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The Moderating Effect Of Autism Symptomology On The Relationship Of Cognitive And Adaptive Functioning With Anxiety Symptoms In Infants And Toddlers, Robert D. Rieske Jan 2012

The Moderating Effect Of Autism Symptomology On The Relationship Of Cognitive And Adaptive Functioning With Anxiety Symptoms In Infants And Toddlers, Robert D. Rieske

LSU Master's Theses

Anxiety disorders have been shown to have a high prevalence rate in the general population and the prevalence in those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is even higher. The detection, diagnosis, and implementation of an early intervention program for these disorders are crucial to the developmental outcome for such individuals. Researchers have shown how cognitive and adaptive functioning are related and affect anxiety symptoms in children as well as the high comorbidity with ASD. The aim of this study was to confirm those relationships, using scores from the BISCUIT-Part 2 (anxiety symptomology) and the BDI-II (Cognitive and Adaptive Developmental Quotient), …


Critical Ee At Osbg: A Case Study In Addressing Environmental Action Through Critical Education, Donovon Keith Ceaser Jan 2012

Critical Ee At Osbg: A Case Study In Addressing Environmental Action Through Critical Education, Donovon Keith Ceaser

LSU Master's Theses

Within environmental education the promotion of environmental activism is still considered contentious despite being a major goal since its inception. While some argue on simply raising awareness a growing number believe an action component is necessary to produce citizens capable of addressing environmental issues. Critical environmental education (Critical EE) is one method of integrating action into an educational program that teaches students to better understand the social and natural environment through an integrative participatory teaching-learning culture which allows students to construct contextual value-laden knowledge. This study uses data gathered from six months of participant observation at Our School at Blair …


The Truth About Lying: The Memorial Effects Of Deliberately Producing Misinformation, Kathleen M. Vieira Jan 2012

The Truth About Lying: The Memorial Effects Of Deliberately Producing Misinformation, Kathleen M. Vieira

LSU Master's Theses

There are different ways of lying and these lies may have different impacts on memory. In this study, participants studied pictures of objects, and later lied and told the truth about these and other objects by describing them or by denying they had seen them. Forty-eight hours later, participants were tested on their source memory. Results revealed that participants had good memory for having falsely described a never-seen object, but poor memory for having falsely denied seeing a studied object. These results suggest that telling certain types of lies may make a person more likely to forget having lied at …


Volunteer Based Organizations: Bridging The Gap Between Political Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Kristin Nicole Marks Jan 2012

Volunteer Based Organizations: Bridging The Gap Between Political Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Kristin Nicole Marks

LSU Master's Theses

With the declining participation in civic engagement behaviors such as voting, people are turning to other means to demonstrate civic participation. This study examined the role of volunteering as a means to establish civic engagement. Because of this civic participation behavioral shift, the relationship between civic engagement and the communication tactics used by volunteer based organizations was investigated. This study investigated the relationship between civic engagement and political efficacy. Additionally, this study examined the interplay between organizational characteristics (trust, control mutuality, exchange relationship, and commitment) and civic engagement. Lastly, perceptions of new and traditional methods of communications to encourage civic …


Black-Woman Identity Centrality And Interference: An Examination Of Political Efficacy And Policy Attitudes, Alexandra Ghara Jan 2012

Black-Woman Identity Centrality And Interference: An Examination Of Political Efficacy And Policy Attitudes, Alexandra Ghara

LSU Master's Theses

While much of the recent literature centers on a discussion of the “inner conflict” experienced by black women, political scientists have not measured this identity conflict or its political consequences. In this article I fill this gap in the literature by employing a black-woman identity interference scale (Settles 2006) to test whether black women experience particular difficulty aligning their racial and gender interests, and how identity conflict affects their political efficacy (internal political efficacy, external political efficacy, and group political efficacy) and policy attitudes. I find that while black women’s political efficacy is only affect by their race consciousness, their …


Correlates Of Interest In Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Social Work Graduate Students, Cassie Dinecola Jan 2012

Correlates Of Interest In Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Social Work Graduate Students, Cassie Dinecola

LSU Master's Theses

With autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses on the rise, there is a growing need for knowledgeable professionals in the field. However, graduate social work students report low interest and negative attitudes toward working with this population, and few social workers enter the field of developmental disabilities. This is the first known study to examine the interrelationships among graduate social work students’ knowledge about ASD, self-efficacy in working with individuals with ASD, attitudes toward working with individuals with ASD, formal training in ASD, and contact with persons with ASD. These interrelationships were explained in the context of Social Cognitive Career Theory. …


Relationship Between Adult Mentors And Placement Outcomes Among At-Risk Youth, Meagan Curtis Jan 2012

Relationship Between Adult Mentors And Placement Outcomes Among At-Risk Youth, Meagan Curtis

LSU Master's Theses

Approximately 1.3 million students drop out of school each year (National Guard Youth Foundation, 2012). The Youth ChalleNGe Program, which caters to at-risk youths who have dropped out of high school, utilizes a mentoring program. This study examines the relationship between the youth having regular contact with a mentor and the youth’s placement outcomes. The sample of this study included 215 youths who graduated in September of 2008 from the Youth ChalleNGe Program (YCP) at the Gillis W. Long Center in Carville, LA. Data regarding each youth’s placements during the post-residential phase and the number of contacts with his or …


What Factors Influence Positive Father Involvement In African American Families?, Courtney Lashay Pitts Jan 2012

What Factors Influence Positive Father Involvement In African American Families?, Courtney Lashay Pitts

LSU Master's Theses

While positive fathers appear to be a myth in African American communities among current research, this study looks at the common factors among involved fathers in inner city neighborhoods. In a secondary analysis of interviews from happily married Black couples in inner city neighborhoods, overlapping themes emerge exploring the reasons behind positive involvement among fathers. In twenty-two interviews, both husbands and wives explain reasons for continuous father involvement in the lives of their children. Findings include a heavy reliance on faith, marital support and commitment to matrimony and value of responsibility to one’s family. Future research and implications should address …


Teaching Phoneme Segmentation And Blending: A Comparison Of Two Methods, Michael John Schafer Jan 2012

Teaching Phoneme Segmentation And Blending: A Comparison Of Two Methods, Michael John Schafer

LSU Master's Theses

Phonemic segmenting and blending is seen as one of the most critical skills necessary for the development of good reading skills in beginning readers. Research has shown that teaching phonemic skills results in improved reading for both trained (familiar) and untrained words when compared to teaching word-recognition reading strategies. Within the field of phonemic awareness teaching, results have been mixed as to the most effective methods of teaching phonemic skills, but it is generally agreed that explicit instruction in both segmenting and blending is better than instruction focusing on onset/rime or rhyming methods. The purpose of the current study is …


Comparing Extinction And Noncontingent Reinforcement Under Challenging Conditions: The Discriminative Effects Of Reinforcement Delivery, Jessica Pearl Alvarez Jan 2012

Comparing Extinction And Noncontingent Reinforcement Under Challenging Conditions: The Discriminative Effects Of Reinforcement Delivery, Jessica Pearl Alvarez

LSU Master's Theses

Extinction (EXT) and noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) procedures are commonly used to reduce problem behavior maintained by operant reinforcement. Both procedures reduce behavior by eliminating the contingency between that behavior and reinforcement; however, EXT procedures may leave the discriminative effects of the reinforcer intact. The discriminative effects of reinforcement following EXT compared to NCR were investigated using an arbitrary response within three participants. Results indicate that following EXT, re-emergent responding is not more likely to occur in the presence of reinforcement compared to control trials. Moreover, re-emergent responding was overall unlikely to occur following EXT and NCR procedures.


Oysters And Catfish: Resource Exploitation At Rollins Shell Ring, Ft. George Island, Florida, Julie Ann Doucet Jan 2012

Oysters And Catfish: Resource Exploitation At Rollins Shell Ring, Ft. George Island, Florida, Julie Ann Doucet

LSU Master's Theses

Detailed faunal analyses were conducted on two major subsistence resources, oysters and marine catfish, at Rollins Shell Ring, a Late Archaic (5000 – 3000 B.P.) site on the northeast coast of Florida. The focus of this investigation was on resource exploitation, and, specifically, whether there was evidence that oysters from this site were over-exploited. Three units from previous excavations at the site were selected for analysis, and represent the span of occupation recorded for this site. Measurements were obtained from oysters to determine habitat, and, along with shell height, were compared across time for any changes in the pattern of …


Examining Reliability And Validity Of The Roadsign Perception Test, Justin Hull Ory Jan 2012

Examining Reliability And Validity Of The Roadsign Perception Test, Justin Hull Ory

LSU Master's Theses

The Road Sign Perception Test (RSPT) is a newly developed assessment procedure related to driver advisement, and its psychometric properties have not yet been examined systematically. The present study examined the construct validity and the reliability of RSPT measurements. Cronbach’s α and test-retest reliability statistics were completed, as were correlations reflecting on the test’s construct validity. Results indicated that the RSPT possesses marginal test-retest reliability, adequate internal consistency for duration of stimulus presentation and for specific stimuli, but low for number of signs presented. RSPT performance was significantly correlated with convergent variables measuring aspects of attention, working memory, and spatial …


Investigations At The Toncrey Site (16pl7): Analysis Of A Late Prehistoric Site In Extreme Southern Louisiana, Rebecca Muriel Brown Jan 2012

Investigations At The Toncrey Site (16pl7): Analysis Of A Late Prehistoric Site In Extreme Southern Louisiana, Rebecca Muriel Brown

LSU Master's Theses

The Toncrey site (16PL07), located in the coastal marsh of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, is a prehistoric mound site containing three earthen mounds, on the north, west, and south edges of a plaza. The layout of the mounds in cardinal directions around the plaza suggests that this component of the site dates to the Coles Creek period. On the eastern side of the site an extensive, wave-washed and re-deposited oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shell midden contains diagnostic Coles Creek, Plaquemine, and Mississippian pottery. Archaeological research at the site was conducted to confirm the cultural affiliation of the mound group and midden, and …


Investigating Children's Social Support Systems: Comparison Of Interviews And Interviews With Pictures, Leah Kathrine Hebert Jan 2012

Investigating Children's Social Support Systems: Comparison Of Interviews And Interviews With Pictures, Leah Kathrine Hebert

LSU Master's Theses

The present research study seeks to improve upon prior research on child social supports by using an already existing eco-map protocol to inform two interviews on child social supports. This study will help further develop an assessment for understanding child social supports and social networks. This project examines the similarities and differences between child reports of social support using: a) child interview-only protocol and b) interview-with-pictures protocol. The two main research questions include: 1) Do children report the same number of social supports using the child interview-only protocol as the interview-with-pictures protocol? and 2) Do children report the same kind …


"Condoms And Candy": Pro-Choice Students On Campus, Jordan Rebecca Kea Jan 2012

"Condoms And Candy": Pro-Choice Students On Campus, Jordan Rebecca Kea

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis seeks to understand the dynamics of a feminist student organization within the context of a college campus in southern Louisiana. Through a methodology of participant observation, interviews, spot observations and archival research I examine how this pro-choice organization navigates campus public space. This project focuses on aspects of collaboration or collective action within a network of organizations, the participation of members, and the discursive processes of storytelling and audience effects. This collaborative ethnography also investigates how cross-sex interactions mediate topics of motherhood, abortion, and sexuality.  


Late Formative Plant Use And Diet At Caylán (Peru) As Seen Through The Analysis Of Macrobotanical Remains And Human Feces, Beverly Marie Clement Jan 2012

Late Formative Plant Use And Diet At Caylán (Peru) As Seen Through The Analysis Of Macrobotanical Remains And Human Feces, Beverly Marie Clement

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents macrobotanical and fecal data from Caylán (800 – 1 BCE), a Late and Final Formative urban center located in the Nepeña Valley, on the north-central coast of Peru, Department of Ancash. A predominant theme in Andean archaeology is understanding subsistence strategies practiced by humans during critical social, economic, and political periods in Peruvian prehistory. Excavations at the site of Caylán have unveiled ample amounts of plant and other organic remains. This research consists of a two-part analysis: examination of macrobotanical remains from the 2009 field season and excavated human feces found in various contexts of the site …


Texting Laws And Cell Phone Users: Motivations For Texting While Driving, Jonathan Ferrante Jan 2012

Texting Laws And Cell Phone Users: Motivations For Texting While Driving, Jonathan Ferrante

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Legal scholars, academics, and industry researchers have indicated that using cell phones when driving is among the most dangerous hazard faced by motorists today. This relatively new technology is embedded in the lives of most people, at all times of the day, including when behind the wheel of a car. Harvard and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration researchers have exposed the dangers of cell phones and driving, but a solution to curtail the problem has yet to be found. This study seeks to understand the motivations and mediating factors affecting texting and driving law compliance by cell phone users. …


Identification Of Blood Protein In Louisiana Clay Sediment: Subtitle, Michelle D. Whipp Jan 2012

Identification Of Blood Protein In Louisiana Clay Sediment: Subtitle, Michelle D. Whipp

LSU Master's Theses

In modern forensics, soil from crime scenes is not tested for the presence of blood proteins. This is due to the belief that proteins degrade too quickly for detection. The purpose of this paper is to report on the research performed in an effort to counter that belief and in so doing, suggests changes in the current procedures. Using pig blood as an analog for human blood, blood was deposited outside, at two separate locations roughly a half mile apart, at a southern Louisiana cattle farm. Over 18 months, samples were taken from cores at the deposition sites and these …


Putting Family Back In Work-Family Conflict: The Moderating Effect Of Family Life Stage On The Work-Family Interface, Rachel C. Trout Jan 2012

Putting Family Back In Work-Family Conflict: The Moderating Effect Of Family Life Stage On The Work-Family Interface, Rachel C. Trout

LSU Master's Theses

In the present study, various gaps in the work-family literature were addressed by investigating the moderating influence of family life stage on work-family specific support from organizations, supervisors, and coworkers as it relates to work-family conflict. Family life stage was also proposed to moderate the relationships between work-family conflict and work-related outcomes (i.e., turnover intentions and work engagement). Additionally, work-family research has often been criticized for its propensity to sample across occupations in a single study, resulting in a need to study work-family conflict in specific careers. For this reason, elementary school teachers were the focus of this study, as …


Spiritual Support As Coping Among Alzheimer's Caregivers, Mary Katherine Schillings Jan 2012

Spiritual Support As Coping Among Alzheimer's Caregivers, Mary Katherine Schillings

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of spiritual support on Alzheimer’s caregiver’s perceived burden. This study will examine the relationship between spiritual support and burden among Alzheimer’s caregivers. The collection of data was accomplished by a packet of surveys mailed to Alzheimer’s caregivers. For this study the population is separated and difficult to survey as a whole, therefore, a smaller cluster sample is surveyed from a specific organization. The global score of the burden measure is negatively correlated with the global score of the Spiritual Support Scale. In this study, spiritual support is not the sole …


Identifying Opinion Leaders And Their Activity On A Local Apparel Business Facebook Fan-Page, Jennifer Marie Galster Jan 2012

Identifying Opinion Leaders And Their Activity On A Local Apparel Business Facebook Fan-Page, Jennifer Marie Galster

LSU Master's Theses

As technology continues to grow, new marketing opportunities arise. Facebook is an online social network that allows companies to understand their consumer base (Shih, 2011). Little research has been conducted to understand how Facebook is used as a marketing tool. Word of mouth advertising is created on Facebook fan-pages, business pages that allow consumers to interact with each other with User-Generated Content (UGC). Identifying opinion leaders on these fan-pages can help businesses understand their customers and help them build relationships with them on Facebook. The current research presents a qualitative approach to profiling users of a Facebook fan-page wall, identifying …


Designing Pots: Determining Orange Incised Design Variation And Distribution At The Rollins Shell Ring Site And The Guana Shell Ring Site In Florida, Margaret Kathryn Wrenn Jan 2012

Designing Pots: Determining Orange Incised Design Variation And Distribution At The Rollins Shell Ring Site And The Guana Shell Ring Site In Florida, Margaret Kathryn Wrenn

LSU Master's Theses

Orange pottery is a Late Archaic (5000-3000 B.P.) fiber-tempered pottery found throughout northern and central Florida, though the heartland of the ware is considered to be in the northeastern part of Florida. Orange pottery is most commonly plain, but incised Orange pottery is frequently found at shell ring sites on the eastern Florida coast. Prior examinations of Orange Incised pottery have indicated design considerable homogeneity in design at Orange Period sites. The highest percentage of decorated pottery is found at shell ring sites. For this thesis, I conducted an analysis and comparison of Orange Incised pottery collections from two contemporaneous …


Development And Validation Of The Adolescent Thought Control Questionnaire (Tcq-A), Reanna (Sara) Elise Whiting Jan 2012

Development And Validation Of The Adolescent Thought Control Questionnaire (Tcq-A), Reanna (Sara) Elise Whiting

LSU Master's Theses

Despite receiving widespread attention in the adult literature, virtually no information about the effects of thought suppression currently exists using a developmental psychopathology perspective in adolescents. The current study describes the development and preliminary validation of The Adolescent Thought Control Questionnaire, a self-report measure of thought suppression strategy use among adolescents. A principal factor analysis revealed an identical factor structure to the adult Thought Control Questionnaire (Wells & Davies, 1994) and included subscales measuring Distraction, Reappraisal, Social, Worry, and Punishment strategies. Adequate evidence of internal and test-retest reliability was obtained. The TCQ-A evidenced strong validity when tested for relations to …


The Effect Of Coping Strategies On Burden Among Male Alzheimer's Caregivers, Lauren Mckinsey Lovelace Jan 2012

The Effect Of Coping Strategies On Burden Among Male Alzheimer's Caregivers, Lauren Mckinsey Lovelace

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study is to examine the coping strategies of an often understudied, growing population of Alzheimer’s disease informal caregivers, male caregivers. Additionally, the current study measured the effects of three styles of coping (task-focused coping, emotional-focused coping, and avoidant-focused coping) on the reported burden of the male AD caregivers. The sample included 138 male AD caregivers. The male AD caregivers in the current study reported moderate to severe burden. Task-focused coping strategies were the most commonly used styles of coping. The use of task-focused coping had no effect on the burden reported by the caregivers in …


Louisiana Social Workers: A Study On Attitudes Toward Lgbt Youth, Rachel Kathleen O'Pry Jan 2012

Louisiana Social Workers: A Study On Attitudes Toward Lgbt Youth, Rachel Kathleen O'Pry

LSU Master's Theses

Social workers in most professional practice settings will encounter young clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). It is therefore important that variables influencing levels of homophobia and transphobia among these workers be analyzed. In this study, the author sought to examine the attitudes and perceptions of social workers in Louisiana toward LGBT youth. These attitudes and perceptions were then compared to individual variables such as religion, previous training on sexual orientation and gender identity, and race. The Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI), Genderism and Transphobia Scale (GTS), and Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Homosexuals (HATH) scale were completed by …


An Examination Of The Relationship Between Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Functioning, And Social Skills In Children, Kimberly Tureck Jan 2012

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Functioning, And Social Skills In Children, Kimberly Tureck

LSU Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are the focus of a vast amount of research due to their recent rise in prevalence. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research looking at how ASD and IQ scores impact social skills. The present study aimed to extend the literature in this area by evaluating how ASD and IQ scores are related to ratings on a measure of appropriate and inappropriate social skills. Two groups of individuals participated: children without ASD and children with ASD. Two dependent measures of social skills (adaptive/appropriate social skills and hostile/inappropriately assertive social skills) were obtained using the Matson Evaluation …


The Effects Of Coping Strategies On Burden Among Louisiana Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers, Rhonda Lee Jordan Jan 2012

The Effects Of Coping Strategies On Burden Among Louisiana Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers, Rhonda Lee Jordan

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between three coping strategies—emotion-focused, task-focused, and avoidance-focused—and the perceived burden among Louisiana Alzheimer’s disease caregivers. This study was a secondary data analysis. The target population was Alzheimer’s disease caregivers in Louisiana. The design for this study was cross-sectional. The instrument was a survey consisting of a demographic section, the Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist, the shortened Zarit Burden Interview, and the Coping in Task questionnaire. Most caregivers reported engaging in task-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping and avoidance-focused coping were positively related to burden. No significant relationship existed between task-focused coping …


How Level Of Globalization Affects Public Opinion Towards Globalization In Particular Nations, Nickolaus Bizzio Jan 2012

How Level Of Globalization Affects Public Opinion Towards Globalization In Particular Nations, Nickolaus Bizzio

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis seeks to understand how the level of globalization affects the public opinion towards globalization. The reviewed literature traces the history of the most significant developments of the current global capital system as well as the public opinion literature which discusses relevant issues pertaining to the subject. Since globalization is highly correlated with modernization, much of the literature will involve examination of modernization as well as its critics. To test the presented hypotheses, Pew’s Global Attitudes Project Survey 2010 was used. The question used as the basis of the dependent variable asks if the respondent believes increasing business and …


Modeling Population Patterns In New Orleans 2000-2010: A Density Function Approach, Weijie Wang Jan 2012

Modeling Population Patterns In New Orleans 2000-2010: A Density Function Approach, Weijie Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Based on the 2000 and 2010 census tract data from the U.S. Census Bureau, this thesis examines the change of population distribution patterns in New Orleans in the pre- and post-Katrina eras by the monocentric and polycentric density functions. The study area is the mostly urbanized part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), including Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. The post-Katrina New Orleans has experienced an uneven recovery reflected in the geographic disparities in population change. The density function approach investigates what function best captures the population density distribution, how the density patterns have changed over time, …


Salt Of The Maya: Evidence Of Prehispanic Salt Production And Architectural Function At The Eleanor Betty Site, Paynes Creek National Park, Belize, Tamara L. Spann Jan 2012

Salt Of The Maya: Evidence Of Prehispanic Salt Production And Architectural Function At The Eleanor Betty Site, Paynes Creek National Park, Belize, Tamara L. Spann

LSU Master's Theses

The Punta Ycacos Lagoon is home to many Classic Maya saltworks. Located in Paynes Creek National Park in southern Belize, these ancient sites may unlock answers to understanding Classic period trade along the southern coast of Belize. Archaeological investigations took place at one such site, the Eleanor Betty Site, in order to determine organization and architectural function. One transect was excavated along what is hypothesized to be the interior of a wooden structure. Using ethnographic, ethnohistoric data, in conjunction with archaeological fieldwork, the function of the structure within the salt-production site has been analyzed. The presence of preserved wooden posts, …