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"Fellow-Craftsmen" : A Study Of The Personal And Professional Relationship Between Mary Johnston And Ellen Glasgow, Catherine G. Costantino

Master's Theses

Biographers and critics tend to vary widely on the attention given to the personal, intellectual, and literary significance of the friendship between Ellen Glasgow and Mary Johnston. In this thesis, the author argues that the two women, obviously drawn together because of personal and professional similarities, shared intellectual interests, a passion for writing, and certainly nurtured each other's creativity. By providing extensive evidence from Mary Johnston's unpublished diaries, notebooks, and journals, as well evidence from the abundance of published and unpublished correspondence between the two women, this thesis refutes past critical assessments and establishes that the relationship between Glasgow and …

The Effect Of The Mail In Voter Registration Form On Voter Turnout In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Leroy O. Pfeiffer

Master's Theses

Over the years, many states have undertaken different approaches to increase voter registration and stimulate voter participation in the electoral process. One such approach was the Commonwealth of Virginia's Voter Registration Extension Form, which was instituted in 1989. Using statewide voter registration statistics and a survey of state voter registrars, this paper attempts to measure the impact that this form had on voter registration and turnout in the electoral process from 1989 to 1994. This thesis finds that the registration extension form was reasonably successful in terms of increasing registration. Yet, easing registration requirements does not significantly increase voter turnout.

United States - Indonesian Relations, 1945-1949: Negative Consequences Of Early American Cold War Policy, Robert Earl Patterson

Master's Theses

From 1945 to 1949, Indonesian nationalists struggled for independence against their Dutch colonial rulers. For most of the period, American foreign policy favored the Netherlands in its desire to reign once again over the archipelago. American foreign policy strategy advocated a "Europe first" position, and possessed finite resources to contain Soviet expansion in the developing cold war. State Department policy planners sided with European powers as they attempted to resume the status quo ante in Southeast Asia following World War II. Colonies were considered essential to the recoveries of Western European powers economically, politically, and psychologically.

Continuity Of Emotions Across Pre-Sleep State And The Content Of Dreams, Teresa M. Picciocchi

Master's Theses

The relationship between unmanipulated pre-sleep states and the affective composition of dreams was investigated. Sixty college students completed the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) prior to retiring for the night and the Differential Emotion Scale {DES-IV) focusing upon any dream recalled upon awakening. In support of the Continuity Theory, which states that our personalities and experiences are reflected in our dreams, significant positive correlations were found between pre-sleep curiosity and the presence of interest in the dream, pre-sleep anger and anger in the dream and pre sleep depression and sadness within the dream. Support for the Day Residue effect was obtained …

Self-Enhancement Motivational Bias In Attributions Of Causality And Responsibility To A Target Other : Situational And Dispositional Determinants, Jennifer Leigh Dent

Master's Theses

Prior research has shown that people often self-enhance to protect their self-concept from harm. The present research was designed to investigate situational and dispositional determinants of people's tendency to make self-enhancing attributions to a partner to whom they either do or do not feel psychologically connected to. In Experiment 1, participants who had been induced to self-extend to a partner made greater attributions of causality to the partner when the partner's fate was positive than when it was negative. Experiment 2 provided evidence for a dispositional component of self-extension, and indicated that perceivers' attributions to a partner are further influenced …

Neuropsychological Outcome And Player Characteristics In Amateur Soccer Players, Kyle W. Evans

Master's Theses

A growing body of research suggests that the game of soccer causes neurophysiological damage and neuropsychological deficits in its players. This research project evaluated player characteristics, including aggression, position, heading frequency, and head injuries in an attempt to delineate the effect of traumatic head injuries from the possible detrimental effects of heading the ball. Fifty-three male, amateur soccer players participated in a brief neuropsychological evaluation and a structured interview. Findings revealed that the number of years played (r=.30, p=.03) and an index score representing the number of competitive seasons (r=.44, p=001) were the only player characteristics that correlated with test …

Past Tense Marking In English By Chinese Learners, Hsuehmei Liu Price

Master's Theses

Researchers in the field of both first and second language acquisition have been studying the mechanisms underlying the marking of past tense in English, and have identified verb saliency, grammatical aspect, and proficiency level as some of the factors influencing the process. This study tests these factors by comparing 60 Chinese English learners' correct marking of English past tense under various conditions using analysis of variance. I found that Chinese learners of English are more likely to mark irregular verbs and aspectual perfectives than regular verbs and aspectual imperfectives for past tense. However, proficiency level was not found to have …

Laval 1931 : A Diplomatic Study, Sebastian Volcker

Master's Theses

This thesis sheds light on a hitherto neglected chapter in the life of Pierre Laval, one of France's most controversial political figures in the twentieth century. Widely remembered as Vice-Premier (Vice-President du Conseil des Ministres) of the Vichy government during World War II, Laval is less known as the premier (President du Conseil des Ministres) who attempted to solve the grave financial and diplomatic dilemmas dividing France, Great Britain, the United States, and Germany in 1931. In that year, he engaged in one last grand diplomatic effort, before Adolf Hitler came to power, traveling to London, Berlin and Washington, D.C., …

Self-Efficacy And Performance Of Younger And Older Adults In Verbal, Reasoning, And Spatial Domains, Judy L. Thompson

Master's Theses

Age-related decline in intellectual abilities is domain-specific; that is, whether older adults show decreased intellectual performance depends on the type of ability being assessed (Foster & Taylor, 1920; Horn & Cattell, 1967; Kaufman, Reynolds & McLean, 1989; Sattler, 1982). Specifically, verbal abilities tend to decrease with older age (Botwinick, 1977; Cornelius, 1984; Horn & Cattell, 1967; Lachman & Jelalian, 1984). This prevalent finding has been labeled the "classic aging pattern" (Botwinick, 1977). Beyond mere descriptions, however, researchers have begun addressing explanatory mechanisms that underlie age patterns of intellectual decline, maintenance, and growth. What factors might mediate age-related decline on certain …

"Over The Hills And Far Away..." : A Study Of The 95th Rifles : Their Background, Discipline, Doctrine, And Combat Employment During The Defense Of Portugal, 1810-1811, Ryan Jason Talley

Master's Theses

The first chapter of this study of the 95th examines the long struggle through the eighteenth century to create an adequately trained and equipped corps of riflemen in the British Army, culminating in the creation of the Experimental Rifle Corps in 1800. Experiences in North America, the West Indies and Europe that bear relevance will be examined along with those individuals whose experience or works influenced the creation of the 95th. The second chapter investigates the organization and new discipline of the Experimental Rifle Corps, its drafting into the line as the 95th, Sir John Moore's camp at Shorncliffe and …

Chondrocranial And Oral Morphology Of Pipoid Frogs, Charles Christopher Swart

Master's Theses

The Pipoidea are a diverse group of frogs. Their diversity is demonstrated in their morphology, ecology, and behavior. One pipoid species, Xenopus laevis, has been used as a model system of developmental, physiological, and molecular studies of vertebrates. My work has focused on the developmental morphology of the chondrocranium and oral morphology of four pipoid taxa: Hymenochirus boettgeri, Rhinophrynus dorsalis, Pipa carvalhoi, and Xenopus laevis. Previous studies have suggested that the Anura may be diphyletic based on the unique characteristics of the chondrocanial morphology of pipoids. The chondrocranial and internal oral morphology of the pipoids indicates that as a group …

"A Tolerable Straight Line" : Non-Linear Narrative In Tristram Shandy, Daniel L. Hocutt

Master's Theses

The non-linear narrative of Laurence Sterne's Tri st ram Shandy demands attentive readers. Written under the influence of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, the novel satirizes Lockean "associationism" and illustrates language's inability to express ideas accurately. In the novel, words seldom convey characters' intended meanings, yet Tristram uses language effectively to narrate "self" to his readers. Rather than having his mind's workings conform to the linear nature of traditional discourse, Tristram communicates associatively to intelligent, involved readers without imposing linearity. In this study I examine scholars' work to determine Tristram 's position on Locke's ideas and use Seymour Chatman …

Area-Species Curve Applies To Gaps In A Canada Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis (L.) Carr.) Forest In The Shenandoah National Park, Joseph John Lacroix

Master's Theses

A typical area-species curve shows that species richness (number of species) and island size are positively correlated. I tested whether the area-species concept, which was developed using islands, could be applied to herbaceous plants in canopy gaps in a hemlock community.

I conducted studies in Limberlost, Shenandoah National Park. I measured the species richness of herbaceous plants in six gaps during the summer and fall of 1995 and eight gaps and one non-gap site in the spring of 1996. The two additional gaps in 1996 extended the upper range of gap sizes. I calculated the correlation between species richness and …