When 'Weird' Means 'Dangerous': Viruses And Firewalls In Affective Polarization,
2025
Clemson University
When 'Weird' Means 'Dangerous': Viruses And Firewalls In Affective Polarization, Nathan J. Locke
All Theses
As traditional sources of epistemic authority face declining trust, alternative narratives have gained prominence - often leveraging the emotional and cultural resonance of seemingly simple terms. In the 2024 election cycle, the term “weird” emerged as a potent meme in American political discourse. Using a memetic perspective that incorporates elements of framing theory and Social Judgment Theory, this thesis investigates the use and reaction to “weird” and its role in shaping perception of Donald Trump, his political allies, his followers, and his opposition during and immediately after the 2024 Presidential election. The memetic perspective, which views ideas as units of …
A Review Of Studies Assessing Modifiable Risk Factors For Dementia Among Family Caregivers In The United States Based On Behavioral Risk Factorsurveillance System (Brfss),
2025
University of Texas at Arlington
A Review Of Studies Assessing Modifiable Risk Factors For Dementia Among Family Caregivers In The United States Based On Behavioral Risk Factorsurveillance System (Brfss), Shruthi Ranjithkumar
2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive
Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) face an increased risk of developing dementia due to advanced age and modifiable risk factors. The 2024 Lancet Commission Report identified 14 such risk factors, whose mitigation could reduce dementia cases by 45%. Despite this, research on modifiable dementia risk factors among ADRD caregivers remains limited. This study investigates whether peer-reviewed studies utilizing Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data assess modifiable dementia risk factors among ADRD caregivers. A PubMed search retrieved 27 relevant articles, which were analyzed for risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission, including traumatic brain injury, …
Tidal Waves Of Mental Health Damage: Effects Of The 2024 U.S. Election,
2025
University of Pennsylvania
Tidal Waves Of Mental Health Damage: Effects Of The 2024 U.S. Election, Mary Anne Layden
Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence
No abstract provided.
The Role Of Endogenous Estrogen In Effects Of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation On Cognitive Performance,
2025
Montclair State University
The Role Of Endogenous Estrogen In Effects Of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation On Cognitive Performance, Samantha Walsh
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) directly modulates brain activity, allowing the study of brain-behavior relationships in cognitive processes. However, cognitive effects of tDCS vary widely, partly due to individual differences in baseline brain activity. Estrogen levels, which fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, are known to affect cortical excitability and impact neural response to tDCS, but no research to date has examined the potential moderating role of endogenous estrogen in tDCS effects on cognition. In this study, N = 16 healthy female adults completed four sessions of a working memory (WM) task while receiving tDCS (two active sessions, two sham) …
Predicting Cognitive Bias Susceptibility In Simulated Business Management Decisions: Exploring The Impact Of Group Size, Process Accountability, And Member Experiences,
2025
Montclair State University
Predicting Cognitive Bias Susceptibility In Simulated Business Management Decisions: Exploring The Impact Of Group Size, Process Accountability, And Member Experiences, Jacob Breaux
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
This dissertation explored systematic susceptibility to four cognitive biases among individuals, dyads, triads, and tetrads in a series of tasks designed to simulate real-world business management scenarios. This included measuring representativeness bias, sunk costs, anchoring effects, and framing effects, each of which with historical and empirical prevalence in various managerial contexts. Using experimental data from undergraduate students, participants were prompted to act as surrogate members of a top management team simulation. Participants first completed each of the decision scenarios on their own and were subsequently brought together to collaborate and converge on a single decision preference on the same set …
Do Readers Keep Track Of Protagonist Identity In Narratives?,
2025
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Do Readers Keep Track Of Protagonist Identity In Narratives?, Sophia Skrivanos
Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
The purpose of this research was to further investigate conflicting findings in the literature regarding the processes readers use to maintain and update their mental representation of contextual information in text. Previous research suggests that the relevance of information to a protagonist’s goals in a story influences whether that information will later be validated (Levine & Kim, 2019; Levine & Klin, 2001; Lutz & Radvansky, 1997). Studies showing that readers overlook inconsistencies in contextual information (Albrecht & Myers, 1995; Smith et al., 2020; Smith & O’Brien, 2012) often involve materials where the inconsistent details are irrelevant to the protagonist’s goals. …
Using Eeg To Measure Attentional Spreading Across Objects,
2025
Mississippi State University
Using Eeg To Measure Attentional Spreading Across Objects, Dawson L. Green, Michael Pratte
Honors Theses
Abstract: Attention may not solely be restricted to a spatial area or a feature of an object, but rather can “spread” across all parts of an object in space, enhancing the processing of its features collectively (Duncan, 1984). This phenomenon suggests that attention operates at the level of whole objects, enhancing the representation of all features associated with the attended object while suppressing competing stimuli. Building on this object-based framework, the present thesis examines the functional and neural dissociation between attention and awareness using steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) as a frequency-tagging method in EEG. Leveraging the high temporal resolution …
Does An Impaired Sense Of Smell Make It Harder To Think About Things Like Garlic?,
2025
University of Connecticut - Storrs
Does An Impaired Sense Of Smell Make It Harder To Think About Things Like Garlic?, Ishrat N. Khan
Honors Scholar Theses
According to sensorimotor-based (also called "embodied" or "grounded") theories of semantic memory, accessing conceptual knowledge about things involves reactivating—or “simulating”—the sensory and motor experiences that we have had with them. For instance, thinking about things for which olfactory experience is dominant (e.g., garlic or a rose) would involve simulating their smell. However, evidence for olfactory simulation when thinking about "smelly” things is sparse and mixed. We tested smell-impaired (“anosmic”) and control participants (N=130 in the anosmic group and N=190 in the control group) on three tasks (1) Picture-Word Verification, (2) Semantic Property Verification, and (3) Free Recall. We predicted that …
Cognitive Advantages Of Dual Language: Bilingualism And Its Relationship With Working Memory And Controlled Attention,
2025
Murray State University
Cognitive Advantages Of Dual Language: Bilingualism And Its Relationship With Working Memory And Controlled Attention, Ellison Alexander
Honors College Theses
This study investigates language familiarity and executive function within individuals who are fluent in or actively learning a second language, demonstrating whether bilingualism influences working memory performance and controlled attention. The study population consisted of undergraduate students attending Murray State University. Three groups were evaluated: students with a low-experience level in a second language (100 level classes), a high-experience group (200 level classes and beyond), and a separate control group of monolingual students without college-level language experience. All groups completed assessments of working memory performance and controlled attention by engaging in the Symmetry Span task and the Simon task. In …
Influence Of Smartphone Notifications On Behavior And Eye Movement Parameters Of Emotional Attention,
2025
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Influence Of Smartphone Notifications On Behavior And Eye Movement Parameters Of Emotional Attention, Joshua Daniel Upshaw
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This study examined how smartphone notifications interact with emotional facial expressions to influence behavioral and physiological eye movement parameters of attentional orientation. Using a dot-probe paradigm, participants viewed mixed emotional face pairs (angry, happy, or neutral) following an auditory stimulus (smartphone notifications, control tones, or silence). Angry faces elicited greater behavioral accuracy and delayed initial fixations, consistent with heightened threat-related attentional engagement. Notifications disrupted attentional stability, reflected in increased fixations and pupil size variability. The combined effect of smartphone notifications preceding angry faces intensified attentional modulation—evidenced by slower responses, increased blinking, greater pupil constriction, less pupil variability, and faster initial …
A Comparative Analysis Of The Intersection Between Sex Trafficking And Domestic Violence: A Cross-Cultural Study Of The United States And India,
2025
University of Nebraska at Omaha
A Comparative Analysis Of The Intersection Between Sex Trafficking And Domestic Violence: A Cross-Cultural Study Of The United States And India, Rachel A. Napier
Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects
Domestic violence survivors are affected by long-term trauma from abuse, which can lead to them being more vulnerable and susceptible to sex trafficking tactics. Sex trafficking survivors are also at risk of becoming involved in an abusive relationship because they may have been previously exposed or due to a normalization of abuse. Both domestic violence and sex trafficking are prevalent issues within the world that continue to be ongoing due to their hidden nature. This study highlights the connections between domestic violence and sex trafficking and how each can be portrayed differently based on the environment and cultural norms within …
Emotion Regulation, Reasoning, And Procedural Safeguards In Politically-Polarized Moral Dilemmas.,
2025
University of Louisville
Emotion Regulation, Reasoning, And Procedural Safeguards In Politically-Polarized Moral Dilemmas., Alanea Graci
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Societal disputes often stem from polarized moral dilemmas. Procedural justice and self-determination (PJSD) afforded by societal decision-making processes may influence cooperation and acceptance in these dilemmas. However, moral conviction can sometimes overshadow PJSD, causing morally-opposed individuals to avoid deliberation, become uncooperative, or reject decision outcomes. I conducted two experiments to explore the role emotions (emotion regulation) and procedural safeguards for democratic deliberation (e.g., equal discussion time, rules for civility) play in these situations. I examined the topic of abortion in the U.S. after the Supreme Court’s June 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. Undergraduates at a large, urban Midwestern university …
Penny For Your Thoughts: Exploring Mechanisms Linking Socioeconomic Status And Cognition,
2025
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Penny For Your Thoughts: Exploring Mechanisms Linking Socioeconomic Status And Cognition, Colton Hunter
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Socioeconomic status is a complex psychological construct linked to a number of professional and personal barriers, including cognitive deficits. Throughout this dissertation, I seek to examine the mechanisms that link socioeconomic status and cognition. First, I explore potential mediators in the link between adolescent family income and cognition in adulthood, identifying education, stressful life events, inflammation, and family education expectations as significant mediators. Next, I examine the effects of writing-based stress manipulations on long-term memory and working memory, as these effects may mimic stress from financial worry. In doing so, I identify potential effects on working memory parameters. Finally, in …
Investigating The Impact Of Bilingual Experience And Language Use Context On Cognitive Control In An Auditory Stroop Task,
2025
University of Texas at El Paso
Investigating The Impact Of Bilingual Experience And Language Use Context On Cognitive Control In An Auditory Stroop Task, Christian Ruiz-Ortiz
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Bilinguals are often reported to outperform monolinguals on executive control tasks, yet recent work suggests that any bilingual adaptations depend on how, and in which contexts, individuals use their two languages. The present dissertation tested whether specific dimensions of bilingual experiences (proficiency balance and daily interaction situations) predict the way listeners engage proactive (anticipatory) versus reactive (stimulus-driven) control when resolving non-linguistic conflict. Sixty young adults completed a non-linguistic auditory Stroop task that manipulated conflict expectancy both list-wide and item-specifically. Group-level analysis replicated classic proportion-congruency effects, but not the predicted proactive control signature, and transfer cost indexing reactive control was not …
Structuring The Sustainability Of Happiness In Critical Postmodernity: A Metadata, Mixed-Methods Study In Education,
2025
University of Texas at El Paso
Structuring The Sustainability Of Happiness In Critical Postmodernity: A Metadata, Mixed-Methods Study In Education, Roxanne Renee Rodriguez
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
This dissertation study is built upon a pilot study that uses a meta-theoretical analysis on the culture of education. The purpose of it is to examine [un]happiness, a phenomenon influenced by the social, political, and economic systems in Western paradigms within a critical postmodern view, looking at the intricacies of schooling, as no studies have taken a bottom-up approach to investigate the voices of the main stakeholders: students, teachers, and administrators. My study questions whether a holistic, liberating, and socially responsive curriculum could engender a positive learning environment wherein happiness is sustainable. Within happiness studies, hope is essential, so much …
The Drawing Effect: Evaluating Drawing Method And Strategic Implementation On Recall Accuracy,
2025
University of Southern Mississippi
The Drawing Effect: Evaluating Drawing Method And Strategic Implementation On Recall Accuracy, Jacob M. Namias
Dissertations
Drawing images of to-be-remembered word’s reference often improves memory for the word relative to a control in which the word is written or read silently, a pattern dubbed the drawing effect. Drawing effects have been recorded in a variety of contexts and are generally more beneficial than other deep/elaborative encoding tasks. My dissertation compared recall for words that are drawn by copying a given image versus generating a drawn image without copying, and in study contexts in which the proportion of drawn items is disproportionally skewed. Experiment 1 gauged whether drawing effects differ relative to writing when participants draw an …
Sleep Restriction And Its Effects On Mood,
2025
University of Northern Colorado
Sleep Restriction And Its Effects On Mood, April M. Rummery Lamb
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Sleep plays a fundamental role in the human body being able to function effectively, in particular it plays an essential role in mood regulation. Previous research on sleep and mood has found that there is a correlation between receiving an inadequate amount of sleep and having a negative mood. However, the current field has mostly looked at the relationship between disordered sleep and mood disorders as opposed to everyday sleep patterns and daily mood. The present study aims to look at how sleep restrictions which occur naturally (not caused by sleep disorders such as insomnia) effect daily mood. To conduct …
Parkinson’S Disease And Processing Speed Theory Does Processing Speed Mediate Higher-Order Cognitive Functioning?,
2025
California State University, San Bernardino
Parkinson’S Disease And Processing Speed Theory Does Processing Speed Mediate Higher-Order Cognitive Functioning?, Priscilla Cuellar-Rocha
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in both motor and cognitive deficits. Salthouse (1990) proposed the Information Processing Speed (IPS) Theory that a reduced cognitive processing speed is a significant factor that accounts for the negative relationship between age-related variance and cognition. Parkinson’s is an idiopathic disorder, meaning that the cause is unknown, with most patients being 60 years and older. If the IPS theory suggests that an increased age affects the slowing of IPS, which then impairs cognition, PD, a disorder involving older adults, should also follow this pattern. However, no studies have assessed the IPS theory …
Useful Measures Of Adult Attachment And Object Relations In Psychotherapy,
2025
Florida School of Professional Psychology
Useful Measures Of Adult Attachment And Object Relations In Psychotherapy, Matilde A. Torallas Huerta
Dissertations
This is a literature review of objective and projective measures of attachment and object relations in adults, with the objective of reviewing outstanding research to identify the key factors for adult attachment assessment considered within attachment and object relations theories, what measures of adult attachment styles and dysfunction work best, and to provide key themes of assistance in the measurement of attachment and object relations in adult clients in psychotherapy. Theoretical foundations of attachment and object relations theory are reviewed as well as objective and projective instruments grouped by format. The 10 themes found to be useful in the assessment …
Empowering Mental Support Health Through Ai Chatbot,
2025
Arkansas Tech University
Empowering Mental Support Health Through Ai Chatbot, Anish Ilapaka
ATU Scholars Symposium
The growing prevalence of mental health concerns worldwide underscores the urgent need for accessible, scalable, and supportive solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool in this domain, capable of delivering immediate and empathetic interactions to complement traditional methods of mental health care. This project introduces a conversational AI system to assist individuals experiencing mental health challenges. The proposed system is built on a LLaMA model fine-tuned with a dataset of 10,000 mental health-related dialogues; the system leverages advanced natural language processing and machine learning techniques for meaningful engagement. The core functionality of this tool lies in its …
