Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Supreme Court, Judicial Review, And American Democracy, Gary C. Roberts

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to find some rational justification for the existence of the Supreme Court and its power of judicial review within a democratic framework of government. The avenue I take to complete this task involves two aspects: (1) questioning the validity of American democracy, and (2) examining the effectiveness of various influences or restraints on the power of the Court.

My conclusions are somewhat mixed. First of all, I feel it more accurate to refer to American government not as a democracy but as a constitutional democracy. In that respect, we are a government with limited …

Newsletter Catholic Deaf Of Detroit, August 1996

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Detroit, MI

Newsletter Catholic Deaf of Detroit Finding Aid

Sign Of God Newsletter, August 1996

Sign of God Newsletter

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Green Bay, WI

Sign of God Newsletter Finding Aid

Pvn-Rdo-046-K-012, Robert Johnston

Four Valleys Archive

No abstract provided.

Reflections On The Religionless Society: The Case Of Albania, Denis R. Janz

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Muslims And Their Organizations In Russia, Dimitry Mikulski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Readers' Response: Questions From The Inferno, Dane Gordon

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Lyndon Johnson, Civil Rights, And Party Realignment In The South, Adam L. Warber

Masters Theses

Lyndon Johnson's decision to place the power of the presidency behind a drive for civil rights of African Americans initiated momentum which by 1994 resulted in a substantial party realignment in the South. First, history; Johnson's personal experience as a Southerner; his knowledge of the political system; his political power, and his political judgement were important elements in making this decision. Secondly, Johnson's considerations in striving for civil rights legislation included: (a) consideration of political difficulties and strategies in framing and in passage of the legislation, (b) his break with Southern Democratic colleagues on civil rights, (c) the pressures which …

Behavior And Attitudes Related To The Prevention Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And Unplanned Pregnancy, J. Lee Hoover

Dissertations

A sample of 214 persons was tested to determine the impact of gender role orientation, neuroticism, extraversion, authoritarianism, race, gender, and sexual orientation on attitudes and behavior relevant to the prevention of sexually transmitted disease and unintended pregnancy. Specifically measured was the impact of these factors on attitudes toward the condom as contraceptive, attitudes toward the condom as prophylactic, and reported condom use.

Gender role orientation was measured using the short form of the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) (Bern, 1978), neuroticism and extraversion were measured using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and authoritarianism was measured …

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing Treatment Of Communication Anxiety: A Closer Look, Teresa Foley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to replicate the results of previous research with respect to EMD/R (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and of this researcher’s investigation of EMD/R treatment of public-speaking anxiety (Foley & Spates, 1995). The present study, however, included components to permit more extensive analysis of the elements of treatment that contribute to therapeutic effectiveness. The study investigated the contribution of assessment speeches to treatment effectiveness by using a two factor design in which one factor featured a condition of pre-treatment/post-treatment speeches vs. a condition of post-treatment speeches only. The other factor featured two treatment conditions, permitting …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Women Survivors’ Disclosure Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Joanne Dodgson

Dissertations

In clinical literature regarding adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, disclosure of abuse is considered a vital aspect of healing (Courtois,1988; Herman, 1992). Despite the apparent significance of disclosure, few studies have been conducted to investigate this process. Integrating feminist and qualitative research perspectives, I sought to explore disclosure through the stories, language, and perspectives of women survivors. I was interested in learning about the following issues: (a) the ways in which survivors' disclosure unfolded, (b) the ways in which survivors understood and made meaning of their disclosures, and (c) the ways in which survivors' lives changed through the process …

Training Nonconventional Autoclitic And Tact Relationships In Children, Ingolfur Bergsteinsson

Dissertations

To some extent, one understands a complex aspect of human language if one can produce that kind of language in children who have not already acquired it. Skinner’s (1957) concept of autoclitic secondary verbal behavior is the most complex of his various verbal units, and until recently has not been the subject of experimental analysis. Howard and Rice (1988) made the first attempt to generate an autoclitic repertoire in preschool children, and the present study is an attempt to corroborate and extend their findings. They worked with the autoclitic “like” which identifies the accompanying primary verbal behavior as a form …

Measuring Changes In Spontaneous Play Behavior In Preschoolers With Autism Associated With A Receptive Language Intervention, Jori Reijonen

Dissertations

Children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder have well documented deficits in the development of pretend play. When it occurs, spontaneous pretend play differs from play seen in other children in frequency, duration, and quality. The present study examined the effects of teaching preschoolers with Autism to follow one-part directions to play during discrete trial receptive language training sessions on spontaneous play skills.

Receptive language tasks were designed to teach simple pretend play skills (e.g., "Feed the doll with a spoon"). Spontaneous play was continuously sampled during free play sessions in the clinic and in the child's home before these receptive tasks …

The Effects Of Wraparound Services On The Adjustment Of Four Severely Emotionally Disturbed Youth: A Controlled Multiple Baseline Study, Michael J. Myaard

Dissertations

This naturalistic study employed a controlled multiple baseline design (Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968; Poling, 1995) across subjects and behaviors to examine the effects of wraparound services on the adjustment of four Severely Emotionally Disturbed teenagers at risk o f long term residential placement. Subjects were selected on a clinical trials basis upon referral into a public sector interagency service system within a small rural county. The Vermont System For Tracking Client Progress served as the primary dependent measure and was sampled daily for one year, the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale and detailed financial data were also sampled. …

Cost Sharing Under Complex Federalism: Welfare Reform Cost Neutrality Calculations, Robert G. Lovell

Dissertations

The American system of welfare for families with children is a partnership between the federal and state governments. Under this partnership, the federal government establishes the basic eligibility policies for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, the principal program providing cash assistance to poor families. States determine payment levels and administrative policies. Costs are shared through a formula reflecting each state’s ability to pay.

To encourage policy experimentation by the states, a section of the act creating the AFDC program allows the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to waive some provisions. This became …

The Effects Of Publicly Displayed Individual Feedback On Social Loafing, Nelson R. Eikenhout

Masters Theses

The decrease in individual performance output that occurs when individuals perform a task in groups in which the output is pooled has been labelled social loafing. The purpose of this study was to determine what would happen to the quantity and quality of individual performance in groups when public, individual feedback was present and absent.

An ABCBC experimental design was used. Four subjects worked individually, together in a group without feedback, and in the group in the presence of feedback making widgets out of plastic pop beads. The number of widgets made and the number of widgets made correctly were …

Political Stability And The Division Of Czechoslovakia, Timothy M. Kuehnlein

Masters Theses

Utilizing the historical development of relations between Czechs and Slovaks for a century and more, the following thesis contends that Czechoslovakia has exhibited a propensity for dissolution and the lack of a sound basis for stable order.

Socio-political, economic and ethno-cultural variables have traditionally characterized Czechoslovak society as highly bifurcated, and with negative implications for a stable political union, especially within the post-revolutionary period.

This thesis argues that the division of Czechoslovakia need not be lamented. Rather, division may be viewed less negatively than other examples of modern state devolution in post-revolutionary Europe. Indeed, the division of Czechoslovakia has positive …

Students Talking About Relationships (Star): An Evaluation Of A Sexual Assault Peer Education Program, Angela R. Evans

Masters Theses

This study examined the effectiveness of Students Talking About Relationships (STAR), a sexual assault peer education program at Western Michigan University. Research has shown sexual assault to be a significant problem on college campuses around the country. In response to this research, many universities have instituted sexual assault programming. Unfortunately, the evaluation of these programs has not been as prevalent as their use. This study was proposed to help fill this gap.

This research used a quasi-experimental design in which students were pretested, exposed to the sexual assault program, and post-tested afterwards. Surveys were compared to evaluate whether there were …

The Role Of Marriage, Marriage-Type Relationships And Alcohol Use In Woman-Abuse Cases, Dianna M. Cleaver

Masters Theses

This research explores the relationships between marriage, alcohol use, and woman abuse. The role that the institution of marriage plays in woman abuse is examined from a historical perspective.

This study also explores how, historically, alcohol use, being as a part of the male macho and physical culture, became a socially adopted excuse for woman abuse. Critical feminist perspectives are used to guide this inquiry. Kalamazoo County Court System domestic violence arrest records are analyzed and interpreted in terms of offender-to-victim relationships. Also, the percentages and dynamics of those arrests in which alcohol use was a factor are explored.

This …

Busted Policy: An Alternative To The Failed War On Drugs, Kenneth Evan Sharpe, Eva Bertram , '86

Political Science Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Developing A Master Planned Community In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Daniel S. Martinez

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Master-planned communities have become a valuable tool in the reshaping of suburban landscapes. The effects of implementing a well-determined master plan are evidenced by successful ventures in the United States and abroad. This study determines what effect the development of a master-planned community will have on urban planning and housing demand in Greater Metropolitan Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to arrive at specific conclusions. The subject property area (SPA), the competitive market area (CMA), and the Greater Metropolitan Buenos Aires (GMBA) region, are analyzed to provide the basis of analytical research for this study. …

Intergovernmental Cooperation In Metropolitan Grand Rapids, Michigan, James M. Kadlecek

Dissertations

This case study contributes to the understanding of governance in Metropolitan areas of the U.S. by examining cooperative activity among local units of government in the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area. A conceptual framework identifies the factors which impact cooperation, and displays a theoretical continuum of approaches to metropolitan governance.

The research methodology is qualitative and includes four years of participant observation, extensive records analysis, a survey of local government managers and 21 interviews with key informants.

The findings identify 151 examples of formal and informal cooperation occurring in Grand Rapids metro, as well as eight categories of factors which …

Culture-Specific Hiv/Std Prevention Programming For Lesbian And Bisexual Women, Kathleen M. Morrow

Dissertations

HIV/AIDS prevention research continues to target populations in which AIDS is already responsible for a significant number of deaths. Since an AIDS diagnosis often indicates the transmission of HIV several years earlier, targeting groups currently manifesting AIDS neglects those groups which may be at risk for transmission of HIV today. Among the lowest incidence in known cases of AIDS are women who have sex with women. Despite a preponderance of biomedical research which implicates vaginal secretions and blood products as vehicles in HIV transmission, there remains only a minimal effort to educate these w om en regarding their risk of …

School Of Social And Systemic Studies Department Of Family Therapy M.S. Program Student Handbook 1996-97, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Poverty Of Political Culture, Robert W. Jackman, Ross A. Miller

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The analyses reported by Granato, Inglehart, and Leblang (1996; hereafter GIL) are a major improvement over the studies that we examined in our paper. Especially notable is their explicit evaluation of the cultural explanation against a major rival, as represented by endogenous growth models of scholars like Barro (1991), Levine and Renelt (1992), and Helliwell (1994). These models regress economic growth rates over a given period on a set of initial economic, human capital, and other variables. It is in the context of such models that GIL report a significant, independent effect of culture on growth.

GIL's attention to the …

A Renaissance Of Political Culture?, Robert W. Jackman, Ross A. Miller

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Theory: Cultural differences drive significant elements of political and economic life.

Hypotheses: (1) effective govemance hinges critically on traditions of civic engagement; (2) political culture fundamentally drives economic performance and democratic stability.

Method: Reanalysis of two data sets: (1) the first includes information collected by Putnam (1993) on a variety of political, economic and social indicators for the 20 Italian regions; (2) the second includes comparable information collected by Inglehart (1990) for the industrial democracies.

Results: We find little evidence to indicate a systematic relationship between political culture and political and economic performance.

Ever since Max Weber, many social scientists …

The Common Disaster And The Unexpected Education: Delta Flight 1141 And The Discourse Of Aviation Safety, Ana C. Garner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

News coverage of transportation disasters, such as the crash of Delta Flight 1141, reveal the disaster behavior of passengers, flight personnel and rescue workers. Within a mystery framework, the Flight 1141 discourse provides clues that readers can use to construct their own disaster behavior awareness. The media must expand their pedagogical role beyond natural and technological disasters and begin providing basic airplane safety behavior information.

Women's Bodies And Selves In Chronic Illness: An Analytic Comparison Of Illness Narratives, Jennifer K. Boles

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a critical analysis of individual, chronically ill bodies in their various relationships to Anthony Giddens' construction of the reflexive self, and in turn, how these selves interpret the societal/cultural ideals concerning their bodies. Specifically, this paper is a comparison of anorexic and environmentally ill bodies examined through individual narratives. The struggle between the self and the body in both illnesses expresses the intricate relationship between society and the social location of women and their physical selves.

Comparison Of Several Substance Use Assessment Instruments And The Clinical Interview In The Diagnosis Of Substance Use Disorders, Mark Christians

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The purpose of the study was to explore a currently existing diagnostic structure at a university counseling center located in the midwest to determine the most effective protocol for diagnosing substance use disorders in a college student population.

One hundred eighty-six client files from a state-accredited alcohol and drug counseling agency at a small university in the midwest were included in the study. A file consisted of a clinical interview and completed scores on the Addiction Acknowledgment Scale (AAS), Addiction Potential Scale (APS) , Modified-Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (M-MAST), at least one of the three Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory …

Religious Studies In Russia, Paul Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.