Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Behavioral, Attitudinal, And Decision-Altering Effects Of Aggressive Video Games On Young Adults, Kent Smallwood

Dissertations

Each year, interactive video game technology becomes more and more advanced, offering more lifelike environments, immersive experiences, and realistic situations in which the player must decide how to act. As a result of these technological advancements, the violent content in video games has become increasingly realistic and graphic. Unlike the passive viewing experience of television, video game players adopt roles in which they initiate actions and direct the progression of video game experience. In these active roles, they may engage in and be rewarded for violent acts against fictitious video game characters or other online players. Furthermore, the videogame industry …

A Qualitative Exploration Of First-Generation Asian Indian Women In Cross-Cultural Marriages, Monica Thiagarajan

Dissertations

The literature on Asian Indian women has not adequately addressed the experiences that first generation Asian Indian women face while going through the process of making the decision to marry cross-culturally. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify, describe, and understand the struggles, challenges, and conflict experienced by Asian Indian women who decide to marry cross-culturally and to understand the consequences of the decision on the lives of these women and their interpersonal relationships.

Initial and follow-up phone interviews were conducted with eight Asian Indian women who had experienced cultural and familial challenges regarding their decision to marry …

Estimating The Impact, Transmission Mechanism And Reaction Function Of Monetary Policy: A Factor-Augmented Vector Autoregressive (Favar) Approach, Dawit Legesse Senbet

Dissertations

This dissertation employs factor-augmented vector autoregressive (FAVAR) models to investigate the impact, transmission mechanism and reaction function of monetary policy. The recent development of augmenting dynamic factor analysis with the vector autoregressive (VAR) models, pioneered by Bernanke et al. (2005), has led to advances in monetary policy analysis. The new approach bases measurements of monetary policy on large data sets that approximate the true information set of policymakers. This is in contrast to low dimensional VAR models. The FAVAR model summarizes information from large data set by a few factors that are incorporated into VAR models.

The first essay investigates …

Wal-Mart Versus Meijer: A Spatial And Economic Analysis Of Supercenter Competition In Michigan, Christopher J. Washebek

Masters Theses

My research will examine the spatial and demographic strategies of supercenter firms in the State of Michigan, namely those operated by Meijer, Inc. and Wal-Mart, Inc. The competitive nature of retailing in Michigan shifted heavily in 2000 when Wal-Mart brought its Supercenter format to Michigan, making it a direct competitor to Meijer, who has operated in Michigan since 1962. Within seven years, Wal-Mart expanded its Michigan Supercenter operations from one in 2000 to forty-five in 2007. In many cases, small towns throughout the state are supporting both Meijer and a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Heavy competition of this nature between two supercenter …

Breaking The Be Nice Rule: Direct Action Community Organizing, Adriana Rosas

Masters Theses

Focusing on the Kalamazoo Homeless Action Network (KHAN), this thesis explores the dynamics of transformation in community organizing, and the crucial and often complicated role of anger in that process. Current Anthropological literature on the topic of resistance and poverty leaves unexamined the micropolitics of individuals' transformation as they become civically engaged as well as the laborious organizing techniques culminating in such events that lead to social change and individual empowerment. I will contribute to the literature on poverty and resistance by examining the 'behind-the-scenes' dimensions of direct action community organizing that influence individual and social transformation. Through this examination …

Neuropsychopharmacological Investigations Of Mdma/Cocaine Combinations, John J. Panos

Masters Theses

Despite the popularity of polydrug abuse among recreational MDMA users, relatively few controlled experimental studies have documented the neurobehavioral effects of MDMA in combination with other abused substances. In this study, the neurochemical and behavioral effects of MD MA/cocaine combinations were assessed using in vivo microdialysis with simultaneous measurement of locomotor activity (LMA). Rats were administered cocaine (10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg, IP), MDMA (1.5 mg/kg or 3.0 mg/kg, IP) or combinations of cocaine and MDMA during microdialysis experiments. Microdialysis samples were collected every 30 min for three hours prior to drug injections. Following drug administration, six additional 30 min …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Computerized Physician Order Entry On Medical Errors, Shannon Loewy

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on medication error. The study took place in a 343-bed hospital in the pediatrics inpatient unit. During baseline, participants placed medication orders in the same manner that they always had, handwriting them on a specific form and handing the form to the unit clerk who then faxed the order to the pharmacy. In the CPOE phase, participants used the computerized system to place orders, which were electronically sent to the pharmacy. The primary dependent variable was errors made during physician medication …

No Child Left Behind: The Process Behind The Policy, Amanda Patience Beedie

Masters Theses

My research will entail studying the political policy making process m reference to the education policy, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The purpose of this Masters thesis is to take a more in-depth look of how the policy process functions, the steps used in the policy process, and if the steps are a valid process.

This study will look at the early. theories of the policy process. I am going to look at the classic works done by J. Leiper Freeman, Randall B. Ripley and Grace A. Franklin, and Theodore J. Lowi and their views on subgovemments. I will also …

Wmu International News November 2007, Haenicke Institute For Global Education

WMU International News

In this issue:

Two decades of twinning success celebrated in Malaysia

Tailgate party and parade an international celebration at WMU's Homecoming

WMU professors perform in prestigious Russian festival, foster student exchanges

Japanese interests compels a major switch to global and international studies

WMU and Hispanic American Council collaborate to expand community ESL classes

WMU’s Japan liaison officer finds many parallels between life in Kalamazoo and Tokyo

Summer study abroad is a short-term affair

Fostering Self-Regulated Learning At The Reference Desk, Edward J. Eckel

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Wmu International News September 2007, Haenicke Institute For Global Education

WMU International News

In this issue:

• McCloud named dean of Haenicke Institut
• Dieter H. Haenicke Scholarship
• Western Edge Compact caps non-resident tuition, fees, and housing costs
• ISORP rolls out the welcome mat to 238 new international students
• From Kenya to Kalamazoo: New sub-Saharan partner sends first cohort
• Indonesia alumna to crew on round-the world clipper
• Discover Kalamazoo

Advice And Help-Seeking Intentions Among Youth In Israel: Ethnic And Gender Differences, Moshe Sherer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study addresses intentions to seek advice and help among Jewish and Arab youths in Israel. The sample included 805 Jewish, 159 Moslem, 42 Christian, and 43 Druze youths. Two instruments were used: a demographic questionnaire and a questionnaire on help-seeking intentions. Results indicated that members of the ethnic groups preferred using different sources for advice and help. Compared to Moslem and Druze youths, Jewish youths preferred to turn to fathers, siblings, school counselors, and social workers; Compared to Arab youths, Jewish youths expressed less intention to seek assistancef rom their mothers; and compared to Moslem youths, Jewish youths expressed …

Greek-Letter Membership And College Graduation: Does Race Matter?, Ronald E. Severtis Jr., C. Andre Christie-Mizell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research, utilizing a nationally representative sample of 3,712 Americans, revealed that Greek-letter membership increases the probability of college graduation more for African Americans than for European Americans. Conversely, father's education is a more robust predictor of educational outcomes for European Americans compared to their African American counterparts

From Financial Literacy To Financial Capability Among Youth, Elizabeth Johnson, Margaret S. Sherraden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Youth in the United States are facing an increasingly complex and perilous financial world. Economically disadvantaged youth, in particular, lack financial knowledge and access to mainstream financial institutions. Despite growing interest in youth financial literacy, we have not seen comparable efforts to improve access to financial policies and services, especially among disadvantaged youth. Instead of aiming for financial literacy, an approach widely promoted in the United States, we suggest aiming for financial capability, a concept grounded in the writing of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Building on research in the United Kingdom, the paper proposes that financial capability results when …

Astroturf, Technology And The Future Of Community Mobilization: Implications For Nonprofit Theory, John Mcnutt, Katherine Boland

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Nonprofit Organizations advocate for the poor, the disenfranchised and the oppressed. This process is thought to build social capital and civil society, while engendering the development of social skills and deliberation. In recent years, scholars have observed that nonprofit advocacy organizations have moved from membership associations to professionalized policy change organizations. Virtual advocacy will move the process farther afield. Astroturf, the creation of synthetic advocacy efforts, continues this process further. All of this has troubling implications for nonprofit organizations and nonprofit theory. This paper describes the astroturf phenomenon, reviews pertinent nonprofit theory and speculates on the impact of astroturf for …

Review Of The Quest For Environmental Justice: Human Rights And The Politics Of Pollution. Robert D. Bullard (Ed.). Reviewed By John G. Mcnutt., John G. Mcnutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Bullard (Ed.), The Quest for Environmental Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution. San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books, 2005. $18.95 papercover.

Review Of Poor Families In America's Health Care Crisis. Ronald J. Angel, Laura Lein And Jane Henrici. Reviewed By Amy Lapan., Amy Lapan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Ronald J. Angel, Laura Lein and Jane Henrici, Poor Families in America's Health Care Crisis. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. $70.00 hardcover, $27.99 papercover.

Social Capital And Welfare Reform: Organizations, Congregations And Community. Jo Ann Schneider., Amy C. Conley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Jo Ann Schneider, Social Capital and Welfare Reform: Organizations, Congregations, and Community. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. $69.50 hardcover, $29.50 papercover.