Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Abstracting Gis Layers From Hyperspectral Imagery, Torsten E. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

Modern warfare methods in the urban environment necessitates the use of multiple layers of sensors to manage the battle space. Hyperspectral imagers are one possible sensor modality to provide remotely sensed images that can be converted into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layers. GIS layers abstract knowledge of roads, buildings, and scene content and contain shape files that outline and highlight scene features. Creating shape files is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The availability of shape files that reflect the current configuration of an area of interest significantly enhances Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace (IPB). The solution presented in this thesis …

The Social Influence Qualities Of Social Network Sites: A Qualitative And Experimental Investigation, J. Paul Conner

Theses and Dissertations

While social network sites (SNS) are a popular form of new media, the literature has not investigated the social influence of these internet sites. Using a mixed method approach of qualitative interviews and a laboratory experiment, this study tests a process model predicting the effects of communication processes and technology on social influence. This model suggested that SNSs may be more effective at social influence than face-to-face communication. A qualitative study was performed to determine whether the hypotheses were plausible whereby it was suggested that SNSs may influence other individuals and SNSs might be a more effective at influencing individuals …

The Approximation Rule: Examining An Alternative To The “Best Interest Of The Child” Custody Standard, Elizabeth Archer

Theses and Dissertations

While the Best Interest of the Child (BIOC) standard has been used since the 1970’s, alternatives such as the Approximation Rule have recently been proposed to remediate perceived weaknesses in BIOC. This study examines the applicability of the Approximation Rule using cross-sectional data collected from 517 children (age 10-18) of divorced parents using the Co-Parenting Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). Data for all co-parenting and parenting variables (n = 517) were analyzed to determine relationships by time since divorce and custodial relationship. Physical custody was associated with significant differences in children’s’ ratings of both co-parenting and parenting effectiveness. Results for time since …

Satellite-Based Fusion Of Image/Inertial Sensors For Precise Geolocation, Neil R. Jesse

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to produce high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface from space has flourished in recent years with the continuous development and improvement of satellite-based imaging sensors. Earth-imaging satellites often rely on complex onboard navigation systems, with dependence on Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and/or continuous post-capture georegistration, to accurately geolocate ground targets of interest to either commercial and military customers. Consequently, these satellite systems are often massive, expensive, and susceptible to poor or unavailable target tracking capabilities in GPS-denied environments. Previous research has demonstrated that a tightly-coupled image-aided inertial navigation system (INS), using existing onboard imaging sensors, can provide …

Predicting Transformational Leadership: Self-Other Agreement In Multi-Source Feedback, Ryan Hamilton Shatzer

Theses and Dissertations

Multi-Source Feedback (MSF) has become an important tool for leadership development programs. Previous research has examined how self-other agreement in MSF relates to leadership effectiveness. Discrepancies exist in the literature between how to measure self-other agreement and which method best depicts self-awareness. The current study examined the relationship between various measurements of self-other agreement, self-awareness and transformational leadership. MSF data were collected from target leaders (n = 31), and their respective direct report, peer and supervisor raters (n = 233). Raters also evaluated their leaders' self-awareness and leadership behavior. Self-other agreement was measured using a reliability coefficient, self-other agreement r …

Evaluating Oral, Non-Combustible Potential Reduced Exposure Products Marketed To Smokers, Caroline Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

Potential reduced exposure products (PREPs) are marketed to reduce smoking’s harm, despite little information concerning their effects. This study adapts previously reported clinical laboratory methods used to evaluate combustible PREPs to investigate the acute effects of four non-combustible PREPs (Ariva, Camel Snus, Marlboro Snus, Commit nicotine lozenge) relative to own brand cigarettes, sham smoking, and one combustible PREP that delivers no measurable nicotine (Quest). Twenty-eight smokers participated in 7 Latin-squared ordered, 2.5-hr sessions in which each product was administered twice (60-minute inter-administration interval). Sessions differed by product and were separated by > 48 hours. Plasma nicotine, heart rate, expired air carbon …

Predictors Of Discrepancies In Parents’ And Children’S Reports Of Child Emotion Regulation, Shannon Hourigan

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to effectively regulate one’s emotions has been linked with many aspects of well-being. However, disagreement in parents’ and children’s reports of children’s emotion regulation presents significant measurement and conceptual challenges. This investigation aimed to identify predictors of these discrepancies from among demographic, psychopathology, and child emotional awareness measures and to examine patterns of discrepancies among three emotion types (i.e., anger, sadness, and worry) and three regulation “strategies” (i.e., inhibition, dysregulated expression, and coping). Sixty-one mother-child dyads (41 girls, mean age 9.3 years) participated. As hypothesized, age, child and parent report of psychopathology, and poor emotion awareness all emerged …

A Longitudinal Approach To Understanding Individual Differences Affecting The Drinking Behavior Change Process, Mariam Dum

Theses and Dissertations

Most studies examining predictors of treatment outcomes among problem drinkers have used a traditional statistical approach that examines group outcomes (e.g. analysis of variance, multiple regression analysis). Contrary to traditional methods, a person-centered approach identifies commonalities among clusters of individuals and provides the opportunity to examine the relationship between multiple individual differences and outcomes in a longitudinal manner. Specifically, the person-centered approach makes it possible to cluster individuals into subgroups based on their change patterns, and to examine the relationship between those subgroups and other variables of interest (e.g., drinking problem severity). This approach allows the inclusion of a relatively …

Teaching Problem-Solving To Improve Family Functioning And Decrease Suicidality, Erin Shae Johns

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Numerous risk factors have been identified in the literature, including poor problem-solving skills, poor family functioning, excessive risk-taking behaviors, legal difficulties, and school difficulties. Deficits in problem-solving skills and poor family functioning are typically reported together, indicating a relationship between the two. However, no previous studies have identified this relationship. The purpose of this study was to identify possible relationships between two known risk factors and suicidal ideation, to determine whether problem-solving skills taught in the experimental groups reduce suicidal ideation and improve perceptions of family relationships, and …

Student Perceptions Of Streaming-Media Effectiveness, Sara Floyd Baber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate cognitive-load theory as applied to the design of streaming media. In this study, student learning preferences and cognitive style were measured on a visualizer-verbalizer scale to determine the perceived importance of visual and audio components of streaming media used to supplement classroom instruction. Additionally, this study investigated cognitive-load theory by assessing attitudes regarding the importance of learner control when accessing streaming media files. The writer used 4 existing visualizer-verbalizer instruments in combination with 1 original survey that was designed to gather student perceptions and attitudes regarding the effectiveness of streaming media …

Defining Leadership: Understanding Desired Traits Of Leaders, Alex Acton

Theses and Dissertations

What do people want from leaders? That question has been asked for generations. In recent history, a huge growth in leadership studies has produced a wealth of information on this topic, but because of the multitude of publications, there are now many competing schools of thought about what qualities make a great leader. This paper seeks to understand the qualities that people look for in leaders and to understand if any consistent patterns emerge from these desired traits. This is done through two avenues.

Firstly, a survey of the existing leadership publications in several different established leadership genres provides an …

The Gendering Of Vulnerability And Protection Needs: Iraqi Male Refugees, Karin Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Refugees pass through various stages from preflight, flight to post flight. It is argued that refugees as a whole - regardless of gender, race or ethnicity - should be considered vulnerable due to their actual or fear of persecution, but this is not always the case. This thesis looks at the ways in which the interpretation of “vulnerability” in the principles and practice of humanitarian aid in the refugee regime is affecting male Iraqi refugees seeking protection, resettlement and rehabilitation. As part of the evidence for this argument, the thesis examines gender differentials in the death rates and levels of …

Parentage Statements And Paired Stelae: Signs Of Dynastic Succession For The Classic Maya, Daniel Moroni Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to describe and document parentage statements and paired stela found on Maya monuments or portable objects. While the existence of parentage statements, within the Maya text, has been known since the late 1970s, no thesis or major research project has ever been published pertaining to this class of glyphs within the Maya script. In 1977 Christopher Jones is credited with the discovery of parentage statements in Maya hieroglyphic texts (Jones 1977). His discovery was followed by a detailed analysis of parentage statements by Floyd Lounsbury, Peter Mathews, and Linda Schele (1977). They introduced most …

Developing Writing Fluency Through Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication, Rossana Camacho

Theses and Dissertations

Drawing from sociocultural theory, this research investigated the effects of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) in the development of writing fluency. Likewise, the study aimed at confirming previously cited affective benefits linked to SCMC. Measuring fluency in words per 30 minutes, the study compared pre and post-test essay scores of two groups of ESL learners (a control group and a SCMC group) in two intermediate levels. Two evaluation questionnaires were also administered to the SCMC group in order to obtain students' opinions of this technology-based medium, and to analyze change in their perceptions. The SCMC group outperformed the control group in …

Utilitizing And Moving Beyond A Constructionist Approach To Trace The Emergence Of Racial And Ethnic Identities Among Pre-Mexican, Mexican And Americans Of Mexican Descent, Owen Williamson

Theses and Dissertations

Cornell and Hartmann (2007) developed a constructionist framework that can describe the development of racial and ethnic identities. Yet this framework has greater utility than its authors have intended as it also provides the best rubric to date for comprehending the transitions between collective identity group types. This study engages in a thorough investigation of the development of racial and ethnic identities within the context of those that precede it via an ethnohistorical analysis. It also demonstrates that this framework is capable of describing pre-modern religious and national identity types in addition to racial and ethnic identity types. This permits …

Client Change In Multi-Model Treatment: A Comparison Of Change Trajectories In Group, Individual, And Conjoint Formats In A Counseling Center, Bryan K. Mickelson

Theses and Dissertations

Providing clinicians with a clearer understanding of how clients' recover over the entire course of therapy has important implications for referral and treatment strategies. The present study compares rates of change in 160 clients in group therapy with 6632 clients in individual therapy and 864 clients receiving both individual therapy and group therapy. Therapeutic outcomes were measured using the Outcome Questionnaire-45. Data was analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), also called Multi-Level Modeling (MLM), to produce recovery curves for clients in each group. Recovery curves showed that most change occurred in the early part of group therapy and slowed near …

Menstrual Cycle And Visual Information Processing, Michelle Nash

Theses and Dissertations

This project examined the effects menstruation may have on visual attention in women. A recent study examined electroencephalographic (EEG) gender differences using a visual object recognition task. Results indicated certain EEG amplitudes (specifically, P300 and N400) are greater in women than men. This study extended the previous findings to determine if these increased EEG amplitudes vary across menstrual phases. Eighteen female participants participated in a series of 3 EEG recording sessions using the same visual object recognition task from the previous study; 18 male participants completed this task once. Analyses from 15 of the 18 female and 16 of the …

Physiological Correlates Of Aggression In Adolescent Females, Ashley Dibble

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, with the development of new technology, researchers have focused on physiological predictors of aggressive behavior, specifically cortisol and alpha amylase. Gordis, Granger, Susman, and Trickett (2006) found the interaction between cortisol and alpha-amylase significantly predicted parent reports of aggression indicating that low levels of physiological reactivity was associated with higher levels of problem behavior. While this research has provided valuable information about aggressive behavior, a major limitation is the majority of research focuses on males, or has not examined gender differences explicitly. This study expanded on work by Gordis et al. (2006) and other researchers on the HPA axis …

Faith And News: A Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Religiosity And Tv News Exposure, Raquel Marvez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between religiosity and broadcast news usage. This study examines the level of religiosity of individuals and its correlation to broadcast news exposure. The correlation between religiosity and perceptions of violence on broadcast news was also measured. Two theories were applied in this study. Uses and Gratifications asserts the active character of the audience to choose what they watch, how often, etc., and Selective Exposure defends the ability of the individual to select media that coincides with personal value systems. These two theories complement each other and provide support in the …

Asian American Social Workers: Exploring Relationships Among Factors Influencing Career Choices, Soon Min Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. One of the stereotypes associated with Asians is that they are more likely to choose careers in science, medicine, and engineering rather than social science, inclusive of social work, mass communication, or humanities (Leong & Serafica, 1995; Tang et al., 1999). This occupational stereotyping of Asians is not just a myth in that descriptive studies have shown that only a few Asians choose social work as a career (Lennon, 2005; NASW, 2006). Few studies exist on Asian Americans who do not choose Asian stereotypical career choices, …

Value Conflicts In Psychotherapy: Psychology Graduates' Perspectives, Shannon Vincent Wilde

Theses and Dissertations

Although psychotherapy has been viewed historically as value-neutral, developments over the last half-century have led to the generally accepted position that values are inescapable in therapy. However, many questions remain as to how values should be managed in psychotherapy in order to protect client autonomy. These issues are of particular concern to training programs, which bear the responsibility of instructing new psychologists in ethical values management and of helping trainees manage personal values when those values are in conflict with those of their clients or with the values of the field in general. One aspect that has not previously been …

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Long-Term Intimate Partner Violence: Listening To Older Women, Suzanne Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract AN EXPLORATION OF THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE: LISTENING TO OLDER WOMEN By Suzanne Faries Lowe, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 Chairman of Committee Laura J. Moriarty, Ph.D. Professor of Criminal Justice Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs There has been a great deal of research during the past four decades on the topic of domestic violence. Very little research has been conducted, however, on the effects of long-term intimate partner violence on older women. The …

Monarch Cheers, Integration Whimpers, And A Loyalty Conflict: Kansas City Call's Coverage Of The Black Yankees, 1937-1955, Eric M. Eames

Theses and Dissertations

Already regarded as one of the top teams in Negro League baseball, the Kansas City Monarchs became known as a powerhouse unit in the 1930s and 40s. They rolled into towns with lights, amazing athletes, and competitive play. They won championship after championship during these years as Kansas City baseball fans strongly supported them. As they became an integral part of the city, the Monarchs' success, open-seating policy, and jazzy home openers fostered a large following of mixed-race fans. The local black newspaper, the Kansas City Call, held them up on a pedestal, while sportswriters for the mainstream Kansas City …

Manager Tools Podcast: A Study Of Podcasting's Effectiveness With Profit Potential, Quincy Frodesen Beal

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to understand further the effectiveness and profit potential of podcasting. The study combines the theories of uses and gratifications and subjective theory of value to create a model for podcasting's value. The model is put to the test using the Manager Tools podcast as the subject. Data suggest the three main drivers behind perceived podcast effectiveness are pleasure, habit, and information gathering. Relaxation proved to have a negative influence on perceived effectiveness. The audience's willingness to pay was determined by perceived effectiveness, scarcity, and habit. Though not a generalizable study, the conclusion discusses the findings' implications on …

Marital Problems And Marital Satisfaction: An Examination Of A Brazilian Sample, Nalu De Araujo Nunes

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to examine the types of problems faced by Brazilian couples in the sample, the gender differences in the perception of marital problems, and the associations between marital problems and marital satisfaction. The sample used in this study was part of the third wave of data collection of a longitudinal study of 126 families living in Porto Alegre, a city in southern Brazil. The RDAS was the instrument used to assess marital satisfaction. Marital problems were identified by asking participants to check the problems they perceive in their marriage from a list of common marital …

A Quantitative Study Of The Effectiveness Of Positive Behavior Support In Secondary Schools, Rebecca Lynn Raftery

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a second tier intervention on at risk students' behaviors and academic success. The study included 113 middle school and junior high students identified as being at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders using the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD). The participants were assigned to a control group (no treatment), one, two, or three semesters of the intervention. The intervention integrated components of social skills instruction, self-management techniques, and social and emotional awareness. Students' behaviors and academic success were measured using school data (i.e. GPA, Office Discipline Referrals, attendance, and …

Pathways To Drug Use Among Rural And Urban African American Adolescents: The Mediating And Moderating Effects Of Parent And Peer Influences, Trenette Clark

Theses and Dissertations

African American adolescents have traditionally engaged in drug use at disproportionately lower rates than youth of other ethnic groups. Nonetheless, African American youth and adults suffer disproportionately higher rates of drug-related consequences. This paradox is a health and social disparity that has been given fair attention but needs additional culturally intelligent theoretical and empirical explanations. Research that targets African American adolescent drug use has emerged but has failed to fully or moderately explain this paradox. The purpose of this study was to fill a gap in the literature by helping to explain the first part of the paradox, African American …

The Fit For And Interest In A Proposed Doctoral Program In Business Administration By Retirement-Eligible Military Commanders, Anthony B. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

From 1954 to 2003, a rapid expansion of colleges and universities offering doctoral degrees in Business Administration has occurred. This considerable growth, coupled with increasing business school faculty member retirements, have led to a national shortage of academically-qualified faculty members. This study was conducted to determine if retirement-eligible Air Force commanders would be a good fit for and interested in a proposed doctoral program in Business Administration. This proposed Doctor of Business Administration concept program was designed to enable these commanders to accept a faculty position in a school of business while completing their doctoral degree. This is accomplished through …

Cortisol Response Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injurers Versus Non-Self-Injurers Exposed To A Social Rejection Laboratory Stressor, Patrick L. Kerr

Theses and Dissertations

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSI) represents a growing area of concern in a variety of clinical settings, yet remains a poorly understood phenomenon. An influx of research on the functions of NSI over the past decade has suggested a biopsychosocial emotional regulation model of this behavior. This model proposes that self-injurers engage in NSI to reduce negative emotions, and presupposes that self-injurers are characterized by emotional dysregulation. The present study evaluated the biological component of this model by assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPAA) functioning in a group of self-injurers(n=26) and non-injuring healthy controls (n=28). HPAA functioning was assessed via measuring salivary cortisol levels …

Constituent Order And Participant Reference In Dolnia Hani Narrative Discourse, Karen L. Gainer

Theses and Dissertations

Hani is a language in the Loloish family, spoken primarily in Yunnan Province of southwest China. This thesis presents a description of constituent order and participant reference in written Hani narrative discourse. The primary data source for this thesis consists of three narratives, which are included in the appendices.

Constituent order in Hani is largely constrained by the principle of natural information flow. In order to conform to this principle, some constituents may appear in two or more different positions in the clause, depending on the information structure of the assertion being made. Information structure also influences the use and …