Master of Science (M.S.), Xavier University, 2023, Psychology

The current study aimed to understand U.S. patient perceptions of healthcare chatbots, an emerging form of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern healthcare systems. The research involved perceptions of empathy, social influence, and overall health status influenced patient intentions to use healthcare chatbots. In alignment to hypotheses, patient perceptions of empathy and social influence significantly predicted behavioral intention to use healthcare chatbots. However, patient overall health status did not significantly predict behavioral intention. The study's results call attention to meaningful psychological constructs and demographic data that can assist healthcare organizations in improving patient retention and the customer experience. Limitations and future research areas are discussed.

Committee: Morrie Mullins (Committee Chair); Eric Barrett (Committee Member); Leann Caudill (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Information Technology; Psychology

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2021, Political Science

The 2019 Mueller Report revealed a campaign by the Russian Internet Research Agency to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and insert systemic distrust in Western democracy. The campaign engaged in “information warfare” using false accounts, or bots, to prey on inherent social vulnerabilities that are amplified by the novelty and anonymity of social media, such as echo chambers and the rapid spread of fake news. This thesis explores the aims, methods, effects, and behavioral patterns of bots. It also proposes BotWise, a model designed to distill average behavior on the social media platform Twitter from a set of real users and compare that data against novel input.

Committee: Tyler Highlander (Advisor); Staci Rhine (Advisor); Alyssa Hoofnagle (Committee Member); Yu Bin (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Science; Political Science; Sociology; Technology