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Toward A Women-Centred Approach To Infant Feeding Research, Lynne Callaghan Jan 2002

Toward A Women-Centred Approach To Infant Feeding Research, Lynne Callaghan

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis aimed to provide an integrated model of infant feeding, centred on women's experiences. Two studies were employed in order to meet this aim. Firstly, a questionnaire-based longitudinal study within a Social Cognitive framework was carried out in order to understand the internal and external processes involved in the infant feeding experience. Eighty-five first time mothers participated in this study. Participants were assessed at three stages; once during pregnancy, once at six to eight, and again at four to six moths postpartum. The results of the longitudinal study supported the use of the Social Cognitive framework, and more specifically …

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Development Of Improved Head-Disk Spacing Measurement Methods For Magnetic Disk Drives, Xinqun Liu Jan 2002

Development Of Improved Head-Disk Spacing Measurement Methods For Magnetic Disk Drives, Xinqun Liu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A detailed review of existing flying height or head disk spacing testing techniques has been made, and in-depth analyses of the working principles of the currently popular optical interferometry flying height testing methods are presented with simulation results. A new dual-beam normal incidence polarisation inteferometry method is then proposed. One advantage of this dual-beam polarisation interferometry is that it can be used for both the direct spacing measurement (DSM) method and relative displacement measuring (RDM) method. The RDM method is a good way to measure the head-disk spacing and the slider pitch or roll when a real magnetic disk is …

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Locating Moral Responsibility For War Crimes : The New Justiciability Of 'System Criminality' And Its Implications For The Development Of An International Polity, Samantha Jane King Jan 2002

Locating Moral Responsibility For War Crimes : The New Justiciability Of 'System Criminality' And Its Implications For The Development Of An International Polity, Samantha Jane King

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis examines the question of international responses to system criminality. It argues that the assignation of moral responsibility, expressed in the act of prosecuting individuals, expresses a fundamental conceptual shift towards an international polity. Although political rhetoric, the media and international legislation express the moral dimension of system criminality, the character of humanitarian law and the contingency of its operation is the most concrete indicator of such a development. The status of an embryonic international polity becomes particularly evident- with `individual responsibility' being a criminally liable offence, as set against `collective responsibility' which entails `civil', (non-penal) liabilities. However, the …

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An Investigation Of Labour Ward Care To Inform The Design Of A Computerised Decision Support System For The Management Of Childbirth, Maureen Harris Jan 2002

An Investigation Of Labour Ward Care To Inform The Design Of A Computerised Decision Support System For The Management Of Childbirth, Maureen Harris

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Patient monitoring is a complex task, particularly during childbirth, where assessment of the baby's condition is inferred from the continuous electronic recording of the baby's heart rate pattern and maternal uterine contractions (CTG). Computerised decision support has long been advocated, as difficulties in the interpretation of the CTG have led to failure to intervene and unnecessary intervention. The problem is large, for obstetric litigation now accounts for 80% of the UK National Health Service litigation bill. The Plymouth Perinatal Research Group has developed a computerised decision support system for patient monitoring during childbirth and the UK Medical Research Council has …

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Observation And Modelling Of Fluid Transport Into Porous Paper Coating Structures, Joachim Schoelkopf Jan 2002

Observation And Modelling Of Fluid Transport Into Porous Paper Coating Structures, Joachim Schoelkopf

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

In paper printing, one of the most important aspects for consideration is the control of ink setting rate. Ink setting, depending on ink and press type, is a function of evaporation, curing and removal of the liquid phase by capillary mechanisms steered by the porous substrate. In most cases, absorption by the substrate is the dominating mechanism. Many paper or board substrates are coated with a layer of pigment panicles and binders. It is recognised that the void network between these panicles has the most important influence on the absorption dynamics. Many aspects of liquid absorption into porous networks are …

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Generation Of In Vitro B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia- Specific T Cell Responses Using Dendritic Cells, Ruth Victoria Goddard Jan 2002

Generation Of In Vitro B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia- Specific T Cell Responses Using Dendritic Cells, Ruth Victoria Goddard

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Immunotherapy using dendritic cells has shown encouraging results in both haematological and non-haematological malignancies. In this study, monocyte-derived dendritic cells from patients with B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia were generated by culture in Interleukin-4 and Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor. Lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells were used as antigen presenting cells in co-culture with autologous B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia T-cells. B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia T-cells stimulated with B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia lysate-pulsed autologous dendritic cells showed a significant increase in cell surface expression of Interleukin-2 Receptor (CD25), Interferongamma secretion and cytotoxicity against autologous B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia B-cell targets hut not against targets …

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Genetic Analysis Of The Microvascular Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus, Deborah F Cross Jan 2002

Genetic Analysis Of The Microvascular Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus, Deborah F Cross

Other Faculty of Health Theses

There is increasing evidence to suggest that genetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus. Recent studies have suggested that genetic variations in the aldose reductase (ALR2) gene may contribute to the genetic susceptibility to microvascular complications. Aldose reductase is the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the polyol pathway and is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular disease (nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy). It has recently been shown that the three polymorphisms of the ALR2 gene are associated with susceptibility to microvascular complications in both TIDM and T2DM. The aim of this study was to …

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Economic Linkages Within The Rural Economy: The Case Of Producer Services, Bryan Keith Mills Jan 2002

Economic Linkages Within The Rural Economy: The Case Of Producer Services, Bryan Keith Mills

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This research seeks to contribute towards the understanding of economic linkage within the rural context by exploring the relationship between rurally located small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their purchase of producer (business) services. In addition, the work considers other inter-rural and intra-rural differences, in both firm (SME) behaviour and firm characteristics. Whilst the subject of linkages has been explored by other researchers, the market town and SME focus of this thesis provides a more spatially contained framework than is often encountered within this type of research. By using four towns of similar size and structure contained within two noticeably …

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Spaces Of Appearance: Writings On Contemporary Theatre And Performance, Antony David C. Williams Jan 2002

Spaces Of Appearance: Writings On Contemporary Theatre And Performance, Antony David C. Williams

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis, a collection of previously published materials, reflects a plural and evolving engagement with theatre and performance over the past fifteen years or so: as researcher, writer, editor, teacher, practitioner, spectator. These have rarely been discreet categories for me, but rather different modalities of exploration and enquiry, interrelated spaces encouraging dynamic connectivities, flows and further questions. Section 1 offers critical accounts of the practices of four contemporary theatre directors: Jerzy Grotowski, Robert Wilson, Peter Brook and Ariane Mnouchkine. Section 2 draws on elements of contemporary philosophy and critical thinking to explore the mutable parameters of performance. lt proposes performative …

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From Here To Diversity : Ethnicity In The National Health Service, Nicholas Richard Johns Jan 2002

From Here To Diversity : Ethnicity In The National Health Service, Nicholas Richard Johns

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Nearly twenty years after the ground-breaking report by Brent Community Health Council (CHC) (1981) into the standard of health care provided to minority ethnic communities, there is continuing evidence of failure on the part of the National Health Service (NHS). One of the ways in which the New Labour government has sought to address such inadequacies in public services has been to increase the numbers of minority ethnic people in the workforce. The central argument of this thesis is that the notion of 'ethnic diversity' has not been adequately defined, and that the practical implications of diversity may be the …

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The Development Of A Transactional Analysis Psychometric Tool For Enhancing Functional Fluency, Susannah Fleur Temple Jan 2002

The Development Of A Transactional Analysis Psychometric Tool For Enhancing Functional Fluency, Susannah Fleur Temple

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Functional Fluency denotes efficacy of interpersonal functioning in terms of flexibility and balance of the behavioural modes a person uses. The aim of this project is to design and create a psychometric tool for mapping the patterns of such functioning. The intention is that feedback on the test results will stimulate the insights and understanding to support and encourage positive behavioural change. This process, involving the development of self-awareness, which is a key aspect of emotional intelligence, will thus promote emotional literacy. Transactional Analysis (TA) ego state theory provides the basis for the rational-theoretical strategy of instrument construction, which uses …

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Painting Silence, Graham Clucas Jan 2002

Painting Silence, Graham Clucas

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This research examines the history and theory o f silent' painting to discover why particular paintings were called silent, what the term was meant to signify, and how the quality of silence was discernible in the paintings it described. The imderstanding thus gauied is in tum the subject of further analysis through (documented) reflective practice, which recognises a broader context of contemporary theoretical and practical viewpoints. The purpose is to investigate, through practice, the characteristics and potentialities of silence. From the emergence of'silent' painting in America during the 1950s and 60s, the idea of silence is examined in terms of …

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Liminal Blankness : Mixing Race And Space In Monochrome's Psychic Surface, Angeline Dawn Morrison Jan 2002

Liminal Blankness : Mixing Race And Space In Monochrome's Psychic Surface, Angeline Dawn Morrison

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Blank space in western Art History and visual culture is something that has tended to be either explained away, or ignored. Pictures that do not depict challenge the visual basis of the ego and its others, confronting what I call the `Phallic reader' (who sees according to the logic and rules of the Phallogocentric system he inhabits) and potentially disturbing his sense of the visible. The Phallic reader, the visible and the seeing ego's sense of how to see, meet in what I call the `psychic surface'. Deploying this notion of a `psychic surface' allows for readings which move on …

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Quantification Of Marine Megafaunal Distribution Patterns Using A Remotely Operated Vehicle, David Matthew Parry Jan 2002

Quantification Of Marine Megafaunal Distribution Patterns Using A Remotely Operated Vehicle, David Matthew Parry

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis documents the development and application of the Automated Benthic Image Scaling System (ABISS), a novel structured lighting array for calculating image scale, accounting for perspective, to allow quantitative non-destructive megafaunal sampling using observations from a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). Megafauna are important components of marine soft sediment assemblages that influence the composition of the associated assemblage and the flux of energy across the sediment-water interface, by altering the physical and chemical characteristics of the sediment during bioturbation. However, megafaunal species are not sampled adequately using traditional techniques. Megafaunal abundance estimates derived from ROV observations were validated against those …

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Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood Jan 2002

Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents research that extends current knowledge in the area of business process re-design, with a specific focus on the 'Make Product' process within manufacturing organisations. Current business process re-design approaches offer only limited guidance on the specific changes that can be made to a process when re-designing it to achieve the desired performance improvements and often overlook any strategically derived performance requirements when re-designing the process. Case experience suggests that practitioners do not consider the performance requirements of their business processes when re-designing them and that the actions they take to achieve performance improvements are not selected with …

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Precision Control Of A Sensorless Brushless Direct Current Motor System, Matthew John Knight Jan 2002

Precision Control Of A Sensorless Brushless Direct Current Motor System, Matthew John Knight

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Sensorless control strategies were first suggested well over a decade ago with the aim of reducing the size, weight and unit cost of electrically actuated servo systems. The resulting algorithms have been successfully applied to the induction and synchronous motor families in applications where control of armature speeds above approximately one hundred revolutions per minute is desired. However, sensorless position control remains problematic. This thesis provides an in depth investigation into sensorless motor control strategies for high precision motion control applications. Specifically, methods of achieving control of position and very low speed thresholds are investigated. The developed grey box identification …

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The Role And Uses Of Market Research In Small And Medium Sized Exporting Companies, Jasmine Elizabeth Mary Williams Jan 2002

The Role And Uses Of Market Research In Small And Medium Sized Exporting Companies, Jasmine Elizabeth Mary Williams

Plymouth Business School Theses

Wise use of information leads to knowledge, and with that knowledge comes power (van der Vegt 1998). The importance of information to marketing success is well documented (Kohli and Jaworski 1990), and recent years have seen a burgeoning academic interest in the area of export market information and research (EMI/R) use (Diamantopoulos and Souchon 1999). This dissertation comprises the results of, and reflections on, an investigation into the EMIR activities of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises in the UK. A review of the literature uncovers the unique, informal and personal nature of these activities. The fieldwork takes a grounded approach, …

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The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford Jan 2002

The Development Of A Methodology For Creating An Earthen Building Inventory, Margaret Lyn Ford

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the issue of cataloguing traditional earthen architecture. It proposes a methodology that will permit the systematic collection and analysis of objective and quantifiable data relating to historic earthen, or cob, buildings in a parish in mid Devon. The brief given for this project requhes a multi-disciplinary approach to be taken, one that considers the topographical surroundings and the historic context of the buildings as well as the architectural characteristics. A triangular concept is expounded, with the three elements providing a sound basis for the development of an holistic methodology for creating an earthen building inventory. To comply …

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Market Orientation, Competitive Strategy Type And Performance In Independent Retail Businesses : A Contingency Analysis In A Market Town Context, Philip Rhys Megicks Jan 2002

Market Orientation, Competitive Strategy Type And Performance In Independent Retail Businesses : A Contingency Analysis In A Market Town Context, Philip Rhys Megicks

Plymouth Business School Theses

In recent years there has been significant interest in the performance of independent retail businesses located in UK market towns as they face up to new patterns of competition and demand. However prior to this study there has been only a very limited understanding of the factors that contribute the success and failure of these individual small businesses. This thesis fills a gap in the literature relating to the performance of these small firms through empirical analysis and the application of management research methods in a contextual setting. Based upon a comprehensive review of relevant literature spanning the boundaries of …

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A Pre-Transfer Assessment Framework For International Technology Transfer, Stephen Hobbs Jan 2002

A Pre-Transfer Assessment Framework For International Technology Transfer, Stephen Hobbs

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The demands off managing in an international operating environment has changed considerably over the past 20 years due to developments in global markets. Multinational enterprises face fierce international competition and are now tasked not only with developing effective competitive capabilities but also with maximising the knowledge and expertise developed in one part of the organisation by transferring it to another. This work has investigated the position of multinational enterprises in the developing global market and through a broad and thorough review of current literature, identified a gap in the knowledge -a tool for helping the assessment of the transfer of …

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The Development Of A Novel Electro-Magnetic Force Microscope, James Frederick Charles Windmill Jan 2002

The Development Of A Novel Electro-Magnetic Force Microscope, James Frederick Charles Windmill

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis describes the development of a new type of Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM) probe based on a unique electromagnetic design. In addition the design, construction and testing of a new MFM system, complete in both hardware and software, is also described. The MFM allowed initial tests on prototypes of the new probe, and is to provide a base for future new probe integration. The microscope uses standard MFM micro-cantilever probes in static modes of imaging. A new computer hosted DSP control system, software, and its various interfaces with the MFM have been integrated into the system. The system has …

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Spread Spectrum-Based Video Watermarking Algorithms For Copyright Protection, Cristian Vasile Serdean Jan 2002

Spread Spectrum-Based Video Watermarking Algorithms For Copyright Protection, Cristian Vasile Serdean

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital technologies know an unprecedented expansion in the last years. The consumer can now benefit from hardware and software which was considered state-of-the-art several years ago. The advantages offered by the digital technologies are major but the same digital technology opens the door for unlimited piracy. Copying an analogue VCR tape was certainly possible and relatively easy, in spite of various forms of protection, but due to the analogue environment, the subsequent copies had an inherent loss in quality. This was a natural way of limiting the multiple copying of a video material. With digital technology, this barrier disappears, being …

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Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood Jan 2002

Linking Performance Requirements With Process Improvement Actions For Business Process Re-Design, Cita Lorraine Wood

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis presents research that extends current knowledge in the area of business process re-design, with a specific focus on the 'Make Product' process within manufacturing organisations. Current business process re-design approaches offer only limited guidance on the specific changes that can be made to a process when re-designing it to achieve the desired performance improvements and often overlook any strategically derived performance requirements when re-designing the process. Case experience suggests that practitioners do not consider the performance requirements of their business processes when re-designing them and that the actions they take to achieve performance improvements are not selected with …

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Postive Consequences Of Illness, Samantha Claire Sodergren Jan 2002

Postive Consequences Of Illness, Samantha Claire Sodergren

School of Psychology Theses

This thesis identifies systematically the domains of positive consequences of illness and details the development of a measure of the positive consequences of illness- the Silver Lining Questionnaire (SLQ). Further aims of the thesis include the use of the SLQ as a predictor of health outcome and an investigation of the prevalence and correlates of positivity in illness. The first study questioned 55 people about their positive experiences of illness and uncovered 17 themes. In the second study a pilot questionnaire based on these themes was administered to the participants of the first study and an additional sample of cancer …

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The Molecular Differentiation Of Renibacterium Salmoninarum Isolates, Sarah Margaret Alexander Jan 2002

The Molecular Differentiation Of Renibacterium Salmoninarum Isolates, Sarah Margaret Alexander

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Studies were undertaken to examine the extent of molecular variation among isolates of the fish pathogen Renibacterium salmoninarum. As many isolates as possible were gathered from diagnostic laboratories within the UK, and checked for viability and contamination. The isolates were derived mainly from infected rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon that were farmed in England, Scotland and Wales, subject to the requirements of statutory legislation. Incomplete histories were available for the sources of the isolates, which spanned a time scale of 36 years, from 1962-1998. Molecular variation between the isolates was examined using two strategies. Firstly, defined regions of the genome …

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Chromosomal Variation In Nucella Lapillus (L.) And Other Muricid Gastropods, Philip Lionel Pascoe Jan 2002

Chromosomal Variation In Nucella Lapillus (L.) And Other Muricid Gastropods, Philip Lionel Pascoe

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The Robertsonian polymorphism (numerical change in the chromosome complement by centric fusion or fission) in the dog-whelk (Nucella lapillus, Mollusca: Gastropoda) has been known and studied sporadically for almost 50 years. However, the possible causes, consequences and proposed correlations of this phenomenon remain enigmatic. Nucella lapillus (2n = 26 to 36), has undergone a marked reduction in chromosome number from its ancestral form; most other muricid species have a diploid chromosome number in the range 2n = 60- 70. Correlations have been proposed between chromosome number (or karyotype) and habitat (wave exposure), and also directly or indirectly with allozymes, shell …

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The Development Of A Novel Suspension Arm With 2-Dimensional Actuation, For Use In Advanced Hard Disk Drives, Chibesa Chilumbu Jan 2002

The Development Of A Novel Suspension Arm With 2-Dimensional Actuation, For Use In Advanced Hard Disk Drives, Chibesa Chilumbu

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

As magnetic computer disks are developed to ever-greater data storage densities, the accuracy required for head positioning is moving beyond the accuracy provided by present technology using single-stage voice-coil motors in hard disk drives. This thesis details work to develop a novel active suspension arm with 2-dimensional actuation for use in advanced hard disk drives. The arm developed is capable of high-bandwidth data tracking as well as precision head flying height control motion. High-bandwidth data tracking is facilitated by the use of piezoelectric stack actuator, positioned closer to the head. The suspension arm is also capable of motion in the …

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Integrated Luminometer For The Determination Of Trace Metals In Seawater Using Fluorescence, Phosphorescence And Chemiluminescence Detection, Pj Worsfold, Ep Achterberg, Ar Bowie, V Cannizzaro, S Charles, Jm Costa, F Dubois, R Pereiro, Vicente B San, A Sanz-Medel, R Vandeloise, Donckt E Vander, P Wollast, S Yunus Jan 2002

Integrated Luminometer For The Determination Of Trace Metals In Seawater Using Fluorescence, Phosphorescence And Chemiluminescence Detection, Pj Worsfold, Ep Achterberg, Ar Bowie, V Cannizzaro, S Charles, Jm Costa, F Dubois, R Pereiro, Vicente B San, A Sanz-Medel, R Vandeloise, Donckt E Vander, P Wollast, S Yunus

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Contrast Effects In Stereotype Formation And Change: The Role Of Comparative Context, Na Wyer, Ms Sadler, Cm Judd Jan 2002

Contrast Effects In Stereotype Formation And Change: The Role Of Comparative Context, Na Wyer, Ms Sadler, Cm Judd

School of Psychology

Two experiments investigated the way in which the presence of a comparative or inter-group context during stereotype formation affects stereotype change, induced by subsequent disconfirming information. Participants learned about a focal group, after learning about one of the two context groups. After reporting their stereotypes about both groups, participants learned additional information about the focal group. This information described new group members who either confirmed or disconfirmed the group stereotype. Consistent with previous research, participants formed more extreme stereotypes about the focal group on dimensions that distinguished it from the context group (i.e., a contrast effect). In response to the …

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'Consuming Children' : A Sociological Analysis Of Children's Relationship With Contempory Consumer Culture, Julie Marianne Evans Jan 2002

'Consuming Children' : A Sociological Analysis Of Children's Relationship With Contempory Consumer Culture, Julie Marianne Evans

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The aim of this thesis is to identify and understand children's relationships with the world of consumption. Through the children's own narratives a picture emerges of the mediating properties of consumer goods in their wider social and personal friendships. Living in what could be described as a materially divided society this project explores how children make sense of those inequalities and what their experiences are in understanding their own socio-economic position compared to others and how it impacts on their relationships to consumer culture. A particular concern is that such relationships may be more complicated than they seem on the …

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