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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Predicting The Diffusion Of Next Generation 9-1-1 In The Commonwealth Of Virginia: An Application Using The Deployment Of Wireless E9-1-1 Technologies, Dorothy Spears-Dean Apr 2011

Predicting The Diffusion Of Next Generation 9-1-1 In The Commonwealth Of Virginia: An Application Using The Deployment Of Wireless E9-1-1 Technologies, Dorothy Spears-Dean

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the deployment of Wireless E9-1-1 Phase One and Wireless E9-1-1 Phase Two as a diffusion of innovation. The research method used in this study is a cross-sectional study employing secondary data in a discriminant function analysis. The study population is Virginia units of local governments (95 counties and 39 cities) that had not deployed Wireless E9-1-1 Phase One or Wireless E9-1-1 Phase Two as of January 1, 2001. The period of time included in this study is from 2001 to 2006. The purpose of the study is to assess the overall accuracy of the three principle theories …

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Organizational Culture And Partnership Process: A Grounded Theory Study Of Community-Campus Partnerships, Kready Sharon Foreman Apr 2011

Organizational Culture And Partnership Process: A Grounded Theory Study Of Community-Campus Partnerships, Kready Sharon Foreman

Theses and Dissertations

Community engagement initiatives have experienced an increase in attention, appreciation, and participation among those in academic, nonprofit, and other community-based organizations over the past two decades. The purpose of this study is to explore the meanings of community-campus partnerships among stakeholders in the community and in academia towards the goal of generating a theory grounded in these data that will concomitantly contribute to the social work profession and the community engagement movement. Using as its foundation the shared interest among the social work profession and the community engagement movement on values and ethics, this study utilizes a traditional grounded theory …

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Do Body Image And Gender Role Attitudes Mediate The Relationship Between Media Exposure And Sexual Risk Behavior In College Students?, Vivian Rodriguez Apr 2011

Do Body Image And Gender Role Attitudes Mediate The Relationship Between Media Exposure And Sexual Risk Behavior In College Students?, Vivian Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and educational efforts to provide accurate information about sexually transmitted diseases (STD), young adults continue to engage in risky sexual practices that increase their vulnerability of acquiring an STD, including inconsistent condom use. Research has gathered ample evidence to suggest that the media, in particular television consumption, is directly linked with sexual risk, yet less is known about the potential mechanisms that may be driving this link. The present study examines body image and gender role attitudes as two potential mediators of this relationship. Three-hundred and four undergraduate students (73% female; 64% White) …

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Metabolic Control, Marital Conflict, Caregiver Burden And Psychological Control In Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Ann P. Jubber Apr 2011

Metabolic Control, Marital Conflict, Caregiver Burden And Psychological Control In Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes, Ann P. Jubber

Theses and Dissertations

Using data from a purposive sample of 78 parents of children with type 1 diabetes, relationships were examined between the level of metabolic control of the child with diabetes (as measured by the HbA1c percentage), parents' marital conflict, caregiver burden, and use of psychological control. Also explored were family income and the education levels of mothers and fathers. Differences between mothers and fathers were also considered. Better metabolic control (lower HbA1c) was related to lower levels of fathers' caregiver burden. Marital conflict was also associated with mothers' and fathers' caregiver burden. Finally, mothers' caregiver burden predicted mothers' use of psychological …

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Working Hard Or Hardly Working: Comparing Relationship Self-Regulation Levels Of Cohabiting, Married, And Remarried Individuals, Mallory Jane Meyer Apr 2011

Working Hard Or Hardly Working: Comparing Relationship Self-Regulation Levels Of Cohabiting, Married, And Remarried Individuals, Mallory Jane Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of relationship self-regulation (RSR) has been shown to be related to relationship satisfaction, yet the differences in RSR ability based on couple type have yet to be examined. This study compared first married, remarried, and cohabiting individuals on their self-reported ability to implement RSR in their relationship, along with their report of satisfaction, positive communication, and negative communication in their relationships. Data was derived from 6,591 participants who were part of the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) questionnaire data set. Multiple Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) statistics were used, and results showed that while mean differences in RSR were small across …

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Violations Of The Divine: Forgiveness Of Ingroup Transgressors Within Church Congregations Of The Christian Faith, Chelsea Greer Apr 2011

Violations Of The Divine: Forgiveness Of Ingroup Transgressors Within Church Congregations Of The Christian Faith, Chelsea Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Research on forgiveness has been expanding rapidly in the last decade with a subset of studies looking at how religious people forgive. A discrepancy persists between Christians’ level of valuing forgiveness and forgiveness of actual transgressions. Several methodological issues and offense-specific variables have been presented as explanations. This present thesis examines the role of the congregation as a group identity, and applies it to a theory of relational spirituality, as a measure of the relationship between a victim and the Sacred. No existing research has polled congregants about offense-specific forgiveness of church peers. I collected data from members of Christian …

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Longitudinal Changes In The Corpus Callosum Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury As Assessed By Volumetric Mri And Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Trevor Chuang Kuo Wu Apr 2011

Longitudinal Changes In The Corpus Callosum Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury As Assessed By Volumetric Mri And Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Trevor Chuang Kuo Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Atrophy of the corpus callosum (CC) is a documented consequence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), which has been expressed as volume loss using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other advanced imaging modalities such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have also detected white matter microstructural alteration following TBI in the CC. The manner and degree to which macrostructural changes such as volume and microstructural changes develop over time following pediatric TBI and their relation to a measure of processing speed is the focus of this longitudinal investigation. As such, DTI and volumetric changes of the CC in participants with TBI …

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Age Differences In Long-Term Adjustment And Psychosocial Outcomes In A Large Multi-Site Sample 5-10 Years After Heart Transplant, Andrea Shamaskin Apr 2011

Age Differences In Long-Term Adjustment And Psychosocial Outcomes In A Large Multi-Site Sample 5-10 Years After Heart Transplant, Andrea Shamaskin

Theses and Dissertations

Research on age differences in heart transplant patients has focused primarily on medical outcomes, with mixed findings regarding mortality and morbidity rates and limited research regarding age differences in psychosocial and quality of life outcomes. To gain a more complete understanding of psychosocial adjustment after heart transplant, this study examined age differences in: satisfaction with quality of life, satisfaction with social support, depressive symptoms, negative affect, symptom distress, stress related to heart transplant, overall health functioning, coping strategies, and aspects of adherence. Results indicate that older patients, compared to younger patients, report better adjustment and quality of life across numerous …

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Student Use And Teacher Requirement Of E-Mail Conventions, Lora Ibrahim Galabi Apr 2011

Student Use And Teacher Requirement Of E-Mail Conventions, Lora Ibrahim Galabi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of conventions by EFL students and the requirement of conventions by EFL teachers in student-teacher e-mail communication, in an English-medium university in the Arab world. A convenience sample of 61 students and 13 teachers from the Intensive English Program at the American University in Cairo, Egypt was used. Data were obtained for this exploratory study from a student survey, a teacher survey, and a sample of student e-mails, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and thematic content analysis. Chi-square tests revealed a correlation between the frequency of …

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Microfinance And Poverty Alleviation: A Case Study Of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar District In Cairo, Egypt, Noran Mohammed Farag Apr 2011

Microfinance And Poverty Alleviation: A Case Study Of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar District In Cairo, Egypt, Noran Mohammed Farag

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tests whether microcredit offered by MFIs succeeded, from the perspectives of beneficiaries, in reducing the poverty of borrowers in poor areas in Cairo using the example of First Microfinance as a case study. The data was gathered using a tailored questionnaire on a sample of 151 beneficiaries. A linear regression model is used with the dependent variable as the difference in wealth indices before and after acquiring the loan and a set of independent variables. Microfinance showed a positive effect on poverty reduction but with a small magnitude. The results show that the lack of training provided to …

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The Neoliberal Dream Of Segregation: Rethinking Gated Communities In Greater Cairo, A Case Study, Al-Rehab City Gated Community, Safaa Marafi Apr 2011

The Neoliberal Dream Of Segregation: Rethinking Gated Communities In Greater Cairo, A Case Study, Al-Rehab City Gated Community, Safaa Marafi

Theses and Dissertations

New suburbs such as New Cairo received strong support from President Mubarak, the government, elite businessmen, and a group of members of the National Democratic Party, who surrounded the president. I argue in this thesis that urban segregation has existed in Cairo for quite some time. However, since the last decade's adaptation of neoliberal polices by the government, the implementations of these polices have sharpened the dichotomy in the urban fabric, which is crystallized in the support given by the Egyptian government to local and foreign construction companies to build gated communities in the suburbs Cairo. Private security systems and …

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The Tunnel Operations Under The Gaza-Egypt Border In Rafah, Brandy Castanon Apr 2011

The Tunnel Operations Under The Gaza-Egypt Border In Rafah, Brandy Castanon

Theses and Dissertations

The negative ramifications of the creation of nation-states resulting in the assignment of arbitrary borders, walls and international border crossings are most vivid, obvious and ridiculous in the city of Rafah. It is an ancient city with a rich history that was divided by the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty separating Egypt and Palestine. This thesis is concerned with how Rafah operates as a divided border town and the illicit tunnels that are used between Gaza and Egypt. It focuses on Egyptian policies towards the tunnels, how they are implemented by Egyptian border officials and how people experience and are affected …

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The Discrepancy Between Subjective And Objective Measures Of Sleep In Older Adults Receiving Cbt For Comorbid Insomnia, Hannah Lund Mar 2011

The Discrepancy Between Subjective And Objective Measures Of Sleep In Older Adults Receiving Cbt For Comorbid Insomnia, Hannah Lund

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical research on insomnia has observed that many individuals with this sleep disorder exhibit a significant discrepancy between their subjective reports of symptom severity and objective measures of the same parameters. This study sought to more closely examine this discrepancy by comparing sleep diary estimates with polysomnography data in a population of 60 older adults with comorbid insomnia. Consistent with previous research, results show that participants significantly underestimated sleep efficiency and total sleep time and significantly overestimated sleep onset latency. Participants receiving CBT-I exhibited significantly reduced discrepancy at post-treatment, particularly with regard to sleep latency, compared to those in a …

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Determinants Of Clergy Behaviors Promoting Safety Of Battered Korean Immigrant Women, Yoon Joon Choi Mar 2011

Determinants Of Clergy Behaviors Promoting Safety Of Battered Korean Immigrant Women, Yoon Joon Choi

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that not only are clergy members the first persons from whom battered women seek help, but also a great number of clergy counsel battered women every year (Martin, 1989; Rotunda, Williamson, & Penfold, 2004). The role of the church and clergy are especially critical for the Korean immigrant community in the U.S. because Korean immigrants greatly underutilize existing services and rely heavily on their respective churches for assistance with various issues, including domestic violence (Boodman, 2007; Kim, 1997). Korean churches and clergy members have the potential to be active partners in providing intervention services and to serve …

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Experience Of Supervision Scale: The Development Of An Instrument To Measure Child Welfare Workers' Experience Of Supervisory Behaviors, Mary Parente Mar 2011

Experience Of Supervision Scale: The Development Of An Instrument To Measure Child Welfare Workers' Experience Of Supervisory Behaviors, Mary Parente

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the Experience of Supervision Scale, which measures the experience of supervisory behaviors from the perspective of child welfare workers. Child welfare supervision is gaining increased attention as states struggle to improve performance measures of their child welfare systems. However, the lack of a standardized instrument which measures supervision through an analysis of supervisory behaviors from the supervisee’s perspective has hindered efforts in these areas. The Experience of Supervision Scale is based on Kadushin’s three function casework supervision model of supervision (administrative, educational, and supportive) which was chosen as the theoretical …

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Examining Predictors Of Optimism In Adolescence: Internal And External Factors, E Chrissy Bulloch Mar 2011

Examining Predictors Of Optimism In Adolescence: Internal And External Factors, E Chrissy Bulloch

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between parenting, adolescent personality, and adolescent optimism. Four hundred and eighty families with at least one adolescent child in the Seattle, Washington area completed a series of questionnaires assessing parenting style, personality, and optimism. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicated that there is a small, yet significant, portion of the variance in optimism explained by parenting and personality individually, but that the relationship between optimism, parenting, and personality dynamics is far more complex than originally anticipated. Further research is needed to examine the nature of these relationships and to provide a more comprehensive understanding of …

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Real Men Can Dance, But Not In That Costume: Latter-Day Saints' Perception Of Gender Roles Portrayed On Dancing With The Stars, Karson B. Denney Mar 2011

Real Men Can Dance, But Not In That Costume: Latter-Day Saints' Perception Of Gender Roles Portrayed On Dancing With The Stars, Karson B. Denney

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to better understand gender roles portrayed in the media. By using Stuart Hall's theory of audience reception (Hall, 1980) the researcher looks into dance and gender in the media to indicate whether or not LDS participants believe stereotypical gender roles are portrayed on Dancing with the Stars." Through four focus groups containing a total of 30 participants, the researcher analyzed costuming, choreography, and judges' comments through the viewer's eyes. From participant responses, the conclusion was made that audience members do perceive stereotypical gender roles on "Dancing with the Stars." Participants felt that costuming was the biggest indicator …

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Time Out For Women Magazine: A New Magazine Prospectus Informed By A Historical Review And Qualitative Study On The Media Uses Of Mormon Women, Maurianne Dunn Mar 2011

Time Out For Women Magazine: A New Magazine Prospectus Informed By A Historical Review And Qualitative Study On The Media Uses Of Mormon Women, Maurianne Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

This project uses a qualitative research approach to understanding Mormon women's uses and gratifications of magazines. The first study provides a retrospective look at the uses and gratifications of readers of the Relief Society Magazine (1915–1970) in order to understand where media targeted to Mormon women has been. Through interviews, focus groups and questionnaires, the study finds the main reasons Mormon women read the Relief Society Magazine was to provide (a) a handbook for daily life, (b) a community, (c) intellectual stimulation, (d) an aspirational ideal, and (e) an escape from daily life. When the magazine ceased publication, readers felt …

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Special Educators' Perspectives Of Aligning Individual Education Program Goals Of Students With Severe Disabilities With The General Education Curriculum, Kristi Noel Tonga Mar 2011

Special Educators' Perspectives Of Aligning Individual Education Program Goals Of Students With Severe Disabilities With The General Education Curriculum, Kristi Noel Tonga

Theses and Dissertations

Aligning Individual Education Program (IEP) goals of students with severe disabilities with the general education curriculum is required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA). This study sought to determine the perspectives of special educators regarding this requirement. Special educators from three school districts participated in focus groups to offer their perspectives in aligning IEP goals with the general education curriculum. The researchers also sought the special educators' perspectives with regards to providing access to the general education curriculum. The study found that special educators are striving to align IEP goals through the use of general …

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Narcissism, Facebook Use And Self Disclosure, Bonnie Anne Boyd Huling Mar 2011

Narcissism, Facebook Use And Self Disclosure, Bonnie Anne Boyd Huling

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between online self-disclosure, grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, Facebook use and frequency of status updates in existing self-report measures among 381 college students. Positive correlations were found between: vulnerable narcissism and Facebook status updates, and Facebook use and online self-disclosure. Following the equalization of the two different narcissism scales, college students scored higher on grandiose narcissism as opposed to vulnerable narcissism, the opposite to what was hypothesized. No correlations were found between: grandiose narcissism and Facebook status updates; grandiose narcissism and self-disclosure; and vulnerable narcissism and self-disclosure. Additionally, college women did not score higher in self-disclosure …

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The Portrayal Of Older Characters In Popular Children's Books: A Content Analysis From 2000 To 2010., Jesica L. Danowski Mar 2011

The Portrayal Of Older Characters In Popular Children's Books: A Content Analysis From 2000 To 2010., Jesica L. Danowski

Theses and Dissertations

While picture books are often viewed as educational resources for young readers, it is crucial to not overlook the images and content this literary medium contains. Research suggests that repetitive messages encompassing a stereotypical nature cultivate lasting impressions on young audiences. One portrayal often associated with negative implications is the depictions of older characters in children's first literature. This investigation analyzed a selection of picture books from the New York Times best sellers list, the Book Sense best sellers list, and the Caldecott award winners for the years 2000–2010. In an attempt to provide a time spectrum communicating the levels …

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Learning Languages Through The Media: Toward An Understanding Of The Mediated Language Acquisition Process And The Motivation Cycle Of Mediated Language Acquisition, Kenneth F. Trent Mar 2011

Learning Languages Through The Media: Toward An Understanding Of The Mediated Language Acquisition Process And The Motivation Cycle Of Mediated Language Acquisition, Kenneth F. Trent

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing in-depth interviews and constant comparative analysis through a qualitative approach, this research study examined the development of second language acquisition of US immigrants via the mass media as a part of the acculturation process. Nine international students (or international spouses of students) of a major midwestern university participated in 25-60 minute interviews. Based on participant responses, the author formulated the mediated language acquisition process, or the process by which the participants acquired English as an additional language with the help of the mass media. Additionally, motivation was found to be the primary indicator of the rate of language acquisition. …

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Let Me See My Feedback: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Feedback-Receiving Process At A University Counseling Center, David Doty Dayton Mar 2011

Let Me See My Feedback: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Feedback-Receiving Process At A University Counseling Center, David Doty Dayton

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a phenomenological investigation of psychotherapists' experience receiving quantitative and evaluative feedback on job performance. Participants were licensed psychologists working at a university counseling center. They were given feedback reports that compared their clients' psychotherapy outcomes with the outcomes of their colleagues' clients. Psychotherapy outcomes were measured using the Outcome-Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45), a self-report outcome instrument designed for tracking client progress through repeated measurement. Feedback reports included data about where psychotherapists' outcomes ranked (in quartiles) in comparison to the rest of the counseling center. Interviews were conducted with participants to gain a deeper understanding of their experience receiving …

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The Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine On Gaba And Dopamine Neurons In The Midbrain Ventral Tegmental Area, Devin Hardy Taylor Mar 2011

The Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine On Gaba And Dopamine Neurons In The Midbrain Ventral Tegmental Area, Devin Hardy Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine (NIC) abuse involves activation of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons and NIC addiction involves neuroadaptive changes in the mesolimbic DA reward system. GABA neurons in the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) express α4β2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), whose activation increases GABAergic input to DA neurons. However, this initial effect is decreased after chronic NIC treatment (as in the case of smokers) by inducing nAChR desensitization. Thus, GABA neuron inhibition results in increased DA release in limbic structures such as the nucleus accumbens. To support this hypothesis, we evaluated the effects of acute and chronic NIC on GAD-67 positive neurons in …

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A Framework For The Measurement Of Simulated Behavior Performance, Christopher M. Cooper Mar 2011

A Framework For The Measurement Of Simulated Behavior Performance, Christopher M. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

Recent development in video games, simulation, training, and robotics has seen a push for greater visual and behavioral realism. As the reliance on high fidelity models in the education, training, and simulation communities to provide information used for strategic and tactical decisions rises, the importance of accuracy and credibility of simulated behavior increases. Credibility is typically established through verification and validation techniques. Increased interest exists in bringing behavior realism to the same level as the visual. Thus far validation process for behavioral models is unclear. With real world behavior a major goal, this research investigates the validation problem and provides …

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A Study Of Corporate Entrepreneurship In A Department Of Defense Organization, Wade W. Brower Mar 2011

A Study Of Corporate Entrepreneurship In A Department Of Defense Organization, Wade W. Brower

Theses and Dissertations

What determines if an organization has a corporate entrepreneurship (CE) environment? While being entrepreneurial in a private sector job usually means a greater market share or a higher profit margin; in a public research organization, CE must be measured in other ways. This thesis evaluates a Department of Defense (DoD) organization that performs basic research. Any organization that does government or nonprofit work must continually find new ways, methods, processes, or ideas to complete the mission. In this particular study, the mission is to continue to support the warfighter with limited and changing resources—to ensure the military can maintain dominance …

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New Media Analysis: The Effects Of Peer Influence And Personality Characteristics Through The Stages Of Trial, Adoption, And Continued Use Of Video Sharing Websites, Joseph L. Hicks Mar 2011

New Media Analysis: The Effects Of Peer Influence And Personality Characteristics Through The Stages Of Trial, Adoption, And Continued Use Of Video Sharing Websites, Joseph L. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

New Media technologies have evolved at a rapid pace and have changed the way people communicate in the digital world. These changes are apparent in practically every type of application, including business, leisure, and the way people socially interact. The primary goal of this research was to contribute to the current breadth of knowledge and understanding regarding how, why, and under what conditions people interact with New Media technologies. In order to achieve this objective, this research provides an understanding of how peer influence and individual personality characteristics interact across time through the stages of New Media trial, adoption, and …

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Leadership Criteria Under Maximum Performance Conditions, Aaron J. Pauli Mar 2011

Leadership Criteria Under Maximum Performance Conditions, Aaron J. Pauli

Theses and Dissertations

Since the seminal work investigating the relationship between typical and maximum performance by Sackett, Zedeck, and Fogli in 1988, there has been a marked increase in research in this area. Although much research has furthered the relationship between typical and maximum performance, none have attempted to identify which leadership effectiveness criteria are considered most important to an individual’s maximum performance, or assessment of one’s potential. Thus, this empirical study seeks to identify the leadership effectiveness criteria under maximum performance conditions as it relates to entry and middle level managers. Using an exploratory factor analysis, the results suggest an interesting comparison …

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The Positive Impact Of Negative Feedback, Mark B. Richey Mar 2011

The Positive Impact Of Negative Feedback, Mark B. Richey

Theses and Dissertations

While feedback is an essential element of performance, there is little theory explaining the effects of negative feedback. Disagreement exists as to whether negative feedback is good or bad and this impacts its use. Fortunately, control theory provides scholars with an opportunity to better understand negative feedback and the conditions necessary to support its intended function. This study examined the relationship between negative feedback and task performance in a leadership development environment. This work asserts that performance is contingent on perceived feedback usefulness, such that the relationship is stronger when feedback usefulness is high and weaker when it is low. …

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Valuing And Defending: A New Natural Law Approach To The Family, Stephen Wade Francis Mar 2011

Valuing And Defending: A New Natural Law Approach To The Family, Stephen Wade Francis

Theses and Dissertations

Social science theories applied to the family make certain assumptions in the analytic categories of value-neutrality vs. value-ladenness, positivism vs. hermeneutics, and determinism vs. moral agency. New natural law, a different theory from the body of classical forms of natural law, provides a unique approach to the study of the family. New natural law provides a defense for the traditional conjugal family as well as provides difference conclusions and implications for empirical research.

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