Other Communication Commons^™

Racial Norming In The National Football League’S Concussion Settlement: A Nested Approach To Addressing An Ongoing Crisis, Terry L. Rentner, Cory Young, Annemarie Farrell

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

For more than two decades, the National Football League (NFL) has been in the spotlight over the concussion crisis, resulting in a lawsuit by 5,000 NFL players and a subsequent 2013 settlement of more than $765 million. In 2020, a new crisis emerged out of the settlement, one of perceived inequities in criteria used to allocate settlement funds. The practice of racial norming, adjusting test scores for race, created another headache for the NFL during a time in which racial injustices in the U.S. spawned public and media discourse. Our case study explores this crisis through the Nested Theory of …

Reputation Management At The Intersection Of Information Seeking And Government Transparency, Robb Lauzon

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Over the past few years, a controversial public works project in Winter Park, Florida has been the center of debate in the city. At the end of 2021, the new Winter Park Library, against the wishes of its opponents, was dedicated to the citizens. Although controversial land use issues are unremarkable, it is the tensions caused by the local government’s opacity surrounding this major project that has become notable. Here, reputation management, specifically the reputation management of municipal administrations, at the intersection of information seeking and government transparency is explored. Transparency means little without demand for the information in question. …

Heir To The Throne: Ron Desantis’S Inheritance Of A Trumpian Covid-19 Ideology, Monica Mayer, Walker Talton

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Despite the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, a surprising number of Americans remain skeptical of vaccines and other preventative measures. This variance in attitude may be explained in part by the diverse pandemic responses of state governors and their political ideologies. Using Florida governor Ron DeSantis as a case study, we analyze an October 2021 press conference using the rhetorical method of ideological criticism to explore the governor’s ideological stance towards public health, personal liberty, and the balance between safety and economic concerns. We find he embraces an ideology of “Trumpism” that emphasizes personal choice over public health and economic …

Bridging The Gap For Online Deception Detection: Uncovering Methodology To Identify Deceptive Content In Mediated Communication, Margaret C. Stewart, Christa L. Arnold

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Detecting deception online and in mediated communication is complex and has gained recognition due to misinformation. Traditionally most deception detection in communication relies on analysing nonverbal cues in body language and facial expression; mediated communication prohibits many of these cues from influencing the interpretation of message meaning. Given the ability for deceptive information to thrive online it becomes necessary to develop an effective method for digital deception data analysis. A method called Statement Analysis (SA) is commonly utilized in law enforcement and may be suitable for use as is or with modifications in mediated communication research. The goals of our …

The Examination Of Social Support Received After Traumatic Experiences, Emily Abellon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore what constitutes effective and ineffective social support after an individual endures trauma. Participants were recruited mainly through social media to complete an online survey with open-ended questions. The survey provided participants with the opportunity to reflect and share the social support they received after the endured trauma, specifically disclosing what support messages were effective and ineffective, and why these messages were effective and ineffective. The messages found to be effectively supportive after the endured trauma, and the ones most frequently mentioned were emotional and appraisal support. These messages were found to be effective due to …

Learning By Playing: A Curriculum Utilizing Improvisational Theater To Develop Prosocial Behavior Skills And Self-Efficacy In Young Adolescents, Lynn Lovett Barr

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Prosocial behavior requires competency in social-emotional skills including interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation. During the developmental stage of early adolescence, youth are learning these skills and are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior if they feel efficacious in them. However, most social-emotional learning programs focus on conceptual knowledge in these areas without providing sufficient opportunities for practice, which does not allow students to develop sufficient procedural knowledge and self-efficacy. Improvisational theater offers a solution to this problem; used in concert with social-emotional lessons, it provides practice scenarios and procedural learning opportunities. This project consists of a curriculum …

Framing, Advice-Seeking, And Medical Trust In The R/Keto Community: An Analysis Of The Medical Flair On R/Keto, Sabrina Finke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First created in 1921, the ketogenic diet was used as a medical intervention for children suffering from severe epilepsy. However, in recent years, this highly restrictive diet has gained mainstream popularity for a number of illness management, wellness, and weight loss uses. Despite its rise in use and popularity, mainstream medical opinion still views the ketogenic diet as a last resort for severe conditions. Using a content analysis of posts tagged with the “medical” flair on the subreddit “r/Keto,” this thesis found commonalities among posts which praised the ketogenic diet and shared positive personal anecdotes were the most likely to …

I’M Not A Tragedy: Speaking Up About Ableist Microaggressions, Kasandra Marguerite Colwell

Communication Senior Capstones

Have you heard of ableist microaggressions? Let me tell you about them, as someone who has experienced them. I have a bi-lateral dislocating knee condition that I was born with. I can walk, but sometimes I need additional stability or reduction of pain while getting around, in which case I tend to use a cane. I have had many othering interactions while using a mobility aid in public, whether that be a knee brace, a cane, or crutches. While it often seemed the stranger didn’t mean any harm, the question is how many invasive questions and comments from strangers can …

Protector And Friend: Turning Points And Discursive Constructions Of The Stepparent Role, Bailey M. Oliver, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Vincent R. Waldron, Robert Hall, Lucas Hackenburg, Braedon G. Worman

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: To understand turning points (TPs) in the development of positive stepparent–stepchild communication and relationships.

Background: Scholars stress the importance of communication in co-constructing healthy stepparent–stepchild relationships. The researchers focused on positive stepparenting via understanding transformational turning point (TP) events across time. Research questions explored how stepparents with an overall positive relationship with a stepchild characterize TPs and the discursive constructions of the stepparent role.

Method: The team analyzed 877 pages of data from 37 in-depth interviews with stepparents who described self-identified TP events, reflected in visual graphs of 279 TPs.

Results: Data were coded into 11 TP types, focused …

Pants On Fyre: Parasitic Masculinity And The Fyre Festival Documentaries, Kristen Hoerl, Casey Ryan Kelly

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The documentaries Fyre Fraud and FYRE: The Greatest Party that Never Happened recount the fraudulent and imprudent decision-making process that led up to the ill-fated Fyre Fest. These documentaries represent the music festival’s failure through depictions of white masculinity that seek parasitic attachment and proximity to the hegemonic ideal of masculine authority in the neoliberal marketplace. We argue that these movies map the operations of an imitative form of white masculine subjectivity that thrives in precarity, even as they recuperate the status of late-stage neoliberalism by symbolically removing parasitic masculinity from the neoliberal social order that it feeds on.

More Than Just Sticks And Stones: Effects Of Interpersonal Interactions On Liminality And The Negotiation Of Identity, Conlon Muhr

Masters Theses

The following study contains the detailed findings of my lived experiences studied in an autoethnographic method with a focus on the effects of interpersonal communication on identity negotiation during liminality. This study is conducted to expand upon the large and dense web of communication studies. During the use of the autoethnographic process, I provide in-depth insight into my lived experiences during liminality. The main goal of the study is to explore how interpersonal interaction affects liminality and the formation of identity. Liminality support, rejection, complication, and acceptance are the emergent themes found by combining liminality with interpersonal communication.

From Fear To Action: Exploring The Role Of Emotion During Imminent Threat Events Using The Extended Parallel Process Model, Michele K. Olson

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The extended parallel process model (EPPM) is a popular health and risk communication theory that explicates the relationship between perceived threat, perceived efficacy, fear, and adaptive and maladaptive responses. This study examines the EPPM in an imminent threat context and focuses on how warning message content influences EPPM perceptions and how these perceptions, in turn, influence both protective action and information seeking intentions.

The first objective of this study focuses on applying the EPPM to an imminent threat context by designing EPPM informed tornado and flash flood warning messages. After message pretesting with 42 undergraduate students, 312 undergraduate students completed …

Applying The Causal Network Model To Advance Care Planning Messages, Katherine Leigh Harville

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The process of advance care planning often involves conversations that focus on worst case scenarios and discussions of end-of-life, which makes the topic a daunting one. Most of these conversations occur with older adults or individuals who are seriously ill. However, advance care planning is of importance to those who are healthy, young adults as well. Narrative messages could help simplify the process of approaching such conversations and provide tools for conducting them in a more effective manner.

The proposed study makes use of the causal network model, a model that proposes that the location of information within narratives impacts …

Call Your Elected Officials: Identifying Predictors And Audiences For Collective Climate Action, Nathan Scott Bender

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Influential climate action in the United States is beyond the scope of individual actions, and instead requires collective action. This challenges governmental agencies and NGOs to promote enough collective action to inspire systemic change. Though decades of social research have identified broad trends in the drivers of this collective climate action, predictors of specific actions vary across individuals and contexts, and existing theory does not fully account for these shifting relative contributions. Additionally, the scale and urgency at which we must address climate change requires understanding and motivating climate action at all scales, from broad trends to predictors of specific …

2022 International Crisis And Risk Communication Conference Proceedings Table Of Contents, Conference Organizers

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Table of Contents to the to the proceedings of the 11th Annual International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference sponsored by the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

Promoting Covid-19 Vaccines Among Communities Of Color: An Analysis Of U.S. Minority Serving Higher Education Institutions’ Message Framing Strategies, Najma Akhther, Khairul Islam

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

This study examined how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States used framing as an issue management strategy in promoting COVID-19 vaccine. A content analysis of HBCUs’ (N = 268) COVID-19 vaccine-related messages showed that institutional leaders primarily used thematic frames over episodic frames. In other words, the COVID-19 vaccination was promoted as a community issue by emphasizing safety and well-being of the community. Black leaders’ vaccine communication mostly focused on background information, research data, and statistics related to vaccination and vaccine effectiveness. Such use of framing strategies may indicate black leaders’ trust and openness in vaccine …

Evolution And Effectiveness Of The Governmental Risk And Crisis Communication On Twitter In The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case Of Switzerland, Albena Björck, Audra Diers-Lawson, Felix Dücrey

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the risk and crisis communication capabilities of governmental authorities: A new global phenomenon had to be managed and explained on a national and local level to protect public health. In the form of a single case study, the current research investigates this complex event as a cumulative crisis, the evolution of the communication strategies, and the effectiveness of messaging using Twitter in the context of Switzerland. The study identifies improvement potential in existing theoretical frameworks and provides a method for governmental authorities to track and assess their communication efforts.

The Perils Of The Boomerang Effect: White House Messaging To Deter Border Crossing Backfires, Mariely Valentin-Llopis, Jessica Delgado

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

The Boomerang Effect explains how a given persuasive message produces attitude change in the direction opposite to that intended. We seek to explain how the convergence of Central American migrants at the southwest border since 2014 is, in part, produced by the United States (U.S.) White House messaging misstep. We propose a bottom-up persuasive approach to effectively spread awareness of the dangers of unauthorized border crossing. Instead of state authority voices, local native voices can effectually convey the message. The bottom-up approach of persuasion is a foundational strategy to effectively design a public awareness campaign focusing on ethos. The objective …

Public Opinion In A Pandemic: Four Surveys Conducted With Americans Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lauri M. Baker, Chen-Xian Yang, Angela B. Lindsey, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Ricky W. Telg, Anissa Zagonel, Sydney Honeycutt, Naik Wali, Shelli Rampold

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

The UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center) conducted a series of national public opinion surveys to examine the perceptions of Americans related to COVID-19. The PIE Center conducted four surveys with ~1,500 Americans per survey from mid-March 2020 to January 2021. The surveys sought to understand Americans’ perceptions of a range of topics including health and communication concerns, vaccination perceptions and acceptance, mask understanding and willingness, and compound disasters and stress. Presentations in this panel highlight key areas of research from this survey series and share how communicators can use this research to …

Spillover And Cascading Crises In Public Health And Water Systems: The Orlando Liquid Oxygen Shortage, Ronisha Sheppard, Shawn P. Mcelmurry, Matt W. Seeger

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

In August 2021, COVID cases spiked in Florida with over 24,000 breakthrough cases per day making Florida the state with the highest increase at the time. Florida saw an increase in hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the last two weeks of August and became the 3rd state in the U.S. to exceed 3 million COVID cases. Not only did this impact public health, but it also created an unforeseen impact on the municipal water system. The surge in COVID cases created a surge in demand for treatment, one in which included liquid oxygen, used for respiratory therapy. Without liquid oxygen, ozone …

The Role Of Emotions On Stakeholders’ Perceptions During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lisa Bergson, Thomasena Shaw

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Using Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) model, the researchers explored the role of emotions on respondents' perceptions of a university during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the perceived level of engagement by the organization, the primary coping strategies of the stakeholders and the type of crisis and level of responsibility of the organization. This qualitative, phenomenological study explored how emotions experienced by faculty during the pandemic impacted their perception of the university. This study fills a gap in the crisis communication literature by focusing on stakeholder perspectives and proposes the addition of several emotions to the ICM model. It also details …

2022 International Crisis And Risk Communication Conference Program, Conference Organizers

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Program to the to the 11th Annual International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference sponsored by the Nicholson School of Communication and Media.

Rhetoric Of Surrogacy: Re-Considering Agency Through Embodied Performance, Ann Kitalong-Will

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Surrogacy as a medical practice goes back, in a practical sense, to 1988, when the court case, “In the Matter of Baby M, A Pseudonym for an Actual Person,” was tried in the Supreme Court of New Jersey. At the heart of the issue, was the question of who Baby M’s legally-recognized mother was in the relationship between the contracting parents and the woman who gestated and gave birth to Baby M. Using this case as a jumping off point, this dissertation traces a history of surrogacy as a global industry. This project explores rhetorical agency in the embodied performance …

Difficult Dialogues At Laguardia Community College, Cuny, Ian Mcdermott, Caterina Almendral, Jacqueline A. Brashears

Open Educational Resources

This document summarizes the process of leading a difficult dialogues workshop. Supplemental files are attached, which include a script and slides. We recommend following the script to ensure the workshop is organized and follows the methods outlined below. These materials have served as the basis for an ongoing series of workshops at LaGuardia Community College in a variety of contexts, from faculty and staff discussing gender identity to student interactions at the College. Most recently and frequently, the workshop has been held for Student Success Mentors to help them navigate their relationships with the students they supervise and the professors …

Paths To Positivity: Relational Trajectories And Interaction In Positive Stepparent-Stepchild Dyads, Vincent R. Waldron, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Bailey M. Oliver-Blackburn, Brianna L. Avalos

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Stepfamilies are inherently complex family systems, marked by change, flexible boundaries, and early conflict. But the developmental pathways by which long-term stepparent relationships become positive require more study. We interviewed 38 stepchildren who had reached adulthood, to understand how their relationships with a stepparent became positive. Four relational trajectories defined these positive relationships: punctuated, consistent positive, progressive incline, and modulated turbulent. Distinctive communicative practices were associated with each trajectory, such as communicating assurances, “siding,” or revelations of character. In addition, the trajectories shared three common processes: responsiveness to stepchild vulnerability, stepparent “adding value” to the family, and maturation/ reframing of …

Distal Sibling Grief: Exploring Emotional Affect And Salience Of Listener Behaviors In Stories Of Sibling Death, Margaret C. Brock

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Communicated Narrative Sense-Making (CNSM) theory is used as a theoretical framework to understand the storytelling surrounding a sibling’s death years after the loss. Analysis of 174 narratives from individuals whose siblings died five or more years ago revealed that a neutral tone, rather than the use of positive or negative affect, was predominant in this retrospective storytelling. When affect was present, it was more likely to be negative than positive. However, positive affect was associated with an individual’s satisfaction with life when it was present. The neutrality and frequency of retrospective storytelling among distally bereaved siblings in this study may …

Understanding Media Richness And Social Presence: Exploring The Impacts Of Media Channels On Individuals’ Levels Of Loneliness, Well-Being, And Belonging, Ashley M. Arsenault

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Loneliness is a universal part of being human and is detrimental to well-being. The need-to-belong hypothesis claims that individuals frequently having positive interactions with people close to them mitigates their loneliness. Media richness theory adds that rich media channels allow individuals to perceive higher levels of social presence and maintain those vital, close relationships. Understanding how a given media channel impacts online interactions and, in turn, the interactants is vital. This study used a pretest-posttest equivalent groups experimental design to examine if individuals who interacted with a close relationship partner over a rich media channel would have a decrease in …

Strategies To Implement An Electronic Medical Records System In Health Care Organizations, Ashley Knott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the 2009 mandate from the U.S. Government that healthcare organizations adopt and implement electronic medical records (EMR) systems to avoid fines and take advantage of the benefits EMR systems provide, adoption of EMR systems in the United States has been low. Since 2011, medical facilities have received incentive payments if they demonstrated “meaningful use” of certified EMR systems; however, medical facilities unable to demonstrate meaningful use beginning in 2015 have faced up to 5% penalties. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies that hospital project managers use …

Leveraging Electronic Alerts And Telemonitoring For Early Detection Of Maternal Hypertension, Philidah Seda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among industrialized nations, and hypertension is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Given that pregnancy-related hypertension can develop anytime during the perinatal period, and complications arising from this condition can cause harm, early detection is associated with better outcomes. Best practice alerts in the electronic health record and Blue-tooth-enabled medical devices linked to health information systems can provide real-time notification of critical values to health care professionals. This project evaluated the clinical usefulness of two health care technologies—preeclampsia e-alerts and remote blood pressure monitoring—in facilitating early detection …

Strategies That Improve Ux (User Experience) Design Through Product Innovation, Jibing Zhao

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

User Experience (UX) design improvement can alter business results. Information technology (IT) company leaders are concerned with UX design improvement, as it is the number one indication of product innovation success and user satisfaction. Grounded in Christensen’s disruptive innovation theory, the purpose of the qualitative single case study was to explore strategies IT company leaders and UX designers used to identify critical UX design elements that lead to improved product innovations. The participants were five IT company leaders and a focus group of four UX designers employed by a sizeable telecom organization in Beijing, China. The data were collected from …