Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Emotional Enhancement And Repetition Effects During Working Memory In Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Lucas S. Broster

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

This dissertation introduces a framework for understanding differences in how emotional enhancement effects might influence memory in aging adults and then summarizes the findings of three studies of how repetition effects and emotional enhancement effects influence working memory in older adults without cognitive impairment (NC), older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and older adults with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In these experiments, individuals with AD showed cognitive impairment in terms of accuracy and reaction time, but individuals with MCI showed milder behavioral impairment that was confined to manipulations of working memory. Individuals with AD showed relative sparing of …

Carnival, Protest, And Community Identity: West Louisville And The Kentucky Derby Festival, Benjamin L. Blandford

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation uses “Derby Cruising” in order to open up the tension between African Americans in Louisville and the Kentucky Derby Festival, especially as that tension was manifest in the spaces of West Louisville. The Kentucky Derby Festival has long served as a site of mediation between people of color and official Louisville. Derby Cruising (1998-2005) and protests around the open housing movement (1967) and anti-police violence (2000) are presented as three critical sites where African American expressions of identity, representation, and belonging have been negotiated through the Kentucky Derby Festival at particular historical moments and in particular places in …

The Impact Of Video Chatting On Idealization And Disillusionment For Long Distance Dating Couples, Laura Kusisto

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Previous research indicates a high rate of long distance relationships, especially among young adults. Yet, research in this area is lacking, particularly regarding the role of video chatting. Through the lens of the media richness theory and the hyperpersonal model, this qualitative study explores how video chatting impacts idealization and disillusionment in young adults’ long distance dating relationships. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with both partners of six heterosexual couples. Data was analyzed using the constant comparative approach and following the basic framework of open, axial, and selective coding used in grounded theory research. Results indicate that video chatting …

Adhd Children And Mental Health Service Use: Maternal Determinants, Katarina Krizova

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The current study investigated maternal determinants of mental health service use, namely, individual child therapy, among preadolescent children diagnosed with ADHD. The Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization (Andersen, 2008) was used as a theoretical framework for the study. Data from the last three rounds of ECLS-K dataset were employed to test a longitudinal model using Bayesian analysis. Socio-demographic variables and maternal mental health were tested as exogenous variables and mother-child relationship variables, discipline variables, and perceived maternal concern about child’s overall behavior and child’s emotional symptoms were tested as intervening variables. Results showed that only maternal mental health remained …

Exploring The Therapeutic Alliance With Adolescents And Their Caregivers: A Qualitative Approach, Jillian M. Hawks

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The therapeutic alliance is largely recognized as an important component of the therapeutic process. For clients of all ages, the therapeutic alliance has been associated with positive outcomes and increased engagement in therapy (Bachelor, 2013; Bhola, & Kapur, 2013; Liber et al., 2010). However, very few studies have explored the complex process of fostering the therapeutic alliance with adolescent clients, while also maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship with the adolescent’s caregivers. The present study attempted to fill the gap in the literature through qualitatively exploring therapists’ perspectives of the therapeutic alliance with adolescents and their caregivers.

In order to discover …

Understanding The Pathways To Youth Involvement In The Juvenile Justice System: A Longitudinal Investigation Of Poor, Inner-City African American Adolescents, Charlene Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

It is widely recognized that African American youth are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system in comparison to other ethnic/racial groups, and this has generated a large body of research into the etiology and prevention of crime in this population. Although there has been considerable research attention to identifying and reducing the disproportionate contact among African American youth within the juvenile justice system, it is still unclear what factors contribute to their involvement in the criminal justice system. Accordingly, the dissertation tests whether self-reports of behaviors in early adolescence are predictive official offending behaviors in late adolescence, as measured …

Competition’S Effect On Teacher Pay And Teacher Characteristics, Casey S. Brasher

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation adds to the literature that examines the effect of competition and school choice reform in elementary and secondary education. Specifically, we explore how three major forms of competition in U.S. schooling markets in Tiebout competition, charter competition, and private school competition affect the teaching profession by estimating a teacher wage equation and series of teacher characteristic equations. Since it has been well-established that all 3 forms of competition are likely endogenous, we present 2SLS estimates of competition’s effect in addition to simple OLS estimates. Our findings confirm the importance of studies controlling for endogeneity concerns, particularly in regards …

Three Essays In International Macroeconomics, Simeon Boyanov Nanovsky

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation spans topics related to global trade, oil prices, optimum currency areas, the eurozone, monetary independence, capital controls and the international monetary policy trilemma. It consists of four chapters and three essays. Chapter one provides a brief summary of all three essays. Chapter two investigates the impact of oil prices on global trade. It is concluded that when oil prices increase, countries start trading relatively more with their neighbors. As an application this chapter provides a new estimate of the eurozone effect on trade. Chapter three continues to study the eurozone and asks whether it is an optimum currency …

The Longitudinal Effects Of Participation In Structured Extracurricular Activities On Educational Achievement, Future Earnings, And Symptoms Of Depression With School Belongingness As A Mediating Variable In A Low-Income Sample, Christina L. Stacy

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential outcomes of participating in structured extracurricular activities (SEA) as an adolescent. Research has previously demonstrated that beneficial outcomes commonly associated with SEA participation include academic achievement and educational/career ambitions, positive social outcomes, and psychological well-being. It is thought that the benefits of SEA participation may be mediated by adolescents’ feelings of school belongingness and positive relationships. By extension, school belongingness is a key contributor to engagement, academic achievement, positive social relationships, and mental well-being. Although the research is typically positive, one must be careful in overgeneralizing that increasing student participation …

An Analysis Of Tools For Online Anonymity, Stephanie Winkler, Sherali Zeadally

Information Science Faculty Publications

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible explanations for the slow adoption and development of online anonymity technology. The ability to remain anonymous while engaging in different activities, online is increasingly sought after by consumers with privacy concerns. Currently, the only way to maintain online anonymity is through the use of technology. This paper reviews and analyzes the tools currently available to consumers to maintain online anonymity. There are only four tools available to consumers to ensure online anonymity: anonymous remailers, rewebbers, The Onion Router (Tor) and the Invisible Internet Project (I2P). These tools provide the …

Living Care-Fully: Labor, Love And Suffering And The Geographies Of Intergenerational Care In Northern Ghana, Kelsey B. Hanrahan

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Care is socially constructed, shaped by expectations embedded within particular relationships and the culturally-specific understandings of what it means to work, love and suffer. In this dissertation, I conceptualize care as a fundamental component of everyday life in which individuals are oriented towards the needs of others. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in a rural Konkomba community in northern Ghana, I explore the geographies of care shaping the everyday experiences of women engaged in intergenerational relationships as they encounter emerging dependencies associated with ageing. Dependencies emerge when an individual requires support and care from another, and in turn the struggles for, …

A Model Modality: Assessing The Educational Integrity Of The Blended Basic Course, Michael G. Strawser

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The creation of a hybrid/blended basic course aligns with university goals and may increase viable curricular options for student success. If universities offer hybrid courses, they ought to do so based on data-driven evidence confirming that face-to-face (F2F) and hybrid courses are comparable. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the learning outcome achievement of students enrolled in a blended (hybrid) version of the basic course. More specifically, a comparative analysis of student affective, cognitive, and behavioral learning outcome achievement in face-to-face sections and hybrid sections was conducted. This study also examined affect for course delivery format for …

Aggression Predictors In Video Games: Is Catharsis To Blame?, Robert Craig Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The majority of research tends to focus on the effects of violent video games, and as a result the motivations to play games are understudied. This study used the uses and gratifications theory as a framework for investigating game player’s motivation to play video games for the purpose of catharsis. This study also proposed that in-game variables, such as level of difficulty and content of the video game, all be investigated to see the effects they have on the achievement of catharsis or the development of aggression through other mediating variables such as enjoyment, control, and frustration with the game. …

Firm Characteristics And Organizational Change: The Effects Of Electronic Commerce In The United States Manufacturing Industry, Candice Y. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This dissertation seeks to provide insight to how e-commerce adoption and utilization change the condition of U.S. Manufacturing establishments, by answering two interrelated questions: (1) What are the characteristics of manufacturing establishments that were early adopters of e-commerce activities?; (2) Once e-commerce is adopted, how has adoption affected employment within manufacturing establishments? The U.S. manufacturing industry was selected for analysis as manufacturing has been and continues to be an important sector for employment and the overall U.S. economy and has been the primary sector responsible for the majority of Business-to-Business e-commerce activity.

Using two econometric models, seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) …

Regulating Urban Belonging: China's Hukou System As Intra-National Bordering Process, Leif Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

In China's urban metropoles, the hukou system of household registration regulates one of the largest movements of people in human history. While rural-urban migrations are reshaping societies worldwide, the migrants who make up a great portion of urban China's low-wage labor force and burgeoning population face unique legal and social challenges. Although the trajectories of their migration do not cross international boundaries, most are legally prevented from ever gaining the within China's hukou system of household registration. The functions of this system parallel those of national citizenship policies, and are difficult to explain through standard conceptions of sovereignty and national …

College Students’ Use Of Social Media To Communicate About Alcohol And Drinking Behaviors, Jenna E. Reno

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Social networking sites (SNSs) are an increasingly popular channel for communication among college students. Often students disclose more freely via social networking sites than they would in other situations. These disclosures commonly include information about engaging in risky health behaviors (e.g., binge drinking). Study 1 examined students’ impression management goals and self-presentation tactics specifically related to self-disclosures of drinking behavior on SNSs. Findings suggest that students use differing self-presentation tactics across various SNSs in order to achieve their impression management goals and to avoid consequences associated with disclosing about risky health behaviors to certain audiences. Study 2 sought to develop …

Examining Peer Perceptions Of Humorous Communication In The College Classroom, David Chanson Davenport

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The majority of instructional communication literature has historically focused on the positive outcomes of incorporating humor into the classroom. However, despite the clearly documented instructional benefits of humorous communication, the literature tends to focus solely on instructor-enacted humor. However, humor is not a homogenous concept; therefore, it is imperative to examine it from a number of contexts, including student-enacted humor. Although the Instructional Humor Processing Theory (IHPT) has made a number of theoretical advances in exploring humorous communication in the classroom, it still lacks adequate explanatory power, particularly when examining student-enacted humor. Thus, four expansions to IHPT …

State Violence, Mobility And Everyday Life In Cairo, Egypt, Christine E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

State violence in Egypt is an embedded part of daily life and popular culture, and well documented in social and news media. The uprisings of January 11, which took place in Egypt were organized in large part against violence and torture regularly delivered by police forces. In this dissertation I examine the implications of chronic state violence on everyday life for low-income Egyptians. In doing so, this dissertation provides analysis of how violence shapes forms of intimacy within social life, how it shapes urban landscapes and the politics therein and how it informs individual piety and banal practices of security. …

Campus Storytelling Networks And Student Retention Intent, Dale Howard Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

In an effort to better understand retention, a survey was developed to ask students at a southern land-grant university how they communicate with each other. Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) was previously used to identify communication networks in urban neighborhoods. My thesis adapted this theory and networks to identify the strength of three communication techniques of college students and how it effects a student’s sense of belonging which can impact that student’s intent to stay in school.

Insights Into Perspectives On Environmental Sustainability, Amber R. Shobe

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

As scientists become more aware of the imposing threats associated with climate change, university leaders are encouraged to become familiar with the principles of sustainability. Abundant research already supports the relevance of environmental sustainability in higher education; however, there exists a gap in the literature which investigates an understanding of environmental sustainability and the implementation of its practices. By examining colleges at the University of Kentucky, this study identifies organizational barriers to recognizing a thorough understanding of environmental sustainability at the departmental level. The results indicate that out of the eight colleges selected, two have no existing environmental sustainability programs …

Leadership Training For A Diverse World: A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Three Interventions With Fraternity And Sorority Leaders, Kirsten A. Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Lesbian and gay college students face heterosexist and homophobic attitudes and behaviors from their heterosexual peers (Burn, 2000; Fine, 2011; Franklin, 2000; Rankin, 2003; Silverschanz, Cortina, Konik, & Magley, 2008; Woodford, Howell, Silverschanz, & Yu, 2012; & Yost & Gilmore, 2011). Greek fraternity and sorority organizations can contribute to and influence the heterosexist and homophobic climate on college campuses. Greek organizations offer leadership opportunities, community engagement, and a sense of belonging, but these organizations can also perpetuate a climate of hostility and rejection of lesbian and gay peers (Case, 1996; Case, Hesp, & Eberly, 2005; DeSantis, 2007; Rankin et al., …

Living On The Edge: Rethinking Pueblo Period: (Ad 700 – Ad 1225) Indigenous Settlement Patterns Within Grand Canyon National Park, Northern Arizona, Philip B. Mink Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

This dissertation challenges traditional interpretations that indigenous groups who settled the Grand Canyon during the Pueblo Period (AD 700 -1225) relied heavily on maize to meet their subsistence needs. Instead they are viewed as dynamic ecosystem engineers who employed fire and natural plant succession to engage in a wild plant subsistence strategy that was supplemented to varying degrees by maize. By examining the relationship between archaeological sites and the natural environment throughout the Canyon, new settlement pattern models were developed. These models attempt to account for the spatial distribution of Virgin people, as represented by Virgin Gray Ware ceramics, Kayenta …

Using Commercially Available Picture Activity Schedules And System Of Least Prompts To Teach Lego Assembly, Lauren A. Sherrow

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study investigated effects of commercially available picture activity schedules (PAS) and system of least prompts (SLP) to teach recreation skills to four high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and intellectual disabilities using Lego sets. Results were evaluated through a multiple probe across participants design and indicate that a combination of PAS and SLP was effective for teaching the students to build Lego sets. All students improved their ability to build and were able to generalize the skill to novel sets after the completion of intervention. Limitations and implications for future practioners are discussed.

Parent Development And Wellbeing During The Launching Stage Of Parenthood, Deborah F. Keys

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

At the present time, the young adult transition into adulthood has been extended, which has also extended the launching stage. One result of the extended launching stage is that parents are now involved in active parenting longer than before. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the extended launching stage in key areas (the parent- child relationship and parent support) on parental emotional wellbeing. The contribution of this research is that it adds to the limited body of knowledge about normative launching stage parenting practices and outcomes. This dissertation is a three chapter manuscript that uses …

Cultivating Partnerships Between Community Leaders And Service Agencies To Provide Support For Military Families, Marla C. Stillwell

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

In an effort to evaluate the social needs of military families, this study will evaluate levels of community support, its influence on military families and how military communities work to provide support for those needs through partnerships. Previous and related studies have emphasized support areas which include suggestions for building strong communities for military families, building resilience, creating partnerships and providing military families with the social support they need to stay together and function positively. Data was collected from community leaders and stakeholders specifically in Elizabethtown, Kentucky (a Fort Knox community) through open-ended interviews to assess community support and services …

Husband's Response To Infidelity, Toby Q. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Infidelity is the most often cited reason for divorce in the United States and much of the world. Providing therapy for a couple trying to recover from infidelity is one of the most difficult and complex presenting problems for therapists. Much of the existing research that predicts responses to infidelity subscribes to an evolutionary psychology perspective, predicting response by gender differently based on motives concerning procreation. Males would find sexual infidelity more threatening because paternity would be uncertain, females would find emotional infidelity more threatening because of the risk of resources and protection being diverted to another female’s offspring. Much …

Adult Adoptee Coping And Resolution Of Adoption Related Ambiguous Losses, Katherine H. Jury

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Ambiguous loss refers to a loss that is unknown or undefined, making it difficult to cope with and resolve. Using a life course perspective that asserts that humans have agency to affect change in their own lives, this study focuses on an adoptee’s perceived ability to enact change in the situation surrounding the ambiguous loss that they may have experienced as a result of their adoption. Life course perspective also incorporates the concept of life trajectories, which explain how an early life experience can affect an individual over the course of his or her life. This study describes the essence …

Water Quality Trading From The Point Source Perspective: Willingness To Pay For Abatement Credits And Preferences For Water Quality Trading Market Mechanism, Andrew Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

As part of the EPA’s initiative to reduce the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, a feasibility study for a potential water quality trading (WQT) program in the Kentucky River Watershed (KRW) was conducted. While theoretically, emission trading programs are among the most efficient means of reducing pollution, empirical evidence suggests low-trade volume as a primary concern for the long-term success of such programs. Some of the important reasons for the low volume of trade are due to lack of suitable market trading mechanism for point sources and lack of information on willingness to pay (WTP) for abatement credits. …

Changing States: Using State-And-Transition Models To Evaluate Channel Evolution Following Dam Removal Along The Clark Fork River, Montana, Christopher Van Dyke

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Located just east of Missoula, Montana, Milltown Dam stood from 1908 to 2008 immediately downstream of the Clark Fork River’s confluence with the Blackfoot River. After the discovery of arsenic-contaminated groundwater in the nearby community of Milltown, as well as extensive deposits of contaminated sediment in the dam’s upstream reservoir, in 1981, the area was designated a Superfund site – along with much of the Upper Clark Fork Watershed. This motivated the eventual decision to remove the dam, perform environmental remediation, and reconstruct approximately five kilometers of the Clark Fork River and its floodplain. This study is part conceptual and …

A Model For Identifying Gentrification In East Nashville, Tennessee, William Jordan Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Gentrification methodologies rarely intersect. Analysis of the process has been cornered to incorporate either in-depth, neighborhood case studies or large-scale empirical investigations. Understanding the timing and extent of gentrification has been limited by this dichotomy. This research attempts to fuse quantitative and qualitative methods to discern the impact of gentrification between census tracts in East Nashville, Tennessee. By employing archival research, field surveys, and census data analysis this project attempts to comprehend the conditions suitable for gentrification to occur and its subsequent effect on residents and the built environment. A model was generated to determine the relationship between a-priori knowledge …