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2009

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An Analysis Of The Harvesting Costs And Productivity Of Logging Contractors Within The Eastern United States, Jeffrey Jaudon Smith Dec 2009

An Analysis Of The Harvesting Costs And Productivity Of Logging Contractors Within The Eastern United States, Jeffrey Jaudon Smith

Theses and Dissertations

A data set was compiled from detailed information provided from 26 independent logging contractors from throughout the Eastern United States over a five year period from 2000 to 2004. The age distribution of the logging contractors in the study has increased over time with the percentage of contactors over the age of 55 rising from 15% to 32%. The median age of all equipment including feller-bunchers, skidders, loaders, bulldozers, service vehicles, and haul trucks increased over the period. While the median age of all equipment increased, the age of service and support equipment saw the greatest increase. The total average …

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An Assessment Of Reading Programs In North Mississippi Elementary Schools: A Comparative Analysis, Angela Delentheia Bluitt Dec 2009

An Assessment Of Reading Programs In North Mississippi Elementary Schools: A Comparative Analysis, Angela Delentheia Bluitt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of reading programs of students who used the Reading Program One, Reading Program Two, and Reading Program Three reading programs and those students who were taught using no basal reading program in North Mississippi. The study also assessed teachers’ perceptions of the various reading programs based on gender, age, educational attainment, and years of teaching experience. The research design for this study included a descriptive analysis. Ten elementary schools in North Mississippi using the Reading Program One, Reading Program Two, Reading Program Three, and no basal reading program were analyzed. …

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An Ecological Examination Of Dropout Rates And Multiple Level Measures Of Social Integration In Mississippi School Districts 2005-2008: Does Career And Technical Education Play A Part?, Jacob Travis Walker Dec 2009

An Ecological Examination Of Dropout Rates And Multiple Level Measures Of Social Integration In Mississippi School Districts 2005-2008: Does Career And Technical Education Play A Part?, Jacob Travis Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct an ecological examination of the relationship between social integration and dropout rates at the school and community level, and the role of career and technical education in this relationship. This paper also attempts to determine if this relationship changes depending on how urbanicity is operationalized. This study adds to the existing research concerning the ecological relationships between dropout rates, community social integration, school social integration, and urbanicity in Mississippi. Three-year averaged event dropout rates for 2005-2008, multiple community and school measures of social integration, and three different operationalizations of urbanicity were used. …

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An Examination Of Crisis Preparedness At Christian-Affiliated Institutions Of Higher Education, Stacy M. Burrell Dec 2009

An Examination Of Crisis Preparedness At Christian-Affiliated Institutions Of Higher Education, Stacy M. Burrell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine crisis preparedness at Christian-affiliated institutions of higher education. Second, this study examined Christian-affiliated institutions of higher education presidents’ perspective of their institution’s ability to prepare for crises based upon the four critical indicators of organizational crisis preparedness as described by Zdziarski (2001): a) the types of crisis institutions prepare for, b) the phase of crisis prepared for, c) the systems in place to respond to crisis, and d) the stakeholders involved and considered in preparations. Implications from this study provided recommendations for crisis preparedness that are specific to Christian-affiliated colleges and universities. …

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The Importance Of Soft Skills In The Workplace As Perceived By Community College Instructors And Industries, Laura Suzanne Tribble Dec 2009

The Importance Of Soft Skills In The Workplace As Perceived By Community College Instructors And Industries, Laura Suzanne Tribble

Theses and Dissertations

Soft skills include communication skills, problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, working well with other people, and ensuring customer satisfaction. Employers need employees who have adequate technical skills but who also have soft skills. There is limited information about the perceptions of which soft skills are needed in the workplace. This study attempted to close the gap in the literature concerning the perceptions of instructors and employers in the area of soft skills in the workplace. For this study, the Soft Skills Survey for Instructors and Employers was used to gather the perceptions of information technology instructors and employers in five community …

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Assessing Job Satisfaction Among Alabama's Community College Faculty, Russell Warren Howton Dec 2009

Assessing Job Satisfaction Among Alabama's Community College Faculty, Russell Warren Howton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between selected demographic and educational variables of faculty members employed in the Alabama Community College System and their impact on job satisfaction. The variables included in the study are the demographic variables of age, gender, ethnicity, salary, and degree status, along with the institutional variables of academic ability of students, advancement in technology, faculty workload, tenure, co-worker relationship, administrative governance and support, and professional growth opportunities. This study was conducted to educate college administrators regarding faculty morale and to provide a means of communication between administrators and faculty to address …

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Attitudes Of Female Faculty Toward The Use Of Computer Technologies And The Barriers That Limit Their Use Of Technologies In Girls' Colleges In Saudi Arabia, Taghreed Abdulaziz Almuqayteeb Dec 2009

Attitudes Of Female Faculty Toward The Use Of Computer Technologies And The Barriers That Limit Their Use Of Technologies In Girls' Colleges In Saudi Arabia, Taghreed Abdulaziz Almuqayteeb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine female faculty members’ use of computer technologies, their attitudes toward computers, the factors that best predict their attitudes toward computers, and the barriers that limit their use of computer technologies in girls’ colleges in Dammam and Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Also, this study examined how female faculty members’ attitudes and use of computer technologies differ according to their demographic characteristics. 206 female faculty members participated in this study, and only 197 usable questionnaires were analyzed and used in this study. Descriptive statistics, a one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were conducted to analyze …

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Career Paths, Barriers, And Professional Experiences: A Comparison Study Of African American Community College Presidents And White Community College Presidents, Cedric Andreas Bradley Dec 2009

Career Paths, Barriers, And Professional Experiences: A Comparison Study Of African American Community College Presidents And White Community College Presidents, Cedric Andreas Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

The community college is one of the most diverse institutions of higher learning in regards to the make-up of its student population. However, with such a large representation of diversity within its student population, the community college has not been as successful in diversifying the community college presidency. The purpose of this research study was to examine the career paths, barriers, and professional experiences of African American community college presidents and White community college presidents. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine potential recruitment strategies to recruit minority administrators. A total of 176 African American and White community …

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Detection Of Tick-Borne Bacterial Agents In Lone Star Ticks (Amblyomma Americanum) And Various Wildlife In Mississippi, Ashley Harris Castellaw Dec 2009

Detection Of Tick-Borne Bacterial Agents In Lone Star Ticks (Amblyomma Americanum) And Various Wildlife In Mississippi, Ashley Harris Castellaw

Theses and Dissertations

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the presence of tick-borne bacterial agents in Amblyomma americanum, lone star tick (LST), and various wildlife in Mississippi. Adult LSTs had DNA evidence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis (3.7%), E. ewingii (6.3%), and Borrelia lonestari (2.6%), while both larval (24.3%) and adult (43.5%) LSTs were positive for a Rickettsia spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). White-tailed deer (WTD) were the only wildlife PCR positive for E. chaffeensis (18.8%), B. lonestari (3.1%), and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (3.1%). In addition, WTD had the highest seroprevalence to B. lonestari (19.3%) and E. chaffeensis (43.9%) antigens while raccoons had the highest …

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Do The Design Principles Established By William Hollingsworth Whyte For Creating Successful Urban Parks Apply To Parks In The New Urbanism Community Of Mt. Laurel?, William Miller Allen Dec 2009

Do The Design Principles Established By William Hollingsworth Whyte For Creating Successful Urban Parks Apply To Parks In The New Urbanism Community Of Mt. Laurel?, William Miller Allen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will study the resident’s perceptions of a community park in the new urbanism community of Mt Laurel, Alabama by evaluating the thirteen principles established by William Hollingsworth Whyte for creating successful urban parks. The thirteen principles established by Whyte for creating successful spaces are: •The parks proximity/relationship to the street •Location of the sidewalks to the street •Its ability to consistently sustain a constant flow of people through its boundaries •Its amount of defined spaces rather than large open spaces •Its amount of sitable space, in terms of ledges, steps, planters, chairs etc. •The parks sense of security …

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Effectiveness Of A Time Out From Reinforcement Package For Escape-Maintained Behaviors Exhibited By Typically Developing Children In Head Start, Melissa Marie Harber Dec 2009

Effectiveness Of A Time Out From Reinforcement Package For Escape-Maintained Behaviors Exhibited By Typically Developing Children In Head Start, Melissa Marie Harber

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation identified children whose noncompliant behavior was maintained by negative reinforcement through brief functional analysis conditions and then evaluated the effectiveness of a contraindicated treatment (i.e., time-out package) for decreasing the noncompliant behavior to developmentally appropriate levels. The current results provided initial supporting data that time-out, in conjunction with other treatment variables, can be an effective strategy in reducing escape maintained noncompliance. Brief experimental analysis conditions consistent with the methodology demonstrated by Northup and colleagues (1991), were utilized to identify escape as the maintaining variable for noncompliance. Following identification of the function of the behavior, baseline data were collected. …

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Racial Exemplars And Their Effects On The Race-Implicit Association Test, Ashley Ann Walker Dec 2009

Racial Exemplars And Their Effects On The Race-Implicit Association Test, Ashley Ann Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Research on prejudice has long been skewed by participants’ ability to monitor their reactions on overt measures of such attitudes. Accordingly, researchers created an implicit measure to study prejudice (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995). The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was thus developed. Though the IAT has long been purported as the only ‘true’ measure of participants’ feelings and cognitions, recent research has suggested the measure is not as infallible as once purported (e.g., Smith & Zarate, 1990). The purpose of this study was to integrate existing research on exemplars and how they affect scores on the IAT. Results showed that priming …

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Improving Structural And Functional Annotation Of The Chicken Genome, Teresia Buza Dec 2009

Improving Structural And Functional Annotation Of The Chicken Genome, Teresia Buza

Theses and Dissertations

Chicken is an important non-mammalian vertebrate model organism for biomedical research, especially for vaccine production and the study of embryology and development. Chicken is also an important agricultural species and major food source for high-quality protein worldwide. In addition, chicken is an important model organism for comparative and evolution genomics. Exploitation of this genome as a biomedical model is hindered by its incomplete structural and functional annotation. This incomplete annotation makes it difficult for researchers to model their functional genomics datasets. Improving structural and functional annotation of the chicken genome will allow researchers to derive biological meaning from their functional …

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Solar Technology Innovation Meeting Summary, Solar Innovation And Technology Center Dec 2009

Solar Technology Innovation Meeting Summary, Solar Innovation And Technology Center

Meetings (SI)

On December 11, 2009, Senator Harry Reid and President Neal Smatresk (UNLV) conveyed a group of approximately 60 people (see attached lists) from the public and private sector to provide input on the structure, focus, and need for a Solar Innovation Technology Center. At this meeting, there were small group discussions followed by a larger group discussion on the needs in the areas of Workforce / Training, Marketing and Finance, Economic and Policy Making, Infrastructure and Manufacturing, Technology Transfer and Commercialization, and Research. The notes below summarize the major comments from the group. This represents individual comments and in other …

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Governors State University Board Of Trustees Human Resources Committee Meeting Minutes - December 11, 2009, Board Of Trustees Dec 2009

Governors State University Board Of Trustees Human Resources Committee Meeting Minutes - December 11, 2009, Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees Meetings Materials and Recordings

Agenda and Minutes for the Governors State University Board of Trustees Human Resources Committee Meeting - December 11, 2009

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Dean Logan's Blog: Federal Judge Holds Hearing On Constitutional Challenge To “Scarlet Letter Law” At Rwu Law, Roger Williams University School Of Law Dec 2009

Dean Logan's Blog: Federal Judge Holds Hearing On Constitutional Challenge To “Scarlet Letter Law” At Rwu Law, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

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The Bg News December 11, 2009, Bowling Green State University Dec 2009

The Bg News December 11, 2009, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. December 11, 2009. Volume 100-Issue 73.

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The Effectiveness Of Distance Education For Computer Application Software Instruction Versus The Cost Of Development And Implementation, Martha Anne Brock Dec 2009

The Effectiveness Of Distance Education For Computer Application Software Instruction Versus The Cost Of Development And Implementation, Martha Anne Brock

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if various types of distance education formats would be suitable for conducting a training course for a computer application. The study sought to determine if a face-toace format, interactive video format, minimally interactive online format or highly interactive and multimedia rich online format produced similar results in student performance in a training course for a computer application. The secondary purpose of this study was to determine if the increased cost of development of a highly interactive and multimedia rich online format was justified based on observed differences in student achievement in …

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The Role Of Cattle And Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma Maculatum) In The Epidemiology Of Rickettsia Parkeri Infection, Kristine T. Edwards Dec 2009

The Role Of Cattle And Gulf Coast Ticks (Amblyomma Maculatum) In The Epidemiology Of Rickettsia Parkeri Infection, Kristine T. Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

I hypothesized cattle and Gulf Coast ticks (GCT), Amblyomma maculatum, may be involved in epidemiology of Rickettsia parkeri infection. I demonstrated transient rickettsemia by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the 17 kilodalton (kDa) gene in 33% (2/6) of calves experimentally exposed to R. parkeri either by direct inoculation or by placement of R. parkeri-infected GCT on calves’ ears. Calves (4/4) receiving GCT developed lesions at attachment sites consistent with a pathologic condition known as “gotch” ear whether or not GCT were infected with R. parkeri, suggesting the condition is related to GCT attachment and not to rickettsial infection. In calves …

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The Spatial Distribution Of Cn Radicals In The Coma Of Comet Encke, Chandrasiri Albert Ihalawela Dec 2009

The Spatial Distribution Of Cn Radicals In The Coma Of Comet Encke, Chandrasiri Albert Ihalawela

Theses and Dissertations

Comets are important for solar system studies because their interiors hold evidence of the conditions in which they formed in the outer solar system. However, the coma obscures the nucleus from view when observations are most easily performed, thus it is important to understand the nature of cometary comae. This study examines the spatial distribution of CN radicals in the coma of comet Encke and determines the likelihood that CN is a photodissociative daughter of HCN in the coma. Observations of CN were obtained from October 22-24, 2003, using the 2.7 m Cassegrain telescope at McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, …

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Social Networking Systems Success Model: Assessment And Validation Of The Is Success Model In Social Context, Aaron Michael French Dec 2009

Social Networking Systems Success Model: Assessment And Validation Of The Is Success Model In Social Context, Aaron Michael French

Theses and Dissertations

Developments such as the ubiquity of electronic networks and the breadth of digital platforms beyond simple forums have lead to major economic and social transformations worldwide (Agarwal et al, 2008). This research will explore developments in the area of social networking using Internet technology in order to determine factors that lead to success. Despite considerable growth among the number of online communities available, very few are successful at retaining members and continued usage by its members (Ma & Agarwal, 2007). The purpose of this dissertation is to determine factors leading to a successful social networking site (SNS). Through the unification …

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Nutrient Management In On-Site Wastewater Treatment, Ayanangshu Dey Dec 2009

Nutrient Management In On-Site Wastewater Treatment, Ayanangshu Dey

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater and surface water contamination has been linked in the past to inadequate or failing on-site wastewater treatment and disposal systems. The on-site wastewater systems installed in coastal areas have more potential for inflicting this kind of environmental damage. This work studied the regulatory compliance and environmental protection of the four types of on-site wastewater disposal systems found on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; i.e., vegetative rock filter, subsurface drip irrigation, sand mound, and sprinkler systems, by statistical techniques. Compliance was also evaluated for groundwater samples collected from monitoring wells installed at four corners of a disposal field. This work eventually …

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Pathogen Entrance And Development Of Disease During Infection Of The American Channel Catfish Ictalurus Punctatus By The Enterobacterium Edwardsiella Ictaluri, Simon Menanteau-Ledouble Dec 2009

Pathogen Entrance And Development Of Disease During Infection Of The American Channel Catfish Ictalurus Punctatus By The Enterobacterium Edwardsiella Ictaluri, Simon Menanteau-Ledouble

Theses and Dissertations

Since being first reported in the late 1980ies, the Enterobacterium Edwardsiella ictaluri has rose in prevalence to become one of the two most damaging pathogens affecting the channel catfish industry. Despite this significance of the pathogen, understanding of the development of the disease, especially its route of entry into the host and the earlier stages of the infection, is still incomplete. A series of challenges were conducted using bioluminescent E. ictaluri either by infecting fish through immersion or topical application of the bacteria directly on the intact or abraded epithelium. This showed that abraded fish developed septicemia and died faster …

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Perceptions Of Motivation And Job Satisfaction For Information Technology Professionals At Institutions Of Higher Learning In Mississippi, Leann Mills Markham Dec 2009

Perceptions Of Motivation And Job Satisfaction For Information Technology Professionals At Institutions Of Higher Learning In Mississippi, Leann Mills Markham

Theses and Dissertations

Information technology is an ever evolving field that has become a mainstay in today’s society, especially in higher education. The employees who maintain the information technology (IT) infrastructure and systems at educational institutions are tasked with similar jobs as their equivalents in the private sector; however, these employees are faced with unique difficulties. A lower salary range, less benefits, and less technological variety are typical characteristics in a higher education setting for IT employees as compared to private industry. Faced with these circumstances, IT employees continue to perform their duties and ensure the institution is functioning on a daily basis. …

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Perceptions Of School From Students In A Rural School Environment, Helen Ruth Patton Kennard Dec 2009

Perceptions Of School From Students In A Rural School Environment, Helen Ruth Patton Kennard

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the perceptions of school from students of differing ages, genders, ethnic groups, and grade levels in a rural school environment. The ages were divided into four categories: 11–12 years of age, 13–14 years of age, 15–16 years of age, and 17–19 years of age. The ethnic groups in the school population were African Americans and Caucasians. The different grade levels were 7th through 12th. Wilson and Corbett (1999), in the Report for the Philadelphia Education Fund, “No Excuses”: The Eighth Grade Year in Six Philadelphia Middle Schools, discussed students’ views of what they want their teachers to …

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Dynamic Message Sign And Diversion Traffic Optimization, Jizhan Gou Dec 2009

Dynamic Message Sign And Diversion Traffic Optimization, Jizhan Gou

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) diversion control system based on principles of existing Advanced Traveler Information Systems and Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS). The objective of the proposed system is to alleviate total corridor traffic delay by choosing optimized diversion rate and alternative road signal-timing plan. The DMS displays adaptive messages at predefined time interval for guiding certain number of drivers to alternative roads. Messages to be displayed on the DMS are chosen by an on-line optimization model that minimizes corridor traffic delay. The expected diversion rate is assumed following a distribution. An optimization model that considers …

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Movements, Relatedness And Modeled Genetic Manipulation Of White-Tailed Deer, Stephen Lance Webb Dec 2009

Movements, Relatedness And Modeled Genetic Manipulation Of White-Tailed Deer, Stephen Lance Webb

Theses and Dissertations

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been intensively studied across their range. However, many aspects of the white-tailed deer’s ecology have not been studied or are difficult to study. The advent of global positioning system (GPS) collar technology and molecular genetics techniques now allows researchers to collect fine-scale and cryptic phenomena. In addition, selective harvest of male white-tailed deer, based on antler size, has not been critically evaluated. Thus, development and use of quantitative genetics models will be useful for elucidating the effects of selective harvest on mean population antler size. I used GPS collar technology to further understand white-tailed deer …

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Multidisciplinary Evaluation Of No-Till Corn Grazing Systems In Mississippi, Dawn Holland Manning Dec 2009

Multidisciplinary Evaluation Of No-Till Corn Grazing Systems In Mississippi, Dawn Holland Manning

Theses and Dissertations

To ascertain potential ecological and landowner benefits of non-conventional agricultural systems, this project was designed to monitor cattle production and mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) utilization of land areas that allowed grazing cattle to harvest corn planted with no-till methods. In 2005-2008, study sites were located in four counties of MS, including four steer/heifer-grazed and harvested corn fields (SHS) and four conventionally-managed and combine-harvested corn fields (CHS). Vegetation characteristics, residual grain quantities, and use by doves were measured on SHS and CHS. Steer average daily gains (ADG), quality grades, and feedlot days were compared to traditional cattle production methods. Mourning dove …

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An Investigation Of A Rural Community College Meeting The Needs Of Nontraditional Students, Kishki Hall Dec 2009

An Investigation Of A Rural Community College Meeting The Needs Of Nontraditional Students, Kishki Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This study’s general purpose was to examine nontraditional students’ satisfaction with services provided by community colleges. A survey was administered to 81 Coahoma Community College students who identified themselves as nontraditional students. The Nontraditional Students’ Satisfaction survey was designed to examine the needs and satisfaction of nontraditional students. The nontraditional students at Coahoma Community College deemed getting information on financial aid opportunities, studying and test taking, computers and Internet use, job opportunities in their majors and academic tutoring as most important. The nontraditional students at Coahoma Community College deemed getting information on campus events and/or campus job opportunities as least …

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Visual Perception And Gestalt Grouping In The Landscape: Are Gestalt Grouping Principles Reliable Indicators Of Visual Preference?, Mark Reinhardt Levy Dec 2009

Visual Perception And Gestalt Grouping In The Landscape: Are Gestalt Grouping Principles Reliable Indicators Of Visual Preference?, Mark Reinhardt Levy

Theses and Dissertations

Landscape visual preference research has indicated many potential indicators of preference; however a comprehensive framework concerning the relationship between visual preference and perception has not been solidified. Gestalt psychology, the predecessor to visual perception, proposes certain visual grouping tendencies to explain how humans perceive the world. This study examines if Gestalt grouping principles are reliable indicators of preference, and if they may be used to develop a broad context for visual assessment. Visual preference for 36 landscape scenes testing the proximity and similarity of landscape elements were ranked one through five by 1,749 Mississippi State University undergraduate, graduate, and faculty …

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