Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perceptions Of Violence Among High School Students, Beth Sanner

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of violence among high school students. The researcher analyzed the differences in the perceptions of the severity of violence among high school students in the following demographic characteristics: ethnicity, gender, academic achievement, regional location and family e-up. In addition, the differences in the severity of physical, verbal and social violence was found and also compared among the above mentioned demographic characteristics. The sample included 145 high school students in Illinois. A quantitative causal comparative design was used to compare perceptions of violence among existing groups of high school students. Additionally, …

Analysis Of Suicidal Ideations And Attempts Among University Freshmen, Emily A. Johnston

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore freshmen Midwestern university students' (a) suicidal ideations and attempts, (b) help-seeking resources, and (c) relationships between suicide ideations/attempts and academic focus. Surveys were collected from 126 male and female university freshmen (n = 43 male; n = 83 female). A 15-question survey was designed to explore suicide attempts, ideations, academic majors, and help-seeking resources utilized by freshmen university students. The participants were a convenience sample from 8 freshmen introductory orientation classes. Results indicate: (a) a relationship between suicide ideations/attempts and academic college; (b) freshmen females rely on friends as a help-seeking resource; …

Diabetes Awareness Among Children: A Comparison Study Of Diabetes Knowledge In School-Age Children Between U.S. And Kuwait, Nayef Y. Bu-Maryoum

Masters Theses

The literature shows that people of all ages, in all socio-economic groups and in many countries, are not well educated about nutrition. Teachers in public elementary schools both the United States and Kuwait administered an eight-item questionnaire developed by the researcher. The questionnaire was delivered orally to insure comprehension by non-readers. Results indicated that young children in both the United States and Kuwait have an awareness of and a desire to learn more about diabetes. Generally speaking, Kuwaiti children are more knowledgeable about diabetes than their American counterparts as seen in questions four, five, six, and eleven. On the other …

Dietetic Students' Attitudes Toward Overweight/Obese People, Suzanne R. Stluka

Masters Theses

Health professionals are often the main line of obesity defense and targeted as possessing antifat bias; therefore, in an effort to address this issue, the depth of antifat bias among undergraduate dietetic students was analyzed. Student participation in this study was requested from across the United States, with 1099 students participating in the study and completing a web-based, self-administered questionnaire. The data indicated that a lower antifat attitude endorsement is present among current undergraduate dietetic students; however, five statements related specifically to the dietetics profession came close to showing strong antifat attitude endorsement. The majority of students classified their perceived …

Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs In Illinois Schools, Mary Ann Seaton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to complete an in depth exploration of programs designed to teach children the skills necessary to keep them safe from sexual abuse. Educational programs have been utilized to aid in the prevention and acknowledgement of childhood sexual abuse for many years. While sexual abuse programs for children are used across the United States, little contemporary research exists related to the use of these programs.

Child sexual abuse prevention programs in central Illinois schools are provided through the public schools by various non-profit community organizations. The sample of this study consisted of five organizations, each …

Psi Hitting And Missing: The Effects Of Belief, Order Of Run, And Previous Experience, Jaymes Parker

Masters Theses

The current study examined several variables to determine their effects on telepathy performance. Part I used groups of participants who attempted to telepathically send the location oftargets to a receiver selected randomly from the group. Fifteen sessions were conducted during which 9 receivers each completed 16 trials. It was hypothesized that an order effect would be present with increased missing during the first and last run of each session. It was also hypothesized that belief in mental telepathy would influence telepathy scores. Results indicated significant differences when comparing positions 1 and 9 with positions 2-8. Scores, while not significant, tended …

The Relationship Between Maximizing, Perfectionism, And Relationship Satisfaction, Tara Lynn Riddle

Masters Theses

The relationship between maximization and perfectionism to relationship choices was explored. Ninety-seven undergraduate introductory psychology students were administered the Maximization Scale (Schwartz, et al., 2002), Hendrick Relationship Assessment Scale (Hendrick, 1991), Revised Almost Perfect Scale (Slaney, et al., 2001) and a brief demographic questionnaire. Results indicated that there is no significant relationship between maximization and relationship satisfaction, romantic relationship durations, or initiating relationship termination. In addition, perfectionism was not found to be related to choices in dating relationships. However, analyses did replicate prior research indicating a significant positive relationship between maximization and perfectionism (Schwartz, et al., 2002).

A Correlation Study Between Employee Perception And Customer Satisfaction In An Automotive Manufacturing Corporation, Jason Travis Felton

Masters Theses

Organizations may be able to utilize internal measures of customer and employee satisfaction in order to get a head start on potential customer satisfaction issues. Correlation analysis is employed to determine significance between measures of employee perception and the pulse of customer satisfaction. Employee perceptions and external customer satisfaction metrics are quantified across 3 manufacturing sites to determine relationships between key indicators. Validated survey questions are compiled statistically in composite groups in order to evaluate employee perceptions of customer satisfaction efforts and employee satisfaction efforts. Results are evaluated using Pearson product moment "r". Results indicate a positive correlation exists between …

A Study Of Knowledge Management Used For Managing Quality Systems In Selected Manufacturing Organizations In Coles And Effingham Counties, Merlin Haryati

Masters Theses

The globalization and information revolutions increase the complexity and competition resulting in a business environment that is no longer stable and static. Executives of all organizations face the challenge of adopting new management practices to keep their organizations vibrant in a rapidly changing technological business world. Knowledge management is one of the emerging fields that promise workplace improvements by putting the tacit knowledge of the company into use.

The emergence of knowledge management in the year 2000 caused organizations to realize that their intellectual assets are central to their survival. Managing and harvesting these assets is the focus of knowledge …

College Students’ Responses To Antismoking Messages: Denial, Defiance, And Other Boomerang Effects, Joyce M. Wolburg

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Despite the success of antismoking campaigns that aim to prevent young teens from smoking, this qualitative study provides strong evidence that different initiatives are needed for college students, particularly those who already smoke. When asked for responses to current antismoking messages, nonsmokers generally championed the cause; however, smokers often responded with anger, defiance, denial, and other negative responses. Consumers who respond in this manner are not well served by existing strategies, and money used for such campaigns could be better spent. New strategies are offered in hopes that antismoking campaigns can communicate more effectively with one high-risk group—college student smokers.

Capacity Utilization Paper, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• Shaikh, A. (2006, January). Capacity utilization paper [Handwritten notes]. Unpublished manuscript.

• Shaikh, A. (n.d.). Reference list for a paper on capacity utilization [Reference list]. Unpublished manuscript.

• Morin, N., & Stevens, J. (2004, August). Estimating capacity utilization from survey data (Finance and Economics Discussion Series) [Working paper]. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

• U.S. Census Bureau. (2005, November). Instructions for the survey of plant capacity utilization during the fourth quarter 2005 [Instructional document]. U.S. Department of Commerce.

• Shaikh, A. (n.d.). R and r and capacity utilization rates for various countries [Printed …

New Evidence On Race Discrimination Under "Separate But Equal", Bradley A. Hansen, Mary Eschelbach Hansen

Economics Articles

Recently uncovered data on teachers’ salaries in Virginia in 1906 allow for more precise and consistent estimations of marginal returns to certification and formal education than had been available in previous studies. Virginia's “separate but equal” educational system paid black teachers in rural counties lower wages than it paid white teachers and on average paid a lower premium to blacks for certification and formal education than it paid to whites. In incorporated cities, returns to certification and normal school education were about the same for black teachers and white teachers, although average salaries were lower for black teachers.

Is Pigmentation Important For Face Recognition? Evidence From Contrast Negation, Richard Russell, Pawan Sinha, Irving Biederman, Marissa Nederhouser

Psychology Faculty Publications

It is extraordinarily difficult to recognize a face in an image with negated contrast, as in a photographic negative. The variation among faces can be partitioned into two general sources: (a) shape and (b) surface reflectance, here termed 'pigmentation'. To determine whether negation differentially affects the processing of shape or pigmentation, we made two sets of faces where the individual faces differed only in shape in one set and only in pigmentation in the other. Surprisingly, matching performance was significantly impaired by contrast negation only when the faces varied in pigmentation. This provides evidence that the perception of pigmentation, not …

Wright State University Baseball Media Guide 2006, Wright State University Athletics

Athletics Publications

A media guide that features information about the coaches and players of the Wright State University's 2006 Men's Baseball team. This guide includes photographs, player stats, game results, and records.

Wright State University Cross Country And Track Media Guide 2006-2007, Wright State University Athletics

Athletics Publications

A media guide for Wright State University's 2006-2007 Cross Country and Track teams. This guide includes photographs, player stats, game results, and records.

Wright State University Libraries Access Newsletter Fall 2005/Winter 2006, Wright State University Libraries

Access Newsletter

An eight page newsletter created by Wright State University Libraries that addresses the current affairs of the Libraries.

Evaluating A New Urbanist Neighborhood, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

New Urbanist neighborhoods aim to improve sustainability by reducing automobile use, increasing walking and cycling, increasing the diversity of land uses and people, and increasing social capital, through strengthened personal and civic bonds. With more New Urbanist communities being constructed, it is now more feasible and necessary to evaluate their success. Much of the existing research uses older, traditional neighborhoods as a proxy for New Urbanism. This research compares a New Urbanist development with two conventional subdivisions and finds that some of the objectives are being fulfi lled, in both direct and indirect ways. While New Urbanist residents are walking …

The Light On The Horizon: Imagining The Death Of American Cities, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cities in the United States have never known the direct effects of total war. Lacking this bitter experience, Americans have had to imagine the impacts of catastrophic warfare on their urban centers. This paper examines fictional depictions of future warfare as it has been imagined to affect U.S. cities, particularly since 1945. It draws on films, short stories, and novels from the "thriller," "future war," and science fiction genres to explore common assumptions and underlying attitudes about cities and city life. It finds that cities are conspicuous by their absence from such stories of future war and its impacts. Cities …

Combining Linear Regression With Reconstructability Analysis: A Study Of Differences In Health Status, Renato Carletti, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

A linear regression model was used to predict variations in health status with the hypothesis that literacy level as a proximal measure for educational attainment would show a strong correlation with health status. Groups of other independent variables have also been introduced in the model to test whether the effect of literacy on health would have been mediated by other factors, or increased by them. The linear regression model did not show any strong relation between literacy and health, but pointed to other factors as predictors of health status.

Methods of data mining have been used for exploring throughout all …

A Look Beyond: Wolves, Freedom And The Landscape, David Johns

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on the wolves and the need for conservation plans including a wildlife corridor that runs from the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sonora, Mexico, north along the Rocky Mountains to the Yellowstone ecosystem and on to the Canadian Yukon. A broad coalition is working to protect and restore the health of the land, water and wolves in this 4,000-mile-long international passage, often referred to as the ?Spine of the Continent.?

Indicators Of The Metroscape: Columbia Log Jam, Brian Vanneman

Metroscape

Article discusses the transportation of lumber, wood, and paper products on the I-5 Freeway and over the Columbia River Bridge.

Montavilla: Mapping Community Assets, Adrien Allred, Ann Shaw Lee, Chris Stahlberg, Eugene Nucci

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

In May of 2006, Southeast Uplift of Portland Oregon approached Portland State University Mapping Community Assets Senior Capstone class with a proposed project. They asked the class to explore the community connections and assets in southeast Portland, and, specifically in the Montavilla Neighborhood. They were interested in the community organizations that might exist in the area and the way these organizations interacted with each other and the community as a whole. The class goal was to come up with a tool that could be used in the other southeast neighborhoods based on the research and experience in Montavilla.

The 2006 Guide To Local Food Resources: Portland Region:, Liz Mahon, Pressy Sankaran, Ann Shaw, Russell Theodore Holzinger

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

This guide serves to list the organizations involved in the promotion and maintenance of a sustainable local food system. It will summarize the nature of the involved organizations in an effort to identify existing partnerships and provide information that may lead to new opportunities in the community. In particular, this guide provides a listing of organizations that focus on farmer and consumer education, public policy, advocacy, marketing, and building relationships within this extensive food network. Also included is a matrix identifying which organizations are involved in the various sectors of the region ’ s food network, as well as maps …

Kelo: One Year Later, Alan C. Weinstein

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

June of 2006 marked the first anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Kelo v. City of New London, making this a good time to analyze the past year's flurry of activity and assess what it means for local governments. As of mid-May of 2006, more than forty states were considering legislation in reaction to the Kelo ruling, and fifteen have already enacted such legislation.

Authority Presence And The Effect On Prejudice, Nicole F. Hofman

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The current study analyzed the relationship between an authority figure's presence and the prevalence of prejudice when sentencing criminals. Eighteen undergraduate students (5 men and 13 women) aged 18 to 21 years, volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant completed the Implicit Association Test (lAT) and completed four fictitious criminal sentences. Significant support was not found for the current hypothesis, although more participants showed prejudice when the authority figure was absent compared to when the individual was present.Women showed prejudicial behavior more often then men when the authority figure was absent. Participants had a tendency to sentence longer for …

Memory Suggestibility In Entry-Level Rotc Students, M.A. Johanson, B.M. Mahaffy

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of the current study was to test the theory that asking leading questions shortly after watching a video clip concerned with military safety will alter the viewer's memory of the events. This study was specifically directed toward a military population and used a military video clip. College students (10 men and 5 women) enrolled in entry-level ROTC classes volunteered to participate. Half of the students participating received questionnaires with leading questions and half did not. Contrary to the predicted hypothesis, the difference found between the numbers of correct answers on the two different questionnaires was not statistically significant.

The Psychological Assessment Of Applicants For Priesthood And Religious Life, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

The recent clergy sexual abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church have focused a great deal of attention on how we evaluate applicants to the priesthood and religious life. The crisis has underscored the critical need to ensure that men who have a sexual predilection towards children be barred from entering religious life and priesthood. Additionally, men who have other significant psychiatric conditions that put them at risk of harming children or others have no place as Church leaders or clergy in positions where they have access to and power over vulnerable others.

Informational Herding And Optimal Experimentation, Lones Smith, Peter Norman Sorensen

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We show that far from capturing a formally new phenomenon, informational herding is really a special case of single-person experimentation — and ‘bad herds’ the typical failure of complete learning. We then analyze the analogous team equilibrium, where individuals maximize the present discounted welfare of posterity. To do so, we generalize Gittins indices to our non-bandit learning problem, and thereby characterize when contrarian behaviour arises: (i) While herds are still constrained efficient, they arise for a strictly smaller belief set. (ii) A log-concave log-likelihood ratio density robustly ensures that individuals should lean more against their myopic preference for an action …

Gaussian Inference In Ar(1) Time Series With Or Without A Unit Root, Peter C.B. Phillips, Chirok Han

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This note introduces a simple first-difference-based approach to estimation and inference for the AR(1) model. The estimates have virtually no finite sample bias, are not sensitive to initial conditions, and the approach has the unusual advantage that a Gaussian central limit theory applies and is continuous as the autoregressive coefficient passes through unity with a uniform / n rate of convergence. En route, a useful CLT for sample covariances of linear processes is given, following Phillips and Solo (1992). The approach also has useful extensions to dynamic panels.

Refined Inference On Long Memory In Realized Volatility, Offer Lieberman, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

There is an emerging consensus in empirical finance that realized volatility series typically display long range dependence with a memory parameter (d) around 0.4 (Andersen et. al. (2001), Martens et. al. (2004)). The present paper provides some analytical explanations for this evidence and shows how recent results in Lieberman and Phillips (2004a, 2004b) can be used to refine statistical inference about d with little computational effort. In contrast to standard asymptotic normal theory now used in the literature which has an O ( n -1/2 ) error rate on error rejection probabilities, the asymptotic approximation used here has an error …