Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Difficult Dialogues: The Technologies And Limits Of Reconciliation, Dawne Moon

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Projects known as dialogue or reconciliation build on the common ground between members of historically adversarial groups to help overcome vicious cycles of retaliation. This chapter compares observations from two studies of religious and religio-ethnic communities. The more recent is a qualitative study of American Jews' understandings and experiences of anti-Semitism and how it relates to politics, particularly around the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It compares some of the findings from this study with findings that emerged in earlier ethnographic research on debates about homosexuality within the United Methodist Church. The chapter explores the intersection of politics with the self, which sociological …

Experiencing Sexism And Young Women's Body Esteem, Debra Oswald, Stephen L. Franzoi, Katherine Frost

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This two-study investigation examined the relationship between sexist attitudes and experiences with young women’s body esteem. Specifically, we examined whether young women's body esteem was related to their own and their parents' endorsements of benevolent and hostile sexist beliefs and also whether women’s body esteem was related to their actual everyday experiences with benevolent and hostile sexism. In Study 1, fathers' endorsement of benevolently sexist beliefs was positively correlated with daughters' weight-related and physical condition body esteem. No similar evidence was found for mothers or for either parent's endorsements of hostile sexist beliefs. In Study 2, young women’s body esteem …

Acute Stress Influences Neural Circuits Of Reward Processing, Anthony J. Porcelli, Andrea H. Lewis, Mauricio R. Delgado

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

People often make decisions under aversive conditions such as acute stress. Yet, less is known about the process in which acute stress can influence decision-making. A growing body of research has established that reward-related information associated with the outcomes of decisions exerts a powerful influence over the choices people make and that an extensive network of brain regions, prominently featuring the striatum, is involved in the processing of this reward-related information. Thus, an important step in research on the nature of acute stress’ influence over decision-making is to examine how it may modulate responses to rewards and punishments within reward …

The Change In Sraffa's Philosophical Thinking, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

The availability of Piero Sraffa's unpublished manuscripts and correspondence at Trinity College Library, Cambridge, has made it possible to begin to set out a more complete account of Sraffa's philosophical thinking than previously could be done with only his published materials and the few comments and suggestions made by others about his ideas, especially in connection with their possible impact on Ludwig Wittgenstein's later thinking. This makes a direct rather than indirect examination of Sraffa's philosophical thinking possible, and also shifts the focus from his relationship to Wittgenstein to his own thinking per se. I suggest that the previous …

Inspiring The Wonderment: Emotional Intelligence In Higher Education, Kurt H. Gering

Professional Projects

The purpose of this research was to shed insight on the degree to which instructor Emotional Intelligence (EI) may moderate the student/teacher relationship. Interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data on the experience of several students at a private university in the Midwest. The findings suggest that there appears to be a positive relationship between instructor EI and a positive academic experience by the student. Further research on this topic may indicate that institutions may also benefit from incorporating the tracking and evaluating of EI in their faculty body to enhance academic success student.

The Effectiveness Of The Holton Youth And Family Center (Hyfc) Community Investment Program (Cip), Tara R. Tompkins

Professional Projects

This qualitative study examines Holton Youth and Family Center Community Investment Program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Community Investment Program uses intensive mentoring as a way to prevent young people from choosing a life of crime and/or to interrupt the path of crime for youth involved in negative activity. Based on mentor/mentee interviews, the findings indicate that the program has had an overall positive impact on the mentee participants in the areas of academic participation, skills and interest development, improved parental relationships and feelings of self-worth.

The Dual Basis For Subordinate's Perception Of Change, Anthony Senger

Professional Projects

Psychological research has shown that perception often works in a dual-basis in which a person examines a subject and weighs the subject against an ideal and non-ideal scale, independently. There have been few studies though, that have tried to apply this mechanism as a component of the dynamics involved in Leadership Studies, Organizational Behavior, or Change Management. If the mechanism is active in subordinates, then leaders can make better-informed decisions regarding their organizations, based on an understanding that reaction to both their actions and to changes that they enact are based not only on perceived ideal characteristics, but also non-ideal …

Identity Problems (An Interview With John B. Davis), Thomas Wells, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

In this interview, Professor Davis discusses the evolution of his career and research interests as a philosopher-economist and gives his perspective on a number of important issues in the field. He argues that historians and methodologists of economics should be engaged in the practice of economics, and that historians should be more open to philosophical analysis of the content of economic ideas. He suggests that the history of recent economics is a particularly fruitful and important area for research exactly because it is an open-ended story that is very relevant to understanding the underlying concerns and concepts of contemporary economics. …

The Evolution Of "The Toy Department": A Content Analysis Of Newspaper Sports Sections Since 1956, John Carvalho, C. Thomas Preston Jr., James Pokrywczynski, Nicholas Kirby

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This paper presents an analysis of sports sections in eight metropolitan newspapers over six decades, from 1956 until 2006. Results demonstrated that newspapers devoted more space to sports, although a slight decrease (perhaps due to increased popularity of the Internet) was noted in 2006. Newspapers also used more locally written articles on their section front. Spectator sports coverage increased over the period, at the expense of participant sports.

"Rogue" Athlete Endorsers: Using Social Identity Theory To Assess Brand Fit, Jim Pokrywczynski, David L. Brinker Jr.

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Athlete endorsement deals typically assume that the brand will benefit from an association with the celebrity athlete's public persona. When athletes find themselves in trouble with the law, spouses or frustrated fans, brands like Nike, Reebok, Buick, Wrangler and others must ask, 'Can these "rogue" sports celebrity endorsers resurrect their image and their endorsement power? Are there certain "rebellious" products that may be better suited for endorsement from such rogue celebrities? These are the key questions addressed in this research. Survey results asking respondents to assess real athlete endorsers with either a 'rebel' or benign brand show that matching rebel …

Research And Pedagogy In Intercultural New Media Studies, Robert Shuter

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

New media are ubiquitous, changing the landscape of intercultural communication. Intercultural new media studies (INMS), first introduced and conceptualized by Robert Shuter in 2012 in his article in the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, is an exciting new field of study which explores intercultural and international communication in a digital age. It promises to contemporize existing intercultural communication theories by exploring their relevance and salience in a mediated world. INMS also offers the prospect of developing 21st century theories of intercultural communication that include new media platforms. Finally, by exploring the relationship between culture and new media, intercultural new media …

Cusp Catastrophe Models For Cognitive Workload And Fatigue In A Verbally Cued Pictorial Memory Task, Stephen J. Guastello, Henry Boeh, Michael Schimmels, Hillary Gorin, Samuel Huschen, Erin Davis, Natalie E. Peters, Megan Fabisch, Kirsten Poston

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate two cusp catastrophe models for cognitive workload and fatigue. They share similar cubic polynomial structures but derive from different underlying processes and contain variables that contribute to flexibility with respect to load and the ability to compensate for fatigue.

Background: Cognitive workload and fatigue both have a negative impact on performance and have been difficult to separate. Extended time on task can produce fatigue, but it can also produce a positive effect from learning or automaticity.

Method: In this two-part experiment, 129 undergraduates performed tasks involving spelling, arithmetic, memory, and visual …

International R&D Transfer And Technical Efficiency: Evidence From Panel Study Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis, Miao Wang, M. C. Sunny Wong

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We study the effect of foreign research and development (R&D) transferred through imports and foreign direct investment (FDI) on domestic technical efficiency using stochastic frontier analysis. Unbalanced panel results from a 77-country sample over 1986–2007 show that FDI- and imports-transferred foreign R&D have a significant impact on domestic country’s technical efficiency. Furthermore, we observe a complementarity between FDI-transferred R&D and domestic human capital. In other words, the domestic country needs to obtain a threshold level of human capital to benefit from FDI-transferred R&D. Other macro conditions such as infrastructure, political stability, and urbanization also help to improve the technical efficiency …

Manna From The Glossy Pulpit: Food Advertising In Women's Magazines, Kira-Lynn Reeves

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Women’s magazines reach millions of readers each month, and have been the subject of many academic inquires from media effects studies to feminist analyses. While many studies have investigated female readers’ experience with these texts, or examined the advertising content of women’s magazines, little research to date has focused on food advertising. This liberal feminist critique explores the experience of reading the 2011 issues of the three popular women’s magazines, Glamour, SELF, and Family Circle. Using Stern’s (1996) textual analysis method for advertisements, this study examines how food advertisements in women’s magazines encourage women to think about …

The Public Face Of The 'Litigation State:' Federal Empowerment Of Litigation By State Governments, Paul Nolette

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Scholars have recently begun exploring the construction of what Sean Farhang has termed the “litigation state” – namely, the distinctly American way in which contemporary federal programs are enforced by means of litigation. The attention in this literature to date has focused on why Congress has encouraged private litigation to enforce various statutory programs. This paper examines the emergence of a related and no less important development – the federal government’s encouragement of state government litigators to help enforce federal regulatory programs, especially state attorneys general ("AGs"). Examining several decades’ worth of congressional actions, court decisions, and federal administrative initiatives …

Size Of Home, Home Ownership, And The Mortgage Interest Deduction, Andrew Hanson

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper offers an empirical test of the effect of the mortgage interest deduction (MID) on both the extensive (own vs. rent) and intensive (size of home) housing purchase margins. Using state level differences in MID availability to identify, I examine this relationship using standard ordinary least squares, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity, and sample selection estimation techniques. I find the MID to be responsible for a 10.9–18.4% increase in the size of home purchased, but that no relationship exists between the MID and home ownership. These results imply an elasticity of home size with respect to changes in user cost …

Neuropsychological Outcomes Of U.S. Veterans With Report Of Remote Blast-Related Concussion And Current Psychopathology, Nathaniel W. Nelson, James B. Hoelzle, Bridget M. Doane, Kathryn A. Mcguire, Amanda G. Ferrier-Auerbach, Molly J. Charlesworth, Gregory J. Lamberty, Melissa A. Polusny, Paul A. Arbisi, Scott R. Sponheim

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study explored whether remote blast-related MTBI and/or current Axis I psychopathology contribute to neuropsychological outcomes among OEF/OIF veterans with varied combat histories. OEF/OIF veterans underwent structured interviews to evaluate history of blast-related MTBI and psychopathology and were assigned to MTBI (n = 18), Axis I (n = 24), Co-morbid MTBI/Axis I (n = 34), or post-deployment control (n = 28) groups. A main effect for Axis I diagnosis on overall neuropsychological performance was identified (F(3,100) = 4.81; p = .004), with large effect sizes noted for the Axis I only (d = …

The Physical Hazards Of Police Work Revisited, Steven G. Brandl, Meghan S. Stroshine

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

This study examines the extent to which injuries to police officers have changed from 1996-1998 to 2006-2008. Data were obtained from injury reports filed by sworn officers of the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Police Department. Results indicated that the frequency and rate (injury incidents per officer) of officer assaults, other suspect-related injuries, and accidents declined during the study period. While the specification of the reasons for these changes remains a topic for future research, the decline in assaults and suspect-related injuries may well be a function of the increased availability and more routine use of less lethal technology, enhanced training, and the …

The Geographical Dimension Of The Development Effects Of Natural Resources, Abdur Chowdhury, Fabrizio Carmignani

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We study the contribution of natural resource intensity to long-term development along different dimensions: per-capita income, institutional quality, and education. We allow natural resources to affect these dimensions differently in different regions of the world. The evidence suggests that natural resources are generally a positive driver of development, but in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) their contribution is almost negligible, if not even negative. We explain these cross-regional differences with the fact that in SSA more than anywhere else large resource endowments are combined with a particularly bad disease environment. Some historical evidence and formal econometric results support this hypothesis.

Culivating And Retaining Committed Volunteers: An Analysis Of Volunteer Identification In Nonprofit Organizations, Nora Beth Pilak

Master's Theses (2009 -)

With nonprofit organizations expanding due to a weakened economy and a growing population, there is an increased need for volunteers to staff and support these organizations. Since most nonprofits operate with limited finances, these organizations have to generate and retain a group of effective and committed unpaid organizational members. In this study, I argue that the best way for nonprofits to cultivate efficient and dedicated volunteers is to use communication tactics that encourage members to identify with the organization. I also argue that if volunteers strongly identify with an organization, they are more likely to continue contributing their time and …

Community Mapping: Transforming Thinking And Actions Toward Sustainability, Melanie J. Kornis

Professional Projects

This phenomenological study explored the level of concern regarding issues of sustainability, for individuals residing within one mid-sized Midwestern urban community. Ultimately, this research sought to determine those factors that increase the sense of urgency for some individuals to do more to reduce our global footprint and to create a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren. The participants were chosen via purposeful sampling and the interview process was used for data collection. Several themes uncovered in the study findings were similar to those in the literature review, which include: caring for the environment, making connections within the community, recycling, …

Review Of And No One Will Keep That Light From Shinin': Civil Religion After September 11 In Speeches Of George W. Bush, Steven R. Goldzwig

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Symposium On Indigenous Scholarship: The Centrality Of Culture And Indigenous Values, Robert Shuter

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

The trend of globalization has led to a strong demand for the culture-specific or emic approach in scholarly research. It is the purpose of this paper to provide an opportunity for scholars to have their voices on the issues of indigenous scholarship. The paper consists of four essays examining the theme from four aspects, namely, the centrality of culture and communication, the Asiacentric communication paradigm, the development of Chinese communication theories, and an indigenous view of the study of resilience. It is hoped that the paper will contribute to the better understanding of indigenous scholarship and further provide a possible …

Memory Modulation In The Classroom: Selective Enhancement Of College Examination Performance By Arousal Induced After Lecture, Kristy A. Nielson, Timothy J. Arentsen

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Laboratory studies examining moderate physiological or emotional arousal induced after learning indicate that it enhances memory consolidation. Yet, no studies have yet examined this effect in an applied context. As such, arousal was induced after a college lecture and its selective effects were examined on later exam performance. Participants were divided into two groups who either watched a neutral video clip (n = 66) or an arousing video clip (n = 70) after lecture in a psychology course. The final examination occurred two weeks after the experimental manipulation. Only performance on the group of final exam items that …

Individual Differences In Delay Discounting Under Acute Stress: The Role Of Trait Perceived Stress, Karolina M. Lempert, Anthony J. Porcelli, Mauricio R. Delgado, Elizabeth Tricomi

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Delay discounting refers to the reduction of the value of a future reward as the delay to that reward increases. The rate at which individuals discount future rewards varies as a function of both individual and contextual differences, and high delay discounting rates have been linked with problematic behaviors, including drug abuse and gambling. The current study investigated the effects of acute anticipatory stress on delay discounting, while considering two important factors: individual perceptions of stress and whether the stressful situation is future-focused or present-focused. Half of the participants experienced acute stress by anticipating giving a videotaped speech. This stress …

Theoretical Validity And Empirical Utility Of A Constructionist Analytics, Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Wing-Chung Ho offers an extensive critique of what he calls our “radical constructionist approach to family experience,” questioning the theoretical validity and empirical utility of the research program. This article responds to the charges in the broader context of the program's constructionist analytics, discussing family's experiential location, organizational embeddedness, and the importance of ethnographic sensibility. A brief extract of situated talk and interaction is presented to illustrate the discursive complexity and institutional bearings of family as a category of experience. The conclusion takes up the issue of whether the program is radical in conceptualization and empirical realization.

Seeking Safety? Applying The Risk Information Seeking And Processing Model To Sexual Aggression On A College Campus, Gregory J. Calhoun

Master's Theses (2009 -)

While a plethora of researchers have studied risk factors related to sexual violence, few studies have explored what differences account for the various ways women seek and process information about sexual violence. The study seeks to accomplish this by applying the Risk Information Seeking and Processing model (RISP) to the risk of sexual aggression on college campuses. RISP has been utilized to effectively explore the individual traits that influence how people seek and process risk information in a number of contexts. In analyzing a survey of 152 full-time female undergraduates at Marquette University, the results show that negative emotions and …

Relationship Of Facebook Usage To Team Identification, Caitlin Moyer

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This study examines the relationship of Facebook usage with sports team identification using Wann's (2006c) "Team Identification-Social Psychological Health Model" to help identify individuals' needs, or motives, for connecting with the team via Facebook as well as with the team itself. To the extent that the team's Facebook presence is believed to fulfill certain needs for an individual, connecting with a team via Facebook was expected to result in higher levels of team identification with that team. Thus, by determining the uses and gratifications that individuals glean from connecting with the team via the social networking site, marketers may be …

Exploring The Social Entrepreneur: Individual And Organizational Identity Construction, Colleen C. Moore

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Social entrepreneurs play the role of the "change maker" in society by adopting business practices to create and sustain social value within the social sector. These individuals engage in processes that explore innovation and new opportunities to serve their missions. Social entrepreneurs are continually being described as visionaries, suggesting a defining characteristic of social entrepreneurs that they are relentless in their pursuit of fulfilling their vision. As social entrepreneurs continue to receive international attention for their goals for social change and innovation, it is important to further analyze social entrepreneurs from a communication perspective because it is believed that it …

Reclaiming "Victim" Through Untold Stories: An Analysis Of The Personal Stories Of Women Who Have Survived Violence, Ashley K. Collette

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Around the world one in every three women has been the victim of gender-based violence (Amnesty International USA, 2012). Be it sexual, physical, or psychological, violence against women is an epidemic that needs to end. Past research in the field of Communication has mainly focused on news media coverage of violent crimes. The accounts portrayed in news media were largely edited and focused on a hegemonic version of the experiences (Benedict, 1992; Meyers, 1997; Carll, 2003; Dowler, 2006). These news accounts generally ignore the lived experiences of the female victims, which leaves them feeling isolated in their victimization. Victims’ stories …