Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Long-Term Outcomes And Scale Stability, Elise Christina Simonds Bisbee

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2; Grisso & Barnum, 2006) was developed in 1998 to offer an efficient measure for identifying adolescents within the juvenile justice system in need of further psychiatric evaluation, treatment, or specialized care. Since the instrument's publication, several studies have evaluated the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the MAYSI-2. The current study adds to the literature examining the reliability and validity of this measure. Specifically, the current study sought to evaluate the long-term characteristics and predictive utility of the MAYSI-2 scale scores. This study utilized a sample of 8,929 boys (n = 6.780) and …

Relationships Between Black Female College Students' Relationships With Their Fathers And Adult Romantic Attachment, Nicole A. Dock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the relationships between the quality and quantity of time that young Black female college students spent with their fathers during high school as related to romantic attachment and fear of intimacy. Although researchers have investigated the impact that early attachment bonds to mothers have for later psychosocial development, much less research has examined how attachment to fathers may be associated with psychosocial adjustment in young adulthood. In particular, there is a lack of information on how relationships to one's father or father figure may be associated with adjustment in young women from culturally diverse populations.

To …

A Comparison Of Traditional And Nontraditional Students Attending Historically Black Or Predominantly White Institutions, Courtney H. Podesta

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies have demonstrated that there are benefits for some African American students in attending an Historically Black College or University (HBCU) over a Predominantly White Institution (PWI); however, studies have not considered how results might be impacted by student status, traditional vs. nontraditional, or the degree to which a student is considered to be nontraditional (minimally, moderately, or highly nontraditional). The current study addressed this gap in research by examining differences between the HBCU and PWI environments for 336 African American traditional and nontraditional students for the following variables: social support, academic self-concept, self-esteem, self-efficacy, role strain, ethnic identity, …

Relationship Predictors Of Unwanted Pursuit, Farrahdya Tassy

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated relationship variables related to unwanted pursuit post dissolution of a romantic relationship. Online surveys were administered to 277 undergraduate and graduate students from a large southeastern university. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed levels of idealization, satisfaction, perceptions of alternatives to the relationship, investment size, commitment, and unwanted pursuit. These variables are often essential in romantic involvements, and contribute greatly to the continuation of a relationship. Additional measures of attachment, self-esteem, neuroticism, and jealousy were included to control for their potential effect on pursuit. The sample consisted of individuals who engaged in the pursuit of a former …

A Test Of Direct And Partially Mediated Relationships Between Leader Member Exchange, Job Embeddedness, Turnover Intentions, And Job Search Behaviors In A Southern Police Department, Mark D. Bowman

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Job embeddedness has been found to predict turnover intentions, job search behaviors and turnover, and job embeddedness researchers assert, but have not tested, that job embeddedness is a mediator of other organizationally significant factors relative to organizational outcomes. A relationship not previously explored is the role of a supervisor in job embeddedness, which was operationalized in this study as leader-member exchange. A single panel survey was conducted in a police department in the southern United States with 276 current members holding the rank of police officer. Usable surveys were completed by 128 of those police officers, which is a response …

Oppressed, Empowered, Compatriot Woman: Rawa's Online Construction Of Gendered Ideographs, Heather L. Floyd

English Theses & Dissertations

In this paper, I define the ideograph and explain its central role in the strategic communication of two very different entities invested in the advancement of women' sights in Afghanistan: the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), an Afghan feminist organization, and the Bush Administration, during the early years of the war in Afghanistan. I employ the rhetorical conceptions of Lloyd Bitzer (1966) and Richard Vatz (1999) to explore the Bush Administration's and RAWA's intentions by analyzing textual and visual ideographs in the context of the rhetorical situation.

In its mission and goals, RAWA repeatedly champions women as …

The Cognitive And Behavioral Effects Of Acute Ethanol Exposure And Acute Ethanol Withdrawal, Natasha Laverne Golden

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although ethanol, in the form of alcoholic beverages, is one of the most widely used and abused drugs, little research has focused on cognitive and behavioral impairments relating to acute ethanol withdrawal. The primary purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of acute ethanol withdrawal on cognition and behavior using the radial arm maze (RAM) and the elevated plus maze (EPM). The secondary purpose of the study was to explore the immediate effects of acute ethanol exposure using a repeated acquisition version of the RAM. Sixteen male, Long-Evans rats were used for the study. For acute ethanol …

A Military Surge In Afghanistan -- Modeling A Focused Security Effort, Brent David Morrow

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In October of 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government. Since their overthrow, the Taliban has pieced together and waged an insurgency to retake Afghanistan. That insurgency has gained momentum and grown in strength while the United States NA TO counterinsurgency effort has decreased in size to about 55,000 troops in 2007. Many factors contribute to the insurgency inside of Afghanistan, from ethnic to economic factors to the failure of the central government. This research used a study of the current state of affairs in Afghanistan and agent-based modeling to determine whether a military troop surge …

Terrorism: A Study Of The Policy Preferences Of Old Dominion University Students, Bruce Johnson Ii

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, there have been many different approaches to terrorism utilized by the U.S. government. While sometimes it is obvious which ones are popular and which ones are not, often it is not clear. With this in mind a survey was posted and taken by 151 ODO students. The survey asked how much they supported various terrorism policies and quizzed them to see how knowledgeable they were regarding terrorism. It was found that the students who responded to the survey were generally very knowledgeable about terrorism. It was also found that almost every policy received …

Effects Of An Educational And Support Program For Family And Friends Of A Substance Abuser, Amanda Jeffrey Platter

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many family members are adversely affected by their loved ones drinking or drug problem. The aim of the present study was to explore changes in coping and enabling behaviors among family members who attended a community educational and psychosocial group for friends and family of a substance abuser, and to examine the concerns of these family members.

Participants were 32 family members (i.e., parents, spouses/romantic partners, and siblings) who attended one of four consecutive Family and Friend (FF) programs between fall and spring of 2008. Participants completed the Behavioral Enabling Scale (Rotunda & Doman, 2001) and Brief COPE Inventory (Carver, …

Test Anxiety And Other Factors As Predictors Of Outcome For An Undergraduate University's Examination Of Writing Competency, Carrie D. Smith

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Testing in American schools has increased dramatically in recent years (Cizek & Burg, 2006), increasing the need for research in test anxiety (TA). Writing apprehension, a subcategory of TA, may be of particular concern among students at all levels of education given the recent addition of writing assessments on the SAT and GRE tests.

Very few recent studies have examined demographic correlates of TA and the demographics of students in higher education have been changing for some time. These changes include an increase in all categories of nontraditional students. Nontraditional students, by definition, face a particular set of challenges in …

Section Abstracts: Psychology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Psychology Section for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Virginia.

Development And Validation Of The Cultural Competence Of Program Evaluators (Ccpe) Scale, Krystall Dunaway

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

As part of its Guiding Principles for Evaluators, the American Evaluation Association (AEA) requires that evaluators develop cultural competencies, yet no measure of cultural competence currently exists in the field. Using items from cultural competence measures used in fields such as counseling and nursing, in conjunction with the creation of qualitative questions, the researcher developed the Cultural Competence of Program Evaluators (CCPE) scale. The main goal of this study was to validate the CCPE, and a subsidiary goal was to assess differences in level of cultural competence among program evaluators based on various demographic variables such as minority status, age, …

The Effects Of Automation Expertise, System Confidence, And Image Quality On Trust, Compliance, And Performance, Randall D. Spain

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effects of automation expertise, system confidence, and image quality on automation trust, compliance, and detection performance. One hundred and fifteen participants completed a simulated military target detection task while receiving advice from an imperfect diagnostic aid that varied in expertise (expert vs. novice) and confidence (75% vs. 50% vs. 25% vs. no aid). The task required participants to detect covert enemy targets in simulated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Participants reported whether a target was present or absent, their decision-confidence, and their trust in the diagnostic system's advice. Results indicated that system confidence and automation expertise …

Examining Re-Entry Challenges And Needs Of Trinidad And Tobago Offenders, Kamhya M. Milan

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This research examines the challenges and needs that Trinidad and Tobago offenders face upon release from prison. The purpose of this research is to provide a foundation for policy recommendations to improve successful reintegration for prisoners corning home. Although there is a lack of re-entry literature based on Trinidad and Tobago offenders, the findings in this study show that Trinidad and Tobago offenders experience the same challenges and needs revealed by America research on offender re-entry. Study results show that policy intervention should be designed to ensure offenders returning home receive assistance with finding shelter, employment, educational resources, counseling and …

Developing A Philosophical Profile Of The Individual For Complex Problem-Solving Through Agent-Based Modeling, Ipek Bozkurt

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Research that focuses on the emotional, mental, behavioral and cognitive capabilities of individuals has been abundant within disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, among others. The main argument made in this dissertation, however, is that a different perspective is necessary in order to gain insight about individuals when facing the complex problems that are presented within engineering and management disciplines. This is done by developing the Philosophical Profile of the Individual (PPI) that uses epistemology, ontology and teleology as underlying dimensions of philosophical predispositions. The epistemology dimension considers whether an individual is an Empiricist or a Rationalist, the ontology …

The Corruption Enigma: Understanding Success And Failure Of Corruption Reform Programs In Highly Corrupt Countries, Matthew T. Hall

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

There exists a corruption enigma. Experts and analysts largely agree on the institutional reforms that constitute successful corruption reform programs—this is the 'Corruption Consensus.' Unfortunately, the well-designed and resourced reform programs created from this consensus and intended to improve national institutional capabilities rarely work. Yet the reform programs patterned on the Corruption Consensus continue on. Everyone agrees what to do in order to reform corruption but everyone also agrees that it will not work. This is the Corruption Enigma.

This dissertation employs a structured, focused analysis to determine the reasons for varying success levels between otherwise similar countries in order …

Investigating Connections: Pornography And Violence Against Women, Stacy Gorman

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is a content analysis of internet pornography websites. Using the most popularly searched adult search terms, Google searches were performed in order to replicate the pornographic website search of an internet pornography user. Videos were then selected and viewed on each site in order to identify themes of domination, exploitation, reciprocity, and autoeroticism. Also coded for were each sex act performed in the video as well as the number of performers, their race and sex. Key words describing each video were recorded in addition to user comments about the videos when available.

The goal of this study was …

Using Geographically Weighted Regression Models To Analyze Crash Harm, Libin Zheng

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Society pays a high cost for collisions in terms of property damage, injuries and loss of life. This paper has two objectives. One is to examine various factors associated with harm caused by highway collisions. Both global OLS and local GWR models are provided to identify specific variables influencing crash harm. Another objective is to demonstrate the use of a Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) method in this complex safety problem, which can estimate models for each crash location and show spatial variation. The results show that the GWR model is a significant improvement on the OLS model; the test for …

Purchasing Power: An Exploration Of Predictors Of Political Participation And Political Consumerism, Sara Resnick

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Democracy depends on the active participation of at least some citizens. Many researchers argue that the number of people who participate in civic and political life has declined since the 1970's; however, others argue that new methods of participation are not being considered. New ways of thinking about citizenship, more individualized ways of participating in politics, and the intersection of political expression and the free market have created ways for individuals to engage in political and civic life that are not measured by existing conceptualizations of political participation. Political consumerism is one way to conceptualize at least some of the …

Influences Aided And Unaided Visual Search Performance: Effects Of Secondary Task Modality, Secondary Task Processing Code, And Personal Preferences, Rachel R. Phillips

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the impact of secondary task modality and secondary task processing code on aided and unaided performance for a simulated luggage screening task. The interaction between secondary task modality and processing code with automation was examined. Finally, the interaction between processing preferences (as measured by learning styles) and outcome measures was assessed. One hundred sixtyone undergraduate students from Old-Dominion University performed a simulated luggage screening task over the course of two days. Half of the participants (n = 81) had the assistance of an automated aid called DETECTOR, and half did not. Participants also performed one of …

Development And Piloting Of The Identification Of Harassers And Victims Of Cyber Harassment Questionnaire, Ashley Nicole Doane

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This present study developed and tested the Identification of Harassers and Victims of Cyber Harassment Questionnaire (IHVCHQ). To generate questions for the IHVCHQ, prior to the present study, the author reviewed the empirical literature and conducted face-to-face interviews with 43 victims of Internet harassment. From this effort, an 88-item (44 cyber harassment items, 44 cyber victimization items) questionnaire was developed. The pilot survey was reviewed by a subject matter expert, a questionnaire development expert, faculty members, and graduate students.

The present study involved administration of the survey to 538 students at a large university to establish the factor structure and …

Measuring Collaboration: An Assessment Of The Containment Model Effort Used To Manage Sex Offenders In The Community, Teresa L. Van Nostrand

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide an examination and analysis of the collaboration among sex offender professionals working with convicted sex offenders on supervision in the community. This study will examine collaboration as it is functions as the foundation of the containment model approach (English, Pullen & Jones, 1996) to supervising sex offenders in the community. The containment model guides the supervision of sex offenders in the community who are on probation with the Virginia Department of Corrections, Community Corrections. The collaboration between the Probation Officer, Treatment Provider, and the Polygraph Examiner provides a net around sex offenders …

Synchronicity: Just-In-Time Discovery Of Lost Web Pages, Martin Klein, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Presentations

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) Partners Meeting, Washington D.C., June 24-25, 2009. Also available on Slideshare.

Using Timed-Release Cryptography To Mitigate The Preservation Risk Of Embargo Periods, Rabia Haq, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Presentations

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the 2009 ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries, Austin, Texas, June 15-19, 2009. Also available on Slideshare.

2008 Virginia Beach Tourism Economic Impact Study, Gilbert R. Yochum, Vinod Agarwal

Economics Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to estimate the total economic impact and the direct taxes and fees generated by the 2008 in-flow of visitors to the City of Virginia Beach's tourist industry. Total tourism economic impact is defined as the sum of direct, indirect and induced output, employment and earnings that result from visitor spending in Virginia Beach.

Using Art Therapy To Increase Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Homeless Mothers Living In A Shelter, Mandi Elizabeth Wines

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Literature reveals that homelessness is inherently a situation where desired outcomes are less likely than unfavorable outcomes, and, as such, the concepts of learned hopelessness, disempowerment, and low self-efficacy are especially relevant. Self-efficacy has been found to affect one’s motivation, performance, coping, self-esteem, emotional arousal, and behavior. Homeless women who possess a stronger sense of self-efficacy are more likely to actively engage in employment and housing searches and spend less time in temporary shelters than those with low self-efficacy.

Although aspects of this problem have been studied no specific intervention models have proven effective in increasing homeless women’s self-efficacy. Literature …

The Chakra Energy System And Art Therapy: A Heuristic Study, Linda Scalise

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The chakra system, an Eastern philosophy relating to an individual’s health, energy, and consciousness, has been integrated into the healing practices of psychology, meditation, yoga, and alternative medicine. Dale (2005), Judith (1996), and Myss (1996) described the chakra energy system as focal points embedded within the human energy system that regulate all components of the self. Researchers in complementary therapies and energy medicine have long been interested in how the integration of this system affects the progression of disease, human behavior, and emotional disturbances. However, although rich in symbolism and metaphor, no literature has been found demonstrating the use of …

Attachment Styles And Children In Foster Care: A Study Involving Art Therapy Evaluation, Abigail Johnson

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This case study explored the attachment style and perceptions of family, from the perspective of children in the foster care system, through the use of art therapy evaluative methods. The participants for this study included two half-sisters in the second and fourth grades. The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) was adapted and used to construct a well-rounded understanding of each client. Within the adapted AT-PIA, the Human Figure Drawing and the Bird’s Nest Drawing were evaluated using rating schemes. A dyad session was held with the two participants, where a Safe Place Sculpture was created. Review of the artwork revealed …

A Qualitative Inquiry Of Conceptualized Heterosexuality And Its Influence On The Counseling Process, Breyan N. Haizlip

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

With CACREP's increasing attention to majority cultural group memberships and its influence on trainee self-awareness and the counseling relationship (see CACREP 2001/2009), heterosexually-identified counselors have little or no opportunity to increase awareness of their own sexuality, creating challenges when working with clients of various sexual identities. The purpose of this article is to present a qualitative analysis of conceptualized heterosexuality and its influences on the counseling process. A model of the process by which heterosexually-identified counselors conceptualize their heterosexual identity and its influences the counseling process is proposed. Results suggest that providing counselor trainees an opportunity to explore the relationship …