Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Latino Perceptions Of Nature, Recreation, And Community Engagement In Wasatch And Summit Counties, Utah, Elsa Perez, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Lewis Kogan, Isaac Helton

All Current Publications

This fact sheet presents results from a Utah State University study on Latino perceptions of nature, recreation, and community engagement in Utah's Wasatch and Summit counties and barriers to accessing programming. It also includes tips for increasing Latino participation in nature programs.

The End Of Unmeasured Exploitation: How A.S.M., C.A.S., And S.I.A. Challenge Digital Attention Capitalism, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Digital attention capitalism generates value through the capture and monetization of human attention, yet it has historically lacked standardized mechanisms for measuring attention-related harm. This paper argues that the Attention Safeguard Models (A.S.M.), Cognitive Attentional Standards (C.A.S.), and Sociological Impact Assessment (S.I.A.) collectively challenge this system by introducing an integrated framework for classifying, measuring, and evaluating digital attention harm and its societal consequences. C.A.S. provides standardized measurement of digital attention harm, A.S.M. identifies and classifies patterns of attentional disruption and manipulation, and S.I.A. evaluates broader impacts on institutions, communities, civic engagement, education, social cohesion, and inequality. Together, these systems transform …

Little Bighorn Days 2026, Hardin, Montana, Emma Keinath-Lopez

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was conducted for Little Bighorn Days to provide insight into the characteristics of attendees of the 2026 Little Bighorn Days event hosted in Hardin, Montana. Seventy attendees of the event completed the survey. Results show that the majority of respondents were Montana residents, with 66% residing in Montana and 85% of Montana respondents residing in Big Horn County. Respondents from outside Big Horn County spent an average of five nights in Montana and reported a total spending of $24,994.00, with the highest expenditures occurring in hotel/motel/bed and breakfasts, restaurants/bars, retail goods/services, and gasoline/diesel. Overall, attendees reported high levels …

River City Roots Festival 2026, Missoula, Montana, Emma Keinath-Lopez

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was conducted to provide insight into the characteristics, spending patterns, and satisfaction levels of attendees at the 2026 River City Roots Festival in Missoula, Montana. A total of 251 attendees completed the survey. Approximately 85% of respondents were Montana residents, including 72% who resided in Missoula County. Among respondents from outside Missoula County, 74% spent at least one night away from home. Visitors spent an average of 3.9 nights in Montana and 2.9 nights in Missoula. Fifty-six respondent groups from outside of Missoula County provided expenditure information, reporting an estimated $44,397.38 in total visitor spending in Missoula. The …

Montana Resident Report: Impact Of Air Quality And Wildfire Smoke On Travel And Outdoor Recreation In Montana, Q2 2026, Carter Bermingham, Megan Schultz, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was designed to better understand how residents respond to wildfire smoke in their community, and the associated impacts it has on their travel and outdoor recreation behavior (if any at all). The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) conducts resident studies quarterly to better understand current topics across the state. In a year marked by a lack of winter snowpack and warm spring temperatures, 2026 was an ideal time to broach the topic of wildfire smoke in Montana.

Respondents were asked whether they check current smoke conditions before leaving for a trip and at what level of …

Living Between Lines: A Conceptual Paper For An Empirical Study Exploring The Impact Of Gendered Racial Socialization On Black Women In Emerging Adulthood, Danielle C. Hickman

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

Black women in emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) navigate the intersection of racial and gender socialization processes that are largely absent from mainstream developmental and psychological research. Existing scholarship often examines race and gender separately, thereby overlooking the compounded psychological effects experienced by Black emerging adult women (BEAW) as they negotiate cultural scripts such as the Strong Black Woman and Angry Black Woman. This conceptual paper outlines a research framework for an empirical study examining the relationship between gendered-racial socialization and psychological well-being among BEAW, and the extent to which cultural scripts moderate this relationship. Grounded in an integrated theoretical …

Examining The Effect Of Having A Disability On The College Experience, Grace Dudley

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Among people 25 or older in the United States in 2022, just 21% of individuals with a disability had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 38% of individuals without a disability had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Previous research has identified a variety of barriers that students with disabilities may face as they pursue postsecondary education. The purpose of this study was to examine barriers students with disabilities (SWDs) face once they arrive at college in order to investigate how higher education may be made more accessible. Barriers were assessed by surveying SWDs attending James Madison University, a …

Class(Room) Culture: New Conceptualization And A Model Of Culture-Aware Teaching, Ravit Heskiau

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

As higher education becomes increasingly personalized and students’ individual identities are increasingly considered, this article explores the concept of classroom culture as part of assessing, embracing, and shaping each class’s shared characteristics as a collective. I define classroom culture and explain why it is paramount for educators to understand the unique cultures of their classes and actively assess them, striking a balance between supporting classroom culture and shaping it. Following a critical literature review, I demonstrate the application of commonly used cultural frameworks from the organizational culture literature to higher education classes. Specifically, I expand on how they can help …

Moral Ecology In Shakespeare's Tragedies: Nature, Animals, And Conscience As Ethical Agents In Hamlet, Macbeth, And King Lear, Md. Abu Bakkar

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Shakespeare's tragedies repeatedly dramatize a universe in which moral transgression produces consequences that extend beyond individual psychology to affect society, nature, and the non-human world. This study examines how Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear construct a system of moral ecology, understood as a framework of ethical causality in which human actions generate interconnected consequences across psychological, social, and natural orders. Using qualitative close reading informed by moral criticism, ecocriticism, animal studies, and early modern cosmology, the study analyzes selected passages representing natural disturbance, animal imagery, and conscience as forms of ethical response. The findings show that the three …

Intersections Of Intimate Partner Violence And Risk Behaviors: Exploring Associations With Substance Use, Suicidal Behavior, Weapon Carrying, And Risky Sexual Behavior, Bibi Maria

Masters Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) among youth is considered a social and public health concern globally, which coexists with other high-risk behaviors. Previous research has mostly focused on female victims and adult populations or examined a single outcome, did not distinguish between physical and sexual victimization, or overlooked gender differences. Guided by general strain theory, power-control theory, and a gendered perspective of GST, this study examined the associations between physical and sexual IPV victimization and four risk behavior categories: substance use, suicidal behavior, weapon carrying, and risky sexual behavior, among both male and female youths and tested for gender differences. Using …

Defining Evidence-Based Practices From A Practitioner Perspective: An Analysis Of How The Peer Assisted School Transition (P.A.S.T.) Project Fits Within The Evidence-Based Practices Continuum, Afiya King, Hillarie Wise, Nakia Cross, Donna Dent, Andrew Jordan Williamson, Maysa Osman, Carlos A O Pavao

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: This study examines the implementation and evaluation of the Peer Assisted School Transition (P.A.S.T.) Project, an evidence-informed, peer-led intervention designed to prevent substance misuse among youth during key educational transitions. The study explores the effectiveness of the program in strengthening protective factors, reducing risk factors, and enhancing skills related to substance misuse prevention.

Methods: A mixed-methods evaluation design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-surveys administered to fifth- and eighth-grade students to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups, interviews, and observations to provide contextual insight into program implementation …

2026 Annual Report – Celebrating 40 Years Of Research Excellence, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report marks the 40th anniversary of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) at the University of Montana, founded in 1987 as the research arm of the state's tourism and recreation industries and funded through a small share of the Lodging Facility Use Tax.

It covers the 2025 travel year, when 13.2 million nonresident visitors spent $5.6 billion in Montana, supporting 52,610 jobs and $360 million in state and local tax revenue. Featured studies cover the state's museums and paleontological sites, its $1.27 billion outfitting and guiding industry, and tourism's growing role in Eastern Montana's rural economies. Additional …

Community-Based Research: Key Considerations For Researchers And Community Partners When Collaborating, Bothwell Piason, Kathleen A. Fox

The Qualitative Report

Community-based research (CBR) is a research orientation that emphasizes equitable engagement in the process of knowledge production, though researchers and community partners may navigate collaborative partnerships with differing expectations, priorities, and understandings of success. Extant research has demonstrated that successful CBR partnerships can benefit both researchers and community partners, yet little is known about how both groups simultaneously conceptualize successful collaboration across diverse partnership contexts. In this study, we ask: What considerations do researchers and community partners identify as important when engaging in community-based research partnerships? Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 10 university researchers and 10 community partners engaged in …

Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

“When I’M Not Heard, I Feel Like I Don’T Matter”: Advancing Equity In Disability Policy Through Critical Participatory Action Research With People With Intellectual Disability, Cris Marchionne

Student Theses

People with intellectual disability deserve a system that offers flexible, timely, and person-centered support — one that is innovative, sustainable, and holistic in enabling them to live fulfilling lives. This qualitative study, grounded in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), examines how people with intellectual disability experience participation in decision-making within New York State's disability service system. By centering lived experience, the study identifies factors that facilitate or hinder participation in decision-making and examines structural, social, and policy-related barriers that limit agency. Through six focus groups and a Photovoice project with self-advocates receiving OPWDD services, participants described systemic barriers that limited …

Beyond Boundaries: Unlocking Positive Social Change Through Shared Expertise, Sigifredo Castell Britton

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

Societal progress thrives through the dynamic interplay of diverse disciplines, each contributing unique insights to advance positive change. Interdisciplinary collaboration plays a crucial role in addressing complex social challenges by combining the strengths of various fields. This article explores the historical evolution, theoretical foundations, and practical applications of interdisciplinary collaboration to foster positive social change. The discussion provides definitions of key terms, such as societal progress and positive social change, within distinct ideological and contextual frameworks. It makes use of these to clarify the direction of positive change in different societal settings. Historical and contemporary examples, such as Bolivia’s social …

Artificial Intelligence And Social Equities: Navigating The Intersectionalities In A Digital Age (Editorial), Daisuke Akiba, Julie Albright

Publications and Research

This editorial article introduces and synthesizes the Special Issue, “Artificial intelligence and social equities: navigating the intersectionalities in a digital age,” which examines how AI systems intersect with race, ethnicity, and interconnected identity dimensions across global contexts. The eight contributions span healthcare, digital media, higher education, organizational communication, and speculative futures, addressing anti-racist psychiatric algorithms, AI-generated visual disinformation, epistemic injustice between the Global North and South, algorithmically mediated rural–urban divides, culturally untranslated technology transfer, accessibility auditing across the AI lifecycle, and the tension between mechanical objectivity and empathic understanding. Read together, they show that AI is neither inherently …

Supporting The Humans In Human Services: Understanding The Impacts Of Indirect Trauma Exposures & Promoting Resilience To Bolster Professional Wellbeing And Strengthen Service Provision, Mandy Jr O'Malley

Master of Arts in Human Services

The on-going exposure to the trauma of others that is regularly experienced in the daily work of human service professionals carries with it risks to the wellbeing of the individual professional, the health of the organization in which they work and to the quality of care that they are providing. The scope of the effects that are experienced both acutely and over time include, among others, mental and physical exhaustion, mental health symptoms that mirror those of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in those directly impacted by trauma, changes in worldview, and dramatic reductions in empathy. By understanding the consequences of …

10 Questions To Fall In Love With A Chatbot: An Experimental Study On Interpersonal Closeness With Large Language Models (Llms), Jessica M. Szczuka, Lisa Mühl, Paula Ebner, Simon Dubé

Human-Machine Communication

Large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, are able to compute affectionately nuanced text, which can be deployed in online dating or power artificial companions. This study explores whether people can experience intimate interest and interpersonal closeness toward a potential human or AI partner, based on such text. In a mock matchmaking scenario, 307 participants rated 10 text responses to the Interpersonal Closeness Generation Task from the dating profile of their potential partner, unaware that all were LLM-generated. Surprisingly, the source label (human or AI) had no significant impact on intimate interest and interpersonal closeness. Instead, the perceived quality and human-likeness …

Emotional Intelligence Deficits And Behavioral Escalation Among Justice-Involved Populations, Aleasa M. Word

Master of Arts in Human Services

This capstone examined the relationship between deficits in emotional intelligence and behavioral escalation among justice-involved populations, who frequently demonstrated challenges with emotional regulation, impulse control, aggression, and behavioral escalation. However, many correctional interventions, including traditional anger management programming, emphasized behavioral compliance rather than the underlying emotional processing deficiencies that contributed to these behaviors. This project synthesized existing peer-reviewed literature from psychology, criminology, forensic behavioral health, and correctional rehabilitation research to examine how low levels of emotional awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and interpersonal functioning are associated with aggression, recidivism, and escalating behaviors. Findings suggested deficits in emotional intelligence were consistently associated …