Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

First Choice - August 2008, Wusf, University Of South Florida

First Choice Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

When ‘Good Good’ Can Be Bad, M. Thulasidas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Should we embrace politeness, as Hollywood would have us practise it?

Russian Children At Risk, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Worldview: The Missing Dimension Of Evangelism In Post-Communist Society, Sergei Golovin

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

For a while Christians considered the Soviet Union to be a great potential mission field; nevertheless when the door for missions opened wide, it happened unexpectedly. Despite thousands of missionaries and millions of dollars invested immediately in spreading the gospel in the post-communist world, after a short-term tide, church growth declined back to pre-perestroika level. The research made during that period demonstrated that the so-called awakening had nothing to do with the biblical concept of repentance (i.e. a radical change of a person’s worldview). An explanatory model of the worldview transformation dynamics in post-communist society is developed as an attempt …

People At Interfaith Prayer Service, Rally Urge Justice For Migrants, Barb Arland-Fye

Postville Project Documents

Catholic News Service article from Aug. 1, 2008: Inside a Catholic church in northeast Iowa July 27, a rabbi from Chicago pondered the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty at a gathering of 500 people of various faiths.

Reproduction Of Cultural Knowledge And Practices Interviews With Spanish-Speaking Parents Of Deaf Children In South Texas, Christina J. Quilantan-Cavazos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Hispanic population is the largest and fastest growing cultural and language minority group in the United States (Figueroa et al. 1989); consequently, "as the number of Hispanic individuals in the United States increases, so does the number of Hispanic hearing impaired children" (Walker-Vann 1998: 46), making them the fastest growing population among deaf and hard of hearing school age students (Gerner de García 1995b). Yet, little is known about Mexican families raising a deaf child because "there is a shortage of research that looks at Hispanic deaf children in their home environment or in the community of their families" …

Introduction To The Developmental Contextualism Surrounding Identity Vulnerability And The Emergence Of Depression And Anxiety, Paul T. Constantino

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

According to Cicchetti and Toth (1998), the integration of inadequate biological, ecological, socioemotional, cognitive, and self-representational forces may foster psychopathological organization. These forces comprise developmental contextualism. Contextualism can be visualized as a bidirectional relationship between the individual and the context (Lemer, 2002). In other words, internal and external forces interact with one another as they are affecting the organism. Ecology, socioemotionality, cognition, and biology interact to form the self-representational sense of self or “other” source. This other source is the subjective experience of the organism and emerges as a force in and of itself and influences superceding interactions between ecology, …

National Folk Festival Visitor Study: 2008, Christine Oschell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

The purpose of this study was to provide the organizers of the National Folk Festival with an understanding of their attendees and the total money spent in Butte during the event.

Neurocognitive Process Constraints On Analogy: What Changes To Allow Children To Reason Like Adults?, Robert G. Morrison, Soohyun Cho

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Analogy employs a neurocognitive working-memory (WM) system to activate and bind relational representations, integrate multiple relations, and suppress distracting information. Analogy experiments exploring these processes have used a variety of methodologies including dual tasks, neuropsychology, and functional neuroimaging, as well as experiments with children and older adults. Collectively, these experiments provide a rich set of results useful in evaluating any model of analogy and its development.

Imagine That!, Randy Borum

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Self-Injury In The Schools: A Survey Of Educators, Jacquetta Danielle Butts

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Self-injury (SI) is a growing concern for professionals working in educational settings who desire more information on SI and express a lack of confidence in working with youth who self injure (Carlson, DeGreer, Deur, & Fenton, 2005; Heath, Toste, & Beettam, 2008).

A sample of 263 teachers from a small, rural Kentucky county completed a survey (response rate of 45.5%) designed to address educators’ knowledge of SI, training needs, and knowledge of school response plans for working with youth who self-injure.

A 20-item measure developed by Jeffery and Warm (2002) assessed SI knowledge. Educators evidenced significantly lower scores on the …

Burning Down The House: Emotional Labor, Burnout And Real Estate Sales Professionals, Laura Cooley Rawlins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of emotional labor on instances of burnout by specifically focusing on real estate sales professionals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008) cites the purchase or sale of a home as one of the most substantial and complicated financial events most people ever experience, thereby magnifying the challenges of work and communication in the real estate sales profession and providing a rich framework for understanding the concepts of emotional labor and burnout. A three part questionnaire focused on emotional labor and burnout was distributed to 450 real estate sales professionals in …

The Role Of Touch In The Care Of Toddlers Among Bofi Foragers In Central Africa, Min-Jung Jung

Masters Theses

The current study examined three types of touch (caregiving, social-affectionate, and passive) and toddlers‟ daily experience of physical interaction with caregivers among Bofi foragers, a semi-nomadic group of hunter-gatherers in Central Africa. With the purpose of describing a more holistic view of touch interactions and childhood experience in toddlers, rather than the extant Western, single-caregiver, mother-centric view, this study described the stylistic touch patterns that Bofi forager children experience and the influence of child characteristic factors (age, gender, and birth order) and social ecological factors (four types of caregivers: mother, father, adult relatives, and juvenile relatives). Based on cultural characteristics …

Changing Geography Of China’S International Air Transport Served By Chinese Airlines, Xumei Liu

Masters Theses

This research examines international air transport served by Chinese airlines from 1990 to 2004. Specifically, this research examines how the spatial patterns of air transport networks changed during this period. Particular attention was given to the competition among the three major hubs designated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. This paper also measured regional differences denoted by air transport as well as the impacts of several significant incidents on China’s international air transport.

Data were obtained from a series of China Transportation and Communication Yearbooks (1990-2004). Each yearbook compiles airline statistics of routes, number of …

Relationships Among Parenting Styles, Ethnicity, Gender, And Adolescents Internalized Distress In Impoverished Families, Tao Liu

Masters Theses

The principal objectives of the study were to examine the concurrent and long-term effect of parenting style and its interaction with the ethnicity and gender on adolescent internalized distress in low income families. The data were from the first two waves of the Three City Study. Nine hundred and fifteen mothers from Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio reported their parenting behaviors on authoritative, harsh, permissive, and disengaged parenting; and their adolescent children responded to the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 to indicate their internalized distress. The results of the study indicated that disengaged and harsh parenting were significantly associated with adolescent …

Failure To Launch: A Study Into The North American Soccer League And The Women’S United Soccer Association And Their Factors Of Failures Through Michael Porter’S Models Of Strategy Formation, Fraser John Boyd

Masters Theses

Many international sports such as soccer and rugby believe the future growth and prosperity of the sport would be secured, if they can become established within the US sports market. However, many sports leagues/organizations have attempted to enter into this competitive marketplace with a good number of them failing to either establish themselves or are no longer in existence.

The purpose of this research study is to investigate the factors of failure behind the North American Soccer League and the Women United Soccer Association utilizing Michael Porter’s Models of Strategy Formation. An analysis of the two failed leagues will be …

Subadult Sexual Dimorphism In The Luís Lopes Collection, Miriam E. Soto

Masters Theses

Previous works on subadult sexual dimorphism have focused on the pelvis, cranium, or dentition. The results of these studies have been inconsistent regarding the existence of significant sex differences prior to puberty. For the most part, subadult long bone dimensions have been ignored in previous studies. This study evaluated subadult sexual dimorphism in long bone dimensions using a sample from the Luís Lopes collection. The results of MANCOVA tests and logistic regressions indicate that subadult long bone dimensions are significantly sexually dimorphic and hold some promise for sex determination. Clavicle measurements proved to be fairly accurate sex predictors for subadults. …

Domestic Violence: Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Its Causes And Intervention, Hannah Katherine Mccreery

Masters Theses

Community organizations work with and provide services for perpetrators and victims of domestic violence on a daily basis. The individuals who work for these agencies have a direct impact on perpetrators and victims. This study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of domestic violence professionals to assess the differentiating effect of gender, occupation within the field, age, education level, and years of experience in the field. Findings revealed significant differences between genders and occupation groups, particularly in attitudes toward interventions and treatment practices and beliefs about the causes of domestic violence. Implications for future research and policy are reviewed.

Love’S Gray Area: A Qualitative Analysis Of Interracial Relationships In Film, 1960s And 2000s, Jodi Lynn Rightler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which interracial relationships between African Americans (“blacks”) and European Americans (“whites”) came to be represented as “problematic” for mainstream audiences by conducting film analyses of the following four films; I Passed For White, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Monster’s Ball, and Save the Last Dance. The main idea behind this “problem” is the idea of border-crossing, or going from one racial boundary to the next, in terms of understanding one’s identity.

I systematically examined the portrayals of interracial relationships between “blacks” and “whites” within the US film …

Testing The Usefulness Of Pine Stomata As A Proxy In Lake Sediment Cores From Low-Latitude Environments, Brock Andrew Remus

Masters Theses

Paleoecological research, using lake cores to reconstruct past climatic and anthropogenic changes, is a burgeoning field in the circum-Caribbean. The Dominican Republic’s Las Lagunas region is being studied for this purpose using many proxies. One possible proxy for study there is pine stomata. Concentrations of pine stomata in lake sediments have been used in high-latitude and alpine locations to reconstruct tree-line movement and stand invasion, but have never been used in low-latitude environments.

In this thesis I present results of analyses of Pinus occidentalis Swartz (Hispaniolan pine or West Indian pine) stomata concentrations in lake-sediment cores from two lakes in …

Social Work Field Instructors' Perceptions Of On-Line Training, Denise E. Dedman

Dissertations

Social work has recently identified the field placement as the signature pedagogy of the profession, yet little has been done to identify the best means of training field instructors to supervise students in their field placements. This study addressed attitudes and perceptions of social work field instructors regarding on-line training in their roles. While previous studies of university social work program field placement directors had been conducted, there exist no broad studies of the field instructors' perceptions. Some earlier qualitative studies of field instructors identified time constraints as a significant issue in their willingness to continue accepting interns. This, along …

Emotion Recognition And The Propensity To Engage In Sexually Coercive Behaviors: A Study With College Males, Beth J. Dietzel

Dissertations

Several variables have been investigated over the past years as risk factors for sexual aggression. Among them, substance use/abuse, family environment, attitudes towards women, and lack of empathy. Although researchers have identified several risk factors, predicting aggressive behaviors continues to be a difficult task. One variable that has received less attention in the literature is men's emotion recognition skills. Do men's emotion recognition skills affect their propensity to aggress?

The purpose of this study was to investigate emotion recognition skills/deficits and how such skills predict propensity to engage in sexually coercive behavior. There were two main goals of this study. …

Evaluation Of A Progressive Model For Identifying Preferred Stimuli For Children With Developmental Disabilities, Amanda M. Karsten

Dissertations

Preference assessments for individuals with disabilities differ along many dimensions, including time requirements for implementation and probability of identifying a hierarchy of relative preferences. Some methods of assessment are also more conducive to use with individuals who exhibit problem behavior or certain prerequisite skills. Inaccurate results and loss of valuable treatment time are among the risks associated with selecting ineffective or unnecessarily lengthy procedures. The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate a progressive model for conducting preference assessments which incorporates many of the aforementioned considerations. Concurrent-operant reinforcer evaluations were used to verify assessment findings. Based on 17 participants …

A Behavioral Intervention Targeting A Reduction In Child Distress During A Routine Immunization, Matthew P. Myrvik

Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluated the relationship between adult behaviors and child behaviors, the effectiveness of distraction as coached by parents in reducing distress during routine immunizations, and two cost-effective means of teaching distraction techniques to parents. Ninety-seven children between the ages of 18 months and 72 months and their parents were recruited and were randomly assigned to one of three groups. (1) Routine Group—parents received no education regarding distraction and were instructed to aid children as usual (n=32); (2) Distraction Taught by Instructional Handout Group—parents received education about distraction via an instructional handout and were instructed to use distraction with …

Convergent And Discriminant Validity Of Biculturalism And Depression Among Northern Plains American Indians, Laiel I. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

In order to further develop the Northern Plains Biculturalism Inventory-Revised into a more valid and reliable research instrument for providing data regarding cultural orientation and identification among Northern Plains American Indians, convergent and discriminant validity was investigated. Two hundred and one Northern Plains American Indians between the ages of 18 and 76 participated in the study.

Convergent validity was established in that both the European American (EA) (r = -.801) and American Indian (AI) (r = -.621) subscales of the Northern Plains Biculturalism Inventory-Revised (NPBI-R) were strongly and significantly correlated with the similar subscales of the American Indian Biculturalism Inventory-Northern …

Democracy And The Press In The Middle East, Badreya Al-Jenaibi

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines relationships between Arab media and several different institutions including government in general, democracy specifically, and Islam. The primary purpose of this research is to gain not only broad, but also in-depth understanding of Arab governments and their control of media. One of the key issues discussed is the role of the Arabic media channel, Al-Jazeera, in the Arab region.

A literature review has been provided that serves the purpose of providing valuable background on Islam and democracy, Arab media history and the new Arab media. The literature review provides a context for the use of normative theories, …

A Historical Study Of The Kindergarten And First Grade Programs At The Minot State University Laboratory School (1969 - 1990): A School Ahead Of Its Time, Valeria Noel Wax

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses archival sources and oral interviews to construct a history of the kindergarten and first grade programs at the Minot State University Laboratory School (MSU) from 1966 – 1990. The length of the study is based on the time the kindergarten was in existence at the MSU Laboratory School. The school was unique in North Dakota because it was the last laboratory in the state. A variety of educational methodologies and techniques were developed in an effort to improve instruction. The school also developed and refined an individualized instruction program that was used with all children enrolled in …

Postpartum Depression In Anishinaabe American Indians, Natalie M. Nicholson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to better understand the personal experience of postpartum depression among Anishinaabe American Indian women and further examine how various resources such as family, friends, Traditional healing, local and healthcare options were utilized. In addition advice was sought from a Traditional leader as to how these women can care for themselves in the postnatal period and how providers can properly manage their care.

A descriptive qualitative analysis approach was used. Interviews were conducted in 1-1.5 hours in the home of the Anishinaabe American Indian women who are from Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indian Reservation. …

Production Of Bangla Stops By Native English Speakers Learning Bangla: An Acoustic Analysis, Dustin D. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Differences in the phonetic and phonological systems of Bangla and English result in negative transfer in the Bangla stop productions of native English speakers. The phonetic realizations of Voice and Aspiration and their interactions with each other are the key factors in this. A production study was carried out focusing on sixteen of the twenty Bangla stops that are distinguished by a four-way voice/aspiration contrast at four different places of articulation, providing a contrastive acoustic analysis of the pronunciation of L1 and L2 adult speakers. Data containing these stops in an intervocalic environment in word-initial, word-medial, and word-final positions was …

The Forgotten Minority: A Cross-Sectional And Time-Series Analysis Of American Indian/Alaska Native Child Abuse And Neglect, 1993-2003, Linda Kaye Ketcher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Very little empirical research has been conducted on child abuse among American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). This dissertation examines the rate of reported AI/AN child abuse from 1993-2003 for the 20 U. S. states with the largest percentages of AI/AN populations. Research on child abuse and neglect from at least two bodies of literature is examined - one on child abuse in the general population and the other on child abuse among American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Based on SAS output from pooled time series analysis, two tables were created, one for the general population and one for the AI/AN population. The results …