Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Memorable Messages Regarding Adoption And Religion: Perspectives Of Adult Adoptees, Kendall Maes, Katherine Martin

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Adoptive parents commonly report religious motivations as a driver in their decision to adopt (Helder & Marr, 2020) and a small literature examines ways that adoptive parents use religious meaning-making to frame their experience as adoptive parents (Firmin, 2017). However, little research has examined the perspective of adult adoptees regarding memorable messages linking religion and adoption that they heard while growing up and the impact of these messages. Adoptees encounter microaggressions, when individuals make assumptions based on the adoptee's race, ethnicity, or background. This has a negative effect on the mental health of adoptees. The current study sought to identify …

Beyond Ethnicity: Perceptions Of Racial Identity Among Latina/O/X Students At An Hwcu, Sebastian Lema

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

The Latino population in the United States has grown significantly, contributing to 52% of the nation's population growth in the past decade, according to the Pew Research Center. While research often focuses on the Latino population’s ethnicity, it often overlooks the diverse spectrum of racial identities within this community, leading to a homogenized understanding of their experiences. This study challenges this by examining how Latina/o/x students at Hope, categorized as White-identifying (WI), non-White-identifying (NWI), and international students (IS), perceive their racial identity in the context of privilege, racism, colorism, and belonging. Our total sample is 55 students (20 WI, 20 …

Examining Regression Assumption Violations In Machine Learning Models Using The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Dataset, Grace Mooney Anderson, Melia Brewer

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

A growing practice within the psychological sciences is a reliance on machine learning models for data analysis. Machine learning models may have profound implications for improving human well-being and health (e.g., Walsh et al., 2017). However, like any statistical model, machine learning requires that the assumptions of linear regression are met, though the implications of violating these assumptions in machine learning models are unknown. Our study investigates these potentially stark consequences by testing machine learning models in simulated data with built-in assumption violations, as well as a publicly available dataset. We hypothesize that when regression assumptions are violated, we will …

Effects Of Empathic Concern, Social Support, Health, And Burnout On Undergraduate Pre-Health And Nursing Students’ Stress, Caroline Davenport

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Stress among undergraduate students is an inevitable consequence of difficult studies, and this may especially be the case for pre-health and pre-nursing students. This research was aimed to determine whether the level, type, or combination of stressors affected pre-health and pre-nursing majors to greater degrees or in different ways. The data come from 531 undergraduate students who initially self-identified as pursuing either a pre-health or pre-nursing degree, and were surveyed once per year. The present data set includes Freshman through Junior years. The second and third wave asked students about their greatest stressors (open ended) and numerically rate the degree …

Moral Foundations In Undergraduate Pre-Health Students, Grace Rellinger

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Moral Foundations Theory argues that there is an automatic nature to the decisions that we make. These can be of significant importance to healthcare professionals who make decisions impacting their patients' lives. Throughout their undergraduate years, students begin to solidify their identity and develop their morals in this formative time. This could be shaped by the pre-health professional track or more specifically what the student studies during this time. Political beliefs are also evolving during this stage and have a consistent relationship with moral foundations. There is also a tentative relationship between empathy and each foundation. Currently, research does not …

He Said, She Said: The Role Of Gender And Task-Oriented Communication, Bridget Hodgkin, Lauren Schiller

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Men and women are expected to communicate differently based on societal stereotypes. This has made it difficult for women to engage in task-oriented communication without receiving negative evaluations from others. The present study attempts to investigate how these expectations influence people's perceptions of messages delivered by both men and women in a collegiate setting. A mock text message within a group project hypothetical situation was sent by either a female or male. Participants only viewed one condition and were asked to rate the likability and competence of the sender based on their message. Results indicated that there were no significant …

"Flirting Or Hurting?": Perceptions Of Flirtatious Textings' Appropriateness, Alana Policastro, Kate Gaynor, Anika Verbeek, Olivia Budzisz

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

With this century's rise of technology, new texting behaviors have not only been introduced, but have grown in their capacity for emotional intensity. This emotional intensity often translates into the forming of both platonic and romantic relationships online, as the online space acts as an easier "buffer space" for the relationships to begin. Understanding more about the perceptions of flirting behavior over text messaging is essential to develop more clear boundaries for romantic partners in an increasingly online world. This study addresses the link between relationship-status and perceived level of appropriateness of varying degrees of online flirtatious behavior. Using pre-written …

The Effect Of Different Timing Schedules On Learning In Individuals With And Without Adhd, Carmen Casper, Chloe Swanson, Ethan De Koker, Lauren Tocco, Emily Mccloskey, Isabelle Vanantwerpen

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Background. Learning involves encoding and retaining information. Previous studies have investigated different methods that lead to the greatest learning. Two common methods are massing—studying one topic during one time period and spacing—interleaving topics and studying across multiple sessions. Massing may facilitate encoding (Carvalho & Goldstone, 2014, 2015), whereas spacing is the best route to retention (Cepeda et al., 2008). However, which of these methods is best for individuals with symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is untested.

Approach. We tested individuals with and without ADHD symptoms. We also included a novel timing schedule called "clustering" that combines aspects of spacing …

What’S My Social Distance? Measuring Individual Differences In Personal Space, Tasia Parsons, Tyler Kennedy, Erica Williams, Marella Piazza, Lauren Zago

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Personal space is a concept that was brought into public awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic, when safety precautions were put in place to inhibit natural tendencies to stand particular distances apart. Although a number of variables influence preferred distances (Hayduk, 1983), researchers have yet to evaluate the extent to which people naturally vary in their preferences. This study was designed to investigate preferred personal space during social interactions employing the social relations model (Kenny, 1994). This model proposes that social behavior is explained by three sources of variance: the actor (the tendency to act the same way to all people), …

The Different Impacts On Mental Health From Burnout And Boredom In Undergraduate Pre-Health And Nursing Students, Lexi Siefke

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Poor mental health has been shown in pre-medical students starting in undergraduate and persisting throughout their careers (Fang et al. 2010). Further, mental health has also been associated with burnout in medical student populations and boredom in general populations, making it difficult to distinguish burnout and boredom from one another. Research has not shown how mental health, boredom, and burnout relate to and are different from one another in undergraduate students. Our data include 510 pre-health and nursing students in three separate cohorts, each surveyed over the course of four years. To measure mental health, students were asked how many …

Death Stranding: A New Digital Ecology, Jordan Long

Theses and Dissertations

This essay analyzes Death Stranding, the 2019 release from contemporary game auteur Hideo Kojima. Here, I discuss the unique potentialities of this game world, detailing the ways in which Death Stranding expresses ecological perspectives. Asynchronous multiplayer serves as a unique metagame, helping to prove that play is a process of action which facilitates ecological thinking. The world of Death Stranding is filled with strange objects. The nonhuman entities that the player encounters throughout the game, for example, seem entirely alien. And yet, when these entities are properly understood, we realize that their inclusion is necessary--and natural. Your "job" in the …

The National Basketball Association Communications Strategy For The 2019-20 Season Restart, Trevor Dale Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the NBA's communications efforts from June 4 to July 30, 2020 as it prepared for an unprecedented season restart in the early days of a global pandemic. While scholars have examined the media's framing of the NBA in this period, there is a gap in the literature when looking at the official NBA communications strategy of the organization itself. As the first study to use risk communication theory in a sports scenario while also employing corporate social advocacy as the second theoretical basis of analysis, this qualitative study is a thematic and textual analysis of 14 NBA …

“It Didn’T Hurt Me”: Patients’ And Providers’ Perspectives On Unsupervised Take‑Home Doses, Drug Diversion, And Overdose Risks In The Provision Of Medication For Opioid Use Disorder During Covid‑19 In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Roberto Abadie, Celia B. Fisher

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Background During the COVID−19 pandemic, clinics offering medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) needed to rapidly introduce unsupervised take−home dosing, while relapsing patients and patients unable to enter treatment faced increased risks of fentanyl−related overdose deaths and other drug−related harms. Based on a qualitative study of people who inject drugs (PWID) receiving MOUD treatment and MOUD staff in Puerto Rico, this paper documents the lived experiences of patients and providers during this period and the risk perceptions and management strategies to address substance misuse and drug diversion attributable to unsupervised take−home−dose delivery

Methods In−depth qualitative interviews were conducted with patients …

Foster Parent Experiences Of Stress During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rebekah Yurschak

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Foster parents face many unique parenting challenges due to their role. Many foster parents feel isolated and may lack close friends who understand their experiences. They face constant change and uncertainty as they navigate the caring of vulnerable children, often with complex needs and in complex situations. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these feelings of isolation and uncertainty, as well as adding increased stress to the lives of foster parents. The present study explored the experience of stress among foster parents during COVID-19. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 licensed foster parents in one Midwestern state during the summer of …

How Do Just Beliefs Develop? A Systematic Review Of The Research, Allison Bartels, Alexa Burgess, Laniah Dennis, Nhi Hoang, Jae'la Leavy, Erin Moran, Katherine Yakes, Allie Prindle

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Psychological research on the perception of justice has developed the concept of belief in a just world (BJW; Dalbert, 2009). This model includes the General BJW (G-BJW)—people's justice perception of the world in general and Personal BJW (P BJW)—a perception of how fair their personal life is (Likpus et al., 1996; Dalbert, 1999). Adolescence is a crucial time for legal socialization and justice beliefs, yet there is little consensus about the development of these beliefs. The current study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on adolescents' BJW to clarify the existing data on their normative developmental trajectories in youth. …

Art Vs. The Artist: Can It Be Separated?, Simon Awad, Timothy Ramfos, Antonio Popp, Ja'kaurie Kirkland

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Whether people should, or can, separate the personal lives of artists and the arts that they create is a continuous debate in contemporary society. Such questions typically arise when topics within an artist's personal life, perhaps mired in controversy, are juxtaposed with that artists' ability to create significant and even masterful works. This study aims to experimentally test the extent to which people might be able to "separate" their perceptions of artists with their perceptions of their art. A between groups experiment featuring a musical artist was conducted which exposed participants to three (3) manipulations of an artist’s background (negative, …

Adult Dysphagia: Interprofessional Support Groups And Holistic Approaches, Natalie Bekmetjev, Abigail Mosher

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

This research project investigates Adult Dysphagia, a condition characterized by difficulties in swallowing, and its various impacts on daily life. Common causes of adult dysphagia include radiation treatment, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Parkinson’s disease. Beyond its physical manifestations, dysphagia has significant psychosocial implications given the role of food and eating in our daily lives, affecting relationships and evoking emotions such as shame and fear of choking. Recognizing the limitations in traditional approaches to treatment, our study emphasizes the importance of an interprofessional support group. Traditional interventions often have limited time to address the many different aspects of dysphagia and …

The Home-Concept: A Descriptive Analysis Of Schemas For The Home, Tasia Parsons, Tyler Kennedy, Lauren Zago

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Throughout history, one's home has had great significance, typically viewed as "the prototypical place" (Lewicka, 2010a, p. 211). Homes help fulfill many needs in the lives of their occupants, including self-expression (Gosling et al., 2002), feelings of safety and control (Smith, 1994), among others. Even so, psychological research on the topic of home is relatively minimal (Graham et al., 2015; Meagher, 2020).

To evaluate what concepts people most associate with their home, we employed an adapted version of the Twenty-Statements Test (Kuhn & McPartland, 1954; Rees & Nicholson, 2004) that asked participants to respond to the statement "My Home is…." …

The Seminar Paper Topics Graveyard, Olivia Smith Schlinck

Library Staff Online Writings

I often teach one-off academic research instruction sessions for law students, for either those working on a journal or those in a writing seminar.

My approach to these sessions is relatively standard—demonstrate the sources and strategies for academic legal research—but tailored to the individual needs and overall topic of each course. One of my favorite ways to personalize a session is to demonstrate the research process using a topic that matches the class itself. A “fake paper,” if you will.

Immersive Japanese Language Learning Web Application Using Spaced Repetition, Active Recall, And An Artificial Intelligent Conversational Chat Agent Both In Voice And In Text, Marc Butler

MS in Computer Science Project Reports

In the last two decades various human language learning applications, spaced repetition software, online dictionaries, and artificial intelligent chat agents have been developed. However, there is no solution to cohesively combine these technologies into a comprehensive language learning application including skills such as speaking, typing, listening, and reading. Our contribution is to provide an immersive language learning web application to the end user which combines spaced repetition, a study technique used to review information at systematic intervals, and active recall, the process of purposely retrieving information from memory during a review session, with an artificial intelligent conversational chat agent both …

27th Annual Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Symposium Program, 2024, Illinois State University, Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Program

WGSS Student Research Symposium

Program from the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Symposium

Perceptions Of White Therapists’ Social Class By White Clients Experiencing Rural Poverty In Maine, Rebecca Roveto

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation explored the experiences and perceptions of white therapists’ social class by white clients facing poverty in rural Maine. Employing an intersectional methodology rooted in Critical White Theory, Critical Theory, and the Critical Theory of Care in Nursing, the study utilized semi-structured interviews, thematic coding, and discourse analysis. The findings revealed that regional cultural values, specifically intergenerational ideals of independence, privacy, and self-sufficiency, significantly impacted clients’ encounters with stigma and social exclusion. Notably, participants perceived that Mainecare’s, Maine’s Medicaid program, reimbursement rates influenced therapist accessibility and questioned if it was associated with a lower social class.

This study made …

Gaza War: Too Many Citizens Being Killed, Sheraz Yaqub, Bjørn Edwin, Zane Hammoud, Gabriel Herrera-Almario, Buthaina Jabir, Kristoffer Lassen, Pål Dag Line, Miguel Angel Lopez-Gonzalez, Michael Puttick, Mohammed Ahmed Idrees Saadelnour, José Sampaio-Neto, Raghuram Sampath, Konstantin V. Sementsov, Ajith K. Siriwardena, Ernesto Sparrelid, Alberto Büge Stein, Robert Sutcliffe, Helena Taflin, Hany Takla, Silvio Valdec, Cherisse N. Vinoya, Waleed Zaid, Stephen J. Wigmore

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Best Screening: Introducing The Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid To Nicus In Tennessee, Gabrielle Sledge

OTD Capstone Projects

Blind Early Services Tennessee (BEST) is an early intervention agency that serves children ages 0-5 with visual impairments across Tennessee. BEST serves over 200 children and families across the state offering early intervention (BEST Start), parent empowerment (BEST Advocate), and family support (BEST Together) programming. The purpose of this project was to assist in the implementation of an early identification initiative (BEST Screening) using the Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid (NAVEG). The NAVEG is a newborn vision screening shown to identify neurological risk for visual impairments. The long-term goal of this program is to promote the screening and early identification …

Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Navigating A New Normal In Middle Tennessee, Karli M. Beaumont

OTD Capstone Projects

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers REACH for Cancer Survivorship, a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. REACH provides a full range of follow-up care designed to meet the physical, emotional, and practical needs of survivors and continuous surveillance of deleterious effects of cancer and its treatments. The purpose of this project was to meet population and agency needs through research of long- and late-term sequela while advocating for occupational therapy’s role in the oncology population through the proactive therapy and prospective surveillance models. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, …

Barna, George. Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’S Heart, Mind And Soul. Glendale, Az: Arizona Christian University Press, 2023., Robert J. Oliverio

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Non-Fatal Intimate Partner Violence In Volusia County, Fl, 2016-2020, Fiona Chanlatte, Jonzelle Bell Bs, Julio Montanez Ma, Amy Donley Phd

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The current white paper tabulates non-fatal intimate partner violence (IPV) offenses across Volusia County, FL by using Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data.

Emerging Giants And Lessons For Development: China, India, And Their Different Paths To Progress, Eskander Alvi Editor, Wei-Chiao Huang Editor

Upjohn Press

This book explores the differences and commonalities in growth experiences of two looming economic giants, China and India—countries that follow often-contrasting economic, social, and political paths as they struggle to achieve long-term prosperity for their billion-plus populations. The papers included within show that the economic and political realities in the two countries are quite different, and that these realities are deeply embedded in each country’s social framework. China and India are at markedly different stages of economic development but the challenges facing the two countries, unsurprisingly, diverge—not only because of the different stage of development each has reached, but also …

Serum Neuroactive Metabolites Of The Tryptophan Pathway In Patients With Acute Phase Of Affective Disorders, Yanli Li, Leilei Wang, Junchao Huang, Ping Zhang, Yanfang Zhou, Jinghui Tong, Wenjin Chen, Mengzhuang Gou, Baopeng Tian, Wei Li, Xingguang Luo, Li Tian, L Elliot Hong, Chiang-Shan R Li, Yunlong Tan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Many studies showed disrupted tryptophan metabolism in patients with affective disorders. The aims of this study were to explore the differences in the metabolites of tryptophan pathway (TP) and the relationships between TP metabolites and clinical symptoms, therapeutic effect in patients with bipolar disorder with acute manic episode (BD-M), depressive episode (BD-D) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS: Patients with BD-M (n=52) and BD-D (n=39), MDD (n=48) and healthy controls (HCs, n=49) were enrolled. The serum neuroactive metabolites levels of the TP were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item (HAMD-17) and Young Mania Rating Scale …

My Journey In Researching Depression Among Black People: Experiences Of A Researcher In A Sensitive Study, Brightness L. Kgatla

The Qualitative Report

The interest in qualitative research on mental health within Black communities is rapidly growing. However, there are still debates on the conceptualization of depression among the Black community. This paper focuses on the researcher’s experiences as a young Black South African experiencing depression, and their reflections on interpretivist qualitative research focused on the realities of Black South African youth experiencing depression. The paper highlights the importance of reflexivity in a qualitative study and how the topics researched by a Black South African experiencing depression which is still considered a taboo within some parts of the Black community. If a researcher …