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Optimism In Parents Of 8-Year-Olds And Adolescents: Relations With Parental Efficacy, Age Of The Child, And Gender, Shannon E. Werner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parental optimism may be an important parenting characteristic that influences the parenting process, along with other parent, child and social characteristics. Optimism has generated a great deal of research in social psychology, but has remained relatively unstudied in the context of parenting. Parental optimism is distinguished from personal optimism in the sense that it is the specific tendency for parents to be positive about their child’s future development. In the present study, 35 families completed a series of questionnaires concerning their 8-year-old, first-born child (17 males and 18 females). Measures included the Parent Expectations Index (the measure of parental optimism), …

Parents' Perceptions Of Children With Learning Disabilities: Asian Indian And Caucasian Cultural Perspectives, Henareet Singh

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Past literature on parents' identification of children with learning disabilities is very limited. Within the existing literature, the possibility of differences between cultures in parents' perceptions of children with learning disabilities has scarcely been examined. Two cultural groups were examined in the present study: Asian Indian (Sikh, collectivist culture) and Caucasian 1 (individualistic culture). Parents with children without learning disabilities (and some with children with learning disabilities) were examined. Both groups were given a survey to explore how they would identify children with learning disabilities. Population proportions were calculated on how the entire sample (i.e., Caucasian and Asian Indian participants …

Effect Of Ondansetron And Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol On The Establishment Of Lithium-Induced Conditioned Taste Avoidance In The House Musk Shrew (Suncus Murinus), Magdalena Kwiatkowska

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Recent evidence suggests that toxin-induced taste avoidance in the non-emetic rat is not mediated by conditioned sickness. In contrast, it appears that toxin-induced taste avoidance in an emetic species is mediated by conditioned sickness. The present experiments evaluated the potential of the anti-emetic agents, ondansetron [OND; a serotonin receptor (5-HT3) antagonist] and Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC; a cannabinoid (CB 1) agonist] to interfere with lithium chloride (LiCl)-induced taste avoidance in the house musk shrew (Suncus murinus). In Experiment 1, shrews were pretreated with OND (1.5 mg/kg) or saline 30 min prior to drinking 0.1% saccharin solution then they were injected with LiCl …

Cultural Differences In Holism, Focalism And Affective Forecasting, Kent C.H. Lam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The "impact bias" in affective forecasting - a tendency to overestimate the emotional consequences of a particular future event - might not be a universal phenomenon. This prediction bias occurs in part because of a cognitive process known as focalism, whereby predictors focus attention narrowly on the target event and neglect other mitigating events and circumstances. It was hypothesized that East Asians, because of their holistic tendencies, would be less susceptible to focalism and consequently to the impact bias. These hypotheses were partially supported. In Study 1, participants predicted on a cold day how happy they would be when outdoor …

Event Knowledge And The Subjective Temporal Distance Of Past Events, Travis Mcteer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Three studies investigated a proposed relation between memory quality for past events and the subjective temporal distance of those events. The findings support the hypothesis that those events that are remembered more vividly and in greater detail tend to feel closer than more poorly remembered events. Studies 1 and 2 establish a correlational link between memory quality and subjective distance. Study 3 uses an experimental design to demonstrate that an individual's memory quality for a past event can affect his/her rating of the subjective distance of that event. The results are discussed in terms of the associations between feelings of …

Story Telling: A Narrative Based Evaluation Of Supported Housing For Consumers At Waterloo Regional Homes For Mental Health, Inc., Sarah L. Peddle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A qualitative, narrative approach was used to evaluate a supported housing program for formerly homeless people with serious mental health problems. The housing organization hosting the research is currently providing supported-living, single-occupancy apartments funded under the Phase II Mental Health Homelessness Initiative by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The study was designed to gather the stories of those who have been recently homeless or at risk for homelessness, have a serious mental illness, and have been housed within the past year in this housing, as well as to provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of supported housing …

The Relationship Between Youth Involvement And The Transition To University: An Examination Of The Mediating Factors, Thanh-Thanh Tieu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research shows that involvement in activities outside of schoolwork and paid employment predicts better adjustment to university. The purpose of this study was to determine why involvement predicts better adjustment. Literature indicates that in addition to involvement, adjustment to university may be influenced by self-esteem, stress, social support and social skills. It was hypothesized that these factors mediate the relationship between involvement and adjustment. Two studies examined this hypothesis. In study 1, two new scales (the Quality of Involvement Scale, and the Social Skills Scale) were developed and pilot tested for use in study 2. In study 2 undergraduate students …

Social Interaction And Attitudes Towards Computers In Seniors, Melanie Jennifer Webb

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sixty-eight participants were introduced to computers through 5 workshops. Seniors worked in dyads with either one shared computer or a computer for each participant. Social interactions while working on the computers between partners were examined. In addition, participants completed a total of five surveys across the sessions to determine whether the introduction of the computers had any impact on their attitudes towards computers and technology. Differences were found for the types of social interaction engaged between the one computer and two computer conditions. Specifically, participants in the one computer condition engaged in a significantly greater amount of problem-solving, as well …

Novelty And The Running-Induced Feeding Suppression, Elham Satvat

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In adult rats, wheel introduction induces a temporary feeding suppression, which may be the result of either a conditioned taste avoidance induced by wheel running (Left & Grant, 1996), or an anorectic effect produced by running (Mueller, Loft, & Eikelboom, 1997). The first experiment investigated the effect of alternate-day wheel access on consumption of novel 32% sucrose solution in 36 adult male rats. The first group of rats had no wheel access, the second continuous wheel access, and the third alternate-day wheel access. Rats without wheel access consumed large amounts of sucrose from the first day. Both groups with wheel …

Choice And Support: An Individualized Approach To Student Empowerment And Involvement In Combating Procrastination In The Internet Learning Environment, Han Liu

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study was designed to explore effective approaches that could help online students overcome online academic procrastination, raise their satisfaction ratings, and improve their academic performance.

The research was conducted at Old Dominion University, Virginia, with a sample of 165 undergraduate and graduate students (mean age = 30.67, SD = 8.98; male = 33, 20%, female = 132, 80%; undergraduate 95, 58%, graduate 70, 42%). The participants were taking an online course, Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education, required for teacher licensure. The treatments included the Choice Package (choice of assignment due dates, choice of rewards and punishments, and …

Synchronous Text-Based Chat Vis-À-Vis Asynchronous Threaded Discussion: An Instructional Strategy For Providing An Option In Two Course Delivery Schemes, Shin Yi Lin

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an instructional strategy of providing students an option of two types of online text-based discussion (chat vs. threaded discussion forum) had significant effects on student satisfaction, cognitive achievement, and self-efficacy. In an effort to identify any differential effects associated with student characteristics, students' age and learning preferences were used as blocking variables. The study sample was teacher education students. Statistical procedures employed were MANOVA; MANCOVA, regression analysis, chi-square, and correlation were employed. The findings show that such an instructional customization—providing the online discussion forum option—has positive impacts on student satisfaction and …

Johann August Weppen's Der Hessische Officer In Amerika And David Christoph Seybold's Reizenstein: The American Revolution And The German Bürgertum's Reassessment Of America, Virginia Sasser Delacey

Institute for the Humanities Theses

While American, British, and French reactions to the American Revolution are well-known, those of the German people are not, despite the presence of almost 30,000 German soldiers in America fighting for the British army and hundreds of German volunteers fighting for the American patriots. The participation of German soldiers on both sides of the conflict inspired numerous works of German poetry, prose, and drama, all largely forgotten in the wake of the French Revolution and the rise of German Classicism and Romanticism. This thesis examines two works that have received brief mention in the past two centuries: Der hessische Officier …

Acknowledgement Response And Interference Timing During The Processing Of Voice And Datalink Atc Commands, Matthew R. Risser

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In aviation, effective communication between air traffic control (ATC) and pilots is critical to pilot performance and safety. Problems and limitations of current radio communications initiated the development of datalink technology. Datalink is a text system used to send messages between ATC and pilots. Although datalink was intended to reduce errors associated with radio communication, there are new concerns related to changes in information processing demands associated with executing speech and text ATC commands. In addition, the nature of responses differs between voice and datalink systems. In a voice environment, responses are immediate. However, time delays exist with datalink. These …

First-Mover Advantage: A Cross-National Comparison Of Mature And Emerging Market Consumers' Attitudes Toward Pioneer And Follower Brands, Tarek T. Mady

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

A number of scholars suggest that the ability to accrue any competitive advantage stemming from time of entry is a function of the type of market being entered (e.g., Lieberman and Montgomery 1988; Kerin et al. 1992; Szymanski et al. 1995; VanderWerf and Mahon 1997). This dissertation extended the current behaviorally-based research domain of the field vis-a-vie a survey-based comparative study of mature market (U.S.) and emerging market (Indian) consumers' attitudes toward pioneer and follower brands. Two fundamental questions were asked: (1) Are there significant attitudinal differences between mature market and emerging market consumers based on order of …

The Psychological Contract Of Multiple Agency Relationships: Understanding The Attitudes And Behaviors Of Contractors, Cynthia J. Maahs

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Previous research offers inconsistent findings with respect to attitude and behavior differences for contingent and permanent workers. The current study proposes the psychological contract as an explanatory framework for understanding differences between contractors and regular employees. The hypotheses examined attitudinal and behavioral measures: organizational commitment, job satisfaction, intent to quit, job performance, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The two components of the psychological contract (relational vs. transactional) were thought to impact differentially the outcome measures. Approximately 650 employees in a technology contracting organization completed an on-line survey designed to test the hypotheses. The two-factor structure of psychological contract was confirmed and …

The Relationship Among Disclosure, Internalized Homophobia, Religiosity, And Psychological Well-Being In A Lesbian Population, Sharon Lyn Clayman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship among disclosure, internalized homophobia, and religiosity in a lesbian population and how these three variables are related to psychological well-being in order to build upon the scant amount of empirical research on these variables in the lesbian psychological literature. A total of 679 women, 18 to 70 years old, and from all across the country were recruited via the internet to participate in a web-based survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (Szymanski & Chung, 2001), the Outness Inventory (Mohr & Fassinger, 2000), the Behavioral Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (Carroll & Gilroy, 2000), …

Crisp And Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory And Pilot Weather Judgment: Implications For Vfr Flights Into Imc, Joseph T. Coyne

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Weather represents one of the greatest hazards to general aviation (GA), accounting for 15% of the GA accident fatalities. Of the fatal weather accidents 90% are attributed to visual flight rules (VFR) flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The situation assessment hypothesis suggests that pilots may inadvertently enter IMC because they lack the sensitivity needed to distinguish between visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and IMC. An alternative hypothesis is that pilots recognize conditions have deteriorated but are motivated by some other factor, such as pressure from passengers. The present study uses Jensen's Pilot Judgment Model and Signal Detection Theory to explain …

The Effects Of Operator Trust, Complacency Potential, And Task Complexity On Monitoring A Highly Reliable Automated System, Nathan R. Bailey

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Technological advances have allowed for widespread implementation of automation in complex systems. However, the increase in quantity and complexity of advanced automated systems has raised a number of potential concerns including degraded monitoring skills. The present investigation consisted of two studies that assessed the impact of system reliability, complacency potential, monitoring complexity, operator trust, and system experience on monitoring performance. In both studies, participants monitored a simulated aviation display for failures while operating a manually controlled flight task. In addition, the second experiment assessed the ability of operators to detect a single automation failure over three experimental sessions. Results indicated …

Creating Individual Behavior Change Through 360-Degree Feedback: A Development Pipeline Perspective, Victoria Cole Stage

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Ensuring that individuals develop new and more productive behaviors on the job is a challenge for many organizations and a focus of time, effort, and energy spent on programs to facilitate this change. This research was an effort to validate and utilize a framework for understanding how efforts toward individual development are restricted. To do this, I used a new 360-degree feedback instrument called “Time 2 Change” that measures self, manager, direct report, and peer/colleague perceptions of change in the individual. This instrument also measures the individual's perceptions of development enablers, in a framework called a Development Pipeline. As a …

Comparisons Among Parent Reports And Self-Reports Of Sleep In Adhd And Normal School-Aged Children, Diana M. Turner-Eadie

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The objective of the study was to investigate whether school-aged children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience greater sleep disturbance than do normally-developing children. Participants included 33 parents and their children with ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.7 years) and 33 parents and their children without ADHD (mean age = 10.7 ± 1.6 years). Both parents and their children completed sleep questionnaires developed to assess a number of sleep variables. Based on parental report, the Total Sleep Disturbance score was significantly greater for the ADHD group than for the comparison group. Parents indicated that children with ADHD had …

Targeting Workplace Harassment In Quebec: On Exporting A New Legislative Agenda, Debra Parkes

All Faculty Publications

For over twenty-five years, Canadian law has prohibited sexual harassment and other forms of discriminatory harassment (meaning harassment that relates to the target's race, disability, sexual orientation, or other similar characteristic). Recent amendments to the Quebec Labour Standards Act aim to fill a gap in the law that currently provides a remedy (under human rights legislation) for discriminatory harassment, but not for harassment that is not obviously linked to the target's membership in a protected class such as that based on race, sex, religion, disability or sexual orientation. This paper takes a preliminary look at this new legislative initiative. It …

Religious Switching Does Parents' Education Matter?, Amy Adamczyk

Publications and Research

How are switching to more liberal religious preferences and apostasy affected by educational attainment? Previous research has focused on the relationship between religious adherence and college attendance. In this paper, I extend this work by looking at whether differences between parent and child educational attainment affect later religious devotion among respondents who at one time were Protestant. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, I test whether conservative religious commitment among college-educated children with less educated parents is different from commitment among the college-educated children of educated parents. Findings reveal that respondents who have earned an associate’s degree, but …

Resources For Forensic Psychology., Ellen A. Sexton

Publications and Research

Libraries supporting a forensic psychology undergraduate and/or graduate level college program need to collect materials from a range of disciplines – psychology, law, psychiatry and criminal justice. In this guide I identify the major reference works, journals, databases and other resources that should be in a good forensic psychology collection.

Render Copyright Unto Caesar: On Taking Incentives Seriously, Wendy J. Gordon

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay suggests we bifurcate our thinking. Conventional copyright rules by money, so let it rule the money-bound. Let a different set of rules evolve for more complex uses, particularly when the users have a personal relationship with the utilized text. Much recent scholarship contains dramatic suggestions to secure a freedom to be creative, rewrite, and be imaginative. My work has long sought to defend such freedoms, but I believe we understand imagination and its conditions too little to employ it as a starting point. I suggest instead that we acquire a better conceptual map of the generative process and …

Parks As Gyms? Recreational Paradigms And Public Health In The National Parks, Jay D. Wexler

Faculty Scholarship

When scholars and policymakers think about the relationship between public health and environmental law and policy, they likely think first about controlling pollution and other toxic substances. As other articles have amply demonstrated, water pollution, air pollution, and other environmental toxins can have significant deleterious effects on the public's health. Scholars rightly pay serious attention to these relationships, and policymakers wisely devise methods and strategies to ameliorate the public health risks posed by these polluting substances.

Although pollution control might be the most obvious and important intersection between environmental policy and public health, legal and policy decisions regarding the management …

Speech And Strife, Robert L. Tsai

Faculty Scholarship

The essay strives for a better understanding of the myths, symbols, categories of power, and images deployed by the Supreme Court to signal how we ought to think about its authority. Taking examples from free speech jurisprudence, the essay proceeds in three steps. First, I argue that the First Amendment constitutes a deep source of cultural authority for the Court. As a result, linguistic and doctrinal innovation in the free speech area have been at least as bold and imaginative as that in areas like the Commerce Clause. Second, in turning to cognitive theory, I distinguish between formal legal argumentation …

The Meaning Of Probability Judgments: An Essay On The Use And Misuse Of Behavioral Economics, Charles M. Yablon

Articles

In this essay, Professor Yablon challenges the assumption that behavioral heuristics-such as the availability heuristic -constitute "biases" that necessarily lead to errors in probability judgments. He notes that there are many different concepts of probability and, in many contexts, no agreed-upon method for determining the correctness of inconsistent probability judgments. Yet many legal academics and policymakers ignore these complex aspects of probability theory, assuming that statistical or frequentist probabilities are always to be preferred over subjective judgments of probability.

Professor Yablon argues that choosing between frequentist and subjective approaches to probability judgments in policymaking can only be done with great …

The Bald Truth: Determining The Need For A Canadian Alopecia Association, Bonnie Lipton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The main objective of this research was to determine if Canadians with alopecia areata and their families perceive there is a need for the creation of an organization providing support and services to them in Canada. Previous research has documented the psychological devastation resulting from hair loss in children and adults of both sexes. Alopecia areata is present in approximately 1-2% of the Canadian population (Canadian Dermatology Association, 2002) yet this disorder remains relatively unknown and misunderstood by the medical community and the general population. Services for Canadians with alopecia areata are limited to interactions with family physicians, dermatologists and …

Moral Agency And Faith: A Construal Of Luther, Donald F. Irvine

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this essay is to identify aspects of Martin Luther’s view of moral agency and action. The study focuses on themes originating in the Treatise on Good Works, particularly the exposition of the Third Commandment: Thou shalt hallow the holy day. Here, the author presents the paradigmatic example of the experience of a participant in the liturgy of mass. The example shows that moral reflection about agency and action is inextricably linked, first, to the consciousness of the worshipper, second, to language—the use of metaphors, images and descriptive words—and third, to the normative, that is, a knowledge of …

Harding University Graduate School Of Religion 2004-2005 Catalog, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the graduate program in Bible and religion.