Digital Commons Network^™

Media To Medium: Representations Of Violence, War & Women In Pop Culture, Althea Georgelas

Theses and Dissertations

My work is inspired by the mass Media and how it affects the world around me. I am interested in how violence, war and women are represented in popular culture and how this has trickled down into social behavior. I also wonder how much entertainment media reflects deep social ideals. I define mass media as the viral proliferation of ideas using television, cinema, video gaming and the Internet. I am concerned about the social and psychological affects of violent media and how it impacts the lives of women and girls. This is of particular interest to me because I am …

Death To Child Erotica: How Mislabeling The Evidence Can Risk Inaccuracy In The Courtroom, Mary Graw Leary

Scholarly Articles

The world of child sexual exploitation is a complex one including many crimes. Research and caselaw indicate that child pornography often is found intertwined with other sexual material demonstrating a sexual interest in children. Such material includes, but is not limited to, sexualized pictures of nude or semi-nude children; surreptitiously recorded videos of children focusing on their breasts or genitals; writings on the most successful methods of facilitating child molestation, etc. That child pornography producers and collectors can often possess some such material is perhaps of no surprise. That criminal courts are referring to such material with the artistic term …

Attitudes Of K-12 School Administrators Toward Speech-Language Programs In Public Schools, Carmen L. Jones

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined K-12 school administrators' attitudes toward speech language pathology services in public schools. Elementary, middle, and secondary school based administrators, employed in 63 school districts throughout Florida, were solicited to participate in the study in a letter of invitation generated by a web-based design program, Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) Community. Administrators volunteering in the study were given an assurance of confidentiality and fair treatment concerning their participation. A survey instrument, the Scale of Educators 'Attitudes toward Speech Pathology (SEASP) consisting of 10 demographic items and 34 positive and negative statements about speech and language programs in schools was …

The Effectiveness Of Colored Overlays On Reading Achievement And Attitudes Toward Reading For Students With Scotopic Sensitive Syndrome, Hanan Ali Bagabas

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the effects on students identified with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS) or Irlen Syndrome (IS) when using colored overlays as an intervention (immediately and over time) to assess reading performance (rate, accuracy, and comprehension); to measure visual-motor integration; and to assess attitude toward reading. SSS/IS is a visual perceptual problem related to a collection of symptoms that affects an individual's performance when reading. Three participants, all males (one 3rd -grade student, one 4th -grade student, and one 5th -grade student), were identified as having SSS/IS and other learning disabilities.

The study involved five test instruments (Irlen Reading Perceptual …

Examination Of The Reliability And Validity Of The Triage Assessment Form: Families, Leslie Slagel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Triage Assessment Form: Families (TAF: F), a 33-item, 5-point Lickert summated rating scale. The study consisted of 152 college and technical school students. Each participant responded to the TAF: F after reading mild, moderate, marked and severe domestic violence scenarios. Statistical analysis using SPSS 12.0 was performed on the data to determine validity and reliability. Reliability was tested using an internal consistency model. Validity of the TAF: F was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. In addition, this researched analyzed the capacity of the TAF: F to distinguish among mild, moderate, marked, …

Clients' Experience Of Effective Psychoanalytic-Psychodynamic Psychotherapy For Major Depression: An Empirical Phenomenological Study, Thomas Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although there is sufficient evidence that psychodynamic therapy for depression is effective, there is no research documenting the qualities of experience in effective psychodynamic therapy for depression. To address this lack, this study aimed to investigate clients' experiences of both the helpful processes and the therapeutic effects of psychodynamic therapy for depression.

Letters, emails, and flyers were distributed and advertisements placed through psychological associations at the local and state level, and letters were mailed to therapists in the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Solicitation procedures yielded four participants of whom three were female and one was male. Participants completed a research …

A Phenomenological-Hermeneutic Analysis Of Experimental Infant Research, James L. Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project challenges the dualistic conceptions in infant research literature by reexamining a collection of infant research records from a phenomenological, non-dualistic perspective. Grounded in the recent convergences between phenomenology and cognitive sciences, this project utilizes a combined phenomenological-hermeneutic method. This model of analysis is applied to three major areas in infant research: physical knowledge, memory-based learning, and social behaviors. The primary pool of data is drawn from written research records from both primary and secondary sources. To reinterpret empirical findings the analysis includes a systematic reexamination of the ontological presuppositions of infant researchers/scholars, and a reflective, experience-near approach. The …

Effects Of Community Of Practice And Knowledge Translation Strategies On Nurse Practitioners' Knowledge And Practice Behavior, Helen M. Holman

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that interactive CE activities will have the most effect in terms of knowledge and practice. Using technology to provide interactivity via computer-based applications is as effective an educational strategy as traditional education formats.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effectiveness and satisfaction of educational activities provided within an online community of practice(CoP) on nurse practitioner (NP) knowledge and practice behavior. The online interactive website combined certified continuing education, professional forum, Ask-the-Experts, national guideline links, patient education tools, and professional resources. A Two-Group Control Group design was used. Study participants were assessed on …

New Homes! (For The "Right" Family): Exclusionary Messages In Subdivision Advertising, Jennifer J. Heneghan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Segregation is a large and incompletely understood problem in modern American society. By recognizing some of the ways segregation is perpetuated through print media we can gain more of an understanding into why the problem persists. This study of advertising for new subdivisions appearing in Jacksonville, Florida's major daily newspaper from 1960 through 2000 examines the use of potentially exclusionary messages such as use of the Equal Housing Opportunity logo or tagline, the race/ethnicity of human figures, and messages and images associated with particular socioeconomic statuses. Using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis this paper finds that exclusionary messages persist, …

A Focus Group Exploration Of Sexual Identity Formation In Nonmonosexual Women, Sarah Christy Daniels

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonmonosexuality invisibility in the scientific literature is explored as well as opposing historical viewpoints of nonmonosexuality's origins and nature. A focus group was used to explore the sexual identities of self-identified nonmonosexual women, their own journeys toward sexual identity formation, and the extent to which society has impacted their ability to express these identities. Using Consensual Qualitative Methodology (C. E. Hill, S. Knox, B. J. Thompson, E. N. Williams, S. A. Hess, & N. Ladany, 2005; C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, & E. N. Williams, 1997), several themes emerged: (a) defining one's identity; (b) social consciousness; (c) experiences of …

Violence Attribution Errors Among Low-Risk And High-Risk Offenders, Vicki Waytowich

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile offenders have numerous factors that contribute to their delinquency, including family dysfunction, drug and alcohol abuse, negative peer influences, and social cognitive development. One area of social cognitive development linked to deviant behavior is attributional biases. Based on the prior research of Daley and Onwuegbuzie (2004), the purpose of the present concurrent mixed methods study was to explore the differences in the frequency of violence attribution errors among juvenile delinquents; the extent that peer-victimization, self-esteem, and demographic variables predict violence attribution errors among juveniles; and the differences in the types of violence attribution errors between incarcerated (high-risk) and probation …

Effects Of Provider Education On Documentation Compliance In The O.R., Brenda Kingdon

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals and an effective provider cooperative practice involving communication and teamwork are essential for the delivery of safe and compliant patient care in the surgical setting. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an educational intervention for physicians and nurses designed to increase documentation of compliance with national patient safety standards. As events of noncompliance have impacted patient safety at the hospital where this project was conducted, measures were needed to assess barriers to compliance with standards of practice and to focus educational session plans on identified knowledge-base …

Vegetation Response To Restoration Treatments In A Former Pine Plantation In North Florida, Ryan C. Meyer

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the human population in Florida continues to expand, development follows, and tree farms give way to homes and businesses. As parks are established, restoration of these semi-natural plantations may provide critical habitat for species conservation. This study evaluates vegetation response to restoration treatments at two study sites, formerly tree farms, now preserves in NE Florida. Treatments included thinning, clearing, or control (no treatment) within 10m^2 plots. Thinning reduced tree canopy to 20% (2-3 pines/plot) and removed all other vegetation; clearing treatments removed all biomass to bare soil; no herbicides were used. Within these plots richness and abundance was assessed …

No Tears For Creon, Marc O. Degirolami

Scholarly Articles

This essay critiques Professor Martha Nussbaum's book, Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality (2008). Nussbaum's thesis is that the entire tradition of religious liberty in America can be both best understood (as a historical exercise) and justified (as a philosophical one) by recourse to the overarching principle of equal respect-that "[a]ll citizens have equal rights and deserve equal respect from the government under which they live." Nussbaum insists that equal respect pervades the tradition and that all other values of religious liberty are subordinate to it. She examines various free-exercise and establishment issues in light …

The Effect Of Moral Distress On Nursing Retention In The Acute Care Setting, Cynthia L. Cummings

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study explored the relationship between moral distress, professional stress and intent to stay in the hospital setting. The study involved 234 nursing participants and was conducted via an online survey over a 90 day period. The survey tool consisted of 51 items taken from known moral distress, professional stress and intent to stay tools. The items were divided into frequency and intensity of occurrence. Various statistical measures were utilized to conclude that moral distress and professional stress factors were significant (p

Interaction Within Individualized Education Program Meetings: Conversation Analysis Of A Collective Case Study, Christopher Charles Plum

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Current research provides little insight into interaction during Individual Education Program (IEP) meetings. This lack of insight may impede decision-making regarding student placement. This collective case study addressed that problem by analyzing interactions of participants in IEP meetings. Rooted in a conversation analytic (CA) theoretical framework, research questions centered on ways IEP teams interacted, oriented to identities, and ascribed to potential power asymmetries, with analysis focused on talk preceding a child's educational placement. Six hours of IEP meeting footage from 13 meetings distributed across 3 Detroit area charter schools were transcribed in CA Jeffersonian notation and analyzed using CA methodology. …

Racial Prejudice And Political Orientation: A Test Of Dovidio And Gaertner’S Integrated Model Of Racism, Abbie Anne Chalupnik

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Although the direct expression of racial prejudice is no longer accepted in society, it has not altogether disappeared. Aversive racism is characterized by pro and anti-Black attitudes, which have been largely socialized, creating an intrapsychic conflict sometimes causing overcompensation in favor of minorities (Nail, Harton, & Decker, 2003). Modern racism stems from traditional values and the Protestant work ethic, and is expressed through attitudes about social policies yet remains fundamentally racist (Kinder & Sears, 1981; Sears & McConahay, 1973). This study extended Dovidio and Gaertner's (1998) Integrated Model of Racism, which links political liberals with the expression of aversive racism …

Further Delineation Of The Role Of The Amygdala In Face Processing And Racial Categorization, Osman Afzal Chowdhry

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

DNA exonerations in the legal system have increased steadily since 1989 from one or two per year to an average of 21 per year since 2001. A disquieting number of these exonerations originated from wrongful convictions following cross-racial identifications. Explaining the prevalence of erroneous cross-racial identifications centers on the Cross Race Effect (CRE), a phenomena whereby recognition for one's own race greatly outweighs recognition ability for other-race faces. Forty years of research in this area has produced a number of competing explanations. Recent neurological evidence has demonstrated separate neural regions for the processing of same-race and other-race faces as well …

Employee Personal Wellness Programs: Benefits And Barriers To Participation, Amanda Bakeris

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research study uses the health belief model as a theoretical framework for investigating employees' perceived costs and benefits to participation in a utility company's personal wellness program. A questionnaire was administered to the employees of the company gauging their current use of the program, as well as costs and benefits they perceive to affect participation. The barrier dimensions investigated were time-effort, social, physical effects, and specific obstacles. The benefit dimensions investigated were social, psychological, body image, and health. Based on the descriptive statistics and regression analysis, it was concluded that the benefits significantly related to participation, biometric participation, satisfaction, …

A Motor Speech Programming Investigation Using Inhibition: Part I, Jeffrey Thomas Backlin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The current study investigated stop/go boundaries for speech acts (i.e. saying "uh, annul, annulment") in a speech inhibition task modeled on Slater-Hammel's (1959) experiment. Specifically, the project sought to answer the following research questions: (1) Can human speakers learn to stop a sweep hand using their voice? (2) What is the absolute (100%) inhibition threshold for "uh?" (3) What is the threshold at which one half of the spoken response for "uh," can be inhibited? Two additional studies were conducted for the additional stop targets "annul" (Williams, 2009) and "annulment" (Corbett, 2009). Self-report and informal speech-language screening assessed ten adult …

On Unified Computational Intelligence: Neural Networks, Dynamic Programming, And Applications To Economics And Finance, John E. Seiffertt Iv

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation introduces the concept of unified computational intelligence and encompasses algorithm design, applications, theoretical developments, and the identification of new frontiers for multidisciplinary research. It presents a new way to look at unified learning systems and presents a novel Adaptive Resonance Theory-based unified learning architecture. An application to robotic security and sensor fusion is given in detail.

Work on the theoretical developments of unified computational intelligence is also presented. A new theorem in the time scales calculus is proven and theorems on the Hamilton-Jacobi-Ballman equation of dynamic programming and the dynamic programming algorithm are presented, both for various general …

A Speech Motor Programming Investigation Using Inhibition, Alison Michele Corbett

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Motor learning and its applications have been extensively studied, particularly in the area of sports physiology and kinesiology. From these fields, many theories of movement and its control mechanisms have evolved. Previous research has drawn upon these theatrical principles to investigate the specific parameters of skilled movements, specifically the time required to complete an action. In particular, a finger-lift task has been used to study the refractory period during which a motor program can not be inhibited when trained to occur at a particular temporal target (Slater-Hammel, 1959). The current study applies key methodological concepts from Slater-Hammel's work to examine …

Gender Violence Prevention: The Effects Of A Forum Theater Program On Bystander Efficacy And Behavior, Jennifer Nicole Crawford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Sexual victimization on college campuses has been and remains a concern. In 1987 Koss, Gidycz, and Wisniewski reported that the prevalence of sexual victimization, including unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, attempted rape, and rape, among female college students was 54 percent, nearly three times that of women in the general population. The most recent National College Women Sexual Victimization study (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000) reported that 2.8% of women experienced rape or attempted rape during the academic year, with closer to 5% experiencing violence across twelve months. These findings, and those like them, have led to a rapid increase …

Investigating The Potential Contributors To Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Stress, Emotional Dysregulation, And Alexithymia, Kelly K. Espenschade

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research has investigated perceived stress, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), emotional dysregulation, and alexithymia independently. However, there have been no studies to date that have simultaneously examined the relationship among all these variables. The purpose of this study was to examine these variables among those who had or had not engaged in NSSI. Five hundred seventy-seven college students completed self report measures of non-suicidal self-injury, perceived stress level, emotional dysregulation, and alexithymia. As hypothesized, those who had engaged in self-harm behaviors reported higher levels of perceived stress, emotional dysregulation, and alexithymia. There were no gender differences except on perceived stress levels, where …

Social Support And Work-School Conflict: A Daily Study, Eric John Faurote

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The goal of this study was to examine within-person associations between work-school conflict (WSC), social support at work, job satisfaction, and negative affect. There were 108 undergraduates for a Midwest university that participated in this study. Greater WSC was associated with decreased job satisfaction and increased negative affect (NA). Social support buffered the relationship between WSC and job satisfaction such that individuals with low social support experienced a decrease in job satisfaction when WSC was high, but they did not experience this decrease with social support was high. Greater social support from co-workers was associated with increased job satisfaction and …

Rape Myth Acceptance In A Dynamic Environment: Application Of Social Impact Theory To Rma, Zebbedia G. Gibb

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examines conditions under which attitudes related to sexual assault, commonly known as rape myths, may be transmitted through culture by applying the tenets of Social Impact Theory (Latane, 1981). Social impact theory suggests that three forces influence attitude change, namely the immediacy of the source to the target, the strength of the source, and the number of sources of a message. It was hypothesized that participants who chatted with a confederate who was similar to them and endorsed rape myths would report accepting those beliefs at a higher rate than participants who chatted with a confederate who was …

From Practice To Policy To Practice, Patricia Lambert Stock

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

No abstract provided.

Anticipatory Smiling: Linking Early Affective Communication And Social Outcome, Meaghan Venezia Parlade, Daniel S. Messinger, Christine E.F. Delgado, Marygrace Yale Kaiser, Amy V. Van Hecke, Peter C. Mundy

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

In anticipatory smiles, infants appear to communicate pre-existing positive affect by smiling at an object and then turning the smile toward an adult. We report two studies in which the precursors, development, and consequences of anticipatory smiling were investigated. Study 1 revealed a positive correlation between infant smiling at 6 months and the level of anticipatory smiling at 8 and 10 months during joint attention episodes, as well as a positive correlation between anticipatory smiling and parent-rated social expressivity scores at 30 months. Study 2 confirmed a developmental increase in the number of infants using anticipatory smiles between 9 and …

A Comparison Of Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Sexual Minority Students And Issues In Schools With And Without Gay Straight Alliances, Kelli Ranae Otis Brus

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' attitudes toward sexual minority students (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students) and issues related to this population of students. A sample of 166 high school teachers from schools with and without gay-straight alliances (GSAs) were compared on several measures to determine if teachers from schools with GSAs were significantly more supportive toward sexual minority students and issues than teachers in schools without GSAs .. Participants completed research packets containing the Professional Attitude Index Scale (PAIS) (Sears, 1992), a hypothetical situation of homophobia in a classroom for participants to provide …

Using Community Resource Mapping To Improve Systems Of Positive Behavioral Support And Wraparound, Daniel Innes

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This paper will discuss the use of a technique known as resource mapping in an effort to improve systems of Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS) and Wraparound provided by the school system. The concept of PBS will be defined and discussed, along with a common student support philosophy known as Wraparound. Next, resource mapping will be discussed along with its associated benefits for schools and communities. Finally the results of a resource mapping project in a medium sized Midwestern community will be presented along with a discussion of the obstacles associated with such a task.