Perspective: The Evolution Of Hormones And Person Perception-A Quantitative Genetic Framework, Christopher I Gurguis, Tyler S Kimm, Teresa A Pigott

Student and Faculty Publications

Evolutionary biology provides a unifying theory for testing hypotheses about the relationship between hormones and person perception. Person perception usually receives attention from the perspective of sexual selection. However, because person perception is one trait in a suite regulated by hormones, univariate approaches are insufficient. In this Perspectives article, quantitative genetics is presented as an important but underutilized framework for testing evolutionary hypotheses within this literature. We note tacit assumptions within the current literature on psychiatric genetics, which imperil the interpretation of findings thus far. As regulators of a diverse manifold of traits, hormones mediate tradeoffs among an array of …

What Factors Affect Empathy In People With Narcissism?, Ya Yang, Liza Oh

Pacific Journal of Health

This literature review analyzes factors that may affect how people with narcissism experience empathy. The articles that were analyzed in the literature review included those that discussed the relationship between narcissism and empathy. Using a systematic review, a total of 11 articles were chosen from PsycINFO through a three-stage screening process. The studies mainly revolved around perspective-taking, traits associated with narcissism, motivation, and gender. The participants included in the studies were mainly adults in the United States that had no, low, or high narcissism. The main finding was that factors that caused people with narcissism to view others as if …

Coercion, Conversion, Control: Techniques Utilized To Recruit And Indoctrinate New Members Into Cult Organizations, Hailey Savanna Robertson

University Honors Theses

Religious belief of some form has long been a regular part of many people's lives, but when a person’s devotion to doctrine becomes so all-encompassing that they structure their entire life around it, they may be in a cult. While the dogma may vary across groups, a cult is characterized as having extremely devoted disciples who often follow a charismatic leader and espouse extreme beliefs or practices not widely accepted by society. Members of cults commit themselves wholly to their leaders. Proving their commitment by turning over financial assets, obeying commands without question, and even severing all social ties outside …

The Health Risks Of Deportation: Impacts Of Family Separation On Relationships And Wellbeing In Latinx Communities, Shantay Rhea Rocha

University Honors Theses

Anti-immigration policy and deportation practices create multifaceted implications for Latinx communities in the United States. A comprehensive literature review drawing from public health and immigration studies was used to examine the direct and indirect implications of separation of families due to deportation. This thesis synthesizes existing research to illuminate the health threats pertaining to Latinx wellbeing in the context of being undocumented and fearing being separated from their family. Addressing the dimensions of deportation-related health risks, policy makers, health care professionals, and community organizations can work towards promoting Latinx health and well-being in the U.S. to mitigate the health consequences …

Effects Of Intimate Partner Violence And Machismo On Pregnant Women In Mexico: A Systematic Review, Amber Casarrubias-Enriquez

University Honors Theses

This thesis aims to understand the effects of machismo and its link to intimate partner violence against pregnant women in Mexico. Machismo is a common underlying social norm in Latin America with Mexico being my target of interest. The term is defined as extreme masculinity that often contributes to gender inequalities and can have violent characteristics. Intimate partner violence is categorized as violent threats or acts against a partner and affects nearly 44% of women in Mexico (Carney et al., 2022). Barriers to help stem from shame, family expectations, and the overall violence against women in Mexico. Sadly, abuse persists …

The Impact Of Western Beauty Standards On The Identity Formation And Self-Perception Of Young Latinx Women, Pricila Orduno

University Honors Theses

Young Latinx women are experiencing an impasse resulting from the conflicting beauty standards of their two cultures. While women are experiencing dissatisfaction with their bodies all over the world, Latinx women are stuck not fitting their cultural or domestic standards. Previous research has found that young Latinx women, born to Mexican parents, don’t feel like they fit into either of their cultures because the ideal in the U.S. is pushing thinness while the Mexican ideal is pushing curvy yet thin. This lack of feeling as if they belong is causing a negative self-perception of themselves and causing a deep dissatisfaction …

Employing Multi-Agent Ai To Model Conflict And Cooperation In Northern Ireland, Katherine O'Lone, Michael Gantley, Justin E. Lane, F. Leron Shults

New England Journal of Public Policy

In this article, we outline the development of a multi-agent artificial intelligence (MAAI) model for post-conflict Northern Ireland. We discuss the insights it provides into the primary drivers of conflict and cooperation in the post-Agreement era. Analyses reveal that leading drivers of cooperation in the model are fairness and sadness, while the main drivers of conflict are related to anxiety and perceived moral authority. We examine these findings in the context of previous computational modeling efforts in Northern Ireland, the social psychological literature on intergroup conflict, and the current geopolitical landscape. We conclude by advocating for the application of this …

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Asian American Perception Of Mental Health, Emily Tseung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study describes a qualitative study using a grounded theory, constructivist approach, which sampled (N = 6) Asian American college students who lived in the United States during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that COVID significantly impacted the Asian American perception of mental health, including mental health help- seeking behaviors and discrimination experienced. The long-term effects of this are still largely unknown. In depth, semi-structured interviews were used to explore the lived experiences of these Asian Americans. Qualitative analysis revealed thematic differences for the following themes: (a) experience with mental illness, (b) mental health help- seeking …

Ensemble Perception Of Emotion: Incidental Effects Of Social Identity, Spencer T. Dobbs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in vision science suggests that people possess a perceptual mechanism – ensemble perception - which enables them to rapidly identify the characteristics of groups (e.g., emotion, sex-ratio, race-ratio). This work examined whether ensemble perceptions of groups are driven by the characteristics of group members whose behavior is most likely to impact the perceiver. Specifically, we predicted that more self-relevant group members would be weighted more heavily in ensemble perceptions than less self-relevant group members. Study 1 (n = 83) found that young adult participants’ ensemble perceptions of emotion were biased in favor of more self-relevant (younger adult) group …

Reconciling Moral Dissonance: A Framework For Re-Integrating Moral Orientation With Life Agency During Warfighters’ Struggles With Military Moral Injury, Jeffrey L. Zust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses case studies to critically examine the Three Mirror Model (TMM) as a framework for understanding the formation and healing of Military Moral Injury (MMI). I adapt the work of Stephen Brookfield and Neal Krause to evaluate using the TMM as a methodology for dealing with the complex issues of MMI within a military deployment cycle (training, warfighting, and healing) (Brookfield 2012, 2017; Krause 2022). Specifically, I use theorists, researchers, healers, and warfighters as key stakeholders to identify and critically examine the intersections of disciplines and the subsets of models where warfighters’ moral orientations and moral agency form …

Conducting Culturally Responsive, Strengths-Based Assessment In Schools, Eileen Cullen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Special education assessment has a significant impact on the lives of children with disabilities and their families. However, traditional assessment practices have been critiqued as being deficit-based, overly focused on “labeling” students, and failing to provide a holistic understanding of the student. Assessment models such as strengths-based assessment (SBA) and culturally responsive assessment (CRA), have potential to addresses these critiques and be more appropriate for the growingly diverse school population. Despite this, these models of assessment are under studied and there is a lack of clear guidance for how practitioners should implement them.

In these manuscripts, CRA and SBA are …

Cannabis Exposure During Pregnancy And Neural Mechanisms Of Parenting: Assessing Neural Responses To Infant Cues And Parenting Outcomes, Shannon Powers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As legalization of cannabis and cannabinoids spreads in the United States, access and use of cannabis during the prenatal period has increased. There is limited knowledge on the effects of prenatal cannabis use on the parental brain. One way to identify potential effects of cannabis on parenting is through studying parenting brain functions and behavior. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) has been shown to be associated with lower positive parenting and lower sensitivity to infants, but it is unclear by what mechanisms. The following two studies address this gap in knowledge by examining the association between cannabis use during the prenatal …

Sources Of Sexual And Romantic Education: Associations With Sexual Minority Men’S Sexual Experiences And Romantic Relationship Quality, Charlie Huntington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with sexual minority identities experience a variety of poorer mental and physical health outcomes, including those related to sexual and romantic quality, relative to heterosexual individuals (Beaulieu et al., 2017; CDC, 2021). These poorer romantic, sexual, and psychological outcomes may be attributable in part to lacking access to affirmative and relevant modeling of sexual minority experiences, such as through sex education (Gillespie et al., 2022; Keiser et al., 2019). This study aimed to understand how sexual minority men learn – in ways potentially both helpful and unhelpful – about romantic relationships and sexual activity, and how these experiences are …

Faith And Clutter: A Christian Perspective To Understand, Treat, And Prevent Hoarding Disorder, Mary Katherine Flage

NEXUS: The Liberty Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

No abstract provided.

Elementary School Teachers’ Lived Experience Teaching Remotely During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Natasha Gorman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teaching experiences changed during COVID-19 from face-to-face to online, and teachers encountered numerous challenges. Considerable research has been conducted on many of the issues that teachers at different grade levels faced in this transition. The experiences of elementary school teachers, however, have not received much attention. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of elementary school teachers who taught remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding their challenges may lead to the development of appropriate resources and specific training for teachers in these early grades. The theoretical foundation that grounded this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems …

Exploring Advocates’ Perceptions Of Rural And Urban Sexual Assault Survivors’ Experiences Seeking Civil Protective Orders, Hannah C. Samuels

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Civil protective orders (CPOs) are one of the most utilized legal remedies that exist for sexual assault survivors. While they are available for every survivor in Illinois, a survivor’s community context can impact their experience petitioning for a CPO. Prior research with domestic violence survivors suggests that the rurality and urbanicity of a community may impact a sexual assault survivors experiences seeking a CPO, but little research has been conducted with sexual assault survivors specifically. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of rape crisis center advocates from rural and urban counties across the state of Illinois …

A Qualitative Analysis Of White Nationalist Patriotic Discourse, Miguel Angel Vazquez

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In the last decade, the U.S. has seen a significant uptick in White nationalist ideology, particularly because individuals espousing these extremist ideologies believe their group and the U.S. are under attack by non-White groups (Osborne et al., 2019). As a result, there are prevailing narratives that are used as patriotic rallying cries that center around the desire to progress the country towards White nationalist ideals (e.g., a country for a by White people), to regress the country back to a time where White people had their own eco-system of Whiteness (i.e., the golden days), and to protect and fight for …

Empowerment As A Predictor Of System Justification Moderated By Race, Nicole Belcher

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The attitudes people hold about the social structure around them have varying explanations in the field of psychology. System justification represents the idea that people will accept and enforce the social structures that exist because of the underlying need for consistency (Jost et al., 2004). Also central to this theory is the idea that people will legitimize structures because of a desire for the status quo to remain (Jost, 2001). These ideas seek to explain the problematic ideologies that maintain unfair social structures and why people allow them to remain. Studies have found individuals will support unjust systems because either …

Attachment And Resilience: The Mediating Effect Of Coping, Michelle Soans

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between attachment security, coping strategies, and resilience among university students, focusing on the mediating role of problem-focused coping. We hypothesized that higher attachment security would be associated with greater resilience, that problem-focused coping would positively predict resilience, and that problem-focused coping would mediate the relationship between attachment security and resilience. A sample of 177 students completed measures of attachment security, coping strategies, and resilience. Mediation analysis revealed that higher attachment security significantly predicted resilience and problem-focused coping, while problem-focused coping also significantly predicted resilience. The indirect effect of attachment security on resilience through problem-focused coping …

Identity Shifting Behaviors, Perceptions Of Diversity, And Perceived Discrimination In South Asian Employees, Himali Bhandari

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Workplace discrimination is a significant issue in the workplace for minority racial and ethnic groups, especially for South Asian employees in the US. This study investigated the relationship between perceived workplace diversity climate and identity shifting behaviors (manifestation and suppression behaviors of group identity) that South Asian employees might display at work. Furthermore, it was also expected that perceptions of racial discrimination experiences would mediate this relationship. It was hypothesized that perceived diversity climate will be negatively related to suppression behaviors and positively related manifestation behaviors, mediated by perceptions of racial discrimination. Participants were recruited from social media, Prolific, and …

Clutter And Control: A Regional Analysis Of The Effect Of Decluttering On Women During The Pandemic, Zachary Henry Ellis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The Covid pandemic impacted the whole nation, with 72% of Americans reported disruption in their everyday lives, and 45% of Americans reported negative health impacts in response to the pandemic (Kirzinger et al. 2020). However, there are some populations of citizens that are more vulnerable to the negative mental health effects of the pandemic (Czeisler et al. 2020). Fear and psychological reactance, triggered when individuals feel their freedoms are threatened, surged during the pandemic (Taylor and Asmundson, 2021; Wortman & Brehm, 1975). Yet, little research explores how decluttering projects affect this behavior.

The current study explored the impact of successful …

Counting On The Family: Family Cohesion And Its Relationship To Ptg, Edgar Ivan Gandara

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to understand how an adolescent’s perceived family cohesion predicts post-traumatic Growth (PTG). Although relatively new to Psychology, there is extensive literature on PTG and its relationship with social support. However, there is not as much research exploring family cohesion as it relates to PTG. A cohesion focus provides insight into the importance of emotional connectedness in social support and its impact on adolescent PTG. Moreover, we investigated the relationship family cohesion has with PTG across Hispanic and non-Hispanic adolescents to see if there was any significant variance given cultural differences in the role of family. Our …

Parent-Child Cultural Values (Mis)Matches And Youth Mental Health Among Latinx Families, Jesus Eduardo Solano-Martinez

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

When compared to youth from other ethnic backgrounds, Latinx youth present with higher levels of mental health problems (e.g., internalizing). Various heritage cultural values, such as affiliative obedience, have been found as protective against mental health problems in Latinx youth. These findings, however, have not been ubiquitous, have not often included parent or combined parent and child perspectives, and have been limited by design and methodological shortcomings (e.g., single reporters, difference scores). The Acculturation Gap Distress – Expanded (AGD-E) model was used as the guiding theoretical framework to examine parent-child heritage cultural value endorsement patterns and their association to youth …

Historical Trauma In Context: Perceived Effects Among Second Generation Cambodian Americans On A Personal, Family, And Community Level, Linda Toch

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Although there is significant literature regarding Cambodian refugees and trauma, less is known about their U.S.-born children, many of whom are now adults. Literature suggests that second-generation youth are more susceptible to traumatic exposure and community violence compared to their White counterparts. However, there is little understanding of how second-generation Cambodian Americans contextualize the impacts of the Khmer Rouge genocide, and whether they perceive connections between historical trauma and their personal, family, and community experiences. This study utilized critical-constructivist grounded theory to explore perceived effects of historical trauma across domains of personal, family, and community. The recruitment process included e-mail …

Social Support As A Moderator Of Life Stress And Alcohol Consumption, Paige Patano

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Heavy alcohol use in emerging adults has several consequences, including increased risk-taking behaviors, cognitive deficits, and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Thus, it is important to understand risk factors and protective factors to heavy drinking. Experiencing life stressors may be associated with higher alcohol use in emerging adults, especially for historically marginalized populations. General social support, which may mitigate the impact of life stressors, tends to be a protective factor against drinking, although the literature is mixed on which types of relationships are considered protective. Between the support of family, friends, and significant others, it is unclear which relationships are associated …

Explaining The Paradox Of High Self-Esteem In Black Youth Exposed To Stress: The Protective Role Of Kinship And Spirituality, Takayla Christine Towns

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents are exposed to many stressful life experiences, such as major illnesses, the death of a family member, school stressors, peer pressures, conflict with parents, and more. Minoritized youth are exposed to even greater numbers of stressors, including those connected to racism, segregation, and poverty. This study aims to examine the relationship between stressful life experiences and self-esteem and explore protective factors that may protect minoritized individuals from the negative effects of stress on self-esteem. This study also builds upon literature that shows that Black youth report higher self-esteem than White youth, even while being exposed to higher levels of …

Talking To Strangers: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation Study Of An Intercultural Intervention, Andrew Peter Camilleri

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The globalized nature of the world we live in, and the rapidly evolving technologies we have become accustomed to, have resulted in a highly interconnected worlds where meeting persons hailing from different cultural backgrounds is not only possible but highly probable. Consequently, intercultural communication is an important and prized competence which allows for meaningful encounters that lead to better relationship outcomes. An important context wherein these dynamics often play out are educational institutions given their active recruitment of international students. Despite such a trend and the resulting greater likelihood of intercultural encounters, most students lack intercultural communication and relationship building …

Spirituality And Primal Beliefs Among Oxford House Employees, Justin S. Bell

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The emphasis on treatment for alcohol and substance use disorder (AUD/SUD) has shifted from short-term clinical stabilization to long-term recovery. Along with this shift comes a growing appreciation of the positive beliefs and behaviors recovering people use to maintain their well-being. The current study examined the role of spirituality as one such tool to improve well-being, as well as how deeply held beliefs, or primals, can influence the benefits of spiritual practices. Participants (baseline n = 132) were recovering employees of Oxford House Inc., a large international network of recovery residences. Participants completed measures of their spirituality, primal beliefs, and …

Overcoming The War Within: Exploring The Relationship Between Exposure To Complex Trauma And Post Traumatic Growth, Diego T. Thompson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to complex trauma can be understood as exposure to multiple and varied types of traumatic events, often chronic in nature. Exposure to complex trauma is prevalent among youth in the United States, especially youth living in urban environments and marginalized populations. Black youth who live in urban environments are of particular concern due to their increases susceptibility of exposure to community violence, entrenched poverty, and other sources of trauma at multiple levels, making them an appropriate population in which to examine PTG. the effect that these exposures have on these youth should be acknowledged, it is necessary to also …

The Role Of Team Sports, Coping, And Friendship In Reducing Depressive Symptoms In Youth, Abigail K. Bushnell

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The prevalence of depression in adolescents has increased in the last decade. Minority and low-income youth face additional barriers to accessing mental health services leading to a significant proportion of adolescents going undiagnosed and untreated. Participation in multiple team sports may offer an additive protective effect for youth mental health, yet how and for whom this relation occurs is unclear. The current study aimed to examine how coping strategies and friendships interact with team sports participation to reduce depressive symptoms in youth. Self-report data was collected from 196 urban youth across two time points. Moderated moderation analyses were conducted …