Digital Commons Network^™

Multisensory Cue Congruency In Lane Change Test, Yuanjing Sun

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Nowadays, a driver interacts with multiple systems while driving. Multimodal in-vehicle technologies (e.g., Personal Navigation Devices) intend to facilitate multitasking while driving. Multimodality enables to reduce cognitive effort in information processing, but not always. The present study aims to investigate how/when auditory cues could improve driver responses to a visual target. We manipulated three dimensions (spatial, semantic, and temporal) of verbal and nonverbal cues to interact with visual spatial instructions. Multimodal displays were compared with unimodal (visual-only) displays to see whether they would facilitate or degrade a vehicle control task. Twenty-six drivers participated in the Auditory-Spatial Stroop experiment using a …

Effectiveness Of The Qar Reading Strategy On Science Reading, Courtney Anne Broser

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Questions-Answer Relationship (QAR) is a reading strategy that guides student comprehension by allowing the student to demonstrate their ability to determine importance, make inferences, and monitor comprehension through questions. The study was conducted on high school students in physical science to determine if the implementation of the QAR would improve content area literacy knowledge and confidence from pre-test and post-test data. Pedagogies included modeling, collaboration, independent work, guided practice, direct instruction, and inquiry laboratories. Through the implementation of the QAR method, the researcher found that students that learned new reading strategies gained confidence and were more engaged in the …

The Miller Revolution, Cara H. Drinan

Scholarly Articles

In a series of cases culminating in Miller v. Alabama, the United States Supreme Court has limited the extent to which juveniles may be exposed to the harshest criminal sentences. Scholars have addressed discrete components of these recent Court decisions, from their Eighth Amendment methodology to their effect upon state legislation. In this Article, I draw upon that scholarship to make a broader claim: the Miller trilogy has revolutionized juvenile justice. While we have begun to see only the most inchoate signs of this revolution in practice, this Article endeavors to describe what this revolution may look like both in …

Personality Characteristics And Experiential Avoidance In Trichotillomania: Results From An Age And Gender Matched Sample, Chad T. Wetterneck, Eric B. Lee, Christopher A. Flessner, Rachel C. Leonard, Douglas W. Woods

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Despite its prevalence and a growing body of research, significant gaps remain in the knowledge of trichotillomania (TTM). The current study sought to address this issue by examining personality characteristics, impulsivity, and experiential avoidance of those with TTM compared to an age and gender matched sample. 56 Female participants (28 with TTM and 28 non-clinical age-matched controls) completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Barratt's Impulsivity Scale (BIS), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ). Paired-sample t-tests compared each of the 28 individuals who met criteria for TTM to an age and gender matched individual who did not meet criteria …

An Empirical Examination Of Symptom Substitution Associated With Behavior Therapy For Tourette's Disorder, Alan L. Peterson, Joseph F. Mcguire, Sabine Wilhelm, John Piacentini, Douglas W. Woods, John T. Walkup, John P. Hatch, Robert Villarreal, Lawrence Scahill

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Over the past six decades, behavior therapy has been a major contributor to the development of evidence-based psychotherapy treatments. However, a long-standing concern with behavior therapy among many nonbehavioral clinicians has been the potential risk for symptom substitution. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate symptom substitution in response to behavioral treatments, largely due to measurement and definitional challenges associated with treated psychiatric symptoms. Given the overt motor and vocal tics associated with Tourette’s disorder, it presents an excellent opportunity to empirically evaluate the potential risk for symptom substitution associated with behavior therapy. The present study examined the possible presence …

Assessing Impairment In Childhood Adhd: Validation Of The Parent And Teacher Adhd-Fx Rating Scale In A Dual-Site Clinical Sample, Lauren M. Haack, Kelsey Gonring, Michael Harris, Alyson C. Gerdes, Linda Pfiffner

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: The current study sought to establish psychometric properties of the ADHD-FX (a culturally sensitive measure designed to assess functional impairment related to ADHD) in a dual-site clinical sample. Method: We analyzed patient charts of 67 children (47 boys and 20 girls, ages 5 to 15 years) receiving comprehensive assessments from two university-based ADHD clinics. Results: The parent and teacher ADHD-FX rating scales demonstrated good psychometric properties via adequate reliability (Cronbach’s α > .70), convergent construct validity (significant correlations with majority of theoretically related measures), and divergent construct validity (insignificant correlations with majority of theoretically unrelated measures). Conclusion: Results extend upon …

What Difference Do Bystanders Make? The Association Of Bystander Involvement With Victim Outcomes In A Community Sample, Sherry L. Hamby, Marcela C. Weber, John H. Grych, Victoria Banyard

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To fill gaps in the bystander literature by describing patterns of bystander involvement and associations between bystander involvement and victim outcomes across different types of emotional, physical, and sexual victimizations and to expand these considerations to a rural rather than urban sample. Method: Adults and adolescents (n = 1,703) were surveyed about bystander actions, bystander safety, and victim outcomes (injury, disrupted routine, fear level, and current mental health) for 10 forms of victimization. Results: Bystanders were present for roughly 2 thirds of most victimization types (59% to 67%), except sexual victimization (17%). Relatives were the most common bystanders of …

Strengths, Narrative, And Resilience: Restorying Resilience Research, Sherry L. Hamby, Victoria Banyard, John H. Grych

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To envision a path toward a more strengths-based approach to violence research, prevention, and intervention—a path that focuses on thriving and resilience. Key Points: Both the content and the process of research need to change if we are to transform our efforts to understand and overcome adversity. Greater focus on strengths and the achievement of well-being despite adversity is 1 important avenue; focusing on the narrative and the power of story is another important path. However, merely shifting the focus of traditional research and scholarly efforts is not enough. At another level of analysis, the field needs communication across …

Validation Of The Vaccination Confidence Scale: A Brief Measure To Identify Parents At Risk For Refusing Adolescent Vaccines, Melissa Gilkey, Paul Reiter, Brooke E. Magnus, Annie-Laurie Mcree, Amanda F. Dempsey, Joseph M. Brewer

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To validate a brief measure of vaccination confidence using a large, nationally representative sample of parents.

Methods

We analyzed weighted data from 9018 parents who completed the 2010 National Immunization Survey–Teen, an annual, population-based telephone survey. Parents reported on the immunization history of a 13- to 17-year-old child in their households for vaccines including tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccines. For each vaccine, separate logistic regression models assessed associations between parents' mean scores on the 8-item Vaccination Confidence Scale and vaccine refusal, vaccine delay, and vaccination status. We repeated analyses for the scale's 4-item …

Engaging Practice In Communication Education: Institutional Politics, Knowledge Economy, And State Power, Wincharles Coker

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A grave concern in communication education scholarship is that research in practice plays second fiddle to theory. Little is known about the phenomenology of practice in communication pedagogy, and how it shapes and is shaped by programmatic assessment in particular. This dissertation attempts to explore the complexity of practice in communication education in a non-Western culture. The project demonstrates that the organizational culture that gives rise to the work of communication program administrators is always filtered and enacted through the interplay of institutional politics, the global knowledge economy, and state power. Using two public universities in Ghana, I argue, based …

Getting Active With Passive Crossings: Investigating The Efficacy Of In-Vehicle Auditory Alerts For Rail Road Crossings, Steven Landry

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Train-vehicle collisions at highway-rail grade crossings continue to be a major issue in the US and across the world. Installing additional hardware at individual crossings is expensive, time consuming, and potentially ineffective. To prevent recent trends in safety improvement from plateauing, experts are turning towards novel warning devices that can be applied to all crossings with minimal cost. In-vehicle auditory alerts (IVAAs) could potentially remedy many of the human factor issues related to crossing safety in a cost effective manner.

This thesis presents a series of experiments designing and testing an IVAA system for grade level railroad (RR) crossings. Study …

"Unblackboxing" Technology Through The Rhetoric Of Technical Communication: Biometric Technology And Ghana's 2012 Election, Isidore Dorpenyo

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In this project, I seek to “unblackbox” technology; by which I mean, I seek to, in the words of Latour, “open up” or “debug” the biometric technology used by Ghana for its 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. Through the process of “unblackboxing,” I demonstrate the value of technical communicators to technology studies by analyzing technical documents that accompanied the biometric verification device which was adopted and used by Ghana to conduct its 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. I argue in this dissertation that technical documentation does not merely accommodate users to technologies, but also it provides avenues to articulate broader …

Investigating The Social Habitat Of Deer Hunters In Michigan, Christopher Henderson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

State wildlife management agencies are funded primarily by revenue from hunting and angling license sales as well as federal excise taxes on equipment. These agencies are also responsible for managing wildlife populations and providing recreational resources to the public. Declines in hunting participation across much of the United States throughout the last two decades have prompted researchers and wildlife professionals to search for explanations and solutions that will ensure a level of funding for state agencies that allows continued management of wildlife within biological and social carrying capacities, engagement in conservation initiatives, and development of recreational opportunities. Most of the …

East-West Cultural Differences In Visual Attention Tasks: Identifying Multiple Mechanisms And Developing A Predictive Model, Yin Yin Tan

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Past research has identified East-West differences in visual attention associated with holistic versus analytic perception and reasoning strategies (Nisbett et al., 2001; Boduroglu et al., 2009). These cross-cultural differences might stem from several different mechanisms, which may include: interference suppression, response inhibition, attention to detail vs. object configuration, stimulus centrality vs. eccentricity, number of visual distractors (e.g., display set size or clutter), and others.

Although research has shown East-West differences, the results sometimes appear inconsistent with each other, or they lack clear predictions from underlying theories. For example, evidence of a preference for cluttered displays (Wang et al., 2012), evidence …

Designing Better Symbols: An Attentional Approach To Match Symbols To Performance Goals, Hannah North

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Effective displays require symbol sets that are customized to specific tasks and performance goals. In order to create such sets, designers must account for the effects of top-down and bottom-up attention. The current work presents a pair of experiments that examined the effects of salience and cueing in a change detection tasks within the flicker paradigm (Rensink, O’Regan and Clark, 1997). Each trial, participants either received no cue or a cue indicating which symbol would be the target. This cueing manipulation isolated top-down effects to the cued condition. Consistent with previous studies (Orchard, 2012; Steelman, Orchard, Fletcher, Cockshell, Williamson & …

“Modern Day Slavery”- Implications Of A Label, Mary Graw Leary

Scholarly Articles

Over the last decades much progress has been made in the fight against human trafficking. As with any social movement, divisions exists among activists and scholars on the most effective direction to execute social change. Often, these focus on language. One such critical discussion is whether it is appropriate to label human trafficking “Modern Day Slavery.” Although the term has existed for several years, the analogy gained a more full acceptance with its use by President Obama in September 2012 when he described “the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking which must be called by its true name -- modern …

Law Student Mediators Wear A Triple Crown: Skilled, Sellable, & Successful, Laurie A. Lewis

Scholarly Articles

This Article considers several trends that converge to make it a highly favorable time for law students to obtain mediation training and work as mediators prior to graduating. Part I summarizes a brief history of the modern ADR movement, and mediation's emergence as the ADR methodology of choice. Part II discusses the proliferation of live clinics in law schools, with a special emphasis upon mediation clinics and their role in teaching unique practice-ready skills. Part III focuses on the practicalities of community mediation training as well as state requirements for mediators. Finally, Part IV considers the tight legal job market …

Imprisonment Inertia And Public Attitudes Toward "Truth In Sentencing", Michael M. O'Hear, Darren Wheelock

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In the space of a few short years in the 1990s, forty-two states adopted truth in sentencing (“TIS”) laws, which eliminated or greatly curtailed opportunities for criminal defendants to obtain parole release from prison. In the following decade, the pendulum seemingly swung in the opposite direction, with thirty-six states adopting new early release opportunities for prisoners. However, few of these initiatives had much impact, and prison populations continued to rise. The TIS ideal remained strong. In the hope of developing a better understanding of these trends and of the prospects for more robust early release reforms in the future, the …

“Mitigate From Day One”: Why Effective Defense Advocates Do Not Prioritize Liberty Over Life In Death Penalty Cases, Jesse Cheng

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Representation Of The Iraqi War, Middle Eastern Culture, And Women In Benjamin Buchholz's One Hundred And One Nights, Entidhar Hamzah Abbas Al-Rashid

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Iraqi war not only affected Iraqi culture but also had a significant impact on a historically marginalized member of Iraqi society, namely, women. The American novelist Benjamin Buchholz explored the life of Iraqis from a unique perspective after his 2003 deployment. Instead of writing from the perspective of an American soldier, he gave an Iraqi perspective on the effect of the US-led invasion on Iraqi culture through the eyes of his two main protagonists, Abu Saheeh and Layla. In his novel, One Hundred and One Nights, Buchholz addresses the effect of war on Iraqi culture generally and Middle Eastern …

The Impact Of Writing Intensive Courses On Writing Apprehension And Academic Motivation, Jacqueline Suzanne Byrket

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Current research in writing apprehension lacks evaluation of psychology course effectiveness in reducing this trepidation. The present study focused on three psychology courses and utilized Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2002) and student instructor rapport to assess changes in writing apprehension. Participants (N = 78) from three upperclass level courses completed the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS), Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), Daly-Miller Writing Apprehension Test-Revised (WAT-R), and Student Instructor Rapport Scale (SIRS-9) at the beginning and end of the semester. Even though pre-/post-test differences were non-significant for all three courses, the Experimental Psychology class exhibited the greatest decrease …

Exploring Test Anxiety In Bsn Nursing Students, Annette Marie Keller

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Test anxiety is a phenomenon that was identified through research in the domains of education and psychology during the 1950s – 1960s. As test anxiety and its effects have been identified and addressed in nursing programs, the same treatment modalities have been applied without evidence that nursing students experience test anxiety in the same manner as other students. The purpose of this study was to describe test anxiety as experienced by BSN nursing students using the sequential explanatory mixed methods design in an effort to gain insight into the anxiety experience of nursing students. A sample of 73 junior and …

Practicing Positive Coping Strategies For Managing Math Anxiety In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Courtney Kathleen Smith-Nelson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to explore student and teacher perceptions on the usefulness of teaching students to practice positive coping strategies for managing math anxiety in a high school International Baccalaureate mathematics classroom. This study used a reflective action research methodology in which students' math anxiety levels were assessed using Alexander and Martray's Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (1989). Students were then surveyed on their use of coping strategies for managing math anxiety, presented with a variety of positive coping strategies, and asked to rate each strategy on its perceived worth and the likelihood that they …

Student Athletes And Factors That Determine Their Social Support Circle, Elizabeth Anne Gelhaus

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Research has shown that the risk of athletic injury increases with increased psychological stress and that social support can help reduce risk of injury. Collegiate athletic trainers spend a considerable amount of time with and build unique relationships with the athletes on whom they work with. However, no research is available on specific factors that cause an athlete to turn to an athletic trainer for social support. An electronic survey was developed and sent to 938 local collegiate athletes to determine if, how, and why student athletes utilize athletic trainers for social support. The results from this study found that …

Publication Of Government-Funded Research, Open Access, And The Public Interest, Julie L. Kimbrough, Laura N. Gasaway

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Public access to government-funded research is an issue of tremendous importance to researchers, librarians, and ordinary citizens around the world. Based on the notion that taxpayers finance research through their tax dollars, research data should be available to them. Rapid, unfettered access to research publications provides access to medical research to patients, encourages further exploration and inquiry by other researchers, informs citizens, and advances scientific research.

Scientists typically write articles that divulge the results of their government-funded research. Prior to the open access movement, these articles were published in commercially produced journals. Subscriptions to these journals are expensive, and cost …

How Smart Is Too Smart?: How Privacy Concerns Threaten Modern Energy Infrastructure, Megan Mclean

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Smart meters are integral to the health of our electric grid and are critical to a reliable, affordable, and efficient energy economy. Yet, collection of smart meter data is raising privacy concerns that are inspiring pockets of resistance to smart meter installation around the country. The fact that these data, like many other kinds of personal information, can and often do flow to the government should not prevent their collection and use. It is critical for environmental and energy regulators to have access to this data to maximize the potential of our energy system. On the state level, several legislatures …

The Role Of Empathy In Hindsight Bias, Malindi Jeri Gowen

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Hindsight bias has been operationally defined as "…the tendency for people with outcome knowledge (hindsight) to believe falsely that they would have predicted the reported outcome of an event" (Hawkins and Hastie, 1990, pg. 311). The role of empathy in hindsight bias has not received systematic attention. Previous research has shown that giving participants prevention information increased hindsight bias (Kubany, 2005). Thus, the current study hypothesized that hindsight participants placed in empathic situations should show greater probability judgments for the outcome than hindsight participants in no empathic conditions, and both should be greater than participants in foresight conditions. Participants were …

Complexity In Modern War: Examining Hybrid War And Future U.S. Security Challenges, Joseph Dvorak

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Hybrid warfare is a recently formed concept that focuses on the complexity of modern conflicts and those in the future. After the Russian Federation annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, US and Western analysts started using the term hybrid warfare to describe Moscow's strategy. Analysts and policymakers are starting to consider the approach and direction in Ukraine to be a new and unique type of warfare. This study discusses the usefulness of the term hybrid warfare and examines two case studies that reflect the characteristics of hybrid war, the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, to determine if hybrid warfare is …

Conflict Resolution In Children And The Association Between Parenting Style And The Children’S Own Social Skills, Afroza Parvin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations among parenting styles, social skills and conflict resolution strategies of children with their peers. Twenty children aged 5 to 10 years and twenty parents participated in the study. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire and an adapted questionnaire from The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) were used to measure parental styles and social skills of children respectively. Children were interviewed to assess their conflict resolution strategies by using six hypothetical stories taken from two different studies. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for data analyses. …

Promoting Bullying Prevention And Intervention Through Forgiveness Education, Amy Gregory

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There is growing recognition of the severe, adverse long-term effects that bullying behaviors have, on the victims or on bullies. Although there are many existing anti-bullying programs that are designed to counteract both the behaviors and their potential long-term negative effects, forgiveness education programs may also be used to help create a positive school climate in which bullies can take responsibility for their behaviors and begin to reintegrate into the social fabric of the school. The purpose of this research proposal is to examine the effects of the International Forgiveness Institute's (IFI) forgiveness education curriculum in comparison to an anti-bullying …