Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Investigation Of The Monty Hall Dilemma In Pigeons And Rats, Jessica P. Stagner

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In the Monty Hall Dilemma (MHD), three doors are presented with a prize behind one and participants are instructed to choose a door. One of the unchosen doors is then shown to not have the prize and the participant can choose to stay with their door or switch to the other one. The optimal strategy is to switch. Herbranson and Schroeder (2010) found that humans performed poorly on this task, whereas pigeons learned to switch readily. However, we found that pigeons learned to switch at level only slightly above humans. We also found that pigeons stay nearly exclusively when staying …

Examination Of The Use Of Online And Offline Networks By Housing Social Movement Organizations, Jessica N. Kropczynski

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Resource mobilization theory and political opportunity theory are often used to describe separate portions of social movements. This dissertation proposes a combined model of these two theoretical perspectives which describes how social movement organizations effectively engage in social marketing both online and offline. The field of social marketing highlights the utility of standard commercial marketing practices to achieve non-commercial goals. I argue that, while commercial marketing practices may benefit social movement organizations and are more cost effective given emerging technology, momentum for gathering resources, will be stifled unless a political opportunity presents itself. Guided by theory about the ways that …

Untangling Neoliberalism’S Gordian Knot: Cancer Prevention And Control Services For Rural Appalachian Populations, George F. Bills

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

In eastern Kentucky, as in much of central Appalachia, current local storylines narrate the frictions and contradictions involved in the structural transition from a post-WWII Fordist industrial economy and a Keynesian welfare state to a Post-Fordist service economy and Neoliberal hollow state, starving for energy to sustain consumer indulgence (Jessop, 1993; Harvey, 2003; 2005). Neoliberalism is the ideological force redefining the “societal infrastructure of language” that legitimates this transition, in part by redefining the key terms of democracy and citizenship, as well as valorizing the market, the individual, and technocratic innovation (Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999; Harvey, 2005). This project develops …

The Dsm-5 Dimensional Trait Model And The Five Factor Model, Whitney L. Gore

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current thesis tests empirically the relationship of the dimensional trait model proposed for the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders with five-factor models (FFM) of personality disorder (PD). The DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group proposes to diagnose the disorders largely in terms of a 25 trait dimensional model organized within five broad domains (i.e., negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism). Consistent with the authors of DSM-5, it was predicted that negative affectivity would align with FFM neuroticism, detachment with FFM introversion, antagonism with FFM antagonism, disinhibition with …

Change In Envy As A Function Of Target Likeability, Chelsea M. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Envy is a painful emotion that can negatively impact one’s self-worth. It is also a shameful, socially undesirable emotion, implying both inferiority and hostility. Some scholars suggest that these features of envy lead to a need to cope with the emotion. Thus, over time, envy tends to be transformed into more socially acceptable responses such as resentment or dislike. The present study tested this claim. First, envy was manipulated by asking participants to read an article containing an interview with either a high- or low-envy target. The second article manipulated the likeability of the target by varying whether or not …

Development And Validation Of A Measure Of Self-Critical Rumination, Laura M. Smart

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Shame and self-criticism are closely related constructs that have strong associations with many forms of psychopathology as well as general psychological distress. Rumination is a maladaptive form of repetitive thinking that is associated with a number of psychological disorders. Although measures of many different types of rumination (e.g. depressive rumination, angry rumination) have been developed, none assess self-critical rumination. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to develop a measure of self-critical rumination. An initial pool of items for the Self-Critical Rumination Scale (SCRS) was developed by adapting existing rumination measures and through a writing task administered to both …

Bayesian Analysis Of Parental Drinking Motives And Children's Adjustment, Aaron A. Duke

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Harm reduction strategies can mitigate against some of the deleterious effects of alcohol on families. These strategies are most feasible and cost-effective when they can be targeted at those who are most at risk. Previous studies examining the relation between parents’ alcohol use and their children’s psychological adjustment have failed to consider important contextual questions such as drinking motives. The current investigation set out to identify the extent to which parents’ drinking motives predict internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in their children. The investigation consisted of cross sectional analysis of parents’ drinking motives and their children’s adjustment using data from 154 …

Does Botox Buffer The Negative Effects Of Social Rejection?: A Test Of The Facial Feedback Hypothesis, Vicki Sharif

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Can a common facial cosmetic procedure buffer against the negative impact of adverse social interactions? This pilot tested the hypothesis that an injection of botulinum toxin (Botox) to the corrugator supercilii muscles used in anger, compared to a placebo injection to the same location, will reduce the impact of social rejection on mood, self-esteem, control, meaningful existence, and aggression. Freezing facial musculature was hypothesized to alter the first physical signal of negative emotional reactions, thereby reducing the impact of social rejection on distress and aggression. This was the first study using Botox to examine the effects of reduced facial feedback …

The Effects Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, And Combined Posttraumatic Stress Disorder/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury On Returning Veterans, Hannah L. Combs

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Veterans of the Iraqi and Afghanistan conflicts have frequently returned with injuries such as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More recently, concern has been raised about the large number of returning soldiers who are diagnosed with both. Literature exists on the neuropsychological factors associated with either alone, however far less research has explored the effects when combined (PTSD+mTBI). With a sample of 206 OEF/OIF veterans, the current study employed neuropsychological and psychological measures to determine whether participants with PTSD+mTBI have poorer cognitive and psychological outcomes than participants with PTSD-o, mTBI-o, or veteran controls (VC), when …

Personality And Personality Disorder In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Sara E. Boyd

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Very little research has examined the role of personality in important life outcomes and support needs of adults with intellectual disabilities. This exploratory study includes a sample of 102 community-dwelling adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and begins to evaluate the relative contributions of general personality and personality disorder as it they concern their adaptive functioning, Axis I psychopathology symptoms, and residential and vocational supports.

Observer ratings of personality disorder and Five Factor Model and Reiss Profile general personality functioning were obtained from direct service providers who knew the participants well, and archival file data (e.g., IQ, adaptive functioning scores, …

Ovarian Cancer Screening As A Teachable Moment For Health Behavior Change: Determining The Role Of Positive Affect And Self-Efficacy, Rachel F. Steffens

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In medical settings, a teachable moment (TM) has been described as an event which may lead to psychological changes prompting individuals to engage in health promoting behaviors. A cancer screening (CS) has been suggested as a potential TM because several types of positive health behavior change (HBC), ranging from dietary changes to smoking cessation, have been linked to CS. However, most research has examined the TM in CS settings using cross-sectional and prospective methodologies and has lacked a theory-driven model. Moreover, few intervention studies have attempted to capitalize on the potential TM in CS settings. In light of this, the …

Characterizing Consumption, Dependence, And The Role Of Glucocorticoids In An Animal Model Of Voluntary Ethanol Consumption, Lynda Sharrett-Field

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Alcohol abuse disorders (AUD) represent a serious worldwide health problem with far reaching social, financial, and interpersonal implications. One of the most devastating facets of these disorders is the propensity to relapse following periods of abstinence. Ethanol withdrawal (EWD) is believed to promote relapse by increasing anxiety and craving, and may contribute to the development of cognitive decline associated with long-term dependence. Clinical data suggest that stress also plays a main role in both the development of AUD as well as relapse to drinking. As a physiological stressor, EtOH elevates levels of stress hormones (cortisol in humans, corticosterone (CORT) in …

The Whole Picture: Body Posture Recognition In Infancy, Alyson J. Hock

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Holistic image processing is tied to expertise and is characteristic of face and body processing by adults. Infants process faces holistically, but it is unknown whether infants process body information holistically. In the present study, we examined whether infants discriminate changes in body posture holistically. Body posture is an important nonverbal cue that signals emotion, intention, and goals of others even from a distance. In the current study, infants were tested for discrimination between body postures that differ in limb orientations in three conditions: in the context of the whole body, with just the limbs that change orientation, or with …

The Sexualized Girl: The Development Of An Expanded (Sexualized) Gender Stereotype Among Children, Ellen A. Stone

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined children’s stereotypes about sexualized girls. Elementary school children (n = 208) from the mid-South between the ages of 6 and 11 completed a survey assessing their stereotypes about sexualized girls and non-sexualized girls. Participants were asked to justify, in their own words, their responses to several stereotypic evaluations. Children’s cognitive development was analyzed through classification skill as a moderator of belief in stereotypes about girls. Results revealed that children perceived the sexualized girl to be more popular and better liked by boys than the non-sexualized girl. However, the sexualized girl was also rated as less athletic, …

Discriminating Between Adhd, Adhd With A Comorbid Psychological Disorder And Malingered Adhd In A College Sample, Kimberly Dawn Williamson

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The current study examined the efficacy of various neuropsychological measures for differentiating ADHD and comorbid ADHD from malingered ADHD in a large state university sample. The sample consisted of 23 nonclinical individuals assigned to malinger ADHD (NLM), 9 nonclinical individuals responding honestly (NLH), 22 individuals with diagnoses of ADHD only (ADHD-H), 9 individuals with comorbid ADHD/Learning Disorder presentations (ADHD-LD), and 13 individuals with comorbid ADHD/Anxiety presentations (ADHD-ANX). Due to limited sample sizes, the ADHD-LD and ADHD-ANX participants were pooled to create a comorbid ADHD group (ADHD-CO n = 22). The study utilized a simulation design with a NLM group instructed …

Emotion Recognition And Social Functioning In Children With And Without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Rebecca Flake Aldea

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

This study examined the emotion recognition of children (ages 7-9 years) with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children completed two emotion recognition measures, the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA2) and the Child and Adolescent Social Perception measure (CASP). Children and their parents also completed an assessment of children’s social skills, the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Children with ADHD reported a significantly greater level of depressive symptoms and had significantly lower full scale IQ scores than children without ADHD. When these differences were accounted for, children with ADHD continued to show a handful …

Forgiving Warriors: Does Outgroup Threat Reduce Ingroup Aggression Among Males?, David Chester

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In order to defend against outgroups, males and females respond to outgroup threat with different strategies. Specifically, males have been shown to respond to outgroup threat with increased ingroup solidarity and cooperation which is likely reflective of their ancestral role as warriors. What remains unknown is whether this cooperative warrior mindset among males not only increases ingroup prosociality, but also decreases ingroup aggression. Aggression against ingroup members under outgroup threat would likely disadvantage the ingroup by reducing the ingroup’s collective formidability. Further, prosocial motivations inhibit aggression. As such, I hypothesized that sex and outgroup threat would interact such that males, …

The Critical Role Of Mechanism-Based Models For Understanding And Predicting Liposomal Drug Loading, Binding And Release Kinetics, Sweta Modi

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Liposomal delivery systems hold considerable promise for improvement of cancer therapy provided that critical formulation design criteria can be met. The main objective of the current project was to enable quality by design in the formulation of liposomal delivery systems by developing comprehensive, mechanism-based mathematical models of drug loading, binding and release kinetics that take into account not only the therapeutic requirement but the physicochemical properties of the drug, the bilayer membrane, and the intraliposomal microenvironment.

Membrane binding of the drug affects both drug loading and release from liposomes. The influence of bilayer composition and phase structure on the partitioning …

Essays On Capital Controls And Exchange Rate Regimes, Yu You

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of three essays on capital controls and exchange rate regimes. The first essay, under the background of international monetary policy trilemma, empirically investigates the validity of the proposition that holding the degree of exchange rate stability constant, a decrease in capital mobility through imposition of capital controls will enhance monetary independence. Using a panel dataset covering 88 countries for the 1995-2010 period and system GMM estimation, this paper finds that 1) capital controls help improve a country’s monetary independence; 2) the effectiveness of capital controls depends on the types of assets and the direction of flows they …

Two Essays On Housing: Using Hedonic And Quasi-Experimental Methods In (Dis)Amenity Valuation With Housing Data: The Case Of Communication Antennas, And The Value Of Brand Name Franchises Compared To Local Real Estate Brokerage Firms, Stephen L. Locke

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of two essays on housing, the first on estimation strategies for the valuation of a local disamenity and the second on the structure of the market for the services of real estate brokers.

The purpose of the first essay is to apply hedonic and quasi-experimental methods to measure the value of any disamenity caused by communication antennas. Crucial to unbiased estimates is accounting for both endogenous antenna location and changes in unobservable housing and neighborhood characteristics. Spatial fixed effects are used to control for unobservable characteristics that can influence the location decisions of residents and the location …

Employment Of Single Mothers: Child Care Costs And The Effectiveness Of The Eitc, Salma Begum

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation examines the effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on labor force participation of single mothers by controlling for child care costs. Based on a simple model of utility maximizing households that jointly determine hours worked and hours of non-maternal child care demanded, I estimate the change in the labor force participation rate of single mothers following the EITC expansions of the 1990s. In order to investigate the usage of different modes of childcare services, a multinomial logit model has been estimated. The data source for the study is topical module panels of the Survey of Income …

Multidimensional Perfectionism And Social Connectivity Among Youth: Findings And Implications, Alexander Nounopoulos

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

Although traditional researchers exploring perfectionism frequently cast the construct in a negative light, a steady stream of recent studies have demonstrated that perfectionistic beliefs can yield both positive and negative outcomes. Despite this progression in the research, perfectionism remains an understudied phenomenon among youth, especially as it relates to the ways in which these individuals are perceived by others. The current study builds on the previous literature by exploring adolescent perfectionism across a variety of psychological and psychoeducational dimensions. Moreover, a unique addition to the literature offered by this study was the inclusion of peer-reports along with self-reported measures in …

White Screen/White Noise: Racism And The Internet, Rebecca Martin, Heather Mccann, Myrna E. Morales, Stacie M. Williams

Library Faculty and Staff Publications

The Internet is critical for disseminating information, but it does not discriminate against information it carries. Hate speech and racist representations proliferate in social media, online news comment sections and community forums. What can information workers do to counteract those messages? How can critical race consciousness enhance on- and off-line library services? This article attempts to explore how information in the age of rapid technology innovation contributes to structural racism and what librarians and other information professionals can do about it.

Security, Development, And (Im)Mobility: The Uneven Geography Of Migration And Border Management In Ukraine, Jonathan Austin Crane

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

As a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants that now borders four European Union (EU) member countries, Ukraine has seen future integration possibilities with the EU become, in part, conditional upon its willingness to cooperate in controlling cross-border migration. The EU is now “externalizing” aspects of migration and border control to Ukraine through making investments in Ukraine’s capacity to selectively “manage” cross-border flows in line with EU security and economy priorities. In the context of this emerging spatial arrangement of EU externalization, this thesis analyzes how, by whom, and to what effect migration is being managed in and …

The Inclusive Exclusion Of Latino Immigrants In Lexington, Kentucky, Vanessa Marquez

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This thesis is a case study analyzing how the Latino immigrant community in Lexington, Kentucky is responding to the national push for restrictive legislation. Based on interviews conducted throughout the summer and fall of 2012, I examine the relationship between federal policies and young undocumented immigrants in Lexington, Kentucky, a southern locale with a relatively small but growing foreign-born Latino community. Employing the notion of the included exclusion, I look at the newly implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy highlights an opening present in immigration law in which young immigrants are simultaneously …

Ecological Restoration's Genetic Culture: Participation And Technology In The Making Of Landscapes, Jairus Rossi

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Practitioners of ecological restoration are increasingly adopting a genetic perspective when recreating historical landscapes. Genes are often endowed with the capacity to reveal specific and distinct relationships between organisms and environments. In this dissertation, I examine how genetic technologies and concepts are shaping ecological restoration practices. This research is based on two and a half years of fieldwork in Chicago. I employed participant observation and semi-structured interviews to compare how restorationists in two plant science institutions employ genetic concepts in their projects. One institution uses high-tech genetic methods to guide practice while the other uses lower-tech genetic approaches. Each group …

The Role Of Acculturation On Bosnian Refugee Adult Child Mate Selection, Emina Herovic

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Forced by the atrocities of war from their native country, Bosnian families came to United States seeking refuge and a new life. Immigrating to a new country, however, involves the process of acculturation which can dilute many native practices. Like many refugees that immigrated, Bosnians sought to adapt to the American way of life, while keeping their traditional ethnic customs, practices, and religion (Val & Iain-Walker, 2003). Many Bosnian refugee parents worked to keep the Bosnian practices prevalent in their first and second generation Bosnian American children. By doing so, Bosnian parents imbedded into their children the original customs, practices, …

Trapped In Transition: Examining First-Semester College Students’ Discursive Struggles About Home And School, Molly A. Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The study examines how messages to, from, and concerning home may impact first-semester college student retention. The current study extends previous retention research in several ways. Rather than collect data regarding retention after students drop out, this study analyzed free write responses of 135 participants while they were enrolled in 15 sections of CIS 110 (Composition and Communication I) throughout the course of the Fall 2010 semester. Using relational dialectics theory (RDT) (Baxter & Montgomery, 1996) as a sensitizing framework, this study identified three discursive struggles and associated radiants of meaning present in the free write responses of these 135 …

Both Sides Of Our Mouths: Contemporary Legends As A Means Of Dissent In A Time Of Global Modernism, Gerald D. Abbott Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The legend is a permanent fixture of human societies. Though the legends themselves are permanent, their functions and meanings can fluctuate as the context in which they are told and retold shifts. As societies move through history, certain authoritative institutions create narratives that direct those societies and frame debates within them. Issues neglected by these institutions yet experienced by members of the population can be said to be unconstructed. Social problems that have achieved some level of construction inevitably provoke those who dissent from those constructions.

In these situations, members of a society look for alternative means for talking about …

The Role Of The Message Convergence Framework In Obstetricians’ Clinical And Communicative Practices, Kathryn E. Anthony

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Over the past few years, the rate of elective interventions in pregnancy in the United States, including elective inductions of labor and elective cesarean deliveries, has increased dramatically. While scholars attribute some of the increase in elective interventions to the female patients who request elective procedures from obstetricians, some literature contradicts that notion and suggests physicians are actually the primary perpetuators of the growth in elective procedures. Although pregnant women may seek elective interventions because of desired convenience, physicians can also claim the benefit of convenience in scheduling deliveries. In addition, elective procedures provide physicians greater monetary compensation than labor …