Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Adult Age And The Evaluation Of Moral Judgment, Gianna Derosa-Norena

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Moral judgments play an important role in social interactions, intergroup conflicts, and the evaluation of behaviors. Moral Foundations Theory proposes that moral reasoning is grounded in five psychological foundations: authority, loyalty, purity, harm, and fairness. Prior research has shown that individuals form stereotypes about different groups and the moral foundations they prioritize, as well as greatly exaggerate the perceived moral differences between groups. The present study examines adult age differences and the stereotyping of moral foundations by investigating whether individuals accurately perceive moral differences between younger and older adults. Participants (N = 300; 100 participants per perspective condition) completed a …

Corporate Social Responsibility, Prosocial Behavior, And Control, Jennifer Fin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to better understand how an organization's prosocial behaviors, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), shape an individual member's private, prosocial behavior. This study examined whether an individual’s locus of control (LOC) works as a moderator to shape the CSR-behavior relationship. Participants were recruited through Montclair State University’s SONA pool and assigned into a High CSR, Neutral, or Corporate Social Irresponsibility (CSiR) condition. Each participant completed self-report measures to assess internal LOC before the experimental manipulation. Each participant reviewed a news article to match their CSR condition and then had an opportunity to donate their compensation, which …

Interview Format And Job Pursuit Intention, Pallavi Nimbappa Honkanadavar

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examined how interview format influences job pursuit intentions (JPI) in the context of increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring. Specifically, it compared human-led, AI-led, and AI-assisted scenario interview formats, and tested whether perceived procedural fairness and anticipated interview success mediated these relationships, as well as whether AI familiarity moderated the effects. Preliminary results from a sample of 72 participants indicated that, although the overall effect of interview format on JPI was not statistically significant, the pattern of means suggested highest JPI in human-led interview formats, followed by AI-assisted interviews, and finally completely AI-led interviews. Mediation analyses …

From Learners To Leaders: Informal Learning And Leadership Emergence In The Workplace, Ami Rupesh Shah

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study explored the relationship between informal learning behaviors and leadership emergence in workplace settings while also looking at the moderating roles of occupational self-efficacy and learning climate. Using a correlational, cross-sectional design, data was collected from 361 working professionals through an online survey with 341 being the final sample size. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing informal learning behaviors, occupational self-efficacy, learning climate, and leadership emergence. Correlational and moderation analyses were performed to test the study hypotheses. Results showed that informal learning behaviors was positively and significantly related to leadership emergence. Moreover, occupational self-efficacy and learning climate both were …

Words And Phrases That Matter: A Corpus Analysis Of Vocabulary And Phraseological Coverage In Myanmar's High School English Textbooks, Kaung Hla Zan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

"Myanmar’s high school education relies on centralized EFL textbooks as the primary source of English input for a significant population of Myanmar youth. Following curriculum reforms aiming for communicative competence, this study provides a corpus-based evaluation of the lexical and phraseological composition of Grades 10 to 12 (high school) textbooks. Using a multi-list approach, this study profiled the textbooks against the New General Service List (NGSL) and the Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) for vocabulary coverage. To determine the frequency and coverage of academic phrases, the textbooks were profiled against three lists of academic bundles identified by Simpson-Vlach and Ellis (2010), …

The Challenge Of Responsible Sovereignty And The Dilemma Of Responsibility To Protect: A Case Study In The Middle East, Mona Shujaieh

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis applies the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) framework to examine the evolving relationship between state sovereignty and humanitarian intervention in the modern international system. It develops the concept of “responsible sovereignty” to show how sovereignty has shifted from an absolute principle of non-interference toward a socially constructed and conditional norm increasingly linked to a state’s responsibility to protect its population. By tracing the transition from Westphalian sovereignty to contemporary understandings of sovereignty as responsibility, the study highlights how international norms reshape expectations of state behavior while also generating persistent tensions in practice. Focusing on the Middle East, the thesis …

Creating A "Good Person": Netiquette And Instagram, Melissa S. Danai-Nolder

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This project aimed to ask the question, “How does digital etiquette, or netiquette, lead to socialization of self-presentation on Instagram?” I interviewed 15 students classified as "Generation Z" who attend a northeastern university and have an Instagram account. This was done using a convenience sample of participants who were asked to participate in the interview. Done by the convenience of the individuals who were at the location at the time. The results indicate a disconnect between wanting to be seen as a “good person” and the means used to paint this image. Netiquette plays a role in crafting self-presentation, as …

Relationships And Recovery: Social Factors In Alcoholics Recovery, Elizabeth Moe

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Introduction. Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their overall wellbeing, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. In recovering from alcohol and substance use, there are many paths one may take to reach recovery, but engagement with new social circles and communities has been shown to be the most effective. This leads to the research question: what is the role of relationships during alcohol recovery? Methods. This mixed-methods study uses both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data from the National Alcohol Survey was used to compare the effects and perceptions of drinking on …

An Invasion Of The Intimate Sphere: The Manipulation Of Libido Under Totalitarian Regimes, Elyssa Lucero

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper examines the temporal nature of libidinal control in the totalitarian systems represented in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Arguing that the most enduring forms of domination operate through the reorganization of desire, the essay explores how regimes intervene in familial, romantic, and social attachments to redirect affective energy towards the state. Orwell depicts a primitive, reactive phase of control in which attachments are violently ruptured, whereas Huxley imagines an advanced system that operates through preemption, never allowing attachments to form. Drawing on Freud’s theory of redirected libido, Berlant’s theory of Cruel Optimism, Marxist …

Constant Connectivity To Work, Health Behaviors, Physical Symptoms: Exploring Boundary Management Practices That Can Help, Christina Christodoulou

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The workday inevitably exposes employees to numerous demands that induce stress reactions. Without sufficient recovery (i.e. returning stress reactions to baseline), individuals risk experiencing chronic psychological, behavioral or physical strains. With the rise of constant connectivity to work, recovery is becoming more of a challenge. However, research on the recovery-related consequences of constant connectivity, particularly its impact on health behaviors and physical health outcomes, remains scarce. To fill this gap in the literature, this research explored the relationship between constant connectivity, boundary management practices, health behaviors, and physical symptoms using a mixed-methods, multi-study design. A mixed methods pilot study (N …

Navigating Faith And Sexuality: Christian Pastors' Experiences In Providing Pastoral Care For Lgbtq+ Youth, Keith I. Raymond

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Within the Christian context, religion and sexuality are often cultural factors that shape the identity development of LGBTQ+ youth, with congregational stance (affirming, tolerant, non–affirming) and individual religiosity/spirituality serving as protective or risk factors (Crockett et al., 2018; Raedel et al., 2020; Yarhouse & Sadusky, 2021). Christian pastors’ theology, relational ministry approach, and pastoral skills influence how they engage with and care for queer youth, yet the professional ties between pastors and LGBTQ+ youth remain underrepresented in counseling literature. Guided by queer theory, this qualitative case study examined how Christian pastors understand and navigate pastoral care for LGBTQ+ youth within …

Performative Racial Allyship And Ally Ambivalence: A Qualitative Study, Peter D. Goldie

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Racism is rampant in and outside of higher education institutions (HEIs). Preliminary research has found that white allyship--or white people's efforts to dismantle racism by partnering with People of Color--can be beneficial to Black communities when done authentically and in ways that center Black voices, perspectives, and liberatory goals. However, a growing body of scholarship has found that white people seldom show up as allies in meaningful ways. Instead, they frequently resort to performative racial allyship (PRA), or behaviors that are meant to signal solidarity with a marginalized racial group yet are superficial and self-serving. To support effective antiracism efforts, …

Engaging College Students With Eating Disorder Symptoms In Digital Mental Health Interventions, Emily Judd

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Background: Most college students with elevated eating disorder (ED) symptoms do not receive mental health treatment. These students commonly report preference for self-management and lack of perceived need for therapy as barriers to seeking help and engaging with mental health services. Screening surveys and digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) may help address these perceived barriers to treatment. Evidence suggests that DMHIs can be effective at reducing ED symptoms. However, student engagement (e.g., uptake and adherence) with DMHIs is low, which significantly limits their effectiveness. Objective: We adapted an engagement strategy for DMHIs, known as the Supporting Technology Engagement for Prevention …

A Pilot Study Of A Culturally Responsive Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention For Black American High School Students With Social Anxiety, Hannah Thomas

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Cognitive-behavioral interventions have been shown to be effective for treating social anxiety, yet few have been evaluated for racially and ethnically minoritized youth, including Black American adolescents. These interventions also do not address sociocultural factors, including racial discrimination and mental health stigma, that may shape the experience of social anxiety among Black American youth and serve as barriers to care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a pilot evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of Interacting and Changing Our Narratives (ICON), a culturally-responsive, school-based cognitive-behavioral group intervention for Black American high school students with social …

Through The Eyes Of Alumni: Transformative Power Of Eof For First-Generation College Students From Racially/Ethnically And Economically Marginalized Backgrounds, Sabrina Magliulo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study used the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework to describe the impact participation in New Jersey’s Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program had on the life trajectories of thirteen first-generation Black and Latina/e/o alumni. Findings suggest that authentic relationships between participants and EOF institutional agents created non-judgmental healing spaces where students could honor their cultural wealth and use it to enhance their college experiences. As higher education practitioners seek to increase positive outcomes for students from marginalized backgrounds, this study’s findings provide evidence for adopting EOF practices and investing in intentional screening and hiring practices to identify professionals equipped …

Preserving Cherokee Culture Through Literacy And Literature: A Study Of Gendered Literacy, Rhetoric, And Cultural Continuity In The Cherokee Nation, Diana W. Baber

Master's Theses

Early explorers to what is now America, beginning with Hernando DeSoto in 1530, stole the dignity and the lands of the Indigenous peoples of America, of whom the Cherokees are only one nation. Two of the things that could not be taken was the Cherokees’ rich cultural tradition and oral histories. Stories passed orally from generation to generation to ensure that histories were preserved. They were largely preserved by the women of the tribe.

After the American Revolution, there was pressure from the new government to force the Cherokees to assimilate to the new American culture—to speak English, dress and …

Behavioral Bottlenecks In Belizean Smallholder Farming: An Action Plan, Mckinley A. Almeida

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Behavioral Bottlenecks in Belizean Smallholder Farming: An Action Plan investigates why Belizean smallholders hesitate to adopt new practices informed by a two-month internship with the Ministry of Agriculture at the Stann Creek branch. During the internship, a seventeen-page bilingual farm plan outline integrating SMART goals, a standard business plan, and farming essentials relevant to the local culture and environment was designed and developed. The Farm Plan Outline is grounded in observations in goal-setting theory, risk aversion under price uncertainty, and knowledge gap literature (AKIS/AKAP) tailored by smallholder Belizean contexts. Farmers were assisted with the Sustainable & Inclusive Belize Program grant …

Manipulation Or Monetization?: The Rise Of Stock Buybacks And Their Effects On Firm Valuation And Investment, Thomas H. Serrano

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract:

This thesis uses basic econometrics to examine the relationship between stock buybacks, firm valuation, and investment among publicly traded firms from 2000-2024. Using firm-level data pulled from Compustat North America and a fixed-effect multivariate regression, it evaluates whether buybacks are associated with higher valuation and stronger productive investment as defined in the paper. The results show that buybacks are positively associated with firm valuation the first year that they occur, but the relationship disappears when they are lagged for a year. Furthermore, the analysis does not find strong statistical evidence that repurchases are associated with changes in investment, or …

Gun Violence Prevention In The Christian Church: A Deductive Content Analysis Of Faith-Based Firearm Education Resources, Sarah Winn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzed whether Christian faith-based curricula and toolkits regarding firearm safety and violence prevention align with established best practices in public health, social work, and education research. Previous research has explored the prevalence and impact of gun violence, best practices regarding gun violence and safety interventions, the effectiveness of churches as public health initiative partners, and the relationship between Christianity and views on firearms. In this study, qualitative deductive content analysis indicated that faith-based gun violence prevention toolkits are strongly oriented toward advocacy, community mobilization, and public health framing. At the same time, gaps remain in their integration of …

‘Enemy Communist Cocksuckers’: Conceptualizing Patriotic Masculinity In Threats To Election Officials, Alma Harrison

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on political violence demonstrates how certain aspects of masculinity are linked to asserting ideological authority and reinforcing exclusionary social identities through physical aggression, such as assaults, homicides, and gender-based violence. However, little research analyzes the use of violent threats as masculinity performances to achieve these same ends. To address this gap, this study analyzes messages from qualitative interviews with 26 election officials who experienced violent threats, examining performances of a distinct form of masculinity – patriotic masculinity – which fuses hegemonic masculine norms with patriotic values. Findings reveal ways in which actors construct and perform patriotic masculinity to frame …

Caregiver Self-Reflection: Does It Matter? A Study Of The Relationship Between Caregiver Self-Reflection And Participation In Home Programs In Outpatient Pediatric Physical Therapy Settings, Andrea Myane

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite evidence that caregiver coaching can improve patient outcomes and caregiver participation, little information exists on the effects of its individual components. Additionally, previous research has highlighted the importance of home programs in improving pediatric physical therapy outcomes. The aim of this study is to explore the role that caregiver self-reflection, a component of caregiver coaching, plays in facilitating outcomes in the pediatric physical therapy outpatient setting. Caregivers will be asked to complete a series of self-reflection questions based on Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, while also recording the number of minutes they spend facilitating a prescribed home program. All study participants …

Situational Determinants Of Severity In Bias-Motivated Violence, Sophia Glick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although overall violent crime rates continue to decline, bias-motivated violence, including bias murder, is rising in the United States (United States Department of Justice, 2024). Criminologists have examined how situational factors—such as location, weapon use, and bystander presence—increase the likelihood of violence escalating to murder. However, it remains unclear whether these same factors similarly affect the severity of bias-motivated violence. These gaps are notable given that prior research suggests bias-motivated violence differs situationally from other forms of violence. Guided by the situational crime prevention (SCP) perspective, the current study investigates how situated attributes of factors reflecting the vulnerability and symbolic …

Cognitive Appraisals, Empathy, And Helping Behavior: Toward An Integrated Model, Emily Morgan Vance

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Empathy leads to prosocial behavior (Ding & Lu, 2016), but the factors that influence whether we feel empathetic toward someone in need are less clear. I investigated whether cognitive appraisals and empathy explained helping intentions in response to help-giving contexts. This research was informed by Weiner’s attribution-emotion-action model (1980), Batson and colleagues’ empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson et al., 1981), and appraisal theory of emotion (e.g., Smith & Ellsworth, 1985). Study 1 was exploratory and investigated the relationship between cognitive appraisals, emotions, and helping intentions in response to a help-giving scenario. Studies 2 and 3 manipulated the strength of the help-giving scenario …

The Use And Implications Of Visual Production Choices: Evidence From Presidential Debates And Political Interview, Emma Lorraine Rasmussen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Live television production has long been a powerful tool for broadcasting media to curate what an audience sees and understands about aired material. Production techniques used by broadcasting companies have the power to influence how audiences perceive and interpret political candidates. In Study One, the two 2024 presidential debates were analyzed for a variety of different trends including: who was on screen, the different camera shots used, and camera movement. Video formats of the 2024 CNN and ABC debates were coded using Observer XT, a content analysis software and were examined for the frequency and duration of each behavior. Patterns …

The Line In The Sand: Visual Narratives Of Religious Trauma And Leaving Evangelicalism, Elizabeth Humphrey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Widespread abuse within religious institutions has challenged the assumption that religion inherently supports mental health, while rising rates of religious disaffiliation often cite trauma as a key factor. Individuals leaving harmful religious environments report a range of outcomes—from increased autonomy to emotional distress—yet research on post-disaffiliation experiences is limited. As the religious landscape of the U.S. shows decrease in religious affiliation, and stories of abuse and trauma circulate, the experience of leaving a religious community because of harm is a needed area for further inquiry. Using visual narrative inquiry, this qualitative research study explores the lived experiences of those who …

You Can Get Your Mail Sent There While You’Re Sleeping On The Street: A Community-Forward Analysis On The Role And Function Of The Northwest Arkansas Non-Profit Industry, Kaci Churchill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit services are frequently sought by community members experiencing material hardship, particularly at junctures where employment- and state-based compensation fail to provide sufficiently. While barriers to aid provision have been examined from the perspective of nonprofits, various accessibility issues for community members seeking to obtain support are an under evaluated factor that influence the efficacy of nonprofits in carrying forth their mission. This qualitative study seeks to understand commonly experienced barriers to support facing resource-seeking community members. Semi-structured interviews with Northwest Arkansas community members, a region highly saturated with well-funded nonprofit agencies, shed light on recurring obstacles, and provide theoretical …

Coloniality Disrupted: Critical Knowledge Interventions Shift Decolonial Attitudes Among White Americans Via Collective Responsibility & Moral Outrage, Mejdy Jabr

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epistemologies of ignorance and critical knowledge dialectically shape how individuals psychologically and politically orient themselves within oppressive social systems. Across three studies, I investigated the psychological mechanisms through which critical-historical knowledge about Indigenous peoples relates to and causally shifts support for (or opposition to) decolonization among America’s foremost settler population, White Americans. Study 1 utilized an Indigenous history test to assess the relationship between critical knowledge and support for decolonization (i.e., decolonial policies and practices; DCPPs), finding that critical-historical knowledge is positively associated with DCPP support and that this relationship is mediated by collective responsibility. Studies 2 and 3 built …

“Menopause Is Universal, But No One Prepared Us”: An Inductive Thematic Analysis Of R/Menopause, Alissa Lauren Hardwick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Menopause is a universal biological transition, yet women’s lived experiences of its emotional, cognitive, relational, and healthcare dimensions remain comparatively underrepresented in research. Guided by critical feminist theory and feminist standpoint epistemology, this study examined how women in the r/Menopause online community described experiences of depression and anxiety during the menopausal transition, how they narrated healthcare encounters, and how they made sense of shifting identity and social value. By treating self-authored online narratives as situated forms of knowledge, the study aimed to illuminate how menopausal distress is interpreted and negotiated in everyday discourse. An inductive qualitative reflexive thematic analysis was …

From Classroom To Courtroom: How Educational Strains Shape Juvenile Delinquency, Hailey Elizabeth Houston

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile delinquency is a significant social issue with consequences that extend into adulthood and impact future success of youth. Although prior research has explored various factors that affect juvenile delinquency, notable gaps remain – notably a lack of literature on how educational strain effects juvenile delinquency with a focus on rural areas. This study addresses these gaps by examining the effects of educational strain, such as poor academic performance and lack of teacher support, on rural adolescents’ engagement in juvenile delinquency. Data for this study was obtained from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an online …

How Consumer Awareness Of Sustainability And Labor Practices Shape Fast Fashion Purchase Intentions, Sydney Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how consumer awareness of sustainability issues and unethical labor practices influences fast fashion purchase intentions. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and supported by the Symbolic Interaction Theory, the research explores how awareness, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and price sensitive shape consumer decision-making. A quantitative research design was employed using a self-administered online survey distributed via social media platforms. The final sample included 187 participants, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed that although participants reported moderate to high levels of awareness, this awareness did not significantly …