Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Women Candidates And Television Advertising: An Examination Of The 2006 Mid-Term Elections, Sharlin Aldao

Masters Theses

Television campaign ads are considered by scholars as the primary resource which candidates for national office use to introduce themselves and their views to the public, regardless of whether they are male or female. The majority of research nonetheless has focused on advertising at the Presidential and Congressional level. It has also focused on the use of negativity in their ads. Women candidates as an aggregate have many obstacles in terms of television advertising. The long standing stereotype of women as the homemaker and mother would lead many to believe that they should and only focus on women's issues such …

The Coordination Of Multiple Roles By Female Graduate Students From Three Different Cultures, Smita Srivastava

Masters Theses

This research studied the coordination of multiple roles by female graduate students who are mothers. Zika (2006) reported that working women in the developed world contribute 40 to 50 percent of the gross national product at the same time that they continue to be responsible for most of the household and childcare responsibilities in the home. Some researchers have suggested that having multiple roles can be deleterious, while others have suggested benefits. Because women from around the world today are participating in multiple roles, the present study investigated, using a qualitative research method, how three female graduate students from different …

Automated Estimation Of Time Codes For Captioning Digital Media, Daniel P. Harvey Ii

Masters Theses

Captioning provides accessibility to media resources for deaf and hearingimpaired persons and is mandated by federal and state laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the process of creating synchronized captions for media is time consuming and labor intensive. Consequently, many content providers still do not incorporate captions into media presentations on the web.

In this research, algorithms were developed to automate part of the captioning process by estimating the timing of captions for web-based audio and video files using plain-text transcripts and their corresponding audio recordings. Recordings used in this study were of professional speakers/readers from American …

Comparison Of Dibels And Aimsweb Fall Benchmarking And Their Identification Of Students In Need Of Tier Ii Service, Lindsay R. Rickelman

Masters Theses

This study investigated the DIBELS and AIMSweb systems of data collection for fall benchmarking and their identification of students in need of Tier II services. One hundred and five students in the second through fifth grade from a Midwestern suburb were administered probes from both assessment systems during the fall benchmarking time period (September - October). The median number of words read correctly and errors committed in a minute from each assessment system were recorded and analyzed. Results revealed that student performance differed significantly, in that they read more reads correctly on AIMSweb probes and committed more errors on DIBELS …

Using Individual Growth And Development Indicators To Track Preschoolers' Early Literacy Development, Deborah Cook Pottle

Masters Theses

Several studies have recently reported the examination of preschoolers' early literacy kills with the purpose of establishing a trajectory of growth that can be expected by age group, socio-economic factors and developmental levels. The purpose of this study was to examine preschoolers' early literacy development to further understand the developmental timeframes in which children establish early literacy skills. The Individual Orowth and Development Indicators (lODI) were used to track the trajectory of early literacy skills in 6J preschool children over a period of four months from .Tanuary to April. The growth trajectories of the preschool participants from differing socio-economic groups …

Voting Rights For Felons: An Analysis Of Felon Voting Rights Restoration Laws In Illinois And New York And The Factors That Affect An Elections Official's Willingness Or Reluctance To Implement The Law, Barbara Dongu Smith

Masters Theses

This research examines the roles that race and political party affiliation play in an elections official's knowledge of voting rights restoration for felons in Illinois. Felon disenfranchisement as public policy traces a path from pre-modem society to present day and has become a viable issue as the numbers of those incarcerated and denied voting rights has increased. This research proposes to determine if felon disenfranchisement as public policy is prevalent in Illinois, a state that grants franchise to felons after release from Department of Corrections custody or if, as the academic and scholarly literature proposes, it is so entrenched in …

Resiliency In Hispanic Middle School Students: A Direct Assessment, Randy Horner

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the level of resiliency found in middle school Latinos in the south suburbs of Chicago. The Hispanic population is currently booming with the most growth coming from Mexican Immigrants. Many young Hispanics face munerous stressors attributed to cultural issues and low Socioeconomicstatus (SES). Few studies have examined resiliency in young Hispanics. Resiliency plays an integral part in adjusting to life, and a lack of, or passel of it can lead to maladjustment or negative outcomes. This study compared the level of resiliency between Hispanic middle school males and Caucasian middle school males. …

Predicting Eating Disordered Behavior In Adolescent Boys, Kurt Wagner

Masters Theses

Although much research exists on eating disorders, little exists regarding the prevalence and correlates of eating disordered behavior among males, particularly at the peak age of onset: early adolescence. The current study hypothesizes that eating disordered behavior in male adolescents is most correlated with self-dissatisfaction of musculature, then dissatisfaction of apparent body fat, drive for muscularity, their reasons for exercise, and body mass index. High school males (n = 148) were surveyed regarding these attitudes and beliefs, and about symptoms of eating disordered behavior. The purpose was to determine correlates of eating disordered behavior among adolescent boys, then develop a …

Examining The Impact Of A Little Book Intervention On The Early Literacy Skills Of Children In Head Start Via The Individual Growth And Development Indicators, Laura J. Holstius

Masters Theses

This study examined whether or not exposure to Rhyme and Letter Little Books significantly increased the rhyming and initial sound/alliteration recognition skills of academically at-risk preschool children. Twice a week for eight weeks, students in a Head Start program listened to a researcher present a lesson with either the Rhyme and Letter Little Books or the original Little Books. It was hypothesized that statistically significant differences in the rhyming and initial sound recognition skills between the two groups would exist at the end of the intervention because the Rhyme and Letter Little Books were created to foster phonological awareness skills …

Predictors Of Stress And Help Seeking: Exploring Group Differences Among Traditional And Nontraditional Female College Students, Stacey Priya Raj

Masters Theses

Enrollment of nontraditional women in colleges continues to increase but despite their academic strengths, nontraditional students have higher attrition rates. Although psychological counseling may support the academic pursuits of nontraditional women, little is known about their attitudes toward help seeking. Recognizing the diversity among nontraditional female students, this study explores factors which predict stress and help seeking among 3 groups of female students: traditional age (24 and younger), nontraditional age (25 and older) non-parents, and nontraditional age parents. One hundred seventy-six female students between the ages of 18 and 57 completed measures of role responsibility and support, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem …

Sexual Cognitions Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Christa M. Smith

Masters Theses

Studies have examined the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) including the relationship between CSA and force cognitions (Renaud & Byers, 2005). However, no studies have researched the relationship between CSA and sexual abuse cognitions, despite limited clinical literature reporting that this may be a problem (e.g., Wilson & Wilson, in press). Two-hundred twenty-seven females completed revised versions of the Childhood Sexual Abuse Questionnaire the Sexual Cognitions Checklist. Results found that female CSA survivors reported more sexual abuse cognitions and greater arousal to these cognitions than those who had not experienced CSA. Results indicate that compared to women with no …

Epistemological Belief, Attachment Style To God, And Religious Commitment As Predictors Of Religious Maturity, Andrew Beard

Masters Theses

The present study explored how three variables ( epistemological belief, attachment style to God, and religious commitment) predicted religious maturity. The study specifically aimed at determining which variable ( epistemological belief, attachment style to God, and religious commitment) was most predictive of each of the various dimensions of religious maturity: master-motive, complexity of beliefs, openness, heuristic quality as well as the integration of religious attitude components. Scales that measured these predictors and dimensions of religious maturity were administered to 246 students at Eastern Illinois University. Results indicated that the affective (attachment style to God) and behavioral (religious commitment) variables were …

Differences Among Students With Or Without Severe Discrepancy Between Predicted And Actual Achievement: Does Severe Discrepancy Matter?, Melissa (Bergan) Mcclelland

Masters Theses

This study investigated the differences between students with severe discrepancy and those without according to the Reynolds ( 1984) regression-based discrepancy formula. The sample included 264 students who were referred for an initial special education evaluation of !earning problems. Differences between these two groups were examined across gender, age, cognitive variables, and achievement. Results revealed that no significant gender or age differences were found in the presence of a severe discrepancy. However, statistically significant negative correlations were found between Full Scale IQ, and all of the differences between predicted and actual achievement scores with small to medium effect sizes (-1 …

The Cultural Dimension Of Emotional Intelligence And Its Clinical Implications, Koyeli Sengupta

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the role that culture plays in emotionaJ intelligence, in people's ability to use emotions adaptively in their daily lives. Specifically, it presented existing cross-cultural research literature on emotional intelligence, with particular focus on the emotional competencies of Americans and Indians. The literature on cross-cultural psychology of emotions revealed cross-cultural similarities as well as differences in each phase of the emotion process. It supported the view that considerable universality existed with regards to perception of emotions in facial expressions, while the major sources of differences were detected in the processes ofregulation of emotion …

Teaching Children In Head Start Phonological Awareness Skills Of Alliteration And Rhyming, Matthew J. Sidarous

Masters Theses

Phonological awareness has received considerable recognition in the past few decades as a strong predictor of reading. Phonological awareness is the understanding that oral language can be divided into smaller components and manipulated. A wealth of studies has supported the predictive power of phonological awareness on reading achievement. However, research has been conflicted as to the best method to improve phonological awareness. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether or not two different phonological awareness techniques utilizing rhyme and alliteration were useful in the acquisition of phonological awareness in at - risk children attending a Head Start …

The Effects Of Feedback On The Accuracy Of Completing Flight Checklists, William G. Rantz

Masters Theses

This study examined whether pilots completed airplane checklists more accurately when they received post-flight graphic and verbal feedback. Participants were 8 college student pilots with instrument rating. The task consisted of flying flight patterns using a Personal Computer Aviation Training Device. The main dependent variable was the number of checklist items completed correctly per flight. A multiple baseline design across pairs with reversal was used. During baseline, the average number of correctly completed items per flight varied considerably across participants, ranging from 21 to 39 out of 40. It increased to near perfect levels for all participants after they were …

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 …

Leadership Behavior And Perceived Team Communication Effectiveness: A Study Of Division 1 College Hockey Coaches' Perceptions, William Chris Brooks

Masters Theses

The purpose of the research was to begin testing assumptions about coaches' leadership and team communication by starting with an examination of the relationship between a head coach's perception of his leadership behavior and his perception of the effectiveness of his team's communication.

The sample in the study consisted of fifty NCAA Division I Men's Head Hockey Coaches during the 2006-2007 season. Demographic data reported included the following: the participants' age, education level, nationality, number of years as a head coach, number of years as an assistant coach, 2006-2007 record, and number of years as head coach at their current …

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 …

Hiv/Aids Policies In The United States And The United Kingdom: Emerging At-Risk Groups And The Struggle For Limited Resources, Jennifer Lorren Willis

Masters Theses

This thesis compares the HIV/ AIDS policies in the United States of America and the United Kingdom since the emergence of the virus in 1981. Despite a privatized health care system in the U.S. and the universal system in the UK, which lie on opposite ends of the policy care spectrum, similar populations have recently emerged as those most in need of health care services, preventative programs, and financial assistance. This thesis employs several quantitative and qualitative data to highlight the emergence of women and minorities in both nations as those that are most in need of resources. Data has …

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 …

Effects Of Subchronic Dietary Lead Exposure On Dmtp And Dnmtp Performance In Fisher 344 Rats, Joshua D. Vardigan

Masters Theses

Recent attention has focused on the possibility that even low-level Pb exposure can produce subtle neurological impairments in the absence of overt signs of toxicity. Previous behavioral assessments of learning and memory using DMTS procedures have documented learning impairments in monkeys exposed to Pb during early postnatal development, and although a variety of operant behavioral assays have documented detrimental effects of dietary Pb treatment in rats, the DMTS procedure has not been examined in rats following short-term low levels of Pb through dietary exposure. Thus, the objective of this study was to measure the degree of cognitive impairment produced by …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Semiotic Content In Commercial Email Subject Lines And The Decision By The Recipient To Open The Message, Stephen J. Johnson

Masters Theses

The writings of Saussure, Peirce, Barthes, Eco and others express theories that symbols, signs, and signals are integral elements in the assignation of meaning within general human communication. Email marketing specialists such as Stephanie Miller, Andy Goldman, and Jeannieay Mullen opine that it is the email recipient’s inferences regarding the words in the address or subject lines that are the primary determinants in the decision whether or not to first open and subsequently respond to a commercial email. It would then seem that email marketers would be well served by understanding what forms these inferences in the minds of the …

Activism, Public Relations, And The Internet: A Case Study Of Moveon.Org, Erich Sommerfeldt

Masters Theses

This thesis explores how an activist organization, MoveOn.org, is using the Internet to meet its public relations needs. MoveOn.org's Web site was analyzed to the extent that MoveOn engaged in three basic functions of public relations. Accordingly, this inquiry asked how MoveOn.org engaged in relationship-building with publics via email action alerts; agenda-stimulation through online information subsidies (press releases); and how MoveOn mobilized organizational resources on its Web site. Results show that MoveOn.org regularly engages in rhetorical relationship building through action alerts with its publics, mainly through Burke's identification by antithesis identification strategy. Keywords from MoveOn's press releases were used in …

An Eco-Philosophical Ecofeminist Critique Of Victimology: Examining The Anthropocentric And Speciesist Borders And Boundaries Of Victimology, Angela K. Simon

Masters Theses

This work is a critique of the anthropocentric and speciesist borders and boundaries of victimology. Essentially I challenge victimology for failing to incorporate the victimizations of non-human animals and the environment, and instead focusing narrowly on only specific forms of human victimization. I do this by examining the history of victimology and exploring how its boundaries became what they are today. Focusing on the role criminology has had in the general development of victimology. I then go on to juxtapose the limited presence of animals and the environment within criminology with their relative absence in victimology. In conjunction with this …

From Sandbox To Altar: What I Didn’T Know, Thought I Knew, And Discovered About Learning And Relationships, Cherilyn L. Gardner

Masters Theses

In this theoretically-based thesis, I metacognitively explore the transactional relationship between critical inquiry and literacy development. Throughout the writing, I reveal my own learning in studying these concepts. Embedded in the discussion of research, readers will engage with my personal reflections, confessions, and applications of what I learned (and am still learning).

Through countless dialogues (academic and otherwise) and my study of literature and self, I found that literacy is much more than what it has been carved out to be by programs promising to raise standardized test scores. Additionally, by breaking the mold, I found that critical inquiry provides …

An Unequal Consumption? Sex And Gender Differences In Tuberculosis, Sarah K. W. Avink

Masters Theses

In the developing world today, tuberculosis (TB) accounts for 26% of avoidable deaths (Holmes et al 1998). Poverty is considered to be a main risk factor for TB, and since some estimates show that women make up 70% of the world's poor (Thorson and Diwan 1998:11), one might conclude that the incidence of TB worldwide would be much higher for women than men. However, reports reviewed in this thesis show the reverse to be true, with an adult annual male notification ratio for TB at 1.5 to 2.1 times higher than that of females. Both biological reasons and social factors …

Teaching Children With Autism To Mand For Information Using Video Modeling, Courtney Dillon

Masters Theses

Skinner's taxonomy of verbal operants defines language in functional terms specifying the relevant controlling variables in terms of antecedent and consequent influences. A mand for information is a request for a specific verbal response that has momentarily high reinforcing value due to the presence of an establishing operation. Contrived establishing operations have been used for teaching mands for information, however, researchers have not yet investigated the effects of using video modeling to teach mands for information to children with autism. This study investigated the effects of video modeling with a contrived establishing operation for teaching two children with autism to …