Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Pavlovian Approaches To Promoting Self-Control, Gregory J. Madden

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Stewardship And Sustainability: Applying The Tcos Framework To Reappraisal, Karen Glenn, John Murphy, Cory L. Nimer, Dainan M. Skeem

Journal of Western Archives

This article reports on a Brigham Young University Library Special Collections reappraisal pilot project based upon OCLC's Total Cost of Stewardship (TCOS) framework. The case study considers how reappraisal activities align with TCOS principles, and its use in reviewing faculty papers. The pilot measured reappraisal and reprocessing costs for a small sample of papers of university administrators, and identified all other collections of faculty, staff, and administrators for reappraisal in both university archives records and manuscripts collections. Findings identified through the pilot will inform a larger reappraisal project in Special Collections to refine appraisal and processing work and reclaim repository …

A New Generation Of Collecting Priorities: Case Studies From The Northwest, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Linda Long, Trevor J. Bond, Chloe Nielsen, Amy Valentine

Journal of Western Archives

The last twenty-five years have brought lively, important, and difficult discussions around heritage collections. We are called to broaden our collecting activities to be more inclusive of (among many things) all races, classes, and experiences. We have begun to move away from the troubled legacy of taking collections away from creators and toward empowering those same creators to steward their heritage. We confront a vast universe of current holdings and possible collections and have few models for assessing the opportunities. We also operate with some firm limitations on our budgets, personnel, and space that we have outdistanced with our collecting. …

Beyond Efficiency: An Impact Assessment Of The Uc Guidelines For Efficient Processing, Laurel Mcphee, Kate Dundon, Courtney Dean, Elvia Arroyo-Ramírez, Audra Eagle Yun

Journal of Western Archives

The Guidelines for Efficient Archival Processing in the University of California Libraries established shared principles and recommendations for increased processing efficiency in archives and special collections in the UC system. Since its publication in 2012, the Guidelines has become an influential resource for archival workflows nationwide. In this paper, the authors evaluate the Guidelines' impact over time on backlogs, collection management policy, and day-to-day archival practices across the UC libraries by assessing collections, processing practices, and staffing levels.

Secondary Processing At Utah State University Archives, Kelly Rovegno, Heather Housley, Paul Daybell

Journal of Western Archives

In 2018, Utah State University Special Collections and Archives undertook a Remediation Project to create finding aids and library catalog records for all its holdings, including University Archives. During this project, additional issues were found with the arrangement, description, and preservation of University Archives. A new workflow, called secondary processing, grew out of efforts to address such issues while completing the original goals of the Remediation Project. This article examines how secondary processing was used at Utah State University and the challenges and opportunities uncovered as work progressed. It also discusses how secondary processing was used to improve discoverability and …

Introduction To “Collection Stewardship In The Age Of Finite Resources”: A Special Issue For Journal Of Western Archives, Ryan K. Lee

Journal of Western Archives

Introduction to the special issue on collection stewardship in the age of finite resources.

Usu Student Association Elections Public Relations Plan, Carter Ottley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This Honors capstone project is the creation and execution of a public relations plan for the USU Student Association elections for student government positions. The public relations plan includes an analysis of previous elections, strategies of leveraging university communication channels, social media plans, print graphics, events, a schedule of elections week, evaluation of the plan, and creative materials. The public relations plan reached over 260,000 social media users, overall turnout increased 6%, and increased 20% during Executive Leadership Board Elections. This plan serves as a potential outline for future election plans and highlights potential changes for future years.

A Review And Critical Analysis Of Yoga And Mindfulness Meditation In Pain Management For Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Design Of Prospective Yoga Intervention Lesson Plans, Jamie Butikofer

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes joint pain, inflammation, and in some cases permanent damage. This research project explores yoga’s potential to manage pain and improve quality of life for RA patients. A review of existing research investigated the impact of yoga on pain and function in RA. Studies employed various yoga programs, making comparisons difficult. All studies reported improvements in areas of pain, inflammation, emotional and mental wellbeing, or disease activity. Interestingly, meditation, a core tenet of traditional yoga, emerged as a potentially beneficial component. Studies suggest it may help manage chronic pain and improve …

Online Deception: The Impact Of Language In Text-Based Deception Detection, Stephanie Dayle Avila

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In today’s digital age, spreading false information online can have serious consequences, from affecting elections to undermining public health efforts. Despite the issue's importance, there’s been relatively little research into better understanding how people make decisions about lies and misinformation online. My project dives into this challenge by exploring how specific language cues, like grammar errors or unusual word choices, influence people’s perception of statements in terms of deceit online. I examined how people react to these cues through three separate but related studies when reading truthful and deceptive statements. The first two studies showed that true statements with grammatical …

Across The Snake River Plain: Terminal Pleistocene, Early Holocene, And Early Middle Holocene Land-Use In Southeast Idaho, Jennifer Finn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The range of mobility demonstrated to overcome challenges with resource distribution is a hallmark of hunter-gatherer societies. Previous studies in southeast Idaho have investigated the possibility that precontact human movement was impacted by climatic differences. According to preliminary studies on regional obsidian toolstone conveyance, land use patterns were already changing throughout the early Holocene due to increased aridity. However, the geographical distribution of Northern Side-notched projectile points suggests a significant expansion in mobility at the early Holocene/middle Holocene transition. This thesis tests the hypothesis that precontact early middle Holocene human mobility in the study area was conditioned by environmental factors …

Developing A Methodology For Evaluating The Sensitivity Of Rock Imagery Sites To Vandalism In Washington County, Ut, Erin C. Haycock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study uses statistical analysis to examine the relationship between the characteristics of rock imagery (also known as rock art) sites and intentionally caused damages in Washington County, Utah. This project aims to create an index for public land managers to respond proactively to vandalism at rock imagery sites. Included here is an analysis of the severity and frequency of damage to the sites and an inventory of the types of site damage to determine the most common and destructive types of vandalism. Site attributes such as the number of figures in a panel, the type of images, and panel …

Unscripted Journeys: An Exploration Of Music Therapy Practitioner Perspectives On Improvisation Within And Beyond Clinical Application, Abigail Lee

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Improvisation is a phenomenon used often in music settings, clinical settings, and in life in general. Within music therapy settings, clinical improvisation is one of the most common and useful skills music therapy practitioners use to help clients achieve their therapeutic goals. Proper acquisition and implementation of this skill is therefore crucial to the aspiring music therapist’s education. While many approaches to clinical improvisation are outlined within current literature, less literature exists regarding how the background and lifestyle of a music therapy practitioner may affect their development and implementation of clinical improvisation in session. Through qualitative data collection via seven …

The Relationship Between Blame, Maladaptive Guilt/ Shame, Couple Communication, And Relationship Satisfaction In Pornography Users, Joshua K. Otani

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In this master’s thesis, I conducted a quantitative study using data from 190 individuals in a committed couple relationship where at least one partner is dealing with problematic pornography use to better understand the relationship of blame and maladaptive guilt/ shame with couple communication patterns and couple satisfaction. All 190 individuals independently completed an online anonymous questionnaire consisting of various quantitative assessments measuring my study variables (e.g., blame, maladaptive guilt/ shame, couple communication, couple satisfaction, problematic pornography use).

I used an individual data analysis to examine how study variables related to individual outcomes. The first analysis revealed that general blame …

How Do Immigration And Technological Growth Affect One Another? Providing Guiding Principles For Policymakers, Nate Karren

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The relationship between immigration and technological growth is more nuanced than a simple statement of positive or negative correlation. How one affects the other varies depending on the skill level of the immigrant and the field where they work. Conclusions drawn by the literature form patterns that can be used to best understand the relationship between immigration and technology. High-skilled immigration boosts technological development through a complementary relationship, but low-skilled immigration can be a complement or a substitute with technological growth depending on the sector. Policymakers interested in promoting long-term economic growth through technological growth should have a clear picture …

Drip Irrigation And Water Conservation In Onions; An Economic Analysis, Jenny De Boer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Water diversions for irrigated agriculture have contributed to increased water stress in drought prone areas across the globe. Previous research finds that farmers increase irrigation intensity per unit of product grown, increase total area under irrigation, and switch to more water intensive crops to increase yields and compensate for the cost of drip irrigation installation. Other studies have shown that drip irrigation can produce yields that parity surface irrigated yields or even surpass them using less water and increasing profits. Ultimately this plot trial showed drip irrigated onion yields were 6.31% greater than surface irrigated onion yields using an average …

A Content Analysis On Emotions Presented In Preschool Children's Television, Sarah Austin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Learning about emotions is an essential aspect of early childhood. Because of the increasing access to screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, children have more resources in their environment to learn from. However, before more can be known about whether children are learning about emotions during their screen time, it is important to know how emotions are being presented to them in their online content. Therefore, this study sought to gather data regarding how four emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear) are portrayed verbally and nonverbally among three types of preschool television shows (entertainment, balanced, educational). A sample of 60 preschool …

Nonreligious Parents' Perceptions Of The Role Religious Differences And Religious Disaffiliation Play In Family Relationships, Heather H. Kelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The number of nonreligious Americans has steadily increased in recent years, and researchers predict that this growth will continue. Despite this growth, limited research has explored the experiences of nonreligious parents and how religious differences impact their family relationships. As such, through a qualitative analysis of 33 interviews with nonreligious couples (N=66 individuals), the current study addresses how nonreligious adults perceive the influence of religious differences on their relationships with their family of origin (i.e., parents, siblings, and extended family members) and how these religious differences impact the intergenerational relationships between nonreligious parent's family of origin and their children. Additionally, …

Coming Out Experiences Related To Improved Well-Being Among Religious Sexual And Gender Minorities, Samuel Skidmore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs; individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or who do not identify as cisgender and heterosexual) often come out to others as a way to improve their connections, feel more authentic, and improve their mental health. However, coming out is often a frightening and stress-inducing process, and SGMs’ overall well-being may depend on how they approach these conversations and how others respond. In an effort to better understand these experiences and to provide a scientifically-validated “guide” to SGMs and those to whom they come out, we conducted three studies that examine when coming out goes well and …

Do Physical Activity, Diet And Sex Modify The Association Between Neurotrophin Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms And Insomnia?, Hector Leonardo Gonzalez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sleep disturbance is common in older adults at prevalence rates ranging between 30 - 50% in the United States. Neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), play a role in sleep (Bachmann et al., 2012) as do lifestyle factors such as physical activity (Dolezal et al., 2017) and diet. This study examined the associations of selected single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs related to BDNF or its receptors and lifestyle factors of physical activity and diet, as well as their interactions on the risk for sleep disturbance in older adult males and females. This thesis examined existing data from the Cache …

Wellbeing, Mental Health, And Natural Resource Dependency In Rural Utah, Kristen Rene Koci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation examines wellbeing, mental health, and natural resource (NR) dependency in rural Utah. The following questions are asked: How do wellbeing and mental health vary throughout the state of Utah, including by rural-urban location? What concerns do applied practitioners have regarding mental health in rural parts of the state? How do chronic stress and social dislocation contribute to mental health outcomes in rural NR dependent communities in the state? Four studies were conducted to pursue these research questions.

The first two studies use data from the Utah Wellbeing Survey to explore wellbeing and mental health in Utah communities over …

Hunting For Agriculture: Unraveling Ecological Motivations In The Transition To Farming By The Fremont Cultural Complex, Ryan Mcgrath

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study explored the profound human history shift from foraging to agriculture, focusing on Utah's Fremont cultural complex. Utilizing the Prey-Rank Model, we investigated whether dwindling encounter rates with high-rank prey prompted the Fremont's adoption of agriculture. We quantified past resource trends by analyzing the Utah archaeofaunal database to discern if ecological conditions influenced this transition. If confirmed, it suggests adaptive responses to a decline in high-ranked game led to a more resource-intensive survival strategy. This research provides crucial insights into the motivations behind the Fremont's agricultural adoption, enhancing our understanding of human-environment interactions and adaptations throughout history.

Drama: A Burlesque And Melodramatic Frame Analysis Of The January 6Th Committee Final Report, Makayla Chadwick Lindsay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

On January 6^th, 2021, former president Donald Trump stated "...if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore". Following his speech thousands of Trump supporters marched to the United States capitol under the belief that they were stopping nationwide voter fraud. In the months following, the U.S. congress created The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol with the goal to investigate those responsible for the insurrection that took place at the U.S. capitol. This paper examines the committee's communication as they attempted to hold Trump …

Public Cyberattack Attribution And Domestic Political Considerations: An Analysis Of State Decision Making, Ella M. Devey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

When a country is targeted with a cyberattack, what compels its government to publicly attribute the perpetrators of the attack rather than keep their attribution private? Cyberattacks are an increasingly utilized weapon of international conflict by governments, groups, and individuals. Following a cyberattack, the target of the attack may investigate the origin of the attack and may choose to share their findings with the public; alternatively, they may choose not to publicly share their findings.

While we know that forensic capabilities and international political factors contribute to the decision of governments to make public cyberattack attribution, domestic political circumstances may …

A Dyadic Analysis Of Fat Talk And Body Esteem Amongst Romantic Couples, Marissa J. Sáez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Due to high levels of body objectification within society, many individuals feel a strong need to "improve" their bodies. This mindset can lead individuals to speak negatively about their body, which is referred to as fat talk. This study examines the relationship between fat talk on one's own and their romantic partner's body esteem. Meaning, it is proposed that speaking negatively about one's body will impact not only their own body esteem, but also their romantic partner's body esteem. Data were collected from 112 participants (56 dyads). The results of the data supported both hypotheses, demonstrating that one's fat talk …

Exploring Farmers' Willingness To Accept Payment For Agricultural Conservation In Utah, Asif Ahmed Khan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In view of Utah’s drought situation and the need for conservation of water use, this thesis tries to calculate the compensation required for farmers to switch from cultivating alfalfa-which requires a lot of water, to less water-consuming crops like wheat, hay and even pasture. It proposes a new technique for this calculation using big data, including satellite images from National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), agricultural statistics from National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), climate data from Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate group and land use data from the state of Utah. These data are integrated into a …

Using An Interactive Computer Training To Train Teachers In Function-Based Assessment And Intervention, Kristin R. Griffith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Since many educators receive little-to-no formal training in evidence-based classroom management strategies, it may be helpful to train general education teachers in strategies that direct them to the underlying causes of problem behavior. One such strategy is functional behavior assessment, which is the process of gathering information to determine the function of problem behavior, or why behavior is occurring. One potentially effective way of training teachers in this process may be to use an interactive computer training, which has previously been used to train a variety of complex behavior analytic skills with other populations. In the current study, we trained …

What To Expect When Preparing To Transition For Working Abroad: Exploring Work-Focused Intercultural Transition Training, Hannah Johnson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Despite living in a highly globalized world with increased travels, interactions, and migrations across both physical and mental cultural lines, many individuals are still often unprepared to interact with those who are different successfully (Kupka et al., 2008). With all these increases in travel, interaction, and migrations across cultural lines, it is essential to understand the adjustment process and the potential challenges or barriers that individuals may face when transitioning to a new culture. This project systematically examines literature on intercultural transitions to improve training for individuals traveling to another culture for work. The literature examined includes pre-departure training and …

Second Language Acquisition In The Era Of Technology And Artificial Intelligence: Exploring New Frontiers, Mimoun Akhiat

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio is the capstone project of the Master of Second Language Teaching program. It offers perspectives and insights into major themes of importance to the writer. It begins with a general introduction pertaining to the writer’s education and teaching background, his goals for joining the program and an overall reflection of this experience. Following this is the writer’s teaching philosophy comprised of a description of professional environment and a teaching philosophy statement centered on the principles of multimodality, authenticity, and collaboration. The second section of this portfolio is entitled hands-on teaching experience where the writer presents and reflects on …

Do Poor Countries Catch Up To Rich Countries? Structural Change In The World-Economy, 1816-1916, Jared Walker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Do poor countries catch up to rich countries? To answer that question, countries were divided into upper class (core), middle class (semi-periphery), and lower class (periphery) based on degree of industrialization as indicated by primary energy consumption data. Findings indicated twenty-three upward transitions and five downward transitions during the period examined. Asymmetrical upward mobility was understood in the context of geographic expansion of the system. This sufficiently increased the population of the lower class (periphery) to support larger populations in the middle class (semi-periphery) and upper class (core). Nevertheless, probability analysis indicated a stable system characterized by high levels of …

Adhd Knowledge: Support For Current Measures And Connections To Stigma And Intervention, Megan E. Golson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at-risk for social, educational, and daily functioning challenges. Identifying ADHD and beginning intervention as early as possible improves outcomes for children with ADHD. Research suggests that parents, teachers, and the general population have more favorable opinions about ADHD interventions the more they know about ADHD. While many measures of ADHD knowledge have been created to measure this, there is little research on the validity of these measures. Further, additional research is needed to better understand relation between ADHD knowledge and intervention favorability. The two studies in this dissertation aim to fill these …