Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Beyond A Language Boundary: Encounters With Silence And L1 Spanish-Speakers' Willingness To Communicate In English, John Turnbull

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The descriptive multi-case study asks three adult migrants, first-language (L1) Spanish-speakers from México, about their interpretations of their own and others’ silences as they navigate daily life, jobs, family, and English-language learning in the United States. Subjective opinions about silence, their second-language (L2) acquisition processes, comfort levels in various speaking situations, functions of L2 communication, and affective and social dimensions of language learning are related to participants’ willingness to communicate (WTC), a construct that measures a predisposition to talk, rather than stay silent, in L2 interaction.

The research, through daily language-use surveys and semi-structured Spanish-language interviews with the three English-language …

Immigration Policy In The United States, Yanjun Liu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation contains three essays on the impact of immigration, especially high-skilled immigration in the United States. The first essay addresses the question of whether the effect of the Great Recession on unemployment of immigrants in the United States has been different from the impact on the unemployment of natives. Significant differences are identified when immigrants and natives with different levels of education are treated as separate groups. For a native-born citizen, a higher level of education is associated with shorter unemployment duration. But for an immigrant, the higher the level of education he or she obtains, the longer his …

Examining The Relationship Between Self-Compassion And Emotion Regulation Strategies Using Ambulatory Assessment Methods, Lindsay Mae Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Self-compassion focuses on how individuals treat themselves during periods of suffering. Overall, self-compassion is positively associated with adaptive mental health outcomes and negatively associated with psychopathology. One potential mechanism by which self-compassion may influence other constructs is emotion regulation. Unfortunately, most research about emotion regulation is conducted using retrospective reporting, meaning that the data are subject to memory biases. Ambulatory assessment methods allow for more frequent sampling, thus decreasing the reliance on recall. Using this methodology, the present study examined how differences in self-compassion were related to emotion regulation in daily life. Contrary to predictions, few ambulatory measures (depression, anxiety, …

The Search For 'Home': Anglo-Burman Identity At The End Of Empire, Katrina Chludzinski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The study of mixed race populations and their identity formation have become important fields of historical research over the past few decades within the larger scope of colonialism. This dissertation explores how Anglo-Burmans formed and redefined their own place in the twentieth century as a consequence of conflicting perspectives on race and ‘belonging’ in the British Empire on the one hand, and majority Burman policies in the post-independence era on the other. These views are largely derived from archival records in the United Kingdom and Myanmar. Minutes from meetings as well as correspondence with Anglo-Burmans, British officials, and Burmese officials …

The Discourses Of The Internet In China: Beyond Politicization, Jin Chen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis addresses the politicization trend in the western scholarship of the Internet in China, and problematizes its dominant discourse, the Internet Freedom/Democracy discourse. To this end, it argues that the Internet Freedom discourse, which contributes to the Great Firewall myth, is inaccurate and inadequate to explain the complexity of the Internet in China. Furthermore, it argues that this discourse has not only been historically driven by economic and political interests of the West, but it also has served as a rhetoric to justify the continuation of the U.S. hegemony over the Internet in face of China’s economic rise. To …

Behavioral Interference Of Memory Reconsolidation As A Treatment For Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, Benjamin Darnell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is best conceptualized as a failure of the stress response to naturally resolve following trauma exposure (e.g., Orcutt, Bonanno, Hannan, & Miron, 2014). Current treatments are effective for some, but not all who suffer from PTSD (e.g., Bradley, Greene, Russ, Dutra, & Westen, 2005; Lee et al., 2016), and relapse is common (Ursano et al., 2004; Davidson et al., 2001). Considering that PTSD is a memory-based disorder, a treatment that could augment trauma memories has the potential to address the limitations of current interventions. Research on memory suggests that, if a memory is retrieved under the …

The Effects Of Pre-Existing Beliefs About Alcohol Consumption On Predicting Victim Blame In Incapacitated And Drug Facilitated Rape, Robyn Alyssa Ellis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Alcohol-involved sexual assault is more common on college and appears to garner more negative social reactions, such as victim blaming than forcible assault. There are two specified types of alcohol-involved sexual assaults identified in the literature: drug and alcohol facilitated rape (DAFR) and incapacitated rape (IR). Factors such as rape myths, rape scripts and alcohol expectancies also have been implicated in victim blaming. This study sought to test Abbey’s model of alcohol’s role in sexual assault in predicting victim blame by a third-party observer and examine differences in victim blame between IR and DAFR. Participants included 227 undergraduates at a …

The Social Presence Of Jibo, Parisa Farhadi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research is an attempt to investigate how a social robot is perceived by users at the first encounter. And to find out whether a social robot like Jibo is understood merely as a kind of a technological object or a social entity. Previous studies in Human-Robot Interaction have considered social presence as a mediator in users’ social responses toward robots; however, the focus of this study is the social presence itself and investigates whether Jibo produces a sense of presence during initial encounters. To this end, the current study examines individuals’ perceptions of and responses to Jibo. Participants (N=8) …

The Mileage Of The Weary Father: Harrison Ford As Aging Screen Action Icon, Bahnt G. Freiberger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores how fatherhood guides cinematic narratives of aging masculinity through a star study of the late-stage career of Harrison Ford. It bridges fundamental cultural studies of masculinity, such as those by Raewyn Connell and Michael Kimmel, with film studies to provide key insights into cultural narratives of maleness related to vulnerability, heroism, and most significantly, fatherhood. By focusing on Ford’s late-career reprisal of his iconic characters, I explore how the development of his image provides a postmillennial recontextualization of twentieth century masculine iconography. This study covers three cinematic texts: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull …

Simulating And Modelling Opinion Dynamics, Jennifer Heermance

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The foundation of social media is conversation. Social media allows people to share ideas and opinions, as well as discuss those opinions. A point of intrigue for many social scientists is how those opinions change through interaction with others. What influences someone’s opinion? When is a person willing to adapt their opinion, and when does it remain the same? Is it possible to measure these opinion dynamics? Our overall goal is to develop a more comprehensive model for opinion dynamics. The first step of this process is to simulate data that can then be analyzed and used to develop a …

Morphometric Analysis Of Subfossil Macronycteris Spp. (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) From Madagascar, Jamie Lynn Alumbaugh

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Macronycteris bats are morphologically conservative between species but demonstrate intraspecific morphological variation between geographic locations and sexes. Two of the four living species of Macronycteris are found on Madagascar, where they are broadly distributed and demonstrate a trend in body size correlated with the latitudinal precipitation cline on the western side of the island. The presence of an extinct species, M. besaoaka, from Anhjohibe Cave in northern Madagascar suggests that Macronycteris was once more diverse, at least with respect to morphology. Since its description, taxonomic and phylogenetic revisions have reshaped our understanding of this genus. On Madagascar, these include the …

Renewables & Refugees: A Solution For Jordan, Lauren Burns

Honors Theses

As the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan continues to host the third largest Syrian refugee population in the world, the state’s infrastructure and its people are taking a toll. Before the war in Syria began, Jordan was already suffering from a weak economy, resource scarcity, and an enormous population boom. Since accepting nearly 2.5 million refugees, these issues have compounded year after year—nearly reaching a breaking point. I propose an unconventional solution to some aspects of the refugee crisis: renewable energy. Renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels, consume less water in electricity generation, emit fewer greenhouse gases, and promote job creation …

Understanding The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Health: Mediational Effects Drug Use, Sarah Nelsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Past research has provided evidence on the consequences of perfectionism. One particular consequence of perfectionism is that of general health. Research has suggested that perfectionism type influences general mental health. Using the 3-cluster perspective of perfectionism by Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby (2001), the current work investigates the mediating effects of drug use on the relationship between perfectionism clusters and general mental health, in the context of Conservation of Resources Theory (COR; Hobfoll, 1989). Adaptive perfectionists had higher general mental health compared to non-perfectionists and maladaptive perfectionists. However, the three clusters of perfectionism did not differ in drug use …

The Economic And Psychological Determinants Of Sleep Among Adults In The United States, Caroline Jackson

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Not Knowing: Observing How Financial Literacy Affects Amount Of Retirement Saving, Josina Genetti

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

The Rent Gradient: Effects From Proximity To A Major Business District, Salome Gudishvili

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

(Miss) Representation: An Analysis Of The Music Videos And Lyrics Of Janelle Monae As An Expression Of Femininity, Feminism, And Female Rage, Amy Dworsky

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Caribbeanomics: Assessing The Effectiveness Of U.S. Foreign Aid In The English-Speaking Caribbean, John Keane

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

How Childhood Traumatic Experiences Shape Elements Of Adult Personality And Mental Health, Ashley Aiosa

Honors College Theses

Mental illness can guide the path an adult chooses to take in their life. This paper will explore that having adverse childhood experiences can heighten the risk of PTSD and suicide risk in adulthood. Adults can develop disorders, and personality changes, because of events that happened in their childhood. The current research compiled examines “How Childhood Traumatic Experiences Shape Elements of Adult Personality and Mental Health”. This statement raises many important ideas, as there is a stigma that surrounds mental illness. Due to these stigmas, many people who suffer from mental illness are neglected or refuse to seek help. This …

A Woman's World: Gender Discrimination In The Entertainment Industry, Veronica Weinstein

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

A Sense Of Being: The Art Of A Changing Human Experience, Wing Yung Ng

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Music Marketing For Digital Natives, Allison K. O'Donoghue

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Student Success: Lessons From The Center For Student Enterprise, Harshini Rajkumar

Honors College Theses

Student success is critically important to students, universities, and society. Measuring outcomes of programs is essential in determining what works and what doesn’t. Programs that improve outcomes should be analyzed and adopted by educational institutions at large. Research suggests that business schools prioritize case analysis over practical application leading to ‘low-integrative thinking’ (McCord and Michaelsen, 2015), a lack of practical knowledge, and effective communication. Experiential learning opportunities have been shown to overcome these challenges faced by business school students as it engages students intellectually and emotionally. Furthermore, experiential learning opportunities develop students holistically and effectively, preparing them for the competitive …

An Experimental Test Examining Preferable Romantic Characteristics As Displayed Through Social Media, Marcus A. Joyner

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Accounting For Agent Heterogeneity In Market And Policy Analysis, Konstantinos Giannakas

Zea E-Books Collection

doi:10.13014/K2416V8V

This book presents a multi-market framework of market and policy analysis that explicitly accounts for the empirically relevant heterogeneity in consumer preferences and producer characteristics. The explicit consideration of consumer and producer heterogeneity represents a significant departure from the representative consumer and producer that have been at the center of most of the literature on market and policy analysis, and enables the distributional impacts of changes in market conditions and policies to be fully identified. The framework is used to analyze the system-wide market and welfare impacts of a number of changes in market conditions (like changes in consumer …

An Analysis Of Cooperating Teacher Feedback: A Qualitative Inquiry, Christopher J. Eck, Jon W. Ramsey

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Cooperating teachers are a key component to the success of student teaching internships, serving an integral part in “raising” a teacher. To effectively facilitate the student teaching internship, teacher preparation programs must identify cooperating teachers who align philosophically with the pedagogical training delivered by university programs (Korthagen & Kessels, 1999; Tom, 1997), specifically, cooperating teachers who can reinforce the theoretical framework underpinning the professional coursework pre-service teachers experience in university teacher preparation programs. This qualitative study sought to better understand the feedback provided to future school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers during their student teaching experience. Through initial and secondary coding, …

Graphic Novels At Unlv An Exploration Of Their Relevancy And Your Freedom To Read, Katherine Keller, Amanda Melilli, Jean Munson, Jarret Keene

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Indignation In Political Discourse Thoughts Toward An Information Literacy Curriculum, Mark N. Lenker Iii

Library Faculty Research

Indignant speech blares throughout our polarized political climate, particularly in the press, in social media, and in campaign messaging. Indignation and polarization reinforce each other: defensiveness toward dissenting perspectives gets voiced as angry judgment, and fire-breathing rhetoric on wedge issues drives individuals more deeply into one ideological camp or another. A recent Pew study suggests that prevailing habits among consumers of political media, particularly selective exposure to media that confirms one’s existing outlook, serve only to accelerate the cycle of outrage and division.1 This pervasive and growing dynamic is essentially an information problem; as such, a timely and relevant education …

Predictors Of Adolescents’ Interest In Stem Majors And Careers, Ei Myint

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Advanced Research Winner 2019:

The United States currently faces a shortage of qualified workers in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The first critical step in preventing the labor shortage in STEM is understanding the factors that guide adolescents toward STEM pursuits. Drawing on Eccles’ expectancy-value theory (EVT), the current study aims to identify factors that are relevant to adolescents’ interest in STEM majors and careers. Data were collected from 629 adolescents (M_age = 16.09). Participants attended a high school in northern California and predominantly identified as Asian American (82% of the sample). Preliminary analyses …

The Health Care Systems Of The United States And Spain: A Comparison, Tasia Harman

Senior Honors Theses

When it comes to understanding and improving the United States health care system, comparison and analysis with the health care system of another country provides valuable insights. In this thesis, the United States’ health care system was compared to that of Spain, as the health care system of Spain is generally ranked well above the United States in terms of quality, function, and cost. In the comparison, information such as the health of the population, the quality of health care received, accessibility, and health care costs indicate the state of the health care systems and their ability to function well …