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 Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

In Norms in the Wild: How to Diagnose, Measure, and Change Social Norms, Cristina Bicchieri outlines a novel amalgamation of elements to form an updated conceptualization of social norms (2017). The purpose of this study aimed to determine how social norms influence public dialogue about environmental issues by elected officials in counties that (1) extract coal through surface mining, (2) contain no town larger than 35,000 residents, (3) contain no major four-year university, and (4) voted for Trump in 2020. The ultimate goal of research was to assess whether or not, in a highly polarized political culture, norms prohibit elected officials in conservative communities from addressing topics of environmental concern. Data was elicited via interviews with elected officials from counties with coal mining legacies in West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, North Dakota, and Wyoming. Through analytic, descriptive, and open coding, qualitative analysis focused on perceptions about climate change, pollution, and economic transitions away from coal. Results indicated that a majority of interviewees, 56%, viewed climate change as a topic to be avoided in public settings. Of the 33% of interviewees who lived in communities where they perceived they could openly discuss climate change, 67% of the subset identified climate change as an existential threat, which accounted for 22% of the total number of interviewees. While pollution was named a subject to be avoided in public by 22% of interviewees, pollution was only reported to be a public concern by 11% of the total sample. The remaining 89% contended that pollution did not exist in, or posed no risk to, their communities. In conclusion, analysis suggested that social norms aligned with community leader preferences. Thus, Bicchieri's blueprint for behavior change, which hinges on identifying maladapted social norms, will not serve practitioners who hope to employ Bicchieri's social norm concept as a st (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Creative Writing/Fiction

Undesirable is a collection of flash fiction and short stories that focuses on the body and the anxiety that comes with having one, largely through the lens of the uncanny and the otherworldly. This collection explores how humans, as individuals and as a society, are uncomfortable with “non-traditional” bodies and are especially uncomfortable with expressing any discomfort about their own bodies or others' bodies, to themselves and each other. Sometimes this exploration is humorous, highlighting the irony of celebrating certain bodies and shunning others for equally shallow reasons; and sometimes it is dark, focusing on characters who are ultimately trapped in a cycle of self-hatred. Whether it's plants growing one's body, participating in a deadly circus act for a new look, or a fixation on thumbs, these characters are forced to face themselves as well as well as the societal norms that have judged them so harshly for their entire lives.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Extending the work of Anderson (1999), this dissertation explores the effects of adherence to street codes on school-based violent victimization. In considering the effects of street codes on the risk of adolescent school-based violent victimization, this research separates street values into the two distinct orientations: 1) adherence to retaliatory norms, and 2) adherence to general toughness norms and it suggests that these two distinct orientations might exhibit opposite direct effects on victimization—particularly repeated victimization. Further, this dissertation assesses whether both types of street codes are positively, indirectly related to the frequency of violent victimization through risky (deviant) lifestyles, though such indirect effects are hypothesized to be especially pronounced for general toughness norms versus retaliatory norms. These various direct and indirect effects are examined using two sources of data—one from students in schools in the U.S. and the other from students in schools in South Korea. More specifically, the data consists of 11,749 students from 115 schools in Kentucky, U.S. and 12,453 students from schools across South Korea. The direct relationships are examined using (1) Negative Binomial Hurdle models (NBLH) with the U.S. sample and (2) logit models with the Korean sample. The indirect relationships are examined using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the U.S. sample only. Findings from the analyses support hypotheses suggesting that two dimensions of the street codes have distinct direct effects on school-based violent victimization in both the U.S. and Korean samples, and these distinct effects make sense through the lens of target congruence theory. Further, findings support hypotheses suggesting that these two dimensions of the code have indirect effects that vary in magnitude, and these effects are consistent with the logic of lifestyle-routine activities theory. Limitations of the data and methods used are (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2018, Psychology

Sexual behavior is a common occurrence among the college students and is referred to as the hookup culture. The current study explored the hookup culture using two different university samples and designs: Study 1 (N = 198) examined overall frequency of hookup behavior, alcohol use patterns, differences in personal and perceived peer normative attitudes about aspects of hookup culture, and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) knowledge using self-report data. Study 2 (N = 208) used vignettes to experimentally examine hookup approval and perceptions of safe sex practice likelihood in the presence/absence of alcohol and different partner type (familiar partner/ stranger). Results from Study 1 found that 82.8% of participants reported at least one or more hookups in the past 6 months, with the majority of encounters being between familiar partners. Robust differences emerged between personal and perceived peer attitudes, such that participants held significantly less favorable attitudes than they perceived their peers to hold. This was true for both men and women. These results indicate students harbor distorted perceptions of social norms about the hookup culture. Use of some safe sex practices was higher than expected; knowledge about STIs was very low. Study 2 found, contrary to predictions, that participants were less approving of a hookup when alcohol was involved. No differences in approval emerged for partner type. Students perceived significantly less likelihood of hookup partners practicing safe sex if alcohol was involved. College campus efforts to address hookup culture may benefit from social norms campaigns sharing students' “real” view of the hookup culture by highlighting differences between perceived peer attitudes and personal attitudes.

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2016, Psychology

Mental health concerns are highly prevalent in the college student population, yet only a small percentage of students seek help. Given the negative consequences associated with untreated mental health problems, it is essential to identify effective interventions to increase psychological help-seeking. This study investigated the efficacy of a brief social norms intervention (SNI) on changing students' help-seeking attitudes and behavior by comparing a social norms approach to a more standard provision of campus psychological resources information intervention (PRI) and a no-intervention control (NIC) group. One hundred fifty-six college students were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions: SNI, PRI and NIC. Participants' help-seeking attitudes were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention and 2-weeks post-intervention using the Beliefs About Psychological Services Scale (BAPS; Ægisdo'ttir & Gerstein, 2009). Between subjects ANOVAs showed main effects for condition immediately post- intervention, p < .01, and at 2-weeks post-intervention, p < .01. At post-intervention and at 2-week follow-up, participants in the SNI and in the PRI conditions showed more positive attitudes toward help seeking as compared to participants in the NIC condition but did not differ from each other. Results indicated the SNI and PRI were both effective in improving help-seeking attitudes. Future research should focus on identifying which normative beliefs should be targeted within a social norms approach to maximize help- seeking attitudes and behavior.

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2015, Sociology

Using a sample of the 2013 Interviews with Adult Children of Hoarders data set, this study draws a linkage between the social structures of class-differentiated norms of cleanliness and order to the individual self-concepts of Adult Children of Hoarders (ACoH), mediated by reference groups and the process of relative deprivation.. The interview respondents were separated into four different categories for the purposes of analyzing what differences the various combinations of relative SES had on their self-concepts. The study found that ACoHs who shared a relatively high SES with their reference groups displayed lasting and highly salient negative self-concepts. Those ACoHs who share a similarly low SES with their reference groups reported mostly positive self-concepts. Similarly, the self-concepts reported by the ACoH who had higher SES than her reference group were also less salient to her identity. Those ACoHs who reported having a lower SES than their reference groups had very negative and highly salient self-concepts throughout their interviews. These men and women, because of their relative positions within the class structure and their experiences of comparison with their reference groups, resulted in strong negative self-concepts which shaped their feeling of self-worth, self-confidence, ideas about their own abilities, and of how the world could, should, and would treat them because they saw themselves as worthy of scorn. This is how an entire group of people could walk into a completely `normal' house and feel, as Sabrina would say, as if they were tarnishing the “Taj Mahal” with their very presence.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2014, American Culture Studies

This dissertation reveals the commonality of public and active women who used creative trades to substantiate their lives in Virginia from 1716-1800. A creative tradeswoman, an existence identified by this scholarship, was an individual who used her musical, dancing, and singing abilities to incur wages. This study focuses on prominent creative tradeswomen such as Mrs. Sully and Mrs. Pick, a traveling musical duo; the singing actresses of the Hallam; Mary Stagg, assembly manager and contributor to the first theater in Williamsburg; Baroness Barbara deGraffenreit, who competed for Williamsburg's premier dancing manager position; and Mrs.Ann Neill, an enterprising music teacher. Despite times of subordination, these women showcased unique forms of creative agency such as acquiring widespread idolization or organizing traveling musical duos. Creative tradeswomen challenged the conventional oppositions between trade and gentry women, education and creative ability, submission and dominance, amateur and professional culture, public and private spaces. The histories of creative tradeswomen demonstrate the fluidity between these binaries while also remapping cultural and social identities as informed by power, subjectivity, trade, music, and dance. As a result, this dissertation illustrates creative tradeswomen as situated within paradoxical systems of power and subordination. The archives at the Rockefeller Library, Virginia Historical Society, New York Historical Society, and the Library of Congress supported the research. This dissertation utilizes a feminist historiography methodology, incorporating a consideration of cultural and social conditions that bring forward creative women’s untold histories. Interdisciplinary in nature, this study makes points of contact between women’s history, cultural history, and gender studies. Creative tradeswomen expands the research on women's labor while locating gender and class as major influencers informing a wom (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Arts and Sciences: Communication

Sexuality and popular media has been studied for decades by Communication scholars due to popular media's influence on sex and gender norms that it creates and reifies. This paper, on the other hand, studies the implications of sexuality and alternative media, particularly alternative music mediating messages of alternative sexuality. Through the use of close textual analysis, informed by feminist and queer theory as well as the male gaze, this paper discusses the alternative artists the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Devendra Banhart. In analyzing their lyrics, images, and videos, many themes arise that subvert gender and sex norms that are typical of popular media and music. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O portrays a great deal of female sexual dominance and references to sadomasochism, which aligns the woman in power rather than the man, a blatant subversion of typical sex norms. Devendra Banhart subverts these norms as well by mixing traditionally feminine qualities and attributes with his heterosexuality. In doing this, he challenges the norm that being male is inherently tied to masculinity, power, and being emotionless.

Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 2005, College of Arts and Sciences - Philosophy

This thesis examines the nature of ordinary claims and the nature of normativity to better understand how a law acts as a norm for citizens. In particular, Philip Soper's discussion of the ‘Law's Claim to Justice' as the minimal normative claim of the law is investigated. The discussion follows Robert Brandom's philosophy of language and Christine Korsgaard's moral philosophy in analyzing normativity and claims-making. Ultimately, the sophistication of Soper's treatment is revealed, as his perspectives on normativity and claims bear certain affinities to those expounded by Brandom and Korsgaard. Furthermore, Korsgaard's discussion of morality as it relates to normativity leads the discussion to a similar inquiry into the relationship between the law's morality and normativity. The conclusion briefly draws out the implications of these discussions for egoism and Kant's claim to taste.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, Counselor Education (Education)

Research has shown that college student wellness is a priority among administrators and mental health professionals on college campuses. There is mounting concern surrounding the emerging mental health issues that plague college age individuals. Researchers have made effort to provide explanation for the gap in mental health treatment as many people with mental health issues do not receive treatment, specifically those in the college population. Many barriers to receiving services have been identified, but none have been considered to be as important as stigma. The perception of stigmatization of individuals who suffer from psychological problems deters them from seeking services. Research shows that peer attitudes and beliefs have tremendous influence over individual decision making. The issue of mental health is no exception. Social norms theory asserts that individuals often misperceive the attitudes and beliefs of their peers allowing these misperceptions to dictate individuals' behaviors and thought process. In order to further investigate the impact of social norms on attitudes toward mental health help seeking among college students, the current study administered the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services to Ohio University college students; one time asking them to answer questions about themselves and one time asking them to answer based on their perception of their peers attitudes. The results were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and revealed that college students perceived their peers to feel less favorably about mental health help seeking than they do. Investigation of the demographics showed that gender did impact that way that students answered questions, however, still students believed that they had a more favorable view of mental health help seeking than their peers. Data from this research serves to advance the application of social norms theory and shows the efficacy of applying this theory to the issue of mental healt (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

Collaboration with others is an integral part of our development as people. In the realm of education, collaboration among faculty and staff has been found to be an asset to developing shared goals and successful educational outcomes. This mixed method action research study explores the backgrounds and perceptions of educators in regard to collaborative experiences in a private high school setting. Through a combination of demographic surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group, four main themes emerged. These were motivations for collaboration, external factors that affect collaboration, effective collaborative practices, and the impact of collaborative group makeup. These findings were utilized to develop an action plan to create regular effective collaborative communities in this educational setting.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counselor Education

There has been a notable gap in the literature concerning masculinity, stigma, and men's help-seeking in non-Western societies. This dissertation aimed to explore how masculinity and stigma related to help-seeking practices of adult males in Vietnam. The first chapter developed a comprehensive review that examines the nuanced constructs regarding masculine norms, mental health-stigma, and help-seeking of men in Vietnamese context. The second chapter employed concurrent quan + QUAL mixed method design to gain a comprehensive understanding of how Vietnamese men relate their perceptions of masculine role norms and mental health stigma with their attitudes toward help-seeking. A Qualtrics survey were utilized to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from Vietnamese adult cisgender males across the country. The total number of samples for each data strand was N (quan) = 262 and N (QUAL) = 247. The findings supported the existing literature that masculine norms and mental health stigma significantly associated with men's help-seeking attitudes. Masculine norms, especially status and toughness, were found reinforcing messages that discouraged help seeking practices in men. This study also explored intersecting stigmas men encountered in seeking help, including public stigma toward men with mental illness and fears when disclosing needs for mental health assistances. Being Christian, having higher education, and having past experiences with help-seeking are demographic variables that significantly correlated to Vietnamese men's help-seeking attitudes. This study also highlights the active roles of men in constructing their masculine identities and self-advocating for their mental wellness and help-seeking preferences. In addition to cultural gender norms and stigmas, this study identifies other contextual barriers to men's utilization of mental health assistance, including lack of mental health literacy, accessibility and affordability of services, and the skeptical (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Arts and Sciences: Communication

In Ghana, sexual communication is frowned upon, and this is evident in the sexual scripts that guide the behaviors of partners in a relationship. Although this restriction affects both genders, women are at a disadvantage compared to men. This study looks into the different ways that sexual scripting has served as a barrier to asserting sexual needs from the point of view of women. To better understand how this script inhibits women from expressing their sexual needs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Ghanaian women. Findings from the interview revealed that cultural and interpersonal scripts, reinforced by societal attitudes, often limit women's agency and contribute to barriers to open communication about sexual needs and desires. Despite these challenges, there are indications of evolving attitudes and practices driven by changing media representations, content, and societal norms. This has made it possible for women to initiate sex using both direct and indirect strategies comfortably. The study underscores the importance of challenging restrictive sexual scripts and promoting environments that empower women to assert sexual autonomy.

Master of Science, Miami University, 2024, Computer Science and Software Engineering

The increasing utilization of intelligent agents has led to a growing demand for policy frame- works to govern their behavior. AOPL (Authority Obligation Policy Language) stands as a well- established policy framework within the logic-based AI (Artificial Intelligence) community. This thesis evaluated the suitability and effectiveness of AOPL by comparing it against other prominent policy frameworks. The evaluation assessed their capacity to effectively express policies, including role-based policies, and their ability to analyze policies. The methodology comprised a series of literature policy scenarios designed to test the scalability and efficiency of the policy frameworks. Additionally, the AOPL framework was extended with missing features identified through comparison with EPA (Expressive Policy Analysis) and other logic-based policy frameworks. The outcome of this research contributed to a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of these policy frameworks, providing valuable insights for the development of future policy-based intelligent agent systems.

MFIS, Kent State University, 2024, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

Fashion brands play a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions in an industry dominated by advertisements. This study investigates the profound influence of diversity in fashion ads on the attitudes, perceptions, and brand affinities of underrepresented consumers, specifically focusing on college-aged Black and Latina females. This study draws on existing literature; encompassing consumer demand for representation, body diversity, ethnic diversity, self-congruity (Sirgy, 1985a), and the Minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003), to uncover connections between diverse representation and consumer behavior. By utilizing a qualitative approach, this research engages participants in an exploration of three sets of fashion advertisements, with the opportunity to answer open-ended prompts. Through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), the study aims to determine which factors shape consumer attitudes, perceptions, and brand affinities. Altogether, it was found that diverse advertising is a determining factor of positive brand affinity. The significance of this study lies in its potential to inform marketers and brands about the relationship between diversity representation and consumer behavior, fostering more inclusive advertising strategies. As the fashion industry learns to integrate evolving societal norms, this research contributes insights that may continue to redefine conventional beauty standards and empower consumers in choosing which brands to support.

MA, Kent State University, 2024, College of Communication and Information / School of Communication Studies

This study examines how young women's attitudes towards health are influenced by normative patterns and network heterogeneity. It assesses the role of discussion network heterogeneity in shaping health beliefs and scrutinizes the varying impacts of communication in familial and social media contexts. The study focuses on (a) understanding women's perceptions of different descriptive norms across communication contexts, (b) analyzing the influence of these perceptions on their intention to undergo gynecological examinations, and (c) investigating the effect of network heterogeneity on these perceptions and intentions.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Communication Studies (Communication)

SIKAPOKOO, GRACE O., Ph.D., May 2024, Communication Studies Helping Black Breast Cancer Survivors Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes: How Family Communication Influences Progression Through the Stages of Change Director of Dissertation: Amy E. Chadwick In this dissertation, I set out to understand how family communication could influence and motivate behavior change for Black breast cancer survivors (BCSs) to improve their overall well-being and quality of life (QoL). Using the stages of change (SoC) model, the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and social support, I developed a model by integrating the SoC model with the TPB variables as a first layer on behavior change and take social support as a second layer to the model to hypothesize how family communication, through social support could help with the behavior change process for Black BCSs. To determine the role of family communication in behavior change, I conducted semi-structured interviews, which lasted between 45-75 minutes each on average. I interviewed 20 Black BCSs who had completed their breast cancer surgeries and treatment, had recovered, and were living in the United States. The interviews were conducted via video conferencing with automatically generated transcripts from Otter AI. The study found that family communication through social support can support Black BCSs to change their behaviors and improve their overall well-being and QoL. The study confirmed that family communication can positively influence TPB variables. As the variables change positively, they increase in behavioral intention alongside the progression of the stages of change, leading to the adoption of a new behavior. The study also found that social support received through family communication can help to progress people through the stages of change, to achieve behavior change. In addition, the study identified four domains for well-being that had had specific differences regarding the types of social support receive (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2022, Educational Leadership

Aspects of systemic racism have created a gifted educational system based on de facto segregation, maintained by nationally normed assessments that serve the needs of white privilege. Therefore, a different avenue of identification could be utilized to allow for equity for students of color. This approach was the basis of this research. Finding alternate ways to identify students of color, with an emphasis on Black elementary students, may be one way to create equity in the gifted program in a school district in Ohio and close a twenty-one percent gap in equity in gifted education. The students of color in the district under study have many social, cultural, and developmental challenges that keep them from being identified and participating in gifted programs based on normed standardized tests mandated by the state of Ohio. Utilizing norms as a way to identify potentially gifted students and incorporating them into the gifted program in this district allowed for a closing of the gap of inequities in gifted identification to about one percent. In addition, the inclusion of potentially gifted students based on building norms allowed the gifted program in this district to increase by more than twice the amount and to create equity within this large urban public school district in Ohio. This research may potentially help increase participation in gifted education for students of color and allow for further research in the identification of students for gifted education as well as focus on the use of potential in gifted education programs.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Environment and Natural Resources

The killing of nonhuman animals is a routine and widespread practice in many contemporary human societies. In the context of wildlife specifically, this practice can occur under legal circumstances, such as through the authorized application of lethal control or illegally through the killing of wildlife in violation of state, federal, or international law (i.e., poaching). Regardless of legal status, the decision to support or engage in any action that results in the intentional death of a wild animal is influenced by a range of cognitive, social, and cultural factors. Thus, this dissertation draws upon theoretical frameworks established within the fields of sociology and psychology to advance, and refine, the application of social science concepts to better understand factors that influence individual judgments and decisions about the appropriateness of killing wild animals. Specifically, Chapter 2 assesses unexplained support for the lethal (and legal) management (i.e., punishment) of both human and nonhuman (wild) animals accused of violating social expectations or rules, via the application of capital punishment and lethal control respectively. Demonstrating that certain individuals report greater support for punishment irrespective of species or circumstance (i.e., experimental condition), results suggest that heuristic processing in the absence of detailed information upon which one could deliberate leads to significant consequences for the punishment of others. Exploring the ways in which perceptions of the illegal killing of wildlife are shaped by one's social landscape, Chapter 3 engages social norms theory to examine normative beliefs regarding the frequency, acceptability, and accountability one may expect if choosing to engage in wildlife-related noncompliance. Revealing the perceived power of informal sanctioning via one's community, results indicate that while increasingly punitive “tough on crime” anti-poaching policies may be widespread, learning and (open full item for complete abstract)