Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Peeking Out: A Textual Analysis Of Heteronormative Images In Prime-Time Television, D. Renee Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation traces lesbian portrayals on network television from the 1960s through the 1990s. A focus on episodic dramas and situation comedies reveals a concise representation of the mediated lesbian image. Building on existing research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender images on television, this work focuses exclusively on the lesbian image broadcast free of charge over the air during prime-time on commercial networks in the United States. Using a postmodern feminist framework, this textual analysis examines the images and texts portraying lesbian characters in episodic dramas and situation comedies. Furthermore, applying a semiotic lens to the analysis dissects the …

Why Foreign Counterinsurgency Campaigns Fail, Donald Frederick Butler

Doctoral Dissertations

Why have foreign counterinsurgency operations had such low success rates since 1945? While operations of this type succeeded at the rate of 85.71% during the period of 1816-1945, they declined by 56.30 percentage points to just 29.49% during period of 1945-1997 (Sarkees, 2000: 123-144). This occurred even though foreign powers were often fighting in the same territories where they had previously been overwhelmingly victorious.

I argue that military defeats suffered by European states during the Second World War convinced the peoples of the developing world that colonial control could be successfully challenged. As guerrilla struggles emerged in post-war Asia and …

Functional Connectivity Of Eeg Loreta In Cortical Core Components Of The Self And The Default Network (Dnt) Of The Brain, Rex Lee Cannon

Doctoral Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Recent research exploring cortical functional connectivity defines a default network (DNt) of brain function and activation of a core midline network (CMS) in the processing of self. The electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in these components of the human DNt and CMS is not well understood. METHODS: This study was conducted with 63 participants. Individuals were recorded during eyes-closed (ECB) and eyes-opened (EOB) baselines and active task (AT) conditions (e.g., self-referential, self-image, self-concept, recent symptomology, other face and object processing). We estimated EEG source localization with standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Subjective experience was obtained for baselines and photographic conditions. …

Sociality, Cognition And Social Learning In Turtles (Emydidae), Karen Marie Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

Turtles are little studied with respect to learning, cognition and social behavior in spite of being phylogenetically a central group. Populations of many species of these long-lived animals are declining due to commercial activities (pet trade and food), pollution, and habitat destruction. This integrative study of freshwater turtle (Emydidae) behavior investigated their sociality, individual learning and memory capabilities, and the ability of turtles to learn from others.

First, I studied turtle underwater social behavior which involved naturalistic observations and ethogram development of the underwater social behavior of (Family Emydidae) at the Chattanooga Aquarium. Turtle social behavioral repertoire and interaction sequencing …

A Pure Test Of Backward Induction, Kelly Padden Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a simple computerized game to serve as a pure test of backward induction and then tests the game in the laboratory. One of the fundamental assumptions of neoclassical economic theory is that human beings function as fully rational agents who maximize their utility over multidimensional alternatives under economic constraints. However, numerous studies have shown systematic deviation from rational decision making in a laboratory setting. While no single explanation is obvious for this suboptimal behavior, the literature suggests other motivations (besides maximizing utility) may be at play, including reciprocity, trust, reputation, and welfare. The "Race to 21" game …

The Right To Know And The Fight Against Toxic Environments: The Emergency Planning And Community Right-To-Know Act Of 1986, Bernardo H. Motta

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the historical development of the right-to-know concept in the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA) of 1986. It starts with the use of words during the American Revolution, words capacious or general enough to later include the modern right-to-know idea. It also traces the real emergence of the right-to-know concept during the Cold War years of the 1950s and 1960s, including the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1966. Some of the limitations of the FOIA are discussed here, limited as it was and is by nine broad "exemptions" to the release of …

A Comparison Of Attachment-Related Defenses And Ego Defense Mechanisms, Elaine M. Rivas

Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of ego defense mechanisms has been a central component of psychoanalytic theory since Freud and the repeated subject of psychoanalytic research. Attachment theory, originally formulated by John Bowlby as a radical revision of psychoanalytic views regarding the fundamental forces that drive our behavior, includes the concept of defensive processes, but so far these attachment-related defenses have not yet been the subject of research. The current study utilized attachment-related defense ratings adapted from the Adult Attachment Projective (AAP) and more traditionally defined ego defense mechanisms as measured by the Defense Mechanism Manual (DMM) in a sample of 90 college …

Optimism And Achievement: A Domain-Specific And Within-Construct Investigation, Salmaan F. Toor

Doctoral Dissertations

Academic optimism is the general tendency to expect positive outcomes in terms of personal, current and future academic experiences. Academic optimism is similar to general optimism with the exception of academic optimism’s focus on the academic life domain. The study investigated the psychometric properties of the newly constructed Academic Optimism Scale (AOS), as well as the relationships among academic optimism, general optimism, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in relation to academic achievement. The within-subject design included 292 college students at Time with 160 of those students returning for Time 2. At each time, participants completed a general optimism, academic optimism, self-esteem, …

Social Support And Depression Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Julie Helen Grocki

Doctoral Dissertations

Late-life depression is a significant public and geriatric mental health concern and one of the most prevalent and common emotional disorders for all older United States citizens. This study examined how relationships with close friends and close relatives affected depressive symptomatology among African American and White older adults and explored how health, social and religious factors modified that relationship. The sample consisted of participants from the New Haven, CT cohort of the population-based longitudinal study, The National Institute on Aging project entitled “The Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly” [EPESE]. Respondents were ages 65-75 and older (mean age …

Www.Homeless.Org/Culture: A Cross-Level Analysis Of The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Technology Use Among Homeless Service Providers, Courtney Marie Cronley

Doctoral Dissertations

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires federally-funded homeless service providers to participate in an homeless management information system (HMIS). While federally mandated, no one has examined how these technologies are being used. Theory and research suggest that the technology dissemination is contingent upon the organizational culture in which it is used. This study represents the first empirical analysis of HMIS use and explores the cross-level relationship between staff members’ HMIS use and organizational culture.

Staff members at 24 homeless service providers completed the Organizational Social Context (OSC) survey and scores from each provider were aggregated …

Giving Back Not Giving Up: Generativity Among Older Female Inmates, Regina White Benedict

Doctoral Dissertations

Extensive research has been conducted to understand the experience of incarceration, with the focus on hardships inflicted on inmates via incarceration. In addition, the current graying of America‟s prisons has gained some attention from both policymakers and the general public. However, despite the recent upsurge in concern and interest in matters pertaining to prison inmates, the focus by and large remains on young males. Meanwhile, studies addressing the experience of incarceration for older females are virtually non-existent. Generativity, defined as the desire to give back and execution of that desire, is regarded as a universal life stage first occurring sometime …

The Relationship Between Preschool Teachers’ Beliefs About School Readiness And Classroom Practice In Tennessee Child Care Programs, Joanna Hope Denny

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past two decades, children’s school readiness has gained national attention. This has resulted in a variety of national, state, and local initiatives often with an emphasis on accountability. However, the beliefs of those who are held accountable (teachers, administrators, and parents) are rarely included in the development of such systems. This study sought to identify any relationships between teacher beliefs about school readiness with parents’ beliefs or directors’ beliefs about school readiness. Additionally, the study examined predictors of teacher beliefs and whether teacher beliefs were related to teachers’ practices in the classroom.

This study used a statewide sample …

Was That Racist Or Not? I Can’T Tell: The Music Of Prussian Blue, Michael J. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is an investigation into the music group Prussian Blue. The study was conducted by textual analysis of cultural material including novels, Web sites, documentary films, online interviews, music, videos, and magazine articles garnered through theoretical sampling. The textual analysis was conducted following the grounded theory approach to coding qualitative data. The findings reveal various discursive and ideological interconnections between the music group Prussian Blue and the contemporary hate movement. The group has a history of Holocaust denial, celebrates Adolph Hitler as someone with ―a lot of good ideas,‖ and cultivates relationships with some of the most notorious figures …

The Effects Of Betrayal Characteristics On Laypeople’S Ratings Of Betrayal Severity And Conceptualization Of Forgiveness, Lee J. Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations

The two studies included in this project were aimed at understanding the effect that relational closeness has on perceived ease of forgiveness and betrayal severity and, in turn, how betrayal severity and relational closeness influence people’s conceptualization of forgiveness. Study 1 addressed the fact that although past studies have shown that relational closeness predicts one’s willingness to forgive and researchers have posited that betrayals that are committed by those closest are the most severe, it is still unclear whether these trends are due to the characteristics of close relationships or to the characteristics of the types of betrayals that are …

The Executive Coach And Clients In Reflective Practice: Levelising As A Special Case, David T. Duncan

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate how my executive coaching clients and I engaged in reflective practice through a model of dialogical interaction called Levelising. Four individual coaching clients, representing a variety of management expertise, participated in this study. I engaged them in coaching by both inquiring into their experiences and reflecting on my own. Data consisted of verbatim transcripts from the coaching sessions, which were analyzed qualitatively using a structured, typological approach. Findings indicated that as my clients and I engaged in a reciprocal reflective process centered on the Levelising model, they experienced uncertainty along with insight …

Extending Knowledge Of Parents’ Role In Adolescent Development: The Mediating Effect Of Self, Sally Beville Hunter

Doctoral Dissertations

Much previous work has demonstrated the importance of parenting for adolescents’ psychosocial functioning. Barber, Stolz, and Olsen’s (2005) recent monograph contributed in organizing and specifying the voluminous literature on parent-child/adolescent literatures by documenting specific paths among three commonly-studied dimensions of parenting (i.e., support, psychological control, and behavioral control) and three salient adolescent outcomes (i.e., social initiative, depression, and antisocial behavior). They did not, however, explore the possible mechanisms that underlie the consistent parenting effects they and others have found.

Theory suggests that the adolescent self would be a logical mediator of the effects of parenting. Further, measures of the self, …

Essays On Financial Fraud And Tax Evasion, Martin W. Tackie

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the problem of misreporting in the corporate setting, where managers may commit accounting fraud, and in the public sector, where taxpayers may not truthfully report their income. Both accounting fraud and income misreporting have contributed to unprecedented financial losses to shareholders and governments respectively. As a result, policy-makers and shareholders are focused on one goal, that is, to mitigate the occurrence of accounting fraud and income misreporting. The process of achieving this goal starts with understanding how compensation contracts and tax schemes influence an agent’s willingness to misreport. This dissertation pursues these objectives using a blend …

Associations Of Behavioral Profiles With Social And Vocal Behavior In The Carolina Chickadee (Poecile Carolinensis), Ellen H. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations

The research described here tested for relationships among behavioral consistency, personality traits, and communicative behavior in a socially and vocally complex avian species, the Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis). First, I tested for the existence of behavioral profiles, also known as non-human animal personality, across varying contexts (presence of predator, foraging within a novel object, and novel conspecific) in the laboratory. I found evidence for behavioral profiles encompassing behavioral patterns such as activity, affiliation, aggression, and boldness. Second, I incorporated a larger social component to these studies by testing birds housed in social groups in semi-naturalistic aviary settings. In …

The Impact Of International Media Training On Radio Professionals In Indonesia, Nurhaya Muchtar

Doctoral Dissertations

Professional journalism training in developing countries has been one of the most important elements in the U.S. democracy assistance program since the late 1980s. Numerous organizations were involved with these projects focusing on both journalism and management training. This study looked at the impact of the training from the perspective of training participants. Radio professionals were the subjects for this research because they experienced the training and could describe what they thought about training and how they made use of it in their work. Indonesia was selected because it was one of the countries that received a large amount of …

Configurations Of Leadership Traits And Their Relation To Performance Ratings: A Person-Oriented Approach, Taylor Poling

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of traits has re-emerged in the leadership literature despite its checkered past. There is now ample evidence that a variety of individual traits consistently relate to leadership effectiveness. Nonetheless, enormous ambiguity remains regarding the patterning of these traits within leaders and the implications of the various interactions among traits. A major contributor to these issues has been the failure to examine these traits within their founding theoretical context, as elements operating simultaneously as a configural system within the individual. Thus, this study examines the configurations of leadership traits in a sample of middle and upper-level managers. The main …

Parsing Out Everyday Suggestibility: A Test-Retest Study, Nicole Perez

Doctoral Dissertations

The construct of “suggestibility” has garnered great interest in the field of psychology over the years. It has been invoked as an explanatory construct in social, clinical, and forensic psychology. Yet, the nature of the construct and of its factor structure is unclear. In earlier studies we operationalized suggestibility by measuring conformity, interrogative suggestibility, placebo effects, persuasibility and hypnotizability. There was no discernible factor structure obtained. Similar results were found when we narrowed our focus to sensory suggestibility. There was no cohesion among responsiveness to these types of suggestive situations by examining this phenomenon across eight sensory measures (tactile, auditory, …

Essays On Capital Gains Taxes And Housing, Zachary William Richards

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a collection of three essays regarding the effects of federal taxation of residential capital, with a focus on owner-occupied housing. Owner-occupied housing is granted a number of tax subsidies under the federal individual income tax code. Among them are the mortgage interest and property tax deductions and the tax exclusions on imputed rental income for the homeowner and capital gains from the sale of a primary residence.

In the frst essay, entitled \Does the Exclusion of Capital Gains Taxes on Housing Promote Labor Mobility?", I examine the impact of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA97), which …

The Sword, The Purse And The Gavel: Institutional Influences On The Behavior Of Supreme Court Justices, Hemant Sharma

Doctoral Dissertations

An inherent contradiction exists between two fundamental principles embedded in American political philosophy: the notion of "checks and balances" and the idea of an "independent judiciary." After all, a truly "independent" branch of government would be immune to the influences, or "checks," of external institutions. This dissertation addresses that juxtaposition through a two part analysis of Supreme Court decision-making.

The first part uses multivariate regression to illustrate that justices confirmed under conditions of divided government are more moderate in their voting behavior than justices confirmed under conditions of unified government. Ancillary findings also reveal that justices who receive more votes …

Essays On Property Tax Limitation Mechanisms, Bryan Shone

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last half-century, the United States has experienced a tax revolution at the local level of government. Driven by preferences of many residents to limit the size and growth of local government, the tax revolts have spread rapidly since the installment of Proposition 13 in the state of California in the late 1970s. Today, tax and expenditure limitations (TELs), such as property tax limits, have been implemented in the vast majority of states for a variety of reasons. This expansion in the use of TELs has raised three main questions among economists. First, why are TELs implemented to begin …

The Effectiveness Of A Restraint Reduction Policy Implemented To Reduce The Use Of Physical Restraint With Children And Adolescents In A Residential Care Facility, Irma Molina Damen

Doctoral Dissertations

This simple interrupted time-series quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of a restraint reduction policy implemented in order to reduce the use of physical restraint in a residential treatment facility for children in the southeastern United States. Aggregate data on monthly physical restraint episodes from the agency were analyzed over a period of 4 years. A 22-month period was used as the baseline and the succeeding 26 months- when the restraint reduction policy was implemented- was the intervention phase. A regular regression model, estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS), modeled the effect of the policy change, and autoregressive integrated moving average …

The Cognitive Effects Of Cosmetic Surgery Reality Shows – From A Priming Perspective, Shu-Yueh Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

This study applied priming theory to investigate the cognitive effects of cosmetic surgery reality shows. An experimental design was utilized to demonstrate the effects of cosmetic surgery reality shows on viewers‟ perceptions regarding cosmetic surgery, physically unattractive people, and the beliefs of beauty. One experimental group was exposed to cosmetic surgery reality shows and two control groups were exposed to non-cosmetic surgery reality shows. This study found strong and assimilative priming effects. After being primed with cosmetic surgery reality shows, viewers perceived greater benefits of cosmetic surgery in terms of competitiveness, confidence, appearance, happiness, and attractiveness. They also perceived lower …

Hidden Atrocities: The Forensic Investigation And Prosecution Of Genocide, Caroline Alyce Tyers

Doctoral Dissertations

The demand for forensic anthropologists and archaeologists to investigate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law is increasing. The International Criminal Court, established in 1998, has jurisdiction over the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The development of a permanent tribunal with jurisdiction over these crimes as well as the numerous State Parties to the treaty is a reflection of the international community‟s commitment to the prosecution of these crimes. Forensic evidence can and will assume an essential role in future international criminal courts.

Forensic evidence made a significant contribution to the prosecution of genocide and …

The Role Of Physical Attractiveness In Adolescent Romantic Relationships, Rebecca Furr Webb

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the role that physical attractiveness plays in many aspects of adolescent romantic relationships, such as relationship longevity, relationship satisfaction, and power dynamics within the relationship. Three specific questions are examined in this project. First, is partner physical attractiveness associated with relationship satisfaction? Second, do adolescent couples who are well ―matched‖ according to physical attractiveness remain together longer that those who are not? Third, does the couple member who is higher in physical attractiveness have more power in the relationship?

To examine these questions, we used data collected from 99 middle adolescent and 106 late adolescent dating couples. …

Experiential Avoidance, Emotional Expression, And Psychopathology In Early And Late Adulthood, Sarah Marie Robertson

Doctoral Dissertations

Experiential avoidance (EA) is an unwillingness to remain in contact with private and overt experiences, with higher EA associated with increased psychopathology. This study investigated relationships among EA, age, and the use of emotion words in positive and negative autobiographical narratives, as well as whether EA was associated with depression, anxiety, quality of life, and social support. Participants included younger (n=60) and older adults (n=60), who completed a positive and negative emotion narrative task along with measures of psychopathology. Results indicated that relative to younger adults, older adults spoke for longer time intervals in both narrative conditions. EA did not …

The Integration Of European Union Borderlands: Polish Views On Cross-Border Mobility And Cooperation Across The Polish-German Border, Michelle Janet Brym

Doctoral Dissertations

The transformation of the Polish-German border from a carefully monitored border to an open border with no restrictions on the cross-border mobility of individuals was complete with Poland's full membership in the Schengen Agreement in the fall of 2007. Meanwhile, funding from the European Union since the early 1990s has been supporting the development of projects that require collaboration between Polish and German borderlanders. A chief mechanism for this has been the zoning of border regions into so-called euro-regions, zones of cross-border cooperation, that by financially supporting projects that require collaboration across the border encourage Polish and German organizations …