Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Gender And Site-Name Recall Of Geographic Sites Varying In Distance., Joshua Sean Godsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to replicate, refine, and extend research by Zinser et al. (in press) of the site-name, associative memory of male and female college students of nearby to very distant geographic sites. A test booklet included eight schematic aerial maps. The maps were of 20 to 50 geographic sites participants attempted to match with their names. The number of campus buildings, campus city sites, regional cities, U.S. cities, U.S. states, world cities, world countries, and world continents/bodies of water matched correctly were determined. A demographic questionnaire was also presented. Overall, men performed significantly better than …

Print Media's Treatment Of Corporate-Named Stadiums Vs. Historically-Named Stadiums In Major-League Baseball Game Stories., Donald Ray Armstrong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the use of historical names vs. corporate names of stadiums by newspapers in Major League Baseball game stories. The study includes a sample of stories from seven major league teams from the first season that each team played in a corporate-named stadium after playing the preceding year in a historically-named park. A content analysis of 725 newspaper articles was performed. The hypotheses and exploratory questions tested the frequency of use comparing the corporate name to the historical name and also examined where in the sports section the names were appearing and where the names were being used …

Burial Practices In Southern Appalachia., Donna W. Stansberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in an attempt to determine whether certain burial practices are unique to the people of Southern Appalachia. Eight individuals were interviewed, including a minister and a funeral director. As a result of the research, it was found that, although a strong sense of community and religion still prevails, making certain burial rituals distinctive to the people of Southern Appalachia, they are slowly eroding due to the growing presence of the modern American funeral industry.

Qualitative research methods were used to analyze a segment of the Southern Appalachian population, with literature reviews of related material and in-depth …

The Relationships Among Perceptions Of Family Disharmony, Parent-Child Relationships, Disharmonious Family Experiences, And Adolescent Cigarette Smoking., Herbert F. Wolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among the following perspectives: perception of family disharmony, parent-child relationships, disharmonious family relationships, and adolescent cigarette smoking. Participants from a southeastern university reported about whether they smoke daily, weekly, monthly, never, or no longer smoke. The independent variable was smoking status of participants. Four to eight rating scales served as dependent variables for the three perspectives. Independent groups (smoking status) multivariate analyses of variance with unequal cell sizes were performed on the rating scale measures. Because none of the comparison tests were significant, the results were interpreted to suggest that …

Positive Self-Talk Statements As A Self-Esteem Building Technique Among Female Survivors Of Abuse., Fred Jackson Teaster Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this integrated review of literature was to explore the relationship between and among females in abusive relationships, self-esteem, and positive self-talk. Various models are discussed that provide possible explanations in the understanding of the complex social and psychological nature of cyclic abuse. These models are: learned helplessness, psychological entrapment, self-verification theory, and feminist theory. It is suggested that positive self-talk statements used by the female survivor as a basis for cognitive restructuring can act as a self-esteem building technique, thus promoting healthier cognitions over time. Furthermore, it is argued that self-esteem enhancement can assist females in developing …

Marijuana Use By Juveniles: The Effects Of Peers, Parents Race, & Drug Abuse Resistance Education., Daniel J. Moeser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that affect the use of marijuana by juveniles and how outside influences such as peer pressure, race, parental influence, and prevention programs such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) contribute to the use of marijuana by juveniles. All of the variables used in this study came from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) data collected by Esbensen and Osgood (1999). The analysis indicated that juveniles are most influenced by their peers such as friends, that African American juveniles would be less likely than Whites and Hispanics to become …

Estimating The Economic Recreational Value Of Paracas National Reserve In Ica Peru: A Fair Fee Implementation Approach, Jaqueline Garcia-Yi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paracas National Reserve (PNR) is one of the fifty-seven protected areas that belong to the National System of Protected Areas (SINANPE) of Peru. Located in Ica Department, on the Pacific coast of Peru, it is the only coastal-marine ecosystem currently protected by the Peruvian government. PNR has been internationally recognized, principally as a wintering area for bird migrations. It has been designated as a Regional Shorebird Reserve by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (1991), a Ramsar site by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (1992), and a Particular Sensitive Sea Area by the …

Context-Specific Preference Learning Of One Dimensional Quantitative Geospatial Attributes Using A Neuro-Fuzzy Approach, Georgios Mountrakis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Change detection is a topic of great importance for modern geospatial information systems. Digital aerial imagery provides an excellent medium to capture geospatial information. Rapidly evolving environments, and the availability of increasing amounts of diverse, multiresolutional imagery bring forward the need for frequent updates of these datasets. Analysis and query of spatial data using potentially outdated data may yield results that are sometimes invalid. Due to measurement errors (systematic, random) and incomplete knowledge of information (uncertainty) it is ambiguous if a change in a spatial dataset has really occurred. Therefore we need to develop reliable, fast, and automated procedures that …

Juveniles' Attitudes Toward The Police As Affected By Prior Victimization., Joshua A. Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze juveniles' attitudes toward the police and how their attitudes were affected by prior victimization and delinquency, controlling for race, gender, and city of residence. All variables used in this study came from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) data collected by Esbensen (1999). The analysis indicated that females held more favorable attitudes toward the police than males, Whites held more favorable attitudes toward the police than non-Whites, and juveniles living in small rural/suburban areas held more favorable attitudes than those living in large urban areas. The major finding of this study …

Environmental Conservation On Agricultural Working Land: Assessing Policy Alternatives Using A Spatially Heterogeneous Land Allocation Model, Kelly M. Cobourn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multifunctionality refers to the ability of agricultural systems to produce an array of non-market goods and services in addition to market commodities. This thesis focuses explicitly on the provision of environmental benefits, through reduced soil erosion and fertilizer applications, by agricultural producers. Soil erosion and nutrient contamination from agricultural production are the foremost contributors to ground and surface water degradation in the United States. Reducing their production implies gains in social welfare, but may generate significant private losses to producers. The objective of this analysis is to quantify the tradeoff between environmental improvements and producer welfare and to examine the …

Treatment Acceptability Of A Well-Established Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Panic Disorder In A Passamaqyoddy Community, Elizabeth Ranslow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a step towards evaluating the cross-cultural effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder, treatment acceptability was used in the current study to gain an understanding of the treatment utility and social validity of that treatment with a group of Passamaquoddy individuals. American Indian communities face substantial psychosocial challenges (e-g., poverty, discrimination, and high rates of violent deaths), which are associated with increased risk for psychopathology, and there is little empirical evidence of the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy within these communities. The current study addressed these issues in two phases. In phase 1, qualitative methodology was used to …

Communication Cues To Action Prompting Central Appalachian Women To Have A Mammogram., Kathryn Bond Mcneill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, mammography screening is the best method of detection for breast cancer, yet many women have never been screened and underprivileged, minority and rural women have lower screening rates then other populations. The purpose of this study, through individual interviews(N=88), was to understand the cues that women perceive to have received spurring them to participate in mammogram screening. The Health Belief Model guided this research. Media influence, Health Care Practitioner recommendation, social networks, and symptoms were the cues to action explored in this research prompting compliance to mammography screening. All four of these cues were found to influence women in …

A Data Model For Exploration Of Temporal Virtual Reality Geographic Information Systems, Jorge Alberto Prado De Campos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geographic information systems deal with the exploration, analysis, and presentation of geo-referenced data. Virtual reality is a type of human-computer interface that comes close to the way people perceive information in the real world. Thus, virtual reality environments become the natural paradigm for extending and enhancing the presentational and exploratory capability of GIs applications in both the spatial and temporal domains. The main motivation of this thesis is the lack of a framework that properly supports the exploration of geographic information in a multi-dimensional and multi-sensorial environment (i.e., temporal virtual reality geographic information systems). This thesis introduces a model for …

A Durkheimian Sociobiology?, Jason Oliver Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As conceived by Durkheim, social facts set parameters on what is of sociological interest, and subsequently how social phenomena are explained. This thesis reworks this theoretical concept to allow for biological explanations of some social phenomena. It by no means, asserts that all social phenomena can be explained by biology, but it recognizes that biological explanations of human behavior are available and are of sociological interest. The argument agrees with the main thrust of Durkheim's defense of social facts, but his critique of utility, while insightful, is considered unnecessary to negate individual causality.

Willingness To Accept Forgiveness In Various Religious Targets., Meridith Ann Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three scenarios regarding a target man's moral behavior were used to examine 'religious halo' 'religious boomerang', and a 'halo recovery' effect. Initially, participants rated a male target in response to his religious affiliation. Secondly, participants rated the male target following an act of infidelity. Finally, participants provided ratings of the male target with the knowledge that the target received forgiveness from significant others. Results indicated that participants did not discriminate based on knowledge of the target's religious affiliation but did reject the target following an act of infidelity. New to this research, however, was discovery of a 'halo recovery' where …

Bridging The Gap Between Medical Science And Communication: An Interpretive Analysis Of Messages Portrayed On Endometriosis Websites., Lakesha Nichole Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined women's health messages found on ten endometriosis websites. Qualitative research methods were used to investigate messages available via Internet media about causes and treatments of endometriosis, particularly as they relate to the suggestion that hysterectomy and pregnancy are effective treatments. Messages about infertility, physician-patient communication, and accessibility were also examined. Findings indicate that the websites provided similar messages regarding the symptoms, causes, and treatments of endometriosis; results pertaining to infertility were mixed. Little information was available on methods of improving physician-patient communication. Most websites provided additional low-cost information while requiring minimal technological competency or additional software of …

Under The Influence: Adolescent Girls' Compliance In Competitive Softball., Cory Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how and why young female athletes participate in the competitive organized sport of softball. Based on participant observation and interviews with coaches and players of Team Z, this study examines how parents and coaches influence females to participate in athletics through incentives and punishments. This thesis also examines the cultural assumptions about work that organized sports introduce to female athletes. Furthermore, the study discusses how parents and competitive sports organizations perpetuate the existence of male domination in sports and in society more generally.

Variants Of Volunteerism Among Mature Adults Within Communities Of Northeast Tennessee., Martha Wilcox Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and …

The Digital Divide: A Study Of The Intra-Ethnic Divide Within The African American Population In Johnson City, Tennessee., Sonja E. Schreckenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how much access African American adults 25 years and older, living in Johnson City, Tennessee had to computers, and the factors that most influenced such access. Data was collected from 271 persons living in the area. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software to determine how certain demographics would contribute to the level of computer access.

Results from the study revealed that a digital divide existed within the African American community, with income being a strong determinant of access to computers. The highest level of access for the sample was in the salary range of $50,000-74,999. Computer …

Structuring A Wayfinder's Dynamic And Uncertain Environment, Michael D. Hendricks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wayfinders typically travel in dynamic environments where barriers and requirements change over time. In many cases, uncertainty exists about the future state of this changing environment. Current geographic information systems lack tools to assist wayfinders in understanding the travel possibilities and path selection options in these dynamic and uncertain settings. The goal of this research is a better understanding of the impact of dynamic and uncertain environments on wayfinding travel possibilities. An integrated spatio-temporal framework, populated with barriers and requirements, models wayfinding scenarios by generating four travel possibility partitions based on the wayfinder's maximum travel speed. Using these partitions, wayfinders …

Techniques For Assessing And Improving Performance In Navigation And Wayfinding Using Mobile Augmented Reality, Brian Goldiez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Augmented reality is a field of technology in which the real world is overlaid with additional information from a computer generated display. Enhancements to augmented reality technology presently support limited mobility which is expected to increase in the future to provide much greater real world functionality. This work reports on a set of experiments that investigate performance in search and rescue navigating tasks using augmented reality. Augmentation consisted of a spatially and temporally registered map of a maze that was overlaid onto a real world maze. Participants were required to traverse the maze, answer spatially oriented questions in the maze, …

Camera System Support For Highway Transportation Using Mobile Devices, Le Minh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the very fast growing technology in wireless, advancement in hardware and the dramatically falling cost of mobile computing devices such as PDA, handheld device, People nowadays can have a personal device that fits in their hand but has computing power as a desktop did few years ago. The same device now is able to communicate over a wireless network and view office document at the same time. The combination of size, power and flexibility makes the personal devices increasingly appear in many aspects of life. In this proposal, we focus on a simple yet useful application of mobile devices …

Image Quality Analysis Using Glcm, Dhanashree Gadkari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gray level co-occurrence matrix has proven to be a powerful basis for use in texture classification. Various textural parameters calculated from the gray level co-occurrence matrix help understand the details about the overall image content. The aim of this research is to investigate the use of the gray level co-occurrence matrix technique as an absolute image quality metric. The underlying hypothesis is that image quality can be determined by a comparative process in which a sequence of images is compared to each other to determine the point of diminishing returns. An attempt is made to study whether the curve of …

A Holistic Model Of The Interplay Of Parent-Adolescent Interaction Varialbes: Outcomes As A Result Of Conflictual Processes, Cliff Blake Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many variables have been analyzed in order to understand parent-adolescent interactions and outcomes for adolescents. These variables must be integrated into a model that demonstrates the holistic interplay of parent-adolescent interaction variables so that a more comprehensive understanding of parent-adolescent interactions is achieved. Variables included in the model proposed here were parenting, family environment, expectations, conflict, and outcomes. Parenting, family environment, and conflict were associated with outcomes for adolescents. When the variables were analyzed simultaneously with structural equation modeling, however, the relationship of parenting and adolescent outcomes was mediated wholly for male-father, male-mother, and female-father relationships but remained significant for …

Improving Metacomprehension And Learning Through Graduated Concept Mod, Eleni Kring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental model development, deeper levels of information processing, and elaboration are critical to learning. More so, individuals' metacomprehension accuracy is integral to making improvements to their knowledge base. In other words, without an accurate perception of their knowledge on a topic, learners may not know that knowledge gaps or misperceptions exist and, thus, would be less likely to correct them. Therefore, this study offered a dual-process approach that aimed at enhancing metacomprehension. One path aimed at advancing knowledge structure development and, thus, mental model development. The other focused on promoting a deeper level of information processing through processes like elaboration. …

Transforming Learning Into A Constructive Cognitive And Metacognitive, Haydee Cuevas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effectiveness of embedding a guided, learner-generated instructional strategy (query method), designed to support learners' cognitive and metacognitive processes, within the context of a computer-based complex task training environment (i.e., principles of flight in the aviation domain). The queries were presented as "stop and think" exercises in an open-ended question format that asked learners to generate either simple (low-level elaboration) or complex (high-level elaboration) sentences from a list of key training concepts. Results consistently highlighted the benefit of presenting participants with low-level elaboration queries, as compared to the no-query or high-level elaboration queries. In terms of post-training …

The Effects Of Differential Item Functioning On Predictive Bias, Damon Bryant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relation between measurement bias at the item level (differential item functioning, dif) and predictive bias at the test score level. Dif was defined as a difference in the probability of getting a test item correct for examinees with the same ability but from different subgroups. Predictive bias was defined as a difference in subgroup regression intercepts and/or slopes in predicting a criterion. Data were simulated by computer. Two hypothetical subgroups (a reference group and a focal group) were used. The predictor was a composite score on a dimensionally complex test with …

Effects Of Voluntary Control On Performance Response Under Stress., Christina Shawn Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent stressful environments within military and non-military domains are producing a new challenge for the lab-based study of stress on task performance, one that requires knowledge of underlying cognitive-motivational and goal orientation factors. Results of recent stress on task performance research traditionally employ metaphorical explanations (i.e., resource theory) in order to rapidly apply stimulus-response outcomes to the real world counterparts. This dissertation provides an alternative perspective about these metaphorical, or black box, interpretations and reveals how they may be confounded with respect to the intended real world counterpart. To examine how voluntary human control can influence traditional stress/no-stress research findings, …

An Investigation Into Providing Feedback To Users Of Decision Support, James Pharmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in several domains has shown that the implementation of computerized decision support aids is often associated with issues of human-automation interaction, which can have disastrous consequences. One often-cited reason for these issues is the poor quality of the feedback that is provided to the operators through these tools. The objective of the proposed investigation is to examine how providing feedback through a decision support tool affects operator knowledge and performance in the context of a fault management task for naval gunfire support. A one-way between-groups comparison was made to investigate differences between providing decision support feedback (logic trace, mission …

The Effects Of Stimulus Motion On Contrast Sensitivity: Dynamic Sensi, Merrill Zavod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Static Visual Acuity (SVA) has been called into question for some time as a measure of overall visual system function and as a predictor of performance on real-life tasks requiring vision (i.e., operating an automobile). Specifically, it has been pointed out that the targets employed in most SVA testing (high contrast, stationary letters) are an insufficient analog to actual targets encountered in everyday activities, which are often in motion and/or of less-than-perfect contrast. In addition, the size-threshold methodology typically used to measure SVA is incongruent with current theories of a multi-channel visual system. Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) and Contrast Sensitivity …