Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Route 66: From Beale To Bypassed, Michael J. Wurtz

University Libraries Librarian and Staff Articles and Papers

The route along the 35th Parallel of the United States Southwest has been an important transportation corridor for centuries. In the 20th Century it was also called Route 66 and created a unique cultural landscape for travelers.

Peak Isokinetic Torque Of Knee Flexors And Extensor Muscles Of College Football Players, David L. Boerem

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The problem of the study addressed knee injuries in college football. Imbalance of the musculature surrounding the knee would predispose the athlete to knee injury. Recognition of those who have muscular deficiencies would be a primary way of preventing knee injuries. The focus of the study was to determine if there was a significant difference in peak isokinetic torque of knee flexor and extensor muscles across speeds (60 degrees/second, 180 degrees/ second and 300 degrees/second) of a college football team subsequent to participation in a spring football season.

Communication Theory And The Construction Of Meaning : A Constructive Developmental Approach, Merri Lee Fraser

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the field of communication has been experiencing a movement toward newer non-tradtional approaches to the study of communication and information. Among these newer approaches is a growing body of research that focuses on interpretive behavior in the communication process.

Brenda Dervin's Sense-Making model of communication/information has been the most widely used interpretive theory of information to date. Sense-Making focuses primarily upon the role of the receiver in the communication process and how individuals construct meaning in specific situations. As a result, Sense-Making has not attended adequately to larger shared frameworks of meaning and the effects that they …

Decreasing Nighttime Fears In Children: A Thesis ..., Carol J. Mcmenamy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to find out if children ages 4- 5 who were experiencing nighttime fears could be taught coping behaviors to decrease their fears. Five children and their parents participated in the study. A treatment package consisting of teaching the children brave self- statements, relaxation exercises, and the introduction of a token economy was used. Results indicate a reduction in fear behavior at post treatment, and further decreases in fear related measures at follow- up.

Tactile Stimulation Of The Premature Infant, Dianne Kennedy Hicks

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

A soft, light-weight, beige, stuffed toy was placed in direct body contact with stable, 30-34 wk gestation infants. Length of hospitalization, l activity level, length of time to return to birth weight, and parent visiting rate were recorded for the randomly assigned 10 experimental and 10 control infants. Contrary to predictions, significant differences were found in the length of hospitalization and weight gain, with the control group being discharged sooner and returning to birth weight faster. No significant differences occurred in the parent visiting rate, and only minimal positive results were seen in the activity level for the experimental group. …

Using The Self-As-A-Model With Video Editing In Athletic Performance, Brent Leonard Boyer

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

A study was designed in order to assess the effectiveness of a positive self-modeling strategy in increasing the performance of four University of the Pacific baseball players. A multiple baseline design across participants was used as a means of assessing the effectiveness of the self-modeling technique. Participants viewed edited positive self-modeling videotapes of their own batting performance. Measures were taken on: (a) the number of line drive hits; (b) ground ball hits; (c) the number of times the participant hit a ground ball, but was thrown out; (d) the number of times the participant hit a line drive, but it …

Increasing Social Interaction In Socially Isolated Preschool Children, Cynthia Lynne Dodge

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to improve social interaction and peer acceptance in socially isolated pre school children. It investigated whether children's stories a lone, and children' s stories paired with instrument playing led to improved peer ratings and an increase in social interaction during the following s mall group and large group free play periods . The subjects consisted of two groups of three children aged 3 - 5 years old . The study was conducted at two licensed preschools Monday through Friday in activity rooms. The children were selected on the basis of having the lowest scores …

The Effects Of The Thunderstick Batting Device On Hitting Efficiency, Bruce Anderson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the decades, both professional and amateur athletes has been trying to enhance their performance with regard to hitting a baseball. Even through the methods for attaining this goal have changed many times since the early beginnings of the sport, there remain differing opinions as to the best method of acquiring a high level of hitting efficiency. For the purpose of this study, hitting efficiency will be defined as the degree of solid contact made by the performer when attempting to hit a baseball.

It was the intention of Coach Al Endriss (1986) to invent a hitting aid that would …

Use Of Feedback To Improve Institutional Staff Performance, Sue E. Crawford

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The following study assessed the effectiveness of two simple and inexpensive performance feedback conditions in improving the job performance of institutional staff. Participants were care staff employed at a large center for the developmenta1ly disabled. During two 3 week sessions participants from two separate treatment units received publicly posted feedback graphs with either their own personal names or self-chosen anonymous codes to designate whose graphs were whose. These graphs were posted in each unit's training room and depicted participant performance (use of rewards and prompts) during behavioral training sessions with developmentally disabled clients. These two conditions were investigated to determine …

True Play Attitudes And Behaviors In Intercollegiate Athletes, Gordon Currie Graham

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the attitudes and the behaviors in the main sport environment of 53 intercollegiate athletes. Two instruments were developed, administered, and combined to give three measures of the "true play" characteristics of the subjects who were members of the men's golf, men's basketball, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's tennis and women's volleyball teams at the University of the Pacific. Results were determined by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences: Update 7-9. ANOVA and Scheffe's post hoc test revealed, at the .05 level, that female athletes scored higher in true play characteristics than did male athletes; that …

The Development Of Rhythm In Young Children Aged One To Four Years, Davidah Koseff

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to assess how young children between the ages of one and four years develop rhythm skills. The project was a pilot study conducted at 11 preschools and day care centers in Stockton, California, and included 60 children. Thirty behaviors comprised the test of various aspects of rhythmic performance. The children were video-taped and the tapes were then analyzed. By examining how many children in a particular age group could perform a particular task, a sequence became apparent. This body of research can now be used as a basis for further studies with the aim …