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Articles 1 - 30 of 67
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Crisis Communication And Organizational Image: A Study Of The Nasa Challenger And Exxon Valdez, Amy O'Connor
Crisis Communication And Organizational Image: A Study Of The Nasa Challenger And Exxon Valdez, Amy O'Connor
Masters Theses
This study examines the communication activities of two crises: the NASA Challenger and Exxon Valdez and investigates the effect of accommodative and defensive statements attributable to each crisis on organizational image. The survey design queried respondents about organization image with questions about trustworthiness, responsibility and willingness for future involvement with the organization, based on statements provided. Results indicated that when organizations issue accommodative statements during a crisis, participants rated overall organizational image more positively than when defensive statements were given. Research findings are discussed based on the symbolic approach to crisis communication and the investor response theory. The implications for …
Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea
Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea
Masters Theses
This thesis offers a reinterpretation of the human female menstrual cycle that understands the process as positive, functional, and practical experience. Standard western definitions and understandings of menstruation use negative terminology and focus on menstrual blood as an indicator of failed conception. This view contributes significantly to the negative perception women have of menstruation in general, their own menstrual cycles, and ultimately of their femaleness. This fundamental, physiological process that symbolizes femaleness, the menstrual cycle, has been defined both, bio-medically and culturally, as a negative experience. I propose a reconceptualization of the menstrual cycle that is not only a tool …
Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Cloud-To-Ground Lightning In Southern Michigan, Michael A. Crimmins
Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Cloud-To-Ground Lightning In Southern Michigan, Michael A. Crimmins
Masters Theses
Lightning has a profound impact on many aspects of modern day society. Understanding its temporal and spatial distributions is fundamental in learning to coexist with its destructive power. This study surveyed the spatial and temporal distribution of cloud-to-ground lightning over southern Michigan using data provided by the Detroit Edison Company. Flash density and 'lightning day' maps were produced for every year of the 1985 to 1995 study period and then averaged to determine long term trends. A temporal analysis determined the distribution of lightning from the inter-annual down to the diurnal scale.
The spatial analysis indicates both deficiencies in the …
Thomas Jefferson And The United States Constitution: A Comparative Study Of Jefferson As Maturing Political Thinker To Jefferson The Political Operative, Thomas A. Parker
Thomas Jefferson And The United States Constitution: A Comparative Study Of Jefferson As Maturing Political Thinker To Jefferson The Political Operative, Thomas A. Parker
Masters Theses
The purpose of this thesis is to use historical, qualitative, and comparative methods of research in studying the life of Thomas Jefferson, his views on governance, and his impact on the highest law of our land, the United States Constitution. Thomas Jefferson's constitutional thoughts and theories evolved first as a maturing political thinker and later as a political operative on the state, national and international stage. His beliefs were shaped by many factors including Jefferson's own principles and character, his scholarship via learned men and life experiences, American and overseas events in and out of his control, titles and offices …
The Pack Horse Library Project Of Eastern Kentucky: 1936-1943, Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
The Pack Horse Library Project Of Eastern Kentucky: 1936-1943, Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
Masters Theses
This study examines the Pack Horse Library Project, partially supported by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), in eastern Kentucky from 1936 to 1943 . The WPA supported the project by providing work relief for local women and a few local men. Communities, individuals, and organizations such as county boards of education, civic clubs, and Kentucky PTAs funded materials, operating expenses, and overhead. For hundreds of isolated mountain communities, schools, and individuals the Pack Horse Library Project provided the first public library service ever experienced.
The Pack Horse Library Project provided library service to an area of Kentucky that was geographically …
The Morphometric Relationship Of Upper Cave 101 And 103 To Modern Homo Sapiens, Deborah Lenz Cornell
The Morphometric Relationship Of Upper Cave 101 And 103 To Modern Homo Sapiens, Deborah Lenz Cornell
Masters Theses
Upper Cave 101 and Upper Cave 103 (UC 101 and UC 103), the much argued over Homo sapiens fossils from Zhoukoudian, China, figure prominently into discussions of modem human origins. Adherents to the Multiregional model see the Zhoukoudian fossils as exhibiting some of the same Asian characteristics that can be seen in modern Asian populations. On the other hand, proponents of the Out-of-Africa model see anything and everything but Asian features, frequently pointing out African characteristics which they claim are retentions of features from the initial exodus of modern humans.
UC 101 and UC 103 were compared to Howells' modern …
The Origins Of Greek Cypriot National Identity, Elena Koumna
The Origins Of Greek Cypriot National Identity, Elena Koumna
Masters Theses
Discussions of Greek Cypriot identity have conventionally been dominated by primordial arguments, contributing to the creation and maintenance of stereotypes and mythologies about the ethnic conflict between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. In order to examine the validity of the primordial thesis, modernist and constructionist approaches on nationalism and identity are considered (Gellner 1983; Hobsbawm 1990; Anderson 1991; Hroch 1985; Smith 1991). Nationalism and identity formation are analyzed in the context of"stages," where the social composition of each stage and the degree of modernization are examined. The findings of the thesis largely support the hypotheses that pinpoint the articulation of Greek …
Perceptions Of Americanization In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, John W. Mcconnell
Perceptions Of Americanization In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, John W. Mcconnell
Masters Theses
This thesis examines perceptions and interpretations of American cultural influences in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. It is aimed at describing typical discourse genres and evaluative patterns in which these cultural influences are interpreted by various social groups of Costa Rican society. The study is based on a series of qualitative interviews and observations conducted in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica in the summer of 1996. The findings show that there exists a largely positive reaction to these images and objects emanating from the United States, and behind this positive evaluation lie attitudes of conformity, fatalism, and reification. The study contributes to …
Perceptions Of Corporate Crime: Assessing The Seriousness, Dale J. Ardovini-Brooker
Perceptions Of Corporate Crime: Assessing The Seriousness, Dale J. Ardovini-Brooker
Masters Theses
Many studies have been done concerning the seriousness of traditional street crime. There is a need in the field of criminology to expand our knowledge about how serious corporate crimes are. A key feature of seriousness is how researchers measure it. Using a survey, I analyzed people's perceptions of corporate crime. I had the respondents indicate the seriousness of the crime and harm by using a Likert Scale as well as identifying the appropriate sanction/sentence for the company convicted of the crime. This proved useful in attempting to identify how seriousness is measured by the sanctions/sentences imposed by the respondents. …
The Treatment Utility Of The Arousal Predisposition Scale In Predicting The Outcome Of Exposure Therapy With Small Animal Phobias, Ellen I. Koch
The Treatment Utility Of The Arousal Predisposition Scale In Predicting The Outcome Of Exposure Therapy With Small Animal Phobias, Ellen I. Koch
Masters Theses
This study evaluated the effectiveness of an in vivo, one-session exposure procedure modified from that described by Lars-Goran Ost for the treatment of small animal phobias. This study also assessed the ability of the Arousal Predisposition Scale to predict treatment outcome. Subjects received treatment for snake, spider, rat, mouse, or crawling insect phobia. Three groups were utilized (treatment, phobic control and non-phobic control). The treatment session included both behavioral and self-report measures of anxiety. Almost all treatment subjects showed dramatic improvement on both of these types of measures during posttest and one-month follow-up. The treatment and non-phobic control groups were …
Spatial Analysis Of Agricultural Cucurbita Sp. Varieties In The Eastern Broadleaf Province, Kathleen M. Baker
Spatial Analysis Of Agricultural Cucurbita Sp. Varieties In The Eastern Broadleaf Province, Kathleen M. Baker
Masters Theses
The purpose of this research was to explain and quantify twentieth century agricultural distributions of the genus Cucurbita in the United States to determine the effect of temporal changes in economic utilization and a variety of historical, environmental and social circumstances on those distributions. Geographic information system (GIS) methods were combined with statistical software techniques to analyze the spatial and temporal trends of pumpkin and squash growth in one region (the Eastern Broadleaf Province, as defined by Bailey) of the United States from 1982-1992.
Counties with fewer frost free days, later spring frosts, more accumulated growing degree units throughout the …
Community Empowerment And Social Policy Design: A Case Study Of The Creation Of A School-Based Health Center, R. Ian Costello
Community Empowerment And Social Policy Design: A Case Study Of The Creation Of A School-Based Health Center, R. Ian Costello
Masters Theses
Studies of community empowerment have shown the benefits of involving recipient communities in the process of designing and implementing social aid programs. One of these benefits is the empowerment of previously disenfranchised individuals and communities. Through qualitative ethnographic research, this thesis shows how residents of one low-income community in South-West Michigan have become more empowered through their involvement in the design and implementation of a school-based health center.
Microscopic Enamel Defects In A Contemporary Population: Biological And Social Implications, Lise Marie Mifsud
Microscopic Enamel Defects In A Contemporary Population: Biological And Social Implications, Lise Marie Mifsud
Masters Theses
In this study, the frequency of microscopic defects in enamel, termed Wilson bands, are analyzed according to socioeconomic affiliation, the sex, and ethnicity of the individual. The sample consists of 193 anterior teeth collected from private practice and public health oral surgeon's offices. These defects have been studied in great detail by dental researchers, dental anthropologists, and bioarchaeologists to ascertain: etiology, morphology, inter- and intra- population differences, prehistoric diet and health, and dietary and morbidity conditions of underprivileged contemporary populations.
The results of this study are compared to results of previous researchers and similarities and differences in findings are discussed. …
Reporting Technology: A Content Analysis Of Newsweek's Cyberscope Column, A. Scott Duncan
Reporting Technology: A Content Analysis Of Newsweek's Cyberscope Column, A. Scott Duncan
Masters Theses
Introduction: The Internet is perhaps the most rapidly developing communications technology in history (Eighmey and McCord 1998). In January 1995, there were 4.8 million people online. By January 1996, the number had almost doubled to 9.5 million (Lottor 1996). Today there are an estimated 110 million people worldwide using the Internet (NUA 1998). Most studies indicate that the primary use by consumers of the Internet is exploration and entertainment (Pitkow and Recker 1994: Eighmey and McCord 1998). However, consumers are not the only people using this new technology. Many businesses are trying to take advantage of this new commercial outlet. …
Murder For Hire: Event Characteristics And Causal Implications, Nicole Madonna Corsaro
Murder For Hire: Event Characteristics And Causal Implications, Nicole Madonna Corsaro
Masters Theses
The problem of criminal homicide has been extensively studied. A productive way to examine it has been through detailed analysis of homicides as criminal events. There are a number of characteristics that are common to all homicide events, such as background circumstances, participant characteristics, and interrelationships of offenders. However, murder-for-hire events contain distinctive interactive features that are not present in other types of criminal homicide, i.e. solicitor, hitman, and target scenarios and that have not received empirical attention. Using trial transcripts, news reports, pre-sentence investigations, and Tennessee Department of Correction records, 30 murder-for-hire events have been identified involving 60 individuals …
Urban Slave Diet In Early Knoxville: Faunal Remains From Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee, Carey Lamar Coxe
Urban Slave Diet In Early Knoxville: Faunal Remains From Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee, Carey Lamar Coxe
Masters Theses
The vertebrate faunal remains recovered during excavations at the Blount Mansion Slave Cabin, located at Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee provide a rare opportunity to address the dietary refuse from an urban slave context in the Upland South region. The material was analyzed and data compared to faunal data from three other slave sites on Upland South plantations, Mabry, Locust Grove, and the Hermitage, and one Upland South yeoman farm site, the Gibbs House site. These comparisons revealed that the urban slaves at Blount Mansion appear to have consumed much more fish than rural slaves and farmers in the uplands. Also, …
Latitudinal Gradient In The Body Mass Index (Bmi), And The Bmi's Geometric And Statistical Relationships To The Surface Area: Volume Ratio And Body Shape, Brandy Lea O'Neil
Latitudinal Gradient In The Body Mass Index (Bmi), And The Bmi's Geometric And Statistical Relationships To The Surface Area: Volume Ratio And Body Shape, Brandy Lea O'Neil
Masters Theses
The body mass index (BMI), weight/height2 (W/H2), is currently the index of choice for assessment of nutritional status. Statements in the literature about the BMI as a potential expression of “cold adaptation” or “Bergmann’s Rule” beg the question: What does that BMI measure in terms of size, shape, and the surface area:volume (SA:V) ratio? Geometric modeling shows that the BMI captures both size and shape and is inversely related to the SA:V ratio. This admixture of size/shape information, combined with the unmeaningful absolute value of the BMI, preclude precise understanding of what it measures. A new weight-height-based …
The Implementation Of Group Mentoring Between At-Risk Teenage African American Males And Successful Adult African American Men, Cornell Mathis
The Implementation Of Group Mentoring Between At-Risk Teenage African American Males And Successful Adult African American Men, Cornell Mathis
Masters Theses
Little research has been done to examine the implementation of group mentoring. This study of group mentoring involving at-risk teenage African American males and successful adult African American men will provide insight into group mentoring as demonstrated through interpersonal communications.
An investigation of the composite reduction provides the foundation for establishing the following definition of the group mentoring experience. The mentees are drawn to the mentors by mutual respect developed through the use of a special language. Availability leads to bonding between the mentees and mentors. The relationships are fostered by the authenticity of both individuals while producing social enlightenment …
The Contemporary Migration Of Russian-Germans From Russia And Kazakhstan To Germany: A Case Study In Migration Geography, Jacquelin K. Tylzynski
The Contemporary Migration Of Russian-Germans From Russia And Kazakhstan To Germany: A Case Study In Migration Geography, Jacquelin K. Tylzynski
Masters Theses
Since the collapse of communism in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union in the late 1980's/early 1990's over two million ethnic Germans have migrated to Germany (predominantly from Russia and Kazakhstan). Ethnic Germans are descendants of Germans who migrated to Central Europe and to Russia centuries ago who are returning to their historic roots since they have been allowed to leave. The reason ethnic Germans are migrating to Germany stems from a strange law written into West Germany's post-World War II constitution (in 1949) that promised ethnic Germans and their descendants the "right to return" to Germany; however, the …
A Biocultural Analysis Of Intentional Dental Modifications, Derek Christiaan Benedix
A Biocultural Analysis Of Intentional Dental Modifications, Derek Christiaan Benedix
Masters Theses
When we consider how painful dental drilling is now in spite of the advances of science with respect to anesthesia and modern instruments, we cannot help but think how much those people must have suffered from the filing and dental preparations which were performed. (Fastlicht 1948:319)
Human teeth provide an excellent source of information about an individual's past. Because of this, scientists study the range of characteristics manifested in teeth. One such characteristic is dental modification. Modification of the human dentition has a long and varied history in numerous cultures (see Milner and Larsen 1991). This study explores the practice …
The Impacts Of Tourism On Space And Place In Jonesborough, Tennessee, Elizabeth E. Van Horn
The Impacts Of Tourism On Space And Place In Jonesborough, Tennessee, Elizabeth E. Van Horn
Masters Theses
Small towns have increasingly begun to look to tourism as a means of promoting economic growth and development. While the positive economic impacts of tourism development have been widely recognized, the sociocultural impacts (which are often negative) have traditionally been overlooked. The transformation of sense of place for residents of small towns represents one of the many sociocultural impacts essential to the understanding of tourism's overall impact. Transformation of sense of place has been largely disregarded as a consideration in tourism development (and other development strategies), but the alteration of sense of place should be included in the evaluation of …
The Social Diffusion Of Safe Sex Behaviors In College Women, Sherry Pagoto
The Social Diffusion Of Safe Sex Behaviors In College Women, Sherry Pagoto
Masters Theses
With the ever rising numbers of people becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 1997) the need for preventing the spread of infection is clear. One promising intervention, based on a theory called social diffusion, involves training popular opinion leaders to act as behavior change endorsers within their community (Kelly, 1991). This study found 25-30% reductions in high-risk behaviors and 16-18% increases in safe sex behaviors in a male homosexual population as a result of this type of intervention. The current study examines the effectiveness of this intervention within a …
A Multiplicity Of Goals In A Migrant Household, Patrick James Maher
A Multiplicity Of Goals In A Migrant Household, Patrick James Maher
Masters Theses
This paper explores data collected on Mexican migrants who were living in southwestern Michigan during the Spring and Summer of 1994. Its purpose is to examine the role of the family among one migrant household and to determine whether the findings coincide with other studies completed on Mexican migrant families.
The data examined indicates two major problems in applying its findings to current migration literature. The first involves the concept of a 'united family unit' and the second relates to the notion of a 'common family goal.' The data suggests that the theory on which these concepts are based must …
Spatial And Ethnic Patterns Of Real Estate Control Affecting Upward Mobility Of Immigrants In A Nineteenth Century Industrial Community, Debra S. Alfonso
Spatial And Ethnic Patterns Of Real Estate Control Affecting Upward Mobility Of Immigrants In A Nineteenth Century Industrial Community, Debra S. Alfonso
Masters Theses
The subject of immigrant success has previously been analyzed in the context of ethnic characteristics, individual heroism, worker solidarity, and advancement of industrialization. Most immigrants start at the bottom of the social-economic ladder. The mechanisms of advancement vary depending on both ethnic values and the constraints of the socioeconomic system. The key variable is normally thought to be advancing occupational status.
The problem addressed is how did recent immigrants to a 19th century steel-town obtain home ownership and advancement in spite of declining industrial wages. Using a GIS system to link and analyze geographic and historical records I was able …
Assessing Child Care Need In Niles, Michigan, Lori L. Mcneil
Assessing Child Care Need In Niles, Michigan, Lori L. Mcneil
Masters Theses
Many parents struggle to secure adequate child care while they work and/or attend school. With the passage of welfare reform legislation, which in part requires AFDC parents to enter/reenter the workforce, locating child care options will likely become increasingly more difficult.
This study describes child care needs of one community based on a survey of parents at thirteen different sites. The research measured the discrepancy between existing child care resources and child care demand within the community.
Analysis of the data revealed that the ways in which parents provide care for their children differed considerably in Niles from the most …
Prostitution In U.S. Society: Moving Beyond Traditional Feminist Frameworks Of Analysis, Megan M. Coats
Prostitution In U.S. Society: Moving Beyond Traditional Feminist Frameworks Of Analysis, Megan M. Coats
Masters Theses
In this thesis, I explore the different ways that prostitute women's voices have been silenced by groups which have historically controlled the social and academic discourse on prostitution. Utilizing the research method of standpoint epistemology, I first discuss why the prostitute activist's voices must be considered as the central source for scientists theorizing on prostitution. Next, I give an account of some historical influences which have shaped the discourse on prostitution, affecting the development of legislation regulating prostitution. Then, I provide a history of the development of the liberal and radical feminist discourse on prostitution. I also include some contemporary …
The Foucault Panopticon Model In Motion: The Internet As A Candidate For Corporate Abandon, Thomas Wells Brignall
The Foucault Panopticon Model In Motion: The Internet As A Candidate For Corporate Abandon, Thomas Wells Brignall
Masters Theses
The possible negative impacts the Internet could have on our society, because of its powerful observation potential is the topic of this thesis. In my work I deconstruct several historical and current texts on the Internet. I then critique modern cultural constructs of the Internet and compare and contrast using historical as well as meta-analysis to dissect the real from the simulated.
I have found that a majority of the Internet's current construction lies in the hands of private companies. In my finding, using historical analysis of previous company policies that the potential to observe, track, and keep large databases …
Community Leaders’ Perceptions Of Violence Against Women As A Public Health Issue, Deborah J. Bartz
Community Leaders’ Perceptions Of Violence Against Women As A Public Health Issue, Deborah J. Bartz
Masters Theses
The purpose of this thesis was to identify correlates of support for the involvement of local public health departments in the prevention of violence against women. The research is a secondary analysis of data from community leaders in the 50 public health catchment areas throughout Michigan.
A total of 525 community leaders were identified by health officers and were mailed surveys that dealt with a wide range of health policy issues. Three hundred and fifty-one surveys were returned.
The analysis were designed to determine which factors would affect support for treating violence against women as a public health issue. A …
College Students' Attitudes Towards Death Penalty Sentencing, Janelle M. Thompson
College Students' Attitudes Towards Death Penalty Sentencing, Janelle M. Thompson
Masters Theses
No abstract provided.
Relations Of Explanatory Style, Learning Orientation, And Gender With Children's Academic Performance, Jennifer Grubar
Relations Of Explanatory Style, Learning Orientation, And Gender With Children's Academic Performance, Jennifer Grubar
Masters Theses
Several explanations have been offered to account for sex differences in academic achievement patterns. Two in particular have been looked at extensively in past research: learned helplessness/mastery orientation theory and attribution theory (explanatory style). Most studies look at these two explanations separately, but it seems important to examine them together. The present study explored how learning orientation, explanatory style and gender relate to children's academic performance.
The hypotheses of this study were that more girls would fall into the helpless category, but would still be optimistic and would have higher grade point averages (GPA' s). More boys were expected to …