Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Integrating Web-Based Training Into Communication Scholarship Of Computer-Mediated Communication, Brian P. Johanpeter

Masters Theses

As interest and use of the Internet through the World Wide Web increases, it becomes necessary for the Communication Discipline to reexamine its approach to studying computer-mediated communication. A meta-analysis of the discipline's research in this area provides insight into the scholarly history of this subject. Included in this analysis is an examination of the discipline's research in computer-based instruction, placed as a subcategory under computer-mediated communication. This study reveals a gaping hole in the communication scholarship of computer-mediated communication and offers suggestions as to how research of Web-based training might fill this gap. Additional discussion also reveals how research …

A Comparison Of The Social Skills Rating System And The Preschool And Kindergarten Behavior Scales, Susan Hayner

Masters Theses

The Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), Teacher Form, at the Preschool and Elementary Levels, are fairly new instruments that purport to evaluate children's prosocial abilities and deviant problem behavior. Little research exists comparing the two instruments. Both scales have been determined to be globally technically adequate. However, the research has been limited thus far. The purpose of the current research was to further investigate the relationship between the two scales. A sample of children (n=136) in west central Illinois public and private preschools were used to collect the data. Of these, 64 …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Children's Conscientiousness And Procrastination Scale, Nicole M. Osterman

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to further examine the reliability and validity of a self-report measure of procrastination and conscientiousness for elementary-aged children. The research participants were 120 male and female students in grades 3-5, drawn from two different schools. The Children's Conscientiousness and Procrastination Scales (CCAPS; Lay, Kovacs, & Danto, 1998) exhibited high internal consistencies. Procrastination and Conscientiousness were highly, negatively related, consistent with previous research with related measures and with adult samples. Teacher and parent ratings of students were moderately correlated with the student's self-reports, thereby providing support for the convergent validity of the self-report measure. …

The Use Of Noncontingent Reinforcement In The Regular Education Classroom With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children, Heather A. D. Ochs

Masters Theses

A problem that exists in many regular education classrooms is excessive disruptive behavior of students. This study will examine the disruptive behavior of two children, age 8, who have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, in a simulated regular education classroom. Due to a renewed emphasis on linking treatment to functional analysis, noncontingent reinforcement was utilized to determine whether teacher mediated or peer mediated attention can decrease the disruptive behavior. This study used a multi-element design for the functional analysis and a reversal (ABAB) design to evaluate the effects of the noncontingent reinforcement treatment. Results indicated that peer attention was …

An Investigation Of Convergent And Divergent Validity Between Asca And Basc Trs, Jennifer L. Ingles

Masters Theses

The Behavior Assessment Scale for Children - Teacher Rating Scale (BASC - TRS) and the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) are both teacher rating scales which may be used by school psychologists to assess psychopathology. To date, these scales have not been compared in professional literature, although they assess similar social, emotional, and behavioral constructs. According to research, both scales appear to be technically superior teacher report rating scales. The current study analyzed ASCA and BASC TRS ratings which were completed on randomly selected students between the ages of 6 and 11 (n = 124). Convergent validity was …

Grade Equivalents: Accuracy And Certainty Of Interpretations Among Parents, Teachers, And School Psychologists, Eric R. Smith

Masters Theses

Scores on standardized tests (e.g., Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test) can be represented by a number of different metrics. One of the ways scores can be represented is with grade equivalents, which tend to be popular with parents and teachers because they seem to be fairly easy to understand. However, several researchers have claimed that grade equivalents are often misinterpreted. Standard scores are viewed by many researchers as the superior type of derived score. However, standardized scores can be difficult to understand, particularly for individuals with little or no training …

Collaborative Versus Prescriptive School-Based Behavioral Consultation: An Analysis Of Verbal Resistance, Brandon M. Royer

Masters Theses

Audiotaped problem analysis interviews involving actual referrals from 25 elementary school teachers were examined. A Teacher Resistance Code (TRC) was developed from Patterson's (1985) Client Noncompliance Code and used to evaluate verbal resistance in both "collaborative" and "prescriptive" problem analysis interviews. The relationship between resistance, interview condition, and treatment acceptability was assessed. Results indicated no significant differences in resistance between the collaborative and prescriptive conditions. Analysis of Intervention Rating Profile-15 (IRP-15) (Martens, Witt, Elliott, & Darveaux, 1985) scores between collaborative and prescriptive cases also revealed no significant differences. Analysis of the association between resistance on the Teacher Resistance Code and …

Attachment Styles And Childhood Trauma In Batterer Subtypes, Eric S. Davidson

Masters Theses

Eighty-three men seeking treatment for domestic violence and 28 non-violent control subjects completed self-report questionnaires on conflict resolution, attachment styles, and childhood trauma. Those seeking treatment were divided into three batterer subtypes in order to determine if there were differences between the three groups and the control group in attachment styles, and childhood trauma (overall trauma, sexual assault, punishment, and neglect). There were no significant relationships found between batterer subtype or subject status (batterer vs. non-batterer) concerning attachment style. Significant results were found concerning trauma and batterer status, as well as some significant differences between batterer subtype and trauma. Limitations …

Birth Order, Academic Specialization, And Creativity, Anita Lynn Reifel

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Origins Of Greek Cypriot National Identity, Elena Koumna

Masters Theses

Discussions of Greek Cypriot identity have conventionally been dominated by primordial arguments, contributing to the creation and maintenance of stereotypes and mythologies about the ethnic conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In order to examine the validity of the primordial thesis, modernist and constructionist approaches on nationalism and identity are considered (Gellner 1983; Hobsbawm 1990; Anderson 1991; Hroch 1985; Smith 1991). Nationalism and identity formation are analyzed in the context of"stages," where the social composition of each stage and the degree of modernization are examined. The findings of the thesis largely support the hypotheses that pinpoint the articulation of Greek …

Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a reinterpretation of the human female menstrual cycle that understands the process as positive, functional, and practical experience. Standard western definitions and understandings of menstruation use negative terminology and focus on menstrual blood as an indicator of failed conception. This view contributes significantly to the negative perception women have of menstruation in general, their own menstrual cycles, and ultimately of their femaleness. This fundamental, physiological process that symbolizes femaleness, the menstrual cycle, has been defined both, bio-medically and culturally, as a negative experience. I propose a reconceptualization of the menstrual cycle that is not only a tool …

Perceptions Of Americanization In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, John W. Mcconnell

Masters Theses

This thesis examines perceptions and interpretations of American cultural influences in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. It is aimed at describing typical discourse genres and evaluative patterns in which these cultural influences are interpreted by various social groups of Costa Rican society. The study is based on a series of qualitative interviews and observations conducted in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica in the summer of 1996. The findings show that there exists a largely positive reaction to these images and objects emanating from the United States, and behind this positive evaluation lie attitudes of conformity, fatalism, and reification. The study contributes to …

Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Cloud-To-Ground Lightning In Southern Michigan, Michael A. Crimmins

Masters Theses

Lightning has a profound impact on many aspects of modern day society. Understanding its temporal and spatial distributions is fundamental in learning to coexist with its destructive power. This study surveyed the spatial and temporal distribution of cloud-to-ground lightning over southern Michigan using data provided by the Detroit Edison Company. Flash density and 'lightning day' maps were produced for every year of the 1985 to 1995 study period and then averaged to determine long term trends. A temporal analysis determined the distribution of lightning from the inter-annual down to the diurnal scale.

The spatial analysis indicates both deficiencies in the …

Thomas Jefferson And The United States Constitution: A Comparative Study Of Jefferson As Maturing Political Thinker To Jefferson The Political Operative, Thomas A. Parker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to use historical, qualitative, and comparative methods of research in studying the life of Thomas Jefferson, his views on governance, and his impact on the highest law of our land, the United States Constitution. Thomas Jefferson's constitutional thoughts and theories evolved first as a maturing political thinker and later as a political operative on the state, national and international stage. His beliefs were shaped by many factors including Jefferson's own principles and character, his scholarship via learned men and life experiences, American and overseas events in and out of his control, titles and offices …

Crisis Communication And Organizational Image: A Study Of The Nasa Challenger And Exxon Valdez, Amy O'Connor

Masters Theses

This study examines the communication activities of two crises: the NASA Challenger and Exxon Valdez and investigates the effect of accommodative and defensive statements attributable to each crisis on organizational image. The survey design queried respondents about organization image with questions about trustworthiness, responsibility and willingness for future involvement with the organization, based on statements provided. Results indicated that when organizations issue accommodative statements during a crisis, participants rated overall organizational image more positively than when defensive statements were given. Research findings are discussed based on the symbolic approach to crisis communication and the investor response theory. The implications for …

The Morphometric Relationship Of Upper Cave 101 And 103 To Modern Homo Sapiens, Deborah Lenz Cornell

Masters Theses

Upper Cave 101 and Upper Cave 103 (UC 101 and UC 103), the much argued over Homo sapiens fossils from Zhoukoudian, China, figure prominently into discussions of modem human origins. Adherents to the Multiregional model see the Zhoukoudian fossils as exhibiting some of the same Asian characteristics that can be seen in modern Asian populations. On the other hand, proponents of the Out-of-Africa model see anything and everything but Asian features, frequently pointing out African characteristics which they claim are retentions of features from the initial exodus of modern humans.

UC 101 and UC 103 were compared to Howells' modern …

The Pack Horse Library Project Of Eastern Kentucky: 1936-1943, Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer

Masters Theses

This study examines the Pack Horse Library Project, partially supported by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), in eastern Kentucky from 1936 to 1943 . The WPA supported the project by providing work relief for local women and a few local men. Communities, individuals, and organizations such as county boards of education, civic clubs, and Kentucky PTAs funded materials, operating expenses, and overhead. For hundreds of isolated mountain communities, schools, and individuals the Pack Horse Library Project provided the first public library service ever experienced.

The Pack Horse Library Project provided library service to an area of Kentucky that was geographically …

Community Empowerment And Social Policy Design: A Case Study Of The Creation Of A School-Based Health Center, R. Ian Costello

Masters Theses

Studies of community empowerment have shown the benefits of involving recipient communities in the process of designing and implementing social aid programs. One of these benefits is the empowerment of previously disenfranchised individuals and communities. Through qualitative ethnographic research, this thesis shows how residents of one low-income community in South-West Michigan have become more empowered through their involvement in the design and implementation of a school-based health center.

Spatial Analysis Of Agricultural Cucurbita Sp. Varieties In The Eastern Broadleaf Province, Kathleen M. Baker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to explain and quantify twentieth century agricultural distributions of the genus Cucurbita in the United States to determine the effect of temporal changes in economic utilization and a variety of historical, environmental and social circumstances on those distributions. Geographic information system (GIS) methods were combined with statistical software techniques to analyze the spatial and temporal trends of pumpkin and squash growth in one region (the Eastern Broadleaf Province, as defined by Bailey) of the United States from 1982-1992.

Counties with fewer frost free days, later spring frosts, more accumulated growing degree units throughout the …

Reporting Technology: A Content Analysis Of Newsweek's Cyberscope Column, A. Scott Duncan

Masters Theses

Introduction: The Internet is perhaps the most rapidly developing communications technology in history (Eighmey and McCord 1998). In January 1995, there were 4.8 million people online. By January 1996, the number had almost doubled to 9.5 million (Lottor 1996). Today there are an estimated 110 million people worldwide using the Internet (NUA 1998). Most studies indicate that the primary use by consumers of the Internet is exploration and entertainment (Pitkow and Recker 1994: Eighmey and McCord 1998). However, consumers are not the only people using this new technology. Many businesses are trying to take advantage of this new commercial outlet. …

Perceptions Of Corporate Crime: Assessing The Seriousness, Dale J. Ardovini-Brooker

Masters Theses

Many studies have been done concerning the seriousness of traditional street crime. There is a need in the field of criminology to expand our knowledge about how serious corporate crimes are. A key feature of seriousness is how researchers measure it. Using a survey, I analyzed people's perceptions of corporate crime. I had the respondents indicate the seriousness of the crime and harm by using a Likert Scale as well as identifying the appropriate sanction/sentence for the company convicted of the crime. This proved useful in attempting to identify how seriousness is measured by the sanctions/sentences imposed by the respondents. …

The Treatment Utility Of The Arousal Predisposition Scale In Predicting The Outcome Of Exposure Therapy With Small Animal Phobias, Ellen I. Koch

Masters Theses

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an in vivo, one-session exposure procedure modified from that described by Lars-Goran Ost for the treatment of small animal phobias. This study also assessed the ability of the Arousal Predisposition Scale to predict treatment outcome. Subjects received treatment for snake, spider, rat, mouse, or crawling insect phobia. Three groups were utilized (treatment, phobic control and non-phobic control). The treatment session included both behavioral and self-report measures of anxiety. Almost all treatment subjects showed dramatic improvement on both of these types of measures during posttest and one-month follow-up. The treatment and non-phobic control groups were …

Latitudinal Gradient In The Body Mass Index (Bmi), And The Bmi's Geometric And Statistical Relationships To The Surface Area: Volume Ratio And Body Shape, Brandy Lea O'Neil

Masters Theses

The body mass index (BMI), weight/height² (W/H²), is currently the index of choice for assessment of nutritional status. Statements in the literature about the BMI as a potential expression of “cold adaptation” or “Bergmann’s Rule” beg the question: What does that BMI measure in terms of size, shape, and the surface area:volume (SA:V) ratio? Geometric modeling shows that the BMI captures both size and shape and is inversely related to the SA:V ratio. This admixture of size/shape information, combined with the unmeaningful absolute value of the BMI, preclude precise understanding of what it measures. A new weight-height-based …

Microscopic Enamel Defects In A Contemporary Population: Biological And Social Implications, Lise Marie Mifsud

Masters Theses

In this study, the frequency of microscopic defects in enamel, termed Wilson bands, are analyzed according to socioeconomic affiliation, the sex, and ethnicity of the individual. The sample consists of 193 anterior teeth collected from private practice and public health oral surgeon's offices. These defects have been studied in great detail by dental researchers, dental anthropologists, and bioarchaeologists to ascertain: etiology, morphology, inter- and intra- population differences, prehistoric diet and health, and dietary and morbidity conditions of underprivileged contemporary populations.

The results of this study are compared to results of previous researchers and similarities and differences in findings are discussed. …

Murder For Hire: Event Characteristics And Causal Implications, Nicole Madonna Corsaro

Masters Theses

The problem of criminal homicide has been extensively studied. A productive way to examine it has been through detailed analysis of homicides as criminal events. There are a number of characteristics that are common to all homicide events, such as background circumstances, participant characteristics, and interrelationships of offenders. However, murder-for-hire events contain distinctive interactive features that are not present in other types of criminal homicide, i.e. solicitor, hitman, and target scenarios and that have not received empirical attention. Using trial transcripts, news reports, pre-sentence investigations, and Tennessee Department of Correction records, 30 murder-for-hire events have been identified involving 60 individuals …

Urban Slave Diet In Early Knoxville: Faunal Remains From Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee, Carey Lamar Coxe

Masters Theses

The vertebrate faunal remains recovered during excavations at the Blount Mansion Slave Cabin, located at Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee provide a rare opportunity to address the dietary refuse from an urban slave context in the Upland South region. The material was analyzed and data compared to faunal data from three other slave sites on Upland South plantations, Mabry, Locust Grove, and the Hermitage, and one Upland South yeoman farm site, the Gibbs House site. These comparisons revealed that the urban slaves at Blount Mansion appear to have consumed much more fish than rural slaves and farmers in the uplands. Also, …

The Contemporary Migration Of Russian-Germans From Russia And Kazakhstan To Germany: A Case Study In Migration Geography, Jacquelin K. Tylzynski

Masters Theses

Since the collapse of communism in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union in the late 1980's/early 1990's over two million ethnic Germans have migrated to Germany (predominantly from Russia and Kazakhstan). Ethnic Germans are descendants of Germans who migrated to Central Europe and to Russia centuries ago who are returning to their historic roots since they have been allowed to leave. The reason ethnic Germans are migrating to Germany stems from a strange law written into West Germany's post-World War II constitution (in 1949) that promised ethnic Germans and their descendants the "right to return" to Germany; however, the …

The Implementation Of Group Mentoring Between At-Risk Teenage African American Males And Successful Adult African American Men, Cornell Mathis

Masters Theses

Little research has been done to examine the implementation of group mentoring. This study of group mentoring involving at-risk teenage African American males and successful adult African American men will provide insight into group mentoring as demonstrated through interpersonal communications.

An investigation of the composite reduction provides the foundation for establishing the following definition of the group mentoring experience. The mentees are drawn to the mentors by mutual respect developed through the use of a special language. Availability leads to bonding between the mentees and mentors. The relationships are fostered by the authenticity of both individuals while producing social enlightenment …

The Impacts Of Tourism On Space And Place In Jonesborough, Tennessee, Elizabeth E. Van Horn

Masters Theses

Small towns have increasingly begun to look to tourism as a means of promoting economic growth and development. While the positive economic impacts of tourism development have been widely recognized, the sociocultural impacts (which are often negative) have traditionally been overlooked. The transformation of sense of place for residents of small towns represents one of the many sociocultural impacts essential to the understanding of tourism's overall impact. Transformation of sense of place has been largely disregarded as a consideration in tourism development (and other development strategies), but the alteration of sense of place should be included in the evaluation of …

A Biocultural Analysis Of Intentional Dental Modifications, Derek Christiaan Benedix

Masters Theses

When we consider how painful dental drilling is now in spite of the advances of science with respect to anesthesia and modern instruments, we cannot help but think how much those people must have suffered from the filing and dental preparations which were performed. (Fastlicht 1948:319)

Human teeth provide an excellent source of information about an individual's past. Because of this, scientists study the range of characteristics manifested in teeth. One such characteristic is dental modification. Modification of the human dentition has a long and varied history in numerous cultures (see Milner and Larsen 1991). This study explores the practice …