Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Utah's Transportation Solution: Future Vision, Bryan Ray Farris

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In the vision statement for the future of the State of Utah drafted by the Utah Tomorrow Committee one of the primary objectives outlined is to “Build a statewide economy and infrastructure that supports a broad spectrum of opportunity for all citizens while advancing the standard of living and maintaining a high quality of life.” This statement has been reiterated by many over the last several years as the state continues to grow, experiencing along with that growth many pains along the way.

The Development Of An Electronic Newspaper At The Deseret News And A Survey Of Its Users, Marilyn L. Karras

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis looks at the history of electronic newspaper delivery systems at several newspapers and provides an in-depth study of how one Utah daily newspaper, the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, developed its own electronic newspaper over a period of years and convinced its board of directors to support it. It outlines the process of defining goals, policies and processes for creating and managing the system. It contains results of a survey conducted of subscribers to the electronic edition, called Crossroads. The survey provides demographic profiles of Crossroads users, shows how often the electronic edition is used in their …

Multimedia In Communication Education: A Survey Of Communication Educators, Michelle Hales

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project was an attempt to determine if and how educators are adapting their curriculum to reflect changes in technology. The survey revealed that the respondents, for the most part, are incorporating multimedia technologies into their curriculum. Results also showed an interesting pattern to that integration. This pattern involved two concepts of multimedia: 1) multimedia as a new form of communication (HTML, CD-ROMs, etc.), and 2) multimedia as a tool to enhance traditional forms of communication (broadcast news, print journalism, etc.). It was found that educators considered multimedia applications to enhance traditional forms of communication (i.e. image creation software, desktop/non-linear …

The Influence Of Adoption On Self-Related Social-Emotional Characteristics Of Adopted Children And Adolescents, H. Norman Ames

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Many families in our society have been created through adoption. In 1990, there were approximately 119,000 adoption placements in the United States (Flango & Flango, 1990). Over the past decade, the majority of adoptions were infants placed with White couples who ranged in age from 25 to 34 (Bachrach, Adams, Sambrano, & London, 1990).

Evolution Of A Free Press In Taiwan: A Case Study, Chi Wang

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this case study, interviews with leaders of China Times and Central Daily, plus other mass media scholars and professionals, provide evidence that a free press in Taiwan evolved after a nearly four-decade old martial law was lifted in 1987. The interviews were based on the description of press philosophies by William A. Hachten (1981) to determine whether Taiwan's press has changed from developmental to Western. Secondly, based on early work of Schramm (1964) and Lerner (1958), economic prosperity and political pluralism were studied as keys to the government's relaxation of restrictions on the Taiwanese press. The finding of interviews …

The Experience Of Psychology Paraprofessionals: Views Of Peer Counselors And Peer Educators, Heather L. Edgel

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study was conducted to examine the experience of students as paraprofessionals in psychology. 102 peer counselors/educators from 10 universities across America were sampled. The research data generated was descriptive in nature. Paraprofessionals rated experience satisfaction and expressed opinions regarding their involvement in peer counseling and peer educating programs.

Facilitation Of Intervention Strategies Of Utah State University's Human Learning Clinic: Incorporation Of Visual Learning Techniques, Jennifer L. Roskelley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

During Winter and Spring Quarters 1995, I had the opportunity to become a tutor for Utah State University's Human Learning Clinic under the direction of Dr. Lani VanDusen, I chose to become involved in this endeavor to fulfill an Honors Independent study requirement for my "senior honor's experience". In doing so, l spent Winter Quarter preparing for the actual tutoring by familiarizing myself with the various intervention strategies adhered to by the clinic and becoming comfortable with the administration of the activities involved in each method. Prior to the beginning of Spring Quarter, I was assigned my own personal client: …

Recreation, At A Glance, Michelle A. Wilkins

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As Utah prepares to showcase its majestic landscapes worldwide during the 2002 Olympic Games, countless travelers continue to explore the state's splendor. Utah is famous for its land of many faces. From the red rock of Canyonland National Park to the snow-capped mountains along the Wasatch front, the state is rich in natural diversity. This diversity translates into a broad spectrum of recreational opportunities the state can offer. For instance, Utah's alpine and cross-country ski conditions are among the best in the world. In warm months, rigorous alpine and rock trails have earned Utah the reputation as the "bicycling capital …

Online, On Trial: Pornography, The Constitution And The Communications Decency Act Of 1996, Brian E. Bowcut

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Cyberspace, in its present condition has a lot in common with the 19th Century West. It is vast, unmapped, culturally and legally ambiguous ... hard to get around in, and up for grabs. ...It is, of course, a perfect breeding ground for both outlaws and new ideas about liberty...1

So assesses Grateful Dead lyricist-turned-cyberguru John Perry Barlow the new frontier, that vast expanse of computer networks known as the Internet. Yet, in recent months, the law has come to this chaotic domain, where anything goes and nothing remains unsaid. With the passage of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA), …

A Comparison Of Landsat Tm Imagery Versus Aerial Photographs For Classifying And Monitoring Riparian Vegetation, Sara Goeking Rodemaker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge contains important riparian habitat s for fish and wildlife. The dominant woody plant species are Populus fremontii, Salix sps., and Tamarix ramosissima, a nonnative shrub that has become established in the Upper Colorado Basin in this century. T. ramosissima is quickly becoming the dominant riparian species, and could affect habitat quality and ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. A current vegetation map of the refuge was developed using Landsat thematic mapper imagery. Maps were also generated from aerial photographs to delineate areas of Tamarix invasion between 1936 and 1996. The two sources of remote sensor data …

The Effect Of Peer Counseling Training And Experience On Peer Counselors, Holly Day Mcfarland

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study was designed to measure improvement in communication skills of 11 peer counselors after training. The instrument utilized was the Interpersonal Communication Inventory which was given in a pretest-treatment-posttest format. The treatment consisted of a three month intensive training program which emphasized improving communication skills in the areas of listening, empathy and understanding. The results indicated that the peer counselors improved their communication skills dramatically. The mean on the pretest was 83.82, while the mean after the treatment was 100.09.

Radd - Respect All, Don't Discriminate Grant Proposal, Heather Mason

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Diversity. Not only a politically correct term, but a reality in the world today. Diversity surrounds us through ethnicity, ability, gender and race. Through the advent of Congressional mandates, our country is beginning to recognize the value of a workforce and community infused with a variety of people. But, in order to give momentum to this sweeping movement, an attitude of acceptance must begin early. For it is during the formative years when self-esteems are formed, and it is during these years we begin formulating our perception of those who are different.

Home Visiting For Children With Developmental Delays: An Empirical Evaluation, Tracy L. Black

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Home visiting services have become an important and common component of early intervention for children with developmental delays. Currently, this group of children is the most frequent target of home visiting programs throughout the nation, although research evaluating the effectiveness of these programs is less pervasive. For this reason, a comprehensive analysis of studies within the home visiting literature that specifically focused on children with developmental delays and their families has been conducted. This effort has been accomplished through the process of meta-analysis. In addition to the computation of standardized mean difference effect sizes, emphasis was also placed on identifying …

Fulfillment Of Marital Expectations In Relation To Communication Style And Parents' Marital Interactions, Shawn Corey Edgington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of communication variables and parent marital variables with the fulfillment of marital expectations among newlyweds. Little research has been done on newlywed expectations and communication. This is an exploratory study conducted to determine how newlyweds' exposure to parents' marital interactions and communication styles correlated with newlyweds' fulfillment of marital expectations. Fifty newlywed couples (married 3-6 months) filled out the Marital Comparison Level Index (MCLI) questionnaire about their level of fulfillment of expectations. Couples were then videotaped talking to one another about the strengths of their marriage followed by a discussion …

Adolescents' Recollection Of Early Physical Contact: Implications For Attachment And Intimacy, Mark D. Oleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three hundred seventy-six college students responded to a measure designed to examine retrospective accounts of the physical affection received during early childhood. The study looked exclusively from the perspective of the adolescent. Assessing the importance of touch in human development, and the role it plays in adult attachment and the ability to form and maintain close and intimate relations with others was the purpose of the study.

Six separate measures were used to assess the role of touch in adolescent development: three items from Gupta and Schork to assess physical affection (touch); Simpson's attachment style measure; Gerlsma, Arrindell, Van der …

Adolescent Friendship Pairs: Similarities In Identity Status Development, Behaviors, Attitudes, And Intentions, James F. Akers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Similarities between adolescent friends have been established for many characteristics, including the physical, behavioral, psychological, academic, and social domains of development. Past research and theory also support the notion that psychological and behavioral characteristics are likely related to ego-identity characteristics. This study was primarily a test of the logical extension of the previous statements: Best friends are more similar than nonfriends on identity characteristics. It was also hypothesized that best friends are more similar than nonfriends on behaviors, attitudes, and intentions expected to be related to identity.

A sample of 1,159 grade 10-12 students responded to a survey that included …

Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: The Patients' Perspective, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating-disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. To date, little research has been conducted that might provide clinicians with an understanding of the critical factors that may aid clients' recovery. Such factors may be used by clinicians to better motivate clients to collaborate in treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the critical factors that women with eating disorders believed were crucial in prompting or facilitating their recovery. Identification of these factors was accomplished through a systematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with recovered or recovering bulimics and anorexics. …

The Relationships Of Gender And Age With Peer Acceptance In Primary-Grade, Multiage Classrooms At Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Thomas Anthony Shuster

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes the effects of gender and age on peer acceptance in primary-grade, multiage classrooms at Edith Bowen Laboratory School at Utah State University. The population described consisted of six multiage classrooms composed of male and female students from 6 to 8 years old. The classrooms were approximately balanced by gender and age. Students spent the entire day and received all instruction in the multiage setting.

Students completed "Work With" and "Play With" sociometric rating-scale instruments. For both instruments, results revealed the existence of "gender cleavage"--both genders preferred work and play partners of their own gender. In general, age …

A National Survey Of Training Practices Of Agencies Employing Home Visitors, Nicole Hawkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study reports the characteristics of home visitor training based on the results of a national survey of nominated best practice home visiting programs that service children with disabilities and their families. Two hundred thirty-six programs were nominated by their state's director of Maternal-Child Health and/or their state's Part H Coordinator as community-based programs that have had success integrating home visiting services into their community's overall system of care for children eligible for Part H services and/or special health care needs. The return rate of the survey was 85%, and these 193 programs serve as the basis for this study. …

Is There A Connection? An Exploratory Study Of Abuse Experiences And Perpetration Patterns Among College Males, Monique R. Frazier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported experiences of primary, secondary, and perpetrated abuse of an emotional, physical, and sexual nature among a male, nonclinical, noncriminal sample. One hundred forty-two subjects completed the Youth Experiences and Behaviors Questionnaire (YEBQ) (developed by the author) and the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Results indicated that overall, the YEBQ demonstrated moderate to high levels of internal consistency reliability and moderate levels of concurrent and divergent validity. Various descriptive statistics, scale, and subscale correlations for the YEBQ were provided.

Results indicated that secondary abuse information was most predictive of later abuse perpetration with …

Sources Of Recreational And Community Conflict From Tourism In Moab, Utah, Susan R. Van Patten

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A written survey of 200 Moab residents was used to measure residents' attitudes 11 toward tourism. Three regression models were developed using variables identified in the tourism literature to measure the relative importance of interpersonal contacts with tourists, negative impacts to outdoor-recreation experiences, and community experience in predicting attitudes toward tourism. Interpersonal contacts and recreation impacts both had fairly high predictive capabilities. It was concluded that interactions between recreation visitors/tourists and local residents should be a focus of further research.

Data from the Moab resident survey were also used in conjunction with a survey of mountain bikers visiting or living …

The Effect Of Housing And Food Expenditures On Diet Quality Of Low-Income Households In Salt Lake County, Rebecca Low

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During a time of national and local debate over welfare reform, research is needed to determine the effectiveness of specific welfare programs and the impact on the lives of households participating in these programs. The objective of this study was to determine the effect housing and food expenditures have on the diet quality of low-income families. Participants for the study were drawn from government-subsidized housing rolls and housing assistance waiting lists. Diet quality was measured by 16 variables: percent RDA protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium consumed; percent calories from protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol; and the …

The Effect Of Immediacy And Salience Questionnaire Response Rates, Audrey Matsumoto

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study, a theory that identified salience and immediacy as two constructs that significantly determine questionnaire response rates was tested. This theory emphasized the importance of identifying and rating factors that impact the immediacy and salience of a questionnaire to a specific population. It was proposed that factors that make a questionnaire highly immediate and salient to a given population should be identified first, and then implemented into the construction and administration of the questionnaire. In this way, researchers can manipulate the variables, which will maximize the response rate for their specific population before distribution. A questionnaire that is …

A Partial Equilibrium Analysis Of Nafta And Its Impact On U.S. Beef Trade With Canada And Mexico, Srinidhi Ananthramiah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In September 1993, the United States Congress formally ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in conjunction with the legislatures of Canada and Mexico. NAFTA phases out tariff barriers between the United States, Canada, and Mexico over a period of several years.

The primary purpose of this study is to provide an empirical tool for evaluating the effects of NAFTA on beef trade between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Trends were identified in U.S. beef exports and imports to Canada and Mexico over a period of several years. From the data on import/export quantities and prices, relevant elasticities …

The Relations Between Parenting Stress, Father Involvement, And Leisure, Among Fathers Of Preschool-Age Children, Patricia Mehl Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined relations between fathers' parenting stress, father involvement in child care giving, and family leisure activity among 46 fathers of preschool age children. Results indicate that the relations between parenting stress and father involvement depend on child gender. A negative association was found between parenting stress and father involvement in caregiving among fathers of boys but a positive association was found between these two variables among fathers of girls. furthermore, higher levels of family play are associated with lower levels of parenting stress among fathers of boys. Results also indicated a negative association between father involvement and mothers' …

A Validation Study Of The Trio Measure Of Visual Processing Ability, Jonathan David Spach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Trio is a newly developed group-administered instrument designed to measure visual ability for application in cognitive styles research. This study investigated the validity of Trio as seen in its convergence or divergence with two established tests, one conceptually related and one conceptually unrelated. The correlation of Trio scores with scores on these other two tests was examined using a sample of undergraduate students.

The analysis of the relationship between scores on Trio and on the conceptually related Learning Figures Test failed to provide evidence that these two tests are measuring the same construct. At the same time, Trio's correlation with …

Analogical Problem Solving: An Exploratory Analysis Of The Facilitating Effects Of Type Of Training, Analog Type, And Level Of Expertise On Spontaneous Transfer, Dune E. Ives

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on analogical problem solving has delineated several factors that impact one's ability to spontaneously generate a correct solution strategy to a target problem. These factors include, but are not limited to, type of analogy provided to subjects (i.e., partial versus complete), the level of isomorphism between analogies and target problems, and the solver's level of analogical problem-solving expertise

Recently, researchers have begun to focus on providing solvers with direct instruction on analogical problem-solving processes and strategies in an effort to augment analogical problem-solving ability. The most common type of instruction (i.e., teacher-generated) involves providing direct instruction on problem-solving processes …

Risk Factors And Bulimia Outcomes In Adolescent Women: A Longitudinal And Retrospective Analysis, Therese Elizabeth Barnett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of the present study was to verify whether four purported risk factors predate the development of eating disorder symptoms, particularly bulimia nervosa. The four major purported risk factors for developing bulimia nervosa (and eating disorders in general) among female adolescents include: (a) over internalization of culture’s value of thinness in women, (b) inordinate dissatisfaction with body form, (c) depression, and (d) irrational beliefs and cognitions about thinness and the benefits of dieting. The present study involved a 5-year follow-up of adolescent girls initially identified as being either at high or low risk for developing an eating disorder, particularly …

A Survey Of Perceived Control And Domestic Environment Aspects Of Early Adolescent Boys With And Without Identified Externalizing Behavior Problems, Gary W. Mauk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two demographically congruous groups of early adolescent boys, one group with identified externalizing behavior problems (ESP) and one group enrolled in regular education (RED), were surveyed using anonymous self-report questionnaires that assessed academic, social, and general domains of perceived control and aspects of familial experiences. Data from EBP and RED boys' extant scholastic archival records were also collected. Also, using anonymous self-report questionnaires, the parents of EBP and RED boys were surveyed regarding their levels of satisfaction regarding aspects of parenting.

This study found that EBP boys had statistically significantly lower reading, math, and language achievement scores and grade point …

Visitor Use Of Interpretive Facilities At Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming, Rizal Bukhari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Visitors expect to a gain high-quality outdoor experiences at any recreation site they visit. In order to support that effort, most recreation managers utilize interpretive facilities to educate and inform visitors about the site. It is important for interpretive managers to be aware of what kind of interpretive media could best be used in a given setting for the type of visitor anticipated. To accomplish this goal, it is necessary to understand visitors' behavior and incorporate that understanding into the interpretive planning process.

This study looks at visitor use of interpretive facilities provided at Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming. The …