Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "Long, Marilee, committee member"

Browsing by Author "Long, Marilee, committee member"

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Open Access
A bewitching semblance of something to be desired: advertising nostalgia and product involvement's relative influence on attitudes and purchase intent among young adults
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Bray, Matthew T., author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Donavan, Todd, committee member
Despite the recent rise of advertisements employing nostalgia, relatively few previous studies have investigated the effectiveness of nostalgic messages, especially as they might be applied to promote high- versus low-involvement products. Previous research has broadly conceptualized nostalgia without focusing on product-related or associational claims. This research used associational nostalgia where the nostalgic themes presented in the advertisements were not directly related to previous product usage. A quasi-experiment involving a convenience sample of undergraduates (n=201) in a large classroom setting was used to compare the effects of nostalgic versus non-nostalgic messages in ads for a fictitious high involvement product (laptop computer) and a fictitious low involvement product (paper notebooks). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions and read a single ad. Product knowledge for laptops and notebooks (and two distractor products) were measured in a pretest questionnaire; dependent measures in the posttest results were measured in terms of three dependent measures: attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intent. Additionally, because previous research has yet to determine how nostalgic advertising is most likely to be cognitively processed, open-ended cognitive response items were also included to further investigate the type of processing that is most frequently occurring. Gender was included as a possible moderating variable. The results provide mixed support for the hypothesized relationships between product involvement and nostalgic advertising themes. Findings suggest that females are particularly responsive, in terms of attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand, to associational nostalgic claims for the low involvement product (notebooks). Cognitive response-thought listing results suggest that when the primary thought elicited from the advertisement was nostalgic in nature, other references to the product or the ad itself decreased. Implication and practical considerations for content creators in advertising as well as future research suggestions are also discussed.
Open Access
Am I ugly or do I have BDD?: personal disclosure and social support on a body dysmorphic disorder online forum
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Fisher, Eva E., author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Rouner, Donna, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member; Ogle, Jennifer, committee member; Williams, Elizabeth, committee member
The current study used an emergent research design that employed qualitative content analysis to understand how individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) communicate with their peers in an online support forum (psychforum.com/body-dysmorphic-disorder). The purpose was to explore (a) the communication activities on the forum, (b) the personal experiences with BDD disclosed by participants, (c) the categories of social support sought and shared, and (d) the social support provided and roles performed by the most frequent posters to the forum. The data sample consisted of 911 messages posted by 225 participants during 2012. The primary communication activities on the forum were asking about other members’ personal experiences and seeking support, disclosing personal experiences and providing support, engaging in conversations, and storytelling. Personal disclosures included appearance concerns (feeling ugly, depressed, guilty, ashamed, angry, and suicidal), compulsive behaviors (plastic surgery, mirror/photograph checking, and social comparison), the impact on one’s personal life, and recovery from BDD (treatment, diagnosis, coping, and overcoming symptoms). Social support sought and shared included informational, emotional, and social network support. Informational support topics included diagnosis, treatment, overcoming symptoms, and recovery. Emotional support took the form of empathy, caring/concern, gratitude, encouragement, sympathy, compliments, and validation. Social network support reinforced that people who understand the disorder were present on the forum and could provide companionship. Although not common, unsupportive comments (disagreement, disapproval, criticism/sarcasm, and flaming) were also present. The five most frequent posters were emergent leaders whose supportive roles supplemented those of the two forum moderators. The most frequent poster was a male who played a lead role in providing informational and social network support, along with four frequent female posters whose primary contribution was providing emotional support. The five emergent leaders and moderators also performed functional roles, including greeter, advocate, arbiter, mediator/harmonizer, corroborator/validator, information/opinion giver, evaluator/critic, and encourager/cheerleader, that were critical to the successful functioning of the forum. The study discusses five key conclusions (themes) that offer valuable insight into how members communicated on the forum: (a) personal disclosure facilitated social support in initial posts and responses, (b) group members served primarily as support providers or support seekers whose behaviors were complementary and essential to the successful functioning of the forum, (c) contributions to the forum varied by gender with females providing more personal disclosure and social support than males, (d) the forum served as a coping mechanism where members shared coping strategies and coping assistance, and (e) the forum offered members peer support within an online community that supplemented the support received from other online and in-person sources. The study underscores the growing importance of peer-to-peer communication and contributes to the limited research on online support groups for individuals coping with serious mental illness. As a result of this investigation, health communication scholars will have an increased understanding of why individuals with stigmatized health conditions turn to their peers to find the support they need online. In addition, this study provides BDD researchers and clinicians with an increased awareness about the resources and support needed by those suffering from the disorder.
Open Access
Colorado journalists' application and understanding of guidelines for reporting on sensitive topics: suicides
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Miller, Sunday E., author; Wolfgang, David, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Carcasson, Martín, committee member
Research suggests news reporting on suicides that does not follow recommended guidelines can cause vulnerable people to imitate suicidal behavior. Reporting guidelines for suicide have been created and disseminated with mixed success rates. This study used structured in-depth interviews with Colorado newspaper journalists to examine the ways local journalists report on suicides and the extent to which they follow recommended reporting guidelines, as well as explored the influences and ethical decisions journalists encounter when covering suicide. Findings indicate journalists view guidelines as suggestions not requirements and that they violate them based on their morals or personal connection to suicide. The Hierarchical Model framework suggests various influences shape media content, which can explain the guidelines journalists consider and why they create content the way they do. The results of this study echos literature showing collaborative guideline creation and implementation is key to minimizing harm, destigmatizing mental illness, and changing suicide reporting practices.
Open Access
Developing a valid scale of past tornado experiences
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Demuth, Julie L., author; Trumbo, Craig, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Morss, Rebecca, committee member; Most, David, committee member; Peek, Lori, committee member; Zimmerman, Donald, committee member
People's past experience with a hazard theoretically is a key factor in how they perceive a future risk because experience is a mechanism through which one acquires knowledge about a risk. Despite this, past hazard experience has been conceptualized and measured in wide-ranging and often simplistic ways by researchers, resulting in mixed findings about the relationship between experience and risk perception. Thus, dimensions of past hazard experiences are not validly known, nor is it known how one's experiences relate to their assessment of future risks. Past hazard experience is particularly relevant in the context of weather risks, which are common enough for people to acquire many experiences. This dissertation presents the results of a study to develop a valid scale of past experiences in the context of tornado risks. The scale is developed by, first, conceptualizing and identifying dimensions of past tornado experience, and subsequently by examining the relationship between the different experience dimensions and people's tornado risk perception. Data were collected through two mixed-mode (Web+mail) surveys of the public who reside in tornado-prone areas. An initial set of items to measure people's most memorable tornado experience as well as their experiences with multiple tornado threats were developed and evaluated with the first survey. Additional aspects of people's past tornado experiences were elicited in their own words to identify potentially important ideas that were not captured in the original item set. The item set then was revised and evaluated with the second survey. The second survey also included a scale to measure people's cognitive-affective tornado risk perceptions. Six latent dimensions of people's past tornado experiences emerged from this study: most-memorable experience-related risk awareness, risk personalization, personal intrusive impacts, and vicarious troubling impacts, as well as multiple experiences with common personal threats and impacts and negative emotional responses. Risk awareness captures the event-specific awareness by the respondent and from social cues about the possibility of the hazard occurring and concern about it causing harm. Risk personalization captures one's protective and emotional responses as well as direct visual, auditory, and tactile sensory inputs of the hazard. Personal intrusive impacts capture unwelcome thoughts, feelings, and disruption caused by the hazard. Vicarious troubling impacts capture the tangible property damage and loss incurred by others, disruption to others, and others' verbal accounts of their experiences. Common personal threats and impacts capture the amount of experiences one has with official tornado warnings and sirens and with news coverage about tornado events and their impacts. Finally, negative emotional responses capture the amount of experience one has fearing and worrying due to tornadoes. Subsequently, these different dimensions were shown to have varying influences on cognitive, affective, and overall tornado risk perception. Personal intrusive impacts had a pervasive effect, enhancing each of the risk perception dimensions with especially strong influences on affective and overall risk perception. Risk awareness and risk personalization influenced cognitive and overall risk perception, but only when combined with the other experience dimensions, suggesting that these experiences may be made more salient when joint with others. Overall, this research theoretically advances how past experience is conceptualized and how it relates to risk perception, and it serves as a foundation for future theoretical and applied research that could leverage and extend this work.
Open Access
Development and evaluation of the America On the Move program for university students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Dadkhah, Maryam, author; Anderson, Jennifer, advisor; Hill, James, advisor; Melby, Christopher, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document.
Open Access
Diffusing art therapy using the innovation of social media: experiences of four rural art therapists
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Dick, Laura, author; Wolfgang, David, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Knight, Andrew, committee member
As the practice of art therapy grows and evolves, the way in which healthcare providers disseminate information and connect with patients changes, especially through networks such as social media sites. Physicians and therapists must navigate how to represent their personal and professional lives in an evolving digital landscape. As digital technologies continue to expand, how might the innovation of social media be used by mental health providers, such as art therapists, to better reach rural populations? This qualitative study utilizes research within telemedicine, social media as a professional tool, and the diffusion of innovation theory as a basis to explore how art therapists leverage the use of social media to reach rural communities. This study argues that individual intricacies may influence a therapist's motivation to adopt social media. Even therapists who do not participate professionally in social media understand the benefits of having a presence on those platforms. However, there remains a complex combination of risks, as perceived by the individual therapist, that prohibit the adoption process set forth by Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory. This indicates that Rogers' theory may not be the best fit for healthcare situations such as art therapy that include high risks or a high number of complex contributing factors.
Open Access
E-service communications between organizations and customers: an analysis of the Schema Resonance Model
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Song, Xu, author; Christen, Cindy, advisor; Diffrient, Scott, committee member; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member; Hallahan, Kirk, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
To better understand how the one-to-one online communication between an organization representative and an individual customer is conducted and to improve the organization's e-service for customer's information inquiries, this dissertation research proposed a new organization-customer communication model—the Schema Resonance Model. Schema resonance is defined as the resonance between the schemas used by the customer in the sense-making process and the schemas used by the organization representative in the sense-producing process. Hypotheses and research questions were proposed to test whether schema resonance could benefit the organization-customer e-service and to examine whether there were differences based on gender or instant messaging experience when schema resonance took place. A post-test only 3 x 2 x 2 factorial between-subjects experimental/quasi-experimental design was used to test the proposed hypotheses and research questions. The three independent variables examined in the experiment were e-service condition (schema resonance, non-schema resonance, and failed schema resonance), gender (male and female), and instant messaging experience (low and high). A convenience sample of 423 college students participated in the experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three e-service conditions. A total of 409 participants completed the experimental session and took an online survey. A total of 389 survey entries were usable. Individuals in the schema-resonance e-service condition gained a similar amount of knowledge about the information provided in the communication and showed a similar intent to continue using the e-service as those in the non-schema-resonance e-service condition. Female participants in the schema-resonance e-service condition were more satisfied with the overall e-service, the communication approach used in the e-service, and the information provided in the e-service than were females in the non-schema-resonance e-service condition. Males in the schema-resonance and non-schema-resonance e-service conditions had similar levels of satisfaction with the overall e-service, communication approach, and information. In the schema-resonance e-service condition, compared to males, females were more satisfied with the overall e-service, communication approach, and information; and had greater intent to continue using the e-service. In the schema-resonance e-service condition, individuals who had high instant messaging experience showed more intent to continue using the e-service than individuals who had low instant messaging experience. For individuals who had low instant messaging experience, those in the schema-resonance e-service condition showed more satisfaction with the communication approach and more satisfaction with the information than those in non-schema-resonance e-service condition. Compared to individuals in the failed-schema-resonance e-service condition, individuals in the schema-resonance e-service condition showed more knowledge gain; were more satisfied with the overall e-service communication, communication approach, and information; and showed greater intent to continue using the e-service. The success of achieving schema resonance in the simulated organization-customer e-service communication indicated that it is possible to achieve schema resonance in the real-world e-service situation. It would be beneficial for an organization to achieve schema resonance in e-service communication to improve the efficiency of the communication and increase customer’s satisfaction with the e-service. To achieve schema resonance in e-service communication, the organization representative should use one reply to provide the requested information that the customer has requested and the additional information that the customer also plans to request. It is possible to apply the Schema Resonance Model to other types of organization-customer communication, such as face-to-face communication and telephone communication. The Schema Resonance Model proposes a theoretical framework which maps the representative's sense-making and sense-producing processes and the customer's sense-making process involved in the organization-customer communication, classifies two types of schemas (principle schema and adaptation schema) the representative may use in the sense-producing process to produce information for the customer, and suggests a new communication strategy—proactively providing additional information—that the organization representative can consider using in the organization-customer communication to respond to customer's information inquiries.
Open Access
Finding a story for ending mental health stigma
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Fleming, Kevin Casey, author; Champ, Joseph, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Kreston, Rosemary, committee member
There is a discursive collision between the individual and the social models of disability, and mental health is at its focal point. Understanding this collision might help scholars and communication practitioners to better address one of the most troublesome public health issues— mental health stigma. There are multitudes of issues that exist at the heart of this discursive collision, and many are closely connected to mental health stigma. This thesis examines the issue of mental health stigma in a communications context. The study uses a qualitative focus group method to help elucidate how both mental health practitioners and non-professionals with expressed interests in reducing mental health stigma form their discourses about mental health conditions, the media, and society. The study seeks to identify practical narrative tools that communications practitioners could use for helping to de-marginalize people with mental health conditions. The study concludes with a call for communications practitioners to think more critically and creatively about how to approach reducing mental health stigma. Recommendations for practice and for future research are offered.
Open Access
Framing human-wildlife conflict in the intermountain West: content analysis of daily newspapers to diverse audiences
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Welden, Robert Foster, author; Bruyere, Brett L., advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Langmaid, Kim, committee member
Connection to and appreciate for the natural world are directly linked to positive experiences participating in outdoor nature-based activities. These direct experiences have been declining over the past decade, causing concerns about the perceptions of nature by populations that don't participate in nature-based activities. This study examines framing of media coverage about human-wildlife conflicts and its implications for perception building by those audiences with less experience in the natural world. Data were collected via daily newspapers across the Intermountain West from 2010 to 2015. Results demonstrated that there were significant differences between newspapers serving larger, more urban communities and smaller, more rural communities. Findings indicate that urban audiences are exposed to messages that discourage participation in the natural world. Messages regarding human-wildlife conflict in newspapers serving larger, more urban communities should be reframed to avoid negative perceptions of nature and to motivate connection to the natural world.
Open Access
"Friends don't let friends fat talk": memorable messages and the impact of a narrative sharing and dissonance-based intervention on sorority affiliated peer health educators
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Makos, Shana, author; Williams, Elizabeth A., advisor; Crowley, John P., committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
Previous peer health education research has demonstrated the benefits of peer health education to program participants and also to universities. However, the impact of peer health education on the peer health educators themselves has not been researched. Thus, the purpose of this study is to first examine the experience of peer health educators and determine how they benefit personally from a narrative sharing and dissonance-based facilitation training. Second, this study aims to identify which types of messages are most memorable to the peer health educators and ascertain the characteristics of those messages, such as their source, context, and content. A "memorable message" is a meaningful unit of communication that affects behavior and guides sense-making processes. To examine these purposes, the author surveyed, observed, and interviewed participants in Colorado State University's training, The Body Project--a dissonance-based body-acceptance program designed to help college-age women resist the pressure to conform to the cultural thin-ideal standard of female beauty. Findings suggest that participants showed increases in their ability to reject the thin ideal and had more positive perceptions of their weight. In addition, participants experienced decreases in self-esteem one month after The Body Project training. Additionally, several themes of memorable messages were found, including messages remembered due to activities and the opportunity for participants to co-create their own meanings and memorable messages as new ways of thinking. These findings shed light on the complicated relationship of peer health education programs, health interventions, and memorable messages on peer health educators' self-esteem and self-efficacy.
Open Access
Graphic cigarette package warning labels: investigating the effectiveness of graphic images among new and occasional smokers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Dieterich, Sara E., author; Henry, Kimberly, advisor; Harman, Jennifer, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
Smoking is a major public health concern. As a result of recent legislation, cigarette manufacturers will soon be required to display graphic pictorial depictions of the health consequences of tobacco on all products sold in the U.S. Research has shown that fear appeal messages can be effective for health behavior change, but little research has examined the effects of graphic imagery in warning messages. The present study explored the effectiveness of graphic and non-graphic cigarette package warning labels and examined potential mediating processes among occasional and recently initiating smokers. No significant direct effects of the graphic warning labels (as compared to non-graphic labels) on explicit attitudes, implicit attitudes, and intentions to not smoke were found. The results also show that graphic warning labels were associated with increased perceived personal relevance and negative affective reactions compared to non-graphic warning labels. Personal relevance was also found to mediate the relationship between warning label condition and negative implicit attitudes. Implications for prevention are discussed.
Open Access
Health promotion strategies among practitioners in three settings: the role of directionality and balance
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Strongin, Dana Elizabeth, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Broadfoot, Kirsten J., committee member
Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with health promotion practitioners in northern Colorado to examine their reliance on two-way versus one-way communication (direction) and symmetrical versus asymmetrical communication (balance) to develop public information/public relations campaigns. The study contrasted strategies used by communicators working for nonprofit, hospital, and government organizations, including their perspectives about how other practitioners strategize. Contrary to expectations, the interviews revealed that practitioners in all three venues heavily relied on two-way symmetrical strategies, although they were all users of one-way communication. When discussing their perceptions, interviewees said colleagues working for organizations like theirs shared commonalities such as barriers to choosing campaign strategies; they said practitioners in other types of organizations have different barriers but more resources. The study revealed four key implications for practitioners. First, they can use creative methods, rather than depend on funding, to implement two-way strategies. Second, they should utilize audience members to spread messages to peers. Third, they can make small changes to add more symmetrical communication. Fourth, they should consider entering into more partnerships. These findings suggest that when practitioners learn what their colleagues are doing, they can create more effective campaigns, which ultimately lead to healthier communities.
Open Access
"I see what you're saying": examining self-disclosure and nonverbal communication in digital environments
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Walsh, Adam Clark, author; Martey, Rosa, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Marx, Nick, committee member
Computer-mediated environments are comfortable spaces for people to engage in interpersonal communications. By building on the theoretical arguments of computer-mediated communication scholars (Joinson, 2001; Walther, 2008), this study used a secondary dataset from the SCRIBE project, to examine chat transcripts in a content analysis. The study explored the role of self-disclosure and 15 different nonverbal cues in interpersonal communications in World of Warcraft (WoW). For the SCRIBE project, teams of 3-4 players were tasked with saving the digital city, Dalaran, from marauders (Reene et al., 2011). After gathering all SCRIBE project WoW chat transcripts, a 30% sample was used in a content analysis for self-disclosure statements. These self-disclosure statements and nonverbal cue data (collected in the SCRIBE project) were combined using statistical software, and examined with Pearson correlations, multiple linear regressions, and hierarchical regressions to show relationships. Results supported previous literature in computer-mediated interpersonal communications (Joinson, 2001), and Walther's (2008) Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT), to show players share self-disclosure statements and translate nonverbal cues for sharing relational information between players. The implications for this study are important for understanding how the interpersonal communication concepts, self-disclosure and nonverbal cues, manifest in video games such as WoW, and work together in the communication process. Future research should examine when self-disclosure statements and nonverbal cues are used in relation to the overall communication process, and expand on key dimensions of Walther's SIPT.
Open Access
"Indians don't get transplants": dialysis patient experience and political economic barriers to transplantation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Reedy, Julia, author; Magennis, Ann, advisor; Browne, Katherine, committee member; Kwiatkowski, Lynn, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
The Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have been plagued with poor kidney health due to political economic factors such as poverty, discrimination, unemployment, and limited food access. This poor health, exemplified in high rates of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), has created a population of patients that face daily challenges associated with dialysis treatment. Many of these patients would prefer kidney transplantation as treatment for their ESRD; however, a multitude of structural, institutional, educational, and biological barriers create obstacles that most find too difficult to overcome. This thesis explores the lived realities of dialysis patients on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the structural challenges these patients face in accessing kidney transplantation. With dialysis patients often overlooked in terms of research and healthcare initiatives, this research provides the platform for patients to tell their stories, share their experiences, and advocate for their right to health and dignity. This applied anthropological research seeks to tackle the real-world issues of transplantation access among the Oglala Lakota population living on Pine Ridge. Therefore, the goal of this research is to both identify existing barriers as well as posit solutions that will help with the mediation of these barriers to improve access to kidney transplantation. Drawing on ethnographic methods such as participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this research attempts to provide an insider's perspective to dialysis challenges and the experiences of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease. This research focuses on three primary areas of interest. The first seeks to illuminate the dialysis patient experience, daily activities and limitations, and emotional responses to an end-stage renal disease diagnosis. This line of research serves as a window into the lives of dialysis patients, providing an emic or insider's perspective into the difficulties and challenges these individuals face. The second primary area of interest examines systems of belief and support present on the reservation represented by traditional Lakota belief systems and Christianity. Each of these systems functions to support patients during periods of hardship, but also plays an influencing role in healthcare decision-making. The third research focus explores the myriad barriers that inhibit access to kidney transplantation among the Oglala Lakota people. The distal and proximal barriers imposed on patients can be categorized as structural, institutional, educational, or biological, affecting patients in different areas and at different times in their lives. Using critical medical anthropology and structural vulnerability as the theoretical basis for data interpretation, the different structural levels of the healthcare system are examined. Each of these levels provides explanatory power regarding the regulation, influences, and pressures applied by the larger system on the individual. The critical medical anthropology approach also demonstrates a clear mismatch between the ideal transplantation process and the real-world capabilities of Oglala Lakota patients. To mediate identified barriers and align these mismatched systems, I provide specific recommendations for policy and practice that can be implemented to improve patient health and facilitate access to transplantation for those who seek it.
Open Access
Online high-definition video adoption among college students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Song, Bevin Xu, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Kaminski, Karen, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
As more online video products are available in high-definition format, online high-definition video (online HD video), as a specific application of HD IPTV, has become more appealing to consumers. This study applied Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovation theory to analyze the decision-making processes used in the adoption of the new technology. College students (n=242) completed a survey that examined the effects of technology use, media consumption, demographics (gender and family income), personality traits (innovativeness-venturesomeness and social integration), awarenessknowledge, perceptions about characteristics of online HD video, and perceptions about the benefits and risks of adoption. Dependent variables included attitudes among all respondents, satisfaction among adopters, and behavioral intent among non-adopters. Favorable attitudes were positively related to being male, more knowledge, more time spent with the broadband Internet, more innovative and venturesome in personality, more perceptions about benefits and fewer perceptions about risks, more perceptions about the five characteristics of online HD video. Satisfaction among adopters (n=187) was positively related to being male, innovativeness-venturesomeness and social integration personality, knowledge, perceived characteristics of online HD video, and perceptions about more benefits and less risks. Findings related to behavioral intent among nonadopters were difficult to analyze due to the small number of respondents (n=55), who were predominantly female. Behavioral intent was positively related to Rogers' notions about relative advantage, compatibility and observability, and perceptions about benefits and risks, but negatively related to a focus on social integration. No differences based on family income were found for attitude, behavioral intent or satisfaction.
Open Access
Predicting U.S. News & World Report ranking of regional universities in the South using public data
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Henderson, Angela E., author; Gloeckner, Gene, advisor; Jensen, Laura, committee member; Kuk, Linda, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
Using correlational analyses and multiple regressions, this study uses U.S. News & World Report's (USNWR) 2016 college rankings data and data from the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to examine variables that explain institutional peer assessment score and rank. This study focused on the 97 institutions included in the USNWR's 2016 Best Regional Universities (South). Analyses in this study addressed four major foci: 1) correlations between USNWR subfactor data values and selected IPEDS proxies, 2) IPEDS variables that explained variance in peer assessment score, 3) IPEDS variables that explained variance in rank, and 4) the extent to which rank could be predicted based on these results. The results of this study indicated three main findings. First, USNWR subfactors with direct or indirect IPEDS proxies were highly correlated with the identified proxies. Second, more than 85% of variation in peer assessment score can be explained by five or fewer proxy variables, which differ dependent upon institution sector (private or public). Third, more than 85% of variation in institutional ranking can be explained by five proxy variables and without the inclusion of the peer assessment score subfactor. Collectively, findings suggest USNWR rankings are no more than a reflection of institutional outcomes and financial resources.
Open Access
Predictors of behavioral intention to purchase risky consumer products
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Kim, Sejin, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Betsill, Michele, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member; Rouner, Donna, committee member; Vaske, Jerry, committee member
Two online surveys dealing with the purchase of potentially risky consumer products, sunscreen containing nanoparticles (n=373) and genetically modified foods (n=379), examined behavioral intention within the framework of the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010). In addition to attitude and social norms, which are subsumed under the theory, predictors examined included cognitive and affective risk perceptions, systematic versus heuristic processing, and two personality traits: need for cognition and need for affect (specifically, the avoidance and approach sub-dimensions identified by Maio & Esses, 2001). Four hypotheses were tested and supported. High cognitive and affective risk perceptions were negatively related to attitude, adherence to social norms and purchase intent. High need for cognition was positively related to systematic processing, while negatively related to heuristic processing. High need for affect avoidance was positively related to heuristic processing, while high need for affect approach was positively related to systematic processing. Finally, higher systematic processing was positively related to both cognitive risk perception and affective risk perception, while higher heuristic processing was not. Sex, awareness, and product use were included as explanatory variables that helped explain purchase intent. Females were more likely to purchase and more aware of both products. Level of prior product perceived knowledge (measured for GM foods only) was not significantly related to purchase intent. However, its higher level was correlated to systematic processing, while its lower level was associated with heuristic processing. Separate hierarchical regressions examined the combined effects of the focal and explanatory variables on purchase intent. The final regression model in the sunscreen study explained 39.0% of the variance and suggested purchase intent was related to sex (being female), low product awareness, low cognitive risk perception, and positive attitude and conformity to social norms. The final regression model in the GM foods study, which explained 29.2% of the variance, suggested that purchase intention was best explained by the need for affect avoidance, low affective risk perceptions, positive attitude, and conformity to social norms. This study proposed a framework in which personality traits based on psychological needs (need for cognition and need for affect) led to different styles of processing. Then, two forms of risk perception (cognitive and affective) together were shown to influence purchase intention of common technologically enhanced consumer goods. The study underscored the importance of looking into both affective and cognitive risk perceptions examining purchase intention for risky products. This study also illustrated the potential practical importance of the two sub-dimensions of need for affect identified in the literature, suggesting that each can possibly influence the processing of persuasive messages and risk perceptions and ultimately consumer actions.
Open Access
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: using community-based social marketing to identify targets for behavior change
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Ross, Elizabeth C., author; Aloise-Young, Patricia, advisor; Witt, Jessica, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member; Tompkins, Sara Anne, committee member
Greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activities threaten all life on earth. Project Drawdown (2020), Wynes and Nicholas (2017), and other similar efforts have catalogued behaviors that individuals can adopt to stall and mitigate climate change. Thus far, no empirical attempts have been made to determine which of these behaviors make viable targets for behavior change interventions. The current study remedies that gap through the use of community-based social marketing (CBSM), which distinguishes behavioral targets using the behaviors' probability, penetration, impact, and barriers. Following the CBSM framework, penetration and probability were assessed for 16 low-carbon behaviors to find those with the lowest adoption rates (i.e., penetration) and the highest likelihood of being adopted (i.e., probability). Impact for each behavior was also estimated using Project Drawdown and other similar sources. The perceived barriers and benefits of behavior engagement were then assessed for the five behaviors with the most ideal combination of impact, penetration, and probability: living motor vehicle free, purchasing green energy credits, following a plant-based diet, avoiding a plane flight, and installing compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Recommendations for future interventions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions were then made based on the findings pertaining to these five behaviors. Among the target audience considered in this work, very few individuals had purchased green energy credits. Additionally, the barriers to purchasing green energy credits had clear solutions for many participants. Given the comparable ease with which participants can engage in this behavior, I recommend that future interventions target the purchasing of green energy credits. Additional recommendations are made for the five behaviors, considering the benefits and challenges associated with each one.
Open Access
Risky photography in national parks: an examination of the role of online identity management in wildlife risk perceptions
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Evans, Caitlin, author; Abrams, Katie, advisor; Sivakumar, Gayathri, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member; Williams, Elizabeth, committee member; Teel, Tara, committee member
Technology and an ever-growing online culture have created a new space to display, modify, and maintain personal identity. These spaces can often perpetuate risky behaviors offline by creating a need to share, comment, and like photographs and status updates. This need for online spaces is blurring our online and offline identities. Previous research has indicated a motivating factor for social interaction as the need for social capital. Social capital is defined by the resources we gain from our connections with others and online spaces might be creating a new space to foster and maintain these connections with others. Research has also indicated multiple types of social norms as a factors in the human decision-making process. This is true for both risk communication and environmental communication research. This research examined the relationship between online identity management and risk perceptions pertaining to approaching wildlife in national parks to take photos. It proposed a theoretical model of wildlife risk perceptions and identity that investigated relationships between online wildlife photography social norms, online social capital, online identity management, wildlife risk perceptions, wildlife risk social norms and the likelihood of taking risky wildlife photographs. Utilizing survey methodology, college students were asked a series of Likert-style question. Pearson's correlations were conducted to investigate the relationships among some of the independent variables. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the impact the independent variables (online wildlife photography social norms, wildlife risk social norms, wildlife risk perceptions, interest in online identity management, and social capital) have on the dependent variable (likelihood of taking risky wildlife photographs). Finally, a multiple linear regression with interaction effect was conducted in order to investigate a connection between wildlife risk perceptions and interest in online identity management. Participants were also asked open-ended questions in order to get a more in-depth analysis of motivating factors for risky wildlife photography. Findings indicate that social norms impact the likelihood to take risky wildlife photographs both directly and indirectly through their correlation with wildlife risk perceptions. Online social capital and social norms both influence online identity management. Wildlife risk perceptions, wildlife risk social norms, and park familiarity significantly predict the likelihood of taking risky wildlife photographs. The qualitative data indicated a difference in individual's beliefs about the risk level of certain wildlife. Risk perceptions and what influences those perceptions seem to be the factors most influential in the likelihood of taking risky wildlife photographs. Social norms, risk perceptions, and online identity play a small part in the decision to take risky wildlife photographs. Participants also seemed to think that education about wildlife or illustrating negative experiences might increase risk perceptions and cause people to think twice about getting too close to wildlife in a national park. The complicated nature of risk perceptions poses a problem when it comes to message design. Different people have different perceptions about certain types of wildlife. However, increasing awareness about the dangers of wildlife, pointing out how getting close to wildlife is dangerous for the wildlife themselves, creating social norms about behavior around wildlife all might be potential avenues that communication practitioners and park staff could use to help reduce human-wildlife interactions in parks.
Open Access
School nursing in COVID-19: the role of professional organizations in identity management
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Potter, Lydia M., author; Williams, Elizabeth, advisor; Long, Ziyu, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
Identity conflict can leave one feeling frustrated, sad, confused, and breathless with anger. As a school nurse, the fact that a pandemic-inducing respiratory illness led me to feel symptomatic with the weight of my job is not lost on me. My personal experience led me to investigate how a professional association uses communication strategies to navigate and (re)construct profession identity for members in crisis. To accomplish this, I conducted a mixed methods study that relied on my personal narratives and textual analysis using an iterative paradigm. Forty weekly email issues from the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to school nurse members were analyzed from the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020 to the end of the first semester that schools returned to learning in December 2020. As a school nurse, I included my own personal narratives to compare my experience during this time and add depth, breadth, and reflexivity to the research as a mode of inquiry. Three milestones emerged in the data: the onset of COVID-19 and schools closing for the end of the 19/20 school year; the preparation and return to school for the 20/21 school year; and the attempt at a return to normal and the close of the first semester with COVID-19 in the school setting. Results from the study expand the understanding of: a) how a crisis progresses over time; b) professional identities being salient and contested; c) conflict spurring professionals to further narrow their professional identity; d) and that professional organizations may address conflict in a way that increases conflict in members.