Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Optimal Cow Size For Intermountain Cow-Calf Operations: The Impact Of Public Grazing Fees On The Optimal Cow Size, Jesse Russell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The cattle industry is very competitive which is forcing cow-calf producers to strive for efficiency. Research has shown that as a cows mature weight increases, feed efficiency decreases, as well as reproductive efficiency and other production factors. The purpose of this paper is to (1) identify the economically optimum cow size when charging for grazing public lands on a true Animal Unit Equivalent (AUE) basis and (2) determine if the current practice of charging on a per head basis for grazing public lands has an effect on the optimal cow size.

To simplify the complexity of this problem, three different …

Adolescent Self-Described Volume Of Texting: Discovering Relationships With Psychosocial Development And Interpersonal Relationships, Tessa Cutler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers explored the relationship among adolescent self-reported amounts of texting and self-esteem, self-construal, autonomy, and attachment. Data were collected from a high school in an urban area in the Mountain West. Participants included 180 students (53% female). Participants were asked to self-describe their volume of texting as high, medium, or low. Participants were also asked to complete the following scales: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Self-Construal Scale, the Case Inventory, The Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire, and The Modified Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment.

It is suggested that text messaging is more strongly related to self-esteem when texting is placed as the …

Incentivizing Children's Fruit And Vegetable Consumption: Evaluation And Modification Of The Food Dudes Program For Sustainable Use In U. S. Elementary Schools, Brooke A. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers in the Psychology Department and the Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Department sought to improve elementary school children’s in-school fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. To achieve this goal, a program that has proven effective in the UK called the Food Dudes (FD) program was implemented in six local schools. Schools were assigned to either experience the traditional FD program (with prize rewards, such as pencil cases and bubbles), a modified version of the FD program (with praise rewards replacing the prize rewards), or no FD program (the control group). Students who consumed a pre-specified amount of FV each day …

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative And U.S. Energy Markets, Kangil Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dynamic mutual relationship between the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon permit price and energy prices in the U.S. is examined. Results show that the RGGI and electricity markets are not closely linked, although the carbon permit price is usually closely interrelated with energy prices. The loose relationship between the RGGI and electricity markets can be explained by the recent low carbon credit demand which stems from the low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions existent in the particular area covered by the RGGI. The low GHG emissions result from fuel switching due to recent low natural gas prices. Unlike the …

Impact Of Resident Assistants And Community On Student Grades, Kayla Arrington

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

On-campus student housing at any university has the opportunity to positively impact student experiences. This exploratory study looks at how frequency of interaction with the Resident Assistant (RA) and interaction with the residence hall community, sense of community, social self-efficacy, and academic self-concept correlate with academic success. This study is intended to show the effect the Resident Assistant has on students' academic and social experiences in apartment-style housing. Therefore, this study also looks at how variables are related to each other in order to give Resident Assistants a better understanding of their sphere of influence in a community. The relationships …

Did Market Quality Change After The Introduction Of Leveraged Etf's, Prem Shashi

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Leveraged and Inverse Leveraged ETFs were introduced in the summer of 2006 and have been becoming popular ever since. They became extremely popular during the nancial crisis of 2008 and that made them the obvious scapegoat taking the blame for the increase in volatility during that period. This paper examines how the S & P 500 market quality dened in terms of liquidity, volatility and eciency was aected after the introduction of 2x and 3x leveraged and inverse leveraged ETFs. I nd that after the introduction of the 2x leveraged and inverse leveraged ETFs, the market volatility decreased while the …

The Good News In Short Interest: Ekkehart Boehmer, Zsuzsa R. Huszar, Bradford D. Jordan 2009 Revisited, Jarom Von Julander

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

There are a few ways to examine excess market returns in financial literature. One common model used was the Capital Asset Pricing Model or the CAPM. In more recent years some researchers use the Fama French 3 Factor model (FF3F). Using this FF3F model researchers and investors alike have been searching for those excess returns, or the returns above what the market achieves, because everyone would like to “beat the market” as they say. In Boehmer, Huszar, and Jordan’s 2009 paper “The Good News in Short Interest”, the authors believe that they have found a way to get significant excess …

Learning Two Languages: Maze Behaviors In Narrative Discourse For Spanish-English Bilinguals, Joel Hopper

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study was designed to determine whether mazing behavior in narrative retells of bilingual English and Spanish speaking children was affected by language, complexity of sentence structure, and language development over time. Language transcripts were analyzed from English and Spanish narrative retells elicited from 216 children between the ages of 5 and 9 at the beginning and end of kindergarten, first, and second grade years. Findings revealed a statistically significant difference in the average maze scores and sentence types. A significant interaction was also found between time and language, with maze scores remaining nearly level over time in English and …

Teaching Arabic And English To Speakers Of Other Languages: The Application Of Theory-Grounded Methods, Mohammed Hussein

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a collection of artifacts that represent the author’s beliefs and ideas about teaching a second language. The first section is the author’s teaching philosophy statement, in which he explains how to apply the three modes of communication in the second language classroom. The second section is a literacy artifact that addresses how to use literature to heighten learners’ level of second language literacy. The following two artifacts are on two basic applications of sociocultural theory: concept-based instruction and dynamic assessment. The cultural artifact addresses the pedagogical implications of code-switching in the Arabic language classroom. The third artifact …

Exploring Extension Faculty Members' First-Time Experiences With Funded Couple Relationship Education, Jacquelyn M. Alderete

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension faculty members are increasingly involved in offering couple and relationship education (CRE), but some have limited background in this format of family life education. This study used a phenomological approach to examine the experiences of Extension faculty members who offered CRE in their respective counties for their first time. Data were collected through face-to-face and telephone interviews. Four themes emerged from the interview data. First, considerations for offering this type of education included valuing CRE, having sufficient and specific knowledge about the needs of the county for CRE, and access to other forms of …

Framing Fracking: Media Coverage Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Development In South Texas, Jebadiha E. Potterf

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The rapid growth of unconventional oil and gas development in the United States has greatly increased the production of these minerals, but has also raised the public’s concern over the dangers involved in this process. Due to the contested nature of unconventional development gaining an understanding of both how the public perceives this development and the influences on these perceptions is vital. As several previous research studies have investigated public perceptions this project addresses the second of these requirements.

This is done using qualitative methods to analyze the content of the online communications of proponents and opponents of this development. …

The Baker Cave Bison Remains: Bison Diminution And Late Holocene Subsistence On The Snake River Plain, Southern Idaho, Ryan P. Breslawski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis investigates that paleoecology of southern Idaho bison and their role in prehistoric subsistence with two articles. The first article investigates the trajectory of bison diminution in southern Idaho with bison morphometrics from Baker Cave, a late Holocene archaeological site. Results indicate that local bison followed a diminution trend mirroring the diminution trend documented on the Great Plains. This suggests that similar bottom up ecosystem controls acted on bison in both the Great Plains and in southern Idaho through the Holocene.

The second article examines the role of bison in seasonal subsistence strategies. I hypothesize that winter fat scarcity …

The Impact Of Social Support, Psychosocial Characteristics, And Contextual Factors On Racial Disparities In Hypertension, E. Miranda Reiter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hypertension is a serious medical condition. Although men and women of all racial groups in the US suffer from high blood pressure, black women have the highest rates of hypertension. For instance, the age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension among black women ages 20 and over is 44.3, compared to 28.1 among white women, 40.5 among black men, and 31.1 among white men.

Past research has focused on SES and behavioral factors as potential explanations for blood pressure disparities between black and white women. But, even after controlling for such factors, considerable disparities remain. The goal of this research is to examine …

Calculating Willingness-To-Pay As A Function Of Biophysical Water Quality And Water Quality Perceptions, Carlos G. Silva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

When estimating economic value associated with changes in water quality, recreation demand models typically depend upon either (i) biophysical measures of water quality as collected by natural scientists or (ii) the perception of water quality by recreationists. Models based upon biophysical metrics (such as oxygen concentration, pollutant concentrations, Secchi depth measurements, etc.) operate on the assumption that people can perceive and respond to these metrics, or respond to factors that are, indeed, correlated with the biophysical measure. Economists have often estimated willingness-to-pay (WTP) measures associated with unit changes in biophysical measures without examining the degree to which the measures are …

The Influence Of Parental Mental Health And Family Psychosocial Functioning On Bystander Behavior Of Elementary School Children, Joanna C. Jenkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Being the victim of school bullying is associated with many negative outcomes, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, school refusal, and suicide. Peer bystanders are present in the majority of bullying situations and bystander intervention has been found to be very important in ending a bullying incident. However, most of the time bystanders do not step in to help the victim. The present study investigated the impact of parent and family influences on children’s bystander behavior. Seventy-three third- through sixth-grade students were given a questionnaire that asked about their behavior in bullying situations (engaging in bullying behavior, helping or encouraging the …

Attitudes And Behavioral Intentions Of Eighth-Grade Students Toward Figures Of Varying Body Weight, Erin L. Mcleary

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current study examined attitudes toward and willingness to interact of 8th grade students toward their peers based on peer weight status. One-hundred-seventy primarily Caucasian, eighth-grade students (72 male, 98 female) from a public elementary school viewed a picture of a potential peer who was either average weight, overweight, or obese. After viewing the figure, participants completed The Adjective Checklist and The Shared Activity Questionnaire-B (SAQ-B. The Adjective Checklist measured attitudes toward obesity and the SAQ-B measured how they would interact with the potential peer in general social, academic, and active recreational situations. It was hypothesized that girls would rate …

The Mental Health Disparity Among Nonheterosexuals: Risk, Resiliency, And New Perspectives To Consider In The Context Of Mormonism, Katherine Ann Crowell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nonheterosexuals disproportionately experience mental illness when compared with heterosexuals. Although it has been well established that the apparent mental health disparity among sexually diverse populations is almost exclusively derived from minority stress (i.e., the excess stress associated with culturally maintained sexual stigma), our understanding of how specific aspects of minority stress lead to specific psychological syndromes (e.g., depression) remains limited. On the other hand, in attempts to destigmatize individuals who do not identify as heterosexual, researchers have increasingly begun to shift the focus of their work towards understanding the specific characteristics or experiences that facilitate individuals’ capacity to adapt and …

Analysis Of Building Resiliency In An Ethiopian Pastoral System: Mitigating The Effects Of Population And Climate Change On Food Insecurity, Brigham Forrest

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Worldwide expenditures on international development in the form of assistance or “aid” have continued to increase as developed countries look to both help and influence developing countries. In 2011, more than $140 billion in development aid was distributed globally, more than double the amount expended for international development aid in 2003. Many of the countries that are in need of aid have governments that do not have the resources, the experience, political stability, or well-functioning institutions to effect long-term structural change to bring their people out of poverty.

Ethiopia is a country receiving large amounts of development aid, and one …

Biopsychosocial Variables Predict Compensation And Medical Costs Of Radiofrequency Neurotomy In Utah Workers' Compensation Patients, Amie L. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Back pain is one of the most expensive medical conditions to treat. There has been a great deal of research showing that back pain surgery is expensive, but less is known about the costs of less-invasive spine procedures such as radiofrequency neurotomy. Radiofrequency neurotomy is used to treat facet joint pain and typically offers temporary pain relief by coagulating the affected nerve with radiofrequency waves to block pain messages from reaching the brain. This study aimed to document the costs of radiofrequency neurotomy in a group of participants who received the procedure through the Workers’ Compensation Fund of Utah (WCFU). …

The Benefits Of Animal Traceability Systems On A Foot-And-Mouth Disease Outbreak In Utah, Christian Michael Ukkestad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent decades, a number of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks have occurred in countries that had been FMD-free for many years. The last FMD outbreak in the United States occurred in 1929 and the country contains a naïve livestock population, meaning it is susceptible to an outbreak. In the event of an FMD outbreak in the United States, the speed at which the source and contacts between livestock can be identified impacts both the implementation and effectiveness of mitigation strategies. The purpose of this thesis was to analyze the impact of higher levels of animal traceability on the immediate welfare …

Does The Way Exposure Exercises Are Presented Matter? Comparing Fear Reduction Versus Fear Toleration Models, Ellen J. Bluett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Exposure therapy is considered to be a first line treatment for a variety of anxiety disorders as supported by several review studies. However, there is no clear understanding of how it works. The present study examined how framing exposure exercises impacted outcomes in socially anxious individuals. We conducted a brief two-session exposure-based intervention, including experiential exercises from each therapeutic rationale, with homework assigned between sessions. We were specifically interested in the efficacy of four brief skills interventions: (a) fear reduction, (b) psychological flexibility, (c) values rationale, and (d) control for reducing public speaking anxiety from first to second exposure session. …

Oral Communication In Genre Theory And Software Development Workplaces, Jason L. Cootey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My dissertation defines how software developers have abandoned traditional documentation practices for other kinds of media that work better in their workplace practices. Ultimately, even though other media like white boards, sticky notes, and “oral communication” are vastly different than traditional, written software documentation, they match the fast paced, decision-making situations of contemporary developer communities. I focus particularly on oral communication because it is the most unacceptable means to “document,” according to traditional standards. I use North American Genre Theory to describe those decision-making situations contemporary developers and note how the theory does not account for all the documentation I …

Obsidian Toolstone Conveyance: Southern Idaho Forager Mobility, Benjamin L. Fowler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to understand how prehistoric people moved around the landscape and used major stone tool resources throughout the last 10,000 yr. B.P. in southern Idaho. Similar research has been reported in the Great Basin and western Wyoming and this study continues to fill the map with data about how large regions of the western United States were used prehistorically. This study specifically examined whether or not prehistoric mobility changed according to wet and dry climatic shifts. Based on these shifts archaeologists expect the regions people used to expand or shrink using an economic model of …

Kigali Charity School Analyzed Through An Implementation Science Framework, Alexander T. Fronk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Implementation science is a relatively new field focused on ensuring that programs are planned well and then delivered as planned. This thesis describes the implementation process for a nursery-level charity school in Kigali, Rwanda, focusing on the facilitators and difficulties encountered in establishing this school.

The research process consisted of interviewing 13 individuals that are a part of the school in question. The researcher transcribed the interviews using an implementation science framework and found trends in their statements that shed light on the establishment of the school. With the help of three coders, the researcher assessed their comments for evidence …

Specific Learning Disabilities: Beliefs About The Construct, Identification Methods, And Job Satisfaction Among Practicing School Psychologists, Joseph M. Cottrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) account for approximately 40% of all students receiving special education services. Debate among professionals regarding the causes of SLDs and the most appropriate methods used to identify SLDs persists. This debate may be related to the increase in prevalence of SLDs since the implementation of special education law in 1975. There are three prominent theories regarding the cause of SLDs: (a) environmental theory, (b) biological theory, and (c) interactional theory. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) allows school districts to implement the following SLD identification procedures: (a) the IQ-Achievement discrepancy method, (b) response-to-intervention …

Expressive Writing And Marital Satisfaction: A Writing Sample Analysis, Rachel B. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mode of expression used by individuals, in written or spoken word, offers insight into one’s cognitive and emotional processes. Over the past 25 years expressive writing has become an interest to researchers, therapists, and the public. Writing provides a symbolic way of expressing thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Analytical programs provide a way to study the structure and content of written communication. There is little research that includes marital relationships and expressive writing and no known research that includes marital relationships and writing analyses. In relationships, meanings are created to help make sense of situations and interactions. Symbols also include …

Mothers On The Market: Employer Hiring Practices And Motherhood Penalties, Elizabeth Kiester

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While gender inequity in wages is often discussed in the media by politicians, the motherhood wage penalty receives substantially less attention. This distinct wage penalty suggests that women with children suffer a wage penalty separate from women without children. In addition, there is an employment gap between mothers and nonmothers indicating that mothers are less likely to be employed. While some argue that this is a matter of choice, I contend that mothers may face unique barriers that deny them access to the labor market. I tested this theory in two ways and in two states; Utah and California. First, …

An Adolescent Journey: Expressive Letter Writing Through A Wilderness Adventure Therapy Program, Ava M. Crump

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the key themes of an adolescent journey during a wilderness adventure therapy program through expressive letter writing to their parents. Ten complete sets of letters (five boys and five girls) totaling over 400 pages were analyzed by four independent coders until saturation of themes were reached. There were five overarching themes that emerged from the data: impact of wilderness experiences, desires for improved relationships, apology and accountability, negative emotions, and positive growth and coping. These themes were presented in the chronological pattern that they appeared in the letters. The findings represent the adolescents’ experiences written …

Doctoral Dissertation Research In Marriage And Family Therapy (Mft): A Content Analysis, Clinton L. Broadbent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past 60 years, the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT) has experienced tremendous growth due largely to many charismatic pioneers in the field. These pioneers performed various research studies but lacked a focus on quality empirical research. Over the past 20 years, many MFT researchers have started to perform these studies, which in turn, have pointed the field in a positive direction in terms of research excellence. Doctoral dissertations offer unique and valuable insights into the current state of research as a field as well as give us a better idea of how we are doing at …

An Evaluation Of The Food Web Dynamics And Predator Prey Interactions In Scofield Reservoir, Lisa K. Winters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reservoirs are artificial, dynamic, and highly manipulated systems, where the appearance of either intentionally or unintentionally introduced species may disrupt interactions within an already complex food web. In some situations, a top predator fish may be stocked as a biological control agent, if these fish-eating predators monopolize on the nuisance and unwelcome prey. Scofield Reservoir, Utah has historically been an extremely popular blue-ribbon fishery. However, a recent decrease in rainbow trout catch and increase in the minnow, Utah chub, have made it difficult to find a balance between providing the public with a trophy sport fishery and maintaining an ecologically …