Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

This dissertation provides insights into the process of social capital formation by extending a model of individual social capital investment and empirically identifying factors that affect an individual's social capital behavior. Social capital is defined as those social interactions that generate externalities in which either the interaction or the external benefit persists in time. I extend the neoclassical social capital investment model developed by Glaeser, Laibson and Sacerdote (2002) by introducing instantaneous returns to social interaction as distinct from the stream of future benefits derived from social capital and by redefining the social multiplier to include community institutions and characteristics. The parameters of the social capital investment model are estimated using computational techniques. The estimated parameter values are then used to simulate changes in a representative agent's behavior due to perturbations in the model parameters, individual characteristics or community characteristics. I use survey data collected from homeowners in Franklin County, Ohio, and community characteristics from secondary sources to generate the parameter estimates and simulate investment behavior. There are four important results from this research. First, social capital investment is positively related to educational attainment and negatively related to wages, as has been suggested by others. Second, social capital investment appears to happen without concern for future benefits. Third, personal characteristics affect both the level of investment as well as the volatility in investment over the lifecycle. Fourth, the presence of formal institutions positively affects investment behavior, while community social capital stocks do not affect social capital investment. This research makes significant theoretical and empirical contributions to the social capital literature. The theoretical model provides a framework useful for analyzing social capital formation. (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Psychology

This dissertation investigates the neural representation of complex social information by employing multivariate methods such as functional connectivity classification analyses and intersubject representational similarity analyses (IS-RSA). The present research examines the functional network associated with social interactions as well as the association between neural similarity and individual differences in emotional reactivity and empathy. Study 1 utilizes multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA) to classify different categories of social interactions based on connectivity patterns between brain regions involved in social perception. Study 2 uses IS-RSA to investigate how individual differences in emotional reactivity modulates the neural representation of different social interactions. Study 3 explores how idiosyncrasies in behavioral measures of empathy are associated with neural synchrony during the observation of naturalistic social scenes depicting specific characters and various types of interactions. Study 1 demonstrates that contextual categorical information about social interactions is better classified by a network of regions rather than within a single region of interest. Studies 2 and 3 suggest that idiosyncrasies in trait-like attributes such as empathy or emotional reactivity reflects differences in neural representation of complex social information. This research contributes to our understanding of how social information is processed in the brain and sheds light on the impact of individual differences on social perception.

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Computer Science

Social Routing in Online Social Networks (OSNs) is very challenging, as it must handle privacy and performance. This study proposes a Social Online Routing (SOR) protocol for OSNs that satisfies Stratified Privacy Model (SPM) core requirements and minimizes end-to-end routing delays corresponding to the social routing information elements exchanged under the SPM. SOR uses five messages (I-need Message, I-have Message, I-thank Message, I-like/dislike message, and the I-Ack Message) for carrying routing information. Forwarding models (I-need Module, I-have Module, I-thank Module, and I-ack Module) and routing algorithms (Topology aware Shortest-Path-Based routing algorithm, Social-Priority-Based routing algorithm, and Queue-aware Social-Priority-Based routing algorithm) are introduced. Four anonymization techniques are also utilized for stratified privacy. To evaluate the study's proposed protocol, an Online Social Networks Simulator is designed and implemented. Using real datasets from Google Plus, the simulator is used to evaluate end-to-end routing delays corresponding to the social routing information elements exchanged under the SPM.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Program in Population Health Leadership DNP, Xavier University, 2018, Nursing

Background: National healthcare has focused on diagnosis and treatment; while current evidence attributes population health and individual well-being largely to social determinants of health (SDH). Social determinants of health factors such as food insecurity, insufficient housing conditions, inadequate education services, safety, and limited access to medical care are associated with poor pediatric health outcomes. Problem: Nurses are uniquely positioned to address SDH in healthcare and have a professional obligation to screen for SDH when providing healthcare. However, nursing education has traditionally focused on acute care with minimal population health relevancy. The lack of association between nursing assessment of SDH and health outcomes impedes the advancement of population health and prevention. Global Aim: Promote population health and health equity by identifying and addressing SDH to improve the health and well-being. Objective aims include: (1) increase nurses' knowledge of SDH; (2) screen at least 50% of all admissions for core social determinants of health; and (3) appropriately refer 80% of patients who screened positive for SDH factors. Methods: Create an evidence based SDH education module and screening tool based on core SDH recommended by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). After completing education, nurses will utilize the screening tool to efficiently identify unmet core SDH needs and make appropriate referrals. Results: Implementation of module significantly increased nursing knowledge and SDH screenings were completed on 47% of all admitted patients and families to the pilot unit. Additionally, nurses gave appropriate referrals to 85% of patients who screened positive for one or more unmet core SDH factor.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Theology

This dissertation examines the social magisterium of Pope Leo XIII as it is developed in the aftermath of the French Revolution and during the nationalizing process of the liberal Italian state. The thesis of the dissertation is that Leo XIII provides Catholic social teaching with a proper vision of human relationship as a mode of analogical participation in the Lord's goodness. In his own historical context, Leo's analogical vision of social relations is developed in tension with the nation-state's proposal of political citizenship as the social relation that relativizes every other relation – most especially one's ecclesial relation. In our own context, Leo's analogical vision of social relations stands in tension with the late-modern proposal of consumerism as the social reality that relativizes every other relation – including one's matrimonial, familial, social, and ecclesial relations.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2015, Leadership and Change

As the number of social issues around the world increases, the need for well-prepared social entrepreneurs to solve and improve those issues also increases. Social entrepreneurs with determination and courage may very well succeed in bringing sustainable social change where others have previously failed. The entrepreneurs who choose to lead social enterprises are distinctly committed to improving society through the creation of social value in addition to wealth creation. The purpose of this study was to explore the incidents social entrepreneurs identify as critical to leading their enterprises. Nineteen United States Ashoka Fellows were interviewed. Participants reflected on the most impactful incidents they experienced in leading their social enterprises and the corresponding antecedents to and outcomes of those incidents. Critical incident technique research method and an emergent coding approach with a constant comparative method of analysis were employed to gain and analyze the data. Nine critical areas emerged from the social entrepreneur data. The critical areas are: Experiencing Beneficial Relationships, Experiencing Difficult Relationships, Founding of Enterprise, Leadership Transition, Experience of Losing Funding, Experience of Obtaining Funding, Recalibration of Enterprise, Recognition, and the Social Entrepreneurial Mindset. This study draws from literature in the following domains: social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurial values, relational leadership, social change leadership, strategic leadership, and social value creation. The combination of these literatures with the findings of this study, provide a deep understanding of the critical incidents that social entrepreneurs experience in leading their enterprises. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/and OhioLink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Communication

This study aimed to understand the role of positive and negative feedback on attitude, behavioral intention and shared reality. Through the lens of the social cognitive theory (SCT), grounding theory, social identity theory (SIT) and social identity model of deindividualization effects (SIDE), the study focused on memes that portrayed colorism (i.e., intragroup discrimination). African American participants viewed a meme portraying dark-skinned Blacks as poor on Twitter that received negative or positive feedback through comments and emoticons. Overall, participants who viewed memes receiving positive feedback reported more negative attitudes towards sharing the meme. Furthermore, when the meme received positive feedback, participants reported less identification with the commenter. Although the study provided a glimpse into colorism within social media, skewed data hinder external validity. Future research will address this issue.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic thoroughly disrupted the U.S. food supply chain, ushered in a new set of social norms, and reoriented how individuals interacted with each other. A need to find how severely these phenomena changed during and since the pandemic continues to exist. Existing literature suggests significant shifts in social norms and social exchange occurred because of the pandemic. But a gap in research exists in understanding the nuances of these shifts and their continued alterations. This study sought to understand food purchasing behavior changes during the pandemic and how social exchange and adherence to pandemic-time social norms were valued. This study also created a comprehensive chart creating a timeline through the pandemic of how social exchange and social norms shifted through the pandemic. Through this study, an investigation of food purchasing trends and experiences from before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted. To examine social exchange and social norms, a non-experimental quantitative study was conducted using Social Exchange Theory and Social Norms as guides. A convenience sample of 419 primary U.S. household food purchasers was taken via online survey offered on Amazon's Mechanical Turk service. The results of this study indicate a significant relationship between time during the pandemic and adherence to social norms and willingness and desire of social exchange. Findings of this study suggest the pandemic caused temporary higher adherence to social norms and an eventual drop in social exchange. This study supported SN and SET through its findings of social norms adherence and social exchange changes in relation to social norms. Further research of the relationship between SET and SN during the pandemic and other crises should be conducted.

Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2023, Psychology

Depression is a powerful risk factor associated with suicidality, but determining who goes on to die by suicide remains unclear. Social support has been identified as a protective factor against suicidality, however the mechanisms involved are not well understood. The current study utilizes a new instrument to measure aspects of social support to determine how they impact the likelihood of dying by suicide. Clinical, diagnostic, and social support factors were measured utilizing psychological autopsy procedures to determine association with cause of death in 100 depressed adults. Results indicated suicide decedents were more likely to be male, experience thoughts of suicide, and experience interpersonal conflict than natural deaths. Natural deaths were more likely to be socially connected than suicide decedents. Socially isolated or conflicted individuals were more likely to experience alcohol abuse and endorse feeling guilty or worthless than socially connected individuals.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Sociology

Historically and in the present, immigration looms large in the American consciousness. Today, we find ourselves in a challenging moment, struggling with political polarization alongside key questions about the causes and consequences of immigration. In this contemporary context, I explore the views that Americans hold about immigration, which may in turn impact immigrant integration. I then explore how first, second, and third-generation immigrants experience national and transnational social ties with attention to their health impacts. Broadly speaking, my dissertation seeks to understand how proximity to the immigrant experience is an important marker of group change. Since a large number of Americans are immigrants or have parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents who are or were immigrants, understanding variability in the ideas or stereotypes that Americans hold with respect to contemporary immigration is crucial to understanding how today's immigrants will be incorporated into the fabric of American life. To that end, I collect and analyze original survey data through the American Population Panel (APP) to first examine variability by generation in how Americans view immigrants in today's climate (Chapter Two). I find that generation is an important predictor of views towards immigration, but generation matters less for how individuals perceive diversity. Next, I use the commentary associated with my original APP survey to understand the thought processes and ideas that respondents invoke when presenting their views of immigration (Chapter Three). I find that oftentimes respondents cannot separate immigration from illegality, with politics, nationalism, and mistrust combining to create archetypes that respondents superimpose on immigrants broadly. Last, I conduct interviews with first, second, and third-generation immigrants in order to characterize the social ties that immigrants hold, how these ties inform their experiences in both the U.S. and in t (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2023, Psychology - Clinical

Problematic social networking site use (PSNSU) has demonstrated associations with social anxiety symptom severity across the literature; however, less is known about transdiagnostic psychopathology-related variables that may mediate relationships between PSNSU and fear of evaluation. There is an especially prominent gap regarding mediating variables between PSNSU and fear of evaluation - involving difficulties in emotion regulation (DER) and intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The present study builds on recent research findings that fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with PSNSU severity, and that intolerance of uncertainty is related to PSNSU severity and motives for addictive behavior. There is also a lack of literature regarding how fear of positive evaluation (FPE), a construct unique to social anxiety, relates to PSNSU severity. Given the current prevalence of SNS usage and the social nature of these sites, it is especially important to explore whether individuals who fear social evaluation use SNSs in a problematic way, and whether lesser-studied transdiagnostic constructs such as intolerance of uncertainty and difficulties in emotion regulation mediate the relationship between fear of evaluation and subsequent PSNSU. The present study explored this gap in the literature with a mediation model in which DER and IU explained relations between both FNE and FPE with PSNSU. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and mediation analyses indicated that IU and DER mediated the relationship between FNE and PSNSU, but did not mediate the relationship between FPE and PSNSU. These findings highlight the role of IU in PSNSU for individuals experiencing social anxiety symptoms, which has not been previously established, and provide further support for the relationship of DER with FNE and PSNSU, where DER particularly functions as a mediator of this relationship.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2019, Counselor Education (Clinical Mental Health Counseling)

Multicultural counseling competence is described in the literature as a close companion and complement to social justice (Ratts, 2011; Ratts, Singh, Nassar-McMillan, Butler, & McCoullah, 2015). Social justice in the counseling profession involves work with individuals, groups, and systems to improve the human condition by removing oppressive barriers in the environment through empowerment and advocacy (American Counseling Association, 2014; Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2002). Calls from the profession are evident in the development of the Advocacy Competencies, the inclusion of advocacy in the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics, and 2016 CACREP training standards. Counselor trainees are expected to obtain training in multicultural counseling and social justice advocacy and engage in such practices during their profession. The following study explored social justice training, training environment supports and barriers, perception of institutional support on social justice and student beliefs on colorblind racial attitudes, social justice interest, social justice commitment, and social justice self-efficacy. Master's level trainees in CACREP accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling programs were surveyed using the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (Neville et al. 2000), Social Issues Questionnaire (Miller et al., 2009), and the Training Environment Support and Barriers scale (Miller & Sendrowitz, 2011). This study sought to identify if formal training experiences and supportive training environments influence, if at all, Masters' level counseling trainees beliefs on colorblind racial attitudes, social justice interest, commitment, and self-efficacy. Survey results did not find statistically significant differences between students that did and did not take a multicultural course, social justice course, or completed at least three conferences or workshops on social justice on their reported social justice interest, commitment, self-efficacy, or colo (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Psychology/Clinical

The present study explored the nature of social justice discussions on the social networking site Tumblr using publicly available data from Tumblr posts generated between March 16, 2016 and March 30, 2016. Posts were self-identified by users with at least one of five common hashtags related to social justice identified in a pilot study on Tumblr. These hashtags were #Black Lives Matter, #Feminism, #Racism, #Social Justice, and #SJW, an abbreviation for “social justice warrior” a phrase used to label individuals who engage in social justice discussions online. Findings indicated that posts about social justice are common on Tumblr with 15,160 public posts created by 8,794 users across the two weeks. However, not all posts reflect a positive attitude toward social justice with 8.6% of posts expressing disagreement or even hostility toward movements promoting equality. Data from the present study were compared to data collected in the pilot study to describe consistency and differences in results using the same methodology at two different time points for two different lengths of time. Implications of study findings for clinical and research purposes are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2017, Educational Theory and Social Foundations

The focus of this dissertation is on the work processes and activities that social justice leaders engage in while creating, managing, and leading social justice organizations. I argue that it is possible to create an overarching process of work processes and activities from the successful experiences of social justice leaders that have created, managed, and led successful social change organizations. This overarching process provides current and future leaders, particularly those leaders new to creating SCOs, a road map for the work processes and activities required to be successful.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, Social Work

Financial inclusion programs have seen remarkable growth throughout the last two decades, with continued annual growth of up to 15% predicted for micro-credit along in the Sub-Saharan African region over the next three years. However, as private investment funds begin to dominate microfinance funding streams, there is debate about the benefits of microcredit for the population most targeted with these funds: women in the Global South. One aspect of this debate concerns the need for social capital, resources embedded in social networks, for the success of microcredit lending. While its necessity is acknowledged, the way that social capital is created, structured, and employed in women's groups is not adequately understood. By better understanding these aspects of social capital, microcredit programs can be better designed, and the ethical implications of expanding microfinance services can be better understood. Employing a mixed methodology of qualitative interviewing and social network analysis, this study explores the phenomenon of social capital across a diverse sample of 12 women's collective financial groups, including both informal savings clubs and micro-credit groups located in the West African urban capital of Conakry, Guinea. A multi-dimensional model of social capital developed by the World Bank was modified for use with this research population and included six domains: Access to Resources, Trust, Communication, Cooperation, Social Cohesion, and Empowerment. In depth qualitative interviews with 84 members of collective finance groups were analyzed to answer the question: What are Guinean women's experiences as members of collective financial groups? Upon developing an understanding of the groups, this study then asked: How is social capital structured in the groups, and how do the social capital networks of collective financial groups function? Sociometric network analysis examined a global measure of social capital as well as analysis of each of s (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2015, Psychology

Social acceptance and exclusion are integral aspects of using Social Network Sites (SNS). The current study investigated two main questions: 1) do prior findings concerning affective and behavioral responses to acceptance/exclusion obtained in real-world contexts generalize to the virtual world? and 2) what influence does trait narcissism have on the response to acceptance or exclusion within a virtual context? Using a psychology department participant pool, 209 participants (87 men; mean age = 20.19) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: acceptance, exclusion, and control. Treatment condition was one independent variable (IV). The second IV was high vs low trait narcissism (based on NPI score median split). Dependent variables (DV) were negative affect and displaced aggression. A single 3 x 2 MANOVA was conducted to determine the main and interaction effects of the two IV's and two DV's. Main effects for condition emerged for negative affect and displaced aggression, F(2, 203) = 8.09, p < .001; F(2, 203) = 5.12, p = .01, respectively. Participants led to believe they had been socially excluded showed significantly more negative affect compared to participants in the accepted condition, p = .001, and were significantly less likely to display displaced aggression compared to participants in the accepted condition, p = .006. Trait narcissism was not related to outcome, Wilks's lambda = .98, F(4, 404) = 1.03, p = .39, partial eta-squared = .01. The findings are inconsistent with past real-world research linking social exclusion with a neutral or numbed affective response and an aggressive behavioral response. Future research should investigate if the interpersonal distance provided by SNS can account for the differential affective outcomes, as well as if exposure to social media attenuates aggressive responding, while facilitating a more affiliative response.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2009, Psychology

The experience of cancer during childhood is marked by significant challenges. In addition to the broader danger of a life threatening illness, children undergo demanding treatment protocols that disrupt daily routines and create a range of side effects that may cause both physical and emotional discomfort. While managing the demands and physical side effects of treatment, children must try to continue normal development. It is commonly suggested that children return to school while still undergoing active treatment in order to maintain academic progress and peer relationships. Nevertheless, a prolonged initial absence after diagnosis is common, and there is often concern that children will experience social difficulties when returning to school due to peer reactions to the physical side effects of treatment. This has led to suggestions that services to facilitate school reintegration should include training in social skills to help children manage illness-related social stressors. Unfortunately, there is little empirical data to guide the content or even support the need for social skills interventions at this time. In fact, there is growing evidence that many children with cancer experience quite positive social outcomes after returning to school. Specific areas of social functioning typically targeted by social skills interventions, such as social goals, knowledge of social strategies, self-efficacy for assertive social interaction, have not been examined in this population. The current study examined areas of social information processing often targeted by social skills programs in order to understand the degree to which these proposed programs may be necessary for children with cancer. Children ages 8 to 15 were recruited upon returning to school while on treatment for cancer. Data were collected in the child's classroom and home. School data collection included peer ratings of the child's social behavior and acceptance, while home data collection included chil (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2008, Teaching and Learning

Social justice discourses have been approached in two distinctive ways. One is the logocentric approach that begins deductively with an ideal concept of social justice, and the other is the grounded approach that focuses inductively on concrete examples of social injustice. Accordingly, when researchers and educators deal with social justice issues, they are inevitably engaged in a cacophony of onto-epistemological issues between the reality of social injustice and the orientation to social justice. Although there is an increasing body of research on social justice education, it is important to note that few researchers have conducted research on how teachers understand social justice and how it is related to their pedagogical practices.I conducted a qualitative study to investigate how teachers understood social injustice and constructed a concept of social justice and how it was related to their pedagogical practices for social justice. In order to conduct a study in a socially just way I made consistent efforts to bring social justice issues into methodology. My study is based on an assumption that research is trustworthy when it authorizes the power of participants who bring knowledge into the study (Foucault, 1984). I also paid special attentions to my writing as an ethical re-presentation of what I learned about and from social justice educators. In this study, I presented the findings both in their individual and collective voices. My participants consisted of eight community-nominated teachers in K-12 educational settings. The process of community nomination was not only to limit my power as a researcher, but also to authorize the community in selecting participants. My role as a researcher was not to take "the imperialist position" (Smith and Deemer, 2000, p. 890), but to build a new community of social justice educators. I was then able to "walk into" the community and "work with" the participants. Data collected from each teacher consisted of 5 semi-struc (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2010, Sociology (Arts and Sciences)

Family SES has the potential to shape the opportunities, resources and life trajectory of college students. This study examines the effects of SES on college students‟ social capital through an online survey and innovative Facebook application measuring students‟ social networks. Participants were recruited through class visits and emails. Regression analyses measured the effects of SES on three measures of students‟ social capital, operationalized using online network data: general social capital (network size), bridging social capital (number of clusters), and bonding social capital (average degree). Students that had higher SES had larger networks with more ties per actor within the individual‟s network (average degree). Students from lower SES backgrounds had smaller networks with fewer ties per actor within ego‟s network. The effects of SES on social capital have never been studied in an online setting, and this study provides good evidence that more substantial research in the online environment can and should take place in the future.