Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Randomized Comparison Of Two Instructional Sequences For Imitation Intervention For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Elaine Espanola

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine differences in effectiveness and rate of skill acquisition between a recently developed and empirically validated instructional sequence, Motor and Vocal Imitation Assessment (MVIA), and a commonly used instructional sequence in a curriculum guide, Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP).

Methods: Children with ASD were randomly assigned to two treatment groups to determine difference in imitation performance. The treatment group followed the instructional sequence proposed in the MVIA. The comparison group followed the instructional sequence proposed in the VB-MAPP. Initial levels of imitation were assessed via the MVIA. The intervention …

The Role Of Iran Policy The Saudi-American Rift, Christopher Parmly

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores what effect Saudi and American policy differences towards Iran have had on their bilateral relations. It is based on the recent thaw in Iran-U.S. relations, and the critical reaction of the Saudi government towards this policy. The question has two components – first, how severe the current Saudi-American rift is, and second, to what extent it can be traced to their differences over Iran. The topic will be addressed through process-tracing methods.

The thesis concludes that there is indeed a rift in Saudi-U.S. relations marked by an increasingly assertive and independent Saudi foreign policy, though its alliance …

Eyewitness Choosing Behavior: The Role Of Ecphoric Experience And Non-Memorial Cues, Brian S. Cahill

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers’ attempts at understanding the processes underlying witness choosing behavior have focused on applying models that predict that identifications will be primarily driven by memorial factors. However, research has shown that several non-memorial variables affect witness choosing behavior (e.g., administrator influence, clothing bias, co-witness information); thus a full understanding of the processes underlying witness choosing behavior needs to account for these effects. While the memory-based models do attempt to provide explanations for the effects of non-memorial based variables on choosing behavior they all do so within a memorial context. However, I will argue a lineup task is not simply a …

Gis-Integrated Mathematical Modeling Of Social Phenomena At Macro- And Micro- Levels—A Multivariate Geographically-Weighted Regression Model For Identifying Locations Vulnerable To Hosting Terrorist Safe-Houses: France As Case Study, Elyktra Eisman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adaptability and invisibility are hallmarks of modern terrorism, and keeping pace with its dynamic nature presents a serious challenge for societies throughout the world. Innovations in computer science have incorporated applied mathematics to develop a wide array of predictive models to support the variety of approaches to counterterrorism. Predictive models are usually designed to forecast the location of attacks. Although this may protect individual structures or locations, it does not reduce the threat—it merely changes the target. While predictive models dedicated to events or social relationships receive much attention where the mathematical and social science communities intersect, models dedicated to …

You Crit Like A Girl: The Performance Of Female Identity In The Virtual Gaming Community World Of Warcraft, Connie M. Viamonte

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how gender is expressed and performed in the virtual gaming community of World of Warcraft. Players were approached through the medium of the game and through various on-line bulletin boards to answer surveys and open-ended interview questions about their experiences as a female player or with female players in this virtual society. In addition to answering questions, this project involved participant observations within several different types of realms or servers in World of Warcraft in order to gain a better understanding of community dynamics. The premise for this research is working through an idealistic notion that virtual …

Essays On Intergovernmental Fiscal Relationship, Bimal Soti

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to explore a number of issues in intergovernmental fiscal relationships in the United States. Three independent essays in the dissertation focus on three different issues of interest in public finance: the response of school districts and county governments to changes in state government grant allocations; political determinants of presidential disaster declarations; and the crowding out of federal transfers to states by private charitable donations with special reference to the proportion of federal welfare grants to all 50 U.S. states over the period 2005 - 2013.

Results in the first essay show that decreases in …

Association Between Childhood Sexual Abuse And Hiv-Related Risk Factors For Hiv-Positive Haitian Women, Marie Sandra Severe

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the least studied HIV-related risk factors in Haiti although research in the United States and Europe has clearly established the link between childhood trauma and HIV risk behaviors. Understanding the role and impact of CSA on HIV-positive Haitian women is likely to strengthen future HIV prevention and treatment efforts aimed at this vulnerable group.

The current study was a cross-sectional examination of baseline data collected during a randomized trial of a cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention in Haiti. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between CSA and sexual risk …

On Emerging Asia-Pacific Equity Markets From The Perspective Of The Dynamics Of Mean And Volatility Spillovers, Li Xu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the dynamics of mean and volatility spillovers from the U.S. and three large (regional) Asia-Pacific stock markets to ten small (local) ones from June 2008 to May 2013.

After a brief introduction to the main purposes and contributions of my research in Chapter 1, I examine the impact of lagged American and regional returns on the local markets in Chapter 2. By building up a univariate autoregressive model and treating lagged U.S. and regional returns as exogenous variables, I find that the local markets have statistically significant exposure to lagged returns of their own and the U.S. …

A Mixed-Methods Examination Among Young Adult Racially/Ethnically Diverse Bariatric Surgery Patients, Christine E. Spadola

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bariatric, or weight loss, surgery (WLS) is known as the most effective treatment for severe obesity, and the number of bariatric surgeries performed in the United States has more than tripled over the past two decades. Despite the potential health benefits of WLS (i.e., reversal of type 2 diabetes), research has revealed problematic alcohol use among WLS patients, in part associated with the following risk factors: the prevalence of a lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD), the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) procedure, younger age, and an increased post-surgical sensitivity to alcohol. There is reason to believe both (a) young adult and …

In Search Of Safety, Negotiating Everyday Forms Of Risk: Sex Work, Criminalization, And Hiv/Aids In The Slums Of Kampala, Serena Cruz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers an in-depth descriptive account of how women manage daily risks associated with sex work, criminalization, and HIV/AIDS. Primary data collection took place within two slums in Kampala, Uganda over the course of fourteen months. The emphasis was on ethnographic methodologies involving participant observation and informal and unstructured interviewing. Insights then informed document analysis of international and national policies concerning HIV prevention and treatment strategies in the context of Uganda. The dissertation finds social networks and social capital provide the basis for community formation in the sex trade. It holds that these interpersonal processes are necessary components for …

Understanding The Impact Of The Property Tax Appeal Process On Assessment Uniformity: Procedures, Structures, And Outcomes, Michael P. Paparesta

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Property taxes serve as a vital revenue source for local governments. The revenues derived from the property tax function as the primary funding source for a variety of critical local public service systems. Property tax appeal systems serve as quasi-administrative-judicial mechanisms intended to assure the public that property tax assessments are correct, fair, and equitable. Despite these important functions, there is a paucity of empirical research related to property tax appeal systems.

This study contributes to property tax literature by identifying who participates in the property tax appeal process and examining their motivations for participation. In addition, the study sought …

Producing Collaborations Through Community-Level Processes Of Climate Change And Water Management Planning, Dumitrita Suzana Mic

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While much attention has been given to the ways local communities may be impacted by climate change, this dissertation focuses ethnographically on the local agencies decision-making processes, a less-studied aspect of this topic. The primary purpose of this dissertation research is to understand how government agencies in southern Florida integrate climate change into their decision-making processes while dealing with political resistance. This research expands our understanding on the cultural politics of a new kind of environmental change, where national and international climate-change politics is brought into local water politics to illuminate how new and not so new visions about life …

Decentralization And Citizen Participation In Mexico, Ilyana Albarran

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the past few decades, decentralization efforts in México have coincided with efforts to democratize the administrative decision-making process. Adopted in 1988, the Programa Nacional de Solidaridad (National Solidarity Program; PRONASOL) required citizen participation in decisions involving the use of federal resources for regional development and poverty alleviation projects. In 1998, Section 33 of the Ley de Coordinación Fiscal (Fiscal Coordination Law; LCF) placed Social Infrastructure Funds (SIF) directly under the supervision of municipalities and retained the requirement that citizens participate in decisions involving the allocation of funds.

The present study seeks to understand the factors that affect the participation …

Constructing Childhood: Place, Space And Nation In Argentina, 1880-1955, Melissa Malone

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the vastly transformative stages of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, notions of the urban and definitions of childhood mutually intersected to create and define a modern Argentine landscape. The construction of new urban environments for children defined and reflected larger liberal elites’ definitions of childhood writ large. To better understand the production of this modern childhood in Argentina, this dissertation examines its other through the spatial-discourses behind constructions of childhood for the socio-economic lower classes - children who largely did not meet the expectations of the elite.

I employ the use of both published and archival sources, …

Parent-Child Interactions In The Presence Of Risk For Adhd With And Without Language Impairment, Sisan Walker Angel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to analyze how parent-child interactions differ in discourse structure, communicative function and linguistic behaviors between children who are at high-risk for developing a behavioral disorder such as ADHD, and those who are at high-risk for developing a behavioral disorder with a co-occurring language impairment. Participants consisted of 20 children ages three to five years old and their parents. A five-minute parent-child interaction was video recorded and analyzed using an adapted version of the “Coding parent/child interaction as a clinical outcome: a research note” designed by Law, Barnett, and Kot (1999).

Results revealed slight differences …

Successes And Shortcomings In The Implementation Of National Sustainable Development Strategies: From The Greening Of Governance To The Governance Of Greening, Rachel Emas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interdependence between the economy and the environment necessitates integrated policymaking that recognizes the biological limits of our world and the scarcity of these natural resources. At the 1992 Earth Summit, countries agreed to adopt a National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) which should comprise the integration of economic, social, and environmental policies across sectors, territories, and generations; country ownership and commitment; broad participation and effective partnerships; development of the necessary capacity and enabling environment; and focus on outcomes and implementation. Working from these key factors and based on decades of international research and peer reviews of these policies, this study …

The Development Of A Depression Preventive Intervention For Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Michael C. Meinzer

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the considerable progress made identifying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a risk for depressive outcomes in adolescence and adulthood as well as potential explanations for the co-occurrence of ADHD and unipolar depression (i.e., emotion regulation, family support, and reward responsivity), targeted depression prevention efforts have not yet been implemented for adolescents with ADHD. Thus, the specific aims were as follows: (1) develop a behaviorally oriented, tailored, depression preventive intervention for adolescents with ADHD targeting variables empirically supported to account for the covariation between ADHD and depression (Behaviorally Enhancing Adolescents’ Mood; BEAM), (2) pilot BEAM in a small sample of adolescents …

Factors Affecting Adult Mental Rotation Performance, Alina Nazareth

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on mental rotation has consistently found sex differences, with males outperforming females on mental rotation tasks like the Vandenberg and Kuse (1978) mental rotation test (MRT; D. Voyer, Voyer, & Bryden, 1995). Mental rotation ability has been found to be enhanced with experience (Nazareth, Herrera & Pruden, 2013) and training (Wright, Thompson, Ganis, Newcombe, & Kosslyn, 2008) and the effects of training have been found to be transferable to other spatial tasks (Wright et al., 2008) and sustainable for months (Terlecki, Newcombe, & Little, 2008). Although, we now are fairly certain about the malleability of spatial tasks and the …

It Must Have Been Him: Coherence Effects Within The Legal System, Jonathan N. Carbone

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present series of studies examine how jurors and public defenders evaluate different pieces of evidence and integrate them into a coherent conclusion within the context of a criminal case. Previous research has shown that in situations where both sides of the case are compelling, decision-makers nevertheless come to highly confident and polarized decisions, called coherence shifts (Simon, 2004). The present research sought to expand on coherence effects, improve upon the methodology of previous studies, and explore potential moderators of coherence. In Study 1, mock jurors (n = 306) read about a criminal case and evaluated multiple pieces of …

Business Cycle Effects On Us Sectoral Stock Returns, Keran Song

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation investigated business cycle effects on US sectoral stock returns.

The first chapter examined the relationship between the business cycle and sectoral stock returns. First, I calculated constant correlation coefficients between the business cycle and sectoral stock returns. Then, I employed the DCC GARCH model to estimate time-varying correlation coefficients for each pair of the business cycle and sectoral stock returns. Finally, I ran regression of sectoral returns on dummy variables designed to capture the four stages of the business cycle. I found that though sectoral stock returns were closely related to the business cycle, they did not share …

The Effects Of Post-Recall Feedback: Examining Witness Recall Quantity, Accuracy, And Confidence, Dana Elizabeth Hirn Mueller

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most eyewitness identification protocols recommend withholding feedback after an identification has been made, at least until a measure of confidence can be gathered. Although much research has examined the impact of post-identification feedback on subsequent witness behavior and confidence, research addressing the importance of post-recall feedback remains largely incomplete. The current study examined the effects of post-recall feedback and question type on subsequent witness recall, confidence, and reports of view of the crime. In line with previous eyewitness identification research, it was predicted that participants receiving confirming post-recall feedback would be more confident in their prior recall compared to participants …

An Analysis Of Evacuation Behavior During Hurricane Ike, Yuanyuan Lu

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hurricanes have been considered one of the most costly disasters in United State, which lead to both economic loss and human fatalities. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of those who evacuated and of those who did not evacuate have been principal focus of some previous researches related to hurricane evacuation behavior. This research presents two sets of decision-making models for analyzing hurricane evacuation behavior, using two statistical methods: standard logistic model and mixed logistic model.The receipt of evacuation order, elevation, expenditure, the presence of children and elderly people, ownership of a house, and receipt of hurricane warning are found to be …

Open Trial And Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Novel Program To Reduce Perceived Burdensomeness, Ryan M. Hill

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, suicide prevention programs for adolescents have not demonstrated sustained reductions in suicide-related behaviors and further program development is called for, particularly for the prevention of non-clinical suicide risk. This research utilizes the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide in the development of the LEAP Program, a novel, web-based suicide prevention program targeting reductions in cognitions of perceived burdensomeness. An open trial of the program was conducted to examine the feasibility of the study protocol, generate feedback regarding the LEAP program modules, and refine the program modules. A pilot randomized controlled trial of the program was also conducted to examine participant …

The Hospitality Cooperative Education: What Are The Benefits For Industry Partners?, Ying Wang

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cooperative education program was introduced into undergraduate hospitality degree program to help students be better prepared for their careers. A cooperative partnership between the industry and universities results in both sides receiving benefits. This study identifies the benefits industry partners receive from a cooperative education program. The implications of these benefits leads to the evaluation of hospitality cooperative education. From the results of the evaluation, recommendations are proposed for redesigning the cooperative education program.

A Market Study Of Organic And Fair Trade Coffee In Bolivia, Christopher L. Estevez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the commercialization of Fairtrade and Organic coffee in the Bolivia. Fairtrade and Organic coffee are alternative trade systems designed to promote the equitable and environmentally sustainable production of coffee. However, these alternative trading systems often fail to meet these goals. The producers and environment these systems are intended to protect remain marginalized. These failures are due to a number of local institutions. In order to better understand these institutions, this research conducted interviews of various stakeholders including producers, cooperative leaders, organic/Fair Trade certifiers, government agencies and private buyers. All these stakeholders influence …

Video Modeling For Teaching Imitation To Young Children With Autism: A Treatment Comparison And Analysis Of Potential Predictors Of Success, Logan S. Mcdowell

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Imitation is a prerequisite for the development of several important abilities. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit a distinct deficit in imitation. There has been a considerable amount of research into the most effective ways to teach this crucial skill. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to many prevalent teaching strategies including difficulty with implementation and lack of generalization. The present study sought to determine whether video modeling (VM) might function as a successful alternative for teaching imitation to young children with ASD.

The literature on VM has demonstrated that it can be a highly effective technique for teaching a variety …

The Influence Of Parental Aggression And Cultural Gender Role Beliefs On Hispanic College Women's Experiences With Psychological Aggression, Laura A. Oramas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychological aggression is present in as many as 89-97% of college women’s intimate relationships (Cercone, Beach, & Arias, 2005; Riggs & O’Leary, 1996). Victimization has been linked to negative physical and mental health consequences including depression, anxiety, and chronic pain (Coker, Smith, Bethea, King, & McKeown, 2000; Derrick, Testa, & Leonard, 2014; Pico-Alfonso et al., 2006). Psychological aggression also serves as a risk factor for future or continued physical intimate partner violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014), which can result in bruises, broken bones, or in extreme cases, even death. Parental modeling of appropriate relationship behaviors may …

Examining The Impact Of Resilience On Work Stress And Strains In Nurses, Julie J. Lanz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To address commonly cited organizational and personal outcomes in the nursing industry, it is important to identify factors that may mitigate the relationship between workplace stressors and strains such as turnover intentions, job satisfaction, burnout, and injuries. The purpose of the current study is to explore the role of trait resilience on the emotion-centered model of job stress in a sample of U.S. nurses. The study uses a multiwave design to examine the mitigating role of trait resilience on work strains in nurses. In a sample of 185 nurses and 97 multiwave pairs, resilience was found to be significantly related …

Evaluating The Role Of Social Approach Behaviors In Children With Autism, Jessica M. Weber

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children diagnosed with autism show marked impairments in social and communicative behaviors. According to social motivation and social orienting models of autism, decreased social interest leads to less social input and fewer social learning opportunities (Chevallier et al., 2012; Mundy & Neal, 2001). These models suggest that the ability to initiate and participate in social interactions are important factors in language development. Research in this area has focused on the role of joint attention in language development however; the current study takes a broad view of social interest and posits that not only joint attention, but all socially mediated behaviors …

Attentional Competition: Weapon Focus, Encoding Time, And Memory Accuracy Correlations Between Crime Scene Items, Seyram Kekessie

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines the relationships between recognition and recall accuracy of faces, and recognition and recall accuracy of objects. Secondly, this study examines the influence of weapon presence on description and identification accuracy, and whether encoding time moderates the effect. 713 participants watched an image that was either displayed for five seconds or twenty seconds, and either included a weapon or no weapon. Subsequently, they were asked to give descriptions of what they saw before viewing a lineup that either included the perpetrator or was made up of innocent suspects. Results indicated that witnesses’ description accuracy of the crime …