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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Playing With Knives: The Socialization Of Self-Initiated Learners, David F. Lancy Jan 2016

Playing With Knives: The Socialization Of Self-Initiated Learners, David F. Lancy

David Lancy

Since Margaret Mead’s field studies in the South Pacific a century ago, there has been the tacit understanding that as culture varies, so too must the socialization of children to become competent culture users and bearers. More recently, the work of anthropologists has been mined to find broader patterns that may be common to childhood across a range of societies. One improbable commonality has been the tolerance, even encouragement, of toddler behavior that is patently risky, such as playing with or attempting to use a sharp-edged tool. This laissez faire approach to socialization follows from a reliance on children as …


Ethnographic Perspectives On Culture Acquisition., David F. Lancy Jan 2016

Ethnographic Perspectives On Culture Acquisition., David F. Lancy

David Lancy

The study of cultural transmission has been dominated by the view that it occurs largely through a process by which adults—especially parents—transfer what they know to children. However, “instructed learning” or teaching is, in fact, quite rare in the ethnographic record. Rogoff reports of the Highland Maya that “of the 1708 observations of nine-year-olds, native observers could identify only six occasions as teaching situations” (1981:32). Bruner, in viewing hundreds of hours of ethnographic film shot among !Kung and Netsilik foraging bands, was struck by the total absence of teaching episodes. In a very recent study of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) …


Teaching: Natural Or Cultural?, David F. Lancy Jan 2016

Teaching: Natural Or Cultural?, David F. Lancy

David Lancy

This chapter will argue that teaching, as we now understand the term, is historically and cross-culturally very rare. It appears to be unnecessary to transmit culture or to socialize children. Children are, on the other hand, primed by evolution to be avid observers, imitators, players and helpers—roles that reveal the profoundly autonomous and self-directed nature of culture acquisition (Lancy in press a). And yet, teaching is ubiquitous throughout the modern world—at least among the middle to upper class segment of the population. This ubiquity has led numerous scholars to argue for the universality and uniqueness of teaching as a characteristically …


Tools For Evaluating And Monitoring The Effectiveness Of Urban Landscape Water Conservation Interventions And Programs, Diana T. Glenn, Joanna Endter-Wada, Roger Kjelgren Sep 2015

Tools For Evaluating And Monitoring The Effectiveness Of Urban Landscape Water Conservation Interventions And Programs, Diana T. Glenn, Joanna Endter-Wada, Roger Kjelgren

Diana T. Glenn

We investigated ways to evaluate landscape water use to help cities more effectively direct water conservation programs to locations with capacity to conserve. Research was conducted in connection with a landscape irrigation evaluation delivered through a city-sponsored Water Check Program. Research efforts led to development of several assessment and monitoring tools including: Landscape Irrigation Ratio (LIR), Participant Outcome Evaluation Tool, and Program Evaluation Tool. We utilized these tools to identify locations with capacity to conserve water applied to landscapes, compare water use before and after the water check, and evaluate Water Check Program effectiveness. We found the LIR approach successfully …


Kpelle Children At Play, David F. Lancy Jan 2015

Kpelle Children At Play, David F. Lancy

David Lancy

Although children’s play has been a relatively popular subject for anthropologists who study childhood, comprehensive studies of the entire play repertoire in a society are rare. One such study was carried out among the Kpelle people in the remote Liberian village of Gbarngasuakwelle four decades ago. A summary of that study reveals that Kpelle children have access to a rich store of traditional play-forms including make-believe, board-type games, active play, contests and folklore. A major finding affirmed that play, far from being the antithesis of work or a reversal of cultural ideals, fundamentally supports and affirms the child’s acquisition of …


Free Web App Trello: Your Key To Institutional Memory In Your Subject Librarian Departments, Robert Heaton Jan 2015

Free Web App Trello: Your Key To Institutional Memory In Your Subject Librarian Departments, Robert Heaton

Robert Heaton

A new subject-liaison assignment carries with it a daunting information-management challenge: Who are the faculty members in this department, and how have they worked with the previous subject librarian? Often librarians step into such a role completely blind to this history, but with an easy-to-use online tool, helpful information such as faculty photos, CVs, syllabi, assignment descriptions, research interests, collection needs, teaching schedules, notes on planning meetings and library-instruction sessions, and more can be given to a librarian along with their new subject assignment. Legwork to gather the information from department websites and personnel is required up front, but Trello, …


Linkages Between Water Challenges And Land Use Planning In Megacities, Enjie Li, Joanna Endter-Wada, Shujuan Li Jan 2015

Linkages Between Water Challenges And Land Use Planning In Megacities, Enjie Li, Joanna Endter-Wada, Shujuan Li

Joanna Endter-Wada

No abstract provided.


Measuring The Environmental Cost Of Hypocrisy, Arthur Caplan Dec 2014

Measuring The Environmental Cost Of Hypocrisy, Arthur Caplan

Arthur J. Caplan

This paper provides an example of howto estimate the marginal environmental cost of hypocrisy using revealed behavior and self-identification survey responses from coffee drinkers regarding their use of cardboard and plastic (i.e., non-reusable) cups. Coffee shops provide a convenient microcosm for assessing the impact of hypocritical behavior because of (1) readily available, cheap substitutes (i.e., reusable coffee cups), (2) a relatively accurate estimate of the environmental (in particular, carbon) cost associated with using non-reusable cups, and (3) the ability to delineate hypocritical behavior by observing a choice with relatively few potential confounding factors. Hypocritical behavior is measured as a geometric …


Open Educational Resources In The United States: Insights From University Foreign Language Directors, Joshua J. Thoms, Becky L. Thoms Aug 2014

Open Educational Resources In The United States: Insights From University Foreign Language Directors, Joshua J. Thoms, Becky L. Thoms

Joshua J. Thoms

This study reports the results of a survey completed by 155 university foreign language (FL) directors in the United States (US) during Fall 2012. Survey respondents come from a variety of institutions and direct a range of FL programs. The objectives of the study are to (a) determine what FL directors know about open educational resources (OER), (b) understand respondents’ perceived benefits and challenges of using OER, and (c) determine what resources and support are critical to establish or expand the use of OER in FL courses in the US. Results indicate that while 66% of FL directors do not …


The Future Tense In Spanish L2 Textbooks, Rafael Orozco, Joshua J. Thoms May 2014

The Future Tense In Spanish L2 Textbooks, Rafael Orozco, Joshua J. Thoms

Joshua J. Thoms

This paper revisits the treatment of the expression of futurity in Spanish foreign language (FL) textbooks. We analyzed twenty college-level Spanish FL textbooks to determine and quantify how futurity is represented. Variationist research has shown the periphrastic future (PF) to be the most frequent variant of futurity followed by the simple present (SP) and the morphological future (MF). Our findings reveal that, despite over two decades of communicative language teaching, Spanish FL textbooks still do not completely present the reality of the expression of futurity. Introductory texts present all three variants of futurity. However, there is a dramatic difference in …


Women In Business Leadership: A Comparative Study Of Countries In The Gulf Arab States, Susan R. Madsen, Linzi Kemp, James Davis Feb 2014

Women In Business Leadership: A Comparative Study Of Countries In The Gulf Arab States, Susan R. Madsen, Linzi Kemp, James Davis

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of this study is to investigate the status of women in leadership positions (senior executive and management roles) in private companies within the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (i.e., Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, and United Arab Emirates). Henceforth in this article we refer to the countries collectively as either the Gulf Arab states or the GCC countries, and the countries by their common or shortened names (e.g., Bahrain, UAE). The study explores where women are located within the organizations (e.g., as board members, chief officers, …


Advancing Research On Women And Leadership: Developing An Hrd Scholarly Agenda, Susan R. Madsen, Julia Storberg-Walker, Kristina Natt Och Dag Feb 2014

Advancing Research On Women And Leadership: Developing An Hrd Scholarly Agenda, Susan R. Madsen, Julia Storberg-Walker, Kristina Natt Och Dag

Susan R. Madsen

Clearly, the topic of developing leaders is of utmost importance in all contexts and it is particularly important for the HRD discipline: over 1,400 journal articles in AHRD journals have the word ‘leadership’ as one of their subject terms. Almost monthly the front cover of the Harvard Business Review has ‘leadership’ boldly displayed, either as the main article or as a supporting news brief. Scholarly research abounds, and there are many leadership frameworks, models, and theories contributing to the quantity of research articles. Unfortunately, however, the diversity of ideas and the explosion of interest has generally not focused on an …


Measuring The Value Of Plastic And Reusable Grocery Bags, Jarod Dunn, Arthur J. Caplan, Ryan Bosworth Jan 2014

Measuring The Value Of Plastic And Reusable Grocery Bags, Jarod Dunn, Arthur J. Caplan, Ryan Bosworth

Arthur J. Caplan

Using data from an online survey of grocery store customers in Logan, Utah, we estimate the marginal effects on willingness to pay (WTP) for continued use of plastic grocery bags, and the marginal effects on willingness to accept (WTA) for switching to reusable grocery bags. We find both non-parametric and parametric evidence suggesting that individuals respond quite dramatically to moderate plastic-bag tax rates and reusable-bag subsidy rates. All else equal, older and lower-to-middle income individuals, as well as larger-sized households, are more likely to switch to using reusable bags exclusively when faced with a tax on plastic bags. Lower-to-middle income …


Measuring The Surplus Of Superficiality: The Case Of Dented Bumper Repair, Arthur Caplan Jan 2014

Measuring The Surplus Of Superficiality: The Case Of Dented Bumper Repair, Arthur Caplan

Arthur J. Caplan

This article uses data from a survey administered to 400 automobile owners in northern Utah to estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for removal of a superficial dent in the bumper of a typical owner’s vehicle. A unique set of controls are used to estimate the determinants of WTP for this particular manifestation of superficiality. Both parametric and nonparametric measures of meanWTP are also derived. To the extent that a driver’s demand for superficiality represents a market failure, e.g., due to imperfect information, or, in a normative sense, the influence of wasteful social norms, our welfare measures represent estimates of the potential social …


Babies Aren’T Persons:” A Survey Of Delayed Personhood., David F. Lancy Jan 2014

Babies Aren’T Persons:” A Survey Of Delayed Personhood., David F. Lancy

David Lancy

To better understand attachment from a cross-cultural and historical perspective, I have amassed over 200 cases from the ethnographic and archaeological records that reveal cultural models (D'Andrade and Strauss 1992) of infancy. The 200 cases represent all areas of the world, historical epochs from the Mesolithic to the present and all types of subsistence patterns (Appendix 1). The approach is inductive where cases with similar models of infancy are clustered into archetypes. My principal finding from this analysis is that, in the broadest overview, infants are, effectively, placed on probation and not immediately integrated into the society. Attachment failure is …


An Ecological View Of Whole-Class Discussions In A Second Language Literature Classroom: Teacher Reformulations As Affordances For Learning, Joshua J. Thoms Jan 2014

An Ecological View Of Whole-Class Discussions In A Second Language Literature Classroom: Teacher Reformulations As Affordances For Learning, Joshua J. Thoms

Joshua J. Thoms

This article analyzes whole-class discussions between a teacher and her students in a Latin American Colonial literature course at the college level. The study is theoretical–exploratory in nature in that it (a) articulates theoretical assumptions inherent in an ecological perspective on second language learning and teaching, and (b) attempts to operationalize the affordance construct (van Lier, 2000, 2004) in the context of a second language (L2) literature classroom. The study’s findings underscore the importance of teacher reformulations when engaging students in whole-class discussions, as well as students’ engagement with and awareness of the unfolding talk. Furthermore, how the teacher dynamically …


Benchmarking An Optimal Pattern Of Pollution Trading: The Case Of Cub River, Utah, Arthur Caplan, Yuya Sasaki Jan 2014

Benchmarking An Optimal Pattern Of Pollution Trading: The Case Of Cub River, Utah, Arthur Caplan, Yuya Sasaki

Arthur J. Caplan

This paper employs a recently developed, dynamic trading algorithm to establish a benchmark pattern of trade for a potential water quality trading (WQT) market in the Cub River sub-basin of Utah; a market that would ultimately include both point and nonpoint sources. The algorithm accounts for three complications that naturally arise in trading scenarios: (1) combinatorial matching of traders, (2) trader heterogeneity, and (3) discreteness in abatement technology. The algorithm establishes as detailed a reduced-cost benchmark as possible for the sub-basin by distinguishing a specific pattern of trade among would-be market participants. As such, the algorithm provides a benchmark against …


Cultural Variation In Life Phases., David F. Lancy, M. Annette Grove Jan 2014

Cultural Variation In Life Phases., David F. Lancy, M. Annette Grove

David Lancy

The knowledge base in the study of human development is built primarily from work with children from the modern, global, post-industrial population. This population is unrepresentative in many respects, not least in that childhood and adolescence is dominated by the experience of formal schooling—an experience missing from the lives of most of the world’s children until very recently. This entry will examine child development from the perspective of pre-modern societies as described in the ethnographic, archaeological and historic records. Specifically, we will review material indicative of cultural or indigenous models of development, phases and phase transitions, in particular.


Principles Of Sustainable Transportation In The National Parks, R. E. Manning, S. Lawson, P. Newman, J. Halo, Christopher Monz Jan 2014

Principles Of Sustainable Transportation In The National Parks, R. E. Manning, S. Lawson, P. Newman, J. Halo, Christopher Monz

Christopher Monz

No abstract provided.


Clean Water Scarcity (1950s-Present), Joanna Endter-Wada Jan 2014

Clean Water Scarcity (1950s-Present), Joanna Endter-Wada

Joanna Endter-Wada

Examination of three fundamental dilemmas that underlie U.S. water policy in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century: 1) how to provide equitable access to the relatively small amount of fresh water for growing and often competing human uses; 2) how to ensure that water of adequate quality is available at places and times needed to support different types of uses; and 3) how to manage water upon which all life depends in ways that balance human and environmental needs.


Justice And Immigrant Latino Recreation Geography In Cache Valley, Utah, Jodie Madsen, Claudia Radel, Joanna Endter-Wada Jan 2014

Justice And Immigrant Latino Recreation Geography In Cache Valley, Utah, Jodie Madsen, Claudia Radel, Joanna Endter-Wada

Joanna Endter-Wada

Latinos are the largest U.S. non-mainstreamed ethnic group, and social and environmental justice considerations dictate recreation professionals and researchers meet their recreation needs. This study reconceptualizes this diverse group’s recreation patterns, looking at where immigrant Latino individuals in Cache Valley, Utah do recreate rather than where they do not. Through qualitative interviews and interactive mapping, thirty participants discussed what recreation means to them and explained their recreation site choices. Findings suggest that recreation as an activity done outside the home, for fun with others, leads participants to seek spaces with certain characteristics. Reconceiving recreation more broadly and framing it from …


Visitor Experience And Social Science Indicators Of Nps-Alaska Coastal Resources Nps Nrtr Report, K. Goonan, Christopher Monz, L. Philips Nov 2013

Visitor Experience And Social Science Indicators Of Nps-Alaska Coastal Resources Nps Nrtr Report, K. Goonan, Christopher Monz, L. Philips

Christopher Monz

This report describes a program of research designed to identify indicators of quality and formulate associated standards of quality for social and recreation resource conditions for the coastal backcountry of Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ). It includes a summary of results from two backcountry visitor surveys, as well as a discussion integrating these data with information from an ongoing backcountry campsite monitoring effort. Information in this report can help park managers to: • Identify indicators of quality for social and biophysical aspects of the visitor experience • Develop management objectives related to the backcountry visitor experience and conditions of related …


Raising Daughters To Become Leaders, Susan R. Madsen Jun 2013

Raising Daughters To Become Leaders, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of this six-minute message is to share, in an engaging way, some key highlights from a variety of studies on how high profile women were raised to become leaders. It will focus on what influencers (e.g., parents, siblings, and relatives) did to rear their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, etc. to become the influential women they are today.


Channeling Don Draper: Dabbling In Database Marketing, K. Wesolek, Robert Heaton, G. Lebeau May 2013

Channeling Don Draper: Dabbling In Database Marketing, K. Wesolek, Robert Heaton, G. Lebeau

Robert Heaton

Utah State University Libraries' Collection Development Department embarked on a marketing campaign to increase awareness of our databases. This poster displays a small sample of the images used and discusses the impact on database usage during each marketing period. The results of our study were inconclusive, suggesting that online promotion efforts are best combined with departmental outreach, classroom instruction opportunities, and other marketing approaches.


Home Gardening: Quick Tips To Efficient Watering, Roslynn Brain May 2013

Home Gardening: Quick Tips To Efficient Watering, Roslynn Brain

Roslynn Brain

In Utah’s dry climate, water is a gardener’s best friend. Water conservation is an important aspect of the home garden, and understanding efficient water management techniques can save you time and money. Knowing how to water properly will help you to maintain a more productive, sustainable garden and help the environment by reducing your consumption of this precious resource.


Research Report: Water User Dimensions Of Meter Implementation On Secondary Pressurized Irrigation Systems, Joanna Endter-Wada, Diana Glenn, Clayton Lewis, Roger Kjelgren, Christopher Neale Apr 2013

Research Report: Water User Dimensions Of Meter Implementation On Secondary Pressurized Irrigation Systems, Joanna Endter-Wada, Diana Glenn, Clayton Lewis, Roger Kjelgren, Christopher Neale

Joanna Endter-Wada

Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (District) secured Bureau of Reclamation funding in spring 2011 to install individual secondary water meters at residential connections in order to implement water efficiency and accountability measures included in the District’s Water Conservation Plan (Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, 2010). Initially, the District will not use the meters for billing water use but, instead, will use them to help the District determine if end users are exceeding their contracted allotment of water and to promote water use accountability.The purpose of the study titled “Water User Dimensions of Meter Implementation on Secondary Pressurized Irrigation Systems” conducted …


Extending A Geographic Lens Towards Climate Justice, Part 2: Climate Action, Claudia Radel Mar 2013

Extending A Geographic Lens Towards Climate Justice, Part 2: Climate Action, Claudia Radel

Claudia Radel

There has been a recent increase of interest within the academic literature on the justice issues posed by climate change and the human responses to its present and forecasted effects. In two parts (here and in a previous article), we review and synthesize the recent literature by asking what climate justice concerns have been identified within three related realms: (i) the characterization of climate change itself and the assignment of responsibility for that change; (ii) the differential or uneven impacts of climate change; and (iii) the actions taken to address the problems associated with climate change, including both mitigation and …


Teacher Design Using Online Learning Resources: A Comparative Case Study Of Science And Mathematics Teachers, Mimi Recker Feb 2013

Teacher Design Using Online Learning Resources: A Comparative Case Study Of Science And Mathematics Teachers, Mimi Recker

Mimi Recker

Using a comparative case study design, this paper explores the impacts of a technology-related professional development (TTPD) design aimed at helping science and mathematics teachers design classroom activities using the wealth of resources available on the Internet. Using the lens of curricular adaption and the notion of teachers’ varying pedagogical design capacity, we analyzed the experiences of four teachers in terms of the kinds of instructional activities teachers designed, how these were supported with online resources, and teachers’ perceptions of impacts on student learning. Findings suggested that participants used a variety of personally relevant design strategies when applying TTPD concepts …


Urban Edibles: Weeds, Roslynn Brain Feb 2013

Urban Edibles: Weeds, Roslynn Brain

Roslynn Brain

They invade your garden, tap your soil’s precious nutrients and grow quicker than lightning strikes. If you can’t beat them, eat them! Increase your garden’s yield by identifying the edible weeds and adding them to your harvest. *Indicates undergraduate student.


Water Quality Trading In The Presence Of Abatement Cost Sharing, Arthur J. Caplan Jan 2013

Water Quality Trading In The Presence Of Abatement Cost Sharing, Arthur J. Caplan

Arthur J. Caplan

This paper examines how water quality trading interacts with nonpoint-source abatement cost sharing (e.g., as currently practiced by the National Resource Conservation Service through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)) to promote the participation of nonpoint sources in a water quality market; participation that has thus far been noticeably lacking nationwide. As such, an idealized version of water quality trading is envisioned, where water quality trading and nonpoint cost sharing are treated as complementary policy instruments rather than substitutes. Toward this end, the subgame-perfect equilibrium concept is used to model a \multilateral contracting" relationship between the regulatory authority and nonpoint …