Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comparing The Effects Of Mindfulness Meditation And Relaxation In A Brief Laboratory Induction, Carolina A. Caldera

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Mindfulness is the practice of being nonjudgmentally aware of the present moment. Researchers often study the effects of mindfulness using brief laboratory-based mindfulness inductions in which participants are guided through mindfulness exercises, after which outcome measures are examined. However, most studies have not assessed whether participants achieved a mindful state during the induction, or whether the effects of mindfulness inductions differ from the effects of similar procedures such as relaxation. The present study compared a mindfulness exercise to a relaxation exercise and a control condition. After the induction, participants completed measures of the extent to which they attained a mindful …

Are Cultures Of Honor Our True Protectors?, Brian Enjaian

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Men from a culture of honor often use physical aggression in response to threats as a way of restoring lost honor. These threats can range from being called an offensive name to someone flirting with their romantic partner. However, cultures of honor form to protect society against threats. Once society no longer needs protection, cultures of honor dissipate. In three studies, the protective qualities of a culture of honor were examined by comparing aggression levels when romantically attached men were threatened to when their significant other was threatened. Study 1 (N=114) consisted of hypothetical scenarios while Study 2 (N=260) and …

Testing A Values-Based Approach To Healthcare Decision-Making In Older Adults, Paul Jefferson Geiger

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Despite natural declines in physical and cognitive function, older adults maintain good emotion regulation abilities, leading to emotional wellbeing and resilience. This phenomenon can partially be explained by socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), which posits that when time is perceived as a limited resource, older adults focus attention on positive environmental stimuli to regulate emotions. Although this positivity effect maintains emotional wellbeing, it may disrupt information processing related to healthcare decision-making. Older adults request less information from their doctors, are less likely to ask for a second opinion, make their decisions more quickly, and devote more attention to positive medical information, …

Personality And Learning Predictors Of Adolescent Alcohol Consumption Trajectories, Sarah J. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In a sample of 1897 youth studied across the last year of elementary school to the second year of high school, we (a) characterized different developmental trajectories of drinking frequency and drinking-related problems and (b) tested an a priori risk model that predicted variation in trajectory group membership. Analyses revealed five separate trajectories for both drinking frequency and drinking problems. Wave 1 scores on impulsigenic traits, expectancies for the reinforcing and stimulating effects of alcohol, and early pubertal onset differentiated among the trajectory groups, in some cases before the groups differed in drinking behavior. We also found substantial covariation between …

Behavioral Deficits Across Development In A Novel Mouse Model Of Fetal Ethanol Effects, Andrew B. Hawkey

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a spectrum of anatomical, developmental and neurobehavioral impairments resulting from ethanol (ETOH) exposure during fetal development. Efforts to develop and screen novel pharmacotherapies against fetal ETOH effects depend heavily upon rodent models to provide indicators of the safety and efficacy of such compounds, in addition to helping better understand the underlying mechanisms to develop and test these pharmacotherapies. The following experiments describe the development of a novel mouse model of FASD using behavioral batteries to assess behavioral or cognitive deficits in juvenile and adolescent offspring (Experiment 1, Experiment 2) and whether deficits with this …

Too Pretty For Homework: The Academic Correlates Of Sexualized Gender Stereotypes Among Adolescent Girls, Andrew A. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Girls grow up in a culture of ubiquitous female sexualization, and this culture propagates stereotypes that could interfere with their academic outcomes. The current study examined the academic correlates of these sexualized gender stereotypes (SGS) among early adolescent girls. Girls (N = 99) aged 11 to 14 (M_age = 12.4 years, SD = .57 years) completed a survey assessing their academic performance, attitudes, and beliefs. The survey also assessed the degree to which girls believed that boys and girls should act in accordance with these sexualized gender stereotypes. Results indicated that higher endorsement of sexualized gender stereotypes …

Usability Is Not Just Usability: Discovering The Strategies Used By Non-Experts In Making Usability Predictions, Michelle A. Sublette

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Much of the research on metacognition in human factors has focused on prescriptive, normative strategy training. That is, many researchers have concentrated their efforts on finding ways to improve system users’ prediction, planning, monitoring and evaluation strategies for tasks. However little research has focused on the strategies and heuristics users employ on their own to make usability predictions. Understanding usability prediction methods is critical because users’ predictions inform their expectations about whether they will make errors using a product, how much effort they will need to expend to be successful in using the product, whether they can perform two tasks …

Dismantling The Five Factor Form, Stephanie L. Rojas

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a further validation of the Five Factor Form (FFF; Rojas & Widiger, 2014). The FFF is a brief (one page) rating form that assesses for adaptive and maladaptive variants of both poles for each of six facets for the five domains of the five-factor model. Two prior validation studies of the FFF have been completed using the items as they are scored within the FFF (Rojas & Widiger, 2014, in press). However, the FFF has a unique scoring system in which each item has normal and abnormal variants at both poles (e.g., …

Maintenance Of Positive Affect Following Pain In Younger And Older Adults, Ian Andres Boggero

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Socioemotional selectivity theory posits that as people age, they become motivated and successful at maximizing positive emotions and minimizing negative ones. Yet, 70% of older adults report physical pain, which is associated with negative affect. The strategies and resources that older adults use to maintain positive affect in the face of pain remain largely unknown. Specific positivity-enhancing strategies include recalling, recognizing, and responding to positive stimuli and prioritizing close over knowledgeable social partners. Executive functions (EF, i.e., task-switching, working memory, and inhibition) and heart rate variability (HRV) may be important resources for coping with pain. The current project used two …

The Influence Of Cocaine-Related Images On Inhibitory Control In Cocaine Users, Erika Pike

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Cocaine users display impaired inhibitory control. The influence of cocaine-related stimuli on inhibitory control has not been assessed. The Attentional Bias-Behavioral Activation (ABBA) task uses cocaine and neutral images as cues to determine if drug-related images impair inhibitory control in cocaine users. This dissertation was designed to assess the influence of cocaine images on inhibitory control in cocaine users through the conduct of studies designed to address four aims. The first aim was to demonstrate that cocaine users display impaired inhibitory control following cocaine images compared to neutral images on the ABBA task. This was accomplished through the conduct of …

God On Trial: Are Our Moral Judgments Different Based On Whether We Are Judging God Or Humans?, Ben Kok Leong Ng

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Past work in moral psychology has demonstrated that individuals’ judgments of other humans in hypothetical moral scenarios can be influenced by variables such as intentionality, causality and controllability. However, while empirical studies suggest that individuals similarly hold nonhuman agents such as robots morally accountable for their actions to the extent that they are perceived to possess humanlike attributes important for moral judgments, research is scant when God is introduced as a nonhuman agent. On one hand it is proposed that because people anthropomorphize God, our moral intuitions of humans and God tend to show similar effects. In this case, both …

Optimism And Pain Interference In Aging Women, Stephanie T. Judge

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Pain interferes with people's daily lives and often limits the extent to which they can pursue goals and engages in activities that promote well-being. The present study test how optimism affects and is affected by pain interference and activity among older women. Every three months for two years, middle- and older-age women (N = 199) complete daily diaries at home for a seven-day period, reporting their daily pain, pain interference, and activity. Optimism was measured at baseline and end-of-study. Multilevel models test the between- and within-person relationships among pain, optimism, pain interference and activity. Pain best predicted pain interference …

Risk Factors For Abuse Of Prescription Stimulants In College Students: A Dissertation, Eric A. Haak

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The abuse of prescription stimulants among college students is a growing public health concern. While these substances are often viewed as safe, “smart drugs”, they are associated with a number of maladaptive outcomes, ranging from poorer academic performance to cardiovascular incidents and even death. To date, the majority of research on the abuse of these substances have focused on demographic factors which are not amenable to intervention, such as race, Greek organization status, and class rank. The current study examined family factors, academic stress, and impulsivity as potential risk factors which are amenable to intervention. In a sample of 335 …

Caars-S:L Infrequency Index Validation: A Pilot Comparison Of Paper And Online Assessments, Elizabeth R. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

One obstacle to the accurate diagnosis of ADHD in college students is malingering, although many symptom self-report measures do not contain feigning validity scales. The Infrequency Index (CII) for the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale–Self-Report: Long Version (CAARS-S:L) was developed for this purpose, although further validation of the index is needed. Another topic of interest in ADHD malingering research is the increasing use of online assessments. Little is known about how ADHD is malingered in an online format, particularly on the CAARS-S:L. The current study aims to integrate these strands of research by examining the utility of the CII in …

Effects Of A Growth Mindset Intervention On First-Year College Student Academic Performance, Sarah North Wolfe

All Master's Theses

Student success is influenced by a complex array of factors, including implicit theories of intelligence, or mindset. Previous research has shown that students’ mindset, whether they view intelligence as a fixed quantity or something that can be incrementally increased, can predict academic achievement. Students who hold a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is a static trait that cannot be changed and often internalize failure, exert less effort when faced with difficulty, and avoid challenging work in order to preserve their self-image. Conversely, students who hold a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be cultivated by engaging in challenging experiences. These …

Capitalism - Oxford University Press, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Economic processes and time scales in classical tradition(unpublished manuscript), by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, dated 2017-10-03.
  • Typed manuscript outlining four economic adjustment processes within the classical tradition framework, including fast, medium, medium-slow, and slow processes related to selling prices, circulating capital, capacity utilization, profit-rate equalization, and technical change.
  • Handwritten notes by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, titled 4 speeds ↔ 4 instruments, dated 2017-10-04, discussing adjustment mechanisms involving circulating capital, fixed capital, capacity utilization, profit-rate equalization, entry and exit of firms, technical change, and regulating conditions across industries.
  • Handwritten annotations by Anwar Shaikh, PhD, concerning the equalization of …

Luis Daniel Gonzalez, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Luis Daniel Gonzalez. NA-24-12. 2017.

• Michael Lahr → I-O coefficients have a beta distribution in each column. 2017. Manuscript note credited to Anwar Shaikh, PhD.

• Michael Lahr — Luis Daniel defense. October 31, 2017. Manuscript note credited to Anwar Shaikh, PhD.

• Comments on Chapter 1: constraints, equilibrium, and empirical regularities. October 31, 2017. Manuscript note credited to Anwar Shaikh, PhD.

• Chapter 1: w-r can be linear if ρi’s are linear, in which case the composition of output. Manuscript note credited to Anwar Shaikh, PhD.

• Chapter 1: empirical regularities imply “constraints”. Manuscript …

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An Economic Analysis Of The Deepwater Horizon Economic Settlement, Cantrell Gideon Norman

Honors Theses

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 significantly impacted the Gulf Coast economy. The aim of this paper is to determine the adequacy of Deepwater Horizon Economic Settlement payments in achieving full recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast economy. This paper contextualizes the event, analyzes other disaster techniques, and discusses the impact of the oil spill on dominant coastal industries. The results are constructed through linear regression models on employment figures for the coastal counties of all five Gulf states. An argument for each state is formed based upon the regression results, supplemented with outside sources and additional data …

From A Tweet To The Street: The Effect Of Social Media On Social Movement Theory, Elizabeth Romary

Honors Theses

This thesis studies the role of social media within social movements and social movement theory and focuses on applying these theories to the Ni Una Menos movement of Argentina. I focus on three social movement theories: the resource mobilization theory, the political process theory, and the cultural approach. I also analyze the rise of social media in the 21st century and how they fit within the framework of the three theories. I then apply these theories to the Ni Una Menos movement. I argue that the Ni Una Menos movement emerged as a cultural movement, and shifted towards a resource …

Memory Retention Rates Of Gossip-Related Information, Hannah R. Rogers

Honors Theses

The aim of this study is to determine if gossip-related information produces higher memory retention rates than scientific information. Participants completed a two-part survey. During the first part of the survey, participants read nine paragraphs, separated into three categories. Three were scientific, three were non-celebrity gossip, and three were celebrity gossip. After reading each article, participants rated each on a scale of 1-10 based on both personal relevance and how interesting they found each article. After a week delay, participants completed a multiple-choice memory test about the articles read the week before. The study found that while scientific articles were …

Re Magazine And The Politics Of The Little Magazine, Jesse Webb

Honors Theses

The little magazine played a widely significant role in the political and cultural history of Western civilization. Literary and ephemeral in nature, the little magazine gave birth to Modernism in the early 20th century by publishing the works of little known authors such as William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound, and T.S. Eliot to name a few. Later, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America recognized the influential role of the little magazine and began funding magazines that spoke to the anti- communist left in Europe and in the Americas at the beginning of the Cold War. While …

Psychosocial Care In The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Miller Richmond

Honors Theses

The Syrian civil war created millions of refugees who are internally displaced across Syria and in surrounding host countries. The use of violence and forms of warfare against the Geneva Convention make this crisis particularly traumatic for civilians, leading to high rates of PTSD and depression among the refugee population. Relying on concepts of structural violence and the ecology of health, I justify the use of a psychosocial framework to build refugee crisis response in Jordan. I performed ethnographic fieldwork to collect data in the form of stakeholder and care provider interviews and training manuals, and I analyzed and critiqued …

Loneliness, Meaning In Life, And Depressive Symptomology In College Students, Abigail Oehler

Honors Theses

The present study aimed to better understand the relationship between loneliness, meaning in life, and depressive symptoms in college students. Two-hundred and forty-seven participants, ages 18-37, completed self-report measures about their experience with depressive symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale- Version 3), and meaning in life (Meaning in Life Questionnaire). The following was hypothesized: 1) symptoms of depression, loneliness, and meaning in life will be significantly related; 2) meaning in life will mediate the relation between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated all constructs were associated as expected (ps<.001). Contrary to hypothesis, meaning in life did not mediate the relation between loneliness and depressive symptomatology. However, post hoc regression analysis illustrated that loneliness was the only unique predictor of depressive symptoms. This study suggests more research is warranted on understanding specific mechanisms relating loneliness to depressive symptoms in college students.

Millennials, Mississippians, And The 2016 Presidential Election: Implications Of Generational Differences On Voter Behavior, Bess Nichols

Honors Theses

This is a study of the voting patterns of millennial voters (predominately students at the University of Mississippi) and traditional Deep South voters, which for the purpose of this study is men and women above the age of 35. The paper seeks to answer the question: Are millennials ideologically different than their older counterparts in the state of Mississippi? I surveyed a sample of 4,000 students at the University of Mississippi (with approximately 500 responses) and a sample of traditional voters gathered from social media and employees at the University of South Alabama. Respondents were asked questions about their political …

Diversifying The Academy: Librarians Coaching Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows Through The Scholarly Research Cycle, Alexandra Chappell, Jessica D. Greene, Jennifer Thompson

Library Staff Publications and Research

Increasing diversity within the scholarly community is a priority for academic libraries. Often the focus is on diversifying our staff, programs, collections, and services. But the library can also have an important role to play in campus diversity initiatives that focus on equity and inclusion among the student body and professorate.

This poster will detail a library coaching program developed as part of a local instance of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, a nationwide initiative to increase faculty diversity by supporting students of color to pursue PhDs and careers as professors. The coaching program pairs librarians with undergraduates in …

Standards Resources For Engineering And Technology, Margaret Phillips, Sarah Huber

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This webliography is a selective compilation of the following: major standards bodies that create or approve standards frequently used by engineers and technologists, standards database aggregators, web sites that provide free or low cost, full-text access to standards, and standards education resources. Only major standards bodies that operate in the U.S. or on an international level are incorporated, excluding non-U.S. national and regional bodies that create or coordinate standards activities in other countries. The standards education resources listed are appropriate for university-level students. All of the resources included are English language web sites. Additionally, all of the resources included are …

Consequences Of Job Stress For The Psychological Well-Being Of Teachers, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Renzo Bianchi, Peter Luehring-Jones

Publications and Research

This chapter examines research on the relationship between job stressors and mental health (depressive symptoms, burnout, and mental disorders such as depression) in teachers. Teachers are exposed daily to job stressors (e.g., student disruptiveness) that have been linked to adverse mental health effects. Epidemiologic research indicates that when compared to members of other groups, teachers experience higher rates of mental disorder, although some studies question that conclusion. Large-scale studies indicate when compared to members of other occupational groups, teachers are at higher risk for exposure to workplace violence, with its adverse mental health consequences. Longitudinal research has linked teaching-related stressors …

Intersections Of Culture And Trauma: Understanding Identities And Experiences Of Salvadoran Refugee College Students, Janette Linares, Cara Maffini

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Culture And Parenting Among Teen Fathers, Cecilia Macedo, Cara Maffini

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

‘I Feel Like I Don't Belong’: Examining The Social And Cultural Experiences Of Bicultural And Biracial College Students, Michael West, Cara Maffini

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.