Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Concussion Knowledge And Attitudes In English Football (Soccer), Joshua Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While concussions are prevalent in soccer, outside the US there has been limited investigation into soccer players' knowledge and attitudes regarding concussions. The purpose of the study was to access English soccer player' concussion knowledge and attitudes. This study used a cross sectional mixed methodology design. Participants included 26 respondents (Age: 23.4 ± 4.5 years, playing experience 16.4 ± 4.4 years) playing for a Championship team in England (Response rate: 89.6%). Fifty percent of respondents had a diagnosed concussion history. Participants were administered the valid and reliable ROCKAS-ST survey divided into 5 sections and includes 3 constructs: concussion knowledge (CKI), …

Ncaa Division I Head Coaches' Experiences With Eating Disorders And Disordered Eating In Female Athletes: A Qualitative Analysis, Caitlyn Pecinovsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's sport, NCAA Division I female athletes are under a constant pressure to reach an elite level of perfection in athletic performance, frequently adhering to the assumption that there is an inverse relationship between body size and performance level (Petrie & Sherman, 2007). Additionally, coaches have unrealistic expectations about weight and body image, which adds pressure on athletes to conform to certain weight or image driven standards. Perceptions that coaches hold about eating disorders and disordered eating present a set of risk factors that may increase the likelihood of female athletes developing maladaptive eating patterns (Scoffier, Maiano, & d'Arripe-Longueville, …

Does The Presence Of A Non-Coincident Visual Spatial Pattern Facilitate Spatial Pattern Learning? Implications For A Dedicated Spatial Pattern Learning System, Scott Katz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spatial pattern learning is defined as an ability to learn spatial relationships of objects in space without the use of discrete visual landmarks or environmental geometry (Brown & Terrinoni, 1996). Spatial pattern learning has been suggested to be a distinct form of learning because it is not affected by cue competition and has been shown to occur in the absence of discrete landmarks and environmental geometry (Brown, Yang, & DiGian, 2002; Sturz Brown, & Kelly, 2009). In the proposed study, the distinctness of spatial pattern learning was investigated. Specifically, human participants searched in an interactive 3-D computer generated virtual environment …

The Effects Of Computer Reliance And Relationships On Memory, Denise Beyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research supports the notion that the internet may serve as a transactive memory source for many individuals. Because, for many, information from technology is so accessible, humans may be less likely to encode and store information in their memory, potentially resulting in a smaller knowledge base over time (Sparrow, Liu, & Wegner, 2011). The current study examined the effects of exposing participants to a computer, friend, or neutral prime. Procedure order was also varied among the groups to determine whether potential memory failure would occur due to an encoding failure or a retrieval failure. Participants were asked to write out …

Functional Processing Aspects Of Working Memory: Capacity Limitations And Mechanisms Of Forgetting, Christopher L. Blume

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous working memory literature has considered the occurrence of an increase in reaction time following an object-switch as evidence supporting a single-item focus of attention. Much literature has also identified interference from other information as the principle cause of forgetting. These hypotheses are here challenged by (1) postulating reaction time differences are indicative of a multiple-item focus of attention that preferentially orders items based upon task-relevance, rather than a single preferred item and (2) presenting evidence of a decay process concurrently causing forgetting alongside interference. In Experiment 1 participants completed a task in which multiple repetitions of a single item …

A Study Of Suicide: A Latent Class-Evidence Based Model For Screening Of Suicidal Behaviors Among Adolescents Living In The United States From 1991-2011, Ryan Christopher Butterfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to use self-reported data from adolescents as the foundation for a statistical screening process of suicidal behavior. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) is used to study patterns of suicidal behavior among adolescents and by extension, the development of evidence-based behavioral profiles of those adolescents identified as having suicidal-related behaviors. Suicidal behavior variables in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) ask about specific actions related to suicide ideation, planning, attempts and injury, but it is the underlying construct of "suicidal behavior" that is the ultimate question of interest. LCA allows for the development of evidence-based behavioral …

Recognizing The Other: Training's Ability To Improve Other Race Individuation, W. Grady Rose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Members of one race or ethnicity are less able to individuate members of another race compared to their own race peers. This phenomenon is known as the other race effect (ORE) or the cross race effect (CRE). Not only are individuals less able to identify members of the other race but they are also more likely to pick those individuals out of a crowd. The categorizationindividuation model predicts that this deficit arises from a lack of motivated individuation; in which members of the other race are remembered at the category level as a prototype while own race members are remembered …

Inescapable Aversive Stimulus Decreases Subsequent Escape Responding In Humans: An Investigation Of The Learned Helplessness Effect In A 3d Virtual Environment, Zachary Kilday

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to an inescapable aversive stimulus decreases escape responses to subsequent escapable aversive stimuli. This is known as the learned helplessness effect. In the present experiment, human participants were trained in an immersive, 3D virtual environment analog of an operant chamber using an inescapable aversive stimulus, an escapable aversive stimulus, or no aversive stimulus. Then, all participants were tested using an immersive, 3D virtual environment analog of a shuttle box using an escapable aversive stimulus. Participants trained with an inescapable aversive stimulus were slower to escape during testing than participants trained with an escapable aversive stimulus. The current results demonstrate …

"A Song For You" As Tribute To The Daughters Of The South: Illuminating The Work Of Black Women Principals, Beverly Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum can be understood as a place of both struggle and possibility, where curriculum workers engage in complicated conversations about self, society, and the purposes of education (Pinar, 2004). Although curriculum theorists have contributed much to discussions of how to improve the current state of education, little attention in the field is given to the role that leadership can play in educational transformation (Ylimaki, 2011). This study contributes to the field of curriculum studies by exploring the ethics of care of Black women public school principals in the South.

By exploring the life experiences of Black female principals from the …

The Impact Of Religious Commitment And Motivation On African American Male Academic Achievement, Beverly Cabble Logan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method, pragmatic, research study was to determine, from successful African American college age students, what influences have contributed to their academic success. Quantitative data were collected using two survey instruments, the Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10) and a researcher created demographic instrument for data collection. Qualitative data were collected through five researcherconducted focus group discussions with 10 African American students enrolled in a four year university located in the southeast region of the United States. The guiding questions were: How does religious commitment impact academic achievement among minority male college students? What relationship exists between religious …

On A First Name Basis: Effects Of African American Sounding First Names On The Hiring Decision, Shayna Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A controlled experiment contributes to our understanding of the hiring disparity by examining the effect of applicant race and type of applicant first name on hiring decisions. Two- hundred and five participants acted as mock hiring managers and reviewed an application and resume, completed an evaluation of the applicant’s job related characteristics, and made hiring and starting salary recommendations. Measures for stereotype and race activation were also included. Neither applicant race nor applicant name type affected participants’ ratings of job related characteristics such as perceived motivation, intellectual ability, ability to work well with others, and potential in the field. Results …

The "War On Terror," Mortality Salience, And American Prejudice Before And After The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings, Arthur Hatton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States’ counterterrorism efforts have been framed in various ways in the media and politics, and each framing metaphor varies in its ability to accurately describe counterterrorism (Kruglanski, Crenshaw, Post, & Victoroff, 2007). Each frame also may have effects on the way the public perceives, responds to, and finds acceptable in counterterrorism. One common framing metaphor in American politics is counterterrorism as a “War on Terror.” Terror Management Theory (TMT) predicts that reminding people of mortality has predictable effects on their opinions and behavior. This study seeks to test empirically whether framing counterterrorism as a “War on Terror” acts …

Psychopathy And Attachment: Examining The Relationship Between Secure Attachment Priming And Psychopathy, Victoria Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to employ implicit and explicit security priming in order to examine the relationship between attachment dimensions and expressed psychopathy; specifically, it was hypothesized that security priming would reduce levels of expressed psychopathy. A repeated measures design was also used to assess the association between state attachment variables and expressed psychopathy. The results showed that security priming was effective at reducing expressed psychopathy for individuals high in trait attachment anxiety. Security priming also caused changes in the associative relationships between attachment dimensions and expressed psychopathy. These findings increase our understanding of the relationships between attachment …

Housing Patterns, Academic Performance And School Choice: An Inquiry Into The Relocation Experiences Of African-American Families, Courtney Jones-Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explored the educational relocation experiences of AfricanAmerican families residing in predominately-White and northern Gwinnett County, Georgia, who relocated to pursue improved educational opportunities for their children. For poor families or African- American families with limited resources, school choice is determined largely by where one lives. Historical oppression at the local, state and federal level has encouraged the concentration of African-American families into segregated communities and segregated housing patterns (Massey & Denton, 1998; Rice, 2009; Squires & Kim, 1995), which are often associated with educational inequality (Royce, 2009). The historical oppression and racial injustices in society challenges us …

Archaeological Survey And Limited Testing At The Lincoln Trail Site (9bn17), Bryan County, Georgia, Ryan O. Sipe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Lincoln Trail site (9BN17) is an Irene phase (AD 1300-1580) village located in southeastern Bryan County, Georgia within the Richmond Hill Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Prior surface survey (ca. 1973, 2010) indicated an extensive artifact scatter and complex of shell middens in a marsh-edge environment, yet little was known of the site’s nature and no subsurface survey was conducted. 9BN17 was selected as a case study for a broad research query to identify the structure of mainland Irene phase polities and the role that this site played within one. The site was systematically shovel tested, revealing numerous middens, and …

Impact Of Social Identity On Rape Legitimacy And Myth Acceptance, Rachael Rosenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current research assessed whether a statement by a deviant political ingroup (versus outgroup) member elicited measureable differences on trivialization, cognitive dissonance, rape myth acceptance, or decision to vote for that candidate, and if explicitly “debunking” the statement made by this politician further impacted these variables. Participants were randomly assigned to read a statement made by a Republican or Democratic politician, who would either be an ingroup or outgroup member based on the party affiliation of each participant. Results indicate that while there were no significant differences between Republican or Democratic participants overall, Republicans tended to trivialize the statements made …

Ego Depletion And Boredom: Does Boredom Compromise Future Acts Of Self-Control?, John Lemay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how boredom might influence self-control when participants believed that willpower is unlimited or limited. After completing one of two questionnaires, which induced the belief that willpower is either unlimited or limited, participants then completed one of three tasks. The tasks consisted of a non-ego depleting self-control task, an ego-depleting self-control task, and a task shown to induce boredom, with the nondepleting and depleting conditions having been replicated from research by Job, Dweck, and Walton (2010). In the non-depleting condition, participants completed a task that involved crossing out all occasions of the letter “e” found on two pages …

Sports Message Boarding: Association With Sports Team Identification And Social Well-Being, Brian D. Carlson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that participating in or volunteering for sports related activities may increase overall well-being. Additionally, identifying with, or being a fan of a particular sports team may contribute to positive psychological outcomes. However, no study to date has examined whether participation in sports team message boarding is associated with positive psychological outcomes. As a result, the current study sought to determine if positive relationships exist among message board usage, team identification, and positive psychology variables. Three hundred and four members of an online sports message board completed self-report surveys examining message board usage, team identification, and positive psychological traits. …

Concussion Knowledge In Amateur Motocross, Kristina Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there are 1.6-3.8 million sports related traumatic brain injuries in the United States annually which occur in both mainstream and extreme sports. Many of these concussions have been associated with collisional sports, like football, but high risk extreme sports, like motocross, also have many opportunities for collisions to occur. Unlike traditional varsity sports motocross races, especially at the amateur level, do not require more than advanced life support at a race in case of emergency situation leaving the amateur rider to recognize and decide on concussion management. Purpose of this study …

Ego Depletion And The Internet: Can We Study Ego-Depletion Online?, Todd Allmond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exercising self-control depletes a finite resource of energy and reduces the ability to control behavior on subsequent tasks. Baumeister and others refer to the attenuation of self-regulation as ego depletion. Recent research has successfully utilized computer based depletion manipulations and measures. Previous research has focused on depletion tasks and measures in a laboratory setting, but no known research has extended ego depletion research to the online environment. The present study attempted to manipulate and measure ego-depletion through an online medium. We hypothesized that participants in the online experimental condition would perform significantly worse on two measures of depletion than participants …

Perceptions Of Delinquency Among Male Athletes And Non-Athletes: A Qualitative Investigation, Humphrey Nartey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is presumed that the involvement in sports helps to deter delinquency, yet athletes who seemingly have it all engage in destructive delinquent lifestyles (Savini, 2008). Many theorists contend that the "jock identity" or "sport hubris" is largely responsible, as people think they will be treated more favorably if they are athletes (Miller et al., 2006). This perception raises the question of whether athletes know and understand the constructs of delinquency. Thus the purpose of this study was to examine male athletes' and non-athletes' perceptions of the minor and major substrates of delinquency. A semi-structured interview was used to gather …