Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

P300 Event-Related Potentials To A Phoneme Discrimination Task Requiring A Motor Response, Kaitlyn Chelsea Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Speech perception typically takes place within the auditory cortex as evidenced by data collected using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). The purpose of this study was to determine if motor responses influence speech perception. We examined P300 event-related potentials during oddball stimulus recognition tasks that either required or did not require a motor response. Based on a review of the literature, it was hypothesized that similar areas of the brain would be activated in both the motor response task and the same task without a motor response immediately following the button-push condition. Two syllables, /ba/ and /ga/, were presented to 20 native …

Sex Offender Perceptions: Investigating Social Supports As Buffers To The Consequences Of Megan's Law, Melissa D. Colson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify supports and whether supports perceived as helpful lessen negative experiences with job difficulty, housing difficulty, vigilantism, and isolation. Additionally, registrants' perceptions of hopelessness and sex offender registration and community notification laws (SORN) as a public safety measure were examined to determine whether more helpful supports positively impacted their attitudes. Another aspect of this study explored differences with males and females since females have rarely been examined. Narratives were compiled to further describe offender experiences and perceptions. This study used a survey to collect data on sex offenders, including offender demographics and victim …

Segmental Contributions To Speech Intelligibility In Nonconcatenative Vs. Concatenative Languages, Yahya Aldholmi

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the contributions of segments (consonants vs. vowels) to speech intelligibility in Arabic and English. In these two languages, consonants and vowels play crucially different grammatical roles. Arabic is a nonconcatenative language that primarily assigns lexical information to consonants and morphosyntactic information to vowels, while English is a concatenative language that does not assign distinct roles to either class of segments. On this basis, we hypothesized that consonants and vowels would play very different roles in the intelligibility of the two languages. Five laboratory experiments were conducted, three on Arabic and two on English. Participants listened to words …

Thellim Apo Zgjerim: Be Në Udhëkryq Politik, Shkëlqim Mehmeti

Theses and Dissertations

Bashkimi Evropian është organizatë rajonale e cila është krijuar në vitin 1951 me Traktatin e Parisit, traktat ky i ratifikuar, deri më 1957, nga 6 shtete të cilat janë themeluese e vetë organizatës. BE-ja, që nga themelimi i saj, ka pasur sfidat e saja të cilat e përcjellin edhe në ditët e sotme. Njëra nga mëdyshjet e BE-së e cila e ka vendosur në një udhëkryq politik është se a duhet BE-ja të shkoj drejt thellimit të bashkëpunimit brenda shteteve anëtare në fusha si: politika e jashtme, siguria, kriza monetare, kriza e refugjatëve etj. Apo, BE-ja duhet të zgjerohet në …

Anëtarësimi I Kosovës Në Be Është I Largët,Por Është Në Interesin E Kosovës Të Zbatoj Kriteret Dhe Standardet Evropiane, Valdet Rexhepi

Theses and Dissertations

Kosova shpalli pavarësin e saj me 17 shkurt 2008, duke pasur synime arritjen e realizimit të shtet ndërtimit të brendshëm dhe konsolidimin e shtetësisë në rrafshin ndërkombëtar. Për Kosovën, si shtet i vogël, ka rëndësi të madhe, që në të ardhmen të anëtarësohet në Bashkimin Evropian, sepse është një nga mënyrat që sjell siguri më të madhe, mbrojtjen nga kërcënimet e ndryshme nga këto mund të kemi edhe institucione stabile, zhvillim ekonomik, respektimin dhe sundimin e ligjit, për shtetin të gjithë këto kanë një emërues të përbashkët i cili është kompensim për mungesën e fuqisë së fortë.

Punimi është orientuar …

Kriza Lindore 1875-1878 Dhe Çështja Shqiptare, Rina Fetahu

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim diplome ka marrë në analizë Shqiptaret ne Krizen Lindore gjate viteve 1875-1878. Qëllimi kryesor i këtij punimi është që të arrijmë sadopak të ndriçojmë rrethanat ne te cilat u gjenden shqiptaret ne kete kohe.

Kriza Lindore e viteve 1875-1878 përbënë një nga ngjarjet me të rendësishme të gjysmës së dytë të shek. XIX. Kjo krizë erdhi si pasojë e zgjimit kombëtar në Ballkan gjatë shek. XIX, në kohen kur Perandoria Osmane ishte me e dobët se kurrë me parë. Monarkitë ballkanike Serbia, Mali i Zi, Bullgaria dhe Greqia të përkrahura nga Rusia e cila i nxiste këto shtete …

Dickkopf-1 Blocks 17Β-Estradiol-Enhanced Object Memory Consolidation In Ovariectomized Female Mice, Lisa Taxier

Theses and Dissertations

The memory-enhancing effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) are dependent upon rapid activation of several cell signaling cascades within the dorsal hippocampus (DH). Among many cell-signaling pathways that mediate memory processes, Wnt/β-catenin signaling has emerged as a potential key player. However, whether E2 interacts with Wnt/β-catenin signaling to promote memory consolidation is unknown. Therefore, the present study examined whether Wnt/β-catenin signaling within the DH is necessary for E2-induced memory consolidation in both object recognition and object placement tasks. Here, ovariectomized mice received immediate post-training infusions of E2 or vehicle into the dorsal third ventricle plus the endogenous Wnt/β-catenin antagonist Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) or …

Divided Agencies: Internal Strife In The Fight Against Castro, Stephanie R. Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. State Department differed in their approaches to dealing with the Castro regime from 1959 through the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Using declassified documents from the CIA and State Department, I argue that the approaches of the CIA in dealing with the Castro regime were more aggressive than the approaches of the U.S. State Department. Many of the primary sources used in this work were accessed in the CIA electronic reading room and on the office of the historian website. The office of the historian is an …

Enacting A Third Space Pedagogy In An Art Museum Setting: Strategies, Intersections, And Values, Claudia Patricia Orjuela Borda

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic case study investigates the theory and practice of third spaces in relation to a

professional development program for K-12 teachers in an art museum setting, with emphasis on

arts-based programming, lived curriculum, contemporary art, and critical teaching strategies. I

investigate how museums negotiate the transition from a pedagogy of place towards a pedagogy

of third spaces. The questions guiding my study were: how a third space is valued by educators

and museum staff? What are the components, strategies, and methodologies that allow for the

emergence of third spaces in professional development programs? What does a third space

pedagogy …

A Horizontal And Vertical Analysis Of Public Service Motivation, Michael Bednarczuk

Theses and Dissertations

The positive consequences of public service motivation (PSM) have been well-­demonstrated in the public administration literature. However, while it is often used as an independent variable, it is rarely used as a dependent variable. This dissertation expands the understanding of the antecedents of PSM, the dynamics of PSM over time, and the differences in PSM within bureaucrats. It was found that parental traits and religious practices had the largest effect on childhood PSM. Longitudinal models highlighted the constant impact of youth PSM over time, which no other study had had the data to do. It was also found that having …

Creating Inclusive Experiences In Children's Museums For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cassandra Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined daily programming and inclusion efforts for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at a singular study site, a children’s museum located in a suburban community of Illinois. The purpose of this study was to identify, through survey, observation, and peer interviews the current accessibility barriers at the study site and suggest ways to prevent them through inclusive design strategies. Interviews with children’s museums around the country focused on how children’s museums may be able to expand their inclusion efforts to overcome these barriers including designing programming to provide inclusive experiences for children with ASD. These interviews championed …

“Because He Is Different”: Shifts In Discourse And The Increasing Presence Of Autism In Fictional Television, Sierra Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

Characters with an autism spectrum disorder are not new to media, television in particular. What has recently changed is the willingness to put a label on a character who is on the spectrum. This thesis looks at 21 characters in television from 2007 to 2017 who are labeled or are generally perceived to be autistic. I categorize these character representations by genre and find that representations of autism vary according to the characteristics of each genre. I also focus in more depth two series, ABC’s The Good Doctor and Netflix’s Atypical, which both premiered in 2017 with lead characters who …

Associative And Non-Associative Learning In The Monodelphis Domestica, Ana C. Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

Learning encompasses multiple important processes that vary within organisms and that are affected by different factors. Two of the most important types of learning are associative and non-associative learning. Even though past research has studied animal learning in multiple species, there is limited research on learning in the Monodelphis domestica. It is imperative to further the knowledge on this species since multiple fields use it as an animal model for research. The current study examined both non-associative and associative learning in the Monodelphis. Non-associative learning was explored by using a habituation-dishabituation paradigm, while associative learning was examined using the …

Does Machismo Culture Influence Latina/O Attitudes On Mental Health?, Amanda R. Mercado

Theses and Dissertations

This study represents an attempt to contribute to the identified gap in knowledge towards the effects of machismo on both Latina women and Latino men and how it effects their attitudes towards mental health. The idea that previous research on machismo has been so one-sided, but has revealed that psychological distresses were present and ignored, leaves room for my research to explore how Latina women are affected because they are just as susceptible to psychological distresses as men. By using a research based framework to explain the effects of machismo on both Latina women and Latino men, my study will …

Local Disaster Planning And Preparedness Coordination In The Rio Grande Valley, Cristina L. Madrid

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricanes and flooding events yield complex social and environmental consequences to coastal communities. Disaster preparedness and recovery is a multidisciplinary and multi-jurisdictional effort that requires coordination and planning across many actors.

Existing research recognizes the link between social capital and a community’s ability to respond to and ‘bounce back’ to normalcy after such hazardous events. However, few studies have examined the institutional dimension of social capital among communities noted for high levels of poverty situated in disaster-prone areas along the U.S. Mexico border. We aim to fill this gap by using survey data collected from emergency management practitioners in the …

Hispanic Culture And Machismo: How Hispanics Interpret Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming Identities, Karen R. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines dynamics linked to normative gender expectations and gender identities within Hispanic culture. Little is known in this regard concerning how Hispanics perceive and interpret transgender and gender non-conforming identities. The analysis provides qualitative assessment using 35 in-depth face-to-face interviews and examines the following research questions: 1) how do life experiences such as marriage, parenthood, and work force participation among Hispanics shape their formation of gender expectations? 2) Among Hispanics, how do class, race/ethnicity, and education shape the construction of gender ideologies.

The present study, in turn adds to the literature by examining gender norm constructs among Mexican-origin …

A Gis Approach To Archaeological Settlement Patterns And Predictive Modeling In Chihuahua, Mexico, Haylie Anne Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

In this study I analyzed the pattern of settlement for known Medio period (A.D. 1200–1450) sites in the Casas Grandes region of Chihuahua, Mexico. Locational data acquired from survey projects in the Casas Grandes region were evaluated within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework to reveal patterns in settlement and site distribution. Environmental and cultural variables, including aspect, cost distance to nearest ballcourt, ecoregion, elevation, local relief, cost distance to nearest oven, cost distance to Paquimé, slope, soil, terrain texture, topographic position index, cost distance to nearest trincheras, vegetation, vegetation variety to 100 meters, vegetation variety to 500 meters, cost …

Designing Selection Systems To Reduce Turnover, Joshua David Bush

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore and predict voluntary turnover as a critical dependent variable in selection systems. I describe how using competency modeling to build measures of person-organization (P-O) fit may serve as a theoretical launching point for designing selection assessments to predict voluntary turnover. I tested this theoretical framework by analyzing an archival selection database of 3,332 current and former employees who went through a competency model-based selection system, which includes five different assessment methods all designed to measure P-O fit. I hypothesized that scores on these assessments would negatively predict turnover risk because research has demonstrated a strong …

Assessing The Grey Short-Tailed Opossum (Monodelphis Domestica) As A Potential Animal Model Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Creation Of An Ethogram And Description Of Developmental Changes In Social Behavior, Angela M. Mar

Theses and Dissertations

Research using animal models is done when human subjects cannot participate due to ethical concerns. The majority of translational research is done using rat models. However, other animals are good candidates for translational research, such as Monodelphis domestica. Presently, little is known about Monodelphis domesticas’ behavior and how the animal can be used in research settings. The aim of the study is to fill the gap in the research by conducting behavioral observations of M. domestica pups using a longitudinal approach starting with post-weaned age and ending at the age of sexual maturity and creating an behavioral ethogram. …

Digitization Guidelines For Static & Non-Static (Audiovisual) Media: Compliance & Challenges In Academic Libraries, Maali Alghnimi

Theses and Dissertations

This doctoral dissertation aims to explore digitization practices at academic libraries in the United States. It examines adopted digitization guidelines, levels of compliance with these guidelines, challenges, and solutions. It seeks answers to five research questions in relation to academic libraries’ compliance with static and non-static (audiovisual) media digitization guidelines, encountered challenges, and applied solutions. A mixed methods explanatory research design was adopted for this comparative study. Purposive sampling was applied. The study sample consisted of 68 subjects from doctoral universities with highest and higher research activity based on the 2015 classification issued by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of …

User Experience As Organizational Ethos Focused On Quality: A Case Study Of Ux-Receptive And Ux-Reluctant Workplace Cultures, Kimberly Schnaderbeck Baker

Theses and Dissertations

User experience (UX) research is a workplace approach to improving the quality of texts and technologies an organization produces to advance its business goals. Across the industry, UX roles, job titles, and responsibilities are widely varied, and the inconsistency is also reflected in the quality of outcomes; successful, effective research depends on complex, interrelated factors, and the influence of workplace culture and context are largely unacknowledged and unexamined across the technical communication (TC) field. Such examination is warranted because UX professionals face unique workplace challenges that impede their ability to conduct effective research that will improve the quality of outcomes …

Ancient Andean Tattooing Practices, Madison Auten

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the practice of tattooing in the ancient Andean world focusing on Peru. I ask the question: What can we learn about how people in the ancient Andean world used tattoos? For example, who were the people receiving tattoos, where on the body were tattoos located and what did they depict? To address this, I collected data on tattoos preserved on human remains. Mummies originating from Peru were examined and their tattoos were photographed. The mummies I examined come from collections in three museums in the United States, including: the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), the Field Museum (FM) …

The Impact Of Research Data Sharing And Reuse On Data Citation In Stem Fields, Hyoungjoo Park

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the open science movement and mandates for the sharing of research data by major funding agencies and influential journals, the citation of data sharing and reuse has not become standard practice in the various science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Advances in technology have lowered some barriers to data sharing, but it is a socio-technical phenomenon and the impact of the ongoing evolution in scholarly communication practices has yet to be quantified. Furthermore, there is need for a deeper and more nuanced understanding of author self-citation and recitation, the most often cited types of data, disciplinary differences regarding …

The Great War And Motherhood: Possibilities For Agency Within Motherhood Rhetoric 1915-1920, Terra Rasmussen Lenox

Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to understand possibilities for agency in American motherhood by looking at public motherhood discourses from 1915-1920. To accomplish this task, I use a lens of intersectionality with a mixed-methods approach of critical discourse analysis of newspaper articles and The Ladies’ Home Journal, and a textual analysis of birth control pamphlets authored by Margaret Sanger. Through these analyses, this project elucidates ways in which ideal motherhood was portrayed and prescriptively enacted through representations of nationalistic motherhood which connects principles of intensive mothering with extreme patriotism and consumerism. Ultimately, these analyses build an argument that due to the complex …

Ordering Spaces, Making Places: Women’S Uses Of Non-Domestic Spaces In Tokyo, Japan, 1868–1937, Yuko Nakamura

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores Japanese women’s uses of non-domestic spaces in the modern period (1868–1945), focusing on the transformations that were occurring in the new capital city of Tokyo. After the 1868 Meiji Restoration, a modern government took over in place of the Tokugawa shogunate, the feudal military government that had ruled Japan for nearly three centuries, based on a hereditary status-based system. The fall of Tokugawa social order liberated Japanese people from the principle that John W. Hall famously called “rule by status.” Yet, it also complicated the ways in which the society was organized. Because the status system had …

Are We Safe Yet? Re-Evaluation Of The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Safety (Pdc-Safety), Nelmar Jacinto Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the utility of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist- Safety (PDC-Safety) (Martinez-Onstott, Wilder, & Sigurdsson, 2016) by comparing the effectiveness of a PDC-Safety indicated intervention with a PDC-Safety nonindicated intervention. The interventions targeted participants’ hand washing behavior at a clinic serving children with intellectual disabilities. Failure to wash hands at appropriate times could pose health risks to both behavior technicians and clients, so efforts should be made to increase the likelihood of hand washing. The results of the PDC-Safety suggested that the antecedents and information domain was most problematic. First, a non-indicated intervention, which included access to additional materials …

A Preliminary Examination Of The Effects Of Repeated Observation On Productivity As An Analog Of Micromanagement, Christopher Lytle

Theses and Dissertations

The current study evaluated the effect of repeated observation on work-related behavior in an analog setting. The goal was to determine the effects of repeated intrusive observation on productivity. The study was designed as an analog analysis of the effects of micromanagement in an organizational setting. Participants were 60 undergraduate psychology students at a private university in the southeastern United States. A between-subjects group design was used to evaluate the effects of observation. Participants were exposed to varying levels of observation, (nine, two, and zero instances per session), and their productivity and accuracy on a data entry task were measured. …

The Role Of Type 2 Diabetes And Metformin Use In Cognitive Decline, Kelley R. Chilson

Theses and Dissertations

Primary objectives of the present study include exploring the role of both A1C values and the anti-diabetic medication, metformin, on cognitive decline through measured by a brief neuropsychological exam (BNE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Method: Eleven years of archival cognitive testing and medical information from a total of 479 East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic patients (52.8 % female, 88.5% Caucasian, Mage = 78.79 years) was utilized for the present study. Participants were placed into two groups: Type 2 diabetes (n = 239) and a control group (n = 240). Cognitive testing data were collected via MoCA screening …

The Role Of Athletic Scholarship On Suboptimal Performance In Baseline Concussion Testing, Lauren E. Goworowski

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To date, there is a very limited amount of research regarding the topic of sandbagging (i.e., intentional poor performance) during concussion baseline testing in a collegiate athlete population. It is known that student-athletes may underreport their concussive symptoms so they can return to play more quickly, and may purposefully lower their baseline results to appear less impaired following a head injury so as to avoid exclusion from play (Echemendia & Cantu, 2003; Reilly 2011). At this point in time, it is difficult to make statements regarding sandbagging because the incidence of this behavior is unknown. Accordingly, this study had …

An Examination Of Generational And Gender Differences Among Baby Boomers On The Scale Of Accurate Personality Perception (Sapp), Nicole Lane Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Generations and their differences, as well as the construct of self-knowledge, have been studied at length due to their potential predictive power over an individual’s behaviors. This research proposes to build upon these constructs by blending them together in order to see the differences that exist on various personality dimensions, as well as on self-knowledge, between the Baby Boomer generation and the general population. In order to test these hypotheses, archival data were used. Participants in the archival data set were grouped based on their generation depending on the year of their birth. The federal government, specifically the U.S. Census …