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Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Using A Delayed Match-To-Samples Task To Investigate The Isolated Processing Of Geometric Shapes And Their Corresponding Shape Words, Joshua E. Edwards Jan 2015

Using A Delayed Match-To-Samples Task To Investigate The Isolated Processing Of Geometric Shapes And Their Corresponding Shape Words, Joshua E. Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests an isolated system dedicated to processing geometric information (Spelke, Lee, & Izard, 2010), but isolating geometric processing from semantic processing has remained difficult. Recently, Sturz, Edwards, and Boyer (2014) utilized a delayed match-to-sample (DMTS) task to present participants with a sample composed of a shape, shape word, or a bi-dimensional stimulus composed of a shape and a shape word. After a delay, participants were required to identify the sample shape or the sample word by selecting between two shapes or two shape words. Results suggested that sample shapes did not interfere with selecting a correct match in the …

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Using A Motivational General-Mastery Imagery Intervention To Improve The Self-Efficacy Of Youth Gymnasts, Emily Parkerson Jan 2015

Using A Motivational General-Mastery Imagery Intervention To Improve The Self-Efficacy Of Youth Gymnasts, Emily Parkerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-efficacy plays a significant role in influencing sport performance (Moritz, et al., 2000) and has been shown to be a stronger predictor of sport performance compared to anxiety, perceived control, and one’s personal goals (Feltz & Lirg, 2001). The use of motivational general-mastery (MG-M) imagery has been shown to increase self-efficacy among athletic populations (O, et al., 2014); however, there is a paucity of research regarding the influence of imagery, particularly individualized MG-M imagery, on the self-efficacy of youth athletes specifically. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of an individualized MG-M imagery intervention on …

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Cliteracy And Justice For All : A Critical Rhetorical Analysis Of Sophia Wallace’S Cliteracy Campaign, Vanessa Condon Jan 2015

Cliteracy And Justice For All : A Critical Rhetorical Analysis Of Sophia Wallace’S Cliteracy Campaign, Vanessa Condon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Female sexuality is constantly restricted in public discourse in the United States. To combat this, Sophia Wallace created the Cliteracy campaign: a project that sought to challenge the stigmatization of female genitals. Wallace’s attempt to create a new language regarding female sex and sexuality revealed critical implications for how we discuss sex in American culture. For an in depth analysis, I utilized feminist, materialist, and social movement rhetorical lenses. This study revealed that while text is viewed as an objective mode of communication, however, it is ingrained with hierarchical societal constraints. Moreover, Wallace’s rhetoric suggested that a god term is …

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Temperament And Child Maltreatment: A Closer Look At The Interactions Among Mother And Child Temperament, Stress And Coping, Emotional And Behavioral Regulation, And Child Maltreatment Potential, Amanda Lowell Jan 2015

Temperament And Child Maltreatment: A Closer Look At The Interactions Among Mother And Child Temperament, Stress And Coping, Emotional And Behavioral Regulation, And Child Maltreatment Potential, Amanda Lowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several theoretical risk models were proposed previously regarding the prediction of child maltreatment. Although child maltreatment was predicted individually in these models by such variables as parent temperament, emotional and behavioral regulation, stress, coping, and child temperament, these variables were not yet examined collectively. As such, a new transactional theory was proposed for the current study. As part of this study, a national community sample of 158 culturally diverse mothers of young children who were between the ages of 1½- to 5-years rated their own temperament, emotional and behavioral regulation abilities, parenting stress, daily hassles, and coping behaviors as well …

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Integration Of Multidimensional Signal Detection Theory With Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory, Maureen O'Connell Jan 2015

Integration Of Multidimensional Signal Detection Theory With Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory, Maureen O'Connell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Signal detection theory (SDT) has proven to be a robust and useful statistical model for analyzing human performance in detection and decision making tasks. As with many models extensions have been proposed in order capture and represent the real world to a greater degree. Multidimensional Signal Detection Theory (MSDT) has had success in describing and modeling complex signals, signals that are comprised by more than one identifiable component dimension. Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory (FSDT) has had success in modeling and measuring human performance in cases where there exist ambiguity in the signal or response dimension characteristics, through the application of …

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Mental Rotation: Can Familiarity Alleviate The Effects Of Complex Backgrounds?, Anthony Selkowitz Jan 2015

Mental Rotation: Can Familiarity Alleviate The Effects Of Complex Backgrounds?, Anthony Selkowitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the effects of complex backgrounds on mental rotation. Stimulus familiarity and background familiarity were manipulated. It systematically explored how familiarizing participants to objects and complex backgrounds affects their performance on a mental rotation task involving complex backgrounds. This study had 113 participants recruited through the UCF Psychology SONA system. Participants were familiarized with a stimulus in a task where they were told to distinguish the stimulus from 3 other stimuli. A similar procedure was used to familiarize the backgrounds. The research design was a 2 stimulus familiarity (Familiarized with the Target Stimulus, not familiarized with the Target …

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Affective And Autonomic Responses To Erotic Images Among Young Women With And Without Sexual Difficulties, Natasha De Pesa Jan 2015

Affective And Autonomic Responses To Erotic Images Among Young Women With And Without Sexual Difficulties, Natasha De Pesa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existing models of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) are broad and do not provide information about how to improve existing interventions. The purpose of the current study is to extend the empirical application of a disgust model of FSD (de Jong, van Overveld, & Borg, 2013) to a population of young women reporting difficulties with sexual desire and/or arousal and related distress. Sixty college-aged females participated in the study and were placed into two groups based upon their reports of sexual functioning and sexual distress: a control group (i.e., no sexual difficulties or distress) and a clinical group (i.e., difficulties with …

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Meetup And Social Capital: Building Community In The Digital Age, Danielle Vaughn Jan 2015

Meetup And Social Capital: Building Community In The Digital Age, Danielle Vaughn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to understand the complex relationship between new media and social capital, this thesis explores the lived experiences of individuals who are actively seeking some form of connection through MeetUp.com. Through participant observation, critical discourse analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the findings of this research illuminate the myriad ways in which participation with new media platforms intersects with individuals’ psychosocial well-being through the formation of social capital. While social capital has traditionally been thought about in terms of its different forms, and different benefits, this research furthers the literature by demonstrating that the values of social capital are not limited …

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Regional Affiliation: An Examination Of Rio Viejo Middens As Evidence For Scaled-Up Practice At Surrounding Sites., Carlo Lucido Jan 2015

Regional Affiliation: An Examination Of Rio Viejo Middens As Evidence For Scaled-Up Practice At Surrounding Sites., Carlo Lucido

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project analyzes 5 middens from the Lower Rio Verde valley sites of Río Viejo and Yugüe, Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Terminal Formative period (150 BC to AD 250). The middens are analyzed to further our understanding of socio-political events in public spaces at both sites during this time. The study suggests a greater distinction in use of public spaces between the two sites than within Río Viejo. Frameworks established by Dietler and Hayden for the analysis of feasts do not seem to apply well to the middens analyzed here. Although I argue that evidence from Rio Viejo's middens …

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An Empirical Analysis Of The Association Between Types Of Interventions And Civil War Onset, Melinda Mellott Jan 2015

An Empirical Analysis Of The Association Between Types Of Interventions And Civil War Onset, Melinda Mellott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative studies have focused on economics, social structures, and lack of political freedoms as being elemental factors for civil war onset. However, these studies have neglected the possibility of a civil war being an unintended consequence of international military intervention. I conduct an empirical analysis of the association between military intervention and civil war onset by collecting data for twenty countries within the Middle East/North African regions from 1980 to 2000. Using the International Military Intervention data set, I categorized “international intervention” into nine different types, all of which were regressed with intrastate war data derived from the Correlates of …

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Quantitative Assessment Of The Effects Of Microbial Degradation Of A Simple Hydrocarbon Mixture, Jessica Kindell Jan 2015

Quantitative Assessment Of The Effects Of Microbial Degradation Of A Simple Hydrocarbon Mixture, Jessica Kindell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ignitable liquids consist of either a single organic compound or a complex organic mixture. In regards to fire debris analysis, the analyst is responsible for determining if an ignitable liquid residue is present. However, when extracted from soil-containing fire debris evidence, chemical degradation from microorganisms is observed to result in the loss of compounds based on chemical structure. It can also happen when the evidence container is stored at room temperature before analysis. This can present a challenge to the fire debris analyst when identifying and classifying the ignitable liquid residue based on the criteria established by standard test methods. …

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The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount Jan 2015

The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wellness is an integral component of the helping professions (Myers & Sweeney, 2005; Witmer, 1985). Specifically, wellness is included in ethical codes, suggestions for practice, and codes of conduct throughout counseling, psychology, and social work fields (see American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014; American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010; National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 1996). Even so, wellness in helping professionals is a difficult construct to measure. Thus, the purpose of the research investigation was to develop the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS) and examine the psychometric features of …

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Risk Perceptions Of Climate Change In International Environmental Negotiations, Christine Dellert Jan 2015

Risk Perceptions Of Climate Change In International Environmental Negotiations, Christine Dellert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change poses an unprecedented risk to global human security and future generations. Yet actions to mitigate or adapt to the changing climate system vary greatly among countries and their constituencies. Despite mounting evidence detailing the economic, social, and ecological risks of climate change, many scholars agree that the greatest threats associated with climate change involve delaying or ignoring necessary action. Using theorizing of “risk society” from Ulrich Beck and others, this thesis examines how countries, environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and business interests construct the risk of climate change and how their respective discourses conflict in international environmental negotiations. This …

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Urban Agriculture Within The Valley Of Oaxaca: Investigations And Implications Of Agricultural Terracing At Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Anthony Tricarico Jan 2015

Urban Agriculture Within The Valley Of Oaxaca: Investigations And Implications Of Agricultural Terracing At Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Anthony Tricarico

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of geographic information systems for the analysis of Late Classic (500-800 C.E.) terraces at Monte Albán, reveals a spatial pattern not visible through prior pedestrian site surveys. The Valley of Oaxaca Settlement Pattern Project concluded that nearly all of the 1,464 Late Classic terraces at Monte Albán were used for residential purposes. Spatial analysis tools reveal a greater human-ecological complexity. The goal of this study was to use ArcGIS to map the 1,273 terraces near Monte Albán's ceremonial center and combine them with individually identifiable data sets. Analysis of each terrace, particularly based upon water availability, ceramic distribution, …

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Welcome To The Club: Igo Socialization And Dyadic Arms Transfers, Joseph Dimino Jan 2015

Welcome To The Club: Igo Socialization And Dyadic Arms Transfers, Joseph Dimino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines whether intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) can socialize member states by testing the effect of shared IGO memberships on dyadic arms transfers. IGO socialization is one of many proposed causal mechanisms by which IGO memberships might reduce interstate conflict. This thesis argues that the institutional socialization hypothesis (ISH), which asserts that shared IGO memberships will lead to interest convergence between member states, uses an invalid conceptualization and measurement of socialization. Instead, socialization is re-conceptualized as increased trust between member states, and re-operationalized using dyadic arms transfers as a proxy for trust. The study uses linear regression with cross-sectional panel …

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The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens Jan 2015

The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Families are conceptualized and accomplished in increasingly diverse ways in the 21st century. A constructionist framework was utilized to examine a widespread contemporary family form, the interspecies family. This mixed-method approach relied on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data. First, survey data from the 2006 Constructing the Family Survey were analyzed to understand who in America counts pets as family. Many social demographics were associated and predicted counting pets as family but gender was one of the strongest associations. However, marital status moderated the relationship between gender and counting pets as family at a statically significant level. Men …

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Sleep Disturbances Among Combat Military Veterans: A Comparative Study, Jeremy Stout Jan 2015

Sleep Disturbances Among Combat Military Veterans: A Comparative Study, Jeremy Stout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The sleep characteristics of 37 military combat veterans (17 with PTSD and 20 without PTSD) of recent wars were analyzed to determine if combat deployment, with its resultant wartime sleep restriction, may be an alternative explanation for the sleep duration complaints found among combat veterans with PTSD (as determined by PCL-M scores). Participants completed sleep actigraphy and a self-report measure of sleep duration over a 1-week period. Although strongly correlated, a comparison of subjective (e.g., self-report) and objective (e.g., actigraphy) sleep duration revealed a significant difference in sleep duration based on method of assessment. With respect to group differences, actigraphy …

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Effects Of Signal Probability On Multitasking-Based Distraction In Driving, Cyberattack & Battlefield Simulation, Benjamin Sawyer Jan 2015

Effects Of Signal Probability On Multitasking-Based Distraction In Driving, Cyberattack & Battlefield Simulation, Benjamin Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multitasking-based failures of perception and action are the focus of much research in driving, where they are attributed to distraction. Similar failures occur in contexts where the construct of distraction is little used. Such narrow application was attributed to methodology which cannot precisely account for experimental variables in time and space, limiting distraction's conceptual portability to other contexts. An approach based upon vigilance methodology was forwarded as a solution, and highlighted a fundamental human performance question: Would increasing the signal probability (SP) of a secondary task increase associated performance, as is seen in the prevalence effect associated with vigilance tasks? …

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The Impact Of Mobbing And Job-Related Stress On Burnout And Health-Related Quality Of Life: The Case Of Turkish Territorial State Representatives, Mehmet Yesilbas Jan 2015

The Impact Of Mobbing And Job-Related Stress On Burnout And Health-Related Quality Of Life: The Case Of Turkish Territorial State Representatives, Mehmet Yesilbas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Job-related stress occurs as one of the most serious issues in modern era in developed nations. It has direct and negative effects on employees' productivity and it may have negative impacts on employees' health. One of the potential results of prolonged stressors at work place is burnout and this response may lead to physical, emotional, and psychological exhaustion that can occur at both individual and organizational levels. Burnout is a job related threat that provokes social stress and can directly affect an individual's health. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is commonly used to measure an individual's overall/global health and quality …

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Report Construction When Domestic Violence Surrounds Or Involves Children, Chelsea Nordham Jan 2015

Report Construction When Domestic Violence Surrounds Or Involves Children, Chelsea Nordham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Household violence that involves children can be complicated situations to understand and describe for police responding to calls. Police reports are important in prosecuting cases by informing and reminding criminal justice personnel of what occurred in incidents, and inconsistencies between reports and accounts by involved persons can result in credibility loss and case dismissal (Gregory et al. 2011). Little research has been conducted on the construction of police reports, particularly in domestic violence cases involving children. This study uses three years of domestic violence police reports from a sheriff office*s database in Florida to distinguish information recorded for three types …

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Experiences Of Stigma During Sexual Healthcare Visits: A Qualitative Study Of Non-Monogamous Women, Rachael Mccrosky Jan 2015

Experiences Of Stigma During Sexual Healthcare Visits: A Qualitative Study Of Non-Monogamous Women, Rachael Mccrosky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Access to health care services is critical to both personal health outcomes and health equity within a community. While non-monogamous behavior is widespread, stigma surrounding consensual non-monogamy can create barriers to health care access. This research outlines the experiences of non-monogamous women during sexual health care visits, how class acts to modify those experiences, the barriers to health care access that they encounter, and the adaptive strategies they employ. The sample for this research was 23 consensually non-monogamous women. Participants were contacted through online support groups, message boards, and snowball sampling. In-depth interviews about their sexual health care experiences were …

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The Influence Of Trait Anxiety On Information Processing: An Elaboration Likelihood Study, Michael Appelbaum Jan 2015

The Influence Of Trait Anxiety On Information Processing: An Elaboration Likelihood Study, Michael Appelbaum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the influence of trait anxiety on information processing in persuasive situations, and investigated cognitive load as a mediator of this relationship. The research presented was based off DeBono and McDermott's (1994) framework for exploring trait anxiety and persuasion. The theoretical lens used to explore information processing, the elaboration likelihood model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) posits that motivation and ability are necessary components to elaborate on a message. However, very little research has addressed ability variables like trait anxiety. I predicted that students high in trait anxiety would be persuaded by the attractiveness of the source (peripherally) whereas …

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Reconciling Ex Ante Expectations With The Ex Post Reality: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Third-Party Diplomatic Interventions In Civil Wars, Matthew Benchimol Jan 2015

Reconciling Ex Ante Expectations With The Ex Post Reality: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Third-Party Diplomatic Interventions In Civil Wars, Matthew Benchimol

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has begun to focus on the role third-party diplomatic intervention plays in the length of civil conflicts. Diplomatic interventions by a third-party actor are assumed to help resolve or alleviate violence over time. Is this really the case? Hypotheses relating to these aspects of civil wars are proposed to test this long-standing assumption. This thesis uses statistical analysis to observe the relationship between diplomatic interventions and civil war duration and then observe the relationship between duration and civil war violence. The data incorporates approximately 150 civil wars from 1945 to 1999, 101 of which had outside interventions. This thesis …

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Les Temps Roulent: An Analysis Of Emergency Medical And Police Response Times To Shootings And Lethality In New Orleans, Sarah Sacra Jan 2015

Les Temps Roulent: An Analysis Of Emergency Medical And Police Response Times To Shootings And Lethality In New Orleans, Sarah Sacra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lethality of aggravated assaults has long been discussed in terms of weapons used, location of assault, demographics of victims, and regions of the US in which the assault occurred. However, dating back to the 1950s, medical response times have been discussed as a mediating factor, but minimally explored in analyses. The current study assesses the lethality of shootings with a primary focus on emergency medical and police response times in New Orleans, LA. Along with routine activities and social disorganization indicators, 102 shootings that occurred in 3 months are analyzed to establish response time patterns of lethality. Results indicate that …

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Media Coverage And The Ferguson Unrest, Brittanni Wyatt Jan 2015

Media Coverage And The Ferguson Unrest, Brittanni Wyatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The media aids in bringing to light many social issues across the nation each and every day. Historically, police force on African Americans can be seen amongst many media outlets. However, with technological advances the media has flourished which makes it possible for the media to supply coverage of police force on African Americans more now than ever before. This exploratory analysis aimed to uncover ways in which the media has framed the individuals involved in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014. Articles from four media outlets were used in this analysis. Data was …

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Community Identity And The Archaeological Complex Of Túcume, Perú: A Synthesis Of Cranial And Dental Nonmetric Variation, Wesley Garrett Jan 2015

Community Identity And The Archaeological Complex Of Túcume, Perú: A Synthesis Of Cranial And Dental Nonmetric Variation, Wesley Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The archaeological complex of Túcume was once a regional center of political and religious importance on the north coast of Perú (ca. AD 1000-1532). Previous research into the identity of the individuals interred at the site has yielded conflicting results. Within this intrasite biodistance analysis, community identity as reflected in the cranial and dental nonmetric variation and burial patterns is examined. This research also addresses methodological issues in nonmetric biodistance studies by examining the utility of combining cranial and dental nonmetric datasets. The sample examined (n=161) includes male and female crania from five distinct burial locations within Túcume. Gower's coefficient …

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How Millennials Engage In Social Media Activism: A Uses And Gratifications Approach, Sasha Dookhoo Jan 2015

How Millennials Engage In Social Media Activism: A Uses And Gratifications Approach, Sasha Dookhoo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Millennials are the world's digital natives and its largest generation. A general perception of this generation is that they lack engagement in social-political issues. This study explores how Millennials are engaging in social media activism and whether online activism is driving offline activism behaviors. A quantitative survey of 306 participants was conducted to learn more about the gratifications Millennials obtain through social media and whether associations exist between their online and offline activism behaviors. The results showed that Millennials engage in online activism behaviors to a greater extent than offline activism behaviors. Millennials primarily gratify intrinsic needs for interaction and …

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The Darkside Of Stereotypes: The Effects Of Crime In The Media On Racial Identity And Emotions, Shantel Campbell Jan 2015

The Darkside Of Stereotypes: The Effects Of Crime In The Media On Racial Identity And Emotions, Shantel Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how the image of Black criminality in the media affects the racial identity and emotions of Blacks. It also examined how the image of White criminality affects the racial identity and emotions of Whites as a point of comparison. These effects were studied through the lens of self-categorization theory and inter-group emotions theory. SCT posits that a person*s biases are a result of how relevant their social identity is to their self-concept. IET posits that the emotions a person feels are derived from the social group they belong to. This study analyzed 369 responses from participants who …

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The Effect Of Precipitation On The Spread Of Mosquito-Borne Diseases: A Case Study Of Florida Counties, Marvin Osbourne Jan 2015

The Effect Of Precipitation On The Spread Of Mosquito-Borne Diseases: A Case Study Of Florida Counties, Marvin Osbourne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The state of Florida is the third most populous state in the United States of America, with six (6) of its metropolitan areas dubbed as the fastest growing in the entire country. A mosquito bite may mean the transmission of a virus or disease which might be fatal. Hence, there is a need for the state to control mosquitoes through the various Departments of Mosquito Control in each of its sixty-seven (67) counties. Six locally acquired mosquito-borne viruses which affect humans and animals in the state of Florida were considered. This thesis used statistical methods to examine data for rainfall, …

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The Effect Of Cooperative Gameplay On Aggression And Prosociality In Violent Video Game Play, Jeremiah Nathaniel Beene Jan 2015

The Effect Of Cooperative Gameplay On Aggression And Prosociality In Violent Video Game Play, Jeremiah Nathaniel Beene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to determine what impact (if any) the context (isolated vs. social) of playing different types (violent vs. non-violent) of video games have on people's aggression and positive social behaviors. Participants were randomly assigned to play either a violent video game or a non-violent video game in an isolated context or with another player for 30 minutes, after which they completed the same questionnaires again. Data were then collected on behavioral tasks measuring aggression and prosociality. This experiment failed to find significant effects of violent video game exposure on aggression. Participants who played a violent …

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