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This study investigates the intricate relationship between environmental knowledge (EK), adoption barriers, and sustainable consumption (SC) behavior among young adults in Sweden. Utilizing cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) as a framework, the research aims to explain the mechanisms behind the intention-behavior gap in sustainable consumption. The Moderated Multiple Regression (MMR) analysis of survey data reveals a significant positive association between environmental knowledge and sustainable consumption behavior, with income level moderating this relationship – individuals with lower-income face barriers to sustainable consumption despite their knowledge.  Although product availability and psychological factors (control/self-efficacy) were not significant moderators, their importance in shaping sustainable consumption choices is highlighted, emphasizing the complexity of barriers. The study also finds that sustainable consumption behavior moderates the relationship between environmental knowledge and cognitive dissonance (CD), suggesting that aligning actions with knowledge reduces psychological discomfort. This research provides valuable insights for developing interventions to promote sustainable consumption among young adults in Sweden. Despite these insights, the persistence of the intention-behavior gap calls for further investigation.

The current research examines the use of social media and its security settings using the Social Exchange Theory (SET) within a Saudi student environment. This research includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion with the results section presenting the findings from the three essays. The first essay employs the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology of SET. PRISMA's systematic and exhaustive approach to literature evaluation increases the likelihood of obtaining high-quality, reproducible findings. In the second essay, which focuses on awareness of X's (Twitter) security settings, a quantitative research approach was utilized. A sample of former and current Saudi students (graduate and undergraduate) at the University of North Texas participated in the investigation. This research provides an empirical examination of the use of X (Twitter) and its security features within this community by employing statistical analysis of the data from respondents. Likewise, the same sample of Saudi students from the University of North Texas was used for the third essay in which the use of Facebook's security settings was examined. Having a consistent sample across both studies enables a comparison and a greater understanding of the security awareness and practices of this group across various social media platforms. The findings across the different studies extend our understanding of the role of culture in privacy and security concerns related to social media.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Elizabeth B. Barrett / The primary purposes of this research were to 1) use the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)to assess Millennial generation wine consumers attitudes, perceived behavioral controls, and subjective norms related to purchasing wine in casual dining restaurants (CDR), and 2) use Conjoint Analysis (CA) to analyze Millennials’ preferences for wine information on the restaurant menu. An instrument was designed based on the TPB and CA and was sent online to 216 consumers using the database of a market research firm (e-rewards). Independent variables (attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms) were analyzed to predict behavioral intentions to purchase wine. Principal component analysis was combined with multiple linear regression to assess intention. Results identified attitudes and subjective norms as being significant in predicting behavioral intention, perceived behavioral controls was partially significant. Millennial’s believe ordering wine with their friends and family in casual dining restaurants will make them feel smart and sophisticated and will increase the enjoyment of food. However, they do not believe wine consumption is appropriate in CDR’s; they had strong perceptions that wine is purchased for special occasions and consumed in fine dining restaurants. Part II of the study employed conjoint analysis to determine Millennials preferences for wine information on the menu. Results indicated that Millennials prefer menus that provide wine/food pairing information, wine flavor descriptors located near food listings and quality wines at an affordable price. Millennials attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls support previous research that this generation is interested in wine and wine is a social experience that increases their enjoyment of food and time spent with their friends and family. Through the use of CA, the present study suggests wine information on the menu is important to this segment of consumers. Additional research should be conducted to understand the stereotypes this generation has about wine consumption in casual dining restaurants. These operators and owners should consider focusing their marketing efforts showing Millennials enjoying wine while celebrating special occasions with their friends and family. In addition, redeveloping menus in their operations to add wine information may increase interest in wine and generate profit.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychological Sciences / Gary Brase / Brand Equity is a common phrase in consumer research, but there is still a lot of ambiguity surrounding the measurement of this concept (Keller, 2008). Several methods of measurement have been proposed over the years, but no one method has been adopted as the ideal way to predict purchase intent and measure brand equity. The current research tested three theories—Social Exchange Theory (SET), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and the Yoo and Donthu model—to see which is the best predictor of purchase intent and brand equity. SET assumes consumers weigh the costs and rewards of purchasing the product. TPB uses consumers’ attitudes over purchasing the product, subjective norms of what others would do, and the perceived behavioral control consumers have in actually purchasing the product. The Yoo and Donthu model has been used most often of the three theories in measuring brand equity and includes measures of brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness/associations, and overall brand equity. Study 1 assessed consumer durable products (TV and athletic shoes) and Study 2 assessed consumer non-durable products (soap and toothpaste). Consumers evaluated these products online based on a picture of the product, the brand name, price, customer reviews, quality ratings, and an advertisement and then indicated their likelihood to purchase the product. Theory of Planned Behavior was the best predictor of purchase intent across all four products assessed indicating that consumers look at external factors such as what others would do as well as how much control they have over purchasing the product as much as they consider their own attitudes.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Deborah D. Canter / SooCheong Jang / Senior casino gaming has been appearing as a leisure activity for the senior population as well as a research topic for many researchers from various academic disciplines. Finding out important reasons or motivations for older adults spending time in casino gaming will be the one of the fundamental ways to determine their future casino patronage intention. Accordingly, this study identifies a comprehensive inventory of senior casino gaming motivations by way of an exploratory approach. Followed Churchill’s (1979) scale development procedure, the study generated a to find five distinctive senior casino gaming motivation dimensions: winning and thrill, socialization, escape, enjoyment, and curiosity. Ultimately, confirmatory factor estimates supported that the finalized measure was unidimensional, reliable, and valid while the measurement scale was parsimonious and captured various dimensions of senior casino gaming motivation. The second part of this study investigated the applicability of an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) with motivation component attached in context of senior casino gaming behavior. Seniors’ past casino visit was also tested for a moderator effect between the major predictor variables (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and motivation) and seniors’ casino behavioral intention. The findings of a structural equation modeling suggested that all predictable variables of TPB had positive effects on seniors’ casino gaming intention. Among senior casino gaming motivation, ‘winning and thrill’ and ‘enjoyment’ had direct positive effects on behavioral intention. The results of metric invariance test for moderating role of past casino visit showed that there was no indication of seniors’ past casino visit having any influence on their intention to participate in casino gaming. The overall study results suggested that the proposed extended model is a useful tool to use in studying of senior casino gaming behavior. In conclusion, theoretical and practical implications of the study findings were discussed.

Recently, it has been admitted by many researchers that students today are "digital natives" who already utilize several different technologies everyday with different purposes. Furthermore, while there is a plethora of research about learners' perceptions in language pedagogy, there is a paucity of information and research that could move beyond generic perception studies especially regarding new technologies. Accordingly, educators are still concerned not only with how to encourage EFL learners to adopt emerging technologies that could be invaluable in their language learning processes, but also with how to keep students interested in what they are learning. Thus, an understanding beyond students' perceptions with a purposive focus on their approach to technology by also exploring factors that have an influence on their adoption of emerging technologies is the key to knowing how to motivate students to integrate new technologies, and how to keep students interested in the learning process. Therefore, the purpose of this study was three-fold: to identify language learners' approaches to technologies; to examine their attitude toward emerging technologies with a focus on their familiarity, actual use, intentions and perceptions; and finally to analyze the factors and relationships among these factors that best predict language learners' intentions and decisions to use emerging technologies. The study specifically aimed to explore the following emerging technologies: (a) social networking, (b) mobile learning, and (c) digital games as major emerging technologies of today with also a focus on other emerging technologies: (a) augmented reality, (b) wearable technologies, (c) virtual assistants, (d) massive online open courses, (e) 3D printing and (f) online language learning platforms. This mixed methods study benefitted from multiple disciplines, and presented several different perspectives to achieve its aim. The data were obtained through a survey, open-ended questions, and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. In addition, structural equation modeling was utilized and path analysis was employed to draw on two complementary frameworks: innovation diffusion theory (Rogers, 2003), especially its application in technology adopter categories (TACI) (Dugas, 2005), and the decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) (Taylor & Todd, 1995), which was adapted for this research. The qualitative data was analyzed through thematic content analysis, and used to triangulate and affirm what the quantitative data was showing. The findings indicated that technology adopter categories were normally distributed among EFL learners at a public and a private university in Turkey. Although most EFL learners were quite familiar and confident with major emerging technologies, they were not very familiar with minor emerging technologies. As for an awareness of the benefits of all listed emerging technologies, the study revealed that EFL learners' awareness is quite high; however, it was also found that participants' intention to use these emerging technologies and their actual use were very low. Finally, the results showed that the adapted DTPB was useful in explaining much of the variance in the intention to integrate technology into language learning processes by EFL learners, and attitude was the most important predictor and factor of behavioral intention. Given these findings, this research aims to contribute to the literature in innovation diffusion, user adoption and language pedagogy by offering several theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical implications and directions for future research and applications.

With a total of 164 community supported agriculture programs (CSA), Vermont is leading the "locavore" movement in the United States, ranked number one in the country with the most CSAs and Food Hubs per capita. ("Locavore Index," 2013) CSAs have a large positive impact on reducing carbon emissions, advancing local economic growth, and promoting healthy lifestyles of consumers. The purpose of this study is to explore the overall experience of individuals in comparison to their current social norm, individual attitudes, identity, and intentions of change, and understand any change overtime in their individual attitude and behavior. Attitude change was measured by conducting pre and post surveys of the Intervale Food Hub UVM student members, as well as regression analysis to understand any possible indicators of chance. The data analysis provided understanding of the impact of the Intervale Food Hub's CSA membership on individuals' attitudes, norms, and identity. Survey questions, based on the theory of planned behavior, inquired about individuals' preferences, skills, and behavioral intentions. Because of the complexity of food and human relations, this data was be supplemented by collecting qualitative data to more richly understand the relationship between individuals and their Intervale Food Hub food shares. The conclusion of this study will advance understanding of one form of community supported-agriculture and its impact on human attitudes. Study findings will also aid the staff of the Intervale Food Hub in understanding their customers and implementing more efficient practices.

The non-medical use of prescription drugs is an important public health concern. Non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS), specifically medications used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is particularly concerning. One timely concern regarding NMUPS, especially among young adults, is their role in appetite suppression/weight loss. Indeed, some individuals are motivated to misuse such drugs for the purpose of losing weight. Engaging in NMUPS for weight loss has been examined only minimally in the research literature. However, extant data demonstrate that this behavior is associated with other unhealthy behaviors and poor psychosocial health. Limitations of prior research include the exclusive use of college student samples and little attention to relevant health behavior theory. The current study investigated NMUPS for weight loss in a national, young adult sample (n = 1526), ages 18-25 years, utilizing Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Motivations and attitudes about NMUPS were evaluated, within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A structural equation model (SEM) was analyzed, which included attitudes; social norms; and perceived behavioral control (PBC) to lose weight without stimulants, as predictors of engaging in past year NMUPS for weight loss. Approximately 12.0% of participants reported lifetime NMUPS for weight loss, and of these, 48.4% reported past year use. Findings demonstrate that use is related to disordered eating and unhealthy weight loss behaviors, including vomiting; high rates of other substance use; and psychological concerns, including body dissatisfaction and depressive symptomatology. These results suggest that NMUPS for weight loss is associated with a variety of negative consequences and users are not well-informed regarding medication knowledge. The SEM provided adequate overall fit to the data; two of the four social norms and both PBC factors were significantly associated with NMUPS for weight loss. This study extends the literature on the utility of the TPB in examining NMUPS, and provides the first research on utilizing the TPB to examine NMUPS for weight loss. Methods aimed at increasing PBC regarding stimulant use and weight loss, and emphasizing healthful and sustaining weight loss strategies, improving mental health, and educating about polysubstance use are potential intervention targets.