Master of Science / Food Science / Edgar Chambers IV / Palatability of pet foods is judged by the use of animals in colonies. Pet food manufacturers would like to understand how palatable a food is compared to another food. This generally is accomplished by a two pan test where a pet has the opportunity to freely choose between two foods. Preference is evaluated through the use of an intake ratio, the ratio of the amount of test food consumed divided by the total amount of the foods consumed. Although this is easy to do in laboratories, another option would be to do such studies with animals in more ‘real-life’ home environments. The purpose of this study was to develop, and test a method to capture feeding information from a study of canines in the home environment and analyze the results of the palatability tests. Individual dog owners were screened for information on the household and pets. Twenty-five dogs of different ages, breeds and sizes were selected to participate on the in-home panel. Seven different palatability tests were performed using the in-home panel with four of those tests being replicated; a total of 11 comparative tests. These dogs were tested using a proprietary computer-based technology that collected information about intake of each food for each individual dog for a duration of seven days for each of the 11 comparative studies. Data was analyzed and resulted in showing that differences between foods can be found. Statistical analyses compared initial day one data to subsequent day data collected during each study to determine whether a full seven day test was needed. In addition, comparisons were made to compare the impact of prior foods eaten to subsequent preferences of the dogs. Results of the in-home panel were the same on day one as for all seven days of testing. Also, previous exposure to a food did not alter subsequent preference for that food. Such data has implications for pet food manufacturers related to timing and cost of testing.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra M. Stith / This investigation explored a relatively understudied aspect of mindfulness: the experience of ninth graders in a public school classroom who practice a brief, daily mindfulness activity. The mixed-method study utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Semi-structured interviews investigated the experience of those students and gleaned further information surrounding the question, ―What was the experience of mindfulness like for you?‖ The data from these interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis and was cross-coded by two outside researchers not part of the data collection. This study also explored the effects of classroom mindfulness activities through the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (Greco, Dew, & Baer, 2005). The participating students and a control group of students within the same school building and subject area took the measure before and after the study to determine the effects, if any, of participating in classroom mindfulness activities on adolescent mindfulness. These results were analyzed using paired sample T-tests using SPSS software. Results from both the interviews and the survey showed that students participating in the mindfulness activities had a consistently positive experience with the mindfulness exercise and increased their level of mindfulness. While unfamiliar with mindfulness at the beginning of the study, students in the experimental condition reported they found the experience beneficial in terms of personal growth, classroom environment, and adaption to other areas of their life. Any negative experiences concerning the mindfulness exercises centered around the initial unfamiliarity with mindfulness and specific components of one exercise. These results were further confirmed by the entries in a daily journal kept by the teacher.

Master of Science / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Joy M. Kozar / Within the global marketplace, the production and consumption of counterfeit goods represents a serious social problem. Scholars continue to suggest anti-counterfeit education as a means to resolve this global problem and curb the demand for counterfeit goods, but no scholarly research has empirically evaluated the effectiveness of anti-counterfeit education. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to draw upon such suggestions within the literature, and quantitatively assess the effectiveness of anti-counterfeit education on consumers' perceived knowledge, attitudes, and purchase intentions of fashion counterfeit goods. Convenience samples of male and female college students participated in this study. Utilizing a one-group pretest posttest, quasi-experimental design, the findings from a series of paired samples t-tests revealed a positive, significant change in consumers’ perceived knowledge of fashion counterfeit goods after viewing the anti-counterfeit educational unit. Negative, significant changes in consumers’ favorable attitudes and purchase intentions of fashion counterfeit goods were also revealed after the anti-counterfeit educational unit had been administered. Findings from this study provide relevant implications toward academicians, government officials, fashion retailers, and anti-counterfeiting organizations, such as how to develop effective anti-counterfeit educational content. Such parties with a vested interest in deterring the demand of fashion counterfeit goods should focus on formulating and implementing anti-counterfeit educational tools, such as campaigns and advertisements, which focus on the negative factors and consequences associated with the fashion counterfeit industry.

Master of Public Health / Department of Kinesiology / David A. Dzewaltowski / Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may be at greater risk for not meeting physical activity guidelines than neurotypical children (NT). Influences on physical activity (PA) of children with ASD are unclear and marked characteristics of the disorder pose challenges for developing interventions to promote PA. . The purpose of this study was to explore setting (free play versus structured) and group composition influences on ASD and NT young children's physical activity (LMVPA, MVPA) during a summer camp. Methods: Data were collected on 12 boys (5-6 years) attending an inclusive summer camp. During free play and structured activity sessions, research assistants observed the camp’s social environment and children’s PA using a modified version of the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity of Children – Preschool. Results: In a free play setting, children with ASD spent significantly less time in MVPA while with a peer (1.0% of session time), compared to being with a group of peers (12%) or when alone (13%). In free play, NT peers spent significantly more time in LMVPA when solitary (67%) compared to with a peer (38%) or with an adult (40%). In a structured setting, NT peers had greater LMVPA solitary (72%) social environments compared to being in a group with adult (34%). Conclusion: Preliminary evidence suggests that features of the social environment may influence PA levels of children with and without ASD. Depending on the setting, certain social group contexts may be more PA promoting than others.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Edgar Chambers IV / Understanding how consumers perceive fragrances based on different aspects (e.g., hedonic, emotions, term association, expectation of functional benefit, and use occasion, etc.) can help product developers or marketers create the right product or message for consumers. The objective of this study was to understand how consumers from different demographic groups, personality types, and liking patterns responded to fragrance samples. Five masculine odorants were selected and evaluated by 240 consumers across the United States. Results demonstrated that consumers from different groups (classified based on age, gender, or personality) generally differentiated products similarly. However, consumers from different personality segments used the scales differently. That is, persons who were more open, extrovert, or agreeable tended to score higher than the others. Consumers associated the most liked odorants with terms such as clean, crisp, fresh, and natural. In addition, the most liked odorants increased positive emotions, tended to be used across the most occasions, were appropriate for most products, and raised expectations of functional benefits. In contrast, consumers associated the least liked samples with the terms heavy and bold and had negative responses to most items. Similar findings were found when analyses were conducted on consumers classifying based on liking patterns. Each consumer group liked specific odorants; however, the relationship between the most liked samples and the response variables were similar. Analysis results demonstrated that openness to experience was the only personality factor that influenced fragrance acceptance. Consumers from different demographic segments tended to like different fragrances. For example, men tended to like chypré smells, whereas younger consumers tended to like soft floral/powdery scents. One limitation of the study is the number and type of fragrances tested. It is possible that a different set of fragrances could have produced different results. However, the range of fragrances in this study was broad-based and generally covered the types of fragrances typically available in the marketplace.

Master of Science / Human Nutrition / Delores H. Chambers / Understanding how consumers handle poultry can highlight gaps in consumer knowledge and practice of food safety. Quantitative research provides only a partial image, whereas qualitative data is helpful in gaining a complete picture of a shopper's behaviors. The objective of this study was to determine what poultry product microbes could potentially be transferred during purchasing and home storage; using a shop-along observational technique to observe actual shopping, transporting, and storing behavior of consumers with raw poultry products. In 71% (n=97) of the situations observed there was no visible hand sanitizer or wipes in the meat section of the grocery store. Plastic bags could be found in the meat section 85% (n=97) of the time, which only 25% of shoppers (n=82) used the bag for their poultry products. During transportation, the consumer bagged the poultry separately from other products in 71% of the observations. A majority of shoppers (59%) stored poultry without using a plastic bag or other container. Overall, there needs to be an increase in food safety education on the handling of poultry during purchasing, transporting, and storage.

Master of Public Health / Kinesiology / Brandon Irwin / Background: Emerging technologies (i.e. smartphones, Internet) may be effective tools for promoting physical activity (PA); however few studies have provided effective means of using them to enhance social support. Face-to-face programs that use group dynamics-based (GDB) principles of behavior change have been shown to be highly effective in promoting group cohesion and PA however few studies have examined their effects in web-based programs. The present study examines the effect of a GDB application on group cohesion and PA. We expected partner’s level of presence to moderate this effect. Methods: Subjects (n=135) were randomized into same-sex dyads and randomized to an experimental condition: low cohesion/low presence (LC-LP), high cohesion/low presence (HC-LP), high cohesion/high presence (HC-HP), or individual. Participants performed two blocks of planking exercises (pre-post). Between blocks, participants in partnered conditions were met their partner using either a standard social support application (LC-LP) or a GDB social support application (HC-LP and HC-HP), where they participated in a series of team-building exercises. Individual subjects were given a rest period. Participants in the HC-HP saw a live video stream of their partner exercising during Block 2. Perception of cohesion was measured using a modified Physical Activity Group Environment-Questionnaire (PAGE-Q). PA was calculated as performance during Block 2 controlled for by performance during Block 1. Results: Findings show that perception of cohesion was higher for the HC-LP condition compared to the LC-LP conditions in three of the four cohesion dimensions: ATG-S(p=0.002), GI-T(p=0.002), GI-S(p=0.022), but not ATG-T(p=0.170). Cohesion means did not differ between HC-LP and HC-HP conditions. Only the HC-HP condition produced significant gains in PA compared to other conditions (HC-LP: p=0.044; LC-LP: p=0.018; Individual: p=0.001). Conclusions: Findings suggest that a GDB application may be an effective method of improving group cohesion, however it may be insufficient on its own to improve PA. Increasing presence may be an effective method of improving performance during a single session of PA, however further research is needed to determine its effect on long term behavior change.

Master of Science / Department of Psychological Sciences / Mary Cain / Individuals suffering from depression primarily rely on pharmacological interventions to alleviate the incapacitating symptoms of the disorder. In addition to genetic differences underlying the etiology of depression, environmental factors play a key role as well. For example, environmental enrichment results in various neurotransmitter alterations, significantly affecting serotonin. To test the efficacy of novel antidepressant drugs in the preclinical laboratory setting, researchers commonly implement the forced swim test (FST) for rats or mice. However, the effect of environmental enrichment on the expression of depressive-like states in the FST is unclear, and it is unknown whether environmental enrichment or social isolation can alter the efficacy of the commonly prescribed antidepressant drug, fluoxetine. In the present study, locomotor activity and FST performance were measured after 30 days of rearing in enriched (EC), standard (SC), and isolated (IC) conditions. Results showed that regardless of the significant effect of fluoxetine on locomotor activity in EC, SC, and IC rats, fluoxetine failed to increase swimming and decrease immobility in all three environmental conditions, with enriched-fluoxetine rats displaying significantly less swimming behavior in the FST than enriched rats receiving vehicle control injections. These results suggest that differential rearing, specifically environmental enrichment, can alter the efficacy of antidepressants and may suggest that enrichment reverses the effects of fluoxetine.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Laura A. Brannon / The current research investigated strategies to reduce cell phone use while driving. Anti-distracted driving campaigns, which typically communicate risk information and target driver behavior, may produce limited effects because people tend to underestimate their risk from this behavior (e.g., Schlehofer et al., 2010). Study 1 compared the effects of messages targeting drivers to messages targeting non-drivers in order to examine the potential of discouraging people from having cell phone communication with others who are driving. Some anti-distracted driving campaigns have emphasized the potential harm to both the driver and others, but whether one approach (self-oriented or other-oriented messaging) is more persuasive than the other has not been examined empirically. Study 1 compared messages that were self-oriented, other-oriented, or neutral in terms of who could be affected by cell phone use while driving. Although cell phone use while driving generally is perceived as dangerous, people may make justifications for engaging in the behavior on at least some occasions, and these justifications may override the influence of risk knowledge on behavior. Consistent with inoculation theory (McGuire, 1961), if given the opportunity to practice refuting these justifications in a controlled setting, people will be more likely to defend themselves against justifications to engage in cell phone use while driving. Thus, Study 1 tested the prediction that participation in an inoculation task would reduce the likelihood of cell phone use while driving. Results from Study 1 suggested an advantage of targeting non-driving participants of cell phone conversations to enhance efforts for reducing on-the-road cell phone use. Study 1 also demonstrated a positive effect of inoculation, but primarily for behavior of non-driving participants of cell phone conversations. In addition to overconfidence in ability to avoid risk, habitual tendencies also may impede the influence of risk communication campaigns (Bayer & Campbell, 2012). Study 2 investigated the potential of mindfulness-based and implementation intentions techniques for helping people overcome habitual responses to their cell phone when doing so is inappropriate or inconvenient. Results indicated that pairing mindfulness-based training with risk information may be significantly more effective than risk information alone at inhibiting inappropriate cell phone use.

Master of Science / Family Studies and Human Services / Joyce Baptist / The present study examined whether married individuals hold boundaries for online social networking and the relationship between these boundaries and relational trust and satisfaction. Participants included 205 married individuals who had been married for an average of 27 years. Five specific boundaries were identified and tested using group comparison (by sex) structural equation modeling. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed two latent constructs for internet boundaries: Openness (3 items: Know Friends, Share Passwords and Account Access) and Fidelity (2 items: No Flirting and No Former Partners). Findings suggest that couples in long-term committed relationships have boundaries or rules for social networking. Furthermore, trusting one’s partner, but not relationship satisfaction, contributes to behaviors that reflect sharing online social networking information, and curb online flirting and relationships with former romantic partners. Trust was more strongly associated with men’s than women’s motivation to avoid flirtatious online interaction and communicating with former romantic partners online. These findings that indicate that the use of internet boundaries is highly related to marital trust support the development theory of trust.