Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Stepping Up: Managing Diversity In Challenging Times, Carol Hardy-Fanta

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Since its launch in 2008, Commonwealth Compact has grown steadily, employing several strategies to promote diversity statewide. The Benchmarks initiative has collected data, analyzed in this report, on a significant portion of the state workforce. Guided by Stephen Crosby, dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston, Commonwealth Compact has conducted newsmaking surveys of public opinion and of boards of directors statewide. In addition, it has convened ongoing coalitions with its higher education partners, and established a collaborative of local business schools aimed specifically at increasing faculty diversity. The Compact has sponsored or co-sponsored …

Circle : A Relationship-Based Dialogic Approach To Growing Out Of Racism : A Project Based Upon An Investigtion With The Partnership For Latino Success, Leominister, Massachusetts, Kristin Elaine Pinto-Wilson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to discover whether Circle could be used to foster individual and collective transformation regarding issues of racism. The director for the Partnership for Latino Success designed and implemented a dialogue series called "Changing the World by Changing Ourselves" for individuals to engage in a Circle journey about racism in daily life, relationships, and the community. The dialogues focused on microaggressions, relearning relationships and engaging in meaningful collaborations, and removing shame and blame from social change efforts. This researcher engaged in the dialogue series as a participant/observer and interviewed eight individuals who participated in at least two …

Compulsive Hoarding In Children: Six Case Studies, Edward H. Plimpton, Randy O. Frost, Brianna C. Abbey, Whitney Dorer

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the parents of six children who showed signs of compulsive hoarding. The cases revealed a wide variety of hoarding behaviors. Hoarding manifested in difficulties in discarding and maintaining control over possessions. Few cases had problems with clutter or excessive acquisition. In three cases hoarding was episodic and stress-related. Most of the cases showed overlapping ADHD symptoms and a majority demonstrated problems with perfectionism. Only two had clear obsessive-compulsive disorder, although concerns about others touching or moving possessions, which was present in all of the cases, may represent a form of ordering and arranging compulsions. None …

Minimum Flow Rules For South Carolina Rivers, William L. Graf

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Presidential Staffing And Public Opinion: How Public Opinion Influences Politicization, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn

Departmental Papers (PS)

Scholars traditionally frame presidential efforts to politicize the federal bureaucracy as the result of divergence between the president's preferences and an agency's output. The authors argue that presidential concern with agency output is dynamic and is in part conditioned by the president's relationship with the public. To assess the relationship between politicization and public opinion, the authors use a data set that combines information on presidential efforts to politicize the Council of Economic Advisers from 1989 to 2004 with that of public attitudes concerning the president's handling of the economy. Their results indicate that public opinion does indeed bear a …

Discrepant Comorbidity Between Minority And White Suicides: A National Multiple Cause-Of-Death Analysis, Ian Rh Rockett, Yinjuan Lian, Steven Stack, Alan M. Ducatman, Shuhui Wang

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Clinician training deficits and a low and declining autopsy rate adversely impact the quality of death certificates in the United States. Self-report and records data for the general population indicate that proximate mental and physical health of minority suicides was at least as poor as that of white suicides.

Methods

This cross-sectional mortality study uses data from Multiple Cause-of-Death (MCOD) public use files for 1999–2003 to describe and evaluate comorbidity among black, Hispanic, and white suicides. Unintentional injury decedents are the referent for multivariate analyses.

Results

One or more mentions of comorbid psychopathology are documented on the death …

Wikis, Ke Zhang, Stacey Deloose

Administrative and Organizational Studies

As a widely applied Web2.0 technology, wikis are open, dynamic websites with collaboratively constructed knowledge, information, and resources, which are freely available to any Internet user. This book chapter serves as an overview to wikis, discussing thei benefits and practical educational applications towards K-12, higher education, corporations, government, and non-profits, providing examples and references to further materials.

The Unjust Selection Of Justice Professionals: Balancing Fairness For Police Officer Applicants And The Potential Citizens They Will Serve, Robert W. Boyle

Master's Theses

This paper examines the effects on the community when its police officers are held to different physical standards based upon their sex. Through a Platonic analysis of the modern day "guardians of the city," it can be seen that the community is deprived of the strongest and best police force when the department compensates individuals based upon a "weakness" that thier class of applicants possesses. This process proves to be unfair to both the applicants and to the citizens they may subsequently serve.

Characteristics Associated With Smoking In A Hispanic Sample., D. Rodriguez Esquivel, Theodore Cooper, J. Blow, M. Resor

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Alcohol Self-Administration Acutely Stimulates The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Axis, But Alcohol Dependence Leads To A Dampened Neuroendocrine State, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

A Psychobiological Framework Of The Substrates That Mediate Nicotine Use During Adolescence, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Female Rats Display Dose-Dependent Differences To The Rewarding And Aversive Effects Of Nicotine In An Age-, Hormone-, And Sex-Dependent Manner., Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Rodent Models Of Nicotine Reward: What Do They Tell Us About Tobacco Abuse In Humans?, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Serotonin 2c Receptor Null Mutation On Physiology And Behavior Associated With Nigrostriatal Dopamine Pathway Function., Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Comorbid Chronic Pain And Depression: Who Is At Risk?, L. R. Miller, Annmarie Cano

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and demographic risk factors of chronic pain and its comorbidity with depression. Computer-assisted telephone interviewing was utilized to obtain a representative community sample in the state of Michigan (N = 1,179). The prevalence of chronic pain due to any cause was 21.9%. Approximately 35% of participants with chronic pain also had comorbid depression (7.7% of the entire sample). Depression was not associated with pain types or sites. A multinomial regression analysis revealed several demographic correlates of chronic pain and depression. Participants with chronic pain or comorbid pain and depression were …

The Lived Experiences Of Older African Americans Residing In Urban Nursing Homes, Marilynn Gail Byrd Knall

Wayne State University Theses

As huge numbers of baby boomers reach old age, an increased need for nursing home care in the future is inevitable. Older people face more complex health issues that often lead to debilitation or disability and thus the need for long-term care. The numbers of consumers needing long-term care services will more than triple during the next 30 years.

African Americans compose less than 10% of nursing home residents and even at age 84 and older, when the likelihood of nursing home placement is higher, proportionately fewer African Americans live in nursing homes. The underrepresentation of ethnic minorities groups in …

Discovering New Avenues Of Promotion: Collaboration With The Division Of Research, Annette M. Healy

Library Scholarly Publications

At research universities, the library plays a critical role in meeting the information needs of researchers. As libraries expand their electronic resources, researchers are less likely to visit the library and may be unaware of available services and resources. In addition, not all research team members are reached during traditional library orientation sessions. In this electronic age, finding opportunities to promote library resources to researchers is increasingly challenging.

At Wayne State University, collaboration between the University Libraries and the Division of Research has led to several new avenues for promoting library services and resources. The University Libraries have participated in …

Preparing For Publication: Strategies For Identifying Potential Library Journals, Deborah H. Charbonneau

Library Scholarly Publications

Research and publishing in library and information science (LIS) contributes to the profession. As such, publishing in LIS journals offers one avenue for library practitioners to share results and experiences that both enhances and contributes to our collective wisdom. In addition, getting published facilitates the sharing of new discoveries, leads to personal growth, and is an excellent way to establish a professional identity. However, identifying potential LIS journals for publication can be one challenge that librarians encounter. Therefore, the aim of this article is to provide practical suggestions for identifying potential journals for library practitioners to get their work published. …

Coming Full Circle: From Child Victim To Childcare Professional, Angelique Day

Social Work Faculty Publications

Like so many American kids reared by abusive and neglectful parents, I did not know the simple joys of childhood, nor was I permitted the normalcy of a stable family life. By my ninth birthday, I had heard about the “Great American Dream,” and although I wanted to believe in it - desperately - it was nothing more than a little girls wistful fantasy In my world, nightmares dominated dreams, and fantasies existed only briefly, extinguished by the daily horrors of cruel reality What did manage to persist unabated was physical and mental abuse given freely and in abundance by …

Perceived Entitlement To Pain-Related Support And Pain Catastrophizing: Associations With Perceived And Observed Support, Annmarie Cano, L Leong, J. B. Heller, J. R. Lutz

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Studies on the determinants of pain-related support are needed to enhance couples-based treatments for pain. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which pain catastrophizing and perceived entitlement to pain-related support (i.e., support entitlement) were associated with perceived and observed social support. Participants were 106 chronic pain couples recruited from the community. They completed surveys as well as an observational discussion task. Greater support entitlement in persons with pain was correlated positively with pain catastrophizing, punishing spouse responses, and observed spousal invalidation but negatively correlated with perceived spousal support, solicitous spouse responses, and observed validation. Catastrophizing …

Childhood And The Limits Of Contract, Sarah Abramowicz

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

The Rise Of Private Equity Media Ownership In The United States: A Public Interest Perspective, Matthew Crain

Publications and Research

This article examines the logic, scope, and implications of the influx of private equity takeovers in the United States media sector in the last decade. The strategies and aims of private equity firms are explained in the context of the financial landscape that has allowed them to flourish; their aggressive expansion into media ownership is outlined in detail. Particular attention is paid to the public interest concerns raised by private equity media ownership relating to the frenzied nature of the buyout market, profit maximization strategies, and the heavy debt burdens imposed on acquired firms. The article concludes with discussion of …

Advertising Health Status In Male Sex Workers' Online Ads, Voonchin Phua, Desiree Ciambrone, Obed Vasquez

Sociology Faculty Publications

This brief report examines whether male sex workers mentioned any health concerns in their online ads. The analysis uses 203 male escorts' online ads collected from America Online chat rooms in 2001/2002. The results indicate that only 25 percent of male escorts explicitly mentioned any health-related words or phrases in their ads. The results also show that whether a male escort mentioned health in their ad is correlated with the type of images they would like to portray and with the type of sex services they offer.

Differences In Romanian Men's Online Personals By Sexualities, Sebastian E. Bartoş, Voonchin Phua, Erin N. Avery

Sociology Faculty Publications

As Internet usage increases, its ability to provide almost instant connections and to pre-screen potential partners has made it a popular source for meeting people. To contribute to current literature, we examine differences in content between 187 men seeking men and 193 men seeking women in a sample of Romanian (Bucharest) personals in 2007. Results show that men seeking women provide more information about themselves than men seeking men. While the results also show that some Romanian men are more open about expressing their sexualities than others, there are still many obstacles affecting how men choose to share and express …

Gossip At Work: Unsanctioned Evaluative Talk In Formal School Meetings, Tim Hallett, Brent D. Harger, Donna Eder

Sociology Faculty Publications

This article uses a form of linguistic ethnography to analyze videotaped recordings of gossip that took place during formal school meetings. By comparing this gossip data against existing models of gossip based on data collected in informal settings, we identify eleven new response classes, including four forms of indirectness that operate to cloak gossip under ambiguity, and seven forms of avoidance that change the trajectory of gossip. In doing so, this article makes three larger contributions. First, it opens a new front in research on organizational politics by providing an empirically grounded, conceptually rich vocabulary for analyzing gossip in formal …

The Pedagogical Data Reference Interview, Kristin Partlo

Staff and Faculty Work

This essay reflects on the reference interview on several levels. If we accept that academic reference in general has a pedagogical role, then it is necessary to adjust the standard model of the reference interview to reflect that value. Within the specific context of academic data reference, undergraduates as a group require more instruction during the reference interview because they are less prepared than graduate students and faculty to ask for what they need. A strict service model does not meet their needs. A successful model appropriately balances the tension between instruction and service. This balance will vary from one …

Relationship Of Body Image To Breast And Skin Self-Examination Intentions And Behaviors, Sari R. Chait, Joel K. Thompson, Paul B. Jacobsen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Breast self-examinations (BSE) and skin self-examinations (SSE) represent cost-effective and time-efficient approaches to cancer detection. Given their utility, it is important to determine who is likely to perform these behaviors regularly and why. Because BSE and SSE require close examination of one's body, women who are less satisfied and less comfortable with their bodies may perform these behaviors less often. This study sought to determine if a relationship exists between body image and BSE and SSE behaviors and intentions. Ninety-three women completed measures assessing body image, past performance of and future intentions to perform BSE and SSE. Results indicated that …

Peak Performance -- A Unifying Model, Heather J. Peters, Jean M. Williams

Psychology Publications

No abstract provided.

Is A Sense Of Inequity An Ancestral Primate Trait? Testing Social Inequity In Cotton Top Tamarins, Julie J. Neiworth, Elizabeth T. Johnson, Katherine Whillock, Julia Greenberg, Vanessa Brown

Psychology Faculty Work

To address a controversy in the literature concerning whether monkeys show an aversion to inequity, individuals of a New World monkey species, cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) were tested in an offering task and in a bartering task. At issue was whether the monkeys rejected rewards because of a violation of expectancy of the preferred reward, or whether they rejected rewards because of a sensitivity to socially mediated inequity. The data from both tasks indicated that the subjects were more likely to reject when preferred rewards were presented, either because of another animal eating the reward (the social condition) or …

Thinking About Me: How Social Awareness Evolved, Julie J. Neiworth

Psychology Faculty Work

—Humans seem unique in their consideration of others’ goals, motivations, intentions, and needs. But the human form of social awareness did not spring from nowhere; certain mechanisms shared across primates formed the foundation from which these processes derived. A review of recent nonhuman primate research points to particular ancestral mechanisms, including an interest in images moving in synchrony with self, a mirror neuron system that responds in the same way to actions made by the self and by others, and inherited social tolerance that provided the bases for social thinking. Still there is a gap in tracking social awareness from …