Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Understanding Across The Senses: Cross-Modal Studies Of Cognition In Cetaceans, Jason N. Bruck, Adam A. Pack

Faculty Publications

Cross-modal approaches to the study of sensory perception, social recognition, cognition, and mental representation have proved fruitful in humans as well as in a variety of other species including toothed whales in revealing equivalencies that suggest that different sensory stimuli associated with objects or individuals may effectively evoke mental representations that are, respectively, object based or individual based. Building on established findings of structural equivalence in the form of spontaneous recognition of complex shapes across the modalities of echolocation and vision and behavior favoring identity echoic–visual cross-modal relationships over associative echoic–visual cross-modal relationships, examinations of transitive inference equivalencies from initially …

Cross-Modal Perception Of Identity By Sound And Taste In Bottlenose Dolphins, Jason N. Bruck, Sam F. Walmsley, Vincent M. Janik

Faculty Publications

While studies have demonstrated concept formation in animals, only humans are known to label concepts to use them in mental simulations or predictions. To investigate whether other animals use labels comparably, we studied cross-modal, individual recognition in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that use signature whistles as labels for conspecifics in their own communication. First, we tested whether dolphins could use gustatory stimuli and found that they could distinguish between water and urine samples, as well as between urine from familiar and unfamiliar individuals. Then, we paired playbacks of signature whistles of known animals with urine samples from either the same …

Delivering Bad News: Crisis Communication Methods In Academic Libraries, Brittany O'Neill, Rebecca Kelley

Faculty Publications

This exploratory study analyzed the specific crisis communication methods of academic libraries. A survey was sent to library staff at Association of Research Libraries-member colleges and universities to describe if, who, when, and how they communicated bad news to their stakeholders for major, minor, and emerging crises. The findings show that respondents used multiple communication strategies, which varied based on the crisis. The data show that libraries communicated journal and database cancellations and health and safety emergencies more slowly than access issues and were more likely not to communicate those crises at all. Respondents also more frequently chose to communicate …

How Responsiveness From A Communication Partner Affects Story Retell In Aphasia: Quantitative And Qualitative Findings, Tyson G. Harmon, Adam Jacks, Katarina L. Haley, Antoine Bailliard

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Because people with aphasia frequently interact with partners who are unresponsive to their communicative attempts, we investigated how partner responsiveness affects quantitative measures of spoken language and subjective reactions during story retell.

Method: A quantitative and a qualitative study were conducted. In study 1, participants with aphasia and controls retold short stories to a communication partner who indicated interest through supportive backchannel responses (responsive) and another who indicated disinterest through unsupportive backchannel responses (unresponsive). Story retell accuracy, delivery speed, and ratings of psychological stress were measured and compared. In study 2, participants completed semi-structured interviews about their story retell …

Effects Of Parent-Implemented Interventions On Outcomes For Children With Developmental Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis, Tina Taylor, Timothy B. Smith, Byran B. Korth, Barbara Mandleco

Faculty Publications

A large body of literature exists related to parent-implemented interventions for children with disabilities, so it is helpful to synthesize the results of outcome-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities. Specifically, what are the effects of parent-implemented interventions intended to improve children’s (1) social behaviors, (2) life skills/adaptive behavior, and (3) communication skills? Using meta-analytic aggregation of effect sizes across 30 studies with a total of 1,356 participants, this review examined the association between parent-implemented interventions and intended outcomes for young children with developmental disabilities. Across all 30 studies comparing children’s outcomes to control groups, the random-effects-weighted average effect size …

Social Support Strategies In Online Forums Among Adult Offspring Of Parents With Harmful Alcohol Use, Marie Haverfield, John Leustek, Christine Timko

Faculty Publications

The authors categorized communication strategies employed to exchange social support (type and person centeredness) in three online forums about parents with harmful drinking. Data included discussion postreplies over 2 months; N = 1,644 units of analysis. Support type categories were identification, emotional, informational, network, and esteem. For person centeredness, most messages were moderate (expressed sympathy, provided distraction), followed by high (helped with feelings), and then low (minimized feelings). Adult offspring of parents with harmful drinking predominantly communicate self-interested forms of support in online forums. Based on principles of supportive communication, esteem support and high person centeredness may enhance social support …

Kennan And The Neglected Variable In Post-Socialist Societies: The Loss Of Honest Dialogue And The Need For Empathy, Joan Davison

Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the symbolism of George Kennan’s famous “X” article relative to the challenges of contemporary post transitions. It unpacks recent political discourse, discussing the critical application of practices such as thinking with your heart, parrhesis of the significance of uncertainty and reflection for question is: What would Kennan write in an X Article to states in transition paper employs both the definition suggested by Michel Foucault who understood it as “fearless speech” and Eric Voegelin who closely follows Plato’s meaning linking it with “heart” (dis)order of representatives of a society.

Support And Negation Of Colorectal Cancer Risk Prevention Behaviors: Analysis Of Spousal Discussions, Wendy C. Birmingham, Maija Reblin, Wendy Kohlmann, Tyler Graff

Faculty Publications

The shared social context created in a marriage may be important in motivating engagement in health behaviors, but spousal influence may not be uniformly applied. Our goal was to examine how spouses discuss health behaviors relevant for colorectal cancer (CRC) riskreduction to better understand how spouses exert or fail to exert influence. In this pilot study, first degree relatives of CRC patients and their spouses completed demographic and self-reported health questionnaires. After a genetic counseling session regarding risk and risk reduction, couples engaged in a semi-structured discussion task to discuss lifestyle choices they currently undertake or could undertake to reduce …

Interpreters' Self-Perceptions Of Their Use Of Self When Interpreting In Health And Behavioural Health Settings, Nicole Dubus

Faculty Publications

This study examines interpreters' self-perception of their use of self when interpreting in health and behavior-health settings. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the individual, semi-structured interviews of thirty-six interpreters. Interpreters, who have developed the skills and techniques required to develop and improve the effectiveness of the intervention. Interpreters are vital members of care teams. Interpreters might be under-utilized if only seen as a language driven. Embracing interpreters as members of the inter professional team may hold great promise for addressing challenges in providing culturally effective services.Cette étude se penche sur l’auto-perception des interprètes de leur recours au soi …

Living At The Friendship House: Findings From Thetransition Planning Inventory, Jane E. Finn, Vicky-Lynn Holmes, Rebecca Johnson

Faculty Publications

A residential initiative, named the Friendship House, was created through advocates focused on helping people with intellectual disabilities live independently in affordable and safe housing on a university campus. The Friendship House is a small residence hall where individuals with intellectual disabilities live side-by-side with similarly aged and same gendered university students. Qualitative finding as in resident reports and observational data provides support that the Friendship House experience has been successful. However, to better equip these residents with intellectual disabilities, it is important to assess the program in terms of post school transition acquisition skills. This study focuses on whether …

A Theme Analysis Of Experiences Reported By Adult Children Of Alcoholics In Online Support Forums, Marie Haverfield, Jennifer Theiss

Faculty Publications

Growing up with an alcoholic parent can have a lasting effect on children and contribute to a variety of challenging outcomes in adulthood. This study identified the various experiences that adult children of alcoholics (ACoA) discuss with their peers in online support groups. Trained coders conducted a thematic analysis of 504 message board posts collected over a period of 60 days from three different online support groups to identify issues that children of alcoholics face in adulthood. Seven themes emerged from the analysis: (a) empowerment through support, (b) interference of parent in adulthood, (c) connection to inner child and need …

Development And Psychometric Evaluation Of Scales To Measure Professional Confidence In Manual Medicine: A Rasch Measurement Approach, Mark D. Hecimovich, Irene Styles, Simone E. Volet

Faculty Publications

Background: Health professionals in athletic training, chiropractic, osteopathy, and physiotherapy fields, require high-level knowledge and skills in their assessment and management of patients. This is important when communicating with patients and applying a range of manual procedures. Prior to embarking on professional practice, it is imperative to acquire optimal situation-specific levels of self-confidence for a beginner practitioner in these areas. In order to foster this professional self-confidence within the higher education context, it is necessary to have valid and reliable scales that can measure and track levels and how they change. This study reports on the development and psychometric analysis …

Using Information To Manage Uncertainty During Organ Transplantation, Anne M. Stone, Allison M. Scott, Summer Carnett Martin, Dale E. Brashers

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Clarity And Chaos: Is There A Preferred Citation Style In Business Academic Literature?, Leticia Camacho

Faculty Publications

While there is no official style for business writing, the most common citation style in business research has not been determined previously. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the top scholarly business journals to determine the most commonly used citation style in business academic research. The author used the list of 452 top business journals included in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) Journal Citation Report. The results show that 69% of business journals use a publisher-dictated style, whereas of the “traditional” citation styles, 11% use the American Psychological Association style, 10% use Harvard style, 8% use Chicago …

The War Next Door: Peace Journalism In Us Local And Distant Newspapers' Coverage Of Mexico, Katherine Lacasse, Larissa Forster

Faculty Publications

This study explores the relationship between proximity to a conflict and the tendency to use peace journalism rather than war journalism modes of reporting. In the context of the current drug war occurring in Mexico, articles from both local, border region US newspapers and from distant US newspapers were coded according to their usage of war or peace journalism frames. Analyses revealed that local newspapers utilized more peace journalism frames overall, and presented a less pessimistic and negative view of the conflict and parties. Distant newspapers, however, were more likely to showcase complexity of the conflict and many parties and …

Resolutions And Their Incongruities: Further Thoughts On Logical Mechanism, Christian F. Hempelmann, Salvatore Attardo

Faculty Publications

This paper is a contribution to the study of the resolution of incongruities in humor. We reject some criticisms of logical mechanisms and analyze three different types of incongruities in humorous texts: completely backgrounded, backgrounded, and foregrounded. Only the latter are addressed by logical mechanisms. We identify a mechanism of “incongruity shifting” which may be a candidate for “deep” logical mechanism (along the lines of “parallelism” in Attardo et al. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research 15: 1–44, 2002). We finally discuss the similarities between Oring's (Engaging humor, University of Illinois Press, 2003) “appropriate incongruity” theory and our approach, which …

African American Rhetoric Of Greeting During Mckinley’S 1896 Front Porch Campaign, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

African American speakers who participated in William McKinley’s 1896 Front Porch campaign events used epideictic rhetoric to address the issues of racial equality. They praised McKinley, but presented few arguments on policy matters. This rhetorical strategy helped them to advocate policies in a manner that would superficially appear to be ceremonial more than deliberative. Paradoxically, in doing so, the speakers advocated their views to ameliorate the injustices of the Jim Crow era, while adapting to the campaign’s rituals.

Compatibility Or Restraint? The Effects Of Sexual Timing On Marriage Relationships, Dean M. Busby, Jason S. Carroll, Brian J. Willoughby

Faculty Publications

Very little is known about the influence of sexual timing on relationship outcomes. Is it better to test sexual compatibility as early as possible or show sexual restraint so that other areas of the relationship can develop? In this study, we explore this question with a sample of 2035 married individuals by examining how soon they became sexually involved as a couple and how this timing is related to their current sexual quality, relationship communication, and relationship satisfaction and perceived stability. Both structural equation and group comparison analyses demonstrated that sexual restraint was associated with better relationship outcomes, even when …

Language Characteristics Of Individuals With Down Syndrome, Gary E. Martin, Jessica Klusek, Bruno Estigarribia, Joanne E. Roberts

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Universalism In Policy Debate: Utilitarianism, Stock Issues, And The Rhetorical Audience, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Personality, Emotion And Judgment In Virtual Environments: A Theoretical Framework, Steven A. Murphy, Michael J. Hine, Nathaniel C. Lupton, John M. Zelenski

Faculty Publications

As organizations become increasingly reliant on distributive technologies, the processes that underpin the effective functioning of employees in virtual environments require systematic examination. This article provides a theoretical framework for studying personality, emotion and judgment in virtual environments. The communication media characteristics, social context, and individual traits and states are presented to portray the dynamic nature of judgment formation in a virtual environment. We argue that media characteristics, combined with personality, motivation and emergent social contexts serve to shape emotions and resultant judgments. By integrating the Information Systems (IS) and Organizational Behavior/Psychology literatures, we chart a course for research examining …

Body And Bulimia Revisited: Reflections On "A Secret Life", Lisa M. Tillmann Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

In 1996, the author published “A Secret Life in a Culture of Thinness: Reflections on Body, Food, and Bulimia” (Tillmann-Healy, 1996), an account of her struggle with binging and purging from ages 15 to 25. She came to understand bulimia as a communicative act, expressing fear, anxiety, and grief. From 25 to 35, her recovery from bulimia involved learning to “purge” emotion through other forms of communication (e.g., dialogue, writing, and teaching). At 35, separation and divorce pose the greatest challenge to the author’s 10-year recovery, yet she does not return to bulimic expression. This article invites readers to sense …

Speaking Into Silences: Autoethnography, Communication, And Applied Research, Lisa M. Tillmann Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

In 2004, two articles in the Journal of Applied Communication Research (Ashcraft & Tretheway, 2004; Goodall, 2004) celebrated the merits of auto- and narrative ethnography, methods of research grounded in lived experience and evocative modes of representation that seek to engage readers emotionally, aesthetically, ethically, and politically. Despite these and other persuasive calls for auto- and narrative ethnographic works, few have been published in communication journals. More than four years ago, JACR offered readers arguments for this kind of scholarship, yet no full-length autoethnography appeared in its pages—until now. This article, a prelude to its companion essay, “Body and Bulimia …

Examining The Cdcynergy Event Assessment Tool: An Investigation Of The Anthrax Crisis In Boca Raton, Florida, J. J. Mcintyre, Steven J. Venette

Faculty Publications

This paper examines the dependability of the Event Assessment Tool over time. The latter is part of a CD-ROM-Emergency Risk Communication CDCynergy-distributed primarily to public information officers in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Event Assessment Tool is designed to aid emergency professionals in identifying the magnitude of a crisis event and to suggest appropriate actions to confront such a situation. Applied twice during the 2001 anthrax bioterrorism crisis in Boca Raton, Florida, the tool functioned in a binary manner by first indicating a moderate crisis level (on 4 October) and then four days …

Human Resource Management In Today's Academic Library: Meeting Challenges And Creating Opportunities., Kelly D. Blessinger

Faculty Publications

This book is highly recommended for those with an interest in human resource management in libraries. Although the book focuses on academic libraries, the insights provided could be useful to all types of libraries. The varying nature of the chapters in this book would be beneficial for those in administrative and human resource positions, for students learning about the profession, and for those working within the profession. A quote by Sheila Creth in chapter 10 provides the best summary of this book: “The greatest opportunity for success in any academic library lies with the staff. As one colleague observed, our …

Analyzing How Rhetoric Is Epistemic: A Reply To Fuller, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Genung’S Theory Of Persuasion: A Literary Theory Of Oratory Of Late Nineteenth-Century America, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

John Genung’s late nineteenth century rhetoric textbooks, although founded on an eighteenth century model of Scottish composition, present an original conception of oratory. Genung’s theory breaks free of the classical models and lays out the path to be followed during the development of speech studies among American rhetoricians of the early twentieth century.

What Do You Mean, Rhetoric Is Epistemic?, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

The thesis that rhetoric is epistemic has gained widespread acceptance and has influenced rhetorical theory. The thesis suggests that argumentative justification in rhetorical contexts is fundamentally epistemic. Unfortunately, however, much of the literature developing the thesis has employed vague or inconsistent definitions of key terms, resulting in theoretical errors and needless complications. This essay clarifies the definitions of “rhetoric,” “knowledge,” and “certainty,” showing how the notion that rhetoric is epistemic might be developed in a clearer and more useful way.

We Want Yer, Mckinley’: Epideictic Rhetoric In Songs From The 1896 Presidential Campaign, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Is Modernism Really Modern? Uncovering A Fallacy In Postmodernism, William D. Harpine

Faculty Publications

Some postmodernists criticize the view that the logics of Western thought can be employed universally. In doing so, they assume without adequate proof that different human societies have greatly different rationalities and employ completely different logics. This essay argues that, on the contrary, widely different cultures often share noteworthy similarities in rationality.