Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Society In Crisis: A Critical Perspective On Health Care And Distribution Ofhealth Status In The United States, Curtis D. Hosier

Dissertations

This research examines U. S. health status both internationally and domestically utilizing indicators infant mortality, life expectancy at birth, and maternal mortality data as comparison. This research compares U.S. health status data with OECD country data to ascertain U.S. rankings internationally. Also, this research examines the distribution of health status within and between sex, class, and racial groups in the U.S. to further the discussion that health status is unequally distributed in the United States. This research found the U.S. ranked in the lowest quartile in each of the health status variables examined internationally. This research found inequalities exist in …

The Picture Exchange Communication System: Digital Photographs Versus Picture Symbols, Carmen Jonaitis

Dissertations

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an augmentative and alternative system (AAC) used to improve and increase communication for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders. Research addressing the efficacy of this system is increasing; however, there is limited information published that evaluates the picture type used for PECS instruction. A single-subject alternating treatments design was used to examine the role of iconicity, or how closely a symbol resembles its referent, in the acquisition of picture discrimination in the third phase of PECS. The purpose of this study was to compare how well children were able …

Evaluating The Impact Of A Performance Based Methodology On Transfer Of Training, Richard Rashid Kazbour

Dissertations

Transfer of training is the degree to which trainees can apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained in training, to the job (Brinkerhoff & Apking, 2001; Wexley & Latham, 1981). Currently only between 5% and 20% of what is learned in training is ever applied on the job (Brinkerhoff, 2006; Broad, 2000; Fitzpatrick, 2001; Mooney & Brinkerhoff, 2008; Tannenbaum & Yulk, 1992). Until recently, most transfer research has focused on what happens in the formal training environment (Brinkerhoff & Montesino, 1995; Holton, Bates, Seyler, & Carvalho, 2003; Noe, 1986; Saks & Belcourt, 2006). At this time, little is known about …

Recruitment To Leadership Positions In The German Bundestag, 1994-2006, Melanie Kintz

Dissertations

This dissertation looks at the recruitment patterns to leadership positions in the German Bundestag from 1994 to 2006 with the objective of enhancing understanding of legislative careers and representation theory. Most research on political careers thus far has focused on who is elected to parliament, rather than on which legislators attain leadership positions. However, leadership positions within the parliament often come with special privileges and can serve as stepping stones to higher positions on the executive level. Based on a data set I compiled of all members who served in the Bundestag from 1994 to 2006, this dissertation looks at …

Psychometric Properties Of Diagnostic Assessment Instrumentsfor Autism Spectrum Disorders In A Community Sample Aged 2 Through 17 Years, Sheryl Lozowski-Sullivan

Dissertations

Recent estimates of the incidence and prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) indicate substantial increases over the past 20 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009; Fombonne, 2009; Matson & Kozlowski, 2011; Schreibman & Koegel, 2005; Wing & Porter, 2002), in part because of the availability of significantly improved diagnostic assessment instruments (Lord & Corsello, 2005; Schreibman, 2005). In highly structured research settings, some of these diagnostic instruments correlate well with each other; however, few studies have examined the relation between these diagnostic tools in traditional clinical practice (Mazefsky & Oswald, 2006; South et al, 2002). This study examined …

The Effects Of Yellow Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons (Rrfbs) Onmotorists' Yielding, Exit Lane Encroachment And Conflicts At Fire Station Exits, Erick K. Marmolejo

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to explore the extent to which yellow rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs) affected motorists' yielding, exit-lane encroachment and conflicts at fire station exits. This study explored the use of RRFBs attached to sign prompts that alerted motorists to the presence of exiting emergency vehicles. These signs were activated only during an exit event. It was hypothesized that motorists would increase their frequency of safe and legal yielding in the presence of the RRFB intervention when compared to the absence of contextually activated RRFB units. This study was conducted in a midwestern town in front …

Reluctant To Report: The Mandated Reporting Practices Of Child Care Providers, Aileen Mckenna

Dissertations

Child care providers spend far more time with children under age 3, the most likely to suffer severe and fatal abuse and neglect, than any other mandated reporter. Their close relationship with both the child and the family places them in a unique position to observe signs and suspicions of abuse or neglect and to make timely reports to Child Protective Services (CPS). Yet despite this, child care providers rank last among mandated reporters in both reporting suspicions of abuse and neglect and in actual substantiated reports. Only a handful of studies have looked specifically at the decision-making practices of …

Three Essays On Financial Markets And Monetary Policy, Abeba Siraj Mussa

Dissertations

The global financial crisis triggered by fallout from the sub-prime mortgage market in the U.S. has led economists to focus attention on the role of monetary policy in the crisis. The question of how monetary policy affects the financial sector is the key to the current debate over the role financial stability should play in the monetary policy decisions. As a contribution to this debate, my dissertation examines the link between monetary policy and three main financial sectors - the banking sector, the stock market, and the housing market.

The first essay examines whether the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) …

Citizen-Informed Performance Measurement And Reporting In Local Government: Key Factors For Effective Democratic Governance, Eileen L. Pierce

Dissertations

Citizen engagement and performance measurement are concepts inherently in conflict with each other. Local government values citizen input and good governance. Simultaneously, the pressure of local government to be efficient and effective utilizing managerial techniques common in the private sector is intense. Due to challenges associated with the integration of performance measurement and active citizen involvement, initiatives in this area are sparse.

This study, using a mixed methods analysis, explored the research questions through examination of thirty-six units of local government that participated in the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation‘s Government Trailblazer Program. This program provided a unique opportunity for exploratory …

African American Experiences Of Race Relations In The Supervision Dyad, Brandi L. Pritchett-Johnson

Dissertations

Everything we do is embedded within multiple contexts of collective and individual historical events that culminate in present day encounters. As an increasing number of racial minorities have entered the ranks as mental health practitioners, the configuration of the treatment and the supervision dyad has changed (Owens-Patterson, 2002). The fundamental aim of this study explored, captured, and described the supervision experience from the nuanced perspective of African American supervisors. A qualitative approach was employed using in-depth interviews to capture the complexity of race relations within the supervision dyad through an African Centered framework, aiding in our understanding of supervised training …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of A Large Corporate Leadership Development Course, Anna A. Rice

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a leadership development course for the top 100 leaders of a Fortune 500™ company using Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation and the Success Case Method. Participants' satisfaction with the training was measured through a survey given upon completion of the course and it was determined that participants were satisfied with the training. Knowledge gains as a result of training were also measured and participants' knowledge significantly increased after training. Participant behavior change due to training was discovered using the Success Case Method. Participants' top four changes in behavior that …

Learning Organization Principles: The Impact On A Midwest State Government As Perceived By Its Employees, Rosalee Billingslea Rush

Dissertations

This study sought to determine the extent to which learning organization constructs influence performance in state government. The overarching purpose was to examine the relationship between Peter Senge’s five learning disciplines and organizational performance.

The study utilized an ex post facto survey design. The sample population was composed of supervisors and professional and administrative staff within the 19 agencies of a Midwestern state government. Participants were administered an instrument that asked them to rate their perception of the organization and its performance along seven dimensions of learning. Of the randomly selected 381 participants, 110 (or 28.9%) returned the survey instrument. …

Examination Of Anxiety And Substance Use Symptoms In Trauma Exposed Versus Environmentally Stressed College Students, Theresa M. Souza

Dissertations

Anxiety is a common problem among the college population, which rarely occurs in isolation. Oftentimes, an individual abuses substances in an attempt to eliminate the short term affect of these conditions. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is the most persistent and severe type of anxiety disorder. It has been a long-standing belief within the psychological community that in order for PTSD to develop, the individual must first experience a traumatic event which meets certain criteria and must evidence a definable emotional response during the event. A recent study found PTSD in individuals who had not experienced the type of trauma …

Plato's Heroic Vision: The Difficult Choices Of The Socratic Life, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Faced with charges of impiety and corruption of the youth, Socrates attempts a defence designed to vindicate the philosophic way of life. In this he seems to be successful, as Socrates is today highly regarded for his description of the good life and for his unwillingness to live any other sort of life, a position that is most obviously exemplified by his defence in the Apology. After his sentencing, Socrates' arguments and actions - in the Crito and the Phaedo - also lend considerable support to the idea that the philosopher is committed to living a particularly good sort of …

Getting Into Character: Cultivating Identities In A Teen-Theatre Peer-Education Program, Valerie A. Futch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study investigated the role of community theatre participation on adolescent and young adult identity development. The theatre program, known as The SOURCE, focuses on sex-education through a peer-education model. The experiences of young adults, who are now aged 18-34, were examined through interviews (N=20), identity maps (N=9), and a survey (N=64) in order to understand how participation in this group influenced their development. While much of the literature documents the successes of such programs while youth participate, few document the longer-term impacts of such participation (Saldaña, McCammon, Omasta, & Hines, 2011). Data reveal how such involvement informed the youths' …

Tiebout Sorting And Jurisdictional Homogeneity: Empirical Validity And Ethical Implications, Lee Hachadoorian

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In a seminal paper, Tiebout (1956) argues that a large number of small local governments will function as a market in local services, leading to efficient allocation of local public goods. This result only obtains if households actually move in response to local fiscal differences. Spatial dependence of socioeconomic variables confounds attempts to infer Tiebout-motivated residential choice from observed socioeconomic homogeneity. I correct for this by focusing on socioeconomic difference across local government borders. In an investigation of socioeconomic sorting in Queens and Nassau Counties, NY, I find strong evidence of income sorting at the level of small suburban municipalities …

Cacophony Or Empowerment? : Analyzing The Impact Of New Information Communication Technologies And New Social Media In Southeast Asia., Jason P. Abbott

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The capabilities, tools and websites we associate with new information communication technologies and social media are now ubiquitous. Moreover tools that were designed to facilitate innocuous conversation and social interaction have had unforeseen political impacts. Nowhere was this more visible than during the 2011 uprisings across the Arab World. From Tunis to Cairo, and Tripoli to Damascus protest movements against authoritarian rule openly utilized social networking and file sharing tools to publicize and organize demonstrations and to catalogue human rights abuses. The Arab Spring, or Jasmine Revolution, was an event that was both witnessed and played out in real time …

Radicalization And The Use Of Social Media, Robin L. Thompson

Journal of Strategic Security

The use of social media tools by individuals and organizations to radicalize individuals for political and social change has become increasingly popular as the Internet penetrates more of the world and mobile computing devices are more accessible. To establish a construct for radicalization,the power and reach of social media will be described so there is common understanding of what social media is and how it is utilized by various individuals and groups. The second section will answer the question of why social media applications are the perfect platform for the radical voice. Finally, the use of social media and its …

The Efficacy Of Thermal Imaging Technology For Documenting American Woodcock On Pine Stands, A. Long, A. Locher

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Thermal imaging technology provides a useful tool to understand nocturnal activity of wildlife. We used thermal imaging to document American woodcock use of pine stands in Arkansas. A thermal imaging camera was used along logging roads on sampling dates ranging from December 2009 – February 2010 and in February 2011. We located 4 woodcock in 2010 in 20.27 hours of sampling within all stand types. For 11.55 h we only sampled pine seedling/clearcut stands due to vegetation structure inhibiting our ability to identify woodcock with the camera. In 2011 we found 2 woodcock in 7.42 hours of sampling on pine …

Sexual Attraction To Clients : Are Master Of Social Work Students Trained To Manage Such Feelings?, Jennifer Davis Begun

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory/descriptive study was undertaken to determine if master of social work students in a current field placement experienced sexual attraction to clients, and whether they felt adequately trained on the subject. The study also inquired about how the students handled their feelings of sexual attraction and whether they discussed them with their supervisor and/or fellow students. An email was sent out to the researcher's fellow social work students asking them to complete the qualitative and quantitative survey and to pass it along to others in master of social work programs. To be eligible, all survey respondents had to be …

A Channel Of Peace : The Role Of Clinicians' Spirituality In Their Clinical Process, Tiffany Rene Adams

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examined how experienced clinicians who self-identify as spiritual perceive the role their spirituality has in their clinical practice. The specific research question was: How do clinicians incorporate their own spirituality into their clinical practice? This study was undertaken because of the limited amount of research exploring the relationship between clinicians' personal spirituality and the influence it has in their clinical practice. Given the limited amount of research in the area, a phenomenological approach was used. Thirteen licensed mental health clinicians who self- identified as spiritual filled out a questionnaire and were interviewed. The professions the participants belonged …

Queering The Ncaa : How Athletic Administrators At National Collegiate Athletic Association Institutions Include Transgender Athletes, Lisa Margaret Brookens

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This thesis examines how Athletic Administrators (AA) at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions include transgender identities in their policies and practices. The main hypothesis presumes that people in positions of power within the NCAA membership have less inclusive opinions regarding transgender student-athletes (TSA). A mixed methods design was used, and an anonymous web-based survey tool was employed to address AA perceptions. Inferential statistics along with queer-feminist theory were utilized to document and deconstruct dominant themes generated during data collection. The participant pool included 511 AA's recruited by use of an exhaustive email list of the two top AA's at …

"Not My Priority" : Perspectives From Lgbtq Individuals Who Do Not Identify Marriage Equality As Their Primary Political Concern, Elizabeth Anne Chandler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore a little researched and relatively little discussed area – for people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer (LGBTQ) who do not identify marriage equality as their primary political concern, what is and why? Also explored was how do they relate to this movement and what issues do they choose to prioritize? Thirteen participants living in the San Francisco Bay area were interviewed in person, and then interviews were transcribed and analyzed to expose themes. They were asked to share certain demographic information such as age, gender or gender identity, racial or …

New Homes, Different Places : Demographic Transitions In The Worcester County Ma Foster Care System : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Y.O.U., Inc. Foster Care Program In Worcester Ma, Anne Wassell Hopkinson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This case study examines the broader trends in demographic change experienced by children in the foster care system in Worcester County, Massachusetts by comparing information regarding removal and placement locations of youth in the Y.O.U., Inc. foster care program with 2000 census data describing the poverty levels, household incomes and racial composition of these locations. The findings demonstrate that children were likely to be removed from areas with high levels of poverty and low numbers of non-Hispanic white residents and placed into areas with low levels of poverty and high numbers of non-Hispanic white populations. This demographic analysis is contextualized …

A New Praxis : Exploring Class-Based Microaggressions And The Application Of Relational-Cultural Theory And Liberation Psychology In Social Work Practice And Research, Lynn Hutton, Lynn Elizabeth Hutton

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis was undertaken to explore and describe the field of microaggression research, bring attention to the existence of class-based microaggressions, and consider contemporary theoretical approaches to research and practice that could be applied to the field of social work in the context of class-based oppression. Relational-cultural theory and liberation psychology were examined for their relevance to social work's role in addressing classbased microaggressions in practice and research. Literature was reviewed in areas related to racial and ethnic microaggressions, gender microaggressions, sexual orientation microaggressions, class-based microaggressions, and the theoretical frameworks of relationalcultural theory and liberation psychology. Through exploring these …

Recovery And The Role Of The Certified Peer Specialist : An Historical Analysis Of An Evolving Concept And Paradigm, Patricia Susan Kruglak

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The last decade of the twentieth century signaled a major shift in United States' mental health care, with 'recovery-oriented care' the new paradigm for mental health policy and services. While there is a consensus on the need to focus on recovery, the concept of recovery remains an evolving construct. This study examined the evolving conceptualization of recovery, focusing in particular on the role of the Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement in altering social discourses concerning mental illness, recovery and the power dynamics within the extant mental health system. This study concludes with an examination of the recent Certified Peer Specialist position, concluding that …

The Impact Of Race And Psychosocial Factors On Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Young Adults In The Prodrome To Psychosis : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At The Center For Intervention Development And Applied Research, Boston, Massachusetts, Paula Daniela Mazzotta

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Few studies have examined how the mental health system in the U.S. presents barriers to help seeking especially among non-White populations. The purpose of this investigation was to identify racial disparities and psychosocial barriers to help seeking among clients in the prodrome to psychosis vulnerable to progression into schizophrenia. Using secondary data from a mixed-methods questionnaire, this study collected descriptive data relaying the perspectives of People of Color and their White prodrome counterparts on their perceived needs, attitudes, and experiences of professional mental health services. Using a sample (N=15) of prodromal individuals in the Boston-metro area, a semi-structured questionnaire measured …

Moving From The Couch To The Mat : Clinicians And The Practice Of Yoga, Their Practice And Recommendations Of Yoga As An Adjunct To Therapy, Sarah Maria Mcnulty

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory/descriptive survey was to inquire of therapists who might or might not have a personal yoga practice, whether they recommend it to their clients as an adjunct to therapy. There has been an increasing research literature regarding the treatment of both physical and mental health issues with body work modalities that go beyond traditional –talking cure– interventions; yoga has been shown in some such studies to have positive influence on the lives of those who practice it, including clinicians themselves for purposes of self-care and avoiding burnout. Questions posed by the current survey were –Do clinicians …

Environmental Racism : Exploring Suffering And Healing Through Collective Resistance, Brooke Allison Moore

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical study was undertaken to explore how trauma theory can broaden our understanding of the psychological impact of environmental racism, and how liberation theory could be utilized to better prepare social workers to identify and understand the impact of environmental racism in the lives of clients and elucidate the role the profession should play in alleviating this form of oppression. Aspiring to examine the phenomenon and each of the theories from the vantage point of a perspective that falls outside of a dominant lens, this study explored race-based traumatic stress as a crucial element of a comprehensive definition of …

Can Analysis Align With Antiracism? : An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Psychoanalysts Working Toward Social Justice, Madeline Rae Nussbaum

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research study is an exploration of the ways in which practicing psychoanalysts work towards antiracism in clinical practice. The study is based on an independent and in-depth investigation of 9 practicing psychoanalysts who self-identify as committed to the goals of antiracism. The study examines the ways in which theoretical orientation, analytic training, and clinical practice experience impact the analysts' commitment to antiracism and their ability to feel effective in their work. The study was designed using the constructivist grounded theory method for data collection and analysis. This method takes into account the social location of the participants and the …