Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Kinder Panopticon? Examining Effects Of Fairness And Justice On Performance Outcomes Under Advanced Electronic Monitoring Systems, William F. Tang

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The adoption of Electronic Performance Monitoring (EPM) systems has increased with the prevalence of remote workers post-COVID. Research indicates EPM yields conflicting performance and behavioral outcomes. EPM-related behavior can be predicted by organizational justice (the extent to which workplaces are perceived as fair in nature); environments with higher justice ratings are less likely to induce issues like stress and distrust. However, advanced EPM like electroencephalograms (EEG) may modulate the relationships between perceived fairness, stress, and work performance. This study assigned 42 participants to a modified vigilance test (based on Temple, et al., 2001), which participants took under 3 placebo monitoring …

Analyzing The Rate Of Femicide Of Indigenous Women In Rural Australia, Eliza C. Finnigan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Femicide is an increasingly prevalent issue in Australia, with rates continuing to rise, especially among Indigenous women in rural Australia, who face compounded vulnerabilities. Within literature focusing on femicide, there is a noticeable lack of direct intersection between data on rural area and Indigenous Australians. This study investigates the relationship between rurality, Indigenous status, and femicide rates from 2018 to 2023. Data was compiled from the RED HEART Campaign, focusing on different demographic factors, including Indigenous status, location, victim-offender relationship, and cause of death. Frequencies and rates were calculated using descriptive statistics and data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics …

Examining The Association Between Perceived Stigma And Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Students In Health Professions Education, Camila A. Agurto

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Racial and ethnic minority (REM) students in health professions programs in the U.S. have considerable mental health issues. Still, they are less likely to access mental health services when compared to their White peers. The stigma they face, such as —public stigma, self-stigma, or intersectional stigma, may serve as a barrier to help-seeking. Although there is increasing recognition of the barriers to mental health care experienced by these students, there is no systematic understanding of how perceived stigma associated with mental health issues affects mental health help-seeking by REM students enrolled in health professions education. This systematic literature review aims …

Florida Legislation, Sgm Identities, And Mental Health, Daniel G. Scott

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis intended to explore if and how recent restrictive Florida legislation has impacted the mental health of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. The laws focused on are HB 1557 and SB 1674, which restrict discussions of SGM individuals and bathroom options for transgender/nonbinary individuals. Prior studies suggest that restrictive legislation is associated with an increase in depression, concealment stress, and suicidality among SGM individuals (Dhanani & Totton, 2023; Rao & Mason, 2018). However, there is a dearth of literature regarding how legislation impacts identity among SGM individuals. Students (N = 297) completed an anonymous survey battery for …

Parents’ Perspectives On Emotional Regulation In Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Diana Stewart

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current study’s main research question was whether emotional dysregulation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects parental stress levels. This project examined various negative emotional reactions, such as anger, sadness, worry, anxiety, and tantrums that were present in children with an ASD diagnosis, ages 4 to 13. The research consisted of five psychological assessments with strong psychometric properties. The whole survey was supposed to be filled out by a parent or a caregiver of a child, since children are considered a vulnerable population when it comes to research. The first assessment was the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST) …

The Post-Alert Lexicon: A Multiphased Study To Develop Content For Post-Alert Messages, Jeannette Sutton, Hugh D. Walpole, Micki Olson, Lauren B. Cain, Savanah Olivas, Bruce Pollock, Nicholas Waugh

Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship

Using a multi-phased, mixed methods approach, grounded in theory on alerts and warnings, the Post-Alert Lexicon serves as a companion to the Warning Lexicon to provide evidence-based guidance on how to construct a post-alert message for 45 hazards and missing person events. We draw from the results of quantitative content analyses of a census of post-alert messages issued as Wireless Emergency Alerts from 2012-2022, and public message testing experiments for three hazard types (wildfire, earthquake, and bomb threat), to find that a focus on hazard resolution and public action, rather than the commonly employed language of “all clear,” increases message …

Remembering Change: Interdependence Between Change Awareness And Meaningful Connection In Achieving Proactive Facilitation, Paula T. Hertel, Christopher N. Wahlheim, Grant M. Kramer, Faith L. Padgett

Psychology Faculty Research

Two experiments investigated proactive facilitation (PF) or interference (PI) in the recall of recently learned targets, under conditions of assessing the detection and recollection of target changes across two learning phases (with A-B/A-D word pairs). Some changes established meaningful connections across the phases; others did not. Task instructions on the subsequent cued-recall test (Experiment 1) or during Phase-2 study (Experiment 2) guided participants (university students) to monitor and report the changes. Accuracy in cued recall conditionalized on measures of change awareness replicated previous findings in establishing conditions for PF and PI. However, PF was much reduced for unconnected materials. Moreover, …

Does The Acquirer's Complexity Affect The Market Reaction To M&A Decisions?, Rajib Chowdhury, John A. Doukas

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine whether and how acquiring firms' complexity affects investor perception at the announcement of M&A decisions. Using well-established data of firm complexity developed through combining machine learning and a lexicon of words, we find a significant positive relationship between acquiring firm complexity and cumulative abnormal returns (CAR), indicating that more intricate firms are viewed as more valuable or competent in mergers and acquisitions. This association is stronger for acquirers with high operating risk, organizational capital, R&D intensity, large and independent boards, and larger targets. We also present evidence that high-complexity bidders offer higher takeover premiums. Our study contributes to …

Are Csr Incidents Truly Bad News?, Chen Chen, John A. Doukas, Rongyao Gloria Zhang

Finance Faculty Publications

We revisit whether disclosures of negative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) incidents adversely affect firms' stock prices. While univariate tests reveal significant negative abnormal returns around incident announcements, the effect disappears once firm characteristics, industry, and time‐fixed effects are controlled for. We find no robust evidence that CSR incidents or firms' Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments influence stock price reactions on the event day or across broader windows. These results suggest that previously documented negative market responses may be attributable to endogeneity. Our baseline results are consistent with informed trading behavior: short‐sellers do not increase activity in incident‐related stocks relative …

Reference Interview Recommendations For Text And Data Mining, Laura Egan

Librarian Publications

Text and data mining (TDM) has become increasingly important in research and teaching in higher education. Researchers at all levels are engaging with larger quantities of data than previously feasible. The exponential increase in the availability of text data has resulted in a proliferation of the number of tools that facilitate text data processing and analysis. While TDM skills may have been optional or a disciplinary focus in the past, they are increasingly employed in a broader range of fields. Students and researchers may also be inspired to use TDM tools as they come across examples while looking for new …

The Potential For Albedo-Induced Climate Mitigation Using No-Till Management In Midwestern U.S. Croplands, Xian Wang, Mallory Barnes, Landon Yoder, Christopher A. Williams, Jennifer Tank, Todd Royer, Shellye Suttles, Kim Novick

Geography

No-till management is often recognized for its environmental and economic benefits, but its potential to reduce climate warming is still uncertain. Beyond ongoing debate over its effects on soil carbon storage, no-till also leaves plant residue on the surface, which can reflect more sunlight. This increase in surface reflectivity, called albedo, may help mitigate climate change by reducing the energy absorbed by the land. Here, we assessed this climate benefit of no-till across the U.S. Corn Belt using conservation survey records, county-level tillage data, and satellite observations. We found that no-till increased land surface brightness during the dormant season, reducing …

The Geography Of Rock Glaciers In The American West, Allison Reese Trcka, Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Allen Glenn

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rock glaciers are relatively common in conterminous United States west of the 100° meridian, yet their distribution and number are not well known. Using aerial and satellite imagery, we inventoried the population of rock glaciers, yielding 2,257 rock glaciers totaling 234.28 km² with an area of uncertainty of 7 percent. Of these, 1,561 (155.44 km²) are considered intact (moving) and 696 (76.84 km²) relict. Based on published estimates of ice content, total water-equivalent volume is roughly 2.52 km³. Rock glacier elevations increase from the northwest (Washington) to the southeast (Colorado), following a spatial …

He's A Builder, But Does Trump Have An Urban Agenda?, Mark Davidson

Geography

For 20 years, turbulence has defined American urbanism. In the late noughties, a global financial crisis pushed many US cities to the brink of bankruptcy. Austerity followed, with belt-tightening squeezing city services. Then came Trump, then came COVID. The pandemic would, unpredictably, make US cities cash rich thanks to the Federal government's largesse. And now we await Trump 2.0. For US cities the prospect of radical change seems real. But what type of reform will Trump bring? Herein lies the difficulty. Trump 2.0 is as hard to predict as the first version was. Immigration, tariff reform and government efficiency are …

Remedios Varo: Peregrinaciones, Julia Condes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

At the time of her death, the artist Remedios Varo (1908–1963) left behind over 500 works of art, the majority of which were created in her adopted country of Mexico. Known for her meticulously crafted fantastical paintings, Varo underwent exile and displacement due to first the Spanish Civil War, and later World War II, which led her to relocate to Mexico, where she would create prolifically for the remainder of her life. This paper will examine the effect of those experiences on the artist and the work she produced, attesting to Varo’s ability to translate complex emotions regarding the human …

The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Substance Use Amongst The Hispanic Maternal Population, Emily C. Olivo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aim: To explore and synthesize existing research that focuses on the relationship between socioeconomic status and the use of substances amongst the maternal Hispanic population. By examining research and these factors, interventions can be identified to lower reported substance use rates amongst Hispanic mothers of childbearing ages.

Background: Minorities such as Hispanic women deal with a myriad of struggles, especially during motherhood. Socioeconomic status and substance use can contribute to a large part of the struggles faced by this population. Hispanic and Latina will be used interchangeably throughout this review of literature.

Method: A comprehensive electronic review of 3 databases …

Exploring Patient-Provider Communication In Indian American Populations: A Scoping Review, Pranav S. Nadella

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Effective provider-patient communication directly influences patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, yet the unique experiences of Indian Americans—one of the fastest-growing U.S. populations—remain underexplored in communication research. This scoping review, following Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, systematically mapped the existing literature on provider-patient communication involving Indian Americans. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria, with data extracted on methods, populations, and seven coded aspects related to communication.

Findings revealed a narrow focus on first-generation immigrants and women, leaving men’s experiences and second-generation voices largely unexamined. Communication was shaped by language discordance, cultural stigma, family involvement, trust dynamics, and health literacy. No studies …

Organization And Activation Of Caffeine Expectancies, Catherine S. Forsyth

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Caffeine is the most consumed and widely used psychoactive substance in the world. Whether someone uses caffeine or not, expectations about use can be influential to some degree. Expectancies exist everywhere and are extremely influential in all aspects of life. Regarding drug use, expectancies can affect behavior, outcomes, and one’s experience with the drug. Caffeine is no exception, caffeine expectancies have been seen to play a role in several actions such as the development, maintenance, and reinforcement of caffeine use. This study examined latent use profiles of caffeine and relationships between the profiles and the activation of caffeine expectancies. Multidimensional …

Spirituality In Place: Assessment Of Spirituality, Place Attachment, And Locus Of Control In College, Chloe Armand

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore how spirituality in place shapes college students’ cognition. While spiritual development is recognized as an important aspect of student affairs, its influence on cognitive factors such as locus of control and place attachment remains underexplored. This study investigates the relationship between spirituality, place attachment, and locus of control, as well as students’ perceptions of spiritual design elements on UCF’s campus. To assess these perceptions, a Quality of Place Questionnaire for Spirituality was developed. This instrument aims to measure humanity, sensuality, and sustainability in the built environment. This research uncovers the connections between …

Addressing Barriers In The Primary Prevention Of Hypertension In Black People, Makalah Pierre Rn Bsn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypertension is a significant health concern among minority groups, and the black population is most at risk (Abrahamowicz et al., 2023). The black population experience higher prevalence rates of hypertension compared to other racial groups and are more likely to experience hypertension-related problems, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).  This literature review explores various nursing interventions aimed at preventing hypertension within this population. In this review, the term “black people or persons” is a broad term used to describe both African Americans and people of Afro-Caribbean decent. This includes various backgrounds such as Haitian, Jamaican, or otherwise …

Florida’S Gifted Education Program: Exploring The Nexus Between Giftedness And Choice Of College Major, Sterlin L. Bass

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Florida’s Gifted Education Program (FGEP) is a K-12 educational program in Florida’s public education system through which gifted students are identified and supported through individualized educational plans promoting intellectual development. The intent of this study is to explore the influence Florida’s Gifted Education Program has on the choice of major of a student and mental health outcomes. Current data revolving around different definitions of “giftedness” such as high ACT scores, SAT scores, and GPA, show a connection between negative mental health outcomes produced by the development of perfectionism. FGEP presents challenges in addressing these concerns due to non-standardized curricula across …

Solving The National Security Threat Of The United States Drug Crisis, Anna B. Freehafer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis analyzes the current drug crisis in the United States with the intention of forming a sound National Security Report and Strategy to equip current and future administrations with the necessary tools and information to adapt to the modern crisis. The number of drug induced and related deaths are rising in the U.S., which arguably is cause for alarm at the federal level. With the country divided on how to properly attack this crisis, which affects hundreds of thousands of lives across the nation, this thesis aims to provide a solution to a drug crisis that is unlike any …

Assessing The Relationship Between Perceived Psychological And Physical Pain In Adults With Orthopedic Pain, Daniel C. Karimi Dehkordi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Suicide remains a public health concern in the U.S., particularly among individuals experiencing chronic pain and psychological distress. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between perceived physical and psychological pain in 41 adults with chronic orthopedic conditions. The relationship between other risk and protective factors and perceived levels of pain distress was also examined. Results showed a significant positive correlation between psychological distress and physical pain (r(39) = 0.388, p < .05) and psychological distress and depressive/anxiety symptoms (r (39) = 0.477, p < .01). Psychological distress was moderately associated with feelings of hopelessness (r (39) = 0.403, p < .01), however, the relationship between physical pain and hopelessness was weak and nonsignificant (r (39) = -0.06, p = .71). Contrary to expectations, emotional support did not buffer the effects of psychological distress (r (39) = 0.07, p = 0.66). Mediational analysis confirmed that emotional support did not influence the relationship between physical pain and psychological distress (Beta (β) = -0.969, p = 0.572; Sobel Z = 0.5598, p = 0.575). Age was not correlated with psychological distress (r (39) = -0.24, p = 0.13) or mental health symptoms (r (39) = -0.05, p = .77). While there was no significant difference across sex, males reported higher mental health symptomatology and psychological distress scores than female counterparts. These findings underscore the direct impact of physical pain on psychological distress and challenge assumptions about the protective role of social support. The study highlights the need for integrated, multidisciplinary interventions targeting both physical and psychological pain to mitigate suicide risk among individuals with chronic orthopedic conditions. Future research should iii explore alternative support mechanisms and resilience-building strategies to address the complex interplay of pain, distress, and suicidality.

Exploring The Potential Use Of Health-State Indexes To Improve Estimates Of Health Benefits Of Environmental Regulation, Madison G. Drewry

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study explores a novel method to calculate the willingness to pay (WTP) for individuals of the general population to reduce the risk of having an illness. The purpose of the study is to observe the implications of the possibility to produce more accurate value of a statistical case (VSC) estimates for usage in regulatory agencies and environmental economics within benefit cost analyses (BCA). By joining aspects from both BCA and cost effectiveness analysis (CEA), such as the health-related quality of life (HRQL), and the value of a statistical life (VSL), this research aims to provide a more precise framework …

A Systematic Review Of Dietary Trends, Influencing Factors, And Their Impacts On Cardiovascular Health In Turkish Populations, Pelin L. Özoğlu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, including in Türkiye. One key factor influencing CVD prevention is dietary patterns, which directly impacts cardiovascular health. Türkiye traditionally follows the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), which is acclaimed for its cardiovascular benefits. Despite this, Türkiye continues to experience high rates of CVD, with projections indicating that CVD mortality will double for both men and women by 2030. It is crucial to address diet-related factors, including potential nutritional deficiencies, to reduce cardiovascular health risks.

This research aims to analyze the Turkish community's adherence to the Mediterranean diet to understand why CVD prevalence …

The Stigmatization Of Autism – Why It’S Still Present And How It Affects Women And Individuals Assigned Female At Birth (Afab), Emma Drauer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explain some key factors (the theory of mind notion and the narrow perception of autism) that contribute to the stigmatization of autism and the impact this has on autistic women. Autistic women are heavily underrepresented, especially in the scholarly discourse, so this thesis collected first person accounts of autistic experiences through a survey and interviews. This data revealed important information such as the benefits of a diagnosis, how stigma can prevent this and have consequences, and the struggles autistic women face. Unmasking these struggles can help make the general public aware of their …

Stem Vs. Non-Stem Students’ Stimulant Misuse For Academic Advantages, Camille H. Allie

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aimed to explore the relationship between academic discipline, caffeine consumption, reported perception of stimulant misuse behaviors, and reported academic stress at the University of Central Florida. Participants were categorized as either STEM or non-STEM majors and reported whether they had misused stimulants in the past 12 months and their daily average caffeine consumption. Due to the low number of participants who reported stimulant misuse, caffeine consumption was incorporated, grouping participants as either “above median” caffeine consumption or “below median” caffeine consumption. Two 2 (Caffeine Consumption: High vs. Low) x 2 (Major: STEM vs. Non-STEM) between-subjects ANOVAs were conducted …

Using Different Measures To Explore Confidence Bias In Video Games, Laura Valdes-Vega

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Researchers have been debating whether video games influence our cognitive and perceptual processing abilities. There are two notable gaps in the video game literature, which are (1) the lack of objective performance measures and (2) not addressing participants’ confidence ratings. This study addressed both by examining (1) the relationship between confidence and performance scores, (2) changes in confidence after gameplay, and (3) the relationship between self-reported play hours and AimLabs performance. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining AimLabs data with pre- and post-game confidence ratings. Participants were grouped (high, medium, low) based on reported weekly play hours and three perceptual …

Florida’S Shift From Swing State To Republican Solid State, Alex Alonso Toledo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis seeks to understand better the changes in Florida’s recent state-level politics. Florida has recently been considered a competitive state on the national political stage, but in the last few years, it has favored the Republican Party. Using publicly-available data and information from databases allows me to lay the foundation for investigating the shift towards the Republican Party in the state. It is important to research this topic to show why specific political strategies adopted can cause significant changes in the political environment, thereby affecting how the public views and supports political parties.

Advancing Deib In Our Communities: How To Gain Leadership Experience At Work In A Non-Supervisory Role: Advocacy, Conversations, And Creating Change, Jason Tubinis, Havilah Joy-Steinmen Bakken, Aamir Abdullah, Valerie Horton

Scholarly Works

The article emphasizes the critical role of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in librarianship and legal professions, highlighting the challenges of information overload and the importance of advocacy. It provides strategies to manage information effectively and stay informed, advocating for the use of reliable sources and critical media literacy to navigate misinformation.

Streamlining Digital Elevation Model Construction From Historical Aerial Photographs: The Impact Of Reference Elevation Data On Spatial Accuracy, Xin Hong, Christopher H. Roosevelt

All Works

This study proposes a streamlined workflow for producing historical digital elevation models (hDEMs) from scanned 1950s aerial photographs using structure-from-motion and multi-view-stereo (SfM-MVS) techniques along with co-registration methods. We also conducted a sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of DEM references with varying spatial resolutions on the SfM-MVS process and co-registration accuracy. The DEM references included a 30 m SRTM DEM (low resolution), a 12 m TanDEM-X DEM (medium resolution), and a 5 m DEM provided by the General Directorate of Mapping of the Ministry of National Defense, Republic of T & uuml;rkiye (high resolution). Results indicate that higher resolution …