Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Zentangles For Mental Health Awareness, Rachel Immel

Honors Projects

The world is starting to see the rise of a stress related epidemic. Finding time to balance the struggles of everyday life, like academics, finances, careers and relationships, while also maintaining personal mental health is becoming increasingly difficult. This is what prompted me to use my project as an opportunity to help people relieve stress and create a community through the use of art, especially during a time where social interaction has been severely limited due to COVID-19.

My project is a series of live-streamed Zentangle art classes I hosted personally that were open to the public through Zoom. Zentangle …

Social Justice: A Catholic Autistic Perspective, Rebecca Schneider

Honors Projects

This is a collection of short stories about social injustices impacting the autistic community and how Catholic Social Teaching supports a more just approach. It is written from an autistic perspective and informed by the stories of people who are actually autistic. Each story is followed by an analysis that explains the choices made, which are backed by both research and the experiences of the autistic writer and the autistic community. This collection also includes information on how justice can be attained on the individual level by allies and on the institutional level by organizations.

Electronic Cigarettes And Vaping: Know The Facts, Lauren Lukasko

Honors Projects

There is a new wave of products introducing addiction to the young adult generation. Electronic cigarettes, both nicotine and THC containing, are a rising trend in the younger generations, including middle school, high school, and college aged students. With such a large amount of youth using these products, it is alarming how little is known about the consequences of these devices and how little the population cares about learning what is being inhaled into their bodies. That is why this project focused on creating a method which relays important information about electronic cigarettes in a compact and coherent way through …

The Association Between Family Income And Adults’ Attitudes On Whether The Government Should Help The Poor, Emily Malloy

Honors Projects

This research examines whether people in different social classes have varying views on whether the government should help the poor and whether that depends on political affiliation. Income inequality has become a greater problem in the U.S. in recent decades. This means that the poor could require more assistance and it is important to know if the public thinks the government should help the poor. Knowing what influences public opinion on this issue could help policy makers make informed decisions about whether the government should help the poor. Data from the 2008 (N=2,023) and 2018 (N=2,348) General Social Survey (GSS) …

Investigation Of The "Cultural Appropriation" Of Yoga, Olivia Bartholomew

Honors Projects

With our world becoming increasingly globalized and cosmopolitan, practices that were once very traditional and spiritual are much different when they confront Western societies. Many yoga instructors and practitioners around the world are concerned about the issue of cultural appropriation within their practice. The researcher defines cultural appropriation to mean the process of a dominant culture manipulating aspects of a marginalized culture for its benefit. Traditionally, yoga comes from India, but it has become popularized throughout the world in our recent human history. Through interviews with nine yoga instructors, each from different yogic traditions, who teach in a variety of …

Animal Assisted Therapy On Law Enforcement Mental Health: A Therapy Dog Implementation Guide, Melena Purvis

Honors Projects

The mental health of law enforcement officers is an ever increasing problem, with our nation’s police officers seeing a constant increase in things like PTSD, depression, and other mental illnesses. However, mental health is already a highly stigmatized topic that is not commonly addressed, and a police subculture of strength and toughness just reinforces that stigma and makes it that much harder for police officers struggling with these issues to get help. This project combines innovation with research to come up with a way to try and improve the mental health of those officers struggling. It provides a manual for …

Sources Of Anxiety In Emerging Adult Relationships: A Qualitative Analysis, Kayla Gay

Honors Projects

Anxiety is a fairly common experience for individuals, but when this anxiety is extreme or prolonged, it can have detrimental effects both emotionally and physically. Previous research has shown that romantic relationships can have both positive and negative impacts on the mental health and levels of anxiety for individuals and that a number of stressors can create anxiety between romantic partners. The aim of this study was to examine the causes and sources of anxiety experienced by emerging adults specifically within their romantic relationships. A sample of six respondents from the Toledo Adolescent Relationship Study (TARS) who had the highest …

Do Stronger Employment Discrimination Protections Decrease Reliance On Social Security Disability Insurance? Evidence From The U.S. Social Security Reforms, Patrick Button, Mashfiqur R. Khan

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

The United States Social Security Amendments of 1983 (SSA1983) increased the full retirement age (FRA) and increased penalties for retiring before the FRA. This cut to retirement benefits caused spillover effects on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applications and receipt by making SSDI relatively more generous. We explore if stronger disability and age discrimination laws moderated these spillovers, using variation whereby many state laws are broader or stronger than federal law. We estimate the effects of these laws on SSDI applications and receipt using a difference-in-differences approach, comparing cohorts affected by SSA1983 to similarly aged unaffected cohorts, across states. We …

Communal Reciprocity In The Andes: An Ethnohistorical Approach To The Relationship Between Ayni And Food Production, Catherine Curran

Spanish Honors Papers

Ayni, or reciprocity, historically characterizes Quechua culture as a fundamental aspect of ancient Andean societies. Furthermore, ayni represents a cosmovision that may come from pre-Hispanic times (as a political practice and ideology of the Inca Empire), that can be found in the texts of historians of the colonial period and endure to the present day. In this way, ayni is an ancient principle that has influenced Andean communities and continues to maintain today as a way to re-energize and maintain livelihood of the community through environmental conservation and complex household economies of sharing land, labor, and food. Due to …

The Guardian, Week Of May 11, 2020, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the week of May 11, 2020. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Remapping Of Place Cells In The Dorsal And Ventral Hippocampus In Response To Environmental Change, Aditi Anam

Honors Scholar Theses

The hippocampus is an important brain structure involved in memory and navigation of both rats and humans. Neurons in the hippocampus can be “spatially” tuned, meaning they fire in specific physical locations. These spatially tuned cells are referred to as place cells. Collectively, they are thought to provide a map-like representation of the environment around us. If the environment is changed, some place cells can adjust by “remapping”, or altering their firing patterns. There are multiple sub-regions within the hippocampus. During experiments, cells were recorded simultaneously from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus of rats running on a track for food …

Remote Monitoring Technologies In Dementia Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Family Caregivers’ Experiences, Martha Snyder, Laurie Dringus, Manon Maitland Schladen, Ronald Chenail, Elizabeth Oviawe

The Qualitative Report

The desire to maintain an independent lifestyle is one shared by an increasing number of older adults. Adult children, spouses, siblings, and other relatives, also known as family caregivers, play an integral role in helping their loved ones maintain independence. Remote monitoring technologies (RMTs) such as wearable sensors, mobile emergency devices, smartphone apps, and webcams can be used to monitor, sense, record, and communicate a person’s daily activities. However, understanding is limited of the family caregiver’s needs and perceptions of RMTs used in a home-based setting. The purpose was to explore how family caregivers perceive RMTs and their use for …

Appreciating Deep Interlinkages: A Review Of Svend Brinkmann’S Philosophies Of Qualitative Research, Ajit P. Bhattarai

The Qualitative Report

In his book, Philosophies of Qualitative Research, Svend Brinkmann argues why qualitative researchers need to be mindful of the philosophies that undergird various qualitative research approaches.

Struggles, Coping Mechanisms, And Insights Of Childless Teachers In The Philippines: A Descriptive Phenomenological Approach, Randy Ale Tudy, Ida G. Tudy

The Qualitative Report

The phenomenon of childlessness has elicited interest among professionals all over the world. However, this phenomenon received little interest, particularly in the Philippine context. The purpose of this study was to describe the struggles, coping mechanisms, and insights of childless teachers in the Philippines. We employed a descriptive phenomenological research design. Ten childless teachers participated in the semi-structured key informant interview (KII), and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Results revealed the following themes: embarrassment, incompleteness, and pressures for their struggles; escapism and optimism for their coping mechanism; and work commitment and acceptance for their insights. Although being childless …

English Wordnet Taxonomic Random Walk Pseudo-Corpora, Filip Klubicka, Alfredo Maldonado, Abhijit Mahalunkar, John D. Kelleher

Conference papers

This is a resource description paper that describes the creation and properties of a set of pseudo-corpora generated artificially from a random walk over the English WordNet taxonomy. Our WordNet taxonomic random walk implementation allows the exploration of different random walk hyperparameters and the generation of a variety of different pseudo-corpora. We find that different combinations of the walk’s hyperparameters result in varying statistical properties of the generated pseudo-corpora. We have published a total of 81 pseudo-corpora that we have used in our previous research, but have not exhausted all possible combinations of hyperparameters, which is why we have also …

Multiproduct Intermediaries, Andrew Rhodes, Makoto Watanabe, Jidong Zhou

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper develops a new framework for studying multiproduct intermediaries when consumers demand multiple products and face search frictions. We show that a multiproduct intermediary is profitable even when it does not improve consumer search efficiency. In its optimal product selection, it stocks high-value products exclusively to attract consumers to visit, then profits by selling non-exclusive products which are relatively cheap to buy from upstream suppliers. However, relative to the social optimum, the intermediary tends to be too big and stock too many products exclusively. As applications we use the framework to study the optimal design of a shopping mall, …

Exploring School Counseling Students’ Unpaid Internship Experiences In Their Personal Lives, Tatiana Eggum

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Research by Foss and Kelly, that graduate students face specific challenges in their lives due to multiple roles that they partake in as a student, professional, and family member (2017). The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the impact of unpaid internships on school counseling students’ personal lives by asking about their financial, social, and emotional experiences. The research focuses on school counseling students that are in an accredited program by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and are currently participating in an unpaid internship. After seven days the survey was deactivated and …

A Comprehensive Examination Of The Immediate Recovery Of Children Following Tonsillectomy And Adenoidectomy, Bryan K. Lao, Zeev N. Kain, Dina Khoury, Brooke N. Jenkins, Jeremy Prager, Robert S. Stevenson, Brenda Golianu, Jeannie Zuk, Jeffrey I. Gold, Qiu Zhong, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives

Using multiple well-validated measures and a large sample size, the goal of this paper was to describe the immediate clinical and behavioral recovery of children following tonsillectomy with or without an adenoidectomy (T&A) during the first two weeks following surgery.

Study design

Observational, longitudinal study.

Setting

Four major pediatric hospitals in the U.S. consisting of Children's Hospital of Orange County, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital Colorado.

Subjects

and Methods: Participants included 827 patients between 2 and 15 years of age who underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy surgery. Baseline and demographic …

Redefining Gender & Gender Expression Through Self-Perceptions & Self-Reflections, Deborah O. Ade

Publications and Research

As societies evolve policies are developed to recognize and formalize these changes. One current context for change is New York City and the concept that has undergone significant change is gender. Many individuals no longer identify with the traditional binary distinction of male or female. Subsequently, new gender categories have emerged (e.g., bi-gender, pan gender, androgynous). Indeed, a total of 31 gender categories have been recognized by the NYC Commission of Human Rights. The goal behind this acknowledgement is to encourage equitable treatment and respect of all individuals within the workplace. NYC businesses that do not accommodate individuals identifying with …

Synergistic Use Of Remote Sensing And Modeling For Estimating Net Primary Productivity In The Red Sea With Vgpm, Eppley-Vgpm, And Cbpm Models Intercomparison, Wenzhao Li, Surya Prakash Tiwari, Hesham El-Askary, Mohamed Ali Qurban, Vassilis Amiridis, K. P. Manikandan, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalashnikova, Thomas C. Piechota, Daniele C. Struppa

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Primary productivity (PP) has been recently investigated using remote sensing-based models over quite limited geographical areas of the Red Sea. This work sheds light on how phytoplankton and primary production would react to the effects of global warming in the extreme environment of the Red Sea and, hence, illuminates how similar regions may behave in the context of climate variability. study focuses on using satellite observations to conduct an intercomparison of three net primary production (NPP) models--the vertically generalized production model (VGPM), the Eppley-VGPM, and the carbon-based production model (CbPM)--produced over the Red Sea domain for the 1998-2018 time period. …

Book Review: Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation Into A Powerhouse For Mission, Brandon Pierce

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission, by Krin van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2019. 146 pages, $20.00.

Looking Within The Rainbow: An Action Research Project On The Rainbow Educators, Hannah Gray-Chambers

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my research was to explore the importance of learning about oneself in order to teach others effectively. My overarching question was, how can I cultivate identity development and better equip Rainbow Educators (RE) as facilitators? A secondary question was: how can I create space for identity development and storytelling when people are in different developmental stages and have different experiences to help deepen the learning? Using Coghlan’s Spirals of Action Research as a guiding framework, I conducted one pre-cycle, a needs assessment, as well as three cycles of data collection. As a result of this study, I …

Retention Of Returning Orientation Team Leaders, Matthew Menor

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This action research looks at reasons why Orientation Team Leaders choose not to return for another year on the team. Orientation provides information and a glimpse at life on a college campus to our incoming students. To make Orientation happen, Orientation Team Leaders are needed. The Orientation Team Leaders at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) are students that are passionate about the work they do. Orientation gives student leaders the ability and skills to utilize in everyday work as well as helps them work on their development as student leaders. This research analyzes different reasons as to why Orientation …

Coronavirus Closures Could Lead To A Radical Revolution In Conservation, James Stinson, Elizabeth (Libby) Lunstrum

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

In the early days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, social media was flooded with reports of animals reclaiming abandoned environments. According to one widely shared post, dolphins had returned to the canals of Venice.

While many of those stories have since been debunked, conservationists are providing legitimate reports of cleaner air and water, and wildlife reclaiming contested habitats.

With widespread closures of parks and conservation areas around the world, could this be an opportunity to transform the way we manage and use these protected environments?

Recognizing Resiliency In The Experiences Of Current And Former Foster Youth In Higher Education, Laura Rivera

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This study explored current and former foster programming from local San Diego community colleges and a San Diego four-year institution to provide insight and recommendations to increase enrollment and retention of foster youth at the University of San Diego for their program Torero Renaissance Scholars. My participants included current and former foster youth who either had attended a local San Diego community college or a San Diego four-year institution. Through my focus group, one-on-one interviews, and my surveys, participants recommended a high need for four-year institutions to begin college outreach in K-12 education and inclusion of holistic resources (leadership workshops, …

Rural-Urban Residence And Mortality Among Three Cohorts Of U.S. Adults, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Katherine A. Ahrens Mph, Phd

Population Health

Though U.S. life expectancy has increased over the past 50 years, this benefit has not been geographically uniform and certain rural persons and communities face a mortality gap. Rural residents experience a shorter life expectancy than urban residents, with higher mortality rates from specific causes such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, coronary heart disease, and lung cancer. Overall, there are higher mortality rates among rural residents for all five leading causes of death – heart disease, stroke, cancer, unintentional injury, and chronic lower respiratory disease – as compared to urban residents.

We sought to close gaps in our understanding of …

Lost In Translation: Unpacking Monolithic Narratives Of Girls Affected By Female Genital Cutting, Courtney Carr

Theses - ALL

Narratives about female genital cutting (FGC) have socio-historically been told in the realm of nongovernmental organization (NGO) discourse. NGO discourse reproduces monolithic understandings about girls impacted by FGC. Previous research reveals how NGOs replicate the tune of neoliberal agendas due to the contributions of donors in the Global North prompted by narrative formulations concocted in the Global South. Interviews were conducted with girls aged 15-21 seeking safe shelter from child marriage and female genital cutting and a translator, at the Network Against Female Genital Mutilation (NAFGEM), an NGO in Moshi, Tanzania. Case study excerpts from NAFGEM’s website, field notes, and …

Tv Series Exposure And Its Influence On American People’S Social Judgments Toward Asian Americans, Zheng Li

Theses - ALL

As television plays a crucial part in people’s social life and ethnicity on the screen both reflects and influences the minds of the audience, this research focuses on the TV representation of Asian Americans and tries to explore how TV series exposure influences American people’s social judgments toward Asian Americans. The status quo of Asian Americans on TV is discussed and cultivation theory is utilized to explain how television influences the audience’s perceptions and judgments. The Asian group is faced with a low representation and a highly stereotypical image on the TV screen thus this study hypothesizes that more television …

Speaking Under Stress: Effects On Language Production, Perceived Anxiety, Physiological Arousal, And Cognitive Attention, Monica Mascellino

Theses - ALL

Communicating under stress can have many effects on our bodies and minds, as well as the way that we produce language. The current study employed a pseudorandomized group design to compare individuals’ perceived anxiety, physiological arousal, physiological cognitive attention, and language production during stressful communication and non-stressful communication. Results indicated that the stressful communication protocol did not seem to affect individuals’ self-reported anxiety, as there were no differences between the high stress and low stress groups. No between-group differences were found in physiological arousal; however, results demonstrated that the high stress group experienced an increase in physiological arousal while speaking. …

Wrapped In Labels: An Examination Of Black Women And The Politics Of The Body In Kingston, Jamaica, Chivonne Munroe

Theses - ALL

Through a framework combining historical materialism and transnational Black feminist epistemologies, this study examines how working-class and poor Black women in Kingston, Jamaica negotiate, make meaning, and respond to the label of the Skettel and the tensions that arise in this process. The Skettel is defined as a woman who is perceived as having questionable morals, a characteristic measured against middle-class respectability. Respectability, as it relates to women, privilege a conceptualization that maintains that body language, sexuality, dress codes, and verbal communication should follow European conventions. As such, the Skettel stands as the antithesis of European notions of respectability in …