Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceived Level Of Enjoyment In Sports Violence: An Experiment Examining How Sports Commentary, Fanship, And Gender Affect Viewer Emotions, Sarah Vineyard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This investigation examines if the independent variables of sports commentary, fanship, and gender affect the viewer's level of perceived enjoyment while watching sports violence through televised professional football and hockey clips. Previous studies have found that these three variables contribute most to a viewer's level of perceived enjoyment. This study aimed to test to see if that was still true, while taking into account new rules regarding violence by the National Football League and the National Hockey League. This thesis addresses all variables in one study, which something past research has failed to do.

Perhaps the most significant finding from …

Media Bias Through Facial Expressions On Local Las Vegas Television News Programs: A Visual Content Analysis, Jessica Zimmerman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Trust in news media has been considered an important base for social order and cohesion in society and is a crucial variable for evaluating news media. Media credibility has been questioned by the audience for some time and the audience's trust in the media has been slowly diminishing over the years. When a news broadcaster communicates a story on local television news, it is possible for his own opinions to leak through nonverbal communication, specifically facial expressions. This thesis explores the six local Las Vegas television news stations' anchors and reporters to visually analyze whether facial characteristics reveal media bias …

The Hotel Manager’S Perceived Conflict Of Providing For Hospitality And Security: Can The Two Exist In Harmony?, Silvano Cozzini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry relies upon regular and repeat customers for its survival. No traveler or visitor will return to a hotel property where a bad incident occurred. Would a diner go back to any restaurant where they were sickened by their meal? Would a hotel guest return to any property where they were a victim of a crime? Bad experiences make us tell ourselves, “I will never go back there again!”

This same psychology holds true for criminals. At places where they have been deterred by a high security presence, it is unlikely that they would return there, either. A …

Perceptions And Definition Of Infidelity: A Multimethod Study, Sarah Schonian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Most couples in committed relationships have implicit or explicit rules regarding infidelity. However, not all partners view infidelity in the same way, and the discrepancy in opinions can lead to problems in the relationship and can complicate the healing process. The purpose of this study was to better understand how people define infidelity and the variables that influence perceptions about infidelity. A mutlimethod design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data on participants' perceptions and definitions of infidelity. Quantitative data was collected through participants' answers to questions on a scale about perceptions of potentially unfaithful behaviors that was developed …

What Do They Do In Las Vegas Strip Casinos? An Analysis Of The Attitudes And Behaviors Of Gen Y Casino Customers, Mei Iok Un

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Totaling over 63 million, Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, is the new generation of casino customers (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011). While there are no specific dates to mark its beginning and ending, individuals born between 1982 and 1994 are generally considered as Millennials or Gen Yers. A survey conducted by the American Gaming Association (2013) revealed that Gen Y casino customers made up the highest casino visitation rate with 39% having visited a casino in the previous year; however, it is also shown that Gen Yers spends more on non-gaming departments and have less intention to …

Seasonal And Diurnal Behavioral Patterns Of Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, That Exhibit High Site And Low Site Fidelity To Mississippi Sound, Shauna Marisa Mcbride

Master's Theses

This study examined whether bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) exhibit site fidelity to the Mississippi Sound and how the seasonal and diurnal behavioral patterns of dolphins that exhibit high site fidelity to the Mississippi Sound differ from those of dolphins with lower site fidelity. Opportunistic surveys conducted from July 2006 to April 2010 were analyzed. Statistical analyses consisted of nonparametric tests (Spearman's correlation, loglinear models, and Pearson's chi-square) to compare behavioral patterns of high site fidelity, mixed, and low site fidelity groups. Behavioral patterns significantly differed between site fidelity groups across seasons and diurnal periods. Feeding behavior was observed significantly more …

The Impact Of Kindergarten Teachers' Theoretical Orientation To Reading On Curricular Planning And Classroom Practice In Literacy., Jacquelyn J. Singleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using case-study analysis, this dissertation is a qualitative examination of kindergarten teachers’ beliefs, theoretical orientation toward reading, and outside pressures and their impact upon the educators’ classroom practice for literacy instruction. Selected for the study based upon their scores on DeFord’s Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (1985), eight teachers participated in two in-depth interviews and two separate 30-minute classroom observations for which they provided lesson plans. They also completed the Reading Interest-A-Lyzer (Reis, 2005). The results were coded with a coding scheme developed around the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and Vygotsky’s Activity Theory—the theoretical framework for the current study. …

Post-Mortem Analysis Of Cortical Thickness And Neuronal Morphometry In Autism., Shweta Sunil Kamat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of conditions characterized by a broad spectrum of deficiencies related to social communication, both verbal and non-verbal, as well as repetitive behaviors such as rocking back and forth, or arm flapping. This devastating group of disorders affects millions of people regardless of their socioeconomic, ethnic and racial backgrounds. Among other issues such as migraines, sensory deficits and intense aggression, epilepsy is a major neurological disorder very highly associated with ASD; roughly one third of all ASD patients are diagnosed with epilepsy, and a much higher proportion suffer from at least one seizure in …

The Mediating Effect Of Homework Between Self-Regulated Learning And Science Achievement., Matthew D. Kingsley 1968-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Homework has been shown to have a significant, positive effect on student achievement and grades, particularly at the secondary level (Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006). However, homework completion and its effect on grades is controlled within the realm of the student and its success as a learning strategy depends on many things including the students’ interest in the subject, their confidence, the time they have to complete it, gender and other factors within the home such as parent education level and parent involvement (Trautwein & Ludtke, 2007; J. Xu, 2007; J. Xu, Corno, Lyn, 2006). Through the work of Eccles …

Knitting As Art., Deborah Levine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hand knitting is my chosen technique for making art. Because knitting is traditionally thought of as craft, my work must overcome several obstacles in order to be valued as art. First, objects made using craft techniques and materials are often functional; even when it is not, we view them as such and value them less than art. Second, the materials and techniques used for knitting are not traditional fine art materials. This has changed; process and materials are what much contemporary art is about. Yet the bias against craft techniques and materials persists. Finally, knitting is viewed as woman's work …

Psychosocial And Environmental Determinants Of Physical Activity In Elementary School Children : Implications For Interventions To Reduce Childhood Obesity., Jiying Ling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Childhood obesity has become a national public health crisis in America. Physical activity has been shown to be one key for controlling childhood obesity, but little is known about the mediators and moderators in physical activity promotion models. In particular, the immediate time afterschool provides an important opportunity for children to be active, only 20% of their afterschool time is used for physical activity. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to explore the psychosocial and environmental determinants of physical activity, and to examine the influence of wearing pedometers on the hypothesized determinants (physical activity self-efficacy, physical activity enjoyment, …

Language And Literacy Supports In Early Childhood Classrooms: Comparing Ratings Of Teachers And Observers, Kayla Polk

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A number of early literacy skills, including oral language skills, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and print knowledge, have been identified as precursor skills to later literacy skills and outcomes. Previous research has documented that many early childhood educators lack adequate knowledge and skills to implement practices necessary to foster emergent language and literacy development. This research was conducted to examine early childhood educators’ awareness of their classroom practices supporting language and literacy skills. A 48-item self-rating survey was created based upon dimensions measured by a widely used reliable and valid observation tool. The observation tool was used in 34 teachers’ …

Sistahs With Voices : Influences That Affected The College Choice Of High-Achieving African American Women Who Chose To Attend A Predominantly White Institution Instead Of An Historically Black College Or University., Angela Denise Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite a long struggle to gain access, African Americans have always highly valued education. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) were established specifically to educate this group, but the integration of predominately White institutions (PWI) in the 1960s led to decreased HBCU enrollments and, thus, challenges to their continued relevance. The numerous options for higher education add to the complexities of college choice, especially for students who have various intersecting identities to consider (e.g., African American women). The purpose of this study was to discover what influenced eight high-achieving African American women who chose to attend a PWI instead of …

Deconstructing Saccades : Identifying The Components Of Saccades That Produce Saccade-Induced Retrieval Enhancement., James Matthew Edlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies have found that performing repetitive saccades for 30 s improves subsequent memory retrieval. Although the effect is well established, the mechanism by which saccades affect retrieval is currently unknown. Saccade-induced retrieval enhancement (SIRE) has been hypothesized to be a product of increasing: interaction between the hemispheres, interaction within the hemispheres, or attentional control. It is currently unknown which components of the saccade activity are necessary to produce SIRE. The saccade activity in previous SIRE research is similar to an orienting activity that produces predictive saccades. Predictive saccades begin as exogenous orienting to a rhythmically alternating target. After a …

A Non-Invasive Method For Measuring Blood Flow Rate In Superficial Veins From A Single Thermal Image., Heba E. Farag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer vision is a field that includes methods for processing, analyzing, acquiring and understanding images to produce numerical or symbolic information to develop methodologies and solutions for many problems in many fields. Here the concept of computer vision is being used for understanding certain human physiology and behaviors using thermal imaging alone or in conjunction with other imaging modalities. The applications of this work span a wide range of studies in human-machine interfacing vis-à-vis feedback controls that can be used to remotely determine whether a patient is in need of medical assistance or to help integrate young children with learning …

Cultural Interpretations Of Socratic And Confucian Education Philosophy., Wang Heng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Socrates and Confucius constitute roots of western and eastern civilization respectively, as well as represent very different cultural values and educational traditions. Because of the very limited existing literature on the study of their educational philosophies, this paper is devoted to a comparative study of their educational philosophies, attempting to examine their historical and cultural contexts and unravel their implications on the current educational practices. The method employed in the study is hermeneutics, or interpretation of the literary texts. At the same time, the study is also cross-cultural in nature. Both of the philosophers lived around 4-5th century B.C.E., but …

Face Recognition In The Wild., Mostafa A. Farag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in face recognition deals with problems related to Age, Pose, Illumination and Expression (A-PIE), and seeks approaches that are invariant to these factors. Video images add a temporal aspect to the image acquisition process. Another degree of complexity, above and beyond A-PIE recognition, occurs when multiple pieces of information are known about people, which may be distorted, partially occluded, or disguised, and when the imaging conditions are totally unorthodox! A-PIE recognition in these circumstances becomes really “wild” and therefore, Face Recognition in the Wild has emerged as a field of research in the past few years. Its main purpose …

Seeking Bob Thompson : Dialogue/Object., Slade Stumbo 1971-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the research, development, and implementation of the exhibition Seeking Bob Thompson. The exhibition portion of this curatorial project was completed in the fall of 2012 using work in the Hite Art Institute collection as well as works borrowed from commercial galleries, art centers, and private collections throughout the United States. Intended to re-expose and reveal the well-known but little exhibited in his hometown, Louisville artist, Bob Thompson, the project focused on delineating reoccurring themes in Thompson's oeuvre that were pertinent to his own process of establishing and defining his artistic identity with particular attention to his appropriations …

Using A Three-Dimensional Model To Understand Age Differences In The Framing Effect, Tara E. Karns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study used a between-subjects design with three instruction conditions to investigate susceptibility to the framing effect among younger, middle-aged, and older adults. Participants were instructed to pay attention to the facts and numbers, to use their gut feelings, or to use their previous experiences to respond to two decision-making scenarios pertaining to treatment for lung cancer and a vaccination for a flu virus. Results revealed that, overall, the framing effect was present in the lung cancer scenario, but not the flu scenario. Instruction condition and age did not affect susceptibility to the framing effect; however, a frame by …

Meeting The Demand For Local Food In West Virginia: An Analysis Of Factors Influencing Producers' Market Participation And Expansion Decisions, Ruth Mary Oldham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increasing demand in local food markets in WV offers a new or enhanced income generation opportunity to small producers. An ostensible gap in supply to meet this demand sparks an investigation of the factors that influence producers' decisions, as reflected by their behavior and intentions, to participate and expand in local food markets. The factors that influence both the behavior of current commercial producers and potential new entrants are identified through analysis of data collected through a survey of producers identified by field professionals. Specifically, the influence of motivational and place-based sociocultural characteristics, based on guidance from social psychology Theory …

The Influence Of Gender On The Peer Leadership-Cohesion Relationship, Michael E. Berrebi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research shows that a moderate to large cohesion-performance relationship exists, suggesting teams that build strong social and task cohesion are more likely to be successful. This effect has also found to be stronger in female over male teams. Peer leadership positions are somewhat overshadowed by coach positions on sport teams but can have an important influence on a team's task and social cohesion. This study investigated the influence gender has on the peer leadership-cohesion relationship. Participants were 381 NCAA Division I male and female soccer players from 67 different universities. Each participant completed questionnaires assessing team cohesion and athlete leader …

Stressors And Coping Behaviors Of Female Peer Leaders Participating In College Club Sports, Leigh A. Bryant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peer leadership positions on collegiate club sport teams can be valuable opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, maintain healthy habits, create friendships, and foster organizational and personal connections across the university setting. Nevertheless, involvement in club sports can create stress over and above the many stressors that college students may encounter during their undergraduate experience. This study focused on exploring female leaders' perceived stressors inside and outside of the sport setting, and the ways in which they coped with them. Participants ( N = 7) were interviewed based on nominations from their respective teammates. Interviews were conducted using a …

Exploring A Prefigurative Culture In The Immigrant Family: A Look At The Sociolinguistic Impact Of Children On The Immigrant Parent, Melissa Katherine Mcintosh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), 12.9% of the population in the United States is that of immigrants. With this increase in recent immigration, the population of limited English speakers has also increased which includes both children and adults. While much research has been done in terms of how bilingualism and biculturalism have impacted the children within immigrant families, very few studies have focused on the parents and how the children's English language learning and acculturation have impacted their own English learning and acculturation. This study was intended to fill that lack of research by exploring the sociolinguistic impact …

Emotion Regulation And Cardiovascular Response To Emotion Provocation: Reappraisal Versus Suppression, Casey E. Cavanagh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Emotion regulation is a process through which individuals alter the subjective, behavioral and physiological responses to emotional experiences. Within the emotion regulation model, reappraisal and suppression are two strategies that have been studied extensively. However, this research has largely ignored the effects of individual differences in emotion regulation when examining reappraisal and suppression. The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in reappraisal and suppression (e.g., one's preferred emotion regulation strategy) as well as examining the effects of instructional use of reappraisal and suppression. In the present study, participants, classified as habitual reappraisers and habitual suppressors, engaged in …

Differences In Interpersonal Problems Among Bereaved Vs. Non-Bereaved College Students: The Impact Of Loneliness And Social Inhibition, Adam M. Moller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explored the differences in loneliness and social inhibition between parentally bereaved and non-bereaved college students. Participants from West Virginia and Montana State universities were recruited through flyers, newspaper advertisements, and Craigslist.com. Those who volunteered were directed to a website to complete an online survey that included basic demographic information, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Socially Inhibited subscale of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-64. Bereavement status (bereaved vs. non-bereaved) and gender of participant (male vs. female) were the independent variables in the study. Loneliness and social inhibition were the dependent variables. A MANOVA was conducted to explore the …

The Science Of Team Science: Exploring Principal Investigator Leadership Style And Team Collaboration Satisfaction, Stephenie K. Kennedy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationship between the leadership style of principal investigators (PIs) of interdisciplinary research teams at academic health science centers and the collaboration satisfaction of their team members. Two stage sampling was used. One hundred NIH-funded principal investigators at eight regional health science centers completed a team identification form, identifying their teams as interdisciplinary and providing the names and emails of team members. An online survey instrument that included a basic demographic questionnaire, the Bolman and Deal Leadership (Others) Survey, and the Collaboration and Transdisciplinary Integration Survey was then sent to team members. The sample used for analysis …

Effects Of Fixed And Mixed Delays On Responding Under Variable-Interval Schedules, James E. Cook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Delays to reinforcement are ubiquitous in the natural environment, where those delays often vary. Still, most research examining delayed reinforcement has focused only on fixed delays. Little research has examined the effects of variable delays. Nonresetting fixed and mixed delays to reinforcement were imposed on the responding of 4 pigeons previously maintained on a multiple variable-interval (VI) VI schedule of immediate reinforcement. Mixed delays consisted of two alternating delay values, the mean of which equaled the value of the fixed delay. A progressive delay procedure was used, in which delay durations increased across successive sessions. Conditions included using unsignaled (Mixed-Change) …

Classroom Management Strategies: The Impact On Student Achievement, Hope Sowell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal comparative study was to test the theoretical Classroom Management Teacher Behavior Continuum of Wolfgang and Glickman (1980) that suggests that interventionist, noninterventionist, and interactionalist classrooms may differ in student outcomes. This study explored whether student outcomes in statewide standardized tests reading, English language arts, and math differ by interventionist, noninterventionist, or interactionalist teacher instruction management (IM) and behavior management (BM) styles. Survey data from eighty-three 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers regarding instructional and behavioral classroom management beliefs were contrasted in the percentage students passing standardized tests of reading, ELA, and math using MANOVA at …

Mathematics Interventions: A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Level Of Implementation Of The Accelerated Math Program And Student Achievement, Deborah Walker Driesel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current legislation, such as No Child Left Behind (2001) or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), has increased accountability for schools for the education of all students. These laws require schools to provide interventions for struggling learners, as part of the Response to Intervention process (IDEA, 2004). Accelerated Math (AM), published by Renaissance Learning, is a scientifically based program designed to supplement quality instruction as part of the RtI process. This correlational study examined ex post facto data using pre and posttest scores on the STAR Math Test in relation to amount of classroom time dedicated to AM instruction …

Soros’S Reflexivity Concept In A Complex World: Cauchy Distributions, Rational Expectations, And Rational Addiction, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

George Soros makes an important analytical contribution to understanding the concept of reflexivity in social science by explaining reflexivity in terms of how his cognitive and manipulative causal functions are connected to one another by a pair of feedback loops (Soros, 2013). Fallibility, reflexivity and the human uncertainty principle. Here I put aside the issue of how the natural sciences and social sciences are related, an issue he discusses, and focus on how his thinking applies in economics. I argue that standard economics assumes a ‘classical’ view of the world in which knowledge and action are independent, but that we …