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Articles 1 - 20 of 20
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Does Early Perceptual Experience Influence Later Perceptual And Neural Discrimination In Children?, Hillary R. Hadley
Does Early Perceptual Experience Influence Later Perceptual And Neural Discrimination In Children?, Hillary R. Hadley
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
In infancy, the ability to tell the difference between two faces within a category (e.g., species, race) that is infrequently experienced declines from 6 to 9 months of age (Kelly et al., 2009, 2007; Pascalis et al., 2005; Pascalis, de Haan, & Nelson, 2002; Scott & Monesson, 2009). This decline in the ability to distinguish faces is known as "perceptual narrowing" and has recently been found to be absent when infants are given experience matching a face with an individual-level proper name between 6 to 9 months of age (Scott & Monesson, 2009). Additionally, individual-level experience between 6 and 9 …
Patient Interpersonal And Cognitive Changes In Relation To Outcome In Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Depression, Samantha L. Bernecker
Patient Interpersonal And Cognitive Changes In Relation To Outcome In Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Depression, Samantha L. Bernecker
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Despite evidence for the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for depression, there remains little understanding of its specific change-promoting ingredients. This study aimed to establish candidate change mechanisms by identifying whether patients’ interpersonal (theory-specific) and cognitive (theory-nonspecific) characteristics change in an adaptive direction during IPT, and whether such changes differentially relate to depression reduction and improvement in global functioning. The four interpersonal variables and one cognitive variable measured all changed significantly in an adaptive direction, with medium to large effect sizes. Reduced interpersonal problems were marginally associated with self-reported depression reduction (β = 2.846, p = .062), and greater …
Effects Of Different Methods Of Aggregation Of Probabilities On The R&D Investment Portfolio For Optimal Emissions Abatement: An Empirical Evaluation, Olaitan P. Olaleye
Effects Of Different Methods Of Aggregation Of Probabilities On The R&D Investment Portfolio For Optimal Emissions Abatement: An Empirical Evaluation, Olaitan P. Olaleye
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
This thesis examines two possible orders of combining multiple experts in elicitations with multiple de-composed events: Should experts be combined early or later in the decision process? This thesis is in conjunction with the paper (Baker & Olaleye, 2012) where we show that it is best to combine experts early as later combination leads to a systematic error. We conduct a simulation to more fully flesh out the theoretical model. We also conduct a theoretical analysis aimed at determining how significantly these two methods differ. We find that all results are in accordance with the theory but combining experts later …
Response & Resistance: A Comparison Of Middle Connecticut River Valley Ceramics From The Late Woodland Period To The Seventeeth-Century, Julie Woods
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Native Americans from the middle Connecticut River Valley of New England experienced massive social disruptions during the seventeenth century due to European settlement, but not much is known about their cultural continuities and/or discontinuities during this dynamic period. As an additive technology, ceramics embody the technical choices of potters made at the time of manufacture thus enabling the study of the effect, if any, of colonialism on indigenous material culture and practices in New England. This study examines ceramic assemblages from one Late Woodland period site and one seventeenth-century site in Deerfield, Massachusetts to explore the extent to which ceramics …
Policy Alternatives To Increase Access To Early Childhood Education And Care In Massachusetts, Meghan Lemay
Policy Alternatives To Increase Access To Early Childhood Education And Care In Massachusetts, Meghan Lemay
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Access to early childhood education not only leads to improved social, academic, and health outcomes for children, but can also carry the same benefits into adulthood. Early education and care programs can work against some of the negative effects of social factors such as socioeconomic status, discrimination, social support, and work demands which have been linked to physical and mental health outcomes. Early education programs could intervene not only in the life of a child, but also impact parents, families, and populations. This thesis will review the research showing early childhood education leads to better social and health outcomes and …
Energy Efficiency Programs At All Utilities: An Analysis Of The Factors That Lead Electric Utilities To Invest In Energy Efficiency, Christopher J. Pletcher
Energy Efficiency Programs At All Utilities: An Analysis Of The Factors That Lead Electric Utilities To Invest In Energy Efficiency, Christopher J. Pletcher
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
While the utilization of energy efficiency has grown in recent years, it has not been distributed evenly across the country. In some states, over 2% of a utility’s budget is spent on energy efficiency; in other states that number is 0. Much of the growth in energy efficiency has been due to state policies and the development utility-level energy efficiency programs. Yet, all utility programs are not created equal. Because they are often exempt from state regulation (and therefore state energy efficiency policy), publicly-owned utilities have traditionally lagged behind IOUs when it comes to EE programs.
This research quantifies energy …
Investigating The Ability Of Pro-Social Emotions To Enhance Cooperative Behavior, Lucía A. Vergara Sobarzo
Investigating The Ability Of Pro-Social Emotions To Enhance Cooperative Behavior, Lucía A. Vergara Sobarzo
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
This research investigates the use of pro-social emotions to improve cooperation. In particular, it tries to reconcile the results from Noussair and Tucker (2007) and Lopez et al. (2010). To reach this goal the experiment considers different degrees of revelation: no revelation, partial and full disclosure of information. Additionally, I use different microeconometric specifications to accommodate different hypothesis about the motivation of the subjects.
My results diverge from those of Lopez et al. because I find that revealing the decision of a single subject at random does not significantly increase cooperation, which is the main result of these authors. Also, …
Intersecting Symbols In Indigenous American And African Material Culture: Diffusion Or Independent Invention And Who Decides?, Donna L. Moody
Intersecting Symbols In Indigenous American And African Material Culture: Diffusion Or Independent Invention And Who Decides?, Donna L. Moody
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Native American and African American material culture of mid-19thcentury to present day appear to hold evidence for a more ancient spiritual and cultural relationship between these two diverse peoples. There is evidence of strikingly similar, and in some instances, identical, pre-Columbian (before 1492) symbols from Africa and North America which allows us to examine questions of diffusion or independent invention.
This thesis provides an examination of cultural practices and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of North America and Africa through symbols incorporated in the material culture of each, focusing primarily on textiles and it provides an exploration …
Climate Change And Green Growth: Evaluating The Comparative Effectiveness Of The Green Communities Program In Massachusetts Relative To Other Municipal Programs, Zhe Zhao
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
The Massachusetts Green Communities Grant Program (GCP) was created by passage of the Massachusetts Green Communities Act in 2008, which provides funding, tools and technical support to assist local communities in achieving the goal of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. With the growing number of communities designated as GCP participants over the past two years, public focus has increasingly turned towards assessing the relative effectiveness of the GCP compared to other programs. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the Green Communities Grant Program in supporting participating local governments to mitigate and …
Maternal Age At Birth Delivery, Birth Order And Secondary Sex Ratio In The Old Order Amish Of Lancaster County, Nekeisha N. Nixon
Maternal Age At Birth Delivery, Birth Order And Secondary Sex Ratio In The Old Order Amish Of Lancaster County, Nekeisha N. Nixon
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
The observation that more boys were born than girls was noted in the late 1660’s. Recent studies suggest the secondary sex ratio (SSR) is declining in industrialized countries. SSR is proposed as a sentinel for reproductive health. Declining SSR may reflect environmental factors or other influences of reproductive outcomes. We evaluated maternal age, birth order and SSR in the Old Order Amish (OOA), a homogenous sub-group with large family sizes. We used data from the Anabaptist Genealogy Database consisting of records for live births from 1696-2003. We used t-tests to compare mean maternal age and birth order by offspring sex, …
Associations Of Childhood Family Adversity And Pubertal Timing With Depressive Symptomotology In Adulthood, Jeffrey P. Winer
Associations Of Childhood Family Adversity And Pubertal Timing With Depressive Symptomotology In Adulthood, Jeffrey P. Winer
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
To date, no prior research has examined the combined roles of childhood family adversity and pubertal timing in longitudinal pathways to depressive symptomatology in adulthood. The present study was conducted with 225 men and 225 women to explore the unique and combined roles of childhood family adversity and pubertal timing on depressive symptoms in a community sample of married adults. Results for both men and women indicated significant main effects of a cumulatively risky family environment on depressive symptoms, as well as main effects of families with higher levels of abuse and neglect, chaos and disorganization, and interpersonal family conflict. …
Greening The Building Code: An Analysis Of Large Project Review Under Boston Zoning Code Articles 37 And 80, Sandy J. Beauregard
Greening The Building Code: An Analysis Of Large Project Review Under Boston Zoning Code Articles 37 And 80, Sandy J. Beauregard
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
In 2007, Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) implemented an amendment to the Boston Zoning Code Article 37 (Green Buildings) requiring new construction approved under Article 80B (Development Review and Approval: Large Project Review) be designed and built to meet the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED) certification. This amendment is intended to promote green building practices in the city and reduce the environmental impacts of buildings larger than 50,000 square feet. Article 37 does not require that the buildings actually achieve LEED certification, but they need to be LEED …
Of Dirt And Decomposition: Proposing A Place For The Urban Dead, Katrina M. Spade
Of Dirt And Decomposition: Proposing A Place For The Urban Dead, Katrina M. Spade
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
The intent of this thesis is to challenge our society’s existing options for the care and processing of the deceased, and to design a space and a ritual which are both deeply meaningful and ecologically beneficial. The community for whom this architecture is designed currently lacks the religious or cultural rituals which would otherwise guide them through the process of laying of their loved ones to rest. For this community, both traditional burial and cremation are devoid of meaning and culturally irrelevant ways of dealing with the deceased, in addition to being unnecessarily wasteful processes. Likewise, the community for which …
Canvas And Catalyst: Reinventing Urban Space, Ricardo A. Borges
Canvas And Catalyst: Reinventing Urban Space, Ricardo A. Borges
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
As an intervention strategy set amid a stark and neglected, yet highly energized urban setting of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this project seeks to relieve a stagnating urban condition through the introduction of contemporary and dynamic forms of expression. Skateboarding and street art can be seen as interpretative modes of action that reinvent objects, spaces, and conditions within the urban landscape, lending creative and engaging gestures to the everyday. As (sub) cultural expressions in their own right, these practices transcend their mere formal representations, and present unique identities, spaces, and modes of engagement within a society, initiating a creative mindset and DIY …
Collaborative Decision-Making Processes In Planning: Opportunities And Challenges In The City Of Rafaela, Argentina, Maria Belen Alfaro
Collaborative Decision-Making Processes In Planning: Opportunities And Challenges In The City Of Rafaela, Argentina, Maria Belen Alfaro
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
There is a large body of literature in the planning field on the topic of collaborative processes of decision-making, particularly in the United States and Europe. However, there appears to be less debate on the subject of complementing these ideas with contributions from urban governance. This research aims to contribute to that complementary work. In order to accomplish that, this thesis presents first a theoretical analysis of collaborative rationality and urban governance contributions. This analysis focuses on the articulation of those aspects that can offer a more holistic framework for addressing urban issues in a more inclusive way. Second, it …
Zonal And Regional Load Forecasting In The New England Wholesale Electricity Market: A Semiparametric Regression Approach, Jonathan Farland
Zonal And Regional Load Forecasting In The New England Wholesale Electricity Market: A Semiparametric Regression Approach, Jonathan Farland
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
Power system planning, reliability analysis and economically efficient capacity scheduling all rely heavily on electricity demand forecasting models. In the context of a deregulated wholesale electricity market, using scheduling a region’s bulk electricity generation is inherently linked to future values of demand. Predictive models are used by municipalities and suppliers to bid into the day-ahead market and by utilities in order to arrange contractual interchanges among neighboring utilities. These numerical predictions are therefore pervasive in the energy industry.
This research seeks to develop a regression-based forecasting model. Specifically, electricity demand is modeled as a function of calendar effects, lagged demand …
Does Visual Awareness Of Object Categories Require Attention?, Timothy S. Miller
Does Visual Awareness Of Object Categories Require Attention?, Timothy S. Miller
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
A key question in the investigation of awareness is whether it can occur without attention, or vice versa. Most evidence to date suggests that attention is necessary for awareness of visual stimuli, but that attention can sometimes be present without corresponding aware-ness. However, there has been some evidence that natural scenes in general, and in particular scenes including animals, may not require visual attention for a participant to become aware of their gist. One relatively recent paradigm for providing evidence for animal awareness without attention (Li, VanRullen, Koch, & Perona, 2002) requires participants to perform an attention demanding primary task …
Memory And Production Of Standard Frequencies In College-Level Musicians, Sarah E. Weber
Memory And Production Of Standard Frequencies In College-Level Musicians, Sarah E. Weber
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
This thesis examines the nature of long-term absolute pitch memory—an ability traditionally assumed to belong only to absolute pitch (AP) possessors—by testing for evidence of this memory for “standard” frequencies in musicians without AP. Standard frequencies, those based on the equally tempered system with A = 440 Hz, are common in the sonic environment of the Western college musical education, and thus could have the opportunity to penetrate listeners’ long-term memories. Through four experimental tasks, this thesis examines musicians’ ability to recognize and produce frequencies from the set of equally tempered frequencies based on A = 440 Hz, without regard …
From Indicators To Action: Evaluating The Usefulness Of Indicators To Move From Regional Climate Change Assessment To Local Adaptation Implementation, Sally Miller
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
As the effects of climate change become increasingly damaging and costly, a public and political consensus is building for planning that will protect private property and public infrastructure. Climate-related planning has primarily focused on mitigation, assessing vulnerability, and building adaptive capacity. Adaptation has not gained substantial ground in the area of implementation. The uncertainty associated with climate change projection and variability has emerged as a dominant barrier to adaptation. However, as knowledge accrues, the global and national science communities have been developing more detailed, fine-scale climate projections. Regional climate assessments are available for the sub-national climate regions in the U.S., …
Working Memory Performance Across Development And Following Acute Exercise, Patrice L. Stering
Working Memory Performance Across Development And Following Acute Exercise, Patrice L. Stering
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
This thesis investigates the developmental trajectory of visuo-spatial working memory as well as the potential influence of acute exercise on working memory performance. Individuals between the ages of 6 and 25 years were randomly assigned to a 30-minute bout of exercise on an elliptical trainer or to a no-exercise control condition. Participants then performed a computerized N-back task to assess working memory. Developmental results suggest that working memory ability continues to develop into early adulthood with the exact trajectory depending on the cognitive demand of the task being assessed. No difference in working memory performance was found between the exercise …