Digital Commons Network^™

Social Learning Theory As A Model For Illegitimate Peer-To-Peer Use And The Effects Of Implementing A Legal Music Downloading Service On Peer-To-Peer Music Piracy, Nathan Fisk

Theses

In an attempt to both provide added services to students and help curb the growing problem of music piracy on college campuses, many universities have implemented legal digital music services. The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) was one of these universities, where the Cdigix Ctrax service is provided to students. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of such a strategy, Information Technology Services (ITS) at RIT requested the services of Dr. Samuel McQuade, who administered a Webbased survey to all Ctrax users and an equal number of randomly selected non-Ctrax using students at RIT. In total, 447 students responded to …

Modio - Interactive Sound Visualization, Kwon Hyouck Jin

Theses

The word “Modio” is a compound word of Motion and Audio, which I coined for this thesis. The intent of this thesis is an interactive installation project that will explore and convert musical elements into visual elements, which will lead to various responses to the change caused by users’ interaction.

Pbs Transition From Analog To Digital Tv Broadcasting: The Human Perspective, Carolyn Colborn

Theses

The purpose of this project is to examine a subset of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations in how they made their transition to digital broadcasting to: 1. Identify candidate best practices for successfully transitioning from analog to digital broadcasting, 2. Make recommendations on how to educate the viewing audience on adapting, understanding, and utilizing Digital TV (DTV), and 3. Identify possible areas where further research might assist in a better understanding of how to manage change effectively.

"No One At The Bridge", Jeffery J. Lester

Theses

Not Included

Using Social Stories To Teach On-Task Behavior And Participation Skills With Children On The Autism Spectrum, Melanie Washburn

Theses

Social stories are written and individually tailored to provide individuals with autism with accurate social information to address their deficit areas (Gray, 2000). The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a social story intervention in increasing socially desirable behavior with two young boys diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The following dependent variables were considered: (la) body and eye contact, (lb) staying on the topic, and (2) disruptive and perseverative behavior in the classroom. For both participants, there was an increase in social appropriate behavior and a decrease in disruptive behavior over the course of eight …

Shinies, Seth Mccaughey

Theses

Not Included

The Expression Of Emotions, Hweawon Chung

Theses

Throughout history, humans have been interested in the relationship between the mind and emotion. I am interested in the way in which people transmit their unique feelings to others. These sculptures represent my perspective of this phenomenon. Often people will communicate with their faces instead of their voices. Facial expression is the way to convey one’s true sentiments. Through my work, I try to recreate the moment in which one’s inner thoughts are expressed. In my personal experience, the speaking of a foreign or non-native language often causes misunderstanding. To address this problem, I try to read the face of …

Infection, Moonsik Chung

Theses

Describes the creation of a short 16mm live-action film, Infection, which features a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, Nathaniel, who was traumatized by his experiences and lost his specific memories about what he did in Iraq. 12 years later, Nathaniel is haunted by the ghost of one of his dead fellow soldiers, who taunts him with hints of what he has forgotten. Then Nathaniel learns from his troubled parents the secret of who his true father was.

Two Degrees Of Intentionality: Approaching The Ascription Of Psychological Content In Non-Linguistic Creatures, Michael Joseph Ferreira

Theses

We often include intentional (psychological) states in the explanation of complex non-human animal behavior. How, if possible, should we characterize intentionality in other species without trivializing our own? I aim to develop a strategy, compatible with intentional realism, for approaching the ascription of intentionality in non-linguistic species. One way to approach the question, one rehearsed in multiple contexts, is to question the conditions under which conceptual mental representations might obtain in non-linguistic species. I follow a similar, but less developed strategy. I argue, following some recent literature, that it is likely that concepts split into (at least) two kinds. If …

Honoring The Sacred Space Within, Karen Marie Pelc

Theses

Not Included

A Comparison Of Analog And Applied Setting Research Methods In Evaluating Motivational Distortion, Steven Verstraete

Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness of analog research designs in the assessment of motivational distortion. The responses of analog experimental groups instructed to fake-good (analog, n = 22) or respond honestly (classroom, n = 22) on the Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF) 5th Edition were compared to the responses obtained from a group of applicants to a graduate program in school psychology (applicant, n = 38). Results indicate a consistent pattern of increasing score desirability across groups, from classroom, to applicant, to analog, with significant differences (p<.002) between groups. Thus, the applicability of analog research findings to applied settings is called into question and Cattell's (1968,1986) trait-view theory is supported.

Role Of Illustration As A Visual Communication Strategy For Film Poster Design, Kapil Grover

Theses

Not Included

Learning In Interpreted Instructed And Direct Instructed Classrooms, Darlene De Siervi

Theses

It has been frequently documented that deaf and hard of hearing (henceforth, DHH) children do not have the same academic achievement as hearing children. One reason may be communication barriers that make learning by DHH students difficult. Some communication in mainstream classrooms is delivered through interpreters, which possibly invites additional obstacles. Is the DHH student receiving full access to quality education in the classroom? Even in a direct instructed setting, does the DHH student fully understand every word the teacher shares through sign language? It is imperative to point out that all DHH children have the right to a barrier-free …

Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall Of The House Of Usher: Bilingual Approaches, Michelle Johnston

Theses

This literature curriculum unit includes some implements the bilingual strategies (ASL and printed English) to teach deaf students about Poe's short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher." Throughout the curriculum, the students will read, analyze, and interpret the story in primary and secondary languages: ASL and printed English. The bilingual reading and writing processes require the students to read the story in printed English, discuss the literature elements of the story in ASL to decode, interpret and understand the literature elements of this story. The students will go through the writing process to write a h a 1 …

Real Time Face Matching With Multiple Cameras Using Principal Component Analysis, Andrew Mullen

Theses

Face recognition is a rapidly advancing research topic due to the large number of applications that can benefit from it. Face recognition consists of determining whether a known face is present in an image and is typically composed of four distinct steps. These steps are face detection, face alignment, feature extraction, and face classification [1]. The leading application for face recognition is video surveillance. The majority of current research in face recognition has focused on determining if a face is present in an image, and if so, which subject in a known database is the closest match. This Thesis deals …

Motivation In Language Learning: A Comparative Study Of Motivation In The Learning Of Irish And German Among Leaving Certificate Students, Seosamh Ó Cuinneagáin

Theses

This study investigates Leaving Certificate students’ attitudes to and motivation in the learning of Irish and German in 25-selected second level schools, of which five are Irish-medium schools, in Munster and Leinster. A historical overview of the two languages is presented to contextualise the study, as well as to provide a broad framework for the subsequent literature review, in which government policies towards the teaching and learning of Irish and German are examined. A twelve-scale questionnaire, consisting of 228 items, is employed as a data collection instrument to measure language attitudes and motivation. A modified version of the international quantitative …

Parents' Perceptions On The Quality Of Information Given By Professionals Regarding Their Deaf Children, Charles Phillips

Theses

Many deaf children have delayed language development that would greatly affect their future academic success (Marschark, Lang, & Albertini, 2002). Information given by professionals to parents could be a significant factor in overcoming this delay. To assess the quality of this information six parents of deaf children in the Rochester NY area, three deaf parents and three hearing parents were selected to participate in an interview and survey. After the data was examined, it was found that the majority of the parents in this study felt that the information they received from professionals concerning their child's language development was adequate …

Successful Deaf Readers: Deaf Professionals' Perspectives On Their Childhood Learning-To-Read Experiences, Sharon Cooke

Theses

The purpose of this project was to discover if there were any common themes or factors that exist, or are perceived to exist, in the childhood reading experiences of successful deaf readers serving as participants in this study. Despite the availability of research concerning poor reading abilities among many deaf children, there has been little exploration into the experiences of successful deaf readers. Through in-depth interviews, detailed information was collected from five deaf adults holding Ph. D. degrees and working in the field of education regarding their learning-to-read experiences. Information was then analyzed and placed in thematic categories related to …

The Impact Of Genetic Variations In Bipolar Disorder, Lee Edsall

Theses

Bipolar disorder is a devastating illness that affects the quality of life for millions of Americans. The current diagnostic system depends on an extremely subjective interview and can frequently result in an incorrect diagnosis and ineffective treatment. An improved, biologically based, classification system requires a thorough understanding of the genetic basis of bipolar disorder. This understanding has been hampered by the difficulty in diagnosing patients and by the heterogeneity of the illness. The number of linkage analysis studies and lack of organization have also added to the challenges involved in understanding the biological basis of the disorder. The Bipolar Disorder …

Connections, Adam Werth

Theses

The thesis describes a project to create a cohesive body of work relating to the themes of the connections between individuals, personal accountability, social responsibility, and social passivity. In addition to creating this body of work, the artist also created a website related to it (which provided an opportunity for feedback as well as links to social resources), and placed advertisements in public papers directing the public to the website by using provocative statements such as 'You are fat'

Marginalized Collections And Web 2.0 Technologies: Creating Lasting Legacies Through Collective Experiences, Katherine M. Fox

Theses

No abstract provided.

Architectural Design Elements: A Guest Impact, Kristen Maria Delgado

Theses

Architecture evolved from a need for shelter to an experience for everyone to enjoy. Hotel chains, owners, employees and other industry experts realize that the static image they present does not appeal to a younger generation. Since the markets are changing to a younger generation, hotels are racing to meet demands.

The purpose of this research was to analyze the impact that design and style have on the overall patron experience, likelihood to recommend, likelihood to return to the particular hotel, and the influence the stay had on the hotel brand. Conclusions have been formulated using several regression analyses, and …

Anti-Individualism And Rationality, Adam J. Arico

Theses

Paul Boghossian has argued that externalist descriptions of mental content are unfit for assessments of rationality. An individual, he suggests, can comport with the principles of logic and rationality if and only if she is able to introspectively recognize the content of her thoughts and beliefs without relying on empirical evidence. Jessica Brown argues, first, that Boghossian¿s notion of rationality is unrealistic and incompatible with modern experimental data, and second, that his principles of transparency of mental content are unreasonable and, ultimately, self-defeating. In defending Boghossian¿s notion of rationality, and subsequently his transparency principles, this paper attempts to respond to …

Visual Design System For Music Education For Children, Sehwa Choi

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a simple and understandable visual system to convey complicated concepts of musical composition for 1st grade music students. The abstract ideas of major scale, melody and harmony are redefined and expressed appropriately through visual communication. Thus, the visualization of musical sound in this thesis can contribute to the development of music education for children. The graphic design problem of this thesis is an exploration to express abstract and complex ideas through simple visual solutions. This thesis will propose a method of visualization to convert abstract ideas into graphic design solutions, and show …

Why Do Students Seek Enrollment Into A Bachelor's Degree Program In Hospitality Management?, Terrance R. Dinan

Theses

This study identifies underlying factors which influence students to enroll in a hospitality management bachelor's degree program. It is an important study for educational institutions from the standpoint of recruitment and for the purpose of assessing student aspirations. This study focuses exclusively on the question: "Why do students seek enrollment into a bachelor's degree program in hospitality management?"

New York City College of Technology, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, New York is the sole institution surveyed in this study.

The findings of this study indicate that students seek such enrollment because they have come to believe that hospitality industry jobs are …

Does Exposure Science Support The Concern Over Indoor Air Quality?, Kenneth Kasper

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the growing concern over indoor air quality (IAQ) and determine if such concern is warranted. The first questions that steer this effort include: Does scientific research substantiate a causal link between IAQ contaminants and human health? In addition, which indoor air contaminants appear to present the greatest health risks? These questions were answered primarily by reviewing exposure science based criteria that have been developed by federal and state agencies and then comparing these criteria to nominal concentrations that have been measured in the workplace. The second purpose of this thesis was to …

The Effect Of Patient Advocacy On Cancer Patients' Fear And Anxiety Levels, Joan Clancy Vezelis

Theses

Healthcare outcomes may be adversely affected by patients' fear and anxiety associated with communication with health care providers. The present study investigated whether patient advocates can affect levels of fear and anxiety in hospitalized patients as measured by the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension scale (PRCA-24), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Child Surgery Worries questionnaire (CSW). Decreases were found on all three scales subsequent to patient interaction with a patient advocate. Implications and future research are discussed.

A Recipe, Bradley Josephine Selin

Theses

This thesis describes the author's master's exhibition of ceramic storage containers. It discusses how the work expresses the theme of gardening. The author also includes images of some of the works which have influenced her design.

Presentation Type, Perceived Credibility, And Perceived Validity : A Document Usability Analysis, Jason Langkamer-Smith

Theses

This descriptive research investigated usability measures reported by subjects who reviewed procedures formatted as decision tables and numbered lists taken from a microchip product specification document. The research subjects (n = 15) are employees of Agere Systems (headquartered in Allentown Pennsylvania, United States) where this researcher also worked as a technical writer. Subjects represented various national origins and were stratified into two groups of six Eastern and nine Western.

The independent variables, presentation type, perceived credibility, and perceived validity were studied for their interaction with the dependent variable, usability. The variable model was queried between the two groups. Three findings …

Traumatic Brain Injury : Traditional And Narrative Assessment Techniques, Sharon M. Katzman-Teller

Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes impairment of executive functioning, as well as cognitive and language abilities of various degrees. Standard language tests currently focus on very specific language disorders and can not identify language disorders of TBI subjects with high-level language functioning. Although these standard tests can not adequately identify subtle language disorders, these TBI subjects lack cohesiveness in their conversation, which can have a strong effect on socialization.

Through the use of narrative analysis, research in narrative and conversational discourse, which incorporates linguistic, cognitive skills, as well as executive functioning and social abilities, seems to be more appropriately address …