Psychology Commons^™

Young Childrens' Understanding Of Superstitions, Kara Yeckering

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The aim of this study was to examine young children's understanding of superstitions—specifically bad luck superstitions. Children between the ages of 4 and 9 received a set of interview questions concerning their experiences with superstitions, their beliefs about the efficacy of superstitions, and their knowledge of the mental and physical components of superstitions. Participants also completed a belief task designed to assess the relative importance of belief and action in superstitions. The findings indicate developmental patterns in children's awareness of superstitions and beliefs in efficacy of superstitions. With age, children demonstrated a significantly greater awareness of superstitions. In contrast, children …

An Exploration Of Automobile Insurance Fraud, Robyn Lincoln, Helene Wells, Wayne Petherick

Wayne Petherick

This exploratory study analyses claiming behaviour within the automobile insurance industry. A local insurance company provided 32 automobile insurance claims thus permitting qualitative and quantitative analysis. This study enunciates non-fraudulent claiming behaviour as the sample included only a low number of suspected fraud cases. Variables contained within each of the claim files were analysed, as were the statements of the insured individuals. Each claimant is required to provide two written statements to the local insurance company and these statements were analysed for consistency and detail.

The overall findings revealed that claimants were generally employed, middle-aged males who were sober at …

The Effect Of Abortion Legalization On Sexual Behavior: Evidence From Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Jonathan Klick, Thomas Stratmann

All Faculty Scholarship

Unwanted pregnancy represents a major cost of sexual activity. When abortion was legalized in a number of states in 1969 and 1970 (and nationally in 1973), this cost was reduced. We predict that abortion legalization generated incentives leading to an increase in sexual activity, accompanied by an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Using Centers for Disease Control data on the incidence of gonorrhea and syphilis by state, we test the hypothesis that abortion legalization led to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. We find that gonorrhea and syphilis incidences are significantly and positively correlated with abortion legalization. Further, we …

Influences On Juror's Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Shawn Rainey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Participants role-played jurors evaluating the facts of a potential sexual harassment incident, including information on victim and perpetrator intoxication levels. They first made an individual determination of sexual harassment, followed by a group determination. Generally, sober perpetrators were more likely to be perceived as guilty of sexual harassment than either intoxicated perpetrators or when no information on perpetrator intoxication was available. However, victim intoxication interacted with gender to impact decisions of sexual harassment. Men were less likely than women to find the perpetrator guilty when the victim was sober. Women were less likely than men to find the perpetrator guilty …

Trends. Espionage And Sex: A Commentary On Personnel Security Criteria, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses one aspect of sexual orientation – homosexuality - in a security and intelligence context.

God And Man In The White House: Implications For Going To War, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article highlights pertinent psychological research on the relationship between a national leader’s religious beliefs and that leader’s decision making on going to war.

Hardy Girls News Vol. 2, No. 3 (Spring 2003), Hardy Girls Healthy Women Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Understanding Grief And Loss With Children From Divorced Families, Angela C. Meyer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to present information about how grief and loss affect children from divorced families. Divorce can be just as traumatic as the death of a loved one, and the divorce rate continually increases every year. Two models of grief and how they apply to children of divorce are presented, as well as an explanation the process of grief in relation to divorce. Finally, this researcher identifies prevention and intervention techniques that schools and the whole community can use to aid children through the grief process of divorce.

Hardy Girls News Vol. 2, No. 2 (Winter 2003), Hardy Girls Healthy Women Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Science, Identity, And The Construction Of The Gay Political Narrative, Nancy J. Knauer

Nancy J. Knauer

This Article contends that the current debate over gay civil rights is, at base, a dispute over the nature of same-sex desire. Pro-gay forces advocate an ethnic or identity model of homosexuality based on the conviction that sexual orientation is an immutable, unchosen, and benign characteristic. The assertion that, in essence, gays are "born that way," has produced a gay political narrative that rests on claims of shared identity (i.e., homosexuals are a blameless minority) and arguments of equivalence (i.e., as a blameless minority, homosexuals deserve equal treatment and protection against discrimination). The pro-family counter-narrative is based on a behavioral …

An Analysis Of The Relationships Between The Perceived Organizational Climate And Professional Burnout In Libraries And Computing Centers In West Virginia Public Higher Education Institutions, Arnold R. Miller

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the perceived organizational climate and professional burnout in libraries and computing services units in West Virginia higher education. Research questions were defined to investigate the differences between libraries and computing services units in the perceived organizational climate, professional burnout, organizational climate vs. burnout, demographics vs. organizational climate, demographics vs. burnout, and the combined effects of demographics and organizational climate upon burnout. The Work Environment Scale (WES) Form R, third edition, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) HSS, third edition, and a demographic questionnaire measured the organizational climate, burnout, and demographics. …

Gender Bias Among Mental Health Professionals, Joan B. Schroering

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The frequently cited Broverman study (Broverman, Broverman, Clarkson, Rosenkrantz, and Vogel, 1970) has motivated a great deal research in the area of gender bias, particularly investigations into the attitudes of mental health professionals. After a review of the literature referencing the Broverman study, the current study, utilizing the research patterns set forth in that research, examines if and to what degree gender bias affects mental health professionals in the state of West Virginia. The results of this study indicate that mental health professionals across the state hold fairly equitable and balanced views of the male and female gender, with one …

Columbine School Massacre, Eric S. Yellin

History Faculty Publications

On 20 April 1999, in one of the deadliest school shootings in national history, two students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Jefferson County, Colorado, killed twelve fellow students and a teacher and injured twenty-three others before committing suicide. Eric Harris, age eighteen, and Dylan Klebold, age seventeen, used homemade bombs, two sawed-off twelve-gauge shotguns, a nine-millimeter semiautomatic rifle, and a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol in a siege that began shortly after 11 A.M.

Instrumental And Expressive Violence: Motive For Women's Use Of Violence And Their Perception Of Their Partner's Use Of Violence, Lisa Claire Maisano Kennedy

Theses Digitization Project

In this study, we characterized the motivation for violence as instrumental, expressive, and self-defense. We learned that women perceive their own motivation for violence differently than they perceive their partner's motivation for violence, a form of self-defense, fighting back, and protecting themselves from harm. In contrast, women reported that their partner's motivation for violence was instrumental to get one's way, assert dominance, gain power, or to intimidate one's partner.

The Effects Of Quality Of Social Networks On Psychological Well-Being In The Visually Impaired Elderly, Marsha Dee Cole

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between several theory based strategies for adaptive coping and well-being in a community of visually impaired elderly.

Arab-Muslim Views, Images And Stereotypes In United States, Nader Al-Aulaqi

Theses Digitization Project

What are the perceptions, attitudes, and feelings of Arab-Muslim students about racism and prejudice towards their ethnicity and religious affiliation before September 11, 2001 and after?.

Sex Stereotypes: A Comparison Of Hispanic And Caucasian Mother's Expectations And Wishes, Ngoc Thuy Pham

Theses Digitization Project

In order to understand how children develop gender stereotypes, research needs to be conducted regarding parent's beliefs about gender differences and gender expectations. This is because while there may be other environmental factors involved, parents still have powerful influence on their children. Gender identification starts early. Children learn that this is the way males or females are supposed to behave. Parents may shape and influence a child's beliefs concerning feminine and masculine identities even from the very first moments of a child's life.

Perceptions Of The Transition To Assisted Living As A Function Of Psychological Well-Being, Instrumental Activities Of Daily Living, And Coping: A Prospective Study, Brooke Evangeline Crabb

Theses Digitization Project

This study examined the influence of three predictor variables on perceptions of assisted living: psychological well-being, functional status, and coping strategies. A multiple regression analysis was used to examine the influence of these factors on perceptions of the transition to assisted living.

The Role Of Deterrence In The Formulation Of Criminal Law Rules: At Its Worst When Doing Its Best, Paul H. Robinson, John M. Darley

All Faculty Scholarship

For the past several decades, the deterrence of crime has been a centerpiece of criminal law reform. Law-givers have sought to optimize the control of crime by devising a penalty-setting system that assigns criminal punishments of a magnitude sufficient to deter a thinking individual from committing a crime. Although this seems initially an intuitively compelling strategy, we are going to suggest that is a poor one; poor for two reasons. First, its effectiveness rests on a set of assumptions that on examination cannot be sustained. Second, the attempt to employ the strategy generates a good many crimogenic costs that are …

"You Just Give Them What They Want And Pray They Don’T Kill You”: Street-Level Sex Workers’ Reports Of Victimization, Personal Resources And Coping Strategies, Rochelle L. Dalla Dr., Yan Xia, Heather Kennedy

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Using both qualitative (in-depth, personal interviews) and quantitative (self-report survey indices) techniques, data were collected from 43 women involved in streetwalking prostitution. The purpose of the investigation was to examine exposure to violence and victimization among a particularly vulnerable female population across the life span. A secondary goal was to apply stress theory as an organizing frameworkfor examining personal resources (e.g., social support, locus of control) and coping behavior. Results from both data collection strategies are presented, and implications for intervention are described.

Determinants Of Sexual Behaviour, Kevin Lalor, Cathal O'Regan, Siobhan Quinlan

Articles

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Perceived Stress And Coping Patterns Of Pastoral Wives In The Nigerian Union Mission Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Olufunmilayo Janet Ola

Dissertations

Purpose of Study. Most studies examining stress and coping patterns of pastoral wives have been conducted from an advanced country background. Even though all the researchers agreed that these pastoral wives do experience a certain amount of stress, very little is known about pastoral wives in third-world countries who are faced with poverty, illiteracy, diseases and cultural restraints. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress and coping patterns of pastoral wives of the Nigerian Union Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Methodology. A quantitative method of collecting data was used in this study. The two psychological …

Work And Family Variables As Related To Paternal Engagement, Responsibility, And Accessibility In Dual-Earner Couples With Young Children, Suzanne M. Nangle, Michelle L. Kelley, William Fals-Stewart, Ronald F. Levant

Psychology Faculty Publications

Fathers and mothers (N = 75 dual-earner couples) of preschool-aged children completed questionnaires that examined work and family variables as related to paternal involvement in three areas: engagement (i.e., directly interacting with the child), responsibility (i.e., scheduling activities and being accountable for the child's well-being), and accessibility (i.e., being available to the child but not in direct interaction). Fathers' reports of responsibility and accessibility were significantly predicted by structural variables and beliefs; however, fathers' reports of engagement were not predicted by work and family variables. Mothers' reports of work and family variables did not predict their reports of father involvement. …

Hiding In Plain Sight: A Practical Guide To Identifying Victims Of Trafficking In The United States, Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

Teaching My Son To Be A Father: The Plight Of Unmarried Adolescent African American Fathers, Michael George Till

Dissertations

A quantitative research design was utilized to examine and understand the perceptions of fatherhood and manhood held by unmarried African American adolescent fathers. In face-to-face 60-90 minute interviews using a semistructured interview guide developed by the researcher, participants were asked open-ended questions to provide these young men with a voice and an opportunity to express their needs, support, neglect, understanding, and perception of how society views them and its impact on the functioning of the family unit. Using purposeful sampling, 10 unmarried African American adolescent fathers, located in the southwestern area of Michigan, were interviewed for data collection.

Interviews were …

Designed Physical Environments As Related To Selves, Symbols, And Social Reality: A Proposal For A Humanistic Paradigm Shift For Architecture, Ronald Smith, Valerie Bugni

Sociology Faculty Research

In this paper we will begin by briefly describing the concept of self, proceed by discussing the symbolic significance of physical environment, then describe as well as propose a humanist paradigm which we believe should be employed in architectural theory and practice, and finally discuss how the shift to a humanistic paradigm might be accomplished.

Hardy Girls News Vol. 2, No. 1 (Fall 2002), Hardy Girls Healthy Women Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Public Displays Of Affection With Relation To Comfort Levels And Culture, Janice R. T. Bryden

Student Dissertations & Theses

To determine the tolerance levels of public displays of affection between males, females, Hispanics, and White Non-Hispanics (Whites), a total of 152 participants completed the Attitudes Toward Public Displays of Affection Inventory. While the hypothesis that males would be significantly more tolerant than females of observing public displays of affection was statistically supported for certain settings and certain levels of affection, overall, results may not be clinically meaningful. The second hypothesis, that there would be a significant difference between Hispanics and Whites and their tolerance levels for watching public displays of affection, was not supported. Overall trends indicate passionately kissing …

Comparative Perceived Breast Cancer Risk Before And After An Intervention, Constance F. Welebir

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Breast cancer screening has the potential of early detection, more effective treatment, and possible arrest of certain breast cancers, yet many women do not adhere to screening guidelines. With research showing that people use social comparison while making risk judgments, often holding optimistically biased beliefs about their health, women who maintain an optimism bias about their breast cancer risk may not practice routine breast cancer surveillance. Therefore, effective interventions designed to inform women of their breast cancer risks and to encourage adherence to breast cancer screening guidelines are necessary. This study investigated the role that social comparison plays in risk …

The Role Of Implicit Racial Attitudes And Universal Orientation In Cross-Racial Face Recognition, Gordon Campbell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The "other-race" effect refers to the common observation that individuals are better at remembering faces of their own race than faces of another race. The relevance of the "other-race" effect to social interaction between people of different races and eyewitness identification of criminal suspects has spurred much research into uncovering the nature of the asymmetry between recognition of own- and otherrace faces. So far, however, many attempts to consistently demonstrate factors that contribute to the "other-race" effect have failed. One of the factors that may play a role in the "other-race" effect, but has yet to be shown to do …