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Individuals And Contex00tual Factors: An Interactionist Approach To Understanding Self-Development, Gregory Paul Letller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

While the extant research has identified several individual and contextual factors influential on an employee's quantity of self-development participation, no prior research has examined potential multiplicative effects among these factors. The current study investigated person-situation interactions among five individual factors ( e.g., self-efficacy for self-development, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience) and the contextual factors of organizational and supervisor support ( combined to reflect overall work support). This study also sought to investigate the influence of proactive personality on self-development participation, a promising individual difference that has received little attention in the self-development literature. Using data collected from 136 …

The Philanthropic Motivations Of Community College Donors: A Study Of The Educational Foundation Of A Mid-Sized, Multi-Campus Community College In Virginia, Linnie Smith Carter

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the philanthropic motivations of the donors of a mid-sized, multi-campus community college in Virginia as part of a plan to enhance relationships with donors and increase the amount of private funds raised. Dependence on dwindling, traditional and limited funding sources leaves community colleges vulnerable and constantly struggling to fund the ever-increasing needs of their internal and external stakeholders (Sheldon, 2003). Community colleges are attempting to address the problem by enhancing their fundraising efforts and strengthening relationships with donors.

A mixed-method, multi-step approach was used for this research study. The approach in this study involved five steps. The …

A Means-End Approach To Understanding Adventure Race Participation, Brandii Brinkley

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

This multiple purpose qualitative research initiative sought to (a) provide research on the relationship between attributes and values associated with adventure race participation, (b) discover motivations for adventure racing, (c) provide support for prior means-end research, and (d) research a new, emerging recreational activity. An adventure race was held on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. After the conclusion of the race, race participants were asked to complete a self-administered survey which offered attributes and values which potentially serve as motivations for adventure race participation. Means-end theory provided the framework for how the data obtained in the …

Implicit And Explicit Alcohol Expectancies Drinking Motives Alcohol Use And Alcohol Problems: A Comprehensive Evaluation Of College Student Drinking, Matthew R. Pearson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships among implicit alcohol expectancies (automatic, nonconscious expected effects of alcohol), explicit alcohol expectancies ( deliberate, conscious expected effects of alcohol), drinking motives (self-reported reasons for drinking), alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems among college students (n=2 l l ). As predicted, explicit alcohol expectancies were mediated by drinking motives. Implicit alcohol expectancies (as measured by Single-Target Implicit Association Tests) were expected to have direct effects on alcoho I use, but the data did not support these predictions. Unexpectedly, implicit sociability expectancies significantly predicted alcohol problems even when controlling for alcohol use. Replicating previous research, alcohol …

Working In Groups And Alone: Effects Of Group Gender Composition On Cognitive Insight Problem Solving Performance, Viktoria Tidikyte

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how working within a group versus working alone affects creative problem solving and what role gender plays in influencing problem solving performance. Previous studies yielded contradictory predictions of whether working in a group improves or impedes creative problem solving performance and whether gender has an effect on problem solving efficiency of a group. I proposed that contradictory results of the previous studies might have been due to the gender by group interaction. Two hundred and six Old Dominion University undergraduate students participated in this study. A 2 (groups vs. individual) X 3 (gender group composition) X 2 …

Table Of Contents, Vol. 60, No. 2, Summer 2009

Virginia Journal of Science

Table of Contents for Virginia Journal of Science, Volume 60, Number 2, Summer 2009.

Section Abstracts: Psychology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Psychology Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia.

Transmaturities: Gender Trouble As Tentative Analogue For Maturity Trouble, Diederik F. Janssen

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Recent contributions to queer studies have been marked by what can provisionally be called a turn toward time, specifically time's various normative condensations around issues of community formation, most notably with respect to the family and the subculture. While the specter of time often seems suspended between elite contemplation and public imagination, the emergent rubric of temporalities, explored in GLQ's special issue (2007;13/2-3), announced a possibly radical moment in which genders can be analyzed as breaking down "over time" politically and taxonomically, perhaps to the effect that deconstructive momentum realized in the context of gender/sexuality may facilitate …

Mutating Masculinity: Embodying The Hu(Man) In The Hills Have Eyes, Rebecca Hawkins

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Discussing gender identity in the female warriors of kung fu films, critic Kwai-cheung Lo asks, "Does maleness automatically produce masculinity? Is there a kind of masculinity independent of the biological male? Can the women who kill in action cinema occupy a position that has been historically thought of as exclusively masculine" (138)? In this paper, I am asking similar questions regarding the construction of masculinity in the male victim of a horror film. Since the slasher film genre rose to popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, horror films have often been accused of reveling in voyeuristic misogyny (a …

The Moving Figure: Dialogism In Williams' The Great Figure, Tom Lavazzi

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

In recent years, Henry M. Sayre, Christopher J. MacGowan, Barbara M. Fisher, Dickran Tashjian, William Marling, and Peter Halter, among others, have written about the influence of visual artists, especially Marsden Hartley, on Williams' poetry, and, conversely, the influence of Williams' poetry on painting. These critics have variously examined the personal, cultural, aesthetic, and ontological dimensions of the visual arts background of Williams' poetry, including "The Great Figure," first published as the final poem in Sour Grapes, 1921, and well-known as the source for Charles Demuth's 1928 painting, The Figure Five in Gold. Especially relevant to …

Playgrounds Of Disturbance: Bruce Nauman's Existentialism In A Modernist Gallery Space And The Problems Of Analogue Video Art In The Gallery, Cyrus Manasseh

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

From the 1960s, the American Conceptual artist Bruce Nauman would challenge Modernist gallery structures through his video art. This paper addresses the effect of Nauman's pioneering video art within White Cube gallery spaces particularly in relation to the High Modernist period (1968-90 app.) by examining its meaning from a particular standpoint. It does this by discussing Nauman's video artworks in relation to aspects of existentialist philosophy and theatre as Nauman's avant-garde works would cross into these territories. Nauman's work I argue, would manifest in such a way that would, in terms of his works being displayed, lead to the re-sculpting …

On The Mediocrity Of Arthur C. Clarke's Science Fiction, Darren Jorgensen

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Theorists and apologists for science fiction (sf) are persistently defending it from accusations of fantasy and of mediocrity. Take the opening sentence of a recent edited collection on the genre:

For most of the eighty years since science fiction (SF) was identified and named as a distinct genre, it has typically been dismissed as the infantile excrescence of a stultifying mass culture, a literature doubly debased by its fantastic elements and mediocre prose (Bould 1).

Whether sf remains marginalized by high literary culture remains a matter for debate. Yet Bould's claim for the genre's denigration is a typical …

Development And Validation Of The Cultural Competence Of Program Evaluators (Ccpe) Scale, Krystall Dunaway

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

As part of its Guiding Principles for Evaluators, the American Evaluation Association (AEA) requires that evaluators develop cultural competencies, yet no measure of cultural competence currently exists in the field. Using items from cultural competence measures used in fields such as counseling and nursing, in conjunction with the creation of qualitative questions, the researcher developed the Cultural Competence of Program Evaluators (CCPE) scale. The main goal of this study was to validate the CCPE, and a subsidiary goal was to assess differences in level of cultural competence among program evaluators based on various demographic variables such as minority status, age, …

Relationships Between Black Female College Students' Relationships With Their Fathers And Adult Romantic Attachment, Nicole A. Dock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the relationships between the quality and quantity of time that young Black female college students spent with their fathers during high school as related to romantic attachment and fear of intimacy. Although researchers have investigated the impact that early attachment bonds to mothers have for later psychosocial development, much less research has examined how attachment to fathers may be associated with psychosocial adjustment in young adulthood. In particular, there is a lack of information on how relationships to one's father or father figure may be associated with adjustment in young women from culturally diverse populations.

To …

2009 Best Student Paper Awards

Virginia Journal of Science

List of student award winning papers by section from the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, 2009.

Section Abstracts: Medical Sciences

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Medical Science Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

Section Abstracts: Natural History And Biodiversity

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Natural History and Biodiversity Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

Section Abstracts: Statistics

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Statistics Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Virginia Junior Academy Of Science, 68th Annual Meeting Awards, 2009

Virginia Journal of Science

Awards by section for the 68th Virginia Junior Academy of Science Meeting, May 28, 2009. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

The Effects Of Automation Expertise, System Confidence, And Image Quality On Trust, Compliance, And Performance, Randall D. Spain

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effects of automation expertise, system confidence, and image quality on automation trust, compliance, and detection performance. One hundred and fifteen participants completed a simulated military target detection task while receiving advice from an imperfect diagnostic aid that varied in expertise (expert vs. novice) and confidence (75% vs. 50% vs. 25% vs. no aid). The task required participants to detect covert enemy targets in simulated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Participants reported whether a target was present or absent, their decision-confidence, and their trust in the diagnostic system's advice. Results indicated that system confidence and automation expertise …

Test Anxiety And Other Factors As Predictors Of Outcome For An Undergraduate University's Examination Of Writing Competency, Carrie D. Smith

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Testing in American schools has increased dramatically in recent years (Cizek & Burg, 2006), increasing the need for research in test anxiety (TA). Writing apprehension, a subcategory of TA, may be of particular concern among students at all levels of education given the recent addition of writing assessments on the SAT and GRE tests.

Very few recent studies have examined demographic correlates of TA and the demographics of students in higher education have been changing for some time. These changes include an increase in all categories of nontraditional students. Nontraditional students, by definition, face a particular set of challenges in …

Relationship Predictors Of Unwanted Pursuit, Farrahdya Tassy

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated relationship variables related to unwanted pursuit post dissolution of a romantic relationship. Online surveys were administered to 277 undergraduate and graduate students from a large southeastern university. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed levels of idealization, satisfaction, perceptions of alternatives to the relationship, investment size, commitment, and unwanted pursuit. These variables are often essential in romantic involvements, and contribute greatly to the continuation of a relationship. Additional measures of attachment, self-esteem, neuroticism, and jealousy were included to control for their potential effect on pursuit. The sample consisted of individuals who engaged in the pursuit of a former …

The Office Of War Information Vs. The Foreign Nationalities Branch: The Roosevelt Administration And The Poles, Kristen Brooke Archambeau

History Theses & Dissertations

The Roosevelt Administration created two information agencies during World War II. The Office of War Information, consisting of a Domestic Branch and Overseas Operations Branch, disseminated information to occupied nations overseas. The Office of Strategic Services' Foreign Nationalities Branch gathered information on the political undercurrents of ethnic groups within the United States and provided information on their possible effects to the administration.

This work seeks to compare the policies of the Overseas Branch of the Office of War information with those of the Foreign Nationalities Branch of the Office of Strategic Services, with the Poles and Polish-Americans as a case …

The Cognitive And Behavioral Effects Of Acute Ethanol Exposure And Acute Ethanol Withdrawal, Natasha Laverne Golden

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although ethanol, in the form of alcoholic beverages, is one of the most widely used and abused drugs, little research has focused on cognitive and behavioral impairments relating to acute ethanol withdrawal. The primary purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of acute ethanol withdrawal on cognition and behavior using the radial arm maze (RAM) and the elevated plus maze (EPM). The secondary purpose of the study was to explore the immediate effects of acute ethanol exposure using a repeated acquisition version of the RAM. Sixteen male, Long-Evans rats were used for the study. For acute ethanol …

Effects Of An Educational And Support Program For Family And Friends Of A Substance Abuser, Amanda Jeffrey Platter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many family members are adversely affected by their loved ones drinking or drug problem. The aim of the present study was to explore changes in coping and enabling behaviors among family members who attended a community educational and psychosocial group for friends and family of a substance abuser, and to examine the concerns of these family members.

Participants were 32 family members (i.e., parents, spouses/romantic partners, and siblings) who attended one of four consecutive Family and Friend (FF) programs between fall and spring of 2008. Participants completed the Behavioral Enabling Scale (Rotunda & Doman, 2001) and Brief COPE Inventory (Carver, …

Consumer Receptivity Of Foreign Products: The Roles Of Country-Of-Origin Image, Consumer Ethnocentrism And Animosity, Larry Lee Carter Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

In business, the survival of a manufacturing firm is dependent upon the consumer's acceptance and purchase of its products. Globalization and the accessibility of markets worldwide have expanded the potential customer base from purely domestic to include international customers. It is imperative for marketing managers to accurately assess consumer product perceptions to forecast foreign market entry acceptance and develop some form of competitive advantage that will be sustainable over the long run. Despite the apparent relevance and importance of analyzing consumer product perceptions, there is a lack of research in modeling the relationships between primary antecedents that influence consumers' receptivity …

Design Development And Implementation Of A Resiliency-Based After-School Program For Sixth Grade Students Through Recreational Activities, Takeyra Collins

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Fostering youth development is the responsibility of caring adults who have the opportunity to provide support, opportunities, and services in a safe and enlightening environment. The purpose of the current study was to determine the benefits of a resiliency-based after-school program and to examine the design, development and implementation of recreational activities that were developed to instill resiliency traits in at-risk youth. The after-school program has resiliency-based activities for sixth graders that were facilitated by undergraduate college students at a public middle school in Norfolk, VA. A 40-item questionnaire, the Resiliency Attitudes and Skills Profile (RASP), was used to gather …

Development And Piloting Of The Identification Of Harassers And Victims Of Cyber Harassment Questionnaire, Ashley Nicole Doane

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This present study developed and tested the Identification of Harassers and Victims of Cyber Harassment Questionnaire (IHVCHQ). To generate questions for the IHVCHQ, prior to the present study, the author reviewed the empirical literature and conducted face-to-face interviews with 43 victims of Internet harassment. From this effort, an 88-item (44 cyber harassment items, 44 cyber victimization items) questionnaire was developed. The pilot survey was reviewed by a subject matter expert, a questionnaire development expert, faculty members, and graduate students.

The present study involved administration of the survey to 538 students at a large university to establish the factor structure and …

Investigating Connections: Pornography And Violence Against Women, Stacy Gorman

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is a content analysis of internet pornography websites. Using the most popularly searched adult search terms, Google searches were performed in order to replicate the pornographic website search of an internet pornography user. Videos were then selected and viewed on each site in order to identify themes of domination, exploitation, reciprocity, and autoeroticism. Also coded for were each sex act performed in the video as well as the number of performers, their race and sex. Key words describing each video were recorded in addition to user comments about the videos when available.

The goal of this study was …

A Test Of Direct And Partially Mediated Relationships Between Leader Member Exchange, Job Embeddedness, Turnover Intentions, And Job Search Behaviors In A Southern Police Department, Mark D. Bowman

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Job embeddedness has been found to predict turnover intentions, job search behaviors and turnover, and job embeddedness researchers assert, but have not tested, that job embeddedness is a mediator of other organizationally significant factors relative to organizational outcomes. A relationship not previously explored is the role of a supervisor in job embeddedness, which was operationalized in this study as leader-member exchange. A single panel survey was conducted in a police department in the southern United States with 276 current members holding the rank of police officer. Usable surveys were completed by 128 of those police officers, which is a response …