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University of Central Florida

Theses/Dissertations

2011

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Articles 31 - 60 of 179

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Relationship Between Psychometrically-Defined Social Anxiety And Working Memory Performance, Timothy L. Paskowski May 2011

The Relationship Between Psychometrically-Defined Social Anxiety And Working Memory Performance, Timothy L. Paskowski

HIM 1990-2015

Anxiety disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed class of mental illness in the United States, and often involve abnormally high levels of stress and social fear. Despite high lifetime prevalence rates, social anxiety disorder (SAD) has remarkably low diagnosis and treatment rates. Furthermore, while individuals with other specific psychiatric disorders tend to exhibit significant neuropsychological deficits, neuropsychological functioning in individuals with SAD remains largely untested. A majority of the few existing studies concerning neuropsychological performance in SAD samples focus on specific functions, and their limited results are highly mixed. The primary objective of this investigation was to provide a …


Perceived Gender And Its Effect On Attributions Toward Avatars In The Video Game Spore, Victoria Marie Sweeney May 2011

Perceived Gender And Its Effect On Attributions Toward Avatars In The Video Game Spore, Victoria Marie Sweeney

HIM 1990-2015

In this study, 174 undergraduates from the University of Central Florida were asked to rate individual human and animal avatar features from the video game Spore on their level of femininity, masculinity, likability, and how well the feature represented them on a 7 point Likert scale of agreeability. Avatar features were presented on a neutral gray, quadruped body in two different views. It was expected that participants would show higher likability for avatar features that they perceived as corresponding to their Personal Attribute Questionnaire (PAQ) gender. Males liked feminine features approximately the same as females, however, in many categories females …


International Contracts A Quantitative Analysis Of Transnational Contract Formation, David T. Ackerman May 2011

International Contracts A Quantitative Analysis Of Transnational Contract Formation, David T. Ackerman

HIM 1990-2015

Globalization is the promise of the future, and it presents, quite literally, a world of opportunities not available in the past. International collaborations in science, research, and business now enjoy increased probabilities of success, in part, because of the advance in technology and the possibility of instantaneous communications. The convenience, simplicity and affordability of technology are helping to make the world accessible to almost everyone. With new availability of international concerns and the growth of global partnerships in all areas of interest, an increased need arises for agreements that memorialize collaborators' commitments, responsibilities and obligations. There is a corresponding concern …


Women's Dynamic Role In The United States House Of Representatives, Andrew C. Bolender May 2011

Women's Dynamic Role In The United States House Of Representatives, Andrew C. Bolender

HIM 1990-2015

At the outset of my studies, my goal was to look at women's role in the United States Federal Government. The study was to span from the inception of the United States Government to the present. The purpose of the study was to highlight the large gender gap in the United States Government. However, I soon found there to be an overwhelming amount of material to discuss. Realizing the limited amount of space I had to fit my findings, I narrowed the topic to women's role in the United States House of Representatives. Even with this narrowed scope, the gender …


Leaders And Laggards Climate Change Mitigation Policy In The European Union And The United States, Astrid Breuer May 2011

Leaders And Laggards Climate Change Mitigation Policy In The European Union And The United States, Astrid Breuer

HIM 1990-2015

In 1997, both the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (EU) signed the Kyoto Protocol, the first legally binding international treaty with targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. However, in 2001, the United States withdrew from the Protocol. This thesis seeks to understand some of the reasons why the European Union embraced the Kyoto Protocol while the United States did not. Using an overall framework of comparative politics, research is undertaken through three lenses. First, an overview of public opinion toward global warming and climate change in the U.S. and the EU analyzes potential differences or similarities from surveys …


Political Conservatism And Its Effects On Memory And Basic Recall, Simon M. Caine May 2011

Political Conservatism And Its Effects On Memory And Basic Recall, Simon M. Caine

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate how conservatism affects a person's perception of everyday details. It is hypothesized that there will be a positive correlation between the participants' conservative ratings and the amount of details from the readings they recall that are also conservative. This will also mean that there will be a negative correlation between the participants scoring higher on the conservatism scale and the amount of liberal details they recall. A similar pattern is expected to be discovered pertaining to participants that identify as more liberal. How is this measured? The participants will be asked to …


Discrimination Of Arabs And Muslims In Simulated Hiring Decisions The Role Of Multiple Categorization, Perceived Job Fit, And Social Dominance, Lindsay Dhanani May 2011

Discrimination Of Arabs And Muslims In Simulated Hiring Decisions The Role Of Multiple Categorization, Perceived Job Fit, And Social Dominance, Lindsay Dhanani

HIM 1990-2015

Discrimination in hiring contexts has received a lot of attention from researchers in Industrial Organizational Psychology. However, discrimination against Arabs and Muslims in hiring contexts has been overlooked in the literature. The current study explores discrimination targeting Arabs and Muslims in the workplace. The theory of multiple categorization (Crisp & Hewstone, 1999) was applied to Arabs and Muslims in order to determine the relative effect of national origin and religious affiliation. Perceived job fit (Heilman, 1983) was also examined using an airport security position and a shipping and receiving clerk position. Participants rated mock resumes on several measures of hireability …


U.S. Foreign Policy Toward North Korea 1945 To Present, Andrew Derewiany May 2011

U.S. Foreign Policy Toward North Korea 1945 To Present, Andrew Derewiany

HIM 1990-2015

The foreign policy of the United States of America toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea, has an important role in maintaining the peace, stability, and security of Eastern Asia. From the partition of the Korean peninsula following World War II to the country's development of nuclear weapons, the foreign policy of the U.S. had to evolve based on the circumstances in North Korea. The United States, along with China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, have key roles surrounding the discussions with North Korea. The thesis focuses solely on the presidential administrations of Harry …


Iranian Feminism: A Comparative Evaluation Of Its Impact And Future, Anna V. Eskamani May 2011

Iranian Feminism: A Comparative Evaluation Of Its Impact And Future, Anna V. Eskamani

HIM 1990-2015

For the casual observer, the term "Iranian feminist" is often considered to be an oxymoron. However, what seems to be an ironic juxtaposition actually holds a great length of truth: for over a century now, Iranian women have been marching, screaming, and fighting for equal gender rights--all the while embracing feminist ideals. In fact, "feminity" is a political symbol that has been influencing Iranian politics for over 150 years. From the very beginning of modern Iranian history, women have always played a pivotal role within Iranian history, constantly connecting the personal to the political. This research aims to explore this …


The Relationship Between Genre Choice Of Music And Altruistic Behavior, Christine Hippler May 2011

The Relationship Between Genre Choice Of Music And Altruistic Behavior, Christine Hippler

HIM 1990-2015

Extensive research has documented the relationship between listening to certain genres of music and negative effects on social behavior such as aggressive and antisocial behavior. The present study explored whether there are genres of music associated with altruism. Altruistic behavior is defined as behavior that is consistently more caring, helpful, considerate of other's feelings, and self- sacrificing. These behaviors promote our ability to thrive as a community. Yet, few studies have addressed the relationship between music and altruism. Data was collected from 608 college students who completed a self-report altruism scale, music preference measure, the Marlowe Crowne social desirability scale, …


Relationships Among Child Abuse Experiences, Social Support, And Academic Success, Amanda Marie Havill May 2011

Relationships Among Child Abuse Experiences, Social Support, And Academic Success, Amanda Marie Havill

HIM 1990-2015

Nonetheless, understanding the childhood experiences that individuals bring with them into their later lives still may be important in fostering the best possible academic outcomes.; Previous research indicated that childhood abuse experiences are important factors in determining the length and achievement of individuals' academic careers (Braver, Bumberry, Green, & Rawson, 1992). Several additional studies suggested that there is a relationship between childhood abuse experiences and social support (i.e., parental, peer, and teacher; Ezzell, Swenson, & Brondino, 2000; Goebbels, Nichols, Walsh, & De Vries, 2008). Although these relationships were documented, few studies examined the relationships between childhood abuse experiences, social support, …


Human Development And Institutional Design The Comparative Performance Of Presidential Regimes, Michael A. Hristakopoulos May 2011

Human Development And Institutional Design The Comparative Performance Of Presidential Regimes, Michael A. Hristakopoulos

HIM 1990-2015

Measures of human development, no matter their specific methodology, have always placed Costa Rica substantially higher than its neighbor, Nicaragua, but no apparent governmental, resource, or historical discrepancy can account for this gap. This thesis uses two case studies to examine this phenomenon from three different theoretical perspectives, and conclude which has the greatest explanatory power to account for the disparity between these two particular governments. Political scientists have noted that parliamentary systems lend themselves to better governance when compared with their presidential countersystems. Shugart and Carey (1992) cite peculiarities within some presidential models which may account for lower rates …


Relationships Of Combined Parenting Styles Of Step And Biological Parents In Stepfamily Relationship Formation And Emerging Adult Stepchildren's Adjustment, Saarah Kison May 2011

Relationships Of Combined Parenting Styles Of Step And Biological Parents In Stepfamily Relationship Formation And Emerging Adult Stepchildren's Adjustment, Saarah Kison

HIM 1990-2015

Previous stepfamily research suggested that the parenting styles of biological parents and stepparents are related to children's behavioral adjustment. Scant research also provided evidence of the significance of combined parenting styles on emerging adults' behavioral adjustment. In conjunction with this literature, the scope of the current study served four purposes. First, the current study examined the degree to which parenting styles predict emerging adults' behavioral adjustment. Second, the degree to which biological parent and stepparent parenting styles predict the emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships was examined. Third, the degree to which the emerging adult-biological parent and stepparent relationships predict …


On Rights A Defense And Analysis Of Rights Through Natural Law, Ramon E. Lopez May 2011

On Rights A Defense And Analysis Of Rights Through Natural Law, Ramon E. Lopez

HIM 1990-2015

One of the central questions in political theory deals with the nature of rights. What sorts of rights do people possess? How are these rights justified? How ought these rights be reflected and related when seen in political, economic, and social institutions? Following the publication of John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971) and Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), rights have once again returned to dominate much of contemporary political theory. However, natural law, which was the historical basis of the early Enlightenment theories of rights, is no longer the primary system appealed to when discussing rights. In …


You've Got Mail The Study Of The Attorney-Client Privilege And The Use Of Electronic Mail, Justin W. Mcconnell May 2011

You've Got Mail The Study Of The Attorney-Client Privilege And The Use Of Electronic Mail, Justin W. Mcconnell

HIM 1990-2015

The prolific use of the internet and electronic mail within the legal profession presents novel challenges to the application of the attorney-client privilege; especially, in regards to protecting intended confidential communications relayed through e-mail. This thesis addresses the question of whether an attorney in Florida, through electronic mail use, can waive his client's right to the protections of the attorney-client privilege. After a review of current case law, law review articles, statutes, and texts, this thesis concluded that an attorney's communication through e-mail warrants a reasonable expectation of privacy, permitting the attorney to speak in reasonable confidence to clients through …


The Role Of Attachment In The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment And Later Emotional And Behavioral Functioning, Amanda F. Lowell May 2011

The Role Of Attachment In The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment And Later Emotional And Behavioral Functioning, Amanda F. Lowell

HIM 1990-2015

Childhood maltreatment is an experience that is likely to have lasting effects on individuals' emotional and behavioral functioning throughout their lifetimes. In particular, childhood maltreatment often is implicated in the etiology of numerous unfavorable psychological outcomes. Other research also suggested that there is a relationship between child maltreatment and the style of attachment that individuals exhibit post-abuse. Lastly, an association exists between individuals' attachment styles and their emotional and behavioral functioning. Despite substantial documentation of these relationships, few studies examine childhood maltreatment, attachment, and emotional and behavioral functioning collectively. As a result, this study examined the relationships among childhood maltreatment, …


Bigger Is Better? A Comparative Study Of Humanitarian Efforts Of International Organizations In Haiti, Crisely Melecio Zambrano May 2011

Bigger Is Better? A Comparative Study Of Humanitarian Efforts Of International Organizations In Haiti, Crisely Melecio Zambrano

HIM 1990-2015

This thesis conducts a comparative study of international organizations in regard to their effectiveness towards addressing humanitarian concerns in Haiti. The three case studies are the operations of the United Nations, Catholic Relief Services, and REBUILD Globally, predominantly after the January 2010 quake. The hypothesis supported in this study is that the services of smaller organizations prove to be more successful than larger NGOs, although they do not have the immense resources of organizations such as the United Nations. The independent variables are type and quantity of funding, form of humanitarian work, and duration of support. All three variables establish …


Clerics And Commanders An Examination Of The Evolution Of The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Role In The Political Economy Of Iran, Gregory D. Mcdowall May 2011

Clerics And Commanders An Examination Of The Evolution Of The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Role In The Political Economy Of Iran, Gregory D. Mcdowall

HIM 1990-2015

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Pasdaran, is a unique military institution created to secure the ideals of Iran's revolution as well its territory. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, however, the IRGC's role in Iran's political economy has increased significantly beyond that mandate. Unfortunately, the leadership in the United States has demonstrated neither the aptitude nor the desire to understand Iran. Given the IRGC's command of Iran's nuclear development program and encroachment into its foreign policy, it is more important than ever to understand Iran's leadership structure. This study attempts to explain an important …


Intolerance Of Ambiguity And Gender Differences Between Humanists And Normativists, Jorge I. Mendoza May 2011

Intolerance Of Ambiguity And Gender Differences Between Humanists And Normativists, Jorge I. Mendoza

HIM 1990-2015

A study was conducted to test Tomkins' Polarity theory (1963) on the psychological basis for being ideologically liberal or conservative and its relationship with intolerance of ambiguity and gender differences. Normativism, the conservative orientation, was found to have a positive relationship with intolerance for ambiguity. Males were found to be generally less humanist than females. Theoretical background and relevant research is discussed. Suggested applications of this study are to political persuasion, voting behavior, and the psychology of partisanship. This study intends to contribute to the literature on the psychology of ideology, political behavior and ideological differences between men and women.


The Relationship Between Substance Abuse And Identity Development, Joshua J. Mester May 2011

The Relationship Between Substance Abuse And Identity Development, Joshua J. Mester

HIM 1990-2015

This research examined the relationship between substance use and identity variables. The sample consisted of 76 students undergraduate psychology students. Relationships were found between identity variables and both alcohol and marijuana usage. People with a foreclosed identity status tended to have the lowest rates of substance use, while people in the moratorium identity status tended to have the highest rates. The hypotheses that identity variables would predict substance usage above and beyond psychological adjustment, and that identity distress symptoms would predict substance use beyond other identity development variables alone, was mostly not confirmed. The strongest and most consistent predictor of …


Missing The Consequences Misperceptions Of The 1967 Six-Day Israeli-Arab War, Jonathan Miniello May 2011

Missing The Consequences Misperceptions Of The 1967 Six-Day Israeli-Arab War, Jonathan Miniello

HIM 1990-2015

In recent times, the issues surrounding the "67 borders" have become part of the public debate. In recent speeches, President Obama has suggested that Israel should return to pre-1967 borders with "land-swaps" in exchange for some form of peace with the Palestinians living within current Israeli territory. The validity of Obama's suggestion has been questioned by both members of the political left and right and in the opinion of this author, with considerable merit. However, the ultimate judgment on the validity of Obama's suggestion should be based on a study encompassing the decisions, both correct and flawed, of the leaders …


Examining The Relationship Between Female Parents With Low Perceived Control And Adolescent Child Stress, Brendan P. Monaghan May 2011

Examining The Relationship Between Female Parents With Low Perceived Control And Adolescent Child Stress, Brendan P. Monaghan

HIM 1990-2015

Adolescence is a stressful time for many children. Changes in their environment or changes in social situations are some typical stressors that an adolescent child might encounter. Interactions with parents can also be a stressor for a child. Previous research has shown that a risk factor for a parent using harsh parenting techniques is perceived control. Parents who have low perceived control are at a higher risk to engage in physical parenting techniques or child abuse. This study included 198 middle school students and their female parent or guardian pairs (296 total participants), with the adolescent participants ranging in age …


Associations Between Positive Health Behaviors And Psychological Distress, Marlaine Marie Monroig May 2011

Associations Between Positive Health Behaviors And Psychological Distress, Marlaine Marie Monroig

HIM 1990-2015

Research examining the relationship between psychological distress and health behaviors is limited, as most of these studies examine one type of psychological distress and relate it to one type of health behavior. To address this limitation, an exploratory study was conducted that included online self-report measures of a wide range of positive health behaviors (Health Behavior Checklist; HBC) and a wide range of different types of psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI). Participants were 762 undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida (55% female). Results revealed that the total BSI score showed statistically significant negative correlations with the HBC …


An Evaluation Of Aquatic Therapy As A Treatment For Lower Back Pain, Daniel A. Olson May 2011

An Evaluation Of Aquatic Therapy As A Treatment For Lower Back Pain, Daniel A. Olson

HIM 1990-2015

Lower back pain (LBP) is a medical condition that will affect most of us at some point in our lives. Several medical causes have been identified for LBP, yet the large majority of LBP patients do not receive a specific diagnosis. These patients use up a large majority of health care resources, and accumulate billions of dollars in medical costs in countries throughout the globe. In recent years, an increasing focus has been placed on the idea that aquatic therapy may be an effective therapy for LBP patients. Exercise therapy has already proven itself as an effective means for treating …


Neocolonialism Construction And Solutions, Stephanie Parenti May 2011

Neocolonialism Construction And Solutions, Stephanie Parenti

HIM 1990-2015

Many nation-states have their potential for growth hindered by the involvement of developed nations. These low-income nation-states are primarily located on the continent of Africa. There are three parts to this phenomenon of neocolonialism which is the process of continuing involvement of developed nations in developing nations that creates a negative growth in those nations. The research I've conducted is in three parts. The first consists of analyzing the social construction of neocolonialism, how the phenomenon occurs, and where it stems from. The second part is to show how this involvement is damaging to the developing nations. I will use …


War In Pakistan The Effects Of The Pakistani-American War On Terror In Pakistan, Akhtar Qureshi May 2011

War In Pakistan The Effects Of The Pakistani-American War On Terror In Pakistan, Akhtar Qureshi

HIM 1990-2015

This research paper investigates the current turmoil in Pakistan and how much of it has been caused by the joint American-Pakistani War on Terror. The United States' portion of the War on Terror is in Afghanistan against the Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces that began after the September 11th attacks in 2001, as well as in Pakistan with unmanned drone attacks. Pakistan's portion of this war includes the support to the U.S. in Afghanistan and military campaigns within it's own borders against Taliban forces. Taliban forces have fought back against Pakistan with terrorist attacks and bombings that continue to ravage the …


Ibully: The Impact Of Gender Of Bully And Victim On Perception Of Cyberbullying And Its Consequences, Christopher Sharpe May 2011

Ibully: The Impact Of Gender Of Bully And Victim On Perception Of Cyberbullying And Its Consequences, Christopher Sharpe

HIM 1990-2015

In today's technologically sophisticated world, people have many electronic methods of exchanging information and communicating. Unfortunately, these methods are not always used in positive ways; they can also be used to convey aggression and bullying. Recently, such acts of aggression have been labeled many things from cyberbullying to online social cruelty, and have received much media attention due to their tragic consequences including victim suicide. This study explores the impact of victim and bully gender in relation to perception of bully likability, punishment, impact on victim, and victim responses. Participants reviewed a Cyberbullying scenario in which the gender of the …


A Comparison Of Traditional And Nontraditional College Students' Stress And Its Relationship To Their Time Management And Overall Psychological Adjustment, Debra Stagman May 2011

A Comparison Of Traditional And Nontraditional College Students' Stress And Its Relationship To Their Time Management And Overall Psychological Adjustment, Debra Stagman

HIM 1990-2015

The academic demands of college can be strenuous. Nontraditional students in particular may be at risk for role conflict and overload. This study examines levels of academic stressors and reactions to stressors between traditional and nontraditional undergraduate college students in order to investigate the relationships between academic stress, time management behaviors and overall psychological adjustment between the two groups. Participants completed Gadzella's (1991) Student-Life Stress Inventory, Time Management Behaviors Scale (Macan, Shahani, Dipboye, & Phillips, 1990) and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (Derogatis, 1994). Results reveal significant differences between traditional and nontraditional students on a subscale of the Time Management Behavior …


Sex Trafficking Florida's Response To The International Organized Crime, Candice Torres May 2011

Sex Trafficking Florida's Response To The International Organized Crime, Candice Torres

HIM 1990-2015

Florida has the second-highest incidence of human trafficking in the country. Sex trafficking of women into and out of the state of Florida is defined by various terms from international, national and local terms. The United Nations defines sex trafficking in Article 3, paragraph (a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime as: "Trafficking in persons: shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, …


The Struggle For Regional Hegemony How The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Continues To Influence Iraq, Juliana Velasco May 2011

The Struggle For Regional Hegemony How The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Continues To Influence Iraq, Juliana Velasco

HIM 1990-2015

Due to the recent war in Iraq, the Middle East has once against jumped to the forefront of everyone's mind. The world has been focused on Iraq and Iran for a decade now because Iran has established a strong foothold in Iraqi life since the toppling of Saddam Hussein. However, in order to understand this issue and attempt to solve it, an extensive study must be made of all the reasons that Iran is succeeding where the United States has not. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the historical influence that Iran, particularly the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps …