Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ramerican Political Science Review (Vol. 10, 2025)

Ramerican Political Science Review

Coups and Protest: The Interactive Effects of Post-Coup Mobilization on Democratization / Marie Cox -- Free Speech in K-12 Education and the Courts / Jack Keller -- “The Imitative Poet Puts a Bad Constitution in the Soul”: A Defense of Artistic Expression against Plato’s Critique / Kaya Shania Edoo-Harripersad -- The Gaza War and American Press: Exploring Bias in the New York Times’ Reporting of Pro-Palestine Activism Since October 7th / Selma Karame

Ramerican Political Science Review (Vol. 9, Feb. 2025 Special Edition)

Ramerican Political Science Review

France's Strategic Dynamics: Power, Partnerships, and Prospects / Marie Cox -- The Contribution of the United Kingdom to the Security of Europe / Kelly Williams -- Poland: A Pivotal Actor for the Future of European Security / Zack Kloman -- The End of Finlandization / Natasha C. Smith -- A New Age: Turkish Security in a Changing World / Alexandra Pabon

Online Dating Experiences And Body Dissatisfaction Among Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Individuals: A Qualitative Study, Luciano Caprio M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Through the evolution of online dating applications, individuals are able to form interpersonal connections with one another at a rapid pace. The effects of such communications can hold both protective and risk factors within the LGBTQ+ community. Previous research suggests that lesbians, gay, and bisexuals who have experienced weight discrimination, particularly fatphobic and anti-fat attitudes, while utilizing these online dating platforms, have increased body dissatisfaction. However, there is minimal research focusing on the implications of discrimination, body dissatisfaction, and the usage of online dating platforms in the transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) community. This qualitative study explored the experiences of …

From Theory To Practice: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Mental Health Factors In Sentencing Decisions, Crystal Ortiz M.A.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The overrepresentation of individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness sentenced within the criminal justice system remains a significant concern in the United States. While existing literature discusses the prevalence of mental health concerns among offenders, it does not acknowledge the importance of considering an offender’s mental health in sentencing as standard practice within the justice system. Research highlights the importance of individualized sentencing plans, the use of validated risk and needs assessment tools, and multidisciplinary collaboration among mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies to comprehensively evaluate an individual’s mental health history and needs (Skeem et al., 2006; Steadman et …

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Winter 2025, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the Down The Bay Project.

A Literature Review Of Behavioral Outcome Measurement And Reporting Methods In Contemporary Diversity Training Research, Jesse Basson

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Diversity Training (DT) has become increasingly popular within organizational and academic settings as sociopolitical issues such as race relations, gender discrimination, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ populations continue to be examined in the United States. Research on the impacts of DT on participant learning has produced mixed findings, provoking questions regarding overall effectiveness and outcome measurement in DT. Training evaluation research has previously defined learning into three separate categories; Affective learning, cognitive learning, and behavioral learning (Kraiger et al., 1993), and behavioral learning outcomes in DT have been the least investigated of the three (Kulik & Roberson, 2008a). This critical literature …

U-Stressed? Do Library Employees Experience More Technology Eustress Or Distress?, Abigail Raper

Library Services Publications

Based on professional conversations regarding library technology usage and its impact on workrelated stress, I inquire whether library employees experience more technology eustress or distress on the job. This question was inspired by Tarafdar et al.’s (2019) Technostress Trifecta. My study explores a facet of this theoretical framework, specifically the relationship between motivating (eustress) and discouraging (distress) technology stress. The research project used a mixedmethods approach. I implemented the Information and Communication Technology Demands, the Eustress-Distress Emotion Regulation questionnaires, and a follow-up semi-structured interview. Study participants received a recruitment email through a professional newsletter read by people who work in …

The Filipino Experience Of Kutob: Understanding Culturally-Informed Hyper-Intuition, Carl Lorenz Gaston Cervantes

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Kutob is a Filipino concept that usually refers to a sense of what may happen. It is often experienced as an omen of negative events. Despite its apparent ubiquity in everyday conversations, there is a lack of sincere academic reflection surrounding the topic of kutob. Relying on foreign (that is, western) approaches and frameworks to understand this concept may only limit it to certain categories of psychological thought. In this paper, I use the lens of indigenous psychology—in particular, Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino psychology)—to identify the nuances and contexts of kutob. I show how kutob is a function of the dynamic …

This Needs More Time!: Considerations For Improving Partnerships Between Communities And Institutions In Folklore, Sarah M. Gordon, Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth, Junious Lee Brickhouse, Ashley Minner Jones, Naomi Sturm-Wijesinghe

Art Faculty Publications

From 2021 to 2023, the authors convened a series of discussion forums at the annual meetings of the American Folklore Society to discuss the challenges of community-institutional partnerships in the field of folklore. This perspectives piece presents the outcomes of that series of panels with the goal of advancing adaptability in institutional practices to better support community-engaged work. We seek to promote practices that better respond to community needs in collaborative partnerships through disciplinary norms and institutional bureaucratic mechanisms.

Panem Et Circenses: Entertainment And Empires In The Hunger Games Series, Sydney G. Hudson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Governments have long employed entertainment as a tool of distraction. Recognized as the concept of panem et circenses or “festivals and spectacles,” governments manipulate entertainment so that citizens often willingly exchange their power for distraction and comfort. In The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins revises this narrative and uses entertainment as a tool for education.Achieving wide-reaching popularity, Collins leveraged both print and screen media to empower a generation. Collins warns against the dangers of panem et circenses and underscores the importance of hope as a force that counters societal despair and distraction. I argue that throughout The Hunger Games …

I Think You Think I'M A Virus: Metastereotype Awareness In Asian Americans, Queenie Lam

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Reports of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic are concerning, particularly given that Asian Americans may especially perceive and anticipate being stereotyped by others as virus-carrying foreigners due to their Asian American identity (e.g., increased perpetual foreigner metastereotype awareness). The present study explored metastereotype awareness (MSA) – an individual's belief that someone holds a stereotype about them as a result of their group membership – in a sample of 1.5 and 2nd generation East and Southeast Asian Americans (N = 422). Participants completed an MSA activation paradigm, followed by self-report measures assessing their MSA of the perpetual foreigner, model minority, …

Transient Stress And Childhood Maltreatment: Unraveling Their Impact On Working Memory And Emotion Dysregulation, Serena Veith

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Childhood maltreatment is associated with cognitive impairments and emotion dysregulation, with prior research documenting structural changes in stress modulation in affected individuals. This study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment and working memory (WM), focusing on the roles of stress and emotion dysregulation. While childhood maltreatment has been linked to cognitive deficits, its specific impact on adult WM remains underexplored. It was hypothesized that childhood maltreatment would negatively affect WM. However, initial analyses found no significant relationship between childhood maltreatment and baseline WM. Post-hoc analyses revealed a positive relationship between childhood maltreatment and WM improvement over time, suggesting potential resilience …

Sexual Identity Development In A Culture Of Shame: The Impact Of Non-Affirming Religious Upbringing And Internalized Homophobia On Sexual Satisfaction In Lgbtq Adults, Rhiannon Ashley Gibbs

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Internalized homophobia is a common component of the LGBTQ developmental experience which impacts sexual identity development (Peterson & Gerrity, 2006; Rowan & Malcom, 2003). As well, many LGBTQ people raised in Christian religious communities frequently grow up in environments which are not affirming of their sexualities (Barnes & Meyer, 2012; Boppana & Gross, 2019; Herek et al., 2009; Ream & Savin-Williams, 2005; Rodriquez & Oullette, 2000). While much research considers the impact of these minority stressors on LGBTQ well-being (Frost & Meyer, 2009; Herek et al. 2009; Keating & Muller, 2020), fewer consider the specific impact on sexual well- being. …

Interpersonal Functioning In The Offspring Of Trauma Survivors: An Investigation Of The Impact Of Parenting Behaviors, Attachment, And Personality On Facial Emotion Recognition, Isabelle Rachel Bachrach

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Parental post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been associated with various psychological and behavioral outcomes in their offspring. Utilizing a sample of (N=330) adult offspring of trauma-exposed parents, this study used self-report and behavioral measures to examine the relationship between parental PTSD symptom severity and adult participant’s romantic attachment insecurity, pathological personality traits, and facial emotion recognition (FER) accuracy for subtle emotional expressions. Additionally, it explored the role of maladaptive parenting behaviors on these associations. Results indicated that higher parental PTSD was associated with higher levels of parental care and an affectionate constraint parenting style. Additionally, parental PTSD was related …

An Integral Transpersonal Approach To The Self: Practical Maps And Models, Pier Luigi Lattuada

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

This work aims to focus attention on the concepts of the psyche and of self, and the participatory dialogue between the self and the world, to highlight the contribution that an integral transpersonal psychotherapy (ITP) approach of biotransenergetics (BTE) offers. The ITP approach sees the psyche as the totality of the being and the self as the unifying archetype that defifines it. Some new epistemological maps and concepts are outlined to highlight their usefulness for a clinical and research methodology based on assumptions of a transpersonal and integral order.

Efficiency Of Warm-Up Segment In Dyadic Parent Child Interaction Coding System: A Replication Study, Jayde Robinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The clinical utility of assessment and treatment practices is of growing concern in the field of psychology. The Dyadic Parent Child Interaction Rating System (DPICS) is an analog behavioral observation that is the primary assessment measure in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The clinical utility of the DPICS has the potential to be improved. Using archival data from a community sample in eastern Kentucky, this study examined the effectiveness of the five-minute warm-up segment at the beginning of the observation. The warm-up segment is meant to control for reactivity effects that may occur, however, there is little evidence that the …

School Personnel Perceptions Of School-Based Mental Health Prevention And Interventions, Kelsey Lytle

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite millions of children across the United States experiencing at least one mental health disorder about half do not receive any sort of treatment or counseling. Within schools, many children receive formal intervention services once they are identified. However, there are many other children who would benefit greatly from learning social emotional skills who have not been identified. Prevention could be a great resource to prevent children from falling through the cracks. The purpose of this study was to assess personnel perceptions on the school’s role in student mental health, mental health interventions and prevention, evidence-based practices, and barrier to …

Disproportionality Of English Learners In Special Education, Alysa Gordon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the presence of disproportionality of English learners in special education. The search process yielded evidence of both overrepresentation and underrepresentation of English learners in special education, with some studies indicating disproportionality in specific disability categories. Underrepresentation was found to be present in categories of emotional behavioral disability, speech and language impairment, other health impairment, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. Overrepresentation was found to be present in multiple disability categories, especially with specific learning disabilities and speech language impairment. Potential variables that could be contributors to overrepresentation were found to be educators’ …

Understanding The Individual Behavioral Variation Of Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus) As An Indicator Of Human Elephant Conflict, Julia Brzezicki

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) is an increasingly common event that arises from resource competition due to overlaps in human and elephant environments. Using a conservation behavior approach, the behaviors of elephants can be studied to enhance conservation efforts to mitigate HEC by better predicting which elephants engage in HEC. To understand the factors that affect individual behavioral types of adult Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), my project examined the behavioral patterns displayed by an elephant population in Sri Lanka. I collected demographic and behavioral data of a subset of 15 adult elephants to determine individual differences in five behavioral categories: Affiliation, aggression, …

Help-Seeking For Problematic Alcohol Use: Stigma, Shame, & Guilt, Olivia G. Chapell

2025 Honors Symposium

Stigmatization is a prevalent barrier to help-seeking behaviors in problematic alcohol users, especially among college-aged students. By using a cross-sectional electronic survey method, the relationship between personal or immediate family experience with substance-related treatment and perceptions of stigmatization was assessed.

“Promoting Safe Firearm Storage Through Media-Based Interventions”, Abigali Bordelon

2025 Honors Symposium

Although often underrepresented in public discussions of gun violence in the United States, unintentional pediatric shootings contributed to the ongoing gun violence endemic. These shootings routinely share characteristics which make them an ideal target for public health and injury prevention efforts. As individual's often learn about unintentional pediatric shootings and form opinions based on media reports of these incidents, it is crucial that we explore how the mainstream media is framing these events and what must be changed in order to better support prevention efforts. This project examines safe firearm storage patterns and attitudes within the U.S. and mainstream media …

Surviving Their Stripes: The Diagnostic Odyssey And Impact Of Life With Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Julianna L. Breazeale

2025 Honors Symposium

Background: Hypermobile type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is subtype of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that is a genetic connective tissue disorder with complexities involving joint hypermobility, tissue fragility and severe pain. Patients often experience misdiagnosis, medical dismissal and years of waiting for a diagnosis. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the quality of life and diagnostic journey for patients living with hEDS.

Promoting Caregiver-Child Attunement: Social Emotional Wellness Through Yoga, Gianna R. Delfino

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025

This doctoral capstone program, Social-Emotional Wellness Through Yoga: Promoting Caregiver-Child Attunement, aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a family-centered occupational therapy (OT) program designed to enhance emotional connection, co-regulation, and wellness in caregiver-child dyads at a pediatric outpatient clinic. This project was guided by a systematic review of literature on the effects of yoga on the mental health of children 3-10 years old, which suggests that yoga has positive outcomes on the mental health and wellbeing of children (Khunti et al., 2022). Grounded in neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed, and strengths-based care, the 10-week group was designed for children ages 3–11 and their …

Impulsivity And Investment Risks: A Behavioral-Economic Analysis Of Magnitude Effects In Decision-Making, Samuel C. Latty

Psychology

Human decision making involves weighing probabilistic outcomes and uncertainty alongside the magnitude of potential gains and losses. Delay discounting refers to a perceived decline in the present value of a reward as the delay to acquisition increases. Impulsivity can be reflected by an individual's preference for smaller, immediate reward compared to larger, delayed reward. Experimental manipulation of tasks such as the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) have been introduced to evaluate individual sensitivity to risk in monetary decision-making scenarios. In the current study, we compared two versions of the IGT, one with original magnitudes and one with high magnitudes. We proposed …

Devising Optimized Maize Nitrogen Stress Indices In Complex Field Conditions From Uav Hyperspectral Imagery, Jiating Li, Yufeng Ge, Laila A. Puntel, Derek M. Heeren, Geng Bai, Guillermo R. Balboa, John A. Gamon, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Yeyin Shi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen Sufficiency Index (NSI) is an important nitrogen (N) stress indicator for precision N management. It is usually calculated using variables such as leaf chlorophyll meter readings (SPAD) and vegetation indices (VIs). However, no consensus has been reached on the most preferred variable. Additionally, conventional NSI (NSI_uni) calculation assumes N being the sole yield-limiting factor, neglecting other factors such as soil water variability. To tackle these issues, this study compared various variables for NSI calculation and evaluated two new N stress indicators in minimizing the impact of confounding water treatment. The following ground- and aerial-derived variables were compared …

Proficiency And Positivity: Investigating Learner Affect Toward L2 Instructional Methods, Learner Goals, And L2 Success, Natalie Spiva

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Second language (L2) learning outcomes vary widely due to factors both internal and external to the learner, including learning and usage contexts and learner goals and motivations. Learners may feel more proficient in and positive towards an L2 if they have intrinsic motivation and positive experience with the L2. Many students in the United States are first exposed to an L2 later in life as an academic requirement, which often impedes L2 learning success and can limit the learner’s relationship with the L2 and related cultures. Because of the highly interconnected global society, investigating the experiences of today’s language learners …

How Did A Democrat Win In Deep Red Kentucky? A Study Of Andy Beshear's 2019 And 2023 Electoral Victories, Edwin Wilborn

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Democrat Andy Beshear won his first election as governor of Kentucky in 2019, surprising many by defeating an incumbent Republican governor in a GOP-dominated state and a state that Donald Trump had won handedly in 2016. While Democrats had historically been the dominant party in the commonwealth, by the time of Beshear’s 2019 gubernatorial campaign, that was no longer the case. Beshear’s ability to not only win again but to win by a larger margin against a Trump-backed candidate in 2023 begs two questions: how did Beshear win, and is his success replicable for future Democrats?

Following a discussion of …

Effects Of Regulations On Digital Asset Prices: Evidence From The Counter-Strike Game Series, John Logan Stewart

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Counter-Strike 2 are first-person-shooter video games in which players can own cosmetics for their weapons, known as “skins”. These skins can be traded, bought, or sold through various means. This study seeks to examine the effects of a regulation implemented by developers of the game which banned the sale and trade of a common tax-free medium of exchange (case keys) for these skins and seeks to classify them as either a utility-based collectible or purely a digital commodity like cryptocurrencies. Using a novel and expansive panel data set gathered from the Steam Market and econometric models …

Biocultural Mobility: The Impact Of Osteoarthritis On Rural Kentuckians, Alexandria Anderson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative joint disease that results in joint pain and loss of joint function, and it is rising in prevalence alongside an aging population. OA has a complex etiology, with various biological, mechanical, and sociocultural factors affecting its acquisition and progression. Like most diseases, OA has a differential prevalence among populations; it is disproportionally more common in underserved communities, including rural areas. This thesis presents (1) a study comparing selected OA treatment type and patient travel time, (2) a study comparing OA comorbidity amount and rurality, and (3) a discussion of exploratory interdisciplinary methods in …

The Effects Of The Replication Crisis Instruction On Skepticism, Ericka Hoppes

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Over the past decade, there has been growing concern regarding the Replication Crisis in psychology. The crisis has called into question the credibility of psychological research by highlighting the field’s difficulty in reproducing findings (Open Science Collaboration, 2015), as well as the prevalence of questionable research practices amongst psychologists (e.g., p-hacking, falsifying data, incomplete reporting of measures, etc.). Given that the crisis presents psychological research through a critical lens, learning about the aspects of the crisis can be a useful pedagogical tool for helping students develop a healthy sense of skepticism regarding scientific studies. The present study investigated how teaching …