Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Human-Environment Interactions In Coastal Belize: Insights Into Sea-Level Rise And Ancient Maya Activities At The Paynes Creek Salt Works, Cheryl Mae Foster

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dissertation excavations were carried out in 2019 and 2022 at the underwater sites of Ta’ab Nuk Na and Ek Way Nal in Paynes Creek National Park, Belize. Sea-level rise submerged the sites in antiquity and preserved the artifact record in red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) peat. Red mangrove peat can be used as a proxy for sea-level rise. The goals of the two excavations included: 1) excavating a 14m-long transect within and extending beyond building J at Ta’ab Nuk Na to determine the function of the building, 2) investigating the production of salt making pottery at Ta’ab Nuk Na; …

The Practice Of Silence And Solitude And Its Results, Lizzie Suwala

Senior Honors Theses

Silence and solitude as a spiritual discipline is seen across many different worldviews including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Humanism, and can be exercised alongside disciplines like prayer, meditation, and mindfulness. Each worldview has a unique purpose in why silence and solitude is practiced such as to commune with God, to prepare one’s heart for times of prayer, to avoid suffering, to experience revelations, and to find peace in an anxious world. Loneliness stems from unmet expectations of social interactions that lead to aversion in one’s current relationships and within themselves. Understanding the purpose of silence and solitude leads to the …

Challenges And Opportunities Of Developing An Efl Writing Course In Algeria: A Collaborative Auto-Ethnographic Study, Wafa Zekri, Kamal Belmihoub

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Distinguishing Between Symptom Presence And Severity Using A Two-Part Sequential Model, Luiza Ferreira Pradera

Theses and Dissertations

Most symptom measures either implicitly or explicitly distinguish between symptom presence and symptom severity. For example, item 2 on the PHQ-9, a commonly used measure of depressive symptoms, asks respondents to rate how much they have been 'feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.' The response options are 0 (Not at all), 1 (Several Days), 2 (More than half the days), and 3 (Nearly every day). Answering 0 indicates that the symptom is not present, and any response greater than 0 suggests the symptom is present. Higher values indicate higher severity of the symptom. Although the response options distinguish between symptom presence …

Fear Of The Other: Judaism And Its Role In The Horror Genre, Wesley Luka

Honors Theses

Horror films reflect the fears of their creators. Some of the first examples of the genre come out of Germany before the Second World War, a time where antisemitism was widespread. Many German filmmakers pre-Nazi Germany used the fear of the other to create movie monsters that are now classics in the horror genre, such as the Golem and Nosferatu. How Jewish representation in horror films has changed since the last century from antisemetic movie monsters to horror movies more respectfully based on Jewish folklore, is an important shift when it comes to the role Jewish representation plays in the …

Quality Of Life Outcomes Among Female Student-Athletes: Exploring The Role Of Coach-Athlete Relationships, Ashley Renee Kernan

Theses and Dissertations

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) first integrated into collegiate athletics in 1906 with the goal to govern burgeoning sports activities. More than 1,098 colleges and universities participate in the NCAA and have sports teams on their campuses. Although NCAA athletics has gained popularity through the years, much of the research and education has focused on men's sports in the NCAA, thus ignoring the sharp increase of women participating in NCAA. This increase came after Title IX was implemented and now almost half of student-athletes in Division I sports are female. While some conducted research includes female student-athletes in the …

How Does Childhood Exposure To Toys And Video Games Relate To Young Adult’S View On Gun Control?, Shelby Wilmot

Honors Theses

The present study investigated the factors influencing support for gun control and attitudes toward gun control restrictions on individuals, specifically violent video games and toys. From the 119 total responses collected, 78 (65.5%) of the participants identified as female, 34 (28.6%) of the participants identified as male, and 7 (5.9%) of the participants identified as nonbinary. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between various independent variables and the dependent variables representing these attitudes. For the dependent variable measuring support for gun control, the model summary revealed a moderate correlation

(r = .610), with approximately 37.2% of the variability …

Influence Of Maternal Abandonment, High-Crime Neighborhoods, And Experienced Abuse On Aggressive Assaultive Behavior, Michael David Austin Flood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Assault crimes committed by men in the United States need to be studied empirically if a significant reduction in their occurrence is to take place. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the reported experience of abuse, growing up in a high-crime neighborhood (HCN), and maternal abandonment with regards to individuals incarcerated for crimes that were operationally classified in this study as aggressive assaultive behavior (AAB). The framework that grounded this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecology of human development and Beck’s perspective on framing, which guided the focus on how an individual frames an experience …

Aging And Depression: Identifying Strategies To Prevent Suicide And Restore Integrity, Nekka A. Herbert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have documented a projected increase in the older adult population and a foreseeable increase in older adult suicides associated with shortcomings in the mental health field related to providing adequate mental health treatment to individuals 65 and older. Researchers have concluded that these shortcomings are due to ageism, lack of awareness, lack of knowledge in gerontology, and inadequate training for professionals entering the field. Studies have highlighted the growing number of older adult suicides but have lacked effective treatment strategies to reduce depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts/behaviors, specifically in the older adult male population, which has the highest number …

Chatting With Online Agent, Guoxi Robert Zhang

Honors Theses

This study investigates trust in AI-generated language fluency. Participants engaged with both human and AI-generated content, varying in fluency. Findings were to favor trust in fluent human and AI interactions over disfluent ones. Understanding fluency's impact can inform AI design and encourage critical thinking when dealing with AI-generated content. By using qualitative analysis of think-aloud reports, we examined strategies that people use to assess texts labeled as human-generated and AI-generated content.

Mypov: Promoting Self-Efficacy And Empowerment Amongst Foster Youth, Hanah Friel

Senior Capstone Papers

Trauma is a key player in the lives of young people within the child welfare system. Adverse childhood experiences define the course of life for many foster youths prior to entering the system, and for many, exemplify their time during and after foster care. The results of this trauma are often overwhelming and far-reaching, as traumatic behaviors often take the form of distrust and dysregulation. Moreover, trauma can disrupt one’s sense of safety and contribute to feelings of disempowerment. For many, it is rare that our lives are representative of a complete lack of opportunity for self-efficacy and empowerment; however, …

Library Publishing In The Global South: Research In Progress, Monica Berger

Publications and Research

Little is known about library publishing in the Global South which is varied in scale, format, and longevity. Library publishing is critical to the expansion of quality diamond open access that is robustly discoverable and properly preserved. The preliminary phase of a research project identified and analyzed Global South library publishers, and gathered data for publisher scale, geography, platform, format, and ethical best practices or other indications of external vetting.

The Lived Experiences Of African Immigrants Accessing Healthcare In The United States, Rachel Yendaogo Kamasse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ethnic and racial disparities in accessing primary healthcare persist for African immigrants in the United States, placing them at a greater risk for adverse health outcomes. This social problem has become more significant since African-born individuals are the fastest-growing immigrant population in America, and many of them experience health threats before their arrival in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how African immigrants describe their lived experiences with accessing primary healthcare in the United States. The study was guided by ecological systems theory. Data were collected using in-depth, semistructured interviews lasting approximately 60-90 …

Dollarization In Latin America, Chloe Wieber

Honors Theses

Dollarization occurs when a country uses the US dollar or other foreign currency alongside or in place of the country’s domestic currency. This research seeks to understand the reasons countries dollarize and analyzes the extent that formal dollarization affects the economic wellbeing of dollarized countries in Latin America. The use of the US dollar is considerable in Latin America with Panama, Ecuador, and El Salvador being formally dollarized, and with Argentina currently considering formally adopting the US dollar. Using difference-in-difference techniques, I analyze the impact of dollarization on economic agents’ perceptions of the economy, on economic growth, and on inflation …

Unveiling The Power Of Tourism Research: Navigating Insights From Montana For 2024 And Beyond, Melissa Weddell, Kara Grau, Matthew Pettigrew

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

ITRR presentation from the 2024 Governor's Conference on Tourism

Honesty In Marketing Communications: The Role Of Humor, Can Trinh

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Amid the crisis of trust in the marketplace, there have been increasing calls for advertisers to show more honesty in marketing communications. However, firms are still hesitant to follow suit out of concerns that more honesty may mean more losses than gains. Against such background, there is still scant empirical evidence about the effect of honest marketing communications on marketing outcomes to help provide practical guidance for marketers. The present research helps fill this crucial gap by examining the role of humor in honest marketing communications. Three studies in this research reveal novel insights that an interrelationship exists between humor …

The Impact Of “Humorous” Ads Featuring Social Media Influencers On Perceptions Of The Influencer, Brand, And Purchase Intention, Jason L. Snyder, Robert Forbus

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The present study explored the use of humor in social media ads that featured both a product being advertised and a social media influencer (SMI). Using extant literature and the theory of planned behavior as guides, the goal of the study was to explore the role of perceived humorousness on consumer perceptions of the SMI, the ad, the brand, and consumer purchase intentions. The experiment (N = 292) exposed self-identified males living in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 40 to one of two versions of an ad for a men’s grooming product. The ads were run …

The Impact Of The Anthem Protest Movement And Covid On Nfl Viewership, George W. Stone, Michael A. Jones, Kirsten Passyn

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research is based on 3 different surveys conducted over several NFL football seasons. The first study investigated the impact of the Anthem Protest Movement on the attitude of NFL fans. The “Anthem Protest” reemerged during the 2020 season during the “lockdown” season associated with the COVID epidemic. Co-mingled with COVID and societal unrest, many analysts were predicting irreparable harm to the NFL’s once indomitable position as America’s favorite sport resulting from this confluence of events. Given the importance of the topic in terms of future NFL fan support, this report looks back over the last several NFL seasons to …

The Development Of International Law In Relation To Crimes Against Humanity, Nikki Redelijk

Global Tides

This paper will look at the development of international law in relation to crimes against humanity. First, juridically applied at the Nuremberg Trials, crimes against humanity has historically offered a compelling juxtaposition between naturalist and positivist law. Hence, this paper attempts to shed light on these juxtapositions, as seen by the respective arguments taken up by the Allies and Germany at Nuremberg. Likewise, this paper will illustrate the complexities within the definition itself. Finally, this paper will clarify the differing definitions taken up at the various tribunals following Nuremberg, leading up to the Rome Statute. It is a hope, that …

Race And Religion: Gen Z’S Religious Participation Along Racial Lines, Zoe Swaim

Global Tides

In a time of widespread religious decline, Generation Z students on college campuses continue to engage in evangelical campus ministries. Building on the Landscape Study of Chaplaincy and Campus Ministry (LSCCM 2019-2022), this study examines the motivations behind the religious engagement of BIPOC students within the secular environment at a university on the East Coast, specifically within the Asian American community. Data was collected through a series of structured interviews with university campus ministers and students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, along with a content analysis of campus ministries’ online content. Findings from this study affirm that a common …

Informing Modifications To Social Participation And Navigation (Span) For Adolescents With Social Anxiety Incorporating Pet Dogs, Nicole Porter, Gary Bedell, Jason Getzler, Megan Mueller

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Social anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health challenges of adolescence and profoundly impacts social participation. This study obtained adolescent and parent feedback to inform a future modification of Social Navigation and Participation (SPAN) for use with adolescents with social anxiety incorporating pet dogs.

Methods: The study had two phases: Phase 1 included interviews with adolescents with social anxiety (n = 8) about their social participation experiences, strategies, pet dogs, and thoughts on a proposed intervention to promote social participation; and Phase 2 included on-line survey completed by the adolescents and their parents (n = 14) assessing …

Terrorism In Africa: An Analysis Of The Efficacy Of U.S. Counterterrorism, Max Yong

Global Tides

This paper seeks to identify whether United States aid to Africa has impacted violent terrorist activity on the continent. The existing literature has produced a range of critiques. Many have voiced concern about foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) growing and blame ineffective efforts by the U.S. for this reality. Instances of African nations, in the face of persisting security challenges from FTOs, turning to political adversaries of the U.S. for assistance is evidence of this sentiment. Furthermore, terror attacks since the onset of the U.S. Global War on Terror (GWOT) have only remained higher than in the previous era. Others have …

Tackling Networked Misogyny Through Graduate Curriculum Design, Carolyn M. Cunningham

Feminist Pedagogy

This paper explores the importance of sharing feminist research through digital projects. One of the barriers of digital projects is the networked misogyny that graduate students face. This paper offers several strategies for addressing networked misogyny, including teaching about digital privacy, strategies for documenting harassment, collective engagement, and integrating trauma-informed pedagogy.

Turning Theory Into Practice: An Application Of Queer Family Theory For Graduate Students, Shawn N. Mendez, Samuel H. Allen

Feminist Pedagogy

This paper describes an original teaching activity for instructors of graduate students. Leveraging a critical, transformative, and intersectional pedagogical perspective applied to graduate education, this paper prepares instructors to effectively teach queer theory through an application of the Hegemonic Heteronormativity (HH) model, introduced by Allen and Mendez in 2018. The HH model identifies heteronormativity as a pervasive, three-pronged hegemony, each of which shifts and changes intersectionally and over time. The three-part assignment described in this paper asks students to read the Hegemonic Heteronormativity manuscript independently before reviewing the model with instructor facilitation. Then, students apply the model to real-life examples …

It’S Not On The Syllabus: The Case For Policy Writing In Modern Graduate Education, Andrea N. Hunt

Feminist Pedagogy

Graduate students gain experience in a variety with different forms of writing while completing their studies; however, policy writing is less common although it is applicable to a variety of disciplines. Policy writing is an extension of theory and needs to be approached from a feminist perspective. Policy writing can be conceptualized as a critical feminist praxis where graduate students use their disciplinary skills in more applied work to engage in important conversations related to their field of study. This article provides some strategies for policy writing for graduate students that use existing skills such as forming arguments and applying …

Breaking The Fourth Wall: Co-Constructing Evaluative Practices In The Graduate Methods Classroom, Kelly W. Guyotte, Carlson H. Coogler

Feminist Pedagogy

This article centers on the authors' experiences co-teaching a semester-long qualitative ABR course by exploring a pedagogical practice implemented by Kelly—the co-construction of an evaluation rubric between teacher and student. We focus on this practice in particular because we believe it is uniquely situated for graduate student teaching. Typically, instructors develop course assessments on their own, establishing their own criteria for what should be included within an assignment. Students, then, refer to rubrics as they compose their assignments ensuring they ‘meet’ or ‘exceed’ the articulated criteria, with little opportunity to provide feedback on how their work is evaluated. Breaking the …

Introduction To The Special Issue: Feminist Approaches To Graduate Level Instruction And Mentorship, Penny Harvey Dr, Atticus Wolfe

Feminist Pedagogy

This abstract highlights the need for research and information on teaching approaches specifically tailored to the instruction of graduate students. While extensive research exists for undergraduate pedagogy, the nuances and differences in a graduate classroom require specialized attention. This special issue aims to provide a platform for exploring effective teaching methods and best practices that incorporate feminist epistemologies, including intersectionality, critical pedagogies, decolonial methods, and liberatory practices. By addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in graduate education, this issue aims to improve the quality of instruction and pedagogical practices for graduate students. The goal is to create an inclusive, equitable, …

Professional Development Strategies For Treating People With Idd And Mental Health Needs, Jennifer L. Mclaren, Elizabeth Grosso, Karen L. Weigle

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience significant health and mental health inequities and difficulties accessing care. There are few initiatives that train mental health professionals to care and advocate for the health and mental health care needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

We developed a Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Professional Learning Community (PLC) with Clinical Education Teams (CET) training components through The National Center for START (Systemic-Therapeutic-Assessment-Resources-Treatment) Services^® to further educate providers in the United States. The National Center for START Services^® utilizes multiple training and collaboration forums to build the …

Peer-Mediated Family Support Project: Evaluation Of Changes In Family Quality Of Life, Preethy S. Samuel, Elizabeth Janks, Nia S. Anderson, Michael Bray, Christina Topolewski, Sharon Milberger

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The Family Quality of Life (FQOL) approach represents a paradigm shift from fixing to supporting people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) by changing the focus from the individual to the family and highlighting strengths rather than deficiencies. Aging family caregivers of individuals with I/DD often encounter obstacles, including accessibility, acceptability, and affordability of services. Little is known about best practices to support aging families of adults with I/DD. Understanding how a state-wide peer-mediated family support project implemented in this study helped improve the FQOL of aging caregivers is important in broadening participation of other caregivers in these types of programs. To …

Interdisciplinary Treatment Approach To Youth With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities And Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions, Ashley Greenwald, Erika Ryst, Diane D. Thorkildson, Lauren Brown

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Many individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have co-occurring mental health needs, yet service delivery options often do not allow for the integrated delivery of mental health treatment and social behavioral support services. Siloed treatment approaches often result in lack of collaboration between providers, increasing the difficulty in accessing comprehensive and coordinated treatments and reducing treatment potential and effective outcomes. Additionally, many service providers in behavioral support services are not trained to address significant mental health needs; similarly, providers of mental health services lack experience in modifying practices for differing cognitive needs. The lack of cross-training and cross-collaboration makes …