Master of Science, Miami University, 2024, Computer Science

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) are powerful semi-quantitative simulation models capable of investigating the long-term behavior of complex systems. They are quick and easy to build, aggregate knowledge from stakeholders, and can evaluate interventions in the system (e.g., if we increase the availability of public transportation, how are emissions affected?). Although FCMs are powerful, they have three critical limitations. First, they cannot represent every aspect of complexity; they do not represent time (e.g., there are no delays or ramp-up of effects) or nonlinear relationships and have a limited representation of uncertainty, hindering their ability to model complex systems. Thus, researchers have developed numerous extensions of FCMs to incorporate additional information. Second, aggregating knowledge from several stakeholders can result in a model whose perspective corresponds to none of the individual viewpoints. Third, FCMs commonly represent mental models: an individual's representation of knowledge that permits reasoning in a particular domain. However, when two FCMs interact, cognitive dissonance may arise, potentially distorting an individual's view of the domain. This thesis addresses these limitations and empowers modelers to effectively use FCMs by reviewing and providing interoperability among numerous extensions, proposing properties and developing new algorithms for aggregation, and automatically resolving dissonance within FCMs.

Committee: Philippe Giabbanelli (Advisor); Honglu Jiang (Committee Member); Garrett Goodman (Committee Member) Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Computer Science

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2010, Agricultural and Extension Education

Animal protection legislation continues to be prevalent on U.S. political agendas, therefore, it is important for agriculture communicators to be able to communicate with stakeholders about the economic and social value of agriculture. In addition, as animal rights lobbying organizations continue to improve and strengthen their public presence, it is critical that agricultural communicators make the public aware and informed of agricultural issues through increased use of mass media technologies. This study sought to examine the agricultural presence in a technologically advanced social networking medium as well as to gain an understanding of consumers' knowledge of agriculture. This study was unique in that it assessed this information and then related it to the voting outcomes of two different animal protection legislation bills. Theories used to guide this study included messaging appeals, social cognitive theory, social learning theory, cognitive dissonance theory, semiotics, and knowledge gap. A content analysis was performed on a census of 111 YouTube videos related to California Proposition 2. In addition, 508 questionnaires were collected from voluntary participants at the 2009 Ohio State Fair. Basic descriptive quantitative statistics were completed on the data. In addition, open coding was used to analyze the qualitative portions of the study. Results of this study suggest that the YouTube videos related to Proposition 2 mostly supported the issue, while only a small fraction opposed the proposition. In addition, the majority of the videos used emotional messaging appeals while rational appeals were used on a less frequent basis. Findings from the questionnaire indicate that consumers do not differentiate between animal rights and animal welfare. Consumers reported positive regards for the humane treatment of animals and perceived that the majority of farmers raised their animals in a humane manner. Most of the participants knew that the majority of lives (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Emily Rhoades PhD (Advisor); Robert Birkenholz PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Agricultural Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2024, Psychology

Using a discrete, functionalist account of emotion, we explored the positive and negative emotions experienced when indulging in guilty pleasures (GPs) and how these outcomes implicate cognitive dissonance and self-presentation processes. Study 1 randomly assigned participants to either reflect on a GP or on their previous morning routine, whereas Studies 2 (student sample) and 3 (general population sample) assessed participants' GPs, emotions experienced when indulging in them, and self-presentation concerns associated with them. Across these studies, we found that GPs elicited the positive emotions of amusement, contentment, and enthusiasm, and the negative emotions of guilt, embarrassment, and shame. Moreover, across studies, participants consistently reported being less likely to share their GPs with audiences who are more interpersonally distant (e.g., strangers, acquaintances, grandparents) than interpersonally close (e.g., friends, immediate family). Taken together, these findings suggest that cognitive dissonance (guilt, shame, amusement) and self-presentation processes (embarrassment) are likely implicated in GP behaviors.

Committee: Allen McConnell (Committee Chair); Monica Schneider (Committee Member); Jeffery Hunger (Committee Member); Heather Claypool (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Psychology; Social Psychology

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2023, Educational Administration (Education)

This qualitative study used cognitive dissonance theory as a lens to examine the experience of elementary teachers and administrators implementing policy mandates and its potential impact on their beliefs. Additionally, this study sought to identify barriers and supports to implement educational policy mandates. The primary objectives of the study were: (a) to highlight educational policy evolution to the Ohio Improvement Process; (b) to give insight on the impact of policy mandates on teacher and administrator beliefs; (c) to give practitioners in priority schools an opportunity to share their experience implementing the mandates of the Ohio Improvement Process. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted to collect the data. The sample is comprised of seven elementary educators from the same urban school district. All seven participants had worked in a priority school for a minimum of three years at the time of this study. Of the seven participants, three were principals, two were classroom teachers, one was an instructional coach, and one was a special education teacher when this study was conducted. What priority schools have in common, policy impact on the work, and what policy mandates miss were the three major themes that emerged from this student. Recommendations for policy makers, principals, and teachers was discussed.

Committee: Dwan Robinson (Committee Chair); Leonard Allen (Committee Member); Theda Gibbs Grey (Committee Member); Lisa Harrison (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) arise from complex interactions among physical, psychological, and social stressors. One psychological stressor that may play a role in the etiology of low back and neck pain but has not yet been studied relative to spinal injury is cognitive dissonance. Originally introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957, Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) posits that humans strive for psychological consistency and experience both psychological discomfort and physiological arousal when their beliefs, values, or behaviors are placed at odds with the world around them. These psychological and physiological effects, known as the cognitive dissonance state (CDS), may also yield biomechanical changes that increase the risk of experiencing spinal injury. Thus, the objective of the study was to explore the potential association between cognitive dissonance and low back/neck pain injury risk. A laboratory study was conducted to examine the effects of the CDS on psychological, physiological, and biomechanical factors associated with LBP and NP injury risk. Seventeen healthy subjects (ages 19-44) participated in the experiment, which involved a precision lowering task. To elicit the CDS, subjects were provided negative feedback on their task performance that ran counter to a pre-established expectation that their performance on the task was excellent. Dependent measures included changes to positively and negatively oriented psychological affect, changes to blood pressure, changes to heart rate variability (HRV), and changes to spinal loads in the cervical and lumbar spines (calculated via two electromyography-assisted biomechanical models). Providing subjects with negative feedback inconsistent with their expectations yielded changes to positively and negatively oriented affect and blood pressure consistent with the CDS, but main effects of the CDS condition on HRV were opposite of expected. However, there was substantial variability in the psychologic (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William S. Marras (Advisor); Afton L. Hassett (Committee Member); Tristan E. Weaver (Committee Member); Carolyn M. Sommerich (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomechanics; Industrial Engineering; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Communication

The aim of the present study was to examine neural correlates and mechanisms underlying the psychological mechanisms formalized in a computational model of quantum cognition, the belief-action-entanglement (BAE) model. An analysis of frequency band activity in the brain was carried out to test these mechanisms. The BAE model proposes that communication acts as a measurement that interferes with the evaluative processes prior to a decision (Busemeyer, Wang, & Lambert-Mogiliansky, 2009; Pothos & Busemeyer, 2009; Z. Wang & Busemeyer, 2016). Two key mechanisms were conceptualized and formalized in the BAE model: (1) the superposition state which arises from uncertainty and dissonance when deciding between two or more actions, and (2) the transition from a superposition state to a determinate one during the action evaluation process. These mechanisms correspond with the psychological function and timing of two frequency bands. The frontal-midline (FM) theta (3-8 Hz) indexes conflict processing, a state analogous to cognitive dissonance. Parietal alpha power indexes search and integration processes in memory which captures evolution from the superposition state to a determinate one. To test the extent communication influenced these underlying mechanisms, we employed a category-decision paradigm used in behavioral studies of the BAE model. The study manipulated communication in three ways: receiving information, self-expressing, and no communication. EEG data was collected from 32 participants. The subsequent analysis of FM theta and parietal alpha-beta frequency band activity provided modest support for the effect of communication on the proposed BAE model mechanisms. Specifically, FM theta activity offered initial evidence that communication resolves dissonance or uncertainty in the superposition state. Further, parietal alpha-beta suppression provided support for the proposition that communication modulates the evolution of the cognitive system until a decision (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joyce Wang PHD (Advisor); Jason Coronel PHD (Committee Member); Richard Huskey PHD (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Communication; Neurosciences

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2019, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

This phenomenological study examines the experiences of insomnia among sixteen Americans who are descendants of people who lived in the United States during chattel slavery. The investigation is guided by the following two central questions: Is the lived experience of insomnia among African Americans the same as the experience among non-Hispanic White Americans? In addition, what is the lived experience of sleep among African Americans and Non-Hispanic White Americans? Each participant met individually with the researcher and privately reflected on their experience with insomnia defined here as a condition in which individuals have difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep that furthermore affects their daytime functioning. As the investigation unfolded, the researcher studied the experiences of the participants through a multimodal lens informed primarily by Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Heidegger's Hermeneutics. As participants of this research investigation reflect on their experience, we observe the interplay between insomnia, race, and mental wellness coming into focus. Emotional experiences are captured, and the reflective experience allows for a re-examination of the legacies and effects of American history. Findings in this study support the notion that people tend to use cognitive dissonance when their beliefs are challenged, and those participants with a preference for consistency also experienced insomnia more frequently. No evidence was uncovered of the participants' insomnia being a direct effect of the inter-generational transmission of the trauma associated with chattel slavery. However, many African American families continue to report being severely negatively impacted by their ancestors' experiences during slavery and its aftermath. Insomnia, a common symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder can credibly be considered one likely sequela of the traumatic impact of slavery on the lives of African Americans. This Dissertation is ava (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Daniel Schwartz PhD (Committee Chair); Kia-Keating Kia-Keating EdD (Committee Member); Kimberly Finney PsyD (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Psychology

Master of Arts, Marietta College, 2019, Psychology

The current study examined how a cognitive dissonance manipulation coupled with Stotland's (1969) empathy manipulation would impact participant scores on the Empathy Quotient (EQ) Scale and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). The current study is based upon research conducted by Harmon-Jones et al. (2003) and Ruiz and Tanaka (2001) that demonstrated the impact combining these two types of manipulations on helping behavior. Furthermore, past research has generally supported empathy as being an important and desired trait, leading to higher job and relationship success; however, there were consistent gender differences in empathy studies where males scored lower than females, and no study looked at how long Stotland's (1969) methodology lasted. The current study sought to reduce the gender differences present in empathy research, as well as expand on empathy research to demonstrate how long these effects might last, by using a cognitive dissonance manipulation. The results of the study did not fully support the hypotheses, which will be discussed further in the discussion section, in addition to examining limitations of the current study and future directions.

Committee: Alicia Doerflinger Ph.D. (Advisor); Bo Winegard Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, EDU Policy and Leadership

Abstract This dissertation consists of a theoretical essay and two empirical studies exploring the associations between students' perspectives on knowledge, the processes they use to negotiate dissonance, and their subsequent service-learning outcomes. The overarching goal of this research is to better understand why some students productively negotiate dissonance in the context of service-learning, and experience changes to their beliefs and perspectives as a result, while other students truncate the dissonance negotiation process by using denial, stereotypes, or oversimplifications to maintain their prior perspectives. Chapter Two explores how epistemic cognition, or students' beliefs about knowledge and willingness to engage in cognitively demanding activities, is associated with both the cognitive skills and the motivation required to productively engage with ill-structured problems or conflicting information. The central argument of Chapter Two is that research on epistemic cognition could help illuminate differences in students' dissonance negotiation processes and subsequent learning outcomes. Chapter Three consists of a quantitative examination of the associations between students' epistemic cognition and their service-learning outcomes. Latent profile analysis was used to form epistemic profiles from students' epistemic beliefs and need for closure prior to engaging in a service-learning course. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to examine the extent to which epistemic profiles were associated with service-learning outcomes at the end of the semester. Chapter Four consists of a qualitative, grounded theory study of students' dissonance negotiation processes. In-depth interviews with 16 students enrolled in service-learning courses were analyzed to build a grounded theory of the ways in which service-learning participants encounter and negotiate cognitive dissonance. Comparisons of the dissonance negotiation processes of (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lynley Anderman (Advisor); Eric Anderman (Committee Member); Susan Robb Jones (Committee Member); Ann O'Connell (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1982, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1977, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1975, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1962, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1966, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2016, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology PhD

The effect of implicit bias on discriminatory grading in education has received considerable attention but, to date, no study has examined the effectiveness of using a rubric to reduce biased grading. Current research has demonstrated that the presence of a gender-normative name is sufficient to activate implicit gender bias, which can result in disparate treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of implicit and explicit gender bias on grading decisions for written assignments. When grading identical essays on the topic of computers (stereotypically-male), participants assigned significantly lower grades when the essay was supposedly written by a female author, compared to a male author. This difference was more pronounced in participants who had a stronger implicit association of men with science (high implicit bias). Male and female author grades did not differ when assigned by participants who were low in implicit bias. Further, participants who were high in implicit bias, but reported low explicit prejudice toward women in STEM graded the female author more harshly than the male author. This study also investigated the effectiveness of using a rubric to decrease bias effects on grading. Unexpectedly, use of the rubric enhanced the effect of implicit bias on grading when the author gender and essay topic were stereotype-inconsistent (i.e. female computer author). It is possible that rubric use further depleted cognitive resources already limited by dissonant implicit and explicit attitudes. While rubrics might increase the perception of objectivity, they might also inadvertently serve to amplify the effect of implicit gender bias when the topic being graded is strongly-gender normative.

Committee: Tamera Schneider Ph.D. (Advisor); Kevin Bennett Ph.D. (Committee Member); Gary Burns Ph.D. (Committee Member); Martin Gooden Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Evaluation; Educational Psychology; Gender Studies; Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Research; Womens Studies

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2016, Agricultural and Extension Education

Agriculture is not a pretty industry. The process of growing and harvesting enough food to feed a growing population of 7.3 billion people is hard and ugly. No matter the frame, practices like applying chemical substances to the soil, modifying the genomic structure of seeds, and housing livestock in confined spaces do not look or sound attractive. Often times, a lack of understanding of these practices causes them to be criticized by consumers, especially the large majority who are disconnected from the farming industry. Our food systems' ability to produce, store, process, and transport massive amounts of food combined with urbanization, industrialization, and consolidation has resulted in very few people knowing how food is produced (Clapp, 2012). While production efficiency is a valuable tenant of modern agriculture, it is also the underpinning of numerous hurdles for agricultural communicators and educators. One of these hurdles is cognitive dissonance. Unfortunately, lack of information, as well as misinformation, has contributed to consumers not always realizing the integral role that “ugly” modern agriculture practices play in avoiding a severe and pervasive food crisis. While people need food, shelter, and clothing, much of which modern production agriculture provides, they are also unfamiliar with the practices used to satisfy these basic human needs. This conflict, or cognitive dissonance, can cause consumers to experience uncertainty and discomfort when confronted with information about the practices in their everyday lives. Cognitive dissonance presents both a challenge and an opportunity to communicators and educators because of its ability to influence a consumer's perception of and subsequent attitude toward a subject. This study aimed to both identify which modern agriculture practices cause consumers to experience the highest levels of cognitive dissonance and evaluate attitudes toward and reactions to news media images of modern agriculture pra (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Emily Buck (Advisor); Annie Specht (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Communication

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2014, Journalism (Communication)

Festinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory suggests that people will experience cognitive discomfort when they are exposed to information that is inconsistent to their previous thoughts. International Chinese students who study and live in U.S. may find it hard to adjust to the social system and the media environment in U.S, and may, as a result experience cognitive dissonance. A focus group is done to study the perception of Chinese students of U.S. media and citizens, and how they reduce cognitive discomfort and maintain consistency. Study reveals that some Chinese students in U.S. experience cognitive dissonance from their consumption of information from U.S. media and citizens. Chinese students reduce inconsistency by changing a behavioral cognitive element, changing an environmental cognitive element and adding new cognitive elements. The role of cultural difference as a cause of cognitive dissonance is also explored.

Committee: Jatin Srivastava (Advisor); Hong Cheng (Committee Member); Yusuf Kalyango (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism

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

Cognitive dissonance research has shown that inducing people to feel hypocritical by making them mindful of their positive attitude toward a behavior and their failure to always act in compliance with this attitude can lead to an increased adoption of attitude consonant behaviors. However, the method by which hypocrisy is typically induced is not conducive to mass campaigns. In the context of recycling, this study extends existing literature by comparing the effect of hypocrisy induction in a traditional, lab-based format with a computer-based format, considering not only behavioral consequences but also attitudinal and self-efficacy outcomes as well. Additionally, I investigate how initial attitudes moderate the effect of the hypocrisy manipulation. While induced hypocrisy did result in an increase in behavioral intentions to recycle and an increase in importance of attitudes toward recycling, these effects were limited to the traditional, lab-based condition. The computer-based hypocrisy induction had no effect on behaviors, attitudes or self-efficacy. Only initial attitudes moderated the effect of hypocrisy induction on attitude importance. Again, the relationship was limited to the traditional, lab-based condition.

Committee: Andrew Hayes PhD (Advisor); David Ewoldsen PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2008, Sociology

Over a century after the establishment of free public schooling and fifty years after the Supreme Court emphasized the importance of inclusion in the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the United States still struggles to provide a high quality education to all students. African-Americans are particularly affected by disparities in schooling; concentrated in school districts with fewer resources and high levels of community disadvantage, African-American students remain behind in terms of both academic achievement and graduation rates. Faced with persistent inequities in public education, many African-American parents are now turning to charter schools as alternative school options. Among some black political leaders and academics, however, there is concern that charter schools will not have a positive long-term impact on the African-American community. Given the potential conflict between criticisms of charter schools and their immediate desire for change, it is possible that African-American parents experience a sense of cognitive dissonance as they decide where to enroll their children in school. In one-on-one interviews with forty parents in an Ohio metropolitan city, I explored this possibility and found that parents do not describe their school choice process in terms of dissonance. Rather, my participants acknowledged racial inequality and maintained an interest in change for the greater good of the community, while at the same time expressing individualistic views about their own child's educational experiences. That is, parents were able to successfully separate their individualistic need for better schooling from their desire to see collective change. Parents' individualistic perspective on education was fueled by a lack of faith in the government's ability to provide their children with a high-quality education. Because they did not expect significant changes in the public school system, my participants felt compelled to take personal control of their (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Douglas Downey PhD (Advisor); Vincent Roscigno PhD (Committee Member); J. Craig Jenkins PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Education; Sociology