Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Class And Gender In Southwestern Michigan: Interpreting Historical Landscapes, Deborah L. Rotman

Masters Theses

The gardens, houses, and barns that comprise the cultural landscape embody information about their makers. Because the built environment is not static, it actively serves to create, reproduce, and transform relations of class and gender. Members of society use space to reinforce and resist relations of power, authority, and inequality. For example, the organization of the landscape facilitates the activities and movements of some segments of society, while at the same time it constrains others. Material dimensions of form and space are differentially acknowledged by members of society because individuals occupy multiple roles simultaneously. Material responses to the social world …

The Liberal Democratic Party Of Japan: Its Organization And Decision Making Process, Hiroyuki Ikeba

Masters Theses

This study analyzes the behavior of the politicians of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) and the decision making process of the LDP. This study draws heavily on Japanese language sources as well as interviews with leading Japanese Diet persons.

The characteristics of Japanese culture are explained by introducing the works of three scholars. They are: Ruth Benedict, Chie Nakane, and Takeo Doi. It was discovered that the relationships among LDP Diet persons and between supporters and Diet persons are based on traditional societal norms. Furthermore, it was found that the decision making process of the LDP was in …

An Examination Of The Assimilation Process Of Japanese Americans Living In Michigan, Junko Onuma

Masters Theses

Japanese Americans are regarded as one of model minority groups recently in American society. Through the war experience, the Japanese Americans are likely to become upper middle class people and to assimilate into the Caucasian groups.

The purpose of this research is to investigate Japanese method to assimilate into American society. The research focuses on the Michigan area as a particular area of Japanese American assimilation process. The interview research was conducted with 14 people who live in Michigan. These people are classified into the three groups to distinguish differences, historical, and social factors on assimilation. Consequently, Japanese Americans living …

Loneliness: Do Living Arrangements Make A Difference?, Judith N. Moore

Masters Theses

This study is an exploratory secondary analysis of loneliness experienced as a serious problem by the elderly. The secondary data were from the Davis (1986) national study conducted by Harris & Associates (1987) for the Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly People Living Alone. The independent demographic variables of living arrangements (living alone or living with others), age (65 to 85 and over), marital status (married, widowed, divorced, separated, and never married) and sex by the dependent variable of loneliness (a serious problem or not a serious problem) were measured by chi-squares and Cramer's V test for statistical significance. Results indicated …

Cardiovascular Responses To The Combination Of Caffeine And The Repeated Acquisition And Performance Procedure, Cristin L. Sullivan

Masters Theses

The present study examined cardiovascular responses to the combination of caffeine (250 mg) and the repeated acquisition and performance procedure (RAPP) in humans. Six male subjects were tested in a within-subject, double-blind design. Repeated measurements of frontalis electromyogram (EMO), hand-skin temperature, heart rate, respiration, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were obtained during pre-drug, post-drug, acquisition, performance, and recovery periods. Measures of rate, percent error, and true error were obtained during the acquisition and performance components of the RAPP. Drug conditions (caffeine and placebo) and test orders (acquisition before performance and performance before acquisition) were pseudo- random across subjects. …

Proposition 48 And Proposition 42 In The Ncaa: A Social Constructionist Case Study, Kevin R. Cole

Masters Theses

The controversy surrounding the creation and implementation of two National Collegiate Athletic Association student-athlete eligibility rules, Proposition 48 and Proposition 42, was the focus of this study. The two rules required that a student's scholastic grade point average and SAT scores be factored into scholarship and athletic admissions decisions. By describing the unfolding social process respecting the creation of these two eligibility rules, this study addressed issues vital to rule creating processes in general.

The social constructionist perspective was utilized as a theoretical guide for this study, allowing for the examination of claims makers and their social claims regarding the …

Framing Health Care Reform: An Analysis Of White House Information Subsidies And Ap News Stories, Rosa Renee Rallos

Masters Theses

This thesis was a text analysis using both thematic analysis and the computerized content analysis program, VBPro, to determine whether White House information subsidies on health care reform served as a framing influence on AP news stories. A census of all White House health care reform information subsidies and a random sample of AP news stories released between January 20, 1993, and September 30, 1994, were analyzed. The AP news stories were separated into two groups: those that cited the White House as a source first and those that did not. A computerized content analysis of these text files was …

Patterns Of Sexual Dimorphism In North American Indian Groups, Cathi Lee Sullivan

Masters Theses

This study examines patterns of sexual dimorphism in 26 North American Indian and Siberian groups. Past research on sexual dimorphism has looked into possible causative factors such as nutritional status, settlement type, marriage systems, sexual division of labor, and climate. No one explanation can be universally applied to all populations. Three measurements of height; standing height, sitting height, and sub-ischial height were examined for variation in sexual dimorphism. Univariate and multivariate statistical tests were performed to determine which component of stature contributes more to the variability in sexual dimorphism.

Results of this study indicate that the groups of the Northwest …

Caliber Estimation From Cranial Entrance Defect Measurements, Ann H. Ross

Masters Theses

Estimation of caliber from entrance defects has long been rejected by forensic scientists. However, previous studies have been from the viewpoint of the forensic pathologist, and because their focus is usually upon soft tissue, therefore this is a role for the forensic anthropologist to pursue. Consequently, this study examined the relation between caliber and cranial entrance defects and maximum cranial thickness.

The calibers considered in this inquiry were .22, .25, .32, and .38. The sample consists of 73 specimens obtained at autopsy (thirty-seven of .22 caliber, five of .25, six of .32, and twenty-five of .38). The strength of the …

Morphometric Discriminant Function Sexing Of The Adult Human Greater Sciatic Notch, Tom Edward Bodkin

Masters Theses

Morphometry is a subfield of biometry that combines biology, geometry, and statistics for the purpose of describing biological shape and shape change to facilitate explanations of ontological and phylogenetic development. Recently morphometry has become a tool in human osteological studies to describe skeletal shapes, both in physical anthropology and in the broader areas of biomedicine. This thesis is an application of two-dimensional morphometric methods and discriminant function analysis to determine the sex of skeletal remains using the greater sciatic notch, a structure on the posterior border of the os coxa (hip bone). The sample in this study consists of 254 …

Loss Associated With Chronic Illness: Application Of The Roy Adaptation Model, Linda M. Dehaan

Masters Theses

The Roy Adaptation Model guided this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study to test an intervention addressing loss associated with chronic illness. Differences in adaptation and well-being were evaluated between control (n = 20) and experimental groups (n = 20) 30 days after intervention. Adaptation was measured by PAIS-SR scores and analyzed using ANCOVA to adjust for pretest differences. T-test and Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate well-being as measured by the Global Well-being Scale. Changes in adaptation were not significantly different between groups, but well-being improved 12.8% in the experimental group as compared with 1.4% in the control group. Inconsistency of results …

Acculturation To A Work Force Of Diversity: Two Case Studies Of Japanese-Owned Companies Operating In The United States, Jun Nagasawa

Masters Theses

This paper explores the acculturation processes associated with Japanese companies corning to the United States, especially focusing on race and gender issues. This was done by related literature review and two case studies of Japanese-owned companies operating in the Midwestern region. Data were obtained using unstructured interviews with workers of the two companies.

Accusations of discrimination against Japanese companies operating in the U.S. of discrimination based on race, gender and nationality are introduced. Japanese and American social backgrounds relating to race and gender, especially in employment area are reviewed. Also Japanese and American management styles are contrasted for analytical purposes. …

An Analysis Of The Korean Political Bureaucracy In Terms Of Riggs’ Theory Of Prismatic Society And Korean With U.S. Bureaucratic Interaction 1945-1953, Jae Jo Lee

Masters Theses

The administrative, political, and social development and modernization experience of Korea for the period 1945 through 1953 was examined in this study. Bureaucratic transformation was understood as significant to developmental outcomes for all facets of Korean society.

The political and social development theory model of Fred W. Riggs, the Prismatic Society, was selected for application in the Korean situation. Prismatic theory itself was first analyzed in detail. Korean bureaucratic formation was elucidated from multiple perspectives. The key factor of analysis was interpreted as being the U.S. with Korean bureaucratic interaction.

The bureaucratic complexity was subjected to analysis in terms of …

Question Block Order Effects In A Telephone Survey, Peter Montague Meyers

Masters Theses

Question order effects in a repetitive questionnaire was the focus of the study. A dataset was constructed based on results involving seven different organizations where the institutions were rotated into seven different blocked placements to test for order effects. This analysis used the Arts and Culture Survey conducted by the Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University in 1994.

Comparisons of means were used to determine whether fatigue from question repetitiveness affected respondents when responding to questions with fixed response questions, multiple responses, "don't know" responses, and open-ended responses. The issue of popularity was also examined to see …

The Impact Of School Climate On Self-Reported Alcohol And Other Drug Use, Karen R. Humes

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dimensions of the school climate upon twelfth grade self-reported alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. In order to do this, social bond theory and its elements of attachment, belief, and commitment were tested. Data involving peer pressure to use drugs, perception of school drug policy enforcement, and college boundness were utilized in examining their relationship with drug use.

The data which were chosen for this study involved 141 Michigan public school districts and were based on the responses of 17,211 high school seniors collected during the 1993-1994 school year. Due …

Patterns Of "I Don't Know" Responses In Telephone Surveys, Christine Lewerenz Hinkle

Masters Theses

The question of how best to handle "don't know" responses continues to be a troublesome problem to survey researchers. There are no guidelines for handling "don't know" responses because little systematic investigation for the problem has been made. This research addresses the characteristics of those who answer "don't know" in social surveys. I am focusing on four independent variables, sex, age, income, and education. Included in this research will also be an independent variable of interviewer gender. The fact that most survey research does not record the sex of the interviewer has caused this research to be somewhat limited. I …

Planning For Change: Feminist Standpoint Epistemology Informing The Program Planning Process, Laura Nichols

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the process by which social programs are developed and explores how feminist standpoint epistemology may inform the process. A peer education program developed for college women is used as an example to illustrate the planning process. Secondary data collection, focus groups and a self-administered survey were the research techniques utilized in this planning approach.

The specific steps involved in program planning are identified and explained based on the program planning process presented and literature about this topic. The thesis concludes by exploring how certain ideas in feminist standpoint epistemology can be applied to the planning process in …

The Effects Of Site Design On Neighboring Patterns And Safety Perceptions Among Residents Of University Apartments, Julie L. Steinbacher

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationships among site design, neighboring patterns and safety perceptions of residents of living in university housing communities at Western Michigan University.

Many previous studies have examined the impact of site on neighboring patterns and safety perceptions among residents of housing communities. However, most of these studies have been conducted to communities outside of university housing complexes. This study was developed because the college environment offers a unique perspective to occupants living in university sponsored apartments. Furthermore, residents in college housing communities tend to be diverse and transient and the impact of …

Sense Of Coherence, Stressors, Perception Of Stress And Drinking Patterns Among College Students, Jeanne C. Debruyn

Masters Theses

This research examined the protective qualities of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), a social-psychological dispositional concept, in relation of the daily hassles associated with the transitory college years of students, perceived stress, quantity/frequency and patterns of alcohol use. This cross-sectional study (n=103) was site-based in the classroom. Data were collected by survey questionnaire administered by the primary researcher. Results indicated that SOC affords protection to students possessing a strong SOC by allowing them to perceive the hassles associated with college life as less stressful and in ameliorating the negative consequences of heavy drinking. Significant problems with alcohol were found in …

Religious Fundamentalism In Indian Politics, Linda Elder

Masters Theses

The Hindu nationalist movement, known as "Hindutva," which originated during the British colonial period in India, manifests itself in Indian politics today in the form of the Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.). Its affiliates, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, V.H.P. consisting of Hindu priests and sadhus, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, R. S.S., a paramilitary organization, form the core of this party. As the organized militant arm of Hindutva, the R.S.S. is compared to other religious fundamentalist organizations worldwide, based on characteristics provided by Martin Marty and R. Scott Appleby in the Fundamentalist Research Project at the University of Chicago.

Since 1977 …

Social Interaction Among Fifth Graders, Dawn Michelle Hinton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the social isolation of black girls as compared to the social isolation experienced by black boys, white girls and white boys. One fifth grade classroom was chosen as the population of interest. There were twenty seven students in the classroom. Of those there are: six black females, nine white females, five black males and seven white males. Two methods were employed to collect and analyze the data for this investigation. The first method was sociometric surveys which were used to measure social isolation among those being studied. The second method utilized was …

Housing Satisfaction In The Suburbs: A Racial Comparison, Amonda Stokes

Masters Theses

The primary focus of this study was to compare African Americans' and European Americans' satisfaction with housing in the suburbs. Previous literature suggests that African Americans are living in older suburbs, close to the central city, and in lower quality housing than European Americans.

The population of this study consisted of black and white households living in the suburbs. This was a national sample taken from the American Housing Survey (1991). Cross-tabulations were conducted to determine differences by race of affordability, age of housing unit, ownership, neighborhood satisfaction, and housing satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which variables …

A Dental Analysis Of The South Dakota Arikara Including A Comparative Analysis Of C. G. Turner's 1967 The Dentition Of Arctic Peoples, Michele Grant

Masters Theses

A metric and non-metric dental trait analysis was performed on the South Dakota Arikara population housed at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Fifty-one male, female, and sex indeterminable individual skeletons from the Larson, Leavenworth, Mobridge, and Sully excavations were examined for standard metric and non-metric dental traits. These data were subjected to standard chi-square analyses in order to test for statistically significant sexual dimorphism. Significant sexual dimorphism was found on the basis of many of the metric dental traits. Several non-metric dental traits also exhibited significant sexual dimorphism. This analysis was then compared to C.G. Turner's Arctic populations data and …

Reinvestment In Inner-City Historic Space: An Analysis Of Gentrification In Knoxville, Tennessee, Colin M. Riley

Masters Theses

Gentrification is the movement of middle-class households back to the inner-city neighborhoods that they abandoned during the 1950s and 1960s. Most American cities with populations that exceed 100,000 have within them areas that are experiencing reinvestment and housing market revival. At the same time, urban renewal programs that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s have lost their support as responses to inner-city decline. Private citizens play a leading role in promoting gentrification. The term "managed gentrification" is used to describe the activities of inner-city neighborhood organizations in Knoxville, Tennessee. The organizations work closely with city planners to create the …

Effects Of Witnessing Domestic Violence On Children, Theresa L. Bundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of domestic violence on children. The main questions explored were the effects of domestic violence on the self-perception and behavior of children. The children at a shelter for domestic violence completed the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children and the Self-Perception Profile for Children, depending on the child's age. The children also completed a questionnaire on their views of relationships and their future. The mothers of the children completed a standardized scale that paralleled the scale completed by the children, along with questionnaires on the …

Gophers, Ghosts, And Electronic Dreams: A Feminist Critique Of New Literary Forms, Jennifer Sue Boyers

Masters Theses

New literary forms was used as a method to show that women writers construct notions of objectivity, subjectivity, reflexivity and privilege fundamentally different than do males who are writing new literary forms. A narrative new literary form construct was employed and epistemological issues were explored in a self-referentially reflexive way.

The history and epistemological assumptions of new literary forms was explored in order to provide a context for the study. The feminist critique examined the use of autobiography in sociological writing, looked at women writers in the area of science studies, and explored essentialist and non-essentialist feminist epistemologies.

It was …

Race And Language On A College Campus, William H. Dozier

Masters Theses

This research was used to measure the attitudes of students toward African American English at a predominantly European American University. It was hypothesized that significant differences would be found between the responses of the African American and European American students. Using a random telephone survey of the population, three (Language Legitimacy, Language Acceptance, and Cultural Value) of the four hypotheses were found to be significant. The fourth hypothesis (Employment Inhibition) was rejected indicating that both groups felt language was used as an employment stratification device. The data showed that although there were significant differences in the attitudes by race over …

The Influence Of The Local Community Upon Economic Development And Employment: A Case Study 1991-92, Daniel R. Boone

Masters Theses

Leaders in local communities can influence economic development and employment. This paper reviews positive as well as preventative approaches local leaders can use to ensure vital urban employment.

We look at Albion, Michigan, a small industrial community, as a case study. The city was experiencing the threat of a loss of approximately 700 foundry related jobs during the period of the "study visit." We had the opportunity to observe the community act and react. We learned not only the tools and processes employed but we gained insights into the economic developments in the American industrial society.

The Nature Of Law And Its Effects On Certain Criminal Acts: A Comparative Study Of Saudi Arabia And The State Of Michigan, Abdulrahman Almejel Alfaraj

Masters Theses

The nature of law and its effects on certain criminal acts was the focus of this study. In this study the researcher compared the effect of two laws: (1) Saudi Arabia law which is a sacred law, and (2) the State of Michigan law which is a secular law. This comparative was on three criminal acts: (1) Homicide, (2) Rape, and (3) Theft. The data for this study were based on secondary data obtained through records available to the public. The purpose of this study is to examine and to compare the nature of punishment for crime and its effects …

Relationship Of Perceived Social Support To Readmission Of The Congestive Heart Failure Patient, Margaret A. Guthaus

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between perceived social support and the time between hospital admissions for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients based on Lazarus' Stress and Coping Theory. A descriptive correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 40 inpatients aged 33-100 at a mid-western hospital. The Personal Resource Questionnaire was used to measure social support.; Data indicated that 50% of the sample were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. However, the hypothesized positive relationship between perceived social support and the number of days between admissions was not supported. Subjects' age was related to time between admissions(r =.33, df …