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Browsing by Author "Knobloch, Katherine R., committee member"

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    Intervening with laughter: using laughter/humor to create positive experiences in dementia relationships
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Matter, Michelle M., author; Faw, Meara H., advisor; Knobloch, Katherine R., committee member; Long, Ziyu, committee member; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G., committee member
    Humor and laughter have various positive outcomes on people's health and relationships both within healthcare settings and in daily life. In particular, humor and laughter can be beneficial for individuals impacted by dementia. This dissertation project was an engaged, mixed methodological intervention in which a program containing humor activities was created for people with dementia and their care partners to determine whether actively engaging with humor and laughter would be associated with positive outcomes for participants' well-being, observed behaviors, and relationships. Data collection methods included real-time observations as well as pre- and post-test surveys. Results indicated that participants were able and willing to participate in the program, that they engaged in various relational maintenance strategies during the program, and that the program was enjoyable and effective at creating positive personal and interpersonal outcomes for participating dyads. This project contributes to the scholarly community by investigating the usefulness of a noninvasive intervention within an understudied dyadic and aging population while demonstrating the powerful outcomes that can result from engaged scholarship and community collaborations. Additionally, this work offers the community partner a "plug-and-play" program that can be repeated in the future and provided participants with valuable and enjoyable experiences.
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    Predictors of youth climate collective action: extending the theory of planned behavior framework to examine identity and communication
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Martinek, Amanda Lee, author; Anderson, Ashley A., advisor; Abrams, Katherine M., committee member; Knobloch, Katherine R., committee member
    Due to the growing concern of the global climate change crisis and young adults responding to this crisis in large numbers by engaging in public-sphere environmental actions, this study seeks to more deeply understand motivations and barriers of this young population to engage in environmental action. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework, which uses attitudes, social norms and perceived behavioral control to predict both behavior and behavioral intention, often in a private-sphere behavioral context, this study aims to extend the TPB by adding additional variables, such as environmental communication, climate change social media use, environmental identity and political identity, that more accurately predict public-sphere collective action. It also examines practical constraints related to time, money and access. Using an online survey of adults aged 18 to 29, this study found that environmental communication, climate change social media use and environmental identity are all strong and significant predictors for both action intentions and action. It also found that political identity is a significant predictor of intentions but not action. Environmental action intentions are significant predictors towards action. Lastly, this study found that demographics, social norms, perceived behavioral control, attitudes and practical constraints are all not significant predictors of environmental action or intentions for this population. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.