Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Thermoregulatory And Haemodynamic Responses Of The Skin To Relaxation And Stress, Paul O. Nketia

Theses

The present study investigated the effects of stress and relaxation on (1) EEG coherence and (2) peripheral blood flow.

EEG coherence of two meditators in two different but adjacent rooms was measured during eyes opened, eyes closed, single meditation and group meditation. The skin temperatures of the subjects together with their room temperatures were also recorded. EEG coherence plots (Cospar) showed a spread out of the alpha band to the beta, theta and occasionally to the delta wave bands during group meditation. The area above the 0.98 coherence threshold in the alpha band was greater during group meditation than during …

The Impact Of Digital Imaging On Visual Communication, Holly Coulter

Theses

None provided.

A Critical Analysis Of Theatre Posters, Pei-Ying Wu

Theses

None provided.

Evaluating Information Design: An Online Study Guide Designed For A New Distance Learning Course, Clifford M. Commanday

Theses

This thesis focuses on the creation of an online module for a new course offered by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), titled Twentieth Century Information Design. As an information design product, the module's intent is to enhance a student's perspective on the evaluation of information design through the presentation of a range of theories and their relationship to the processes of graphic design. This course, for which the online module was designed, has been developed jointly by the Department of Graphic Design and the Office of Distance Learning (ODL), and is sponsored by the Center for Digital Media. The …

Wisc-Iii Coding Task And Coding Recall: A New Approach For Assessing Short-Term Visual Memory, Deirdre Rosenberg

Theses

This study examines an immediate recall technique using the Coding section of the WISC-HI as a screening measure of short-term visual memory. Fourth, seventh, and tenth grade students performed the Coding subtest from the WISC-HI, the Coding recall technique, and the Abstract Visual Memory (AVM) subtest from the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL). A positive correlation of Coding Recall with the AVM subtest was found to be statistically significant for fourth and seventh graders, but not tenth graders. The results suggest that the Coding recall technique may be a useful screening test for evaluating short-term visual memory in children …

Autobiographical Illusions, Joy Duskin

Theses

None provided.

Autonomy, Well-Being, And Design, Paul James

Theses

The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate how product design can effectively improve the quality of our lives by promoting individual autonomy in light of diminished physical capabilities due to illness and/or aging. Critical to this demonstration is an understanding of the relationship between personal well-being and our built environments. Developing this understanding became the initial focus of my research.

Preferred Lightness And Chromatic Image Contrast Reproduction, Mihai Cuciurean-Zapan

Theses

In this study, the image preference as a function of lightness and chromatic contrast of images produced on an ink-jet printer is examined. The purpose is to develop image manipulation rules, useful in the development of printer algorithms to produce images that are preferred by viewers over images that have been printed without application of these rules. Five images are used during the psychophysical experiment, two business graphics and three pictorial, processed in three different ways in RLAB color space, once having only the tightness contrast varied, then only the chromatic contrast, and finally both lightness and chromatic contrast varied. …

The Greener Grass Principle, Mary Hazlewood

Theses

Discusses the making of the artist's animated film.

The Relationship Between Social Intelligence And Behavioral Functioning In Students With Learning Disabilities, James Vreeland

Theses

Clinicians suggest that differences between the nonverbal Picture Arrangement (PA) and verbal Comprehension (C) WISC subtests reflect poor social perception, understanding, or action. In this study, data from 79 children with learning disabilities were subjected to repeated measures MANOVA to examine PA and C social sensitivity. Although PA and C scores correlated minimally with Teacher (TRF) and Parent (CBCL) reported behavior problems, those who scored significantly higher on PA than C (PA >C) displayed more TRF Internalizing, Withdrawal, Social, and Thought Problems than the C > PA group. The PA > C group had more TRF Withdrawal and Thought Problems than the …

Screening Measures For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Heather Foley

Theses

While performance-based measures have not typically been used by school psychologists in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment, a growing body of evidence suggests that neuropsychological measures may provide valuable diagnostic information as part of a comprehensive evaluation of the disorder. The utility of two neuropsychological measures for use as screening measures in assessing ADHD was examined in the present study. The performance of 29 children with ADHD was compared with that of 96 controls on alternate forms of Trails B and a Figure Cancellation Task. Although a developmental trend was found suggesting increased performance with age, time to complete …

Breakfast For Champions, Brenda Ragonesi

Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of participating in the school breakfast program on performance in mathematics by children of low socioeconomic status. Stanford Achievement Test (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989) scores in mathematics were collected for children who qualified for and joined the school based, publicly funded, breakfast program, in a small rural Western New York district, both before and after this program became available. There were a total of 24 children who met this requirement and joined the program during second, third, or fourth grade. A control group was comprised of children in the same …

Kindergarten Screening In New York State, Allison Rohrer

Theses

This study investigated current practices in school districts in New York State for implementation of State and Federal mandates for screening of new entrants to school. The vagueness of the law allows for schools to determine what information they will collect and what instrument they will utilize. All 718 school districts in New York State were surveyed to ascertain the way that districts conducted Kindergarten screening. Questions included: the personnel involved in screening, the instrument used, the time it took to complete the screening, and how satisfied the district was with its current practice. Fifty-one percent (385) of the districts …

An Advisor / Advisee Program In The Middle School: Its Effect On Student Gpa And Daily Attendance, Cindy Norton

Theses

Fifty-three seventh grade students from a rural public school had their grade cards used as method of determining if an advisor/advisee program increases grade point averages and daily attendance. Students grade point averages (GPA) and daily attendance were compared using the t-test during the time they received an advisement period (1995-96) and the time he/she did not receive an advisement (\994-95).

Increasing Suicide Awareness Through Inservice Training, Sara Piscani

Theses

Although practitioners recognize the alarming increase in suicidal behavior among students, few have formal training in identifying symptoms often associated with suicidal ideation and behavior. Twenty-seven educators in a metropolitan school district in the Northeast attended an informative inservice training on suicide and, using a pretest-posttest design, completed a questionnaire specifically designed to measure knowledge of suicidal ideation and gestures, personal comfort level with students exhibiting suicidal behavior, and level of personal depressive symptoms. Results suggested that participants increased their knowledge of suicidal ideation and gestures following the inservice training. These changes may affect the ability of school personnel to …

A Correlational Study Of Infertility And Marital Satisfaction, Charles H. Mccomb Jr.

Theses

This study examined the correlation between infertility and marital satisfaction. Thirty-six subject participated in the study. The participants were recruited from a support group. Other recruits came from friends. The survey was sent, completed, and returned by mail as to retain anonymity. The subjects came from St. Louis, MO. Most of the individuals in the study were white, Non-Hispanic, middle class, and college graduates. Each individual completed a demographic questionnaire and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale. The compiled results found that there is a significant relationship between gender and marital satisfaction in a group of individuals with fertility problems. Another …

A Study To Determine The Youth Drop Out Rate In Human Services In The Kansas City Young Men's Christian Association, Joseph Parisi

Theses

This thesis investigates the factors contributing to the dropout rates of children aged 7–16 from youth sports programs in the Kansas City Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). The study aims to identify and rank the primary reasons for dropout and provide actionable insights for reducing these rates. Using surveys, questionnaires, and interviews with youth, parents, and sports program directors, the research highlights five key factors influencing dropout: lack of playing time, developmentally inappropriate activities, excessive emphasis on winning, unqualified coaching, and the allure of modern technology.

The findings suggest that many children leave sports due to unfulfilled expectations, such as …

Educating Adolescents With Emotional And Behavior Disabilities: A Bottom-Up Approach, Aimee Darmer

Theses

This study presents a review of the literature describing the characteristics of students with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities (SED). Studies examining the best educational practices for this population of students are also reviewed and discussed. The author concludes that the best educational programs for students with SED contain an emphasis on personal responsibility and academic success within a day treatment setting. To test this hypothesis, the author examined one such program, the Avalon School of Rochester, New York, which exhibits many of the features correlated in the literature with student success. This study concludes that, given the choice to …

Mystery Shopping As A Service Quality Improvement Tool: Developing A Comprehensive Program For An Economy Motel Chain, Robyn L. Schultz

Theses

Organizations in all industries have discovered the importance of understanding customer needs and meeting or exceeding those needs through superior customer service. The hospitality industry, as the predominant service industry, has a particular responsibility to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction. An evaluation tool which all allows organizations to see their performance from the customer's perspective is mystery shopping. This project explores the systematic development and implementation of a mystery shopping program which is based on operational objectives and points to training needs in an economy motel group. While almost always a useful evaluation tool, the power of mystery shopping, …

A Naturalistic Inquiry Into The Experience Of Job Loss, Kathryn Desai

Theses

This research paper is the result of a "naturalistic inquiry" to explore job loss, as experienced by displaced senior managers of the Long Term Care System in Ontario, in 1997. The purpose of the study is to describe the experiences of a group of downsized Home Care and Placement Coordination managers, who lost their jobs in the transition to Community Care Access Centres. The methodology included the use of focus groups and in-depth interviews (which were tape recorded), to collect the data from a sample of volunteers across the province. This qualitative study validated other research, which has demonstrated that …

Strange Snow: A Director's Approach, David A. Quinn

Theses

This thesis examines Strange Snow, a play by Stephen Metcalfe, through the lens of a director's approach. It delves into themes of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Vietnam War veterans and the challenges of reintegration into society, as portrayed through the experiences of the play's central characters. The author provides an in-depth analysis of the script, casting choices, rehearsal process, and production challenges, emphasizing the emotional depth of the story and the interplay between the characters. The thesis also reflects on the director's strengths, weaknesses, and personal growth, offering insights into the process of bringing a poignant narrative to …

Mergers And Acquisitions: A Primer For Successful Employee Transition, Jan Dunlap

Theses

This thesis will focus on the 'human side' of mergers and acquisitions. It will show the impact on employees and ways in which management can ease these employees through the transition.

Research has shown that there are many more failures than successes, when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. Even with all the failures that exist, mergers and acquisitions are more prevalent than they have been in the past. Everyday the newspapers, news casts and radio stations mention a merger that is in the works.

If mergers and acquisitions are going to continue, and research shows that they will, then …

Business Ethics...A Contradiction In Terms?, Kimberly Rose Crawford

Theses

Business ethics occupies a unique position in the field of ethics. It consists of uneasy applications of some very general ethical principles (ie: duty or utility) to rather specific and often unique situations and crises. Unlike the professions of medicine and law, business ethics is concerned with an area of hum.an enterprise whose practitioners do not, for the most part, enjoy professional status and whose motives, to put it mildly, are often thought (and said) to be less than noble. Breed is often cited as the sole purpose of business, and much of the history of business ethics, accordingly, is …

Fragments: Of Nature, Of Myself, Jan Groenemann

Theses

Unavailable.

Employee Motivation: What Works, What Doesn't, Michelle A. Koenig

Theses

Corporate America has seen a multitude of changes in the last century, but the change with the greatest impact is that of the employees. In the 'old' days, it was an employer's market. Employees felt lucky just to have a job. Companies did not spend time or money worrying about whether or not their employees were happy or motivated. The majority of jobs required manual labor and little or no education. This made replacing an unhappy or unmotivated worker much easier. In addition, there weren't as many U.S. or foreign companies competing for employees.

In today's competitive market, hiring and …

Taoist Medical Practices In Taiwan, Da-Chen Sun

Theses

Taiwan has a strange combination of Taoist practices, high education rate, and quality of medical care. This thesis will explore the various, aspects of Taoist medical practices and identify the root and future of Taoist medical practices in Taiwan.

There are various types of Taoist medical methods and each one has developed its own distinctive system. We will focus on how Taoist medical practices fit the needs of the society.

Various theories including mental, classical, and superstitions, advantage and disadvantages in analyzing Taoist medical practices in Taiwan. The mental theory, which focuses on the psychological analysis, belongs to the sphere …

Effects Of Training And Contact On Decreasing Ageism In Mental Health Professionals, Kristen Lyn Nachtmann

Theses

Advances in research on attitudes towards older adults can productively be applied to the problem of professional ageism. In this study a group of 50 mental health professionals ranging in age from 19-65 with 21 being male and 29 being female responded to a questionnaire entitled Aging Opinion Survey. This survey requested the subjects' opinions concerning three topics: stereotypic decrement, personal anxiety towards aging, and social value of the elderly. This was matched with their level of training in gerontology and contact with this population. ln general, subjects with higher levels of contact and training had a more positive opinion …

A Study Of Stress In The Workplace In The 1990s, Reva Carol Mays

Theses

This study was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference in the intensity and frequency of organizational stress and job risk stress perceived between salaried, white-collar (N=37) employees and skilled blue-collar, union employees (N=35). 59 of the subjects were male and 13 were female.

The respondents completed two self-administered questionnaires. One was a work stress instrument, and the other was a demographic data sheet. The stress instrument contained 40 items, with scoring based on a 5-point Likert-type scale, that measured intensity and frequency of stress. The demographic data sheet contained 13 items.

Major findings of the research concluded …

The Place Of Automation In National Healthcare, Ted J. Macinski

Theses

This cumulating project will focus on the development of the current U.S. healthcare system and the involvement of government, especially the federal government in this process.

The focus is on the proposal to use advanced information systems technology to establish cost control for the healthcare sector of the economy.

The issues which are addressed are what role the federal government plays in the current healthcare system, the proposed use of a comprehensive federal health data bank which would include data on all U.S. residents, and alternative applications of systems technology which are operational or under development by private and state …

A Study Of Body Dissatisfaction And Drive For Thinness Between African-American And Caucasian College Women, Suzanne M. Monroe

Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and/or differences in body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness between Caucasian and African-American college women. The Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) as well as questions measuring hours spent reading women's magazines and family, close friends, and significant other's view on the importance of physical thinness was distributed to 18 to 25 year old African-American and Caucasian college women at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). The EDI-2 is a self-report questionnaire that consists of 91 questions which generate 11 independent subscales. Only 3 of the II subscales were analyzed: I) Drive …