Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ya Gotta Wanna: Shifting Motivational Priorities In The Self-Control Process, Keemia Vaghef

Theses and Dissertations

Self-control has been linked to a range of important academic, social, and achievement-related outcomes (Tangney et al., 2004). However, there are a variety of differing perspectives on the process by which individuals exert self-control. Thus, the self-control process is still ambiguous and there is no single model that researchers have yet to agree upon. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine this self-control process in more detail, drawing from the shifting priorities self-control process model (Inzlicht, Schmeichel, & Macrae, 2014). More specifically, the study examined the distinct influence of regulatory-related constructs, specifically delay of gratification and future time perspective, …

Does A Positive Illusory Bias Mediate The Moderating Effect Of Achievement Orientation On Response To Exclusion In Boys With Adhd?, Alexandria G. Fladhammer

Theses and Dissertations

Disturbed peer relationships have commonly been found to have long-lasting adverse impacts on children, including school dropout, substance abuse, criminal offenses, psychological maladjustment, and academic problems (Mrug et al., 2012). One subgroup of children well-known to struggle with their peer relationships are children with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Hoza, 2007). These children often engage in high rate, intrusive behaviors and are excluded from peer interactions (Hoza et al., 2005). The frequent rejection that these children endure highlights the need for research focused on ostracism, the exclusion or ignoring of others by individuals or groups (Williams, 2007). Thus, the purpose of the current …

Generating Strong Diversity Of Opinions: Agent Models Of Continuous Opinion Dynamics, Christopher W. Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

Opinion dynamics is the study of how opinions in a group of individuals change over time. A goal of opinion dynamics modelers has long been to find a social science-based model that generates strong diversity -- smooth, stable, possibly multi-modal distributions of opinions. This research lays the foundations for and develops such a model. First, a taxonomy is developed to precisely describe agent schedules in an opinion dynamics model. The importance of scheduling is shown with applications to generalized forms of two models. Next, the meta-contrast influence field (MIF) model is defined. It is rooted in self-categorization theory and improves …

#Digitalactivism: Examining #Yesallwomen And Teaching Social Media Activism In Technical Communication, Karishma Verma

Theses and Dissertations

In May 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others near

the University of California campus in Santa Barbara. A “hatred of women” was cited as the

reason for his crimes. This incident inspired the hashtag movement #YesAllWomen on social

media. Users shared examples of how although “not all men” engage in violent behaviors that

Rodger exhibited, all women go through their lives fearing. This thesis uses a technofeminist

framework to examine how the #YesAllWomen movement functioned as an online social

movement on Twitter to encourage conversation as well as promote change. I also discuss how

technical …

Achieving Development In Destinations: Effects Of Tourism On Poverty, Inequality, And Quality Of Life, Jessica R. Linder

Theses and Dissertations

For decades, political scientists and development practitioners have focused on poverty and inequality alleviation, as well as increased quality of life as key goals for the field of development. Research focused on key concepts such as social capital and tools like microfinance and trickle-down tax structures for achieving these goals. Tourism, however, remained largely unstudied as a development tool, with most prior research focusing on sustainability and the economics of the industry. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of tourism as a tool for development by examining its effects on poverty, inequality, and quality of life, as it becomes …

Okb Dhe Operacionet Paqeruajtëse – Sukseset Dhe Dështimet, Antoneta Zhjeçi

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim analizon mënyrat në të cilat misionet paqeruajtëse të Organizatës së Kombeve të Bashkuara ndikojnë në përparimin demokratik dhe qëndrueshmërinë e paqes në shtetet e pas luftës. “Konsiderohet se pas një konflikti, misionet paqeruajtëse të OKB-së garantojnë siguri dhe krijojnë stimuj relevant për aktorët e përfshirë për të fashitur dallimet përmes mjeteve demokratike” (Joshi, 2013). Ky punim synon të argumentoj se misionet paqeruajtëse ndihmojnë në fillimin e një procesi demokratik të tillë që rivalët e mëparshëm mund të kërkojnë qasje në pushtet dhe burime, pa përdorur konfliktet e armatosura. Për të arritur në këtë përfundim, punimi ekzaminon nëse paqeruajtja …

Performanca E Punonjësve Në Komunën E Ferizaj - It, Elona Sahiti

Theses and Dissertations

Ky studim ka si qëllim të jap një përshkrim të qartë rreth koncepteve të përgjithshme të performancës sipas mendimtarëve të Menaxhimit të Burimeve Njerëzore, duke përfshirë poashtu edhe mënyrën e funksionimit të sistemit të vlerësimit të performancës, planifikimin, vështrimin e vazhdueshëm të saj etj., dhe në veqanti studimi përmbledh analizën e 50 të anketuarëve, të cilët janë punonjës të sektorit publik të institucioneve të Komunës së Ferizaj-it. Koncepti i performancës konsiderohet si mjet për menaxhim më të mirë në sektorin publik, duke siguruar efektivitetin dhe efikasitetin në kuadër të menaxhimit. Nevoja për ta kuptuar nëse institucioni përkatës publik i ka …

Gjendja E Qipros Dhe Roli I Misionit Paqeruajtës Të Okb-Së, Shkelzen Musliu

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i këtij punimi është të përshkruajë veprimin e Forcës Paqeruajtëse të Kombeve të Bashkuara në Qipro (UNFICYP) dhe të nxjerrë në pah anë të veçanta të rëndësishme të rolit të OKB dhe të misioneve të saj paqeruajtës. Krijimi i misionit UNFICYP dhe i formës së tij janë ndikuar, pjesërisht nga modeli i veprimtarive paqeruajtëse që u zhvilluan dalëngadalë gjatë veprimtarisë së Kombeve të Bashkuara qysh nga themelimi i saj, në vitin 1945 dhe pjesërisht, nga ngjarjet konkrete të zhvilluara në Qipro. Megjithëse shkaku themelor i acarimeve në Qipro mund të lidhet me marrëdhëniet konkrete ndërmjet bashkësive etnike turke dhe …

Roli I Nato-S Në Sigurinë E Ballkanit Perëndimor, Drenushë Osmani

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllim i kësaj teme të diplomës është të analizoj rolin që ka NATO, si organizatë regjionale dhe si një ndër organizatat ndërqeveritare më tërëndësishme në fushën e sigurisë sot në botë. Punimi do të zhvillohet në dy rrafshe. Nënjërën anë do të shtjellohet ideja dhe zhvillimi i NATO-s, që nga themelimi i saj deri në ditët e sotme. Roli, rëndësia dhe pesha politike e saj si gjatë Luftës së Ftohtë, pas saj e deri në ditët e sotme. Në rrafshin tjetër do të trajtohet aspekti më praktik i efektit të kësaj organizatë në rajonin e Ballkanit. Metoda e përdorur për …

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety And Leadership Emergence: A Resource Perspective, Katherine Naomi Rau

Theses and Dissertations

Despite its certain prevalence, mental illness has remained largely unstudied in the field of Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The research at hand addresses a widening gap in the literature: what does mental illness mean for leadership, particularly leadership emergence? In attempting to answer this question, I examined the experience of social anxiety as it is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder and has particular relevance to the workplace. By utilizing a resource perspective, I found that controlling for personality, social anxiety did significantly predict emotional exhaustion in terms of both frequency and intensity. Emotional exhaustion and professional self-efficacy significantly predicted leadership emergence …

The Effects Of The Aca’S Medicaid Expansion And Woodwork Effect On Hospital Finances, Azemina Redzematovic

Theses and Dissertations

With many individuals enrolled in Medicaid through the ACA Medicaid expansion and woodwork effect, this paper estimates the effects on utilization of hospital services and hospital finances. Using a difference-in-differences (DD) instrumental variables model, the results that suggest that increased Medicaid demand does not necessarily equate to increased profits.

The Catalyst Effect Of Historic Preservation: A Spatial Analysis Of The Impact Of Historic District Designation On Housing Renovations In New York City, Ali R. Mostafa

Theses and Dissertations

The constraints on property use along with the economic merits of historic districts are critical points in the debate over preservation policies. Improving the existing housing stock is a substantial economic activity and a significant part of the nation’s overall construction industry. The purpose of this study is to present an empirical analysis of the relationship between historic district designation and renovation decisions. The results of the analysis found that historic preservation does not inhibit the renovation activity of single-family homeowners. However, contrary to the claims made by proponents, it does not give a powerful incentive for owners in undesignated …

The Connection Between Race And Performance Of Nba Draft Picks, Jeremiah Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between race and performance in terms of one of the highest forms of efficiency in basketball, field goal percentage, based on college statistics, with regard to draft position, career earnings and NBA win shares.

Allomaternal Care By Conspecifics Impacts Activity Budgets Of Colobus Guereza Mothers, Dominique L. Raboin

Theses and Dissertations

In primate societies, caring for infants involves nursing, protection, provisioning, and carrying - all energetically taxing states for mothers. The cost of holding and carrying clinging infants often constrains mothers from moving and traveling, potentially reducing their food and energy intake. Alternatively, when an infant is physically separated from their mother they are at risk of predation from birds of prey or other large mammals. This requires a high level of vigilance from mothers, often further deterring them from acquiring the food and energy that they need. Allomaternal care (AMC) is hypothesized to provide mothers with a way to safely …

An Investigation Of Vocal Learning Propensity In Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Tatsuya Hayashi

Theses and Dissertations

The investigator attempted to predict the vocal learning propensity from either family pedigree or early vocal babbling (subsong). Pedigree trees suggest the possibility that vocal learning ability may depend on family. We failed to predict vocal learning propensity from subsong, but suggested that subsong may influence vocal learning outcome.

Certainty About The Absence Of Positive Future Events As A Unique Predictor Of Suicidal Ideation Over An 18-Month Period, Christina A. Rombola

Theses and Dissertations

We examined the effects of two components of depressive predictive certainty, Certainty-AP and Certainty-N, on suicidal ideation over an 18-month period. We hypothesized that Certainty-AP would better predict SI than Certainty-N, and that future-event fluency would significantly moderate the Certainty-AP and SI relationship. Results and potential implications are discussed.

Relationship Closeness And Joint Action Coordination, Vincent Tyler Cialdella

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers define joint action coordination as “two or more actors [coordinating] their actions under real time constraints with or without the explicit intention to do so” (van der Wel, Knoblich, & Sebanz, 2011, p. 1420). While previous research has investigated how the valence (i.e., the attractiveness or aversiveness) of interpersonal relationships affects interpersonal coordination dynamics (Hommel, Colzato, & van den Wildenberg, 2009), the present experiment examines the effects of relationship closeness on joint action coordination. First, dyads collaboratively completed a stimulus-control task on a computer. This task is used to assess general cooperative performance (Schloesser, Bai, Abney, & Jordan, 2015). …

Understanding The Discourses Of Traumatic Birth And The Transition To Motherhood Using Relational Dialectics Theory, Valerie Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of existing research regarding birth and the transition to motherhood focuses on the physical health outcomes of mother and baby, often ignoring the social and emotional impact of the birth process (Leggett, 2014). The lack of focus on social and emotional outcomes for new mothers may be especially harmful for those who experience traumatic birth, as it is subjective in nature and is often overlooked as a routine birth by health professionals (Alder, Stadlmayr, Tschudin, & Bitzer, 2006; Beck, 2004a). Traumatic childbirth is defined as an event occurring during the labor and delivery process that involves actual or …

What Should Be Said Or Silenced: Opinions Of Necessary And Inappropriate End-Of-Life Communication Between The Living And The Dying, Mary Chris Dantzler

Theses and Dissertations

End-of-life (EOL) communication experiences between the Dying and the Living in various roles (e.g., family, clergy, healthcare providers, and hospice workers) have often been studied; however, no research has examined what people believe are necessary as well as inappropriate EOL conversation topics with the Dying. Extant studies in family communication have identified common EOL topics in retrospective accounts of previous conversations with the Dying, but no research has asked individuals with and without such experiences what they think should and should not be talked about during EOL interactions. The current study addressed this gap. Participants (N = 145) ages 18 …

Acculturation And Dietary Pattern Among Iranian American Immigrants In The United States Of America, Elham Sadeghi

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Acculturation of the Iranian American immigrants and its influence on dietary patterns of Iranian was investigated. Effect of exposure to the U.S. culture and Western diets and prevalence of chronic diseases were examined. Acculturation was measured using the Iranian Acculturation Scale, and total acculturation score is calculated. Dietary patterns were measured using the Block Brief Food Questionnaire (BFQ), total foods and beverages consumed over the past year, as specified in BBFQ, were studied.

Two hundred seven (N=207) Iranian American immigrants completed the acculturation, food frequency and socio-demographic questionnaires. All participants were born in Iran, were 18 years of age …

Italian As A Heritage Language Spoken In The Us, Maria Teresa Bonfatti Sabbioni

Theses and Dissertations

The present study focuses on Italian as a heritage language spoken in the US by individuals bilingual in Italian and English, exposed to both language since birth. The subjects of the study are the members of six family nuclei, for a total of seven children as heritage speakers of Italian and as input receivers, and 6 parents as native speakers of Standard Italian and as input providers, living in different cities in Wisconsin and Illinois. The study specifically investigates the following structures: a) Gender assignment and gender agreement between determiner, noun and adjective; b) Auxiliary selection in the Italian compound …

Hpa Axis Genetic Variation And Life Stress Influences On Functional Connectivity In Resting State Networks, Tara Ann Miskovich

Theses and Dissertations

Stressful or traumatic experiences are a key risk factor for developing psychopathology, primarily through the impact that chronic stress has on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. The HPA axis regulates the stress response but can become dysregulated with chronic activation and impact brain functioning. In addition to environmental stressors, genetic variation in genes in the HPA axis appear to influence HPA axis functioning and is also related to disruption in brain functioning, particularly in the context of high life stress. The current study focused on examining potential mechanisms through which trauma and stress interacts with HPA axis genes to impact key …

Analysis Of Family-Health-Related Topics On Wikipedia, Yanyan Wang

Theses and Dissertations

New concepts, terms, and topics always emerge; and meanings of existing terms and topics keep changing all the time. These phenomena occur more frequently on social media than on conventional media because social media allows a huge number of users to generate information online. Retrieving relevant results in different time periods of a fast-changing topic becomes one of the most difficult challenges in the information retrieval field. Among numerous topics discussed on social media, health-related topics are a major category which attracts increasing attention from the general public.

This study investigated and explored the evolution patterns of family-health-related topics on …

Baked And Buzzed: Investigating The Influence Of Co-Use Of Cannabis And Alcohol On White Matter Integrity In Emerging Adults, Natasha E. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Growing evidence suggests alcohol and cannabis use independently alter neural structure and functioning, particularly during sensitive developmental time periods such as adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, there has been minimal investigation into the effects co-occurring use of these two substances, despite preliminary evidence of unique acute and psychopharmacological changes due to using alcohol and cannabis together.

Method: Data drawn from the IDEAA Consortium was utilized to assess white matter integrity as measured by FreeSurfer’s TRACULA in emerging adults (n=192; 16-27 years old). Timeline Follow-Back was used to calculate past month cannabis use, alcohol use, co-use days, binge alcohol episode, …

Issues With Reality: Defining And Exploring The Logics Of Alternate Reality Games, Jay Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), a genre of transmedia experiences, are a recent phenomenon, with the first recognized ARG being The Beast (2001), a promotion for the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). This dissertation seeks to more clearly define and investigate contexts of transmedia narratives and games, specifically ARGs. ARGs differ from more popular and well-known contemporary forms of gaming in several ways, perhaps most importantly by intensive use of multiple media. Whereas a player may experience most or all of a conventional video game through a single medium, participants in ARGs must navigate multiple media and technical platforms— networks of …

Rhetorics Of Opacity, Social Change, And Communal Cultivation: Case Studies Of Glbtq Christian Advocacy During The 1960s And Early 1970s, Joshua Holman Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation probes questions about community and advocacy, analyzing four case studies involving GLBTQ Christian advocacy from the early 1960s to the early 1970s. Each case study involves the use of rhetoric to hide or downplay markers of the at-the-time stigmatized “homosexual” identity. The examined case studies are Bayard Rustin’s advocacy work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, William Johnson’s ordination paper, and the 1973 Christian Reformed Church’s study report. To engage these texts, the dissertation develops theories about and methods for examining rhetorics of opacity—silence, hidden appeals, discourse that obscures, rhetorics of …

The Invisible Crisis: Framing The Remediation Of Milwaukee's Lead Laterals, Isabella Rieke

Theses and Dissertations

When Milwaukee’s municipal water system was developed in 1874, one-half-inch lead pipes were used to convey water from the mains in the street to a customer’s home; the City has since acknowledged that nearly 100,000 such lead pipes are still in use today, a revelation which has opened for debate whether or not these pipes pose a galvanizing public health risk with far-reaching policy and infrastructure implications. This study explores the community response to Milwaukee’s lead laterals through the efforts of the Freshwater for Life Action Coalition (FLAC). How do Milwaukeeans understand the risks posed by the lead laterals? In …

The Relationship Between Brooding, Cognitive Anxiety Sensitivity, Physical Anxiety Sensitivity, And Suicide Behaviors In Latino/A College Students, Eric E. Escamilla

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored if (1) brooding, cognitive anxiety sensitivity (AS), physical anxiety sensitivity (AS), and suicide behaviors will be strongly correlated; (2) brooding will mediate the relationship between cognitive AS and suicide behaviors; (3) brooding will mediate the relationship between physical AS and suicide behaviors; (4) physical AS will moderate the relationship between cognitive AS and suicide behaviors, (5) brooding will mediate the relationship between the physical AS and cognitive AS interaction with suicide behaviors in a Latino/a college student sample. All hypotheses were supported except for physical AS significantly moderating the relationship between cognitive AS and suicide behaviors. …

How Do Self-Checkout Kiosks Impact Public Libraries?, Michael Green

Theses and Dissertations

The public library always utilizes new technology for the benefit of the patron. Nowadays, instead of sifting through a card catalogue shelf, one simply has to peruse the online database attached to the library website, using the KOHA system to keep track of materials and patron accounts. Patrons are also able to checkout their materials without the interaction with a staff member at the front desk. What benefits do these self-checkout kiosks bring to the library and the patron? This independent research study is going to look the quantitative data found through the Middleton, Wisconsin Public Library. This study will …

Motivators And Barriers To Health Behaviors In African American Women, Teresa M. Depratt

Theses and Dissertations

Women who identify as African American are at particularly high risk of developing obesity and associated health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Eating healthfully and engaging in a minimal amount of physical activity are known to be both preventative and curative. Based on review of research, this study investigated potential constructs of Motivators and Barriers to health-supporting behaviors as they are perceived in African American women. The study also constructed a novel scale, Motivators and Barriers to Health Behaviors (MBHB), which intended to capture some constructs of each domain via two surveys. Also of interest was if …