Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Good, Bad, Or Biased? Using Best Practices To Improve The Quality Of Your Survey Questions, Eleta Exline

University Library Scholarship

Surveys can be an effective tool for gathering information from library users and assessing library services, yet the quality of the survey questions can make all the difference between a survey that is completed and one that is abandoned in indifference or frustration. The increased emphasis on user informed library assessment and the availability of free online survey tools combine to make the use of surveys very popular in libraries, but inexperienced survey writers are not typically aware of best practices in the social sciences for the format and syntax of survey question and response options. These widely used best …

Assessing The Impacts Of Federal Farm Bill Programs On Rural Communities, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Curt D. Grimm, Douglas Jackson-Smith

Sociology

This report summarizes the state of scientific knowledge on the impact of federal farm and food programs on rural communities in the United States. We focus on the impacts of five specific programs of what is commonly referred to as the “farm bill.” These five include farm commodity programs; farm risk management, insurance, and disaster programs; agricultural conservation programs; food and nutrition programs; and rural development programs. Although there is extensive research on the relative merits and effectiveness of specific rural development programs and policies on rural community outcomes, the impacts of the other four main farm bill programs on …

Blowin' In The Wind: Short-Term Weather And Belief In Anthropogenic Climate Change., Lawrence C. Hamilton, Mary D. Stampone

Sociology

Abstract

A series of polls provides new tests for how weather influences public beliefs about climate change. Statewide data from 5000 random-sample telephone interviews conducted on 99 days over 2.5 yr (2010-12) are merged with temperature and precipitation indicators derived from U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) station records. The surveys carry a question designed around scientific consensus statements that climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities. Alternatively, respondents can state that climate change is not happening, or that it is happening but mainly for natural reasons. Belief that humans are changing the climate is predicted by temperature …

Demystifying “Pornography”: Tailoring Special Release Conditions Concerning Pornography And Sexually Oriented Expression, Laura A. Napoli

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “This article examines the design of special release conditions and the problems that arise when such conditions do not comport with constitutional standards. Part I provides a general overview of the First Amendment issues that often arise with respect to special release conditions. Part II discusses the current state of the law and classifies the types of bans defendants have encountered in supervised release conditions. Part III explains the factors that are frequently considered in assessing the validity of special release conditions, and Part IV suggests a new approach for evaluating the constitutionality of special release conditions. The article …

Reflections On Bystander Intervention: Barriers And Facilitators In Sexual Assault Helping, Madeline C. Whitcomb

Honors Theses and Capstones

An innovation in the prevention of sexual assault and relationship violence on college campuses capitalizes on the motivation of bystanders to help stop the crime. Specifically, research on bystander helping shows factors that make it more or less likely that bystanders will take action: sharing a common social group with the victim, perceiving the severity of the situation, concerns about peer reactions and personal safety. While these studies illustrate the reasons bystanders do or do not step in, detailed descriptions of this helping process have yet to be examined. I content coded 20 in-depth qualitative interviews of student’s personal experiences …

Correlates Of Help-Seeking Following Stalking Victimization: A Study Of College Women, Saige E. Jutras, Katie Edwards, Kateryna Sylaska

Honors Theses and Capstones

The current study explored factors related to college women’s coping processes associated with stalking using an online survey methodology. Results (N= 305 college women reporting stalking victimization within the last three years) showed that 85% of women disclosed their stalking experiences most commonly to female friends. Additionally, women used a variety of coping mechanisms in response to their stalking victimization; although avoiding thinking about or acting on the stalking experience were the most common strategies, victims rated direct forms of coping as more effective in deterring the stalking behavior. Women’s coping responses to stalking were related to a …

The Digital Divide: Broadband Accessibility In Northern New Hampshire, Nicole M. D'Alessio

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Perception Of Disease Risk And Vulnerability As A Function Of Proximity To National Park Boundaries In East Africa, Irene Bridget Feretti

Honors Theses and Capstones

Studies suggest households closest to parks and protected areas (PAs) are more likely to sustain park-related losses, but the relationship between human sickness and PAs has not been fully explored. Existing literature primarily focuses on human-wildlife conflicts (i.e. crop raiding) and the potential for zoonotic disease spillover and emergence at the human-livestock-wildlife interface at PA boundaries. Understanding local perceptions of disease risk and vulnerability is essential for assessing human health relative to conservation areas. This understanding will promote better-informed consideration of human health impacts in decision making for conservation. Data from surveys taken at 301 households around Kibale National Park …

The Effects Of Mindfulness Meditation On Rumination In Depressed People, Rachel A. Sluder

Honors Theses and Capstones

Mindfulness meditation is a practice of focus, awareness, and non-judgmental acceptance of one's thoughts (Deyo et al., 2009; Kenny et al., 2007). Rumination is a maladaptive pattern of thought that is common in people with depression and other mood disorders. It can lead to further episodes of depression, and can be very destructive in that way (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2008). This paper reviews several studies on mindfulness meditation, depression, and rumination, with a focus on certain areas and phenomena such as alpha asymmetry (Keune et al 2013) and gamma band activity (Berkovich-Ohana et al., 2012). Modalities such as fMRI and EEG are …

Because I Said So: Constructing Identities In Argentina's Dirty War, Danielle N. Olean

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Morphological Study Of Drug Brand Names, Celina M. Williamson

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Justice Across The Hemispheres: The Effect Of The Pinochet Arrest On Domestic Courts In Chile And Spain, Audrey A. Hansen

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study examines whether the 1998 arrest, by order of a Spanish judge, of former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet in London for crimes of genocide and terrorism impacted the attitude of Chilean and Spanish courts toward prosecuting their own country’s human rights violations. It argues that after 1998 Chile’s judiciary increased prosecutions against former regime officials, while the Spanish judiciary upheld Spain’s 1977 Amnesty Law and declined to participate in the national discourse on the country’s past human rights violations. This research includes a comparative case study of Chile and Spain, their recent histories, their judiciaries’ attitudes towards prosecution of …

What Are The Relations Among Stress Perception, Health Perception And Activity Participation In School-Aged Children?, Allison Caplin

Honors Theses and Capstones

This correlational study examined possible relations among children’s activity patterns, perceived stress, and perceived health. A variety of self-report questionnaires were administered to a sample of 33 school age children. The Pediatric Activity Sort (PACS) was used to measure activity participation, a health questionnaire was used to assess health, and the Childhood Stress Questionnaire (CSQ) was used to measure perceived stress. Correlations showed no significant relationships between stress level and the amount of reported activity participation. The absence of significant relationships may be due to testing a sample of middle to upper class, Caucasian children, as there was a skewed …

Abnormal Sexual Assault Situations And Its Influence On Rape Myth Acceptance, Amber Carlson

Honors Theses and Capstones

The crime of rape, unwanted sexual contact, is a heavily researched topic in the sociological field. The majority of research, however, has revolved around incidences of stranger rape and the typical gender combination of male offender and female victim. The updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale was created to measure the level of participants agree with the typical rape myths of: she asked for it, he didn’t mean to, it wasn’t really rape, and she lied. This research study was designed to test the influence of gender in rape situations and how this affects the acceptance of rape myths. In …

Multimedia Use In Small News Organizations, Robyn K. Keriazes

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

New Hampshire College's World War I Training Camp: An Archaeological Investigation, Jillian M. Price

Honors Theses and Capstones

In May 1918, New Hampshire College received the first of five detachments of World War I draftees to their newly-established training camp. Under a War Department program that converted colleges to vocational training centers, these men trained as army carpenters, engineers, electricians, and mechanics. During their stay on campus, these men built two barracks to serve as their own housing. In the summer of 2012, and archaeological investigation uncovered the remains of these barracks, recovering architectural materials and evidence of soldiers' leisure activities. This paper discusses the history of the vocational training camp program, analyzes its impact on local communities …

Investigating The Presence Of A Red Zone For Unwanted Sexual Experiences Among College Students: Class Year And Gender, Elizabeth Wible

Inquiry Journal 2013

No abstract provided.

Interviewing The Street Children Of Mekelle City, Ethiopia: Their Plight And What Help Public And Private Organizations Offer, Merhawi Wells-Bogue

Inquiry Journal 2013

No abstract provided.

Deaths Exceed Births In Record Number Of U.S. Counties, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey School of Public Policy

In this fact sheet, author Kenneth Johnson examines new data released by the Census Bureau which provide insights into the continuing influence of the Great Recession on U.S. demographic trends. He reports that, for the first time in U.S. history, deaths exceeded births in two entire states: Maine and West Virginia, and a record 36 percent of all U.S. counties experienced natural decrease in 2012. Natural decrease occurs when more deaths than births occur in an area in a given year. The growing incidence of natural decrease in America has gone largely unnoticed, but the new data demonstrate that natural …

Political Bias Meets Climate Bias: Overcoming Science Denial In A Politically Polarized World, Minda Berbeco, Lawrence C. Hamilton

Sociology

No abstract provided.

Rural Natives’ Perceptions Of Strengths And Challenges In Their Communities, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad

Carsey School of Public Policy

This brief uses two sources of data to explore how Native Americans view the current socioeconomic and environmental state of their communities and their future within them—the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) surveys and focus groups with Native leaders in one rural state. The data help to illustrate how the Native experience is both similar to, and unique from, that of other rural Americans. While the findings reported by author Jessica Ulrich-Schad illustrate that there are significant challenges facing Native people, they also show that strengths and opportunities continue to exist in Indian Country and that Natives remain …

Informal Kinship Care Most Common Out-Of-Home Placement After An Investigation Of Child Maltreatment, Wendy A. Walsh

Carsey School of Public Policy

This fact sheet examines differences between urban and rural areas in foster care placement with informal kin caregivers. The data for this analysis come from a national sample of children who had a maltreatment report that resulted in an investigation: the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Author Wendy Walsh reports that informal kinship placement settings, where a parent voluntarily places a child with a family member, were the most common out-of-home placement in both rural and urban areas. Informal placements involve children who are in physical custody of a relative but may remain in legal custody of …

Record Number Of Children Covered By Health Insurance In 2011, Michael J. Staley

Carsey School of Public Policy

Using data from the 2008 through 2011 American Community Survey, this brief describes rates of children’s health insurance coverage nationally, by region, and place type (that is, rural, suburban, and central city). In addition, it details the composition of coverage in the United States, specifically the proportion of children covered by private and public insurance. Author Michael Staley reports that rates of insurance coverage for children under age 18 increased from 90 percent in 2008 to 92.5 percent in 2011 and that the proportion of children covered by public health insurance increased substantially for the fourth consecutive year in every …

County-Specific Net Migration By Five-Year Age Groups, Hispanic Origin, Race And Sex 2000-2010, Richelle Winkler, Kenneth M. Johnson, Cheng Cheng, Paul R. Voss, Katherine J. Curtis

Sociology

This report documents the methodology used to prepare county-level, net migration estimates by five-year age cohorts and sex, and by race and Hispanic origin, for the intercensal period from 2000 to 2010. The estimates were prepared using a vital statistics version of the forward cohort residual method (Siegel and Hamilton 1952) following the techniques used to prepare the 1990 to 2000 net migration estimates (Voss, McNiven, Johnson, Hammer, and Fuguitt 2004) as described in detail below. These numbers (and the net migration rates derivable from them) extend the set of decennial estimates of net migration that have been produced following …

Psychotropic Medication Use Among Children In The Child Welfare System, Wendy A. Walsh, Marybeth J. Mattingly

Carsey School of Public Policy

Prior research demonstrates that children in the child welfare system are given psychotropic medication at rates approximately three times higher than children and adolescents in the general population. Using data from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, authors Wendy Walsh and Marybeth Mattingly report that among children age 4 and older with a report of maltreatment, rates of psychotropic medication use are significantly higher in rural (20 percent) than urban areas (13 percent). Children age 4 and older with a maltreatment report in rural areas were significantly more likely to take more than one medication than children …

Recent Data Show Continued Growth In Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Use, Jessica A. Carson, William W. Meub

Carsey School of Public Policy

This brief uses data from the American Community Survey to examine rates of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) receipt in 2011, with particular attention to changes since the onset of the recession, and to receipt by family composition, region, and place type (rural, suburban, and central city locations). It also explores SNAP receipt among households at particular risk for food insecurity. Authors Jessica Carson and William Meub report that 13 percent of all households reported receiving benefits in 2011. This represents an increase from 7.7 percent in 2007, reflecting both changes in need and policy. SNAP is increasingly the target …

Emotion And Memory In Nostalgia Sport Tourism: Examining The Attraction To Postmodern Ballparks Through An Interdisciplinary Lens, Kiernan O. Gordon

Kinesiology

Nostalgia sport tourism, one of Gibson’s (1998) three forms of sport tourism, appears to have received little scholarly attention in contrast to active sport tourism and event sport tourism (Fairley, 2003; Gibson, 2002, 2003; Ritchie & Adair, 2004). Despite this apparent lack of research relative to the other two domains, insightful and thought-provoking scholarship has emerged within nostalgia sport tourism. Sociology, which is one of sport tourism’s parent disciplines, has influenced much of this scholarship (Gibson, 2004; Harris, 2006). Among other things, this epistemological orientation has yielded the importance of emotion and memory to nostalgically oriented experiences. This paper considers …

Sexting: When Are State Prosecutors Deciding To Prosecute? The Third National Juvenile Online Victimization Study (Njov‐3), Wendy A. Walsh, Janis Wolak, David Finkelhor

Crimes Against Children Research Center

Abstract The majority of state prosecutors (62%) in the sample that had worked on technology facilitated crimes against children had handled a sexting case involving juveniles, and 36% of prosecutors in the sample reported that they had ever filed charges in these cases. When charges were filed, the majority charged child pornography production felonies and 16% of prosecutors had sexting cases that resulted in the defendant being sentenced to sex offender registration. Research needs to continue to help prosecutors develop tools and strategies to deal with these complex crimes.

Updated Trends In Child Maltreatment, 2011., David Finkelhor, Lisa M. Jones, Anne M. Shattuck

Crimes Against Children Research Center

National statistics from 2011 showed continuing small declines in child maltreatment from the previous year. Overall substantiated child maltreatment actually declined 2% from 2010 to 2011, including a 3% decline in sexual abuse and a 1% decline in physical abuse. Child maltreatment fatalities were largely unchanged, down 1% from 1538 to 1527.

Updated Trends In Child Maltreatment, 2012., David Finkelhor, Lisa M. Jones, Anne M. Shattuck, Kei Saito

Crimes Against Children Research Center

National statistics from 2012 showed increases in some forms of child maltreatment for the first time in many years. While overall substantiated child maltreatment was flat from 2011 to 2012, there was a 2% rise in sexual abuse and a 5% rise in physical abuse. Neglect declined 3%, but child maltreatment fatalities rose 4% from 1557 to 1620.