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Articles 4981 - 5010 of 6849

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Rationality And Reproduction: Health Insurance Coverage And Married Women's Fertility, Jennifer Adams Mendoza Aug 2008

Rationality And Reproduction: Health Insurance Coverage And Married Women's Fertility, Jennifer Adams Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

Health insurance has become essential in mediating the extremely high costs of childbirth; however, it has been neglected in fertility research. This study examines health insurance coverage as an economic determinant of fertility and includes discussions of the cost of raising children, contraception and childbirth as well as opportunity costs to illustrate that the effect of health insurance may differ by resources, such as income and education. Using data from the 2001 Survey of Income and Program Participation, I analyze the effects of insurance on the probability of pregnancy and birth with Discrete-Time Hazard Models. Results show that health insurance …


Negative And Positive Peer Influence: Relations To Positive And Negative Behaviors For African American, European American, And Hispanic Adolescents, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Roy A. Bean Aug 2008

Negative And Positive Peer Influence: Relations To Positive And Negative Behaviors For African American, European American, And Hispanic Adolescents, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Roy A. Bean

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current study was to examine adolescents’ perceptions of negative and positive peer influence (i.e., indirect peer association and direct peer pressure) as they related to adolescent behavior. Regression analyses were conducted using a sample of African American, European American, and Hispanic adolescents (N ¼ 1659, M age ¼ 16.06, SD ¼ 1.10). The study found differences and similarities in relation to respondents’ ethnicity vis-a`-vis indirect peer association and adolescent behavior. Although few ethnic-based differences occurred as a function of indirect negative peer association, indirect positive peer association was not as consistently or as strongly related to …


Parowan Valley Gaming Pieces And Insights Into Fremont Social Organization, Molly Allison Hall Aug 2008

Parowan Valley Gaming Pieces And Insights Into Fremont Social Organization, Molly Allison Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis primarily addresses the implications of Fremont gaming pieces in the Parowan Valley. First, I review ethnographic gaming pieces and compare them to the Fremont worked bone pieces in order to support the idea that they were used by the Fremont in games similar to the ones recorded ethnographically. Then, I analyze a collection of Fremont gaming pieces from excavations at three Parowan Valley sites. I note drastic differences in the characteristics found on pieces inside the Parowan Valley and those form outside the Parowan Valley. It is also clear that gaming pieces are being produced in the Parowan …


Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy And Gender In Social Class Reproduction, Spencer L. James Aug 2008

Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy And Gender In Social Class Reproduction, Spencer L. James

Theses and Dissertations

The observation that middle class parents tend to have middle class children is rather obvious. Why this is so has been the subject of less research than the fact that it is so. Using the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), I employ theories about social class reproduction to examine and evaluate a model that scrutinizes the influence of self-efficacy and self-esteem on college completion or current enrollment and investigate gender differences. I find that self-esteem and self-efficacy play a vital role in social class outcomes. However, I find no evidence of gender differences in the social class reproduction …


Fmri Evidence Of Group Differences On The Word Memory Test In A Sample Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, James Douglas Larsen Aug 2008

Fmri Evidence Of Group Differences On The Word Memory Test In A Sample Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, James Douglas Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The Word Memory Test (WMT) is a popular effort test that requires participants to memorize lists of paired words and repeat them back in a variety of different memory tasks. Four brain injured patients participated in two trials of the delayed recall (DR) portion of the WMT while undergoing fMRI scanning. In the first trial subjects put forth full effort, and during the second trial subjects were instructed to simulate increased memory impairment in order to represent poor effort. fMRI activation from both trials were compared in order to contrast full and simulated poor effort activation patterns during the WMT. …


Patterns Of Social Participation: Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Creating Social Capital, Camille Miller Aug 2008

Patterns Of Social Participation: Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of Creating Social Capital, Camille Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Given the numerous benefits noted in academic research from having social capital, investigators may now turn to looking at what makes a person likely to create it. In this study I examine whether building social capital in high school through participation in religious, athletic, and volunteer activities makes individuals more likely to continue to create it as adults through participation in similar activities. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, I employ both multilevel and seemingly unrelated regression models. I find that early participation in religious and athletic activities increases the likelihood of doing two out of three social …


The Effects Of Viewing Physical And Relational Aggression In The Media: Evidence For A Cross-Over Effect, Sarah M. Coyne, David A. Nelson, Frances Lawton, Shelly Haslam, Lucy Rooney, Leigh Titterington, Hannah Trainor, Jack Remnant, Leah Ogunlaja Jul 2008

The Effects Of Viewing Physical And Relational Aggression In The Media: Evidence For A Cross-Over Effect, Sarah M. Coyne, David A. Nelson, Frances Lawton, Shelly Haslam, Lucy Rooney, Leigh Titterington, Hannah Trainor, Jack Remnant, Leah Ogunlaja

Faculty Publications

Research has shown that viewing violence in the media can have a profound impact on aggressive thoughts and behaviors. However, the impact of viewing relational aggression in the media has rarely been examined. This paper presents the results of an experimental study that examines the impact of viewing relational and physical aggression in the media on subsequent aggression. In this study, adult females were shown video clips containing no-aggression, relational aggression, or physical aggression. Their aggressive behavior was measured through the use of a competitive reaction time task (physical aggression) and evaluations of a confederate of the experiment (relational aggression). …


Predicting Performance On Criterion-Referenced Reading Tests With Benchmark Assessments, Kaitlyn Nicole Dyson Jul 2008

Predicting Performance On Criterion-Referenced Reading Tests With Benchmark Assessments, Kaitlyn Nicole Dyson

Theses and Dissertations

The current research study investigates the predictive value of two frequently-used benchmark reading assessments: Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). With an increasing emphasis on high-stakes testing to measure reading proficiency, benchmark assessments may assist in predicting end-of-year performance on high-stakes testing. Utah's high-stakes measurement of end-of-year reading achievement is the English Language Arts Criterion-Referenced Test (ELA-CRT). A Utah urban school district provided data for students who completed the DRA, DIBELS, and ELA-CRT in the 2005-2006 school year. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the accuracy to which the …


The Parents As Teachers Program And Kindergarten Literacy Readiness, Teresa Lynn Ockey Jul 2008

The Parents As Teachers Program And Kindergarten Literacy Readiness, Teresa Lynn Ockey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the Parents as Teachers program and its relationship to literacy and school readiness among kindergarten students enrolled in three elementary schools in southwestern New Mexico, using the Dynamic Indicators of Literacy Skills assessment system. Data were collected by trained teachers and parent volunteers and used by the Parents as Teachers program as part of their program evaluation. Analysis of these data showed that the PAT program is having positive results for participating students in this school district in comparison to non-PAT kindergartners. The overall results from this study support continuing implementation of …


Music And The Modern Maya: A Reception Study Of Rock-Maya Music In Guatemala, Malcolm Miguel Botto Jul 2008

Music And The Modern Maya: A Reception Study Of Rock-Maya Music In Guatemala, Malcolm Miguel Botto

Theses and Dissertations

The current global flows of people, capital, technology, images and ideas--a phenomenon described as "mediascapes" by Arjun Appadurai (1996), traverse the most isolated Maya communities in Guatemala. These flows have recently influenced the creation of hybrid media products among the Maya. Among them we find an emerging indigenous musical genre called "Rock-Maya." I use reception analysis methods to document the encoding and decoding of this new indigenous medium of communication. Through qualitative interviews I attempt to show how K'iche'-Maya youth appropriate, what Motti Regev (1997) calls, the rock aesthetic to promote a sense of K'iche'-Maya youth identity in a modern …


The Group Questionnaire: A New Measure Of The Group Relationship, Julieann Krogel Jul 2008

The Group Questionnaire: A New Measure Of The Group Relationship, Julieann Krogel

Theses and Dissertations

The Group Questionnaire (GQ) is a 30-item, self-report measure of the group relationship that was developed in the present study. It is based off of Johnson's new three factor model of the group relationship which includes Positive Bonding, Positive Working, and Negative Relationship. This study involved two parts, the creation of the GQ followed by the validation and refinement of the GQ using 486 participants from three populations - outpatient university counseling center, inpatient state hospital, and non-patient AGPA process groups. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to test the goodness-of-fit of Johnson's model to each of the populations separately …


Improving Psychotherapy Outcome: The Use Of Immediate Electronic Feedback And Revised Clinical Support Tools, Karstin Lee Slade Jul 2008

Improving Psychotherapy Outcome: The Use Of Immediate Electronic Feedback And Revised Clinical Support Tools, Karstin Lee Slade

Theses and Dissertations

While the beneficial effects of psychotherapy have been well documented, the fact remains that 5 to 10 percent of clients get worse while in treatment (Lambert & Ogles, 2004) and a large minority of patients show little response (Hansen, Lambert, & Forman, 2003). The effects of four interventions, aimed at reducing deterioration and enhancing positive outcomes were examined in an Immediate Electronic Feedback sample of 1101 patients whose outcome was contrasted across experimental groups and with two archival groups: the Week-Delayed Feedback group, consisting of archival data from 1374 patients and the treatment-as-usual control group consisting of archival data from …


Latino Students Identified As At Risk For Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders: Descriptions Of Their School Experience, Ryan M. Balagna Jul 2008

Latino Students Identified As At Risk For Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders: Descriptions Of Their School Experience, Ryan M. Balagna

Theses and Dissertations

Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority in the U.S. (NCES, 2004). Despite dramatic increases in Latino enrollment, a dearth of information exists regarding culturally responsive services. Latino students face poor education outcomes, including the highest dropout rate of any race (President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans [PACEEHA], 2003), and disproportionate over-representation in special education programs (Aaroe, 2004; Artiles & Trent, 1994; U.S. Department of Education, 1992, 1995, 2000). The present study explored issues relevant to serving Latino students who may be at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders. This study used qualitative interviews to …


Planning School Memorials: Feedback From The Columbine Memorial Planning Committee, Rebecka Dawn Bingham Jul 2008

Planning School Memorials: Feedback From The Columbine Memorial Planning Committee, Rebecka Dawn Bingham

Theses and Dissertations

On April 20, 1999, twelve students and one faculty member were shot and killed at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The two shooters also died. Today, over nine years after the tragedy, the community continues to heal and cope with their loss. Rather than investigating the actual tragedy, this study focused on perceptions of three leaders representing the Columbine Memorial Planning Committee, summarizing their responses to 9 questions related to planning the Columbine Memorial. Now completed, the memorial invites students; families; the community of Littleton, Colorado; and the world to never forget this loss or precious life. This memorial …


Service-Learning: A Case Study Approach To Understanding Cross-Age Tutoring With Junior High Students At-Risk For Behavioral And Emotional Disabilities, Megan S. Pratt Jul 2008

Service-Learning: A Case Study Approach To Understanding Cross-Age Tutoring With Junior High Students At-Risk For Behavioral And Emotional Disabilities, Megan S. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the effects a service-learning tutorship had on the Social and Personal Responsibility Scale scores of middle school students identified as at risk for emotional and behavioral problems and enrolled in a one hour class that focused on social skills, self-management, and emotional resilience. Eight students identified through school-wide screening measures as at-risk for emotional and behavioral problems were involved in a pre/post quantitative survey, pre/post exploratory interviews, and a post focus group to analyze their level of growth in relation to social and personal responsibility. Currently, there is a limited amount …


Enactments, Outcome, And Marital Therapy: A Pilot Study, Carianne Mitchell Jul 2008

Enactments, Outcome, And Marital Therapy: A Pilot Study, Carianne Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

Unfulfilled attachment related needs and wants are viewed by many therapists as the heart of couple distress (Johnson & Whiffen, 2003; Johnson, 2004). As a result, efforts to discover and utilize therapeutic processes that encourage couples to identify and appropriately respond to their partner's core attachment needs and wants continue to increase. This study served as a pilot study for a planned, larger-scale investigation examining enactments as a potential best-practice change mechanism to strengthen secure attachment in marital therapy. Twelve couples were randomly assigned to one of two possible experimental groups. Group 1 experienced three therapist-centered therapy sessions, followed by …


Semantic Role Labeling With Analogical Modeling, Warren C. Casbeer Jul 2008

Semantic Role Labeling With Analogical Modeling, Warren C. Casbeer

Theses and Dissertations

Semantic role labeling has become a popular natural language processing task in recent years. A number of conferences have addressed this task for the English language and many different approaches have been applied to the task. In particular, some have used a memory-based learning approach. This thesis further develops the memory-based learning approach to semantic role labeling through the use of analogical modeling of language. Data for this task were taken from a previous conference (CoNLL-2005) so that a direct comparison could be made with other algorithms that attempted to solve this task. It will be shown here that the …


Characterization And Comparative Analysis Of Adolescents Admitted To Therapeutic Wilderness Programs And More Traditional Treatment Settings, Mayer M. Jeppson Jul 2008

Characterization And Comparative Analysis Of Adolescents Admitted To Therapeutic Wilderness Programs And More Traditional Treatment Settings, Mayer M. Jeppson

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (TWP) are a fast growing segment of the adolescent treatment arena. Scientific literature on TWPs shows that researchers have skipped the natural step of identifying the population of adolescents admitted for treatment. To fill the gap in TWP research, this archival study identified demographic features and distinctive foundational aspects that represent the TWP treatment population. Comparison samples were taken from two TWPs, two residential treatment centers (RTC) and an outpatient therapy clinic (OP). At each of the five sites, basic descriptive data from client records were combined to represent multiple characterizing indexes that are in common usage …


Predicting The Longevity Of Dvdr Media By Periodic Analysis Of Parity, Jitter, And Ecc Performance Parameters, Daniel Patrick Wells Jul 2008

Predicting The Longevity Of Dvdr Media By Periodic Analysis Of Parity, Jitter, And Ecc Performance Parameters, Daniel Patrick Wells

Theses and Dissertations

For the last ten years, DVD-R media have played an important role in the storage of large amounts of digital data throughout the world. During this time it was assumed that the DVD-R was as long-lasting and stable as its predecessor, the CD-R. Several reports have surfaced over the last few years questioning the DVD-R's ability to maintain many of its claims regarding archival quality life spans. These reports have shown a wide range of longevity between the different brands. While some DVD-Rs may last a while, others may result in an early and unexpected failure. Compounding this problem is …


Religious Networks As A Sociolinguistic Factor: The Case Of Cardston, Benjamin Joseph Chatterton Jul 2008

Religious Networks As A Sociolinguistic Factor: The Case Of Cardston, Benjamin Joseph Chatterton

Theses and Dissertations

Religious affiliation and its inherent membership in an associated social network as a sociolinguistic factor is examined in the community of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Cardston, Alberta. Building on Meechan's 1998 findings that the LDS community in the area used Canadian Raising in a different set of phonotactic environments than the surrounding non-LDS English speakers, the study aims to determine if the LDS community uses other Canadian speech features differently or less frequently and if any Utah features (defined as Utah English in the literature, being the language of LDS English speakers in Utah) have continued from the settling of …


Teachers' Perspectives On Positive Behavior Support In Secondary Schools, Veronica Maria Gorgueiro Jul 2008

Teachers' Perspectives On Positive Behavior Support In Secondary Schools, Veronica Maria Gorgueiro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate teachers' perspectives regarding the social validity of the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) model implemented at a middle school and a junior high school. Qualitative data were collected through teacher focus groups and categorized then analyzed in order to summarize teachers' opinions regarding PBS and its' effectiveness. Both qualitative and quantitative results revealed that teachers perceived evidence of social validity in the areas of social appropriateness and social importance of effects. Four factors were also identified as the most influential areas to influence the success of PBS implementation. These included (a) administrative support, …


Non-Pedophilic Heterosexual Male Response To Affinity 2.0, Charles D. Crosby Jul 2008

Non-Pedophilic Heterosexual Male Response To Affinity 2.0, Charles D. Crosby

Theses and Dissertations

Given that the Affinity 2.0 is a largely untested instrument that purports to measure sexual attraction, it was unknown whether or not the instrument is temporally stable and would provide a characteristic response curve for normal heterosexual male sexual interest. This study examined the Affinity 2.0, a newly standardized viewing time (VT) instrument that purports to measure sexual interest. More specifically, the Affinity 2.0 was examined in regard to its temporal stability and ability to generate a characteristic curve for non-pedophilic, exclusively heterosexual male interests. This examination was carried out by administering the Affinity 2.0 twice on a sample of …


Predicting Sixth Grade Performance On Criterion-Referenced Reading Tests With Third Grade Test Scores, Michael Sean Gallacher Jul 2008

Predicting Sixth Grade Performance On Criterion-Referenced Reading Tests With Third Grade Test Scores, Michael Sean Gallacher

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the correlation between students' third grade reading ability and sixth grade reading ability. The data were collected from an urban school district, and the participants were students whose records contained information from their third grade school year and their sixth grade school year. The Utah English Language Arts Criterion-Referenced Tests (ELA-CRT) administered in third and sixth grade were used to determine reading ability. Additional demographic data, including race, gender, special education identification, free/reduced lunch, and English Language Learner (ELL), was assessed and controlled for in the data analysis and provided important information concerning the overall findings. Analysis …


The Effects Of Second Language Status On The Comprehension And Perception Of Direct And Indirect Speech In Written Teacher Feedback, Rachel E. Hansen Jul 2008

The Effects Of Second Language Status On The Comprehension And Perception Of Direct And Indirect Speech In Written Teacher Feedback, Rachel E. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how native and nonnative English speakers understand and perceive directness types in written teacher feedback (WTF). Currently research suggests that indirect speech in WTF will encourage students to think and maintain politeness between teacher and student (Benkendorf, 2001; Riley, 2003; Thonus, 1999; Vassileva, 2000). However, research also indicates that indirect speech may be more difficult to interpret than direct speech (Champagne, 2001; Holtgraves, 1999), which suggests that indirect speech used in WTF may be difficult for students to interpret and use to improve their compositions (Ferris, 2007; Hyland & Hyland, 2001). This difficulty may be even more …


Late Homestead Period Householding At Benmore And Tintic Junction: Comparing Rural And Sub-Rural Communities In Tooele And Juab Counties, Utah, Jennifer Aurora Beard Jul 2008

Late Homestead Period Householding At Benmore And Tintic Junction: Comparing Rural And Sub-Rural Communities In Tooele And Juab Counties, Utah, Jennifer Aurora Beard

Theses and Dissertations

Historical archaeologists are turning more and more attention to the study of capitalism in post-Industrialist nations. Rhoda Halperin's concept of householding considers networks of families or other groups that operate outside of the mainstream capitalist economy. The concept is most often applied in anthropological contexts, but may be a useful tool in the study of homesteading in the American West. At Benmore, a small homesteading community in southern Rush Valley, Tooele County, Utah, 20 families sought to survive by dry farming in a marginal environment. The enthusiasm of such residents as Israel Bennion, whose journal provides deep insight into the …


Psychoeducational Dissemination Across Distance: The Viability Of Telehealth With The Deaf Population, Jaime A. B. Wilson Jul 2008

Psychoeducational Dissemination Across Distance: The Viability Of Telehealth With The Deaf Population, Jaime A. B. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Within the deaf population, an extreme mental health professional shortage exists that may be alleviated with videoconferencing technology – also known as telehealth. Moreover, much needed mental health education within the deaf population remains largely inaccessible. Researchers have forewarned that the deaf population may remain underserved if significant changes do not take place with traditional service delivery methods. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of telehealth in teaching psychoeducational objectives, with special emphasis given to its application to the deaf population. The results of this study indicate that telehealth can be considered to be an efficacious …


Males' Ipsative Score Distortion On Affinity 2.0, Jeffrey Brian Madsen Jul 2008

Males' Ipsative Score Distortion On Affinity 2.0, Jeffrey Brian Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the frequency of distortion that occurs when raw score patterns of Affinity 2.0, a viewing time measure designed to assess sexual interest, are converted to ipsative scores. Eighty-eight percent of a sample of ninety-nine non-pedophilic, exclusively heterosexual males' profiles sustained some degree of distortion. The study also applied Brown's (2005) approach to predicting distortion with this sample of males' responses. Brown's techniques were largely ineffective in predicting males' distortion scores.


Clinical Applications Of Fmri: An Adaptation Of A Standard Neuropsychological Battery, Alina K. F. Ichimura Jul 2008

Clinical Applications Of Fmri: An Adaptation Of A Standard Neuropsychological Battery, Alina K. F. Ichimura

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to advance the utility of functional brain imaging as a tool for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders by creating a statistical database of functional MRI (fMRI) brain activation patterns collected from neurologically and psychiatrically unimpaired subjects. Continuous fMRI scans have been obtained from each subject while s/he performed a variety of cognitive tasks that are commonly found in standard neurological and cognitive assessment batteries. The collected fMRI data has been processed, analyzed, and converted into database which can be used as a reference of reliable indices of normal brain activity patterns for …


Body Shape Dissatisfaction: Patterns Of Concern Among Subgroups Of College Freshmen Women, Kristina S Withers Hansen Jul 2008

Body Shape Dissatisfaction: Patterns Of Concern Among Subgroups Of College Freshmen Women, Kristina S Withers Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to determine if there are patterns of differences according to college major in terms of the percentage of freshmen women who score in the clinically significant range on a measure of attitude toward body shape. Participants (N = 1,982) completed a demographic questionnaire and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and were divided into subgroups according to their stated college major. Descriptive statistics regarding BSQ scores were calculated for the total sample and subgroups. Results indicated that a greater percentage of participants in Theater, Communications, Psychology, Dance, Business, and Dietetics majors scored within clinically significant ranges on the …


Secondary Intervention For Students At Risk For Emotional And Behavioral Disorders Within A Positive Behavior Support Model, Jennifer Anne James Jul 2008

Secondary Intervention For Students At Risk For Emotional And Behavioral Disorders Within A Positive Behavior Support Model, Jennifer Anne James

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring is an intervention growing in popularity with a weak research foundation. This study combines mentoring and social skill training within a positive behavior support framework. Targeting a fourth-grade, Latino student at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders, this single-subject study looks at his ability to master a specific social skill. The mentor served to reinforce social skill learning through practicing, role-playing, and goal setting. The student was chosen using the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders and the social skill was created using the School Social Behavior Scales that identified social skill strengths and weaknesses. Student demonstration of the social …