Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Port Visits As A Component Of Soviet Naval Diplomacy In The Mediterranean Sea 1967-1986, John Mark Ickes

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The Soviet Union used its navy as an instrument to support its political agenda, particularly after 1967. This thesis examines 1785 Soviet port visits in the Mediterranean Sea to identify characteristics of the Soviet naval port visit program, particularly the significance of the country visited, the length of the visit, and the ships selected for the visit. The results indicate that certain Mediterranean countries were visited more than others, that the length of the visit can be associated with various Soviet political intentions, and that certain warships made significantly more visits than others.

Russophobia And Judophobia Backlash In Extremist Russian Nationalism, 1987-1990, Connie Moray

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In the late 1980s the former Soviet Union witnessed an increase in Russian nationalist extremist activity. Russian nationalist extremism was a backlash against a perceived decline in Russian status and a re-evaluation of such basic concepts as what it means to be Russian. Two manifestations of this backlash were russophobia and judophobia.

This thesis employs concepts used by American sociologists Seymour Martin Lipset and Earl Raab in their study of right-wing extremist groups in the United States to gain new insight into the nature of Russian nationalist extremism. Primary sources used include the writings of important Russian nationalists including Igor …

France And Nato: A Case Of Misunderstanding, Servane Burel

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In 1966, General Charles de Gaulle partially withdrew France from the integrated military structure of the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO). This action represented a climax in the ongoing evolution in French foreign policy. Both sides of the Atlantic failed to understand de Gaulle's actions because of the ambivalent relation between the concept of grandeur in world politics and France's loyalty to the Alliance. Consequently, the partial withdrawal was perceived as a drastic shift in policies exemplifying French "anti-Americanism" and lack of commitment to the Alliance and NATO.

In contrast, this thesis presents this decision as simply a political statement, …

Social Support For Family Caretakers Of The Chronically Mentally Ill, Gina L. Bankes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relation between coping style, social support, family member symptom severity, and negative affect. Fifty-one caretakers of chronically mentally ill family members completed a demographic questionnaire, a general appraisal questionnaire, a family member symptom severity questionnaire, the Coping Strategy Indicator, the Social Support Questionnaire, and the Multiple Affect Anxiety Checklist. Caretakers with family members living at home were different than caretakers with family members living away from home (HOME) in several respects. Controlling for HOME, family member symptom severity was related to negative affect, coping strategies were related to negative affect and the Social Support Questionnaire …

Developmental Changes In Predictors Of Job Satisfaction For Female Elementary School Teachers, Donna Owens Collier

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to examine predictors of job satisfaction for female elementary school teachers. Specifically, how do personal variables and career variables affect job satisfaction at various age levels?

The subjects in this study were 386 females who teach kindergarten through sixth grade in an urban public school system. A survey was used to collect information about age, personal variables, career variables, and current level of job satisfaction. Personal variables included marital status, number of children and educational level. Career variables included number of years in the teaching profession, number of positions held during the teaching career …

The Relationship Between Gender And Empathy On A Telephone Hotline, George Shepeard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The impact of gender upon levels of empathy within the context of a volunteer telephone hotline was examined. Male and female confederates placed fictitious telephone calls to the hotline which were recorded and evaluated for state empathy. Trait empathy of the hotline volunteers was also assessed and results revealed no gender differences. A gender of caller by gender of telephone worker analysis of variance on state empathy ratings revealed no significant main effects or interactions. A significant negative correlation between age of the telephone worker and the empathy levels was found. The lack of expected findings is discussed in terms …

The Effects Of Style Of Timing Cue On Motor Skill Acquisition, Michael A. Freeman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The hierarchical model of motor programs asserts that a new movement is learned in hierarchical stages, and that movement timing control develops within each specific stage. The present study investigated whether learning within these different hierarchical stages is favored by different styles of timing cues. Three groups of right-handed subjects (total N = 48) learned to trace a short path while a specific style of auditory timing cue was introduced. Cues were presented in either a movement-synchronized style (cues occurring every time a movement change is required), an isochronic style (equal time interval cues), or with no cues (the control …

The Measurement Of Mood Variation Over Time And Its Relation To Performance, William T. Pinkston

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Variation in mood states over time and the relationship between mood states and task performance were investigated using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List - Revised (MAACL-R) and the Rotter's IE locus of control test. These tests along with anagram and digit cancellation tasks were administered twice a week for six weeks. A correlational analysis was performed. The results showed a higher correlation between mood state measures as the subjects' moods varied over time than between either mood measure and locus of control which did not covary with either of these measures. There was …

About Faces: The Investigation Of Electrodermal Activity (Eda) As It Relates To The Recognition And Naming Of Faces, Donald J. Shearer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates and replicates the occurrence of a "W" pattern or compound electrodermal activity (EDA) response as it relates to the perception and naming of faces first found in Shearer and Mikulka (1991). Thirty-four male and thirty-four female subjects were randomly assigned to two conditions. The two conditions were balanced for sex having 17 males and 17 females each. The subjects were each presented 40 facial stimulus slides and the accompanying EDA responses were recorded. In the experimental condition subjects were required either to name (identify) the face or give a "feeling of knowing" rating of the face. In …

The Impact Of An Employee Involvement Program On Service Quality In A Nursing Home Organization, Diane Catanzaro

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of an intervention involving employee participation in decision making and behavior modeling training on quality of service. Subjects were nursing aides in two similar nursing home facilities operated by a medium-sized long-term care organization. Participation in decision making involved weekly meetings using a quality-circle-type problem-solving process to develop suggestions for improving quality of service to residents and their families. Behavior modeling training was used to teach interpersonal skills necessary for handling a customer complaint. Service quality was assessed through family, resident, and supervisor ratings of nursing aide service behaviors. The …

A Syntactical Approach To Mr. Collins' Letter, Shixing Wen

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Kidwatching Going Beyond The Language Of The Test, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

A study examined the linguistic forms in the discourse of speakers during a language test to indicate why they use certain specific forms over others. Ten children were given the Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language--Simple Sentence Level Test (GAEL), a language proficiency test for hearing-impaired children in the age group of 4 to 8 years. Three students were videotaped during administration of the test, and the other students' final responses (omitting the intermediate discourse) were recorded. Some of the test items on which the maximum number of children deviated from the target response were analyzed for common traits and classified …

Role Of Imitation In Language Assessment Tests, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

A study investigated whether imitation plays a significant role in the acquisition of grammar. Three 6- to 8-year-old hearing-impaired children were administered the Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language--Simple Sentence Level Test (GAEL), which is designed to evaluate hearing-impaired children's use of grammatical aspects of spoken and/or signed English. Subjects' verbal responses to the "imitated" component (in which subjects were asked to say just what the tester said) of the GAEL were transcribed and analyzed. Results indicated that imitated speech is neither longer nor grammatically more advanced than non-imitated, spontaneous speech. Findings suggest that the children produced "unique" language structures to …

The Relationships Between Metacognitive Strategies And Learning Outcomes In An Adult Basic Skills Program, Bert Huggins

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study tested metacognitive strategies accounted for variance in learning acquisition and retention in an adult basic skills population. The study employed the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) to measure metacognitive strategy use, a standardized, individually-accessed basic skills curriculum, and a valid basic skills performance measurement.

The study population was young adult soldiers stationed in South Carolina, California and Hawaii. Sites selection assured uniformity in testing procedures, curriculum and delivery. Multiple sites assured a variety of soldier career fields for purposes of generalization.

Performance measurements were taken at the beginning of instruction, at the end of instruction and a …

The Relative Effectiveness Of Programmed Instruction Versus The Lecture And Discussion Method On The Assessment Skills And Reporting Patterns Of Child Abuse And Neglect Among Undergraduate Nursing Students, Pamela Valleria Wilson Hammond

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The problem studied in this investigation was whether different instructional methods could increase the assessment skills and affect reporting patterns of child abuse and neglect among undergraduate students majoring in nursing.

Two hundred and nineteen nursing students were selected for inclusion in the study from two urban universities located in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The sample was predominantly female (91.3%), African-American (79.9%) and mostly under 25 years of age (67.1%).

A programmed instruction manual, Child Abuse and Neglect, a pretest booklet, and a posttest booklet were developed specifically for this research. The pretest booklets and posttest booklets contained vignettes and questions …

A Comparison Of Alphanumeric, Direct Manipulation Graphic, And Equivalent Interface Design For A Production Scheduling Task, Ann C. Fulop

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Scheduling is an essential factor influencing the efficiency of any production system. The effectiveness of the scheduling system depends upon the interaction of the human and machine. Thus, to effectively design the interface between the human and the machine, the human factors professional must understand scheduling behavior and the information requirements of the scheduling task. The present study modeled human scheduling behavior and determined the information requirements of the scheduling task. The study also compared alphanumeric, direct manipulation graphic, and equivalent interfaces to determine which interface best supports scheduling. The results of the study show that schedulers monitor the current …

The Evaluation Of Company-Sponsored Test-Preparation Courses: Training Different Aged Employees On General Test-Taking Skills And Basic Cognitive Skills, Kerrie D. Quinn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Test performance in general has been found to decline with increasing age. However, this decline has not been accompanied consistently by lower job performance. Subsequently, factors external to the test are being more closely examined for their effects on test performance. Two such factors, a lack of general test-taking skills and a reduced level of basic cognitive skills, are thought to contribute most to the test performance of older adults. These factors occur because of the lower level of education and greater length of time since formal schooling for older adults. Accordingly, organizations have been offering test-preparation training to all …

Nurse Manager Role Stress, Rosemarie Mohn

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of decision-making style, and right and left brain function on nurse manager role stress. Data were collected from 48 nurse managers employed at four acute care facilities along the Atlantic seaboard. A nonexperimental correlation descriptive design was utilized to determine if any positive or negative correlation existed between study variables and levels of stress. Findings suggested that nurse managers experienced moderate amounts of role stress, including role conflict and role ambiguity. One significant statistical correlation existed between role ambiguity and the decision making dimension of intuition. Recommendations for future research …

Color Terms And Lexical Classes In Krahn/Wobé, Janet Mueller Bing

English Faculty Publications

Many West African languages lack a separate category of adjectives; Krahn and Wobé are also said to lack this lexical class. However, an examination of color terms in the Gborbo dialect of Liberian Krahn reveals a class of words which are neither nouns or verbs After describing the syntactic behavior of nouns and verbs and color nouns and verbs, it is shown that a third class of color words must be considered adjectives. The data supports proposals by Givón and Dixon that, universally, lexical categories are semantically based.

Japan Looks At An Uncertain China: The Role Of Japan's Aid To China, Yixin Yang

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the role the Japanese aid has played in accommodating the structural change of Sino-Japanese economic relations and in dealing with the economic and political crisis that has jeopardized their bilateral relations and Japan's own national interest. Japan's early resumption of economic aid to China after Tiananmen reflects how aid philosophy differs from that of most of the other Western aid donors. The conclusions are that Japan's large loan to China has played a vital role in maintaining and strengthening Sino-Japanese economic relations, that the aid has made the interdependent relations between the two countries an asymmetric one, …

Multiple Cue Probability Learning: Effects Of Individual Differences On Mcpl Performance, Catherine Q. Greenwald

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study investigated individual difference effects on multiple cue probability learning performance. Measures of cognitive complexity, creativity, problem solving ability, and anxiety were correlated with the NCPL indices of performance. Eighty participants (40 men and 40 women) were randomly selected graduate students from the six colleges of Old Dominion University. Results showed significant Pearson Product Moment correlations among the Level 2 NCPL achievement and matching indices and the predictors Career Path Appreciation phrase card average, Kirton Adaptation Innovation Inventory, Quantitative GRE scores, gender, and anxiety. There is some evidence that MCPL performance can be explained in terms of these …

Body-Image Attitudes And Perceptions Among African-Americans And Whites As A Function Of Socioeconomic Class, Christopher Eugene Huffine

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

While many facets of body image have been extensively researched, relatively few studies have examined racial and social class differences in body image. The present paper consists of two studies examining racial and class differences in body image among males and females. Study 1 utilized a national sample of respondents to a 1985 Psychology Today survey to examine racial (Black and White) and educational differences in body image among men and women. Study 2 utilized a smaller sample of Black subjects, half drawn from several Southeastern universities and the other half from non-academic locations in the Tidewater area of Virginia …

The Relationship Among Absorption Anxiety And Frontal Electromyogram, Jeffrey E. Atkinson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among absorption, anxiety (state and trait), and frontal EMG in a sample of sixty undergraduate students. These relationships were examined during a baseline (relaxation) condition and during an anxiety condition during which an extemporaneous speech was given. It was determined that absorption was inversely related to state anxiety and trait anxiety was directly related to state anxiety measured after the relaxation period. Absorption and/or trait anxiety were not related to state anxiety after the speech anxiety condition. There was no relationship between absorption or trait anxiety and frontal EMG during either condition. In addition, state …

Religious Orientation And Sex-Role Attitudes: The Apportionment Of Paid Employment Childcare And Household Tasks Within The Context Of Marriage, Gregory Ralph Caron

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between intrinsic/extrinsic religious orientation and sex-role attitudes within the context of marriage. Three hundred and ten students from urban Catholic high schools participated in the study. Sex-role attitudes were measured using Likert-type scales reflecting judgment on apportionment of time between spouses for paid employment, childcare, and housework. Also, Likert-type scales reflected perceived comfort, perceived marriage satisfaction, and divorce probability for a husband and wife represented in an egalitarian and a traditional sex-segregated scenario. Sex-role attitude scores were examined by categorizing students according to gender and high/low intrinsic and extrinsic groups. …

Transfer Of Thermal Biofeedback Training From One Hand To The Opposite Hand, W. Thomas Bundick Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Thermal biofeedback is a way to train subjects to raise and lower peripheral skin temperature. Raising skin temperature has been shown to be useful in treating vascular disorders such as migraine headaches and Raynaud's disease. This study examined the effect that, training of one hand has on subsequent training of the other hand. Subjects were given three sessions of training in either hand warming or hand cooling with their dominant hands, followed by one session of warming or cooling with the opposite hand. Based on prior research, it was hypothesized that prior training of one hand would facilitate training of …

The Effects Of Social Support On The Psychological Adjustment Of Navy Wives Experiencing Deployment, Marci A. Harris

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The military, particularly a Navy deployment, provides unique challenges and stresses to the military family. The present study investigated the effects of social support on the psychological well-being of Navy wives experiencing spousal deployment. Sixty-three Navy wives in the Tidewater, Virginia area completed questionnaires on depression, self-esteem, and daily stress, as well as on the size of and satisfaction with affective and instrumental support. Assessments were made before, during, and after the deployment. Results of stepwise regressions showed that satisfaction with various aspects of social support significantly (p < .05) predicted levels of depression, self-esteem, and daily stress at all three phases of deployment. Results also showed that psychological wellbeing was lowest at middeployment. Findings demonstrate the importance of developing satisfactory social support systems prior to, during, and after deployment.

Effects Of Extraversion And Gender On Self-Disclosure Of Emotion With A Same-Sex Friend, Patrick M. Ulmen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The study examined subjects' perceptions about disclosure of emotion by a stimulus person who was depicted as extraverted or introverted, and subjects' self-disclosure of emotion based on their own level of extraversion. In addition, the role of gender in disclosure of emotion was examined. The findings on differences in disclosure of emotion based on gender are considered tentative. Males self-disclosed anger more to same-sex stimulus persons than did females, but this was the only significant difference. An introverted compared to an extraverted stimulus person was found to elicit more disclosure about emotions associated with calmness and depression. Emotions which an …

The Effect Of Menopause Stage And Exercise On Perceived Body Image And Depression, Barbara Anne Waters

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of menopause stage and level of exercise on depression and perceived body image with 101 women aged 40-60 years. Instruments included a demographic information sheet, the Life Experience Survey (LES), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). The relationship between menopause stage and depression was not significant. The relationship between menopause stage and perceived body-image was also not significant. Menopausal women do not appear to be more depressed or to have lower body-image perceptions when compared to premenopausal women. The main effect for amount of exercise and perceived body image …

An Analysis Of Urban Higher Education Ceo's Perceptions Of Critical Leadership Behaviors, Linda Ferguson Banis

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The research question for this study asked if CEO's (Chief Executive Officers) of urban higher education institutions hold the same values and beliefs as those attributed to business and industry CEO's through the business literature. Through survey methodology, the analysis of urban higher education CEO's perceptions of critical leadership behaviors revealed very similar belief patterns. The primary discrepancies between the research group and their industry counterparts lie in the degree to which critical behaviors are espoused and in the acceptance of transformational leadership as a proactive model for effective organizational change. The responses to the open-ended portion of the questionnaire …

Gender Effects On Recall, Clinical Judgement And Treatment Recommendations For A Combination Of Major Depression And Alcohol Dependence Symptoms, Jodi L. French

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of client gender on several aspects of clinical decision-making processes and clinical judgement when a client presented with a combination of depressive and alcohol-dependent symptoms. Forty-four male and 44 female clinicians, who came from various mental health disciplines (i.e., psychology, social work, counseling, nursing, and psychiatry), volunteered to participate as subjects.

The subjects were assigned to hear one of four audiotapes (two male tapes and two female tapes) in which mock clients gave the same initial presentation of symptoms and problems. After listening to the tapes, the clinicians were asked to engage in a number …