Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Testing For A Descriptive And Injunctive Norm Interaction In Promoting Health Behavior, Robert E. Low

Master's Theses

Social norms-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy as tools for behavior change interventions. Nonetheless, there is some theoretical and empirical evidence that the efficacy of injunctive norms-based appeals can be undermined by their tendency to 1) arouse psychological reactance among participants, and 2) inadvertently imply that few others are completing the target behavior. The author hypothesizes that supplementing an injunctive appeal with evidence of a supporting descriptive norm will counteract these problematic tendencies. The present research describes a test of of this hypothesis in the context of an intervention to fight H1N1 on campus. Boxes of sanitizing keyboard wipes were placed …

Intact Statistical Word Learning In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jessica Mayo

Master's Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have impairments in language acquisition, but the underlying mechanism of these deficits is poorly understood. Implicit learning appears potentially relevant to language development, particularly in speech segmentation, which relies on sensitivity to the transitional probabilities between speech sounds. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between implicit learning and current language abilities in school-aged children with autism (n = 17) and typical development (n = 24) using a well-studied artificial language learning task. Results suggest that the ASD and TD groups were equally able to implicitly learn transitional probabilities from a lengthy …

Language Typology And Sentence Frame Effects On Motion Verb Interpretation In Grade Schoolers, Emma C. Kelty

Master's Theses

Most English descriptions of motion events express manner in the main verb and path in a prepositional phrase, as in “She skips out of the house”. However, the same event can be described differently if a different syntactic frame is used: “She exits the house”. While young children have been found to interpret novel motion verbs according to the syntactic frame information, adults have been found to rely somewhat more on the overall language pattern, or typology (Hohenstein et al., 2004; Naigles & Terrazas, 1998). Grade schoolers have not been examined in this paradigm, and their linguistic abilities suggest that …

Academic Abilities In Children And Adolescents With A History Of Autism Spectrum Disorders Who Have Achieved Optimal Outcomes, Eva Troyb

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Transmitting Whiteness: Librarians, Children, And Race, 1900-1930s, Shane Hand

Master's Theses

In the wake of the public library movement in the southern United States during the early twentieth century, local librarians began providing library services for those whom they deemed to be their most valuable resources, children. Representatives of a new profession, children’s librarians campaigned for better tomorrows by collecting good books specifically for young readers while providing safe, comfortable spaces that encouraged an atmosphere of instructive entertainment.

Supplemental to the development of a unique children’s department, library administrators sought strong working relationships with the city’s various public schools. The public cooperative that developed between libraries and schools brought thousands of …

The Relation Between Externalizing Behaviors Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder And The Externalizing Behaviors, Internalizing Symptoms, And Social Problems Of Their Typically-Developing Siblings, Theodore S. Tomeny

Master's Theses

Existing literature regarding the maladjustment of siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains inconclusive. Some studies suggest that difficulties associated with having a child with an ASD in the family result in an adverse experience for both parents and siblings. Dissent within. the literature suggests that certain factors, both environmental and genetic, must be present for maladjustment to occur in typically-developing siblings. Parents of a child with an ASD and a typicallydeveloping sibling (ASD group) and parents of two typically-developing siblings (Control group) provided data via online questionnaires. Both diagnostic category and autism symptoms severity were tested …

The Dependency Of The International Community On U.S. Foreign Aid And Intervention, Dedrian Jerrell Mcnulty

Master's Theses

Following the end of the Cold War, the United States found itself in an unprecedented situation. The United States emerged victor of the Cold War and the international community's preeminent superpower. As such, the United States has spread its values and policy initiatives throughout the international community. In the years following the end to Cold War, multiple scholars have predicted different paths which the United States should take. Some scholars have predicted that the United States is "bound to lead," while others have predicted that there is a "Coming Anarchy." However, no reasonable scholar can deny the influence the United …

The Application Of Personality Assessment To Suggest Appropriate Employment In Various Fields Within Economic Development, Brittani Elizabeth Plaisance

Master's Theses

Personality assessment has been established through previous literature as a viable tool in organizational contexts in different job fields (Hough & Dilchert, 2010; Rothstein & Goffin, 2006). The field of economic development has seen little application of personality assessment to aspiring professionals within the discipline. This research hoped to establish distinct personality typologies within economic development by bifurcating the field into two sectors of (a) business recruitment, retention, and expansion and (b) entrepreneurship developers and community developers. Participants were asked to complete the Personal Preferences Self-Description Questionnaire (Thompson, 1996) after distinguishing within which of the two realms they were employed. …

The Viral Fingerprint: A Content Analysis Of Popular Viral Advertisements, Thomas Grant Broadus Ii

Master's Theses

This paper presents an analysis of 280 online videos that appeared on the Advertising Age weekly chart of the top ten viral videos of the week; the videos appeared on the chart from March 23rd 2009 to March 9th 2011. The videos were analyzed along four areas of observation including the advertiser characteristics, the formatting characteristics of the video, the messaging strategies of each video, and the level of involvement the product would require for a consumer to make a purchase. Through examining the components of each video, a thread of commonality was revealed. Cumulatively, the dominant themes and characteristics …

Parenting A Chronically Ill Child: Social Support, Coping, Family Hardiness, And Maternal Stress, Kathryn Lynch Bigalke

Master's Theses

Parents of children with cancer experience higher stress than parents of children with other medical conditions or with no developmental concerns (Canam, 1993; Cohen, 1999). Researchers are beginning to explore a number of protective factors that may influence parental stress in parents of children with cancer. Social support (Abidin, 1992), problem-focused coping (Judge, 1998), and family hardiness (Maddi et al., 2006) have been related to lower levels of stress and more positive outcomes in parents of healthy children, but have not been fully explored in the pediatric cancer population. The current study was designed to assess the relationship between parental …

Chemical Processing Of Fingerprints On Thermal Paper, Megan Elizabeth Dutton

Master's Theses

This research seeks to determine how well muriatic acid and acetic acid fuming develop the thermal side of thermal paper using aged prints. Additionally, the research seeks to determine how well ninhydrin develops the paper side of thermal paper using aged prints after exposure to the fuming. Twenty-four random individuals placed a total of thirty sets of fingerprints per person on thermal paper over a 10-day period. Each set of fingerprints consisted of three fingerprints on the thermal side of paper and three fingerprints on the nonthermal side of paper. During the 30 to 40-day time period, however, more specifically …

The Relationship Of Testosterone And 5-Ht To Aggressive, Self-Aggressive, And Antisocial Behavior In Men, Anne Winston Mcintyre

Master's Theses

Studies of humans show an inconsistent relationship between aggression and T, as well as between T and antisocial and self-aggressive behavior. Other biological variables, including cortisol and brain serotonin, have been implicated as having an effect on the regulation of antisocial and self-aggressive behavior. Researchers have suggested that inconsistencies in the T-aggression relation may be due to the presence of moderating variables. One theory posits that serotonin moderates the relation between T and aggression. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between T (as well as cortisol and 5-HT) and aggression-related constructs. A second purpose was to …

A Statistical Examination Of Friction Ridge Skin Patterns In The Interdigital, Hypothenar, And Thenar Areas Of The Palms, Kristin Ann Pilgrim

Master's Theses

Friction ridge skin, which is only located on the fingers, palms, and soles of the feet, has been used in the identification of individuals before the beginning of the twentieth century. A majority of the information known about friction ridge skin has been accumulated through the extensive research of fingerprints. Studies have been conducted to statistically categorize general patterns located on the fingerprints in order to include or exclude an individual for identification purposes. Although fingerprints offer great insight into the importance of friction ridge skin in forensic science, palm print patterns and characteristics have been relatively ignored. Therefore, a …

Individual Differences In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Behavior: Implications For Personality, Christina Nicole Toms

Master's Theses

Individual differences (IDs) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) behavior were examined across time and contexts in order to investigate personality traits. Zebrafish (N = 30) were exposed to six behavioral tasks that were collectively expected to capture (a) aggression, (b) boldness/shyness, and (c) fear. The tasks included a small open field, mirror exposure, emergence, large open field, novel object, and predator exposure tasks. IDs in behavior were found to be consistent across time for a majority of behaviors and consistent across contexts for all but two behaviors. Convergent and discriminate evidence was examined for the three constructs. There was …

The Role Of Landscape In The Distribution Of Deer-Vehicle Collisions In Two Counties In South-Central Mississippi, Jacob Jeremiah Mckee

Master's Theses

The number of deer killed by vehicle collisions each year in the United States exceeds the number of deer killed annually through hunting. Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) have a vast negative impact on the economy, traffic safety, and general wellbeing of otherwise healthy deer populations. To mitigate DVCs, it is imperative to gain a better understanding of the factors that play a role in their spatial distribution. Much of the existing research has been inconclusive, pointing to a variety of factors that cause DVCs that are specific to study site and region. Very little DVC research has been undertaken in the …

The Use Of Remote Sensing For Mapping Possible Vectors Of West Nile Virus In Mississippi, Brian Matthew Moore

Master's Theses

There is renewed interest in disease surveillance due to the persistence of numerous vector-borne diseases. Though the life-history processes of disease vectors are known to dictate their distribution patterns, it has been hypothesized that vectors, such as local mosquito abundance, could be predicted from factors such as climate and land use/land cover. Remote sensing has been used as a supplement to traditional methods of mosquito surveillance and to map the spatial distribution of mosquito habitats. This, in turn, affords optimism for improved vector/disease management to identify the best use of remote sensing data and geo-statistical techniques to predict and map …

An Exploratory Investigation Of The Effects Of Dragon Boating On The Psychosocial Well-Being Of Female Cancer Survivors, Clara Therese Louise Vanherweg

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the effects of dragon boat participation on the psychosocial well-being of female cancer survivors over time and compared with the population-based norms. Nine female cancer survivors belonging to the dragon boat team, SurvivOars, participated in the initial measurement process. The measurement packet was 21 page compilation of psychosocial questionnaires capturing demographics, quality of life, moods, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, self-esteem, self-efficacy, social support, physical activity levels, body image, and sedentary behaviors. After 8 weeks, 8 subjects completed the same follow-up questionnaire to assess changes in psychosocial variables over time. Scores were …

Antecedents And Continuity Of Compliance In Preschoolers, Lauren Gindin

Master's Theses

Self-regulation, and compliance behavior specifically, has been implicated in the development of successful socialization. Difficulty self-regulating has led to negative outcomes in areas such as academic success and mental health, and a number of possible contributors, such as temperament, maternal sensitivity and attachment, have been identified. In this study, we examined these possible predictors of preschool compliance behavior through causal modeling utilizing a large and diverse longitudinal dataset from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. We aimed to predict compliance and delay of gratification performance in children across 2, 3 and 4.5 years of age by …

Understanding The Behavioral Determinants Of Retention In Hiv Care: A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Situated Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills Model Of Care Initiation And Maintenance, Laramie Smith

Master's Theses

The goal of this study is to identify the content and context of critical informational, motivational, and behavioral skills related facilitators and barriers influencing retention in HIV care in an inner-city clinic population receiving clinic- and outreach-based HIV care services. Elicitation of retention-relevant factors was guided by the Situated Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of Care Initiation and Maintenance, using qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews. Deductive and inductive content coding were used to identify important theory-based dynamics of retention in HIV care and to identify factors discussed as important to retention in HIV-care that were not well specified by the model. Participants’ experiences …

The City Of Lake Charles Bicycle And Pedestrian Master Plan, Anthony Adams

Master's Theses

This thesis was done in the professional project format.  It was completed as a deliverable to the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  It was developed in accordance with the State of Louisiana Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

A bicycle and pedestrian master plan is a document meant to serve as a guide to staff and decision-makers on how to best develop future bicycle and pedestrian improvements.  It is a comprehensive document that identifies and prioritizes new projects for sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and off-street paths.  It accomplishes this by following these steps:

1.      Identify existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

2.      Provide …

The Development Of An Online Interactive Resource For Enhancing Motivation In Swimmers, Richard Judson Clark

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

The Development of an Online Interactive Resource for Enhancing Motivation in Swimmers

Richard Judson Clark

Research pertaining to motivation in athletics and the link that it has to continued participation in sport is widespread.  Despite the resources available, adolescents continue to drop out of sports at alarming rates.  The purpose of this project was to create an online tool and resource center to enhance motivation in swimmers that participate in a year-round swim program in San Luis Obispo, California.  The development of the site http://athletenet.net was created based on research linked to the Self-Determination, Cognitive …

The Effect Of Transit-Oriented Development On Vehicle Miles Traveled: A Comparison Of A Tod Versus A Non-Tod Neighborhood In Carlsbad, Ca, Natalie Louise Stiffler

Master's Theses

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a strategy being used to reduce congestion, provide mode choice, and improve quality of life. A large amount of research has been done on individual aspects of TOD, but research specific to transportation-related benefits of TOD is limited. There is a need for traffic and transit data that is supported by comprehensive resident, employee, and user surveys to demonstrate the interrelationship between land uses, transportation, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Moreover, VMT data at the household level is essential to analyze household travel behavior and the potential for VMT related emissions reduction.

The purpose of this …

Food & Shelter: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Developments In California And Access To Grocery Stores, Darci Coleen Palmer

Master's Theses

Since the mid-century proliferation of public housing, policy makers and environmental justice advocates have exposed the fact that geographically and economically isolated public housing sites are ultimately detrimental to residents and communities. In recent years, more progressive housing policies have emphasized the importance of site location in the success of housing programs. This study explores the intersection of affordable housing policy and “food desert” research, by assessing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program in California, with specific attention to the grocery store category within the Site Amenities section. Since the inception of the LIHTC program in 1986, the California …

Go Farm, Goleta: Urban Agriculture Protection For Eastern Goleta Valley, Eli M. Krispi

Master's Theses

This paper explores two potential land use planning strategies that can be used to preserve and enhance the economic viability of agricultural operations surrounded by suburban development in Santa Barbara County’s Eastern Goleta Valley: buffers between agriculture and other land uses, and agritourism. In the case of buffers, academic literature is examined to determine how effective buffers are at various tasks (filtering runoff, mitigating dust and wind, providing habitat, etc.) and how to construct buffers to maximize their effectiveness. Land use plans and codes from several California jurisdictions are studied to see how buffers are put to use. Academic literature …

Expanding Planning Public Participation Outreach Through Social Networking, Wesley Brian David Harris

Master's Theses

Public participation is not a form of civic responsibility that it once was. With not only fewer people taking part in the public participation process, there is a trend towards an older (45 years and older) group of residents that come to such meetings or workshops. Plans, such as Specific Plans or General Plans often take years to implement and require all generations to give feedback on what is needed for the future. Additionally, within the last decade, there has been a rise in social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. These websites emerged as informal virtual places for …

Recommendations For Economic Development In Guadalupe, Ca, Larissa Requa Heeren

Master's Theses

It is recommended that the City of Guadalupe prepare and implement a small-scale business expansion and retention program using existing service providers in the area.  This type of program model seems to hold the most potential for Guadalupe. A mixed-methods approach including in-depth cases studies of existing economic development programs and an analysis of opportunities and constraints in Guadalupe informs a set recommendations for future economic development in the City. Data was collected in three phases: short interviews with a variety of economic development program staff, short interviews with Guadalupe business owners and City officials and in-depth interviews with staff …

An Examination Of Unwritten Rule Development In Men’S Ice Hockey, Joshua M. Lupinek

Master's Theses

This research study sought to better understand at what point in the player development process did aspiring professional hockey players learn of, as well as consent to, ice hockey’s unwritten rules.  How this process occurred was also under examination.  While some research had been conducted relative to the development of unwritten rules within sport, little research to date had focused on ice hockey’s unwritten rules and none had focused on the factors associated with their development.  Research in other sport areas has indicated that knowledge and consent of unwritten rules is expected in the development of a professional athlete.  As …

Parent Education Trainings For Youth Sports: A Look Into Administrators Feelings About Need For Trainings, Christopher W. Woodside

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

New England's Retail Landscape: An Analysis Of The County-Level Retail Restructuring, 1998 To 2008, Christopher J. Rappa

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Relational Perspective On Sex Stereotyping, Jessica Kang

Master's Theses

The current study adopts a relational perspective of sex stereotyping by taking into account the perceiver’s group membership, the target group, and the content of the stereotype. We asked women and men to report their personal beliefs about men and women on three characteristics: competence, warmth and morality. The results showed that participants were engaging in three different patterns of sex stereotyping: traditional sex stereotyping (both sexes rated similarly by both male and female participants on traditional stereotypes), traditional in-group favoring sex stereotyping (participants favor his/her own group on a stereotype traditionally associated with his/her group), and counter-traditional sex stereotyping …