Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Neural Dedifferentiation In Relation To Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Nathan C. Hantke
Neural Dedifferentiation In Relation To Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Nathan C. Hantke
Master's Theses (2009 -)
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research indicates that as an individual's age increases, the task-related spatial extent of neural activation increases. This decrease in neural specificity, or dedifferentiation, is often demonstrated by older adults during challenging cognitive tasks. Cognitively intact individuals at-risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), as deemed by having an apolipoprotein-E ε4 allele or a family history of AD, demonstrate increased fMRI activation as compared to individuals at lower risk. Using a low effort, high accuracy event-related semantic memory task involving the presentation of famous and non-famous names, we examined spatial neural specificity through a measure of dedifferentiation using …
A Narrative Analysis Of Climate Change Coverage In The New York Times, 1988-2008: Social Responsibility And Weight-Of-Evidence Reporting, Valerie Marie Valentine
A Narrative Analysis Of Climate Change Coverage In The New York Times, 1988-2008: Social Responsibility And Weight-Of-Evidence Reporting, Valerie Marie Valentine
Master's Theses (2009 -)
Drawing on narrative analysis, this study uncovers the metanarrative that served to structure the coverage of global warming as it appeared in The New York Times over a 20-year period. This analysis indicates that The New York Times used weight-of-evidence reporting over time to underpin the architecture of the metastory, in contrast to traditional objective reporting. Weight-of-evidence reporting is recommended as a method of incorporating the majority voice of science by de-emphasizing what is considered untrue, rather than giving it the same merit, while also documenting growing evidence. This finding is situated within the context of journalism ethics. The study …
Effects Of Parental Divorce On Uncertainty Following Initial Communication With A Potential Romantic Partner, Julia Ann Hansch
Effects Of Parental Divorce On Uncertainty Following Initial Communication With A Potential Romantic Partner, Julia Ann Hansch
Master's Theses (2009 -)
Decades of research have supported Berger and Calabrese's (1975) Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT), which posits that reducing uncertainty is a chief goal of initial communication between strangers. This study extends the scope of URT, focusing on initial communication between strangers who see themselves as potential romantic partners. Further, this study specifically examines the potential influence of a well-researched external factor that has been found to negatively affect the way people communicate and behave within romantic relationships: parental divorce. Although many studies have assessed the impact of parental divorce on communication in developed relationships, there is little research examining its impact …
Functional Resting State Connectivity In Individuals At-Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Alissa M. Butts
Functional Resting State Connectivity In Individuals At-Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Alissa M. Butts
Master's Theses (2009 -)
Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have examined the connectivity between the hippocampus (HIPP) and the posterior cingulate (PC) in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and younger individuals at risk for AD. The present study aimed to examine the functional connectivity between these two memory structures and targets of AD neurodegeneration in cognitively intact elders at risk for AD (positive for ApolipoE protein (ε4) and family history of dementia), MCI, and healthy controls. Seeds and regions of interest were defined in the bilateral hippocampus and posterior cingulate, and the time courses were cross-correlated to generate …