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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Second Natures: Media, Masculinity And The Natural World In Twentieth-Century American Literature And Film., Jeanne E. Hamming Jan 2003

Second Natures: Media, Masculinity And The Natural World In Twentieth-Century American Literature And Film., Jeanne E. Hamming

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This multidisciplinary dissertation examines the cultural anxieties associated with masculine identity in relation to both technology and nature in key literary texts and contemporary films of the twentieth-century: Ray Bradbury's “The Veldt” and The Martian Chronicles, Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, James Dickey's Deliverance , Don DeLillo's White Noise, Fight Club, American Psycho, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, and Dark City. Exploring the theoretical intersections of technoculture, ecocriticism, and gender studies, this dissertation analyzes the relationship between masculine identity and nature, as it is mediated by American technoculture. This relationship is marked by a discernible cultural malaise—a sense …


Experimental Support For The Use Of Story Telling To Guide Behavior: The Effects Of Story Telling On Multiple And Mixed Fixed Ratio (Fr) /Differential Reinforcement Of Low Rate (Drl) Schedule Responding., Michelle Heffner Jan 2003

Experimental Support For The Use Of Story Telling To Guide Behavior: The Effects Of Story Telling On Multiple And Mixed Fixed Ratio (Fr) /Differential Reinforcement Of Low Rate (Drl) Schedule Responding., Michelle Heffner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Story telling is universal, and the significance of stories may lie in their ability to guide behavior. An informal analysis of story telling suggests that stories provide a model of behavior, establish motivation, and stimulate the development of self-generated rules. In psychotherapy, stories illustrate points, suggest solutions, improve client insight, increase motivation, and establish rapport (Barker, 1996; Zeig, 1980). Despite the popular use of stories across theoretical orientations and treatment approaches, it is not clear if stories facilitate behavior change. Observational and correlational data suggest that stories may guide behavior, but there is no experimental support for these findings. The …


A Comparison Of Community Members' Preferences To Viewing Two Different Approaches To Therapy., Sherry Lynn Cain Jan 2003

A Comparison Of Community Members' Preferences To Viewing Two Different Approaches To Therapy., Sherry Lynn Cain

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The perceptions of community members on a traditional Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) counseling approach and a multi-sensory REBT counseling approach were examined in this study. A total of 98 individuals, who were the staff and parents recruited from a community Headstart program, participated in the study. Simulated counseling sessions of the two approaches were presented to the community members through eleven minute videotapes. After watching the counseling sessions, individuals rated the sessions with the Counseling Style Preference Form and the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire. They also were asked to write comments about each of the counseling sessions. Paired sample T-tests yielded …


Gender, Gender Role, And Gender Role-Orientation Of Exercise Task: Effects On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Confidence., Andria Leigh Doyle Jan 2003

Gender, Gender Role, And Gender Role-Orientation Of Exercise Task: Effects On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Confidence., Andria Leigh Doyle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study was conducted to examine gender and gender role differences in cardiovascular reactivity and confidence in relation to performing gender role-oriented exercise tasks. Sixty-four participants were selected to view videos of male and female models performing two exercise tasks [baton twirling (the feminine gender role-oriented task) and martial arts (the masculine gender role-oriented task)]. Participants then completed the exercise tasks while following along with the same video models. Heart rate (HR) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were measured during experimental conditions. Participants completed questionnaires to assess their level of confidence to perform each exercise …


Adolescent Friendship, Relationship Quality, And Delinquency: Associations With Social And Cognitive Problem-Solving Performance., Lisa Swenson Jan 2003

Adolescent Friendship, Relationship Quality, And Delinquency: Associations With Social And Cognitive Problem-Solving Performance., Lisa Swenson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Problem-solving performance of 132 adolescents was examined to determine whether performance was affected by individual (i.e., delinquency, gender) or contextual variables (i.e., friendship, situation-specific relationship quality). A friendship nomination procedure was used to pair individuals with a same-sex friend or nonfriend. Partners discussed and generated solutions for two cognitive isolation-of-variables tasks (adapted from Azmitia & Montgomery, 1993) and four social problem vignettes (two delinquency-related and two relationship quality-related problems; adapted from Berg, 1989; Owens, 2001). Following discussion of the problems, partners were separated and completed answer sheets for each problem. Participants then completed a delinquency measure (adapted from Mak, 1993), …


Costume Designs For "Macbeth" By William Shakespeare., Virginia Bristol Johnson Jan 2003

Costume Designs For "Macbeth" By William Shakespeare., Virginia Bristol Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document records the costume design process for West Virginia University’s spring 2000 studio theatre production of Macbeth. The costume design was produced and completed in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Design, Costume. Contained herein are: a brief history of the play and playwright, a synopsis of the action, the conceptual approach to the design and production, text describing the final costume design, costume plot, research, working drawings, process photos and performance photos.


An Operant Blocking Account Of Rule-Governed Behavior's Insensitivity To Local Contingencies Of Reinforcement., Marta Leon Jan 2003

An Operant Blocking Account Of Rule-Governed Behavior's Insensitivity To Local Contingencies Of Reinforcement., Marta Leon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This experiment examined whether operant blocking could explain instructed behavior’s insensitivity to contingencies. Fourteen subjects were randomly assigned to three groups and trained to respond to a multiple differential reinforcement of low rates 4- seconds/fixed ratio 18 (DRL 4-s/FR18) schedule. Subjects in the Blocking and Unblocking groups received instructions about the optimal response rate. Subjects in the Minimally Instructed group received only general instructions. Arbitrary stimuli correlated with the schedule components were presented to all groups. For the Unblocking group, the introduction of these stimuli was accompanied by a change in reinforcement’s magnitude. Sensitivity and blocking were assessed by reversing …


Modeling Direct Farm Marketing In West Virginia: A Spatial, Policy, And Profitability Analysis., Jesse Ernest Gandee Jan 2003

Modeling Direct Farm Marketing In West Virginia: A Spatial, Policy, And Profitability Analysis., Jesse Ernest Gandee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This analysis uses economic modeling techniques to analyze direct farm marketing sales, profits, and public policy in West Virginia. To investigate factors that affect county direct farm marketing, the impact of consumer demographic, land, and spatial variables upon county direct farm marketing sales is tested. The results reveal that income, education, land characteristics, and adjacent metropolitan areas influence direct farm marketing sales. An Input-Output (I-O) model is used to analyze a direct farm marketing public policy in the Mountain State. The results from the model portray a disproportionate amount of West Virginia food production contributing to marketing services and a …


The Impact Of Past Dating Relationship Solidarity On Commitment, Satisfaction, Investment And Maintenance In Current Relationships., Andy J. Merolla Jan 2003

The Impact Of Past Dating Relationship Solidarity On Commitment, Satisfaction, Investment And Maintenance In Current Relationships., Andy J. Merolla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine how previous romantic relationships impact subsequent romantic relationships. Specifically, this study examined if past relationship solidarity is related to current relationship commitment, satisfaction, investment, and maintenance behavior usage among individuals in dating relationships. Participants were 204 undergraduates at an Eastern university who were currently in a dating relationship. Results indicated that past relationship solidarity is significantly and negatively related to current relationship commitment and satisfaction, but not significantly related to current investment or maintenance behavior usage. Several mediating variables were also examined, including the nature and attribution of individuals’ breakups, the length …


The Impact Of Caloric Preloading On Attempts At Food- And Eating-Related Thought Suppression In Restrained And Unrestrained Eaters., Cara Frances O'Connell Jan 2003

The Impact Of Caloric Preloading On Attempts At Food- And Eating-Related Thought Suppression In Restrained And Unrestrained Eaters., Cara Frances O'Connell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current study examined the relation between dietary restraint and caloric preload in thought suppression attempts. The impact of restraint status, suppression instructions, and a high calorie preload were examined among a sample of 64 college females classified as either restrained or unrestrained eaters. Participants engaged in a 60-minute laboratory activity; half of the participants were preloaded and all participants were randomly assigned to a food- and eatingrelated thought suppression condition or an expression control group. Difficulty of suppression and frequency of foods and eating-related thoughts were examined. Restrained participants instructed to suppress demonstrated significantly more food- and eating-related thoughts. …


The Effects Of Shaping And Instructing Verbal Behavior On Human Schedule Performance., Elizabethann M. O'Shields Jan 2003

The Effects Of Shaping And Instructing Verbal Behavior On Human Schedule Performance., Elizabethann M. O'Shields

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This experiment analyzed the effects of different methods of rule acquisition on sensitivity to changing contingencies of reinforcement. Subjects were asked to guess the best way to earn points on two alternating schedules of reinforcement that had produced differentiated pressing rates in a group of subjects not asked to guess. Subjects were divided into groups whose guessing was either shaped, instructed, or was provided with non-differential points for guessing. Different methods for producing guesses did not have an effect on sensitivity to changes in schedules of reinforcement, but did affect guessing across groups. Instructed guessing subjects demonstrated independence between guesses …


Discovering August Strindberg's "The Ghost Sonata" Through The Costume Design., Nicole R. Frachiseur Jan 2003

Discovering August Strindberg's "The Ghost Sonata" Through The Costume Design., Nicole R. Frachiseur

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document is intended to record the costume design process for West Virginia University’s 2002 production of August Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata. The design was assigned as partial fulfillment of the requirements of a Master of Fine Arts thesis in theatrical design, specifically costumes. This document includes the process of the costume designer with visual documents of research, development, photographs, and paperwork needed to complete the design.


Impact Of Early Childhood Perceptions And Experiences On Oral Health Practices In Later Life, Johnna Marie Guzzi Dec 2002

Impact Of Early Childhood Perceptions And Experiences On Oral Health Practices In Later Life, Johnna Marie Guzzi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Older adults are at a higher risk for numerous oral and systemic diseases. Oral conditions experienced by the elderly are believed to be cumulative. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between early childhood dental care practices/experiences and perceived oral health needs of persons 60 years of age and older who are participants of three West Virginia facilities for the elderly (N = 90). Individuals were interviewed utilizing a two-part 21-item survey. Data analyses, including analysis of variance and tests of chi square, were conducted using the JMP program. Although individuals felt dental health was …


Opportunities And Occupations In Animal And Veterinary Sciences Based On The Current Careers Of West Virginia University Alumni, Stacey Michelle Hawkins Dec 2002

Opportunities And Occupations In Animal And Veterinary Sciences Based On The Current Careers Of West Virginia University Alumni, Stacey Michelle Hawkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the career opportunities for graduates completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at West Virginia University as measured by the first and current careers of alumni. The target population consisted of all alumni that graduated between the years 1991 and 2001. Over 61.6% of the West Virginia University Animal and Veterinary Science graduates were satisfied with both their first career selection as well as their current career. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree two-thirds of the graduates decided to pursue a post-graduate degree. Professional careers, …


Impulsivity And Friends Who Smoke As Predictors Of Adolescent Smoking, Brady Reynolds Dec 2002

Impulsivity And Friends Who Smoke As Predictors Of Adolescent Smoking, Brady Reynolds

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study sought to examine relations between different stages of adolescent cigarette smoking and the variables of impulsivity (delay and probability discounting) and peer friend smoking behavior. Participants were 75 adolescents (40 females) between 14 and 16 years of age. Participants were categorized according to the following patterns of smoking behavior: "never smokers" (n = 19; 10 females) were those who had not tried even one cigarette; "triers" (n = 17; 9 females) were those who had recently tried cigarettes (M = 3.76 cigarettes) for the first time; "past experimenters" (n = 20; 12 females) were those who had …


Effects Of Response-Independent Stimulus Delivery And Functional Communication Training, Shannon S. Haag Dec 2002

Effects Of Response-Independent Stimulus Delivery And Functional Communication Training, Shannon S. Haag

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two individuals with developmental delays with a history of problem behavior participated in this study. Its purpose was to examine the efficacy of combining two treatments demonstrated to reduce problem behavior: response-independent stimulus delivery and differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior. This study examined whether the response-independent delivery of an alternative preferred stimulus and differential reinforcement of manding resulted in increases in manding and suppression of problem behavior prior to and during the fading of the schedule of response-independent stimulus delivery. The study also examined the necessity of extinction to obtain suppression of problem behavior. The response-independent delivery of an …


Assessing The Return On Investment For Various Types Of Break-In Training, Kim L. Trenbath Dec 2002

Assessing The Return On Investment For Various Types Of Break-In Training, Kim L. Trenbath

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis presents a Return on Investment, or ROI, model for various types of break-in training by utilizing employee learning curves as a factor of the cost. The model captures the additional profit earned when a company makes an investment in break-in training, training employees receive at the beginning of their employment. Research involves developing employee learning curves for break-in training vs. traditional training through experimentation. The thesis utilizes the improvement in the learning curve as the driving factor behind the profits. The ROI model is a comparison between the profits, or benefits minus cost, of a traditional and break-in …


Off-Line Thai Handwriting Recognition In Legal Amount, Watchara Chatwiriya Dec 2002

Off-Line Thai Handwriting Recognition In Legal Amount, Watchara Chatwiriya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Thai handwriting in legal amounts is a challenging problem and a new field in the area of handwriting recognition research. The focus of this thesis is to implement Thai handwriting recognition system. A preliminary data set of Thai handwriting in legal amounts is designed. The samples in the data set are characters and words of the Thai legal amounts and a set of legal amounts phrases collected from a number of native Thai volunteers. At the preprocessing and recognition process, techniques are introduced to improve the characters recognition rates. The characters are divided into two smaller subgroups by their writing …


Relationships Among Spirituality, Cognitive Processing, And Personal Control, Karri Bonner Dec 2002

Relationships Among Spirituality, Cognitive Processing, And Personal Control, Karri Bonner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current study was a cross-sectional investigation of how spirituality as a positive life theme might be related to a unique style of cognitive processing. Of secondary interest were the relationships among spirituality and other personal control variables. Using memory recall and recognition tasks, the current study sought to determine whether or not participants would attend more to positive, negative, neutral, or religious words. The results of the current study indicate that (1) older adults are more spiritual than younger adults, (2) higher spirituality is related to higher levels of optimism, (3) spirituality is related to an external locus of …


Esl Students' Perceptions Of Role-Play Activities, Flavia Bonella Ribeiro Ramos Dec 2002

Esl Students' Perceptions Of Role-Play Activities, Flavia Bonella Ribeiro Ramos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There has been significant discussion on the use of role-play activities. Proponents of role-play believe that the activity provides learners with opportunities to communicate freely and spontaneously in different situations. However, researchers have also identified issues that may jeopardize the effectiveness of role-plays. Despite the debate, few studies have focused on the students' point of view. The current qualitative study investigated ESL students' perceptions of role-play activities drawing on observations, questionnaires, and interviews. The results showed that the participants recognized several benefits (e.g., improving oral proficiency, acquiring vocabulary, and rehearsing for real-life communication) while also acknowledging some limitations such as …


Effects Of Maternal Sleep Deprivation On Maternal Sensitivity And Contingent Responsiveness, Cheryl Wiedman Dec 2002

Effects Of Maternal Sleep Deprivation On Maternal Sensitivity And Contingent Responsiveness, Cheryl Wiedman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research has revealed that sleep deprivation deleteriously affects several aspects of adults' behavior, such as mood, cognition, and motor performance. One population that is subject to sleep deprivation and the accompanying consequences are parents of young infants. The present study explored how sleep deprivation, resulting from infant night awakening, affects the face-to-face interaction between mothers and their 3- to 4-month-old infants. Contrary to the proposed hypotheses the groups did not differ in sensitivity or contingent responsiveness. However, regression analyses revealed that depression and sleep deprivation together significantly predicted contingent responsiveness during the interaction. Mothers who were more depressed and sleep …


Variables Affecting Compliance Of Pigeons, Adam H. Doughty Dec 2002

Variables Affecting Compliance Of Pigeons, Adam H. Doughty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pigeons served in experiments modeling compliance techniques studied by applied behavior analysts and social psychologists. A discrete-trial procedure operated in each experiment. In baseline, each trial consisted of a single key color, and in test conditions, each trial consisted of a sequence of key colors. Across experiments, there were either two or three trial types in baseline. When there were two, one color was correlated with a low fixed ratio (FR) on half the trials, and on the other trials a second color was correlated with another schedule that differed across experiments. Food was delivered on most of the low-FR …


Students' Attitudes, Knowledge, And Commitment To Implementation Of Multicultural Education In A Teacher Education Program, Pei Jian Zhou Aug 2002

Students' Attitudes, Knowledge, And Commitment To Implementation Of Multicultural Education In A Teacher Education Program, Pei Jian Zhou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, there are more research studies in the field of teacher education. These research studies examine the effects of multicultural education initiatives on the change of students' attitudes and perspectives on multicultural education in teacher education programs. The results of there research studies have revealed that further studies are called for in this area of study, because the results of the previous studies are not always positive and clear. The purpose of this study is to see if there is any attitude change during the program, how the five-year teacher education program enhances the pre-service teacher education experience …


Emotion-Based Personality Traits And Associations With Conflict Tactics And Relationship Satisfaction In Romantic Relationships, Christine A. Rudnicki Aug 2002

Emotion-Based Personality Traits And Associations With Conflict Tactics And Relationship Satisfaction In Romantic Relationships, Christine A. Rudnicki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to assess the role that emotion based personality traits play in conflict tactic choice and relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships. The researchers proposed that emotional intelligence and affective orientation influenced the choice of verbally aggressive or reasoning tactics use and their subsequent affects on overall relationship satisfaction. 159 participants, 84 men and 75 women, from a large Mid-Atlantic university participated in this study. Results showed that emotional intelligence and affective orientation were significantly correlated (r = .58), and that affective orientation in combination of the participants' perceptions of their partner's use of verbally aggressive, …


Psychometric Evaluation Of The Sport Disengagement Questionnaire, Heather Renee Deaner Aug 2002

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Sport Disengagement Questionnaire, Heather Renee Deaner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study assessed the construct validity of the Sport Disengagement Questionnaire (SDQ) through a series of factor analyses and examined demographic variables in relation to total SDQ scores. The overall sample was comprised of 400 collegiate athletes representing five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities and one NCAA Division II university across a total of 17 varsity sports. The participants completed either a pencil/paper (n = 253) or an online (n = 147) version of the 36-item SDQ and a demographic sheet. Three separate reliability analyses, interfactor correlation analyses, and factor analyses were conducted: one for the …


Monitoring Process And Assessing Uncertainty For Anfis Time Series Forecasting, Yan K. Cathey Deng Aug 2002

Monitoring Process And Assessing Uncertainty For Anfis Time Series Forecasting, Yan K. Cathey Deng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although intelligent tools such as neural network, fuzzy logic and neuro-fuzzy methods have been applied in time series forecasting for some time, problems of monitoring forecasting processes and assessing uncertainty for the forecasts represent a major challenge that need to be fully investigated. In this research, we use statistical methods to analyze nonstationary time series forecasting where forecasts are accrued from a neuro-fuzzy ANFIS model. The main focus is to monitor the process and assess the uncertainty of the forecasts.;Single-step-ahead forecasts and multiple-step-ahead forecasts have been investigated by using three nonstationary time series data sets. It is shown that the …


Problem Solving And Personality Factors Of Two At -Risk *College Populations, Cory John Clark Aug 2002

Problem Solving And Personality Factors Of Two At -Risk *College Populations, Cory John Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation describes and compares three university populations: (a) students at-risk of alcohol related problems, (b) students academically-at-risk, and (c) non-at-risk students. These populations were given two self-report measures, the Problem Solving Inventory (Heppner, 1988) and the 16PF (Cattell, et al., 1993), to gather information on their problem solving abilities and their personality factors. The intent of the study is to find out what aspects of problem solving and personality differentiates these populations. This information will then be utilized to design and refine interventions for working with these struggling populations. One hundred and thirty-five students from a mid-eastern land-grant university …


Social Contagion Of Eating Attitudes And Behaviors Among First Year College Women Living In Residence Hall Communities, Jeffrey S. Vanlone Aug 2002

Social Contagion Of Eating Attitudes And Behaviors Among First Year College Women Living In Residence Hall Communities, Jeffrey S. Vanlone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present investigation was designed to examine the development of disturbed eating patterns among college women. More specifically, this researcher investigated the social contagion of eating attitudes and behaviors among first year college women living in residence hall communities. The results demonstrated that college women developed eating attitudes and behaviors similar to those of other women in their small friendship clusters. Similarities in eating attitudes and behaviors were not found among participants in the study when residence hall floor membership was used as the independent variable. This study also found significant relationships between student adjustment to college and disturbed eating …


Heart Rate Reactivity, Aggression, Anger, And Antisocial Behavior In Dating Males, Jennifer L. Guriel May 2002

Heart Rate Reactivity, Aggression, Anger, And Antisocial Behavior In Dating Males, Jennifer L. Guriel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study assessed heart rate reactivity and antisocial characteristics, subjective report of anger, and family history variables in 18 aggressive and 18 non-aggressive undergraduate males in an attempt to test the generalizability of Gottman et al.'s (1995) investigation of cardiovascular reactivity as a typological variable for male batterers. Participants were categorized according to their scores on the Conflict Tactics Scale, Revised. Heart rate reactivity, personality variables (using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition), and anger (using the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory) were subsequently measured during standardized interpersonal discussion tasks with a female confederate during the laboratory phase. Aggressive …


Evaluation Of Marketing Methods Used To Promote Extension Programs As Perceived By Master Gardeners In West Virginia, Tiffany Dale Rexroad May 2002

Evaluation Of Marketing Methods Used To Promote Extension Programs As Perceived By Master Gardeners In West Virginia, Tiffany Dale Rexroad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to provide information to Extension professionals regarding effectiveness of the methods of advertising and marketing that may help them choose methods to encourage participation in Extension programs. The objective was to evaluate effectiveness of methods of promoting the WVU-ES based on experiences of current adult Master Gardeners in WV.;A major finding of the study was that for WV Master Gardeners referrals from friends is an effective method of creating awareness of Extension programs. Newspaper articles were the most effective mass media method. The preferred method of receiving Extension information was via Extension newsletter followed …