Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Psychological Models And The Stock Of Knowledge, David L. Sones

Dissertations and Theses

The research sought to ascertain whether or not psychological ideas and notions ("psychological models") are used to explain human behavior and human characteristics in everyday life, and if so, are these psychological models similar to the schools of thought within the field of psychology? Also of interest was whether or not "statistical categories" use psychological models as a "style of thought," and if so, are psychological models part of the current American Weltanschauungen? The convenience sample consisted of 34 respondents who were taking an introductory sociology course, and 39 respondents from non-college settings. An open-ended questionnaire containing 13 questions asking …

Urban Native American Educational Attitudes: Impact Of Educational Background And Childhood Residency, Paul Adair Wood

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to study the relationship between educational attitudes and certain background features of Native Americans, in particular, where they were raised and what type of school they attended. The sample used consisted of 120 completed mail out-mail back surveys that were used primarily as a Needs Assessment for the Portland Indian Health clinic. The sample was randomly selected from the Portland Indian Health Clinic client/patient mailing list. The findings of this thesis indicate that the attitudes of Native Americans toward education in general are positive. The findings also indicate that older Native Americans who experienced …

Soviet Pentecostal Refugees' Health And Their Religious Beliefs: An Exploratory Study, Dianne Fae Venable

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explored the health practices and religious beliefs of the recent Soviet Pentecostal refugee population in the Portland, Oregon metro area. The methodology consisted of 25 in-depth interviews over a period of twelve months. Soviet Pentecostal refugees' health practices are influenced by their religious belief system which is Pentecostalism. The four primary factors that were found to have an affect on the refugees' health were lifestyle practices; coherence; or the meaning of suffering that religion provides; cohesiveness, or group belonging to the religious community, and world view provided by the underlying theology. The language barrier, distrust of outsiders, unfamiliarity …

1989 Chinese Pro-Democracy Movement And U.S. News Media, Jie Sun

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores three aspects of the relationship between U.S. news media and the Chinese pro-democracy movement in 1989. These three aspects are: How much attention did u.s. newspapers give to the Chinese pro-democracy movement in 1989? How did u.s. newspapers portray the power struggle in the Chinese government during the time when the Chinese pro-democracy movement took place? Has there been any change in the image of China during and after the Chinese pro-democracy movement in 1989? Research data are drawn from the following three U.S. newspapers: The New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Content analysis …

The Concept Of "Communication Skills" In The Discipline Of Speech Communication, Lynn Bales

Dissertations and Theses

This investigation explored the dialectic of communication competence from an historical prospective and successfully identified seven common threads in competence theory. Communication skills and skills classifications were linked to competency issues. A content analysis of the 452 page leading national skills level communication text identified 185 skills behaviors along with their associated communication competencies. Skills were described in twelve categories; however, no consistent definition or treatment of communication skills was in evidence. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Factors Affecting The Repatriation Of The Afghan Refugees, Todd Trowbridge Ames

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the factors affecting the repatriation of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, by using data collected in these refugee camps, during the Fall of 1988.

Early-Return-To-Work Programs: An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of Program Policies And Practices On Organizational Outcomes, Lorrie L. Riat

Dissertations and Theses

Early-return-to-work (ERTW) programs for injured workers are a relatively new development. While it is widely believed that such programs are the primary means of controlling workers' compensation costs after an injury has occurred, little research has been done on how these programs accomplish that end. This thesis is an exploratory examination of the factors involved in ERTW programs and the relationship between components of ERTW programs for injured workers and organizational outcomes, specifically the cost of medical care and wage reimbursement associated with workers' compensation claims.

Effects Of Participant Roles On Input Interactions And Comprehensible Output, Larry Douglas Morgan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what effect, if any, the social roles between second language learners and their conversational partners have on the types and frequencies of the following discourse categories: (a) input interactional modifications (b) corrections of language learners' linguistic errors by others and (c) language learners' production of comprehensible output. This study also seeks to corroborate previous research findings with regards to negotiation of meaning interactions and other-corrections of language learners' linguistic errors.

Attitude Functions And Political Behavior: The Issue Of Gay Civil Rights, Josephine Young

Dissertations and Theses

This study explored the relationship between voters' political behavior regarding the issue of gay rights and the underlying psychological needs served by their attitudes on this issue. A telephone survey of 100 randomly selected local voters was conducted, during which Herek's (1987) Attitude Functions Inventory (AFI) was administered. Three of the four attitude function subscales (Experiential- Schematic, Social-Expressive and Ego-Defensive) were confirmed using a LISREL confirmatory factor analysis. The Value-Expressive subscale was not confirmed and showed poor reliability. Pro- and anti-gay rights behavior was measured using a Political Behavior Index (PBI) developed for this study. Regression analyses and MANOVAs were …

An Examination Of Moral Boundaries Associated With Legal And Social Changes In Response To The Aids Epidemic, Lauri Sue Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between law and society and various forms of causality: (1) legal change leading to social change; (2) social change leading to legal change; and (3) the interdependent interaction between social change and legal change. It is proposed that a multi-directional approach would be the most useful in examining the moral boundaries exemplified in the law identified with legal and social changes that have resulted in response to the AIDS epidemic.

The English Crown's Foreign Debt, 1544-1557, Wayne M. Kline

Dissertations and Theses

As background to an investigation of the crown's foreign borrowing from 1544 though 1557, this thesis examines the general fiscal situation of the mid-Tudor Commonwealth with special emphasis on the great inflation of the 16th century, the role of Antwerp in European finance, and the relationship between war and English fiscal policy. It then examines in detail the creation of the debt under Henry VIII, its development into a standard feature of state finance under Edward VI, and its liquidation under Mary. Information on England and English crown finance was drawn principally from published primary sources while information on the …

Battle For The Boulevard, Patricia Luann Antoine

Dissertations and Theses

This study explored the nature of community power and decision-making surrounding the renaming of Portland's Union Avenue in honor of the slain civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. Employing an integrated theoretical framework based on G. William Domhoff's (1967) perspective of the compatibility of C. Wright Mills' Power Elite Model (1956) and Robert A. Dahl's Pluralist Model (1961) plus Claude S. Fischer's (1982) perspective on the nature of the urban social environment, this study attempted to provide insight into and understanding of the dynamics involved in the controversy that developed over the efforts to rename a street for Dr. …

Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers: The Transition From Home Care To Formal Care, Marie Theresa Duncan

Dissertations and Theses

Elderly people with irreversible cognitive declines such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD) make many demands on those who must care for them, whether those caregivers are family members or the paid staff of nursing homes. When family members no longer have the capacity to meet these demands, a move to a nursing home or other formal care facility becomes the only solution. Such a shift does not, however, mean the end of family caregiving. Instead, the family's caregiving activities must be integrated with the ongoing efforts of the formal care staff. Currently, relatively little is known about 1) what families experience …

Perceiving And Coping With Exclusion: The Socialization Experiences Of Ethnic Minority Nursing Students, Sarah Porter-Tibbetts

Dissertations and Theses

This study focused on the experiences of ethnic minority nursing students at a predominately white institution, the Health Sciences University School of Nursing in an attempt to learn more about the stress, appraisal, and coping of this group of individuals. The University School of Nursing was selected as a comparison site as it offered a setting with no predominate ethnic group. Faculty•s perceptions of students stress, appraisal and coping were sought to provide a context for the students• experience. A review of the literature indicated that ethnic minority students in predominately white universities experience alienation. At some universities white and …

Gender Differences In Conversational Style: An Experiment In Interpersonal Communication, Constance M. Cooper

Dissertations and Theses

Communication problems and conflict may occur between partners in intimate dyads when systematic gender differences in language contribute to misinterpretations.

This research investigated effects of gender on interpretations of hypothetical conversations between dyads, and also on judgments of likelihood of conflict.

Following research by Fishman (1983), it was hypothesized that male and female subjects' interpretations of male speakers would be more similar than would male and female subjects' interpretations of female speakers. Based on Tannen's (1990) work, it was hypothesized that male subjects' ratings of likelihood of conflict would relate to their interpretations of speakers as "controlling;" female subjects' ratings …

The Development Of A Predictive Model Of Pretrial Misconduct, Donald R. Trapp

Dissertations and Theses

The problem of jail overcrowding has forced corrections officials and jail administrators to examine ways in which to better manage available jail space. Pretrial release and detention policies have been a target of this examination as pretrial defendants typically account for 50% of a jail's population. Standards for pretrial release exist, but their administration varies by jurisdiction. The impact of jail overcrowding on pretrial release policies has been to decrease the time available to render a decision. Recent efforts to standardize pretrial release standards in Oregon have not addressed the issue of expediency. The current study examines pretrial misconduct (failure …

Hegemony In Two Mainstream Oregon Newspapers: The War On Poverty Era Vs. The Post-Reagan Era, Marcia R. Hood-Brown

Dissertations and Theses

In my research I use qualitative content analysis to determine if and how the hegemony of the capitalist class in the United States influences the content of news texts on poverty. I analyze messages from two contrasting historical eras, the War on Poverty era and the post-Reagan era.

Corporatism In American Foreign Policy Toward Germany Between The Wars, 1921-1936, William R. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is an investigation of how United States foreign policy was made in the context of German-American relations in the period between the two world wars. The problem under investigation is whether the United States was using a corporatist approach in dealing with the problems of Germany and ultimately Europe and whether the corporatist model is a good one for analyzing foreign policy development during this period. Corporatism, as it is used in this thesis, is defined as an organizational form which recognizes privately organized functional groups outside the United States government, which collaborate with the government to share …

A Cycle Of Crisis And Violence : The Oregon State Penitentiary, 1866-1968, Joseph Willard Laythe

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines seven crises at the Oregon State Penitentiary between 1866 and 1968 which are symptomatic of a larger pathology of power at play at the institution. These prison crises brought the pathology of power out from behind the thick grey walls of the institution and to the eyes and ears of an uninformed public. This arousal of such attention forced the prison to re-evaluate its penal model, enact half-hearted reforms, but then resume to the institution's traditional pattern and style of punishment. This inability to address the crises or resolve the immediate problem points to a larger problem--namely …

A Comparison Of Two Kindergarten Screening Instruments In One Population, Therese Marie Westrup

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare thirty-two childrens' performances on the Daberon-2 Screening for School Readiness and the Early Screening Inventory, as well as determine whether there was a correlation between the tests. This study responded to the needs of the local Portland, Oregon area schools, some of which use these tests, to investigate the tests, and explore the possibility of using the shorter ESI over the longer Daberon. The reasoning behind the goal of the study was to determine that if the two tests showed a strong, positive correlation and identified the same children as needing further …

Effects Of Parents' Health Attitudes And Beliefs On Children's Preventive Care Utilization, Weiming Hu

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis was designed to test the relationship between parents' health attitudes and beliefs and utilization of preventive health services of their children. Four measures of health attitudes and beliefs (HAB) were examined in this study, they were: 1) Interest in and concern with health; 2) Skepticism about physicians; 3) Tendency to consult physicians; and 4) Efficacy. Preventive care utilization included well-child care and immunization.

Defusing A Rhetorical Situation Through Apologia: Ronald Reagan And The Iran-Contra Affair, Roxane Yvonne Sutherland

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the manner in which Ronald Reagan responded to the Tower Commission Report concerning his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. It explores the following questions: 1) What were the factors leading to a rhetorical situation as defined by the media and which required Ronald Reagan to provide a public response of self-defense; 2) what strategies of apologia did Reagan employ; and 3) how did the media and the White House characterize the outcome of Reagan's speech?

Data for analysis were drawn from nationally recognized newspapers that shaped public perception of the Iran-Contra Affair: The Washington Post, The …

Multidimensionality Of Power Use In Organizations And Its Correlates, Weizhong Dong

Dissertations and Theses

The present study was conducted to examine power use patterns and general power use strategies in organizations multidimensionally (i.e., downward, upward, and lateral directions of power use), to extend and explain previous findings by Kipnis et al. (1980), with reference to situational effects on multidimensional power use. The samples in this study consist of 230 full-time managers who were from eight local businesses, and a second sample of 140 college students who worked over 15 hours a week at the time of the study. Two exploratory factor analyses resulted in five commonly used power patterns and two general power use …

Perceptions Of Teacher And Student Roles : Views Of Japanese Businessmen, John Walter Armbrust

Dissertations and Theses

Research provides a vast amount of information detailing the learning styles and preferences of learners and the influence of one's culture on that individual's perceptions of the world. Little of that research, however, has been applied to studying the effects of culture on the learner's perceptions of teacher and student roles, specifically in the area of second language learning. What is available often appears in the form of anecdotal descriptions of teaching and learning experiences abroad. A possible reason for the lack of investigation of student views in this area has been the absence of an adequate measuring device with …

Adult Student Perceptions Of Traditionally Sex-Typed Toys, Shelly Lynn Jackson

Dissertations and Theses

studies have examined children's toy preferences as they relate to sex-role development. However, studies have failed to examine the dimensions of the toys themselves. Because adults purchase the majority of toys children receive, this study sought to determine adult student perceptions of children's traditionally sex-typed toys. Eighty-one participants rated ten selected toys. Multidimensional scaling analysis revealed five underlying dimensions. The five dimensions included Productive Play, Sociability, Structure, Gender, and Age. It was discovered that the Gender dimension was less salient than both the Productive Play and Sociability dimensions. The dimensions pertaining to each toy are discussed.

Monitoring And Management Of Psychiatric Symptomatology In Conditionally Released Insanity Acquittees, Jo Mariah Mahler

Dissertations and Theses

Community treatment of insanity acquittees is a highly controversial matter among legislators, mental health professionals and the public. At issue is the balancing of public safety concerns with least restrictive, non-punitive rehabilitation alternatives for insanity acquittees. Attempts to determine predictors of dangerousness in mentally ill offenders have produced mixed results with questionable practical value. In view of this, many mental health professionals are instead recommending that research on insanity acquittees be focused on evaluating the effectiveness of mandated community treatment programs for insanity acquittees. One area being designated for such research is the monitoring and management of psychopathology in conditionally …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Chinese Teaching Assistants' Communication In The U.S. University Classroom, Lina Lu

Dissertations and Theses

This is an exploratory, interpretive study, focusing on classroom communication experiences of Chinese teaching assistants (CTA) in a U.S. university. The research asked: What are CTAs' experiences communicating in the U.S. university classroom? How do they interpret their experiences from their own perspective? And what is their emergent adaptation pattern to the U.S. university classroom?

Sojourner Adjustment : A Diary Study, Susan Elizabeth Hemstreet

Dissertations and Theses

The focus of the ethnographic diary study is introduced and contextualized in the opening chapter with a site description. The thesis examines the diaries written during a sojourn of over two years in Japan . and proposes to answer the question, "How did the sojourner's initial maladjustment subsequently develop into satisfactory adjustment?"

Opinions About Sex Offenders' Progress In Therapy, Laren Bays

Dissertations and Theses

Sex offenders are often required by the court to enter therapy and receive help so they can stop deviant sexual behaviors. Mental health professionals must have some means of evaluating a mandated client's progress in therapy, however, there are currently no valid criteria available. A survey form was developed containing 73 items which professionals identified as having possible utility in evaluating progress.

The Relationship Between The Use Of Graphophonic Strategy And The Success In English Vocabulary Learning For Chinese Students, Ching-Chih Christine Huang

Dissertations and Theses

For Chinese EFL learners, the skill of vocabulary learning is one of the most essential elements in their English learning process. Many Chinese students transfer their familiar character-learning strategies, which include shape identification and rote memorization, in their English word-learning process. As a result, they may spend time and effort associating the shape, the sound, and the meaning of an English word before they learn and memorize it. Since they do not take advantage of the correspondence between the print and the sound, their vocabulary-learning process seems to be less effective.