Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Mixed Method Case Study Of Leadership For Change: Authentic Transformational Leadership In A Local Baptist Church, Hui Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This convergent parallel mixed methods case study explores how a local Baptist church navigated organizational change during and after the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of authentic and transformational leadership. Grounded in organizational leadership and open systems framework of organizational change, the study examined two primary hypotheses: (1) RBC demonstrated an authentic transformational leadership paradigm in its change processes since 2020, and (2) this paradigm significantly and positively influenced perceived leadership effectiveness.

Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six leaders (three pastors, one minister, one staff leader, and one deacon) and 11 raters (five lay leaders, five congregants, …

Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel The Way You Do, James Thurber, E. B. White

Zea E-Books Collection

Contents: The Nature of the American Male : A Study of Pedestalism • How to Tell Love From Passion • A Discussion of Feminine Types • The Sexual Revolution : Being a Rather Complete Survey of the Entire Sexual Scene • The Lilies-and-Bluebird Delusion • What Should Children Tell Parents? • Claustrophobia, or What Every Young Wife Should Know • Frigidity in Men • Answers to Hard Questions • Glossary

The year was 1929, the height of the Roaring Twenties and the eve of the Crash and Great Depression. A “Sexual Revolution” was in progress, and two writers from The …

Exploring Western Clinicians’ Treatment Of Cultural Concepts Of Distress, Lisa Y. Chung

Theses and Dissertations

As the rates of diverse ethnic populations and therefore cultural concepts of distress continue to grow in the United States, it becomes critical to learn and understand how western-trained mental health professionals are selecting treatments and implementing them. However, there is a paucity of research on cultural concepts of distress as a whole and much less on the psychotherapy of cultural concepts of distress in the United States. This exploratory study aimed to explore the treatment plan of mental health clinicians in the United States when encountering the Korean cultural concept of distress, hwabyung. Ninety-eight clinicians were recruited from Arkansas, …

Profiles Of First-Year First-Generation Students’ Library Perceptions And Use: An Intersectional, Mixed Methods Study, Megan Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

To effectively support first-generation students, academic libraries must understand their needs. However, limited library research has been conducted into how these students, who often embody multiple structurally disadvantaged identities, perceive and use academic libraries or how their intersecting identities manifest in differing library needs. This study aimed to build understanding of first-year first-generation students’ perceptions and use of academic libraries. To do so, the researcher used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. First-year first-generation students at Virginia Commonwealth University were surveyed using Winkler and Sriram’s (2015) Academic Capital Scale and Anwar et al’s (2012) AQAK: Library Anxiety Scale for Undergraduate Students. …

From Trans Health To Vaccines: A Theoretically Driven Model Exploring Factors Related To Susceptibility To Medical Misinformation, Catherine Wall

Theses and Dissertations

Medical misinformation represents a significant threat to both individual and public health. While some consequences of this form of misinformation are relatively benign, there can be serious consequences ranging from a decreased trust in healthcare systems to an increased likelihood of epidemic outbreak and death. One such consequence can be seen in the recent legislative actions taken regarding access to transgender healthcare in the United States. Gender affirming care has been shown to benefit the mental well-being of transgender youth and adults; however, the demonstrably false information that underlies these legislative efforts can and has yielded significant harm. But what …

Beliefs Related To Diagnosing Bpd And Complex Ptsd, Bailey Pascuzzi

Theses and Dissertations

There has been speculation that Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (Complex PTSD) are the same disorder or represent separate disorders on a broader trauma spectrum (Frost et al., 2020; Lewis & Grenyer, 2009). BPD and Complex PTSD share several symptoms but differ in their presentation (Ford & Courtis, 2021). Because the two disorders present so similarly, it could be that clinicians have difficulty differentiating them, leading to misdiagnosis (Miller, 2014). This study examined clinicians’ diagnostic decision-making and stigma toward BPD and Complex PTSD. Participants (N = 426) completed an online survey where they diagnosed a written …

Exploring Prenatal Cannabis Use Among Young Pregnant Bisexual Individuals: A Mixed Methods Study, Nicole Boss

Theses and Dissertations

The perinatal period is a critical time for health behaviors with outcomes that have short- and long-term effects for both childbearing person and child. Research indicates that young bisexual people are at greater risk of unintended pregnancy, experience psychosocial health disparities, and may be more likely to use cannabis during pregnancy. Few studies have examined this phenomenon. This study is a secondary analysis of mixed methods data from a longitudinal cohort study. Thematic analysis of qualitative data (n=12) revealed the contextual adaptivity of cannabis use, with participants explaining the situations and rationales which motivated their cannabis use changed over time. …

Social Support, Tobacco Attitudes/Perceptions Of Harm, And Asthma Status As Moderators In The Association Between Tobacco Exposure And Cotinine Levels, Rachel L. Pitts

Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco use and exposure are linked to adverse health outcomes (e.g., respiratory conditions) and increased healthcare utilization (e.g., emergency room visits). This study examined the moderating role of social support, tobacco attitudes/perceptions of harm, and asthma status on associations between tobacco use (e.g., combustible product use) and exposure (e.g., secondhand smoke) and cotinine levels among individuals in Richmond, Virginia. We also explored differences in tobacco-related variables by asthma status and associations among tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure, cotinine levels, and asthma control. Youth (n = 201) and adults (n = 209) (95.7% Black/African American; 60.6% female; 65.8% non-tobacco users; 21% …

Witnessing Intellectual Humility: How A Peer’S Humble Introduction Affects Feedback Receptivity And Social Perception, Stephanie A. Barrientos

Theses and Dissertations

Might intellectual humility (IH) be contagious? Across two studies, we examined how individuals respond to constructive criticism depending on whether the feedback-giver demonstrated IH—defined as acknowledging one’s limitations and valuing learning. We focused on outcomes related to intellectual (or epistemic) openness in the context of writing, including self-focused state IH (acknowledging one’s own knowledge limitations), other-focused IH (valuing the insights of a peer expert), corrigibility (comfort with being corrected), feedback engagement, and attitudes toward future academic help-seeking in writing (AHS).

In Experiment 1, participants received feedback from a peer who conveyed IH through a brief self-descriptive statement. This subtle manipulation …

Intersections Of Inattention: A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Experiences Of Multiply Marginalized Students In Community College Settings, Jana N. Knibb

Open Access Dissertations

Educational research has examined the impact of expanded access to higher education for historically marginalized groups. However, research on the experiences of students who are both racially minoritized and dis/abled is limited. Findings suggest that, due to their intersectional identities, multiply marginalized dis/abled students (MMDS) navigate policies and practices related to racist ableism, which further marginalize them and create additional barriers in their higher education experiences. Expanding this research requires theoretical frameworks that account for students' identities, experiences, and barriers in higher educational spaces and contexts. This qualitative study, grounded in Dis/ability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education (DisCrit), …

Maximum Trimmed Likelihood Estimation For Discrete Multivariate Vasicek Processes, Thomas M. Fullerton Jr., Michael Pokojovy, Andrews T. Anum, Ebenezer Nkum

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

The multivariate Vasicek model is commonly used to capture mean-reverting dynamics typical for short rates, asset price stochastic log-volatilities, etc. Reparametrizing the discretized problem as a VAR(1) model, the parameters are oftentimes estimated using the multivariate least squares (MLS) method, which can be susceptible to outliers. To account for potential model violations, a maximum trimmed likelihood estimation (MTLE) approach is utilized to derive a system of nonlinear estimating equations, and an iterative procedure is developed to solve the latter. In addition to robustness, our new technique allows for reliable recovery of the long-term mean, unlike existing methodologies. A set of …

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Climate Liberalism And Decarbonization, Jonathan H. Adler

Faculty Publications

Existing climate policy goals require dramatic and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. Achieving such reductions within the desired time frame is a tremendous challenge, particularly through conventional regulatory approaches. The conventional approach to environmental problems is to treat such problems as “market failures” that can be corrected by government intervention, such as through regulation. Such approaches are constrained by various sources of government failure that are exacerbated by the scale and scope of the problem. The knowledge problem, administrative transaction costs, and limits on regulatory throughput capacity all hamper the use of traditional regulatory tools to address the …

China, Feminism, And The Legacy Of Confucius, Sor-Hoon Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

As the double burden of paid work and family demands leads Chinese women to think twice about marriage and children, we can rush to blame Confucianism’s sexism. But this is a mistake, writes Sor-hoon Tan. We need to separate Confucian philosophy from the oppressive patriarchal norms of its time. Confucian values of care and cultivation can enrich today’s feminism and support equal opportunities for all.

The Vietnam War And The Regional Context, Wen-Qing Ngoei

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This chapter traces Southeast Asia’s overall pro-U.S. trajectory from before and through the American war in Vietnam, a process in which the region’s anticommunist nationalists collaborated with the United States and Britain to gain, and remain in, power. Between the late 1940s through the early 1960s, indigenous anticommunist elites in Thailand and the Philippines rose to political dominance with U.S. assistance; in Malaya and Singapore they did so with British support. The United States and Britain, with their Malayan and Singaporean allies, would influence developments within Indonesia that precipitated the Indonesian Army’s rightwing coup of 1965, a transformative event that …

Parallel Ethnic Identity Development Of Mexican-Origin Adolescents And Mothers Under The Influence Of Neighborhood Latinx Concentration And Ethnic-Racial Diversity, Hin Wing Tse, Jinjin Yan, Lester Sim, Minyu Zhang, Wen Wen, Jiaxiu Song, Su Yeong Kim

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Co-ethnic or ethnically-racially diverse neighborhoods can serve as safe and supportive places for U.S. immigrant families to explore and develop clarity about their ethnic identity. Although parents undergo concurrent changes in the adaptation process with their children, existing research has predominantly focused on adolescents, with fewer examination on adult parents’ continued ethnic identity development; additionally, researchers also overlook the impact of neighborhood context on ethnic identity in parents. To fill this gap, this registered study used a three-wave longitudinal dataset of 595 Mexican-origin adolescents and their mothers in central Texas. Latent growth models were used to estimate how ethnic identity …

Exploring The Impact Of Collaboration Processes On Policy Networks Success: A Case Study Of Food Policy Councils, Beomgeun Cho, In Hae Noh, April M. Roggio, Luis Felipe Luna-Reyes

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Innovative forms of collaborative governance have evolved to address a diversity of wicked problems. Collaboration processes involved in these forms of governance appear to have a paradoxical nature, where the necessary inclusiveness and diversity of actors may also be important obstacles for a successful collaboration. We apply theories of collaborative and network governance, and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, to explore the impact of collaboration process characteristics (network density, diversity, inclusion and participation) on 12 food policy councils. Our findings suggest that collaborative arrangements where diverse stakeholders have equal and inclusive access to active deliberation constitute one path to effective outcomes.

Interactive Effects Of Intrasexual Competitiveness, Same-Sex Competition, And Physical Attractiveness On Temporal Discounting, Jose C. Yong, Indra Alam Syah Aziz, Hualin Xiao, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Studies have shown that men discount the future and prefer immediate-but-smaller over delayed-but-larger rewards when exposed to mating opportunities (e.g., attractive opposite-sex targets) or threats (e.g., same-sex competition) whereas women's discounting in response to similar cues appears mixed, suggesting that mating-motivated discounting is primarily a male phenomenon. Importantly, this line of research has not yet examined the role of individual difference variables as well as how the attractiveness of potential mates and perceptions of competition jointly influence discounting rates. We conducted a novel test of the effect of trait intrasexual competitiveness (ISC) using dating profiles varying on target attractiveness and …

Is Common Behavior Considered Moral? The Role Of Perceived Others' Motives In Moral Norm Inferences And Motivation About Environmental Behavior, Kimin Eom, Bryan Kwok Cheng Choy

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The present research examines how inferences about moral norms from descriptive norms change by perceptions of others' motives in the context of environmental behavior. When individuals think that many others engage in an environmental behavior (e.g., water and energy conservation) for prosocial (vs. proself) motives, they infer moralization about the behavior in a given context. They infer stronger injunctive norms about the behavior and expect others to experience moral outrage at violation of the moral standard (e.g., wasting water and energy). The moral norm perceptions predict people's motivation to engage in environmental behavior themselves. We further show that expected guilt …

Diaspora Politics And A Rising China: Ambivalent Ties Amid Geopolitical Changes, Jiaqi M. Liu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Over the past decade, the rise of China on the global stage has witnessed the emergence of members of the Chinese diaspora as new meso-level actors in mediating Sino-Western relations. As part of China’s burgeoning “public diplomacy” around the globe, Chinese migrants organize cultural events to establish grassroots and semi-official exchanges between China and the West. This chapter provides a state-of-the-art examination of so-called “diasporic public diplomacy” whereby the Chinese diaspora plays an increasingly important role in promoting China’s soft power abroad. Based on long-term fieldwork in a prominent emigrant community, I analyse how Chinese national policies envision two specific …

No Consistent Evidence For Between- And Within-Person Associations Between Objective Social Media Screen Time And Body Image Dissatisfaction: Insights From A Daily Diary Study, Adalia Y. H. Goh, Andree Hartanto, K. T. A. Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Nadyanna M. Majeed

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

With the abundance of social media content that promotes unrealistic beauty standards, there are growing concerns about the potential negative impact of social media use on body image satisfaction. While some studies highlight negative associations, others present null effects, pointing to methodological limitations like biased and unreliable self-reported screen time measures and a focus on singular platforms. Addressing these gaps, our study employed a daily diary method to objectively measure social media screen time across six major platforms (Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook), alongside daily body image dissatisfaction among 252 young adults (Mage = 21.67 years, 67.77% female) …

Learning By Teaching With Deliberate Errors Promotes Argumentative Reasoning, Sarah Shi Hui Wong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Reasoning and arguing well lies at the core of thinking and constructing knowledge about complex, controversial issues. Leveraging the techniques of learning by teaching and deliberate erring, the present study developed and tested a novel intervention—learning by misteaching—to boost argumentative reasoning. University students (N = 208) were trained on argumentation strategies and studied a dual-position argumentative text on a controversial topic using one of three learning methods: notetaking, correct teaching, or misteaching. The notetaking group prepared to be tested and wrote study notes while generating good arguments about the topic, whereas both teaching groups prepared to teach and wrote a …

Editorial: To Know Or Not To Know: Causes And Evolution Of Lack Of Awareness Of Cognitive Decline In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Volume Ii, Federica Cacciamani, Kristy A. Nielson, Bernard J. Hanseeuw, Geoffroy P. Gagliardi, Patrizia Vannini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Anosognosia, or the lack of awareness of cognitive, behavioral, or functional deficits, represents a critical challenge in the clinical management of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia. This condition not only impacts patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems (D'Souza et al., 2011; Turró-Garriga et al., 2013) but also raises important questions about its underlying mechanisms and evolution (Hanseeuw et al., 2020; Starkstein, 2014; Vannini et al., 2017). Despite its critical importance, significant gaps remain in our understanding of cognitive self-awareness in neurodegenerative diseases. Building on the momentum of the first edition of To Know or Not to …

Alexithymia: Toward An Experimental, Processual Affective Science With Effective Interventions, Olivier Luminet, Kristy A. Nielson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Alexithymia is a multi-dimensional personality trait involving difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and an externally oriented thinking style. Poor fantasy life is debated as another facet. For over 50 years, the alexithymia literature has examined how alexithymia-related disturbances in perceiving and expressing feelings contribute to mental and physical disorders. We review the current understanding of alexithymia—including its definition, etiology, measurement, and vulnerabilities for both mental and physical illness—and its treatment. We emphasize the importance of further experimental and processual affective science research that (a) emphasizes facet-level analysis toward an understanding of the nuanced bases of alexithymia effects on neural, …

Editorial: Midlife Brain Health: Understanding Brain Aging In Middle-Age And Effects Of Interventions To Prevent Neurodegeneration In Late Life, Junyeon Won, Marissa A. Gogniat, Takuya Kurazumi, Kristy A. Nielson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

With the rapid increase in the aging population, the prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) has risen significantly, affecting over 55 million people worldwide in 2023, with projections suggesting this number will exceed 78 million by 2030 (Better, 2023). While much research has been focused on understanding and treating AD in older adults, there is growing emphasis on early interventions to prevent its onset (Crous-Bou et al., 2017; Dohm-Hansen et al., 2024). In this regard, middle-age has gained recognition as a critical period for the development and prevention of AD (Ritchie et al., 2017). For example, …

Rethinking Behavioral Reassignment In School Systems: A Restorative Model For Holistic Intervention, Gabriel M. Velez, Thomas Durkin, Kristin Haglund, John H. Grych, Julie Novak, Sherri Walker, Emily Goldstein Nolan, Amanda Krzykowski, Janessa Doucette, Drew Deluito, Bridget Schock

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Growing evidence over the last few decades has highlighted that punitive approaches in schools perpetuate violence, furthering inequities, deepening issues of safety, and negatively impacting young people’s development. These impacts are particularly felt in under-resourced urban schools situated in contexts of community violence. Partially, in response, an increasing number of schools and school districts are engaging in restorative practices. This trauma-informed, strengths-based framework focuses on relationships, healing, and accountability. This article contributes to the growing literature on the potential of restorative justice to promote equity in urban schools and educational systems by outlining the development and model of a restorative …

A Whole-Brain Voxel-Based Analysis Of Structural Abnormalities In Ptsd: An Enigma-Pgc Study, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit smaller regional brain volumes in commonly reported regions including the amygdala and hippocampus, regions associated with fear and memory processing. In the current study, we have conducted a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) meta-analysis using whole-brain statistical maps with neuroimaging data from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group.

Methods

T1-weighted structural neuroimaging scans from 36 cohorts (PTSD n = 1309; controls n = 2198) were processed using a standardized VBM pipeline (ENIGMA-VBM tool). We meta-analyzed the resulting statistical maps for voxel-wise differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes between PTSD patients and …

Correlate Of Savings Attitude And Generational Poverty As Mediated By Financial Literacy: Evidence From Ghana, Adu Bismark Owusu-Sekyere, Williams Kwasi Peprah [email protected]

Faculty Publications

This study examines the mediating role of financial literacy between savings attitudes and generational poverty in Ghana. Generational poverty is a significant issue in Ghana, with a multidimensional poverty rate of 45.6% and a consumer expenditure poverty rate of 23.4%. The problem persists due to low financial literacy and poor savings attitudes, which hinder economic growth and development. The research employed a quantitative methodology, utilizing a series of regression analyses to test the mediation effects of financial literacy. A correlational design was adopted to assess the relationships between the variables. The study’s population included 400 individuals from the five regions …

Quantum Immortality: A Perspective If Ai Doomers Are Probably Right, Alexey Turchin, James Miller

Economics: Faculty Publications

What should you believe will be the likely cause of your survival if you are an AI Doomer who believes in quantum immortality? An AI Doomer believes that if their understanding of AI existential risks is correct, humanity must get extremely lucky to survive. A person who believes in quantum immortality thinks that the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics implies that their consciousness will necessarily continue in some branch of the multiverse. This article shows that combining these two beliefs requires rejecting or going beyond simple Bayesian reasoning when estimating one's most likely cause of survival. Such estimates may have …

Knowledge, Efficacy, And Experience In Components Of Stem Education: The Impact Of Teacher Professional Development, Emily Krysten Marilyn Spencer-Mueller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Around the globe, there has been a significant focus on ensuring youth receive sufficient education and training in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) domains. Education reforms often begin with educators, who are responsible for effectively implementing curriculum changes. However, in Canada, although STEM education reform is underway, teacher education and professional learning (PL) and development may not have kept pace, potentially leaving some teachers feeling unprepared to integrate these changes confidently and effectively. This dissertation introduces two studies that investigate pre-service teachers’ readiness to teach STEM domains in the classroom, as well as the impact of a PL …