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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

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2002

Theses/Dissertations

The University of Maine

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Articles 1 - 26 of 26

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Politics And Values Of Individualists And Collectivists: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, David Y. Bourgeois Dec 2002

The Politics And Values Of Individualists And Collectivists: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, David Y. Bourgeois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism as testable dimensions of cultural variation. Collectivism emphasizes the primacy of norms, duties, and obligations, whereas individualism favors maximum enjoyment for the individual, interpersonal contracts, and freedom fiom the collectivity. While the horizontal dimension stresses equality, the vertical dimension calls attention to hierarchy. While past research (Triandis, 1995, Triandis & Gelfand, 1998) has demonstrated the convergent and divergent validity of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism, it is contended that the Triandis (1 995) measures of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism could provide predictive value by discriminating between attitudinal responses …

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The Role Of Local Attributes In Community Choice, Michele Ann Mcmahon Dec 2002

The Role Of Local Attributes In Community Choice, Michele Ann Mcmahon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Residential location choices are analyzed to determine the significance of local attributes in the moving decision. A unique data set consisting of 602 recent movers in Maine is used to perform the analysis. Additionally, municipality-level data for 531 municipalities in Maine are used in the analysis. The community-level data are fiscal, social, and environmental in nature. A conditional logit model is estimated to model the choice of community as a function of the community characteristics, and a mixed logit model is estimated to model the choice of community as a function of both community characteristics and characteristics of the household. …

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Two Bioeconomic Studies On Haddock Culture: Live Feed And Juvenile Production, Kate M. Waning Dec 2002

Two Bioeconomic Studies On Haddock Culture: Live Feed And Juvenile Production, Kate M. Waning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The State of Maine is reliant upon its natural resources. Wild catches of marine finfish, especially ground fish such as cod and haddock, are declining. In addition, several new restrictions have been placed on the culture of Atlantic salmon due to its listing under the Endangered Species Act. These issues serve as an impetus to explore the development of alternative species for cold-water marine aquaculture. This research focuses on early haddock culture. The two areas where haddock culture varies from production of other species are the need for live feeds and proximity to seawater. Unlike salmon, haddock spend their entire …

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Evaluating Conflicts In The Use And Development Of Geographic Information Systems, Amber Bethell Dec 2002

Evaluating Conflicts In The Use And Development Of Geographic Information Systems, Amber Bethell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Use of geographic information systems is increasing in governments, commercial companies, and by individual users. With such pervasive use of GIs there has been surprisingly little investigation of the values that various parties would support in the development of geographic technologies. There are many parties involved in the use of GIs each with opinions of what are good goals for developing and using such systems. This research seeks to determine differences and similarities among parties in the importance placed on supporting specific societal goals germane to the use of geographic technologies and databases. Previous research determined six areas where the …

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Modeling Boundaries Of Influence Among Positional Uncertainty Fields, Joshua P. King Dec 2002

Modeling Boundaries Of Influence Among Positional Uncertainty Fields, Joshua P. King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within a CIS environment, the proper use of information requires the identification of the uncertainty associated with it. As such, there has been a substantial amount of research dedicated to describing and quantifying spatial data uncertainty. Recent advances in sensor technology and image analysis techniques are making image-derived geospatial data increasingly popular. Along with development in sensor and image analysis technologies have come departures from conventional point-by-point measurements. Current advancements support the transition from traditional point measures to novel techniques that allow the extraction of complex objects as single entities (e.g., road outlines, buildings). As the methods of data extraction …

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Foot On The Rope: Corporate Apologia And The Discourse Of Vince Mcmahon, Bryce Mcneil Aug 2002

Foot On The Rope: Corporate Apologia And The Discourse Of Vince Mcmahon, Bryce Mcneil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vince McMahon, chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, is a unique corporate leader. He is also a performer for his entertainment company and the WWE possesses a unique connection with its audience. The WWE and professional wrestling are influential elements of popular culture. The study of corporate image management has been the focus of many organizational communication studies. One specific genre of rhetorical criticism in this area is image restoration studies. This genre concerns itself with how corporate leaders handle themselves in situations that challenge their company's reputation. Image restoration studies have been limited to their own genre and have rarely …

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A Curriculum-Based Approach For Social-Cognitive Skills Training: An Intervention Targeting Aggression In Head Start Preschoolers., Erika Michelle Carpenter Aug 2002

A Curriculum-Based Approach For Social-Cognitive Skills Training: An Intervention Targeting Aggression In Head Start Preschoolers., Erika Michelle Carpenter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a social-cognitive skills training curriculum targeting aggression in Head Start preschoolers. Developmental psychopathology research clearly suggests that early intervention with aggressive preschoolers is critical. Despite the fact that aggressive behavior becomes stable by the elementary school years, there has been relatively little interest in intervening with preschool-aged children. In the present study, the COMPASS program is a 12-session curriculum teaching basic individual social skills (e.g., sharing, questioning, listening). Following the work of Mize and Ladd (1983; 1990), the curriculum was puppet-facilitated and employed the components of instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and …

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Cognitive Disinhibition And Creativity, Oshin Vartanian Aug 2002

Cognitive Disinhibition And Creativity, Oshin Vartanian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eysenck (1995) and Martindale (1999) have proposed that creativity is characterized by cognitive disinhibition. Cognitive disinhibition is hypothesized to underlie many of the cognitive processes that have been associated with creative cognition, such as defocused attention and wide associative horizon. Whereas Eysenck (1995) argued that lower cognitive inhibition is a relatively permanent characteristic of the thinking style of creative people, Martindale (1999) has argued that creative people can focus or defocus attention depending on task demands. This dissertation describes four experiments that were designed to test the disinhibition theory in general, and specific predictions derived from Eysenck's and Martindale's versions …

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Emotion Regulation In Adolescent Females With Bulimia Nervosa: An Information Processing Perspective, Leslie A. Sim Aug 2002

Emotion Regulation In Adolescent Females With Bulimia Nervosa: An Information Processing Perspective, Leslie A. Sim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the increased attention to affect regulation in bulimia nervosa is encouraging, most theoretical models describing the relationship between binge-eating and emotion dysregulation neglect to place their observations in the context of the growing knowledge base on normal emotional development. Because the nature of abnormal functioning is best understood in relation to normal development, integrating these fields of research would identi@ deficient skills in bulimia nervosa, suggesting new avenues for treatment. The present study compared 16 adolescent girls with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bulimia nervosa to 16 age- and SES-matched girls without a psychiatric disorder, on three aspects of the …

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The Measure Of Adolescent Heterosocial Competence: Development And Construct Validation, Rachel L. Grover Aug 2002

The Measure Of Adolescent Heterosocial Competence: Development And Construct Validation, Rachel L. Grover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the widespread consensus regarding the importance of other-sex relationships in adolescence, surprisingly little research has addressed the construct of adolescent heterosocial competence. The goal of this series of studies was to construct a measure of adolescent heterosocial competence, and in doing so, further define the construct. Nearly 500 adolescents participated in a series of four studies that followed the five-step method outlined in Goldfiied and D'Zurilla's (1 969) seminal article on assessing competence. The data generated in the first three studies were used to construct a 40-item multiple-choice measure entitled the Measure of Adolescent Heterosocial Competence (MAHC). These studies …

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Social Information-Processing In Adolescent Girls: A Comparison Of Sex Offending Girls, Delinquent Girls, And Girls From The Community, Elizabeth Knapp Kubik Aug 2002

Social Information-Processing In Adolescent Girls: A Comparison Of Sex Offending Girls, Delinquent Girls, And Girls From The Community, Elizabeth Knapp Kubik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Various lines of evidence suggest that sex offenders exhibit "thinking errors" or cognitive distortions about their sexually offensive behaviors (e.g., blaming the victim). Numerous clinical reports have documented cognitive distortions among adolescent male sex offenders; empirical research consistently finds evidence of cognitive distortions among adult male sex offenders; sex offender treatments that focus on cognitive distortions as a primary target of treatment have been shown to be the most effective type of treatment for sexual offending; and research on general aggression in adolescent boys and girls consistently demonstrates that aggressive children tend to have distorted beliefs about their aggressive behavior. …

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The Value Of Inaugurals: Analysis Of Construction, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii Aug 2002

The Value Of Inaugurals: Analysis Of Construction, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of modem mass mediated presidential inaugurals was conducted through the use of close textual analysis of each speech as well as an historical analysis of the development of the mass media since the nation's birth. In an effort to identify the goals, themes and strategies used by presidents in their inaugurals, seven pre-Kennedy and every post-Kennedy first inaugural address were analyzed. Using the work of Campbell and Jamieson (1991) as a stepping stone for the identification of these themes, seven themes and their various strategies of enactment were uncovered. Each of these themes were found to be enacted …

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Determinants Of Consumer Behavior In An E-Commerce Environment, Xiang Xue Aug 2002

Determinants Of Consumer Behavior In An E-Commerce Environment, Xiang Xue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online specialty food and beverage marketing has developed rapidly in the last decade. With the obvious increase in the sales income, researchers showed more and more interests in this promising market. Previous studies in this field primarily focused on the demographic profiling of the online specialty food consumers as well as initial analysis in the factors that motivate their purchase behavior. However, it is far from fully explaining consumer's online shopping activities. In order to solve these problems, new methods should be attempted to determine the factors influencing consumer's online buying behavior. A cluster analysis was developed to identify what …

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Impacts Of Technology Adoption: Comparing Returns To The Farming Sector In Maine Under Alternative Technology Regimes, Aaron K. Hoshide Aug 2002

Impacts Of Technology Adoption: Comparing Returns To The Farming Sector In Maine Under Alternative Technology Regimes, Aaron K. Hoshide

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tests if certain technology choices are associated with a reduction in the proportion of farming activities in the agro-food system in Maine. Goodman, Sorj, and Wilkinson define appropriationism as the replacement of farming sector activities by industrial inputs. Based on the concept of appropriationism, industrial fanning systems using large amounts of synthetic inputs contribute less to fanning than more agrarian systems, like organic fanning. Thus, returns to the farming sector should be greater for organic compared with conventional potato fanning in Maine since organic farming uses fewer industrial inputs. Goodman et. al. define substitutionism as the displacement of …

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Individual Differences In The Neurophysiology Of Creativity, Jonna Kwiatkowski Aug 2002

Individual Differences In The Neurophysiology Of Creativity, Jonna Kwiatkowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theories dating back to the 1800's have suggested neurophysiological specialization as a key factor in creative production. A common theme in these theories is that greater flexibility in neurophysiological response to stimuli allows more creative individuals to customize their response to the task at hand (Martindale, 1999). In particular, more creative individuals are able to enter a more relaxed, free associative cognitive state when it is necessary for them to produce a creative solution (e.g., Kris, 1952; Mednick, 1962; Mendelsohn, 1976). There is empirical support for individual differences in neurophysiological state between more and less creative participants performing creative tasks …

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Creative Book Arts Preserving Family History, Sarah Owen Tabor Aug 2002

Creative Book Arts Preserving Family History, Sarah Owen Tabor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the project I have developed a series of four artist's books from material I have collected pertaining to my family history. Over the last four years I have collected written narratives, photographs, tape-recorded interviews, genealogies, letters, electronic communications, and other documents. The first book in the series is an accordion-style book contrasting a trip my Great Grandmother took to Yellowstone National Park by covered wagon from Oklahoma Territory in 1903 with my trip from Maine to the same park in 1978. Though technology had changed the mode of transportation, and the intervening years had seen changes in many other …

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A Single Subject Investigation Of Behavioral And Cognitive Therapies For Body Dysmorphic Disorder, April O'Grady May 2002

A Single Subject Investigation Of Behavioral And Cognitive Therapies For Body Dysmorphic Disorder, April O'Grady

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a psychological disorder characterized by an intense preoccupation with an imagined physical defect, causes extreme distress and leads to depression, divorce, and suicide. Currently, empiricallysupported treatments include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, however, one important component of treatment literature yet to be investigated is the relative efficacy of cognitive or behavior therapy as a sole treatment. In particular, examinations of change processes throughout the course of treatment are needed. Thus, the identification of necessary treatment components in the CBT package and the isolation of specific change processes could lead to a more streamlined and …

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Architecture Of The Popham Colony, 1607-1608: An Archaeological Portrait Of English Building Practice At The Moment Of Settlement, Peter H. Morrison Jan 2002

Architecture Of The Popham Colony, 1607-1608: An Archaeological Portrait Of English Building Practice At The Moment Of Settlement, Peter H. Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From August 1607 to summer or fall 1608, the Popham Colony was established on what is now known as Hossketch Point, in Popham Beach, Maine. Rediscovered in 1994, the archaeological remains of the colony are providing insights into one of England's earliest colonial efforts in North America. Among the most exciting hds, are features relating to early seventeenth-century English building practices. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of the colony's six meter wide by twenty meter long storehouse, the "Admiral's howse," one of two apparently connected buildings, the buttery general or the Corporal's house; and what has tentatively been identified as the …

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Variability And Continuity Between Paleoindian Assemblages In The Northeast: A Technological Approach, Edward Cyrus Moore Jan 2002

Variability And Continuity Between Paleoindian Assemblages In The Northeast: A Technological Approach, Edward Cyrus Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Paleoindian record in Maine consists almost exclusively of stone artifacts. Of these artifacts, the fluted projectile point is the most widely recognized and researched, particularly its morphology. Very little is known of the technological strategies involved in the production of Paleoindian stone tools or whether these strategies were consistent between Paleoindian sites. This research examines stone tool production methods and technological organization between two Paleoindian sites in Maine (Janet Cormier and Nicholas) using remnant technological attributes observed on discarded artifacts. Both sites are located in southwestern Maine within the Little Androscoggin River. The sites are situated on elevated, well-drained …

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Continuing In Overtime: Women Of Retirement Age Who Are Still At Work, Elizabeth Johns Jan 2002

Continuing In Overtime: Women Of Retirement Age Who Are Still At Work, Elizabeth Johns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of retirement-age Maine women (age 65 or older) who are still in the workforce. According to the U.S. Census, just 10 percent of women in this age group were in the national workforce in the year 2000. Yet various socioeconomic factors suggest that more older workers will stay at work longer, reversing a long-standing trend toward earlier retirement. For women, such factors include improved health and longevity; concentration in the low-wage work sector; career interruptions; the high incidence of divorce; inadequate retirement savings; and personal investment in careers. Thus, the experiences of today's older working …

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Grandparent Support And The Family With A Child With A Disability., Laureen Coutts-Clarke Jan 2002

Grandparent Support And The Family With A Child With A Disability., Laureen Coutts-Clarke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grandparents (70) and parents (115) completed a survey about grandparent support, involvement, and helpfulness with grandchildren with disabilities. Grandparents reported on activities they did with their grandchildren and answered open-ended questions regarding who helped them learn about the grandchild's disability and what their general reaction was to the disability. Parents answered open-ended questions regarding what were the most and least helpful things that the grandparents did to help the grandchild with the disability. Grandparents' affectional solidarity was related positively to the number of activities they did with their grandchild. Grandparents reported that information and explanations about the disability were most …

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Room Of Confession: An Investigation Into The Challenges And Possible Applications Of Primary Narrative For Use In Middle School Peer Harassment Intervention, Dorothy D. Foote Jan 2002

Room Of Confession: An Investigation Into The Challenges And Possible Applications Of Primary Narrative For Use In Middle School Peer Harassment Intervention, Dorothy D. Foote

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peer harassment is an omnipresent reality in our schools today. The literature reviewed for this paper examines harassment and victimization on several levels (e.g., individual behaviors of target and perpetrator, various forms of victimization, group processes, family dynamics, and structural characteristics of larger units such as the classroom and the school). The literature identifies a number of prevention and intervention strategies designed to address this issue in a school setting, with much of the emphasis on the classroom teacher or guidance department. One strategy not found in the current literature is storytelling in the form of primary narrative. This thesis …

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Factors Influencing Attrition And Retention Of Female Students In The College Of Engineering, Sheryl A. Brockett Jan 2002

Factors Influencing Attrition And Retention Of Female Students In The College Of Engineering, Sheryl A. Brockett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to explore experiences of female undergraduates in the College of Engineering at the University of Maine with an eye toward attrition and retention issues. A total of 152 engineering students were included in this study (n=93 women; n=59 men). Specifically, this study investigated what differences and similarities exist between male and female engineering majors in terms of: family background, choosing to major in engineering, high school academic performance, college academic performance, use of college academic services, perception of support, participation in outside activities, perception of their academic ability and experience, and perception of impact …

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Analysis Of Variables Related To Social Interactionsin Children With Agenesis Of The Corpus Callosum, Donna Ross Doherty Jan 2002

Analysis Of Variables Related To Social Interactionsin Children With Agenesis Of The Corpus Callosum, Donna Ross Doherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze and describe the common communication, social, and behavioral attributes of individuals with agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC), a rare congenital brain anomaly, as they relate to social interaction This study analyzed data collected from over seven hundred families and made available through The ACC Network. The researcher utilized descriptive statistics to analyze the total sample and ANOVA to determine if differences occurred due to primary callosal diagnosis or age. An additional analysis examined features of individuals with higher level communication abilities. This sample represented a broad range of ability and disability, …

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Autism And Its Effects On The Family, Adam M. Hutton Jan 2002

Autism And Its Effects On The Family, Adam M. Hutton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of having a child with autism on the family. The study is comprised of a non-random sample of 21 families with children who have been diagnosed with autism. The parent who is the primary caregiver of these children was interviewed about recognitiorddiagnosis of autism in their child, services accessed, and the impact of having a child with autism on their family. The results of these interviews suggest that families who have a child with autism share many of the same feels of frustration, stress, constant need for schedules, and also …

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Talking About Sexuality: Parent's Communication And Its Influence On Their Children's Attitudes And Behaviors, Eilean G. Moskey Jan 2002

Talking About Sexuality: Parent's Communication And Its Influence On Their Children's Attitudes And Behaviors, Eilean G. Moskey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is in fact any relationship between the amount of interaction and influence parents have with their children, and their children's later sexual behavior and attitudes. This study analyzed data collected from students enrolled in a human sexuality class from 1990 to 2002. Results of the study show that clearly parents and children are not talking about sex very frequently. In all the years studied, the majority of the students said that they never asked their mother or father a question about sex. While few significant differences in sexuality attitudes and …

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