Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
File Type

Articles 5341 - 5370 of 5783

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Couple Play As A Predictor Of Couple Bonding, Physical Health And Emotional Health, Linda Vanderbleek Jan 2005

Couple Play As A Predictor Of Couple Bonding, Physical Health And Emotional Health, Linda Vanderbleek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional couple counseling research focused on why people end relationships, with research only recently addressing what factors contribute to relationship satisfaction and stability. Yet, throughout this research, minimal attention has been paid to the role of play in couple counseling. The research available on play in couple counseling had varied definitions of couple play and was not based on current couple counseling theory. The research and anecdotal data on couple play proposed a strong relationship between couple play and the factors that predict successful, long-term couple relationships, individual physical health and emotional health. This study applied current couple counseling theory …

Go to article

Parental Attributions And Discipline Of Child Behavior, Arazais Oliveros Jan 2005

Parental Attributions And Discipline Of Child Behavior, Arazais Oliveros

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extant empirical evidence suggests that multiple risk and protective factors implicated in children's development of behavior problems are intertwined. This study, therefore, investigated the relationships among parental depression and anger, attributions of control, discipline, parent-child relationship variables, and children's behavior problems. Results were based on the responses of parents (55 mothers and 13 fathers) with children in Head Start and parents (52 mothers and 4 fathers) with children in Private School settings. All parents had children who ranged in age from 3- to 8-years. Compared to Private School parents, Head Start parents had lower levels of nonviolent discipline, involvement, and …

Go to article

Empirical Modeling Of A Marijuana Expectancy Memory Network In Children As A Function Of Age And Marijuana Use, Jacqueline Alfonso Jan 2005

Empirical Modeling Of A Marijuana Expectancy Memory Network In Children As A Function Of Age And Marijuana Use, Jacqueline Alfonso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation modeled the expectancy memory organization and likely memory activation patterns of marijuana expectancies of children across age and marijuana use. The first phase of the study surveyed 142 children to obtain their first associate to marijuana use. From their responses, the Marijuana Expectancy Inventory for Children and Adolescents (MEICA) was developed. The second phase of the study administered the MEICA to a second sample of 392 children to model marijuana expectancy organization and probable memory activation paths of marijuana users versus never-users. Results indicated that irrespective of age, adolescents who have used marijuana tend to emphasize positive-negative …

Go to article

Vibrotactile Guidance Cues For Target Identification, Joshua Downs Jan 2005

Vibrotactile Guidance Cues For Target Identification, Joshua Downs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to establish how vibrotactile guidance cues can be used to improve marksmanship. This work originated in an effort to provide covert communication, navigation, and weapon aiming cues for infantrymen. It is predominantly an application-driven investigation rather than driven a priori by specific theoretical predictions from models of human performance. Three experiments are presented. Experiment 1 established the affect on initial response to vibrotactile guidance cues of tactor placements on the palmer versus dorsal surface of the hand, and targets appearing left versus right of center. Results suggest that tactile cues provided on the left …

Go to article

Assessing Male Body Image: Development And Validation Of The Appearance Inventory For Men (Aim), Daniel Agliata Jan 2005

Assessing Male Body Image: Development And Validation Of The Appearance Inventory For Men (Aim), Daniel Agliata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite evidence suggesting that appearance dissatisfaction among men is on the rise, a void in appropriate forms of body image assessment for males remains. The current study reviews the literature on male body image, identifying the shortcomings and limitations of prior research, and introduces a psychometrically sound, male-specific body image assessment. An initial item-generation study was used to poll 253 males to inquire about their concerns, emotions, behaviors, and related body image topics to be sorted and synthesized into items for scale inclusion. The newly developed Appearance Inventory for Men (AIM) was then administered to 330 males and submitted to …

Go to article

Time Estimation And Hand Preference, Maria Rodriguez Jan 2005

Time Estimation And Hand Preference, Maria Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work examines the effect of participants' gender and handedness on the perception of short intervals of time. The time estimation task consisted of an empty production procedure with forty trials at each of four intervals of one, three, seven, and twenty seconds. The four target intervals represent a natural logarithmic progression and a series that bracket important temporal thresholds. The order of presentation of those intervals was randomized across participants but yoked across the sexes in each of the respective dominant hand groups. The two between-subject factors, with two levels each, were sex and handedness. Participants produced forty estimates …

Go to article

Investigation Of The Outcomes Of Delivering Training To Spanish Speakers In Standard Spanish Versus Their Native Dialect, Mary Kosarzycki Jan 2005

Investigation Of The Outcomes Of Delivering Training To Spanish Speakers In Standard Spanish Versus Their Native Dialect, Mary Kosarzycki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored the outcomes of delivering training to Spanish speakers in either their native dialect or in Standard Spanish in the context of a self-running, narrated PowerPoint presentation on a health topic, "The Importance of Vaccinations." The training outcomes that were examined included learning scores; attitudes toward the training; and attitudes toward employment with organizations that employed the same or different dialect-speaking employees, supervisors, and trainers. In addition to examining the effects of ethnicity upon outcomes, this study also examined the effect of age, education level, time in the U.S., and familiarity with the locally dominant subgroup's dialect. …

Go to article

Performance Implications Of Alternative Color-Codesin Airport X-Ray Baggage Screening, Matthew Hilscher Jan 2005

Performance Implications Of Alternative Color-Codesin Airport X-Ray Baggage Screening, Matthew Hilscher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated both cognitive and affective influences of alternative color combinations in a search task paradigm. The effects of re-mapping the existing, comparatively arbitrarily color codes of baggage X-ray images, were explored. Alternative color-codes were evaluated for improving the economy of visual search in X-ray baggage screening. Using a 2 x 2 between-groups design, the perceptual aspects of color-codes varying in degree of visual agreeability (accordant or discordant) and color contrast (high or low) were examined in terms of effectiveness (detection accuracy) and efficiency (reaction time). Three hypotheses were put forth; two postulated main effects for color contrast and …

Go to article

Testing An Intervention To Address The Sociocultural Influence Of Mass Media On Body Image: Can We Reverse The Curse?, Janet Derosier Murray Jan 2005

Testing An Intervention To Address The Sociocultural Influence Of Mass Media On Body Image: Can We Reverse The Curse?, Janet Derosier Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adverse effects of exposure to unrealistic ideals in the media are well documented, however, this is the first study to explore the possibility that women may experience improvement in body image and affect via social comparison to women with realistic, non-ideal body shape and size. Using material from The Century Project©, the impact of exposure to nude, non-pornographic photographs of women of varied shape, size, age, and physical condition, and the photographed women's personal commentaries about how they successfully cope with body image concerns was tested using an experimental design. It was hypothesized that exposure to the photographs and …

Go to article

When Life Really Is A Stage: A Test Of Objectification Theory Using Dancers And Non-Dancers, Megan Duesterhaus Jan 2005

When Life Really Is A Stage: A Test Of Objectification Theory Using Dancers And Non-Dancers, Megan Duesterhaus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study tested a model of objectification theory proposed by Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) as it applies to disordered eating in a sample of dancers and non-dancers. The methods in this study are based on a previous test of objectification theory done by Tiggeman and Slater (2001). Two samples of participants were given a survey to measure self-objectification and its anticipated consequences. The first sample included 155 women who participated in either ballet, modern, jazz, or hip-hop dance. The second sample included 199 women enrolled in undergraduate classes at the University of Central Florida during the fall semester of 2004. …

Go to article

Risk Factors For Adult Victimization Among Florida's Homeless Women, Rebecca Michelle Weichsel Jan 2005

Risk Factors For Adult Victimization Among Florida's Homeless Women, Rebecca Michelle Weichsel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the existing research on violence against homeless women has concluded that homeless women are particularly vulnerable to violence and experience victimization at rates often exceeding the rates of housed women. Little research, however, has focused upon the specific risk factors that expose homeless women to physical assault, rape, and stalking. Utilizing a sample of 737 homeless women from the Florida cities of Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami, this study investigated the risk factors for experiencing adult personal victimization. The characteristics of homelessness, demographics, drug and alcohol use, subsistence activities, childhood victimization, mental health status, and criminal activities were …

Go to article

Old And Homeless,A Second Look At Two Surveys, Brian Bigelow Jan 2005

Old And Homeless,A Second Look At Two Surveys, Brian Bigelow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the comparison between the Rich et al (1995) study done in Tampa Bay, Fl and Burt et al (2001) national study. Rich et al conducted a study of elder homeless Americans and later, Burt et al conducted a replication study on a national level using a similar study. My secondary analysis of the data covered four aspects: Demographics between the two groups of respondents; current housing issues; current alcohol, drug and mental health issues; and finally homeless services being used by both homeless, formally homeless and never homeless respondents. This was all compared to those that were …

Go to article

A Constructionist Analysis Of Same-Sex Marriage, Sandra Kay Nead Jan 2005

A Constructionist Analysis Of Same-Sex Marriage, Sandra Kay Nead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Same-sex marriage has been heavily debated in academics and in the public sphere. During the 2004 Presidential election same-sex marriage became an issue that polarized the candidates. It has become a lightning rod for public debate. Due to the increasing attention to the controversy of legalizing same-sex marriage, it is an important topic for research. This paper seeks to contribute to the research of same-sex marriage by providing insight into claims-making efforts to define same-sex marriage as a social problem. My findings shed light on this topic from a social constructionist perspective by examining the use of rhetorical idioms of …

Go to article

Is Gay Really Gay?: A Heterosexual/Homosexual Quality Of Life Comparison, Kristina Dzara Jan 2005

Is Gay Really Gay?: A Heterosexual/Homosexual Quality Of Life Comparison, Kristina Dzara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines differences in quality of life measures between heterosexual and homosexual respondents using General Social Survey data from 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. Analyses of quality of life are performed in an effort to compare the heterosexual and homosexual population of the United States. The three main areas which are explored in the analysis are physical health, general happiness, and life excitement. Few differences were found in subjective life satisfaction between heterosexuals and homosexuals; however, some control variables differed. Directions for future research regarding homosexuality and quality of life are discussed.

Go to article

Gender Differences In Characteristics Of Intimate Partner Homicide Offenders, Heather Lynn Wilson Jan 2005

Gender Differences In Characteristics Of Intimate Partner Homicide Offenders, Heather Lynn Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses whether or not male and female intimate partner homicide offenders differ in a variety of characteristics using data from the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study, 1995-1998. Frequencies of male and female intimate partner homicide offender's risk factors were compared to look at how they differ. The areas that were explored were demographics, prior abuse, and the criminal justices response. A number of gender differences were found. Directions for future research pertaining to intimate partner homicide offenders are discussed.

Go to article

The Maintenance Of Ethnic Culture And Manifestations Of Ethnic Identity In The Life Stories Of Finnish Immigrants, Minna Grantham Jan 2005

The Maintenance Of Ethnic Culture And Manifestations Of Ethnic Identity In The Life Stories Of Finnish Immigrants, Minna Grantham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether Finnish immigrants show evidence of assimilation or if they have maintained their ethnic culture in the United States. More specifically, the purpose was to examine how the ethnic culture has been maintained and the ways that ethnic identity manifests itself in their life stories. Ten qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finnish immigrants and children of Finnish immigrants, and emerging themes were identified in the data. The results indicate a strong ethnic identity among Finnish immigrants, yet it appears to be a very much taken for granted experience for them. The immigrants' lives were influenced by …

Go to article

Race, Socio-Economic Status, School Level-Resources, And Parental Influences On Fcat Scores In Florida: A Quantitative Study., Tara King Jan 2005

Race, Socio-Economic Status, School Level-Resources, And Parental Influences On Fcat Scores In Florida: A Quantitative Study., Tara King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an abundance of literature that focuses on the standardized test score difference between minority and non-minority students. Within this literature, socio-economic factors, parental influences, and school-level resources have been used to explain the difference in test scores. The purpose of this study is to identify the variables that are thought to significantly influence test score achievement. The data come from the Florida Department of Education and the US Census. Linear regression analyses results are used to examine the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables. The results showed that overall economic factors are more closely related to …

Go to article

College Students' Well Being: The Role Of Parent-College Student Expectation Discrepancies And Communication, Allison Kanter Agliata Jan 2005

College Students' Well Being: The Role Of Parent-College Student Expectation Discrepancies And Communication, Allison Kanter Agliata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parental influence on college students' well being is underestimated frequently in the developmental literature. College students often set social and academic goals according to their perception of what their parents expect from them. The discrepancy between college students' performance and their perceptions of parents' expectations can impact their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine various parent-college student expectation discrepancies and communication levels as predictors for college students' psychological well being. Results revealed that college students reported experiencing higher levels of anger, depression, and anxiety and lower levels of self-esteem and college adjustment when higher expectation-performance …

Go to article

Availability Of The Felony-Murder Rule Today: Equitable And Just Or Unfair And Excessive?, Traci Rose Francis Jan 2005

Availability Of The Felony-Murder Rule Today: Equitable And Just Or Unfair And Excessive?, Traci Rose Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current research provides an examination of felony murder to determine the similarities and differences among jurisdictions in the nation. It provides a current analysis of jurisprudence to update the literature as to practices in the United States pertaining to the availability of felony murder and the specific elements that make up the rule. This research conducts a survey of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Federal System. It provides an overview of the felony-murder rule and its availability, the degrees to which the doctrine is utilized, and the subsequent sentences allowable for defendants convicted under the …

Go to article

Classroom Observations Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Patterns And Characteristics Of Attention Over Time, Thomas M. Timko Jr. Jan 2005

Classroom Observations Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Patterns And Characteristics Of Attention Over Time, Thomas M. Timko Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Investigated differences in attentional processes between children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their classroom peers. Models of attention gleaned from laboratory experiments provided a theoretical structure for hypothesizing between-group attentional differences. Seventy-five children with ADHD and 36 normal control children were observed in their regular classrooms over a 1-week time interval. Explication of between-group differences revealed that children with ADHD were approximately 21% less attentive on average. Both groups exhibited an accelerating-decelerating pattern of attention over time, however, children with ADHD cycled at a rate twice that of same-aged peers. Six variables derived from observed attention were examined for …

Go to article

Acculturation, Social Acceptance, And Adjustment Of Early Adolescents, Jenny Klein Jan 2005

Acculturation, Social Acceptance, And Adjustment Of Early Adolescents, Jenny Klein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A majority of research regarding disruptive behavior disorders in youth has focused primarily upon Caucasian children and adolescents. As a result, more investigation of the unique characteristics of youth from ethnically diverse backgrounds, particularly those from Hispanic American and African American backgrounds, is needed (Balls Organista, Organista, & Kurasaki, 2003). This study investigated the relationships between several characteristics (e.g., ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, social acceptance, and emotional and behavioral symptoms) of early adolescents belonging to diverse ethnic groups. Results suggested that socioeconomic status and degree of early adolescents' social acceptance were important factors in predicting the development of internalizing and …

Go to article

Models Of Infringement:The Commission Of The European Union And Its Relationship With European Union Member States, Richard Cram Jan 2005

Models Of Infringement:The Commission Of The European Union And Its Relationship With European Union Member States, Richard Cram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is designed to explore the complex question of compliance within the European Union. The European Union relies on the voluntary submission of it members to rules that the organization sets up. Other international organizations operate through this dynamic as well. As such, it is highly important to shed light, through research, on why states comply with the rules set forth by the organizations they belong to. Why do states comply in the European Union? There are many channels of research currently looking at this question. This thesis seeks to examine the European Commission's role in ensuring compliance in …

Go to article

The Relationship Of Parent And Child Self-Talk In A College Sample, Reesa Donnelly Jan 2005

The Relationship Of Parent And Child Self-Talk In A College Sample, Reesa Donnelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated the importance of early social interactions in the development of self-talk. It does not appear, however, that existing research has examined the relationship between parents' self-talk and the self-talk that develops in their children. This study examined the relationship between self-talk in parents and their college-age children. Results revealed significant relationships between students' and parents' positive self-talk, but not negative self-talk. Marginal relationships were found for self-talk ratios (ratios of positive and negative self-talk). Maternal communication was found to mediate the relationship between students' and their mothers' positive self-talk. Different trends also were noted between genders. Finally, …

Go to article

Investigating Economic Inequality And Voter Turnout In The Industrialized Democracies, Benjamin Freeman Jan 2005

Investigating Economic Inequality And Voter Turnout In The Industrialized Democracies, Benjamin Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper investigates economic inequality and voter turnout in a sample of 21 industrialized democracies using a pooled time series model of elections from 1970 to 1999. The findings demonstrate a connection between inequality and voter turnout wherein increases in inequality lead to reductions in voter turnout. The ramifications for democratic accountability and representative democracy are discussed.

Go to article

The Effect Of Gender, Confirmation Bias, And Metacognitive Self Assessment Over Varying Levels Of Expertise In A Visuospatial Task, Tatiana Ballion Jan 2005

The Effect Of Gender, Confirmation Bias, And Metacognitive Self Assessment Over Varying Levels Of Expertise In A Visuospatial Task, Tatiana Ballion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been shown that there exists a relationship between levels of metacognitive ability and estimation of personal ability for largely verbally-based tasks, where those with lessened facility for the task tend toward overestimation of their aptitude relative to their peers (Kruger and Dunning, 1999). This study examines this effect for a task of mechanical ability for volunteer participants (n = 69), where participants were given an abbreviated form of the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (BMCT) to establish a level of competency. Following the administration of the BMCT, the participants were then asked to speculate on the hypothetical grade for …

Go to article

The Status Of Advertising Education In The New Millennium, Joan Mccain Jan 2005

The Status Of Advertising Education In The New Millennium, Joan Mccain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advertising education is 100 years old in 2005. What was necessary to earn a degree in advertising, and how American universities prepared students for it, had a research champion in Billy I. Ross, who did extensive study on curriculum and degree requirements beginning in the 1960s. His last study was in 1991. The World Wide Web, Internet, digital communications and emerging consumer communication choices and preferences have educators discussing changes in advertising curriculum in the new millennium. Some challenges remain constant, while others present a new frontier. An advertising education summit in 2001, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation and …

Go to article

Internet Advertising: Are We Breaking Ground Or Moving Dirt?, Jaime Marshall Jan 2005

Internet Advertising: Are We Breaking Ground Or Moving Dirt?, Jaime Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seeking to validate the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of Persuasion for the online advertising context, a laboratory experiment utilizing 240 undergraduates was conducted at a southeastern university. The quality of banner advertisement contents--product endorser (spokesperson) and arguments (headlines)--were manipulated testing the variables' effect on click-through and attitude toward the advertisement for groups with high and low levels of product category involvement. Exploring a replica of a popular music website, participants were exposed to the test banners on the site's homepage. Due to the limited number of click-throughs, the relationship between the independent variables and click-through could not be established. However, …

Go to article

News Framing: A Comparison Of The New York Times And The People's Daily Coverage Of Sino-U.S. Spy Plane Collision Of April 1, 2001, Xiaoling Zhang Jan 2005

News Framing: A Comparison Of The New York Times And The People's Daily Coverage Of Sino-U.S. Spy Plane Collision Of April 1, 2001, Xiaoling Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 21, 2001, the United States and China faced their first major incident of the 21st century when a U.S. spy plane accidentally collided with a Chinese fighter plane. The dialogue that followed between the two countries, as well as the tenor of the incident as reported in the international press, provide some interesting and insightful glimpses into how these major powers handled the incident in the days and weeks that followed. Although the mainstream media in both China and the United States reported the key facts and elements of the incident in a similar fashion, the spin that …

Go to article

News Or Speculation? A Comparative Content Analysis Of Headlines And The Prevalence Of Speculative Language In Corporate And Independently Owned Newspapers, Lindsay Hudock Jan 2005

News Or Speculation? A Comparative Content Analysis Of Headlines And The Prevalence Of Speculative Language In Corporate And Independently Owned Newspapers, Lindsay Hudock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study began with the question of whether the press is conveying messages that contain speculation of future events as opposed to the recounting of current events. Speculative language is a form of subjective speech and as such its presence in press content defies the journalist principle of objectivity. The analysis sought to identify two newspaper's use of speculative language within headlines in the news sections. Two other variables considered were article placement, and the ownership structure of the news organizations. Previous research supports the claim that the ownership structure of an organization can influence the content it publishes (Lacy, …

Go to article

Regional Readiness For Intelligence Information Sharing To Support Homeland Security, Christine Genet Kemp Jan 2005

Regional Readiness For Intelligence Information Sharing To Support Homeland Security, Christine Genet Kemp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age was created to produce recommendations on how to best leverage intelligence and information to improve security without compromising existing civil liberties. Their second report proposed that the government set up an information-sharing network using currently available technology to improve our ability to prevent terrorist attacks, while protecting civil liberties. The Markle recommendations have been incorporated into the recent Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The proposition is that the Markle task force recommendations are sufficient to achieve the required data integration in the United States. To affirm …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last