Digital Commons Network^™

Form Perception: An Interactive Guide To The Gestalt Principles, Hend Alawadhi

Theses

The term Gestalt literally means "form" in German. In the early 20th century, the Gestalt Principles of Perception were developed by German psychologists from the Berlin School. These principles describe the different ways the human mind organizes visual elements into groups or unified wholes. The definition of Gestalt in relation to these principles is "unified whole." This thesis is an endeavor to examine the five major principles of Gestalt perception through the use of short animations and illustrated examples, presented in a website. It will also allow the user to test the knowledge provided through a short multiple-choice quiz and …

Students With Asperger’S Syndrome Transitioning To Postsecondary Education: What Are The Common Issues?, Claire Littlefield

Theses

This study explored the common issues that emerged during a peer coaching intervention program for students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Nineteen undergraduate college students with AS (4 females, 15 males, age range: 18 - 23 years) participated in the Spectrum Support Pilot (i.e., peer coaching intervention program), and seven second year graduate students (7 females, age range: 23 – 26 years) within the School Psychology program at the same university served as peer coaches. Peer coaches wrote DAP (Description, Assessment, Plan) notes, which provided qualitative information about each meeting with their students. DAP notes were coded for common themes; the …

Tinker, Jay Graham

Theses

The works presented here are primarily an exploration into movements of volumes and forms, and the ways in which these seemingly simple whole forms can challenge our methods of knowing. These works use physical movement or other means to occupy more than one class of object, illustrating the difficulty in having a coherent schematic for organizing objects like this, and generally organizing any system of knowledge. This problem of having the difficulty of creating anything has given rise to the ironic form, where the focus is on avoiding a statement, to prevent a refutation. This is an inherently negative mode, …

Personality Assessment As An Indicator Of Success Post High School, Angela Bermudez

Theses

According to a recent article published in the New York Times, although the United

States is successful in enrolling students in colleges and universities, only half graduate with bachelor's degrees. Among wealthy countries, Italy is the only country with a larger dropout rate (Leonhardt, 2009). The results from the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) previously given to undergraduate students from a technical institute in Western New York were analyzed to determine whether there were significant differences between students who were academically dismissed and then admitted into a college restoration program and students who were successfully passing. Perhaps by having …

The Internal Expression Of The Phenomenon Of Human Aspiration, Eunsuh Choi

Theses

My thesis investigates the phenomenon of human aspiration in life and was conceived from the new perspective I have about myself and my pursuits in a foreign country. Originally from Korea, I relocated to the United States and during this time asked myself many questions to determine my goal. When I was young, adults would ask me about my future even though I was not yet old enough to think logically about such questions. "What do you want to be?" they would ask. "What is next?" These are common questions in my country. I assume there are many different reasons …

The Image – By Any Means, Richard Minard

Theses

Art is inherently a reflection of the human condition. As I am working, my intention is to make images that, at the very least, capture the audience's attention. By adding layers and fracturing the images, I want the audience to see through various visual relationships. These visual relationships can be interpreted as a metaphor of the often hectic and unstable qualities of daily life. As the human figure is my connection to the work, it also serves as the viewer's connection. The blending of media and mixing up of figurative representation with abstraction is my attempt to challenge the viewer …

Evaluating Libertarian Paternalism, Michelle Elizabeth Catalano

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate a form of soft paternalism put forth by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein known as libertarian paternalism. On their view, criteria are provided for distinguishing between justified and unjustified libertarian paternalism policy proposals. The central philosophical issue surrounding libertarian paternalism is determining when limitations on autonomy for the sake of beneficence are justified. However, the criteria given by Thaler and Sunstein are inadequate because they do not effectively overcome problematic case examples. I contend that an additional autonomy-based condition should be added to their criteria. Specifically, autonomy may trump beneficence in favor …

Cultural Identity Development And Sensitivity To Minority Cultures, Rachael Sando

Theses

Researchers are working toward understanding how to integrate the growing number of

culturally and ethnically diverse students in college and create a campus climate that is

supportive, united, and diverse. Previous studies have revealed that the dominant culture tends to rate campus climate more positively than minority cultures; a relationship mediated by unawareness of privilege. Research has found that few dominant or majority cultures are self aware of their cultural identity, and therefore do not acknowledge the privilege and culturally transmitted ways of being associated with it. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of a dominant …

In Search Of Local News, Tina Marsh

Theses

A 60-item mail survey of registered voters in two Rochester, N.Y.-area communities (n=185) assessed differences between information- and entertainment-seeking tendencies of those who use online and/or print media for local news. The research concluded that respondents with high information-seeking scores are not only using print media but also online media. In addition, online-only users showed a significant tendency for entertainment-seeking but not information-seeking. The study occurred amid the print newspapers' fight to survive by launching or upgrading online counterparts. This research also discusses the implications of the findings for public discourse, a role traditionally played by local print newspapers.

The Ireland Of James Anthony Froude: A Nineteenth Century Drama, Janet Murphy

Theses

Using primary material in a manner unprecedented at the time, James Anthony Froude was an English historian of the Victorian era whose histories encompassed Ireland. Among his works relating to Ireland was a ten-book study of the eighteenth century that extended from the penal era to the Union of 1800. While such scholars as W. E. H. Lecky objectified their histories by accumulating data, Froude supplemented his with anecdote, maintaining that the perfect history was told in the words and deeds of those who acted it out.

His methodology was not determinately structured: he laboured with vast quantities of primary …

Emergency Department Crowding And Provider Workload, Kathryn Coles

Theses

This observational field study attempted to quantify the objective task load imposed on emergency department (ED) providers, determine the degree of subjective workload they experience, and to correlate these data with ED operational metrics, mainly ED crowding metrics. Participants were a convenience sample of 10 emergency care providers; the 3 female and 7 male participants represented a variety of provider levels (6 physicians, 3 physician assistants, and 1 nurse practitioner). Forty-two hours of data were collected. ED variables were obtained from the hospital's existing information system each hour and included the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), number of people in the …

The Life Effectiveness Of Wilderness Adventure Leaders, Cory Maria Dack

Theses

The Life Effectiveness of Wilderness Adventure Leaders Cory Maria Dack Southern Illinois University Carbondale Introduction The call of the wild has long been accepted as a true phenomenon by mankind. Throughout history countless scores of women and men have written novels, poems, and symphonies in-spired by the ubiquitous reach of nature. As Sigurd Olson once wrote, "Wilderness to the people... is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium" (Olson & Backes, 2001, p. 61). Eventually, musings on the powerful effects of nature branched out from the realm of …

Social Structure And Culture: Applying Cross-National Indicators Of Criminal Violence To Domestic Terrorism, Travis Shane Irwin

Theses

Despite the increase in terrorism research post September 11, 2001, little is known about domestic terrorism though it occurs at overwhelmingly higher rates as compared to transnational terrorism. Although the use of criminological theory and methods to study terrorism has increased recently, there are relatively few terrorism studies within the criminological literature. Drawing upon extant criminological theories of violence among countries, this study uses the recently created Global Terrorism Database to examine the distribution and correlates of domestic terrorism among 72 developed nations between 1970 and 1997. This study examined the following questions. First, do prior established predictors of criminal …

Memory Box, An Interactive Teaching Application For Young Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Itai Shperber

Theses

This thesis presents an outline and fundamental design for the development of an interactive teaching application for young students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or (ADHD). The project proposes a visual teaching aid used by sixth to ninth grade middle school students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders. The author argues that the combination of various modern instructional methods, focusing on user experience and interactivity, can improve the learning experience for students with ADHD. He also argues that students can achieve higher marks and improve their overall educational experiences by adding visual and interactive elements to the written educational material. The …

Did Facebook Absorb Freewill?, Jason Soon

Theses

Previous studies on social networking sites have failed to address comprehensively the level of efficacy and role of peer influences in the rise in membership levels of this new communication innovation. This study assessed the level of social influences at play in college students` decision to participate on Facebook. Online and postal surveys were sent to undergraduate students of a Northeastern institution of higher education to obtain self-reported of levels of perceived peer pressure influencing their participation on Facebook. The data collected were used to test a new theory of social conformity. No relationship was found between time spent on …

Psychographic Factors And Prospective Students’ Use Of Interactive Features On Admissions Websites Of Institutes Of Higher Education, Nicholas Cheong

Theses

This study assessed the relationship between psychographic factors and the liking and use of interactive features. Prospective and freshman college students were surveyed regarding their activities, interests and opinions, and on their liking and use of interactive features on Websites of Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs). Price consciousness was related to the following: liking of Frequently Asked Questions and blogs; and to the use of tuition cost estimators, instant messaging with current students; and links to student run magazines, and student and alumni success stories. Active users of social media Websites did not differ significantly from non-users in their liking …

Form And Visual Cues: A Workshop For Graduate Design Students, William Campbell

Theses

Product development timelines are shrinking and simultaneously, products are becoming more complicated. Designers have little time to allow products to iteratively evolve into their most intuitive forms. The result for the consumer is often a steep learning curve via thick instruction manuals, cheat sheets and "quick-start" guides. In contrast, an object such as a water pitcher contains virtually all the information needed to successfully use it right away; everything is either communicated by the form itself or quickly discovered through simple explorations. In 2001-2003, when I attended RIT, the graduate industrial design curriculum did not include a class solely based …

The Effect Of Cross-Chain Discussion By Eyewitnesses And Non-Eyewitnesses On Rumor Accuracy, Samuel Brougher

Theses

As rumors travel from person to person, information is lost during the transmissions. Discussion, however, increases retention of the original account and organizes later transmissions. This organization then decreases the attentional load of the listeners, thus allowing them to attend to and retain a more complex message. Further, the information that is lost tends to be explanatory statements (instead of event statements). Such explanatory statements make ratings of a negative event more neutral, but are lost when the listener's attentional load is increased, and the central (event-based) message is more likely to be retained. With this in mind, the effects …

How Do Doctoral Research Academics Perceive Their Research Activities To Be Of Benefit To Undergraduate Students, James Mccauley

Theses

The principal aim of my research is to investigate the perceptions of Doctoral research academics regarding the benefit of their research activities to undergraduate students. Through in-depth interviews, the research aims to establish the level of communication that Doctoral researchers initiate with their undergraduate students about their research activities as well as the extent to which they know if these students perceive these activities as positive or negative. The extent to which students proactively queried such academics about their research activities is also examined. Two main types of activities were identified as having a positive impact: topic specific ‘cutting-edge’ knowledge …

A Revelation Of Thought, Katherine Parks

Theses

This work is about self-exploration, reinvention, and constant evolution that result from questioning the reason for being. Throughout the whole creation process I have tried to reinvent myself, and evolve by questioning the purpose of existence. I use my work to depict emotions and feelings. Sculpture, monotype, and paint are the techniques I used for this recent body of work. Each is an intuitive, aesthetic response to the subject, both in color and surface, thus leading to further investigation of form and space. Through the inner struggle that takes place during the creation of each work of art, I convey …

Perceptions Of School Psychologists Regarding Behavioral Interventions For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Co-Occurring Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Nicole Gilmour

Theses

This study surveyed school psychologists' experience and confidence working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), as well as the amount and type of training received and importance of receiving additional training. Members randomly selected from the National Association of School Psychology (NASP) membership completed a survey. Significance tests conducted determined differences existed between doctoral and non-doctoral school psychologists across several demographic, caseload, training, and confidence variables. Doctoral level school psychologists were older, had a greater number of years in the field, assessed a greater number of students with ASD and EBDs, and had higher levels of confidence in …

The Relation Of Elementary Students’ Academic Self-Concept Of Reading To Grade Level, Achievement, And Teacher Perceptions, Jessica M. Diehl

Theses

The present study examined the relationships among grade level, students' reading achievement, teacher perceptions of student ability, and students' reading self-concept beliefs. Spearman correlations and independent samples t-tests were used to determine the relationships, if any, among these variables. Results revealed significant relationships between student and teacher perceptions of reading ability and students' actual reading achievement. A significant difference was also found between first and fifth grade students with respect to reading competency beliefs. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Elementary Education Teachers’ Acceptability Of Reading Curriculum-Based Measurements, Sarah N. Hinman

Theses

With prevention models, such as Response to Intervention (RtI), becoming increasingly implemented by schools, it is important to examine special and general elementary education teachers' acceptability of reading curriculum-based measurement (R-CBM). A national sample of 26 elementary education teachers (23 general education, 3 special education) completed an online survey regarding R-CBM. The survey examined teacher acceptability, knowledge, training, resources, and belief that R-CBM is a valid general outcome measure of reading. Results indicated that special education teachers' reported knowledge of R-CBM was statistically greater than general education teachers'. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between overall knowledge and …

An Assessment Of Postgraduate Education Needs For Construction Managers, Garrett Keenaghan

Theses

Postgraduate education can take on different meanings for individuals. It can be interpreted according to an individual or group of individuals’ ontological and epistemological position. The meaning of education and its purpose is not standardised. Education and its purpose is varied and shaped by an individual’s experience. This research is an assessment of the postgraduate education requirements of construction managers. It explores the type of knowledge that is considered as essential to the role of a construction manager. It asks industry representatives, academic and professional representatives to rate the importance and relevance of the identified knowledge. The need for this …

Music, Skill And Artifact: The Pursuit Of Physical Opportunities, Cindy Staton

Theses

As a musician being faced with the option to create music on a primarily digital and intangible level, I found this new digital experience to be problematic when compared to the experience of playing a physical instrument. This thesis explores this idea on a macro scale extending it to examine our everyday lives and the effects technology in the digital age have had upon us specifically in the United States. We live in a country where our jobs primarily involve sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Having once worked on farms or made a living as a …

Web-Based Portfolio Assessment : An Open Source Solution For Platform Design, Regina Collins

Theses

Summative assessments of student writing performance have been instrumental in the evaluation of student ability and analysis of educational programs. One method used to perform summative assessments of writing performance in post-secondary education is through the evaluation of student portfolios. Using an evidence-centered design approach, NJIT faculty researchers have developed rubrics to measure the acquired skills of students. Classroom instructors from the department meet periodically to score the students' portfolios containing constructed responses to predetermined writing tasks. The paper-based assessments are then manually key-stroked into Microsoft Excel for storage, with the scores then analyzed in SPSS and SAS.

This thesis …

Effectiveness Of Safety Training, Mayeanna Kamara

Theses

The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of safety training modalities which are specifically designed for the non unionized workers in the construction industry. The main hypothesis is to determine whether multimodal and extended training improves the effectiveness of the learning aspects and safety consciousness among the trainees. The study conducted a literature survey on the factors that affects safety outcomes in construction industry, especially for the non unionized workers. The study developed a survey instrument to evaluate effectiveness of safety training. This study intended to prove that a video training is not enough and that hands …

Comparison Between Different Techniques Of Preprocessing For Resting State Fmri Analysis, Megha Girdhar

Theses

Resting state functional connectivity as the name suggests is defined as significant temporal correlation between spatially distinct regions of the brain during rest. In this thesis, fMRI resting state dataset was analyzed using different available processing techniques with the same fMRI data to study differences between the various methods. All the imaging data from each of the subjects was processed in an identical fashion. The same method was used for detecting connectivity. The number of independent components in the data was used as the base to differentiate the effect of each of these methods. Independent component analysis was performed on …

A Visual Understanding: An Interactive Learning Application, Joanna Ward

Theses

As a thesis project, A Visual Understanding can be defined as a contextual experiment portraying the relationship between traditional composition techniques and visual communication online. This project focuses on the issue of significance when viewing photography online and the ways in which Computer Graphics Design can solve this problem. The educational application address the problems with the way in which photography is being portrayed by first, creating awareness about this concern and second, educating the online user in attempt to solve this problem. The interactive application developed educates users on traditional composition theories that have proven to be successful means …

Taking The Punch: Utilizing Unfortunate Circumstances To Reexamine Personal Identity, David Schnuckel

Theses

In this Thesis I will discuss my current body of work in regards to my interest in the essence of human fallibility and its role within personal transformation. In referencing historical glass, contemporary craft, and popular culture I discuss the virtues of crafting the mishap and of utilizing imagery within a sculptural context. The investigation questions what establishes personal identity and finds answers by reexamining my own within my studio practice.