task refusal or calling out in class, of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual and developmental disorders and typically developing students; however, research evaluating the efficacy of DBRCs with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is lacking. Studies also indicate that DBRCs can be effectively implemented by …

Using The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce For Secondary (Ptr-Sec) Model For High School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Deanna Deenihan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the use of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Secondary (PTR-SEC) model as an individualized Tier 3 intervention within the School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) in three high school classrooms. Three teaching staff (two teachers and one instructional aide) and three students with autism spectrum disorders participated in the study. The study examined the degree to which the classroom staff implemented the PTR intervention plan with fidelity and its impact on the students’ behaviors, using a multiple baseline across participants design. The results indicated that the teaching staff implemented the PTR intervention plan with high levels of fidelity, …

A Comparison Of Three Data Collection Procedures In Parents, Christopher Rushing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Implementation of behavior analytic interventions has traditionally relied on professionals possessing the required skills and expertise within controlled settings. While effective, this can be both expensive and time consuming. Research has demonstrated parent’s ability to implement a variety of interventions within the natural environment. As a result, parents are increasingly involved in treatment implementation. Getting the cooperation, support, and active participation of clients is essential to successful intervention. Therefore, buy-in at the earliest stages of treatment may result in the greatest effect. One of the earliest steps in treatment is the collection of data. Data collection methodology, validity, and reliability …

Teaching Individuals With An Asd To Tact And Comment On Emotions: An Evaluation Of Oigo©, Taylor Randall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have deficits in social skills (e.g., Church, Alisanski, & Amanullah, 2000;). More specifically, individuals with an ASD may have deficits in tacting and commenting on the emotions of others as well as their own (Hobson, 1986). One potential way to facilitate the acquisition of social skills by individuals with an ASD is through the use a social skill application. The OiGO© application was developed to offer a modality to allow individuals to appropriately tact and comment on emotions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether participants would learn to tact …

An Evaluation Of A Modified Behavioral Skills Training Procedure For Teaching Poison Prevention Skills To Children With Developmental Disabilities, Paula Petit-Frere

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although household product, such as pharmaceuticals and cleaning chemicals, are part of a child’s everyday life, accidental poisonings can occur as a result of ingestion. Children diagnosed with developmental disabilities are even more susceptible to being injured when they come into contact with these poisonous agents. Behavioral approaches have been used extensively to teach safety skills to children with disabilities. However, those that targeted poison prevention skills required additional methods that were more intrusive for the child to acquire the skills. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a modified behavioral skills training package that …

Sexual Assault And Robbery Disclosure: An Examination Of Black’S Theory Of The Behavior Of Law, Caitlyn N. Muniz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of research on victim decision making has focused narrowly on reporting to police neglecting other ways in which victims seek help after a victimization experience. Similarly, this research also focuses on only one crime at a time, typically sexual assault, or focuses broadly on categories of violent crime. This dissertation aims to explore variations in victim help-seeking by examining and comparing various combinations of formal disclosure. Moreover, this study compares two distinctly different yet comparable interpersonal violent crimes: sexual assault and robbery. In so doing, this study employs the Theory of the Behavior of Law to examine whether …

Assessing Palm Decline In Florida By Using Advanced Remote Sensing With Machine Learning Technologies And Algorithms., Christopher B. Hanni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Native palms, such as the Sabal palmetto, play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance in Florida. As a side-effect of modern globalization, new phytopathogens like Texas Phoenix Palm Decline have been introduced into forest systems that threaten native palms. This presents new challenges for forestry managers and geographers. Advances in remote sensing has assisted the practice of forestry by providing spatial metrics regarding the type, quantity, location, and the state of heath for trees for many years. This study provides spatial details regarding the general palm decline in Florida by taking advantage of the new developments in deep …

Interrogating Homonationalism In Love, Simon, Jessica S. Rauchberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the portrayal of racial and sexual identities in the film Love, Simon (2018). Love, Simon follows the story of Simon Spier, a white, gay high school student who discovers true love and acceptance from his peers. Many Hollywood entertainment reviewers praised the film for its progressive portrayal of a LGBTQ romance between teenage characters. At the same time, Love, Simon uses Black characters to re-center Simon to show that Whiteness can rehabilitate queerness. I use Jasbir K. Puar’s (2007) idea of homonationalism- LGBTQ rights discourse privilege white gay men while conversely decentering Black and Brown (queer) people- …

Moving Away From The West Or Taking Independent Positions: A Structural Analysis For The New Turkish Foreign Policy, Suleyman Senturk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper focuses on understanding and explaining the change of Turkish foreign policy,particularly in the last decade. Many observers have expressed a suspicion that Turkey is abandoning its Western-centric alignment and gradually shifting its axis. The thesis argues that rather than a shift, Turkey is taking an independent position. It maintains that the end of the Cold War and the change in the international structure from bipolarity to unipolarity has provided incentives for countries with some degree of material capabilities to pursue independence from the U.S. policy preferences. This study analyses structural effects on the behavior of Turkey.

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"Keep It In The Closet And Welcome To The Movement": Storying Gay Men Among The Alt-Right, Shelby Statham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fundamental questions this project aims to answer are 1) how the alt-right engages in storying the sexual, specifically the “homosexual” character 2) the ways that broadly circulating ideas about masculinity shape movement boundary work processes, and 3) the work that this storying is doing for the alt-right in the context of American white patriarchy. Broadly, two characters were storied on r/altright: The Degenerate and the Substandard Ally. First, the Degenerate is a pedophile, a diseased sexual hedonist, and a Jewish-led weapon set on destroying the white race. The image of the Degenerate is produced through the mobilization of anti-Semitic …

Evaluating Small-Scale Simulation Training For Teaching Firearm Safety To Children With Asd, Margaret E. Orner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Every year children are unintentionally injured or killed due to finding an unattended firearm. Although research evaluating various approaches to teach safety skills shows that behavioral skills training and in situ training are effective, limited research exists evaluating small-scale simulation training in teaching safety skills to children. Furthermore, there is no research evaluating this approach with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study evaluated the effectiveness of small-scale simulation training in teaching firearm safety to 5- to 6-year-old children with ASD. Simulation training was effective for one participant and in situ training was necessary for one participant. However, in …