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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The World Wide Web As A Vehicle For Advertising Movies To College Students: An Exploratory Study, Xiaoge Hu Jan 2002

The World Wide Web As A Vehicle For Advertising Movies To College Students: An Exploratory Study, Xiaoge Hu

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the World Wide Web as a vehicle for advertising movies to college students. Through a survey of LSU students, this study finds that online promotions as vehicles for advertising movies have great potential. Movie promotion websites are rated the second most effective form of movie advertising after television. The study found that people surf movie promotion websites mainly for movie show times, movie plot and cast information to compare film choices, and movie ticket purchases. The huge amount of data available and the 24/7 access to the internet is an important advantage. …


Feedback Seeking In Customer Service Relationships, Aletta Machell Barnard Jan 2002

Feedback Seeking In Customer Service Relationships, Aletta Machell Barnard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the shift to a service economy (Cascio, 1995), customer service effectiveness is a critical measure of success for service firms. In service relationships, where a single employee may be the only point of contact for customers, monitoring service effectiveness becomes incumbent upon the employees delivering the service (i.e., boundary spanners). The purpose of this study was to provide an investigation into service effectiveness (i.e., customer satisfaction and repatronage and word-of-mouth intentions) in service relationships. Specifically, boundary spanners' perceived organizational support (POS) was proposed to impact customer satisfaction through its impact on feedback seeking behaviors (i.e., direct inquiry, monitoring, positive …


The Impact Of Gruesome Evidence On Mock Juror Decision Making : The Role Of Evidence Characteristics And Emotional Response, Robert J. Nemeth Jan 2002

The Impact Of Gruesome Evidence On Mock Juror Decision Making : The Role Of Evidence Characteristics And Emotional Response, Robert J. Nemeth

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of gruesome evidence on mock jurors? decisions in a simulated capital trial. The first experiment was designed as a replication and extension of Douglas, Lyon, and Ogloff (1997), who found that mock jurors who were presented with gruesome photographic evidence were nearly twice as likely to convict the defendant than participants who did not see the gruesome evidence. In Experiment 1, gruesome evidence was manipulated in two ways: photographic evidence (low gruesome, highly gruesome, or control photographs) and verbal testimony (low gruesome vs. highly gruesome). Neither photographic evidence nor testimony had an …


The Greek Sophists : Teachers Of Virtue, David Dwyer Corey Jan 2002

The Greek Sophists : Teachers Of Virtue, David Dwyer Corey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of the Greek sophists as teachers of aretê (virtue or human excellence) and a study of the conflict between sophistic and Socratic political values as portrayed in the dialogues of Plato. The first section offers a new definition of the term "sophist" based on ancient sources and attempts to present as clear a picture as is historically possible of the sophists' activities. The second section examines and evaluates Plato's criticisms of the sophists drawing attention especially to the dependence of certain criticisms upon a questionable set of epistemological assumptions about the role of knowledge in …


Organizational Politics And Multisource Feedbacklh[Electronic Resource], John M. Ford Jan 2002

Organizational Politics And Multisource Feedbacklh[Electronic Resource], John M. Ford

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current research examined the effects of perceptions of organizational politics, understanding of organizational processes, and control over organizational events on rater attitudes (i.e., acceptance, cost-benefit evaluations) toward multisource feedback systems (MSFS). Six-hundred-and-three employees were surveyed concerning their perceptions of organizational politics, understanding, control, and rater attitudes toward MSFS. The present research demonstrated that (a) understanding interacted with organizational politics perceptions in the prediction of rater acceptance of MSFS, (b) control moderated the relationship between understanding and rater attitudes toward peer feedback, (c) perceptions of organizational politics were consistently negatively related to the favorability of rater attitudes toward MSFS, (d) …


The Role Of Initial Coping Strategies On Subsequent Appointment Attendance In Individuals With Hiv: A Longitudinal Analysis, Deann Morris Johnson Jan 2002

The Role Of Initial Coping Strategies On Subsequent Appointment Attendance In Individuals With Hiv: A Longitudinal Analysis, Deann Morris Johnson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With advances in HIV treatment regimens, HIV has become a treatable chronic illness that requires extensive clinical management (Kelly, Otto-Salaj, Sikkema, Pinkerton, & Bloom, 1998). Nonadherence to HIV medical regimens is a primary reason for treatment failure. HIV medication regimens are complicated and require extensive time and effort from the patient (Friedland & Williams, 1999). Since the effectiveness of HIV medication regimens can be severely limited by poor adherence, much research has been conducted regarding the influence of psychosocial factors in adherence. However, this research has primarily focused on medication adherence and has not investigated psychosocial aspects associated with other …


Pleasure Principles: The Social Construction Of Gambling And Sex Addiction Treatment, M. Kelly James Jan 2002

Pleasure Principles: The Social Construction Of Gambling And Sex Addiction Treatment, M. Kelly James

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The transformation of behavior into deviance requires many players, individuals, and institutions invested in the social construction process and its outcomes. Although considered private recreational matters by some, gambling and having sex are gaining spotlight in the addiction arena. With the growing availability of casino entertainment, lotteries, OTB venues, prostitution, internet pornography, and 900 numbers, gambling and sex are interpreted, labeled, and treated by addiction recovery specialists. Using ethnographic methods and face-to-face interviews, I explore a southern community’s institutions and practitioners providing services to gambling and sex addicts. I examine the community’s discourse and its methods for defining and controlling …


The Matson And Mayville (M&M) Seizure Scale: An Assessment Of Psychological And Environmental Variables Contributing To Seizure Activity In Persons With Mental Retardation, Erik Andrew Mayville Jan 2002

The Matson And Mayville (M&M) Seizure Scale: An Assessment Of Psychological And Environmental Variables Contributing To Seizure Activity In Persons With Mental Retardation, Erik Andrew Mayville

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Seizure activity can be debilitating across a number of physical, social, occupational, and personal domains. Given the deficits in all of these areas frequently present in persons with mental retardation, the control and elimination of seizures is a primary goal for individuals with both mental retardation and epilepsy. Antiepileptic medication can reduce seizure activity. However, this intervention often carries with it a range of untoward side effects that may adversely affect clients over what is typically a long-term treatment regimen. Over the last 20 years, literature has emerged emphasizing the importance of environmental variables in the initiation and maintenance of …


Social Exchange And Customer Service: The Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support, Leader-Member Exchange, And Customer Service Behavior, Lisa Michelle Polly Jan 2002

Social Exchange And Customer Service: The Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support, Leader-Member Exchange, And Customer Service Behavior, Lisa Michelle Polly

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As the economy continues to shift from the production of goods to the delivery of services, one way in which an organization might set itself apart from its competition is through the delivery of high quality customer service. Therefore, a critical question for organizations becomes how to elicit the appropriate level of service from its employees. The purpose of the current study was to propose and test a social exchange based model of customer service. Specifically, it was suggested that the quality of the organization-service employee and manager-service employee relationships would be related to employee customer service behavior through their …


The Development And Validation Of The Parent Instruction-Giving Game With Youngsters (Piggy) In A Head Start Population, Stephen Danial Anthony Hupp Jan 2002

The Development And Validation Of The Parent Instruction-Giving Game With Youngsters (Piggy) In A Head Start Population, Stephen Danial Anthony Hupp

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Head Start families demonstrate many of the risk factors that relate to the development of noncompliance and other behavior problems in young children, such as low income, limited education, teenage pregnancy, isolation, family stress, single parenthood, and parental psychopathology. Noncompliant preschool-aged children often continue to display difficulties through adolescence. Parent Management Training programs have been developed which can improve child compliance. However, many of the same risk factors that lead to child noncompliance also reduce the effectiveness of parenting interventions. Thus, more efficient assessment and intervention strategies need to be developed to facilitate the treatment of child behavior problems in …


The Role Of Attention In Affect Perception: An Examination Of Mirsky's Four Factor Model Of Attention In Chronic Schizophrenia, Dennis R. Combs Jan 2002

The Role Of Attention In Affect Perception: An Examination Of Mirsky's Four Factor Model Of Attention In Chronic Schizophrenia, Dennis R. Combs

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Attention and affect perception was examined in a sample of sixty-five persons with chronic schizophrenia. Attentional skills may be related to deficits in affect perception due to a lack of attention to important information contained in the face. Deficits of this sort can dramatically inhibit appropriate social functioning. However, there is a lack of empirical research on this topic. Mirsky's four factor model of attention was used as a broad-based assessment of attentional functioning. The four factors of attention were: 1) Focus-Execute, 2) Encode, 3) Sustain, and 4) Shift. Neuropsychological measures reflective of attentional factor were administered. In this study, …


Somatic Complaints And Health Care Utilization In Children Exposed To Violence, Kellie Ann Hilker Jan 2002

Somatic Complaints And Health Care Utilization In Children Exposed To Violence, Kellie Ann Hilker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, violence has been referred to as a public health epidemic and violence exposure of our youth is a particularly serious national concern. Numerous negative outcomes are associated with both child victimization and violence exposure including externalizing problems, internalizing symptoms, and poor academic performance. Somatic complaints, which have been associated with internalizing symptoms, have been found as well; however, physical complaints have not been studied in depth. Additionally, health care utilization is an area that is not widely studied in pediatric psychology, but positive associations between posttraumatic stress disorder and increased health care utilization has been found …


Aspects Of Cognition In Human Mate Selection, Michael J. Stasio Jan 2002

Aspects Of Cognition In Human Mate Selection, Michael J. Stasio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Evolutionary perspectives on human mating have provided testable hypotheses regarding what qualities people desire in their mates and why they want them. One study was conducted to replicate previous findings in mate preference using a more sophisticated paired comparison methodology to develop scales. Paired comparison scaling generally replicated gender differences in mate preferences consistent with evolutionary predictions. Further, decision-making reaction time (ms) suggested the presence of an underlying psychological continuum of selection criteria. A series of studies were then conducted applying the information processing approach (IPA) to investigate attention and knowledge organization in mate preference. The dot-probe paradigm was used …


Family Violence Exposure And Family Relationship Skills In Adolescents Exposed To Community Violence, Monique M. Leblanc Jan 2002

Family Violence Exposure And Family Relationship Skills In Adolescents Exposed To Community Violence, Monique M. Leblanc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Community violence exposure has been associated with a plethora of adverse aftereffects; therefore, greater understanding of compensatory and potentiating factors associated with exposure is essential for effective intervention and prevention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among school violence exposure, neighborhood violence exposure, family violence exposure, parent-adolescent relationship skills, and outcomes. Participants consisted of 100 adolescents, aged 13 to 20 years. Adolescents completed the Screen for Adolescent Violence Exposure, the Behavior Assessment System for Children- Self Report of Personality, the Child Health and Illness Profile- Adolescent Edition, and the Parent-Adolescent Relationship Questionnaire. Parents/guardians completed the Behavior …


Space And Organizations: The Ecology Of Rural Ngos In San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Patricia Marie Campion Jan 2002

Space And Organizations: The Ecology Of Rural Ngos In San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Patricia Marie Campion

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The field of organizational ecology has been reduced to studies of population dynamics. Ecology, however, is a much broader field, that includes relational, spatial, and temporal dimensions. It allows us to combine existing theories of organizations to study their distribution across space. I combine insights from the new institutionalism, population ecology, and resource-dependence theory, to investigate the factors that influence the location of NGO activities in the state of San Luis Potosí­, Mexico. I conducted interviews and participant observation in 51 rural NGOs. The uneven distribution of NGOs in the state is not the result of their strategy to reach …


Communication Characterizing Successful Long Distance Marriages, Andrea Towers Scott Jan 2002

Communication Characterizing Successful Long Distance Marriages, Andrea Towers Scott

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study seeks to explore the communication in successful career-induced long distance marriages. Elements examined are relational dialectics, relationship satisfaction, communication satisfaction, feelings of (mis)understanding, couple types, relationship sustenance, imagined interactions, and social support. The current study has three primary contributions: 1) the quantitative exploration of a communication in a growing marital framework, 2) the successful quantification of dialectics, and 3) the overall support for studying long distance marriages. The current study reports data collected from 92 individuals in non-military career-induced long distance marriages. All participants completed an 18-page questionnaire consisting of quantitative measures for the variables listed above, …


The Relation Between Electrodermal Activity In Sleep, Negative Activity Affect, And Stress In Patients Referred For Nocturnal Polysomnography, Laura Elaine Lajos Jan 2002

The Relation Between Electrodermal Activity In Sleep, Negative Activity Affect, And Stress In Patients Referred For Nocturnal Polysomnography, Laura Elaine Lajos

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of electrodermal activity (EDA) began over a century ago, and the phenomenon has been linked to many aspects of emotion, arousal and attention. A subset of studies has focused on the occurrence of EDA in sleep (EDAS). These investigations have led to definitive conclusions on when EDA is most likely to occur during the sleep cycle, i.e., slow-wave sleep. Studies have also shown that at least moderate stress tends to increase EDAS, but these studies have fallen short methodologically. The aims of the present study were: (a) to investigate the relation of negative affect and stress to EDAS, …


The Effects Of Stimulant Medication On The Social Behavior Of Children With Adhd During Times Of Play, Robert, Jr. H. Larue Jan 2002

The Effects Of Stimulant Medication On The Social Behavior Of Children With Adhd During Times Of Play, Robert, Jr. H. Larue

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Psychomotor stimulants are the most commonly prescribed medications for the treatment of ADHD in children and adults. A vast literature has evolved concerning the efficacy and potential side effects of these drugs. Although stimulants are generally regarded as safe and effective, there is concern that potential problems may have been overlooked. Specifically, there is some literature indicating that, at least in some cases, stimulant medications may produce significant disruptions in social behavior. To investigate these effects, a number of different measurements were employed with preschool children, including direct observations during times of play, a social reinforcer assessment and a number …


Use Of Actigraphy To Objectively Measure Motor Restlessness In Restless Legs Syndrome, Tai Anderson Istre Jan 2002

Use Of Actigraphy To Objectively Measure Motor Restlessness In Restless Legs Syndrome, Tai Anderson Istre

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a disorder characterized by disagreeable leg sensations, usually prior to sleep onset, which cause an almost irresistible urge to move the legs. A characteristic feature of this disorder is that the movements are partially or completely relieved with leg motions. Attempts to find the underlying pathology have been unsuccessful. Thus, there are no objective physiological tests to diagnose this condition. Using the Suggested Immobilization Test (SIT), the current study attempted to validate a new and practical method for quantifying the motor symptoms of RLS, actigraphy. To this end, the SIT with actigraphy was evaluated for …


An Analysis Of The Effects Of Contingent Delivery Of Tasks With Different Difficulty And Noncontingent Delivery Of Tasks With Different Preference, Ernest Whitmarsh Jan 2002

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Contingent Delivery Of Tasks With Different Difficulty And Noncontingent Delivery Of Tasks With Different Preference, Ernest Whitmarsh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This investigation examined instructional strategies derived from the Premack principle and task interspersal strategies for four students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. In both studies, baseline consisted of massed instruction of thirty trials. During study one, students were given contingent access to preferred easy tasks for correct responding in one condition. In the second condition, students were given contingent access to preferred difficult tasks for correct responding. During study two, students were given noncontingent access to preferred easy tasks for correct responding in one condition. In the second condition, students were given noncontingent access to nonpreferred easy tasks for …


Infertility And Marital Adjustment: The Influence Of Perception Of Social Support, Privacy Preference And Level Of Depression, Margaret Haviland Maillet Jan 2002

Infertility And Marital Adjustment: The Influence Of Perception Of Social Support, Privacy Preference And Level Of Depression, Margaret Haviland Maillet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perception of social support, privacy preference and level of depression on marital adjustment for couples presenting for infertility treatment. Data was obtained from three infertility clinics in Louisiana from January 1, 2001 through October 1, 2001. Forty-seven couples presenting for infertility treatment completed four questionnaires measuring marital adjustment, perception of social support, privacy preference and level of depression. Demographic and descriptive information was gathered from an information sheet completed by the subjects. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which, if any, of the independent variables predicted the dependent …


The Perceptions Of And Attitudes Toward Partner Abuse Among First Generation Korean-Americans: Their Relationships To The Incidence Of Partner Abuse, Bonnie Ahn Jan 2002

The Perceptions Of And Attitudes Toward Partner Abuse Among First Generation Korean-Americans: Their Relationships To The Incidence Of Partner Abuse, Bonnie Ahn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the perceptions of and attitudes toward partner abuse, and various demographic characteristics on the incidence of partner abuse among first generation Korean-Americans. The study employed a correlational explanatory design using a cross-sectional survey technique utilizing a total of 223 Korean immigrant adults currently residing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A three-part instrument was used for data colleciton. Part I of the instrument measured the perceptions of and attitudes toward domestic violence among Korean-Americans. Part II measured the incedence and nature of domestic violence, and part III inquired demographic information about …


Does Archieving Social Policy Goals Insure Positive Outcomes: From Welfare Reliance Of Wage Work In Rural Louisiana, Lydia Bentin Blalock Jan 2002

Does Archieving Social Policy Goals Insure Positive Outcomes: From Welfare Reliance Of Wage Work In Rural Louisiana, Lydia Bentin Blalock

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research was Wave II of a longitudinal, qualitative study designed to describe the outcomes of welfare reform legislation on rural families in Louisiana as they tried to comply with provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. This particular study looked at a subset of women (n=12) from Wave II and explored two questions: (a) Whether the decline in Louisiana welfare caseloads translated into rural women finding and keeping jobs; and (b) What is the likelihood that the women employed at the time of this study will be able to sustain their work efforts and …


Motivational Processes And Performance: The Role Of Global And Facet Personality Traits, James Haven Martin Jan 2002

Motivational Processes And Performance: The Role Of Global And Facet Personality Traits, James Haven Martin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The conscientiousness and neuroticism dimensions of the Five Factor Model (FFM) have been shown to be predictive of performance (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Paunonen & Ashton, 2001). This research examined three relatively unexplored issues, including (a) the impact of conscientiousness and neuroticism on motivational processes and performance; (b) the criterion-related validity of facet measures of conscientiousness and neuroticism as predictors of motivation and performance; and (c) whether conscientiousness, neuroticism, and their facets impact changes in motivational processes between performance episodes. Undergraduate psychology students (N = 220) completed measures of self-set goals and self-efficacy beliefs on two occasions, prior to the …


The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status, Social Support, And Acculturation On The Mental And Physical Health Among Korean American Older Adults In Chicago Metropolitan Area, Shinyeol Kim Jan 2002

The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status, Social Support, And Acculturation On The Mental And Physical Health Among Korean American Older Adults In Chicago Metropolitan Area, Shinyeol Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the way that Socioeconomic status (SES), social support, and acculturation may influence physical and mental health status of Korean American older adults. It was premised that SES, social support and acculturation are directly and/or indirectly related to the mental and physical health status of Korean American older adults manifested by respective symptoms. The following two objectives were established: 1) Explore the characteristics of Korean American older adults including socioeconomic status, acculturation level, social support, and physical and mental health status. 2) Assess direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic status, acculturation level, and …


No Place To Die: The Poetics Of Roadside Sacred Places In Mexico, Daniel Raymond Weir Jan 2002

No Place To Die: The Poetics Of Roadside Sacred Places In Mexico, Daniel Raymond Weir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Roadside death memorials are a response to the sudden, tragic death of a loved one; and are appearing with increasing regularity in developed and developing countries across the globe. In Mexico, however, wayside memorials and shrines of religiosity are a centuries-old tradition. This work, an effort to understand why the exact location of a person’s death is so important that a sacred place must be created where no place is intended, is basic and exploratory research. A multi-method, and cross-disciplinary case study, based upon the author’s fieldwork in Mexico, produces massive data and constitutes a robust explanatory triangulation. A geographic …


The Effect Of Resource Cycling And Food Insecurity On Dietary Intake And Weight Of Low-Income, Single Mothers Living In Rural Louisiana, Jennifer Smith Jan 2002

The Effect Of Resource Cycling And Food Insecurity On Dietary Intake And Weight Of Low-Income, Single Mothers Living In Rural Louisiana, Jennifer Smith

LSU Master's Theses

Food security, nutritional adequacy, and anthropometrics were assessed in 30 low-income women living in rural Louisiana. For food stamp recipients, a 24-hour-diet recall was collected at the beginning (Day 1) and another at the end (Day 2) of their monthly resource cycle; for non-food stamp recipients, the first 24-hour diet recall was collected at a time that was specified by participants (Day 1) and the second was collected approximately 31/2 weeks later. Twenty-one of the 30 participants received food stamps. Ten of the 30 participants were food insecure. Of the 10 food insecure participants, seven received foods stamps. As a …


How The Media Are Portrayed In Print Advertisements: A Content Analysis Of Magazine Advertisements Throughout The Twentieth Century, Kathryn Elizabeth Burke Jan 2002

How The Media Are Portrayed In Print Advertisements: A Content Analysis Of Magazine Advertisements Throughout The Twentieth Century, Kathryn Elizabeth Burke

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines the portrayal of media within print advertisements found in Harper's Magazine between 1931 and 2000. This study evaluated a number of categories to provide understanding of the role of media within society, specifically the portrayal of gender and media use, how media are used in society and the perceived class within the advertisements featuring media products. The study also looked at the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, which states that a socioeconomic elite group are the first people within a society to adopt new ideas or technologies. A content analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, of Harper's Magazine produced …


Postmortem Interval (Pmi) Determination At Three Biogeoclimatic Zones In Southwest Colorado, Maria T. Allaire Jan 2002

Postmortem Interval (Pmi) Determination At Three Biogeoclimatic Zones In Southwest Colorado, Maria T. Allaire

LSU Master's Theses

Three pig (Sus scrofa L.) carcasses were exposed during the summer in three different biogeoclimatic zones ranging in elevations from 6,700 to 11,100 feet in order to determine the rates of carrion decomposition and arthropod succession patterns on carrion in southwest Colorado. The carcasses were exposed in three scenarios: sun-exposed, shaded, and sun-exposed/shaded. Of the total 63 taxa collected, thirty species overlapped between two biogeoclimatic zones. A strong elevational preference is indicated for the Sarcophagidae taxon. A previously undescribed Boettcheria species was collected at 11,100 feet. The rates of decomposition lengthened as elevation increased due to a prolongation of the …


Analysis Of Death Trends In Coroner Cases In East Baton Rouge Parish From January 1, 1991 To December 31, 2001, Gina Ann Dimattia Jan 2002

Analysis Of Death Trends In Coroner Cases In East Baton Rouge Parish From January 1, 1991 To December 31, 2001, Gina Ann Dimattia

LSU Master's Theses

Analysis of death trends in a geographic area can provide valuable information regarding the health of the people in that area. Additionally, evaluation of variables such as sex, race, age, and cause of death can aid local health officials in serving the needs of the population. East Baton Rouge Parish is located in southern Louisiana, includes the capital city of Baton Rouge, and has a population of 412,852. An analysis of death cases handled by the Coroner's Office in East Baton Rouge Parish has not been performed until now. This thesis presents results from an analysis of all deaths in …