Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Establishing Practical Limits To Crime Control Through Environmental Design, Gerald Dennis Brock

Dissertations and Theses

There are myriad approaches to control crime that are currently being advocated by one group or another in contemporary American society. These range from punitive programs of incarceration to global kinds of social intervention to change societal "root causes" of crime. One of the proposals which attracted much attention in the 1960's was the crime control through environmental design perspective hinted at by persons such as Jane Jacobs and developed in detail by Oscar Newman. The idea of defensible space is straightforward: certain kinds of environmental design can have a significant deterrent effect on crime and criminals. The recent literature, …

Effects Of Setting On Japanese Esl Students' Interaction Patterns, Noriko Yamamoto

Dissertations and Theses

Japanese ESL students are often evaluated negatively by their teachers because of their quiet verbal behavior in the classroom; yet, this study suggests that such silence may be situation specific. The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of eight Japanese ESL students' production and interaction by comparing with those of four non-Japanese students, across three settings: teacher-fronted, group work, and NS-NNS conversation.

Empathy, Holonomic Brain Processes And Patanjali's Sutras: A Study Of Western And Eastern Models Of Perception As They Relate To Empathic Communication, Dana Ralston Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Communication scholars, psychologists, teachers and social scientists recognize the importance of empathy to effective communication; however, its essential nature remains a mystery. The nonverbal and subjective aspects of empathic perception make it difficult to study with traditional Western scientific tools. Existing studies of empathic process concentrate primarily on the early or the latter stages. The central steps are seldom addressed. A method is needed for following empathic perception to its core processes and exploring the principles that govern its nature. Systems science offers a viable alternative method of studying empathy through analysis of models, emphasizing principles of interaction and process.

The Effects Of Negligence And Causation Information On Jurors' Determination Of Liability, David K. Blanchard

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of arguments for and against defendant's behavior being negligent and for and against defendant's behavior being a cause of damages to the plaintiff. The findings were (a) that negligence arguments affected negligence ratings, causation ratings, and verdicts and (b) that causation arguments affected none of the measures.

Assessing The Intercultural Sensitivity Of American Expatriates In Kuwait, Deborah Ann Turner

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to apply a developmental model of intercultural sensitivity to a group of people in an intercultural setting and discover whether or not the model is descriptive. The data collected are also used to determine whether or not the coping mechanisms employed by the sojourners are developmental in terms of this model of intercultural sensitivity.

The population for this study was the American community of Kuwait in 1989 and 1990. Fifteen subjects, all of whom had lived in Kuwait at least two years, were interviewed in Kuwait. The model used is Bennett's (1984) Developmental Model …

Identity Formation: A Comparison Of Adolescents Adopted Through Agency Versus Private Placements, Judith Kay Bentley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors which might influence the identity formation process in adopted adolescents. Specifically, this research looked at agency versus independent adoption placement as a choice reflecting the adoptive parents' preference for involvement with or distance from a possible adoptive family support network before and after placement. Subjects were also divided according to those whose family had belonged to an adoptive family support group and those who had not. The study involves a combination of descriptive and correlational research methods.

The Burnett Site: A Cascade Phase Camp On The Lower Willamette River, Robert M. Burnett

Dissertations and Theses

Artifacts recovered from archaeological excavations near the Willamette River in Lake Oswego, Oregon indicate the presence there of a Late Windust-Early Cascade Phase site possibly dating to 9,000 B.P. The assemblage includes 137 projectile points, bifaces or point fragments, nearly all of the Cascade-type. Two stem fragments and one complete point which are similar to those of the Windust Phase which dates 10,000-8,000 B.P. in the southern Columbia Plateau also were found. Stone knives, choppers, scrapers, hammerstones, cores and microblades also are included in the assemblage. No later type notched or stemmed points have been recovered from the site. If …

An Assessment Of Behavior Associated With Reproduction And Infant Caretaking In A Captive Family Group Of Saguinus Midas Midas, Melissa Elizabeth Martenson

Dissertations and Theses

The present study gathered both general and specific information about the behavior of a captive family group of Saguinus midas midas [red-handed tamarins] housed at the Washington Park Zoo, Portland, Oregon, USA. Saquinus midas midas is a rarely studied species, and detailed information about the behavior of this species is virtually nonexistent. For this reason, this study collected information about both activity budgets and social grouping within this family group.

The primary focus of this study was, however, the socialization of captive juvenile tamarins with respect to several behaviors relevant to reproductive success among the Callitrichidae. The behaviors assessed were: …

The Function Of Phrasal Verbs And Their Lexical Counterparts In Technical Manuals, Brock Brady

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates the use of phrasal verbs and their lexical counterparts (i.e. nouns with a lexical structure and meaning similar to corresponding phrasal verbs) in technical manuals from three perspectives: (1) that such two-word items might be more frequent in technical writing than in general texts; (2) that these two-word items might have particular functions in technical writing; and that (3) frequencies of these items might vary according to the presumed expertise of the text's audience.

The technical manual was studied because it is the fundamental genre of technical writing and is applicable to a wide audience. Both "lay" …

Intercultural Communication Competence And Intercultural Adjustment Of Japanese Business Sojourners And Their Spouses, Muneo Hotta

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship among intercultural communication competence, attitudes toward the U.S. culture, and linguistic skills in English for Japanese business sojourners and their spouses living in the United States.

Internal-External Locus Of Control And The Life Experiences Of Soviet Pentecostal Refugees In Portland, Oregon, Amy Roberts

Dissertations and Theses

The construct internal-external locus of control was utilized to examine the Soviet Pentecostal refugees' perception of life experiences in the United States as defined by three dimensions: social, economical, and political. Unlike the majority of immigration research, which focuses on structural variables, this research further addressed the concept of acculturation as a long term process of resettlement. Subjects completed an anonymous forced choice questionnaire consisting of the Rotter (1966) locus of control instrument scale. Pearson Product moment correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the strength of the relationships between the internal-external locus of control scores and five factor analyzed life …

Patterns Of Rhetoric/Patterns Of Culture : A Look At The English Writing Of Japanese Students, Suzanne Raschke

Dissertations and Theses

That a link exists between language and culture has long been accepted; however, not only the extent, but also the exact nature of that link remains unclear. In recent years, rhetoricians have raised questions about how culture affects the patterns of organization and other rhetorical features of writing. At present, the search for answers to these questions is made difficult by the cultural bias imposed by the language of any analysis of writing that may be undertaken and by a lack of criteria that can be used in performing such an analysis.

Percentage Of Phonological Process Usage In Expressive Language Delayed Children, Sherri Lynn Miller

Dissertations and Theses

Language delay and phonological delay have been shown to coexist. Because they so often co-occur, it is possible that they may interact, sharing a relationship during the child's development. A group of children who were "late talkers" as toddlers, achieved normal development in their syntactic ability by the preschool period. Because their language abilities are known to have increased rapidly, data on their phonological development could provide information on the relationship between phonological and syntactic development.

The purpose of this study was to compare the percentage of phonological process usage of the eight most commonly used simplification processes in four-year-old …

Metaphoric Extension As A Basis For Vocabulary Teaching In English As A Second Language, Dennis L. Bergmann

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis addresses the problem of teaching and learning vocabulary in English as a Second Language (ESL), and proposes that a vocabulary based on the process of metaphoric extension could be taught directly. Despite the fact that an inadequate vocabulary is one of the main obstacles for intermediate-level ESL students, both ESL teachers and applied linguists have emphasized other aspects of English more than the study of vocabulary teaching and learning. Consequently, ESL students have few strategies for learning vocabulary other than reliance on the dictionary, and the predominant strategy for teachers is to present words rather unsystematically in the …

Therapeutic Group Approaches For Issues Related To Suicide, Ardis Sherwood

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to (a) summarize a sample of the literature that pertains to suicidal behavior; (b) explore the benefits of the group approach for people who experience suicide-related issues; (c) provide information and models for special suicide-related groups; and (d) discuss age-variations of suicidal behavior.

A Study Of The Perceptual Learning Style Preferences Of Japanese Students, Elizabeth Ann Hoffner

Dissertations and Theses

This study was based on a study by Joy Reid (1987) on the perceptual learning style preferences of English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptual learning style preferences of three groups of students: Japanese students studying in the US, Japanese students studying in Japan, and American students studying in the US. The perceptual styles studied were visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile, with the additional styles of group and individual learning also being studied. The learning style preferences were identified so as to determine the relationship between style and the variables …

Role And Behavior Of Interpreters : An Exploratory Study In American-Chinese Business Negotiations, Zhijian Kevin Yang

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the roles and behaviors of interpreters. The context of this research is American-Chinese business negotiations. The focus of this study is on the roles and behaviors of interpreters by means of revealing the perspectives of interpreters and American negotiators.

Public Restoration Of The Fallen Religious Leader : A Rhetorical Perspective, David Fleer

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis will consider two men who, when caught in moral dilemmas, cited a particular Biblical narrative in their attempt to receive forgiveness and acceptance from their audiences. Both men were significant religious figures within their respective denominations and both men received public scrutiny following their sinful actions.

The Spatial Patterning Of Residential Differentiation In Metropolitan Community : The Case Of Kaohsiung City In Taiwan, 1982, Chih-Jen Chen

Dissertations and Theses

The urban growth process produces a complex socio-geographic division of labor among the component parts of the urban community. During this process, each subarea of the community differentiates from the other parts in its physical and demographic characteristics, becomes specialized functionally and structurally. The spatial patterning of the urban community is the result of this differentiation process.

One Woman, One Child : The Implications Of The One-Child-Family Policy For Chinese Women, Tao Shi

Dissertations and Theses

Since few studies have explicitly focused on the impact of China's one-child-family policy on Chinese women, this thesis is designed to explore this aspect. The implication of the policy for both urban and rural women is studied, particularly its influence on women's fertility behavior, labor roles, and on social, health and family status. The focus of the study is to explore the changes of women's lives associated with the one-child-family policy, and advantages and disadvantages, even contradictions the policy has brought to women's lives.

Reentry Shock In The Corporate Environment, Steven A. Locke

Dissertations and Theses

While much research and attention have focused on sojourn adjustment to a new culture, very little research has addressed readjustment to the home culture. This research studies the problems of repatriation work adjustment experienced by U.S. corporate employees. This study also.suggests that cultural readjustment is situational and a multifaceted process which is influenced by many different variables. Interviews with 25 corporate repatriated employees were conducted using a 22-question survey instrument. Repatriates were asked to rate their readjustment experiences on a seven-item Likert scale. Respondents also had the opportunity to expand on their answers with open-ended questions. Fourteen variables were examined …

Uncertainty Analysis Of Runoff Estimates From Runoff-Depth Contour Maps Produced By Five Automated Procedures For The Northeastern United States, Gary D. Bishop

Dissertations and Theses

Maps of runoff-depth have been found to be useful tools in a variety of water resource applications. Producing such maps can be a challenging and expensive task. One of the standard methods of producing these maps is to use a manual procedure based on gaged runoff data, topographic and past runoff-depth maps, and the expert opinion of hydrologists.

This thesis examined five new automated procedures for producing runoff-depth contour maps to see if the maps produced by these procedures had similar accuracy and characteristics when compared to the manual procedure. An uncertainty analysis was used to determine the accuracy of …

Waitperson/Customer Interaction As An Example Of Community, Patricia Louise Macaodha

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis draws from research done in a particular urban setting, and illustrates the foundations of a type of social structure called "respite community". "Respite community" is a specifically urban phenomenon which can be defined as temporal, ad hoc, face to face, an aggregate of people who seek temporary relief from social stresses and support through socialized interaction.

The Relationship Between Internal Organizational Conflict, Authority Structure, And The Social Environment, Mary Ann Barham

Dissertations and Theses

This research seeks to answer the following questions: Do feminist organizations have more internal conflicts than other organizations? And, if so, why?

The Relationship Of Patients' Perceptions Of Physicians' Communication Style To Patient Satisfaction, Lisa Diane Abramson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between physician communication style and patient satisfaction in the diagnostic medical interview. Patient satisfaction is a critical issue for health care organizations today. Health care organizations are coping with the recruitment and maintenance of patient consumers in a competitive and costly market.

The literature indicates that effective communication between the physician and the patient is important to patient satisfaction. The physician needs to structure the medical visit in order to acquire medical information and, at the same time, invite communication with patients to determine their concerns and needs. Patient satisfaction may ensue if the patient …

Analysis Of English Articles Used By Japanese Students, Noriko Iwasaki

Dissertations and Theses

English articles are perhaps the most difficult grammatical items for Japanese students to master. However, because these are among the most frequently occurring grammatical items in English, Japanese students must concern themselves with them.

Conformity, Attitude Toward Authority, And Social Class, Alison Carol Welter

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the relationship between attitudes toward authority, identification with authority and conformity in relation to authority in American undergraduate college students. The study consisted of two parts. The first part examined correlates of attitudes toward authority according to social class. Undergraduate college students attending Portland State University comprised the samples in which two groups, a middle-class group and a working-class group of equal sizes (n=63), were formed. A relatively new, standardized measure of attitudes toward institutional authority, the GAIAS (Rigby, 1982), was used to measure orientation toward authority by social class. No significant differences in attitudes toward authority …

Comparison Of Two Behavioral Models In Obesity Treatment, Nina Lucille Dominy

Dissertations and Theses

This study compared the results of two methods of behavioral treatment in combination with a very-low-calorie-diet in the treatment of obesity. Subjects were 28 male and 106 female patients admitted to the medically supervised fasting program at Risk Factor Clinic in Portland, Oregon. Subjects were matched by gender, percent over ideal body weight, and age. Subject group I received a smorgasbord of behavioral techniques from various group leaders in a 60-minute weekly session. Presentation was didactic and theoretical and subjects were accountable to themselves for utilization of the techniques. Subject group II participated in 90-minute weekly sessions with a primary …

Communication Stressors And Coping Strategies Among Chinese Students In The United States, Qiu Lu Liang

Dissertations and Theses

Following China's open door policy in the late 70's and early 80's, there has been a significant increase in the number of Chinese students and scholars attending academic institutions in the U.S. As sojourners in a foreign culture, Chinese students inevitably experience difficulties in their daily life and academic endeavors. The purpose of the thesis is to examine what are the specific situations that are perceived by Chinese students as stressful, how they cope with the situations, and whether there are correlations between the perceived stressors, coping strategies, and the academic, performance of the Chinese students.

A Comparison Of Circadian Rhythms In Day And Night Shift Workers, Mary Lee Blood

Dissertations and Theses

The present study examined whether and to what extent physiological rhythms of long-term night workers become adapted to their unconventionally scheduled hours of work and sleep and how the degree of adaptation would be reflected in ratings of sleep quality, mood, anxiety, energy and satisfaction.