Social Psychology and Interaction Commons^™

Support For Friends And Family Members Of Incarcerated Individuals, Brandon M. Goodman

Masters Theses

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and identify communication practices that affect incarcerated individuals and their families, specifically focusing on emotions and family communication patterns. Statistics show that there is a need for this type of research into support for loved ones of incarcerated individuals. This thesis then identifies the uses of theory and concepts related to family communication, emotions, and identity. The thesis also provides an overview of previous research on communication and incarceration, including interdisciplinary research crossing into sociology, as well as social interaction, family studies and more. In conclusion, the thesis argues that prisonization is …

Age Of Migration Life Expectancy With Functional Limitations And Morbidity Among Mexican Americans, Marc A. Garcia, Luis M. Valderrama-Hinds, Chi-Tsun Chiu, Miriam S. Mutambudzi, Nai-Wei Chen, Mukaila Raji

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The U.S. Mexican American population enjoys longer life expectancies relative to other racial/ethnic groups but is disproportionately affected by chronic conditions and functional limitations. Studying the impact of heterogeneity in age, time and other characteristics of migration among older Mexican Americans can inform our understanding of health disparities and health care needs in later-life. This research employed 20 years of data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to assess the proportion of life spent with functional limitations and one or more morbidity (by age of migration and gender) in the United States Mexican American …

Gendered Synthetic Love: Real Dolls And The Construction Of Intimacy, Desirée Ciambrone, Voonchin Phua, Erin N. Avery

Sociology Faculty Publications

Real Dolls are life-size, anatomically correct figures. Except for their lifelessness, they are made to look and feel like humans. The availability of Real Dolls allows us to examine the social significance of relationships and gender expectations in a new light. In this paper, we are interested in how the Real Dolls are being offered and accepted as alternative partners. Specifically, we examine the relationship between the commodification of the body and the agency individuals have to create intimacy and connection. We conducted an exploratory content analysis of the customer testimonials on the Real Doll website. Results suggest that the …

The Implications Of Attachment Orientation And Personality Pathology For Detecting Deception, Madeline Luedke

Global Tides

This study investigated the implications of attachment orientations and personality dimensions for accuracy in detecting deception from emotionally-based statements. Thirty individuals (M age = 25.33, range = 18-52) completed a survey that included the Personality Inventory for DSM-V-Brief Form and the Relationship Styles Questionnaire to measure the individual differences in question. To measure deceit, 7 mental health counselors volunteered to participate in a video-recorded mock interview concerning their current romantic partner—3 individuals provided false responses, and the remaining 4 offered true answers. The audio-visual vignettes were imbedded in the survey and subjects viewed each, then responded a question asking …

The Bamboo Ceiling: A Study Of Barriers To Asian American Advancement, Emily Cheng

Undergraduate Research Posters

The idea of cultural diversity in the workplace is a popular one, generating much discussion about the inclusion of and affirmative action toward minorities. However, these conversations rarely involve Asian Americans, who despite above-average levels of educational achievement, household income, and employment, find themselves underrepresented in and shut-out of upper-level management positions. In this project, I investigated the stereotype of East-Asian Americans as a model minority (created by non-Asians) to find out why East-Asian Americans are underrepresented in upper-level management in corporate workplaces, a phenomenon known as the “bamboo ceiling.” I explored a variety of scholarly sources that analyzed the …

“My Lesbian Space Rock Show”: Representations Of Intersectional Identities In Steven Universe, Heather L. Clark

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research is based on a content analysis of the meaning making in Steven Universe cartoon fandom forum threads, media message board comments, and online reviews posted between November 2013 (the show’s initial air date) and November 2016. My analysis examines the fan negotiations of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class from an intersectional feminist perspective. Unlike other qualitative analyses of cartoons that focus on researcher analysis of media messages, this research focuses on meaning making and identity formation among fans. I found that Steven Universe provides fans with opportunities for meaning making and validation, especially underrepresented populations. Fans negotiate …

Hepatitis C Serosorting Among People Who Inject Drugs In Rural Puerto Rico, Ian Duncan, Ric Curtis, Juan Carlos Reyes, Roberto Abadie, Bilal Khan, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Due to the high cost of treatment, preventative measures to limit Hepatitis C (HCV) transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) are encouraged by many public health officials. A key one of these is serosorting, where PWID select risk partners based on concordant HCV status. Research on the general U.S. population bySmith et al. (2013) found that knowledge of one's own HCV status facilitated serosorting behaviors among PWID, such that respondents with knowledge of their own status were more likely to ask potential partners about their status prior to sharing risk. Our objective was to see if this held true …

Evaluating Data Quality In Reports Of Sales In A Retail Establishment Survey, Kristen Olson, Xiaoyu Lin, Timothy Banks

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines failure to use records in sales reporting across about 12,000 store owners participating in a retail measurement panel in a Southeast Asian country. Reported sales based on the storekeeper’s memory (oral reports) were lower than those from records, as expected. More surprisingly, oral reports acted as a supplement to record-based reports at the same store, such that stores that had oral reports had higher total sales than those with invoices. Although stores were expected to either have or not have a reliable record system, many stores used both. Findings varied over individual categories of products. Little research …

The Relationship Between Survival Sex And Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms In A High Risk Female Population, Jerreed Ivanich, Melissa L. Welch-Lazoritz, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Engaging in survival sex and mental illness are overrepresented within homeless populations. This article assesses the relationship between symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and engaging in survival sex among homeless women. One hundred and fifty-eight homeless women completed surveys on self-reported BPD symptomology and sexual history. Bivariate and multivariate analyses conducted in this study provided insights into the association of experiencing BPD symptoms and engaging in survival sex. Results indicate that some symptoms of BPD are robustly correlated with engaging in survival sex among homeless adult women. Implications for service agencies and others working with at-risk female populations are …

The Potential Scientist’S Dilemma: How The Masculine Framing Of Science Shapes Friendships And Science Job Aspirations, G. Robin Gauthier, Patricia Wonch Hill, Julia Mcquillan, Amy N. Spiegel, Judy Diamond

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In the United States, girls and boys have similar science achievement, yet fewer girls aspire to science careers than boys. This paradox emerges in middle school, when peers begin to play a stronger role in shaping adolescent identities. We use complete network data from a single middle school and theories of gender, identity, and social distance to explore how friendship patterns might influence this gender and science paradox. Three patterns highlight the social dimensions of gendered science persistence: (1) boys and girls do not differ in self-perceived science potential and science career aspirations; (2) consistent with gender-based norms, both middle …

Using Cell Phones For Data Collection: Benefits, Outcomes, And Intervention Possibilities With Homeless Youth, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel M. Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

While many homeless youth use cell phones to stay socially connected, and maintaining positive social ties can contribute to pathways out of homelessness, little is known about how using cell phones for data collection can improve these young people’s lives. We conducted baseline and follow-up interviews with 150 homeless youth as well as provided them with a cell phone for 30 days to gather daily data using short message service (SMS) surveying. This paper examines youths’ opinions about study participation and how they used the cell phone. Results revealed that youth liked participating in the study because the SMS texting …

Bi-Cultural Dynamics For Risk And Protective Factors For Cardiometabolic Health In An Alaska Native (Yup'ik) Population, Jacques Philip, Toves K. Ryman, Scarlett E. Hopkins, Diane M. O'Brien, Andrea Bersamin, Jeremy Pomeroy, Kenneth E. Thummel, Melissa A. Austin, Bert B. Boyer, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Alaska Native people experience disparities in mortality from heart disease and stroke. This work attempts to better understand the relationships between socioeconomic, behavioral, and cardiometabolic risk factors among Yup'ik people of southwestern Alaska, with a focus on the role of the socioeconomic, and cultural components. Using a cross-sectional sample of 486 Yup'ik adults, we fitted a Partial Least Squares Path Model (PLS-PM) to assess the associations between components, including demographic factors [age and gender], socioeconomic factors [education, economic status, Yup'ik culture, and Western culture], behavioral factors [diet, cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use, and physical activity], and cardiometabolic risk factors …

Social Determinants Of Hiv/Hcv Co-Infection: A Case Study From People Who Inject Drugs In Rural Puerto Rico, Roberto Abadie, Melissa L. Welch-Lazoritz, Bilal Khan, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Worldwide there are an estimated 130 million people infected with hepatitis C (HCV), 40 million living with HIV, and between 4 and 5 million co-infected with HIV and HCV (Alter, 2006; Perz, Farrington, Pecoraro, Hutin, & Armstrong, 2004; WHO. AIDS epidemic update, 2004). In Western Europe and the United States, co-infection tends to concentrate among people who inject drugs (PWID) mainly driven by blood contained in shared syringes and contaminated injection equipment (Hahn, Page-Schafer, Lum, et al., 2002; Doerrbecker, Behrendt, Matheu-Gelabert et al., 2013). Epidemiological data shows wide discrepancies in HIV/HCV prevalence among PWID across the world (Bao & Li, …

Increasing Burden Of Complex Multimorbidity Across Gradients Of Cognitive Impairment, Siran M. Koroukian, Nicholas K. Schiltz, David F. Warner, Kurt C. Stange, Kathleen A. Smyth

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: This study evaluates the burden of multimorbidity (MM) across gradients of cognitive impairment (CI). Methods: Using data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, we identified individuals with no CI, mild CI, and moderate/ severe CI. In addition, we adopted an expansive definition of complex MM by accounting for the occurrence and co-occurrence of chronic conditions, functional limitations, and geriatric syndromes. Results: In a sample of 18 913 participants (weighted n = 87.5 million), 1.93% and 1.84% presented with mild and moderate/severe CI, respectively. The prevalence of most conditions constituting complex MM increased markedly across the …

Book Review: Some Men: Feminist Allies & The Movement To End Violence Against Women, By Michael A. Messner, Max A. Greenberg, And Tal Peretz, Trenton M. Haltom

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In their book, Some men: feminist allies & the movement to end violence against women, Michael A. Messner, Max A. Greenberg and Tal Peretz outline the history and contributions by men to feminist, gendered, anti-violence activism. As empirical research, Some men is a formative work in two key ways: it is a historical overview of men’s place in feminist activism, and an inspiration for men looking into how to get involved.

The authors provide an in-depth examination of the kinds of anti-violence work men do and how that work has shifted over time, by relying on 64 life history interviews …

Aging And Disability Among Hispanics In The United States: Current Knowledge And Future Directions, Marc A. Garcia, Brian Downer, Michael Crowe, Kyriakos S. Markides

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Hispanics are the most rapidly aging minority population in the United States. Our objective is to provide a summary of current knowledge regarding disability among Hispanics, and to propose an agenda for future research.

Research Design and Methods: A literature review was conducted to identify major areas of research. A life course perspective and the Hispanic Paradox were used as frameworks for the literature review and for identifying future areas of research.

Results: Four research areas were identified: (1) Ethnic disparities in disability; (2) Heterogeneity of the U.S. older Hispanic population; (3) Risk factors for disability; and …

Complex Multimorbidity And Health Outcomes In Older Adult Cancer Survivors, David F. Warner, Nicholas K. Schiltz, Kurt C. Stange, Charles W. Given, Cynthia Owusu, Nathan A. Berger, Siran M. Koroukian

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To characterize complex multimorbidity among cancer survivors and evaluate the association between cancer survivorship, time since cancer diagnosis, and self-reported fair/poor health, self-rated worse health in 2 years, and 2-year mortality. Methods: We used the 2010–2012 Health and Retirement Study. Cancer survivors were individuals who reported a (nonskin) cancer diagnosis 2 years or more before the interview. We defined complex multimorbidity as the co-occurrence of chronic conditions, functional limitations, and/or geriatric syndromes. In addition to descriptive analyses, we used logistic regression to evaluate the independent association between cancer survivor status and health outcomes. We also examined whether cancer survivorship …

The Religious And Political Origins Of Evangelical Protestants’ Opposition To Environmental Spending, Philip Schwadel, Erik Johnson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Evangelical Protestants are less likely than most other Americans to support environmental policies and spending to protect the natural environment. We use almost three decades of repeated cross-sectional data to examine the factors that promote evangelicals’ opposition to environmental spending. Mediation models with bootstrapped standard errors show that affiliation with the Republican Party, biblical literalism, and religious service attendance mediate differences in support for environmental spending between evangelical Protestants and other Americans. The importance of these mediating variables, however, varies over time and by the group evangelicals are being compared to. Differences in support for environmental spending between evangelical and …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Dating Violence: A Qualitative Study, Sarah Taylor, Carrie A. Calkins, Yan Ruth Xia, Rochelle L. Dalla

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Scholars have identified dating violence as a public health issue among adolescents. Yet, minimal research has detailed adolescents’ perceptions of dating violence, specifically gender differences in perceptions. Research suggests that in order for dating violence prevention and intervention to be effective, services need to be delivered in a manner that is understood by adolescents. Therefore, this study used a qualitative phenomenology study to investigate adolescents’ perceptions of dating violence, including gender differences in adolescents’ perceptions. Thirty adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 from a Midwest public high school participated in focus groups. Focus group participants were asked semistructured …

The Making Of A Hero: Cultivating Empathy, Altruism, And Heroic Imagination, Ari Kohen, Matt Langdon, Brian R. Riches

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Heroes are not born; they’re made. This article examines the commonalities in the backgrounds of people who take heroic action on behalf of others to theorize the ways in which our society can encourage citizens to prepare themselves to act heroically. In looking closely at a variety of people who have acted heroically, in a single moment or over time, we argue they have at least four crucial commonalities: They imagined situations where help was needed and considered how they would act; they had an expansive sense of empathy, not simply with those who might be considered “like them” but …