Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: January 2008, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2008

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from January 4 and 18, 2008.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Educated Mothers At Home: Motivation, Expectations, And Experiences, Adrienne Lynn Riegle

Masters Theses

This studuy explored the motivation for educated stay-at-home mothers (SAHНMs) to stay at home with their children and examined expectations and experiences regarding their decision. Twenty-two participants earned the minimum of a bachelor's degree or higher prior to staying at home with their own children for a period of at least 1 year and responded to an online survey of demographic information and open-ended questions. Qualitative data analysis led to a theoretical model of the SAHM experience. The model included 3 specific concepts: 1) individual interests as motivation; 2) commitment to and identity associated with the SAHM; and 3) the …

Applying The Theory Of Planned Behavior On Consumption Of Fruits And Vegetables Among University Students, Angie Ison

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the fruit and vegetable consumption among university students applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by examining a) university students' fruits and vegetables perceived intake b) university students' knowledge on benefits of fruits and vegetables intake; c) reason for limited intake of fruits and vegetables d) motivating factors that influence increased intake, e) who and/or what caused significant impact in decision making on eating fruit and vegetable. Three hundred fifty-six students participated in the study and completed a survey with 64 questions. The questionnaire was designed to assess knowledge on the benefits …

The Effect Of Social Pressure On Eating Habits Of College Students, Dawn Wilcox

Masters Theses

Food consumption is affected by a variety of factors including social pressure. A quasi-experimental design was used to determine the relationship between social pressure and food consumption in a restaurant environment. The study addressed the specific effect of one person’s decision to order or decline a second portion on fellow diners' consumption of beverages, salads, side dishes, entrées, and desserts. The research protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board. A convenience sample of male and female college students (n=65) participated in a one hour dining experience in a restaurant setting. Subjects were randomly assigned to the control or treatment …

College Debt: An Exploratory Study Of Risk Factors Among College Freshmen And Its Effect On College Choice, Renee M. Smith

Masters Theses

College student loan debt has become an increasing concern in recent years. There has been a steady increase in the number of students taking out loans and in the total amounts borrowed for a college education (CollegeBoard, 2006). The majority of college students will graduate with some amount of college debt, but some graduates leave school with much higher loan debt than others. It is important to examine what makes some students more willing to take on higher educational loan debts than other students.

The primary purpose of this study was to explore risk factors associated with educational debt and …

Discussing The Argumentativeness Scale, Jacob A. Sweet

Masters Theses

Studies have shown that people may associate the word "argue" on the argumentativeness scale with concepts associated with verbal aggressiveness, such as name calling or quarrels. The perceptions of the words used in the argumentativeness scale may result in considerable social desirability bias. A possible way of rectifying this problem involves I the substitution of key words. This thesis reports three studies investigating participants' perceptions of the word "argue" and its derivatives as well as synonyms for the word "argue." Findings show that individuals tend to perceive the words "argue" and "argument" in a negative light. Substituting "discuss controversial issues" …

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: January 2008, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2008

LSUHSC Dailly Facilities Updates from January 2008.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Indigenous Self-Determination: A Global Perspective, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The concepts of self-determination and sovereignty, from an Indigenous perspective, embrace values, attitudes, perspectives, and actions. Of course, as a result of the historical phenomenon known as colonialism, in which expansive European states sought to dominate the rights, resources, and lands of aboriginal people worldwide, one cannot discuss Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty without some corresponding discussion of how states and their policy makers understand these politically charged terms as well.

I have been thinking, acting, researching, and writing on these two vital concepts, intergovernmental relations, critical legal theory, and comparative Indigenous politics for nearly two decades. Along with this, I …

Personal Memoirs Of U.S. Grant, And Alternative Accounts Of Lee's Surrender At Appomattox, George R. Goethals

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

It is somewhat troubling that as we try to understand leaders and leadership we are confronted with the problem that our knowledge of central historical events is highly subject to the differing perspectives of various scholars. What can we know? How can we know it?

This chapter considers these questions by examining the implications of a particular variation on the general problem of differing historical perspectives. That is, how do we weigh autobiographical accounts of events by the actors themselves? Is there something distinctive about these accounts, or are they best thought of as just one more rendering of history, …

Adam Smith, Collusion And “Right” At The Supreme Court, David M. Levy, Sandra J. Peart

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Adam Smith’s views on collusion were injected into the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bell Atlantic v. Twombly as Justice Stevens puzzled over why a collusive action might be viewed as “right.” Motivation by a desire for approbation provides Smith’s explanation for the existence of well- functioning groups. “Right” action is approved by the group. The question is what happens when the groups are in conflict. For Smith, collusion is one instance of the larger problem of faction in which a small group organizes to exploit the larger society.

Ethics In Experimentation, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Experimentation in the social sciences, by its very nature, requires researchers to manipulate and control key aspects of the social setting so as to determine what effect, if any, these manipulations have on the people in that setting. Such studies, although unmatched in terms of their scientific yield, nonetheless raise questions of ethics: Do researchers have the moral right to conduct experiments on their fellow human beings? What practices are unacceptable and what procedures are allowable? Can standards be established to safeguard the rights of participants?

Autokinetic Effect, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

The autokinetic effect is an optical illusion. It occurs when a perceiver staring at a stationary pinpoint of light in an otherwise completely dark visual field believes that the light moves from its fixed position. This “self-motion” (auto-kinetic) is caused, in part, by the nearly imperceptible movements of the eye known as saccades. Ordinarily the visual system compensates for these naturally occurring motions of the eye, but when only a single light is visible with no frame of reference, the light appears to wander in unpredictable directions and at variable speeds. This illusion was first noted by astronomers when viewing …

Why "Being There" Is Essential To Leadership, Joanne B. Ciulla

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

One of the first things Americans hear on the TV or radio news each day is where the president will be and what he will be doing. In England, you can tell when the queen is staying in her castle if her flag is flying over it. People like to know where their leaders are, and that information is readily available to the public. In an era of video conferencing and satellite feeds, leaders can be seen and heard anywhere at anytime in the virtual world. Nonetheless, the presence of a leader on TV is sometimes not good enough. There …

The Impacts Of Economic, Political, And Cultural Globalization On Transnational Terrorism, Bradley J. Murphy

Masters Theses

This paper analyzes the impacts of economic, political, and cultural globalization on transnational terrorism using world-level data in a semi-log structure for the years 1970-2000. There are currently two opposing frameworks, which are explored in this research: destructive globalization and civilizing globalization. The empirical results are evaluated and each variable is classified as support for one of the opposing theories. The economic and cultural facets of globalization are divided among their support for the opposing theories while the spread of democracy produces strong support for the civilizing globalization theory.

Federal Renewable-Energy Research And Development Funding And Innovation, Darrin B. Johnson

Masters Theses

Energy is the largest industry on the planet and necessary for the sustainability of life. As the world's stores of nonrenewable-energy begin to deplete at an increasing rate, the research on feasible sources of renewable-energy becomes essential. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between federal funding for activities of energy research and development for renewable-energy sources and the resulting number of renewable-energy patent applications. Panel and ordinary least squares estimations are applied. Data consists of nineteen countries spanning the years from 1985 through 1997. Results indicate a weak and statistically insignificant relationship between federal renewable-energy R&D …

Collectively We Unite On Facebook: A Case Study Of Egypt's Collective Action On Facebook Toward Social Change, Basma Botros

Masters Theses

The development of the famous social networking site, Facebook, has been associated with significant challenges to regimes that are characterized by being repressive to its citizens in terms of freedom of speech and expression, and mostly are third world developing countries that suffer. Egypt provides a good case study of Facebook ability to organize a strike among its citizens. April 6, 2008 is curved in the memories of Egyptians as a "general dissent day" that was initiated through Facebook and then was transmitted to almost every Egyptian citizen using other media sources. This paper shows how Facebook facilitates collective identity …

President's Page, Fannie M. Cox

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Women Candidates And Television Advertising: An Examination Of The 2006 Mid-Term Elections, Sharlin Aldao

Masters Theses

Television campaign ads are considered by scholars as the primary resource which candidates for national office use to introduce themselves and their views to the public, regardless of whether they are male or female. The majority of research nonetheless has focused on advertising at the Presidential and Congressional level. It has also focused on the use of negativity in their ads. Women candidates as an aggregate have many obstacles in terms of television advertising. The long standing stereotype of women as the homemaker and mother would lead many to believe that they should and only focus on women's issues such …

The Coordination Of Multiple Roles By Female Graduate Students From Three Different Cultures, Smita Srivastava

Masters Theses

This research studied the coordination of multiple roles by female graduate students who are mothers. Zika (2006) reported that working women in the developed world contribute 40 to 50 percent of the gross national product at the same time that they continue to be responsible for most of the household and childcare responsibilities in the home. Some researchers have suggested that having multiple roles can be deleterious, while others have suggested benefits. Because women from around the world today are participating in multiple roles, the present study investigated, using a qualitative research method, how three female graduate students from different …

Automated Estimation Of Time Codes For Captioning Digital Media, Daniel P. Harvey Ii

Masters Theses

Captioning provides accessibility to media resources for deaf and hearingimpaired persons and is mandated by federal and state laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the process of creating synchronized captions for media is time consuming and labor intensive. Consequently, many content providers still do not incorporate captions into media presentations on the web.

In this research, algorithms were developed to automate part of the captioning process by estimating the timing of captions for web-based audio and video files using plain-text transcripts and their corresponding audio recordings. Recordings used in this study were of professional speakers/readers from American …

Forgetting The Once-Seen Face: Estimating The Strength Of An Eyewitness’S Memory Representation, Kenneth A. Deffenbacher, Brian H. Bornstein, E. Kiernan Mcgorty, Steven D. Penrod

Psychology Faculty Publications

The fidelity of an eyewitness’s memory representation is an issue of paramount forensic concern. Psychological science has been un¬able to offer more than vague generalities concerning the relation of retention interval to memory trace strength for the once-seen face. A meta-analysis of 53 facial memory studies produced a highly reliable association (r = .18, d = 0.37) between longer retention intervals and positive forgetting of once-seen faces, an effect equally strong for both face recognition and eyewitness identification studies. W. A. Wick¬elgren’s (1974, 1975, 1977) theory of recognition memory provided statistically satisfactory fits to 11 different empirical forgetting func¬tions. Applied …

Comparison Of Dibels And Aimsweb Fall Benchmarking And Their Identification Of Students In Need Of Tier Ii Service, Lindsay R. Rickelman

Masters Theses

This study investigated the DIBELS and AIMSweb systems of data collection for fall benchmarking and their identification of students in need of Tier II services. One hundred and five students in the second through fifth grade from a Midwestern suburb were administered probes from both assessment systems during the fall benchmarking time period (September - October). The median number of words read correctly and errors committed in a minute from each assessment system were recorded and analyzed. Results revealed that student performance differed significantly, in that they read more reads correctly on AIMSweb probes and committed more errors on DIBELS …

Using Individual Growth And Development Indicators To Track Preschoolers' Early Literacy Development, Deborah Cook Pottle

Masters Theses

Several studies have recently reported the examination of preschoolers' early literacy kills with the purpose of establishing a trajectory of growth that can be expected by age group, socio-economic factors and developmental levels. The purpose of this study was to examine preschoolers' early literacy development to further understand the developmental timeframes in which children establish early literacy skills. The Individual Orowth and Development Indicators (lODI) were used to track the trajectory of early literacy skills in 6J preschool children over a period of four months from .Tanuary to April. The growth trajectories of the preschool participants from differing socio-economic groups …

Voting Rights For Felons: An Analysis Of Felon Voting Rights Restoration Laws In Illinois And New York And The Factors That Affect An Elections Official's Willingness Or Reluctance To Implement The Law, Barbara Dongu Smith

Masters Theses

This research examines the roles that race and political party affiliation play in an elections official's knowledge of voting rights restoration for felons in Illinois. Felon disenfranchisement as public policy traces a path from pre-modem society to present day and has become a viable issue as the numbers of those incarcerated and denied voting rights has increased. This research proposes to determine if felon disenfranchisement as public policy is prevalent in Illinois, a state that grants franchise to felons after release from Department of Corrections custody or if, as the academic and scholarly literature proposes, it is so entrenched in …

Resiliency In Hispanic Middle School Students: A Direct Assessment, Randy Horner

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the level of resiliency found in middle school Latinos in the south suburbs of Chicago. The Hispanic population is currently booming with the most growth coming from Mexican Immigrants. Many young Hispanics face munerous stressors attributed to cultural issues and low Socioeconomicstatus (SES). Few studies have examined resiliency in young Hispanics. Resiliency plays an integral part in adjusting to life, and a lack of, or passel of it can lead to maladjustment or negative outcomes. This study compared the level of resiliency between Hispanic middle school males and Caucasian middle school males. …

Predicting Eating Disordered Behavior In Adolescent Boys, Kurt Wagner

Masters Theses

Although much research exists on eating disorders, little exists regarding the prevalence and correlates of eating disordered behavior among males, particularly at the peak age of onset: early adolescence. The current study hypothesizes that eating disordered behavior in male adolescents is most correlated with self-dissatisfaction of musculature, then dissatisfaction of apparent body fat, drive for muscularity, their reasons for exercise, and body mass index. High school males (n = 148) were surveyed regarding these attitudes and beliefs, and about symptoms of eating disordered behavior. The purpose was to determine correlates of eating disordered behavior among adolescent boys, then develop a …

Examining The Impact Of A Little Book Intervention On The Early Literacy Skills Of Children In Head Start Via The Individual Growth And Development Indicators, Laura J. Holstius

Masters Theses

This study examined whether or not exposure to Rhyme and Letter Little Books significantly increased the rhyming and initial sound/alliteration recognition skills of academically at-risk preschool children. Twice a week for eight weeks, students in a Head Start program listened to a researcher present a lesson with either the Rhyme and Letter Little Books or the original Little Books. It was hypothesized that statistically significant differences in the rhyming and initial sound recognition skills between the two groups would exist at the end of the intervention because the Rhyme and Letter Little Books were created to foster phonological awareness skills …

Predictors Of Stress And Help Seeking: Exploring Group Differences Among Traditional And Nontraditional Female College Students, Stacey Priya Raj

Masters Theses

Enrollment of nontraditional women in colleges continues to increase but despite their academic strengths, nontraditional students have higher attrition rates. Although psychological counseling may support the academic pursuits of nontraditional women, little is known about their attitudes toward help seeking. Recognizing the diversity among nontraditional female students, this study explores factors which predict stress and help seeking among 3 groups of female students: traditional age (24 and younger), nontraditional age (25 and older) non-parents, and nontraditional age parents. One hundred seventy-six female students between the ages of 18 and 57 completed measures of role responsibility and support, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem …

Sexual Cognitions Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors, Christa M. Smith

Masters Theses

Studies have examined the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) including the relationship between CSA and force cognitions (Renaud & Byers, 2005). However, no studies have researched the relationship between CSA and sexual abuse cognitions, despite limited clinical literature reporting that this may be a problem (e.g., Wilson & Wilson, in press). Two-hundred twenty-seven females completed revised versions of the Childhood Sexual Abuse Questionnaire the Sexual Cognitions Checklist. Results found that female CSA survivors reported more sexual abuse cognitions and greater arousal to these cognitions than those who had not experienced CSA. Results indicate that compared to women with no …

Epistemological Belief, Attachment Style To God, And Religious Commitment As Predictors Of Religious Maturity, Andrew Beard

Masters Theses

The present study explored how three variables ( epistemological belief, attachment style to God, and religious commitment) predicted religious maturity. The study specifically aimed at determining which variable ( epistemological belief, attachment style to God, and religious commitment) was most predictive of each of the various dimensions of religious maturity: master-motive, complexity of beliefs, openness, heuristic quality as well as the integration of religious attitude components. Scales that measured these predictors and dimensions of religious maturity were administered to 246 students at Eastern Illinois University. Results indicated that the affective (attachment style to God) and behavioral (religious commitment) variables were …