Digital Commons Network^™

The Reclamation Of The Future Dream: Dreams In British Science Fiction, Ronald Emil Schmitt

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Subclinical Eating Difficulties, Family Functioning And Psychological Distress, Jennifer K. Weiner

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Renewed Recognition Of Dissociation In Clinical Assessment, Marylynn Augustoni

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Domesticity, Home And The Culture Of The Everyday In Four American Twentieth-Century Novels, Christina Hunter Felix

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Loneliness In Mothers Of Boys With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Case Study Methodology, Michele F. Phillips

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Important Of Cognitive Adaptability For Communicative Performance Across Cooperative Interactions, Matthew H. Roy

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward An Integrated Model Of Relapse From Exercise: Review, Measurement, Classification, And Prediction, Jennifer S. Rose

Open Access Dissertations

In 1982, research indicated that approximately 50% of people involved in exercise programs would drop out within six months (Dishman, 1982). Now, over a decade later, the figure remains the same. (Dishman, 1991; Marcus, et al., 1992). Though great strides have been made within the past ten years in understanding many determinants of the process of exercise acquisition, at present, very little is known about exercise relapse.

The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of relapse from exercise in college students through: 1) literature review; 2) psychometric assessment of a Reasons for Relapse from Exercise scale; …

Developmental Correlates Of Incest: An Analysis Of Research Relevant To The Alleged Impact Of Intrafamilial Abuse On The Short And Long Term Adjustment Of Children, Florence Ginsburg

Open Access Dissertations

The major goal of this project was to review the empirical literature concerning the short and long term adjustment of childhood incest victims. An evaluation of the relevant research, with respect to a five level scale, revealed that few of the studies reached more than a minimal degree of methodological adequacy. In order to further specify both necessary methodological improvements and promising research directions, there was an attempt to analyze the existing research in terms of seven basic "questions".

The first question related to the relative developmental impact of intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual abuse. The empirical literature does suggest that …

Individual Versus Multidisciplinary Team Decision Making, Andrew D. Aspel

Open Access Dissertations

The present study compared individual against multidisciplinary team diagnostic and placement decisions. Specifically, this study examined if teams were more likely than individuals to incorporate relevant base-rate information into their decisions and to ignore irrelevant, or illusory, information (degree of intersubtest scatter). Members of 20 teams were asked to evaluate four case scenarios. Each team consisted of a school psychologist, an administrator, and an educational diagnostician. For two of the cases, base-rate information was manipulated; on the other two cases, intersubtest scatter on the WISC-Ill was manipulated. Participants evaluated one set of cases as a team, and the other set …

Quantitative Eeg Effects Due To Task Related Processing Of Lateralized Auditory Continuous Performance Tests, Separate From Attentional And Motor Components Of The Tasks, Sherri M. Gold

Open Access Dissertations

Quantitative EEG data were obtained for 22 male college students during a Resting condition and during performance of three continuous performance tests (CPT) that differed in the demands on linguistic processing. Previous EEG studies from our laboratory have indicated a relationship between left hemisphere beta power and performance of an auditory CPT that requires processing of phonetic stimuli. The participant listens to a series of letters and responds by pressing a button whenever the same letter is repeated twice in a row. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that left hemisphere EEG beta may reflect processing of language …

Sexual Assertiveness Training For College Women: An Intervention Study, Pamela Deiter

Open Access Dissertations

Thirty participants in a four-week Sexual Assertiveness training workshop series were compared to 30 participants in a placebo control condition for general assertiveness, and to 30 participants in a no-intervention control condition. All 90 participants were undergraduate women from a northeastern university. Dependent measures included three subscales of the Sexual Assertiveness Scale, an AIDS Prevention Self Efficacy measure, the Rathus Assertiveness Inventory, and three measures of self-reported recent sexual behavior. Two new communication-related subscales to the Sexual Assertiveness Scale were piloted. Additional measures of anticipated partner response to sexual assertiveness, and history of victimization were included to learn about their …

Maternal Interaction Style, The Family And Attachment Outcomes, Maria Schiller

Open Access Dissertations

Understanding of early relationship processes has been moving away from simplified linear relationships in favor of multifaceted approaches to child development (Moran & Pederson, 1992). Incorporation of these more dynamic models into the field of attachment research has been advocated (Mangelsdorf, et al., 1990), but not duly accomplished to date. Relations between maternal sensitivity and attachment outcomes are still expected to be linear, although empirical support for this notion is limited. Studies vary in methodology, findings and interpretation. Building on previous research (Schiller & Seifer, 1992), this study addressed methodological issues as related to assessment of maternal sensitivity and attachment …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Effects Of Education On Decision-Making And Satisfaction In Re-Entry Women’S Intimate Relationships, Carolyn Cobb Celebucki

Open Access Dissertations

A longitudinal study, that assessed the effects of changes in education on changes in decision-making and satisfaction in ongoing intimate relationship, was conducted with 78 women re-entry students who, as matriculants in an undergraduate degree granting program in the College of Continuing Education at URI in Providence in 1988, participated in this study at Time 1 and again three and one half years later at Time 2. Three measures each of decision-making, satisfaction, and perceived partner support for their education, and two measures of education were obtained. Women reported on demographic information i.e., age, sex, income, employment status, and children …

Confirmatory Factor Analyses Of Quantified Electroencephalogram Measured During A Continuous Performance Test: A Confirmation Of Neurocognitive Systems, James Edward Arruda

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dissociation, Substance Abuse, And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Vietnam Veterans, John Cornelius Donkervoet

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Developmental Correlates Of Incest: An Analysis Of Research Relevant To The Alleged Impact Of Intrafamilial Abuse On The Short And Long Term Adjusment Of Children, Florence Ginsburg

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Psychosocial Adjustment Of Adolescents Diagnosed With Attention Deficit Disorder In Childhood, Julie Marie Wilson

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Meadows Of Madison: An Ethnographic Study Of The Organizational Climate Of A Nursing Home, Bonnie Cashin Farmer

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Vector Competence In Lyme Disease : Studies On Ixodes Scapularis, Dermacentor Variabilis, And Amblyomma Americanum, Min-Tsung Yeh

Open Access Dissertations

Ticks in the Ixodes ricinus-species complex have been implicated as vectors of Lyme disease spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi). A variety of other ticks, notably American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) and Lone Star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) in the U.S., appear incapable of transmitting Lyme disease spirochetes despite ingesting these bacteria. In this study, I confirmed that deer ticks, but not dog ticks or Lone Star ticks became infected with Lyme disease spirochetes after feeding on infected hosts. In addition, I assessed several potential physiologic factors that could affect the ability of ticks to acquire, maintain, …

Making The Decision To Seek Care For A Non-Urgent Illness: A Qualitative Study, Anne Phyllis Manton

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Base-Rate Fallacy In School Psychology: Implications For Decision-Making, Mary Lynne Kennedy

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation generalized the base-rate fallacy in diagnostic decision-making to the field of school psychology. This fallacy involves allowing information other than prior probabilities inappropriately to dominate probability judgments. Participants included 80 school psychologists who were asked to rate the probability of a learning-disability diagnosis and to state their degree of confidence in that diagnosis. In Study I, participants received only base-rate information. In Study 11, participants received either (a) relevant base-rate information plus irrelevant individuating information, (b) relevant base-rate information plus relevant diagnostic information, or (c) relevant base-rate information plus relevant diagnostic information plus irrelevant individuating information. Additionally, in …

Contraceptive And Condom Use For The Prevention Of Pregnancy, Stds, And Aids: A Transtheoretical Approach, Diane Marie Grimley

Open Access Dissertations

This research involved three independent sample with over 600 heterosexually active individuals and examines the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change to contraceptive and condom use behavior. The pilot study involved 123 college men and women. Measures representing two of the major constructs from the model, stages of change and decisional balance, were developed for general contraceptive and condom use. The second investigation was a measurement study conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and consisted of 238 impoverished women at high risk for HIV infection or transmission. Measures and models for specific …

Altruism In College Volunteers: Relationships To Prosocial Personality, Constructive Thinking, And Parenting Variables, Sara S. Little

Open Access Dissertations

Altruism--acting with the goal of benefiting another, despite costs to oneself--has been the subject of many studies, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Laboratory studies have relied on isolated instances of contrived helpfulness, while investigations of actual rescuers and humanitarians are typically small and lack controls. Some investigators have suggested that altruism is merely a function of situation (c.f., Latane & Darley, 1968). Others, however, have found robust relationships between altruism and personality (c.f., Batson, 1991).

This study investigated sustained, planned altruism in a sample of 469 undergraduates from four major New England Universities. The hypotheses were that altruism, operationalized …

Girls' And Boys' Beliefs About Adult Work: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A School-Based Program, Deborah M. Dutton

Open Access Dissertations

This project evaluated the effectiveness of a short-term educational intervention program intended to alter sex-role beliefs of children regarding adult careers using a non-equivalent control group design. Participants were second and fifth grade students from a New England elementary school. Dependent measures were The Occupational Choice Survey (OCS), The Stereotypic Occupational Scale (SOS), The Children's Sex-Role Inventory (CSRI), and The Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC). Interventions included reading fictional and nonfictional literature of adults in nontraditional work roles, followed by a guided discussion, and a panel discussion with adults in traditional and nontraditional roles, followed by a guided discussion. The …

Individual Resiliency And Vulnerability In The Providence Longitudinal Study: A Study Of Social Competence And Antisocial Behavior, Lisa Creane Hayden

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Maternal Control Style In Preschool Children Born At Medical Risk, Mary Cunningham Sullivan

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

American Masculinity And The Gridiron: The Development Of The Football Narrative, Donald Lee Deardorff Ii

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dietary Practices Of Collegiate Wrestlers, Kathleen Marie Laquale

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Modeling Electrocardiogram Waveforms And Evaluating Qrs Detectors, Seth Bowen Suppappola

Open Access Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Quantified Electroencephalogram Measured During A Continuous Performance Test: A Confirmation Of Neurocognitive Systems, James E. Arruda

Open Access Dissertations

In the University of Rhode Island's psychophysiology laboratory we are constructing a quantitative neuropsychological test that could be used in the assessment of human brain dysfunction. To this end we have collected the quantified electroencephalogram (QEEG) of 102 participants while they performed an eyes-closed, auditory, continuous performance test (CPT). Using the principal component procedure and 40 QEEG variables, Weiler (1993) and Arruda et al., (1994) derived two measurement models; suggesting the existence of seven to eight neurocognitive systems, including a theoretically meaningful right hemisphere, "Attention" component that appears fundamental to the brain's performance of a vigilance/attention task. The present study …