Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Body Image And Body Mass Index: An Investigation Of Preadolescent Low-Income, Urban Ethnic Minority Girls, Amanda K. Ward

Master's Theses

Utilizing a sample of low-income, urban preadolescent African American and Latina girls, this study examined ethnic differences in two aspects of body image (i.e., body dissatisfaction and weight descriptions), and determined if this relation varied as a function of age. This study also examined the relation between the body image variables and self-esteem and BMI and self-esteem, and determined if these relations differed depending on age or ethnicity. Participants were recruited from 3rd through 5th grade at five Chicago Public Schools, and completed measures of body dissatisfaction, weight descriptions, self-esteem, and had their anthropometric measurements taken. Results showed that Latina …

Who Plays? Who Pays?: A Chicago Case Study Of Racism, The Lottery, And Education, Kasey Henricks

Master's Theses

Many Chicagoans are getting shortchanged, particularly when it comes to the money-exchange process between the Illinois Lottery (IL) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). In Illinois, a significant portion of lottery-generated revenues is earmarked to finance public education. Because these revenues are not generated equally across Chicago, some communities contribute more to education via the lottery than others. When these revenues are distributed in such a way that transfers money from one community to another, one community's fiscal gain comes at another's expense. So the question stands: Who plays and who pays? To answer this question, I measure …

The Influence Of Supportive Parenting And Racial Socialization On Internalizing And Externalizing Behaviors Among African-American Youth, Corinn Elmore

Master's Theses

The current study examined the additive and interactive effects of racial socialization on internalizing and externalizing behaviors. One hundred and thirty-six youth (mean age = 11.49, SD = 1.71) in fourth through eighth grade and parents of children these ages (n = 150) from 3 three locations of a community based family support agency reported on the youth's internalizing and externalizing behaviors, parental behavior, and racial socialization experiences. Correlational analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between study variables. Consistent with hypotheses, supportive parenting was associated with fewer maladaptive outcomes. Racial pride messages showed a trend level association to outcomes. …

Predictors Of Academic Achievement And Failure Among Low-Income Urban African American Adolescents: An Ecological Perspective, Israel Moses Gross

Master's Theses

Predictors of academic achievement among urban low-income African American adolescents have primarily been investigated by examining "main effects," or limited interactions with conventional statistical techniques. This paper adds to the literature by examining the factors that influence academic outcomes among this population within an ecological systems framework. This allowed for a comprehensive understanding of how numerous protective and risk factors, across ecological settings, interact to influence academic outcomes.

Optimal Data Analysis (ODA) was employed to create prediction models for mathematic and reading achievement. ODA allowed for the examination of a vast number of variables in one statistical model without increasing …

Happily Ever After: Construction Of Family In Disney Princess Collection Films, Jennifer Hecht

Master's Theses

This thesis examined the role and characterization of family members in Disney princess films. The purpose of this study was to fill gaps in previous research on the Disney princess films by analyzing the themes and collection as a whole, including the newest film in the collection, The Princess and the Frog. Using content analysis, this study identified three variables that were present in every Disney princess film in the collection - nuclear family, love, and appearance. The researcher found little family diversity in terms of types of households, parenting roles, and characterization of family members. Siblings were especially underrepresented. …

Emotional Exhaustion, Work-Family Conflict, And Marital Satisfaction Among Professional Psychologists., Alisha Oscharoff

Master's Theses

While a wealth of research has examined how the occupational role affects family domain functioning, there is limited research investigating these issues among mental health professionals. Using a sample of 160 professional psychologists, this study examined the relationships between emotional exhaustion at work, work-family conflict (WFC), and marital satisfaction as well as gender differences in the strengths of these relationships. Analyses indicated that increased emotional exhaustion was associated with increased WFC and that both emotional exhaustion and WFC were negatively associated with marital satisfaction. However, WFC did not emerge as a significant mediator of the relationship between emotional exhaustion and …

Contributory Factors Of Extraneous New Bone Growth On The Endocranial Surfaces Of Human Infant And Sub-Adult Skeletal Remains, Mark Andrew Zahareas

Master's Theses

This study investigates the factors that may contribute to endocranial bone changes in human sub-adult skeletal remains in an effort to differentiate bone changes, or lesions, caused by pathological processes and those caused by growth and development. The contributory factors investigated included the presence of endocranial bone lesions, the age-at-death of the individual, the precise location of the bone change, the dynamic nature of the locations, and the presence (or absence) of postcranial and/or ectocranial indicators of pathology within the individual. The sample population used for this research was comprised of 129 individuals from 15 different Native American groups over …

The Ends Determine The Means: Activated Goals Explain The Decision To Confront, Kala Jean Melchiori

Master's Theses

Women believe that they would confront perpetrators of sexual harassment, but when put in a sexually harassing situation they rarely confront (Woodzicka & LaFrance, 2001). Women may overestimate their likelihood of confronting because they think they would be concerned with fairness, but in actuality the need to belong strongly dissuades women from confronting harassers. I tested this idea by randomly assigning women to be primed with a belonging, fairness, or no goal, and then had them predict how they would respond to sexually harassing or surprising interview questions. Women who viewed the sexually harassing interview questions predicted more confrontational behavior …

An Attack On One Is An Attack On All: Factors That Influence Responses To Witnessing Discrimination, Hilary E. Slover

Master's Theses

Witnessing discrimination against a racial minority should be threatening to both racial minority and majority group members, but for different reasons. One's racial group membership and one's relationship with the perpetrator could both serve as sources of threat to a third party observer. Ninety-two participants identified as racial majority group members (i.e., White) and 48 identified as racial minority group members (i.e., Asian, Black, and other). Each participant was asked to report one instance of discrimination perpetrated by a close other and one by a distant other. Some differences between minority and majority group members' responses emerged. For example, compared …

Connecting Children And Families: Expectations And Experiences Of Professional Foster Parents, Samantha A. Goodrich

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Heart And Mind At Work: The Effects Of Implicit And Explicit Reasoning On Performance Appraisal, Scott Ryan

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Monhantic Fort Gunflints: Continuity Or Change In Mashantucket Pequot Lithic Manufacturing Patterns Due To European Contact, Scott E. Williams

Master's Theses

Abstract Monhantic Fort was a late seventeenth century fortified village located on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation in southeastern Connecticut and was occupied between 1675-1680 during the time of King Philip’s War. The objectives of this study are to reconstruct Pequot behaviors related to production, maintenance, use, and discard of gunflints and other lithic tools made from European flint at Monhantic Fort and further if their patterns of manufacture and technologies were altered through contact with Europeans. As a number of the lithic tools, including the gunflints, recovered at Monhantic Fort had similar morphologies it was first necessary to determine exactly …

An Assessment Of The Social Impact Of Feminist Network Organizing: A Qualitative Study Of The First Nepali Women's Global Network (Nwgn) Conference, Barret Katuna

Master's Theses

In this study, the author examines the efforts of one transnational feminist network, the Nepali Women’s Global Network (NWGN) to organize through a conference addressing gender inequality matters that shape the experiences of Nepali women on a global and national level and the variant experiences of conference participants based on their social locations. Recognizing the complexity of individual social change on a personal level as well as process-based institutional social change challenging social norms, the author posits the following two research questions 1) Can conferences organized by feminist networks initiate social change? and 2) How can feminist networks best promote …

Effects Of Embodiment On Perceptual And Affective Responses To Infant Crying, Jennifer B. Bisson

Master's Theses

Three experiments were conducted to investigate how changes in bodily states might be related to perceptions of infant vocalizations. In Study 1, participants were asked to hold a pencil between their lips, mimicking a smile, while listening to infant crying. Although there were no embodied effects for perceptual ratings, results indicated that this manipulation decreased participants’ self-reported, negative affect. In Study 2, participants were played both infant crying and birdsong while exposed to similar embodied manipulations, including activation of muscles related to approach and withdrawal behavior. There were no embodied effects for ratings of crying or for affect. Comparing Study …

Effects Of Delayed Auditory Feedback On Young Infants’ Crying, Sarah M. Sanborn

Master's Theses

Neural control of newborn crying has typically been considered to originate primarily in the lower brain centers, although support for this assumption is limited. To address this, the present study manipulated newborn infants’ perceptual experience during a cry bout through use of delayed auditory feedback (DAF). Atypical cry productions during DAF would suggest that newborn crying is under higher levels of cortical control than previously assumed. Infants’ spontaneous crying was recorded for 2 minutes at 4 weeks of age (n=16) and again at 8 weeks of age (n=17) using an ABA design, alternating synchronous feedback with DAF. Standard repeated-measures 2 …

Examining Relationship Interactions Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics, Diana I. Loera

Master's Theses

The following study explores the factors associated with security of romantic attachment in Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs). ACOAs are more vulnerable to inconsistent parenting and consequently are more likely to develop negative internal models of self, a stable construct that affects romantic attachments (Bowlby, 1982; Ainsworth et al, 1989; Bartholomew, 1990). This study examined associations between parent, and peer relationships as possible resiliencies. It was hypothesized that ACOAs will report less secure attachments with their parents (as measured by the IPPA), less romantic attachment anxiety and avoidance (as measured by the ECR-R), and no significant difference in peer attachment …

Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Project Area Market Analysis, Joshua Chapman

Master's Theses

The following Market Analysis is an analysis of the Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Project Area. The analysis is divided into the following four sections: ♦ Planning Context ♦ Real Estate Market Conditions ♦ Emerging Market Opportunities & Case Studies ♦ Conclusion The report serves as an opportunity to aide stakeholders of the Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Project Area. Stakeholders include residents, business owners, the City of Sacramento, County of Sacramento, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), and the North Franklin District Business Association (NFDBA). The stakeholders are continually searching for data and creative examples of how to transform the area into a …

The Supreme Court's "Maverick" Justice: John Paul Stevens And Same-Sex Marriage, Jamie Acree

Master's Theses

This thesis predicts how United States Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens would have ruled on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage if the issue were to have come before him while he was on the Court. The hypothesis is that he would have found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The hypothesis is substantiated based on an analysis of Stevens‟ record in ten specific cases. The thesis puts forth the argument that these ten cases most accurately predict how Stevens would have voted on the constitutional issue. Stevens‟ opinions and dissents in these cases are examined. Additionally, included is …

Mindfulness And Test Anxiety In College Students, Jamey Brannon

Master's Theses

This study is designed to look at the relationship between test anxiety and mindfulness. This study consists of three surveys designed to look at different aspects of mindfulness and test anxiety. The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) is designed to determine to what degree a student has test anxiety. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is designed to measure an individual’s level of mindfulness in five different facets. The White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI) is designed to measure how much individuals suppress their thoughts. A Pearson Correlation was used to look for significant relationships between the TAI, the FFMQ, and the …

The Relation Between Sensation Seeking And Life Satisfaction, Stephanie Stegman

Master's Theses

The present study examined the relation between sensation seeking and life satisfaction. Participants completed four online surveys. One survey included a number of questions designed to measure personal sensation seeking level (Sensation Seeking Scale Form V). Another asked questions regarding life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale). A third survey included questions regarding one’s feelings about one’s self (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). The final survey asked questions regarding perceived stress level (Perceived Stress Scale). Results indicated that higher levels of Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility were associated with lower levels of life satisfaction. Results also demonstrated that higher levels of Boredom Susceptibility were …

Perceptions And Evaluation Of An Urban Environment For Pedestrian Friendliness: A Case Study, Elizabeth H. Lee

Master's Theses

Public health is an increasingly important issue addressed from both environmental and public health sectors for the future development of urban environments. From a planning perspective, one possible solution is to increase walkability throughout the cities. Many assessment methods are being developed and administered to evaluate the quality of existing urban environments to promote walkable cities/communities. The results from using these methods provide policymakers and stakeholders with valuable information regarding the existing physical conditions of the environment. Although several US cities started to develop and refocus plans toward pedestrian-oriented policies approaches, results from this particular study determined that the quality …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Greening An Older Modest-Sized Home, Delilah Zoe Leval

Master's Theses

This professional project estimates the upfront costs and utility savings expected from greening an approximately 1,100 square foot home built in the 1950s in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two sets of upgrades (alternative and original) were compared for costs and benefits. The alternative set (which included ceiling insulation and omitted upgrading to dual-pane windows) clearly out performed the original set. The alternative set would be expected to reduce resident utility bills by 28% annually, and to prevent approximately 2,700 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The water efficiency upgrades were the best performing group of upgrades, as they had …

The Other Race Effect : The Role Of Experience And Social Attiudes On Face Recognition, Emily Wheat

Master's Theses

The ORE is phenomenon whereby recognition for own race faces is better than recognition of other race faces. This study examines how non-perceptual factors—social context, attitudes, and experience—impact the ORE. Participants from three different racial groups (Caucasian, Black, Asian) completed a face recognition task screening faces for status-specific targets (baseline, perpetrator, victim), self-report measures of explicit bias and experience with members from other races and a measure of implicit bias. Results indicated that non-perceptual factors impact the ORE. Specifically, Caucasian participants revealed a reduced ORE for other race perpetrators in comparison to victims. Black participants revealed a reduced ORE for …

Shared Features And Similarity : Implications For Category Specificity And Normal Recognition, Daniel Kinka

Master's Theses

Patients with category-specific visual agnosia (CSVA) often exhibit a disproportionate difficulty recognizing objects from biological categories due (in part) to the fact that exemplars from biological categories tend to be visually and conceptually more similar. Similarity is often conceived of as a pairwise property (i.e., in terms of distance in a psychological space matrix), but may be more accurately conceived of as a setwise property (i.e., in terms of shared features). The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of shared features on similarity in normal observers, while controlling for distance in structural space. Behavioral and electrophysiological results …

Do We Know What We Know? Self- Assessment Across The Lifespan, Courtney Clare Lee

Master's Theses

Self-knowledge can play a critical role in navigating physical, cognitive, and social changes in late life. To protect and preserve one's sense of self against these changes, individuals may engage in self-enhancing and self-serving biases in areas important to self-esteem. The importance attached to these areas may change with age, and self-knowledge of these psychological processes may vary with age. We investigated self-enhancing biases and metacognitive awareness of abilities in adulthood. Participants ranging in age from 20 to 80 completed a series of tests assessing the better than average effect across a variety of age-relevant domains as well as objective …

Examining Locus Of Control And Attributional Style As Contributing Factors In The Narcissism-Aggression Relation, Marion Tam'eca Wallace

Master's Theses

Previous research has shown a consistent relation between narcissism and aggression in adults (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998; Stucke, 2003). Although relatively few studies have examined this relation in adolescents, narcissism has previously been correlated with behavioral problems (Washburn, McMahon, King, Reinecke, & Silver, 2004) and aggression (Barry, Grafeman, Adler, & Pickard, 2007; Thomaes, Bushman, Stegge, & Olthof, 2008) in youth. The current study examined attributional style (i.e., intemality vs. extemality) and locus of control as contributing variables in the narcissism-aggression relation in adolescents. The current study consisted of 148 male and 26 female at-risk adolescents (M = 16.04 years, SD= …

The Additive Effects Of Components Of An Intervention Package Targeting Compliance In Children With Hearing Impairments In A Classroom Setting, Laura Lynne Needelman

Master's Theses

The present study investigated the sequential introduction of a compliance training package based on the Compliance Training for Children (CTC) Model developed in the School Psychology Program at The University of Southern Mississippi. Participants were three deaf students in the classroom setting who were referred by their teachers for exhibiting noncompliance. The teachers in this study were also deaf. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design was used to assess the effectiveness of Effective Instruction Delivery (EID), EID with contingent praise for compliance, and EID with contingent praise for compliance and time-out contingent on noncompliance. One participant reached 100% compliance …

Foreign Language Acquisition, Motivation And Creativity, Xixi Du

Master's Theses

Previous research has suggested that advanced Second Language (L2) learners are more intrinsically motivated than beginning L2 learners (e.g., Rivers, 1996), and that Third Language (L3) learners are more intrinsically motivated than L2 learners (Schütz, 2007). However, Chomsky (1975) believes that children have to be creative to learn their first language, and others (e.g., Fraser, 2007; Heath & Wolf, 2005) believe that children are creative even when learning a second language. In this research, 67 L2 learners and 38 L3 learners were recruited. They completed a survey including a language achievement scale, an intrinsic motivation scale, and a creativity scale. …

Mixed-Income Housing: Assumptions And Realities, Kimberly M. Hoving

Master's Theses

Current Federal, State, and local San Francisco housing policy advocates mixed-income housing as a positive approach to creating living environments for low-income families. Strategies for creating mixed-income housing environments include large-scale public housing re-development efforts, inclusionary housing policies, and the use of discretionary funding for mixed-income development projects. Researchers agree that there is not yet enough evidence to support that mixed-income strategies are achieving positive results and have noted that the expected outcomes for mixed-income strategies are founded upon a number of assumptions. It is assumed that a mix of households at varying income levels will result in greater stability, …

Use Of The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test - Second Edition As An Embedded Measure Of Malingering In A College Population, Jamie Lee Babutzke

Master's Theses

In today’s economic decline, there is a growing pressure for the reform of healthcare. Clinicians need to treat only those individuals who have true symptoms and problems. Individuals who exaggerate or feigning cognitive impairments are straining an already over-burdened healthcare system (Haines & Norris, 2001). A collaborative approach in which a clinician gathers information from an interview, behavior observations, collateral information, and assessments is recommended to detect if an individual is attempting to malinger. Assessments are especially important if a clinician should be called to court. Over two-thirds of neuropsychologists use at least one specialized technique for detecting malingering (Slick, …