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Being Muslim In 21st Century America: Does Living In America Create An Identity Crisis For The Generation X Muslim Woman?, Laila Uddin

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Over the years, I've observed South Asian females and males alike struggling to fulfill religious and cultural obligations to their family while fitting in with the norms of society. I also learned of the term "ABCD" which stands for American Born Confused Desi. This refers to people of Desi or South Asian origin living in the United States. "Confused" refers to their confusion regarding their identity from either being born in America or living here since an early age and having been exposed to American culture more than their ancestral culture. That is when I realized that I was not …

The Developmental Trajectory Of Male Adolescent Alcohol Use, Alicia L. Poleshuk

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Meaning Of Whiteness: Enhancing The Therapeutic Alliance Through White Racial Identity Development, Karen N. Deli

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Conceptualizing And Analyzing The Pleasure Travel Decision-Making Process, Wayne William Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation explores methodological approaches to the study of the pleasure travel decision-making process. Specifically, this dissertation explores methodological approaches to studying the relative importance of motivations and constraints in the travel decision-making process. Three segmentation approaches were used, principle components analysis, cluster analysis and unidimensional sequence alignment. 522 students from two South-western Ontario, Canada universities participated in this study examining their decision-making in relation to potential travel plans for reading week (February 2005). The results indicate that individuals potentially have a multitude of constraint levels to over-come as part of the initial travel decision-making process. If these base constraints …

Intuition And Correspondence Between Implicit And Explicit Self-Esteem, Mervyn Lee Whitfield

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Implicit self-esteem has recently been the focus of much research. Implicit self-esteem is distinct from explicit self-esteem and uniquely contributes to the prediction of behaviour. Relatively little is known about the nature of implicit self-esteem, however. This research examines moderators of the relation between implicit self-esteem and self-reports of self-esteem. A stronger focus on intuition was expected to increase the relation between implicit self-esteem and self-reports of self-esteem. Study 1 concerned whether high faith in intuition was associated with self-reports of self-esteem that more closely reflect implicit self-esteem. Implicit self-esteem, explicit self-esteem, and faith in intuition were measured. This study …

A Policy Analysis Of Two Preschool Prevention Programs In Ontario, Seema Aggarwal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this research was to examine issues relevant to best practices for preschooler mental health prevention policy so as to inform future prevention policy. Data were gathered through the examination of two preschool prevention programs, Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYCs) and Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (HBHC). These prevention programs were examined with respect to four major issues: (a) the ideology and origins of the program, (b) theoretical underpinnings, (c) research base, and (d) implementation and adaptation issues. To explore these four issues, qualitative methods were used in the form of document reviews (two documents for the Early Years …

Towards A Good Life: One Family's Experiences With Individualized Supports, Alison Baxter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Individualized funding and supports for people with a disability have emerged in Canada as an alternative to traditional supports such as group homes and day programs. In this thesis, I examine one family's experiences with individualized disability-related supports. From the perspective of an individual with an intellectual disability and her family members, friends, support workers and service providers, the benefits and challenges of individualized supports are profiled. Furthermore, how individualized supports impact upon relationships and community inclusion for this individual is explored along with the experiences of parents, siblings and support workers. As a qualitative study, information was gathered from …

The Development Of Wheel-Induced Feeding Suppression In Male And Female Rats, Olivia Dalton-Jez

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Access to a running wheel causes a feeding suppression in adult rats (Afonso & Eikelboom, 2003) but it appears this wheel induced feeding suppression is not evident in weanlings (Cortright, Chandler, Lemon, and DiCarlo, 1997). This ad lib wheel and food model (ALWF) has been suggested as an animal model of anorexia nervosa (AN). Two characteristic features of AN are the disorder's very specific age of onset and the marked sex difference in incidence, with the majority of cases first becoming evident in females during puberty. It is not clear how much of the genesis of and expression of this …

Pigeons' Memory For Sequences Of Light Flashes When Gap Duration Is Controlled, Dwayne Keough

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Experiment 1, pigeons were trained at a 1-s dark and a 1-s houselight illuminated delay interval to discriminate between sequences of two and four flashes of light (feeder illumination). These sequences could be discriminated on the basis of the number of flashes, the number of gaps, or the duration of the gap between flashes. A choose-few bias was obtained at extended dark delays, but no biased forgetting was observed at extended illuminated delays. The pigeons may have confused long dark delays with the longer gaps between flashes on few sample trials. In Experiment 2, additional sample sequences were included …

High-Risk Sexual Behaviour, Computer Experience And The Internet, Amanda E. Nosko

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined the relationships between computer use, sexually explicit material found on the Internet, and sexual attitudes and behaviours and the use of the Internet for conducting large surveys. The first issue explored if and how computer experience contributed to online behaviour and perceptions about sexually explicit material. In addition, sexual attitudes and behaviours were examined with respect to computer experience to assess potential relationships. The methodological question contrasted the use of traditional supervised paper-and-pencil survey techniques with supervised and unsupervised use of the Internet. This design allowed for comparison of use as a function of supervision and format …

Listening To The Voices Of Women Living With Hiv/Aids: A Qualitative Study Of Psychosocial Impact And Quality Of Life Issues, Edna Aryee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In spite of the increasing number of women infected with HIV around the world, little is known about the psychosocial experiences of these women. In the mid-1990s, medical advances dramatically altered the experiences of living with HIV/AIDS. The shifting medical climate raised new social and psychological questions such as coping strategies and the possibility of gaining access to resources and services in the community. In this qualitative study, I examined how 5 women living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Ontario deal with their daily psychosocial needs and challenges. Based on a life history methodology, responses of participants were coded and analyzed …

Syntactic Processing In Individuals With Dyslexia: Using Erp To Address The Debate, Hilary Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Behavioural and ERP data were collected from university and college students with and without dyslexia to determine if a deficit in syntactic processing in post-secondary students with dyslexia can be explained by the degree of phonological processing deficits. Participants read and listened to sentences of differing syntactic complexity and working memory load, particularly object relative and subject relative sentences. Slow cortical waves showed greater negativity for the objective relative sentences as the sentence progressed for the control participants regardless of presentation format. The same result was seen for the participants with dyslexia when presented with sentences in an auditory format. …

'If I Wasn't Friends With These People, I Probably Wouldn't Have Adjusted Too Well': Friendship Development And University Adjustment Among First-Year University Students, Vanessa Buote

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two studies sought to examine the relationship between new friendship quality and university adjustment. In Study 1, 706 students completed the Openness subscale of the NEO-FF Form S and the Openness to Friendship Scale in August 2005. In November, these students completed the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire and the McGill Friendship Questionnaire-Friends Functions. Results indicated that a significant positive relationship existed between quality of new friendships and university adjustment. Significant differences emerged between commuter and residence students in terms of number of new friendships, openness to new friendships and adjustment. Study 2 consisted of an in-depth qualitative interview with …

Planning For The Close And Distant Future: The Impact Of Temporal Distance On Task Completion Prediction, Johanna Peetz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Accurate project completion estimates are part of successful project completion. Thus, it is important to identify factors that reduce the tendency to make overly optimistic project completion predictions (Buehler et al., 2002). This research investigated the effect of temporal distance on project completion predictions. A review of past research provided evidence that could lead to a prediction of either increased or decreased optimism with increasing temporal distance. In a first study, participants predicted the completion date of a hypothetical school assignment that would begin either tomorrow (close future) and next term (distant future). Participants predicted to complete the project earlier …

Assessing Quality Of Life For Clients Of Langs Farm Village Association: A Case For Inclusion Of The Social Determinants Of Health Approach In Addressing Quality Of Life In A Community Health Centre Setting, Annette A. Penney

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In my master’s thesis research I investigated the relationship between participant inclusion in Langs Farm Village Association, a local community health centre, and quality of life. A quality of life survey which I developed based on prior research conducted by the Canadian Policy Research Network (2001) was administered to 130 individuals, 65 participants who attended a program and/or service at Langs (Langs group), and 65 participants who did not (non-Langs group). Results of multivariate ANOVA indicated group differences of statistical significance on four out of eleven subscales of my quality of life survey. Community residents who participated in a program …

Effects Of Transcendental Medication On Blood Pressure, Joanna C. Bovee

Modern Psychological Studies

Many prevention and treatments methods exist for hypertension, but not all are effective or easy to incorporate into one's life. Stress-reduction methods, including Transcendental Meditation (TM), has been suggested as such a method, but have received inconsistent reviews about its effect on blood pressure. This literature review of twelve clinical studies concludes patients who practice TM can significantly reduce blood pressure. The technique was found to be effective for groups at high risk for hypertension, such as African-Americans, as well as low-risk groups. TM also appears to be more effective than progressive muscle relaxation, another popular stress-management technique. TM should …

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Health Promoting Behaviors, Illness Severity, Mental Health, And Perceived Quality Of Life In Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Anna Finn

Modern Psychological Studies

Multiple sclerosis is an incurable, debilitating, nervous system disease, which causes are largely unknown, and which affects hundreds of thousands of people across the United States. Early research suggests the impact that psychological factors can have on a patient's physical and mental health status. Self-efficacy, the belief in one's ability to cope with a situation, has been found to offer beneficial and protective effects in patients suffering from conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, sickle cell disease, and fibromylagia. This comprehensive literature review sought to look at psychological research that has considered the relationship between self-efficacy and health promoting behaviors, symptom …

An Investigation Into The Effects Of Social Network Strength And Stress Level On Cardiovascular Responses In Colleges Students, Amy R. Levitt

Modern Psychological Studies

The present study investigated the effects of strength of social network on physiological stress during a cognitive task. Participants were randomly assigned to a timed or untimed word search task. The dependent variables were heart rate and participants' perceptions of the difficulty of their word search task. Participants in the high stress condition reported performing significantly worse on the word search task than those in the low stress condition. Participants perceived the task to be less difficult when in the high social network group as compared to the low social network group. While there were no significant findings for the …

Occupational Nepotism Among Law Firms: A Study Of Nepotism Beyond Anecdotal Evidence, Tracy L. Stout

MSU Graduate Theses

Although nepotism is not a new subject, there are not many studies addressing the psychological issues associated with the phenomenon, particularly in the workplace. The idea of “new nepotism” has emerged with the notion that some offspring have chosen the same profession as their parents, and have not been forced into a career decision or made an opportunistic decision regardless of their ability to perform. The purpose of this study was to explore workplace nepotism using an empirical research approach. Using a career choice and self-determination theory framework, a survey was devised and sent to 673 practicing attorneys in a …

Dynamics Of Energy Consumption, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

Extract:
Dynamics of Energy Consumption Pakistan has been facing severe imbalances in energy demand and supply for the last couple of decades. During early 1980s domestic supply of energy was fulfilling almost 86 percent of total domestic energy demand; a gap of 14 percent was being filled by imports. However, the demand – supply gap started increasing since then and reached to almost 47 percent by the year 2000 (see Figure S2.1).

Group Differences And Measurement Equivalence: Implications For Command Climate Survey Research And Practice, Erich Dierdorff, Eric Surface, Adam Meade, Lori Foster Thompson, Don Martin

Erich C. Dierdorff

Military organizations use survey methodology to assess attitudes related to command climate. Many commands are staffed with both military and civilian personnel. However, no previous research has examined the equivalence of a command climate survey’s measurement properties across these types of personnel. Differences in the personnel systems and organizational socialization could lead to different views of various facets of a command climate survey, making direct comparisons or aggregations of group-level data inappropriate. Furthermore, men and women may also view aspects of command climate surveys differently. Using two administrations of a command climate survey in a U.S. Major Army Command, our …

Inequalities Of Crime, Kathleen Daly, Robyn Lincoln

Robyn Lincoln

This chapter explores seven major propositions on the relationship between crime and social inequality, moving from the societal level to the individual criminal act. We then turn to the image that criminologists have of inequalities of people and the ways they explain the disproportionate presence of disadvantaged groups in the criminal justice system. This image, which we term the familiar analysis of inequality, focuses on class, and to a lesser extent, on race/ethnicity and age. However, the familiar analysis has a major flaw: It ignores sex/gender. When sex/gender is drawn into the analysis, two observations can be made. The first …

Management Of A Diverse Workforce: Meanings And Practices, Grace Lemmon

Grace Lemmon

No abstract provided.

Longitudinal Rasch Modeling In The Context Of Psychotherapy Outcomes Assessment, Dena Pastor, S. Beretvas

Dena A Pastor

No abstract provided.

Markov Chain Analyses Of Communication Processes In Negotiation, Mara Olekalns, Philip Smith, Laurie Weingart

Mara Olekalns

Markov chain analysis provides a way to investigate how the communication processes in dyadic negotiations are affected by features of the negotiating context and how, in turn, differences in communication processes among dyads affect the quality of the final settlement. In Markov models, the communication process is represented as a sequence of transitions between states, which describes how tactics are used and how they are reciprocated during the course of a negotiation. This article provides an introduction to Markov chain analysis and shows, using simulated data, how Markov chain models may be analyzed using widely-available loglinear modeling software. Model selection, …

A History Of Political Experience, Leslie Marsh

Leslie Marsh

This book survives superficial but fails deeper scrutiny. A facile, undiscerning criticism of Lectures in the History of Political Thought (LHPT) is that on Oakeshott’s own account these are lectures on a non-subject: ‘I cannot detect anything which could properly correspond to the expression “the history of political thought”’ (p. 32). This is an entirely typical Oakeshottian swipe – elegant and oblique – at the title of the lecture course he inherited from Harold Laski. If title and quotation sit awkwardly we should remember that Oakeshott never prepared the text for publication – a fortiori he did not prepare it …

Functional Connectivity In A Baseline Resting-State Network In Autism, Vladimir Cherkassky, Rajesh Kana, Timothy Keller, Marcel Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Are Nouns Easier To Learn Than Verbs? Three Experimental Studies, Jane Childers

Jane Childers

No abstract provided.

The Psychologist As Novelist, J. Moreno

J. Kelly Moreno

Conceptualizing And Measuring White House Staff Influence On Presidential Rhetoric, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

José D. Villalobos

Scholars have debated extensively the impact of presidential rhetoric on public opinion and congressional behavior, but have largely ignored the determinants of what the president actually says. This inattention is partly the result of the difficulty of acquiring systematic observations of presidential speech crafting. We devise a method of quantifying White House staff influence over the composition of rhetoric that captures the multistage negotiations between the president's speechwriters and his policy advisors and provides a framework for future studies on the determinants of presidential rhetoric. We employ our method to study influence over the writing of President George H. W. …