Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Let’S Discuss: Teaching Students About Discussions, Eve Brank, Lindsey Wylie

Academic Publications

Research consistently demonstrates the benefits of employing classroom discussions; however, there has been less attention given to teaching students about discussions. The current research compared 2 advanced social psychology courses: 1 without (control) and 1 with (experimental) a week devoted to learning about and discussing discussions. Several different indicators showed marked improvements for the experimental group as compared to the control group. The differences between the two classes were particularly noticeable at the beginning of the semester. Even though the control group was able to eventually obtain similar scores, the differences at the beginning of the semester suggest that students …

Greyhound, 1984, Lisa K. Sandlin

Writer’s Workshop Faculty Publications

In "Greyhound, 1984," fiction writer Lisa Sandlin grabs and holds onto the reader with terse, rhythmic language, unique imagery, and a story that's both unsentimental and poignant.

The Effect Of Emotional Intelligence And Task Type On Malevolent Creativity, Daniel J. Harris, Roni Reiter-Palmon, James C. Kaufman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Malevolent creativity (MC), or intending to inflict harm in original ways, is an aspect of creativity that has received little empirical attention. It reasons that generating malevolently creative products in response to a problem is dependent upon individual differences and environmental factors, especially with regard to the social and emotional content of a particular problem. A personality variable strongly associated with how individuals acknowledge and respond to such social and emotional content is emotional intelligence (EI). Individuals with higher EI often solve problems in cooperative, beneficial, and positive ways, which seems contrary to solving a problem with MC. In addition …

Pundits: The Confidence Trick: Better Confident Than Right?, Ben O. Smith, Jadrian Wooten

Economics Faculty Publications

Media pundits are the supreme example of self-belief and confidence in their own opinions. Through TV, newspapers and blogs they tell us with sublime certainty what will happen. But are they right? And does it matter if they are wrong? Ben Smith and Jadrian Wooten ask what we demand from pundits – accuracy or confidence?

Observing Culture: Differences In U.S.-American And German Team Meeting Behaviors, Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock, Joseph A. Allen, Annika L. Meinecke

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although previous research has theorized about team interaction differences between the German and U.S. cultures, actual behavioral observations of such differences are sparse. This study explores team meetings as a context for examining intercultural differences. We analyzed a total of 5,188 meeting behaviors in German and U.S. student teams. All teams discussed the same task to consensus. Results from behavioral process analyses showed that German teams focused significantly more on problem analysis, whereas U.S. teams focused more on solution production. Moreover, U.S. teams showed significantly more positive socioemotional meeting behavior than German teams. Finally, German teams showed significantly more counteractive …

Nebraska Sex Offender Registry Study, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The Consortium for Crime and Justice Research at the University of Nebraska Omaha was charged by the Nebraska Legislature’s Judiciary Committee to undertake a study of the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry. The primary goal of the study was to compare sex offender recidivism under the pre-LB 285 classification system that utilized risk levels derived from a psychological risk assessment instrument to sex offender recidivism under the post-LB 285 classification system utilizing Adam Walsh Act Tier Levels derived from offense severity. Additional goals include an overall examination of offender characteristics, victim characteristics, and offense characteristics among all individuals on the registry, …

Parties, Drugs, And High School Hookups: Socioemotional Challenges For European And Mexican American Adolescents, Lela Rankin Williams, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Although uncommitted sexual relationships have become increasingly accepted by adolescents, the contexts and socioemotional consequences of these relationships are unknown, particularly among Mexican American youths. Using focus group methodology, we explored the dating experiences of Mexican and European American male and female middle adolescents and found that “hookups” are a salient dating experience that generally occurs in the context of substance use and parties. Females, particularly Mexican American, were more likely to hold mismatched expectations of their desire for a hookup to transition into a more committed type of relationship. A feminist developmental lens is invoked in the discussion of …

The Role Of Personality And Team-Based Product Dissection On Fixation Effects, Christine A. Toh, Scarlett R. Miller, Gül E. Okudan Kremer

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Publications

D esign fixation has been found to be complex in its definition and expression, but it plays an important role in design idea generation. Identifying the factors that influence fixation is crucial in understanding how to enhance the design process and reduce the negative effects of fixation. One way to potentially mitigate fixation is through product dissection activities since this activity has been shown to increase creativity and design space exploration in engineering design. However, product dissection has not been studied in the context of design fixation, so it is unclear if, or how, this type of activity influences fixation. …

Criss Chronicles, Volume 3, Issue 3

Criss Chronicles Newsletter

This edition of Criss Chronicles highlights the new eBook collection, "Step into Foreign Spaces," "What Are You Reading," UNO Theatre Department materials from 1953 in the university archives, Shakespeare-related materials in the library, Innocence in the Osborne Family Gallery, A Conversation With... Shaista Wahab, Copyright Corner, the Kaneko-UNO Library remodel and book club, and a calendar of events.

Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition Alcohol, Tobacco And Other Drugs Prevention Program (Atod-Year 2) Evaluation Report: Final Report, R. K. Piper, Jodee Friedly, Taylor Flairty

Past Publications

This final report documents the major findings of an evaluation of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Program (ATOD-Year 2) conducted by the Consortium for Organizational Research and Evaluation (CORE) of the University of Nebraska at Omaha for the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition (NUIHC). The purpose of the study is to provide an analysis of several key NUIHC substance-abuse prevention initiatives.

The study consists of three parts: 1) an analysis of the Teen Maze project implemented in Omaha by NUIHC and community partners, 2) an analysis of the results obtained from NUIHC’s administration of a Risk/Need Outreach Form …

Testing The Influence Of Community Characteristics On School Misconduct, Todd A. Armstrong, Gaylene Armstrong, Charles M. Katz

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study examines the effect of dynamic and structural community characteristics on school misconduct. Data include over 45,000 students in the eighth, tenth, or twelfth grade in 237 schools. Hierarchical linear models tested the direct and interactive effects of community measures, while accounting for student and school characteristics. Community substance abuse norms as well as perceptions of community crime and disorder mediated the influence of concentrated disadvantage on school misconduct. Interaction effects demonstrated that community substance abuse norms were more influential for students enrolled in schools that had a less positive school climate although individual and school characteristics remained robust …

The Effects Of Exposure To Violence And Victimization Across Life Domains On Adolescent Substance Us, Emily M. Wright, Abigail A. Fagan, Gillian M. Pinchevsky

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study uses longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to examine the effects of exposure to school violence, community violence, child abuse, and parental intimate partner violence (IPV) on youths’ subsequent alcohol and marijuana use. We also examine the cumulative effects of being exposed to violence across these domains. Longitudinal data were obtained from 1,655 adolescents and their primary caregivers participating in the PHDCN. The effects of adolescents’ exposure to various forms of violence across different life domains were examined relative to adolescents’ frequency of alcohol and marijuana use three years later. Multivariate …

Aarp And The Politics Of The Obama Election: "Tough Times, Tough Choices", Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

The 2008 election and first two years of President Barack Obama’s administration was the context for an analysis of AARP news coverage. This research examined how news coverage was presented in the AARP Bulletin. During the health care debate, AARP often mentioned President Obama over congressional leaders. However, after passage of the law and subsequent election of a new congress, the Republican perspective offered a balance to the president’s agenda. The AARP Bulletin may be an agenda setter on controversial issues. This study explored themes, such as “tough times, tough choices,” which appeared to influence the coverage of political issues.

Fire Protection In Rural Nebraska: A Focus On Volunteer-Based Organizations, Robert Blair

Past Publications

Nebraskans obtain fire protection, rescue, and emergency medical services in a variety of ways. Citizens may be served by municipal departments or rural and suburban regional fire districts. The firefighters providing these services may be full time professional employees, volunteers who are not compensated, or volunteers who receive some type of payment per call. As would be expected, Nebraska residents living in the state’s largest communities of Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, and Grand Island receive services from fire departments staffed by full time firefighters. And, conversely, departments with volunteer firefighters protect Nebraskans residing in the state’s smaller communities or rural areas. …

College Students And Binge Drinking: Exploring The Relationship Between Control And Intention On Behavior, Trisha Rhodes, Samantha S. Clinkinbeard

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The present study draws on Ajzen's (1985, 1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the relationships between students' intentions to drink responsibly, students' perceptions of control over their behavior, and their reported levels of drinking. We relied on a randomly selected and surveyed sample of 149 students at a Midwestern university. We hypothesized students who reported stronger intentions and greater perceived control would report reduced levels of drinking. Our findings indicated that respondents who intended to drink responsibly and scored higher on two measures of perceptions of control consumed less alcohol 10 days prior to the survey and binged …

Friends With Benefits Or “Friends” With Deficits? The Meaning And Contexts Of Uncommitted Sexual Relationships Among Mexican American And European American Adolescents, Lela Rankin Williams, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Using focus groups, this study sought to understand and compare how Mexican American (n = 41, M = 16.0 years old, SD = .96) and European American (n = 34, M = 16.1 years old, SD = .64) youths conceptualize and experience “friends with benefits” relationships (FWBRs). Contrary to the implied nature of friendship, partners did not show caring and viewed FWBRs as a means to meet sexual needs. The “benefits” of this arrangement included guilt-free pleasure, little responsibility, the freedom to date others, or to remain available for a more desirable partner. The inherent deficits of FWBRs, …

Book Review: Undercover Reporting: The Truth About Deception, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Ethical journalism and the ethics of journalists have both become a central focus of discussion, whether it is in the newsroom or in the classroom. In the 24/7 news cycle reality, where the need to keep audiences attached to a particular news outlet is becoming the sole mantra and business model, it is often the scandal, the catastrophe, or the crisis that will bring the viewer, reader, or listener back. Sometimes, we need to take a moment to step back and critique what is happening in such a space, the results of those happenings, and the implications they give light …

A Theory-Driven, Longitudinal Evaluation Of The Impact Of Team Training On Safety Culture In 24 Hospitals, Katherine J. Jones, Anne M. Skinner, Robin High, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Effective teamwork facilitates collective learning, which is integral to safety culture. There are no rigorous evaluations of the impact of team training on the four components of safety culture—reporting, just, flexible and learning cultures. We evaluated the impact of a year-long team training programme on safety culture in 24 hospitals using two theoretical frameworks.

Militarized Justice In New Democracies: Explaining The Process Of Military Court Reform In Latin America, Brett J. Kyle, Andrew G. Reiter

Political Science Faculty Publications

While a large body of literature emphasizes the importance of judicial reform in new democracies, few scholars have examined the reform of military justice systems in these settings—despite the potential for these courts to compete directly with civilian courts and subvert the rule of law. This article focuses on Latin America to empirically examine how the process of reforming military courts has played out in each democracy following authoritarian rule. We outline two distinct pathways: (1) unilateral efforts on the part of civilian reformers, and (2) strategic bargains between civilian reformers and the military. Within the unilateral category, we further …

Intimate Partner Violence And The Victim-Offender Overlap, Marie Skubak Tillyer, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Objectives:

Method:

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The Demographic Foundation Of Education In The Great Plains, David J. Drozd, Robert F. Blair, Jerry Deichert

Presentations

Presented at the School Conslidation in the Great Plains 2013 Symposium in Kearney, Nebraska.

Nemo News, Volume 9, Issue 4, Uno Library Science Education

NEMO Newsletter

This issue of NEMO News features Financial Literacy Resources, Important Dates and Reminders, ALA Conference Highlights, Photo Collage from Library Information Meeting, Student Spotlight on Jeanette Stonebraker, and Scholarship and Employment Opportunities.

Library Education And Development Newsletter, Volume 6, Issue 4, Uno Library Science Education

Library Education and Development (L.E.A.D.)

This issue of the Library Education and Development Newsletter features Advice from the Frontlines from Chris Gross-Rhode, a Student Spotlight of Debra Wake, Announcements, Professional Development, School Librarian's Day Collage, and Things to Consider: "The 7 Critical Services All Libraries Should Offer," by Jeff Dunn.

Exploring The Use Of Grounded Theory As A Methodological Approach To Examine The 'Black Box' Of Network Leadership In The National Quality Forum, A. Bryce Hoflund

Public Administration Faculty Publications

This paper describes how grounded theory was used to investigate the "black box" of network leadership in the creation of the National Quality Forum. Scholars are beginning to recognize the importance of network organizations and are in the embryonic stages of collecting and analyzing data about network leadership processes. Grounded theory, with its focus on deriving theory from empirical data, offers researchers a distinctive way of studying little-known phenomena and is therefore well suited to exploring network leadership processes. Specifically, this paper provides an overview of grounded theory, a discussion of the appropriateness of grounded theory to investigating network phenomena, …

Multi-Level Governance Processes - Citizens & Local Budgeting: Comparing Brazil, China, & The United States, Aimee Franklin, Dale Krane, Carol Ebdon

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Modifications to policy-making processes and actors are crucial when transitioning to multi-level governance. Civic engagement in budgeting processes, where crucial policy decisions are determined, is an important component of shared governance. Understanding the new roles for citizens in the budget process, then, can extend our knowledge of multi-level governance. This research explores the ways in which the budget process incorporates citizen participation to foster an ideal of civil society in the United States, Brazil, and China. The comparative case analysis probes the extent to which institutional changes have occurred, why they have occurred, and the degree to which municipal budget …

Feeling Our Way: Emotional Intelligence And Information Literacy Competency, Miriam L. Matteson, Omer Farooq

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Information literacy (IL) continues to be a major area of focus for academic librarians. Even as forces of change in the form of severe budget reductions, loss of positions, shifts in collection management, and changing technologies, have hit libraries hard in the early 21st century, their commitment to providing high quality IL instruction remains strong. An examination of recent strategic plans from academic libraries reveals continued emphasis on the teaching role of librarianship with organizational units dedicated to IL instruction and student engagement.1 IL initiatives across campuses have moved well beyond the traditional face-to-face instruction session and now librarians deliver …

Just A Minute: Delivering Quick Tutorials At The Point Of Need, Tammi M. Owens

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

1. Just a Minute:Delivering quick tutorialsat the point of needTammi Owens Library Technology ConferenceEmerging Services Librarian Macalester CollegeWinona State University March 20, 2013

2. “Two minutes… is an eternity on the web.” Jakob Nielsen, 2011

3. Devices proliferate.

4. Informationexhaustionis high.

5. Cut through the NOISE.

6. Make it … pop snapstick flow

7. Make it … pop

8. Popthroughinformationstreams.

9. Pop through anxiety. Not me …Skeered? really … well sort of, yes.

10. Make it … snap

11. Make it (a) snap.

12. Offer help.

13. At the point of need. (Because who’s going to see this part, anyway?) …

Ukhamba: The Implications Of Amateur Domestic Genealogical Research For African Socio-Historical Analysis, Nikitah O. Imani

Black Studies Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Presented at the 37^th annual conference of the National Council of Black Studies Indianapolis, Indiana March 14, 2013

The Cycle Of Violence In Context: Exploring The Moderating Roles Of Neighborhood Disadvantage And Cultural Norms, Emily M. Wright, Abigail A. Fagan

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Although the cycle of violence theory has received empirical support (Widom, 1989a, 1989b), in reality, not all victims of child physical abuse become involved in violence. Therefore, little is known regarding factors that may moderate the relationship between abuse and subsequent violence, particularly contextual circumstances. The current investigation used longitudinal data from 1,372 youth living in 79 neighborhoods who participated in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), and it employed a multivariate, multilevel Rasch model to explore the degree to which neighborhood disadvantage and cultural norms attenuate or strengthen the abuse–violence relationship. The results indicate that the …

The Revolving Door: A Closer Look At Major Factors In Volunteers’ Intention To Quit, Joseph A. Allen, Stephanie L. Meuller

Psychology Faculty Publications

In nonprofit organizations, volunteer coordinators deal with high rates of volunteer turnover due, in part, to increased levels of volunteer burnout. This study sought to identify how burnout can help explain volunteers’ intention to quit and identify two potential antecedents of burnout: voice and role ambiguity. Specifically, it is hypothesized that volunteer voice and role ambiguity affects volunteers’ intention to quit through their relationship with volunteer burnout. Data were obtained from volunteers working in an animal welfare organization in the western United States (N = 151). An online survey was administered to volunteers who responded to a variety of questions …