Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Predictors Of Emotional Health Across Autistic And Non-Autistic Students' First Semester Of College, Erin E. Mckenney

Theses and Dissertations

The prevention and treatment of mental health concerns, including depression, are significant priorities for autistic adults. While several theories have been proposed to explain the high prevalence of depression in autistic populations, little longitudinal research has been done on potential causal mechanisms. Additional research is needed to explore how proposed contributors to depression from general population research -- namely, negative repetitive thinking, lack of social opportunity, and attributional style -- predict and/or moderate the development of depressive symptoms in autistic individuals. The current study investigates these potential predictors' relationship to internalizing symptoms over the course of college students' first semester. …

The Feasibility Of Remote Brief Mindfulness Training And Impact On Anxiety-Related Attention Bias, Hanna Culang

Theses and Dissertations

Brief mindfulness training (BMT) improves anxiety and the allocation of attentional resources. Whether BMT can remediate disruptions in attention associated with anxiety, such as anxiety-related attention bias (AB), remains unclear. This experimental study revealed that BMT significantly improved subjective state mindfulness and state anxiety, but did not influence AB.

Patterns Of Diet And Physical Activity In Adolescent Cancer Survivors, Madison Fertig

Theses and Dissertations

Diet and physical activity have been shown to reduce the risk of obesity and related diseases in cancer survivors. Adolescents are at a unique developmental stage where they have more control over their own health behaviors, indicating an important time to develop and maintain healthy behaviors.

Gender-Typing And Sports: The Perception Of Gender For Group And Individual Sports Among College Students And Adults, Nicki Zenker

Theses and Dissertations

While female sports have continued to rise since the passing of Title IX, there is still a perception that sports are a domain for men. This study seeks to expand on previous research and provide an update on how sports are viewed in the U.S in light of gender norms.

Uncovering The Layers Of Compassion: A Study In The Cultural Implications Of An Emotion, Suzan Jespersen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of compassion in American society and how it is conveyed in volunteerism based on ethnographic research conducted at a non-profit organization. I challenge the idea that compassion is a universal and instinctive emotion. Instead, I focus on the relationship between emotions, society, and power.

Post-Traumatic Growth, Resilience, And Coping In Aya Cancer Survivors, Julia Piluk

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors experience psychosocial outcomes of cancer that may cause a positive or negative outlook. Qualitative data (N=26) was collected and analyzed for subthemes of post-traumatic growth, resilience, and coping methods. Results suggest that overall, AYA cancer survivors report a sense of hope for their future.

The Impact Of Fluorescent Light On Shelter Dog Behavior (Canis Lupus Familiaris), Kristiina J. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Fluorescent lighting is used in a wide variety of applications, however, the flicker that accompanies fluorescent light can be aversive. This thesis examines the impact of fluorescent lighting on the behavior of shelter dogs at New York City’s Animal Care and Control Centers.

Assessing The Utility Of The Pmm And Mmc Indices Among Extant Hominoid Genera, Julie A. Strain

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis set out to incorporate extant hominoid genera into an analysis of PMM and MMC to assess utility in phylogeny and predicting known taxonomic groups. Based on previous claims, we expect PMM/pmm and MMC/mmc to perform better than M1/m1 shape and size, our baseline for success, but they do not.

Pluto In Hand: Design And Implementation Of A Location-Based Mobile Augmented Reality Application For Viewing Open Data, Matthew O. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

Immersive mobile augmented reality (AR) technology has improved while geolocational data volume has grown. City governments can utilize this technology to share their geospatial data with the public, promoting smart city aims. This research describes the design and implementation of a novel open-source ARGIS application to view property tax lot information in New York City. This proof-of-technology demonstrates web-based AR can visualize location-based spatial data.

Claiming Ownership Of One’S Body Through Language: The Disability Memoir, Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the ways in which the disability memoir creates pathways that generate new ways of thinking. Focusing primarily on the disability memoirs of Simi Linton, Ellen Forney, and Kenny Fries, this analysis will personalize the disability experience as these authors live it and redefine its social stereotypes.

Gang Culture And Their Territorial Space: Graffiti Analysis Using Geographical Information Systems (Gis), Christian F. Delgado

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand gang culture and how gangs come to define their territorial space. This thesis will focus on identifying gang spaces by utilizing geographic techniques to aid in determining where high gang activity and/or crime is taking place. This will be done by point pattern, data analysis, visualization analysis, and heat mapping on complaints, arrest, shooting, and graffiti data. This research has been conducted deductively, as it will use the theories mentioned in the literature review to define hypotheses.

Gangs are known for their violent and disruptive behavior. They ravage community resources and introduce …

Using Geospatial Analysis To Evaluate Relationships Between Cancer Incidence And Social Factors In Brooklyn, Ny, Sheena Philogene

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the spatial distribution of cancer incidence in Brooklyn, NY. Using publicly available data, the relationships between cancer incidence and factors linked to cancer were investigated. Furthermore, the study explored the value of using large amounts of data with GIS techniques to quickly analyze geographic trends for cancer.

Between Rock And A Hard Place: Rock On The Border Between Nations And Cultures, Jose Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Laredo, Texas has a vibrant rock music scene that has developed since the late 1960s. However, there was a time during the 1980s and early 1990s that live rock music venues were very few, and local rock bands were relegated to holding private events if they wished to perform. The history of live rock music in Laredo and its resurgence during the 1990s and 2000s was explored through interviews with local musicians, examining the role the Internet, social media, and online music platforms have played in propagating it in recent years. The result is a better understanding of this transnational …

Correlates Of Intimate Partner Cyber-Harassment Among Mexican American College Students, Erica M. Benavides-Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The social issue of intimate partner cyber-harassment among Mexican American college students continues to affect dating violence. While there is a considerable amount of literature focusing on various forms of criminal behavior in cyberspace, such as cyberbullying, cyber-pornography, hacking, online fraud and identity theft, less attention has been paid to violence facilitated through cyber-communications and digital/electronic means such as CH. This thesis examines Mexican American college students to identify which factors correlate to cyber harassment (CH) offending and which correspond to cyber victimization. In this context, intimate partner cyber harassment (IPCH) is defined as a pattern of repeated behaviors by …

Long Live The Queer: Demystifying Noncitizenship In Uncle Frank And Pain And Glory, Andrew D. Manker

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the ways in which a nation infantilizes its citizens, and how family dynamics internalize this infantilization. Queer family members and citizens are treated as threats to the family and by extension the nation because to live into queerness is to refuse the nations infantilization. Additionally, this thesis shows how queer people can cultivate a hopeful future for themselves and the family-as-extension-of-nation by radically redefining what citizenship looks like in a family and nation.

Cross-Day Associations Between Relational Factors And Intimate Partner Violence In Young Adult Couples, Lauren Grocott

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is alarmingly high, with young adults at increased risk, underscoring the importance of identifying risk factors for perpetration of IPV. IPV is largely understood as a dyadic process, as it involves both partners and is inherently influenced by the behaviors of both partners. Thus, it is important that research poised to better understand risk factors for IPV utilize young adult samples that include both dyad members. Previous research examining risk factors for IPV perpetration has identified multiple relational factors (i.e., relationship characteristics influenced by both partners) that impact risk. In particular, findings suggest …

Storytelling, Identity Development, And Decolonial Pedagogies: Frameworks For Teaching Indigenous Literatures Of The Great Lakes To Young Adult Readers, Katie Cary

Theses and Dissertations

This project examines Dakota and Anishinaabe literatures of the Great Lakes region with an emphasis on themes of homeland, identity development, community, violence, transformation, and healing. Each chapter of the dissertation focuses on a specific genre, medium, or theory, such as nineteenth-century autobiography, young adult literature, comics, and Two-Spirit critiques, along with pedagogical practices that can be incorporated into English curriculums to help educators teach Indigenous literatures more effectively. This dissertation provides teaching frameworks and suggestions for activities and discussions that other educators can adapt and model in their own secondary school or university classes. I consider texts by Zitkala-Sa, …

Anti-Bisexual Discrimination, Hazardous Alcohol Use, And Sexual Victimization Among Bi+ Individuals, Benjamin Katz

Theses and Dissertations

Bi+ individuals are at an elevated risk of sexual victimization compared to other sexual minorities. Hazardous alcohol use and minority stress are two factors proposed to contribute to increased rates of sexual victimization among bi+ individuals. The present study investigated the roles of distal and proximal minority stress, general life stress, negative affect, and hazardous alcohol use as predictors of sexual victimization in a sample of 192 bi+ young adults. Results indicated that experiences of anti-bisexual discrimination were associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing past year rape victimization. A direct, positive association between hazardous alcohol use and past year …

Alcohol Use, Trait Anger, And Intimate Partner Violence In College Student Couples, Cayla O'Hair

Theses and Dissertations

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem, and risk for IPV is often highest among young adults. Numerous studies have found alcohol use to temporally precede and increase the risk for IPV perpetration. Trait anger is also associated with greater levels of physical, sexual, and psychological IPV perpetration. Daily diary research using one member of the dyad has found that alcohol is associated with increased physical IPV perpetration among men high, but not low, in levels of trait anger. However, IPV is a dyadic process that is impacted by the behavior of both partners, and little is …

Against Identity: A Positionalist Approach To Resisting Identity-Based Violence, Barbara Walkowiak

Theses and Dissertations

I develop and defend a positionalist theory of identity as a basis from which to resist identity-based violence. On this account, identities are the social positions that individuals occupy due to belief that operate upon them. This contrasts with and is intended to replace the dominant intrinsicist model, which conceives of identity as something about individuals in and of themselves. Taking gender as a focal point, I develop three overarching positionalist kinds: monogyne, polygyne, and androgyne. I propose that additional sub-kinds (e.g. monogyne woman) be developed in order to more exactly track gender positionalities and the operational beliefs that produce …

Interpreting The Socio-Symbolic Value Of Jet And Amber Artifacts As Markers Of Religious Transformation In Early Christian Britain, Rachel C. Strohl

Theses and Dissertations

During the Medieval period in Britain, changes in the lived materiality of religion aided in the reinforcement of new ideologies. Christian missionaries and foreign invaders introduced new religious structures and cultural paradigms from the Continent that included novel symbolic forms and material markers. In pre-Christian contexts, jet and amber are thought to have been used for religious purposes due to their presumed magical properties, such as burning and generating a static charge. These materials also served as lucrative exports throughout Europe and beyond before the introduction of Christianity. Textual records from the Mediterranean as well as archaeological evidence for the …

Incipient Games: Restoring The Past Through Play In Historical Reenactment, Luke Konkol

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an ethnography of an historical reenactment group which stewards a living history village portraying the nineteenth-century “Wisconsin frontier.” It analyzes productions from improvisations, to scripted vignettes, to a “whodunit” mystery game. Across their practice, reenactors are met with a host of challenges including ‘authenticity,’ balancing constructionism and objectivism, visitor engagement, educating the public, and the bleeding together of period techniques and modern thinking. Such challenges push against the boundaries of analyzing the project of reenactment (or larger social life) as theatre. Given terms like “play-acting” and “role-playing” in the space of reenactment, this thesis examines this phenomenon …

The Analysis Of User Characteristics On Twitter During Early Stage Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Comparison Study Before And After Declaration Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mutasim Alfadhel

Theses and Dissertations

In December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) was officially reported as an acute respiratory infection, which was first identified in Wuhan, China. On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Covid-19 could be characterized as a pandemic. Governments across the world imposed or recommended various non-medical interventions to reduce transmission of Covid-19, such as washing hands, wearing face masks, social distancing, and quarantining as well as lockdown measures including banning large gatherings, issuing stay-at-home orders, closing certain businesses, and imposing travel restrictions. The increase in social, behavioral, and economic issues that the disease has generated has …

Syllable Structure And Phonological Processes Of Southern Najdi Arabic: An Optimality-Theoretic Model, Saad Alshahrani

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides a theoretical analysis of the syllable structures and vowel processes in an understudied dialect, Southern Najdi Arabic (SNA). Using the dialect’s unique phonological characteristics, the analysis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the phonological representations of syllables and common processes in Arabic dialects and to shed light on some of the longstanding problems in the literature. Presented within the model of Optimality Theory (OT), the dissertation offers a unified account for syllabification patterns and related phenomena, such as vowel raising, syncope (high vowel deletion, trisyllabic elision, and feminine suffix vowel deletion), CV metathesis, epenthesis, and …

Communicative Constitutions Of Identity And Emotions Within A Virtual Support Group For Disenfranchised Bereaved Individuals, Michael Cody Coker

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of U.S. families care for pets, a joyous yet emotional experience. Following a pet loss, caregivers embark on the oft lingering and disenfranchised grief processes. Online support groups are helpful to the disenfranchised bereaved population as technology allows users to access similar individuals, acquire support, and make sense of their experiences. Throughout disenfranchised animal companion loss, bereaved online support group members engage in sensemaking (Weick, 1995) to reconcile their past and becoming selves, construct a community identity, and grapple with their emotion displays within and outside of the support group. Identity work and emotions are salient sensemaking processes among …

Tales From The Tooth Worm: Reconstruction Of The Historic Oral Microbiome At The Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery, Ashley Brennaman

Theses and Dissertations

Paleomicrobiological investigations of the human oral microbiome have primarily focused on samples of ancient origin, while fewer targeted studies of younger archaeological samples from the historic era have been conducted. However, the study of archaeological samples from the recent past, particularly the nineteenth century, can yield pertinent insights into the shifting temporal patterns of oral microbial diversity. For example, the sugar-rich diet associated with the Industrial Revolution of the mid-nineteenth century caused a shift in the composition of the oral microbiome towards a pathogenic state. Recent research has also demonstrated that the oral microbiomes derived from samples of modern and …

Evidence Of Lives Not Seen: The Bioarchaeology Of Material Personhood At The Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery, Catherine Rebecca Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Cadaverized individuals in nineteenth and twentieth-century America were overwhelmingly poor, indigent, institutionalized, and unidentified. Their bodies were utilized to transform medical students into professionals while they, in turn, were transformed from human to medical waste, and disposed of as such. The Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery was one such disposal site utilized from 1882-1925. Archaeological excavations at the site recovered cadaverized remains in multiple individual burial contexts. Analysis of mortuary patterns provides a richly nuanced medium through which this project examines the creation of social personhood and the formation and maintenance of community boundaries. These shared patterns, evident in burial …

Polyphonic Texture: Survivance In Contemporary Transnational Fiction, Yasmine Lamloum

Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation I focus on survivance, a concept promoted by Gerald Vizenor in his 1999 book Manifest Manners: Narratives on Postindian Survivance to contend that presence, active resistance, and the power of narratives surpass genocidal violence and assimilation of Native Americans. With an emphasis on contemporary transnational fiction, I argue that Vizenor’s concept can be extended beyond its initial frame of reference. To this day, many regions of the world are afflicted by both old and contemporary mechanisms of war, colonialism, patriarchy and global capitalism. Our understanding of how scholars, writers, and artists in different locales are engaged against …

The City As A Poetic Object: An Ethnographic Approach To Milwaukee And Its Poets, Antonio Paniagua Guzmán

Theses and Dissertations

Poetry has historically been an important component of cities’ culture, urban life, and history. There is a mutual influence of poetry and the city; while the city and the way its history unfolds shape poetic production patterns and poets’ narratives, it is capable of illuminating diverse social and urban phenomena and shape diverse social groups’ cultural practices and urban experience. While scholars from social science and humanistic disciplines have investigated the relationship between poetry and the city by looking at how cities are represented poetically and how cities shape the production, distribution, and consumption of poetry, I turn to a …

Exploring The Information Experience Of The Immigrant Toward Public Libraries In New York City, Jean Edwin Rene

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study investigated the experiences, or the lack, of underemployed immigrants with limited job skills, limited income, and limited English speaking skills with public library services as they face many stages of cultural and informational adaptation in the United States. Their information needs are at first primarily for housing, employment, education and social services. In general, they came to the US looking for opportunities, and to be successful. Those achievement means finding good jobs, educations, skills, and greater financial security. Having greater options starts by getting access to information that leads to those objectives. Public libraries have provided …