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Attribution: A Political Psychology Perspective On The Democratic Peace., Edward Michael Goldcamp Jan 2000

Attribution: A Political Psychology Perspective On The Democratic Peace., Edward Michael Goldcamp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently there appears to be irrefutable evidence of the existence of a democratic peace. The concept of pacific interaction between democratic nations has become a virtual law in the study of Political Science. Many explanations exist, generally following one of two tracts. There are both structural and normative explanations. The premise of this dissertation is that neither current set of explanations is adequate. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue a third type of explanatory theory. This study examines the role of culture and attribution in foreign policy. The notion of polity similarity is replaced with cultural similarity. I examine the …


The Effects Of Social Support On Men's Exercise-Related Cardiovascular Reactivity., Daniel Benjamin Hollander Jan 2000

The Effects Of Social Support On Men's Exercise-Related Cardiovascular Reactivity., Daniel Benjamin Hollander

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A predictor of cardiovascular disease is increased heart rate and blood pressure reactivity to physical tasks. One psychological factor that is associated with a reduced cardiac (i.e., heart rate) and vascular (blood pressure) reactivity has been social support. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social support on exercise-related CV reactivity. It was hypothesized that participants would demonstrate lower CVR in the Partner Present condition than in the Alone condition and that level of intimacy would be related to CVR. Male participants (N = 32) who were in an enduring romantic relationship (i.e., minimum duration …


Computerized Training Methods: Effects On Retention And Rate Of Responding., Finnur Oddsson Jan 2000

Computerized Training Methods: Effects On Retention And Rate Of Responding., Finnur Oddsson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the difference between two methods for presenting training stimuli, Single- and Multi-trials procedures. The former presents one stimulus in a single workspace and the latter presents many stimuli. Experiment 1 attempted to explain why Multi-trial methods sustain higher rates of responding than Single-trials. The results showed that the primary reason for the high rates of responding to Multi-trials is the presence of multiple stimuli, which allow subjects to read ahead to a consecutive stimulus while responding to a previous one. Experiment 2 evaluated the generality of the findings of previous research that …


Response Time To Batted Balls, Tracie L. Stechly Seivertson Dec 1999

Response Time To Batted Balls, Tracie L. Stechly Seivertson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traditional wooden bats are being replaced by metal bats. These metal bats can increase the exit ball speed. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of the exit ball speed off of a bat on a recreational baseball player's ability to react to the ball.;Ten male subjects, ages 18 to 30, participated in this study. A pitching machine projected balls toward each participant. Each subject was placed behind a safety net and asked to react to the ball as if he was going to field the ball. A radar gun, video cameras, and video editing equipment were used to …


Back To Nature To Beat The Blues, Shannon Leigh Kirby Lawson Dec 1999

Back To Nature To Beat The Blues, Shannon Leigh Kirby Lawson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a reduction in depressive symptoms in nursing home residents by using a pet therapy intervention to increase levels of social support and social interaction within the nursing home facility.;The target population in this study consisted of two nursing home facilities in West Virginia. Approximately 21 subjects participated in the study. An intervention using pet therapy was conducted in the intervention facility in which certified therapy animals "visited" the residents once a week for four weeks. The control group received a delayed intervention of gospel singing once a week for four weeks after …


Explanatory Models Of Chronic Pain, Elizabeth Neely Thrush Dec 1999

Explanatory Models Of Chronic Pain, Elizabeth Neely Thrush

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic pain is described as pain that persists for six months or longer. This type of pain may range from dull to excruciating and may be constant or sporadic. The purpose of this study was to explore the explanatory models of individuals living in chronic pain. The study sample included twelve adults, eleven women and one man, who have been diagnosed with the chronic pain condition Fibromyalgia. Using Arthur Kleinman's explanatory models as a framework, participants were personally interviewed regarding the physical, personal, and social causes and consequences of chronic pain. In order to elicit personal explanatory models, each participant …


Measuring Behavioral Disruption In Children Who Have Been In Motor Vehicle Accidents, Kimberly Mullen James Dec 1999

Measuring Behavioral Disruption In Children Who Have Been In Motor Vehicle Accidents, Kimberly Mullen James

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the overt behavioral response of children following recent exposure to a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Forty-five children completed a clinical Stroop task. Children were divided, based on prior psychometric assessment, into three groups: (a) survivors of a recent MVA, and experiencing behavioral distress; (b) survivors of a recent MVA, and not experiencing behavioral distress; and (c) those who have not experienced an MVA. Differential color-naming and error response to four types of Stroop stimuli was assessed: (a) MVA-related words, (b) school-stress related words, (c) neutral household words, and (d) colored Xs. Analysis of participant characteristics indicated no …


Milk Allergy/Intolerance In Infancy And Cognitive Functioning, Tina M. Yost Dec 1999

Milk Allergy/Intolerance In Infancy And Cognitive Functioning, Tina M. Yost

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the relationship between a history of milk A/I in infancy and intelligence in later childhood. Participants included 74 male and female children ages 3 years to 12 years, referred for psychological evaluation. Background information gathered from the primary caregiver included history of milk A/I in infancy. The Wechsler Scales of Intelligence provided information on the participants level of cognitive functioning. Findings were significant for both ANOVA and chi square analysis, with children in Group One (milk A/I) demonstrating lower IQ scores than children in Group Two (no milk A/I). The findings also suggest a relationship between milk …


Design And Development Of Fuzzy Expert System For Handy Board, Aditya Kumar Singh Dec 1999

Design And Development Of Fuzzy Expert System For Handy Board, Aditya Kumar Singh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The recent trend in global manufacturing scenario has resulted in the emergence of many innovative techniques that have revolutionized the manufacturing industry as a whole. A lot of states of art advances have been associated with the increasing use of microprocessors in advance manufacturing systems. Out of many the one, which has predominantly captured the real time, behavioral use is the Fuzzy Logic.;Fuzzy logic implementation in real time environment involves the integration of multi-disciplinary area like computer engineering, mechanical and electronic systems tailored towards smart systems that enable a very precise control on the process. The fuzzy logic based project …


Relations Between Measures Of Attention And Memory In The Assessment Of Children With Attentional Difficulties, Karen S. Kirk Dec 1999

Relations Between Measures Of Attention And Memory In The Assessment Of Children With Attentional Difficulties, Karen S. Kirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Attentional difficulties are associated with a number of different pediatric clinical disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Further, two cognitive functions dependent upon attention, learning and memory, are characteristic deficits in LD children, and have been documented as correlated weaknesses in ADHD and TBI populations. However, few investigations have examined the relation between these cognitive functions, in terms of understanding the respective contributions of attention, learning, and memory deficits in the clinical groups indicated above. In the present study, a measure of attention, the Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS) was compared to …


Explaining Age-Related Problem -Solving Differences On Concept Identification Problems As A Function Of Problem Content, Strategies, And Stereotypes, Dave Buck Dec 1999

Explaining Age-Related Problem -Solving Differences On Concept Identification Problems As A Function Of Problem Content, Strategies, And Stereotypes, Dave Buck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine whether older adults would use logic-based strategies on a concept identification task when the stereotyped content of the task was changed to "experience free"; (b) determine whether older adults would use logic-based strategies when the stereotyped content was left intact after completing an "experience free" version of the concept identification task, and (c) explore relations of potential causal mechanisms of strategy use for older adults such as problem interpretation or past experience. Thirty-two older adults (M = 70.0 years) and 32 younger adults (M = 21.2) solved two versions of the …


Verbal Aggression In Sibling Relationships, Shannon Marie Brogan Aug 1999

Verbal Aggression In Sibling Relationships, Shannon Marie Brogan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The major focus of this study was to further investigate the area of sibling verbal aggression. In order to research this area, students at West Virginia University and their siblings were asked to complete a questionnaire about verbal aggression. The results showed that self-reports of verbal aggression were consistent with other reports. Results also showed that male same sexed siblings were more likely to display more verbal aggression than all other combinations. Results revealed that males self-reports of verbal aggression were higher than females. Results also indicated that males are reported by their siblings to be more verbally aggressive than …


Linking Functional Assessment With Diagnostic Classification: Development Of Functional Assessment Methodology, Cynthia Marie Anderson Aug 1999

Linking Functional Assessment With Diagnostic Classification: Development Of Functional Assessment Methodology, Cynthia Marie Anderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Much of the assessment conducted by behavioral health providers is nomothetic in nature. For example, a primary goal of many clinicians is to determine the diagnostic category that best fits a given client. This is problematic because simply knowing what diagnosis best fits a client does not necessarily lead to an effective treatment decision. In contrast to a nomothetic approach to assessment, behavior analysis emphasizes idiographic assessments. One example is a functional assessment. The purpose of a functional assessment is to determine the environmental variables of which behavior is a function. Although functional analyses are relatively common within the developmental …


Perceptions Of Pre -Service Elementary Teachers About Social Studies Instructional Activities And Content Areas, Philip H. Adkins Aug 1999

Perceptions Of Pre -Service Elementary Teachers About Social Studies Instructional Activities And Content Areas, Philip H. Adkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to investigate perceptions held by pre-service elementary teachers about instructional activities and content areas for the social studies. Four major questions were addressed: (1) What do respondents perceive to be the classroom activities with the most educational value? (2) What do respondents believe students find to be the most enjoyable activities? (3) What do respondents say are the classroom activities they would most prefer to use at the various grade levels? and (4) What do respondents say are the most preferred content areas for elementary social studies?;The sample for this study consisted of 80 pre-service elementary …


Effects Of Gender And Social Support On Cardiovascular Reactivity To A Speech Task, Lynda M. Ciano-Federoff Aug 1999

Effects Of Gender And Social Support On Cardiovascular Reactivity To A Speech Task, Lynda M. Ciano-Federoff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effects of gender and social support on cardiovascular reactivity to a speech task were examined in this study. Seventeen males and seventeen females performed a speech task, once in the presence of an experimenter with their significant other present offering encouragement and support and once in the presence of the experimenter alone. Both blood pressure (i.e., systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP)) and hemodynamic parameters (i.e., heart rate (HR), cardiac output (converted to cardiac index, CI), stroke volume (converted to stroke index, SI), and pre-ejection period (PEP)) were measured during the speech tasks. In addition, total peripheral resistance (TPR) was …


Social Competence And Theory Of Mind Understanding In Elementary School Children With Attention Deficits, Amy Wilson Strange Aug 1999

Social Competence And Theory Of Mind Understanding In Elementary School Children With Attention Deficits, Amy Wilson Strange

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following study explored relations between theory of mind understanding, social competence, and auditory processing in elementary school children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children in this study were recruited from a local elementary school, as well as two outpatient clinics. Scores on measures of false belief and recursive thinking, social skills (Social Knowledge Interview, Harter, Emotion labels), and auditory processing (Test of Auditory Processing Skills, Revised) were obtained along with teacher ratings of children's self-regulation as measured by Attention and Hyperactivity subscales of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale - Revised. Language ability was also measured using the …


Experiential Avoidance And Alcohol Dependence Relapse, Darrah Ann Westrup Aug 1999

Experiential Avoidance And Alcohol Dependence Relapse, Darrah Ann Westrup

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This project examined whether experiential avoidance differentiated alcohol-dependent relapsers from non-relapsers. Eighty-five subjects receiving inpatient addiction treatment were assessed for degree of experiential avoidance (using a new measure called the AAQ, coping style, alcohol severity, anxiety, and depression. It was hypothesized that the AAQ, along with avoidant coping and negative life events, would differentiate those who subsequently relapsed with those who did not. Three months after discharge, subjects were contacted for follow-up to determine whether or not they had relapsed, and to what degree they had experienced negative and/or positive life events. A series of discriminant function analyses determined that …


Designing A Cultural Needs Questionnaire, Sabah Karayegen Aug 1999

Designing A Cultural Needs Questionnaire, Sabah Karayegen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study describes the development of a cultural needs questionnaire intended to get a profile of foreign students' awareness of American culture. Specifically, the original questionnaire was designed to assess the level of awareness that English as a Second Language (ESL) students have of three aspects of American culture: family, gender roles, and education. The purpose of the development of student profiles resulting from this questionnaire was to offer one source of feedback to ESL teachers concerning these particularly relevant areas in which newly arrived students may be culturally confused. The piloting of the questionnaire revealed several problems inherent in …


Effects Of Nicotine On Content Of Corticotropin Releasing Factor (Crf) In Rat Amygdala, Hypothalamus And Brain Stem, Sibonisiwe Ntini Masilela May 1999

Effects Of Nicotine On Content Of Corticotropin Releasing Factor (Crf) In Rat Amygdala, Hypothalamus And Brain Stem, Sibonisiwe Ntini Masilela

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Effects of 1.0 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg intraperitoneal nicotine on hypothalamic and extra hypothalamic levels of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) were examined in 104 rats. CRF, a 41-amino acid peptide involved in responses to stress, fear and anxiety, influences the same neurotransmitter systems as nicotine, a psychoactive component of tobacco. Radioimmunoassays revealed that in macro-dissected hypothalami, 15 minutes treatment with 1.0 mg/kg nicotine significantly increased CRF content compared to no treatment. The 1.0 mg/kg dose did not elicit effects in macro-dissected amygdala and brain stem. With 0.4 mg/kg nicotine, no significant effects were observed in micro-dissected hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, amygdaloid …


Using Impedance Cardiography To Examine Changes In Hemodynamic Parameters During Heart Rate Biofeedback, Jeffrey Louis Goodie May 1999

Using Impedance Cardiography To Examine Changes In Hemodynamic Parameters During Heart Rate Biofeedback, Jeffrey Louis Goodie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reducing cardiovascular responses to stressors may help to reduce one's risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The present study examined the underlying hemodynamic changes that accompany heart rate (HR) response reduction to a stressor following HR feedback training. Twenty-five healthy college males were assigned to either a HR feedback training group (FB+) or a control group (FB--) and were presented with a videogame and mental arithmetic challenge, as HR, blood pressure, and impedance cardiography-derived measures were recorded. During the training sessions, the FB+ group received HR feedback and the FB-- group was not provided with HR feedback while playing the videogame. …


Empty Pleasures, Phyllis Leverich Evans May 1999

Empty Pleasures, Phyllis Leverich Evans

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My work examines the ways we covet extravagant objects in Western society. I explore the vain and the humble veneration of status symbols, mementos, and personal icons. Through a satire of pompous display, I critique our society's fixation on materialism.;I use a digital process to mimic commercial eye-catching tactics in my ersatz copies of pre-Modern decorations. Although my work mocks the uncultivated tastes of mainstream America, its pursuit of formal harmony and sentiment is sincere. My objects are machine produced, but they act as icons to manifest poetic sentiment.;Playful as it appears, the work cynically reflects the distorted bourgeois values …


Generalizability Of Cardiovascular Reactivity To Stress Among Doctoral Students Between Laboratory And Natural Settings, James P. Davig May 1999

Generalizability Of Cardiovascular Reactivity To Stress Among Doctoral Students Between Laboratory And Natural Settings, James P. Davig

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study extends previous work investigating the generalizability of cardiovascular reactivity to stress obtained in response to laboratory-based tasks to cardiovascular reactivity measured in response to a natural occurring event. Cardiovascular reactivity (HR, SBP, DBP) to stress was measured with ambulatory monitoring equipment in 6 male and 16 female healthy Caucasian graduate students in two settings: during five standardized laboratory stressors, and during the proposal or defense of a thesis or dissertation. Results indicate that for all cardiovascular parameters, the magnitude of change was greatest in response to the natural event, and that among the laboratory tasks, the greatest degree …


Administrators' Influence On Job Satisfaction For West Virginia Special Education Teachers, Jennifer Pitzer Sirk May 1999

Administrators' Influence On Job Satisfaction For West Virginia Special Education Teachers, Jennifer Pitzer Sirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationship between the perceived administrative support levels of special education directors and principals and the perceived intrinsic, extrinsic and overall job satisfaction levels of West Virginia special education teachers. The Supervisory Behavior Description Questionnaire (Form One) was used to measure the perceived administrative support levels. The Mohrman Cooke Mohrman Job Satisfaction Scale was used to measure the perceived intrinsic, extrinsic and overall job satisfaction levels. Ancillary information was also obtained from the respondents concerning gender, Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) area of employment, grade level of employment, special education teaching assignment areas, years of experience teaching …


The Role Of The Special Education Administrator As Perceived By Principals, Superintendents, And Special Education Administrators In West Virginia, Katherine Leary Porter May 1999

The Role Of The Special Education Administrator As Perceived By Principals, Superintendents, And Special Education Administrators In West Virginia, Katherine Leary Porter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the expectations held by key administrative personnel within West Virginia public schools regarding the role of the special education administrator. Existing differences in perception of the administrative functions of the special education administrator in West Virginia among and within groups of superintendents, principals, and special education administrators were investigated. Forty administrative tasks organized into seven administrative activities were examined in order to identify potential areas of conflict between the school system administrators. The responses analyzed pertained to both the perceived performance and the perceived importance of each administrative task.;The West Virginia school personnel that participated in this …


Using Stages Of Change To Examine Fear, Threat, Efficacy, And Safety Climate Perceptions In Health Care Workers Who Routinely Handle Needles And Sharps, Brian Thomas Day May 1999

Using Stages Of Change To Examine Fear, Threat, Efficacy, And Safety Climate Perceptions In Health Care Workers Who Routinely Handle Needles And Sharps, Brian Thomas Day

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Standard precautions are mandated for the purpose of decreasing the risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission of diseases, namely human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B infections. One of the stipulations of standard precautions is that used needles should not be recapped and should be disposed of in an appropriate sharps container. The rate of needle stick injuries among health care workers remains at a high level despite the 1992 passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations regarding standard precautions. The role fear plays in decisions regarding individual health related behaviors such as intravenous drug use has been …


Role Expectations And Predictions Of Trends For Human Resource Development At Large Public Universities Within The Southern Regional Education Board (Sreb) Area, Drayton Ray Justus Jr. May 1999

Role Expectations And Predictions Of Trends For Human Resource Development At Large Public Universities Within The Southern Regional Education Board (Sreb) Area, Drayton Ray Justus Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to identify the role expectations, reporting hierarchy, years in role and trends in human resource development as reported by the person responsible for human resource development in large public universities within the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) geographic area. The population for this study was all the four-year public universities in Southern Regional Education Board states which were classified by 1997 SREB-State Data Exchange definitions as SREB I (n = 26).;Each institution in the sample was mailed a copy of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Roles Survey, an instrument developed for the purpose of this research. …


Preference Between Predictable And Unpredictable Administrations Of Carbon Dioxide-Enriched Air, Carl Wilbourne Lejuez May 1999

Preference Between Predictable And Unpredictable Administrations Of Carbon Dioxide-Enriched Air, Carl Wilbourne Lejuez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Predictability of panic attacks has been identified as an important factor in the development, maintenance, and treatment of panic disorder. Although animal studies typically have found a preference for signaled (predictable) over unsignaled (unpredictable) aversive events, results with human participants have been less clear. Because preference for predictability has a wide range of clinical implications, we examined human preference for predictability in a biological challenge paradigm. Further, we examined the differential effects of predictability as a function of anxiety sensitivity and gender. In general, females showed a significantly greater preference for predictability compared to males, as did high anxious participants …


Domains Of Organizational Effectiveness Of Gerontology Centers In Higher Education, Allison Hale Nichols May 1999

Domains Of Organizational Effectiveness Of Gerontology Centers In Higher Education, Allison Hale Nichols

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This is an exploratory study that focuses on organizational effectiveness of gerontology centers and institutes at American universities. The study was modeled after studies of organizational effectiveness in higher education by Kim Cameron of Brigham Young University. The study identifies six domains of effectiveness that are important to gerontology centers and the structural and functional models and characteristics of gerontology centers that may predict the domain in which it is effective. The target population of the study was dominant coalition members of 87 gerontology centers, namely, administrators and faculty members who have the most influence on policy, direction, and performance. …


Prediction Of Trauma Responses Following Myocardial Infarction, Risa Nakase Thompson May 1999

Prediction Of Trauma Responses Following Myocardial Infarction, Risa Nakase Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For survivors of MI, the most common subsequent psychological complications include anxiety and depression. Recent interest has increased in examining the incidence of anxiety disorders, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), among post-MI patients. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate trauma responses among a consecutive sample of post-MI patients. Forty-six post MI patients completed questionnaires and forty completed structured interviews during their initial hospitalization for MI. Six of these individuals reported acute stress disorder symptoms in response to their MI. These six patients scored significantly higher on most measures of PTSD. Thirty-two individuals completed a follow-up assessment of …


Assessing The *Discriminative Properties Of Response -Reinforcer Relations Using Concurrent Schedules Of Reinforcement, Josue P. Keely May 1999

Assessing The *Discriminative Properties Of Response -Reinforcer Relations Using Concurrent Schedules Of Reinforcement, Josue P. Keely

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The discriminative properties of schedules of reinforcement have been assessed by making a choice response conditional upon some aspect of the schedule that produced the choice component. The discriminative properties of concurrent schedules of reinforcement and the effect of disruptions in the response-reinforcer relation were investigated using conditional-discrimination procedures. In the first experiment, choice components were produced by responding to one of two variable-interval (VI) schedules. Disruptions in the temporal contiguity between a VI response and a choice component were introduced by arranging a percentage of choice components according to a variable-time schedule. Choice responding was a function of the …