Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Art & Oppression: “Thin Blue Line”, Kade Mcgrail

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

In 2005, a sculpture titled “Thin Blue Line” was installed on the side of Richmond’s new Police Department Headquarters. The piece is made of metal bands woven together to resemble a giant face that looms a story above the road below it. Considering Richmond’s past use of public art as expressions of power, alongside the political evolution of the term “thin blue line,” this article seeks to deconstruct what this work conveys to its community and how it is received by its community. The aesthetic tradition both the piece and the artist evoke is Italian Futurism—a movement proven to be …

Originalism & Judicially-Enacted Religious Exemptions: Revisiting Employment Division Of Oregon V. Smith, Eric Russell Coykendall

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In the 1963 case Sherbert v. Verner , the Supreme Court read the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause to mean that, in certain cases, religious believers should be exempted from otherwise applicable laws. In 1990, the Supreme Court essentially overturned that framework in the case Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith . The Smith case has proved quite controversial, and numerous public-interest law firms, especially those that defend religious litigants, have regularly asked the Court to overturn it in favor of a re-application of the Sherbert precedent. Their contention is often that the Smith ruling is inconsistent with the original …

The Relationship Changes Between Asian Countries And Advanced Economies Before And After 2008, Jingyu Wang

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is aimed to discuss the relationship change between east and southeast Asian countries and advanced economies, especially focus on the export and import changes before and after 2008. This study uses both econometrics model (fixed effect, first difference effect, difference-in-difference model) and social network models to analyze the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on these Asian countries and advanced economies. The results show that after 2008 the impact of exports with advanced economies on GDP per capita growth has changed from negative to positive, while the impact of imports with advanced economies on GDP per capita growth …

Examining The Impacts Of A Relational Savoring Intervention On Parental Reflective Functioning And Children’S Emotion Regulation Across Time, Megan Blackard

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The ability to regulate emotions is an important competency that enables goal attainment and maintenance of satisfying interpersonal relationships throughout life. Key to the development of healthy emotion regulation is the sensitivity of the caregiver. One internal mechanism underlying parents’ ability to be sensitive is parental reflective functioning, the ability to understand a child as having a complex inner world of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that serve as the basis for the child’s behaviors. Strong parental reflective functioning allows parents to understand the needs behind children’s behavior and respond sensitively to meet those needs. The sensitive parenting that depends on …

Corporate Decision-Making: Three Essays In Applied Finance, Mohamed Ahmed Abd El Rahman Ahmed Khashbah

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Corporate Decision-Making: Three Essays in Applied Finance.By Mohamed Ahmed Abd El Rahman Ahmed Khashbah Claremont Graduate University: 2024 This dissertation consists of three distinct chapters, each focusing on a different topic. Chapter 1 of this dissertation investigates the relative effectiveness of earnings and cash flows as predictors in corporate decision-making processes within the U.S. financial market. Drawing on two decades of comprehensive financial data from Compustat, encompassing the years 2000 to 2019 and involving 18,595 firm-year observations across 980 diverse companies, this study employs a robust methodological framework. Advanced statistical techniques, including regression and correlation analyses, alongside firm-specific time-series and …

Seemingly Unrelated Research In Economics, Michael Krouse

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In my first chapter, my co-authors and I1 estimate the effect of current affective states on reported satisfaction with life. The satisfaction with life scale is a well-established measure of thriving and its use for both research and behavioral interventions requires understanding how external factors influence participants’ evaluations of their lives. We tested whether influencing participants’ affective states using videos would change their reported satisfaction with life in a representative sample of US adults (N=788). Those for whom the video improved affect reported 5.9% lower satisfaction with life compared to nonresponders (p=.008). This result was driven by young adults, women, …

An Explanatory Analysis Of Populist Leaders As A Risk Factor For Genocide, Adal Isaw

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the association between political leadership and genocides, by investigating whether leaders involved in these events manifest populist characteristics. Understanding this association is necessary for grasping the nature of genocides and developing effective alleviation and intervention strategies. The study categorizes leaders and analyzes their roles using historical records, including speeches, official documents, policies, and public statements. Leaders were classified as either populist or non-populist based on a qualitative content analysis using literature-based predetermined keywords and phrases to gauge the intensity of populism. Archive.org was used to count these keywords, and a comparative method …

Technology Affordances And Curriculum Flexibility In Higher Education Blended Learning, Clement Chimezie Aladi

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores technological affordances in blended learning, their influence on the flexibility of statistics and data science curricula, and students' satisfaction with learning. While blended learning is often perceived as a flexible learning approach, its correlation with flexibility lacks substantial evidence in existing literature. This study contends that technological affordances significantly impact curriculum flexibility in blended learning, an aspect currently underrepresented in blended learning educational literature. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Technology Affordance and Constraint Theory (TACT) and Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK), this research investigated six hypotheses to elucidate how technological affordances and the teacher's technology …

Conceptualizations Of Data Visualization Use Beyond Efficiency In Evaluation, Sarah Douville

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Data visualization (data viz) is a valuable tool within evaluation for its ability to aid cognitive efficiency over text-based presentation of data (Card et. al., 1999; Evergreen, 2017, 2018; Few, 2012; Nussbaumer Knaflic, 2015; Tufte 2001). This exploratory multi-phase mixed methods research study considers purposes for using data viz in evaluation that can be achieved with that increased efficiency through the research question: “What conceptualizations of data viz use do program evaluators have beyond increased efficiency?”

In Phase I, secondary analysis of existing interview data with experts in both data viz and evaluation was used to better understand conceptualizations of …

Turning Inward: Students’ Experiences With Mindful Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy In Higher Education, Rachael E. Horn Langford

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In the past 15-20 years, contemplative practices, designed to cultivate present-moment awareness, have become more common in K-12 educational settings with some growth in higher education contexts seeking to reorient around teaching the “whole student”. In response to calls that have also emerged in higher education to advance social justice aims, this multimethod study examines the role of mindfulness in an undergraduate sociology of body course taught from an anti-oppression education lens. This study fills the gap in the existing literature by exploring a deeper understanding of experiences with mindfulness in higher education from the lens and language of students. …

Decentralize, Depoliticize, Democratize: An Empirical Political Economy Analysis Of Global Cryptocurrency Adoption, Jennifer L. Verdier

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the global adoption of cryptocurrency, challenging the broad narrative that it would fundamentally revolutionize finance through decentralization, depoliticization, and democratization. Despite not fully delivering on these transformative promises, cryptocurrencies have continued to gain traction. This dissertation delves into the political economy aspects that fuel this sustained adoption. Through quantitative examination of data from the International Monetary Fund, Statista, World Uncertainty Index, and the World Bank, this study investigates the complex interplay of factors influencing cryptocurrency adoption. The study employs multivariate models with TFE, assessing not only economic variables but also the critical roles of trust in traditional …

Promoting Continuous Learning And Organizational Improvement Through Role Based Evaluation Capacity Building, Haley Elizabeth Umans

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations, like expanded learning programs, are hungry to engage in evaluation to improve their services to make the greatest impact. To bring this dream to life, individuals in the organization must develop the skills necessary to engage in evaluation and use findings as part of evaluation capacity building (ECB) efforts. The ECB literature has provided several models and tools to support organizations’ quest to engage in evaluation and use finding sustainably; however, these strategies are often hindered when organizations have limited time, resources, and capacity. These barriers have been well documented in expanded learning programs (Block, 2021; Bradshaw, 2015; …

An Investigation Into The Factors Determining Digital Transformation’S Success In Government Sectors, Nemer Alsulami

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores key factors for digital transformation (DT) success in government sectors, emphasizing the strategic alignment between IT and business strategies. This focus is driven by the high failure rate of DT initiatives, often resulting from misalignment and the delayed recognition of IT's strategic importance by non-IT leaders. The study aims to investigate the interplay between strategic alignment and the socio-technical system in DT, examining how this alignment influences DT success and investigating the mechanism through which strategic alignment is effectively executed. Further, the research assesses the impact of managerial efforts as a precursor to strategic alignment. Additionally, it …

Examining Factors Related To Access To Rigorous High School Physics For Black Males: Evidence From The High School Longitudinal Study Of 2009, Jennifer Dacosta

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In the landscape of American education, Black male students face significant barriers in accessing advanced science courses, a challenge that underscores broader issues of equity and inclusion. This study investigated the factors influencing Black male high school students’ access to earn physics credits, focusing on the interplay between school offerings, academic prerequisites, counselor support, personal efficacy in science, and socioeconomic status. Through a detailed analysis of data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, the research adopted a quantitative approach to examine how these variables collectively impact the educational trajectory of these students through multiple regression models which produced …

Economic Uncertainty As A Source Of Self-Uncertainty And A Threat To Confidence In Elections, Kaiyuan Chen

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Elections play a central role in building public trust. Yet, ironically, distrust in elections is also pervasive, posing a threat to many political systems. It is therefore important to understand factors that affect public’s confidence in elections. Drawing from work in social psychology, this research proposes that economic uncertainty should undermine confidence in elections, because it could elicit self-uncertainty. Two studies were designed to test this hypothesis. Study 1 ( N = 87,822) was a secondary data analysis of a large-scale multi-nation dataset. The main finding was that economic uncertainty predicted reduced confidence in elections especially among political liberals (vs. …

Culture And Community: The Importance Of Black Spaces In Community Colleges, La Quirshia Fennell

CGU Theses & Dissertations

At present, California community colleges serve a large proportion of Black students, but these students are not adequately supported to reach their educational goals (The Campaign for College Opportunity, 2019; National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2022; Cross & Carman, 2022 Simpson, J., & Bista, K., 2021). Extensive research documents the importance of culturally engaging campuses and student sense of belonging to academic success (Museus, 2014; Museus et al., 2017; Harper et al., 2009; Strayhorn et al., 2010; Sanders, 2016; Tichavakunda, 2020). A puzzle remains in understanding why these aspects of campus support may be falling short for Black students. I …

Macro-Financial Linkages And Perspectives In Economic Development, Nasser Khalil

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This paper is a composition of three essays on topics dealing with financial market derivatives, macroeconomic policies using microdata, and the link between macroeconomics and international finance. All three chapters are a cohesive discussion on financial markets, investment analysis of financial derivatives, and economic impacts during COVID-19. We examine capital and resource allocation in a variety of cases across all three chapters: international capital flows on the largest domestically listed firms, investments in option contracts with low likelihoods of being exercised, and the role of domestic policy in distributing social welfare benefits during periods of economic downturns in India. The …

Examining The Impact Of Electric Vehicle Adoption On Health, Socioeconomic Disparities, And Policy, Arham Limoochi

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Transportation is a crucial source of air pollution in the United States, accounting for nearly 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions. This considerable contribution to environmental degradation has led many scholars to advocate for a shift towards Electric Vehicles (EVs) as an effective strategy to combat climate change and its adverse effects. EVs, known for their innovative design and reliance on alternative energy sources, differ significantly from traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines. This transition is more than a technological advancement; it symbolizes a significant move towards sustainable transportation, impacting environmental sustainability, public health, and socio-economic equity. My dissertation explores …

Do Women Have An Advantage When Leading Across Groups? An Examination Of Gender, Self-Construals, And Intergroup Leadership, Jackie Shaib

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Intergroup leadership, self-construals, and gender are relatively well researched. However, there has been limited research that has looked at the interplay between these areas of research. For example, past research has shown women’s tendency towards an interdependent self-construal (Cross & Madson, 1997), the various challenges women face in pursuit of leadership roles (Eagly, 1987; Schein, 1973), as well as which style of intergroup leadership is most effective in various scenarios of subgroup relations (Hogg & Rast, 2022; Hogg et al., 2012; Rast et al., 2018). Although real world leadership situations often combine all these phenomena, research has yet to catch …

Where Numbers Meet Narratives: An Examination Of Joint Displays In Mixed Methods Evaluation, Natalie D. Jones

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The use of Mixed Methods (MM) in evaluation has increasingly become a valuable asset in evaluators' methodological toolbox. Despite prolific research on various aspects of mixed methods, from typologies to ontological debates, there remains a dearth of empirically derived evidence on effectively communicating MM findings. This lack of empirical research is compounded by criticism regarding the integration in MM studies. A prominent means of addressing both integration of data strands and communicating findings in MM studies is through joint displays.This study presents a multiphase exploration into how evaluators communicate MM findings and the visual efficiency of joint displays compared to …

Perma+4 Building Blocks Of Well-Being: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Mechanisms & Conditions That Enable The Subjective Well-Being Of Workers, Victoria Cabrera

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the challenges many workers face regarding their well-being. Workers continue to report high levels of work-related stress and burnout and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic heightened the importance of this issue as declines in well-being were observed on a global scale. In 2022, the issue of worker well-being was brought to the forefront of public awareness when the U.S. Surgeon General raised the well-being and mental health of workers as an urgent public health priority. The critical need to better support worker well-being is further supported by research that …

An Analysis Of The Association Between Foreign Investors Holdings And The Local Currency Sovereign Debt Yields, Yudistira Surjadi Slamet

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the association between foreign investors holdings of local currency sovereign debt on the corresponding debt yields. It includes a multi-country study encompassing 12 emerging markets and 17 advanced economies, as well as a single-country study focusing on Indonesia. By analyzing the association of foreign holdings on the corresponding 5- and 10-year debt yields on a combined data set of advanced economies and emerging markets, the multi-country study employing a quarterly data set from March 2011 to December 2019 accomplishes an analysis that was absent from previous literatures. Although previous literatures have found a negative association when using …

Do Globalization And China’S Wto Accession Affect Social Spending In Its Eleven Neighboring Countries? An Empirical Study Of The China Shock, Jian Qing Xu

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates whether globalization and China’s WTO accession in 2001 have any impact on government expenditure to social security transfers and human capital of its eleven neighboring countries--Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. These countries have enjoyed economic growth from intra-regional trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). Due to Chinese liberalization of trade and FDI-led growth policies, China became the favorite destination for foreign investors because of the large population providing enormous potential markets for consumption of goods and services as well as having a huge pool of low-wage workers for lower …

Identity Complexity, Uncertainty, And Belongingness: Understanding The Appeal Of Extremist Groups, Michelle Blaya Burgo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The exact factors that motivate people to join a radical group are not agreed upon in the literature. Incorporating social identity theory and uncertainty-identity theory, past studies in social psychology have investigated factors influencing individuals' involvement in such groups from different perspectives. However, the effects of uncertainty combined with identity complexity on an individual's sympathy for radical groups have not yet been explored. In the present study (N = 332), two independent variables, social identity complexity and self-uncertainty, were manipulated to examine their effects on attitudes toward and willingness to join a radical group, the multi-item dependent variables. Results revealed …

Attitude Formation & Persuasion Via Reactance: No, You Can't – Yes, I Can!, Daniel Alfred Palafox

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to fill a significant gap in how psychological reactance theory (PRT; Brehm, 1966) is traditionally used in social psychological experiments. This study attempted to show that PRT can be used as a method to induce positive attitude formation. There is a need to understand how motivation to restore freedom (the driving force behind PRT) can be harnessed as a tool to persuade in a manner incongruent to typical persuasion techniques and form evaluations of attitude objects, and how the affective component of PRT can be used as a form of evaluative conditioning. The study consisted of …

Reviving The Sleeper Effect, Tehreem Riffat

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The present study was conducted to delve into the cognitive dynamics of the sleeper effect. The study investigated the role of persuasive message repetition (once, twice), the position of a discounting cue, which challenged the stated position of a communication, the cue’s credibility (high/low) and the timing of the cue (presented before or after the persuasive communication) on the outcome of a sleeper effect experiment. Analytically, the study was conceptualized as a 2 (Cue Credibility: high/low) x 2 (Cue presentation: before/after the persuasive message), (Elaboration: Communication was read once or twice) x 3 Test (pretest, posttest 1, posttest 2) design. …

It Is Not Only About Having Good Attitudes: Factor Exploration Of The Attitudes Toward Security Recommendations, Miguel A. Toro-Jarrin, Pilar Pazos, Miguel A. Padilla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Numerous factors determine information security-related actions (IS-actions) in the workplace. Attitudes toward following security rules and recommendations and attitudes toward specific IS actions determine intentions associated with those actions. IS research has examined the role of the instrumental aspect of attitudes. However, authors argue that attitudes toward a behavioral object are a multidimensional construct. We examined the dimensionality of attitudes toward security recommendations, hypothesized its multidimensional nature, and developed a new scale [attitudes toward security recommendations (ASR scale)]. The results indicated the multidimensional nature of attitudes toward security recommendations supporting our hypothesis. The results revealed two dimensions corresponding to the …

Grace House Akron Volunteer Information And Training Kit, Lilly Wright

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Grace House Akron is a non-profit organization that provides housing and care to people on hospice who are homeless, living in indignant conditions, or do not have an able and/or willing caregiver. Over the course of Grace House’s first year in operation, they have worked alongside over 200 volunteers. Now, they are seeking to expand the demographic makeup of these volunteers. The objective of this project is to create a deliverable volunteer kit that will include 4 sections: Introduction, In-House Volunteering, Out-of-House Volunteering, and Reference Materials. This kit will streamline the process of onboarding volunteers by introducing them to the …

Estimating Round-Tripping Fdi From Firm-Level Data In China, Zeyi Qian, Junfu Zhang, Qiangyuan Chen

Economics

No abstract provided.

Mass Political Murder: What And Where Is The Hate?, Clark Mccauley

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

This article explores the meaning and importance of hate in intergroup conflict, especially in conflict that moves to genocide or politicide. Review of controversies in defining hate leads to definition of hate as an extreme form of negative identification that includes perception of bad essence. Negative identification is inverse caring for others, as seen in studies of schadenfreude and gluckschmerz. Studies of dehumanization suggest that two forms of bad essence can be distinguished: evil human (entitativity essentializing) and infrahuman animal (natural kind essentializing). Studies also show that those who essentialize more are more ready to punish indiscriminately all …