Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Dark Tetrad At Work: Examining The Effects Of Bottom-Line Mentality, Job Satisfaction, And Perceptions Of Organizational Politics On Counterproductive Work Behavior, Ryan Barry

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary organizations often use personality measures when selecting new employees. Recent developments in the literature have shown that measures of the dark tetrad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) provide additional benefits (e.g., incremental validity) over measures of normal personality (e.g., Big Five) in predicting counterproductive work behavior (CWB). The purpose for this study was to identify factors that may affect the positive relationship between higher levels the dark tetrad and CWB. We proposed that perceptions of supervisor’s bottom-line mentality (their focus on prioritizing profits over other goals) serves as a moderator, whereas one’s job satisfaction and perceptions of organizational …

Managing Citizen Engagement: Local Leader Perspectives From A Midwestern Small City, Isabella B. Green

Theses and Dissertations

Small cities, with their mix of urban capacity and small-town charm, are a promising environment for interactive and inclusive citizen engagement. However, small cities have received very limited attention by sociological and planning literature, and even less attention has been paid to the leaders of small city communities. This study contributes to this gap through an analysis of the dynamics of participation between small city leaders and their constituents from the leaders’ perspective. Studying up through interviews with planners and officials of a midwestern small city, this study examines how small city leaders pursue citizen engagement while managing the bureaucratic …

The Influence Of Instructor Mental Illness Disclosure On The Perceptions Of Mental Illness, Classroom Climate, Teacher Credibility, Homophily, And Social Attraction, Kirsten L. Bridgemen

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses the lens of Communication Privacy Management theory to analyze the impact an instructor’s depth of disclosure of their mental illness can have on mental illness stigmatization, classroom climate, as well as teacher credibility, homophily, and social attraction. Participants responded to a series of quantitative-based questions regarding a hypothetical syllabus with varied levels of a teacher disclosing their mental illness. Results indicated that none of the investigated dependent variables were negatively affected by the hypothetical instructor’s disclosure, and mental illness stigmatization was lessened. Implications, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

As Good As Woke? : Mutuality And Third Spaces In A Guatemalan Volunteer Tourism Organization, Hannah Gdalman

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that as many as 10 million individuals participate in international volunteering projects annually (McGehee, 2014). Since its rise in the late nineties and early aughts, voluntourism has drawn the attention of academic and non-academic audiences alike, who have warned of the perils of exploitation, commodification, and white saviorism. This study conducts an issue-focused analysis to examine the extent to which the voluntourism experience has evolved into one of mutuality rather than cultural hegemony. Sixteen semi-structured interviews and participant observation were conducted at a longstanding Guatemalan voluntourism site. Wearing & Wearing’s (2006) Third Space interactive cultural tourism framework …

Social Withdrawal Associated With Regret And Fulfillment In Three Long-Term Care Facilities, Melanie Mei Yukie Serrao

Theses and Dissertations

The study of social withdrawal continues to grow among younger samples, including childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Little research has addressed socially withdrawn older adults, despite the various losses, declines, and changes experienced by those in later life and their known benefits resulting from social interactions. Shy, avoidant, or unsocial individuals at younger ages may withdraw and possibly miss out on important opportunities; as a result, when they are grown, these same socially withdrawn individuals may experience greater regret and lower fulfillment in later life. Further, socially withdrawn older adults residing in long-term care (LTC) facilities may have more time …

The Behavioral And Neural Effects Of Audiovisual Affective Processing, Chuanji Gao

Theses and Dissertations

In everyday life, we receive affective information from a multisensory environment. What we see and what we hear jointly influence how we feel, think and act. Outstanding questions still remain about the essential behavioral and neural mechanism underlying how we combine visual and auditory affective signals. In this dissertation, I report a series of behavioral, EEG and fMRI experiments addressing this question. I found behaviorally there are congruency, visual dominance, and negativity dominance effects. Using ERPs, I showed that these behavioral effects can map onto different time course in audiovisual affective processing. Time-frequency analyses of EEG data showed that there …

Testing For Differential Attention To Features In Evaluative Conditioning, Christine E. Weber

Theses and Dissertations

One eye tracking and one behavioral experiment examined the possible roles of contingency awareness and attention to stimulus features in evaluative conditioning. These experiments tested whether evaluative conditioning altered the saliency of positive and negative features in consumer products (Study 1) and attitudinal responses to ambivalent pictures (Study 2). Based on the conceptual categorization model, pairing of ambivalent conditioned stimuli with liked or disliked unconditioned stimuli was predicted to result in enhanced attention to affectively congruent features. Study 1 tested this prediction by recording eye movements to determine how attention to features and responses to ambivalent stimuli were altered as …

Immigrant Belonging In Belgium: Laws, Localities, And Living Together, Samuel P. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Nationalism is rising in Europe and the world. Much of it responds to massive migration, with nationalistic Europeans vocalizing their belief that immigrants do not “belong” in their countries. Many states respond to this influx of people and rising antiimmigrant sentiment by creating laws demanding immigrant “integration.” Yet a clear understanding of what defines “integration” remains elusive. So too does an understanding of how laws aimed at immigrant integration influence relationships between immigrants and local citizens, institutions, and spaces. This research addresses both of these points in Belgium, a politically and culturally fractured country that serves as a microcosm of …

Promoting Critical Consciousness: The Role Of Positive Youth Development Programming, Mackenzie Jaclyn Hart

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of positive youth development programming and individual-level characteristics in promoting critical reflection (CR) in youth and adolescent participants. CR refers to the analytical component of critical consciousness (CC), or the exercise of challenging institutional practices that systemically marginalize or oppress certain subgroups. Survey and interview data were analyzed from at-risk high school students (N=250) participating in an after-school program across six sites in urban areas in the United States. Multiple regression models were used to predict the development of CR, and interviews were examined to look for themes related to quantitative findings. Results support that …

Mbi Gjendjen E Sotme Të Sigurisë Në Ballkanin Perëndimor, Blertë Sopa

Theses and Dissertations

Padyshim që njëra prej çështjeve më të rëndësishme të një shteti është siguria, mbrojtja e territorit të tij. Ky punim diploma batchelor ka për qëllim të shqyrtojë çështjet e sigurisë së shteteve të Ballkanit Perëndimor. Ai është ndarë në disakrerë, ose pjesë në mënyrë që të ndihmojë për të krijuar në mënyrë logjike dhe të qartë kuadrin teorik të problemit.

Fillimisht është pjesa përshkruese dhe teorike e cila lidhet me përkufizmin e konceptit të sigurisë, ndërsa më pas, flitet rreth sistemit të sigurisëkombëtare, kërcënimeve të sigurisë, interesave kombëtarë si dhe për sfidat e së ardhmes.

Më tej, për të parë …

Radio Në Peizazhin Mediatik Të Kosovës, Shkëndije Zeqiri

Theses and Dissertations

Radio është njëra nga tri mediat masive të zhvilluara në Kosovë, pas përfundimit të Luftës së Dytë Botërore. Për dekada me radhë ajo ka qenë media me vlerat e institucionit të rëndësishëm për shqiptarët e Kosovës, bazuar në karakteristikat themelore të saj si media që depërton me lehtësi te audiencat. Zhvillimi i radios kryesore, Radio Prishtinës, është ndërprerë në fillim të viteve të ’90-a të shekullit të kaluar. Pas luftës, nga viti 1999 radio ka vazhduar të jetë media e rëndësishme, edhe pse jo me ndikimin që ka pasur më herët. Në Kosovë, nga viti 1999 ekzistojnë radio publike dhe …

Objektiviteti Në Portalet E Kosovës, Dafina Berisha

Theses and Dissertations

Objektiviteti në portalet tona, është një temë mjaft interesante për t’u trajtuar, duke u bazuar në literaturën, analizat dhe studimet e bëra në Kosovë. Ky punim, synon që të analizojë çfarë roli ka objektiviteti në ditët e sotme, sa janë portalet tona objektive dhe sa i respektojnë ato norma. Në kapitullin e parë është paraqitur një sërë autorësh që kanë sjellë përkufizime të çmuara në lidhje me mediat sociale si trend i ri, pastaj është trajtuar objektiviteti në Kosovë dhe Botë, dhe evulucioni ie saj, të gjitha të dhënat si lloj informimi për kodin e Mediave të Shkruar, si dhe …

Etika Në Menaxhimin Publik, Rast Studimi Shtëpia E Shëndetit Lipjan, Fatime Aliu

Theses and Dissertations

Një vështrim në rolin e institucioneve shëndetësore, konkretishtë QKMF – Lipjan nxjerr në pah rëndësinë e një kodi të etikës për stafin shëndetësor.

Njerëzit në demokraci kanë organizuar shtetin dhe institucionet në një mënyrë të tillë, që të kenë liri maksimale për veten e tyre, brenda kuadrit të shtetit ligjor. Po kështu, janë hartuar sisteme të drejtësisë penale me qëllim që të garantohet liria dhe siguria e individit.

Në një shoqëri demokratike të sunduar nga forca e ligjit, institucionet shëndetësore kanë funksion jetik në sigurimin e ofrimit të shërbimeve me qëllim të ruajtjes së shëndetit të qytetarëve dhe komuniteteve pa …

Analizë E Raportimeve Të Gazetave Për Ministrinë E Administratës Publike, Flaka Jashari

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim diplome synon të trajtojë temen se si paraqitet Ministria e Administratës Publike përmes mediave pubilke dhe private në Kosovë.Sqarohet se si përmes Divizionit për komunikim përcjellen lajmet tek mediat dhe si arrin pastaj ky informacion tek publiku.Dukë marrë parasysh faktin që një ndër misionet e ministrisë së Administratës Publike është të punoj në avancimin dhe modernizimin e tërë aparatit shtetëror administrativ për t’ju shërbyer me efikasitet, transparencë, profesionalizëm dhe paanshmëri të gjithë qytetarëve, bizneseve dhe vet institucioneve të Republikës së Kosovës puna më e rëndësishme e gazetarëve është që të jenë gjithmonë në hapë me ndryshimet që ndodhin …

The Role Of Third-Person Perceptions In Predicting The Public’S Support For Electronic Cigarette Advertising Regulations, Joon Kyoung Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has become the most widely used nicotine porduct among adolescents and young adults in the United States. Although some research has shown that e-cigarettes are relatively less harmful than combustible tobacco cigarettes, the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes remain unclear. Some evidence suggests that exposure to e-cigarette marketing leads young people to try e-cigarettes. Given the increased popularity of e-cigarette use, the U.S Food and Drug Administration has implemented regulations on e-cigarette marketing since 2016. To understand the public’s support for media censorship, media scholars have examined gaps in individuals’ perceptions of media effects on themselves …

Mindfulness, Culture, And Clinical Practice: Clinician Experiences Utilizing Mindfulness And Acceptance With Hispanics/Latinos, Rebeca Castellanos

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that culturally adapted interventions are superior to unadapted interventions when used with diverse ethnic groups (Hall et al., 2016). There also exists a growing interest psychological interventions that utilize in mindfulness and psychological acceptance (Masuda, 2014). Moreover, there is a significant need to address health inequities among Hispanics/Latinos given that they comprise the fastest growing ethnically diverse population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). A recent comprehensive review of the literature on cultural adaptations of MBIs for Hispanics/Latinos indicated several critical gaps in the study of culturally adapted MBIs which included a need to systematically assess …

Perceptions Of A Small Midwestern Food Cooperative: A Case Study, Rebecca Forsythe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to illuminate how individuals form perceptions of cooperatives, specifically of Green Top Grocery, a cooperative located in Bloomington Illinois, using the Bourdieu-sian habitus and notions of capital as a frame. Green Top Grocery suffers from fiscal instability since they opened in 2017. They also struggle to gain support of lower income individuals, a key demographic they sought to help since their inception based on their stated values. By conducting qualitative interviews of three sample groups: Green Top Grocery board members and leadership, local food access experts, and West Bloomington residents, and non-participant observations, this …

Place-Making Through Performance: Spoken Word Poetry And The Reclamation Of “Chocolate City”, Tiffany Marquise Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Predominantly situated in an area formerly known as Black Broadway, my research is based on long-term immersion in the District’s network of Spoken Word poetry and poets. Specifically, I focus on two key sites that offer contrasting depictions of open mic culture: Busboys and Poets, a D.C.-based chain located in several well-known neighborhoods undergoing gentrification, and SpitDat D.C., a grassroots (and often displaced) movement known as the area’s longest running open mic series. At these venues, many artists – especially native and long-term residents of the area – illustrate the Black experience along with a fascinating correlation between place, performer, …

Adhd Symptoms And Alcohol Expectancies: The Moderating Roles Of Parenting And School Climate, Melanie Morse

Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood behavioral disorder that often extends into adulthood and is associated with negative health outcomes, including alcohol use. Alcohol expectancies are a widely studied predictor of alcohol use, and have been shown to predict alcohol use among individuals with ADHD. Positive alcohol expectancies appear to be particularly related to alcohol use as well as ADHD. However, a number of broad social factors including parent, peer, and school/environmental influence likely impact the relation between ADHD and alcohol expectancies. The current study examined positive parenting, parental monitoring, parental involvement, and school climate as moderators of the …

The Global Production Sharing And Economic Development: The Nexus Of Preferential Trade Agreements And Unilateral Trade, Handunnetti Naveen Mendis Wickremeratne

Theses and Dissertations

This study primarily attempts to investigate the causal relationship between Global Production Sharing and economic growth. Secondarily, the study attempts to identify the impact of Preferential Trade Agreements on Global Production Sharing. The study is based on secondary data for a panel of 12 Asian countries for the time period from 1999 to 2017. The methodology adopted for the study is both quantitative and qualitative. The empirical methodology is based on Cobb-Douglas production function, and panel fixed effects estimator is employed to derive the consistent estimates. The empirical findings of the study suggest that Global Production Sharing has a positive …

How Self-Sentiments And Personal Networks Impact Political Polarization, Matthew Facciani

Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates how identities, self-sentiments, and personal network composition impact political polarization. I apply the framework of Affect Control Theory to capture how Democrats and Republicans feel about their political ingroup and outgroups (through evaluation, potency and activity ratings) and evaluate the likelihood of events involving these groups. In my first experiment, I study if self-uncertainty and self-affirmation primes impact political bias. I also apply Affect Control Theory-Self to measure self-sentiment change (self-evaluation, self-potency, and self-activity) from these primes as well. I predict that priming self-uncertainty should increase political bias (due to inflated self-sentiments) and that priming self-affirmation should …

The Impact Of Race/Ethnicity On Sentencing: A Matching Approach, Travis Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to study the direct impact of race/ethnicity on sentencing of federal drug offenders. In order to accomplish this goal, an exact matching approach is utilized to generate strata containing white, black and Hispanic offenders who are matched based on relevant legal and extra-legal factors derived from focal concerns theory. The total sentences (i.e. fines, probation, incarceration, etc.) of matched offenders are then compared pairwise to determine which offender received the more severe sentence. The findings overall do not suggest that black and Hispanic offenders receive more severe sentences to comparable white offenders; however, drug …

Gun Violence And Advocacy Communication, Minhee Choi

Theses and Dissertations

Gun violence has been a major threat to the United States in recent decades. Through the concept of media advocacy from health communication and mass communication literature, this dissertation used an experiment with 331 respondents to test the strategic value of public health framing and certain types of mobilizing information on social media as part of the media advocacy process, including how those elements may lead to attitudinal and behavioral responses related to gun-related policies. Political orientation and gun ownership were examined as potential moderating factors that affect individuals’ perceptions of public health framing. Finding provide public health framing is …

Spatio-Temporal Modeling Of Earthquake Recovery, Sahar Derakhshan

Theses and Dissertations

The recovery process after a major disaster or disruption, is impacted by the inequality of risk prior to and post event. In the past decades there has been few efforts to model the recovery process and the focus is mainly on staged models (i.e. emergency, restoration, and reconstruction). The overarching research question asks how a non-stage-like model could apply to the recovery process. This study poses three broad questions: 1) what are the indicators suitable for monitoring the recovery process; 2) what are the driving factors of differential recovery trends; and 3) what are the predicted development trajectories for communities …

Foster Care And Youth Homelessness: The Impact Of Race And Victimization History, Nakisa Asefnia

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that there are 31,062 unaccompanied homeless youth living in the U.S.. Simultaneously, approximately 250,000 youth exit the foster care system each year, many of whom have little support for a successful transition. Research has shown that emerging adults, who exit foster care by aging out, have an increased chance of homelessness. These youths’ victimization experiences, particularly those leading to child welfare involvement and subsequently foster care, may increase their chances of difficulties with regard to homelessness. In addition to their increased vulnerability and risk of homelessness, race is a compounding …

Unraveling The Temporal Aspects Of Victimization: The Reciprocal, Additive, And Cumulative Effects Of Direct/Vicarious Victimization On Crime, Yeoju Park

Theses and Dissertations

The current study aims to assess the continuous impact of direct/vicarious victimization on subsequent victimization and delinquency/crime across waves using an incorporated model of Agnew’s general strain theory and the lifestyle/routine activities perspective. This study also aims to assess the additive and cumulative impact of dual victimization (i.e., exposure to direct and vicarious victimization) on offending. A cross-lagged model is conducted to examine the impacts of direct victimization, vicarious victimization, and delinquency/crime at an early point in time on these variables at later points in time using three waves from the Pathways to Desistance Study. Negative binomial regression models and …

Bollen-Stine Bootstrapping Of The Chi-Square Statistic In Structural Equation Models: The Effect Of Model Size, Raul Corrêa Ferraz

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on the accuracy of p-values for the chi-square test of model fit has been limited to small models (around 10 variables), revealing that they are accurate provided sample size is not too small. At small sample sizes (N < 100), the usual p-values, obtained using asymptotic methods, are more accurate. However, asymptotic p-values incorrectly suggest that models fit poorly when the number of variables is large. We investigate whether Bollen-Stine (1992) bootstrap p-values are accurate in large models (up to 30 variables) for continuous outcomes using both normal and non-normal data. We found that as model size increases …

Applying Psychological Reactance Theory To Intercultural Communication In The Workplace: Dealing With Technological Change And Tolerance For Ambiguity, Oumaima Boulhna

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological reactance theory has yet to be applied to intercultural and cross-cultural communication, at least not to a sufficient extent. This study conducted a cross-cultural examination of psychological reactance in intercultural workplace communication situations. Using the theoretical framework of psychological reactance as well as the constructs of intercultural sensitivity and tolerance for ambiguity, this study expanded applications of PRT for technological change messages in the workplace. The present study extended the previous applications of psychological reactance theory and found a significant cross-cultural variation for trait reactance. The results also revealed that tolerance for ambiguity was negatively related to trait reactance, …

The Role Of Coping Behaviors And Intoxication In Trauma Symptomology Subsequent To Sexual Victimization, Danika Martine Charles

Theses and Dissertations

College women are at an elevated risk for sexual victimization compared to the general population. One possible reason for the increase risk of sexual victimization on college campuses is that college is inherent with greater freedom and less supervision. This unsupervised environment may encourage students to explore alcohol and other drug use and abuse and engage in risky sexual behavior, which are risk factors for sexual victimization. Sexual victimization is defined as unwanted behaviors and tactics that range from oral, anal, vaginal contact or penetration where the perpetrator uses force, intimidation, or coercion. Sexual victimization is often conceptualized in terms …

Evaluating The Social Acceptability Of An Application-Blocking-Based Contingency Management Intervention, Caitlyn R. Upton

Theses and Dissertations

Many adults and youth in the United States engage in multiple high risk health behaviors. Research has historically suggested that if these behaviors can be changed, major health conditions could be changed at both the individual and population levels. Contingency Management is a well-validated method of changing health behaviors, however the costs associated with CM prevent it from being widely available. Smartphone applications are becoming increasingly popular in the healthcare sector, and most American have a smartphone with apps they find enjoyable and distracting. A potential avenue for CM dissemination is the development of a smartphone program that utilizes the …