The present dissertation project investigated relationship enhancement following a brief self-disclosure task (i.e., the Fast Friends Procedure; FFP) via self-report and observational data. Thirty-three undergraduate couples dating for less than six months asked and answered questions that required increasingly higher levels of self-disclosure for…

Beauty is a concept that is socially constructed. Although superficial, beauty is a form of currency that can add value and provide opportunities. The problem with beauty construction is that it is rooted in hegemonic European beauty ideals that negatively rejects Black features and shapes the perceptions of Black women's appearance and the…

This qualitative study examined how the conforming pressures related to physical appearance influenced the career experiences of senior-level Black women administrators in higher education. Employing a phenomenological approach, the research utilized semi-structured interviews and document analysis to delve into the participants' lived…

Higher education institutions face an ongoing struggle to identify new and expanded sources of revenue outside those generated through enrollment. Alumni represent a continuing and substantial source of philanthropic funding to help solve this challenge (CASE, 2019). To effectively engage alumni, development officers must understand how alumni…

Black youth in America must overcome many systematic obstacles to function successfully in American society. Racist social views and racist structures significantly impact Black youth's access to equitable education and resources and lead to disparate educational outcomes. One intervention that may help protect school age Black youth from the…

Romantic breakups are a relatively common life event for college students, with as many as 98% of young adults reporting having experienced a breakup at any point in their past (MirsuPaun & Oliver, 2017). Although the events are common, breakups have been associated with several adverse outcomes, including loneliness and social isolation…

The purpose of this empirical investigation was to determine the predictable relationship between body type factors, socio-demographic factors, attitudes toward body factors, and the self-esteem scores of undergraduate college students. More specifically, the study was concerned with the predictability of body types, socio-demographics, and…

This study is a phenomenological study that explores the impacts that racial affinity groups and varsity athletic teams have on the perceived sense of belonging, social capital development, and identity development of students at one New England independent boarding school. The rationale for this study comes from the notion that many independent…

This dissertation uses constructivist grounded theory to illuminate the practices and activities-namely, those tied to the information creating and the informal information provider roles-of"serious YouTubers", specifically "serious beauty and lifestyle" YouTubers. A "serious YouTuber" is defined as an individual who…

Linguistic stereotyping research posits that native speaker favor standard variety speakers which results in discrimination against non-native speakers (Rubin 2002, Kang & Rubin, 2009). However, it may be possible to improve native speaker attitudes towards accented speech, and through that, accented speakers. Research on improving native…

Migrant students from Muslim backgrounds constitute a minority in Armenia, France and Germany. This study, conducted in 2014, explored the influence of higher education on the civic and social integration of migrant students from Muslim backgrounds into French, German and Armenian societies. The present research sought to understand whether and…

In 2011, nearly 13 million nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were performed, representing a 6% increase from the previous year. Patients often present with unrealistic treatment expectations based on beauty industry standards and misinformation. In addition, due to the lack of competency standardization in this area, providers frequently deliver…

This study explored the influence of supervisee intrapersonal and interpersonal regulatory characteristics on supervisor-rated evaluation of supervisee performance given within the context of a counseling supervision relationship. A sample of 60 counseling supervisee and supervisor dyads from University Counseling Centers were surveyed, both…

Embodied Conversational Agents (i.e., avatars; ECAs) are appearing in increasingly many everyday contexts, such as e-commerce, occupational training, and airport security. Also common to a typical person's daily life is persuasion. Whether being persuaded or persuading, the ability to change another person's attitude or behavior is a…

The juxtaposition of classic sociological theory and the, relatively, young discipline of human-computer interaction (HCI) serves as a powerful mechanism for both exploring the theoretical impacts of technology on human interactions as well as the application of technological systems to moderate interactions. It is the intent of this dissertation…