Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Psychometric Evaluation Of A Novel Measure Of Trauma-Related Cannabis Use To Cope, Sage E. Hawn, Terrell A. Hicks, Christopher Latourrette, Anita Thomas, Daniela Chaname, Sarah Ehlke, Abigail Powers Lott

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are commonly comorbid and are associated with many negative public health outcomes. One plausible explanation for this comorbidity comes from a self-medication framework, which suggests people use cannabis to cope with PTSD symptoms. Despite theoretical and empirical evidence for PTSD-related cannabis use to cope, no measure of this construct exists.

Objective: We sought to address this gap by developing and validating a novel measure of PTSD-specific cannabis self-medication, which we have termed the Trauma-Related Cannabis Use to Cope (TRCU) questionnaire.

Method: The psychometric properties of the TRCU and how it …

Graduate And Undergraduate Quantitative Education In Psychology In The United States: A Mixed Methods Approach, Abby L. Braitman, James M. Henson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Quantitative methodology is part of the core curriculum for training in psychology and is required of graduate students across all subdisciplines; as such, the depth and breadth of course content is a universal issue among psychology training programs. Required and supplemental quantitative content is constantly evolving with the development of new techniques or applications. Therefore, the purpose of this inquiry was fourfold; we aimed to (1) describe the current state of undergraduate quantitative education and establish a common set of current undergraduate curricular topics; (2) characterize graduate quantitative education in terms of required coursework, optional coursework, and omitted topics; (3) …

Am I As Effective At Identifying Emotions As Artificial Intelligence? A Comparative Study Of Emotional Recognition, Traci R. Grove, Alexandra T. Lucas, Maryann Martin, Cathleen M. Deckers, Lulu Sherif Mahmood, Nicole Danaher-Garcia, Mark W. Scerbo, Suzan Kardong-Edgren, Janice C. Palaganas

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Learning conversations, or dialogues aimed at deepening understanding and reflection, are deeply influenced by emotions. Effective communication is influenced by emotional intelligence - the ability to recognize, understand, and manage both one’s own and others’ emotions. While advances in artificial intelligence (AI) offer new tools for emotion recognition, these technologies still struggle with accurately interpreting subtle and culturally diverse emotional expressions, sparking debate about their reliability and effectiveness. This article provides a comparative analysis of human versus AI recognition of emotions during an end-of-course reflective learning conversation.

Methods

Emotions during a structured post-conference debriefing were analyzed and coded by …

Similarity May Be Safer: The Effect Of Similarity Between Speech-Based Takeover Request Style And Driver Personality On Self-Driving Takeover Performance, Keer Ma, Jianfeng Wu, Yanxi Lin, Zihan Li, Songyang Guo, Dongfang Jiao, Shihan Yu

Psychology Faculty Publications

In Level 3 automated driving, it is critical that drivers can rapidly and effectively shift from non-driving related tasks (NDRT) back to the driving task. While previous research has examined the modality, timing, and vocal characteristics of takeover requests (TORs), little is known about how the style of speech-based TORs interacts with drivers’ personality traits. This study conducted a driving simulator experiment with 49 participants using a 2 × 2 within-subjects design. Drawing on the dominant-submissive dimension of personality, we examined the similarity of personality tendencies between speech-based TORs and drivers under takeover scenarios of varying urgency (low: road construction; …

Impact Of Geography On Institutions In Agricultural And Nomadic Societies, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

How geography affects the choice of institutions is studied in a theoretical model. In this model, nations are located around a circle. Rulers compete through choosing tax rates, the level of military spending, and the degree of formality of institutions. Geographic condition is captured by population density. It is shown that societies with higher population densities choose lower tax rates, establish more formal institutions, and give government officials lower levels of autonomies than those with lower population densities do. A higher level of external threats induces a ruler to choose a higher level of autonomy for officials. The model is …

Unconventional Philosophies And Practices: Vietnamese Family Firm Performance In Multiple Countries, Amon Simba, Mai Thi Thanh Thai, Aymen Ammari, James V. Koch, Paul Jones

Economics Faculty Publications

The diversity of business philosophies and practices across family firms suggests their performance is influenced by factors that can be hard to isolate or understand. Based on 215 observations of Vietnamese firms operating in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, we use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis techniques to discern the configurational relationships underlying their performance pathways. Of the 64 possible configurations, three pathways with a high consistency (95 percent) for high performance are distinguishable. These three pathways are characterized by varying degrees of family labor involvement, social network-based labor sourcing, and capital contributions from partners. They reveal how cultural factors, …

Restored Wetlands Show Rapid Vegetation Recovery And Substantial Surface-Water Expansion, Thilina D. Surasinghe, Yin-Hsuen Chen, Kunwar K. Singh

Center for Geospatial Science, Education & Analytics Faculty Publications

Ecological restoration is essential for improving the ecological integrity of degraded ecosystems to enhance ecosystem services and biodiversity. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of wetland restoration on retired cranberry farms by analyzing vegetation recovery and surface-water dynamics using the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) derived from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. To quantify temporal dynamics of both vegetation recovery and surface-water cover, we identified the spectral distinctions among restored wetland plant communities. Our results indicated the emergence of distinct plant communities upon restoration. Restored wetlands in general showed significant and progressive vegetation recovery and expanding …

Performance Auditing Trends At A Supreme Audit Institution: Uk National Audit Office, 1999 To 2021, Amir Michael, Laurence Ferry, Bruce Mcdonald, Henry Midgley

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Performance audits have become increasingly important across the world. Scholars know that a variety of practices are incorporated within performance audits and have mapped this diversity. However, few quantitative studies examine performance auditing as a practice. This study fills that gap. By analyzing the published performance audit documentation of the UK National Audit Office (NAO), the study explores the influences of governmental change and crises behind changes in a supreme audit institution's performance audit. It also examines whether performance audits are diverse by examining the language used by the auditors. The study provides evidence that neither crises nor changes of …

Threats To Democracy: A Danger To Social Justice For All, José Luis Irizarry, Rajade M. Berry-James, Duchess D. Humphrey, Rachel Emas, Bruce D. Mcdonald Iii, James Nordin, Michael Lee, Lindsey L. Evans, Anthony M. Starke Jr., Jay M. Grosflam

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This essay argues that threats to democracy—both global and domestic—pose an existential risk to the advancement of social justice. It explores how democratic backsliding undermines efforts to achieve social justice for all, examining anti-democratic practices such as misinformation, voter suppression, institutional dismantling, and the politicization of public service. Highlighting the interdependence between democratic institutions and social equity in public governance, the authors propose a multilevel response framework to foster democratic resilience through civic engagement, institutional accountability, and collective action. In this essay, members of the Board of the Section on Democracy and Social Justice (DSJ) of the American Society for …

Budgeting For Social Equity: Exploring The (Nearly) Unknown, Bruce D. Mcdonald Iii, Sean M. Mccandless

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Public administration has become increasingly concerned with social equity, particularly in budgetary processes. Local governments have adopted so-called equity budgeting practices, yet little is understood about how and why they are adopted; what budgeting practices are deemed social equity budgeting versus traditional budgeting; what is required to adopt and implement social equity budgeting successfully; and how success is measured. We analyzed government and nonprofit documents on social equity budgeting, followed by interviews with local government budget directors serving “early adopter cities” of social equity budgeting practices. We developed a framework of social equity budgeting practices to link the findings regarding …

Admiring Ukrainian Authors, Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"These personal stories, filled with such profound suffering and yet also extraordinary resilience, reflect the reality that many of our Ukrainian colleagues live with daily. Despite the constant threat to their lives, many Ukrainian scholars continue to write and contribute to academic discourse. Their commitment to their work and their unwavering dedication to knowledge in the face of such adversity is a testament to the power of the human spirit."

Islam, Memory, And Denial: Preserving Bosniak Identity After The Srebrenica Genocide, Alek Barović

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The role of the Bosniak Islamic Community in preserving identity and collective memory of the Srebrenica genocide remains a subject of ongoing debate among Bosniaks in Bosnia, the wider Balkan region, and the diaspora. This paper explores how Bosniaks perceive the Islamic Community’s efforts in shaping and sustaining post-genocide identity through religious, cultural, and educational initiatives. By analyzing narratives from survivors, religious leaders, and community members, this study investigates whether the Islamic Community is seen as a central institution in the preservation of historical memory or as one actor among many in the broader struggle against denial and historical revisionism. …

The Religious Factor In The Imperial Judicial Policy Of The Right-Bank Ukraine (1797-1830), Andrii Shevchuk, Oksana Markevych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the religious factor in the imperial judicial policy on the territory of Right-Bank Ukraine (1797-1830). The transformation of the region's judicial system after its incorporation into the Russian Empire is analyzed through the prism of confessional relations. On the basis of archival materials and published sources, the peculiarities of the functioning of judicial institutions in the context of religious stratification of society are revealed. The specifics of staffing of judicial institutions by representatives of different denominations, particularly the dominance of the Catholic szlachta (nobility) in the county and major courts, are highlighted. The author traces the evolution …

Faith, Freedom, And Friction: The Intersection Of Intimate Citizenship And Religion In Central And Eastern Europe, Evelina Juchnevičiūtė Ms.

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Intimate citizenship, a dimension of citizenship that emerged from the second wave of feminism, refers to rights related to intimate life, including women’s reproductive rights, same-sex relationships, and other related rights. In Central and Eastern Europe, these rights have been shown to come into conflict with the region’s deeply embedded religious values that have historically shaped societal norms around reproduction, gender, and sexuality. The present study employed a mixed-method systematic literature review, combining bibliometric and thematic analyses, to examine academic literature on the intersection of intimate citizenship and religion in Central and Eastern Europe. The review covered the period 1990-2024 …

The Battle For The Church Of St. Francis In A Town In The Czech Republic Between “Hipster-Culture” And “Tradition” - Discourses In Religiosity, Youth, And Intra-Parish Civic Engagement – A Case Study, Jan Váně, Jan Kaňák

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The relationship between civic engagement and religiosity is an already relatively researched and described phenomenon. However, insufficient attention is paid to the phenomenon of civic engagement within the parish, and moreover in the context of various discourses of religiosity In the article, we present an answer to the question: How do various discourses and their dominant positions influence Intra-Parish Civic Engagement of Youths? To formulate the answer, we use elements of constructivist grounded theory. Based on the analysis of 14 interviews and 36 documents, we describe the course of the process of dominance of traditional and hipster-culture discourse, which played …

Digital Orthodoxy And Political Populism In Eastern Europe: How Orthodox Media Facilitate Political Mobilization, Dmytro Garaschuk, Oleh Sokolovskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the intersection of Orthodox digital media and political populism in Eastern Europe, focusing on how religious institutions utilize digital platforms to facilitate political mobilization, reinforce nationalistic narratives, and undermine democratic institutions. Drawing on a comparative analysis of six countries–Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, and Montenegro–the study identifies a shared ideological matrix that fuses populist rhetoric with theological motifs. The research highlights the strategic use of digital media by Orthodox actors to construct moral binaries, sacralize political resistance, and disseminate disinformation framed in religious language. Particular attention is given to the role of the Russian Orthodox Church and …

The Interplay Between Friendship Quality And Emotion Regulation In The Prediction Of Weight-Related Concerns Among Adolescent Girls, Vasavi Ganesan Shanthi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to weight-related concerns such as body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and body surveillance. These issues are often linked to difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) and the quality of friendships. This study explored how ER and friendship quality, both independently and interactively, predict these weight-related issues. A sample of 106 girls aged 11–21 completed questionnaires on ER, friendship quality, body dissatisfaction, objectified body consciousness, and disordered eating behaviors. Results from hierarchical regression analyses showed that greater ER difficulties were significantly associated with increased body dissatisfaction, emotional eating, and restrained eating. Additionally, negative friendship quality predicted emotional eating. …

Evaluating Educational Bias In Executive Function Assessments: A Comparison Of Reacstick And The Nih Toolbox In Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis, Maura Lane

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the influence of educational attainment on executive function performance across two cognitive assessment tools—ReacStick (RS) and the National Institute of Health Cognition Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIH Toolbox-CB)— in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants with confirmed MS diagnoses completed both cognitive assessment tools, and the correlation between years of education and task performance was analyzed to evaluate the presence of educational bias. Results showed that NIH Toolbox-CB scores were significantly associated with education level, whereas RS parameters did not demonstrate this relationship. These findings suggest that RS performance may be less influenced by educational background and could …

The Pathways Of Father-Child Attachment: Examining Conflict Communication, Emotion Regulation, And Psychopathology In Emerging Adults, Kanica Bhutoria

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Emerging adulthood is marked by instability, identity exploration, and heightened vulnerability to mental health difficulties. Parental attachment relationships shape emotion regulation and conflict communication during this transition, with implications for psychopathology. Using a cross-sectional survey design, this study examined associations among attachment-related anxiety and avoidance toward mothers and fathers, conflict communication, emotion regulation strategies, and psychopathology in 334 emerging adults. Participants completed measures of parental attachment; conflict communication; behavioral and cognitive emotion regulation strategies; and internalizing, externalizing, substance use, and crime-related symptoms. Attachment-related anxiety toward both parents was associated with elevated internalizing symptoms. Greater conflict communication with fathers was uniquely …

The Effects Of An Organizational Shift To Pay Transparency On Employees’ Justified Under-Met Pay Standing Expectations And Turnover Intentions, Heather Godsey

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Pay transparency is becoming more commonplace within U.S. organizations, due to the enactment of state pay transparency laws attempting to reduce the gender wage gap and broader calls for greater transparency in organizations. While transparency may be ideal, its effects on employee attitudes and behaviors are unclear. This study explored a potential unintended outcome of pay transparency, employee turnover, by examining how fairness perceptions mediate the justified under-met pay standing expectations and employees’ turnover intentions relationship, while investigating gender and justice sensitivity as moderators. A sample of 426 participants experienced an organizational shift from pay secrecy to pay transparency and …

Ukrainian Scientists In The War: Surviving And Being Useful, Nataliia Ishchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"Russia’s war against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and escalated with the full-scale invasion in 2022, has wrought profound and tragic changes in Ukrainian society. The impact on scholars and university educators has been particularly significant, as they face numerous challenges affecting their safety, personal lives, and professional activities...Currently, the majority of scholars and university educators remain in Ukraine. Their conscious decision to endure the hardships of war alongside their people reflects their deep commitment to their homeland."

Steering Towards A Permanent Schism? The Establishment Of The Russian Orthodox Exarchate In Africa, Pål Kolstø

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

When the Ecumenical Patriarch granted the Orthodox Church of Ukraine autocephalous status in 2019, in what was hitherto recognized as the the canonical territory the Moscow patriarchate (MP), the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) retaliated two years later by establishing an Exarchate in the territory of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, one of the churches which sided with the Ecumenical Patriarch. In a few years’ time ROC had recruited more than 200 clerics in Africa who formerly served in the Patriarchate of Alexandria.

By moving from verbal protests to confrontational action, Moscow has drastically reduced the possibility of finding a compromise solution. …

Customizable Vr Driving Experiences: Balancing User Comfort And Interactivity, Kaihao Tian

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Driving games and vehicle simulations have been a prominent genre in the gaming world, thriving on traditional platforms like consoles and PCs. Despite the advances in virtual reality (VR) technology, the genre has seen limited success in VR, largely due to challenges in balancing user comfort, immersion, and the physical constraints of VR hardware. The primary issue arises from the conflicting goals of interactivity and comfort. While VR offers an immersive, high-speed experience with dynamic steering and rapid movements, these same elements often cause discomfort and cybersickness, undermining the very immersion that VR promises.

This research aims to address these …

Urban Horizons: Navigating Sustainable Practices In 15-Minute Cities, Raul Allen Mejia

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Climate change poses a pressing challenge of the modern age. With wide-ranging implications for society, many fields play a role in shaping public policy and fostering awareness about the environmental crisis. One approach, the 15-minute city, aims to ensure that all essential services and amenities are accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. This vision reflects a shift toward more sustainable and resilient urban environments. Cities such as Amsterdam, Boston, and Oxford, in adopting key elements of this concept, present diverse case studies for understanding how 15- minute city frameworks can effectively maximize socioeconomic interests. The analysis of Amsterdam’s …

Floating Signifiers: Ai, Semiotics, And The Crisis Of Meaning In Music, Kehinde Aruwajoye

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis examines how AI-generated music disrupts traditional meaning-making processes in musical expression. Through semiotic analysis (Saussure, Peirce) and cultural theory (Hall), I demonstrate how AI produces technically proficient but culturally hollow compositions, what I term "floating signifiers." Case studies reveal AI's inability to replicate the lived experiences that give music its depth, despite accurate stylistic reproductions. The work identifies three fundamental losses: contextual grounding, authentic hybridity, and historical consciousness. I propose ethical frameworks for human-AI collaboration that preserve music's essential humanity while leveraging algorithmic capabilities. Ultimately, this research shifts the debate from technical possibility "Can AI compose?" to cultural …

Moral Foundations For Peacebuilding Dialogue: A Comparative Analysis Of Orthodoxy And Islam, Aleksandr Grizhev, Ivan Blazhevski, Ruzhica Cacanoska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Throughout history, religion has been invoked in both peaceful and violent contexts, often manipulated to serve political agendas. However, beneath the surface of conflict, the foundational moral teachings of religions can provide powerful tools for reconciliation. This paper explores the shared moral principles in Orthodox Christianity and Islam, focusing on benevolence, equity, and moderation, to highlight their potential for fostering dialogue and resolving conflicts. By comparing the ethical teachings of the Bible and the Quran, the analysis reveals that both religions emphasize compassion, equity, and self-restraint as core values. Despite the historical use of these faiths to justify division and …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Desertification Sensitivity And Influencing Factors Across The Western Inner Mongolia Plateau, China, Yang Chen, Long Ma, Xixi Wang, Tingxi Liu, Zixu Qiao

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Desertification remains a critical global ecological and environmental challenge that threatens sustainable development. Although our understanding of desertification dynamics and their underlying drivers has improved, continued research is needed due to the region-specific nature of these processes. This study focuses on the Western Inner Mongolia Plateau in China as a case study to examine the evolution of desertification and its driving factors using a multifaceted approach, including the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model. Results show that the desertification sensitivity index (DSI) across the plateau ranged from 1.12 in prairie regions to 1.87 in desert areas, with a spatial …

Laboratory Investigation Of Shape And Initial Orientation Effects On Surf Zone Object Migration, Temitope E. Idowu, Jack A. Puleo

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Discarded objects like munitions in marine environments pose public safety risks. The behavior of various density objects deployed at four cross-shore positions in the surf zone of a large-scale 120 m x 5 m x 5 m wave flume were observed under different forcing conditions. Net migration was predominantly directed offshore, with approximately 70 % offshore migration observed near the outer surf zone. Density, shape, and initial orientation were identified as important to object behavior, with density acting as the dominant driver in 67 % of the object pairing scenarios. The influence of shape and initial orientation on net migration …

Hungarian Ruling Political Party Fidesz’S ‘Soft Power’ Use Of Religion: Themes, Networks, Partnerships, Alexander Faludy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article aims to stimulate better understanding of Fidesz’s use of religion as a ‘soft power’ tool. Exploring the Hungarian government’s ‘soft power’ has lately engaged the attention of professional researchers. The use of religious messaging, networks, and opinion formers to propagate positive images of Fidesz abroad has, however, largely been overlooked. This essay argues that such use has been both substantial and successful. The article’s primary focus will be on the use made of Christianity in government aligned communications and network building. Attention will, however, also be paid to the subsidiary roles played by Fidesz’s outreach to both Jewish …

Topics Of Historical Memory In The Pr Activities Of Religious Organizations In Present-Day Ukraine, Vadym Sluysar, Yuliia Kondratiuk, Iryna Vitiuk, Oleksandr Mosienko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the role of religious organizations in Ukraine in shaping and preserving historical memory in the context of their PR activities. The article examines the contribution of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), Protestant denominations, and Muslim organizations to the popularization of objective historical narratives. Through participation in memorial events, restoration of monuments, organization of scientific conferences, exhibitions, lectures, and publication of historical materials, religious organizations contribute to the formation of national and civic identity. Particular attention is paid to the coverage of tragic events such as the Holodomor, the deportation of Crimean …