Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Certificate: 2008 Sabrina Awards Best Non Fiction And Top Three Pick.

Textual material from the Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Papers

A winner for "It was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke!" at the Sabrina Awards, July 31, 2008

Zach's News, Georgia Southern University, Zach S. Henderson Library

University Libraries News Online (2008-2023)

• Hot Docs: Mid-Session Budget Review 2009

Exploring The Cognitive Underpinnings Of Word Retrieval Deficits In Dyslexia Using The Tip-Of-The-Tongue Paradigm, Sarah Margaret Hanly

Dissertations

Over the past thirty years a consensus has emerged that the word reading difficulties of dyslexic readers stem from deficits in phonological processing. One experimental paradigm that has provided support for this view is the finding that dyslexic readers demonstrate deficits in word retrieval from long term memory on picture naming tasks. Dyslexic readers are able to retrieve fewer words in their receptive vocabularies and are less accurate than normally developing readers. However, the conclusion that dyslexic readers? difficulties in picture naming are the consequence of deficits in phonological processing is inferential. The current study uses the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) paradigm …

The Role Of Perceived Social Support And Cognitive Processing In Reports Of Personal Growth Following Bereavement, Sean M. Engelkemeyer

Dissertations

The current study tests models of personal growth in bereaved individuals (Hogan & Schmidt, 2002; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004) by examining the relationships between types of social support and growth following bereavement, as well as by assessing whether deliberate/reflective or automatic/intrusive cognitive processing of the loss mediates the relationship between social support and growth in sample of bereaved adults. A sample of 114 participants who had experienced the death of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling) within the past three years completed a series of self-report measures received by mail. Hypotheses that perceived emotional and advice/ guidance …

Does Institutional Capacity Matter? A Case Study Of The Zambian Forestry Department., Rosemary Fumpa Makano

Dissertations

Understanding why some organizations are more effective in their service delivery than others is a central discourse in both public administration and political organization. Scholars and practitioners all agree that the defining factor is institutional (state) capacity. Since the mid-1980s, deforestation in Zambia has been on the rise, especially in Protected Forest Areas, suggesting poor management by the Forestry Department, an institution mandated to manage these public lands. Ironically, despite the strategic position that forests hold in sustaining both the daily subsistence needs of over 90% of the Zambian population as well as the as the numerous industries that depend …

Pedestrian Conspicuity: The Effects Of Retroreflector Placement And Retroreflectivity, Justin Graving

All Theses

One factor that has been causally linked to nighttime pedestrian-vehicle collisions is pedestrians being insufficiently conspicuous to drivers. Pedestrian conspicuity can be enhanced by use of retroreflective material, and this on-road experiment investigated the influence of retroreflector configuration, the coefficient of retroreflection (RsubA) of those retroreflectors, and pedestrian motion on conspicuity. There were two retroreflector configurations, three levels of RsubA, and the test pedestrian either walked or stood in place. Data from 121 participants are reported. The pedestrian was detected by more participants and at greater distances when the pedestrian was walking and wearing retroreflectors on the wrists and ankles …

Online Travel Information Search Behaviors: An Information Foraging Perspective, Evan Jordan

All Theses

Information search has been a topic of research for a multitude of studies across
several fields, including travel and tourism. However, information search on the internet,
especially in travel and tourism, has rarely been examined. As a result, this research was
undertaken to explore travel information search behaviors on the Internet.
This thesis uses information foraging theory (Pirolli & Card, 1999) as a basis to
examine online travel information search behaviors. In addition, other established
measures of online information search (Hodkinson, Kiel, & McColl-Kennedy, 2000)
were used to supplement findings based upon information foraging theory. Groups of
students from two …

Faq#7: Why Were Chinese People So Angry About The Attempts To Seize The Torch In The International Torch Relay?, Susan Brownell

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

I have just returned from five days in the earthquake disaster zone in Sichuan province, where I was a member of the “People’s Olympic Education Promotion Team” that visited Deyang city to conduct “Youth Olympic Games Re-enactments” at six local primary and secondary schools. There I realized that for the people we encountered, The Torch is a sacred object. I call it The Torch because that is what they called it – 火炬 – as if there were only one, and no further adjectives were necessary.

The project expressed the mission of Donnie Pei, a professor at the Capital Institute …

Cooperative Federal Structure: A Workable Political-Economy Approach For A New Nepal, Alok Bohara

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

The two main ethnocentric proposals for a federal structure –9 ethnic enclaves [CPN (M)] and the 1000 KM long east-west narrow corridor(s) [e.g., Madhesi parties’ demand for a single Terai state] as state(s)— are the two formal proposals that have drawn much attention of the lawmakers. Many, including this author, are of the view that the restructuring of the state needs to go beyond the cultural sentiment to incorporate many other issues such as: ecological interdependence, economy of scale, ethnic harmony, and comparative resource endowments. To that end, a cooperative federal structure proposed here takes the twelve ethnic regional enclaves …

Interview No. 1457, Custodio Navarrete Cárdenas

Combined Interviews

Custodio Navarrete Cardeas worked with his father caring for animals in the field. Navarrete was hired as a bracero in 1961. He traveled to Calexico in order to know his future work place. The first city where Navarrete worked was in King City, California cutting lettuce and carrots. Navarrete lived with all the other workers close to the work place. He played cards in his free time with other workers, sometimes he won money but sometimes lost the check. Mr. Navarrete went back to Mexico after his contract. Navarrete was shot and was not able to return to work as …

Smoke And Mirrors: China And India

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

After reading a short excerpt from Pallavi Aiyar‘s new book, Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China, at Danwei.org, we wanted to ask her a few questions about her experience as a journalist and writer working in China (Danwei has also postedan interview with Aiyar, asking for her insights on the relationship of and comparisons between China and India; and additional reviews of the book have been posted at the WSJ China Blog and The International Herald Tribune). Here are her answers to our questions, followed by a short excerpt from the book.Smoke and Mirrors can be purchased at this …

Wheat Profits Reach Ten Year High, Paul Burgener

Cornhusker Economics

With concerns about increasing costs on the minds of wheat farmers, it is time to look back at the past ten years to evaluate wheat production profitability. To maintain consistency over the past ten years, two systems (pivot irrigated and clean till dryland wheat fallow) were compared across the past four University of Nebraska Crop Budgets (1999, 2001, 2004 and 2006), and a 2008 update completed for Nebraska Panhandle crops.

For the irrigated production, a yield goal of 80 bushels per acre is used to determine the cost structure and to compute the potential returns for each year. The dryland …

Shadows On The Cave Wall: The Cognitive Accuracy Of Social Network Perception, David M. Ouellette

Theses and Dissertations

How accurately people perceive interpersonal relationships, both among others and with themselves, forms the basis of social inferences about the structure of the social environment and one's place in it. Six hypotheses were tested using the cognitive social structures method from social network analysis with five independent but similar student networks from two universities. Results from all networks were meta-analyzed. Participants gave both their self-reported friendship ratings for every alter in their group and also gave their perceptions of the ratings the other member would give. Perception ratings were correlated to self-report ratings for each participant as a measure of …

Iowa Town Stretching Resources To Help Families Hurt By Ice Raid, Patricia Zapor

Postville Project Documents

Catholic News Service article from Jul. 30, 2008: Father Richard Gaul, from St. Bridget's Parish in Postville, Iowa, said that in the more than two months since the largest single-business immigration raid in history hit their town, the situation for many people has gone from bad to worse.

Ice Head Touts Common Ground With Church, Avoids Talk Of Differences, Patricia Zapor

Postville Project Documents

Catholic News Service article from Jul. 30, 2008: The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, had to know she was stepping in front of a potentially challenging audience when she agreed to speak to the 2008 National Migration Conference, co-sponsored by four Catholic organizations that aid refugees and immigrants.

Postville Food Pantry Needs Volunteer Help

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the need for additional volunteers to help with the food bank due to the increased demand after the Agriprocessors raid.

Marchers Walk For Immigration Reform During Sunday's Rally

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the ecumenical service and protest march held in July 2008 in Postville, Iowa to call for immigration reform.

Immigrants Meet With U.S. Congressmen Saturday, Postville Herald-Leader

Postville Project Documents

Reporting on the meeting of three members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus with immigrants impacted by the Agriprocessors raid.

Guest Editorial; Railroading Immigrants, Kathleen Walker

Postville Project Documents

Editorial written by the past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association on the way the legal proceedings against those detained in the Agriprocessors raid were handled.

Letter To The Editor [Dale Siems], Dale Siems

Postville Project Documents

A letter citing statistics on the benefits and costs of illegal immigration and suggesting a program like the Bracero guest worker program be put in place.

China Beat Contributors Around The Web

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

1. Jeff Wasserstrom was recently interviewed about the Shanghai NIMBY protests for a Danish newspaper.

2. For visitors heading to the Olympics, Wasserstrom also recently published a few suggestions at Outlook India for a Beijing itinerary for “culturally-minded tourists.”

3. Contributor Richard Kraus was referenced recently in a New Yorker article on the classical music scene in China.

4. Pankaj Mishra (oft-referenced in these pages) published a short piece a few weeks ago in The Guardian on inter-war travel writing. Mishra mentions off-hand that, in contrast to the quickly seen and sketched travel writing of the 1930s, “the best non-fiction …

Marginalized By Race And Place: Occupational Sex Segregation In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Sangeeta Parashar

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Racial and gender disparities found in most other societies are particularly magnified in South Africa where the marginalized social group constitutes a numerical majority of the population. These factors, along with region, are dominant axes of inequality in the country. However, empirical knowledge of the interplay between these systems of social inequality in determining employment outcomes remains somewhat scant. This dissertation addresses that gap by studying occupational sex segregation across various racial groups using multilevel modeling techniques. Individual-level data from the 2001 Census and magisterial-level data from survey data aggregations and published sources are used. I first study the influence …

Marginalized By Race And Place: Occupational Sex Segregation In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Sangeeta Parashar

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose: Given South Africa’s apartheid history, studies have primarily focused on racial discrimination in employment outcomes, with lesser attention paid to gender and context. This paper fills an important gap by examining the combined effect of macro-and micro-level factors on occupational sex segregation in post-apartheid South Africa. Intersections by race are also explored. Design/methodology/approach A multilevel multinomial logistic regression is used to examine the influence of various supply and demand variables on women’s placement in white- and blue-collar male-dominated occupations. Data from the 2001 Census and other published sources are used, with women nested in magisterial districts. Findings Demand-side results …

The Stress Process Model And In-Home Respite For Caregivers Of Cognitively And Physically Impaired Older Adults, Lauren Clair Mensie

Dissertations

Common problems in the family caregiving respite outcome literature include little attention to in-home respite, lack of theoretical grounding, and low rates of respite utilization. This dissertation study utilized the predominant model of family caregiving stress, the Stress Process Model (Aneshensel et al., 1995; Pearlin et al., 1990), to (1) investigate the variables through which in-home respite impacts caregivers and to (2) investigate the factors that predict utilization of respite services. Participants (N = 74) were family caregivers receiving federally subsidized in-home respite. Results indicate that both prior hours of in-home respite services and respite time devoted to non-care related …

Sex Offender Assessment: Clinical Utility And Predictive Validity, Kristopher Lueron Clounch

Dissertations

The research addressing sex offender assessment and treatment is an ever-evolving science. However, very little research has addressed psychological typologies associated with various types of sex offenders and treatment engagement. The current study examined assessment data of four sex offender groups, defined by victim type, to determine if a typological difference exists between groups of (N = 583) rapists (n = 129), statutory offenders (n = 140), intrafamilial/ incest perpetrators (n = 152), and extrafamilial (n = 162). Secondly, the study determined if a specific battery of psychological measures can predict treatment completion (n = 377). We also hypothesized there …

Relation Of Family Functioning To Treatment Outcomes In Day And Residential Programs: A Clinical Study With Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents, Utpala Shanker

Dissertations

Residential and day facilities are important providers of treatment for seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents. The primary difference between the two types of treatment programs is that adolescents attending day treatment reside with their families while those in residential programs live at the treatment facility. Very few studies have addressed the relation of family functioning to treatment outcomes for adolescents. Furthermore, extant research has not investigated whether the relation of family functioning to treatment outcomes is different for adolescents in residential and day programs, This study proposed that adolescents from severely dysfunctional families at admission would have better outcomes in their …

Issues Of Book Acquisition In University Libraries: A Case Study Of Pakistan, Kanwal Ameen

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This mixed methods study used a survey and interviews to explore acquisitions issues in university libraries in Pakistan. The study found that most respondents were still relying on local sources of material and that the emergence of a digital paradigm had not yet had a pervasive effect. While some libraries are purchasing online, most libraries are still having problems acquiring relevant material quickly, especially from foreign sources.

Central Florida Future, Vol. 40 No. 68, July 28, 2008

Central Florida Future

Grand theft auto up again on campus; Auto theft prevention tips; Rebuilding hope in Parramore; Grad programs to be revamped; UF grad creates a scholarship series; Diesel engines to run on veggie oil.

The Effect Of Compulsory Voting Laws On Government Spending, James Brookie

All Theses

The United States' voter turnout is often cited as being disappointingly low. Compulsory voting laws are offered as a possible solution to increase voter turnout and overall political participation. Opponents of the law complain that voters affected will be more politically liberal and in turn seek to enlarge the size and scope of the government. In order to determine whether this is true, a test was run on the effect compulsory voting laws have on the government revenue of 109 nations. The data held that no significant relationship exists between the two variables observed. This paper will discuss compulsory laws …

The Negative Consequences Of Alcohol Consumption And The Analysis Of Variables That Can Affect Or Reduce Alcohol Consumption, Zapora Johnson

All Theses

Alcoholic beverages are consumed all over the world and have been consumed for centuries. The excessive consumption of alcohol many times results in negative consequences. These consequences not only can affect the individual consuming the alcohol, but also others around them. This research looks at some of the negative medical consequences that can develop from an individual consuming alcohol excessively. The cost of an average hospital stay for an individual with liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and esophageal cancer was analyzed along with the opportunity cost for the wages that would be lost if an individual could not attend his place …