Digital Commons Network^™

Internet Sex Crimes Against Minors: The Response Of Law Enforcement., Janis Wolak, Kimberly J. Mitchell, David Finkelhor

Crimes Against Children Research Center

The Internet1 and computers have come to play a growing role in sex crimes that are committed against children and youth.2 Since the mid-1990s these developing technologies have posed challenges for law enforcement requiring them to confront situations not anticipated in criminal statutes, master technical advances, develop new investigative techniques, and handle criminal cases that often span multiple jurisdictions. To assist, legislators have acted on a number of fronts creating new statutes that encompass Internet offenses, stiffening penalties, and creating a national clearinghouse for reports of Internet-related crimes against children and the CyberTipline® operated by the National Center for Missing …

Trends. Non-Physical Approaches To Physical Security, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the vulnerabilities of protecting physical assets with purely physical means, as well as the potential benefits of non-physical approaches.

Trends. Suicidal Terrorism And The Death Penalty, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses why an established death penalty for terrorists who would, by their own actions, suicide might be appropriate.

Ecological Influences On Adolescent Behavior, Michelle Moon

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the ecological influences, outlined by Bronfenbrenner (1994), to understand adolescent behavior. It was hypothesized that proximal ecological influences would be significantly related to behavioral outcomes. Participants (N= 244) were students attending traditional and continuation high schools in a Southern California school district. They completed a 15-page questionnaire that included scales used to assess the ecological domains of Family Process, Peers, Community (school climate), Personal Characteristics, and the criterion measures of Drug and Alcohol Use, School Performance and Gang and Criminal Activity.

Principal axis factor extraction with oblique rotation was performed on predictor variables related to the ecological …

Effects Of Perceived Costs And Rewards On Motivation And Retention Of Rape Crisis Center Volunteers, Amanda Grissom

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to obtain information that may assist Rape Crisis Center (RCC) volunteer coordinators and executive directors in the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The major hypotheses guiding this study are as follows: (a) the reasons that initially motivated volunteers to volunteer at the RCC will be the same as their reasons for why they are continuing to volunteer at the RCC and (b) volunteers at RCCs continue to volunteer because the perceived costs of volunteering do not exceed the perceived rewards of volunteering. Using a modified version of Black's (1989) questionnaire, respondents were asked to …

Religiosity And Aggression In College Students., Shanea J. Watkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined whether high and low religiosity had any relationship to a person’s five measures of aggressiveness. The participants in this study consisted of 274 female and 202 male undergraduates. The results revealed that: (A) high scores of Religious Conflict and Hostility to Church yielded higher scores of aggression, (B) high scores of Religious Orthodoxy, Religious Solace and Religious Tranquility yielded lower scores of aggression, (C) high scores of Religious Conflict and Hostility to Church yielded higher scores of total aggressiveness, and (D) high scores on Religious Solace and Religious Orthodoxy yielded low scores of total aggression. Frequency …

Parental Understanding Of Miranda Rights, Abby Callis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current research focuses on parents' level of understanding of Miranda rights and parents' likelihood of encouraging their teenagers to waive their Miranda rights. The previous research suggests that parents alone may not adequately protect juveniles' rights during interrogation and waiver. Prior research also suggests that parents' and juveniles' past experience with the justice system may not help them during their current interrogation and waiver. A 17-item questionnaire was used to assess the two dependent variables and the two independent variables. The two dependent variables were parents' understanding of Miranda rights and parents' likelihood of encouraging arrested teens to waive …

“Bin Laden’S Brain”: The Abrasively Negativistic Personality Of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Aubrey Immelman, Kathryn Kuhlmann

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Ayman al-Zawahiri, deputy leader of the al-Qaida terrorist network at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States and allegedly chief strategist for al-Qaida operations and personal physician to Osama bin Laden.

Al-Zawahiri’s primary personality patterns were found to be Contentious/oppositional and Dominant/controlling, with secondary features of the Dauntless/dissenting and Ambitious/self-serving patterns.

The amalgam of Contentious (negativistic, or passive-aggressive) and Dominant (aggressive, or sadistic) patterns in al-Zawahiri’s profile suggests the presence of the “abrasive negativist” syndrome. For these personalities, minor frictions easily …

The Psychopolitics Of Sexual Scandal: Can Gorgias Of Leontini Help?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author discusses the political implications of sexual scandal, considering the advice of Georgias of Leontini in his “Ecomium of Helen” that was written sometime after 427 B.C.E.

Trends. Aviation Security: Thinking About Capps, Capps Ii, And Beyond, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses computer assisted passenger prescreening systems (CAPPS) and aviation security.

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. …

Analysis Of Impulsive Behaviors Among Prison Inmates Convicted Of Violent Crimes, Inmates Convicted Of Non-Violent Crimes And Undergraduate College Students, Lonnie Kishpaugh Sr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Sudden explosive episodes of rage and human aggression by individuals occur daily in our society. While impulsive aggressive behavior is included in several established psychological disorders, the etiology of such behavior has been widely debated.

This study tested the hypotheses that prison inmates who have committed violent crimes were no more likely to exhibit impulsive behavior, than like numbers of prison inmates who had committed non-violent crimes, or college students who have no criminal record. Groups of 20 each of the respective populations were randomly administered the Kipnis Impulsiveness Scale in accordance with instructions from the manual.

With an alpha …

Recovery From Alcohol Or Drug Abuse: The Relationship Between Identity Styles And Recovery Behaviors, Joseph M. White, Marilyn J. Montgomery, Richard S. Wampler, Judith L. Fischer

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between identity styles and recovery from substance abuse. Consistent findings have established a relationship be- tween identity diffusion and substance misuse, but no research has explored the influence of identity styles on recovery processes. Participants (N = 252) from treatment and recovery-based facilities and groups using a 12-step recovery model were assessed with the Identity Style Inventory (White, Wampler, & Winn, 1998) and self-report measures of pretreatment addiction, length of continuous abstinence, quality of recovery, and recovery progress. Those with a diffuse/avoidant style had shorter lengths of continuous abstinence, fewer …

The Effect Of Graphomotor Exercises And Music On Normal Children And Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Lucy Ellen Heyming

Theses Digitization Project

Although drug therapy is the more common treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and has been shown to reduce symptoms, the benefits of the theraputic drugs are temporary, and the therapy can have adverse side effects. For these reasons, many prefer not to use drug therapy for ADHD. Alternative treatments have been shown to have some efficacy, especially when used in conjunction with drug therapy. Dynamic Systems theory suggests that an intervention which combines graphomotor exercises with music may have a positive effect on a child's behavior and attention. A 2 x 2 pretest-posttest design tested the hypothesis that …

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.

The Accounts That Defendants Give For Crime: Relationship Between Accounts Given And The Perceived Seriousness Of The Crime, Danielle Bree Trammell

Masters Theses

The present study examined whether the accounts that defendants give (i.e., apology, excuse, or justification) would have an effect on the perceived seriousness of the crime and assigned penalty. The study focused specifically on burglary, a non-violent crime. It also examined how participant characteristics, such as age, gender, political ideology, and history of victimization, affected the perceived seriousness and assigned penalty. This is a growing area of interest, given the societal impact of crime. There is significant disparity in sentencing that exists for perpetrators who are convicted of similar crimes. It is important to examine the possible explanations for this …

Factors Influencing Substance Abuse/Dependence And Treatment Outcome Of Adolescents In A Residential Substance Abuse Program: An Exploratory Study, Melissa L. Moody

Masters Theses

Previous research examining the risk factors associated with alcohol and other drug use has primarily focused on the adult population. Few studies have investigated the factors which influence adolescent substance abuse and the respective effects on treatment outcome. This in spite of the considerable decline in the age-of-onset for problematic substance use that could, if gone untreated, escalate into dependence and a variety of other interpersonal problems which extend across the lifespan. Effective interventions targeting the adolescent population would therefore seem to be of utmost importance to both researchers and clinicians. It has been suggested that individualized treatment programs focusing …

Crime And Violence In Men With Schizophrenia: A Literature Review, Bianca Dijulio

Modern Psychological Studies

This literature review examines the strength of the relationship between schizophrenia and violence, symptoms associated with violence in schizophrenics, and two drug treatments associated with treating violence in schizophrenia. In terms of the relationship between schizophrenia and violence, schizophrenia does not surpass other mental illnesses in its association with violence; however, just as other mental illnesses do, it surpasses the normal population in levels of violence. Two symptoms, hostility and suspiciousness, are common in violent schizophrenics. In contrast, antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy have not been clearly associated with violent schizophrenics, most likely due to methodological problems. Similarly, hallucinations, delusions, …

Evaluation Of The Maudsley Addiction Profile (Map) For Use With An American Substance Abuse Population, Hannelore T. Barbieri

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Multi-dimensional instruments in the addiction field developed in the United States as well as in other countries are limited. The Maudsley Addiction Profile (MAP), a brief, multi-dimensional instrument developed in the United Kingdom (UK), is designed to assess the treatment outcome of individuals with alcohol and/or drug (AOD) problems and associated issues. This measure consists of sixty items across the domains of substance use, health risk, physical/ psychological health and personal/social functioning. The MAP, which has been validated on British as well as on several European samples of substance abusers, has been suggested for further validation. The current study was …

Center For Psychological Studies 2003-2004 Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Center For Psychological Studies 2003-2004 Catalog, Nova Sounteastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Recovery From Substance Abuse: The Role Of Unsupportive Social Interactions, Michelle Marie Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTRECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE: THE ROLE OF UNSUPPORTIVE SOCIAL INTERATIONSBy Michelle M. Schmitt, M.A., M.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003Major Director: Kathleen M. Ingram, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology It has been estimated that over 20 million individuals struggle with substance abuse and/or dependence each year. Theories of addiction and recovery have long incorporated the notion of social support and helping relationships to facilitate adjustment. However, the literature investigating the role of social support is fraught with contradictions. In addition, in …

Community Integration And Normalization, Janice Eileen Cunningham

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Utilizing archived data for 650 individuals, psychosocial variables were examined to elucidate the effect of deinstitutionalization on success of community integration. Deinstitutionalization has been blamed for a host of societal ills including the burgeoning homeless population and for overcrowding in prisons. Many claim that deinstitutionalization has failed and that the chronically severely mentally ill have not become part of their communities. Utilizing extant data on consumers released from Pennsylvania state hospitals as part of a unique initiative, the psychosocial variables of age, race, gender, length of institutionalization, placement following hospitalization and diagnosis were correlated with homelessness, incarceration, or whereabouts known …

Retrospective Investigation Of One-Time Presenters Versus Repeat Presenters To Urban And Suburban Psychiatric Emergency Services : Cross-Sectional And Clinical Characteristics, April J. Hansen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study retrospectively reviewed 765 patients who presented within a one-year period at either a suburban, urban, or both suburban and urban psychiatric emergency services (PES). Demographic and clinical characteristics were examined. Particular focus included characteristics of children/adolescents and older adults, as well as the relationship between substance misuse and PES presenters. Adults presenting to PES more than three times were more likely to have a chronic mental illness, personality disorder, history of psychiatric treatment, and a history of noncompliance with treatment than those who presented three times or less. Significant differences were found between urban and suburban PESs, in …

Corpus Callosum Abnormalities In Psychopathic Antisocial Individuals, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Context: Psychopathic antisocial individuals have previously been characterized by abnormal interhemispheric processing and callosal functioning, but there have been no studies on the structural characteristics of the corpus callosum in this group. Objectives: To assess whether (1) psychopathic individuals with antisocial personality disorder show structural and functional impairments in the corpus callosum, (2) group differences are mirrored by correlations between dimensional measures of callosal structure and psychopathy, (3) callosal abnormalities are associated with affective deficits, and (4) callosal abnormalities are independent of psychosocial deficits. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Community sample. Participants: Fifteen men with antisocial personality disorder and high psychopathy …

The Phenomenon Of Woman-On-Woman Abuse And Its Relationship To Gender Profile And Personal Experiences Of Women, Deborah Johnson Spence

Dissertations

Purpose of the Study. Female-on-female aggression is often inferred, or drawn from studies conducted with children or males. Little or no information is available that reports behaviors perceived as mistreatment or abuse among women. The purposes of this study were to investigate (a) behaviors demonstrated by women that women consider abuse or mistreatment; (b) the extent to which these perceptions of abuse/mistreatment were related to gender profiles; and (c) the extent to which personal experiences as victims or perpetrators of abuse were related to age, race, and education.

Method. This study used the survey research method in which questionnaires …

'Why Should We Learn About Crime?': Exploring The Perceptions And Fear Of Crime Among Recent Immigrants In Waterloo Region (Ontario), Jennifer Robena Bernier

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this research project was to achieve a greater understanding of the perceptions and fear of crime among recent immigrants in Waterloo Region, including how recent immigrants define crime, the types of activities that recent immigrants considered to be criminal in both Canada and their countries of origin, and how perceptions of crime are similar and different among the various countries that the participants represented. Furthermore, in this study I hoped to identify the types of crime(s) that recent immigrants in Waterloo Region fear and the factors that may be important in explaining fear of crime among recent …

To Read Or Not To Read: The Usefulness Of Informed Consent, Natasha E. Webb, Elizabeth D. Taylor

Modern Psychological Studies

Informed consent is an important ethical factor for medicine, psychology, and other needed disciplines. It is necessary for participants to understand an intended research project or procedure in which they plan to take part. This study examined the usefulness of informed consent by administering such a form prior to an irrelevant questionnaire. A simple task was inserted into the reading, which allowed assessment of whether participants actually read the form. Results obtained through the experiment supported the hypothesis that the majority of the participants would not read the consent form. While less than half of each sex actually read the …

Clinical And Forensic Outcomes From The Illinois Mental Health Juvenile Justice Initiative, Michael Jenuwine, John S. Lyons, Gene Griffin, Sharon Quintenz, Michelle Shasha

Articles by Maurer Faculty

To address the mental health needs of youths who are arrested and detained in Illinois, an initiative was designed and implemented that identified youths with psychotic or affective disorders, linked them to community services, and monitored their cases. This study assessed whether such linkage is possible and whether it improves clinical and forensic outcomes. METHODS: Under the initiative, court staff refer youths who may have a mental illness to a clinical liaison. If the youth is eligible for the program, the liaison works with the family to develop a community-based action plan. For the analysis presented here, the Child and …

Attributions Of Criminal Responsibility Of Children : An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Wrongdoer Age, Victim Harm And Perceptions Of Intent And Consequence, James Mccue

Theses : Honours

Recent cases, such as that of James Bulger, have provided anecdotal evidence of children's capacities to commit illegal acts. Currently however, the public's attributions of children who engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour, and whether they should be held criminally responsible for their actions, has received little attention in terms of empirical research. The aim of the present study was to examine these attributions and establish whether they concur with the guidelines for criminal responsibility set down by the Western Australian criminal justice system. Two independent variables were manipulated using vignettes and included the age of the wrongdoer (7, 10 …