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Articles 1 - 30 of 62
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Effects Of Psychological Factors On Media Usage: An Examination Of Immigrants' Media Use Patterns, Motives And Acculturation In The United States, Suping Zhang
LSU Master's Theses
Earlier studies have provided evidence for the importance of mass media in the acculturation process of immigrants. The current study intends to further investigate acculturation by exploring the influential factors in immigrants’ mass communication activities. A survey has been conducted among 208 participants from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the Baton Rouge area. Having examined the mass media and Internet consumption of the respondents, this study finds that psychological factors, not demographic backgrounds, are the primary influential variables in predicting immigrants’ media use patterns. According to this study, respondents’ stronger adaptive personality and acculturation motivation would lead to more consumption of …
Methodological Lagniappe: A Walk In Representations Of The Red Stick Farmers Market, Jesica Eileen Speed
Methodological Lagniappe: A Walk In Representations Of The Red Stick Farmers Market, Jesica Eileen Speed
LSU Master's Theses
In this thesis, I take you on a walk – a walk in the making of representations – around the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This thesis is written at a moment of instability, or crisis, in this discipline. In a “crisis of representation,” how do we represent anything? Experimenting with various methodologies of writing, representation, dialogic performance, history, and ethnographic inquiry, this thesis provides a walk over various terrains. We begin by building the framework for the walk, then tour three areas of ethnographic expansions and alternatives: new ethnography, performative writing, and historicity. John VanMaanen calls …
Interrelationships Between Demographic, Psychosocial, And Academic Characteristics And Ged Attainment Among At-Risk Youth, Judith L. Rhodes
Interrelationships Between Demographic, Psychosocial, And Academic Characteristics And Ged Attainment Among At-Risk Youth, Judith L. Rhodes
LSU Master's Theses
This exploratory-descriptive research examines demographic, psychosocial, and academic characteristics of at-risk youth (N = 111) who attempted the General Educational Development (GED) Tests. Among students who passed and did not pass the GED Tests, numerous significant relationships emerged. Non-passers were more likely than passers to leave school for academic environment reasons (t = 2.21, df = 109, p < .05). As compared with those who passed the GED Tests, a greater number of moderately strong interrelationships among demographic, psychosocial, and academic characteristics emerged among students who did not pass. Most notably, for non-passers, significantly strong and positive relationships emerged between academic environment reasons for leaving school and two other variables: family reasons for leaving school (r = .55, p < .01) and psychosocial reasons for leaving school (r = .57, p < .05). In addition, a very strong and negative interrelationship emerged among non-passers between academic environment reasons for leaving school and the poverty indicator of status (r = -.68, p < .01). A multivariate perspective is critical for increasing knowledge regarding the social problem of dropout. Such knowledge is crucial for research and policy formation at the local, state, and national levels as well as for school social work practice and education.
Using Least-To-Most Assistive Prompt Hierarchy To Increase Chilld Compliance With Directives In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Jamie Lynn Ourso
Using Least-To-Most Assistive Prompt Hierarchy To Increase Chilld Compliance With Directives In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Jamie Lynn Ourso
LSU Master's Theses
Prompt strategies have been used in the literature to increase the compliance of preschool-aged children to teacher directives (Wilder & Atwell, 2006; Wolery & Gast, 1984). The purpose of this study was to train teachers to use guidance/prompt strategies to increase child compliance with teacher directives related to play and social skills. This study builds on the current literature base by using prompting, specifically the least-to-most assistive prompt hierarchy (LtM) (first described by Horner & Keilitz, 1975), with the additional requirement of teacher-child proximity and teacher-child eye level prior to beginning the prompt sequence. These two additional requirements are consistent …
The Portrayal Of Science In Children's Television, Tristi Bercegeay Charpentier
The Portrayal Of Science In Children's Television, Tristi Bercegeay Charpentier
LSU Master's Theses
Scholars argue that a scientifically literate public is a requirement for a democracy. Children are watching television more today than ever before, and studies have shown that children learn academically educational content from television. The Children's Television Act of 1990 requires broadcasters to provide educational and informational content for children. This study qualitatively evaluated a sample of 38 children's television programs to obtain a description of the scientific content contained in children's television. The study yielded a large quantity of scientific content, yet the quality of the content left much to be desired. Based on the findings of this study, …
Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Solar Radiation In Louisiana, Michael Ulric Kemp
Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Solar Radiation In Louisiana, Michael Ulric Kemp
LSU Master's Theses
The purpose of this study is to examine temporal and spatial trends in surface global horizontal solar radiation in Louisiana using a 30-year dataset (1961-1990) of the four stations in Louisiana from the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRD) and a 6-year dataset (2001-2006) of the 25 stations in the Louisiana Agriclimatic Information System (LAIS). Three of the four NSRD stations exhibit a downward linear trend in surface solar radiation over the 30-year period of record, similar to the global trends uncovered in previous studies. Only one station exhibits a slightly upward trend. Surface solar radiation exhibits a positive correlation with …
An Evolutionary Model Of Parabolic Dune Development: Blowout To Mature Parabolic, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, Winston Mckenna
An Evolutionary Model Of Parabolic Dune Development: Blowout To Mature Parabolic, Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, Winston Mckenna
LSU Master's Theses
The Texas barrier islands have been studied and well documented in relation to barrier island evolution and morphology (Leatherman, 1979; Morton, 1994; White and Weise, 1980). The detailed analysis and mapping of various dune types and systems that comprise Padre Island National Seashore, specifically parabolic dunes, is the focus of this research. Dune surveys and doqq’s, along with wind and weather records were used to develop an improved morphodynamic model for parabolic dunes. The wind records were provided by the Padre Island National Seashore, the National Data Climate Center, and the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network. Individual dune surveys were …
Lsu Mental Health Service Program Evaluation, Elizabeth S. Johnston
Lsu Mental Health Service Program Evaluation, Elizabeth S. Johnston
LSU Master's Theses
This study includes a program evaluation of LSU Mental Health Services and its impact on the college students receiving services. The study used both an outcome survey (Schwartz Outcome Survey-10) to determine any changes in current life functioning and a satisfaction survey (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8) to assess the client’s perceived contentment with services provided. The expectations were that students would demonstrate an improvement in their current functioning after receiving treatment and that their outcome scores would correspond positively to reported client satisfaction scores. Results reveal that the student participants reported significant improvement in their overall functioning. In addition, the participants …
Early Adolescent Decision Making And Behavioral Adjustment: Are Associations Moderated By Relationship Quality?, Matthew Donald Marrero
Early Adolescent Decision Making And Behavioral Adjustment: Are Associations Moderated By Relationship Quality?, Matthew Donald Marrero
LSU Master's Theses
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between early adolescent decision making and behavioral adjustment with special interest in the interaction between parent-child relationship quality and decision making on behavioral adjustment. Associations were examined using data provided by 218 early adolescents. Girls comprised half the sample and the mean age was just over 11 years old. Main effects were consistent with previous research. Early adolescent decision making was associated with greater behavior problems and depressed mood. Parent-child relationship quality was defined as conflict and acceptance. Greater conflict was associated with poor behavioral adjustment while greater acceptance was …
Grade Retention In High Stakes And Low Stakes Testing Years, Anna Elizabeth Ball
Grade Retention In High Stakes And Low Stakes Testing Years, Anna Elizabeth Ball
LSU Master's Theses
Recent political calls for an end to social promotion have led to an era in which many states are using high stakes tests to make retention decisions. Several decades of research have shown that retention is not an effective practice academically or socially. Louisiana is one state that has adopted a high stakes testing policy. This study examines a state-wide database to examine the predictors of retention in high stakes and low stakes testing years. Multiple regression analyses, discriminant analyses, and logistic regression analyses were run on data from students in grade 4 through grade 8 in Louisiana. The results …
The Black Church And Political Mobilization Of African Americans, Misty Noel Johnson
The Black Church And Political Mobilization Of African Americans, Misty Noel Johnson
LSU Master's Theses
This study investigates the political and social activities of black church congregations within a southern community by assessing the effectiveness of three churches in mobilizing their congregations and serving as channels for political communication. The study pays particular attention to the differences between affiliations within the black church, the influence of religious leaders on political involvement, attitudes regarding political involvement and political influences outside of the church. The thesis begins by placing the black church in its historical context —as a giver of spiritual and community orientation as well as a social and political mobilization agent. Using survey results from …
A Geographical Investigation Of Chagas' Disease Risk In The Community Of La Brea, Guatemala, Gerardo J. Boquin
A Geographical Investigation Of Chagas' Disease Risk In The Community Of La Brea, Guatemala, Gerardo J. Boquin
LSU Master's Theses
This thesis will display how the use of a GIS is an important tool in understanding geographic patterns of Chagas' disease vector risk in a rural community in Guatemala. This is an important topic of investigation as Chagas' disease is the leading cause of heart failure in rural Latin America, and yet study has been limited due to a prioritization of national resources to urban diseases. Obviously this can have a severe impact on rural areas, especially if they already lack adequate health care provision. As a response to this deficiency, a collaboration between the Laboratory of Entomology and Applied …
The Relationship Between Premarital Sexual Behaviors And The State Of The Marriage, Allison Claire Rayburn
The Relationship Between Premarital Sexual Behaviors And The State Of The Marriage, Allison Claire Rayburn
LSU Master's Theses
The current study examined the possible relationship between premarital sexual behaviors and the state of the marriage as reported by women. Participants were recruited from local Southern Baptist churches and were sent an anonymous mail-out questionnaire; 36 women returned questionnaires that were usable for analyses. Bivariate correlations for the variables that were considered demonstrated that the number of premarital sexual intercourse partners for the participant and her husband were strongly and negatively correlated to marital satisfaction, marital stability, low divorce thoughts, and feelings about the marriage. An analysis of variance showed that the women who experienced premarital sex (intercourse or …
Family Resiliency Among Hurricane Survivors: Resource Loss, Prior Traumatic Events, And Cumulative Stress, Robin Michelle Knowles
Family Resiliency Among Hurricane Survivors: Resource Loss, Prior Traumatic Events, And Cumulative Stress, Robin Michelle Knowles
LSU Master's Theses
The purpose of the study was to assess predictors of family resiliency following a disaster and the relationships among them in an exploratory manner. Predictors that were assessed in the study were resource loss, prior traumatic events, cumulative stress and selected demographic characteristics. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by combining Census data with storm damage estimates and purposive sampling, 50 participants affected by Hurricane Katrina from a single suburban community in Southern Louisiana in early spring 2006 were recruited and interviewed. In late spring and summer, data collection was continued in Southwestern Louisiana and 32 rural respondents affected by Hurricane …
Dragons Behind Glass: Views Of China And Japan In Three American Museums, Kristina Elaine Polizzi
Dragons Behind Glass: Views Of China And Japan In Three American Museums, Kristina Elaine Polizzi
LSU Master's Theses
This thesis will focus on three museums: the American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York, the Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Alabama and the Morikami Museum in Del Ray Beach, Florida. Overall the museums took surprisingly different approaches to designing their exhibits. The American Museum of Natural History gave a general overview of Japan and China. The Mobile Museum of Art focused only on pottery and the Morikami Museum focused on the Japanese immigrants that settled in Del Ray Beach. Differences and similarities of these museums and what these exhibits tell the viewer about the two …
Reducing Homework Problems In Adhd Adolescents: A Comparison Of Two Self-Management Interventions, Valerie Paasch
Reducing Homework Problems In Adhd Adolescents: A Comparison Of Two Self-Management Interventions, Valerie Paasch
LSU Master's Theses
Self-managed interventions can be especially beneficial during the adolescent years, as expectations of a child’s academic independence increase. Self-monitoring, a type of self-managed intervention, has been used to assess problem behaviors, evaluate treatment effectiveness, promote behavior change, and increase homework production. Goal-setting, another form of self-management has been associated with improvements in behavior, academics, and homework. However, no known studies have compared the effectiveness of self-monitoring and goal-setting homework interventions in ADHD adolescents. The current study compares two self-managed interventions, goal-setting and self-monitoring, in an attempt to determine their effectiveness with ADHD adolescents with problematic homework behavior. Participants were trained …
Linking Public Opinion To State Legislative Behavior: The Partial Birth Abortion Issue, Michael Bruce, Jr.
Linking Public Opinion To State Legislative Behavior: The Partial Birth Abortion Issue, Michael Bruce, Jr.
LSU Master's Theses
The effect of public opinion on state legislative behavior has been an important and extensively explored topic. However, not much research has been conducted regarding public opinion on the abortion issue and how it influences state legislative behavior. Previous theory suggests that highly salient and controversial issues increase the probability that state legislators will respond to public opinion when voting. Arguing that issue salience and interest groups act as facilitating factors, I hypothesize that public opinion plays a significant role in determining whether or not state legislatures pass bans on partial birth abortion. Using Brace et al (2002) state-level opinion …
The Agriculturalists Of The Poole-Rose Ossuary: A Study Of The Femora And Tibiae, Melissa L. Moreno
The Agriculturalists Of The Poole-Rose Ossuary: A Study Of The Femora And Tibiae, Melissa L. Moreno
LSU Master's Theses
Dr. Heather McKillop of Louisiana State University was asked by the Alderville First Nation of Ontario in 1990 to excavate the Poole-Rose ossuary in 1990. This mass burial consisted of hundreds of mixed disarticulated and de-fleshed individuals as well as three articulated individuals laid in flexed positions. No artifacts were discovered with the bodies. Due to the absence of stratified soil layers from different periods, McKillop estimated the ossuary occurred during one burial event- “The Feast of the Dead.” Radiocarbon dating found the ossuary to be from A.D. 1550 ± 50 years (McKillop and Jackson 1991). I estimated sex according …
Source Memory, Subjective Awareness, And The Word Frequency Mirror Effect, Benjamin A. Martin
Source Memory, Subjective Awareness, And The Word Frequency Mirror Effect, Benjamin A. Martin
LSU Master's Theses
The current study investigated the subjective states of recollection and familiarity in source memory. Participants studied low and high frequency words, presented in one of two sources, and were then asked to make source decisions and subjective judgments of recollection and familiarity at test. Half of participants were asked to identify the source of an item before the subjective awareness judgment (SM-first group), while the other half of participants made a source decision to an item after judging it as recollected or familiar (RF-first group). The test order manipulation affected participants’ patterns of responding. Participants in the RF-first group tended …
Prospects For Democratization In The Oil Monarchies Of The Persian Gulf, Julie Gauthier
Prospects For Democratization In The Oil Monarchies Of The Persian Gulf, Julie Gauthier
LSU Master's Theses
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.) represent a unique subset of the Arab world, with many common cultural, political, and economic characteristics. This research project is designed to assess the prospects for future democratization in these oil-rich monarchies. Contrary to many other Arab States, these nations have several advantages that bode well for future liberalization, including small, highly educated populations and vast resources. Several have young, progressive-minded rulers who are competing against each other regionally to be more modern and prestigious and enjoy increased influence. Further, these rulers face tremendous pressure to create jobs and opportunity for their …
Resistant Starch Does Not Reduce Body Fat In Rats Fed A High Fat Diet, Sasmita Tripathy
Resistant Starch Does Not Reduce Body Fat In Rats Fed A High Fat Diet, Sasmita Tripathy
LSU Master's Theses
This study examined the effects of resistant starch in a high fat diet (28% of energy) on body weight, abdominal fat, cecal weight and pH, serum gut peptide YY (PYY) and gene expression for PYY and proglucagon in male Sprague Dawley rats. Three groups of rats (8wk) were fed one of the following diets for ten wks: energy control (EC; 3.7 kcal/g), resistant starch (RS; 3.7 kcal/g) and fiber control (FC; 2.9 kcal/g). Results were classified as significant when p<0.05. The consumption of RS resulted in significant increases in cecal weight (full and empty), serum PYY, gene expression for PYY and proglucagon in cecum and significant decrease in pH in cecal contents compared to the other groups. However, the disemboweled body weight and abdominal fat for RS were not lower compared to the EC. In our previous studies, we observed that RS in a low fat diet (18% of energy), produced similar gut signaling, as in the current study, but reduced disemboweled body weight and abdominal fat compared to EC. The reason for the unexpected results needs further study. Since high fat diets have been shown to alter brain response to other satiety signals (leptin), a high fat diet might affect neuronal responses to PYY and GLP-1 signaling from the gut caused by dietary RS.
An Examination Of The Chinese Immigrant Social Movements During The Chinese Exclusion Era, Alexander Lu
An Examination Of The Chinese Immigrant Social Movements During The Chinese Exclusion Era, Alexander Lu
LSU Master's Theses
This paper further develops a law-centered “political process” model of social movements by analyzing historical changes in American immigration law and the collective behavior of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans during the Chinese Exclusion Era. I present an interactive political process framework that considers not only how the broader political environment enables and constrains a movement, but also how challengers respond by actively reshaping the environment. I revisit the political process model’s core concept of “political opportunity structure” by examining legal rules and institutions, generally, and the indeterminacy of law, specifically. I apply this framework to the Chinese community’s initial …
Logging-On To Sai Baba: The Poetics Of Sacred Globalization, Meredith Morgan Feike
Logging-On To Sai Baba: The Poetics Of Sacred Globalization, Meredith Morgan Feike
LSU Master's Theses
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the leader of a progressive religious movement steeped in the Hindu tradition. The Sathya Sai Baba Organization claims to have over thirty million members in approximately 170 countries. The dedicated followers of the movement believe Sai Baba to be an avatar or incarnation of God in human form. Sai Baba utilizes the Internet to transmit his universalistic philosophies around the world. With this digital universe, devotees can log-on to a multitude of official Sai websites that act as training ground for achieving liberation of the mind and soul. This path of devotion that Sai …
Accuracy Assessment Of Individually Calibrated Journey-To-Crime Geographic Profiling Models, Tania Pal
Accuracy Assessment Of Individually Calibrated Journey-To-Crime Geographic Profiling Models, Tania Pal
LSU Master's Theses
Technological advances are fundamental to the development of spatial analysis tools and methodologies available and used within the criminal investigative process. This research focuses on one such methodology for serial crime analysis: Journey-to-Crime (JTC) Geographic Profiling (GP). JTC or the study of the travel behavior between an offender’s residence to and from the crime scene has been a subject of study within criminology for many years. GP, based on such travel behavior, is a spatial analysis and decision support tool that is used by law enforcement agencies to determine or predict the likely location of a serial offender’s residence or …
Behavior Problems Exhibited In Institutionalized Persons With Intellectual Disabilities And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Ryan Thorson
Behavior Problems Exhibited In Institutionalized Persons With Intellectual Disabilities And Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Ryan Thorson
LSU Master's Theses
Although our understanding of dual diagnosis has improved in recent years, a deficit exists in our knowledge of how schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) manifest themselves in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). We also know very little about the behavioral problems present with the ID population based on the existence of psychopathology. The present research attempted to extend the literature by comparing behavior problems of individuals with intellectual disability with SSD, any form of psychopathology, and no psychopathology. Utilizing the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI), three areas of problem behaviors were examined (self-injurious behavior, stereotypic behavior, and aggressive/destructive behavior) and a total …
Multidimensionality Of Partisan Identification Revisited, Amanda Swanner
Multidimensionality Of Partisan Identification Revisited, Amanda Swanner
LSU Master's Theses
In this paper I retest the assertion that party identification is multidimensional by using the 2000 American National Election Survey. Variables relevant to partisanship are used to examine how voters connect their evaluations of the two parties. The findings support the theory of multidimensionality. The data show that the multidimensional conceptualization of party identification is better for understanding the attitudes and behavior of partisans.
Competency In Forensic Examinations: What Variables Predict Restoration?, Devan R. Guidry
Competency In Forensic Examinations: What Variables Predict Restoration?, Devan R. Guidry
LSU Master's Theses
Competency to Stand Trial (CST), also known as adjudicative competency, remains an important issue for both judicial and mental health systems, and much effort is invested in research designed to define, assess and determine what factors are most relevant for restoring CST. The purpose of this study was to provide information that might improve the ability to predict which individuals would eventually become competent. Archival data were reviewed for 79 inpatient defendants referred for competency restoration treatment. Although information was incomplete, comparisons were made between those who remained incompetent (IST; n =15) and those who were restored to competency (CST; …
Determinants Of The Onset Of Disability In Old Age, Kayla Fontenot
Determinants Of The Onset Of Disability In Old Age, Kayla Fontenot
LSU Master's Theses
With a rapidly aging population, maximizing independent living among the elderly is a growing concern. The inability to perform normal basic care activities interferes with an older individual's ability to live independently. In this study, I examine the onset of disability among elderly Americans using the 2002 and 2004 waves of the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS). In examining the explanatory power of both the life course perspective and the medical model, I find that the medical model is better able to explain onset of disability for males while the life course perspective prevails when explaining onset of disability among …
Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Tropical Storm And Hurricane Strikes In The Bahamas, And The Greater And Lesser Antilles, Alexa Jo Andrews
Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Tropical Storm And Hurricane Strikes In The Bahamas, And The Greater And Lesser Antilles, Alexa Jo Andrews
LSU Master's Theses
Coastal cities throughout the Caribbean Sea are evaluated to determine the geographical distributions of landfalling tropical storms and hurricanes. A strike model is used to measure tropical storm and hurricane force winds. Twenty-six specific locations in the Caribbean are studied over a time period of over one hundred years from 1901 until 2006. The Caribbean Sea geographically covers a small area of the world; however, this analysis demonstrates the wide variability of the frequency of tropical storms and hurricane strikes in this region. The southernmost portions of the Caribbean, for example Oranjestad, Aruba and Willemstad, Curacao, generally experience lower frequencies …
Technology Adoption Of Indian Garment Manufacturing Firms, Venu Varukolu
Technology Adoption Of Indian Garment Manufacturing Firms, Venu Varukolu
LSU Master's Theses
The purpose of this study is to investigate the status and the effect of organizational factors on the level of technology adoption within the context of the Indian garment industry. Specifically, this study focuses on the effect of firm size, export orientation, top management’s commitment, cost of capital, technical skills, and competitive advantage. An online survey using a structured questionnaire was prepared through an online research service. A multiple regression analysis (MRA) was used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that firm size positively influences and export orientation negatively influences the technology adoption level of a firm. The effect …