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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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University of Central Florida

2011

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Articles 31 - 60 of 197

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

London, Richard C. Crepeau Aug 2011

London, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As some of you know I am now in London where I will spend the fall semester teaching at the Florida State University London Centre. I am not certain how this will affect my general view of the American sports scene, but I can tell you that the riots of this week have affected my ability to concentrate on sport and the issues that have arisen over the past two weeks.


An Impact Evaluation Of U.S. Arms Export Controls On The U.S. Defense Industrial Base An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis, Aaron Condron Aug 2011

An Impact Evaluation Of U.S. Arms Export Controls On The U.S. Defense Industrial Base An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis, Aaron Condron

HIM 1990-2015

The United States Defense Industrial Base (USDIB) is an essential industry to both the economic prosperity of the US and its strategic control over many advanced military systems and technologies. The USDIB, which encompasses the industries of aerospace and defense, is a volatile industry - prone to many internal and external factors that cause demand to ebb and flow widely year over year. Among the factors that influence the volume of systems the USDIB delivers to its international customers are the arms export controls of the US. These controls impose a divergence from the historical US foreign policy of furthering …


Older Adults And Online Social Networking: Relating Issues Of Attitudes, Expertise, And Use, Elise Hernandez Aug 2011

Older Adults And Online Social Networking: Relating Issues Of Attitudes, Expertise, And Use, Elise Hernandez

HIM 1990-2015

The social transition to older adulthood can be challenging for elderly individuals and their families when isolation poses a threat to well-being. Technology is currently providing younger generations with an opportunity to stay in contact with social partners through the use of online social networking tools; it is unclear whether older adults are also taking advantage of this communication method. This study explored how older adults are experiencing online social networking. Specifically, this research addressed how older adults' attitudes towards online social networking are related to their expertise in using computers and the internet for this purpose. A survey methodological …


Investigating The Relationship Between Assertiveness And Personality Characteristics, Laura K. Kirst Aug 2011

Investigating The Relationship Between Assertiveness And Personality Characteristics, Laura K. Kirst

HIM 1990-2015

Assertiveness is a learned fundamental interpersonal communication skill that helps individuals to meet the social demands of society. Although various personality factors associated with assertiveness have previously been studied, no recently published studies were identified in the review of assertiveness literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between assertiveness and the five factors of personality (extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), self-esteem, social anxiety, and shyness to update past research findings. Participants completed the College Self-Expression Scale, the IPIP representation of the NEO PI-R, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation …


Anatomy Of A Financial Center's Global Competitiveness In The Context Of Michael Porter's Model Of National Competitive Advantage A Theoretical Analysis, Josef Joachim L. Magpantay Aug 2011

Anatomy Of A Financial Center's Global Competitiveness In The Context Of Michael Porter's Model Of National Competitive Advantage A Theoretical Analysis, Josef Joachim L. Magpantay

HIM 1990-2015

Throughout history, a number of financial centers have risen and fallen. While the significance of some centers have deteriorated, a small number of centers have emerged as today's leading financial centers by meeting a specific set of necessary conditions needed to successfully address the growing financial needs of the regions they are located. Furthermore, an even smaller number of financial centers have been able to sustain and expand their initial dominance in the financial industry by continuously satisfying a more focused set of conditions and factors. This thesis focuses on adapting Michael Porter's Diamond Model in determining, clustering, and expanding …


Effect Of A Human-Teacher Vs. A Robot-Teacher On Human Learning A Pilot Study, Melissa A. B. Smith Aug 2011

Effect Of A Human-Teacher Vs. A Robot-Teacher On Human Learning A Pilot Study, Melissa A. B. Smith

HIM 1990-2015

Studies about the dynamics of human-robot interactions have increased within the past decade as robots become more integrated into the daily lives of humans. However, much of the research into learning and robotics has been focused on methods that would allow robots to learn from humans and very little has been done on how and what, if possible, humans could learn from programmed robots. A between-subjects experiment was conducted, in which two groups were compared: a group where the participants learned a simple pick-and-place block task via video of a human-teacher and a group where the participants learned the same …


Stress Associated With Law Enforcement Work And Its Effect On Conjugal Relationships, Patricia S. Peace Aug 2011

Stress Associated With Law Enforcement Work And Its Effect On Conjugal Relationships, Patricia S. Peace

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in stress from associated with the occupation of law enforcement exists across the officers' relationship domains. The sample consisted of 51 participants that was comprised of both law enforcement officers and their significant others. Unlike past studies, this study included those that were married, divorced, in a civil union, single, or cohabitating. Based on past research it was hypothesized that the stress placed on officers and their significant other would be higher than that of other relationships. An anonymous survey was sent out to a several departments. …


Moral Cognition In Children An Examination Of The Possible Impact Of School Didactic Philosophies, Smit S. Shah Aug 2011

Moral Cognition In Children An Examination Of The Possible Impact Of School Didactic Philosophies, Smit S. Shah

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects that Montessori and public school environments have on the moral cognition of children and to assess the differences using modified moral dilemma stories. Through the analysis of these children's responses on moral dilemma stories this thesis reveals that there are stark and statistically significant differences in the children's responses on two of the three stories. The Montessori children scored higher on the morality level and the answers reflected altruism over authority on story one and story three. Through these results the researcher surmised that school environment can have an impact …


The Northern Ireland Conflict Feasibility Of 21st Century Reunification, Robert O'Brien Aug 2011

The Northern Ireland Conflict Feasibility Of 21st Century Reunification, Robert O'Brien

HIM 1990-2015

The State of Northern Ireland has been home to a significant amount of violence between a minority of Catholic Irish nationalists and a majority of Protestant British unionists. As a result, violence has plagued the region, with the loss of over three thousand five hundred lives during the course of three decades, colloquially known as "the troubles." In 1998, the Belfast or "Good Friday" Agreement was signed by officials from The United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland to ensure a diplomatic means of cooperation amongst the various political parties of Northern Ireland, and disarmament of paramilitary groups. However, the …


Nfl, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2011

Nfl, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Today was Day 129 of America Held Hostage. No, the Ayatollah Komenhi and his band of fanatical hostage takers have not returned. This is not the ABC television news mantra that was featured during the Iranian Hostage crisis and spawned “Nightline” and made a celebrity out of Ted Koppel. This was something far more significant.


World Cup, Richard C. Crepeau Jul 2011

World Cup, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Do you believe in miracles? Since it was first used by Al Michaels on the ABC telecast during the final seconds of the U.S.–Soviet Hockey game at the 1980 Olympics, this line has been quoted countless times by American sports fans. Watching the totally unexpected play or the remarkable outcome to some game, fans have often turned to this phrase to express their wonder.


Predictors Of Presence In Virtual Reality, Brandon Sollins May 2011

Predictors Of Presence In Virtual Reality, Brandon Sollins

HIM 1990-2015

The subjective experience of presence is considered to be important in the treatment of anxiety disorders using virtual reality. Presence can be defined as a psychological phenomenon through which one's cognitive processes are oriented towards another world. Most of the research on presence has focused on the roles of technological factors influencing presence, while the number of studies focusing on the personality and physiological predictors are far fewer. Thus, the present study examined the relationship between various personality variables and presence, along with physiological correlates of presence when engaged in a virtual environment. The Presence Questionnaire, to determine their experience …


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 …


The Dissolution Of The Monasteries By King Henry Viii And Its Effect On The Econmoy Sic], Political Landscape, And Social Instability In Tudor England That Led To The Creation Of The Poor Laws, Casey Jo Cooper May 2011

The Dissolution Of The Monasteries By King Henry Viii And Its Effect On The Econmoy Sic], Political Landscape, And Social Instability In Tudor England That Led To The Creation Of The Poor Laws, Casey Jo Cooper

HIM 1990-2015

Before the reformation and the schism of the Catholic Church, it had always been the duty of the Church and not of the state, to undertake the seven corporal works of mercy; feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, visit the prisoner, and bury the dead.¹ By dissolving these institutions, Henry had unwittingly created what would become a social disaster of biblical proportions. In essence, this act was rendering thousands of the poor and elderly without a home or shelter, it denied the country of much of the medical aid …


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, …


Political Socialization: Change And Stability In Political Attitudes Among And Within Age Cohorts, Michael S. Hale May 2011

Political Socialization: Change And Stability In Political Attitudes Among And Within Age Cohorts, Michael S. Hale

HIM 1990-2015

For as long as people have held opinions in the political realm, there has been research trying to decipher exactly what people think and believe as well as when they begin to hold these beliefs. This present study sorts the respondents studied into age cohorts and then follows them throughout the data. All of the data used in this study are from the National Election Study Data from 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. This study is a repeated cross-sectional study since different individuals are used throughout the study, and this study measures opinions only on the aggregate level. …


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 …


The Battle Between Multinaional Sic] Tax Avoidance And Corporate Competitiveness, Nico Koop May 2011

The Battle Between Multinaional Sic] Tax Avoidance And Corporate Competitiveness, Nico Koop

HIM 1990-2015

In the past decade, there has been a significant decrease in US corporate tax revenues. Multinational companies have been employing several different techniques of tax avoidance to get around paying corporate taxes. Tax avoidance is used by any large multinational corporation for a variety of reasons. The US has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world and is seeing many companies relocate their operations abroad to lower their tax expenses. The different methods of tax avoidance are discussed in this thesis, as well as the different reasons behind their use. To understand how companies implement tax avoidance …


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 …


The Effects Of Alcohol Based Cues Virtual Reality Versus Guided Imagery, Nicole Labriola May 2011

The Effects Of Alcohol Based Cues Virtual Reality Versus Guided Imagery, Nicole Labriola

HIM 1990-2015

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) and Imagery have been utilized in psychological practices and treatment. VR has recently been the focus of research with treatments for post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and phobias, among other social and behavioral issues. VR allows the researcher to create realistic controlled environments in which they are able to manipulate the experiment. Imagery permits the individual to imagine and recall scenarios from their past in order to create a more personal environment. This experiment aimed to expand upon VR practices and treatment in regards to alcohol research. In this experiment, 70 participants, 39 …


Pre-Screen Of Traits That Lead To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Krystal A. Lee May 2011

Pre-Screen Of Traits That Lead To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Krystal A. Lee

HIM 1990-2015

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that is affecting many lives and families. Since it is believed that over 50% of Americans will experience a traumatic event and 25% will experience multiple traumatic events, PTSD is an issue that cannot be overlooked. Although PTSD is most commonly associated with war victims, the official definition of PTSD was stated in the DSM-IV as "an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience or that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury or other threat to one's physical integrity; or witness to an event that involves death, injury, or a threat …