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Using Agnewís General Strain Theory To Explain The Relationship Between Early Victimization And Deviant Behavior, Dena C. Carson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study used Agnew's General Strain Theory to examine the relationship between early victimization and deviant behavior, as well as the mediating effects through negative emotions and social bonds. This study draws on developmental psychology literature and general strain literature to develop its hypotheses. Also, it expands the current research in developmental psychology and general strain theory by operationalizing strain as early victimization and using (a) dichotomous measures of alcohol use, drug use, and delinquency, (b) measures of frequency of binge drinking, drug use, and delinquency, (c) and measures of age of first binge drinking and drug use. Data from …

Prevalence Of Language Disorders Among Children With Severe Behavioral Problems Referred For A Psychiatric Evaluation By A Large Urban School District, Brenda J. Curtwright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the language skills and behavior characteristic of 63 students with severe behavior disorders who were referred by a large, mostly urban school district for a neuropsychiatric evaluation between 2001 and 2005. Archival data were retrieved by chart review for this study and was used to answer the following questions: 1) What is the prevalence of language disorders in children referred for a psychiatric evaluation? 2) Do behavioral symptoms vary among children with and without a language disorder? and 3) What is the initial area of concern identified by the parents of children with language and behavior disorders? …

The Role Of Ethnic Compatibility In Attitude Formation: Marketing To America’S Diverse Consumers, Cynthia Rodriguez Cano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the meaning of advertising through the eyes of the Hispanic consumer and how that meaning is apparent in attitudes and purchase intention. Specifically, the study investigates how ethnic minorities judge print advertisement that feature ethnically diverse models as communication cues. For the first time, data of how minorities evaluate the compatibility of models from different ethnic groups featured together in an advertisement was collected. Qualitative data was collected from Hispanics and typologies of cultural pointers for Hispanics and African-Americans developed. Experimental design, 3x2 within-group analysis, was conducted to test the 14 hypothesized relationships. Finding clearly support the …

Baker Act Examination Referrals Among Children And Adolescents: An Analysis Of School Related Variables, Bradley Scott Beam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Baker Act is legislation that provides civil rights for individuals suspected of having a mental illness and may be in need of involuntary psychiatric evaluation. Its intent is to prevent the indiscriminate placement of individuals in residential treatment facilities and other restrictive placements. Referrals for involuntary psychiatric evaluation under Baker Act statutes have increased among children and adolescents in recent years, raising concerns related its use with this population. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between school based factors and the use of the Baker Act among children and adolescents. Results indicate that the use …

Factors Associated With School-Based Mental Health Services Delivered By School Psychologists, Emily Luis Cimino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that relate to the delivery of mental health services by school psychologists using a national database. The relationship between school psychologists' demographic, preparation, and professional context factors (e.g., gender, ethnicity, educational level, percentage of minority students served, years of experience, and students to school psychologist ratio), and the types of mental health services delivered, amount of time invested in such services, and the desirability of school psychologists to provide or not to provide mental health services was addressed. In addition, the percentages of school psychologists who deliver mental health services and …

Relation Between Weight Status, Gender, Ethnicity And The Food And Activity Choices Of 6th And 9th Graders, Heather Leanne Curtiss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between the variables weight status (expected weight, at-risk for overweight, and overweight), ethnicity, and gender and the dependent variables dietary intake and physical activity behaviors among adolescents. Data presented in this study were collected using the Nutrition and Exercise Survey for Students, which was completed by 535 6th grade and 9th grade students across 3 middle and 2 high-schools in southwest Florida. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to identify differences in dietary intake and physical activity behaviors between groups.

The primary questions related to interactions and main effects between the variables weight …

Good Girl, Bad Girl: The Role Of Abigail And Jessica In The Jew Of Malta And The Merchant Of Venice, Anna Beskin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In The Jew of Malta and The Merchant of Venice, both Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare question anti-Semitism, Christian presumption, and socially constructed gender roles. Often compared, the two plays have obvious similarities: both plots center on rich, Jewish protagonists---Barabas in The Jew of Malta and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice---who are vilified and then destroyed by a merciless Gentile society. On the surface, the protagonists' daughters---Abigail in The Jew of Malta and Jessica in The Merchant of Venice---also share many similarities. Both are the young, beautiful daughters of rich and much maligned Jews; both love …

Falling In Love As A Heuristic For Mate Choice Decisions, Monica D. Burke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Selecting a mate is one of the most important and complex decisions that we make in our lives. Research on human decision making has found that we often use simple rules of thumb or heuristics to facilitate complex decision-making tasks (e.g., Gigerenzer & Todd, 1999; Kahneman & Tversky, 1972, 1973; Tversky & Kahneman, 1974, 1983). Recent research has focused on the use of affect or emotion as heuristics that have a strong influence on a variety of decision making contexts (Damasio, 1994; Finucane, Peters, & Slovic, 2003; Loewenstein, Weber, Hsee, & Welch, 2001; Mellers, 2000). The emotion we most closely …

The Relationship Between Young Adults' Retrospective Perceptions Of Differential Parental Treatment, Quality Of The Childhood And Current Sibling Relationship And Current Psychological Adjustment, Tangela R. Clark Culpepper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relations among young adults' perceptions of differential parental treatment, temperamental style, attitudes toward their childhood and current sibling relationships, and psychological adjustment. Participants included 87 college students and their siblings between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Students completed measures in small groups, and siblings completed the surveys via mail. The data were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Kashy & Kenny, 1999). Results revealed that participants' perceptions of their sibling relationship during childhood were related to their current attitudes toward the relationship. In addition, siblings were in agreement regarding their overall attitudes toward …

Expansion And Validation Of The Political Skill Inventory (Psi): An Examination Of The Link Between Charisma, Political Skill, And Performance, David R. Coole

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present research was developed to reexamine the factor structure of the Political Skill Inventory (PSI), expand upon the political skill behavioral taxonomy to include charisma, and provide validity evidence for both the PSI and our new measure of charisma. In study one, using a large undergraduate student sample, confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for a three factor structure of political skill. Charisma and networking ability were identified as unique factors of the political skill construct domain while PSI dimensions of social astuteness, interpersonal influence, and apparent sincerity collapsed to form a single dimension. Study One results also indicated a …

An Investigation Of Community College Students’ Perceptions Of Elements Necessary For Success In Online Study, Jenette Flow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies by professionals in education have investigated the elements that are typical of the successful online student. Studies of the elements required for academic success online from the students' point of view, however, are infrequent.

This study investigated student perceptions of those elements necessary for success in online study; whether students believed differences exist between those elements necessary for success in online study and those necessary for success in traditional classes; and what factors students identify as barriers to successful completion of online courses. A comparison was made of the viewpoints of students who had and who had not …

Psychopathy, Attitudinal Beliefs, And White Collar Crime, James V. Ray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy has become a highly researched personality disorder in order to better understand criminal and violent behavior (Hare, 1993). Measures of psychopathy have proven to be useful tools in predicting outcomes of institutionalized populations by predicting future dangerousness (Hare, 1999). While several experts in the field of psychopathy allude to the idea of the successful psychopath and their presence in the corporate world (Hare, 1993; Babiak & Hare, 2006), very little research has been done in this area. The current study builds upon the small amount of empirical research by testing hypotheses regarding the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and …

Palabra Inédita Género, Raza, E Identidad: Estrategias De La Memoria Cultural En La Poesía De Georgina Herrera, Nancy Morejón, Y Excilia Saldaña, Lissette Corsa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

En esta tesis analizaré en la poesía de Georgina Herrera, Nancy Morejón y Excilia

Saldaña

1 los conceptos de género y raza y cómo han sido apropiados del esquema

patriarcal y redefinidos en la elaboración de identidad y nación a través de lo que Flora

González Mandri y Catherine Davies han llamado la memoria cultural.

Mi propósito es demostrar como dichas poetas han subvertido, a través de la

palabra, un discurso historicamente maniqueísta que ha servido para reafirmar la doble

subyugación de raza y género, como también exploro los resortes de auto-inscripción y el

imaginario mítico-cultural que cada poeta emplea …

Highbrow: A Context Enabled Highlighting Browser, Ronald J. Zucker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the World Wide Web continues to grow, more and more information is retrieved online. A person visiting a Web site has a choice of whether to skip, skim, deep read, bookmark for later revisiting, print a document, or any combination of these options. Recently, several tools have been developed to allow users to digitally annotate Web documents. These tools allow users to highlight, make text notes, and scrape information (a form of copy and paste). This dissertation introduces a new form of annotating, called context highlighting. Context highlighting is the ability to mark the text that surrounds keywords or …

Community Context And Health Disparities Among Older Adults, Helen M. Zayac

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities in the U.S. continue to face conditions of residential and educational segregation, lower socioeconomic status, and higher rates of mortality than whites. Better theory-based research that uses community and individual level factors to explain how health disparities are created and perpetuated is needed. The Community Context and Health Disparities Model, which extends the work of Schulz and Northridge (2004) with elements described by Williams and Collins (2001), is described. This framework identifies the pathways by which characteristics of the physical, built, social, economic, and healthcare environments impact health and are mediated by individual traits. …

Measurement Equivalence Of The Center For Epidemiological Depression Scale In Racially/Ethnically Diverse Older Adults, Giyeon Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study was designed to examine measurement equivalence of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale across White, African American, and Mexican American elders. Specific aims were to identify race/ethnicity-, sociodemographic-, and acculturation and instrument language-related measurement bias in the CES-D. Three studies were conducted in this dissertation to accomplish these aims. Two existing national datasets were used: the New Haven Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) for the White and African American samples and the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE) for the Mexican-American sample. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses …

Breaking The Typecast: Revising Roles For Coordinating Mixed Teams, Matthew T. Long

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heterogeneous multi-agent systems are currently used in a wide variety of situations, including search and rescue, military applications, and off-world exploration, however it is difficult to understand the actions of these systems or naturalistically assign these mixed teams to tasks. These agents, which may be human, robot or software, have different capabilities but will need to coordinate effectively with humans in order to operate. The first and largest contributing factor to this challenge is the processing, understanding and representing of elements of the natural world in a manner that can be utilized by artificial agents. A second contributing factor is …

The Conditional Influence Of Criminological Constructs On Juvenile Delinquency: An Examination Of The Moderating Effects Of Self-Control, Angela Yarbrough

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-control and various elements comprising this construct have received much credit over the years as it has been able to account for a large amount of variance in delinquency rates. Some research has suggested that individual difference factors (e.g., self-control) can overwhelm external factors (e.g., neighborhoods; see Loeber & Wikström, 2000). Others have found that social influences (e.g., employment; see Wright, et al, 2001) have more pronounced effects for those most at-risk. Because of the equivocal nature of the empirical findings, this study seeks to replicate and extend previous efforts. Specifically, the influence of constructs derived from social learning, control, …

School Psychologists’ Provision Of School-Based Mental Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study Of Perceived Barriers, Allison A. Friedrich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to elucidate factors that school psychologists perceive inhibit them from providing more mental health interventions within their professional roles. School psychologists' dual training in mental health and education renders them the logical choice to provide tier II and tier III interventions in schools (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP], 2003). School psychologists appear to be in agreement, as they indicate a desire to spend more time in the provision of roles such as counseling and consultation (e.g., Prout, Alexander, Fletcher, Memis, & Miller, 1993). However, school psychologists currently spend relatively little time in …

Changing The Subject: First-Person Narration In And Out Of The Classroom, Susan Friedman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of first-person narration for self-transformation and social change is indicated by exploring connections between three emergent discourses: illness narratives and memoirs by rape survivors in which the subject speaks from a privileged yet socially marginalized position about life-altering experiences; clinical discourse that elaborates treatment methods for empowering trauma survivors and helping them reconnect with the social world; and scholarly discourse that reflects on the relationship between trauma, self-representation, witnessing, and recovery. Post-Foucauldian theories of life-writing illuminate how the author-subjects of survivor narratives discursively reconstruct their shattered subjectivity in a therapeutic relationship with themselves and their readers. Cognitive and …

Comprehensive School Reform In The Wake Of No Child Left Behind: Teacher Perceptions In Dodgeland, Allyson Regina Haag

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an analysis of teacher perceptions of the implementation of their school's comprehensive school reform, and the George W. Bush administration's federal educational policy, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Data were collected by a research team as a part of the National Longitudinal Evaluation of Comprehensive School Reform (NLECSR), a project under the direction of the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The thesis is a supplemental qualitative analysis by the author who was part of the NLECSR research team from 2004 through 2005. The NLECSR had a quantitative component (called the Core Study) consisting of a …

Psychological Consequences Of Child Sexual Abuse And The Risk And Protective Factors Influencing These Consequences, Kelli-Lee Harford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although a number of negative consequences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have been identified, research has shown that some survivors of CSA are fairly resilient and do not demonstrate these negative outcomes. The current study examined differences between sexually abused and non-abused children on a number of emotional and behavioral dimensions and on achievement. In addition, the role of factors such as intelligence, abuse severity, gender, history of previous psychological interventions and number of foster homes on outcomes in a group of 117 children between the ages of 7 and 16 with sexual abuse histories and 80 controls who did …

Essays On Multiple Identities And Motivated Consumption: Exploring The Role Of Identity Centrality On Self-Brand Connections, Tracy R. Harmon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays on the role of identity centrality in the formation of consumer self-brand connections. It contributes to a better understanding of how consumers negotiate multiple identities in the marketplace when making brand choices. This is significant as much of the research on the self-concept and consumer behavior has focused on isolated self-dimensions or have examined single consumer identities in isolation.

Theoretically grounded in identity process theory (Breakwell 1986), which suggests individuals construct their identity through multiple identity motives influencing identity centrality, enactment, and affect; this dissertation addresses these gaps by answering two specific questions: 1) …

The Effectiveness And User Perception Of 3-Dimensional Digital Human Anatomy In An Online Undergraduate Anatomy Laboratory, Amy Joanne Hilbelink

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of implementing desktop 3-dimensional (3D) stereo images of human anatomy into an undergraduate human anatomy distance laboratory. User perceptions of 2D and 3D images were gathered via questionnaire in order to determine ease of use and level of satisfaction associated with the 3D software in the online learning environment. Mayer's (2001, p. 184) principles of design were used to develop the study materials that consisted of PowerPoint presentations and AVI files accessed via Blackboard. The research design employed a mixed-methods approach. Volunteers each were administered a demographic survey and …

The Association Between Internet Use And Characteristics Of Social Networking For Middle Aged And Older Adults, David L. Hogeboom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that strong social networks have a positive effect on physical and psychological well-being. Research suggests that Internet use may affect social networks. However it is not clear if Internet use has a positive or negative effect on social networks. One theory suggests that Internet use displaces face-to-face contacts and off line social participation. Another theory suggests Internet use replaces high quality face-to-face ties with weaker online ties. Other studies however suggest the Internet has a positive effect on social networks. Because older adults have shrinking social networks, but may have more discretionary time than other age …

Attitudinal Factors Related To Driving Behaviors Of Young Adults In Belize: An Application Of The Precaution Adoption Process Model, Ismael A. Hoare

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adults' risk-taking attitudes, risk perception, and knowledge of road laws and signs influence their driving behaviors. The adoption of risky driving behaviors increases young adults' risk of motor vehicle crashes. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of the factors that lead to increased risks of MVC-related mortality and morbidity for young adults in Belize, to provide support for the development of evidence-based programs, and, more importantly, to investigate the relationships involving young adults' risk-taking attitudes, risk perception, and knowledge of road laws and signs and their relation to driving behaviors. The Precaution Adoption Process Model …

The Impact Of Reward Power On Creativity: Does It Depend On The Nature Of The Reward?, Edward Rickamer Hoover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This experiment investigated the influence of reward property and reward power on creative performance. It was hypothesized that the magnitude of reward power would moderate the relationship between reward property and creativity. Fifty undergraduate students (45 females, 5 males, X age = 20.72 years, SD age = 4 years) participated. The experimental design was reward power ($0.00, $0.50, or $2.00 per trial) x reward property (informational vs. controlling undertones in the script) x trials (5). Results demonstrated a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and creative performance (r = .411, p = .03, n = 50). Hypotheses concerning the moderating influence …

Service With A Smile: Antecedents And Consequences Of Emotional Labor Strategies, Hazel-Ann Michelle Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizations across the United States and in many parts of the globe are increasingly focused on providing their customers with an excellent service experience by implementing organizational emotion display rules (Hochschild, 1983). These display rules dictate the requisite employee emotions for a particular encounter (Ekman, 1973). However, over the course of a work day display rules may call for expressions that contradict an employee's genuine emotions, thus prompting a discrepancy between felt emotions and required emotions -- emotional dissonance (Hochschild, 1983). Emotional labor involves employee efforts to reduce emotional dissonance in order to adhere to organizational display rules (Hochschild, 1983; …

The Principal’S Role In Building Teacher Leadership Capacity In High-Performing Elementary Schools: A Qualitative Case Study, Rahim Jamal Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how public elementary school principals develop teacher leadership capacity within their schools, as well as the effect of this effort on a school's performance. After examining a variety of sources, such as journal articles and web-based search engines, the researcher determined that there was scant information explaining the process principals undergo to create teacher leadership roles in an effort to develop a high-performing school. To accomplish the goals of this study, salient reports in the field of teacher leadership were reviewed. The insights afforded from these reports guided the researcher in developing …

Computer-Mediated Peer Response In A Level-Iv Esl Academic Writing Class: A Cultural Historical Activity Theoretical Perspective, Li Jin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Very few studies focus on how English as a second language (ESL) students' agency and their unique histories as an integral part of the social cultural environment influence his or her participation in computer-mediated peer response tasks, particularly in a multimedia-based synchronous communication environment. Considering each ESL student as an active agency with unique historical bearings, the dissertation investigated ESL students' participation in computer-mediated peer response (CMPR) tasks that used instant messenger (IM) as the communication technology between students from the cultural historical activity theoretical (CHAT) perspective, which views all human interaction as a dynamic developmental process. A case study …