Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Is Conformity A Mediating Variable On Increased Risk-Taking Behavior Across Years Of Membership In The Greek System?, Chloe Lee-Zorn, William C. Buhrow, Brett Vicario

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

In the college subculture of Greek Life, members adhere to specific rules and norms in order to remain accepted, which could be indicative of conformity. This notion raises the question: what is the role of conformity on the risk taking behaviors of alcohol usage and sexual promiscuity as well as on the academic performance across years of membership? The article examines conformity in 31 fraternity members, cross-sectionally, using a compressed longitudinal design and hypothesizes members develop lower levels of conformity after initiation, making them less susceptible to risk taking behaviors such as binge drinking, sexual promiscuity and decreased academic performance. …

Asia And Latin America: A Pacific Connection?

Hemisphere

Co-edited by Cristina Eguizabal, Director, LACC, FIU and Ariel Armony, Director, Center for Latin American Studies, UM, this issue examines partnerships being established, negotiated and consolidated between Latin America and Asia. Articles remind us of long-standing existing relationships between the two regions, but also discuss evolving ties and new dynamics that will likely influence interactions for years to come. The issue provides readers with a glimpse of the complexities that are shaping an important connection that the world is watching.

God, Politics And The Environment: Religious Affiliation And Voting Patterns By Congress On Environmental Legislation, 1970-2010., Taylor Clayton, Billy Cole, Paul Henderson

Global Tides

Every year members of Congress vote on numerous bills that will have an impact on the vitality of our environment. But what factors, if any, contribute to the way in which Members of the House vote on environmental legislation? In this paper, we postulate that religion has a large role in influencing the voting habits of Representatives. In order to test for religion’s impact, we examined the roll call voting of Members of the House of Representatives spread over nine years from 1970-2010. We find that self- identified religious affiliation is an independently important factor in determining voting patterns of …

Practicing Polygamy: Multicultural Right Or Liberal Crime?, Jessica Freitas

Global Tides

Publication of polygamous practices in American media has brought the issue of the legality of polygamy into American politics and discussion forums as a question that pits multiculturalism and free choice versus liberalism. An evaluation of the legal history and current situation of polygamy reveals two sides to the issue. Advocates of multiculturalism such as Charles Taylor argue that different cultures have a right to recognition of their identity and that their practices are essential to forming that identity. Certain feminists and religious theorists also support this viewpoint. Liberalism, in contrast, argues that polygamy results in the subjugation of women …

Policies In Hospital Social Work, Jolene L. Reisdorfer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The goal of this project was to create an environment that provides a professional standard of care to ensure patient safety. This project will address the absence of policies in the Social Service Department at Mayo Clinic Health System, Southwest Region. A standard of care is a detailed standardized model of an intervention process that discusses the goals, objectives, settings, process, procedures and interventions (Gayle, 2005). Policy development must occur to assure that patients with social service needs are being identified appropriately and are being provided necessary interventions to meet their needs (Gordon & Rehrs, 1969). The project also identified …

Bibliographic Control Of Publications: The Impact On African Countries, Anthony Agena Igbashal, Jacob F. Tsegba

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

African continent is full of written culture and activities being produced and preserved by her people, not only for posterity but for academics, students and the larger bibliographic communities. That information is generated on the face of African continent on daily bases is not in doubt as printing and publishing has become the order of the day. Libraries and information centers are expected to record and make available all that is written on request. Bibliographic control has become a major determinant of book accessibility and utilization and a key factor to information search. In many countries of the world, individuals …

The Rugged Action Hero And His Sexy Love Interest: Gender In Popular Movie Posters, Brandyn Paige Gabriel

Sociology & Anthropology Theses

As a social institution, the media exert a profound influence on people's lives and shape the way people conceive gender. Although a great deal of research exists analyzing gender in the media, the area of gendered portrayals of characters in movie posters remains largely unexplored. This study uses systematic and illustrative analysis of movie posters to examine this previously ignored topic. Furthermore, it seeks to situate these portrayals within larger societal trends by making connections between the themes that emerge from this sample and the media's status as a social institution, mainstream gender roles, conservative definitions of masculinity and femininity, …

With Liberty And Justice For Some, Shannon E. Kern

Sociology & Anthropology Theses

This thesis identifies trends in attitudes toward LGBT civil rights from 1973 to 2012; however, the main purpose is to examine public attitudes toward marriage equality in the United States in 2006. Based upon the 2006 General Social Survey (GSS), this study uses cross-tabulation and chi-square tests as well as multivariate ordinal logistic regression to examine relationships between support for marriage equality and political views (party affiliation, political ideology), religiosity (spirituality, religiosity, belief application, religious activities, attendance), media consumption (TV hours, news source), LGBT contact (in general, at work, in family, in neighborhood, in voluntary organizations), and social demographic characteristics …

Facebook Or Face-To-Face? Connection And Community In A Wired World, Sara Ridenour

Sociology & Anthropology Theses

We live in a state of constant connection. Literally speaking, businesses provide free Wi-Fi connections to patrons, and smartphones allow people to connect to the Internet anywhere and everywhere. Social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, establish personal connections. These technical and personal connections can enhance feelings of belonging and help people follow current events, but they also create new expectations regarding communication and relationships. Technology provides more opportunities than ever before for people to maintain relationships with each other and the world around them, but that same technology allows people to connect without any face-to-face contact. Technology encourages …

An Explanation For The Non-Integration Of Gay Men Into Retirment Communities, Scott John Jackson

Sociology & Anthropology Theses

This qualitative research paper explores the reasons why gay men are not integrating into retirement communities. Through extensive interviews, three major themes emerged- "not out but hiding", "the need to pass at work", and "concern over caregivers".

Essays In Health Economics, Leigh Ann Leung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Health is defined as an individual's mental or physical condition and being healthy means to be free from illness or injury. Health is relevant to both the supply and demand sides of the national economy. On the demand side, consumers derive satisfaction from being healthy. Consumers purchase goods and services to improve their health but also engage in activities that impair health such as smoking or drinking too much. On the supply side, firms produce health care goods and services to meet the market demand for health care derived from consumers' demand for better health. In addition, health augments labor …

The Creeks, Beaches, And Bay Of The Jamaica Bay Estuary: The Importance Of Place In Cultivating Relationships To Nature, Kristen L. Van Hooreweghe

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

It is often assumed that people living in urban areas lack connections to the natural world and are the source of environmental problems. This assumption, however, is an oversimplification of urban life. Employing an eco-ethnography, with participant observations, qualitative interviews, and an environmental history, this study examines New York City's Jamaica Bay estuary and surrounding neighborhoods to understand how residents cultivate their relationships to nature in a dense urban setting. Many residents near Jamaica Bay have developed a strong connection to place that is rooted in their regular, embodied experiences living, working, playing, and praying on the Jamaica Bay estuary. …

Subgrouping Of Nisoic (Yi) Languages: A Study From The Perspectives Of Shared Innovation And Phylogenetic Estimation, Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan Lama

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations

In southwest China and neighboring countries, including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar, there live over 100 ethnic groups who speak languages known as Nuosu, Naxi, Hani, Lisu, Lahu, etc. These languages belong to the Nisoic Branch or the Loloish Branch of Tibeto-Burman (TB) subfamily of Sino-Tibetan. Though the Nisoic affiliation to TB is unquestionable, its internal subgrouping has not been settled. This dissertation aims to study the internal relationship of 34 Nisoic and three Burmic languages from two perspectives shared innovation and phylogenetic estimation. Shared innovation has been regarded as the most reliable criterion in determining subgroups of language descent …

Repair Negotiation By English L2 Learners, Yujeong Choi

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations

It is widely accepted that L2 learners often face communication problems due to lack of competency in the target language and familiarity with its culture of origin. One way to resolve miscommunication problems is to seek clarification of the utterance; this process is called repair negotiation (Nakahama et al. 2001). Repair negotiation has been studied as a subset of Long's (1996) Interaction Hypothesis in second language acquisition (SLA). Existing research has solely focused on repair negotiation which is initiated by the native speaker or teacher rather than the L2 learner, thus resulting in other-initiated repair (OIR). However, it has also …

Risky Businesses: A Micro-Level Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Crime, Place, & Business Establishment Type, Christopher R. Herrmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Continuing advances in the fields of environmental criminology and geographical information sciences are facilitating place-based research. One of the current trends in environmental criminology is the focus on micro-level `places' including street segments, property lots, and specific kinds of buildings and facilities in understanding crime patterns and the opportunity structure that permits crime. Despite important findings on the concentration of crime in urban areas, there continues to be substantial gaps in our knowledge about micro-level spatiotemporal patterns of crime. These gaps in micro-level environmental criminology research have primarily been a result of the lack of access to data, availability of …

The Prison Fix: Race, Work, And Economic Development In Elmira, New York, Andrea R. Morrell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Based on more than a year of ethnographic and archival research in Elmira, New York and, to a lesser extent, New York City, this dissertation analyzes the social, economic, and political processes through which Elmira, New York was transformed by the construction of the Southport Correctional Facility in 1988 as a project of economic development during a period of massive expansion of the New York State prison system. It focuses on the unfolding of the project of mass incarceration and its impact on the lives of Elmira's citizens and workers, as well as the men incarcerated in Elmira's prisons and …

Exploring Change In Local Criminal Justice Systems: An Examination Of The Implementation Of The Justice Reinvestment At The Local Level Model In Three U.S. Counties, Suzanne Rebecca Neusteter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Tough on crime policies in the U.S. began to emerge in the 1970s and steeply escalated through the 1980s and 1990s, prompting massive growth of correctional populations and criminal justice costs. Although many of these policy and legislative reforms were enacted at the federal and state levels, they have trickled down and greatly affected localities across the country. The recent economic downturn has exerted additional pressures on local governments. These factors have prompted the development of a number of planned change strategies designed to curb the escalating growth and related costs in criminal justice systems. One such approach, Justice Reinvestment …

Identifying And Mapping The Information Science And Scientometrics Analysis Studies In India (2005-2009): A Bibliometric Study, K. R. Mulla

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper describes the bibliometric analysis of 998 articles of on information science and scientometrics (ISS) that appeared in different journals during the period of 2005-2009. The study reveals that, most researchers preferred to publish their research results in journals; as such 91.98% of articles were published in journals. More numbers (329, 32.97%) of articles were published in 2009. The authorship trend shows that, out of 1703 authors who contributed a total of 998 articles, out of which more number of (376, 40.96% ) articles were two authored papers. The degree of collaboration in ISS was 0.78, and the country …

Faculty Perceptions Of The Value Of Academic Libraries: A Mixed Method Study, Kelly L. Heider, Sandra Janicki, Joann Janosko, Blaine Knupp, Carl Rahkonen

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This article details the findings of a year-long study at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Libraries which examined IUP faculty members’ perceptions of the value of library resources and services to both their research and teaching. Through a mixed-method study, which included an online survey and follow-up focus groups, the researchers found that faculty were dissatisfied with IUP Libraries’ marketing initiatives but satisfied with its small embedded librarian program. As a result, marketing and growth of the embedded librarian program became the two main focus areas for improvement in the next academic year.

Grace Under Fire : Altruistic Behavior And The Risk Of Criminal Victimization, Andy Lucas Blaize Davies

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Two studies investigate whether the perceived risk of criminal victimization reduces altruistic behavior as social disorganization theory predicts it will. The first study, of 160 nation-states, suggests not. Rather, the relationship depends on national culture. In highly religious countries, for example, the perceived risk of victimization actually appears to increase altruistic behavior. The second study, an experiment conducted on samples both of undergraduate students and internet users, suggests that certain individuals for whom the risk of criminal victimization may be particularly salient - volunteers worried they may be put in harm's way, and fatalists paranoid about the inevitability of victimization …

Stewards Of The Land : Demonstrations Of Agricultural Authenticity In Columbia County, Ny, Jaclyn Rose Bruntfield

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The origins of food in the U.S. have come under close public scrutiny in recent years. An increasing number of farmers markets, certified organic products, and Community Supported Agriculture programs indicate that Americans are seeking out alternatives to the mainstream food system. The industrialization of food production in the post-World War II era, while providing larger amounts of inexpensive food than ever before, has arguably compromised people's relationships with food. While farming was once a common way of life in the U.S., today only one percent of Americans identify farming as their primary occupation.

Media Exposure, Juror Decision-Making, And The Availability Heuristic, Judith Platania, Jessica Crawford

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Although much of the research regarding media exposure has centered on the harmful effects of pretrial publicity in criminal cases, it has been argued that civil cases may be more vulnerable to its effects compared to criminal cases (Bornstein, Whisenhunt, Nemeth, & Dunaway, 2002). In large part this appears to be due to the potential influence of media depiction of high-profile lawsuits and atypical verdict awards on judgments of liability and damages (Robbennolt & Studebaker, 2003). In our study we examined the effect of exposure to a news article (relating a verdict award in a product liability case) on juror …

Venezuela; A Case Study, Susan Janell Wilkerson

Political Science Theses

A case study of Venezuela is provided to test Marxist theory of political development. The first hypothesis is: three characteristics are inherent in any politically developed nation-State:There is an inherent class divide in society and this divide is based upon the ratio of wealth produced to wealth distributed by the modern industry;The existence of this class divide has existed throughout history and has led to political dictatorships of a small possessing class over a large proletariat class;As developments in the world market increase an individual's awareness in global society, the proletariat class organizes to abolish the dictatorship of a small …

Price Dynamics And Spatial Market Structure For Three U.S. Southern Pine Timber Products, Dekuwmini Mornah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evidence of price correlations or cointegrations in timber markets is often interpreted as indicative of the competitiveness and efficiency of these markets. This conclusion is based on the assumptions that firms price F.O.B. and F.O.B. pricing in spatial markets is expected to yield results analogous to the usual competitive results in spaceless markets (i.e., firms set price equal marginal cost plus transportation costs). Competitive arbitrage is the error correction mechanism assumed through which spatial markets are linked. This conclusion could be misleading. In the presence of significant intra-regional transportation costs between spatially dispersed markets, firms have an incentive to exploit …

Annetta South Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Institute Of Urban Studies

Institute of Urban Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Michele, The Husband, Michael C. Vocino

Technical Services Faculty Publications

A short story from an unfinished mystery novel involving scenes from an Italian-American life.

The Interaction Of Political Capacity And Economic Growth To Attract Foreign Direct Investments At The Provincial Levels Of Developing Countries, Murniz Allen Vasay Coson

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation will explore how developing provinces within countries attract foreign direct investment. The policy implication to this study is important because it could account for the uneven distribution of growth in developing countries that so frequently leads to dual economies. To attract foreign direct investments, provincial governments compete among themselves trying to appeal to international investors. There is consensus in the economic development literature that both economic and political variables interact to advance a nation's economy. The ability for a country to provide a free market economy to exchange goods and ideas makes the environment more favorable for investors, …

Essays On Regional Economic Integration In East Asia, Teerasak Sapwarobol

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to understand the pattern of trade and portfolio investment in East Asian economies and how trade integration can affect the level of bilateral asset holdings. On the trade side, the determinants of bilateral trade flow is examined at the product level, not the aggregate, so as to assess the impact of RTAs across product types as well as the nature of the home market effect and the role of similarity of demand structures. On the financial side, the dissertation synthesizes analyses of the composition of cross-border portfolio holdings in East Asian economies, focusing on the importance of …

Cfmd Research Journal 2011-2012 Volume 1, Center For Metropolitan Density, Michael P. Buckley, Taner R. Ozdil

Center for Metropolitan Density Publications

The Center's mission is to demonstrate that greater density, including suburban scale density, will produce the most economically productive, operationally effective, fiscally efficient, environmentally responsible, and culturally supportive environments. CfMD will fulfill its mission by conducting sponsored research, convening symposia, and consulting with industry partners.

Tactics In Philanthropy: The Case Of The Moving Spotlight, Dan M. Martin

The Foundation Review

· In recent years, strategy has been a muchdiscussed topic in philanthropy, while tactics have received little attention.

· The experience of the MacArthur Foundation’s environmental program and its Moving Spotlight approach provide examples of the importance of tactical decisions.

· Tactical decisions such as the timing of grants, foundation staffing levels, and the timing of evaluations all contribute to grantees’ ability to achieve outcomes.

· Structure and flexibility can be complementary approaches to grantmaking if the tactics are well thought out.