The White Lotus is an award-winning television series about characters staying and working at a fictional hotel and resort chain. In this project, I identified numerous literary allusions present in The White Lotus and took their existence as an invitation to analyze thematic parallels between the television series and Homer’s Odyssey. Through this process, I discovered a shared theme of hospitality, and thus explored the Greek concept of xenia (guest-friendship) in Homer’s work. I also discussed the social commentary about economic privilege in The White Lotus and identified key criteria for a season of the show. Ultimately, all of these measures informed my creation of a new prospective season of the television series which is directly inspired by aspects of Homer’s Odyssey. Completing this project allowed me to think critically about how ancient Greek literary works are applicable to modern society and led me to contemplate both direct and indirect influences of ancient Greek culture in the present day.

This thesis opens with a review of classical research on academic dishonesty, peer behavior, honors code, and misinformation. Specifically, we will analyze research on peer reporting and honor codes to evaluate the efficacy of common measures taken to address academic dishonesty in higher education. This will be used as a foundation to analyze the impact that ChatGPT can have on academic dishonesty, and assess the standard measures within this emerging new context. Finally, we will suggest possible solutions to address these developments, particularly regarding the ways in which ChatGPT and other forms of AI can accelerate the spread of misinformation. The hope is to provide guidance to institutions in developing updated and effective honors codes. Crucially, any code can only be effective when faculty and staff are deeply engaged with students, and help cultivate an institutional culture of academic integrity.

This paper examines the effect of a weekly student self-assessment assignment on student performance in an undergraduate math course. Self-assessment is an increasingly popular type of formative assessment with close ties to self-regulated learning theory. In this randomized controlled trial, 88 students enrolled in MAT 142 were divided into four treatment groups, receiving the self-assessment assignment for either half the semester, the full semester, or not at all. There was no main effect of the treatment on students’ course performance (F(3,80) = 0.154, p = 0.999). However, students’ level of compliance with the assignments (F(1, 63) = 6.87, p = 0.011) and class attendance (F(1, 83) = 12.34, p < 0.001) both significantly predicted exam scores, suggesting that conscientiousness predicts performance. I conducted focus groups to understand how students felt toward the self-assessments. Participants expressed distaste toward the assignments and provided suggestions for improvements. I describe these improvements, among others, in an effort to outline future directions for this research. I also describe a new model of student self-assessment based on theories of adaptive testing and self-regulated learning.

Healthy relationships are a key contributor toward life satisfaction. Thus, it is important to understand correlates of relationship functioning. Partners high in empathy have been found to experience higher levels of relationship satisfaction. However, it is unclear which facet of empathy matters more in determining satisfaction, an individual’s own empathy or their perception of their partner’s empathy. The present study surveyed both members of 54 heterosexual couples (Mage = 38.57, SD = 14.44) on relationship satisfaction and two measures of empathy: self-reported empathy and perceptions of one’s partner’s empathy. Bivariate correlation analyses showed that both higher self-reported empathy scores and higher perceived empathy scores from the female partner were associated with higher relationship satisfaction among men. In women, the same pattern occurred: higher self-reported empathy in women and higher perceived empathy from the male partner were associated with higher relationship satisfaction among women. Moreover, higher empathic discrepancies – defined as the absolute difference between an individual’s self-reported empathy and their partner’s rating of the individual’s empathy – were associated with lower levels of relationship satisfaction among partners. These results lend support for empathy-focused efforts in developing and maintaining satisfying relationships.

In this study, the role of attention in facial expression processing is investigated, especially as it relates to fearful facial expressions compared to happy facial expressions. Facial fear processing plays a critical role in human social interactions and survival, and this has previously been studied mainly in animal models. This study, however, was accomplished with the presentation of images of actors with happy and fearful facial expressions in three spatial frequency formats, as it is hypothesized that images at different spatial frequencies may be processed via different pathways. These images were presented to human participants in two experiments. In Experiment I, facial expression was task-relevant as participants were asked to discriminate between “happy” and “fear” expressions with reaction time (measured in seconds) and accuracy recorded. In Experiment II, facial expression was task-irrelevant, as participants were asked simply to discriminate between photographs of males and females, again with reaction time and accuracy recorded. Overall, the results comparing happy and fearful facial expressions in Experiment I were not significant. The results comparing happy and fearful facial expressions in Experiment II exhibited similar insignificant results except for accuracy in certain spatial frequencies, which were found to be significant. These results suggest that fearful facial expressions are processed more accurately than happy facial expressions when attention is focused on other variables in the image rather than when attention is focused on the facial expressions themselves.

This thesis reviews the literature surrounding imposter syndrome’s theoretical frameworks, proposed causes, and potential symptoms. It begins by explaining how the term “imposter syndrome” originated along with exploring various definitions with particular focus on its impact in the academic sphere. Next, different theoretical frameworks used to hypothesize the cause of imposter syndrome, including Albert Bandura’s Theory of Self-Efficacy, Carol Dweck’s Theory of Growth Mindset, and stereotype threat, are explored. When reviewing causal theories and factors, I focus on individual risk factors for imposter syndrome rather than how institutions factor into imposter syndrome. After theoretical frameworks are established, the link between imposter syndrome and general wellbeing is addressed. Lastly, there is a critical analysis of various treatment and prevention programs and I use this research to develop my own workshop aimed at helping students manage their imposter syndrome.

This pilot study examined aspects of post-secondary education at Arizona State University (ASU) in relation to how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) aligned strategies are used to support students, especially those who identify as having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Students with ADHD have different needs from peers without ADHD, particularly in self-regulation and executive function (APA, 2022). UDL strategies are designed to help create educational experiences that are accessible to diverse learners of all backgrounds, and they are implemented through three main principles: multiple means of engagement, expression, and representation (CAST, 2018). UDL guidelines which expand upon the principle of multiple means of engagement were investigated in relation to building a better framework of learning for students with ADHD at a large public university in the Southwestern US. I aimed to better understand (a) student perceptions of ASU faculties' implementation of instructional strategies aligned to UDL’s principle of multiple means of engagement (b) student perception of the benefit of using specific UDL aligned strategies, and (c) the relationship between the engagement UDL strategies used and their perceived benefit to students’ academic success. A survey was used to collect data from a sample within ASU’s population of students. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as an independent samples t-test to compare variables. Findings from this pilot study can greatly benefit the quality of learning that students receive, could have the potential to inform future studies, as well as provide additional data to faculty members about student perception of the use and benefit of instructional strategies aligned to the UDL principle of multiple means of engagement. With the results of the study, educators can better understand student needs and increase student academic benefit within a college environment.

The cerebellum is recognized for its role in motor movement, balance, and more recently, social behavior. Cerebellar injury at birth and during critical periods reduces social preference in animal models and increases the risk of autism in humans. Social behavior is commonly assessed with the three-chamber test, where a mouse travels between chambers that contain a conspecific and an object confined under a wire cup. However, this test is unable to quantify interactive behaviors between pairs of mice, which could not be tracked until the recent development of machine learning programs that track animal behavior. In this study, both the three-chamber test and a novel freely-moving social interaction test assessed social behavior in untreated male and female mice, as well as in male mice injected with hM3Dq (excitatory) DREADDs. In the three-chamber test, significant differences were found in the time spent (female: p < 0.05, male: p < 0.001) and distance traveled (female: p < 0.05, male: p < 0.001) in the chamber with the familiar conspecific, compared to the chamber with the object, for untreated male, untreated female, and mice with activated hM3Dq DREADDs. A social memory test was added, where the object was replaced with a novel mouse. Untreated male mice spent significantly more time (p < 0.05) and traveled a greater distance (p < 0.05) in the chamber with the novel mouse, while male mice with activated hM3Dq DREADDs spent more time (p<0.05) in the chamber with the familiar conspecific. Data from the freely-moving social interaction test was used to calculate freely-moving interactive behaviors between pairs of mice and interactions with an object. No sex differences were found, but mice with excited hM3Dq DREADDs engaged in significantly more anogenital sniffing (p < 0.05) and side-side contact (p < 0.05) behaviors. All these results indicate how machine learning allows for nuanced insights into how both sex and chemogenetic excitation impact social behavior in freely-moving mice.