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Muscle Stress And The Use Of Body Mechanics, Kathleen Ann Keeler

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the amount of lower back muscle stress produced during lifting tasks, using variations in weight and postures. Electromyographic activity of the erector spinae muscles at the L4-5 vertebral level was measured.

Thirty healthy female subjects participated in the study. Each subject lifted loads of two given weights using both the stooped and squat lifting postures. Electromyographic activity was recorded and averaged throughout each lift.

Results indicated that increased weight resulted in increased stress on the erector spinae muscles, regardless of posture. The squat lifting posture was found to be more stressful on …

An Assessment Of The Relationship Between Decision-Makers' Opinions About Comprehensive Sex Education And Factors That Influence Those Opinions, M. Terri Voit-Devine

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate decision-makers' opinions about what was to be contained in comprehensive sex education programs, the degree to which decision makers believed course information was likely to be part of their own curriculum, and how much support they believed the community would give to various parts of the curriculum.

The instrument used in the study was created by combining parts of surveys by Wayne (1981) and Marini and Jones (1983). The study compared the opinions of decision makers about guidelines to be used when implementing sex education, reasons for offering sex education, reasons for …

Patterns Of Refuse Disposal In New Orleans During The Middle To Late 19th Century, James M. Wojtala

Masters Theses

Patterns relating to refuse disposal practices during the middle to late 19th century in New Orleans are revealed through the analysis of artifacts from the Robin Street Nuisance Wharf site 16 OR 116. Various analyses allow chronological, economic, and behavioral patterns to be discerned. Intrasite patterns are compared on an intersite basis in an attempt to interpret refuse disposal behavior on a citywide basis. Historic documents are used to supplement archeological data and aid in the delineation of chronology and the economic and social makeup of those groups contributing to the archeological record. Observations are used as a basis for …

Effects Of Caffeine Consumption On Cardiovascular Reactivity To Social Stress, Suzanne L. Keller

Masters Theses

Several risk factors have been linked to cardiovascular diseases; among them are exposure to psychological stressors and caffeine consumption.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of caffeine consumption on cardiovascular reactivity to role play simulations of social stressors. A double-blind alternating treatment design was employed. Eight subjects (five female and three male) received either caffeine-containing or placebo beverages. Each subject received four samples of each beverage over a total of eight sessions. The results include: (a) stressors increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure along with heart rate in baseline, placebo and drug conditions; (b) caffeine produced …

Health And Social Service Needs In A Northeastern Metropolitan Area: Ethnic Group Differences, Paul D. Cleary, Harold W. Demone Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data from a representative sample of Boston area residents were analyzed to examine differences among ethnic populations in perceived needs and use of services for eight problem areas. The areas studied were: employment problems; financial problems; problems of the aged living alone; alcohol problems; personal; family or marital problems; child behavior or education problems; the need for homemaker services; and the need for a home nurse. The results indicate substantial differences between perceived needs and reported use of services, and both those factors varied by ethnic identification.

Neil Brock, Social Worker: Twenty-Five Years Later, Janice Andrews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews the role of the social worker, Neil Brock (played by George C. Scott) in the TV series, East Side/West Side which aired in 1963/64. The series is placed within the context of the social, political, economic environment of the 1960s. The analysis includes how Brock's character was developed, the role played by NASW, responses to the series by TV critics and social workers, and the role of television in portraying a profession.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Psychiatric Symptom Expression Using Langner's Twenty-Two Item Index, Robert Nishimoto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An analysis of psychiatric symptom response using Langner's twentytwo item index was conducted across three cultural settings. Respondents were Anglo-American, Vietnamese Chinese, and Mexican. Some similarities did exist in response patterns and in those symptom items highly correlated with the total psychiatric screening score. Close examination revealed between-group differences indicating that not all twenty-two items were valid indicators of psychological disorder across cultures. The study highlights issues in the development and use of symptom checklists to measure and assess mental health constructs across cultures.

Community Mental Health: A View From American History, Mary Ann Jimenez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The limitations of the movement for deinstitutionalization of the chronically mentally disordered have been the subject of a repeated series of investigations and analyses in the last 10 years. These critiques can be summed up in the undeniable observation that the chronically mentally disordered have by and large failed to benefit from deinstitutionalization in the ways that the original advocates and planners of this policy had hoped. The promise of community mental health, at least as articulated by the scores of witnesses before Congressional committees in the early 1960's, has not been realized for this population.

Unemployment And Social Integration: A Review, Loring Jones

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A review of the literature identifies the loss of work as a stressful life event that has been linked to a number of psychosocial ills. The paper examines the loss of social relationships, a major noneconomic cost of unemployment, as a major contributor to the development of those ills. Practice implications of this finding are identified.

Economic Motivators For Shoplifting, Joann Ray, Katherine Hooper Briar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Shoplifting has been attributed to many psychological and physiological factors, especially when women are involved. This article examines the many factors that account for shoplifting behavior focusing on research findings which suggest economic and employment precipitants of the problem. Changes in policy and programmatic responses to shoplifters are suggested.

Archaeology And The Public: A Survey Of People's Knowledge Of The Archaeology Profession, Heidi Stoneman

Masters Theses

Archaeologists have an obligation to communicate the significance of data and research results to a fascinated but often uninformed public. How much the public understands about the field of archaeology is important to the profession. Through the media, people learn about the discovery of spectacular artifact treasures. This information often fosters the practice of treasure hunting, the looting and destruction of important archaeological sites. Via treasure hunting, along with land alteration and traffic in the sale of antiquities, the field of archaeology loses vast amounts of valuable information.

An interview questionnaire was given to 232 people with varying levels of …

A Review And Evaluation Of Research On Suspension And Expulsion Of Handicapped Students In Public Schools, Debria D. Young

Masters Theses

The purpose of this report is to review and synthesize findings of research studies about suspension and expulsion of handicapped students as a disciplinary procedure in public schools.

The first chapter begins with a glossary of frequently used terms and definitions to assist the reader in understanding the terminology used in this paper.

Chapter II reviews literature relevant to suspension and expulsion of handicapped students.

Chapter III cites statutory and mandatory provisions set forth by the .Michigan State Board of Education on suspension and expulsion.

Chapter IV explores the historical content on suspension and expulsion of handicapped students.

Chapter V …

The Psychological Needs Of Sex Offenders Of Children As Measured By The Personality Research Form, Shirley Anne Miller

Dissertations

Major contributors in the field of child sexual abuse have agreed that sex offenders who sexually abuse children are not primarily motivated by sexual desire and have proposed that the simultaneous satisfaction of a number of psychological needs is the prominent motivation of sex offenders of children. Few attempts have been made to empirically validate the clinical and theoretical impressions regarding the psychological needs of this group using psychological measures designed to assess needs or motives.

The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the assumptions about the psychological needs of sex offenders of children would be …

An Analogue Of Science, Michael Albert Minervini

Dissertations

There is no science of human behavior, not even an incipient one. The popular conception of applied behavior analysis as a genuine principle-driven technology is mostly an illusion. Two sorts of evidence support this conclusion. The first is an ever widening split between the field's basic and applied realms. The second, thus far unacknowledged, is that when the concepts of operant and respondent conditioning are extended to human behavior, they are often rendered as no more than metaphors. These metaphors are not confined to casual discourse or even to interpretation. In fact, they are the prevailing form of extension in …

An Evaluation Of A Student Orientation Pilot Project And Counseling Services As Retention Activities At Grand Valley State University, Mary T. Gustas

Masters Theses

The field experience was completed in the Counseling Center in affiliation with the Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, spring of 1986 through spring of 1987. An objective of the experience was to determine if an increased orientation program and counseling service impacted the retention of freshmen students at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI.

Data were gathered and compiled which supported an extended orientation program at other institutions. Recommendations for implementation were prepared and presented to the Retention Committee at Grand Valley State University.

Additional data collection was done for the …

Effects Of Intervention On The Ability Of Students With Hearing Impairments To Write Personal Narrative Stories, Beth L. Miller

Masters Theses

This study was designed to determine whether students with hearing impairments could be taught to write more mature personal narrative stories. An experimental group of junior high students received intervention focused on teaching the elements of story grammar and their application to the students' written narrative stories. A matched control group of students spent equal time with the researcher and received intervention focused on improvement of basic language skills. Pretest, posttest-1, posttest-2, and generalization samples were taken. Students' metatextual skills for telling how to write a story were also probed.

A significant difference was found between the experimental and control …

The Effects Of Nautilus Circuit Weight Training On Aerobic Capacity, Rhonda M. Ludwig

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify whether Nautilus Circuit Training effected maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) levels of novice weight trainers. Fourteen college age male and female subjects (18-23 years old) from physical education classes at Western Michigan University participated in a six week Nautilus Training Program (NTP). Each subject performed a pre and post maximal treadmill graded exercise test to determine VO₂max levels. A randomized block ANOVA design was used to analyze the dependent variable, VO₂max. The mean of the pre-test VO₂max level (42.83 ml x O₂/kg/min) was …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of An Educational Presentation In Increasing Chemically Dependent Males’ Report Of Sexual Abuse, Linda L. Hand

Masters Theses

Research has demonstrated several factors among sexually abused males such as males sexually abused as children becoming adult sexual abusers; one in four males reporting sexual abuse; and adult emotional trauma, drug abuse, and sexual dysfunction. To break this abuse pattern, we need to focus on increasing males' reports of sexual abuse and initiating treatment.

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral educational presentation in increasing males' reports of sexual abuse. It also sought prevalence information and treatment needs. Subjects were 51 males from three chemical dependency treatment centers. One control and four experimental groups were used. The …

The Purposeful Use Of An Object In The Development Of Skill With A Prosthesis, Hon Keung Yuen

Masters Theses

Theoretically, perceptual information from the interaction with an object and its surfaces (an affordance) facilitates the development of motor skill. This study investigated the use of an affordance in learning control of flexion and extension of an above-elbow training prosthesis. Fifty-two male college students were randomly assigned to two training procedures: two, 1.5-minute periods of a joining dots activity with a flashlight attached to the hook of the prosthesis (affordance group), and practice moving the prosthesis at the elbow joint (no-affordance group) for the same amount of time. To assess generalization of skill to a different task, each subject traced …

The Effects Of Leadership Style And Work Setting On The Job Satisfaction Of Teachers Of The Trainable Mentally Impaired, John Charles Woods

Dissertations

This study examined the effect that leadership style and work setting would have on the job satisfaction of teachers of the trainable mentally impaired (TMI). Leadership style was based on the adaptability score from the LEAD Other instrument by Hersey and Blanchard (1982). Work setting was defined by one of three teaching situations, (1) integrated, with one or two teachers of the TMI working in a regular education building; (2) clustered, with three or more teachers of the TMI working in a regular education building; or (3) segregated, with teachers of the TMI working in a separate facility. Job satisfaction …

Productivity And Affective Responses To Work Tasks And Leisure Activities In Type A And Type B Individuals, Susan Jean Paske

Masters Theses

The Type A Personality Index, a measure of whether an individual tends to be a Type A or a Type B personality, was given to 30 male and 30 female college students who then participated in a planting activity, presented as either a work task or a leisure activity. Productivity was measured by number of pottings, and affective responses to the activity in the areas of evaluation, power, and action were determined by Osgood's 12-scale short form semantic differential (OSD). No significant correlations were found between personality type and productivity or OSD scores in either the work or leisure conditions. …

Recidivism And The Self Concept Of Male Juvenile Delinquents, Mary B. Stelma

Masters Theses

It is a common belief that a low self concept is related to deviant behavior. The purpose of this study was to compare the self concepts of juvenile recidivists with those of non-recidivists.

A sample of 162 subjects was taken from juveniles who had been treated at a Michigan detention facility. Measures of self concept, using the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (Fitts, 1965), were taken both prior to and following treatment. Point-biserial correlations were computed for pre-test scores, post-test scores, and changes in scores from pre-test to post-test.

The results showed some significant positive correlations between self concept and recidivism …

Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Seizures In Pigeons And The Effects Of Ethosuximide Thereon, James J. Jakubow

Masters Theses

Previous research has shown that ethosuximide in high enough doses will disrupt operant responding in pigeons. Whether or not these same doses will protect against seizure activity in this species has not been previously tested.

To test this question a system for scoring pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in pigeons was developed and the effects of ethosuximide on such seizures were evaluated. In Experiment 1 pentylenetetrazol at 15, 27 and 47 mg/kg reliably induced seizures. In Experiment 2 non-behaviorally active and behaviorally active doses of ethosuximide were tested for their seizure controlling effectiveness.

Doses of 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg ethosuximide …

The Environmental, Economic, And Social Impacts Of Resort Development And Tourism On Native Hawaiians, Jon Matsuoka, Terry Kelly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Hawaii is currently undergoing major changes associated with land and industrial development. A shift in focus from agriculture to tourism has led to massive land development throughout the islands in order to accommodate this growing industry. The people affected most by these environmental changes are the indigenous people of Hawaii who exist in close harmony with the land and sea. As natural habitats are destroyed, fish and other food sources disappear. This has profound affects upon the behavior and practices of Hawaiian people who must look to other means for subsistence. Changes in the environment are inherently tied to changes …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 15, No. 4 (December 1988)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• "NEW" DIRECTIONS IN THE WELFARE REFORM DEBATE: THE PROBLEMS OF FEDERALISM - W. Joseph Heffernan
• THE ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF RESORT DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM ON NATIVE HAWAIIANS - Jon Matsuoka and Terry Kelly
• A CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOM EXPRESSION USING LANGNER'S TWENTY-TWO ITEM INDEX - Robert Nishimoto
• HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICE NEEDS IN A NORTHEASTERN METROPOLITAN AREA: ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES - Paul D. Cleary and Harold Demone, Jr.
• THE RELATIONSHIP OF RACE, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND MARITAL STATUS TO KIN NETWORKS - Ferol E. Mennen
• NEIL BROCK, SOCIAL WORKER: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER - Janice Andrews …

The Frustrations Of Family Violence Social Work: An Historical Critique, Linda Gordon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contrary to the view that social work has been characterized by substantial shifts in treatment methods over the last hundred years, an historical study of case records from child protection agencies in Boston, 1880 to 1960, revealed very little improvement or change in the social-work response to family violence cases. The continuity in socialwork response rested, at its best, on workers' common-sense apprehension of the complex (intrapsychic, relational, and environmental) causes of family violence, and, at worst, on several constricting ideologies about proper family life: gender assumptions that made women's domesticity and mothering essential; and a public/private dichotomy which assumed …

Western News, November 17, 1988, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Earlier student preparation credited for 31.5 percent increase in applications, Data processing moves from back office to front line, Ramirez wins Hispanic Recognition Award, Gant named associate director in placement

Western News, November 10, 1988, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Support of faculty and staff members needed for capital campaign to reach ambitious goals, Participants can express their opinions as jurors in Nov. 12 mock trial, Consensual relations resolution returned to committee, Registration 'bugs' slow campus phone system, Geography Awareness Week set for Nov. 13-19

Western News, November 3, 1988, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Upjohn pledges $2 million to WMU, 13 visiting scholars teaching here this year as part of King/Chavez/Parks Program, Conference to focus on race relations in Kalamazoo, Articles sought for women's history publication, Yeager to speak on ethical decision-making

The Westerner Vol. 9 No. 2, Western Michigan University

The Westerner (1980-1997)

• The Upjohn Company pledges $2 million to WMU Foundation • Lees pave the way for honors facility • Gridders clinch trip to California Bowl • Three receive 1988 alumni teaching awards • Trustees and faculty praise Haenicke' s leadership • Three win alumni teaching excellence awards • Alumni Association elects officers; welcomes six new directors • Western inducts five into Athletic Hall of Fame • Fall enrollment is at an all-time high • Parfet, Lee elected Foundation chair, vice chair; board expanded • Corporate alumni group funds, awards Medallion Scholarship • Cunningham Memorial Scholarship is awarded • Reorganization focuses …