Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Networks In Labor Markets, Nongnuch Soonthornchawakan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Networks of relationships play an important role in the social and economic operation of the labor market. Social connections have been shown to be crucial in influencing the transition and efficiency in the labor market because they can quickly spread information over large segments of society. In particular in “small world” networks everyone can connect to others through very few intermediaries and information can spread far and fast over such a small-world network. The first chapter of this dissertation starts with the formal elements of social network analysis and graph theory. It then provides an overview of the emerging literature …

Qualitative Data Analysis: Comparison Between Traditional And Computerized Text Analysis, Melissa A. Bright, Dawn O’Connor

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Most often quantitative data is used in the social sciences. Sometimes, however, researchers must use qualitative data for exploration. In a study on communication effectiveness we used both quantitative and qualitative data. After analyzing the quantitative data we used both a traditional text analysis and a computerized text analysis. Our aim in this paper is to discuss variance, or lack thereof, between outcomes utilizing traditional and computerized text analysis.

The Crescent And The Bible Belt: Islam In The U.S. Southeast, Naima Brown

All Volumes (2001-2008)

The Jacksonville Islamic Center is uncommon; its unique qualities are illustrative of the social and cultural issues that accompany a minority status in terms of both religion and nationality or ethnicity. Over the course of the past year (2005-2006), I have conducted ethnographic research within the Muslim community of Jacksonville. My research focuses primarily around the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida (ICNEF) which serves as both mosque and community center, yet my research extended into wider circles of the American Muslim experience, including a conference in Washington D.C. that dealt with issues surrounding Islamophobia and Anti-Americanism in the media hosted …

Attitude Change And Need For Cognition: Individual Differences In Perceptions Of Groups, Jeremiah Daniel Ford

All Volumes (2001-2008)

It was hypothesized that attitudes will become most polarized when individuals have an opportunity for thought about a group for which they “tune in” a well-developed schema that is consistent with initial information. This process should be greater for low need than high need for cognition thinkers. Participants were given different opportunities for thought about either freedom fighters or rebel insurgents. Initial information was either consistent or inconsistent with group descriptors. Participants completed the Need for Cognition Scale. These hypotheses were partially supported. Attitudes were more polarized when participants tuned in a schema that was consistent with initial information. Limitations …

Environmental Sustainability: Jacksonville Vs. Navajo Nation, Rachel Freeman, Jessica Rockwood

All Volumes (2001-2008)

This project investigated the relationship between environmental sustainability and cultural beliefs in two very different American societies. In particular, we compared how citizens of contemporary Jacksonville, FL view and exploit the environment in comparison with environmental utilization of the Native Americans in Navajo Nation, which spans across the states of AZ, NM, and UT. This evaluation entailed conducting surveys of individuals in both populations, as well as an aspect of cultural immersion in which we lived amongst the Navajo for approximately three to four weeks during the summer of 2005. Immersion allowed us to participate in the Navajo way of …

Neurobiology Meets Social Psychology: An Explanation Of Feminists’ Attitudes Toward Abuse, Christen D. Hazlett

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Why might traumatic events during childhood, such as child abuse, be related to strong identification with more radical feminist beliefs? One explanation may lie in the changes in morphology and physiology of the brain in individuals with a history of child abuse. These changes in the limbic system specifically may influence cognition, affect, and behaviors that are consistent with radical feminist ideology.

Sinn Fein Without The Ira: Legitimacy Or Loss Of Popular Support, Catherine Hueckel

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Sinn Fein originally came into political prominence in Northern Ireland as the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), yet in the last decade Sinn Fein has become recognized as a legitimate political party. As Sinn Fein joined the mainstream political process, however, the Unionists, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and even Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern questioned its continued affiliation with the IRA and demanded the IRA and Republicans resort to entirely peaceful, democratic means to their political ends. In July 2005, the IRA acceded to this demand, “formally order[ing] an end to the armed campaign” and instructing …

Individual Differences In Need For Cognition And Stereotypes Of Sexual Behavior As Well As Std Infection Rates, Lindsey Morrison

All Volumes (2001-2008)

This study was designed to explore the effects of need for cognition on stereotypes of sexual behaviors and STD infection rates. After reviewing the literature on sexual behaviors, STD infection rates, stereotypes, and need for cognition, two hypotheses were proposed. The first hypothesis was that participants would engage in stereotyping. That is, participants would perceive the frequency of various sexual behaviors, the acceptability of various sexual behaviors, and STD infection rates differently depending on the sex and sexual orientation of targets. The second hypothesis was that participants low in need for cognition should be more likely then participants high in …

Formal Training, Personal Experience, And The Ability To Predict Research Findings In Social Psychology, Carrie Quarterman

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Researchers in the past have found that personal experience and formal training lead to better accuracy when predicting research outcomes in areas of psychology. Personal experience and formal training were compared in this study on the ability of students to predict research outcomes in social psychology. Students completed questionnaires that measured their social engagement (a proxy to personal experience), their academic history and status, and their knowledge of social psychological findings. Students with more psychology classes taken in college were better able to predict research outcomes (r = .24). Psychology majors knew more findings in social psychology than nonpsychology majors …

Sexual Tutor Or Sexual Predator, Instigating Provocateur Or Innocent Victim? Attitudes Toward Perpetrators And Victims Of Child Sexual Abuse, Bailey Rector

All Volumes (2001-2008)

Jessica Lunsford’s father awoke on February 24, 2005 to discover his nine-year-old daughter was missing. John Couey, Jessica’s neighbor, had entered their home at 1:00 AM the previous night and abducted the little girl. After sexually assaulting her, he dug a hole and buried her alive. A forty-nine-year-old homeless man, Brian Mitchell, abducted fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart at knifepoint from her bedroom in an affluent district of Salt Lake City. She was found after nine months of sexual abuse, deprivation, and threats to her life. The scruffy drifter was arrested and awaits trial.

In recent months, newscasters have brought the images …

Self-Monitoring Differences In Best Friendship Maintenance: Exit, Voice, Loyalty, And Neglect, Sarah Danielle Sommerfeld

All Volumes (2001-2008)

The relationship between self-monitoring and maintenance strategies for best friendships was examined in this investigation. The 25-item Self-Monitoring Scale was used to assess participants’ self-monitoring type. Rusbult’s exit-voice-loyalty-neglect measure was used to assess participants’ maintenance strategies. It was predicted that high self-monitors more than low self-monitors would engage in destructive maintenance strategies, and low self-monitors more than high self-monitors would engage in constructive maintenance strategies. High self-monitors did use neglect, a destructive and passive strategy, more than did low self-monitors. However, high self-monitors did use loyalty, a constructive and passive strategy, more than did low self-monitors. The use of maintenance …

Canada-Us Information Sharing And The Case Of Maher Arar, Bidisha Biswas

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article discusses the controversy related to the detention and rendition by US authorities of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen. The Arar case is particularly significant because of the intense publicity, debate, and mobilization that it has engendered in Canada. This case illustrates problems posed by the expectations and practices of information sharing in Canada – US security cooperation.

Sustainability And The Border, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article reflects upon how the concept of sustainability relates to the Canada – U.S. border. How does the border contribute to sustainability? In what ways is sustainability hindered by the border? In the Pacific Northwest, sustainability is an increasingly important collaborative goal of state and provincial governments, so consideration of these questions is worthwhile.

Local Stakeholders Governing Water Across The 49th Parallel, Emma S. Norman, Karen J. Bakker

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article analyzes how local stakeholders along the Canada – U.S. border are increasingly involved in binational governance of water. The article highlights the growing influence of regional, multi-jurisdictional organizations such as the Washington – B.C. Shared Waters Alliance, as well as the changing role of long-standing supranational institutions such as the International Joint Commission. Particular emphasis is given to the topic of the relative institutional capacity of local groups within multi-jurisdictional, international structures. The article concludes with remarks that can guide public policy on local involvement in transboundary water issues.

Service Time Variability At The Blaine, Washington, International Border Crossing And The Impact On Regional Supply Chains, Anne Victoria Goodchild, Susan Albrecht, Steven Globerman

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Service times at vehicle processing facilities (borders, weigh stations, landside marine port gates) are variable, thereby causing transportation planning challenges for carriers that visit them on a regular basis. Carriers must either build in more time than is necessary, therefore underutilizing their equipment, or risk missing delivery windows, which can result in fines or cause lost business opportunities. In this study, border crossing times at Blaine, Washington, are examined. The variability in crossing times at this border crossing, and the impact of this variability on regional supply chains is considered for bi-directional trade. Directional, daily, hourly, and seasonal variations are …

Effects Of Expert Testimony And Interrogation Tactics On Perceptions Of Confessions, Morgan Moffa, Judith Platania

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Evidence obtained through the process of interrogation is frequently undermined by what can be perceived as overzealous interrogation tactics. Although the majority of psychologically oriented tactics are legally permissible, they nonetheless contribute to innocent suspects confessing to crimes they did not commit. The present study examined the effect of expert testimony and interrogation tactics on perceptions of a confession. 182 undergraduates read a transcript of a homicide trial that varied based on interrogation tactic: implicit threat of punishment (maximization) or leniency (minimization) and expert witness testimony (presence or absence of expert testimony). Analysis indicated that the type of interrogation tactic …

Una Economía Política De La Memoria En La Comisión De La Verdad Sudafricana, Kenneth Christie

All Works

This article assess how the South African Truth Commission was embedded in politics of memory about the past and how these different versions of that past affected the outcomes of the TRC. It will emphasize the past as a negotiated political settlement, one wich would ultimately limit the TRC'S effect. It will also discuss how part of the role of a Truth Commission is to legitimize the transition of power and the new power strata while serving to de-legitimize the old apparatus of power.

African Americans' Perspectives On Racial Solidarity, Paula Thompson Ross

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the fundamental formulations that shape perspectives on racial solidarity among one group of African Americans. The perspectives gained in this study aid in understanding the existence, origin, and views toward the concept. In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with individuals from two generational cohorts: ages 18 to 30 (post-Civil Rights era) and ages 50 and older (Civil Rights era).

This study describes a process by which racial solidarity appears to have diminished among some African Americans. This transition seems to have occurred as a result of the deterioration of the traditional African American community, the acceptance of externally …

Sex Offenders, Sexuality, And Social Control: A Case Study In The Social Construction Of A Social Problem, Lisa Marie Kruse

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Legislation regarding sex offenses is often passed swiftly with little to no evaluation of the effectiveness of such policies on preventing recidivism and protecting the public. Further, little criticism is raised despite overwhelming evidence that sex offender registration and community notification is ineffective and has many negative consequences. The societal reaction is created through moral panics resulting in views that are not always reflective of the nature of the problem. In effect, the policies put into place in the name of declaring war on the deviant behavior reflect these views and do not target the specific problem.

While the first …

Does Hiv-1 Affect Sensitivity To Addictive Drugs? Methamphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference In Hiv-1 Transgenic Rats, Brent Foster Costleigh

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Impact Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On A Woman's Attitudes, Perceptions, And Behaviors As She Transitions To Motherhood, Tina Haydu Snider

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Relationship Among Locus Of Control, Coping Style, Self-Esteem And Cultural Identification In Female Adolescents, Jennifer Butler-Sweeney

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Relationship Between Daily Spiritual Experience And Practice, And Health And Life Satisfaction In Doctoral-Level Counselors, Carol A. Gernat

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Does Analyst Independence Sell Investors Short?, Jill E. Fisch

All Faculty Scholarship

Regulators responded to the analyst scandals of the late 1990s by imposing extensive new rules on the research industry. These rules include a requirement forcing financial firms to separate investment banking operations from research. Regulators argued, with questionable empirical support, that the reforms were necessary to eliminate analyst conflicts of interest and ensure the integrity of sell-side research.

By eliminating investment banking revenues as a source for funding research, the reforms have had substantial effects. Research coverage of small issuers has been dramatically reduced—the vast majority of small capitalization firms now have no coverage at all. The market for research …

What Does Not Kill You: Historical Materialism And The Body, Reecia Orzeck

Faculty Publications-- Geography, Geology, and the Environment

In recent decades the body has become an important object of inquiry within the discipline of geography, as it has within the humanities and social sciences more generally. Though often critical of the tenets of poststructuralism, Marxist geographers have responded with enthusiasm to the imperative that we denaturalize the body, and have demonstrated a capacious store of resources available to this task. Building on recent efforts by geographers to conceptualize a Marxist theory of the body, this paper moves in two directions. Aligning myself with those interested in demonstrating the constructedness of the body, I begin by arguing both that …

Even Fighters Get The Blues, Randy Borum

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Relatedness And Order Of Anagrams On The Ability To Recall, Dana Castrellon, Mai Ozaki, Sarah Staley

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

This paper discusses the effects of the relatedness and order in which words are presented on a person’s ability to solve anagrams. One of the hypotheses was that it would be easier to recall anagrams if they were related and presented in the same order as the study sheet. The other was that a person would more easily recall words if they are related rather than unrelated. Forty-eight participants were recruited and asked to complete two of four anagrams tests. The results of a one-way MANOVA examining the effect of consistency of item order did not reveal statistically significant results. …

I Changed My Mind, Jodi Curtis, Adam Saito

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Some might say that college is a time for people to find out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Students select fields based on their interest, to study and further turn into a career. Some students become unsatisfied with their choice, or even find interest in another field. This leads to students making the decision to change their major and pursue another major. In this paper, it is hypothesized that due to exposure to different, required, general education classes of different fields, students change their majors. Data was collected from students enrolled in capstone classes, …

Why Do You Come To Lu?, Sara Hawkins, Amanda Schmidt

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons that people attend and continue to attend Lindenwood University. We examined 129 surveys completed by current Lindenwood University students. The survey asked a variety of questions, including demographic data, resident/commuter status, and what the student likes/dislikes about Lindenwood. There were two hypotheses for this study. Our first hypothesis was that commuter students would attend class more often than resident students. Our second hypothesis was that scholarships/funding was the top reason that students chose to come to Lindenwood. While our second hypothesis did yield statistical significance, our first one did not. …

The Digital Divide, Chad Raphael

Communication

Many have argued that inequalities of access to the Internet in an information-driven society pose a serious social problem and that public investment is needed to solve it. Others contend that the digital divide is a minor concern that will resolve itself without government involvement and spending. The positions we take on this debate depend upon our understanding of how new technologies spread throughout society, whether we think Internet access is a frill or a necessity, and our vision of whether government can and ought to help broaden access.