Digital Commons Network^™

Required Donations: Prospect Theory & Framing Of Per-Seat Contributions In Intercollegiate Athletics [Abstract], Jason D. Reese, Gregg Bennett

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Consequence Of Anthropogenic Disturbance On Communication And The Operation Of Sexual Selection In The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia Sialis), Ellen Michale Wisner

Biology - Dissertations

Signals that are efficiently transmitted and easily detected in their signaling environment are favored by natural selection. Anthropogenic disturbance can rapidly alter the signaling environment, and recent studies have shown that acoustic and visual signals change in response to these altered habitats. Although these studies provide important insight into the effects of urbanization on animal signals and have served as experiments testing the role of the environment in shaping signal design, several key aspects of how signal design can be influenced by environmental changes remain unclear.

Previous studies have focused on signals used between adults, such as those used in …

Quieting Cognitive Bias With Standards For Witness Communications, Melanie D. Wilson

Scholarly Articles

Last year, as part of a project to revise the ABA Criminal Justice Standards for Prosecution and Defense Functions, the ABA Criminal Justice Section initiated roundtable discussions with prosecutors, criminal defense lawyers, and academics throughout the United States. The Standards under review provide aspirational guidance for all criminal law practitioners. This Article stems from the Criminal Justice Section's undertaking. It considers the wording, scope, and propriety of several of the proposed changes that address lawyer-witness communications. It begins with a discussion of the effects of cognitive bias on these communications and explains why carefully tailored Standards may lessen the detrimental …

Relationship-Based Persuasion: A Guide For The Cpa, Maryanne Atkinson, James H. Thompson

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Business

An issue faced by a CPA on a regular basis is how to persuade a client to take a recommended action. Maybe your client is unprepared financially for the future and needs to establish a retirement account. As much as your client understands the importance of planning for retirement, the allure of a new car or a kitchen renovation may be too great, and that sensible alternative you are recommending may be ignored until some uncertain future date. Or, maybe the client’s internal controls are inadequate. For many small businesses, where trust in employees is paramount, internal controls may be …

Pantomime In Great Apes: Evidence And Implications, Ann E. Russon, Kristin Andrews

Sentience Collection

We recently demonstrated, by mining observational data, that forest-living orangutans can communicate using gestures that qualify as Pantomime. Pantomimes, like other iconic gestures, physically resemble their referents. More elaborately, pantomimes involve enacting their referents. Holding thumb and finger together at the lips and blowing between them to mean balloon is one example. Here we sketch evidence of pantomime in other great apes, methodological concerns, and sophisticated cognitive capabilities that great ape pantomimes suggest.

Women & Language: Essays On Gendered Communication Across Media, Melissa R. Ames

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The present volume of essays examines women's communication as it has evolved historically across multiple mediums. Part I explores how women became "gossip girls" and the important role of gossip in the perception and practice of female communication. Essays in Part II cover the convergence of oral and written communication in women's literature. Gendered performance in such arenas as salsa dance, Dr. Phil and the Internet is examined in Part III, and essays in Part IV discuss women's communication in the technology-rich 21st century. This excerpt features the introduction and one essay from the co-editor.

Women & Language: Essays On Gendered Communication Across Media, Melissa R. Ames

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The present volume of essays examines women's communication as it has evolved historically across multiple mediums. Part I explores how women became "gossip girls" and the important role of gossip in the perception and practice of female communication. Essays in Part II cover the convergence of oral and written communication in women's literature. Gendered performance in such arenas as salsa dance, Dr. Phil and the Internet is examined in Part III, and essays in Part IV discuss women's communication in the technology-rich 21st century. This excerpt features the introduction and one essay from the co-editor.

Using The Commons To Facilitate Health Communication, Anna Liebzeit, Karen Adams, Mat Jakobi

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Free Space Optical Communications With High Intensity Laser Power Beaming, Daniel Edward Raible

ETD Archive

This research demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing high intensity laser power beaming (HILPB) systems as a conduit for robust free-space optical communications over large distances and in challenging atmospheric conditions. The uniqueness of vertical multi-junction (VMJ) photovoltaic cells used in HILPB systems in their ability to receive and to convert at high efficiency, very high intensity laser light of over 200 W/cm2, presents a unique opportunity for the development of the robust free space optical communication system by modulating information signals onto the transmitted high intensity photonic energy. Experiments were conducted to investigate and validate several optical communications concepts. A …

Olfactory Communication And Indivdual Recognition In Eulemur Mongoz, The Mongoose Lemur, Katherine Smith

Theses & ETDs

Olfactory communication is a major aspect in lemur biology and behavior. Since it was first studied, research and experiments have focused on Lemur catta, the ring-tailed lemur. The purpose of this thesis was to begin to bridge the information gap that existed between L. catta and most other lemurs, by trying to determine whether Eulemur mongoz, the mongoose lemur, could distinguish between individuals based solely on olfactory communication. A habituation/dishabituation experiment was done using a total of eight E. mongoz from the Lemur Conservation Foundation in Myakka City, Florida. Pads that were marked with a conspecific�s scent were presented in …

Communicating Privacy A Politico-Philosophical Investigation Of Private Autonomy In Deliberative Democracy, Kristin Malossi

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is a dual interrogation of the right to privacy and communication in the public sphere as two essentially-related components of a constitutional democracy. A �paradox of privacy� occurs when the law oversteps its own self-limit under the purported goal of enhancing private autonomy. In light of this paradox, any established normative account of privacy runs the risk of contradicting the actual experiences of some citizens. When private autonomy is freedom of action within the limits of the law, a normative account of what is private may marginalize voices offering a different account, and may ultimately marginalize those citizens …

Teamstepps Communication And In Situ Simulation Training To Improve Individual And Team Performance During Handoff Of The Immediate Post-Operative Cardiovascular Surgical Patient, Stacy Lynn Jepsen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The aim of this pilot study was to identify if establishing a reliable framework for consistent use of TeamSTEPPS communication would improve the team communication and performance during the critical handoff of the cardiac surgical patient from the OR team to the ICU team. Breakdown in handoff communication has been attributed as the cause of adverse health events, delays in treatment, inappropriate treatment, increased length of stay, and increased costs and inefficiencies from rework. Standardizing handoff communication is a Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal, and immediate postoperative cardiac surgical patients are a high-risk population needing consistently high quality communication …

Females Are Choosier In The Dark: Environment-Dependent Reliance On Courtship Components And Its Impact On Fitness, Aaron S. Rundus, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

A broad understanding of multimodal courtship function necessitates knowledge of the potential information content of signal components, the efficacy of signal components in eliciting the appropriate receiver response, and the fitness consequences of mating decisions based upon various signal components. We present data addressing each of these requirements for the multimodal-signaling wolf spider, Schizocosa floridana Bryant. Using diet manipulations, we first demonstrate that both visual and seismic courtship signals are condition-dependent. Next, using high- and low-quantity diet individuals in mate choice trials across manipulated signaling environments, we demonstrate that the seismic signal is crucial for mating success and further show …

Conceptual Data Management And Communication For Smart Distribution System, J.J. Jamian, M.W. Mustafa, Hazlie Mokhlis, M.A. Bahamdin

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Load adjustment is a new concept in smart grid system that can be used to balance the frequency of the system by adjusting their power consumption. However, the system required to have effective data communication management. The introduction of Smart Home System (which consists of Smart Appliance (SA) and Smart Meter (SM», Smart Regional Server (SRS) and Smart Server (SS) as well as the messaging sequence between these entities will be used to manage data communication in smart distribution system. The communications between these devices will be via Power Line Communication (PLC) and WiMAX as a medium to transfer the …

Evaluation Of Methods For Estimating Fractal Dimension In Motor Imagery-Based Brain Computer Interface, C.K. Loo, A. Samraj, G.C. Lee

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

A brain computer interface BCI enables direct communication between a brain and a computer translating brain activity into computer commands using preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification operations. Feature extraction is crucial, as it has a substantial effect on the classification accuracy and speed. While fractal dimension has been successfully used in various domains to characterize data exhibiting fractal properties, its usage in motor imagery-based BCI has been more recent. In this study, commonly used fractal dimension estimation methods to characterize time series Katz's method, Higuchi's method, rescaled range method, and Renyi's entropy were evaluated for feature extraction in motor imagery-based …

Smart Grid Communication Concept For Frequency Control In Distribution System, J.J. Jamian, M.W. Mustafa, Hazlie Mokhlis, M.A. Baharudin

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

The advancement of electrical device technologies can be used to balance the frequency of the system by adjusting their power consumption. However, this can only be achieved by having good data communication management. The introduction of Smart Home System (which consists of Smart Appliance (SA) and Smart Meter (SM)), Smart Regional Server (SRS) and Smart Server (SS) will be used to manage data communication in smart distribution system. The communications between these devices will be via Power Line Communication (PLC), and WiMAX will be used as a medium to transfer the data to the SRS. Transport Control Protocol (TCP) will …

Environmental Documentary Film: A Contemporary Tool For Social Movement, Rachel Gregg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Building a 21st century movement capable of inspiring social and structural change requires creative education, resourceful collaboration, and civic engagement. The U.S. environmental movement is in need of strategies that bring a wide spectrum of people together, facilitate appropriate interpretation of problems, and prompt innovative, forward-thinking solutions. Environmental documentary film has the ability to dramatize the reality of environmental issues and empower audiences to become an active part of the change necessary to address environmental crises. Utilizing a specific genre of environmental documentary film in novel and inventive ways, people can be gathered, educated, and inspired to become active participants …

The Heart Of The Matter: The Function And Relational Effects Of Humor For Cardiovascular Patients, Nicholas Lee Lockwood

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examined the possibility that cardiovascular patient health is enhanced by the intentional communication of humor and associated increases in relationship satisfaction. In an effort to study the relationship between these variables it was predicted that relationship satisfaction mediates the effects between humor functions and health. Questionnaire data was collected from members of two national support groups for patients of cardiovascular disease. Findings support humor functions distinguished in previous studies and support the hypothesis that relationship satisfaction mediates health. Specifically, distancing humor negatively predicted relationship satisfaction and health. These findings offer new insight into the variability of humor effects.

A Decade Of Research Exploring Biology And Communication, Justin P. Boren, Alice E. Veksler

Communication

The study of communication has come a long way since Aristotle's conceptualization of persuasion in Rhetoric from the 4th century B.C. Today, scholars conceptualize communication in much more comprehensive ways than did those Greek Aristotelian philosophers. Still, much of the discipline of communication focuses on the way that messages have an impact on individuals or societies. Since the late 1970s a small group of communication scholars, greatly influenced by their peers in other social-science disciplines (i.e., psychology) began to direct their attention to the way that communication influences and is influenced by processes in the human body. During the early …

Rethinking Social Support In Women's Midlife Years: Women's Experiences Of Social Support In Online Environments, Julie Dare, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2011

The midlife years (45–55) often coincide with fundamental changes in women’s lives, as women experience transitions such as menopause, changes to family structure due to departure of children or divorce, and parents’ ageing and death. These circumstances tend to increase women’s reliance upon their social support networks. Evidence suggests that social support is critical in helping women manage transitions during the midlife period and develop a sense of self-efficacy; this article highlights that this support is being increasingly exchanged through mediated communication channels. The article presents a comparative investigation of mediated communication channels, primarily email and online chat, through which …

What Now? What Next? A Narrative Analysis Of Cross-Cultural Adaptation And College Student Retention, Jason Matthews Martin

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

First year college student retention is important to colleges and universities nationwide (Bean, 2005). Most of the research on retention focuses on self-report data collected from students after they withdraw from the institution. The present study focuses, instead, on student stories about school, as well as at and about “home” during their first semester.

The experiences of students who transition from high school to college are sometimes likened to those of individuals who enter a new culture for the first time. Thus, this dissertation is grounded in cross-cultural adaptation theory (Kim, 1988, 2001), which posits that successful adaptation occurs via …

The Power Of Words: The Use Of Language In Ethan Frome, Heather Faye Spear

Masters Theses

Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, has been sharply criticized for its tragic ending, yet Wharton's compelling storytelling which depicts universal conditions of mankind accomplishes something powerful through its narrative: it defends language. The complicated relationship between the three main characters, Zeena, Ethan, and Mattie is rooted in their utilization of language. Using a combination of close reading for textual analysis and identifying a communicative style for each character, this thesis asserts that how the characters in this novel utilize language contests the meaninglessness and relativity supported by deconstructionists. Wharton clearly illustrates Zeena's linguistic power over both Ethan and Mattie, and …

Negotiation Of Face Between Bereaved Parents And Their Social Networks, M. Chad Mcbride, Paige W. Toller

Communication Faculty Publications

For many bereaved parents, talking about their child's death and their grief experiences is a way to cope with grief. Unfortunately, communicating with others often proves difficult for parents and their social networks, often because of face threats. The purpose of the present study is to identify how the face needs of parents and their social network is communicatively negotiated. Fifty-three bereaved parents were interviewed and the data analyzed, resulting in a theme of protection. The findings highlight ways in which both the parents' and others' positive and negative faces were co-managed. These findings highlight the complex nature of facework …

Surrealism Is Not Dead: A Look At Surrealism In Contemporary Mass Communication Via Analysis Of Modern Popular Films, Joi Deanne Chadwick

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examined three modern films - Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland, and Iron Man 2 - to understand the place of Surrealism in contemporary communication. The thesis began with a review of literature regarding Surrealism's revolutionary propensities and its flow into the mainstream. The review's basis was postmodernist philosophy rooted in Roland Barthes's and Umberto Eco's semiotics and Stuart Hall's cultural studies. This underlying philosophy asserted the complexity and mutability of signs and styles, a media role in acceptance and mutation of signs/styles, and endurance of ideas through cultural shifts. Semiotic analysis was crucial methodology in this study …

The Effect Of Virtuality On Individual Network Centrality And Performance In On-Going, Distributed Teams, Priscilla Arling, Mani Subramani

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

For distributed teams to succeed, individuals must interact successfully within team social networks. To understand individual performance in distributed teams, we consider a multi-dimensional view of individual virtuality and its relationship with centrality in the team’s face-to-face network and ICT network. We leverage social network theory and hierarchically analyze data from 254 individuals in 18 teams. We find that members with higher dispersion are less central in the face-to-face network while those with higher ICT use are more central in the ICT network. Centrality in the ICT network, but not centrality in the face-to-face network, is positively related to performance. …

Improving Communication And Team Cohesion In A Long Term Care Facility, Jen Watson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this Capstone project was to provide a staff development training that was researched based and educational. The training focused primarily on communication with a secondary emphasis on team cohesion. Training aimed to equip staff with skills and knowledge useful for working within various systems

State Agency Promising Practice: New Hampshire - Translating Research Into A Position Statement About Integrated Employment, Jennifer Bose, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

New Hampshire’s Bureau of Developmental Services, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, other state and local service providers, advocates, and families are committed to increasing the employment rate and the quality of employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities. These stakeholders met to craft an employment position statement. They framed their discussions according to factors that research has found to be common to “high-performing” states in providing integrated employment opportunities. Then they developed an employment position statement that satisfied all the groups involved, and communicated their shared belief in the importance of integrated employment as a means toward community inclusion.

State Agency Promising Practice: Oregon’S Employment Support Website - Communicating The Employment First Policy, Jennifer Bose, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

In 2009, the state of Oregon adopted its Employment First policy. When Oregon’s Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) decided to promote the implementation of this policy, it began by updating its existing employment website. The redesigned website (http:// www.dhs.state.or.us/dd/supp_emp/) emphasizes the value of integrated employment over other outcomes, and the importance of building community-wide conversations, with the goal of achieving integrated employment for people with developmental disabilities. The website shares the value of integrated employment with all targeted audiences by highlighting resources and illustrating employment successes. It was also designed to share information on the Oregon’s progress and concrete …

State Agency Promising Practice: Nevada’S Regional Forums - Creating A Shared Responsibility For Improving Employment, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

The Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities sought to engage community stakeholders and acquire knowledge to further the employment agenda by funding three regional summits. Using the State Employment Leadership Network’s (SELN)* selfassessment preliminary findings as a basis, the summit steering committee created a framework for summit participants. Through a rigorous planning process and comprehensive 2-day summits in three regions of the state, Nevada was able to create a shared, multistakeholder plan of action with the goal of improving the current employment support system for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Spider Cognition, Robert R. Jackson, Fiona R. Cross

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Spiders, having minute brains, were once considered simple, instinct-driven automatons, but research on spider biology is revealing increasing evidence of their cognitive abilities. In this review, we discuss the complex, flexible behaviour of spiders, especially salticids, and highlight how sometimes the cognitive character of spider behaviour closely parallels that of much bigger animals. This includes the use of selective attention (both visual and olfactory) and the use of planned detours. The implications of these findings, and how they relate to bigger issues traditionally associated with big-brain animals, such as 'representation' and 'mind', are discussed. Also discussed are issues relating to …