Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Children’S Perceptions Of Mothers’ And Fathers’ Parental Rearing In White And Hispanic Families, Ariz Rojas-Cifredo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study compared children's perceptions of mothers' and fathers' parental rearing styles in White and Hispanic families. Participants included 173 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children recruited from after-school care programs in the School District of Hillsborough County, Florida. Children completed measures of perceived parenting for both mothers and fathers and a self-report inventory of their own current psychological symptoms. No differences between perceptions of parental acceptance in Hispanic and White families were expected. However, perceptions of hostile control were predicted to be higher for Hispanic fathers than for White fathers. In contrast, perceptions of maternal inconsistent discipline were …

Application And Refinement Of The Karst Disturbance Index In West Central, Florida, Leslie A. North

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A hierarchical and standardized environmental disturbance index, specifically designed for karst landscapes, was created by van Beynen and Townsend (2005). To assess the applicability of the index and provide recommendations for its refinement, the index was applied in four west-central Florida counties and interviews were conducted with local and state officials, community planners, and land resource managers. The karst disturbance index consists of 30 indicators contained within five broad categories: geomorphology, hydrology, atmosphere, biota, and culture. Data was readily available for most environmental indicators used to construct the index. Overall, levels of disturbance vary between the counties due to the …

Danger Afoot: Sidewalks, Environmental Justice, And Pedestrian Safety In Pinellas County, Florida, Craig W. Harmak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Though often taken for granted, few everyday activities involve so much genuine danger as the hazards associated with motor vehicles. Urban areas are built, modified, and/or deconstructed with motoring in mind. Also true is that few are at as much risk, as are those pedestrians who dare to cross paths with motor vehicles. Unfortunately, all too often, pedestrians are casualties of encounters with the ubiquitous automobile. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida metropolitan statistical area (MSA) has recently been deemed, by one study, to be the nation's second most dangerous MSA for pedestrians. Using information on pedestrian/motor vehicle accident sites, sidewalk location …

Hurricane Forecasting, Warning And Response Systems: A Lake Wales Public Perception Study, April E. Raulerson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the public perception of hurricane forecasting and warning systems with a view to improving response activities. The hazard literature shows that the effectiveness of such systems is contingent upon on the smooth operation of all components of the system and that warning recipients fully understand the implications of the warning message by taking appropriate action. It is argued that public perception of warning systems will vary depending on various socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, level of education, socioeconomic status and area, factors that will ultimately influence overall effectiveness. To test this, a questionnaire survey was undertaken …

Government Public Relations: A Quantitative Assessment Of Government Public Relations Practitioner Roles And Public Relations Model Usage, Joelle Wiley Castelli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to identify how public relations are practiced in local governments. Traditional literature has stated that the public information model of public relations is the model of public relations practiced in local governments. This study also attempts to determine which roles are most common for lead communicators in municipal organizations governments. Based on Internet survey research methods, research findings indicated that while most practitioners stated they practiced a two-way communications model, they had the most expertise in the public information and press agentry models. The researcher also found that the role most often held by the highest ranking …

Establishing A Functional Analysis Protocol For Examining Behavioral Deficits Using Social Withdrawal As An Exemplar, Melissa Penaranda Walters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to establish a functional analysis protocol for examining behavioral deficits, using social withdrawal as an exemplar. A review of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis over the past 10 years found that although the current behavior analytic literature contains extensive studies that functionally analyze behavioral excesses, there is a limited amount of studies that analyze deficits. The rationale behind this study was the notion that although behavioral deficits are rarely studied, the fact that the participant is capable of the behavior yet fails to engage in it leads to the idea that certain events …

Before The Inca: Prehistoric Dietary Transitions In The Argentine Cuyo, Nicole Shelnut

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dietary reconstruction was performed in order to understand changing prehistoric subsistence patterns in the Central Andean geographical area of the Argentine Cuyo that includes the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza. Archaeologically, the Cuyo is also known as a boundary between Andean agriculturalists and the foragers of Patagonia. One hypothesis being tested is whether this area was one of the last South American cultural groups to convert to maize cultivation, probably around 2000 BP. The process of stable isotope analysis is used to reconstruct the diets of individuals, as it reveals the relative proportions of C3 and C4 plants …

Animal Husbandry At Tell El Hesi (Israel): Results From Zooarchaeological And Isotopic Analysis, Shannon Marie Peck-Janssen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Located in today’s southern Israel, Tell el Hesi provides archaeologists with important clues to political and social changes in the ancient Near East. Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic analyses were conducted to evaluate shifts in animal husbandry practices during changing socioeconomic and sociopolitical conditions in the southern Levant.

During the Early Bronze Age, Tell el Hesi thrived as an agricultural grain producing center for the southern Levant. The acropolis served as both a storage and redistribution center for the inhabitants of Tell el Hesi. Coinciding with the collapse of the southern Levant, Tell el Hesi was abandoned throughout the Middle Bronze …

Breaking Down The Wall: An Examination Of Mental Health Service Utilization In African American And Caucasian Parents, Idia O. Binitie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the influence of parents' gender, race, and psychopathology on barriers and attitudes to mental health utilization for themselves and for their children. It was hypothesized that mothers and Caucasian¹ parents would have more positive attitudes and would perceive fewer barriers to mental health services than fathers and African American² parents. A total of 194 African American and Caucasian parents were recruited from the community to participate in this study. Parents completed measures on barriers and attitudes toward treatment for themselves and their children, utilization of mental health services for themselves and their children, and their own current …

Chronic/Life Threatening Illnesses From The Perspective Of Latino Men, Melissa Sierra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research on illness focuses on how people, particularly white men, cope with chronic/life threatening illnesses often adopting a "sick role" identity. For Latinos this type of identity transformation is complex as there is no place for dependency and passivity in traditional depictions of Latino masculinity. Latino men take pride in their manhood. As a result, they have trouble accepting their illness and the sick role. They do not tend to take their illness seriously, nor are they comfortable admitting to others the seriousness of their illness. My research focuses on how Latino men renegotiate a sense of …

Gender Differences In Age Of Onset For Delinquency:Risk Factors And Consequences, Laura M. Gulledge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The age of onset of delinquency has long been viewed as a primary indicator for further delinquency and criminality. However, studies on the risk factors for onset, and future delinquency have focused predominantly on males. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences and similarities in risk factors for onset and frequency of arrest. The data used in these analyses were from a longitudinal study, Pathways to Adulthood: A Three Generational Urban Study, 1960-1994. Sixty-six percent (N=1,758) of the eligible children completed the final survey. Of these children, only 515 were used in this particular study because they …

Feminine Beauty And The Cancerous Beast: Appearance Management At The Cancer Hospital Salon, Andrea Wagganer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When we choose to alter or manipulate our physical appearance we also manage our presentation of self; we communicate to others about our identity. Salons are typical social spaces for women to engage in body-changing, enhancing or disguising practices and thereby manage their identity. The following ethnographic research explores the intersection of female cancer patients' who request salon services while undergoing appearance altering medical treatments and female cosmetologists who provide such services.

Over a period of 6 months, I volunteered weekly at Hannah's, a hairstyling salon located in a large cancer research and treatment hospital in southern Florida. The following …

Assessing Human-Environmental Impacts On Colorado's 14,000- Foot Mountains, Jon J. Kedrowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on documenting and analyzing the factors that affect mountain climbing in the state of Colorado and assessing the potential environmental impacts caused by the growing number of climbers visiting the Fourteeners—the 58 mountain peaks located within the Rocky Mountains exceeding an elevation of 14,000 feet. Key objectives were to: 1. identify factors that have a significant effect on mountain climbing frequency; 2. collect information from physical trail and route evaluation to develop an interim classification index; 3. combine relevant variables to formulate a composite Fourteeners Environmental Degradation Index (FEDI) and use it to evaluate, rank, and compare …

How U.S. Audiences View Korean Films: A Case Study Of Oldboy, Sung Taik Cha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies have shown that the information and cultural product flow is dominantly one direction from large/wealthy markets to smaller markets. Extending this position through the underlying research, it is expected that the audiences in the United States, one of the largest cultural product exporters, may have shaped certain perceptions on the scarcity of Korean films in their domestic film market. By studying the users in an internet film discussion community, this research aims to provide useful ideas about how American audiences perceive Korean films. This qualitative case study conducted a content analysis of the actual postings by the participants …

A New Type Of Insurgency? A Case Study Of The Resistance In Iraq, Stephen D. Curtas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Insurgency is considered to be the principal form of conflict in the world today. Since the end of WWII, large-scale conventional war between states has been minimal. In Iraq, a band of insurgents are attempting to defy the strongest power in the world. This insurgency in Iraq may be the beginning of a new phenomenon of insurgency conflict.

This thesis argues that the Iraqi insurgency has no center of gravity, with no clear apparent leader or leadership. As seen in other examples of insurgency throughout history, no leadership has emerged in response to any of the conditions present in Iraq. …

Attitudinal Antecedents Of The First- And Third-Person Effect Of Alcohol Advertising On College Students, Georgia Begin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Data collected from a survey questionnaire via personal interviews among 488 college students was used to examine relationships among attitude toward alcohol advertising, attitude toward alcohol beverages, perceived influence of alcohol advertising on oneself, perceived influence of alcohol advertising on others, and attitude toward restrictions of alcohol advertising. Results supported the hypothesized direct effect of advertising attitudes and product attitudes on attitude toward restrictions. Also supported was the indirect effect of advertising and product attitudes on attitudes toward restricting alcohol advertising via such mediators as perceived influence of the ads on self and others using the theories of first- and …

The Impact Of Structural Adjustment On Health, Education And Employment: A Case Study On Sierra Leone, Rashida Strober

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since their inception in African countries, structural adjustment has tended to cause more harm than help. This thesis aims to answer the question, in what ways have structural adjustment policies impacted Africa in general and Sierra Leone in particular? This question is highly relevant when it is considered that Africa is one of the poorest regions in the world and has experiences much conflict and suffering. In addition, much is known about the impact of structural adjustment in many African countries. However, little has been written on the impact of structural adjustment in Sierra Leone, especially in terms of the …

A Comparison Of Job Stressors And Job Strains Among Employees Holding Comarable Jobs In Western And Eastern Societies, Cong Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, comparisons on job stressors and job strains have been made between American and Chinese employees. Data were collected from two jobs differing in social status: university professors and university administrative and support staff. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The quantitative part involved traditional Likert scales for measuring job stressors (e.g., lack of job autonomy, interpersonal conflict, and organizational constraints), and job strains (e.g., turnover intention, frustration, negative emotions, job dissatisfaction, depression, and physical symptoms). The qualitative part was an open-ended questionnaire asking about a stressful job incident. Independent t-tests were used to compare the United …

Modeling Community Risk And Vulnerability To Multiple Natural Hazards: Hillsborough County, Florida, Christopher T. Emrich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multiple hazard risk and vulnerability are two topics that are at the forefront of hazards research that looks at the hazardousness ofplace. However, no definitive framework that encapsulates measures o f both risk and vulnerability into hazards theory has been developed. Indeed, risk and vulnerability have been used interchangeably. Consequently, populations often encounter high risk environments with little understandingofwaystolimitvulnerability. Thesituationisaggravatedbyincreasing populations and concomitant development ofhigh risk areas. Hillsborough County, Florida, is perhaps the archetype ofthis problem, having experienced rapid urban growth while giving scant attention to the hazardousness ofthe environment.

This research, therefore, looks at the hazardousness of place, focusing …

We Are Not Victims: Oral Histories Of Four Mexican-American Women, Carmen Melendez Maayan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic inquiry focuses on the lives and work off our Mexican- American women who run a center in the Mexican migrant farmworker community in which they live. Through the center, they provide vital services to their community such medical care, immigration assistance, educational and community outreach programs. Via these women's oral histories, this ethnographic work seeks to broaden our understanding of women who are fully aware of their subordinated status in the dominant society yet are not passive victims. By listening to their own voices, we learn how they overcome personal adversity and challenge cultural ideologies. In the process, …

Habitat Disturbance Within An Urban Forest Fragment, Tampa, Florida, John Forest Turbiville Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of forest fragmentation on a forest fragment in south Tampa, Florida. To determine these effects, several research objectives are defined, which include: (1) an historical analysis of the development and fragmentation of the study area; (2) documentation of the effects of fragmentation on the site; and (3) development of a management policy relating to site-specific fragmentation effects.

Forest fragmentation and its attendant human impacts have altered many of the natural physical and biological processes associated with the three ecosystem types present within this forest fragment. These ecosystems include pine flatwoods, …

Analysis Of Lead In Soils Adjacent To Interstate 275 In Tampa, Florida, Mark R. Hafen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of two hundred and twenty-four soil samples collected at logarithmic intervals on perpendicular transects adjacent to Interstate Highway 275 in Tampa, Florida revealed that thirty-five percent of the samples contained health-threatening levels of lead (greater than 500 ppm), although the pattern of contamination was not predictable. Twenty-two of the thirty-two transect locations extended toward residential areas and, of these, twenty contained soil lead values dangerous to humans. This analysis also revealed that soil lead does not decrease logarithmically with distance from the highway, as shown in other studies. Soil lead at 3, 9, 27, 81, 243, 729, and 2187 …

An Examination Of Work Related Social Support In A Longitudinal Study Controlling For Negative Affectivity And Transient Mood, Brian J. O'Connell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current research on organizational stress suggests a relationship between stressors, and psychological and psychosomatic health outcomes. The strength of this relationship varies between 0.17 and 0.35. Research has also suggested that personal relationships may moderate these correlations. One such variable is thought to be social support. This study set out to examine the relationship between social support in the workplace and organizational stressors while at the same time controlling for variables that may obscure the true nature of the relationship. Taking measurements while still seniors in college (Time one) and shortly after they were employed (Time two) allowed this control …