Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Early Horizon Community Organization And Neighborhoods As Seen Through The Spatial Analysis Of Residential Architecture At The Urban Center Of Caylán, Peru, Ashley Nichols Whitten

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the spatial analysis of monumental, residential compounds at the Early Horizon urban center of Caylán (800-1 B.C.), Nepeña Valley, Peru. The utilization of space parallels the economic, social political and ideological aspects of human cultures. Hence, through the study of architectural space, aspects of the culture such as social organization can be deduced. This thesis focuses on the residential compounds with the objective of reconstructing patterns of social and community organization at Caylán. The monumental, residential compounds located at Caylán are organized into a dense urban core. The enclosures abut one another through a complex system …

Examining The Prevalence Rates, Demographic Differences, And Concurrent Validity Associated With A Universal Bidimensional Mental Health Screener For Youth In Schools, Sarah Bolognino

LSU Master's Theses

When using a bidimensional mental health (BDMH) model, psychological distress and wellbeing are measured. This study used a mental health screening measure, with equal number of items measuring each mental health dimension (i.e., wellbeing and distress) to classify students into one of four possible mental health groups: mentally healthy (MH), mentally unhealthy (MU), symptomatic but content (SBC), and asymptomatic but discontent (ABD). First, prevalence rates for each group in a sample of youth from the 2009–10 Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey in the United States (N = 6,345) were explored; about a quarter of the population experienced mixed mental …

A Study Of After-School And Summer Programs: The Effectiveness Of Law-Related Youth Educational Programs For Adolescents In Marginalized Communities, Pamela Anne Labbe

LSU Master's Theses

It was the interest of this project to determine if law-related educational activities – when incorporated into after-school and summer programs that are rooted in marginalized communities – were effective when applied to adolescent residents. The current study is informed by theories of place, social class, social disorganization and juvenile delinquency. Using ethnographical methods, this project followed after-school and summer programs developed for youth in a South Louisiana black community characterized by pockets of poverty, blight and disorder. Through qualitative data analysis, the themes of how community operated in the target neighborhoods, how community members responded to neighborhood disorder and …

The Unattainable Ideal: Walter Lippmann And The Limits Of The Press And Public Opinion, Amy Solomon Whitehead

LSU Master's Theses

Walter Lippmann’s classic work, Public Opinion, crystallized thinking about the dynamic relationship between the press and public opinion, and clarified the role of each in democracy. Evaluations of that book, however, tend to be one-dimensional. Public Opinion captured just one iteration of his thinking on the subject, not his final statement on the matter. A comprehensive survey of his writing reveals Lippmann’s views on the press and public opinion were not static, yet the attention Public Opinion receives continues to overshadow his other works; his evolving views on the press and public opinion are rarely mentioned. Although his views shifted …

Stress, Anxiety Symptomology, And The Need For Student Support Services For University Freshmen Of First-Generation Status, Low-Ses Backgrounds, And Those Registered With Disabilities, Kelly Dale Allison

LSU Master's Theses

Three populations of concern for professional social workers in higher educational settings include first-generation college students (FGCSs), students from low socio-economic (low-SES) backgrounds, and students with disabilities. As the national demand for degrees in higher education rises both socially and economically, the push for young adults’ postsecondary success becomes increasingly crucial. In college and university settings, a significant portion of students may be classified as FGCSs, low-SES, or may be registered with a disability. Examining these vulnerable populations within higher education settings, particularly regarding stress and anxiety symptomology, can help social workers recognize the social, developmental, and academic inhibitions that …

Mortuary Practices And Social Identity At Matrix 101, La Leche Valley, Peru, Jenna Renee Hurtubise

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the social identity of the individuals buried at a Late Middle Sicán (A.D. 1050-1120) mass grave designated Matrix 101. Matrix 101 is located in the Great Plaza of the Pomac forest archaeological complex in the La Leche Valley, north coast of Peru. My objectives are threefold: (1) to understand the social identities of the individuals, (2) to examine the complex mortuary practices that took place during the construction of the burial, and (3) to infer socio-political reasons for the construction of Matrix 101 and to see how they might relate to the Sicán societal collapse. Initial …

Examination Of The Effects Of The Homework, Organization, And Planning Skills (Hops) Intervention On Undergraduate Students, Ashley E. Bordelon

LSU Master's Theses

Homework, organization, and time-management skills are often a source of stress for undergraduate students. The type of homework given, self-management skills, and planning skill level combine to contribute to student success in school. Previous research has shown that the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) program has been successful with teaching these skills; however, research has focused on younger students. The purpose of the current study was to determine if the HOPS program was suitable for undergraduate students, based on pretest, posttest, and follow-up scores on the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory- Second Edition (LASSI) using a randomized waitlist control …

People’S Perception Of Free Trade And Economic Sophistication, Igor Kuznetsov

LSU Master's Theses

The question of which factors form people’s attitudes toward free trade has occupied scholars’ minds for no less than two decades. Many theories were suggested in an attempt to explain why some individuals strongly support protectionist policies while others prefer trade liberalization. These explanations range from classical economic models of factors of production to nationalism, the fear of foreign cultures, and gender differences. The contribution of this paper is that I combine economic and non-economic approaches, introducing the possibility that individuals may think from an economic perspective or draw on other considerations depending on what they know about economics. That …

Survivors Of Individuals Who Completed Suicide: The Influence Of Time Since The Loss, Alexis M. Rabalais

LSU Master's Theses

This cross sectional study explores associations between elapsed time since the loss and outcomes of prominent feelings and self-regard among 187 help-seeking survivors bereaved by suicide. Chi-square tests were conducted to examine the aforementioned relationships. In examining suicide survivors’ most prominent feelings over time, this study found mixed results in early bereavement. This study showed that at 25 to 59 months elapsed time since the loss both scared and happiness were significant for suicide survivors. No significance was found before 25 to 59 months, suggesting a change in suicide survivors’ prominent feelings following two years elapsed time since the loss. …

The Effects Of Emotion And Action On Binding In Memory, Kacie Mennie

LSU Master's Theses

The ability to successfully bind features and objects at different levels of abstraction is important for everyday functioning of memory. The current study examined how actions and emotional arousal influence item recognition and between-item binding across two experiments. According to the Arousal-Biased Competition Theory (ABC; Mather and Sutherland, 2011), binding can be enhanced by emotional arousal, depending upon what is the focus of attention within a scene. In the current study, participants viewed a series of slides, each of which depicted a person performing an action with an object, as well as an object that is not interacted with. All …

Comparison Of Occlusal Area And Postcanine Mesiodistal Length In Old World And New World Monkeys, Ashley Marie Franklin

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to discover the relationship between the number of teeth and the postcanine occlusal area and postcanine mesiodistal length in select OWM and NWM species. New World monkeys (NWM) have 12 premolars, whereas Old World monkeys (OWM) have 8. Four species are studied: Cercopithecus albogularis and Colobus guereza (OWM), and Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata (NWM). Two pairs of species are chosen because they are classified as having the same general folivorous and omnivorous diet: Co. guereza and A. palliata, and Cer. albogularis and Ceb. capucinus, respectively. Adult, wild caught, female specimens from the Smithsonian, …

Exploring The Predictors Of Psychological Distress In Children Following The Gulf Coast Hurricanes Of 2005, Jonathan Scott Brothers

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the predictors of psychological distress in children following the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005. Previous literature has suggested that children that experience natural disasters, such as hurricanes, may face the same psychological dangers as children that experience other types of traumatic experiences. Thus, it is expected that children that were exposed to various stressors throughout the occurrence of the hurricanes will display more symptoms of psychological distress in the aftermath of the storms. In this study, 614 caregivers of children of ages 1 to 9 years old were sampled in a cross-sectional …

Organizational Twitter Use: A Qualitative Analysis Of Tweets During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pratiti Diddi

LSU Master's Theses

One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The best-known awareness event to fight the health issue is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Twitter is a growing source of health information amongst users; however, little research exists into understanding how various organizations use their Twitter accounts to communicate about breast cancer during BCAM, as well as implications of this use for the health information consumers. In this context, there is also a dearth of research about if, and how organizations use behavioral change theories to tailor their social media content or not. The paper explored through qualitative …

The Spiral Of Silence In Virtual Space: Examining How Expert Participation, Digital Media Form, And Opinion Congruency Relate To Opinion Expression, Yiwei Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

This study tested the spiral of silence in both Social Networking Sites (SNS) and online discussion forums. It argued that online expert participation may influence people's willingness to take part in an online discussion. A two (opinion climate) by two (expert participation) experiment was designed to examine how expert participation influenced the relationship between people’s willingness to speak out and opinion climate with the controversial topic: abortion. In this study, the spiral of silence effect was only found when experts were present in the discussion.

A Deer In Headlights: The Supreme Court, Lgbt Rights, And Equal Protection, Nan D. Hunter

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this essay, I argue that the problems with how courts apply Equal Protection principles to classifications not already recognized as suspect reach beyond the most immediate example of sexual orientation. Three structural weaknesses drive the juridical reluctance to bring coherence to this body of law: two doctrinal and one theoretical. The first doctrinal problem is that the socio-political assumptions that the 1938 Supreme Court relied on in United States v. Carolene Products, Inc. to justify strict scrutiny for “discrete and insular minorities” have lost their validity. In part because of Roe v. Wade-induced PTSD, the courts have …

Why Healthy Behavior Is The Hard Choice, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Our society is structured to encourage unhealthy diets and physically inactive lifestyles, which are key risk factors for chronic diseases including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancers. We are bombarded with advertisements for hyperprocessed foods laden with saturated fat, salt, sugar, and refined carbohydrates, “low-fat” foods often contain high amounts of sugar and salt, and parks and recreation spaces are often inaccessible or unsafe.

Four simple ideas - taxes on unhealthy products, product reformulation, improving the informational environment, and increasing healthy food accessibility - could make healthy behaviors the “default” choice for most consumers. First, taxes on unhealthy products, such as …

Visual Attention To Emotional Stimuli In Individuals High On Psychopathic Traits: Evidence From Eye Tracking, Donna M. Crossman

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Researchers have described psychopaths as callous, cold-hearted individuals who show reduced empathic response to their victims. It is suggested that the inability to identify negative emotions, specifically fear, in individuals is what allows psychopaths to offend/take advantage of other people as they do not recognize the fear in victims that may otherwise deter victimization. This is the first study to examine how non-incarcerated individuals high on psychopathic personality traits process emotions. Additionally, eye-tracking technology was used to provide a more fine-grained assessment of attention. In contrast to hypotheses, the high psychopathic group did not differ from the low psychopathic or …

Women In Hypermasculine Environments: An Analysis Of Gender Dynamics In The Heavy Metal Subculture, Anna Sheree Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes gender dynamics in the heavy metal subculture by means of interviews with fans of this musical genre. Based on research that shows that (male) homosocial environments, denoting non-romantic social bonds among people of the same (male) sex, lead to hegemonic masculinity and the possibility of violence against women, this study focused on the heavy metal subculture from the point of view of its members’ experiences related to gender. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on feminist theories of gender difference and its relevance for the sociology of gender. Specifically, I rely on theories of othering, …

Gould Farm : Outcomes At A Psychosocial Therapeutic Community Reexamined : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, With Permission Of The Gould Farm, Monterey, Massachusetts, Frances Huberman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study reexamined the data on outcomes of programming with clients at Gould Farm, a psychosocial therapeutic community located in Monterey Massachusetts. The methods of treatment currently utilized at Gould Farm were explored and evaluated through this reexamination as well. The data was analyzed to determine if there was a positive change in client satisfaction scores on the Quality of Life Scale between the intake interview and the discharge interview, and additionally from the discharge interview to the six month follow up interview. The data was also analyzed to determine if there was a relationship between the length of stay …

Childhood Experiences Of Introversion : An Exploration Of Navigating Social And Academic Spaces And Ways Of Coping, Leah S. Schwartz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of introversion in childhood. This research seeks to understand how introverted children perceive themselves and how this impacts the way they interact with the world around them. The overarching research question is: how does the experience of being an introverted child impact one’s sense of self? Given the practical and ethical challenges of interviewing actual children, for this qualitative research I interviewed 12 adult self-identified introverts about their childhood experience of being introverted. The design for this research study is qualitative and exploratory. Findings included what being introverted meant to …

Complexity Of Women's Liberation In The Era Of Westernization: Egyptian Islamic And Secular Feminists In Their Own Context, Assim Alkhawaja

Doctoral Dissertations

Informed by postcolonial/Islamic feminist theory, this qualitative study explores how Egyptian feminists navigate the political and social influence of the West. The following meta-questions guided this research: How do women in Egypt who self-identify as feminists define feminism? How do they use this definition in their activism? How is Westernization influencing Egyptian feminists and their participation in national and political conflicts?

Data sources were based on individual interviews. The findings indicate that although the phenomenon of Westernization in Egypt had both negative and positive influences on the Egyptian women’s liberation movement, it has caused major divisions between secular and Islamist …

Effects Of A Mental-Health Clinical Simulation Experience Using Standardized Patients And Two Debriefing Styles On Prelicensure Nursing Students' Knowledge, Anxiety, And Therapeutic Communication And Psychiatric Assessment Skills, Debrayh Gaylle

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was to compare the effects of two debriefing styles (insimulation and postsimulation) on (a) students’ knowledge of psychiatric assessment and therapeutic communication, (b) students’ performance of a psychiatric assessment using therapeutic communication, (c) students’ perceived anxiety related to a clinical rotation in psychiatric mental-health, and (d) students’ perceptions of the efficacy of the insimulation debriefing. The participants (n = 67) were senior, prelicensure nursing students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program. Students were assigned randomly to either the treatment or the compression group and participated in a series of simulated interviews using student …

Health, Wellbeing, And Academic Achievement Among Urban College Students, Elise Tanzini

Dissertations and Theses

The post-secondary educational environment is full of demands—both academically and outside of the direct college setting—and as a result, stress is a prevailing concern for college students. Chronic, high levels of stress have been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression, and academic outcomes, such as lower academic achievement. Using a diverse sample of undergraduate and masters students [n=84; mean (SD) age = 22.89 (5.99) years] from an urban, public college, the current study measured students’ experiences of stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and the adaptive and maladaptive strategies they utilized to cope with stress, …

Testing An Ecological Model Of Parent Involvement In Head Start: A Replication Study, Rebecca C. Horwitz

Theses and Dissertations

Parent involvement has been understood to elicit positive outcomes for school-age children, especially minority children and children from low socioeconomic families. Understanding the process by which parents engage in their child’s education may provide school staff with tools to develop interventions to increase parent involvement.

This investigation replicates a study that tested an ecological model of parent involvement in two Head Start programs (Waanders, 2002). Participants in the current study were 213 parents and/or caregivers of children who attended three Head Start programs in South Carolina. Two of the programs were located in a medium-sized city, while the third was …

The Breakup Project: Using Evolutionary Theory To Predict And Interpret Responses To Romantic Relationship Dissolution, Craig E. Morris

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The formation and maintenance of romantic pair bonds is a well-represented topic in human evolutionary sciences. This extensive body of work, drawn mostly from the field of evolutionary psychology, has proposed mechanisms for attracting a mate (e.g., resource display, physical cues), attaining a mate (e.g., intrasexual competition), and keeping a mate (e.g., competitor derogation, emotional manipulation). However, this evolutionary model of human pair bonding has not fully addressed relationship termination. If we accept that we have an evolved suite of behaviors that encourage and facilitate pair bonding, then we must also look to breakups and ask whether evolution has played …

Mind-Craft: Exploring The Relation Between "Digital" Visual Experience And Orientation In Visual Contour Perception, Daniel Hipp

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Visual perception depends fundamentally on statistical regularities in the environment to make sense of the world. One such regularity is the orientation anisotropy typical of natural scenes; most natural scenes contain slightly more horizontal and vertical information than oblique information. This property is likely a primary cause of the “oblique effect” in visual perception, in which subjects experience greater perceptual fluently with horizontally and vertically oriented content than oblique. However, recent changes in the visual environment, including the “carpentered” content in urban scenes and the framed, caricatured content in digital screen media presentations, may have altered the level of orientation …

"Good Enough" Nanny : Socioeconomic Disparity And Power In The Nanny-Employer Dyad, Carolyn M. Moody

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Because nannies are typically of lower socioeconomic status than their employers, unique power dynamics develop in the relationships between parents and secondary caregivers. This empirical study explored childcare providers' experiences of these dynamics by examining how similarity and difference in the nanny-employer dyad impacted the employer's management style. Sample. The quantitative, exploratory method utilized an anonymous online questionnaire to reach a broad sample of current and former nannies (N=167). Methods. Demographic data on participants' and employers' socioeconomic identities were collected and compared with management style indicators. Findings. The results suggested that similarity and difference in the dyad, both relational and …

"I Love My Children... But I Hate Being A Mom" : Exploring Narratives Of Maternal Ambivalence In Anonymous, Digital Spaces, Christine M. Lacy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore narratives of maternal ambivalence displayed on an anonymous, digital discussion forum. This investigation based on an analysis of 341 written discussion posts shared on a message thread of a public website, which became an anonymous platform for mothers expressing negative feelings about mothering. This central questions of this study focus on how mothers' described their maternal ambivalence, what factors impact their ambivalence, whether they discuss guilt, shame, and social stigma associated with maternal ambivalence, and what participants reported gaining from their use of the site. The findings of this study suggest …

Advice Giving In Online Eating Disorder Forums : What Clinical Social Workers Need To Know, Elizabeth C. Reali

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study expanded the limited existing research on online eating disorder forums by examining the thematic content of advice giving on three different types of online eating disorder forums: 1) professional-operated, pro-recovery forums; 2) peer-operated, pro-recovery forums; and 3) peer-operated, pro-eating disorder forums. Additionally, the study sought to elucidate the comparative relationships amongst different forums between advice content, aims, and accuracy and key forum characteristics, such as forums' missions and methods of moderation. Two publicly available websites for each forum type were studied. From these, a total of 60 advice messages consisting of 91 advice units were …

"I Could Never Do That In Real Life" : An Exploration Of Real World Morality And Moral Decision-Making In Role-Playing Video Games, Samuel E. Flescher

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Video games as a medium for play increase in popularity and participation every year. Around the world, video games are also constantly criticized for depicting violent, gratuitous, and potentially immoral material that consumers can engage in. Yet very little evidence exists suggesting a tangible connection between individuals' real world thoughts and actions with their in-game experiences. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore the potential relationship between individuals' real world moral identities with their virtual decisions and actions in singleplayer role-playing video games. Fifty-one people completed an online survey containing qualitative and quantitative questions. Participants provided narrative accounts of in-game decisions …