Digital Commons Network^™

Suicide Promotion Online: Frequency Of Access By High Risk Individuals, Daniel Stabin

Masters Theses

Online suicide promotion is a recent and potentially problematic phenomenon in which individuals provide detailed instructions for or encouragement to enact self-harm to other internet users. These types of resources are freely available to anyone willing to look for them, and there is no legal hindrance to prevent their continued operations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency with which people in the general, nonclinical population access these sites with a particular interested in individuals experiencing depressive symptoms and in young adults. Both populations are likely to be influenced by suicide promotion. I predicted that individuals with …

Student Organization Advisors: What Role Do Advisors Play And How Are They Trained?, Tyler J. Micek

Masters Theses

The position of a Registered Student Organization faculty or staff advisor is one that encompasses a wide variety of roles; these roles are ever changing based on the situation and the students involved. With each faculty and staff advisor bringing a different set of previous knowledge and experience, advisors may not be fully prepared for all aspects of the job. Some come in with the knowledge of the organization or an understanding of the goals of the organization, but they are not familiar with the operating procedures at the institution or have any background in student development or group dynamics. …

Effects Of Utilizing A Myofascial Foam Roll On Hamstring Flexibility, Elizabeth Sherer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify if using a foam roller on the hamstring muscles would have positive effects and in tum increase hamstring flexibility. Hamstring injuries are prevalent in sports today. Lack of flexibility is seen as a possible cause for these injuries, so this study focused on a potential way of increasing hamstring flexibility. Self-induced myofascial release, using a foam roller, was the type of intervention used to try to have an effect on hamstring muscle flexibility. The use of a foam roller is becoming a popular tool utilized in many settings but there has been …

Video Game Cultivation: Sowing The Seeds Of Consumer Behavior, Jonathan K. Mattson

Masters Theses

George Gerbner (1998) dedicated a significant amount of this life attempting to understand the creation and impact of mass media messages on viewers. Out of this research sprang cultivation theory, which holds viewers' realities can be impacted over time by the media environment they inhabit and its overarching messages. While often applied to television, cultivation theory has largely ignored other mediums, specifically video games. Video games have evolved as a medium since the public arcades of the 1980's and now run on high-powered, internet-enabled consoles. These consoles allow producers into the home of the consumer, saturating them with messages. This …

Juvenile Delinquency: A Comparative Analysis Between Divorced And Married Homes, Cristina R. Prestin-Latham

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine if children being raised in divorced homes are more likely to be juvenile delinquents that children being raised in married homes. Additionally, this study sought to determine if the age of the child during the divorce further contributes to the likelihood of delinquent behavior. The majority of previous studies indicate children from divorced homes are more prone to juvenile delinquency than children from married homes. The sample in this study consisted of 544 participants. Using a self-reporting, anonymous questionnaire, participants were asked questions about their childhood home structure and their adolescent delinquent …

A Phenomenological Analysis Of The Perceptions Of Housing Staff's Current Practices And Aspirational Desires Of Managing Mental Health Needs On A College Campus, Rebecca Maday

Masters Theses

Housing staffs perceptions were analyzed concerning current practices for identifying and managing mental health needs in residence halls. Six participants were interviewed, including undergraduate resident assistants and graduate hall directors. The results showed that there are four major themes when dealing with mental health training at a large four-year, primarily residential public school. Themes included Training Information, Improvements for Training, Interpersonal Feelings, and Barriers for Referral. Themes and implications for student affairs professionals were discussed.

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The All Power Labs Power Pallet As A Training Tool For Biomass Gasification Education, Christopher Che Frederick

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of classroom training with regard to renewable energies. A lecture series and survey were developed by the principle researcher and presented to students in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Systems class and Machine Design class at Eastern Illinois University. The lecture series introduced students to biomass gasification and its application at Eastern Illinois University. The survey analyzed participant's level of knowledge of gasification technologies. The survey's pre and post test scores were used to validate the effectiveness of the training.

The All Power Labs Power Pallet was utilized as …

Cup Size Effects On Soda Consumption, Lisa Heiser

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Is Nigeria's Conflict Ethnic Or Religious?: Resolving The Escalating Conflict In Nigeria, Ejikeme Nonso Alo

Masters Theses

The history and politics in Nigeria have often been characterized and marred with conflict, ranging from political to religious, ethnic and electoral violence. In this study, Edward Azar's Protracted Social Conflict theory which advocates for a multidimensional analysis of conflict was adopted in an attempt to properly understanding the nature and manifestation of the current Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria. Methodologically, both the qualitative and quantitative methods were deployed. Survey's (questionnaires and evidence from social media) was conducted in the three regions with the aim of comparing and contrasting various perspectives on the root cause of the conflict. While lack …

The Construction Of Spiritual Identity: Cmm And Conversion To Catholicism, Stephanie Gruner

Masters Theses

This study uses the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) to examine the spiritual stories of six people who were not raised Catholic, but joined the Catholic faith as adults. The participants' experiences reveal that their spiritual identities have both personal and communal aspects and that they view their identities as both fixed and changing. Additionally, when communicating their spiritualities to others these individuals must balance relationship concerns with the desire to express their spiritual identities. Applying CMM's hierarchy of meaning to the data shows that the levels work together in shaping the participants' understandings of their identities. The participants' relationships …

Parents’ Attitudes Toward Their Children’S Heritage Language Maintenance: The Case Of Korean Immigrant Parents In West Michigan, Duckyoung Jung Becker

Masters Theses

Research shows that many immigrant parents in the United States struggle with heritage language maintenance as their children start school in the dominant society. Many studies also reveal that immigrant parents value heritage language maintenance highly and wish their children to maintain home language. Although heritage language research has increased in the recent years, there is still a dearth of research among immigrants who reside outside of large metropolitan cities in the United States. By taking the case study approach, the present study identifies Korean immigrant parents who reside in West Michigan towns and, through interview and observations, explores their …

Assessment Of An Enterprise Employee Portal Using Dashboard Monitoring System: A Case Study, Aditi Mishra

Masters Theses

"A portal is a browser-based application that provides a web platform for users to improve inter-department collaboration and customer service. Portals are classified either as internal facing portals or external public facing portals. This study addresses the problems facing an internal portal related to its contents, functions and usability and provides a list of essential contents and functions that it should include through integrating theories and industry best practices. The theory framework is based on literature review and the industry best practices are based on the analysis of a number of internal portals of companies used as case studies. These …

Anthropological Apologetics: A Proposal Of An Anthropological Compendium As Evidence For The Imago Dei, Jeffrey R. Dickson

Masters Theses

Evangelical scholarship has shown great admiration for the work of Gary Habermas and others in their contribution to Christian apologetics by validating the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with a list of minimal facts generally agreed to by historical and biblical scholars. This thesis will explore the methodology of the minimal facts approach and appropriate it as a tool to explore the data within the field of anthropology which offers evidence for the biblical concept of the Imago Dei. This study will focus on Wolfhart Pannenberg in his critically acclaimed work demonstrating the importance of the theological perspective …

The Church Of Craiglockhart: Wilfred Owen And Siegfried Sassoon‘S Critique And Use Of Religion In Their World War I Poetry, Brian Karsten

Masters Theses

Throughout history, faith and religious principles have been used as motivation for war. Accordingly, political leaders, religious leaders, and writers all used religion-themed propaganda to encourage enlistment in World War I. Two soldier poets, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, after meeting in the asylum of Craiglockhart, together recognized the injustice represented in using faith to promote warfare. Subsequently, they wrote poetry which criticized the religious and political hierarchy, countered the theology used in propaganda, and attempted to reveal the atrocities in battle. Although Sassoon‘s poetry remained satirical of the use of religion, Owen recognized its power and used religion and …

Assessment Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects And Time Courses Of Salvinorin A And Two Synthetic Salvinorin B Derivatives, Methoxylmethyl (Mom) And Ethoxymethyl (Eom), Ethers In Rats Trained To Discriminate U69,593, Lisa M. Bell

Masters Theses

Research regarding the psychopharmacology of salvinorin A, the main psychoactive ingredient in the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum, has been motivated largely by a recent increase in its recreational use and widespread media attention focused on this plant and its extracts. In addition, there is considerable evidence that drugs acting on kappa opioid receptors (KOR) may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of some neuropsychiatric conditions, including drug dependence and mood disorders. Although the neuropharmacological actions of salvinorin A are well established, only a few studies have explored the behavioral effects of this substance in comparison to the KOR agonist, …

Music Therapy And Quality Of Life: The Effects Of Musical Interventions On Self-Reported And Caregiver-Reported Quality Of Life In Older Adults With Symptoms Of Dementia, Alisha Snyder

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music therapy on the quality of life of people with symptoms of dementia. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported quality of life scores were recorded before and after an eight-week treatment period. A control group of discussion and an experimental group of music therapy were included in the study, with a sample size of N = 13. Analysis of the data was done with t tests. No statistical significance was found when comparing the average quality of life scores in the discussion group or the music therapy group from pretest to …

The Problem Of Evil, Modern Calvinism And The Doctrine Of Free Will: Is John Feinberg's Theodicy A Coherent Resolution To The Problem Of Tragic Moral Evil?, Michael Obanla

Masters Theses

The thesis examines and evaluates Feinberg's theistic defense against the problem of evil with a view to determining whether it represents a coherent and consistent resolution to the problem of tragic moral evil. The thesis relies on three criteria for the evaluation: the internal consistency of Feinberg's theistic defense, its exegetical accuracy, and epistemic adequacy.

An Undergraduate Seminar On Irish Musical Culture In Ireland And The Irish Diaspora In America, Including The Influence Of Irish Music On Appalachian Folk Music Culture, Frieda Eakins

Masters Theses

The following project establishes a concise, yet multifaceted design for a seminar on Irish musical culture. While it was initially developed as a course for its author to teach in the undergraduate, on-ground classroom, this project provides a framework adaptable enough for use by other instructors and/or for additional music seminars. This project is unique in its two-fold purpose in that the design and resources are directed to assist the instructor with streamlining course curriculum preparation, while the course content specific to the project when utilized offers students in the undergraduate college classroom a better understanding of Irish musical culture …

Successful Weight Loss, Weight Loss Maintenance And Psychological Characteristics In Minority Men And Women Attending An Inner-City Weight Loss Program, Julie Ann Hall

Masters Theses

Inner-city communities are disproportionately impacted by obesity and chronic disease. The LOSE BIG Challenge is a motivational physical activity and nutrition education program offered to inner-city Grand Rapids, Michigan residents with diabetes or hypertension. Twenty-eight participants (26 women, 2 men) in a 12-week culturallybased weight loss program were studied. Before and after the intervention, height, weight, lifestyle information, readiness to change, eating behaviors, depression scores, and quality of life scores were measured. Participants were followed 4 and 6 months post intervention. At baseline, 86% of the participants were obese (BMI >30 kg/m²), 54% watched more than ten hours …

The Effects Of Replacing Dispersed Trash And Recycling Bins With Integrated Waste Receptacles On The Accuracy Of Waste Sorting In An Academic Building, Katherine J. Binder

Masters Theses

Numerous researchers and theorists have attempted to explain the existence of the gap between the possession of environmental knowledge and awareness and the display of pro-environmental behavior (Glasser, 2007; Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). Behavior analysis is uniquely aligned to contribute to this discussion through its emphasis on the role of controlling variables in behavior change. A growing number of behavioral research studies address the challenges of group-contingencies in an effort to solve real-world gaps (Lehman & Geller, 2004). This study was designed as a continuation of the line of behavioral research designed to increase recycling rates and also as an …

Laboratory Measures Of Aggression In Methadone Patients, Catherine M. Gayman

Masters Theses

Research suggests that current heroin users and individuals with a prior history of heroin dependence tend to be more aggressive than nonusers. No study has yet investigated whether opioid withdrawal affects aggressive responses on a laboratory task. The present study investigates whether mild opioid withdrawal affects aggression in six males and six females (N=12) undergoing methadone maintenance therapy. Aggressive behavior is measured using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (Cherek, 1981) computer task. Participants press buttons to earn money towards gift certificates. Money subtractions occur periodically and these are attributed to the behavior of a partner who is actually fictitious. Participants …

"Make Over Your Body": Conflicting Messages In Women's Fitness Magazines, Joy Zoodsma

Masters Theses

SHAPE Magazine is a women's fitness magazine that has been consistently popular since its initial publication in 1981. This study explores how the messages of health and beauty in this publication have evolved over the last three decades, especially in response to the cultural imperatives of consumerism and feminism. It critically analyzes the visual and textual messages on SHAPE Magazine covers and in letters from the editor, which offer important examples of the ways in which SHAPE attempts to “hail” readers – to draw them in, to convince them that what the magazine has to offer is relevant to their …

The Effects Of Altering Response Effort During Data Collection On Observer Accuracy: Data Collection Procedures On Hand Hygeine Compliance, Krista Hinz

Masters Theses

When dealing with human observers and error, tight control in data collection and methodology is essential for accurate representation of compliance. Although observational studies are popular, little has been done to study the integrity of human observers and the data collection process. Incomplete analysis of data collection integrity threatens functional findings, leading to problematic interpretation and decreased replication. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether manipulating the response effort associated with data collection has an effect on the accuracy of data collection. Participants of the study were undergraduate psychology students at a Midwestern university who were enrolled …

The Effect Of Innovative Technology On Seatbelt Use, Bryan W. Hilton

Masters Theses

A previous pilot study documented that providing sustained haptic feedback to the gas pedal when a driver exceeded 25mph with his seatbelt unbuckled and removing the feedback contingent on seatbelt use increased seatbelt use in 7 commercial drivers. This study replicated this effect with 20 young drivers who did not consistently wear their seatbelt.

In the current study unbuckled drivers received increased accelerator pedal resistance when they exceeded 20 mph. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was employed for this study. The dependent variable was percentage of trips driven without seatbelt use. The independent variable was an increase accelerator pedal resistance …

The Mouse Who Ruled His Kingdom: An Agenda Setting Analysis Of The Walt Disney World Company, Jacob Overbey

Masters Theses

People are seeking their news in more social environments, but very little research has been conducted on agenda setting and online environments. This thesis examined the agenda setting relationship between an organization on Twitter, @WaltDisneyWorld (i.e., The Walt Disney World) and public opinion on Twitter. The relationship was examined using Twitter's database of tweets to measure public opinion on Twitter. Since the news media is losing steam on the ability to break news, and social media is growing rapidly, this study tested the value of the agenda setting theory on social media. To this end, this thesis qualitatively examined the …

Operating The Silencer: Muted Group Theory In The Great Gatsby, Sarah Funderbruke

Masters Theses

This master's thesis examines gender and social roles seen in dialogue in the American classic novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The researcher conducted a coding and rhetorical analysis to determine if elements of muted group theory were in the novel. Muted group theory was developed by Edwin and Shirley Ardener after their research indicated that a culture's values and social structure were voiced through rhetoric. The theory states that dominance in certain groups mutes, or silences, others from communicating effectively. Five passages from The Great Gatsby were selected for this analysis. These passages highlighted dialogue between the …

A Narrative Life Story Of Activist Phyllis Lyon And Her Reflections On A Life With Del Martin, Dianna Lee Johnson

Masters Theses

Phyllis Lyon met the love of her life in 1953. Her name was Del Martin. When they fell in love, homosexuality was an illness that needed to be cured, a sin to be confessed and an illegal act that should be punished. Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon are legendary in the lesbian community for originating the Daughters of Bilitis--an underground lesbian social club in San Francisco formed in the 1950s. They spent the next 55 years together confronting society and policy about the inequity of gays, lesbians, and women. In each of these social movements, however, they were the minority …

High School Policy Debate As An Enduring Pathway To Political Education: Evaluating Possibilities For Political Learning, Ellen C. Zwarensteyn

Masters Theses

This paper addresses the role competitive high school policy debate participation has on key developmental markers of political learning. As identified by the Carnegie Foundation’s Political Engagement Project (PEP), political learning includes political knowledge and understanding, political identity, and the development of political skills. Based in interviews with former high school debaters, the results of this study suggest there may be a transformative, politically enduring and engaging experience surrounding policy debate.

Using grounded theory to extract analysis of debaters’ experiences, this study demonstrates how sustained competitive high school policy debate experience directly advances political learning and should be a tool …

Daniel Hannan, Thomas Paine, And The Rhetoric Of Outrage, Danae Brack

Masters Theses

The purpose of this rhetorical study is to examine the textual charisma of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Daniel Hannan's speech "The Devalued Prime Minister of a Devalued Government" and how that charisma made these artifacts successful in spreading outrage surrounding the historical and political events of their respective eras. The author uses Weber's theory of charisma filtered through Rosenberg and Hirschberg's expanded theory identifying lexical charisma, or the charisma of messages. The author analyzes Paine's and Hannan's use of persuasiveness, believability, and powerfulness, translating each of these characteristics into specific cues that can be identified in the individual texts. …

The Effects Of Reinforcer-Paired Stimuli On Operant Behavior: Review, Demonstration, And Conceptual Analysis, Timothy Lowell Edwards

Masters Theses

The presentation of stimuli that have been paired with reinforcers may function as a motivating operation in that the efficacy of the reinforcers appears to increase and the class of responses that have been historically followed by those reinforcers increases in strength. This phenomenon has important implications for a number of behavioral concerns including drug addiction and eating disorders. A review of the existing literature examining this phenomenon presented herein suggests that the phenomenon is reliable and robust but that it is reinforcer-specific. In the animal study that is subsequently described, rats show a higher proportion of responding on average …