Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Storm-Time Dependence Of Equatorial Disturbance Dynamo Zonalelectric Fields, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

We use Jicamarca radar observations of F region vertical plasma drifts and auroral electrojet indices during 1968–1988 to study the characteristics and temporal evolution of equatorial disturbance dynamo zonal electric fields. These electric fields result from the dynamo action of storm time winds and/or thermospheric composition changes driven by enhanced energy deposition into the high-latitude ionosphere during geomagnetically active conditions. The equatorial vertical drift perturbations last for periods of up to 30 hours after large increases in the high-latitude currents. On the average, this process can be described by two basic components with time delays of about 1–12 hours and …

The Press And Citizen Participation: A Content Analysis, Lisa Pelstring, James Shanahan, Ben Perry

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We conducted a content analysis of regional New York State newspapers to assess media coverage of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) deer management program. The goal of this analysis was to ascertain media depiction of DEC’s deer management program during the 1985-97 time period. Specifically, this research examines how deer management issues were portrayed both prior to and after implementation of a DEC public participation program (the Citizen Task Force [CTF] process) to determine if deer management issues received more favorable coverage after CTFs were implemented.

Publishing Books, Everette E. Dennis, Ted Pease, Craig Lamay

Journalism and Communication Faculty Publications

WISE COMMENTATORS have long evaluated books and bookmaking. "Man builds no structure which outlives a book," wrote Eugene Fitch Ware in The Book, and Justin M'Carthy's A Ballade of Book-Making declared, "The critics challenge and defend ... of making books there is no end." Others have written loving odes to the book. Garrison Keillor, for instance: The book is a "great and ancient invention," he marveled, "slow to hatch, as durable as a turtle, light and shapely as befits a descendant of the tree .... A handsome, useful object begotten by the passion for truth ... [books] contain our common …

A Comparative Analysis Of Seven Published Self-Report Measures For Assessing Internalizing-Type Symptoms In Children And Adolescents, Kathryn E. Anderson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The broad domain of internalizing disorders encompasses a variety of symptoms that are specific to child and adolescent populations and generalizable to adult populations. Internalizing disorders, commonly referred to as " emotional problems," include such problems as depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, somatic complaints, and low self-esteem. The other side of this classification dichotomy is that of externalizing disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), which involve overt behaviors considered as "undercontrolled". In contrast, internalizing problems involve behaviors that possess an "overcontrolled" quality. Such a covert nature leads to difficulty in identification and diagnosis, as they often go unnoticed by the …

An Assessment Of The Reliability And Validity Of Scores Obtained By Six Popular Learning Styles Instruments, Renee Snyder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Learning style refers to the cognitive, physiological, emotional, environmental, sociological, and perceptual manner in which people learn. In order to provide students with an optimal learning environment, it is necessary to match instruction with students' learning style. To do this, student learning style must be assessed by a learning style instrument.

Of the learning style instruments that are currently available, most do not have much evidence of reliability and validity. Additionally, evidence that does exist is weak. Therefore, more psychometric data are needed regarding these instruments. This study provided psychometric evidence for six popular learning styles instruments, including the Learning …

Language, Play, And Toy Sharing In Infancy, Lisa A. Newland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Toy sharing between 97 infants and their mothers was used to measure shared reference, mother and infant attention-directing strategies, and maternal and infant responsiveness. The association of toy sharing with early language and symbolic play was assessed. Infants were videotaped in a 10-minute free-play session at 11 months. Videotapes were coded for frequency of toy exchanges and level of infant symbolic play. Language was assessed at both 11 and 14 months. Maternal responsiveness to infant-initiated toy exchanges was positively related to symbolic play at 11 months. Maternal responsiveness was also related to Productive, Receptive, and Total Language scores at 14 …

Parenting Styles And Family Communication As Correlates Of Juvenile Delinquency, Montone White

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of this study was to examine parenting styles and family communication as correlates of juvenile delinquency. A review of the literature was completed in the areas of parenting styles, family communication, and juvenile delinquency. The literature that was reviewed for this study was examined mainly from juvenile perceptions. This study was approached from a general systems theory perspective.

A sample of juveniles (N = 78) from Weber County, Utah, involved in the juvenile justice system completed a survey assessing their perception of parenting styles and family communication. The survey was a 25-item questionnaire measuring kindness, unkindness, communication, …

An Investigation Of The Parenting Stress Index In The Context Of Generalizability Theory, Jim D. Sharpnack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This present study examined the application of generalizability theory (GT) to the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) long and short forms for families having children with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the dependability of parenting stress data scores gathered from families having children with disabilities. The data for the present study came from an extant data set collected by the Early Intervention Research Institute (EIRI; Contract #800-85-0173) at Utah State University. The EIRI studies represented attempts to assess the benefits and cost of conducting early intervention programs. The EIRI data were recoded at the item level for …

The Relationship Between Graduate Students' Education In Research Ethics And Their Attitudes Toward Research Misconduct, Perry Sailor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A mail survey of a nationwide sample of department heads in university departments of mechanical engineering, physiology, and psychology was conducted, in order to determine what these departments were doing to educate their Ph.D. students in research ethics. Department heads were also asked to supply names of the Ph.D. students in their departments. Based on the survey responses, departments within each discipline were then divided into those placing a relatively high versus low emphasis on teaching research ethics. Random samples of students in each emphasis category for each discipline were then surveyed and asked to rate the seriousness of 44 …

Demographic Influences On Attitudes Toward Adolescent Sexuality In A Rural Wyoming County, Michael J. Dalton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A countywide survey in Uinta County, Wyoming, was conducted from December 1992 through March 1993. A stratified random sampling method was used in which 647 surveys were distributed with an overall response rate of 59.5%. This study employed analysis of variance (ANOVA) to address four research questions contending that the independent variables o f education, socioeconomic status, employment, and family stat us would differentially account for variation in the dependent variables, which were responses to survey items indicating the "appropriate age" to teach children about human reproduction, consequences of sexual activity, birth control methods, HIV/AIDS prevention, and sexually transmitted diseases. …

Frequency And Perception Of Mathematics Activities In Family Child Care And Parent-Child Routines, Annette Kari Eddy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study examined the frequency of preschool mathematics activities at home and in the family child care setting. Provider perception and parent perception of the activities were also surveyed. Twenty-one family child care providers, 38 parents, and 42 preschool children participated in the study. Providers and parents participated in a telephone interview in which they completed either the Day Care Activities Checklist (DAC) or the Parent/Child Activities Checklist (PCAC). Research assistants administered the TEMA-2, a mathematical assessment suitable for preschool children, to the children in the study.

Family child care providers in this study reported engaging in mathematics activities statistically …

Superior/Subordinate Communication In An Effective Organization, Jim Sawdey

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis documents the communication climate of a Fortune 500 business to determine if it contains key components essential for effective communication. A model developed to identify components of an ideal managerial climate for effective communication between superiors and subordinates was used. The model was published in 1972 by Dr. W. Charles Redding of Purdue and applied to a rocket manufacturing plant's communication climate that existed from 1991 to 1996. The findings contain evidence that validates Redding's model 25 years after it was first published and provides a framework for improving communication effectiveness at the plant.

The Global Assessment Of Relationship Functioning As A Global Assessment Of Individual, Couple, And Family Functioning, Ben Lowell Ashcraft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Relationship issues underlie most problems that people bring to therapy. Global relationship assessment has great potential in helping therapists account systemically for global issues in individual, couple, and family functioning . The purpose of this thesis was to assess the concurrent validity of the Global Assessment of Relationship Functioning (GARF) with standardized self-report measures on individual, couple, and family levels of relationship functioning and to assess the GARF's discriminant validity in distinguishing between clinical and nonclinical groups. It was hypothesized that GARF scores would correlate with scores obtained on the self~ report assessments and that a statistically significant difference would …

An Empirical Study Of The Real Exchange Rate Misalignment And Its Effects On The Macro-Economic Performance Of Bangladesh, Md. Shahnawaz Karim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper provides empirical study of whether there was a misalignment of the real exchange rate (RER) in the Bangladesh economy during 1976-1991. The time series of multilateral and bilateral RER indexes were computed for the period 1976-1991. The computed series of RER were indexed to a base year of when the RER attained its highest level and thereby appeared to be closer to the actual long-run equilibrium RER.

In the empirical part of this thesis, five different RER indexes were computed: multilateral real exchange rate index 1 (MRER1), multilateral real exchange rate index 2 (MRER2), bilateral real exchange index …

Predictors Of Employment For Women In A Life Transition, Kathryn Higley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research explored the association between positive employment outcome (getting a job above poverty wage) and several intake variables for women in transition. The variables (self-esteem, anxiety and/or depression, pretreatment change, family functioning, community/social support, and counseling and assertiveness classes) were identified from the literature for their probable association with positive employment outcome. The intervention of taking an assertiveness class was statistically associated with positive employment outcome. The other variables appear to be linked to positive employment outcome in the direction hypothesized, although none of them reached statistical significance.

The demographic variables of family size and employment status at intake …

Mean Length Of Utterance In Relation To Gender And Preschool Activity Area, Angela Sisson Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Factors influencing language development and use are many. Teacher influences such as teacher:child ratio and teaching experience can affect the types of language children produce. Classroom influences including activities, size of the room, and length of the day also play a role in the development of language. All of these areas need to be considered in order to provide the best possible language environment for the preschool child.

In this study, the researchers examined the mean length of utterance (MLU) values of preschool children while participating at three areas in a preschool classroom: art, dramatic play, and snack. Gender differences …

Maternal Beliefs And Management Strategies Of Peer Interactions As Correlates Of Social Competence In Korean Children, Sunhee Ahn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the links between the family and peer systems by examining whether mothers' beliefs about social skills and management practices of peer interactions were related to their children's social relations with peers. The sample was comprised of 185 mothers of preschool children, ranging in age from 44 to 81 months, who resided in Seoul, Korea. Children of the participating mothers were enrolled in center-based preschool programs. Mothers were asked to complete the Maternal Beliefs Scale, the Mothers' Management Strategies Scale, and demographic measures. Using the Child Behavior Scale, teachers rated the social competence of each child whose mother …

Trainee Perspectives Of Basic Family Therapy Skills, Nancy Webb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Much has been written about family therapy training and supervision from the perspective of teachers and supervisors. However, the perspective of family therapy trainees is not well represented in the literature. Research employing student responses is common, but results are offered from the perspective of the trainers of family therapy and the subjective experience of students is frequently left untapped. One area of training and supervision, basic therapy skills, offers no perspectives from family therapy trainees.

This research examined trainee perspectives concerning basic family therapy skills and made comparisons to trainer perspectives regarding the same skills. The findings indicate that …

An Investigation Of Criterion-Related Validity And Clinical Sensitivity Of The Internalizing Symptoms Scale For Children, Lisa Ann Mcclun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The need for a self-report instrument that assesses internalizing problems in children ages 8 through 12 is evidenced in the lack of such an instrument, and in the prevalence of internalizing problems in children. A new self-report instrument, the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC), has been proposed and developed to fit this need. The present study evaluated the criterion-related validity, clinical cutoff points, and discriminating power of the ISSC. Two groups of child subjects, clinic-referred and general-school-population, were recruited and administered the ISSC, and a parent of each subject completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Each case within the …

The Proper Role Of Women (And Men): A Comparison Of Beliefs From 1980 And 1997 For Utah State University Students, Tavia Elaine Simmons

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Since 1970, the United States has seen an explosion in the rate of women working and a change towards equality in men's and women's roles. In 1980, Helal Mobasher Liaey gave a survey to measure what Utah State University students thought were proper roles for women, in categories ranging from occupations to decision making. He did this research at a time when traditional and egalitarian role views were still furiously clashing, especially in Utah, which is generally considered to be one of the most conservative states in the country since it is primarily LDS. This study revisits how gender roles …

The Emotional Attributes Questionnaire: Self- And Other-Reports Of Guilt And Shame, Heidi L. Eyre

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Shame and guilt are considered to be important emotions for empirical study for a variety of reasons. Developmental psychologists are interested in the emergence of shame and guilt as they relate to the child's understanding of societal and familial expectations/norms and the subsequent development of conscience (Zahn-Waxler & Kochanska, 1990). Social psychologists study how guilt and shame are used to create power differentials and restore equity to relationships (Baumeister, Stillwell, & Heatherton, 1994). Finally, clinicians have long thought shame and guilt to be involved in the development of disorders such as anxiety and depression (H.B. Lewis, 1971). However, those within …

The Efficacy Of Guided Imagery For Recovery From Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Replacement, Deborah D. Durso-Cupal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As an exploratory, developmental injury intervention study, this research investigated the efficacy of providing psychological intervention in the form of relaxation and guided imagery to a group of orthopedic patients recovering from major knee surgery. Utilizing a prospective, experimental research design with 30 subjects randomly assigned to either an intervention, placebo, or control group, this study employed physiological as well as psychological outcome measures. Intervention consisted of 10 individual mental practice sessions for intervention group members as an adjunct to physical therapy. Content of these sessions was intentionally designed to facilitate physiotherapy goals. Imagery protocols with which to deliver these …

Acculturation, Family Variables, And Cognition Of A Subgroup Of American Indian Children Ages 3-9, Michael Alan Cummings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between specific family variables and measures of cognitive abilities for preschool and young school-aged children of an American Indian ancestry. More specifically, the study used two cognitive measures, the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Embedded Figures Test, and examined the influence that 23 family variables and cultural background (acculturation) had on measures of spatial abilities.

Past studies suggested that American Indian children, as a group, perform above the standardization sample on measures of visual-spatial skills, have higher simultaneous processing skills, and are more field independent. It was anticipated that at …

Preliminary Development And Content Validation Of A Rating Scale For Assessing Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children, Melissa Lea Holland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is currently one of the most frequent problems for which children are referred to mental health clinics in this country, affecting approximately 3-5% of the childhood population. Although adequate assessment and identification of this disorder is imperative, most of the currently existing measures to assess for ADHD in children are inadequate . The present research study involved the development and content validation of a new behavior rating scale prototype for assessing ADHD in the school-age (K-12) population.

This research was conducted in five distinct steps: (a) item development; (b) development of the prototype; (c) content validation …

An Investigation Of The Temporal Stability Of Self-Reported Internalizing Symptoms In Elementary-Age Children, Kurt David Michael

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past two decades, a great deal of research has been devoted to the understanding of internalizing disorders in children. Internalizing disorders encompass a wide variety of problems, including depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, and somatic complaints. It has been suggested that the existence of internalizing disorders in children has negative effects upon their self-esteem, academic achievement, physical health, and future adjustment. However, because internalizing disorders are, in great measure, subjective perceptions of internal distress, they are often not readily or reliably identified by external observers. As a result, several researchers have stressed the importance of eliciting the child's perspective …

The Relationship Between Weather And Children's Behavior: A Study Of Teacher Perceptions, Carrie Dabb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The weather is an ever present and uncontrollable element in our lives. Only a handful of studies has addressed the relationship between weather and the behavior of children, although anecdotal and intuitive evidence of this relationship abounds. The purpose of this study was to observe the behavior of groups of elementary school-aged children in their classroom ecology during different phases of the weather cycle as observed by their teachers, observe any behavioral differences between girls and boys, and observe if any weather -related differences exist between the behavior of younger and older children. A model of the direct and indirect …

Attachment, Identity Development, And Sexual Behavior Among College Students, Diana D. Coyl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The prevalence of nonmarital sexual behavior among adolescents continues to rise, as does the number of sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies. College-age adolescents appear to be even more susceptible to these problems. Sound theoretical knowledge would seem useful in designing more effective prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to identity theoretical factors that contribute to or decrease such behaviors.

Two hundred fifty-two single college students completed measures designed to examine relations among identity development, attachment patterns, gender, and sexual behavior in older adolescents. Attachment and identity measures were used to explore variations in sexual behavior relating …

Price And Trade Relations And Market Integration In Pacific Pork Markets, Jau-Rong Li

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Market integration testing is important to agricultural marketing, industrial organization, international trade, and international model design. With reliable market integration information, decision makers can undertake appropriate actions to maximize profits, welfare, or both. Level I market analysis, which uses price data solely, has proved unreliable especially in the presence of discontinuous or bidirectional trade, or significant or nonstationary transaction costs.

Level II market analysis methods, which incorporate both transactions costs and prices, permit spatial markets to be integrated in some periods and segmented in others, thereby obviating many level I method problems. However, level II methods still fail to distinguish …

Empirical Investigation Of Efficacy In Home-Based Mental Health Care, Ann L. Athorp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current study consisted of two experiments to examine the impact of home-based therapy on mental illness in multiproblem families. Review of the literature focused on the interplay between poverty and mental illness in defining multiproblem families and the utilization of home-based therapy with this population and others.

Experiment 1 focused on delineating the type and severity of psychological distress in families characterized as multiproblem. Subjects were 58 participants in the Community-Family Partnership, a Comprehensive Child Development Program located at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. In this sample, serious psychological distress was evident with depression in both women and …

An Interpersonal And Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To Childhood Depression: A School-Based Primary Prevention Study, Tracy Black Cecchini

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Depression represents a serious mental health problem that affects the lives of many children. Depression is frequently cited as the most recurrent emotional problem facing younger populations. Left untreated, depression can have several negative ramifications on later adjustment, including suicide, substance use, academic and social difficulties, low self-esteem, and an increased risk for other mental health problems.

The search for effective treatments for depression has extended into several arenas. Schools play an important role in the lives of children and provide an ideal setting for early detection and remediation of depression at every stage. Schools are increasingly being encouraged to …