Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Early Maladaptive Schemas, Attachment, Negative Affect And Relationship Satisfaction, Nicole Mcdermott

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), attachment styles, depression and anxiety, and relationship satisfaction. A sample of 47 (61.7% females, 38.3% males) college students who were in a current relationship completed standardized measures for each study variable. As predicted, depression and EMSs were related to decreased relationship satisfaction. Unexpectedly, attachment styles were under-represented and therefore could not be examined in the study. Contrary to hypotheses, anxiety and relationship satisfaction were not significantly related to one another.

Religiosity As A Protective Factor Against Sexual Aggression, Dana Hastings

Theses and Dissertations

The potential protective nature of religiosity against sexual aggression was investigated. This was accomplished by using a laboratory analogue of sexual harassment that uses sexually oriented joke telling to mimic sexual harassment among peers in the real world. It was hypothesized that religiosity would predict the number of jokes told by participants such that individuals with higher rates of religiosity would tell fewer jokes than those with lower rates of religiosity. There was a total of 76 participants that answered questionnaires about their religiosity and took part in the joke telling laboratory analogue. Linear regressions indicated no such predictive relationship …

Scientific Consensus On Manmade Global Warming: Think Tank Influence On Public Opinion Through News Media, Greg Howe

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the influence of think tanks, in the news media, on public opinion of what most scientists believe about the cause of global warming.

The researcher performed a content analysis on two national newspapers spanning May through July, 2006, the three months surrounding the U.S. release of An Inconvenient Truth, to determine whether papers of differing political ideology provided different amounts of context concerning the global warming scientific consensus. The data were tabulated using Microsoft Excel. Experimental research was also conducted using 103 undergraduate Rowan University public relations and public relations and advertising majors to determine if …

Autism And Misdiagnosis: Is Early Detection Always Accurate?, Melissa Hosier

Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a brain-based disorder that involves disrupted social interactions and communication development along with stereotyped patterns of behaviors and interests. Early detection and intervention is crucial for children diagnosed with autism. While current trends in research and detection are leaning toward earlier diagnosis of the disorder, limited research exists to support that earlier diagnoses are accurate. The present study utilized archival research and interviews to examine the accuracy of early diagnosis in children identified as autistic using DSM-IV criteria, standard screening and diagnostic tools and genetic testing. Results indicated that genetic testing was the most reliable tool for accurately …

Can The Confluence Model Predict Female Sexual Aggression?, Nichole M. Clay-Valorio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to test the pathways of the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression (Malamuth, Heavey & Linz, 1996) for prediction of self-reported female sexual aggression utilizing various computerized measures with college aged female participants (n = 104). The confluence model states that sexual aggression is the interactive result of two simultaneous pathways: hostile masculinity (and/or hostile femininity) and impersonal sex. It was hypothesized that a combination of either of the hostility pathways (feminine vs. masculine) and the impersonal sex pathway would predict sexual aggression. Modified versions of the Sexual Experiences Scale (SES), Coercive Sexuality Scale …

When Love Hurts: The Mediating Effects Of Internal Attribution, Perpetrator Forgiveness, And Current Perceived Interpersonal Support On The Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse And Adult Intimate Attachment, Crystal V. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this exploratory study were (a) to provide support for the relationship between childhood and/or adolescent maltreatment, especially sexual abuse, and adult intimate attachment, (b) determine mediating factors of the relationship between childhood and/or adolescent maltreatment and adult attachment, and (c) explore relationships among these potential mediating variables. Rowan University introductory psychology students between the ages of 18-24 (21 males and 24 females) completed written measures assessing childhood and/or adolescent maltreatment, current perceived family relationship, internal attribution for sexual abuse, positive childhood experiences, depression, current perceived interpersonal support, forgiveness, and adult intimate attachment. Participants endorsed multiple maltreatment experiences …

Reluctant Virginity: The Relationship Between Sexual Status And Self-Esteem, Dina Dimauro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify group differences between sexual status (reluctant virgins, satisfied virgins, and non-virgins) in college students. Specifically, this study explored differences between groups in self-esteem (global, social, and body), dating (length of relationship and number of dating partners), and the beliefs in the double standard mediating differences in self-esteem. It was hypothesized that reluctant virgins would have lower self-esteem and shorter relationships than satisfied virgins and non-virgins. There was modest support for the stated hypotheses: reluctant virgins had lower social self esteem (M= 114.4) than non-virgins (M= 138.5). Reluctant virgins …

Early Intervention For Children With Autism, Jody M. Classen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine early intervention programs for children with autism to determine if the program will have a successful outcome. This study involved 34 children from birth to three years of age. Each child participated in an early childhood intervention program in Southern New Jersey. The children were divided into two groups. An independent sample t-test was conducted from the data to find a statistically significant difference within the children. It was not, however, significant in the children of the early intervention program.

User-Generated Tagging And The Public Library Online Public Access Catalog, Andrea C. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to survey southern New Jersey public librarians' attitudes towards the feasibility of including user-generated tagging in the public library online public access catalog (OPAC). The research questions of the thesis concerned the advantages and disadvantages of user-generated tagging, the co-existence of user-generated tagging and controlled subject headings, the future of user-generated tagging, and what the librarians thought about user-generated tagging in the OPAC.

The methodology of the study was applied research. Nineteen southern New Jersey public librarians completed an attitudinal survey on user-generated tagging. Responses were tallied and placed into a spreadsheet and graphic …

30 Years Of Judy Blume Novels... Are We Still Censoring?, Nina Amidon

Theses and Dissertations

Judy Blume has been a target of censors since she started writing novels in the 1970s. Her books have been removed from shelves in school media centers all over the country by either the school board, or even the media specialist. Many studies have been done in the past about censorship and Judy Blume's books were always a popular target.

A survey was sent out to 53 middle and high school media centers in Morris County, New Jersey. Survey Monkey.com was used to create the questionnaire and interpret the results. An email message was created and a link to the …

A Relationship Between Library Skills Instruction And Njla Test Scores, Anita K. Deangelis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of academic success of fourth grade students who experience regularly scheduled library instruction as measured by the language arts test scores on the annual New Jersey state achievement tests. After extensive research was completed, several articles from such authors as K. C. Lance and L. Starr were chosen as part of this study. In addition, Scholastic's research paper entitled School Libraries Work which contained many additional studies on the chosen topic was read and summarized in this proposal. Following the above research, three research questions were developed along with a …

An Analysis Of How Birth Control Is Presented In Young Adult Novels, Corey L. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

Young adult literature can be a safe method of receiving correct and vital information about birth control in novels that contain sexual activity. It is important that birth control in young adult novels is dealt with accurately, honestly, thoroughly, and in an unbiased way. There has been little research done on how birth control is presented in YA novels and how it may have changed over time. To study this topic, ten YA novels were read and analyzed. Five of the novels were written prior to 1990 and the other five were written after 1990. Each novel was analyzed for …

Public Libraries' Commitment To Gay Youth, Kimberle Madden

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if selected New Jersey public libraries in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties were committed to the GLBTQ youth in their communities by providing free and equal access to lesbigay literature and/or offering programs and outreach to this group of young adults. Most previous research looked at school libraries in the United States and libraries in Canada. This study investigated selected public libraries in southern New Jersey to determine if they were striving towards that commitment.

Using the State of New Jersey's District Factor Group (DFG) students were selected based on similar socioeconomic …

A Look At Computer Classes Offered At Selected South Jersey Public Libraries, David Crespy

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract available.

By Any Other Name: A Study Of Library User Comprehension Of Subject Headings, Elizabeth Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The current research examined library users and their use of subject headings in library catalog searches. It also examined how effective library catalog searches were for users. A survey was designed to give the researcher an idea of what search terms the public used to search library catalogs. Those survey results were then compared to the actual subject headings found in the library catalog.

The overall results indicated that very few public search terms matched the vocabulary used in the catalog. This showed a disconnection between what was being offered to the public as a search tool and how the …

Information Commons Service Model And Community Colleges In New Jersey, Mary E. Moody

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if characteristics of the information commons model were being adopted by community college libraries in New Jersey. The study examined how closely these characteristics matched the models represented in the current four-year college and university literature. Email questionnaires were sent to library directors of community college libraries in New Jersey. The intention of the survey was to ascertain the library structure, budget, and staffing of community college libraries in New Jersey. Community college directors were asked to report on services their libraries provided and to rate library services commonly associated with an …

The Image Of Professional Wrestling: A Case Study Of The Chris Benoit Double Murder-Suicide, Neil Borenstein

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the media's role in influencing public perception of the professional wrestling industry following the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide. The researcher sought to understand the manner in which newspapers portrayed the professional wrestling industry and whether media coverage in general played a role in forming the public's opinion of the industry.

Through a content analysis of articles and headlines in The New York Times and The Miami Herald, the researcher evaluated the tone of the media coverage of the professional wrestling industry. Intercept studies conducted at two southern New Jersey sports bars revealed where people received their information …

School Library Web Sites As Public Relations Tools, Melissa Meserall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze school library home pages for their use as public relations tools. Two target audiences were teachers and parents. Using a checklist, each selected home page was analyzed for its inclusion of information relating to teachers, information relating to parents, and design considerations. The research question investigated was "How~successful were school library Web sites as public relations tools"? A total of 22 school library Web sites linked from the New Jersey Association of School Librarians Web site were analyzed. It was found that 41% of Web sites (nine sites) met at least 50% …

New Jersey Public Library Services For Homeschoolers, Beth Buchhofer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if public libraries in New Jersey were effectively serving the needs of homeschoolers. This was done by researching the suggestions of experts in the field of homeschooling and public libraries. The researcher then created a survey using SurveyMonkey to evaluate the materials, programs, and services that public libraries were offering. The survey was completed by fifteen representatives from the New Jersey county public libraries. Many of the libraries reported having programs for homeschoolers, unfortunately many of the materials, programs, and services were not designed specifically for this population. In conclusion, a small …

Self-Censorship By Middle School Librarians, Candace V. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Middle school librarians are faced with difficult decisions when choosing books for the middle school library collection because of the students' ages, and involvement from the administration, staff, parents and special interest groups who want to protect children from certain material. Middle school librarians may willingly or unwillingly participate in self-censorship to avoid confrontation. Middle school librarians in New Jersey were surveyed to investigate self-censorship practices. They were asked to share information about their library collection, their library policies and procedures and their thought processes during book selection. Based on the results of the study it was concluded that middle …

Library Media Specialists Are Not Ready To "Radically Change:" The Use Of Radical Change Children's Books In New Jersey School Media Centers, Elena Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine if LMSs were using titles from a suggested list of titles found in Radical Change with kindergarten to third grade students, (b) determine how LMSs were using books with Radical Change characteristics; and (c) determine if LMSs were not using books with Radical Change characteristics, what were the reasons why they were not using or did not own the books. From the results of the questionnaire, the majority of the respondents had not heard of Dr. Eliza Dresang and her theory of Radical Change. It was also determined that many of …

Sexual Harassment Jury Instructions' Effects On Jury Decisions, Karen Leigh Matsinger

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares the effect of reasonable standards on the jury's verdict in a sexual harassment lawsuit. One hundred and fifty seven participants (82 males, 74 females and 1 unidentified), ages ranging from 16 to 90, (M= 22.74) were randomly divided into juries (7 reasonable woman, 8 reasonable person, and 9 reasonable worker). Participants were given a written sexual harassment case, judge's instructions, and a survey to complete before and after the group had reached a unanimous verdict.

It was hypothesized that participants who applied the reasonable woman standard would be more likely to take the complainant's perspective. This hypothesis …

Comparison Of Legal Standards In Sexual Harassment Hostile Work Environment, Jeanne M. O'Brien Rice

Theses and Dissertations

This research compares the previously studied reasonable person and reasonable woman legal standards with a new reasonable employee standard on hostile work environment sexual harassment. Participants included 115 college students from a mid-Atlantic university. Measures were taken across genuine legal cases based on explicit, ambiguous, and non-traditional occupation fact patterns. No statistically significant difference was found among legal standards on measures of severity, hostile work environment, because of sex or conduct unwelcome. There was however a statistically significant difference between fact patterns on liability. Age, employment experience, and being a victim of sexual harassment produced statistically significant interactions with legal …

Expert Witness Testimony In Jury Verdicts When Battered Women Kill, Asma Sheikh

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this investigation were to (a) explore the relationship between jury verdicts when traumatic brain injury expert testimony is provided and (b) examine the relationship between the verdicts when battered women syndrome expert witness testimony is provided, in Rowan University undergraduate students (N = 100). Students were provided with experimental packets, read a mock legal case, answered four questionnaires, and conducted a mock jury deliberation. Students indicated their verdicts were of lesser severity when there was traumatic brain injury expert witness testimony when compared to battered women syndrome expert witness testimony. Analysis of variance statistics indicated that expert …

Internet Addiction And Social Satisfaction, Michael Attanasio

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Internet addiction on a participant's level of satisfaction with their social life. Participants were gathered from both Rowan University and the Internet at large (n = 122) and asked to complete an online survey. The survey contained criteria questions for Internet addiction and social satisfaction as well as numerous questions that determined the effects of the participant's Internet usage on various aspects of their life (social, academic, job performance, etc). Results show that knowing a participant's level of Internet addiction allows researchers to weakly predict their level of satisfaction …