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Glial Cell Alterations In The Rat Medial Preoptic Area And Hippocampus As A Function Of Reproductive State, Gordon Wentworth Gifford

Master's Theses

Changes in reproductive state are accompanied by fluctuating levels of female gonadal hormones at higher levels and for longer periods of time than the normal estrus cycle. These hormones have been noted, in cell culture and over the regular estrus cycle, to influence structural changes in neurons and glial cells in areas of the brain associated with the conduct of maternal behavior. The purpose of this project was to characterize changes in GFAP immunoreactivity and astrocyte morphology in the mPOA and hippocampus as a function of reproductive state and female steroid hormone treatment. Results of this investigation noted an increases …

Modifications Of Nitric Oxide And Sexual Behavior In Prenatally Stressed Male Rats, Stephen D. Miller

Master's Theses

Normal male sexual differentiation is the culmination of perfectly timed, prenatal gonadal hormone release. Prenatal stress (PS) has a detrimental effect upon this process, obstructing the natural development of brain structures and sexual behavior. Prenatally-stressed male rats exhibit many physiological and neuroendocrinological differences when compared to control males. PS has a particularly harmful effect upon male sexual behavior, to which the neurotransmitter nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be intimately involved. The present experiment examined whether PS reduces nNOS, the rate limiting enzyme of NO, in the medial preoptic area (rnPOA) of male rats, and whether administration of the …

Behavior-Based Safety And Working Alone: The Effects Of Self-Monitoring On The Safe Performance Of Bus Operators, Ryan Olson

Masters Theses

Experimental evaluations of Behavior-based Safety (BBS) processes applied with lone workers are scarce. Further research is needed to determine the power of self-monitoring based interventions for improving safe behavior, and to explore the best practices for improving safety when employees work alone. In the current study,· four male bus operators (ages 40-50) self-monitored their safe performance and initialed feedback graphs based on their self-monitoring data at the end of each day. Experimental data collectors observed each participant by riding buses as passengers. A multiple baseline design across performances was used to assess the effects of the intervention on four target …

Exploring Thematic Balance In Personal Narrative As A Marker For Responsiveness, Laura G. Porter

Masters Theses

Research on personal narrative as a template or map that organizes experience and creates a lens for the interpretation of reality has largely relied on structural analysis for its assessments of adequacy. As a synthesis of beliefs and values with actions, thoughts, and feelings, however, the tone and thematic quality of an individual's life story must also shape the narrative compass that guides interactions in the social world. Among these elements, one's theory of reality will exert a significant impact on the overall context within which the specific unfolding of narrative plots occurs. In Western societies in particular, this perspective …

The Relationship Between Cosmopolitan-Local Orientation And Job Satisfaction Among Admissions Personnel At Christian Colleges In The United States And Canada, Jon P. Harr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the challenges facing college admissions professionals have increased, and turnover in the field has become an area of concern. A review of the literature indicated that surprisingly little research had been done in the area of job satisfaction for college admissions professionals and, in particular, Christian college admissions professionals. No direct application of professional (cosmopolitan-local) orientation to the admissions profession could be found in the literature. As a result, the primary purpose of this study was to examine both the level of job satisfaction and the cosmopolitan-local orientation of Christian college admissions professionals, and to determine if …

Single Parents And Organizational Commitment, Absenteeism, And Internal Motivation: An Initial Investigation, Melissa D. Broughton

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between group membership (by maritalstatus and sex) and the salience of the family role identities of caregiver and provider. It was expected that both the provider and caregiver roles would be salient for single parents. Results indicated that mothers identified with the caregiver role to a greater extent than fathers. However, no support was found for the idea that custodial single fathers identify with the caregiver role to the same extent as mothers. Results marginally supported the idea that custodial single mothers identify with the provider role as highly as fathers do, whereas married mothers …

Coping Strategy And Social Support Differences Among Copd Patients: Effects On Psychological Well Being, Functional Status, And Health Care Utilization, Terri Belville-Robertson

Dissertations

This descriptive study examined coping strategies and social support among thirty-three patients with moderate to severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to assess relationships to psychological and functional status, and health care utilization. More specifically, the qualitative and quantitative differences in coping strategies and social support were examined in relation to anxiety, depression, activity level, and use of emergency and inpatient medical services. Subjects participated in a one-session screening that included a brief clinical interview, battery of questionnaires and exercise tolerance test. Health care utilization data were obtained from subjects’ medical records. Subjects' primary support persons also provided collateral data …

Evaluating The Social Acceptability Of Persons With Habit Disorders: The Effects Of Topography, Frequency, And Gender Manipulation, Douglas W. Woods

Dissertations

Literature suggests that children who exhibit habit disorders are less socially acceptable than children who do not exhibit such disorders. This series of studies investigated the social acceptability of adults who exhibit habit disorders. In Studies 1 and 2, undergraduate students rated the social acceptability of individuals who exhibited motor tics, vocal tics, hairpulling, and no habit. Results showed that the individuals with no habit were more socially acceptable than the individuals who exhibited either motor tics, vocal tics, or hairpulling.

In Study 3, videotapes were created in which actors simulated motor tics, vocal tics, Tourette’s Syndrome, and Trichotillomania. The …

An Analysis Of Two Forms Of Self-Defense Training And Their Impact On Women's Sense Of Personal Safety Self-Efficacy, Darcy Shannon Cox

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

It is estimated that a quarter to a third of women will be sexually assaulted in some way over the course of their lifetimes. Ozer and Bandura (1990) sought to study the ability of a mastery model self defense program for women to increase women's self efficacy about their ability to prevent assault. They found significant changes for all dependent variables used in their study at posttest and at a six month follow-up. The current study sought to compare their findings to those found using a mastery model self defense program for both genders and a vicarious model self defense …

African American Community Mental Health Center Service Utilization: A Test Of The Cultural Compatibility Hypothesis, Alicia Michelle Marsh

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study examined whether community mental health centers (CMHCs) in Virginia that had services evaluated as being more compatible with the cultural needs of African Americans attracted a higher percentage of adult African American service users from their catchment areas than CMHCs which were evaluated as being less culturally compatible. The cultural compatibility of 36 CMHCs was assessed via a telephone interview with their clinical directors using a modified version of the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Administrative Version (Mason, J., 1995). This study did not find a correlation between CMHCs' cultural compatibility and their success at attracting African American …

Fairness In Chinese Organizations, Kai-Guang Liang

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the roles of organizational justice and individual cultural characteristics in affecting employees' work attitudes and behaviors, in particular, the contextual aspect of job performance in Chinese organizations. Data were collected from 232 employee-supervisor dyads in three Sino-western joint ventures in the People's Republic of China. Results indicated that distributive justice had a significant impact on one dimension of contextual job performance, i.e., interpersonal facilitation, and various attitudinal outcomes, such as job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, affective commitment and turnover intention. Among the three procedural justice variables (participation at company level, participation at job level, and appeal mechanism) examined, …

An Empirical Examination Of Individual, Issue-Related, And Organizational Determinants Of Ethical Judgments, Sean Robert Valentine

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to empirically examine an ethical decision-making model that contained individual, issue-related, and organizational factors. At the individual level, the relationship between two job attitudes, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and ethical judgments was assessed. At the issue-related level, the association between moral intensity and ethical judgments was examined. At the organizational level, the relationship between ethical context and ethical judgments was examined. The hypothesized moderating effect of ethical context on the relationship between job attitudes and ethical judgments was also tested.

A national sample of 3,000 sales professionals was used to test the hypotheses. …

Consequences Of Contingent Compensation, James Herschel Turner

Doctoral Dissertations

The principal objective of this study is the explication of the impact of incentives on measures of performance. The effects of contingent compensation (commissions and bonuses) on role stress, job attitudes, and performance outcomes were studied in a multi-industry sample of 255 employees.

It was hypothesized that as compensation contingency increases, role conflict and financial anxiety also increase and the increase in stress would be negatively related to in-role performance, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. Finally, it was hypothesized that as organizational commitment and job satisfaction are reduced, intent-to-leave will be increased and extra-role performance will be reduced. The sum …

Burnout Among Postsecondary Faculty In North Dakota, Justin J. Wageman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify burnout levels of full-time faculty holding rank of assistant, associate, or full professor in three categories of institutions in North Dakota. The three categories comprised eight North Dakota public colleges and universities. Specifically the research questions were: (1) What level of burnout exists among full-time, postsecondary faculty? (2) Are there differences in burnout levels by rank among full-time, postsecondary faculty? (3) Are there differences in burnout levels of full-time faculty members by category of institution? (4) Are there differences in burnout levels by certain demographic variables?

After a telephone pre-contact was made …

Use Of Humor And Relationship Intimacy, Laura Warrenchuk

Theses and Dissertations

Humor is a unique social interaction that is ubiquitous in everyday life. Humor can serve a number of functions, including ones that may either enhance or detract from social intimacy. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between different uses of humor and intimacy in relationships. It was hypothesized that positive and expressive uses of humor would lead to increases in intimacy within the relationship, whereas negative uses of humor would lead to decreased levels of intimacy.

Undergraduate college students (N = 93) completed the Functional Uses of Humor Scale and the Miller Social Intimacy Scale. Analyses focused …

Take My Thesis…Please! The Art Of Stand-Up Comedy, Kyle J. Dukart

Theses and Dissertations

In my thesis, I explore the artistry of stand-up comedy primarily by concentrating on five aspects of the genre that one generally uses to discuss literature: theme, persona, language, narrative structure, and audience. My purpose is to critically analyze a mode of artistic expression that is rarely given serious academic consideration

To accomplish this purpose I researched various theories of comedy and then proceeded to listen to and read about dozens of stand-up comedians. Using my own and other's knowledge of comedy and literature, I then closely analyze parts of routines from ten of the comedians I studied, including Lenny …

Modulating Effects Of Time Of Day On Age Differences In Memory Performance: Attention Versus Inhibition, Iwona Chelminski

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that some cognitive processes follow a circadian rhythm, and the peak performance periods correlate with individual patterns of physiological arousal. Recent findings in the literature suggest that the optimal time synchrony may modulate the magnitude of age differences in cognitive performance across time of day. The first goal of the present study was to further investigate the so-called “synchrony effects” in younger and older adults. The second purpose was to offer and examine an alternative explanation for the “synchrony effect” phenomenon related to deficits in attentional resources rather than inefficient inhibition. And the third purpose of this study …

Analysis Of The Caloric Expenditure Of Students In Middle School Physical Education Classes, Wendy Granum Frappier

Theses and Dissertations

According to the recent Surgeon General's Report guidelines, all Americans including children need to bum a minimum of 150 calories in daily physical activity or approximately 1,000 calories a week to meet minimum healthy activity standards. The purpose of the study was to assess the caloric expenditure of students in middle school physical education classes to determine if they were expending a sufficient amount of calories in physical education classes to meet the minimum healthy activity recommendations. More specifically, the study determined the differences in caloric expenditure and various physical activities, the relationship between heart rate and caloric expenditure, sex …

Nicolas Berdyaev: An Intellectual Journey, Marianna Westbrook Byman

Theses and Dissertations

Nicholas Alexsandrovich Berdyaev, 1874–1948, was part of the historic events that changed the course of Russian history. He lived through them and wrote about them for his entire adult life. Berdyaev not only pondered the agony of Russia's past, but he contemplated the possibilities of Russia's future.

Berdyaev was a deeply Russian thinker, and like Russia, he presented the world with a paradox. Outside of Russia he was perhaps the best known and the most widely read of Russian philosophers, but inside of Russia seldom read and little known. The paradox of Berdyaev extended to his life, his writings, and …

The Red River Flood Of 1997: The Role Of Government Agencies In The Flood Plain, Deborah Marshall Pawley

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to identify the roles of three federal agencies in the Grand Forks Flood of 1997. The three agencies were selected for the scope of their impact on the disaster as well as their impact on the community. The United States Army Corps of Engineers, National Weather Service, and Federal Emergency Management Agency contributed either to the the attempts to prevent flooding or flood recovery or both.

It is appropriate to determine both the physical factors that cause flooding and the agency policies that govern the ways in which people cope with disaster because these two are intricately …

Biculturalism And Native American College Students' Performance On The Wais-Iii, Teton Ducheneaux

Theses and Dissertations

Consideration of cultural appropriateness in using Westem-European standardized intelligence measures with Native Americans for clinical and educational purposes has been neglected by professionals in the field of clinical assessment. Some studies suggest the possibility of a “Native American Pattern” on such tests, indicating a consistent, yet little-understood discrepancy. The present study investigated the impact of cultural identification of Native American college students on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III). The study assessed the relationship between cultural identification and cognitive-testing scores between two groups of Native American college students. The first group consisted of off-reservation Native American students attending the …

The Historical Influence And Legacy Of The Alaskan Boundary Dispute, Steve Mallory

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis was an investigation into the historical significance and interpretation the Alaskan boundary dispute played in the tripartite relations of Canada, the United States, and Great Britain.

The first purpose of this work was to fully examine Hay- Herbert Treaty, emphasizing the hitherto unacknowledged benefits inherent in the treaty. The second purpose of this work was to reexamine Theodore Roosevelt's actions that have previously been the focal point of research in the Alaskan boundary dispute. The final purpose of this work was to explain the greater historical importance Canadians have maintained in the Alaskan boundary dispute and the affect …

A Comparison Of Cognitive Development Between Whites And African Americans Based On William Perry's Scheme Of Intellectual And Ethical Development, Joan Johnson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study compared cognitive complexity between student groups based on cultural background and academic class utilizing William Perry's (1970) cognitive theory of intellectual and ethical development. In addition, the study examined the influence of gender and socioeconomic status (SES) on cognitive development. The goal was to ascertain whether Perry's theory, developed from his research on a relatively homogeneous college student population without consideration of the impact of a culturally diverse environment, would be valid for culturally diverse students.

The research design employed to investigate cognitive development used a cross-sectional sample of entering freshmen and graduating seniors attending a predominantly White, …

The Twelve-Penny Chronicle: The Origins Of The Pequot War, Rod Guttormson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Childhood Relation With Parents Related To Current Functioning, Peter O. Lielbriedis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationships between perceptions of childhood relationships with parents, certain current self-conscious emotions, current religious orientation, and current risk-taking behaviors. The study also sought to develop models that would predict risk-taking behavior based on the other variables.

At an eastern university, 174 students (79 males) completed the Test of Self-Conscious Affect, Religious Life Inventory, Clark-Parent Child Relations Questionnaire, and the Past Frequency scale of the Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events Questionnaire. Of these, 30 students were solicited from on-campus, religious organizations.

The data did not show an inverse relationship between “positive parenting” and shame proneness or risk-taking …

Home Health Nurses: Are They Satisfied With Their Work Environment, Said Abu Salem

Nursing Theses & Dissertations

Objectives. This study addressed the questions, (1) To what degree are home health nurses satisfied in their job? (2) What variable ranks as the most important for home health nurses' satisfaction? and, (3) Is there a difference between job satisfaction of full time employment, part time, and per diem home health nurses?

Methods. The data were collected from six home health agencies in the Hampton Roads Area resulting in a sample of (N = 72). The McCloskey and Mueller Satisfaction Scale developed in 1990 (MMSS) was used to measure home health nurses' satisfaction.

Results. The home health …

Use Of Selected Mmpi-A Factors In The Prediction Of Clinical Outcomes In A Community-Based Treatment Program For Juvenile Sexual Offenders, Linda Marks Hunter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to evaluate the use of MMPI-A factors to make predictions about clinical outcomes within a community-based treatment program for juvenile sexual offenders. Specifically, selected MMPI-A factors were used to predict client acceptance into the program and client compliance with program expectations over a 12-month period. Results showed that program acceptance was best predicted by the MMPI-A factor, “Immaturity.” No MMPI-A factors were found to be statistically significant in the prediction of program compliance. A high degree of collinearity was found between MMPI-A factors, raising questions about their discriminative utility. Results are discussed with regard to the …

The Effects Of Group Counseling On The Self-Esteem, Anxiety, And Behavior Of Children With Deployed Parents, Nancy Taylor Mitchum

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a six-session group counseling intervention for children who had a parent experiencing military-induced deployment. Participants were 65 children (30 boys, 35 girls) of enlisted military personnel attending elementary schools near the Norfolk Naval Base. Elementary school counselors facilitated the counseling groups.

An experimental/control group pretest-posttest design was employed. Independent variables were the child's participation in the Children of Deployed Parents-Group/control group, child gender and age. Dependent variables were self-esteem, anxiety, and behavior as measured by the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Child …

Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Sensitivity To Reinforcement In Children Diagnosed With Adhd: An Application Of Matching Law, Laura Kay Murray

Masters Theses

This experiment evaluated the effects of methylphenidate on sensitivity to reinforcement of children diagnosed with ADHD using matching law.

Four children (2 males and 2 females) between the ages of 6 and 10 who were previously diagnosed with ADHD completed easy math problems to earn tokens under four different variable-interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement presented in random order. The rate of completed math problems was plotted against the mean frequency of obtained reinforcers at each schedule value in tokens per minute. The data were fit to the following single-rate hyperbolic equation (Herrnstein, 1970): R = kr/r+r₀.

Results show …

Intuitive Understanding Of Time And Space At The Age Of Four, Josephine Barry-Davis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the central hypothesis that “children by the age of four years construct accurate and lasting conceptions o f time (past, present, future) and space (near and far away).” In order to test this hypothesis the researcher relied on qualitative research guidelines developed and published in recent years to address social science and educational research issues. The research design is especially applicable to young children where the researcher assumes the role of participant observer. In order to control for the context of the research, the children were observed for time and space cognitive …