Digital Commons Network^™

Cardiovascular Responses To The Combination Of Caffeine And The Repeated Acquisition And Performance Procedure, Cristin L. Sullivan

Masters Theses

The present study examined cardiovascular responses to the combination of caffeine (250 mg) and the repeated acquisition and performance procedure (RAPP) in humans. Six male subjects were tested in a within-subject, double-blind design. Repeated measurements of frontalis electromyogram (EMO), hand-skin temperature, heart rate, respiration, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were obtained during pre-drug, post-drug, acquisition, performance, and recovery periods. Measures of rate, percent error, and true error were obtained during the acquisition and performance components of the RAPP. Drug conditions (caffeine and placebo) and test orders (acquisition before performance and performance before acquisition) were pseudo- random across subjects. …

Effects Of Rote Exercise, Imagery, And A Material-Based Occupation On Postural Control In Children Ages 3-9, Robin Lengel

Masters Theses

Occupational therapy is based on the concept of enhancing motor, cognitive, sensory, and psycho-social performance through the utilization of purposeful activities. Purposeful activities are doing processes directed toward a planned or hypothesized end result, and can be naturalistic, simulated, or imagery-based (Nelson & Peterson, · 1989). This study compared the effects of a material-based occupation, imagery-based occupation, and rote exercise on the quality and duration of maintaining prone extension in children aged three to nine.· The quality of maintaining the posture was analyzed using the prone extension postural test (Gregory-Flock & Yerxa, 1984). Duration of prone extension for each child …

Toward A Theory Of Gendered Reading, Larry Edward Schoenholtz

Masters Theses

Sociolinguistic studies have long acknowledged that men and women sometimes read, write, speak, and view differently. This is often recognized as a cultural phenomenon, but there are increasing reasons to suppose that biology may play a larger role in these differences than was suspected two or three decades ago. Over the last fifteen to twenty years, in particular, evidence has continued to mount in that direction from studies in neurophysiology, endocrinology, and infant behavior. In addition, sociobiological perspectives first proposed in the 1970s seem to have met with large success in being confirmed by cross-cultural studies done in the 1980s. …

The Variability Of Carbon Dioxide In The Vadose Zone, John J. Ring

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to observe and attempt to explain the variations of carbon dioxide in the vadose zone of a nature area in southwestern Michigan. Well nests, consisting of discrete soil gas sampling points and temperature probes set at depths ranging from 3 to 53 feet, were constructed in a sandy, glacial outwash plain. Soil samples were collected for analysis of organic carbon content during installation. Soil gas samples were collected periodically from June, 1992 to March, 1993 and analyzed for CO₂ and O₂ concentrations. Occasionally, samples were collected and analyzed for isotopic C^{13 …}

An Examination Of The Assimilation Process Of Japanese Americans Living In Michigan, Junko Onuma

Masters Theses

Japanese Americans are regarded as one of model minority groups recently in American society. Through the war experience, the Japanese Americans are likely to become upper middle class people and to assimilate into the Caucasian groups.

The purpose of this research is to investigate Japanese method to assimilate into American society. The research focuses on the Michigan area as a particular area of Japanese American assimilation process. The interview research was conducted with 14 people who live in Michigan. These people are classified into the three groups to distinguish differences, historical, and social factors on assimilation. Consequently, Japanese Americans living …

Loss Associated With Chronic Illness: Application Of The Roy Adaptation Model, Linda M. Dehaan

Masters Theses

The Roy Adaptation Model guided this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study to test an intervention addressing loss associated with chronic illness. Differences in adaptation and well-being were evaluated between control (n = 20) and experimental groups (n = 20) 30 days after intervention. Adaptation was measured by PAIS-SR scores and analyzed using ANCOVA to adjust for pretest differences. T-test and Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate well-being as measured by the Global Well-being Scale. Changes in adaptation were not significantly different between groups, but well-being improved 12.8% in the experimental group as compared with 1.4% in the control group. Inconsistency of results …

Acculturation To A Work Force Of Diversity: Two Case Studies Of Japanese-Owned Companies Operating In The United States, Jun Nagasawa

Masters Theses

This paper explores the acculturation processes associated with Japanese companies corning to the United States, especially focusing on race and gender issues. This was done by related literature review and two case studies of Japanese-owned companies operating in the Midwestern region. Data were obtained using unstructured interviews with workers of the two companies.

Accusations of discrimination against Japanese companies operating in the U.S. of discrimination based on race, gender and nationality are introduced. Japanese and American social backgrounds relating to race and gender, especially in employment area are reviewed. Also Japanese and American management styles are contrasted for analytical purposes. …

An Analysis Of The Korean Political Bureaucracy In Terms Of Riggs’ Theory Of Prismatic Society And Korean With U.S. Bureaucratic Interaction 1945-1953, Jae Jo Lee

Masters Theses

The administrative, political, and social development and modernization experience of Korea for the period 1945 through 1953 was examined in this study. Bureaucratic transformation was understood as significant to developmental outcomes for all facets of Korean society.

The political and social development theory model of Fred W. Riggs, the Prismatic Society, was selected for application in the Korean situation. Prismatic theory itself was first analyzed in detail. Korean bureaucratic formation was elucidated from multiple perspectives. The key factor of analysis was interpreted as being the U.S. with Korean bureaucratic interaction.

The bureaucratic complexity was subjected to analysis in terms of …

Sense Of Coherence, Stressors, Perception Of Stress And Drinking Patterns Among College Students, Jeanne C. Debruyn

Masters Theses

This research examined the protective qualities of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), a social-psychological dispositional concept, in relation of the daily hassles associated with the transitory college years of students, perceived stress, quantity/frequency and patterns of alcohol use. This cross-sectional study (n=103) was site-based in the classroom. Data were collected by survey questionnaire administered by the primary researcher. Results indicated that SOC affords protection to students possessing a strong SOC by allowing them to perceive the hassles associated with college life as less stressful and in ameliorating the negative consequences of heavy drinking. Significant problems with alcohol were found in …

Question Block Order Effects In A Telephone Survey, Peter Montague Meyers

Masters Theses

Question order effects in a repetitive questionnaire was the focus of the study. A dataset was constructed based on results involving seven different organizations where the institutions were rotated into seven different blocked placements to test for order effects. This analysis used the Arts and Culture Survey conducted by the Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University in 1994.

Comparisons of means were used to determine whether fatigue from question repetitiveness affected respondents when responding to questions with fixed response questions, multiple responses, "don't know" responses, and open-ended responses. The issue of popularity was also examined to see …

Patterns Of "I Don't Know" Responses In Telephone Surveys, Christine Lewerenz Hinkle

Masters Theses

The question of how best to handle "don't know" responses continues to be a troublesome problem to survey researchers. There are no guidelines for handling "don't know" responses because little systematic investigation for the problem has been made. This research addresses the characteristics of those who answer "don't know" in social surveys. I am focusing on four independent variables, sex, age, income, and education. Included in this research will also be an independent variable of interviewer gender. The fact that most survey research does not record the sex of the interviewer has caused this research to be somewhat limited. I …

Planning For Change: Feminist Standpoint Epistemology Informing The Program Planning Process, Laura Nichols

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the process by which social programs are developed and explores how feminist standpoint epistemology may inform the process. A peer education program developed for college women is used as an example to illustrate the planning process. Secondary data collection, focus groups and a self-administered survey were the research techniques utilized in this planning approach.

The specific steps involved in program planning are identified and explained based on the program planning process presented and literature about this topic. The thesis concludes by exploring how certain ideas in feminist standpoint epistemology can be applied to the planning process in …

Right Of Privacy: Origin And Evolution Of A Constitutional Right, Eugene W. Smith

Masters Theses

This paper investigates the historical and legal question of how the Supreme Court developed the constitutional right of privacy from the Civil War Amendments to the Constitution. The emphasis is on tracing the Court's interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment since the Civil War.

Primary sources consulted included the Constitution, statutes, government publications, court opinions, briefs and other parts of case records. Newspapers, periodicals and books were used to trace more recent developments.

The paper traces the Court's use of the legal doctrines of substantive due process, selective incorporation and the new equal protection to first create a right of family …

Health Beliefs And Adherence To Cardiac Exercise Following A Cardiac Event, Marianne Foster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of cardiac patients' health beliefs regarding exercise and their adherence to an exercise program following a documented cardiac event. A sample of 90 subjects, recovering from a recent cardiac event, was selected from two acute care medical centers in southwestern Michigan and northwestern Michigan. Each subject responded to a mailed questionnaire six to eight weeks post hospitalization which assessed perceived benefits, perceived barriers and self-efficacy as they related to a regular, aerobic exercise program.; Descriptive statistics, along with t-test and chi-square were used to analyze the data. Findings include (a) …

Parent Knowledge Of Fas And The Risks Of Heavy Drinking During Pregnancy, Kimberly Lynne Spring

Masters Theses

The purpose of this mini-study was to determine the level of parent knowledge of FAS and the risks of drinking during pregnancy.; The parents involved in this mini-study were members of a small, primarily rural community and had one or more children enrolled in grades kindergarten through four in the Hart Public School District.; A questionnaire was developed and mailed to a random sample of parents who were chosen from the school enrollment lists. Results of the survey indicated that the majority of parents had some basic knowledge of the term FAS; however they felt that they lacked enough knowledge …

An Extended Year Program For At-Risk Middle School Children, Karen Patrice Flanigan

Masters Theses

At the beginning of this century only 6% of the American population even received a high school diploma. Now that diploma is so necessary that our society can no longer support or afford any undereducated citizens. Every year there is less and less room for them in the work force.; The states and school districts are reacting to this by trying to identify these at-risk children and to pose interventions to keep them in school. This is one account of an extended year program that was implemented for at-risk middle school children. The research focuses on the characteristics of these …

Religious Fundamentalism In Indian Politics, Linda Elder

Masters Theses

The Hindu nationalist movement, known as "Hindutva," which originated during the British colonial period in India, manifests itself in Indian politics today in the form of the Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.). Its affiliates, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, V.H.P. consisting of Hindu priests and sadhus, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, R. S.S., a paramilitary organization, form the core of this party. As the organized militant arm of Hindutva, the R.S.S. is compared to other religious fundamentalist organizations worldwide, based on characteristics provided by Martin Marty and R. Scott Appleby in the Fundamentalist Research Project at the University of Chicago.

Since 1977 …

The Effect Of Music Therapy On The Perceived Quality Of Life Of Patients With Terminal Illness In A Hospice Setting, Caroline Marie Abbott

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine if there were any significant differences in perceived mood states between patients in hospice care who received music therapy services and patients in hospice care who did not receive music therapy services.

Twenty-eight participants were surveyed using the Profile of Mood States (short form). Fourteen participants received music therapy services for a minimum of five hours, and fourteen participants did not receive music therapy services. The participants were matched in pairs by gender, location, diagnosis, and age, and were patients in one of three hospice locations in the United States which agreed …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Vertical And Plyometric Style Depth Jump Using Electromyography (Emg), Robert M. Conatser

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to compare temporal data during the phases of jumping. Eight NCAA, Di vision I football players completed four jumps: three depth jumps from heights of 0.15 m, 0.30 m, and 0.46 m, and a standing vertical jump. Subjects were grouped according to height jumped. The dependent variables were phase time, amortization time, and time to peak EMG. Surface EMG synchronized with high speed video was used to analyze the response of six muscles used in the jumping movement. Findings indicated that subjects who consistently jumped higher spent more time in each phase of the …

Rescue As Imperative For The Preservation Of Integrity: A Study Of Gentile Rescuers During The Holocaust And Their Motivations, Lynn M. Osborn

Masters Theses

When Nazi policies dictated the gradual and continual reduction in the liberties and rights of those deemed undesirable, most did nothing. Most continued to do nothing when these policies were extended to include mass sterilization and extermination. In spite of this, there were a few who acted. They gave of their own meager resources of food, money, and space, to help those who needed it. They risked their very lives as well as the lives of their loved ones to protect and save fellow human beings from the Nazi reign of terror.

Research into rescuers and their motivations have shown …

Social Interaction Among Fifth Graders, Dawn Michelle Hinton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the social isolation of black girls as compared to the social isolation experienced by black boys, white girls and white boys. One fifth grade classroom was chosen as the population of interest. There were twenty seven students in the classroom. Of those there are: six black females, nine white females, five black males and seven white males. Two methods were employed to collect and analyze the data for this investigation. The first method was sociometric surveys which were used to measure social isolation among those being studied. The second method utilized was …

Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd): Testing The Organization's Effects On Students' Behavior And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use, William Post Jr.

Masters Theses

This research examines the influence of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) chapters on the reported behavior and attitudes towards alcohol use of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in 208 public school districts in Michigan. This research is conducted at the intersection of social movement theory coupled with self-help group issues; theoretical approaches to explaining adolescent alcohol use; and SADD's etiological assumptions about adolescent alcohol use as derived from the organization's activities. These lead to comparing two types of SADD chapters (active and inactive) to school districts without SADD chapters, using students' (N=92,257) responses to the Michigan Alcohol and Other …

Development In Drawings And Language Of Young Children With Hearing Impairments, Daniel Carey Nordenbrock

Masters Theses

The use of free choice drawings and contingent questions as prompts to enhance oral language development in young children with moderate to profound hearing losses was the focus of this descriptive and experimental study. The effects of contingent queries (scaffolding) on drawing and oral language were measured using a single subject experimental design in which a staggered baseline was followed by treatment replicated across two sets of students at two levels of language abilities. An extensive coding system for dependent drawing and language variables was developed and utilized for analysis.

The major findings of this study were that the use …

The Effects Of Interactive Songs On Syllable Production In A Child With Agenesis Of The Corpus Callosum, Kelly D. Beens

Masters Theses

Agenesis of the corpus callosum is a disorder which has been the focus of clinical research on various tasks involving interhemispheric transfer of information. However, therapeutic intervention for individuals with this disorder has not been located in the literature by this researcher. Speech-language therapy for a five-year-old male incorporating interaction with songs was employed to activate various portions of the congenitally separated cerebral hemispheres and to encourage information transfer through non-traditional ways to facilitate syllable production.

The child received speech-language therapy for 15, 30-minute sessions. He was prompted to participate physically (with actions or manipulation of props) and verbally in …

The Effect Of External Heat And Humidity On Levels Of Perceived Exertion While Performing A Submaximal Bicycle Test, Erika E. Hanselman

Masters Theses

The effect of changes in environmental conditions on perception of the intensity of exercise using the Borg scale for rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was the focus of this study. Subjects (n= 10) recruited opportunistically from graduate classes in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department performed the test in a climate control chamber located in the Exercise Physiology lab at Western Michigan University. The submaximal test followed the protocol established by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM, 1991).

Each subject performed each of the four conditions three times. Conditions were assigned in random order to each subject. Perceived …

The Use Of Selected Anthropometric Measures In The Prediction Of A One-Repetition Maximum For The Bench Press Weight-Lifting Exercise, Gerald L. Thomas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if selected anthropometric measures would accurately predict a one-repetition maximum (1RM) for the bench press. Sixty-two college students, 29 males and 33 females, were measured on six selected anthropometric variables and the criterion measure, a 1RM for the bench press. The independent variables were upper arm circumference, chest circumference, wrist circumference, lean body mass, and a 10-repetitions maximum (10RM). Pearson product moment correlations and multiple regression analyses were calculated for all subjects and for each gender. Regression equations involving a number of different combinations of variables were explored. The results indicated the …

The Effect Of The Active Ankle Brace On Ground Reaction Forces, Andrew D. Howell

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to determine the effect an ankle brace worn for stability had on ground reaction forces. Ground reaction forces present when performing a step down from a height of 8.0 in. while wearing an Active Ankle Brace were compared to the ground reaction forces when not wearing the brace. Subjects (N=50) were randomly assigned to a testing condition. A metronome set at a rate of 100 bpm controlled the walking cadence of the subjects. Subjects were told to walk with a normal gait pattern, at the required cadence, and to use a heel strike landing. …

A Feasibility Study For Using Computerized Water Well Records To Delineate Areas Of Recharge-Discharge Potential, Lauren D. Hughes

Masters Theses

A method for delineating areas of recharge-discharge potential has been developed utilizing computerized water well records. The methodology is based on the vertical head differences found between wells with shallow depths of submergence and those with deeper depths of submergence. The residual values generated represent the magnitude of vertical potential and can be contoured to delineate areas of recharge-discharge potential. Well data were obtained from the Kalamazoo County Groundwater Database. Well selection was based on depth of submergence and total well depth.

The methodology was tested in Texas and Schoolcraft Townships, the Donnell Lake Study Area, and Kalamazoo County. Regularly …

The Influence Of The Local Community Upon Economic Development And Employment: A Case Study 1991-92, Daniel R. Boone

Masters Theses

Leaders in local communities can influence economic development and employment. This paper reviews positive as well as preventative approaches local leaders can use to ensure vital urban employment.

We look at Albion, Michigan, a small industrial community, as a case study. The city was experiencing the threat of a loss of approximately 700 foundry related jobs during the period of the "study visit." We had the opportunity to observe the community act and react. We learned not only the tools and processes employed but we gained insights into the economic developments in the American industrial society.

Race And Language On A College Campus, William H. Dozier

Masters Theses

This research was used to measure the attitudes of students toward African American English at a predominantly European American University. It was hypothesized that significant differences would be found between the responses of the African American and European American students. Using a random telephone survey of the population, three (Language Legitimacy, Language Acceptance, and Cultural Value) of the four hypotheses were found to be significant. The fourth hypothesis (Employment Inhibition) was rejected indicating that both groups felt language was used as an employment stratification device. The data showed that although there were significant differences in the attitudes by race over …