Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Relative Contributions Of Preference And Functionality In Noncontingent Reinforcement Schedules, Tamara L. Pawich

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), the response-independent delivery of reinforcers, has been demonstrated to be an effective response suppression method for a variety of problem behaviors displayed by children. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether preference for specific reinforcers to another context led to greater response suppression through an experimental comparison of NCR with a functional reinforcer versus preferred stimuli. Two preschool-aged children with autism and tantrums maintained by tangible reinforcement participated. Preference values were evaluated through paired-choice and competing stimulus assessments. Three preferred stimuli were selected for NCR-Preferred experimental conditions, based on varied levels of preference (i.e., …

Approaches To Personality Disorder Diagnosis: Comparing The Cognitive Affective Processing And The Five Factor Models Of Personality, Cortney C. Rhadigan

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Cognitive-Affective Processing Model (CAPS) suggests that personality is best understood as a collection of cross-situationally consistent traits that are expressed based upon features of the situation. This differs from the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality, in which personality is believed to be composed of five broad trait domains that are observed consistently across multiple situations. This study compares the diagnostic accuracy of 202 licensed members of the Michigan Psychological Association who assessed personality pathology using short vignettes written to represent situationally-specific expression of traits (CAPS) compared to vignettes written with FFM trait description and DSM-IV TR description. The …

Food For Thought: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Binge Eating And Psychological Variables In A Diverse College-Student Population, Valentina Ivezaj

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Binge eating is associated with a host of adverse outcomes, but little is known about sex and racial differences among those who binge eat. The present study examined sex and racial group differences in binge eating within a college-student population. It was hypothesized that White women would endorse higher rates of binge eating than the other groups, and that predictors of binge eating would differ across groups. Participants completed a web-based survey assessing depression, anxiety, body image, weight history, physical activity, smoking, and body mass index. Findings highlight sex and racial differences in the predictors of binge eating, with depression …

Net Investment And Disaggregated Investment Demand Functions, Conan Gray Baldwin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Few topics in the field of economics have been as extensively researched as private business fixed investment. This paper examines investment using regression analysis and descriptive statistics. This study focuses on investment in structures and investment, with these two broad categories ultimately being further disaggregated into eleven relatively narrow categories.

The approach to modeling investment taken in this paper differs from the approach typically seen in economic literature in three important ways: this paper models net, rather than gross, investment; this paper uses a broad general econometric model, rather than a narrow theoretical model like the majority of papers modeling …

First Generation College Students' Perception Of Parental Attitudes: An Exploratory Study, Orion Peter Mowbray

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Parental support among first generation college students is largely understudied. While some argue that many parents lack necessary information and knowledge to help their children succeed while in college, this work argues that parents of first generation college students contribute a large amount of emotional support towards their children while in college. There are several benefits of receiving a high degree of emotional support, one of which is constructing a potential buffer against identity threat that many first generation college students face while on campus. Through eleven case studies, this work examines the roles of parental support of first generation …

Metaphoric Perspective Theory: Language To Action For The Self, Individuals, Communities, And Culture, Steven Adam Stuglin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Metaphoric and tropic language have been a hallmark of human communication throughout the ages. From ancient examples and first attempts at scholarly understanding to postmodern lexicons of metaphor theory in two-dozen disciplines, the understanding of this lingual phenomenon has evolved and grown over arguably the entire length of human history. Communication scholars note the presence and prevalence of tropic language in practice and assert the power that it may have on how humans conceptualize the world around them.

Presented here is complete theory based in these long lines of lingual thought that asserts a direct and powerful relationship between language …

The Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative: An Examination Of A Statewide Reentry Program, Michelle Lynn Corwin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of prisoner reentry has only recently sparked a significant interest in the field of criminology and criminal justice; however, it is blatantly apparent that attention to the subject is not only needed but necessary. Each day men and women are sentenced to serve terms in prison systems throughout the country. Simultaneously, each day men and women are released from prison to reintegrate back into society. With the rising incarceration rates and rising release rates, it became clear that the United States has a difficult dilemma. Thus, attention to concepts that help in addressing such dilemmas, like prisoner reentry, …

"Books Of The Hour" And "Books Of All Time": Booklists In The Evolving Library, Sarah Naper, Stephanie Wiegand

University Libraries Publications

Gathered by expert or novice, by individual or organization, a booklist brings together titles for either reader or librarian. Booklists may vary in intent, but all serve one ultimate purpose: to influence what is read. There are two main ideas behind encouraging an individual to read specific books: 1) to shape a better individual for society; and, 2) to encourage the individual to read for pleasure or to fulfill some immediate need. The second reason involves books that are of value at that moment, or what Ruskin refers to as "books of the hour." It is quite for one list …

Deterring Digital Plagiarism, How Effective Is The Digital Detection Process?, Jayati Chaudhuri

University Libraries Publications

Academic dishonesty or plagiarism is a growing problem in today's digital world. Use of plagiarism detection tools can assist faculty to combat this form of academic dishonesty. In this article, a special emphasis is given to text-matching software called SafeAssignment. The advantages and disadvantages of using automated text matching software's are discussed and analyzed in detail.

Raise Your Profile: Build Your Program, Jennifer Nutefall, Deborah Gaspar

University Libraries Publications

To raise the library's profile within the campus community, it is critical to create a strategic plan and align library goals with those of the university. At George Washington University's Gelman Library, the instruction librarians gained internal and external support to hire two new instruction librarians to better support collaboration with the new university writing program. The library then used assessment data to successfully advocate for an additional two positions.

William Robertson Coe Library: Reflections On The Past, Jennifer Mayer

University Libraries Publications

This 50th anniversary booklet explores the history of William R. Coe Library in Laramie, WY and includes historical context, design and construction of the 1957 building, benefactor William R. Coe, political context, first building expansion, the branch libraries, statistics, images, and future plans.

Institutional Influences Of State Legislators' Voting Behavior, Jessica Jordan Self

LSU Master's Theses

Representation of citizens by elected officials is a core principle of American democracy (Eulau et al. 1959; Key 1961). Assuming the delegate approach to representation (Pitkin 1967), state legislative districts give voters the opportunity to elect representatives that will act in accordance with their wishes in the state policy arena. The extent to which a legislator’s policy votes reflect his constituents’ preferences is often referred to as “policy responsiveness” (Eulau and Karps 1977). While the make-up of the constituency shapes legislators’ positions in policy areas, legislative voting behavior also is indirectly influenced by personal and institutional factors. Previous research has …

Brief Alcohol Interventions For College Drinkers: How Brief Is Brief?, Magdalena Kulesza

LSU Master's Theses

Brief interventions for college student drinkers have been shown to be effective in reducing the amount of alcohol consumed as well as the number of alcohol-related problems. However, the duration of brief interventions varies substantially across studies. In the present study 22 undergraduate students who drank alcohol heavily were randomly assigned to a 10-minute brief intervention, a 50-minute brief intervention, or a six week wait-list control group. The content of the active interventions was based on the same concept, and both interventions incorporated motivational interviewing components. As hypothesized, there was a significant difference between participants in the two active interventions …

Euskera As A Defining Feature Of Euskadi, Whitney Blake Dennis

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the role of the Basque language (Euskera or Euskara) in the national identity of the Basque people. I looked at the history of Basque education, from the beginnings of the ikastola movement of the early 20th century to the current bilingual education system. I examined the use of Euskara in education from the primary school level to the university level in the Basque Autonomous Community. This research involved looking at the BAC government’s detailed studies on students in the various linguistic models of education in the BAC. Other areas I discuss in this paper are the …

The Detection Of Malingered Mental Retardation In High- And Low-Cognitive Ability Individuals, Daniel Anthony Proto

LSU Master's Theses

The detection of malingering is an area of research that has received increasing attention in recent decades. Neuropsychologists in particular are often asked to assess the validity of symptoms such as cognitive impairment due to brain injury or toxic chemical exposure. Additionally, given the decision of the U.S. Supreme court in Atkins v. Virginia (2002), incentive to feign mental retardation in order to avoid capital punishment has greatly increased. However, few measures of malingering detection have been thoroughly studied for their applicability to mentally retarded individuals, and for their ability to accurately distinguish between malingerers, normal controls, and individuals with …

The Culture Of Conservative Protestantism And Income Inequality: A Multilevel Analysis, Skylar Craig Gremillion

LSU Master's Theses

Despite major advances in equality of rights, women still earn less money than men. Social science researchers see sex-based income inequality as an issue of discrimination. While the problem has been identified, its causes are a matter of debate. In this study I offer one possible influence on this discrimination. I theorize that conservative Protestant culture has a strong effect on local norms and business practices. Those norms are a part of the institutional environment, and manifest themselves as allocative and valuative discrimination, keeping women out of high paying jobs or paying women in high skilled jobs less than men …

Comorbid Psychological Disorder In Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities And Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jessica Ann Boisjoli

LSU Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in three areas of functioning: communication, socialization, and restricted interests/repetitive behavior. With the rise in diagnoses of ASD in recent years, these disorders have received increasing recognition by researchers and clinicians. These efforts have largely been with young children. However, the study of ASD and comorbid disorders in adults with intellectual disability (ID) has been almost nonexistent. While there are measures available to assess comorbid disorders in people with only ID, the differences in adults with ASD and ID and adults with ID alone may also be a good deal different than …

The Children's Coping Behavior Questionnaire: Development And Validation, Brittany Cornell Hernandez

LSU Master's Theses

Coping is defined as the actions and cognitions used to manage stressful demands. As children develop, coping becomes more refined and situation-specific. Children’s coping styles have been found to relate to distress and adjustment. Despite the importance and implications of children’s coping responses, there is no accepted standard in measuring children’s coping. Past research has had to utilize the few measures in existence, despite possible psychometric inadequacies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound self-report measure of coping in children and adolescents. After initial item generation, pilot testing, and item elimination, the data were factor …

Paleoecology And Paleotempestology Of The Pascagoula Marsh, Mississippi, Jennifer Hellean Hathorn

LSU Master's Theses

Establishing the history and ecological effects of hurricane strikes in the Pascagoula Marsh is important to the understanding of paleotempestology on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The Pascagoula Marsh is approximately 11,150 acres of wetland at the mouth of the Pascagoula River in Mississippi, which ranges from a freshwater marsh to salt marsh. This location was chosen for its proximity to the mouth of the Pascagoula River, which is exposed to the Gulf of Mexico. In order to establish the history of hurricane strikes and their effects on local vegetation, radiocarbon, sedimentary, diatom, and fossil pollen records were extracted from …

Drug Abuse Among Young Adults In Vietnam: The Influence Of Family, Peers, And Society, Van T. Nguyen

Social Work Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the influence of family, peer, and society in interactions with personal factors on drug use among young adults in Vietnam. The study is based on empirical data collected among 189 young adults aged 18 - 27 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The sample included 113 subjects who had used drug, and 76 had not. Ecological perspectives and social leaning theory provide a framework for this study. Based on an extensive theoretical and empirical literature review, five hypotheses were derived, speculating the relationships between drug abuse among young adults in Vietnam with personal, familial, …

Distance As A Barrier To Child And Adolescent Mental Health Service Access In Post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Rob Harrison

LSU Master's Theses

Socially vulnerable populations are more susceptible to the impacts of natural disasters than other groups. An aspect of social vulnerability is lack of access to resources following a disaster. Distance is one barrier that prevents socially vulnerable populations from accessing services. Using 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data and current outpatient child and adolescent mental health facilities in post-Katrina Orleans Parish, Louisiana, this thesis seek to understand if those facilities are located farther from block groups with higher percentages of demographically disadvantaged residents than from block groups with lower percentages of demographically disadvantaged residents. Block group demographic disadvantage is defined in …

Understanding The Global Energy Industry Is Key To Meeting Maine’S Energy Challenge, Elizabeth A. Wilson

Maine Policy Review

Dependence on petroleum has global consequences with regard to supply constraints, energy security, and economic impacts, along with major consequences for climate change and other environmental problems. Maine is at a particular disadvantage due to its reliance on home heating oil and transportation fuels in this rural state. In this article, Elizabeth Wilson analyzes the global petroleum industry and the challenges and solutions ahead for the U.S. and Maine as we seek to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and develop other cleaner and cost-effective energy sources.

Transportation And Climate Change, Jonathan Rubin

Maine Policy Review

The transportation and residential sectors in Maine use a large proportion of fossil fuels, primarily petroleum products, and are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Jonathan Rubin’s article on transportation reviews mechanisms by which petroleum demand and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced, emphasizing state and federal legislation to achieve these goals. He describes ways in which transportation systems will be affected by and have to adapt to climate change.

Databasing The Disappeared And Deceased: A Review Of The Resources Available In Missing And Unidentified Persons Cases, Erin Mcmenamin

LSU Master's Theses

When an individual goes missing or an unidentified body is found, many resources are available to assist in resolving the case. These resources are operated and contributed to by a wide variety of entities including state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, coroners, medical examiners, forensic anthropologists and odontologists, military personnel, nonprofit organizations, volunteers, and concerned citizens among others. Currently, our nation does not have a single, fully operational, centralized database that is solely dedicated to finding missing persons and identifying the bodies of Jane and John Does. The existing resources for missing and unidentified persons cases are almost innumerable …

Language Testing And Assessment In Applied Linguistics: Identifying Reciprocity In Applied Linguistic Research, Pauline Rea-Dickins, Katie Scott, Guoxing Yu

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

The rationale for the seminar was primarily that there are links between language testing and assessment on one hand and applied linguistics on the other which could be mutually beneficial, but are not necessarily perceived as such. Secondly, it was suggested that research in language assessment and applied linguistics have been perceived as distinct, with the roles of language testing and assessment in applied linguistics relatively unexplored, an artificial divide that Bachman & Cohen (1998), for example, argue should be bridged (see also Bachman & Palmer 1996; Shohamy 2001). An additional motivation for proposing this conference was to build on …

Partnering With Faculty Through Liaison Activities, Linda Lambert, Tami Echevarria Robinson, Bob Triplett

The Christian Librarian

Anything worthwhile requires time and effort. Such is the case in building effective working relationships between librarians and teaching faculty. This article discusses collaborating and partnering with teaching faculty through library liaison relationships and shares experiences of the authors partnering with faculty at their institutions. This article is an outgrowth of a panel presentation at the 2007 ACL Conference by liaison librarians representing libraries in the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. While partnering with faculty is both challenging and time consuming, it can be one of the most gratifying and productive activities in which librarians can be engaged.

College Orientation For The First-Year And Transfer Student Populations: How Can The Needs Of Both Groups Be Simultaneously Met During Orientation And Beyond?, Jamie Fay Caplan

Honors Papers

The aim of this honors thesis was to compare the first-year and transfer student experience during orientation at Oberlin College in the Fall of 2007. The research aimed to examine a population that is not typically included in conceptualizing college orientation, to understand how transfer students and first-years differently experience the freshman-centric atmosphere on-campus during orientation and to provide a complete outline of how orientation can best support all new students. The transfer student during orientation represents a blending of first-year and upperclassman characteristics because they must experience the first-year-centric environment but they have previous college experience. How can the …

Connectedness To Nature And Electricity Consumption: An Interdisciplinary Study Of Behavior And Emotional Response To Nature In The Union Street Housing Complex, Jenna Trostle

Honors Papers

Much research has been done surrounding conservation behaviors in the household and electricity consumption. Most research has tended to focus on attitudes about the environment and how those attitudes influence pro-environmental behavior, but the research has not usually found a strong link between the two. The Connectedness to Nature Scale was used in this study to measure emotional responses to nature, and to determine whether people who felt more connected to nature used less electricity in the household. The residents of the Union Street Housing complex at Oberlin College were chosen as the group monitored for this project, as the …

Ms 123 Guide To The Women Physicians (1855-1996), John P. Mcgovern Historical Collections & Research Center

Manuscript Finding Aids

This collection includes newspaper clippings, medical license update cards, copies of journal articles and book chapters, and other material relating to women in medicine, and female doctors in Texas in the 19th and early 20th centuries. See more at MS 123.

Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.