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Critical Study Of John Rawls’ Theory Of Justice, Jae-Wan Chung

Masters Theses

In discussing John Rawls' theory of justice , my main concern is to examine his theory, especially in difference principle, and to criticize the principle. The difference principle is that without improving the conditions of those who are worst off, the advantages of all those better off should not be permitted. The principle has some problems.

First, the principle is against our common judgment. There is no reason that we choose the principle under "original position," and the principle brings about a result to disregard others' important advantages for the least favored's profits. Secondly, according to Robert Nozick's entitlement theory, …

Geological And Hydrogeological Characterization Of The Schoolcraft Aquifer, Schoolcraft, Michigan, William K. Steinmann

Masters Theses

Newly installed monitoring wells, county well logs, gamma-ray logs, head measurements, flow nets, slug tests, and full aquifer pumping tests were utilized to characterize the geologic and hydrogeologic conditions of the area. Evaluation of the geologic conditions indicate that the study area is best described as a glacially generated, humid type, alluvial fan. A hydrogeologic facies model concept aided in the initial evaluation of the hydrogeologic conditions and was utilized for the placement of several vertically nested monitoring wells. Further evaluation indicates an unconfined aquifer comprised of two separate flow systems: a shallow, local flow system interacting with flow-through surface …

Criminalizing Pregnancy: An Analysis Of The War On Drugs And The Fetal Rights Movement, Sheryl R. Fett

Masters Theses

The focus of study was the war on drugs and the fetal rights movement as they relate to the criminalization of pregnancy. There was a movement in the 1980s and early 1990s to prosecute pregnant women for prenatal drug use under child abuse statutes and/or drug delivery statutes.

A social constructionist framework was used to analyze this movement. This thesis utilized a qualitative case study relying on documentary analysis. Literature on the war of drugs and the fetal rights movement was analyzed as it related to the prosecutions of pregnant drug users and the subsequent criminalization of pregnancy.

It was …

Trauma In Adult Incest Survivors, Jane Kay Hedberg

Masters Theses

This study explored the traumatic effect of childhood incestuous abuse on the adult survivor. Eleven subjects were interviewed for this study. Hindman's (1989) trauma scale was revised, exploring issues of relationships, mental health, and living skills dysfunctions. In addition to the global score, the scale was disaggregated. Relationships between trauma and age at onset, physical and emotional violence, frequency, identification of self as victim, current relationship with offender, and response to disclosure were explored.

Several dimensions of feeling responsible were reported by victims, including feeling that there was something about them that made others victimize them, feeling responsible for protecting …

Gender Differences In Higher Education: A Comparison Of Males And Females Applying To Graduate School, Lynda Bennett

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine in what ways male and female applicants to graduate school are similar or different. Secondary analysis was conducted on survey data which described attitudes and behavior of students admitted to graduate programs at Western Michigan University. The purpose was to assess the relationship between gender and curricula selected, likelihood of applying for and receiving financial aid, and the influence of marital status. Gender did have a statistically significant relationship with curricula selection and influence of marital status. Furthermore, it appeared that women graduate students find marriage to be a more limiting factor …

How To Help The Working Poor Develop Assets, John R. Belcher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores the inability of the working poor to withstand income shocks. Because they often lack assets, the working poor are increasingly vulnerable to increasing deprivation. Interestingly, the welfare state enables the middle-class to develop and maintain assets through institutional arrangements. It is argued that solutions to the problem of poverty must include ways for the working poor also to develop and maintain assets.

The Rise And Fall Of California's Radical Prison Movement. Eric Cummins.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Eric Cummins: The Rise and Fall of California's Radical Prison Movement. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994. $45.00 hardcover; $16.95 papercover.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Behavior, And Decision-Making Orientation Relating To Cardiovascular Health In High School Students, Patricia E. Bromfield

Masters Theses

Planning for cardiovascular health (CVH) education for adolescents

requires an awareness of students' cardiovascular knowledge and attitudes

toward "heart healthy" behavior, and an understanding of the dynamics

of health-related decision-making in this age group. This study attempted

to measure these parameters using an 81-item survey administered to 93

9th graders (45 females, 46 males, 2 undisclosed) and 107 12th graders (57

females, 47 males, 3 undisclosed). The survey was administered m a

suburban high school in southwest Michigan in the spring of 1994.

Results were evaluated descriptively for knowledge, attitudes, and

behavior, and for differences across grade and gender. ANOVA's …

A Heuristic Procedure For Designing A Cellular Manufacturing System While Minimizing Makespan, Panduranga Badam

Masters Theses

This study is the first of its kind in Group Technology (GT) literature and successfully demonstrates the application of the simulation technique to analyze different alternatives for machine and part grouping problem.

This study considers several aspects such as processing time, sequence of operations, alternative routing, setup time and dynamic shop condition for machine-part grouping. The heuristic developed aims to reduce intercellular moves, setup time and makespan time of parts. It also enables the decision markers to evaluate performance measures and to choose the best alternative at every step of the machine grouping process. Two examples have been used to …

The Effect Of Step Height On Energy Cost Using A Stairmaster 4000pt, Bruce Patnoudes

Masters Theses

The study determined if energy cost or heart rate was affected by Stairmaster 4000PT users stepping at lower than the prescribed 8.0 in. recommended by the manufacturer. Eight women participated in the study. Subjects exercised on the Stairmaster 4000PT using three different step heights; 4.0 in., 6.0 in., and 8.0 in. The condition order was randomized to minimize bias. Subjects stepped with a metronome to regulate step height.

The findings indicated that a lower than recommended step height did not affect energy cost or heart rate.

It was concluded that users may step at any of the three step heights …

An Extension To The Avc Discrimination Test By The Addition Of One Level Above Avc Level Vi, Charles P. Butler

Dissertations

Kerr, Meyerson and Flora (1977) devised a series of six small learning tasks that could be used to assess developmentally disabled individuals on the typical tasks to be performed in a school setting or sheltered workshop and required very simple equipment. The tasks were imitation, position discrimination, visual discrimination, match-to sample, auditory discrimination and combined auditory visual discrimination. Davinc (1990) suggested that there may be transitional skills between AVC levels IV and V not found by Kerr et al. Davine (1990), Wilson (1991) and Buder (1992) devised a series of experimental tasks designed to test this notion. All used nonidentity …

A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Relationship Of Mathematics, Science, Athletics And The Career Expectations Of Adolescent Women, Elwood Martin Bowers

Dissertations

The premise of this study is that high school women who complete course work in advanced mathematics and advanced science and participate in organized athletic programs will develop skills, knowledge, and attitudes that facilitate and encourage expanded options in their occupational expectations. It was hypothesized that such women would have occupational expectations that reflect a greater degree of gender integration or nontraditionality than women who do not participate in such activities. Other environmental or attribute variables such as parents' occupation, birth order, and constructs of self concept, were examined for intervening or modifying effects on the major premise.

Participants in …

The Relationship Between Codependency And Kohlberg's Stages Of Moral Development, David L. Arkesteyn

Dissertations

The phenomenon of codependency is currently under considerable scrutiny as to its actual meaning and whether the concept is biased against women, ignores normal psychological development, and is subject to the "Bamum effect". Codependent relationships are widely considered dysfunctional, yet normal psychological development may play a role in these relationships which is not dysfunctional. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between codependency and Kohlberg's stages of moral development It was proposed that codependency would be highly correlated with Kohlberg's interpersonal concordance orientation stage. The sample consisted of sixty adult subjects who were assessed as codependent Thirty-one …

The Effects Of Relaxation Exercises On Young Persons With Moderate Asthma, Robert Edward Obrecht

Dissertations

This experiment studied the acute and cumulative effects of relaxation exercises on young persons (mean age 11.4 years) with moderate asthma. In order to assess the acute effects of relaxation, treatment group subjects were instructed to perform relaxation exercises immediately before and during methacholine inhalation challenge procedures that produced a 20% reduction in forced expiratory volume in one-second (FEXA,). The control group subjects were not taught the relaxation exercises, but still underwent the methacholine challenges. In order to assess the cumulative effects of the treatment group subjects practicing relaxation exercises twice daily at home for 10-weeks, they were instructed to …

A Bootstrap Method To Analyze An Intervention Model With Autoregressive Error Terms, Scott D. Mcknight

Dissertations

The analysis of a particular time-series intervention model involving lag one autoregressive (AR(1)) error terms is the focus of this dissertation. The method of ordinary least squares, and several two stage procedures that are commonly used to analyze this intervention model are examined. The two stage Cochrane-Orcutte, Durbin, and generalized least squares procedures each requires estimation of the AR(1) parameter in stage one before hypothesis testing about the intervention parameters can be performed in stage two. Using Monte Carlo experiments we show that the AR(1) estimates commonly used in these procedures are poor and consequently the stage two hypothesis tests …

The Effects Of A Monetary Bonus And Penalty On The Performance Of A Simple Monitoring Task, Gordon Henry

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of three different pay systems on human monitoring performance. With increasing automation, monitoring tasks are becoming increasingly common, but methods of compensation that will promote good performance remain unexamined. Although hourly pay is typically used, data suggest that contingent pay may be more effective in motivating high levels of performance.

In the current study, six undergraduate students, four females and two males ranging in age from 19 to 21 years, performed a monitoring task analogous to one performed by a security guard. Specifically, subjects observed a television screen and …

The Effects Of Systems-Centered Versus Individual-Centered Training On The Analysis Of Organizational Problems, Jane E. Devries

Dissertations

This study analyzed the effects of systems-centered (S) training, individual centered (I) training, and no formal training (C) on the ability to identify organizational problems. Three groups of 10-14 undergraduates participated. Subjects completed a pre-test that required analysis of 10 one-page vignettes describing some type of organizational problem. Each participant rated the quality of the vignettes to assess the amount of critical information presented, and identified the organizational problem, the rationale for targeting the problem, and questions that should be asked of the management to obtain more information. Groups S and I received six hours of systems-centered training or individual …

The Writing Response In Studies Of Topography-Based And Selection-Based Verbal Behavior, Osborn Cresson

Dissertations

The position taken in this paper is that the observable world is the only one needed in our analysis, that behavior is a reaction to the environments in which it occurs, and that language is more behavior that can be studied effectively as a dependent variable that varies as a function of independent variables manipulated by the experimenter.

Our goal was to study topography-based and selection-based verbal behavior with emphasis on the writing response and then to produce a report that would serve as a guide for other students of behavior and environment.

Sixteen undergraduate college students participated in 115 …

High Breakdown Rank-Based Estimates For Linear Models, William H. Chang

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A Problem-Solving And Imagery-Based Suggestion On Analgesic Responding In Low, Medium, And High Hypnotizable Females, Gloria Haddad Taggett

Dissertations

This study assessed the effects of a problem-solving suggestion as compared with an imagery-based suggestion on analgesic responding in subjects scoring in the low, medium, and high ranges on scales of hypnotizability. Subjects were exposed at separate intervals to either an hypnotic suggestion patter containing specific imagery designed to enhance analgesic performance, or alternatively to a suggestion patter that provided only general problem-solving direction, but contained no specific imaginal guidance. Performance was assessed using two duration measures on a cold-pressor test. Specific measures included both the total time duration a subject held the target hand in cold water (tolerance) as …

The Theory And Applications Of Stratified Graphs, Reza Rashidi

Dissertations

Physical design is one of several stages in the design of a VLSI chip. In this stage, the specifications of an electrical circuit are converted into a geometrical model. Problems concerning the physical design stage can often be studied by means of graphs. The problems encountered here are routing problems and concern placement of vertices, which represent wires, into layers. All this gives rise to a class of graphs whose vertices are partitioned into classes. Such graphs are called stratified graphs. In this dissertation, we formally define stratified graphs, study their properties, and investigate various algorithmic problems related to these …

Hiv Prevention And Heterosexual College Students: The Impact Of Video Instruction On The "Safer" Sexual Behaviors Of Sexually Active Men, Cheryl L. Knight

Dissertations

Despite increasing evidence of the heterosexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among young adults, research with college students has been primarily restricted to descriptions of the levels of risky behavior and the correlates of that behavior. To date, few experimentally validated HIV prevention programs have been reported. Furthermore, the existing experimental investigations have seldom based an intervention on a thorough analysis of the barriers to the practice of safer sex.

Experiment One surveyed 195 heterosexual college students to assess HIV risk factors, including sexual behavior, risk perception, knowledge and 10 barriers to the consistent practice of "safer" sex. …

Effects Of Caffeine Consumption On Cardiovascular Indices, Attention, Task Performance, And Memory Retention In Children, Suzanne L. Keller

Dissertations

Caffeine is one of the most commonly used drugs in the western world today. Average intake of caffeine in the United States has been estimated at greater than 200 mg daily per person. Although plagued by inconsistencies, and methodological problems, research suggests that this level of caffeine ingestion may have significant effects on cardiovascular functioning, and behavioral processes such as attention, cognitive processing, memory, and task performance.

Although children consume significant quantities of caffeine, very little research has been done on the effects of caffeine in children. The limited findings suggest that caffeine consumption may affect the cognitive and behavioral …

Changes In Hypnotizability As A Function Of Suggestion-Based Experimenter Manipulations, Marlin 0. Trulsen

Dissertations

Limited behavioral research exists on the subject of hypnosis. A behavioral perspective maintains that a "responding to hypnosis suggestion" class of behaviors exists for each individual. For individuals more readily responsive to hypnosis suggestion, this "responding to hypnosis suggestion" class of behaviors exists at greater strength due to a previous history which strengthened these behaviors. These individuals respond strongly to hypnosis suggestions and behave as "high hypnotizables". For others, the "responding to hypnosis suggestion" class of behaviors exists at weaker strength due to the absence of the necessary history. These less responsive individuals could directly benefit from the many medical, …

Analyzing Administrative Experiences: Feminist, Labor, And Organizational Culture Perspectives, Joan L. Arches, Paula Schneider

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A framework is offered for making organizational assessment for change using feminist, labor, and organizational culture perspectives. A vision of a humane work environment is important. The labor literature provides the critical analysis, the feminist perspective provides alternatives, and the concept of organizational culture provides the tool for assessment. Based on an exploratory study with women administrators, the authors look at how differences in values are reflected in the administration and structure of feminist and traditional agencies.

Review Of Forensic Social Work: Legal Aspects Of Professional Practice. Robert L. Baker And Douglas M. Branson. Reviewed By Margaret M. Severson, Louisiana State University., Margaret M. Severson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Robert L. Barker and Douglas M. Branson. Forensic Social Work: Legal Aspects of Professional Practice. New York, Haworth Press, 1993. $15.95 papercover.

Women In Public School Administration: Factors That Facilitate Attainment, Betty Newlin Lapointe

Dissertations

The educational system in the United States, although staffed by an equal proportion of men and women in teaching roles, is administered predominantly by men. Women are represented in fewer than 5% of our nation’s schools in the role of superintendent, and only 10% of the high schools are administered by women principals.

The purpose of this study was to expand the research on the factors that facilitate the attainment of key leadership positions for women within the public school, and to determine differences in access between the positions of secondary principal and superintendent.

A total of 78 female administrators, …

An Exploration Of Students’ And Business Persons’ Ratings Of The Importance Of Writing Skills For Business Success, Miriam P. Coleman

Dissertations

The central question explored in this research was whether the perceptions of undergraduate students and business employers about the importance of writing skills for success in business differ from one another. Related questions were posed about the relationship of certain individual characteristics such as sex, student classification, and student institutional affiliation and their interactions to these perceptions.

Subjects were selected from both public and private institutions of higher education and 11 medium-sized businesses in western Michigan. Data collection was accomplished using two 30-item Likert-type Importance of Business Writing (IBW) questionnaires developed for obtaining information on the perceptions of subjects relative …

Design Of A Miniature Hydraulic Power Unit, Ryan D. Bruneau

Honors Theses

The need for a newly designed miniature hydraulic power unit has received the attention of Parker-Hannifin Hydraulic Pump/Motor Division. The current power unit is no longer marketable due to the associated costs and its relative size. As a result, a miniature hydraulic power unit has been designed, the culmination to the engineering curriculum at Western Michigan University. In order to increase the overall marketability and to reduce production costs, a transparent plastic reservoir has been incorporated into the design. An appropriate polymer has been chosen to meet the design requirements and finite element analysis has been used to verify the …

The Encirclement At Cherkassy-Korsun: An Assessment Of The Winners And Losers, Joseph Kent Lutes

Masters Theses

During the winter of 1944, two Russian armies encircled two German corps on the Dnieper River. The Germans managed to break out of the encirclement after an attempt to relieve them failed. The battle lasted only three weeks, but cost both sides greatly. Both sides carried out a successful airlift to keep their troops in action. The Germans carried out a brilliant campaign, while the Russians demonstrated that they still needed to perfect their encirclement doctrine and their propaganda.

Each side was hindered by its leaders. Hitler forced the Germans to hold ground, while Stalin forced his generals to fight …