Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Promotional Reviews: An Empirical Investigation Of Online Review Manipulation, Dina Mayzlin, Yaniv Dover, Judith Chevalier

Dartmouth Scholarship

Firms' incentives to manufacture biased user reviews impede review usefulness. We examine the differences in reviews for a given hotel between two sites: Expedia.com (only a customer can post a review) and TripAdvisor.com (anyone can post). We argue that the net gains from promotional reviewing are highest for independent hotels with single-unit owners and lowest for branded chain hotels with multi-unit owners. We demonstrate that the hotel neighbors of hotels with a high incentive to fake have more negative reviews on TripAdvisor relative to Expedia; hotels with a high incentive to fake have more positive reviews on TripAdvisor relative to …

Self-Actualization On Steroids: An Exploration Of Social Skills, Dating, And Lifestyle Training For Heterosexual Men In A Western Cultural Context, James Daniel Wolfe

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In 2005, Rolling Stones editor and New York Times writer Neil Strauss published a New York Times bestselling book titled The Game outlining his experience infiltrating the pick-up artist community in Los Angeles. The launching of this popular book was followed by the formation of companies that teach heterosexual men dating and relationship skills. From manipulation tactics to true social skills and personal growth, these companies are numerous and varied in what they teach men about dating and relationships. Masculinity norms of Western culture have been shown to discourage men from seeking help, especially for romantic relationships. These new forms …

Ground Stone Technology And Household Activities At The Harris Site, Southwestern New Mexico, Lauren W. Falvey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines household activities through an analysis of ground stone technology from the Harris Site (LA 1867), a Late Pithouse period (550-1000 CE) Mimbres Mogollon archaeological site. Ground stone technology is a category that includes a wide range of stone tool types used in a variety of processing and manufacturing tasks, as well as stone items that held intrinsic or ritual significance. Previous studies of ground stone technology in the Mimbres Valley have often focused on addressing questions related to subsistence practices. The object of this research is to move beyond a typological documentation of subsistence technology and examine …

Relationship Between Child Behavior Problems, Parental Stress, Child Abuse Potential, And Substance Use Among Mothers In The Child Welfare System, Kendra Tracy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Substance abuse, elevated levels of child behavior problems, and high stress are common among mothers who maltreat their children. However, there is a dearth of research that investigates variables associated with specific types of maltreatment, such as child neglect. Complicating matters, contradictory results between studies have been found among the available research. The present study extends research in this area by investigating the relationships between substance abuse, child behavior problems, parental stress, and child abuse potential in a sample of neglectful mothers with co-occurring substance use disorders. A model is proposed in which parental stress mediates the relationship between child …

A Preliminary Investigation Of The Effects Of A Professional Development Training On Secondary Students' Reading Scores, Shannon Follett

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Much of the emphasis on interventions to improve literacy skills has been focused on the primary grade levels. Over the last decade, an increasing amount of research has stressed the need for effective reading interventions for adolescents. However, little research has evaluated effective professional development of secondary teachers in the area of literacy. The current study examines the results of embedded teacher professional development in the form of an intensive summer reading program on student reading achievement. Students reading below the 50^th percentile at the end of seventh and ninth grades were identified. The final sample consisted of 92 …

Test-Retest Reliability Of Curriculum-Based Measurement Written Expression Probes, Mallory Hart

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the growing popularity and utilization of Curriculum-Based Measurement for assessing students’ academic skills and for progress monitoring, little attention has been devoted to the area of written expression. Very few studies have been conducted to assess test-retest reliability. Only three previous studies were identified that examined the test-retest reliability of written expression curriculum-based measures. To address this issue, the current study examined the test-retest reliability of five common scoring procedures with students in grades 2, 4, and 6. A one-week time interval was used. Results indicated that while test-retest correlations were statistically significant and often at a moderate to …

A Rejuvenating Resort Remembered: The Use Of Folklore And Archaeology In The Investigation Of The Historic Massey Springs Resort In South-Central Kentucky, Renee Pinkston

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Using only one line of evidence for a study of historic sites can be problematic if it does not provide a complete picture of the material culture or lifeways of a people, group, or community. In order to understand the ideas and objects, of culture present at historic sites, it is necessary to use archaeological methodologies with vernacular architecture studies and folklore to create a more holistic image of the world and its inhabitants. To facilitate this, I conducted original research on a mineral spring resort, Massey Springs Resort (Massey Springs) in Warren County, Kentucky, a popular resort in the …

Professional Opinion On The Use Of Interest Inventories In Employee Selection, Amy Mandelke

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although interest inventories have a long history in the field of career counseling, vocational interests have received limited attention in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychology. To assess the potential utility of interest inventories in the field of I-O psychology, 82 I-O psychologists with expertise in employee selection and equal employment opportunity law completed a survey assessing their expert opinion on the utility of interest inventories for employee selection decisions. Opinion on potential legal liability and discriminatory impact of the use of interest inventories was also assessed. Hypothesis 1, which stated a majority of respondents would indicate they have little to moderate knowledge …

Examining The Influence Of Race, Class And Gender Inequalities On Perceptions Of The American Dream Since The 2008 Economic Recession, Scarlett D. Marklin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

America has a national ethos embodied in the moniker “land of the free” and defined by a set of ideals in which being free means all men and women have an equal opportunity for prosperity, the pursuit of happiness and success. In essence, simply having access to upward social mobility achieved through one’s own perseverance and hard work, the quintessential American Dream. The first use of the phrase American Dream was by James Truslow Adams to characterize the ideal that every man should live a richer and fuller life than his ancestors based on opportunity according to ability or achievement …

Examining The Interaction Between Leadership Style And Organizational Justice And Its Effect On Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, And Work Stress, Gregory Lucas Kedenburg

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines the constructs of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and work stress, and the extent to which they are affected by perceptions of organizational justice and leadership styles. Much of the literature related to these topics focuses on exploring the relationship between either justice and commitment or leadership and commitment, with very little research investigating the way that justice and leadership combine to affect outcome variables such as commitment, satisfaction, and stress. This study reviewed the literature that details these topics in order to facilitate the understanding necessary to then focus on the relationship between commitment, organizational justice, and …

Implementation Of A New Enterprise Resource Planning System, Lacy Payne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The objective of this thesis was to upgrade an Enterprise Resource planning system that was outdated into a new age Enterprise resource planning system based centered on a scheduling algorithm. This was a key change that needed to be made to transform the company from old thinking to new. Primarily the testing of this implementation was done through mapping of processes, followed by trial and error, and finally improving and sustaining the processes it took to use the system correctly. The mapping of the processes was completed by the Process Manager as well as the Lead, Supervisor, or Manager of …

Positively Perceived Impacts Of Cellular Phones On Nigerian Society, Azuakolam Nwosu

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the positive perceived impacts of cellular phones in the Nigerian society.The purpose of the study was to analyze the impacts of this technology in Nigerian society These impacts analyses were on the perceived changes in safety and well-being amongst users, satisfactions amongst users, and perceived connectivity amongst users of this technology. The researcher used employed facilitators to distribute survey in several cities in Nigeria. One Hundred and twenty-four people participated in survey questionnaires using five scale points. Results were summarized using descriptive statistics at 95% confidence interval level. From the results, the hypothese were retained that underserved …

Objective Measures And Insight Assessments Of Muscle Dysmorphia, Austin Blake Lowe

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Muscle dysmorphia is a relatively new psychological disorder primarily affecting males who engage in weightlifting or bodybuilding. Individuals with this disorder are obsessed with the idea that their body is not sufficiently lean or muscular when compared to others and engage in several, risky behaviors (i.e., frequent exercise sessions, anabolic steroid use, structured diets) to increase muscularity. As obtaining and maintaining a muscular physique is so important to his or her self-worth, an individual may have little insight to how their behaviors are affecting their social and occupational lives and are reluctant to seek out psychological treatment. The purpose of …

Dual Task Interference In Low-Level Abilities: The Role Of Working Memory And Effects Of Mathematics Anxiety, Alex Michael Moore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mathematics anxiety is a negative affective reaction to situations involving mathematical thought and is commonly believed to reduce cognitive functioning by impairing the efficient use of working memory resources. The conventional theory describes that the processing disadvantage associated with high levels of math anxiety increasingly impairs performance as working memory demands increase in a math task. Despite this convention, recent reports demonstrate that the high math anxious disadvantage can be measured in tasks that are relatively free of working memory assistance (Maloney, Ansari, & Fugelang, 2011; Maloney, Risko, Ansari, & Fugelsang, 2010). The present study examines these relatively low level …

Thwarted Belongingness In Relation To Face-To-Face And Online Interactions, Fallon B. Moberg

Honors Theses

Suicide has become an increasing problem, and it is ranked as the tenth leading cause of death for all ages (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Joiner’s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide states thwarted belongingness - the feeling of being alienated from others - and perceived burdensomeness - the feeling of being a liability to others – are the primary proximal factors leading to suicidal desire. The current study focuses on thwarted belongingness and examines its relationship to face-to-face interactions and online interactions. We hypothesized that negative face-to-face and online interactions would independently predict higher levels of thwarted belongingness. …

Smart Growth And New Urbanism: The Implementation Of Development Plans Eight Years After Hurricane Katrina On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Heather Nicholson

Honors Theses

After Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Coast, Master Concept Plans (MCPs) that emphasized smart growth and new urbanism were created to reduce sprawl on the coast. This study seeks to find the reality of these plans by examining what has actually been implemented from the MCPs eight years after Hurricane Katrina. This study was conducted in the Mississippi coastal cities of Long Beach and D’Iberville. The MCPs were georeferenced, digitized, and overlaid on top of current land use parcel data using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Parcels were selected and categorized based on each proposed plan and compared to current …

Exploring The Perception Towards Enhancing Credentials By Certification Of Latent Fingerprint Examiners In The Southern United States, Christopher G. Brewer

Honors Theses

With several applications of forensic processes coming into question, becoming a reputable expert witness in a court of law can be dire. This pilot study explores the professional opinions of latent fingerprint examiners employed by state criminal investigation departments. Research was geared towards measuring the notion that gaining certification through institutions such as the International Association for Identification (IAI) aids in the perception of latent fingerprint examiners’ credibility and confidence as expert witnesses. The sample population of latent fingerprint examiners (LFPEs) was gathered using a digital survey issued to the forensic laboratories and divisions housed within state criminal investigation units. …

The Spatial Polish Wage Curve With Gender Effects: Evidence From The Polish Labor Survey, Badi H. Baltagi, Bartlomiej Rokicki

Center for Policy Research

This paper reconsiders the Polish wage curve using individual data from the Polish Labor Force Survey (LFS) at the 16 NUTS2 level allowing for spatial spillovers between regions. In addition it estimates the total and gender-specific regional unemployment rate elasticities on individual wages. The paper finds significant spatial unemployment spillovers across Polish regions. In addition, it finds that the results for the Polish wage curve are sensitive to gender-specific regional unemployment rates. This is especially true for women.

Use Of Servqual In The Evaluation Of Service Quality Of Academic Libraries In Developing Countries, Brendan E. Asogwa, Boniface U. Asadu, Jonas U. Ezema, Cyprian I. Ugwu, Ferdinand C. Ugwuanyi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose – This paper assesses the quality of services to users in academic libraries in developing countries using ServQUAL model. The purpose was to expose the service areas where the desires of library users’ are not met, ascertain the causes, and suggest corrective measures.

Approach – Both primary and secondary sources were explored for data collection. Questionnaire and the websites were used, and the 3,832 library users sampled from four developing countries was the research population of this article. Data was analyzed and discussed using descriptive statistics, and other illustrations.

Findings – The paper revealed that in developing countries: all …

Damage To Libraries Due To Water Related Disasters, Parul Zaveri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Flooding, leakage, heavy rains, hurricanes, activation of fire sprinklers due to fire are some of the reasons due to which water can enter library premises. It can damage library resources and infrastructure as well as disrupt services for a long time. The paper describes the ways libraries can be prepared for such disasters as well as how to treat resources damaged due to such disasters.

Approximate Solutions Of The Walrasian Equilibrium Inequalities With Bounded Marginal Utilities Of Income, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Recently Cherchye et al. (2011) reformulated the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities, introduced by Brown and Matzkin (1996), as an integer programming problem and proved that solving the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities is NP-hard. Brown and Shannon (2002) derived an equivalent system of equilibrium inequalities, i.e., the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities. That is, the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities are solvable iff the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities are solvable. We show that solving the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities is equivalent to solving a NP-hard minimization problem. Approximation theorems are polynomial time algorithms for computing approximate solutions of NP-hard minimization problems. The primary contribution of this …

Approximate Solutions Of Walrasian Equilibrium Inequalities With Bounded Marginal Utilities Of Income, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Recently Cherchye et al. (2011) reformulated the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities, introduced by Brown and Matzkin (1996), as an integer programming problem and proved that solving the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities is NP-hard. Brown and Shannon (2002) derived an equivalent system of equilibrium inequalities, i.e., the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities. That is, the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities are solvable iff the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities are solvable. We show that solving the dual Walrsian equilibrium inequalities is equivalent to solving a NP-hard minimization problem. Approximation theorems are polynomial time algorithms for computing approximate solutions of NP-hard minimization problems. The primary contribution of this …

Approximate Solutions Of Walrasian And Gorman Polar Form Equilibrium Inequalities, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Recently Cherchye et al. (2011) reformulated the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities, introduced by Brown and Matzkin (1996), as an integer programming problem and proved that solving the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities is NP-hard. Following Brown and Shannon (2000), we reformulate the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities as the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities. Brown and Shannon proved that the Walrasian equilibrium inequalities are solvable iff the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities are solvable. We show that solving the dual Walrasian equilibrium inequalities is equivalent to solving a NP-hard minimization problem. Approximation theorems are polynomial time algorithms for computing approximate solutions of NP-hard minimization problems. The primary …

Strongly Symmetric Equilibria In Bandit Games, Johannes Hörner, Nicolas Klein, Sven Rady

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper studies strongly symmetric equilibria (SSE) in continuous-time games of strategic experimentation with Poisson bandits. SSE payoffs can be studied via two functional equations similar to the HJB equation used for Markov equilibria. This is valuable for three reasons. First, these equations retain the tractability of Markov equilibrium, while allowing for punishments and rewards: the best and worst equilibrium payoff are explicitly solved for. Second, they capture behavior of the discrete-time game: as the period length goes to zero in the discretized game, the SSE payoff set converges to their solution. Third, they encompass a large payoff set: there …

Adaptive Testing On A Regression Function At A Point, Timothy B. Armstrong

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We consider the problem of inference on a regression function at a point when the entire function satisfies a sign or shape restriction under the null. We propose a test that achieves the optimal minimax rate adaptively over a range of Holder classes, up to a log log n term, which we show to be necessary for adaptation. We apply the results to adaptive one-sided tests for the regression discontinuity parameter under a monotonicity restriction, the value of a monotone regression function at the boundary, and the proportion of true null hypotheses in a multiple testing problem.

Adaptive Testing On A Regression Function At A Point, Timothy B. Armstrong

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We consider the problem of inference on a regression function at a point when the entire function satisfies a sign or shape restriction under the null. We propose a test that achieves the optimal minimax rate adaptively over a range of Hölder classes, up to a log log n term, which we show to be necessary for adaptation. We apply the results to adaptive one-sided tests for the regression discontinuity parameter under a monotonicity restriction, the value of a monotone regression function at the boundary, and the proportion of true null hypotheses in a multiple testing problem.

Toward A Uses And Gratification's Model Of Twitter, Philip Ryan Johnson

Theses - ALL

This study proposed a uses and gratifications model of Twitter, an internet medium and micro-blog--a platform with both mass and interpersonal communication features for sending short messages to others. A survey was conducted among 242 Twitter users to test the model, including a standard investigation of gratifications sought and gratifications obtained of Twitter usage. In addition, expectations and availability of usage behaviors from McLeod and Becker's (1981) uses and gratifications model were examined. In the model, expectations were conceptualized as user expectations of satisfaction and operationalized as the difference between users' gratifications sought and gratifications actually obtained. Usage behavior availability …

Understanding The Effect Of Islamists' Online Persuasive Messages On People's Attitude Change And Information Seeking Behavior, Omnia Al Desoukie

Theses - ALL

In this study, the researcher aims to look at how people would react to Islamists' online persuasive messages. This study is designed to measure the effects of two types of persuasive messages on people's attitude changes and information seeking behavior. Participants were recruited from a diverse pool using the Mturk website. The researcher recruited participants who are considered out-group members. Those are people who are primarily non-Muslims and non-Arabs. A 3 by 3-multifactorial between subjects experiment with the factors of message type (action justification, group-identity and no messages) and pre-existing attitude group (negative, neutral, and positive) was conducted to examine …

An Examination Of The First- And Second-Level Of Agenda Building With The Image Of China's President Xi Jinping In Xinhua And Four U.S. News Outlets, Zhuqing Cheng

Theses - ALL

Sources provide information subsidies to journalists at a low cost with the intention of passing on their agendas by providing the information subsidies to the media. This process is called agenda building, serving as the theoretical framework guiding this study.

Many studies have examined agenda building in political campaigns, while others have looked at it in a business context. This study tries to further test agenda building by investigating in the context of mediated public diplomacy to see how foreign leaders use the news to build images in another country. Such image building efforts have the potential to influence the …

School Spending Matters!, John Yinger

Center for Policy Research

It’s Elementary is a series of essays on topics in education and education policy. The main focus is on education finance in New York State, but general research findings in education and education policy issues in several other states are also discussed. John Yinger, Professor of Economics and Public Administration at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University is the author of most of these essays, although a few are written by or co-authored with other scholars.