Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Development And Validation Of A Scale Of Perceived Control Across Multiple Domains, Beth Arburn Davis

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The importance of perceived control in people's lives is vast. Indeed, there is much research to support the notion that the perception of control is as important, if not more important, than actual control. This idea can be instrumental in therapy. Patients may have a sense of control in one area, but not in another, and this may cause problems for them. It is likely that an understanding of how much control they believe they have could help patients in therapy. This study outlined the historical and research aspects of the constructs of control and of perceived control, its general …

Psychometric Development And Validation Of The Zahn-Given Recovery Beliefs Questionnaire In An Adult Psychiatric Sample, Dennis R. Given

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Zahn-Given Recovery Beliefs Questionnaire (RBQ). The RBQ is a formal measure designed to assess specific underlying beliefs and expectations that relate to treatment non-adherence and recidivism in adult psychiatric patients. A total of 100 subjects were administered the RBQ, the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS); included as well are self and clinician-rated compliance with treatment measures. Factor analysis of the RBQ reveals a factor structure that includes four factors: Embarrassment/ Stigma, Unrealistic Optimism, Hopelessness/ Pessimism and Concerns About Side Effects. A total scale alpha reliability …

Case Manager's Perceived Need For Services And The Actual Frequency Of Services Provided In The Birth-To-Three Early Intervention Program In Pennsylvania, Antoinette Hamidian

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The Early Intervention program in Pennsylvania has within its design, provision to provide a range of at least sixteen support services to eligible infants, toddlers and their families. State mandated early intervention programs in Pennsylvania offer services to premature, underweight, medically fragile or chronically ill babies, infants with identified disabilities or developmental delays, adolescent parents, depressed parents, parents who are unprepared or overwhelmed by the care of a baby, and parents at social or emotional risk in the caregiving role. The overall intention of the Early Intervention Program is to reduce the risk of developmental dysfunction and delay and to …

Realism Or Distortion In Predicting And Evaluating Exam Performance Among Depressed And Nondepressed Students, Michael J. Kinney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Cognitive behavioral theories suggest that depressed people have negatively distorted and inaccurate perceptions and cognitions. The present study measures the accuracy of cognitions by comparing predictions made by depressed and by nondepressed students when they estimate the scores they will earn on an examination. It also compares depressed and nondepressed students on their levels of satisfaction with their exam scores. No difference was found between depressed and nondepressed students in either their predictions of their exam grades or their level of satisfaction with their exam grades. This study fails to support the notion that depression correlates with negative cognitive distortions. …

Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Predict Non-Adherence To Medical Treatment Regimens, Dorothy E. Parke

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Evaluation of the Health Adherence Behavior Inventory (HABIT) is described with data pertaining to reliability and validity. The instrument was originally developed for use in a primary healthcare setting, to support the early identification of patients who are at risk for poor health outcomes and complications of chronic disease because of non-adherence to their healthcare provider’s instructions. The items were refined from the original HABIT (DiTomasso, 1997) and drawn from various sources, including health risk assessments, health screening questionnaires, and nationally accepted standards for disease treatment and prevention. The questionnaire consists of 50 items, 39 of which appear to load …

The Media Dichotomy Of Sports Heroes And Sport Celebrities: The Marketing Of Professional Women's Tennis Players, Joshua Shuart

WCBT Faculty Publications

There is perhaps no better example of media created frenzy over heroism and celebrity than in the world of professional women’s tennis. Two of the most recognizable personalities, Venus Williams and Anna Kournikova, are known for very different reasons: Williams because of her on-court success and her rivalry with her sister Serena, Kournikova because of her on-court failures yet curiously strong endorsement success. Survey research was undertaken to examine perceptions of both women, to determine a) how society views them (as heroes or celebrities), and b) to determine their marketing worth, with regards to consumer intention to purchase an endorsed …

Models In Social Science: A Review Of Law And Public Policy: A Socioeconomic Approach, Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Kinetic Family Drawings Of Firstborn And Second-Born Siblings, Lynn Anderson

Dissertations

Problem. While the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) is a popular assessment tool for clinicians, research on developmental issues and how siblings draw their families is lacking. The purpose of this study was to (a) describe the way siblings perceive themselves and their family interpersonal relationships as expressed in the KFD; and (b) to describe possible developmental age differences in the KFD.

Method. The KFD and a Family Dynamics Interview Schedule were administered to 50 pairs of first- and second-born children from Southwestern Michigan, ages 5-14. The data were analyzed quantitatively by the Wilcoxon Sign Test and Chi-Square, using …

A Constructed Peace: Narratives Of Suture In The News Media, Jody L. Madeira

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In the aftermath of violent crime, survivors are confronted by questions of comprehension, healing, normalcy, accountability, and restoration. These same issues are communicated to audiences via mass media coverage of the crime and ensuing legal proceedings that focuses upon survivors while they are in the public eye - and while those suspected of the crime are in the defendant's chair. Such stories bring a human face to the innocents most affected by the outcome of the proceedings, relaying their involvement in and response to legal developments from arrest to execution. This paper examines these chronicles through the lens of narrative …

Athleticism In Sports, Judd Allen

Whittier Scholars Program

This project hypothesizes the relationship between collegiate basketball and trial law while focusing on proving that the process of preparing and participating in a collegiate basketball game directly parallels the preparation and process of competing in a legal trial. This student prepared the study through conducted interviews with lawyers and coaches and tested the following concepts: teamwork/team attributes, competitive attributes, performance attributes and commitment.

Exploring The Experience Of Fatherhood For Men Over 40 Years Of Age, Jan Henderson

Theses : Honours

Fathering literature from the past 30 years was explored to firstly, gain an understanding of how fathering roles have changed over this time, and secondly, to explore predictors of fathering involvement. The major changes in fathering appear to originate in gender ideology, resulting from a growing rejection of male gender role constraints concerning how men relate to their children. Further issues explored include post-war societal change; personality; work roles; relationship quality, and gatekeeping, where the child's mother is believed influence her partners fathering involvement to suit her own needs. Comparisons with past research revealed that recent studies are more likely …

The Body And Technology In Popular Culture, Przemyslaw Psuj

Theses : Honours

The human experience of the world today is increasingly adapted and understood via technological terms and systems. This thesis analyses and examines the ways in which technology today impacts upon the human body and its capacities in the area of subculture and music. Also considered are the implications of this notion for the future. Primarily my study stems from theory proposed by Donna Haraway (1985) and her image of the cyborg and its inherently hybrid nature. Picking up on this point, I will look specifically at the existence and representation of the hybrid body in popular culture. Some critics fear …

Perceptions Of Psychological Injury In The Workplace, Richard Merrett

Theses : Honours

Work-related psychological injury has not only increased as a percentage of all injuries but also accounts for the greatest cost, both in duration of lost time and financially (National Occupational Health & Safety Commission [NOHSC], 2001; NOHSC, 2002). There are two major explanations as to why this might be. One explanation is that stigmatisation of psychological injury has reduced, resulting in increased reporting (Manton, 2004). The other major explanation is that workplaces are becoming more stressful environments, resulting in increased levels of psychological injury to employees (Kenny & Cooper, 2003). This review will investigate those potentially influential factors that relate …

Substance Using Women : The Social Meaning Of Substance Use For Using Women And The Negotiation Of Identities, H. Suzanne Mackeith

Theses : Honours

This thesis is framed as an inquiry into the attitudes and experiences of women to their use of psychoactive substances and the contribution that use makes to their construction of gendered identities and meanings they derive from their use. The thesis also explores how these meanings relate to, and contrast or concur with, wider social attitudes relating to ‘feminine’ identity, issues of resistance and control, self control, happiness, independence and dependence, social roles and relationships, risk-taking and safety. The thesis aims to contribute to feminist understandings concerning substance use and to add a feminist interpretative voice to the alcohol, tobacco …

Measuring Coping : Evaluating The Psychometric Properties Of The Cope, Kathleen J. Donoghue

Theses : Honours

Research into coping has been hampered by the limited psychometric properties of the available instruments, particularly with respect to the internal validity of multidimensional measures. The purpose of this paper was to review research relevant to the measurement of coping, and to evaluate the COPE based on this literature. The COPE is a widely used multidimensional self-report instrument containing 15 subscales to measure different ways of coping. Claims that the COPE has good factorial validity warrant further examination in light of widespread criticism aimed at coping checklists in general. The present review found mounting evidence that the internal structure of …

Young People, Music And Political Participation : From The Cultural Politics To The Political Cultures Of Young People, Benjamin Taaffe

Theses : Honours

This study of young people's participation in politics seeks to investigate some of the areas where music and politics intersect in the lives of young people. From a broad interest in young people's participation, the relationship between young people, music and political participation will be explored. An initial account of the relationship between music and young people's political participation in advanced industrial capitalist societies such as Australia will be established. This relationship has previously received little academic attention. Dominant views of young people that suggest they are not interested in politics, or that they are irrelevant to political decision-making, deny …

Construction Of Male Identity : The Relationship Between Cancer Support Groups And Identity For Men Who Are Living With Cancer, Kathryn M. Chegwidden

Theses : Honours

A diagnosis of cancer may have many meanings for a man in terms of the impact that cancer has on various aspects of his life, including his identity as a man. Subsequent membership of a cancer support group may support men negotiating their changing identity. A review of the relevant literature examines the impact of cancer and its treatments for men, and the various changes resulting from men's experiences with cancer and cancer treatments. An overview of support groups, their function, composition, and benefits is provided with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of professional and member facilitated cancer …

The Sources And Nature Of Social Representations In A Multicultural Peer Group : Implications For Friendship And Inter-Group Relationships, Christina Callow

Theses : Honours

The historical, political and social nature of Australian society provides a backdrop for the ways in which exclusion and inclusion are perpetuated. It is from within this context adolescent identity development and relationship formation occurs. While there is a wealth of literature focussing on inter-group relationships and adolescent development, very little research has focussed on the implications of the wider context on everyday social knowledge, or social representations, held by adolescents in a multicultural peer group. Using social representation theory, this study investigated the social representations adolescents held in relation to ethnic, cultural and national identity. It also investigated the …

Uses, Motivations And Community Attachment Of Social Internet Users, Laura Price

Theses : Honours

The ability of the Internet to connect users across diverse locations has resulted in the use of the Internet for social purposes, such as to communicate and interact with others online. This has created the need to study the impact of the Internet on community attachment. Motivated by conflicting views relating to the impact of the Internet on community attachment, this study addresses the relationship from a social perspective, in order to investigate the motivations for social Internet use and to assess the impact of social Internet use community attachment. A quantitative design was utilised and a self administered questionnaire …

'Married' To The Military : The Experiences Of Partners Of Australian Defence Force Members, Ngaere B. Stewart

Theses : Honours

This paper provides a review of the literature in order to understand the experiences of the partners of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel. A brief overview of the early research in this area sets the context for a review of the demands of the ADF lifestyle, such as geographic mobility and lengthy operational separations from the ADF member. Military-related injuries and illness is another demand of the ADF that is also discussed. These demands are then examined within a theoretical framework of incorporation theory; the work/family fit and the family life cycle models. The overall satisfaction of ADF partners with …

What Does Covenant Mean For Relationships, Margaret F. Brinig, Steven L. Nock

Journal Articles

In this piece, we will first provide an analysis of covenant as we see it. We will continue with an original empirical test of whether covenant relationships differ from others, based upon new data from Louisiana, which offers both covenant and standard marriages. What we will try to argue and prove is that, even granting the differences between couples who choose covenant marriages from those who do not, something special happens to the relationship itself, or the spouses in it, when they choose the covenant marriage option. We conclude by relating what we have found to the more common choice …

American Conversations With(In) Catholicism, Richard W. Garnett

Journal Articles

CATHOLICISM AND AMERICAN FREEDOM: A HISTORY. By John T. McGreevy. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Co. 2003. Pp. 431. $26.95.

John T. McGreevy's Catholicism and American Freedom tells the story of how America or, more particularly, American liberalism has reacted and responded to Catholic claims about the nature and purpose of freedom. It also addresses how these claims were, in turn, shaped by Catholicism's own interactions with, internal conversations about, and adjustment to American liberalism. As McGreevy shows, for many people and for many years, the Roman Catholic Church served as a foil for American values and …

The Capital Asset Pricing Model: Theory And Evidence, Eugene F. Fama, Kenneth R. French

Dartmouth Scholarship

The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) of William Sharpe (1964) and John Lintner (1965) marks the birth of asset pricing theory (resulting in a Nobel Prize for Sharpe in 1990). Before their breakthrough, there were no asset pricing models built from first principles about the nature of tastes and investment opportunities and with clear testable predictions about risk and return. Four decades later, the CAPM is still widely used in applications, such as estimating the cost of equity capital for firms and evaluating the performance of managed portfolios. And it is the centerpiece, indeed often the only asset pricing model …

Policy Watch: Trade Adjustment Assistance, Katherine Baicker, M. Marit Rehavi

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Early Adolescent Through Young Adult Alcohol And Marijuana Use Trajectories: Early Predictors, Young Adult Outcomes, And Predictive Utility, Kate Flory, Donald Lynam, Richard Milich, Carl Leukefeld, Richard Clayton

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study takes a developmental approach to subgrouping and examines the trajectories of substance use from early adolescence through young adulthood among a community sample of 481 individuals. The patterns of use were examined, subgroups were identified separately for men and women and for alcohol and marijuana, and psychosocial predictors and psychopathology outcomes that differentiated the groups were identified. The results revealed three substantially overlapping subgroups for both alcohol and marijuana: early onset, late onset, and nonuser. Although the general patterns of which dependent variables were related to group were similar for alcohol and marijuana, a closer examination revealed …

A Comparison Of Attitudes About Aggression, Sexuality And Social Support In The Peer Relationships Of Sexually Abused And Nonabused Female Adolescents, Sherri R. Edelman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

There is a paucity of research examining whether adolescents with a history of sexual abuse develop different norms or standards for acceptable behavior in their peer relationships. The trauma literature suggests that intervening variables such as perceived social support, interpretations of violence, and interpersonal attitudes may be relevant to the study of sexual abuse. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between a history of sexual abuse, relational attitudes about aggression and sexuality, and the interpersonal factors of social support and negative interaction in adolescent peer relationships. Two groups of female subjects between 13 and 17 years …

Correspondence Of Self- And Observer-Rated Depression Using The Bdi-Ii And Bdi-Ii-O, Linda A. Longan

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study describes the development, reliability, and validity of a new observer-rated version of the Beck Depression Inventory – Second Edition (BDI-II). This measure, called the Beck Depression Inventory – II – Observer (BDI-II-O), is identical in form, content, and scoring to the BDI-II, and allows informants to report on the depressive symptoms of others. The informants for this initial study were clinicians; however, the BDI-II-O is designed for use by a wider range of informants. A group of four clinicians completed the BDI-II-O on each of 36 adult psychiatric patients in an intensive outpatient/partial hospitalization program. The patients completed …

Investigation Of Anger-Management Techniques For Essential Hypertension Patients, Karyne B. Wilner

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The hypotheses that when cognitive-behavior interventions for anger-management are introduced to an essential hypertension (EH) patient with clinically significant levels of anger in an eight-session therapy protocol, blood pressure (BP) measures will decrease, coping mechanisms will be enhanced, and behavior associated with anger will be transformed from the inhibition of it or the aggressive expression of it to a more rational and reasoned communications approach, demonstrated by scores falling between the 25th and 75th percentile on the State-Trait Anger Inventory-2 [STAXI-2] (Spielberger, 1999) were supported in this case study. The research findings were that a male, EH patient improved his …

Attributional Style And Sleep Disturbance In Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Marian Bova

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study investigated attributional style, i.e., locus of control, stability, and globality, as well as other causes of sleep disturbance in combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The causes of sleep disturbance which were studied included restlessness/agitation, mental overactivity, consequences of poor sleep, and lack of sleep readiness. A case-control group design (N = 100) compared combat veterans who had PTSD (n = 50) with a group of similar-aged men who did not have PTSD (n 50). SPSS 10.0 was used to conduct all analyses. MANOVAs (a= .05) were used to analyze results. Findings suggested that combat veterans with …

Feasibility Study Of A Cognitive Behavioral Smoking Cessation Intervention For Adolescent Males In Residential Treatment, Flora Casallas

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study examined the effectiveness of a modified, empirically-based smoking cessation intervention, originally designed for teenagers in public school settings, but applied to actively smoking adolescents in residential treatment. The cognitive-behavioral intervention, developed by the American Lung Association (ALA, 2001) and researchers at West Virginia University, called Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T), provides a total-health approach to helping teenagers quit smoking or to reducing the number of cigarettes smoked. The 10-session intervention was delivered over five consecutive weeks to eight adolescent males ranging in age 13 to 16 and in grades 8 to 10, living in a residential treatment community (RTC) located …