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University of Louisville

Theses/Dissertations

2015

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Articles 1 - 30 of 55

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Educational Excellence Through Dual Degrees : Using Symbolic Convergence Theory To Make It Happen Here., Stephanie Ann French Dec 2015

Educational Excellence Through Dual Degrees : Using Symbolic Convergence Theory To Make It Happen Here., Stephanie Ann French

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interdisciplinary studies is a goal for the University of Louisville as it pertains to the Vision 2020 Plan. Implementing interdisciplinary studies is a part of Educational Excellence, goal number one of five strategic goals in the Vision 2020. Each of the colleges at the university has devised a strategic plan to determine how each will contribute to that goal. This specific research provides an overview of various issues pertaining to implementing programs in interdisciplinary studies. It then explores a specific instance of interdisciplinary possibilities by focusing on a single instance of what might become an exemplar of interdisciplinary studies. Specifically, …


Standing In The Intersection : Using Photovoice To Understand The Lived Experience Of Black Gay College Students Attending Predominantly White Postsecondary Institutions., Erica Caton Dec 2015

Standing In The Intersection : Using Photovoice To Understand The Lived Experience Of Black Gay College Students Attending Predominantly White Postsecondary Institutions., Erica Caton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intersection of multiple oppressed identities is characterized by the compounded effects of victimization, intimidation and continued marginalization by dominant culture groups in society. Despite a growing body of knowledge about the individual experiences of racial and sexual minorities, there remains a lack of understanding of the unique life experiences of individuals with intersecting oppressed identities, specifically Black gay youth. Failure or inability to recognize, understand and take action in response to the needs of Black gay youth in college, perpetuates a culture of oppression that compromises the physical and mental well-being, and the academic success of these students. Engaging …


Conflicted Tourism : Heritage Narratives, Sectarian Schism, And Economic Growth In Northern Ireland., Ashleigh Larissa Bixby Dec 2015

Conflicted Tourism : Heritage Narratives, Sectarian Schism, And Economic Growth In Northern Ireland., Ashleigh Larissa Bixby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines tourism as a politically charged facet of the economic process in Northern Ireland. While violence has abated in the region, sectarian conflict continues to affect Northern Irish society. Tourism has helped develop the economy by opening the market to visitors through the marketing of the region as unique and different. As conflict in the region is ongoing, the rise of tourism as a viable economic strategy raises the question: how does the Northern Irish tourist industry reconcile the past and ongoing conflict in order to present the region as a desirable tourist destination? The answer lies in …


Differences In The Impact Of A Healthy Relationship Intervention On Family Cohesion, Parent-Child Relationship And Child Well-Being By Intimate Partner Violence Relationship Type., Erin E. Ness Roberts Dec 2015

Differences In The Impact Of A Healthy Relationship Intervention On Family Cohesion, Parent-Child Relationship And Child Well-Being By Intimate Partner Violence Relationship Type., Erin E. Ness Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) between the parents of children living at home has shown to have a profound effect on learning outcomes, developmental milestones, pediatric development, future mental health and overall physical safety and wellbeing (Anda, Block & Felitti, 2003). Although much research has been done on outcomes of child-witnesses and parenting in IPV relationships, some evidence suggests (Kernsmith, 2006) that the role of family dynamics among parents, as part of the IPV dynamic, is a critical variable. Other researchers (Johnson, 1995; Graham-Kevan & Archer, 2003) have theorized that violence with a high degree of controlling behaviors, often called Coercive …


Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Teams : Insights And Experiences Of Chaplain Interns And Social Work Interns., Ann Hayes Ronald Dec 2015

Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Teams : Insights And Experiences Of Chaplain Interns And Social Work Interns., Ann Hayes Ronald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2030, the population of those 65 years and older is projected to be 72 million, which will represent 20% of adults in the United States. This large group will have affected many aspects of our society, including families and healthcare providers. Decisions about medical care, caregiving, financial concerns, and new circumstances in living arrangements will be made. Perhaps no aspect of life will be as important as how one spends the end-of-life. Importantly, the care that individuals receive is likely an important aspect of this end-of-life experience. Interdisciplinary palliative care teams provide effective and comprehensive end-of-life care for patients …


A Phenomenological Study Of Anticipated Intimacy And Sexual Expression Needs Of Aging Male And Female Baby Boomers., Charles Shawn Oak Dec 2015

A Phenomenological Study Of Anticipated Intimacy And Sexual Expression Needs Of Aging Male And Female Baby Boomers., Charles Shawn Oak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of how heterosexual Baby Boomers define and understand intimacy, sexual expression, along expectations and desires relating to their respective expressions across the lifespan through their individual experiences and reflections. A set of guiding questions were used in a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research design. Data was gathered from thirteen subjects (n=13) using the Rappaport Time Line (RTL) that was used to develop individualized semi-structured interviews and follow-up interviews that were professionally transcribed. These were coded to identify emergent themes. Results of the study provided insight into the phenomenon of how heterosexual …


A Culturally-Sensitive Model Of The Development Of Child Anxiety., Jenny Marie Petrie Dec 2015

A Culturally-Sensitive Model Of The Development Of Child Anxiety., Jenny Marie Petrie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Explanatory models significantly enhance the understanding of etiological influences that place children at risk for anxiety, yet little is known about processes that promote resilient outcomes in children. While contextual factors influence risk and protective processes, cultural constructs have not been incorporated into existing models of anxiety and the role of culture remains obscure. The current study proposes a culturally sensitive model for understanding the etiological and mitigating processes underlying anxious symptoms in ethnic minority youth, and preliminarily tests basic components of the proposed model within a non-clinical community sample of 49 African American (AA) parent-child dyads who completed self-report …


Trapped In The Tiebout Model : The Impact Of Federal Affordable Housing Programs On Migration Of Wealthier Residents., Yu-Chih Lin Dec 2015

Trapped In The Tiebout Model : The Impact Of Federal Affordable Housing Programs On Migration Of Wealthier Residents., Yu-Chih Lin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Housing mobility programs have been implemented in America since the 1990s to solve poverty concentration and to improve the economic self-sufficiency of low-income families through housing subsidies. This policy was based on the assumption that mixed-income neighborhoods provide better resources and opportunities to low-income families so that program participants who relocate to low-poverty neighborhoods improve their economic status. Currently, few studies examine the effectiveness of housing mobility programs under a decentralized fiscal system. Specifically, the migration of program participants may stimulate Tiebout’s vote-with-feet mechanisms and may limit the duration of the newly-created mixed-income environment, leaving poverty concentration and poverty unsolved. …


Russian Energy Rents And The Eastward Pivot : Examining The Role Of Russia’S Oil And Gas Industry In Its Foreign Policy Behavior., Kara Stivers Dec 2015

Russian Energy Rents And The Eastward Pivot : Examining The Role Of Russia’S Oil And Gas Industry In Its Foreign Policy Behavior., Kara Stivers

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Delivering Health Care To Women Who Use Crack : A Brazilian Example., Kristen Connors Dec 2015

Delivering Health Care To Women Who Use Crack : A Brazilian Example., Kristen Connors

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


"If We Don't Talk About It, They'll Never Go Away" : An Examination Of The Experiences Of And Reactions To Stigma By A Diverse Population Of Adoptive Parents In The United States., Jessica Rae Newton Dec 2015

"If We Don't Talk About It, They'll Never Go Away" : An Examination Of The Experiences Of And Reactions To Stigma By A Diverse Population Of Adoptive Parents In The United States., Jessica Rae Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adoption challenges the traditional Western notions of kinship and family formation. Because of this, adoption has become a stigmatized status in American culture. Utilizing a grounded theoretical approach, this study examines the experiences of stigma by adoptive parents in the United States and the ways adoptive parents react to and manage this stigmatization. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 17 adoptive parents living across the country. It was found that adoptive parents experienced stigma through comments made during their interactions with others, which fell into four categories: hesitation toward the birth parents, suspicion of the costs, assumptions …


Effects Of Amplitude Modulation On Sound Localization In Reverberant Environments., Paul W. Anderson Aug 2015

Effects Of Amplitude Modulation On Sound Localization In Reverberant Environments., Paul W. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Auditory localization involves different cues depending on the spatial domain. Azimuth localization cues include interaural time differences (ITDs), interaural level differences (ILDs) and pinnae cues. Auditory distance perception (ADP) cues include intensity, spectral cues, binaural cues, and the direct-to-reverberant energy ratio (D/R). While D/R has been established as a primary ADP cue, it is unlikely that it is directly encoded in the auditory system because it can be difficult to extract from ongoing signals. It is also noteworthy that no neuronal population has been identified that specifically codes D/R. It has therefore been proposed that D/R is indirectly encoded in …


Mapping Debris-Covered Glaciers In The Cordillera Blanca, Peru : An Object-Based Image Analysis Approach., Donald J. Biddle Aug 2015

Mapping Debris-Covered Glaciers In The Cordillera Blanca, Peru : An Object-Based Image Analysis Approach., Donald J. Biddle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accurate remote-sensing based inventories of glacial ice are often hindered by the presence of supraglacial debris cover. Attempts at automated mapping of debris-covered glacier areas from remotely-sensed multispectral data have met with limited success due to the spectral similarity of supraglacial debris to nearby bedrock, moraines, and fluvial deposition features. Data-fusion approaches leveraging terrain and/or thermal data with multispectral data have yielded improved results in certain geographic regions, but remain unproven in others. This research builds on the data-fusion approaches from the literature and explores the efficacy of object-based image analysis (OBIA) and tree-based machine learning classifiers using Landsat OLI …


Predictors Of Father Involvement : The Role Of Early Life Events And Stressors., Qiuli Hao Aug 2015

Predictors Of Father Involvement : The Role Of Early Life Events And Stressors., Qiuli Hao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) dataset to examine the effect of men’s early life stressful events and their father involvement with their new biological child(ren). The problems associated with low level of father involvement or even father absence in the country followed by the dearth of studying men who experienced stressful events during childhood were first discussed. A series of factors in the literature that can affect the level of father involvement and various of childhood stressful events were also presented. Following this, the characteristics of study subjects’ demographics, household information, men’s crime history, …


Parental Influence On Romantic Attraction With Simulated Online Dating Profiles., Johanna Strokoff Aug 2015

Parental Influence On Romantic Attraction With Simulated Online Dating Profiles., Johanna Strokoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Romantic attraction is commonly studied in the scientific literature, with countless theories providing hypotheses for why we find particular characteristics attractive. This study focused on psychodynamic theories to investigate the attraction process, particularly regarding the influence of parental figures on romantic attraction through the psychoanalytic theory of partner selection (i.e., template matching hypothesis used interchangeably), attachment theory, and Core Conflictual Relational Themes theory. With previous research often relying solely on self-report measures of parental figures and romantic partners, this study contributed to the field through capturing the attraction phenomenon through the ratings and selection of simulated online dating profiles. Participants …


Cancer Caregiving : An Exploration Of Values, Burden, Repetitive Thinking, And Depression., Amanda M. Mitchell Aug 2015

Cancer Caregiving : An Exploration Of Values, Burden, Repetitive Thinking, And Depression., Amanda M. Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals who provide emotional, social, and physical care to a care recipient with cancer, without receiving financial compensation, are considered informal cancer caregivers. Research has identified that depression is a significant concern for cancer caregivers and likely impacts the care recipient’s health as well. However, limited literature has evaluated constructs that may affect depression in cancer caregivers. The current study explored how intrinsic and extrinsic cultural motivations, caregiver burden, and repetitive thinking relate to depression in a sample of 46 current cancer caregivers. Results revealed that while cancer caregivers did endorse both intrinsic and extrinsic cultural motivations for providing care …


Globalization And Inter-Local Cooperation : The Mediating Roles Of Local Contexts In The Global North And South., Eric Yankson Aug 2015

Globalization And Inter-Local Cooperation : The Mediating Roles Of Local Contexts In The Global North And South., Eric Yankson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an area of scholarly interest which argues that globalization brings about the need for collaboration among local governmental units in order to address common challenges. According to Brenner and Swyngedouw, globalization also results in rescaling because it redefines spatial and political frameworks, and thus transfers powers to actors beneath and beyond the nation-state. Inter-local cooperation is a form of rescaling since it reconfigures territorial boundaries and results in either decentralization or centralization. This research explores the implications of globalization for inter-jurisdictional collaboration, as modified by local factors. It focuses on two city-regions in the Global North and South …


The Neuropsychological Profile Of Older Adult Musicians And Non-Musicians : Implications For Cognitive Reserve In Late Life., Jessica Vemich Strong, Aug 2015

The Neuropsychological Profile Of Older Adult Musicians And Non-Musicians : Implications For Cognitive Reserve In Late Life., Jessica Vemich Strong,

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Published literature studying children and adults musicians suggests significant differences in neuroanatomy, in brain regions that include the auditory and motor cortices, language centers, and frontal regions and tracts. Studies examining cognitive correlates to these neuroanatomical differences have consistently found that children and adult musicians have better cognitive abilities in the domains of language, verbal or non-verbal memory and executive function. Only one study has examined the differences in cognitive performance between older adult musicians and non-musicians to see how normal age-related cognitive changes may affect these differences. The current study compared cognitive test performance among older adult non-musicians, low-activity …


What We See Changes How We See : Analyzing The Plasticity Of The Horizontal Effect., April Marie Schweinhart Aug 2015

What We See Changes How We See : Analyzing The Plasticity Of The Horizontal Effect., April Marie Schweinhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between the processing of orientations by the human visual system has been related to the orientation content of the natural environment; horizontal orientations, while predominant in natural environments, are perceived less well than vertical and oblique orientations are perceived best, though they are least prevalent in the natural world. This ‘horizontal effect’ has further extended the well-studied relationship between visual encoding and natural scene statistics as the differential perception of orientations in broadband scenes inversely matches their differential representation in the natural environment. However, the original hypothesis that this relationship may have evolved across millennia in order to …


Examining Macro-Level Correlates Of Farm Equipment Theft : A Test Of Routine Activity Theory And Social Disorganization Theory., Dustin Lee Osborne Aug 2015

Examining Macro-Level Correlates Of Farm Equipment Theft : A Test Of Routine Activity Theory And Social Disorganization Theory., Dustin Lee Osborne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the potential for routine activity theory and social disorganization theory to explain incidence of farm equipment theft at the county level. Relatively few attempts have been made to discern the factors that contribute to such theft. Most are relatively dated, and all focus upon the relationship between victimization risk and the characteristics of individual farms. Accordingly, the current study represents the first attempt to examine the influence of macro-level processes and characteristics upon the problem. Data are gathered for 306 counties housed within four Southeastern States. Counts of farm equipment theft are collected from the 2011-2012 iterations …


Temporal Information Processing Across Primary Visual Cortical Layers In Normal And Red Light Reared Tree Shrews., Wenhao Dang Aug 2015

Temporal Information Processing Across Primary Visual Cortical Layers In Normal And Red Light Reared Tree Shrews., Wenhao Dang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Visual neuroscience research has benefitted from decades of efforts of comparative studies of different species, since exploring and understanding the diversity of functional properties of visual system in different species has helped us identify both general organization rules and unique traits of certain species. In this study, spatio-temporal receptive fields (STRFs), together with some other functional properties (etc. stimulus preference to different visual stimuli, orientation tuning, temporal frequency tuning and the F1/F0 ratio of responses to sine-wave grating stimuli), of primary visual cortex (V1) cells were measured in normally reared and red-light reared tree shrews (Tupaia), a species considered the …


Awareness Of Executive Functioning As A Diagnostic Tool For Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer's Disease., Jeremy Stark Carmasin Aug 2015

Awareness Of Executive Functioning As A Diagnostic Tool For Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer's Disease., Jeremy Stark Carmasin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the utility of older adults’ awareness of their executive functioning abilities to predict future cognitive decline. The recently revised Cognitive Awareness Model (CAM) forms the conceptual background of this approach, and suggests that executive dysfunction disrupts awareness in a manner distinct from episodic memory dysfunction. The study design examined how awareness of executive functioning ability may predict both continuous decline on neuropsychological testing and qualitative change in diagnostic status. This form of prediction was tested using a longitudinal sample (n = 661) of older adults with either normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). …


Testing The Chronic Care Model For Depression In Homebound Older Adults., Brittney Rose Getz Aug 2015

Testing The Chronic Care Model For Depression In Homebound Older Adults., Brittney Rose Getz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Homebound older adults are a unique population of older adults with many chronic illnesses and complex care needs (Qui et al., 2010). Depression is highly prevalent in homebound older adults (Qui et al., 2010). Many Chronic Care Models (CCMs) have been developed to provide a better system of care to those with chronic health conditions (Bodenheimer, Wagner, & Grumbach, 2002; Wagner et al., 2001; Wagner, Austin, & Von Korff, 1996a, 1996b). The Chronic Care Model for Depressed Homebound Older Adults is a model that was specifically designed for the depressed homebound elderly. It addresses many areas for improvement of care …


The Mankurt Remembers : The Politics Of Language In Kazakhstan., Paige Brewer May 2015

The Mankurt Remembers : The Politics Of Language In Kazakhstan., Paige Brewer

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Facing Technology : Creative Solutions To Real-World Problems., Taylor Juanita Beisler May 2015

Facing Technology : Creative Solutions To Real-World Problems., Taylor Juanita Beisler

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

We are shaped by technology. This simple idea has become more familiar to social scientists, technical engineers, and some tech users. The first section of this thesis finds unfavorable consequences of constant social media usage, such as unawareness, behavioral and cogitative modifications, and disconnection as societal ills. The second part of this thesis explains how these social side effects can be best ameliorated by “serious” designers, or those whose work is conceptual with real world applications (McLuhan, 8). The final section proposes a creative expression as it relates to bringing awareness to the social side effects of tech usage, linking …


Finding A Resolution : Religion's Role In Resolving Man's Internal Dyad., Marianna Michael May 2015

Finding A Resolution : Religion's Role In Resolving Man's Internal Dyad., Marianna Michael

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


Relation Between Intergroup Anxiety, Depression, Intergroup Contact Quantity And Quality In Northern Ireland Adolescents., Austin L. Stethen May 2015

Relation Between Intergroup Anxiety, Depression, Intergroup Contact Quantity And Quality In Northern Ireland Adolescents., Austin L. Stethen

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

No abstract provided.


The Consequences For Children Of Incarcerated Parents., Lashawn Ford May 2015

The Consequences For Children Of Incarcerated Parents., Lashawn Ford

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

There have been many controversies within the United States regarding the criminal justice system. One of the most common notions is the lack of support we give to the victims of crime. Generally, we associate the term “victim” with individuals who are directly harmed by the crime; however, we rarely consider the families of incarcerated offenders as victims (Light and Campbell 306). According to the U.S. Department of Justice, over fifty percent of state and federal inmates have at least one child under eighteen years of age (Glaze and Maruschak 1). This paper will focus on the effects incarceration can …


Examining The Relationship Between Childhood Victimization, Health Risk Behaviors, And Adult Physical Health Outcomes Among Women On Probation And Parole., Tanya R. Renn May 2015

Examining The Relationship Between Childhood Victimization, Health Risk Behaviors, And Adult Physical Health Outcomes Among Women On Probation And Parole., Tanya R. Renn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to begin to identify and describe the pathways through which childhood victimization negatively affects adult physical health. In particular, the proposed research will examine the relationship among childhood victimization, health risk behaviors and adult physical health in a population of criminal justice involved women. Previous research has depicted a relationship between childhood victimization, and physical health outcomes, but there is scant research that examines why this relationship exist. Among the most frequent health risk behaviors are alcoholism, smoking, illicit drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Health risk behaviors are highly intertwined with the bio-psycho-social factors that result …


Relational Aggression In School Settings : The Efficacy Of The First Step To Success Intervention., Alicia Latrelle Dailey May 2015

Relational Aggression In School Settings : The Efficacy Of The First Step To Success Intervention., Alicia Latrelle Dailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of relational aggression (RA) in school settings. RA is a nonphysical type of aggression where the intent is to harm relationships and the social standing of a targeted peer. Examples include social exclusion, gossip, spreading rumors and the silent treatment. RA has negative consequences for both perpetrators and victims, and is associated with friendship problems, peer rejection, depression, anxiety, poor academic performance and dropout. RA is stable and reaches its peak in middle school, continuing into adulthood. In order to address RA, this dissertation argues that early intervention is necessary with young children as early …