Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Jack Epperson: A Modern Folk Healer, Janet Tracy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study in folk medicine focuses on a modern magico-religious folk healer named Jack Epperson, who utilizes the principles of bioenergetics or placing hands on an ill person's body and directing healing energy into blocked channels to heal, in the context of the small Alaskan community in which he lives and practices. The thesis is divided into seven chapters preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion.

To fit Jack Epperson into the full spectrum of folk medicine, it is necessary to comprehend fully the two categories of folk medicine: herbal or natural medicine, and magico-religious healing or shamanism. …

Recycling: Knowledge, Demographic & Motivational Factors Which Differentiate Behavior, David Ducoff

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study focuses on motivation -Involved in recycling behavior among residents of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Knowledge of recycling and how it was acquired, and the variables of environmental concern, economic incentive and the peer pressure were compared so that behavior could be distinguished that separated recyclers from nonrecyclers. Talcott Parsons' work in action theory and George Homans' work in exchange theory provide the theoretical foundation for my study. The research was approached in a qualitatively based design with interviews of twenty area residents. Demographic factors of age, sex, religious affiliation, church attendance, education and income of respondents were solicited. In …

Applications Of Artificial Intelligence/Expert Systems To Sociological Concepts, Darryl Strode

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Social scientists are using Al (Artificial Intelligence) and Expert Systems in a variety of areas. This thesis explores some applications of "intelligent" programs in the field of sociology. These applications include modeling social networks using logic programming and simulating sociological decision-making using small knowledge-based systems. PROLOG and VP-Expert are used as development tools.

In this thesis, PROLOG was used for modeling triads. In this situation, PROLOG was used to define the "actors," the relations between them, and rules governing the existence of transitive and intransitive triads. Users are able to query the knowledge-base about various aspects of this situation. In …

Perceptions Of The Causes Of Gambling Fever In Taiwan: An Analysis Of Six Discussion Groups, San-Yi Li

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this study the causes of gambling fever in Taiwan were explored through an assessment of the perceptions of the members of six Taiwanese discussion groups. Each group consisted of six to eight concerned citizens who had a diiscussion meeting once a month for six consecutive months beginning in September 1988. During these discussions the members of the groups were allowed to discuss freely any issues of interest related to gambling in Taiwan. This study analyzed only the reasons for gambling. Three sociological perspectives were applied in this study for an explanation for gambling fever in Taiwan: (a) strain theory, …

The Interlanguage Of Advanced Speakers: Implications & Suggestions, Madeline Garr

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis details a study of the interlanguage of advanced speakers of English as a Second Language. The purpose of the study was to see what errors these students made when speaking the language in a communicative environment. In approaching the issue of interlanguage, the writer surveys the research in language acquisition as well as in interlanguage, error analysis and language learning theories. Based on this research and the results of this study, the writer explores the implications of both the research and the study and offers suggestions to teachers of advanced conversation classes.

Zora Neale Hurston: The Voice Of The Goddess, Mella Davis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Zara Neale Purston has re-emerged as an author of promise due to the re-appraisal of her works led by Alice Walker and Robert Hemenway. In both literary and folklore academic circles, Hurston's work has been reclaimed by African-American female scholars and writers, but still a significant study has yet to be done about her ethnographic contributions to folklore and her farsightedness in fieldwork methodology. This thesis seeks to validate her work as a folklorist, thereby dismissing the charges of popularization and amateurishness by re-examining her work. Mules and Men and Jonah's Gourd Vine are Hurston's two most influential folklore texts …

Horsetrading: An East Texas Study In Establishing Context, Jon Rushing

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Scholarship to date on the subject of horsetrading and horsetraders has been primarily narrative collections with a minimum of attention paid to the cultural context within which the horsetrader lives and works. This thesis focuses on the lives and dealings of several horsetraders in a five county region in middle to southern east Texas.

Beginning with a discussion of the merits and failings of existing scholarship, I outline the historical background leading to the unique regional context and strong sense of independence in my area of study. A combination of early isolation, radical economic and political swings, and a strong …

Regional Temperature Trends & Variations In The Contiguous United States From 1935 To 1986, Fahad Alkolibi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The temperature trends and variations of the contiguous United States as a whole and ten designated regions were investigated from 1935 to 1986. To obtain reliable results, 263 stations of the Historical Climate Network (HCN) were used. The HCN stations are corrected for many non-climatic factors which may bias the data. The data for the contiguous United States reveals that the annual, summer, and winter temperatures are free of clear positive or negative trends. Unlike the annual and summer data, winter temperatures exhibit relatively strong variations.

Each region was then studyed individually. The summer temperatures for all the ten regions …

Relationships Between Podiatrists & Medical Doctors: An Examination Through Network Analysis, Neale Chumbler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines how a more powerful and a less powerful profession --allopathic medicine and podiatry -- are linked in a series of networks through patient referrals and practice activities. The importance of professional networks is that they link different professions such as podiatry and allopathic medicine in ways which direct attention away from ranking the power of fields or viewing them as endlessly in conflict over occupational turf (traditional research questions) to questions of the actual and regularized relationships diverse professions have with one another. This thesis analyzes professional training and activity variables related to the emergence of networks …

The Effects Of Religious Orientation On Selective Exposure To Information Which Supports Or Contradicts One's Beliefs, James Warren Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

One hundred and two fundamentalist Christians were administered scales measuring three religious orientations (intrinsic and extrinsic religion and religion-as-quest) and selective exposure. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the three orientations and selective exposure to religious information. Selective exposure was measured in three ways: Belief confirmation - seeking belief-supporting information; Selective avoidance - avoiding belief-contradicting information; and Differential exposure - seeking belief-confirming information while avoiding contradicting information. Results of this study indicate that both quest and intrinsic religion predict the desire to read belief-confirming information. For selective avoidance, only quest predicted willingness to read counter-attitudinal …

The Vertical Dyad Linkage Model & The Perception Of Task Characteristics, Kenneth Kolosh

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study addresses two competing leadership models, the Vertical Dyad Linkage (VDL) model and the Average Leadership Style (ALS) model. The VDL model states that supervisors treat subordinates differently depending on a variety of variables (e.g., the subordinates competency, skill, trustworthiness, etc.). The ALS model states that, on average, a supervisor treats all of his/her subordinates equally. This study raises two fundamental questions that pertain to both leadership models. First, does the VDL model or tile ALS model more accurately describe leadership behavior for the first line supervisor who is in charge of blue-collar subordinates? Second, is there a …

East Urban Area Corridor Analysis Daviess County, Kentucky, Laura Pace

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The need for improved highway facilities in the east urban area of Daviess County, Kentucky, is analyzed in this study. The study focuses upon the need for alternative highway routes, due to the increased travel demands generated by a new Ohio River Bridge in eastern Daviess County. Also, the east urban area is forecasted to experience population and employment growth in the next decade, further necessitating the need for improving existing highways or constructing new corridors in the area.

Various alternative alignments for an expressway are examined. The feasibility of upgrading existing highways in the east urban area is also …

The Effects Of Constant, Force-Drop And Variable Duration Training On Increasing The Useful Field Of View, Kathleen Marie O'Connor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Useful Field of View (UFOV) is the entire area in which information can be gathered without moving the head or eyes. It is generally found that the size of the UFOV shrinks with age. Additionally, research has shown that simple practice on the UFOV task can increase the size of the UFOV. However, simple practice may not be the most effective strategy for increasing the UFOV. The present study examined whether training directed toward a specific basis of UFOV loss (slower speed of processing) is more effective than simple practice at increasing field size.

Individuals received one or three …

Stain Upon The Silence: Samuel Beckett’S Deconstructive Inventions, Leigh Howard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In recent years, deconstruction theory has emerged as a key method for exploring public address, organizational culture, and literary discourse. Deconstruction theory encourages tearing apart hierarchy and established order to gain insights about the artifact being studied. Furthermore, the theory questions surface or superficial messages and encourages the reader to explore signals hidden below the surface. Deconstruction discounts context and places faith in experience.

Using the early plays of Samuel Beckett, this research explores deconstruction as a method to create messages. This new perspective transports deconstruction from a set of theoretical concepts into basic assumptions that enhance communication. This study …