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Don’T Remind Me: Part-Set Cuing Inhibits Consumers Prospective Memory When Reviewing Home Loan Terms, Mark Alexander Leboeuf

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Three experiments examined whether part-set cuing effects might impair consumers’ abilities to remember to check loan attributes on a home-loan disclosure form. In part-set cuing effects, memory is typically impaired when a subset of previously learned items are offered as cues to aid subsequent recall. Participants studied a list of loan attributes to check when they subsequently reviewed a home-loan disclosure form. Results indicated that participants cued immediately prior to reviewing the form remembered to check (visually fixated) a lower percentage of non-cued attributes relative to those presented with no cues (Experiments 1 – 3). The magnitude of impairment increased …

Sexy But Not Sexual: An Examination Of The Sexual Narratives Of African American Adolescent Females, April Timmons

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research on sexuality during adolescence has focused on the potential negative sequelae of adolescent sexual behavior such as STI acquisition or teenage pregnancy. Researchers have begun to advocate for examining adolescent sexuality as a normative aspect of adolescent development. One aspect of this examination would be to form a more complete understanding of how adolescents develop their sexual identity – their conceptualization of themselves as a sexual being. Erickson’s (1968) identity development theory asserts that identity is developed internally and shaped by the social environment.

Development of a healthy sexual identity may be particularly difficult for African …

Avenging Women: An Analysis Of Postfeminist Female Representation In The Cinematic Marvel’S Avengers Series, Mary Louise Demarchi

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The cinematic Marvel Avengers series centers on larger than life male figures and leaves little space for fully developed female characters, relying instead on female tropes, stereotypes, and patriarchal constructions that present uncritical and monolithic representations of women. This thesis examines female characters in the Marvel Avengers series and uses them to exemplify and probe the woeful lack of meaningful representation of women in film. Widespread social contexts of sexism and postfeminism construct female representations that appear to empower but actually disempower women, and is subconsciously received. This series reinforces sexism and false postfeminist ideology through a combination of (1) …

No Vacancy: Explaining The Undulation Of Office Building Construction Projects In Chicago's Central Business District During The 1970s, Michael R. Rast

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The research endeavors to explain the absence of office building construction projects in Chicago’s Central Business District between 1976 and 1979. Fourteen office building construction projects were completed between 1970 and 1975 but none during the period studied. Using a socio-spatial perspective to analyze the impact of political, economical, and cultural redevelopment strategies, this paper finds that despite overwhelming neoliberal policies of the 1970s, unusually elevated vacancy rates and cultural provenance altered the course of redevelopment strategies. Among the findings, this research highlights the importance of culturally significant public symbols, such as historic landmark buildings, as catalysts for regulation that …

Preserving The Quality Of Architectural Tactics In Source Code, Mehdi Mirakhorli

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

In any complex software system, strong interdependencies exist between requirements and software architecture. Requirements drive architectural choices while also being constrained by the existing architecture and by what is economically feasible. This makes it advisable to concurrently specify the requirements, to devise and compare alternative architectural design solutions, and ultimately to make a series of design decisions in order to satisfy each of the quality concerns.

Unfortunately, anecdotal evidence has shown that architectural knowledge tends to be tacit in nature, stored in the heads of people, and lost over time. Therefore, developers often lack comprehensive knowledge of underlying architectural design …

In Vivo Effects Of A Ramba And Vitamin A Deficiency On Ovary Development, Michael H. Akroush

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The active metabolite of vitamin A, retinoic acid, is vital to several physiological functions, and is most notably associated with vision and organ development Its role in the male reproductive system is well understood, but studies in female reproduction are lacking. Recent studies show that Cyp26b1, a retinoic acid degrading enzyme, is expressed highly in the Day1-10 mouse ovary. This time point correlates with establishment of the primordial follicle pool. In vitro studies show that both retinoic acid and R115866, an agent that blocks retinoic acid metabolism, increase cell proliferation. Because of this, we hypothesized that retinoic acid plays a …

From Crime To Punishment: Moral Violations And The Social Function Of Emotion, Michael Ray Brubacher

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Punishments that are issued by the criminal justice system can enhance factors related to recidivism or contribute to offender rehabilitation. Investigating the ecological element of public attitudes toward punishment can inform efforts of second-order change for reducing recidivism and improving offender and community wellbeing (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Kelly, 1966; Watzlawick, Weakland, & Fisch, 1974).

The form and duration of punishments can be influenced by the goals that punishments are meant to achieve. Punishment goals include retribution, incapacitation, individual deterrence, general deterrence, rehabilitation, and restorative justice. Each of the goals can lead to sanctions that impact offender behavior differently yet substantive predictors …

Redox-Neutral Catalytic Spirocyclization Of Para-Methoxy Aryl Alkynoate Esters, Mark Docto Aparece

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Spirocycles are a class of molecules consisting of a quaternary atom al the junction of two fused rings. This structural motif is found in a number of biologically active natural products and pharmaceuticals. Current strategies to synthesize these structures include classical methods such as alkylation and rearrangement, as well as more modern methods reported in the past decade which utilize electrophilic halogen reagents. As part of our research interests in clectrophilic transition metal catalysts to effect powerful transformations, we developed the first redox-neutral spirocyclization of para-methoxy aryl alkynoate esters using homogeneous gold catalysis. The reaction proceeds at ambient temperature in …

A Scale Of Heroic Cognition For Workplace Contexts, Patrick Joseph Furey

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Interest in research on heroism has begun to increase during the past decade, but, despite the ancient roots of heroism embedded deeply in cultures around the world, empirical work on the subject is relatively sparse. Direct and explicit empirical study of heroism in organizational contexts, specifically, is especially rare. The lack of organizational heroism research is surprising. There is a preponderance of evidence that organizational wrongdoing is observed across many organizations, sometimes to great extremes that are in violation of federal law, and it can have profound social impact. Organizational members who become aware of extreme wrongdoing committed by others …

The Role Of Multicultural Competence, Privilege, Attributions, And Team Support In Predicting Positive Youth Mentor Outcomes, Rachael Leigh Suffrin

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In the current study we use Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory to guide an inquiry into how the social environment surrounding mentors’ matters in regards to mentor outcomes of satisfaction, retention, and extra-role pro-social behavior (i.e., mentors willingness to go above and beyond for their mentee or the mentoring program). Mentors are sampled from mentoring organizations across the United States. Drawing from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory (1979), we examine mentors embedded in distinct micro- and macrosystems. At the microsystem level we explore how the relationship between the mentor and the (a) mentee, (b) mentees’ family, and (c) the mentoring team may predict …

Interventions For Addressing Faking On Personality Assessments For Employee Selection: A Meta-Analysis, Christopher Adair

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

It is common practice to administer personality assessments in personnel selection due to their ability to cost-effectively predict organizationally relevant criteria with relatively small subgroup differences. However, concerns are often raised about test-taker response bias. The proposed research focuses on one issue related to personality test accuracy, namely faking. Also called response distortion or inflation, faking represents a multidimensional behavior that is both intentional and deceptive and seeks to benefit one’s own interests. The current study uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985) and expectancy theories of motivation (e.g., Vroom, 1964) as a theoretical basis for understanding faking. Prevalence …

Gender Role Ideology And Major Choice Of Students In College Religious Groups, Charlynn Anne Odahl

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In the present study examined students who attend college religious groups to better understand how religious conservatism, religious commitment, and gender may shape gender role ideology and college major choice. A focus on these outcomes of gender role ideology and college major choice is important given the continued persistence of sexism and gender inequality. We examined how personal characteristics and characteristics of the group (i.e., defined by peer and leader attitudes) may shape personal gender role ideology and major choice. We tested how personal, peer, and leader religious conservatism may predict more traditional gender role ideology and the choice of …

Factors Relating To Substance Abuse Relapse: A Survival Analysis Of Adults Living In Oxford House Recovery Homes, Ronald D. Harvey

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse, treatment, and subsequent relapse and re-treatment are a common pattern faced by clients and AOD treatment providers. Relapse and re-treatment significantly contributes to the overall societal costs of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, injury, and incarceration. Therefore, it might be useful to treatment providers to become aware of of the factors leading to AOD relapse after treatment. This dissertation examined the relationship of individual factors and AOD relapse among residents of self-run aftercare recovery homes called Oxford House over the course of a one-year study. To accomplish this, this study employed discrete-time survival analysis …

Empowerment Of Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Minority College Students In The United States: Developing And Testing The College Student Empowerment Scales For Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Lindsey Therese Back

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Empowerment, a core value of community psychology, is defined as a process by which people, organizations, and communities gain mastery over issues of concern to them in their lives (Rappaport, 1987). In community psychology, empowerment is understood as a construct particularly and primarily salient for minority t,>roups who hold a marginalized position in society, as psychological empowerment is a product of an individual's interaction with his or her context. Consistent with a social justice framework, community psychology attempts to empower those who have traditionally been disenfranchised in particular contexts. One such population is underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students in higher …

Negotiating Culture And The Self: Complications Of Agency In Psychosis, Genevra Jones

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the dissertation project described here is to explore and unpack the role of agency, understood as a form of "intentionalized action" (Ortner, 1996), in participants' experiences of psychosis and associated narratives and explanations of these experiences. We present in-depth cthnographically-infom1cd qualitative analyses of the accounts of 14 participants, organized around the interimplication of agency in and with the overlapping domains of symptomatology, narrative, and explanation. Our analyses suggest that the play of agency in psychosis is far richer and more nuanced than most existing scholarship suggests, underscoring the value of greater attention to agentive complexities involved in …

Russian Women And Belly Dancing: Body Work, Fun And Transformation, Galina Khartulari

College of Communication Master of Arts Theses

The study explores how Russian women’s socio-cultural experiences can be understood through belly dancing and transformed in belly dance classes. The study findings are based on the analysis of eleven interviews with Russian women of various ages and occupations, engaged in belly dancing for an extended period of time. Drawing on belly dancing as an embodied practice within the Russian context, the findings demonstrate that initial expectations of Russian women regarding belly dancing mutated over time, and new meanings were attached to this bodily practice. The emergent meanings are broadly conceptualized within the following dimensions: (1) remedial effects of belly …

African American Muslim Fathers And The Factors That Influence Their Notion Of Fatherhood, Usama M. Hussein

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative study that explores African American Muslim father notion of fatherhood. Sixteen African American Sunni Muslims participated in the study. Over 90 percent of the research respondents are converts to Islam. These men perceive their conversion as a reclaiming of their heritage stripped from them when their African ancestors were forcibly taken from Africa and brought to America as slave. While this group of father have been omitted from researchers attention, they are integral members of the African American community. By making Islam the center of their lives these African American Muslim fathers see an active relationship …

Reaching For A Connection: Hand Imagery In Emily Dickinson’S Poems, J. Max Barry

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes hand imagery in Emily Dickinson's poetic oeuvre. It examines a series of poems where the word "hand" appears, and offers extensive interpretations of the figurative value of the symbol. It questions whether this figurative value informs the critical discussion of authorship that uses the hand as a symbol of authorial subjectivity. The argument is organized around the thematic categories of the hands' function. It begins with an analysis of the hand as it relates to Dickinson's particular brand of Calvinist theology. It then discusses the hand as a symbol of connection between the poems' speakers and figures …

Challenging Identity Hierarchies In Julie Taymor’S Tempest, Aaron W. Vinson

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Julie Taymor’s The Tempest was released in 2010 and received mixed critical response though almost all critics lauded Helen Mirren’s performance as Prospera, the first female Prospero in a major film. In the spirit of the original, almost all of the dialogue is Shakespeare’s save for some voiceover where Prospera explains a modified origin story. Taymor’s film challenges stereotypical character identities in Shakespeare’s plays through casting, dialogue, and editing. Casting Helen Mirren as Prospera changes the dominant figure from a patriarchal tyrant to a matriarchal enlightened despot while casting Djimon Hounsou as Caliban forces an examination of colonial history in …

The American Dream And Literature: How The Themes Of Self-Reliance And Individualism In American Literature Are Relevant In Preserving Both The Aesthetics And The Ideals Of The American Dream, John Izaguirre

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this paper is to examine how selected works in the American literary canon contribute to defining, constructing, and sustaining the basic principles of the American dream, in which each individual has the unlimited opportunities to achieve personal freedom and prosperity. Through the examination and analysis of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the paper will demonstrate how these works are sacred texts because they are rooted in the themes of self-actualization and individualism, and because they provide examples of all …

Working Women And The Lilly Ledbetter Act: A Case Study On Misleading Rhetoric Of Equal Pay, Celia A. Deboer

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Since the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the wage gap in the United States has only decreased by eighteen cents; signaling that the battle over fair pay for women has gone on for too long. I argue that the neoliberal rhetoric around equal pay has to change to an intersectional approach where women can make legal claims based on many experiences of discrimination. I use the Lilly Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act as a case study to examine the history of equal pay in the United States and to provide recommendations on the future of equal pay.

Re(Born) This Way, Lee Westrick

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

In popular media and culture trans identity is typified by the “wrong body” narrative. The popularity of a “wrong body” serves to uphold a cisnormative standard and often works to reinforce the gender binary rather than destabilize it. Documentaries probing into trans lives utilize this framework to portray a relatively non-threatening and narrow reading of trans identity. In analyzing three televised documentaries, 20/20’s My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children, MSNBC’s Born in the Wrong Body: All in the Family, and OWN’s Becoming Chaz, I pay close attention to both the trans narratives that are told and the ways …

Literature For Girls And The Preadolescent Novel: A Historical Analysis And Recommendations For Challenging The Status Quo, Molly K. Pim

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Children’s literature has long been an influential historical, social and cultural discursive site of gender identity and gender appropriate behavior. Currently, there is great deal of research and analysis of children’s literature and young adult fiction, examining literature’s role in children’s and young adults’ process of identity formation, as well as their conceptualizations about gender identity and gender appropriate behavior. There is little research and interrogation, however, of the presence of traditional binary gender roles and representations of gender appropriate behavior in girls’ preadolescent novels, aimed at 8- through 12-year-olds. For much of the existing research, preadolescent novels are lumped …

Piecing Together Creativity: Feminist Aesthetics And The Crafting Of Quilts, Melanie Anne Pauls

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

When traditionally feminized crafts such as quilting are embraced as fine art, the discourses surrounding their "elevation" often serve to bolster the power of art world establishments by referencing the tenets of modernism and employing mutually reinforcing aesthetic hierarchies. In this thesis, I aim to understand the gendered politics of the separation between art and craft, and to analyze how the forces shaping the definitions of "art" and "artist" are drawn along lines of gender, class, race, and nationality. I utilize feminist aesthetics, craft aesthetics, and feminist ethics of care to examine problems of artists' appropriation of quilting, traditional myths …

Transcending Pathology, Transforming The Thinkable Transperson: Young Transpeople, The Law And Gender Self-Determination, E. L. Hunter

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

While contemporary attitudes, laws and policies in the U.S. toward lesbian, gay and bisexual people are increasingly more humane and just, transgender and gender nonconforming people continue to experience widespread structural oppression, discrimination and physical and psychological violence. Through a close analytic reading of fourteen contemporary court decisions involving young transgender and gender nonconforming people, this paper examines the seemingly neutral institutions of law and medicine and exposes how access to institutional resources hinges on a medically authorized diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder. It explores the harm caused by this pathology, its erasure of socialization, and its normalization of gender …

Striving For Excellence: Exploring The Experiences Of Economically Disadvantaged, African American, Middle School Students Making The Choice To Be An Exception, Tawanda Lawrence

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore the lives of six, economically disadvantaged, African American, middle school students who are demonstrating school success to discover how their home, school, and community experiences influenced their academic achievement.

A phenomenological inquiry approach was applied in this qualitative study to investigate the lived experiences of the student participants and identify the factors that contributed to their academic achievements in spite of the various challenges they encountered. The qualitative data consisted of three individual interviews. Using a semi-structured protocol, questions focused on the students’ perceptions of the factors that contributed to their academic …

The Journey To The Top: Women's Paths To The University Presidency, Ann Marie Klotz

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The history of women in higher education reflects a constant battle for access and equity. Although the number of post-secondary institutions steadily increased after Harvard University opened its doors in 1636, almost two hundred years would pass before women students were allowed at some institutions. In the last 50 years, the number of women graduating from four-year institutions has dramatically increased. The same delayed access for women students to gain admittance mirrors the challenges that women faculty and staff have seen in obtaining leadership roles within higher education. Despite enrollment numbers that indicate women students are enrolling and graduating at …

Educators' Positive Stress Responses: Eustress And Psychological Capital, Karen Bradley

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study contributes qualitative support for the Positive Psychology concepts of Psychological Capital and eustress in the field of education. The research questions ask how stressors inherent in public education today may positively influence the meaning-making teachers engage in. The constructs of Psychological Capital (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) are explored viewing their relationship to positive meaning-making for these individuals.

The study is based on life history interviews with six teachers identified as being positively oriented in their outlook. The career trajectory of each was discussed, along with identification of successes and challenges in being a public school teacher at …

Play From The Heart: On Crafting A Community Of Empathy In The Theatre, Kevin Kingston

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

The power of story goes beyond mere escapist entertainment. Yes it should entertain, but that is not the ultimate goal. It may even offer a bit of escape, but again this is not the holy grail. When we experience a well-crafted narrative, we are called to cross a threshold. We pass through the door of our own life and enter into the experience of another. This is what we mean when we say we "got lost" in the story. We take on the experience of another as our own. When a group of people experience a narrative they cross this …

A Method To The Madness: My Quest For A New System Of Acting, Michael Osinski

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

How does one get actors to embrace work and imbue it with the same truth they bring to realistic theatre and how does one prevent them from turning into robots performing meaningless gestures? How does one work in experimental ways while still giving actors something human to hang onto? This thesis will examine a new system of acting to embrace the demands of the work and explore how to articulate and collaborate with actors to create the work.